IMPORTANT: I decided to age up Cinder... By one year. She's still going to be 'aged down' compared to canon but just... Less so. I originally aged her down to be 10 while everyone else was 11. Looking back I think the reason was because in Canon she said she was 10 to Rhodes. But after thinking about it, I really don't think it matters and I'd still write her the same way even if she was 16 going into Beacon or 17. So she's going to be starting at age 11 like everyone else besides Ruby. This is only the second chapter so I figured making the change isn't too crazy. I mean, if the RWBY writers can retcon Yang meeting Raven at the end of Volume 2, then I can do this. Anyway, I'm going to change Chapter 1 accordingly so if you're a new reader this notice doesn't even matter.
How I'm handling Aura/Sumblances/Grimm/Maidens:
Note: I dont care how canon works. This is how I'm handling it. Period.
Aura:
- Needs to be trained to use regardless of if you have it unlocked or not. It grants a small amount of superhuman strength, endurance, and healing while active and controlled but only if you can conciously call upon it. Which takes training.
- Once one has fully mastered the use of Aura, their subconcious can always keep it 'on' to block attacks from threats that they would usually be unaware of.
- If one has fallen unconcious, their Aura will no longer be active and cannot protect the user.
- A very powerful force can bypass aura if the defender isn't prepared. If the force is strong enough, it can pierce through aura even if the defender is prepared.
- One can 'focus' their aura onto a specific part of their body to defend against stronger threats.
Semblances:
- Using ones semblance will drain aura.
- 'Activating' a semblance and 'maintaining' a semblance are two completely different things. There will be times where 'activating' will cost aura and 'maintaining' will cost none, or vice versa, or both. It completely depends on the person in question. Examples:
- Ruby Rose: Activating her semblance wont cost aura, but continuously using it will drain her.
- Weiss Schnee: Summoning a grimm will cost aura, but maintaining/controlling that summon will not.
Rule Breakers: There are exceptions to all rules in life, including these. Exmples:
- Yang Xiao-Long: When she takes damage, her semblance passively absorbs it and turns it into kinetic energy in which she can expel from her body to hit harder. Activating/using her semblance will not drain her aura, it was already 'drained' when she took the initial damage.
- Qrow/James: 'Misfortune' and 'Mettle' (Their semblances) are both active passively and will never drain either of their auras. Even if their aura's are depleted, or they fall unconcious, their semblances will still be active regardless.
- There will be more exceptions and most certainly some 'rule breaking incidents' througout this fanfiction. These are less 'rules' and more 'general guidelines' for myself. Keep in mind that in life/death situations where adrenaline is pumping and emotions are high, things can and will change.
Grimm: Grimm will essentially come in four tiers:
- Wild: These are your average Beowlves, Boarbatusks, Sabyrs, Ursa, ect~. Basically, any kind of 'Animal' Grimm that travel in packs.
- Alpha: These are stronger versions of average Grimm. They'll usually just be bigger, stronger, and faster versions.
- Rare: Pretty obvious. Rare Grimm. These are your Chimeras and Apathy. At the very end of the tier are stuff like the Nuckleave and Grimm Wyvern.
- Unique: One of a kind. There's only one of them and they were made by Salem for a specific purpose. Something like this would be your Monstra and the Hound.
Maidens:
- Maidens will be considered 'Aura Boosters'. They will boost a persons aura by a large amount, as well as give them the ability to use magic.
- The Maiden's 'Aura Boost' and 'Magic' will only be usable if they 'activate' it. Basically, if the flames around their eyes appear. Otherwise, they're simply using their normal aura reserves.
- Maidens can use a limited amount of magic even if they haven't activated their powers.
Everything sort of became a big blur for Cinder after the events at the Glass Unicorn. She was now sitting on a bench in a nearby park, wrapped in a blanket with her twin scimitars beside her. It was sometime passed midnight. Qrow told her to stay put while he spoke to someone on his scroll a few feet away.
That wasn't hard. In fact it was difficult to focus on anything besides what she did. She killed them. Her step family have died by her hands. While her expression was rather emotionless as she stared into space, she couldn't help but feel happy. They deserved it. All three of them did. In fact she could still remember how satisfying it felt while she took their lives. To slide her sword through their gut! To stab it into their chest! To snap that wretched woman's neck! She felt powerful. In that moment, she had control over her whole life. No one to command her around any longer! Everything made so much sense at the time.
But then that moment was over. The high of emotions gone. The feelings of superiority deteriorated and all she felt was heaviness.
She no longer had the energy to continue sobbing like earlier. All that satisfaction and control she felt vanished the moment Qrow pulled her into a hug. Once again, she felt so scared and weak. Just like she's always felt. It was pathetic. An angry frown formed on her face.
She wanted to feel that powerful again.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
Qrow sighed as he was listening to James chew him out. It's only been around twenty-five minutes since he flew out on him and Winter, but apparently Salem might as well have came along and ended the world during that short time. Honestly, he was starting to regret calling. "Look, it's no big deal." he told him.
But the General wasn't having it. "No big deal?!" he scoffed. "Qrow, you turned into a bird in front of Winter!" he slammed his fists aginst his desk. "Now she knows... Things she shouldn't."
Qrow rubbed his neck. "I guess I did screw the pooch on that one..." he thought. Honestly, he didn't intend for her to see him... He just didn't care at the time. Too laser focused on Cinder which... He turned his head and watched her sitting scrunched over, wrapped in a blanket. If he didn't leave the way he did, things could have been even worse.
He turned his gaze back to James. "Alright, alright, I get it. Just..." he rolled his eyes. "Tell her it was... I'unno, part of my semblance or some crap. People eat that dumb stuff up all the time." he suggested.
James combed a hand through his hair. "Winter is not an idiot. Transforming into animals is an impossible semblance, she knows that." he said. "Plus she's already aware of what your real semblance is, that will never work..." he sighed. "Also... I already told her."
That made Qrow's eyes widen and looked at James like he was crazy. Though before he could say anything the General spoke first.
"Don't give me that look, Qrow. This is your fault. I couldn't just leave blatant proof of magic without telling her something." he told him.
Qrow let out a light groan. "Fine, what'd you tell her then?"
James narrowed his eyes. "I told her magic is real. That you can use some to turn yourself into a bird... As well as those who know already. Those raised many more questions, but I told her they were confidential... For now." he paused for a moment. "However I promised to tell her more one day. I always had planned to regardless. You just forced my hand earlier than I would have liked."
Oh, well that wasn't too bad all things considered. He could deal with one other person knowing his little birdie secret. It's unfortunate that it's a Schnee, but at least she's not her family's lap dog.
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. It's all my fault." he said dismissively, which didn't go unnoticed by Ironwood. "Anyway, I'm gonna need a favor." he told him. It was time to get this conversation back on track with why he really called.
Though James didn't look very giving at the moment. "Are you kidding Qrow? After everything you compromised tonight you want a-"
"Geez, Jimmy-" Qrow interupted. He really didn't feel like getting chewed out again.
Ironwood narrowed his eyes. "-General." he 'corrected' but their expression didn't seem to change.
"-James." he nearly begged and Ironwood's eyes went from their glare to a more relaxed expression.
"What is it?"
Qrow gave Cinder one last glance from the side of his eyes. She was too close to her step family, could end up getting wrapped in with the local law, maybe worse unless some measures were taken. Damn, he hated doing this kind of bullshit. But desperate times called for sucking up his pride. He looked back at James through his scroll. "... I need a cover up."
James looked flabbergasted to say the least. Qrow was probably the last person who would ask for such a thing. "Qrow, it hasn't even been an half hour since you left! What did you do that would need to be covered up?!"
This was going to be a long conversation. One that Qrow didn't really want to have. "Look, there's three bodies. One adult woman and... Two kids." James' expressed suddenly changed to that of shock. But before he could say anything Qrow continued. "They're at a hotel called the 'Glass Unicorn'. Back room. I don't care how you do it, just... Shove it under the rug. Okay? You Atlas folk are good at that after all."
James took a moment to collect himself but kept the same hard expression. "Who did it?" he asked.
Qrow paused for a moment. He made another quick glance towards Cinder. She was bundled up in her blanket and he was sure she was still in distress. He couldn't let knowledge of her involvement get out, she was only fourteen. It wasn't her fault her only option was to lash out.
No, it wasn't only that. He wasn't going to let her take any fault for this. If it was anyones, it was his. His eyes looked back at James through the scroll. "I don't know." he answered.
James' expression didn't change. "I need more than that."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Fine, I did it." he said without hesitation.
Now James just silently stared through the scroll. Though eventually he sighed and actually relaxed, leaning back in his chair. "It must be important to you if you're willing to lie to me like that." he spoke back.
Qrow narrowed his eyes. He really didn't want to get into a long discussion over this. But his expression changed after hearing James' answer-.
"Fine."
Honestly, Qrow couldn't believe it. He figured he'd be on the scroll for at least an hour with the General but it hasn't even been ten minutes yet.
James cracked a tiny smile. "You look surprised. Did you think I would argue more?"
Qrow collected himself and cleared his throat. "Well..."
A sigh coming from the scroll interrupted him. "You've helped me on more than one occasion here in Atlas in the last couple years... Even if it was because Ozpin asked you to. I suppose I at least owe you one favor."
Honestly, Qrow didn't know what to say. Instead just let out a relieved breath. However James wasn't finished talking. "But Qrow." he said to get his attention. "Please don't let this get back to me."
Qrow chuckled while nodding. "Yeah, yeah. No problem. Thanks Jimmy." he said and hit to end the call just before they could complain about the nickname.
Lowering his scroll, Qrow re-approached Cinder. She looked up at him with tired eyes. He reached down and scouped up her twin scimitars under his arm. "C'mon, let's get outta here." he said.
Cinder stood up and dropped her blanket on the bench. "Where are we going?" she asked and Qrow pointed to the ground. The gesture confused her, but he answered to clarify.
"Down to Mantle. I know a place. If we hurry we can get there in a half hour."
The girl just nodded and stepped to his side. She was most likely tired, stressed, and in a daze from this nights events. But... Qrow suspected she was a bit relieved too. Whether that was a good or bad thing... He didn't know just yet.
He began walking and she followed in silence. The two kept going and Qrow was able to use his Hunters License to snag a bullhead down to Mantle despite how late it was. Even managed to get them dropped off near the place he was speaking about.
Cinder felt... Out of her element. The place Qrow was speaking of was a bar. It was rowdy and dirty, but the people in it were more lively than ever. Even despite how late it was. At least compared to what she had seen. Usually they were all prim and proper, the 'roughest' of them being hunters but even they were on the 'proper' side of things. Aside from Qrow that is.
She lurked in behind Qrow while he casually walked through the bar. She nervously glanced around at all the different kinds of people. Honestly, she found some of them disgusting. Some talking too loudly and others chugging beer while it drips down their neck. She's never seen anyone act so drunk. In fact, now that she thought about it Qrow drank all the time but he seemed fine. The man really knew how to hold his liquor.
Her mentor in question turned towards her and smirked. "Relax, we're only here for a room." he assured and she gave a quick nod.
The two approached the counter just then and Qrow turned to the fat man behind it. Well, fat might be the wrong term. He had a beer belly. Something that Cinder herself wasn't too surprised of at this point. He was currently cleaning a glass as the two of them approached.
"That you Qrow? Haven't seen ya' in a couple years, thought ya' killed over." they said.
Though Qrow just shrugged. "C'mon Garl, you know my luck. So bad it'll make my life hell while it keeps me alive."
The man, now known as 'Garl' just chuckled a bit and set the glass he was cleaning down. "Yeah, fair point." he said and then turned their attention to her.
Cinder frowned and returned their gaze. But it only lasted a moment as he looked back at Qrow.
"You know I don't allow minors in 'ere, Qrow. What're ya' up to?" his eyes narrowed. They didn't seem so welcoming anymore.
Qrow waved his hand to the side. "Relax, we just need a room. We're kinda... Tied up right now and I don't wanna go anywhere too... Public."
The man stayed stoic for a moment but then cracked and let out a sigh. "Fine. But she can't come outta the room until morning, alright? And I ain't servin' ya' alcohol while yer 'ere." he told him.
Qrow let out a chuckle. "Garl, what do you take me for?" he asked in a taunting manner and pulled out a flask along with a lien card. He tossed the card on the table and took a sip of the flask. "I always have my own stash." he said and started walking away.
Cinder looked from Qrow to Garl to back to Qrow, unsure what to do.
The bartender sighed and took the lien card. "You're in room 3." he called out and then looked towards her. He just snapped his head towards Qrow as if telling her to follow him. She slowly nodded and did so.
Cinder followed Qrow into room 3. The moment she walked in, Qrow turned on the lights and it reminded her of home. No, not the fancy 'Glass Unicorn', but her back room storage turned bedroom 'home'. There was dust in the corners and cracks in the furniture. She was almost certain there were just as many bugs too. However, it did have many upsides. For one, there were two mattresses and they both had frames. An actual bed instead of sleeping on a hard mattress. There was also a small stove and sink in the corner, along with a table. Honestly, this is so much better than her old residence despite having the same atmosphere.
"Alright, you're probably exhausted." Qrow said and turned to look at her. "Go head off to sleep." he said and walked over to one of the beds himself. He took one last swig from his flask as he sat down. "Honestly, I'm gonna do the same. We've got a big day tomorrow."
Cinder opened her mouth to speak but stopped when Qrow lifted his hand up. "And a lot to talk about. So for now, just get some rest. We'll still be here in the morning."
His words made Cinder close her mouth and simply nod. She was very tired. Drained, in fact. When she walked over to the bed, she lifted up the covers and just slid in. The moment her head hit the pillow, it was like her entire body turned off. This was certainly the most comfortable bed she's ever layed in. Now, she tried resting in some of the rooms at the Glass Unicorn before... But this was different. She wasn't on edge that her step mother would find and scold her. Or that the twins would torment her. Here she was... Content.
There was no more step mother. No more step siblings. No more family. No more collar. Sure, she was a wreck earlier... But after all was said and done, she was free. By her actions and by her hand, she took control of her destiny. She could finally just... Happily go to sleep...
Cinder didn't dream of anything.
Nothing at all. No nightmare, no happy dreams, nothing boring, not even darkness. Just... She laid down, closed her eyes, and the next time she opened them she was in a comfortable bed, laying on a nice pillow, and smelled... Food? ... Something was strange
She blinked her eyes open and slowly rose up, rubbing them? "Ugh, What?" she mumbled and glanced around. She wasn't in her storage room anymore. She was... Where was she?
Her eyes then set on Qrow who was cooking over the stove. He seemed to hear her awaken and turned to look at her. "Oh hey, you're up." he smirked then turned back towards the stove. It smelled like... Eggs. Well, burned eggs. Apparently he wasn't the best cook.
Though it was then that the previous night suddenly hit into her like a truck. Killing her step family, Qrow appearing, coming to this bar, all of it. Her eyes widened and she clenched her blankets. "I.. Uhm..." she mumbled but couldn't think of anything to say.
Luckily, Qrow could. "C'mon outta bed, breakfast's almost ready." he told her.
Without thinking further, she did so and slid the covers off and stepped onto the wooden floor to walk over to the small table where Qrow was setting up breakfast. It wasn't a very large table, probably couldn't fit more than two people unless you wanted to be cramped. It also seemed pretty old. This place obviously wasn't kept up well.
Though she still slid the wooden chair out and sat down. Once she did, Qrow walked over and placed a plate of slightly burnt scrambled eggs in front of her along with a fork. "It's not much, but I'm not a very good cook. Hell, the bread you're used to eating is probably better." he chuckled.
Cinder didn't respond and instead looked down at the food. The eggs were scrambled and had far too many burnt edges. She was sure it wouldn't taste that good. However she picked up her fork anyway and scouped some up, shoving it into her mouth. She's never had a homecooked meal before. The food at the orphanage was gross slop and she always had to steal her food or eat scraps from her step families hotel. Admittedly the hotel food was leagues better than badly cooked eggs, but she couldn't help but feel happy while eating them. For the first time she wasn't stealing food just for survival, or eating leftovers someone would throw away just to not starve. It was a plate of food made for her.
And so Cinder continued to scarf down the eggs, not thinking about what she looked like while doing so.
"Whoa, calm down." Qrow said and placed a glass of water next to her in which she eyed it for a second before grabbing it and drinking its contents as well. She placed it on the table and huffed, feeling very refreshed.
It was then that Qrow sat on the opposite side of her. He didn't have a plate of food though. "Alright, we need to talk about some things." he says and Cinder pauses for a moment then placed the fork on her dish and looked up at Qrow.
"... What's there to talk about?" she asked. "I killed them. They're gone." she stated bluntly and her eyes narrowed. "They deserved it."
Qrow wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. She seemed a bit too... 'Okay' about the whole 'murdering her step-family' thing. And maybe the step mother did deserve it, but the kids probably didn't. Though nothing could be done about that anymore.
He sighed. "Yeah, but that's not what I'm talking about." he said and Cinder looked a mixture of confusion and frustration. Which Qrow knew was just her way of expressing nervousness. "I doubt you really have a thought out plan right now." he stated and her eyes flinched before looking away. He knew she didn't, there was no way she could have. "We're going to be leaving Atlas by the end of the day." he said.
That snapped her attention back to her, looking rather shocked for a moment but relaxed. She wasn't exactly glued to this place, but leaving so abruptly... Her only other residence was that orphanage somewhere around Mistral. So obviously one question popped into her mind- "Where are we going?" she asked.
Qrow answered quickly. "Vale. Or more specifically, an island nearby named 'Patch'." he knew the next question would be 'why' so just kept talking. "I have some family there. They can take you in while I go on missions."
Cinder couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Again?!" she thought and abruptly stood up, slamming her hands against the table. "I am not being thrown away to some other 'family'!" she shouted, glaring angrily at Qrow.
Qrow seemed surprised by her outburst. "I ain't 'throwing you away'!" he nearly yelled back. "They're my best friend and he's got two daughters around your age. You'll get along fine with 'em."
However Cinder lifted her arms off the table and rolled her eyes. "Oh boy, a single parent with two daughters?" her eyes skeptically glanced back at Qrow now. "I wonder where I've seen that before?" she sarcastically referenced her previous 'family'.
Qrow stood up and narrowed his eyes at her. "Look, they're good people. It's not going to be like last time." he assured but it seemed Cinder wasn't having that. She flung her arm to the side.
"I don't care if they're great people! I'm not being traded around like some mindless child anymore!" she declared.
"You are a child!" Qrow shouted, losing his patience.
Cinders eyes went wide and she lost her will to keep arguing. Qrow just sighed a moment later. "I'm going downstairs to get my Lien card back. After that, we're outta here. So get ready." he told her and walked towards the door.
Cinders fists clenched and her arms shook in frustration until she finally turned around to glare at Qrows back. "That's not-!" she yelled out but Qrow slammed the door shut, ending the argument.
Now in the hallway, Qrow groaned. "Ugh..." though a moment later heard Cinder make a loud growl before hearing something break, probably the small table they were using.
He shook his head. "How the hell does Tai deal with two of 'em?" he questioned and walked away.
Cinder was standing beside a table, now with a snapped leg, a broken plate, and some eggs scattered along the ground. She was furious. How could Qrow treat her like that?! Is he really just trying to get rid of her?
Her mind flashed to the orphanage and then the hotel. It will not happen again. Thoughts of her dead step family's corpses appeared in her head. She took control of her life once already, so she'll just do it again.
She turned to glance towards the end of her bed where both Scimitars rested, and then towards one of the windows at the side of the room.
Her eyes narrowed.
Qrow returned in just two or three minutes and opened the door to their room. "Alright Cinder, get read-" he stopped and looked around, not seeing Cinder anywhere in sight. His attention snapped to the bathroom door to see it slightly creaked open. Just to make sure he knocked once and it eased open to show no one was inside.
Now feeling worried, he took a few steps into the middle of the room and looked around. He first noticed the broken table which he heard on his way out. But then he saw her Scimitars were missing... Along with the newly open window. He put two and two together.
He pinched between his eyes. "Ugh, not this shit again..." he grumbled remembering the first time she stole his weapon. Though unlike last time, she now had years of training and could be hiding in Mantle rather than some hotel. It was going to be harder to find her...
He ran up to the window and pushed it all the way open to glance around outside. There was a fire escape staircase going down the building which only made it easier for her to leave. Though other than that he couldn't see her or anything to tell where she went.
Qrow sighed. "Alright, time for the hard way..." he mumbled and in a flash turned into a crow then flew out the window. She still didn't know he could do this and she couldn't have gotten far. He'll circle around the nearby blocks to find her and then they'll be on the road.
Cinder was walking down the streets of Mantle after just escaping from Qrow. She made sure to quickly duck through a couple alleys just incase he gave chase. He would probably get back to their room in a few minutes, so it was important to make as much distance as possible.
However Mantle was rather interesting. She's only seen upper Atlas through windows in the Glass Unicorn, and even that was much different than what she was seeing here. Shops going out of business, many more faunus than she's ever seen in her life, and people wearing ragged clothing... Speaking of clothing, her white work outfit wasn't exactly defending her from the cold. She took a deep breath and consciously activated her aura to protect her from the breeze. Qrow always did say aura could defend against the elements, and considering it wasn't too windy or snowing, she felt she could stay out here for a few hours before her aura took any kind of serious hit.
As she walked down the sidewalk, she decided to turn down another ally to try and get to a different block as quickly as possible. Using the streets just took too long. Qrow was a Hunter, and a good one at that. He'll certainly find her if she didn't move quickly. However life seemed to have something different in mind.
Two men walked in front of her, blocking the path forward through the ally. They were wearing tattered and ragged clothing. She gave them a confused look. However another two stood up and blocked her exit as well. It was then that she grew more suspicious. Her eyes turned into a glare towards the two in front of her. "Well, what do you guys want?" she asked.
The four of them slowly closed in and two of them took out a hidden switch blade while the others moved their arms to reveal thick pipes. "Give us yer belongin's an' ya' can get outta 'ere. Or else." one of them threatened.
Cinder in turn placed her right hand on the hilt of her Scimitar which was strapped to her belt. The only things she had on her right now were them... The memory of the time Qrow gifted them to her flashed before her eyes. She'd rather die than give them up. She put pressure on the hilt and it tilted the blade up, giving them a better look if they didn't see it earlier. The four of them stopped in their tracks upon seeing her blade and she made a scowl. "Well?" she questioned. "What are you waiting for?"
She heard one of them let out what could have only been a growl from behind. When footsteps got closer to her, she side stepped and easily dodged a stab from their switch blade. The other three took that as a signal apparently and charged in as well. Cinder ducked under a recklessly swung pipe and grabbed the arm of another switch blade user to bend it away and toss them aside. It was then that she finally grabbed her left scimitar with her right hand and with a slight tug, it unclasped from her belt for her to swing it in a clash against another pipe. The force she exerted disarmed the mugger, sending the pipe spinning across the ally. She quickly spun around into a right kick against one of them wielding a switch blade. The force from her strike made them drop their weapon and sent the man flying around three feet away, tumbling on the ground until they stopped, clutching their stomach in pain.
It was then that the other three stopped and took a step back. Even Cinder herself seemed rather surprised. This was far too easy. The man she kicked was groaning while holding his gut. Did she break a rib or two with that kick? Her eyes widened and her mind flashed back to when she killed her step family.
It was just like back then. They're just defenseless ants. She relaxed her guard and heard one of them cry out- "Damn bitch!" they shouted and ran up to her, lifting their metal pipe up. Cinder did nothing to actively defend against it except keep her aura up. The pipe was swung down and slammed into her head with all the power the mugger could offer. However her orange aura simply shimmered and easily blocked the strike without her making so much as flinch. Rather, she stared at the man after the strike landed and used her free hand to grab their wrist. They attempted to tug free to no avail and Cinder twisted, breaking their wrist with ease, while enjoying every second of the power she held over them.
They cried out in pain and dropped their pipe. Cinder let go and allowed them to stumble backwards. She then turned to look towards the other two. One disarmed and another still holding their switch blade, both shocked and likely scared. "So... Which one of you is next?" she asked and lifted her scimitar up, ready to strike while glaring at both of them with a confident grin.
This is what she desired. Strength. Power. The ability to make those who even think of going against her cower in fear. That was all that mattered in the end after all.
She saw the one holding the switch blade drop it and lift their arms up in surrender. The disarmed one followed their lead and did the same. Cinders grin turned into a frown. "Oh? You think after attacking me you can just surrender and everything will work out?" she questioned and took a step forward towards the two. "How foolish..." she answered herself and pulled her blade back, ready to strike them again.
"Wait!"
The begging cry made her halt in the assault and she turned towards the one on the ground who was still clutching their stomach with one arm. Their eyes slightly tearing up, probably from the pain. "W- we're sorry. Please... Jus'... You've already beaten us... We won't do it again, I promise!"
Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "He dares..." where her initial thought process, however her eyes then widened-
~Flashback~
Her step mother was glaring down at her, holding the shock controls out.
"Please! I won't do it again! I promise I'll be better!" Cinder cried out.
However it didn't matter what she said and her step mother pressed the button, sending a strong electrical current through he body. The pain caused her to cry out in agony.
Cinder tensed up a bit and her hands began to shake slightly. Looking down at them, she saw the hand she was holding her scimitar in flash into the shock controls her step mother always held for a second before she came back to reality.
Her breathing became rather heavily and the world around her turned into a blur. "What?! Why am I thinking of this?!" she asked herself. "They attacked me! They're at fault!" she assured herself but for some reason continued to feel a strange sensation of guilt prodding the back of her mind. She looked up towards the ones still standing. Two still had their arms up while one clenched their wrist in pain and the last still on the ground. "They deserve this!" she scowled.
There was suddenly a powerful roar from above which snapped her from her thoughts. She snapped her sights upwards to see three Sabyr Grimm looking down on the five of them from the building tops. Her eyes widened at the sight. She's never seen Grimm before other than a few bad pictures Qrow showed her just for referance.
"Grimm!" one of the mugger shouted. "Run!" another did. Two of them ran off while another helped the one with wounded ribs up to help them escape.
Cinder glanced around, quickly losing her sense of superiority over them. Apparently they feared the Grimm more than her, something that honestly didn't sit too well with her.
The three Sabyrs pounched down for them all. One landed between her and the four men trying to escape. However the other two landed between the four muggers and the exit to the ally, trapping them in between.
Cinders grip on her scimitar tightened. "Those bastards..." she thought. They try to mug her, attack her, beg for mercy, ... Then run away the moment things get rough? Her eyes turned into an angry glare towards the Sabyr in front of her. As it charged, she pulled her scimitar back and twisted her wrist. A strange sense of focus washed over her.
She twisted her body and slashed the Grimm as it pounced. Using it's own momentum against itself, the slice easily travelled the entire length of the Grimms side. The cut was deep, easily dealing a lethal blow.
"You think you can get away?!" she shouted out while the Grimm she just slashed was turning into vapor behind her. That fury wasn't aimed towards the Grimm either, but the men who were attempting to escape her. The ones who attacked her and are now running away with their tails between their legs.
The two Sabyrs blocking the exit ceased their attention on the muggers and focused on Cinder herself. The negativity surrounding the girl alone was enough to gain one hundred percent of their attention. They dashed forward, and despite the terrified cries of the four men, they were ignored by the Grimm.
Cinder let out a snarl and reached her left arm around to grab her other scimitar, finally unclasping it to wield both simultaneously. She dashed forward as well and swung her blades in a slight spin against the Sabyr's pounces. However this time they clashed against their claws, causing sparks to fly.
The two Sabyr's landed behind Cinder and quickly turned for another assault. Cinder herself didn't miss a beat and spun around as well. She never fought Grimm until now, it was very different than a person. They were more than a wild animal and didn't care about their own mortality. Defeating the one earlier was fairly easy, but two at the same time was actually difficult.
Cinder kicked off to the side, making sure to be in between the two Sabyrs. Her thoughts drifted back to the lessons with Qrow for a moment.
Qrow deflected one of her strikes and then slapped her on top of the head with a wooden pole. She flinched backwards, holding the spot with her hand.
"You can't attack recklessly like that. You'll only get hurt." he told her. But Cinder just grumbled.
Qrow sighed. "You like to duel wielding so don't forget you have the option to defend, deflect, and attack with both your right and left hand. Use that."
She had her scimitars extended out at the ready, then swung them inward. The two blades clashed against the Sabyr's claws, deflecting their attacks away. However her blades continued to travel and her arms crossed. As the two Sabyr's finished their pounce on both sides of her, Cinder twisted her wrists to change the direction her blades faced and quickly made cross-slash, slicing through both Sabyrs simultaneously while they passed her, just like the first.
They let out loud roars and tumbled to the ground, turning into black vapor.
Cinder let out a relieved huff and turned around to watch the Grimm evaporate. Though what really irked her was that the men who attempted to mug her were now nowhere in sight. "Tch..." she scoffed.
SLAM
Cinders eyes widened from the sudden sound and turned around to see a large Sabyr, roughly three times the size of the previous three. It has long fangs, sharper claws, and ice covering it's back and underbelly. An alpha.
"What the hell?! How is this thing here?!" she asked herself. Wasn't this inside the city? How were any Grimm here?! Was Mantles defenses really this pathetic?
Though none of that mattered right now. This monster was here, nothing will change that. Cinder spread her legs apart and held her blades at the ready. This one wasn't going to go down as easily as the last three, that was for sure.
The Grimm let out a growl and leaped towards Cinder. Honestly, the thing was so large that the 'leap' was more like a quick lunge.
Cinder clenched her teeth and charged towards it was well. She made sure to dodge it's claw swipe by ducking under and around. It was big, but still had the same kind of attacks as the other three. She swung her twin scimitars to cut into its side just like she defeated the previous ones... However this time it was met with a scraping sound.
Her eyes widened as she realized she just cut into ice surrounding it's torso, essentially dealing no damage. The Alpha Sabyr's tail whipped itself around and slapped Cinder in the face. She was still keeping her aura up so she didn't take any physical damage, but the force sent her tumbling back in front of the Sabyr.
Cinder managed to stabilize herself and stop the tumble in a crouched position on one knee. However the Alpha Sabyr was already lunging towards her once more. Her teeth gritted and her semblance activated, sending a powerful heat through her scimitars. Their edges flared up and she kicked forward towards the Alpha Sabyr once again. This time, instead of going off to its side, she stayed low and dived underneath the Grimms body. It's underbelly was covered in ice, sure. But she had the power of fire.
She spun in a circular motion while under the beast, slicing into it's iced stomach three times before they passed each other completely. Her heated up scimitars cut through the ice with ease. All she heard was the Grimm making a pained roar while she crashed into the ground, the stunt she pulled didn't give her many options for a solid landing.
Cinder let out a huff and began to lift herself up. However another stomp from behind made her eyes widen. "Damn..." she thought and turned to see the Alpha Sabyr not only still standing, but also turning towards her again. The ice on its underbelly had large gashes in it, but it seemed she couldn't cut deep enough.
The Grimm pounced towards her once more, and Cinder with all her speed tried to turn around to do the same and strike it again. However it was far faster. She could see it's claws reaching her before she could.
Thoughts of Qrow flashed before her. Was she really going to die here? She didn't want to, she just started to take hold of her own life! And despite her earlier argument...- "Qrow!" she called out to herself in wide eyed panic..
Just then an angled blade came down and sliced through the Grimms neck like butter. The rest of the Sabyrs body crashed into her but instantly puffed into black vapor. Cinders eyes stayed wide as she tried to defend against an attack that never came and could only stare at the sight.
Standing before her was the back of her teacher, Qrow Branwen with a scythe resting against his shoulder.
A few minutes earlier
Qrow was soaring through the sky searching for Cinder. She could only be around two to three minutes away right now so there was only so much distance she could make. The issue was they were in the middle of Mantle. With the right route made in haste, three minutes could be three blocks over.
"Dammit... What the hell is that girl thinking?!" he began to whine to himself while searching. "Goes off on her own in a city she's never been in..." Mantle was a bit more criminal heavy than Atlas... Granted, it was early morning. Hopefully she won't run into any trouble... For the 'troubles' sake.
He was admittedly worried what kind of actions she might take against people right now. Her mental state wasn't exactly the healthiest after last night. No ones would be.
Though he couldn't understand why she ran off like that. He was going to being her to Taiyangs where she could be with a real family for once. Have a good roof over her head, make make friends in Ruby and Yang.
He continued to fly but stuck on that thought for a moment. "Actually... What am I thinking?" he questioned himself. "Am I really just gonna dump a third teenage girl on Tai and run off on missions again?" he was already finding Cinder stressful and that was just after one morning of them arguing. Thinking about it, he doubted Tai could handle Cinder all that well.
She wasn't like Yang or Ruby. Yang had some anger issues, sure. But they were mostly temper tantrums. Then Ruby... Well, she was little miss goody-pants. Always trying to do the right thing... Aside for those times she was a childish brat, though she's twelve now and has been growing out of that.
Would Cinder fit in well with them? A tortured fourteen year old who's murdered her 'step family'? If she could, probably not immediately. His thoughts went back to his first kill way back when. His father brought him and Raven to a raid. The two of them killed townsfolk without really thinking too much about it back then. It was only until he entered Beacon and formed Team STRQ when he began to realize the error of his ways.
His thoughts went back to Cinder. She didn't know what was 'right' or 'wrong' right now. Despite technically being 'wrong', killing her step family gave her freedom from years of abuse. She was probably confused right now.
Not to mention he was rather rough with her this morning. "Ugh, shit. I screwed up didn't I?" he realized. It was then that he saw four people running from an ally from below. One in particular was behind held up and limping. That was weird so he began to descend. On his way down he heard a powerful roar and the feathers behind his neck shivered. That sound could only be a Grimm. Getting involved in a Grimm assault would make finding Cinder nearly impossible, but he couldn't just leave people to die in an ally.
He swooped down and saw a large Sabyr getting ready to pounce on...-
"Cinder!"
Before he realized it, he was already in his Human form, plummeting down. He grabbed Harbinger from his waist and clicked its switch to transform it into a Scythe. With a quick spin, he entered a spiraling slice while he fell which beheaded the Alpha Sabyr in a single strike.
Cinder stopped in her tracks after swinging her blade to deflect an attack which never came. Her teacher, Qrow was now standing in front of her with his back facing her way. Dark vapors hovered around his body, showing the Alpha Sabyr was dead. She felt a sense of relief. He most likely saved her life just then. A smile graced her face before the events of this morning suddenly invaded her mind and she went on guard once more.
With both scimitars in hand, she spread her legs and got ready for combat. Her eyes glanced at the weapon he was holding. "What is that? He always used a sword..." she wasn't positive what was happening right now.
But a sigh came from Qrow and he turned around to face her. "Close one, huh?" he asked with that cool grin of his.
The casual greeting made her relax her guard and lower her weapons a bit. "Yeah..." she mumbled and looked to the side awkwardly.
Qrow let out a sigh and flicked his scythe. It let out a few clicks while it transformed back into a sword, and then its compact form for him to swing it around and strap it back on his belt. "Heh, So... Harbinger is actually a scythe, not a sword... 'Surprise'." he chuckled.
Cinder looked back at him, feeling a little confused from his relaxed nature. They just got into an argument around ten minutes ago. Isn't he angry? He's here to drag her back, right? Her expression turned into a frown and the grip on her scimitars tightened. She wasn't going anywhere without a fight.
Qrow let out a sigh and took a step forward. "Okay, look-" but before he could say anymore, Cinder lifted one of her blades up.
"Stay back!" she ordered in a panic.
Qrow stopped in his tracks. Even lifted both arms up to show he wasn't looking for a fight. "Alright, alright. You win. I'm not lookin' for a fight." he told her. Though Cinders eyes narrowed as if not fully believing him.
"I am not going to some 'home'!" she told him, still prepared to fight her way out if necessary.
Though Qrow just nodded. "Yeah... Uhh... You're right. I shouldn't have..." he sighed and lowered his arms, looking at her with concern.
This made Cinders own expression falter. She was trying to be hard and focused, but Qrow always made her feel so vulnerable. She tried to keep the tough attitude going and straightened her blade which was pointed towards him. But it didn't do much to make him back off.
"Cinder." he started and him saying her name made her flinch. "What... What do you want?" he asked.
The question made her eyes go wide. Arms dropped to her sides as well until neither sword was pointed at Qrow. What did she want? No one's ever asked her that before. It was always just 'do this', 'do that'... The last time she got what she wanted she had to take it by force.
Cinder took a deep breath, looking down to the ground for a moment. Her hands still clenched tightly against her scimitars. "What do I want...?" she asked herself, not exactly knowing for sure. Right now she just wanted to be free. To do whatever she wanted and damn the consequences. To live her life the way she wanted to.
But what did she want passed that? What kind of life did she want to live? She said she wanted to be a Hunter when Qrow first confronted her three years ago. Is that what she wanted? To run around hunting Grimm? For money? For success? She wasn't sure...
Memories of when Qrow trained her flash across her thoughts. Sparring, talking, even arguing on occasion. It was all fond memories to her. When he pulled her into a hug yesterday... That was one of the most memorable instances between them.
Cinder looked back up. "I... I want..." her words shuddered and weapons limp at her sides. Her expression was one of a beggars on the verge of tears. She still didn't know what she wanted in the long run but...- "I just wanna stay with you!" she declared. "To have you train me! To not wait months before seeing you again!" her mouth turned into an uncontrolled sad frown as she spoke. "That's all..." she looked down and waited to hear his answer.
Qrow let out an annoyed groan and scratched the top of his head. "Yeah... Yeah, alright... Fine." he grumbled.
Cinder's eyes widened in shock upon hearing his answer. Her frown vanished and turned into her gaping towards him.
"But there's gonna be some strict ground rules, okay?" he told her.
Though Cinder quickly took a few steps forward and looked up at him, now wearing a happy smile. "Really?! We can stay together?! Promise?!" she asked like giddy child for confirmation. Her scimitars idle and forgotten at her sides.
Qrow sighed. Her attitude has been doing some dramatic 180's since last night. "Yeah. Promise." he answered and could see the relief and happiness wash over her expression.
"Oz is gonna kill me for this." was his last thought before Cinder dropped her scimitars and dived in for a hug. A much happier one than last night. He grinned while she hugged him and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well... What he doesn't know can't hurt him I guess."
AN:
Well, here it is. Much later than I wanted but meh. I'm not promising anything with release dates, I just write when I feel like it. Funny enough, I actually wrote half of this in the first few days after I released Chapter 1. Then I finished the second half in just two or three days. So feel free to be angry in the fact that this chapter essentially took less than a week to write despite taking around 4 months to come out.
I would also like to say that I am not a busy person. Just lazy.
Anyway:
This chapter wasn't actually in the original plan. But after I started thinking, I realized that I felt a chapter showing Qrow and Cinder actually beginning their travels together could be nice. The next chapter is going to be the last before Beacon officially begins. I already know exactly what I'm going to write and how I'm going to write it. I think it'll be a bit longer than this one, so theoretically it should take me like 1-2 weeks. If it takes longer then it's because I'm a lazy shit and proud of it.