Troll in Reviews

As has been noted, there is a troll in reviews spamming guest reviews and trying to frame people by writing their name in the name slot. Just ignore it. It's not worth the effort of paying attention to and I'm only writing this message so people are aware.

He's also pretending to be me by writing my name in guest review slots. I would only ever review something from this (logged-in) account.

Chapter 3

The bark of fire from Blush offered just enough momentum for Adam to orient himself in the air, turning a tumbling freefall into a no less rapid descent but with his feet aimed down and his face protected. The canopy exploded under him, branches and leaves smashing around as his aura tanked the cuts and his feet broke through anything in his way.

That slowed his fall until he could land on a branch and not crack through it, then catch the trunk with one hand. Pausing on the thick bough, he caught his breath and assessed the situation. While most of the students here were used to simulated combat situations, his experience was a little more practical.

No Grimm nearby. No Atlas units, though that would have been strange out here anyway. Cries and yells echoed in the distance, none seeming to be death cries and more likely people either crashing into the treeline or calling out to one another. He couldn't be the only one intending to find a specific partner and given the `first to make eye contact` rule the headmaster had gone with, friends pairing up would be as simple as calling out to one another.

If I did that to Blake, I doubt she'd answer. If anything, she'd go the other way.

That burned. The hot fire simmering in his chest flared up, but he doused it down and hopped from the tree, landing on both feet, knees bent. Standing still would aid no one and he'd tracked Blake's descent as best he could. North-east of his location. Sheathing Wilt once more, he marched in that direction.

"I'm coming, Blake. Wait for me."

/-/

He was coming.

There was no doubt in her mind that he'd be looking for her, and thanks to the headmaster's stupid rule the first person she made eye contact with would be her partner for the next four years. That couldn't be Adam – she wouldn't let it be. Falling through the air with the wind whipping her hair behind, Blake scanned the few other students drifting down nearby.

Many of those were already employing their various landing strategies and creating distance, weaving through the air in a way that would make them hard to isolate. One, however, was waiting until the last second. Or was out of ideas. The boy was screaming loudly and plummeting down a short distance away, somehow forgetting he had a shield in the face of the approaching canopy.

She knew nothing about him and he knew nothing about her. He could have been the worst racist, the biggest supremacist, but right now he wasn't her murderous ex-boyfriend who had the grudge, the means and the motive to make her suffer.

Blake unwound Gambol Shroud and judged the distance between them. She'd originally intended to let fate decide who her partner might be, but that opportunity was shot. If Adam was after her, she needed to make sure she had a partner long before he found her. And that was as easy as forcing eye contact. Gambol Shroud lanced out and whipped around the boy's leg, yanking him to the side with a "whoah!"

The canopy struck a second later and Blake swore, engaging her aura as she splintered and snapped through branches and trees, no longer able to slow her fall since her ribbon was in use. Luckily, her new partner seemed to figure that out and had helped – or so she assumed, because the ribbon suddenly went taut and she snapped back like a bowling ball on the end of a bungee line. The lurch in momentum made her stomach jump, but it saved a dangerous fall.

Blake came to a stop alongside her next partner, her holding onto her weapon, him dangling upside down by one foot, both of them like fish on the end of a line, the ribbon of Gambol Shroud looped around the trunk of a thick tree.

They dangled together, face to face, but with him upside down, blonde hair spilling toward the floor and blue eyes wide. His cheeks were wide too, puffed out and just a little green. His neck bulged. His face turned greener still.

Blake's furious scream echoed through the forest.

/-/

Glynda watched worryingly on her scroll, tracking the movements of Adam Taurus through the forest. It bothered her that Ozpin was paying more attention to other students, his latest efforts in Miss Rose drawing his attention more than a wanted and confirmed terrorist. Aside from camera control, their scrolls showed a map of dots, each of which could be tapped on to provide a name.

"Weiss Schnee is close to Adam Taurus," Glynda said. "We should intervene."

"There's no need."

"No – Need I remind you that this is Weiss Schnee, and that he is from the White Fang? No, he is one of the ex-leaders of the White Fang! Alone in a forest together filled with Grimm where anything can happen. If you'll excuse me, Ozpin, I don't share your boundless optimism this time."

"Mr Taurus knows he is being watched," Ozpin remarked. "He'd be a fool to try anything."

"Or he'd consider killing Miss Schnee to be worth his life. He could be a martyr."

"A martyr would not leave the White Fang."

"Maybe he hasn't. He could be a spy!"

"Peter and Bart are in the forest, Glynda. It will be fine."

Her fingers gripped the scroll so tight it flexed. Ozpin wasn't normally so blasé but he'd always been a risk taker – it came with the eternal war. She was less of one and gnawed on her lower lip as she watched the two dots come parallel with one another, less than an inch apart, even if that inch would have translated to some two hundred metres and plenty of trees.

Don't partner with him. I can't even imagine a way to explain this to Atlas…

Another blip approached. Two, in fact, though they weren't close enough to be together. One of those came close to the one with Weiss Schnee, paused and then looped back. Her sigh contained all the relief in the world.

"It looks like Miss Schnee has found her partner," Ozpin said. "Hmm. Taiyang's daughter."

"Miss Rose?" Glynda looked. "No. Miss Xiao-Long. I'd say that's an unfortunate match after their spat last night, but honestly, I prefer it to her coming anywhere close to Taurus. That's a relief."

"You know, we're supposed to treat all our students equally…"

"That's ridiculous. If a student is suffering and needs more help, I'll provide it. If one breaks the rules, I'll punish them. If one is a murderous terrorist with a criminal record longer than my arm, I'll act accordingly. He's a danger to every other student and I won't pretend otherwise for your charity project."

"Hmm." Ozpin sipped from his mug. "I'll leave it to you then. I do believe he's looking for his partner."

"Miss Belladonna has already found her partner in Mr Arc," Glynda said smugly. Found was a rather large misnomer in this case, since the girl had purposely sought out and essentially captured her partner. It was a reckless decision but for once she found herself agreeing. The girl had a good head on her shoulders, even if she was also from the White Fang. "I'll keep an eye on her as well, though her record isn't nearly so long and at least she sounds repentant. I feel sorry for whomever ends up partnered with Taurus. Leaving aside his views, he's not going to be pleased at being denied."

It would take someone with a strong will, a confidant demeanour and plenty of grit, someone with a skin thick enough to stand up to him and the guts to push back.

"Oh dear…" Ozpin murmured.

Curious, Glynda looked down at her scroll. She caught his meaning immediately and said the only thing she could. "Oh dear…"

/-/

Adam heard the approaching disaster long before it arrived. Hard not to, given how much damn noise she was making crashing her way through the underbrush. Blake wouldn't be caught dead doing that, so he cursed and closed his one good eye, preventing any contact and waiting.

While running was tempting, surely a simple conversation could fix this?

"Adam!"

Or not. Adam bit back a sigh.

"Ruby." He recognised the irritating voice easily. Too friendly. Too squeaky. If a White Fang member had ever existed with a voice like hers, Adam would have suggested they stay silent so as not to erode any hope of intimidation.

"I found someone – and it's you!" She didn't seem to see anything wrong with what she'd just said. "I was looking for Yang but I guess it's not so bad if it's you. So, how's it going, partner?"

"We are not partners."

"O-Oh…" He heard Ruby kick at the ground. In his head he imagined a puppy rolling over onto its back and whimpering. "I… I just… Oh, is that because we haven't made eye contact? We can fix that!"

Adam knew he wasn't what one would call a good man. That was fine. He'd long ago accepted that history wouldn't remember him fondly, but that was fine so long as he achieved his goals. For a while he'd convinced himself just having Blake remember would be worth it, but now, taking a more selfish route, he wasn't sure what he was meant to be.

What he'd never been, however – or at least he liked to think he wasn't – was a needlessly cruel person. He killed, but not for pleasure. Deaths were quick and sudden. He didn't torture or cripple or leave people to slowly bleed out. It wasn't much of a mercy, but it was one. None of that was applicable here, but he still sighed at the hopeful tone of Ruby's voice.

Ruthlessness serves no purpose here. Perhaps she can be of use if I soften the blow. Knowing how and when to get people to do what you wanted them to was an important part of leadership, and he was used to controlling a large number of people from a wide array of backgrounds. Not all could be cowed through force.

"Ruby, do you remember how I told you I came here looking for someone?"

Silence.

More silence.

"Ruby…"

"I nodded!"

"I can't see, Ruby." He sighed again. Patience. He needed it. All the patience. "I'm trying to partner with that person. That's why I can't partner with you."

"Oh…" Ruby sounded dejected.

"There's nothing to say we can't be on a team, however."

Why had he said that? Why bother? Adam groaned in his own head, already knowing that even if he got Blake as a partner, having Ruby on a team would be an exercise in patience. At least I know she isn't racist. Small bonus.

"Yeah!" The idea appeared to cheer Ruby up. "So, it's not me that's the problem?"

"No." That, at least, was honest. There was no one other than Blake he wanted on his team, but Ruby was perhaps the lesser of a whole lot of evil. "It's not you, Ruby. I just want – I need to be on her team. How about an agreement? We shall work together, I to find her and you to locate your sister. Then we can partner up as we originally wanted to. Our goals align here."

"Is that allowed…?"

"As long as we don't make eye contact, I don't see a problem."

"I guess you're right." The grass under Ruby's feet shifted and Adam tensed, unbearably stiff as she walked behind him. It was not something he liked at all. "I guess I should stay out of your sight, then?"

"Yes." Deep breaths. Ruby was being accommodating, she just didn't realise how difficult it was to not be able to see her.

Not an enemy, Adam. Just a girl. A young and naïve girl.

"How about you lead?" he suggested, gripping Wilt tightly. "Just don't look back. We'll head toward the ruins and hope to meet with our partners there."

"Oh. Okay." Ruby skipped ahead and Adam released a long breath, relaxing. That she'd trust her back to him was… he wanted to say reckless, but to be fair she didn't know who or what he was. To her, he was the man who'd helped her in a robbery so a little trust was expected. "What should we do if we see Grimm?"

"You're a huntress, aren't you? I'm sure you'll be fine."

For some reason, Ruby looked positively elated at his snappy response, like he'd just praised her to the heavens at large. "Yep!" she said, gripping her monstrous weapon. "You can rely on me, Adam. I'll show you just how awesome I am!"

"I'm sure you will." She didn't see how he rolled his eyes. "Let's get going. The longer we wait, the more chances we have to be disappointed."

/-/

It was said that no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Adam usually considered himself adept enough at planning and knowing that to have contingencies in place, and he'd indeed planned for other teams to spot them, new potential partners to get in their way and also for Ruby to turn like an idiot and make eye contact - something he was pleased to note she hadn't done without closing her eyes first.

What he hadn't planned for, was a giant Nevermore to come tearing through a canopy in pursuit of two figures running in a panic in their direction. Yang and the Schnee charged toward them, each screaming something he couldn't make out but clearly wanting help with the giant monster barrelling down on them with talons extended.

He made a snapshot decision.

And did nothing.

Grimm hunted on negativity and would usually prioritise people who panicked more. That wouldn't stop them killing you if you were close enough, but as focused as it was on the two running away, it wouldn't really notice him stood silently to the side. The decision was motivated in no small part by the utter tragic thought of the Schnee heiress sadly perishing in the forest.

None at all.

"Yang!" Ruby yelped, rushing in.

That idiot! Adam scowled but made no attempt to follow. Ruby was a huntress in training, so she should have been capable, and if not, then she might as well learn that now. He wouldn't coddle a weakling. The Schnee should have been too, though he wouldn't put it past her to have bought her way into Beacon. It would be just like them.

Ruby leapt up and fired once to give herself some air, twisted and slashed down with her scythe. It was a clever manoeuvre, he was forced to admit. Small and sleight as she was, the cutting power with a smaller blade wouldn't have done much against the Grimm's thick hide and muscles, but by using a top-heavy weapon and reinforcing her striking power using dust, Ruby had found a way to compensate.

Clever. A sharp mind can be worth as much as a strong body.

His experienced eyes caught the danger, however. As Ruby cut through the meat of its upper wing, she hurtled by with her back to her enemy. The Grimm was too slow and distracted to take immediate advantage, but the point remained, Ruby's swings carried through and left her dangerously exposed.

If she didn't get out of there quickly-

Ruby blurred away before the Nevermore could turn.

A speed Semblance? Hmph. Perhaps she wasn't as incompetent as she let on. Adam crossed his arms and watched to see what she would do next. The Nevermore came to a halt and screeched loudly, bending branches back. It scanned its surroundings, beady eyes aligning on him and beak lowering, the hulking monster coming on both taloned feet in a headlong charge.

"Really," he murmured, drawing Wilt halfway out of her sheathe. "You hope to challenge me!?"

"Adam!" Ruby yelled.

"Pathetic!" he roared.

The beak slammed into Wilt, pushing him back, feet skidding across the grass. The blade, half drawn, bore the brunt of the attack with a resounding clang, the Nevermore's burning red eyes glaring hatefully at him from beyond it.

Slamming his hand down, he punched the beak toward the floor, deflecting it down and sheathing Wilt in the same motion. Aura flared, his hair briefly burning red as he looked into the monster's eyes and smirked cruelly.

Wilt tore free in a wave of red, slicing through its neck and shoulder. The wave of red energy exploded outward, carving through flesh, muscle and bone before splashing out the back with a mighty crack of wind. Adam reversed the motion and sheathed Wilt a moment later, his body shaking with adrenaline.

Unleashing his Semblance had always been an addicting feeling.

With a gurgle, the Nevermore crashed down, heaving its final breath. Wilt clicked back into Blush as it finished, Adam snorting and walking past its head, ignoring the light that dimmed from its eyes and the hissing of its body decomposing into smoke.

"Eeeeee!" a voice squealed. "That was so cool!"

And of course, Ruby. Talk about ruining the mood. Adam closed his eye instinctively.

"That was so cool. Was that your Semblance? Was that dust? No way, it had to be your Semblance." He listened to her voice come from every direction, like she was running circles around him. Sighing, he peeled his fingers from Wilt's hilt. The desire to rip and tear was still there, a constant catharsis from his darker thoughts.

He stamped it down. The bloodlust had always been a way to relieve the stress and tension, but it wasn't a healthy one, especially not now when he was trying to get into Beacon. His hand kept shaking, but it could have been mistaken as nerves.

"That was so cool!" Ruby cheered. "We're an awesome team!"

"Hmph. You did… adequately yourself."

Not exceptionally, but well enough. Credit was due where it was earned.

"Ruby!"

Yang's voice came from behind, along with two pairs of feet stomping through the underbrush. There was panting too, but it didn't sound like it came from Ruby's sister. He was half tempted to look just for the amusing image of the Schnee exhausted after being made to do a little exercise.

I bet this is the first time she's ever had to walk on anything other than marble or a red carpet.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered. Her joy faded quickly. "And the mean girl…"

"E-Excuse me!?"

"Well I didn't remember your name so…"

"Forget that." Yang stomped up and past him, close enough to rustle his clothing. He heard her sweep Ruby up, more from how Ruby yelped and protested than anything else. "Are you okay? Are you safe?"

"Yang! I'm fine. In fact, I'm better than fine. I'm adequate!"

"Uh… That's… nice?"

"Adam helped kill the Nevermore."

"He did? Guess I owe him a-" Yang paused. "Is… Is he asleep?"

"No." As amusing as it may have been to let her think that, he didn't want her intruding on his personal space. Bad enough Ruby had no concept of it. "I'm not."

"Then why are your eyes closed?"

"Adam wants to partner with someone else," Ruby explained quickly. "We found each other and came up with this so I can be with you and Adam can be with the person he's looking for. We were heading to the ruins before you led a huge Nevermore to us."

"Hah. I guess this was a lucky coincidence then."

"Lucky? Yang, you led a Nevermore to us!"

"Lucky coincidence," Yang repeated, clearly having decided that was her story and she'd die with it. "Wait, so you've come this far without making eye contact?"

"So far, yes," he replied.

"That's… impressive? I guess…?"

"It's logical, more like," the Schnee growled. "I wouldn't want to be partnered with an annoying brat like her either, especially not when she's a constant annoyance that won't take a hint. She can't even tell he doesn't want to partner with her-"

"Silence, Schnee!" Adam whirled on her with a snarl, eyes snapping open. Under his eyepatch, his scar felt like it was burning hot and bright, as brightly as it had been when they pressed the metal to his face. "No one asked for your worthless opinion."

"W – What…?"

"To belittle Ruby when she stood up to the Nevermore you fled from. Is that all you're worth? Running away like a coward and leaving someone two years your junior, someone you dismissed as worthless, to pick up the pieces?" He spat at her feet, watching her stumble back with wide eyes. "You're pathetic."

"Hey Adam." Ruby's hands tugged at his elbow. "It's okay. I didn't take it personally."

He let her pull him away because he was worried that if she didn't, his anger would boil over. Ruby wasn't even the cause of it – he couldn't have cared less what Weiss thought of Ruby as a person – but she made a convenient excuse for him to lash out. It was instinct to take every excuse offered to rip a Schnee to shreds.

Ruby just provided a convenient excuse.

She clearly misunderstood if her small blush was anything to go by. She held him back but didn't look nearly as frightened by his threats as she should have. Meanwhile, her sister was giving him strange looks. He dreaded to think what thoughts passed through that mind.

Probably not much thought.

"W-Well…" Yang laughed nervously. "That was a thing. To be fair, Weiss and I were looking for a more open environment, you know? Somewhere to fight it with a little more space. It caught us flat-footed."

Adam stared at her, watching her become increasingly nervous. He wasn't really sure why – did she expect a response when she hadn't asked a question? He crossed his arms, vaguely aware that Ruby was still hanging onto one arm.

"Anyway, I guess all's well that ends well? C'mon Ruby. Let's go."

Ruby nodded and let go of him.

Adam's hand snapped out, gripping her shoulder. "Go where?"

"To get one of those relic thingies. You said you were teaming up so Ruby could find me, right? Well, mission accomplished." Yang laughed. "Thanks for the help. Guess we'll go off and be partners now. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Adam's eyes slid to the fourth wheel. "You're with the Schnee."

"Yeah, but who'll know," she said, laughing and tugging on Ruby's other arm. "Just let me take Ruby and I'll go."

Adam held onto Ruby's arm before she could be yanked away.

If Yang left, he'd be stuck with the Schnee. Well, he wouldn't, she would be dead in the forest and then he'd be stuck being hunted down by Beacon, Vale and Atlas. If he couldn't keep from wanting to kill her after this brief interaction, there was simply no way he could manage it for any longer.

And with Ozpin allegedly "always watching", there was a very real chance he'd force this now that he and Weiss had made eye contact. It would be a test of his commitment; one he would surely fail. It was an immediate choice. He either took Ruby or he took the Schnee. Neither was Blake, but one of them was a Schnee! A bloody, arrogant, slaving and scum ridden Schnee. The other was a slightly annoying girl with a squeaky voice, no concept of personal space and an enthusiasm so sugary he could feel onset diabetes setting in.

He took the diabetes.

It was an easy choice.

"You saw her first," he told Yang, hauling Ruby back by one arm. "Therefore, she is your partner."

"You didn't want to partner with Ruby," Yang growled, dragging Ruby back the other way. "I do. Let's trade."

"That's not what I said!" He took hold with both hands. "Don't put words in my mouth, human!"

"She's my sister!"

"I found her first!"

"Give her!"

Adam snarled. "Never!"

"Wahhhh!" Ruby yelled, stretched out between the two and being yanked one way and the next like a rope in a game of tug-o-war. Her feet had been lifted off the floor and kicked helplessly, suspended by both arms, each held by a different person. "You're going to rip me in two! Share me! Share me!"

"How dare you!" Weiss shrieked, throwing her arms down. "I'm right here and being ignored by you! Any of you should be thrilled to be my partner!"

"I'll take you!" Ruby wailed. "Save meeee!"

"Except you. I refuse to have a child as my partner."

/-/

Ruby kept working her arm in a loop, rubbing her shoulder with the other as she tried to regain full feeling. Things has gotten… kinda weird ever since Beacon started. So much for knees being her biggest problem, she was now flanked by Yang and Adam, each standing close enough to smother her, each glaring at the other as though they were two parents fighting over a child during a messy divorce.

The only reason she still had arms was because Weiss pointed out that if they didn't get to the ruins and find a relic, it'd all be moot anyway because they'd fail. She'd then said the best way to sort this was to just get the relic, leave and let Ozpin decide.

Never thought I'd be this popular. Heh…

Ruby eyed Adam from under her lashes, trying to keep her glances hidden. He was tall beside her, stern faced and scowling badly, staring out ahead. That was him in a nutshell, and she'd have normally been scared stiff around someone like him. Not afraid per se, but more nervous of how hard talking to someone like that would be.

He wasn't bad, though.

Adam didn't talk much, sure, but he didn't mind sitting there while she filled the silence, and since he never started talking to anyone else, it sort of felt like they were two loners sitting together rather than her being the odd one out. That wasn't the best way to make friends, but eh, if it worked, it worked, right?

He defended me against Weiss. He got really angry on my behalf. Ruby's eyes flickered down and she smiled at the grass, fighting down the giggle that threatened to bubble up. Normally, it was Yang who got like that when someone insulted her. It was nice to have someone else. It means he cares. It means I'm not a bother like Weiss says. The only reason he didn't want her was because he wanted someone else, not because he hated her.

Did she want to be on a team with Adam? Yeah, kind of. If she could be on one with Yang and Adam both, then that meant she only had to try and make friends with one more person. She wished that wasn't Weiss, but it was looking like they'd be stuck either way. If they could avoid Adam and Weiss killing one another in the meanwhile, that was.

"So," Ruby began, awkwardly breaking the silence. "How did you meet Weiss, Yang?"

"Saw someone small fighting the Grimm," Yang grumbled. "Thought it was you."

"Are you calling me short?" Weiss snapped.

"Am I wrong to?"

"I am petite."

Adam snorted.

"And you," Weiss snapped. "I don't know what your problem is with me-"

"Your family has disgusting working practices toward the faunus, slave-like conditions and commits atrocities against my people on a regular basis. Your name represents the greatest anti-faunus support in Remnant."

Weiss' mouth hung open. "I… I… That's not the point I was making!"

"You said you didn't know what my problem with you is," Adam said snidely. "Now you do. Congratulations, Schnee. You're learning."

"Heh heh…" Ruby's laughter died an ugly death. "So, how about this weather?"

"I won't stand here while you insult me and my family!"

Adam drew Wilt a few inches. "Would you like to lay down instead? I can accommodate that."

"No. She's fine!" Ruby snapped a hand atop Wilt's pommel, forcing it back down. Adam glared her way and she swallowed but managed to match his stare. "No fighting, Adam. Or we'll fail initiation and you'll never find that person you're looking for."

Scowling fiercely, he let her push the blade down. Okay, so that worked as a way to make him calm down. Sort of. It was more like a threat, but she'd take it right now. Anything to prevent the bloodshed.

"I see something ahead!" Yang blurted out, all too eager to get out of the situation. "Looks manmade. You think it's the ruin?"

"Unless it's Beacon and we did a full circle, I'd assume so," Weiss sniped.

They all ignored her, hurrying forward to see a stone ruin. That was the only way to describe it. It may once have been a building, but it was impossible to tell what its function had been when only sparse patches of wall and pillars remained. The ground around it was churned up, evidence of a fight of some sort.

"Do you think someone here got attacked by Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"Possibly," Weiss said. "They might have been followed here. I hope they're okay."

"They're fine."

All eyes turned to Adam. Ruby posed the question on all their minds. "How do you know?"

"No bodies, blood or missing limbs," he replied factually, ignoring the way Weiss and Yang grimaced. "The torn up ground suggests a big Grimm – no normal person is going to do that without an excavator. Since there's no blood in those grooves, the people under attack dodged. It's possible someone died and their body was removed by an ally, but I doubt it. You'd at least expect them to have left a discarded weapon if that was the case."

"Wow." Ruby grinned. "You're really smart, Adam. I didn't know you could track stuff."

He shrugged. "I have experience."

"I have experience," Yang mumbled quietly. "Look at me, I'm so edgy and cool."

"I also have good hearing."

Yang froze. "Fuck."

"Not if you paid me all the money in the world." Adam walked by, ignoring Yang as she slapped herself in the face. Ruby giggled and followed, watching as Adam hopped over a small furrow and knelt, brushing a hand through the grass.

"What is it?"

"Metal." He grunted and removed his weapon, digging the butt of the sheath down into the mud to push it away. It took a few swings, but he came up with something glinting in gold. "A chess piece. This must be the relic."

"Or it's a piece of trash," Weiss said.

"Or that." Adam stood and hooked Blush and Wilt back into place, tossing the piece to Ruby. "You're welcome to assume that, Schnee. Perhaps you can explain to Ozpin why you're too rich and famous to fail initiation. Who knows, he may even let you in if you throw enough money at him. I doubt anyone here would be surprised at you doing it. Wouldn't want you to get your hands dirty, would we?"

Angrily, the girl in white stomped past and started to kick around in the grass looking for her own. The central pedestal Ruby could imagine them all having rested upon had been broken and tossed aside, scattering the pieces here and there.

"You know, you don't have to be that mean to her," Ruby whispered.

"Hmm." Adam ignored her.

Ugh.

"So," Yang said, strolling up. "Now what? Do we wait for your mystery girlfriend? I'm not against it if it means getting to partner with Rubes, but we're a little low on time and it's obvious other people have been here before us. If we're late…"

"Found one!" Weiss crowed.

They all ignored her. "Yang has a point." Ruby shrugged. "Maybe your friend already came here? We might have wasted time arguing earlier." She ducked her head. "Sorry."

"Not your fault." Adam had his one eye closed. His hands clenched so tight she could hear his gloves creaking. "Damn it."

"M-Maybe it's still okay." His eye snapped onto her, burning brightly. She flinched but pushed on. "I-I mean, you obviously wanted to partner with her, but this isn't the end of that, is it? You can find her in class. But you can't if you don't pass initiation…"

Adam's nostrils flared. It'd occurred to her earlier, but now he really did look several years older than her, and he had the look of someone ignoring the advice of a child. Ruby flinched and shied away.

"O-Or never mind. Ignore me."

"No."

Ruby froze, thinking it a demand for her to stop moving.

"You're right."

"I-I am…?"

"Becoming Blake's partner would have made things simple, but the world does not end just because that failed. We will still be in Beacon and I'll have time to corner and speak with her." He released his weapon, deflating as he sighed. "This isn't ideal, but a single battle doesn't determine the outcome of a war. Wasting any more time just increases the odds we fail and are kicked out of Beacon." He turned away, back toward the spires in the distance. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Yang laned a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Let's go, partner."

Adam's hand grabbed her other. "I have already claimed her."

Ugh. Ruby's head fell to the side as they argued, ignoring Weiss as she loudly proclaimed her success in finding a relic and tried to muster them to action. Is this my life now? Why couldn't I just have normal knees?"

"Finders keepers, human."

"I called dibbs the day she was born, buster!"

"I really think we should-"

"Shut up, Schnee!"

"Shut up, Weiss!"

"Why, you!" Weiss stomped her foot. "I am sick of you both already! Enough." Weiss, to Ruby's absolute horror, snatched hold of her cloak. "I'll take Ruby. You two can have each other."

Yang gasped and snagged Ruby's arm. "Over my dead body."

"Just like you, Schnee," Adam snarled, securing the other. "Always stealing that which doesn't belong to you."

/-/

"-regard Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, who will make up Team ABRN or Team Auburn. Your leader is Jaune Arc."

Ruby winced as Adam began snarling like a wild animal next to her. So, this was the girl Adam was looking for? She'd assumed that was because they were good friends separated by adversity or something, but she wasn't quite so sure now. The Blake girl pointedly didn't look their way, though that could have been because she didn't see them.

Somehow, Ruby wasn't so sure.

Let my team be normal. Let my team be normal. Please let my team be normal.

"And our final team," Ozpin announced. "Will Ruby Rose, Adam Taurus, Yang Xiao-Long and Weiss Schnee step up onto the stage."

It was on autopilot that she walked up, dumb smile frozen on her face as Yang, Adam and Weiss glared bloody murder at one another. It didn't go unnoticed by anyone and whispers quickly sprung up.

Ozpin ignored them all. "Team RYST, or Team Rust, led by Ruby Rose."

The audience applauded, the headmaster stepping back to do the same, everyone watching her, judging her, waiting to see how she, as team leader, would bring the four of them together and mould them into a functioning team of huntsmen and huntresses.

Ruby's internal screams were deafening.

/-/

Have I condoned an innocent girl to death?

Blake watched Team Rust walk down from the stage, none of them looking overly pleased but Adam even less so. Adam Taurus and Weiss Schnee. They weren't partners but they'd be sharing a dorm for the next four years, or however long it took for Adam to kill her, more likely four minutes. Were the teachers here insane? They couldn't let that stand!

"Blake. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," she answered automatically, favouring her `partner` with a distracted smile. Jaune Arc. Everything she'd seen of him so far in the forest screamed below average, but he wasn't Adam and that made him safe. The other two were unknowns, but at least friendly enough. "I'm just thinking about lessons. That's all."

"Yeah, me too. I can't believe I'm here in Beacon."

"Hmm. Me neither." Adam was keeping as far away from the Schnee girl as humanly possible, with the shorter one, their team leader, keeping herself between them and trying to talk all of them down. That wasn't going to work where Adam was concerned. He'd been a reasonable man once, a good man, but he'd become nothing more than a walking thirst for vengeance.

He wasn't going to last. This was going to be a disaster.

/-/

Blake was watching him. Judging him.

He could feel her eyes on him and see her out the corner of his. It could have been their first eye contact but he refused to grant it. The way she looked at him – it was like she was looking through the bars of a zoo at some wild animal! His blood boiled, and the Schnee whinging about not being made team leader was hardly helping.

A quick slap across the face would silence her. His hand itched for the contact.

No. He wouldn't. To give in was to prove her right, and that was something he wouldn't allow.

You think you're so special, Blake. You think you're the only person on Remnant who can make the most of a second chance. He bit back a sneer. I'll show you. I'll prove just how wrong you are, and then we'll see who was in the right.

Weiss pulled away and stomped off, muttering how she'd find their rooms alone. Yang followed with a quick excuse of trying to calm her down, leaving Adam and Ruby behind, with many of the other teams, Blake's included, filtering out. Ruby looked dejected, as might be expected given the circumstances. He was hardly going to say she should be pleased to have him on her team.

She shouldn't be. He didn't have time for idiots.

"Ruby." The address came out clipped and she – his new partner – flinched briefly.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're our team leader now. Don't let the Schnee challenge that."

"Adam…?"

"Whether or not you deserve the position is immaterial. You've been granted it. Leadership means taking control, and that means establishing your authority. You can't lead while she fights your every word. Don't allow it."

"Are you… Are you trying to comfort me…?"

His brow furrowed. "I'm offering advice."

Ruby smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened at the contact and she wisely let go, though that didn't stop her smiling brightly. Maybe she was a faunus after all – a lemming faunus. That would explain the frankly reckless tendencies.

If this becomes a recurring theme, I may have to re-evaluate my decision not to go on a murderous rampage. I did not sign up to become a teddy bear! He dusted himself down, stepping back with a scowl in case she decided to try another attack like that again.

"Thanks, Adam. That was nice of you." Ruby giggled. "Even if I'm pretty sure half the reason you're saying it is because you want to see me knock Weiss down a peg or two."

He didn't deny it.

Ah, the joyful image of the Schnee brought low by a girl two years her junior. How shameful. How pathetic. He'd make sure that image found its way across the faunus message boards, perhaps even back to Jacques Schnee himself. The arrogant snit thought the whole world belonged to her, the position of leadership also.

He was no fool. If anyone should be leader, it ought to have been him. The teachers knew that – but they also knew they couldn't give him power over any students, for once his name got out, and it would eventually, there would be uproar. Similarly, and for the same reason, they couldn't give a Schnee authority over him, and while Yang may have worked, she hadn't done anything worthy of the position.

Ruby hadn't don't much either, but at least she'd made the effort. That was likely what Ozpin had gone off of, simply tossing the position at the first person not him or Weiss who showed any aptitude. It was a stupid way to decide it, but he could respect that there'd been no other choice. Whether Ruby would prove up to the task was another matter.

One for her to figure out. It wasn't his job to help.

"Come on," Ruby said, tugging him along toward the doors. He allowed it, yanking his arm free once they were in the corridor. She didn't seem to mind, either deciding it was a quirk of his or blindly missing every anti-social action he took. "We need to drop our weapons off at the lockers and find our new dorm. Preferably before Yang turns it into some boyband paradise."

"I'd feel more comfortable keeping Wilt and Blush with me."

"Aaand I'd feel more comfortable if you didn't have weapons around Weiss. Just saying."

"That's… probably for the best."

Still sick but managed a longer chapter here because half of this was pre-written. Yay for me. Initiation is always a pain to write, so I kept it different here and simply implied they missed the canon fight at the ruins. Just so you know, Pyrrha is going to be in the story. I haven't written her out, she's just on a different team because Jaune didn't happen to meet her and Blake saved/hunted him down because even if he's useless, he's not Adam.

The next chapter of this will come out in three weeks because next week is our stupid event that even if I end up unable to attend due to sickness, I have to plan, organise and do all the specifics for it. Also still have to work from home and create slides for it, etc. Might even have to do my speech from home and stream it in. Sheesh. Still can't believe it's going ahead, but I guess the events industry can't just "close down" or they all instantly go out of business. As such, no updates from 23rd - 29th March.

Looking forward to writing the next few chapters. Writing Adam bashing Weiss is fun, but it'll also be fun to throw in his face the fact that she's not nearly as spoiled as he assumes and force him to try and come to terms with that.

Next Chapter: 7th April (THREE WEEKS)

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur