Chapter 2

[Rabia Colorado]

It wasn't long after that they received their bounty from the militia that guarded the gates between Kuo Kuana and the wilderness. From there, Lotte and him went their separate ways. Apparently, she had a date. Though he assumed she would hang out at one of the clubs around town in hopes of attracting a young guy in their twenties or so.

That woman was getting desperate to get married.

He didn't really get it if he was being honest. She was a badass huntress, after all. Logic would dictate that others would be doing the courtship while she just sat down and squeezed the poor sods for all they were worth. And then she'd throw them out and jump to the next until one actually caught her eyes.

It was how her mom got his dad, after all. Or so she'd often say. From dad's side of the story, he didn't exactly have an option. He guessed that when a carnivorous Faunus with a past in the military wants you, a fragile civilian, as her partner, you truly didn't have an option…

Rabia shook his head before his head wandered to his parents' romantic life. He really, really didn't want to think about that. That way laid madness and nightmares.

He looked towards the small stack of Lien notes in his hands. It wasn't much, by Huntsman standards, but then again, a single Bormean – that was the name of the Orangutan Grimm, according to the militia – wasn't really much of a challenge for a huntsman. Let alone one accompanied by someone who was a step or two away from becoming one. They didn't take the mission for the money though, but because it was an easy target for him to practice his long-range aim.

As terribly as that went.

Rabid pocketed the money and wondered what to do with it. He would usually add it to his pile for his trip to Beacon, but he had already paid for the ticket and made a nice nest egg for rainy days while he was at it. Huntsmen jobs, junior or not, were quite lucrative.

He guessed he could just give it to his family. With a family of six, and only dad having a consistent job after mom's retirement, they weren't exactly living in luxury. Yet, reminded of the unholy beating his mom tried to give him the last time he tried, the teenager decided that he might as well not try. At least not with her present. She was a good mother, but she was almost as temperamental as he was. Getting money from her son might have stung her pride or something. He didn't really know or care.

As long as she didn't try to strangle him again, he was okay.

Without much thought, Rabia decided to just pocket the money for now. He secured his white beanie to his head and started walking through the busy afternoon streets of Kuo Kana. He noticed how the muddy brown boots he was wearing splattered unpleasantly against the dirt road that was just slightly less muddy than the wilderness.

He wished he was wearing his black jacket and white fur coat today, but it was far too hot and humid for them. He would sweat like a pig. In their place though, he wore a black shirt with its middle section having vertical white stripes going towards his blue, muddy jeans. Not his favorite, but then again, Kuo Kuana wasn't often cold enough for his preferred outfit, sadly.

It was still pretty damn edgy if one asked him though. It made him look like a street gangster, but he liked the monochrome motif and most huntsmen owned their style anyway. It wasn't even that he tried to represent the colors of his Faunus traits, being a honey badger and all, but it was a nice coincidence, he supposed.

Murmurs reached his ears in between the shouts and sounds of the sea of people that he was currently traversing through. It made him grind his teeth against each other, and shove his hands into his pockets and away from Mellivora Capensis, his knuckle dusters. If he didn't, he might turn and actually act on the anger that was eating at him.

He avoided making eye contact with the group of Faunus that were currently calling his mother a race traitor. A little too loud so they were clearly meant to be heard. They were probably emboldened by his lack of aggression too, but he couldn't give in anyway. He knew what'd happen then.

"Seriously, with a human? Couldn't she find a good Faunus to fuck at least."

"Tainting the bloodline with some of those humans. They have harmed us enough for being better than them and there she goes, letting one of them into our lands."

"She even keeps popping more of them. Bitch really needs to learn how to close her legs–"

That was as far as the older teenager got before shuddering at the look Rabia directed at him. He liked imagining the bastard was suddenly remembering what would happen to him if he crossed his lines. He had plenty of friends at the hospital who could give him a detailed description of what Rabia would do to him if he decided to ignore Ghira's and Sienna's warnings.

As for Rabia himself, those warnings sounded more and more like suggestions by the second. It was as he gave one step in their direction that the group of teenagers made the smartest decision of their life so far and turned tail. They ran into the shadows of a nearby alley between shops, disappearing from sight. The clinking of their White Fang masks hitting against the belts they were strapped to echoed in his ears. It invited him to follow, to make yet another example of these people.

He was so very tempted.

He could feel his veins pump blood to his head. His whole body felt hot and his vision started to turn red. Images of ripping them apart, of causing more permanent damage than some broken bones flew through his head like an enticing ambrosia. He could do it, he knew. They wouldn't be able to stop him…

His arm shook in excitement at the idea of going even further. At the idea of giving the last step and seeing their fearful faces as he ripped their-

With a deep breath, the angered seventeen-year-old counted backward from 10 inside his head. He made sure to inhale and exhale at each number. Once he was done, he felt better. Not good or calm, not with the anger still bubbling and steaming in the background, ready to take over him if he let out even slightly. Yes, he wasn't okay, but he felt better.

For all its advantages, his Semblance sometimes made life so much harder for him.

He had been warned. There wouldn't be a next time after the last incident. He needed to remind himself that Ghira was no longer in an unshakable position of power to save his ass like all the other times when he was a kid. Sienna was pretty much the one who called the shots now. She had made it very clear that he would be joining their numbers if he kept attacking her members 'for no reason'.

The damned woman had been eyeing him for recruitment for as long as she had been in power. Mixed ancestry be damned, he was one of the strongest Faunus of his age group in Kuo Kuana and she knew it. At least when it came to close quarters, the only one who could probably beat him was Adam, and that was a very big if, in his opinion.

She had been making excuses to take him under her wing for years, only to be rebuffed by Chief Ghira at every turn. He had given him a hand, even when Rabia knew he probably didn't deserve it, covering for him time and time again. Every time he let his anger get the better of him he forced the man to waste more of his favor and waning power. He didn't want to be a reason for problems for the man, not after all he had done for him.

Ghira was a very important figure for everyone in Kuo Kuana. The founder of the White Fang and a Chief who not only managed for their people to survive in Menagerie but to thrive. Everyone loved him… even if not all of them agreed with him on certain things.

However, while he was a man with a lot of influence, even that had its limits. When Sienna took control of the White Fang, she took control of most of the armed and trained forces of Menagerie and beyond. In a place like Kuo Kuana where settlements reside next to Grimm nests and are at risk of being swarmed every day, might hold a lot more power than honor medals.

With a last exhale, Rabia tucked his hands back into his pockets, far away from where they had been reaching towards Mellivora Capensis. Then he started walking again, looking down at the ground. He didn't want to see the looks of pity or sympathy the other citizens, Faunus and some humans alike, were giving him.

He knew that they didn't mean anything bad by it. He knew that normal people could feel for others even when they weren't willing to stick their necks for them. He couldn't expect everyone to fight his fights.

But still…

Rabia just couldn't help but feel their pity annoy him in a different yet similar way to insults.

He couldn't help feeling disappointed in their silence when his mother was being insulted. She had fought to protect them by securing the walls of their settlement. She had gotten a lifelong injury for protecting their lives, instead of retreating when things got dangerous for herself. And now she was being called a whore in their faces and they did nothing.

"I am sorry. There is nothing that could be done. It is a miracle she survived the horde to begin with. Even with prosthetics, the nerve damage is too close to the vertebrae. Only Atlas spinal surgeries might help, but…" the doctor continued, a professional cold tone in his voice all the while. Both of them had rushed as fast as they could toward the hospital as soon as they got the call. Furor and Boga were safe in his arms as he carried them all the way. The latter, far too young to fully understand what was going on, but Furor had been inconsolable.

"Where was the White Fang then?! They are supposed to support the militia!" his father screamed at the doctor who took a step back in shock at the normally calm man frothing all but frothing at the mouth. It was the first time Rabia had ever seen him angry himself.

That night was the first time he had ever seen him cry too.

Ten, nine. Inhale. Exhale.

He couldn't help but feel frustrated as they cleared the way for White Fang officers to act like racist bigots against his father just for daring to have a regular job and provide for his family.

"You think you can just come here and take our jobs, don't you? Human scum," the guard hit his dad on the back of his head. It was just a small slap, but it was enough for a young Rabia to cry because his daddy was being attacked by the police, of all people.

"It's okay," his daddy said with a smile on his face. Even after the guards hit him again, and blood from a broken lip fell from his face, he continued smiling at him. "It's okay, Rabia. Everything's okay."

Eight, seven. Inhale. Exhale.

He couldn't help but feel enraged at the people who would just shrug and ignore the scraps and bruises on his younger brothers. They would see them come back from school bullied for no other reason other than being born from two different races and they'd do nothing.

"RABIA! STOP, RIGHT NOW!" his mother exclaimed, her wheelchair getting in between him and the door.

His youngest brother, Boga, cried somewhere behind them. He was only 4. He could barely read correctly. He had asked Rabia to tell him a bedtime story about huntsmen the day before. Sweet little Boga, who wouldn't ever harm a fly.

He cried while their father applied ice to his purple and swollen eye.

Furor didn't cry, but the 8 year old lower lip quivered and that was all they needed to see. The cocky little shit had spunk. He stood his ground until the end, even when he was outnumbered, he protected his little brother. His brilliant mind applied itself to a grudge at that very moment instead of something nicer.

He wouldn't stand for this and neither would Rabia.

Someone else said something to him, but he didn't know who or what they said. His ears could only hear the sound of his own accelerated heartbeat like war drums signaling his march. He needed to move.

"LIKE FUCK I WILL STOP. I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL THEM!"

He was too angry to think. Too angry to listen. All he could see was red.

His mom grabbed him by the arm. He didn't quite know how, but he ended up in a chokehold from a paralytic woman. Nobody ever said that she was helpless, after all, even after the accident.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE EXPELLED?! ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME?! THEY DIDN'T EVEN START THE FIGHT!" The White Fang, the teachers, whoever was there. They did nothing. They just watched as his brothers got hurt.

Six, five. Inhale. Exhale.

Rabia breathed again and again before opening his eyes. He continued on his way. He didn't interact with anyone nor did anyone try to approach him either. He wouldn't lash out. He wouldn't give these people even his anger. They didn't even deserve that. He needed to be better. He owed at least that to so many people, that he would never forgive himself if he didn't give it his all.

He would be better.

[}-o-{]

[Nero Cielo]

As he approached the Club, he felt his eye twitch.

His mental map started lighting up like he was going from low definition straight to 4k. One would think that was a good thing, and it was, but it was also annoying. His enhanced senses didn't like overly stimulating places like that. They were fine in small doses, but they were certainly not favorites of his.

So, Nero's ideal take would have been to go there, do business, and leave.

He could have walked past the queue with a few words, but he decided to just… not. It'd mean more time spent around than he'd have liked, but sometimes one had to make sacrifices for a chance at profit. In this case, for example, there was a chance to gather more information. Information on the random people that were waiting to get in. Information on the Red Axe's members that acted as bouncers. Information on the people that were walking by on the other side of the street.

Vale was a whole new place for Nero, so he needed to get a feel for the place. What was liked? What wasn't? What did he need to avoid? What did he need to try and do? Who was important? Who wasn't? He'd gone through similar processes while traveling through Mistral, but now, he was on a different continent altogether. He was in a different culture, with vastly different people.

'A learning experience, as usual,' Nero mused, looking off to the side to see Bianca standing on a rooftop nearby. She wouldn't have gone into the club unless his life depended on it and since it didn't, she wouldn't. She could be picky like that. 'Lucky,' he thought, sighing as he finally reached the doors and entered the Club.

The music boomed in his ears and while his mental map was basically perfect with all the stimuli, be it visual, olfactory, and, most of all, auditory, it was still very grating. Overwhelming might have been a better word for it, he supposed, but he wasn't too concerned about the accuracy of his description of the feeling. He was more concerned about the fact that it wasn't nice and he wanted to get away.

So, he moved around the place, eavesdropping what he could, reading lips and cold reading people themselves. 'Very interesting stuff,' he thought, having picked up on information regarding a few dealers and other things. 'Ew, I don't think anyone needed to know you were into that, lady,' he thought, grimacing and shaking his head.

Maybe that was a sign to stop gathering information and get to the point.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked and Nero looked at the imposing man for a moment. This was Junior, he was sure. So, the man either already knew who he was or he was just lucky.

"Something light, fruity," Nero answered, already knowing what was coming.

"Girly, you mean?" the man half-joked and half-mocked. He didn't deign that with a response though, simply shrugging. Strong drinks might be considered more manly, but they were awful, and that was – as he'd heard – before adding his enhanced senses on top of that. Yeah, he'd rather drink something that didn't feel like torture.

"Thanks," Nero said as his drink was placed in front of him. Carefully, he brought it up, not to his lips but to his nose. He wasn't the best at it, but he could more often than not tell if there was something that shouldn't be there in his drink. Confirming that there wasn't, as far as he knew, he took a sip.

"Paranoid little thing, aren't you?" Junior asked, picking up a used glass and starting to clean it. "Little Bird," he added. To that, Nero snorted.

"Yeah, figured you'd know," he replied, taking another sip from his glass. "And it's not paranoia if it can actually happen," he continued with a shrug. He'd learned how to tell that kind of shit for a reason, after all.

"Smart," Junior praised and Nero allowed a half-smile to form on his face. "So, you got anything for me?"

"A few things," he answered vaguely. "For the right price."

"Hm, let's start small then," the gang leader told him, which made sense. He probably knew that Nero had no chance of actually lying to scam him. You don't do that kind of shit, especially if you've been in the business for a while. You gotta have some credibility, otherwise anyone and everyone will backstab you just like you would them. It wasn't Nero's thing. Sounded like too much trouble.

"Those two guys of yours, by the door on your left?" he started, making Junior glance in the direction he pointed out. "Those let through a dealer that's definitely not yours," Nero explained, making the man he was talking to raise an eyebrow. "Down the counter, third to last on my right," he added, and the gang leader followed those directions too.

"Tony," Junior called casually, before whispering in a man's ear and turning his attention back to Nero. "Anything expensive?" he asked then, making Nero lean forward with a grin.

"Did you know that a certain redhead gentleman is being held by the balls?"

Ah, it was always nice to catch powerful people off guard with just words.

Really nice indeed.

[}-o-{]

"Finally some peace and quiet," he mumbled, sitting down at the tiny table with a single chair that his new apartment had. The building was barely holding itself together in its entirety, but Nero wasn't too concerned about that. He'd slept in worse places, honestly, and this wasn't so bad.

Sure, everything was old, cheap, and lacked many things, but it was a roof over his head and the lady that had rented him the place had seemed to genuinely be nice. It wasn't the best place Nero had stayed at, but certainly up there. He wasn't complaining, at all.

"Decent start, huh?" he asked, placing the bowls of food and another of water for Bianca across from him and watching his one friend in the world jump on the table and start eating. "Might not have gone quite as well as we hoped, but it could have been worse, right?"

Bianca let out an affirmative meow, because she was smart like that. It might have been her aura being unlocked and years of training, or maybe she was just special from the beginning. Maybe it was part of her semblance, which seemed to improve her already pretty good capabilities as a whole. Nero wasn't too sure, but she was a great friend and a great partner too and that was all that he needed to know.

Idly, Nero set his own food on the table and started eating.

It wasn't actually quiet in there though. He could hear the sounds of the street outside as if he were standing right there, but it was certainly better than being at the Club. It was also better than being out there where he could become a target for someone… Easily, at least. One could always be a target, which was why he always kept himself aware of his mental map.

"... Done already, huh?" he mumbled as Bianca moved from the table to his lap and curled up, licking at her paws. "Yeah, I'm done too," he said, pushing his plate away and keeping his glass of water close by. With that done, he twisted his body a bit to be able to pull some things from his backpack that he'd set by the table's leg.

He set his notebook there and opened it, going over his plans for the future. He'd had plenty of time to decide what to do while he traveled, after all. There was only so much work and training to be done, really, and Nero had a lot more free time than most.

After all, he didn't need to sleep.

He wasn't sure if it was because of his baffling aura reserves or because of his semblance or a combination of both, but he hadn't been able to sleep since he unlocked his aura and got his semblance. Well… that might be a bit of a lie. He'd been able to sleep the handful of times his aura had been broken and he'd been left with barely any of it for a bit while recovering. Other than that, he could go forever… or seemingly forever, at least.

'Do I try and get Rise made before Initiation or do I push things with just Fall and try to get Rise once I'm already inside?' he wondered. Both approaches had their pros and cons, really, so it was a bit complicated. He could try and get his new weapon with all that it'd entail ready so that he'd be at his best to impress people at Beacon…

Alternatively, he wasn't rolling on money, even after all the cash Junior had paid him. Besides, he had a good idea of what he wanted Rise to be like, but it was a complicated weapon. 'Maybe I can get some books on weapon crafting,' he thought, clicking his tongue. Weapon commissions weren't rare of course, they were the norm, but Nero wasn't sure if he wanted to trust a stranger to make the weapon that would keep him safe out there.

Fall could be put into that category too, but it was a much simpler weapon, really. It was difficult to mess up a revolver with a blade underneath the barrel that could mechashift into a short sword. The handle twisting a little and the blade extending was the most complex part of the whole thing, which was almost laughable compared to some of the shit he'd seen huntsmen and huntresses use.

'Yeah, I think I'll study this and see about making it myself, be it before or after joining Beacon, depending on how the timetable looks,' he mused, tapping at the drawing of Rise that he had on his notebook. 'I definitely need to go to a weapons shop regardless, if only just to get some dust rounds. Fuck the gunpowder ones, man,' he thought grimacing. 'They might be cheaper, but they suck ass.'

'Maybe I can see about getting some books to pass the nights and some new clothes?... Better food?' Nero thought idly. It was weird, to make plans for a future that he'd always seeked but had never quite been in sight. With a smile, he brought a hand down to pet Bianca. He was uncertain, sure, but being uncertain of a promising future was much better than being uncertain if he'd live to have one.

'Now, I need better plans and something to pass the night so…' he mused, turning the pages of his notebook until he found an empty one and started writing. Like usual, it was going to be a long night.

[} Chapter End {]

Arc: And that! Is the second chapter of Colorful done. I think the whole thing speaks for itself to be honest, so there isn't much I would like to add to the A/N. Adrian?

Adrian: I mean, yeah, most of the time they do. Notes are just… I don't know, filler? Anyway, we hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Arc: Until next time!

Random Arc Question: If you had to choose your weapon as a Huntsman/Huntress, what would it be? Polearms are always nice. Perhaps a halberd that mechashift into an assault rifle.

Adrian: I'd go for something full range, because I'm a coward. Maybe spear/sniper rifle?

Discord Link: discord .gg/UTDransjJZ