Two Sides to a Coin Ch. 1: Different Starts

A new story by me? Whaaaa? So this will be canon inspired initially, except there will be a lot of different things in it. This story will hit dark places, and if you do not want to read gore and darkness then you might want to stop reading. Though, I'm unsure right now as to the extent that the gore will be. Otherwise, let us begin.

She stood in the midst of the woods. Her scythe rested by her side, but she didn't need to know that. Hefting it around was not an issue for her, especially since she had done it for most of her life.

The age was difficult to tell on sight. On the right side of her face, she wore a young and innocent face. On the left side rested a half mask that alternated shades of dark red and black. It was fully covered, all the way to her mouth and eye. The right side displayed a single silver eye, but the left was just a mask of black and red over the gateway to the soul.

She wore a combat skirt as it allowed for maximum movement. Just below the skirt rested a long pair of tights that alternated shades of red and black as well. The girl had argued that they allowed for more coverage and something harder to see through. It certainly helped that they were lined with thin layers of leather, just to make breaking through them harder.

Her arms were perhaps the most interesting part of her attire. She wore a long pair of sleeves that went all the way up to her wrists, but that's not where the coverage ended. Her hands were completely concealed by a pair of gloves, one red and one black. Both of them had fur lining the wrists of them, the red glove having the black fur and the black glove having the red fur. If she were to roll up her sleeves, it would reveal that the gloves went much further down. All the way down to her shoulders, actually. They worked more like sleeves. They were both covered in thick pieces of leather, showing something off. She had something to hide, that much was apparent. But what it was, that remained to be seen.

Her hair was the only piece of her that seemed untouched. It was black with red highlights, and the only part that was semi-abnormal was the pieces sticking up from the top of the mask {as it ran the entire length of her left face}.

She twitched her ears in anticipation of the growls that she could hear from just beyond the trees. It sounded like a pack, a small one disappointingly. But it would do to kill that need within her.

You should think of this as training, she thought to herself.

Training for what? Another thought said. Training for something that you know how to do. Kill. All this is is a little bit of steam that needs to be blown off.

Don't give into the hunger, the other voice fought back.

I just require one, the voice said. I don't need much. Just a little to remind you that you still have to satisfy me. The girl shook her head, and raised up her scythe. She pointed it straight into the air, and fired off one round. The place grew quiet, but that silence would soon be replaced by chaos.

A large, black wolf dove from the trees and took a swipe at the girl. She easily rolled under the strike, and dove up to be standing on the soles of her boots. She trained her gaze onto the wolf, and flashed a grin. It was covered in black fur, with the occasional bone spike appearing from it's body. It was a Beowolf, and there was no more perfect of a prey.

She swung around her scythe blade, and fired off a round to propel her momentum. The blade left a gash across the Grimm's stomach, and then the girl swung the blade up into it's chin. The head was cleaved in half, and the body fell limply to the side. Instinctively, the girl fired off a round at the ground and shot herself into the air. She looked down, and saw that two Beowolves had rushed to where she was.

She chambered in the next round, and fired it off. She spiraled down, and crushed the first Beowolves skull with the back of the blade. She fired off another round, and sent her body into the Beowolf. It stumbled back while the girl recentered herself, and swung around her boot into it's head. It stumbled back further, and the girl twirled around her blade into it's neck. The Beowolf fell over dead, and she landed safely.

She turned rapidly, and noticed that one more Beowolf was rushing her. She fired off a round, and brought the blade around to it's legs. Both of them were cut off, and the girl walked over to the Beowolf. The wounds weren't enough to kill, but they were enough to make it helpless. It snapped aimlessly at her, and she just placed her boot firmly on it's chest.

She calmly reached up to her mask, and took it off. The Beowolf went silent for a moment, but the silence was drawn out even more as she removed her gloves.

Let me get this one, a voice said calmly. She tucked away her scythe, and calmly placed her hand on it's throat. Suddenly, her grip tightened, and she ripped hard. The Beowolves throat left with her hand, and it called out for a single moment in pain. She just placed her mask back on her face, and wiped off her hands before putting the gloves back on. She took one look around the place, and nodded in approval. No one had seen her, which meant that she was still safe.

Qrow's Home

A man was sitting out on his porch. He was looking out into the distance, and his eyes seemed distant. He wore a black coat and his hair was silver. He had purple eyes, and his face looked sad. Underneath his black coat was a green shirt, which glowed oddly in the lighting. His name was Qrow, and he was concerned.

He had watched as his niece ran off into the woods, and he just patiently waited. Every time she went out, she was in danger of being spotted. It was never easy for him to let her, but he also understood what would happen if he didn't allow her to go.

He saw a brief flash of gold, and he turned his head slightly.

"Hello Yang," he greeted.

"Hey Dad," she replied. A girl with a wild gold mane took a seat next to him. She had dawned on a leather jacket to accompany her crop top and shorts. She had on a scarf along with two bikers boots, but both of those were accompanied by socks of varying height. Her wrists had on two bracers of some kind, and they both looked a lot more intricate then what one may initially assume.

"How was your time out?" He pressed.

"Fine," Yang replied. "Dad, did you get her in?" Qrow nodded very slowly, and the sat up a little more.

"It took some convincing," he added in. "But luckily, I have a past with Ozpin. I was able to show him her talent, and he agreed. Though convincing him to not ask questions about her aesthetic was difficult. But she's in."

"Good," Yang said. "I can't let her go through school without me." Qrow nodded, and looked back at the door.

"Your airship leaves soon," he said slowly. "You should get your supplies together. I've already taken care of Ruby's bag." Yang nodded, her eyes changing to concern at the mention of her sisters name. Yang ran back inside, and Qrow kept his gaze trained forward. Ruby's past certainly followed her, so it was best to send her with someone from her past. Yang was the only one with the ability to watch out for her, and it wasn't as though Ruby had a ton of friends. This would work well enough. But at Beacon, anything could happen.

Airship

Yang looked around the airship, and kept one hand on her younger cousin. Well, they were technically cousins. But Yang had been looking out for Ruby for so long, that she just considered her Ruby's older sister. Ruby thought similar of Yang, as it made their relationship easier to explain.

"Let go," Ruby whined, shrugging off Yang's grip.

"I'm just making sure you don't go running anywhere," Yang said.

"Why would I run off somewhere?" Ruby challenged. Yang paused, and shrugged. Ruby walked over to a window, and looked out of it. She could see her reflection, and she just sighed. The mask was a constant reminder of what she couldn't let show. At least she could play off her gloves as something to aid in her scythe wielding, but the mask was not anything conventional.

"What a view, huh?" Yang asked, nudging her sister slightly. Ruby finally let her gaze widen out of the reflection, and she smiled at the view. It covered the entire city, and it looked absolutely beautiful.

"It really is," Ruby said happily. "Sure beats that old house at the woods." Yang nodded, and just stretched out. "You and Qrow got me into Beacon two years early, didn't you?" Ruby asked as she leaned on the rails.

"Yup," Yang replied.

"Why?" Ruby asked.

"Because you're my baby sister, and I'm concerned. Plus, we merely asked Professor Ozpin to consider letting you in two years early. Ultimately, it was you who got in." Ruby went silent, but then hugged Yang.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Anything for you," Yang replied, hugging her back. Both girls heard gagging, and they turned to see a blonde boy trying to hold down his breakfast.

"Gross," Ruby said jokingly, holding her hand up to pinch her nose. Yang smiled, and tilted her head back and forth.

"Eh, he won't last," she added in, equal amounts of jokingness in her voice. Both girls continued to laugh for the rest of trip, and for a moment they forgot where it was that they were headed.

Beacon Landing Zone

The airship slowly touched down, and the girls both stepped out. They managed to get out in front of the boy who had almost vomited, which made some things easier. They got out to a clearing, and they looked around.

"And I thought the view from the ship was impressive," Yang mumbled.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "This place is gorgeous." Indeed it was. The way that the school had planted the trees perfectly framed the school, that resembled more of a castle, and it enhanced all of the greens within the building design. Yang's view trailed away, and she seemed to notice someone.

"Oh I thought they didn't get in," Yang mumbled. "Hey Ruby, is it cool if I run over and say hi real fast?"

"I'll be fine for two seconds," Ruby replied. "I can handle myself."

"That's not-. Never mind." Yang just shook her head, and ran over to someone in the distance. Ruby watched Yang go, and turned to walk somewhere else.

As soon as she took a step forward, she felt herself bump into something. She snapped her head fully around, and saw a tower of cases toppling over. Instantly, she reached out and saved them. Giving a sigh of relief, Ruby leaned them upright.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She heard someone yell. Ruby jumped slightly, and turned to face the mystery yeller. She saw a short girl, almost her height with stupidly high heels, with white hair. Her eyes were blue, and a single scar rested above her left eye.

"What?" Ruby asked innocently. The girl puffed out angrily, and got close to Ruby. Her face was within inches of Ruby's mask, which made her immensely uncomfortable.

"You had your hands on my Dust crates," she accused her.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "I accidentally bumped into them, and so I had to stop it from falling over."

"So you're unobservant and a thief," the girl said easily.

"Hey!" Ruby snapped, her voice going an octave lower. "It was an accident, and I wasn't stealing shit, princess." Ruby's voice had changed so rapidly to add in so much hostility that the girl was actually stunned for a moment.

"It's heiress actually," someone said from behind Ruby. For a moment, she hoped that it would be Yang. But no such luck, it was someone that she was unfamiliar with. She had long black hair, a blouse, and a black bow on top of her head. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

"Finally, some recognition," Weiss said happily.

"The same company infamous for it's controversial labor laws, and questionable work forces." The heiress looked stunned for a moment, and then she bounced back.

"How dare you!" She snapped. Ruby had already brought out the anger in her, but this girl had pushed it too far. As if she was a guardian angel, Yang came running up to the scene.

"Hey," Yang said, stepping between the girl in black, Ruby and Weiss. "So I heard a little bit of yelling, and I came over here to make sure that you weren't going to try anything."

"She accused my company of our labor laws and business partners and she tried to steal from me," Weiss said angrily.

"Okay, timeout there princess. First off, my sister wouldn't steal anything. She's sweet, right Ruby?" Ruby just growled angrily, and kept her unconcealed eye straight at the heiress. "Second of all, feel free to take potshots at her." Yang threw her thumb back at the girl in black, who just gave a surprise look at Yang. "I don't know her. But my sister, well I don't recommend you make her mad." Weiss threw her arms up, and she looked just about ready to hit Ruby.

"Breaking you in half would be easy," Ruby said hostily. Her voice had dropped deeper then most of the boys at the school. "I'm plenty strong enough." Weiss stopped in surprise. This girl that had been apologizing awkwardly had completely changed right in front of her. Something about her change in posture and stare made her seem serious.

"Okay, I'm leaving," Weiss said. The other girl had already left, and Weiss wasn't slow to follow. Yang looked over at Ruby, and raised her eyebrow. Almost instantly, all of the anger left her.

"I bumped into her cases," Ruby said easily as she started to make her way towards Beacon Assembly Hall. "They almost fell over, and then I propped them back up. She said I was trying to steal them."

"Already making friends, huh?" Yang asked.

"I only operate hot or cold," Ruby said easily. "There is no in between. This," Ruby tapped on her mask, "sees to that." Yang just sighed, and pulled her sister in close.

"Let's just avoid incidents for the rest of today," Yang said. "Okay?" Ruby nodded, but there was one thing that she knew as going to be determining the amount of incidents. How much people tested her, what was said at orientation, and the sleeping situation.

And the last one was very important.

End: Longer chapter one then I normally do. Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is appreciated.