Chapter 1: AnInnocent Plan

You exit the training room, sweat pooling from various sources on your face. Glynda had a... rigorous training regimen planned for you today. Though it's your fault, in all honesty. You asked her for some training to prepare you for the Vytal Festival. Sure, you're one of the top first year students in Beacon, but its always possible that you may face one of the more experienced teams at Beacon, such as team CFVY. Besides that, you really don't know what the other schools have up their sleeve. There's no way you're going to lose, so you have to train as hard as you can.

You wipe some sweat off your forehead and look back at the door. Dylan exits, holding onto the door frame for support.

"You..." He says with a huff, attempting to stare you down though his sweat riddled hair distorts his vision. "I'm never... doing this with you again..."

"Come on... Dylan. This'll get us... in... in tip top shape," you barely chuckle.

Dylan shakes his head, pushing himself off the door frame so he gets closer to you.

"If I had any... strength left... I'd knock that grin off your face."

You smile even harder, amused at Dylan's words.

"Yeah... maybe next time."

"Hello!" A voice sings.

You and Dylan turn your attention to the source, which is team RWBY. Yang is holding her hand up, waving, so obviously she was the one who greeted you.

"Seems you... whoa!" Yang covers her nose, wafting the air in front of her.

The rest of the team does the same.

"Ew, it smells like dirty men," Ruby comments, her body shivering in disgust.

"That's not fair... Ruby... I put up with you when yo-"

Rose pedals fill the air and Ruby appears right beside you, still holding her nose.

"We don't speak of that," she whispers, her voice nasally.

She quickly returns to their team, and they all take a step back.

"You two need a shower," Weiss states the obvious.

You huff.

"Yeah, I guess... that's called for. Dylan, wanna grab my shoulder?"

Dylan nods.

"Yeah..."

"Hey! Um, (Y/N)," Ruby calls out.

You look up at her, a brow raised.

"Can you meet me in my room after?"

"Mhm, yeah," you nod. "Just give me a couple minutes. Hey Dylan, will you scrub my back?" You smirk, looking back at him.

"Get close to me without clothes and I'll end you," Dylan sneers, making you chuckle.

"Yeah, that's about what I thought. Alright, see you girls soon," you wink before leaping away.

Team RWBY lets their noses go and quickly shuffles away from the area to avoid smelling anything else.

"So Ruby, have things been going well between you and (Y/N)? You've been dating for a few weeks now," Blake asks.

Ruby blushes, poking her index fingers together.

"Well I mean I guess we are dating and he's great but you don't have to call it dating I mean we haven't done anything datey like," she nervously says.

"Well, you have. You kissed during the dance." Weiss points out. "We wouldn't have known if you hadn't bragged about it for the next few days."

Ruby pouts at the facts.

"I... was excited."

"We noticed," Blake snickers.

"As long as he's treating you right. The moment he does something wrong is the moment we break his legs," Yang says, punching her fists together.

"Why break his legs?" Weiss inquires.

"Me and Nora agreed it was the best punishment," Yang nods with pride.

"Don't break his legs!" Ruby squeals, shaking her arms madly. "Don't break my boyfriend's legs!"

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"Why on earth did you think we would shower together?" Dylan scolds, stepping out of men's change rooms, completely dry.

"Well the showers were all in use, so, you know," you chuckle, stepping out behind him and placing your hand on his shoulder. "Besides, I knew for a fact it'd annoy you. We would have been out of there earlier if you just dried me off like you did for yourself."

"It was punishment," Dylan responds.

"It wasted time," you pout. "But at least we aren't destroying everyone's sense of smell."

You and Dylan walk away from the building and start wandering aimlessly.

"So you think they'll let us participate in the tournament?" You bring up, throwing your hands in your pockets.

"I'm not sure. You do have special treatment, being the son of the Headmaster."

"Adopted... son," you correct. "And shut up," you point at him. "I've never used that for my advantage... up till now. I might see what I can do. I'm definitely not missing out on the tournament. I'm ready to kick some butt."

"You're always ready for a fight," Dylan points out.

"Hey, you are too! You can't tell me you aren't training on your own!"

Dylan rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, aren't you suppose to meet Ruby or something?"

You pause, stopping dead and allowing Dylan to walk ahead of you. He stops, turning around to see what you're doing. You're just staring at the ground, your mind realizing your previous promise. Suddenly you dissipate into shadow, leaving Dylan behind. He slaps his face with his palm.

"What an idiot."

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You leap right into the middle of RWBY's dorm. Weiss is at her desk, Blake's reading, and Yang is in the bathroom. The moment you reach their room, you quickly step out of it and in front of their door, in the hallway. You exhale, worried that they might have seen you. You're still bad for just appearing in people's rooms, but it's just so natural for you at this point. But, like now, you just get out of their and act like nothing happened.

You knock on the door and patiently wait for someone to answer. Soon enough the door opens to reveal Yang.

"Oh, hey (Y/N). Come in," she politely greets, almost giving you the chills.

"Yeah, hey. So, um," you walk in, rubbing your hands as you look for your girlfriend. "Where's Little Red? Is she here?"

"She said she'd be at the library," Blake responds, keeping her eyes on her book.

"Oh, I guess I missed her. I did take a little longer than I wanted to, though," you say, leaning against the wall beside the door.

Weiss turns her attention to you.

"Why? It's just showering."

"Yeah, but Dylan refused to shower with me, so," you answer, looking away as you lick your teeth.

"You... what?" Blake speaks up, looking away from her book.

You eye their odd looks when you mentioned showering with Dylan.

"It's a joke!" You shout. "Come on! The only person I would actually shower with is- nobody. Nobody at all," you quickly correct.

You whistle, attempting to keep the air light and trying your best not to make eye contact with Yang.

"Aaaaanyhow, I'm going to go find Little Red. See ya!" You wave, leaping out of the room.

"Was... he talking about Ru-"

"NO!" Blake and Weiss shout, covering for you.

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You appear in front of the library, rolling your shoulders. You really have to learn to hold your tongue around Yang. Bugging her is fun, but anything revolving Ruby will likely get you killed. Speaking of Ruby, you have to find her. It'll be great to spend a little alone time. You've been hanging out with Ruby a lot, but most of the time someone else is there. You have absolute intension to bring her on some sort of date, but school has gotten in the way immensely. Though Ruby never seems to care. She just enjoys spending time with you no matter what you're doing with her. It makes it easier on you since you don't have to plan too much, but you still want to treat Ruby the best you can.

You enter the building and look around the red hooded huntress-in-training. Unfortunately the building is large and Ruby isn't directly in sight. You sigh at the small inconvenience, but you won't let that keep you down. You slide your hands into your pockets and wander the library looking for your girlfriend. You spot Pyrrha and Jaune studying, but you don't bother them. As much fun as it would be to chat with your friends, that's not your goal at the moment. Maybe you and Ruby can loop around and chat with them after.

Soon enough, on the second floor, you find Ruby holding a book, standing in the aisle. You walk up to her, though she doesn't notice you as she's so into the book she's reading. You step behind her and tap her shoulder. Ruby turns to see who tapped her, but nobody's there.

"Huh..." She mumbles.

She looks back to her book, but now you're standing in front of her, smiling.

"That was you, wasn't it?" Ruby smiles, starting to glow from the joy of being around you.

You shrug, looking as innocent as you can.

"Meh, maybe. Could have been anything. So, what do you got, there?" You ask, looking at her book.

"Oh! Actually, this is what I wanted to talk to you about!" She excitedly says. "I've been reading this book, and it has a bunch of people dress up in silly costumes and do some weird stuff. I thought it'd be fun if we did it!"

You reach for the book.

"May I?"

She nods, handing you the literature. Your eyes breeze over the page, just taking in the jist of what its supposed to be.

"So... like, what sort of costumes? And what weird stuff?" You inquire, flipping through the pages.

"Well, nothing major. Like, animals and characters from books, video games, or shows! Come on, wouldn't dressing up be fun!" She squeals, obviously excited about her idea.

"That does sound intriguing. I could finally fulfill my dream of being a- OOOOH!" An idea lights up in your head. "We have to get everyone else to do it! Maybe make a night out of it or something."

Ruby enthusiastically nods.

"Yeah! They have to dress up too, though."

"Of course. Especially Dylan. Especially... Dylan," you smile deviously, a terrible, beautiful plan sparking in your mind. "Alright Little Red, I'm on board," you nod, tossing her the book. "I'm sure whatever games that's included will be fun. We should go tell everyone."

Ruby pounces you, forcing you into a hug.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're going with this! I was worried it might hurt that 'masculine pride' you always talk about, but Weiss says that's non-existent, so," she tilts her head cutely.

"Yeah, I'm just... wait... for me or everyone?"

"Just for you," she answers truthfully.

"I'm... really masculine," you whisper, pouting.

Ruby smiles, gets on her tippy toes and pecks you on the cheek.

"I know."

The sudden act Ruby performs surprises you, forcing you to blush. Ruby giggles at your change.

"Revenge for all the times you make me flustered," she proudly says, putting her hands at her hips and puffing out her chest.

"You just caught be off guard, don't get used to it," you roll your eyes. "Besides, I'm far more confident than you are."

"What? No way! I-"

You quickly swoop in, planting your lips on hers in a gentle kiss. Her eyes widen, her white cheeks go red instantly, and her heart beats faster than her semblance. Before she can come to terms with what's happening, you break away from her leaving her a flustered mess.

"See, you're worse than I am," you chuckle.

"That was a cheap shot!"

"You enjoyed it."

"That's... not the point," Ruby reluctantly says, soon smiling at you.

You smile back her, then rustle her hair.

"Come on, let's go force this idea on everyone else."

Ruby nods at the idea, beaming.

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"A... what?" Dylan asks in pure confusion.

"Like a dress up party?" Yang asks with a smirk, getting into the idea.

You and Ruby have gathered Dylan, the rest of her team, and team JNPR in your room, since you have the most space of all three dorms. You are standing on your bed while Ruby stands on Dylan's, in a very presentative fashion, though Dylan is slightly annoyed of the dirt Ruby's getting on his bed sheets. This presentative fashion is further enforced since you asked your friends to sit on the floor as you talk about it. Nora, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake followed that order. Dylan and Weiss remain standing because they refused to sit, and Yang is standing in excitement.

"Yeah! We dress up as a bunch of stuff and make a night out of it!" Ruby cheers.

"We do have a few days until the weekend, so we can get materials for costumes or costumes themselves," you explain. "It could be fun. Get some snacks, soft drinks, and Ruby has a few ideas for games."

"Hm... that does sound like a good time," Pyrrha agrees.

"Can I be a pancake?" Nora asks, beginning to bubble.

"I... I mean, if you want to," you shrug.

"YEAH! Ren! We're making costumes!"

Nora grabs Ren's arm and plows out of your room like a bulldozer. Everyone looks out your door for a moment.

"Right... well, it seems like everyone is on board. If you're not... well you have to deal with her," you point to Ruby as she scans her friends' faces. "So take some time to get some costumes ready. I expect some creative stuff, people!"

Ruby hops off Dylan's bed and marches to the door.

"Alright team RWBY! Let's get costumes!" She chants.

"But we have homework," Weiss interjects.

"I have reading to do," Blake adds.

"I SAID COSTUMES!" She shouts, pointing out the door.

Weiss and Blake moan as they're lead out the door by Ruby. Jaune, Pyrrha, and you chuckle at Ruby's leading skills and enthusiasm for this cause. The two from JNPR get off the floor.

"We'll be ready for the weekend. I can't wait to see what you two come up with," Jaune says. "I think I'll be a charming prince from fairy tales," Jaune flaunts.

"Well, you're not far off now," you joke. "Well, I'll see you in class tomorrow!"

Jaune and Pyrrha wave as they leave your dorm, closing it behind you. You turn to Dylan, a smile on your face and a frown on his. A true ying and yang.

"Don't worry Dylan, I have a costume idea for you already."

"Why? What is it?"

You respond with no words – only a devious smile.

Alright, I want to get something clear: this story is absolutely non-cannon to Crimson Shadow. The timing of this story doesn't coincide with any of the events or chapters in Crimson Shadow. The only chapter correlation is that this is after chapter twenty, so Ruby and Slater are together. Other than that, it's a self-contained story. Also don't take it too seriously. This is just a fun Halloween Special, so don't be too uptight about details and such. I already have all important details thought out.

Anyway, I'll be releasing these for the next few days leading up to Halloween. Yes, I already have the entire story done. Why aren't I releasing it all at once? Cause I don't want to. And yes, these chapters will be shorter than my usual chapters for Crimson Shadow. Again, this is just a fun little story. I don't intend to put a TON of time into it.

You know, the original idea for the Halloween Special was far different. Golden can attest to that. Had some goo that controlled people, Salem, and... well... it was a little inappropriate. I may actually write that one day, as it's also just a joke story. But who knows. This is a better idea for a Halloween Special. To those who want to know the basic idea of what that other one was... well, I'll say it was inspired by what little I know of Slithering Darkness. That should give you more than enough of an idea of what I may have been planning.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this short story. Who knows, this may surprise you. Honestly there's going to be something here that I wish I could put in Crimson Shadow.

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