I do not own rwby

Menagerie pt. 1.

Menagerie was in a word beautiful. Like a resort island although the distrusting glances from the faunus killed the peaceful feeling. She didn't mind this place; it was lovely and warm enough that she wasn't dying from cold. Any place that wasn't Atlas was great. Although she'd come to the island with the delegation, she wasn't really part of it, hence why she'd grabbed Ciel and escaped the first chance she saw. Of course, her new assistant was a bit concerned about leaving behind what little protection they had but she knew stopping Ruby was impossible.

The plastic smile on Ciel's face didn't change as Ruby excitedly skipped around the marketplace. There was nothing true in the younger girl's smile. Biting back her anxiety as Ruby searched for gifts to send back to Atlas, she wondered how they were going to avoid being asked to return with the delegation. She knew that Ironwood had given orders to ensure that they came back to Atlas, but she also knew that Ruby was just stubborn enough to disobey. If she was being honest, she would rather return to Atlas as well.

Trailing after Ruby who tried to swindle a cat faunus into lowering their prices, she resisted the urge to sigh. It was childish but she hadn't spoken to Ruby very much since they left Atlas. She wanted to be home with her brother, but he was right that watching him die hurt more than knowing his days were numbered. That was why she didn't understand Ruby, the girl hadn't even seemed to notice how passive-aggressive Ciel was being. Instead, she threw herself into training so harsh that her aura broke every night. The reaper came back to the room stumbling only managing to stay awake long enough to eat before collapsing.

In that way, Ruby reminded her of her brother and the training he went through. Aero would've made a wonderful huntsman instead he was stuck waiting for death. She didn't hate the reaper for dragging her away from Atlas, in a way she was relieved, and she hated herself for feeling like that. Why was she so unable to simply stay by his side? Blinking she glanced around realizing that she'd managed to lose Ruby.

Twisting on her heel, she froze at the starlight blue gem that caught her gaze. Somehow, she'd wondered to a jewelry stall while lost in thought. Reaching out to touch the broach she knew that it matched her brother's eyes, her mother's eyes. Running her finger over the gem she couldn't deny the urge to buy it but that would be foolish.

"I'll take the one Ciel is looking at."

Ruby's statement nearly sent her scrambling. Trying to hide how startled she was, the older girl straightened before fully processing the reaper's words. What protests she had become stuck in her throat as she watched the reaper pay for the accessory without any hesitation. Glancing at the deer faunus who ran the stall, she hesitated to take the broach. There was no doubt in her mind that Ruby wanted something in exchange for being so kind to her; she just had no idea what that was. Allowing the broach to be tugged from her hand she stiffened as Ruby easily attached it to her black jacket.

Raising a hand to touch the gem she frowned. There was defiantly something that the reaper wanted from her. She hated not knowing what that was. Narrowing her gaze at the reaper she allowed a little of her confusion to show on her face despite how much she'd been taught to never show her emotions.

"You don't trust me much do you Ciel," she asked with a wide smile that didn't match her sharp eyes. Leaning closer to the older girl she was happy that Ciel wasn't foolish enough to trust her. Ignoring the eyes, she could feel watching them she said, "I'll make sure to earn your trust."

Turning on her heel, Ruby started skipping back toward the other stalls, she still needed to find gifts for Cardin and Weiss. The bags on her arms didn't weigh her down at all as she skipped from shop to shop bartering. She wanted to send something home to her people despite the fact Jaune might not want anything from her.

She probably had at least thirty minutes before her dad started looking for her, but she was in no hurry. The first gift she'd bought had been for the man so there was no chance of him ruining her shopping trip. However, this outing wasn't just for fun, she needed time to consider what she was going to say to her teammate. Blake most likely had no idea what had happened to Pyrrha, so she wanted to put off that conversation as long as possible. No, she wasn't afraid of her kitten's reaction nothing could be worse than Jaune's.

Deciding to put the thoughts from her mind she turned her thoughts back to her weapon training. She would need to decide what type of sword she wanted soon so that she could put in the order for materials. Then she'd have to spend days making the weapon just like she'd made Crescent Rose and Thorn. Perhaps she could invest in throwing knives too. Still, she was getting tired of being stalked; the heated gaze on her back hadn't changed in the last hour. Maybe it was time to confront her stalker. Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice the faunus in front of her until she rammed harshly into the man's back.

Stumbling back Ruby fell to the ground, while the man jolted forward and spun around to glare at her. Shifting so to make sure that her things were okay, she ignored Ciel's panicked mumbles in favor of turning her attention to the man she'd run into. Why did she choose now of all times to stop paying attention to her environment? Looking up the first thing Ruby noticed was the anger in his deep green eyes that reminded her of Pyrrha. Their eyes were almost the same color in a way that reminded her of the emerald forest. The raven-haired boy felt his anger fade as the girl's eyes lit up in pain; letting his gaze trail to the feather in her hair his eyes widened. She was from the Branwen tribe too. His ears twitched as he kneeled down to help her up.

"Are you okay," he asked. This close he could smell the heavy scent of his teacher's perfume clinging to the short girl. So, she was the new student that Raven had told them about. Wait... this meant he was the first one to meet her. He'd won the race.

Ruby blinked snapping out of her memories as the man seemed to brighten. Seeing the black wolf ears on the man's head she reacted on instinct; her hands moved before she could stop them. He couldn't help but stare at the girl as her hands rubbed his ears without fear of his reaction. His face slowly turned a bright red as pleasure shot through his body. This girl was just like Raven. Ruby pouted when he leaned back out of her reach. His ears were soft, and it was cute how easily he blushed.

He tried to glare at her as he said, "don't touch my ears."

"Aw, but they're so cute," she said a teasing tone to her voice. Yeah, she was just like Raven. Rolling his eyes, he ignored the stare of her companion.

He scoffed rising to his feet and offering her his hand. Without hesitation Ruby allowed herself to be pulled up. He felt familiar as if she'd been around him before. Letting her eyes trail over his body she froze when she noticed the dark feather hanging on his belt. It was almost exactly like the one in her hair. Was he one of Raven's students? Before she could ask her instincts went haywire. Twisting she grabbed Ciel's hand to pull her close as the man moved to stand in front of her.

The golden shield that appeared in front of them blocked caused her eyes to widen for a moment before the ground exploded. Holding Ciel tightly she stared at the black raven tattooed on the back of his neck. The hoodie he wore did nothing to hide the connection that he had to Raven. It was all the confirmation that she needed to know that this man was one of her aunt's students. He was an ally. Catching sight of a crow landing on a roof a few feet away she rolled her eyes. Of course, her father would pick now to find her.

"Enough," he said coldly as a barrage of flames danced across his shield. He even sounded like her aunt. His shield didn't even falter slightly if anything he seemed annoyed.

Tightening her grip on Ciel's shaking shoulder's Ruby considered her options before releasing the older girl. Standing she forced a dark smirk to surface on her face. Less than a day on the island and she'd already gotten into trouble. An attractive woman with cold brown eyes stepped from the crowd with narrowed eyes. The silver ram horns that matched her long hair were shaped in the form of a crown on her head giving her an almost regal feel. The tan-colored dress reached her upper shins allowing the Greek style sandals with curved blades attached to the sides to be seen. The brown leather wristbands held curved blades on each of her hands as well. Ruby supposed the woman would be attractive if not for the frown marring her face. She also kind of wanted the woman's dress; it was pretty.

"Humans don't belong here," she stated calmly as if she hadn't just tried to kill them. Chuckling Ruby offered the woman a cocky grin as she allowed a hand to rest on her hip. The man in front of her scoffed.

"She hasn't done anything," he said never lowering the protective shield. He could tell she wasn't the one who attacked first meaning she was a distraction; with how open the White Fang could act on Menagerie he would never lower his guard. Keeping an eye out he spoke, "you're the ones who tried to draw first blood."

"We'll do more than try," a voice stated as a person walked from the watching crowd to stand beside the horned woman. Long blonde hair touched their knees, and they wore a long blue robe embroidered with dancing golden dragons. Scratch wanting the woman's dress, Ruby would rather have their robe but only in red. Sky blue eyes twinkled with mischief reminding her of a trickster. Honestly Ruby couldn't tell if this person was a male or female; not that it truly mattered. The slim figure and feminine face along with the slightly pointed tips of their ears made her confused. Plus, the softness of their voice didn't help either. Seeing her savior tense made her do the same, however, she never let her false arrogance fade.

This was so fun. She'd thought she'd have to wait longer for something interesting to happen. Flicking her wrist to let her shopping bags fall to the ground, she shifted into a more battle-ready position. The longing for battle showed on her face for an instant causing her current protector to roll his eyes.

"Viper," he said his voice little more than a snarl as the person grinned. Tilting his body, the wolf faunus moved so the assassin couldn't see the girl.

"Of course, Dakota dearest," they said with an easy grin.

Reaching up to push a strand of hair behind his ear, the snake faunus kept his gaze on the silver-eyed girl. Was this the girl that Adam wanted him to test; he knew instantly that it wasn't the dark-skinned girl cowering behind her. Making a motion for Pearl to attack he hoped that the girl would make his day interesting. He wanted to have something good to tell Adam.

The woman moved to rush toward the shield without hesitation, but she wasn't fast enough to catch either of Raven's students off guard. Flipping forward onto her hands she swung her legs at the shield only for Dakota to sidestep. The wolf faunus rolled his eyes as if this was nothing but an annoying distraction before lunging to wrap a hand around the ram woman's neck.

Leaning back Ruby blinked as a blade passed over her nose. Turning all her attention to the blonde man she could feel the bloodlust leaking off him; this was going to be fun. Dodging to avoid the next blade he threw at her chest she twisted on her heel allowing a dark smile to appear on her face. A smile that vanished she realized he was aiming for Ciel. Vanishing in a burst of petals she snatched his weapon from the air before using it to knock another of his blades to the side. The fact he didn't seem concerned was a little annoying especially since he threw another barrage of knives without hesitation.

Ruby moved quickly knocking them away with precise movements that sought to protect the girl behind her. Wincing as one of his blades cut across her cheek, she narrowed her gaze. So, his knives were anti-aura; that was nice to know. Still, a blow like that wasn't enough to do any real damage. The way it stung worried her; that could mean his weapons were poisoned. Ignoring the blood that trailed down her cheek, she raised an eyebrow at the wicked grin on his face. His weapons were definitely poisoned. The toxic green eyes gazing back at her were enough of a warning that she felt confident in her theory.

"Retreat Pearl."

The woman obeyed instantly vanishing in a burst of speed that most people wouldn't be able to follow, to Ruby she was moving slowly. Growling the wolf faunus glared at the blonde as he spoke, "the girl hasn't done anything to you Viper."

"No," he agreed. This was the girl Adam wanted to know about; he was sure of it. With his venom in her system, she would be weakened enough for a proper test. Winking at the wolf he said, "but that doesn't matter. Goodbye doggie."

Ruby watched him turn and walk away with dark amusement. So, his tactic was to poison and run. The cut wasn't healing either, so it was defiantly poisoned, maybe some type of aura blocker. Either way, her trip to Menagerie had just gotten far more interesting. Sighing she allowed the knife to drop from her hand in favor of turning her attention to Dakota. Taking a step toward the wolf she froze when a wave of dizziness rushed through her body. Stumbling she winced as the wolf faunus reached out to grab her arm. The knowing expression on his face was enough to tell her that he knew exactly what was going on.

It felt like there was liquid fire running through her veins, but the spot where he was touching her felt as if someone was pressing a hot poker into her skin. So, the poison caused pain, that was good to know. However, she didn't feel as if she was dying; this was most likely an attack to weaken her rather than kill. From the initial moment he struck he was aiming to poison her, that was why he'd changed tactics to attacking Ciel. That meant he would be attacking again soon before the poison ran its course.

"Most people would be on the ground right now," Dakota stated. Watching her turn to help up her companion he knew exactly how much Viper's poison hurt. If Viper was here then Adam wasn't far behind, but he had no idea why the redhead would send Viper out after this girl. He did know that leaving her alone would be a bad idea.

"I'm not most people," she said once Ciel was on her feet. The girl gave a small nod before turning to gather Ruby's bags. Every movement hurt, but she could deal with pain.

"True, Raven wouldn't pick someone weak," he said. The wide grin on her face only highlighted the pain in her eyes. She must feel as if her nerves were on fire, yet she smiled like nothing was wrong. He wanted to fight her.

"No, she wouldn't. I'm Ruby Rose youngest Huntress in history," she said. Holding out her hand for him to shake she didn't even wince when he took it. She would like nothing more than to collapse, but Ciel needed her.

"Dakota Amos leader of the Branwen scouting force and Raven's second student."

From the way her eyes lit up that was expected. She'd known the second they met he was a fellow student of Raven. Dropping her hand, he wondered how long she'd be able to keep up this act. Tilting his head slightly as footsteps got his attention, the wolf faunus raised an eyebrow at the man who came into view. The red eyes so like Raven's made this man Qrow Branwen, Raven's brother. He was also a coward that abandoned the tribe. Gritting his teeth, Dakota looked away as Ruby moved to greet the man.

Letting his gaze fall to her hand, he noticed the way her nails dug into her palm when Qrow touched her shoulder. Sighing he turned away; Raven was going to be annoyed when he told her what happened. There was something to be said about stubborn people: they were more trouble than they were worth. Glancing up he met the sky blue eyes that were watching them from the rooftops. Viper winked at him knowing that he wouldn't attack. They were both interested in how this would play out.

Still he would rather get his fellow student somewhere safe before Viper decided to up his timeline. Turning back to Ruby he asked, "Where are you headed?"

"We're looking for Blake Belladonna," Qrow said. From the feather on his belt, this boy was one of Raven's students. He could trust this boy with Ruby's safety.

Running a hand through his hair, Dakota winced. Of course, they would be here to see the chief of the island. Why wouldn't they want to deal with that man? Everyone on Menagerie knew the Belladonna name; he kind of wished they were simply here to sightsee. Sighing in defeat he grabbed the bags from the blue-eyed girl as he shifted on his feet.

"Belladonna as in the leader of the island," he asked just to clarify and when the man shrugged, he groaned. Motioning for them to follow him he began leading the way through the streets.

Ruby would have to thank him later. Falling to the back of the group she reached up to press a hand to her chest. Her body was on fire; she knew it was only a matter of time until she collapsed. Aura could do a lot of things but fighting poison wasn't one of them, she knew that she had no choice but to wait this out. That meant she was vulnerable; no doubt that was what Viper wanted. He was going to wait until she fell apart to attack. That was annoying; still, she was no stranger to pain.

Straightening she forced a smile to her face as they arrived at a large house. It was most likely the largest on the island. This was Blake's house she could feel it. The panic that came when Dakota rang the doorbell was almost enough to block out the pain. She barely resisted the urge to run away as she struggled between excitement and fear. This was Blake, her teammate would never hurt her.

When Blake heard the doorbell ring, she was expecting anything other than what was standing on the other side. Her eyes went straight to Ruby. The girl was pale and shivering a thin layer of sweat on her face however that was her leader. Fear of rejection was overwhelmed by the fact Ruby was here on Menagerie. Dealing with Sun was one thing, but Ruby was another entirely.

Staring at her leader as her emotions rampaged out of control, she had no idea what to do; the smile on Ruby's face decided her actions for her. Without thinking the girl threw her arms around Ruby in a hug. Pushing down the wince and scream that almost made it to the outside world Ruby hugged her back even though her body burned. For her team, she would suffer any pain, she would take on twice as much pain as she felt right now. Wrapping her arms around her kitten she rested her chin on Blake's shoulder.

"It's good to see you again kitten," she whispered. The choked sob that met her words was the only response her teammate gave. She would always be strong for them. Glancing at Sun who stood in the doorway she smiled at the monkey faunus. The easy way he matched her expression told her that she'd made the right choice in setting them up. Sun's loyalty to Blake was refreshing.

The reaper managed to stay standing until she greeted Blake's parents but that was as far as she got. It was nice that Sun had the forethought to catch her while Dakota explained the situation to everyone. The fact that both Blake and Sun showed little surprise at the fact she'd allowed herself to be poisoned was less nice.

(Viper)

He'd trailed the girl to the Belladonna mansion. It was defiantly the girl that Adam was looking for she'd gone straight to Blake. Gritting his teeth, he pushed down his hate of the cat in favor of the fact the girl had withstood his poison. The venom made from his own blood was excruciating; no one had ever simply walked away with it in their veins. She was strong, maybe even worthy of his King. Listening to the foolish Albain brothers panic over the Atlas delegation, he grinned. This was turning out to be far more interesting than he'd thought it would be.

Glancing up as the door opened, he felt an idea form. The brown-haired Cameleon faunus held little interest to the blonde, but she could be a good tool. Ilia had been a tool to Sienna then she became a tool for Adam. The girl was nothing but a tool for those stronger than her. Now she would be his tool. Cackling internally, he kept an eye on the girl as she bowed to the failing tricksters. Although Adam used the foxes, they were not loyal to his King. Ilia was weak in both mind and spirit; it would be easy to mold her into what he needed.

The unamusing distrust in the Albain brothers was annoying. As if he'd ever betray the King he'd chosen. Watching Ilia reluctantly agree to attack the Belladonna mansion, he felt a slow smirk trail across his lips. He could use this. Standing he stalked from the room after the girl; at this point, she was questioning her loyalties. It was likely she would side with Blake; he knew that she was in love with the cat faunus. What she felt was obsession and not love, but he didn't need her to truly love Blake.

"Hello Ilia," he said causing the girl to jolt. Twisting to face him she didn't even bother to hide the fear in her gaze. Good, if she feared him then he would be able to use her.

"Viper," she greeted. Bowing slightly, she tried to stop her body from shaking. This was Adam's assassin; he shouldn't even be on the island.

There it was. The disgust and hate that made her fear so rich. It was always so sweet when people looked at him with that expression, he almost longed for it. Grinning he leaned closer to the girl who flinched and took a step back.

"I have a task for you Ilia, there is a girl staying at the Belladonna household. I want you to kill her," he stated without hesitation. He would also be attacking the redhead, but Ilia didn't need to know that. The confused expression on her face changed to fear when he reached out to lay a hand on her cheek saying, "or I'll snap your neck and leave you on Blake's doorstep."

(Raven)

Rubbing her forehead, Raven tried to get rid of her headache caused by her foolish students. When Dakota had told her about his run-in with Ruby and the Viper, she'd thought he was exaggerating, after all, who could manage to get poisoned within minutes of arriving on an Island? But no, her newest student had truly gotten poisoned. Adam was allowing his partner to run wild on the island and the man was targeting Ruby. She needed to talk to her problem child.

"Any idea why they would target Ruby," she asked still pacing like a caged lion. Dakota picked at his nails annoyed at managing to get dirt under them. He despised any kind of dirt. It was why he had religiously cleaned his house before she arrived. Although now that she was here, he knew that he wouldn't be staying on the island. It was about time to go home anyway.

"None but what they named. A human on Menagerie," he said.

That was a lie. Viper wasn't a racist jerk; the snake faunus had more in mind than simply protecting Menagerie. It was likely that Adam was involved in this somehow. Remembering her fingers on his ears he sighed; his fellow student was able to walk away after being poisoned by Adam's best friend. That was a point in her favor. If he was a betting man, he would put money on everything going to hell soon.

"So what do we do. It's obvious you have something in mind."

"Find the snake and skin him," she snapped her voice giving rise to her instincts. The anger in her tone was enough to make him laugh.

"Nope, no skinning snakes," he said knowing it would start a war with the White Fang and upset Adam. One of those things was more important than the other. When she glared at him, he continued speaking, "the Viper is one of the most notorious assassins employed by the white fang although his main job is as an interrogator."

Why couldn't her students pick reliable non-murdering friends? Or maybe just be less homicidal themselves. Although Ruby's friends hadn't murdered people as far as she knew but it was only a matter of time before she took a life. Every person who chose the life of a warrior would become a killer. Be it a Huntsman or assassin they were simply the same at their core the only difference was who they fought for.

"Shall we go visit Ruby," Dakota asked standing from the couch. His house, although small, was well furnished and he knew it was only a matter of time until she started breaking things. His teacher a temper, unlike anything he'd ever seen, and he did like the wooden coffee table she was standing next to.

Raven felt her lips twitch at the obvious attempt to get her out of his house. Unlike her other two original students, he was majorly attached to his stuff. She didn't truly blame him. He'd actually attacked Vernal after she got dirt on his rug; she was sure that the incident was recorded by Adam. Unsheathing her blade, she slashed it through the air to create a portal instead of walking. She was in far too big of a hurry to take the time to walk.

"Yay," he mumbled walking through after her.

Stepping into the living room of the Belladonna house Raven had been expecting to be attacked by her brother. It would make sense that he would be on high alert since Ruby had been hurt however there was no attack coming for her. Instead, Qrow was pacing the same way she'd done a few moments ago while Ruby was sprawled out on the couch. Her head rested on Sun's lap while he played with her hair. The girl was almost purring as Sun gently soothed her into a less demonic state than usual.

"How is she," Raven asked glancing over at her youngest student. Seeing his sister, Qrow fell back onto one of the couches. Ciel had returned to the airship for the time being since none of them knew when the man who attacked Ruby would return. The girl was a weakness to his daughter, and she didn't need a liability right now. Of course, his daughter would never phrase her request that way.

"Better," he said but she could hear the vulnerability in his voice. It was time's like this that his weakness shined brightly. She hated that about him; he should be angry not in tears. Pushing back her disgust she listened as he said, "Blake and her mom went to find a doctor while her father is going to shout at the White Fang representatives on the island."

That was interesting, but she didn't care. Blake was the reason Ruby was here on this island but the girl couldn't even stand to look at her youngest student. Instead, she'd gone off to avoid the truth that Ruby had gone through all this pain simply to see her. While it was nice that Ghira disapproved of Viper's actions he'd also lost control of the White Fang on Menagerie years ago. The only accomplishment he had to his name was being the organization's former leader. A weak leader at that.

"Great," Dakota said not caring at all about the information. Crossing his arms, he collapsed onto a chair with less grace than he should have. Sun glanced up at the older male but didn't say anything instead he hid his agreement by meeting Ruby's amused gaze. Looking around the wolf faunus was annoyed at the unimpressed stare he got from Qrow; what right did that traitor have to judge him. Rolling his eyes he asked, "what did you think I cared about people who haven't impressed me?"

Qrow blinked, then turned to his sister with a deadpan look, saying, "he's like you times ten."

"I don't know if I should be insulted or proud," she mused looking over as the door was opened by a tall man with black hair and an open shirt as he walked in.

"Ghira Belladonna former leader of the peaceful white fang," Dakota announced causing Ruby to giggle. Ignoring both of her students Raven moved to meet him.

"I'm Raven, thank you for taking in Ruby," she said simply trying to be nice for once. Shaking her hand, the man smiled.

"It's no issue any friend of Blake's is welcome here," he stated warmly. Raven internalized her smirk. This was going well; agreeing when he offered to make tea, she felt slightly tense when he asked them to join his family for dinner. Dakota would never be able to last that long without insulting someone.

"Can I go home now," Dakota asked once Ghira left the room. Standing he motioned to Ruby who was acting more like a preening cat than a huntress as he said, "she won't die and I really don't want to be here playing nice."


Yay, part one of the Menagerie chapters is over. I swear I don't hate Blake. Anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter?

stay safe and have a good day

-Shyla