RWBY Grey: Chapter 1

The italics in this chapter only signify a flashback. The standard font inside the italics are thoughts.

He still wasn't sure exactly how he had ended up in the weapon shop with the man, on the other end of town, where everything was ten times more expensive. It wasn't exactly the type of place he frequented. Nonetheless, when he had finished off the thugs and the man requested that he accompany him, he complied. It should have been simple, but then again, simple things... rarely stay simple.

Yuri listened with amusement as the thugs in the nearby alley accosted one another. Apparently they had fucked up the last hold up they had put on some poor Faunus woman. Apparently she had already felt a bit uneasy in that neighborhood, so when she saw them coming she pulled out a knife. That was enough to scare off most of them. But one guy was stupid and went for her anyway. He ended up with a pretty deep cut on his hamstring, and the cops picked him up a little later, dazed and in pain on the side of the street

"It's not gonna fuckin' matter man! That stupid fuck would have gotten us caught on any big jobs, so good fucking riddance! But you know what? Let's hit the next mother fucker that walks by the alley." One of them said. Yuri grimaced and checked that his mask was secured on his head, he hadn't expected to have to do anything today, but he carried around the Beowulf Mask that he had bought years back everywhere he went. His grimace only deepened when he saw a figure making their way down the street. He stood up, his tattered cloak was motionless, even in the mid-day breeze. He raised it's hood over his head. It looks like I have to intervene... and today was supposed to be peaceful.

He made his way down the same side of the street as the figure, and after coming closer, discovered that it was a man, and one with a cane at that. Well it looks like it's your lucky day, I'd venture to say that you're unprepared for the pain you'd have to experience if I hadn't been here. He slowed slightly as the man got closer. The man was fully aware of what he had in front of him, and he sidestepped to avoid colliding with Yuri. But, Yuri had prepared for it, feigning a sidestep in the same direction, making it seem like a complete accident. Their shoulders collided, and in the instant following, Yuri slipped his hand into the mans pocket, removing his Lien.

The man curtly apologized, and Yuri gave a slight bow of apology as well. He turned and ducked into the nearby alleyway. Then peeked his head around the corner. Moments later, the man was tackled to the ground. Wait, didn't they say hit? They definitely aren't holding him up. Yuri sprinted out from the alley and careened over to the one adjacent. He was far from silent, and the men had turned around to see who had made the commotion. "Shit, it's Kallen... fucking kill him!" Kill. Everything around him slowed down, making movements of any merit irrelevant. God dammit, I didn't need my fucking Semblance to kick in right now, but then again it was better than the other option... I might as well. "Peace Keeper."

One of them had taken a position at the front of the alley to watch for any cops. Cops were about as willing to come to this part of town as the rich fucks on the other side of it. This was the main reason why he had begun my work in this area. The crime around here dropped quite significantly since he showed up. Well, he supposed people get a little nervous when they hear that some guy ripped another guys arm off just for starting a bar fight. It was a fake arm, but even still, the notion of dismemberment was enough for some of the petty thieves to give up their bad habits right there.

These guys were a different breed though, the watchman charged... or at least attempted to charge him. But Yuri sidestepped out of his range slipping around his arms and taking the man's chin in his hand. He pressed his thumb to the man's jaw and in one motion, wrenched it loose from it's sockets. One. The man dropped to the ground almost instantly, writhing and screaming in agony. This prompted the others to turn around. Once they had comprehended the situation, they stood, turning their attentions away from their victim. One of them revealed a knife and the other a small pistol. "I don't suppose we can settle this without making stupid decisions?" Yuri asked.

The knife wielder responded by making a mad dash towards him, knife pointed at his gut. Yuri sighed, noticing the gunman aiming his way. He lunged forward, grabbing the man nearest him by his wrist, he spun him around and leapt into the air over him. The man fired his weapon before he even had a chance to comprehend this, and the round slammed into his partner's shoulder. Two Yuri landed rather gracefully in front of the gunman, and rammed his fist into his chest. The mans ribs offered no resistance to the assault, and moments later, he too was on the ground in pain. Three.

That was it, it was over, and just like that, time moved at normal pace again. The man they had intended to victimize had already stood up to his feet, and after a moment of inspection, Yuri discovered that he was unharmed. Not even shaken, it seemed. "I appreciate your assistance." He said. Yuri nodded somewhat unenthusiastic-ally as he searched the pockets of the now unconscious thugs. He pulled out several Lien cards and slipped them into his pocket. He recalled several times where he had attempted to return them to the banks or owners they had previously belonged to, but it always ended in the same way, with them giving them to him as thanks.

He turned and pulled the man's Lien out of his cloak, offering them to him. "I assumed prematurely that they were trying to rob you, so I took them with the intention of returning them to you after they realized you weren't worth anything." Yuri explained to him. He nodded, a rather amused expression on his face. "Had I known their intentions, this conversation wouldn't have been necessary." The man put his finger on his chin, completely ignoring Yuri's words. He turned to the cloaked man. "Why did you save me?" He asked. Yuri was slightly taken aback at the question.

"Honestly? If you're looking for genuine philosophy behind my reasoning, you won't find it. I simply believe that if you can help someone in trouble, you should." Yuri said with a slight shrug. "I just happen to make helping others my... profession of sorts." He finished. The man pondered on Yuri's reply for a moment, then took the Lien chips he had held out. He gestured to the alley's entrance. "I'd like you to accompany me somewhere." He turned and began making his way to the street.

That's how he ended up in the shop... but the conversation that they had on the way there still didn't make sense to him. The man was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and wanted Yuri to take part in the Huntsman Training Courses. A Huntsman? Why? What exactly did he have to offer in that field? He had no desire to kill, and no desire to start fights... he wanted to protect those who would get taken advantage of. Even still, he took a long look at the modifications to weapons, both ranged and melee, that the store was offering. He pulled out a small notebook and pencil from one of the bags on his back. He began scrawling notes about modifications: Double-edged boshin... weighted sentan… leather tsuba... retractable... solid steel kagi with Ursa Bone Marrow. He smiled to himself, the product would be incredibly expensive with these mods, but he could afford it.

The Headmaster looked over Yuri's shoulder. "Quite an interesting weapon choice you've made." He mused. "But what about a firearm of sorts?" He asked. Yuri spun his chest around and began digging in the same bag the notebook came from. He pulled out a second notebook and began rapidly flipping through its pages. He found the page he was searching for, and tore it from the ring. He handed it to the Headmaster. "This is theoretical, but if they can produce a working model, that would be wonderful." He said with a smile. Although he meant what he had said, he really didn't expect them to be able to create what he had designed.

He tore the list of modifications out as well, and offered both of the slips of paper to the cashier. She looked down at them, then back up at him. "This one." She said, waving the melee weapon specification in the air. "We can do this without a doubt, but the other one." She said holding the pistol's specification close to her face, giving it a serious amount of thought. "This other one, we'll have to take a look at... but I think we can do something with it." She said with a smile, one that Yuri returned. "That's fine, how much is this going to cost?" He asked. She shook her head. "We don't charge until we've delivered the product. We'll arrange a time of delivery with the Headmaster." She said. Nodding towards the man next to me.

They seemingly reached an agreement after a few moments, but Yuri had lost interest in their conversation, his mind wandering. I wonder what the courses entail... I doubt there's anything physical that can worry me... but don't Huntsman and Huntresses work in teams? That may be a problem, I don't do well in groups. The Headmaster tapped him on the shoulder. "Everything's prepared, let's move on to Beacon." He said with a smile. Yuri nodded, sighing internally to himself. I guess I'll just have to find out.

Not... exactly what I was expecting. Yuri stared in wonder at the school grounds as he and the Headmaster, who had finally introduced himself to Yuri as Ozpin, made their way off of the airship and down the stairs. Yuri had placed his cloak back on in the airship, and he pulled his hood up as soon as his feet touched solid ground. Ozpin turned to him while they made their way to the entrance. Some of the students who were scattered around the grounds had turned their gazes to the pair. "You don't have to hide at this school, Yuri... you can show everyone who you are here." He said with a smile. Yuri lowered his gaze to the ground, smiling as he did so, although none could see it beneath his cloak. "This is who I am... I'm an irrelevant figure that fades into the background, only to truly have meaning when someone's in need." He said.

"Perhaps that's how you feel now, but once you've become a full-fledged Huntsman, we'll see how relevant you think you are." He said. By this time they had already passed through the entryway and were making their way up the stairs. After a few moments of silence, the two had reached a larger door upstairs. "Please wait here, in my office, while I look for someone." He said. Yuri nodded, and opened the door. He walked into the large office, and a woman turned around on the spot to face him. "And you are?" She asked. Yuri looked at her. Blonde hair, tall, at least six-foot-four. She had a cold demeanor, and Yuri doubted that she took jokes with a light heart.

"Yuri Kallen." He said. Her eyes locked with his, and her gaze began drifting over his cloak. "Please remove that so I can do a vital reading." She requested. Yuri complied, slipping the brown cloak over his head. The woman looked at him, then pulled out her Scroll. "Please inform if any of the readings that I receive are incorrect." She said. Yuri nodded in response. She began. "Name: Yuri Kallen. Age: 17 Years. Race: Human. Height: Five foot, ten inches. Weight: 140 pounds. Hair Color and Type: Ashen Grey, short and wavy. Complexion: Light Tan. Eye Color: Yellowish Silver. Dominant Hand: Right... Is that all correct?" She asked. Yuri paused, a little overwhelmed with the speed at which she had presented the information. Once he was certain that all presented was factual, he nodded. "Yes, that's all correct."

She looked intently at the Scroll for a moment. "Mr. Kallen, do you use your Aura for combat?" She asked. Yuri pondered the question. Does she mean...oh! "Yes I do." He responded. "Please demonstrate it for me." She requested. Oh... how... should I go about this? He tensed his arms, allowing his Aura to flow through them more freely. The air around them adopted a black haze, giving them the appearance of having fur. There was a knock at the door. Giving Yuri a start and dissipating the Aura he had amassed. "Glynda, have you finished with him?" Ozpin's voice was barely audible through the massive door. "Yes, I'm satisfied with him." She called out.

The door opened and Ozpin stepped in, followed by a girl. She was short, and had dark red hair. She had a rather happy disposition, which Yuri found strange, but also soothing. Ozpin walked to the other side of the desk and sat down in his chair. "Ruby, this is Yuri, the young man I was informing you about." He said, gesturing towards him. The girl looked at Yuri and smiled happily. "Nice to meet you." She said. Yuri nodded politely. "You as well." He turned back to Ozpin. "So, why is she here?" He asked curiously. Ozpin nodded expectantly. "This is Ruby Rose, the leader of Team RWBY, as you know, Huntsmen and Huntresses work in teams. Ruby's team is the one I've decided to assign you to." He explained.

Ah, okay, considering the leader's disposition, I guess it could be worse. Yuri nodded at this. "Ruby, take Yuri with you to the dorms, have him meet the rest of your team." Ozpin said. Ruby gave a rather silly salute. "Got it! Come on, let's head out." She said to Yuri. Yuri nodded and smiled. Yeah, it could definitely be worse. "Oh, Yuri, now that Glynda has all of your measurements, we'll have your uniform ready in the next few days." He said. Yuri turned away and threw his hand into the air. "Understood, see you then." He said. Before mentally punching himself. When in the hell did I accept becoming a HUNTSMAN? Ahhhh, oh well, I'm here now, might as well try to enjoy it.

The two of them walked down the halls together, and as his eye passed over several groups of students, it occurred to him that Ruby was a bit younger than the norm. "So, Ruby, how did someone so young impress the Headmaster so much that he enrolled you despite the age difference?" He asked. "You must be rather incredible for him to just ignore the rules, although considering that he just enrolled someone with no experience in this field... I get the notion that rules aren't exactly relevant to him." He finished. She laughed. "Well, I got into a fight with some thugs who were robbing a store, and he saw the whole thing." She said. "What about you?" She asked in return. "Ummm, honestly, basically the exact same thing." He replied with a laugh.

They continued laughing and going on about their respective encounters with Ozpin, and in what seemed like moments, they were at the door to the dorm. "Well, I should warn you about everyone else. The blonde girl is my sister, she's nice, and I'm sure you two will get along. The white haired girl is my partner, she's an ice queen, through and through. And then there's Blake, black hair, really pretty, but she's quiet, so just don't bother her too much, and you'll be alright." She said. Yuri nodded, before realizing what the girl had just implied. "So... I'm... the only guy on this team?" He asked. She nodded. "I guess someone should have mentioned that... probably, sorry." She said. He laughed at her uncertain response. "It'll be fine... probably." He said. With that Ruby reached for the door.

WHAM!

Well... shit.