RWBY: MRRN

VOLUME 1, CHAPTER 1: Brown and Red

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.

Mathdon Kendrick was different from most people at the age of 17 for one simple reason: his Asperger's. He could sometimes hear things that most would ignore and see things that others would not…but all of this was against his will. This made him socially awkward at times, which often irritated him to no end.

As he grew up, he got better with people as well as a warrior, mostly in part to the training he received from Glaucus Viisaus, or as others called him, Glaucus the Grey, and Forest Kotka, who were well known as two of the best Huntsmen combatants in Vale.

For four years, he was trained under them, turning into a master swordsman and skilled martial artist. It wasn't easy for Mathdon, but he had managed to make it.

He was walking down the streets of Vale to see his mentor, wearing his usual brown leather jacket aligned with brown fur with the emblem of a bear on the back and his sheathed sword, Claiomh Solais, strapped over his shoulder and a brown metal gauntlet on his left arm. Sadly, on his way, he caught sight of Aurum Academy, one of the local combat schools in Vale. The sight of it alone brought bad memories to Math.

When he was 13, he enrolled in the Academy, but was immediately subjected to cruel bullying for his Asperger's and weight at the time, which was often ignored by the Headmaster. Finally, after nine weeks, Math and one of the bullies got into a fight; even though the bully started it, Math was falsely held responsible for the fight and expelled from the Academy.

He shook the memories out of his head, accidentally messing up his short dark brown hair a little and knocked on his mentor's home door. It opened to reveal a middle-aged man with gray hair, a beard much thicker than Mathdon's, and wore only gray and white clothing.

"Hello," Math greeted. "I'm here like you asked. What's our lesson today?" Glaucus reached out and put his hand on Math's shoulder.

"You're ready," he replied. "After today, you'll have no need for my training." Math raised an eyebrow in surprise to what his mentor had just claimed.

"Have no need for your training?" he asked. "It's because of training with you and Forest that I'm here today." Glaucus smiled warmly at his pupil.

"You're here because you had the patience and discipline to make it," he replied. "It will also be those qualities that will allow to go to Beacon." Math lowered his head, hiding his brown eyes from Glaucus's blue.

"I got expelled from combat school," he reminded his mentor. "Professor Ozpin would never let me in."

"You were expelled for an incident that you did not start," Glaucus reminded as well. "The Headmaster knew too well that you did not start the fight and yet held you completely responsible…because he didn't have faith in you. Forget him." Math nodded his head in reply.

"That's why today's your final lesson. Today, I've arranged a match between you and four of Aurum's best students." Math's eyes went wide in surprise.

"What?" he gasped. "I know I'm a skilled warrior, but-"

"But those four didn't receive the training you did," Glaucus interrupted. "That's why I'm confident you can beat them." Math sighed and looked his mentor in the eye, showing his determination.

"Let's do this, then," he replied.

It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive at Aurum Academy, a place Math hoped he'd never go to again. As they walked through the halls, Math could see the stares of many students who he had known in his first year, some judgmental, some sympathetic. Some of them wanted to spew insults at him, but they didn't want to earn Glaucus's anger, which could scare even the strongest of Huntsmen into submission.

As the two approached the doors leading to the Combat Ring, Glaucus walked away and started walking up a flight of stairs.

"Where are you going?" Math asked his mentor.

"This is your match, not mine," Glaucus responded. "I'm just a watcher for this." Math turned his attention back to the door, exhaled to get rid of his nervous thoughts, and opened the doors.

As he walked through, he could see many students and faculty sitting in the benchers, unsure of how to feel about them. When he faced forward, he saw the four graduates he was up against; one was a tall male with a halberd, the next had shock gauntlets, the third had an axe and the fourth…was one of the bullies who had tormented Math years ago.

"You're who I'm up against?" he taunted and then laughed. "This is going to be easy. Once a loser, always a loser." Only a few students laughed at the bully's words, but stares from Glaucus immediately prompted them to silence.

"Mathdon Kendrick," a faculty member announced. "You will be fighting Lennox Amber, Onyx Black, Yuri Conway, and-"

"Me!" the bully announced, completely ignoring how rude and arrogant he was. "Jason Currant, the best student in Aurum!"

"That remains to be seen," Math claimed as he unsheathed Claiomh Solais and protracted the blade, which was a little over three feet long and four inches wide. The foot-long hilt allowed it to be used as a one or two-handed sword and a short mechanical piece was added between the blade and short crossguard. Two of its most distinguishable features was the emblem near the crossguard, which was an exact copy of the bear symbol on Math's jacket as well as the ring pommel.

"That's it?" Jason taunted once more as he swung his spear. "This is going to be too easy."

"Man, I want to punch that guy in the face," a friendly face snarled, one belonging to Robin Kendrick, Mathdon's cousin. He had messy red hair, green eyes, and had a slender build, contrasting to Math's broad-shouldered and barrel-chested physique. His attire consisted of a white dress shirt with a red tie, a black long coat, slacks and shoes. He stood at a height of 6'2, only two inches over Math's height. Unlike Math, Robin was chosen to stay at Aurum, but chose to attend a different school after becoming disgusted by how his cousin was treated.

"Let the match…begin!" the faculty member announced. Immediately, the gauntlet fighter threw punches at Math, who blocked the attacks with an object that suddenly appeared on his left arm, which was his retractable round shield, Dionach. He found an opportunity to knock the fighter back and deal a powerful blow to his stomach, his yellow aura shimmering from the impact.

From behind, the fighter with the halberd brought his weapon down on Math, but he brought up Dionach, blocking the weapon. Jason then rushed at him in an attempt to take out Math. The swordsman knocked the halberd aside and deflected the speedy blows of Jason's spear. The halberd wielder joined in the fray, but as his attacks were easily deflected and blocked by Claiomh Solais and Dionach.

"Well, what did I say?" Glaucus told a figure hiding from sight, but still watching the match.

"His fighting is very impressive," the man replied. "However, I believe our agreement was 'if' he won the match…and it's not over yet."

"It will be," Glaucus assured. "If Mathdon can handle the Grimm we've encountered, he can handle these four."

Math knocked the spear out of Jason's hands with his shield and punched him in the stomach, making him tumble to the floor. He then deflected the halberd, punched the wielder's stomach, and sliced at his legs. He fell to the ground, his Aura completely gone.

"One down!" Robin called out. "Three more to go, man! Take them out!"

The fighter with the axe swung wildly at Math, but was blocked by Claiomh Solais or Dionach. The one with the shock gauntlets got back into the fight, kicking at Math's head. He raised his shield and threw the gauntlet user into the axe wielder, knocking them both to the floor. The gauntlet user quickly rose up and charged at Math; the swordsman threw his arm back and delivered a powerful punch to the gauntlet user, delivering severe damage to his Aura.

"I'm not losing to some stupid fat kid!" Jason snarled as he twirled his spear and struck at Math. He deflected every speedy attack from Jason's spear and delivered a powerful blow from Dionach to Jason's face, sending him flying into the wall. Even though his Aura was not fully depleted, it was too low for him to continue fighting. He snarled as he watched Math continue fighting the other two students.

The gauntlet user returned to the fight, throwing punches and kicks at Math, who managed to deflect them with swings of Claiomh Solais or Dionach. The axe user attacked from behind, but Math dodged by leaping forward and recovering onto his feet. As soon as he did, he struck the axe wielder's legs, knocking him to the ground and finished him with a strong blow to his back with Dionach, completely depleting his Aura.

"Three down!" Robin called out. "Come on, Math! Kick their asses!"

"Mr. Kendrick!" one of the faculty members reprimanded. Robin ignored him, knowing him as one of the teachers who had shown no faith in his cousin.

The gauntlet user kept attacking; Math kept blocking and deflecting them until he found an opportunity to deliver two punches with his shield. He then retracted Dionach and gripped Claiomh Solais's hilt tight with both hands; as he did, the blade glowed with brown light and he swung with all his might, sending a brown shockwave into his opponent and completely depleting his Aura.

The overheard monitors showed:

AURA

Jason Currant- 19/100

Lennox Amber- 0/100

Onyx Black- 0/100

Yuri Conway- 0/100

Mathdon Kendrick- 95/100

"Yeah!" Robin cheered as many other students followed suit. Math stood there alone in the Combat Ring, surrounded by four of Aurum's best fighters; all whom he had managed to defeat singlehandedly and only lose a small part of Aura for a finishing attack. This shocked Math to his core, trying to believe that he had done what he thought he couldn't.

"Mathdon Kendrick is the winner!" the announcer stated. As Math walked out of the Combat Ring as he became overwhelmed by the loud noise, he could hear someone running up to him.

"Yeah, man!" Robin cheered as he hugged his cousin, who immediately returned the embrace. "You kicked their asses! You did awesome out there!" Math chuckled.

"I honestly didn't know if I could do it," he admitted.

"Well, you did," Glaucus spoke as he approached his apprentice. "With that, you have no further need for my training." Math's smile started to dissolve from the news.

"I don't know where to go from here," he admitted.

"How about Beacon Academy?" another voice asked. Math and Robin turned to see a tall man with silvery-gray hair, lighter than Glaucus's, black spectacles, and in black and green clothing.

"Beacon?" Math asked. "That's one of the most prestigious schools in Remnant. But, sir…"

"Glaucus told me the circumstances around the incident that led to your expulsion," the man informed. "What they did was unacceptable and I do not hold you at fault."

"Thanks," Math replied. "So how would I be able to convince Beacon's Headmaster to let me in?"

"Because I'm the Headmaster," he answered. Math's eyes went wide open in surprise, finally realizing who he was talking to.

"Professor Ozpin?" he asked. "Not to sound rude or anything, but what brought you here?"

"I convinced him to watch your match," Glaucus explained.

"I have to say, Math, I am very impressed," Ozpin admitted. "To take on four of Aurum's best fighters and win." He chuckled. "Why should I be surprised? Any apprentice of Glaucus and Forest is sure to be a skilled fighter." Math looked over at his mentor.

"Does he…?"

"He already told me," Ozpin interrupted. The autistic swordsman showed a scowl of nervousness at the information.

"And it doesn't bother you?" Math asked.

"We would never judge you for such a thing," he assured. "Before I leave today, I'm going to speak with the Aurum Headmaster about this. But before I do…" He reached into his vest and pulled out an application form, handing it to Math.

"If you wish to attend Beacon, then have this filled out soon," Ozpin instructed. "I think it would be truly a waste to not give you this opportunity."

Math didn't know what to say; ever since he was wrongfully kicked out of Aurum and started training with Glaucus, he never even suspected that Beacon's Headmaster would personally come to him and ask him to attend his school.

"I'll get this filled out," Math replied excitedly, prompting Ozpin to smile. Math and Robin walked out of the school after saying their goodbyes to Glaucus and Ozpin, but just as they walked out of the door, they started cheering.

"Yeah!" Robin cheered as he wrapped his arm around his cousin. "We're going to Beacon together!"

"WOOOOOOO!" Math cheered as well. Glaucus and Ozpin chuckled as the two young men celebrated.

-0-

When Mathdon returned home, he relayed the news to his mother, Corcra Kendrick. She, along with Robin's parents, Anrydd and Gwyn, were very excited to hear about Ozpin giving Math a chance to enter Beacon Academy. They celebrated by taking them to Monty's, a family-favorite restaurant.

As demanded, Math filled out his application and turned it into Ozpin. This left Math and Robin the rest of the summer to train and prepare themselves for Beacon.

One day, while the two were training together at Robin's house, he stopped for a minute. He examined his cousin and could immediately see something was on his mind.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I was just thinking, man," Math replied. "About people at Beacon finding out about my Asperger's. If things had been different, then I wouldn't be nervous about letting people know. But…what if someone finds out and I go through the same thing again?"

"Ozpin isn't the Aurum Headmaster," Robin assured. "He's made it pretty clear that he won't judge you for your Asperger's. If he did, he wouldn't have given you that application. Plus, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't let you go through that."

"Yeah, I hope," Math answered.

"Besides, I can barely tell you have Asperger's anymore," Robin pointed out. "Glaucus and Forest had you work on your social skills during your training. From what I can see, they did a good job."

"Thanks, man," Math replied. "So, are you looking forward to going to Beacon?"

"Of course I am," Robin answered. "Who knows? I could end up with a smoking hot girlfriend. I mean, I am a chick magnet." Math raised an eyebrow.

"You're more like a chick repellant," he joked. "So I'll have to keep my distance from you when we get to Beacon." Robin glared over at his cousin…then they laughed.

"I'm just kidding!" Math said when they were done laughing. "I'm pretty sure you'll have yourself a pretty nice girlfriend after a while." Robin walked over to Math and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll find one too," he assured. "Let's get back to practice. I still need to work on my close combat skills." Robin pulled out his bow and transformed it into a sword for combat.

Unlike Math's sword, Claiomh Solais, which was made for strong and powerful attacks, Robin's weapon, Sharp Shot, in its sword form was made for quick attacks, dealing multiple blows in a minute.

His accessory linked to Sharp Shot's arrows was a gauntlet on his left forearm. It had at least six different colors, each one linked to a specific type of Dust Chamber at the bottom of the quiver on his back. This allowed him to choose which type of Dust Arrow he pulled from the quiver, though the Dust could be rotated by pressing a button on the side of his ring finger. For two final additions, the gauntlet had a grappling shot and the quiver had his symbol adorned on it: a bird with its wings connected by a drawn back string like a bow.

"Let's do this!" Math replied as they sparred again.

-0-

The summer passed and it was time. Mathdon had packed everything he needed for his departure to Beacon Academy, where he would learn to become a professional Huntsman. After he had placed everything in the trunk of Corcra's car, he was about to pack their weapons.

"You ready?" his mother asked, a middle-aged woman with auburn hair and purple eyes.

"Very nervous, but I'm ready," he answered as he placed Claiomh Solais in the back seat.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there," Corcra apologized. "I would've loved to see the looks on their faces."

"It's okay," Math replied. "I know you had work at Dawn Academy."

"If Glaucus and Forest hadn't trained you, I would've tried to get you into there," Corcra explained. "But luckily, things will change at Aurum Academy." She looked over to her son, who has an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Didn't you hear?" she asked. "The old Headmaster there was fired after Professor Ozpin dug more into how he ran Aurum Academy. Good riddance." A jingling noise was heard as a large brown dog rushed into the garage, wearing a blue collar and whimpering at Mathdon.

"Do we want to bring Siocled with us?" he asked as he petted the dog.

"You'd have to put Claiomh Solais in the trunk," she answered. Without hesitation, Math put his weapon in the trunk to make room for his dog.

"Math," Corcra started as she put her hand on her son's shoulder. "I am very proud of how far you've come. I know that what happened at Aurum was very hard on you…and I'm sorry you had to treated so unfairly. But now, you're going to Beacon Academy to become a Huntsman just like I was."

"I never thought it'd happen," Math admitted. "I'm just so happy Ozpin's willing to give me a chance."

"I'm happy too," Corcra agreed. "However, that doesn't mean things will get easier. They'll get harder and you need to be able to keep up with everything."

"I know, Mom," he replied. "I'll do my best. I'll make you proud." She hugged him and he returned the embrace.

"You already have," she replied. "Now let's get going. Anrydd is sure to have dropped off Robin at the platform." They both got into the car and drove off into the city.

It took them about ten minutes before they reached the platform, which was already filled with young people waiting for the ship to come to Beacon. They unpacked Mathdon's belongings while making sure Siocled stayed in the car so she wouldn't run off for any reason.

"Is that everything?" Corcra asked. Math replied with a yes as he closed the trunk of the car.

"One day, we've got to teach you how to drive," she brought up to her son. She walked over to him and hugged him.

"I'm proud of how far you have come," she praised. "But things will only get harder from here. These next four years will test you to your limits; maybe even beyond that. But I know you can handle it. Work hard and look after yourself." As they pulled away, Math opened the back door and petted Siocled's ears.

"I'll see you later, girl," he said goodbye to Siocled. She looked at him with 'puppy eyes', but Math quickly closed the door before he could feel tempted to stay another day.

"Take care," Corcra said as she got into the car and backed away. She rolled down her window and waved goodbye to her son before she drove away. Math took his belongings and walked to the platform, but was stopped when someone grabbed his shoulders.

"Mathdon!" Robin cheered as he looked at his cousin with a smile. "Glad you made it."

"Glad to be here," he replied as they went looking for a place to sit. As they were about to, the archer caught sight of some 'lonely' girls.

"Well, Math, time to talk to some ladies!" Robin smirked as he spotted a pair of beautiful girls.

"Robin, don't," Math protested. "They may already have boyfriends."

"Don't know until you try," he dismissed as he walked cockily towards the two young women. Math sighed at Robin's incorrigible flirting and sat down on one of the benches. He turned his attention over to his right, examining and taking in the sights of multiple people. As he was about to look back over at his cousin, a male walked away and revealed to Math the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

She had long red hair tied back into a ponytail, emerald eyes, and was somewhat tall compared to the other girls present, standing at Math's height perhaps. Her attire mostly consisted of a sash, a brown corset, long gloves, and bronze greaves with high-heel boots.

Math lost track of everything else around him; he was focused completely on the beauty far from him. He snapped out of his trance and looked around to see if anyone was coming to her, but everyone seemed to keep their distance.

He exhaled to ease his nervousness, stood up from the bench and walked over to the red-haired beauty. He slowed down a few times to think over what he'd say to her, knowing he wasn't always the best with words. When he was close enough, he walked up to her.

"Hello," he greeted, immediately grabbing her attention.

"Hello," she replied with a smile.

"You heading to Beacon too?" he asked.

"Yes, I was accepted into the Academy," she answered. "You're going as well?"

"I am," he replied. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all," she answered. Math walked over a little and sat down next to her.

"My name's Mathdon by the way," he introduced himself. "Mathdon Kendrick."

"I'm Pyrrha," she responded. "Pyrrha Nikos."

"That's a beautiful name," Math complimented, making her blush a little.

"Thank you," she replied. The autistic swordsman looked around and noticed that a lot of people were still avoiding her. He thought about asking her, but decided against it.

"Have you ever been to Beacon before?" Math asked her.

"No, I haven't," she answered. "I've only heard things about the Academy, but I'm really looking forward to it. What about you?"

"Honestly, I'm nervous," Math answered before he tried to think of something funny to say. "Isn't it funny that I don't find fighting Grimm scary, but going to the Academy makes me a nervous wreck?" Pyrrha giggled at his humor.

"Well, it is a big step," she acknowledged. "We've all trained for this and now we're here."

"We are," he agreed. "What about you? Are you nervous?"

"A little," Pyrrha admitted. "I don't really know anyone here, so I don't have any friends right now." Math smiled warmly at her.

"I can be one if you want," he offered. The redhead looked over to him and returned her own smile.

"Thank you," she answered. "That's very kind of you to offer." Before their conversation could continue, a loud slap was heard, followed by "You stupid idiot!" The person slapped was none other than Robin, who had a print of a red hand on his cheek, despite his Aura being active. Math sighed and facepalmed.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked, hearing the loud slap. "Do you know him?"

"He's my cousin," Math responded. "And unfortunately, he thinks he's a ladies' man."

"So let me know when I can get your number," Robin asked the girl who had just slapped him. The two girls stuck up their noses and walked away from him.

"I underline think," Math explained, making Pyrrha giggle once more. Robin walked over to the bench where he thought his cousin was, but raised an eyebrow when he was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm over here, Robin!" Math called out to his cousin. The archer walked over to him, but before getting too close, he smirked as he caught sight of the redhaired beauty next to him. He held up his hands and walked back over to his own bench, obviously telling Math "Not going to interrupt."

"So, are you from Vale?" Math asked Pyrrha, who shook her head.

"No, I'm from Mistral," she asked.

"Really?" Math asked with immense interest. "I've always wanted to see Mistral. My sister goes there…I'm green with envy for her." Pyrrha laughed at Math's exaggerated jealousy.

"What's it like there?" he asked.

"It's beautiful," Pyrrha replied. "There's so many different cultures in that city. The sights there…they're just breathtaking."

"Now I'm really jealous of my sister," he admitted. Their conversation went on for a minute more until the airship that would take them to Beacon arrived. Everyone was grabbing their belongings and preparing to board the vessel.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, Pyrrha," Math said as he got up from the bench. "I hope we can talk again soon."

"Well, why don't you come onto the airship with me?" Pyrrha suggested as she gathered her weapons.

"I have to get my stuff," Math answered. "I also have to make sure my cousin doesn't flirt with the wrong girls."

"Then I'll see you on the ship," she replied as she waved at him and walked away. Math blushed a little, though he was careful to hide it from the redhead who just stolen his heart. He approached his cousin and picked up his baggage, but noticed Robin smirking at him.

"What?" he asked. His fair-haired cousin looked over to Pyrrha and shook his cousin's shoulder.

"That girl's a beauty, eh?" Robin complimented. "Good job, man. However, let me give you a few-"

"Is one of your tips 'flirt with her relentlessly'?" Math interrupted. "Didn't you just get slapped in the face for doing that?"

"Math, there's a difference between flirting gone bad and a girl just not appreciating effort," Robin dismissed. "Now let's go before that ship takes off." The two young men hurried onto the ship with the other students and found a comfortable spot to put their belongings before the area filled up.

Once the ship took off, everyone started talking again. Math scanned the area for Pyrrha, hoping to see her, but no luck. He was too busy looking for her that he didn't notice Robin walk over to a pair of girls and started flirting with them. He sighed as he scratched his beard and shook his head.

"Geez, Robin, you're never going to stop flirting, are you?" he wondered. He leaned against the wall and sighed, shaking his legs.

"Hello, Math," Pyrrha greeted. He looked over to see the same redhaired beauty from before walking up to him.

"Hi, Pyrrha," Math responded. Pyrrha noticed the obvious look of discomfort on Math's face.

"Are you okay?" she asked with genuine concern in her tone.

"I'm not comfortable in close crowds like this," he confessed. "That's why I'm trying to keep my distance."

"You didn't seem to keep your distance from me," Pyrrha brought up. Math's eyes looked over to the left, trying to hide some the embarrassment from the truth in Pyrrha's words.

"I don't mind being around people," Math explained. "It's just crowds that I'm not comfortable with."

"So you're a bit of a loner?" Pyrrha asked.

"You could say that," he agreed. "What about you? You don't seem bothered by crowds."

"I participated in a good number of fighting tournaments back in Mistral," Pyrrha replied as she stood next to Math. "When you spend that much time in tournaments, you get used to crowds."

"How many tournaments did you participate in?" Math asked.

"A good number of them, but the most prominent was the Mistral Regional Tournament," she answered. "I entered every year at Sanctum Academy…" she seemed to hesitate for a minute.

"Did you win any of those years?" Math asked. He noticed the expression on Pyrrha's face seemed to be one of surprise, but he didn't understand why she seemed that way.

"I don't wish to sound arrogant, but I won all four years," she answered. The warrior's eyes opened wide in response.

"You won the tournament four years in a row?" Math asked. "Wow, you must a hell of a fighter to accomplish something like that."

"Thank you," she responded. "Have you ever participated in any tournaments here in Vale?" Math shook his head in response.

"I was more focused on my training for my martial skills," he answered. "I learned martial arts and swordsmanship under my mentors. Martial arts, I can hold my own, but my best skill is with the sword."

"Who were your mentors?" Pyrrha asked.

"Glaucus Viisaus and Forest Kotka," Math answered. "They were known as some of the best combatants to graduate from Beacon Academy. At first, I trained with Glaucus specifically, but then I met Forest and he helped me as well. I didn't do well at first, but I think I came out alright."

"If you made it to Beacon, you did more than okay," Pyrrha complimented, giving Math a sweet smile that was making his heart melt.

The flight to Beacon wasn't too long; a projection of Glynda Goodwitch welcomed the students to the Academy. Some people, including Mathdon and Robin, rushed over to the windows to gaze in amazement of the school. The two young men were excited to start their new lives as Huntsmen at the prestigious Academy.