Bastion time boys! Let's see what our favorite new team is getting up to! Or into as the needs may vary! Like this fic? Leave a comment or revies, until then take care and enjoy reading!

"You… you liked it?" Jaune asked not believing the words that were coming out of his best friends mouth.

"Yes! Jaune I liked killing him!" Ruby said as her small body shook and cowered under the pale Bastion bed sheets. Her sole remaining silver eyes bled tears while her mechanical one whirred an extended as it's baleful glow reached out to him.

"I'm sure you're overreacting! Yeah, that's it! You probably are just running high off of-

"Jaune I enjoyed killing him," Ruby said as her body shook like someone had put a live wire in it.

"I loved the feeling of my blade as the metal cut through his skin! I felt his muscles part and his bones his muscles split and the bone broke?! Jaune I loved that feeling more than anything other my life!" Ruby stated as Jaune stared at her dumbstruck.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His best friend actually enjoyed the taking of somebody's life. As he looked to the quaking silver eyed girl words failed the boy. He wanted to say something, anything to make his friends feel better but the words turned to ash the moment his opened his mouth. As he tried to speak the girl cont to cry as she wept on the bed sending soft small sounds through the room.

"Ruby… I don't know what to say, but I know what to do. I don't know how I feel about you liking killing but I promise you that no matter what I'll stick by you and will stay by your side ok?" Jaune asked as the girl stopped shaking a bit, as the lone silver eye looked at him as her mechanical one whirred in confusion.

"You, you really mean that?" Ruby asked was Jaune nodded one as he sat on her bed.

"Of course I do. I've got your back this time an always, I promised to get us both home remember? An and Arc-

"An Arc never goes back on his word." Ruby finish as her shaking subsided as she stared at him a rare true smile, the first since they arrived at the school as she nodded once as he patted her head things were going to be ok….

SLAHS! BANG! SKLURK! The shining of metal was all of her vision as her red trimmed sight regarded the scene in front of her. It was beautiful…. Cresent Rose head just cut through the shoulder of a man as he screamed in agony as Ruby brought her scythe down onto him. The man curs as he flipped the fun satan once and pulling back ripping out his abdomen as the scythe tore right through him Ruby was in heaven…

It was incredible! The sound of metal cutting flesh, the piercing ring an of a well-aimed sniped round taking off a head, the sound, and sight of her baby running red with blood? Her blood was on fire! Her veins sang her praise as she brought the blade down, again and again, she works in such rapid series of motions and spikes that not even she could tell what she was hitting. She simply struck, again and again. Relishing the feeling of metal cutting flesh as her body was set ablaze, it was like there was an inferno inside of her as she cut and sliced until there was simply no more to be slashed as her opponent fell to ribbon on the blood-stained sand floor of Bastion, her was her first this week but he would not be her last… not by a long shot….

"That was amazing!" Mika shouted as the announcer declared the twelfth arena straight victory for Ruby. Or as she was now colloquially known The Red Reaper of Bastion. As Jaune looked on in shock he didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe that his cute adorable friend could kill somebody, anybody with that look of pure ecstasy stitched across her face.

Jaune saw it every time her blade went down. Every time her scythe cut flesh. As metal split bone and dice flesh whenever Crescent Rose came down Ruby face become one of pure ecstasy and pleasure. As her silver eye dilated to previously unseen levels as her mechanical one whirred in tracking Ruby was having the time of her life-fighting people, and she was massacring them.

"That was great!" Mika said as the four members of team ARKM turn into the Bastion hallway. Combat class was over and the time had come for lunch. As the walked down the hallways the center of the hall the entirety of the first year populations seemed to make room for them, Jaune grimaced as whispers half muddled he knew as they wake they had gained quite a reputation in Bastion as the strongest first-year team and they were definitely not ones to mess with.

Bastion's arena fights were apparently what decided the school's social hierarchy and them ARKM was undefeated. In the three weeks since Ruby had her first battle Team, ARKM was on a rampage of wins. Ruby had won her twelfth straight arena fight in a row all of them against bigger opponents an all of them ending in bloody kills for the girl as he looked on in pure glee. She was their Reaper.

Then came Mika his most dangerous teammate who fought with equal fervor if not more sadistic tendencies. While more sadistic in Ruby used her scythe to cut down as many times as proof the weapon sheer built often meant that many who were struck usually bleed out or died quickly enough, Mika However? Mika was different, Mika liked to watch you suffer.

Her trademark weapon the flamethrower now know as Chastifold was used mainly on all of her opponents sending them into a charred mess as she barbequed her opponents, she rarely if ever used her hatchet as she danced around her opponents she cooked them with a manic grin as they begged and screamed for mercy. The only time she didn't have a grin was when her opponents were faunus.

Then she took on an almost regretful stance as she cooked the unfortunate students alive. Like she was regretting her action. He could have sworn he even caught Mika saying "what a waste." under her breath as she charbroiled the faunus as she looked longingly to her slim ax that was holstered on her hip resting on her odd assortment of furs. Jaune said almost fore he was convinced Mika was both physically or mentally unable to show regret in any form as she butchered her way through the arena. She was their psychopath. Next came Kage.

Jaune liked him the most out of the Bastion Students he knew, one of the main reason the Kage seems to honestly care about him and Ruby to some extent and was relatively sane for a Bastion student. As he walked by the boy. He had also been on a win streak in the arena and for good reason he stared forward as his bright crimson colored armor was neatly caked in Bastion sand. Kage was a soldier. Whenever he entered the arena he fought with mechanical precision, no action wasted and every movement seemed to be carefully rehearsed and thought about. He used his twin massive pistols whom he dubbed Bolt pistols to rain death on his enemies.

Who apparently shot miniature semi guided rockets. An technical talk that had Ruby enamored with him for hours on end as he tried to discuss how the hell he managed to fit miniature rockets into a pistol without them exploding and how they were so damned accurate. As they walk Jaune also liked how Kage seemed to fight without malice or anger. He never gloated never bosted only simply struck. He fought in the arena like it was hygiene tasks. Something to be done quickly and efficiently, not to be enjoyed or loathed but just done and done well.

He also ended his fights with his opponents being killed or incapcitead by his monstrous pistols 0.75 caliber shells, ammunition. although Jaune noticed that Kage always gave his opponents any chance to surrender during combat. And if they took it he accept it graciously and would let them live. Unfortunately they only did do once and the man was allready half dead with his intestines disintegrated and torso blown open by massive pistol round detonation. Kage was their soldier. The last of the undefeated group was Jaune himself.

Jaune had graced the arena sands of Bastion three times since arriving . Each time he found an skilled opponent who took him to death's door multiple times. At first Jaune tired to bargain with them telling then he would offer mercy if they just surrendered. His compassion almost cost him his life multiple times. It took his second arena fight his opponents nearly managed to take his head off with a weapon Kage dubbed as a las whip, a split coil of energy for Jaune to us his now default strategy, of incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible only to take them out and leave them for Bastion's medical detail to take over. Jaune was the pragmatist.

"You did well Ruby." Kag said as he cleaned part of his scarlet armor, while his brown eye stared at Ruby's; Silver and red ones "Thanks Kage." She said shyly as the turned a corner. The four strongest first-year students turned as one as they enter the hallway as the Reaper, the Psychopath, the Soldier, and the Pragmatist turned the corner and entered the cafeteria they were unstoppable and everyone knew that...

"This food is terrible!" Ruby said as she forced another fork full of what appeared to white cardboard in cubed form into her mouth. As Jaune struggled to swallow his load of protein as Bastion so eloquently put it, the small pale cube that resembled a sugar cube in size and had the taste and texture of cardboard as he ate the nutrients. "Welcome to the Bastion cafeteria. Where all our food is both delicious and nutritious." kage said sarcastically as he dipped his cube into a meat past that permeated their dishes. At least the past was almost tasteful it being made from meat and all. Jaune thought ruefully as he ate.

"The food taste great! I don't know what you guys are talking about!" Mika said as she shoved forkful after forkful into her mouth. Jaune head no idea how she could eat his food but after so much time with Mika he learned to stop asking ques an just go with the flow.

"You got some moves there Red! Good work." The gruff voice of Zach said as he sat opposite of the table. His messy black hair was smoothed over and spread across his scalp as he fumbled with his cubes. The splinidant green combat arom he always wore was accent by his dual pistols as he ate his food. "You are quite skilled Ruby."

The calm voice of Hino said as sat next to her dining partner and teammate. As she ate her short brown hair swayed softly as she delicately put spoon after spoon of Bastions food into her mouth. Her large pneumonic drills hung out dangerously form her wrist as she ate.
"It is good to see you adjusting to your new home so well. Most do not find it agreeable when they first get here, so it is nice to see someone who not only likes the arena fighting but enjoys them. In fact, you could say you took to it like an fish to water no?" Hino asked as Ruby went silent. The girl was still confused and not happy with love for death. As she began to fidget and squirm in her seat.

"BS! That's what you think!" Zach said as he eyed Ruby carefully. His jet black eyes locking on hers as he stared at her. "She wants you to think she enjoys killing but you don't. Trust me you hide it pretty well almost enough to fool me but I see right through you kid! I know a true killer when I see one and you don't got the walk! Oh, don't get me wrong! you are a cold-blooded murderer! I see you in the arena you definetly enjoy slicing up a man but you don't like killing."

"Oh no there's something else in it for you. I can see it clear as day. That look you get when you cut a man that panicked face when you think people might know what you're really feeling? I've seen it time and time again, I don't know what you're getting out of these arena fights but simply enjoying killing is it. Trust me I know what killer looks like, I mean look at that one over there!" He said pointing it to Mika who was now drinking a cup of water as she ate her food.

"Hiya!" Mika said as she waved her paper white hand at Zach you shuddered involuntarily. " Fucking psychopath." He muttered before turning his gaze back at Ruby.

"I"m not saying you doing it on purpose kid, but what I am saying is this. You don't enjoy the killing part of combat. You like something entirely different, I don't know what, maybe you like the thrill of battle or the feeling of cutting flesh with you scythe either way, you're getting a rush from something other than death. To be short your a junkie whose looking for her fix. And in my professional opinion, you need to find out what you fix is before it finds you." Zach said as he went back to eating. Jaune was about to speak before he looked to Ruby and saw her. She was shaking in her seat…

How did he know!? Ruby thought as sat in her Bastion bedas cup her face in her hand That was to close! She thought as she wondered how to explain herself. Zach was right. She didn't enjoy kilig that made her sick! But whenever she cut something or when she split flesh and bone it sent waves of electricity throughout her body. It felt like she was alive and on fire at the same time! Her bones felt lighter than air and she wanted to move to shout to fight! But then it happened. She head no idea what it was but whenever she cut she felt like somebody had lit and inferno in her chest that spread through her body, it stated in her chest and ended at her groin. She had no idea what this strange hot felling was other than it felt incredible, but she was determined to find out one way or the other….

Team ARKM was not doing well. As the four teenagers fell into their respective beds this week had been their hardest one yet. They had fought int and arena fight every. Single. Day. They were all called to do battle in the sand pits. And that plus classes and just pure stress was finally wearing the team down. It had started as an snow ball but was now threatening to become an avalanche as the final straw was cast today.

"I Can't take it any more!" Ruby finally shouted making her leader grimace. He knew what she was talking about an foun dom irony in that a simple thing might bring team ARKM down.

"If we are going to fight, bleed and almost die every day then the last we can do is get a good meal before we do!" Ruby shouted as the rest of her team looked forward and nodded once in a great. It was food. The baln cardboard foo that predominated the caferi finally broke their spirits as Ruby cracked in her pressure.

"It's not fair! If we risk our lives every day we should at least get decent food! Not that cardboard stuff they give us! I remember when we were in Beacon and- Her words were cut off as the girl aps as a loen tear fell from her silver eye as her red one whirred in distress.

"But you not in Beacon are you?" Mika ase as stared at her friend from her bed. She was currently laying on her back using her axe as back support for an stack of pillows three high.

"Everyone risks their live Ruby. Why should we be treated any better?" Kage asked her as the girl fumed..

"But still there should be some way of getting better food! I mean its ridiculous!"
"But there is an way of getting better food! We can always join the Death Korps!" Mika shouted as Kage instantly bolted up from his bed a look of panic across his face.

"The Death Korps? What's that?" Ruby asked as Kage open his mouth.

"Oh hell! Not that again!" Kage said as eyed his friend warily as Jaune had a flashback.

Bastion sponsored groups, Death Korps join today for better rations!

"Isn't that a school sponsored group?" Jaune asked as Ruby stared at him .

"You mean like a club?"

"Yes! The Death Korps are exactly like and after school club!" Mika said happily as she smile bright. "They also will give us better food if we join up!" Mika said as Jaune and Ruby's mouth dropped.

"Where do we sign up!?"
"Hold up an minute! You do not! Want to join the Death Korps! Mika stop giving them ideas!" Kage shouted the girl gave him a cheshire smile.

"But Kage! They said they wanted to get better food! And the Death Korps dose offer gourmet meals for all their soldiers …."

"Did you say gourmet?" Ruby asked as Jaune heard her stomach growling before he did the same.

"The food here is pretty subpar. Maybe we should give the Death Korps an chance?" He admitted before Kage shot up.

"Ok listen up! I know you're new but this is ridiculous! Jaune! Do you want to die!? To never go home to Beacon your friends or your girlfriend that you say you love so much!? Because I can almost guarantee you that joining the Death Korps is a sure fire way to an early grave!" Kage said as he stood up.

"The Death Korps can't be that bad Kage. Come on." Jaune hazarded trying to make light of the situation as he fished out the brochure he took from the wall.

"It says right here that if you join the Death Korps they will guarantee you not only better meals, but better living arrangements improved room conditions. And they will cut our mandatory mission in half!? Kage this sounds incredible!" Jaune said finally finishing the paper as Kage stiffened Jaune I'm warning you. if we join the Death Korps we are all going to die."

"It's better to die with soem good of then whatever the slop they serve us here!" Ruby said as she stood up.

'Let's put it to an vote.' Jaune said as he got up. "All in favor of joining the Death Korps say aye.

"Aye!" Ruby shouted as she put her hand up in the air.

"Me to! AYE! Mister ~bossman!~ Miak sang to Juane making him shiver.

"Nay! Every day! I don't want to be dead by tomorrow!" Kage said making Jaune have the tie break vote.

"I think we should atleas try, I Vote Aye!" Jaune as the girls cher an Kage siged. " We are all going to die," he said before Jaune rolled back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"You are all here today because you have chosen to be better!" The man in the large black overcoat said as he stalked over to them. They were in the required training program for all Death Korps initiates. They got up at the crack of dawn to go meet a man in dark overcoat a pure back boots pants armor and storm coat as he stalked the new students of Bastion. He was tall around six foot seven as he walked to them Jaune felt himself freeze in terror as he saw his face. The man wore a largely pronounced dark gas mask that seemed to be staring into his very soul As he watched the two large endless black armored eyes stared into him. There was around twenty of them All dazed sleep deprived punishment or initiation class student as they assembled on the dewy Bastion grass.

"Now we will embark on the first part on your training endurance. We will start the day with a twelve-mile run, we will be jogging along a predetermined path and report back here for further training." He said as he made the student line up in three by three running lines before they started jogging. It was already ridiculous, a twelve mile run this early i the day l was insane in Jaune thought as the leader shouted a warning.

"Be aware! I will shoot the first one of you to fall behind so keep moving!" He shouted as he brandished a massive pistol similar to Kage's but his and glowing blue core as he brandished it.

"Plasma pistol." Kage as as the group began to run. " I can do this!"Ruby shouted as she suddenly went ahead in a burst of speed and rose petals.

"Miss Rose! Did I say break formation!? Get back in line and jog with the rest of us!" The man barked at her in a harsh clipped tone as Ruby sulked back in line with the others blushing furiously.

"Now every prepare to cadence! Repeat after me" The man said Jaune looked at Kage.
" Here it comes. Get your lungs ready." Kage said as the man began to sing…

"~Up in the morning to the rising sun!~" The man shouted as the tone as carried by the students.

"~!Up in the morning of the rising sun!~"
"!Run all day till the runnings done!"
"Run all day till the runnings done!~"
"~When you die in the combat zone!~"
"~When we did in the combat zone!~"

"~Box you up and ship you home!~"
"~Box us up and ship us home!~"
"~Tell your momma you did your best!~"
"~Tell my momma I did my best!~"
"~Pin your medals upon my chest!~"

"~Pin my medals upon our chest!~"
"~One two three our I love the Death Korps!~"
"~One two three four I love the Death Korps!~"

"~One two three four Bastion Death Korps?"
"~One two three four Bastion Death Korps!~"
"~My Korps!~"

"~My Korps!~"
"~Your Korps!~"

"~Your Korps!~"

"~Our Korps!~"

"~Our Korps!~"

"~Death korps!~"

"~Death Korps!~"

" ~Up in the morning to the rising sun!~"
"~Up in the morning to the rising sun!~"

"~Run all day till the runnings done!~

"~Run all day till the runnings done…~"

Jaune felt like death when he crashed to the warm Bastion earth. HUH! He gasped as he spat large wads of phlegm as bod shook and shuddered. It felt liek he was breathing Jagged shards of glass as his lungs tired to cope with work out he had just been put through. The run was not just twelve it was twenty four miles long! Twelve miles there and back. As he hit the ground gasping he saw Ruby practically faint as she fell face first not even bothering to catch herself as he did.

"Good work initiates!" The tall man said as stomped over to the gasping forms of the trainees. He head run with them the entire time in heavy armor no less! But he was still perfectly fine as he walked up and down their lines. Bastard! Jaune thought as he died internally as the man put away his plasma piotr. Was he really going to shoot one of us for breaking line? Surely not. The Death Korps would Never shoot one of their own people. Jaune thought as the man barked another order. " Ok initiates breaks over! Time for your real training to begin!"

"I can't feel my anything! Ruby gasped as she laid face first on her bed. As she crashed on it, Jaune watched with empathy as he was barely able to walk without coughing up a lung. " I hope these things were worth it." Jaune said to himself as he looked to the four slim pieces of white plastic in his hand. They were the Bastion Death Korps ration cars. HE as been ive the instructions give them to the cafeteria staff so they would know what to feed them.

"That was fun! Lets run again!" Mika shouted as she coughed and wheezed on her bed. Her pale was cherry red as the exercise finally got to her. As she breathed for her life.

"I told you we shouldn't have gone! You think this is rough? Wait till we get an actual Death Korps mission! Then you'll see what tough is!" Kage shouted half gasped he laid heavily on his bed. His body was panting heavily but he was good shape overall as his red combat armor was apparently coming in handy giving him extra endurance.

"Let's see if it was all worth it." Jaune said as he rallied his team up for their final battle of the day dinner…

"This. Is. Heaven!" Ruby shouted as dug into her food. As she spoke tears fell from her eye as she did. Jaune was forced to agree completely as he looked to his meal. It was steak! No more protein cubes and meat paste. Jaune now had a fresh succulent red steak in front of him. It was grilled rare and bleeding fresh blood. Piled high with mashed potatoes and butter. On His right was tall cup of water and in the middle of his meal were several stacks of buttered dinner rolls.

Ruby's diner was piles of chicken freshly girll and steaming, with a plate of pizza and a mound of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

To his right Kage had been steadily devouring a ever disappearing mound of thinly fired tubers. That covers a colossal piece of red meat. Jaune head no idea what the meat was but it was blood rare lan look delicious.

To his opposite Mika sad devouring a plate of what looked like cake? Why she was eating cake for dinner was a mystery as she devoured the ever disappearing mound of cake, followed by lobster, crabs, and shrimp. As the feasted into their meals a voice rang out in front of them .

"Damn! You all get to eat like kings! Maybe we should join the Death Korps ay, Hino?" Zach asked his teammate who shrugged nonchalantly. "We would have to ask our leader first, and you know how he is." She replied evenly as they ate their pale cubes.

"Do I! The crafty stalker! I don't need him on my ass!"Zach grumbled as the team's devoured their respective food….

Life finds a way… That phrase rang true as Ruby lied alone in her bed. It was unbearable. The pain she was currently in. All her muscles felt like pools of putty as the twelve two way mile runs and hars Death Korps training finally too their toll. The training while good was unbelievably hard an unforgiven. The instructors even went so far as to use live ammunition during drills! As shetou about this her eye whirred and she felt like an ice pick was being driven into her skull. "AHH!" She cried as the ice pick struck again, and again as it broke into her brain making the girl cry tears of pain.

"I hate this." Ruby said sadly ash cried to herself in the room alone. " I hate this school! I hate this room! I want my old team back! I want my friends back! I mss team RWBY…. I even Miss Weiss! Sure she was a bit crabby and mean but she was my partner and more than that she was my friend." Ruby thought as she sniffled to herself as she pulled the covers over her head. " I hate this place…" Ruby though as curled into a fetal position.

"I don't think we'll be here long." A voice said from behind as as the familiar form of Jaune sat on her bed.

"Hi Jaune, are you here to make me feel better?" Ruby asked with a bit too much sarcasm as the blonde smiled. She didn't even hear him come in. Some leader I turned out to be. Ruby thought as Jaune put a hand on her head.

Instantly the pain in her head fell away as his hand stoked her. It acted as some type of pain suppressant as Ruby found herself drawn to the smooth circular motions of Jaune's hand.

"I hate this place as well. I miss my team. I miss Ren's stoic one liners, I miss Nora's eccentricities that didn't involve first degree murder, And I Miss Pyrrha. But we have to keep moving Ruby. If we give up here we will never meet them again. So please be strong we just need to hold out a little longer ok?"

Jaune as as he finally felt himself break . The stress was too much. As much as he tried to hide it or have a brave face for Ruby the stress of fighting for his life, seeing people die brutal deaths dial had slowly worked down his resistance and he was crumbling. There was too much pain too much endless fear in his heart. As he wondered if he would ever go into team JNPR's dorm again.

Jaune never knew when he started to cry only that Ruby held him as he did. He returned her embrace as they hugged each other tightly in the pitch black room. As the both realized what they had lost and worse yet, what they had still yet to lose. But there was hope!

It was not an endless tunnel. They just needed to hold out for two more months then the would go to VYTAL an be set free. Iyt seemed so far but it had to be coming soon. If it didn't Jaune had no die how they could last. The stress the fear the-

"Cigarette?" A familiar voice asked as Jaune as the tall form of Kage. still in his crimson combat armor as held out a box of slim white sticks.

'No thanks Kage. But thanks for the gesture anyway." Jaune said as Kage firmly held out the box again.

"They'll take the stress away." He offers as blinding fast red head shot out and grabbed one.

"Ruby!?" Jaune asked as the girl grabbed a stick and put it in her mouth.

"Jaune I can't take it any more! I need something to make this easier. If this takes the stress away then so be it!" She thought as she bit onto the cigaret already hating it's taste and texture. .

"Good choice Red, What about you boss? You want to taste the dessert as well?" Kage asked as Jaune hesitated a moment before deciding that Ruby shouldn't go through this alone. As he took a cigarette from the box and put in in his mouth.

"There we go now breathe in."" Kage said as an click! Was heard in the room as a flash of light fill their vision as Kage let their cigarettes as they inhaled….

Jaune's eye widened to the size of dinner plates ashe felt the cool rich taste enter his mouth. It actually tasted like the dessert! Jaune thought as he inhaled the rach smooth flavor of the cigaret as the taste of the deserts of Vacuo entered his mouth. As he smoked he felt it happen. All the stress, all the pain all the fear simply evaporated like it was never there. As he and Ruby smiled in a blissful realization.

"There better right? You taste the dessert yet?" Kage asked with a smug grin. As Jaune nodded once before Kage lit his own cigarette and inhaled deeply.

For n time the room was silent. As the pitch black interior was lighted only by three small red lights as the teens let their stress finally leave. They had no idea when Mika walked into the focused on their first real relaxation when a fouth light joined them in the dark as Mika came to their circle before she hopped over and joined them as their team enjoyed their first true moments of rest and relaxation….

AN: DONE! And what might have been one of by best Bastion chapters to date! At least in my opinion. Well, I hope you enjoyed I'm off to start on Endangered Species so untill then take care and thanks for reading!
PS. Like what your read tell me! comments and reviews are always welcome! Until then take care.