Chapter 4:Everything is Different Under the Moonlight

Cold. Weak. All alone. These daunting feelings echo through you in this cold plain of darkness. You can barely see a foot ahead of you. You're taking it all one step at a time. Yet... when you look at your feet, they're small.

You feel small – frail.

You have to find someone to comfort you, someone who can make you feel warm, strong, and welcomed. So you pick up the pace; start running. You don't know if you're going in the right direction, or even what the right direction is. You could be running farther away for all you know. The shadow continues to cloud your mind until a feeling envelops you.

You aren't running anymore. You're falling. Your body twists and turns. Your voice echoes through the emptiness of this plane. Fear controls you, brings you into its arms and shapes you into what it wants.

Finally a bright lights illuminates your surroundings. You look around to see grass, trees, buildings, and people. Were you really somewhere else, or were your eyes just closed? Either way, you're happy that there's finally sunlight and people around.

You actually recognize where you are. You know this place like the back of your hand. You sprint across the grassy plain and through the makeshift streets. It's a small village you're in, so the streets are mostly just the paths in between each building. You finally stop at one of the houses. A woman stands in front of the building, hanging some clothes out to dry. Her face, however, is completely distorted. You can't see any of her features, yet you somehow know who it is.

"Mom!" you cry out, running towards her for a hug.

You don't even mean to say or do what your body is doing. It's automatic. Yet the warm, fuzzy feeling of your mother picking you up in her arms is one unmatched. You haven't felt this feeling in eleven years. Your mother doesn't say a word, and even through her distorted face you can tell she's smiling. Suddenly someone steps out from the house. Like your mother, you can't see his face, but your body is telling you that it's your father. He walks up to you and sticks out his hand.

You go to slap it, but then everything seems to change. The sun goes red, your parents get serious, and screams erupt from everywhere. Your mother puts you down and pushes you away from her. You try to go back to them but your body won't let you.

"Run (Y/N)! Go!" she screams.

Suddenly, a Beowolf lands behind her and slices her in two. You scream in horror. You want to get closer, you want to help, but you can't. You can only watch. You see your father fight off some Beowolves, but he is slain too. They then turn to you, slowly walking towards you. You turn and try to run only to bump into another Beowolf. Its glowing red eyes stare daggers at you. Its teeth ready to bite into your small body. In an instant it comes down on you, growling its signature growl.

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Your eyes shoot open. You sit up, extend your left hand to attract Crimson Blaze and draw the blade within seconds. Your breathing is heavy and erratic, your body is covered in sweat, and your eyes can't remain in one spot for more than a second. Your mind is on the fritz, not knowing whether you're really safe or not. Every muscle in your body is hot and tight.

After taking a moment to calm down, your mind start to comprehend what's happening. You look around the room, recognizing where you are. You lower your blade to your side, still panting. You sheath your weapon and maneuver your body so your feet touch the ground. You rest your head in your right hand and all you can feel is sweat.

It was a dream. That's all it was. Nothing more, and nothing less.

That's a lie.

It was more. It was a distorted memory. You know for a fact that it never happened like that, but... how could you know? You barely remember that day yourself. It's been so long. If there's one truth in that dream, it's that you really can't remember what your parents look like. You haven't thought of it in a while, but it's not like you can blame yourself. You have no pictures, nothing but Crimson Blaze to remind you of them. It's been eleven years since you've seen either of them, so your memory is fuzzy when it comes to their features.

You shake your head and stand up, attaching Crimson Blaze to your belt before walking to the bathroom. You stop at the sink where the mirror reflects your figure back at you. You stare at it for a second and can see the dark rings under your eyes from fatigue. It's obvious you haven't had a very good sleep. You look exhausted.

You turn on the sink to let out some cold water and collect some of it in your hands to splash yourself with. It's a wave of refreshment and helps to dispel the feeling of being tired. You look back at the mirror, small drops of water sliding down your face and falling back into the sink.

You rub your face a couple times before pushing off the sink and leaving the bathroom. You grab your scroll off the desk and leave your room. You don't have any clothes over your chest, but you don't really care right now. It's after twelve, so the likelihood of someone seeing you is minimal.

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Weiss gulps down the final bit of her coffee. She's been reading over her notes for tomorrow's test all night. Of course she knows most of it, but studying is never a bad thing. She required the help of coffee to keep herself awake, however.

The rest of her team is sleeping like babies. She'd convinced Ruby and Yang to study with her in an attempt to help the two sisters out. They aren't the worst in their class, but their study habits aren't something to be admired. She wasn't too worried about Blake, since she tends to keep her grades up fairly well.

Weiss stretches her hands and lets out a yawn. She stands up and walks over to the nearby window. She needs a little break and some fresh air would do wonders. She cracks the window open and leans out and the wind blows against her silky, white hair. Something then catches Weiss's eye. Someone's walking around campus. She squints to get a clearer view of who this mysterious person is. Jeans. Shoes. A katana... But no shirt. It soon becomes clear who this person is.

"(Y/N)? What're you doing out so late?" Weiss whispers to herself.

She watches you stroll through the courtyard and towards the edge of Beacon, where the docking area is. Weiss stays at the window for a few more seconds after you disappear from her view. Her mind continues to cycle through the possibilities of what you're doing. As she ponders, she backs up to her bed and takes a seat. Unfortunately she can't come up with an answer and it's starting to aggravate her. She bursts off her bed and exits her room, determined to find out what you're up to. She can't have a new student running wild at night.

She exits her dorm and proceeds through the halls. It's dark, but thankfully there's a light or two throughout the hallways, most likely for any professors that wander the halls, searching for students who escape at night. Weiss doesn't want to be labeled as such and, for some reason, she doesn't want you to either.

It's almost a protective instinct. You're under team RWBY's protection, which means you're under Weiss' protection, even if she thinks you're unbearable. Besides that, she can't help but be curious as to what you're up to.

Weiss reaches the exit and makes her way to where she saw you earlier. The wind has already died down a bit, but that's fortuitous for Weiss as she's still wearing her night gown. Its light blue tone glows in the light of the moon, which makes her symbol on her upper-right more noticeable.

She scans the area for any sign of where you're going. Luckily, due to your lazy pace, you're not too far from where she first saw you. You're casually walking through Beacon, rubbing your face every so often. Weiss begins marching towards you, her fists clenched and her steps heavy. So much so that it nearly echoes through the entire school.

To her surprise, you stop after reaching the open area of the docking area. Weiss stops walking, curious as to what you're about to do. She quickly shoots her head back and forth, looking for somewhere to hide. She moves behind a pillar, peaking her head out enough to clearly see you. Her hair falls completely down, somewhat giving her away.

You take a quick look around the area, taking it all in for what it is. The area is cold, dark, and you can't see everything. You slowly reach for the hilt of your weapon. Your fingers tenderly wrap around the hilt, each finger resting on it one at a time. Once the hilt is firmly gripped, you take a deep breath. You attempt to concentrate, just as one of your old masters taught you.

"Quick, precise, deadly," you whisper.

You start to hear something. It's a deep sound, devoid of emotion and feeling. You'd recognize that sound anywhere. You open your eyes to see a Beowolf pouncing towards you. You can't help but freeze in place for a second. Pure hesitation. Once you force yourself past the irrational fear, you unsheathe your blade and dash towards it, slicing him in two.

You slide to a stop and turn around, content with your attack. Suddenly more Beowolves start to creep out of the shadows. Their blood red eyes all staring you down. You can't stand to look directly into their eyes. All you can see is a reflection. It's not clear, but it forms a pit in your stomach that you can't just ignore. The beasts haven't stopped closing in on you. They surround you, barely giving you a few feet of space. You sweep your eyes across the ground, counting how many feet there are. You tighten your grip on your sword, angry.

You bend down and spring into the air. The Beowolves howl and jump after you. They quickly close in, their distance varied, but still relatively close. You spin your body around, using your sword as an extension of your hand to slice the Grimm. You spin horizontal, switch to a vertical, then begin to fall back to the ground. You lock your arms and bring your sword down in front of you, slicing the last Beowolf clean in half. Your sword clangs against the ground a mere millisecond before your body gracefully lands. You hold your position as the pieces of meat fall around you like rain. You raise your body to a standing position and let out a huff. You're happy they're dead. You're happy you could slaughter the Beowolves. Pathetic creatures that only kill for sport.

Your eyes catch someone a few feet away. Her face is distorted, her hands held against her chest. She reaches out to you.

"(Y/N)! Run!" she cries out.

You feel a presence behind you. You turn around only for a Beowolf to get you. You close your eyes, grind your teeth, and mentally curse yourself for being so idiotic. For failing.

The Beowolf's claws slash down your back, yet no real damage is done. However, you can feel every inch of those claws. It's like everything has slowed down, emphasizing the cut. However, once the attack is complete, the creature fazes through you, leaving your body cold and sore. You drop to one knee, breathing heavy. You're sweating again, yet you feel cold. The butterflies act up again in your stomach and your mind is still on the fritz. You didn't expect it to end this way, but it did. You move your hand to your back, feeling your upper back. Your fingers slide across four distinct bumps on your back. It's diagonal, leading half way across your back. A scar – a reminder.

Weiss watches you with a mix of being impressed and being utterly confused. Your little show was impressive, no doubt about it. She deduces that this must be a type of mental training where you are imagining enemies around you and dealing with them accordingly. She's heard that it's a sort of training method. Her sister used to do it sometimes instead of practicing with others. At least, that's what she assumes. You weren't attacking anything, so it's the only logical explanation. However, she's confused at what you're doing. You're kneeling down, rubbing around your shoulder. Done with the secrecy, Weiss decides to approach you.

She moves out from behind the pillar and marches towards you. You start to feel someone's presence and look over toward the heiress. You quickly retract your hand from your back and stand up, facing Weiss. You throw on a cocky smile, partly attempting to annoy the white haired wonder.

"You know, I imagined you as the type of girl who's in bed early with her teddy bear," you cheekily greet.

Weiss rolls her eyes at your childish comment. She stops a foot away from you, leaning back on her hip and crossing her arms. You scan Weiss' outfit, finding the dress to be extremely different from the outfit you saw her in earlier. Her hair falls down her back and peeks out behind her waist and hips. The dress hugs her figure loosely, which still looks beautiful. There's no denying her alluring appearance.

"I would have you know that everyone else is sleeping while I remain awake."

"Then... what're you doing awake?" you inquire.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is why you're wandering around at night! You know there's a curfew, right?" Weiss, after looking at you for some time, notices you sweating. A small display like that shouldn't make you sweat. "And why are you sweating?"

You look down at yourself, realizing how much you're sweating. You didn't work yourself that hard, so it has to be something else. Something that possibly relates to your dream. Maybe it's the Beowolves, the memory, or the attack you received.

You unintentionally reach past your shoulder and hold the bumps, retreating into your own little world. Weiss raises her brow at your action. She slowly walks around to your back, but you don't notice. She stops behind you and looks at your back. Her eyes widen in shock at the sight. There's a large scar across your back. From the length and look of the scar, it appears to be from a Beowolf. It seems to be an old scar. Still, the fact that you're feeling it must mean you're uncomfortable in some way.

"Are you okay?" she asks with a concerned tone, one that rarely comes from Weiss.

You snap back into reality once you realize what Weiss is talking about. You quickly spin around to face her and stop her from looking at your back. You didn't want her to see that and curse yourself for zoning out.

"Yeah, fine. Just a little sore. Muscles are still tight from sleeping. You know how it is," you say, rubbing the back of your head with a childish smile.

"I was talking about your scar," she clarifies. You pout a bit, not wanting to really talk about that.

"Its fine, Weiss," you snap.

Weiss is taken back a bit. Your persona changed instantly from friendly to distant. She hasn't seen this from you. Wait, she has! At the park you had the same sort of change. She can understand, though.

Weiss remains silent, thinking. You can feel the air become heavy and the tensions run high. You sigh.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I just... don't talk about it."

"No, no it's fine. I know the feeling," she says, pointing at her own scar. "At least you can cover it up."

You finally notice her scar. You hadn't even seen it. Every time you looked at her, her eyes were the first thing you focused on, and still the first things you see. Well, maybe her lips too.

"Well, it doesn't look all that bad. Your eyes more than compensate for it." Weiss blushes a bit, but refuses to let you see it.

"Hm," she sneers, turning away from you.

You chuckle, knowing you got to her. Now you have another way to bother her. All you need to do is compliment her in a flirtatious manner. Most girls suffer from that, though. You can imagine what Ruby would be like if you flirted with her, being as innocent as she is. But you're not much of an actual flirt. You barely do it intentionally, and whenever it is intentional it's usually as a joke, like what you did to Weiss.

Weiss turns back to you. You have an apologetic face, but hints of sarcasm is littered around. Weiss rolls her eyes.

"You're unbearable. Can you at least answer my original question?"

"And that was?"

Weiss glares daggers at your incompetence. "What're you doing out here!?" She shouts in frustration, flailing her fists up and down.

"Sheesh, calm down. There's only two of us here," you criticize, looking around the area. "I was just having trouble sleeping, so I came out here. Nobody to bother me here, and I like the cool air of night."

"Why don't you just open a window?" she points out.

"Why don't you just open a window," you mock. Weiss stares at you, not amused. You roll your eyes. "It's not the same. Besides, I actually didn't know there was some sort of curfew. I probably wouldn't have come out if I knew. Ms. Goodwitch would somehow find me and... hit me with that cane thing, or whatever it is."

Weiss giggles a soft, cute giggle that makes you smile.

"What?" you ask, still smiling.

"Imagining of you getting hit by Ms. Goodwitch is hilarious."

Your face drops. "Oh, ha ha. That thing hurts, you know!"

"Wait, you've been hit by it already?" Weiss asks, laughter on the edge of her tongue.

"It's not funny!" you wail. "That thing stings!"

Weiss breaks out into laughter. "You're such a dunce!" she says in between laughter.

"It's not my fault that she has a grudge against me!" you retort, laughing a bit yourself.

"Well, I can see why."

You shake your head and turn away from her. She calms down after a second, still feeling the warm sensation of being amused, letting out one last sigh. You turn back to her now that she's stopped laughing at your misfortune. You never asked for Ms. Goodwitch to hit you like that. You thought you were quite charming. It probably would have worked on anyone else. Well, anyone else except Weiss. Or maybe Blake. Actually it probably wouldn't work on a lot of girls, come to think of it.

You look away from Weiss and turn your attention to the sky. The broken moon is prominent, taking the spotlight away from the surrounding stars that dot the sky. Their size pales in comparison to the moon, even in its fractured state. The rays from the moon light up the darkness, giving everything a beautiful glow. Weiss follows your eyes up to the moon. She isn't sure why you're so enticed by it, but you look far too peaceful to disturb. She saunters to your side and takes a look at the moon from your angle. She leans on her hip and gets into a comfortable position.

"You every wonder what it looks like put together?" You say.

Weiss isn't too sure whether that's a question or just a statement. Your tone is deceiving.

"There are drawings of it," Weiss mentions.

You shake your head. "Mm, no. That's not the same. It's just... I don't know. I think I'm going to head back to bed. What're you doing?" You ask, turning your upper body towards her.

"Well, if you're going back then I'll go too."

You shrug. "Alright. I'll walk with you."

"My hero," she sarcastically remarks.

You roll your eyes. "Just don't get captured, princess. I'd just watch and laugh."

With that, you and Weiss remain silent. You throw your hands in your pockets and start walking. Weiss huffs and follows suit. She moves beside you but keeps a decent distance away. You quietly chuckle at her action, genuinely finding it funny and fitting for the uptight heiress. Though, she seemed a little more relaxed a few minutes ago. Maybe you'll get to see that again one day. Or not. You're not very good with reading women, so it might be difficult. Honestly you'd probably just let her go on her own and not worry too much... but you don't exactly remember the way back to your dorm. At least Weiss can lead you to the building.

You slow down the slightest amount, giving Weiss the lead. She notices your pace change, but doesn't feel the need to say anything. She's actually happy that you aren't talking as much as you usually do. All your babbling nearly gave her a headache.

You both enter the building. Lucky for you, your room is at the end of the hall. You both continue down the hallway, keeping your eye out for teachers just in case. Weiss turns right at a diverging hall. You stop at the edge, leaning back to watch her walk. Her dress flows from side to side with each step. Her steps are so quiet and delicate. You let out a slight smirk.

"Hey Weiss!" You call out. She turns her head to look at you. "Good talking to you."

Weiss sizes you up for a minute, wondering what to say. Before she can respond – if she was going to respond – you return to normal and walk away. Weiss is left watching the end of her hallway for a moment, somewhat conflicted at what she just experienced. Not wanting to be caught outside her dorm, and knowing that she needs to sleep for tomorrow's test, she retreats to her dorm, not thinking any more about it.

Weiss reaches her room and slowly opens the door, keeping as quiet as possible. She wasn't worried about Ruby or Yang. She was worried about Blake catching her. Ruby and Yang sleep like bricks and won't be woken up. Heck, they aren't even good at waking up in the morning, save for the first day as a team. Blake, however, can be woken much easier than the others. No doubt Blake would have questions, and Weiss doesn't want to explain anything.

At the same time as Weiss enters her room, you enter yours. You toss your weapon in the same position you had it when you went to sleep the first time, take off your shoes, and then crawl back into bed. You should be able to get back to sleep with few problems now. As long as there aren't any more nightmares, you'll be fine.

You lie on your back, staring up at the ceiling, hands cupped behind your head. You don't think of anything in particular, or even stare at anything interesting. You just sort of stare. Your eyes begin to grow heavy over time, slowly closing to block out your vision.

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Today's the day. Something students of Doctor Oobleck's class have been dreading. Today is the day of the test. For some, there are no worries. Weiss, despite her being up late studying and even later with you, has complete confidence in herself. Weiss, Pyrrha, Blake, and a few other students in the class find this test to be an absolute breeze. There are a few students who take more time on a few questions, but are still doing okay. Ruby, for instance, is on the ball with this one. She took Weiss' advice to study, and she's definitely happy with that decision.

There are some students, however, that are having some trouble. Yang, unlike her younger sister, decided not to take Weiss' advice to study. She's tapping her pencil on her desk, looking around every few seconds to see how everyone is doing. It's aggravating to her that her entire team is so focused on their test, easily answering the question. Yang, however, has only answered a couple questions through the entire test. Yang quietly moans, laying on one arm as she thinks about her current question.

Jaune is another person who's suffering from a lack of studying. He's doing somewhat better than Yang, oddly enough, thanks to Cardin. All those reports, studies, and everything he forced Jaune to do eventually got stuck in Jaune's head. So he's definitely doing better than Yang... but only on those sections. He didn't study at all, so anything that he didn't learn through the daunting tasks from the past, he doesn't know. Jaune looks around and locks eyes with Yang. She raises her brow, silently asking how he's doing. Jaune's face drops, sad about not knowing anything. Yang smiles and discreetly points at herself. Jaune smirks slightly, knowing she's suffering with him.

Yang looks around the room, thinking about one person: you. She's wondering what class you have right now, what you have next, and how it's going for you so far. She can just imagine what you're doing with new people. Ren and Nora aren't in this class, so you may be with them. She smiles, almost laughing, at the thought of you having to deal with Nora. She almost wants that to be what's going on right now so she can hear that story after this horrendous class.

After some time of awkward looks, pencils on paper, and some thinking, people start handing in their tests. Weiss and Pyrrha finish at the same time and go back to their seats to wait patiently for the class to end. After a few others hand in their test, so does Ruby.

"Profe- Doctor," she corrects, making sure she's on his good side. "May I go to the library for the rest of class?" she asks, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Why, Ms. Rose, do you need to go to the library?" he exclaims.

Ruby pauses for a moment, trying to think of something that can get her out of class. "So... um... I can get... accustomed! To... the new material," she stutters.

Doctor Oobleck stares at Ruby for a moment. "That. Is. A fantastic idea, Ms. Rose! You can go immediately!" He scribbles a whole list of books down in less than a second, and hands it to Ruby. "Here are some of the texts you will need! Now go! Go!"

A little scared of the teacher, Ruby dashes out of the room. The entire class stares at her, either confused or jealous of the young huntress-in-training.

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Ruby exits the class and slows down. There are barely any students in the hall for obvious reasons. She saunters out of the building and to the courtyard, wasting the precious few minutes of freedom she has. Ruby lets out a sigh, relieved that the test is over. Ruby then notices Ms. Goodwitch walking around the school grounds, a furious look plastered on her face. She's constantly looking around, no doubt searching for something or someone. Ruby's eyes meet with Ms. Goodwitch's. The teacher instantly diverts her path towards her. Ruby trembles in her boots, thinking that she's the one Ms. Goodwitch has been hunting.

Once she arrives in front of the young girl, Ms. Goodwitch eyes her up.

"What're you doing out of class?" she questions, anger evident in her voice.

"I... uh... I mean I was let out. By the teacher! He... let me out. Yeah," Ruby stutters, scared of the towering presence before her. Ms. Goodwitch is about to say something else, but something saves Ruby. Her scroll beeps, signaling her next class. She takes out her scroll and checks it. She cringes, knowing she can no longer continue her search, and turns her attention back to Ruby.

"I expect to see you next class?"

Ruby nods. She knows next class is training with Ms. Goodwitch. Though the reason her teacher is so distraught still interests her. She's never seen her so mad before, and she feels bad for whoever, or whatever, got her so angry.

With less than five minutes left until class starts, Ruby decides to just take it easy and go there. She casually strolls through the grounds of the Academy, heading towards the sparring room. Students start shuffling out of their classes, talking to friends about a variety of different topics. Ruby purposely takes a route that passes by her previous class so she can walk with her team.

Weiss and Blake are standing outside the classroom. Ruby can gather that they're probably waiting for Yang, which means she had even more trouble on the test than Ruby originally thought. Blake's the one to notice Ruby and gives a one-handed wave. Weiss notices Blake's action and follows her eyes.

"There you are. You didn't even wait out here for us?" she remarks.

"I came back! So, where's Yang?" Ruby asks, though she already has a good guess.

"She... didn't do too well on the test. She was writing till the last second. She should be out any second," Blake explains.

Seconds later Yang marches out of the room. She sees her team and calms down a bit. "Hey guys? Next class? I could use a fight," she smiles.

"I suppose it is best to get going," Weiss comments.

Ruby nods. "Yeah, especially with Ms. Goodwitch being all mad. Scary stuff," Ruby says.

"She's mad? At what?" Blake inquires as the four begin making their way to the training room.

"I have no idea. She rushed off before I could ask. I kinda think she wouldn't tell me, anyway."

"Hm... hey, has anyone seen (Y/N) today?" Yang wonders, her cheeriness back in full swing.

"I haven't. He likely has a different first class," Weiss deducts.

"We don't know any of his classes. We can ask him during lunch," Blake suggests.

The group have no problem with that plan. All of them have different levels of intrigue as to how your first day has gone so far, but now's not the time to be distracted by thoughts of you, even if Yang doesn't mind your image in her brain. The four girls walk through the school until they reach the training room. Ms. Goodwitch is already there, along with a few other students getting ready.

Weiss, Blake, and Ruby grab their gear from their lockers while Yang just changes her clothes. She usually has Ember Celica at all times, where her teammates tend not to bring their weapons everywhere they go. The girls free themselves from the school uniforms and fit comfortably in their usual clothes. Once in class, they take a seat near team JNPR.

"Hey Nora! Hey Ren!" Ruby waves, smiling.

"Heeeey!" Nora enthusiastically waves back.

"Greetings Ruby. How are you doing?" Ren politely asks.

"Good. Hey, did you see (Y/N) this morning? Was he in your class?"

Nora bobs up and down while Ren thinks, raising his hand to his chin. "Hm... not that I can remember. No, he wasn't with us."

Ruby's faced drops a little. She's perplexed. Where could you be?

"Alright students," Glynda starts, gathering everyone's attention. "We're going to begin right away. Ms. Schnee and Mr. Arc will start."

Jaune looks over at Weiss and gives her a smirk. "Why would we fight? I mean, we could go see a movie? Maybe some dinner?" he offers, wiggling his brows.

Weiss smiles. "I'll be happy to spar with you, Jaune. Let's go," she says in a polite manner. Ruby groans. She knows Weiss is happy to be practicing with Jaune. She wants to hit him and Ruby has no way of helping poor Jaune from Weiss' infinite fury.

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There's no doubt that the training has been magnificent today. Class is almost over, and there have been some impressive fights. Weiss dominated Jaune, knocking him all over the battlefield. It was just what Weiss needed, even if it was at Jaune's expense. Ren and Nora faced some other students, and even Ruby had a session. During the fights, Blake noticed Ms. Goodwitch getting more and more aggravated. It seemed that she was checking the time every few minutes, and every time she did she would get angrier. Blake had no idea why this was. Maybe she had some urgent business. Maybe she was expecting something. These are just shots in the dark, though.

"Well, students, we might have time for one more match. Does anyone want to..."

Glynda's voice trails off as she stares at the entrance. Her teeth clench and grind together, her eyes sharpen, and her stance changes. The whole class looks over to the door, wondering what could be effecting the teacher in such a manner. Within seconds they see it – you.

You saunter into the class, hair a little messy, clothes not on right, rubbing your eyes, and letting out a huge yawn. You move your hands away from your face and shake your head, trying to gain your bearings in the oddly bright room.

"Mr. Slater, how... pleasant it is that you join us. Though you're late. Late to both your classes, actually," she scolds, her voice colder than the night in the dead of winter.

Still half asleep, you aren't fully aware of Ms. Goodwitch's anger. Hell, it's a miracle you're awake at all. If it wasn't for Professor Ozpin then you would have never gotten up. Thankfully, he wasn't mad at all about you sleeping in, but did force you out of bed. It's difficult for you to wake up this early. Eight in the morning is nuts! You've never really had to go to school like this before. Yes, you've been trained at other schools but not like a student. You always laughed at the people who had to wake up early while you were able to sleep in. Jokes on you now.

"You know... I'm really sorry, Ms. Goodwitch. I just... it's so early," you complain, your voice slurring a bit from drowsiness. Small bits of laughter erupt from the class. Weiss facepalms, Yang giggles, Ruby watches with concern, and Blake doesn't really care too much.

Your drowsiness has actually kept you from breaking down in front of Ms. Goodwitch like you normally do, which is slightly surprising for her. She was almost looking forward to you crumbling. There's an odd satisfaction in it, and, whether it be good or not, it reminds her of Jet.

"Well, you're now attending one of the most prestigious academies in Remnant. I don't care if you aren't used school. Get used to it," she barks.

You nod, rubbing your eyes. "I... will get to it. Yeah. So... where am I right now?" you ask innocently. The class erupts in laughter. Glynda really wants to take you down, but there's a genuine tone in your voice. Glynda sighs.

"You're in the training room," she says with annoyance.

Your eyes perk up. "Fights?"

Glynda rolls her eyes.

He's almost a copy of his father.

"Yes, and you've missed all of them. However, due to missing the class, you'll be going first tomorrow. Now," she says, raising her scroll up and looking down at it. "Let's see who you should do battle with."

"I'll fight him," a calm voice pipes up along with a raised hand. The entire class, including Ms. Goodwitch, look toward the source. Everyone's eyes focus on Pyrrha Nikos. She is sitting confidently, looking down at her teacher.

"You want to fight him?" Glynda asks, a little surprised. Pyrrha nods. Glynda looks at you for confirmation. You shrug, not really caring who you do battle with. Glynda sighs. "Very well then. (Y/N) and Ms. Nikos will start off the day tomorrow. Class dismissed."

The very second she says that the period ends. How she got the timing so perfectly is far beyond you, especially when you're still drowsy. You rub your eyes one before time and open your eyes as wide as you can, really trying to wake yourself up. Team RWBY and JNPR come down and greet you as they pass. They need to get changed into their school uniforms again, but luckily there's no rush. Lunch is next, so there's no worry of an angry teacher, but they would like to have as much time to talk as possible.

You give a wave to the two teams as they pass. You can tell by their faces that they have things to talk about, but you'll hear it later. Besides, you really want to talk to Pyrrha now to ask why she wants to fight you. You can't help but be a little excited though. You've heard she's one of the best at the school, which means testing your skills against her would see where you land in the strength pyramid of this school.

Once the class either leaves or enters the changing room, Ms. Goodwitch approaches you.

"I expect that there won't be any more tardiness from you?" she says, more like a statement than a question.

Now far more awake than you were when you first entered, you respond, "I'll try, promise. It's just different. But it'll be like a challenge, right? Trying to adapt to a new situation? I'll take on the challenge and try to avoid any tardiness," you reassure her.

Glynda smiles for a moment, but quickly returns to normal.

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It's been a week of school, and Glynda's been loving it so far. She's picking up everything that the professors are saying with ease, and is no doubt the best in the class. However, her academic success greatly differs from her social success. While not shy, or even hateful towards the other students, Glynda finds no reason to really converse with anyone. She's had a few small conversation with classmates in the halls and, of course, Jet Slater. Of all the people he could talk to and he decides to constantly annoy her.

He's done far better in the social department than she has. He has tons of friends and people are already spreading rumors or just talking about him. She doesn't see what the big deal about him is. Well... she doesn't WANT to see what the big deal about him is. To be fair, he was quite charming the first time she encountered him. They'd walked to class together, talked, and even ate lunch together that day. They haven't done much more than small talk in the days after, but she doesn't care... right?

Glynda sits patiently in the front row of the class, looking over what the professor wrote on the board. A ton of information on the Grimm today. Glynda had already done her own studies, so most of the information presented isn't new. But, instead of a quiet class, it's interrupted by none other than Jet Slater.

He barges into class, panting. He looks at the professor and waves.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late. Slept through my alarm and then I couldn't find my pants which was a huge problem. I mean, I'm not allowed to come to class without pants, am I? Am I?" he finishes, seriously asking it with a hint of innocence.

Some of the class start giggling. Glynda remains straight faced.

"No, Mr. Slater, you need to come to class with pants on. Now please, sit down."

Slater walks down the stairs and confronts the professor. He extends his leg forward and his arms flow to the side like they're wings. "My apologies, Professor. I'll do my best to avoid any tardiness. Please accept my humblest of humble apologies."

The professor rolls his eyes. "Very well, Jet, just don't do it again."

Jet raises himself to a normal stance and winks at the Professor. "You got it."

Jet spins around and looks for a place to sit. His eyes instantly lock onto Glynda, who is sitting alone. He moves in beside her and takes a seat. He leans on his elbows and looks over at Glynda. She's trying her best not to look at him; finding anything in her notes that she can use as a distraction.

"Did I do something wrong?" Jet asks. Glynda slowly turns to him, brow raised. "You're intentionally not looking at me. I know for a fact that you know everything about Beowolves through and through. If I know it, then you know it."

"Well... I just... You're a distraction. That's it," she finishes, regaining her composure half way.

"Then I must have found the right person to sit with, cause it seems you need a distraction," he smirks.

"Please, I don't need you for that."

"Not for that? Well, what do you need me for?" He victoriously smiles. Glynda's face turns red instantly. She frantically looks for something else to occupy her mind. Jet snickers, proud of himself. "How about this Glynda? Why don't we go out tonight? I'll buy you dinner?"

Glynda snaps her neck towards him, her face is somehow even redder than before.

"What? Go out? Like a date?" she repeats, though a little too loud. The class and professor are all staring at her and Jet. Jet doesn't care, as he's still looking at Glynda, raising his brows and waiting for her answer. She can already hear people whispering about her and Jet going on a date. Glynda sighs at her stupid action.

"Hey, forget them. It's not a date, don't worry," Jet smiles, lightly resting his hand on her shoulder. She looks back at him. "I just think you should get out. You've been nonstop studying all week."

"How would you know that?" she asks, genuinely curious.

"I see around all the time. At lunch you're studying. After school you're studying. You need a break, and I'd be honored if I could be your distraction." Glynda and Jet lock eyes for a moment. You can barely hear their breathing. A smile slowly creeps itself upon Glynda's face, which is evidently contagious because Jet adopts one too.

"Alright Jet. You can be my distraction."

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Glynda asserts herself as a teacher once more, not letting you see any sort of weakness in the nostalgia she has for you and your father.

"See to it that you don't. If I hear you didn't make it to first class tomorrow then I'll come to your room and wake you up myself," she threatens.

You smile, trying to cover the terrifying thought of Ms. Goodwitch waking you up. You hope she's just joking, but from what you know of the blonde teacher it's very unlikely that she is. You can just imagine her hitting you with her stick, or tossing you around the room. Would she dress you herself? Well, it's not like you sleep naked, or even just in underwear. Though now you never want to, for the day that you do is surely the day Ms. Goodwitch comes to wake you up.

You rub the back of your head, nervously laughing. "Yeah, that'd be... I'd rather avoid that as much as possible."

Glynda chuckles. "As would I."

"Is that a laugh coming from you?" you slyly accuse. Her demeanor changes instantly, shooting daggers at you with her eyes. You back off, arms in the air. "Alright, alright. Never mind. I said nothing. Keep the stick thing down and away from me."

Lucky for you, students begin exiting the change room. Team RWBY and JNPR leave together, and you quickly hide yourself amongst them, to their confusion.

"Oh, and (Y/N)," she calls out. Your whole group stops and looks towards her. "Remember to wear your uniform. I put it there myself, so I know you have it."

You sigh. "Yes, Ms. Goodwitch."

You and the two teams leave the building and exit to the outdoors. A cool breeze sweeps through the area, giving you a much needed cool down after the tense encounter with Glynda. Every time you see her she knows you've done something wrong, even if you don't know you've done something wrong. But, and you've noticed this a few times now, she sometimes looks at you in an odd way. It's not just looking at you because you're in a conversation, and it's not looking at you because she's mad. It's like... you can't even put your finger on it.

"Hey," a voice calls, clapping their hands in front of your face.

You snap back into reality, seeing a face that you recognize. "Jaune? Hey, hey! Jaune Arc," you say his name in a smooth tone, similar to how he said it the first time you met. "How did you... where did you come from?" you ask, puzzled.

"Ha, I've been here the whole time. This is my team," he says, pointing at Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, who are walking alongside team RWBY, a few steps ahead.

"Oh? Really? That's funny, I met your entire team without knowing it." You snicker.

"Heh, yeah. So what's wrong? You slowed down and totally zoned out."

You debate with yourself whether to tell Jaune about the small detail you noticed with Glynda. You don't really have any actual evidence, and you it's possible you're just seeing things since she's always on your case about everything.

"Ah." You shrug your shoulders. "It's nothing. Hey, do you mind coming with me to my dorm? I should change before Ms. Goodwitch sees me and I don't know where everyone else is going."

"Well," Jaune starts, looking around, "it's lunch, so we're all going to the cafeteria." You stare at him, blankly. "You... don't know where that is, do you?"

You shake your head, smiling as if it's a joke. "Not a clue."

"Well, it would be rude of me not to help you," he says in a chipper manner. "Alright, let's hurry. I'm pretty hungry."

You want to get moving too. You have a question that you'd like answered too, and you'll only get it if you follow Jaune.

And that's it everyone! Hopefully you're all enjoying the story. Can I just say, and to totally dare this chapter, that the latest episodes of RWBY have been super intense. So excited to get to Volume 3, though I won't rush through anything. I have a bunch planned before I get there. I really appreciate all the feedback I've been getting. I'm super excited to be in this fandom now, and I've got even more stories planned.

If you take a look at my bio, you'll notice that I have more RWBY stories planned. Each story has a different pairing, so those who wanted a Weiss, Blake, and Yang romance written by me, then I guess you're getting it at some point. You can check out the summaries in my bio, if you're interested.

Anyway, thanks again for reading. I'm looking forward to any feedback I get. See you in the next chapter.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!