The Schnee Black Sheep
A/N
Good morrow to all yee little buggers.
This is a shorter chapter but I felt like it was a nice place to end it seeing as for what I have planned and already wrote for ch 15 will be quite a thing. As of right now I'm going to say this. After watching RWBY S1 from start to finish like a hundred times now, I'm confirming that I will be sticking somewhat to the original plot while simultaneously telling my own story through this fic. I don't want to write the original scene for scene in this fic so there will be some differences so get it through your heads already that this is an AU if you have not already realised or previously read my A/Ns.
Rant now over…
You know personally I really want to do something different with this fic so I'm going to say it here and now. As of this moment I have been creating a small story board for all seasons of RWBY and while creating this, I've come to realise that I'm at a 50 -50 dilemma of how dark I'm going to make this fic.
There is something else that needs to be addressed. I've said previously that everything I write has a purpose behind it, and while that statement remains true, I have kept too many things hidden in my writing so I've pushed things along from my original plan. I hope this doesn't disappoint but seeing as how I'm now on chapter 14 and only this far along with the original I think it's time to move it along some.
Also if any of you do have any questions or queries about this fic either message me through PM or ask me in a review. I do try and reply to all reviews but unfortunately to those of you who have PM turned off well sorry lads and lasses but nout I can dee about that.
Bugger, me accents coming out again… on with the chapter
Still don't own RWBY
Chapter 14: The Bet, The Threat and The Challenge.
It had been a month after his first mission at Beacon and Coal had settled in nicely with his new life at the school. He fell into a simple routine of being rudely awakened by his sister most mornings after a long night of studying and reading, to make sure that he wasn't late for classes. He slept through most of them anyway having either already studied up on the subject being taught or would research it later on in the evening. If he wasn't sleeping during class he was wondering around the corridors of the school having gotten lost on the way to the lesson. Even when someone accompanied him to make sure he got to the classroom he had a habit of disappearing in the blink of an eye, much to his sister's annoyance.
Coal found that he had quickly made friends with both teams RWBY and JNPR and had something in common with each member over his first month of school. During the month he had also had the time to train with both teams RWBY and JNPR and had a much better grasp on each members fighting style. He had sparred with each of them and over the course of time found that his shoulder had healed fully about a week ago and had since removed the bandages.
Although it wasn't all good news. Coal's bloodlust was growing with each passing day and he could feel himself slipping back into a dark pit. His other persona was making more and more attempts of seizing control over his actions and that made the boy scared. He had given Pyrrha an abridged version of his dilemma back on their first mission and while she had been there to help when he really needed it, he never when to her on his own accord. She had always come to him when he had begun to isolate himself from the rest of the group. Needless to say, he could tell they were starting to get a little bit worried but he would never burden any of them with his own faults. He just wasn't that type of guy.
Coal watched as his friend got smacked around the arena above him. Jaune was fighting the schools notorious bully Cardin Winchester and was losing badly. Jaune had just had his shield battered away by Cardin and his mace. The blond knight, yelling at the top of his voice, charged back in with his sword raised only to be knocked back once more. Glynda had seen enough and decided to stop the fight at that point.
"That's enough!" she said as she walked to the front of the arena floor to address her students. "Now students, as you can see Mr. Arc's aura had dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this indicates that Jaune is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match. Mr. Arc it's been weeks now, please try and refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decided when it is appropriate to attack or when it is better to move to a more… Defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to get gobbled up by a Beowolf, now would we?"
Jaune could only mutter an affirmative having lost to the school bully.
"Now students we have time for one more duel. Who would like to participate?"
Weiss grew a mischievous smirk and leant in towards Pyrrha so that only the two of them could hear. "Want to make a bet?" This instantly sparked the Spartan's interest.
"Bet?" she whispered back.
"We fight and if you win, I'll get Coal to make those muffins you like so much." Pyrrha quickly shrugged as if playing off that those muffins weren't the most amazing thing in the world. Though she never disagreed to those terms. "And if I win…" Weiss continued. "You have to ask my brother out on a date." Pyrrha's eyes widened at the girls sudden outburst. She never got a chance to deny the bet before Weiss had stepped up to the stage and was pointing at her. "Professor I want to fight against Pyrrha." She said with a mischievous smirk, which on better days could rival her brother's.
"That would be acceptable." Was all Glynda said before moving to stand at the side of the arena. Pyrrha could on sigh and take her place opposite the Schnee girl, sure Weiss was no push over as she had been trained not by only her father and the best professional instructors money could buy, but she had also been trained by her brother. Someone Pyrrha considered to be the strongest person she had ever fought against.
Coal watched the two girls take their places, having not heard their little wager, he smiled thinking that it would be an entertaining spar.
"Begin!" Professor Goodwitch shouted.
Weiss raised her rapier and brought it up to head height, keeping the tip of the blade focused on her opponent. She created a glyph under her feet to give her more momentum and used that to launch herself at the Spartan who blocked using her shield, though due to the force behind the strike, slid back a few feet. Weiss took this moment to continue her barrage of stabs and slashes, seemingly floating around the Spartan who was either blocking or dodging the strikes with ease.
Yang leant over to Coal, she had a slight confused look on her face as she couldn't help but think where she had seen someone quite literally dance around an opponent.
"Where did she learn to fight?" she questioned. Coal grew a smirk and without turning to meet the blond he answered.
"From me."
Back in the arena, Pyrrha had grown tired of playing defensive. She changed her sword into its spear form and with a swing from her shield, staggered the white themed girl and left a sizable opening to utilize. Which she did.
Pyrrha thrust her spear towards the torso of her opponent who was unable to dodge due to the shield strike, taking the full brunt of the attack and being force back a few feet landing on her back and lightly hitting her head on the arena's stone floor. 'Thank goodness for aura.' Weiss thought although the strike was powerful enough to take off a good brunt of her aura reserves. She hated that her reserves were so low in times like this.
"That all you got Pyrrha?" she smirked as she struggled back to her feet. "Cause I'm just…" Weiss' vision started to blur "Getting…" her vision darkened even more.
Coal instantly recognised what was happening. She hadn't done this since just after they left home over a month ago. "Shit no.." he whispered as his sister started to fall back. "Weiss!" he yelled as he jumped up just in time to catch her before she hit the ground. She was completely unconscious. Glynda had also approached alongside Pyrrha who was slightly shaken at the girls condition after the strike she had purposefully weakened.
"What happened?" Glynda asked Pyrrha. The red head could only stutter in confusion unable to give a proper answer. Luckily Coal saved her from the gaze of the professor.
"It's ok… This happens from time to time." He said as calmly as possible as he rose to a standing position with his twin in his arms bridal style. "I'm going to take her to the infirmary. She'll be alright." He stated before walking off. Pyrrha followed close behind, she wanted to apologise for unintentionally knocking Weiss out and felt like she should at least she her to the infirmary.
"I'm sorry." she said to the boy.
"Don't be." He turned his head to look at the girl over his shoulder. "It's not your fault, she's been pushing herself hard this last month so something like this was bound to happen eventually. I'm just glad it happened in there rather than with a Grimm." He summed up.
Pyrrha moved to walk alongside him, now knowing that he wasn't angry at her. "Does this happen a lot?" She questioned before immediately trying to correct her rudeness. "I mean err. Weiss has said before that she was a lot weaker when she was younger but just how bad is she really?"
Coal didn't say a word more until they arrived at the medical wing and he placed his twin onto one of the beds, letting one of the nurses in to check on his sister's condition. "That is up for her to decide whether or not to tell you."
"Its fine Coal."
Both teens turned to look at the girl on the bed who was now awake and shooing the nurse away say that she was alright. "See, only a small one. Not like the ones I used to get when I could be out for maybe hours at a time…" she continued. "But I think it's best to explain it to all our friends rather than keep it between us any longer." Coal nodded at his sister's words and gave a soft comforting smile to his twin.
"Well alright then… Anyway, its lunch time now and you," he pointed to his twin, "need some food in you!"
"Yeah, yeah." Weiss agreed as she made to stand up from the bed and nearly falling back down to it with the dizziness. Coal quickly slipped under his sisters arms and made himself into a brace for the girl to lean against. "You'll only get lost without me or Pyrrha showing you how to get there."
"Do you want me to get you your wheelchair?" He teased.
"You know I can't stand those things. Besides I've always got you to lean against." She argued back remembering the infernal contraption she was bound to in her youth. She turned to Pyrrha with a sly smile. "For now our little bet is on hold."
Coal raise a single eyebrow as he and his sister walked out the infirmary. "What bet?"
"Nothing you need to be concerned about my dear brother." Weiss said while she patted her brothers chest with her free hand. Pyrrha followed them both with slightly red cheeks.
"She's been having this recurring dream for at least a month now." Ren clarified for the group. As Pyrrha, Coal and Wiess sat down at the table with their friends. Weiss and Pyrrha taking seats next to their respective partners while Coal took a seat on the end next to Ren.
"Best not pay attention to dreams lass." Coal said knowingly as he reached across to pick some food from Blake's plate seeing as she seemed to distracted by her book to notice, only for his hand to be slapped away. "Aww come on, they stopped serving just before we arrived!"
"Well that's your problem." The Faunus girl retorted not looking away from her book.
"How did you even know I was going to take some anyway? You never take your face out that book!" he argued.
Weiss glanced at her twin before mocking him. "Pot meet kettle."
"Oi! Least I'm filling my head with information rather than crappy stories." Blake looked over her book to shoot him daggers with her eyes. "Seriously Blake, some of them are as bad as that 50 shades series. Maybe worse."
Ruby raised an eyebrow "What's 50 shades?"
As the group bickered, with Coal still attempting to steal food from Blake rather than accept an offer from Ruby to share, the youngest girl needed the most food to help her grow up some, Pyrrha looked towards her partner who hadn't said or eaten anything at all today. He was just moving the food around his plate using his fork with a distant look on his face. Normally he would be the first one to back the only member of team VOID up but today he just didn't look right at all. "Is everything okay Jaune?" She asked.
Jaune jumped slightly at being brought into the conversation and stuttered for a response. "uhh. Y-Yeah… Why."
Ruby responded with a hint of doubt. "It's just that you seem, well not okay."
"I'll second that!" Coal proclaimed from the end of the table, raising a can of beer he seemed to have gotten from nowhere.
"Will you put that away, we are in the middle of school!" His sister scolded him.
"Guys I'm fine." Jaune said while the twins bickered in the background. "Seriously, look." He gave the group a thumbs up and put on his best fake smile. His actions convinced no one.
They teen heard some laughing from the table across from them and turned their heads to see Cardin and his team surrounding a Faunus girl with brown rabbit ears who looked rather uncomfortable.
"Jaune." Pyrrha address her partner bring the attention of the teens back to their table, though Coal and Blake's gaze remained on team CRDL for a moment longer. "Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school."
"Uh. Who? Cardin Winchester? No, he just likes to mess around you know, practical jokes." Jaune tried to shrug off.
"He's a bully." Ruby deadpanned.
"Oh Please, name one time he's 'bullied' me." Jaune said using air quotes.
"Knocking all your books to the ground."
"Getting your shield stuck in the door."
"Trapping you in the rocket lockers."
"Putting itching powered in your bra."
"COAL THAT WAS YOU!" Weiss stood and moved to punch her twin having finally put two and two together about the incident yesterday. The teens began to ignore the fighting twins, it was a regular occurrence between the two which they had all gotten used to by now.
"Pft. I didn't land too far from the school."
"Jaune. If you ever need help you know you can just ask."
"Ooo I know." Nora stood and struck a pose. "We'll break his legs." Coal took a break from fighting with his twin to egg the hammer wielder on.
"You take the legs, I take the arms?"
"That's right and then he'll be crippled for life."
"But we can't let him suffer, we aren't that cruel Nora." Coal reasoned.
"Then we just have to put the puppy down." Nora shrugged.
"Yes, your right, it is the humane thing to do." Coal also shrugged. This when unnoticed by the rest of the teens also, as if it was also seen on a regular basis in the last month.
"Guys really, its fine. It's not like he's only a jerk to me, he's a jerk to everyone."
"OW! THAT HURTS." Came a cry from behind the knight.
Cardin was pulling on one of the Faunus girl's ears while laughing with his team saying that he told them they were real.
"Haha, See I told you guys-" Cardin was interrupted as his metal clad arm was grasped from the side. Coal had seen enough. "What the hell you doing?" Cardin spat as he looked to the dark, coal black eyes of the teen who had quite a tight grip on his arm. The grip only tightened and eventually began to collapse the gauntlet that Cardin was wearing, only increasing the pain in the boys arm. He eventually had to let go of the Faunus girls ear due to the pain.
"Table behind us." Coal spoke softly looking at the girl with a kind expression. She looked at him confused before seeing a few people behind him gesturing for her to come and sit with them, which she quickly accepted. Coal turned back towards Cardin, eyes filled with rage. "Think about doing that again or to anyone else… You will lose that arm." He promised, releasing the boy and turning to walk away. Only for Cardin to put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to stop him. That was not a good idea.
Coal grabbed the arm again which Cardin had used to try and stop him and dropped down towards the ground and pulling on the arm, sending Cardin flying over his shoulder and landing on his back in front of the teen.
Almost immediately the rest of team CRDL surrounded Coal to stop him from leaving as Cardin rose to his feet, the rage and embarrassment from being floored so easily was painted all over his face. The mess hall went quiet to watch the confrontation. Many of the students hoping that a fight would break out with one of the schools strongest fighters and the notorious school bully.
"That's enough!" Came the commanding voice of Glynda Goodwitch. "Back to your seats, all of you."
"He started it professor." Cardin yelled while pointing at Coal who just placed his hands in his coat pockets.
"Is that true Mr. Coal?" The professor asked.
Coal looked at the older woman and raised a single eyebrow. "What do you think." He said in a emotionless tone. Glynda examined the scene and quickly understood what he was asking. Since she had met the boy a month ago, she realised that he was a childish prankster with a dark side that would put most criminals to shame. Yet he had never initiated a fight or caused any bodily harm, not even though his pranks. Despite the obvious dark side to him she just couldn't see him wanting to cause someone harm unless they fully deserved it. She really had more pressing matters to focus on than this anyway.
"Just take your seats and finish your lunch children." Which Coal did without question. Cardin stayed to argue with the professor about not punishing the boy who floored him and attempted to start a fight but Coal merely tuned the scene out. He was to hungry to give a shit about the ginger boy. He sat back down at his table with his friends on the other side of the rabbit Faunus who had taken his seat.
"Thank you." She whispered to him.
"No problem lassie." He said with a smile as he held out a hand to address the girl he introduced himself.
After a brief period of meet and greet with the rest of the table, the rabbit Faunus now known to the group as Velvet had told a few stories to the rest of the teens about the times when she had found Coal lost around the school and needed to point him in the right direction. The teens had also found out that she was a second year student and was actually in some of their classes also due to her transferring to Beacon late last year. She was busy telling the group about how she had found him in a heap outside on of the girls changing rooms having taken a wrong turn at the wrong time. This got a round of laughs from the teens.
Eventually the bell rang signalling the end of lunch and the beginning of their next lesson, History with Professor Oobleck.
"Now then students prior to the Faunus rights revolution, otherwise known as the Faunus war…" Professor Oobleck began. He was a slim fellow with green hair and glasses covered his eyes, though his appearance did leave a few students with questioned as he always looked like he had always just ran through a storm. Some put it down to the fact the he would dash from point to point while delivering his lectures.
"… Some repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day." He paused to take a drink from his thermos. "Ms. Schnee, can you please wake your brother." The professor did not want a repeat of what happened the last time someone other than the boy's twin had tried to rise him from his slumber. For some reason, the only one able to wake the boy without him going crazy was his sister.
*SLAP*
"OW!"
"Now." The professor continued without batting an eye. "Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" a few students raised their hands at this question. "Dreadful! Simple dreadful. Remember students it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence. I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang. Now! Which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point, in the third year of the war?"
Weiss raised her hand.
"The battle at Fort Castle."
"Precisely. Could you please wake you brother up again Ms. Schnee?"
*SLAP*
"OW!"
"And now, who can tell me the advantage that the Faunus had over the general's forces."
"Hey!" Came a surprised start from Jaune, having been awoken by a ball of paper hitting him in the back of the head curtesy of Cardin.
"Mr. Arc finally contributing to class, now what is the answer?"
"The answer… The answer…" Jaune looked around hoping to find the answer among the walls of the classroom, he noticed Pyrrha who was gesturing her eyes like a pair of… "Binoculars!"
This got a round of laughs from the students and a rather timid facepalm from his partner.
"Very funny Mr. Arc… Cardin, perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject."
"Well I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin stated leaning back in his seat. Coal's eyes shot open from having almost fallen asleep again.
"You're not the most open minded of individuals are you Cardin?" Pyrrha asked, a hint of anger hidden in her voice.
"What, you got a problem?" the boy retorted.
"No, I have the answer." The Spartan said while turning back to the professor. "It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." Cardin could only grumble in response, not able to come up with something to throw back at the girl.
"General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was out matched and the general was captured." Blake continued. "Perhaps if he had payed attention in class, he wouldn't have been known as such a failure." She finished with a childish smirk that could rival Coal's. This pissed Cardin off as he rose out his seat in anger.
"Want some water for that burn Cardin!" Coal shouted from the top row.
"FUCK YOU!" Cardin shouted.
"Mr. Winchester please take your seat!" the professor yelled having not expected to raise his voice today. "Save the fighting for combat class."
"Actually professor." Coal said as he also rose to his feet and began to stretch. "That's not a bad idea. If team CRDL want a fight I'll be happy to take them on. I could do with the exercise."
"You want to go then bring it, you pale bastard!" Cardin yelled.
Coal smirked down at the boy and cracked the biggest shit eating grin both teams RWBY and JNPR had seen. "Fine, me Vs team CRDL... This should be fun."
