Edited as of (3/8/18)

PB: Da-Awesom-One

"…" – Spoken

'Italics' - Thought

(Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters, they belong to Monty Oum of Roosterteeth Productions, and those characters you see not from the show like the main character are my own OCs for the purpose of the story. Enjoy) - Mojo1586

FIRST DAY

-Joel Ambrose-

"Little to the left... Almost... There!"

With a huge grunt of effort, Ben, Reika, and I had carefully - and rather arduously - placed the bed that would be Ben's over the bottom one, which would be mine. All three of us had decided to do this now before tomorrow, Ben reasoning that it would free up space. The deed would also take time, putting us at risk of being late for the first day of classes if it were done the next morning. And we couldn't have that, no sir.

So we banded together to do this. Our first task done together as a team... Or at least it would have been if a certain dog-eared girl had decided to help.

"Remind me again... why your riot of a partner decided not to help us out?... Phew!... Don't think she gave us a decent excuse," Ben wheezed, putting his hands on his knees, both flesh and metal.

"It's 'cause she didn't give us any excuse," I responded, shooting my partner a glare from her position on the bottom bunk of the right side of the room. "He's right, you know. We could've really used your help with this. Could have at least offered."

"Looked boring. Didn't care for it," she retorted as she scrolled through her... well, Scroll. "Besides, you idiots got it done, anyway. The brain trust obviously didn't need my input."

"That's not the point!" I snapped, hands on my hips, facing down a snarl from the Canine Faunus without flinching. "We're supposed to be a team now! The only way we're gonna get through our time here is by working together. Can't you see that?"

At that she tossed her Scroll on her bed, and then jumped right into my face. "The only thing I see, loser, is some punk who thinks he's hot stuff now since Ozpin went and made him the leader of a lame-ass team! Well, newsflash, 'Leader,' Ozpin pretty much stuck us with carrying Smartass and the Short Bitch on our backs for the next four years, so don't get too proud of yourself!"

"Um, y'know Smartass and the Short Bitch can hear ya, right?" Ben quipped back, but his eyes bulged when he saw Reika approaching Max, cracking her fists dangerously. He grabbed his teammate, pulling her away even as her arms reached out to grab my all too ready partner. "Nononono, she ain't worth it! She ain't worth it..."

"...!" The mute looked as if she were about to argue the point, but finally relented.

Max's tirade continued. "Ozpin may think you're leader material, but you haven't proven dick to me! So don't go thinking you can order me around just 'cause some senile old man gave you some label!"

At that, and everything else I had to put up with that day, I glowered back. I didn't have much patience or energy for much else. "Listen here, you...!"

Before any of us could go any further, a knock resounded form our room's door, making everyone turn towards the entrance.

"We, uh, expectin' anybody?" Ben asked as he turned to us, Reika shrugging her shoulders as she hung from his arms. "Welcomin' committee?"

"I'll get it," I sighed wearily, before turning towards Max and pointing a finger. "This conversation isn't over."

"'Thish convershashun ain' overrr,'" Max mimicked cruelly before spitting at the floor. "Douchebag..."

Ignoring the barb, I approached the door, turning the knob to open it. "Wonder who'd be knocking at this hou...!?"

As soon as I saw who was on the other side, I took a startled step back. Doing this allowed our visitor to walk in. It was a girl with long dark hair streaked liberally with blue, with a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, the right lens cracked, looking back at me with pink eyes. She was wearing a blue strapless dress... but it was all torn up and scuffed, and I saw that there were other marks and bruises on her arms, face, shoulders.

Familiar ones...

"N-Natalie!?" I cried out, appalled at the state of her, caught between reaching out and stepping back. "W-what are you...!? Why...!?"

"You can't escape..." she said quietly, calmly, as if in a trance. "You can't escape forever."

"Escape?" I repeated in confusion. "What are you...?"

"You can't escape what you did. What you've done..." she continued as she slowly approached me. I stepped away from as she did, afraid. "You can't brush aside what you did. What we did. You can't hide it forever. They'll know soon enough. They'll all know."

Deciphering her meaning, I spun on my heel and froze. Ben, Reika Maxine... They were just... gone.

"And when that happens... Well, we've seen it before." another voice said, coming from the direction of Natalie, but was most definitely not her.

Turning back around slowly, I was, to my own already growing horror, met with the sight of a little girl with a ragged haircut, and bear ears atop her head.

"They'll reject you. They'll hunt you. They'll make you pay for what you did."

"No..." I gasped, shaking my head briskly now, pupils dilating in fright. "No... No, I saw you die! Y-you can't...! You can't be here!"

"There'll be nowhere for you to hide. Everyone will come for you, just like you came for them."

"'Cause in the end of the day..."

I looked up to where the newer, more distorted voice came from. Walking through the doorway was a figure bedecked in dark fatigues, dark armor in his plates on his chest, knees and elbows, and was wearing a dark hood.

A dark hood that concealed a mask with a red hand print on its face for all to see.

"We can't run from who we are."

I noticed sparks arcing between twitching fingers, a vivid blue that burned through the air. But he didn't move. He couldn't. The girl suddenly snarled, leaping for his throat like a true animal...

I raised a hand hurriedly, panicked. "Wait, no don't...!" But the cry was drowned out, lost in the booming thunder of a gunshot, and the dull thump of something small hitting the ground.

"NO!"

"GAH!"

My eyes snapped open to the sound of a buzzing alarm ringing throughout the room, heart beating in a quick tempo, and breath heaving as I awoke, letting the fact that the dream - the nightmare - was over, allowing the feelings it brought to the surface fade as I kneaded my forehead with closed fists.

"Count to five, inhale... Count to five, exhale..." I breathed out as I lay there, calming myself down to a more stable breathing pattern and heartbeat. Once I was certain the worst had passed, I sat up, rubbing my bleary gaze as the clock's alarm cut out with a loud crash from Max's side, making me jump slightly.

Sparing a curious glance at the rest of my team - with the exception of Reika, who was already up and making her way from the room dressed in the uniform they'd provided us along with her mask - each swore curses as they woke.

'They're still here... My team... MY team... That's gonna take some getting used to...'

Taking a final deep, calming breath, I swung my legs out and got to my feet, clapping my hands together. "...Alright. Everyone up!"

Ben groaned above me as he covered his head with his pillow with his good hand, the robotic arm hanging on the wall next to him in a sling, the rogue having spent a good portion of last night cleaning the thing to a dull shine after our little outing the day before.

"Hey, Psycho?... Remember how I suggested we make bunk beds? Y'know, get some extra space and all, and you thought we wouldn't get 'nuff sleep?..." he muttered, voice slightly muffled.

"Yeah, I remember."

"...You were godsdamn right... I friggin' hate school..."

I sighed to myself, tapping the thick ropes that bound the beds together. 'I wonder why all this stuff was in the closet?' I shrugged it off as I got up, stretching with a pop of freeing joints.

It had been a pain, but I supposed it was better to have the room set up early, so we weren't rushing about to get it done now. It also didn't help that we'd all gotten called in after the team assignment for an uncomfortable hour with Goodwitch, or just "Witch" in Ben's case.

She'd discussed our "insubordination" in fighting the Chimera after she'd expressly told us to run away. The Headmaster apparently let us off with a warning, seeing as everyone got out okay, and because we'd actually succeeded in killing the blighted thing. Still, she made it perfectly clear that we'd be in detention cleaning hallways for the rest of our time at Beacon if she heard even one rumor regarding Chimeras in the Emerald Forest.

"So what's on tap for today, Boss?"

"Well, first class is Grimm Studies, with a Professor..." I checked the Scroll on the bedside table as I pulled on my blazer, "Port... Sounds somewhat interesting, I guess." I glanced up at the partitioned curtain we'd hung up in the middle of the room to give ourselves some measure of privacy. "Max, that alarm... Didn't we use your Scroll?"

"Stupid skirt... Oh, damn it!"

'Guess that answers that question,' I thought as a long string of curses followed. 'Well, she's certainly... creative.'

"I'm sure we can get a replacement. Doesn't matter, anyway. We're all in the same class to start with, with the exception of Reika," I mentioned reassuringly, straightening out the tie with only a fair bit of difficulty. You'd think for a Huntsman Academy, the uniforms would offer a bit more comfort. "It's at nine, so we still have a bit of time. Thinking of grabbing a quick breakfast, myself."

"Shove it, Ambrose!" A hand shot through the curtain, flipping me off succinctly.

"Sure thing, Boss!" Ben confirmed, shooting me a mock salute as I reached the door, trying to sneak a peek over the curtain, only to jump back as a book embedded itself in the ceiling above him. I could've sworn that the impact sent cracks rippling through the plaster.

'My team, everyone...' I groaned inwardly, cursing Ozpin as I scratched at the skin near the collar, making a mental note to put in a work order to fix that.

After grabbing a few slices of toast and a more than generous helping of eggs, I found myself seated outside on one of the benches leading to the Mess Hall, staring out at the garden. The storied campus definitely had its perks, deserving its accolades.

"Definitely a step up from bars and concrete..." I muttered, taking a deep breath whilst savoring the warm meal. "Mm... Food's better, too." Anything was better than gruel served through a thin slit along the floor.

"Enjoying the view, I see."

I jumped from my spot, startled from the new voice, and almost spilling my food the process, snatching the plate deftly before it could hit the ground. Looking up, I found Ozpin standing next to me, working on a steaming mug in one hand, and his cane in the other. 'How did he...? Ugh, never mind.'

"Being locked up in a small cell for a few months does give you an appreciation for the fresh air, sir," I replied after taking a quick breath, shrugging lazily as I took another bite of my toast. "Actually, considering what I was doing for the past few years, this all does make for a nice change of pace. It's more peaceful."

"I'm glad you approve. It's always a joy to hear that students are happy and content."

"'Content' might be too strong a word," I laughed, glancing at my Scroll. "That team you put me in charge of can be a bit... difficult."

"Your group, admittedly, does indeed have a fair share of interesting personalities. I'm really quite surprised by how things turned out, truth be told. Your partner in particular," he nodded, shooting me an apologetic smile.

"Oh, you mean the Faunus girl? Yeah, I see the irony in that, Professor. I really do. A Faunus girl who likes to play with her food before she eats it. Yep, noticed that little tidbit back in the woods."

"I'll admit, Miss Argus can be a bit of a handful, but you're hardly in any position to talk about violent tendencies. I did have access to your estimated body count, after all. She at least keeps it to the Grimm for the most part."

So, we're playing it like that, are we? Fine...

"Alright! Point taken..." I interjected in annoyance, shaking my head as I stood up. "Pretty sure she still wants to rip my head off, though, for some reason or another..."

"Maxine is a talented girl with a powerful gift. She has, however, led a very difficult and troubled life." He cocked an eyebrow, suddenly, staring into the contents of his drink for a moment, before continuing. "I thought you two would relate to one another."

"She probably burned ants as a kid, and I hunted down her people for a less-than-noble cause. Yep, we're practically best friends already," I laughed sarcastically. "But back to the point I was making: Bastion didn't exactly teach me team-building exercises. Neither did the Red Hand, for that matter."

"Be that as it may, I'm sure that, given time, you can learn to accept and grow into your new role. Of that, I have no doubt."

"Hmph... I think you're giving me too much credit, Professor," I grunted through one last mouthful, getting to my feet and crunching the paper plate in my hands, eager to be off to class and finished with whatever this was.

"On that point, however... do they know?" he asked as I turned to leave. "Have you told them about your prior affiliation?"

Sighing, I turned back to him. "Carson... knows a little. And I'm pretty sure he's told Murasaki by now... I think. I doubt they'll fill in anyone else, though. As for Maxine... I'd rather wait a while before having to deal with that hurdle." I shivered slightly at the thought. "Obvious reasons aside, I doubt she'll react well to my having been a Trapper on principle."

"It will get out, you know. Sooner or later," the older Huntsman pointed out. "There are those here who will reveal it even if you don't. And they might not know the exact circumstances as we do."

As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point. My trial was on the news when it happened. Not a huge spectacle, sure, but still big enough to grab someone's attention. And there had to be others who knew what this collar meant, like Ben, or others who I'd met before...

'Weiss, for example.'

"I'll handle it when I need to, okay? It was nice talking to you, Professor, but I'm going to be late for class," I said, hurrying off towards the nearest building with my Scroll as a guide.

"Thought we weren't s'posed to be late, oh, fearless leader?" Ben quipped, grinning as I sat down next to him. I was panting slightly, as I had started sprinting as time began to wind down. Fortunately, I made it in just as the class began, dodging past an irritable Argus along the way, who had her head flat on the desk, growling.

"Wasn't that late. Got held up by someone," I hissed back, trying to ignore how lost I'd gotten along the way as I took in the classroom. Forests were one thing, but it was as if the twisting uniform hallways and corridors were designed to play hell with my sense of direction.

It was a big room, diagrams and anatomy charts of various Grimm spaced along the front, where a large, older man stood. He bore an impressive gut, a burgundy suit with gold buttons and pipings, graying hair combed to both sides, and the thickest mustache I'd ever seen on a human being. This was Professor Port, most likely, and he was speaking... Monologuing?

"Doesn't look like I missed much, anyway." I indicated a few other sleeping students with a wave of my hand.

"Oh, but you'll never get a first-hand account 'bout how the guy took on a pack of Beowolves, and with nothin' more than an old pickaxe and a cabbage, no less! Or the chillin' recollection of how he trapped a great beast for months beneath his own house! Oh, what a shame..." the rogue sighed sarcastically.

"That last one actually sounds pretty interesting."

"Meh. Some bits were better than others."

Port definitely looked caught up in his own story, a fact I was silently grateful for. Otherwise, he might have put me on the spot for sneaking in the way I had.

"Anywaaay..." Ben continued as he pointed down to the first row with his right hand. At the end, I saw the whole of Team RWBY sitting hunched over in various states of awareness. "You know those girls, right? The blonde and the redhead were cheerin' for ya at the ceremony."

"...Huh. So that's where Weiss ended up," I observed as I looked down to the first row. "Heh, guess her whole 'Pyrrha Nikos' strategy didn't go as planned. Still, can't believe those four actually got together..."

"So ya do know 'em."

"Yeah, I met them during the first day. What's your point?"

"Well, accordin' to the rumors goin' around, they're the ones that ripped up the area 'round the temple and killed those Grimm, along with one Team JNPR."

"Really?... You don't say?"

"That's not all. Apparently, Miss Schnee's gonna fight a Grimm for us today, and show us all what a 'true Huntress-in-training' is capable of."

I raised an eyebrow at both his words and Weiss herself as she stood up and left the room. Port, meanwhile, dragged out a shaking cage perched atop his desk, held shut with heavy chains and a thick brass lock.

"Hope she's not all wealth and no skill," Ben muttered, chin rested on his normal hand. "Blue blood tends to stain just as badly as the red does."

"Wait... we actually fight Grimm in this class? I thought this was only supposed to be theory?"

I wasn't too worried about the Schnee progeny. I'd sat through more than enough combat lessons during my short tenure as her bodyguard to know she could handle herself in a fight if it came down to it.

'Still, to release a live Grimm in class? This teacher's either really confident, or a complete idiot.'

"You're seriously complaining?" The tired Faunus girl sat up as Weiss reentered the room dressed in full combat gear, sword in hand. "This is the best part! Either we get to see Miss Schnee Dust Heiress get ripped apart, or watch her do that to a Grimm. Sounds like a good show to me."

I shot her a dark look as Port shattered the lock with a large blunderbuss battle axe, releasing a squealing Boarbatusk on the heiress.

"...Hey, she's got some moves," Ben commented with appraisal after the first few seconds, tracing her weaving figure across the room, his eyes flashing slightly.

Weiss was doing remarkably well, actually. She easily dodged the Grimm's wild charging, though she seemed pretty agitated. Looking more closely, I saw that she was arguing with Ruby, though I couldn't make out the specifics over the cries of the Grimm. Either way, it was distracting her, making her miss obvious openings.

"Hey, Max..." I whispered, getting my partner's attention. "What's she saying?"

"I dunno. Something about 'not telling her what to do,'" Max replied in an annoyed grunt, eyes firmly fixed on the fight. "Damn. Wish I'd volunteered."

"Then don't sleep in class next time, Argus."

"Shut it, Carson!" she snapped, eyes narrowing at him dangerously.

He leaned forward with a grin, hand twitching at his side in anticipation as she began to glow red with Aura. "Why don'tcha make me!?"

"Hey, knock it off!" I pushed them apart before the fighting started, shooting each of them a sharp glare, and gesturing towards the teacher. Just in time, too, as Weiss had finished off the Grimm with a strike to its stomach.

"BRAVO! BRAVO!" Port announced as Weiss got shakily to her feet. "It appears we are, indeed, in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Now, don't forget to read...!"

"What!? That was way too short! Girl needs to learn to draw things out..." Max whined, getting to her feet as I copied down the assigned readings for the lesson.

'Wait, this is it? I learned about this stuff ages ago!' I thought as I skimmed through the book. 'Well, at least homework shouldn't be too hard for a while... They go way too easy on education around here.' Aegis'd had me able to I.D. a variety of Grimm and their weak spots in the first two weeks. Then came tracking...

"Hehe. Hey, look. Trouble in paradise," Max snickered, pointing down as Weiss stormed from the room whilst a panicked Ruby ran after her. "Wonder what's eating her up?"

"Probably not used to taking orders, I expect..." I shrugged, shooting her a sharp glare as we left the room, the sound of shouting ringing out from further down the hallway. "...Anyway, you guys go on ahead."

"What? Forget something? You were there for like ten minutes!" Max questioned.

"No. Just concerned," I replied, walking back towards the source of the shouting. "Save me some food, would ya?"

"Can't promise there'll be any left by the time you get there, Ambrose!" I groaned at her cackling echoing down the opposite hall.

My partner, everyone...

"Hey, Ruby, I heard shouting. Everything alright?" I asked the small hooded girl as I rounded the corner, catching her by surprise.

"Huh? Oh! Uh, h-hey, Joel!" she replied cheerily, turning to face me with a smile on her face, which I noticed was a little too forced for her own good. "How're you doing? Fun class, wasn't it?"

"What? Oh... Yeah... Sure," I answered in a confused tone, looking around the corridor. I caught sight of a flash of white hair rounding the corner. "Weiss just seemed a bit off when she left class..."

"Huh? O-oh... That..." Her face fell slightly, as she glanced down at her feet sadly.

"What's going on, Ruby? It's alright, you can tell me."

She waved her hands in a mitigating fashion. It didn't seem as earnest as she'd wanted, though. "No, no, it's nothing, really! It's just... Weiss is angry, that's all."

"Why?" I pressed further, carefully.

The younger girl just shrugged, dipping her head down slightly. "She... She's just mad because she thinks I was fooling around in class, and not taking things seriously..." She looked out towards the veranda, where Weiss stood staring at the sunset.

"Were you fooling around?"

"Just a few silly drawings!" she cried out defensively, raising her head up to look back at me.

'Gods, she really is young...' I thought absently as she stared up at me. 'Probably about as old as I was when...' I clamped down on that train of thought immediately, the tick going unnoticed by the little reaper.

"Anyway, she stormed off after yelling at me... I just was trying to have a bit of fun. It's just that... Well... S-she doesn't think that I'm fit to be a leader... She..."

"She wasn't having it," I finished, giving her a small grin. "She doesn't seem like the 'play around' type, does she?" I looked over her shoulder, and spotted a curious someone. "I'm guessing you talked to Ozpin about it?"

"Yeah. He walked up after Weiss left." She glanced down the hall where the professor had retreated.

"What did he tell you?" I asked, frowning at the girl's expression. "Seems serious."

"He was talking about team stuff. About how being a leader isn't just a title, but something you wear constantly." Her face knotted as she scratched at her hair madly. "It was really serious, but I don't know if I get it!" She glanced up at me, eyes shimmering wetly. "Joel... D-do you think I could be a good leader?"

"Ruby..."

"Professor Ozpin says he didn't make a mistake making me leader. But I don't know... Maybe he's lying... What if I screw up? What if Weiss is right!? What if...!"

I suddenly, almost unconsciously, found myself ruffling her hair, laughing to myself as I did so. I hadn't even realized that I had stopped her freak out mid-stride. A short moment later, I saw that she was glancing at me with a confused look on her face.

I instantly frowned upon coming to my senses, and pulled my hand away quickly as soon as I could, feeling a warm tinge across my apologetic face.

"Uh... Joel?"

"Heh, sorry about that..." I apologized awkwardly. "It's just... Well, you reminded me of my little brother just now. I used to ruffle his hair when we were kids whenever he'd be freaking out about something." When he was still small enough for me to manage it, at least.

"...Yang did that when we were younger, too..." she admitted quietly, smoothing out her red-tinged locks. "I guess it's just some sort of older sibling thing."

"Maybe it is," I agreed soundly.

"But... B-but what if I...?"

"Ruby, there's a million 'what ifs' right now. It's the first day!" I said, trying to reassure her. "You can't exactly blame yourself if things don't start off well. That's why we're here in the first place: to learn how to do this stuff. Ozpin said something like that, too, right?"

"He said I needed to act more like a leader. To be at my best always so people will want to follow me, or something like that. It sounds really hard..." she murmured to the ground, before turning to face me. "What do you think? You're a leader, too, right?"

"Well, to be honest, he's probably right, though I might not be the best person to get leadership advice from. My old school was more focused on personal situations rather than team ones." I scratched the back of my head, thinking back on how things had gone since Team AMBR had been formed. "As for how I'm doing, you do realize Team AMBR consists of a guy who habitually calls me 'Psycho,' an antisocial mute, and... well... You've met my partner, right? Maxine Argus? The Dog Faunus with an attitude problem?"

"No, not yet."

"Good. You're a sweet girl, and she might yell at you for being a tiny Human... Or eat you, for all I know. Hell... maybe both. She seems complicated like that." I sighed at the nervous look she shot me. Probably went a little too far with that joke... Was it a joke? Blast it...

"Look, that doesn't matter. From what I've been hearing, you've already led your team to victory once during the Initiation. The potential's there. You just have to see it for yourself." I encouraged, motioning towards the heiress. "And I'm sure Weiss will, too, if you just give her time, and work hard, like the Headmaster said."

She stayed silent for a moment, before nodding to herself and giving me a large smile. "Thanks, Joel. I needed someone else to talk to about all... this."

"Glad I could help."

I turned away, ready for some lunch, before Ruby called out to me.

"Hey, Joel!"

"Yeah?" I glanced over my shoulder back at her.

'Jacob would be about her age by now... It's been so long since I've seen him.' The last time I'd been anywhere near my brother had been at my trial. Understandably, we hadn't spoken since.

I was the embarrassment, after all. The stain on our family's honor.

"You're a great leader, too! Remember, 'don't give up,' right?" she encouraged, giving me a thumbs-up and a wink.

"Definitely!" I returned the wink, giving her a thumbs-up of my own.

'Now I just have to think of a way to pull it off...'

Too lost in my own thoughts, I wasn't quite aware of another presence rounding the corner of the hallway ahead at a jog at the same moment I was. The collision was nothing severe, but enough to put me back a step or two.

"Ah! Er, sorry! Sorry!" I apologized swiftly as I held my hands out before me on sheer reflex, eyes closed and doing my best to contain the energy that I could feel crackling underneath my sleeves with a bit of focused will. Wouldn't do to go shocking someone on accident, after all. I was in enough trouble with the wicked Witch already

"No, no! My bad, I wasn't looking where I was... Huh?" a female voice spoke up as she responded. A rather familiar one. "Oh! Hey, Joel!"

"Eh?" My eyes blinked open, taking in the sight of the RWBY's blonde brawler standing before me. She looked a bit frazzled, but none the worse for wear. "O-oh! Hey, Yang."

Judging by how she shifted her tone from that of alarmed panic to the genuine, pleasant surprise just now, she sounded pretty relieved to see me.

"Didn't see you there," I apologized sheepishly. "You alright?"

The girl merely dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Pssh, you kidding? No offense, Ambrose, but I've been hit by things that pack a bigger punch than that love tap."

"Still, it shouldn't have happened," I continued on. Really, it shouldn't have. I was rusty. Those months locked up hadn't been so kind, after all. "Too caught up in my own thoughts, I guess."

Yang crossed her arms with a smirk, eyes half-lidded. "Yeah. You, uh... seem to do that a lot."

I arched a confused eyebrow at her statement, but then softened my expression when I recalled out first meeting. "Ah... Right. My little scare before." I brought my hand behind my head, feeling a bit embarrassed at having recalled that mishap. "Yeah... About that, I promise I'm not usually that jumpy."

She raised her eyebrow, but still kept up a small skeptical smile. "Mmhm."

I let out a small chuckle at that, before clearing out my throat and nodding in her direction. "Anyway, sorry. I'll just, uh, get out of your way real quick..."

At that, however, she let out a small gasp and reached out for my blazer, grabbing a hold of my sleeve with surprising strength. "Actually, wait up! Can you help me out with something real quick? Pretty please?"

"Y-yeah, sure. What do you need?"

"Well, it's Ruby," she said, picking at her cheek and sounding irritated, more with herself than anything in particular. "She and Weiss ran off after class, and now I can't find them anywhere!"

I nodded with a small smile, answering quickly in an attempt to calm her down. "Yeah, I noticed that, too, and thought I'd see if things were alright. They're just cooling off, I think... At least Weiss is. I saw them both just a second ago."

She frowned at that. "Cooling down? Why? Did they have a fight?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. I think Ruby was messing around a bit in class, and it rubbed Schnee the wrong way. Had a bit of a leader talk with her, but she went somewhere else afterwards."

"Wouldn't happen to know where, would you?"

"Nope," I replied, shaking my head. "Maybe she went to the Mess Hall already? Kid seems pretty quick when she wants to be."

"What!? Without me!?" she cried, genuinely shocked about it, though it seemed more humorous than she intended.

"Growing up too fast for you, huh?" I chuckled, before looking more concerned. "Still, you should probably give her some space for right now. Seems like she's got a lot on her mind after today."

The blonde girl nodded after a moment, shrugging resignedly. "Yeah, I guess you're right... I just hope they can find a way to work together."

"I'm sure it'll be alright."

A short moment later, her frown then did a total one-eighty. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know! I appreciate it."

"It's nothing. Wish I could've been more helpful, though."

Yang placed her hands on her hips. "Say, what are you doing right now? Headed to your next class?"

"Not really. Was actually gonna get some lunch myself. Of course, that was when we... y'know." I bumped my fists together for emphasis.

She got the message instantly, playing with a strand of spun gold. "Oh. Heh, right..."

I waved my hand dismissively. "It's fine. There's probably still time to grab something."

"Sweet!" she grinned. "Hey, mind if I come with? Could check on Rubes on the way, and my partner was saying something about tuna... She's weird like that. And then I don't know if you've met JNPR, but they might be around, too. Who knows? Maybe we can all eat together!"

I blinked at that, a nervous frown etching my features that I hoped wasn't too obvious, though I doubted it. "Uh, you sure? I'd hate to be a bother."

Her eyes furrowed at that, glancing to the side before looking back at me. "Nah, I'm sure it'll be okay." She then frowned before gasping. "Oh, wait... were you planning on meeting someone else already? Your team? I mean, in that case, it's fine. We could hang out some other time, if you..."

I stopped, shaking my head briskly. "No, no, I'm not meeting anybody! I'm free. It's just that I...!"

The blonde seemed to light up at my words, already in motion before I'd finished speaking. "Really!? Cool! Alright, let's go get us some grub!" She then patted me in the back, before cringing at how the force of her pat made me stumble forward a bit. "Whoops... Sorry."

"It's fine," I told, coughing and chuckling from her hit, even if it'd felt like an Ursa had just smacked me. "You've got quite an arm there."

"Thanks. I work out," she explained as she lifted her right arm to flex smugly. The confidence burning off her Aura was almost palpable, the temperature in the air increasing slightly, or so I noticed.

"I can see that," I grinned as we began walking. "So, obvious troubles aside, how's your guys' team holding up?"

She shrugged. "I mean, Ruby and Blakey are okay. Weiss is the only one who seems to have an issue with how our team ended up."

"Noticed that." Something told me Weiss wouldn't have been happy unless she'd been leading her own handpicked squad of worshipers. "So Blake's your partner? How's that going?"

"Surprisingly, she's actually pretty cool," she revealed, an absolute wellspring once she started talking. It was actually hard not to leech off her excitement. "Got this whole ninja thing going on, and we're already making progress on the whole 'loner' front she's got put up." She hummed along to some wordless tune, arms behind her back. "So, what about your team?" she asked. "Way you guys looked after Initiation, you must've had a pretty fun time, too."

"Fun." That was certainly a word for it.

I scoffed. "Sorry, but Goodwitch already warned us about what would happen if we went bragging about what we did. Short version: not pretty. Lots of tears involved."

She pouted at that. "Awww, no fair! Now I just wanna know even more!" I just shrugged, heedless of the Huntress-in-training's pleas. "Fine, be that way..." she pouted, frowning while looking about the hall. "Hmm, wonder if the gym's around here, too?"

"You're serious?"

"Yep. These guns don't maintain themselves!"

I nodded approvingly. "Kinda curious to know where it's at myself. Need to get back into the swing of things." I flexed my own arm, trying to ignore the blonde's ogling gaze as I did so. Girl wasn't exactly being subtle about it, but she seemed impressed, though. That was something.

"Hey, maybe we can spar there sometime?" she offered, slamming her hands together in excitedly. "I'd like to see what you've got."

At that, my eyebrows furrowed. "They let you guys do that here?..." I always thought Aegis was unique, but it made sense though, now that I thought about it.

That earned me a frown of confusion. "Uh, duh. Don't see why not. Beacon is a combat school after all. How else are we supposed to show off?"

"True..." I admitted as I put my hand to my chin. The gears in my head began turning, as an idea slowly formed in my head. "Yang... I think I'm gonna take a rain check on that match... Got something I've gotta do first..."

At that, she kind of slumped forward. "Aww, okay... But we're still getting lunch, right?"

I laughed at that. "'Course we are! Don't know about you, but I'm freaking starving!" My stomach growled, setting fire flaring across my cheeks.

She giggled at my unexpected remark. "Took the words right outta my mouth!"

(That Night)

"Alright, Ambrose," Max began as she glared down at me from the fighting stage we'd set up in the gym, "wanna explain why we're in the gym in the middle of the night while Poncho and the short bitch get to take it easy back in the room?"

"Well, Max, there's a good reason for that," I replied, happily leaping up to join her, unsheathing my weapon, and giving it a quick once over. "I can talk with Reika and Ben... Well, Reika's still a work in progress. You, on the other hand, seem to prefer a more direct approach. So I'm obliging." I positioned myself at the other end of the stage, rolling my arms, popping joints. "Since we've met, we've been... less than friendly, to say the least. However, now that we're on a team and have to work together to succeed here, I want to get past our issues, or at least compromise."

I finished my stretches, and finally cracked my neck, staring directly at my partner's eyes as I did so. "So... am I right in assuming that you've got some sort of problem with me?"

She quirked an eyebrow, before letting out a short chuckle, hefting her axe onto her shoulder with a grimace. "You're right..." she admitted, tapping her nose gingerly. "I've known you for two days, and all you've done is make yourself out to be like some noble hero. Trying to save the day, making plans, and being in charge... But I smell blood on you. Grimm... Faunus and Human..."

"And that worries you?" I frowned, extending Circuit into staff form, but opting to keep the blades sheathed. I wouldn't need them after all... I hoped. "Thought you would've liked the smell."

"Intrigues me, more like... I know that weird collar has something to do with it. Has that Goodbitch's stink all over it." She shrugged lazily. "I won't pry, though. Don't need your life story."

"Good, because you won't get one. It's long, and very personal."

I switched on the large screen above us showing me a readout of both our Aura levels. Goodwitch had been hesitant to show me how to use it, but she'd caved in after Ozpin had given her the go-ahead.

"What about you?" I asked suddenly, catching her off guard. "I'm certain you have a reason for why you don't like Humans."

"Never said I didn't like Humans. I told you, I just don't like it when someone - anyone - tries to put themselves above me. Just so happens that most of the people who do that are Humans," she revealed, before adding, "You don't need my life story, either."

"That another reason why you don't like me? Because I'm trying to be a good leader?"

"It's not like I won't accept you being in charge... You just have to prove you're worth taking orders from." She then grinned, bringing her colorful axe to bare, licking her lips.

'...Somehow, I don't think Ruby's having this much trouble with Weiss,' I thought as a bemused expression crossed my face while I assumed a fighting stance. Arcs of electricity sizzled at my fingertips as my Aura flared.

"I have a policy against working with worthless people," she admitted, barring her teeth menacingly. "Thought I'd warn ya."

"Well, come on, then! If this is what you want. 'Til one of our Auras gets in the red, got it!?"

"If you're not dead by then!"

She was in the air within seconds, shimmering with carmine-colored Aura, axe blade hurtling down towards me. I sidestepped at the last possible second as she came down next to me, bringing my staff around to smack her across the back, sending a quick burst of voltage down its length for good measure as the weapon bounced off her soul's barrier. A move that saw her stumbling forward awkwardly and off balance, Aura dipping slightly.

"Ah! You big...!"

"Temper, temper!" I chided, spinning my staff lazily in one hand. "If I'd actually had blades out, or amped up the charge, you'd be in a lot more trouble right n...!"

I leapt back, narrowly avoiding the axe that she swung. She continued her assault, swinging her weapon around with a snarl of fury and reckless abandon, coming at me with elbows when she swung overhead, knees when I caught her downward strikes with jarring force, even throwing an attempted bite or two into the mix.

'How'd she...!?' I thought wildly, knocking aside a chopping axe stroke by the skin of my teeth, only to fall back as she launched into a renewed flurry of heavy swings that I was barely able to knock away, each misstep taking a good chunk off my counter.

She was somehow able to manipulate that axe from impossible positions, countering my attacks and then launching her own. It was almost as if momentum and gravity didn't have a say on her movements, her flow impossible to predict. My patience proved useful, however, as she finally made a mistake, overextending her blow just far enough in for me to gain room and disarm her, rearing back as I put all my strength into a two-handed swing towards her chest that would've batted her away and likely finished this short-lived duel.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the blow was just about to connect, and... didn't!?

I gaped as some unseen force caught hold of my weapon, stopping it cold just as it was about to touch her. It felt as if a giant had grabbed hold of the weapon, and held it firmly in place.

"What the...!?" I growled, trying and failing to pull it away. It was like trying to pry something from a stone wall.

"Gotcha!" Max hissed, grinning wildly. Her eyes shone brightly with energy as I was suddenly propelled back through the air. It felt as if a car had just smacked into me. Rolling to my feet shakily at the other end of the arena, I tried to stand up, staggering as my world tried to balance itself once more.

'What... What the hell did she hit me with!?'

My mind was racing when something hit me again, throwing me into the air. Twisting around, I extended one of Circuit's bladed prongs quickly, firing it off towards the ground as I felt myself being carried higher and higher, something tugging on the back of the chest piece I wore. And all the while, Max just stood there staring up at me, skin flickering with carmine-colored light. That is, until she wavered, falling to her knees, the strange glow leaving her eyes.

All too suddenly, I found myself falling quickly towards the ground again at a rate too quick for me to reorient myself, also losing my grip on my weapon. I cringed, ready and waiting to roll with the impact, when the strange force caught me again, just a foot off the ground.

"Holy..." I began, before I falling-face first onto the hard floor with a *thud,* heart pounding.

Getting up gingerly, I saw Max breathing heavily, arm outstretched towards me. "Max... W-what the hell!?" I choked out, checking myself over to make sure I was still in one piece.

"There... T-there's a reason Ozpin fought so hard to get me here..." she replied, voice hoarse as her weapon sailed back into her hand slowly. "My Semblance... It lets me manipulate the space around me, block attacks, and swing my weapon around as if it were weightless... Packs quite a punch... but..." She paused, swaying dangerously to the side, before falling forward.

"Max!? MAX!" I cried in alarm.

Without hesitating, I ran forward, sliding in just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. I checked her pulse immediately, years of training taking the driver's seat as I examined the girl. She was unconscious, but still breathing, albeit slowly. I glanced up at the large screen hanging above us, and saw that my Aura was a good way into the yellow. Hers, on the other hand, was almost entirely depleted. I breathed a sigh of relief before picking her up bridal style. I was pretty surprised at how light she was. Aura exhaustion was rough, but it was hardly life-threatening.

She'd wake up in a few hours with a headache and a sore everything, but she'd be fine. She'd probably more irritable for the experience, though.

"Idiot..." I muttered, glancing down at the sleeping Faunus girl in my arms. The dog ears on her head twitched with each breath she took.

'...You know, she's actually kind of cute when she's like this, and not covered in blood at all...' I thought absently, before turning bright scarlet, and immediately banishing the offending thought from my head. 'She'll also rip you apart without even touching you!' I reminded myself with a grimace, staring at the large axe on the ground next to me.

Her Semblance was incredible. I'd been practically helpless against her. All my training, the Red Hand's "improvements;" all of it useless. However, like Ben's, it certainly seemed to have its drawbacks if used excessively.

I set her down on one of the benches lining the arena, before moving to retrieve both weapons.

"Damn, this is heavy...!" I grunted with surprise, hefting the large axe in one hand, giving a few test swings. "How the hell does she do it? Semblance or not, this thing's a brick!"

I used her Scroll to open up her locker, setting the weapon inside, when an old picture, yellowed by age and affixed to the inside of the door, caught my eye. It showed a younger Max smiling next to a beautiful, if frail-looking Human woman with long dark hair, and blue-colored eyes, along with a larger man that must've been Max's dad, judging by the ears they shared. They were all sitting on a couch in a small living room.

I quashed the impulse to examine it further, shutting the locker quickly, and pushing the picture out of mind. It was obviously something personal if she'd hung onto it this long, and it wasn't my place to intrude. Making my way back to the sleeping Dog Faunus, I sat down next to her, and put on my earbuds. Resigning myself to a long night, I passed the time working on memorizing the layout of the school to the beat of my music.

(Later That Night)

Finally, after a long while, I felt her stirring next to me. The Canine Faunus finally opened her eyes with an annoyed grunt. "Ugh... Wha...!? A-agh, my head!"

"Sleep tight?" I asked, switching off my music with a sigh, and turning to look down at her. The Faunus girl let out a yelp, falling off of the bench in her haste to get up. "Careful! I wouldn't move around too much if I were you."

"Ugh... What time is it?" she groaned, clutching her skull tightly.

"About four in the morning."

"...I've been out for...?"

"About six hours, yeah." I yawned, stretching as I got to my feet, wincing as pins and needles shot through my legs from disuse. "You seem good to move now, though, so let's head back. Don't wanna give the others any weird ideas. Not sure if we're even supposed to be out this late." I held out a hand to help her up.

"...Why didn't you just leave me if you we're so tired!?" she spat out, smacking the hand away and standing up shakily. "It wouldn't be the first time I passed out like that. Probably won't be the last, either."

"You might be a pain in the ass..." I started, smirking at the look of indignation crossing her face, "but you're still my partner and teammate. I'm not gonna just leave you on a bench alone, and hope you're okay."

"Still... you didn't have to..." she muttered under her breath, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't have to. And I didn't want to, either. I happen to like my sleep," I shot back grumpily, putting my Scroll back in my pocket and turning to her. "So don't pull a stunt like this again, okay? Besides..." I added as a friendly smile grew on my face, "that fight was totally my win," I finished with a wink as I walked with her out of the gym. "Never let it be said that I'm not gracious in victory."

"What the...!? Why youuu...! I had you, and you know it! I want a rematch!" she cried out angrily, before grimacing as she clutched her head in renewed pain.

"Later," I promised, laughing as we stepped out into the hallway. The first flecks of sunlight streamed through the large windows to our side. "For now, let's just agree that I get to be the leader. I've already got to deal with no sleep today." I shielded my eyes, knowing that Port's class today was probably going to be a sleep period anyway.

"I'll crush you next time..." the girl said through gritted teeth as she pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. "No doubt."

"Anytime, Max. Anytime..." The thought was actually pretty exciting to consider, as well as figuring out how I'd overcome that Semblance.

We finally made it to our dorm, dodging teachers as we passed through, including one frightening and very awkward moment where we had to squeeze into a small shadowed alcove together, faces dangerously close as Professor Goodwitch passed by, focused intently on her Scroll.

"Wait..." she blurted out, grabbing hold of my shoulder as I made to turn the handle.

"Max, it's really early, and I'm gonna pass out here..." I moaned, playing it up. I was tired, sure, but hardly dead on my feet, having endured far worse in my time.

"...Thanks..." she said simply, staring at me intently for a brief moment, before forcing her way past me into the room loudly as I stood there in genuine surprise.

"WAH!" Ben's voice called out groggily from inside, having been awoken due to the Dog Faunus slamming the door open in her haste to clear the threshold. "What the, wha...? D-do you know what time it is!?... Where've you two been!?"

"Shut it, asshole!" she spat back with pure venom in her voice, eliciting an "eep" from the sharpshooter. Pushing her way past the heavy curtain, I could slightly hear the sound of clothes hitting to the ground coming from her direction, before I heard her fall into her bed with a loud crash.

"What the hell'd you two get up to?" Ben asked, turning to look at me as I made my way to the bed. Not even bothering to change, I sighed in ecstasy as my body hit the soft mattress.

"Working out our issues..." I replied lazily as sleep slowly took me, sadly aware that it wasn't going to last. "I think we might be good... For the moment, anyway."

I had enjoyed a good minute of silence before Carson spoke again. "...She tried to kill ya, didn't she?" I didn't respond, so he took my silence as a "yes." He then covered his head in his pillow and muttered to himself. "Crazy idiots... Bustin' in here in the middle of the night... What the hell... And he's the leader!? What a crock of..."

I just laid there, feeling actually somewhat content. More so than I'd been in years. 'Y'know... maybe this won't be so bad, after all...'

Sighing to myself, I quietly whispered a vow. "I am not going to screw this up."

-END