Alright, so I'm slowly, bit by bit, little by little, getting my Muse back. 7500 plus words! I'm almost back to my regular 7000 to 8000! Just a little more!

RnR please, just to help motivate me, I guess.

At the crack of dawn, Kouya was already outside of the school building doing his morning practice in a baggy pants and a long sleeved loose shirt. He had woken up half an hour ago when the first rays of the sun filtered through the ballroom windows. It wasn't that he was diligent, per se, but his body was already programmed to wake up at dawn by his overly energetic Mars mother. It was already an act against his Amakusa blood that demanded to stay in bed until eight or nine in the morning. But it was waking up early, or getting a cold splash of water in bed.

Then spend the rest of the day grumpy and snapping at everything that talks to you.

He didn't get much sleep the previous night and was moving through the motions of his fighting style half asleep. Yang had a knack of kicking and punching things in her sleep, and rolling to any space that was available for her. He had been woken up by a kick in the gut, then he saw the blonde girl roll to Jaune's direction and punch the guy in the nose.

Both boys woke up and went to different spots away from the blonde, just get back to sleeping again. It was all for naught, however, since the girl would somehow roll towards them and attack again in her unconscious state. It was until they decided to put Ruby between them and the blonde that the girl stopped all attempts to keep them from sleeping. Though that did leave Yang with so much open space than before and two guys trying to get comfortable and not accidentally waking any other students close to their cramped space.

Jaune was lucky to get back to sleep easily enough, but Kouya had to suffer from his new problem's cuddles. Ruby had found the fluff of his pajamas to be just as comfortable as he had, and decided to give the teen an uncomfortable sleeping position while she had her arms and a leg all over him.

The teen would have taken advantage of the position to get himself comfortable as well, but the mutterings of weapons and cutting flesh was just too disturbing when it comes from someone two years younger and was a girl. It was almost adorable... in a psychotic kind of way.

It was four hours and a bad back later that Kouya woke up, executed a ninja technique, and left the girl cuddling the empty pajamas that he shed that he was now absently hitting air while imagining the soft temptations of his sleeping bag.

But the fear of his mother suddenly appearing over him with a bucket of cold water kept him from succumbing, no matter how much of an impossibility it was for her to suddenly come to Beacon.

There was also that meeting that he had with the Faunus girl in the halls. It took several minutes of staring and silence before someone broke it by shuffling their feet. Both had stood straight for so long that their legs had gotten stiff. Still, no one said a word since she didn't seem to want to talk so he had already started walking back to the ballroom.

It was only 06:30 in the morning, and everyone else was still asleep, save for a few early risers like him. It was an odd experience for the country boy to see so few people walking about in this time in the morning. Back in his village, people would already be out training or caring for the crops by the time he was up, but it seems that city folks would rather sleep in than start the day early.

Again, the lulls of the sleeping bag called to him.

Kouya shook his head violently. Going back to sleep now would only make things harder to get up later. He really needed something to get his blood pumping.

He looked up to the dawning skies. The birds were already wide awake and singing in the trees. The fresh morning breeze was helping fight off his drowsiness a bit, and the elevated altitude of the school made for breath taking scene of Vale.

With his mind made up, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His muscles tensed and his Aura began to rise from his body. Breathing out, the excess Aura of his body created a silvery mist from his mouth following the exhaled air of his lungs.

"HA!"

With a cry of effort, his legs kicked off the ground and shot him into the air. Cold winds whipped his hair back and he felt his half conscious mind fully awaken. When his ascent began to slow, his Aura gathered in his legs. His Semblance was focused to the soles of his feet, and his legs bent close to his chest.

"Ha!"

With another cry, he kicked off once again and expelled a kinetic boom that sent him higher and higher into the sky. The kinetic movement upwards helped create a platform for him to gain purchase, and the continued movement from it functioned like a trampoline to propel him higher.

He was already well above the highest tower of Beacon when his ascent once again slowed. He relished at the moment of pause in the sky when he reached the peak of his jump. He leaned back and relaxed his body when wind began to pick up behind him and gravity started to pull him back down to earth.

Twisting his body, he pulled his arms and legs apart and went to face the ground below. The ascent was enough to wake him, but the blood in his veins still refused to pump faster. He wasn't high enough. His body knew that he could survive the fall with little difficulty. There wasn't enough exhilaration in this free fall, no surprise at all. That made a bit of discontent rise in him.

Curling his body into a ball, his Aura gathered. When the ground was coming close at an alarming rate, his body snapped straight and his Semblance fired.

His momentum was broken and he was back safely on the ground. His jump did its job by waking him fully, but it failed to make him feel the rush of the fall. It was disappointing that he could no longer feel the excitement of his own free-falls anymore. Back when he first figured out that he could do it with his Semblance it had been so much fun! But after nearly mastering it, it became just another jump. Unless it was off a cliff or off one of the closest mountains near the village, he really didn't feel any rush at all.

It was sad that what had been amazing before was now a normal occurrence.

If only there was a Grimm to kill for morning exercise.

Two hours later most of the students were all awake and getting ready for the task that Glynda Goodwitch had announced the day before.

Students were in the cafeteria or in the locker rooms getting prepared. Kouya had already taken his hearty breakfast and was already in his battle gear, save for his shin guards. His hood was up as he walked through the halls of Beacon, getting himself familiar to twists and turns of the halls and the locations of the classrooms.

Odd, though. There doesn't seem to be any other students in school at the moment. Maybe today was a specific event for the first years' arrival? It would explain why there weren't any curious upperclassmen wandering the halls to meet the fresh new bloods.

Kouya was really looking forward to using the training room of the facility. He wondered what type of training they practice for the school.

Turning around the next corner, his eyes met the sight of something that made his blood boil.

Two bulky, Human first years were preventing a pair of Faunus from passing them, one was a male with dog ears while the other was a female with brown cat ears. The dog Faunus was shielding his companion from the Humans, their size and height were enough to intimidate the two demi-humans, but what really made Kouya's blood burn was that the Humans had their weapons drawn, two war hammers fit for their size.

It looks like the pair of Faunus didn't have their weapons with them, probably still stashed inside the lockers that the professors instructed them to do.

Unfortunately, so were his.

Either the two demi-humans were lovers out exploring the school, like Kouya, or maybe they were new friends trying to get to know each other. Still, what he was seeing in the fearful eyes of the cat Faunus really sent him on edge.

"Look here, bro. Two dirty animals walking in the halls." The one on the left said. Kouya dubbed him as Dummy no.1.

"Yeah. And look, it's a cat and a dog. Aren't they supposed to be tearing each other apart?" Dummy no. 2 said. He looked at the dog protecting the cat and sneered. "Well? Aren't you supposed to be tearing her to pieces right now?"

Kouya scowled under his hood. He really didn't like where this was going. Looking up, he jumped and climbed on one of the hanging support beams of the castle-like ceiling. He jumped over to the next few ones closer to the scene and used all of his father's lessons in muscle control to prevent himself from making a sound.

"We're not animals, you idiot." the dog Faunus growled, showing his elongated canines at the two. "We're Faunus. Just because we share a few animal parts, doesn't mean we're savages."

"Ohh... doggy's got a bite in him." Dummy no.1 said, looking at his brother with a fake surprised face. "You think he's already taken his shot?"

The Faunus growled audibly, but his companion merely squeezed his arm to calm him down slightly. The pair of Dummies didn't miss the gesture.

"Would you look at that! They're a pair!" Dummy no.2 cheered to his brother. "What sick freak do you think would come out if these two screwed?"

"Probably a Grimm." his brother smirked, getting narrowed eyes from the Faunus. "But you never know. It might turn out into something more disgusting than the parents."

"Just leave us alone!" the cat Faunus finally spoke, getting the two brother to look at her.

"What did you say, freak?" Dummy no.2 sneered. "You should be grateful that we haven't put you down yet. Wild animals like you should be in cages where you belong, not walking around and wearing clothes and trying to be human. You're freaks of nature that should be hunted down like the Grimm." He hefted up his hammer, making the two Faunus step back on guard.

Dummy no.1 rested his own hammer on his shoulder, looking confidently at the two demi-humans. "You think they'd notice if some students go missing?"

"They probably wouldn't even be bothered in missing an animal or two. There's a lot more where these things come from, and I heard that people die in Beacon all the time." Dummy no.2 smirked at his brother.

"I guess you're right." Dummy no.1 held his hammer with both hands, cocking the slide of the weapon like a shotgun with his brother doing the same.

The cat Faunus paled at the implication, while the dog protecting her growled and flared his Aura at the two.

Kouya had finally had enough. He had heard everything that was said when he made it to the beam that was only behind the two idiots. He really had hoped that this was a simple bullying case, but this was getting out of hand.

The Faunus pair really didn't have their weapons. The dog just had his arms in front of him and ready to defend while the cat was behind him, looking very pale.

It seems that the bitterness from The Faunus War a few years back was still passed on to the newer generations. The Faunus didn't take it too kindly to getting herded to one corner of the world, but even so, the humans refused to give the Faunus the rights that they deserved and were still discriminated to this day. Kouya really didn't like that.

Some of his friends in the village weren't humans, but he still enjoyed being with them. This scene was just wrong.

Before anything happened that he would regret, Kouya leaped off the beam he was on and aimed his descent towards the Humans below.

The Faunus pair were the first to notice him when he made his move. Their eyes went up and saw the teen curl up into a ball and stretched his legs out. With two precise placements of his feet and Aura covered heels, the Humans didn't even know what happened before their heads met the concussive force of a sledgehammer dropping from the ceiling.

Thud-

Two bodies fell to the floor unconscious. It was only because the two humans activated their own Auras when the Faunus did the same that they survived.

Kouya flipped off immediately after making a solid contact with their heads, landing on his feet and a few distance away from the Faunus pair. Even if he was saving them, it wouldn't do to have them on guard against him. The distance should help them calm down for a moment and let what just happened sink in.

"Are you two okay?" Kouya asked, his hood masking his head making the two unaware that he was human. It would help them if they think that one of their kind was the one that saved them.

The dog and cat Faunus stood for a stunned moment before his words reached their ears. The dog Faunus nodded his head thankfully and wrapped an arm around his companion. "Y-Yeah, thank you."

"Thank you for helping us." the cat Faunus followed.

Kouya nodded to them before looking down to the two humans in disgust. The Faunus pair mirroring his expression with a bit of malice and hatred in them. Would people really go that far for discrimination?

"You two better go back to where everyone else is gathered. We don't know if there are other people like these ones right here."

Kouya went over to the War Hammers that the two carried and went to examine it. He was going to destroy the things and make sure that the two won't repeat this stunt for a while.

"What about you?" the Cat Faunus asked, regaining her nerves after she was sure that it was safe. "You shouldn't wander the halls here by yourself, it's dangerous."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." With a click from the weapons, Kouya was finally able to eject the dust bullets from the chambers. "The hood helps hide my face, and they tend to ignore or avoid people who are a little too secretive."

Standing up and putting the weapons over each other, he placed his foot down on top of them.

"What are you going to do?" the dog Faunus asked.

"This..."

Kouya flared his Semblance and pressed down with his foot. There was a small boom from his Semblance and the two Faunus saw the hammers suddenly snapped into pieces. Kinetic movement on a stationary solid object concentrated on a specific spot, plus the strength of his legs, the strain created was enough to break the weapons. It was a good thing that Kouya took out the bullets or else it would have been a bigger boom.

"What about them?" the dog Faunus asked with no little amount of hate as he pointed over to the unconscious humans.

Kouya paused... then frowned. What was he going to do with the two? His eyes went over their hulking forms as he contemplated this. People like these won't learn anything unless they were forced to. No amount of kindness or reproach would ever make them change.

He actually contemplated on murder.

But that wouldn't do. He was out in the open and outside the village. He couldn't afford to be sent to jail, no matter how unfair it was. Still, he had to take care of them somehow.

"I'm going to sever their spine."

The Faunus actually recoiled at the statement. They stared at him with eyes wide.

Well... what was he supposed to do? He couldn't really give them a lesson when they're unconscious. He could wake them up, but the concussion that he gave them would just make them forget whatever he did. Maybe he should just break their legs instead?

"You will do no such thing."

Three pairs of eyes went down the hall and locked on the person at the end of it.

Ozpin had been taking his morning walk, the mug filled with eternal caffeine in one hand and his signature cane in the other when he heard the commotion down one of the halls. He was able to make out the threats of the two new students made to the Faunus pair. He was just about to announce himself when a black ball shot down from the ceiling and executed a perfect knock out blow.

Though a bit crude, it was at least effective.

He stood back and let the new student pass his judgement on the two brutes, and was slightly appalled by his decision. Yes, the treatment of the Faunus race had been very bad for a very long time, even before the war. It was only recently that they had started fighting back, but that did little favors for them. It only made society scorn them even further.

From the eyes of someone with little experience of the world, this was a terrible thing. But, even if there were people who wish to treat the Faunus with respect, they were only a minority in society. Most have adopted the stigma against the Faunus, and they care so little of how they treat the demi-humans.

The White Fangs also didn't help with that.

"Good morning, headmaster." the boy in the hood greeted. Well, at least he was polite, even if his methods are a bit questionable.

"Good morning to you all as well." The two Faunus also greeted him with the same respect. His eyes went to the fallen students, then to their shattered weapons. Hmm, odd. Most weapons were usually durable enough to withstand even the grip of a Nevermore but not the claws of a Death Stalker, and to be shattered by a mere stomp was no easy feat. "Quite an interesting start for the day, isn't it."

The two demi-humans exchanged looks before turning to their savior. The teen in hood hadn't taken his eyes off of him ever since he made himself known. At least he has enough mind to keep himself calm even in a situation like this. There were probably only a few who could speak of crippling someone with a straight face, even fewer who could keep calm when caught in the declaration in the presence of someone with higher authority.

Interesting...

"May I ask your name, young man?" He took a sip from his mug, the small dust shards installed underneath it kept the heat of the blend constant. Truly a work of art. But let's get back to the young man, shall we?

"Amakusa Kouya, headmaster." the boy replied. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that the young man before him had professional training.

And indeed, he did know better.

There wasn't any successful business in Vytal that did not know of that name. Contractors that sought out the richest and most powerful men and women, offering their services for a... moderate fee.

In the world of business, there isn't a place where there would never be any oppositions. Corruptions are also a norm in most of them, with only a handful of honest ones that only took a matter of time before succumbing to the temptations of the darkness.

The Amakusa were a rare kind of mercenary group, along with their partners: the Mars. He had encountered some of them a few years ago, but they cared little of anything that wasn't connected to their jobs.

They were mostly hired for escorts, bodyguards... protections. It was a blessing that they never accepted any of the shadier dealings. Though the collateral damage that the Mars inflict to the surroundings irked most of their clients, but they still hired them nonetheless.

If this boy has any connections to that group, it would probably be beneficial for the school to keep him around. There are only few individuals who took their careers rather seriously like the Amakusa group.

"And what of you two?" he asked the two Faunas. They were already having a hard time in school, it wouldn't do to just dismiss them.

"Lloyd Black, sir." the dog Faunus stood in attention.

"Rusty Claim, headmaster." the cat Faunus introduced politely.

He nodded and took another sip from his mug. "Very well. Better be off now, the ceremony's only a few minutes away. It's best to get ready."

"And what of them, sir?" the hooded teen, Amakusa, asked. There was something in his voice that made Ozpin pause. There was a hint of... challenge in it.

He looked at the unconscious teens, then back to the boy, then over to the two Faunus. Ah... so that's it.

This was a good example of what most Faunus kind experience in Beacon. Not all of the staff were very fond of their kind, and most merely tolerate them. There were instances where things had gotten so bad that some students had almost gotten permanently injured. This was another example of those: where the Amakusa boy was contemplating about severing spines.

The victims weren't all Faunus, mind you. There were some cases that it was the Demi-humans that were starting the violence. Most of the time it was a team made up of the Faunus race. It wasn't very fun when the shoe was on the other foot, as the victims found out. Some upperclassmen even paid the price for their violent discrimination.

Back to the teen, he was probably wondering whether the two humans on the floor would receive punishment, or just a slap on the wrist. Ozpin really couldn't fault him. With society as is, it was hard to judge people when it comes to the relationship of the Humans and the not.

"You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Amakusa. I promise you that these two will expelled for their behavior, and with the destruction of their weapons, it should serve as a very good lesson for them. For the moment, that is." He took another sip from his mug, eyeing the boy for his response.

The teen's shoulder relaxed slightly, and nodded once. "Do you think that it would be enough of a punishment?"

Ozpin hummed and shifted his cane, tapping it on the ground for a moment. "This is the only thing I can do with my power as the school's headmaster. I am sure that you realize that we simply cannot change their minds and their treatment to the Faunus. The problem with these two lie deeper, I'm afraid. Too deep for strangers like us to reach."

The teen nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Thank you, headmaster. We should probably be on our way now. We only have a few more minutes to get ready."

Ozpin nodded, raising his mug to the teen. "See that you do."

He watched as the students walked away and head to the direction of the lockers. There were rarely any people who would stand up against the oppression of the Faunus. Either he was one himself or merely a sympathizer, it was hard to tell. The hood on his face kept his face hidden, so he would probably have to look at the student's records just to make sure.

But still. Face obscured by an object, dark clothes, professional gait, detached tone in words... He was definitely connected to that group.

Taking his cane up and putting it between his side and arm, he fished his personal Scroll in his coat pocket and called up a particular individual. "Glynda, postpone the activity for a moment, I have something I need for you to do."

On the transparent screen of the Scroll, the face of one Glynda Goodwitch appeared. "Is something the matter, headmaster?"

"Nothing major," Ozpin replied, his eyes going to the unconscious bodies and then back to the Scroll. "There was a commotion in one of the halls. Not to worry, it has already been rectified. I only need you to prepare a ride out of Beacon for two."

"Has something happened?" there was a hint of curiosity in the woman's voice. Though bothersome at times, Ozpin's tasks were rarely of small importance. Something must have caught his attention once again.

"Tell me, Glynda... what do you know of the Amakusa?"

Back to the mentioned teen and the pair that he saved, they were on their way to get their weapons. The two Faunus had promised themselves to never walk around anymore unless armed against people like the Dummy Brothers.

The pair had taken to talking to themselves while Kouya led the two. He was busy with his thoughts at the moment to actually pay attention to the Faunus that he had saved.

Relationship between the Humans and the Faunus were worse than he had thought. His parents had informed him that treatment outside the village was never the same to the demi-humans. It was hard for the Faunus to live out in the open and in most cities. There were only a few places where the demi-human kind were accepted and well liked, but those were mostly in villages outside of cities like his own.

Some Faunus of his age probably didn't know of the treatment because they grew up isolated from the discrimination. It would only take one journey to a city for them to know the life of their kin on the outside world. They might even join the terrorist organization of the White Fangs: The former radical political organization now turned into an armed group against humanity.

The Faunus of their village were still saddened when they had to cut all ties with them when they turned violent.

Kouya sighed and scratched his head covered hood. What was he supposed do when he comes across a similar scene like before? Would he help again, or would he ignore?

The Amakusa side of him wanted to ignore and pretend that he wasn't there. The scuffle had nothing to do with him, and he was never tasked to interfere in any arguments between the two races. Unless he was told to, he wouldn't even concern himself with it.

But the Mars side of him wanted to BREAK BONES when he sees a scene similar to it. Those who oppress the different should be prepared for retaliation. He wanted to inflict permanent injury just to make sure that they learn.

Humanity just didn't know how to appreciate the Faunus: Their superior physiology, their higher than normal senses, the night vision, THE CUTE FLUFFY ANIMAL PARTS!

Humanity needs to burn if they can't even appreciate that.

"Hey, Kouya, right?"

Looking behind him, the addressed teen looked to the pair behind him. "Yeah. You're Lloyd, right?"

The dog Faunus nodded, giving him a confident smile, a contrast to his earlier expression. "Yup! Lloyd Black, graduated from Signal Academy. This is my childhood friend-" he gesture to the cat Faunus.

"Rusty Claim." She nodded to him in greeting. "How about you?"

Kouya scratched his cheek uncertainly. "Well... I'm not really a graduate from anywhere, but if I had to choose..."

Let's see how his father's etiquette lessons would do here.

He stopped walking and turned to the two non-humans with his heels tucked together. He placed his right hand over his heart and his left arm crossed behind his back. He bent down slightly for a polite bow.

"Amakusa Kouya from Amakusa branch trainee, recommended by a traveling Hunter to attend Beacon for a full graduation."

Both Faunus blinked at the rather formal way of introduction.

"Sorry. This was how I was taught whenever I introduce myself with more than just my name. My father said that it helps to be courteous when doing business." the Amakusa teen straightened with his right hand held out.

"Well... that's nice." the male Faunus awkwardly said, hesitantly reaching out to take the offered hand with his friend doing so as well.

"But I've never heard of the Amakusa school before. Is that new?" the girl asked after releasing the handshake.

"It's not a school." Kouya said, gesturing for them to restart walking again. "It's more like a Private Family Security, thing."

"Oh..." the cat Faunus replied lamely.

"It's fine if you don't understand." the Amakusa teen said, waving his had over to the girl. "Just think of it as a family matter."

"Still, thanks for saving us back there." the dog Faunus said, smiling at the other male cheerfully. "Things would have gotten ugly if you hadn't swooped in."

"Don't mention it." Really, don't. There might be a chance that he wouldn't do the same the next time he sees someone getting bullied.

"Right." Lloyd nodded. "But can you believe it? Those assholes really might have been going for it! If I hadn't left Rabid Fang in the lockers I would have taken those bastards down."

"Rabid Fang?" Kouya asked curiously.

"My weapon." The dog Faunus admitted proudly. "My baby would have ripped those two apart like it was nothing!"

"It sounds powerful." The hooded teen said. He was a bit curious about what he said earlier. "You made it yourself, right? I heard from a friend of mine that students from Signal Academy make their own weapons."

"Of course! Everyone was required to make their own weapons. It's a rule in Signal." Lloyd boasted. "Even Rusty here has her own. Let me tell you, it's pretty scary."

That earned the dog boy a slap on his shoulder from the said girl. "Celestia is not scary." the girl huffed. "I based her from a gymnastic's ribbon. She's beautiful."

"Yeah, a dust powered, multi-jointed, electric whip is a beautiful thing for S&M play isn't it." Lloyd said humorously.

"She is not a whip!"

Kouya looked back to them, over his shoulder, in amusement. Both of them kind of reminded him of Ruby. They treat their weapons like a living thing, or a partner. He wondered if he would be like that with Piercing Veil in the future.

"We're here." Kouya announced.

Rows upon rows of lockers were lined up in one area of the school. There were about a thousand of them. Since Beacon was pretty famous, and students were only chosen by some of the staff or the staff of their previous school, teens had to perform their best just to get recommendation for admittance.

Of course, just because they were chosen didn't mean that they could slack off. Each year it becomes harder and harder to pass, and students who were not up to the task of combat, academics and survival were failed and sent home or transferred to a different Academy. And those were the lucky ones.

In Beacon there were instances of casualties because of the lack of training or talent. Classes were held sometimes on the field and missions were given to students who were capable of performing them. Those who neglect to better themselves often fell prey to the Grimm or has had to depend on their teammates to keep them alive enough to be shipped home.

It was a grueling curricular, but it serves it's purpose. There were hardly any graduates from Beacon who couldn't win against a Death Stalker by themselves. Tactics, Conditioning, Battle Experience and Brilliance were nurtured for years in the student's stay. Either they rise up to the challenge was up to them, but Beacon was no place for posers.

"I guess this is where we part." Kouya said.

"Whoa, wait." Lloyd held up his hand when the teen was about to walk away. "Shouldn't we stick close? You never know when you might need help if one of those Humans try anything again."

"Lloyd's right, it's not safe for a Faunus to wander by themselves here. Every human here seems out to get one of ours one way or another." Rusty pleaded.

Kouya placed his knuckle under his chin in thought. "Were things the same back in Signal for you two?" he asked curiously, looking back to the pair.

The two of the looked at each other, looking very uncertain. "No, it wasn't as bad as this." Lloyd admitted.

"It was only names and pranks, but it never went too far from that." said Rusty.

The hooded teen turned to them fully, arms crossed and his stance relaxed. "You shouldn't be too mistrustful of all the Humans, there are some of them that are also willing to help you if you let them."

The dog Faunus scoffed at the idea. "I doubt that. No one's stuck their neck out for us back at Signal. It was only us and the rest of our kind."

"Well, maybe this time it would be different?" Kouya said with amusement. "You're in Beacon now. Not every human here is heartless."

"You can't be sure of that." Rusty said sadly.

"And if there is one kind human out there, I sure would like to meet them." Lloyd muttered bitterly.

Kouya smiled and his amusement of the two increased slightly. "You'll never know if there's a kind Human out there if you don't give them a chance." he told them. "They're out there for sure, you just have to look in the right places."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

"See you later."

It was minutes later after taking out Piercing Veil from his locker that Kouya was once again letting his legs guide him to wherever they wanted to go. The two from earlier were really good people, it's just that they were surrounded by the wrong environment that they've become pretty pessimistic. Maybe later after the activity today he'd see them again?

Off by one of the lockers, he spotted a familiar figure tinkering with her weapon.

"Good morning." He announced politely.

"Huh?" the bunny eared Faunus looked up to him with a bit of startled surprise.

He simply smiled and waved before moving on, his hood still hiding his features. She was the one that he saw last night out by the bathroom. It was only for the sake of being polite, but anyone should at least greet the person they recognized when they passed them, or at least acknowledge that they were there.

The bunny Faunus gained an expression of puzzlement when he walked by. Maybe he should stop thinking of her as a bunny? But then again, his fondness to animals was probably bleeding off to his treatment to the other race. They probably wouldn't like that, but it's not like he could help himself.

That was when he heard a rather whiny and despair filled voice walking his way.

"Ugh, why does this have to happen today..."

Jaune was looking at a piece of paper, his eyes checking the multiple numbers on every lockers he passed by.

"Hey Jaune." he greeted the blond.

"Kouya!" he looked up in surprise. "Where were you! You suddenly disappeared this morning."

The hooded teen scratched his head, embarrassed. He forgot to come back to the ballroom after putting on his gear. He was pretty eager to walk the halls that morning so he neglected to tell anyone where he went. He just hoped that Ruby hadn't done anything to his pajamas, his favorite pillow was still in its tail.

"Sorry about that." Kouya apologized. "I decided to go for a walk but lost track of time." There was no need to tell about this morning's drama in the hall. No need to tell when it wasn't needed to be brought up. "So... what the problem this time?"

Jaune's eyes flashed suddenly when when he brought up the teen's dilemma. "That's right! Do you remember where I put my gear yesterday?"

"636?"

"Are you sure?!" the blond asked desperately.

In response the Amakusa pointed his finger to the side. Jaune followed the finger to a locker and looked at the number.

636

"Oh." the blond said rather plainly.

Quickly discarding the map, Jaune went up to the steel box and opens it rather violently.

"Aha!"

Whatever was inside, Kouya didn't know, he was rather busy trying to hold back his chuckles at his friend's very dramatic actions. He kind of remind's the Amakusa of the Mars from back home, of how passionate they were in their actions some times. He just hoped that he didn't have any high quantities of Aura or extreme durability to match his relatives.

Further up the path, Kouya noticed a rather large, noticeable amount of white by the path that Jaune had just walked past. There, he saw Snow Fairy was talking to a girl in an armor that kind of reminded him of what his Mars relatives would wear. She even has their signature fiery, red hair.

The teen suddenly had a flashback of his mother with similar armor walking towards him and carrying her gigantic buster sword for his body conditioning.

He blanched and shuddered in fear. His mother's ancestors must have continued on their line somewhere in Vytal, she must be a very distant cousin or something. His mother's family did break off from the original family line and adopted the last name of one of their rivals. Something about Greek and Roman rivalry.

Suddenly, Snow Fairy turned around to his general direction with a face that exuded 'Evil Plotting'.

Right. Pure color of choice, but not really the person themselves. Is there really something about big businesses that corrupts people, or is it the other way around?

Nevertheless...

"Hey, Jaune, it's your Snow Angel."

"Where!" The teen was suddenly by his side, looking in the direction where he was staring at.

"It looks like they're talking about making teams." From what his Aura enhanced hearing told him. "Maybe you could convince her to join yours?"

Kouya wasn't really the type to hate people, but when someone rubs him the wrong way... they rub him the wrong way. That DERP face on the heiress also wasn't helping.

Slapping the blond's back, he pushed the teen forward. "Go get her."

In a snobbish stride that screamed 'Fake', Jaune walked his way between the white girl and the prospective relative of the Amakusa.

This time, Kouya chose to sit this one out. As much as he wanted to help out his friend and not make a fool out of himself, he really didn't want what the Schnee heiress wanted to happen. It's also a bit about helping out a possible relative in school, and not get swept by the machinations of people like the Schnee.

Watching the following play out was amusing to say the least, but a part of him couldn't help but feel bad for the Arc lad. His confidence was clearly fake, his tone was rather too smooth to be real, his dismissal seemed forced, and it was clear that he had his eyes on a target in the conversation.

In the Machina line of info gathering, this was a definite 'Fail'. If there was any definition of Manipulative Bastards, it's the Machina, not doubt. If it was them, they'd probably start by making the Schnee lower their guard around them. A little ego stroke to the heiress here and there, tell a little about themselves, THEN play it smooth, try not to dismiss anyone who wanted to join the conversation, maneuver the talk to making teams, tell about some of their most impressive but believable exploits and abilities, suggest in making a team with them, or hint to it, then viola!

Have them eat right out of your hands.

Machina, magnificent bastards, they were.

Unless it's against you, then you're screwed.

"Actually, Jaune, I think you'd make a great leader." the red head, Pyrrha, told the teen when his ignorance on how impressive the red head was came to light.

Then came a bit of realization.

Pyrrha had been interjecting her inputs in Jaune's conversation with the Schnee heiress: Saying hi just to say a word in, sharing her thoughts about the number of members for each team, and now encouraging the Arc lad when he was down.

This Pyrrha was a very kind person. She acts quite differently from the Amakusa's tomboyish of a mother.

Then there was her achievements prior to entering Beacon: Top of her class at Sanctum, Winner of Mistral Region's tournament four years in a row, and, to Jaune's elation, a person chosen for a cereal box model.

Mistral, though... he's never heard of it. It's probably where his mother's ancestors come from, but he's never heard a job from any of his Amakusa relatives going there. It's a blank spot in Kouya's information bank. Was there still bad blood between the Mars and their ancestral home, perhaps?

There was also Pyrrha's genuine bashful expression when Jaune suddenly realized who she was. From that, Kouya could guess that she hadn't had many real friends back where she came from, or she didn't know anyone from Beacon that came from her Home and was probably awkward at making new friends.

Then the conversation made an abrupt halt when Jaune had his hood nailed to a locker.

By Pyrrha.

Yeah... she was probably awkward in making friends.

"Sorry." she said to the blond. Her apology was genuine.

The was a buzz in the intercom when the voice of Glynda Goodwitch came from the device. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Kouya took that as his queue to stand up from the bench he was sitting on where he made his observation. He noticed that Yang and Ruby were heading his way, with the younger girl holding his pajama in her arms.

"Good morning, you two." he greeted and started walking along side them.

"Good morning foxy-kins!" Yang replied. "We didn't see you when we woke up. We thought something happened to you when Ruby woke up with only your PJ's in her arms. What, did she squeeze you so hard that you got launched from your suit?"

"Something like that..."

Ruby went up to him and gave him his fox suit back, blushing slightly as she did so. "Here."

She had probably looked at the tail when she got the chance, but it's not like the Machina wanted that piece of technology to be a secret, so it was alright. Anyone could probably just look at an airships engine and figure it out. She was probably embarrassed about poking around a guy's clothes.

It was just then that they came up to where Jaune was lying next to a locker after getting nailed there by a spear.

"Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" the blonde bombshell beside the hooded teen said to the Arc lad. By the looks of it, she and Ruby were probably watching him the same way that Kouya had been.

"Don't be mean, Yang." Kouya chided, crouching down to help his friend up.

"I don't understand." the blond lad groaned. Kouya hefted him up to his feet and put an arm over his shoulder. His legs were a bit wobbly from the surprise and fear of the spear that came at him. "My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?"

"He probably meant Natural Confidence, not Forced Confidence." The hooded teen shared unhelpfully.

"And Snow Angel probably wasn't the best start." said Yang.

"Come on, Jaune - let's go."

Ruby walked ahead, followed by the others with Kouya helping the Arc hobble out of the locker rooms.

"Kouya..." Yang began as she stood beside him.

"Yeah?"

"Yesterday you said something about the 'Rise to become a Hunter or Fall from the cliffs of Beacon'... Is this what you meant by that?"

She, her sister, and the recovered Arc looked at the forest below.

From the top of a cliff.

A high, treacherous, cliff.

Near Beacon.

Aptly named Cliff of Beacon.

"No, Yang, this was just a coincidence."

"Oh... okay!"

"They're not gonna push us down there, are they?" The Arc lad asked desperately.

Then came Glynda Goodwitch with the instructions. "Please step forward and stand on each launch platforms so that we may begin."

Three different hands came up and patted the blond boy on the back, trying but failing to calm him down. The Amakusa feeling more sorry for his friend.

"Jaune, would it help if I said 'Sorry'?"

"No."