Chapter 2 - New Day, New Annoyances

Word of a new student spread like wildfire and Minako found herself the centre of attention for some weeks. Time flew, aided by her attempt to figure out the origin of the brand on her hand and its connection to Thanatos. She hadn't tried calling upon her Persona again, but she could sense that something had changed. Orpheus was no more. The mark had earned her a new nickname: Lady Death.

She'd been called worse, she supposed.

Classes were interesting, to say the least. Minako had learned a lot about this world, Remnant, and the role of Huntresses and Huntsmen to combat the Grimm scourge. It actually wasn't too different from what she had done as part of S.E.E.S., and Minako wished they'd had this sort of support in terms of numbers and resources. Then maybe things could have gone differently...

But that was a depressing line of thought that the teen didn't allow herself to pursue. Instead, Minako threw herself into her new school life. She found herself spending a lot of time with the members of Team RWBY.

Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose were half-sisters, she had discovered, and took it upon themselves to present her with a weapon worthy of a Huntress. After explaining in detail to them what a naginata was, they had worked together to create one for her. Ruby, their resident weapon's expert, knew exactly what she was talking about and had been eager to get started. It had taken some days for the duo to return with something that was similar to her description—with some tweaks. The curved blade could be detached from the pole and wielded like a whip, giving the Death's Assault Naginata, as it had been dubbed, an extra bit of reach in combat.

The fashionable Blake Belladonna had enlisted the help of Weiss Schnee to procure a wardrobe to replace the tattered remains of her high school uniform. Blake seemed to share Yang's penchant for midriff-revealing tops, and Minako was glad that hadn't reflected on the selection process. The black mini skirt was something with which she was familiar and, paired with a light jacket over a cotton tee, she felt unhindered when trying to maneuver in combat.

Though she technically no longer had use for it, Minako hadn't been able to discard her uniform. It was silly, but throwing it away felt like erasing the reality she once knew.

Minako had started to feel at home among the other girls, despite the comradery reminded her of the friends she'd made during her stint at Gekkoukan High. She'd said as much, shared with them her final memories in her world, and they were accepting of her stories without doubt or than anything, the subject of Thanatos was a hot topic for debate.

"I don't remember seeing that brand on your hand until after you, uh, shot yourself in the head." Yang paled, as if she was reliving the moment when Thanatos came clawing his way out of Orpheus. "But with all the craziness with the Grimm and that girl, maybe I missed it."

"No, it definitely wasn't there before," Minako confirmed.

"Maybe it's a physical manifestation of your powers?" Weiss suggested. "You said the creature you saw looked like a reaper of sorts, so a skull makes sense."

She was stronger and more agile in this world. Maybe Weiss was onto something.

"You said there were more of them, didn't you? What do you call these… things?" Ruby asked.

"Persona. They're sentient beings that manifest in their user's soul."

The cliff notes version was more than adequate for their reference.

"Persona," Blake repeated thoughtfully, trying the word on for size. "So then everyone has this hidden entity within and they just need help accessing them?"

"I don't think it's quite that simple," Minako said.

One by one the members of RWBY had joined Minako, who had been sitting in the dining hall, surrounded by a stack of books. Since it was between meal periods, they had the vast room to themselves for the most part.

"I've been hearing a lot about these "powers" of yours." The dark haired girl had a voice like velvet, but there was steel in amber eyes. "Show me."

Minako knew of Cinder Fall, but she didn't know her personally. Tall and pretty, the young woman wore a dark skirt and blouse that made pale skin stand out even more, and carried herself with an arrogant air that simultaneously drew you in and repelled you. What Minako did know was that she sensed something dark behind that porcelain mask and it set off red flags at the back of her mind. The others didn't seem to give her a second glance, but Minako knew without a doubt that Cinder was dangerous.

"Sorry, I don't perform tricks on command."

"Or maybe you're all talk."

It was a cheap ploy to get under her skin and Minako didn't let it affect her. "Believe what you want."

Cinder moved more quickly than Minako could track, snatching the Evoker from its holster and leveling the barrel with her temple. The others released startled cries, but Minako met that wolfish gaze unflinchingly as cold metal bit into her skin.

"That's not funny, Cinder. Give it back." Ruby looked anxious.

The others echoed her sentiment, but neither Cinder nor Minako was willing to back down from their standoff.

"Do it," Minako said, calmly.

Golden orbs flashed. "You think I won't?"

No, she didn't doubt Cinder was perfectly capable of violence. "I think you're hesitating."

Cinder pulled the trigger and there was an empty 'click.' Minako smirked, taking advantage of the girl's confusion to disarm her. She returned the Evoker to its proper place, never breaking eye contact with Cinder.

"Thanks."

"Tch." Cinder made a show of shrugging her shoulders. "Cheap trinket. I suppose I'll have to wait until evaluations next week for you to show your true colours. I look forward to it, Lady Death."

Without a backwards glance the dark-haired girl sauntered away.

Minako looked to her new friends with a frown. "Evaluations…?"

...

Cinder was a thorn in Minako's side for the rest of the week, always seeming to appear when she was least wanted. Whether that was during class...

/"Uh, Minako?"

The brunette glanced up at her assignment partner, her eyebrow raised questioningly. When the other girl simply pointed, Minako followed her line of sight to the base of a large tree where students liked to sit. Cinder Falls was leaning against its broad trunk, an open book in her hands.

"She was looking at you kind of hard just now… Are you two fighting or something?"

Minako shook her head. "Just ignore her."

"O-okay."

When they had finished what they set out to do, the two students parted ways. Minako took her time tidying her notes and loading reference books into her cross body bag. Then, contrary to what she had advised the other girl, Minako went right up to Cinder.

"Are you following me?"

Cinder carefully marked her page before looking up. "Why would I want to waste my precious time?"

Minako shook her head, frustrated. Part of her wanted to call Cinder out on all the times she had spotted the girl and/or her mute friend conveniently near where she was. Beacon Academy and the surrounding grounds weren't exactly small, so the chances of running into either girl at random were low. Still, there was no way to prove that she was purposefully doing this to antagonize Minako. "Just… Leave me alone."

"Last I checked, students had free access to the grounds," Cinder drawled.

Ugh. Minako put up her hands and turned her back to the other woman. She could hear Cinder's snide chuckle as she hastened to place some distance between them. /

Or simply when it was totally inconvenient for Minako, it seemed.

/ Minako clutched her towel more tightly against her chest as a chilly gust of wind made her shiver. The showers in her dormitory were on the fritz, so she had had to use the ones in the neighboring building instead. The brunette felt as though she was being watched, though she chalked that paranoia up to being self-conscious of her state of undress.

A door swung open as she passed it and Minako came to an abrupt stop, lest she walk into it. The girl who emerged from the room, her hair still damp and a towel slung around her shoulders, was none other than Cinder Fall. Full lips curled into a sneer and amber orbs were absolutely predatory as they raked over Minako.

What were the odds that this was Cinder's dormitory?!

Minako's mind worked feverishly to come up with some snappy quip before Cinder could engage in her usual haughtiness, but came up blank.

The dark-haired young woman laughed softly. "Look what the cat dragged in." There was a softer edge to the taunt, an almost playfulness, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the doorway. "

A red flag waved wildly at the back of Minako's mind as Cinder leered and she felt naked even with the towel. "I, uh…" She swore inwardly at her verbal stumble. "I should be going."

"Right." Cinder flashed her teeth and it wasn't quite a smile. "You do that."

Minako felt that amber gaze burning into her retreating back as she hurried away. /

Like a black cat, the dark-haired young woman's presence seemed to attract misfortune to Minako.

...

Evaluations this month apparently consisted of one-on-one sparring matches between Huntresses. The match-ups were completely random, but whatever gods ruled this world had seen it fit to pit Minako against Cinder. Just. Her. Luck.

Minako felt all eyes on her as she drew her Evoker from its holster. She was standing across from Cinder on a battlefield that had been outlined in the grass and their professor had told them to prepare their weapons. Cinder held a wicked looking pair of dual blades, her stance relaxed as she looked expectantly at her opponent.

Minako pressed the pistol to her temple, and the brand on the back of her hand grew warm. "Persona!"

The bang of the Evoker wasn't loud enough to drown out the gasps from the onlookers. They had all heard the rumors, of course, but the reality of the summoning ritual was likely more unsettling in person. Thanatos appeared next to her in a flash of blue lightning, standing taller than anyone in the room, his dark, eyeless sockets radiating with malevolence. He unsheathed his sword, pointing it directly at Cinder, and his mistress brandished her naginata.

The instructor's eyes were round, but he soldiered on in an authoritative voice, "Because our new guest lacks an Aura, I will be changing the rules slightly: first to knock the other out of the ring will be declared the winner. Begin!"