Cinder strolled down the sidewalk, smiling to herself as she followed her beloved Jaune across the campus as he walked to class, trailing only a hundred feet or so behind him. The Autumn background, complete with yellow and orange leaves covering the ground, made him look straight out of a painting.
She couldn't believe how lucky she was. To meet him at the Glass Unicorn, find him at Beacon, become friends with him… All of that had seemed almost impossible not five months ago, and yet here she was, this close to having a date with him.
And to think I almost gave up…
Thank the gods she didn't. She'd been weak back then, torn apart by emotions she didn't know how to handle. A large part of her had resented her love, thinking that they would never find each other again, that the feeling would only lead to heartbreak and a lifetime of longing for something that just couldn't happen.
Thinking about it made her want to throw up out of shame.
No use dwelling on it now. That's all in the past, and right now I have a date to plan.
Their arrangement hadn't once left her mind since they'd talked to each other the day before. They were finally going to have some real private time together outside the school, and she could show him just how amazing she was.
Buying him a gift couldn't hurt, and she had enough money to get him whatever he wanted. She'd set aside almost all the lien she'd made over the last few years to ensure that she would be able to provide for him in their future together, and that was no small amount. Whoever said that crime doesn't pay had lied.
Whatever she bought had to be good, though. Even more so now, she had to really impress him and make him interested. He'd been pretty adamant to that friend of his that what they were doing was not, in fact, a date and that they were just friends spending time together. At the time, hearing that was gut wrenching. Eventually, though, after she'd shed a few tears, she realized her foolishness.
He hadn't rejected her. Nor hadn't he said that he didn't want her, just that they weren't together, that's all. Cinder hadn't technically asked him on a date yet, so how would it then make sense to get so distressed over being turned down when such a thing didn't actually happen? He would still be hers, so what was the matter?
Seeing Jaune about to enter the building, Cinder quickened her pace. Now was her chance.
It had already started to become routine. She would follow him, look for an opportunity to initiate conversation, and pounce once she got it, and although she'd only done it for a few days now, it felt like the most important part of her schedule.
"You certainly seem to be in a hurry," she said, having caught up to him just before he could open the door. "Off to class, I presume?"
Jaune briefly turned to her, a look of surprise apparent on his face. "Oh, hey, Cinder. I've got Professor Goodwitch's class right about now, and I'm about to be late. I'll catch up with you later."
He tried to push the door open, but she stopped him before he could. "Don't stress about it too much," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I doubt you'll get in much trouble."
Jaune looked over at her, flashing her that adorable nervous smile that had her hanging on to his every word. "Trust me, I'd rather not go, but Goodwitch is kind of known for getting people in trouble. And you know how much I have to work on my fighting."
Cinder looked deep into his eyes. "Don't, then."
Jaune frowned in confusion. "What?"
"You said you don't want to go to class," she said, seeing an opening. "So don't." Searching for a response, he opened his mouth to speak but couldn't come up with anything, allowing her to keep talking instead. "She likely won't notice we're missing in the first place unless we show up late, anyway. I can't imagine Goodwitch checks to see all her students show up to every class."
"Well, I guess she doesn't, but still…" Jaune shifted on his feet. "She might call me up to fight, and my team will wonder where I am."
Cinder's eyebrow twitched. Somehow, everything went back to his team. They practically monopolized him. He spent all his time with them, sitting by them in class and in the lunchroom, training with them, and whatever else you could think of, he did with them. It made it hard to get the time she desperately needed with him. She had to find a way to break off those friendships, or at least weaken them to the point where they didn't see eachother so much. All he needed was her.
"If her class is as bad as I'm told it is, I'm sure your team will understand," she said, getting in between him and the door.
Jaune seemed to consider it for a few seconds. "Sure, they might understand, but I don't think they'll be happy about it, and I really can't afford to skip out on this. For my own sake."
So that's what it was about. He was just worried about what his team would think about him, that's why he hesitated to go with her. Cinder had to resist the urge to clench her fists together.
They didn't deserve so much of his thought. If he knew how much better than them he really was, he wouldn't care about their opinion. She planned to show him just how far above them he stood, then he could live without worrying about what other, less valuable people would think of him.
"You put in seven days a week of extra practice, if I recall correctly. Although I must say I do admire your dedication, I doubt missing one class will hold you back all that much. Besides," she said, "I can't imagine your team will think less of you for it."
"Still… I don't want to miss out on anything that'll help me improve."
"Don't worry." Cinder locked her arm into his and dragged him away from the door, making him cry out in surprise. "We can make it up with some additional training next time we practice together. Now, why don't you walk me around the campus?"
Jaune sighed. "I do need to go to class, you know."
Cinder rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, but wouldn't you rather spend some time with me? Besides, Goodwitch can't get mad at you for skipping out to run off with a beautiful girl like me," she joked, winking at him.
"You clearly haven't met this woman," he said, looking around as if he was worried the professor would come out from around the corner at any moment. "Seriously, my team's going to worry about me if I'm gone too long."
"Surely they know you're capable of looking after yourself." Cinder noticed that he was walking alongside her now without having to be dragged along, making her heart race. "And you aren't exactly making much of an effort to go against me, either."
"Hey, it gives me an excuse to miss class, and it's not like I'm strong enough to stop you even if I were to try putting up a fight."
The comment just served as an oh-so tempting reminder that if she wanted to, she could just take him. The risk of hurting him was the only reason she hadn't done so already.
Unless he was into that sort of thing. Cinder certainly would not mind playing into that fantasy if he wanted her too.
"Not that you ever would try. I know you can't resist me," she said, slightly tightening her grip around his arm. "Afterall, you did call me pretty."
Jaune froze up, his face becoming a light shade of red. "H-huh?"
Cinder looked him in the eyes and smirked. "There's no need to be embarrassed. My teammate told me. In fact, I'm actually really flattered that you think that, although I wish you'd have told me yourself."
"Oh," he replied, looking at his feet. "Well, I do think that." He spoke hesitantly, as if unsure of how she would respond. If only he knew what kind of effect that remark really had on her.
She felt her breath being taken away, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her soul seemed to leave her body for a second, taken to a higher place by those four simple words. They were awkward, sure, but they meant everything to her. It was honestly a miracle that she didn't collapse on the spot with how weak her knees were.
"I- I-" Cinder looked for anything to say, but nothing was there, nothing to describe how amazing that made her feel. Her mouth just hung agape. She stared at him, enamored, and tried to catch his eye again, but he looked over to the side to hide his embarrassment.
"I really appreciate that," she said. He turned back to her, seeming both surprised and pleased, but that just wasn't enough. She couldn't just leave it at that. "For the record, I think the same of you."
For whatever reason, that didn't seem to register to him. "What do you mean?"
"I think you're very handsome," she said, having gathered her nerves again. Jaune's eyes widened, as if that was the last thing he'd expected to hear from her. Cinder couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, finding it endearing, but then again, everything he did seemed endearing to her. "You act like nobody's said that to you before."
"Well, you'd be one of the first…"
Cinder stopped laughing. There was just no way that was true. Surely, he was just trying to be humble and downplay it? She refused to believe that she was one of the only people to ever compliment his looks.
"What? No I'm not," she said. "There has to be plenty of girls who have told you that."
Jaune smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Not really. Thank you for saying that, though. Do… do you actually think that?"
"Of course," she said immediately. "You're the most attractive person I know."
Jaune looked shocked. "You don't mean that! Seriously, that makes me feel great and all, but you don't have to lie to me. My ego's not that fragile."
Cinder pulled him closer, pressing her body against his. "I'm being honest! You look great, Jaune. You can't possibly have such a low opinion of yourself that you can't see that."
"It's not that I'm unhappy with myself," he said, bringing her some relief. "Just that, like I said, not many people have told me that before, and I've never really considered myself all that good-looking."
"Well, I beg to differ," she replied, "And even if I didn't, there's plenty more to like about you."
Jaune laughed her comment off. "T-thanks. Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "You said you wanted me to walk you around the campus, right? Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?"
Back to your dorm so we can "get to know each other."
She decided not to say that. Perhaps it would help if she scaled the flirting back a bit and made it a little more subtle? Couldn't hurt to try. Maybe being so overt had made it appear less genuine and he thought that she was just messing with him.
"Nowhere in particular, I just wanted to see some more of it with you." Jaune just nodded along, seemingly not having picked up on what those last few words really meant. "It's a nice campus, afterall."
"I'd agree. How about Haven? They have a good campus over there?"
"Of course," she lied. She'd never actually been to Haven for more than a day, much less gone as a student, but he didn't need to know that, now did he? "Although I can't say it's much better than Beacon's. Still, I enjoy attending."
"Good to hear." He paused for a second or two before giving a half-suppressed laugh. "My dad actually had a friend who went to Haven, and he talked about it as if it were prison. Clearly, you've had a better experience than he did."
"Oh, well, you know, they're… not as strict as they used to be. They still are now, but from what I've heard, it used to be much worse."
"Yea? Did your parents feed you horror stories about it like mine did about Beacon?"
Cinder shrugged. "I never knew my parents."
The fact had bothered her at some point, but now, she only felt indifferent about it. She had Jaune, why would she need parents? They'd just serve as a distraction, a waste of time to hold her back.
"O-oh." Jaune looked at her with empathy. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories or anything."
Cinder couldn't help but smile, overjoyed that he was showing such sensitivity towards her. "That's quite alright, Jaune. You had no way of knowing, and I'm sure you wouldn't have brought up the subject if you did."
"Still," he said, frowning, "I'm sorry to remind you-"
"It's alright, Jaune." She didn't want him feeling guilty or thinking he'd done something wrong by mentioning the topic of family. "I mean it. You were just trying to make conversation, please don't feel bad about that."
Her beloved looked her right in the eyes, making her heart damn near pop out of her chest, and spoke to her in that sweet, captivating voice. "Alright, if you say so.d I won't push the subject, but if you ever want to talk about it, you can always call me."
He was making it hard to stay off of him, more so than it already was. Nobody had ever made her feel so cared for, so safe. Sure, she could protect herself just fine, but it was more than that. It felt like it was okay for her to be vulnerable, like he would be there to comfort her if she needed it. Something about that had her heart soaring.
Cinder beamed. "T-thank you," she said, taking a deep breath to calm her emotions. "I don't think you realize how much that means to me."
"It's the least I could do for you. I mean, you're offering to train me after knowing me for just a few days, so you're helping me a lot more than I'm helping you."
It sure didn't feel that way. Still, if that's what he thought, that could only help her.
She opened her mouth to speak but a third voice interrupted her.
"Hey, Jauney-Boy!" Jaune groaned out of frustration. Cinder looked over and narrowed her eyes, recognizing the ginger boy who'd tried to flirt with her the other day. "What are you doing skipping class, huh Jauney-Boy?"
She wanted so badly to just stab him and wipe that damn smirk off his face. It was one thing to insult her beloved, but it was another entirely to not only interrupt their alone time together, but do so by trying to make fun of him. If Jaune weren't right there next to her, she would've taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget.
"Look, Cardin, I really don't want to do this right now," he said.
So this wasn't the first time he's had to deal with this, then. Cinder clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of heat and energy build up in her palms. She wouldn't let this sorry excuse for a man push him around.
Cardin opened his mouth but she shut him down before he could even get a word out. "He asked you to leave," she said, glaring at him. "Now run along and let us have our conversation."
The ginger looked over at her for the first time and flinched, averting his eyes. Had he somehow not even noticed her there?
What an idiot…
"Yea, yea. Why don't you just let me talk to my friendfor a second?"
His lack of eye contact ruined what was already a pathetic attempt at a display of confidence.
Cinder tightened her grip on Jaune's arm, who shifted on his feet and looked between them nervously. "Don't try to trick me," she growled at him. "Leave. Before I make you."
"What, I can't talk to people anymore?" Cardin finally managed to direct his gaze back towards her, but clearly had a hard time doing it. Damn coward.
"C'mon, Cardin," Jaune said. "Just leave us alone."
The boy hesitated a bit before turning around and walking the other way, muttering to himself under his breath. Jaune closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the stress he'd caused her beloved, it took a lot of willpower not to stab him in the back.
One day, she'd do just that. Perhaps he could share a grave with Nikos.
"Does he give you trouble often, Jaune?" she asked, walking down the sidewalk again.
"Not often," he responded, his face tinted red with embarrassment. "At least not as much as he used to, and he doesn't do anything as bad as before. He acts like that with a bunch of people, though."
Her face grew hot with anger. What did Jaune, kind, innocent, perfect Jaune ever do to earn such treatment!? She had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down before she had an outburst.
"That doesn't justify it or make it any better. You don't deserve that."
"Well, at least I know not to take it personally."
Cinder stopped suddenly and held him still. "Jaune, you don't need to act unbothered. It's perfectly reasonable for you to be upset over someone treating you like that."
"I know, I just…" Jaune looked off into the distance before giving his attention back to her. "I guess I feel like I hold some of the blame, you know? I let him push me around for too long without putting my foot down, so now he sees me as an easy target. Even if I do try to stop him."
"That doesn't make it your fault." She spoke assertively, trying hard to get her point across. "Believe me, I know plenty of people like him. There's little you can do to make him act differently, so stop criticizing yourself over it."
"Yea, you're right, but still…"
Deciding they'd lingered on the topic too long, Cinder grabbed his hand and walked him down the sidewalk again. "Come on. He doesn't deserve any of your thought and there's no reason to let him interrupt us like that. Forget about him."
Jaune nodded in agreement. "Right. I'll stop worrying about him."
/-/
Classes had only just ended by the time they got back to the dormitories. She really wanted to stay out longer, but Jaune had insisted that he get back to his team before they started looking for him, and who was she to deny him?
"I hope my team isn't too upset with me," Jaune said, fidgeting with his hands as he walked up the stairs next to her.
Cinder smiled at him to try to calm his nerves. "You'll be fine. Even if they are bothered, they'll get over it soon enough. Don't stress over it."
Clearly, his teammates were not good for him. He worried so much about what they'd think or how'd they'd react to what he was doing, both earlier when she'd convinced him to skip class and now when they were coming back. Eventually, she'd teach him to ignore their opinions.
Nikos stood waiting outside her team's dorm when they arrived, biting her nail with a look of worry on her face. Cinder rolled her eyes at that. Did they not trust him out of their sight for more than five minutes?
"Jaune!" she called out, jogging down the hall towards them. "Where have you been? I excused myself from class to call you but you didn't answer!"
"S-sorry, I, umm…" Jaune avoided making eye contact with his partner. "I didn't really feel like going to class, so I skipped it."
The redhead eyed Cinder suspiciously, who crossed her arms and glared back at her. "I take it you were with her, then?"
"He was," she said, "Although I fail to see how that's any of your business. He doesn't owe you any sort of explanation over who he chooses to spend his time with."
Cinder regretted speaking up as soon as she did. The first time she'd confronted Nikos could easily be excused as her having had a bad day, but now she probably looked overly hostile.
Nikos looked like she wanted to say something back, but Jaune spoke up before they could get into a full-blown argument. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I should've gone to class or at least told you where I was going, but I didn't. I'm sorry."
You don't owe her an apology, she wanted to say. She has no right to be upset with you.
It took a lot of restraint, but she managed to bite her tongue.
"It's alright, Jaune," she said, sighing. "Just come back to the dorm. Nora and Ren are just as worried as I was, even if they don't show it quite as much."
"Yea, I'll come." Jaune turned to her before leaving. "So… See you later then?"
"Of course. I'll be available whenever you'd like to spend some time together," she reminded him, watching them as they walked back to their dorm.
A familiar angry feeling grew in Cinder's chest as she watched him leave with Nikos.
Why'd those two ever have to become partners? The control that gave the little slut, all the opportunity she had with him sleeping just a few feet from him every night… Just thinking about it made her want to hurt someone.
Nikos didn't deserve that. What'd she ever do to earn a spot so close to him? Had she gotten it just for showing up at initiation? Cinder had spilled blood just to have the opportunity to talk to him, and yet this spoiled, red-haired bitch got to do everything with him!
How much had she sacrificed for him? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a singular spark entering her field of vision. She looked down and saw fire leaking from her closed fists, a sign that she needed to get her temper under control.
Pull yourself together. You've accomplished so much today, there's no need to dwell on this one little moment. Nikos is just a bump in the road. She may manage to slow you down if she's lucky, but she's powerless to stop you.
Indeed, Pyrrha Nikos was insignificant. One day, once she'd taken Jaune as her husband, she'd look back on her as an irrelevant part of her life. If she remembered her at all, that is.
Eventually, she managed to forget about Nikos and focus on all the lovely memories she'd just made. Even now, at least an hour after it happened, her heartbeat quickened when she remembered how he'd complimented her.
His beautiful smile when she responded in kind, those deep blue eyes that seemed to reflect the heavens, the color of his hair as it glistened in the sun - it was all so perfect. So very perfect.
And to think that all that will be mine…
She was so deep in thought that she almost didn't realize it when she'd made her way back to her room. Usually, she wasn't so easily distracted.
Just as expected, Emerald and Mercury waited for her outside the room until she'd gotten back. Mercury hung back and leaned against the wall while Emerald had a seemingly one-sided conversation with a girl she recognized as Ruby Rose, RWBY's team leader and one of Jaune's friends.
Her subordinate turned away from Ruby to look at her as she approached. The latter also noticed her coming and stopped talking, sensing that Emerald was no longer paying attention to her.
"I'm glad you're back, Cinder. This is Ruby," she said, pretending that they didn't already know that. "I was just talking with her about weapons, among other things."
The girl looked at her with both curiosity and recognition. "So you must be Cinder, then? I've seen you hanging out with my friend, Jaune. Do you two know each other?"
Cinder opened her mouth to respond but the girl interrupted her before she could.
"S-sorry, is that weird? It's not like I'm stalking you or anything!" Ruby flashed a nervous smile and looked off to the side. "Sorry, I'm not too good at this whole 'meeting new people' thing, haha…"
Somehow, she didn't doubt that.
"Don't worry, I wasn't about to accuse you of anything. And yes, I do know your friend."
"Oh, good," she said, looking relieved. "I didn't want you to think I'm creepy or something. A-anyway, my partner is probably expecting me to get back and do homework soon, so I should go. It was nice meeting you, though."
Cinder took her outstretched hand and shook it. "Likewise."
The three of them entered their room as soon as the girl left.
"So, Emerald," Cinder said, "What did you manage to learn from her?"
"She told me that Ozpin let her into Beacon early after she stopped one of Torchwick's heists, but I doubt that's the full story. She doesn't seem to know anything else, though."
Cinder nodded along. "For now, we should continue monitoring her. It's unlikely she's aware of Salem, but we'll need to take action sooner or later if she does."
"Of course, ma'am."
"Now," she said, looking over at Mercury, "If you wouldn't mind stepping out for a second, Emerald? There's something important I must discuss in private with your partner regarding our mission."
Emerald looked surprised at that, but did as she told her regardless. Once she left and closed the door behind her, the two of them sat in silence for a few seconds before Cinder spoke up.
"Let's not waste time here. I'm sure you've already figured out what, or rather, who this little meeting is about." Cinder looked up at him and saw a look of understanding on his face. "While certainly not the greatest, I do appreciate your efforts so far, but I am going to have to ask more of you."
"You want more information on him?" he said, raising his eyebrow.
"I would like you to continue building a friendship with him, yes, but I doubt you'd be able to find anything I couldn't. No, there's something else more important than that," she said. "During the Vytal Festival, I need you to protect him."
Mercury looked up at her in confusion. "You already gave me a job, I'm supposed to-"
"Forget about that," she said, interrupting him. "I'll figure that part out, but right now the most important part of this is making sure I can trust that Jaune remains unharmed and doesn't discover my role in the ordeal. Do you understand?"
"I- yeah," he said, sighing out of frustration. "Yeah, I understand what you want me to do."
His ambiguity, whether intentional or not, was unacceptable.
"Good. Because- look at me, Mercury!" she snapped, noticing that his gaze was directed off to the side. Once he fixed that, she started again. "If I find one scratch on him after everything is said and done, or if he figures out that I'm to blame for destroying Beacon, I'm going to make sure you learn your lesson. That's a promise."
Mercury paused for a few seconds. "Yes ma'am. I'll make sure he's safe."
"Smart decision. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to."
/-/
Cinder smirked as she heard the sound of bone being crushed under her boot, watching as Cardin Winchester squirmed on the ground beneath her.
His room number had been oh so easy to find, and with his teammates gone, it was even easier to force him out of it and break through his aura, which didn't even take her ten minutes. She'd been trying to keep things quiet, too. Of course, she hadn't really been expecting him to be strong, but that was just pathetic.
"G-get off my hand, you bitch!"
The "tough guy" persona he tried to display became a lot less convincing once he stopped getting back up. Not that it seemed convincing in the first place.
Cinder picked her foot up and kicked him in the nose, spilling fresh blood on the concrete. "Keep your mouth shut. I don't want to hear you talk unless I tell you to."
"You're fucking insa-!" His own cry of pain interrupted him as his head was smashed against the floor.
"Be silent," she snapped at him. "You're fortunate enough I've only broken a few bones, so I wouldn't start testing your luck."
Cardin looked up at her, scowling, but did as he was told and stayed silent. Thank the gods. His voice was like nails on a chalkboard to her. Utterly unbearable.
"Now, Cardin, I'm going to ask you some questions, and I strongly recommend you answer me with the truth, because I already don't have much patience for you. You got that?"
The boy glared at her for a few seconds before finally agreeing.
"Wonderful. First of all," she said, taking her boot off his head and kneeling down on one knee next to him, "From what I've heard, it seems you take pleasure in bothering a certain Jaune Arc, is that correct?"
Cardin slowly nodded.
"And what, exactly, makes you think you have any right to do that?" she said, pressing her knee down on his already broken hand.
"L-look, I'm sorry, okay? I'll leave him alone, just get off me already!"
She took no small amount of pleasure from the pain she was inflicting on him. Afterall, he'd put her beloved through too much for too long. He deserved to suffer, just as he was now.
"I'll ask again," she growled. "What makes you think you have the right to push him around?" Her words were met with silence. "A sense of superiority, perhaps? Or maybe it's the opposite, and you do it to make yourself feel better?" Cinder scoffed. "Actually, I wouldn't be surprised. If I were you, I'd also hate myself."
That clearly got to him, as evidenced by his face going red and his clenched jaw.
"I just enjoy it, okay?" he yelled. "And he's weak, so he can't really fight back. It's not like I pick on him because I hate him in particular, he's an easy target!"
Cinder stomped his head against the ground again. "If I hear you talk bad about him one more time, you're going to regret it. And believe me, you don't want to know what I'll do if you try picking on him again, so you'd be smart to stop."
"Alright, I will! Hell, I'll even apologize to him if you want! Just leave me alone!"
She rolled her eyes at that, having seen this same thing from countless people. He was trying to appease her by offering more than she'd asked for, hoping that it would get him out of his current situation. It never worked.
As for an apology, that simply wasn't something she wanted from him. Jaune, being as gracious as he was, would certainly forgive him if he were to do that, and that was something he didn't deserve in the slightest.
"Don't apologize. Just never bother him again, and never talk to me again, and this won't have to happen again. Got that?"
"Y-yes, just get off me!"
Cinder considered breaking another bone or two, but ultimately decided she'd done enough, at least for now.
"Fine. Just don't forget what I've told you."