Author's Note:
What if Summer had a brother all along? Another silver eyed hunter for Ruby to learn from? But there has to be a reason Ruby has never heard of him before… Rated T
Well, this is my first attempt at a fanfic, based on an idea I had about volume 4 of RWBY. Hope it doesn't hurt too badly to read.
Author's Note pt. II: So, I wrote chapter five like, eight months ago and thought I posted it, but didn't? Then I realised when I got a review asking me to update that it'd been a month or two since I'd even written anything, so I came back to Red Rose and realised… I want to rewrite everything. So sorry about the wait, and now for your reading pleasure: Red Rose, Take Two
*Pop pop pop*
"Testing, Testing, One Two Three! Is this thing on? Yeah? Alright, let's start this thing!"
Snow fell in droves around us, the cold creeping into our bones heedless of our warm clothing. It had been months since the fall, with team RNJR hardly getting by. Food was scarce. The grim in the forests covering Vale don't kill the native wildlife, but they certainly scare herbivores away, and the carnivores follow their food source. Birds and larger peaceful creatures can still be found, but even they are a rarity. Our best meals were often charred moose.
It was hard, after the fall. None of us could were eager to return to civilization, our memories were too fresh. We skirted around the small villages dotting Vale, and for the most part kept to ourselves. Always moving forward, but never moving towards something. There was the vague goal of reuniting team RWBY, but even then there was no first step we could take.
Weiss was in Atlas, a place only reachable by airship. Airships meant civilization, which meant Atlas was out of the question at least for a little while longer. Yang was at home, but she wasn't herself. We never needed to find her, she needed to find herself. And lastly, Blake had evaporated into thin air. The girl was just missing; no note, no goodbyes, just gone. She could be anywhere on Remnant.
We managed though, somehow. Through the Grimm, the unforgiving cold, through hunger and thirst, through the pain felt by each and every member of RNJR, we survived. I think, really, it was Jaune that held us together. Back then, I was still reeling from Cinder. From Yang and Pyrrha. I was still happy and energetic, I was just… off. There were times when I would shut down; looking into our campfire, or the eyes of a grim, my legs would lock and I'd begin to shake. I would get cold and my heart began to pound, my mind was so caught up in reliving my nightmares that - but then Jaune would snap me out of it. A gentle hand on my arm, a light hug to stop the shaking in my bones. I would have fallen apart without him.
Ren and Nora took the fall very differently, though both seemed to surrender to their bad habits. Nora was still energetic, bubbly and trigger happy, but no longer did she monitor herself in any way whatsoever. If there was a Grimm, Nora was flying at it. With or without us, armed and or injured or not, Nora was going to do what Nora was going to do. She was reckless, like it didn't really matter if her life was in danger anymore, and that was terrifying for the rest of us.
It especially scared Ren, despite the fact that he showed it the least of all of us. Ren drew into himself, there were weeks where he wouldn't say a word. He wouldn't look us in the eyes. It was all Jaune and I could do to keep him from sitting somewhere in the woods and waiting for death to take him. Once, Ren stopped eating. Nora and I both pleaded with him, but neither of us could convince him to eat. We was deadset, he didn't deserve to eat. In the end it was Jaune who convinced him. At mealtime, Jaune sat in front of Ren, and placed his own portion in front of the fasting boy. Ren refused. Hours passed, and the food spoiled. Neither of them ate, but Ren got the message. The next day, he ate. He wasn't happy about it, but he ate. That episode was scary for Nora and I, though admittedly more for Nora.
The worst out of us though, was Jaune. Not because he tempted death like Nora, or denied himself basic needs like Ren, or even because he was mentally unstable like I was. He was, and did, none of those things. But he cried. Late, late at night when we were all asleep, Jaune Arc wept and revealed to the world his weakness. He was broken. When he lost Pyrrha, something snapped inside him which could never be fixed. So we pretended, Nora and Ren and I, that we couldn't hear him weep. We needed him to be stronger than all of us, and to admit that even the man who kept us together, who kept us alive, was broken on the inside… that was the terrifying part.
*Sigh*
For better or worse though, we survived. We kept moving, slowly growing stronger as we searched for… something. Anything. Day in and day out, we explored the seemingly endless woods of Vale, finding nothing but the burrows and dens of forest denizens long gone. Eventually though, were bound to find something. And six months in, we found something that changed our lives forever. Well, changed my life forever, at the very least. That day, the forest was dense, the snow was cold and blindingly white, and the sun was low on the horizon. The great white death buried our tracks as we made them. The night before, we had found a cave to sleep in; stone walls resisting the chill of Vale's temperate forests. The birds chirping in the nearby trees told us there were no Grimm nearby, for despite posing no threat to the wildlife many animals avoided the Grimm at all costs. For the first time in a long time, we felt good. Maybe that was why we let our guard down.
I'd been setting up the fire pit for that night when I heard the crunch of snow behind me. It was very, very quiet, and that was what warned me. This was a far cry from the loud crunch of someone who didn't care if you heard them or not. No, this was the sound if a hunter. This was the the last sound a rabbit ever heard, when the wolf stalking it made a mistake before snapping its neck. I froze, the significance of the sound dawning on me, and less than a heartbeat later I reacted. Crescent Rose was uncollapsed and slashing at the source of the sound faster than most people could blink. Just as quickly as I'd deployed her though, I found her tumbling through the snow as she was torn from my grasp, and I was pinned to the ground.
The back of my head hit ice on my way down, and my eyes scrunched shut involuntarily. My head was fuzzy and I couldn't see who was holding me down, but whoever they were they were a heavy hitter. As a huntress in training my upper body strength was nothing to scoff at. Not on Yang or Nora's level, sure, but still. Cresent Rose is heavy. Whoever had me pinned however, was in an entirely different league. I struggled and bucked and strained, but the body atop mine would not budge. Realising that there was nothing I could do to throw off my attacker, I let my muscles relax. If I couldn't fight my way out of this, I'd have to think my way out of it. Oh dust! Where was Weiss when you needed her...
The grip around my arms loosened as I let myself go limp. A deep, baritone voice rang out:
"Are you done fighting me?" So it was a man. I nodded in response.
"Good! Took you long enough. Sorry about having to pin you down, if it weren't for that dumb stick I'd have just knocked you out. Quick and painless. Mostly." He was going to knock me out? I opened my eyes to glare at him.
"No hard feelings right?" I didn't have time to respond, merely intensify my glare before he lifted himself off me and unsheathed a sword at his hip.
"Get up," he leveled his blade at my prone form, "but don't try anything stupid."
"Why…" my voice came out as hardly a whisper, cracking as it stumbled in my throat. The man tilted his head and chuckled, laughing at my slip. Growling, I cleared my throat. "Who are you." When I finally spoke again, my voice had an edge to it that I'd never had before. I sounded...harsh. The man heard my tone tilt in a dangerous direction and in response, his chuckle grew to a rolling laughter. Scowling, I rose to my feet and brushed the as much snow as I could off my clothes, acutely aware of the way his sword tip followed me.
A quick glance around the clearing where we had decided to set up camp informed me of why my friends hadn't rushed to my aid. Ren and Nora lay side by side in the snow, unconscious. Jaune had also been knocked out, but was sitting up against a tree. This guy...snuck up on all of us? I quickly found the man's tracks, not yet buried beneath the falling snow, and followed them up to where he had been when I noticed his existence. There, half buried by snow, was a stick. Had the man overlooked it and stepped there, like anyone else would, it would have snapped and immediately alerted me to his presence. But he hadn't. He had seen it, and he had stepped around it at the last second, barely crunching the snow. I was lucky, I never should have heard him coming. By the time I finished digesting all this, the man's laughter had died out and his gaze followed mine to the offending piece of wood.
"Saw that too did ya? Yeah, I think I might be losing my touch." The man shrugged, "But hey, you can't win 'em all. And really, little girl," the man's gaze hardened and he pointedly lowered his eyes to meet mine, "I should be asking you who you are."
My heart seized as I felt his gaze lock onto me. The man was terrifying, but not in the usual way. He wasn't physically intimidating, like the bad guys from Spruce Willis movies. Nor did he radiate an aura of evil, like Cinder. Rather, he exuberated confidence. He was stronger than me, and he knew it. I looked over him quickly, observing what I could before responding to his pointed statement.
He was tall, not overly so, but certainly was no pigmy. Naturally he stood roughly two meters high, with his boots raising him another five or so centimeters. Obscuring his face and most of his body was a large hooded cloak, dyed a deep red that starkly contrasted the white snow. In hindsight, the fact that he'd been able to sneak up on us despite the fact he stuck out like a sore thumb was a testament to his skill.
Besides the obvious, there wasn't much I could tell about him, except for the fact that he carried an absolutely ridiculous number of weapons. Normally someone who did that would immediately get the official "Ruby Seal Of Approval" just for obviously liking weapons as much as I did. I wasn't in a very approving mood, however. Strapped to his back was the largest sword I'd ever seen. It gave Daichi from team CFVY a run for his money. Protruding from the cloak on his left hip was an empty sheath, presumably for the sword he was currently pointing at my neck. It seemed to be a simple longsword, if you ignored the thin lines running diagonally from the center to either edge if the blade. On his right leg hung a sawed off shotgun. Preloaded, just in case. I also saw no less than three pistol grips poking out from his right flank that seemed eerily reminiscent of Ren's stormflower.
"I'm a huntress, and that's all you need to know." Lesson number one from Uncle Qrow: when in doubt, bluff. Besides, I was a huntress, there was no Beacon to say otherwise.
"Do they let kids graduate early now?" the man asked rhetorically, "when I went to Beacon we graduated at twenty one. You can't be older than fifteen." Sixteen, I thought absently. I could feel the man's gaze level at me as he called my bluff, the edge of his sword inching towards me. Wait, he went to beacon? He was a hunter! Then what was HE doing out here? An eyebrow raised in the man's face. Did I say that out loud? One deep sigh later, an exasperated sort of sarcasm filled the air.
"I am hunting a grimm who, for some godforsaken reason, decided to live in this cold desolate forest." My cheeks burned red, I'd said it out loud. "But you little missy, are camped out in the middle of restricted territory, armed with hunter level weaponry, and you don't have clearance to be here. So, give me one reason I shouldn't tie up you and your buddies and give to Vale authorities for interference with a government mandated mission." The man's voice grew harder as he spoke, I could tell his patience was wearing thin.
I looked away, staring hard at the snow near his feet when I finally answered. He didn't know.
I whispered, "Because there aren't any Vale authorities to report me to." Silence reigned as the man gazed blankly at me, his sword finally falling to point at the ground. His only response was a slow, controlled, "What happened?". It took me a few moments to find my voice, but it seemed like he was in no hurry himself.
"An attack. The White Fang and a woman named Cinder Fall snuck into Beacon. They...they-" my voice cracked, "attacked during the vital festival. A lot of people died, and then the Grimm came." I was crying, my tears actually freezing to my cheeks as they fell. The man gave me a sad smile, and reached out to cup my cheek.
"It's alright kiddo, you did good." The man sheathed his sword, and brushed a tear off my face before it too could freeze onto my skin. "So what are you kids doing out here? Surely, there's somewhere you could go?" the man gently questioned. Briefly, images of home flashed through my mind. The sad look on dad's face, the terror on Yang's when she woke up to her missing arm. When she realised that it hadn't just been a bad dream.
"We just needed to be alone," I mumbled, "it hurt too much."
The man's smile grew warmer, though his eyes still betrayed the sadness in his expression. "Well, these parts of the woods can be dangerous. You kids can spend the night with me, and we'll get you on your way in the morning." He tousled my hair. Jerk.
"What's your name anyway, Little One?"
"Ruby Rose," I sniffled. The man froze, his smile dropping as the words left my mouth.
"Rose?" he repeated. I nodded. "R. O. S. E.?" Again, I nodded. The man drew back his hood, and green eyes squinted closely studying my face. For some reason, I got the feeling that those eyes didn't fit him. Like they weren't his. The man's entire face scrunched up, drawing me from my thoughts. "Summer has a kid?"
…
…
"YOU KNEW MY MOM?!"
Pale green eyes smiled at me. "Yup, Summer has a kid."
The cabin was a sight for sore eyes. I had Nora on my back for the duration of our trek through the woods, and despite her small stature she was a heavy load to be carrying for a kilometer. The hunter had both Jaune and Ren over his shoulders, but seemed to be no worse for the wear. The windows glowed yellow with the promise of a fire and warmth.
I opened the door of the cabin and dropped Nora onto the table in the kitchen. I could feel the door be shut behind me as the cold was abruptly washed away from my back, the warmth of a fire in another room rolling over me instead. Slamming down into a chair I rubbed the stiffness out of my shoulders. After laying Jaune and Ren down beside Nora, the hunter sat down in the chair opposite me. God the fire felt good.
"Thanks for the assist, uh, Mister? Actually now that I think about it, what is your name? And while you're at it," I stood, slamming my hands on the table for dramatic effect, "HOW DID KNOW MY MOM!?"
For the first time since meeting him, I found the opportunity to study his features. His hair was jet black, not unlike Uncle Qrow's, except for a single blood red streak on his head reminiscent of Ren's pink lock. He was pale except for the pink the cold had brought to his face, and had scars dotting his cheeks and chin. His face was mostly smooth, only the corners of his eyes wrinkling gently. The sole feature which might betray his age. His cheekbones were higher than they should have been, as though they had been broken at some point, but with his hard-lined jaw they only added to the air of grit that surrounded him. A dark, well groomed chinstrap beard partially hid the scars dotting his face, but somehow also managed to accentuate the pallor of his skin.
The man laughed and scratched his beard under the Ruby Rose patented "extremely penetrating gaze"
"Robin." He nodded. "My name is Robin Rose, but everyone calls me Red. As for how I knew Summer, I think you can guess."
My brain shut down. Rose? I knew I never got to see grandpa and grandma rose, but this guy didn't seem old enough for that. And mom didn't have any siblings. Right?
"You're… mom's brother?" The man nodded. "How? No one ever mentioned you…" Again, a sad smile.
"To be fair, everyone thought I was dead." I could almost feel question marks appearing above my head.
"I told why I'm out in this forest right?" This time I nodded.
"You're a hunter, right?"
"Well," he looked away from me, "sort of. I used to be. In a way." More question marks. "I graduated from Beacon, but before I could really become a hunter I got recruited into a special military task force, shared between Vale and Atlas. Well, we were what you call black ops. We did things that no one was supposed to know about. Including family, and especially ours. So, I had to fake my death. Robin Rose has been buried in the ground for twenty seven years."
Oh. Wow. That's...dark. "So, nobody you love knows you're alive?" That's terrible. How could he cope with that? Does he have a dog?
"To be fair, the only one I really care about is Summer. I've had a long time to come to terms with leaving her. Mom and Dad can bite me. Besides, I've got you now right? Whenever you get home, you can tell Summer and come visit me," he smiled ironically, "she'll be pissed, but it'll be good to finally see her again."
He didn't...first Vale and now this? How long has this guy been out here? "Mom's not… mom died. A long time ago." It hurt to speak. The man's, Robin's, smile died. His eyes widened, and I could see the beginning of tears pooling behind his gaze. He locked eyes with me, and despite how desperately I wanted to look away… I couldn't bare to.
"How… Did she die?" His voice wavered, unsteady.
"She was hunting.. Nobody knows exactly," I was beginning to cry myself, "just… one day she went on a mission and never came back."
Robin sat hard in his chair, staring blankly at the wall behind me. What felt like minutes passed in silence, the only sounds being those of breathing and lonesome tears falling to the floor. Eventually, I spoke, if only to diffuse the air building between us. "So, can you tell me about Grandpa and Grandma Rose?" Robin scoffed and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. Improvement.
"They were self absorbed, heartless monsters and I hope you never meet them." My eyes widened in shock, and the only response I made was a quiet "uuuuuuuhhhhhhh" that made it's way to my lips.
He gave me a strange look before continuing. "How do you feel about Faunus?" My confusion only grew louder as the question sunk in.
"What do the Faunus have to do with my grandparents?" He sighed.
"Alright Little Red, buckle in. This is gonna be a long story."
"Almost every single important person you see hold little to no power. Every kingdom's government is run by figureheads. Vale's council was made entirely of figureheads, while the actual leaders like Ozpin stayed safe and hidden. Well, after a while of watching governments do this, other people started to figure out that it actually worked. So, a hundred or so years ago, rich people started doing the same thing. The leaders of the largest companies in the world suddenly had a way stay rich without making themselves targets for less than honorable people."
"The Roses were important people. Founders of the world's largest distributor of the world's most necessary resource. Dust."
"Wait," I interrupted, "I thought that was the Schnee Dust Company? Wiess always says so…" He smiled.
"It was. As soon as people began to create figureheads for businessmen, Rose-Dust incorporated all but fell off the map. And a new company blossomed overnight, easily overtaking RD inc." Robin winked. "The SDC."
I bit my lip as I contemplated just what he was trying to say. Did that mean… "So we own the Schnee Dust Company?" He nodded.
"Well, until recently. Your grandparents were the last owners before the Schnee's got fed up. One day we owned the place, the next we were out on the street." From the way his eyes looked away as he said that, I could tell that there was something more. An extra detail being left out. But he kept going. "And Mom and Dad did not appreciate that. I was sixteen, Summer was eight. For the first time in our lives we started having to fight for survival. It was hard, and Mom and Dad were… unpleasant to say the least. But eventually, I managed to get away. I pulled some strings using our name at Beacon, and got myself enrolled. Made sure to get a spot for Summer too, when she was old enough. I guess she took me up on that." Once again, he gave me that sad, sullen smile.
"And so did you." I couldn't help it. I had to hug him.
Yes, what we found that day definitely changed my life.
Ending credits:
Not sure if I really like the uncle's name yet, and unsure where to go with the story if I should go anywhere. Oh, and +10 points for anyone who got the reference with the fork. I would love to hear any comments or criticisms, or opinions on whether to and what to do for continuing the story. Suggestions for names are also helpful. Until next time!
Ending credits pt. II:
I really wanted to get this out yesterday, but it just didn't happen. Oh well, merry late christmas! Oh, and a real quick timeline for my headcanon in this story:
Robin is born, 8 years later Summer is born, another 8 years later the Schnee coup d'etat takes place, 1 year later Robin goes to Beacon, after 4 years Robin "dies", 11 years later Ruby is born, 4 years later Summer dies, 12 years later is present.