Chapter 1

My Wayward Son

"Uuugh… Why do you have to leave me, Yang..."

It hadn't even been a day since she arrived at Beacon and it's already shaping up to be a bad day. Shoulders drooping, young Ruby Rose walked through Beacon's massive courtyard with a dejected disposition. Never mind the fact that her sister had just essentially left her to fend off for herself in an environment where someone as socially stunted as her would find trouble being, she also forgot to tell her where they're supposed to be going!

Sure, maybe it's kind of her fault for not reading the itinerary that Beacon gave her but Yang could've reminded her and not totally ditch her like she did earlier. Sighing, she supposed there's no other choice but to head over to the main building. She's bound to bump into someone else who's heading into the same direction as her anyway.

"Beacon's way bigger than I thought it'll be…" She'd seen the pictures from the net, she never got to do the orientation that Yang went through due to her spontaneous admission into the academy. She got that whole gothic-medieval vibe from the architecture, almost like she's touring the countryside somewhere in northern Vale.

The atmosphere here was similar to Patch in a way. Being located a good distance from Vale City made the air a lot cleaner, somewhat like Patch due to it being an island separate from the mainland. The verdant forest surrounding the academy helped make it feel cooler too, although that's probably just her mind playing tricks on her.

Aside from the fact that she'd be studying and living together with people older than her, Ruby's confident that she'd find her place in the academy. She may had skipped a few grades, but she's still a normal girl. A girl with normal knees, as she said it. Oh Oum… she just hoped she didn't embarrass herself sooner or la-

"Bwuhg!"

"Aah!"

The sound of two different girls exclaiming in surprise followed by the sound of suitcases dropping onto the ground was heard. Ruby, realizing that she had just bumped into another person, jumped back and was already apologizing.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" The red-themed girl apologized.

"You dolt, watch where you're going!" The other girl shouted, causing Ruby to wince at her shrill voice.

The other girl, dressed head to toe in white, glared at her with a pair of icy cold blue eyes. A scowl marred her face, as she began fixing her crooked tiara ornament that was used to keep her ponytail together. Ruby, unused to being under such amount of contempt, braced herself for any burst of anger that followed. She was right to do.

"Do you realize the damage you could've done," the white themed girl questioned Ruby, her shorter stature – despite wearing heels – made it so that she had to tip her toes to properly level herself with Ruby's face.

"I-I don't know, I'm sorry," Ruby stuttered, completely mortified at the thought of ruining something expensive.

"Of course you don't," gracefully bending forward, she picked up one of the items that she had stored in her luggage; a vial of red Dust. "See this? This is a premium grade fire Dust manufactured and refined by the Schnee Dust Company; my family."

That revelation somehow both calmed and made her even more nervous. She's worried that she'd broken something expensive, but the sheer amount of attitude that this girl was giving her was enough to make even Ruby irritated.

"It's volatile enough to make a fine day like this into a bad one should it explode," the girl scolded, "what do you have to say for yourself?!"

The vial of Dust she had been shaking all this time had caused its content to leak out of the container on to Ruby's face. Unfortunately for the two of them, Ruby sneezed, and it caused a localized explosion ranging from an explosion of flame, snowflakes, and electricity. Nearby, a girl with black haired picked up the glass vial that rolled at her feet, noticing the logo of the company that was responsible for manufacturing the Dust.

A series of coughs and exhalation came from the ground, where the two girls involved in the localized explosion had began to bring themselves back up. Now covered in soot, the girl in white was twice as angry as she was before.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly what I was talking about! Are you aware of how much a vial of one of those Dust cost? Don't answer me, I doubt a child like you could understand!"

Okay, that's the last straw. "Hey that's uncalled for," Ruby pouted, arms crossed over her chest. "Although you're right that I'm younger than the rest of us here, I'm already fifteen!"

"Fifteen?!" The white themed girl reacted in surprise, taking a step back and unconsciously shaking the vial of red colored Dust in her grip. "That's way too young! Don't tell me, you didn't even graduate Combat School, did you?"

"Hah! I was too good, I skipped a few grades! What about you, princess, you look like you're home-schooled!"

"As a matter of fact, I was," the other girl's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Ruby instantly regretted using the fact that she was home-schooled as an insult.

"It's Heiress, actually."

A black haired girl with a black bow on top of her hair interrupted the two girls arguing in the courtyard. Dressed in monochromatic colors, her amber eyes really stood out as well as her pale skin. She carried with her a book in one hand while the she returned the now empty Dust vial over to its owner.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, the world's largest producer and distributor of Dust," the mysterious girl began in her borderline monotone voice. Like the wind, she barely made a sound as she moved to approach them.

"Thank you!" Weiss exclaimed, looking gratified that someone finally recognized her. "Finally, someone who actually knows something." That last statement was directed at Ruby, who frowned at the obvious jab.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business practices," added the black haired girl, her head tilted sideways.

"Wha- How dare – The nerve of some people… urgh," the Heiress growled in frustration and snatched the empty Dust vial from the other girl's hand, storming off in a huff as her helpers gathered the fallen luggage and followed.

Releasing a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, Ruby felt like she could breathe easy now. "Thank you so much, I guess I'm not the only one who's having a rough first day in Beacon, so what's..." she turned to address the other girl, but found no one else standing with her. "Oh… haaa…" she sighed.

"Welcome to Beacon…" she mumbled to herself, using the sleeves of her clothes to wipe whatever soot and dust particles that remained on her face.

A pair of silver eyes drooped to the ground. Kicking the dirt, the aspiring Huntress cynically wondered just how much worse her days could get. First her sister left her on her own and next she bumped into this crabby girl's luggage and then exploded! What was her deal, anyway? Everyone knew you shouldn't be handling Dust like that. They're supposed to be contained in a special container! Some prominent Heiress she was.

Still, Ruby felt bad for what just happened regardless. She may not had been entirely responsible for causing that localized explosion, but it's a bummer knowing that she'd made an enemy on her first day at Beacon. Fully aware of her inability to quickly make friends, she figured she had to rely on Yang to introduce her to some of her friends… just like it used to be back at Signal.

"I thought I heard an explosion from here," a deep voice belonging to that of a boy snapped Ruby from her train of thoughts. Looking up, Ruby was greeted to the sight of a very tall person wearing a worn brown cloak with the hood raised that covered their body from head to toe. The figure stepped away from the shade of the trees lining the pathway and into the sunlight, giving Ruby a better view of them.

She could make out a pair of ocean blue eyes from underneath the shade of his hood. He had a youthful face, one that definitely belonged to that of a boy. His lips were stretched into a thin line, showing hints of awareness and alertness as a response to the explosion that occurred earlier. His pointed chin and defined jawline made Ruby's heart beat a little bit faster than usual, much to her embarrassment.

"Are you the one who caused the explosion," he asked, noting the state Ruby was in. Thanks to her Aura, she was mostly unharmed… except for her self-confidence.

"Y-Yes, but it wasn't entirely my fault," Ruby began, not knowing that she's about to word-vomit, "there's this girl carrying a lot of luggage and they're filled with Dust, expensive ones, she's an Heiress to a fancy-shmancy company or something, but then I bumped into her and she got mad, then she began shaking the Dust vial so close to my face, I sneezed, and then 'boom!' we exploded!" She finished with a flare, arms stretched apart while catching her breath at the same time.

The boy with the pretty blue eyes blinked. "I… see…" he said, slowly. "You look like you're okay, so it couldn't have been that bad."

"You have no idea…" Ruby murmured under her breath. "B-But, yeah, I'm fine. Uh… s-so," with a swift flick of her hand, she unfurled her weapon, causing the boy to take a step back at the suddenness of it all. "I have this!"

The look of confusion on the boy's eyes remained present as he took in the sight of the weapon presented to him. "Is that a… scythe?" he asked. A very pimped up scythe at that. Everything looked mechanical, its sleek red color giving it an intimidating feel as its large silvery blade glimmered underneath the sunlight. "It looks amazing," he said.

"Thanks," Ruby replied, brandishing the weapon with skill. "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"Pardon?"

"It's also a gun," she smirked, pulling back the charging handle and letting it go. Ruby gauged the boy's reaction, finding him looking at her baby intently. Not like she could tell, the hood over his head was covering most of his face. "What about you? What've you got?" she asked, curious.

"Something simple, it's nothing as fancy as yours," said the boy in a sheepish manner, chuckling.

Ruby didn't let the fact that his weapon of choice was not as intricate or awesome as hers dampen her curiosity. "I'm sure it's awesome regardless, there's nothing wrong with sticking with the classics!" Ruby said to the boy.

She meant what she said. Although mechashift weapons were the rage nowadays, in her humble opinion, nothing could beat anything old and reliable. She watched as the boy fumbled around inside his cloak, pulling out two distinct objects.

"See," the hooded boy said. "They're not as interesting as yours," he said as he brandished his tools of the trade.

Well, he's certainly right about that. Huntsmen weapons were designed around the idea of killing Grimm, so it made sense that a gun would end up as the framework of a Huntsman's weapon. Guns were the most efficient type of weapons when it came to killing Grimm, after all. Depending on the type of gun, a Huntsman could engage with multiple Grimms effectively across a safe distance.

Like her baby Crescent Rose, for example. It's a sniper rifle with a scythe attached to it, not the other way around. She designed it with the intention of being a rifle first and a scary murder death kill scythe weapon-thing second. Prioritizing the use of the rifle part of her weapon seemed obvious as it would imply her being as far as she could get from a target but still able to neutralize it.

But before guns were a thing, people had to rely on good old fashioned steel and elbow grease. The sword didn't strike her as anything special, although that guard could certainly be thinner and longer. It's length was enough to categorize it as an arming sword, not really a weapon meant to be used with two hands. But there's where the other half of the sword came to play.

"The shield is probably the only interesting part since it also doubles as a sheath to the sword," informed the boy. To prove his point, he activated the switch mechanism on the shield and Ruby watched as it retracts and folds unto itself to form a sheath that fitted the sword. "See?"

"That's cool!" Ruby gushed, putting away Crescent Rose to inspect the boy's weapon closer. "I've never seen anything like this! And it makes sense that the sheath is also the shield, but…" realization then dawned upon her. "Doesn't it still weigh the same?"

"Yup."

"Oh."

A short moment of silence hanged on the air. Ruby, not wanting to make things awkward, said, "so, you made it yourself?"

The boy shook his head, and for a moment, Ruby swore she could see a strand of light colored hair. "Nope," he said. "It belonged to my great-great-grandfather. More of a relic than a weapon, really. But it's still sharp."

"That's insane… using a family heirloom as a weapon? You can't get anymore fairy tale than that!" Ruby laughed, finding the connection amusing.

Unfortunately for her, the boy did not find it as amusing as she did. He clutched the now sheathed sword and shield combo tightly. His head drooped down as his eyes found themselves fixated on the countless nicks and scratches etched all over the blade.

"So, uh, w-what's your name?" Ruby asked him with a little stutter. "I'm Ruby Rose, pleased to meet you."

Putting away his sword, the boy said, "I'm Jaune Arc." He had his head raised slightly, allowing Ruby to make out the outline of his nose and more subtle features. "It's nice to meet you, Ruby Rose. I hope we can be friends."

"You want to be my friend?"

"Sure."

"...why?"

Laughing, Jaune said, "my mom told me that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." He slowly offered her his hand, initiating a handshake, "so what do you say?"

Finding herself silent, Ruby was unable to properly convey what she was feeling at the moment. Was this it? Was this her big break? Was this the start to the rose-colored period of her life surrounded by friends a-and potentially a partner? W-well, Jaune's certainly not bad looking if she had to say herself, but maybe that's still too early. But being friends, though? Ruby could definitely settle for that!

"Yes! I'd be happy to be your friend too, Jaune." She reached to shake his hand, her uncovered, smaller hand clasped his covered and bigger one. Then, it struck him.

Visions of the night, a city covered in flames, the screams of a thousand dead souls howling in agony; it was as if he was there to experience them personally. Within the fraction of a second, his mind was terrorized by these horrific images and scenery, all of which he never saw before. It was unlike the usual images he'd get. Those were horrific, yes, but they didn't strike a chord in him due to one critical thing: they never involved him.

The moment Ruby's hand touched his own, he saw the aftermath of multiple tragedies. Of villages torn asunder, of city gates broken down, of plazas littered with the bodies of women and children. The streets were drenched with blood; their blood. Not bound to just a single event, he was tortured with multiple ones, implying that whatever he'd seen had happened before more than once. What made it all worse… what made him scared this time however was the fact that, after each and every scene he saw, he saw himself standing amidst the chaos.

Unable to handle it all, he screamed.

"GAAAAH!"

"Wah!"

He retracted his hand so quickly Ruby's Aura flared as a result of self-defense. Startled and worried, Ruby winced as she felt her Aura took at hit at whatever just happened. She felt like she was about to be thrown away for a moment, wait, but what about-

"Jaune," Ruby shouted, scurrying over to her friend, "are you okay, are you hu-"

"Don't!" Jaune's command stopped her dead on her tracks. "Don't come near me! N-Not yet… I… It's…"

She could hear him grunting and gasping, as if he'd run several laps around Beacon and then some. She wanted to go near him and see what's wrong, but his aversion to her approaching was so strong she felt compelled to obey.

Ruby felt her lips drying. Something was wrong.

"I'm… fine…" the boy said through labored breaths, slowly picking himself back up from the ground. "I…" he gulped, "I just had a… a moment there."

"A-Are you okay?" the girl asked, clearly still worried and unnerved at what had just transpired earlier. "You suddenly screamed and you broke my Aura for some reason, I didn't know you're that strong!"

"Yeah… ahaha…" Jaune attempted to laugh, as to dismiss the situation as nothing serious, "it's… my Semblance, I guess. It's… strange."

"Your Semblance?"

"Yes. My Semblance. I… still don't know a lot about it, but sometimes, I'd just…" he debated whether or not to tell her of the visions he saw. He decided not to. "See, my Semblance gives me hyper-sensitive senses. And touching another person would sometimes cause a brain overload of some sort." He lied as naturally as he breathed.

"Oh… that's… so cool!" Jaune was taken aback at Ruby's reaction. The shorter girl was immediately on his face, her eyes twinkling with excitement. As Ruby went on a spiel about how awesome his Semblance sounded, Jaune thanked his lucky stars that he managed to handle things before anything serious could happen.

He just hoped that his luck would hold out long enough.

He couldn't sleep.

Nothing strange there, just another side-effect of his… being. Ever since he turned to what he was now, he rarely ever slept. Not sleeping didn't wear him down like it used to. He could still sleep, but it's more of an option rather than a necessity. He could wake up whenever he wanted, almost as if his brain failed to register that he was sleeping in the first place and as much as he didn't want to admit it, it could be quite handy at times.

So, he trained his senses.

Every night he was awake, he would train his senses among other things. Due to their increased sensitivity, he had to learn how to tone them down in order to survive a day in a house as noisy as his. Having sleepless nights also allowed him to maximize his training time. He had to do it in secret though, his mom would go bonkers if she ever found out he was training to be Huntsman.

Huntsman… it's hard to believe that he's a step closer to becoming one.

He never really thought of why he wanted to become a Huntsman so much. At first, it was because he was inspired by the stories of his ancestors. Heck, his own dad was a Huntsman. He found the idea of being a Huntsman, his 'dream' of becoming one, beautiful. Fighting the forces of evil, rescuing people, and going on an adventure sounded like something a boy his age would dream about.

But he didn't think like that anymore. Not ever since that day.

His mysterious powers, the visions, the Grimm… he had a very strong sense that they're connected.

And not in a way he liked.

Whenever he turned, he was fully aware of how Grimm-like he looked. White bone hair, deathly pale skin, blood red eyes… he looked like a human version of a Grimm.

Not to mention the urges.

At any unexpected point in time, he'd have this urge to sink his teeth into something or someone. That alone was horrible enough if not for the fact that he also felt an increase in aggression. It was not something he could control, involuntarily getting angry while wanting to make other people your chew toy didn't sound like the way a mentally stable person would behave. And, honestly, he'd come to terms with it at this point.

He's a freak. Maybe even more of a freak than the Grimm he's supposed to be killing.

He's afraid that he's going to harm his family. He's afraid that he's going to harm the people in his town. So, he left. He left for Beacon but not before stealing the family's heirloom sword, his mare Maleficent, and the money he'd saved up from years of working and allowance.

There was this one time in the middle of his Journey to Vale. He was at the brink of losing control. He went… savage, wild upon the wildlife of the forest he was in. It was as if he had experienced what happened when he was ten years old, only this time he could feel everything. Remembering the moment was enough to make his body shiver in fear.

What if he became like that? What if he lose control and end up killing innocent people?

Well… if he were to enroll into a school filled with people studying to become monster hunters, he wouldn't have to worry about harming someone seriously.

Yes.

Beacon was to be his 'prison'. If anyone knew a thing or two about killing monsters, it's definitely the people who teach here.

That didn't mean he's just going to let them kill him if he turned feral. He's going to try his damn best to control his wild side. Pulling out his necklace from within his hoodie, he stared at the ornament attached to the string looped around his head. The necklace was a gift from a stranger he met on the road. It looked like any other ordinary necklace out there except for one important thing.

It seemed to be able to suppress his urges.

He didn't know who the stranger was, whether they're a woman or man, but if he were to meet them again, let's just say that he's going to be asking them some questions. What's weirder was the fact he could barely recall ever interacting with them. It's like one day he just happened to encounter this stranger who gave him a necklace that could specifically help him.

Needless to say, he's more open to the idea of the paranormal after that.

Looking back at the direction of the ballroom, where the other students were currently sleeping, Jaune returned to look at the scenery from one of the many balconies connected to Beacon's equally many hallways. The wind brushed past him, billowing the hood he's wearing.

Although he'd much rather keep on wearing his cloak for the whole four years he'd be here, he knew that the academy wouldn't allow it. They had a dress code for students to follow here; a uniform he'd tried out already and did not look forward to wearing. The colors were too preppy for his liking. He just hoped he'd be able to reason his way out of explaining his secrets.

Ba-dump.

He felt a heartbeat other than his own turning the corner inside. The gentle scent of moonflower and book paper were picked up by his hyper-sensitive nose, and only then he could finally confirm the presence of a newcomer when his Aura detecting sense kicked in. He sensed the newcomer stopping dead on their tracks, akin to someone who had noticed the presence of something they did not expect.

It seemed they had noticed him, how curious.

Seeing as he had nothing to hide at the moment, he called out to the newcomer, "I know you're standing in there," he said, feeling the heartbeat of the person he's sensing quickening after being detected. The person relented and began walking to join him at the balcony.

Blake Belladonna was a Faunus.

And as a Faunus, she's born with a few characteristics that most Faunus have. For example: very good hearing. Her extra auditory appendages helped her hear better to a point where it's almost impossible to whisper around her and not expect her to notice it. Not to mention, she'd trained this particular part of her characteristic to a professional level.

So when she walked down the halls of Beacon to get away from all the snoring masses – seriously who decided it was a good idea to put that many students into one place – in the ballroom, and she could hear the sound of someone sighing in the balcony at the same direction he's heading, she naturally attempted to be stealthy.

Keyword: attempted.

Somehow, the person managed to tell that she was approaching. Were they a Faunus too?

Blake stepped into the balcony, raising her hand to block a gust of strong wind breezed past her. When it settled down, she was greeted with the sight of a tall, cloaked, hooded, boy standing on the balcony. Underneath the pale broken moon, he cast a mysterious and borderline eerie figure. Blake's eyes – another common Faunus trait – allowed her to see in low-light, yet for some strange reason, she couldn't discern what he properly looked like underneath that hood of his.

"Can't sleep too?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Something like that," she answered. "What about you?"

"Something like that," he cheekily responded, parroting her response.

Normally, Blake would've been content with leaving things there and leave, but she felt the need to speak for some reason. "I didn't see you at the assembly this morning," she said. "You are a student, right?" she asked, suspicious of his nature.

Noticing that he was being suspected of being a suspicious individual, he said, "I am. I was just not comfortable being around so many people, so I listened from the sidelines."

Blake could relate, but supposing he'd been wearing his cloak this entire time ever since this morning's assembly, it's strange that she didn't catch a glimpse of him. She'd normally notice it when someone's covered head to toe, especially when her paranoia's on full swing after recently defecting from the Fang. Even now, she couldn't help but be wary of him.

"If you don't mind me asking," Blake started. "How could you tell I was approaching?" she asked. She figured it wouldn't look too out of place if she asked him straight out.

"My Semblance gives me hyper-sensitive senses," he answered curtly. "I could hear your footsteps coming from the halls." Technically, he wasn't lying. Although he heard her heartbeat first, but he wasn't going to reveal too much to someone he didn't know.

"That's… impressive," Blake said, blinking in mild amazement. The floors were covered in carpet, muffling footsteps and one as light as hers were practically rendered silent. Him being able to hear her coming meant he must had very sensitive hearing, maybe even more sensitive than hers. "Must be annoying too," she added.

"Thank you," the boy thanked her sincerely, tilting his head in a gesture. He turned away from her, looking back at the scenery before them. "I guess that's why I'm here, to get away from all the snoring in the ballroom. And… I like the night air; it's cool, peaceful, and quiet."

The former White Fang member noticed how low his voice sounded towards the end of the sentence. So she learned he had hyper-sensitive hearing, so maybe he wasn't a Faunus after all.

"It's getting late," Blake remarked, joining him to take in the view of the verdant forest that lie beyond Beacon. "Won't you be tired for tomorrow's initiation?" she asked.

"I'm used to long nights and waking up early," the boy told her. He cast her a sideways gaze, saying, "what about you, not tired yet?"

"In a moment, maybe," Blake answered, crossing her arms and shivering as a breeze swept by them. Her sleepwear was not the right attire to be out at night. "On second thought, maybe I'll turn in now." She turned to leave, but stopped herself to cast one last look at the boy, saying, "goodnight, and see you at tomorrow's initiation."

Jaune watched her leave, his eyes drooping downwards, finding them staring at a particular part of her body. His otherwise pale cheeks flushed a healthy pink color, but he quickly snapped his thoughts out of the gutter and returned his attention back to the view; the one that wouldn't get him branded a pervert if caught staring at.

"Get yourself together, Jaune," he scolded himself, massaging his temples with his fingers. "Being a monster is one thing, but a pervert?" He sighed. Gazing upwards, his eyes captured the image of Remnant's broken moon in its entirety.

That girl, whose name he forgot to ask, was definitely a Faunus. The bow on her head fooled him at first, but he noticed the way it would twitch and involuntarily move every now and then. He didn't say anything because it wasn't really his business, and it'd make him look like a weirdo.

He hoped he'd get to talk to her again tomorrow, maybe even work together in initiation. Who knows?

Pyrrha Nikos hated fame.

Closing the locker door, she tried her hardest to not let her amiable expression slip as a certain white haired girl continued to prattle on and on about how good it'd be for the both of them to be in the same team. She had years of experience dealing with people like Weiss Schnee, so it wasn't hard to tune her out while simultaneously picking up the topic of their one-sided conversation.

Her fame was more of a hindrance to her than one might thought.

Being a tournament Champion with a four year win-streak, she's basically a celebrity in all rights. Her decision of becoming a Huntress would only elevate her status even more, if the upcoming sponsor deals her manager had been nagging her about was any indication. Between training, speaking at interviews, and acting at commercials, Pyrrha didn't really have time to properly make friends.

And what little she did had, she was sure they're only in it for her name. Like miss Heiress over here.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?" Weiss asked the tournament fighter. "I'm sure everyone must be eager to be on a team with someone as well-known and reputable as yourself!"

With a practiced smile, Pyrrha responded, "I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together," Weiss offered, eager to sow the seeds of suggestion in the other girl's head.

"That sounds grand," Pyrrha lied through her lips, closing her locker's door.

"Great!"

Weiss Schnee was overjoyed at the prospect of being in the same team with someone like Pyrrha. She'd watched Pyrrha's match, and they're to be together in the same team, they'd be unstoppable. With her brains and Pyrrha's brawn, they'd make it as the top team in Beacon, no, Remnant easily! It'd be perfect, she could already see the headlines on magazines!

But more than the fame, more than the status, she'd finally get to have a friend she could confide in. It may be a surprise to some, but being Heiress to the world's most prominent didn't come with a lot of friends growing up. Rather, it'd be more accurate to say that it came with a lot more enemies instead. Weiss figured someone like Pyrrha could relate to her more than others, and although she wouldn't be opposed to connecting with other people, she just hoped they're not as insufferable as that Ruby girl.

"Excuse me, but you're in the way of my locker."

A third voice cut in through their established connection, a much deeper and quieter one. Both Pyrrha and Weiss turned their attention to the newcomer and both of them have varied reaction.

Weiss immediately showed displeasure of someone interrupting her moment with Pyrrha. Couldn't they see that they're engaging in an important conversation? She was just about to immediately tear into the person for simply being here but stopped herself when she saw a tall hooded person looming over them. He towered over her easily, maybe even Pyrrha. His face and features were shadowed by the rugged brown hood over his head. Weiss shivered when she saw his head tilting sideways ever so slightly.

Pyrrha did not know what feel other than embarrassment for being in the way of someone else's locker. Quickly, she stood up and moved out of the way for the person to reach his locker, uttering a curt apology. As he stepped past her, her Semblance caused her to sense that he had plenty of metal surrounding him. It's probably the armor the person was wearing underneath that cloak, Pyrrha concluded. Although, it was strange that this person had his hood up indoors. Not wanting to deal with Weiss alone, she decided to open up conversation with the stranger.

"Nice to meet you," she greeted the person who was in the process of retrieving their weapon from their locker. "Are you a candidate too? Do you have anyone you want to be in your team?" she asked, inwardly cringing at how obvious of an attempt she's making to involve this stranger in an interaction so that she wouldn't have to deal with Weiss's prattling.

The person took out a sheathed sword from the locker, closing it back shut after putting it away on his person. He turned to address Pyrrha, saying, "I wouldn't be here if I'm not a candidate now would I?" he chuckled, seeing the way Pyrrha's face flush red in embarrassment. "As for who I want to be on my team… I can't say. I don't really know anyone here."

"Wait, d-don't you recognize me?"

"Hm? Should I?"

Pyrrha was silent, but it gave way to joy when she realized that the boy before her had no idea who she was. He's not some rabid fan who would only talk to her due to her fame, and he seemed like a nice person to talk to. Unfortunately, Weiss did not share the same enthusiasm of someone not knowing who Pyrrha was as, well, Pyrrha.

Like a self-entitled Karen on a McSchnee's drive-through, she opened her mouth, "excuse me, but you do you even know who you are talking to?" Her question caused the two to focus their attention on her.

"No, should I?"

"Ugh, I can't believe the ignorance of some people!" Rolling her eyes sideways, the Heiress to the SDC continued, saying, "she's Pyrrha Nikos! Pyrrha's the valedictorian at Sanctum!"

"Sanctum…?"

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row, setting a new record!"

"I'm… not familiar with tournaments…"

"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!" She's just letting her frustration show at this point.

"Oh," a look of recognition settled on the boy's face, not they could properly see it. He turned to the look at the redhead, who chuckled awkwardly. "Now that you said it, you do look familiar. Pumpkin Pete's, huh?"

He quit eating the thing ever since he started training himself. A dietitian wrote that the sugars found in cereals marketed towards kids were so high that it's ridiculous how companies managed to get away promoting them as healthy food. It didn't stop some of his sisters from eating the thing, however. They eat so much of it, they even won a hoodie that they gave to him!

Pyrrha quickly cut into the conversation, before Weiss could ruin things further, saying, "yeah, but it's fine if you haven't heard of me. So… what's your name?" she asked, while Weiss was still stewing in her own self-inflicted frustration.

"Arc. Jaune Arc," he politely introduced himself. He thought of offering his hand for her to shake, but he recalled what happened the day before with a certain red-themed girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you regardless, Pyrrha," he turned to Weiss. "And, um, you too miss…?"

"...Weiss Schnee," gritted the Heiress, giving Jaune the biggest stink-eye he'd ever gotten; not even his sisters look at him like that when he accidentally ate their ice cream. Unlike Pyrrha, Weiss was more straightforward. This prompted her to ask, "why do you have your hood up, Jaune? Don't you know that it's impolite to hide your face indoors?"

She wouldn't admit that she's only bringing up the topic to get an easy one-up against Jaune for making her look pathetic, but she was legitimately curious; not like she'd admit that one too.

"I'm not sure how wearing a piece of clothing like it's meant to be worn is considered impolite," Jaune began, crossing his arms underneath his cloak. "We've yet to be Beacon students, we're not obligated to follow the dress code."

Weiss looked ready to interject, but was surprised when Pyrrha cut in, saying, "is it a part of your combat attire?"

Jaune nodded. "It is," he said. "I'll admit, having the hood up might seem like an obstruction but I have a way around it in the field."

"A Semblance, perhaps?"

"Yes, actually."

Weiss looked at the two back and forth, realizing that she's becoming more and more of a third wheel. That didn't sit right with Weiss. She was supposed to be the one getting along with Pyrrha, not this… this no named nobody! Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists so tightly that her perfectly manicured nails threatened to pierce the skin if it wasn't for her Aura. She couldn't afford to let the opportunity to make a friend slip. The reason she came all the way to Vale and enroll at Beacon instead of Atlas was because she would be free from her family's influence and reputation.

But looking at how well both Pyrrha and Jaune were exchanging pleasantries, an unpleasant sensation sank into Weiss's stomach. Lowering her head, she could feel the corner of her lips quivering. She wouldn't get emotional. Not over this and certainly not here.

"I have to go."

Jaune and Pyrrha watched as Weiss walked off, leaving them by the lockers. Pyrrha's first reaction was to feel relieved that she didn't have to put up air and act like she's enjoying a conversation, but she felt something was not right.

Looking at Jaune, she smiled, saying, "let's talk again later Jaune, although I'd much rather prefer your company, I couldn't just leave Weiss all by herself."

A look of understanding crossed the boy's face, answering, "understandable. See you after initiation, Pyrrha."

"You too."

He watched the redhead go, not before giving him one final smile. He smiled back, waving his hand at her even. In the middle of doing this, he then sensed a familiar Aura approaching his direction accompanied by one he wasn't familiar with.

"Jaune!" An excitable Ruby Rose greeted him, disappearing in a flurry of rose petals before reappearing in front of him. This must be that Semblance of her. "I didn't get to see you at all last night, where were you?"

"I was around," he answered Beacon's youngest initiate. "Had to sleep somewhere far away; I couldn't stand crowded places, cuz, uh, y'know."

Ruby nodded intently, recalling how he had reacted when she shook his hand the other day. "Right, right." She could only wonder if his Semblance prevented him from making friends or something. If so, then it's kind of sad.

"Ahem." A third person, the one Ruby came with, decided to make herself known. She was a taller girl, but not more than him, with blonde hair and exotic lilac eyes. She was dressed like a biker girl complete with the brown leather jacket that showed off her midriff, a yellow crop top with a flame design over the left breast, as well as a pair of fingerless black gloves.

But, really, the main highlight to her wasn't her clothing; but her hair. Jaune was used to blond hair. He was born to a family of blonds himself, but this girl's hair was unlike the platinum shade of blond that his sisters and mother had. His dad and him share the same straw colored shade, yet theirs too pale in comparison to this girl's. She must take great care of her hair, if the luster and volume weren't enough indication.

"Ah, yes. Jaune this," Ruby gestured to the girl standing beside her, the same girl who was currently eyeing him up and down openly without a hint of shame, "is Yang Xiao Long, she's my sister."

"Sup," the bubbly girl greeted with a spicy wink, at least that's the impression Jaune was getting. "I heard from my sis that she made a friend yesterday, I thought she was talking about that girl who she exploded with together, but I guess she's telling the truth after all; a guy, no less."

"Yang," Ruby groaned, eyes closing. "Don't bring up that incident again…"

"It's okay Rubes, it's not like he didn't know about it."

Well, Yang's right. Offering a nod, Jaune said, "Jaune Arc, pleasure to met you Yang." He took a closer look at Yang and noticed that she had a much brighter Aura than Ruby, although… Ruby's own Aura was special in her own right. "You two are sisters? I'm sorry if I'm being nosy, but, you two don't look alike."

Yang laughed, raising a hand to placate his worry. "It's cool, it's cool." She said, grabbing her sister in a headlock, much to the younger girl's displeasure. "We're half-sisters. We have the same father but different moms."

Jaune noticed how low Yang's voice got saying that last part. He also noticed her heartbeat steadying, a normal sign of someone who's purposefully calming themselves down. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Yang spoke again.

"Say, can't help but notice that you had your hood up. Is it a fashion statement or something?" Although Yang's the one asking, Jaune could tell that Ruby's every bit as curious as her sister was. After all, she also had a piece of clothing with a hood yet she's not wearing it.

"Something," Jaune answered, being cryptic on purpose.

"Something…?"

"Let's… just say that I'm shy."

"Pssh, like, yeah sure."

"I-It's okay Jaune," Ruby interfered, afraid that Yang might had offended her newest friend in Beacon in someway. "I don't really like being in a place where there's a lot of people too. But I can only imagine it being much worse because of your condition."

"Condition?" Yang asked.

"A drawback from my Semblance," Jaune summarized curtly, "it gives me hyper-sensitive senses so being too near a person or being in the same room with a lot people could really mess me up. It's complicated."

"That's rough buddy," Yang sympathized, before saying, "is that why my sis told me you reacted like she hit you in the nuts when she went to shake your hand yesterday?"

"Y-Yang!" Ruby looked like she's scandalized.

Jaune, on the other hand, laughed. "Not the words I would've used, but sure, let's go with that."

"Hah!" Yang shared in his amusement. "You know what Jaune, you're a cool guy. Hope you make it through initiation, who knows, you might just have the privilege to be on the same team as me."

"Wouldn't dream of missing that golden opportunity," Jaune joked back. He didn't plan on failing, and not just because of the prospect of being on the same team as Yang. He had to pass initiation at all cost. He'd made it this far.

"All initiates, please make your way to the cliffs to begin your initiation. I repeat, please make your way to the cliffs to begin your initiation." The PA system blared carrying the familiar voice of a certain Deputy Headmistress across the campus. The reaction it had on everyone was instant.

"Let's go, we don't want to keep the others waiting!" Ruby dragged her sister, but not before looking back at Jaune, saying, "you too Jaune! Let's go!"

"Slow down there sis!" Yang yelped as she was dragged along by her sister.

Shaking his head, Jaune watched as the two sisters rush towards the cliffs. He better join them and make his way there before they consider him late. He just hoped that-

"...kuh!" Freezing, he felt as a familiar urge began to surface from within. He nursed his forehead with his hand, clenching it so hard he could feel his Aura beginning to flare from the pressure alone.

He could feel a burning sensation emanating from around his chest area, sizzling against his exposed skin. The necklace. It was doing its best to suppress his urges to the point its hurting him. It had done its job before, but not to this extent. Leaning himself against the wall, he steadied his breathing which was beginning to get labored.

He was sure that he's already showing signs of physical transformation; his hair, skin, and eyes specifically.

Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes shut as he fought against the forces that was desperately trying to make him commit the things he'd seen from those horrific visions. He realized that he was pressing his fist against the wall so hard that cracks began to spread across the wall's surface.

'...damn it…!' he mentally hissed. 'Not right now… please…!'

He didn't know why he's pleading, when previous attempts had proven to be futile. Tears were threatening to escape the corners of his eyes as he so desperately fought against the urge to tear every single person in Beacon limb from limb. And the necklace was getting so hot, it got to the point where the burning sensation was starting to hurt him.

At that moment, he thought he was going to fail and succumb. But just like that, it all disappeared.

He was left gasping and panting, sweat pouring out of every pores of his skin. He straightened himself out with little difficulty, as he blinked away the redness off his eyes. The roots of his hair returned to their natural straw color, and his skin's complexion returning.

"This…" Jaune panted, looking at the exit. "This is why I wear this stupid thing."

Who likes wearing cloaks anyway? When off season they're hot, heavy, and impractical!

Not wanting to be left behind as initiation started, he quickly made his way to the cliffs, joining the other initiates.

To the guy who assumed that this will be a Vampire-Jaune fic: Well yes, but actually no. You're on the right track, dude, but I like to put my little own twist to an old folklore/fairy tale.

And I can't believe Dark Syaoran themselves reviewed my story. Hi, if you're reading this, you're one of my favorite authors on this site. I like your White Knight stories, they're my favorite, which is ironic since White Knight is my least favorite RWBY pair.

To end it, I just want to say that it's best to treat Jaune as an unreliable narrator. He says the things he thinks is true and there will be time in the story where he'll be proven wrong, especially in regards to his condition as a 'monster'.

With that said, see you next time!