Chapter 2: The Shining Beacon, Part 1

He barely made it to the basin before the breakfast he hadn't had came hurling back up his throat. Jaune Arc leaned heavily on the basin, wiping bile from his mouth as the ship finally, mercifully stopped moving.

He moaned pitifully as the others on the ship passed around him. Why did he have to be the only one who got sick? He brushed his blonde hair off of his sweaty forehead and tried to ground himself on the balls of his feet to keep more stuff from coming up. Way to single himself out on the first day.

Ashamed and still a bit queasy, Jaune waited until everyone else on the ship had passed by him and disembarked before rinsing his mouth and following them.

The Beacon Shuttle from Vale had landed alongside a platform that jutted out slightly from the cliff. Long steel walkways had been stretched out to the ship for the passengers to make their way off. Jaune stepped onto it cautiously, keeping his gaze firmly on his feet so that he wouldn't have to think about the drop should the platform give way. Did this school seriously not believe in handrails?

He followed the crowd, lagging slightly to mingle with the arrivals from other shuttles to avoid anyone from his own shuttle instantly recognizing him and spreading word of his unfortunate motion-sickness.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be looking at him. They were a bit too preoccupied looking at the wonder that was Beacon Academy.

To the untrained eye, Beacon was beautiful: a combination of ancient architecture and marvelous landscaping that appealed to all. To those who had even the slightest knowledge of War-era constructions, it was intimidating.

A long paved walkway stretched out in a straight line towards the campus proper, marked by blood-red flags adorned with the Beacon crest: two crossed axes on two wheat-heads. The grounds themselves reminded him of the description of a fortress he'd read about in history lessons: they were divided into rings, separated by long moats of blue water and hard, unrelenting stone archways. Every building seemed to end in a sharp spire to deter aerial attacks. The entire cluster of buildings circled tightly inwards, gathering around the tallest tower, where the green gears of the Hunter's Clock constantly turned in the barred windows.

Jaune stopped walking, gazing up at the towering buildings of the academy above him. What was he doing here? Did he really think this would work? He'd be dead in a week. Hell, he'd be dead by the end of the day with his luck. Why, why did he have to take a chance like this?

His gaze fell. While he had been appraising the grounds and musing his predicament, he'd reached the end of the walkway. Before him was a courtyard, in the center of which was an enormous granite statue. Two Hunters stood tall and proud, weapons drawn above a fleeing creature of Grimm emerging from its cave.

The one on the right was hooded, resting a large axe comfortably between her feet as she surveyed what only she could see. And the other one…

Jaune swallowed hard. That's him.

A warrior held a sword aloft, calling his fellows to battle, his eyes proud and fearless. The Grimm didn't stand a chance against the Huntsmen.

Jaune gazed up at the stonework, his elbow tapping the ancient sword strapped to his hip that was identical to the one held by the figure above him.

He was finally here, the place where heroes were made. This was why he'd come to Beacon. This was why he'd taken that impossible chance. To be a hero.

He did not want to be forever remembered as Vomit Boy.

~RWBY~

Blake Belladonna stepped out from around the boy bent over the basin, her nose wrinkling in disgust. Well, her first day at Beacon was going great so far…

Someone ran past her, jostling her so badly she stumbled and would have fallen if not for her training. Immediately, her fingers went to her bow, making sure it was still in place on her head. Thankfully, it hadn't moved. Straightening up, she caught sight of a muscular human with short, slicked-back brown hair strutting his way down the walkway. The oaf laughed, seemingly to himself and proceeded to not-so-discreetly shove a boar Faunus boy out of his way.

Blake bristled, one hand going over her shoulder to grip Gambol Shroud's hilt but she paused when she realized what she had been thinking. What was she going to do? Kill him? Probably not, but fighting on the first day was probably frowned upon and would only bring unnecessary attention to herself. Not the way she wanted to start this year.

Speaking of unnecessary attention…

People were beginning to stare at her, standing all alone halfway down the long walkway towards the doors of Beacon with a hand on her weapon. Blake was used to being stared at. Of course, these people were not staring at her for the reason she was used to but stares were stares.

Adopting her signature 'calm and collected' expression, Blake stepped to the side of the path and pulled her book out from where it rested behind Gambol Shroud's sheath, as if that had been her plan all along. At least she'd been able snag this from the top of her suitcase before the stewards carted it off with all the other luggage. It gave her the perfect means to disappear.

Blake opened the novel to the first page, blocking out the outside world in favor of returning to the fantasy promised by the author. Her momentary ambiguity forgotten, the others continued on their way, talking excitedly or comparing weapons as they made their way towards Beacon proper. Blake held back, content for the moment in her solitude. Stick your nose in a book and suddenly the world forgot you were there.

And that was just how she preferred it.

She remained lost in another world, breaking the spell only to turn pages until she was interrupted. Several dozen feet to her left, there was a loud explosion.

~RWBY~

Weiss Schnee sat up straighter as her shuttle touched down. She was here. Beacon.

But even this momentous occasion failed to quell the churning anger in her gut. Annoyed at the continuing rebellion of her feelings, Weiss slumped back in her seat again.

It shouldn't bother her this much. So her father hadn't come to the Atlas hanger to see her off to Beacon. Big deal. He was busy with the Vacuole contract. And they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms…

The petite, white-haired girl stroked the handle of her prized Myrtenaster, the rapier that had been gifted to her by her mother long ago. The blade lay across her legs, given the prime seat for this long journey from Atlas to Vale. It was a nervous habit, the only one that she had never been able to kick. The weapon gave her comfort, confidence.

…Even Winter had been too busy for her today.

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep those thoughts from her mind. That was the past, she was here now. She had to focus on her future.

Weiss glanced out of the tinted windows of her shuttle. Hers had been the first to land, as it was the smallest and arguably, had traveled the furthest to get here. The enormous shuttles for the other students were approaching the landing docks, folding their large wings down to allow for easier disembarkation. The faceless mass of new Beacon students eagerly surged down the paved pathway, headed for the main gates.

Somewhere among that mass were her future teammates.

The door to her shuttle opened and Weiss looked up to see a middle-aged porter bowing his head to her.

"Welcome to Beacon, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss nodded graciously to the man, ignoring the hand he offered her to assist her out of the private shuttle. She wasn't here to be treated like a princess. She was here to train.

She stepped out of the shuttle and gazed around her, trying to keep her awe well-concealed. Beacon certainly was much more…open than most of Atlas tended to be.

Weiss tucked her rapier onto the loop at her left hip and folded her arms, taking in her surroundings with all the air of a princess surveying her kingdom. Not that that was her intention at all. At least not inwardly.

"Excuse me, Miss Schnee?" Weiss glanced over her shoulder at the porter trying to get her attention. "Is this all, mam?" He asked, indicating the small pile of cases they had pulled from the trunk of the shuttle.

Weiss almost sighed but caught herself before a sound could escape. Yes, it was a rather small quantity of Dust for an entire year of training but this had been the condition. For the rest of the year, this was the only access she had to her family's wealth.

"Yes, this is all of it." She replied snappily, turning away from them. "Please make haste, my father isn't paying you by the hour."

Behind her, she heard the porters scramble to pile her cases onto the trolley, racing to keep up with their presumed expectations of the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world. In all honesty, Weiss didn't care how long they took, it gave her more time to look around. Beacon was beautiful, that much was certain.

She began to walk, trusting the porters to follow her with her luggage. The other students were milling past her and in front of her, several branching away from the main group to stare around in appreciation of the surroundings or compare weapons.

Weiss strode out in front her porters, taking stock of what her fellow students had to offer. This was Beacon after all. Only the brightest and best got in here. And only the finest Hunters and Huntresses graduated from here. She would be the best of the best.

The plan was solid: She just had to assemble the perfect team, get perfect grades, lead them all to victory and graduate with honors!

No big deal.

Easy.

Weiss smirked to herself. She was going to be the best Huntress ever. And if anyone got in her way…

Right then, a small red figure careened past her and smashed into her luggage cart, sending the precious crates of Dust scattering to the ground.

~RWBY~

Ruby was having a bad day. Or at least a bad last couple of minutes.

When they'd reached the gates of Beacon, she'd felt like she was entering heaven. Beacon was even more awe-inspiring from the top of the cliff.

As Yang wisely said: "the view from Vale's got nothing on this!"

And so many weapons!

"Sis!" She exclaimed gleefully, practically floating with excitement. "That guy's got a collapsible staff! And he's got a fire-sword!"

Yang had had to grab her by the hood to prevent her from chasing after a guy with a pair of Automatic Blade Pistols. "Easy little sister," The blonde said, as Ruby voiced her displeasure in a series of quiet ows. "they're just weapons."

"JUST weapons?" Ruby practically exploded at the nonchalance with which her own sister treated their tools. "They're an extension of ourselves! Oh they're sooo cool!"

"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon?" Yang asked her. "Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby immediately unfolded her scythe, cradling the enormous weapon on her shoulder as if it had heard her excitement at seeing new weapons. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose." She assured her baby, ignoring the looks she was getting from passing students at the size of her weapon. "I just really like seeing new ones is all." She told Yang, folding the weapon back into its compact carrying form and attaching it to the harness on the back of her belt. "It's like meeting new people…" Ruby looked down and scuffed one foot on the stones. "but better…"

Yang looked at her sister sympathetically. Ruby had never really been very good at making friends. This was not to say she was unfriendly, far from it. In fact, some even called her too friendly.

Rather, Ruby often preferred not to have friends. Friendship had never really gotten her anywhere. In her early days at Signal, she was picked on for being weak by a group of older students. By the time Yang had found out and pounded the perpetrators into a bloody pulp, Ruby was ready quit the school.

Yang was well aware that Ruby was the reclusive introvert to her outgoing party girl. But that never stopped her from pushing her sister to branch out. "Ruby, come on," She said, pulling her sister's hood down over her eyes. "Why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

"But, why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby asked. Yang had always been enough for her. Even if she wasn't around very often.

Apparently Yang had other ideas. "Well…actuallymyfriendsareherenow,gottagocatchupkayseeyabye!" Before Ruby could form a coherent response, a crowd of people surrounded them, sweeping up Yang and bumping and jostling her around. Yang patted her sister quickly on the head and then darted off with the mob, which vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Ruby felt like she had been hit by a hurricane.

"Wait! Where are you going?" She called after her sister, feeling very disoriented. Was she spinning? "Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?"

There was no answer. Yang had abandoned her all on her own in a strange place.

"I don't know what I'm doing…" Ruby moaned, stumbling backwards in a dizzy haze. Her foot hit something and she tumbled to the ground in a mess of red fabric and suitcases. Landing hard on her left elbow.

"What are you doing?" An angry voice screeched.

Ruby quickly sat up, dislodging a few more cases from their new position on her chest and head. A blush stole completely across her face, making her feel like she was boiling inside her hood.

"Sorry!" She said quickly. Ruby tried to focus, still out-of-sorts from her fall. In front of her was something white…very white. Her gaze found a pair of ridiculously tall white pumps, a snow-white combat skirt and blouse, a red-fringed jacket with a high collar and long sleeves…and the furious face above it.

"Sorry?" The girl scolded incredulously. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" Her face was angular and sharp with piercing ice-blue eyes and a cascade of pure white hair pulled to the side in a high ponytail that reached down to her waist.

She was, in all honesty, completely terrifying. Especially since she was yelling.

Ruby reflexively searched for a weapon and found a long, elegant rapier with an ornate, multi-colored hilt strapped to her intimidator's hip.

Ruby's weapon obsessed mind placed it instantly and she nearly froze in awe. A Multi-Action Dust Rapier…! Had she not currently been at the mercy of its very annoyed, very LOUD owner, Ruby would have been drooling over the sword. Those babies were not only rarely ever seen outside of weapons conventions, they were PRICY!

The owner however, was still yelling at her, a glare etched into her face.

Ruby quickly snatched up a case, intent on making it up to this intimidating girl. Before she could find any words to apologize, the case was snatched from her hands.

"Give me that!" The girl demanded, prying open the case to inspect the contents. "This is Dust," she lectured, seeming not to care that Ruby was still sprawled on the ground rubbing her head and unable to respond to all this yelling. "Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry."

"Uhhh…" Ruby managed, unsure of what to say. She glanced around at the six or so cases scattered around her. Were all of these filled with Dust?

The owner of the Dust however, seemed to have no limit to the sharp words and insults at her disposal. "What are you, brain-dead?" She snapped at Ruby. She pulled a clear vial full of red Dust from the case before slamming it shut. "Dust! Fire! Water! Lightning! Energy!" With each word she shook the vial in her hand, releasing a tiny puff of purified Dust.

By this point, Ruby had managed to stumble back to her feet but was immediately engulfed in the haze of red Dust. A tickling sensation crept into her nose, like she had just inhaled some strange combination of fire and pepper. Her nose twitched uncomfortably.

"Are you even listening to me?" The girl asked, apparently not noticing how the precious energy propellant was leaking out of the vial she held. "Is any of this sinking in?" She leaned closer, shaking her fist (and the vial) right in Ruby's face. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

That last puff was too much for Ruby's poor nose. She let loose a mighty sneeze and the air around them exploded. For a moment, neither girl moved as a ball of Dust-generated fire and several ice crystals surged around them, engulfing them in choking smoke. The vial, evidently hoping to remain innocent in the entire exchange, flew out of the explosion and rolled away across the pavement.

It came to rest against a black low-heeled combat boot some twenty feet away. The owner picked up the vial without looking at it, too intent on a leather-bound book in her grasp. Amber eyes finished their sentence, then darted over to the bottle to examine it. Slowly they raised to the scene unfolding as the smoke from the explosion cleared.

"Unbelievable!" The girl in white was shouting, stamping her foot as the smoke slowly drifted away. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

Ruby was mortified and her nose hurt. She hunched her shoulders, slowly poking the tips of her index fingers together and wishing she could be anywhere else but right here. "I'm really, really sorry!" She managed to squeak out as the white girl paused from her tirade to draw breath. This seemed to be the wrong thing to do as the girl only became further enraged.

"You complete DOLT!" She shouted. "What are you even doing here?" She asked, examining Ruby a little closer. "Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" She asked, leaning forward to look down at Ruby (even though she was barely three inches taller). Nevertheless, Ruby looked away, embarrassed.

"Well, I…umm…" She wanted to pull her cape around her and run. Or die.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school." The girl continued, folding her arms. "It's not just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters. So watch where you're going!"

Her words reminded Ruby that she was here to be strong. She was here because she was a good fighter. And a good fighter wouldn't let this rude brat walk all over her. "Hey, I said I was sorry princess!" Ruby snapped back. The other girl looked a little surprised at Ruby's sudden boldness and opened her mouth to retaliate.

"It's heiress, actually." A cool voice interjected, stopping them both. Ruby and the other girl both turned to face the new arrival, who was holding the bottle of Dust that had started it all. The girl was tall and trim, with thick raven locks that fell halfway down her back. She wore a strange combat outfit, something it looked like she had carefully pieced together. Her top was covered by a black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white, sleeveless undershirt extending down into white shorts and long purple stockings. Black ribbons were wrapped around both of her forearms and her left arm was covered by a black detached sleeve.

She was carrying something on her back that looked suspiciously like a Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe. But Ruby would have to touch it to be certain that was what it was. The weapon was just poking out from behind the wild hair.

A black bow was perched on top of her head.

The new girl smiled at them and held up the vial in her hand. "Weiss Schnee." She identified the girl in white as. "Heiress to the Schnee Dust company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Ruby's eyes widened. Weiss Schnee. THE Weiss Schnee? No wonder she had been able to afford the rapier. And been so rude. It was said that the Schnees had so much money, they could pay to send every student to Beacon on a full scholarship and not bat an eyelash.

Weiss practically glowed under the appreciation. "Finally, some recognition." She said with a pointed glare at Ruby who just narrowed her eyes.

The girl in black continued speaking in her dry monotone as if Weiss hadn't spoken. "This same company, infamous for its controversial labor practices and questionable business partners."

Weiss turned red so fast it seemed like she was on fire again. "What…?how dare…the nerve of…!"

Ruby giggled at the now seething and uncharacteristically lost-for-words heiress. Weiss took a threatening step forward but the girl in black didn't react. With an angry huff, the Schnee heiress snatched the vial of Dust from the girl's hand, turned on her heel and stalked away.

Ruby watched her go, wondering if this meant she was forgiven for her clumsiness or not. To be safe, she called out after the retreating girl: "I promise I'll make this up to you!" Weiss had no reaction, continuing her huffy retreat.

Several porters began to collect the scattered cases, piling them on a trolley and following the heiress.

Ruby breathed an audible sigh of relief, glad she was finally free of Weiss' fury. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day…" She turned to the other girl, forcing a cheerful greeting. "So what's…?"

But the girl in black was gone, slowly walking away in another direction.

Ruby was left alone. Again.

Her knees gave out and she plopped unceremoniously down on the stones again. She laid back, her head hitting the walkway.

So much for making friends Yang…barely been here ten minutes and already I've made someone mad.

Despite her cheerful and generally likeable personality, Ruby made friends about as often as Grimm attacked Signal. The few friends she'd had back at Signal (referred to as 'the Gang' by her sister) were more of a loose accumulation of acquaintances Ruby had somehow not scared away with her enormous weapon and personality. The only person she'd ever really instantly connected with had been her mentor: Uncle Qrow. He'd seen something in her. Something that reminded him of himself Ruby suspected. He'd taken her under his wing and taught her the secret arts of scythe-wielding.

Her uncle was the perfect teacher and all the company Ruby had needed after the bullying incident. She'd looked up to him like a second father. Qrow was an admirable Huntsmen, often being called away from the island for missions he couldn't talk about or asked for advice from world leaders. Even the other teachers were in awe of him. He was a hero, not just to her but to everyone.

So that was what Ruby had striven to be: strong, dedicated and lonely. Qrow was proof that a Huntsmen could function alone and excel.

So why, right now, did she want so badly for one of those girls to help her up from the pavement and just talk to her for a little while?

"Welcome to Beacon…" she muttered sadly to herself, closing her eyes. Just another place where she was doomed to be the "weapons freak".

A shadow fell over her and Ruby opened her eyes to see a hand extended towards her.

"Hey," a blonde-haired boy said kindly. "I'm Jaune." He smiled at her timidly.

A little touched that someone was showing her such kindness, Ruby shyly accepted the offered hand. "Ruby." The boy pulled her to her feet.

Ruby looked up at him. He was tall, a full head above her, with floppy blonde hair and soft, clear blue eyes.

He seemed familiar somehow.

When it hit her, Ruby snorted. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

~RWBY~

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on."

Ruby was still trying not to laugh. "Look I'm sorry but 'Vomit Boy' was the first thing that came to mind."

Jaune glared at her but it lacked the ice that Weiss' had. "Oh yeah? What if I called you 'Crater Face'?"

Ruby bristled. "Hey, that explosion was an accident!"

The two of them had been walking around the grounds for the past quarter of an hour, chatting about Beacon and themselves. They'd wandered into a circular courtyard off the main drag, following a stone pathway around the moat separating them from whatever building they were circling. More stone archways towered around them on the other side, affording spacious glimpses of the trees and landscaping that separated this courtyard from its peers.

Ruby had accidentally called her companion 'Vomit Boy' in passing, prompting the blonde to defend his dignity.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc." Jaune told Ruby, gesturing at himself confidently. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue…the ladies love it." He promised.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "…Do they?"

"They will!" Jaune quickly assured her. "Well…" His confidence fell away. "I hope they will. I mean my mom always says…" He paused, seeming to think that bringing up his mother's advice wouldn't help his argument. "Never mind."

Ruby chuckled awkwardly. There was a few seconds of uneasy silence.

"Sooo…" Ruby began, wondering if this was the best way to break the silence. "I got this thing." In one fluid motion, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose off her belt, flipped it open and slammed it into the stones under their feet.

Jaune jumped back about eight feet. "Woah! Is…that a scythe?" He asked, sounding scared and just a little impressed.

Ruby grinned. "It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle." She said, fondly cradling the barrel of her baby.

Jaune looked confused. "Wha?"

Ruby cocked the trigger, letting the cocking lever click inside the empty chamber to emphasize her point. "It's also a gun."

That seemed to impress the blonde. "Oh…that's cool!"

Ruby smiled, glad she'd found someone who thought her weapon was as cool as she knew it was. "So what have you got?" She asked excitedly.

"uhh.." Jaune fumbled at his waist and pulled out a broadsword. "I got this sword." He said simply.

Ruby examined it. Rather than the sleek, curved blades made these days or Weiss' sabre-style rapier, Jaune's sword was of old design. The fuller-cut blade was long and ended with a small flat cross guard. The hilt was thin and wrapped in blue leather, ending in a blunt brown pummel. If Ruby had to place it, it would date back over 150 years, before the War.

This was an old weapon. "Oooohhhh." She voiced in appreciation.

Jaune smiled. "Yeah, I've got a shield too!" He pulled the sheath off of his belt and it unfolded into a white and gold shield with a double arc painted on it.

"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked, experimentally tapping the shield to see what it was made from. Sounded like steel alloy, another old technique. The shield snapped back into its compact form at her touch and Jaune dropped it in surprise. Ruby watched, unimpressed as he fumbled around, trying to pick up his shield again without dropping his blade. He eventually got a solid grip on it again and looked over at Ruby sheepishly.

"Uhhh the shield gets smaller…" He told her, folding it away again. "So…when I get tired of carrying it…I can just…put it away!" He trailed off, clearly hoping it sounded more impressive than it was.

Ruby considered the physics of this. "But…wouldn't it weigh the same?"

Jaune slumped. "Yeah it does."

Ruby laughed anxiously, going back to stroking her scythe. "Well…I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons…" She admitted. "I guess I did go a little overboard in designing it."

"Wait…you made that?" Jaune asked, sounding startled.

"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons." Ruby told him. "Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune examined the blade in his hand. "It's a hand-me-down." He admitted, running a hand along the flat of the blade. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the War." He lowered his head, clearly embarrassed by his old weapon.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" Ruby said encouragingly. Jaune didn't smile. "Well I like it." She assured him. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

Jaune perked up a bit at that. "Yeah, the classics…" He mumbled, sliding the sword back into its sheath.

Ruby folded her scythe away. "So…why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?" She asked as she tucked the scythe back in its holster and began walking again.

"Ehh, why not?" Jaune said with a grin, jogging a bit to catch up to her. "My mom always says strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hmmm." Ruby considered the statement, wondering if any of the strangers she had run into today just weren't her friends yet. Well, Weiss probably wasn't…what about that other girl? Ruby looked around them, suddenly realizing they had been walking around the same courtyard for several minutes. "Hey where are we going?" She asked Jaune.

"Oh I don't know!" He said, shrugging. "I was following you!"

They both stopped walking, looking around to try to figure out where they were.

"You think there might be a directory?" Jaune asked her. "Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark?"

Ruby snorted.

"Is a…is that a no?"

Ruby chuckled. Jaune was alright. Maybe she'd found her first friend. "That's a no."

A.N.: I just would like to say that the idea about Weiss needing to ration her Dust actually came from MatttheMammothRider who does the fantastic RWBY recaps on Tumblr. Mr. MammothRider, please do not sue me for using your theory!