JNIPR, a reimagined team JNPR

by darkwraian

This story follows the events of RWBY as they are, with one big change: team JNPR has a different leader. While at first everything follows mostly the same story, as team JNIPR and team RWBY interact more, key story events will change more. The story is told from the point of view of a new student, Indigo. Indigo lived in the wilds alone, and has been fighting Grimm his whole life.

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Indigo worked his way through the familiar woods for the last time. He would have to leave them behind for a while, at least. Sweat poured down from his short, wavy dark green hair, styled upwards to stay out of view of his bluish-green eyes. His journey was a tiring one, through dense woods, and his knowledge of them did little to change the fact that they were not easy traveling terrain. But, he had a concrete destination in mind, for once. Attending school at Beacon was something he'd only begun to dream of recently. Unlike the other prospective students, he didn't attend famed preparatory schools. Unlike the others, he had no family, and only one temporary mentor to guide his path. For most of his life, he was left to the mercy of the wilds.

He was too young to remember when it started, when his life of solitude with no family began. He had flashes of black fur filled with red eyes somewhere haunting his memory, paired with bloodcurdling screams. His family, he was fairly sure. The last he remembered of them was their bodies littering the floor of his ruined cottage in the deep woods of the Vale, where people rarely were brave enough to venture. It made sense, seeing the result he had. When the Grimm finally came to finish him off, his Semblance kicked in. He was a child of barely 6, but he had ensnared the Grimm that killed his family. Vines as thick as trees swarmed from the environment around them, and even emanated from his outstretched palms. They restrained, eviscerated, eliminated all the Grimm. And then he was truly alone.

Indigo gripped the letter of acceptance in his coat pocket tighter. I belong there. Ozpin said so. Still, it was hard for him to believe that someone noticed his struggle for survival. The few humans who lived in the wilds still were often deranged, exiled from society for crime or insanity. He wondered what led his parents he couldn't remember much of to such a dangerous life. The few times he approached some fellow forest dwellers for help as a child usually ended in fights as they tried to take advantage of his powers. It always ended worse for his opponents. Still, there were a few humans who pitied him, teaching him the ways of the world. Or maybe they just wanted to take advantage of my powers.

Even those who helped him often demanded he use his Semblance to help them hunt or garden. While his control of nature helped to destroy enemies, it also worked to create. He could will plants into life, producing from a seed a fully fruited plant within minutes. At first, he resigned himself to a quiet life as a wanderer or farmer. After all, what use would he be in the cities away from the plants that were the source of his power?

But the ever present threat of the Grimm pushed him to his dream. It taught him to fight. Even without people to care for him, he found a reason to fight for others. It just felt wrong not too, although Indigo was never sure why. He saved strangers who were assailed by Grimm many times in his travels. It earned him a sort of reputation throughout the lands. They called him "The Wandering Wild," as he trailed it with him wherever he went. That legend was what attracted Ozpin.

When Indigo's travels brought him near a larger village in Vale, Ozpin found him. He gave him a few pointers on how to live. Indigo adored him, one of the first seemingly selfless and helpful people he'd ever met. Ozpin appeared to actually care. He showed Indigo how to create a staff to help channel his powers, ensuring he would never be without them, even in the cities where his nature was lessened. Within a year of self training and continued combat with Grimm (after Ozpin moved onto his many duties), he felt ready to enroll at Ozpin's academy in Beacon. Ozpin found him again as he prepared to enter Beacon himself, as if he could sense Indigo's readiness.

Still, Indigo felt a sense of unease as he left the forest paths behind for paved roads. He was headed straight for a city, and while he'd seen a few in his travels, none compared to Beacon. Plus, I never really needed to talk to people much in my travels before. Maybe I'll find something like a family here? Or friends at least? Indigo had never had anything more than an acquaintance, unless you counted Ozpin. Being around others his own age would be stranger than fighting Grimm. He set his jaw determinedly and walked towards the tower that was Beacon academy in the distance. He needed to find something to fight for, a reason to fight Grimm more than himself, an explanation for why he wanted to protect a world that had all but discarded him to its frontier. Indigo just wanted something worth protecting, a validation of his efforts. He clutched the letter Ozpin gave him a week earlier tighter, then unballed his fist and walked purposefully towards the tower.

The people in the town lying around Beacon Academy all eyed Indigo strangely as he approached. Each person he so much as glanced at appeared to be eyeballing him, only turning away when his eyes met theirs. Except the children. They looked on with their jaws hanging open. Indigo could not figure out why. I don't look weird, do I? I thought for sure that spring I bathed in before coming here, and that new set of clothes I molded from the trees was made to match the clothing of other villagers. Indigo sniffed himself questingly, and found he didn't smell off. The herbs he ground together to clean himself were doing their job nicely.

"Mama, look at that man's funny green clothes!" Indigo's gaze shifted to a boy holding his mother's hand next to a produce stand. He was pointing at Indigo, smiling unabashedly. His mother didn't even turn around, too focused on buying something for her family. "That's nice, dear. But don't say that so loudly. It's rude." Indigo looked down at himself again. He supposed his garb did have a bright green glare to it that was not present in the townsfolk's simple, mostly gray attire. Maybe I should've taken the time to make some dyes. But Indigo shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought. It's not as if he was a fashion expert. He probably would've made something that clashed, sticking out even more. Plus, he was too excited to make it to Beacon to take the time he would've needed. Indigo pulled a little at his deep green shirt to make the sleeves cover his hands a bit better, then straightened out his dark brown trousers. They were comfortable, at least, and protected him from the elements and any scrapes the brush he was used to pushing through might give him.

Indigo glanced at the sun, then re-read his acceptance letter for what felt like the hundredth time. He was to arrive today, at 9:00 in the morning. Judging by the sun, it was 8:30, and he knew it was the right day thanks to a calendar he'd procured somewhere along his travels. He stifled a yawn, and before his eyes settled back to the street level, they followed a transport ship in the town's port about to leave for Beacon. His fellow students were rushing towards it, and he doubted they were as tired as he was. He had woken well before dawn from a restless sleep in a hammock of his own making, striving to arrive on time. As it was, he figured he would arrive with 15 minutes to spare before the transport left. He created a handful of nuts and seeds to keep him going. He'd been doing the same all morning, taking a few handfuls whenever he felt the need. He found this way of eating preferable to how others seemed to take their food in large quantities only a few times a day. This way, he was never bloated or very hungry, always ready for action. He rubbed his palms together, clearing away the crumbs, then stepped aboard the transport, holding his letter in the face of a guard posted next to the ramp into the ship. The guard merely nodded, his gaze already shifting to the student behind Indigo. There really were a lot more people than Indigo was used to.

Unused to the commotion of so many people in one place, Indigo sought out a derelict corner of the transport, staying there when the ship lifted off. He had no need for the view out of the ship's marvelous glass windows. Heights weren't really his thing, unless it was somewhere that wasn't man made. If I don't stand near a window, it'll be fine. However, he soon found himself joined by a queasy student. They were also seeking refuge from the view, although for different reasons. The barfing boy with messy blonde hair and an old looking sword and shield strapped to his belt turned to Indigo once he'd spewed what had to be all the contents of his stomach.

"Hey, I'm Jaune. Sorry I had to let it out here. It's the place with the least people to bother, so…" Jaune trailed off, noticing Indigo's unquestioning look. "Sorry, normally people look at me weird right away, but you're just kinda… listening? My mom always said I talk too much, so I'll shut up now." Indigo waited until he was sure the slightly green guy named Jaune was done, then responded. "I'm Indigo. I'm not really used to being around people, since I live in the frontier of Vale. I guess that's why your behavior doesn't confuse me. All of this is so new to me." "Well, hey, I guess we're in a pretty similar boat… errr airship? Ha, couldn't resist. I'm from a small farm town, and everyone there tired of me pretty fast. I guess growing up with 7 sisters makes me fight to be heard… what's your family like?"

Indigo felt this strange encounter becoming closer to what he found was normal when people conversed. "I don't have a family. They died when I was really young to Grimm, and I've been wandering Vale's woods ever since. I guess that explains why I want to be here. What about yo-" Indigo stopped short as Jaune's blue eyes lit up. "NO WAY! You're the Wandering Wild! That staff seals it. You helped my village fight Grimm once. Thanks man! Hey, can you help me out in school? I'm pretty new to all this fighting stuff."

Indigo frowned. He was certain that Ozpin carefully screened all students entering Beacon for skills. He didn't understand how someone could need help here. Maybe he's just being humble and trying to make friends. I mean, I'm here to do the same as him. "Sure thing, although I don't have the most combat experience. Let's teach each other everything we know! We'll become better hunters that way!" Indigo declared with a smile on his face, extending his hand towards Jaune. Jaune wipes off his right hand, then shook Indigo's. "It's a deal! Man, I hope we end up in the same squad!" "Oh, and since I'm from the wilds basically, it would help me a lot if you could fill me in on what life is like for you. I have a pretty limited understanding of everything." Indigo added. He had much more to learn than just how to be a hunter. He had that part down pretty well. The whole world was pretty new to him. Jaune nodded his agreement, then a pained look returned to his face. He dry heaved into the trash can he was next to, hunched over it in pain.

Concern for his new friend filled Indigo, and he tried to think of something he could do to help Jaune. He concentrated on his powers, then grew a small, leafy plant from the tip of his staff. When it was ready, he pinched it off, then pulled a mortar and pestle out of his bag. When Jaune finished his latest round of gagging, he fixed Indigo with a weak and questioning gaze. "It's to help settle your stomach." Indigo explained as he ground the plant in the clay cup. He poured some water into it from his bag, then handed it to Jaune. Jaune chugged it all in one go, not stopping to question Indigo for a second. "GAH! This is disgusting." Jaune sputtered as soon as the mixture went down. "Why didn't you warn me?" "Sorry, but you didn't give me a chance. I'm used to people being very skeptical of my Semblance and how it works. I thought you'd ask me some stuff before drinking." This guy is really trusting. I'm not used to that outside. It's a nice change of pace. I hope all the other students are this kind. "Anyways, that should help you out, despite the taste. Let me know how you feel in a few minutes.

Jaune nodded weakly, and was silent for the rest of the trip, except for an occasional burp of queasiness. Indigo gathered his thoughts, preparing for the big day awaiting him. Other than his staff and powers, and some supplies in his bag, he wasn't bringing any school supplies to Beacon. He hoped they gave students some necessities. Well, it's not like I need them, since I can basically conjure up anything I need. It would be nice to have some things I haven't made, though. Indigo thought as he shouldered his pack that he had created out of a combination of sturdy grasses and cotton.

The transport soon landed, and Jaune rushed ahead of Indigo, still with some green on his face. A quick glance at the trash can told Indigo all he needed to know. Jaune needed a less full vomit receptacle. Indigo followed the crowd of students on their way off the transport, taking in the breathtaking view of Beacon Academy. He had no trouble in seeing over most of their heads. He marveled at the amazing immensity of the buildings before him. Even the city below couldn't compare. A few students nearby were doing the same, and a conversation between a bombastic blonde girl and a more shy seeming red and black haired girl drew his attention away from the architecture.

"Sis, that kid's got a collapsible staff!" She exclaimed, gesturing over to where Indigo was just shifting his view from the buildings above back to ground level. "And she's got a fire sword!" Indigo decided to go talk to them. At least they could discuss their weapons, as the red and black haired girl seemed interested in his. As he approached, the blonde girl replied "Easy there sister. They're just weapons." "Just weapons?" The shorter black and red haired girl retorted. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're part of us! They're so cool!" "Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" The blonde girl countered. At this point, Indigo had reached the pair. Before they noticed him, the red girl said one more thing: "of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. It's just really cool seeing new ones. Like meeting new people. But better…" she trailed off as Indigo approached.

"Crescent Rose, huh? Seems fitting for your scythe. My staff doesn't have a name yet, but mine is Indigo. What's yours?" The two girls looked at Indigo as he entered their conversation. "See Ruby, people aren't bad. You can talk weapons with them. But my friends are here so I'm going bye." The yellow haired girl blurted out as she ran off with a group of students. Ruby turned back to Indigo after watching her sister go. "Well, as you probably heard from my sister, Yang, I'm Ruby. I was just telling her how cool your collapsible staff is. What else can it do, Indigo?" She's pretty perceptive. Just from seeing the short stick I have slung over my shoulder, she can tell it changes sizes, but also that it can do more. "Well, it's not exactly collapsible, but it does change size. I can change its shape in many ways, using my Semblance." Indigo demonstrated, first expanding it as she might have expected, then growing it into a branching, treelike stick in his hand. "Ohmigod Ohmigod, that is AWESOME!" Ruby squealed. "Anyways, what can yours do? It looks like it's more than just a scythe. Is that a trigger I see?" Indigo pointed at a part of her scythe that her finger was resting near. "Yup!" Ruby said proudly as she fingered the trigger. "I can use it as a sniper rifle, and the recoil comes in handy with my Speed Semblance. Although, I don't think showing you here is the best idea. A gunshot might scare someone."

Despite that, Ruby seemed intent on showing what she meant. She held her scythe out in front of her, explaining. "So, basically the handle also doubles as a barrel, and when I pull the trigger a dust explosion shoots all the way up and out the tip, and the sights I have are perfectly aligned for complete accuracy." As Ruby boasted, she aimed her staff at the ground, closed one eye, and pretended to pull the trigger. As she did so, she excitedly jumped backwards, right into the cart of a girl clad in all white, including pure Snow White hair that stretched down all the way to her white boots. Ruby sent the white girl's many bags of luggage flying all over, and a vial of red dust tumbled out of a case that was thrown open by the collision.

"What are you doing!" The snowy girl shouted. "S-Sorry." Ruby stammered. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could've caused?" The angry girl ranted on. "This is dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry." Indigo watched concernedly, realization of who this girl was dawning on him. He'd heard of the Schnees and their characteristic wintriness. This must've been the youngest girl, Weiss. Indigo had heard Winter was a great soldier for Atlas, but many of his fellow exiles were Faunus, and they always complained of the working conditions people like the Schnees imposed on them in their mines. Indigo frowned as Weiss continued to yell at Ruby, deciding on how best to intervene when Ruby suddenly sneezed a fireball.

The vial of red dust flew off and was caught by a girl with a black bow in her hair, arranged in an interesting fashion. Indigo briefly noted her, but she was reading and did not seem to be going anywhere. He turned back to see Weiss continuing to chew out Ruby, and he decided it was enough. "Hey, Weiss. Give Ruby a break. She didn't see you. It's not like she did any of that on purpose. And you waving that vial of dust in her face certainly didn't help." Weiss turned to face him, seeming to only realize he was there just then, and already with an offended look on her face. "Excuse me? And who are you, to be talking to me like that?" "Well, my name's Indigo, and I don't think it really matters who I am. Just take it easy, we'll help you get your stuff back in order." Weiss harrumphed, but let Indigo start piling her luggage back into the cart. Ruby joined him a second later. "Thanks, Indigo. She was starting to get a little carried away." Ruby said with a nervous laugh. "Yeah, just a little, Indigo grinned slightly, quickly glancing at Ruby, then back down at the nearly all reordered luggage cart. Indigo thought of asking Weiss to help them, but figured it was a bad idea with the mood he was in. Besides, he was used to doing more work for others than they did for themselves. He'd been exploited worse out in the wilds.

"Anyways, next time watch where you're going." Weiss said to Ruby. "Hey, I said I was sorry, princess," Ruby retorted. At that moment, the girl with a black bow in her equally black hair approached them, saying "it's heiress, actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee dust company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." "Finally, some recognition!" Weiss beamed. But the black clad girl continued. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Indigo listened in curiously. This was a part of the world he was less familiar with. He had heard of the Schnees, of course, but they operated from Atlas, an icy continent isolated in the north. He knew little of the politics surrounding them, as he knew little even of the politics on his own continent. The little he did know was gathered from whispers at tiny village inns. The one thing he did know was that most whispers involved Ozpin. Not all were good, but good was all Indigo had seen when he met Ozpin, something he couldn't say for many of the people he met wandering the wilds.

After being thoroughly shut down, Weiss snatched her vial from the black garbed girl and stormed off towards Beacon academy. Indigo watched her storm off, then turned back to Ruby as she muttered to herself while looking at the ground. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day…" Wow, even though Weiss was just chewing her out, Ruby still finds a way to feel bad for her? This girl is one of a kind. I'll bet she ends up doing well here. She turned back towards the other girl, only to find her strolling off, Ruby only managing a "So, what's…"

She turned back to Indigo. "At least you stuck around. I hope more people are like you here, and don't just abandon me like they did." "Hey, don't worry about it. Even if everyone is as cold as Weiss, or as shy as that other girl, I'm sure we'll all warm up to each other as we get to know one another more through school." He glanced quickly around to see if any other students were yet to enter the academy after their encounters. The plaza was mostly deserted, except for a familiar blonde haired boy weakly walking towards them. Jaune seemed to finally settle his stomach.

"Yo, Indigo, thanks for the medicine! I'm starting to feel a bit better. And who's this? Hey, I'm Jaune." Jaune extended his hand to Ruby, who shook it. "Ruby," she simply breathed, before snorting. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" Indigo started laughing, soon followed by Ruby, and eventually even Jaune cracked a smile at his own expense. Still, Jaune attempts to defend himself, arguing "all I'm saying is that motion sickness is a lot more common problem than people let on." Indigo wanted to help his new friend out, so he added, "yeah, especially up in some contraption really high up. It made me pretty queasy just looking out the windows. Don't even try to get me near the edge of this floating academy." Jaune smiles a faint thanks, and Ruby countered, "look, I'm sorry. Vomitboy was the first thing that came to mind." "Oh, yeah? Well, what if I called you craterface?" "Hey, that explosion was an accident." Jaune seemed to sense this was getting nowhere, and changed tacts.

"Well, the names Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." "Do they?" Ruby asked with a mischievous smile on her face. "Th-they will. Well, I hope they will. I mean, my mom always says - never mind." Jaune kept himself from further embarrassment, and Indigo simply shook his head and smiled. Jaune was an earnest, kindhearted, trusting guy. He just hoped nobody took advantage of that. Ruby seemed to be getting bored, and showed off her Crescent Rose again, for Jaune's sake. She pointed out its many cool, customized features, and Indigo followed suit, expanding his staff with leaves and branches in all directions, shapes, and sizes. Jaune looked down at his own simple sword and shield. He was awed by his friends' weapons, and even more surprised that they made their own weapons with their own hands. Ruby explained that all students at prep academies like Signal created their own weapons. While Indigo knew nothing of this custom, he was prepared thanks to the ability of his Semblance to change his staff at will. He thought it smart that the academies encouraged such detail in weapon care, as it would bond the wielder and weapon together more closely, creating a better hunter.

"My great great grandfather fought with these in the war. It's kind of a hand me down." Ruby appeared thoughtful at Jaune's admission, then declared, "Well I like it. Not many appreciate the classics these days." Indigo gazed at the fountain they were rounding admiringly, then led the trip towards the main entrance of Beacon. He figured the students would be greeted in the largest, most imposing part of the academy. He guessed correctly and they approached a loud gathering of chatting students excitedly waiting for their next instructions in a sort of outdoor amphitheater. Yang called to Ruby, offering a spot in the group she'd saved, leaving Jaune and Indigo alone. "Great, where am I gonna find another cool, quirky girl to talk to?" Jaune complained.

Indigo glanced around. He couldn't tell which girls were quirky or not based on looks alone, but he had a good idea of the relative strength of the students there. None seemed at the ready to fight at a moments notice, really. It seemed he may have more combat experience than the others after all. However, his gaze lingered on a beautiful girl with long red hair held back in a ponytail, wearing gilded bronze armor, standing in a casual way that also suggested she would be ready to fight whatever, whenever, and wherever. She met his stare where the rest of the gathering students didn't even notice him. He smiled a sheepish smile at her, and she returned it. He wondered if she saw in him what he saw in her. Jaune was clueless to all this, however, and moped a bit longer until he remembered Indigo was still standing next to him. "Right, at least we're still in this together, Indigo." "You got it, Jaune."

Indigo noticed that Weiss somehow ended up next to Ruby and Yang in the crowd, and the three seemed to be chatting. Suddenly, Weiss gestured towards them, clearly pointing to Jaune. "Hey, Jaune, I don't think you'll have to look too far for that new quirky girl. Look at that girl all in white. She just pointed at you!" "Hmm?" Jaune wondered as he looked over to where Indigo had nodded. "And she's with Ruby. Man, I guess they can't help but talk about me!" Jaune said, puffing up his chest. Just then, Ozpin cleared his throat over the microphone, and the crowd of students fell silent. "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today to acquire knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. When you are 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." It's like he's talking right to me, Indigo thought. "You assume that 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." Without waiting for questions or any sort of crowd reaction, Ozpin stepped aside to let an older huntress with blonde hair tied back in a bun and an interesting pointed white and purple cape take the mic.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. You are dismissed." She said matter of factly before stepping away. The students dispersed, and Indigo was left with Jaune wondering how to spend the day. He decided on exploring the academy's grounds, and wandered off into the more wooded parts that he was familiar with. Jaune stayed behind, trying to woo some women, but the two agreed to set up their sleeping bags near each other. Crap, I only have my hammock. I'll need to make a sleeping bag. I just need to find the right materials… Indigo thought of what would make the most comfortable bag as he approached a clearing surrounded by a few tall-ish trees just off the path near one of the fountains. He didn't see any students, so he continued considering what materials would be easier to pull from the environment, and which ones he'd need to make on his own, weighing that against how much energy he thought it would take to manage it. He sat down in the center of a the clearing, looking around to make sure he was alone. Even up here where there were only students and teachers, Indigo kept to his usual cautious ways, not trusting those around him immediately. It had caused him too many problems out in the wilds. He heard a faint rustle from the branches above him, and saw the black clad girl reading in the tree. He knew from experience she appreciated privacy, but also figured she wouldn't attack him. He sensed a more intense version of what he had in the red haired girl, but this was less refined, more wild like him. He figured knowing her position was enough to give him plenty of time to react if she were an enemy. So he sat down in the center of the clearing, laying his staff across his lap, closing his eyes.

He imagined a sleeping bag woven of the softest cotton, protected on the outside by flexible but durable grasses. Those he drew in from the nearby plants, and he even coaxed some soft flowers for a sort of pillow from some unsprung seeds below ground. He made sure to replace what he took with an extra surge of energy, then focused on creating the cotton. A semi-involved process like this took a decent amount of time, and the sun was setting when he finally finished. He opened his eyes, and saw the girl was still in the same spot in her tree. However, this time she saw him spot her, and lithely jumped from her perch about 15 feet in the air straight to the ground, landing cleanly on all fours. Like a cat.

"I'll bet you knew I was here the whole time, didn't you, Indigo. Or should I say, 'The Wandering Wild'. Really, how egotistical do you have to be, to pick a name like that for yourself. Her cattiness shocked Indigo. He didn't think he'd done anything against her. But maybe she didn't like her privacy being invaded, and was just being territorial. Her behavior struck him as slightly off, a mixture of the human he was less familiar with, and the animals of the woods he knew well. A thought struck him, and he glanced at her ribbon , which he could've sworn had just twitched, despite the windless evening air. Suddenly, it all came together.

"And you, you're a Faunus. But you're hiding it." She jumped back, then pulled out a whip gun as he said the word 'Faunus'. "Don't you DARE tell anyone else, or I'll-" "Or you'll what?" Indigo interrupted with a flash of anger. But he wasn't looking to fight a fellow student. He calmed himself as she prepared to pounce. "Relax. I won't tell anyone. I just got a bit carried away with you calling me out, so I thought I did the same to you. We're even, now. I don't have anything against Faunus. Although you probably could've guessed that, if you know who I am." Living in the wilds, he'd seen more Faunus than people, as they were more likely to be exiled, on the down and out with nowhere left to turn. He'd helped more Faunus than humans. The girl sheathed her whip, the tension in her body fading. "Sorry, I just don't want any complications, and being a Faunus is a pretty big one nowadays. My name's Blake. Swear you won't tell?" She asked, her eyes widening in hope. "I swear. Besides, we seem to like the same things, both of us ending up out here. I like reading also, as there isn't much else to do in the wilds. Not many to talk to. Anyways, while we're out here and before we head in, want me to make you anything? Maybe a backup bow, in case you lose that one hiding your ears?"

Blake's ribbon twitched again as her ears revealed her annoyance, but she kept it together. "No, thanks, I have a spare. I'm not an idiot. I'll let you know if I do need anything, now that you're in on my secret." Together, they headed back to the ballroom, Indigo trying to learn more about her, like the kinds of books she liked, or where she came from, but Blake was pretty quiet, talking as little as possible. Indigo entered the ballroom to find most of the spots taken, and he scanned the room looking for Jaune. The room was split into two halves, with the guys on one side, girls on the other, the middle an empty no man's land.

Blake left for a corner with a candlestick without as much as a backward glance at Indigo, so he scanned the room, looking for Jaune, the only guy he knew so far. Jaune was strutting along the imaginary line of no man's land along with a few shirtless guys wrestling, trying to impress the girls. Jaune was in some goofy pajamas, but still seemed to think he could impress. Indigo turned away from Jaune, trying to figure out where to sleep. Most of the spots on the ground were taken, and Jaune was carrying his staff with him, struggling to find a spot while pretending to only be strutting about. Indigo found a spot near one of the corners, and called Jaune over. Jaune joined him quickly, and was about to set his sleeping bag down in the spot when Indigo thought of something better.

"What do you think of sleeping in a hammock, Jaune?"Jaune looked askance at Indigo, clearly confused. "My Semblance makes it pretty easy to make a hammock, so we won't have to sleep on the hard ground. I could make bunk hammocks of a sort, so we could get the most out of this limited space." Indigo explained. "Really? That's pretty cool. Anything is better than the ground." It'll also be safer. Indigo always slept up high when he had the chance. It was harder to be spotted, harder to be snuck up on and taken advantage of. Even surrounded by a bunch of supposed allies, Indigo was still cautious.

He crouched low, placing his hands on the ground spread as far as they would go, and he channeled his aura through them. Bamboo shoots quickly sprung up, andtwo hammocks climbed up them, one over the other. Indigo was only a little tired after this feat, as bamboo grew quickly by itself, requiring less input from him. His familiarity with the process helped, too. As Jaune climbed to the bottom hammock, some other students began taking interest, variously staring, whispering, or pretending not to notice or care. "If anyone else wants a little extra space off the ground I'd be happy to help." He announced to the people around him. Most of the guys shook their heads, trying to keep up their manly facade in front of the women. A few asked him to make more, so he did. When he finished with all the guys and was about to climb into bed, Weiss approached him.

"Hey, you. Plant Boy. Make me one of those hammocks. If you do, I might let you off the hook for the trouble you caused me today." Indigo was about to remind her that she was the one who waved the explosive dust around carelessly, but thought better of it. Best to just placate her for now. "Ok, Weiss. And it's Indigo. Any particular style you want? Room for people above or below you?" "I need my own hammock, of course. The largest one in the room, and perfectly at middle height." She eyed the few poles of hammocks haphazardly arranged through the room, hammocks strewn through the air at all kinds of heights. Indigo obliged, adding a little fancy flair, hoping he wouldn't have to deal with Weiss' anger again. Something told him that was wishful thinking. Once Weiss had her hammock, all the girls asked for one, so he ended up spending tons of energy to set them all up. Jaune stopped following him, sticking around Weiss and trying unsuccessfully to talk to her. Indigo was ready to pass out from exhaustion at the end when the beautiful red haired girl with piercing green eyes laid a hand on his shoulder.

Indigo turned around to face her, stunned when his eyes met hers, at a loss for words. He let out a weak smile, and she introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Pyrrha. That's some work you're doing. You must be exhausted. Let me help you." She turned him to face her more directly with her strong right hand, then placed her left one on his other shoulder. Indigo felt a cool flow of energy refresh him as she poured some of her aura into him. "There, that should be better. Now, what's your name?" "I'm Indigo." He replied simply. "Thanks for that. Do you want a hammock too?" "If you still are willing, I'd love one. I've got a couple requests, though." "Let me guess," Indigo started. "You want one all the way to the ceiling, in one of the corners, away from the windows?" "How did you know?" Pyrrha asked, her eyebrows raised and her deep green eyes widening. "It's what I would've done. I sized everyone up when I got here, and you were the only one who noticed me. You seem to be as on alert as I am. You've fought a lot before, haven't you?"

"Well, I guess you could say that. Although, knowing I fight isn't that uncommon, as I've won a few tournaments in Mistral." "What's that?" Indigo asked confused. Pyrrha seemed to be famous, but he had no idea what for. "Wait, you don't know where I come from or what I do? You just recognized the spirit of a fighter in me? That's great! It's so refreshing for someone to just see me for who I am, and not as the girl on Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes. I have a feeling we'll get along, Indigo." "Me too." Indigo replied. "We should spar sometime. I'd love to see what you're made of." Pyrrha nodded excitedly. "Definitely. But for now, we should get to bed. You've used a ton of aura, and so did I, replenishing it for you. Try not to waste so much on petty helpful things like this from now on." With that, Pyrrha deftly swung herself up to her hammock, and Indigo walked to his, passing out almost as soon as he got in his hammock directly beneath the ceiling in his corner. He only spared time to say goodnight to the few people who thanked him again for the hammocks, among them Ruby, Yang, and Blake. And to say goodnight to Jaune, who was staring wistfully from his hammock towards Weiss. He closed his eyes contentedly after scanning the room once more, finding no signs of danger, catching Pyrrha's eye at the opposite side of the room, doing the same as him.

Chapter 2: The Entrance Exam

Indigo woke with the sun the next morning, it's rays piercing through the floor to ceiling windows of the great hall at Beacon. He hopped down from his perch to see many students beginning to awaken as well. Soon, the growing noise would wake them all. His first worry was about leaving all his hammocks standing, cluttering the hall. Nobody had exactly prevented him from redecorating the place, but he hadn't gotten permission, either. He decided to walk around, absorbing the energy from his mini towers when all the people left him. After an hour, he was feeling full of energy, regained from the disappearing poles, some stored in his staff, some in himself as aura. His constant breakfast of smaller fruits and nuts helped, too. A few students asked him for food as well, so his energy wasn't too greatly charged. He had a limit he could reach, anyways, so it was pointless to waste energy by dissipating his creations when he was topped off.

He touched the ones with heavier sleepers lightly, coaxing the plants to return to the form of seeds after a few hours. Anybody sleeping extremely late would find themselves gradually, gently deposited on the floor below. Once he'd seen to all his hammocks, Indigo looked around for people he knew. He'd said a quick good morning to Ruby, Yang, and Blake when they awoke, but he'd been too busy with his task to chat long. They were busy too, scrambling to get their things together and find their way to the lockers they were assigned. That was something Indigo had missed the day before. He kept his staff with him in his sleep, shrunk to a tiny stem barely protruding from his right hand while he slept, his bag hung among branches above him. People like Yang were clamoring to gather the things they'd strewn about the night before together. Indigo eventually discovered Jaune nervously speed walking in the direction of the locker rooms, and he jogged to catch up.

Indigo caught Jaune as they walked past Ruby and Yang engaged in some small argument. "Ridiculous! There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday. I would've remembered having to count that high." Indigo shook his head at Jaune's apparent stupidity. He was a nice guy, but a little woolheaded sometimes. He finally reached Jaune as they passed Weiss and Pyrrha at adjacent lockers. "Oh, why did this have to happen today…" indigo gave a last hopeful look towards Pyrrha, before following Jaune again. "Jaune, wait up! Let me help you find your locker. There must be some pattern to this place's layout." Jaune looked at Indigo, smiling faintly, before turning back to his task, frantically pacing around. Indigo followed the ascending numbers, steering Jaune, who had his face stuck in a paper, in the right direction. They quickly found Jaune's locker, and Jaune strapped on his unremarkable sword and shield, regaining his false overconfidence. "We're all ready, Indigo! Let's make our way back to the ladies, now that we've got free time." Indigo shook his head, but followed Jaune, hoping to get a chance to talk to Pyrrha again.

They approached Weiss and Pyrrha again, just as Weiss exclaimed "Great!" Without missing a beat, Jaune jumped between the two girls, trying to appear casual and cool as he rested an arm against the locker between the girls. "You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." "You again?!" Weiss said, clearly unhappy. At the same time Pyrrha said "Nice to meet you, Jaune." But Jaune brushed Pyrrha aside with a "yeah,yeah. So, Weiss…" Indigo looked apologetically at Pyrrha. "Sorry about that. He seems to have a one track mind. He doesn't seem too ready for fighting here." "Is that so?" Pyrrha replied. "Maybe we should team up with him. I hear the teams are comprised of four students, so with us two training him, and Weiss with us, I think we'd make a great team." Indigo's face was lit up with a huge smile. He already had a team! And Pyrrha was on it! He was looking forward to his getting to know more about his new friends, especially Pyrrha.

Weiss didn't object to Indigo joining her team, but she was not having any part of Jaune. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" She asked Jaune, gesturing to Pyrrha." "Not the slightest, snow angel." He immediately quipped back. "This is Pyrrha." Weiss explained. "Hello again" Pyrrha cheerfully interjected. "Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum." "Never heard of it." Jaune said deadpan. "Ugh! She's won the Mistral tournament four years in a row! A new record!" "The what?" Jaune asked, not caring the slightest how dumb he seemed. If Pyrrha hadn't mentioned some of this to Indigo earlier, he would be at a loss, too.

"SHE'S ON THE FRONT OF EVERY PUMPKIN PETE's MARSHMALLOW FLAKES BOX!" Weiss angrily flailed her arms around. Jaune gasped, finally getting it. "That's you?! They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters." "Yeah, it was pretty cool." Pyrrha agreed. "Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you." Weiss summarized her point, "So, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?" Jaune hung his head, dejected. "I guess not." But Pyrrha stood up for him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Jaune. I'm sure you'd make a great leader." As Jaune voiced his surprise, and Weiss her contempt, Indigo mulled over the thought of Jaune as a leader. Sure, he'd demonstrated no combat skills yet. But he wasn't afraid to take charge of a situation or communicate, invaluable traits for the middle of a battle. Indigo decided if it came to it, he'd follow Jaune as an unconventional leader. Then again, when has my life ever been conventional?

Indigo came back to the conversation as Weiss complained about Jaune getting too close to her in his enthusiasm. Pyrrha helped out by pinning him to the wall with a throw of her spear. "I'm sorry!" She called out to him, pinned some 20 feet away against the tile wall of the locker room. Just then, a voice came over the loudspeaker. "Would all first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon cliff immediately." Indigo thought the voice belonged to the blonde huntress on stage with Ozpin during his speech, but wasn't sure. He followed Pyrrha and Weiss on their way out past Jaune. "It was nice meeting you." Pyrrha sweetly remarked as she yanked her spear out of the wall, freeing Jaune from being pinned by his clothes. "Likewise." He muttered.

From deeper in the locker rooms, Ruby and Yang approached, Ruby extending a hand to help Jaune up. "Having some trouble there, ladykiller?" Yang teased. "I don't understand." Jaune complained "My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?" "Snow angel probably wasn't the best start." Yang joked. Yang walked out the door, leaving Ruby and Indigo to help Jaune to the cliff. "Come on, Jaune. Let's go." Ruby urged him on.

After a few steps, Jaune seemed to remember his claims about the importance of confidence, and started walking on his own. "I wonder why they're gathering us at the cliff?" Jaune wondered aloud. Their boots clicked softly against the tiled academy floor as they made their way to the main entrance. The halls were mostly empty, the younger students all having rushed to the cliff immediately. A few older students looked at them sympathetically as they passed. "Whatever it is, I think it's a sort of first test." Indigo answered. "I'll bet they want to see for themselves what level we're all at." Ruby added. They exited one of the back entrances to walk down a cobbled path surrounded by grassy fields and littered with the occasional tree. "I can't wait to see all the cool things everyone can do!" Ruby said with a light in her eyes.

Jaune looked nervous. Indigo briefly wondered if there was anything behind Jaune's bravado, but brushed off the thought. He must be here for some reason. "Awwww, we have to do more tests? It was hard enough passing the ones to get in here!" Jaune whined. The trio continued towards the cliff, noticing a crowd already gathered at the edge where the floating academy grounds gave way to thin air. Jaune seemed to remember his earlier squeamishness, and covered his mouth for a second before gulping. Ruby ran a hand over her scythe on her back in excitement. Indigo laid a hand on his staff and felt the life pulsing within. When the three finally reached the edge, they saw the other first years lined up along it. Each one was standing on a strange dull gray platform, looking as if they were preparing for something. Just what that could be, Indigo had no idea. Maybe they were going to get their braveness in the face of dangerously dizzying heights tested? Indigo hoped not, since that was certainly one of his weaknesses.

Indigo, Ruby, and Jaune lined up next to each other on the three remaining empty platforms, facing the cliff and the two expectant professors, Glynda and Ozpin. As soon as they arrived, Ozpin started another speech. "For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Glynda took over, saying, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Ruby let out a nervous squeak before Ozpin picked up where Glynda left off. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone who you can work with well." Indigo glanced at Ruby and Indigo, deciding if he wanted to be teamed up with them. Ruby seemed a good teammate, but Jaune's lack of combat expertise made him hesitant, besides their quick friendship. He knew whatever he did, he had to be on a team with Pyrrha. Indigo looked over at her platform, to see her looking at him as well. They both smiled. Their evaluations of their surroundings always seemed to end with them staring at each other. Indigo hoped Pyrrha wanted to be on a team with him. He focused back on the teachers, ready to take on whatever they threw at him. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." After Ozpin finished his statement, Indigo knew he was ready. He looked over at Pyrrha again and nodded. She nodded back. He'd do his best to partner with her, and it seemed she was agreeing. A few other students began chatting about this partner revelation, and Indigo would've talked to Ruby and Jaune, if Ruby wasn't in the middle of freaking out. She'd had a rough time with Weiss, and was probably worried other students might be as tough to deal with.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." Jaune laughed nervously, and Indigo looked around at the other students, frowning after examining their numbers more carefully. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Indigo immediately spoke up. "There's an odd number of us. How do we pair off like that?" Jaune tried to mutter another question, but Ozpin ignored them both.

"Good, now, take your positions." Indigo saw everyone else tense up in preparation. Jaune kept trying to get his question answered by Ozpin, but Indigo tuned them out, planning for himself. He had to go north, but first find Pyrrha. He'd try to get as much distance north as possible, remembering where north was in case he lost the sun under the dense foliage. He figured Pyrrha would be going for distance too. The question was, how were they getting there? His question was answered when a student on a platform all the way at the other end was suddenly flung into the air. The platforms were springboards.

He quickly started fashioning his staff into a paraglider. It would help him control his fall with ease. He had the wings formed out of a thin cotton that would barely stand up to the wind. He hoped. He wanted it as light as possible. Since he was at the very end of the line, he saw he would be last to fling. It would make it easier to track Pyrrha, but less likely to be the first to meet her eyes on the ground. He wondered what the others would have as landing strategies, but focused on himself. As Jaune was about to launch too, he he fashioned a propellor at the front of his glider to give a little extra speed. The last thing he heard from Jaune was "So, what exactly is a landing strategy, before Jaune was thrown screaming over the edge. He hoped Jaune would figure it out, but decided to look out for him just in case. He would be closer than Pyrrha after all. As Indigo soared through the air, he noted Pyrrha's quickly descending form, a red blur sticking out from the other students.

Indigo quickly gained speed on Jaune, who was gracelessly flailing down to the earth. He noticed Pyrrha using her shield and aura to plow through trees, showing her to a stop on a thick branch. He winced, imagining the potential damage she took from such an aggressive fall, as well as the loss of some innocent trees. After landing, she quickly glanced around the area through the scope of her spear/rifle, zeroing in on Jaune's falling body. She switched back to spear mode, and carefully aimed for him. Jaune knee she was planning to impale him to a tree, like she did to him in the locker room. She must've been pretty confident, to do that and risk spearing Jaune and not his clothes. Indigo smiled and picked up speed, catching up to Jaune at the same time as Pyrrha's spear. He caught Jaune with his legs, his glider lurching lower, and he caught Pyrrha's spear by extending his right hand.

As he fell, Indigo made some modifications to his glider. He attached it to his back so it would glide hands free, thinking it safest in case something attacked him in the air. He glided to Pyrrha's tree, dropping Jaune into some bushes ten feet below, transforming his staff back to normal after a last upward swoop as he approached the branch. He alighted fast on the same branch as Pyrrha, knowing his momentum would probably carry him forward. He was in the process of changing his staff into a hook to catch himself when he inevitably fell, but Pyrrha caught him in the chest with a strong arm, arresting his movement. They locked eyes, and Indigo smiled, a little embarrassed that she had interrupted his plans. Well, he had interrupted hers, too. After staring at her a moment, he handed her spear back. "I think this is yours." He joked. "I had him, you know." She replied, taking her spear back. "I know, I just thought catch by spear is a little more dangerous than catch by legs. Not that I doubted you, it's just a little more dangerous of an approach. Kind of like your landing."

"Yes, well, we don't all have Semblances as versatile as yours. Anyways, I guess this makes us partners. Although, it seemed we had that planned out already. Let's make sure Jaune is ok before we move on." Indigo agreed and they jumped down from the tree together. Indigo considered warping it to lower them, but he'd used a decent amount of his aura in the landing, and didn't feel the need to show off any more for Pyrrha. He grabbed the bushes Jaune landed in and sucked some of their energy into his staff to replenish what he'd used. The bush shrunk to a size it would've been a few years earlier, revealing Jaune curled up on the ground, puking from his ordeal. Pyrrha and Indigo helped him up, then he addressed them weakly. "So I guess neither of you is my partner then. Maybe I can still find Weiss. Mind if I tag along with you guys until then?" Indigo thought back to their odd numbering, and decided Jaune might not get a partner. He figured others had made friends by now, and were trying to land near them to partner up, like he and Pyrrha had. Someone had to be the odd one out.

Indigo nodded, and Pyrrha exclaimed "Of course, Jaune!" Together, they struck out through the woods. Indigo started leading them north, hoping to finish quickly to prove himself to Ozpin. Jaune, however, was more interested in the woods to the west. "I think I saw Ruby and Weiss land over there." He said. "Although, I can't be sure. Everything was spinning all over." Indigo glanced at Pyrrha and she simply nodded. They both wanted to help their friend. They followed him west in his hunt for a partner.

Unfortunately, they found Weiss and Ruby together already. Weiss looked unhappy to be stuck with the obliviously smiling Ruby. "Hey guys!" Ruby called. "Weiss and I are partners." Weiss crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Not by choice, Craterface. I would've preferred Pyrrha. Or even Indigo." She looked down at the ground. "Well, Pyrrha and I are partners, and we have Jaune following us until he finds his own partner. Why don't we stick together for safety? I'm pretty sure there's Grimm in these woods, judging by what Ozpin had to say." "Sorry, Indigo, but no. I intend to win this without help, proving that I am the best student here." Weiss announced as she grabbed Ruby by the hood. "Come on Ruby, we're leaving." Weiss pulled Ruby northwest ish, slightly off track.

"Should we tell them?" Pyrrha asked. "Weiss made it pretty clear she didn't want our help. I'm sure they'll figure it out." Indigo responded. "Uhhh, guys? Tell them what?" Jaune asked, confused by the unspoken agreement of Pyrrha and Indigo. "They're headed the wrong way, a little bit." Indigo answered simply. "Anyways, let's move out for the temple to the north." Indigo turned to lead the way north through the woods, but Pyrrha stopped them. "Hold on, Jaune is injured. How did you get that cut on your face? Why didn't you activate your aura?"

"Huh?" Jaune asked. "Your Aura." Pyrrha insisted. "Gesundheit." Jaune said. Indigo hoped Jaune was joking around, at least a little bit. "Jaune. Do you… know what Aura is?" Pyrrha raised her eyebrows at Jaune. "Pshh. Of course I do. Do you know what Aura is?" "Aura is the manifestation of our soul." Pyrrha explained. Indigo listened intently. He'd learned early on in his wanderings that he had some force related to his Semblance that he could use to protect himself. He figured it was some sort of concentration magic or something. "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched, without knowing that someone was there?" "Uh, yeah." Jaune answered. "With practice, Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals."

Indigo thought back to a time when he'd been fighting a particularly ferocious rogue bear in the woods. It was terrorizing a village, and all of his attacks seemed to have no effect. It just took the hits with no signs of damage. He finished it off by constructing it so tight that it suffocated. Aura can't help in every situation. "What about monsters?" Jaune asked, seeming to finally begin to understand Pyrrha. "No. Monsters lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm. They are the darkness and we are the light." Understanding dawned on Jaune's face. "Right. That's why we fight them!" Pyrrha continued to explain in more detail about the light and dark present in people, and how this lead to an understanding that helped fight the Grimm. "It's like a forcefield!" Jaune concluded happily. Pyrrha smirked. "Yes, if you want to think of it that way."

She approached Jaune, laying a hand on his shoulder. Something seemed to pass between them, and Jaune began to glow. His cut quickly faded, and Indigo stepped closer to get them moving. "Right, now that that's all done and we understand Aura, we can get moving with our task. You both all set?" Pyrrha seemed winded, however, and doubled over panting. Unlocking Jaune's Aura had taken a lot of her own. "Pyrrha?" Jaune and Indigo asked simultaneously in worry. "It's all right." She said simply as she stood back up. "Let's go." Pyrrha headed North as Indigo had indicated, and Jaune and Indigo followed.

However, both Pyrrha and Jaune seemed to have trouble navigating the dense undergrowth of the woods. Indigo quickly took the lead, masterfully weaving his way through the woods. Plants seemed to bend out of their way for him. He certainly could have actually made them move, but he was saving his Semblance. It only looked like the bushes were parting in front of him, Pyrrha and Jaune struggling loudly behind him to keep up. Indigo kept turning around to make sure they were following, occasionally giving a tip on how best to get around a particularly difficult area. Pyrrha caught on quickly, and kept up with Indigo with no trouble after about a half hour of walking. Jaune kept lagging behind, and the absence of any other students as far as the three could tell meant they waited for Jaune to make sure he didn't get lost.

After another half hour of walking, they approached a ruined looking circular stone area, with crumbling pillars that once supported higher levels of stone. Now, it mostly lay strewn about the grassy clearing. On fairly whole stone pedestals within the ruined circle were large gold and black chess pieces. Each pedestal had a different special piece on it. The bishops, rooks, knights, king, and queen for each color topped all their own individual platforms. Indigo stepped into the clearing first, followed by Pyrrha and a hugging and puffing Jaune. Indigo studied what were clearly the relics Ozpin had asked them to gather. He decided upon taking the golden queen. It reminded him of Pyrrha a little bit. "Hey Pyrrha! How about we take this queen? It's got the best moves in chess, so maybe that's good news for our team?" Indigo had only played once, back when he was training with Ozpin. Ozpin thought it useful for training strategic thinking, and insisted Indigo at least learn the rules to better understand strategy. He didn't think it had much impact on how he approached predicaments, but he couldn't really be sure.

"That's fine with me. Jaune, maybe we should leave you here, to get a relic for your partner? If they show up, that is." Pyrrha stated. Jaune looked at Pyrrha, then Indigo, before looking nervously into the woods behind them. "Uh, I don't think I should wait here alone. What if something is out there?" Indigo remembered counting all the other students, how there was an odd number of them. "You can stick with us the whole time, if you want. There has to be one group of three. I just thought you might want a chance at teaming up with Weiss." Indigo smiled knowingly. Jaune opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a deep growl from the woods they had just walked through.

Pyrrha and Indigo quickly readied their weapons, followed a second later by Jaune. The three made a wedge facing the woods, their backs to the semi-cover provided by the crumbling ruins. A large wolf Grimm cautiously emerged from the bushes, its red eyes staring right at them. It was joined by two others on either side, equally angry looking. "One for each of us. Now's your chance to show what you're made of, Jaune." Indigo said. Pyrrha focused on the enemy in front of her, the wolf on the right. Indigo faced the one in the middle, and Jaune the one on the left.

Don't make the first move. Indigo thought. Waiting for enemies to make their move usually gave him enough time to plan, react to their movement, or even figure out their movement pattern. It was usually a head on attack with Grimm, but Indigo knew the importance of cautiousness, especially in a fight. Pyrrha moves first, charging her Grimm in what Indigo was seeing was her characteristic aggressive solution to most problems. Indigo followed suit, charging his Grimm as he sharpened his staff into a spear like Pyrrha's. Jaune hung back, shield raised in front of him and sword dangling at his side, unready.

Pyrrha made short work of her Grimm, dispatching it with a deflection of claws off her shield followed by a quick thrust of her spear straight through the center of the Grimm's body. Indigo charged with his spear, thinking of using his Semblance to make this fight easier. But he relied on it too often, and found himself running out of Aura often in fights. This time, he would prove he didn't need his Semblance for everything. He dodged a slow swipe from the Grimm, ending up on its right flank. A quick jab to the back of the knee brought it down, and Indigo circled behind the fallen Grimm as it swiped at where he had been moments before. He jabbed at the back of the Grimm's neck, under its strange, white, external skull bone and finishing it quickly.

Jaune, however, was having more trouble. He was doing well to keep the last Grimm from hurting him, his shield absorbing all its blows. But he'd only managed a few blind slashes at the Grimm, only cutting off a couple fingers and claws together. The Grimm only seemed to get angrier. Pyrrha and Indigo rushed to help, and Jaune fell under his shield. They stabbed the last Grimm through its side and stomach, bringing it down to dust quickly. Jaune got up from under his shield, muttering a quick thanks.

"Well, we got what we came for. Let's get out of here before more show up." Indigo said. Pyrrha nodded and sheathed her spear and shield. Jaune did the same with his sword and shield, brushing himself off after his fall in the skirmish. Indigo started walking back to the cliff they departed from when Blake and Yang emerged from the woods in front of him. "Oh, hey." He blurted out, a little startled. "What's uppp!" Yang said energetically, throwing some finger guns Indigo's way. "So, we aren't the first ones here." Blake glanced over at Pyrrha and Jaune. Pyrrha waved and Jaune was still dusting himself off. "I'm guessing you two were chaperones for the oblivious kid?" "You could say that. He doesn't really have a partner, so we're a group of three. We were just about to head out, but go ahead and grab the relic, and we can head out together." Yang went up to the podiums and Blake glanced around some more.

"Looks like you ran into some Grimm, too." Blake gestured at the torn up grass in the clearing in front of the ruin. "Yeah, that's why I'm thinking sticking together is a good idea. We don't know how many are here, or if they've heard all the commotion." As if to prove his point, a faint scream sounded from the sky. It grew louder as someone flew towards them at high speeds. They crashed into a nearby tree, and Indigo saw the blur take the form of Ruby, now dazed in a high branch. Before anyone could help her, trees in another direction came crashing down as a large Ursa stumbled towards them. It crumpled to the ground after a few final, staggering steps, revealing a short, orange haired girl with blue eyes and a hammer and a tall, long black haired boy with pink eyes and highlights, on its back. "Nora, please never do that again." The boy turned to face Nora on the Grimm's body, but she was already gone. She was on the ruin, admiring the Queen chess piece. The black haired boy turned to Indigo, Yang, and Blake. "Hey, I'm Ren. That's Nora." They introduced themselves, and Pyrrha and Jaune joined the rest of them, seeing they would not be leaving just yet.

In the middle of their introductions and small talk about the trial so far, a scream from above interrupted them again. "Oh right. Weiss. I can't believe I almost forgot about her." Indigo looked incredulously between the slightly bewildered looking Ruby and the steadily descending form of Weiss as she loosened her grip on the claw of a Raven Grimm that kept her in the air. Weiss fell hundreds of feet through the air, and Indigo saw the glow of her aura trying to protect herself. Jaune snapped into action while the rest either stared stunned or took their time planning. Nora smiled into the sky, and Pyrrha was aiming her spear. Indigo was focusing on softening the ground beneath them, growing a pile of dead leaves up under where he thought she would land. Jaune leapt from a tree he quickly climbed, catching Weiss in midair before unceremoniously tumbling into the leaves Indigo formed. Weiss somehow landed on Jaune, and was extra cushioned. Jaune was facedown in the pile or red, yellow, and brown leaves, his back crushed by Weiss.

Weiss sarcastically called Jaune her hero, then another Grimm burst from the woods towards the commotion they were causing. This one was a huge scorpion with a gold stinger and large black claws. Pyrrha and Ruby charged it, followed quickly by the rest of the students. Both girls were knocked around by the Grimm as they searched for an opening. This one had great defensive capabilities. The Nevermore, or Raven Grimm as Indigo was used to calling them, that carried Weiss had returned, and swooped towards Ruby. Yang ran to help, and so did Weiss. Weiss was using her glyph Semblance to speed up, and froze the scorpions tail as it was about to strike Ruby, who was pinned down by some of the Nevermore's barrage of attack feathers. While Weiss and Yang talked, the rest of the party snapped into action, decimating the pinned scorpion. Jaune lopped off it's tail right behind the stinger, and as it writhed Nora smashed its skull with her hammer, Ren stabbed through eyes, and the others stood at the ready, eyeing the still mobile Nevermore.

The Nevermore was circling high above, waiting to make its next move. The students who hadn't grabbed their relics did so, and they all set out to return to Ozpin, their mission complete. On the way back they entered an eerie looking ruined area, with massive fractured stone pillars that seemed to be part of what was once an aqueduct. It all led to a castle over an empty expanse, and the whole area was filled with fog. The Nevermore circled lower, preparing to attack.

They all sprang into action, fanning out and looking for an angle to attack the Nevermore. It had stopped using its feathers like bullets, and was now trying to knock Indigo and the others into the foggy pit, or maybe eat them. Indigo wasn't sure. All he knew was, using his Semblance would be harder in the stony ruin, as there was no plant life to draw on. He made his staff into a spear, and prepared to impale the Nevermore. If he could get it, he could channel his aura into his Semblance, and turn his staff into a tree that had impaled the Nevermore. Then, it would be easy for the others to finish off. He saw others who could preparing to ensnare the Nevermore. Weiss was loading frost into her rapier to do the same to the Nevermore as she did to the Scorpion. Blake was preparing to do something with her rope dual swords, while Nora, Ren, Yang, and Ruby laid down covering fire. Soon enough, they had it close enough to them to attack. Without discussing who would do what, they worked as one team of nine.

Ruby ran forward, distracting the Nevermore with her speed. Yang and Nora made their way to the tops of pillars to gain high ground to smash the Nevermore from above. Blake struck first, hooking a talon of the Nevermore with her weapons and pulling with all her might. It was about to lift Blake with it, but the momentary halt was enough. Pyrrha launches her spear into the Nevermore at the same time as Indigo. They landed next to each other in its chest. A black glow surrounded Pyrrha's spear, and it pulled the Nevermore towards them on the ground. Indigo shot the staff's bottom down to the ground, making it take root and become a tree. The Nevermore was about to give a powerful gust with its wings, but Weiss froze them at their highest point. With the Nevermore trapped, they made quick work of it like the trapped scorpion. Nora and Yang crushed it from above, Jaune and Ren pierces it from below. Ruby made its death final, decapitating it with a powerful tug of her scythe. It was over.

They all trudged back with no further incident to Beacon. Most were dead tired, and hungry too. Indigo felt it as much as them, but he used his Semblance more to get food for them all. He made sure everyone else had enough nuts and fruit to hold them over before feeding himself. Normally the cost of energy to create the food was much less than what he gained from eating it. But making food for 8 others took its toll. He just wound up more tired than when he made the food. But everyone else seemed thankful, and a little more energetic. Especially Nora. But it seemed she as always like that. Indigo walked alongside Pyrrha, but couldn't think of what to say to her. He was still pretty worried about whose team Jaune would end up with. The teams were supposed to be four only, but one would need five. He wondered how Ozpin would choose.

"Hey, Indigo. You tired yourself out by making us all this food, didn't you?" Pyrrha asked, but Indigo had a feeling she already knew just what he was feeling. "Yeah, everyone seemed pretty tired and hungry, and I wanted to help. I've never had to make this much food at once. I'm not used to-" Indigo stopped himself. He was about to tell Pyrrha he wasn't used to being around so many people. He didn't know why, but that was something he wasn't sure he wanted her to know. He wasn't used to dealing with people, and didn't want them to dismiss him as a lone wanderer, even if that's what he was. "Not used to using your Semblance this much?" Pyrrha finished for him. He was thankful she gave him a way out. "Yeah, I guess I went a little overboard. If we need to fight more Grimm, I won't be able to use my Semblance unless it's an emergency." He could use it anytime there was life around, at the price of killing whatever he took energy from. He'd done it before in desperate fights with Grimm, leaving behind blackened circles. The seeds he tried to plant never took hold in those places. It was like a permanent dead zone, as far as he could tell. He hated it, but it was just a fact of his Semblance. The energy had to come from somewhere.

"Anyways, I think we did great in those fights. I can't wait to see who ends up on our team… I'm a little worried about Jaune though." Indigo said the last part in a whisper, glancing over at where Jaune was laughing with Ruby, Nora, and Yang in the back of their group. Ren, Blake, and Weiss took the lead, not saying much to each other. Blake was snacking carefully on the food Indigo provided, skeptically sniffing it as if checking it was real. Weiss was focused on the path, and Ren seemed to be in his own world. "Why? He did fine in those fights. Better than I was hoping, honestly." Indigo looked at Pyrrha in the dimming orange light of the setting sun. Even deep in the woods, it still seemed to make her red hair shine even more radiantly. He gulped. "I mean team-wise. What will Ozpin do with him? Will he even get a team? Maybe someone is getting weeded out." Pyrrha slowed her pace. "I hadn't thought of that. I'm sure Ozpin has something good in mind. I trust him." She sped back up. "Me too."

The rest of the way there Indigo and Pyrrha chatted about their lives. He asked her all sorts of questions, mostly ignoring her history fighting in arenas. She didn't seem to like talking about her fame. Pyrrha returned the favor, asking mostly about what life in the wild was like, not about what being the Wandering Wild was like. It was nice to talk to someone who also felt the need to be treated normally, and not as some unique specimen. He found himself more attracted to Pyrrha with every minute. He was falling for her for sure, now. At least I know she's my partner for all our time at this school. Indigo felt a little embarrassed at his thought, and even a little shame at how he was happy while Jaune's future was uncertain. After a couple hours of traveling, they made it back to Beacon. Glynda was waiting for them at the edge of the school. She sent them to the locker rooms to clean up, announcing that in 30 minutes they would need to be at the auditorium to receive their team assignments. Indigo washed off the sweat and blood and nearly fell asleep in the shower. He was snapped out of it as Jaune got out of the shower stall next to him. "Hey man, hurry up, we're gonna be late." Jaune called loudly to be heard over the stream of water. Indigo snapped out of it, realizing his was the only shower he could hear. He quickly toweled off and dressed, heading to the auditorium with the last stragglers.

He wanted to ask Ozpin about Jaune, but there was no time. Ozpin was at the podium, announcing the team assignments. First was CRDL, or Cardinal. Next was RWBY, or Ruby. That team was led by Ruby, and Weiss, Blake, and Yang were her team members. The only ones not given a team yet we're Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, Jaune, and himself. He really hoped nobody was left out. Ozpin announced the final team.

"Our last team is a little unusual. They are comprised of members who scored the highest for teamwork and collaboration in the test. As such, we decided they would be our one team of five. The team is JNIPR, or Juniper. The members are Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Indigo, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lai Ren. Led by… Indigo!"

Indigo stepped up to the stage with the rest of his new teammates, a huge smile on his face. Nora was hugging an embarrassed but happy looking Ren. Jaune clapped him on the back and said "Hey man, we're together! This will be great!" Indigo was most worried about how Pyrrha would react. He had figured either she or him would be the leader of whatever squad they ended up in. She was smiling just as much as Nora, though, and when he turned to her last, she hugged him. He felt his face flush, and hoped Pyrrha wouldn't notice with all the lights cast on the stage. The applause from the other students drew his attention away from Pyrrha, and he stood quietly with the rest of his team, enjoying their achievements.

After the ceremony, they were all told where their rooms would be. Indigo was dead tired, ready to pass out and somehow make it through their classes the next day. They started at 9:00 am, which wasn't bad, considering how he normally rose with the sun. However, it was at least 10:00 PM already, and he wanted to talk more with his new teammates. When they made it to their painfully obvious co-ed dorms, they briefly unpacked before hopping into their beds. The beds took up almost the entire room, one in each corner, then one in the center. Pyrrha and Nora took the ones in the right corners, farthest from the door and window. Jaune grabbed the bed under the window in the top left corner, and Ren took the one on the bottom left, across from Nora. Indigo was left in the middle, just like in their team's name. Jaune started taking his shirt off, and the whole team looked at him a little weird. "What? I sleep with no shirt. If living with 7 sisters didn't change that, then neither should this." Indigo couldn't tell if Jaune was trying to joke or if he was dead serious. Either way, the shirt stayed off.

"Oooh, it's like a pajama party without the pajamas!" Nora squeaked excitedly. She began taking her own shirt off, when Ren spoke up. "Nora, you sleep with all your clothes on. Don't just follow in Jaune's footsteps." Nora eyed him suspiciously. "But you don't sleep with a shirt on. So why is your shirt still on?" Indigo looked between the two of them and the awkward moment that seemed to be forming, then looked at Pyrrha, who was decidedly not preparing for bed yet, gauging the scenario. Indigo realized as the team leader, he should probably step in during conflicts, even tiny ones like this. But he wasn't used to solving issues with words.

"Guys, we're a team now, we should be comfortable to be ourselves around each other. As long as we don't bother each other. Jaune's not bothering anyone, is he?" Indigo asked, looking at Pyrrha then Nora. Pyrrha shook her head slightly, and Nora took her eyes off Ren, and said quietly "Well, Ren does sleep with his shirt off." Indigo sensed this as an opportunity to build team bonds, so he took his shirt off too. It was how he normally slept. Actually, he often slept only in his underwear, so he stripped down to his extra long boxers. It wasn't much difference from his shorts, anyway. Ren reluctantly followed his lead. Even Pyrrha and Nora went down to just sports bras and a pair of short shorts they had under their combat gear. Ren raised an eyebrow at Nora, who unabashedly said "what, I wanted to try it."

When they were all tucked in their beds, Indigo asked, "So, Nora, Ren, how do you two know each other?" He spoke up to the ceiling, as they were all laying down and in hard positions to talk and see each other. There was a pause, then Nora answered. "We grew up in the same village. Ren took care of me when we were younger. He still pretty much does, but I try to help out too." They certainly seemed inseparable, even if Ren didn't show his affection as much as Nora. The conversation bounced between his teammates about their home lives. Pyrrha talked a lot about training, Jaune shared some crazy stories about his sisters, Nora and Ren mentioned traveling together. Indigo spoke up in the middle of a lull in their chat.

"I grew up mostly by myself, in the woods of Vale. My parents died to Grimm when I was super young, and there was literally nobody near to care for me. Luckily, my Semblance kicked in, giving me all I needed to survive the wilds. The people out there was a different story. I trusted too much, and got taken advantage of for my powers. I… I'm not very good at judging people's actions. Just wanted to give you all a heads up of what you're dealing with. I wanted to be forthcoming about my weaknesses, so they can't hurt us in battle." The others were quiet a bit, then Jaune said "I actually did pretty bad on the entrance exams. It's a miracle I got in. I'm not the best fighter, if you haven't noticed." Indigo had noticed, but didn't say anything. They shared more about their strengths and weaknesses, learning more and building trust, Indigo hoped. They fell asleep joking about the new things they'd learned of each other. Pyrrha gave Indigo the hardest time. She said he didn't seem to have trouble around people, but she was going to watch him more closely from now on. Indigo drifted off to sleep well after midnight, along with the others.

Chapter 3: Class Is In Session

Indigo woke to sunlight streaming through the window onto his face. It was placed perfectly so that every morning, he would be struck by the sun's first rays. He was exhausted, having gotten maybe 5 hours of sleep the night before. He looked out the window briefly to judge the time, and it seemed to be 8:00. He figured he could doze a little longer, and fell back asleep for a bit without glancing at his team members. He could generally control how long he slept for, so he wasn't too worried about sleeping in.

But when he woke a half hour later and started getting ready, he noticed Pyrrha was the only one even stirring. "Wake up, guys! We got a half hour till our first class, and we don't even know where it is!" That got Pyrrha, Jaune, and Ren all out of their beds and into their morning routines. However, Nora kept sleeping soundly. "She needs the smell of food to wake her. I'll grab pancakes from the dining hall." "I'll come with and bring back some breakfast real quick." Jaune offered. The two set off together, leaving Pyrrha and Indigo to get ready together. Indigo thought about making coffee to wake Nora, but decided against it. Ren knee how to take care of her, and he needed to stop relying on his Semblance so much. It made things too easy, and was a sort of crutch. He had to develop other skills, too.

He and Pyrrha quickly got their own things together, then helped out their teammates by gathering school supplies for them, too. Nora snored contentedly through it all. In 15 minutes, Ren and Jaune returned with heaps of pancakes and other breakfast foods. It was almost all gone a minute later thanks to the freshly awoken Nora. They ate fast, all but Indigo, who pocketed some muffins for later. They finished gathering everything together when they heard a commotion coming from the room directly across from theirs in the dorms.

They all gathered around their door and opened it to see Weiss running down the hall. "To class!" Ruby announced, and the rest of team RWBY ran after Weiss. "C-C-C-Class?!" Jaune stammered, staring after the departing girls. "We're gonna be late!" They all stumbled over each other out the door. Indigo shook his head slightly as he took off, reminding himself to be prepared for Nora sleeping like a bear. He worried she would do it anywhere, even on an important mission. Despite the frantic hustle, they followed team RWBY and made it to class on time.

Inside the class stood a portly professor with gray hair parted to both sides of his forehead. He had an equally gray, bushy mustache, and stood behind his desk. On the wall above and behind him was a combination of a blunderbuss and a hand axe. Indigo followed Jaune, Ren, and Nora into the room, and Pyrrha brought up the rear of their late party. They filed into some open seats in the back left corner, passing a sleepy looking team Ruby. The professor seemed to interested in his own speech to notice the latecomers.

"Monsters. Deeeeemmmmoonnns. Prowlers of the Night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey." The professor boasted, adding an excited 'Haha!' to the end of his monologue. Indigo heard Ruby snort in confusion as she woke to his exclamation, before she dozed off again. The rest of his classmates were similarly losing interest. Nora was hopping up and down in her seat, showing some doodle to a bored looking Ren. Pyrrha was fiddling with her spear, adjusting its settings and checking it for scratches. Jaune looked about ready to pass out. However, Indigo saw Weiss doing her best to listen intently, even to this blustering fool of a teacher. He tried emulating her dedication.

It didn't work. Indigo just found himself wondering what the professors experienced with Grimm were if he could play them off as a joke. Indigo had only ever seen ferocity and cruelty from the many-named monsters, and nobody on the outside made light of them. He tuned back in to hear the professor get back on track. "Now, as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces." Indigo began to rethink his earlier judgements of the aging huntsman. Perhaps with his age came some wisdom, despite his tendency to brag. He wasn't making light of the Grimm anymore. Whatever this man's teaching habits, indigo decided he knew what he was talking about.

"And that is where we come in. Huntsmen. Huntresses." He added with some finger guns to a wholly disinterested Yang. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what, you ask? The very world!" Somebody in the back right shot his arm up and said "Ayyy!" after an awkward silence. Indigo didn't know if he did that to break the tension, kiss up to the teacher, or for genuine enthusiasm. The professor continued as if nothing happened. "That is what you are training to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man." Indigo rolled his eyes. Just because this professor might know what he was talking about, it didn't mean he could go around making everything about himself. He slumped in his chair between Pyrrha and Nora, settling in for a long class.

Towards the end, the professor, who had mentioned his own name several times now as Peter Port, gestured to a crate with two glowing red eyes within. It had been wheeled in earlier and left next to the door, hardly noticed by the disinterested class. Weiss raised her hand to respond to something Professor Port said, declaring "I do, sir!" And with that, he called her to the front for a demonstration. Everyone was paying attention again.

Professor Port released a Grimm from the cage. It looked like a boar, except with extra bone protrusions that served as armor around its belly. Indigo recognized it at once. It was fairly common out in the wilds, easy to handle if you could land a blow on its exposed belly. The rest of team RWBY cheered Weiss on as she battled the beast.

She dodged it first, trying to make an opening. The boat would give her none, though. It relentlessly charged her, managing to snag her rapier with its tusks and send it clattering across the tile floor to the other side of the classroom. Weiss rolled out of the way of another charge, then ran after her rapier, with the boar hot on her heels. She used her Semblance to make a wall circle, which the boar smashed into at full speed, dazing it. It fell on its back, soft underbelly exposed.

Weiss seized her opportunity and pierced it with a powerful thrust of her rapier, using her Semblance to make a reversal wall to send her forward with greater force. She skidded forward with the power of her momentum, dragging the impaled, squealing Grimm with her.

Professor Port commended Weiss' performance, then quickly assigned some readings for homework. With a wave of his hand, he declared the class dismissed. Indigo filed out with the rest of his team, fighting back a yawn. He hadn't learned much new this class. Port liked to hear himself talk too much. Still, he was an experienced huntsman, and one that he could learn from if Indigo looked past Port's personality.

The rest of the classes that day passed without too much incident. In each one he sat with his team, always between Pyrrha and Jaune. Ren always sought out the seat closest to the corner, and Nora was always right next to him. The other classes were a little more interesting. The history class was taught by an extremely energetic professor named Oobleck. Despite his already intense level of excitement, Oobleck still drank coffee. Indigo wondered what he was like when he wasn't drinking caffeine. Oobleck managed to talk even more than Port, thanks to his speed of doing everything. But, Oobleck actually stuck to talking about the subject and not himself, so Indigo found him easier to pay attention to.

Nora seemed to like Oobleck as well, sensing a kindred spirit with his high octane energy levels. There were also the usual math, reading, and weapon maintenance classes found at hunter schools. Indigo was very unfamiliar with the math, and resolved himself to study it later. He never had to use anything too complicated related to numbers out in the wilds. The reading was easier, as he spent nearly all his free time doing it, and the weapon maintenance was literally second nature to him. His Semblance made his weapon a part of him.

When the last class let out, Indigo went to find a place to study outside. He wasn't used to being cooped up inside for so long, and thought the fresh air would help him study. It was a familiar environment, at least. He headed out to the grounds, looking for the clearing he had met Blake in. He invited his team to join him, but Jaune kept mooning after Weiss, and Ren went to the library for quiet, followed by Nora doing her best to be quiet and failing miserably. However, Pyrrha agreed to join him, and Indigo was happy for her company. They discussed their classes and professors on the way, agreeing that Port was a little full of himself, and Oobleck was always bouncing off the walls. Neither said anything bad about their methods, as they at least seemed to know what they were talking about.

"What do you think of our team?" Indigo asked when it seemed they had nothing left to talk of about what happened in class that day. "Ren and Nora seem to get along… and you and Jaune seem fast friends already. I like everyone, but I'm not sure how I fit in with everyone…" Pyrrha trailed off, looking unusually sad. Indigo wasn't sure what could've brought this on. He was ecstatic they were on the same team not only for her combat skills, but she seemed a compassionate and loyal teammate. "What do you mean, Pyrrha? I think you're a great fit for our team. I think there's so much we can all learn from you… and I consider you a great friend, maybe even more than Jaune. You seem to have the same thoughts on your mind as me much of the time… do you have any issues with any of us?" Pyrrha looked away from Indigo, studying one of the fountains that dotted the paths around the campus before responding.

"Well, it's not exactly an issue. You remember how I was talking with you and Jaune before our test that sorted us into teams? You both didn't know who I was from my arena fighting, and I liked that. You just see me as another student. But Nora… well, she can't stop bringing it up. I'm not sure how that makes me feel. In a way, I'm used to it by now, but I think you and Jaune prepped me to have a team with a fresh start." Indigo grabbed Pyrrha's shoulder and gently spun her to face him, both of them stopping just past the fountain. "Pyrrha, Nora just respects what she does know about you. She looks up to you, as someone even stronger than herself. You know how much power means to her, and she sees it in you. I'm sure she is happy to be on your team, and would be even happier to call you a friend." He did he best to give her a reassuring look, and a slap on the shoulder. He hadn't practiced much in the wilds, but thought it was the right thing to do in the situation. Pyrrha looked at him, and the uncertain look in her eyes was replaced with a spark of hope.

"Maybe you're right. I just wish others would stop seeing me only as a fighter." "Well, we're not fighting now. Just because you look ready to fight at a moment's notice doesn't make you only a warrior. It just means you're ready for the worst, ready to spring into action if need be. Like a proper huntress. Now, let's get some work done, as students." Pyrrha laughed and turned back to the cobblestone path. "Alright, Indigo, but you'd better explain what Professor Port said was important in class today, because I only heard like two lines that weren't about himself." Indigo and Pyrrha laughed together at Port's self-focused teaching style, continuing on the way to the clearing to study.

As they neared the clearing, Indigo wondered if any other of his teammates had worries. As team leader, he felt he needed to find a way to bring them all together. Pyrrha snapped him out of his thoughts, saying, "So, where's the best spot in this clearing to study. It looks a little empty." Indigo trailed his finger up the trunk of a particularly large tree. "Well, in that one was where Blake was reading the first day we were here. I figured we could use the spot too, since it looked pretty-" indigo trailed off as his finger reached the upper branches of the tree. Sitting in the same branch as before was Blake. This time she had some schoolbooks and a pencil out. Her backpack was slung over a thin branch above her head, dropping down to almost touch her bow. Or ears, as Indigo knew they really were. "Oh, it looks like Blake is there again. Hello!" Pyrhha waved happily up at Blake.

Her bow, no, her ears, twitched in what Indigo thought was annoyance. "You two yammer on so loudly that I heard you coming a mile away. Nobody else comes out here. What brings you back, Indigo?" "Well, I remembered how content you looked the first time we came here, and thought it would make a good study spot. Seems you had the same idea." "Want to study with us?" Pyrrha added right after Indigo finished talking. Blake's yellow eyes narrowed, and she shut her textbook. "I suppose you'll just distract me if I don't join you. Alright. Just don't hold me back." Indigo didn't know how Pyrrha had so simply gotten Blake to agree, but was happy to go with it. Despite her fears, she had no trouble making friends.

Until the sun began to set, the three of them did homework together. They all worked at about the same pace, and helped fill in gaps for each other so they went faster together than they would've alone. Pyrrha and Blake helped Indigo catch up on history for Oobleck's class. Blake knew a lot about Faunus and the war they had with humans recently, unsurprisingly. Indigo helped them understand a little more of what Port was saying, describing his own encounters with Grimm in the wilds. The three shared their own thoughts on weapon customization, each with a unique take. Indigo favored extreme adaptability, Blake finesse and maneuverability, Pyrrha power and speed of attack. Thanks to their combined knowledge, they were done with homework just before dinner, but had a little time before they had to head back.

"Well, we've talked about what our weapons can do, but I think we should show instead of tell. What do you two say to some sparring?" Pyrrha asked. Indigo nodded, leaning forward from the trunk he was resting against. Blake stuck her books in the bag hanging above her, then grabbed her weapons. She tied one end around her bag, then lowered it to the ground quickly. She hopped down after it, lithely jumping branch to branch. Indigo and Pyrrha descended a little slower, though just as eager to test their skills.

They left the small cluster of trees near one end of the floating school behind. A large grassy area nearby was perfect for their purposes. It was surrounded by the stone walking paths that crisscrossed around the school, marking a sort of boundary for their battle. Indigo kept his back to the clearing. His habit of not wanting to turn his back to a potential enemy stuck with him. He didn't know who might leave the school, or whether they might interfere for some reason. Blake seemed to have no such qualms, and had her back directly to the school. Pyrrha made the final point on their triangle, the cobbled walkways extending in their zigzags past her and towards the airstrip.

Each student drew their weapon and assumed their fighting stance. Indigo held his staff before him as a barrier, waiting to see what move Blake and Pyrrha would make. They rushed at each other, Pyrrha's spear headed straight for Blake's extended right whip gun. Before they clashed, Blake dodged to one side, but Pyrrha followed her closely. The two engaged in a series of rapid blows. Blake tried to edge in close and get a strike at one of Pyrrha's sides, while Pyrrha favored strong, direct strikes before leaping back in an attempt to maintain distance. Indigo felt confident he knew their fighting styles, and ran at the dueling pair, finally shifting their attention to him.

They seemed to forget each other for a moment, each testing him with a first attack. Indigo knew he could easily stop them both with his Semblance, but his Semblance was not what needed training. As it was, he simply held out his staff horizontally, deflecting Pyrrha's direct blow. Without waiting a moment, he swung his staff down and to the right to parry the blow to his right side he knew Blake was going for. Her whip curled around his staff, and she tried tugging it away. As they struggled, Pyrrha moved in on Indigo to take advantage of his restrained weapon.

He let go of his staff immediately, and it flew back to Blake with a satisfying smack to her right shoulder. She yelped, then tossed her hard earned staff behind her. Weaponless against a quickly approaching Pyrrha, he did what he hoped she wouldn't expect. While most others would shie away from Pyrrha's powerful onslaught, Indigo rushed forward. The moment of surprise on her face was all he needed to see. He jolted right around her spear, then let his momentum carry him into her left shoulder. She grunted as he pushed her backwards, and as the wind was knocked out of her, Indigo grabbed for her shield on her back. He pried it loose and rushed behind Pyrrha, hearing Blake's quickly approaching, surprisingly quiet footsteps.

Pyrrha staggered a moment, then when her air and wits returned she whirled to face the more immediate threat of Blake. With only her spear, she fought even more aggressively. She forced Blake to jump backwards, then as Indigo was about to rush Pyrrha with her own shield, it twitched out of his hands and flew back to her. So her Semblance lets her pull stuff to her. But what can she pull? Indigo didn't have time to dwell on the specifics of Pyrrha's Semblance, as he was defenseless once more. He edged around to where Blake had hurled his staff, hoping the two huntresses in training weren't focused on him.

A quick glance told him they were currently occupied, so he ran to his staff. He retrieved it and turned to see Pyrrha give Blake a good two handed bash with the length of her spear. Blake knelt on the ground, panting. Her Aura was depleted, and she was out of the fight. Pyrrha seemed tired, her Aura used a little to protect against some of the small bumps Blake was sure to have landed on her. Indigo rushed her before she could gather herself, and the two engaged in a series of blows of their similar weapons.

While Indigo knew what he was doing with the staff, the variety of Pyrrha's attacks kept him more than on his toes. She swapped between spear, rifle, and shield seamlessly, throwing together combos that had Indigo dodging left and right. At the rate they were going, she would wear him out until he was too slow to escape her attacks. He resigned himself to using his Semblance, and stood still as Pyrrha hurled her shield at him in a move that was becoming familiar. Whether he dodged or deflected, she would call her shield back using her Semblance. Instead, he stuck his staff in the ground and had it grow into a hardy tree, fast. He felt a large amount of his Aura flow away, but when he heard the thunk of her shield into his wood wall, he had the trunk grow more to encompass the shield totally. It was contained within a tree about 7 feet tall, and much thicker than it had any right to be. He snapped a branch off the tree and grew it into a new staff, moving at Pyrrha who was now aiming her spear sniper at him. He grew his staff into a giant, light wood shield that absorbed her bullets, then changed it back as she prepared for close combat again. He was running low on Aura and energy, but he had limited Pyrrha's options.

He made sure to stay close so she couldn't bring out her rifle again, and without her shield she couldn't create the distance she wanted any longer. They struggled against each other for a few long minutes, until each lashed out with a final, powerful blow. Indigo's overhead stroke took advantage of his height over Pyrrha, while she stepped backwards and thrust quickly with her spear at his chest. His blow landed just below Pyrrha's collarbone, dropping her to the ground with its force. Pyrrha's stab glanced the side Indigo presented to her, blood trickling from his right side as his Aura lost its easy ability to protect him at its nearly empty level.

Indigo held a hand to his side, panting heavily. Pyrrha struggled to get to her feet, a hand rubbing below her neck. He extended a hand, which she grabbed. Indigo hauled her up, but a lance of pain in his side struck, so he stumbled forward a bit as he pulled Pyrrha to her feet. She steadied him with her free hand, and they leaned against each other for support. "You two might've taken it too far." Blake remarked from the path nearest to them. Indigo looked around as if he had just seen his surroundings for the first time. Night had fallen, and a small crowd had formed around them. The rest of his team, as well as of team RWBY were there. Some other students had gathered to watch, and even Professor Port was nearby, clapping his hands heartily. "Oho! What a brawl! They could almost match my prowess!"

Indigo and Pyrrha limped over to their teammates, who were chatting with team RWBY. "That. Was. Amazing!" Nora squealed. "So cool…" Ruby said with a glint in her eyes. Indigo and Pyrrha accepted water that Jaune brought them, and plopped down on the ground to recover. "They all trickled in soon after you took me out of the match. It seems nobody else thought to begin practicing so soon into the semester. Most people are still trying to get a feel for the school, taking a tour of the place." Blake waved her hand about the gathered crowd that was already beginning to disperse. Indigo and Pyrrha were slowly replenishing their Auras, the bruises and cuts fading away. Yang walked from talking with Ruby and Weiss to stand over Indigo and Pyrrha.

"You two gotta fight me sometime. I'd love to get a crack at your strength." Weiss followed Yang over, and Ruby trailed by last. "You should also make sure to spend time studying. I'll bet if Blake wasn't with you to keep you focused, you would've started this nonsense earlier." Weiss chastised. "Well, we did get it all done. And still had time to spar." Pyrrha defended them. "Yeah, maybe you should join us sometime. It could be helpful for all of us." Indigo added. Ren, Nora, and Jaune interrupted, having sidled closer mid conversation. "Yeah, everyone knows I could use some help with sparring and studying. We should start a group, team Ruby and team JNIPR." Jaune offered.

"From now on, Team RWBY and Team JNIPR will be steadfast allies. Friends even!" Ruby declared. Nora performed a fake bow to make the decision official. "Alright, sounds good." Pyrrha smiled as she stood up from the grass. "You know what else sounds good?" Indigo asked. "Dinner?" Yang and Nora answered at the same time. "Took the words right out of my mouth, you two. Just don't try doing that to my food, too." He joked. They all laughed, and the two allied teams trekked back to the mess hall, discussing what they'd done with their days so far, and what they thought would come next. It was a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

Chapter 4: A Closer Conflict

After that night, teams RWBY and JNIPR continued to grow closer. They ate all their meals together, sat together in classes, and had one large study group to get their homework done. They even sparred together until dinner, then spent the rest of the night hanging out.

Indigo was proud to see the progress that not only he was making, but also all of his new friends. Ren and Nora grew closer than ever, despite Ren doing his best to appear aloof about his feelings for Nora. Indigo knew they took late night walks as a pair, and heard their laughter as they made their way back to the room some nights. Jaune seemed to get along with everybody, making fast friends with most everyone he met. Although, Jaune was often the butt end of jokes, but he didn't seem to mind.

Indigo noticed Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Ruby developing an interesting team dynamic after the first few weeks at Beacon. They played off each other's strengths and weaknesses, and while there was often conflict between them, Indigo thought it was only because they knew each other so well. It was as if they were all sisters, not just Yang and Ruby.

Indigo himself had grown closest to Pyrrha. They were practically inseparable within a week of attending Beacon. Rumors swirled in the halls of Beacon, and a few involved he and Pyrrha, who had landed themselves in the public eye. They were the best students by far in their year, and with how close they were, it was only natural for students to see them as a couple. While Indigo wouldn't have minded if those rumors were true, he didn't know how to broach the subject with Pyrrha. He had never felt the way he did about her before, the wilds not the best place for romance. As it was, he figured he would wait until some opportunity presented itself. He just didn't want to wait too long. They were alone together often enough, and finding a chance shouldn't be too difficult.

One night, a little over a month after entering Beacon, Indigo found himself discussing Weiss with Jaune and Ren. She was one of Jaune's favorite topics; he always talked about her whenever it was just the guys of JNIPR. "I just wish she would be clear about what she wants." Jaune explained one night when Pyrrha and Nora were still in the showers after some sparring. "She never outright rejects me, but she makes me feel like I'm playing some game for her. She drives me crazy." Ren rolled his eyes with a small smile, and Indigo fought back a laugh. Jaune said something similar just about every time Weiss was the topic.

"Enough about me. I'm always yammering on about Weiss. What about you two? Any ladies catching your eyes?" He raised his eyebrows at them, leaning forward from his seat on the ground. Indigo answered first, knowing Ren would appreciate the time to think about what he wanted to say. "I've had my eye on Pyrrha since we got here. Everything about her is just… amazing. But I don't know how to approach her. I don't think I can be as to the point as you, Jaune." Jaune laughed, then advised: "It's all about confidence. I'll bet that's the only reason Weiss hasn't totally gotten rid of me yet. You just gotta put your heart into it." Ren got an odd look on his face when Jaune finished, and Indigo was nearly certain he was thinking of Nora. He wondered if Ren would ever talk about it.

"I guess I'll talk to her next time we're alone. Maybe after sparring or something. Thanks Jaune." Indigo and Jaune turned to Ren expectantly, having settled both of their own love lives. "Well, you both probably know. It's Nora. She's always pursued me, and I've always cared about her, but I'm afraid something will happen that will end our friendship. I can't have that happening. But she keeps making moves, dropping hints… I'm just gonna go for it like you, Jaune." Indigo was a little surprised they were both ready to follow Jaune's unsuccessful example, but it was a start, at least. The three fell into a silence, and Pyrrha and Nora returned to the room a moment later, their hair wet from washing. The team stripped for bed, and fell asleep exhausted from another busy day. All but Indigo and Ren, who lay awake wondering what they were going to do for a little longer.

The next day Glynda's combat class involved some sparring matches. She usually went into detail about different combat methods, but once a week she had the students all face off in pairings of her choosing. Indigo found it a little repetitive, as he always ended up fighting Pyrrha. Not that he minded. They were the only ones who could fight evenly in a match. Glynda stuck them together after 2 weeks of class, stating that they could only learn more from herself, and each other. That could mean she was going to show them her moves first hand. The prospect of fighting Glynda intrigued Indigo, but also made him a little uneasy. Was he really ready to face a full-fledged huntress, even in a sparring match?

Glynda usually started the class with some of the weaker students. Not that she would admit it, but most people could tell. She narrated the battles afterward, explaining where students had gone wrong. Experiencing failure could often be the most valuable lesson. Today, as Indigo sat with his team next to team RWBY in one of the rows closer to the fighting stage up front, Glynda called Jaune up to face Cardin.

Indigo exchanged a worried look with his friends around him. They all knew Jaune was still green, and Cardin had a reputation for brute force and ruthlessness on the battlefield. It seemed an unusual outmatching for Glynda. Did she have something against Jaune? She certainly didn't favor him, and her criticism often hit him the hardest. Indigo thought it was only because of Jaune's inexperience, but now he wasn't so sure.

Jaune didn't seem to show any fear on his way up to the stage, but the fight was over almost as soon as it began. Jaune kept running blindly at Cardin. He had his shield flung away by one of Cardin's powerful swings of his mace. He ran straight back, switching to a two-handed grip. At least now he knew to use both hands for added power, if forced to. Jaune's adaptability in the heat of battle was improving, if only for offense. Cardin saw saw the shift and assumed a strong, set stance, waiting for Jaune's incoming blow that was sure to be strong and slow. Jaune jumped and slashed downward, but Cardin easily caught the strike with his mace held horizontally with both hands. He kneed Jaune in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Jaune lay on the ground, gasping, and Cardin strolled over to him and raised his mace overhead. As he began his downward bash to finish the fight, Glynda ended the match.

It was relieving to know she at least stopped fights before the KO, even if she may not have liked Jaune. Some of the students cheered for Cardin, but Indigo remained silent. Not only had Cardin thoroughly trounced a friend, but Indigo disliked his fighting style. He was all power, and while his instincts were good, he could easily be outmanuevered. Unfortunately for Jaune, he always rushed headfirst in a fight. Glynda assumed the center of the stage as the two combatants walked off, Jaune limping and Cardin with a smug little smile.

"Students, as you can now see, Mr. Arc's Aura has dropped into the red." It had been red ever since the first blow, but Glynda hadn't stopped the fight then. She had some point to make, and Indigo didn't appreciate her using Jaune to do it. "In a tournament, this would be enough to call the match. Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat." Indigo frowned once more, and turned to Pyrrha. "She expects us to take our eyes off an opponent to look at a scroll? That's just asking for disaster." Pyrrha nodded her assent. "It is much better if one can gauge their own exhaustion and determine if they can continue. Although, I suppose for beginners it is easier to have a scroll as a visual aid." "I just wish she would acknowledge that. It's not like school out there." Indigo furrowed his brow, wondering how much trouble he'd be in if he had to look at a scroll in the middle of all his battles.

"Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more… defensive approach." Indigo agreed Jaune had to learn defense. Like with the other professors, he found some things with Glynda he didn't agree with, but she had the right idea, and she knew what she was talking about. "Remember everyone, the Vital Festival is only a few months away!" Glynda announced. "It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms arrive in Vale, so keep practicing. Those who choose to compete will be representing all of Vale." The bell rang just as Glynda finished her announcement. Ruby was dancing in her seat with excitement, while Yang, Weiss, and even Blake had wide smiles on their faces. Indigo shared their excitement, looking forward to the prospect of seeing what other kingdoms fought like. Pyrrha and Nora were smiling too, and Ren's lips curled upward faintly.

Jaune was still on his butt on the stage, bringing Indigo's smile down. He had to ensure his team was in the right shape for the festival. Jaune was definitely their weakest link at the moment. If he could be reined in, taught to think before acting, sticking to defense when necessary, he could improve greatly. Indigo ruminated on how to get that across in a way that stuck with Jaune. Their big team training sessions usually only stuck with Jaune in the span of a single session. Much had to be retaught at the next session, but there was a little improvement session to session.

Pyrrha looked towards Jaune on the stage and frowned. If she were thinking the same, it seemed her hopes were even less than Indigo's own. They waited for Jaune to join them before heading to the cafeteria for lunch. He was unusually quiet, his defeat weighing on his mind. While Nora regaled them all with an amazing recurring dream she had about fighting Grimm with Ren, Jaune just poked at his and Ruby were enthralled by Nora's exaggerations, and Blake was reading as usual. Weiss filed away at her nails absentmindedly. Pyrrha kept glancing worriedly at Jaune on her right side, and Indigo saw the sadness in her eyes from across the table.

"Jaune, are you ok?" She asked hesitantly. "Huh?" he snapped back to reality. "Oh, yeah, why?" Ruby jumped in, noticing more than Indigo thought she would, the way she was listening to Nora a moment ago. Despite being a year younger than the rest of the first year students, about 16, she was pretty perceptive. She had potential to be a great leader. "It's just that you seem a little… not ok." The rest of Team JNIPR turned to look at Jaune down the bench. Even Weiss and Blake who seemed to be doing their best to mind their own business put down their things and turned to Jaune.

"Guys, I'm fine. Look!" He tried to put on a smile, lifting a weak thumb up to show he was fine. It was unconvincing, to say the least. Jaune lost focus, and glanced over to where Cardin was with his teammates. They were gathered around one of the long tables, standing around a bunny Faunus on the table's bench. He laughed heavily with his back to the table, seeming at ease. His buddy dancing and making bunny ears amused him. Jaune made a fist, his eyes still on Cardin.

"Jaune, Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Jaune turned back to Pyrrha, seemingly surprised that everyone was still focused on him. "Who, Cardin Winchester? Daw, he just likes to mess around. You know, practical jokes." Ruby narrowed her eyes at Jaune's unconvincing dismissal. "He's a bully." "Oh please. Name one time he's 'bullied' me." Jaune made air quotes as he said bullied. It wasn't clear if he actually believed what he was saying, or if he was just trying to convince everyone there was no problem. Indigo felt the latter more likely; Jaune wanted people to ignore his struggles, even if he had more than many students.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask!" Pyrrha declared. She wasn't buying his excuse, either. "Oooh, we'll break his legs!" Nora jumped off the bench with a wicked smile on her face. That was a good way to deal with an enemy, but an annoying student was another story, even if they might have deserved it. It was hard not to agree with Nora, but the mischievous glint in her eyes helped a little. "Guys, really, it's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone." Jaune was already slipping up in his story of nothing being wrong. If anything, it was all the more reason to intervene. But beyond telling a teacher, or the violent path Nora was set on, Indigo wasn't sure what to do. If he ever got a chance to face off while sparring in Glynda's class, maybe teach him a lesson. But Glynda didn't seem likely to look past skill level mismatches for students besides Jaune, and it was clear Cardin wasn't near his level.

A cry came from Cardin's table. "Owww, that hurts!" The bunny Faunus complained. Cardin has a hand on her ears, and was tugging as if trying to see if they were real. "Please, stop." "I told you they were real." Cardin laughed. "What a freak." His friends laughed along with him. The girl walked away shamefully, head and ears both bent downward. "Atrocious." Pyrrha growled. "I can't stand people like him." "He's not the only one." Blake added. "It must be hard to be a Faunus." Yang sympathized, testing her chin on a hand. Jaune got up suddenly, taking his half eaten tray of food away with a sigh. He didn't seem to want any more Cardin talk.

Indigo's tablemates watched Jaune leave sadly, except for Weiss, who was still disinterestedly filing her nails. "We need to do something about him. But all of my ideas are a little too close to Nora's to actually do." Indigo complained. Nora smiled that evil look again, taking it as a compliment. "Would telling a teacher help?" He wondered aloud. "Only temporarily." Yang replied. "With a guy like that, he'll always find ways to get in your head. I think knocking him around might be the only way." "Maybe we could ask him to join our sparring sessions, or have a team scrimmage against him. They could all use a thump on the head." Indigo suggested. Nora and Yang nodded in agreement. Ruby appeared thoughtful, then added, "I think it has to come from Jaune, or someone else he bullies. Getting bested by someone like us, who he sees equally or maybe even as superiors, might just cause him to take out his anger on the little guys."

Indigo relented. "You're right. The best we can do is help train Jaune to stand up for himself. But, I think we should step in next time Cardin lays his hands on someone. I won't tolerate him pushing others around." Yang smashed her fists together, and the others hesitantly murmured agreement. Intervening was always an awkward thing, and it could just cause further embarrassment for a victim. They finished their lunch without Jaune, discussing methods of training that might help him counter Cardin best, both on and off the battlefield.

For the rest of the day, Jaune continued to act aloof. He even passed on their group study and training session, deciding instead to work on his own back in the room. Pyrrha seemed to be about to offer to go back with him, but held her tongue. Jaune needed some time to himself. However, with Jaune gone, the remaining members of Team JNIPR and team RWBY finished their homework in record time. Anticipating a more vigorous training session without Jaune's constant need to be helped, Yang suggested something different for the night.

"We usually spar with partners, helping each other one on one. But what if we practiced for a larger scale battle? We can tip the odds, really test ourselves!" Yang cracked her knuckles. "What do you have in mind?" Indigo asked. Yang wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders, ignoring her look of surprise. "We partner up, then fight two on six!"

Nora immediately exclaimed "That. Sounds. Great!" She sidled closer to Ren, making it clear she wanted to partner with him. Ren looked a little embarrassed, but Indigo smiled reassuringly, remembering their conversation with Jaune the night before. Ren understood Indigo's meaning, and actually wrapped his arm around Nora's shoulder. Delight flashed across Nora's face, but it faded quickly as she tried to seem cool. She still leaned in closer to Ren, though. "I'm with Nora." Ren declared simply.

Indigo was proud of Ren's quick progress in deciding to be more clear about his feelings towards Nora. But, he just grew more nervous about what he might try to show Pyrrha how he felt about her. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and saw she was staring right at him. Not ready to follow exactly in Ren's footsteps, Indigo settled for giving Pyrrha a hearty pat on the shoulder. "I say Pyrrha and I should partner up, and go first. Just to see how uneven the odds really are." He didn't want to state the obvious; that he and Pyrrha were the strongest fighters, and so would probably be most evenly matched against a larger force. The others seemed to understand his underlying message, though.

Yang nodded her assent, while Weiss said, "I suppose it is only fair that you two go first. Besides, it makes sense to stick with our partners that we were assigned, as we must work with them for the rest of our time here, as Ozpin said." Indigo blushed, he had completely forgotten that they were specifically paired up in the entrance exam. He was used to seeing his team as a whole unit, not a force divided into pairs. It probably helped that his was a team of five, Jaune left with no clear partner. He wondered how Jaune was doing back at the dorm, then pushed Jaune from his mind sadly.

Pyrrha assumed a battle ready stance, spear in right hand and shield in left. She was in a more defensive stance, not like her usual offense heavy method of fighting. Yang and Nora formed up about 30 feet from Indigo and Pyrrha, with Ruby and Ren flanking them on on either side and a little behind. Blake and Weiss stood a few steps behind Yang and Nora. Indigo studied their formation. Powerhouses in front, agile attackers at their sides, with those most suited for range left in the back. It would be a hard formation to break.

Indigo held his quarterstaff horizontally in front of him, already wondering how best to defend against the certain onslaught. Before the fight began, he considered their battlefield. It was the usual open, grassy plain at the edge of campus. While it was a good training ground, it offered no cover or terrain to exploit. The others had a straight, clear shot at him and Pyrrha. Depending on how they attacked, he figured changing the terrain might be the safest method to fight. He was totally comfortable in a woody terrain, which he could create easily. Pyrrha, however, was used to the openness of arenas. Their different fighting styles might work against them this time, instead of creating the usual battle synergy they had, where a single or even two opponents struggled to adapt to their drastically different fighting styles.

Before he could think over any detailed plan, Yang and Nora charged. He glanced quickly at Pyrrha and nodded, a gesture she returned. He and Pyrrha quickly switched positions, already in sync. This caused the charging Nora to instead be facing Indigo, and Yang facing Pyrrha. Nora and Yang had meant to take advantage of the elements of their Semblances in the fight, Yang burning Indigo's wooden Semblance, and Nora shocking Pyrrha's metal weapon and armor.

Indigo strengthened his staff, keeping it the same length, he took most of Nora's powerful two handed hammer swing, using his strength to deflect her hammer to the ground. It boomed resoundingly, and Indigo used the opportunity to hit her with a few quick jabs to the stomach, knocking the wind out of Nora and sending her gasping to the ground. At the same time, Pyrrha and Yang met head on. They exchanged a flurry of blows, Yang with the advantage in close quarters with her flaming fast fists. Pyrrha ignored her spear as it was too slow, focusing on deflecting Yang's blows with her shield. She had Yang occupied, at least.

Ruby and Ren crosses paths in the middle of the field, picking the targets they felt they had the advantage against. Ruby targeted Indigo, rushing at him at extreme speed with her scythe. Ren rushed into the fray after Pyrrha, trying to capitalize on Yang's distraction to get in close. Before either of the agile flankers could reach their targets, Indigo jammed his staff into the ground, channeling his Aura into it. He grew a strand of bamboo quickly around them, with little drain on his energy. Some tangled around Nora, roots holding her hammer to the ground, poles lifting her up and tangling among her, encasing her to separate her from the fight permanently.

Another strang grew all around Pyrrha, forcing Yang and Ren back. She had a semi protected circle, and lashed out with her spear, now with the range to keep her two attackers at bay. Ruby simply cut through the bamboo between her and Indigo with her scythe, hardly slowing down.

Indigo hurriedly raised his staff to block her attack, doing everything he could to block her strikes as close to the blade as possible on the shaft of the scythe to limit her range. He looked quickly over at where Blake and Weiss supposedly still were, but both were gone. Wherever they were, he figured a sneak attack was imminent. After a blow from Ruby's scythe glanced against his shoulder, sending him stumbling a bit, Indigo leveled the lower end of his scythe into the ground and angled it at Ruby. In the middle of another swing, he grew the staff quickly into a longer pole, shooting into Ruby's chest, knocking her back. She fell among the stumps of the bamboo she cut down, and Indigo grew those around her to immobilize her as well. He turned to help Pyrrha, but saw that she she had somehow already dispatched Yang and Ren. Both lay groaning on the ground. Before Indigo could wonder how she did it, both of them were knocked to the ground.

Weiss had used her Glyphs to send Blake into the sky. Once there, she fell gracefully down, sending her whips to latch around their feet. Weiss dashed in from behind, after the downed Pyrrha. Blake landed with catlike grace in front of Indigo, walking calmly towards him. His feet were tied, and his staff had been knocked away when he fell. He placed his hands on the ground, growing brambles around Blake. She leaped out of the way, landing behind him this time. But her moment on the air gave him enough time to free his legs, untying the cord around them and pulling it viciously towards him. Before Blake could catch her balance upon landing, she fell towards him, and the second she hit the ground he bound her with plants like Nora and Ruby.

While Indigo fought Blake, Pyrrha struggled against Weiss. She hurled her shield at Weiss to slow her down, and Weiss did slow a bit, but only enough to sidestep the shield. Pyrrha freed her legs, then dueled Weiss. As Indigo turned to help Pyrrha, Weiss barely dodged the point of the spear coming right at her face. Pyrrha simply smacked Weiss on the head with the shaft, and the fight was over. Pyrrha and Indigo had somehow managed to win.

Ecstatic, Indigo rushed to Pyrrha's side, and before he could think lifted her into the air, cheering. She looked shocked for a moment, but began cheering too. Indigo quickly set her down once sense came to him again, blushing furiously.

"That was AWESOME!" Nora shouted, running over to join Indigo and Pyrrha. "You two are like, an unstoppable team." The others came over, looking a little tired but otherwise none the worse for wear. Aura returned fast, outside of combat.

"I'm ready to take a shot at it. How about it, Blake?" Yang turned to Blake, who shrugged. "If everyone's ready to fight again already, I'm game."

They assumed a new attack formation, now with Pyrrha and Nora in front, Ruby and Ren still on the flanks, but with Indigo and Weiss in the back.

Indigo was most worried about the capabilities for crowd control that Blake's gun whips had. All Yang had to do was defend Blake from a frontal assault, and they could keep a large force at bay.

Nora and Pyrrha charged. Pyrrha targeted Blake, trying to get past her whips, and Nora went for Yang. But Yang held them both back with blasts from her fiery hand cannons. Ruby and Ren joined quickly, but Blake's whips fanned out, stopping them a good 15 feet from the action. Weiss used her glyphs to get high above the battle. There would be no way to stop an aerial assault from her, if only Blake and Yang didn't look up. Indigo rushed forward, hoping to distract from Weiss' plan.

He simply grew some brambles beneath Blake and Yang's feet, which they easily dodged. As expected. But it brought their eyes down for a moment. With their attention torn between the enemies around them and the ground beneath them, they weren't ready for Weiss. She descended from the sky and struck Blake fiercely with a blast of ice from her rapier. Blake was frozen solid, her flailing whips falling limply to the ground.

Yang turned at the cracks as Weiss fell with her ice attack, and was immediately surrounded by everyone else. She smashed her fists together and created a blast to knocks everyone away. It gave her space, but only temporarily. It was enough for Yang, though.

She quickly dispatched Ruby and Nora who were still off balance, before being brought down by a relentless combo from Indigo, Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss.

Everyone congratulated Weiss on her great strategy, and Yang for her persistence. It wasn't easy to keep fighting when facing such overwhelming odds. Blake looked a little sad, and Yang turned to her when she noticed. "Nice job keeping them occupied so long." She slapped Blake's back, and Blake jerked forward, but looked a little less upset.

Next up we're Ruby and Weiss. Weiss attempted to make an ice wall to limit the numbers that could attack her, but Yang and Nora quickly busted through. They took Weiss out quickly, but Ruby vanished in a burst of petals. Ren and Blake went down in quick bursts, petals flowing near them as well. Indigo transformed the ground into thick brambles again and Ruby was caught in them, slowed down.

Pyrrha pinned her to the ground with a spear hurl through her cape, then Blake tied her up with a flick of her wrist and a twirl of her whips, and the fight was over. Ruby received praise, and Weiss looked torn between being furious and wanting to storm off. But she stayed, settling for stamping her feet a bit. "Thanks for drawing their eyes away from me!" Ruby tried earnestly to cheer Weiss up. Weiss harrumphed, and what worked for Yang failed her younger sister. Ruby looked sad, but the final sparring match began in a minute.

Indigo was particularly worried about this fight, as he knew Nora and Ren had lived and traveled with each other for some time. Their teamwork would be formidable, especially in the face of their ever increasing chemistry. But, they didn't have the area of effect abilities the other pairs did.

Instead of waiting for the enemies to come to them, Nora and Ren rushed headlong into their opponents. Nobody expected the move, and the frontline of Yang and Pyrrha were pushed back. Nora sent Yang sprawling, and Ren was a blur among the rest of them. He quickly dispatched Ruby, Weiss, and Blake, speeding around their shocked ranks. Pyrrha was knocked into Indigo with a bash from Nora's hammer, her Aura dangerously low. Indigo allowed some of his Aura to flow into her as she sagged against him.

Ren closed in on Indigo, and Nora on Pyrrha, but Pyrrha was already bouncing back. Indigo separated his staff into two smaller versions, one held in each hand. Ren slashed viciously, right then left in a repeating pattern, seeming to aim at all different parts of his body. Indigo did all he could to parry Ren's onslaught, but was quickly tiring. Rejuvenating Pyrrha's Aura took a toll on him, and he was tired from the earlier matches.

In a last ditch effort, he rounded the wooden staffs in his hands catching two downward stabs from Ren. He quickly closed the wood around the knife guns, and Ren drew his hands back, shocked at the wood that now covered his weapons. Indigo stuck him in the chest with a punch, sending him sprawling before Ren could figure out what to do next.

Behind him, Pyrrha and Nora were face to face. The handles of their weapons were crossed against each other. Gritting their teeth, they pushed back and forth, trying to overpower each other. Indigo had hardly any energy left. He simply poured the last bit of Aura he thought he could spare onto Pyrrha through his back, still up against hers. With the added strength, Pyrrha forced Nora to the ground, Nora's own hammer haft under her neck, near to choking her.

Nora yielded, and Pyrrha fell to the ground, followed by Indigo. They say back to back, panting. Everyone else sounded similarly exhausted, heavy breathing all around Indigo. He didn't have it in him to look around. He fell to one side of Pyrrha, and she collapsed onto her back next to him. They all sat for a while, catching their breath. Finally, Indigo said, "I think we may have overdone it. Just a bit." "I could eat a hundred pancakes, no joke." Nora said. Indigo's stomach rumbles as if in response. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until now.

"Look at how bright the moon is tonight." Ruby said dreamily. "Wait, the MOON?! It's past dinner time!" Ruby jumped up, and the others stood up wearily. They all trudged off to the dining hall, hoping that all the good food wasn't gone already. Food was usually served in the mess hall until around 10:00, but judging by the moon's height, it was nearly that time, if not past it already.

As they walked up to the main entrance, Ren checked his watch. "It's only 9:00, don't worry." He reassured them. With a whole hour, and a near empty mess hall, they could still take their leisure time to eat and relax.

Nora didn't have 100 pancakes, but she still polished off an impressive two dozen or so. In addition to a bunch of meat and other heavy foods. Everyone ate ravenously. "I'll never stop loving how good a whole bunch of food tastes when you're super hungry." Indigo commented.

"Are you hungry often, Indigo? Out in the wilds, I mean." Pyrrha asked. "Sometimes. I can always make a little food for myself, enough to survive on. But if I go too long only eating what I can make, I'll be low on both energy and Aura. It's a dangerous place to be, but I've been there." He wondered if that last part sounded a boast, and wished he hadn't added it. But that didn't make it any less true.

"Well, I'm pretty lucky, I think. Others in the wilds don't have Semblances that can feed them. There's a lot of hungrier people out there, especially when Grimm raze fields or destroy stockpiles of food." Pyrrha's face filled with worry. He liked that about her. She always thought of what others had to go through, and it seemed she cared deeply for people.

That brought his thoughts back to Jaune. He wondered if Jaune had come to dinner at their usual time, hoping to meet up with them after sparring, to stop being aloof. He worried what Jaune would think when he saw they weren't there. Would he feel abandoned.

Pyrrha must have seen the concern on her face, because she asked him, "what's wrong, Indigo? Are you thinking about Jaune?" "Yeah. I just hope he didn't feel left out after today. We did a lot without him, even if it was his choice. Should we go back soon?" Pyrrha paused with a forkful of fish on the way to her mouth. "Maybe, but we need food, too. As important as it is to look out for others, we need to take care of ourselves, too." She resumed eating enthusiastically, content to leave Jaune's problem for when they were all well fed and readier to help him.

Chapter 5: Patience

When Indigo returned to his team's dorm room after dinner with Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, Jaune was lying fast asleep on his bed. At least, that's what it looked like. It wasn't really all that late, and Indigo knew Jaune usually stayed up later.

He stifled a yawn as he sat on his own bed. The intensified training session took a lot out of him. The others were already getting ready for bed, similarly exhausted. He undressed, and his last thought before passing out was that maybe Jaune was just as tired as they were, from some sort of training of his own. He hoped so, at least.

The next day, Indigo noticed Jaune dozing off in most of their classes. It was especially bad in the last class of the day. Oobleck was giving a lecture on the Faunus Wars, and while his extremely energetic method of teaching kept some students engaged, it didn't work for others.

Jaune was practically sleeping on his hands, and all the times Indigo nudged him awake seemed to do little to help. Cardin was also lazing about, legs up on his desk, hands behind his head, not even pretending to take notes or pay attention.

Oobleck continued his rapid fire teaching, either ignoring or not even noticing the disinterested students. Indigo thought the latter was more likely. Oobleck was easily absorbed by his own train of thought.

Jaune was snapped out of his sleep once again when Cardin flicked a piece of paper onto his head from above. "Hey!?" Jaune confusedly said, a little too loudly. Unfortunately for Jaune, Oobleck had just asked a question about what the Faunus had as an advantage in the Faunus wars. Oobleck assumed Jaune wanted to answer a question for once, and zoomed in front of him.

"Mr. Arc, finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?" "Uhhhhhhh…" Jaune struggled to piece together what was happening. Next to him, Indigo grimaced, knowing there was nothing he could do to help with Oobleck so close. Pyrrha was sitting a couple rows up and more towards the middle that day with Blake, and Jaune looked towards her for help. Pyrrha quickly pantomimed the question, finishing by holding her hands around her eyes.

"Uhhh… the answer… the advantage the Faunus had over that guy's… stuff… uhh, binoculars!" Jaune shot a hand up, all confidence. Some students laughed at him, but Indigo felt they probably didn't know the answer. He had no idea, as history wasn't exactly something he learned out in the wilds. Oobleck was the first person to really teach Indigo history in his entire life.

Pyrrha put her hand to her face in exasperation. It was so hard to help Jaune out, sometimes. It was like he was a magnet for misfortune. Oobleck cut through the laughter. "Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!" Indigo was surprised that Oobleck was going after Cardin. Had he noticed Cardin pick in Jaune, and used the opportunity to make an example out of the both of them for not paying attention? Teachers noticed a lot more than they let on.

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin responded. Did he think he was being funny, or cool or something? Indigo couldn't stand Cardin's clear condescension towards Faunus. He gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from doing something he might regret later. Pyrrha intervened a little more delicately than Indigo was contemplating. "You're not the most open minded of individuals, are you Cardin?" "What, you got a problem?" He shot back. "No, I have the answer. It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark."

Indigo thought that was too simple to be the answer. In a history class, he expected something like a military strategy or something. Not a simple fact that most people knew. "General Lagun was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured." Blake added on. That was more along the lines of what Indigo expected. "Perhaps, if he's paid attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure." She tacked on to insult Cardin. The class oohed at Blake's snarky jab at Cardin. There was more than one way to take care of an enemy.

"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat. You and Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings." That was fair enough of Oobleck, considering how both paid little attention. Jaune groaned in resignation all the same. "Moving on!" Oobleck declared, continuing with a more attentive audience until class ended.

When Oobleck finally finished his lecture, Indigo filtered out with his friends, stealing a few worried glances over at Jaune. He was looking down at the desk, trying to ignore everything. Cardin looked smug as ever. In the hallway, Pyrrha leaned up against a pillar. "I'll catch up with you guys. I want to talk to Jaune, to make sure he's ok." Indigo considered staying behind with her, but thought Jaune might be intimidated if they were both there. He still had some time before his next class, though, and still wanted to try and help Jaune out.

"I'm going to talk to Ozpin. Maybe he has an idea of what to do to help Jaune. And if not, he can always do something about Cardin. Maybe." Ren and Nora moved on with the line of the rest of the students leaving the classroom, confident Pyrrha and Indigo had things under control. Pyrrha clapped him on the shoulder with a nod, and Indigo made his way through the halls to the principal's office.

He didn't have any more classes for the rest of the night, and hoped Ozpin had some free time, too. He didn't know exactly what to ask, but if anyone would know what to do, Ozpin would. When he reached Glynda's desk just outside Ozpin's office, she greeted him with a silent, stern stare.

"I'm here to talk with Headmaster Ozpin." Glynda raised an eyebrow at him. "If he has time, that is." Indigo added hurriedly. "Well, Ozpin isn't too busy right now, but is there a reason this matter must involve the headmaster? I'm sure any other professor could help, even myself." "Well, it's about… one of my teammates. I want his advice on how to help them." Indigo explained vaguely. But Glynda saw right through him. "So, this is about Jaun, then. I'll actually head in with you. I've got some input on the matter, too."

Glynda stepped out from behind her desk, heading towards Ozpin's office without a backwards glance. Indigo followed her, and waited a few steps behind as she knocked on the door. "Come in." Ozpin's said, his voice muffled by the thick wooden door. Glynda strode in, and made it clear she was in charge. "It's time we talked about Jaune Arc, Professor Ozpin." Glynda declared.

"Oh? What about Jaune? And is that Indigo I see behind you?" Indigo stepped out from Glynda's shadow. "Hi professor. I'm worried about Jaune. He's struggling with combat, and classes, and I just wanted to know if you could think of any way I could help him?"

"Yes, Jaune is an interesting case. He certainly made it here in a… unique way. But I do believe he's making progress, slow as it may be. I must ask, why do you seek to help him?" Indigo answered quickly. "Because he's my friend, and I want him to be able to do well here." Ozpin smiles faintly. "Oh? And is that all? You see, the last part of what you said almost seemed the most important to you. Are you worried he's dragging your team down?"

Indigo thought for a moment. He'd told himself this was all to help a friend, but was that really why? Or was he just selfishly wanting the weakest link in his team to strengthen? "I guess I am." He admitted, looking at the ground. "Still, I want to help him."

"I can tell that you're heart is mostly in the right place, Indigo. But your life in the Wild has hidden some important factors of teamwork for you. It's not to make the team stronger that you develop these relationships with your teammates. You develop relationships with your teammates because they're your friends, because you care about them. Your performance as a team is secondary. Your teammates' well-being comes first."

"Yes, Headmaster Ozpin." Indigo replied sullenly, his eyes fixed on a tile between his feet. "Look at me, Indigo." Ozpin chided. Indigo obeyed, and Ozpin continued. "I understand the situation Jaune is in right now. Better than you may think. But you must let him fight his own battles, that he may grow. Be there to support him in however he chooses to fight his battles. You may even offer him your advice. But do not tell him what he must do. Otherwise, he will never grow, only able to act the way you tell him. You must be patient, and wait for him to reach the point where he is ready to ask for help."

Indigo nodded, beginning to understand. Jaune couldn't be coddled. He was here to be a hunter, and hunters needed to be able to think and act for themselves. He couldn't just guide him wherever he wanted. "Thank you, Headmaster Ozpin. I think I see now." He thought of bringing Cardin up, but figured Ozpin would say much the same thing about letting Jaune fight his own battles, the way he wanted. "Was that all, Indigo?" Ozpin looked at him over his desk between folded hands. Indigo nodded, and said "Yes, Headmaster Ozpin." "Good, keep up the good work. You're on the right path." Indigo turned to leave, sliding last Glynda, who looked like she hoped the conversation went another way. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Whatever her thoughts on Jaune, Ozpin's advice of patience would apply to her, too. Glynda followed him out of the office.

Indigo went back to grab dinner with his friends, where Jaune was noticeably absent. Pyrrha seemed upset, and when he asked her about how things went with Jaune, she looked almost angry, and brushed it off, saying "I'm sure Jaune knows exactly what he's doing." Even later that night, as Nora bounced on the bed in her usual excitement and Ren cleaned his weapons, Pyrrha still looked upset. "I did talk to Ozpin, by the way. He said we just have to be patient with Jaune, and he'll find his way to do things." Pyrrha repeated her statement of how Jaune knew what he was doing, still sulking. Jaune's situation affected them all, and they would all need to find their own ways to deal. Or their team wouldn't be much of anything.

Chapter 6: Jaune's Decision

Indigo woke up early the next morning, before any of his other teammates. He had no idea how late Jaune got back, but he wanted to make sure he got all the sleep he needed. He'd been having a rough time lately. He moved around the room in darkness, trying to quietly gather his team's supplies for their field trip that day. He wished he had Faunus vision, but settled for slowly making his way around the room. Once he had all of his stuff together, he went over to help Jaune.

Jaune's bag was laying at the end of his bed, papers all over the place. He hadn't even bothered to take off his clothes or shoes the night before, and lay atop the covers. Indigo carefully stuffed everything back into Jaune's bag, laying his sword and shield next to his bag at the foot of the bed.

He stood up, and turned to see what was up with the rest of his teammates. Sunlight was faintly streaming in through the bottom of the drawn curtain, as day began to break. Pyrrha was just waking up, assembling her gear quietly. Indigo smiled at her, and she returned it weakly, before frowning over at Jaune. He almost felt bad for Jaune. Pyrrha didn't seem an easy person to have angry with you. But Jaune needed to act for himself.

Indigo leaned against the door to the hall, waiting and snacking on some blueberries and raspberries he'd conjured up for an early breakfast. Pyrrha came to join him once she had all her stuff together, and he gave her a handful of berries. She wordlessly accepted them, then downed them quickly. A huntress had to fuel up fast, as they never knew when they would need to fight. At least, that's how Pyrrha had explained it to Indigo. He still preferred to eat most foods a little slower. He wondered who would win in an eating contest between Pyrrha and Nora. That would be fun to watch.

His thoughts were interrupted when Nora suddenly sat straight up. Indigo walked right towards her, worried she'd act like the team's alarm again. She had a habit of announcing to the world when she was awake. She usually said something like "it's pancake time!" But she also spouted out gibberish coming straight out of a dream. Those were usually battle cries, and while Ren seemed perfectly able to sleep through Nora's exclamations, the rest of the team still hadn't gotten used to them.

Indigo didn't want her waking up Jaune, and stood next to her bed, anxiously waiting to see what she did. She opened her mouth, and Indigo got ready to muffle her shout, but she looked around, seeming to understand pretty fast. Her eyes landed on Jaune with a worried look. They were all worried about him.

Ren woke soon after Nora, and the four of them went into the hallway when all their stuff was ready. Jaune had about 10 minutes of sleep left before they absolutely needed to head to the courtyard to meet up with Goodwitch for the field trip. In the hall, Blake and Weiss were up already, carrying their weapons and with a box full of jars sitting next to their door. Indigo put his team's box down, too.

It sounded like they were discussing some book, but stopped when Indigo's team stepped outside. The only word Indigo caught was "ninjas" from Blake. She sounded excited, but looked super embarrassed and stopped talking quickly, her bow twitching. Weiss looked as if she didn't understand why Blake's face was reddening, either. "Good morning, Team Indigo. I take it Jaune's still asleep?" "Yep, sleeping like a baby. I'm sure Ruby and Yang are doing the same?" Indigo asked. "Not exactly." Blake responded, coming back to her senses, the red almost gone from her face. "Ruby snores pretty loudly, and Yang moves a lot in her sleep. I'm pretty sure she's punching sometimes." Weiss shook her head disapprovingly. "At least I won't have to deal with Jaune's weirdness for a little longer… although he hasn't been as bad lately." She said, sounding almost disappointed.

Pyrrha frowned, clearly not wanting to talk about Jaune. "He's… going through a bit of a tough time." Ren put it delicately. They chatted a bit about their field trip for the day, wondering what Goodwitch would have them doing. Ruby and Yang walked out of their room together, Yang stretching and Ruby yawning. As they were about to head off together, Nora rushed back into their room. "Hey Jaune! GET OFF YOUR BUTT!" Nora shouted, barely quieted by the walls. A minute later, and an exhausted Jaune was standing a little ways away from everyone else with Nora smiling proudly.

They walked through the halls, Team RWBY in the lead, JNIPR behind. Most students weren't up this early, only the first years going on the field trip. Indigo thought it odd when a dorm they just passed had its door whipped open. He spun around, looking over Nora's head to see Team CRDL leaving their room loudly. Cardin rushed up to Jaune, who was lagging a bit behind the rest of the team

"Hey, Buddy, hold this for me, will ya?" Cardin shoved his team's box of bottles into Jaune's hands, before slapping him on the back and brushing past the other two teams ahead of him. Everyone glared at them as they passed, except Jaune, who struggled to find a good grip on the box. Indigo shook his head, and fell in line with Jaune, readjusting his own grip on his team's crate.

"You know, you don't have to let him treat you like that." Indigo said, glancing over at Jaune. Jaune kept looking down at the bottles. "I… I kind of do. Look, I know you're just trying to help, but I can handle myself. I'm fine. Really." Indigo opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of anything. He closed it again, and walked with Jaune in silence. If he wouldn't accept help, at least he could show Jaune that he wasn't alone.

When they reached the courtyard, Goodwitch was ready to take them and all the other teams off to the Forest of Forever Fall. She barely spared a moment to chastise Teams JNIPR and RWBY for being late, which she usually relished the opportunity to do. Especially when Jaune was involved. Indigo fell in with his team behind her as she strode off to the edge of Beacon Academy and jumped to the lush crimson forest far below. Landing strategies again. Jaune sighed, hefting the box up a bit, looking over the woods confused. Indigo made a hang glider with a storage compartment and gave it to Jaune.

"Here you go. Take my box too, and I'll meet you down there." Indigo jumped off before Jaune could protest about wanting to do things himself, as he was wont to stubbornly do lately. He held his staff above him and formed it into one of those helicopter seed pods that would gently carry him to the forest below. He landed lightly on the forest floor, most people landing in the trees around him, using them to slow down. Goodwitch and Weiss were the only ones already down on the floor, having no need for trees to slow down.

Blake dropped down nimbly after untangling her whips, followed by Ruby and Ren from nearby trees. Cardin and his team emerged from a group of fallen trees nearby, and Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha from another stand of trees that looked like they took quite the beating, but were still standing. Indigo frowned at the unnecessary devastation they caused, and Weiss turned her nose up at Cardin's group. "Some people have no class." She said, waving one hand in the air dismissively. "A landing strategy is valid, as long as it works without hurting the hunter or huntress, or any innocents." Glynda added with her arms crossed, eyes scanning the regrouping students analytically.

Jaune crashed down right in front of Goodwitch, the boxes miraculously undamaged in their compartment, although Jaune looked a little beat up and the rest of the glider was destroyed. Glynda shook her head. "Although some strategies could use a little work." She turned to the rest of the class, before walking off in one direction. She clearly expected them to follow, no questions asked. "Yes students, the Forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But, we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so." She launched into her lecture with no hesitation, and most of the class had already fallen in line with her. After handing off Indigo's box to him, Jaune and Indigo brought up the end of the line, besides Cardinal's team, who were stretching and lazing about, almost looking bored.

"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay be your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun!" Goodwitch finished in an unusually upbeat tone. She was the type to take pleasure in having to come to the rescue of her students. She probably wouldn't be so happy if Jaune was the one in trouble. Indigo cast a worried look at Jaune on his left side, already being glared at by Cardin.

He didn't know why Cardin singled Jaune out, but he was ready to teach Cardin a lesson here out in the woods, if necessary. He was sure there would be some time when Goodwitch wasn't around to get to the bottom of things with Cardin. Or maybe they could just ignore him. After all, Professor Goodwitch has said to stick with your team. Some distance between Jaune and Cardin might be even better than getting them to settle things once and for all.

But Cardin had another idea. As Nora skipped happily into the woods, followed by Ren and Pyrrha, Cardin grabbed Jaune by the shoulder and said "come on buddy, let's go." Pyrrha turned back to see what the hold up was, and Indigo watched as Cardin began dragging Jaune with his team. "Professor Goodwitch said to stick with our teams. Jaune should stay with us." Indigo told Cardin, who simply paused and looked over his shoulder. "It's fine, he's in good hands with us. Besides, he wants to hang with us for a bit. Isn't that right, pal?" Cardin squeezed Jaune's shoulder roughly. "Y-yeah. It'll be fine Indigo. You guys won't have me to hold you back. We can meet up after we get the sap or something." He smiled a little, but Indigo could see the nervousness written on his face. He sighed and turned to join Pyrrha, a dark look on her face. "Let's just get this done with quickly. Then we can check in with Jaune and see how things are going." He suggested. "Right." Pyrrha nodded her assent.

They turned to follow the sound of Nora's glee reverberating through the woods. It wasn't hard to find the place they'd decided to gather sap. The area didn't look much different from the rest of the woods. Nora had decided she'd had enough of frolicking and settled down right where she was to get to work. Or at least, Ren got to work. Nora inhaled the syrup by the bottle, almost as fast as Ren could bottle it. Indigo and Pyrrha made much faster progress, and within ten minutes they had all the sap they needed. Nora patted her belly, a red syrupy smile on her face. Ren rolled his eyes, but allowed himself a small smile. As much as he was loath to admit it, he seemed to enjoy Nora's antics much of the time. It was probably one of the things he liked about her. Indigo wondered when Ren would tell Nora how he felt. They'd known each other for years, and Nora was clearly in love with him. And from what he said, Ren seemed to be, too.

Then again, he wasn't really one to judge. He became acutely aware of how close Pyrrha was to him, kneeling down on the grass next to him organizing the bottles in the box. His face reddened, and he tried to think of something else. When all this stuff with Cardin blew over, he would have to ask Jaune for some more tips on talking to girls. Even if his approach to Weiss didn't work, it was a start. Indigo surveyed the area around them, and noticed with a start that all of Team RWBY was there with them. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts he'd lost track of his surroundings. He chastised himself for being so careless. This was how Grimm snuck up on people in the woods. This was how he'd come close to dying a few times growing up. He looked further into the distance, but didn't see any other signs of movement. But there was a hill above them and behind most of their backs. That would be something to look out for, an attack from above.

Suddenly, a three people came sprinting down from the hill. As they got closer, Indigo saw they were Cardin's team members. They looked like they were running in fear from something. Indigo thought one of Cardin's pranks must have gone too far, scaring even them. But as they got closer they didn't slow down. One of them ran right into Yang, who had also turned to see what the commotion was. She didn't budge an inch, and hauled him up by his shirt. "Ursa, Ursa!" He whined. "What? Where?" She demanded. "Back there, it's got Cardin!" He pointed uphill. Pyrrha dropped the bottle she was holding. "Jaune!" She said, fear entering her voice.

Ruby sprang into action immediately. "Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch." Pyrrha looked to Indigo for guidance, then back to Ren and Nora who were bringing out their weapons. He nodded, understanding what she meant to do. "You two, go with them! There could be more!" Pyrrha told Ren and Nora as she armed herself with her spear and shield. They ran off, and Indigo sprinted up the hill. "There's no time to waste! Come on!" He led the way, before Ruby quickly used her Semblance to outpace him. Weiss and Pyrrha followed closely behind him.

When they created the top of the hill, an Ursa was closing in on Cardin, huddling on the ground scared. Before any of them could act, it swiped down with its immense paw, five sharp claws each the side of daggers tearing down to rend Cardin apart. But it's blow was stopped by Jaune's shield as he stepped between the two at the last second. Weiss flourished her rapier, preparing to make short work of the occupied Ursa. "Wait!" Pyrrha urged. Weiss stopped right away, as if she knew what Pyrrha meant. Indigo took a step forward to intervene too, but Pyrrha firmly held him back with a hand on his left shoulder. "But…" He sputtered, worried that Jaune would lose to the Ursa.

But Jaune was holding his own, dodging, blocking, and even getting in a few shallow cuts with his sword. Indigo finally understood, and relented. Jaune had to get real battle experience at some point. And when better than when he had four friends ready to step in if he needed them? He maintained his battle ready stance, feet spread wide and staff out in front of him, but stayed in place, watching the battle with his friends.

The Ursa got a couple of good hits in, batting Jaune back and forth with its heavy paws. Jaune just kept running back at it though, not ready to give up. Even if Jaune didn't know much about fighting, Indigo had to admit he had guts. One look at his scroll told him guts wouldn't be enough. Jaune's Aura was in the red, a time to recuperate and carefully bide your time in a fight. But Jaune screamed out and charged the Ursa, ignoring his own plight.

Time seemed to slow down as Pyrrha reached her arm out as Jaune and the Ursa were about to meet. Before Indigo's eyes, Jaune's shield was lifted up to block the Ursa's blow, a defensive move Jaune had neglected to attempt. But his legs were still not set right. Indigo carefully guided some of the tufts of grass at Jaune's feet to harden around him, to help brace him for impact. It worked tremendously, and the blow glanced off Jaune's shield, bringing only one of his knees to the ground. He quickly sprang up with a slash at the Ursa's head, decapitating it in one swish. If his defense left something to desire, he certainly made up for it with ferocity.

Ruby stared at Pyrrha, confused at the black outline fading from Pyrrha's hand as she lowered it. "Uhh, what?" Weiss looked askance at Pyrrha as well. "How did you-?" "Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs, my Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha explained. Indigo finally had an explanation for how she hauled her shield back to herself in fights. She could attract things, like a magnet. "You can control poles…" Ruby said in awe. "No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism." Weiss corrected. "Magnets are cool too." Ruby said, still in awe. Pyrrha turned around, and Weiss stopped her. "Wait, where are you going?" "Yeah, we gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby added.

"Or, perhaps, we could just keep it our little secret." Pyrrha said, turning to leave once more. Indigo thought he knew what she was doing. Jaune wouldn't have many better chances to get a boost to his confidence than this. He walked away with her, leaving Jaune to figure things out on his own. When they were within the woods and out of earshot of the others, Indigo started talking to Pyrrha. He was sure this whole thing would stop her from worrying so much about Jaune. It could pull their team back together.

"That was amazing, Pyrrha. You found a way to help him without him knowing, and he even managed to do a lot for himself." Pyrrha looked up at him from his right side as they strolled through the woods. "Don't think I didn't notice what you did, Indigo. I saw you help him set his feet. I don't think he could have withstood the Ursa's blow without your help. I was ready to rush in after if the block failed. We both helped him." Indigo laughed. "I guess you're right. But isn't that what teammates are for? Always being there for each other, no matter what?" "Partners especially." She added. "We seem to always help others out together, as we need the least help. But Jaune doesn't have a partner. Let's help him get to our level." "Sounds good to me, partner!" Indigo responded. "Great, let's see how he's feeling tonight, once it's settled down a bit. I bet I can convince him to train with us again. I'll break the ice, you wait for my signal, okay?" "Sounds good to me. We should probably see where Ren, Nora, and the others are. I'll bet they're worried sick. And I'll bet even more that Professor Goodwitch is ready to tear somebody's head off!" He added with a smile. Pyrrha giggled. "I think she'll be upset when she finds that Jaune already did that for her!"

Once they met up with the rest of their classmates, Glynda lectured them all the way back to the academy. They delivered the sap to Professor Peach, and Glynda dismissed them for the rest of the night. Nora dragged Ren to the kitchen to make celebratory pancakes for Jaune's success, although Indigo was pretty sure they were mostly for her, and her bottomless stomach. Jaune went up to the roof, and Pyrrha signaled Indigo to follow. She had him wait inside as she went out into the cool night air. She hadn't exactly told him what to listen for to know it was time to head out, but he figured he'd know the signal when it came.

After a couple of minutes waiting restlessly by the door, Indigo heard a muffled thud, accompanied by a "Hey!" from Jaune. Indigo opened the door, hoping Pyrrha wasn't taking her frustration out on Jaune for the trouble he'd caused. He saw Pyrrha help Jaune up from the ground. "Let's try that again." She urged. As Indigo entered, she spun to face him, full of energy. "Indigo, show him how to set his feet." Indigo obliged, hunkering down with a wide-set stance. Pyrrha approached him, then pushed him in the chest. Hard. He nudged a little, but kept his balance. "See, Jaune? Indigo is as solid as a tree. A little bend, but no break. Just like it should be." Her fingers trailed down his chest before turning back to Jaune. Her eyes seemed to linger on Indigo's, and he flushed at the proximity. He was used to their sparring being much faster and more complex. He wasn't used to being so close to her in something that felt so unlike combat. He gulped, then watched as she pushed Jaune over again. They had a lot of training to get through.

Chapter 7: Vital Festival Preparation

The next few weeks were a blur for Indigo. He felt like he went straight from class to studying to sparring until he passed out near his teammates, exhausted from the trials of the day. But with the joint study and sparring sessions with team RWBY resumed after Jaune found the guts to stand up to Cardin, whatever they were doing felt like fun.

Except for Professors Port and Oobleck's classes. Port still talked mostly about himself, and Oobleck was as hard to follow as ever. Still, they all helped each other through the material. Indigo contributed a lot when Port glossed over the actual details of combat. Weiss and Blake has extensive knowledge about certain parts of the world's history that made up for Oobleck's rapid fire teaching. Unsurprisingly, Blake knew most about Faunus affairs, although nobody else seemed to have caught on to the fact that she was a Faunus too. Indigo would definitely keep that secret for her, especially after how he'd seen Cardin and some of the others treat the Faunus at school. Weiss knew a lot about governments, which Indigo found very helpful as he hadn't exactly had much close up contact with them before school. The wilds didn't get many official visitors.

Sparring was going well, too. They alternated between single group and dual group exercises, and Team RWBY provided a lot of help in shaking things up. When it was just JNIPR, Ren and Nora paired off to improve their already great teamwork, leaving Indigo and Pyrrha to coach Jaune. They already had their own partner combos perfected, and Jaune needed all the help he could get. It wasn't pretty, but he was improving at least. And his level of Aura was certainly impressive. Once he figured out his Semblance, Indigo was sure he'd finally be a reliable member of the team.

Before he knew it, it was the week before the Vital Festival. All classes were cancelled so teams could ready their battle strategies, as well as to welcome the incoming students from other hunter academies. At the start of the week, everyone beefed up their training sessions, but towards the end it was clear everyone needed a break. A day out on the town would do them good. Besides, Indigo hadn't really gotten a chance to explore much of Beacon outside the academy, and this would be the perfect chance, as even the townspeople were getting fired up about the competition. When Indigo suggested the idea at dinner that they all take a day off, everyone enthusiastically agreed, both team RWBY and JNIPR. After agreeing to make concrete plans the next morning, they went back to their rooms for an unusual early night, skipping sparring.

In team JNIPR's room, Nora dragged Pyrrha outside to talk about something. Pyrrha looked a little confused, and shot one last bewildered look at Indigo before giving in to Nora's unrelenting force. As soon as the door clicked shut, Jaune bluntly asked "what was that about?" Ren and Indigo simultaneously answered "I think I know." They looked at each other and laughed. "You go first, Indigo." Ren smiled encouragingly. He folded his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall next to his bed, settling in for an answer.

"Well, I think this has something to do with you and Nora, Ren. Maybe she's asking Pyrrha for advice on how to tell you her feelings. You know, girl talk." Indigo trailed off, not so sure of what he was saying anymore. After all, Nora always was pretty clear about her attraction to Ren, even if she never stated it outright. She dropped just about every hint possible. "Funny, I was about to say much the same thing about you and Pyrrha. With how blunt Nora is with me, I'll bet she went to Nora for advice on how to go after you, Indigo." Indigo's face heated up. Jaune slapped him on the back from his seat next to Indigo on his bed. "Go for it, buddy, tomorrow is the perfect chance." He turned to Ren. "You too, Ren. What better time than a romantic day and night in a town preparing for a festival?" He closed his eyes as if he were imagining it himself.

"That goes for you too, Jaune." Ren leaned forward, a little more intent than before. "Yeah, I'm sure Weiss would appreciate a grand gesture like tomorrow could be." Indigo offered. "Alright, men, let's make a deal. We'll all finally ask out the girl we've got our eyes on tomorrow. Agreed?" Jaune looked each of them in the eyes in turn. Indigo hesitantly nodded, and Ren's head barely raised at all. He hoped this wouldn't ruin the team dynamic. But if everything turned out all right, it might make their bond even stronger. And they could connect to Team RWBY even better. It was reassuring to know he would be in the same boat of his two closest guy friends at least. It was one way to spend a Friday with no classes.

"Agreed." Indigo stated as confidently as he could. "Yeah." Ren assented with a small sigh. "That's great! Well, we should probably leave it there, before the girls get back." Jaune said, seeming to have a situational awareness he usually lacked. If only he could use that same sensibility on the battlefield. They continued chatting idly until Nora and Pyrrha returned a couple minutes later, and they all turned in for an early night ahead of a big free day. Indigo's head swam with thoughts of where he might ask Pyrrha to go with him.

Indigo woke early the next morning, along with Ren and Jaune. They both seemed as nervous as he felt. They dressed quickly before the girls woke up, something they usually didn't care too much about, as long as they had underwear on. Today was definitely different. But they woke up quickly, and Indigo headed outside with the guys to see if Team RWBY was ready while Pyrrha and Nora got dressed.

Indigo knocked gently on the door, and Weiss promptly answered the door, Blake right behind her. They both looked as if they'd been up for a while. "Looks like you're both ready to go into town. But what about Ruby and Yang?" Weiss and Blake turned to look behind them. Between their shoulders, Indigo could see them both on their precariously stacked beds, still fast asleep. "They're still asleep." Blake said. Weiss sighed, and turned and walked back into the room. She mumbled something to herself, then unceremoniously yanked Ruby out of bed. She fell to the ground with a shriek, and Yang leapt up, fists raised to fight. Without talking to them, Weiss came back to the doorway. "There. That woke them both up."

Indigo smiled and said "Great, Pyrrha and Nora are getting ready now. We should be all good to go in a little bit." He turned to Jaune, who had a hopeful look on his face. It was a little early to get started on their agreement, but Jaune didn't seem to want to wait. Indigo nodded to Ren, then Jaune. "Right, well, Ren and I will gather up anything we might want to bring into town." "It doesn't hurt to be prepared." Ren agreed, quickly catching on to what Indigo was doing. They headed back into their own room, leaving Jaune to work his magic.

Indigo opened up the door to his dorm, but froze halfway through. If it were just him and Ren, and Pyrrha and Nora, then… Ren laid a hand on his shoulder. "We might as well go for it now, like Jaune. Who knows what might distract us during the day from doing this?" Indigo nodded. "Should one of us take one of them into the hall…?" Ren thought for a moment. "I'll tell Nora I'm making some pancakes with the syrup we gathered from the Forest of Forever Fall. That'll get her out of here fast. I'll leave the room to you."

Indigo took a deep breath, then opened the door all the way and walked in. Nora and Pyrrha were fully dressed, although it was still for combat. They both liked being ready for anything, something Indigo couldn't help but feel proud about as team leader. "Nora, pancakes? With that red sap?" Nora practically ran out the door to the kitchens, dragging Ren behind her. He figured Ren would have an easy time of it. With how long he'd known Nora for, it seemed like he would have no trouble telling her how he felt. Indigo gulped. Pyrrha was standing there, expectantly looking at him.

"So, uhhh, are you excited about today?" "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I think it'll be great to do something together that isnt sparring or studying." She didn't say anything about being together as a team. Indigo took that as a good thing. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I was thinking, it might be fun to just hang out sometime today, you know, just you and me?" Indigo felt his face redden. He hoped he'd been to the point enough. He struggled to maintain eye contact with Pyrrha, and barely managed it.

Incredibly, she blushed a little too. He wondered if that happened anytime a girl was asked out. Or was it another good sign? "That sounds like a great idea. We are partners, so I think it would be great to spend more time together." Crap. That wasn't too clear one way or another. Did she mean it as just partners? Did she see it as just for building combat chemistry?

"Oh. Well, uhh… I meant maybe to spend a little time together, not necessarily as partners, although I really like being partners with you, but you know… like a date?" Pyrrha's blush deepened. "Oh. I wasn't sure that was what you were saying. I mean, it sounded like it, but I didn't want to assume, and make things awkward, but ummm. Yeah. I'd love to."

She'd gotten almost as flustered as he had. He held back a desire to cheer. And let out his breath as normally as possible. That was the hard part over. Now he just had to figure out a place to go. Which was hard, considering he didn't know much about the city. He could've asked Jaune or Ren, but then they might go to the same place, and then it wouldn't really be like a date. "To be honest, I hadn't thought ahead farther than this. I don't really know many places to go down in Beacon, but if there's somewhere you'd like to go, I'd be happy to go there with you." Was talking becoming easier after the hurdle? It felt like if. He hoped he wasn't blathering on. "I don't know many places either. But, we're both pretty observant people. I think that's how we both first noticed each other. I'm sure it will be fun walking around and going wherever we get interested in." Pyrrha said. Indigo wondered if it was going as well for the others. He wasn't sure what to do now that the date was settled. Did he talk about different things? Did they hold hands? Like all the time?

He snapped himself back to focus. Thinking about it excessively wouldn't help at all. "Well, I'm ready to go whenever you are, Pyrrha." "I'm ready." She walked towards Indigo, and the door. She stared right up into his eyes, and he couldn't think of anything else but how pretty her emerald green eyes were. He stood stock still a moment. She grabbed his right hand with her left, and he nervously twined his fingers with hers. "Come on, you big goof. You're blocking the door. Let's go."

Pyrrha led Indigo out their dorm by the hand, albeit at a much slower rate than when Nora pulled Ren out the door a few minutes ago. Right across from their door, Weiss was standing with her arms crossed, and Jaune sat on the ground with his head between his knees. When the door closed, he looked up with a wide smile on his face. "Weiss said she'd actually spend the day with me! Well, if I'm not too weird and don't pester her too much for the first half." Weiss harrumphed. "It was only to get you to leave me alone a little. Don't get any ideas." Jaune raised his head to look at Indigo and Pyrrha more closely. His smile grew even bigger. "No way! You guys are getting together. I'm proud of you both!" Indigo found it funny that Jaune would be proud of him for something for a change. "Yep." He and Pyrrha said at the same time.

"Why can't you be more like them, Jaune?" Weiss asked quickly. Just as suddenly, her face reddened to the color of a tomato. As if she just realized that what she said implied she and Jaune were an item. Jaune jumped to his feet. "I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy, my Ice Queen!" He declared. Pyrrha giggled, and Indigo laughed a little nervously. Would Pyrrha expect this behavior too? Before he had to come up with an answer, Nora and Ren came barreling down the hallway from the kitchens. Nora's face had some red smears near her lips. "REN MADE ME PANCAKES! AND WE'RE GOING OUT TOGETHER!" Ren surprisingly kept pace with her, a small smile on his face.

The door to Team RWBY's room burst open, and Yang and Ruby rushes out, followed by a leisurely walking Blake. They all surveyed the scene. Indigo and Pyrrha's hands intertwined. Weiss fighting to stop blushing, and Jaune grinning like a fool next to her. Nora attaches to Ren's arm, and Ren actually leaning towards he. Ruby and Yang gaped at it all. A lot had changed overnight. Hell, even in the last few minutes. "Awww Yeah! You go get 'me! Look at all of you!" Yang grinned at the three pairs. "Awwww, sooo cute!" Ruby dashes back and forth between the six of them, studying them from all angles. "Dawww!" Blake coolly eyed them all. "I was wondering how long it would take." She smiled a little. "Not as long as I thought."

"Well, I can tell you all have your own plans for the day, but I'm gonna do my best to embarrass you all the way to Beacon. I gotta make sure you've all got the right ideas in mind." She shook her head smiling. "My little crew is growing up so fast." A dangerous flint entered her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned down. "Don't grow up too fast, now." She fixed her glare on Nora first, who smiled as innocently as she could manage. When she turned to Jaune, he raised his hands and stepped a little away from Weiss. Her gaze settled on Indigo and Pyrrha last. He met her stare with a nervous smile. Yang jumped over to Jaune and Weiss, and pushed them closer together. "That's better, now don't take it too far. I'll know."

With that, she turned down the hallway. "Come on everyone, I'll show you the best spots in Beacon. Yang's your tour guide for the day, and I fully expect some of you to get lost along the way." Yang announces with a wink. Blake walked alongside her, followed by Ren and Nora, then Pyrrha and Indigo, and finally Jaune and Weiss, who seemed torn between having a talking to with Yang and slapping Jaune, judging by the daggers she looked at both of them. She settled for letting Jaune walk next to her. Ruby brought up the rear, although she kept zipping from group to group, asking a ton of questions about how they got together. Nobody mentioned the agreement, and Indigo was a little relieved. He wasn't sure if that would be taken poorly by any of them, and didn't want to find out.

Yang led them over to the transport area, and Nora ran towards the edge with Ren. "Let's make a landing strategy together, Ren." But Yang stepped between her and the empty air. "I don't think so. We're arriving in style. Not making a scene." "Yeah, and we can't exactly go around destroying buildings like trees, like some of us seem to have incorporated into our landing strategies." Ruby eyed Nora and Yang equally. Indigo and Pyrrha laughed. "Yeah, neither of you exactly have the most...graceful landings." Indigo teased. Yang shot him a death stare. "Pyrrha, why don't you try keeping him in line a little more, huh?" Pyrrha laughed in response. "I don't know if I can do that. He is my team leader, so it's kind of the other way around.

An idea suddenly entered Indigo's head. With all this talk of landing strategies, maybe it was possible for him to think up an alteration to his own for him and Pyrrha. Jaune liked to emphasize how important grand romantic gestures were. He laid both palms on the grass near the landing strip that they were waiting for the next transport by. Through the strain of activating his Semblance, he told Yang "Well, it's been fun having you as a tour guide and all, Yang, but I think it's about time Pyrrha and I… took off." With a final grunt, he released his built up aura, crafting a hang glider of grass and twigs and any other sturdy and light materials in the area. The crossbar was just wide enough for him and Pyrrha to hold onto, side by side. Nice and close.

He grabbed hold of the left edge and beckoned for Pyrrha to join. "Coming with?" Pyrrha settles herself next to him, preparing to run off the edge with him. "See what I mean, Yang? Once an idea gets in his head, he usually finds a way to make it work." They began running to the edge together, and the last thing Indigo saw was Nora pulling Ren close in an embrace, standing on her hammer. He'd have to be careful doing anything remotely dangerous around her, as she seemed to want to one up things. Ren would make sure they landed with no collateral damage. Hopefully.

Yang stepped out of the way as the glider's left wing nearly brushed against her. Yang shouted after him "you can't leave on a cool topical pun! That's my thing!" Her call quickly faded as he and Pyrrha glided out from the academy, Beacon slowly growing closer beneath them. "That was pretty smooth there, Indigo." Pyrrha said over the rushing wind. Indigo was suddenly aware of just how close he'd made the glider. They were right up against each other. He had to focus on landing safely, or he'd ruin the whole point of the flight. "What can I say, Nora put that idea in my head, and Yang...well it almost felt like a challenge." He paused to survey the beautiful city below him. "I'm glad you went along with it. This is great!" He looked over to her, her eyes darting back and forth, drinking in the sights below her. "Me too. This is a much nicer way to descend." "Yeah, and we can even use this as like a stealth entrance on mission." Indigo added without thinking.

He started beating himself up inside right after saying that. Wasn't the whole point of a date to get away from the normal things you did with someone? He grasped for anything else to talk about, before he made Pyrrha think he was boring. "So, got any ideas of the kind of place we should land at? You want food or something, or should we just walk around a shopping area first or something." That felt better. Giving her options, asking her questions, that would let her talk about whatever she wanted.

She surveyed the city below. It was now close enough to pick out certain details. There was a street clearly filled with bars, judging by the Dust-filled signs of bottles. There was a row of nicer looking restaurants, and one of cheaper looking ones. Off to one edge, the city met the surrounding woods, looking more curated like a park for a bit. The city was certainly planned out carefully.

"How about we land over there?" Pyrrha pointed to a line of varied looking shops fairly close to the docks. They were heading right for it, close to landing, and an empty pier offered the perfect landing platform. "That works for me. Get ready to land!" He stuck his feet out and lifted up the nose of the glider, slowing to an easy landing speed. They hit the ground running, and Indigo quickly reabsorbed the glider's elements into himself, only a little more tired than before he'd created the glider. Some energy was always lost in the creation process that couldn't be recovered.

Docked near the pier were a few average fishing vessels, some ferries, and even one larger boat that looked like it was meant for longer distances. It appeared to have just landed, as some crewmen were throwing ropes down to the dock hands below. Before any gangplank could be extended, a boy jumped off and rolled agilely onto the docks. He ran past Indigo and Pyrrha on the docks, his white coat flapping in the wind, but he was strangely not wearing any undershirt, bare chest exposed to the salty sea air. A yellow furry tail trailed behind him, twitching with a mind of its own, matching his hair in wildness and color.

Indigo and Pyrrha watched with interest as he climbed up a lamppost and suspended himself from his tail that was apparently a lot stronger than it looked. He ate a banana upside down, and two burly looking ship mates crashed down the finally extended gangplank after him, shouting for the stowaway to stop. He unconcernedly finished his banana, dropped the peel, then rushed up the stairs to the rest of the city, escaping his pursuers.

Indigo stopped following him, though, when he noticed a group of seven people that the stowaway Faunus had run past. It was Team RWBY, Nora, Ren, and Jaune. The transport must have taken them straight down right after Indigo and Pyrrha left, landing faster since it wasn't leisurely gliding o the earth. "Guess they caught up to us. So much for some time alone." Indigo said without thinking. Of course, he wished he had right after, and turned to see how Pyrrha would take it. He hoped she didn't think he was being too presumptuous or anything. Dates were supposed to be one on one.

Pyrrha smiled at him. "Don't worry, we'll get a chance soon. For now, I'm most interested in seeing what Yang has to say. That was quite an exit you pulled on her." Her hand brushed against his, and he held it once more, walking up to meet his friends atop the steps. They seemed to be talking about the boy who ran past them. Weiss was talking animatedly, as usual, but even Blake was heated, which was strange. Indigo supposed it had something to do with seeing a fellow Faunus. Especially since the others didn't know she was one yet.

As their heads peaked above the steps, Yang turned to them immediately, peaking louder in what seemed an effort to stop the argument between her teammates. "So, you show your face again, huh, Indigo. You've got some nerve, rejecting my tour like that. Well, don't expect me to let you back on board." Yang broke into a huge grin, looking from him to the boats behind him. "Nice pun, Yang. But don't worry about the tour. I think that ship has sailed." Indigo doubled down. It was fun messing with Yang. She always got playfully angry.

Sure enough, she punched him in the shoulder. Pretty hard. He thought it was meant to be friendly. "There ya Indigo. It's nice having someone else to pun with, even if you do shun my amazing tour guide skills." The rest of the group finally joined the semi circle overlooking the harbor. "We saw you drifting down for the landing and decided to follow." Jaune explained. "Right, now let's get going guys! Lots of city to see!" Nora exclaimed, tugging at Ren's shirt. She succeeded in dragging him away, running off into one of the shops near the docks. It looked like a restaurant.

"Hey, Indigo, let's go over to that shop." Pyrrha pointed to what looked to be a jewelry or accessory shop. He groaned inwardly. He didn't have much money, only a little scraped together from odd jobs out in the wilds. Maybe he could make some rare or expensive plants to barter with an herbalist for. Then he could get something for Pyrrha. Before he could settle on anything, Pyrrha started to lead him towards the shop. "Have fun everyone!" Indigo called with a wave over his shoulder. "Not too much fun!" Yang called back. He felt his face redden again. He wondered if there was a way to use his aura or semblance to stop that. He hoped Jaune would be able to get Weiss away from everyone else. Something told him it would be hard to get Weiss to go anywhere she didn't want. Or that wasn't expensive.

They entered the shop, a place called "Dust-lined Delights." It wasn't the high end jewelry store Indigo was expecting. It was divided between functional and fancy accessories. There were dust lined belts, bracers, and other minor forms of armor that offered protection against certain elements and overall added hardiness that couldn't be found in regular armor. The fancier things still had function, too. There were necklaces that flowed red with fire dust, able to warm the wearer against even the coldest environments.

Indigo and Pyrrha explored all parts of the store. He wasn't too interested in the ones focused on specific elements of dust. He was looking more for an overall enhancer. He managed to find a ring and a necklace, each with a white dust crystal at the center. The elderly shop owner promised that they would both offer the user an increase in their Aura, and the amount they could channel into their semblances. Indigo dug deep, and bought both with his little money when Pyrrha was examining something in the fancier bracer section. He had only a handful of Lien remaining. He'd have to ask Ozpin if there was any work he could do around the academy for extra money.

When Pyrrha turned around, he presented her with the necklace, explaining its use. "I figured we could each have one of these, you know, to go together as a pair." He put the ring on, then offered her the necklace. "Thanks, Indigo! I'll try it on right away." Pyrrha turned around and lifted her ponytail up, letting him put the necklace on her. As he did, he felt his earlier tiredness slipping away. The Aura boost set in fast from his ring. When he finished attaching the necklace, Pyrrha turned back around to face him.

"Wow, I can already feel my aura increasing. That's a great purchase." She rummaged through a shopping bag of her own, bringing out two pairs of gauntlets. "I got these for us. I figured we could use them in battle, and they look nice enough for everyday, too." Sure enough, they almost looked like a nice pair of fingerless gloves, except for the fact that each pair had a red or blue dust crystal inset on the top of the hand. "I've got an idea for how best to use them, too." She put on one red and one blue glove after removing her usual black gloves, and Indigo realized she hadn't bought a set of each. She bought two right red dust gloves and two left blue dust gloves. "Now, we can have increased fire and ice resistance and offense!" Indigo pulled his own gloves on, then admired how well they fit with Pyrrha's outfit. They went right up to the bottom of her gold bracers, almost as if they were made for Pyrrha. She had a good eye for these things.

They left the store, holding hands and flexing their new gloves. "How about we get some food? We could go to the restaurant Ren and Nora went to, and make sure Nora hasn't overwhelmed Ren." Indigo suggested. Pyrrha laughed. "She does like him so much, I wouldn't be surprised if she was too much for him, if I didn't know how well he handles her already. Still, it couldn't hurt to see what's up with them." Indigo hoped he hadn't done the wrong thing by meeting up with his other friends. He didn't want to send Pyrrha the wrong message, and make it seem like he wasn't interested in her. Then again, he wasn't sure which message he was sending her. He gave her hand a light squeeze, hoping that made it clear. Pyrrha smiled at him and squeezed back.

They crossed the cobbled street hand in hand. The streets were pretty busy with everyone riled up over the Vital Festival. Merchants were announcing discounts, couples walked around enjoying the festivities, and every shop seemed packed almost out to the door. The restaurant Ren and Nora chose to stop by was a smaller wooden building, strange among the mainly stone buildings. A sign hanging over the door named it "Lacie's Lodge."

Inside, there were many smaller wooden tables, and a couple larger ones. It seemed a popular spot for couples. Besides Ren and Nora at a particularly messy table near a window in the back, most of the smaller tables had pairs holding hands. No wonder Nora had wanted to take Ren here. As they waited to be seated, Nora and Ren saw them, and left their table to talk. Nora had a huge smile on her face, which was covered in syrup. Ren's face had a little syrup on it, too. He wiped it off on his way over.

"Ren got me pancakes." Nora proudly declared. Ren leaned in to whisper to Indigo, "I'm broke. Down to my last Lien. Help." "Did you two have fun?" Indigo asked them both, acting like Ren said nothing out of the ordinary. Nora waited for once, eyes glued to Ren, waiting for him to answer. "I did." He said simply. A spent wallet appeared to be worth a day with Nora to him. Nora squeezes him against her. "I'm so glad! I knew you'd love it! Anyways, have fun, you two!" Nora and Ren walked out, Nora keeping as close to Ren as possible.

The hostess seated them at the same table Ren and Nora were at, the syrupy mess impressively gone already. Indigo wasn't really sure what she looked like. He was a little too focused on Pyrrha. From all their time spent sparring and studying together, he'd learned pretty much everything about her past, her home life, her hobbies, pretty much everything. He wasn't sure what to talk to her about now. Should he talk about anything different?

He settled for talking about the Vital Festival, and soon stopped worrying. Pyrrha was so easy to talk to. Even a simple mention like the woodsy cabin theme of the restaurant could spiral into a whole conversation with them. He hardly remembered ordering, or eating, the only important thing to him was the time he was spending with Pyrrha. They sat at the table so long just talking, that soon enough the lunch rush was well over, and the first few people were showing up for dinner.

"How about we check out someplace else now?" Pyrrha suggested. "Sure, want to just walk around town?" "Works for me." Pyrrha stood up, leading the way out of the restaurant. They walked through the streets of Beacon, mostly just window shopping. It turned out Pyrrha had also spent much of her money on this trip, although she had some more from her time in the arena stored away. Indigo tried to avoid money talk, since he basically had none left. It wasn't too much of a problem, since even though the trinkets selling at the stands were interesting to look at, neither of them had the inclination to buy anything.

There were a lot of themed items, like flags for different regions and schools to take to the tournament. Still, most shops still had their normal stuff too, just in the back. Indigo was surprised at how many different clothing shops there were. He hadn't really had to worry about clothes much since he could always make his own, but it seemed people liked to have many different fashions to choose from. There were also a ton of bakeries and sweet shops, much fewer functional shops like armorers, carpenters, or general grocers.

Pyrrha seemed to enjoy just viewing the proceedings, taking in all the life happening around them. When Indigo asked her about it, she said it was nice to see people going about daily tasks, nothing like the constant studying and fighting at the academy. "Do you want to have a normal life like them, after becoming a huntress?" Indigo asked her. He wasn't sure what he wanted himself. He'd always fought and lived basically like he imagined a hunter would. He didn't think there was a chance for hunters to have a normal life like these townspeople.

"Well, I'd like to build a home, and a family, a place to live between missions, you know? But, I guess in our line of work, that might just be dangerous wishful thinking." Indigo had to agree. This dangerous life seemed too hard to have a safe and happy family, or even a home. He imagined himself always out on missions, returning to barracks at schools or whatever only long enough to rest and prepare for the next mission. But then, some of the professors lived at the school and did missions. That wouldn't be too bad.

"I think, as long as we balance everything enough, a family and home can be managed. As long as Ozpin understands everything, and helps us along. I believe he will." Pyrrha looked at him questioningly. Had he said something weird? He'd only talked about how Ozpin could help them make a fami-

He started blushing immensely. "Wait, I didn't mean- not that I wouldn't like that, but that's a long long time away anyways and- well, umm, sorry if I said anything weird?" Indigo babbled. Pyrrha laughed and drew closer to him. "Let's take it step by step, there, leader. There's plenty of time for the future." Had she just shared that she felt the same? Indigo put his arm around her. "It's getting late, we should try and find everyone else, make sure they didn't cause too much trouble." He changed the topic before he could make things even weirder. For some reason, even though he was fairly new to the whole leading a group thing, he found it easiest to think about the whole group, rather than just Pyrrha. She made him nervous. In a good way.

But they didn't run into any of the others along the way back to the transport. With how late it had gotten, Indigo figured they'd all probably just headed back to the academy. As the transport took off, he and Pyrrha sitting right next to each other, he thought maybe he didn't want to get back yet. Would it all just go back to normal with Pyrrha? Then again, it would be best to get advice on next steps with Ren and Jaune. Jaune at least would be sure to have many tips for what to do next to woo Pyrrha.

He felt a weight on his right shoulder, and turned to find Pyrrha asleep against him. He hugged her close with his arm and she nestled closer to him. Maybe it wouldn't go back to normal. The thought thrilled and scared him at the same time. But for now, he was content.

Chapter 8: A Team Torn Apart

Indigo led a sleepy Pyrrha back to the dorm. She went inside with a murmured "Good night, Indigo. Today was fun." He stayed out, thinking it would be worthwhile checking in with team RWBY. It wasn't all that late anyway, maybe around 10:00 or so. He knocked on their door, and was greeted by Ruby after a moment. It sounded like there was arguing going on behind her, but it all hushed as soon as he knocked.

"What's up, Ruby? I just wanted to make sure everything went well with you all today." Ruby turned to look into the room behind her, then looked back at Indigo with a worried look on her face. "Well, not exactly. Uuuuhhhhh… how do I say this?" Weiss stormed over to the door. "No need to sugarcoat it, Ruby." She directed her attention to Indigo. "Blake told us she was in the White Fang, and ran off." "She might be!" Yang shouted from further in the room, before making her way to the door.

Indigo knew she was a Faunus, but he never really thought she was a member of the White Fang. The little he heard in his travels through the wilds wasn't good. Humans mostly saw them as terrorists, and even many Faunus agreed that their methods were overly violent. Could Blake really be one of them? She didn't seem to hate humans the way most people said they did.

"Where is she?" Indigo asked. "Who cares?" Weiss answered curtly. "We don't know, but we're going to look for her in town tomorrow, if she doesn't come back tonight." Ruby said. "I'll get my team to help, too, so we should find her, no problem. I'm sure she can explain." Indigo said, the first part meant more for Ruby and the last for Weiss. Before Weiss could say anything else, he added. "In what I hope is happier news, how was your day with Jaune, Weiss?" Weiss opened and closed her mouth a few times. A huge smile broke out on Yang's face, and Ruby laughed a little. Weiss finally gathered her thoughts and said, "it wasn't as bad as it could've been." From Weiss, Indigo took that as pretty high praise. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Weiss looked ready to hit him.

But first, Yang threw in with, "and how was your day with Pyrrha, Indigo? You seemed very eager to show off." He smiled, and for once managed not to blush. "It went really well, in my mind. I had a lot of fun, and I think she did, too. At least, I hope so." "Well aren't you all just a bunch of little lovebirds." Yang said, wrapping Indigo and Weiss up with a strong grip, drawing them to her. "I'm proud of you." Indigo turned to head back to the room for the night, but Yang yanked him back with a hand on his shirt. She pulled him in close, her eyes glowing the fiery red that was usually reserved for fights or sparring. "Now don't let me hear about any funny business, what with you and Pyrrha, and Ren and Nora all living in the same dorm, got it?"

Indigo wasn't sure what kind of funny business he could get down to, with three other people living together in close quarters. If anything, living together made any potential for...something more, even more difficult. But, after going toe to toe with Yang earlier that day, he found it easier to do the same now. "Yeah, Yeah. Don't worry, you won't have to Yang around all the time to keep an eye on us." Yang slapped him on the back, the stinging lasting long after her hand left. "Ha! Well, I can't argue with that. I'll just have to up my game. See you in the city tomorrow, I'll be out there at first light." Yang grew more serious at the end, and Indigo strode out before any argument could begin anew.

He opened the door to his own dorm, thinking of talking with Jaune and Ren out in the hall about their days, but the lights were all out, and everyone was in their own bed. He stripped down, feeling a little more exposed than earlier. Was someone watching him, or had his date with Pyrrha just made him more aware of just how close she slept to him? He tried not to look at her sleeping form just a few feet away. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking of her as he drifted off to sleep.

The next day he headed out early with the rest of his team to look for Blake. An unanswered knock on Team RWBY's door told him they had already headed into the city to look for Blake. They hurried over to the transport dock to head into the city, when Indigo had an idea.

"Hey guys, what if Blake isn't in the city after all? She could be laying low somewhere on campus up here, or even in the woods surrounding us." "There are a lot of places around here you wouldn't be bothered." Ren replied. "So how about we all split into groups to search for Blake? I want to check out around campus, then maybe in the woods." "I'll join you." Pyrrha quickly offered. He smiled at her, then turned his attention to Nora as she spoke up right after Pyrrha. "Ren and I will check out the outskirts of the city."

"Oh, I see how it is, pairing off already." Jaune complained. "Well, I can't say that makes me too upset, since now I can go comfort my ice queen." Everyone but Jaune began laughing, until he defended himself. "Hey, don't laugh, she actually told me yesterday she likes being called that." Everyone's jaws dropped. That was very unlike Weiss. Jaune shifted side to side. "Well, kinda. She said she doesn't hate it, which is basically the same thing from her, right?" Indigo didn't envy Jaune's situation with Weiss. It seemed much more complicated than his relationship with Pyrrha. With her, it seemed they always understood each other, for the most part.

They split into their three groups, and Indigo led Pyrrha over to the little grove of trees where he first met Blake. If she liked reading there the first day at the academy, it might have stuck with her. But there were no signs of her. In fact, he and Pyrrha didn't find any trace of Blake anywhere on campus. They had the same luck in the woods down below. Blake could really make herself scarce when she wanted to. Indigo hoped that's what it was, and that something hadn't happened to her.

A quick message through the scrolls to everyone else looking for Blake revealed the same results. Blake was nowhere to be found. A dejected partial team RWBY met team JNIPR in the mess hall that night. The dinner was unusually silent, even Nora and Yang were brooding. When they finished a quick and sad meal, Indigo decided it was time to let the school know about Blake. He decided to visit Ozpin and tell him everything that he'd heard had happened, and Pyrrha volunteered to join him. He was glad for her company, as always.

Glynda let them into Ozpin's immaculate office, then stood to the side, all business. "What brings you here, Indigo? I don't suppose it's Blake?" "Yes, how did you know? She's been missing, and we looked for her, but can't find her, so I was hoping you might be able to help somehow or something?" "Slow down there, Indigo, it's all fine now. The matter has been resolved, and Miss Belladonna is back in her dorm room even now. I'm sure she will tell you everything in her own time. Was that all?" He eyed Indigo expectantly.

Now would've been as good a time as any to ask Ozpin about a part time job, but he felt a little weird doing it around Pyrrha. She knew he came from the wilds, and so it would make sense he didn't have much Lien. But still, making the fact so obvious in front of her...but he shouldn't try to hide things from her, no matter how minor or embarrassing they might be. She wasn't just his partner anymore, and he saw how well keeping secrets worked with Blake. It temporarily tore her team asunder, and he couldn't let that happen to his own team. He looked to Pyrrha quickly for reassurance, then took a deep breath and met Ozpin's calculating stare.

"Well, as you know I don't have a ton of Lien, considering where I come from. I was wondering if you have any work I could do around the school, that is if you could pay me. Not that I'm saying the school probably doesn't have enough money but-" Pyrrha laid a hand on his arm, and he stopped he was babbling, not really making things better. His face warmed up, and he knew it was reddening.

Ozpin adjusted his glasses, then answered. "Well, I usually don't do this for students, but considering your circumstances...I suppose there isn't much of a way for you to wait until you are a full fledged hunter with steady pay, and without an income from home to support you...I'll certainly think about it. I'm sure I could find something more suited to you than mere grunt work, with time." "Thank you so much, sir." He breathed a sigh of relief. It was over.

"If I may make a suggestion, Indigo." Glynda said from over by the door. Her high heels clicked against the floor as she walked to stand between Ozpin's desk and he and Pyrrha. "I think you would serve well as a combat teaching assistant for me, given your combat prowess. You're one of the best students, and the others often learn better from seeing something demonstrated by two experts, rather than trying to work it out by themselves or based on my solo demonstrations." Indigo gulped. Going up against Glynda in a sparring match, even just for teaching, was a daunting prospect. "You would be welcome to join too, Miss Nikos, if you so wish."

Indigo relaxed a little. If Pyrrha was with him, the idea of fighting Glynda wasn't as bad. Plus, it meant more time he could spend with her. But, he knew she had plenty of money from her time in the arena. "I'd be glad to do that, Professor Goodwitch." He answered, then turned to Pyrrha, about to tell her she didn't need to do it too just to stick with him. But she had a determined look to her face that he knew all too well. "I'll do it, too, Professor Goodwitch. I'm sure it's a great opportunity not only to teach, but also to improve my skills, being able to work with you up close." Leave it to Pyrrha to find a way to turn something into training. That consistent determination was one of the many things Indigo admired about her.

"Great, then I'll see you two bright and early at the combat stage tomorrow. One hour before first period, so we can prepare. For now, you'll just demonstrate to students your age, so for my class you'll join me on the stage from now on." Glynda slapped her hand with her wand with a sense of finality. "Thanks, Professors. Good night." Indigo said. With that, he and Pyrrha left Ozpin's office and headed back to the dorms. The halls were mostly empty at this hour.

He went straight for team RWBY's dorm, intending to tell them that Ozpin said Blake was safe, if they didn't know themselves yet. He knocked on the door and it swung open immediately. Nora was surprisingly the one behind the door, with a huge grin on her face. "She's baaaaaccckk! Come in, now that you're here, they'll tell us all about what happened." She grew more serious, her voice losing its sing-song edge. "They seem pretty serious about it."

Indigo sat in silence with all of his team and Team RWBY, his team on the floor, the other team all sitting on the edge of their respective beds. Blake explained most of what happened, but one of the others cut in every once in a while. Blake revealed that she was a Faunus and former member of the White Fang. Indigo was surprised, but also relieved she didn't tell everyone that he already knew she was a Faunus. He didn't want any of them thinking him untrustworthy for keeping something from them. Blake has investigated some sort of criminal activity, in an attempt to prove the White Fang wasn't behind it.

She ended up in a fight on the docks with a Faunus named Sun, recently in for the Vital Festival. They'd stopped the criminals from retrieving whatever they were at the docks for, but they got away. She described a girl with red hair who talked weird and fought on their side, and Ruby said she thought it was Penny, a girl she had run into with her teammates earlier. When the story was finished Blake looked them each in the eyes in turn.

"So. We've decided we won't sit by while these criminals run around behind the scenes. Will you help us?" Blake asked, her bow twitching on her head as her ears nervously shifted. Jaune and Nora agreed immediately, while Ren, Pyrrha, and Indigo exchanges worried looks. It wasn't exactly legal to go around getting into fights, even with criminals. Besides, that was something the authorities were supposed to handle. As up and coming hunters, they could certainly help, but was it their place? Indigo looked at the members of team RWBY, the way they all seemed to have determination written on their faces. Even if it was wrong, he had to help them out. He couldn't let them face such danger alone.

"We'll help you." He declared. Pyrrha and Ren nodded their assent, too. Blake cracked her knuckles. "Right, we'll let you know when we find anything out. Keep your eyes peeled." She turned to focus on Indigo. "And, don't go telling Ozpin." Blake's stare penetrated Indigo to the core. She knew him well. His first instinct was to warn Ozpin, but he surely knew of the situation by now. Telling him would be pointless. If anything, it would only hurt their situation, making him pay extra close attention to what they did. It felt wrong, but if he was going to stick with team RWBY, he had to go the whole way. He would have to watch what he said a lot more carefully, now. With the extra time he would be spending around Glynda, in addition to normal class time, there were too many opportunities to let something slip. After laying out some more details about what they could say, and when, and where, the two teams separated and went to their own rooms to turn in for the night.

Chapter 9: The Competition

Indigo and Pyrrha got up early the next day, heading straight for the combat stage. Indigo was looking forward to fighting someone who was more than his equal. So far, he and Pyrrha were basically evenly matched, but neither of them had ever faced such an imposing opponent of Goodwitch. He could tell just from the way she carried herself that she was ready to snap into combat at a moment's notice. And she would probably carry her stern teaching manner over into combat teaching. However this went, Indigo was sure he would learn much.

Pyrrha had a determined look in her eyes, and he was sure similar thoughts were racing through her head. The hallways were totally empty, everyone sensible still sleeping as class didn't start for a couple hours yet. The only sound was their own footsteps echoing through the halls. Pyrrha grasped his hand in hers with a smile. He wondered if they would walk together like that when the halls were full, too. He got embarrassed just thinking about it, but still wanted to try it.

They reached the large double doors quickly, and pushed them open to reveal the empty auditorium of the combat stage. At the front of the stage itself, Glynda sat with her legs crossed, sand in her lap. "Good. You two are right on time. Let's get right to it. I want you both to come at me, together. That way, I can judge your individual skills and teamwork at the same time. It will allow me to assess how best you can help me teach." Glynda stood up suddenly, then strode to one side of the stage, beckoning them to get up on the other. She assumed a fighting stance, and waited.

Indigo twirled his quarterstaff in front of him, and Pyrrha unsheathes her spear and hoisted her shield in front of herself. The two sides eyed each other, gauging each other. Glynda's stance seemed fairly casual, her wand low at her side. If Indigo just moved fast enough, she wouldn't have time to raise it in defense...but Glynda wouldn't leave such an obvious opening as that. Still, it was the first thing to test, as long as he stayed on the defensive, ready for her inevitable counterattack. He was better suited for defense, and Pyrrha had the most speed.

He looked at her out of the side of his eyes, not removing his gaze from the opponent, and nodded once, looking at her feet, then his staff. She nodded back, understanding exactly what he meant. In their training, she was usually the one to test the enemies defenses, and he provided backup with his adaptable Semblance. Pyrrha rushed forward in a blur, spear poised to strike Glynda in her wand arm before she could respond.

Glynda didn't even lift her arm; she simply charged off her Semblance, lifting the wooden planks out of the stage in front of Pyrrha, making her backtrack. Before Pyrrha could do anything else, Glynda lifted her wand, directing the planks at Pyrrha. Fortunately for Indigo, as the planks were wood, he could manipulate them, too. As Pyrrha ran around to Glynda's right, shield raised to deflect the floor projectiles, Indigo felt for the wood with his Semblance, causing them to send roots back into the stage they left, cancelling Glynda's Semblance and removing her easy access to projectiles.

Pyrrha lowered her shield and came from behind Glynda, forcing her to turn and have her back to Indigo. He rushed in with his quarterstaff, no longer worried about her wand or her Semblance. With no easily accessible projectiles, she couldn't do much at a range. As Indigo closed in, he saw Pyrrha jab in quick succession at Glynda. She easily dodged each blow, even directing some of them into the floor, sending splinters into the air.

Indigo was now right behind Glynda, and brought his quarterstaff horizontally across from right to left, aiming to take Glynda right in her side. She blocked with her wand, and before he and Pyrrha could overwhelm her with dual attacks, she channeled her Semblance into the splinters she forced Pyrrha to create, creating a pointy whirlwind around herself, forcing Indigo to back off. With so many tiny wooden projectiles, Indigo couldn't use his own Semblance. It would take to much energy to individually control each splinter, and even if he commandeered some, they would just be swept away by the remaining ones.

They had reached a standstill once again. If Glynda directed her storm of splinters at either of them, the other would take her out. If she split the storm, if she was even capable of directing her Semblance in two directions at once, then the quantity wouldn't be enough to overwhelm either Indigo or Pyrrha. It would just slow them down. There was nothing metal for Pyrrha to manipulate, but Indigo still had the wood available...but Glynda could control it, too. It needed to be a simultaneous assault of strength.

Indigo hefted his quarterstaff in his right hand, forming it into a javelin. Pyrrha aimed her spear, and they each threw at the same time. Indigo's staff landed to the right of Glynda, Pyrrha's spear to her left. Before she could react, Indigo began creating many branches to his staff, sending them after Glynda. Pyrrha hurled her shield at Glynda, then used her Semblance to direct both her spear and shield at Glynda.

Glynda pulled more planks to herself, and concentrated her storm into a thick ball around her, deflecting everything. "ENOUGH!" She shouted. Instantly, Indigo released his Semblance, and Pyrrha's weapons clattered to the ground as she did the same. The whirlwind died down, and with a wave of her wand, Glynda restored everything to the proper condition. She even floated Indigo's staff back to him, and Pyrrha's spear and shield to her as well.

"You two did well to cause a stalemate. If it went longer, I would have had to seriously injure you just to win. You will work well as teaching assistants. Indigo, I want you for explosive attacks training, both on the demonstration of usage and defense. Pyrrha, I want you to help with positioning, close combat, and footwork. I've identified those as each of your particular strengths. Do you agree?" She said all of that normally, as if she hadn't just engaged in arduous combat. Panting, Indigo and Pyrrha simply nodded.

"Good. We'll start with lower level stuff with some of the easier classes, to get a feel for working with each other. I don't imagine we will reach this level of combat again anytime soon. You are dismissed." She turned o walk back behind stage, already focused on preparing for whatever other duties she had to attend to that morning. Indigo wondered if she did more as a teacher, or as Ozpin's right hand woman.

As they watched Professor Goodwitch leave, Pyrrha hit Indigo on the shoulder. "Well, I'm beat. Let's just hang out until lunch, okay?" She suggested. Indigo agreed, and they walked around the empty hallways of class, just chatting with nowhere in mind to go. It was mostly empty, most students taking advantage of the discounts to hunters and huntresses offered at many shops in celebration of the upcoming Vital Festival. He considered going back, but after everything that happened with Blake, he didn't know if he could go back into town without being on high alert for some criminals. It would be hard to enjoy the celebration then. But it was nice enough, just walking hand in hand with Pyrrha, talking about nothing important, not worrying about the tournament or the White Fang or any secret gang in the city.

Before he knew it, it was lunch time, so he and Pyrrha sat at their usual table with Ren, Nora, and Jaune, across from Team RWBY. Ruby wasn't there yet, and Blake was sketching in a notebook while Weiss looked ahead, bored. When Jaune started talking to her, she pretended to have no interest. Indigo could tell she was just trying not to smile to maintain her cool front. Yang and Nora were playing a game where one launched food at the other, who had to catch it with her mouth out of the air. Yang was on the receiving end, eagerly snapping bits of food flung from Nora's spoon. Everyone seemed blissfully unworried about the tournament, and Indigo was happy they had a day until the second semester started.

Ruby suddenly appeared speedily out of nowhere, smashing a huge white book on the table. She addressed her team with an inspiring speech for her plans for the best day ever. Yang seemed more interested in catching more food, until she made a great pun about starting things off with a Yang. Indigo laughed, but Nora booed and hurled an entire apple at Yang. Yang retaliated after a moment, chucking another apple which hit Ren I'm the shoulder. He snapped out of a daydream and looked around for who hit him. Not leapt to his defense, shouting "I got it!" She picked up a whole pie, tin and all, and hurled it back. It splatted right into Weiss' face, and when everyone stared at their table in shock, Nora pointed the blame at Ren. Everyone else covered their faces, just trying not to laugh. Pandemonium ensued.

Food flew everywhere, sending most other students running straight out of the dining hall. Some tried to join in the chaos, but they were quickly deterred by the extreme ferocity of the flying food. It was not a battle for the faint of heart. Yang picked up Jaune like he was simply a sack of flour and hurled him at the window, which he slowly slid down. Pyrrha rushed to hold the rest of Team RWBY off, while Ren peeked Jaune off the window. Nora struck the floor with a huge blow of her hammer, flinging benches and tables into the air. Before they could land, Indigo used his Semblance to gather them all in one heap, Nora adding the final touches with her monstrous strength. He retreated to their makeshift castle with Pyrrha, Ren, and Jaune, while Nora proudly teased from the top of it all "I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!"

Ruby stomped on a table she was standing on, declaring "Justice will be swift. Justice will be painful. It will be delicious!" Team RWBY rallied behind their leader with a battle cry. Indigo tried his best not to laugh. With his Semblance, he could end this at any moment by just controlling the food. But that would be no fun. Besides, now was as good a time as any to practice fighting without his Semblance. It's not like there were real consequences. Even if the others used their Semblances, he was resolved to fight fair.

Nora jumped down from her throne to a pile of watermelons, proclaiming "Off with their heads!" She was really getting into her role. Hopefully it didn't stick outside this battle. Her ego was large enough already. His team jumped into action, hurling an arrow-like barrage of watermelons at Team RWBY.

Yang and Blake countered, Yang invading a pair of turkey's and using them like her gauntlets. Blake took a far too stale pair of baguettes, and they both began to destroy the oncoming watermelons. It seemed they were channeling their Aura into the food to strengthen it. This fight was getting closer to a true sparring match. The upcoming Vital Festival, and their intensified and private team training sessions were weighing heavily on their minds. Indigo wasn't the only one missing the fun times sparring with the other team.

Jaune was quickly dispatched when Yang flung her turkeys at him, and Pyrrha and Blake met loafs as she took a baguette as a sword against Blake's dual baguettes. Their skirmish lasted a little longer, but Pyrrha ultimately defeated Blake, breaking her own loaf against Blake and retrieving the one Blake dropped as she flew backwards. Yang was launched back as Pyrrha hurled the baguette at her, suddenly replaced as Ruby leapt into the fray.

Ruby took Pyrrha down with a rapid tray sledding technique, and Ren and Nora stepped in against her. Weiss came up behind Ruby, setting the stage for a paired battle. Weiss took Ren down with a spray of slippery Ketchup, leaving Nora with enough time to break a steel leg off a table and attach a watermelon to it, creating a makeshift hammer. Nora smashed Ruby away, then closed in with Weiss, who was now wielding a swordfish like her rapier. Nora parried Weiss' every thrust, sending her crashing into a column with a decisive swing. Ruby leapt into action, catching Weiss and dashing away from the flying debris of stone and food.

"Weiss? Weiss? Don't leave me! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ruby dramatically mourned. Yang returned with a vengeance after the certain fall of her comrade, facing Ren who had grabbed a pair of leeks, her own hands encircled by whole turkeys once again. Her brutal blows sent Ren into the air, but his last ditch effort to beat Yang back by throwing his leeks at her failed. Yang rose above him and smashed him down, breaking a table and knocking him out of the fight. Nora returned once again, just a hair faster than Yang, smashing her through the ceiling. Indigo was glad they all knew how to use their Aura's to defend themselves, otherwise they'd all be severely injured. Although, that might explain why Jaune was still out of the fight, having limited control of his vast Aura potential. Either way, Indigo was content to sit back and let his teammates duke it out. For now. He thought it a little unfair that his team would have five to RWBY's four if he joined in. He would see what happened, and step in at the end, if needed.

Blake armed herself with a chain of sausages, whipping Nora back into some vending machines near their table castle. Nora armed herself and hurled them like grenades at Blake. It bought enough time for Pyrrha to get back up, and she caught on to the tide of battle quickly. She placed her hands on the ground and used her Semblance to levitate all the cans of soda that had tumbled out of the vending machines. She made a pair of waves, directing them at Blake in an onslaught. She stood no chance, her arms up to block doing nothing as she was sent careening into a wall by the force of the cans.

Seeing that Semblances were in play, and all her comrades down, Ruby sprinted back and forth in the room, creating a whirlwind of food. The tornado quickly destabilized the castle of wooden tables and benches, and Indigo felt himself getting drawn in. He wanted to form all the tables into a protective ball of wood, and wait out the storm. But he'd promised himself he wouldn't use his Semblance. Instead, he raised the power of his Aura shield to as high as he could, then lay low against the ground, bracing for whatever would hit him.

He watched as Ruby flattened his teammates against the wall with a flurry of super speed flying food, incapacitating them all in one strike. Some of the stray food whipped against him as his teammates were decimated on the wall behind him, but he stuck it out. He rose as Ruby coolly avoided looking at the outcome of her attack. She knew her power. He called out to her, challenging her to fight him.

She turned to him in surprise, hands raised in a defensive stance. "Wait, what! I knew I was forgetting something! You didn't help your team at all!" Indigo blushed a little, but he'd thought it all through. She was still right, but there was a reason he didn't step in.

"Five on four isn't fair. But now, it's just you and me. Let's have the leaders of our teams decide who shall truly rule this duel of deliciousness!" With that, he rushed at her, grabbing a stray loaf of bread. He wasn't used to fighting with sword length weapons, but it was a fair disadvantage, all things considered. Ruby must be exhausted after fighting the whole battle, and he was still fresh. Ruby rushed at him with a loaf as well, but just before they could meet, the doors to the dining hall crashed open.

Glynda angrily walked in, her high heels clicking against the floor the only sound now. She growled, and Indigo fell short of his swing, but Ruby was moving much too fast to stop. He settled for blocking her blow, their two loafs shattering as they met, and Ruby stopped after her strike. Somehow, Glynda managed to keep her voice level. "Children, please. Do not. Play with your food." She pushes her glasses up, her glaring green eyes surveying the whole group of them. Indigo thought that was scarier than if she had yelled. If that growl were anything to go by, she was truly furious.

The scared silence was broken when Yang crashed through the roof, and both teams erupted in laughter. Whatever Glynda wanted to do to them, that fight was fun. Indigo only wished he'd had a chance to actually cross loafs with Ruby. Maybe another time. After the Vital Festival, or at the end of the semester. There didn't seem to be much free time in the near future for a rematch.

Chapter 10: The Final Preparations

After getting chewed out for the food fight, Indigo thought it best to stick to the curriculum. Ozpin and the other professors all advised that the teams begin finalizing their formations for the Vital Festival Tournament. With most of the students from other schools arrived, everything was gaining an air of secrecy and anticipation. It almost reminded Indigo of the way it was hunting for food out in the wilds. Quiet and on high alert, unsure of what lay in wait around a corner, unsure of how aware others were of your presence.

Most of the students from other schools were fitting in pretty nicely. Of course, some teams stuck with their own classmates, but some level of hesitation was to be expected. Indigo couldn't blame them, he was keeping pretty close to himself, too. Besides some guys that Blake met and introduced everyone to, named Sun and Neptune, he didn't take the chance to know too many others besides idle chat and formal greetings. Ozpin had arranged a get together for the leaders of all the teams, and that early interaction set the tone for the days to come.

He and Ruby had gone together, and discovered there were basically two types of leader. Some flaunted everything, boasting about their combat prowess in an attempt to intimidate their competitors. The others played it all close to the chest, revealing nothing about playstyle. Indigo fell into the latter group, and despite her efforts to keep her tactics to herself, Ruby was definitely part of the first group. She gushed to just about anyone who could listen about how awesome her team was. She ended up talking the longest to some older looking girl with long, black hair. She hardly shared anything about herself, and Indigo excuses himself from their one-sided conversation pretty quickly. The event didn't give him much idea about the situation of the other teams, but a general impression was better than nothing.

With classes being lessened in preparation for the tournament, Indigo spent his time divided between the library, sparring somewhere with his team, and training with Glynda to learn more of her teaching style. It was paying what seemed to Indigo a decent amount of Lien. Not that he'd had the chance to make much so far in his life, or even a need for it, really, before now. But what he earned from one session was enough for a few nights out on the town with Pyrrha, leaving plenty to save as well. Despite all this preparation, he found himself spending more time with her, which was nice. Things with her were getting a little more serious, they'd even had their first kiss after a particularly romantic night at a nicer restaurant. Ren and Jaune has clapped him on the back after telling them that one.

Based on their late night chats, things seemed to be going well for Ren and Jaune, too. Nora was very forward win Ren, and while Ren said she hadn't done much with him, the way his face went all red whenever he talked about her, Indigo was sure he was holding something back. Nora had been looking especially smiley some mornings lately.

Jaune claimed that Weiss was almost an entirely different person when it was just the two of them. In public, she still ridiculed him and made it seem like she was only dating him as a favor, or to be nice or something. But Jaune said that she liked to sit as close to him as possible when they spent a night in just watching something on their scrolls. He said she often fell asleep in his arms, and he had kissed her a couple of times, too. But Jaune swore the two of them to secrecy, if she ever knew that Jaune told anyone, he was sure to get an earful.

Everyone's bonds were steadily growing stronger. But with the inherent competitiveness of the tournament, Indigo was worried that some relationships would get strained. As long as Team RWBY and Team Indigo didn't have to fight each other, he thought it would all turn out all right. He thought well of most of the other teams from Beacon, the only exception being Cardinal's team, but didn't know any of the others well enough for a tournament fight to make things awkward.

Indigo looked back at the book on the desk in front of him. Reminiscing was more fun than this, and he'd read the material already, but he needed something to do in the library. His whole team was mostly there so Jaune could study, but he had his face buried in a comic book now, on a break. Across from him at the table, Pyrrha swapped her textbook on defensive combat strategies with Jaune's comic with a smile. He groaned, but set back to work. Next to Pyrrha, Nora was snoring and muttering about pancakes, while Ren turned the pages of his textbook right onto her head.

Team RWBY was a little louder at the table over, getting pretty heated about some board game. Eventually they attracted Jaune's attention, and he quickly scampered over to try and join. With his attention span, it was no wonder he was still so behind on his readings. Indigo pretended to focus on his own book, but there wasn't really a point. He listened in on the much more interesting conversation Jaune hurled himself into without a thought.

"Hey, can I play?" He cautiously asked, pointedly avoiding looking back at his own team's table. If he caught sight of that disappointed glare Pyrrha was giving him, he'd probably come straight back.

"Sorry Jaune, we've already got four people." Ruby said after glancing at Pyrrha. She definitely knew how to read a situation quickly. Such a flat out denial to Jaune's question, whether true or not, was certain to make him get back to studying. Indigo wondered how girls always seemed able to communicate so much information with just a single look. He thought he understood Pyrrha just by meeting her eyes most of the time, but sometimes there was just no way.

Weiss looked up at Jaune and said, "Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess." Whatever he said she was like one on one, she certainly didn't mince words in public. Although it almost seemed she was being even harsher than normal. She seemed to be overcompensating on her ridicule of Jaune. It's not like she had anyone to fool, though. Everyone in both their teams knew they were dating. Girls were just weird sometimes. At least her insults didn't seem to deflate Jaune's ego. Indigo doubted anyone else could handle Weiss as a girlfriend.

Yang raised an eyebrow at Weiss. "Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Weiss just groaned in reply.

Jaune ignored Yang, focusing entirely on Weiss. Much as she tried to pretend she didn't care that much for Jaune, it was clear that she only had eyes for him when he was visiting the table. Indigo began to doubt whether the real reason Jaune had gotten up was because studying was too boring, or if he just wanted to talk to Weiss. Or maybe it was a little bit of both. "Bring it on, Ice Queen. I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural born leader." Jaune puffed his chest out, hands on his hips.

"By who, your mother?" Weiss shot back.

"A-and Pyrrha." Jaune shakily retorted.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha called cheerily from across from him. Of course he wasn't the only one more interested in listening. He had finished all the readings with Pyrrha anyways, so why wouldn't she listen in, too?

"Come on, let me play your hand for a turn!" Jaune whined. His eyes were still fixed on Weiss. Not on her cards, or the other players. At this point, Indigo was certain he didn't care about the game at all.

Weiss feigned shrinking away from Jaune in horror. "I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Indigo couldn't help but notice that after her supposed shock at his suggestion, she had ended up closer to Jaune upon resuming her normal sitting position. She couldn't hold herself away from Jaune at all, even if she wanted it to seem that she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Why not! You've trusted me with way more important stuff before! I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a fau-" before Jaune could finish, Pyrrha darted out of her chair to place a hand on Jaune's mouth and finish his sentence for him. Indigo had realized far too late what Jaune was about to reveal. He was glad Pyrrha was around to smooth over potentially dangerous social situations.

"Fun-loving person! Who we all admire and respect." Was Pyrrha's cover-up. Jaune laughed nervously. Weiss May be good at hiding what she really thought and felt, but Jaune was just the opposite of her in that regard. Maybe that's what drew the two of them together.

Blake just narrowed her eyes, not showing any sign of whether or not she knew what was going on. She looked incredibly tired, bags set deep under her eyes. After everything that happened with the White Fang, Indigo hoped she wasn't letting it get to her too bad.

"Right. That. Ladies, enjoy your battle." Jaune tried to bow himself out, but a new arrival interrupted them. A Faunus with a yellow tail that matched his spiky yellow hair came up to the table, followed by a tall guy with spiked up blue hair and a pair of orange tinted goggles hanging above his eyes. Ren glanced over at the other table every now and then, clearly becoming as interested in events as Indigo was. Nora kept snoring away. Indigo was watching even less subtly now, pretty sure he knew who at least one of them was.

Blake had described the Faunus that helped her fight on the docks much like the one now appearing before them. Indigo wanted to hop up there to help Jaune out of the situation before Blake could call Weiss out on sharing the secret of her identity, but with the new arrivals, he might not need to interfere. Better to wait and see, and step in if this diversion proved not to be enough.

"Sup losers." The Faunus who Blake said was named Sun casually greeted the table. He acted as if they were all close friends already. Blake may have understated just how well she knew Sun. That, or he just acted that way to everyone.

"Hey Sun." Ruby replied, still pretty focused on the game they were all playing.

"Ruby. Yang. Blake. Ice Queen." Sun continued. It was refreshing for someone from another school to act so casual, if it was a little weird at first. Indigo wasn't sure yet, but he thought this was better than the secretive way most other foreign students acted.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Weiss complained. It was all in the way she looked at people, the chilled way she maintained a formal manner. Plus her hair, and her nearly always white clothing, she presented a very specific image to the public. Cold and distant. Indigo knew that was only the exterior, though. She was much warmer around friends. And, if Jaune wasn't just blowing things out of proportion to show-off for him and Ren, even more so when she was alone with Jaune.

"I never got the chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun nudged his blue haired friend, urging him to join in the conversation.

But all he said was "uh, aren't libraries for reading?" Sun's friend seemed just as casual as he was. Which made it a little strange Blake seemed to get along so well with him. She could be as aloof and formal as Weiss at times. But they had fought alongside each other, so that could explain it.

"Thank you!" Ren shouted from diagonal to Indigo at the table, his arms spread in exasperation.

"*snort* PANCAKES!" Nora shouted, suddenly roused from her sleep by The loud outburst that was atypical for Ren.

Sun shot a look at his friend. "Shut up, don't be a nerd."

"Gegege intellectual, okay? Thank you. I'm Neptune."

"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked the obvious question that fit right in with formalities. Obviously he was from the same place as Neptune, Haven. Weiss just had to ensure all niceties were observed.

"Haven. And… I don't believe I've caught your name… Snow Angel." He was already moving in on Weiss? Indigo wasn't sure who looked more shocked, Jaune or Weiss. He knuckles the desk, getting ready to jump in. Both of them were prone to wild reactions when something strange happened.

But Weiss just kept her cool. "Uhm. I'm Weiss."

"Pleasure to meet you." Neptune said, stepping even closer to where Weiss was sitting.

Jaune had moved around closer to behind Neptune. "Are you kidding me?!" He complained. Much as it bothered him that his friend was put in such a situation, he was also a little proud that Jaune was positioning himself in the best way in case a fight broke out. Although, attacking from behind was more suited to fighting Grimm than a social encounter. It just seemed dishonorable now.

Sun got closer to Blake, too. It was clear they were both starting to follow their own conversations. "I never took you as the board game playing type."

But Blake stood up suddenly, pushing her chair back. "Well, I think I'm done playing, actually. I'll See you guys later." Blake quickly made her way out of the library, drawing everyone at the two tables' stares, creating an awkward silence.

Nora broke it, saying "Women," her hands raised in a shrug. Her attempt to break the tension didn't work well. Sun and Neptune just looked confused. Neptune tried talking to Weiss again, but Jaune had moved closer to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, she didn't shake it off. She looked worried about Blake, just like everyone else. Sun and Neptune left after an awkward goodbye, and Team RWBY packed up their board game and went to look for Blake.

Indigo didn't even have the heart to pretend he was reading to encourage Jaune to do so too. He just kept going over the whole situation in his head, wondering if there was any time he could have stepped in to make everything go smoother. But growing up alone in the wilds hadn't given him much basis for navigating complex social situations. He hardly noticed when Pyrrha and Jaune sat back down, looking sad and nervous. Pyrrha caught hold of his hand as it was tapping nervously against the desk, and looked at him questioningly. At least she had mitigated the damage somewhat. He'd ask her later tonight how to deal with things like that. She seemed to know the answer to just about any problem. He put a smile on his face and looked over at Jaune.

Jaune wasn't studying anymore, just running his hands over his knees, and Nora and even Ren were looking at him expectantly. "I think that's enough studying for today. Let's just hang out for a while, alright? What should we do before the tournament starts to unwind?" Indigo wanted to suggest helping Blake, but he was sure Ruby could handle it with Weiss and Yang. He didn't know much about dealing with other people, but he did know that sometimes the attention of too many people on one person's problem just made that person clam up, too afraid to talk about what was bothering them.

Nora suggested a pancake making party, and they all agreed it would be fun. They'd seen plenty of the city as it geared up for the Vital Festival, and there wasn't too much else to do around the academy besides spar or chat. And chatting might just lead to analyzing what happened with Blake and Sun and Neptune. That wouldn't really be helpful. Ren went to grab a ton of flour from the closest store, while Nora broke into her reserves of the syrup from the Forest of Forever Fall. Jaune went with Ren, and Indigo hoped Ren could placate Jaune over how Neptune flirted with Weiss. Weiss hadn't reciprocated, so there really wasn't anything to worry about. Indigo was sure Jaune's immense confidence would let him get by just fine. That left him and Pyrrha to prepare in the communal kitchen together.

"It's good to know we still have time for fun things like this, even when there's something like the Vital Festival to prepare for." Indigo said as he busied himself about finding enough pans to make all the pancakes they would eat.

"Yeah, and I find it best to spend the days leading up to a big fight eating all the best foods." Pyrrha grabbed a stack of plates from one of the simple wooden cabinets and set them on the table. "Although I don't know if pancakes are the best for someone preparing for a tournament, but it's good for morale, at least." Pyrrha smiled at Indigo, leaning back against the table.

"Well, if we need to, we can do some intensive training to work off anything extra." Indigo suggested, turning towards Pyrrha after setting a pan on each of the four burners on the stovetop.

Pyrrha took a step towards him, a sly smile on her face. "Would that be one-on-one training you're suggesting? I've got a few ideas for more...personal exercises we could try out."

Indigo felt the blood rush to his face. She couldn't already be suggesting what he thought she was, could she? They'd only been going out for a couple of months now, and hadn't done much more than kiss so far, and he'd never alluded to anything more, at least not on purpose. But maybe this speed in a relationship was to be expected with the lifestyle they lead. Hunters faced all sorts of uncertainty in their futures, so maybe it was just natural to want to go all the way sooner. Some of the nicer families he'd run into out in the wilds had said they'd married within weeks of meeting each other. But Indigo hadn't thought of anything like that with Pyrrha, beyond the occasional lingering gaze when they both went to bed, or during a particularly close one on one sparring session, or…

It didn't matter, though, because, Ren, Nora, and Jaune all slept in the same room as them. It was way too close quarters. But with the things he could make with his Semblance, and all the natural areas around Beacon Academy, it wouldn't be too hard to make a secluded room for the two of them.

Indigo broke out into a huge grin. "I'm sure we could figure something out between the two of us." He took a step towards Pyrrha, now within arms reach, and drew her into a kiss.

It didn't last long, however, as Nora burst into the room loudly. "Save it for later, lovebirds." She strode right up to them, slammed the red syrup jars on the table next to the stack of plates, then pulled Pyrrha aside. In a low voice that Indigo could barely make out, Nora added "and let me know how you get him to reciprocate like that. Ren won't ever do that with me unless we're totally alone, with no chance of anyone coming by." Pyrrha, still blushing at getting caught like that, just nodded her head quickly.

Eager to break the tension and move onto some other topic, Indigo started rummaging around in the drawers set into the cabinets. It was easy to talk about relationship stuff with Jaune and Ren, but for some reason it felt weird hearing Nora and Pyrrha do the same. He thought girls were supposed to go about it differently than guys, but Nora made him think differently.

"We should get silverware and a spatula, and stuff like that." He broke the silence.

"You mean you two haven't done that yet, just how long were you two sucking face?" Nora looked alternately at the two of them, a smirk on her face.

Indigo opened his mouth to say it hadn't been long, they'd mostly just talked a little, then shut his mouth again. Nora would find a way to twist what he said to make things more awkward. She liked to just put everything out there, no matter the consequences.

Jaune and Ren came back with flour, eggs, milk, everything necessary to make pancakes. For the next hour, Ren and Pyrrha cooked pancakes while Nora day expectantly at the table, with Indigo and Jaune helping to serve pancakes and do whatever else Ren and Pyrrha asked to do around the kitchen. Just as they were cleaning up, Indigo heard a familiar whoosh through the hallway behind them, and spun just in time to see a trail of red flower petals settle on the floor.

It was unmistakably Ruby, dashing by with her Semblance. But it was pretty late at night, and from how upset Blake had seemed in the library earlier, it would've made the most sense for all of Team RWBY to be decompressing in their dorm room. Unless there was something wrong.

But nobody else had noticed Ruby rush by, as Pyrrha and Ren were washing dishes in the sink, Jaune was occupied with storing all the dishes away, and Nora was snoring at the chair, both hands on a full belly. Knowing how quickly Ruby could fly from one place to the next, Indigo hustled out into the hallway, following the trail of petals to the library. Ruby's Semblance was useful in combat, but it was easy to track. Indigo hoped she never used it on a stealth mission and got herself into trouble.

Ruby burst through the wooden double doors to the library, crashing right into Indigo. Her hands flailed and her board game flew out of them, soaring into the air. Ruby fell to the ground with a yelp, and Indigo staggered backwards. He managed to catch the board game, though, allowing only a few pieces and cards to scatter on the ground.

"I thought I heard you dash over this way. What's the matter? Is something wrong with Blake? Did she run off again?"

"Ye-, No, well, Um, Uhhhhhh…" Ruby looked up at him sheepishly, poking her two pointer fingers together.

Indigo helped her up, then collected the scattered pieces with her. For the moment, he said nothing, letting Ruby collect her thoughts into a hopefully cohesive unit. She didn't talk too well under pressure, and was likely to tell him what was going on, even if she were trying to hide it. It was clear there was something amiss, and from her reaction, Indigo seemed to have hit the mark with his guess about Blake.

"I just had to get this board game." She said, gathering herself. "But there is something wrong with Blake…You remember the whole thing with the White Fang on the docks?"

Indigo nodded.

"Well, it isn't finished. Blake doesn't want to sit back and hope the authorities figure it out. She wants to do something about it, and we all agreed to help."

By 'we' Indigo was sure she meant Weiss, and Yang. There wasn't really anyone else Blake would turn to, except maybe Sun and Neptune, now. But that wasn't enough to take on two united crime syndicates. Indigo didn't know anything about fighting gangs, but small groups of bandits were common in the wilds, and he'd only made the mistake of trying to take one on alone once. He'd barely made it out alive.

"I'm sure you can use all the help you can get. I'll talk to the rest of my team, but I'm sure they'll all agree to help. You can count on us."

"But—"

"I'm not gonna hear it. I know about it now, and there's no way I'm letting you face this alone. We've gotta stick together."

Ruby met his unmoving stare with a confident gleam in her gray eyes. "Right. We'll let you know if we find out anything big, or are facing anything big."

Chapter 11: Highway Hijinks

"I think this whole investigation thing is really weighing heavily on Weiss and the others. Um, definitely Weiss, at least."

Jaune paced through the cramped dorm room, stepping over boots Nora had left in the narrow walkway between all their beds. He was practically circling Indigo, stepping over his legs which were facing towards Pyrrha and Nora's side of the room. Everyone but Jaune was seated on their own bed.

"I mean, she hardly talked to me during class at all today, she just ignored all my questions."

"You're forgetting that Weiss doesn't normally talk during class at all." Ren interrupted before Jaune could rant any longer.

Jaune stopped just in front of Ren. "Well, Yeah, but she at least gives me a couple of words in response usually. I only got one word from her, and it was usually just 'No'! How am I supposed to handle her like that?"

"If anyone can handle Weiss and her stubbornness, it's you Jaune. You can almost go toe to toe with her in that regard." Pyrrha said. "Just give her some time to get over the stress from the Vital Festival and our investigations."

Indigo smiled at Pyrrha, happy that he didn't have to deal with anything like this with her. The way she always pointedly spoke her mind, without giving him the run around like Weiss did with Jaune was a relief. The fact that the stress didn't seem to be getting to her was good, too, but they had a few of their own forms of stress relief together now. Nora and Ren seemed to be in the same position, taking everything in stride. If Weiss and Jaune could get to the same place in their relationship, less of the playing hard to get and chasing after each other alternately, Indigo was sure they would both feel better. That being said, knowing that the rest of Team RWBY didn't have the same kind of support group was a little sad. Indigo was sure they would be a great team, but they were putting way too much strain on themselves for tensions to not raise.

Team RWBY had gone off on paired investigations right after class, even enlisting Sun and Neptune for help. But sneaking around wasn't really the strong suit of anyone in Indigo's team, except for maybe Ren. But Nora would have insisted on being paired with Ren, and any cover he might be able to make for himself would be quickly erased by Nora. So his team was stuck in the dorm room, checking their scrolls for a call for assistance at any sign of trouble with the reconnaissance. It was basically impossible to get any classwork done in the meantime. Indigo had to put his textbooks away just a few minutes after opening them to work on a report on the varieties of Grimm that could be found in different regions of the world.

The hours passed as Jaune kept pacing, mostly complaining about how hard it was to understand Weiss. Everyone gave him their best advice, although it was often contradicting. Nora encouraged the very direct approach Jaune seemed naturally inclined to take, and Pyrrha kept suggesting Jaune give her a little space. But when Jaune pointed out how Pyrrha and Indigo were basically always together as a counterexample, Pyrrha blushed in response. Indigo was sure Jaune and Weiss would get there soon. Just as soon as all this stuff with the White Fang blew over.

Suddenly, all their scrolls lit up with an incoming message. Everyone scrambled to answer, and Blake's voice reverberated through the room.

"Everyone if you can hear me, we need back-"

"HEEEEEELLLLLPPP!" Sun shouted over Blake's request.

They all scrambled to get their weapons and quickly get outside through the window. It would just waste time going through the school, and if anyone saw them, it might be hard to explain exactly where they were rushing off to. They quickly scrambled down the wall and across to a nearby tree, reaching the ground easily. As they sprinted to the edge of Beacon Academy's floating island, Sun hurriedly spoke again.

"They got a robot, and its big. Really big!"

That didn't help much, and without a location they couldn't help at all. They stopped at the edge near a cluster of bushes and some taller grass, where Indigo placed both his hands on the ground. He used his Semblance and the nearby life to create a glider large enough to carry them all wherever they wanted. Since he drew on the energy from the plants around him, it only cost a little of his own Aura. Still, when it was all finished, Indigo had begun to sweat, giving his dark green hair a shine like morning dew.

Ruby and Weiss had responded over scroll and were rushing into action as well. Still none of them knew where to go.

"That Torchwick guy is in it. But not like, it's in him, but he's controlling it or something."

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked over the scroll, trying to get a solid answer out of the panicking Sun.

After a pause, a follow up came from Yang's scroll, a bit fainter than Yang's voice.

"Uhhh, I think that was them." Neptune said.

Tires squealed as Yang floored her motorcycle in pursuit of whatever was going on with Blake and Sun, and Yang shouted her location through the scroll as she chased after them.

"I know where that is, Indigo, take the rudder and I'll direct you to them." Pyrrha said.

They all hopped into the wide wooden glider, topped with a tarp of large, thin leaves. Indigo had the center spot, a simple lever in front of him for turning. Pyrrha was to his right, with Nora on her right, while Jaune got next to Indigo on the left, and Ren took the spot to the left of Jaune. They all ran and jumped the glider out into the open air together.

Pyrrha listened intently to Yang's shouted directions, directing Indigo to turn based on what she heard. It sounded like the others had made it onto a large highway, but it was still a good distance away and below. Yang announced she had closed in, and stopped giving directions as she concentrated on the battle ahead. Ruby and Weiss said they were almost there, and Pyrrha told the group scroll call they were still about 5 minutes away. Being the last to arrive, all they could do was observe the fight from afar and try and plan some sort of surprise attack when they reached the battleground.

When they finally got close enough to see what was going on, the fight looked to be just about over. The robot was torn to shreds, and Torchwick was on the ground a couple hundred feet below. But he wasn't alone, like he was when the fight started. There was a short girl with long hair, pink on one side, black on the other, standing next to him wielding a pink umbrella. Yang rushed to attack, but they both shattered into glass-like shards at her blow. It seemed to be some sort of Semblance used to escape.

A roar of wind right beneath Indigo alerted him to a transport ship that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The girl and Torchwick were clambering aboard, and the ship spun to take off outside the city, barely touching down.

"We need to get on that now. They're vulnerable, and probably tired from the fight." Indigo declared.

Without waiting for a response, he angled the glider straight at the door with the two enemies staring out at the ground below, oblivious to who was above them. As they came level with the door, Indigo shrunk the glider back into his quarterstaff, holding it out horizontally still. With the force of all his teammates behind it, who were still clutching it, they crashed into the unsuspecting Torchwick and his apparent ally. Indigo, Pyrrha, and Ren gracefully maintained their footing after the impact, but Nora and Jaune went tumbling with Torchwick and the girl deeper into the transport.

As the four deeper in the plane struggled to get up, Indigo shouted at Jaune and Nora.

"Jaune, Nora, go take control of the cockpit, try and get us to Beacon if you can, otherwise land somewhere flat and open safely. We'll take care of these two."

Jaune nodded and jumped to his feet, rushing towards the front of the small transport, being met by a group of four guards. Indigo didn't have time to watch their battle, though, because Torchwick and the girl had gathered themselves and were getting ready to fight. Torchwick leveled his cane at Indigo, and the girl opened her umbrella in front of him in a defensive stance.

"I just can't catch a break, can I? Well, I hope you all know how to fly, because you'll be leaving the way you came in soon." Torchwick taunted. He pulled the trigger on the back of his cane, sending a bullet right into Indigo's staff.

In response, Indigo and Pyrrha rushed forward, while Ren shuffled around to try and flank them. They jabbed together, both aiming at the girl's umbrella in an attempt to overpower her defense. The girl let the billows rain on her, and instead of trying to deflect or sustain the impact, she flew backwards, crashing into an unsuspecting Ren with the handle on her umbrella, sending him flying right out the other door on the plane!

Ren yelped in fear as he found himself out in open space, and his short scream was followed by a screeching scraping noise. Indigo was sure he'd found a hold on the plane with his knife-guns, and would rejoin the fight as soon as he could. While the blow left him and Pyrrha at even numbers with the enemy now, it had also sent Torchwick stumbling a little as the girl's umbrella clipped him on the side on her way back. Indigo advanced on the girl, separating her from Torchwick, forcing her back up to the open air behind her. She glanced once at Torchwick with something that might have been worry, then back to Indigo with a look of anger.

Indigo knew his chances were better against this girl, he could circumnavigate her shielding umbrella better than Pyrrha's straightforward fighting style. And Pyrrha, with her shield, was better suited for what seemed to be the ranged combat Torchwick preferred. He didn't even have to look at Pyrrha to know she'd evaluated things just as he had, as he heard bullets ricochet off her shield in her fight.

Indigo thrust his staff forward, this time meaning to snag the umbrella with thorny vines extended from his staff, instead of taking the expected move of forcing the girl out the window. She seemed confused at the lightness of his blow, until he wrenched his staff back and grasped her umbrella by the handle in his left hand. He advanced on her with the two weapons, and she didn't even hesitate to engage him with a flurry of punches and kicks. He easily deflected her desperate attack with her own umbrella, then lunged for her with his staff.

Just as he'd predicted, she nimbly dodged, no longer encumbered by her weapon. She smiled into his eyes menacingly as he looked at her in mock fear, his whole body thrown forward in an exaggeration of unbalance. As she raised and elbow to bring it down on his exposed neck for a killing blow, he used his Semblance to quickly grow the wood of his staff around her, handily ending the battle as she squirmed against the constriction. She started to fall out the window, and Indigo yanked back on the handle of his staff, drawing her to him.

"You're not getting away that easy, sit there until we're ready to leave." He pulled her to the ground of the transport, where he used his Semblance again to fasten her makeshift tied up bangle to the ground. There was no escaping from there.

He turned to Pyrrha to see if she needed help, but he should've known she would be long finished. Torchwick hadn't seemed nearly as nimble or good at close combat as the girl. She had Torchwick bound in a pair of makeshift handcuffs she'd fashioned from the walls of the transport using her own Semblance. Pyrrha smiled at him.

"Took you long enough. I finished in time to see you barely grab her out of the air." Pyrrha teased.

"Neo, come ON! How could you fail me like this? I never should've picked you off the streets!" Torchwick screamed in frustration. The girl, who must've been named Neo, looked on the verge of tears, but she didn't say anything. Torchwick must not have been the kind of man she thought he was.

Ren poked his head up from the side of the plane. "A little help up? I got dragged all the way to the rear of the plane. It was a long climb back."

Indigo pulled Ren up while Pyrrha watched the prisoners, who she had moved to the hold of the plane, kept a good distance from each other.

"Ren, go check on Nora and Jaune at the cockpit. They've been a while. I hope all that's keeping them is figuring out how to fly a plane."

He meant it as a joke, but given the situation, there was a very real possibility they would crash quite soon. He stayed with Pyrrha to watch the prisoners, alternating between standing with a hand on her shoulder and looking out either open door. The plane was just turning around, and seemed to be heading for Beacon. He let out a sigh of relief when Ren came back from the cockpit with a small smile on his face.

"We were able to convince the pilot it was...in his best interest to cooperate with us and head to Beacon. I think it helped that one of us came to check on the cockpit, and not his boss." Ren chuckled. "Or maybe it was the fact that Jaune convinced the pilot he was a junior detective on the police force, and could put in a good word with the authorities if he listened to us."

Indigo and Pyrrha cracked up. They'd have to get the details from Jaune later. With the whole situation under control, Indigo called out to their group through his scroll.

"Situation under control. We have Torchwick and are headed back to Beacon. Meet you all there." He couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice, but a sudden thought sobered him. "Everyone is all right, right?"

"Yeh, me an Netune, we'we jussht eting noodlfsh." Sun reported through a mouthful.

"Team RWBY all good, except for a few scrapes and bruises. Great work, Team JNIPR!" Ruby congratulated them all.

Indigo went to sit in the hold across from Pyrrha, next to Neo, while Pyrrha watched Torchwick intently. Ren stayed by the doors to act as a lookout in case backup came with Nora, while Jaune stood behind the pilot and copilot, occasionally saying something that a cop would say in some buddy cop show.

"I swear, if you let me go, I'll take you under my wing. All of you! I need a replacement for a Neo, it's so hard to find good help these days. But you'd be great we'd all make so much Lien together. Just think of what we could buy…" Torchwick bargained with them.

Indigo tuned him out, instead thinking about Ozpin, wondering if he'd be more mad or proud at what they'd done. This was the kind of thing hunters did, they'd all just got into it a little early…and maybe broken some rules along the way. Ozpin had always seemed understanding before. And with such a great success, Indigo was sure he'd see the good side of things. But then he thought of Glynda, and her usual strict adherence to the rules. He hoped he still had a job as a teaching assistant with her after she found out about all this, as she was sure to do as Ozpin's right hand woman.