AN: So World of Remnant reveals Hunters are apparently mercenaries in canon. Definitely interesting. Training superpowered fighters that work well in teams? In other words, the Academies create Freelancers!

Year 1: Reforged Stronger

Haley's POV

"Azure is never going to forgive me, is she?"

Rex shakes his head. "Give her time, she'll calm down and be your friend again."

I look at him. "It's been a week and she hasn't spoken a single word to me. I don't think she's getting over it anytime soon. Why is she so upset?"

"Azure has a hard time trusting people. When she found out that you had a Faunus parent, she felt betrayed that you would lie to her like that. The fact that she is taking this so hard is actually a testament to how close she has gotten to you. She held a similar fit when she found out what my Semblance was."

"What is your Semblance?"

"It's complicated. What my Semblance does toes a lot of moral boundaries, so I try to avoid using more than its weakest limits unless I need to. As for what it is; I already told you, and you just haven't realized it."

Chalk another one up on the 'cryptic Rex response' board. Wait…

"How come Azure didn't know my secret when you had figured it out?"

"Onyx, if I actually bothered to try, I could have blackmail material on pretty much everyone in our year by the tournament. When you are that good at obtaining people's deepest secrets, you learn to respect their desires to keep it secret. If it isn't my secret to tell, I won't spread it. Azure was pissed when she found out I had realized it beforehand."

"How'd you get her to talk to you again?"

"Bribery and favor-trading."

I stare at him. "More specifically?"

"I called off a couple of small favors she owed me, and then promised to make her tea and do her homework for the next two weeks," seeing the confusion on my face, he add, "don't ask, its a long story."

I don't think I will ever understand how those two's relationship works.

"Well, how am I able to make up with Azure if she won't even talk to me?"

Rex stays quiet for a few moments. "I have an idea. Meet me on the roof tomorrow after class lets out. Fair warning, you may need your weapons."

After the an agonizing day of school, I slowly make my way to the roof, making sure Ebony and Ivory were easily accessible. When I reach it, I see Rex meditating crosslegged while Azure is tapping her foot impatiently. When she notices me, she turns to Rex. "What the Hell is she doing here?"

Rex stands up. "For your own sake, I'm staging an intervention." He walks over to the stairway and leans on the wall. He closes his eyes. "Azure has a history of running from her problems. go talk to her."

I walk closer to Azure, but she stops me when there are still about ten feet between us. "That's close enough. I can't believe Rex wou- actually, I can. Still not happy with him."

"If you don't want to talk to me, why don't you just use your Semblance to get away?"

Azure scoffs. "Rex would track me down. He's good at that."

"He wants you to talk with me. So talk. I get your upset with me keeping my race quiet bu-"

"You think that is why I'm upset? Don't get me wrong, I hate you for that, but you don't know what I've been through."

"So tell me!"

"I never knew who my parents were. As far back as I can remember, I was alone, begging and scrounging in order to eat enough to survive. About 8 years ago, I made a friend, a human boy named Tueur. He was the first person to give a crap about me, and to top it off, he was a pickpocket. It was a criminal who showed me what love was while all the regular people ignored me at best. For the first time in my life, I wasn't existing, I was alive. I was happy for a year, until his father found out. He called me a freak for being a Faunus, and tried to 'put me out of my misery'. Azure turns her back on me and pulls on her shirt's neckline, revealing a nasty scar on her left shoulder blade. "That is what my friendship got me. You want to know why I am mad? You call yourself a Faunus when you have no idea what that means! You don't know the hardships we endure because you... are not... a Faunus. Because of my race, I have been kicked, beaten, stabbed, and worse! Sometimes I wonder if the White Fang had the wrong idea!"

"How could you say that?"

"Because as it stands, I would fucking love to see this world burn down. I'm not training to become a Huntress for the cause; I'm here because this was the best option I had! Had the White Fang survived to a few years ago, I would be part of it! They wouldn't have treated me like everyone else did!"

"Just for that, you'd side with the bastards that killed my parents?!" I clasp my mouth over my hand, horrified that I had revealed that.

Rex, who had turned to look at me when he heard that, and Azure just stare. After several minutes, Azure finally breaks the silence. "Your parents... w-what? W-when? H-How?"

I sigh. "Two years ago... they signed up to clear a Beowolf den. Nothing major, one of them could do it alone without breaking a sweat. When they didn't come back, A team was sent to find out what happened. The mission was mislabeled. It was Deathstalker nest; a trap designed to kill trained Hunters. They managed to recover my parents bodies and weapons. The guns were jammed and the close range stuff was covered in blood, but only some of it was Grimm. The thing is, they found a broken piece of a White Fang mask clutched in my mom's hand. I know they were responsible; they don't let defectors walk away. I didn't want to say anything because they may be looking for me as well... I must sound crazy."

Azure and Rex look at each other. Azure nods and Rex starts to speak. "We believe you. We know there are remnants of the Fang still in existence, although they have lost huge amounts of their strength. The two of us are probably somewhere on their kill list as well."

They believe me? I mean Rex obviously, but Azure?

"If you know the White Fang still exists, Azure, why aren't you part of it?"

Azure scoffs. "The remnants are no better than common thugs, not the real Fang. They've given me Hell just like the rest. It was Rex who made me start trying to believe in people again. His enemies are mine, and you can be fucking sure the Fang are his."

"I know he hates them, but why?"

Rex looks away. "They took her... my efforts to get her back haven't exactly gone unnoticed."

His sister...

Rex continues. "...But that's why these schools exist. To create Hunters who can protect the people, against any threat in any form."

I turn to Azure. "You're wrong on one thing, though. I do understand discrimination. Both sides hate me because I am both. I couldn't trust either Faunus or Human. Due to how often I had to give in to my instincts to protect myself, I don't really have control over them anymore. I keep my race quiet because I thought you would hate me when you found out.

Azure nods and pulls out a dagger. "I kinda did. Let's swear it. When we are Hunters, we will fight to end these injustices. We will bring equality to everyone. We will punish the White Fang for their transgressions, for those they have and will hurt. Together."

Rex draws his gun and connects it to the blade. "Together."

My friends are crazy, but... I place Ivory on their weapons and nod. "Together."

Wn: With that, CPF's first prompt is over. Anyone getting Romance of the Three Kingdoms vibes from this? No, just me?

Rex's explanation of his Semblance is cryptic and uninformative because he hates lying, but doesn't want to reveal it. If you noticed, he technically did tell everyone what it was during his match with Jason.

Azure wasn't lying when she said she would have joined the WF. Her pre-DRAB concept had her originally a member of the WF, only to defect when her partner left her for dead and the Hunters took her into custody and got her medical attention.