/ | \

\ | /

Scene 9:

Crimson Secrets

A/n:

I have updated this chapter, as well as all the things to accommodate a new setup.

I also changed the name

Don't panic

Everything is fine.

mostly


Ruby pov

8:30 Am

What am I going to do?

We were approaching the cliff where we would be launched into the Emerald Forest to begin the Initiation. In there, we would find our partners, our teammates, and the ones we would have to rely on for the next four years here.

But I had a problem.

Jaune, whom I had encountered earlier, and had found to be surprisingly acceptable, was weak.

Really weak.

He could be easily manipulated, had potential, and was trustworthy, and that was what was important. I could mold him into becoming a strong and loyal pawn, or "friend", in time. More importantly, I had already committed myself to him when I made him pledge loyalty to me. Well, he agreed to be my friend, but for him it's essentially the same thing.

In any case, even if he had no potential, I would not abandon him simply because he was weak. I wouldn't be my family, discarding him like a broken and unwanted toy.

Still, though, the problem was, Jaune was weak. So weak, I wasn't entirely sure he was going to survive the launch, let alone the rest of the Initiation. Nor did I have a way to ensure we became partners, or even teammates.

Some people may have been resigned to go with Ozpin's method of selection, random chance. Some might have preferred to play fair, or to go with the hand fate dealt them.

I was not one of them. Fate had always the harshest of mistresses to me, and she wasn't going to change now. I didn't get to where I am now, alive in Beacon with things finally looking up for me, by playing fair, or following "fate". Just as Lucifer taught me, if you want to have fun, leave it to chance, but if you want to win, stack the deck.

Besides, good girls followed the rules, and I certainly wasn't going to be a good girl anymore.

In any case, I needed to figure out what to do about Jaune, and how to keep him alive. He was something that was undoubtedly going to cause a lot of problems for me, but I had a feeling that it would be worth it in the end. He was an…investment, just like I was for Lucifer.

Still, it was very hard to think of a solution to the problem when it felt like someone was doing nuclear testing inside my skull. My headache hadn't gone away yet, I knew it wouldn't, and it likely wouldn't be going anywhere for at least a day. No amount of traditional medicine would fix that, it was just a fact.

Even worse, it didn't just hurt, it also weakened me. It wasn't just a matter of pain, it was a matter of fact. The pain was just a side effect of the real problem, which was why I was weak now. I would slower, less intelligent, less coordinated.

In a way, I suppose that was another problem, me. Right now I was probably about as weak as Jaune, if not weaker. I was technically in just as much danger as he was. Had I been in my normal state of mind, I might have cared more, but as it was I simply dismissed that fact and moved on.

I couldn't really do much about me, but I could do something about Jaune.

But what? What can I do?

And it was here, in my time of need, that Lucifer offered his ever so useful advice.

"If the rules don't suite you, change the game." He suggested, his elegant and entrancing voice echoing in my mind.

And with that, I smiled. It was a small, tiny, smile, but it was indicative of the cunning elation I felt. With that simple, short, statement, Lucifer had opened my mind to possibilities I hadn't even considered. It only took me a couple seconds to figure out what I wanted to do, how I was going to save Jaune.

It would hurt, it would hurt a lot, and it would take a lot out of me, but it would work. Jaune would live, and my investment would be safe.

So, without another second to dawdle, I began making preparations.

"For years you have trained to be warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin said, beginning his speech.


Jaune pov

8:31 Am

Well, this is it, can't turn back now. This isn't a dream, this is the start of my journey. I thought as I stood there on the cliff with the other initiates.

I was a little nervous.

Okay, that was a lie, I was scared shitless. I mean, I didn't doing too bad in the dream, but…

That was a dream, this is reality, and as not bad as the dream was, it still sucked ass. Frankly, that dream was a wakeup call that that this whole thing isn't a game, a happy little adventure for whimsical heroes.

So, considering how bad the dream was, I was really worried about how bad reality was going to be. But still…

It's nice to know I'm not completely useless I thought, reminiscing about how I managed to save Lilith.

It wasn't exactly a clean victory, nor was it particularly fun. But the feeling of actually being successful, and saving someone for once?

There's nothing like it in the world.

Even if it was all just a very realistic dream

Still, though, I hadn't figured out what that business was with the weird glowing thing. And I still felt kinda weird.

I guess I'll just have to figure it out later.

Then there was the fact I was hearing that odd static sound in the background again. It was a little hard to notice over the sound of Professor Ozpin's voice as he explained everything to us, but it was still very much there.

Maybe it's just a thing here I considered, but then again, I had only heard it before in the dream.

Actually, that's kind of ominous now that I think about it I reconsidered, remembering how that ended.

And with that thought, I directed my attention back to the real world.

Somehow, someway, it seemed my dream was kinda prophetic. It turns out that the setup for the dream is actually how the Initiation is actually going to go. My only explanation is that they already said it before, and they're saying it again here.

"When you are done getting down into the forest, the first person you encounter will be your partner for the duration of your time in Beacon." Ozpin said.

Yep, pretty much what happened in the dream. That being said, I don't actually remember this part happening, just being in the forest knowing what we had to do. I thought.

I saw everyone get into position, getting ready to descend into the forest in their own way. Most of them were probably going to do some fancy trick they learned before they came here.

I was just going to climb down the cliff.

He never said we couldn't do that.

"…and be graded appropriately. Any questions?" He asked, wrapping up his speech.

We all shook our heads. Even me, after all, I already remembered it all from the dream. Once again, I don't actually remember him saying that in my dream, I just remember that kind of…already being known. It's really weird. It's like I could remember everything he said in the speech, all the important notes, but I couldn't remember the speech itself, just that it happened.

"Good, then be on your way." He said, gesturing with his cane for us to go into the forest.

Part of me wanted to stay behind and watch them take off in their own special way, but I decided against it. It would take me long enough to climb down the cliff instead of using some fancy trick. I couldn't waste any more time standing there gawking at them. So I didn't.

Instead I immediately ran to the cliff, and carefully made my way down. I wasn't exactly a rock climber or anything, but there were a bunch of outcroppings jutting out form the cliff that kind of formed steps. They were far too far apart to use them to get up, but I could let gravity do most of the work for me as I jumped from ledge to ledge to get down.

That being said, it was still a pretty far jump down each time, and a couple times I felt like it should have been too far. But it wasn't. Instead, I would make the jump easily, and instead of breaking my leg, like I felt I should have, I barely felt a thing.

It was…weird.

I have a feeling this is connected to that thing with the glowing shenanigans. I thought as I made another landing that should have shattered my legs, but instead like a 5 foot drop.

Above me I heard a cacophony of loud BANG!'s as the rest of the initiates took off into the forest with their own methods. I looked up to see them all fly by an incredible speeds.

Is that what I could do if I was a real huntsman? I thought in awe.

Then I stomped that train of thought out. That was why I was here, to get stronger. To be a hero. To prevent anyone from getting hurt because I was weak, when I could have done something about it. So nothing like that day EVER happens again.

For Alice I thought with forlorn determination.

And with that, I descended into the forest.


Pyrrha pov

8:31 am

This almost exactly like the dream I thought

It was…weird…honestly, to be going through this again. I could only hope that reality didn't go as badly as the dream did. Still though, this part never happened. I simply started in the forest, already knowing what to do.

Strange

"When you land in the forest, the first person you meet will be your partner for the duration of your time in Beacon." Ozpin continued with his speech

Even while listening to Ozpin's speech and taking note of its similarities with the dream, I didn't lose track of my surroundings. I looked around at my fellow initiates, all waiting to enter the Emerald Forest with varying levels of apprehension.

Oddly enough, I felt almost no thrilled excitement, only anxiety. As if something had scared them all into submission, something that struck home. Surely it wasn't Ozpin's speech, they didn't seem to be paying too much attention to the man.

My only guess, is that it has something to do with the odd string of nightmares that seemed ot have occurred among the initiates.

Speaking of which, hopefully this time I will actually get a partner. That being said, I don't actually know anyone here aside from the nice boy, Jaune, and the girl, Blake.

The girl the deeper, darker, parts of my mind kept going to war over. One second she was a threat. Another, a curiosity. It was…maddening…to have my opinion flip flop like that constantly. So as a result, I decided to leave her quickly, though politely.

My instincts couldn't decide whether they wanted her dead, or as a friend.

Worse still, I hardly actually knew anything about her, just that she was…special…compared to my other classmates. Why, I don't know, but something inside me does.

As for Jaune…He seemed nice. He could very well be my first friend, something I'm both excited and anxious about. It seemed like he didn't actually know anything about me, about the "Invincible Girl", which might be why didn't seem the slightest bit hesitant to be nice to me. Though, that made me wonder, if he knew the truth, would that change?

That being said, he tried to befriend me after I almost killed him waking up. Part of me feels that if that wasn't enough to dissuade him from being my friend, my notoriety shouldn't.

A tactical part of me is worried about how strong he is, about him being a potential liability. That's when the more cynical and logical part of my brain reminds me that considering the gulf in skill levels, pretty much everyone I meet will be a liability.

Everyone except Blake.

And that's why she was so interesting, and the only threat.

I only wish I knew why.

However, I can't actually say that I've met the entire incoming student body. There could very well be someone else interesting like Blake, I just simply haven't met them.

I broke off this train of thought when I realized that I could hear that odd buzzing sound from my dream again. The faint sound of a speaker being turned on, but not playing anything.

Taking note of it as a curiosity and not much more, I pushed it to the back of my mind. I could think about it later, right now I had more important things to worry about.

"…and be graded appropriately. Any questions?" He finished.

After a second of silence he nodded his head and said, "Good, now take your positions."

And with that, one by one, initiates were launched from the springboard-launch pads like a bullet out of a gun. I managed to spot Jaune before he was launched.

At first I was worried about the wellbeing of someone who could potentially be my first friend, but then I saw the look of determination on his face. He wasn't overly scared or anxious, sure, it was there, but it didn't rule him.

When I saw that, I knew he would be okay, so instead I simply awaited the inevitable moment when my own platform launched me into the forest.


Ruby pov

8:33 am

Well, I think it worked I thought.

I could tell the blowback was getting to me once more. I had really overworked myself these past couple days, and I needed time to recover. But, more importantly, I needed this Initiation to go well. This is going to be the setup for my next four years here.

That's assuming, of course, that I actually stay here for the next four years.

Before I could think about that too much, however, my pounding headache once more rocked my skull, even worse than before. I felt dizzy and lightheaded.

I felt something dripping from my nose. I raised a hand to it and idly noticed that it was blood.

Blood. That's probably not good. I thought lazily as my thoughts turned sluggish.

I heard Ozpin say, "Good, now take your positions.", though his voice sounded far away.

Right, we're getting launched into the forest I remembered calmly.

Then I grew a small frown as I realized, Wait, that might actually be bad right now

Before I could think about it for a moment longer, my own platform activated. It sent me flying into the air at incredible speeds. The incredible forces acting on my body took their toll, and I felt myself begin to fade from t consciousness.

I held on with all I had. While I felt I could survive impact even if unconscious, I'd rather not land with broken bones. Even as uncoordinated as I was right now, I was capable of at least breaking my fall.

Then something collided with me, hitting me so hard I was thrown the rest of the way into blissful unconsciousness.


Pyrrha pov

8:35 am

I landed in a tree, just as before, and decided take something away from my dream.

In the dream, I had very little idea where the temple was. I hadn't seen it from the air after being launched, but perhaps if I had a little more control over my observations…

So, with that thought I drew Milo, and put it into rifle form. I made use of the scope to look around the area, to try and see any sign of the temple. A secondary objective was to see if I could see Jaune. If I could find him early on and make him my partner, I could ensure his position as my first friend.

A voice in the back of my mind said that this probably isn't how most people made friends. I didn't care. Making friends was the one thing I had always failed at, and I refused to give up now that I was so close to success. I would do whatever it takes.

So, I looked around through the scope, trying to see anything of value. I mostly just saw Grimm, other initiates, and some interesting landmarks. While these would be somewhat helpful in getting my baring's and getting around, they weren't what I was looking for. Then I saw her.

Blake.

She had that look in her eye, that look that made my darkest part of my mind cry danger. That look of a predator, a hunter. When she glanced in my direction with those amber eyes, I had struggle to hold myself back.

My instincts screamed Shoot Her!

Her finger twitched on the trigger.

She's helpless, just a couple shots and I can eliminate the potential threat. I can ensure my survival with just a few well-placed bullets.

I began to apply pressure to the trigger.

NO! I refused, pulling my finger far from the trigger.

I pulled my rifle from her just before I saw her land. I couldn't do that. I Wouldn't do that. I don't know what was wrong with me, but I refused to allow it to control me. I wouldn't let myself be ruled by some…weird and inexplicable fear of a girl I barely knew.

She had been nothing but kind to me, and I was about to shoot her for it.

I don't know why my instincts were screaming at me to kill her, but I wouldn't let them rule me.

I let out a breath, and with it, my stress, my fear, my…irrationalities. Calming down, I once again raised my rifle to my cheek, and looked through the scope. If only I'd just put it down.

I saw that girl again. The girl covered in scarlet, and bathed in blood.

Instead of the look of cold fury on her face and dark crimson eyes she had before, this time she had a smile on her face and joyful golden eyes. One that showed off her sharp, bloodied teeth. The smile was a manic one, filled with bloodlust and joy. To see such a look on a 12 year old disturbed almost every part of me.

But that dark thing inside me? That thing that dwelled inside the darkest recess of my mind? It remembered.

The scarlet demon was flying through the air like the other initiates. Unlike the other initiates, however, she was flying towards me. Blake had been seen as a potential threat, a potential danger, but this girl? She as an actual threat. She knew where I was, and she was headed right for me, hunting me down.

Before my instincts screamed, but now? Now they uttered no sound, not because they didn't act, but because they didn't ask. They simply did.

Still stunned by the appearance of the scarlet demon in front of me, the thing that could only be described as a hallucination born from my nightmare, I was helpless. The rest of me wasn't.

My instincts knew what to do. They knew a threat was incoming, and coming in fast. I needed time and space, things I didn't have. I could have shot at her, but her aura would simply absorb it. My subconscious knew that I needed mass, I needed something that would throw her off course, knock her away from me, and I had the perfect thing to do it.

My eyes locked onto her as everything grew sharper and clearer, and everything in my body focused on one, singular, task. It worked together like a well-oiled machine to perform this action with incredible speed and precision.

I pulled the rifle away from my shoulder, my eyes never leaving my target despite not having a scope to aide them. I pressed a button, turning milo into its javelin form. My body went into a stance it knew well as my eyes continued to track the target.

Then with a loud, resounding, thunderous, BANG!, Milo was gone.

And so was the scarlet demon.

It took me a mere moment to realize what was happening, and act, but it only took an instant for my instincts and my body to betray me. By the time I could even think of doing anything, by the time I realized what I was doing, Milo was already on target, and I had lost my weapon.

All to a hallucination.

No… I thought, my eyes widening in horror at the stupid! Stupid! Stupid! thing I had done.

I stared my hands in horror, at these hands that had betrayed me to my irrational and unfounded fears.

What the hell is wrong with me? I questioned as I felt like I was losing my mind.

I had just thrown away my weapon, deep into the forest, over a stupid Hallucination!

I was furious with myself. I felt like kicking and screaming, like yelling over the fact that I appeared to be slowly losing my mind.

Instead, I took a breath, and released it. I let all those emotions, those feelings, those doubts and fears, leave me. In its place, I felt a calm come over me. That's when I understood.

I can whine about what I did, what I don't have, and what I should have done. Or I can fix it. I thought, realizing what I had to do.

I knew the area where Milo would have landed, I can go look for it. Besides, it's not like I'm helpless without Milo. I will do what I needed to in order to retrieve my weapon, and if that meant killing Grimm with Akuou, or even my bare hands, I would do it.

And with that thought, I jumped down from my spot on the tree, landing on the ground in a crouch. I got up, and began moving toward my lost weapon.


9:30 am

This…was unexpected. I thought, my eyes widening in surprise as I stared at the sight in front of me.

I had figured that I had simply impaled a hallucination, that none of it was real, that I had simply thrown Milo into the forest.

Apparently I was wrong. It seemed that while it was a hallucination, it was a hallucination of something real. Something unexpected. So, as a result, instead of simply seeing Milo stuck in a tree, I saw Milo sticking someone to a tree. And not just anyone, a little girl.

A little, unconscious girl, in a tattered, crimson, hooded, cloak.

She was young, far too young to be an initiate here, and yet, here she was. Hanging from the tree unconscious by her cloak.

After I got over the shock of discovering that my hallucination wasn't as imagined as I thought, I realized what I had just done.

Oh my god! I just nailed a young girl to a tree with Milo! I thought in horror

She probably went unconscious when, out of nowhere, a javelin came flying and threw her into a tree.

Not wasting anymore time, I climbed up to her, pulled Milo from her hood, and gently brought her down. I laid her down on the ground and kneeled down next to her. I shook her, trying to rouse her from her sleep.

That's when I noticed something…odd…about her.

She had weapons.

A scythe and a…hand cannon…to be precise. I suppose she could have come from signal or some other entry level hunter training school, but even then, she would only be a freshmen there. She shouldn't have these weapons, and she shouldn't be here.

Unless…

She is an initiate.

Perhaps she only looks young, and is in fact 17? I considered.

If she was an initiate, then that meant I found my partner already. It also meant the first thing I did when I saw my partner was try to kill her.

Still though, even if she was 17, she looked like she was 12 at the oldest. And a…cute…one at that. Like child sleeping peacefully. That being said, I would try not to voice that when she finally awoke. I doubt a 17-year-old girl would appreciate being called an adorable little girl by someone who looked more their age.

So, suspecting I had met my partner, and feeling bad for being responsible for her condition, I stayed with her till she woke up. And when she did, I instantly regretted it.

She opened her hollow, silver, eyes, and all semblance of cuteness flew from her form.

Instead, my subconscious once again warred. One saying Threat, the other saying Interesting


A/n:

Surprise Motherfucker!

That's right you sick fucks! Pyrrha and Ruby are partners!

All the teams have been fucked with! anybody could be partners with anybody!

Hell, we could have Jaune and Cardin! Weiss and Nora! You don't know!

I do.

But I'm not telling!

I kind got sick of seeing stories where Ruby or some other character was significantly different, or there was some significant change made to the characters, and yet all the teams stayed the same.

The teams weren't picked, it was random chance, which, if you watched No Game No Life, you would know isn't so random.

Change one variable in the equation known as life, and you can end up with a completely different answer.

That's the butterfly effect, and you can expect more of it. That, and this all according to plan. A logic based plan, but a plan nonetheless.

Plus, Pyrrha's losing her mind

I've never seen a story were Pyrrha's crazy, other than those rare couple times she a yandere. Hell, I haven't seen too many stories where Pyrrha is significant other than being Jaune's love interest, competition for his love, or otherwise just a means to an end.

I decided to not do that.

I wanted Pyrrha to be her own woman, with her own shit, and not just that one chick who's nice, pretty, strong, and famous. I wanted her to be a bit more than "the Invincible Girl"

Not saying Jaune and Pyrrha won't be a thing.

They might be.

We'll see.

But remember, nothing was done without purpose, and everything has an origin.

But yeah, many surprises lie in the Emerald forest.