Initiation, a RWBY fanfiction. – includes OC characters (KJ Flanders OC POV)

The first strike decides the outcome of a fight, that’s the way it works in battle between the light and darkness, whether they be humans, faunus, or creatures of Grimm. Whether they be controlling their own will or unable to do so. Whether they be enemies, or perhaps even friends.

KJ straightened slowly and crossed his arms over his chest as his deep brown hair glinted - as moonlight would reflect off a still lake, sharp and blinding. The party of hunters and huntresses led by KJ Flanders- which was soon to be known to the students of Beacon Academy as team KAER - had gathered in a clearing of the forest along with the future team RWBY and team JNPR. It was initiation day, they had made it to the temple at the centre of the wood, although KJ had been told not to get involved with the other pairs affairs if he could help it by his combat partner Aera. He was reluctant about working with her, it wasn’t that he had a bad view of working in pairs, he just preferred to work alone. He didn’t want anyone to dictate to him on the battlefield.

Off the field, he seemed like an altogether different person, shedding the serious demeanour he used as a hunter and displaying a gentler side of his personality. He had hoped to graduate along with the other future hunters at his old school, but the headmaster of Beacon - known as Professor Ozpin, had apparently been watching a few select prodigies and allowing the most talented of those early entrance to this prestigious institute. Naturally, KJ was one of them, graduating from his previous institute one year early at just age 16.

While he was grateful to enter Beacon at such an early stage, he couldn’t help but feel a little dejected leaving his old friends behind. Here he was alone, and so far, he had only managed to strike up a conversation with two of the students at the academy – after an eventful first day at Beacon.

On that first day he had made his way from the airship exit, trailing behind several gaggling groups of older students while a blonde boy rushed past time and knocked him sideways as his hands clasped over his mouth, a look of sheer desperation on his face.

Poor guy. Heard a couple of girls call him vomit boy earlier.

KJ had decided to take his time making his way to the entrance of the main building, taking a scenic route by strolling around the front gardens of the grounds. It was a warm, humid kind of day, early September - where the leaves seemed to hold onto tree branches for dear life until they were ready to flutter to the ground in leu of colder weather. He looked up at the blue sky momentarily, a slight breeze pushing his dark hair away from his forehead. All he could hear was the fading sounds of jeering students and the chirping of a few birds nearby as he closed his chestnut coloured eyes. Peace.

But peace could only last for a moment. The birds scattered from the trees as a loud bang erupted from what could only be the main pathway to the school’s entrance. KJ’s eyes furrowed as he hastily made his way towards the sound of the sudden noise, curious to see if this was part of an early initiation ceremony, although he had heard that wasn’t until the following day.

What he found startled him even more than he imagined. A small girl dressed in black and red clothing lay alongside a huge weapon, her eyes closed, her eyebrows furrowed slightly in what could only be assigned as pain, fear, or anxiety. Or possibly all three. He crept up to her quietly, almost nervous that this was some kind of trap set to test his abilities. But she looked so young and defenceless, so KJ eventually decided to speak up.

KJ- ‘Um… Are you okay? Should I call a nurse?’ (looks up and begins to call out) ‘NUR-‘

Ruby- (slaps her hands over his mouth) ’NO PLEASE DON’T!

KJ- (muffled) Hmph

The girl had almost instantaneously risen out of her lying position and jumped up to place her small hands over his mouth, not allowing his to complete his call for the school’s medical staff. He grunted in surprise as her expression changed from panic to pure embarrassment, her hands quickly retracting from his face as her pale cheeks began to flush as crimson as parts of her clothing.

Ruby- (embarrassed and chattering) ’OH MY GOD IM SO SORRY! I didn’t mean to jump on you like that, it’s just that well I’ve just kind of blew up a girl’s crystals - and then she got mad and stared yelling and THEN another girl came over and helped me out until the angry girl left - but then SHE left so I just lay down on the ground for a bit and THEN you came over and started calling for medical aid and- ‘

KJ- (hesitantly) ’I could have unintentionally made your first day even more traumatic?

Ruby- ‘Yeah, pretty much.

KJ chuckled quietly at the girls matter of fact response. She was interesting, that was for sure.

KJ- ‘Sorry about that. (laughs) I’m KJ Flanders, by the way.

Ruby- Ruby Rose. For some reason, he didn’t feel awkward around her, despite only meeting her. She gave off an easy-going energy, prompting him to continue his conversation with her, silently willing her to fall in step with him towards the school building. She complied and they both strolled slowly down the cobbled pathway, quietly looking down at their boots until KJ decided to start the conversation again.

KJ- ‘So, you look a little young to be enrolled here at Beacon, how did that happen?’

Ruby- ‘Well…’ her voice trailed for a moment, as though she was finding it difficult to phrase her words. After a momentary pause, she shrugged and continued ‘I may have coincidentally bumped into a huntress linked to Beacon while fighting a dust thief. This may have allegedly led to an early invitation to the academy.’

KJ- ‘Allegedly?’

Ruby- ‘Allegedly.’ Ruby grinned and snickered quietly.

They began to walk up to steps to the entrance doors. Honestly, for KJ those four walls represented his entire future, his responsibilities now as a future Hunter weighed him down more than he cared to admit. Sometimes his attention to detail was likely to slip in these uneventful days, so with the new challenges offered to him he was likely to advance as an even faster rate. With a little competition, he could become the best of the best – and that was the plan. However, he was more curious about Ruby Rose than he had anticipated. She looked so innocent, so unable of causing harm to anyone, that it was almost frightening that she was even younger than he was. That she was deemed the biggest prodigy to enter these doors. What was that weapon, anyway?

KJ- ‘So…. Nice weapon you got there.’ He gestured towards the huge scythe Ruby had lugged over her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised she hasn’t minimized her weapon yet but smiled fondly as she showcased it proudly to him.

Ruby- ‘Ah, yeah this is Crimson Rose. She’s an original High-Calibre Sniper-scythe. Pretty cool, huh?’

KJ- ‘A scythe user? That’s pretty rare, and pretty difficult to use well- ‘

Ruby- ‘Yeah, my uncle Qrow whipped me into shape back at Signal though, Crimson Rose and I have been inseparable since.’ She beamed widely and KJ looked down at the ground, bewildered at the strangeness of everything already mentioned in this conversation. And it only got weirder with the introduction of the second and only other person he had managed to get to know on his first day at Beacon.

Jaune- ‘WHOA, WHAT’S THAT?’ A blonde-haired boy gaped unapologetically at the scythe Ruby had still not put away, pointing at it in shocked adoration before remembering to compose himself and struggling into a delayed prideful stance. ‘I mean, hey guys. The names Jaune Arc – short, sweet rolls of the tongue, ladies love it- ‘

Ruby and KJ- (doubtfully, and at the same time) ‘Oh, do they?’ he and Ruby replied instantaneously, sharing a quizzical yet amused glance, their eyebrows raised jokingly as they turned back to the student they had previously only known as “the one who threw up on the ship”.

Jaune- (defensively) ’N-not yet, but they will!’ Jaune defended himself quickly as Ruby smiled wryly at his flustered yet kind expression. His nervousness was strangely endearing, and as they quickly struck up a conversation with him it became apparent that KJ and Ruby could be on another level from some of the other new students. Or maybe Jaune was feigning inexperience. Nevertheless, KJ enjoyed the afternoon they spent together before the opening speech and dinner that evening.

It had been only one relatively short conversation, and yet KJ had hoped to find Ruby once he landed in the forest during initiation day. He searched in vain, coming across a student named Aera Blue instead. A gun user, to KJ’s disappointment. He labelled guns as a coward’s weapon. Then again, perhaps without all his unique abilities he would have been a coward just like them.

After making their way to the centre of the Emerald forest, he and his partner joined the small group of students at the temple and began watching the havoc being wrecked before them upon their arrival. Aera scowled while her teal eyes narrowed as black feathers fluttered to the ground like rotting leaves. This was never supposed to happen, they were never supposed to be in this situation. The girl Ruby had partnered up with was clutching to the Nevermore for dear life as Ruby plummeted to the ground, landing in a tree alongside Jaune. Meanwhile, some other unfamiliar students had travelled to the temple on an Ursa – and another blonde girl was screaming at everyone to calm down amid everything that was going on.

I am so confused right now.

It was around noon by this point; the wind had picked up significantly in the past few moments and a few clouds swirled overhead like consistent bad omens. Ruby had made her way over to the blonde girl whose name was apparently ‘Yang’, - and the Ursa girl, whose name was apparently ‘Nora’. He wanted to go over and join her, but he could feel his partners eyes begging him to stay out of whatever mess they were about to get themselves into.

Aera- (forced whisper) ’We should collect the artifacts and head back through the forest as fast as we can.’ She muttered quietly so that only he could hear. He glanced over towards her and hesitantly nodded in agreement, giving the strange group of individuals one last glance before turning to walk away.

However, they stopped in their tracks as two figures stood before them, both unflinching in their resistance. The first, more visually fearsome of the two was a brawny male with spiky vermillion hair, while the smaller one was a dainty looking blonde girl. KJ recognized them from the airship that took them to the academy the day before but hadn’t even spoken to them at the time. The girl beamed enthusiastically while the boy grunted in acknowledgement. The girl then piped up, her vocal tone displaying an almost musical quality – totally juxtaposing from the words that she quickly uttered;

Emerald- ‘Unless your semblance is speed that Death stalker will rip you to shreds. If you don’t work together with the rest of the students here, that is.’

Aera- (sputtering with rage) ‘W- What?! How dare you- ‘

KJ- (Interrupting) ’Death Stalker?’

KJ flitted around with a speed that could rival Ruby’s semblance and witnessed the creature of Grimm the girl had been referring to. A huge death stalker, a scorpion like monster was chasing Pyrrha Nikos straight towards the middle of the clearing, while the rest of the group were busy looking upwards watching Ruby’s partner and Jaune fall from the sky.

Why is everyone falling from the sky again? I thought we already finished that part?

It worried him that they weren’t paying attention to a potentially fatal danger. He had always used his knowledge of the enemy to his advantage, scrutinizing their every move in order to create a combat strategy, and he enjoyed the feeling of being in control. For once, he wasn’t in the driver’s seat, and it had him on edge. Having to watch out for his partner was going to cost him a lot of time and power, but he had to protect her. And he had to protect Ruby, his first friend here also.

He gazed over at the brutish antagonist, its huge crustacean-like claws pushing forward, ready to attack as soon as it was within range. Pyrrha had managed to widen the gap between them, but it was only a matter of time. And that time was inevitably cut short by Ruby’s battle cry. She dashed towards the Grimm creature, scythe unfolding in hand, her black bangs swaying frantically and her thin arms heaving from the pressure used to lift her weapon above her small frame. She sprinted with unwavering resolve, with a determined expression on her face. A look that resounded with KJ all too well. The need to prove oneself, despite being chosen from proof of talent for this very purpose. The need to show everyone that choosing them to be here wasn’t a mistake, they deserved to train as future hunters and huntresses. It was the same expression KJ would make when he fought. That wasn’t enough to win though – strategy was needed. Yet Ruby was fighting out of sheer recklessness.

She’ll get herself killed!

She lunged forward, but the Death stalker struck first, landing a deafening blow on Ruby’s petite body, sending her crashing backwards onto the hard ground. She got up slowly, yelling to her friends in assurance that she was ‘fine’.

Am I supposed to just stand here and watch her struggle?

He gritted his teeth in frustration, debating whether he should let her be or hurt her pride but potentially save her from a worse fate. In that moment, the blonde girl Yang had begun to rush forward in an attempt to help, but the Nevermore flying above them worked in league with the Death stalker, shooting large black feathers towards the ground; like missiles until Ruby’s cape became trapped underneath one.

Yang- ‘GET OUT OF THERE!’ Yang yelled at the desperate Ruby as she struggled with her cape, but it all looked to be in vain – nobody was coming to her rescue, nobody was going to be able to get there in time without a long-range technique.

It was an instinctive action, he didn’t have any time to think before he pulled the quarter from the pocket of his jacket. He glanced at it for only a fraction of a second before making the decision to awaken his sharingan. He took a step forward, so his face would be concealed from the three students surrounding him and let his eyes take over, fiddling with the coin in his hand as he judged the beast’s movements.

Predictable, as I thought. These creatures don’t even seem to have a brain, never mind a soul.

He raised his pale arm out in front of his body, holding the coin tightly between his thumb and index finger. At this point, Aera had noticed he had taken matters into his own hands and was about to step forward and pull him back, but his actions occurred almost instantaneously. He flipped the coin into the air with a flourish, it then flying high into the air before dropping at increased speed back down towards his hand. As soon as it contacted his skin again, a wave of high voltage electricity flowed from his body and careered towards the beast.

The creature exploded from the sheer magnitude of energy making contact with it, the debris of its shell being flung in every direction as Ruby and Yang shielded themselves from the worst of the aftermath. To protect them from the heaviest debris, KJ released his blue flame and burned the largest pieces of shell which were flying towards the temple to ash. After a few moments, Ruby and Yang looked up, puzzled and they quickly tried to locate the instigator of the blast. KJ didn’t have time to change from his combat position before they noticed him but was able to deactivate his sharingan at least. That power he wanted to keep to himself until he was placed in a team. This was only his initiation after all.

No need to pull out all the party tricks just yet.

Ruby- (slow disbelief) ‘KJ Flanders?’ Ruby said slowly while rising to her feet, as if unsure if she was seeing things. KJ’s fierce expression quickly turned into a gentle smile as he withdrew himself from his fighting position, shaking his head as if in some sort of daze. He waved enthusiastically while Aera scowled.

KJ- ‘Hey Ruby, sorry I jumped in a bit sudden there, just looked like things were getting a bit out of hand.’ He rubbed the back of his head apologetically and smiled sheepishly. Yang switched her gaze between the two of them in utter confusion while they both let out huge sighs of relief.

Yang- ‘Do you two know each other?’ she then gasped ‘SIS HAVE YOU ACTUALLY MADE A FRIEND? IM SO PROUD OF YOU!!’ She jumped on top of her sister and pinched her cheeks, ruffling her hair with a huge smile on her face. Ruby looked hugely embarrassed at her sisters coddling, swatting her away as quickly as she could.

Ruby- ‘Yang, KJ helped me out yesterday – (insistent forced whisper) stop it!’ she muttered the latter part under her breath as though she didn’t want KJ to hear. Unluckily for her, KJ had impressive hearing. In spite of his restraint, he snickered quietly at the exchange.

Aera- (Irritated) ’Ok KJ, you had your fun, NOW LET’S GO!’ Aera pulled at his jacket in an annoyed manner, while the two other students standing beside them stood and watched with indifference. KJ momentarily ignored her to find out more about them – for al he knew they could end up being part of his team, knowing their names would be useful.

Emerald- ‘I’m Emerald, my speciality is brute strength.’ The petite blonde girl said slowly, as if to start a conversation, looking eager to join forces with him now that she had witnessed his electrical abilities.

KJ- ‘KJ Flanders. And you are…?’ he gestured towards the redheaded man with confusion. Surely this guy was too old to be a student at Beacon?

Emerald- ‘Oh, this is my older brother Robin, he got held back three years after an incident back home.’

Robin- ‘Hey’ Robin grunted unenthusiastically.

While they were having this exchange, the other eight students that were currently also at the temple had made their way over to them with their chess pieces in hand.

Weiss- ‘Well there’s no sense in dilly-dallying, your objective is right in front of you.’ Ruby’s partner Weiss stated with an aloof yet trustworthy look in her eyes. The four of them rushed to grab their pieces as they noticed the Nevermore quickly beginning to circle back towards them. They joined the other students, and everyone nodded as they realised the only way to get back through the forest was to move as quickly as possible.

Jaune- ‘Run and live, that’s an idea I can get behind.’ Jaune piped up as they began to run away from the temple with their artefacts, the Nevermore catching sight of its moving prey as they began to make their way over rocky terrain. It crowed and seemed to signal to some other creature of Grimm as they soon heard clacking movements begin to approach them from behind.

KJ gritted his teeth and glanced up again at their aerial opponent. They had almost lost Ruby to a small Death stalker, if it hadn’t been for his electrical semblance she could have been eradicated. Now the Nevermore was perched on a large stone wall, a perfect vantage point for easy pickings like newly recruited hunters and huntresses in training. How could he have missed this villain? How had this Nevermore evaded the fate of KJ’s combat impulsivity when it was in part responsible for all that danger? The only conclusion he could make was that he was afraid of failure, that he was indeed a coward hiding under the pretence of someone kind when he was truly a ruthless human with OP abilities. All this so that he could remain somewhat unnoticed until he deemed it the correct time to strike and then take down the creatures of Grimm and anyone who he considered to be tainted by the evil encompassed by Grimm.

They halted as the Nevermore released a blood curdling screech as it stretched its raven wings in predatory wait, Aera then deciding to hide behind a boulder along with Jaune and a few others. KJ ran up beside Weiss and Raven and pushed them forward, forcing them to move out of plain view.

KJ- (Shouts) ’RUN.’ He demanded as he ran in the opposite direction, their legs moving as quickly as they could possibly allow. KJ, Nora and her partner whose name was Ren began distracting the Nevermore as best as they could. Ren used some form of gun to fight, which was in this case ineffective in KJ’s opinion, but in this situation, they just needed to get out of there, so he kept his mouth shut and attempted to aid them without wasting his aura on another electrical charge. He removed his dual wielding swords from their sheath on his back and slashed them through the air to settle in front of him in an attacking position.

So, this was it. The first strike decides the battle. If the opponent with the first strike plans accurately, it could win the advantage along with the battle. But if they miss, it could cost them their life. They had to be extremely careful about this, if possible KJ wished to retain all his comrades alive.

His fellow students would engage in combat against the monster while he looked for its weakness, using his swords as protection until he was able to formulate a plan against this foe, they would use this formation to stall until it was defeated, and they were able to get back to Professor Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch in one piece. They sprinted until they reached a stone bridge leading them to the outskirts of the forest, the Nevermore circling until the perfect opportunity to separate its prey arose. It smashed the bridge in half leaving himself, Pyrrha, Ren and Raven trapped with an even larger Death stalker approaching from behind.

So, this is what had been following us. Gee, thanks for that, Nevermore. Really.

Nora and Jaune made the jump between the two-bridge sections by using the force of Nora’s hammer to propel them. Raven fell backwards as she lost her balance but quickly used this to her advantage, using her weapon to hoist herself up onto the Nevermore and attack its flesh with a sword. Nora then got into an attacking position and prepared to lunge at the Death Stalker.

Aera- (Determined) ’STAY BACK, THIS ONES MINE’ Aera suddenly appeared from her concealment behind a large boulder and pushed Nora towards the broken bridges edge in a burst of fury, after finally revealing two large pistols from her belt. She pointed them toward Nora, gritting her teeth as everyone stared in disbelief.

KJ- (frantic)’Aera, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!’ KJ lost his cool momentarily, fully exasperated at how at a time like this, his partner was willing to injure another student in order to stand out and potentially become the leader of a team. Ren ran towards Aera and Nora in uncharacteristic frustration, taking his weapon and pointing it towards Aera in a threatening manner. Nora looked between the pair in confusion and managed to slip away while Ren continued to restrain Aera who appeared to have been driven to bloodlust out of overwhelming fear.

Meanwhile, KJ’s blades were meeting his opponent’s claws in a flurry of slashing motions. Clearly the creature was sacrificing the health of its limbs in the process of defending its weakest areas from him. However, KJ’s ascended abilities using his sharingan gave him the upper hand, and he eventually showcased his rinnegan in both eyes, in order to use the Outer path. He mustered up enough energy to create a chain made from his aura, binding the Grimm while gripping his swords so tightly in his fist that his knuckles turned white. He knew he couldn’t defeat the beast in his state of depleted energy unless he risked blacking out, and he couldn’t damage it enough without getting a serious backlash. All he could do was keep it under control until he could no longer fight. His temporary explosive power was too much for him, wounds began to form all over his body and he grew weak and lethargic in his attempts to restrain it.

He looked over his shoulder to Jaune and Pyrrha – who were rushing towards him and the opponent to castigate it into submission while Nora prepared to deal the final blow. She leapt forward and swung her hammer at the monster, knocking it off the bridge and releasing KJ’s chains in one swift movement.

Although KJ’s abilities and skill were a force to be reckoned with, as was his strategic and emotionless tendencies in a fight; In this battle, he could not reach his full potential for precisely that reason. He could not activate that cruel side of his personality while fighting alongside people he wanted to befriend. Until he was able to explain himself, he could not display the full extent of his power. Naturally he was hesitant to hold back and look weak, this wasn’t how he normally fought. He had to grow close to them, find out their strengths and weaknesses so he could have the upper hand in future, and more importantly to be able to lead a team successfully. He gasped as he crouched into a kneeling position, clutching his side where an open wound had formed.

Damn, my aura wont help until I heal this.

He looked up momentarily and saw Ruby staring at him, obviously watching the battle which had unfolded while she prepared to take down the Nevermore. She then faced her rival with the bridge crumbling below them as water from a nearby cliff dribbled down onto the pavement from the debris caused from the ongoing struggle. Yang and Weiss began their attack on the demon, allowing Ruby to catapult towards it, torturing it with a gunshot, scythe suffocating combo. Dragging it up the cliff in front of them, she beheaded the Grimm with out laboured scream, landing on top of the height with an air of heroism they could simply gape at.

Yang grinned beside Weiss as she watched her sister on top of the cliff while Raven merely sighed in relief. Ruby sighed in exhaustion, her entire mind was left numb, and she used these few second alone on the height to collect her thoughts. She gazed down at the Grimm’s falling corpse, then looked up at the overcast sky and smiled slightly with a faraway look.

Yang- ‘Let’s go’.

That evening, Professor Ozpin had finally assigned the teams and leaders for the new students who had completed initiation successfully. As they had gathered the Queen pieces, Aera, Emerald and Robin had become his teammates, forming team KAER. KJ had unsurprisingly become team leader, probably aided by the fact that his three fellow comrades used him as a shield for the entire first day. Ruby became the leader of team RWBY, and Jaune was announced leader of JNPR. Those were the only groups he was remotely interested in at the time. After the eventful day they’d had, and despite the fact he wasn’t in the team he had wished for, being a leader was his goal. Now it was time to show anyone who would watch that he could really be a hunter in the making. Looks like things were shaping up to be an interesting year, and KJ Flanders wasn’t going to hold back anymore.

THE END

PART 2

Beacon Academy was probably the most prestigious school in the kingdom, one reserved for the elite in their field of combat - both academically and otherwise. The best students in the prefecture could be found here in their minority, coming from miles around to receive the best education the state had to offer in order to become the future generation of hunters and huntresses protecting the civilised nations from the creatures of Grimm.

KJ Flanders wasn’t the most intelligent of students, in fact his IQ was only slightly above average at best, but he did have one thing not many other people did – cunning. He was well known back home for being a tough opponent to go up against psychologically as well as physically. It wasn’t just adults who had changed their opinion on his in the past few years, his old friends had also begun to see him in a different light and constantly his avoiding sparring against him. However, with the arrival of a new school term, KJ had finally transferred to Beacon with the aim of helping those who couldn’t fend for themselves.

It was 7am. The wind bustled the autumnal leaves which now had begun to litter the cobbled paths sprawling outwards from the school in all directions, students milling around the building in their masses. The sun was beginning to rise and stretch over the infamous building, Its many facets filtering light and shade over the surrounding grounds. The entire atmosphere still seemed somewhat fresh, chatter whistling through the air as a new term began.

KJ walked alone with a girl called Aera Blue at his heels – who now happened to be a member of his team, KAHL. He wasn’t used to being constantly followed around by someone, it was practically suffocating. He felt like dashing towards the school in a desperate bid to escape her but thought he might end up being captured and held hostage by her small grappling hands if he did so - that was the strength these girls possessed.

9am. That’s when he had to go to his first class with her. She had stuck by his side like hot glue since they had been partnered on initiation day but had barely said a word since. By the time he had managed to haul himself out of bed that morning she was already standing at their ‘meeting point’, arms folded. She immediately scowled at she caught sight of him, probably about to tut him for being ‘late’ as per usual – late meant arriving after her, even though he’d never agreed to having Aera as a constant companion in the first place

Aera- (Impatiently) ’KJ Flanders, will there ever be a day that you get out of bed before me?’

KJ- (sarcastically) ’No, Aera this is where you’re meant to say, ‘Oh, it’s ok I just got here’, right?’

She furrowed her eyebrows in disdain while KJ merely grinned quietly, happy to finally have a somewhat normal interaction with her. Without another word, they had begun to walk around the school grounds, as they had done for the few days separating initiation day and their first day of class.

After a prolonged period of awkward silence, he plopped down on the large wooden bench situated alongside the west wing gardens and turned to face his fellow student. A myriad of morning larks caused an incessant chirping to castigate his ears as he eyed the girl questioningly. The south facing windows of the building behind them let morning daylight reflect from their shiny surface and subsequently blind him slightly. Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to compose himself and give off a more serious demeanour. He was still getting used to his role as leader of his team after all, and his personality didn’t really suit the whole ‘democratically pleading people to cooperate with one another’ kind of thing. He straightened his back and gazed at Aera with his regular brown eyes, and her piercing teal eyes shone back at him in a knowing manner. Her straight long hair with bangs and her pale skin contrasted next to her now reddened cheeks, flushed like blood drops in snow as she stared at her superior for a little longer than she could manage. She dropped her eyes to the floor in what resembled embarrassment. KJ chose to ignore it, he didn’t feel like teasing her about something that could get in the way of their group dynamic – she was already a little difficult to work with.

Aera- (without conviction) ’So, excited for the first day of class?’ Aera had finally decided to break the silence, also trying to avoid the subject KJ was obviously trying to breach. In vain, naturally.

KJ- ‘I will be after we work things out a little bit first. Aera, you know I’m not exactly a natural in this kind of position-’

Her head snapped up suddenly, a look of slight surprise on her face which was soon replaced with a small smile. She looked like she was reminiscing about something.

Aera- (conceding and letting down her wall a bit) ’Neither are a lot of people, KJ. But sometimes you can only be ready for something when you’re placed in a situation that forces you to be the person you didn’t know you could become’

KJ- He chuckled slightly. ‘Where has all this wisdom been hiding?’

She gasped in feigned contempt as he handed teased her, a soft smirk now gracing his face. His eyes crinkled in warmth at her light-hearted response. He was taken aback by his feeling of protectiveness over her at that moment, but as she was a member of his team now he couldn’t help it. They just might be able to work together after all.

Aera-‘You kind of ignored me during initiation. In fairness, im looking back now and im really glad you did – I don’t know what came over me. Nerves, I guess. So, what I’m trying to say is - thanks for helping me back then.’ She stated, slightly embarrassed. His hand scratched the back of his head in reflex, the corners of his mouth turning upwards into his signature sheepish grin.

She grinned back suddenly, her eyes closing as she chuckled softly along with him in their quiet daze. They still were seated on the cold outdoor bench, completely unaware that the bells for class were about to ring.

KJ- ‘It’s ok, I was scared too. Instinct causes fight of flight – Or in your case, a little bit of both.’

Aera- (groan) ’Ughhhhhhhhh, everyone must hate me.’ She buried her face in her hands, placing her elbows on her knees and leaning her body forward.

KJ- ‘They don’t hate you, probably just think you’re a little crazy.’

Aera- (even deeper groan) ’Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.’ She crouched even further in her ashamed position, almost comedically covering her entire head with her arms.

Bystander- ’WERE GONNA BE LATE!’ he heard a high-pitched voice screech as a large group of students whizzed past them. Professor Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch watched from a distance, indifferent to the tirade which has just passed through the area. It took KJ a few moments to realize what this meant, but as soon as it dawned on him he checked his watch hurriedly. His eyes widened.

KJ- (urgently) ’It’s 8:58, c’mon!’

He grasped Aeras hand and pulled her up as quickly as possible, pulling her behind him as he sprinted towards the first classroom noted on their timetable. And managing to wheeze their way into their seats by 9am on the dot, clutching the stitches in their sides as they practically crawled to the back of the class. He could see the majority of team RWBY already dozing off, and Ruby seemed to be doodling in her notebook while Yang was seemingly refusing to look their teacher in the eye after he dared to wink at her while boasting about his past as a huntsman.

Weiss appeared to be getting more and more frustrated with the girls around her as the teacher began preaching something along the lines of how true huntsmen must be honorable, dependent and strategic. Eventually this lead her to volunteering for a class demonstration in which she had to defeat a Boarbatusk. This took them until the end of class. Weiss stalked off without another glance after having an argument with Ruby, while the rest of the students stood dumbstruck momentarily in the aftermath of her outburst.

Emerald- ‘Hmmmm, looks like those girls might destroy each other from the inside – what do you think, Robin?’ Emerald mused quietly, seated to the left of KJ while Aera sat on the right. Robin sat to the other side of Emerald, his muscular arms resting on the desk, one of his calloused hands resting his chin as he looked entirely unamused by having to get up before noon.

Robin- (unenthusiastically, as if not paying attention) ’I don’t know.’ He replied curtly, his eyes rolling slightly at his sister’s apparent curiosity surrounding the other teams.

This didn’t put Emerald off however, as she then turned to KJ and continued to pry on what the others might be up to.

Emerald- ‘What do you think KJ? Do you really believe little Ruby can lead a team at her age? Oh wait, aren’t you a little young yourself to be managing such a large responsibility?’ she chimed happily, her melodic giggle making the backhanded compliment sting a little less than it should have.

KJ- He tried to shift the point of conversation from team RWBY to their own lack of cooperative skills, knowing that this was their priority if they wanted to succeed and graduate. ‘Don’t you think we should be more concerned by how we barely even talk to one another, instead of worrying about the other team dynamics?’

Emerald- ‘Maybe, but this is more fun.’ Emerald snickered softly, her eyes glancing from him over to where Ruby was now running after Weiss in obvious concern. KJ sighed in exasperation and stood up suddenly, causing Emerald to stop suddenly and raise her eyebrows at him. He glanced down momentarily at her and gave her a look of almost parental disappointment and began to walk away without explaining any further.

She needs to figure it out on her own. Unless she stops looking down on her peers she won’t be able to work with us.

He hurriedly made his way out of the classroom, hearing a disagreement occurring just down the corridor. He was psychic, but even he could bank on it being between Weiss and Ruby.

Weiss- ‘Ozpin made a mistake.’ He heard Weiss declare as they entered his field of vision. He had just turned the corner to approach them, Weiss already beginning to walk away from the heated encounter, her proud demeanour rolling off her in icy waves, her aloof head held high as Ruby slumped her shoulders in defeat. KJ walked up behind her slowly, cautiously, and with good reason. Professor Ozpin seemed to appear out of nowhere from a room located down the corridor behind Ruby, and so KJ decided to stay silent and evaluate the situation further.

I feel like Emeralds habits are starting to rub off on me.

Ozpin- ‘Hmm, now that didn’t seem to go very well.’ He stated quizzically, holding a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and a cane in the other, his eyebrows raised above his glasses as he waited for Ruby to explain the situation further.

Ruby- (unsure) ’Is she right? Did you make a mistake?’ Ruby queried, her entire body looking a bit dejected. This was not the Ruby KJ was used to seeing. Where was the air of confidence, the fun-loving innocence? Had Weiss already sapped Ruby of her energy?

Maybe I have it easy with my teammates after all?

Ozpin- ‘That remains to be seen.’ Professor Ozpin laughed and gave a cryptic reply at first, though it was somehow reassuring. He continued ‘I mean, it's only been one day. Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them.’ He leaned in closer, so he could look more directly at Ruby. ‘Do you?’ It didn’t look like he doubted his decision, and even KJ could see the talent in those sharp grey eyes. Ruby was intriguing, to say the least. ‘Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you? You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it.’ He turned his back on her as he continued talking, leaving her with some things to consider. She looked thoughtful with in response to Ozpin's words, then slowly smiled at him. The headmaster walked away without another word, and that’s when KJ thought it was the best opportunity to intervene. He rounded the corner he had backed behind during the latest conversation and made his was over more hastily than last time, coughing slightly to grab her attention. She swung around in surprise as he approached her, still partially pondering over Ozpin's words of solace.

KJ- ‘Hey, couldn’t help but overhear the tail end of that conversation. Are you okay?’ he started, halting about a foot in front of her and looking at her worriedly. She looked a little surprised to see him there, but her shocked expression soon changed to a grateful one after the initial encounter.

Ruby- (still dazed) ’Wha – I mean, yeah I’m fine. Just a little internal team drama.’ She laughed a little in an attempt to brush it off, but the response sounded a little ingenuine, so KJ blinked and tilted his head back in an unconvinced manner. Ruby realised she wasn’t going to convince him with that lame excuse and groaned slightly at that realization.

KJ- ‘For what it’s worth, I think you’ll be a great leader. And a great huntress too, obviously.’ He placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, searching her gaze for any doubts that could materialize. She seemed to have relaxed a little already. And this time her smile seemed a little more genuine also.

Ruby- ‘Thanks, you’re not too shabby either. I noticed you pulled a couple of tricks out of the bag for initiation. What’s that about?’

Ahh, she’s more perceptive than I thought.

KJ- (nervous and trying to dodge the question) ’Uhhhhh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He responded vaguely to her accusations, his eyes flitting around very suspiciously in the process.

Ruby- (coyly) began to smirk as she figuratively had trapped him in a corner with little chance of escape. ‘Oh c’mon…. You can tell me!’ she pleaded with him, nudging him with her shoulder playfully as KJ blatantly avoided eye contact with her, looking up at the ceiling instead to avoid her watchful eyes.

KJ- (slowly admitting the truth) ’I may or may not have numerous abilities, allegedly.’

Ruby- (still coyly) ’Allegedly?’

KJ- ‘Allegedly.’

They both couldn’t help but start to giggle at the ridiculous interaction they were having, Ruby now resting her hand on his shoulder, so she could laugh uncontrollably without losing her balance.

Ruby- (enthusiastically) ’Well I caught a glimpse of a cool electric blast thing, blue flames, and I’m almost certain your eyes went a funny colour at one point – kind of like my sisters Yang’s, but even cooler!’ she was practically giddy from her excitement over his abilities, which was overwhelmingly flattering for a guy who had admired Ruby’s talent ever since he first saw her in combat.

KJ- (Relaxed, and then clumsy recovery) ’Ha-ha thanks, I- I mean whattttttttt? Must be seeing things, I reckon- ‘

Ruby- ‘Nope.’

KJ- ‘Yup.’

Ruby- ‘Nope.’

They continued their easy-going conversation until it was time for their next class, and by the end of the day Ruby was even more motivated to be the best leader she could be, stating that she was going back to her room to study a bit before bed. And apparently her and Weiss made up that night, as the next day team RWBY looked stronger than ever. Unlike team Kahl, who still needed to work on their dynamic. But like Aera had said on their first day, sometimes people need to be forced into a situation before they’re wiling to change, and that’s what happened when Cardin Winchester tried to cross KJ Flanders.

Team RWBY, JNPR and KAHL sat together at lunchtimes and ate together regularly, and on this particular day the group was discussing how Jaune had been tormented constantly by a boy called Cardin Winchester, a bully that happened to target Faunus and Jaune in particular. Jaune defended his honour valiantly, insisting that he wasn’t being bullied, but everyone could see the obvious unfair treatment for themselves.

Emerald- ‘Jaune seems a little off, don’t you think? I wonder if he’s going to be able to get through the rest of this week, never mind this semester’ Emerald mused quietly, unimpressed by Jaunes apparent lack of skill which he displayed in any class duels he had completed in thus far.

Aera- (reasonably) ’Em, I think we need to worry a little more about how we are going to work together, rather than how others are going to cope, actually.’ Aera defended her classmate from Emerald’s skepticism, attempting to make her worry instead about her own problems. Emerald looked a bit too pleased by her rebuke, as she grinned;

Emerald- (appropriately distracted) ’Oh WOW, I was just thinking that too! Sooooo, I may have arranged a little picnic for us when we go on our trip to the forest of Forever Fall later this week, so we can all get to know each other even better! Team KAHL, us against the world!’

KJ- He deadpanned at her enthusiastic plan, knowing there had to be some sort of catch. Though he had only known Emerald for a few days, he could already tell this girl had a sadistic side he did not want to cross if he could help it. He sighed already resigned. ‘You’ve got an ulterior motive and you’re going to cause some inter-team drama, aren’t you?’

Emerald- ‘Precisely.’

The rest of the team groaned in unison at her response, while Em merely grinned evilly to tease them further.

They re-joined the conversation with Jaune and the rest of their friends just as Ruby gestured towards another table in the great dining hall. Cardin’s team were teasing a small Faunus, pulling her rabbit ears and tormenting her. KJ’s vision went red in a moment of sheer anger and he stood up suddenly, while everyone else just stood dumbstruck at his abrupt movement.

KJ Flanders was not a fan of bullies. In fact, he hated them, possibly even as much as creatures of Grimm. He believed they were tainted with that same kind of evil – except these humans didn’t have the excuse of not having a soul, they were fully aware of the damage their actions could cause. From personal experience, KJ knew the kind of hurt bullies could inflict. He didn’t want anyone else to go through that kind of experience, trauma, and pain.

In was an instantaneous reaction, his primary instinct was to go over to that boy and teach him what it felt like to be hurt in that way. Not necessarily revenge, but merely a taste of his own medicine. He pushed back his chair and stood up, walking purposefully towards the table where that team was still hurting the girl. He didn’t even notice how much bigger than him this guy was, in that moment he didn’t even care. He reached out towards Cardin’s face and grabbed his small human ears, pulling on them and pinching them until the blood rushed to the area of skin he was pinching, turning them red. He pulled them forcefully until Cardin winced in shock and pain, but before he could exclaim in shock KJ spoke first.

KJ- (angrily) ’How do you like it? Do you enjoy being tormented like this, just like you were doing to that girl? Do you think that’s fair?’ Cardin merely gritted his teeth in annoyance and pushed back until KJ let go, unable to respond without getting another backlash. KJ then turned to see his entire group of friends staring at him, mouth agape. They sat frozen until Yang began applauding him and whooping until everyone else joined in. He bowed in mock regal gratitude. From then on, any time he caught Cardin bullying another person such as Jaune, he would reciprocate their actions, for instance when Cardin threw Jaune into a specialized locker and launched it into the sky using a 6-digit code KJ then followed suit and locked Cardin’s muscly, tall frame into a container and launched it even further than where Jaune had fallen.

After a few days all these fateful encounters eventually seemed to lead up to a duel Glynda Goodwitch had officiated during training time. They both made their way into the centre of the room, the rest of the class watching intently from the raised lecture hall seating. They both got into their unique battle positions as Glynda signaled the start of the match, and in an instant Cardin was rushing towards him, all his rage at being made pay for his crimes fueling each stride. KJ meanwhile had only taken his swords out of their scabbards and was busy looking at the makeshift poster Ruby had made to support him in the crowd. He found her childish handwriting oddly endearing.

It all happened so quickly KJ was barely able to process it. His hands which were still clutching his swords were literally encased in Cardin’s vice-like grip and were already turning cold from the lack of circulation. He could move faster than KJ had anticipated, and on top of that KJ had his guard down. KJ turned immediately in shock as Cardin smirked mischievously in response, his weapon still slung over his shoulder. It seemed like Cardin thought KJ’s swords was the primary target in this fight, an asset due to her extensive physicality and apparent destructive power. Which meant they should be removed from the equation immediately in the eyes of an opponent. KJ did not want to use his sharingan if possible, as he knew it would tire his aura more quickly, but if he couldn’t activate his blue flame or electrical semblances he would have no choice. His eyes furrowed as he attempted to reach his coat pocket for his quarter, to fight hesitantly, but with resolve.

He didn’t want to seriously harm Cardin, but if it meant retaining his pride in front of his friends he would do whatever it took to win. He wouldn’t let this type of guy get an ego boost. Not after what he did to Jaune. He refused to even imagine the consequences of losing.

On the inside, he was facing pure strategic turmoil. Yet on the outside there was a usual determined calm facade. He struggled to get out of Cardin’s grip by landing a series of kicks to his stomach and legs until his hands slackened enough for KJ to get free, however Cardin managed to block any major force behind the attacks with the end of his mace. Counterattacks were easily dodged by both students as they continued to spar. He was meticulously trying to think of a way to get the upper hand, whether that be psychologically or physically when he heard the cheering of a girl in the crowd.

Aera- ‘YOU CAN DO IT KJ! TEAM KAHL! screamed the enthusiastic Aera as she punched the air with her small pale fist. Cardin’s mouth dropped wide open with disbelief and KJ scratched the back of his hand in slight panic and relief as she was immediately shushed by Glynda and the rest of the class.

In their brief interlude, KJ had regained his composure first and took this distraction as a time to strike. This way he didn’t even need to activate his sharingan or rinnegan - it was simple, surely one flip of a coin would do it. He didn’t want to kill the guy, but perhaps if he restrained his energy enough it would only render him unconscious.

Glynda only realized his plan when he had already taken out his quarter. ‘Cardin, DUCK!’ she shouted in vain as quarter flipped through the air and landed on KJ’s hand, allowing a flood of electricity to be shot straight towards his opponent, which even with the warning had only missed him by mere inches as he cowered behind a pillar in the corner of the room. The wall of the building wasn’t so lucky though, as a plate sized hole had been drilled the entire way through, showcasing the east wing gardens outside.

Maybe I need to work on controlling my Aura a little more. Never mind being weak, it’s not good to be too strong in a situation like this either.

Cardin slumped to the ground, already unable to move from shock as he attempted to struggle to his feet to continue the match. It was futile.

Emerald- Em chuckled at the back of the room seated next to her brother as she watched her teammate in this advantageous state, with Cardin practically choking in fear and unable to tear his eyes away. ‘Maybe we can cooperate with this team after all, what do you think Robin?’

Robin- (not paying attention) ’I don’t know, sure?’

Emerald turned from her brother and smirked knowingly, her gaze once again intently locked on KJ’s body, which had now begun to stride over to Cardin’s fatigued figure.

KJ- ‘This is for anyone you’ve tormented up until now.’

Cardin- He leapt forward and swung his arm back, a flicker of recognition registered in Cardin’s eyes and he gritted his teeth in fear as KJ hit him square in the face. He then fell to the ground, muttering ‘Lucky shot’ before falling unconscious as KJ dusted off his black gloves in satisfaction.

Glynda- ‘And I guess that’s the match. KJ, you should have no problem qualifying for the tournament later this year. Cardin, maybe you should work a little more on a defensive strategy, and – oh, he’s unconscious- ‘

KJ- ‘Thank you, Professor. And, uhhhhh, sorry about the damage.’

Glynda- ‘We’ll talk about that after class.’ KJ gulped. He was going to pay for that, he could tell be the Professors eyes. Glynda Goodwitch was one intimidating woman. Glancing up at his teams, he could see Jaune beaming ear to ear as Cardin finally got his comeuppance. That was what KJ had been hoping to see by the end of this match. That was how his morality functioned.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That wasn’t his motto, but in combat that’s how he saw things work. That’s why he enjoyed training so much, there was no grey area where he had to look out for social conventions. It was purely skill. It had shaped his views of the world entirely, being able to defend those who could not yet defend themselves. He knew that only some people could handle this type of mentality and talent without letting it go to their head. He also knew that the only way to survive that was by surrounding oneself with positive influences, with strong people who would support you no matter what. That’s what he liked so much about the people he had met at Beacon, like Ruby. They kept him from being a person he didn’t want to be.

He caught Ruby’s eye as he made his way up the stairs to his team’s seats at the back of the room. She had watched him compete and was now smiling proudly as his gaze met hers, and so instinctively he began to beam as well. He joined team KAHL who patted him on the back in support and waited for the next spar to begin, and in that moment KJ Flanders knew that every day he spent at Beacon was another day he wouldn’t trade for all the talent or weapons in the entire world of Remnant.

THE END

Initiation, a RWBY fanfiction. – includes OC characters (KJ Flanders OC POV) AERA/EMERALD(EM)/ROBIN - - - - - CONTAINS SPOILERS OF RWBY V1

This is a continuation of a few previous works, which took place during initiation day at Beacon Academy and then subsequently followed by a fic taking place during the first few days of the semester at the academy. This section occurs alongside volume 1 of RWBY – concurring with RWBY chibi ep 1

PART 3

The next few days after the fight between KJ Flanders and Cardin Winchester went by in an uneventful manner at Beacon academy, the teams consisting of KJ Flanders and his friends simply went to their classes and hung out around the town of Vale like any other teenagers would. Team RWBY, JNPR and KAER ate together at breakfast, lunch and dinner often, and interchanged who they spent most of their time with among themselves in those three groups. Ruby consistently tried to get as close to her teammates as she could, even if that meant at times prying into their business. KJ found the other RWBY girl’s reactions to this hugely amusing, especially on the day he now referred to as ‘the day Ruby found out Blakes most precious secret’ which surprisingly was not when they found out she was a Faunus, rather this was the REALLY IMPORTANT secret – the day Ruby found Blakes copy of the novel ‘Ninjas of Love.’

It was a couple of days after KJ had fought Cardin and showcased a few more of his multitude of abilities, and Ruby was walking around the corridors of Beacons dormitories after class. She couldn’t find anyone on her team indoors and so decided to check if anyone was in their dorm room. She skipped down the hallway, her arms swinging by her sides cheerfully, and she quickly made her way to her dorm room at the end of the hall. She halted suddenly outside the room, her eyes flitting suspiciously from one side of the room to the other as she searched for anyone present while clutching the doorframe. After a few moments, she suspected nobody was present and shrugged indifferently.

Ruby- ‘Huh, no one's here. Eh, I guess I'll go check the court... yard...’

Her voice trailed off slowly as she looked to Blake Belladonnas side of the bed on the bottom bunk underneath Yang’s messy quarter of the room, Blakes shelf was strewn with a multitude of books but otherwise left spotless. So, it was strange to see an opened book tucked underneath the pillow of Blakes usually pristine bed. Ruby’s gaze fell upon this half-hidden oddity and she crept closer, reading the title "Ninjas of Love" along the hardcover book’s spine.

Ruby- “That’s strange, I wonder what Blake’s reading about?”

Ruby fully stepped inside the room and zoomed over to her teammate's bedside, crouching down to get a better look at the books design. It was unassuming, and a little mysterious in nature so a look of wonder slowly developed on Ruby’s face as she pondered what type of books her teammate was interested in.

Ruby- “Probably some sort of cool, strategic Psychological thriller, that’s very ‘Blake’.”

She sneakily glanced around the room and outside to the corridor, making sure the coast was clear and nobody could catch her snooping before taking the book out from under its pillow concealment and examining it herself. She stared at the cover picture of a man and woman dressed in black, armed with blades and looking deeply into each other's eyes under a tagline reading "No shadows can conceal the lust of one enigma for long...", until she turned it around to read the description. Ruby was altogether intrigued, taking the book under her arm and bringing it outside to read under the shade of an oak tree – the weather was still warm, after all, and Weiss and Yang had gotten into a fight in the courtyard so at least that would be some form of entertainment if the book turned out to be a bore. She sat down in the shade and took the book out again from under her arm, about to begin the first chapter. She glanced again at the title before opening it.

Ruby- ‘Ninjas, huh?’

She then began to flip through the pages of her new discovery, her silver eyes slowly widening and absorbing this latest information about Blakes interests with emotions ranging from amazed marvel, intense concentration, gasping shock, guilty pleasure, and shuddering glee. Little did she know KJ Flanders stood right behind her and was watching her expressions while reading the book at the same time. Eventually Ruby got so invested in the story’s ‘theme’ that she decided to skip ahead a few pages to get to the ‘interesting’ part. She turned the novel sideways and a picture unfolded downward to reveal a full body shot of one of the characters. KJ’s mouth fell agape while Ruby eyed the imagery from top to bottom with a wide grin on her face. She gestured to the lower part of the picture comically after a few moments and snickered.

Ruby- ‘Now that’s a katana!’

So that’s the kind of books Ruby is interested in – not what I was expecting, but we’ll go with it.

KJ coughed quietly behind Ruby’s crouched, drooling torso and she jumped frantically, swiveling around to catch him crouching questioningly behind her.

Ruby- The blood seemed to drain from her face as she realised what the situation looked like without the explanation of ‘Don’t worry its Blakes book and I was just curious to see what types of books she enjoys reading so I borrowed it and actually kind of enjoyed it, but I still OF COURSE totally didn’t like it because its FILTH!’

KJ- ‘I – Uhhhhh.’

Ruby- ‘Soooooo…’

They both looked around awkwardly, struggling to meet each other’s gaze in this kind of situation. Ruby whistled as she looked over at Yang and Weiss instead, using that as a form of distraction from her overwhelming embarrassment.

They were in the middle of the courtyard at this point, Weiss had once again raised her weapon threateningly at Yang with a snarl in preparation for her next attack. Yang in turn raised her strong fists with a smirk, looking a lot more confident than her furious counterpart. They got into their battle-ready stances before coming at one another, Weiss swiping her blade at a ducking Yang, whose curled hair somehow still managed to look pristine after each attack. Noticing the near-blow to her locks, Yang attempted a punch on Weiss, who blocked it with a small glyph before swinging her sword down onto one of her opponent's gauntlets. Yang used this opportunity to smack the blade away from its wielder Weiss and left her open to a leap in the air followed by a blast from her weapons... only for the shot to never fire and result in only a "click" noise. Yang landed back on the ground and kept trying to punch her weapons into shooting, and Weiss stopped flinching from what she thought was an oncoming blow to look just as puzzled at Yang. She eventually smiled and laughed to herself, raising her hands to her face with tongue stuck out mockingly at the brawler until Yang realized the obvious solution was to simply punch Weiss with her fist, knocking the heiress into the air and allowing Yang to take the victory yet again.

Weiss hasn’t won once yet, poor girl.

Once the spar was over KJ and Ruby had nothing else to distract themselves with, and so the embarrassment reared its ugly head once again. KJ decided to face the truth head on and look for an explanation as to why Ruby was reading a book like…. That in broad daylight.

KJ- ‘So, you're into that kind of novel…. I would not expect that.’

Ruby face turned bright crimson to match her clothes as she began stuttering, trying to explain herself.

Ruby- ’N-n- nooooo’

KJ looked at her quizzically, unsure if she was going to say anything else. ‘No?’

Ruby- ‘Noooooooooooooooo.’

KJ- ‘No, then what? Im pretty confused here, Ruby?’

The girl put her face in her hands, pulling her knees up to her chest. KJ did the same but placed his arms around her legs, resting his chin on his knees and staring at his comrade intently until she continued.

Ruby- ‘Its not my book, It’s my teammates?’

KJ- ‘Which one?’

Ruby- (indignantly) ’I’m no snitch.’

Meanwhile back in team RWBY’s dorm room, Blake Belladonna had lost her most prized possession (excluding her weapons). She was moving around her room at an astonishing rate, looking around her bed and all over the room for any sign of the particular object, to no avail. A worried, frantic expression graced her face as she scrambled, looking for it in vain. Even after checking her bookshelf half a dozen times, she looked again and again hoping it would magically appear in front of her very eyes.

Blake- ‘Where is it?!’

She twirled around and looked out of the window coincidentally, only to see KJ kneeling beside Ruby under a nearby oak tree. A book way laying on the ground beside them, one she recognized all too well. She got up hurriedly and made her way outside with an embarrassed face, ready to confess her guilty pleasure to her two friends. But the opportunity arose where she could get away with it blame free, so she grabbed the chance while she could. She noticed Ruby’s ashamed expression as she began to walk closer, decreasing her pace as she tried to work out what was going on between her and KJ. It looked like KJ was both shocked and yet reassuring Ruby at the same time, where Ruby was also wildly trying to defend herself in the process without giving too much away.

KJ was facing Ruby, his back turned away from where Blake was now standing, around ten meters away from them. After a few seconds, Ruby’s eyes met Blakes catlike ones, and Bake smiled nervously at her friend in response to Ruby’s look of surprise. Blake pointed meekly towards the book in question, which was now tucked under Ruby’s arm defensively.

Blake- (very quietly) ’Ruby, is that my book’ she mouthed silently, a bead of sweat running down her face as a wave of relief crashed over Ruby, followed quickly by a growling grimace.

Ruby- (loud, accusatory tone) She pointed accusingly at Blake and KJ turned quickly to see what had caught her attention, his eyebrows raised as Ruby exclaimed in an accusatory tone; ’This is filth! Fiiiilth!’

KJ shifted his gaze between them in utmost confusion, his head ringing from the loud blast of Ruby’s condemnations. Blake has transfigured from a character of shame and anxiety to one of cunning however, as her back straightened and she feigned a look of horror and surprise directed towards her younger roommate.

Blake- (feigning innocent) ’Oh no Ruby! You really shouldn’t be reading that kind of stuff! Ive heard of that franchise before, ninjas of love, was it? – from a friend of a friend, and I heard its prettyyyyyy explicit…’

She extended her hand, smirking slightly and took it from Ruby’s weakened grasp. A master of deception, Blakes raven black hair swung over her shoulders, and she twirled in the other direction, finally managing to rescue her prized possession.

Phew. That was close.

Blake- (chattering quickly) ’Okay I’m going to be taking this away now then, have a nice evening you two!’ She rattled off as quickly as she good before speed walking away from the pair, wiping sweat from her brow as the two stared blankly in her wake. It took a few seconds before it even registered with Ruby what had actually happened, but as soon as she managed to figure it out she choked on air and shouted after her friend and toward KJ simultaneously.

Ruby- (denying everything) ’NO NO NO NO NO NONONO its not mine! its hers! I AM A SNITCH AFTER ALL! ITS BLAKES EVERYONE PLEASE BELIEVE ME!’

KJ snickered as Ruby clutched the air desperately as she pleaded innocence, while she was still hoping Blake would come back and confess, in vain.

It was 5pm on the following Saturday. The small group had made their way to the edge of the park, far away from any quizzical gazes. Emerald dragged the unenthusiastic Robin along beside her childishly, skipping behind KJ and Aera while vying for her attention. KJ and Aera strolled slowly down through a makeshift path through the trees, Aera carrying a picnic basket full of party treats, KJ carrying a bag full of beverages reluctantly in his right hand. Em had forced them upon him before the group’s departure, stating that she didn’t have enough arms to carry enough for ‘the best party you’ve ever been to.’

It was a well-landscaped area, they walked slowly upwards as the altitude increased. They strolled lazily, up towards the highest oak tree they could find, leaves still fluttering to the ground with every warm gust of wind.

The sun was mulling over bright September evening skies, a myriad of colorful fall time trees enveloping the plain of grass. KJ and Aera lay down on top of a soft maroon picnic blanket, Aera beginning to open the picnic basket and sharing food around.

KJ Flanders pulled his cloak tightly around him against the onslaught of bickering going on around him, as it that would somehow protect him from being inevitably brought int the discussion. It had been a long walk through the Forest of Forever Fall with this crowd of students, and he was already weary from Em’s antics. But his pockets were filled with snacks and his bag was filled with cocktails that Em had already ushered him into carrying, so he couldn’t back out now.

Looking up through the canopy of autumnal trees above them, he could see the sunlight dappling through the trees as the sun began to near the western horizon, keeping the dark at bay for a few more hours until nightfall. He was quickly brought out of his appreciative daze by the high-pitched voice of his most chipper teammate.

Emerald- (too loudly) ’Hey, KJ! Pass the cocktails, will you?’ Em screeched, leaning forward and grabbing the bag from KJ’s grasp, throwing one bottle towards him as she searched through the bag’s contents. KJ looked at her questioningly, as though unsure what to do with it. ‘CHUG, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!’ she yelled, tipping the bottle into his gaping mouth, alcohol sloshing down his throat before he had time to process what was going on. Aera ripped the bottle out of Emerald's hand, a horrified look on her face while Em pouted at her foiled plans. They both viewed the now half-empty bottle in KJ’s grip, then swivelled to KJ’s shocked appearance.

Aera- threw the sandwich she was holding in her other hand towards Em’s gleeful expression. ‘EM! ’ she cried, worrying over their leader’s wellbeing.

I have a bad feeling about all this.

Emerald- ‘I did it to liven him up at bit, Aera! Now we can really get the party started!’

Aera- ‘What if something happens to him! Or WORSE, what if Professor Ozpin finds out and throws us all out of Beacon! Or even WORSE THAN THAT, what if Professor Goodwitch finds out and we get the ‘stare of doom?!!’

Emerald- ’Oh, lighten up.’ Emerald groaned, throwing a handful of food towards her friend, but Aera quickly dodged and missed it by inches. This, however, led to unforeseen consequences – that in the form of the once completely stoic Robin.

Robin- (finally showing interest) ’Are we having a food fight? Finally, something I can actually win!’ He exclaimed, grabbing an entire armful of sandwiches with his huge muscular arm, and a squeezy bottle of mayonnaise in the other.

Oh, God.

I thought Robin was meant to be the calm one,

Yet why do I feel the overwhelming urge to compete against him.

Why am I gathering a pile of watermelon in my arms?

KJ staggered to his feet, the effects of competition already starting to take its toll on him. He cackled menacingly before launching pieces of delicious fruit at his new opponent. Robin merely gasped in astonishment, dodging the pieces of watermelon as best he could, wondering how this battle to end all battles would end. Both Aera and Emerald watched them in confusion as this particular war of testosterone began.

Robin- ‘THIS IS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH, KJ FLANDERS! I REFUSE TO BE A SIDE CHARACTER ANY LONGER!’

KJ- ‘AS A MINOR CHARACTER IN THE PLOT, YOU SHOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN ANY MORE TIME FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ACTION REGARDLESS! YOU JUST GOT SO MUCH ‘SCREENTIME’ BECAUSE YOURE SOMEWHAT MYSTERIOUS!’

Jack(?) gasped again, appalled at the explosive statement, and began to chuck food at a faster rate towards KJ. Emerald ran in between them both, trying to catch the flying pieces of food in her mouth as they passed by. Aera merely looked on, unsure of what to make of the peculiar scene, wondering how he should stop it but also becoming too tired to even try.

Robin had changed from his somewhat teasing manner throughout the food fight, reverting to a serious component. He glanced over at Aera, saw that she was watching him and threw an even higher quantity of food towards KJ when his eyes met hers. He had also started throwing them in complex ways, flicking them under his long legs, swinging his arms around in circular motions in a comical build-up, and twisting around and around to increase his momentum before launching them across the clearing. Aera scoffed quietly but retained a simple smirk as she refused to intervene in the sudden change of events.

Emerald- ‘Aera, you should join in too!’ Em hollered, motioning for her to participate. She shook her head noiselessly.

Aera- ‘Not a chance.’

Emerald sulked slightly and took his bout of frustration out on the food in her hands, powerfully kicking them towards Robin and KJ in her unintentional haste.

After they had finally run out of food to throw at one another, KJ slumped to the ground, defeated. Bits of breadcrumbs stuck to his brown hair and mayonnaise covered his long cloak. He took it off and loosened the top button of his shirt, panting heavily as he did so.

The battle has been won, but the war is only just beginning.

Robin- They sat in silence for another few moments, before Robin finally broke it with a grunt. ‘Good game, man.’

He extended his fist and KJ chuckled, fist pumping his teammate with induced vigour.

KJ- ‘If we used our semblances I’d totally win.’

Robin- ’Probably.’ Robin broke into a smile and the rest of the team clasped their hands to their mouth in astonishment at seeing Robin express an emotion that wasn’t indifference or annoyance directed at his sister.

KJ turned and his blood froze as he stared up at a gigantic creature of Grimm leaping towards them. It was like a bear, black as midnight with slashes of blood red fur across its body, but it was at least 10 times larger than any regular bear he had ever seen.

An Ursa Major, not good.

The great beast came crashing down a few paces away. Scythe like claws raked the ground, the fur bristling at the creature’s neck as it drew back what resembled its lips to reveal teeth like daggers. A thick, drool-like substance dripped from its mouth, hissing and smoking as it scorched the grass, even as the group tried to comprehend what they were seeing, their eyes were drawn up in horror by the enormous number of armored spikes lining its entire body. Aera scrambled backwards, not daring to look away as she was closest to the creature. It padded forwards, its muscular body rippling, its eyes boring into that of its ‘prey’. KJ could hear its harsh breath rasping in its throat, as though its lungs were great bellows.

Its first attack glanced KJ’s chin before he could even see it coming. He noticed too late that it was a feint, though, when the second attack doubled him over and expelled the last bit of choked air from his strong core. Outside of having the wind knocked from him, KJ noticed a fair amount of pain expelling from the point of contact, which was something he wasn’t used to when faced with normal blows to the stomach. A hit to the face, yes, or even the groin, but the gut shouldn’t have been much more than discomfort, if that. That was when he realized the beast had snagged him with his claw in the process, and that a long wound had formed across his entire belly which was now starting to ooze blood at a worrying rate.

Yep, I was right. This is definitely not good.

He stood straight, eyes narrowed with concentration as stared at his opponent – while his teammates backed him up. Em rushed to his side when she saw his wound and pushed him back, taking his place. KJ was about to argue, but Em gave him a strict sideways glance.

Emerald- ‘We’re team KAER. A TEAM, remember?’

He shut his mouth at that. It was true, after that blow he felt a bit sluggish. KJ knew the second that creature launched his attack, that they would need every ounce of their aura to overcome it – which meant to needed to heal as fast as he could to help the others. Em had a spry smirk on her face as she ducked blow after blow, leaving KJ astounded by her abounds of agility. Before KJ could even register the dodge, she had made another one.

Without my sharingan, I can’t even see what she’s doing – is this her semblance?

However, she could only last so long. Great claws gouged the ground as the creature of Grimm bounded towards her, screeching ferociously. It looked as though she was sensing the Ursa’s movements using her semblance whatever that was, but once she had lost her balance it was able to produce another body shot, this one to Em’s ribs, sending fresh ripples of pain through her torso as she flew backwards into a thick oak tree. She didn’t fall unconscious, but she still looked too damaged to continue in the fight any time soon.

The Ursa went in for another attack. Robin jumped in and shoved the Ursa off with a weirdly strong pulse he had generated from his sword’s blade. He covered the distance between them. Threw three more pulses that landed. The Ursa was significantly pushed back but grew more and more agitated, thrashing ferociously and howling in anger. But Robin persisted, Aera now coming forward to back him up but still they looked severely outnumbered as Robin began to grow tired.

Then, another large Ursa appeared from behind the first one.

It was unreal. Between the pain in KJ’s guts and ribs and the general confusion of how this had unfolded so quickly, the sight of another Ursa major appearing after KJ and Em had already been drained of their Aura was not something he wanted to see. Robin threw another pulse at the first beast, but it was having less and less effect, then he tried another that the Ursa dodged—and responded in turn with an attack of its own.

The second Ursa came pounding towards Robin, its slavering mouth gaped wide, spitting deadly drool, its yellow fangs curved like great curved daggers. Its armoured body moved at an astounding weight despite its size. KJ knew he had to do something if their team was going to get out of this forest alive. He had to use his ace card to get them out of this one. Just a little while longer

Just hold on a little while longer Robin, Aera. Just a bit more time so I can recover enough Aura.

Aera- ‘Robin, duck!’ Aera pushed her comrade aside and shot the Ursa with her handgun to distract it momentarily as the creature had reached for Robins neck. Looks like KJ didn’t have enough time after all. Their time was up.

I hope I have enough energy for this. Please, please have enough energy for this KJ. You can’t let your team down now.

Tension crawled up from KJ’s gut to the top of his throat, causing him to gulp anxiously. He struggled to his feet, placing his hands on the ground to push himself upwards, catching the attention of his teammates who looked shocked to see him move – never mind stand. He rustled into his jacket pocket and took out his weapon of choice, his quarter, and flipped it at supersonic speed into the air. He placed his palm on the ground and waited for the coin to toss, finally coming to land on his thumb. Immediately, iron molecules from the earth combined and shot from the ground around both Ursa, encapsulating them in a clad iron cage, each bar twisting around one another to resemble a metallic bush of briars.

This is it.

KJ- ‘You’ll receive the pain every creature of Grimm deserves.’

Blue flames erupted from KJ Flanders weakened state, but his bright eyes burned scarlet as huge waves of energy poured out from every cell of his body. His demeanor was completely changed from his usual easy-going, gentle state. He was like we an altogether different person, bloodthirsty, serious, cruel almost. The huge mass of energy first gathered like a protective barrier around him, but with one swift motion, his arm swung forward and controlled the flames, bringing them plunging forward into the large makeshift cage. Screams erupted from inside the encasement as the creatures burned under KJ’s wrath, the flames licking their armored skin until they died their slow, painful death and slowly dissolved out of existence.

The cage melted and burned alongside the creatures until there was nothing else but a thin dusting of ash layering the forest floor. The four of them lay panting in the fights wake, still dazed by what was meant to be a regular picnic.

Aera- (confused and slightly disoriented) ’What just happened? A confused looking Aera finally said, looking around to her fellow students in a complete daze.

Robin- (breathless) ’And how the hell…. Did you…. do…. that?’ Robin panted, gesturing towards KJ and then to the general area where both Ursa Majors had been killed just seconds previously.

Maybe I can deny everything? Or MAYBE I can pretend that I was using dust the entire time??

KJ- ‘What do you mean? Do what?’

Robin- ‘You know what.’ Robin deadpanned, looking at KJ with an expression that read ‘Don’t even try getting out of this one man.’

Emerald- ‘Spill!’ Em pitched in, jumping up from her injured position at the bottom of the large oak tree.

A bit of gossip can work wonders for the health, and Em sure does love gossip I guess.

KJ- (nervously) ’Ahahahahaha’ KJ scratched the back of his head nervously as the three others circled around him, pushing him up against a tree as they searched his now regular eyes for answers. Their eyes narrowed at his unwilling response and they pried further, growing tired of the mystery surrounding KJ Flanders and his inventory of powerful abilities. KJ didn’t want to lie to them, so he decided to simply state a TRUE fact while failing to refer it back to himself instead. ‘You can do a lot of powerful things like that by using dust.’

Aera- ‘You can’t even remember to bring your books to class every day, let alone haul all that dust around.’ Aera pressed him, mocking him slightly. Damn, she knew him too well.

KJ- ‘Hey!’ he reacted with an exaggerated gesture of clutching his chest in pain to attempt to distract them of the topic at hand ‘You wound me.’

Aera merely blew a raspberry in response, chiding him slightly; ‘Well? What’s the real reason?’

KJ- ‘Can’t a man have his privacy around here?’

All present- ‘No!’ They responded in unison, causing KJ to sigh and finally give in to their constant nagging. It was about time anyway, he supposed, and they were his team after all.

May as well give them something to talk about.

KJ- He sat down at the base of the tree, sliding down until his body reached the hard ground. He raised his hands in defeat, signaling them to sit down around him, allowing himself to finally give them some information about what he could do – almost the full extent of his abilities. ‘Ok you got me, but this just stays within team KAER, okay? I don’t want anyone else to know about my abilities just yet.’

Aera- “Fine”

Emerald- “My lips are sealed!”

Robin- “Okay.”

That isn’t at all creepy, guys.

KJ- He began to explain everything to them; ‘I have four main abilities apart from my dual-wielding. You’ve already seen most of them, I just never explained them up until now. There’s the electricity obviously. That allows me to shoot long range and control iron from underneath the earth.’

Aera- ‘Is that what you were doing earlier?’ Aera questioned, her head cocking to the side in curiosity and a slight twinge of wonder.

KJ- ‘Exactly. Then there’s the blue flame semblance that I just did- ‘

Robin- ‘That was a little scary, man.’ Robin shuddered uncharacteristically, and the other girls nodded with agreement, obviously also taken aback by KJ’s bloodlust.

KJ- ‘Ha-ha sorry, I don’t really use it that often. Power goes to my head, I guess. I also have some other…. Uncommon traits.’ He struggled to explain them, as though unsure how to broach the subject. They were really rare after all, not even recognized as semblances by most lay-people of the four kingdoms as so few people had ever come across these powers.

Emerald- ‘It’s your eyes, isn’t it?’ Em piped up, giggling quietly at KJ’s loss for words, as though his powers had been obvious the entire time.

KJ- ‘What-a? h- how did you- ‘

Emerald- ‘Oh please, do you think I hadn’t noticed? Its not hard to detect when your entire eyeball turns red or grey, you know.’

KJ- ‘Well I guess now that you mention it….’ KJ pondered whether more people had noticed his eyes before, but Aera and Robin looked as shocked as he had anticipated. Perhaps Emerald was naturally this perceptive, or maybe the other two were just surprisingly late to catch on. Either way, it was difficult to hide anything from Emeralds steely gaze, those beady eyes seemed to be able to detect anything within a three-mile radius. They all stood up simultaneously and slowly picked up their belongings which had scattered since the picnic which had seemed so long ago. KJ knew the conversation about his powers would continue for the entire walk home, but at this point he was ready to tell them what his eyes were referred to as, but not the wide range of things they could be used for. ‘Anyways, that’s the sharingan and rinnegan. They’re pretty useful, but I’m not telling you what they do yet. Got to keep some cards close to my chest.’

Robin- “But…”

Emerald- “No fair!”

Aera- “We’re your team, KJ. It’s not right!”

He defended himself against their onslaught, attempting to keep his last shred of mystery intact. He liked having a little bit of mystery surround him, it made him feel more protected, if anything. They were almost back at the academy by this stage, so KJ knew he wouldn’t be badgered too much more about it. His mood lightened considerably, and he teased them jokingly in response;

KJ- ‘All in due time, my friends. All in due time.’

Ruby- ‘Hey everyone!’ A giddy voice emerged from inside the entrance of Beacons main door as Ruby walked outside to greet them ‘How was the ‘team KAER bonding picnic extravaganza?’

KJ- (awkwardly) ‘Hey Ruby. It was…. an…. extravaganza,’ KJ said pointedly, making Ruby look even more curious than she normally did. And that was a lot anyway.

Ruby then continued with what she had wanted to ask as soon as she had set track on them entering the Beacon grounds again. ‘I was just walking around, minding my own business as per usual and I couldn’t help overhearing you discussing KJ’s abilities over here…. Soooooo, care to explain how you managed to get more than one semblance?’

KJ- (sheepishly)’Aha ha ha, not really.’

Not Ruby too….

Ruby- (not fooled) ’Come with me.’

KJ- (starts to ask a question before she suddenly jerks him into a run) ’Wh- aaaaaa- ‘Ruby grabbed KJ’s arms and dragged him away with alarming speed and strength, not even allowing him to form a coherent sentence of rebuke before he was pulled away from his team who simply stood there without showing any signs of trying to save him. Ruby pulled him down a long corridor near the dormitories and eventually stopped, KJ trying to catch his breathe as though he had just been winded, clutching his side until he had the ability to breathe normally. ‘You’re not going to let me get away without answers, are you?’ He gasped as he regained his composure, glancing up at Ruby in an utterly defeated stance. He was going to have to repeat his confession all over again, he dreaded to think of how quickly it would travel around the school that he was freak or something. He just wanted to be seen as a normal guy. It didn’t matter if he had an arsenal of tricks in the warzone, it didn’t change who he was as a person. Only problem was, it changed everyone’s opinion here if he did. That’s how it worked here t Beacon. There was almost this kind of hierarchy, with people like Pyhhra and himself at the top and people like Jaune on the bottom. It wasn’t fair, but it was the truth. So, he didn’t want to be put on a pedestal unable to reach his friends.

Ruby- ‘Nope’ was Ruby’s obvious reply, as she crouched down beside his hunched figure and gazed at his face intently, waiting for him to speak.

KJ- (groan) ’Ughhhhh.’ KJ groaned wearily, slumping down against the cold brick wall behind him. Ruby sat down next to him, a patient smile etched across her face as she waited for him to start talking. He didn’t start, so she provoked him a little further.

Ruby- ‘Why have you hidden your powers for so long anyway? They’re awesome, like really cool!’ she buttered him up, complimenting him and nudging his ribs with her bony shoulders. KJ chuckled softly and nudged her back, eventually taking down his cool façade and letting down his guard around her.

KJ- ‘Thanks Ruby. I guess I’m just a bit afraid.’

Ruby- ‘Afraid of what?’ She looked worried, possibly even desperately so as she reached for his hand. KJ let her hold it and squeeze it reassuringly. Despite their initial embarrassment, they didn’t let go. They needed a moment of quiet to get away from everything. So much had happened in so little time. From the early invitation to Beacon academy, to moving here on an airship and meeting all their new friends, the fighting a Nevermore and Death stalker in the Emerald forest, fighting Cardin Winchester and his bully minions, finding out Blakes deepest darkest secret, getting to know one another was possibly the strangest and most interesting part of all. They wanted to have normal shoulders, normal elbows, normal knees. They just wanted to do what they did well, but not be seen differently for it. If anything, Ruby understand KJ Flanders better than anyone else. So, he decided to tell her what he was most frightened of.

KJ- ’Afraid that everyone else is going to be terrified of me, afraid that everyone will view me differently. Like I’m too good for them or something, or that I don’t understand what the struggles being a student at Beacon are like. ‘

Ruby looked downwards, a nostalgic glint reflected in her silver eyes ‘I see.’

KJ- ‘Stupid, right?’ KJ tried to lighten the atmosphere as it had gotten pretty heavy, but Ruby barely seemed to listen to his defensive reply, still musing over his previous confession.

Ruby- After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke, choosing her words carefully in advance. ‘Maybe. But maybe that’s okay – you need to be able to work through this with the help of your friends, KJ. Its ok to talk to us you know. We want to listen and help, but we can’t do that if we don’t know what you’re thinking. So maybe next time you’ll let us know instead of worrying all by yourself?’

KJ felt the warmth of Ruby’s words radiate off her, and he seemed to absorb it somehow, since his whole body felt calmer. ‘Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks again, Ruby.’

She smiled back at him, a soft upturned smirk transforming quickly into a devilish grin. KJ immediately got anxious at whatever she was planning.

Ruby- ‘Well, its not like you could beat crimson rose anyway-’

KJ- ‘Wait, what?’ KJ stood up, aghast at her claim as she sneered evilly at him, reaching behind her to take out her folded weapon in a joking yet still somewhat threatening manner.

Ruby- (giggling) ’Hee-hee, I challenge you, KJ Flanders to a duel!’

KJ chuckled, joining in on her game with induced excitement ‘Oh, you’re going down!’

Ruby- ‘PREPARE TO FEEL THE WRATH OF RUBY ROSE!’ she yelled, and they both sprinted down the corridor and made their way outside to finally find out who was the real talent at Beacon Academy after all.

And so, the battle commenced, two prodigies in their combat stances. End of the line. One last stop. Though he’d heard it described as “the last battle” KJ and Ruby would simply refer to it as ‘the most epic fight in all of history’ in years to come, having to call the last round of the fight something close to draw since it took place just before dinner.

And what a fight it was. Packed with action, tension, even a few fans consisting of team RWBY, JNPR and KAER gathered to either support them or roll their eyes at their antics, and yet in that moment the only person he found worthy of his attention out of the whole bunch was his opponent, who stood in a fierce stance opposite his own with her scythe glinting in the late evening sun.

This was crazy. He knew it. Crazy didn’t mean the 3 sharp weapons used—his, the dual wielding swords and his opponent’s, the crimson rose—hadn’t gotten severely blunted from the blows that day. Those blades looked almost pink from wear in the dying light. He made brief eye contact with his opponent Ruby, who only smirked at him. He didn’t want to admit that speed gave Ruby the edge, but it had.

Yang- “GO TEAM RWBY!” Yang screamed as Ruby made her first move, disappearing and reappearing in front of KJ with incredible speed. He activated his sharingan in order to cope with her semblance, but she had already decided to strike the first blow. He barely managed to bring up his arms to use his swords for protection before Ruby’s scythe came crashing down against them, clashing loudly metal against metal. And they were off. The crowd gathered around them shied back as KJ’s opponent Ruby, all youth and lean muscle, leapt catlike from the bench behind them, waving her hooked blade in figure eights multiple times before touching down on the ground again. KJ cracked a smile. This time, he made sure to make eye contact. For a brief moment, he could see uncertainty in his Ruby’s eyes. He felt grateful for the advantage he had now been given.

Advancing. Advancing. Ruby decided to charge at him again with her crimson rose blade upheld, going to her fore swing and following it with a backswing. KJ dodged the first and met the second with his left hand clutching his sword. The weight and force of the thing sent his opponent’s blade back, back, back…but not far enough to knock the blade free of her hands.

Striking. An arching shot by Ruby finally managed to slice the fabric of KJ’s shirt at the midsection. It missed the flesh behind it by perhaps a centimeter. KJ knew he would have to finally get serious, jumping up suddenly and searching for something metal to climb.

Ahh, perfect!

The corner of Beacons west wing was supported by a tall vertical steel iron beam, which KJ rushed towards before Ruby could get another swing in and potentially win the match.

Aera- ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING! STOP RUNNING AWAY!!’ Aera screeched ironically from the side-lines. KJ shot her an exasperated look as she continued to run, making her close her mouth, embarrassed in response.

He reached the iron frame and began to sprint upwards into it, not even using his hands to climb five, ten, then twenty meters or so. Ruby looked up, stunned as he literally stood horizontally, his feet seemingly stuck to the metal. Just another trick he had managed to keep to himself thanks to his electrical prowess. Ruby staggered in shock. KJ jumped from the height and swung. His sword missed as she’d only just managed to dodge it. She managed another smirk, this time at the spryness of her dodge. KJ had to admit it was impressive, but this time, the sight only made him more determined to show Ruby he wasn’t all party tricks, that he had great swordsmanship as well.

Swing. Swing. Swing. They continuously struck blows at each other’s weapons but always missed flesh. The heavy weaponry ate at their opponent’s defenses as easily as air, struggling to break through each other’s hold. Both fighters soon dropped to a more defensive strategy, with barely enough energy to stand, but continued trying.

Glynda- (authoritatively) ’Ruby Rose, KJ Flanders, my office NOW!’ Both KJ and Ruby looked up to see that their band of supporters had completely vanished from view and in their place stood a highly intimidating and altogether unpleased figure of Professor Glynda Goodwitch, her hands on her hip in an authoritative manner. Both parties gulped at the sight and grimaced slightly before looking at each other and feeling sorry for themselves. Beacon was the real victor of this battle, even though Ruby and KJ deemed any detention they received totally worth it for one of the most trying yet exhilarating days they’d had so far at their new home.

THE END

BONUS!!!!!

BRIEF OC DESCRIPTIONS!!

Aera Blue

Age - 17

Gender - female

Physical appearance – average height and build, long straight dark blue hair with bangs, dark eyes, pale skin

Personality – loud, defensive, abrasive at times but only to defend her soft side. Can be cowardly but supports her comrades when needed.

Extra fact – Father died when she was 8, lead her to train to become a huntress

Robin Chester

Age - 19

Gender - male

Physical appearance – stocky build, tall (around 6’3’) but looks shorter/less lanky than KJ as his body size is wide, red spiked hair, looks older than other students, sometimes has stubble

Personality – quiet but with a fiery side, often irritated by his sister, has protective tendencies

Extra fact – the ‘incident’ prevented him from entering Beacon for 3 years, also why he and his sister are so close

Emerald Chester

Age - 17

Gender - female

Physical appearance – short, fragile looking, slim and almost fairy-like. Light blonde hair almost with a greenish tint, pale skin and green eyes. Bright smile but a mischievous glint in her eyes a lot of the time.

Personality – chirpy but with a sadistic side, often patronising and sometimes aloof, very close to her brother and often speaks for him, very bubbly and likes when people cooperate

Extra fact – has a strange love for Pumpkin Pete’s marshmallow flakes cereal