RWBY: Heart of the Storm
OK... here we are. The revamp story of RWBY: Viper's Glare. To those of you who came over from that, I hope this time will be a much better ride. To those of you who are new, welcome, and I hope I don't disappoint.
Normally authors would say a lot before beginning their stories. But I won't this time, lets just get right on in to it!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it is owned by Roosterteeth and the late & great Monty Oum.
Chapter 1: Let the Wheels of Fate Begin to Turn
Professor Ozpin was a man of many things. A leader, a fighter, a teacher, and a friend. Of all these title's he held only one above the rest
Ozpin was a man who valued his friendships, treasured them and was determined to keep them. It was because of these friendships that he held the position he did today, as Headmaster of Beacon Academy, a school that saw the birth of many great Huntsmen and Huntresses. He even had the pleasure of befriending those that had studied in these halls.
Some of which -but not limited too- were quite famous as teams, such as one of the most outstanding, Team STRQ. Thinking of the old team brought a smile tot he Headmaster's face as he sat in his chair in his office, overlooking all of Beacon with his favorite mug in hand. STRQ had been a particularly unique team, all of its members having known each other in some shape or form before coming to Beacon.
He would credit part of their success to these early ties they had, allowing them to operate as a four man unit with such skill that no other in their generation could compare, not even himself with his long time partner Glynda Goodwitch -a formidable Huntress on her own. He remembered fighting along side them with his team, and secretly marveling at the lethality STRQ was.
But what was even more exciting to Ozpin, was the two offspring of three of the remaining members of STRQ that would be arriving at his school in a few hours.
Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, half sisters and daughters to Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen and Summer Rose, three of the four members of STRQ with the last being their uncle Qrow Branwen, Raven's brother.
The two would be very promising student's, both because of their parents and their own power. Both the girl's would be find additions to Beacon's history of powerful fighter's it produced. He had personally met the youngest, Ruby, and invited her to his school after seeing the little Rose in action. He must say, Qrow out did himself with training the girl.
Though he wasn't looking forward to all the rose petal's left behind by her Semblance. So much cleaning...
Of course, there are other's with just as much potential talent. Ozpin took a sip from his mug, off in the distance he could make out the shapes of the airships heading for the school, the newest batch of first years on board, Ruby and Yang on one of them.
The others he was thinking about came from rich or famous backgrounds themselves. One name that stood out to him was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, singer, and second child to the decades old family. It intrigued him to see that the young woman would be attending his school, much less become a huntress when she could have any other job in the world with her talent and prestige. At the rate she was going, Weiss would be following the footsteps of her older sister...
Next was someone born into a family much older then the Schnee's. One Jaune Arc of the Arc family. The Arc's were well known throughout all the kingdoms for producing Huntsmen and Huntresses worthy of Hero status. The last famous Arc being Jaune's grandfather, a man held as a Hero for is actions during the Great War. Having an Arc attend Beacon would be interesting to say the least, but there was something about Jaune's paper's that weren't quite right...
After the Arc was a name widely known in Mistral, a young woman who has never known defeat and well on her way to becoming her own legend in the pages of Remnant's History; Pyrrha Nikos. A young redhead woman who was already an exceptional Huntress in training, having won every battle she has entered and blowing away ever record in Mistral's tournaments. He found it curious as to why she would choose Beacon over any other school in Mistral to continue her training as a Huntress, and was most certainly looking forward to her attendance.
He idly thought of what kind of team Pyrrha, Weiss, Ruby and Yang would make...
And to finish off these lists of these promising Huntsmen and Huntresses was the child of two people Ozpin had personally grown up along side with. A boy -a man really- very similar, yet extremely different than the others he had listed. The son of two of his closest friends that had helped put an end to one of the more recent wars that had taken place a little over twenty years ago.
Mercer Knight.
The fame Mercer's parents had gained was on par -if not greater- with team STRQ's, a fame Ozpin had the honor of sharing with them, along with Glynda, being of the same team as the two. So it was no surprise that the majority of Remnant was through into a frenzied state upon the news of their deaths
Ozpin had spent months, years, searching for his bestfriends' children, feeling more then obligated to protect them. Glynda had been devastated by the news of her teammates' death, and the news of their children disappearing had her almost quit her job as a teacher to go looking for them.
It wasn't until ten years later that Ozpin found them, or rather, Mercer himself, all these years later, contacted the Headmaster himself.
Since then, Ozpin had been awaiting the day Mercer would come to his school.
It was a shame his sister wouldn't be however...
"Ozpin." The man looked back, turning his chair to the side slightly to see who had called his name. Standing near the elevator that brought people up to his office was a blonde haired woman, her golden locks done up in a bun and a strand curled at the side of her face, vivid green eyes staring at him from behind glasses. This was his partner an the second surviving member of their old team.
"The students will be arriving soon, you should get ready." Glynda Goodwitch, his vice-headmistress and remaining friend, said making Ozpin sigh silently.
He didn't even have a speech prepared this year!
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"Wow..." Ruby Rose awed as she pressed her face against the window of the airship she and many others were riding on, staring at the buildings below in wonder as they neared Beacon Academy. Next to her was a buxom blonde, her arms crossed over her chest and grinning at the red and black themed girl in amusement. Her long, wild golden-blonde locks flowing down to her lower back and her lilac eyes twinkling at the sight of her excited sister.
This was Yang Xiao Long, older sister to Ruby Rose and first -and only- born to Raven Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long.
The two had just had a moment, a perfect one Yang would call it and were currently relaxing in the peace it had created. Yang was feeling proud of herself, for being able to ease her sister's worries about being accepted at Beacon. You see, Ruby was two years younger then everyone else that were going to Beacon with them, the age limit being seventeen. Ruby was understandably worried about being popular, and people thinking she's the bee's knees for getting in so early. Her sister didn't like being in the spotlight much.
Which Yang found funny since Ruby wanted to be a Huntress.
Looking at Ruby now, Yang relaxed. She had nothing to worry about anymore -sure she'd still worry over the little things when it came to Ruby, but what big sister wouldn't?- as she knew Ruby would be fine, with or without her. She felt proud about her little sister attending Beacon younger than most, since it meant she was skilled enough to kick some serious ass, as Yang liked to put it.
She had such an awesome little sister~!
So wrapped up in her thoughts of going to school with her sister, Yang did not notice a blonde haired male dressed in armor and a hoodie stumble over to them, hunched over clutching his stomach as he held his mouth with his remaining hand, his skin a light shade of green. It was only when the boy bumped into her did the young woman notice him, and his dilemma. She quickly stepped aside, her actions gaining the attention of Ruby as she watched the blonde haired boy stagger his way- groaning all the while to the nearest trashcan on the ship.
The direction that the boy had stumbled in however made Ruby notice another -Yang completely missing him as she watched her fellow blonde with mild disgust and pity- young man leaning against a wall, a pair of earbuds stuck into his ears, blocking out the sounds of the world with whatever he wanted. His eyes opened up upon feeling the presence of another near him, dark green eyes locking onto the blonde teen's form as he leaned over a trashcan. The other boy regarded his sickened fellow male only for a moment before looking away.
And in that instant, his eyes met Ruby's.
It surprised her, in that moment. Even in the seconds she had observed him, the taller human -he looked human, and she didn't see any cool animal parts on him- appeared so calm and at peace, but looking into his eyes, she saw... herself. Or at least how she felt at the time. The look in his eyes told her he felt as uncertain of his place on the ship as she did, like he felt like he didn't belong, just like her.
He wanted to be somewhere else, but at the same time, he wanted to be at Beacon.
Just like her...
Ruby took notice at the way his eyes flickered for a second, letting her know he acknowledged she was there, staring at him -and if she was right, was thinking the same about her. It brought a smile to her face. She liked people like that, it meant she had a possible chance at becoming his friend. it was how she made friends with all those other kids back at Signal.
"Ew Ruby! You got puke on your shoe!" Any further thoughts about the potential friend were forgotten by Yang's exclamation. Looking down at her black and red lined boot Ruby saw a smug of tan-green colored substance sliding off of the tip of her footwear.
"AH! Get it off, get it off!" She began chanting in disgust as she shook her foot, Yang began to scoot away from her sister, telling her to get away so she didn't get any on her.
Neither noticed those same green eyes that Ruby had seen staring at them, dancing with amusement.
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"Ugh... I hate flying."
"Whatever you say... Vomit boy."
"I keep telling you that Motion Sickness a legitimate sickness!"
"I never said it wasn't..."
Jaune Arc glared at the vaguely smirking teen walking next to him, his earbuds still in his ears and music playing whatever he was listening too. After landing on one of the many platforms for Airships at Beacon -who built a school near a cliff, by the way?!- Jaune had all but hugged the ground, bowed and kissed it, promising he'd never ride on one of those cursed machines again. His actions got him some strange -yet amused- looks from his fellow first years, but one had stopped to make sure he was alright.
The other male -Mercer, as he had introduced himself- had offered a hand of help, which Jaune graciously took. He vaguely remembered bumping into the other male while stumbling his way to a trashbin to release all the contents of his stomach that did not agree with being in the air.
He knew he shouldn't have eaten his sister's cake before he left...
The only beef he had with Mercer was that the green eyed teen had taken to calling him Vomit Boy instead of his name!
Pushing his irritation aside, Jaune took a moment to actually take in Mercer's appearance, his clothes certainly weren't as plain as his own. Starting from his feet Mercer wore Black combat boots fitted with steel toed plates, Obsidian pants with straps wrapped around the thighs to prevent unnecessary loose clothing, and a sleeveless black leather torso piece shaped to Mercer's body and muscles, lined along the muscles with sliver outlines and a metal plate situated on the collar.
To finish off his look was a belt wrapped around his waist with what Jaune assumed was pouches full of ammunition, along with a few pouches on the back of the belt. On his right hip, connected to the rest of the belt and part of his thigh was very long holster which housed a rather massive gun. Jaune wasn't even close to being a weapon expert, but he knew a revolver when he saw one, the six chambers gave it away. And if the blond was to guess... the whole gun seemed to be between fifteen and seventeen inches long.
The blonde looked down at his hoodie and armor.
"... My clothes are better." The Arc thought, thinking back to what his mother said about them. Simple was the best kind of fashion, she said.
"...Dust! Fire, water, air!" Jaune suddenly looked up, broken from his thoughts at the sound of shouting. In their walking the two boys had stumbled across a scene of two girls, one with long, flowing snow-white hair and a face that made Jaune blush and another with a red cape behind them, flinching back as the princess looking girl shook a red bottle of powered dust in front of the other girls face. Jaune of course didn't notice the cap was loose, and letting some dust out and agitating the other girls nose. he was to transfixed on the beauty of the Princess.
Mercer however, did.
Weiss Schnee would not know for many years what possessed her to ignore the danger that was in her hand, a loose caped Dust bottle, and shake it in front of a fifteen year old girl who looked about ready to sneeze her brains out. Maybe it was the stress she felt from the recent talk with her father, or perhaps the thought of someone so young being at Beacon when she shouldn't be, maybe it was both. But she would have been however, very thankful for the mysterious stranger in black appearing to stop the accident from happening...
Keywords being "would have been".
The unknown young man had been Mercer, having dashed forward and grabbed the bottle out of Weiss's hand so she would no longer shake it, and used his remaining hand to pinch the red caped girls nose, forcing her to keep the brewing sneeze within her. Everything stopped for a moment, Weiss's anger was forgotten, Jaune was still mesmerized by her, Ruby Rose's face was scrunched up cutely, and Mercer Knight was tense.
When Ruby's face softened, Mercer had let her nose go.
Weiss wished he hadn't.
"AH-CHOO!"
"Goddamnit..."
And a crater was formed!
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"Ehehe... sorry." Ruby Rose apologized as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, a guilty -yet amused- look on her face. To her right Mercer's face was covered in the black smoke that had come from the explosion she had created. Ruby had no idea that a sneeze could set dust off! It gave her a few ideas for pranks she could pull on Yang for abandoning her like she did...
Jaune watched in no small amount of amusement as Mercer opened his mouth to speak, only for the same black smog that cover his face to puff out of his mouth and his face to contort into one of mild disgust at the taste it left. Ruby obviously found it funny to as she giggled at the sight, gaining her an annoyed glare from the tall male.
"It's not funny." Mercer said.
"I thought it was." Ruby grinned.
"So who are you anyway?" Jaune quickly asked before the two could start bickering again. After the explosions, the Snow Angel he had seen started to belittle Ruby again, calling her a "klutz" and "dunce". When Mercer had tried to talk to the Snow Angel he was cut off by another beauty he had dubbed the "Silent Angel" because of how quietly she had walked from behind him and towards the others. He briefly wondered if this was a school for supermodels or something. "And who was that other girl?" He asked, this time more to himself then the others.
"I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby proudly introduced herself with a smile, a smile she put on whenever meeting someone new. She found it best to just be as polite as possible when meeting people she did not know, of course that had failed with that crabby princess back there, or "Heiress", as the mysterious girl had called Weiss. "And I don't know... it was nice of her to step in and help though." She said, remembering the things the ninja girl said to Weiss. It was funny~
Jaune hummed, catching Ruby's attention. "Wait, aren't you the guy who threw-up on the plane?" She asked, a small snort leaving her throat as she finally realized where she recognized the blonde. Jaune gave her a glaring look, but unfortunately for him Mercer decided to speak up.
"His name is Vomit Boy," That had set Ruby off into another fit of laughter, much to Jaune's annoyance.
"My name is Jaune Arc!"
"Hehe, no it's not," Ruby grinned at the Arc, getting another irritable glare.
Jaune scowled angrily before pushing it aside. "Whatever... where are we anyway?" He asked, anything top change the subject from his "New Name". He sorely hoped that it didn't last for very long. He wouldn't be able to deal with four years of being called Vomit Boy...
Looking around Ruby noted that they might of been in a side courtyard of the school, it was sorta like the ones she and her friends would hang out in during lunch time back at Signal, only Beacon's was much bigger, an better looking. "I don't know really... do you?" She looked at Mercer who still had his earbuds in and was wiping the smog off his face with a rag he had gotten from... somewhere. His green eyes looked around for a bit before looking back at the two staring at them.
"No idea."
Red and Yellow lowered their heads in defeat.
They were lost.
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"Where is she...?" Yang Xiao Long thought anxiously as she looked around the sea of first years that surrounded her, looking for that deep red cloak her sister loved wearing so much. The elder sister had yet to make any sightings of Ruby in the Auditorium, and was growing more worried with each minute that she did not show. "Maybe I should have stayed with her after all, I hope she isn't too mad at me..."She had ran off and left her sister alone in the hopes she would make friends with some of the other incoming students. But now Yang was beginning to get worried, the blonde had seen no sign of Ruby and the welcome speech was going to start any moment. What if she got lost... or somebody had attacked Ruby! There'd be hell if that happened...
No one touches Yang's precious baby sister and walks away without their head going up their own ass!
At that moment the buxom brawler got the relieve she wanted. The familiar red cloak Ruby always wore came into view, along with the rest of the younger girl. As Yang moved to motion for her sister's attention, the blonde took the moment to see the two young men flanking her little sister.
The first was a blonde boy in a black hoodie and white armor. He looked... nice. On the scrawny side, must be a nice guy if Ruby was with him. Didn't look like much of a fighter though...
But the second guy caught her attention. His height made him very distinguishable compared to her sister and the male blonde, as he had a good foot more on Ruby. Pitch black hair pushed back in a wild fashion and fair skin, very similar to her own. Unlike the blonde boy, this dark haired one seemed more attuned to combat, very much so...
Yang was a fighter, first and foremost. It was in her blood and molded into her soul. So that's why the golden beauty could easily see the young man with dark green eyes was just like her. The way he was standing, the ever so slight edge in his poster indicating he was prepared to act at a moment's notice, how his relaxed eyes would sharpen for the briefest second when another person passed him. Yang was often thought to be very aloof, not paying attention to the little things.
Those people are wrong.
She was very observant, especially in matters concerning her sister or potential fighters. That young man was clearly a cut above all the other incoming students she had seen so far. Having been scoping out everyone she could see, Yang had seen many different people since she got here.
But him... he would be worth keeping an eye on.
"Ruby! Over here!" Yang called out, deciding to save her thoughts on the green eyed man and focus on her sister. "I saved you a spot!"
Yang watched as Ruby turned to the two young men she had come in with before heading towards her. The blonde boy stayed in place while the other seemed to have his attention caught by something off to the side and he started in that direction.
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"O-Oh, that's my sister!" Ruby said excitedly upon seeing her sister wave her over. She turned to Jaune, stopping momentarily when she saw that Mercer was no longer next to him and looked around. It appeared that the green eyed young man had disappeared. She frowned before turning to Jaune again. "I'll talk to ya later, alright?" She said, already moving away from the blonde boy and towards her blonde sister. Jaune moved to say something, but Ruby was already gone.
"Great..." The only Arc male muttered as his shoulders slumped. "now where am I supposed to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" He asked himself, moving into the sea of students. He never noticed a redheaded young woman with brilliant green eyes staring at him as he walked past, having heard him.
"So sis, have fun?" Yang asked with a teasing grin as she jabbed her finger towards her fellow blonde. Ruby gave a mild glare/pout and crossed her arms over her budding chest.
"Ugh, I wish!" Ruby huffed making yang quirk an eyebrow. "After you left me I got into an argument with this crabby Princess who was yelling at me! It was only thanks to Jaune and Mercer that I was saved... sorta. I still exploded." Ruby muttered making Yang grimace.
"Wow, meltdown already?" Yang half joked half asked. She didn't things would get that bad by leaving her sister to explore on her own. Though she did meet two good looking guys. "Even if one is a little lanky..." She thought, almost sighing. Didn't her sister see the opportunity she had? "I bet if they were walking weapons she would be all over them." Yang mentally smirked, if there was one thing that could get Ruby going, it was her fascination with weapons.
It was almost unhealthy really.
"No! I literally exploded by sneezing into a cloud of Dust!" Ruby ranted, throwing her hands up in frustration. "How does that even happen? I thought Dust needed Aura to-"
"YOU!"
Ruby jumped into the arms of her big sister, a frightened look on her face. "Oh god it's happening again!" Ruby cried, clinging to Yang. The blonde could only stare blankly at the newcomer, dressed in a icy blue, white and red color scheme in high-heeled boots and a tiara on her head.
"You're lucky we, or that guy, weren't blown off the side of the cliff," the alabaster colored girl snided to the younger of the siblings.
"Oh my god you really exploded..." Yang muttered at the realization. This was going to be a fun conversation, she could already tell.
Elsewhere, Mercer stood next to a wall, a bit away from the mass crowd of students, near an exit. His eyes focused on the blonde woman who was stepping up to the microphone on the stage, her emerald eyes meeting his own for the briefest instant. He swore he saw a smile flash across her face.
The blonde woman tapped the microphone to get the attention of all the young people in the auditorium. It was then she stepped aside and allowed another person to step up. A man with gray hair and tinted spectacles, garbed in a green scarf and a black suit, a cane resting in his hand. Everyone immediately knew who he was.
Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, professional Huntsmen and the one who would help mold them into warriors.
"I'll... keep this brief.." the man began, adjusting his glasses. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge -to better your craft and acquire new skills," his wise eyes scanned over the crowd, gauging his soon-to-be students. "And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose –direction," Ozpin turned his head to the young man he had wanted to see more than anything, Mercer. "He looks so much like his mother... but those eyes. Those sharp eyes... just like his father..." the cane user mused, inwardly joyous to see the young man. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far," Looking upon Mercer once more, it was almost as though Ozpin could see the ethereal figures of a beautiful woman with long flowing black hair and a man shrouded in a cloak, intelligent eyes peering out from the hood's overcast, standing on both sides of Mercer. Though they may be gone, the Headmaster knew they'd both be proud of their son. "It's up to you to take that first step."
With that, Ozpin stepped away from the microphone, his next destination already set in his mind. At this time, Glynda Goodwitch stepped up to speak. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins," her serious tone echoed through the ears of the teenagers. "Be ready... you are dismissed." Her own words now spoken, she too stepped away and walked to join her employer/teammate.
It was time they finally spoke to the one they had waited so long to see.
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His slightly glowing eyes darted around the others he came to Beacon with as he watched them file out into the hall and onto the ballroom. Mercer easily caught sight of Ruby again, her red cloak made her stand out among all the others. Funny... his father wore a red cloak too, only he had his hood up most of the time. The young man closed his own eyes, recalling the ever planning, yet tired sunset orange eyes of his parent. He missed him... his mother too. But that was part of the reason he was here. Mercer would get the answers he wanted... that he and his sister deserved. And he would continue their legacy as well, to be a Huntsmen. So much had gone into his training and preparation, the dark haired may not have had formal training like the majority of his peers, but he had something that worked well for him...
His father's notes, experiment documents, all his materials.
His mother's journals on combat and videos of training exercises.
And most of all... the supporting voice of his wonderful twin and loyal roommate. Those two girls drove him the most, and Mercer would not let them down.
"I know you can do it Mercer! The others at Beacon will be shocked at how good you are. Even if they're not here, Mama and Dad are proud of you, just like I am. So go kick ass Brother!
"Y-Yes Mercer... we both know you'll do amazing. I have absolute faith in my savior."
A warm and confident grin wormed its way up onto Mercer's face. "Will do Argent, Priscilla... will do," he said to himself, opening his eyes to see the Headmaster and Vice-Headmistress of Beacon were now standing in front of him. Mercer pushed himself of the wall to stand at his full height, which was a few inches shorter than the blonde woman now in front of him.
"Pleasant thought?" Ozpin questioned, raising the coffee mug he had with him to his lips and sipping at it. While the men shared words, the sole female adjusted her glasses and continued to look on at Mercer, taken in the details of his person.
His face was bold and stoic, much like his father's was. But the lime green eyed sorceress could see more of his mother in him. High bridge of his nose, valiant eyebrows, sharp cheekbones, and a hard cut mouth. Mercer was like a gender-switched version of her old friend, with some male handsomeness adding on to it. His obsidian long hair was pushed back in a rough fashion. Bit of a bad boy look... Glynda would have laughed a little if were anyone other than Mercer. Dark green eyes, swimming with both power and determination, with just the slightest hint of apprehension. "Even he is nervous about being here..." Most were, Mercer apparently wasn't a exception. Now, the tattoos caught her off guard. Criss-crossing archaic green art spread along his arms up around his neck. It was beautiful... and it glowed faintly like his eyes. Dust... Mercer infused some form of Dust into his body.
A old style, one very little used anymore. A respect for the old ways, Glynda could forgive the tattoos for that reason.
"Something like that..." Mercer respond. His gaze changed to a more... relaxed one. His look was now one of total calmness. "Ozpin, Beacon's Headmaster, and Glynda Goodwitch... you two are my godparents." Mercer's raspy and roguish voice lightened when he said that word. It was as if he was begging it to be true.
The young man received his answer when Ozpin nodded and Glynda let out a small, but fully sincere smile. Mercer's shoulders lowered as if he had a great weight lifted off him. "Its nice to see you both again... its been far too long."
The gray haired man let out a smirk of his own. "Indeed it has, considering the last time I saw you and your sister was at your father's..." He trailed off, silence reigning in at the return of that morbid memory...
The funeral of Mercer and Argent's father.
Burying both parents... something no child should ever have to do.
After that, the two children seemingly vanished. Couldn't be found at all. A plan by their parents, have a family home in a place no one but them and the children could find. Genius, but it meant Ozpin nor Glynda could look after the children.
Deciding to change the subject, the blonde woman finally joined the conversation. "How has Argent been?" she asked, a slight plead in her voice. The well-being of her goddaughter meant so much to her, she needed to know how she was fairing.
"She's... doing well. Argent is strong willed, I personally don't think there's anything that can dampen her mood. And our house guest has always been a great help," the teen answered. Just thinking about his twin and friend always made his spirit feel great. He looked after his sister for so many years with no help, until he had found Priscilla, now Argent could sustain herself with help from Priscilla and he was here, living up to his family's name. "Also... I met someone coming to the auditorium..." Muscular arms came up and crossed against his chest, the two Huntsmen giving him a inquiring look. "Another Rose... but she is much younger than everyone else," Mercer's cutting look bore into the Headmaster. "You wouldn't have anything to do with her being here, would you?"
Another drag was taken from the coffee before Ozpin answered. "I did indeed. Talent and potential... she has a great deal of it. Just like you Mercer."
Mercer gave a hum in response, his head shifting to the exit before returning to his godparents. "I should join the others in the ballroom. With the initiation tomorrow, I expect I'll need the rest," A nod was given by the two in return.
Ozpin, who had at some point finished all his coffee, moved the empty mug to his cane hand and walked up to Mercer. His free hand came up and secured a strong, supporting grip on the young man's shoulder. "You assume correct Mister Knight. Be prepared to give it your all tomorrow, though... I doubt you'll have any trouble passing the initiation." He pulled away, giving Mercer a fatherly smile before turning to leave. "Welcome to Beacon... you'll make your parents proud.
As the Headmaster made his leave, pride swelled inside Mercer, knowing that he was going to prove that statement correct. When turned back to his godmother, the teen was caught off guard when she was right in front of him, pulling his slightly shorter frame into a embrace. Her arms held him tightly, conveying the years of worry she had held for him were being washed away, now replaced by love. A maternal love, something Mercer hadn't felt in a long time. His eyes closed and strong arms wrapped around her lithe frame, showing his own feelings back to the blonde woman who had once doted over him and his sister like they were her own flesh and blood.
"I'm so glad you're OK..." Glynda's normally strong and empowered voice was replaced by one that showed her emotions perfectly for being able to see Mercer again. It was shaky and soft, but filled with so much love and adoration for the young man. "He's become so strong... you'd both be proud of him." She had to fight back the tears that were threatening to flow from her lime green eyes. The professor pulled away from the hug, and then ran her hand along Mercer's cheek, smiling at him the whole time. "Good luck," and with her final words, Glynda Goodwitch turned and left out the same exit as her colleague.
Mercer stayed in place for a few minutes, reigning in his emotions. His tattoos and eyes pulsed a vivid dark green before they returned to their normal slight glow. Turning on his heel, the young man finally made his way out of the auditorium.
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Blake Belladonna could feel the cat ears under her bow twitch at the sound of the buxom blonde's angry tone clash against the shrill bitching of the Schnee Heiress, both fighting over the mundane reasons for the explosion caused by the little redhead earlier today. It wasn't like it was a complicated matter...
Redhead tripped, Heiress begins to bitch while shaking a bottle of Dust with a unsecured lid, dark haired guy comes out of nowhere and stops the Heiress when the redhead is about to sneeze, then the redhead does nearly blowing up the guy.
End of story.
By now most of the other incoming students had settled down to sleep, so the secret Faunus was caught of guard when a new set of footsteps entered the ballroom. Her feline amber colored eyes moved away from the arguing girls to find that the footsteps were coming from the man who the little redhead girl had (inadvertently) exploded. The other three girls quickly too had their attention drawn to the young man, who's intended path seemed to be crossing from where they were grouped.
Gone was the boots, pants, and accessories that made up his lower half, now replaced with a loose pair of green track pants and no shoes. The black leather torso piece was also gone, showing off a lean frame with hard cut muscles chiseled in. Obviously the man had worked hard to be that fit, as well as the pain he'd been through.
The large, brutal X-shaped scar running on his left side displayed that.
"Mercer, hi," the young red themed girl, Ruby, Blake believed her name was, said meekly to the now named Mercer.
Mercer stopped and nodded to the girl, before looking at each of the four, as if trying to read them.
The Schnee, Weiss, kept her scowl from earlier, seemingly indifferent to the man's presence.
Yang, the blonde, responded to his gaze with a saucy smirk. Her lilac eyes trailing up and down Mercer's form, to which she nodded in approval to.
Ruby curiously looked upon his tattoos, which where intricate and archaic, but did nothing to denounce their attraction.
And finally, Blake herself was caught looking upon his eyes. Sharp, slightly indifferent, calculating eyes that stirred up memories in the dark haired young woman. She had seen similar eyes on a adult man she had known many years ago. She held that man in the highest of regards, and missed him dearly. This Mercer's eyes and that man's were the exact same, only the man from the past had beautiful sunset-orange eyes instead of vivd dark green...
Mercer's eyes returned to Ruby once again. "Goodnight," the teen's voice rang out, cutting through the silence. His statement was clearly meant for them all, but looked at Ruby because he actually knew her. He then continued on his path before stopping a fair ten feet away from the four girls, allowing them to see that his tattoos spread along his shoulder blades as well, not just his arms and neck. What happened next surely caught them all off guard. The young man turned his gaze up to the balcony above, before all his body art shined brilliantly and gust of wind picked up around his legs. Mercer bent them slightly, then he jumped.
The wind carried him swiftly into the air and straight over the balcony's railing. The burst of wind had spooked the sleeping teens near him, who raised their heads momentarily before returning to the realm of dreams. Mercer himself walked over to the nearest pillar, placing the pillow he had been carrying against it before moving down to sit up next to it. His eyes closed and the ever-present glow from his tattoos died down, signaling that the young man had drifted off to sleep.
"Dust huh..." Blake heard the Schnee mutter. The white haired girl adopted a thinking pose before returning to her sleeping bag. Clearly she had lost interest in the argument earlier.
Yang let out a appreciative hum. "Nice bod... for a glowstick," the buxom brawler let out a chuckle at her obvious joke.
"Yaaaaaannnnngggg..." Ruby whined, clearly not impressed by her sister's antics. "Let's just go to bed." The silver eyed young girl turned to Blake and muttered a short apology before dragging her older sister way.
If the Faunus girl heard Ruby, she chose not to acknowledge her. Because Blake's eyes were still trained on Mercer. For you see, due to the angle she sat at, she was able to see Mercer mouth something silently before the little show he put on commenced. "Enter the Void... what in the world does that mean?" she asked herself. Deciding not to dwell on it, Blake picked up the candles she had been using to help her read and blew them out, snuffing the last bit of light in the ballroom. She needed the rest, as did everyone else. Tomorrow was a historic day for them all, the beginning of their lives so to say.
And that was none the more true for the four girls who were just together, and the solitary male who had passed them by.
Fate was a fickle thing, bringing them all together. The question now...
How would Remnant shift under the will of four young women... and the living legacy of the Goddess and the Reaper?
END
Well I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed that. It was a bitch writing it... but I feel good about it.
Firstly I should have mentioned this at the top. But this will be a obvious AU to canon RWBY. The changes will make themselves known in time. But more importantly, this'll also have a prequel to it.
Though I'm not writing it.
My good friend and fellow fanfic writer who I trust above all others, RandomKitsune, is writing the prequel to this fic. I know his ideas and I love what he's planning. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on it as it pulls together. Also just keep an eye on RandomKitsune as well, read his fics too, he's damn good at writing.
Now I'm sure there was a lot of questions raised after reading this first chapter, and all I'll say is that everything will be answered in time. If you really want to discuss some things, feel free to PM, I enjoy talking to my readers.
Until then, pleas read, review, and of course PM. For now, goodbye to you all.