Wow, I was actually quite surprised how well this AU was taken. Sure, I did turn off a few people with the changed personalities, but I honestly expected that. But hey, remember that these first few chapters are still being told from Blake's shy point of view. That's why her name is in the chapter.

To the anon reviewer, I will think about what you said. I unfortunately was making Ruby look like a Mary Sue, so I revised a few paragraphs in the beginning to explain why I described her as I did. Not that you're going to read this, but I thought I'd point that out. However, there is a part in this chapter that Ruby does have a super smart moment, but it's for the sake of exposition and plot.

I completely forgot to mention last chapter that there are no Faunus in this world. That may or may not play a part in the future.

So about this chapter. It was supposed to be the end of this first arc. However, I made it much longer than I thought it would be so I split it in half. And now the second part is almost 6,000 words long. Wowsers. I'm almost done there, so enjoy this bit for now.

02. Perplexing Friendships (Blake)

Nearly two weeks passed since the fateful meeting between Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna. For the past few days, the two often met up in their free time to converse. It was never anything too in-depth however. Blake still barely knew Ruby as a person as conversations tend to stick to school subjects such as classes and supplies, but something about the crimsonette still intrigued Blake.

It had nothing to do with her looks or personality. In fact, Blake learned that Ruby was a very down-to-earth girl. Her grades were decently good aside from a few mishaps in literature and a few specific sciences. They didn't manage to touch Weiss's top scoring grades, but they were good nonetheless. She was little disorganized if anything, but nowhere near have what the rumors made her out to be. Sure, Ruby's glare still scared her to an extent, but her expression only contorted as such when she was irritated or sleep deprived. In fact, the girl was actually quite sweet almost to a literal extent, offering her cookies and strawberries during lunch.

If Blake was to assign her an anime archetype, Ruby would be classified as the misunderstood punk.

Thankfully, Ruby did debunk most of the rumors Blake had heard over the years. She had only skipped kindergarten, going straight to the first grade (meaning the kids from Signal made this rumor up as a scare tactic). Her black and red hair was actually natural; her mom had the same hair color and highlights before she completely changed it to black. And there were no biker gangs that she defeated singlehandedly. She just beat a neighborhood bully once and he exaggerated her strength, making her infamous among the community.

However, this still didn't mean Blake fully comprehended Ruby's character. Blake knew that the enigmatic girl was much more than she let on, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it

Before she knew it, the second Friday of the school year would come near its end. It was Mister Oobleck's class – or Doctor Oobleck as they found out he'd rather be known as – and what Blake could understand from his quick-paced speech was that he was having a one-sided discussion with class on the subject of the military.

While most of the class groaned at the thought of having to learn about generals and various battles, but Ruby visibly perked up. Not enough to look incredibly excited, but it did make her alert and kept her head off the desk.

"…As you can see, the Hunting Corps is a very vital part of the military and played a great part in Remnant's history. While vastly different from your everyday soldier, they assist in various combat deployments outside of the unified kingdoms and often help civilians with missions assigned to them despite the controversy that has plagued them for quite some time now."

Interestingly enough, Jaune Arc of all people raised his hand.

"Ah, Mister Arc. It's rare to see you actually participating in class. What is your question?"

"Um, well, I was wondering…" Jaune began awkwardly. "What's the difference between the huntsmen and huntresses and the standard military?"

"Excellent question!" After taking another swig of his coffee, Doctor Oobleck darted his head around the classroom. "Would anyone like to answer Mister Arc?"

Yang obnoxiously snorted, probably from a joke she made to herself or how absurd the question was.

"Miss Xiao Long! You must be paying attention if such an inquiry can elicit that sort of response. So answer this: what is the difference between members of the Hunting Corps and standard military soldiers?"

She scoffed and waved her hand in indifference. "Well, obviously they're vultures. All they care about is filling their pockets with everyone's hard earned lien and waste precious Dust resources while doing so. They put the actual hardworking soldiers out of a job due their higher military ranking and priority. And if they're called in for military missions, they're forced to drop any jobs they currently have and leave their clients to fend for themselves. In reality, they're just dogs of the military."

"That's ironic, coming from you." Ruby uninterestingly deadpanned. The blonde scowled and the rest of the class turned their heads to look at her, shocked to see that not only did the girl speak up in class for the first time in two weeks, but her first words were challenging the Yang Xiao Long. Of course, this held little surprise for Blake since she had already witnessed a physical scuffle between the two firsthand, but she was quite astonished that Ruby would defend this particular subject.

"My, looks like today is full of surprises. Would you like join the discussion as well, Miss Rose?"

"Actually, I do." Ruby sat up in her chair, straightening her back and pushing her chair into her desk. She let out a breath, preparing herself for what appeared to be a mouthful, and shot a small glare towards Yang.

"The Hunting Corps was established many decades ago, during the Great War of Unity. Around that time, Remnant was ravaged by creatures known as Grimm, fabled beasts that took on many different various animal forms. Today, they are often romanticized in the form of merchandise and mascots, like the Beacon Beowolves. Prior to the Great War, the four kingdoms often fought amongst each other for trade routes and the like through skirmishes or all-out war. This was the first time the kingdoms banded together to create a fighting force to fend off the Grimm, hence the 'Great War of Unity'. This fighting force was the Hunting Corps."

Many of the senior students were in awe, if not a little scared, of Ruby and her sudden blast of historical information. Doctor Oobleck looked impressed as well and even Yang bothered listening to her. Blake wondered how much of this subject Ruby actually knew considering she remembered her saying that history wasn't exactly a strong point for hers.

"That's correct, Miss Rose! Anything else to add?"

Ruby nodded and continued.

"The Great War was around the time humans first discovered Dust, our main form of energy propellant in our modern age. While huntsmen and huntresses were very valued for their skills in battle, they were more known about their applications of Dust. They learned and taught how to use Dust to a tactical advantage, such as weaving it into clothing, infusing it into their weapons, and more daring ones implant it into their own bodies. Modern scientists later figured out a more practical way of using Dust to improve the public's everyday lives like using it as opposed to fossil fuels to power machinery, for example. Huntsmen and huntresses are assigned to squads of four during and after training and eventually earn titles and aliases according to how they apply themselves.

"Like Yang," Ruby growled the name to emphasize her malice towards the blonde, "said, huntsmen and huntresses travel around the world acting as mercenary groups to improve the lives of the people around them. They take on jobs where they act as escorts, bodyguards, or even fend off bandits from small villages. While it is true that some members may be only interested in earning money, most still retain moral obligation to help people in need. The first main controversy of the Hunting Corps is that they still utilize Dust, a finite resource, as a weapon of war and combat. Normal soldiers are only allowed to use Dust bullets, where the Dust's power is easily contained and expelled. Huntsmen and huntresses are specially trained to use Dust in the same creative ways the original Hunting Corps members did. As such, once their training is complete, they earn the military rank equivalent of Major and go up from there. The second controversy of the Hunting Corps is that they often pilfer weapons from enemies they've killed in combat. The most common belief is that they use the weapons they take to create a monopoly of power within the military, but it's actually used as a symbol."

Ruby paused. "Where ever they go, they must carry their burdens with them. Nowadays, they continue to operate in squads and independent of military control until they're called upon for specific missions. Mainly ranging from espionage or dealing with terrorists."

The classroom stood still in silence. Even Blake had trouble processing the information that was just given to her. Coming from someone who read and watched countless complicated plot twists throughout her childhood and adolescent years that was quite a feat. Doctor Oobleck even had to put down his coffee mug to slowly applaud Ruby. However, Blake could faintly hear Yang fake cough, "nerd".

"Very well done, Miss Rose. Might I ask where you learned not only the history but also the inner workings of the Hunting Corps? Most college classes don't even divulge in those topics."

Ruby let out a light pant, exhausted from her own miniature lecture she just gave the class. "I learned from my brother. He's a huntsman."

"Ah, yes. Mister… Argent Rose, was it? I haven't seen him for a good five, six years. He was a good kid. Shame that he lost that spark of his towards graduation. I've heard that he's made quite the name for himself in the Hunting Corps, though."

It was faint, but Blake sensed Weiss's body tense and fists clench at the mention of Ruby's brother. Even Ren looked to be on edge. Blake remembered hearing the name Argent Rose before. Mostly rumors, however. What she did know was that he was co-captain of the fencing club alongside Winter Schnee, Weiss's sister and valedictorian of their year. Another one of his friends included Altair Branwen, captain of the archery club and, from what she heard, his cousin. His grades were never top-notch, but Blake heard from countless teachers that he was a good person. But then they always follow with the same thing.

Somewhere along the lines, Argent changed right before graduation. He became increasingly moody and refused to talk to anyone besides Winter and Altair, effectively making him infamous in Beacon history. After the graduation ceremony, he immediately signed up to be a huntsman. Five years later and barely anyone knew the reason why he changed so drastically. If Ruby's brother managed to be this way, what did that spell out for the girl herself?

Before she knew it, the class bell rang, breaking Blake from her thoughts.

"Oh look at the time! Class dismissed! Don't forget to read the assigned pages over the weekend. We'll discuss them in class on Monday."

Exhaling sighs of relief, the students gathered their belongings and promptly left the room. As per usual, Yang had the audacity to push Ruby out of the way when she passed through, causing the younger girl to send her signature silvery scowl in her direction.

"That was amazing, Ruby." Blake complimented, coming up from behind. "That sounded like a lot to retain in your head. Didn't you say you were bad at history?"

Ruby's expression softened seeing Blake stare in admiration. Her expression contorted to a rare, goofy smile as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, a far cry from what Blake knew about her two weeks ago. "Oh, it was nothing. I usually remember everything that's interesting to me, anyway."

The way she worded that visibly distressed Blake. Clutching her books a little tighter, she asked, "Ruby… Do you want to be a… huntress?"

Ruby frowned and her eyes widened, genuinely surprised that Blake would ask her that. "Well, not really. Huntsmen and huntresses do fascinate me though. I heard so much about them in the books I used to read as a kid and knowing my brother is one of them feels like he's a hero to look up to, you know?"

Blake, giving out a silent sigh of relief, smiled. "I guess we all have our heroes, whether they're fictional or not."

"Yeah. Well, I'm gonna walk home. You wanna come with?" Ruby offered.

Blake shook her head. "Sorry, but Miss Goodwitch asked me to help her with something as soon as school ended. Maybe next time?"

Ruby shrugged, not very bothered by Blake's declination. "Alright. See you later then, Blake."

With a short wave, the two girls exchanged their goodbyes. Part of Blake felt grateful for the past hour, glad that she managed to learn more about the enigmatic girl she more or less befriended on the first day of school. But she knew she had to get going.

Miss Goodwitch did not like to be kept waiting.

Blake sighed in relief. Miss Goodwitch had called her in to help her reorganize the desks, set up the classroom set of textbooks, and put up some of the art posters around the room. Why she didn't ask someone more reliable like Pyrrha, Blake could only suspect. But after that ordeal, she just wanted to relax.

Looking up at the sky, she could tell it was getting late. The clouds melding with its surroundings, becoming a bright orange due to the sunset in the horizon. The streets were not as crowded, signaling that mostly everyone has gone back home or stayed to work late tonight before the weekend.

Blake always loved taking this route home. Granted, it was a bit longer than the recommended route, but she preferred the more tranquil environments. Sometimes, after school, she would go to the park just so she can read under some shade on a nice day. She'd even watch the kids mess around on the playground from time to time.

Off in the distance, Blake heard a distinct giggle. Listening more closely, it felt like it was coming from the park. It sounded awfully familiar to her, leading the girl to investigate further. As she approach the giggle's source, it began to sound like laughter full of merriment. It sounded like a girl's voice. A girl Blake was beginning to think she was getting far too involved with.

"Ruby? Is that you?"

When the aforementioned girl heard her name, she snapped her head to look up at Blake. The crimsonette was lying down on her stomach, facing the holed dome with a rather large bag beside her. Based on its condition, Blake surmised the bag was recently bought and opened.

"Oh, uh, hey Blake." Ruby laughed nervously. "Goodwitch really made stay late, didn't she?"

"Yeah… What are you doing out so late? I thought you were going straight home?"

"Well, you see, about that…"

Blake noticed that Ruby had her hands cupped in front of her, preventing her from using any sort of body language. As if her current position didn't already speak volumes.

"Why don't you come see yourself?"

The raven-haired girl groaned. She was tired, but she knew it would be rude to decline Ruby's offer a second time in the same day. They had just become friends, after all. Blake dragged herself to Ruby's location, feeling several blisters from the uneven ground of the mulch, and knelt down to see what Ruby was holding.

She could see that she was holding a handful of several brown pellets, cupped in a bowl shape. But seeing what was eating the brown pellets made the pain in Blake's feet completely melt away.

"A stray cat?"

Not just any cat. A black cat with golden eyes. It was almost as if Blake was looking into a mirror if she was a feline creature.

"Yeah. Some of the kids were playing with him when I passed by after school." Ruby explained. "Of course, most their parents still believe in superstitions, so they were told to back off. Didn't really help that I was around them either."

Ruby handed Blake the bag of cat food beside her and stood up to stretch her numb legs. "Glad to know the kids aren't as scared of me as their parents are. They asked me if I could take care of him until I can find him a good home. The most I could do was buy some cat food since my apartment doesn't allow pets other than fish."

"Well, I could take him in." Blake offered. "My parents and I were looking into getting a pet. Besides, he sorta looks like me, doesn't he?"

"He kinda does." Ruby said after closer inspection. "You know, that bow you always wear kinda look like kitty ears."

Feeling an embarrassed warmth creep up to her cheeks, Blake pouted. "Thanks for making me realize I look like a cat."

The two girls shared a comfortable silence, watching the young cat eat more pellets off of Blake's hands. Once it was full, he bounced around in excitement and playfulness as if this was the first meal he had since birth. Minutes passed by before Blake spoke up.

"So does he have a name?"

"Not that I know of," Ruby made her thinking face, her eyes staring blankly upwards, arms crossed, and tongue sticking out. "What about Shroud? Sounds pretty cool, don't you think?"

"Sounds like a name you'd give a dog, honestly."

Ruby sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm more of a dog person personally. So what do you think?"

Blake eyed the feline. Seeing the creature play around the dome was a delight to see and his boundless energy might be just what Blake needed at home. Inspiration was scarce lately, so perhaps this was the perfect opportunity. "I'll call him Gambol."

"Gamble? You're naming him after the addictive activity my uncle practically invented?"

"Not 'Gamble', silly. Gambol. It means running or jumping around playfully. This little one seems to be all about that."

"Huh. I guess that fits. Well, he's yours now, so I can't really complain."

"That settles it. Welcome to the Belladonna family, Gambol!" Blake cooed excitedly, to which the cat replied with a gentle purr and an affectionate face rub.

"Oh man, it's getting really late now." Ruby exclaimed, realizing the street lamps were on and the orange sky was replaced with a dark one full of stars. "Mom's gonna kill me!"

"I should get back too. Thank you, Ruby. For letting me keep Gambol here."

"Hmm? Oh no biggie. Oh, that reminds me. I was gonna ask you this after school got out, but I totally forgot. Do you want to hang out at my place tomorrow? We could finish Oobleck's readings faster and relax afterwards."

To say Blake was a bit overwhelmed would be an understatement. First she gets a new cat and now this. It was rare enough that Blake had friends at all. Even less so that they'd invite her to their house so soon after meeting her. Blake did give off the introverted vibe, so she suspected that they never invited her so she could keep to herself. She was actually quite curious how Ruby of all people would handle guests with her loner reputation.

"Sure, I'm not that busy tomorrow. But why do you want me to come over?"

"Well, I sorta told my mom about you. She knows how hard it is for me to make friends, especially with the nasty rumors going on about me, so she was ecstatic to hear I met you." Ruby's pale cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

Blake giggled at the younger girl's expense. "Alright, see you tomorrow then. Text me your address and I'll be there."

So yeah, a bit of a shorter one, but here I indirectly introduce two new characters (who I will not go into until they officially appear in the story) and I build up a bit of the world with the Hunting Corps. And yes, I based the Hunting Corps a lot off of the State Alchemists from Fullmetal Alchemist. I thought I could spice things up from your regular old high school AU, so I went this route.

The next chapter is almost done so I may hold off on it for a consistent weekly update and proceed starting the next arc. Thank you for reading and please leave a review!