Chapter 4

"Cold."

I shivered violently, running my hands along my arms as I balled myself up in the feeble position with my head laying on the pillow, provided for the students by the school faculty. Dressed in a light tank top and black shorts, at this moment of time, I realised how it might have been a mistake, to leave my onesie back home.

'I thought others would laugh at me if they saw me in that. What a stupid mistake.'

But apart from that, it isn't that bad sleeping on the, cold, wooden floor, and it is quite peaceful and serene with some students already dozing off into sleep, well some except.

"You dim-witted freak!" Weiss screeched at the top of her lungs, causing me to sigh a shaky breath, and peer up from my spot on the floor.

Weiss, now wearing a white gown like clothing, scowled at my shy, affectionate, and socially awkward friend, Ruby, who unlike Weiss's dressing style, wore a black tank top, along with long grey pyjama pants, dotted with red love hearts, with a saddened and downed look on her face, as she twirled her finger and look down at her feet.

In any other case I would've stood up to protect her, besides me not knowing her very well, but, Yang, was already there, standing behind Ruby with a hand on her shoulder, pulling her into her side in a protective manner, and laying her own insults into Weiss with an equally, loud voice.

"Those two," I growled to myself, laying my head back onto my pillow. "I really don't know them well enough but still, to be causing such a commotion and we're expected to be ready tomorrow for initiation, it's so-"

"Rude? Immature? Annoying?"

A voice, one I was no familiar with spoke from behind me. I instinctively, rolled onto my other side to meet the owner of said voice.

A girl, with raven-black hair, tied in a black bow, and piercing yellow-amber eyes, that lead down into a beautiful, traditional, black yukata, that fit almost perfectly and snugly around her form, leaving exposed, beautiful, long, slender legs that caught my attention, as well as how the top of the yukata near her neck, was almost open wide enough for me to catch a glimpse inside at her cleavage.

I brought up my fist, and smashed it against my face a couple of times.

'Don't. Think. Of women. As. Objects,' I thought to myself.

The girl, whom had been reading a black leather covered book, drew her eyes over to me, with a slight upturned eyebrow, the fact I had been striking my face, had been enough to catch my attention.

'She probably thinks I'm insane. Quick, do something, SPEAK BOY SPEAK!'

"Uh, hi there," I smiled weakly though the right side of my face was already swelling up from hitting myself so hard from before.

She gave a curious looking, scoping me out in a way, but I couldn't tell fully, because she had her book held up, covering her mouth and partly her nose, making it hard to read her expression, though, her cheeks did seem to move momentarily after a while, which I considered her to be smiling at me from behind the book.

"Hello," she answered back, her voice soft, but yet still being able to be heard loud and clear, it seemed to, hypnotise me.

After long, I hadn't notice that I was just lying there staring at her in silence, until she decided to point it out.

"Are you? Going to tell me your name or am I supposed to guess it or something?" She tilted her head at me, the book tilting with it. She had some sort of, mysterious.

I shook my head to snap myself from the daze I was in.

"Um, I-I-I'm...Jaune Arc, p-pleasure to meet you," I stuck out my hand that dangled there for a while as she didn't make a go for it, I moved to with draw my hand, but she finally reached out and clasped it with her own.

She lowered the book revealing a small, but pretty smile, that was enough to charm me. She shook my hand slightly.

"Blake, Blake Belladonna, and it is a pleasure to meet you too, Jaune Arc," she said.

"Um, right, yes," I pulled my hand from her's and continued to stare up her.

She turned her head to Weiss and Yang, still bickering like children in the distant, she frowned slightly, bringing her book back up to continue reading but letting out a heavy sigh.

"Your friends are quite, eccentric," she hummed, flipping a page of her book and beginning to read from the top. "They seem, temperamental and, self-centred."

I turn to look back at the trio, a little's way in front of me.

"Yeah well, I smiled lightly. They're quite something alright, bad they aren't all bad, well, most of them aren't anyway."

"Yes well, I've lived for quite some time, and this isn't such a peculiar sight to me," she responded, flipping another page of her book.

"But that isn't much to say the least," she looked back up at them, smiling lightly. "Oh look, it seems someone has had enough of their squabbling, and has decided to come and break it up."

I tuned out from her response as I watched a lady, in a white blouse, black skirt, high heels, and a purple cape draped over their back, stroll up to Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, with a scowl, and begin lecturing them on the fact of them having to be more conscious of their surroundings.

All the girls look downcast with defeated and sad looks as the let themselves be disciplined. When it was over, and the lady had walked away, so did the girls, returning to their own spots on the floor to sleep. Ruby caught eyesight of me, and smiled, waving lightly before laying down next to her sister to sleep.

"It's over?" I asked, looking around slightly to try and catch a glimpse of Weiss.

"So it would seem," said Blake. "Time for rest I suppose."

"Yes, yes, time for...rest," I said, laying down deeply in my pillow and turning my back to Blake.

"Uh, see you in the morning Blake," I called out.

She closed her book one handed and smiled.

"Yes, see you in the morning Jaune."

_I was woken, by Ruby, tugging on my body whilst I was a sleep, her fully dressed, and egging me to get dressed myself, before me where boarded onto an Airship.

I yawn heavily into my palm, as Ruby bounced up and down on the seat next to me. Yang hanged around the back, striking a conversation with a girl with black hair, and a pink streak running down the front. Weiss, was nowhere to be seen along with Blake and the girl from earlier, Nora Valkyrie, I hadn't seen her since after I had managed to escape from her.

I shook my head from side to side, Ruby, taking a notice of that, reached across with her hand to lay it upon the right of my face. I moved back slightly, blushing madly from the sudden contact and how touchy Ruby was. I assured her I was fine, that, earning an eyebrow wiggle from Yang at the back of the ship. Even the strange girl next to her, brought up her hand to her mouth to stifle laughter.

"Gods this is going to be hell."

We were lined up on stone pedestals, the first thing I notice, is the jump they had, almost like the were spring based. I brought my attention away from that, listening to Ozpin who stood before use, leaning on her cane and a mug of coffee in one hand.

"Children, this is Emerald Forest. Lush and green, as well as teeming with Grimm," she said.

"You are all supernatural, as are they, demonic creatures created by something far more...sinister," Ozpin glanced down at her almost empty cup in front of her, then glanced back at us.

"There is an abandoned temple, in the middle of this forest, and within the temple, relics, relics you and your partner, whomever that may be, will have to retrieve said relics, and navigate your way back out of the forest, alive."

I swallowed the bile in my throat in a nervous reflex as I looked around at the others, stern, determined faces.

"A bullhead will be there to collect those who make it out alive," she drew a long sip from her mug and looked back down at it.

"And one more detail, whoever you lay your eyes upon first when in the forest, will be your partner for the rest of your life here at Beacon, now, any volunteers to go first."

I hadn't been listening to the last bit of information she had given to us, so I raised my hand to ask a question to which she looked to me with a surprised look.

"Ah, Mr Arc, you want to volunteer? Very well then."

My eyes widened and I looked around in a panic.

"Wait what! no! That wasn't what I wanted to-"

I didn't have time to finish, as I was lurched from the ground and flung into the air, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I flipped simultaneously in the air, giving me a hazy and dazed view from what was happening behind me back down on the ground.

One by one, each student was launched from their own platforms, and soaring into the air. Ruby, caught my eye especially. Deploying a long metal red like object, that sprang out into a long, curved shape at the end.

Yang flew past her sister, rocking a pair of solid gold tinted aviators and speeding through the air shooting off shots from two large twin gauntlets on her lower arms.

I look back and forth from both of them, watching the graceful decent towards the ground and landing, all before, realising I too was making my own way to the floor, and not to graceful for that matter.

I felt my centre of mass shift, and while I had been moving upwards a few seconds ago, I was now, plummeting to the ground rapidly. I spun uncontrollably, and continued screaming, my limbs flailing about uselessly to try and stop me from falling, but I continued to rocket faster and faster to the floor.

Tear stinging my eyes, I cried out for help, shaking my head rapidly, and watching my tears being snatched from my eyes, rolling across my face, then floating up into the air. It was dawning on me that I might die, and I'd have not chance of surviving this. Since I started falling I'd been looking towards my impending doom, but for the first time since then, I looked up.

A mop of black hair with a pink streak, came into view, belonging to a face with pale pink eyes, and forest and grass green attire.

'The girl from the ship? The one Yang was speaking to.'

Her face's was in an extreme close proximity to mine, and her eyes captivated me, my body stopped moving frantically, staring into mine and holding my gaze there. Her face like stone, mouth drawn into a line, no signs of emotions on her face.

She shifted her gaze to the ground approaching below then back up at me. She twisted her body around mine, pulling me close to her, and picking me up into a princess carry stance. My arms instinctively wrapped around her neck, and clung to her tightly.

Neither of us uttered a word, as she allowed our bodies collectively to fall through the trees. Feeling the leaves and branches scratch at my skin. Leading us to fall into a clearing, where she flipped both of us round, and landed lightly on the ground with me still her arms.

Now feeling a new lurching and tearing feeling in my stomach, she let me clamber down to the floor, where she walked round to look at me in the eyes with a questioning look.

"Are you alright?" she asked me with a tilt of her head, giving me a clear view of her bare neck.

My stomach knotted and lurched as I began sweating profusely, and giving her my best attempt at a smile I answered her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, just…I'm sorry."

Her look grew more curious, and she smiled slightly at me.

"For what?" she asked.

I lunged at her, tackling her to the ground, and pinning her arms above her head. She looked at me with look of surprise mixed with confusion. Showing her my fangs, I buried them in her neck, feeling an explosion of a metallic tasted fill my mouth.

Not hearing her gasp, but feeling her body twitch slightly, I gulped down the blood that came into my mouth. Her body shifted slightly, but she made no effort to escape, and to be honest, if she wanted to get out she probably could.

Two, three, minutes passed, and I finally detached myself from her, pulling back to peer down at her face.

It looked nearly the same then it did before, except, her mouth hang open, breathing heavily, and her face was flushed slightly.

I flung myself from her, crawling back slightly, and bowing my head low.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, I was just- "

"It is alright," she said, sitting up and rubbing her neck. "I knew, what you are, and I chose you to be my partner so, I guess I should've expected this."

"Ah, okay, sorry anyways," I got up walked over to her and offered her my hand.

"Jaune Arc," I said.

"Ren Lie," she answered, shaking my hand before I pulled her to her feet.

"Guess we're partners now, right?"

"Yes, yes I guess we are," she said. "It will be…interesting, to work with you, partner."

"Yeah, I said, same here."