(A/N) Hello everyone. This story was originally a friend's birthday present, but I decided against working on it some more in favor of posting it today. Some of you may have heard that the creator of RWBY, Monty Oum, passed away yesterday. This story is being uploaded in honor of him, as he is one of the major reasons I actually began uploading my stories so the world could see them, instead of keeping them in a binder away from people, in fear that they would be hated. R.I.P. Monty. May you forever be remembered through your marvelous works.

Chapter 1

Coco slung her bag over her shoulder as she peered through her shades at the crowd. Wonder who'll be my teammates? She thought to herself, turning in a slow circle. Her heels clicked on the floor as she surveyed the other Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training. A feedback sound echoed through the air, cutting through the low hum of voices.

"I'll...keep this brief. You are here at this school for one reason; to train to be Huntsmen and Huntresses. I'm here to tell you that won't happen." Gasps of shock and disbelief sounded throughout the hall. Coco felt herself leaning forward slightly in morbid curiosity. What could he possibly have meant by that? "That is to say, it won't happen if you don't apply yourselves properly. To be a Hunter or Huntress takes dedication, persistence, and skill. You have to be better than the best you can be. The monsters we fight are dangerous and can kill us if we don't kill them first. This school will make you see parts of yourself you had wished weren't true. I do hope you won't come to regret it." Ozpin stepped away from the microphone, leaning on his cane as he walked offstage. Glynda stepped up to the abandoned mic.

"First years gather in the ballroom. We will begin your initiation in the morning. Be ready. You are dismissed." Coco sighed and looked around once more. There were no signs pointing out where they would sleep, so she followed the crowd. After changing into a light brown, fitted nightshirt with black roses embroidered on the edges that matched her shorts, Coco sat off to the side of the room, counting her bullets as she carefully attached them to her belts.

As she was about to turn out the light next to her, she heard a sound to her right, like someone had tripped. Looking over, she saw a small rabbit Faunus lying flat on the floor, a small box at her feet. "Are you okay?" Coco asked, more out of courtesy than compassion. She was expecting a "yes" or a "leave me alone". Maybe even a "shut up!" if the girl was cranky or something from falling. Instead, Coco was surprised to see the girl freeze up, her eyes so wide it looked painful.

"Y-yes." She stuttered, pulling her right rabbit ear down to cover her face. The girl shifted into a sitting position, her legs splayed out behind her.

"I'm Coco." Coco said impulsively. She didn't know if she felt concern or pity or even curiosity for the girl, but she suddenly wanted to know what had happened to make her so scared of people.

"I'm V-v-velvet." Velvet ducked her head, tugging her ear over an angry red blush that was spreading across her face. Coco rolled her eyes.

"Stop that. I'm not going to yell at you for tripping. Who do you take me for?" Coco asked, crossing her arms. Velvet bit her lip and looked down, tugging subconsciously at her muted gold nightshirt. The shirt was too large on her, falling to her mid-thigh, and she was wearing dark brown leggings underneath that matched the beret she wore. Velvet shrugged slightly in response to Coco's question.

"Aren't those supposed to be in your a-assigned locker?" She asked softly, changing the conversation quickly. Velvet pointed to Coco's ammunition-filled belt and the few scattered bullets on the ground. Coco raised an eyebrow but didn't push the subject.

"Isn't that supposed to be in your assigned locker?" She answered back, nodding her head towards the box Velvet had stumbled over. Velvet turned pink and looked at the ground.

"There were too many there." She mumbled. Coco cocked her head to the side.

"Too many what? People?" At Velvet's hesitant nod she sighed and stood up. "Well c'mon, we have to put them away so no one takes them while we sleep." From the way Velvet flinched at her words, Coco guessed that that had happened to her before. She felt angry at whoever had stolen from the shy, timid bunny Faunus she had just met. Bullying had never been all that common in Coco's life, but what little she had seen made her sick to her stomach. Being mean to someone who couldn't help that they were different was a cruel thing to do.

Coco grabbed Velvet's hand and dragged her out of the ballroom, ignoring the 'meep!' that the small Faunus made as she was yanked off her feet. Coco led the way to the locker room, Velvet trying to pull away the whole time. By the time they had reached their lockers, Velvet was resigned while Coco was feeling immensely pleased with herself. Opening her locker, the Faunus laid her box carefully on the top shelf.

"Is that your battle costume?" Coco asked, peering over Velvet's shoulder. Velvet squeaked in surprise, making Coco laugh in response.

"Y-yeah." She said softly, closing her locker on the baggy black pants, shoes, and light brown and gold short-sleeved shirt.

"Modest." Coco nodded approvingly. Moving to her locker, two down from Velvet's, she typed in her combo and deposited her bullets inside.

"Are those your weapons and b-battle uniform?" Velvet asked softly. Coco glanced in and looked at her large briefcase/purse and outfit. She got a sneaky grin on her face. Velvet, oblivious to the imminent danger, continued on to ask Coco what her weapon was.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Coco winked at a mortified Velvet. Velvet buried her red face in her hands while her shoulders shook furiously. Coco moved closer, concerned that she had broken the shy bunny. Her concern turned to amusement as she realized that Velvet was laughing, not crying.

"Excuse me." Came a polite but quiet voice from behind the two girls. They turned around to see a seven foot tall boy with exotic features holding a sword that was bigger than the both of them. Coco eyed him appreciatively while Velvet, who had lifted her head out of her hands to see who the voice belonged to, buried them in her hands once more. It wasn't his size that aroused these reactions, but rather his shirtlessness. The unfamiliar boy was wearing only a pair of loose green sweatpants.

"S-sorry." Velvet stuttered out, her voice muffled by her hands. Coco looked him up and down before shrugging.

"It's fine with me." Velvet walked as quickly out of the locker room as she could without running, Coco following her after giving the boy one more cursory glance over. Coco sighed happily as she followed her newest friend back to their sleeping bags. If all the boys look like that, I think I'm going to like it here.

(A/N) I'm sorry the chapter is so short, but I wanted to get it up today in honor of Monty Oum's death. He was one of my heroes, and I was lucky enough to meet him at the NYCC this year. For those of you who are new to my stories, I like to do a question and answer thing at the end of each chapter, to help me with my writing, to get new ideas, or just to talk to people who have the same interests as me. It's fun and harmless; plus I've already gotten some ideas for new stories from comments people leave!

(Q). Who are your top heroes? You can list up to five, or just one if you want to.