A/N: So this fic is very loosely inspired by the Teen Titans animated series. Basically, I thought, why not make a story with our beloved hunters and huntresses as more-or-less stereotypical superheroes, with all the issues of being teenagers? Here's what I've come up with so far. I hope you like it.

Fellow shippers, take note: this will mostly focus on WhiteRose, plus some Bumblebee.

Note on rating: This story is rated M for language, suggestive themes, and possible non-explicit/offscreen sexual situations down the road. This is not the lemon you're looking for.

For those of you following my SAO fic, no, I have not given up on that.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY.

Titans of Vale

Chapter 1: Pilot

Vale. The big city.

The skyscrapers rise up towards the everlasting blue, leaving little light to reach the lowly streets. Cars flow through the streets in a regular pattern, carrying life from one place to another in a massive, noisy circulatory system. Street lights flicker.

Vale. Full of people thin on time and high on crime.

Shadows walk the sidewalks, cross the streets, go in and out of buildings. Some talk, but seldom to each other; others stay silent, attempting to converse with stares instead of words. Exhaustion and weariness abound. Money is everywhere and yet hard to find.

Vale. It'll make you or break you.

But that didn't bother the girl. Down one street and up the next she went, with a sense of irrevocable purpose, her simple red cloak billowing silently behind her. Intimidating, yet elegant. The hooded figure made her way calmly through the city, looking forward and never back, confident and unflinchi-

A sudden car horn made Ruby jump. She whipped her head around, causing her hood to fall back, revealing a startled expression. After regaining her bearings, the young girl hastily lowered her hood and continued down the moderately busy street.

Having ruled out any danger, the mysterious red-clad girl continued down the eerily quiet street in search of her objective. The hood of her cloak was drawn up tight, hiding her face. Passersby could only guess what kind of person would shroud herself in darkne-

Ruby smacked her forehead on an unnoticed sign, eliciting a soft grunt of annoyance from the girl. After a reluctant pause, she swept the hood back and kept going.

Passersby could only guess what kind of person would bear her dazzlingly beautiful face for all to see in this world of flittering shadows and coarse murmurs. But the girl feared not. Instead she strode on until she reached a four-way intersection.

Halting, she eyed her surroundings. Beside her stood a tiny convenience store, its grime-smeared windows advertising deals on baked goods. In front of her, directly across the street, lay a pharmacy whose neon red signs contrasted glaringly with the grayness that hung about the place. Diagonally across sat a non-descript office building, most of its windows covered with blinds. The remaining street corner contained an empty store that looked like it had been out of business for some time.

A familiar feeling came over the mysterious cloaked girl. She sighed.

"Welp. I'm lost."

Giving up on her inner monologue, Ruby Rose took out her map and began to scour it. Minutes went by, as did cars, trucks, and fellow pedestrians. Finally, she gave another sigh, crumpling her map in frustration. She looked around again. The intersection at which she found herself was actually quite colorful and lively, and she might have found it charming in a different situation. But now all the colors and sounds blended together in a chaotic assault on Ruby's mind.

"Welp," she said again. "Maybe some aimless wandering will do the trick." A man with a briefcase and cup of steaming liquid gave her an odd look as he hurried past her into the street. Blushing, Ruby straightened her cloak before marching past the convenience store towards the next set of lights. Talking to yourself is a bad habit, she reminded herself. People will think you're weird.

But I am weird!

Shut up, you… me… whatever. Ruby shook her head. She needed to focus. This was a fairly serious issue. As far as she knew, she was not expected to arrive at any specific time, as long as it was today. Nevertheless, the thought of being later than the others and making a bad impression scared her. With a renewed sense of urgency, Ruby scanned the buildings lining the street, looking for anything that sounded familiar.

She continued on like this for several blocks and was just about to try a different street when a waving flag caught her attention. It was two blocks ahead, partially obscured by the awning for a restaurant. Soft blue and white flapped in the gentle city wind. Below the flag stood two well-dressed men, one behind a small podium and another with his hand on a shiny brass luggage cart. Bellhoppers… Ruby thought. Is that what they're called? Either way, she hurried forward eagerly. She was pretty sure Uncle Qrow had mentioned something about an Atlesian hotel. And that flag was definitely the flag of Atlas. Ruby had ingrained this flag in her brain after spending forty-five minutes staring at a "Flags of Remnant" poster in her social studies classroom all those years ago. She grinned at the memory. Ah, Signal Academy. Good times... Good times…

Ruby's good mood petered out rather quickly, though, when she reached the hotel. Uncle Qrow had indeed said something about an Atlesian hotel in his directions over the scroll chat that morning. Exactly what he said about it proved to be harder to remember. As Ruby stood there, trying to figure out where she was supposed to go next, the "bellhoppers" gave her questioning looks. The girl tensed up awkwardly. Oh, what do I do? I can't just ask for directions.

The man behind the podium cleared his throat. Ruby panicked and fled into the nearest shop.

The glass door closed behind her with a soft "bump". Having sidestepped an awkward situation, Ruby wiped imaginary sweat off her brow and took a good look at the shop she had entered. In front of her sat a few tables and chairs. The left side of the store contained several rows of bookcases, as well as a few tables with books on display. Comfy-looking armchairs were spaced evenly along the walls. To the right was a bar. A brunette sat on one of the stools, chatting with a barista with a stylish beret and shades. Other than these two, the place appeared empty.

The girls, both perhaps a few years older than Ruby, turned to meet her gaze. "Welcome!" greeted the girl at the stool, smiling softly.

"'sup," offered the barista, giving a nod.

Ruby smiled at them for a moment before remembering that etiquette required her to respond. "Oh, uh… heyyyy!"

The awkwardness came back in full force. Her face became increasingly red as she mentally reprimanded herself for her moment of unresponsiveness. Unfortunately, this left her oblivious to the even longer silence that fell upon the shop. The two other girls exchanged a brief look before speaking at the same time.

"Can we help you?" asked the sitting girl.

"You look lost," commented the barista.

The first girl then gently elbowed her companion, muttering, "Coco!"

"What?" the barista asked, stepping away to check on a coffee machine. "I wasn't being rude."

The sitting girl seemed to ignore Coco, instead addressing Ruby, who was still standing awkwardly at the entrance to the shop. "You do look a bit frazzled, though. Are you lost?"

Ruby half-smiled, half-grimaced. "Er… kind of."

More silence. Smooth, Ruby, smooth, the hapless girl thought to herself.

Fortunately, a tall, muscular man in an apron appeared in the doorway at the back of the bar, providing a welcome distraction from Ruby's inability to function. "The cake is ready," he announced, looking to Coco. "Frosting? Or none?"

"None," answered Coco, placing a coffee pot under one of the machines. As the man walked back out of view, she continued: "We're not made of frosting, despite what Velvet thinks… " At this, the girl on the stool gave a little "hmph" of indignation. "… And besides, no one ever buys cake here anyway."

"I do!" Velvet raised a hand cheerfully.

"You're an employee, you don't buy, we feed you," Coco answered. Then she raised an eyebrow. "But you could start paying for cake if you like."

Velvet shuddered in mock horror. "No! My lifeblood!"

In the meantime, Ruby had gathered up enough courage to walk over to the bar and sit next to Velvet. Gradually, she relaxed as she watched the banter.

"'Lifeblood' indeed." Coco was pouring a cup of steaming liquid. "I want to know how you stay so thin with a diet as cake-filled as yours. It's a crime."

Velvet became indignant again. "I do not eat that much cake! Only a piece or two once and a while. Right, Yatsu?" she called into the back.

There was silence from the kitchen.

"Eh, forget you." Turning to Ruby, the girl smiled softly again. "My name's Velvet. Are you new to Vale?"

Ruby returned her smile. "Not exactly. I've been in the city before, but this is my first time here all by myself. I'm Ruby, by the way."

Coco placed a hot mug before Velvet and a glass of ice water before Ruby. As the girl nodded her thanks, Coco introduced herself. "I'm Coco. That's Yatsuhashi back there – " an arm waved from the kitchen doorframe " – and that's Fox over there." Ruby turned to see a dark-skinned, well-built young man carrying a stack of books. He nodded in acknowledgement before retreating back behind the bookcases.

"Welcome to Liquid Literature," Coco continued. "Can I get you anything?"

Ruby a finger on her cheek. Truthfully, she hadn't intended to buy anything, but it seemed rude not to at this point. "Sure! Do you have any… juice?"

"Girl, do we ever. Apple, orange, grape, berry, pomegranate…"

"I'll take orange juice please."

"Comin' right up."

As Coco prepared Ruby's drink, Velvet continued the conversation. "So, first time alone in the big city, eh? How do you like it so far?"

"It's great!" Ruby grinned. "All these places, all these people… so much energy! It's a nice change from home. Though I have a feeling I'm going to get sick of it at some point."

Coco hummed in sympathy as she delivered Ruby's orange juice. "I know what you mean. Vale's a nice city, but it can get hectic. Even without all the self-absorbed maniacs running around."

Ruby shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Perhaps Velvet thought she was just a bit afraid, for she placed a reassuring hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ruby. The villains around here don't usually cause much serious trouble. They're more annoying than threatening, really. Team JNPR hasn't had much of a problem dealing with them even with both sides of the city to cover. And it should get better once those new heroes get set up on this side of the bay. Aren't they supposed to start in a few days, Coco?"

With this, Ruby became even more uncomfortable. She hurriedly gulped down her juice as Coco answered in the form of a shrug. Her juice finished, she got to her feet and started fumbling for her wallet. "I should get going. Thanks for the juice. And the water. And the talking."

If the older girls noticed anything strange in Ruby's behavior, they didn't show it. "No problem," Coco replied as she took Ruby's money. "Sure you don't want a piece of coffee cake? Speaking of which… Yatsu, what's taking so long?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," sighed Yatsuhashi from the kitchen.

Ruby hesitated. Cake. Her lifeblood. Well, actually, several different sugary or fatty substances could qualify as her lifeblood, but cake was pretty high up there on the list. Still, she had to get going. "Well, normally I'd love to but I've really got… to…" She trailed off as Yatsuhashi exited the kitchen carrying a coffee cake the size of a large pizza. Even without frosting, it looked scrumptious.

Velvet giggled as the chair next to her became occupied again.

Fifteen minutes later, 7 Lien lighter, and an indeterminate amount of cake heavier, Ruby emerged from Liquid Literature. The same bellhops from before still stood outside the Atlesian hotel. They nodded at her politely. Ruby returned their nods with a soft burp. Flushing as red as her cloak, the girl quickly flittered away, imagining the whole street scoffing at her haughtily. She was so embarrassed that it took her half a minute before she realized she was now walking in the direction she came from. Ruby resisted the urge to stomp her boots in frustration. If only she could have asked the friendly staff at the bookstore for directions. Naïve though she may have been, Ruby knew for a fact she was a good judge of character. Both Velvet and Coco came off as people she could trust, and though she hadn't gotten to know Yatsuhashi and Fox, she doubted they would be any different. Unfortunately, one does not simply ask for directions to the secret entrance to the newly-built East Tower. Even if they had been able to help, she would have to explain who she was. And what a conversation that would be. "Oh, well actually, now that you mention it… I AM one of the four new heroes assigned to protect this city from evil-doers. Heh."

Ruby sighed. She supposed she could call Uncle Qrow, but he was likely very busy. Besides, she didn't want to admit she had only been half-listening to his directions that morning. Taking out her scroll, she glanced at the time. 3:46. It was getting late, and she had no idea how long it would be before she reached the tower and met her partners. She could forget about making a good first impression. Sighing again, the unhappy girl looked around, hoping for some sort of sign or landmark that would reignite her memory.

And then she found one.

"Huzzah!" Ruby froze in mid-air, her first still raised in triumph, as she realized how much of a scene she must have made. She landed back on the concrete with an awkward thud, sending a jarring sensation up her right leg. Fortunately, Vale must have been used to girls in gothic-esque clothes and red cloaks shouting "Huzzah!" and jumping five feet in the air, because no one paid her any attention. Nevertheless, Ruby felt compelled to pull her hood down to hide her dorky shame. That is, until she remembered the bump on her forehead and pulled it back again.

Her savior had come in the form of a shop sign across the street bearing the words "From Dust Till Dawn." The name had successfully jogged her memory. Her uncle's words came smoothly to her now. "… once you reach that intersection, take a right onto Wallaby Way and walk five blocks until you see a dust shop called "From Dust Till Dawn". The entrance to the tower is right across from that shop. It'll look like a normal urban apartment entrance. If you end up passing the Atlesian hotel, you've gone too far."

Ruby blinked. Well, whaddya know. I passed it. Shaking off her frustration, she power walked down until she was level with the dust shop. Turning to face the apartment building beside her, she was pleased to see a door labeled "42 – A, B, C". The rather mundane and, frankly, run-down apartment building didn't look anything like the tower she had seen in photos, but then again, this was a secret entrance.

Ruby looked around nervously before stepping up to the door and entering a four-digit combination on the key pad. A dull "click" was the only indication that she had remembered the correct code. She opened the door and stepped inside, quickly closing it behind her.

She found herself in a short, narrow hallway. The walls were bare, the carpeting frayed. A lone fly buzzed around one of the ceiling lights. There were three doors – two on the left and one at the end of the hall. Ruby began walking down the hallway, conscious of the loud noises her boots made as they traipsed along the floor. Reaching the second door on the left, labeled "B", the girl took a deep breath, glanced around once more, and entered a second four-digit combination. Again, a "click". She opened the door.

At first, Ruby thought she must have had the wrong door. Before her sat a small table with a vase of flowers. To the left were two wall-mounted coat hangers. From where she stood, she could see what looked like folding closet doors to the table's right. An ornate if dirty mirror hung above the table, showing her a confused girl in red and black. For all the world, it looked like she was about to enter the tiny hallway entrance to a similarly tiny apartment.

Stepping through the doorway, however, Ruby's jaw dropped. The little hallway continued to the right for about twenty feet before opening up into… well… she wasn't quite sure. The "room" was no more than twenty by twenty feet and contained nothing except what looked like a cross between a gondola lift and a subway car. Through the vehicle's glass windows she could see a long, unlit tunnel.

Ruby stood there, staring at… well… she still wasn't quite sure… until the door behind her swung closed, making her jump and give a startled "eep!" After assuring herself that the door had closed by itself simply because it was designed to, and not because the place was haunted, she crept forward. When she reached the vehicle, she realized that the tunnel had tracks. Perhaps this was some sort of tram that would take her to the tower?

Once again, Ruby looked around. No more doors, just her and this odd tram. Welp. I guess I'm going for a ride. She stepped around to enter through the door on the side of the vehicle. The door hissed open automatically, startling her again. There were about eight seats inside; no controls of any sort were visible. Ruby picked a seat which would give her a clear view of the tracks ahead. The door hissed closed.

She sat there for a moment. Nothing happened.

"… Um… go? Eep!"

With an electronic whine, the tram rolled forward, rapidly accelerating. The little table, the flower vase, the coat hangers, the mirror, and the closet doors retreated until they became nothing more than light at the end of the tunnel. Besides the lighting in the vehicle itself, the only source of light illuminating the tracks ahead were blinking red headlamps on the tram's front. Ruby had no idea how fast she was going, but judging by the rattling, screeching, and echoing, it was probably safe to say that a sudden halt would not end well for her.

Just as she was considering the plausibility of seatbelts in a train car, the screeching increased, accompanied by a drop in speed. Between the tram's interior and exterior lights, Ruby could see the end of the tunnel rapidly approaching ahead. She clung on to a conveniently placed hand bar as the tram slowed to a stop before a wall. A "clunk" sounded from somewhere below as the tram bumped the wall ever so slightly. Before she could get a proper look at where she had been taken, a section of wall dropped down behind the tram like a castle's portcullis, cutting off the tunnel she had just passed through. A few more clunking sounds were heard and before Ruby knew it, the tram was shooting upwards like an elevator. Ruby let out a few more "eeps" as the subway-gondola-elevator-thing rose higher and higher on vertical tracks along the walls. Soon enough, she felt the vehicle decelerating again. Gravity caused her to feel light as the tram slowed at a faster rate than her body. Despite her fear – and yes, Ruby would admit it, she was afraid at this point – she couldn't help but flash back to those elevator rides that she and her sister would enjoy whenever their father took them into the city. The decelerating elevator would fill her stomach with butterflies and make her giggle. Yang would giggle too.

Without realizing it, Ruby gave the otherwise empty tram a sad smile.

She didn't have much time to reminisce, however. As soon as the tram came to a stop, its doors opened along with a set of doors on the wall, revealing a staircase. Ruby sighed as she exited the vehicle and ascended the stairs. Could this place get any more complicated?

Evidently it could. The short staircase led into a large, circular room with glass walls. For the most part, it looked like a living room. Several chairs and couches, tables, bookcases, two TVs, even some bean bag chairs. The rest of the room was clearly a kitchen, with all the typical kitchen appliances and fixtures. In the middle stood a spiral staircase that led up into the ceiling, presumably to bedrooms and bathrooms. The windows presented a magnificent view of the city in all directions. Overall, it looked like a pretty neat place to live.

Ruby only registered these details in the back of her mind, though, for as soon as she entered the room she made eye contact with someone.

A girl in an elegant black-and-white outfit and high-heeled boots sat on the nearest couch, one leg crossed over the other, a book in hand. A pretty black bow sat atop her long black hair. Amber eyes stared piercingly into Ruby's.

Neither girl moved for a long moment. Finally, Ruby decided to break the ice. "Hi!" she squealed, determined to shatter the awkward silence with friendliness. "I'm Ruby Rose. You must be one of my new partners."

The other girl nodded after a moment, still examining the newcomer.

Beginning to sweat a little, Ruby finished climbing the stairs, making a show of checking out the room. "This place looks really nice," she remarked. "Amazing, really. Looks plenty big enough for four people. And two TVs!... Oooh, and bean bag chairs!" She squealed again. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The corner of the other girl's mouth tugged up ever so slightly. "Nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Blake." She didn't offer anything more than that, simply returning to her book.

"Are the others here yet?" asked Ruby.

"Nope."

Another silence. Less awkward than the first. Ruby decided to check out the upper floors before she would pester her new teammate with further conversation. The spiral staircase led to a hallway that was thankfully much nicer-looking than the hallways of that apartment building that housed the secret entrance. The walls were painted cream with neat little swirl designs appearing in the paint. The carpet was clean and fluffy, and she could detect some sort of air freshener. Normally, Ruby didn't like air fresheners – they smelled anything but fresh to her – but this one was nice, even if she couldn't identify it. There was a door at each end of the hallway, plus six doors along the walls. The door at the left end of the hall was labeled "ROOF ACCESS", while the one at the right end was labeled "STORAGE". The two doors closest to the storage room were labeled "Restroom" and "Guest Restroom". She was a bit confused as to the need for the distinction, but nonetheless. There were two bathrooms. Ruby Ruby's already substantial respect for her new residence increased dramatically. The other four doors were unlabeled. She guessed they were the bedrooms.

Ruby examined the storage room first, hoping to find her belongings – one belonging in particular – but was disappointed to see that it was empty. Hmm, it's a pretty big room though. Good to know. Next she checked out the bathrooms. The guest bathroom was small, without a shower stall or tub. The other bathroom was much larger, with four shower stalls and a hot tub, but lacking any toilets or sinks. This wasn't quite what Ruby had expected when she had seen there were two bathrooms, but considering she got to live in this tower for free, she couldn't complain.

Ruby was about to open one of the unlabeled doors when she realized that she could be entering someone else's room. She had no idea if their belongings had been brought up yet, or even if rooms had been assigned. Not wanting to take the chance of intruding on Blake's privacy when she wasn't in the room, Ruby sighed and settled for seeing what there was to see on the roof. Soon, Crescent Rose, my love, soon we will be reunited.

The roof of the East Tower itself wasn't very interesting, but it provided an even more spectacular view of the city. The wind, cool but not too cold, whipped at her hair, tickled her nose, and set her cloak a-fluttering. Although the tower was surrounded by several skyscrapers, it was the tallest building on the eastern side of Vale. To the west, across the Emerald Bay, Ruby could easily spot the West Tower peaking up above its own neighboring skyline. She vaguely wondered if the famed Team JNPR would be able to spot her from this distance. Probably not, but she waved a hand eagerly just in case.

After taking in the view for a bit, Ruby decided to head back downstairs. As she descended into the main room, she called out, "Blake? You wouldn't happen to know which room is mine, would you?" Receiving no answer, she discovered that Blake had disappeared, either having left the tower or, more likely, using the facilities. Maybe she was in her own room already. Ruby plopped herself down on one of the couches to wait for her remaining team members. Hopefully they would arrive soon. She was beginning to get anxious again.

Fifteen minutes of waiting later, Ruby got up and turned on one of the TVs. She was pleased to discover that she now had access to far more channels than she had at home. After channel surfing excitedly for a few minutes, she settled on a showing of one of her favorite childhood movies, Spirited Afar, by that famous director and animator whose name she could never remember. She had just gotten to one of the particularly good scenes when her ears picked up a heavy rattling noise. "The elevator tram thingy!" she gasped aloud. She was about to meet another of her teammates. Determined to make a good first impression, Ruby leapt up and skipped eagerly toward the staircase that led down to the elevator doors.

Perhaps skipping had not been the best decision. Ruby's left boot scuffed the rug a bit harder than she had anticipated, causing her to lose her balance and topple forward. As the tram's rattling came to a stop, the poor girl somersaulted painfully down the stairs.

What happened next would forever be remembered in slow-motion. Ruby's face was on a collision course with the elevator doors when the doors suddenly opened, revealing a girl in a bluish-white dress and jacket. Her snow-white hair was tied in an offset ponytail with a small tiara at the base. Her skin was the palest she had ever seen. She had her arms crossed, the expression of mild distaste on her dainty face accented by the scar running across her left eye. Those icy blue eyes met Ruby's, sending a chill down the latter's spine, before widening at the sight before her. Distaste became alarm. Neither one of the girls had time to say anything.

Ruby's last thought before impact: She's beautiful.

And with a painful slam, Ruby Rose met her newest teammate head-on.

The next thing she knew, the red-caped girl was lying on something soft. Funny. I don't remember going to bed. The thought made her aware of the massive headache she was now nursing. Groaning, Ruby opened her eyes. She heard another groan as her vision swam into focus.

They were nose to nose.

Ruby blinked. The other girl blinked.

All hell broke loose.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" screamed the pale girl, causing Ruby to jump back onto her feet in shock and fear. Unfortunately, she had not yet regained her sense of balance, so she fell onto her back, blocking the elevator doors. Thankfully, she did not hit her head this time. But this fact offered little comfort as the other girl, sitting up with a hand on her temple, continued to yell at her as shrilly as she could. "Are you kidding me?! What did you just do? What in the – Do you have ANY idea what you've just done? You knocked me to the ground. Me. Do you know who I am?! Are you COMPLETELY retarded?"

As the girl's frosty eyes shot beams of furious rage at her, Ruby felt her body go numb with shame. Physical pain gave way to a worse kind of pain.

"You could have given me a concussion, you imbecile! I may have sustained serious, irreversible brain damage, and I won't even know it! I mean, seriously! As soon as the doors opened! Were you waiting for the perfect moment to assault me?"

Ruby lowered her eyes, desperately trying to escape the death glare she was being given. "I- I'm sorr-"

"You're sorry? You're SORRY?! How about certifiably insane? You idiotic little moron! I swear, if I had my sword with me, I'd –"

"Could you keep it down?" Blake arrived at the top of the stairs. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Are you guys alright?"

"Am I alright?!" responded the irate girl. "Wonderful, I'm just fantastic! I've literally just gotten here when this – this – this DUNCE –" she gestured to Ruby, putting as much venom as humanly possible into the insult, " – came out of nowhere and decided to whack her stupid head against mine with the force of a rhino! NO, I AM NOT ALRIGHT!" The girl seethed, gasping for breath after her tirade, skin no longer pale but flushed with anger.

Blake gave a small frown, eyes narrowing at the girl in white. She started to say something, but at this point Ruby tuned everything else out. In the middle of the doorway she sat, hugging her knees, covering her face with her arms. She tried hard to keep her shoulders from shaking, but the effort caused her whole body to shiver. Her senses told her that the room was freezing, though Ruby knew perfectly well the temperature was in fact normal.

Within an hour of reaching her new home for the foreseeable future, she had nearly killed one of the people she would be working and living with. So much for making a good first impression. So much for being a hero of Vale. So much for making her family proud.

"Would you mind moving?!" the new girl's voice pierced Ruby's melancholy. Quickly, without a word, she stood up, pulled down her hood, turned, and ran up the staircase, across the room, up the stairs, down the hallway, and up to the roof. There, in the glow of the sun setting over Vale, she stumbled to her knees, hugging herself and sniffling.

Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by. The tears came to a stop, allowing the wind – so much colder than she remembered from earlier – to sweep the remaining wetness off her cheeks and off the tower. Slowly, the knowledge that she would have to face her teammates eventually pushed away the grief. She got up, pulling back her hood and gazing long and hard over the city she was now sworn to protect. A distant siren echoed through the air, bouncing off buildings. With a final sniff, Ruby turned and forced herself to the door leading back downstairs. So focused was she on the ordeal ahead of her that she nearly fell over in surprise as the door opened, revealing an equally surprised Blake.

The black-and-white-clad girl was first to recover. "I was just about to come get you. You've been gone for a while."

Was that concern Ruby detected in her outwardly indifferent teammate's tone? She decided it was. "Thanks, Blake. I'm fine now."

Satisfied, Blake turned around and walked back down the stairs, followed by Ruby. When they reached the spiral staircase leading down into the main room, they parted ways. "I'm going to go apologize to that girl," said Ruby, trying to smile. It felt more like a grimace.

Blake raised an eyebrow but said nothing, heading in the direction of the bathrooms.

Ruby took a deep breath before descending. She immediately picked out a head of silky white hair peeking over the back of an armchair. Steeling her resolve, the girl in red approached her new teammate. She winced when she saw the icepack that the girl held up against her head. Her eyes were closed, a frown on her face. She made no move to acknowledge Ruby's presence.

Well, at least she's calmed down a bit, thought Ruby. After a moment of silence, she coughed softly. The other girl's frown deepened, causing Ruby to wince again. Nonetheless she ploughed on. "Um… hi again."

The white-haired girl's eyes opened, giving her a cold stare. Ruby found herself unable to meet those blue orbs, so she bowed her head before continuing. "I'm really sorry. Like, really, really sorry. I know that doesn't mean much, but…" She trailed off, twiddling her thumbs.

The other girl sighed and closed her eyes again. She sounded more tired than angry. "What were you doing, anyway?"

Ruby glanced up, surprised. She had expected more ranting. "I heard the elevator coming up, so I ran to the doors, but I tripped and fell down the stairs. I was just so excited to meet you."

That caused the other girl's eyes to open again. She stared at Ruby with an unreadable expression on her face. Her mouth opened as if to say something but then closed a moment later. Finally she sighed. "Be more careful," she admonished, a hint of venom still audible. With that, she closed her eyes and said no more.

Ruby got the distinct feeling that she had been "dismissed." She thought about pushing her luck by asking for the girl's name.

But just then the elevator came to life once again. Ruby squealed and turned to face the entrance, missing the scowl sent her way by the icy girl. "Oooo! Here we go! My last chance!" It took her a moment to realize she had said that last bit out loud. As Ruby blushed, Blake came down the spiral staircase. The three girls waited silently for what was presumably the fourth and final teammate.

The elevator slowed to a stop. Ruby carefully descended the stairs to the doors, mentally reminding herself not to overdo the greeting this time. She wondered what kind of person stood behind those elevator doors. Another girl, perhaps? Or a boy this time? She wasn't sure how she felt about living with a boy. Hopefully he was a nice boy. Or girl. Was she the approachable type? Was she into the same music? Was she up-to-date with the latest season of Crittermon? Was she –

The doors opened.

– her sister?

Ruby's heart stopped. No, I'm crazy, that can't be…

But it was. There, standing before her in all her blonde glory, was her elder sister Yang. Complete with racy yet stylish outfit. Her eyes were closed, a familiar cocky smirk on her face as she sauntered forward, swishing her skirt from side to side deliberately.

"'sup, bitches?" Yang tossed her hair a bit as she opened her eyes. "Just wanna let y'all know that Yang has enterrrr…" She trailed off as she met Ruby's eyes, her cool-girl demeanor falling with her smirk. The sisters stood still, taking each other in.

"… Yang?"

"… Ruby?"

Silence.

"… Y-Yang?"

"… Ruby?!"

More silence.

The icy girl sighed, triggering a deluge of emotional cries from the reunited siblings. Ruby slammed into the newest girl – this time intentionally – and threw her arms around her, wailing Yang's name all the while. Yang, for her part, seemed to hesitate before wrapping her sister in a vice grip, picking her up and swinging her around and around. Ruby felt six years' worth of pain, worry, and loneliness seep out of her tightly-shut eyelids. No questions, no explanations. That could wait.

A full two minutes later, the two finally stopped clinging to each other. Sniffling, Ruby took a good look at her sister. In addition to being taller than the last time she had seen her, Yang's hair had grown slightly longer, her bust slightly… bustier. Perhaps it was just from the tearful reunion, but Ruby could swear she spotted faint creases under her eyes. Yang looked back at her with a smile as bright as her hair.

"Yang, what… where have you been? Why did you have to leave? I missed you so much…"

A shadow fell across the elder sister's face. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have – I know that now. I just wanted so badly to –" But she halted, glancing up and reddening slightly. At the top of the staircase stood Blake and that other girl whose name Ruby still hadn't learned. Both of them also turned a bit red and hastily walked away as loudly and as nonchalantly as possible. After the icy girl had retreated upstairs and Blake had put something in the microwave, Yang continued in a hushed voice. "I just wanted to find the killers, learn anything I could, make them pay… Seeing you as you were – so lifeless, so terrified – it was too much, I couldn't take it." She looked down in shame. "I thought if I could bring those people to justice, it might make things better. But it wasn't right. It wasn't fair of me to do that to you, or to Dad – god, I was such an idiot…"

Ruby felt tempted to agree, but she did not want to see her sister wracked with guilt so soon after seeing her for the first time in six years. She put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over that now. Or at least wait 'till later. What matters right now is that you're back."

Yang managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Rubes. Speaking of which… what in God's unspeakably embarrassing middle name are you doing here?"

That earned a giggle. "Well, I'm, uh… I guess I'm kind of a… you know… hero… now. I mean, not like a hero hero, just a hero… I haven't actually done anything heroic yet. Although I did save that injured birdie back in the forest outside Titania… Hehe, birdieeee~…"

Yang was struggling to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. "Wait, what?! You're in the Beacon program too? Since when?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Since three years ago. So you're in it too?"

"How did we not know about this?!" Yang's eyes flashed red. The temperature in the room noticeably climbed a few degrees higher. Ruby wondered if it had anything to do with her sister's semblance. "Why did they not tell us? I mean, I know it's secretive and everyone trains alone and everything, but for fuck's sake, you'd think they'd at least let us know that we're both training to become heroes…"

"I know, right? Oh, Yang, I always knew you'd be a hero. I asked Ozpin if you had joined Beacon, or at least if he knew where you were, but all he told me was that you were alive and well. And 'dealing with some issues.'"

"That asshat. Uncle Qrow will probably slice him up and serve him to Dad when he finds out." The two girls laughed, as if it was only yesterday that they had seen each other. "Wait, Ruby – did you say you've been training three years?"

"Eeyup."

"Then how come you're already a hero? I thought everyone had four years of training. Did they change the rules or something?"

"Nope. Ozpin said I was good enough to skip a year."

"You little shit."

"Haters gonna hate."

"I hate when people say that."

"Really? You used to say it all the time –"

"I hate when people other than me say that."

The sound of a microwave beeping reminded the sisters that they weren't alone. There were still so many questions Ruby wanted to ask, but it could wait at least a few minutes. Yang seemed to be thinking the same thing; she grinned and gave Ruby one more hug before setting foot on the stairs. "So whaddya say you introduce me to our other teammates?"

"Sure, sis!" As they reached the top of the stairs, Ruby extended a hand to the black-haired girl sipping tea across the room. "Yang, meet Blake. Blake, my sister Yang."

Yang slapped her cocky grin right back on. "Yo."

Blake's left eyebrow twitched upward. "Hello."

Silence. Gee, thought Ruby, I'm really good at this awkward silence thing. Maybe it's a second semblance…

Yang did not give up. "I like your bow."

"Thanks."

"And 'Blake'? I gotta admit, that's a kick-ass name."

"… Thanks."

Just then, the icy girl returned from upstairs, sparing Yang the effort of trying to engage Blake in conversation. The girl ignored the others, choosing simply to stand by the glass wall and gaze out over the city. For a moment, Ruby maintained the hope that she would introduce herself to Yang – and to Ruby, for that matter – but to no avail. Finally, Ruby coughed uncomfortably. "Uh, Yang, meet… actually I still don't know your name."

The girl didn't turn around. "It's…" She paused, and when she continued it was in a rather quiet voice. "… Weiss."

Blake halted mid-sip. Yang gave a friendly smile, even though Weiss wasn't even looking her way. "Weiss, huh? Another cool name. Sounds… tropical."

Weiss, who looked nothing like "tropical", snorted as she finally turned, giving Yang a haughty glare. "I can already tell you're going to be just like your sister."

This caused Yang's smile to fall, and once again the temperature flared momentarily. Yep, definitely something to do with her semblance, thought Ruby. "Hey," said the blonde, now scowling," you got a problem with my little sister?"

Weiss sent Ruby a hateful look, causing the latter to shrink back slightly. "Oh, not really. She, however, seems to have a problem with the universe."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Yang, it's okay, it was entirely my fault –"

"What was your fault?"

"She tried to kill me with her forehead!"

"That doesn't even make begin to make sense!"

Ruby waved her arms around a bit in a feeble attempt to stop the increasingly heated exchange. "Guys, please, can we all just calm dow-"

"Yes, why don't you let your precious little sister do the explaining?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"There is nothing wrong with me!"

"You're a stuck up little bitch!"

"I'm a victim!"

"GUYS!" Ruby's voice nearly cracked as she shouted, but she succeeded in bringing the argument to a halt. Yang froze, partially settled into what Ruby recognized as some sort of martial arts stance. Weiss was shaking. Blake was furiously sipping her tea. Ruby sighed, offering apologetic looks to all. "Look, I know this is kind of cheesy, but I had really hoped our first day together would be super-special-awesome. We're heroes now – how can we expect to protect eastern Vale if we can't even begin to get along?" She paused, noting the guilty expression on Yang's face and the somewhat-oh-who-was-she-kidding-not-really guilty look on Weiss's. "Besides," she continued, giving what she hoped was a charming grin, "we'll have plenty of opportunities to beat each other up later. We have three whole days to train together before we're officially on-duty –"

And right on cue, an alarm went off, making Ruby jump a mile high. The westernmost-facing glass wall pane lit up with a projection of a red "ALERT" icon. It was shortly replaced by a map of the city and all the other relevant information that the cartoon superheroes of Ruby's childhood used to save the day. Before she could begin to take in information or even wonder what was going on, another glass pane lit up, this time with the projection of a face. A face Ruby knew.

"Ladies," said Ozpin. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but this is an exceptional emergency. Team JNPR has their hands full. I know you just got here, but we need you. Now."

A/N: What do you think? I feel like my narration is a bit awkward to read. I'll try to get better at it.

I always like to sprinkle in references to other great series, but for this fic I'm thinking of featuring a few characters (for example, Team Rocket from Pokemon) as minor villains (e.g., just for a chapter). Assuming you won't recognize all of them, how comfortable would you guys be with that?

Feedback much appreciated!