Byzan's ears twitch as the airship shakes a little as it nds at the great Beacon Academy. The door opens up and a ramp extends. Everyone begins to walk out and Byzan follows everyone. A girl with pink hair and pink eyes skips out of the ship first as she ughs in excitement.

  His amber eyes gncing around, checking the weapons on everyone and their outfits.

  "I don't wanna go!" Rose's voice echoes from behind Byzan.

  "We've made it this far, no turning back now!" Ambré shouts.

  The cat faunus gnces back to see Ambré pulling on her younger sister, who's clinging onto the exit door.

  "There's so many scary people!" Tears fall from Rose's eyes.

  "They won't be scary if you get to know some people!" Ambré pulls her sister off the door and starts to drag her towards Beacon.

  "Nohohohoho!" Rose shouts as she reaches towards the air ship.

  Ambré drags Rose right past Byzan as he watches the two disappear. He raises an eyebrow in confusion.

  "What a strange pair..." Byzan mutters as he scratches one of his ears.

  Byzan's eyes keep looking around and he spots a familiar hidden cat faunus, a rge smile forms on his face.

  She wears a bck, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and tight white spandex compression shorts that reach her upper thighs with a zipper on the front of each leg, embzoned with the YKK logo of the real-life Japanese zipper manufacturer.

  She also wears bck low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of bck to purple at her ankles. Her emblem is visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white. On her left arm is a bck detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and bck ribbons are wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose, bck scarf is wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack is strapped to her back, hidden by her hair. She often keeps her weapon attached to the magnetic backpack when she is not using it.

  A bck ribbon is tied with a rge bow on the top of her head, with her cat ears hidden inside the loops. She wears purple eye shadow in cats eye style.

  Byzan chuckles as he sneaks up towards his sister.

  Bke eyes scan the words on the book in front of her, hardly paying attention to the world around her. Until a familiar voice speaks up behind her.

  "Oh sister~" Byzan's voice calls out as he wraps his arms around her shoulders.

  Bke eyes narrow as she swiftly shuts her book, then spins around and delivers a hard kick into Byzan's stomach. But Byzan disappears in a poof of purple smoke, traveling it to be a clone.

  The real Byzan comes up behind Bke and wraps his arms around her stomach. "Oh, feisty now are we~"

  Bke pushes Byzan back and slides a few feet away as she gres at him. "Byzan." She puts a hand on the weapon on her back.

  Byzan puts a hand on his chin as he leans forward with a puzzled look. "Oh, what's that look for sister?"

  "Why are you here?"

  Byzan gives a close eyed smile as he puts his hands behind his back and stands up. "Aren't I allowed to attend a Huntsmen and Huntress Academy?"

  "You know what I mean?"

  Byzan pyfully sticks his tongue out at Bke. "Oh, do I now?"

  "Byzan." Bke growls.

  Clone Byzan appears right in front of Bke and smiles. "Oh, don't be like that." He disappears and Byzan is suddenly right in front of his sister. "Come on, smile, you should be happy to see your brother."

  "I-"

  A loud explosion goes off, drawing the two's attention and a red dust vial rolls right up to Bke's foot.

  "Oh?" The two cats tilt their heads in question.

  Bke reaches down and picks up the vial, spotting the Schnee logo on it, Byzan grits his teeth as he spots the logo.

  "UNBELIEVABLE!"

  The two siblings look to the side and spot Weiss Schnee yelling at a shorter girl in a bck and red dress.

  "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" Weiss yells to the younger looking girl

  "I'm really, really sorry!" The young girl quickly replies.

  "Ugh! You complete, dolt!" Weiss shouts.

  The siblings look at each other, before gncing back at the pair.

  "What are you even doing here?" Weiss asks the young girl. "Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

  "Well... I..." The young girl stutters slightly.

  "This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know. We're here to fight monsters!" Weiss crosses her arms. "So watch where you're going!"

  "Hey, I said I was sorry, Princess!"

  "It's Heiress, actually." Bke replies as she and Byzan walk up to the two.

  Byzan gives a rge forced smile as he slightly leans forward. "Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the rgest producers of energy propelnt in the world."

  Weiss smiles as she puts her hands on her hips. "Finally, some recognition!"

  Bke then continues for Byzan. "The same company infamous for its controversial bor forces and questionable business partners."

  "What-!" Weiss gets angry. "How dare---!" Ruby chuckles as Byzan sticks his tongue out at Weiss. "The nerve of--" She gres at the two, before grabbing the Dust vial from Bke's hand and stomping off.

  Weiss' servants pick up her luggage for her as she heads for the academy.

  "I'll promise I'll make this up to you!" The girl sighs as Byzan and Bke walk off.

  The two siblings remain in silence for a few moments as they head for the academy. Until Bke speaks up.

  "Now, Byzan, why are you-?" Bke looks to the side only to find her brother missing. "Byzan?" She looks around, not spotting him. "That bastard."

  Byzan saunters into the auditorium and looks around, spotting many people. A smile forms on his face as he heads towards a darker corner of the pce.

  "Dude, look at that cute faunus girl over there." A voice whispers in the crowd.

  Byzan sneaks a gnce to the side and sees two male students looking at him.

  "I must admit, she's kinda cute, dude." The first guy's friends replies.

  A smirk forms on Byzan's face.

  "Aw, man, I should ask her for her number."

  "Do it, no balls."

  "Oh, fuck you, dude. But I do think we should probably wait on trying to get a girls number."

  "What, why?" The second dude asks.

  "I'd rather not piss off any females so soon into the year."

  "I guess you're right."

  Byzan finds a little empty corner and leans against the wall. He keeps gncing around, looking between the students and the weapons they have. Then he keeps looking around.

  "No windows..." Byzan mutters.

  Byzan sighs and pulls out his fsk a from his pocket and starts to sip from it.

  "It's illegal to be drinking alcoholic substances on Academy grounds and when you're underage." A female voice says from the side.

  Byzan raises an eyebrow and gnces to the side and sees a female with pink hair and eyes standing right next to him. She's several inches shorter then him.

  The female has wavy pink hair that goes down to her shoulders and bright pink eyes that hold a calcuting look in them. She has a pink bow around her neck and a white blouse on. She has blue bracers on her wrists. She has a white belt on that has a waist cape attached to it that has a horizontal capital I with a bracket above and below it.

  She also wears a pair of white thigh-high leg pieces that seemingly are attached to bck shoes. The leg pieces have a single pink stripe up the sides that appears to light up.

  "Hmm?" Byzan lowers his fsk. "It's not liquor."

  The girl blinks a few times, before narrowing her eyes at the cat faunus.

  Byzan puts the cap on his fsk and sets it into his pocket. "I wouldn't be so stupid to break the rules before actually getting into Beacon. Besides, I think you should mind your own business."

  "If it is alcohol, I'll have to report you to the Professors or the Headmaster of the Academy." The pinkette states.

  Byzan waves his hand at her. "Yeah, yeah. Just go bug someone else, okay."

  The nods and smiles as she skips off.

  Byzan watches the weird girl disappear into the crowd. "But of strange people here."

  His amber eyes scan the crowd and he sees Yang and the two girls from before talking together. Then he spots Ambré and Rose in the crowd.

  Rose is nervously pying with the hem of her blue dress, while Ambré adjust her white and blue military like coat.

  Ozpin walks on stage and goes up to the microphone as he clears his throat.

  "I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you pn to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

  Ozpin begins to walk away as Byzan narrows his eyes at the Headmaster.

  Glynda walks up to the microphone and speaks into it. "You will gather into the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"

  Byzan chuckles as a smirk forms on his face. "I'm probably one of the few here who as actually training for this kinda stuff."

  Everyone begins to leave the auditorium as Byzan stretches his arms out. He starts to head for the door, until someone grabs him from behind and pulls him out.

  "We need to talk!" Bke growls into his ears. "Now!"

  "Okay, okay!" Byzan agrees as Bke forces him out of the building and they go off to the side. "Now what do you-"

  Bke pushes Byzan up against the side of the building and puts her bde at his throat. "Why are you here?"

  Byzan just a rge Cheshire smile as he looks down at the bde on his throat. "Oh, Bkey~ You don't need to be so rough."

  Bke puts more pressure on the bde and draws a little blood.

  "Okay, okay!" Byzan huffs. "I needed to get away from Ats okay. And I heard you were coming here too, so I decided this would be a good pce to be."

  "How did you find out I was coming here?" Bke gres at her brother.

  Byzan smirks. "There's always a price for information, Bkey. You just gotta know where to look. Like I also heard that you left our dear friend Adam on some train in the middle of nowhere."

  Bke puts more pressure on Byzan's neck, drawing slightly more blood. "Did he send you here?!"

  "Fuck no, you know I left the White Fang five years ago. Why are you so suspicious, sister?"

  Bke gres heavily at him. "I haven't heard or seen you in five years. Then you up and show up one day and don't expect me to be suspicious of you, Nightshade?"

  Byzan gnces to the side in thought for a few seconds. "Eh, fair point. Now, can we go to the barn and get ready for our initiation tomorrow."

  Bde stares at her brother for a few seconds, before backing off and puts her weapon away. Byzan's purple aura covers him for a few seconds, healing the tiny wound on his neck.

  "Oh, I knew you loved me~" Byzan hugs his sister and then rubs his hands over her sides and stomach. "Ohhh~ You've been working out."

  Bke elbows him in the gut, causing him to let go and chuckle. "Don't do that!" She stomps off.

  "Oh, don't be like that~" Byzan skips after Bke with a rge smile.

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  .

  .

  Byzan steps into the barn as moonlight shines in. He wears a rge oversized shirt that goes down to his knees. His eye shadow is washed off. It slightly hugs his figure, showing off his more... feminine features. A few of the boys around the room ogle him, making him smirk in satisfaction.

  Byzan gnces around the room. 'Window's are locked, the front door is locked as well to prevent us from sneaking out. Escape routes would have to be go straight through a window.'

  Byzan spots Bke setting up a little table and candle as she sits down and starts to read. Byzan grows a Cheshire smile and hops over kneels beside her.

  "Oh Bkey, whatcha reading?" Byzan asks as he kneels at the table and rests his chin on his arms.

  BLake gnces at her brother with a look of indifference. "The Man with Two Souls."

  "Ohhh~ That is quite an interesting book."

  Bke raises an eyebrow. "You've read it?"

  Byzan tilts his head. "What, do you

  think I'm illiterate?"

  "You didn't go to school really."

  Byzan sticks his tongue out at his sister.

  The two hear footsteps approaching and they look over to see Yang dragging the girl the siblings meet earlier that morning.

  "Hellooooo~" Yang says in a sing-song voice. "I believe you three may know each other! Oh, but I remember you Byzan~"

  Byzan smiles at Yang. "Goldie, it's nice to see you again."

  "Is that the man you talked about?" Ruby asks Yang in a whisper tone. "He kinda looks like a girl..." She then panics. "There's nothing wrong with that! I just didn't expect it!"

  "Aren't you that girl that exploded?" Bke asks.

  "Uhh, yeah! My names Ruby." She greets and holds her hand out. Bke looks back down at her book, and Byzan raises an eyebrow. Which makes her retract her hand. "But, you can call me... crater... actually, you can just call me Ruby."

  The siblings gnce at each other, then Byzan looks to Ruby, while Bke looks at her book. "...Okay." They respond.

  Yang turns to Ruby and whispers. "What are you doing?"

  Ruby whispers back to Yang. "I don't know, help me!"

  Yang turns back to Bke. "So... what's your name?"

  "Bke." She responds.

  "Well, Bke, I'm Yang!" Yang points at herself. "...I like your bow!"

  "Thanks."

  "It goes great with your... pajamas."

  "Right."

  Byzan then pouts. "What about me, Goldie?"

  Yang looks Byzan up and down. "Well, I do think that shirt really fits you. it shows off the right... features."

  Byzan cws the air towards Bke while making a growling sound. Bke kicks him in the leg and he rolls his eyes.

  "Nice night, don't ya think?" Yang asks Bke.

  "Yes." Bke pinly responds. "It's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book..." She motions to the book she's reading. "That I will continue to read... as soon as you leave."

  Yang turns to Ruby. "Yup, this girl Is a lost cause."

  "I know, right." Byzan mutters.

  "What's it about?" Ruby asks Bke.

  "Huh?" Bke looks up at Ruby.

  "Your book. Does it have a name?"

  "Well... It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

  "Oh, yeah..." Yang says in boredom. "That's real lovely..."

  Ruby steps forward. "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

  "Why is that?" Bke asks. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

  "I'm hoping we all will."

  Byzan smiles, before looking down with a frown.

  Ruby continues. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what was right, and who protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

  "That's very ambitious for a child." Bke says. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

  'Heh, she's so right.' Byzan looks back up to everyone.

  "Well, that's why we're here... to make it better."

  "Ohhh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang brings Ruby into a big hug.

  "Cut it out!" Ruby yells as she and Yang get into a fight.

  Byzan sweat drops and chuckles dryly. "They're sure loud." He licks the back of his palm and cleans his cat ears.

  Bke gives a slight nods. "It's so true." She turns to the girls. "Well, Ruby, Yang... it's a pleasure to-"

  Weiss stomps over. "What in the world is going on over here?!" She asks angrily.

  Ruby and Yang stop fighting. Ruby's holding onto Yang's foot, while Yang tries not to fall over.

  Weiss continues. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?!"

  Weiss notices Ruby and Yang notices Weiss.

  "Oh! Not you again!" Weiss and Yang shout.

  Ruby shushes everyone. "Guy's she right! People are trying to sleep.

  "Oh, now you're on my side?" Weiss asks.

  "I was always on your side!"

  Yang puts her hands on her hips as she gres at Weiss. "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?! She's only trying to be nice!"

  A clone Byzan appears between Byzan and Bke.

  Weiss throws a small fit. "She's a hazard to my health!"

  Clone Byzan blows out the candles, putting the room in near darkness.

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  04-03-2024

  2872 words