Chapter 1

So, my first RWBY fic, idea popped up randomly while reading something else and now I just got the desire to try this out.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1: Without another

Her cheeks stung red while tears threatened to spill out of her eyes and drape down her cheeks, but she held them fiercely- for she knew that allowing them to spill would only result in further punishments.

She had dropped a cup of tea on the ground today, her fatigue having gotten the best of her, resulting in glass crashing down upon smooth wood, alerting several of the hotel's guests of her failure. She had not been given leeway for her failure, in its place she had instead been given harsh words, and even harsher punishments. Her 'mother' rarely struck her, much more invested in using the necklace draped around her neck instead, yet today that hadn't been the case. In her frustration she had struck.

...and used the necklace for extra measure of course.

Her 'sisters' had taken her failure poorly as well, but instead of direct physical harm, she had instead been taunted, chastised, and..laughed at. The anger that raged within her was minuscule compared to the overwhelming helplessness that clung to her body, holding her down like bars of iron. She was so..utterly alone, without a single soul to look at her like more than a pest, for all her life..that was all she was.

She had been offered help once or twice. Once by an older man who offered her food within his room. She had practically jumped at the show of kindness….that childish joy had remained up until she felt his hands on her shoulders. She was only able to escape due to the arrival of the maids that knocked upon the door before the man could do anything. The women had inadvertently saved her from a horrible fate, but both had been unwilling to bring up the occurrence to their employer. Could she have been kidnapped? Killed? Sold? The possibilities were endless. The second time around..a child offered her some food because they didn't want to eat it. Nevermind that she woke up sick the day after..

She couldn't stop the tears, nor could she stop the shuddering breaths or the shaking of her shoulders as she scrubbed the tea her sisters had dropped upon the carpet to taunt her. Her moisture filled eyes briefly glanced up to meet the gazes of several people that stared at her with content, lacking empathy. Some children stared at her with disgust, and an older woman looked at her with..pity, yet lacked the willingness to help.

There was no one who could ever help her.

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Kindness; an act of doing something selflessly for another person. She believed the idea of such a thing to be laughable and idealistic at best. Humans naturally did every action with some form of selfish ideal in mind. She's experienced it countless times before; be it those who seemed to seek wealth, power, or pleasure, or those who wanted that feeling of heroic idealism to be fulfilled in their deeds. Hunters weren't immune to this, and beacon students seemed to be the embodiment of the idea. She once believed in and even hungered for true kindness, in all of her years as a child she thirsted for someone to spare her a glance, to spare comfort for a starved girl who suffered.

No one ever did.

In the end she learned that kindness was an idea that only the idealistic and foolish believed in, those who hadn't lived through the real world. Her childish mind was squashed, and in the place of weakness, strength and power surged. The longing for that power..that power to not have to run, to not have to give way to others. It was far better than make believe nonsense others spoke of, kindness..served no one.

Or so she believes.

Cinder Fall sat upon her bed within her dorm room, thick, pale bandages wrapped along her abdomen and leading up to her chest, halting just beneath her breasts. She could feel the constrictive material tug along the wounds from the night prior, the memory of what had occurred fresh within her mind.

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Her skull practically screamed, head aching from within, beating like an endless drum. She blinked her amber eyes open, being rewarded with the hazy sight of pale walls and a flat ceiling. She could vaguely make out white curtains from the corner of her eyes, a low groan rumbling past her lips before she could contain it.

"M-M'lady!" An unfocused voice called as she raised her hand, pressing her palm against her temple. Just as the concerned face of Emerald stood at her bedside.

"Emerald.." She murmured, voice still hoarse and scratchy, the dryness suddenly solved once the green haired girl in question raised a bottle to her dry lips, passing the cold liquid down her throat as she coughed.

Her mind was...hazy to say the least. She could remember having been sent on a mission to aid with mountain Glenn upon the headmaster's realization of just what the plan was. She, Emerald, and Mercury were all sent to aid with evacuation and the killing of the hordes of Grimm in the area. Her last memory was a great eruption due to Torchwicks incompetence.

...Torchwick!

She sat up a moment later, ignoring the pain that clawed at her abdominal, as well as the screaming headache within her skull. Her burning amber eyes instead settled on a bewildered Emerald, who stood with the same expression within her eyes.

"Emerald, inform me of these new..developments."

The girl in question looked like a deer that had been caught in headlights, but after a nervous glance to the ground, she nodded her head and began speaking.

"After we were sent to the city, the teachers split our group up with others. I was with mercury and three other students. You got sent off with another group. We were told to evacuate the civilians and take down the Grimm that were coming out of the tunnel and into the surrounding area."

It all made sense so far. She could vaguely recount all of these instructions, though her head seemed to fizzle out beyond this point.

"Go on."

"A big explosion happened, a chemical reaction of some sort. Apparently your group got caught up in it. Or so we were told.."

This piqued her interest, gaining a raised brow from the brunette. Her golden eyes naturally pierced into Emeralds own scarlet red, practically instructing her to continue with just her eyes, though at the lack of response her gaze would narrow.

"Emerald, who...informed you of this?" Her voice was, for the most part, calm. Yet suspicion was clear in the way her eyes watched the illusionist.

The dark skinned girl hesitated for a moment, her lips pressing together as a nervous breath left her lips. Finally however- she spoke in a quick, nervous breath.

"T-the student who saved you."

Her body seemed to naturally stiffen, as if every cell in her body suddenly decided to constrict like a lock. Her eyes would widen, her lips would part in surprise, her skin suddenly going pale. Seconds ticked by as realization struck her, and just like that- the opposite reaction would come to pass. Her lips thinning and her eyes narrowing as raging flames practically howled behind her eyelids. The beautiful woman's fingers constricted around the side of the bed until her knuckles became white from pressure.

"The...what?" She asked, voice deathly and words uttered slowly. It seemed as though the tension in the room had suddenly skyrocketed. Emeralds' own bewildered face painted the picture perfectly.

"T-there was a student who carried you to the teachers.." She began nervously, fingers running along her arm. "H-he..said that you took the blunt of the blast. That you managed to stand up and fight off some of the Beowolves but one of them managed to get into your guard and hit your stomach. He said..he got you as soon as he could.."

The room remained silent for several, painfully long seconds. The clock ticked by as Cinder sat wordlessly, eyes glaring holes into the wall beside her.

"I...see."

How..reckless could she have been? Was it the fatigue from dealing with Roman's messes? From dealing with Salem? From dealing with this useless school and it's students? She had probably been caught off guard and disorientated but still managed to hold off on using any of the maiden powers or from showing too much of her own, that was..good. Yet she could have, would have died if it weren't for some brat..

Which brings up another pressing issue. She was 'saved' by a student, and now she needed to figure out a way to pay them back before they began uttering nonsense or even seeked her out in some way, shape, or form. Unless he's already gone off and began prancing about his 'deed'. It..could be worse though, it could've been someone who knew the truth about her, and would now use this in an attempt to get something from her.

...Surely, that was not the case..

She had been so focused on her own foolish mistakes that she hadn't noticed Emerald speaking to her. She turned back a moment later, expression clearly displaying her frustration.

"What?"

"I...I said his name is Jaune Arc."

Jaune Arc? She's heard about him in passing once or twice, though she's never quite looked at him for more than a few passing seconds, never enough to form much of an opinion. Although, more knowledge on him now wasn't just necessary, it was a necessity.

"I see.. What else have you been able to gather about him?"

Emerald looked away nervously for a moment, speaking up a moment later. "Nothing...we haven't really had the time to, not since the attack."

"Then...how, how do you know his name?"

"He introduced himself the day after the attack."

Cinder stilled, bewilderment crossing her once more for the third time in the last five minutes. She spared Emerald a look as she straightened out her back.

"He...what?"

"After the attack, I came here with Mercury and we found him trying to talk the nurse into letting him know the extent of your injuries. He came up to us, told us he was the one who carried you, he told us his name then.."

That was..not the best development. Him seeking her out was especially the thing she had been worried about. Now? Well her suspicions had been all but confirmed.

"I see.."

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The memory still burned in her mind, even two days later. She's racked her head continuously for what his motives could have possibly been. Thankfully Emerald had gathered some information on the boy.

He was a first year student, much to her distaste. Along with that he seemed close to the annoyingly persistent team RWBY, utilized a sword, and was the partner of four time Mistral champion, Pyrrha Nikos.

These developments were..most interesting.

The boy was closely allied with a group that's shafted Romans plans numerous times, along with being partnered with a maiden candidate. The fact of the matter is the boy is at the epicentre of nearly everything. She chastised herself for not having paid more attention, getting close to him could have proven to be more than beneficial. By now it was...too late, he had already pressed himself into her plans, along with the possibility of him having an idea of who she was..

Her own research had been beneficial. While 'Jaune Arc' was a name that brought out few results, his surname did bring about a good deal of results. There's a few resort about a man named 'Nicholas Arc' having taken down Grimm in a few villages, a hunter; presumably the boy's father. Along with numerous results of the war hero Julius Arc, the man that was of course on the statue of Beacon's courtyard.

Just like that, the stars aligned; he was more than likely some foolish warrior that wished to bring about glory to his family name by honouring his relatives. How...simple minded. She almost wanted to laugh at having put so much brain power into such a simple man. Even so, she couldn't allow him to run around spreading things about her, best to confront him head on and stop him before he could start anything and bring unnecessary attention upon her.

With her wounds healed enough..She stood from her bed with a coy smirk, ready to put an end to this.

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One should understand their enemy before engaging with said enemy. Something she had been taught quite extensively during her training. This tactic is utilized across the board in multiple fields, this was no different. The raven haired woman sat off to the side within the cafeteria, amber eyes slowly swaying along the room in search of the subject of her current frustrations. Her eyes eventually laid upon a team of four students; the first was a ginger haired girl with bright, teal coloured eyes. She appeared to be talking wildly, speaking to a raven haired male that sat with a calm expression, the male in question possessed a single stripe of pink running along his bangs, his style of clothing was clearly foreign to vale, handsome in an elegant kind of way. Pyrrha Nikos sat next, her bronze armour shimmering in the light. She's heard much about the girl, the maiden candidate being..much less impressive in person. She appeared almost shy with her movements, hands held together in front of her as she eagerly listened to the final member of team JNPR.

Jaune Arc appeared fairly…..ordinary. He was fairly handsome if not gangly. A hint of solid muscle appeared to be developing along his body. His wild blond locks were unkempt, his sapphire orbs clear even from where she sat. All in all...he was rather boring as an enemy. If he could even be considered as such, he was more than likely a simple man out for the huntsman glory. A sigh exited her lips as she dropped her head before he could notice. This was..rather simple enough, she could simply approach him and 'thank' him for saving her, preventing him from going out of his way to garner attention for his deeds. Truth be told she was rather grateful towards the fool..little did he know he doomed his entire school with his foolish act of glory.

She felt her shoulders suddenly stiffen a moment later. His eyes..they were on her. She could feel them roam her, observe her… It was clear she was recognized, and as the seconds ticked by she felt her suspicion gradually raise. The tension within her body seemed to simmer within her gut like a kettle. Did he...know? No..she was being paranoid. Someone such as her could hardly be discovered by a third rate like him..

Yet his eyes wouldn't leave, she could feel them crawling along her skin. She couldn't stop herself, she raised her head and met his blue gaze with her own fiery gold. She saw his eyes widen for a moment as she instinctively narrowed her gaze, causing the male to avert his eyes a moment later.

This would not do..she'd need to corner him later. It was the only solution.

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Jaune audibly groaned as he raised an arm towards his face, wiping his brow that had developed a thick sheet of sweat a moment later. After finishing up lunch and completing the rest of his classes, he always returned to the sparring rooms and trained a little extra by himself for an hour or two. It wasn't like training with Pyrrha wasn't good enough, she was great! Really! He just...needed more. He couldn't afford to walk alongside his team without applying himself one hundred percent. The extra training wasn't because Pyrrha wasn't a good teacher, simply put..he just wasn't good enough as a student. Which is why he had to do more, why he had to train more than anyone else, because if he didn't..then he wasn't doing enough. He wasn't so self centered that he believed he could catch up to years of training in just a few months, but if he really did apply himself then at the very least he would become useful, he wouldn't be a liability, he could be..strong enough for his team.

The blond let out a sigh as he rotated his wrist, easing the tension it currently had after a bad overhand swing. He tended to overextend himself and telegraph his movements, Pyrrha was trying to train that out of him, but well..it was a work in progress.

Sheathing his blade, the knight pulled his head back and took a gulp of his bottled water, allowing the cold liquid to ease down his throat, causing a shudder to run down his heated body. Making his way out with an almost casual sway to his step-likely due to fatigue- he made his way to the male locker rooms, eager to wash away all the sweat and aching of his body.

"Jaune Arc…"

He immediately seized his movements as a sultry voice casually spoke. Their words were uttered like honey, spoken in a husky tone that sent shivers up his body like he had just felt a breeze of cold air. The boy slowly turned around to face the one who had addressed him, and to say that he was taken aback would be an understatement..

Amber eyes watched him with mirth. Wavy, raven locks covered a single eye while framing her gorgeous face, the rest of her hair fell in waves against her smooth, ivory neck. Her uniform hung on her frame graciously, curvaceous hips swaying as she walked towards him with refined grace. Her alluring legs were covered by dark stockings that ended just beneath her skirt- a skirt that seemed to dance sensually with every step. She halted just a foot or so away from him, her lush lips forming into a coy smile, while a single, raven brow raised.

"Uh...hi?" He immediately berated himself for sounding so uncertain. His father always did say that women loved confidence...but did she even count?! Someone could've called her a goddess and he would've believed her. Sure he had saved her when she was all torn up and covered in sweat, or noticed her from across the cafeteria.. but to see her here? Looking at him like that? He was a deer in headlights. He couldn't even use his amazing, full proof line because she already knew his name..dammit.

...well maybe Weiss might've said something to the contrary..but still!

Oh crap..the cafeteria! Was she here to threaten him? Kill him? Shave his head and make an example out of him for being a pervert?!

..okay maybe that was a little dramatic..

"I mean- hi! Cinder right?" He asked, trying his best to sound casual in such a situation. If the woman was unimpressed she didn't let the emotion show, at least not visibly.

"That I am.."

"So...Uhm, did you need something?"

The woman merely nodded her head and turned her body, angling herself in a confident yet casual manner.

"I've heard from my team that I had undergone..unfortunate circumstances within Mountain Glenn. I was told that you had a hand in my aid, is this true?"

She knew it of course, but she didn't seem to give that away. Jaune rubbed his neck nervously, having not brought it up in fear that she'd take offence to it. He didn't think she'd be here to thank him after that look she had sent him prior.

"Ah...well. Yeah, I did."

The woman hummed in response, eyes narrowing slightly, though not in hostility for once. Moreso in what looked to be..curiosity?

"I see..can you tell me about that, then? I have been told a story recounting the events by my team, but they were not with me at the time. You however- were. And I appear to have some..lapses in my memory."

He nodded his head, that made sense. She was closest to the explosion at the time. It was a miracle she was able to stand back up after that shockwave, much less fight Grimm.

"Sure! Well..there's not much to say really. You remember getting selected into teams right?" At her nod, the blond continued. "Well, the team I was on was closest to you. We were kinda in the same area and all. And-" He cut himself off at the woman's suddenly furrowed brow, a look of pure confusion and bewilderment crossing her features for a few passing moments.

"...what?" She asked, voice with an almost strange edge. "You..you weren't even on my team?"

"Uh...no.." He stated, rubbing the back of his neck at her intensely narrowed eyes, they almost looked like twin candles, burning brightly and directly into his soul. He averted his gaze and continued.

"A-anyway...well we were fighting Grimm and then the explosion happened. We were all kind of...knocked away. My team was all over the place and I could barely see because of the smoke. But well...I saw you. You..well you looked like you needed some help, so.. I helped you. I just..kind of ran off, killed the Beowolf, and..well carried you back. Miss Goodwitch got mad that I abandoned my post, but she was fine with it when she saw you."

Silence filled the room once he was done. Pure..unanswered silence. The raven haired beauty in particular seemed completely out of it. Her once burning eyes were unfocused, her hands clenched to her sides and her lips pulled into a thin line. For a second he thought she was about to attack him, though she interrupted before he could run off by lowering her head slightly, and the action seemed to have physically pained her.

"I see...then I suppose I should thank you for...for saving my life, Jaune Arc."

Without giving him a chance to respond or even say that it wasn't a problem, she turned on her heel and fled. The once playful sway of her hips was absent, and in its place was curt, booming footsteps.

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"Ugh!"

A lamp was sent crashing into the side of the wall a moment later, the sudden sound causing the once slumbering Mercury to jump from his bed and practically spring out of the room, excuses about something he needed to do tossed out as he fled. Cinder sat down upon the edge of her bed and gripped her sheets into tight knots, fingers digging into her palms as her teeth clenched together.

Damn...him.

'You looked like you needed help so...I helped.'

The words were burned into her mind, practically carved into her like a branding. They sang a song of constant noise within her mind, taunting her, berating her. It wasn't enough that she was so unfocused that she managed to get caught up in an explosion while killing Grimm, but she was saved too. Not only that, she was saved by someone who wasn't even on her team and was given orders to be somewhere else.

Her shoulders shook as emotions waged war inside of her, her lips pulling back into a sneer as her eyes burned and scorched. She expected many things; for him to ask her something in return, for him to gloat, for him to have done anything else! Anything she could figure out.

But he didn't.

He displayed worry for her, he acted as if it were something he would do again without a second's hesitation. It didn't even look like it was in some idealistic sense of heroism, she could see the fear within his eyes as he recounted the story.

A trick.

This has to be some kind of trick.

She heaved out a hefty breath of air, bringing her head back as her hands gently unlatched from her bedsheets, raising them to her lap where she applied pressure and attempted to regain her bearings.

If this wasn't for glory..then..it just had to be something else.

Her hands moved across the smooth expanse of her bed, fingers suddenly coming into contact with the smooth, cold material of her scroll as she lifted it up to her face. She dialed a number, waiting impatiently as the individual answer back just after the second ding.

Scarlet eyes, dark skin, and jade hair would fill her vision. She forced a coy smile across her soft pink lips, allowing her raven locks to fall over a single eye.

"Emerald...I have a job for you."

well there you have it, folks. The first chapter. Since starting it a bunch of ideas have popped into my mind, not sure how long the story will be, guess that depends on the reception and how people react to it all.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and remember; consecutive criticism is always welcome!