5

Chapter 5:

Present day:

The young woman's blonde hair, which streamed down past her waist, swayed back and forth as she made her way into the club. Her tan jacket was open just enough at the top to show off a generous portion of her cleavage, which was barely hidden by the yellow tube-top she wore beneath it. Said jacket also displayed a her toned stomach, emphasizing the lines of her body. The swaying of her hips with each step she took drew eyes to the tight black shorts she wore, and the knee-high boots that she displayed prominently with each strutting step she took. Her outfit was further accentuated by the orange scarf wrapped around her neck.

As such, with so much attention drawn to her body, very few would have noticed anything in particular about her arms. Bared by the short, puffed sleeves of her jacket, they were definitely muscular. Her hands were covered with fingerless gloves, while just above them were a pair of thick, gold bracelets on her wrists.

As she entered the main room of the club, she cast her eyes around, taking in her surroundings: the flashing strobes of light, the shifting colors of the backlit panels that made up the dance floor, the haze of artificial fog in the air. The club's layout and design were modern and hip. For most people, this was a place to cut loose with a few drinks and have some fun, dancing and swaying to the beat that pulsed through the air. But Yang Xiao Long was not most people.

Yang's posture and manner exuded confidence. Yang smiled as she took in her surroundings. For all that this was a good place for entertainment, it had other, more important, uses. Yang Xiao Long had a purpose. She was on the prowl, but not for a man, as most who saw her might have assumed, not in the way they would have thought, at least.

Instead, Yang's eyes zeroed in on the club's owner. She found him soon enough. Hei Xiong was not a hard man to spot, even in a place like this. He was a huge bear of a man, standing well over six feet tall. His close-cropped hair and neatly-trimmed beard definitely marked him as a man of business, as did the black vest over the white dress-shirt and red tie. Hei, better known as Junior, was the ideal person to run a place like this, looking clean and professional, yet also intimidating enough that people realized he was the sort who could, and did, deal harshly with anyone who caused trouble.

What many didn't know was that Junior was far more than a club-owner. He was also one of the most well-connected informants in Vale, with contacts throughout the Kingdom's underworld. If anyone in the Kingdom knew about the person Yang was looking for, it would be him.

When she spotted him, Junior was speaking with an orange-haired man in a white suit. He looked vaguely familiar to Yang, who thought she might have seen him somewhere before. Whatever their conversation was about, Junior didn't look happy with the outcome, slumping tiredly as the other man walked away. Junior made his way to his bar, dismissing the two gaudily-dressed girls who were checking on him. Seeing her chance, Yang made her move, taking a seat on the stool next to his.

She caught the eyes of the man behind the bar. "Strawberry Sunrise...no ice...Oh! And one of those little umbrellas,"

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, Blondie?" asked Junior, turning to look at her.

"And aren't you a little old to have a name like Junior?" Yang asked back in a teasing tone.

Junior huffed. "So you know who I am. You got a name, Sweetheart?"

Yang giggled coyly. "Yes, I have name. But, instead of Sweetheart, you can call me Sir!"

As she'd been speaking, Yang's hand had reached out and down. At the final word, it closed around the poor man's groin, Yang squeezing tightly as Junior's voice abruptly rose multiple octaves in pitch.

"Everyone knows that you've got the best information in Vale, so I want to know if you've seen this person?" said Yang, her voice now a fierce growl as she pulled out her scroll and brought up a picture of the person she was looking for.

Despite the pain of having his balls, quite literally, in a vice, Junior managed to take in the details of the girl in the picture. "Never seen her," he croaked.

"Pardon!" snapped Yang, squeezing tighter.

"Never seen her...Sir!" Junior wheezed out, before gasping in relief as Yang finally relinquished her grip on his crown jewels.

"Come on! Nothing?" asked Yang as Junior got up and walked away from the bar. "You're the best-informed person in the Kingdom. You must have something!"

"Well, there's nothing here," said Junior. "We don't deal in kids."

"What?" gasped Yang.

"What, was she kidnapped or something?" Junior asked.

"No!" exclaimed Yang. "She ran away."

"That so?" Junior raised an eyebrow. "If you handle her the way you handled me, can't say I blame her."

"Hey!" snapped Yang. "I'd never treat her like that. She ran away five years ago." Within her chest, the heat began to build along with her frustration. For the first time in five years, after spending every year at home, waiting for word from Qrow or her father about Ruby's fate, she was finally able to go out and start searching for herself. She'd even gone through the trouble of talking to an authentic underworld informant, and this was all it got her?

Junior stopped and turned to stare incredulously at Yang. Then he groaned, looking upward and massaging his temple. "Seriously, Blondie? She's been gone that long? And you think you can just look her up like she's in a scrollbook somewhere? If she's been gone that long, you'll probably be disappointed, 'cause the odds are she's as good as dead."

Yang gasped at the harsh tone of Junior's voice.

"Sweet little thing like that, out on the streets?" Junior mused darkly. "She wouldn't have lasted long. If she didn't starve or die of exposure, then she probably got picked up by some unsavory individuals. Considering the kind of people who pick up kids like her, I hope, for her sake, it's the former."

Junior didn't even see Yang's fist until right before it crashed into his face, the force of her blow launching him into the air and sending him flying right through one of the fancy glass pillars that decorated his establishment.

Yang's eyes blazed with rage, their color having changed, from a pale shade of lilac to a deep red. She barely even reacted to the cadre of black-suited men in bowler hats gathering around her, producing guns, axes, and swords from within their clothes as they prepared to meet this threat to their place of employment.

But, with a snap of her arms, what had, at first, seemed like innocuous, if gaudy, bracelets expanded, unfolding out into gauntlets that covered nearly the entirety of her forearms. Raising her fists, Yang prepared to meet the bouncers head-on as they rushed her.

"Bring it on!" she exclaimed, before taking to the air.

Yang's eyes opened slowly, and she found herself staring blearily at the ceiling of the ballroom as the memory faded. It had been a good way to burn off her frustration and anger. Junior's henchmen had scattered like ninepins before her fists. The twin girls, his enforcers, had been more dangerous. Junior himself had proved to be an impressive powerhouse, forcing Yang to unleash the full power of her Semblance in order to beat him. Pounding them all flat had burned off some of her stress. But the hurt of what Junior had said remained.

Yang hadn't been able to bring herself to believe that Ruby was dead, that there was no hope for her. She definitely refused to believe that she'd fallen prey to the kind of people that Junior thought she might have. Yang's beloved little sister was still out there...somewhere. And Yang was going to use every opportunity she had to find her.

However, Yang had never thought that the mystery of Ruby's whereabouts would be solved like this, with the answer being practically dropped in her lap.

Sitting up, Yang took stock of her situation. Due to her worries, she hadn't slept very well that night. Her eyelids still felt heavy, and she was feeling pretty sluggish overall. Depending on what it entailed, Yang figured she probably was not in the best shape for the Initiation. Hopefully, with a generous application of coffee, she'd be able to wake herself up enough that her performance didn't suffer too much. However, that was a secondary concern. Instead, Yang's main focus was on Ruby, and where she was sleeping, across the room.

Or where she had been sleeping, rather. Looking over, Yang saw no sign of her sister. Her heart thudded alarmingly, and Yang suddenly felt a panic-attack coming on. If Ruby wasn't there...what if she'd never been there? Did I just hallucinate seeing her? Please! I can't go through something stupid like that!

Then, someone over on that side of the room stirred. Yang's eyes widened as she saw the blonde-haired boy, still wearing that goofy-looking onesie, sit up with a wide yawn, his arms raised above his head. Yang recognized him instantly, and not just because of his ridiculous getup. This was the boy who'd had Ruby rolling with laughter last night. If he was there, then maybe Ruby hadn't been a hallucination.

The boy finished stretching and began to look around, then paused, confusion washing over his face as he looked over at his side, where Ruby and her bedding should have been, only to find a clear space of floor. Suddenly it struck Yang. Ruby must have gotten up early. However, that didn't clarify where she was now.

Well, if she really is at Beacon, I'll run into her sometime, thought Yang. Her eyes focused on the goofball as he shrugged and gathered up his things for his morning routine. He and Ruby were chatting like they were best buds, last night. Just who is this dork, and how does he know my sister?

Well, if Ruby wasn't around, Yang figured she could press Ruby's friend for information, discreetly. It would be easy. She knew how to make a guy like that putty in her hands.

Ruby inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the morning air. At this point, she was an early riser by habit. Months of training under Kyo and Sasame had quickly gotten her used to early mornings. It was a necessity, one that only grew more apparent as the scope of her training broadened. Because of that, Ruby had awoken on her own, just as the first rays of sunlight were beginning to peek over the horizon. She'd washed and dressed, taking the opportunity to enjoy having the bathroom to herself, before the other students woke up and rushed the place en-mass. After that, she'd headed out to the courtyard for the next part of her routine.

First, she started with her Aura. Taking another deep breath, Ruby closed her eyes and checked her Temper. Her Aura remained the way it was supposed to, encapsulated around her body, almost like a weightless suit made of some kind of lukewarm liquid. She could feel its swirls and eddies, languid and slow, but bursting with power, her years of continuous practice having built up its strength. At this point, Ruby was able to maintain her Temper constantly, even during the most mundane of tasks, even when she was asleep.

Taking another breath, Ruby initiated Suppression, pulling her Aura within and locking it down inside of her, completely silencing her presence. She smiled, feeling for herself that there was no leak of Aura from her body. In the past, she'd needed Kyo and Sasame to confirm that her Suppression was executed properly. But now she could tell for herself. It was perfect.

Now came the next step. Ruby would only do it once, in order to preserve her Aura for whatever was to come. Snapping her eyes open, Ruby Projected, her Aura building within her and surging outwards like a wave, bending the grass away from her body, and sending a few fallen leaves from the nearby trees spiraling into the air. Just as with the other exercises, Ruby's Projection was perfect, the surge of Aura exploding out from her completely at her will, with no time needed to actually build it up. The flow felt smooth and natural.

Next came the more physical aspects. Ruby's hand went to the sword, sheathed at the small of her back. The blade slid out smoothly, with only the barest whisper of the steel grating against the opening and interior of the sheath. Spinning the blade through a few, circular passes, Ruby settled into her starting stance, holding her blade overhead with her left so that it was angled in front of her, the edges oriented vertically, pinched between the middle and ring fingers of her right hand.

Then she swept into motion, her blade flowing smoothly through the opening moves of one of the katas she'd been taught. As she moved, Ruby focused on maintaining her Flow, making sure that her Aura moved smoothly up along the length of the blade in conjunction with her own movements. Gradually, she began to pick up her pace, spinning and slashing the air around her, until her sword parted the air with a faint whistling noise. Then she slowed down, then sped up again, all the while making sure the all-important Flow of her Aura was maintained in perfect synch with her actions.

As a faint sheen of sweat gathered on her forehead, Ruby slowed down one last time, letting her body relax and cool down after the exercise she'd put it through. Finally, she came to a stop, holding her blade horizontally, up in front of her chest, the first two fingers of her right hand resting against the flat of the blade, up near the tip. She exhaled slowly and smiled. Everything felt perfect.

Whatever the Initiation entailed, she was ready for it. Feeling quite satisfied with herself, Ruby sheathed her sword. Nothing brightened up her morning like a perfect routine.

"Oh my...that was marvelous!"

Ruby squeaked in surprise and jumped almost half her height in the air at the unexpected voice. As she spun around to face the source, Ruby reflected, somewhat bitterly, that she'd let down her guard again, letting whoever had just spoken get so close without noticing in the slightest. She'd been so wrapped up in her exercises that an Ursa could have stomped right up behind her and she wouldn't have noticed.

"I'm sorry!" exclaimed the girl, her hands going to her mouth as her bright-green eyes met Ruby's. "I just thought that your form looked so beautiful, I couldn't stop watching. I apologize if I intruded."

"I-it's okay," said Ruby as she took the girl's appearance in. "It's my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings."

It was the redheaded girl she'd spotted in the auditorium yesterday. Her red hair was tied up into a long tail that hung behind her head, her hair held back out of her eyes by a gold-colored circlet. Her throat was covered by a bronze gorget, before transitioning to bare shoulders of creamy skin. Her chest and stomach were covered by a brown, overbust corset that showed off a little of her bust at the top, while leaving a thin line of skin bare just above her waist. Progressing down, she wore a black miniskirt, with a long, red sash wrapped around her waist, with the ends running down to her ankles.

Aside from that, the girl was also one of the few Ruby had seen, besides herself, who wore actual armor. Her left forearm was covered by a bronze bracer. Bronze pieces covered thighs and shins, the latter meeting her brown high-heeled boots. Taken altogether, with her magnificent figure, this girl looked like someone's artistic ideal of a warrior goddess brought to life.

What the heck is it with girls around here fighting in high-heeled boots? Ruby exclaimed mentally. How can they stand to fight in those things?

The redhead beamed cheerfully. "I hope you aren't offended. I just wanted to say that I admired how much work you've obviously put in."

"Thanks," said Ruby, blushing at the praise.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment, and Ruby wondered if the redhead had actually intended to start a conversation. Perhaps she'd meant to offer her compliment and quietly withdraw, only for the two of them to now find themselves trapped in an empty silence, with no way to disengage gracefully. Ruby supposed this girl might be almost as awkward as she was...in her own way.

"A-anyway, it's nice to meet you," said Ruby, deciding that introductions might be a safe way to go. "I'm Ruby Rose. What's your name?"

Of all the reactions Ruby expected to her query, the way the redhead looked taken aback by the question was pretty low on the list. The taller girl flinched and blinked several times before opening her mouth, then closing it again. Finally, she answered. "I'm Pyrrha...Pyrrha...Nikos...?" The rising intonation applied to her pronouncement of her surname seemed to imply a question to Ruby's ears.

"Oh...uh...Nice to meet you," Ruby ventured tentatively.

"You-you haven't heard of me?" asked Pyrrha carefully.

Ruby was suddenly reminded of Weiss, and how Blake had suggested that Weiss was used to being recognized. From the way she acted, Ruby figured that, maybe, Pyrrha was also somebody used to being recognized, if not on sight, then at least by name. However, how she showed that expectation differed greatly from how Weiss had.

"Uh...No...I don't think so," said Ruby. "Should I have?"

Pyrrha paused for a moment, surprise flickering over her face for a fraction of a second before it was replaced with...elation? "Oh no! It's fine! I'm sorry."

Ruby blinked, wondering if Pyrrha was actually happy that Ruby hadn't recognized her on the spot.

Pyrrha gamely pressed on. "A-anyway, it's very nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm impressed by your skill."

Once again, Ruby found herself blushing as the conversation shifted her way. "I-it's nothing special. It's just a basic kata I practice."

"But you clearly practice it every day," said Pyrrha. "I can see it from how smooth your movements are, even when you were varying your rhythm."

Ruby smiled, both impressed and excited that Pyrrha had picked up on that. It showed that Pyrrha was observant and, more importantly, that she was enthusiastic about training to such a degree that she was able to observe the subtle nuances of Ruby's own. "Thanks."

"Do you practice like that every morning?" Pyrrha wanted to know as the two of them began to walk back towards the school buildings.

"Every morning I can," said Ruby.

"That makes sense," said Pyrrha. "I usually practice and train in the mornings too. I just didn't today because I left my weapons in my locker. You kept yours with you?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, her fingers going to stroke the handle of her sword. "She's important to me, so I try to keep her close as much as I can."

"Did you make it yourself?" asked Pyrrha.

Ruby shook her head. "She was a gift. One of my teachers, who's a really good swordsmith, forged her for me."

Calling Murasame merely a "really good" smith was underselling his prowess to an almost criminal degree, but Ruby didn't want to seem like she was bragging. On top of that, Ruby figured that, while Ozpin seemed fine with the fact she'd trained with the Mibu Clan, it wasn't the best of ideas to talk too openly about the Mibu with people who'd probably never heard of or met them. The Mibu liked their privacy after all...and Sora, Kyo, and Sasame had all warned Ruby that many of those in the Kingdom who did know about the Mibu, particularly those in power, took a very dim view of those who willingly associated with them.

"For all that it is a beautiful blade, it doesn't look like anything else," Pyrrha noted.

"Nope," said Ruby. "It's just a sword. The people I trained with don't really use all that fancy mechashift stuff."

"Interesting," said Pyrrha, her eyebrows going up.

Deciding to derail her conversation partner's train of thought before she could start asking questions about who she trained with, Ruby decided to turn the focus around. "What about your weapon? What kind do you use?"

"Oh! It's nothing too impressive, for all that it's well-made," Pyrrha demurred. "I have two. I have a shield. The other can shift from a rifle to a xiphos to a javelin."

"Oooh!" cooed Ruby excitedly, feeling her heart speed up. "A three-form transformational capability. That's so awesome!"

Pyrrha leaned back slightly, apparently surprised by Ruby's enthusiasm.

"Sorry," squeaked Ruby, shrinking back into herself. "I love my sword, and she's the best blade in the world, but...I'm a bit of a weapons nut. I love learning about other people's weapons."

"It's all right," said Pyrrha, beaming happily again. She looked down awkwardly. "I'm just curious though..."

"What about?" asked Ruby, her nervousness returning, figuring that Pyrrha was about to start pressing again on the topic of who had trained her.

"Well...if I'm wrong, I don't want to come off as insulting, but...you seem a little younger than the rest of us," explained Pyrrha. "I just wanted to ask how old you are?"

"Oh," said Ruby. It was the same question Weiss had asked her the previous day. But Pyrrha's attitude was clearly different. Unlike with Weiss, who behaved as though Ruby had an official obligation to answer the heiress' question, most likely looking for another thing to condescend to her about, Pyrrha just seemed genuinely curious. Because of that, Ruby had no issue with answering truthfully. "Fifteen."

"You mean you were accepted two years early?" gasped Pyrrha, apparently both surprised and gratifyingly impressed with the revelation, though Ruby was a bit embarrassed by the apparent admiration.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby. "I sorta busted up a robbery in a Dust shop, and I got invited in because of that."

"Dust robbery?" Pyrrha's eyes widened and she gasped. "Torchwick? You're the one who caught him?"

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, shifting nervously. "I brought him down. He still might've gotten away, if Professor Goodwitch hadn't shown up."

"Still, that's really impressive," said Pyrrha.

"Thank you," said Ruby.

Next thing she knew, Pyrrha was asking, politely, about the details of what happened. Ruby gave her a general rundown of the incident. By the time they'd reached the end of the story, they'd made their way into the dining hall.

"So the pilot got away?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "It's probably for the best. I don't know how Professor Goodwitch would have brought it down, but making it crash would have caused a lot of damage."

"Very true," agreed Pyrrha levelly.

Entering the dining hall, Ruby suddenly felt several pairs of eyes turning towards them, people staring at the pair from every corner of the room. After her brief shock, thanks to Pyrrha, she'd been determined not to let her guard fall again, remembering her teachers' lectures about the importance of keeping full awareness at all times. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering if something about her, maybe her age, had gotten out amidst the rest of the aspiring first-year students. She wondered how. It couldn't have been Jaune. He hadn't asked her age, hadn't even tried to venture a guess. In fact, Ruby wasn't sure he'd even noticed that she was younger than the rest of them. Perhaps it was Weiss...

Distracted by her musings, it took a second longer for Ruby to realize that it wasn't actually her they were staring at. All these eyes were actually focused on Pyrrha. Glancing discreetly around, Ruby saw a variety of attitudes, from open admiration, bordering on worship with some people, to childlike excitement, to naked jealousy.

I guess she really is famous, thought Ruby, glancing sidelong at Pyrrha. Ruby could tell that Pyrrha noticed the eyes on her too. It would be hard not to, even if a person weren't as thoroughly trained as Ruby was. From the way Pyrrha's eyes nervously darted about; even as she kept her face rigidly forward, along with the tightening of the muscles around her throat, and the sudden tenseness of her posture, all while her face never lost that polite smile; Ruby realized that Pyrrha wasn't comfortable with all these eyes on her. Pyrrha was famous, but she didn't seem to like it, which might have explained why her reaction to Ruby not recognizing her had been so elated.

"Ruby!" The shout came in conjunction with another pair of eyes coming to rest on them, this time Ruby in particular. Looking over, Ruby saw Jaune, grinning like a loon, even as he waved excitedly to get her attention. Grinning as well, Ruby waved back.

"Do you know him?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah, that's Jaune," explained Ruby. "We met yesterday, and we kinda hit it off." An idea occurred to her. "Do you want to sit with us?"

From the way Pyrrha's smile became less brittle, and how her face lit up, it almost seemed as though she'd just been told her birthday had come early. "I'd love to," she said earnestly.

"Come on then," said Ruby, quickly taking Pyrrha's hand and pulling her towards the line for food.

As she did, many of the eyes that had been previously focused on Pyrrha now shifted to Ruby. The feelings around her varied, ranging from indifferent, to confused, to jealous resentment. Ruby felt a particularly intense glare leveled her way, accompanied by a familiar presence. She didn't even need to look to know that Weiss was glaring at her with a look that was just shy of utter loathing. Ruby decided to ignore her.

Because of the storm of emotions, and the numerous eyes practically glued to the pair, Ruby failed to notice one gaze in particular, mainly because said gaze was devoid of any defining emotion. She remained utterly clueless that Yang's eyes were practically glued to her, Yang's gaze lost to Ruby's senses because Yang was unable to settle on any emotion in particular.

Because of that, Ruby remained clueless to her sister's presence and attention, even as she slid into her seat, across from Jaune, Pyrrha settling onto the bench next to her.

"Pyrrha, this is Jaune," said Ruby. "Jaune, this is Pyrrha. We just met this morning."

"Cool," said Jaune. "It's nice to meet you."

It took a second for Ruby to realize that Jaune also, apparently, had no idea who Pyrrha was. Pyrrha apparently realized that too, and it seemed to make her all the happier. They chatted animatedly as they ate, forgetting about all the people still watching them, enjoying each other's company. As she settled back and enjoyed herself, Ruby reflected that it hadn't been a bad idea to accept Ozpin's invitation after all. It was only her second day, and she'd already made three friends. I can't wait to tell Sasame-nee!

Jaune Arc was practically on Cloud 9 right now. To think that he'd not only managed to get accepted into Beacon, but had also managed to hit it off with two cute girls, just two days in. His time here had just barely started, and it was already a rousing success. Granted, these two girls, as nice as they were, were just friends now. But there was no telling where things would go.

After breakfast had ended, he and Pyrrha had headed to the lockers, with the rest of the students, to pick up their weapons in preparation for the initiation. Ruby had separated from them, having her own sword already. In the locker room, Jaune and Pyrrha had split up as well, in order to find their lockers.

Unfortunately for Jaune, he soon ran into a little obstacle. I'm pretty sure my locker wasn't over this way. I don't think the numbers even go that high.

Finally, after getting lost a couple of times, Jaune managed to find his locker. Taking out his weapon and strapping it onto his waist, Jaune straightened up and got ready to go. A glance around showed Pyrrha nearby. To Jaune's surprise, she was being chatted up by the white-haired princess Ruby had said was named Weiss. Jaune's eyes narrowed. While Weiss was smiling; and looking nothing like the angry, dismissive girl he'd seen last night at dinner; Pyrrha's smile had taken on a distinctively brittle quality, and she looked quite uncomfortable.

Figuring he'd probably best do something, Jaune began to head their way.

"You know, you've got some pretty good taste, Lover Boy."

Jaune froze at the sound of the voice behind him. It was lower in pitch than Pyrrha's and Ruby's, but slightly more resonant, with a slight purring growl to the tone that made goosebumps appear on his skin. Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of a spectacular, blonde bombshell behind him, leaning casually against his locker, giving him a half-lidded smile.

"Uh…what?" asked Jaune, momentarily tongue-tied.

"Chatting up Pyrrha like that," said the blonde girl in a teasing tone. "She's not the kind of girl just anyone can talk to, you know."

"Huh? Why?" Now Jaune was simply confused. "She's really nice. I'd figure she's the sort of person who can get along with people easily."

It took all of Yang's self control to keep from gaping at Jaune's cluelessness. He has no idea who she is!

Pyrrha Nikos, the four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, featuring in a round dozen sponsorships and endorsements, the girl whose face beamed out from boxes of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes on breakfast tables across all four Kingdoms, the girl who was probably Mistral's biggest celebrity right now; yet, somehow, Jaune had no idea about all of that.

The revelation knocked Yang for such a loop that she almost forgot her real goal for this conversation. She wasn't here to chat with this blonde lunkhead about Pyrrha, for all that it was amazing that he had no idea about how out of his league she was. She was here to find out about Ruby: where she'd been, what she'd been doing, why she was at Beacon…and what she was doing, hanging around with this scruffy doofus.

"I'm sure," said Yang. "You sure seem popular with the ladies, though."

"Just a little lucky," said Jaune, blushing slightly. "I mean…I don't know if it's right to put it that way. I'm just glad to make some friends. The fact that they're cute girls just makes it better."

Aww, he's so cute. He thinks Pyrrha is his friend. He thinks Ruby is his friend too. That's just adorable. Yang paused to consider her feelings on the matter. Well, he seems mostly harmless, so I suppose it doesn't hurt.

"And what about the other one?" Yang asked. "You seem to know Pyrrha pretty well," she blatantly lied. "What's the deal with the short one?"

"Hey, Ruby's not that short," protested Jaune. "And what are you talking about? We're just friends after all." For all that this girl was damn attractive, something about her was beginning to put Jaune's nerves on edge. He'd go so far as to call it a man's intuition, for when a man realizes that he's treading on very dangerous ground while dealing with a member of the opposite gender, otherwise known as the "Does this make me look fat?" instinct. Jaune's male intuition didn't always work all that well, and it was more a mythical concept to begin with, but he could definitely say that there was something that worried him about why this girl was suddenly so interested in Ruby.

"I just want to know how you became friends. That's all," said Yang, trying to keep herself calm. It was taking all her self-restraint to keep from going for the jugular (or the jewels, rather), subject Jaune to the same treatment she'd given Junior, and demand that he tell her everything he knew about Ruby. They were in Beacon's locker room, moments before the Initiation. She couldn't cause a scene after all.

"We met on the airship over," said Jaune, figuring that it was harmless to answer the question, since it didn't delve into anything too personal, not that he knew anything all that personal about Ruby, aside from the fact that she deeply cherished her weapon…but anyone with working eyes could see that. "She helped me with something-"

"Oh!" interjected Yang, her gaze intensifying to a dangerous degree. "And what did she 'help' you with, Lover Boy."

Not even Jaune, as dense as he could be at times, could miss the hidden intent behind Yang's question. Dear God, does she think I'm talking in euphemisms? Why would she think I would do that with Ruby? We've just met and we're just friends. I hadn't even thought of that.

"Nothing you seem to be thinking about," said Jaune nervously.

"And just what do you think I'm thinking about, huh?" pressed Yang, stepping forward, narrowing the distance between them, which Jaune opened by taking a step back again.

Yang's restraint was hanging by a thread. All her big-sisterly instincts were firing at full throttle. After years of not seeing Ruby, worrying about where she was, what she was doing, whether she was safe or not, whether or not she was even alive; to the point that even Yang, as much as she'd held out hope, was beginning to think she was delusional for believing that Ruby was still out there somewhere; her desperation to assume her natural role as Ruby's big sister, now that Yang had found her again, was beginning to completely swamp her reason.

And Jaune was beginning to feel that he was a lot safer not being in Yang's vicinity. Fortunately, he seemed to have some form of providence when, at that moment, Glynda's voice came on over the PA system, announcing that they had ten minutes to get to the cliffs for the Initiation. "Well, I guess that's all we've got time for. I'm just gonna…go…yeah. See ya. Good luck with the initiation and all that." It wasn't the most graceful withdrawal, but Jaune would take what he could get.

Yang, who herself had been distracted by Glynda's announcement, jolted and found Jaune already more than halfway to the door, moving with surprising speed. She took off after him at her fastest walk, not wanting to break into a run unless he did so first. Jaune left the locker room with Yang in hot pursuit.

Ruby sighed and tapped her foot as she waited out in the hall for her friends to finish retrieving their weapons. She wondered what could be taking them so long. Maybe it was hard to find their lockers amongst all the ones the school probably had. Perhaps they were having trouble with the combinations. Those possibilities made Ruby all the more grateful that she'd just kept her sword with her the whole time.

Her ears picked up the sound of rapid footsteps approaching and Ruby looked up to see a harried-looking Jaune coming her way at a rapid clip. "Hey, Jaune."

"Hey, Ruby," said Jaune, pausing to catch his breath, which didn't exactly do much to abate Ruby's worries about his suitability for Beacon, if a quick power-walk could wear him out. "We might wanna get going."

"Huh? I thought we were waiting for Pyrrha," said Ruby.

"Yeah, well...there's someone-" began Jaune before a familiar voice cut him off.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet!"

"Crap," muttered Jaune.

Ruby's entire body went rigid, and a sickening shudder rushed from the top of her head and down the length of her spine. No! Not her! Her skin paled by several shades and her hands trembled.

There she was, marching down the hall at a clip that was a match for Jaune's, her face set in a scowl. She'd grown taller and filled out more, especially in the chest and hips, but there was no mistaking her, not those lavender eyes, nor that mane of blonde hair streaming down her back. Yang!

Yang had been focused on pursuing Jaune, so she hadn't even noticed Ruby until she'd almost completely caught up. Their eyes met and Yang came to such an abrupt halt she seemed to have run face-first into a wall. Both girls froze, time seeming to stand still, the only indicator that the clock hadn't stopped altogether was the fact that Jaune, standing between them, was looking back and forth in confusion.

Finally, Yang spoke. "Ruby..." Her voice was a breathless whisper, conveying so many emotions that Ruby couldn't even begin to tell what they were.

For herself, Ruby was mostly struck with two emotions in particular, anger and fear. "Yang," she said, her tone flat and uninflected, making her sister wince back as though she'd just been struck.

"R-Ruby...you're here," said Yang, rallying. Excitement was beginning to leak into her voice.

Unable to think of what to say, what to even do, Ruby did the only thing that came to mind. She turned on her heel and marched away.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted behind her, shoving past Jaune in order to pursue.

Ruby ignored her sister, walking a little faster. It was for nothing, as she heard Yang's pace increase to match hers, then exceed it so that she could close the distance between them.

"Ruby, stop!" Yang shouted, grabbing Ruby's shoulder roughly, stopping the younger girl cold. "Where have you been? You've been gone for six years! What are you even doing here?"

Ruby refused to look back. "I'm at Beacon, Yang. What do you think I'm here to do?"

"Ruby, you can't-" Yang began.

Ruby shrugged hard, dislodging Yang's hand and began to walk forward. "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do anymore," she snarled.

"Ruby! Don't you have any idea how worried we all were about you?" demanded Yang.

"No, and I don't care," Ruby snapped back.

"RUBY!" Yang grabbed her shoulder again, much harder this time, pulling Ruby to a stop.

"Let go," growled Ruby.

"No," said Yang. "We've been searching for six years. I'm not letting you get away now. You shouldn't even be here. Even if you could be a Huntress, you're too young. I don't know how you managed to fool Ozpin and Goodwitch, but we can talk to them and-"

Ruby spun about. Yang had grabbed her right shoulder, so Ruby spun to her right. Yang was forced to let go, before she would have been pulled off-balance. Ruby continued her turn, bringing her left side around to face Yang and stepped in towards her sister, her fingers closing around the handle of her sword and using her step to accelerate her draw, allowing her to slam the pommel into the pit of Yang's stomach.

Yang folded over, her breath exploding from her lungs as the force of Ruby's unexpected blow knocked her clean off her feet and sent her sprawling onto her back. Yang bounced once, then lay still. With a slight groan, she looked up to see Ruby glaring at her.

Ruby's cloak flared in an invisible wind, and Yang was abruptly struck with the feeling that she was lying in the path of a powerful current. As Ruby loomed over her, her cloak seemed to spread to cover more space than it should have, almost seeming to reach out to envelop Yang. An angry buzz began to build in the air around them.

"Don't touch me," snarled Ruby. "You aren't my sister anymore, so don't talk like you can just tell me what to do." She slid her sword back into its scabbard with a sharp "clink." The sensation of the current disappeared and Ruby's cloak seemed to shrink back down, hanging behind her back once again.

Yang's eyes widened and she gasped, tears leaking down her cheeks. Ruby glared at her for a few seconds longer before turning and walking away again, moving even faster this time. Yang lay there, watching Ruby go, barely noticing as Jaune carefully stepped around her and went after Ruby. Why? Why would she say that?

Ruby turned a corner in the hall, and found a small alcove out of the way of things. Shuddering and shaking, she leaned against it, pressing her arm up against the wall and resting her forehead against it, taking long, shuddering breaths.

Yang's here! Why is she here? Ruby sniffled. No, I'm such an idiot. Yang's two years older than me. Of course she'd be here now. I can't believe I forgot that.

It had been a given that Yang would go to Beacon, when she graduated from Signal. For both of them, the desire to go to Vale's prestigious Huntsman Academy had been all-consuming and, unlike Ruby, their father had been perfectly happy letting Yang pursue that goal with all her might, even helping her by training her in his fighting style. It was a monumental oversight on Ruby's part.

I can go to Ozpin. I'll tell him I can't do it this year. I'll come back in two years and... Ruby's mind trailed off. That was no good. Yang would still be at Beacon, two years from now. Besides, even if she did leave, Yang knew she was around Vale. She'd tell Taiyang, and he would pursue her even more doggedly than before.

What do I do?

"Ruby! Are you okay?"

Ruby stirred at the sound of Jaune's voice, but couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I don't want to talk about it," she said.

"Ruby..."

"It's personal!"

"Ruby!" said Jaune, a stern tone to his voice that she hadn't thought he was capable of. "I didn't ask what that was about. I asked if you're okay."

Ruby blinked and pushed away from the wall, turning to face her friend. Jaune's expression was worried.

"Look, I get that, whatever that was about, it's personal, complicated, and whatever else. Besides, we're kinda short on time, so I haven't got time to get your life's story out of you anyway." Jaune smiled. "I just want to know that you're okay. We don't have long before we need to be at the cliffs."

Ruby shuddered, looking down. She suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and pull her into a gentle hug. Jaune's embrace was warm and comforting. It wasn't as nice as one of Sasame's hugs, but it was a close second, particularly when she rested her face against Jaune's shoulder and he gently brushed his fingers through the hair behind her head.

"Listen, I don't know what that was about," said Jaune. "But it's clear to me that you have a choice to make, Ruby."

"Huh?" She pulled back and looked up at him.

He met her eyes with a warm smile. "I have no doubt that you belong at Beacon, no matter what that girl said. The important thing is what you want to do. If you don't want to deal with her, then maybe you should back down. We don't know a thing about how these teams or partners are gonna shake out, but I bet you can keep from winding up with her. It's up to you though." His smile faltered. "And...uh...we're kinda at the point where you're gonna have to make up your mind, 'cause I think we've got about four minutes to get our butts to the cliffs."

Ruby giggled at that, and leaned into his embrace once more. She had to admit, whatever doubts she had about Jaune, he was definitely a good friend. But, right now, she had to focus on what she needed to do. Can I go to Beacon, if it means spending time with Yang?

Sasame, Sora, and, to a lesser extent, Kyo had all told Ruby at different times, and in different ways, that she should seek to reconcile with her original family, her father and sister. Ruby had tried to reject their arguments, but found herself unable to completely abandon the notion. But seeing Yang so suddenly, having Yang talk down to her again, like she was some kind of helpless child playing make-believe; it had strained Ruby's willingness to deal with her to the breaking point.

And Yang, sooner or later, would tell their father that Ruby was at Beacon and Ruby would have to deal with him too. Just the very thought was making her weak in the knees. Ruby had left that behind six years ago. But the idea of dealing with her father again made her feel like a little child all over again. She was afraid.

I need to let my fear inform me, but not control me. It was the mantra that Sasame, Kyo, Sora, and all Ruby's other teachers had drilled into her head over and over again. Fear was an asset, but only if she didn't allow it to govern her. If she fled, rather than face her family again, she was letting that fear control her.

Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath and pulled out of Jaune's arms. "Let's go," she said.

"All right," said Jaune. He swallowed nervously. "We're gonna have to run though, or we won't make it."

Jaune and Ruby barely made it to the cliffs in time. The students were lined up on a series of what looked like metal platforms that were set into the ground at the edge of the cliff, with one to each student. Ruby and Jaune, being the last arrivals, took the final platforms in line, which put them right next to Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, the latter of the two fixing the pair of (almost) late arrivals with a stern look.

Yang wasn't far down the line from Ruby. Having Ruby knock her on her butt like that had been a shock for her, as had been the harsh dismissal from her little sister. It left Yang with a hollow feeling. She was so shocked that the idea of reporting her underage sister to the professors had completely slipped her mind, and she'd instead meekly taken her place on one of the platforms. Seeing Ruby and Jaune arrive drew Yang's attention again, and she stared at her little sister, wondering just how Ruby had managed this. Ozpin seemed to pay her no mind, not seeming to notice the girl two years younger than the other students taking her place in line.

Did Ruby actually get accepted legitimately? wondered Yang.

Glynda adjusted her spectacles and looked up from her scroll as the time arrived. "All right, quiet," she said, silencing the slight chatter from the waiting students. "I'm sure you've heard all sorts of rumors about how partners and teams are selected. Well, allow us to put those rumors to rest. Each of you will be given teammates...today." She stepped aside to allow Ozpin to say his piece.

Ozpin cleared his throat and looked out across the lined up students. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon, so it is important to find someone with whom you can work well."

Ruby pondered who she might like as a partner. Jaune was nice. Pyrrha was also nice. Either of them would be her top choice. Blake wouldn't be a bad choice either, for all that she'd probably be a little tricky to deal with, given how distant she appeared to be. The thought of being teamed up with Weiss made her feel as though she'd just bit down on something sour. And then there was Yang...Yeah, better to not think about that.

"That said...the first person you make eye contact with, upon landing, will be your partner."

Well, that simplifies things, thought Ruby. Wait! Landing?

All around her, she could tell people were eying up prospective partners, no doubt hoping to locate one another upon reaching ground-level. She wasn't surprised that quite a few eyes went Pyrrha's way. Whatever Pyrrha was famous for, it seemed that a lot of people were hoping for the chance to get closer to her because of it. However, that faded to the background as Ruby felt Yang's eyes on her specifically, making her tense and bristle internally. She pointedly avoided meeting her sister's gaze.

"Once you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," continued Ozpin. "You will meet opposition along the way. We instructors will be monitoring and grading your performance, but we will not intervene. You must be prepared to crush every obstacle in your path...or you will die. At the northern end of the forest, you'll find an abandoned temple, containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return the cliffs. We will regard your relic and your standing, and grade you accordingly. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand and began to speak, but Ozpin appeared to ignore him. "Good, then take your positions."

Ruby wondered what Ozpin was talking about and then saw that students up and down the line were sinking into crouches, some pulling out their weapons, others keeping them holstered. She frowned, then saw the student on the far end of the line get launched into the air as the platform he was standing on revealed itself to be a powerful mechanical catapult. Oh... Given how the students had reacted automatically to Ozpin's instructions, Ruby figured this must have been something they did fairly regularly at Combat School. She was just lucky that they were being launched at intervals of a few seconds, rather than all at once, and that she wasn't the one being sent first.

But Ruby had the nagging sense that she'd forgotten something...something important. Watching the sequence of catapults work its way down the line of students, Ruby crouched herself, getting ready to be sent flying. Then she heard Jaune asking about parachutes.

Wait! Jaune doesn't have his Aura unlocked. If he gets launched like this, then... Ruby whirled around, casting a worried gaze at her friend. Jaune appeared to be completely clueless about what he was standing on, and what was happening further down the line. Ruby opened her mouth to warn him...but it was too late. The catapult under her own feet fired and she was launched into the open air over the forest. A second later, she heard Jaune's surprised wail behind her, and realized that he had been launched too. Jaune! If she didn't do something...he would die.