AN : Hello all. DisordiaX here with my first attempt at writing a fanfic. Well, first published atttempt anyway. I've had plenty of random thoughts and decent starts end up languishing in my personal directories; never escaping to see the light of day. This story was in the same boat actually before I decided to get it another shot. I started playing with the idea after the end of season 2 and as such, it's set just after the failed grimm invasion from Mountain Glenn and the arrest of Torchwick and won't be taking into account anything from season 3 unless I decide to bring parts or inspiration from it in. This will basically be a divergent story from that point. Also, there will not be any form of set schedule for this. Not a particularly prolific or talented author, so I'll only be updating when inspiration strikes me. I will do what I can to at least expedite the process, especially if this actually gains interest from followers. I think that's enough talk from me, so I'll end this note with I will gladly welcome suggestions, criticisms, thoughts and thank you for your input.

EDIT: Added a cover image to this story and wanted to give credit to Yurax-Mae for the image. You can find more of their work on their tumblr with the same name.

The tell-tale pitter patter sounds of rainfall could be heard throughout the city of Vale this evening as the resident storm has decided to linger above the city for at least another day. The normally vibrant colors and sounds of the city had seemingly been washed away by the constant downpour and replaced with a much narrower range of dull grays and blacks. The sidewalks are sparsely populated by the occasional unfortunate citizen shuffling through an uncharacteristically heavy air of dreariness. One such citizen is a recently dismissed and more recently escaped member of a criminal organization known as the White Fang.

Neopolitan, or Neo for short, staggered along a nondescript sidewalk in the heart of downtown Vale with no real direction or purpose. Parasol in hand in this deluge would've been a boon if the handle wasn't bent nearly in half and the canopy wasn't in tatters. Her clothes matched the state of her parasol with gashes and rips in her jacket and skirt from what looks to be stab wounds. Upon closer inspection, dried blood stains could be found on the edges of her damaged clothes and her milky white skin was in the process of turning into an ugly brownish purple as the bruising was becoming more and more evident. It would take a much more thorough inspection to find the broken bones and internal bleeding, but a cursory glance is all you would need to tell that she did not leave wherever she was previously on amicable terms.

She needed medical attention and she knew it, but the chances of her surviving a trip to Vale Memorial with her life or freedom intact would be minimal at best. Forget the fact that the police would be alerted if she was recognized; she couldn't even give them her name, much less any of her identifiable information. Hell, she couldn't even remember any of that information anyway. Neo was just a code name Cinder had given her when she picked her up off the street; she had forgotten or blocked out most of the childhood she survived through with her family. The police would most likely be alerted if a girl walked into a hospital almost beaten to death with no clue or proof of who she even was. With the only place she had ever known as a safe haven now treating her as a kill on sight target, she could only hope her body could heal itself.

She continued on with her painful journey to god knows where and pondered her options as uncertainty and the fear of death started to become a very real sensation. Unfortunately, the rain soaked sidewalk was left in woeful disrepair and a jutting edge in a cracked piece of pavement reached out to grab Neo by the ankle. A stunted attempt to correct her footing was countered by a slip on the slick surface, and Neo found herself tumbling to the cold pavement. Crack. She could feel another bone fracture, at best, as her arm was trapped awkwardly underneath her weight as she tried to catch herself. After retrieving her arm from underneath herself, seething from the new pain during the process, she resigned herself to lying on the cold concrete; rain peppering her face and body as she pondered what she was going to do with her life at this point, or where she could even go.

"Hey! Are you ok?" A young woman called out to her as Neo's prone form came into her line of sight.

Her self-reflection was cut short as she lifted herself up to try and acknowledge her would be rescuer.

"YOU!" The young blonde quickly recognized the girl in distress as her opponent who had barely defeated her in that rail car during the grimm invasion attempt. A look of horror washed over Neo's face, but was quickly replaced by resignation. This is where my life will end, eh? Neo collapsed back down to the ground as the pain was overtaking her ability to hold herself up. She did not have to wait long as the fiery blonde quickly mounted her and proceeded to jerk her up by her collar until they were face to face.

"Ya know, I really hate one sided fights against a weak opponent." Yang gritted out while wearing a murderous scowl on her face; her eyes were already a vibrant, crimson red. A second later, her fist was balled up and cocked beside her furious expression. "So I'm gonna have to try really, really hard to enjoy this."

That was the last thing Neo could remember from the rain soaked evening; a world of gray that was in danger of being engulfed by a sea of burning red washing over and enveloping everything.

~The Next Morning~

Neo could barely open her eyes as a ray of sunlight peeking through the curtains was attempting to blind her. She shifted her head deeper into the pillow to avoid the traitorous sun and its dastardly attempts to burn out her retinas. Wait...curtains...pillow...the last thing Neo remembered was being pulverized into the ground by one furious blonde. How did she end up in a rather comfy bed?

"Looks like you're finally awake. Yang did a real number on you before I caught up to her." After realizing her ward had finally awakened, Blake snapped her book shut and laid it on the table. She was seated beside Neo's bed patiently waiting for her to rejoin the world of the living. "It looked like you had some major injuries before we found you, but Yang definitely added her own touch. I wouldn't suggest trying to move your mouth anytime soon."

Neo stared at her new captor with pleading eyes. She recognized her from the train as one of the bimbo's teammates. The brief feeling of euphoria from still being alive and stable quickly drained from her body. Blake held a mirror up for Neo to see the damage that was wrought. Bandages covered her nose which was most likely broken, most of her skin was discolored and swollen, she had two black eyes and, from the looks of it, both orbital bones were broken as well. To say Yang 'did a number' on her seemed to be a gross understatement.

"Looks like you are healing nicely with the aura infused treatment. The exterior should heal rather quickly once the interior damage is taken care of." Blake managed to preemptively answer the questions Neo had yet to ask. "After this we're taking you to see Ozpin, though." Blake continued on as she approached her bed. She leaned over until her mouth was a scant inch or two from Neo's ear. "An exile is a much different situation from a deserter."

What? Exile? Deserter? She wasn't sure what she had meant by that comment and the headache that followed didn't make matters any better. It was an ominous choice of words though and a sense of dread washed over her as Blake stepped back and walked towards the door. Blake stopped and turned back just as she was about to cross the threshold into the hallway. "I'll let them know you're up and don't worry. Ozpin is a rather generous man. You'll probably just get a life sentence." With that, Blake left her alone as her thoughts started travelling a million miles a second, which did not help that headache at all as it made its plans to hang around perfectly clear. Thankfully, she didn't have long to spend thinking over things as Blake quickly returned with Yang and an older looking blonde.

"This is the White Fang mercenary you two battled with on Highcrest Street?" the blonde, most likely, professor inquired as she inspected the young girl strapped down on the bed.

Wait, was she always tied down? When did that happen? She managed to start throwing herself a pity party over how hopeless her situation was before she even thought to try to get up. Although given the pain and damage she endured, her ability to run away would be tenuous at best, even if she was unbound. Her self-chastisement was cut short as the conversation being currently held was apparently going to continue with or without her and she decided to stick with it.

"Saying it was a battle is a bit disingenuous, Professor Goodwitch. Yang pounced on her and started wailing on her face. I barely managed to pull her off before she beat her to death." Blake said as she crossed the room and stood on the far side of Neo's bed.

Hah. I was right. She is a professor. Goodwitch…I think I've heard that name before...somewhere... Neo contemplated the changing situation as the huntresses moved about the room.

Blake started to undo the straps around Neo's wrists as Goodwitch joined her on the opposite side and mimicked Blake's movements. All the while Yang was standing in the corner of the room and was content to stare holes through Neo as she was freed from her confinement. The professor briskly pulled her up from the bed and started to lead her out of the room.

"Let's go, you two. Ozpin will be expecting us shortly." The older woman ordered the pair as she led Neo out of the room. She was led through buildings and winding corridors; Goodwitch was never more than a step away and her hand at her side. Blake and Yang plodded along a couple steps behind, yet their eyes stayed trained on her person. Her mind had gone blank as she seemed to create a new fear with every step she took. Her captors were happy with continuing the trek in silence and Neo wasn't going to change that. A couple of agonizingly long minutes passed before the four women found themselves staring at a pair of giant wooden doors.

"Come on girls, the headmaster is expecting us."