Author's Corner: Gee, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I'll cut to the chase. Apparently this week is RWBY shipping week, or so I've been told. As such, I put every character's name into a randomizer, spun it twice, and am now writing a fic based off the pairing.

I got Cardin and Adam. RedBull.

Lord forgive me.

It felt like it was all over.

Beacon was gone, taken over by Grimm.

Half of Vale was practically rubble.

His teammates had all disappeared, likely seeking shelter while he foolishly tried to take on so many Grimm all by himself. It was a stupid move, and he had almost gotten killed.

Now, here he lay, in a small side alley in the city, holding his side, where he was certain a rib was cracked.

It's all my fault, he thought, panting and feeling the grating sensation in his side, I had to be a hero. I had to get out here and show off. Fat load of good that did me.

It was strange, the sequence of events that brought him here. He had found Professor Goodwitch, along with those two other men, and they had told him to go, head to a safe zone in Vale. He wasn't about to argue, of course. Apocalypse or not, teachers are teachers.

It was on the way there that he was jumped by Beowulves. Normally, with his team, it wouldn't have been an issue to take them all out. But he was slow, lumbering. His mace moved from side to side, able to kill a few of the Grimm. He certainly got off a few hits, taking out some of the beasts. But they kept coming. More and more. Eventually, he started taking hits. A slash here, a punch there. He killed those that got close, but he could feel himself straining.

Eventually, it was over.

All it took was one more swipe from the Grimm. He felt his aura dissipate, as he was blasted against a wall, nothing to defend himself. Trying to stand, he had winced, feeling his broken ribs. The Beowulves closed in. One roared and swiped, giving him a gash along the arm, causing him to scream out in pain. He was ready for the end.

That end, however, had been delayed. Clearly, some other great feeling of darkness had popped up somewhere, and the Grimm left him alone, scurrying after that new source. Moving quickly, before they returned, Cardin had moved into an alleyway. Although, "crawled" would have been a better word. Maybe "slithered". Definitely "struggled".

Now, sitting in that same alleyway, holding his upper arm's gash with one hand and his ribs with another, he had his head against the wall, feeling the blood coming down his arm. He was practically begging to just die and let this all be over with. All he wanted was to close his eyes, and wait as the dark closed in...

He didn't get that relief, sadly. Even so, his eyes remained closed, halfway between consciousness and blacking out, as he could feel something far off. Hands went over his body. Something soft wrapped around his arm, and he felt hands over his ribs. They weren't soft, not at all. They felt rough, hard, toughened. Not ones of a doctor, ones of a fighter.

He heard noises as well. Yelling, boots stomping. The soft item wrapped around his arm faster. That's when his eyes began to open slowly. He saw a man there, looking at him. His face was covered with a mask. He saw it was white, he saw his red hair. He felt his hand, as it touched his face. He could swear a smile formed on the other's lips. Then, turning to the left quickly, he was gone. And Cardin blacked out again.

After he awoke, he was in a hospital. The nurses told him the story. Some Atlesian soldiers had been chasing a criminal. Seeing him, they had decided to instead take care of transporting the student to the safe zone. The nurse brought over a soldier, the soldier asked him questions. It all went by so fast, but he told them about the man. about how he saved his life. The soldier took notes, always nodding. Then he told him that the man was dangerous. Never look for him.

But Cardin couldn't help but feel something. Something he hadn't felt for a while. One simple act of kindness. One simple act of caring.

He hoped the man would be back sometime.

He hoped.

Author's Corner: Yes, I know it's short, but they're one-shots. Don't expect too much from me anymore, you all should know that.

Well then, this is Sebi99cl, signing off. See you guys tomorrow!