AS THE CROW FLIES: CHAPTER ONE...
Hi guys, RWBY fanfic starting here. This is a pilot right now so I'm sorry if the chapters are short. I hope you guys will stick with it for me. For those that didn't see it in the description, this fic is set roughly three years after the current RWBY canon, so Ruby would be around eighteen years old. Enjoy!
oO0Oo
My joints creaked as I dragged myself out of bed. Training yesterday was brutal, and my sore body was a stark reminder of how much faster I needed to be. Qrow Branwen was a demigod in the arena. His scythe flashed too fast for the eye to follow, and he was deceptively light on his feet. I could still feel the throb in my chest where he'd roundhouse kicked me to the ground. He'd shot me a crooked smile and offered me a hand up. 'Better luck next time, kid' he'd said before hauling me to my feet.
I rolled my eyes in the dark, shrugging on my Huntress gear. Grabbing my weapon, I kicked the door shut and headed out. No doubt Qrow would be late, or drunk. Probably both. Besides, maybe being early was a good thing after yesterday. A few laps around the training grounds would stretch out my bruised limbs.
I strode through the halls and out onto the arena floor. To my surprise, Qrow was already there, jogging at a steady pace.
"Working on your cardio?"
"Something like that." He looked tired. Dark circles weighed heavy under his eyes and his hair was ruffled. He slowed to a stop beside me and pulled his huge sword out of the dirt like it weighed nothing. "You're early."
"So are you. Did you even sleep?"
"I can sleep when I'm dead." He swung the weapon round, balancing it on his shoulder as he shoved his other hand deep into his pocket.
"Aren't combat trainers meant to be alert when they're teaching?"
"I could kick your ass blindfolded so what difference does it make?" I caught the crooked smile he sent my way and laughed.
"Asshole."
"We're not weapons training today anyway." He walked to the side of the arena and propped his weapon up out of the way, holding his hand out for mine. I clutched the double-blade to my chest for a second, before reluctantly letting him take it. As the blade left my hand, the glowing blue vine work on its hilt dulled to silver. He raised his eyebrows, bringing a blush to my cheeks.
"Shut up," I grumbled. He snorted and laid my weapon aside. "What are we doing instead of weapons training?"
"Close combat." He removed his cape and dumped it by his sword. "No armour. You need to learn to protect yourself without it." I swallowed as he began unbuttoning his shirt. He was gonna kick my ass into next week. He slipped the shirt off quickly and hung it from the hilt of his sword, rolling his shoulders to loosen them. The muscles in his neck hitched as he cracked it, and I felt my heart thump nervously. There was no way I could take him in a fight. As he untucked his tank top from the waist band of his trousers, I unfastened my gauntlets, ignoring the steady thrum of my pulse.
"Did your shirt really count as armour?" I asked.
"You ever wonder why I always wear the same thing all the time?"
"Because armour is expensive and you prefer to buy whiskey?"
"Smart ass. The only protection I need is the Dust sewn into the shirt. It regenerates my aura faster in a fight. Other than that, I find armour heavy, and my weapon weighs enough." He gestured at the huge sword leaning against the wall.
"Huh, I never knew you needed Dust to fight." He shrugged, and the muscles in his broad shoulders shifted gently beneath his skin. A shiver of fear ran down my back; Qrow was built for war.
"With a Semblance like mine, Dust can be the difference between life and death." He shot me a smile. "Besides, I look good in shirts."
"So that's what it's really about." I dropped my gear on the ground, reduced down to my vest and leather trousers. Without the shin guards attached to them, my boots felt oddly light.
"Half the fun of being a Hunter is looking good," he answered. "Chicks dig it." I threw my jacket at him.
"Pig!" He chuckled, tossing it to the side with our stuff. I'd cut out my tongue before I'd admit to Qrow that I thought he looked good. The idea stuck in my throat like tar. He ran a hand through his dark hair and beckoned me forward.
"Anyway, I should teach you something before Ozpin gets here."
"Ozpin's coming?" I whined. Great, my ass-kicking would have an audience.
"Yeah, said he had a job for us so I told him we'd be here." He walked into the middle of the arena. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya," he said over his shoulder. I felt my anger spike and rushed forward, throwing myself into sparring before my nerves got the best of me. I swung a fist down towards his shoulder and he blocked it with his elbow like it was nothing, his other arm swinging round as he spun. His fist connected heavily with my arms as I covered up and rolled away.
"Rule number one," he said, holding up a finger as we circled. "Don't underestimate your opponent." He lunged forwards and sent a kick into my thigh, driving me to the ground. I gritted my teeth and rolled away, trying to give myself space. When I found my feet he was already on me, sending a flurry of elbows and knees anywhere he could reach, forcing me to cover up and back away again. As my arms began to throb with the effort of fending him off, I took a desperate chance and ducked under his next swing, spinning to face away from him as I ducked. His chest collided with my back and I used his forward momentum to hook my arms around his shoulders and throw him over me. It was going well until he got a grip on my wrists. I barely had time to gasp as he landed perfectly on his feet and tossed me over him like I weighed nothing, using my own forward motion to throw me further with minimal effort.
"Rule number two," he said as I bounced off the dirt. "Think before you act. If your opponent is bigger than you, don't use your body weight to attack. A bigger guy can throw you further, like I just did."
"You said you were gonna go easy on me," I groaned, flexing my shoulder as I stood. While I was bruised and sweating, Qrow was unruffled. He stood in front of me with one hand resting casually on his hip.
"I am going easy on you. If I was being hard you'd be unconscious."
"Don't I know it," I muttered. He settled back into a fighting stance and waited for me to attack. I was aching and tired but I obeyed and advanced on him again. I chose my attacks carefully this time, forcing him to block. I could see the smile on his face as he watched me get angrier. Every time he sidestepped or slapped my hands away I let out a frustrated grunt. And then all of a sudden, my foot struck his cheekbone with enough force to stagger him. A small split opened up on his cheek, releasing a thin line of blood. His grin grew wider.
"Damn, it's been a while since I've seen my own blood. Well done, kid." He wiped the back of his hand across the wound and his aura began to glow faintly. When it faded, the cut was gone. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but movement to our right caught his attention. His expression darkened and he went to collect his shirt. I watched as he buttoned it back up, mildly disappointed by the sight. I looked away quickly, busying myself with my own armour before he noticed my blush.
"Good afternoon Qrow, Brynn." Ozpin's greeting was pleasant as he walked towards us. If it wasn't for his eyes, I'd never know he was thousands of years old. His latest form, a boy named Oscar, was still an inch shorter than me and a full head or more shorter than Qrow, but he walked with purpose and his green eyes held a wisdom that his outer appearance disguised.
"Oz," Qrow answered, clipping his cape back on. He strapped his sword across his back and came to stand beside the Headmaster.
"I trust you're being nice to your student?"
"You can hardly call me a student, I graduated years ago." I finished fastening my shin guards to my boots and stood up straight, folding my arms across my chest.
"And yet you're being trained here at Beacon." He shot me a wry smile as he spoke. "Which makes you a student once again."
"I don't go to classes, I just get my ass kicked by Qrow."
"For good reason. If you want to get back into being a Huntress you need proper training. But I'm afraid I need to cut your lessons short." He looked at Qrow for a while, who stood with an unreadable expression on his face. Eventually, he nodded and reached for his flask, throwing back a large amount of whiskey and glowering. The unspoken communication between them set my nerves jangling.
"What?" I looked between them both. "What is it?" Qrow turned to face me, rubbing a hand through his hair.
"We're off to visit your mother."
oO0Oo
The airship was waiting for us as we stepped outside. I was clad in my full gear, cloak drawn close around my shoulders against the winter chill. Qrow walked beside me in silence, looking deep in thought. He was probably pissed that we had to visit my home so soon, since my mother hated him. In fact, hate wasn't a strong enough word.
"You know, you never told me why my mother can't stand you." The dark cloud lifted from his face for a moment as he turned his attention to me.
"Yeah, and there's a reason for that, kid."
"Oh come on, it's not like I'm gonna freak out. And don't call me kid, I'm thirty one."
"Yeah but you're tiny." I pouted at him and he sighed, but his eyes glinted mischievously. "You really want to know what I did?"
"I think we've reached a point where nothing you do shocks me anymore."
"Alright, but you better not hit me."
"I won't hit you."
"I slept with your cousin." I stopped walking abruptly. He carried on for a few paces before turning back to face me, planting himself out of arms reach.
"...Which cousin?" I asked slowly. He grinned at me, waiting for the penny to drop. "Both of them?! Are you freaking kidding me?" I stared at him in disbelief.
"What?"
"You're the guy!" I burst into fits of laughter. "You slept with Charity and told her you thought it was her sister!" I was still laughing. "You're such an asshole! I can't believe they never told me that was you," I cackled.
"Hey, I didn't know which one I was sleeping with, they're identical." He shrugged like that made it okay. "And it's shady that Charity wanted me when she knew I was seeing her sister." He was smiling broadly, clearly proud of himself. "Wow, that was back when I graduated Beacon. Are they really still mad?"
"They loathe you, Qrow. Seriously, if they're visiting my mother when we get there, you'd better hide."
"What can I say? I've always been a ladies man. I hit on your cousins while wearing a skirt and it worked. That right there was legendary."
"I've heard that story so many times, didn't Taiyang tell you it was a kilt?"
"Hey, I came from a tribe. I'd never worn a uniform so how was I to know?" I couldn't answer him, I was laughing so hard I snorted. He ruffled my hair and started heading towards the airship.
"I wish somebody had gotten a picture of that," I giggled, unable to stop.
"Hey, if you want to see my legs all you have to do is ask." He winked at me, dodging the punch I aimed at his shoulder with a chuckle. As we stepped inside the airship, I took a seat by the window. Qrow sat opposite, propping his feet up on the bench next to him.
"Yeah, in your dreams Bird Boy," I answered, still laughing. "You'd be lucky to have me."
"No thanks, I like living. Your cousins would kill me."
"My mother would kill you." He chuckled at the way I said mother, taking a swig from his flask.
"She doesn't have to know." He winked at me again.
"You're such a creep." He laughed properly this time, before settling back to shut his eyes for the flight. After a while his breathing deepened, and I found myself studying him. I was fond of Qrow, despite what people thought of him. To others, he was an asshole with a drinking problem. Many people thought he was a disgrace to Hunters and Huntresses. The truth was, he was the opposite. He'd saved Remnant multiple times over in his life. To the people who knew him, he was funny, childish, and fiercely protective. He was a skilled fighter and a good man, who loved his nieces like they were his own children. It was rare that he genuinely smiled, but for them he smiled all day. He'd had a rough life so far, made worse by his Semblance and Ozpin's reliance on him. I felt bad that he'd missed out on the chance to live a normal life.
Eventually I drifted off to the calming hum of the airship as it carried us to Mistral. I dreamed of birds and Grimm and my mother smacking Qrow with a ladle. I woke up briefly when turbulence stirred me, and I felt Qrow slide something soft under my head. I drifted off again, too tired to thank him.
oO0Oo
"Brynn, come on kid, you gotta get up." I groaned, batting at the hands that were shaking my shoulders. I was ready to punch someone when I felt the airship jolt around me and sat bolt upright, smashing my forehead into Qrow's face by mistake. He straightened up quickly, clapping a hand over his freshly bleeding nose as dizzying lights burst in front of my eyes. "God damn this mother fuckin' Semblance," Qrow growled. "Strap yourself in, the engines keep cutting out and we're coming in heavy."
"Are we gonna die?"
"I hope not." He pinched the bridge of his nose to stem the flow of blood pumping down his face.
"Seriously? That's your answer?"
"I'm a little preoccupied with the fact you just broke my nose to come up with anything better."
"That'll teach you to wake a sleeping Huntress." The noise in the cabin was getting louder. I could hear erratic beeping in the cockpit as the craft shook.
"Hold on people, it's gonna be bumpy!" The pilot called back to us and I began to panic. We weren't strapped in and I could see the ground careening towards us at an alarming pace. Blood still flowed freely from Qrow's nose, staining his shirt as he tried to steady himself. His eyes kept flicking round the cabin to the window as we neared our crash zone, but neither of us could get tothe benches to strap in. Suddenly, the aircraft dropped several feet and we staggered as or world tilted wildly, turning the cabin almost on its side. I gasped as our unsecured weapons flew off the bench and rushed towards us across the wide space. Qrow's heavy sword gained momentum quickly, on a course to skewer me. Something heavy knocked the wind out of me, and I was thrown to the ground a second before the blade split the air where I'd been standing. I continued to roll as the cabin tilted again, bouncing across the rough metal floor until I hit the wall with a grunt. My hair was tangled around my face and my vision swam as I struggled to suck in a breath, winded by whatever fell off the wall and landed on me.
The aircraft righted itself and the engines roared to life, drawing a hollering cheer from the pilot. The craft groaned and creaked as the sky resumed its rightful place and I saw my weapon slide across the floor and settle in front of me.
"What happened?" I called, heart hammering in my throat.
"I got the engines working. We're not gonna crash but I'm not taking you any further. I thought the stuff about his Semblance was a joke." The pilot sounded shaken, and my hair was still in my face as I struggled to untangle my arms from the mess of equipment I was stuck in.
"You can't do that, we paid you for the full trip. Maybe this tin can is on its way out, it could be nothing to do with Qrow."
"I've flown this craft for three years without a problem lady. I'll take you to the nearest safe landing spot but I ain't dying for this. You can both find your own way back." He refused to answer me after that, so I stopped trying to speak to him and carried on untangling myself. Qrow groaned in pain as I finally freed my arms. I pushed the hair out of my face and inhaled sharply at what I saw.
I lurched across the space towards him, staring in horror as a dark stain spread out over his shirt. He opened his red eyes slowly and took in the blade that impaled him, sticking through his stomach and piercing the cabin wall behind. His feet hung a foot off the ground. He coughed, blood spattering his chin as he tried to speak.
"Well, fuck," was all he could say.
oO0 CYANIDE 0Oo