I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. The only characters I own are those that I created. All other aspects of RWBY belong to RoosterTeeth, Monty Oum, & all other respective owners.

Chapter 2: Welcome Home, Students

The minute the airship parked, everyone on it started for the exit. Everyone, of course, except for me. I stayed behind just a bit longer, still absorbed in the overhead view of Vale. It was truly beautiful. Seeing so many people and buildings, and so much light, all clustered down in that one little area. After fighting for survival against the Grimm, it was hard for me to believe there was anywhere in the world that had so much... life. I could've stayed there for ages, staring out at this place from the window, but the sudden quiet in the airship reminded me that I needed to get off.

After I stepped outside, I turned and watched as the airship took off. It soared out across Vale and out of sight, fading into the distance. I wondered briefly where it was going, but I turned around and started walking towards the school. I stopped dead in my tracks. Everywhere I looked, there was something amazing. The place was unbelievable. Aside from being just plain huge, Beacon had many towers and courtyards, walkways, arches, and even a statue in the main courtyard. The statue depicted a Huntsman and Huntress standing atop a Beowolf, brandishing their weapons. This place was really like a castle.

Just then, a noise coming from a spot to the left of me brought me back to reality. Turning, I saw that the noise was the same blonde boy from earlier. He was hunched over a trash can, hurling violently. I walked over to him, wanting to see if he was going to be ok.

"Hey." He turned to me, panting heavily. "Um, are you gonna be alright?" He nodded slowly, holding up a finger to show he wanted me to wait. A few short moments later, his stomach finally seemed to have calmed enough for him to speak.

"Yeah," he managed to say, between pants. "I... I'm... ok... now..."

"So, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

"No, it's... motion sickness." He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand before finally letting go of the trash can. I felt a little bad for him, remembering how that girl in red had nicknamed him "Vomit Boy." He stood up, a little shaky at first, and turned to face me properly. "But, thanks for your concern, I guess."

"No problem." I looked around and saw that hardly anyone else was still standing around the school. They had either started inside or gone off looking for their friends. "Well, we should probably get going. The entrance ceremony might be starting soon."

He seemed to be stressed about this, but after glancing at a clock in the courtyard, he let out a relieved sigh. "Nah, I think it'll be ok. It looks like we've still got a little time before the ceremony." He laughed a little, and we started walking up towards the school.

"So, motion sickness, huh? That must suck."

"Yeah, sometimes. So, uh, what's your name?"

"Oh." Somehow I'd forgotten that little detail. "Uh, my name's C-"

"ACHOO!"*BOOM!*

I was cut off by a loud explosion just a few meters ahead of us. Turning to see what just happened, I saw the girl in red standing amidst a pile of suitcases as an older girl in white yelled at her. The explosion seemed to be triggered by the girl in red sneezing a few seconds earlier.

"Whoa." I turned to the blonde guy next to me. "Well, that just happened." He nodded, and we turned back to see another older girl, one in black, walk up to the two others. Apparently, she said something really upsetting to the girl in white, because she stormed off. The girl in red called after her, before turning to thank the newcomer, only to find said newcomer was walking away. She the sank to her knees and fell flat on her back, defeated.

"Think she's ok?" He looked concerned when he said this.
I shrugged as we made our way towards her. "Let's find out." I kneeled next to her, holding out my hand to help her up from her left.

"Hey." She opened her eyes and looked up. She glanced from him to me, then back then back to him, who held out his hand on her right.

"Are you ok?" I asked as she sat back up. She looked back from me to him again.

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm Jaune."

"Ruby." She smiled shyly before taking first his hand, then mine, as we helped her to her feet.

I released her hand. "I'm Cori."

She looked back at Jaune and stifled a giggle. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

We walked around the school for a few minutes as Jaune and Ruby argued about which one of them was made out as more of a fool. Personally, I didn't think it mattered. Of course, if I had to pick a side, I'd say that the most embarrassed one should've been Ruby. Both "Vomit Boy" and "Crater Face," as Jaune had called her in his defense, were both victims of something out of their control. Though, in all honesty, it didn't seem to bother them too much. I guess it was a kind of weird ice-breaker for the two of them.

After so much mystery, I finally got to meet the girl in red; Ruby Rose. She was 2 years younger than Jaune and I, but she was friendly and we got along well right after we met. The three of us were walking in one of the inner courtyards, just talking and getting to know each other better. Jaune was apparently hoping to be a favorite with the women at the school, though he knew it wasn't likely. It was at this point that Ruby pulled out her scythe, a weapon I'd seen her use well before now.

"So, um, I got this thing." she said as she drew it. Jaune jumped, pointing at the weapon and shaking slightly in surprise.

"Whoa! I-is that a scythe?"

Ruby picked up the massive weapon and held it. "It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle."

"Uh, what?"

She pulled back the lever-action, showing him the gun-like aspect, before simplifying her earlier statement. "It's also a gun."

I could see she took care of it, as the blade was evidently sharp and recently polished, from what I could tell. It was clear she took a considerable amount of time to maintain her weapon. She was obviously pretty attached to it.

"Oh. That's cool!"

"So what've you got?" She seemed quite eager to see what weapons Jaune and I had, though I wasn't sure how to summon it without giving away my powers. It looked like this whole "don't show anyone your powers until you know you can trust them" thing was going to be harder than I expected.

Luckily, Jaune was there to give me some time to think on how I could avoid it.

"Oh. Well, uh, I-I got this sword." He drew his short sword, showing it to Ruby, who beamed.

"Ooooohhh."

"Yeah, I've got a shield, too." He grabbed the sheath for his sword and made it expand into a large white shield. They seemed very low-tech from what I could see. Don't get me wrong, they were obviously made well. They just seemed bit less advanced than what everyone else seemed to be using.

Still, the level of simplicity of these weapons were probably perfect for Jaune, as his shield collapsed after Ruby tapped it, asking what they could do. He fumbled around with the shield for a moment, before explaining that the shield got smaller so he could put it away once he ws tired of carrying it. When asked by Ruby, he dejectedly admitted that it still weighed the same as it did when expanded. Ruby simply chuckled, examining her own weapon.

"I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it."

Jaune looked at her in surprise. "Wait, you made that?"

"Of course!" She responded so matter-of-factly to his question, it was like this was common knowledge to everyone except Jaune. All students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

There was that name again: Signal. Ozpin had told me a bit about Signal Academy, but the details were still pretty sketchy. All I really knew was that those training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses went to school there, Ruby trained there for half the amount of time a student normally would, and that it was located in Vale. It was still a mystery to me, but I chose not to ask about it. There'd be time for that later.

Jaune examined his weapon, his eyes fixated on it. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." That explained why the blade seemed so rustic and low-tech. Though, I had no knowledge of any war ever taking place. Man, this whole "lost my memories" thing kinda sucked at times. Still, if I hadn't lost my memories, I would never have met Jaune, Ozpin or Ruby. "Well, I like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

Jaune sheathed his weapon, smiling lightly. "Yeah. The classics."

Incidentally, they'd all but forgotten about me until then, and Ruby took it upon herself to bring me back into the conversation at this point. She suddenly turned to me, catching me off-guard. "So, what about you, Cori?"

"Huh?"

"What kind of weapons do you have, huh?" She and Jaune took a step closer. "C'mon, Cori."

"U-Uhhh..." I stammered, trying to think. "I-I..." Looking around, I quickly noticed that no one else was nearby. It was just the three of us in the courtyard now. With a sigh, I gave in to her demands. "Ok, I'll show you." Jaune seemed unphased, but Ruby waited there expectantly. "But, uh, y-you have to close your eyes for a second, alright?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head, puzzled. "Close our eyes? Why? What's wrong?"

"Uhh..." I couldn't let her know. I had to think fast. "I-it's just more of a surprise this way, right?" I scratched my head, chuckling lightly.

"Uhh, I guess?" They seemed to buy it, but they could tell that something was up, I was sure of it.

"L-look, just do it, alright?" Slowly they closed their eyes. I closed my own and took a deep breath. Opening my eyes, I concentrated on my weapon. The familiar crimson glow began to emit from my arm, and my sword flashed before me, shooting out from the palm of my hand. Grasping it firmly, I lifted it to my side. "Okay. You can open your eyes now."

The moment their gazes came to rest on my sword, their eyes, most notably Ruby's, immediately widened. "Whoa!"

"That's awesome!" Jaune walked up beside me, while Ruby ran up to look at my weapon.

"Woooowww!" It was like she was a little kid who'd just seen a shooting star for the first time. Her bright silver eyes sparkling, Ruby was clearly intrigued by my sword. "That's so cool!"

"Umm, thanks." I wasn't really expecting this kind of reaction. "It's really nothing special, though."

Ruby turned to me, shocked. "What?! You're kidding, right? It's your weapon, Cori! You made it, so of course it's special!" She could say that with just one look at it? Well, she was right, of course. It was certainly something special. If only she knew how right she was.

"Uhh, y-yeah, ok. But, is it really that special?"

"Well, of course it is!" She flung out her arms in excitement before quickly curling them up to her neck and returning her focus to my weapon, looking like a child. "No matter where you go, you're always going to see new kinds of weapons. Sure, there are some standard-issue weapons out there, but they aren't forged by the people who use them! No two weapons are exactly alike. They're an extension of ourselves. They're a part of who we are, a part of us!"

"Wow." Ruby was right. She really was a bit of a dork with weapons. It was still pretty cool, though. She knew even more about my weapon than I did. The way she said it made it feel like my weapon was a part of me. She was right, of course, but not in the way she probably thought. I was beginning to really wonder what the history of my weapon was like.

Ruby kept admiring my sword from every possible angle, absolutely enthralled by it. "It's just so cool! I mean, I've never seen anything like it! It's so unique!" She finally seemed to remember I was there. Turning to face me, she let out a small, embarrassed chuckle, scratching her head and grinning sheepishly. "Uhh, sorry. I guess I got a little carried away there."

"D-don't worry about it." I said, shaking my head. "There's no need to apologize. Really, it's fine."

She quickly returned her attention to my blade. "So, uh, what can it do?"

"Oh!" I held my weapon in both hands, supporting the blade with one hand and grasping the end of the handle in the other. "Well, it's a high-power, high-caliber rifle, as well as a sword." I motioned to the handle. "The handle has three triggers, each one corresponding to one of the barrels in the hilt and cross-guard." I repositioned my hand to point out the triggers as I continued. "These two..." I tapped the upper and lower triggers "...cause it to fire from the left and right barrels, while this one..." I tapped the trigger in the center, "...fires from the barrel at the center of the hilt."

"Oh, man." Jaune finally worked his way into the conversation. "That's incredible!"

I went on, holding my weapon as I normally did and pointing it straight out beside me. "While they're all used for propulsion in some cases, the two barrels on the sides are used primarily to strengthen my swings. The central barrel is the one I usually use for ranged attacks. They all work well, though, if you can properly use them together."

Ruby was practically swooning. "Oh, wow!" She looked up and down the sword once more. "That's just so cool! It's amazing!"

"Not really, Ruby." It was strange how entranced she was. I didn't see anything obviously special about it. Well, not counting the fact that it was like an actual part of my body, of course. But, it's not like I'm just gonna show that off. "I mean, your weapons are pretty cool, too. Loads more interesting than mine. I mean, Jaune's has so much history behind it. And it's clear that you take pretty good care of that scythe, too."

"Oh, stop it!" Jaune waved it off, flattered.

Ruby smiled and laughed a little. "Yeah, I do. It's important to keep it in good shape if I wanna be a Huntress, after all." She turned and walked ahead a bit with Jaune. "So, why'd you help me out back there, in the courtyard?"

Jaune jogged up a bit to meet up with her. "Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'Friends are just strangers you haven't met yet.'" I took this opportunity to put my weapon away, hiding it behind my back so they wouldn't notice the glow as it absorbed back into my arm. I quickly jogged back up to them, following slightly behind.

"I just thought you could use a hand, really. Plus, I kinda didn't know anyone here, so it was probably the best chance I thought I'd get to make my first friend here."

"Hmm." Ruby looked around briefly. "Hey, where are we going?"

Jaune stopped. "Oh, I don't know." Ruby and I stopped as well. "I was following you."

"Over there." I pointed over at a towering archway where many of the other students were gathering. "That must be where the ceremony's being held."

With that, we all headed of to attend the entrance ceremony. It was nice to have made friends with Ruby and Jaune, but especially Ruby. I'd wanted to meet the "girl in red" ever since I saw her run past me in the hall. I didn't say anything about it, of course, as it might imply that I was someone special or something like that. Jaune was great, too, though. They were both easy to talk to, and we seemed to get along really well.

I was starting to look forward to our time together at Beacon.

We walked up to the entrance of the building and found out we were just in time for the ceremony. Ruby's sister waved at her and Ruby said goodbye to me and Jaune. I didn't know where we were going, so I just followed Jaune. We worked our way down to the front of the left side of the courtyard. As it turned out, Ruby and her sister were right across from us on the right side. The last few remaining students began working their way into the groups on either side of the aisle.

I turned to Jaune and tried to start up a conversation. "So, what do you think it's gonna be like? Life at Beacon, I mean."

"Huh?" He scratched his head. "I'm trying not to think about it, actually. I mean, it's not like we won't find out, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I looked up to the sky. "I'm kinda looking forward to it,actually. I mean, there's just something about this place that makes it feel... welcome. Do you get that, too?"

He thought about it for a second. "Uh... Yeah. Kinda."

I heard someone scream and turned toward the noise. Ruby was in her sister's arms, being yelled at by the same girl in white once again.

"Hey, it's that girl from earlier." Jaune turned to see her almost as soon as I did.

"What's her problem with Ruby?" I couldn't help but voice my concerns. It just seemed to me like Ruby was on the receiving end of this girl's hatred for no good reason. "Who is she, anyway?"

Jaune shrugged, and we managed to overhear some of their conversation.

"It looks like you two just got off on the wrong foot." Ruby's sister seemed to be the most level-headed one of the three, which was surprising, considering her sister was getting some serious hate right in front of her. "Why don't you start over and try to be friends?"

Ruby nodded quickly. "Yeah! Great idea, sis!" She turned to the girl, cleared her throat, and extended her hand. "Hello, Weiss. I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies." Weiss, huh? Well, at least I knew her name. Now I'd know what to call her. Maybe things would work out. Who knows? Ruby was certainly willing to meet Weiss half way.

Weiss answered Ruby in the most sarcastic way possible. "Yeah! And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like "tall, blonde and scraggly" over there!" She motioned over her shoulder at Jaune.

"Huh?" I guess he wasn't expecting her to say something like that. But, he knew it was just a joke, right? ...Right?

Ruby's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Wow, really?!"

Weiss's expression immediately changed back to one of cold dislike as she responded, bluntly. "No."

They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat over a microphone. Turning to the stage, I saw that it was Ozpin. The whole courtyard grew quiet as he began. "I'll... keep this brief."

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And, when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." He was right so far. I was there to learn how to control my powers, and try to help people. At least, that's what I would try to do. I didn't really know how I was going to do that yet.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy." What was that supposed to mean? Why would he tell us that we were just wasting our energy? "In need of purpose. Direction."

I couldn't understand why he was telling us this. Was he trying to say we didn't have any reason to fight? Well, I guess he was right, in my case. I wasn't doing anything but trying to survive in my search for answers until now. If anyone here was wasting their energy, it was me.

Ozpin went on. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." So, what he was trying to say, as I understood it, was that even if we learned everything we could about being a warrior, but it would be a waste unless we put that knowledge to use. We needed to couple our knowledge with experience. I wasn't completely sure, though. It was just too confusing, so I decided not to dwell on it.

He left the stage and Glynda took his place. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. you're dismissed." And with that, everyone began leaving the courtyard. I turned to Jaune, but he wasn't there anymore. It didn't take long to find him. He was walking up to Weiss for some reason. He did know she was being sarcastic when she called him cute earlier, right?

He approached her without even a second thought. "I'm a natural blonde, you know?"

Apparently he didn't know she was kidding. I sighed and laughed a little. I was glad I'd come to Beacon. Just then, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Turning, I found it was Professor Goodwitch.

"Professor Ozpin needs to have a word with you, Cori." Huh? What was this about? I hadn't one anything wrong, had I?

"O-okay." I nodded. "Can I ask what this is about?"

She turned and motioned for me to follow her. "You'll find out soon enough."

I followed Goodwitch onto one of the rooftop balconies. Ozpin stood in one of the archways, smiling as we approached. "Ah, Cori." He turned to us. "I hope Beacon is everything you'd hoped for so far?" I nodded. He took a sip from his mug. "That's good to hear."

"What did you want to see me for?" Professor Goodwitch wasn't exactly the most informative person on the way here, so I wanted to get right to the point.

He began explaining things to me. "Well, as you were just told, the initiation for all first-year students will take place tomorrow. You will be among their ranks, of course, but your goal will be slightly different."

"Different? Different how?"

"Each of the students will be required to pair up into teams of two. The teams will be formed in a very special way. I won't reveal what that is, but it will be almost impossible for partners not to be found." I stood quietly and listened as he explained this to me.

"After the pairs have been formed, each team is to retrieve an artifact from the shrine in the Emerald Forest. That being said, you won't be retrieving an artifact with your partner."

"What?" I was shocked by this. "Why?"

He held up a finger, telling me to let him finish. "Instead of finding a partner and retrieving an artifact, you will head for the shrine immediately. You are to aid the first group of people you come across after reaching the shrine. You will be evaluated on your performance after aiding these students in securing their artifacts. If you can do this, you will be accepted as a student of Beacon Academy."

This didn't really make much sense to me. "But, why do I have to go through all of this?"

Ozpin didn't seem phased by my question, responding calmly. "The reason for this is that you will likely gain a slight control over your powers on your own while you are in the Emerald Forest. If you were to attempt to use them in battle, without the knowledge of how to control them, innocent people may get hurt. This includes yourself, Cori. For this reason, your initiation has been altered to benefit you the most. That is why your initiation is so different, Cori."

That made sense. It was slightly terrifying, actually. I hadn't thought of what might happen to other people if I couldn't control my powers. This was definitely the best option, but I was still uneasy about having to take that risk. I'd have to work on it while I made my way to the shrine, I guess.

"Alright." I nodded. "I understand. Thanks, Ozpin."

He smiled again. "Good. Now then... Here." He handed me a duffel bag. "Everything you'll need during your time here is in this bag." He and Goodwitch walked back to the stairs.

"Uh, thanks." Ozpin turned and called over his shoulder.

"One more thing, Cori." I turned to face him. "I'm sure this goes without saying, but don't tell any of the other students about this." With that, he turned and went down the stairs.

I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and headed down to the ballroom to set down my bag and get settled in. After that, I'd go find out where dinner was. Who knows? Maybe Jaune would save me a seat.

Everything seemed to calm down a bit after dinner. Everyone was just chatting to one another for a while. On the way down to the ballroom, I walked past Weiss. She was headed to the showers on the other end of the building, a small basket with her pajamas, towel, and other necessities hanging on her arm. We were going in opposite directions, so I decided not to talk to her. Instead, I just smiled politely and gave a small waved as the distance between us closed. She mirrored my actions, politely. She seemed fairly nice to me. Well, nicer to me than she was to Ruby. When she was just a few feet away from me, she tripped. She began falling face-first toward the floor as her basket was flung into the air.

"Whoa!" I instinctively rushed forward, catching her around the shoulders in my left arm as she was about halfway to the ground. In my free hand, I caught the basket with her belongings just before it hit the ground. I breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close." I helped her back to her feet and handed her basket back to her. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." She brushed herself off before taking the basket. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"No problem." I walked away. "See you around."

I continued on my way down the corridor and made my way to the ballroom. I wasn't sure how I felt about Weiss. I mean, she seemed nice enough to me. Of course, I just stopped her from falling on her face. She didn't seem to be very nice to Ruby, tough. They didn't even know eachother until today! I didn't really see what happened with my own eyes, but I believed what Ruby said about it being an accident. Either way, she was a student here, just like me, so I'd try to treat her with respect. That was the least I could do.

I walked down to the end of the hall, my head still swimming from what Ozpin told me. I wasn't supposed to take any of the artifacts or partner up with anyone, so how was I supposed to find a team? I thought Ozpin would assign me to the team that I help claim an artifact, but what if they wouldn't let me help them? If I had the choice, I would've wanted to be on Ruby's team. At least I'd have someone on my team I could get along with that way. Of course, it wasn't my choice. I'd just have to do my best to gain control of my power and help who I could.

"Oomph!" I turned the corner and accidentally bumped into someone. I took a step back. "S-sorry about that. My mind was on something else and I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's ok, I didn't see you there either." That voice sounded strangely familiar. "No harm, no foul."

I looked and instantly remembered where I'd heard that voice before. It was Ruby's older sister! I didn't even recognize her until I saw the blonde hair. She looked up and smiled at me warmly. I didn't even know what to say. I held out my hand. "Are you okay?"

She grabbed my hand and I helped her up. "Yeah, I'm fine! Don't worry!" That was a relief. I'd hate it if I hurt someone here and it wasn't even my first real day here. She looked at me, questioningly. "Hey, do we know each other?"

"Uhh..." I actually didn't know. I didn't meet her earlier today, and I wouldn't remember her if I had known her before that. Memory loss was strange like that. "No, I don't think so."

"Hmm..." Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she tried to recall something. "Oh!" Her eyes widened again. "Yeah, you were there when my sister, Ruby, exploded this morning!"

"Y-yeah, I was." I smiled at her. "I'm Cori."

"Well, Cori, I'm Yang!" She put her hands on her hips. "Thanks for helping my baby sister. That was real nice of you."

"Yeah. No problem." Well, she certainly seemed to be in high spirits. "I just happened to be there when it happened and thought she could use the help. I mean, I don't know what she did that would have warranted her getting chewed out by that Weiss girl. She's really nice."

She laughed. "Yeah, that's Ruby for you. Well, I'd better get going."

"Yeah, same here." I moved to the side so she could pass. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Yang."

"Yeah, likewise!" She walked of, calling over her shoulder and waving. "See you around, Cori!"

"See ya!"

I turned and continued on my way. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I was worried about the initiation. I had no real reason to, but I was still nervous. What if someone finds out about my power, how my weapon comes out of me? What would I do then? How would the other students treat me? I didn't know, but I was sure that the answer wouldn't be good.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear the thoughts from my mind. It wasn't going to do me any good to worry about it now. I couldn't let it bother me now, or I'd end up psyching myself out and do poorly at the initiation tomorrow. For now, I just needed to focus on getting a good night's sleep.

Back in the ballroom, everyone was setting up their sleeping bags. I took mine and set it down on the edge of the ballroom, close to the wall. Boys were on one side and the girls were on the other. Everyone was changed into their pajamas now and started getting ready for tomorrow. A few boys were messing around, but I paid them no mind as they were just excited about tomorrow's initiation. Several people were reading or writing letters to their family, while others were already sleeping. Most of the students, though, were just hanging around and talking.

I had taken this time to go over what was in the bag Professor Ozpin had given me. Inside were a sheet of paper with my locker number and combination on them. I folded it and put it in my pocket for tomorrow. There were several textbooks in there as well, which I stacked up to the side. There'd be time to read through those later.

Several notebooks were in the bag, too, and I stacked those on top of the textbooks. I found some pencils and pens and pushed them to the side. There was a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush laying on top of a neatly folded towel. I picked those up and placed them to the side next to my books.

The next item I came across was a little strange. He'd included a little chain in the bag. It had a note attached to it, which read "For anything you'd like to keep 'private' from others." I didn't get it at first, but after a moment I realized what he meant. I dug a little further into the bag and, sure enough, found a little red book. A quick look inside revealed that all the pages were completely blank, confirming my suspicions. Just as I thought, Ozpin was encouraging me to keep my own personal diary.

It seemed like a good idea. I already lost all the memories of my past life, but this was a way for me to hold on to this one. I honestly wasn't opposed to the idea. Although, I didn't really think a chain was necessary. I knew he'd included it to help me keep my secrets safe, but I didn't think it would really help too much. Not only that, but a chain would just make it easier for someone to identify it as a diary. If someone recognized that, they might want to read it even more, thinking I might have written something there that I didn't want other people to read. That, or they'd try to use it as a form of blackmail.

I seriously doubted that there would be anyone in the school like that, though. I looked at the chain Ozpin gave me. It was just a small, simple, dark yellow chain with a clip on either end. I didn't need it for my diary, but I didn't want to just throw away something like this, so I clipped it to the left side-pocket of my pants. It was pretty small, so it wouldn't get in the way there. I took the little book and laid it to the side with the rest of the books and looked over what was left in the bag. The only thing I hadn't taken out was a neatly folded Beacon Academy uniform. I decided not to bring it out, as I wouldn't need it until after the initiation.

He hadn't included any pajamas, but I didn't really need them. I just took my hoodie and tied it around my waist. After putting everything back in the bag, I got up and started walking around. I saw Jaune walking by in a blue pajama onesie and waved. He smiled and waved back, and I continued on. My mind kept going back to tomorrow's initiation as the last traces of sunset gave way to the black of night. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I wasn't quite so nervous now. In fact, I was starting to get a little excited. I kept wondering what it would be like and who everyone would be paired up with.

I saw something from across the room and stopped. It was that girl in black from before, the one that helped Ruby this morning. She was in a black evening robe, the same black bow in her hair. I wasn't quite sure why she'd sleep with a bow in her hair, but it didn't really matter. It looked good on her. She was sitting with her back against the wall, quietly reading a book. I don't know why, but she seemed sort of distant from everyone else. It almost felt like she was isolating herself from the rest of the students for some reason.

She seemed a little bit like me. I was isolating myself from others to keep my secrets safe. Maybe she was the same, though I seriously doubted that. For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to go and talk to her. I noticed a book of matches and a candelabra on the table next to me. If she was going to keep reading, she was going to need light. The lights overhead were fairly dim to begin with, and they would be turned off soon enough.

I grabbed the candelabra and the matches and walked over to her. She didn't seem to acknowledge I was there as I came to a stop beside her. She was absorbed in her book.

"Hey." She looked up at me as I placed the items I was holding on the table next to her. I turned to her and smiled lightly. "It's bad for your eyes to read in the dark."

"Oh." She returned to her book. "Thank you."

I guess she wasn't a fan of conversation. Still, I had to try. I leaned back against the wall. "Nice night, huh?"

"Yeah." She didn't even look up from her book this time. She was just plain distant.

"So, uh, is that a good book?" I was just trying to start a conversation with her in any way I could.

"Yes, it is." She wasn't even looking at me. She just turned the page, reading intently. It was like she'd put up a wall between herself and everyone else, trapped in her own little room, separated from the world.

I opened my mouth to say something else, but quickly closed it. I just didn't really know how to talk to anyone. Well, I guess that wasn't entirely true. I mean, sure, I could talk to Jaune and Ruby, but it was easier with them. They didn't try to shut me out or keep away from people in general. This girl was different. She was so mysterious, so distant, so... secretive.

I let out a sigh. "I'm sorry..."

"Huh?" She actually looked up at me. "What for?"

I just hung my head, defeated. "It's obvious I'm just wasting your time. I'm no good at this. I'm just... really new to this..." I scratched the back of my head nervously. "I'm... no good at talking to people. I'm really sorry..."

"Oh." She looked down at the candelabra briefly. She looked back up at me and her gaze seemed to soften a bit. She gave me a small, light smile. "No, it's fine. I'm just not really talkative right now, I guess."

"Oh..." I looked over at her amber eyes and the wall between us seemed to crumble away, bit by bit. I smiled slightly. "Okay. S-sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." She lowered her book to her lap, shaking her head. "Really, it's fine."

I smiled at her again. "Thanks." Though I could tell it was just to be nice, I was glad she was finally talking to me. Still, it was clear she just wanted to be left alone so she could read. I turned and flipped open the matchbook, striking a match and lighting the candelabra. "So, uh, what's your name?"

"Blake." She wasn't smiling anymore, but she was still looking at me to let me know she was listening. She watched as I quickly lit each of the candles, waiting patiently for me to finish.

"I'm Cori." I shook out the match, extinguishing the flame on the end. I turned and smiled at her before getting up. "Well, I'll let you get back to your book, then."

"Thanks." She turned and lifted her book back up to her eyes.

I turned and looked over my shoulder at her. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"Likewise."

"Have a good night, Blake." With that, I walked away and headed toward an open balcony. I stood there with my arms resting on the railing, staring up at the sky. The stars were littered throughout the vast dark expanse above. The dark night surrounded the world all around me, broken only by the pale light of the moon. The academy's shadow cast out across the night, looming over the surrounding cliffs.

It really was a beautiful sight. Looking at this, I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for me tomorrow, who I'd be helping. If I could choose who I had to protect, I'd have to say I'd rather help Ruby or Jaune. But, of course, the choice wasn't mine to make. I'd just have to wait and see what happened.

"OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!"

Turning around, I saw Ruby, Weiss, and Yang standing next to Blake, who was still sitting on the floor with her book. Weiss had apparently just shouted at Ruby, while Yang had shouted at Weiss. Blake just rolled her eyes and set her book down on the table next to her. Ruby tried to remind her sister and Weiss to be quiet, resulting in yet another exchange of heated words between the three. This exchange, however, was rather short, as Blake blew out the light from the candelabra, causing the room to quickly dim. The lights overhead had dimmed considerably, almost completely extinguished.

I guess I'd been up longer than I thought. Most of the students were in bed at this point. I hadn't realized it had gotten so late. The time seemed to pass so quickly. I turned back to the balcony and took one last glance out at the night, still curious about what tomorrow's initiation might bring.

"Well, there's no use worrying about it now." I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in the evening air. Shortly after, I reopened them slowly before letting out a sigh and heading back inside to get some sleep.

"It all start tomorrow."

Man, I am so glad to be back doing this story. I'm happy that so many people enjoyed reading it! I've worked my hardest on it. This chapter alone took a long time to write, so I hope I'm doing a good job.

A big thanks to the users twilightrusstle, anakedtaco1, shadowknight226, aPOWFUSION, and TigerLily940, for being the first ones to favorite/follow this story. It really means a lot to me to know that there are people out there who like what I'm writing. Thank you.

Please remember to rate and review this story, and I'll respond to those reviews at the beginning of each new chapter. Thanks a lot for reading, guys, and look forward to the next chapter, where things will start to heat up again! See you then!