Allow me to make a short announcement.

Black Lives Matter.

Love each other, love life, and love freely.

This chapter was written consecutively with the first one so I'll be looking forward to seeing what people think about this one.

I'll save the normal chapter discussion for the bottom. I just needed to say my piece.


She was in awe as she looked out of the bullhead at the grand scene below her. Beacon Academy. The school grounds spanned the entire cliff, easily the size of a large town. Beacon tower was absolutely massive, holding both the CCT and likely a lot of office space for the faculty.

Yang sighed as she took it all in. Such an amazing school meant for especially gifted hunters in training, and she was attending early! She was excited. More excited than she'd been for anything else before!

The hooded girl beside her however...

"Guh..." Ruby whimpered as she hid behind her shorter sister when people passed by.

"Ruby? I don't think you of all people need to worry about others getting close!" Yang said, half jokingly, half exasperated.

"Easy for you to say!" Ruby groaned, "You like talking to people. I like—"

"Talking to weapons?" Yang finished.

"SHUSH!" Ruby hissed, slamming a fist on top of her head. She yelped and rubbed her head.

"I'm just saying," Yang mumbled, wincing as she felt the spot, "you'd probably be great at making friends! Just like you're great at everything else..."

Yang's eyes widened when she was pulled into a one armed hug by the older girl. She received another bonk on the head, though this time it was more to get her attention than to silence or hurt her. She looked to Ruby who gave her a gentle smile.

"I'm not perfect, Yang. There's plenty that you're good at too! That's why you're coming to Beacon with me!" Ruby beamed at her. The reaper's smile was infectious and Yang couldn't help but smile too.

Yang let her hand feel along her arm until it reached her bicep. She smiled as she felt the new addition to her outfit. On her sleeveless arm, a red cloth was wrapped around her muscle, tied with a firm knot to keep it from falling off.

Raven gave it to her before she and Ruby had boarded the bullhead.

/\/\/\

Yang made sure she had everything useful in her bag. She hadn't been prepared to be staying in Vale for longer than their trip so she didn't have much. Summer had told her she'd make sure to send over more clothes and any other vital possessions.

As Summer cried into Ruby's hood, telling her how proud she was. Ruby smiled awkwardly, hugging her mom back. Summer hadn't been a doting mother, but she had been a proud one! To see Ruby leaving home for a while was a big deal to her!

Yang turned when she heard Raven clear her throat. The two looked at each other as Raven held a small box in her hand. She seemed to be having trouble finding her words.

"Yang..." she started, not knowing how to phrase this.

Yang waited patiently. She knew the woman. Raven wasn't known for encouraging and heartfelt words.

"I know you feel like you're ready for what's out there but I want you to be careful anyways. Treat every fight like it's worth your very best," she said resolutely. That was the Raven she knew. It was all about strength and fighting to live another day.

"But... I want you to know that I'm proud to see you following your dreams," she said after, getting a slight blush and a big smile out of the blonde.

"This is for you. It was Tai... your father's. I think it'd fit you too," Raven said as she handed the brawler the box. Yang's eyes widened and she looked from the box to her mother a few times.

"This was dad's?" she asked. Raven nodded. Yang opened the box and took out the gift.

It was a red cloth, one that Yang recognized from photos of her dad that she'd been shown. He had always tied it around his arm, right on his bicep.

She unfurled the cloth and went about tying it. Halfway through a hand joined hers and tied it differently than how she was about to. She looked at Raven who smirked at her.

"I know how Tai did it. The doofus had me learn. If you tie it like this then it won't budge, even during a fight," Raven said as she showed her daughter how to knot the cloth.

Yang undid it and then tried herself. It was a little loose but Raven assured her that she'd get it down the more she did it. Yang nodded and tightened the knot, making sure it was secure.

"Be careful out there Brat. I don't need to be mourning over two blonde idiots," Raven said. Yang smiled though. That was her mom's way of saying 'I love you, be safe'.

"I'll make sure that I'll live long enough to beat your ass!" Yang said, sharing her brashness with her mother. Raven smirked and scoffed.

"We'll see about that Brat."

\/\/\/

Yang was brought out of her thoughts when someone bumped into her. She looked up to see a flash of dazzling red hair. She couldn't quite see the girls face, and she didn't get a chance to observe her armor.

Because the girl immediately threw up. Yang yelped as she and Ruby jumped back to avoid getting anything on them.

As the girl apologized profusely and ran away, the two sisters shot each other a look. Poor girl. Must have motion sickness or something.

The intercom in the bullhead dinged and the ship began its descent. The students all started to crowd the door, many murmuring excitedly. When the ship finally came to a full stop, there was a moment of silence.

Then the doors opened and the chatter picked up again louder.

Students flooded out of the ship once the doors opened fully, groups of students forming as people saw others they knew or had been talking to on the ship.

Yang whistled. Beacon was a lot bigger from the ground. You couldn't even see the top of the tower from here!

Ruby seems to have a similar realization, looking up at the tower with sparkling eyes. Yang smiled. That was something she loved about her older sister. She had such an earnest fascination with everything.

"Okay so where are we going Ruby?" Yang asked. Ruby was about to answer her when a group of students walked past. Her eyes glazed over and she leaned in as she watched them like a hawk.

Yang slapped a hand down her face. This early into their new school and Ruby already had a waterfall going for every weapon that passed by.

"Ruby, before you do anything drastic we should probably—" Yang didn't even get to finish her statement. It was far too late. Ruby dashed off deeper into the school as she chased weapons here and there, all pretenses of the dorky girl gone and replaced with the weapon fanatic she saw now.

Great. Now Yang was alone.

"Gee, thanks a lot Ruby, I guess I'll find where to go myself," Yang grumbled. That girl... Could she have your back against a ten foot tall alligator monster with laser eyes? Definitely. Stick with you in groups of people or new places? The girl would vanish the moment you blinked.

Yang was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the boy in front of her. She certainly took notice when she crashed right into his back though.

"Is this just some strange Valean greeting I'm unaware of?" a snobby, posh voice asked. He sounded kind of familiar actually. Almost like...

"Hey, you're that guy from the robbery! I'm Yang, by the way!" Yang exclaimed, snapping her fingers and pointing as the realization finally dawned on her.

He looked at her and blinked before his eyes widened in horror. It was her! That blonde lunatic that dragged him into a firefight in the middle of Vale! Why was she here!? She looked way too young to—

Oh right. So was he. Talk about a small world.

"Where's your boyfriend?" she asked.

His what.

"My what?"

"Ya know? Edgy looking guy with the red hair and the sword?" she clarified, giving him a dumbfounded expression. As though he were the one who's just suggested something outrageous.

"You doofus, that... That hooligan is not in any way my romantic partner!" he shouted. What kind of fool was this girl!? First she leapt dangerously into fights, then she suggested he was dating a faunus? He had half a mind to freeze her feet to the floor and walk away.

Alas, the only person who'd find that funny would be Weiss, and she wasn't here.

"Aww really? You two looked kinda cute together!" Yang said. She was sure they were dating!

"I am Whitley Schnee! What makes you think I'd date someone... That much older than me!?" Whitley seethed, stopping himself from stomping a foot down in anger. He also had to refrain from spewing hate toward the faunus while in public.

"Well I thought I had caught you two in the middle of a lovers quarrel," she said simply.

He felt the urge to freeze her growing by the second. He took a deep breath and turned on his heel, walking away without saying another word to the girl.

Yang huffed. It was an honest mistake to think they were dating! In like a weird, little boy-older looking man kinda way. He didn't have to get mad about it!

Okay actually, after describing it, it made sense why he'd gotten mad.

Yang groaned and fell to the floor in a kneeling position. She sighed and pouted. What a way to start her time at Beacon. She was supposed to be better at social stuff than Ruby! Here she was flopping about like a fish out of water!

"Um, hello there!" a voice said from above her. She looked up and saw a girl looking down at her worriedly.

She had stunning green eyes and beautiful red hair. She was really tall, and Yang could tell she would still be taller than her even if she weren't sitting down. She wore a bronze circlet on her head, ornate and looking more like a decoration than an armor piece. Speaking of armor...

She didn't really have an outfit that screamed 'huntress', Yang noted. She wore a simple, deep red pullover sweater and a pair of black leggings. The sweater looked a little big, hanging on one shoulder. She had a fairly simple bronze breastplate on, with matching bracers on her forearms but nothing covering her shoulders.

She wore a pair of simple looking lace-up brown boots that went to her mid shin. Yang could see over her shoulder that she had a shield of some kind and there was a hilt sticking out. A sword maybe? Ruby would be able to tell in a heartbeat.

Yang reminded herself that she asked a question.

"Yeah I'm okay. Just had to... Take a breather," Yang said, giving the girl a small, but genuine smile. She appreciated that someone came to check on her.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" the girl apologized. Yang raised an eyebrow.

"There's... Nothing to be sorry for," she pointed out. The girl's eyes widened and she blushed a little.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized again. Yang sighed and stood, dusting herself off.

"Look, you don't need to apologize for anything," Yang said, observing the girl a little more. She squinted a little trying to figure out why she seems familiar.

"Oh, I'm so—" she clamped her mouth shut before she did it again and Yang laughed. This girl seemed like she needed to relax a little.

"I'm Yang!" the blonde introduced, sticking her hand out. The girl took her hand and Yang noted that her hands felt soft, not at all what she was expecting from someone who used a sword.

"I'm Pyrrha," the redhead greeted back. There was a moment of silence while Yang continued scanning her when finally her eyes widened.

"You almost threw up on me and my sister on the bullhead!" she remembered. The girl flinched and blushed and Yang realized she probably shouldn't have said that so loud. Luckily there was nobody around.

"Er, sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude, I just knew I'd seen you already," Yang said, laughing awkwardly. The girl sighed and slumped.

"It's okay, I just had a lot of nerves and it got to me," she moaned. Yang gently reached out and rubbed the girl's shoulder.

"Well, we should probably get moving. Do you know where we have to go?" Yang asked.

"I was following the crowds," Pyrrha told her. Yang shrugged. Good enough plan for her! The two walked and conversed a little as they walked to the amphitheatre. Yang noted that Pyrrha was a little awkward and kind of a goofball but everything she said was earnest.

Finally they arrived in the hall and Yang looked around. Towards the back she spotted a girl in a good, hiding behind her hood and hair from the crowd of initiates.

"Oh! There's my sister! I gotta meet her, sorry!" Yang said as she dashed through the crowd to reach the recluse reaper.

"Oh, bye!" Pyrrha said to the girls back. She sighed. That was the only friend she'd made. Who else would take their time to talk to her?

Yang rushed towards Ruby, doing her best not to bump into anyone as she did so. When she finally reached the girl, she snapped in front of her hood.

"Hey! Ruby! It's me! The sister you left when you ran away to try and dry hump someone's gun!" Yang said, clearly still a little upset with the girl.

Ruby blushed at her words, then blushed harder when she saw the looks of confusion people shot her way after hearing Yang's words. She also noted, with disdain, that a lot of people were looking at her in attraction, which made her more uncomfortable than the other looks.

Why was she cursed with pretty!? Why couldn't it have been given to Yang!?

She reminded herself that Yang was fifteen and that she'd be very upset if a boy or girl tried to hit on her. She'd scared away potential partners before. There was a reason Patch had a rumor about a Reaper of Death that stalked boys and girls that were too flirty. Yang always asked why she didn't see it since she flirted all the time and Ruby never had an answer for her.

"Sorry Yang, I just saw one cool weapon and then another cool weapon and that led me to another weapon and by that point I was here," she explained, poking her fingers together. Yang sighed but didn't press any further. That was Ruby for you.

"Ahem," the speakers reverberated as Headmaster Ozpin came to stand before the microphone.

The room went silent as everyone watched the headmaster. He began a speech, though the cryptic nature of his words were lost on the students. As the man went on, elsewhere in the room, a faunus was barely listening.

He's given me a chance. I may be older than these students, but I would be vain to think I'm better than all of them, Adam thought as he leaned against the wall.

I know for sure I can beat the Schnee (perhaps that was bias on his part). And many of these students lack the feeling of a true warrior. But... he looked around the room at some people who had caught his attention.

That girl in the hood. She radiates an air of meekness but I can tell she is a warrior capable of some real destruction. And that's the same girl from the other night. I suppose it's technically because of her that I'm here, he noted as he looked toward the blonde twin-tailed girl and the hooded girl hiding away from the crowd.

That and... Him, he turned and gazed upon the third person who'd garnered his attention.

He is truly a warrior. His skill radiates. It's even scaring other students, he observed as he looked at a young man standing among the other initiates. There was a noticeable amount of space around him as other students also looked at him and whispered to each other. Just who was this person that exuded such impressive fighting spirit?

He didn't even realize that Ozpin had finished his speech. The other students began to move, some looking to explore the school while others moved to a ballroom to set up a spot to sleep before others got there first. He was among the latter group. He was uninterested in exploring the school. He was sure he could pass whatever the invitation was, but in the event that something went awry he didn't see the need to know the layout of the place.

For now he'd just relax his muscles and prepare for tomorrow. The chance to change the world without being feared could be his if he passed. He needed to prove to Blake that they could live peaceful lives. Maybe if he could do that...

He shook his head. The future would come.

He needed to focus on the present.


Ruby watched Yang as she wrote a letter to her friends back home. Leaving so suddenly meant the girl never got to say goodbye properly. Ruby smiled that her sister was so lucky to have friends like that.

They and many other students were currently occupying the ballroom with sleeping bags and pillows. Ruby had made them pick a spot near the walls so they wouldn't be surrounded by others. Yang rolled her eyes but obliged.

Yang's sleepwear consisted of a yellow tank top and a pair of short shorts that made Ruby uncomfortable. Why couldn't she cover up more!? She would attract people like that! And then Ruby would have to kil— disperse them!

Ruby's own sleeping outfit was a pair of heart print sweatpants and an oversized black tea shirt.

"Hey Ruby, you know those boys I told you about? The ones from the robbery?" Yang asked suddenly.

"The ones who helped you fight off those crooks?" Ruby asked. Yang nodded and Ruby hummed her affirmative.

"I ran into one, the younger one, and kinda messed up. I totally thought he and the older dude were dating and made an ass of myself!" Yang groaned. Ruby hummed again, allowing Yang to lay on her lap. She slowly undid the twin tails and let the girls hair fall to her shoulders. Her hair went down to her upper back when down, shorter than Ruby's hair which stopped short just above her lower back.

"Well, you said you made friends with a girl right?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah! Pyrrha! She was sweet," Yang commented.

"And what about the other boy?" Ruby questioned, running her hands through the blonde's hair.

"I haven't seen him here. Maybe he's not a student?" Yang wondered.

"Red hair, bull horns, blue eyes, right? Pretty intense glare and long face?" Ruby clarified.

"Yeah..." Yang answered. Ruby didn't have a bad memory or anything but that was pretty descriptive. How'd she remember all that? Yang was pretty sure she'd never said the last two anyways!

"Well he's right over there," Ruby pointed. Yang bolted up, looking towards where her sister was gesturing.

Sure enough, against the corner wall to their left was that guy! He looked as mopey as she remembered!

"Huh, guess he's a student after all," Yang noted, tilting her head at the young man.

"Go say hi," Ruby suggested, "just don't mention the whole boyfriend thing."

"Yeah... Yeah! Come on! Let's go!" Yang said, standing and dragging the unprepared Ruby with her.

"Wha!? N-not me! You go talk to him!" Ruby whined. Yang ignored her and continued until they were right in front of him. He had been watching them with a raised eyebrow and was staring at her now.

"Hello! Do you remember me from the other night?" Yang asked. Ruby awkwardly stood behind Yang, tapping a toe on the floor as she sent the young man a little wave.

"Yes. You're the rambunctious girl who fought the criminal and dragged me into it," he said without tact. She winced.

"Uh, sorry about that," she apologized, looking away. She heard a short grunt.

"Don't be. I should thank you actually. Ozpin offered me a chance here for... assisting you," he said. That wasn't true but they didn't need to know he was a terrorist a week ago.

"Oh. Uh, you're welcome?" Yang said. He smiled just slightly.

"Oh right! I'm Yang! And this is my sister, Ruby!" Yang introduced the shy girl, who covered her face with one hand and waved with the other.

"H-hello! I'm sorry, I'm not great with people!" Ruby greeted. Adam just nodded back.

"Adam," he said simply. Yang smiled brightly. He didn't hate her! Sure he didn't seem to overly enjoy her presence either, but at least he didn't hate her! She laughed out loud at the accomplishment. Suddenly their meeting was interrupted by a snide voice.

"Do you mind being quiet over here! I'm trying to rest!" Whitley said as he came over. He realized who was making all the noise and he scowled.

"What's wrong Schnee? The sound of happiness too grating for your ears?" Adam asked. Whitley and him shared a glaring match, which, shocking Yang, Ruby stepped between.

"Why don't we all rest? We have a long day ahead of us and we don't need to be at each other's throats to throw us off our game," Ruby said diplomatically. The two offending parties shared one last glare before wilting slightly. Whitley walked off and Adam sent them one last nod as they left.

"That could've gone better," Yang grumbled.

"Could've gone worse too," Ruby soothed, running her fingers through the blonde's hair again. The motion was so natural to Yang that she immediately started drifting off.

"Tomorrow we kick butt Yang," Ruby said as she let the girl fall asleep.

"Hell yeah," Yang whispered, closing her eyes and allowing herself to fall asleep.


She woke up as she always did.

"Noooooooooooraaaaaaaaa."

She groaned. Rising slowly she stretched, making sure she wouldn't pull anything while she rose.

"Come on Nora! We have places to be!"

She turned and watched as the offending party packed up his things in less than a minute before disappearing in the direction of the changing room.

She followed and changed into her normal outfit. She wore a sturdy plate over her breasts that extended downward to cover her midsection. The center had a heart shape carved out. Over the chest piece she wore a light pink bomber jacket with grey accents. She wore a skirt that went down to her knees and was a darker shade of pink. She wore a pair of grey fingerless gloves with padded knuckles for when she had to drop her weapon. She made sure her hair wasn't in her face. It only went to her shoulders but she didn't want it in her eyes.

"Are you ready yet!?"

She turned and observed her friend for life. He had his long Raven black hair down, as he always did, but like always had the one magenta stripe in his hair braided and tucked behind his ear.

He wore a long dark green robe with black and gold markings that wrapped around his entire body. It went down to his knees and the sleeves extended past his fingertips to fully conceal his hands. He wore baggy white pants that were cuffed at the shin. He wore a pair of heavy looking black boots.

After changing he rushed out of the room towards the cafeteria that they had found yesterday. She followed at a much slower pace, arriving to find him already seated. He had grabbed her favorite for her, drawing a small smile from her.

She sat down and started eating away at her plate of pancakes, watching as he methodically and quickly ate a salad, a bowl of fruit, and a bowl of oatmeal in two minutes flat. When she finished her own food five minutes later he stood and rushed to the locker rooms.

"Nora what do you think we'll see out there? What if we see a dragon? If we do, can I ride it? Or kill it and absorb its powers? What if the dragon can speak!?" her friend ranted as he took his twin weapons, Stormblossom, and hid them in his large sleeves. He also strapped a long canister to his back, roughly two feet long but not any wider than six inches in diameter, that she knew carried ammunition, though not bullets like many students would expect.

"Renny?" Nora said calmly as she looked over to him. She folded her weapon, Mjolnhild, and stowed it on her back.

"Yes Nora?" he asked innocently.

"I don't think they'd let us fight a dragon," she said with a smile. He looked lost in thought for a moment before he came back to reality.

"That's exactly why we should train it!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. Nora just shook her head and sighed.

On the other side of the locker room, another duo was having a conversation. Perhaps conversation was a generous term though. It was more like one person was talking at the other person, while the other person was too polite to tell them to stop.

He stood above six feet tall, and had a mop of untamed blonde hair. He had on a black compression suit that was covered by his armor. He wore dark blue trousers that were held up by a belt with multiple pouches. On his back was a fairly dense, yet thin rectangle of metal. It was long and there was clearly a hilt sticking out the top.

His armor was a shining white with gold accents. He wore a heavy breastplate and backplate that protected him from even the heaviest blows. There was another set of plates that came out from under those that covered his midsection and lower back, leaving him almost fully covered on both sides. His shoulders were also covered in the same heavy plating, curving inward and up to protect his neck, even obscuring a little bit of his chin. His forearms and hands were armored as well, but his right arm was more heavily plated. The plate on top of his right arm extended to cover his hand and knuckles, with sharp claws on the end for when he was unarmed.

On his lower half he wore metal greaves that went up to his knees. The heavy metal boots made it difficult to sneak around, but they also made it incredibly hard to force him to move. Overall, he looked like an absolute tank of a man.

How did my life become this? he thought to himself as the short, and quite young looking boy in front of him continued fluffing his feathers.

He would've tried to step away politely but the horde of fangirls that had been following him around since he arrived had really been creeping him out. Not that he'd tell them that of course.

"...and that's exactly why I believe we'd make for the perfect partners," Whitley finished, smiling proudly at the warrior before him. He had his hands behind his back, Pistolblume at his hip.

"Wow. That was... a lot," the taller boy said, looking away. He wore a smile on his face but strangely enough his eyes didn't seem to change at all from when he was smiling to when he was not.

Whitley raised an eyebrow in confusion. That was all he had to say? Whitley was smarter than any student! And quite adept at combat as well! Maybe that was it... the proud warrior in front of him likely hadn't seen Whitley's prowess, unlike how the world had seen his time and time again.

Whitley was about to push the topic again, and impress upon him how amazing they could do if they teamed up when someone cut him off.

"Um, excuse me?" a girl asked. He looked at her. She was tall, and while he hardly concerned himself with the matter normally, he couldn't deny that she was quite beautiful. She was also... Quite plain looking. Was she a pedestrian in armor?

"Ah! Yes? How can I help you?" the warrior turned around and asked. Whitley bristled. She was taking his attention away! The fangirls watching bristled too.

"I believe... You're both in front of my locker..." she said nervously. Whitley rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, eager to continue his conversation with the warrior.

"Ah, my bad!" the tall boy said, stepping to the side. He continued facing her, something that had Whitley tapping his foot impatiently.

"Oh no, it's quite alright!" she said, bowing slightly.

The two then just kind of... stared at each other for a moment. The group of fangirls watching all around them glared daggers at the girl who was holding his attention so well. Whitley just groaned and stepped forward.

"Excuse me, do you have any idea who this is?" he asked. She looked at the tall boy nervously and fidgeted in place.

"Um, n-no? Am I supposed to?" she asked.

"You don't!?" Whitley huffed, "You are talking to the four-time champion of the Valean Battle Tournament!"

"The... The what?" she asked, slightly scared of the boy after his outburst. She wasn't great with people. She had always been kind of bad at talking to people.

"He's an absolute prodigy of both defensive and offensive combat, and just as skilled in hand to hand combat! They call him The Immovable!" Whitley tried again. She just quivered a little and looked at the tall boy, clearly looking to him to explain things to him. Whitley growled.

"HE'S ON EVERY BOX OF CHOCO CHARLIE'S CEREAL!" Whitley stomped, his eyes shut in rage.

Pyrrha gasped.

"Oh! I have the Choco Charlie's sweater!" Pyrrha said, jumping at the chance to have something to finally talk about. She lifted her breastplate and underneath on her red pullover was a cute, dark brown cartoony icon of a turtle.

"Aww, I always loved that sweater," the tall warrior said with a warm smile as he looked at the little icon. Pyrrha replaced her breastplate and smiled at him, blushing a little.

To everyone watching it almost looked like the girl had just flashed the boy. Neither of them seemed to notice though.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Pyrrha," Pyrrha greeted with an outstretched hand, smiling at the boy. He smiled back, everyone present noting that he looked a lot more natural than he did for the last two days they'd been stalking him.

"I'm Jaune. It's lovely to meet you Pyrrha," he said kindly. He took her hand and laid a soft, delicate kiss on the back of her hand. You could hear hearts breaking from a mile away. She blushed slightly, as did he, but they retained eye contact.

"Erm, Jaune? We... We were having a conversation about you and I being on a team?" Whitley said hesitantly. Jaune turned back to him, almost as if he had totally forgotten the boy.

"Ah! Sorry about that Whitley! I was uh... Thinking about just seeing what happens," he said, smiling awkwardly.

"I... See," Whitley said, disappointed. That was no good. He would settle for nothing but the best!

"Oh my god! Is that Jaune Arc!?" a voice called. Jaune flinched at those familiar words. The three teens turned as a yellow blur shot forward. Jaune stuck out his arm, almost as if on instinct, catching the blonde girl with one hand and holding her fully off the ground with ease.

"Hi!" the young girl greeted. Her innocent face made Jaune laugh lightly.

"Hello," he greeted.

"I know you probably get a lot of questions and it's probably super annoying to deal with fans and stalkers and stuff but I just gotta ask: did you really suplex a guy that was twice your weight and a head taller than you!?" Yang asked in one breath. Jaune blinked before answering.

"Yes, that's technically true, but people often misjudge the distance I actually was able to move my opponent," Jaune explained.

"Aww man, so you didn't actually suplex him?" Yang asked, slightly disappointed. He laughed humbly and waved her off, all while still holding her up with one hand.

"No I didn't suplex him," he said, as she deflated, but then he added, "I actually threw him."

"You threw him!?" Yang asked, immediately interested again.

"Yes, I threw him. I set a record with that match actually," he mumbled as he rubbed his chin.

"Oh my God that's so cool! Ruby!" Yang shouted at her sister who was hiding around the corner, "You gotta get a look at this guy's weapon! It's probably pretty cool..." she trailed off, baiting the reaper into socializing. Weapons always got Ruby talking!

Ruby peeked around the corner at that before walking over slowly. She eyed Yang who was casually hanging off his hand. He gave her an awkward smile. One she understood.

He wasn't a fan of all the attention.

She had a feeling she and him would get along.

Before Ruby could ask him anything the intercom sprang to life. Professor Goodwitch's voice rang throughout the halls.

"All initiates please report to the cliffs. I repeat, all initiates please report to the cliffs," she announced, promptly ending the transmission when she was done.

"Ah, sorry," Jaune said, looking much too relieved for someone who was sorry, "looks like we'll have to do this some other time."

"That's fine by me. I look forward to speaking with you," Ruby said politely, chopping Yang's arm to drop the girl from her hand. The brawler yelped and chased her sister when Ruby dashed away, the two exchanging sibling banter the whole time. Whitley sighed at the failed interaction and stalked off towards the cliffs.

Pyrrha grabbed her weapon from her locker and strapped it to her back. When she turned to depart for the cliffs she was surprised to see Jaune still there.

"Figured you would want a friend to walk with," he said with a timid smile.

"Oh! That would be nice, thank you," she beamed as they walked together towards the Emerald Forest. Pyrrha was freaking out internally. Was this how you made friends!? They just happened like that!? How did anyone make friends so easily!? She sighed and shook her head.

It was time for initiation. Whether she was ready or not.


She wasn't ready, she noted immediately.

Pyrrha turned to her left to look at a ginger girl and a black haired boy. They looked like they were ready to take on the world, with the girl's calm disposition radiating confidence and the boy's smile and high energy seemingly affecting the others around him, for they too seemed happier than when they arrived.

She turned right and saw the blonde girl who'd tackled Jaune and asked him about that incredible feat of strength he'd accomplished. Jaune himself stood at the very end of the line, relaxed and at ease as the headmaster and deputy explained how initiation worked.

And then there was her.

Pyrrha trembled a bit as she reminded herself to breath. She had her javelin and her shield on her back and her armor that covered the essentials. After that she noted that she looked the least prepared out of everyone. She also wondered what Headmaster Ozpin meant when he talked about a landing strategy.

"... With that being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years," he concluded. There was a noticeable tension that fell over the initiates.

Ruby shivered a little. Great. Strangers. Her favorite thing.

Adam rolled his eyes. What a terrible system to implement. What if a student was blind?

Whitley's eyes narrowed as he gazed towards Jaune. Perhaps he'd get his chance after all.

Yang grinned. Time to get out there, kick ass, make friends, grab a relic or whatever they were looking for. She was only a little nervous to be fighting Grimm by herself in the woods!

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked the soon to be students.

"Um, yes actually..." Pyrrha spoke up, raising her hand slightly. To her left, a loud thwoom sounded and she watched as a student flew off of the cliff into the forest.

"Yes, Ms Nikos?" Ozpin hummed as more and more students flew from the cliff.

Ren turned to Nora and winked as his plate launched him. Nora smiled lightly and shook her head as she too followed into the air.

"When you say landing strategy, do you mean like from a controlled—" the girl didn't get to finish as she went flying into the air. Ozpin took a sip from his mug. Goddamn, he loved his job.

Ruby turned to Yang, sending her an assured nod before she flew into the air and towards the forest. Yang smiled. Ruby believed in her. She had to meet her big sister at the end of this!

The brawler whooped when she flew into the air, Adam rolled his eyes. He went flying, not even drawing his sword before he was launched.

Jaune took a deep breath bent at the knees. He was the last to be jettisoned from the cliff. He narrowed his eyes.

The plate sprang.

As he soared through the sky he looked around him to the other students. The blonde girl who'd tackled him earlier was halting herself by firing short bursts of flames from her gauntlets. He looked past her and watched the other initiates. He was looking for one in particular.

"AHHHHHHHH!" a girl screamed as she flew through the air with no control. That looked and sounded about like her.

She didn't look like she was doing too well.

He turned around, reaching his arm over his shoulder and unfurling his shield. The large plate of metal held his family crest on the center. It glowed for a moment as he activated the dust within. It glowed a purple hue, the gravity dust coming forth.

The shield launched the burst out, sending Jaune flying forward past other students. He turned and held his shield above his head.

Why was he so invested in Pyrrha one might ask? That was easy.

She didn't know who the hell he was! He couldn't pass up the opportunity!

He was coming up on her fast. He held his right arm out and, like with Yang, caught Pyrrha as he flew by, holding the girl close to his body. The girl yelped and looked up at him in awe. He wasn't looking at her though. He was focused on landing now.

With his shield held above him, he activated the hard light dust within, the edges of the shield extending as the blue dust manifested. When it was done forming, only taking a second or so, they slowed considerably.

Too quickly in fact. The two bucked forth as their momentum was all but stopped. One wouldn't expect the dense slab of metal to do much when it came to halting momentum, but with the dust mechanisms inside he was well equipped for almost any situation. He grit his teeth a little as the sudden stop jerked his arm back, the force hurting his arm slightly. Luckily for him, his large amount of aura stopped any real damage from the stunt.

As they drifted down slowly, he scanned the area for Grimm. When the forest floor was in sight he let the dust go, falling the rest of the way. He landed in a crouch, letting Pyrrha go. The girl stood and watched as he looked around. After hearing nothing he collapsed his shield, slinging it over his shoulder and back to its place between his shoulder blades, never actually drawing his weapon.

"Sorry about that Pyrrha," he said, not at all sounding like someone who just saved her life and landed both of them without any damage.

"What are you sorry for? You saved me just now!" Pyrrha told him, not quite understanding why he was sorry.

"Oh. I kinda jumped the gun and helped you but you probably didn't really need my help landing. Robbed you of the chance to show your stuff, ya know?" he said, scratching at his cheek. She blinked at him.

How was she supposed to survive that!? How did everyone else survive that!?

"Jaune, really, I'm grateful for your help," Pyrrha claimed. He looked at her for a moment before smiling.

"Well, if you say so," he said back, "guess we're partners now."

"It would appear so," she smiled. They talked a little as they began forging their way through the trees. Along the way, they came upon a small incline. Jaune slid down easily, waiting at the bottom and looking up to her as he waited.

She slid down as well, but tripped halfway down and stumbled the rest of the way. Jaune flinched as he watched the girl tumble and spin as she fell, before finally stopping at his feet.

"I've... Never seen someone descend a hill like that before," he commented. She groaned as she sat up, wincing as she lifted her arm and rolled it in place.

She winced when she brought a hand up to feel her face. On her forehead she could feel a cut where her circlet must've scratched her when she fell. It would likely scar a little. Not to mention the mess it would make of her hair.

"Is... Is your aura broken already?" Jaune asked incredulously. She looked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"What?" she asked.

"You're bleeding," he pointed out.

"Unfortunately," she sighed.

"Did your aura break from that? Such a small fall?" he clarified. Was having such a weak aura possible?

"My... What?" she frowned.

"Your aura," he restated. Had she become concussed during her fall as well? That was bad. He'd have to protect her and himself, all while completing initiation.

"I... Don't know what you're talking about," she admitted, thoroughly confused.

"Pyrrha, do you have your aura unlocked?" he asked. She shook her head. She didn't know what aura was so the likelihood of her having it unlocked was low.

"That's..." Incredible? Strange? Concerning? Possibly all three.

"What is aura?" she asked, trying to understand what the big deal was.

"Aura is... Well, it's the very essence of one's soul. Aura gives us the ability to bear the burdens of the world and move forward. I've never heard of a hunter without an aura. It protects us and aids us in our time of need," Jaune explained. She listened intently. Aura sounded amazing!

"And aura is unlocked? How?" she asked. He looked slightly pensive. Unlocking someone's aura was somewhat personal. And they were essentially strangers.

"Would... would you like me to unlock it for you?" he asked. Her eyes widened. She could just have it like that!?

"Um, yes please!" she agreed. That sounded like it would make her a much better fighter. And make death not happen as early! It sounded fine to her!

"Right..." he sighed as he stepped towards her. He lifted his hand slowly and let his fingertips rest on her temple.

"It is in persistence that we achieve honor. From this, we become a shield for the weak and the righteous, and pledge to keep all life sacred. I empower your soul, and by my shield protect thee."

Pyrrha was in awe. His words were so... Poetic. She felt a strange pressure build within her before a warmth enveloped her from head to toe. It felt magical.

"Wow..." she whispered. He drew his hand back and smiled at her.

"I sense something powerful dwelling within you," Jaune commented as the wound on her head healed slowly.

Something powerful? What did he mean by that? Was she going to explode!?

"Now then, let's continue," he said as he turned and continued on.

"Say, Jaune," she called, stopping him. He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"The headmaster said north, right?" Pyrrha asked.

"I believe so," he answered.

"North is that way," she said, pointing away from where he'd been heading. He looked confused. He looked up. They couldn't see the sun due to the trees blocking the light so they wouldn't be able to tell east and west from here.

How did Pyrrha know which way was north? She wasn't looking at a compass at all. Maybe she was a pigeon faunus and she could sense direction? That seemed unlikely, she didn't have a beak or feathers or anything.

"How do you know?" he asked. She shifted a little, rubbing her arm.

"I don't know. I just feel like it's that way," she claimed, a determined look coming to her eyes. He shrugged.

"Lead the way," he gestured. She nodded and started walking. Hopefully there weren't any Grimm. She didn't think that would go over too well for them. Well, her, but she didn't want to leave her new partner to deal with her corpse.

Meanwhile, off in a clearing in the forest, a girl had landed. She rose from her crouched position, having simply landed right into the forest floor. She had left a massive crater upon landing. She winced. She hadn't meant to do that.

She heard a hissing noise and turned slightly. Behind her was a king taijitu, poised and ready to strike. It lunged forward, maw open to consume her in one bite.

Its head was promptly flattened as Nora spun and Mjolnhild unfolded to its full size.

Mjolnhild was a warhammer, though the ability to wield it was almost exclusive to Nora herself.

The head was massive, two feet wide, two feet tall three and half feet long. On both faces were bright pink hearts that glowed with the energy hidden within the head. The handle, when not in use, would retract into the head. It had an alternative firing mode as well, though she only used it when she had to due to its devastating power.

Another hiss was heard and she gasped as she felt the second head of the king taijitu slam into her back. She grit her teeth and slammed her hammer into the ground, stopping herself from moving any further.

The snake pushed back, trying to gain ground on the girl. As the two were locked in a power struggle, they both missed a quiet figure in the trees.

Nora grunted as she kicked the snake's head upward, swinging her hammer around and into the beast's mouth. It tried to crush the steel in it's mouth but was unable to leave a dent. Nora was about to finish the Grimm off when the silent intruder dropped from the trees.

"KIYAA!" Ren shouted as he dropped down, not bringing out his weapons and instead driving his boot down into the beast's skull. Once he felt the surface below him lose tension, he flipped off of the head and landed perfectly in front of the snake's face.

Turning, he whipped his arms out and two short, but wide and ornate, scimitars fell from his long sleeves, each blade a foot and a half in length and four inches from blade to blunt end.. He spun rapidly, slicing the beast's face up as he did. When he finished, he was facing away from the beats and looking Nora in the eyes while the snake fizzled away.

"Hi Nora," he said with a smirk. She sighed but smiled.

"Hi Ren," she replied, grabbing Mjolnhild and putting it on her back again. The handle retracted as she twisted the shaft.

"I saw the ruins that way while I was above the trees! I heard your hammer make that whump sound and knew it was you!" he retold. She listened with practiced patience.

A series of gunshots could be heard and they both turned. Nora got ready to rush and help their fellow students if the need came. Ren looked ready to sprint off as well.

"That's the same direction as the ruins," Ren stated. Nora nodded. Looks like they'll be meeting their classmates halfway.


Ruby sat in the tree she had landed on. Her landing had been graceful and silent, and she had been waiting to make sure other students passed.

It wasn't because she was afraid! She just... Wanted to make sure they were right for her! Yeah, that was it!

She casually took off another three beowolves heads, looking around with the scope on her darling. This was a past time of hers. Just sitting around with her precious and seeing how many Grimm she could pick off.

Ah, her precious creation. Her pride and joy. Nothing made her feel better than the bundle of joy in her arms right now.

Savage Rose. Her beautiful baby. She was all that Ruby ever wanted and needed in the world! Yang had always expressed how creepy it was that she idolized the weapon so much, but what did she know!? She wasn't crazy! Throwing birthday parties for your weapon wasn't crazy! SHE WASN'T CRAZY!

Ahem.

Savage Rose was fully designed and constructed by herself. When fully deployed it formed a long, curved scythe, roughly five and a half feet long, even with the curve. The shaft curved backwards and had a short lever on it. The blade curved out and dipped down slightly. The back of the head held a counterweight with a pike on it, meant for when she had enemies behind her that she needed to stab. The blade itself was serrated and when she pulled the level on the shaft back, the blade would snap down like the world's largest pair of scissors. The serrated blade made this function even more dangerous. This was part of the reason she called her Rose 'savage'.

The scythe was also two different guns. One was a high impact sniper rifle that was capable of loading armor piercing rounds. The scope had a max range of three hundred yards. It could also take dust bullets.

The other gun function was what gave Savage Rose her name. When she pulled the lever on the shaft back to bring the blade in, she could turn the lever to the side and open the barrel of the sniper to form a heavy duty railgun. Due to the weight of the ammo for the railgun, she could only carry two shots at a time. But those shots could puncture a goliath all the way through its faceplate and out its ass. She knew; she'd tried it. That's why she didn't use it on people.

There was a rustling in the bushes below and she immediately turned her attention towards it. Was it a student? Or was it another unlucky Grimm for her to take out?

She waited, holding her breath as she aimed down at it. Her finger tickled the trigger as she waited in anticipation. She was ready to fire if it was another beowolf or ursa. She squinted as the bush stopped rustling.

In a second, an alpha beowolf leapt from the bush towards her. A bullet tore through its shoulder, throwing the monster to the side. Four more beowolves filed from the underbrush and towards the tree she was on.

Knowing that staying in place was a bad idea, she turned Savage Rose into its full scythe form, turning the barrel end behind her and firing.

Using her semblance and the momentum from the shot, she moved forward faster than most people could detect. She caught two of the smaller beowolves within the curve of her blade. She quickly pulled the lever back, the blade closing quickly and returning to its regular position in seconds.

The remaining two beowolves circled her. One stood behind her, the other in front of her. The one in front charged in, leaping to bite at her face. She stepped back and heard the other beowolf lunge for her back.

Swinging back, she jammed the pike into the rear beowolf's chest before swinging it forward and into the beowolf in front of her. The two Grimm fell, and as they began to get up, Ruby used her semblance again.

She dashed forward and leapt straight up. She came back down, spinning forward and becoming a saw blade. She landed and bisected both of them at once, flicking Savage Rose to the side as she straightened up. She turned her head to crack her neck and groaned when she heard the pop.

There was a snarl behind her and her eyes widened as she turned. Shoot! She'd forgotten the alpha!

She was ready to scissor the beast in half when a red blade appeared through its mouth. It stopped immediately, slowly fading away into ash.

When it fully dissipated, the blade's owner was revealed to be the same young man from last night. She nodded her thanks to him.

"Adam, right?" she clarified. He nodded once.

"Ruby?" he said back. She nodded as well.

"You're the first person I've met. I suppose that makes us partners," Adam said. Ruby nodded. Normally she would be nervous to be stuck with a stranger, but from what she'd seen of the older boy, he wasn't a man of many words. That was perfect for her!

That wasn't to say she was totally okay with him. He was just the next best thing after Yang!

"Any idea where the ruins are?" he asked. She nodded and pointed behind him. That was the way she'd seen other students going.

He grunted and turned, walking without another word. Ruby followed silently, coming to walk beside him. The two shared a brief look, a blink, and a nod, before going back to walking wordlessly.

Ruby liked this. If people were like this she could do people more often. She noted that Adam always had a neutral glare on his face. It was like he was always angry at something in the world. She noted that his bull horns matched his black outfit quite well. She also noted they had the same color scheme, which made her appreciate the man more. Someone had taste.

Meanwhile Adam was doing the same silent appraisal of Ruby. He noted that she truly looked like the grim reaper. Not the lendart hunter but the visage of death. She was also quite beautiful and... well endowed. He had seen her fighting and was proven right that she was a force of nature. The girl could likely give him a run for his money.

She also wore a lot of black and red. That was a plus in his book. Someone understood good fashion.

They didn't encounter any other Grimm along the way, but they heard the other students fighting in the distance. Neither tried to make any small talk, something that actually seemed to bring the two closer together.

They came to a large clearing in the trees. There were stone ruins on an elevated pedestal that was likely where the relics were. The two walked over, scanning the area for any other students or Grimm. There seems to be nothing.

As they climbed the ruins, Ruby looked around at the plinths. On top of some of them were... Chess pieces?

"It looks like others have been here already," Adam noted as he too raised a brown at the chess pieces. She shrugged at them and he smirked, shrugging back. She walked up and picked up a white knight.

"Any particular reason for your choice?" Adam asked. Ruby looked over the piece and turned it around a few times. After a bit, she looked back at him.

"It's cute," she shrugged. Her answer earned a sigh from him, which caused her to laugh embarrassedly.

There was a sudden rumbling and they both turned, Adam ready to draw Wilt while Ruby deployed Savage Rose and crouched, ready to sprint forward to deal with the threat.

An ursa major flailed its way into the clearing, swiping at the air. Upon closer inspection it was actually swiping at its back. After stumbling into the clearing fully it fell forward, slumped and beginning to decay.

"Aw, that's a bummer!" Ren groaned, hopping off the beast. He turned and offered Nora a theatrical hand, causing her to blush slightly. Nora took the offered hand and stepped off calmly. Once on the floor, Ren zipped away to the ruins.

Adam and Ruby blinked as the boy passed between them. They noted that he was quite fast. They turned and watched as he looked among all the pieces. He gasped at one and grabbed it, turning and rushing back to Nora.

"Look! It's perfect for you! It's the castle you deserve!" he claimed. She looked at it and blushed lightly once again. It was a black rook piece. She took it and smiled apologetically at Ruby and Adam.

The two blinked at the scene. What a bizarre couple. Ruby snorted and Adam found himself smirking as well.

"Hello over there!" a voice called from the other end of the clearing. The four turned to see Pyrrha and Jaune walk over. They stopped before Ruby and Adam.

"You're the girl from this morning right? The one who was hiding behind the lockers?" Jaune asked. Ruby winced.

"Yup. That's me... Hiding behind lockers," she mumbled. He winced. Whoops, that wasn't how you made friends.

"Um, sorry. You wanted to see my weapon right?" he asked. She did a one eighty in attitude and was right in front of him in a second.

"Well if you insist..." she trailed off, clearly excited. He couldn't help but laugh. Such a reaper-like girl acting like one of his sister's was pretty funny.

He placed his shield on his arm, extending it for her to see. She 'oohed' at that and he smirked as he pulled the handle sticking out of the top.

It sang as it was pulled from the shield. Pyrrha noted she hadn't seen Jaune's actual weapon yet, so she too was curious. The others watched as well, Ren seeing everyone gathering and Nora making sure Ren didn't try to touch anything. Adam wanted to know what weapon the boy who radiated such a ferocious aura used.

He pulled out a long metal rod and switched something. The metal spiralled outwards. It narrowed as it reached the tip, but grew wider towards the hand guard.

The weapon was... pretty simple actually.

"That's it?" Ren asked. Nora nudged him and he shrugged, "What? I'm just saying!"

"I agree," Jaune laughed, "it's not the most spectacular looking thing."

It was his trusty lance and shield, Crocea Gardien. The lance itself was about six feet in length. It was a pure silver, the light reflecting off the metal. The shield was the shape of a classic heater shield with the bottom point looking quite sharp. The key difference between this shield and a normal heater shield was the size. The shape was similar but it was much bigger, being about two and half feet wide, nearly three and half feet tall, and four inches thick, it covered most of the boy's body. Impressive, considering he was not only very tall, but also heavily armored. Other than the gold accents, the lance didn't seem to have much else going on.

"There must be a secondary function," Adam noted. Jaune nodded.

"There is, but now's not the time to show it off," he said. Adam nodded. He understood that. But still, a lance for a champion fighter? And one that gave off such a ferocious aura at that? The lance just didn't make sense to him.

Suddenly there was screaming. The six of them were on guard immediately. They all looked around, trying to find the source of the shouting.

"Um, everyone?" Nora said. They watched her point up. Following her finger they all saw a giant nevermore circling above.

"Is... Is that your sister?" Adam asked Ruby. To her credit, Ruby hadn't passed out at the sight of her sister riding the creature.

Oh you better believe she was freaking out though.

"What the fuck!?" Ruby screeched. Rarely did the girl swear, her mother raised her better than that, but when she swore you know it was bad.

How the hell had Yang even gotten on that thing!?


Yang smiled as she flew through the air. She spun and avoided trees as she entered the forest. She'd been using small bursts of fire to slow herself, but now that she was in the trees she had to stop unless she started a forest fire.

She rolled as she landed, hopping up and looking around. Now to find a partner and one of those relics that the headmaster talked about! How hard could that be?

North was... That way? Sure, that seemed about right. She started a light jog in the direction she picked. Her mind was filled with excitement.

What kind of partner would she get?

Adam was pretty cool. He wasn't exactly nice, but he wasn't an asshole. He was also a kick-ass fighter from what she saw. He was older than the other first year initiates but that didn't matter to her! Though he didn't seem to care about much, and that might get on her nerves real quick.

Ruby was obvious. Her sister was the best fighter she'd ever met! Her weapon was a terrifying thing and even though Ruby would try to make love to it if it were a person she knew that Savage Rose was not to be trifled with. Ruby was a different person when she fought.

There was Pyrrha too. Sure she didn't seem very... Well, very good but that was okay! They were here to train, so of course she'd have time to get better. Plus the redhead was super sweet, albeit a little awkward.

Who else? She didn't really meet Jaune so much as she asked him if he had, in fact, thrown a much bigger man like a sack of potatoes. Still, the guy seemed kind and friendly!

The only other person she knew was...

"Aw fuck," she swore as she stopped and stared at the back of the person before her.

"What?" he asked, turning around to see who'd spoken. Both of their eyes widened as they looked at each other.

"You can't be serious!" they both yelled.

Yang groaned loudly. He hated her! Why'd they have to meet first!?

Whitley hissed. She was so insufferable! What'd he do to deserve this!?

"Listen here you," he said, pointing at her snidely, "I don't know who you are, but you look about as young as me. What exactly did you do to get accepted here early?" he asked. She kicked the dirt.

"Ozpin invited me here after the robbery the other night. He seemed impressed I fought those criminals so well," she stated. He tsked and rolled his eyes.

"That? I watched you fight! It was hardly worth bringing in someone so uncouth to fight with other hunters in training," he chided.

"Hey! What about you, huh!? You're the same age as me!" she growled, eyes flashing for a moment. He laughed at her.

"You're mistaken. I aced every written exam Beacon had! I passed most of the combat requisites as well," he said proudly. She crossed her arms and huffed at him.

"Most?" she asked. He flinched and hissed again.

"I... did poorly on the physical strength tests," he admitted. She smirked.

"Well I know for a fact I can ace those. So I have at least some right to be here too!" she declared. He glared at her. That optimism was annoying and so was she!

"Ugh! Fine! Don't get in my way!" he demanded. Maybe he could still get put on a team with Jaune. That'd still be a win, even if he had to deal with this doofus.

"Great! Glad to see you understand!" she laughed. He groaned. Understand? No. More like 'begrudgingly obligated by rules'.

Weiss would get a kick out of his suffering.

"Alright, let's get a move on!" she exclaimed, walking the way she'd been going.

"Where do you think you're going? The ruins are this way!" he pointed in the opposite direction.

"I just came from that way! It's gotta be this way!" she argued, pointing behind him. The two glowered at each other.

Their bad attitudes had attracted a crowd. A crowd of beasts and creatures that wanted to kill them, but a crowd nonetheless.

"Behind you!" they both shouted at once. Yang threw her hands forward, letting loose a spray of fire at the ground. She didn't want to burn the forest down but she also didn't want to get eaten!

Whitley aimed Pistolblume with his left hand and spun the cylinder with his right hand. Much like his sister's own weapon, each chamber appeared a different color. While unlike his sister he had to reload his weapon, he was able to use it much more concentrated bursts.

The cylinder finished spinning, and the chamber that it stopped in was yellow. He smirked and pointed the gun forward at the approaching beowolves, his right arm now behind his back in a dueller's pose. A white glyph appeared at the end of the barrel as he held his aim. This was also something he could do that his sister couldn't, or at least not without a lot more time.

He shot through the glyph and one bullet became ten, flying around in the air like bees, the pattern too difficult to track. They all found their marks inside the bodies of the four beasts, the creatures convulsing and smoking as electricity coursed through their bodies.

To his side, Yang had ejected the dust vials from her gauntlets, tossing two more into the air and catching them in the chambers with practiced ease. The forest behind him was on fire.

"Could you not have dealt with them without setting everything on fire?" he asked as he spun the cylinder of his revolver once more.

"Oh shut up, it worked," she grumbled. He rolled his eyes. Such incompetence! She'd burn them alive!

"We need to get out of here before your idiocy gets us cremated!" Whitley called as he launched another hail of bullets towards the Grimm.

"Well how do we do that without getting chased?" Yang asked. Grimm didn't have energy, so running from them was a bad idea most times.

Before he could supply any ideas, a loud screech rang out above them. They looked up to see a massive nevermore curing them, clearly preparing to dive bomb them.

"Well isn't this just grand! I always wanted to die at fifteen!" Whitley groaned as he summoned a wall of black glyphs to halt the Grimm from getting any closer to him. The fire was starting to agitate his scar. Great. And he'd die in terrible pain.

"We're not dead yet!" Yang said as she shot forward and dropkicked a beowolf into a tree, destroying the tree and sending flaming splinters into the other Grimm.

"How in Remnant are we going to escape this!?" he asked as he shot a single bullet directly between the eyes of a smaller beowolf. It turned to stone as the earth dust exploded within its head.

Yang looked around. A large feather slowly fell and caught fire when it entered their space. She looked up to see the large avian greet beginning to circle back and come low.

She had, what Ruby called, A Yang Idea.

"I think I know what to do?" she said.

"Whatever it is, do it fast!" he said, backing up until their backs touched. With his arm behind his back, she felt his hand against her spine.

"When I say jump, jump!" she told him, grabbing his arm behind her back. She kept her eyes to the sky.

Beowolves began breaking through the flames and glyphs, and behind them a few ursa had even joined them. They must've sensed their trepidation.

"Ready!?" Yang asked. This would be their only chance.

"If we live I promise to give you another chance!" he said, hoping for the best. Yang smiled. That was a good enough reason for her!

"JUMP!" she ordered. He jumped with her. She threw her hand out and made sure she gripped as hard as she could.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD!?" Whitley screamed as he watched the ground disappear beneath them.

"CAN YOU GRAB ON YOURSELF PLEASE!?" Yang asked, her arm starting to hurt from holding on to the nevermore and the boy at the same time.

He grabbed a handful of feathers and they both looked down at the large ring of fire that was left below them. Surely that'd solve itself.

"YOU'RE A DAMN FOOL, WOMAN!" Whitley screamed, more terrified now than he was before.

"IT GOT US OUT DIDN'T IT!?" Yang shouted back.

"YOU ABSOLUTE DOOFUS!" Whitley shouted.

"I THINK I SEE THE RUINS! THEY'RE COMING UP!" Yang told the boy, looking below with her eyes squinted from the wind.

"AND HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET DOWN!?" he asked, knowing she didn't think this part through.

To her credit, she hadn't thought this part through. At all. But with all his complaining, she did what came to mind first.

Whump.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, YOU STUPID BIIiiiiii..." Whitley raged at her as she kicked his hand, causing him to plummet from the bird.

She took a deep breath. Don't think about the drop. She had already fallen from an obscure height today, this was nothing. She let go of the nevermore and turned, falling towards the ground at an increasing rate.

This was a bad idea.

This was a bad idea!

"OH SHIT!" Yang screamed as she fell, watching Whitley falling below her. She swore she could see him glaring bloody murder at her. She didn't blame him.


"How do we help them!?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune and Ruby were already moving.

Ruby ran and leapt off a tree, using her semblance to propel herself into the air as she became a storm of petals. Jaune simply ran and positioned himself below the two, looking up and moving as he judged where they would land. As the two came closer, the two spring into action.

Ruby swept Yang up and bolted back down to earth, skidding across the ground with her sister in her arms. Yang was holding her arms around the taller girl's shoulders. She sent her an appreciative smile. Ruby shot her a look of relief and frustration combined.

Jaune meanwhile narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Whitley came down fast and he bent his knees.

He caught the boy bridal style, absorbing the impact with his aura. He flashed bright white as his aura flared. He grunted a little, the ground below him cracking in a small circle around him as the impact went through him.

"Wow!" Ren called as he watched the warrior sigh and put the boy down, "how'd you do that!?"

"It's an... Aura technique," Jaune said, stretching hung his arms. Ren looked skeptical.

"That's weird because I use a whole bunch of aura techniques and I've never seen one that can do that!" Ren said. Jaune coughed and looked away, not speaking any further.

He couldn't just tell everyone what his semblance was. That was what made him The Immovable!

"Jaune," Whitley said from his side, "Thank you for assisting me. I surely would've gotten hurt had you not helped me."

"It's the right thing to do," Jaune smiled, clapping a hand on the boys back.

"Wow! I can't believe that worked!" Yang said as she and Ruby walked back over. Ruby still looked slightly panicked, but nothing compared to the look of rage that took over Whitley's features.

"Are you insane!? You kicked me off of a nevermore flying Lord knows how high in the air!" he seethed, stomping over to the girl.

Ruby shot her a look and Yang laughed nervously. Ruby looked disappointed. Conversely, Adam looked quite amused.

"Hey! You said you'd give me a fresh start if I got us out of that fire!" Yang pointed out. Whitley was about to continue but froze. He... Had given his word on that. And they had escaped with their lives...

He glared at her and held a finger up.

"You have one chance to show me you're not a total doofus. Use it wisely," he ground out. She nodded, feeling a chill wash over her at the icy glare he shot her. Ice prince did not play around.

She raced up the pedestal to grab a relic. She found a little horsey. That'd do perfectly! She ran back and wiggled the chess piece at Whitley who eyed the object, no doubt wondering why the relics were chess pieces. He shrugged and checked the skies as she stowed it away.

"I'm afraid our avian friend is coming back," he noted.

"Yes, not to mention our new friend!" Ren said. They all looked at him in confusion.

"Ya know," he pointed and they turned, their eyes widening at the massive beringel lumbering their way, "him?"

"What the hell!?" Adam shouted as he watched the gorilla charge them.

"Why is that thing here!?" Nora asked, readying herself for the inevitable fight.

Upon closer inspection, a few things became evident. One was that this berigel was likely following the nevermore, knowing that if it was attacking, there was prey. The other thing they noted was that the beast looked singed, smoke trailing from parts of its body. It snuffled and grunted as it ran at them.

"It looks like it was on fire," Pyrrha noted as she raised her small shield in front of her. Her javelin was in her other hand, and while it didn't shift like everyone else's weapon, it could extend to be a xiphos. That was about it, but it was better than nothing!

"Wow, that's craaazy," Yang laughed, looking at Whitley who gave her an icy look.

"I don't even wanna know," Ruby mumbled. Adam nodded at her side.

"Is everyone ready to move?" Yang asked the other seven students. Everyone gave some form of approval.

"Then let's get the hell out of dodge!" she shouted.

And so they ran for the hills.

"What exactly is the plan other than 'run to a better location'?" Adam asked.

"Don't die!" Yang shouted as they all ran towards the abandoned ruins of an old tower in the cliffside.

"That's more like a suggestion!" Nora pointed out as she got ready to take out Mjolnhild. The handle ejected and she placed her hand around it.

"DUCK!" Pyrrha yelled, diving to the floor. The others moved or went low too. It was just as well, for a giant gorilla went flying over them, attempting to tackle them with its leap.

Now the berigel was in front of them. And the loud screeching signified that the nevermore was, in fact, still a problem. The beast before them beat its chest and heaved as it crouched low, ready and waiting to attack.

"Anyone have any bright ideas now?" Whitley asked. Yang was about to shout again and he held a hand up.

"Any ideas that don't include fleeing?" he reiterated. She didn't move after that. He groaned.

"We should get to the top of that cliff!" Pyrrha said. They all looked to see the cliff above the ruined tower. The same tower the nevermore had just perched on.

"And after that?" Nora asked, hefting Mjolnhild before her, the hammer's head facing down as she gripped the haft with both hands.

"Hopefully it's more open up there. Fighting the nevermore will be easier, right?" Pyrrha said, clearly not having much else to go off of.

"It's better than nothing!" Ren shouted as he Stormblossom out again. This time, however, he put both blades in a reverse grip before slamming the handles together.

Ruby practically salivated as the two scimitars clicked together. The blades extended in both directions and a metal chord with a small notch in the middle holding it together popped out, forming a longbow with a bladed edge. A small hole on top of the canister in his back popped open. Reaching back, his arm tugged at the strap connecting the quiver to his person, ejecting an arrow from the hole for him to grab.

"Wow! That's a really pretty bow!" Ruby gushed. Ren sent her a happy and joyous look. The boy was practically glowing!

Wait. He was glowing. It made her feel... Happy. That was kinda weird. Everyone else suddenly looked a little happier too! Even Adam looked... Less grumpy.

Ren nocked his arrow and took aim before letting it loose. The large arrow sliced through the creature's cheek, making it hiss and grunt at him. He replied by launching another arrow into its left bicep.

"Ren, keep that up," Nora said, switching her own weapon over as well. The handle of Mjolnhild retracted, but only halfway this time. She held the handle with her left hand, placing the head of her hammer on her shoulder as she held it in place with her right hand. The hearts on the faces of the head glowed as the weapon shifted, growing slightly more narrow and slightly longer as it did. Whatever it was, it was clearly a... Gun? It had a trigger where her left hand held it aloft. On its left side was a square with a holographic aiming reticle.

"What the hell is that?" Adam asked. Nora finally allowed the confident grin that Ren always talked about, come to her face.

"It's just my method of reaching things that are far away," she claimed. Ruby was waiting to see what the weapon did. It looked powerful! Was it a rocket launcher? A grenade launcher? Maybe it was a—

She stopped. All in due time, Ruby. These awesome weapons had people behind them. Remember that people don't like it when you swoon over inanimate objects.

Jaune had his shield out but not his lance. Pyrrha mimicked him, whipping her shield out and holding her javelin awkwardly. He noted that they might need to practice a little. He could identify several openings in her form.

"Alright people! Let's get to the top of that cliff!" Yang shouted. They all moved, the beringel ready to pounce.

When they got close enough, it did.

"Nora!" Ren sang happily. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she brought her eye to her weapons sights. The gorilla jumped up, arms above its head as it prepared to smash her. She simply held her ground.

She did the smashing.

The end of her weapon glowed pink, as electricity surged at an unbelievably high rate towards the end. It charged for only a second, something she and Ren had worked on for ages.

Then a dense, pink laser tore from the end, bucking her in place.

The laser shot forward and completely disintegrated the left shoulder and arm of the Grimm. Everyone stared at the weapon in shock and a little fear. That definitely would kill a person.

"Was that a fucking laser!?" Yang shouted. Normally Ruby would smack her for her language, but she too was in awe at the absolutely beautiful machine of destruction before her.

"Well, it was actually a concentrated blast of electricity and fire dust that had time to heat and—" Ren cut her off.

"I call it the Spartan Laser!" Ren claimed. Nora just sighed.

"I'm not a Spartan," she pointed out. He blew a raspberry at her.

"Duh, but that laser totally Spartan kicks whatever it touches right down to hell!" he claimed.

The berigel groaned as it stood slowly, now leaning to one side. It was down one of it's large arms, which would make dealing with it much easier. It grunted and moved ahead, intent on crushing them still.

"I'll handle this and meet you guys up there," Jaune said, stepping forward.

"You sure you can do it alone?" Pyrrha asked. He smiled at her.

"It's crippled. Have a little faith in me," he said as he unsheathed his lance and charged forward. The beast seemed happy to meet him halfway.

"You heard the man!" Yang said as she dashed past the knight, "Move it people!"

They all ran past Jaune and the beringel, crossing the old stone bridge and stopping at the foot of the tower. The thing looked old and unstable, the entire structure around them looking like it'd fall apart if it took anymore damage.

And damage is exactly what happened when the nevermore flew head first through the bridge they'd just crossed and then the pillars in front of them.

They all sprang into action, dodging rubble and not falling into the ravine below. Adam dashed forward, tearing Wilt from its scabbard and simply carving his way through the rubble. Each cut was clean, and he barely had to move from his spot to prevent himself from being hit by falling rocks.

Ruby dashed around, avoiding everything easily. She looked around for Yang and saw her and her new partner leaping off of rumble to get higher. Yang would blast herself further with Ashen Celica while Whitley seemed to be jumping off of thin air using his glyphs.

Ren hummed a happy tune as he danced out of the way of the debris. He jumped and used each stone as a foothold to jump to another position. Nora stood below him still, having Mjolnhild back in hammer form and batting rocks aside like they were flies. The ones that didn't go flying away shattered as she struck them. What a woman!

And then there was Pyrrha.

"Ah!" she yelped as she dived to the side, then screamed as she looked up and saw the masonry coming directly towards her. She rolled to the side, and crawled away as more rocks fell. This seemed harder than fighting the beringel!

Speaking of which, she looked across the ravine. Now that the bridge was broken Jaune would have to find another way towards them. Speaking of the knight and champion, he seems to be fairing quite well by himself.

Jaune braced down, allowing the only arm of the beats to strike his shield. He grunted a little but didn't do anymore as he came from behind his shield and stabbed at the beringel's throat. It snarled as the tip of his lance pierced its body.

He stepped to the side quickly, the fist hitting the ground this time. Knowing he should end this quickly, he let out a battlecry. Pulling his lance arm back, he swept low with its entirety, taking the beast off its feet. It fell on its back and he leapt forward the short distance, driving the lance through the beast's chin and out the top of its head.

Tearing his lance free, he looked at the carnage going on at the tower. Pieces were missing, some were still falling, and he could see that the other seven students were now separated around the tower's exterior.

The nevermore cawed as it came and percehd back on the tower. It waited as they all regained their footing. It flew up slightly before letting loose a storm of feathers.

"Everyone!" Yang cried. They all ran behind cover, the feathers impaling the stone and peering the area.

"We need to keep it in place!" Pyrrha shouted, hoping the others could hear her.

"I can deal with it if you guys stop it!" Ruby shouted back.

"I got an idea!" Yang said. She turned to look at Whitley who stood on a pillar opposite of her.

"I suppose anything is worth a shot now," he grumbled. He used his glyphs to hop over to her. Pyrrha climbed up and stood with them as well. Meanwhile Adam, Ren, and Nora all prepared to keep the bird perched if it tried to fly.

And fly it did. It spread its wings again to send feathers their way, but Ren launched a flurry of arrows it's direction, striking its wings. While none of them did any significant damage, the impact kept the beast in place. Nora aimed and shot but the bird saw it coming and flapped to the side, the laser searing it's wingtip. She tsked, if the damn thing kept moving she would be able to get a good lock on it. She only had around five shots with her laser mode.

Adam dashed out from his cover and ran directly at the avian Grimm. It sent more feathers his way, but instead of dodging this time he used his sword and blocked as many as he could. His blade was glowing now and he sheathed it, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"EVERYONE!" Pyrrha shouted. They all turned to see what the three had come up with.

Whitley stood with his revolver aimed and ready, a huge white glyph in front of it. Yang had her gauntlet's flamethrowers cocked back, ready to fly forward. Pyrrha was watching the nevermore carefully.

Finally she gave Whitley the word.

"Give it everything you've got!" she called.

Whitley took a deep breath. This would drain most of his aura. It had better work.

He fired through the massive glyph, and instead of ten bullets, fifty flew from it and towards the creature, each glowing a light blue. It squawked as the bullets impacted, freezing Everytime they struck something.

The bird fell and stood awkwardly, weighed down by all the ice now. It screeched loudly, the noise making everyone flinch for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Three arrows struck it's torso, exploding a moment later as the dust in the tips activated and covering it with smoke. A laser tore through the smoke and ripped half of its right wing off.

Then a glowing red faunus leapt through the smoke and cleaved off its entire left wing. It screeched again, the sound clearly hurting the man's more sensitive ears.

It's screech was cut off when a ballista punched all the way through its chest and into the cliff behind it.

Ruby stood at the end of the stone walkway towards the tower, crouched and with her railgun aimed. She heard the screech stop and knew she'd landed the shot.

"Is it dead?" Pyrrha asked. The smoke cleared to show that, while incredibly fucked up and definitely on its deathbed, the nevermore was still alive.

"Well, how do we go about this?" Whitley asked, checking how many bullets he had left.

They didn't get a chance to decide when a bright, glowing, white... Sphere? Cannonball? Something roundish, shot right past them and into the nevermore's head, exploding it where the beast stood.

Their mouths hung open. They turned slowly to see Jaune, all the way across the ravine, with his lance held before him. He was holding it like a minigun, the massive shield covering the entire top of the weapon.

The tip of the lance was gone now and the whole thing was shorter by about two feet. However the key difference was that the lance was now hollow in the center, the inside of the lance-turned-cannon glowing and smoking from the shot. He thrust his arm forward and the inside coiled forward, extending back to its full length.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" most of them yelled. Adam and Nora didn't, but both still stared in shock.

"It was aura!" he shouted back from across the ravine.

"People can shoot aura!?" Yang gasped.

"I can shoot aura! You'd all be hard pressed to try it yourselves!" the champion laughed back.

Shooting aura. Of course that would eviscerate Grimm like nothing! But what would it do to people? Would it have no effect? Would it have an even worse effect!? The champion boy known as 'The Immovable' was certainly an enigma, that was for sure.

Above them, they heard engines roar. They looked up and saw two bullheads hovering above. They whooped or sighed in relief.

Initiation was over. And it looked like they'd passed.


"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. You collected the black bishop pieces. From here on out you shall be known as Team Cardinal. Lead by Cardin Winchester," Headmaster Ozpin stated. The four bowed politely before stepping off stage.

Ruby was antsy. She had to be on stage in front of everyone!? That was not what she signed up for! Throw her back in the forest with the beringel!

"Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren. You four collected the white rook pieces. From this day forth, you will be known as Team Pavilion. Led by Pyrrha Nikos," he announced. Jaune sent her an encouraging smile. Ren shook Nora, who sighed but smiled still.

The newly formed Team PAVL walked off stage, Pyrrha wishing Yang good luck when they went up.

"And finally, Yang Xiao Long, Whitley Schnee, Adam Taurus, and Ruby Rose," he called. The four of them walked on stage and people whispered to one another.

The two youngest and the oldest first years on the same team? Talk about a big range. Ruby was the only one who was the same age as every other first year. The reaper hoped nobody was staring at her.

"You four collected the white knight pieces. From this day forth, you will be known as Team Ishtar. Led by..."

Yang thought Whitley, while snobby, would likely make the best leader. Or Ruby, but she didn't like having to be the center of attention.

"Yang Xiao Long," he finished. Yang's eyes widened. Her? A leader?

Ruby picked her sister up in a hug, telling her how proud she was and how great she'd do. Adam sent her a nod and a thumbs up. That was all from him. Whitley looked upset but didn't look like he had enough energy to contest anything as of right now.

"It's looking like things are shaping up to be quite the year," Ozpin commented before walking off stage.

The room was immediately filled with charter and laughter as many got to know their new teammates. Team PAVL ran over and met Team YSTR as they came off the stage.

"Congratulations Yang," Pyrrha bowed lightly. Yang laughed, still not believing what had just happened.

"Congrats to you too Pyrrha. Last I checked you're a leader too!" Yang commented. The girl blushed but laughed as Jaune patted her back.

"And I'm sure she'll be the best damn leader we could ask for, right you two?" he asked Ren and Nora. Nora nodded and Ren saluted exaggeratedly.

"Are Pavilion and Ishtar even colors?" Adam asked aloud.

"Last I checked pavilion could be a beige to white color while ishtar is a dark grey or blackish color," Nora said. They all blinked.

"What? Don't look at me, I'm just reading off the color scale and internet," she said, holding up her scroll. They all laughed and went to retrieve their room numbers.

They all had one thing in mind right now.

Sleep.


Goddamn this long ass chapter. There was no good place for me to end it without it being too short or an awkward break.

Alas, the trials of writing.

We meet the rest of the main cast in this second, very long chapter! For those of you trying to figure out what their weapons look like in terms of size and shape, I based team JNPR— sorry, Team PAVL's weapons off of weapon types from monster hunter. Big ass weapons with exaggerated designs and effects? Sounds like it fits perfect in RWBY!

Also yes, Nora's hammer becomes a Spartan laser. RWBY was created by a lead animator for Red vs Blue after all. Rest in peace, Monty.

Is everyone a little more overpowered? Yep. Will that change anything? You betcha. But instead of another story where only one character *COUGH COUGH JAUNE COUGH COUGH* is super strong, I made a lot of them super strong. Yes Jaune is strong too, but we'll see to what degree in later chapters.

I'm excited to keep going with this.

Remember to please follow if you want to see more and review! I love seeing your comments on my work!

Stay safe out there and treat others as you want to be treated!


Omake: Ozpin has to name teams.

Team PJRN? What would that spell out? Porn? He couldn't name a team Porn!

Ozpin let out a groan that showcased his real age as he slumped at his desk. Naming teams was always the hardest part of initiation. Letters that didn't go together, having to switch first and last names, the occasional student with Z as one of their initials! You know how hard it was to work with Z!?

He sighed. Maybe he'd try a different team for now. Let's see... Ruby Rose, Adam Taurus, Yang Xiao Long, Whitley Schnee...

Team RYST? Why'd he feel like he would be ripping off a much more successful writer— uh I mean, person if he named them that?

What about Team WYTR? What would that be though? Whiter? Whiter was an adverb, not a color!

Sometimes he wished he'd started the revolution of naming your children after normal things instead of colors. Damn you repeat twenty six! Why'd you have to go with colors during the great war!?

He sighed and looked at the other one hundred twenty students that had passed. He looked into his empty cup of coffee.

He'd need a refill. Or two. Or ten.