28 Chapter 28: Unity

"What are you doing here? Should't you be preaching to a choir somewhere?" Cinder asked, stepping inside the lab and shouting the door behind her. She strode over to the cupboard and began helping her to various equipment.

"Contrary to what some might think, I do know other things besides fighting." Fang said evenly, not fazed by Cinder's rude intuition. "As luck would have it, I'm actually quite skilled at the art of Dusting if I do say so myself."

Cinder gave him a confident smirk as she made her way to a table. "So you keep saying, but I haven't seen you fight once since coming to school. I'm beginning to wonder just how good you actually are. Seeing as you always try to get out of it during class, I can't help but wonder if you even know how."

Cinder sat down and began preparing her dust. At Signal, she had perfected the ratio of dust and glass for her arrows for the perfect Match of strength and (as she learned from trial and error.) stability so the wouldn't go off in her quiver. First, she began to crush the dust so she could mix it with her glass while she waited for Fang to retort.

But after several minutes of silence, she looked up annoyed to find Fang had turned back to his work.

"Seriously? You're not even going to defend yourself?" Cinder asked, annoyed. Back at Signal, she had always gotten a rise out of her classmates when she called their lack of skill into question.

"I couldn't care less what you think." Fang replied, carefully moving his dust from his scale to a mixer. "I don't have to prove anything to you and quite frankly, it'd be more trouble than it's worth."

Cinder let out a scoff at his reply, her hand casually moving to the glass shards she had brought. "You know, for someone who talks about how important ideals are, you're a bit of a pussy when it comes time to stand up for them. Where's your backbone? Or are your ideals too weak for you to fight back?"

Fang said nothing as he powered on the mixer, carefully measuring the time as it went. The moment it had been mixing for thirty seconds, he stopped the machine and poured the mixture carefully into a cylinder, before starting the process all over again.

"Still not interested, huh." Cinder said as she smelted the glass into a knife. "Let me guess, you're all talk, no skill. I bet you can barely even fight." The boy didn't react to her jabs at all, causing Cinder to smirk.

"Well, let put that to the test!"

With that, she threw the blade at the back of Fang's head, the tip burning white hot creating steam as it flow through the air. It didn't have enough power to kill, but it certainly would sting a bit.

Immediately Fang spun around, arm lashing out, knocking the blade away by hitting its blunt side and sending it flying across the room where it shattered against the far wall.

Cinder smirked as she locked eyes with the white haired boy. His dark gray ones a hard stare against her yellow. She had been right about him. Going off his reflexes alone, he was as fast as her. No. He had moved even faster then she could, meaning his reaction time was even faster! Now that was something to brag about.

"Look, if you want something from me, just say it. I'm getting really annoyed with whatever game you're playing." Fang said, and for the first time since they had met, she heard a bit of irritation in his voice. "If this is about earlier today, I'm sorry for antagonizing you. But if I'm being honest, I think throwing a knife at someone over that is a bit extreme."

Cinder pondered for a moment how to approach the topic, but after a few seconds, she decided to just try the way she had always used. Directly.

"I heard about your history." She saw his face twitch at her words. "I was wondering, why did you take a name that you knew would give you such a hard time once people found out? Why not just take a different name and live without having that hanging over your head? Is it because of your ideals? Or is there something more substantial than that?"

Fang stood silent for a few minutes, then turned back to his work. "Normally, I'd tell you that it's not your concern, but I get the feeling you're not going to just drop it. And quite frankly, I don't want another knife thrown at my head." Fang's guess was spot on. "To make a long story short, it's because of my beliefs, my ideology."

Fang paused for a second before continuing. "I don't think anyone, myself included, should have to live in fear because of how they were born. Nobody can choose that, yet today, so many people have already given you a role in their mind based on where you come from or who your family is. I'm sure you can relate to that."

Cinder silently clenched her fist.

"After the war, Ironwood began hunting down the nobles who served the king and executing them. Not publicly of course, that would have caused too much civil unrest. He had it done in the shadows, out of sight. He feared an uprising from them, as did many who had taken power after the monarchy fell. So any who had pledged loyalty to the king were dealt with. Men, women, it didn't matter, even the kids of families were killed to ensure they couldn't grow up wanting revenge. Many refugees who fled to Vale were taken by Ozpin and handed back to Ironwood. As a result, many Atlesians lived in fear. As a result, the colony of Giga was formed by fleeing refugees. In fact, your friend Eric fled there after he was expelled from his old town."

Cinder raised an eyebrow at that. "Okay, two things. One he's not my friend, he's a pest I have to put up with. Second, how do you know that?"

"We talked the night before our exam." Fang said. "One former noble to another. Believe it or not, some of us do have chivalry." Cinder pointedly rolled her eyes but let Fang continue his story.

"My mother was killed in the war, so she was spared being hunted like an animal. As a result, I traveled with a group of other nobles as we fled. As time went on, I eventually found myself alone. But by then, the hunts had begun to slow. Guess they killed enough that they didn't think we were a threat anymore. Not entirely sure, but I managed to survive. It was at that point I made my decision."

"To become a huntsman?" Cinder asked. "Please don't tell me I have to listen to another speech about the righteous duty to protect and serve and all that crap. I've heard it all before."

Fang let out a chuckle. "No." He said, catching Cinder off guard. She hadn't expected that answer.

"I decided to help the world." He said, and Cinder leaned back in her seat with an exasperated groan.

"That's the same thing!" She snapped. "Don't nitpick my words. It's annoying! And you sound just like Amber! She's always going on and on about helping others and the duty of a huntress. Bla bla bla! I just don't get what's so great about the world that you two want to save it so badly. This world hardly seems worth the trouble."

Once again, Fang let out a chuckle and Cinder bit back her irritation. This guy was seriously getting on her nerves.

"I see your point, but that is exactly why I chose this path." He said to the girl's confusion. "This world is a horrible place, but that's why I want to help it. To see it get better. To see it become a place where people won't have to suffer because of things they can't control. And to help the many people who live in this world."

Fang closed his eyes as he reminisced. "In my travels, I've seen so many inspiring things, met many inspiring people. The girl who was abandoned by all but still found the strength to climb into the sky and find a place for herself. The old man, forgotten by all and left for dead spring alive again at the prospect of a new hope. These people give their all to this harsh world, clawed their way out of the filth to try to become something more. They inspire me everyday and I want to put in as much effort as they do. From people like them, I've learned that other people can take away everything. Your rights, your body, money, homes, health, family and even your power. But! The one thing they can never take, no matter how hard they try, is your ideology. And so long as you have that, then we can still get back up, no matter how many times they might knock us down. That's what I believe anyway."

As Fang opened his eyes, Cinder saw a certain softness in them that almost reminded her of Summer. It was the look of joy at a found memory that she had when talking about Beacon. Something that happened all too often.

"My mother loved this world for all it's flaws and even at the end, she gave her all to see a better future not just for herself and her son, but also for everyone else." Fang said, though Cinder got the impression he was talking more to himself than her. "And so, I decided to improve it in her memory. After all, she always told me I'd do great things. I can't let her down now, can I?"

A long silence followed Fang's confession. Cinder found herself wondering how long he had lived with that on his chest. Given how easily he had told her, it must have been weighing him down for several years now.

Hell, who was she kidding? She knew this must have been weighing on him since his mother's death and given the circumstances, she doubted he had ever really had a chance to talk to anyone about it.

Suddenly Fang stood back up, that softer emotion disappearing as he returned to his normal neutral face. "Well, anyway, that's why I keep my name the way it is. Because I want people to know I'm not afraid to admit who I am. And hopefully, I can inspire someone else to do the same. But I bet you don't really care too much about that, do you? But seeing as I just explained myself, I feel as if it's appropriate to respond in kind. Besides, given how much you like attention, I bet it must be pretty painful to listen to someone else talk without interrupting."

Cinder let out a growl irritably and pointedly flipped Fang off.

"Okay, first. I never asked for your life story." She grunted. "I don't need to tell you Jack! But seeing as now I understand why you think the way you do, I guess I'll explain why My opinions are right and your's wrong." Despite her words, a part of Cinder was thankful he had spared her the trouble of asking. She couldn't lie, she had been curious about the strangely idealistic boy.

"Back when I was a kid, my father became…indisposed. As a result, we lost our house and had to start moving across the country looking for work. After a little while, my dear old dad decided he'd be better off without me, so he dumped me at an orphanage and dipped."

Fang respectfully kept silent as Cinder told her story. He sat back down in his chair as she continued.

"Eventually, I was adopted" Cinder spat the last part with venom in her voice. "By an Atlas business owner who needed free labor. I worked as a slave for years. During my first year or so, I asked and begged for help from the guests. Everyone from huntsmen to politicians, each and everyone of them ignored my cries, dismissing me and my problems because they could."

Fang opened his mouth to say something, then stopped and closed it. He could tell Cinder wasn't done.

"After some time, I realize people's true nature. Power is everything. Without it, nobody cares about you or your beliefs. With enough power, you can do anything, no matter how inhuman or horrible it is. With enough power, you can do whatever you want. So I made my decision, I would get power no matter the cost! Then I would be free to do whatever I want. Go wherever I please. And to kill anyone stupid enough to hurt me or those close to me! That is MY reality."

Another long silence followed Cinder's story. Fang was staring intently at her, eyes scanning her carefully. He seemed to be studying her to try and figure out how to proceed.

Finally, after a long silence, Fang began to speak."I understand why you see things the way you do. But, if you don't mind a personal question, once you get the power to do whatever you want, what are you going to do with it?"

Cinder looked down at her hands. That was the same question he had asked earlier. She still wasn't sure and that frustrated her. But as she sat there, a single answer came to her mind.

"First, I'm going to Kill the Phantom of the Witching Hour!" She replied, hands clenching into fists as she spoke.

Fang raised an eyebrow at her answer. "You mean the guy playing Batman? The one running around town killing people who have ties to the criminals underground? How'd he get on your rampage radar?"

"He killed someone very close to me." She answered. "And if that wasn't bad enough, he then traumatized my sister. That alone gives me all the reasons I need to seek his death. And besides, if we go by what the masses think on common morality, he should be killed just by way of their black and white views. So it's practically legal."

Cinder saw Fang's expression and let out a sigh. She should have guessed that wouldn't have convicted him.

"Look, even if he was a war hero, I'd still be gunning for him." She said, locking eyes with the white haired boy. "After all the pain he put those close to me through, I don't care about right or wrong, I just want to see him dead! Your mother was killed in battle, right? Surely you can understand how I feel."

Fang said nothing as he stood up and walked to the window. "You know, all the adults I've spoken to have told me that revenge doesn't fix anything." He said, hands clenching into fists. "They've all said that I should just move on. That a life well lived is the best vengeance anyone could have. That my mother would want me to move forward to the future, not to trap myself in the past."

His reply made Cinder let out a groan. After hearing his story, she had hoped he would understand where she was coming from, but of course he was trapped in the same stupid moral standpoint as everyone else. Was she the one wrong? Was there something wrong with her for being unable to let her anger go? Why was she always the damn black sheep wherever she went?!

"Well screw their answers!"

Cinder gave a start at the sudden burst of emotions for Fang. Her eyes widened as she looked at his back as he shook with his rage.

"I've tried to let go, to forget! Yet no matter how much I tried to tell myself it was war, or that it wasn't personal, my rage boils over and I can't stop myself from drowning in it!" He drove his fist into the windowsill with a bang as he continued.

"I know it won't solve anything, but it's my life! I want to live it the way I see fit! And if that means getting revenge for my mother, I'll gladly pay the price! I will make the world a better place and I will get my vengeance! I don't have to pursue one or the other, I can chase them both!"

Fang paused for a second, then turned to face Cinder, eyes seeming to glow in the light.

"Well, seeing as we understood each other's pain, how about we work together?" He said, offering his hand. "I'll help you get your revenge, and you help me with mine. That way we won't be alone in our endeavors."

Cinder stared up at Fang, his body illuminated by the sun as he stood in the window and for the first time in a long time, felt like she had finally found someone who understood her. No long speeches about duty, no being judged for wanting revenge, no outside input from people who had no idea how much pain she was in.

His hand was like a rope out of her darkness, something she could finally use to escape her frustration at her own weakness. And without any hesitation, she reached up and grasped it.

"Deal." She said with a grin. "Let go kill the bastards who ruined our lives!"

Fang smiled back at her as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Good to be working with you, partner."

Later that night.

"So this is your big lead? A nightclub?" Cinder asked. She and Fang were standing in a seedier part of Vale in front of what looked like a high end club. But given the lack of traffic despite it being opened, Cinder got the impression this wasn't a place teens went dancing.

After they agreed to help each other, Cinder had been eager to start looking for clues, and Fang had been able to provide an answer. Apparently back in Minstrel, Fang had to do some legal skullduggery to get by.

He didn't have a huntsman's license, but needed money. So he had struck a deal with the queen of crime Lil' Miss herself. He would do the job and in return, she would send some to collect on his behalf. In return, she got a sizable amount of money for Fang's work and she barely had to do anything.

And when Cinder asked why he didn't just get a fake license, he told her if he asked, she'd skin him alive. She wasn't surprised. Back on the farm, she had heard a nursery rhyme about how the woman was half spider. And even though she obviously wasn't, that didn't change the fact she was as heartless as one.

Regardless, he had now gotten a special note clearing him for the same deal (with increased fees for long distance travel.) in Vale. All he had to do was confirm with her operative in the king. A guy called Junior who owned this establishment.

And while he would be allowed to go on jobs without her, he had decided to continue to send her money so as to not pick the hornets nest.

"Ya know, if this was a desperate ploy to try to get me to date you, I'd be pretty impressed." Cinder teased. "I would never have pegged you for the cunning type, but I guess some people are just desperate for a chance at a woman like me."

Her tone carried a sexual tease, hoping it would cause him to go all flustered, but instead he just chuckled.

"Money means I can't have the highest standards for clothes, but I do have standards for women." He said. "If I'm going to bring a woman on a date, it's not going to be a money laundering establishment. Besides, I already feel sorry for any poor sap YOU date."

Fang laughed openly as he sidestepped Cinder's kick.

"Jerk." She grumbled, making him laugh even more. "Why I'm I the butt of everyone's jokes?"

"You know, if you weren't so cocky people probably wouldn't enjoy making fun of you. Not everything has to be a competition or battle of alpha." Fang said, causing Cinder to roll her eyes. Yet despite that, she felt his words sink deeper than she'd like to admit.

Fang studied her face closely, then turned back to the nightclub with a grin. "Well, that's neither here nor there. Shall we introduce ourselves to the owner of this fine establishment?" He asked, and Cinder seized the opportunity to focus on something other than Fang's words.

But as they stepped forward, something unexpected happened.

"Aaahhh!" A large man in a suit screamed as he was thrown out of the door, landing right at Fang and Cinder's feet.

"Hehe, looks like pigs can fly!" Looking up, the two students saw several people in masks and armed with street level weapons. Guns, knives, bats and tasers. They all had their faces covered by black bananas with what looked like angel wings on them. They were also dressed in leather jackets and spiked gloves. If Cinder would draw a comparison, she'd say they looked like a biker gang who was trying too hard.

"Who are these rejects?" She asked unimpressed. "They don't look like your normal edge lord teens."

One of the gang stepped forward. He had an atrocious green Mohawk, a skull tank top, and spikes covering his jacket, boots and gloves. Cinder also noticed an impractically huge sword on his back that was as big as he was. And just as thick.

"Look'y here missy! We're the true Enlightened Seraphim! And we're here to punish the Atlesians scum for starting the Great War!" Oh great, he was one of those unbearable people who talked in a way they thought was cool but was just stupid. Brothers, those people were such pains to deal with!

"That traitor is guilty of selling Vale out to Atlas! He's been giving information to the SDC! Pushing other Vale owned dust mines under the bus! And for that crime, he will be punished!"the idiot with the Mohawk yelled. "Now justice will be served! And he will-!"

"Oh shut up, will ya!" Cinder yelled, cutting him off. "Ugg! You can't believe how annoying your voice is! Just shut up! We've heard it all before, you loudmouth ass wipe! Anything that's even remotely related to Atlas is the work of the devil and must be destroyed! Bla bla bla! All you're doing is driving up Dust prices and spraying propaganda on walls! News flash you worthless moron, Nobody cares! Most of us actually have useful things to do with our time!"

As the Enlightened Seraphim stared simply at her, Fang knelt and helped the man up.

"You Junior?" He asked. "What on Remnant did you do to piss off the Enlightened Angles?"

"Nothing!" The man, Junior, protested, ignoring Mohawk's cry of 'it's Seraphim!' "All I did was send some of my guys with a SDC representative to survey a spot they wanted to turn into a mine! Next thing I know, these huntsman dropouts are banging down my door demanding I pay for doing a job!"

"A job for an Atlesian!" Mohawk yelled. "I don't care how little you think of it! Anyone who adds Atlas in any way, shape or form is a traitor and shall be punished accordingly! And if you even think of-!"

Bang!

Mohawk was silenced in one quick movement as Fang drew his sword and fired a shot from the guard. The bullet flew through the air, brushing Against Mohawk's ear and slamming into the far wall behind him.

"If you didn't hear the lady, she asked you to be quiet." Fang said. "And quite frankly, I have to agree. Your constant yelling is giving me a headache. You've made your point, now get going. I'm sure someone is just dying to hear your elegant sermon."

"Oy! You mocking us, white?!" One of the goons said, stepping forward and trying (and failing) to sound intimidating. "Cause you want to mess with Archie, you're mak'en a huge mistake! He got through two years at Beacon before they kicked him out because of the fear he'd get too strong! Now he-!"

"Fang, this isn't getting us anywhere." Cinder said. "Let's just get this over with. There's only twenty or so. I could take them all by myself. Besides, I don't think these idiots are capable of reason. They clearly don't have half a brain between them."

Fang let out a sigh as the Enlightened Seraphim bristled, then they started drawing weapons. "I guess you're not wrong." He admitted. "Not going to lie, I'd probably end up bashing their heads in anyway. Lil' Miss isn't going to be happy when she hears what happened to her Vale office. Let's just get this over with quickly."

Cinder grinned as she drew her weapons. "No problem. I want it beat that stupid Mohawk guy's head in since he first opened his mouth!" She turned to face her opponents, a smirk spread across her face. She knew despite her calm demeanor, Fang was raring to go, just like she was. Both had something to prove in this fight.

"Just try not to kill them. I'd rather not have an entire gang after me." Fang said as he leveled his blade at their opponents. His feet were placed in a wide stance and his blade rested at his center, easy to move into either an attack or defense on either side of him. A first class stance indeed.

"I can't make any promises. I suck at holding back." Cinder replied as she slipped into her battle stance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fang looking at her stance as well. Clearly judging her just like she had just done to him.

"In other words, you lack proper control. Duly noted." Cinder felt her eyebrow twitch at the comment. Was he seriously giving her crap right now?! For someone who wanted to help the world, he was surprisingly sassy.

"Put a sock in it! I don't need lip for the guy who's always trying to avoid fighting! Just try to keep up and stay out of my way! I'll show you what real skill is!"

"Want to make it a bet?" Fang countered. "See who takes out more of these clowns. Winner gets to ask the loser whatever they want and they have to answer honestly."

"Deal! And when I win, I'm going to make you answer the most embarrassing thing I can think of in the middle of-!"

"Hey!"

The two looked over at Mohawk. The man's face had turned red and they could see a vein throbbing in his temple. It was honestly more surprising that he didn't have steam coming out his ears.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled, drawing his massive sword that was clearly compensating for something. "Quit fighting each other! You're supposed to be fighting me!"

With that, Mohawk charged at the two students, his little army right behind him. With a grin, Fang and Cinder both ran at them, eager to see who would win their little competition.

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What did you think of Fang's backstory? Obviously there are some parts missing, but you'll learn more as the story goes on.

fun fact, his backstory is partially written to show just how messed up "doing the right thing" is. It's been stated before the Salem was manipulating the king of Atlas, so basically Ozpin and Ironwood were trying to find her spy. Resulting in the terror of Fang's childhood.

And don't even start with, "that's out of character for Oz!" It's not. He lies and kills as easily as he breathes. Just count how many people his sacrificed for his greatest good in the show canon. I can think of 10 (the main cast.) just off the top of my head, and I'm sure the actual number is closer to 100,000 given how long he's lived.

Anyway, I'm done rambling. I hope to see you next chapter, bye!