Chapter Text
Chapter 1 — “The Prologue”
Yang was never a bad student.
Teachers had called her “gifted” ever since she was little. She learned quickly, understood concepts faster than most people in class, and had the kind of confidence that usually carried students through difficult subjects. The problem was never intelligence.
The problem was motivation.
If Yang liked a teacher, she thrived. She participated, studied, joked around during lessons, and somehow still managed to score well on exams. But the moment a teacher rubbed her the wrong way, her effort disappeared almost instantly. She became stubborn, sarcastic, and impossible to deal with.
And that was exactly what had happened with her biology professor.
Professor Taurus.
Everyone at Beacon Academy respected him. He had years of experience, perfect credentials, and a reputation for producing top-performing students. Parents adored him, the school board trusted him, and students practically worshipped him whenever they wanted recommendation letters.
Well… most students.
Yang couldn’t stand him.
At first, she had tried.
She really had.
Biology had always been one of her favorite subjects. She loved learning about anatomy, genetics, ecosystems—anything that explained how living things worked. During the first few weeks of the semester, she had actually shown up early to class. She answered questions, took notes, even stayed after lessons once or twice to ask about assignments.
Taurus had shut her down every single time.
At first it was subtle.
A dismissive tone.
A sigh whenever she raised her hand.
Backhanded compliments disguised as criticism.
“Miss Xiao Long, perhaps if you spent less time worrying about appearances, you’d perform better academically.”
“Interesting answer. Incorrect, but interesting.”
“You’re capable of more. Assuming you decide to take school seriously.”
Meanwhile, Emerald—his favorite student—could do no wrong.
If Emerald gave an answer, Taurus praised her immediately. If she forgot homework, he excused it. If she made mistakes, he corrected her gently and encouraged her to keep trying.
Yang noticed.
Everyone noticed.
Nobody said anything.
At first, Yang tried ignoring it. Then she started talking back. Then came the arguments. After that, she stopped caring entirely.
She began arriving late to class.
Then she stopped bringing materials.
Eventually, she stopped showing up altogether.
The tests kept coming, and so did the failing grades.
Yang didn’t even bother checking some of them anymore.
And now she was sitting across from her father in his office while he stared silently at her academic report.
The office felt unusually small today.
Maybe it was because Principal Taiyang Xiao Long rarely looked disappointed. Frustrated? Sure. Embarrassed? Sometimes. But disappointed?
That one always hurt.
“Yang,” her father said carefully, setting the papers down on his desk, “you’re failing biology.”
“No kidding.”
“Yang.”
She sighed and leaned back in the chair.
“Dad, you know it’s not my fault. That teacher is terrible and doesn’t seem interested in teaching me anything.”
Taiyang crossed his arms and studied her face for a moment.
“You know I want to believe you.”
“Because it’s true.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t,” he replied calmly. “But the rest of your class is passing. You’re the only student currently failing.”
Yang clenched her jaw.
That was the problem.
Nobody saw what Taurus was actually like around her because he was careful. Smart. Professional enough to avoid obvious favoritism while still making her feel unwelcome every single day.
“He hates me,” she muttered.
Taiyang sighed heavily and rubbed his temple.
“Yang, hatred is a strong word.”
“Well, what would you call it?”
Her father didn’t answer immediately.
That alone annoyed her.
“I know you enjoy biology,” he continued after a moment. “Which is why this doesn’t make sense to me. You used to talk about becoming a huntress medic when you were younger.”
Yang looked away.
“I changed my mind.”
“No, you didn’t.”
The quiet certainty in his voice irritated her more than if he had argued.
Taiyang leaned forward slightly.
“I don’t want to be the bad guy here, but you need to take this seriously. Skipping class isn’t helping you.”
Yang folded her arms tightly.
“I can’t do anything when he already decided what kind of person I am.”
“And what kind of person is that?”
“The loud, irresponsible blonde who doesn’t belong in his classroom.”
The room fell silent.
Taiyang stared at the desk for several seconds before speaking again.
“I’ll look into it.”
Yang blinked.
“You will?”
“I can’t promise anything,” he clarified quickly. “Professor Taurus is respected for a reason, and accusations without evidence won’t go anywhere. But I’ll pay attention.”
Yang relaxed slightly.
It wasn’t much, but at least he wasn’t dismissing her completely.
“For now,” he said, picking up his pen again, “go to class. We’ll talk more at home.”
Yang sighed dramatically but stood anyway.
“Fine.”
As she reached the door, Taiyang spoke again.
“And Yang?”
She glanced back.
“You’re not stupid. Stop acting like failing doesn’t bother you.”
Her expression faltered for the briefest moment.
Then she forced a grin.
“Love you too, Dad.”
The second she stepped outside the office, Ruby nearly jumped out of her chair.
“Yang!” she whispered loudly. “How bad was it? Are you grounded? Wait—do principals even ground people at school?”
Yang snorted.
“You sound way too excited about this.”
Ruby frowned nervously.
“I’m serious! Are you okay?”
Yang’s irritation softened almost immediately.
Ruby always worried too much.
“Relax, Rubes.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I’m alive.”
Ruby studied her carefully.
“That usually means things are not okay.”
Yang laughed.
“Okay, maybe they’re slightly not okay.”
Ruby groaned.
“I knew it.”
The younger girl followed Yang down the hallway as students moved around them between classes.
“So what happened?”
Yang shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.
“Basically? Dad can’t do much unless Taurus screws up publicly.”
Ruby looked down sadly.
“That sucks.”
“Yep.”
“I just…” Ruby hesitated. “I don’t like seeing you struggle with something you actually love.”
Yang stopped walking for a second.
Then she smiled softly and ruffled Ruby’s hair aggressively.
“Aww, look at you being emotional.”
Ruby immediately swatted her away.
“Stop that!”
“You’re adorable.”
“I’m going to bite you.”
Yang laughed loudly enough that several nearby students looked over.
“There’s my little sister.”
Ruby huffed dramatically and fixed her hair.
“You make me look like a Grimm.”
“Still cute.”
“Yang!”
The two burst into laughter before heading toward their separate classes.
But the smile faded from Yang’s face the moment she thought about biology again.
The next few days passed exactly the same way.
Yang skipped biology.
Taurus ignored the absences.
And everyone else pretended not to notice the growing tension.
Everyone except Weiss Schnee.
Weiss had many qualities.
Patient was not one of them.
“You’re being an idiot.”
Yang looked up from her donut.
“That’s rude.”
“It’s accurate.”
The two girls sat at a small café near campus, textbooks spread across the table between untouched cups of coffee.
Weiss adjusted her scarf and narrowed her eyes.
“I don’t understand what Professor Taurus has against you. You’re not that bad.”
Yang gasped dramatically.
“Wow. I’m honored.”
“Well… mostly.”
Yang pressed a hand against her chest.
“You wound me, Schnee.”
Weiss ignored her theatrics.
“Seriously, Yang. You’re average at worst academically. You shouldn’t be failing this badly.”
Yang shrugged and took another bite of her donut.
“Trust me, nobody understands it. Not even him.”
Weiss tapped her fingers against the coffee cup thoughtfully.
“Maybe he expects more from you.”
“Oh, please.”
“I’m serious.”
Yang rolled her eyes.
“He decided he didn’t like me on day one.”
Weiss hesitated.
Honestly… she couldn’t entirely disagree.
Even she had noticed Taurus treated Yang differently.
The problem was proving it.
“So what’s your plan?” Weiss asked eventually. “You can’t skip class forever.”
Yang groaned dramatically.
“I know.”
“You’re already close to disciplinary action.”
“I know.”
“You could get expelled.”
“I KNOW.”
Several people in the café turned to look at them.
Yang lowered her voice.
“…which is why I’m going back.”
Weiss blinked in surprise.
“You agreed to that willingly?”
“Dad suggested it.”
“And you listened?”
“Don’t sound so shocked.”
Weiss took a slow sip of coffee.
“I just think it’s a terrible idea.”
“Probably.”
“You’re going to mouth off at Taurus within ten minutes.”
“More like five.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
Yang grinned.
“That’s one of my best qualities.”
Weiss muttered something under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
The conversation drifted after that. They talked about assignments, classmates, upcoming exams, and Ruby accidentally setting off the chemistry lab fire alarm last week.
Apparently adding “extra energy” to Dust experiments was frowned upon.
Eventually the café began emptying as evening settled outside.
Weiss packed her notebooks first.
“I should go before my driver files a missing persons report.”
Yang snorted.
“Tell him the scary blonde kidnapped you.”
“He’d believe it.”
The girls stepped outside together.
The air was cool, carrying the distant noise of traffic and city lights.
Yang pulled on her helmet while Weiss crossed her arms.
“For what it’s worth,” Weiss said quietly, “I don’t think you’re the problem here.”
Yang paused.
Then she smirked.
“Careful, Schnee. Keep saying nice things and people might think you like me.”
Weiss immediately looked horrified.
“Goodnight, Yang.”
Yang laughed as Weiss stormed away toward her waiting car.
A few moments later, Yang climbed onto her motorcycle and sped off into the night.
The next morning, she sat in biology class for the first time in nearly two weeks.
And she was miserable already.
Students chatted quietly around her while she slumped against her desk, arms crossed tightly.
Every second felt longer than the last.
She could already imagine Taurus making some passive-aggressive comment the moment he walked through the door.
Probably something about her remembering class existed.
Yang sighed.
“This is gonna suck.”
Weiss, seated beside her, didn’t even look up from her notebook.
“You brought this upon yourself.”
“Your support means everything to me.”
“I know.”
The classroom door opened.
The students immediately straightened in their seats.
But instead of Taurus…
A woman walked in.
Yang blinked.
She looked older than most professors at Beacon—maybe late thirties, possibly early forties—but carried herself with calm confidence. She wore dark clothing beneath a long coat, and her black hair framed sharp golden eyes that immediately commanded the room’s attention.
The class stood automatically.
“Good morning, class,” the woman said smoothly. “Today we’ll continue yesterday’s lesson.”
Her voice was lower than Yang expected.
Confident. Relaxed.
Dangerously attractive.
Yang stared.
Hard.
As the professor began writing on the board, Yang slowly leaned toward Weiss without taking her eyes off the woman.
“Hey, Weiss?”
“What.”
“Who is that?”
Weiss glanced up briefly.
“Oh. That’s Professor Belladonna.”
Yang repeated the name silently in her head.
Belladonna.
“…and where’s Taurus?”
“He didn’t show up yesterday either,” Weiss explained quietly. “Apparently Belladonna is substituting for him temporarily.”
Yang frowned.
“Why?”
Weiss shrugged.
“Rumors mostly. Some people are saying his ex stabbed him.”
Yang nearly choked.
“What?!”
“I know. Ridiculous.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “He probably just took personal leave.”
Yang barely heard the rest.
Because Belladonna had turned around.
And now Yang could see her properly.
The sharp eyeliner.
The composed expression.
The way she carried herself with effortless authority.
Yang froze.
Then immediately felt heat rush to her face.
“…Fuck,” she whispered.
Weiss slowly turned toward her.
“Oh no.”
Yang kept staring.
“Oh, no no no.”
“What?” Yang asked weakly.
Weiss looked genuinely concerned now.
“That look on your face never leads anywhere good.”
Yang blinked.
“She’s hot.”
Weiss stared at her in disbelief.
“That is a professor.”
“Correct.”
“She’s almost forty.”
“Even better.”
“YANG.”
Yang ignored her completely.
Professor Belladonna continued writing across the board, entirely unaware that one student had just experienced a spiritual awakening three rows from the back.
Weiss rubbed her forehead.
“You are unbelievable.”
“Hm?”
“You were failing this class three days ago.”
“And now I’m inspired.”
“That’s not how education works.”
Yang grinned shamelessly.
“Agree to disagree.”
Weiss groaned quietly and returned to her notes.
But despite herself, she smirked a little.
Because for the first time in weeks…
Yang Xiao Long actually looked excited to be in biology class again.