A/N: Here is an updated version of chapter 3
For those of you who are reading this for the first time, most of Wash's gear is described in the chapter. However, here is some of the things that you may need help picturing.
-The battle-rifle and magnum are the versions from Halo 4
-He carries a healing unit like the Halo 3 re-generator
-The gauntlet on his right forearm resembles IQ's gauntlet from Rainbow Six Siege
Now enjoy.
Many Years Ago….
"GUUFFAWW!"
My body skidded against the metal floor until my helmet tapped against the wall. The room around me just kept on spinning after that last punch, which made trying to get my bearings even harder. All I could make out was someone in tan-colored armor tapping my visor with their finger.
"Hey, Carolina," York looked me over for any injuries, "I'm all for a group training session, but don't you think you should hold back just a little?"
"The enemy won't hold back during a mission, so why should I?" the squad's leader argued, "Besides, what point is their in learning how to fight if you can't take a hit?"
"That makes sense when both parties get bruised up. Not when it's one-sided," the tan freelancer helped their young teammate up, "You doing okay Wash?"
"Y-Yeah," the gray freelancer gripped his helmet, "J-Just give me second to…..stop my brain from rattling."
"Come on Wash!" Carolina ordered from the far side of the room, "Don't keep your commanding officer is waiting!"
South cheered from the sidelines with the others, "Yeah Wash, she's waiting! I got ten bucks on whether you'll say something stupid when you get hit again!"
The rookie freelancer growled at the insult, about to charge at her until York stopped him, "Easy, easy there kid. Lashing out won't stop the insults. The best way to shut her up is focus on the fight and prove her wrong."
"Right," Wash repeatedly breathed in and out, "Right, just ignore her."
"There we go," York handed him the training baton.
"Got any other tips before I'm sent flying back to you," the young agent rolled his shoulders.
"I would," the tan freelancer slapped Wash's back, sending him forward, "But then you wouldn't learn anything now would you?"
Carolina patiently waited for her opponent, twirling her baton around until both of them were in the training circle.
"Ready?" the squad's best fighter got into a combat stance.
Wash did the same, gripping his weapon tightly until he heard the bell ring, "Ready."
Present Day….
Today is the day, my initiation. In order to prepare and ace this exam, I didn't waste the time I had before then. Sometimes I went to the gym with Yang already there for our morning sparring match. Although those fights tend to end with getting my ass handed to me. Other times I practiced my marksmanship at the school's shooting range. Which I make-up for my….difficulty with CQC. Also, for legitimate reasons, get a better layout of the campus. In my opinion, this place is too exposed for an attack and it's too "fancy" to what I'm used to. But, it's an academy, so it's natural to look like a school.
Right now I'm in the locker room getting ready for whatever challenge I'm going to face today. I obviously couldn't wear my old armor since it would be a dead give-away to who I was. So instead, I had to go to a local weapons shop to buy to some parts for a makeshift battle armor. My legs had metal plated boots and steel gray combat pants with knee pads and a holster. Upper body is covered with a combat hoodie and a Matrix TF3 vest with yellow trims. I covered my face with a steel gray balaclava along with the combat sunglasses and military-cap I usually wear. The only thing I have from my old uniform is my EMP unit on one of my gauntlets and a healing unit in one of my pockets. Professor Goodwitch also gave me non-lethal rounds for my battle-rifle and magnum so I can use my guns without hurting anyone. At least not much.
I close my locker and make my way to Beacon's amphitheatre. The building is massive, having a stadium-like structure that encircled a stage on the far side. However Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch are in the center of the room waiting for me.
"Good morning," the school headmaster greets me, "Ready to officially start your time here?"
"Ready as anyone can be," I look around the room, "So when do we start?"
"In time," Ozpin smirked as he took a sip from his mug, "For now, why don't you tell what you have been up to these past few days."
It was weird that Wash wasn't at the gym this morning. We've been training hand-to-hand for the past few days and I was planning to teach him grappling today. I know most people think it's "inappropriate" for two people of opposite genders to wrestle on the ground, but I can't wait to see the look on his face when I put him into a headlock. Wait a minute, he wears those sunglasses and that hat all the time. I wonder if he's one of those hides-their-faces-but-are-surprisingly-hot kind of guy. Oh well, it's Friday and that means this weekend I get to lay back and relax. That is if Professor Port would eventually shut up about his life stories for the millionth time this week.
Lucky me that an announcement began to play on the PA.
Thank. God.
"Would teams RWBY and JNPR please report to the amphitheatre. I repeat, teams RWBY and JNPR report to the amphitheatre."
Professor Port excuses me, my sister, Blake, and Ms. Ice Queen from class and we all make our way to our destination. Along the way we met with Vomit Bo-I mean Jaune's team. As we all walk together, we came up with a bunch of theories of why we were called.
Ruby, my little sister, asks excitedly, "Maybe it's a mission?"
"The message didn't seem urgent," Pyrrha answers.
Nora happily skips along and oddly suggested, "Maybe it's someone's birthday and we're gonna get cake?"
Ren, as usual, corrects her, "Nora, no one's birthday is today."
Her eyes comically widen in horror, "The cake was a lie!?"
The happy couple continued their discussion about cake while we kept on walking.
Weiss rubs her forehead in frustration, "Yang, I swear if this is because you broke more school rules I'll-"
"Relax Weiss, you know I've been a good girl all week," I answer with a grin.
"Speaking of which," Ruby narrows her eyes at me, "You've been waking up earlier than all of us lately."
I snort at her 'interrogation', "I've been training you know that."
"Maybe it's a guy," Nora gasps, placing her hands on her cheeks, "Oh my gosh! Maybe they're having secret rendezvous."
"Well~," I casually place my hands behind my head, "You're not entirely wrong."
It was hilarious to see the look on everyone's faces when they heard my answer. I bet none of them expected any guy who handle being alone with me. I-...Wait, that sounded dirty.
We arrive at the amphitheatre and we find Professor Ozpin, Goodwitch, and a guy in the center of the room.
"Well whatever it is," Jaune points at the guy near the headmaster, "I think it has something to do with him."
His clothes were all steel gray with yellow trims. He looked familiar even though he is covering his face, but I decide to ignore it for now and we all form a line in front of Ozpin.
"Good, you're all here," he greets us with a smile, "Today we're going to have an initiation for a new student. However, since it has been a week into the semester, we would like you to assist us in welcoming him."
The guy next to him walks up standing next to Ozpin.
"This is D-I mean Mr. Washington. Due to certain circumstances he is very shy in showing his face. Don't worry, I am sure he will eventually open up to you all."
Washington looks at Ozpin and then looks at us giving a silent nod. Ruby and Nora try to give friendly waves, but he does nothing. However my eyes widened when I finally realize.
"Wash?"
He notices me, but then turns his head away.
"It's me, Yang," I smirked at him, almost gloating, "You know, the girl who has kicked your ass the past few days."
"Please try not to remind me," he sighs.
Typical Wash.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asks.
"Yeah we've-"
"Ahem," Professor Goodwitch interrupts us, "Right now, Mr. Washington needs to pass an initiation test in order to get into Beacon. You eight will face him one-by-one in consecutive rounds. If he can defeat at least four of you, then he passes. Head to the locker room, put on your combat gear, and report back here in ten minutes."
We all nod our heads in agreement and heads towards our lockers. Me in particular, had a smile on my face.
Man I love Fridays.
I ask Ozpin as we watch the others leave, "Why didn't you tell me I was going to fight eight people one at a time?"
"Always expect the unexpected," he swirls his coffee around, "If we told every student what the initiation was, then we would have many more students attending Beacon."
That does makes sense. Knowing what's on the test makes it easier to be tempted to cheat. And it doesn't prepare you for real life.
"So how do you know Ms. Xiao Long?" he asks me.
I try to play dumb, "Who?"
"The blonde one who called you 'Wash'," the headmaster teased with a smirk.
I ignored his attempt at being funny, "She tutored me on hand-to-hand combat during my first few days here."
"Well, it seems it is the time to put those new skills to the test."
The eight of them come back all armed and prepared for battle. The order of who I was going to fight is randomized in order to keep me on my toes. My first opponent is a blonde guy identified as Jaune by his cohorts. His outfit is similar to civilian wear, only it has bits of armor covering it. His weapon of choice is a simple sword and sheath that turns into a shield. He seems nervous when facing me which causes him to leave himself wide open. Apparently he is the weakest of the group since he went down easily from a rifle-butt to the head. Jaune was helped off stage by a girl with bronze armor, green eyes, and long red hair. It must have been my imagination, but her appearance was too close of a resemblance to Carolina. I'll have to be careful around her.
Next up is a girl in pink named Nora who is armed with a grenade launcher that can turn into a hammer. Despite her small size, she carries a massive weapon which is fascinating as to how she is even able to lift it. I keep my distance, letting her swing her weapon around as she tries to smash me. Even with her strength she can still get tired from moving around for so long and I took her out with a few shots to the stomach. Nora walks off stage rubbing her bruises and, as if on instinct, sat next to a man with pink eyes. I could have sworn that he was glaring at me after examining her, but I ignore it.
My third opponent is a young girl in red who seems to have a connection with Yang. She is still loud and brash, but also kind and supportive. Her little sister perhaps? Odd how the two look nothing alike, one of them is probably adopted. However, what really put me off is the young girl's sniper rifle that also turns into a massive scythe. Fighting her was a bit difficult but I used the same tactic from my match with Nora. I exhaust her movements and ammo by keeping her back with my rifle, even resorting to dodging. She runs out of bullets trying to propel herself to get around me. She went for a final slash and I took her down with a slight knee to the stomach. I chose to hold back a little because she is the youngest of the group.
This next round, my opponent is Yang. We circle around each other when we hear the bell ring, gauging who will strike first.
She forms her usual smirk, "You ready for this?"
"I think I have the advantage this time," I answer back.
"And what is that?"
"A gun."
I quickly open fire and let out a three-round burst straight at her. They were non-lethal so the worst they would do is give a painful sting. She dodges out of the way and arms her gauntlets.
"You're not the only one," she chambers a round.
Yang fires a chain of shotgun blast from her wrist which I dodge-roll out of the way. I continue firing at her, hoping to at least hit her once. Sadly she uses her gauntlets to propel herself around me. I focus my sights and fire one of my shots into her shoulder, sending her to the ground. I charge forward, trying to end it by hitting her with the butt of my rifle. However she quickly rolls out of the way. She gets up and we both aim our weapons at each other.
"What'd I say about acting out of desperation?" she playfully asks.
"To never do it and keep on hitting," I say sarcastically.
She grins and we continue the match. Yang throws a shot-gun powered punch, but I'm able to block with my arm. However that last strike sent me flying. I land on my feet, skidding to stop as I quickly retaliate. She dodges the shots again, but one of them makes it through her hair. Everyone froze and gasp at the sight of the few strands that fell to the ground.
I looked at all of them strangely. What's the big deal, it's just hair?
I then notice the atmosphere around my opponent is….different. Her teeth were gritting against each other and her fist were curled to the point I could hear the muscles straining.
"Yang?" I prepare myself for anything, "Are you okay?"
"...You," she snarled, her eyes blood red instead of their usual color, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
At that moment she propels herself towards me at blazing speeds. I'm lucky enough to raise my rifle at the last second to shield myself. She throws a punch, and then another, then another. Is it me, or were her strikes getting stronger!? Her final punch sends my battle rifle spinning across the floor. I quickly activate my EMP unit, and even if it doesn't effect her gauntlets, the flash provides enough of a distraction. She stumbles back shielding her eyes which gave me enough time to tackle her to the ground. I pin her wrists above her head while she struggles to get up. For a few minutes that felt like hours, I use all my strength to keep Yang from bashing my face in. Eventually her eyes return to their usual color.
However I'm not sure if she is still a threat. While on top of her I place my magnum between her eyes.
"Hands up!" I shout.
She looks at me and rolls her eyes as she mockingly did what I told her. I immediately get off of her but keep my aim steady.
Yang sticks out her hand, "You gonna help me up?"
I narrow my eyes, not moving an inch.
"...Okay then," she gets up by herself, "So much for being a gentleman."
She notices that I still have my sidearm aimed at her, "You can relax. I'm not gonna hit you."
I holster my weapon, convinced she's back to her usual self. After a quick examination of my battle-rifle, I find a whole lot of dents and even it being bent slightly. A sudden chill went up my spine as I realize that this could have been me. Now I have to find a way to repair it!
I turn to the perpetrator, both pissed at the state of my primary weapon and how she almost killed me, "What the hell just happened!?"
"Oh, that," Yang chuckles while she rubs the back of her head, but quickly crosses her arms, "Well that's what happens when you mess with my hair!"
I furrowed my brow at her answer. I remember she said the same thing when we first met, but I thought she just took pride in taking care of it. It's not something to kill someone over.
Ozpin claps in the background as he approaches us.
"Congratulations Washington, you are now a student at Beacon Academy," he announces to everyone in the room, "From this day forward you will be part of teams RWBY and JNPR."
When I heard those words, my stomach twisted itself to the point that it's unrecognizable.
"What do you mean 'part of a team'!?" I stomp towards Ozpin, jabbing a finger into his chest, "The deal was that I get to work alone!"
The others look at me like I'm crazy wondering why someone would rather work solo than on a team. Ozpin gives a long glare at me until he finishes his announcement.
"As I did," the huntsman pushed away the digit, "You will still be working solo, but as support to both teams. I suggest you get along with them so you can do your job."
I clench my fists at his words. I wanted to become a huntsman, but I wanted to do it by myself. After what happened at Project Freelancer I can't trust anyone anymore. So how am I going to trust a bunch of people I just met today!?
Ozpin turns to the rest of the students, "Thank you all for participating, enjoy the rest of your day."
As he leaves the auditorium, I feel Yang's arm over my shoulder, "Looks like we're teammates 'ey Wash!"
"Get off of me," I reply not even trying to hide my irritation.
Her lilac eyes widen as I hop off the stage. The two teams obviously back away, letting me walk towards the locker room alone….just the way I like it.
