21Author's Note: Yes, I know. Late update and all that jazz xD I will remind you that I never actually put up a deadline, but yeah... don't kill me. Also I'm sorry to say, but my 2nd semester started (4th year of University) so releases will be more sporadic, because I have a thesis to write this year. I'll do my best to keep updating reasonably and hopefully keep you guys (as well as my sister) happy. Mainly my sister because she can actually threaten my with bodily harm...
Anyway, Enjoy!
She remembered, remembered a day she believed was the start of everything.
It had started like any other, they had woken up, ate, and then moved on to a destination she knew nothing about. It was all a routine after weeks of spending time with the young assassin.
Yet that particular day was different. They had run into a large number of Grimm, half a dozen Ursai, a dozen Beowolves, a handful of Death Stalkers, almost three dozen Creeps, and even a Beringel standing at the head of the pack.
She remembered thinking that it was the end of the line for them, yet even then she couldn't see a shred fear in his eyes, as if he had stood before and weathered much worse. Reinforced by his determination she buried her fears deep down and fought alongside him, not being able to match his skill she took on the smaller Creeps and Beowolves with the spare dagger she kept on her person.
Her experience from the fighting pits had served her well, young as she was slaves weren't considered human, and when thrown to fight each other, age and size simply didn't matter. Her determination and skill came from a crucible not many survived, and she wasn't ashamed of it.
However even then she knew her skill alone shouldn't have allowed her to survive that particular skirmish, which was why even months later down the line she wondered how the sheer number of Grimm hadn't overwhelmed her.
She had had a sneaking suspicion that she may have had more help than she thought. After all, not once did a Grimm attack her from a blind spot.
The fight – if it could have been called that – hadn't lasted long; Syn had torn through most of them with ease as if gliding through them, flipping over swipes that should have had proven lethal, broken through skulls that should have been impossible to penetrate for someone his age.
She didn't know if Syn had been too consumed in his battle to be aware of his surroundings, or if his focus couldn't be split any further. But she had seen the reflection of the scope, the barrel aiming at the young assassin as it prepared for a debilitating shot.
Her body moved before she had even realized it, and even when her muscles prepped her for the incoming pain by tensing, she didn't – not even for a second – hesitate.
The bullet blew right through her left shoulder, effectively putting her into the ground, but its direction was successfully veered off of the original target.
It was a stupid thing to do, she realized that, but for a reason unknown she couldn't control her actions. Maybe it was because even though the young assassin had never helped her directly, he had done more for her than she would have expected of any other stranger.
She knew his speed; he could have left her behind to fend for herself without an ounce of effort, but he hadn't.
He didn't offer her food, but didn't prevent her from helping herself to stave off the hunger.
He didn't free her from her shackles, but had conveniently forgotten a dagger laying around in plain view, a dagger that not only freed her but had also helped her survive against Grimm and hunt efficiently.
She saw a familiar dagger cut through the air and find its place right in the center of the shooters forehead.
But it wasn't his accuracy or even his instant reaction to the situation at hand that shocked her, it was the warmth that spread through her entire being rather than the cold she expected.
Syn hadn't bothered with the rest of the Grimm, and instead ran straight to her. He put his left arm under her knees, hooked his right around her shoulders, and easily carried her away from the pack out for their blood.
She didn't know why he had helped her directly for the first time in months. Maybe it was because she had grown on him after months of being the only person around, maybe he had felt obligated to after she took a bullet for him.
She really didn't know, but it hadn't stopped her from smiling into his chest, a smile she had long forgotten she had.
Rather than leave her on her own, like she knew many others would have done, he took care of her wounds after setting a safe enough distance between them and the Grimm.
He gave her food, rather than wait for her to take it. Re-dressed her wound when she needed it, and didn't leave the new camp he set up until she got better. Everything had changed that day, they weren't simply strangers anymore…
They were partners.
She remembered that day fondly as the start of their relationship.
"Neo," the young assassin repeated. He had already called her name twice before, yet she seemed completely lost in thought as her eyes locked onto the scenery outside of their hotel through the window.
Thankfully he wouldn't need to take drastic measures as her attention snapped toward him after calling her for the third time.
She blinked at him in askance, [What?]
"We need to get going to the Bullhead headed to Beacon," he explained patiently. He wasn't really in any hurry, even if they missed the Bullhead it wouldn't matter, Beacon wasn't really too high a priority for either of them.
Neo nodded her head in confirmation, and extended her hand in the traditional 'give me' sign.
Syn's shadow trembled unnaturally in response before, slowly, Neo's pink parasol was forced out of it and into Syn's hand. He handed her the pink parasol before they made their way out of the hotel.
It was a nice five star hotel; money was no issue after years of contracts and taking part in the activities of the Branwen tribe.
The young assassin left the key of their room at the reception before leaving.
"Please come again," the receptionist called out to their retreating backs.
Neo tapped Syn on the shoulder to get his attention as they walked toward their destination. [Excited?]
Sarcasm never translated well when it came to Neo, but it was painfully obvious to Syn in this particular case. He decided to play along even if just to humor her, "Very, I'm sure we'll have a very productive year ahead of us."
Neo snickered in response, or at least it looked like she did. She covered her smile with a hand, and her shoulders shook as if laughing, though no sound came out of her mouth.
It didn't take long for them to get close enough to their destination to be able to see the bullhead itself, and the people boarding it.
"Is that…" Syn focused his eyes further, "a Schnee?"
He wondered for a moment what a Schnee could have been doing in Vale, boarding the bullhead for Beacon no less. While he didn't know much about the family other than the fact that they were one of the biggest suppliers of Dust, there was another reason why the presence of one surprised him in that particular area.
They had a massive bounty on their heads in some circles; the White Fang in particular would pay very well for the head of a Schnee, and even more for a living Schnee to do with whatever it was they did.
Sevas' training kicked in almost instantly, already he had thought of a dozen different ways he could eliminate the target with and get into contact with the nearest information dealer to get the word out for those interested. His entrance, exit, and collateral potential all accounted for.
A poke in his ribs however quickly brought him out of that train of thought.
Neo had noticed his tells, while he didn't have many, she had spent enough time around him to notice him prepping for a kill. First she noticed the quickening of his steps, the sound of his breathing disappearing, his singular visible eye glowing in anticipation. It was like watching shadows writhe before somehow swallowing all the light around it.
Syn turned to her after snapping back to reality, discarding his previous actions as inadvisable with their current goal in mind.
[We're not working,] she signed at him with a pout. Neo thought of Beacon as a form of vacation, and she would much rather spend a longer amount of time on vacation before they were pegged as killers and forced to leave.
Syn' brow rose in curiosity as they got into the bullhead. "Are you actually looking forward to this?"
Neo shrugged in response, [Vacation, time away from work.]
"I thought you didn't like the idea of being surrounded by children."
[Not everything can be perfect.]
The bullhead took flight as they walked around, while seats were available the aircraft was more than big enough for people to stroll through the ship and socialize if they so desired.
The blonde witch didn't like it; she didn't like it at all. "This is a bad idea Ozpin."
While Raven wouldn't be classified as an enemy, and was even a source of information when approached by Qrow from time to time, she was most definitely not an ally. So having her drop by only a day prior to the gathering day for the initiates to have Ozpin sign two new students on Beacon rubbed her the wrong way.
Ozpin could only sigh at an argument he thought was already over with, he understood Glynda's apprehension, he truly did, but he also knew that Raven was an important piece on the board. "If Raven Branwen can vouch for these two examinees, and they are examinees now, then I see no reason why I shouldn't make a small exception."
Glynda wasn't arguing the quality of the newcomers; she was much more worried about something else. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance and her voice elevated only slightly as she spoke once more, "You know the kind of people Raven associates with, we could be inviting murderers into a school full of students we're supposed to be protecting!"
She honestly couldn't believe Ozpin would let this happen; she had followed the man through thick and thin, bled for him, and made others bleed under his orders. Yet sometimes his decisions made her want to question his sanity.
The students of Beacon were all she had left, she prioritized their protection above all else. It was why Ozpin's decision ran against her very being, but even then she didn't outright show hostility because she knew that more than likely Ozpin knew what the right decision was.
He motioned his hand as if waving her concerns away, "Qrow and Raven entered this institute under the same circumstances. Today Qrow is one of our greatest allies, and Raven is… helpful."
Glynda knew when an argument wouldn't be going her way no matter how much she pushed the issue. She huffed in surrender and left the headmaster's office with tense shoulders, leaving behind a rather tired Ozpin.
"We will need all the help we can get for the coming threat," he thought out loud.
Having already landed, both Neo and Syn walked out last to take in the new scenery. What they didn't expect to be greeted with however, was an explosion.
Following the sound of the explosion Syn noticed a short girl in red arguing with the Schnee girl, he didn't care much for it, though as he was walking away a tug on his sleeve called for his attention.
[Let's talk to the girl in red,] Neo signed at him with a grin.
He cocked a questioning brow at that, "Why?"
He doubted they would make friends here, they were all too different. Besides, more bonds were the last thing he needed, they were just weaknesses. He put Raven and Neo in as an exception of course; they could take care of themselves just fine.
[We came here to learn to fit in. if we don't socialize we'll be sticking out like a sore thumb,] Neo reasoned with him. She didn't really want to have a group of friends or anything, but she did have a desire to know how the rest of the world lived.
It sounded reasonable, but a quick glance at the, now alone, red girl lying on the floor gave him a wide understanding smile. "You want to make friends with a fellow shorty?"
It was a jab, and Neo knew it. She puffed up her cheeks and simply dragged him there in silence, not confirming or denying his accusation.
"Welcome to Beacon" they heard the girl speak sullenly to no one in particular.
Before she could sink completely into depression however Neo – with Syn in tow – walked up to the girl with a wide smile on her face, their sudden appearance quickly putting a halt to whatever thoughts the girl in red could have had.
Neo waved hello at the fellow short girl, and received one in turn, though it was much more awkward.
"Oh hi, I'm Ruby," she introduced herself after picking herself up quickly in an effort to make a good first impression.
It did confuse Ruby slightly when Neo brought out her scroll to type at near lightning speed, but the confusion dissipated as she saw its contents shown to her. [I'm Neo, and the one next to me is Syn.]
"Why won't you talk?" Ruby asked in a moment of pure obliviousness.
"She can't," the young assassin interjected. Not because Neo would be hurt by the reminder, but simply to get the entire thing over with sooner. Hell, he was sure that even if Neo got her voice back she'd avoid using it simply because of the fun involved in confusing and annoying people.
Neo nodded slowly as fake tears filled her eyes, confirming the young assassin's answer.
He simply rolled his eyes at the way Neo got her kicks out of tricking people; Ruby on the other hand instantly panicked at the sight of tears.
"No, don't cry! Please, I didn't mean it like that! I'm so, so, so sorry!" Ruby started blabbing in an effort to stop Neo's tears.
When her efforts didn't yield any results, Ruby started fidgeting as she moved her hands around; obviously confused as to what she should be doing in order to cheer up what could be her new friend. First impressions weren't her thing, they really, really weren't.
Neo's mask dropped as a smile once again graced her features, one which screamed 'gotcha'.
Ruby, finally aware of the fact that she had been played, was elated. "Oh thank god."
Syn found that weird, any normal person would have been slightly annoyed, but he didn't dwell on it.
[We should go,] Neo signed, not bothering to use her scroll anymore. Ruby simply looked at Syn for an explanation.
Neo knew Syn would be forced to translate for her.
"She says we should go," Syn translated before taking the lead toward the gathering.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Ruby responded and quickly caught up to the duo.
The trio walked in silence for what was only about twenty seconds before Ruby couldn't take the silence in the air anymore. "So… What weapons do you guys use?"
Had it been anyone else asking, both Syn and Neo would have taken it as a sloppy way to gather information on a target. But both of them recognized an uncomfortable girl looking for a way to escape into a subject that brought her a semblance comfort.
Neo shrugged and twirled her parasol in front of her before drawing the hidden blade. It was a simple weapon, the parasol was quite sturdy, sturdy enough to double as a shield and the blade didn't have any shifting features.
Ruby obviously didn't have a problem with simplicity, she was happy with seeing another weapon, "Simple and effective," she nodded in approval.
Neo's chest puffed in pride for her weapon, simple or not, she liked it. It was very… her, it looked harmless and innocent, but was actually sharp and dangerous.
Her big silver eyes moved to Syn in an effort to prompt him. Before the question could leave her lips however he intervened, "You show me yours, and I show you mine."
While normally he wouldn't be as accommodating, he wanted to mess with the girl as well… Who knew he had a sadistic streak in him?
Ruby's silver eyes nearly shone with excitement, Syn and Neo would have sworn up and down that her pupils were replaced with glowing stars for a brief moment. The girl pulled out a red item from her waist and let it transform before their eyes, in under a second a red scythe planted itself into the ground by the tip.
"A scythe," Syn stated rather than questioned. He used Scythes before, while he was proficient with them and liked them well enough; they weren't his favorite type of weapon.
"It's also a customizable, high impact sniper rifle. This is Crescent Rose," Ruby introduced with a smile. "Now it's your turn!"
Neo looked at Syn curiously, she knew for a fact that he didn't really have a weapon. He was a jack of all trades; one single weapon would do his abilities a disservice, which was why she was curious about what he would do.
Syn stretched out an arm before, just like with Ruby, in under a second a metallic substance came out of his skin and transformed into a very familiar weapon with but a few differences.
A scythe took its place in the young assassin's hand. Where the previous one was red; this one was clad in metallic silver. Where the previous one had a white edge, this one was an abyss black.
Ruby's smile froze for an entire minute; she was intimately familiar with that Scythe. She had designed it, hand-picked its parts, and built it through sweat and blood with multiple sleepless nights.
"Crescent Rose," the whispered words left her lips even before her brain could catch up to reality. Her smile disappeared as fast as it came before she shouted, "No! Don't do that! That's MY baby!"
As if her words were the command, the silver scythe disappeared just as fast as it came to be. For Ruby, it was only then that all became right with the world.
She didn't even question it; the reality that another Crescent Rose might have existed was too much for her mind to handle, she didn't even want to know how it was possible to begin with, out of sight out of mind.
Neo snickered silently at the over the top reaction Ruby showed.
It didn't take long for Syn and Neo to find themselves in a room full of children as far as the eye could see. Never before had they wished to ditch a place as fast as lightning… learn new things every day.
"You guys should come meet my sister!" Ruby started before pulling Neo by the arm and dragging her toward a bright blonde haired girl.
Syn chuckled briefly at the image of Neo being manhandled by a girl only three to four inches taller than her as he followed their trail.
"Ruby," Yang greeted her sister with a brief hug.
"Yang, this is Neo and Syn. Guys, this is my big sister Yang," Ruby quickly introduced with hopes of the two parties getting along with each other. It was important to the red reaper, she had already considered the two newcomers as friends, and it was essential that her sister like her new friends.
Yang gave a brief once over before recognizing them, "Hey, I know you. Weren't you two at Junior's just yesterday?"
Neo nodded at the blonde's question just as Syn hummed in agreement.
Yang grinned before nudging Ruby's shoulder, "This one's taken Ruby… or did you like a challenge?"
"What? No! Yaaang," Ruby whined. Why did her sister always have to embarrass her like that? It was a question she always asked herself, yet never got an answer to.
It was during their banter that Syn noticed a wooden pendant swaying on Yang's neck. Instantly the memory presented itself in his mind.
After all, it was his pendant, once upon a time…
Glynda stood frozen at the stage as Ozpin gave his yearly speech to the initiates.
At first she had noticed the pendant being worn by Yang, she knew of it of course, Qrow had told her about where the last heirloom of her only child was kept. At first she wanted to do nothing other than order the man to give it back to her, to rage and scream at him for taking away the last piece of connection she had with her baby.
Qrow, as battered as he had been at the time, did his best to explain to her that her – because she hadn't allowed him to call himself the father of her child anymore – child had laid his life down in an effort to save both Yang and Ruby, it was only fair that they get to keep a piece of the person who changed their fate.
She didn't care at the time; she had already lost her child once, only to learn of his demise years later. All she wanted was a reminder of what she once held in her arms.
But eventually she yielded; as much as she hated the man Qrow had a point. Knowingly or not, Aurora had given his life to protect his cousins; it was only fair that the traumatized girl kept the one thing that let her feel safe again.
Yet if it was only that, she would have been fine; she expected the pendant on the day of the initiation, prepared for what it would make her feel and the memories it would unearth. What she hadn't expected was him.
A young man standing at six foot two, black hair just like his had been.
His only visible eye was a bright green just like his…
But it had a cat-like pupil, unlike her Aurora's unique pupil-less eyes.
Probably a Faunus, she reasoned. Hope had crushed her for years, even after mourning she hoped that maybe, somehow he had survived, yet with every passing day reality beat down her hopes and made her swallow them.
There wasn't a body, she told herself before.
There rarely ever is with Grimm.
A Huntsman could have found him before the Grimm killed him, she tried again a day later.
A Huntsman did find him before the Grimm killed him. Qrow… Anger flourished in her heart with the name as a reminder.
"Glynda?" a voice called.
She couldn't hear it, her eyes frozen solid on his silhouette. She had seen every single document on the students attending the initiation, yet the boy in blue and the short girl with the parasol weren't in her memory.
It took her seconds to make the connection to Raven, they were her entrants.
Her hope had died a long time ago, so it was easy to convince her one more time.
"Glynda?" she identified Ozpin's voice.
"Ah, yes." She pushed her glasses up and walked toward the microphone to explain the rest, she didn't know where Ozpin had stopped, but she didn't need to, her explanation hadn't changed in years.
Her last thought had convinced her of the futility of hoping once again despite the odds.
Your son isn't… wasn't, a killer.
After a short awkward pause the announcement was made by Glynda, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight, tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready, you're dismissed."
Yang was the first to speak up, "That was… weird."
Syn had to agree, the blonde professor looked lost deeply in thought throughout the entire thing. Even Ozpin seemed to be confused by her empty gaze for a while there, but they moved on just fine.
Neo tapped Syn's shoulder and motioned for them to get going; they still needed to change out of their clothes. Without waiting for Ruby or Yang they made their way toward the Ballroom with the rest of the students.
Another tap on his shoulder called for his attention, [My clothes.]
Syn nodded his head and turned a corner, away from prying eyes his shadow flickered and Neo's night apparel was forced out into his hand. Simple black short shorts and a large white shirt, too large for her but that was the point, it was baggy and comfortable.
Neo took her clothes with an appreciative nod and headed toward the showers.
Syn headed toward the showers for the boys, while he was used to sleeping without a shower after years of not having the luxury, showering still felt nice. He stripped out of his clothes after entering the shower, not wanting to create a commotion with the numerous scars running across his body, and enjoyed the warm water.
Neo finished first of course; Syn enjoyed the peace that came with showering a little too much, no one there to pester him. She headed to the ballroom without waiting for Syn in hopes of finding a spot they could sleep in peacefully.
Neo knew Syn wouldn't allow himself to sleep in the middle of the ballroom where everyone surrounded him, which was why she looked for empty spots around the walls, at least that way they would both feel more at ease.
So when she found a candle lit corner with only one girl in a yukata styled shirt, she thought that it was the perfect spot. Neo grabbed two sleeping bags from the entrance, left there by the staff for everyone to use, and walked next to the girl to set up.
It was only then that Syn came in, fully dressed in long black baggy pants and a black turtle neck. Neo instantly waved in an exaggerated manner, signaling him to go over.
There were too many people stuffed into a single room for Syn's tastes, he doubted he'd get much sleep like that but lack of sleep wasn't something unfamiliar to him. He noticed a girl sitting next to Neo, deeply focused in her reading material, but didn't give her a second glance.
Neo struck up a conversation the second his body relaxed against the wall. [What do you think the initiation will be like?]
He had wondered about it, Raven hadn't told them anything at all about the initiation or the inner workings of Beacon itself. He assumed it would have something to do with combating Grimm, as it befitted the status of Huntsmen.
"We'll probably end up fighting against Grimm; there is a forest close to the school grounds that would make such an initiation easier."
Neo's cheeks puffed in a mock pout, something Syn couldn't help but think was adorable. She didn't like the idea of fighting low level Grimm, it wasn't exactly her idea of a 'fun time'.
However all good things must come to an end, especially peaceful atmospheres.
"Helloooo!"
Three pairs of eyes locked onto the nearing form of Yang, waving as exaggeratedly as Neo had been only minutes ago while dragging Ruby by the arm.
"Oh hey, Syn, Neo," she nodded at both of them in greeting before going after her intended target. She gently pushed her sister forward, "I believe you two may know each other."
Finally the girl sitting with them realized that ignoring the problem wouldn't actually make it miraculously disappear, so she responded instead, "Aren't you that girl that exploded?"
Neo snickered silently at the reveal, her and Syn had heard the explosion but weren't lucky enough to actually see it happen. She wondered what kind of supernatural level of clumsiness it would take for a person to explode.
"Uh, yeah, my name is Ruby," she started with only a slight pause as she put her hand forward for a handshake, only to have it ignored. "But you can just call me crater… actually you can just call me Ruby."
The awkward silence stretched long enough for Yang to realize that her little sister needed help, "So, what's your name?"
"Blake."
Neo slapped a hand onto her face, disbelieving the kind of social wreckage she was witnessing. She intervened as she pointed to the book Blake had been reading, pointing the sister's toward a better subject.
Ruby, surprisingly being the first to get the hint, pushed forward. "Right, well, I'm Ruby, and this is my elder sister Yang. What are you reading?"
Blake was much more inclined to a subject she was more familiar with, "It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."
"I love books," Ruby started. "Yang used to read me every night before bed, stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons why I want to become a Huntress."
Blake responded with a tone one would use when humoring the childish dream of a kid, "Why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
Ruby either didn't notice or didn't care, but she spoke with what would amount to conviction for someone her age, "I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books, as someone who fought for what was right and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."
Before Blake could even utter a word in response, the conversation was halted when Syn laughed for the first time in their presence. Though Neither Ruby, Yang or Blake had known Syn for long, they had pegged him as a silent guy who rarely showed large amounts of emotion. Which was why the resounding laughter was slightly shocking for them.
Even Neo laughed silently, only made apparent through the shaking of her body, and the wide smile she had at the time.
"There is no such thing as a happily ever after." He and Neo knew that better than anyone, the Grimm weren't the problem, they were a threat yes, but even if Grimm suddenly went extinct, violence and conflict would still persist in another form.
His voice was soft, never elevating, yet they could hear his words as clear as day. "Conflict is a core characteristic of being alive, whether it is between Grimm and humanity, Faunus versus Humans, or even the same race versus itself. Evil will stop to exist the day there are no sapient beings on Remnant."
Silence set in almost too easily after his words, Blake and Yang simply looked at Syn with curiosity, but it was Ruby's reaction that was the most interesting. The girl didn't seem depressed as if her world was crumbling, but rather she seemed defiant in a manner that suggested she wouldn't accept such an outcome.
"No! That can't be true, it won't be! We all do our best to learn and get better as Huntsmen and Huntresses; we have to make a difference, it isn't all for nothing!" Her voice elevated from a slight whisper to a shout that startled everyone in the ballroom in the span of a second. Yang slung an arm around Ruby in an effort to comfort her, but didn't say anything. The blonde brawler knew that violence was simply there, with as many bar fights she'd been in, it would be foolish to say that it could stop completely.
Neither Syn nor Neo gave an outward reaction to the outburst, for them, it was simply a child throwing a tantrum in the face of a harsh reality. It didn't really matter; with her chosen profession it would not take long for the girl to learn that her dream was just that… a dream.
The tense atmosphere was quickly lifted by another voice, "What is going on here!?"
Ruby's head snapped toward the voice so fast, Neo could have sworn she heard something snap, "Weiss?"
"Don't you realize that there are people here trying to sleep!?" though her shouting voice seemed to contradict her own complaint.
[This isn't going to end anytime soon, let's go to bed,] Neo signed, knowing perfectly well that the argument would most likely continue for a while longer.
Syn nodded and simply glanced at Blake, motioning for her to put out the candle and let the darkness end their bickering.
And just like that, silence set in along the night. Yet the silence didn't do anything to drown out the sound of their dreams.
It was unnatural.
Yet he was doing it anyway.
He should've left her for dead.
Yet he was carrying her in his arms as she kept on bleeding. She was so small compared to him, much lighter, obviously lacking the muscles he had.
Yet she had jumped in front of a speeding bullet for him. He hadn't noticed the sniper; it was a rookie mistake that Sevas would have beaten him into the ground for. But it wouldn't have killed him unless it had gone for his head, which it hadn't considering it had shot through Neo's shoulder and he was taller than her.
But that didn't matter, because she thought he was in mortal peril, and she was the one who decided to lay her life on the line for his own. She could have survived alone, no longer was she malnourished and chained, she had gotten used to living in the badlands surrounded by Grimm, thieves, and murderers.
It was a moment of irrationality to him, all his life whenever he had tried something of the kind he had been met with a brutal outcome. Yet here he was, saving the person that had injured themselves near fatally for him.
As he cleaned her wounds he couldn't help but keep thinking. They had been together for a while, she had tried to protect him and he was repaying that by helping her survive the ordeal.
Maybe that was the difference?
Before, each time before he had gone out of his way to help complete strangers that had done nothing for him, simply doing it because he had wanted to. But this was different, their relationship was entirely different.
She protected him, and he in turn saved her. They worked together, traveled together, lived together. They weren't strangers, they were partners.
A small smile stretched on his face as he kept working on her shoulder.
Maybe, just maybe this is fine, he thought.
They would help each other, support and push each other. He'd become her weapon just as she would become his, be her shield just as she had been his. It wasn't about blindly helping, it was about… something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he liked it.
He wondered about the warm feeling in his chest, but put it aside in favor of focusing on the girl he was taking care of.
The young assassin never understood that he had felt happy, for the first time someone had put him ahead of their own interests, and cared for him enough to risk death.
While unknown to him, it was important, it was something almost everyone had felt in their life at some point or another, but something that had been denied to him for the longest of times. A person that genuinely cared for him
He didn't have the time to go out and get fire-wood for warming the girl's body, it was the first time he felt the touch of another like that. They slept, back to back, sharing their heat and presence through their clothes. It was a chaotic day for sure.
But it was a memory he would never forget…
Author's Note: Review me your thoughts, don't be shy to tell me any ideas or criticisms you may have (as long as you're not being hostile). I will say that this chapter was the hardest to write so far, probably because this episode of RWBY is actually the one with the least happening, to me, it's like "Here, this is our cast for the show." That's what I think of that episode, but it's also important. So yeah.