RWBY 1. Chapter 1 The Zombie man

The Zombie Man

Notes: the idea for Max came from episode 2 of RWBY when a shadow man walks behind yang looking like a zombie.

p.s. Dear reader this is my first attempt at a fanfic but I hope you like it. The goal is to help explain a lot of smaller details left out by Monty. Hopefully my variation makes sense.

Red…..

**Only such a color can raise many thoughts and feelings, or the illusion of feelings.**

The cool spring air fills my lungs as I sit contentedly upon the roof, sitting relaxed and seemingly at peace for the first time in quite a while. But therein lays the reasoning behind my thoughts as I fondly remember back to just a few months previous.

I had been sitting at this tiny night club in downtown vale literally bored out of my gourd, (seeing as my friends had ditched me earlier for some bar room bimbos and my sister needed to go to bed)But having no further plans I just sat alone…..that was until I jump with a start as a boisterous young woman slid beside me, and shouted to the barkeep.

"BARHOP STRAWBERRY SUNRISE ON THE DOUBLE…OH AND ONE OF THOSE LITTLE UMBRELLA THANGS."

Slowly I turned to look at this newcomer and I was not disappointed in what I saw. The girl was dressed casually with a hint of badass biker, she had a brown leather jacket and matching knee high boots, an orange scarf wrapped lazily around her neck and not-so-short shorts.

But all good things must end, and I quickly lost sight of her as a mane of thick yellow locks slam into my face, knocking me off the stool.

She turned toward the sound of impact not sure what was going on behind her. Looking down she discovers a young man sprawled on the floor behind her, apparently having landed hard on his ass. Yang looked him over with a practiced eye. Trying to sit up and regain some dignity was a guy maybe around his early 20's, he looked about 6 and half feet tall and had an average build not overly muscly but defiantly well-toned. He sported a simple outfit, blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a white over shirt, as well as clean but worn sneakers. But there was more, he had emerald hued eyes, slender fox ears and a pooffy foxtail colored amber fading to black near the tip.

She offered a cocky smirk, what her sister would call "evil" but it wasn't…ok yes it was but still she might actually have a decent night for once.

By this point the bartender didn't look amused, he actually looked pissed. "Yang I've told you before not to come back in here, not after the damage you caused last time. Hell it took my DJ Bear a month to recover."

I reached up and grab the stool, using it to bring me back to my feet.

Upon seeing me stand the bartenders demeanor changes drastically. "Max I apologize if this young..." he looks to Yang "...Lady caused you harm in anyway."

I shake my head both to clear it and to deny the man. "Eddy it's quite alright and I'll pay for her drink tonight if it's alright with you." Yang's lilac eyes widen happily even as the barkeeps demeanor sours further. "Fine" he says. "But it's your ass pal. If she causes another scene, I'll have you pay me for the damages." I roll my emerald eyes and chuckle "Eddy you seem to forget I'm the reason you own this dump in the first place." From this, the crowd that has begun to gather erupted into laughter, even Eddy's expression softened.

I retake my seat upon the stool smiling as I turn my eyes to her "Your name's Yang right?" She takes a seat beside me and offers a small smile. "Yeah that's right and yours?" she asks me a little too innocently. I answer her with a knowing smile "you can call me Fuchs." Her expression changes rapidly from confusion to amusement. "Fucks?" She asks. "As in a lot?"

I honestly didn't think I could face palm that hard…damn it hurt

I sigh explosively as I try hard to ignore the places her mind went. "You know what Yang just call me Max ok?" She smiles once more, before her drink finally gets placed before her. Her soft smile falters before she yells at the barkeep once more with a soft pout. "Oi Eddy you forgot my little umbrella thing." .

"Don't think to push your luck girl." He sets the drink down in front of her and stomps off again. I smile to myself as I begin to take a healthy swig from my lukewarm beer. I groan and make a face at the bitter taste. "What a shame I was looking forward to finishing that." I casually toss the bottle behind the counter and into the trash.

Yang looks at me and offers a kind enough smile before she politely asks "So tell me MAX what are you doing here all alone? Hoping to hook up with some chicks?" she laughs as she finishes her sentence causing me to make another goofy face at her. "No no nothing so sinister. My little sister just got accepted to beacon so we were out celebrating when they all hooked up with some friends or something and left me here. You showed up soon after." I look to her as her eyes widen softly. "What did I say something bad?" She shakes her head quickly as she swallows a little of her drink. "No not at all in fact I came here for basically the same thing but I'm the one who got accepted." She offers me a proud toothy grin and I can't help but stare and think _'how did this hyper girl get in in the first place. She seems too carefree.' _My thoughts must have been worn on my face as she begins to glare at me and I thought I saw a flicker of red in her eyes. I smile and laugh nervously, placing my hand behind my head. "Sorry Yang you just caught me off guard is all." Her expression softens a little as she speaks softly, looking at her drink with her hands in her lap. "Its fine max." her expression changes to one of mischievousness. "But if you want me to feel better why don't we see who can drink the most." '_Yup to carefree not that this will be hard though.' _I smile at her as I calculate the odds. "Forgive me Yang but I doubt you can out-drink me but what the hell you're on.

So we sat, over the next 6 hours we both downed drink after drink. _'damn thish is bad even my thouts are ssslured'_ I look to her and realize she doesn't even look tipsy and I feel like I'm about to lose my dinner. She looks back at me and smiles, realizing I've had way too much. "Come on bud I'll take ya home. Oh yeah where is home anyway?" I hiccup softly."Beeeacon." I unconsciously draw out the words before I begin to pass out.

She shakes her head softly. '_Damn how do I get him to beacon like this?'_ her thoughts were interrupted as her scroll begins to ring _We will we will rock you everybod-. _She looks down and picks up the phone, pulling it open she greeted with a sight of her dear sister Ruby. "Hey sis what's goi-." "YANG" Ruby shouts. "THERE WAS THIS FIGHT AT THE STORE AND-. Yang holds up her hand to stop the girl, they were in public after all." Sis its ok calm down and stop yelling ok? What happened?" Yang watched as her sister took a deep breath and began again. "There was a fight at the store tonight. Some guys came in to rob the place and me but I beat them up. However one guy shot at me with this cane thing but I dodged it. I chased him onto the roof and he almost killed me but a huntress lady saved me. But now I'm at the police station and need a ride." By the time she finished she was shouting again and yang had to pretend her ears weren't bleeding. "Sis did somebody give you cookies again?" she hoped not otherwise ruby would take hours to calm down. "Yeah sis that's the best part. Professor Ozpin gave them to me and even invited me to beacon."

That's the last I heard of the conversation before I finally passed out. I vaguely remember a taxi and being dumped onto a very hard surface. When I awoke a few hours later, it was to the sound of wind and a news report about the White Fang. I attempted to sit up, but it felt like a death stalker was clawing my brain. I groaned as I lay back down and tried not to puke. "This is going to be a really long day" I complain to no one in particular. I hear a soft gagging sound off to my left and I open my eyes just briefly to see a blonde haired man run off holding his mouth. I chuckle to myself despite my pounding head "I feel you man I really do." I force myself to sit up and get another wave of pain for my troubles.

The airship lurched to the right a little bit as it began its wide swing to dock with the platform. Heavy clamps grab ahold of the ship and a long ramp descends to deposit its passengers. I take a few minutes to gather myself and force myself to stand. Groaning softly I step onto the ramp and slowly walk down. Upon reaching the platform I look up and see a familiar tangle of blonde hair and a young girl with a red cape. I groan to myself and let my arms hang as I walk along. My heads down and my back is hunched. I feel like death. I shuffle past yang easily and continue the long walk back toward my room.

_'Oh sweet hot water how thou doth understand me.'_ Only thoughts of a hot shower and a long sleep fill my mind as I reach the main entrance. The smell of strong coffee however is enough to cause a slight detour. I walk around the corner, and the smell of coffee grows stronger. I finally reach the machine and sigh, there's only enough for one cup, however no one else is around so what the hell. I grab a cup and pour the contents of the pot into it, there's only ¾ of a cup but it will do. I take a seatand sip on the hot drink as a familiar form shambles in. I nod and grunt to professor Ozpin and hold my drink up in a small greeting "mughhh" says I. he chuckles and shakes his head. "Were you out partying again Max? I wouldn't be surprised seeing as today is Velvets first day." I choke on my drink as a surge of adrenaline courses through my veins. "Oh crap I forgot, have you seen her professor" he shakes his head and laughs softly. "Sorry max I have not however I'm sure she will be at the orientation in a few hours. I recommend you go get cleaned up and rest. I have a little work for your group today and I need you alert." I close my eyes and slow my breathing, forcing myself to calm down. "Yes Sir will do." As I take my leave around the corner I hear professor Ozpin sigh and grunt "… there's no more coffee. It's going to be one of those days." I smile to myself and hurry onward to my dorm.

The sun is setting and my butt is numb from sitting all day. The memory leaving me as I hear something hit the door hard. I smile to myself and turn around as the door to the rooftop crashes open. Suddenly I'm engulfed in a cloud of blond hair and with a muffled yelp I land on my back. "Sorry Max" says the girl laying on my chest. I look down and blush the hair out of the way to reveal the love of my life. I sit up cradling her and chuckling "its ok Yunna next time be more careful I thought it was yang trying to kill me again. She just laughs at this and climbs off me offering me a hand up. "C'mon bud its dinner time and riley made dinner tonight." '_Things are just now getting intense. These moments won't last forever so let's make them last as long as possible before its time to fight again._

Thoughts such as these often fleet through his mind in these moments of tranquility.


	2. Chapter 2 No Mercy for You

No Mercy for You

Notes: The idea for team MRCY came from the interactions with my peers at school.

The smell of freshly seared salmon fills my nostrils making my mouth water. I take a look around and see my team mates sitting around, and enjoying conversation with my favorite people. Team RWBY sits across from Cheyenne listening to him tell his stories from lighthouse. A combat school on the island of menagerie "Dudes you were like whoa, and I was like WHOA and you were like…whoa". I laugh to myself and take Yunna's hand into my own. We take a seat across from Weiss and Blake who are both in the process of grooming. Weiss polishing her nails….again. And Blake keeps fidgeting with her bow. I know why but it seems the others are unaware of her heritage. My ears twitch softly as the sound of sizzling food grows closer. I turn to look and I see my team mate clad in her usual attire, a leather duster, blue jeans, and boots. Riley Doesn't seem like the type to be a good cook or even caring, but we all know she has a heart….somewhere. For some reason she really takes care of Yunna. It's actually kind of cute. See Yunna had lost her sight when she was smaller. Her father used to beat her badly but this was the worst. He actually stabbed her eyes with dust crystals. It still pains me to think what she went through, but she's happy and that makes me happy. Weiss finally addresses me "So Max I heard you were off day dreaming again. Maybe you were thinking about how you almost got me and Ruby killed?" Her attitude still hasn't changed much, but at least she's talking to me again. I can see distrust of fauness in her eyes yet she's willing to tolerate me, but why. I have no idea. "actually I was thinking about how I met you all. Especially how bad my hang over was after yang drank me into the ground." From this Yang laughs at me. "Hey I'm not the one who chose vodka shooters." We all have a good laugh at that. Riley finishes setting out the food and takes a seat on my right. The food smells delicious and I pick up my fork and take a bite. It seems to melt in my mouth. "HEY" we all look to the energetic Ruby who's pointing an accusing finger at me. "He reached for the food first. He says grace" I sigh and close my eyes. I forgot that a few weeks ago Yang actually suggested this as a form of punishment for those with a healthy liking of food. That meant me.

The food was good, but the company was better. Soon however I was left with the dishes (Like I am every night) which needed to be scrubbed, rinsed and put away. As I grab the sponge my mind begins to wander back to my memories. I last left off after professor Ozpin had run out of coffee and I was still hung over.

The cup was still steaming in my hand by the time I open my dorm room door. The room was comfortable and spacy, partly because we had actually built proper bunk beds. Sitting below my bed was Cheyenne who was quietly typing away on his scroll probably writing a new song. Strung halfway across our room was a thick curtain, which served to separate the girls from us guys. I hear a soft impact them shuffling as Yunna walked past me to the bathroom. Her hair was a wreck and her nightgown was wrinkled. If you're asking yourself "Why would you let a blind girl sleep on the top bunk?" well we'll get there in a minute. As the door shuts the curtain is pulled back to reveal a nude female just sitting there waking up. Even after a year as her team mate I'm still surprised at how pale she is, and the fact that she doesn't seem to care that she's naked in front of a few guys. I avert my gaze as I go to our little pantry and remove a bottle of pain killers. I down a few with my coffee and offer the rest to the still groggy Riley. She takes the cup and opens her eyes a little. "Is it black?" she asks. I nod, and she downs the rest in a few big gulps. I remove my shirts and shoes before climbing up onto my bunk. I wrap myself in my cozy blanket and even slip on my blindfold (hey I'm a fauness, we have sensitive eyes) before I try to sleep…..but it wasn't meant to be.

"Heeyyy Broseff whats happenin"

Oh for the love of all that's sacred, keep me from killing this poor fool this day.

"What do you want Cheyenne" I ask a little angrily. If he heard my shortness he gave no sign as he continued. "I heard you hooked up with a little hottie bro. c'mon what's her name? Is she cute? Does she have big boobs? Does she—"he shuts up real quick when riley gets pissed. Which doesn't happen often. But this time her angry aura was guided at me. I swallow the lump in my throat and roll over to see a fuming Riley staring at me with burning red eyes. Her voice was calm and level but dripping with hatred. I wanted to die right there. "You went out with a girl? Even though I told you Yunna likes you? You are the lowest sort of man, I will…." We never found out what she'd do because I interrupted her. This time my temper taking hold. "I didn't go out with her. I went out with my buddies and velvet to celebrate her getting in. they all left me and then yang showed up and we talked. Shes a new student here as well. We drank until I passed out. I woke up on the ship and now I'm here trying to sleep off a hangover. Thank you so much for your consideration" by the end of my speech I was yelling at her, and my head was pounding. She turned away and went to her closet to dress in silence as I rolled back over to try and sleep.

A few hours of rest was just what the doctor ordered. I awoke feeling a lot better, not 100% but at least I could open my eyes without dying. I sit up and look around the room. Cheyenne was in our arm chair passed out with his headphones on. Yunna was sitting quietly next to Riley, listening to her read a book. I jump to the floor and stretch out, listening as all my joints pop and creak. Riley stops reading mid-sentence and looks up at me. "Hey the party animals outta bed" if it had been any other human to call me an animal they would be eating food through straws. But it was Riley and this game was nothing new. I shrug nonchalantly and make my way to my closet to grab my wash products, and my towel. I walk in and close the door and turn on the hot water.

She sat quietly leaning on Riley's shoulder, listening to her read. However her thoughts wavered to what she overheard. Riley had told him. She promised not to but she had. She wasn't angry, not really, but she was deeply upset. He had known how she felt yet he had done nothing different towards her. Did he not feel that way for her? Was it because she was blind? She just wished she could melt and hide in the floor boards with how she felt. He didn't care.

He stood in the shower not sure what to think. The argument he had with Riley still bothered him. Not because they argued. They do that all the time. No what she said about Yunna struck him. He knew how she felt. He felt the same towards her, but he's a fauness. Humans and fauness don't date. He didn't want her to stand out anymore then she already did.

I turn off the water and stand there in regret as the warm embrace leaves me cold surrounded by porcelain. Grabbing my towel I dry off and slide into new clothes. Baggy jeans, a white t shirt and my padded boots. I wipe down the shower then step out into the now empty room. I store my soap in my closet and throw my clothes into the clothes bin. I take another look around the room and realize it's going on 2:30. I bolt from my room and run down the hall. I reach into my pocket and grab my scroll. I pull up team MRCY and make a call. The phone rings and three separate voices answer. "Hey it's me we have a meeting with Ozpin in 10 Min. I overslept and I'm running there now." Yunna pipes up and speaks through the phone "We know Max we are all sitting her waiting on you. By the way just a heads up, team FBLE is here as well. I slide to a stop, my breath caught in my throat. "Team FBLE is there as well? Why?" Yunna chuckles a little "I don't think it's bad but just be on your best behavior ok I know you have issues with Lee." The call ends and I collapse the screen. With renewed energy I run even faster now wondering why Ozpin wanted to see both MRCY and FBLE.

Several minutes tick by before the door to the admin office burst in, allowing a winded Max entry

I take a look at the area around me and notice team FBLE is nowhere nearby and my team isn't either. The receptionist politely motioned me over and pointed behind her. MRCY is meeting with Ozpin now go on in. I smile and thank her as I take care to open the door quietly. Inside I see my team mates seated around a thick mahogany desk. The desk is strewn with papers and dirty coffee cups. The office of the most important man in the world was nowhere near as organized and clean as people would have thought. I take my seat at the far right chair, sitting next to Riley. Professor Ozpin looked at each of us then spoke "This team has been performing very well over the last year and I believe it's time to send you on your first mission. First you as well as team FBLE will work together to clear the ball room for the initiates. Move the tables out of the way and just tidy the place up a bit. Your team has earned the right to assist me with the initiation test tomorrow. What I want you to do is a few things." We all sit with rapt attention, barely even breathing. This is a big deal for second years. "First I want you to sneak into Glynda's room and steal her imported chess set. Remember, failure is not an option." '_He wants us to do what! If she catches us we are so dead….' _"If you are discovered I had nothing to do with this. After you get the set I want you to contact me and we will go from there. You are alone on this mission due to team FBLE having to help off load cargo for tomorrows exercise." We all nod in understanding and prepare to stand. "Before you all leave would you all like some coffee?" we all nod eagerly, especially me since I had just woke up and was still a little tired. "Well looks like Max will be brewing us some wont he" says Ozpin. My entire team looks to me in confusion, hell even I'm confused. "This morning you took the last cup of coffee and didn't make any more. You know the rules. I sigh and nod as I grind up the grounds and place them in the filter.

I listen to my team mates as we discuss how to steal the chess set and Ozpin just listens in and offers advice. "Dudes we should just go like sneaky and stuff" says Cheyenne. '_Oh no kidding dumb ass'_ I speak up. "Well seeing as Glynda is giving a tour of the grounds at six she will be out of her room. However she will be protective of her set so we need to still be careful." Riley stands up and asks for permission to use the rest room. Ozpin nods and we all look at each other. Well I mean me and Cheyenne look at each other, Yunna is looking at a spot 6 inches to my right. We sit for another 30 Minutes discussing strategy before Riley reenters and places an extravagantly carved wooden box on Ozpins desk. I look at her in disbelief as the Professor opens the lid to reveal obsidian and gold chess pieces. Even Ozpin seems perturbed by it. "Well….that's a thing" said he. We all turn toward her and stare. "What I have to stay sane. At nights I sneak around and scout out the defenses and weaknesses of the campus. I had already broken into her room and new the set he wanted." I blink and shrug my shoulders. "Well there you have it Professor now what do we do?" I ask him. Strange, he reaches under his desk and with draws four equally wrapped packages, one for each of us. I look at him and cock an eyebrow. "What's this then is it Christmas?" he chuckles and tosses one at me. It has a big M written onto the front of it. These are for the next step. I ripped open the paper and discovered and older set of military fatigues and matching masks. I look around and see everyone has similar packages. "Those are for tonight trust me you'll need them. Meet me by beacon cliff tonight at 9."

We all leave his office a little confused and nervous. We walk along, speculating on what's next and by some unspoken agreement we end up by the cafeteria. As I walk in I see a very eager Yang chatting happily with the same small girl I saw earlier, and sitting not far from them is my little sister. I decide to get some food first before I walk over and take a seat next to my sis. "Hey sis how is your first day here?" she squeaked and jumped a little dropping her fork. "That still isn't funny brother" she complains giving me a small pout. I'm about to apologize when a voice cuts me off. "And who's this little bunny. Have you forgotten about me already?" I jump and turn around to see Yang right behind me looking mischievous as ever. My embarrassment must have been worn on my sleeve because even velvet starts in on me. "Oh so I see you did meet a wild one at the bar…that was a joke you know" I groan out loud as Yang starts to laugh. "So Max you get dumped by this one last night or what?" she points at Velvet. Now it's her turn to get embarrassed. " W-what n-no he's my brother eww." Well thanks for the ego blow sis ..

I swear yang really looks confused now. "but..but you're a bunny and he's a fox how…?" velvet just gets quiet and I begin to laugh. "We aren't related by blood really. My mom and her dad hooked up when I was still about 2 or 3. Almost a year later velvet was born. "Now Yang's mischievous look is back with a vengeance "Oh really? Well I guess velvys dad liked foxy ladies" '_I swear if I had a lien for every time I heard that pun'. _At this point my sis gets up and stomps away angrily. "What was it something I said?" I just shake my head and sigh. "We grew up hearing that a lot. It really bothered Velvet. Even so she put up with it up until dad died…. But now it really sets her off. Were I you I would be careful during the initiation. " now Yang just looks sad and for some reason I can't stand to see her like that. "c'mon take a seat I want to finish eating. She nods and takes a seat. " hey is it ok if I bring someone over here?" she asks. I nod and she motions to the same girl with the red cape to come over. Now that I get a good look at her she looks young…like really young. Her face still has that baby roundness to it and these big silver eyes. But her color scheme off sets all of it. She kind of reminds me of those tiny emo girls in anime. She takes a seat and smiles softly at me. "Your max right? Yang told me all about you last night and how you cant hold your liquor she even called you a puss…" Yang clamps a hand over her sisters mouth, but I already knew what she was going to say, so I round on Yang. " What sorry I was a little tipsy last night" she whines " plus after I picked up ruby she wouldn't shut up about that dust robbery so I had to tell her something" " hey all you had to do was ask me to stop" complained Ruby. Yang just scoffs, and begins an argument I had no interest in and discreetly I left.

It's 10:30 and my headache is back, the argument between Yang and Ruby had left me strung out and exhausted. I stand before Ozpin for the third time today, however this time my team and I were clad in our camo fatigues and leaf patterned face paint. Ozpin handed Yunna the case of chess pieces. "Team MRCY your objective is this. Place the chess pieces at the abandoned temple, then you will place bait around the main area to draw in the Grimm. Finally you are to camp within the woods tonight and at precisely 9:00 we will begin the test. You will follow and document each pairing for grading. They cannot see you and you cannot help them. Finally should…the unfortunate happen you are to bring the body or bodies back here to the cliff. Are you all ready? I look to my teammates and assess them. Riley's foot tapped and she only did that when she was eager to start. Cheyenne yawned calmly, that idiot could get hit with a fish and not be upset. Yunna actually was smiling, her unseeing eyes darting around as she listened to the life of the forest. I took a deep breath through my nose and pulled down my glasses. " We are ready Sir." We each bend at the knees as Professor Ozpin nodded to some unseen person before, as one each platform literally tossed us off the cliff.

I jump with a start as a voice appears behind me ripping me from my memory. I rinse the current dish in my hand and chuckle as I set in the drainer before turning around to see Nora standing behind me." Sorry did I scare you?" she asks. "No no I was just day dreaming is all. How are you tonight Nora?" She shrugs and remains silent, the first sign that something was wrong. "Well Ren and I had a fight. It was over something stupid to." I cock my eyebrow at her and she looks at her feet "Well I thought it was stupid." I chuckle a little as I dry my hands and turn to give her my full attention. "What did you do this time huh? Did you put more pink in his hair?" I ask playfully. She shakes her head and scratches her head. "Well I uh used some of his black dust to refill a few of my spent shells, but it turns out that dust was a gift from his grandfather who saved it from the war." She looks at me sheepishly. I whistle softly and try to hide my shock. "Well um that would explain it properly. How do you plan to fix it this time?" She shakes her head and shrugs as tears well up in her eyes." I honestly have no idea what to do can you help me max?" I sigh and nod softly. "I'm sure I can think of something just give me a little time ok?"

Sweet lord how did I end up being that guy? And what's more when did I start quoting Weiss?


	3. Chapter 3 Nevermore

Nevermore

It's been a couple of days since Nora Valkyrie came to me for help. It seems she had used a canister of Rens black dust. Turns out that the dust belonged to his grandfather who kept it after his service in the fauness war.

I lay in my bunk taking deep breaths as I turn over new possibilities and ideas, each one more in depth than the last. The oriental New year is approaching in a month. Perhaps we can make something happen then. I hear my bed creak as I turn over and lay my eyes on the curtain separating the girls half from our half of the room. Riley had been staying in team JNPR's room since Nora was afraid to face Ren, and rightly so. However the arrangement had soon become an issue. We all cared for her as a friend, that's why she was asleep in Rileys bed in the first place, But we could only tolerate so much hyperness. I thought Yang was bad….my studies have definitely began to suffer the consequences of late nights and lots of coffee.

I looked over at the clock and noticed it was a little past two in the morning. I sigh and roll over looking at the bland ceiling before I begin to smile to myself. It was just this time a couple of months ago that I met what later became team RWBY and JNPR.

The night air rushed past my face as we flew through the sky above the Emerald Forest. The peaceful serenity that surrounded the woods was shattered with the sound of gunfire and hollering. Pure joy highlighted yunna's smooth face as she sailed along, following closely behind Riley. Cheyenne and I fell in formation behind them awaiting the maneuver we had perfected together the previous year. Riley spread her arms out to slow her decent a little before pulling Yunna close to her. With a wave of her dust powered wand the air beneath them shimmered and solidified to a massive sheet of ice. Behind them Cheyenne and I landed and began to slide along as Riley adjusted the tilt causing all four of us to slide along. With another wave the ice became a slithering serpent that twisted and curved and arced downward. I hollered with joy as the wind whipped my face and the speed pushed my heart into the red line with adrenaline. Cheyenne whooped beside me and I turned to look. "Check it out bro.. hand stand." I wish I was making this up, he was literally on his hands guiding himself along the ice. His gloved palms sliding quickly along. I laugh heartily as I look forward to see yunna doing ballet style twirls and flourishes, landing each with a liquid grace. Riley just smiled softly, a rare act of itself yet what happened next was a miracle. She began to laugh as she twirled her wand once more and the course got more complicated. We flipped and leaped from one separate column of ice to the other. From the ground we knew it would look like an exotic dance between snakes suspended in the air. It was a beautiful sight.

My rough boots slid along the glassy ice, and with the persistence of an Olympic speed skater I pumped my legs before a large jump, and once in the air what seemed in slow motion I completed a graceful back flip before landing on the back side of another column. Riley gave me that look and I knew we could have a little more fun. With a flick of her wand the twin columns began to spiral downward with several direction changes. The column I rode on closed rapidly with the column Riley rode. With a flick of her hand her wand was stored and we slid evenly spaced apart and spinning around each other. With a lunge I launch my left hand toward her chest hoping to knock her off balance, but she was ready. With a flick of her arm she knocked my clumsy attack away before spinning around and launching a round house at me. I caught her foot and spun her around to face me. Our arms become a massive blur of strikes and counter attacks. Each of us to evenly matched to land more than glancing blows. Our laughter echoes as we slide around the ice tunnel and even our auras seem to match in frequency causing the ice to glow in a myriad of colors.

Suddenly the echoes begin to die out and we knew we were reaching solid ground. Riley and I disengage and she produces her wand again to produce a large section of ice for us to slow down on. As we each take turns shooting from the tunnel we each employ our own strategy to slow down. I kneel down a little and drag one foot behind me like a professional skater. Riley basically did the same but also slid on her knees. Yunna slid across on her but laughing the whole time and Cheyenne…well was on his face..as we all slid to a stop I turned a 360 to ensure we were safe before helping my team up. Once we stepped free of the ice I turned to look at the path we had taken down. I was not disappointed. The columns we rode in on spelled out our team name Mercy in smooth cursive arcs. The tunnel we slid out of formed the bottom stroke of the Y. it looked beautiful….in an egotistical sort of way.

I look and offer a small clap to Riley for such beautiful artwork, but all things must end and I enticed her to get rid of it. We couldn't allow the initiates access to it. That would not only be cheating but we would get in trouble as well. So with a flick of her wand the icy name burned golden. The melting ice began to drip and we double timed it away from the crumbling ice.

My ears swiveled around slowly as I strained to listen to anything that might be a danger. It had been a little over an hour since we landed in the woods, and so far we had killed a few deer and began to place the meat at various locations around the area of the temple. Yunna and Riley were stringing up the meat to hang from a tree. Having finished the grisly task, we set out on our way toward the old temple. Yunna came up to me and held my hand but this was a part of a system we worked out long ago. See Yunna's semblance allowed her to make physical contact and use the others senses to her advantage. As she held my hand she could smell what I smelled and hear what I heard, but the most magical thing, she could see what I could see. Being a fauness carries a distinct number of advantages such as a keen sense of smell and even the ability to detect auras, but we also have night vision, an aspect that was not lost on Yunna. She smiled softly as I looked around taking in all the vibrant colors and sights. We top a small rise to see the old temple we visited one year ago. A lot has changed over the last year…but this place, it's almost as if time stops here. As a team we walk into the center of the structure and notice that there were 16 pedestals. Yunna unlocked the case and we took a look inside. All 32 pieces were accounted for but we decided that given the amount of pedestals we wouldn't need the pawns. So Yunna and I set about putting the black pieces on the right side and Riley and Cheyenne set about placing the white pieces. All was going well until we ran into a bit of a problem. As each team of two found the temple they were to grab one relic and those that got the same type were placed into their four member teams. However as we looked at the pieces we discovered an issue. There was only one king and queen for each color. And the answer came from an unexpected source. Cheyenne spoke up and said to use pawns instead of the kings and queens. We all agreed but thought that whatever team grabbed the pawns would feel horrible, but given the circumstances we had to improvise. As the last pieces were placed we all heard an ear splitting roar from above. Only I could see it for what it really was. A large raven took flight from the nearby cliffs, the thing was so massive it blotted out the stars as it flew off to the east and away from us. Yunna looked to me a little worried and rightly so. "Was that a Nevermore?" she asked. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded, forgetting that no one could see me. "Yeah it was. Probably the biggest one I have ever seen." Riley speaks up from my left "Do you think that's what Ozpin had team FBLE delivering?" a chill crept down my back as I thought of my sister having to deal with that thing.

I sat on the soft jungle loam looking around and listening to my team snore softly. I look up into the tree we decided to camp in and saw Cheyenne sprawled across two branches and sleeping soundly. Yunna was sitting with her back to the trunk and my jacket tied around her legs to keep her from falling. I turn my attention back to our little campfire, poking it with a stick. Riley sat sprawled out to my right looking up to the stars. I cough softly and shift around to get more comfortable. Looking to Riley I speak softly "You know we need to talk about something right?" she sighs softly and sits up. "Yeah I know we do but I was hoping we could forget it." '_Yeah right like that will happen' _I look to her and shake my head. "You know how I feel Riley. I mean put yourself in my shoes. You know I care for her. I always have. But how am I supposed to feel. She's human, I'm not. How would she possibly be happy with a life like that?" Riley just sits there looking at me before she scoffs "you're a real idiot sometimes ya know that? Do you think she cares about what people think? All her life she's had to listen to what people think and I can tell you she really doesn't care anymore. All she wants is to be happy. Are you going to deny her that? Cause I think she's earned that right at least." I look down unable to come to terms with my feelings. "Alright I'll talk to her but it needs to wait. We aren't outta the woods yet." She chuckles softly at my unintentional pun and stands up. "I'm going to go get a little more fire wood you need to get some rest ill wake you in a few hours if all stays safe. I nod and smile as I lay upon the soft ground using my hands as pillows I quickly nod off and begin to dream of ice and fire.

My Scroll goes off at 8:00 but we are already up and about. The night had proved basically uneventful. Besides my talk with Riley nothing more had happened. So there we sat eating a small breakfast of fish I had caught earlier during my watch. After we ate we doused the fire and buried the coals and ash so as to hide the evidence of our stay. Around 8:30 we started walked toward the area where we all came to our landing earlier in the night." Alright guys I think we should split up and focus on each pair that forms up. Remember we can't interact with them at all unless we want Ozpin to be in charge of our punishments. They all nod back to me and I motion to each one. Cheyenne I want you to take that eastern area. With the temple in the middle we don't need to worry about the south because that leads back to the cliffs. Riley and Yunna I want you to take the west. Ill hurry up and take the northern area. Remember the groups will end up scattered so if you see anyone you follow them because they will eventually pair up alright? I get three individual nods and I smile back at them. Alright use your scrolls to record everything don't let them out of your sight. We will be streaming live feeds straight to Ozpin and Goodwitch good luck and happy hunting.

We all spread out to our predetermined locations. Behind me rests the temple, just a short jog from where I sit. I look up and climb the large tree behind me. I gently peak my head up through the limbs and I get a good vantage of the cliffs. Even from this distance I can see movement above. I activate the team wide frequency on my scroll. I speak into the receiver, updating my team that the initiates are in position. I move to put the scroll away when my foot slips and I fall a few feet downward. I land on a thick branch which in return dislodges a heavy crow's nest. The nest plummets to the earth but the mother bird takes flight and caws at me as it flies in the general direction of the cliffs. I shake my head and climb back up. Peaking my head up I see multiple colors arcing toward the ground. One patch in particular catches my eye. A female clad in a black dress with a red cape…its Ruby. I watch as she pulls out her weapon and even from this distance I can see its bulk. As she falls she begins firing multiple rounds in order to slow her decent. But just as she was about to disappear into the tree line I see the crow I angered fly up to meet this small girl. I hear a gun shot and see a poof of feathers and I stifle a chuckle. Then more sound reaches my sensitive ears. It sounded sad. "Birdie nooooo" I knew immediately that voice belonged to Ruby and felt a little bad for her. But then a new sight caught my eye and I turned to see a yellow blur fly along the tree tops. Multiple gunshots fired behind the form and I realized, all I was seeing was Yang's hair as she was using her gun shots to propel herself closer towards my location. My eyes widen in horror as I see Yang set herself up for a flip. Suddenly he's staring down the barrels of her shotgun gauntlets. "Alley oop" says she as she fires hitting the limbs beside me and pelting me with splinters. One in particular piecing my cheek. I grunt and pull the shard of cedar from my face and winces as I tastes blood through the hole. The bad bit is that I cant safely activate my aura due to the initiates. I'm not sure which one, but I knew another fauness was in the forest. Her aura sparked and flared as she ran along the trees. She was still young and clearly didn't expect another fauness in the woods. Otherwise she would hide her aura. Broken branches creak and snap under my feet as I climb back down the tree. I get halfway down before I hear voices. looking down I see Ruby walking along with a younger woman clad in white. I struggle to remain still as they walk below me, however I couldn't help but over hear their heated discussion. "IT MEANS YOU'RE A BIG STUPID JERK AND I HATE YOU!" '_Wow really she is a little kid' _I hear the white girl scoff "ughh just keep moving!" '_Wow and she's so stuck up. How the hell will these two work together?' _It seems their argument is over but with a roar Ruby unfolds her weapon '_HOLY SHIT IS THAT A SCYT-' _I hear the tree I currently occupy creak and begin to topple as Ruby cut clean through it with a single swing. It's a struggle not to make noise as I fall along with the tree to a bone jarring stop. I found out that a tree does indeed make a sound when it falls in the woods, it sounds like a groaning 23 year old fauness.

She tapped the back of Yunna's hand as their signal for her to wait here. The rattle of automatic gun fire drew her attention to a battle being waged nearby. She slowly stalked toward the sounds and witnessed a pitched fight. She reached into her pocket and withdrew her scroll and began streaming the live feed. It seems one of the initiates had stumbled upon a slumbering King Taigita. She watched in admiration as he slid along its back firing his weapons against the nearly impenetrable scales. She witnessed his skillful backflip to the landing on the snakes head and implanting his weapons into the things head. She winced softly '_damn to shallow kid'. _He looked up in shock as another Taigita struck at him, knocking him off his perch and separating him from his weapons. As he rolls upon the ground he struggles to regain his feet as the first snake struck. Riley gasped softly as she watched him about to die. She was about to withdraw her wand and strike the snake down, but the rookie was stronger than he looked. He caught the fangs bare handed, using his aura as a shield to absorb the impact, his body held up well but the ground beneath his feet shifted and cracked from the force of the attack. She zoomed in on his hands as they started to glow and he ripped the fangs free of their owner and pierced the Grimms eye. She watched impressed as he struck with an open palm causing to sink deeper into its head. The force of the strike so strong its head exploded, showering her position with bloody gore.

He followed her closely as she ran from tree to tree. He admired her graceful form as she leaped across thin branches. Her bow billowed softly in the wind and he struggled to keep up silently. The whole time he followed her he had his scroll trained on her as best he could. Suddenly she stops and turns looking directly at him. Seeing her soft smile he falters and trips on a broken branch before face planting into a questionable pile of debris. When he looks up she is long gone and only the sound of squirrels keeps him company. He regains his footing and runs in the general direction she went. Not much further he hears gun fire and assumes it's his query. He peeks through the bushes to see a blonde woman literally punching an ursa. With a grunt she punches the animal once more, sending it into the trees only to turn them into toothpicks. A second ursa rushes her in an attempt to capture her from behind. But she turned far faster than it anticipated and yelled right into its face. "WHAT YOU WANT SOME TO?" He keeps his scroll trained on the scene before him as he witnesses the girl he was chasing, drop behind the ursa and impale its skull with her weapon. The animal falls to the ground quite dead. As the dark clad female sheathes her weapon the blonde pipes up. "I could have taken him."

I groan softly and try to sit up but everything hurts. Hell I'm sure if it could my hair would be hurting right now. I pull myself from the felled tree only to discover a large black feather resting near my right hand. I look up expecting to see it right above me about to get a max sized meal, but all I see are more trees. I wipe the sweat off my brow and begin to track down Ruby and her new partner. Not that it was hard, Ruby's oversized weapon caused her shift more weight onto her heels which cause unique bends in the grass and depressions in dirt. As I near a clearing I see Ruby and the other girl taking a rest and drinking from the nearby creek. I pull out my scroll and begin filming their interactions. So far I'm not impressed. Ruby is avoiding eye contact with her companion like the plague, and the other one is giving Ruby such a cold shoulder I felt a little chill creep into my bones. Speaking of bones I take a moment to focus on myself and my plentiful injuries. Keep in mind dear readers I have only had about 6 hours of sleep between the last two days. on top of that I went through all of yesterday with a hangover. Then got thrown off a cliff, had a fist fight with my partner, almost got shot in the face, took plenty of splinters to my body and face, and even had 3 fractured ribs and a sprained ankle. Blood dripped down my cheek and pooled against the collar of my shirt as I sit and watch them. Suddenly the mood changes a little. I see Ruby look to her partner with a small look of sadness, then when Ruby isn't looking I see the other one look at her and I'd see her eyes soften a little. Perhaps I may be wrong, maybe they need a little more time to get to know each other. We all turn to look up as a loud screech fills the air. I didn't even need to look up to know it was the Nevermore. Instead I turn my attention back to the duo and this time I'm not disappointed. Ruby seems to have this spark in her eyes that only the innocent can carry, and the other seems a little shocked to see such a Grimm flying this close to Beacon. But what happened next, I don't think me or the other girl saw coming. Without a word Ruby grabs onto the others hand and pulls her close. "Grab on Weiss I have an idea." Weiss can't even begin to rebut before Ruby throws her over her shoulder and then unfurls her weapon. Up close I can see that the scythe is also a highly customizable .50 caliber sniper rifle. I keep my scroll trained on them and watch helplessly as Ruby leaps into the air with a screaming Weiss over her arm. "RUBY THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA". Ruby just smiles and pulls the trigger as she begins to guide their accent with the recoil from the high impact rounds. I zoom in as best I can and watch as Ruby not only closes with the bird but even grabs onto one of its massive talons.

I roll back over and look at the clock. 6:30. I sigh loudly and roll off my bunk. Being quiet I open the window just a crack in order to air out the room. I turn around and go to the small coffee maker sitting on one of our tiny fold out trays. I push a button and watch as it begins to brew. After that last hangover Riley had pitched in and bought us the coffee maker. It made the world a better place. After a quick shower and giving my teeth a good once over I slick back my scraggly hair and then go to wake my team. I touch Cheyenne's arm and speak softly. "C'mon bud it's time to get up we have class soon." The curtain rips open and Nora begins bouncing around the room. "Oh god what a lovely looking day. I wonder what we are having for breakfast. Class is going to be sooo fun toda-." I sigh and hold a hand over her mouth. I should know better than to give her coffee but in a few minutes it wouldn't be my problem. "Nora sit down drink this and for the love of all that's good be quiet for a few minutes." Normally id feel horrible for treating anyone like that but my patience had been worn thin. Despite my tone of voice Nora doesn't even care as she sits down and begins sipping on the hot drink. '_I swear it's like giving a bottle to a baby' _I make my rounds in the room and make sure Yunna gets up and Cheyenne takes his shower. I look to Nora and address her. "Nora I have to go. If the others ask tell them it's my sparring day ok." Without waiting for a response I grab my small duffle bag and head out. I jog lightly out of the dorms, I'm running a little late so to avoid waking the others I run lightly barely making any noise. I clear the building and run full tilt towards the training rooms. I enter the building and run straight for room 4, our predetermined meeting spot. I open the door cautiously and peek in. sitting against the far room is my sparring partner. she must not know I'm here because she is still reading her book. "Come on in Max your late." '_well there goes my theory'. _She closes her book and stands before me. Clad in her usual attire of blackish purple leggings and her white tank top. Her amber eyes rarely blink and without her customary bow she looks even more feral. Blake sets her book down and turns her attention back to me. "You know I'm still not comfortable with others knowing I'm a fauness. Not even my team mates know." I nod and shrug. " well for the training were doing you need to let yourself relax a little and learn to use that which makes you different.


End file.
