Of Blood and Bronze (RWBY x Vigilante Male Reader)

Red Like Roses

Screaming. An unmistakable sound, one that can pierce the ears of a faunus miles away.

The wind rushes past my ears as I run to the site, my paws slapping against the rooftops as I do.

When I arrive, the scene is all too common for this part of town: a woman being attacked in an alleyway.

I jump onto the nearest wall and propel myself at the attacker, slamming him against a wall in the process.

I put myself between him and the woman, using my body as a shield. The man recovers and tries to attack me, but I slap his hand out of the way and pounce on him, using my claws to rip him to shreds. His screams nearly drowned out my yelling.

Me: These. Aren't. Your. Streets. Anymore!

As I finish my sentence, I clamp down on his neck and tear his jugular out, killing him instantly.

My attention is turned back to the woman, who is looking on in a mixture of awe and terror.

Me: You should be getting home now. Avoid alleys from now on, especially at night.

She nodded, which I took as a suitable answer, and so I climbed back up the wall and continued my patrol.

Things like this happen several times a night. Men attack poorer women who are just getting off work. I do my best, but I'm only one man; I can't help them all.

It wasn't long before I found my next target; a group of criminals had walked into a dust shop, no doubt intending to rob the place.

I took my position above the building, waiting for them to come out.

I didn't have to wait long as one went flying through a window, with a familiar face following suit.

My baby sister. Of course she'd be out here at this time of night. Mom and Dad trust Yang and Ruby to be out by themselves at this point, considering both of them are armed at all times and are excellent fighters in their own right.

Still, I wasn't about to let Ruby have all the fun. I jumped down onto the nearest grunt and clawed at him until his aura broke.

Ruby hates it when I kill people, so I try not to do it in front of her. I fear the day when she'll be forced to kill. The day when she has the dilemma of "me versus you."

Ruby: Oh, hi Y/n! Nice of you to show up!

She kicked one of the charging grunts in the face, while I swatted another away.

Me: I couldn't just let you have all the fun!

I pounced on one that was rushing down Ruby and clawed him across his chest. It'd leave a nasty scar, but he'd live.

As we took out the rest of the goons, their boss sighed at their incompetence.

Boss: You were worth every cent; truly, you were. Well, Red and Werewolf, I think we can all say that it was an eventful evening, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways.

I was about to pounce on him, but he aimed a shot at Ruby, and being the protective older sibling I am, I tackled Ruby out of the way instead.

Doing this allowed the criminal to escape to a nearby roof, where I instantly gave chase.

My claws dug into the bricks as I scaled the building, and I was up there just in time for a Bullhead to appear behind him.

The man scowled as he turned to face us.

Boss: Persistent.

Ruby appeared at my side as the man stepped into the bullhead and laughed maniacally.

Boss: End of the line, you two!

He threw a red dust crystal at the ground and fired a shot at it.

My first instinct was to shield Ruby from the blast, but it turned out to be unnecessary, as a Huntress appeared in front of us just in time to block the attack.

I took the time and the coverage of the dust that had erupted from the explosion, jumped through it, and landed on the hull of the ship.

The huntress and I began working in tandem to attack the ship. I tore at the armor on the engine block while she kept them distracted.

She managed to distract them long enough for me to rend through the metal covering the engine block and tear out the engine itself.

I jumped off the ship and went back to the rooftop with the huntress. The ship began to bog down before crashing into the street a few blocks away.

The police would no doubt have that covered. They'd have to do it themselves, considering that the huntress had both of us in bubbles before we could even react.

She took us down to the police station and scolded us for a while. I didn't really listen; what she said didn't exactly concern me. I know that vigilantism is illegal, but I don't care. Hunters don't care enough about the kingdom, and neither do the police, as it would seem.

Someone has to look after the place.

Eventually, Professor Ozpin himself came into the room and invited Ruby to skip the last two years at Signal and go straight to Beacon.

I was shocked and proud at the same time. I always knew that Ruby was a step above the rest of her classmates.

He dismissed Ruby, and I stood up to go with her, but Professor Ozpin interrupted.

Ozpin: Actually, Ruby, I'd like to have a word with your brother, if you wouldn't mind.

She looked over at me, expecting me to answer.

Me: Go on ahead. I'll see you at home.

She nodded and ran off excitedly.

Ozpin smiled and drank from his mug as he sat down.

Ozpin: She's quite energetic, isn't she?

Me: What do you want, Ozpin?

Ozpin: Well, I'd like to extend the invitation I gave to your sister to you. How would you like to come to my school?

Me: I'm sorry, but I'm not interested.

Ozpin hummed and took a long drink from his mug.

Ozpin: I had guessed you would say that. So allow me to be the voice of reason here. What you do is illegal; we both know that, yet your goal is nothing short of agreeable. Would you not see it as advantageous to bend the law rather than break it?

I cocked my head and furrowed my brow.

Me: What are you getting at, Ozpin?

Ozpin: I mean, wouldn't it be so much easier to fulfill your role as the protector of Vale if you were able to excuse your actions as taking a mission from the headmaster directly?

I narrowed my eyes. The cheeky fucker is trying to pull a fast one on me.

Me: Right, so instead of having some of your hundreds of hunters in the kingdom watch over it, you've elected to have me do it for you?

Ozpin: It was a possibility; however, they lack the finesse and fire that you have. I've never been one to advocate for culling the criminal population; however, at the rate that you catch criminals, the jails would be full within a week if you chose to spare them. A Hunter can keep a criminal off the street temporarily by bringing him to jail; you, however, can keep the criminal off the street permanently by making sure he can hurt no one ever again. Now, about my offer: What do you say?

I stood up from my chair and pushed it in slowly.

Me: I'll think about it.

Ozpin: That's all I ask. All you need to do is show up, and I will do the rest. Initiation day is in a week; it would be best to have your answer by then.

I nodded and left the police station, ready to head home for the night, Ozpin's offer still weighing on my mind.