Chapter 5: Roses Help the Lonely

You and Jaune break off from the group and head to the dorms. Pyrrha notices you and Jaune going in another direction, but doesn't act on it. She assumes that you'll both meet up with them soon. Thankfully you're starting to really get a feel for Beacon's grounds - at least in small portions. If you were dropped in the middle of a part of the academy that you didn't know, well, you'd be stranded. Thankfully you've made a few friends, or, at the least, acquaintances.

Jaune looks over at you as you day dream. "So... you really know how to push Ms. Goodwitch's buttons," he comments.

You snap back into reality and look at him. After a moment of staring at him you register what he said. You rub the back of your head and laugh. "Yeah, I suppose I do." You lower your hand and return to a normal posture. "I have no idea why though. It just seems she always catches me at my worst. Last night she caught Ruby in my dorm. Man, I thought I was dead."

Jaune turns his whole body to you suddenly, a shocked look splattered on his face. "What? Why was she in your room?" Jaune asks, raising his voice in confusion.

You look over at him casually. "What's the problem? You have a dorm with two girls, do you not?" you redirect. "So what's the problem?"

"You weren't... like... doing anything... were you?"

"Nah." You lazily wave your hand towards him. "I was just eating her cookies," you end with a snicker.

Jaune stops dead in his tracks, absolutely perplexed. You open the door and enter, oblivious to the fact that Jaune's no longer walking with you. That only lasts for a few seconds though. You turn around, looking for Jaune.

"Jaune? Where'd ya go, buddy?"

You backtrack to outside, instantly finding Jaune outside the door. You laugh, knowing why he's like this. You meant to make a small joke, but you didn't think he'd take it so seriously. To regain his attention, you tap his back.

"Come on, Jaune. You're hungry, remember?" You smile.

Jaune shakes his head.

"Why... would you say that?"

You laugh again. "For that exact expression. Come on, it's not as bad as you think."

You and Jaune both enter the building this time.

"She was feeling bad about our fight, so she brought over some cookies. Her favourite ones, apparently. We just ate them and talked. But of course, Glynda had to show up and get the wrong idea," you throw your hands in the air, a hint of annoyance in your voice.

"You're lucky it wasn't Yang. Who knows what she would do to you." Jaune chuckles, thinking of her notorious temper. "I'd say you were lucky to be walked in on by Ms. Goodwitch."

"Ha," you laugh, amused Jaune's statement.

"Okay, how about you're lucky it was Ms. Goodwitch who caught you with Ruby," Jaune chuckles.

You nod. "Yeah, that sounds better. But I still don't see what the big deal is."

"Well, she is younger than the rest of us," Jaune brings up.

You look at him questioningly.

"Wait, really? How old is she?"

"15. Did you not know?" He asks, truly surprised that you didn't know.

You look away from Jaune, contemplating his words.

"No... I didn't. I mean, I noticed she looked a little younger but... I just thought her natural look was young."

"Well, there are plenty other girls in the school that would be a little... safer, to try and date," Jaune recommends.

You throw your hands in the air.

"Who said I was trying to date her?" you shout, loud enough that the students in their dorms can hear you, though none of them actually take a peek in the hall.

Jaune laughs at your reaction. It's a little pay back for earlier. Admittedly he's having a lot of fun with you. He's not the most sociable as of late, only really talking to his team and team RWBY. Even then, Ruby's the only girl in her team that he REALLY talks too. His attempts to talk with Weiss are always shot down in seconds, Blake doesn't really talk at all, and Yang... well he just doesn't get into many conversations with her. So being able to talk so easily with a new student is refreshing. Like his mom says, "strangers are just friends you haven't met yet". He's glad he's met a new friend. Especially a guy. Of course there's always Ren, but there's never anything to talk about with him. Plus, you're someone he can bug a bit.

"You got to try with girls your own age, like I do," Jaune continues, taking a more confident stance.

You raise your brow.

"Like you do? Do girls just fall to your feet when you whisper 'Jaune Arc' in their ear?" You chuckle.

Jaune puffs chest out and puts his hands on his sides, standing proud. Once he thinks about his record at the school, he quickly sinks.

"No, they usually don't. B-but that doesn't matter. There's only one girl I'm trying to impress," he admits.

You both reach your room. You open it up, but keep your eyes on Jaune.

"Oh? And who's the lucky girl?"

"Weiss Schnee," he says with a hint of longing.

You burst out laughing, making Jaune frown at you. You turn away from him, shaking your head. You walk towards your bed where a uniform is laid out in a neat manner. A small note is placed on top of the jacket.

(Y/N),

I've laid out these clothes for you. The rest is already in your drawers, organized. Please remember to wear these EVERY DAY. I don't want to hear of you not wearing them during classes.

Ms. Goodwitch

You laugh nervously, not wanting to upset the teacher. You look back at Jaune, who's examining your room. You toss your sword on the bed and start changing. Taking off your jacket and shirt, you replace them with your new uniform. You turn to Jaune, who's now looking at you. Thankfully he didn't notice your scar.

"Wanna... turn around? Unless you don't mind seeing me in my boxers?"

Jaune turns around, raising his hands in defeat.

"I'm fine, I'll just wait outside," he decides, leaving the room.

You shrug, not necessarily caring whether he stayed or not. You slip out of your jeans and into the uniform. Of course, you finish with the shoes. The uniform is very similar to a suit... which you aren't fond of. Too tight and constricting. You try to stretch a bit but the clothes are restricting you.

You sigh at the inconvenience. But really, what's worse? The uncomfortable clothes or Ms. Goodwitch's wrath? Yeah, you'd rather wear the clothes. You keep your glove on, however, but leave the belt. You don't seem to need your blade at the moment and, if you did, you can call it with the glove. You quickly stroll to your window and open it up so, if you need it, Crimson Blaze doesn't break through the window. With all of that out of the way, it's time to re-group with everyone.

You leave your room and look around. Jaune is patiently waiting a few steps away. He looks over at you the moment you exit your room.

"You ready?" he politely asks.

You nod. "Yeah, let's go."

The two of you start walking with Jaune in the lead.

"So, you mentioned Weiss, right? Same one that I fought? Mostly white?"

Jaune nods. "Yep, that's the one. A perfect Snow Angel," he coos.

"Snow Angel?" you question, almost laughing. "Sheesh, did you tell her that one?"

Jaune nods. "Yeah, I did. Why? Is it bad?"

You shake your head. "No way, that's actually pretty clever. I couldn't have come up with something like that. Did you pre-plan that or something?"

You and Jaune reach the door to the outside. He pushes open the door and holds it open for you.

"No, just made it up on the spot."

You walk past Jaune.

"Thanks," you nod. Jaune follows you once you pass him. "Takes some courage to do that. Gotta say, I'm impressed."

"Well, it's like my dad said: all women look for is confidence," he says in a chipper manner.

"Mm... that's a good motto to live by. Hey, changing the subject really quick, you're on a team with Pyrrha, correct?" you inquire.

"Yep. Why?" he asks, looking over at you.

You look back at him.

"Well... do you have any idea why she wants to fight me?"

Jaune ponders this for a moment. He hasn't really thought about it himself, mostly because you've been distracting him. He can't deny that it's a good question. Pyrrha's a pretty humble person who doesn't go around picking fights. He was surprised when she volunteered to fight you, especially after hearing that you fought team RWBY.

"Hm... I'm not sure. Maybe... maybe she wants to test herself?"

"Test herself? Against me?" you ask, still confused. Jaune shrugs.

"I don't know, I'm just guessing here. But, well you're a little infamous right now. Your fight with RWBY is spreading like wildfire around here. I even heard some students talk about it while you were changing."

You roll your eyes and cross your arms.

"Great," you sarcastically remark. "Cause that's exactly what I wanted. Well, whatever... I won't be here long," you whisper the last bit.

"Hm?" Jaune hums, not quiet hearing what you said.

You look over to him with a warm smile in order to deflect any doubt.

"Oh, nothing. Let's get going, I'm kind of hungry too. Hey, does the school have steak?"

"Um... no."

You pout. "Well, seems I have to pay Ozpin a visit later today," you say aloud.

"Why?" Jaune asks, puzzled.

"He owes me a steak."

Not questioning it as the two of you traverse the grounds, making small talk along the way. Mostly Jaune pointing out places of interest for your convenience. Landmarks will help while navigating the place. Of course, some of them are quite interesting while some are dull. You don't get to see every single landmark on your way to the cafeteria, and honestly, you don't feel as if it's a great loss.

You and Jaune finally reach the cafeteria. It's a decent sized building with windows all along the sides. You can see a variety of students, humans and Faunus alike, sitting at the plethora of tables. All of them are talking and eating lunch. A certain table catches your eye, solely based on a certain woman's white, off-centered ponytail. As you continue to walk, and your line of sight changes, you see all of team RWBY along with Jaune's team. Looks like you'll get to sit with everyone you know.

Jaune leads the way inside the cafeteria. You follow suite and immediately you can feel eyes on you. Though the socializing and noise continues on, a good portion of the students look over at you. Of course they would. You're the new student. But if what Jaune was saying is true, then they may be sizing you up, seeing if you're as tough as they heard. Well, you aren't looking too intimidating in the uniform. You look down at your clothes and sigh. You shake your head, ignoring the overwhelming feeling of being watched, and follow Jaune.

Ruby is the first to notice you two. She waves at you both, smiling excitedly. The rest of the table notices you both and welcomes you with smiles. Jaune sits in the open seat beside Pyrrha. Ruby scooches over a bit to make room for you. Seeing as she went through all the effort, you take the spot beside Ruby.

"Hey (Y/N)! How's your first day going?" Ruby asks.

She's definitely a lot happier than when you talked to her yesterday. Seems like she's finally forgiven herself.

"Oh, you know. Fine, I suppose. I haven't actually gone to a class yet so I have yet to really experience the full school effect."

"You should be taking school more seriously. Not everyone gets in to Beacon, you know," Weiss scolds.

"Oh, lay off him, Weiss," Yang cuts in, defending you. "It's not like he's being completely lazy, right?"

You look over at Yang, staring into her lilac eyes. You have no idea why she has faith in you, but... well you should just agree with her.

"Yeah, not completely," you say, nodding at Yang. You then turn to Weiss. "I'm just not used to the schedule. Plus, I got class with..." You think for a moment. "Hm... Professor... Port? I think. I'm definitely going to that class."

You turn your attention to Pyyrha, who is looking at you attentively. She almost seems to be analyzing you. You give her a light wave.

"Pyyrha, how's it going?"

She warmly smiles.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I'm looking forward to our battle tomorrow."

Most of the group has gone back to their own conversations. Nora is telling a story to Ren, Yang, and Weiss. Blake is reading her book, secretly listening to anything she deems interesting. Jaune and Ruby are keeping their focus and you and Pyrrha.

"Speaking of that, can I ask you why you want to fight me?"

Pyrrha responds without a second delay, showing that she has an answer ready.

"Well, I just think we can push each other. You sound skilled, from what I've heard, and I'm interested to see how we fare against one another."

You smile, getting a bit excited at her answer.

Unknown to you, Ms. Goodwitch is watching over the cafeteria, just in case. The moment you and Jaune entered the building. Glynda can't help but find a sense of comfort in you finding people to be with. She knows what it's like to not have anyone to talk with. Seems both you and her were helped in that regard.

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Glynda calmly sits in the cafeteria. Nobody is sitting at her table, not that she really cares. She's focusing on some school work she has to do. It's easy to block out all the noise and ridiculousness that other students. Unfortunately, there's one person who she can never seem to ignore.

"Glynda!" a voice calls out.

Before she can even react, someone slides beside her, looking down at what she's doing and then at her.

"Jet? What would you like?"

"Oh, nothing. I just saw you sitting alone and thought I'd come over. Would be mean to let my date sit alone."

Glynda's cheeks redden instantly. She attempts to compose herself before looking towards him. She doesn't want to give him any satisfaction.

"I am not your date, Jet. I'm just going out to dinner with you. You even said it yourself."

Jet chuckles. "I know. You just look cute when you're flustered."

Glynda blushes a bit more, looking away. She can't deal with him at all. He always finds a way to make her flustered, blushing, and speechless. But, in some ways, she kind of likes it. No! She doesn't. He's just a distraction. A distraction that she actually enjoys listening to- What is she thinking?

"So, is there any place you wanted to go? It's my treat."

Glynda huffs. "Jet... I don't know. You choose. You probably know the city more than I do."

"Hm, so you really want this to be in date format, huh? But of course, it's not a date," he smiles, raising his hands as if he's surrendering.

Glynda rolls her eyes.

"So tonight then?"

Jet nods.

"Of course. I'll drop by your dorm."

"Jet!" Another man shouts.

Both Jet and Glynda look towards the source of the voice. They see another man walking towards them. He's wearing black, leather pants that seem to loosely hug his legs. The material is shining in the sun, revealing some of the designs on it. Of course he has black shoes to compliment the pants. He covers his chest with a green turtle neck that goes up his neck, covering it comfortably. He finishes off with a black suit jacket that has two split tails at the legs. His eyes are covered by a pair of sunglasses, which sit pleasantly on his face. He has hair similar to Jet, though his slicked back hair is neater, compared to Jet. In fact, his facial structure is very similar to Jet, from his nose, jaw, ears, and general facial structure. Though his eyes can't be judged, since he has glasses on. His weapon is in sight, similar to Jet. He has a sabre, nicely sitting beside his hip.

Jet smiles, giving him a single wave.

"Harrier! What'd you need?"

"Nothing. I was just curious why you ran away from me in such a rush. But now," he looks towards Glynda. "I see why," he finishes with a wink.

Glynda rolls her eyes at his comment.

"Well, I have to finish my work. I'll be in my room. See you tonight, Jet."

Glynda regally stands up and starts walking away. Jet looks towards Harrier with an exhausted expression.

"Really? You had to ruin it?"

Harrier sighs.

"You say that every time I approach you."

Jet flashes a smile. He stands up and passes by Harrier, patting his shoulder.

"It's my job to bug you, big brother. You guys can eat without me, I'm catching up with Glynda."

Jet slips by Harrier and leaves the building. Harrier turns around and watches his brother leave. He sighs.

"Leaving me behind again, huh little brother."

Jet exits the cafeteria and looks around. He sees Glynda walking towards the dorms. Jet sprints towards her, not wanting to lose her. He catches up to her before Glynda can reach the building. She's admittedly surprised to see him already, and that's obvious from her facial expression.

"Jet? I thought-"

"Harrier has friends to talk to, don't worry. You, on the other hand, could use my company."

Glynda smiles.

"Well..." She looks down at her school work. "If you're going to come with me, you better be ready to study with me."

Jet's eyes drop. That's not his idea of a fun time. But... for some reason, he just sort of wants to spend time with Glynda. Jet places his hands on his sides and shrugs.

"Well, I suppose I could offer my superior advice for you."

Glynda giggles.

"I'm sure you're input is invaluable," she assures, though sarcasm us evident in her voice,

"Is that a joke? From you? See, you're coming out your shell already. Heck, I'll drag you out of that shell if I need to."

"Well, I applaud your determination, Mr. Slater. Let's see how you do."

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Pyrrha looks around at the other students. She leans in a bit, twitching her head towards her. Catching her hint, you lean into her. She moves closer to your ear.

"I also know the name, Slater."

Your eyes widen at her words. You back away and stare her in the eyes. She has almost a confident persona surrounding her.

"How do you..."

Pyrrha gets out of her seat and stands at the head of the table.

"Come with me, I'll show you something."

"What're you talking about? What'd you say?" Jaune questions.

You get out of your seat as well and stand with her.

"Nothing for you to worry about, Jaune. We'll be back in a few minutes," Pyrrha reassures.

Ruby and Jaune watch as Pyyrha leads you out of the cafeteria. Ruby looks away with a downcast face. Oddly enough, Weiss is the only one to notice.

"What's with you?" She asks in an unintentionally callus manner.

"Hm?" Ruby perks up, looking over at Weiss. "Oh, nothing. Just kinda wanted to talk to (Y/N)."

Weiss takes a peak at you as you leave.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be back. But you shouldn't worry about it. He's not the best to talk to."

Ruby raises her brow.

"How would you know?"

Weiss immediately catches what she's insinuating. She quickly puts on her usual persona and looks away.

"I-I don't know. It's just my intuition."

"Liar," Ruby teases. "You know something I don't."

"Please, I know a lot of things you don't."

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You and Pyrrha leave the cafeteria and start walking across the grounds.

"So... you want to fight me because I'm a Slater?" you inquire.

"No, no, of course not. It's exactly what I said before, I just want to test myself against you. But, it's interesting to meet the son of someone I've seen in a history book."

"History book?" you repeat, brow raised. "My dad can't be that famous."

Pyrrha doesn't respond. She seems too focused on where you're going. It seems to take a bit of time. At least two minutes, which feels longer since all you're doing is following the Spartan around. Finally, after walking to the back edge of Beacon, Pyrrha stops. You take a quick look around. There are half a dozen statues of what looks to be Huntsmen. Famous ones, you assume, as they wouldn't have stone carvings of them if they didn't. Pyrrha leads you to one near the middle. It's a statue of two men standing back to back, pointing their swords at something ahead of them.

They seem to look similar. Of course it's hard to tell as it's all made of stone. One has a longer coat that is only tied at the top, and is holding a katana. The other seems to be wearing a turtle neck and suitish coat, holding what looks to be a sabre. You glance over at Pyrrha, who's looking back at you.

"Recognize it?" She asks, almost excitedly.

You shift your gaze back to the statue, trying to take in what she's trying to show you.

"It's... well... I know it's made of stone?" You respond, though it's more a guess

Pyrrha shakes her head.

"No. It's your father! Can't you recognize your own father?"

You can't deny that her question hurts a little. You really can't recognize your dad, even if you tried. Not that this stone representation of him provides enough detail to jog what little memory you have of him. Hell, their faces and hair look practically identical. The other one could be your dad, for all you know.

"I sometimes come out here to pay my respects to those who came before me," Pyrrha states, staring at the statues. "I pay my respects... and also challenge them. All these people are here because they were great. They were skilled, and saved people. I don't necessarily care about the statue, but, I hope to become better than those who came before me."

"That is what each generation wants, is it not?" you pipe up, looking at the statue of your father. Pyrrha looks over at you, happy you're contributing to the conversation. "They want the next to be even better than they were. Guess that's a bit of pressure, huh?" You innocently smile at her.

"It's only pressuring to those who let it. I'm someone who it gets to... and I think it gets to you too," she suggests.

You change from a smile to a questioning look. Pyrrha smiles at you.

"It's just a guess."

"Yeah... who knows? It's, ah, interesting to know that my dad is here..."

Almost makes me sad I won't be staying for long.

"I'm happy to help. It might help you warm up to Beacon even faster."

"Yeah..." you respond, not entirely paying attention.

"Well, we should return to our friends. Wouldn't want to worry them."

You shrug. "They're more your friends than mine, but I suppose."

You and Pyrrha get side-by-side and start walking back to the cafeteria.

"They can be your friends too, you know?" she says.

From afar, Ozpin watches you both walk away. He takes a sip of his coffee, then proceeds to walk. He approaches the statue of your father.

"Seems he can't recognize his father or his uncle. That might be... problematic in the future."

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Lunch went by rather smoothly after that. You didn't talk too much, unless you were directly asked a question. You were mostly trying to get a feel for who these new "friends" of yours were. From what you can collect, they're all good people, and they're really trying to welcome you here. Ruby, oddly enough, stayed quieter than you thought she would. But that may be because Nora kept telling stories and Ruby was too interested in them. Yang made up for the talking, however, which was nice. You're used to loud, energetic friends.

But, with all the talking, lunch went by in a flash. Your next, and first, class is with Professor Port. Most of Team JNPR doesn't have this class with you. But thankfully the entirety of Team RWBY, and Jaune, does. They lead you to the class, with Weiss making sure you remember how to get there. The rest of the team stays quiet as she hammers the knowledge into your head. But, alas, you finally make it into the class. There are information about the different types of Grimm written across the board in the middle. On the left side of the room is a cage that seems very secure. You can only imagine what's being held in there.

Maybe bad students are locked in there? Ah, man, I've spent too much time around Atlas punishment. Actually, I think whatshername did that to me once while I was there. Hm... who was she again... whatever.

Besides the cage, a desk in the middle of the room, close to the board, along with, what you assume to be, the teacher. If there's one thing you'll say, it's that he's got some interesting facial hair.

"Alright class, take your seats!" He shouts over the crowd, a very booming voice to back it up.

You sit with Team RWBY, sitting beside Blake. Everyone lays their books down and prepares for class. Oddly enough, you notice Blake open her book up.

"What're you doing?" you inquisitively ask.

Blake looks over at you.

"I'm preparing myself. You'll see."

You stare at her for a second until she looks away from you. You shrug, returning your attention to the front. Blake doesn't seem like the kind of girl who wouldn't pay attention to the lesson, which only makes you more interested in why she's prepared to avoid paying attention.

You notice the teacher is scanning the room for some reason. He starts from the other side, and slowly looks to your side. You two lock eyes, staring at each other for a second. He smiles, making his beard move, then points to you.

"You, young one, yes you! You're the new Huntsman-in-training! I heard about you!"

You awkwardly wave, not really knowing how to respond.

"Yeah... I guess."

"Come down here, child."

You look over at your new friends, wanting their opinion. Yang seems to be laughing, Ruby's giving you a thumbs up, Weiss is simply sitting there, and Blake's just watching you. You sigh, knowing you have to go. You get out of your seat and walk down to the teacher.

"What do you need from me?" you ask.

"I want to see your resolve. Your skill!" he shouts, lifting his arm and clenching his fist. "You are a Huntsman, you say? Then prove it now!"

Professor Port walks away, leaving you dumbfounded. How are you supposed to-

CLANG

You hear the breaking of metal, and your attention instantly turns to it. You see Port, with what appears to be his weapon, and a broken cage door. Slowly, you see red eyes start to creep out of the cage.

A Grimm? Here? Is this even allowed!?

You move one foot behind the other, bracing yourself for whatever might be coming at you. A claw breaks out of the darkness and grabs the end of the cage. Slowly, menacingly, a Beowolf emerges from the cage. Its blood red eyes focus on you. Your body tenses up, your eyes widen. A bottomless pit forms in your stomach, making it churn.

"What's with him? He completely changed." Blake points out.

"Yeah, I saw it too," Ruby adds.

Little by little, your hand reaches around to your shoulder. You lightly rest your hand on it, thinking to the past. Weiss picks up on what's happening instantly. It's the same spot where she saw your scar. Adding that to the fact that you seem to be tense around the Beowolf, she can concur that you have some sort of grudge, or history, with that Grimm. What it was, however, is beyond her. She wants to bring it up to her teammates, but she remembers how defensive you were when she saw the scar. For now, it's best to let it be.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ruby whispers.

"Of course. You saw him handle us, so a Beowolf should be no problem," Yang confidently states.

"Lets see what this Huntsman-in-training can do!" Professor Port shouts.

The Beowolf growls, then leaps towards you. You don't move your body at all. You look up at it, at its figure coming down upon you.

"(Y/N)!" Your mother screams.

You, on the ground. The Beowolf, coming at you. There's no way out. But a figure moves into its way, protecting you.

"(Y/N), leave! You're not ready!" Jet shouts, his voice ever so serious.

The grip on your shoulder tightens as your remember. The small flashback – broken memories. This Beowolf isn't getting away. You focus on the Beowolf, your stare becoming far more menacing. You swiftly move from your position, sliding across the floor as if it was ice. The Beowolf lands and begins sniffing the area. He picks up your scent, and turns around to face you. Your gloved hand is in the air, but your eyes are solely focused on the creature of Grimm. The Grimm howls and comes after you once more. You duck under his first attack, but keep your palm up. You hop into the air and make contact with its stomach. You forcefully push off it, sending you both to opposite sides of the room.

The Beowolf smashes into the cage, while you twirl and land gracefully, your hand still up. You keep an intense gaze on the Grimm as you wait.

"Whoa, this is weird. He's like a totally different person," Ruby comments, confused.

"I agree. He seems to be taking this very seriously," Blake says.

Weiss, though not even admitting it to herself, is concerned, along with the rest of Team RWBY and even Jaune.

The Beowolf charges you once more, intending to sink its teeth into you. You dodge it once again, moving behind him. Suddenly, the door to the classroom bursts open. Everyone, minus Professor Port, looks behind them to see what could be breaking in. Though the speed is too fast for anyone, save Ruby, to pick up. Crimson Blaze shoots through the air and right into your hand. You grip the handle right and snap your arm forward. The sheath flies off, but the sword itself remains in your hands. The Beowolf is met with the full force of the sheath, pushing it against the wall. You charge forward before the Beowolf actually hits the wall. Once it does, the sheath bounces off of it. Quickly, and with expert accuracy, you thrust your blade back into the sheath. You throw your strength into the motion, pushing the sheath right into the Beowolf.

With it trapped against the wall, all you need to do is finish it. Pull your sword back out and slice the Grimm's head off in a fluid motion as you turn yourself around. You switch to the reverse sword grip, and carefully slide it back into the sheath. You move your grip down to the sheath itself, and pull it out as you walk away. The Beowolf's head falls onto the floor, and the body follows along.

You let out a deep breath. That was... uncomfortable for you. Very uncomfortable. You don't like Beowolves. You don't like any Grimm in general, but Beowolves just get under your skin. You just get angry, and want them dead no matter what. You look out to the class, who is pretty neutral about the whole thing. They've no doubt seen Beowolves killed before. Plus, you didn't kill it with much flair. The only surprising thing about that performance was when your weapon burst through the door. However, you notice that your new friends seem a little different. They seem sort of concerned, for some reason.

"Fantastic!" Port booms, catching you off guard. "That's the work of a true Huntsman-in-training. Sit down child and prepare to learn!"

You smile just for the sake of appeasing him, then return to your seat. You relax in your seat as the Professor starts to speak. You feel an odd feeling as you sit. You slowly look over at your friends. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake are all looking at you. You stare at each other for a moment before you flash a smile.

"What?" you cheerfully whisper.

RWBY looks at each other before shrugging and looking away. Anything they want to say has to wait until after class. But... that might take longer than you hope. The Professor quickly transitioned from useful techniques against Grimm, to some story about how he slew some Ursa when he was younger. You slowly lay your head down on your arms, your chin digging into your forearm, and watch teacher talk. You notice out of your peripheral vision that Blake has opened her book and is reading.

Nice Blake... I get it now.

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After a long, and very boring class, you finally get to relax in your room. Unfortunately, with the influx of students, you got separated from all your friends. With nobody to talk to, you decided to go to your room. You're currently relaxing in your bed, finally donning your regular outfit and escaping the constricting clothing.

There's still some time left in the day and you don't really want to waste it lying in your room, no matter how comfortable it might be. Besides, you need to pass the time for tomorrow. As you think of it more and more, you get excited about your duel with Pyrrha. Of course it won't be a serious fight, but it's still something to look forward to nonetheless.

You look over at your bookshelf and see the books you recently purchased. Unfortunately, the bookshelf isn't full. There are three rows, and you have enough to fill about one and a half. You also take into consideration that Ruby has one of your books too. Still you have some room for more. There's always the option to go back to Tukson's and grab some more. You still have a few days until he needs you, but that's no reason not to go visit. With a goal in mind, you roll off your bed, sweeping your feet as the hit the ground. You attract Crimson Blaze to your hand then set it on your belt. No point in leaving it here.

You thankfully remember the way out and to the docks. Ships tend to come and go from Vale to Beacon, so there's usually one able to take you. You exit your dorms and embrace the cool breeze that brushes past you. You walk towards the docks, not paying too much attention to the environment around you.

"Good afternoon, (Y/N)," a calm voice greets.

You're a little surprised, but quickly mask it by the time you turn to the man: Ozpin.

"Oh, Ozpin, hey! Do you need something?"

Ozpin takes a drink of his coffee.

"No, just checking in. I wanted to see how your first day was going. Especially with your oversleeping."

You chuckle, rubbing the back of your head.

"Yeah... I did do that. Thanks for waking me up, by the way."

"It would've been rude of me not to. Anyhow, we have something to discuss in my office. Care to join me?"

You look towards the docks, staring at something you can no longer reach. You sigh, then shrug.

"Sure. Lead the way, Ozp- uh, Professor Ozpin," you quickly correct yourself.

Ozpin snickers.

"Glynda isn't here. You can relax."

"Right... yeah, that's true."

"She really puts you on edge, doesn't she?" he says as you begin to walk.

"She does! You know her, do you know why? You know her!"

Ozpin thinks.

"Hm... that alludes me. Maybe she wants you to succeed, like I do."

"Why would she want me to succeed? She doesn't even know me!" you shout, enthusiastic about the conversation.

Ozpin notices you failed to mention that he wants you to succeed too. Selective hearing. He also notes that you don't know about Glynda and Jet's history together. But, that's for Glynda to reveal, and not Ozpin.

"Maybe one day she'll tell you why. But for now, lets focus on the task at hand, yes?"

You exhale, letting go of all your passion. You look over at Ozpin, slouched, and nod.

"Yeah, alright."

Ozpin leads you to his tower, and to the top floor. You've been here twice in two days, which you doubt is normal for any person at Beacon. But Ozpin doesn't seem to be upset or anything, so at least you know you're not in some kind of trouble. After an oddly comfortable elevator ride, you and Ozpin step into his office. He takes a seat in his chair, putting his coffee on the table and his cane beside him, while you stand in front of his desk. He gestures to a nearby chair.

"Please, take a seat."

You walk over to the chair and set it up in front of Ozpin's desk. You notice that there are a small stack of papers sitting on Ozpin's desk.

"So, what's this about?"

"Well... technically I don't have to consult you due to your age, but I find it appropriate that you know. There's more than one reason you came to Beacon, Y/N," Ozpin says, getting serious, yet still keeping a friendly aura to him.

"And... what's that?" You ask, curious.

Ozpin places two fingers on the pages in front of him, then slides them closer to you.

"You're here for stability."

You look at Ozpin as you bring the pages closer to you. You look down at the pages and start reading through them. Your eyes widen when you realize what this is.

"Y-You... Ozpin... Ha... Don't do this, huh?"

Ozpin raises his brow.

"Oh? Why shouldn't I?"

You lean back in the chair.

"Everyone who 'adopts' me, just ships me away again, and we inevitably have tension. Look, I remember meeting you before. I like you. I don't want things to go wrong betwe-"

"You weren't adopted before," Ozpin counters.

This catches you by surprise, you lean in a bit, resting your elbows on your legs.

"What do you mean?" You ask, your voice getting deadly serious.

"You were fostered, (Y/N). It was for training. Now, with this as your final place, I've been chosen to be your step-father."

Your eyes fidget back and forth, staring at Ozpin's desk. That can't be true. Everyone treated you like family, like you were meant to stay with them. You weren't?

"They... lied... Why wasn't I told? Why did they lie?" you shout. "All those years, all those people, they just lied to my face about caring?"

Ozpin remains silent, analyzing your reaction. You get out of the chair, pushing it a few feet as you move. You have no idea how to process the information.

"(Y/N), it's not their fault. It was wri-"

"What? It was a whole plan?" You accuse, turning to Ozpin. "They all knew about it? Did they all know they were going to toss me aside within a few months?"

Ozpin nods.

"They did, yes. But I think-"

"So they knew... they knew and still made me give a damn. Maybe if I would have known..." You clench your fist and grind your teeth.

"I think you're jumping to conclusions," Ozpin declares, attempting to get you to focus but not push you on the matter. "It was all-"

"All some plan, obviously. If they all knew then you'd think someone would tell me something! But... just... Gah!"

You storm towards the elevator, intending to find somewhere to be alone. Ozpin says, nor does anything to stop you. He watches you march out of his office, and do whatever it is you need to do. Once you leave he sighs.

"That was about what I was expecting. Still... only having two soft spots isn't that bad. Perhaps, once he's calmed down, he'll only have one."

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Ruby lies on her bed, completely relaxing after today. She's alone right now. Weiss is refilling her dust collection, Blake is in the library studying, and Yang is... actually Ruby isn't sure where her dear sister is. She just sort of left. She does tend to find trouble, no matter what. There was one time that Ruby found her sister beating people up outside of a club. That was... odd. Hopefully she isn't getting into any trouble like that.

Ruby huffs, still confused on what to do. She hops off her bed and starts walking out of the room. Maybe she can hang out with Blake a bit. It's the best idea she has at the moment. Ruby leaves her room and turns to the exit. She starts walking down the hall, then hears some grumbling. She stops, wondering what that is. She sees you stop through the hall, appearing and disappearing quickly. But those few seconds tell her so much. Your step is heavy, as if you're carrying something that weighs you down. She was already concerned about you after the Beowolf, but now you are visibly disturbed.

Ruby becomes determined to find out what's wrong with you. She starts jogging after you. She can hear your door slam, adding another reason why she thinks you're in a bad mood. Ruby stops at the end of the hallway, taking a second to think. She looks back at her room for a moment, coming up with a plan.

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You slam your door behind you, sending a loud THUD through the dorms. You honestly don't want the attention right now, but you can't help yourself. Your blood is boiling, your mind is racing, and your body is heating up. You're just mad. Mad at all the people who've taken care of you, mad at Ozpin, mad at yourself. You don't even have a reason to be mad at Ozpin and yet you are. He just told you and he's the only person to focus your anger on.

"To know that everyone... they didn't care at all... never telling me, always lying..." you mutter, a venomous tone in your voice. "Damnit!" you shout, slamming your fist into your leg.

Suddenly you hear a knock on the door. You turn towards it immediately, wondering who would dare disturb you right now. It might be a fellow student checking in on the noise, or maybe Ms. Goodwitch. You roll your eyes and approach the door. You open it only to be met with Ruby. She's looking up at you with those innocent, silver eyes she has. Her head is tilted to the side a bit, making her bangs fall on her cheek.

"Can... Can I... I mean," Ruby audibly gulps, then takes a more confident stance. "Can I come in for a second?"

You huff, calming down a bit in front of Ruby. You turn around and shrug.

"Sure, if you want."

Ruby carefully enters the room and closes the door behind her. She turns back to see you at your desk, vigourously tapping your finger on the metal. Ruby looks at you with a downcast face. Even after knowing you for only a couple days, she doesn't like seeing you in this distress.

Ruby cautiously takes a few steps towards you, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

"I... I thought you were really cool taking on the Grimm earlier," she softly says, trying to break the silence.

You tap your finger one more time, harder than the previous times. Ruby notices, and now has confirmation that something happened during that encounter. You turn your head towards her, exhaling.

"Yeah, thanks. It was nothing," you bluntly state.

Ruby's eyes wander your floor.

"Are you okay?" she asks directly. "You're not very... well... you."

You turn to face her. She stares directly into your eyes, a kind, yet determined glimmer reside in them. For some reason, she is really calming you down. But you don't really want to be talking to her right now. At the same time, you don't want to be mean and tell her off.

"And how do you know what's me or not?" you ask in a slightly more pleasant tone.

"Well," Ruby begins thinking. "You seemed to tell a lot of jokes when we... fought... and you smile a lot. You were really nice to those kids on the playground too, and even play fought with my sister. But you're not all that cheery now, which has to mean something's wrong. So, what? Are you mad at me?"

"What? No," you quickly deflect. "No... I'm not mad at you. In hindsight... I'm not that mad at Ozpin, either," you whisper, looking away.

"Ozpin?" Ruby repeats. "What did Ozpin do?"

You walk over to your bed and sit on it, bouncing a little bit.

"He... nothing. He didn't do anything. I just..."

Ruby hops on the bed beside you, focusing all her attention on you, while you stare at the floor. You huff, trying to think of what to say.

"It's... I moved around. A lot. You could call me a foster child, or something. But every time I moved, I thought it was because my "parents" didn't want me anymore. I mean... do you know what that's like to have someone you care about, and then lose them?" you ask aloud.

"I..." Ruby becomes a little more quiet. "I lost my mom when I was young. So... I think I do."

You turn to her, seeing her a little sad now.

"Oh? I didn't know... I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I still have my dad! And Yang!"

You give her a small smile at her enthusiasm.

"Yeah... well... imagine having them, then them being taken away. You suffer from it, then they come back. You're happy, but they're taken away again." Ruby nods in understanding. "It was like that. Every. Time. I just thought they hated me or something. Only once did I know it was temporary, and that was one time in Atlas. The rest..."

Ruby thinks back for a moment, remembering the park. It's the first time she saw you in a different mood, and it's similar to this one.

"So... that woman in the park? Was she?"

You nod.

"Yeah, last time I came to Vale, I lived with them. But... I'm just such an idiot. Or maybe not. I don't know. Ozpin," you say throwing your arm towards his tower. "He just told me that it wasn't like that. That they knew I'd be moved around constantly. So they made me care just for the inevitable backlash!"

"Well... I don't know a lot about it... but maybe they didn't want to ruin it for you?"

You turn to Ruby, curious as to her point.

"I mean, if you knew you'd leave, wouldn't you have just counted down the days instead of having fun? You said yourself that you cared about them. That might not have happened if you knew you'd leave."

"Yeah, but..." You huff. "I don't know, Little Red. Just... it seems that so much was hidden from me. I don't know whether to be mad, or sad, or... I just don't know."

You flop down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Ruby turns her body and looks down at you.

"Well... being mad and sad doesn't seem to be going well for you, so why not be happy? Maybe the people who took care of you felt the same way, and has to feel bad since they knew you'd leave. But... I don't know. This seems like very adult stuff," she finishes.

You chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess. But now Ozpin..." You think back to the conversation. "Man... I didn't even hear Ozpin out. He said he wanted to adopt me and-"

"What!?" Ruby exclaims. "You're being adopted by Ozpin!?"

You nod.

"Yeah. Papers and everything. I had no idea. I just thought I was being enrolled here for a few months. But it seems I'll be staying for a while. Well... I don't know now, after I got mad at Ozpin. Sheesh, what a mess," you huff, roll over onto your face.

Ruby can tell you're better than you were earlier, and she's happy you've opened up a bit. You just shared a part of your life with her, which is... comforting. She knows more about her friend, and some of the pain he's gone through. It's similar to hers, in a way, but while she had people to support her, you were alone, going through the same thing over and over. Ruby looks down at her belt. She opens her small pouch that, what normally holds her sniper shells, houses the book you lent her. She pulls it out and sits it on her lap.

"You know, sometimes when I felt sad, Yang or my dad would read that book to me. The same one you gave me," she softly says, reminiscing about the object. You turn your head to look at her. "So... I mean... maybe it could work for you too?"

You can tell there's hope in her eyes. She actually wants to cheer you up. She actually seems to... care, for some reason.

Ha... I guess age doesn't really matter here, does it. Me, the older one, being comforted and read to by Little Red, the younger one.

But, she did help you out. You have your head on straight again, and know what you have to do. You have to apologize to Ozpin for your outburst... and apologize to the people who kept you going early on. At least, for now, your old family in Vale. But that's for another time. Right now your focus is on Ruby.

You crack a smirk.

"Alright, Little Red, you can read to me."

Ruby smiles, letting out a nervous huff.

"Okay, phew, I thought it was weird. Okay, this works out," she happily says, getting excited. "I haven't been able to read it without someone there with me, you know? Now I can get into it."

Ruby opens the book to where she left off, which isn't that far. She begins reading softly. You really get into it, and can't help but focus everything on her voice. You roll onto your back and place your hands behind your head. Ruby stays sitting as she is, paying full attention to the reading.

Though something does stay in the back of Ruby's mind. She may have found out why you're upset, but it doesn't explain your tension with the Beowolf. But, that's a topic for another time. She doesn't want to ruin anything right now. You're happy. She's happy. That's all that matters.

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It's been some time since you stormed away from Ozpin. He took his time, carefully thinking up what should be done. Of course there's still the truth, though he doubt it will make that much of a difference. You know the how, but not the why. Either way, Ozpin has to sort this out. There's really nowhere left for you to go now. Well, there is Atlas, but that's something Ozpin would rather avoid. You're his responsibility now, and he's going to do everything he can to make this right.

The first step is talking to you. So, after giving you time to cool off, Ozpin approaches your door. He raises his hand and readies to knock, but the door seems to open before contact can be made. He looks down to see Ruby, oblivious to Ozpin, leaving. She's looking at you right now. You fell asleep while she was reading. She has no idea when, but it was still comfortable just to have someone to read with. She'll just assume you listened the whole time. She turns to leave, only to be met by Ozpin.

"Good evening, Ruby. Just leaving?" Ozpin remarks, a small joke thrown in.

"Oh!" Ruby jumps back, startled. "Professor Ozpin. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Ozpin notices Ruby isn't thinking in the way others might, likely due to her age. A girl, leaving a boy's dorm room while he's sleeping. Many could assume things. Ozpin does not, thus he doesn't even hint at it.

He chuckles.

"It's quite alright. Is (Y/N) sleeping?"

"Ah, yes. Actually he was talking about you earlier, when..." Ruby folds in on herself, unsure whether or not to disclose what you said.

"When what?" Ozpin inquires.

"Um... well... he told me some stuff. Some stuff about you and him. He's... sorry," she says, looking up at him. "You're not kicking him out, are you?"

"No, of course not. I understand his frustration, and intended to apologize myself. But, it seems like I can't."

Ruby isn't sure how to respond. She's just eager to get back to her room. She slides out of the door frame, letting the door close.

"Well... I'm going now. Goodnight, Professor!" She waves, a bright smile on her face.

Ozpin bows his head.

"Goodnight."

Ruby walks away, leaving Ozpin in front of your room. He sighs looking down at the floor. Ozpin turns and walks away. He can talk to you later. Perhaps after your fight with Pyrrha. He'll definitely be watching.

And here it is. Honestly, I'm going to get started on the next chapter tomorrow. I'm on a RWBY craze right now. I might even start another story on the side to work on while this is being edited. It's mostly a fluff story, but I think you all might like it. Anyway, the thing that may suck is my now lack of beta reader. Which I understand. He helped me a lot, and I thank him for his time, but now I gotta find someone else. Which may or may not interrupt the next chapter. It shouldn't, unless I finish the chapter before I find a new beta reader. Well, this is all writer stuff that you probably don't care about. You just want to read about yourself in the world of Remnant, romancing the youngest huntress at Beacon. Who knows what will happen. Well... I do, but that's besides the point. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. If you have comments or reviews, feel free to leave them. I always enjoy reading feedback. If you would rather message me directly, feel free. I also love talking to my readers. So, my friends, I bid you farewell until the next chapter.

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

sZWPK