Disclaimer – I claim no ownership to the characters used in this fan work. The characters rightfully belong to their creators such as Monty Oum and their other respective owners at Roosterteeth.

Professor Torchwick

Chapter 14: Graduation

It was nearing midday. The morning class just recently coming to an end. Torchwick was lazing about his arguably serene but empty classroom, seated at his desk. Something that had quickly become a routine for the crook.

Even amongst the bustling and flooded hall outside his door, a particularly rowdy group stood out. Turning his head lightly to the open door, it wasn't had for the thief to hone in and listen I on what was causing the commotion.

There was an assortment of obnoxious laughter. After some spiteful sneering, a faint girl's cries of disapproval would on occasion make themselves known. Afterword, there would be more berated laughter. And so, the cycle would repeat. Childish teasing, exasperated pleas to stop, and followed by laughs as a result.

Eventually, the origin of the disturbing racket had found it's way through the hall, stopping right in front of his door. The criminal looked on, he watched not in interest or concern, but mostly due to how loud and distracting the scene really was. In the center was a young Faunus girl. Long chestnut hair with a pair of matching rabbit ears which drooped down in front of her. Surrounding the student were guys and girls alike. Some of the males would pull on her ears, jeering while doing so. Once the Faunus would pull herself away, the girls would start teasing her again, poking fun at the rest of her body as well.

Realizing the noisy sight showed no sign of moving on or quieting down, the criminal sighed to himself. Slowly standing up, the white dressed thief adjusted his cap as he strolled over to the door. Leaning his elbow casually on the door frame, he cleared his throat. "Really now, is that the best you can all muster?"

At the notice of the captive faculty member, each of the spiteful teens gave him their less than respectful and loose attention. During this upset, the Faunus and unfortunate focus of their hectoring, slipped away.

With a disappointed sigh, Roman shook his head. "Come on. You're all almost at that age where you can at least start pretending to be grownup adults. And yet, that's the best you can do?" His arms shrugging in dissatisfaction. "What are you, a bunch of schoolyard bullies?"

The students all simply stared at the man's odd criticisms. A few scowling in disrespectful manners as they chose to ignore him.

"For instance..." With a snap of his fingers, Torchwick pointed at the pair of girls who were standing off on the side. "...this one over here. I could easily mock her terrible dye job or oblong body shape. But we can do so much better than that." When a couple of the boys chuckled at this, the girl in question glared back. "You shouldn't just focus on any old abnormality about someone. This isn't amateur hour. Point out how, for example, this girl here is so insecure about her appearance that she actually sticks right next to her ugly little friend at all times so that she looks almost passable by comparison." His cruel words more stated like cold fact than inference or insult. Perhaps to correct this, he added one last comment. "If only it worked."

Turning red and flustered in both frustration as well as embarrassment, the female turned away. The student's friend staring with appall when her supposed friend chose not to defend her. As this was happening, one of the boys, a tall and lanky teen with a beanie pulled down over his head, laughed louder than ever before.

Turning to his new target, the thief smirked. "And you..." These few chilling words more than enough to cause the youth to quiet down and recoil fearfully, and rightfully so. Stepping closer, Roman measured the teen up and down. "Hm. The back of your neck is spotless, smooth but red and irritated." Looking down at his head-ware, the thief lifted one of his hands up. "Someone got a bad haircut. Mind sharing with the rest of the class?"

When the roped-in teacher reached over to yank the beanie, the student pulled away, holding his hat in place as he backed up. After a few low and no doubt indignant comments, the flock of teens moved on. Their complaints continuing as they vanished into the hall of crowded students.

"Th-Thank you." From behind the criminal emerged a fairly weak voice.

Turning around, Torchwick stared down at the Faunus girl he had assumed scampered off earlier. "For just now. For what you just did, I mean." A smile developing as she clarified. The partially shy student while sparse for words apparently not completely timid about speaking up.

With a narrowed gaze, the male walked over to the youth. For a time, he was silent as he stared down at the girl, her smile wavering as a result. "Aren't you ashamed? If not you should be." His tone more cold and scolding than he had ever needed it to be his entire at the school. When the student was about to respond, the thief cut her off. "Those who can't stand up on their own have no right getting up off the ground at all. Get out of my sight. Disappear, Cottontail." His words far more hurtful and blunt than any of the bullies that had been plaguing the tortured teen.

Velvet's expression fell at his words. For a moment, all she could do was stare up at her fill-in teacher. With a lowly look, she glanced away and down toward the floor. "R-Right. I'm sorry for causing you trouble." A sad smile seeming to grow as she turned away. "I'll just be on my way." Once giving her back to the callous man, she ran off, quickly leaving the area as she probably left for her next class.

"What is wrong with you?" A loud and disgusted voice boomed from down the hall.

Turning his head, once more, Roman looked to find yet another of his students. "Whiskers." The man greeted, going out of his way to be difficult.

Ignoring the ridiculing comment, Blake walked right up to her teacher in name only, this never more apparent than by that moment right then. "I can't believe what I just heard. What kind of advise was that?" Her words not shy about expressing the hatred in her voice.

"Told the kid the truth." The thief's words more bitter and cutthroat than usual. "Nothing wrong with that." He commented without a hint of shame or shred of remorse.

Staring forward, the older of the two had no qualms about matching the disdain in the younger's gaze. As the indifferent teen prepared to say something more, the criminal spoke up again. "It's busy today, isn't it? People seem to be in a hurry more so than usual in this place. Know why that is?" The crook looked away as he seemed to change the topic entirely. "It's the last day of the semester. Graduation day for all the kids who signed up in the middle of the year." Turning back exposed the deep frustration in the man's envious jade eyes. "Must be nice. Being able to leave this place after so many hardships, how great for them."

Realizing the point the criminal had hinted at, the ebony haired student shook her head. "You're a child." Was all she had to say. Turning around, she continued to head off toward her original destination before having felt the need to speak out against her instructor.

Not even bothering to watch his student leave, Roman turned instead to his classroom. Stomping inside, he grabbed the door with his off hand and slammed it behind him. The rough thundering noise echoing briefly down the hallways.

… … …

The career criminal's eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, he found himself seated at his desk. Looking around, the man took a few seconds to readjust himself with his setting after waking up from his short nap.

Leaning back in his chair, the crook used one of his hands and dragged it down his face to wake up. His eye scanning the empty class, it eventually became magnetized to the clock above the door. What he saw made the man do a double take. According to the clock, his afternoon lecture should have started several minutes ago. Yet strangely enough, an empty room stood before him.

Standing up, the thief walked over to the door in a quickened pace. Thinking perhaps he had locked his door, the man was there within a few seconds. Opening it up, he found that not only was the door unlocked, but the school hall was dead silent, not a soul in sight.

Stunned, the elegant criminal took a few steps outside. Perplexed being an understatement, his head gazed down both sides of the hall looking for the slightest sign of life. Eventually, a couple pairs of footsteps faded in from the North end.

Without even noticing the lost instructor, two female students sprinted upstairs. Their chatter being too far away to picked up on completely. Without many alternatives, the criminal followed after the pair with a brisk walk.

As he made his way toward the staircase, his eyes picked up on something from his peripheral vision. Glancing out the window, he saw a quickly growing pool of students standing by the side of the building. A large majority of them pointing up at something a top the school. Urgency written all over their faces. Turning his head, the man began to notice that every classroom he passed by was vacant as well.

Keeping his wits about him, the stand-in instructor began making his way up to the next level of Beacon's main building. With steady footsteps he would peer above him, staying on alert.

Making his way to the top-most accessible floor, Roman took a step forward before taking another look around. Down the hall, he spotted the two students from earlier in front of a classroom. A teacher with a familiar bright red blazer talking with them. After breathing an inaudible sigh to himself, he walked over to meet with them. On his way over, Roman could make out bits and pieces of the dire sounding conversation. Whenever the girls would ask something, Port would seem hard-pressed to answer, if he did at all.

When the white clothed criminal had his presence noticed by the other teaching staff, Port immediately perked up. "Ah! Mister Torchwick, excellent timing!" Before Roman could do so much as open his mouth, his colleague had already started up again. "I've already notified those two officers that used to accompany you. The two of them are no doubt sprinting across the campus as we speak." The man's gray mustache shifting about as he let out an exhausted huff. "I need to escort these two out of here. Please monitor the situation until they arrive."

As the professor dragged off the two students, the thief was once again left alone and in the dark. Rolling his eyes, the man shrugged his arms. "Sure thing." He remarked aloud sarcastically, as if he had been given the option to decline at all in the first place.

Disgruntled, the orange haired man peaked inside the classroom that Port seemed so determined to guard. Noticing yet another empty class, Torchwick took a few slow steps inside. Observing the room as best he could, nothing stood out. Glancing out an open window, the man's eye widened subtly in surprise. Immediately he understood what the mysterious crisis was all about. Standing outside the building on one of it's thin ledges no less, was Velvet Scarlatina.

… … …

The student stood with her back to the building on one of it's out-jutting corners. Her small dainty feet sticking out halfway over the ledge due to it's small size. Velvet's head almost glued down as she hugged the building. As a normally gentle breeze passed by, the youth winced, clutching her hands tighter as she closed her eyes and started hyperventilating.

When the Faunus heard a cluttering from window she had used to step outside, the girl reopened her eyes. What stared before her made the young girl's eyes become wide in awe. Standing on the side of the building beside her was Roman Torchwick.

The mock instructor stood as calmly as he would normally, his cane and weapon resting on one of his forearms. Both eyes staring off into the horizon ahead of him without a hint of worry or unease. A cigar held in his mouth with his teeth as he held his lighter in front of him. After getting the stress reliever lit, the callous man stuck his silver lighter back into his pants pocket. Taking a brief drag, the criminal looked over to his student. "This is my last cigar." He informed the other blandly, a puff of smoke flowing away with the wind.

Still shocked from everything that was happening, Velvet slowly nodded her head at this comment. "Oh." Was all she could respond with.

Shifting back forward, the cool-headed crook went as far as sticking his hands in his pockets. His confidence in stressful situations ever apparent. "Scared of heights?" The older asked, a little forceful in his mundane question.

More than a little confused, the youth tried staring forward too. Gulping, she nodded once more. "Y-Yeah. A l-little bit." Velvet's words were shaky, her lack of composure more than noticeable.

Pulling a hand out of his pockets, the crook eased up on his cigar. Holding it in his hand as he spoke. "Liar." The criminal said almost callously as he continued to avoid eye contact. "No one's afraid of falling, just the sudden stop at the end." The man joked with a straight face. His grim sense of humor showing.

With a bit of a nervous laughter, the teen remained silent. Clearly, his joke failing it's intended purpose. Warily, the teen's head wandered back down the the only growing crowd of students beneath her.

Turning his head, Roman faced his student again. "Y'know, Cottontail, I'm gonna let you in on a secret." The resurfacing calm voice earning the attention of his student back. "Life sucks. It's rigged as hell too. Biased, favoring, and unfair. It's why people cheat. It's why they lie and steal. That's why I do it." His honest words not falling on deaf ears it seemed as the youth gave him her unbridled attention.

Turning away from her frail eyes again, Roman stared off at the far away forest in the distance just outside the school grounds. "That being said, If you really feel like off-ing yourself, I can't stop you. Legally. I can't lay a finger on you kids without permission."

"H-Huh?" Was all the girl could utter as she gaped at the crook. "I-I could never do s-something like that!" With a violent head shake at the though, the brunette almost managed to lose her balance. Recoiling in horror, the Faunus' firm grip tightening as she pressed her body closer to the wall again.

Raising an eyebrow inquisitively, the thief stared back at his student. "Mind explaining how you got in this mess then, Cottontail?" His words far less concerned than before.

Collecting herself, Velvet met the gaze of her instructor again. "I-I was cleaning up my professor's room because he asked me to." Her words much more composed as she focused on recollecting earlier events. "I was alone until..." Another passing breeze causing the teen to stop momentarily as she fastened herself in place until it passed. "S-Some other people came in and s-started teasing me. T-They threw one of the professor's things outside and it landed on the ledge." She gulped before finishing up. "And I went to go get it. But then..."

The youth didn't need to wrap up her tale, the criminal had already pieced it together. "This is like some bad joke." The man mused out loud to himself as he turning away. Scowling, his patience and sympathy from before seeming long vanished. "Alright then. Wrap it up. Come back in." The callous thief instructed.

Shaking her head, the Faunus student hugged the out-jutting wall tighter. "I c-can't. I'm too scared to move." Velvet revealed, exposing the main obstacle in this whole ordeal to her teacher.

"That's too bad." The criminal replied unfavoring. "This is something you've gotta do yourself, Cottontail. I can't help you this time. Legally. Remember?" His words borderline compassionate near the end, if only for an instant.

For a while, the frail student was motionless. Mustering up her courage, the teen nodded both in understanding and also to herself. With a nervous gulp, the student shuffled closer inches at a time. The faintest breeze halting her advance completely. Slow and easy movements as she drew closer and closer to safety.

Torchwick watched her every motion. From the twitching of fingertips to the sliding of her feet. Even the raising and falling of her petite chest from her no doubt pounding heartbeat. "Big step here, Cottontail." The man warned when she reached the inner corner of the ledge.

Staring at the ledge, Velvet pulled her body close. All of a sudden, she reached over, slamming her left foot onto the edge safely. As the teen pushed off the wall behind, the unthinkable happened. Her right foot slipped.

As she fell, the Faunus was dead silent. Her body tilting backward until the point where she was staring straight up at the clear blue sky above her. The brunette's left foot being the only thing barely still attached to the building, but even that would naturally be ripped away any instant.

About to scream, the youth felt a firm grip under her right arm. Suddenly, the teen was roughly halted in place. Turning beside her, she saw the remnants of a partially smoked cigar fall passed her. The teen's face remained pale despite all the blood rushing to her head from being suspended nearly upside down. Looking up, what she saw stunned her further. Roman Torchwick was leaning off the side of the ledge. His left hand held to the window frame and anchored him in place. In his opposite outstretched hand was his cane, the hook of which had been grasped under the student's arm and was the sole thing keeping her foot in place and preventing her from an untimely demise.

Tearfully, the student stared up at the straight faced criminal. Opening her mouth, nothing exited for the longest time. After taking a few winded deep breath, she tried again. "I-I..." Her voice, quiet and barely audible. "...I don't wanna die!" The youth screamed passionately in contrast to her earlier weak willed silence.

Gritting his teeth, Roman slowly started pulling the two of them back up. "Oh, you're not dying." His tone still, as though stating a simple fact. "Not here!" He shouted in a growing aggravation. "I'll get blamed for it, I can tell already!" The egocentric inside him more than established. With one strong motion, the man pulled himself back upright on the ledge and yanked the teen without consideration. Dragging her back up, he used the same force to hurl her back inside the building. Taking a moment, the thief adjusted his black cap before hopping inside too.

Once again returning to the safe comfort of the building's interior, Torchwick stood tall and unshaken. It was as though he was unfazed by the death defying event he had just partaken in. He was calm almost appearing bored as he looked down at the student on the floor.

Velvet was a sobbing mess collapsed upon the school's hard wooden floor boards. Her small frame trembling from what she had just gone through. Eventually calming down, the young girl forced a smile. Sitting upright, she wiped away her tears, embarrassed by her state.

Right then, one of Roman's previous police handlers ran in through the door. With a handgun drawn, he approached the infamous thief with caution. "Don't move!" The officer commandingly ordered.

With an annoyed look, the crook frowned to himself. "Oh no, it's the cops." He said unenthusiastically. Glancing over to the youth, he kept up the same face. "Party's over. Hide the alcohol." The man said flatly, attempting a joke yet again.

After a second, the Faunus student's lips curved wider. A small genuine laugh escaping her, even in her distraught state.

Ignoring his previous instruction, Roman strolled forward without worry. When the gun was shoved in his face, he fearlessly pushed it aside with his cane. This action only causing the police member to immediately retake his aim. "I got a class to teach. Think you can handle the rest?" The criminal mocked without worry or concern.

After taking a few steps away and toward the door, his former handler eventually lowered his weapon as he walked over to the still shaken student.

… … …

Team RWBY were walking down the hall toward their early morning lecture class. The team just wrapping up a conversation about their roguish teacher's surprising exploits. When they turned the corner and into the instructor's classroom, they were met with an unexpected sight.

The room lacked it's teacher. All of his appointed students were there, but none of them were in their seats. Instead all of them hovered around the empty desk. Curious and surprised, the team walked over to see the cause of such fuss. Once joining the other students, the four could instantly understand the interest.

The desk itself had nothing out of the ordinary on top of it. The real surprise was left in an open drawer on the side. The inside was completely empty apart from two very distinct contents. A scalpel, the blade of which had been completely worn down and jagged from concentrated use, something that could only happen from an extended and prolonged period. The other, a familiar sight all the four of them had seen only one time before, but none of them could mistake it. It was their instructor's still beeping ankle tracer, the side of which had been completely cut and separated from it's owner.

"Uh oh." Was the first thing the team's blond could think of. Varied light conversations picking up amongst the other students as the team turned to face themselves.

Blake crossed her arms, a scowl seating itself on her face. "We should have expected this. He used the commotion to slip away. It was probably his plan to do so during the graduation ceremony." The golden eyed teen's tone far from flat. It was bitter and spiteful.

"Gonna be honest, surprised it took 'em this long." Yang jokingly admitted trying to relax her agitated team member. This seeming to have the adverse effect when she partially received the remnants of a glare.

"Don't even try to justify-" All of a sudden, the indifferent youth held her tongue. This causing her other teammates to turn to her. "Where's Ruby?" The ebony haired teen asked understandingly worriedly.

Checking beside her, the white haired heiress gaped at the missing person who had previously been standing beside her. Looking down, all three of them saw a path of rose petals leading outside the door frame and into the school halls.

… … …

Just outside the school walls which encircled the school's perimeter, the head of a cane had reached up and grabbed onto the top. The cane's owner pulling himself up easily. With a slight grunt, the white dressed thief vaulted over the rest of the wall, his cane still in hand as he landed on both feet.

The thief now touched down on the edge of a brief clearing which led to the Emerald Forest, and to a small extention, freedom.

Dusting himself off, Roman laughed to himself at his success. Taking one last look over his shoulder, he stared at the final walls of the school he had scaled and turned back to the forest in front of him. Smirking, he started taking a few steps forward.

The man was halted when a slight breeze passed by the previously vacant area. Staring in front of him, a handful of rose petals scattered before him and started drifting away with the wind. His smirk unfaltering, the criminal slowly turned around.

Behind him and out of breath was Ruby Rose. She was holding herself up on her knees, her back arching more forward with every heavy breath that exited her.

While the young student collected herself, Torchwick looked to see a trail of hundreds of petals leading around the corner of the walls and far out of the distance. Grinning, he chuckled again. "Red, did you actually lap the entire school grounds looking for me? I'm flattered. Impressed even." His tone condescending as it was venomous. Upon receiving no response, he continued attempting to bait a reply. "Come on, Red. This is the part where you threaten to take me in. Where you offer things to go smoothly if I come along peacefully." A loud full-hearty laugh escaping him.

Instead of falling into his pace, Beacon's youngest stared ahead, still short on air. "We gave you a second chance." The youth retorted in a betrayed manner.

The crook's excited expression drained away at this. The mirth in his jade eye dying. "Second chance? Red, I don't think you know me as well as you think you do." His previous livid demeanor fading away at once.

"I won't let you get away!" The determined student declared. Reaching behind her, Crescent Rose sprung fourth and unfolded to her fierce grip.

Narrowing his eyes with a scowl, the thief widened his stance. "Alright Red, here's what's going to happen: I'm going to walk outta here and you're going to turn around and waltz on back into your fancy school." Meeting with a glare, the younger of the two never broke away. "Disobeying your teacher's orders? Suit yourself." His words threatening as they were callous.

Shooting behind her, Ruby unleashed a roaring battle cry. Launching herself forward, she pulled her scythe away from her and prepared a mighty swing.

Without worry, the criminal strolled ahead. "You never learn, Red." Raising his cane toward the attack, the man averted the powerful slash without so much as a hair out of place. The lethal cut passing through the center diameter of a tree behind without any trouble at all. As soon as she landed, her feet were swept out from under her. Gritting his teeth, the vain man pulled the teen closer and threw her roughly onto the ground, flat on her back.

Before she could rise back up, Roman knelt down. Without remorse, the man slammed his knee down roughly into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. At the same moment, the cut tree fell back, devastatingly crashing against the ground beside them, the earth shaking as a result. As soon as the student gasped for air, like before, her opponent's cane was pressed against her frail throat. It was pressed in such a way that the end of the cane also locked the arm which held her weapon in place. It was an awkward pin, but it made sure there was no possible way for her to retaliate or break free.

As he choked his student, Torchwick's dulled eyes never so much as flinched. There was no pity in his jade gaze, only discontent and loathing. "Ya see, Red? This is why I hate this place so much. 'Make the world a better, safer place alongside a group of friends.' What a joke!" His aggressive words on the verge of maddening. With her off hand, Ruby was awkwardly trying to ease up on the steel rod crushing her windpipe. "You can't rely on anyone but yourself. That's something I learned when I was your age." Gritting his teeth, the thief pressed further down on the youth's delicate neck. "What was it that you learned here exactly, huh? Can you name even one thing? Anything at all?" His words seeming a mix of desperation and resentment.

Removing the one hand used to struggle against her attacker's choke hold, Ruby rose her right hand up slowly. Her face turning into a limp blue. Tremblingly, she traced his neck before giving a much weaker version of strangulation that her teacher was performing on her. Her steeled gray eyes staring back as strongly as they were before.

Completely emotionless, Roman returned the gaze of the expiring girl beneath him. Stifling a laugh, a smile forced it's way across his lips. When her weak grip showed signs of wavering, the light in her eyes fading, the criminal pulled away his cane. Standing up, he let her be to recover.

Ruby had a coughing fit on the ground. Her small hand clenching into the dirt around her. With wide gasping breaths, she watched her former instructor as he looked down on her. Color as well as life returning to her face. A deep red mark painting the area beneath her chin.

Turning around, Roman took his first few steps into the forest and toward his former freedom. "So long, Red." Were his final words as he kept straight after entering the brush ahead.

With his back to her, Ruby rolled over onto her still sore stomach. Between deep breaths, she stretched one arm outward in a vain attempt to reach the departing individual. Her strength not yet fully returning to her, she collapsed back onto the ground.

… … …

Some weeks later...

It was passed midnight. Ruby Rose stood under a series of overpasses just outside of Vale. All of which held numerous speeding cars as they hurried to and from their respective destinations. Her red scarf flowing behind her with the night's strong frigid winds.

All of a sudden, there was a bombastic crashing noise from one of the highways above. When one of the railings broke off. Tumbling from high above came an armor-plated bipedal war machine. The latest state of the art model stolen from Atlas. A red painted insignia of the White Fang sprayed on the side.

Plummeting and crashing down, the machine landed on it's two feet. Brushing off the fall like nothing, the war machine's pilot was fast to instruct it to rise back up.

Staring at the monitor from inside the cockpit, Roman Torchwick grinned at the sight of who now stood before his destructive automaton. Seconds later, the remainder of team RWBY all took their place beside their young but courageous leader, weapons drawn and ready.

With a light chuckle, the thief stared down at the four. "Well hey there girls." He uttered to himself, his grin only widening in excitement. "Class is in session." The mech's weapon systems activating as they traced over the locked onto the huntresses-to-be.

THE END

Author's Notes:

The Velvet scene in the beginning was submitted by user: Catoust

I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend,

This is the reason so many peoples pleas on the Bun chapter were so callously ignored up until now. I knew I wanted to use Velvet for the finale since the beginning.

Overall I'm more than happy with the way everything worked out, small qualms and hiccups in all. Having only had four original chapters in mind, I never expected to be able to work with this much material. Thanks to everyone who participated. So long, and I hope you had as much fun with this as I had.