AN
I lost several chapters the day I posted the previous one. I apologize for making you wait for this update when I said I would post it the next day.
Me don't own anything, hope you like.
Two weeks.
Two weeks had passed since Ren became Glynda's assistant, Ruby's tutor, and Jaune's trainer.
Surprisingly, nothing troublesome had happened in that time frame. Besides a few dust explosions courtesy of Yang and Nora, Ruby's constant insistence to hang out despite needing to finish her homework, and Jaune's unhealthy drive to get better, everything was just fine.
Is what he wanted to say. But Ren knew that wasn't the case.
Two week of school and there were no signs of distortions within the city of Vale. There were no news announcements about odd occurrences regarding the supernatural, no appearances of red-black vortexes appearing in the sky, and no signs of shadows. Perhaps he was in the wrong kingdom, but that probably wasn't the case.
It was frustrating. He couldn't get the job done as quick as possible like he had back at home. Not to mention he had no idea where the distortions even came from, who or whatever it was causing them a mystery waiting to be solved.
He had gone to the Velvet room several times to see if Igor or Lavenza had any information but was met with disappointment. Not to mention the ire of the ruler of power, the attendant of the room pouty and upset at him for visiting them once that first week. She had been staring at him like that the entire time they were in the room, not bothering to hide her feelings of displeasure when he was about to leave them.
"Lavenza… If you really want to see me so badly you can just leave the room to visit. I doubt Igor would stop you since you already did it once. I'll show you around the city of Vale and the school if you do. There is no need to wait for me to come, I am just a door away. Literally." Ren said to her back then, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree when he had offered that to her.
Focusing back to reality, Ren decided to wait for any news of the distortions. He could always head to the city at night to investigate, but he doubted that he would find anything. Morgana was much more suited for gathering intel than he was, and as such he would leave it to the cat. Right now, he needed to pay attention to his school life, and seem like a regular student. A regular, monster-killing student.
Walking out of Glynda's class, having finished helping her grade some papers, Ren strolled down the hall wondering what he would do for the rest of the afternoon. Morgana had decided to leave him for Glynda, the little scamp infatuated with her, which meant he was now alone.
'What can I do until Jaune's training tonight…' Ren thought.
He had finished his homework, studied, read his books, and experimented with enough dust that he was sure that it was now flowing through his blood stream. He had free time and for once he didn't know what to do with it.
"Hey~! You free right now, Mr. T.A?" Someone teased, snapping Ren out of his thoughts. Turn to face whoever had called him, Ren was greeted to the sight of a smirking, beret and sunglasses wearing girl.
"Coco?"
"The one and only. Me and my team were planning on grabbing a bite, wanna come with?" Coco offered, a sly smile on her face, a glint in her eye that made Ren shiver for some reason.
He couldn't help but feel like he was merchandise to the fashionista.
"My team and I." Ren corrected. "And sure. I don't see why not."
"Don't be a nerd."
"Fix your grammar and I won't have to." Ren playfully bit back. His smile matching hers.
"Oooooh, feisty~. I like that." Coco said, before turning around and walking towards the dining hall. Waving her hand, she beckoned Ren to follow.
He walked beside her, the two bantering with one another as they made their way to their destination. Ren quickly got used to her confident attitude, her teasing countered by his own, which seemed to please the leader of CFVY.
Opening the door to the cafeteria for Coco, she tilted her sunglasses to look at him directly, whispering a quick thank you for the act. "You know, not many people can keep up with this." She gestured to herself. "I'm impressed." Walking over to the table with her team on it, she took a seat, patting the space beside her for him to take one as well. "These are my teammates: Fox and Yatsuhashi. Velvet is probably getting some food for herself. Be nice to them, okay?"
"It's nice to meet you all. Outside of class that is." Ren said, bowing his head slightly.
"Indeed" The two males replied.
"Where's Velvet?" Coco asked, looking around the room for the bunny faunus. "She went to grab a bite?"
"Yes. She was going to grab something for you as well." Yatsuhashi answered. "Of course, I don't see why she is taking so long." He added, concern on his face for his partner."
"She's probably just getting something I like. I am kind of picky after all."
"If that's the case she would've already been here already…" Fox said. His eyes closed, face apprehensive.
Coco, annoyed with her teammates lack of action despite their worries, stood up. "Alright, if none of you are going to look for her I will. I'm telling you she's -."
"Ow! Please, stop!" A voice begged, causing Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Fox to freeze. Slowly looking to where they heard the all too familiar voice of their teammate, they saw team CRDL harassing the girl. Cardin Winchester pulling her ears, while his teammates mocked her, making mock ears with fingers and calling her "Freak" and "Loser" loud enough for them to hear.
"Those sons of bitches. I'm going to end their lives right here and now." Coco declared. "Don't you dare try to stop me you two. 'Violence isn't the answer' my ass."
Ren watched Coco stomp her way over to the commotion, cracking her knuckles and removing her sunglasses in preparations for the bloodbath to come.
'As much as I want her to beat the hell out of them, I know she'll take it too far.' Ren thought. 'Guess I'm going to intervene.'
Standing up from his seat, Fox and Yatsuhashi looked at him, wondering what he was going to do. Without giving them a moment, Ren moved in a burst of speed, moving so fast that he looked like he disappeared. He crossed the room in a silent instant, appearing right before Cardin, and grabbing the hand which held onto Velvet's ears. Gripping the wrist hard enough that Cardin cried out in pain, Ren glared at boy with burning eyes and a scowl. His hand tightening even harder as he looked down at the now kneeling bully.
"I'm only going to say this once." Ren stated, his eyes burning vengeance, but his voice cold as ice. "If I see you so much as bully anyone, I'll break your hands and legs and feed you to the grimm." Emphasizing his point, he let out a bit of his power, making CRDL tremble at how heavy the air had gotten.
They couldn't breathe for some reason, and it was as if they were looking at a monster.
"Do I make myself clear?" Ren said, letting his power fade so that they could make a coherent response. One by one they nodded, Cardin scrambling to his feet and holding his hurting wrist, before running off with his team. Ren watched them flee out of the dining hall in fear, never looking back. With them gone, he looked over to Velvet Scarlatina and analyzed her, checking for any wounds that the bullies may have inflicted.
"Are you okay?" He asked. His demeanor changing to a kind one.
"Y-yeah. Thanks for driving them off… You didn't have to scare them like though…"
"If I didn't they would have kept coming for you. I can't let that happen. Besides…" Without missing a beat Ren pointed his thumb to Coco, the girl making her way to them."Your team leader would've done much worse to them."
"Yeah, that would've been worse actually." Velvet slumped, her ears drooping a bit from the truth behind his words.
Soon enough, Coco walked up to the two and checked over Velvet. Confirming that she was fine, she let out a sigh of relief, before glaring at Ren for beating her to the punch.
"I had that."
"You would've caused permanent damage. As much as I agree with teaching them a lesson, I don't think leaving them to drown in their own bodily fluids would've been a good idea."
Glancing around, Ren noticed everyone was looking at them, whispers spreading across the room. Noticing Velvet's discomfort from the gossip, Ren started walking to the exit which he and Coco came from, gesturing the two girls to follow. Looking over to where the other members of CFVY were, Ren also waved at them to come.
"We're causing a scene, we'll talk about this somewhere else." Ren said, looking over to Velvet, hoping she understood what he actually meant.
'You don't want the attention, Let's get away from here.'
Soon enough, Ren and CFVY walked out of the cafeteria, and eventually sat in the library. Now situated at a table in the corner so no one would bother them.
"You are making it really hard to pay you back, you know? I was going to treat you to dinner, but you just had to save my teammate this time." Coco despaired, her head resting on her hand as she looked at him. "Now I owe you two. Could you stop before my debt goes any higher?"
"What she means to say is 'Thank you' for helping Velvet." Yatsuhashi clarified, now reading a book he had found. "You are quite fast. Is that your semblance?" He added, remembering that Ren had disappeared from the table.
"No, it isn't" Ren said. "I just learned to be quick on my feet."
"Then that is even more impressive."
I'm not surprised that you saved Coco then." Fox interjected, approving of what Ren had done. "Glynda didn't say much, but from what we heard you just appeared in front of a death stalker to save her."
"I plead guilty." Ren joked, causing the others to chuckle. Except for Velvet, who had stayed silent the entire time. Her eyes much more interested at the table than her company. "Is something wrong Velvet?"
She looked up at him, startled out of her thoughts, shaking her head as she replied. "No. Nothing is wrong but…" She hesitated to speak, her eyes looking anywhere but the people she was with. "I don't think it was a good idea to help me. With me being a Faunus and all…" Velvet whispered, her words barely audible in the end. However, everyone heard what she said, their reactions varying, but the same in the end.
"Velvet…" Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi said, looking concerned for their teammate. They were about to tell her that she shouldn't think like that, but someone beat them to the punch.
"I don't care."
"What…?" Velvet said, tilting her head in confusion at what he said.
"I don't care. Human or Faunus, it doesn't matter to me. I'll save those who are in need; those that society has abandoned, and the world has done wrong. I won't stand by and let others be harmed just because of an individual's warped personality." Ren explained, his eyes never once looking away from Velvet. "You needed to be helped, and I helped you. I could care less about what everyone else had to say."
"Even if people call me an animal or a freak?" Velvet asked quietly, unsure of what else to say to Ren. Her insecurities of her heritage clouding her judgement on the matter.
"Even if god called you that, I would personally send a bullet through his head if it meant proving him wrong." Ren joked. Half joked at least. He would really shoot a god in the face if he had to.
Velvet looked at him with surprise in her eyes, flattered by what he had said apparently. She looked down and paused for a while. Her eyes were shadowed by her hair, and her body motionless. Ren couldn't help but become a little nervous.
'Did I say the wrong thing?'
"Pfffft…"
She began snickering, doing her best to hold in her laugh that she put her hand to her mouth to stop herself. However, she couldn't hold it in any longer and went into a full-blown laugh, surprising the group. Her eyes shined with mirth, and the smile on her face was the complete opposite of the sad frown she had before.
Satisfied by her reaction, Ren watched the girl let it all out, a little unnerved by the sudden change in character. That was his thing, not hers. He was glad however, happy to know that he made the girl feel better than before, and that she could laugh off the problem. Ren honestly thought he had done good for the girl, having said the right things to her and all.
Or maybe he said the wrong things. She looked up at him, eyes shined with mischief. She had a teasing/mocking smile on her face, which were giving him bad vibes. It was the same kind of feeling he had when he fused a Mara together; the birth of a monster that should not have been.
What had he done?
"You're weird." Velvet said in between her laughs. Her quiet and timid personality disappearing entirely. "What kind of guy even says that? You get that from a movie or something?"
Surprised by the sudden change of heart, Ren shrugged his shoulders. "Oh? You're the one who asked. I thought every girl wanted a guy to say something as romantic as that."
"Not if it was as lame as that!" Velvet cried out, trying her best once more not to laugh from the memory.
"At least give me some points for trying."
"Points only go out for those who did a good job."
"Oh, c'mon!"
The two of them began to playfully pick at one another. Velvet poking fun at him, while he defended himself from her onslaught. The heavy atmosphere gone in an instant, now replaced with an easy going one. Coco and Fox looked at them as if they were crazy, while Yatsuhashi continued reading his book, a smile hidden behind it. Soon enough, the rest of team CFVY joined the conversation. The sounds of laughter ringing throughout the library, dinner long forgotten, the teens too busy to care.
Looking at his scroll, Ren noticed it was about time to meet with Jaune, already was it night time. "I'd love to stay and chat, maybe get abused a bit more with Ms. Scarlatina's witty remarks, but I have to go." Ren said to them, picking up his bag as he prepared to leave.
"Leaving so soon, Mr. Show-off?" Velvet dryly said. "Cat got your tongue?"
"More like rabbit." Ren quipped, his glasses shining at his comment. "You're awfully scary for someone so timid."
"That's your fault." Velvet smirked at him. "When someone says something like that, how else are you supposed to respond? Am I supposed to swoon? Yeah right."
"It certainly would've helped my ego."
"That's already inflated enough. Your little demonstrations in dust class more than enough proof. Thanks for help in that class, by the way."
"I plead the fifth, and you're welcome. I knew I was helping you."
"See? Your ego's already huge."
Chuckling, Ren said his farewells to team CFVY, the abuse from the rabbit girl just too much for his heart to handle. It was only when he was almost out of sight did Velvet decide to yell something at him, the tone of her voice no longer playful, but sincere.
"Hey Ren!" Looking back at her, he waited for what she had to say. "Thanks… for helping and cheering me up earlier. I really needed it."
Giving her a thumbs up as his way of taking her thanks, Ren left CFVY to their devices, mentally preparing himself for his training with Jaune. They were going to work on his defense tonight. Jaune's defeat in combat class revealing the glaring weakness.
"Maybe it's time I tried using him as a guinea pig…" Ren said out loud, contemplating practice his persona's skills on Jaune.
That didn't sound like a bad idea… Who was he kidding, it was a horrible idea.
He needed someone stronger and more durable than him.
But who?
Once he was out of the library, Velvet looked over to her leader, the sunglasses wearing girl staring at where she had last saw him. Raising her eyebrow at the detached look of her leader, she nudged the poor girl lost in thought, a smile making its way on her lips as she revealed her leader's secret.
"I can't believe you have a crush on that guy."
"Wha-?! Velvet?!"
"Did you really not expect us to not see you going head over heels when he talked. "Even if god called you that, I would personally send a bullet through his head if it meant proving him wrong" oh my god you were absolutely swooning when he said that." Exposing poor Coco, Velvet pointed at her male teammates. "Everyone here already knows too, so you don't have to worry."
"Yep." Fox said.
"Indeed." Yatsuhashi confirmed.
Watching her leader's face change to horror, Velvet witnessed the fashionista crash her head onto the table, a groan escaping the minigun wielding girl.
"I'm starting to like it better when you were meeker."
Laughing at her team leader's expense, Velvet gave a huge smile to her, taking out her camera to commemorate her leader's defeat. The cries of "Don't you dare!" from Coco rang through the air as Velvet ran away from her after taking the shot.
'You really are a nice guy, Ren. You sounded like a hero back then…' Velvet thought, remembering his little monologue. Staring at her flustered leader, Velvet couldn't help but think of the perfect way to repay him for his help.
After all, wasn't it a guy's dream to hook up with a pretty girl?
'Hope you don't mind some meddling, Coco.'
"Never lose sight of the person attacking you. I don't personally have any experience with shields, but if you can see an enemy attack, the more likely you can block it." Ren shouted, ready to pounce at the now ready knight.
"Okay!"
Swinging his blade slow enough for Jaune to see, but fast enough that it felt like he was actually going to attack, he aimed for Jaune's head. However, Jaune did as he was told and kept an eye on his attack and brought his shield up to block it. The shield did its job to block, but Jaune wasn't grounded well enough. The knight flew and landed on his bottom, causing Ren to wince at the clear wipe out.
'Ouch.'
"Forgot to square myself, got to work on that." Jaune scolded himself, quickly getting up despite the pain. "Let's go again, I'll get it right this time."
Surprised with his assertiveness, Ren raised his eyebrow. "You're awfully motivated. I saw you study pretty hard in the library the past few days, something happened?"
"Yeah… Losing to Cardin pissed me off." And with that they continued, Jaune now training with his shield, while Ren began channeling a tenth of his persona's skills into his knife, training himself to hold back.
"Now, instead of just blocking, push your shield to meet my strike. It'll cause their weapon to be pushed back. Use that small opening to counter." Ren said, swinging his knife while pushing a portion of brave blade's power into his knife, causing it to glow slightly. Not wanting to break his friend in two, Ren swung lightly at him. The knife met the shield, and to his pleasure, Ren's blade was knocked back slightly. His little experiment a success, he watched Jaune swing his blade at him, intending on getting a good strike in.
Not bad, but he wasn't quick enough.
Throwing his knife from his right hand to his left, Ren blocked the attack, blades the screeching of colliding blades filling the cliffside. His little stunt surprised Jaune, but the leader of JNPR quickly recovered and backed up.
They repeated this again, but Jaune did something slightly different. Instead of using his sword to counter after blocking, he had opted to try using his shield to counter attack. Surprised by the sudden change, Ren stepped back and avoided the blow.
"Neat trick. Where'd you learn it?" Ren asked, curious as to where the knight had happened upon the technique. Sure, it was a basic skill, but Jaune looked like he was taught it, and properly too if Ren had to guess.
"Pyrrha helps me train and study whenever we have free time. She's been training me like a horse since I asked her. She's amazing" Jaune explained, complimenting her partner with gusto. "Don't tell her this, but you're a better teacher than she is."
"Is that so, Jaune?" A female's voice said, sounding eerie and slightly annoyed. The males jumped in surprise from the sudden appearance, their blades ready to strike. Until Jaune processed the voice, that is.
"Pyrrha? Didn't you say you were going to bed?"
From behind a tree, Pyrrha Nikos revealed herself to them, a smile on her face betraying the look in her eyes. Garbed in her school uniform, despite it being middle of the night, Ren could tell she meant business. The way she looked at them being a dead give away.
"I was just taking a stroll, when I just so happened to see you two training." She said cheerfully, a web of words being her trap. "What did you say about Amamiyabeing a better teacher?"
Warning alarms were set off in Ren's head, the venom in her words clear as day. 'Jaune, for your safety and mine, I need you to choose your words wisely. This is not something we can win against.' Ren internally screamed hoping the looks he was giving the knight would get him to understand.
It didn't, obviously.
"Oh, its just that Ren instructs things better than you do." Jaune answered, making want to rip his hair out "The guy's really good at telling me how to improve. And even though you help me all the time, I can't help but go to him for some advice. He's really reliable after all."
"I see…" Pyrrha whispered, her eyes cold and focused on Ren's body. "Jaune, can I please speak to Amamiya for a moment? I need to ask him about our dust assignment."
"Didn't you already finish that Pyrrha? I don't-"
"Jaune. Go to your room." Pyrrha commanded. The glare on her face leaving no room for argument.
"O-Okay…?"
Ren silently begged Jaune to grow a spine and not to leave him alone with the red-head. Of course, his begging would be for nothing, as the knight said his goodbyes and retreated, ending their training session an hour early. With Ren and Pyrrha now being the only people on the cliffside, Ren cautiously watched the girl, making sure his back was never facing her.
He had a feeling he would be pushed off the cliff if he did.
"I really have to thank you. Jaune told me it was you who told him to ask for help." Pyrrha started, her eyes never once leaving his own. "I don't think he would have opened up to me if you hadn't done that. So, thank you."
"It's no problem." Ren said slowly. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Nope… Oh, actually there is!" Pyrrha said, clapping her hands as she gave him a disarming smile. "Jaune will only train with you on Thursday nights from now on. We have combat classes tomorrow, so I want him to be at one hundred percent when he fights."
"Did you get his permission?"
"Nope. But I'm sure he'll listen to me if I explained it to him." Pyrrha answered. Her smile slowly morphing into a sneer. "Is that a problem?"
Ren did not answer her question. He only looked at the girl with a deadpan expression on his face. He could tell what she really meant, why she was doing this. Ren just hadn't expected her to be so… upfront about it.
He knew what the girl felt for Jaune. The bedroom eye look she gave her partner almost always being there. She actively sought out her partner, trying her best to spend every damn minute with him. Ren saw the looks she gave the blond goof, the small intimate gestures she gave, the way she seemed to brighten up whenever Jaune talked to her…
Pyrrha was infatuated with Jaune. The girl was head over heels for her team leader, wanting him all to herself. So, why did she want to cut off a day of his training with Ren if-
'Oh…" Ren thought, surprised that he had overlooked the obvious answer.
She was jealous of him. Jealous that Jaune was spending time with someone else other than her. Now that Ren thought about, he was sure that every time Jaune came up to him that there were a set of eyes glaring him down from afar. And Ren was pretty sure that just recently, the girl would treat him a little colder than at the start of the semester.
'Really, Pyrrha? This is how you want to play?'
"Hmmm… okay. I suppose we'll just need to move Jaune's training to Friday or Saturday.." Ren said out loud, hoping to get a reaction out of the girl. Sure enough, Pyrrha scowled at what he said, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him.
"I'm afraid that isn't possible. Jaune and I train together those days."
"Perhaps I could join you two. I'm sure Jaune would gladly let me help with his training." Ren said, a glint in his eyes as he suggested the idea.
Pyrrha didn't like that idea, apparently. The expression on her face amazing Ren. He smirked at her, and she glared at him. Lightning sparked between the two, neither backing down from one another. What felt like an eternity was ended by Pyrrha, her sigh ending their stalemate.
"I don't like you." She began. "Jaune won't be training with you on Wednesday,, only Thursdays. That is final."
"Relax. I'm not trying to steal your love interest or anything." Ren declared, mirth in every word of his sentence. "Jealousy is unbecoming, after all."
"I'm not jealous." She says all too quickly, her cheeks reddening a bit. "I just want to be closer with Jau- I mean, I want what's best for JNPR. The best for JNPR."
"Sure." Ren drawled, before getting serious. "Would you like some help?"
"Help?"
"Would you like some help with Jaune, I mean." Ren clarified. No longer was he playing. "Look. You clearly like the guy, and by the looks of it, you can't bring it to yourself to ask him out, despite your… blunt way of doing things. I'll act as your little spy, and slowly push him towards you. In return, I ask that you not interfere with our training, and maybe even join occasionally. I don't use the same weapon as he does, so you coming to our sessions would greatly help."
"And what makes you think I'll accept? You think I can't win him over by myself?" Pyrrha questioned, annoyed that he was implying she couldn't woo Jaune on her own. "Sorry to say, but I think I have a pretty good chance on my own."
She emphasized her point by putting a hand on her hip, a seductive smirk on her face. If Ren was a lesser man he would've blushed at her display, however he just smirked back at her, knowing something that would make her confidence shatter.
"You say that, but if I remember correctly our resident knight is pawning over a certain snow angel." Ren taunted. The champion eyes widened a bit and looked away from him, her tongue clicking in annoyance.
"There's more to this." Pyrrha deduced. "Everything you said benefitted Jaune and I; none of it benefitted you. What are you aiming for?"
"Sharp." Complimenting the spartan, Ren looked at her with fire in his eyes. "I want to try using some techniques of my own on a person. Jaune can't handle them; I'd injure him if I tried. I need someone more durable, and what better way to test them than on the 'undefeated champion.'" Ren said, causing Pyrrha to narrow her eyes at his little quote.
The two of them stared each other down. One waiting for an answer, the other contemplating the deal. However, Ren's proposal seemed to interest her.
"I accept." Pyrrha said. A smile on her face now after coming to a conclusion. "I'll help you with your little techniques, and you help me get with Jaune." Her smile changed to something a bit more sinister. "If you don't hold your end of the bargain I'll-"
Ren quickly stopped that sentence. "I will do everything in my legal power to hold my end of the deal."
"Good. I'll be taking my leave then. Have a nice night, Amamiya." And with that she left. The phantom thief being the only person on the cliffside. A single opinion of the spartan being formed in his mind.
"Girl is easily jealous." Ren sighed. "And wants Jaune. Badly. I can only pray for the fool who would get in her way… Wait. That's me."
'What did I just rope myself into...'
The next day came, and combat classes were being held. Walking inside the amphitheater, Ren took a seat on the stands alongside JNPR and RWBY. Sitting beside Blake, he pulled out a book and began to read a copy of 'The Great Thief'. He had bought all the books that were about his teammates' personas the day after he came home, marking them as his favorites and always keeping them on hand.
"What book is that?" Blake asked, her bow twitching as she stared at him curiously.
"It's a book about a gentleman thief." Ren said. His eyes never leaving the page. "I could lend it to you if you want. I already finished it a long time ago."
"That would be great. I was trying to find something new to read."
"Even though you happened to be reading 'Ninja's of Love' in Glynda's dust class?" Ren softly said to himself, fully aware of the girl's interests of literature. He was not shaming her in anyway, he was just surprised that she had finished the book. The last time he saw her reading, she was only at the beginning, which meant she finished it in just a day.
She must have really liked that genre.
Blushing at him exposing her, Blake looked around with wide eyes hoping that no one had heard what he just said. Thankfully, no one heard him, too busy they were talking amongst themselves. Grabbing the guy's arm, she pulled him so that they were close enough that only he could hear what she was going to say.
"…Don't tell anyone." She said, her eyes and bow twitching frantically. "Please don't tell anyone."
"Calm down, I'm not going to tell anyone. Relax" Ren gently assured, wincing at the grip the girl held him in. "You can let go of me now. Please."
His arm now freed from her confines, he rubbed the appendage. Despite his persona's powers Ren could still be harmed if his life wasn't in mortal danger. His personas only empowered him, and even then, he could still be harmed. Trivial things such as falling of a bed, kitchen burns from cooking, stubbing his toe… all of it hurt. Doesn't matter how tanky his personas were, he was still human. He didn't have a force field like everyone else. He had multiple mythological beings stuffed in his head who strengthened and assisted him during battle. There was a huge difference.
"Sorry." Blake said, scratching her cheek as she looked away from him. Before she could apologize anymore for her actions, Ren closed his book and held it in front of her.
"Here. You wanted to read it, right?" Ren said, which made Blake nod. "Just hand it back to me when you're done. I can lend you some more once you've finished."
Blake, more than happy to receive a new piece of literature, took it from his hands and began to read. Her eyes trained in on the pages, making Ren chuckle a bit, not surprised by the avid reader.
"Thank you." Blake said quickly, before engorging herself in the plot, already halfway through the page as she took in every sentence the book had to offer.
Their little scene done, Ren looked to the center of the now dubbed arena, Glynda standing in the centre of it. Holographic boards appeared, and everyone watched them randomly choose the first fighters of the day, all of them eager to get moving.
The first face that appeared was none other than Cardin Winchester, who walked onto the stage with a smirk on his face. His teammates cheered for him, obnoxiously whooping in laughter when their leader raised his arms like he had already won.
"That guy is such an ass." Jaune said, not bothering to hide his resentment. "I can't believe I lost to that just a week ago."
"Indeed. I just hope whoever is up against him puts up a better fight than you did." Weiss quipped, making Jaune look down in shame.
"There's a rumor about someone stopping him from bullying someone, causing his entire team to retreat in fear. It happened yesterday at the dining hall apparently." Nora added into the conversation, a savage grin on her face. "I don't know who it was, but they should've broken his legs!"
"Nora… the rumor was that he would break his hands and legs." Lie Ren corrected.
"OOOH, EVEN BETTER!"
"Nora…"
"Guys, it's about to show." Ruby excitedly pointed out, causing everyone to look up at the board that determined Cardin's opponent.
Ren watched the screen with bated eyes, hoping that some divine being from above wouldn't put him into the spotlight anymore than he already has.
And then it stopped at his face. His own picture mocking him and his desires.
'Just great.' Ren drawled out, scolding himself for the jinx he had created.
Standing up from his seat, he decided to just go with it, enjoy himself when he beat down the bully.
"OOOH BREAK HIS LEGS REN-REN!" That was Nora. Definitely Nora.
'I'll also break his hands, but that's something you don't need to know.'
With that last thought, he leaped into the air and landed silently on the arena just a few metres away from Cardin.
"I'll make you regret what happened yesterday." Cardin said, slapping his mace onto his hand. "Any last words?"
Ren, not even acknowledging the threat, raised his hand. "Professor Goodwitch, I have a request."
"And what is this 'request'?"
Turning his head around to face the now silent teammates of Cardin, Ren gave them a menacing smile, one which made them all visibly shiver. He couldn't help but shake his head, if they got scared by that, then they'll have one hell of a time on the arena.
"May I have the honor of facing team CRDL?" Ren loudly asked, causing everyone in the room to stop talking. He saw Ruby, Jaune and Weiss open their jaws in shock, Nora and Yang giving him a thumbs up and cheering him, Lie Ren shaking his head, and Blake look at him with newfound interest, the book she was reading now closed.
He may as well make it as entertaining for his friends as possible. It was the first match of the day, after all.
"I do not mind; however, is it okay with you, Mr. Winchester?"
"Damn right it is!" Cardin instantly yelled, more than happy to let his teammates to take part in the beating they were supposedly going to dish out. "Russel, Dove, Sky! Get down here! We're going to teach this punk a lesson!"
"HELL YEAH!" They yelled, jumping into the arena and running up to their leader. Ren couldn't help but smile at the sight of them all, lined up beside each other, their weapons out and ready for combat. Completely unaware of their demise.
'This is going to be fun.'
Everyone took their positions, and Glynda was about to begin the match. However, someone decided to jump into the arena as well, landing right beside Ren, and causing Glynda to pause for a moment.
"You don't mind if I join, do you?" The intruder asked loud enough for the professor to hear, her bow twitching in excitement as her eyes were focused and ready. A small grin on her face as she readied her weapon.
"The more the merrier." Ren said, smiling at the girl who had decided to crash the party, surprised that she made such a daring move at the last minute.
Blake Belladonna had decided to join the brawl. Unplanned too, if the screams of Ruby and Weiss were anything to go by. Nodding at the cat Faunus, the two of them got ready, the opponents before them doing the same. Their friends cheered, team RWBY screaming to kick butt, while JNPR demanded legs be broken.
"Ren Amamiya and last-minute entry Blake Belladonna vs team CRDL. Standard rules apply." Glynda stated, not even bothered by Blake's sudden intrusion. Ren guessed if he was okay with it then it should be fine. Cardin did the same after all.
Blake stood ready beside him, whispered a few words before the battle began. "You know I didn't expect the person in the rumors to be you, Mr. Hand and Leg Breaker. Didn't think you'd be the one to stand up for a Faunus. Not that I'm complaining."
"If you're surprised by that then get ready, I have a bunch more." Readying his weapon, he looked at his two targets, the both of them beside each other. "I'll take care of Cardin and Dove. Separate them so that they don't back each other up."
Receiving a nod from his teammate, Ren looked at Glynda as she looked at her scroll, her eyes hard and focused as she watched all the participants in the arena.
"Is everyone ready?" No one said a word. "Then…"
"Begin!"
CRDL charged as soon as she said the words, running as fast as their feet could take them. Blake readied herself to counter them, her bladed sheath and katana in her left and right hands respectively.
However, Ren decided to strike first, already beside Dove Bronzewing as he kicked him into Cardin. The two members flying to one side of the arena, groaning as they crashed onto the ground.
"Now then… Who wants to go first?"
Sky thrusted his halberd at her expecting to get skewered her with it.
Instead, Blake sidestepped his attack, slashed at Sky multiple times, and kicked him across the face. Hard. Watching the boy fall flat on the ground, Blake backflipped to dodge Russel's slashes, his blades just narrowly missing her as she retreated.
"Stop dodging!" Russel cried, annoyed that his slashes always missed her. This only made Blake smile though, her movements becoming even sharper to a frustrate him further.
"Stop missing then." She taunted, making the boy go red. Before Russel could make a comeback, she was already upon him, a flurry of kicks to his face and a giant slash afterwards sending him flying. The groan he made as he crashed made Blake smirk, glad that she was the one to gave him what he deserved.
She didn't like team CRDL. They were a bunch of racists that made the world harder for any Faunus. They were the reason why she hid what she was, why her people had to go through so much pain and suffering for just being alive.
So, when Ren Amamiya had challenged them all to a formal battle, she couldn't resist and jumped onto the arena, wanting a bit of vengeance for her people. She had left the White Fang, but that didn't mean that all their teachings didn't go away from her. She just knew when to use it, and why she shouldn't, remembering never to go overboard just like Adam had.
Watching the two get back up, Blake changed her weapon to a pistol and shot at them. Being the idiots that they were, they charged at her, blocking some of the bullets by either spinning their weapons or slicing at them. Blake couldn't help but wince at their stupidity, wondering how they had gotten into Beacon with that way of fighting.
'If they were smart, they would've ran opposite from one another, and try to corner me… Instead, they charge like the movies.' Blake thought.
'And people call us animals.'
Suddenly, Russel leaped, luckily avoiding her bullets as he somersaulted through the air, making himself into a buzz saw with his blades. Knowing full well that blocking would be the wrong move, she jumped out of his way. Allowing Russel to fly past her, Blake had to jump away from Sky's follow up attack, his halberd's bladed edge smashing the ground where she once was.
'This is getting annoying!' Blake screamed in her head, annoyed that with every attack on of them made, another was sure to follow. And while Blake was used to fighting multiple opponents at once, those that she fought were usually Schnee security bots; logical robots that attacked with precision and purpose.
Ruseel and Sky; however, attacked like savages. They swung their weapons around with little grace, hoping that their strikes would hit. While this was easy for her to deal with usually, the problem was it was so uncoordinated and unorganised that she had a hard time predicting where they would aim. It was starting to annoy her, the two on one being much more difficult than she had thought.
Deciding enough was enough, Blake jumped back from their onslaught and countered with her own. Changing Gambol Shroud into a kusarigama, she threw it at them, her weapon now a ranged blade. Swinging the weapon skillfully at Russel and Sky, they took a few blows before flying back, their bodies reuniting with the ground as they let out pained groans.
Glancing at the board that showed their auras, Blake noted that they were now at half, while she was at around seventy still. Somewhat impressed with their reserves, Blake readied her weapon once more, intending to put them in the red and have them out of the match.
Until she saw a glimpse of Cardin and Dove fly past her. Their screams drowning out any noise made in the arena.
"UAAAAAAH!"
"HEEEELP!"
Cardin and Dove flew from behind her, and crashed into Russel and Sky. Team CRDL were now a heap in front of her, pained moans escaping from their mouths, their bodies twitching every now and then. Knowing that the only person responsible could be her temporary teammate, she looked behind her, raising her eyebrow in amusement as she saw the smirk on his face.
"Why'd you bring them here?" Blake asked, matching his smirk with her own. "I thought you said you would deal with them."
"And have all the fun for myself? That would be awfully wasteful, don't you think?" Ren joked, causing her to chuckle just a bit.
"Don't be so dramatic."
Before they could continue their little talk, the sound of metal hitting the ground caused them to look at the recovering team. Cardin and co. were propping themselves up with their weapons, doing their best to stand despite the beating they had been given. Their looks of pure scorn sent their way, Blake couldn't help but release a frustrated sigh, annoyed by their persistence.
"Heat Riser." She heard Ren say. Her body glowed for half a second, and she felt like she grew lighter and stronger for some unknown reason. "Let's end this." He ordered, shooting off at speeds similar to Ruby. Surprised but not wanting to be left behind, she followed him, barely keeping up despite her sudden power up.
CRDL didn't stand a chance. Blake didn't understand what he had done, but she didn't complain. One moment Ren was in front of them, the next he was behind them. His gun pointing at the backs of CRDL, Blake heard the words "Triple Down" escape his mouth, before the sound of gunfire filled the air. He had only pulled the trigger once, but for some reason CRDL looked like they were hit three times by cannonballs. Their bodies flying towards her now, Blake threw her pistol at them, skillfully wrapping her ribbon around their bodies, tying them all together.
"Take this!" Blake screamed. With a great show of strength, she spun the team around, before slamming them to the floor, a giant crater forming from the force of the impact.
"Team CRDL has their aura depleted. The match is over." Glynda declared, her eyes staring at the crater just made. "Ms. Belladonna… I didn't know you had that kind of strength." She said, using her semblance to unwrap and put CRDL on the bleachers, fixing the floor at the same time.
"I… didn't know either…?" Blake uncertainly said, unsure of where she had gotten that kind of power. Before she could ask what Ren had done, no doubt his words from earlier doing something to her, Ruby and Yang jumped onto her.
"THAT WAS AMAZING BLAKE!" Ruby complimented, stars replacing her eyes in pure wonder.
"Got to admit, I didn't expect that at all." Yang said, smiling in awe at what her teammate had done.
Soon enough, Weiss and JNPR joined them, all expressing their awe in some kind of way. She couldn't escape their clutches, she tried, but she couldn't. Thankfully, Weiss decided to share her piece on the matter, focusing on Blake's temporary partner instead of her.
"Did you see him fight Cardin and Dove? He was completely playing with them." Weiss said, staring at the board that showed their auras. "He didn't even get hit once."
"He's definitely skilled. Half the time I could barely register what he did." Lie said. "By the way, where is he?"
"Up in the bleachers. Now, would all of you please leave the arena? I have a class to finish." Glynda menacingly asked. Faster than she could blink, RWBY and JNPR were back on the bleachers, all of them whistling an innocent tune.
Blake, disorientated a bit from their sudden movement, looked at Ren who sat beside her. Poking his shoulder to get his attention away from the new book he was reading, she asked him the question she was meaning to ask earlier.
"You said, "Heat Riser" and "Triple Down" during the match. Did that have anything to do with that extra power I felt?"
"It's a part of my semblance. Certain words hold certain powers." Ren smoothly explained, making her nod in understanding. Semblances were different for everyone, but this was something she had never heard of before, almost similar to Weiss' glyphs.
"That sounds complicated."
"Just as complicated as you, Ms. Faunus." Ren coolly said, flipping the page he was reading as the words left his mouth.
That sentence made her whole-body freeze. There was no malice underneath his words. However, that did not excuse the fact that he knew of it, a secret she tries so hard to hide. The teen knowing two of her darkest secrets now, she grabbed his arm just like she had at the beginning of class, gripping it even tighter than humanly possible. Telling her friends that she needed to ask him something about their homework, she dragged Ren to RWBY's dorm, not caring that she had left class early.
This was more important to her than a silly sparring class.
Closing the door and window, Blake narrowed her eyes at Ren who was sitting on a chair. He looked indifferent, but Blake could see the warmth behind his eyes; the guy understood why she hid herself.
So why reveal he had known?
"How do you know?" She demanded.
"Bow's do not twitch."
"When did you figure it out?"
"The day we got our teams assigned."
"I see…" Blake said, looking down in shame at being found out.
'Just great. Someone knows.'
"Why?" Ren asked, causing Blake to look up at him. "Why hide?"
"…Because I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am." Blake said, venom in her voice as she glared at him.
"And what are you?" Ren asked, making her pause for a moment.
"A Faunus."
"Yes, and you're also a girl who loves to read." Ren added, causing her to look at him confusedly. "Blake. What you are is a part of who you are. You can deny or hide that part of you, but it will always be there. You being a Faunus is a part who you are, that doesn't mean that's all there is to you, though."
"I know that but…"
"I won't tell anybody." Ren promised, his eyes filled with compassion and warmth. "This is your secret, so I'll keep it to myself until you decide to reveal it. I don't know what hardships you had to go through, and I'll probably never experience those hardships myself. However, I do know that you're not alone, that you have teammates, friends, and maybe family there to support you."
"Even if one of my teammates is the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, a company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners, one of the main reasons the White Fang was created?"
"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
That stopped her in her tracks, her mouth opening in surprise at his word play and the meaning behind it. Looking down at the floor in shame once more, Blake couldn't help but release a defeated sigh at what he had just said, how true the words were to her.
'I'm such a hypocrite.'
"We should head back. Don't want your friends to get the wrong idea, after all. You did tell them you'd just ask for help with the homework." Ren stood up, passing Blake as he went for the door and opening it. "Let's go."
She followed him, lost in her thoughts, thinking about the conversation just minutes ago. Blake was snapped out of it when Ren decided to call out to her, his back still facing her as he stopped just near the entrance of the amphitheater
"It's none of my business… But if you need someone to lean on, I'll be there for you."
A blush formed on her face, not expecting the kind words coming from him. She could honestly say she had not expected him to be so bold or courageous to say that. It was a line she had read many times and heard before, but this was the first it had ever sound so sincere and… well, epic.
It looked like he was a character of out Ruby's comic book, his back facing the person he had just saved as he said a cool one liner. Blake didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. And as irrational as it was, she believed that he would be there for someone if they needed him.
'Ruby was right, he is kind of cool.' Blake thought, smiling as they walked into the amphitheater. She made her way to wear she sat before, watching Ren talking with Ruby and Jaune, the two leaders saying how amazing he was. Now that she thought about it, she had not even noticed his fight with Cardin and Dove, perhaps she could ask Glynda to give her a recording of it.
"What took you guys so long?" Yang asked. "You've been gone for 30 minutes. Jaune just got whooped by Weiss."
"Hey! I got a couple of hits in…" Jaune complained, sulking at the choice of words Yang had used.
Weiss didn't like that little comment at the end though, squawking indignantly at the reminder that the novice had hit her. "You got lucky!"
"Nuh-uh. Pure skill."
"What?!"
Ignoring the squabble, Blake took her seat once more, sitting beside the reading Ren as she grabbed 'The Great Thief' just beside her. A comfortable silence descended upon the two, and Blake was more than happy to keep it that way. Glancing over at him, she looked at the book he was reading. Whispering the title in shock, Blake stared at it in wide eyes, not because of the title, but because it was hers.
"Ninja's of Love?!"
"I'll let you borrow my books, and you let me borrow yours. Deal?"
"Deal." Blake nodded, a smile hidden behind the book she was reading. Ignoring the fact, he had nabbed it without her looking. It looked like she had just made a reading buddy. A strong and dependable one too, if she had to guess. Giving her full attention to the book she was about to read, she read page after page, her heart pounding in excitement at what the book had to offer.
She could tell it was a good book.
'I can't wait to read what else he has.' Blake thought, completely unaware of the treasure trove he had stored away.
She couldn't help but shake even more when she finished the first chapter. The chapter finishing off with a well done cliff hanger. Making her rush to get to the next.
She lied.
It was a really good book.