Chapter 1
It wasn't until he landed in Atlas that Jaune Arc realized he hated the cold.
The battered bullhead that had dropped him in the middle of an abandoned shipyard had barely stayed long enough to make sure he had landed safely before it tore off into the midnight sky. A collection of strewed shipping containers jutted in grotesque formations all around him, but they offered only sparse shelter from the merciless winter.
He swore quietly as another biting blast of icy wind tore into him, driving lances of pain that penetrated to his bones. He couldn't even imagine how he would survive without the heavy fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders. Thick snow impeded his progress forward, clutching at his boots and legs with greedy fingers. A lithe figure in front of him set his path. Much to his irritation, she practically glided across the surface of the frozen powder. He, on the other hand, could enter a competition for biggest snow craters.
"Think we could come back in the summer? A bit chilly right now," he called. She turned back to face him. Her face was obscured by a fur-lined hood, but a pair of gleaming golden eyes was visible even in the darkness of the snowy night.
"Quit whining. I had to spend a night here without a jacket. You'll live."
"Still bet it's nicer in the summer," Jaune grumbled. "No wonder Weiss–"
"Matriarch," his partner interrupted. Jaune sighed. Ruby had given all the members of the Beacon Resistance Force – or BaRF, as she had cheerfully named them – code names when they began operations. When you were infamous enemies of the state, real names were dangerous.
"Matriarch," he corrected himself. "No wonder she has the flexibility of granite. Probably had the weather beat it into her. Miserable place to be born."
He didn't need to see his partner to know the comment had pulled her mouth into a half smile. Although she would never admit it, Blake found his recent sarcastic streak amusing. "That was a bit uncalled for."
"But you liked it anyways."
She didn't deny it.
The wind smashed against him with a ferocious howl that nearly threw him off his feet. "Seriously though, think we should find some shelter? It's getting worse."
She pulled her scroll out of a hidden pocket. A quick glance set her eyes in slants that Jaune knew was a frown even with her face partially obscured. "We don't have a lot of time." Before he could argue against her, however, she continued. "But I need to report, anyways. We can rest for a few minutes."
They ducked into the gaping maw of an open container. Although it was still freezing inside, the absence of both snow and wind made it downright cozy compared to the brutal outdoors. Jaune sat down with a contented sigh, noticing with some satisfaction that even his partner radiated relief. He could see it in how she instinctively curled inward.
There were only a few times where Blake Belladonna, cat faunus extraordinaire, actually imitated her feline counterpart. Jaune cherished all of them. They were adorable. Also, it was convenient blackmail material.
Once she had settled, Blake punched a short code into her scroll. The screen glowed with a faint blue light, casting dancing shadows across the bottom half of her face.
"Kunoichi to base," she said. "Do you read me?" Jaune didn't know where they had picked up the cheesy military jargon, but for whatever reason it had stuck. It was probably Ruby's fault. Weird stuff was usually Ruby's fault.
"Reading you loud and clear," came back Weiss's voice. Even though she was electronically distorted by the call, Jaune could tell she was exhausted. Probably had barely slept for days before the op. As abrasive as she could be, Weiss took care of her people. "What's your status?"
"Paragon and I have made landfall. We're enroute to the VIP, but we're hindered by the weather."
"Acknowledged. Try to hurry. Reaper and Inferno are already tearing the place up, and I don't trust either of them to know when to stop."
"I told you Pyr–Athena would have been a better choice for a distraction," Jaune chimed in.
"Then I would have had to send Valhalla with her," Weiss snapped, "and I'm sure that would have gone amazingly."
Jaune winced. "Touché."
"We're moving out," Blake interrupted, perhaps sensing the beginnings of a legendary Weiss-rant. "The weather's calming."
"Understood," Weiss said. "Take care of yourself out there. Matriarch out."
"Liar," Jaune said with a glare as soon as the connection had been severed. "The weather's not improving at all."
"Then you better toughen up," Blake informed him. "We've still got a ways to go."
"Lucky me," he mourned.
::-::-::
It was hard to tell how much time had passed once they finally stumbled into the slums of one of Atlas's infamous district six. It had been nearly pitch black when they had landed at the dock, and it was still, well, pitch black. Then again, Jaune wouldn't have been surprised if the sun was out and the sky was still pitch black. Atlas was a miserable place.
The streets were utterly abandoned, but Blake led him through tight alleys and across shadowed roofs anyways. She slipped through the treacherous terrain effortlessly, but Jaune struggled just trying to keep up. Not even four years of constant conflict had boosted his agility anything above passable. Blake occasionally paused to allow him to catch up, but the frequent glares she sent back at him betrayed her impatience.
"You're so slow," she complained as he dragged himself over the edge of a roof.
"We can't all be cats," Jaune gasped. "What's with all the climbing and sneaking anyways? There's no one here."
"Cameras," Blake said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. To her it probably was. Well, he'd signed up to be a huntsman, not a wanna be ninja, thank you very much. "District six has less than most, but they still cover the main streets."
"Where is everyone?" Jaune asked as Blake took off again. "I figured there would at least be some people around." The stark blocks of flame scarred concrete that made up the surrounding buildings stared at him with judgemental eyes, and he couldn't attribute the shudders that ran through him to just the cold. The lifelessness of the streets was emphasized by the dark pallor cast by sparse, flickering street lamps. Even without the cameras, walking down the streets would have been an unnerving experience. Maybe that was why they were abandoned.
"The Regime implemented a card system in the past two years," Blake explained. "Everyone has to carry an ID card, and if they don't sign in to their assigned housing by curfew they're hunted down."
"To keep revolutionaries like us from garnering too much support," Jaune realized.
Blake gave him a nod. "Among other things. Cinder has plenty of reasons to want tight control." She glanced at her scroll; the numbers there pulled her features into a grimace. "And it's way past time. We need to hurry." Her pace increased, forcing Jaune to nearly sprint after her.
"And people just accept it?" Jaune asked incredulously.
"What choice do they have?" Blake said with a shrug. "It's Cinder or the Grimm, and freedom isn't so attractive if you have to die for it."
The dilapidated concrete gradually gave way to thick, twisted ash-grey trees. Jaune was thankful that no more climbing was involved, but the uneven ground posed a new set of challenges. He stumbled after Blake, letting loose a string of curses every time a root tripped him up.
It was only a few minutes, however, until the sea of foliage broke on a towering monstrosity of steel and concrete that was the wall around the district six military compound. While The Regime had installed and manned such compounds in every district, district six was infested with fiercely independent gangs and rampant smuggling, necessitating an exceptionally well defended compound. Jaune spotted webs of barbed wire on top of the wall, and the tip of the central command tower that was barely visible to him bristled with machine gun turrets. The Regime claimed they compounds were for the safety of the people, to fight off Grimm attacks and maintain order. Nobody really believed them, but when the vocal ones disappeared in the dead of night, the rest learned not to complain too much.
Blake knelt at the wall's base, pulling some equipment Jaune couldn't get a good glimpse of out of her coat's pockets. He peered upward, straining to see the top of the wall, but it was only half visible in the gloom.
"Are you going to try to climb this?" he asked.
"How else will I get in?"
"Can you even do it? It's gotta be, what, a hundred feet? Maybe more?"
She shot him a sardonic half-smile. "Who do you think I am?" She pulled off the insulating gloves that she had worn to protect her hands from the bitter cold, replacing them with nondescript black ones of thin cloth. Despite their bare-bones appearance, Jaune had little doubt they were crammed full of whatever mad invention Ruby had come up with recently. "Stay near the side gate," Blake told him, gesturing further down the wall. "I'll let you in from there."
Before Jaune could respond, a flicker of red-gold light caught his attention. It was barely visible, even in the darkness, but he saw that several dozen yards away the sheer surface of the wall contorted into sharp ninety degree angles where the trees impeded its path, creating a shallow alcove. He stepped towards it hesitantly, straining to spot whatever it was that had glowed so brightly.
"Jaune?" Blake called out. "What's going on?"
"I saw something," he explained, eyes still locked forward. "A light. Bright one."
She followed him cautiously. "We really don't have time. Reaper and Inferno have already bought us an hour, and I doubt they can give much more."
"Yeah. I know. It's just that–" he froze as the trees thinned abruptly, giving him a clear view into the alcove. A mixed group of faunus and humans surrounded a small human girl, illuminated by the glow of artificial torches. Even at a distance, Jaune could tell she had the contours of a child, yet to grow into the woman she would one day be, but she had already begun the growth spurt that marked the beginning of that transition. A teenager, then, but a young one. The half dozen people around her were a collection of grisly male humans and faunus, and they towered over her, all hardened scars and bristling muscle. One of the local gangs, probably. Jaune felt sick just looking at them. There were only a handful of scenarios they involved a young girl surrounded by vicious gang members. None of them ended well.
"Blake," he whispered.
"I know," she responded with a sad sigh. "I see her. But there's nothing we can do. The mission comes first. Interfering is too risky."
She was right, of course. Getting involved was a delay at best, and at worst it could completely blow their cover. But Jaune Arc had become a huntsman for one reason – to save people – and not even four years of tragedy and suffering had managed to extinguish that flame. "No. I can't accept that. It's not right."
"Jaune–"
"I have to do this, Blake. I have to help." Crocea Mors loosened in her sheathe with an ominous click. "I know you're right. I shouldn't get involved. But even if we're fighting Cinder right now, ultimately, we're still huntsmen. We save people. I can't just leave her to her fate."
Blake stared at him for a long moment, golden eyes unreadable, before she turned away with an irritated huff. "You're gonna do it no matter what I say, so I'll just save myself the trouble and agree right now. Hurry up. I'll leave the gate unlocked for you."
Despite her gruff demeanor, Jaune knew that she would have been every bit as broken as he would have been if they had abandoned the girl. Maybe more. "Thanks, Blake."
"Don't get cocky. The gangs here are brutal."
He grinned at her, ignoring the fact that she rolled her eyes at him and turned away. "You be careful too. I think you got the worse end of the deal."
"I know," Blake grumbled, and then she disappeared into the tree line, leaving Jaune alone to develop a plan that would allow him to rescue girl from a half dozen ruthless fighters, any single one of which could give him a serious run for his money, aura or no. Easy, right?
Wait – was that a rhino faunus? Seriously? Not even fair. Well, time to go with plan A, also known as the only-plan-he-ever-had.
Wing it.
I sure hope this works.
He approached the group with a confident swagger and what he hoped was a winning smile. As he drew closer, he got a better look at the girl. Far from the terror he would have expected, she looked almost…bored? Disinterested, certainly. She leaned against the wall with folded arms, calmly staring down the pack of men around her.
Ugh. Teenagers. Why do they all think they're invincible?
She was very cute, in the "kid-sister" sort of way. Short brown hair fell to just above her shoulders, framing auburn eyes and a rounded face that were still a little too large for an adult. She was still bones and muscle, sharp lines instead of curves. Juvenile. A winter uniform comprised of a beige jacket over a white shirt with a red bow tie and a short skirt struck him as oddly familiar, but he couldn't name the specific school. Weiss would probably know.
Seriously, how was she not freezing? He was wrapped up in so many layers they probably served as bullet proof armor.
"Hey, fellas!" he called, cheerfully elbowing his way through the assembled pack. "Thanks so much for finding her!" He reached out and grabbed the girl's hand. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't resist.
"Where have you been, you little brat?" he asked in what he hoped was a fond manner. Judging from the way her eyes narrowed, he'd missed the mark. "I've been looking for you for hours, you know. So glad these nice gentlemen here found you before the grimm did."
His genius plan involved walking her out of the circle before anybody reacted, but when two leathery, pewter grey hands planted themselves on his chest he knew it was all about to go south.
"Hey, buddy." The rhino faunus's voice rumbled through the air. Jaune felt his chest vibrate with every word. "And who do you think you are?"
"Ah," he stammered. "Her, uh, older brother? Yes. That's right. Her older brother."
"Not a chance," the rhino spat. "If you're her brother I'm her grandma."
"You are looking a little grey," Jaune said. No, no, bad Jaune why you gotta make it worse–
"What," the girl growled behind him, "did. you. call. me?!"
Little brat was a whole lot nicer than what you deserve. Flubbing it or not, he was trying to save her, but somehow he didn't think gratitude was too high on her list of current emotions. "Uh, sister dearest?"
"You're seriously pissing me off!" the girl screamed, and lightning crackled to life in arcs that danced around her hair. Jaune dropped her hand immediately. Instincts honed by four years of constant struggle suddenly screamed to life as every danger alarm that experience had beaten into him was tripped by a massive energy build up centered around the girl. The sheer magnitude of it yanked the breath from his lungs. It lasted only for a tiny fraction of a second, but it was long enough for Jaune to dive headlong into the snow, his reflexes driving him to the action before his brain had even processed it. He cowered behind his shield, praying that Ruby's experimental anti-dust coating that covered it would hold under stress.
The gang members were not so swift. Twisting bolts of white-blue electricity tore into them with a deafening crack, dropping them one after another with agonized screams and leaving them twitching on the ground. The bolts washed over Jaune as well, but they contorted and bucked when they met his shield, only leaving smoking scorches across the metal surface. He himself was perfectly unharmed.
Ruby, I owe you many, many cookies.
Unbidden, a conversation he had once had with the silver eyed girl jumped to his mind.
"How did you get accepted into Beacon at such a young age, anyways?"
"Oh, you know, I just beat up some robbers and professor Ozpin happened to see. Nothing big."
"Wait, robbers?"
"Yep!"
"Plural."
"Yep! Torchwick was there too."
"Weren't you only fifteen?"
"Yep!"
"Right. Remind me never to bother any young girls alone in sketchy places, no matter how harmless they look."
"Still conscious, huh?" zappy-girl said. She regarded him with an appraising eye. "I'm impressed. No one's ever managed that before. Care to share the secret?"
I can't believe it. I fell into the same trap. "Good luck?"
A single stray spark lept from her hair. "Don't screw with me."
He shrugged. "You're not exactly an open book either. How'd you manage the light show without dust?" Her power had almost looked like a semblance, but there hadn't been any of the manipulation of aura that he was so used to sensing. Her lightning had just sprung into being. Like the world itself spontaneously birthed it.
She fished a coin out of her skirt pocket, rubbing it through her fingers with a feral grin. "If you beat me, I'll tell you."
"I'm not going to fight you." He sighed. "Look, believe it or not I was trying to help you, so can we just write it off as 'good intentions with bad execution?' I kinda need to be somewhere."
"Around here?" she scoffed. "There's nothing here except…" Her eyes widened as her voice trailed off. "The base."
"Good girl," Jaune drawled before he could stop himself. She glared at him, but it was hard to take her seriously when she was still basically a kid and almost a foot shorter than his six foot height. He turned away from her and broke into a run in the direction of the side gate that Blake had pointed out. "I'd tell you to be careful, but I doubt anything around here could even touch you."
"Wait!" She dashed after him, smaller legs struggling to keep up. Despite his better judgement, Jaune slowed so she could catch up. She hesitated, gaze averted from his face. "I – there's something in there I need to see. Let me tag along. I'll stay out of your way."
"Not exactly going in the, ah, legal way. Is that a problem?"
"Even better." She held out one slim hand towards him. "Misaka Mikoto. Just call me Mikoto.."
Blake would probably kill him for dragging some random girl along, but Jaune got the distinct feeling Mikoto would just follow him if he turned her down.
He grasped her hand. "Jaune Arc."
Wait, had he just given her his real name?
Blake it was an accident I promise please don't kill me.
"I won't kill you." Mental-Blake said.
Really?
"Nope. Weiss will."
A/N:
My first forray into crossovers! Gotta say, this was a lot of fun.
My policy with ideas I have is I write up a quick first chapter and see how people like it. If it goes well, I continue and the chapters get longer. If not, I cancel.
What this means is that if you liked it and want more then let me know. Heh heh. This is the only time I'll bother you guys this way, I promise.
The meeting with Misaka is a deliberate nod to her canon meeting with Touma, in case the parallels seem unusually strong. Her character may seem a little off, but part of that is the nature of trying to write dialogue that flows well in English instead of being translated from Japanese. The other part of it is I'm still getting used to her character.
The RWBY cast is a little bit different in this story, especially Jaune. They've been through some rough times. Nothing as crazy as what I did in Polarity though (for those of you who have read it).
For anyone who made it all the way down here, thanks for reading.