hey hope you enjoy, chapter 1. I do not own RWBY
A quick thanks to Mortisvenom for being my beta reader.
Heat, Fire and smoke. That was all that was left of a small town outside the walls of Vale. The people were either slaughtered by the bandits, eaten by the grimm or running into the night for there lives. Execpt for one seven year old girl who was currently trapped inside a burning building. The building was three stories high and had been decorated greatly, there used to be a small garden out side but know it was all ash. Part of the building had collapsed, and blocked the doorway. The little girls amber eye's glinted with the relection of the powerful flames in front of her, one of her hands was held up to her nose in an effort to filter out the flames but to no avial. Everytime she would breath in a cloud of smoke would go through her nostrils inflicting pain as they coursed through her nasal passage. The little girl franticaly turned around looking for another way to escape. A large burning piece of wood fell on top of the black haired girl's back pinning her to the ground. Knocking her out as well as burning her lower back muscles quiet a bit.
She woke up, thinking to herself that she was probably dead, but to her surprise, she was being carried by a young man that could not be more then 18 or 19, he had spikey black hair, dull red eyes, and smelled like whiskey, even though he was still underage. "It's okay, I got you." The man said, his voice was a little gravelly but at the same time smooth it was a weird combination of both. The amber eyed girl closed her eyes and fell asleep from exhaustion.
"Qrow, where the hell have you been?" A red eyed girl with long and thick black hair asked.
"Well, if you havn't noticed that there is a whole town up in flames over there. Raven." Qrow responded as he laid the sleeping girl by a nearby tree.
"Yeah, well if you havn't noticed yourself that that fire is going to be a beacon for every Grimm in about ten miles." Raven said. "Who is that?"
"I saved her from a burning building in the town." Qrow responded.
A blonde man ran out from the shadows panting, he also appeared to be the same age as Qrow, and Raven. "Summer says that the is a large pack of beowulfs coming this way and that we have to move." The man said breatlessly.
"Oh my God, Tai are you okay?" Raven said as she ran over to him to check on him.
"Yeah, I am fine. Just a little out of breath" Tai said as he gave Raven a small kiss.
"If you two are done loving each other we got another problem." Qrow said as he pointed to the sleeping form of the young girl sleping by the tree near them.
"Damn, where did she come from?" Tai asked.
"Qrow, disobeyed our orders by going down to the town and saving the girl." Raven said.
"Snitch." Qrow muttered.
Raven began walking up to Qrow. "What did you say to me?" Raven said.
"You heard me I called you a snitch." Qrow said calmly.
"Oh, that it first you disobey orders and now you call me a snitch!" Raven said as she ran towards Qrow her fist raised.
Tai intervened. "Guys calm down, the grimm are coming, so we can't fight, not here, not now." Tai said.
Raven let her fists drop to her sides, "Fine, what are we going to do about the girl?"
"I'll carry her." Qrow responded. "She doesn't weigh much, it shouldn't slow me down."
"Okay. Now lets move." Tai said as he began to run back to where he came from.
Raven shot Qrow one last angry look and then left to follow Tai. Qrow sighed and grabbed the girl, slung her over his shoulder and ran into the night.
A few hours later
The little girl awoke slowly, and as she opened her eyes she realized that she was in a hospital, to her right there was the same young man alseep in her chair next to her. She sat up and winced as her burned muscles extended causing her pain. She shook the man shoulder.
"Ah, who woke me, I swear if that was you..." Qrow said, then realizing who had woken him up. "Hey, how you feeling? you took quite a hit back there."
"Where my mom and my dad?" The little girl asked, already fearing the answer.
"I couldn't save them, I am sorry." Qrow said sadly, as he saw the black haired girl begin to cry. "Hey, Its okay. Whats your name?"
"My name? I- I don't know." The girl said, as she racked her brain searching for her name.
"Oh, yeah the doctors said that, that could happen. Don't worry you'll remember your name in no time." Qrow said. "How about I call you... Cinder."
"Why Cinder?" The girl said as she cocked her head to the side a little.
"Because,I found you underneath some cinders. Also I can't think of any other name right now." Qrow said.
"Cinder, hmmm, I like it. Thanks." Cinder said.
A woman appeared from the door way, she had a white cape on and her hair was brown until it reached her tips where the color turned to red. Her eyes where silver and she had a serious look on her face. "Qrow, a word?" She asked, making it sound more like a command then a request.
Qrow sighed, "Of course Summer, See ya kiddo." He said as he ruffled Cinder's hair a little.
Cinder giggled as Qrow left the room.
Ten years later.
Cinder had grown up, going from foster home to foster home, it wasn't that bad though because Qrow would visit her every couple months. He was very proud of Cinder, when she had told him that she had appiled of Signal academy, and even more proud when she told her she had got in. That had been four years ago, now she was in her fourth and final year at Signal and she was already as good as some of her teachers. She was an extremely fast learner. Right now she was taking her final, but little did she know that two people where watching her every move through the screen of a scroll.
The two men watching her, was no other then Qrow and another man with silver hair and brown eyes named was Ozpin.
"She is indeed quite good for her age." Ozpin said as he watched Cinder quickly dispatch her sparring partner.
"Yeah, she is. But, is the right person for the job. How do you Salem would even like her?" Qrow asked.
"Oh, trust me I know. Miss. Fall is intelligent, strong and some times unmerciful. She is the perfect for the job." Ozpin said.
"You sure." Qrow asked.
"Quite sure." Ozpin responded.
"When should we ask her?" Qrow said.
"Right after she finishes her exam." Ozpin said.
Thirty minutes later.
Cinder was sitting in an office, it had a big desk in the middle and behind it a large window. Cinder had been surprised when right after she had finished the exam she was called into the headmasters office.
She sat quietly waiting for someone to enter. Thirty seconds later she heard the door open and a familiar voicce call out. "Hey, Cinder how have you been?"
"Qrow! what are you doing here I thought you were on a mission." Cinder said as she turned around to see the familiar shape of Qrow behind her.
"It ended early." Qrow lied, "But, we can catch up later. Right now there is some one that wants to meet you." Qrow said as he stepped to the side, revealing professor Ozpin standing behind him.
"Good afternoon Miss Fall. My name is professer Ozpin." He said as he strode behind the desk, before siting down. "Do you know who I am?"
"Of course you are professer Ozpin, headmaster of beacon academy and youngest to earn the headmaster postion for any of the academies." Cinder responded cooly.
"Well, I just came here to tell you that you did a great job in the final exam." Ozpin said.
"It was easy." Cinder said.
"Isn't that being a little too prideful, Miss Fall?" Ozpin said.
"It would be if it isn't true." Cinder replied. "and with all do respect professor, a headmaster of one of the four best academies, does not just come to tell a student that they did a good job. So what do you really want?" Cinder asked.
Ozpin chuckled softly. "Right down to buisness. Fine, Miss Fall. What is your favorite fairy tail?"
"So you are telling me that there is a grimm master and her name is Salem?" Cinder asked.
"Correct." Ozpin confirmed.
"And you want me to spy on her for you?" Cinder asked.
"No Miss Fall I want you to get into her inner circle and kill her, any means necessary. This is not going to be easy to gain her trust you will have to do things that will horrify you, but in the long run you will help more people then kill people. You don't have to decided now, bu-"
"I'll do it." Cinder said.
"You sure." Ozpin asked.
Cinder nooded, "I need to hear you say it."
"I will go kill Salem for you." Cinder said her eyes filled with strength and determination.
"Great." Ozpin said.
"What do I do so she can contact me." Cinder asked.
"Oh, she'll come to you." Qrow said.
"Okay, Miss Fall you are free to leave." Ozpin said.
Cinder left the room and headed for her dorm room.
Two years later.
Cinder was walking to her apartment after working out, she turned the corner to a lonely alley way, when suddenly a large bag was placed or her head and a needle was injected to the back of her neck. She passed out in seconds.
The next time Cinder woke up, she was tied to chair in a large room with a long table in the middle it had chairs on either end and one slightly larger chair in the front of the table. She looked outside one of the windows to her side and saw that she was probably in the mountains north of Atlas. "How the hell did I get here?" Cinder thought, just as the doors behind her opened, she looked behind her and a woman strode in her skin was deathly white with dark red veins running through out her body. her eyes were a cold red, that sent shivers down Cinders spine.
"Hello, Cinder you are probably wondering why you are here?" Salem said in a voice that sounded nice but beneath the surface filled with evil and malice.
"Yeah, and a couple other things, like who the hell are you?" Cinder said calmly.
"We'll you are here for a once in a life time chance." Salem said as she waved her hands and the ropes that tied Cinder down came undone.
"And what is that?" Cinder said as she rubbed her wrists.
"The chance to join me and when I reshape this awful world,and if you help you will have an important part in the new world." Salem said.
"Ozpin was right she really is crazy." Cinder thought. "Sure, what do you need me to do." She said.
"I need you to prove that you will be loyal to me." Salem said as she sat down in the front of the table and crossed her legs. "Bring her out."
Two men walked in the room dragging a woman, Cinder reconized the woman from the woman that she had met the night she had met Qrow. She had also known that Summer was sent out on a solo mission and never returned, she had been presumed dead. They set her down, kneeling in front of Cinder while a third man walked in and handed Cinder her weapon, her weapon was in the bow and arrow mode and right next to it was one sharp arrow.
"Kill her." Salem said as she rested her head on her palm.
Cinder hesitated, before grabbing her weapon and notching her arrow. She pulled back and aimed at Summer's chest. Summer looked up and recognition flashed in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Cinder had already let the arrow go. The arrow struck true and an arrow appeared in Summer's chest. She collapsed into a pool of blood. Cinder didn't cry, she didn't scream, she showed nothing, no fear, no joy, just nothing. Cinder wanted to cry she just killed some one that helped her escape from the burning village in cold blood. She felt horrible, she felt like a piece of her soul had died and it was never coming back. Then Ozpin's words flashed through her mind. "This is not going to be easy to gain her trust you will have to do things that will horrify you, but in the long run you will help more people then kill people." Althought to Cinder, right now it didn't feel that way. She felt horrible.
Salem began to clap and that brought Cinder back to reality. "My, My, I never thought that you would actually do that, but clearly I was mistaken."
"What do you want me to do?" Cinder asked, still showing no emotion.
"Take this scroll and go to Vale I'll contact you from there." Salem said as she flicked her wrist and a woman carrying a scroll came handed Cinder the scroll and left. "Now go."
"Of course." Cinder said as she bowed and left the room.
She was led to an self-automated airship , and as soon as the doorshut behind her, Her mask of no emotion broke and she began to sob. "This is going to be a lot harder then I thought."
Three months later.
Cinder had been working in the shadows for the past few months conducting a string of dust robberies. She had been forced to kill people multiple times and each time it felt more and more easy, and that scared her. She was also forced to work with a criminal named Roman Torchwick, he was smart, but an idiot at the same time.
It is early morning and the sun was just begining to peak from the horizon. Cinder was sleeping in her small bed room and ever since she started this job her sleep had been plagued by nightmares, she had never forgotten a face of her victims, and they would plague her in her dreams. Cinder woke up with a gasp as she quickly sat up, she was covered in cold sweat and her hair was damp and stuck to her skin. She looked around, her breathing was heavy and iregular. It took her a full minute until she had calmed down.
Cinder leaned over to her nightstand and checked her scroll, there was a new message.
Robbery tonight, dust shop: From Dust till Dawn. Be at the docks by 7pm.
Cinder quickly texted Qrow who had chosen to be handler.
Dust Robbery tonight, we are hiting the small store From Dust till Dawn, tell Ozpin remove all police and huntsman from that area at seven pm.
Twenty minutes later Cinder got a text back.
Qrow: Got it. I know what you are doing is hard but it is for a good cause.
Cinder: Yeah, I know.
Cinder leaned against the back of the bed and for some reason she remembered Summer, that woman had been plagueing Cinder's dreams a lot. Everytime she would wake up drenched in sweat and she would hate herself for doing what she had done. But, in the end she told herself the end justifies the means. She knew that wasn't the actual quote but it did make her feel better.
Cinder: Hey, Qrow. Did Summer have a family.
Qrow: Yeah two daughters, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. Why do you asked? Do you know something?
Cinder: No, I was just wondering.
Cinder had chosen not to tell any one about Summer because she was worried that Qrow would end up hating her.
Qrow: Okay, I got to go. Good luck.
Cinder: Thanks, but luck has nothing to do with it.
Cinder spent the rest of the day, training and getting her stuff ready for that night.
7PM Docks.
Cinder had chosen to dress in her dust embroided red dress with a gold trim, she was walking by the docks, crossing multiple warehouses and crates before arriving to her desired destination, The air field. Cinder took a deep breath in and slowly let it out before walking towards Roman.
"Ah, you are finally here." Roman said with a smirk.
"Shut up, Roman I have more important things to do then be here with you." Cinder replied coldly.
"Ah, that hurts Cindy." Roman said.
Cinder began to choke Roman and said, "Don't ever call me that again."
"Yes ma'am" Roman chocked out. Cinder let her arms fall to her side and she walked onto an airship, her high heeled shoes making soft clicks on the hard metal.
Few hours later.
"What the hell happened out there Roman. This was supposed to be an easy job?" Cinder basicly screamed.
"Well I'll tell you what happened a random girl with a red cape happened. One of my men tried to rob her and then she completley destroyed all of my whimpy men. The shots must've lured the professional huntress toward us." Roman replied.
"Fine, just next time make sure that you have men that can beat up a ten year old." Cinder said as she squeezed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index.
"Actually I think she was around fourteen." Roman responded.
"Shut up! I don't care." Cinder screamed out.
"Okay, fine. Geez you are such a hot head." Roman said as he put up his hands for protection.
"Agh!" Cinder said as she stormed out of the room. "I'll meet you tomorrow with more orders." Cinder said as she walked back to her apartment.
As soon as Cinder entered her apartment she grabbed the scroll that she contacts Qrow with and was not surprised to see a text message.
Qrow: What the hell happened? This was supposed to be an easy op. Not a complete blow out. Know people are suspecting that Roman has a partner.
Cinder: Everything was acording to plan until a little girl showed up and ruined everything. Who is she?
Qrow: Oh, that was Ruby Rose, my niece.
Cinder: Ruby Rose, Summer's daughter? Cinder felt a pang in her heart as she realized that she had been the one that left Ruby with out a mother. The thought that she actually did that sickened her to her core, but she comforted herself by saying that is was all part of the job, she had chosen.
Qrow: That's the one.
Cinder: Okay. As soon as Cinder finished texting, she felt a buzz in her pocket and checked her other scroll. The one that Salem contacted her with. She read the text, the text said that Salem wanted Cinder to go and become the next fall maiden. She left instruction on how to find some back up, and how to reap the powers of the fall maiden.
Cinder: Qrow we got a problem.
Qrow: What is it?
Cinder: Salem wants me to steal the fall maidens powers.
Qrow: Shit, I need to talk to Ozpin. This changes things, I will call you in a few hours. Stay alert for my call.
Cinder: Got it.
Cinder then began to read through Salems instrucrions, memorizing each word before erasing the whole chat.
A couple of hours later Cinder heared the familier sound of her scroll recieving a call, she had been in the middle of working out. Doing her routine which was based of krunch ups and pushups as well as some pull ups. She grabbed a nearby towel and cleaned off her sweaty face. She walked over, and picked up the scroll and answered it,
"Hey Qrow " Cinder said, as she rubbed the back of her neck with the towel. "What did Ozpin say?"
"He gave us a green light. On one condition." Qrow said.
"What?" Cinder asked.
"That I break the bond between you and the current fall maiden before the transition is complete." Qrow stated.
"Okay, but if that means that we are going to fight, I don't like your chances, old man." Cinder said with a smile.
"Speak for yourself, and never call me old again." Qrow said seriously.
"Fine I will text you the instructions, so that you can know when to interfere." Cinder replied amused.
"Okay, bye Cinder. Oh, and you are doing great, I am proud of you." Qrow said before hanging up.
Three weeks later. Three days after Qrow severed the connection between Cinder and Amber.
Cinder was walking through the halls of Beacon with Mercury and Emerald. It was werid walking through the halls, since she always imagined herself being a student instead of being undercover there so she can eventualy destroy the school.
Cinder had literaly just bumped into Ruby Rose, and her heart had beated rapidly and she felt the sickness in her stomach increase tenfold while she talked with Ruby. But she didn't show any emotion when she talked she remained cool and collected on the outside while on the inside she felt like begging the girl to forgive her. Ruby was so happy and cheerful, this is not the kind of girl that deseves her mother being coldly ripped away. "It just isn't fair, that someone so young and full of inocence gets forced to grow up with out a mom."Cinder thought to herself as she walked into her new dorm room with Mercury and Emerald. She looked at her scroll to see a new text from Salem, she opened her scroll and read it.
Cinder I need you to make a list for all the potential threats lurking in Beacon, so I sugest you get to know as much students as you can. Continue the dust roberries until I tell you to stop. Do not disappoint me again, Cinder.
Cinder shivered at the thought of disappointing Salem, not because she would feel bad if she did but because she was scared of what Salem would do to her if she did disappoint. "Salem was crazy, but she was still extremly powerfull." Cinder thought to herself.
"Alright, Emerald I need you to become friends with Team RWBY and analize them to see if they are threats to Salem, Mercury I need you to take your testosterone somewhere else and use it to make some friends with team SSSN" Cinder said.
"Of course, Cinder." Emerald said and left the dorm.
Mercury sighed, "Sure, why not." He said as he also left the room.
"Who are you going to analiize?" He asked as he left the door way.
"Team JNPR." Cinder said.
"Oh, you going after that red head." Mercury asked.
"What, how did you know that I was a lesb..." Cinder said as her eyes first went wide with shock then narrowed with suspicion.
"I didn't, until know." Mercury said with a smile.
"Why, you little son of a bi" Cinder started but Mercury shut the door behind him as he left. His laughter could be heard from the hallway.
Cinder had her reasons why she chose JNPR. One, that way she would have as little comunication with Team RWBY as possible, because she would probably crack if she had to keep talking to Ruby. She would end up telling her everything and that would be bad. Two, she chose Team JNPR because Mercury would get along with team SSSN much better then with team JNPR.
Cinder was walking by a long hallway, she turned the corner and bumped into someone.
"Sorry." They both said at a time. They both looked up and Amber met Emerald, and suddenly the world seem to slow down and as Cinder and Pyrrha felt something click in their minds.
"Hi I am Pyrrha." Pyrrha said as she extended a hand towards Cinder.
"Hey, my name is Cinder." Cinder said as she shook Pyrrha's hand, she immediatley realized how soft Pyrrha's skin was.
"And my name is Nora!" Nora said as she popped her head between Pyrrha and Cinder.
"Ahh!" Both Cinder and Pyrrha said at the same time.
A man appeared next to them, he had longish hair and his eyes were a pale pink color.
"Come on, Nora. Let's leave these two alone." Ren said as he began to drag Nora away from Pyrrha.
"So, are you new? I've never seen you before." Pyrrha said.
"yeah, transfered from heaven." Cinder replied.
"Oh, so you are here for the vital festival tornament?" Pyrrha asked, as her eyes scanned Cinder, already looking for any weaknesses that she might have.
"Yeah." Cinder said.
"Well since you are new here, why don't I show you around Beacon." Pyrrha asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.
"Sure, that would be nice." Cinder responded, before her brain could think about what was going on, and how it might effect her mission.
"Great, I have so many places I want to show you." Pyrrha said as she began to walk back down the hallway she came from.
Cinder followed, smiling.
Hope you enjoyed chapter one. Reviews are greatly appreciated.