A/N: Hello Peoples! Glad you've decided to continue reading my story. I haven't written on this site in a while, but I started writting this on Wattpad and thought "Oh right, I have an account on ." So if you want, you can check this story out on Wattpad too (I'm currently working on copying the chapters over). Also, just a heads up, V is not Vergil because I found it too hard to work it into the story and also I love V to much to have him die. Also, I dont want to spoil DMC 5 even though it's been out for about two weeks at the time of writing this. Anywho, let's get this show on the road!
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The trio walked into the amphitheater. The room was already filled to the brim with new students. Thankfully, the Headmaster hadn't taken to the stage to speak yet.
"Ruby, over here! I saved you a spot!" a blonde haired girl shouted from the middle of the crowd
"Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" Ruby left her new friends to join the blonde.
"Hey, wait!" Jaune sighed as she left, "Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?"
"Relax Jaune, there are plenty of fish in the sea," V consoled him, clapping his shoulder before walking off into the crowd himself.
V made his way to the opposite side of the amphitheater, sitting down and opening his book again. As he read, he noticed someone sit down next to him. V didn't think much of it and simply continued to read. However, his brief moment of peace was cut off by a man clearing his throat. He looked up to see Ozpin, in front of the microphone.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
After a woman named Glynda Goodwitch directed them to go to the ballroom for sleeping arrangements, V stood up and closed his book. He finally glanced over to his reading companion and found a girl dressed in black and white with a black bow on her head, her yellow eyes scanning a book she held in her hands. Rather than disturb her own reading, he simply turned to follow the crowd being shepherded outside.
He didn't turn around, but if he had, he would have seen the girl looking after his retreating figure.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
V walked into the hall after getting changed into some nightwear. He had a pair of black and grey flannel pants with a sleeveless black shirt on. Rather than go directly to his sleeping mat, he instead sat at the edge of the room and began to read again. Soon after, he found the girl from before sitting next to him as well.
"I don't often find people who like literature as much as I do," V commented, finally breaking the small silence between them. The girl simply remained quiet.
"My name is V," he tried again, "And you are?"
"Blake."
The two went back to silence.
"What book are you reading?"
"It's about a man who has two souls, each fighting for control of his own body."
"Classic trope. Jekyll and Hyde, perhaps. Or maybe The Host?"
"You certainly know a lot about books. What are you reading?"
V gave a small smile as he turned over to the cover of the book which contained the same letter he used as a name, "Just a collection of poetry is all. My father gave it to me soon after I learned to read."
"Maybe sometime you could give me more recommendations for books," he turned to his reading partner.
"Maybe," Blake said fairly blankly, but her small smile betrayed her emotions. V would have kept talking, but something caught his attention.
I swear I just saw that bow twitch.
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(Meanwhile)
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang exclaimed before crashing next to her sister Ruby. Ruby simply frowned and kept writing her letter.
"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though," Ruby replied, not looking up.
"I know I do!" Yang purred as she looked over several muscular, shirtless boys. Then her eyes fell on Jaune in a set of sky blue footie pajamas and she immediately grimaced, turning back to Ruby. "So, what's that you're writing?"
"It's just a letter to the gang back at Signal. I promised to tell them all about how things at Beacon are going..."
"Awwww, that's so cuuuuute!" For that comment, Yang received a pillow in the face.
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!"
"Well, what about Jaune? He's...nice...I guess. And that V guy you said helped you guys out earlier. See, that's plus two friends! That's a two hundred percent increase!"
"Yeah, but then Weiss counts as a negative friend, so subtract one and you get one friend," groaned Ruby as she turned onto her back.
"Negative friends aren't a thing. You just made two friends and one enemy!" Yang got smacked with another pillow. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, you'll make all kinds of friends; you just haven't met them yet!"
The two girls looked over to the side wall to see Blake and V taking to one another for a bit before reading.
"Is that V?" Yang asked.
"Yeah..."
"And do you know the girl with him?"
"No, I—"
"Well, time to make another friend little sister!" Yang exclaimed, grabbing Ruby and dragging her over to the pair despite the girl's protests. Blake and V looked up to see the two approaching. V chuckled at the sisters' antics while Blake went back to reading her novel.
"Hellooooo~" Yang said in a sing-song voice as she brought Ruby upright.
"Well, Ruby, glad to see you're making friends," V commented.
"Actually, I'm her older sister, but we wanted to come by and meet your friend!"
Blake looked up again, "Aren't you the girl that exploded?"
"Yeah...my name's Ruby! But you can call me Crater Fa—actually, forget that last part," Ruby smiled despite clearly embarrassing herself.
"Okay..." Blake responded, returning to reading.
"As you can see, Blake here isn't always one for conversation with strangers," V said, thumbing through his book, murmuring to himself, ""Silence, what is it, if not the absence of sound, of music, and words that could have been said but were not...""
"That's...nice," Yang responded to V's quoting, "Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's sister! I...like your bow..."
"Thanks," Blake said, now a bit irritated.
"It goes great with your...pajamas!"
"Right..."
"Nice night, don't you think?"
"Yes - it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!" Blake said, "That I will continue to read," the sisters continued to not get the hint, "As soon as you leave!"
"What's it about?" Ruby asked.
"Well... it's about a man with two souls, each trying to take control over his body."
"Oh, yeah...that's really lovely!" Yang sarcastically remarked.
Ruby ignored her sister's comment and continued, "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters...they're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"
"And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
"Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books...someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"
"That's very ambitious for a young girl such as yourself," V commented, not looking up from his book, "But the world doesn't always give everything fairy-tale happy endings"
"Well, that's why we're here! To make it better."
Quite an optimistic one, thought V.
"Awww, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang exclaimed, picking up Ruby in a bear hug.
"Hey! Get off of me!" Ruby tried to struggle free. The situation then devolved into a dust cloud of fighting, kicking, and wrestling as the sisters playfully fought.
Their fighting was interrupted when a familiar, snobby voice rang out from a girl dressed in white approaching them complaining, "What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"
Here we go... V rolled his eyes as he stood up and slunk away before the fireworks show. Best to leave before I have to deal with a cat-fight that makes me lose sleep.
"Oh, not you again!" Yang and Weiss shouted simultaneously, not noticing the tattooed boy slip from their sight.
"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!" Ruby tried to diffuse the situation
"Oh, now you're on my side!" Weiss snapped.
"I was always on your side!"
"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!" Yang butted in.
"She's a hazard to my health!"
Blake sighed as she picked up the candle next to her, the only source of light left on in the room, and blew it out, covering everyone in darkness.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
The next morning, V was sitting on one of the benches in the locker room, reading his book once again. As everyone was zipping around getting ready, V was already finished preparing. Unlike many teens his age, he didn't much mind waking up early.
After all, "The early bird gets the worm."
"Ridiculous! There's no way I put my stuff in locker 636! I would have remembered having to count that high!" he heard Jaune complain as he walked by. V closed his book before getting up.
I suppose now is a good a time as any to know who could be my future teammates.
As V turned the corner to follow Jaune, he found Weiss Schnee conversing with none other than Pyrrha Nikos, the four time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament herself.
Wouldn't surprise me that someone like Weiss that thinks so highly of themself would only try to make friends with the best of the best.
"Well...I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together," Weiss proposed to Pyrrha.
"Well, that sounds grand!" the "Invincible Girl" answered.
Weiss suddenly turned away, appearing to have an evil grin on her face.
"Weiss, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're having an internal soliloquy of your dastardly plans for the future given that look," V humorously said.
"I've absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Weiss profusely denied, crossing her arms and turning her nose up.
Sure you don't...
"You know what else is great? Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you," the blonde knight butted in to introduce himself to Weiss.
"You again?" Weiss sighed exasperatedly.
Pyrrha was more kind with her response, simply saying, "Nice to meet you, Jaune!"
"Yeah, yeah," Jaune ignored Pyrrha and immediately tried to talk to Weiss again, "So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
"Don't worry! No need to be embarrassed! So, I'm sure you've been hearing rumors about teams! I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?"
Pyrrha butted in, "Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so—"
"Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team," Jaune cut her off with a slight pose.
"Jaune, is it?" Weiss separates the two, "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
"Not in the slightest, snow angel."
"This is Pyrrha."
"Hello again!"
"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum, and won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row!"
"What?"
"I suppose we should use a metric Jaune would actually understand," V finally spoke up again, "She's on the front of almost every Pumpkin Pete's cereal box."
Jaune gasped, "That's you?! But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"
"So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?" Weiss asked.
"Now, now, Weiss, let's not make the poor lad feel bad about himself," V reassured.
"Well Jaune, I actually think you'd make a great leader!" Pyrrha chimed in.
"D'oh, stop it!" Jaune said bashfully.
"Seriously, please stop it, both of you. This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!" Weiss interjected.
"Sounds like Pyrrha and V are on board for Team Jaune. Spots are filling up quick! Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you. What do you say?" Jaune said, once again confident and leaning a little too close to Weiss
"All right, that's a bit too close! Pyrrha, a little help, please?!"
Apparently, Pyrrha's idea of help was throwing a spear at Jaune, pinning him by his hoodie to a locker.
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha called out to the incapacitated boy.
"That's a little bit...extreme," V commented with a raised brow.
An announcement came over the intercom, breaking the first-years out of their thoughts: Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately.
Weiss passed Jaune as he hangs from the wall of a locker on her way out. Pyrrha followed her, grabbing her spear and dropping Jaune to the ground.
"It was nice meeting you!" Pyrrha grinned despite Jayne's predicament.
Jaune just slumped against the locker, muttering, "Likewise..."
"Seems you're having a bit of trouble there Casanova," V approached as Yang and Ruby walked away from their own lockers.
"I don't understand. My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?" he lamented as V helped him off the floor
""Snow Angel" probably wasn't the best start," Yang replied.
"You'll get her next time Romeo," V reassured the blonde knight as the four of them walked out of the locker room towards the cliffs where they were to be tested.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
The students assembled on a cliff overlooking an expansive forest. Each of them stood on an oddly placed tile. Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch stood closer to the edge of the cliff, facing the students.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin began.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams,"" his assistant continued, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
Wonderful. Glad you're using such a paradoxical system, V thought. He was pretty sure he heard some students cry out in surprise and disappointment.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin continued, "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."
How amazingly morbid.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune raised his hand.
"Good!" Oz ignored Jayne's inquiry, "Now, take your positions."
All the students readied themselves on their platform except Jaune, who still held his hand up.
"So are we going to be dropped off or something?" Jaune asked.
"No, you will be falling," Oz replied.
"Are you giving us parachutes?"
"No, you will be using your own landing strategy."
"So what exactly is a landing strategYYYYYYYY!" Jaune was cut off as the tiles sprang forward, launching the students off of the cliff towards the forest.
Ozpin simply took a sip of his coffee as he watched them fall toward the trees.
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V was on high alert. After the sudden launch, his mind immediately began racing. Thankfully, he did have a leg up compared to the other students when aerial movement was involved. V pointed his cane forward, shouting "Griffon!" A dark cloud shot forward, forming a large, black bird with blue accents.
"I gotcha boss," it said as it grabbed its master's cane, gliding gently toward a clearing in the trees. As V's feet touched the ground, Griffon let go of the cane. The teen dusted himself off as he regained his composure and caught his breath.
"So boss, what's the plan?" Griffon asked, perching on V's outstretched arm.
"Fly ahead, see if you can find the ruins. Return to me and tell me what you discover. I'll call you back earlier if I get into trouble," V ordered. With a nod, the large bird took off, leaving V alone in the middle of a Grimm infested forest.
Well, no point in standing around, he thought, beginning to walk off into the shadow of the trees.