RWBY: LIFE AND DEATH - CHAPTER 11

The first night at beacon was hard, for the nightmares started, nightmares I hadn’t had since I was but a kit, the images of my family bleeding on the pearl white bed, their lifeless bodies, and my sister and I, crying our hearts out, begging this was nothing but a bad dream. I don’t know why these terrible dreams started again, maybe it had something to do with the fact I was for the first time in my life without Sienna, its amazing how you grow to depend on others, especially those you love.

I think I woke up no less than three times during the night, only to find Pyrrha sleeping a few inches away, so close that if I stretched my hand I could touch her, each time I would force myself to sleep, I knew these episodes would eventually go away, and so I paid them no heed, what happened, happened, and I have no power to change that, but what will happen, that is all I can change.

Eventually, the morning came and I was suddenly woken up by a giddy Pyrrha, saying it was time for breakfast, I guess she took it to heart when I told her to wake me up so that I would remember to eat my breakfast.

“Come on! We have two hours before the exam begins, we need to fill our bodies with nutrients!” Pyrrha smiled, as I groaned inside my blankets.

“Fine…” I yawned, stretching up. “So, do we have to run around to find the cafeteria?”

“No, I have our meals right here,” Pyrrha smiled, handing me an energy bar.

I looked at the tiny, small, insignificant energy bar and chuckled, “Yeah, this is not going to work out, I will need like a hundred of these,” one of those would only upset my stomach, who would riot for more food.

“Hmm, well the cafeteria is closed,” Pyrrha hummed deep in thought, “I have something else… but…” why was she so hesitant, I couldn’t help but wonder.

“Don’t worry, the bar will do,” For now.

“No, no, I can’t in good conscience let you eat a single bar, look at you, you are big, you need more substance,” True, true, I am a big boy.

Turning around, Pyrrha opened her back, and handed me a cereal box, with her face on it, “You’re a cereal mascot?” I had to hold with all my might, the laugh building up inside me.

“I-I’m not, just did an ad for them,” And now she was blushing from embarrassment.

“Haha,” I chuckled, “Well, let’s see how you taste… and that sounded remarkably wrong,”

“Hahaha,” Now it was Pyrrha’s turn to laugh, “It’s not that good, but it should suffice right?”

“Indeed,” I nodded. Ripping the box in haft, and devouring the cereal in one go, and Pyrrha was right, it was nasty, but it would keep my stomach at bay, for now.

“I have never seen someone eat so fast,” Pyrrha chuckled.

“Only when the food is bad,” I winked, “Now… what do we do?”

“Hm, do you want to play chess?” Pyrrha offered.

Chess, a game I played twice as a human, and none as a Faunus, yeah why not, “Sure,” and so, Pyrrha proceeded to crush me in chess, not that it was hard.

After a series of fun yet crushing defeats against Pyrrha in a game I would now get private online classes to not lose again, we when to the lockers to get our gear. Luckily enough, my locker was right beside Pyrrha’s, and so we when together to get our stuff.

“So, ready for the exam?” I asked Pyrrha, as I adjusted my armor.

“I like to think I am, but one can never know right?” Pyrrha replied, while she also adjusted her armor.

“True,” I nodded as I grabbed my weapon from the locker.

As we continued to talk about random stuff, a white-haired girl approached Pyrrha, the way she walked shouting to the world, she was a bit entitled, and it was no other than the ice princess, Weiss.

“So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!” Weiss smiled, fidgeting around nervously.

Pyrrha hummed, “Hmm... I'm not quite sure. Maybe teaming up with Umber, if he’s okay with that.”

“I am,” I smiled.

“Him?” Weiss inquired, her eyes giving me a look I was all too well familiar with, a look many humans had given me all my life.

The look, was so blatantly obvious, that it didn’t go unnoticed by Pyrrha, who in turn gave her a cold stare, “Yes, with him? Is that a problem?”

Weiss fixed her clothes, and shook her head, “No, just confirming,”

“I see,” Pyrrha nodded.

“Well, as I was saying, if you still have a room, I was thinking maybe I could be your team?” Weiss asked, and I chuckled.

“I don’t mind,” Racist or not, I didn’t care about her personal view of me, after all, if you hated those who hated you, nothing would change, ever.

“Then, I also have no problems,” Pyrrha smiled, “It would actually be grand,”

“Great! This will be perfect! The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! And whatever he brings. Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us now!” Weiss smiled elated with the idea of being in a team with Pyrrha, even if I tagged alone, little did she know, teams were not selected that way, poor little ravioli, “I will go and get my stuff, wait right here!” and with that said, she left running towards her locker, which seemed to be located at the end of the warehouse/locker area.

“Are you okay?” Pyrrha asked.

“I am good, or grand as you say,” I chuckled.

Pyrrha smiled, “I’m sorry for what its worth,”

“Believe me, bad looks and mean comments are lest of my concerns,” It was when those looks, and comments, turned into groups looking to kill us, that it actually worried me. I had seen the darkest corners of this world, and what hate can make others do, slavery, sex trade, torture, and more… looks were nothing but a passing moment, a memory that more than not would fade with time.