Maya let out a long, soft sigh as she glanced up at the towering building only feet away from her. While she was ecstatic to be here, honestly, she was too nervous to feel any kind of positive emotion. This was Beacon Academy, the top school for hunters and huntresses in training. And here stood Maya. Little, meaningless Maya.
She didn't deserve to be here.
Why? She wasn't who she said she was. Hidden behind the hem of her white hood was a sparkling white pair of cub ears, and under her skirt, a fluffy nub sat. She was a Faunus. A Faunus with a secret.
"Hey, you, in the hoodie! Which is super cute, by the way!" The silverette flinched upon hearing someone scream out to her. She tried to play it off as if she didn't hear her, holding onto the article of clothing on her head tightly with one hand, the other tucked away in the sweat-shirt's pocket.
"Aw, c'mooooooooon!" The girl wouldn't give it up, and soon enough, she was tugging on her arm fiercely. Yikes. This girl had a strong grip, for someone who looked so nice. "Just say hi to me!" She begged, blinking as she felt the girl shiver and shake.
Maya whimpered softly, staring up at her with wide, icy blue eyes. Upon seeing the pure fear in her eyes, the girl quickly let go. "Sorry! I totally forgot random strangers don't like being hugged! Ehe, my bad!" She giggled nervously before scoping her most recent victim.
A small, almost toddler-like figure, hardly any chest, only about four feet and six inches…
"Oh, my, god. You're a-a," She paused for dramatic effect.
"A LOLI!" She squealed and hugged her even tighter this time. "Oh my god I've always wanted to meet one of your kind in real life before, like, wow! Oh my god can I date you? Wait, you're so not my type…" The girl rambled on and on endlessly, words getting bunched together faster with each passing sentence.
This was all overwhelming to the small 'loli' as the teenager had called her. Things were getting dizzy- she could hardly breathe in this bear hug. "L… Let g-go… World… D-darker…"
With a large gasp, the girl instantly let go. "Sorry again! Forgot about the whole stranger-hug thing… Again." She scratched the back of her scalp awkwardly. "So, to make sure I don't do it again, why don't we become friends?" She suggested, grinning like an idiot.
She is an idiot if she wants to be friends with me… Maya thought sadly, nodding her head anyways. Why not? Allies could be helpful anyways.
"Really?! Sweet!" She fist bumped the air for a few seconds before clearing her throat. "Anyways, my name's Alyson! Awesome to meet ya!" She held out her hand, which Maya shook, only after examining it with the utmost care. "M-Maya Akemi."
"Akemi, huh? Doesn't that mean flame or somethin'?" A nod was her response.
"So cool!" Alyson's grin got anything but darker as she led Maya in. A reluctant Maya allowed herself to be dragged along.
Maya noticed something going on as she was helplessly dragged. A girl, a Faunus girl, was sitting and reading a book. She hadn't noticed, but a group of four boys were approaching her. Maya tried to scream out a warning. Too late.
"'Ey, kitty! Whatcha readin?" He chuckled grimly as he knocked the book from her hands. Her reaction, however, was numb at best. It was like she didn't care- like she was used to it. "It was a book called 'The Maiden of Feathers."
The boys looked less than happy with her reaction. "Oh yeah, what's it about then, bitch?" The leader of the four growled, picking the book back up. He didn't even bother to read the back.
"A girl, Rosanne, is one of the rarer forum of Faunus; raven. She suffered from abuse for her whole life, but one day, she falls in love with a princess from another kingdom. The princess rejects her at first, but once Rosanne saves her life from a burning castle, the princess finds herself in debt. So, they travel together. Somewhere far away from the ashes of the past." She explained with no emotion whatsoever. But her eyes said enough.
Another boy, the runt, spoke next, "So, it's gay shit?! Ew, what the fuck?!" He snarled and kicked the girl from her seat on the ground, sending her face hurtling to the ground.
"Geez, animals will be animals." The leader spoke before breaking out in a smirk, sending another kick the girl's way.
She was pulled away too quickly to do anything but stare. Once, she locked eyes with the girl. 'I'm sorry'. She mouthed as she went out of her line of sight.
"Oo, an assembly!" Alyson smiled on, pointing to an older male, who stood proudly on a stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Beacon Academy, welcome. Tonight, allow yourselves to relax, make friends. For tomorrow, your first exam will begin." He spoke calmly, expressionless. "Good day." He gave a bow and walked off.
"Wh-who was that?" Maya asked, head cocked to the side. "A-and what exam…?"
Alyson shrugged. "I think that was Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster here. And I have no idea what the heck this exam is! But, I'm sure we can do it, Maya-chan!" She giggled again.
Glancing around revealed two things. One, most everyone had someone to talk to. Two, the only one who didn't had a notebook and a pencil in her hands. Every so often, her black hair would get tangled with her pencil, and she would get in a fluster about getting it out.
Cute, Maya noted. She wondered what she was doing, what she was creating. So, she approached. Slumping down next to her earned her a confused glance, but that was soon replaced with a look of determination as she returned to her creation.
She was drawing a rose. It was beautiful, truly. Maya, one who was never one to talk, finally managed to speak her mind. "… W-wow… Th-that's glorious…" She mumbled, not noticing Alyson's nosebleed from how cute she looked.
Or maybe she was just ignoring her…
"Hm? Oh, thank you." She spoke as if no one had ever complimented her before. "Your name?" She asked in a very half-hearted tone.
Maya stared at the rose. She was so concentrated on it, she barely noticed her question. Once she did, she jerked upwards a bit. "S-sorry!" She spoke as if the girl was about to strike her down. "M-my name is M-Maya Akemi…"
"Flame, huh?" She asked before nodding a few times. "And no need to apologize. I'm Elison." She smiled a bit before returning to her rose.
The ravenette was so concentrated on her drawing, she hardly noticed the group of boys from earlier walking up to her. This time, Maya wouldn't stand if they tried any more funny stuff.
The lead laughed a bit as Maya looked up with horrified eyes. Despite the harsh words swirling through her head at that moment, she could never actually hope to act on them.
"Ey, it's little silver!" He laughed, picking her up by her collar, resulting in a petrified squeak from the smaller party. "You were watching us when we beat up that Faunus earlier, ey?" With a dark chuckle, he shook the poor girl.
Please, hood, stay up…! If she lost her cover this early in, she would never forgive herself. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He snarled, finally dropping her.
No one noticed the small clank sound as Maya hit the floor. She had to act fast- she could be exposed if this continued! She reached into her back pocket as secretly as she could.
Note, Maya was not sneaky.
"She's reachin' for something!" The runt growled, scowl softening as he saw she only had pulled out a small ice crystal. "Whatcha gonna do with that, eh?" He laughed, rather loudly.
Elison and Alyson watched with pitiful yet curious eyes. Elison prepared her own weapon, while Alyson cheered Maya on.
Calm, Maya. Remember; concentrate. Semblance…
And, with a deep breath, the crystal of ice disappeared. Mere moments later, a long, sharp edge was in its place. "Gyakutai!" She smirked, ever so slightly.
It was like the longer she held the weapon, the more of herself she lost.
"Ah, ah… Looks like the boys wanna play, huh?" She laughed. But not a normal laugh. It was as if she was planning mass genocide.
She aimed her weapon directly at the lead's heart. "Too bad for you. I don't work well with others." She lunged forward, grunting with amusement as the boy disappeared, the blade slashing at air.
The boy appeared behind her, eyes wide with shock. His own weapon was now drawn, aimed at the back of her head. It was a crossbow. Very classy.
Maya acted quickly, the blade of ice moving from where he last was to the crossbow. The position was awkward, and it hurt, but she tried to ignore it. "Checkmate." She laughed as she felt the boy recoil in shock.
Instead of acting with the blade, she kicked his right ankle, sending him clashing to the ground. She followed, as the kick had knocked herself off balance.
She landed on top of him, back to him. "You were saying?" The boy smirked, holding the crossbow to her head. Maya let out a little 'tch', left eye twitching. "Fine. I didn't want to make this stupid body weaker, but you've driven me to it."
A small part of Gyakutai was suddenly gone. The boy tilted his head at this, flinching as he felt something bite his arm. It was small bear cub, made completely out of ice. It gnawed and chewed for many moments.
"Ow! Shit, what is this?!" He screamed, but it was too late. That hesitation was all Maya needed to turn the tides, flipping herself over and aiming her blade at his head.
"Checkmate. Again." Her smirk grew all the more twisted as she prepared to thrust. Her hood began to fall, slipping off her head.
She dropped Gyakutai to pull it back up. Maya's eyes widened, realizing she had dropped her weapon, watching as it shattered. She fell over, groaning for several moments. She started to feel faint, and before she knew it, she blacked out.
"… What just happened?" Elison blinked, finally looking up from her rose.
Time skip; That night.
Elison crouched down next to Maya's unconscious body. It had been a while since she had last passed out- was she alright? Could she be dead? Elison quickly checked the girl's pulse. After a second or two of terror, a quick pulsation could be felt.
"Thank god…" She mumbled, breathing out a sigh of relief.
Alyson approached quickly. "How's May-May doing?" She asked, gently poking the paler girl's face. She frowned at the lack of reaction. It was like she thought that an unconscious teenager would actually stir at a poke.
"May-May…?" Elison raised an eyebrow, but said no more of it. "She's, well, not dead."
A sudden hush fell over the three as Maya began to come back to consciousness, eyes fluttering open and closed. Eventually, she managed to keep them open. She felt an acute pain in her temple, causing her to groan.
"Maya!" Elison smiled- well, tried to fake one- as she heard her groan. "We're glad you're alright." Maya merely blinked and tilted her head.
"… Who are you?" She asked quietly, eyes widened. "A-and where am I…?!"
"It's us; Alyson and Elison! Your two best buds!" She exclaimed. "And we're in one of the dorms." Elison added quickly.
Maya's bluish-gray eyes were hazy, at best. At worst, it looked as if she had no pupils. This was the case for several minutes, but soon enough, a white dot could be seen in both of them.
Elison seemed perplexed at this, studying her eyes as closely as she could. "Elison? What happened... To that bully and me…?"
Good, Elison thought. She regained her memory… But that soon? How is that possible?
"You totally kicked his sorry ass! You turned this ice thingy into some sharp thingy and- whoa!" She smiled widely, cocking her head to the side once she saw Maya's look of horror.
I…? Why, why the fuck would I do that?! Maya stared at her hands, watching as they slid oh-so carefully down to her pockets. No ice.
"My ice… Th-there's none here! How long h-has it been s-since I passed out?!" She was in hysterics, eyes darting from one face to the next. "About… Five hours." Elison answered after counting on her fingers.
The pain in her temple spread down to her shoulders. Knowledge was not only power, but also, a huge pain. "I-I've gone… Five hours?" The small girl's voice was growing hoarser and hoarser. "I-I need ice. I-I can ex-explain after, b-but there's not much t-time now." She mumbled, movements suddenly growing groggy.
"Ice? Er… I think there's some in the cooler…" Elison mumbled, stepping up and shuffling her way to a small ice-box, opening it up and picking up a few cubes. She put them on a napkin and walked back to Maya, handing them to her.
Maya took them gratefully. "Thank you…" Her strength instantly seemed to rejuvenate as soon as she came in contact with the ice. "I-I suppose an explanation is in order?" She gave off a small, fake chuckle. No response.
"Well, my semblance is on the, er, weirder side. I can turn any piece of ice into a weapon, which is named Gyakutai. I can then, t-turn said weapon into creatures, the strength based on the sacrifice." She began, giving an example by turning the ice cube into an, albeit smaller, version of Gyakutai.
Only now, Elison was able to take in the weapon's beauty. It was a simple katana, made completely out of silver ice. The blade was sharp, and the hilt had a small claw mark it. She vowed to sketch it one day, if she could ever give it justice.
"Whenever I take her back," she then, made the weapon evaporate. "the ice it was formed with disappears." She put her hand on another cube, sighing in content as she felt the coolness. "But I need the ice. If I go twenty-four hours without it, I perish. So, I try to ration." She suddenly looked away. Please don't ask…
"Why did you go all nuts?"
Dammit. Maya looked frightened of the question, as if her answer would change her friends' views on her. "I… Whenever Gyakutai comes in contact with me, the full Gyakutai, out of a full ice shard… I lose myself. A different, ugly side of me appears. I lose control." She could feel a few tears form in the corners of her eyes.
"One more thing, if I stay as, her for too long… She kinda takes over. D-didn't I lose my memory earlier?" She asked, her head bobbing upwards as Elison gave a nod. "Yup. I-If she was in control for longer, the memory loss would be much more dramatic. I'd panic, and either summon Gyakutai, or reveal secrets out of desperation. She'd take over, while I was weak, and most likely without much ice." She bit her lip, bracing herself for the harsh words she expected to receive.
She was taken aback when all she received was a long, tight hug from Alyson. "Wow, that's like… Terrible. You'll always in a battle with yourself? That's terrible! Totally, the worst!" She was obviously fighting back tears, and failing pretty hardcore. "But you have us now, May-May! We'll never let her-you-whatever, win!"
Elison nodded in agreement, fishing for Maya's hand through Alyson's death-grip. Once she found it, she grasped it tightly.
Maya's eyes widened, for at least the tenth time for today. Had she made… Friends? She was too caught up in the hug to notice her hood was completely off.
She had been laying on a bed for at least five hours, with a curious Alyson, the wind's gusts, and an anxious Elison. It was inevitable.
Time skip; that night
It was as quiet as quiet came in that fateful dorm. The Faunus was fast asleep, cuddling with a small blanket she had brought with her. She was sprawled out everywhere.
Elison glanced over at Alyson, who was surprisingly calm. Her amber eyes seemed to glow as she stared at the normally hyper girl. "So, we both know about her bear ears, and her likely bear tail?"
A nod came from Alyson.
"Well, we shan't let her know. If she wants it to be a secret, let it be. Then, this will be ours." Elison held a hand out to the redhead.
"Deal?" She questioned, smiling faintly as she received a shake from her hand.
They froze as they head the fidgeting of Maya, mumbling something in her sleep. She was suffering from a night-terror. Alyson went to calm her, but Elison interjected before she ever got the chance.
Elison shuffled over to Maya and sat down on the bed, after finally finding a place to sit, anyways. "Sleep calmly, little cub." She whispered softly and laid down next to her.
"I'll be here to guide your dreams safely." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around the petite girl's figure.
Alyson nearly died from a nosebleed.
Hello! Welcome to my first RWBY fanfiction! Before anything, I must state a few answers to questions I probably will receive.
Q; Why aren't they named after colors/the hell is their group name?
A; This is set in a slight AU, or, more accurately, an altered time. It's far in the future, incase you failed to notice the description. I think I added that… owo. But, the fad of naming children after colors has faded. And the team name, is also, not based on any colors/planets/celestial bodies.
Q; You already introduced a pairing?
A; Not necessarily. That may have been Elison being Elison. You won't know… ;)
Q; Plot, or fluff, or what?
A; I'm trying to keep it as plot-driven as possible, but there might be a few fluffy chapters.
Q; How long will you actually update this for?
A; Probably until it's no longer needed.
Q; When will you update this?
A; I'll try to get this thing out every other week. Try. Some may be a bit earlier, other a bit late.
Well, that's all you need to know for now. :). The next chapter may be one of the early ones. I'm super pumped for this! There are only, like, 206(?) days until Volume 3! Praying for White Rose.
Hope you enjoyed!