Update: The most common critique I've gotten is a lack of conflict in this chapter. Don't worry, there's plenty of conflict in the next few chapters, and a lot more to come. This is more of an introduction to let you see if you like my writing style and where the story is heading. Also, for those wondering why Neo seems a little different at the start than the way she's portrayed in the show, just give it until the end of chapter three and all of your concerns and questions should be answered. Enjoy!

Update 2: So obviously there are things I got wrong since this was written before Volume 3 was even announced. I've done my best to account for it in the sequel, but there are things that are going to different. Hopefully that doesn't take too much away from your enjoyment of the story. (:

Chapter 1: A Change of Heart

The city of Vale quickly returned to normal only a few days following the events leading to Roman's arrest. Thanks to the efforts of teams RWBY, JNPR and CFVY, it was as if nothing had ever happened. People roamed the streets with their usual hurry, except for one lonely girl, who wandered the streets for no reason other than she had nowhere to go. It was particularly windy today, constantly blowing the girl's pink and brown hair into her face, where it stuck to her tear stained cheeks. Her right arm was in a sling, and her left held her umbrella as she continued to meander down the sidewalks. In her mind, she kept replaying the events of the previous day in the hope that somehow it would take her back there. Cinder hadn't taken lightly to her letting Yang survive their fight on the train, and blamed her for the plan's premature execution, failure and Roman's arrest. Their argument became a physical fight, ending with Cinder nearly killing Neo, injuring her arm, and expelling her from the organisation.

'What do I do now?' she thought. 'This is all I've ever known... I have nowhere else to go, no one to turn to...' Another tear welled in her eye at the thought of being completely alone now. She turned her gaze to the ground and continued to walk, replaying the memory once again. She was brought out of her thoughts when she collided with a girl walking the opposite way, the force nearly sending the small girl on her back.

"Hey, watch where you're walking!" shouted an irritated, yet eerily familiar voice.

Neo kept her eyes on the sidewalk, "Sorry, miss." She hurried off to avoid anymore attention, but the girl called out to her again.

"Hey, wait, you're that girl from the train!"

Neo froze as she put a face to the voice, and slowly spun around to see a furious Yang, with Blake by her side. 'Oh shit, I need to leave now!' she thought in a panic, and took off sprinting down a nearby alley.

"Come back here!" Yang yelled after her, giving chase along with her partner. Neo was in no condition to fight anyone, let alone the pair she was up against, and continued to dash through the narrow pathways in search of somewhere to hide. She turned to look back at her pursuers as she rounded a corner, and was immediately met by a chain link fence when she faced forward again. She ran into it full force, knocking her to the ground just as Blake and Yang arrived to corner her. "Not so tough now are you?" Yang asked, a wicked smile forming after seeing the look of fear in Neo's eyes.

"Wait, I can explain!" Neo desperately exclaimed, backing up against the fence as the blonde slowly walked towards her.

Yang smirked, "I don't really wanna hear it. Last time we met you tried to kill me, so I'm just returning the favour." The brawler's eyes glowed red as she armed her gauntlets. Neo stood up, her back still against the fence, and peladingly looked to Blake to stop her partner. The Faunus only glared back, not making any effort to intervene. Yang pulled her arm back for a punch, and Neo covered her face with her uninjured arm.

"No, please! I don't work for them anymore!" she cried out and shut her eyes. She braced herself for the blow, but to her surprise it never came. Either that or dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought it would be. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and lowered her arm, and saw Yang staring back with a sceptical expression, her arm still poised to strike.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked, lowering her arm. Blake walked over with the same sceptical look as her partner, and Neo started to explain.

"After Roman was arrested, I was blamed for the train leaving early because I didn't protect him well enough," she said, and then gestured to her injured arm. "We got into an argument, then it got physical, and... now I'm on my own." Her gaze turned to the ground again. "I've got nothing..."

Yang was still suspicious, but Blake's face had softened after hearing the girl's tale. Yang went to speak, but Blake's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I think she's telling the truth," the Faunus girl said.

Yang turned to her with a bit of shock, "You'd believe her that easily?"

"I don't think she'd be casually strolling through Vale if she wasn't. But we can find out for sure if you'd like."

"How?" Yang asked.

Blake turned back to Neo, who'd sat back down on the ground. She was staring off at nothing, once again on the verge of crying. "Who blamed you?" Blake asked.

Neo looked up, confused, "What?"

"You said someone blamed you and did that to your arm. Who was it?" the Faunus girl repeated.

Neo slowly returned to her feet, "Her name is Cinder. She raised me since I was little."

Blake turned to Yang with a smug grin. "I don't think she'd admit that if she were lying," she said, and Yang shrugged.

"I'm still not convinced," the blonde replied, then turned back to Neo. "Where were you walking to?"

Neo shook her head, "Nowhere I guess. I don't really know what to do now. I was just sorta hoping for... I-I don't even know..."

"Well, what do you want to do now?" Blake asked, catching Neo by surprise.

"I... Well... I don't know. I've never not had someone giving me orders."

Blake shared a look with Yang, who gave an exasperated sigh. "You can't be serious," the blonde groaned, crossing her arms.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Yang. I wouldn't be here if that weren't true," Blake replied.

Yang sighed and admitted defeat, although she was far from happy about it. "Fine. But if anything happens, it's on you."

Blake rolled her eyes and looked back at Neo, "Why don't you come back to Beacon with us? I'm sure Professor Ozpin will know what to do."

Neo was shocked, "Really? You'd do that?" Blake nodded, and Neo wiped her eyes. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Maybe thank you?" Yang interjected, earning a scowl from her partner.

Neo just smiled and started to blush. "Thank you, thank you so much," she said happily, not even phased by the blonde's sarcasm.

Blake smiled back, "You're welcome. Come on, let's get going."

The three left the alley and started back toward Beacon, with Neo still in shock at Blake's generosity. 'I can't believe she'd be so nice to me. I haven't done anything that would make them inclined at all to believe me. I guess that's why the blonde wasn't as willing to listen,' she thought, then frowned. 'What did she say her name was?'

"So... What're your names?" Neo asked. The girls laughed, realising they'd never been properly introduced.

"I'm Blake, this is my partner, Yang," Blake said, and Yang gave a lackluster wave. "What about you? It starts with an 'N' right?"

"My name's Neopolitan, but I go by Neo. What about the rest of your team? I remember seeing a few others with you before."

"Ruby and Weiss," Yang answered, somewhat dryly. "You can probably guess which is which."

Neo chuckled and looked up at Yang, "I'm sorry about our last encounter, Yang. I hope there aren't any hard feelings?"

The blonde paused to think for a moment. "If you're leaving the rest of your past behind, then I suppose I can leave that behind too," she said, and Neo breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as you promise it won't happen again."

"I promise." They continued toward Beacon, acquainting Neo with the city and the school. She was still surprised at how friendly the two were being, but was more relieved that she was being accepted. They finally arrived at Beacon after the short airship ride up, and Neo couldn't help but be in awe of the school.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Yang asked, and Neo nodded. Before she could say anything, a very energetic voice called out from behind them.

"Hey guys! What've you been up to?" They turned around as Nora skipped up to meet them, followed by a panting Ren.

"Just walking around," Blake answered. "We just got back from town. What about you?"

"We went for a jog," she cheerfully replied.

Ren rolled his eyes, "Nora, that was almost a half marathon."

She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the girls. "He's just being a baby. So who's your friend?" Nora asked.

"This is Neo. She's um... visiting from outside the kingdom," Yang replied. "Neo, this is Nora and Ren."

Neo gave a shy smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you too!" Nora said, excitedly shaking Neo's hand. Ren was much calmer, giving a simple nod. "Well, we'd better finish our jog. See ya later guys!"

"WE'RE NOT DONE YET?" Ren shouted as Nora ran off, then grumbled under his breath as he sprinted after her.

Yang giggled and looked at Blake, "Still don't think they'll be a couple?"

"Nope," Blake laughed. "Oh please, she'd kill Ren in a week if they were."

"Why do you say that?" Yang asked. Blake raised her eyebrows a few times, and the brawler eventually caught on to her meaning. "Ohhhh. Yeah, I can see that."

Blake shook her head, "Anyway, let's get to Ozpin's office. It's in this building over here." They continued to walk finally arrived at Ozpin's office. The elevator was reserved for expected guests, and since this wasn't hours, they had to take the long way up. Yang walked over to the door after they ascending the tall, spiral staircase and knocked.

"Come in," echoed a voice from inside. They opened the door and found the professor gazing out over the kingdom from his balcony.

"Good afternoon professor," Blake said.

"Afternoon," he replied, turning to that girls and taking a sip from his coffee mug. "What brings the three of you by?" Neo was a little surprised that he didn't react to seeing her here, but then again he probably didn't even know who she was. She sheepishly stayed behind Blake and Yang as they walked up the the professor's desk, as if she didn't want to draw any attention to herself.

"Well..." Yang started, but wasn't sure how to proceed. She turned her head back to look at Neo, who was still sort of hiding behind her, then to Blake to see if her partner knew what to say.

Ozpin smiled, "Perhaps introductions would help to start us off."

Blake and Yang stepped to the side so that Neo was in view, and she shrank back a little from her nerves. She looked first at the ground, but then brought her gaze up to meet the headmaster's before speaking, "My name's Neopolitan, but you can call me Neo."

"Pleased to meet you Neo. I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. What brings you to my school?" he asked, taking a seat at his desk.

Neo looked back down at the ground, "I, um... Well... I-"

Yang interrupted, "She's the girl I told you about. The one I fought on the train."

Neo's eyes widened at the statement, and she looked up at Ozpin to see how he'd react. His expression didn't change, and he simply looked to Neo for confirmation. She nodded, and he turned back to Yang. "Interesting," he replied. "I'm assuming that since you've come to me and not the police, you have something else in mind than turning her in?"

Yang nodded, and Neo explained what had happened to Ozpin the same way she had before, the headmaster maintaining the same neutral expression throughout. She finished her story and sighed, "Blake said you might be able to help."

"Perhaps. What is it you're looking to do now?" he asked.

"I... I don't know. I was really only raised to fight. I haven't had much experience out in the world."

Ozpin smiled, "Well, there are careers that utilize that skill on the battlefield. I hear there are entire schools dedicated to training young people like you to for combat."

It took a moment for it to register, but Neo was stunned after she realised what the headmaster was suggesting. What surprised her even more than the comment was that he hadn't even reacted to her background. 'Is he serious? No, he can't be, right? Why would he be so trusting of someone like me?'

Ozpin continued, "If you've truly left your previous affiliation behind, and are willing to dedicate your life to defending this kingdom, then I'd be more than willing to offer you a place here at this academy. If both Blake and Yang are sufficiently convinced that you have, then I'm inclined to believe them."

Neo's jaw hit the floor, "I... I would be honoured, sir. But, why are you so quick to offer something like that to someone like me?"

"If what Miss Xiao-Long has told me about you is correct, then I know you've more than proven your skill in combat to pass our entrance exams. And, if you've earned her trust after your last encounter, then I'm willing to extend that same trust to you."

Neo was happy beyond words, and couldn't stop a huge smile forming across her lips. "Thank you, thank you professor," she said, and he smiled back.

"But, know that I will be keeping an eye on you, just as a precaution," he replied, and Neo nodded. "I suppose I have some paperwork to put through to have you officially enrolled. For now, you'll tag along as a member of team RWBY until other arrangements can be made. Miss Belladonna, Miss Xiao-Long, see to it she has everything she'll need for her time here."

"No problem. Come on Neo, let's introduce you to the rest of the team. Properly this time," Yang cheered.

"Sounds great," Neo chuckled, and turned back to Ozpin. "Thank you, professor. I promise I won't disappoint you."

He smiled, "I trust you won't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." The three girls nodded and departed, heading back to their dorm.

"Do you think the rest of your team will be as accepting of me?" Neo asked once they were back outside.

Blake laughed, "I know Ruby will be, it's Weiss I'd worry about."

"Yeah, but she's... decent once she warms up to you," Yang added, and Neo smiled.

'I never would've guessed something like this would happen. I really don't deserve this, not after all I've done,' she thought. 'If they're going to give me this opportunity, I'm sure as hell not going to waste it. I have a chance to turn my life around, and I'm going to. Look out Remnant, here comes a brand new Neo.'