Author's Note.

Hello lads and lasses. It's been a while. I certainly didn't mean to stop for so long but my final school year hit my like a truck. Anyway exams are happening so my update schedule may be a little shaky for a little while but after that I'll finally be free of school and able to start up again properly. Chances are everyone forgot about this little fic that they'd followed so I'll give you a brief catch up.

Team CFVY found each other during initiation. Coco has been spending a lot of time with her other friends. Fox and Velvet didn't get along for a fair while but after a talk with Coco during which we discovered his reason for hating the faunas he began trying to be nice to her. Yatsuhashi and Velvet have been getting along. And there is a mini tournament in school to see who will get professor tutelage and guaranteed entry into the Vytal Festival Tournament.

Now for the actual story.

Despite the very loud bang and large explosive force, Coco was surprised how painless Grey's weapon was. The landing however, well that was a different story. Coco flew past her team and hit the ground hard, tumbling twice before salvaging her dignity by falling into a crouch. She took a few seconds to refill her lungs before standing up and taking stock of the situation.

Fox had pushed ahead, already filling the gap Coco left and keeping the twins busy. Velvet was close at hand trying to help but unable to due to the speed of the fighting. Everyone else sat just behind their respective team mates looking for a weak spot, otherwise conserving their aura and preferring not to get swept up in the melee occurring in front of them.

Jet thrust out with his spear forcing Fox to back off his twin and followed it up with a shield bash. Fox managed to jump away from the attack easily enough, but was cut off from counterattacking when Velvet stepped in front of him to begin her own assault. Fox almost lost his balance, not expecting his team mate to get in the way and irritated that he was being cast aside.

Velvet let out a double flick kick which Tanner easily caught on his shield. As was their pattern Jet attacked whilst his brother was defending him, using his own spear to try to sweep Velvet off her feet. She jumped back to gain room, but moved straight into Fox and toppling the two over. Seeing his opportunity Grey jumped high and peppered his grenade launcher at the tangled duo. Multiple blasts hit them directly and they were sent sprawling and clutching their sensitive ears. Yatsuhashi immediately filled the gap, protecting the two in their vulnerable state.

Coco moved to Velvet, fallen close in front of her and helped her to her feet, checking her aura levels while doing so. The orange colour was bad but not critical, and she would be able to continue.

"Velvet stay on Fox's side," Coco said. "You're just going to keep getting in the way if you stand in front of each other."

Unfortunately the ringing in Velvet's ears drowned out Coco's words, and before she could tell her that was the case Yatsuhashi had already been pushed back.

"They're flanking!" Yatsuhashi called out.

Velvet saw the opposing team split into two and push forward in a pincer movement and moved to help defend the right, it being her predominate side. Coco followed suit and quickly found herself in combat with Indigo, the team's leader. Within moments she found herself being overwhelmed, only just managing to block the sword strikes that were flicking out at her in all directions. She made full use of her handbag and quick reflexes to block the blows, knowing that stepping back would only cause her to bump into her team.

"I need help with these two!" Yatsuhashi yelled.

"Velvet turn!" Coco glanced over to see Fox and Velvet still fighting Grey. The action allowed Indigo three separate strikes to get through her defences before she could refocus. Seeing that Velvet was not going to turn and she had no more time to divert to them she yelled louder. "Fox you turn and face the left."

It wasn't long until she heard Professor Goodwitch call Tanner as out, and thought that things might turn out for the better. It was in the next moment when the professor also called Yatsuhashi as out, when she panicked and called for a retreat. Fox followed her but Velvet was left alone, quickly taken down by the three remaining members.

"If you've got any ideas," Coco said. "Now would be a good opportunity to speak up."

Fox didn't even look at her before charging at the other team alone.

"What the hell was that!?" Coco yelled. "That should have been easy."

The team strode into the locker room with mixed emotions. Coco was furious with the team, Velvet miserable and Fox so frustrated that he put his fist into the closest locker, crumpling the metal. Even Yatsuhashi, the epicentre of emotional control looked disheartened by the experience. It was after all an excellent opportunity, not only to gain extra tutelage and skip the preliminaries, but to prove that they were the strongest. Knowing that they weren't, hurt.

"In all fairness," Yatsuhashi stated softly. "They are one of the best teams at Beacon. I wouldn't expect winning against them should be easy."

Coco turned her head and pierced him with her glare. "Not getting destroyed is. That was completely embarrassing what were you guys thinking."

"US?!" Fox yelled. "What about you?"

"Me?" Coco said shocked. "I wasn't the one running out by myself and ignoring orders."

"Orders from you?"

"Of course, I am the leader."

"A leader knows what's happening on the field," Fox said. "A leader would have noticed that two of her team mates had lost their hearing in battle!"

"And how on remnant was I supposed to know that?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe by paying attention," Fox said. "Perhaps to the fact that we were clutching our ears in pain. Or perhaps to the fact that we weren't responding to anything being said!"

"And perhaps you should have noticed that there was already two people on the right side," Coco bit back. "Or were you so scared you needed the numbers advantage?"

Fox raised his arm, displaying his weapons. "Do these look like the kind of weapons that work particularly well against a wall shield? I figured that Velvet would have the sense to realise that being unarmed was not very useful against a sword and turn around to help her partner." Fox turned to Velvet, who was now slumped on a bench beside Yatsuhashi. "A stick would be of more use than you and your bow. Probably get in the way less too."

Velvet in response just slumped further into the bench.

"And she's not the only one," Fox said returning to Coco. "How about you get a weapon that can be used without tearing up half the scho-"

"Ahem,"

Everyone whipped their heads around to see who interrupted them and flinched in surprise. Standing by the door was a very angry Goodwitch, her fury barely contained on her face.

"Professor Ozpin wishes to see you," She said before turning and striding off. The team looked at each other and mutually stood and made their way to the door.

The four sat in front of Professor Ozpin with similar emotions as they had in the locker room. Velvet was slumped and not making eye contact and Yatsuhashi seemed apologetic and even a little embarrassed. Coco and Fox on the other hand, both held eye contact with the headmaster, defiant and wilful. After telling them to take a seat, he had not said anything, only examining them and taking the occasional sip from his mug. Yatsuhashi had to admit that this made him more than a little uncomfortable. He knew that he and his team had performed poorly.

"When the four of you trialled here I was more than impressed with your abilities." Ozpin said slowly, shifting his gaze to look at all four of them. "The four of you were amongst our best applicants, surpassed by maybe one or two others at most. Because of this I expected great things from each of you during your time here.

"Then during the initiation you found each other. You became team mates. A little unbalanced when compared to the others, but that is what happens when we allow fate to decide matters. I chose to permit it and dubbed you Team CFVY. My expectations for you only rose. I thought that we would see the formation of one of Beacon's finest teams. How disappointed I was to see you fail so miserably."

Out of the corner of his eye Yatsuhashi saw Fox's grip tighten. His rage taken out on the arm of his seat. He didn't want to look up at his team mates. The warrior wanted to stay focused on what his headmaster was saying. But a part of him began to worry that one of the others would interrupt, and put them in deeper trouble.

"During your time at Beacon you have performed poorly in all group tasks." Ozpin continued, either ignoring the emotions sprawled across the team's faces or simply not caring. "Your professors express concerns that you have been taking turns performing them, and cooperating only when absolutely necessary. Your practical tasks have been of similar standard. Team work has been almost non-existent, and you've been getting through with only the solitary skills you possess. Even individual tasks, which are aided with advice and help from others, have been suffering. Your peers have begun to catch up to you in most aspects, in a short amount of time. This has led me to believe that the four of you do not have what it takes to become hunters."

"What?!" Fox and Coco blurted out. Fox continued yelling. "You think because I can't work with these three I don't have what it takes to become a hunter!?"

The headmaster clenched his jaw for but a second before replying in a tone less even than it was before. "Yes. Teamwork and cooperation are two of a hunter's most important traits. If I allow you to continue on this path you will come across a Grimm you are unable to defeat alone and you will die. It is why the academies train their students in teams, why graduates are placed into groups after their schooling, and why humanity has been able to progress as far as it has. If I allow you to continue as you have you will not only die after graduation, you will be a liability to everyone you come across. That is something that I cannot allow."

"So you're expelling us?" Coco asked alarmed.

Ozpin stared at the girl for a moment. "No. And you can thank Professor Port for that because I intended to." She let out a sigh of relief before he continued. "However, you will be expelled if you do not come together as a team, and improve yourselves."

"How will you judge whether we have done so?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"The four of you will be required to win the Vytal Festival Preliminary Tournament." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "If you do not qualify for the team division, you will be expelled."

They all blinked, for a moment too stunned to speak. Entrance to the Vytal Festival Tournament was so difficult that there were plans on changing it completely. Each school was given a number of guaranteed entries, and any team not on that list had only the smallest chance of gaining entrance.

"Isn't that overdoing things?" Coco asked. "Hundreds of hunter trainees participate. Are you seriously saying we need to be better than all of them to stay here?"

"Yes." He said blankly. "Given your performance during the entrance exam this should not prove impossible. Else you can choose to withdraw from Beacon now, if that is what you wish." After another stunned moment of silence Ozpin nodded and finished. "You are dismissed. I have given you much to think about, and even more to do."

The lift hit the bottom floor and the four of them stepped out. The elevator ride had been a short one, and none of them had spoken a word, too wrapped up in their own thoughts. Velvet expected one of them to speak, to discuss what they would do next. So she was startled when Coco and Fox stormed off in opposite directions, neither of which led to their dorm. The girl was about to protest, when Yatsuhashi put his hand on her shoulder.

"Not right now," He said glumly. "They need time to think. To cool off."

She looked up at him. "But we need to talk about the tournament."

"And we will," He frowned. "But even I can see that all talking about it now will achieve is more fighting."

AN - Word counts a little short because I initially meant for this to be merged with the previous chapter, which would have made it quite a bit longer.