Foreword:
This is an alternate universe. In this world, the only main difference from the cannon series is that Oscar is two years older than Ruby. I ship Rose Garden, but I don't like shipping Ruby and Ozpin, so no complains about that being that.
This verse takes place after Volume 5, but anything onwards never happened. Why? Because Volume 6 is about to come out and I don't want it interfering with my work.
Also, crap I don't know what year these things take place in so I just chose what seemed like the most logical timeframes for me. Oki?
I don't own RWBY. It belongs to Rooster Teeth and was created by the great man Monty Oum. I have no rights over the series, but it doesn't give anyone the right to claim my story as their own.
This was written for my entertainment, and published in an attempt to entertain you.
With that, enjoy :)
"Mountain Glenn…" Lead thought out loud, tapping his chin. "Says here they need more huntsmen for some kind of research. Boring."
"Well, it's not like we've got much of a choice," Retina said.
"But there are plenty of other missions out there, why do we need to go to boring ol' research mission at Mountain Glen, an abandoned city that no one's been to in years?! It sounds just as boring as Professor Oobleck's class."
"Lighten up, Lead," Coral said, lightly nudging her partner. "I'm sure Mountain Glen has tons of Grimm you can beat your frustrations out of."
"But he does have a point," Orchid piped in, placing her hands on her hips. "There's always Beacon Academy."
"Yes, listen to the smart girl!" the boy said, pointing at Orchid exaggeratedly. "Beacon Academy has three times the Grimm concentration of Mountain Glen, plus it's a search and rescue operation! We don't need to do research on anything!"
"That's just the thing, Lead," Coral insisted. "Three times the Grimm concentration. That's something that needs pro huntsmen. We're third year students. We're not ready."
"Like you said, we're third years. Close enough," Lead said confidently. "Plus Orc here's twenty-two years old, might as well be considered a professional huntress."
Orchid rolled her eyes fondly. It was true. She was twenty-two years old, three years older than the rest of her team.
"Hate to break it to you, but yeah. Coral's right," Retina commented. "Killing Grimm is fun and all, but my parents have told me stories of the Fall of Beacon. It's a mess."
"We'll clean it up, then," Lead said. "How bad could it be?"
"I think you're missing the point. My mom said that when she was still at Beacon, she lost her entire team in the fray," Retina told them.
"Hmph, after all we've been through, I'm a hundred sure we'd all make it out alive." Lead reassured her.
"Do you guys remember the last time we visited Orchid's parents? The stories they told us about Beacon? Her mom in particular?" Coral asked.
"Ugh, don't believe everything she says, Coral," Orchid groused. "They're nothing but falsehood."
"I hope so."
"A Grimm Dragon?" Lead scoffed, "Psh, nonsense!"
"Not that part," Coral scolded. She turned to Orchid. "Your aunt lost her arm, two of your mom's friends died right in front of her, her team was blown to shreds. How can you still want to go to Beacon Academy even after all that?"
Orchid rolled her eyes. "Okay, one: I don't have an aunt, because if I did, wouldn't I have met her already? Two: my mom's 'friends' were a robot and a renounced world champion. Both of them seem far fetched. Three: my mom didn't go to a huntsman academy, so why would she have a team? And four: I did not go to Shade in order to be persuaded by my team leader about listening to my mom more."
"I'm just considering all possibilities here," Coral retorted. "Your parents seem scarred for life, but they're still out there, doing the best they can for the world."
"Which is exactly why we need to go to Beacon," Lead interjected.
"That's not my point, Lead," Coral said with an eye roll. "I meant that we should take those events into consideration. What if Orchid really did have an aunt? What if Mrs Pine actually lost her friends in there? Like Retina said, what if something happens and we get separated and never meet back up again? And you, Orchid, should have a bit more respect in your parents."
"Me?" Orchid scoffed. "They didn't want me to become a huntress, so I went on my own."
"That's not—"
"No, not Beacon. Please not Beacon," Retina whimpered.
At the sight of her partner, Orchid finally gave in. "We'll deal with this another time," she growled. "Let's go to Mount Glenn," she said. "I can't bare to see Retina like this for another minute."
Lead looked over to the said girl and agreed to Orchid's terms. Retina was shaking of fear, her hands her pressed against her head and she was floating in mid air, just like how she does when she's nervous. The girl's deepest, darkest fear was losing her team the same way her mom lost hers. Her teammates only heard a handful of stories that Retina had spat out during nervous breakdowns, most of them seemingly worst than they sound, either that, or Retina was just overthinking things, but losing your team is a pretty heartbreaking event. Your team is like your family, and losing family is hard. Lead should know. He lost his family to a pack of Beowulves at the age of ten. It was the worst moment of his life.
Coral watched angrily as Orchid walked over tot he panel and typed COLR.
XxXxX
"Hello there, children. Who's ready for an adventure?"
"Professor Oobleck?!" Lead exclaimed, baffled. "Bu-but how?"
"The file said that Mountain Glenn needed Huntsmen!" Orchid added, just as eager to not go with this old hag as Lead.
"One: Yes, me, Lead. Two: And the file said that Mountain Glenn needs more Huntsman, not that it didn't have one already,Orchid. And three: it's doctor. I didn't not earn a PhD for fun, you know!" Oobleck said. "Now do any of you have anything you want to bring in this dangerous operation?" The man asked. He got no reply from the overwhelmed team. "Very well, I have the essentials packed, so if none of you want to bring anything else, then it's best we get going. We're already one minute and twenty-one seconds behind schedule!" On that note, the professor zoomed towards the far away airship in the background.
"Are you sure his Semblance isn't speed?" Lead asked. Orchid shrugged, and followed the rest of their team.
XxXxX
"Alright, children, jump off on the count of three. One, two, three!"
Team Color landed on the ground with a thump, weapons drawn and ready. Sadly, there was nothing to hit on but empty space.
Lead groaned as he lowered his metal hammer. "Seriously?!"
Orchid sighed as she slapped her forehead as she retracted her shotgun gauntlets. "What was I even excepting?" she asked herself.
"Retina," Coral called, her finger barely touching the trigger of her rifle, "Go up and see if there's any nearby danger."
The girl nodded. She tucked her metal bow behind her back and ran up the gap between two buildings. Retina hopped from one wall to another and kept going until she reach the top of the ruin. There, she pushed off to the sky.
Now at least thirty feet in the air, the sight that beheld her wasn't pretty, but it wasn't bad either. The city was deserted from all Grimm and forms of life. The only things she could see were distant Beowulves about a mile away, maybe a lone nevermore or Goliath passing the outskirts of the city, or whatever other big mass passed the corner of her eye, but that was it. It made going to Beacon seem more welcoming, but the thought made her feel like she betraying herself.
She shook away her thoughts and hopped back onto the ruined building. She slid down the conveniently tilted beam and landed soundlessly beside Orchid. The silver eyed girl and her male counterpart looked at he hopefully. She shook her head, knowing that the two were really hoping for a fight.
"Well, looks like we have time to look around this area," Doctor Oobleck said as he landed. He swiftly turned around. "Follow me, children, we've got a lot of ground to cover!"
XxXxX
Orchid grumbled a she hoisted a fallen beam out of the way. Nothing but dust bunnies. She heard Lead groan. She turned and saw him idly hitting his head on the concrete. Orchid sighed as she wiped away the grime that started to stick to her shiny crimson weapons.
"Guys!" Orchid and Lead snapped their heads to the direction of Retina's voice. "Guys, I think that somebody was here!"
"What?" Lead gasped in surprise, walking up beside his best friend.
Silver met dark gray, and they rushed to where they knew Retina was last at.
They ran around the corner and bumped into Coral, who apparently was not with Retina, like they had agreed to do, and together they went up the stairs of a crumbling building. Their footsteps thumped loudly against the concerete steps, and they skid to a halt at the sight of their missing teammate, who was around the corner.
Orchid walked forward and peered around the wall, and her eyes widened. She looked around the deserted camp. There were three sleeping bags arranged in a triangle, surrounding a pile of kindling buried in a layer of sand. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. There were a few plastic wrappers littered here and there, but that was it.
"It's been a while last someone's been here," Coral said with a disappointed sigh. Guess even the team leader was gonna lose it in this wasteland. "There's nothing here, let's keep moving."
Coral stepped away followed by Retina who did a quick turn of her heel while activating her Semblance, sending a soft breeze around a five foot radius. That's when an old piece of paper skidding across the floor caught Orchid's attention.
"Man, I was really looking forward to something," Lead groaned, popping his knuckles. "Guess we'll have to wait another time. Am I right, Orc?" He joked, lightly nudging Orchid.
The girl didn't reply as she stepped toward the scrap. She bent down and picked up the crisp sheet.
"Orchid?" Coral called, noticing the moment from the corner of her eye. "What's that?"
The brawler wiped away the thick layer of dust the best she could, revealing a picture of four girls. The paper was old and yellow with time, but the memory it held was clear as day. The first girl had black hair and a bow of similar color, the second one was the exact opposite with white hair and clothing, the third had short black and red hair, just like Orchid herself, except the the latter had long hair tied in a pony, and was struggling out of a blond's headlock. There was something about this picture that gave her a bit of a nagging feeling at the back of her head telling her that she should be doing something, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Her team walked up behind her as she stood. Looking at the picture, Retina giggled, obviously trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"That girl looks like your mom," she commented.
"Yeah…" Orchid concurred. It was creepy on how much the third girl looked like the woman who gave her life.
Lead swallowed. He suddenly got the sense that they were being watched. "Guys, let's get outta here," he suggested, rubbing his arms.
"Yeah," Coral murmured, also getting the same sensation. "We should meet up with the Professor."
"Doctor," Retina correct. "He didn't earn a PhD for fun, you know," she joked. Everyone chuckled along her. Their little sunlight.
Before they left, Orchid turned back and noticed that the sleeping bags had a symbol of axes crossing each other on them. She thought nothing of it, yet she felt like it was important, just like the scattered rose petals that lay on the edge of the building just outside the window. They were bright red and fresh, but covered in layers of dust. Something didn't seem right.
XxXxX
"You three," Doctor Oobleck called to Orchid's teammates. "Set up camp," he ordered, tossing Coral his bag. "Orchid and I will secure the perimeter. C'mon, dear."
Orchid shrugged at her team's confused looks. Retina had said that there was nothing to worry about in a very, very big circle. What was there to secure?
"Miss Pine!" Oobleck called.
"Y-Yes, Sir!" She responded as she ran to catch up with their teacher.
The first few minutes of the walk was quiet. No small talk, no awkward silence, no Grimm to take down. It made Orchid even more tense knowing that her teacher was gonna tell her something, she just wasn't sure what.
"Miss Pine," Oobleck started. "Why did you want to become a huntress?" He asked.
"Um…pardon?" Orchid replied, raising a brow at Doctor Oobleck. The man remained silent, making the girl even more sure that he was serious. "Oh, uh, I want to become a huntress because…"
"I want to kill monsters and make the world a better place," sixteen year old Orchid replied.
"You sure?" Taiyang asked.
He was muscular, strong, and agile. He was kind, loving, and the best person in the world. If he wasn't her grandfather, she would've fallen for him ages ago. His hair was a dull shade of blond, and his beard was in a neat square cut, but her mother kept insisting he cut it, yet he never did because he said that it made him look older than he was.
"Yes!" Orchid agreed eagerly.
Taiyang chuckled, "No, firecracker," he blurted out. Orchid could swear that his voice cracked. He took a breath to compose himself. "That is what you do, I want to know why you do it."
"…why?"
Orchid, at that time, had never considered why she wanted to do it too much. It just seemed right. Her mom was a huntress, and her dad was a huntsman, even Tai was once one. She didn't think that needed any other reason to become a huntress.
"I…I'm not sure," she replied.
"Well, if you go over to Shade, I've got a friend there who'll ask you the same thing," he said, placing a calloused hand on her shoulder. "So be prepared."
That's why she went to Haven, to avoid her dad's friend. Three years later, she moved to Shade to start a new leaf. She hoped not to meet this friend, but it made her wonder if it was the man that stood beside her right now.
"I… I want to become a huntress because… because I want be like my dad."
The doctor was silent. They did nothing but walk quietly along a huge perimeter. It made Orchid wonder if she said something wrong.
"You know that's not a motivation that will push you forward forever, Orchid," he finally said. "I'm sure Taiyang has already told you that."
"Oh. So you're the friend he was talking about," she joked bitterly.
The man nodded. "You know, years ago, I was on a mission on this very mountain," he started.
Orchid rolled her eyes in annoyance. Yippee, another story. Orchid wasn't gonna lie, she loved stories, it's just that the last time she heard a good story was when she was little, when her mom was telling her the story of The Rise of The Fallen.
It was one of her favorites. The story was about a kingdom that had fallen to into nothingness because of a massive Grimm attack. The world didn't want to help the kingdom because they rented it 'too weak', so their king tried to get up on his own, and with the help of the little followers he had left, they rebuilt the kingdom and made the world speechless as they stood strong, no matter how many times they fell. They stood there, waiting for the next attack, and rebuilt their homeland over and over again. One day, the king died of a malady and left his followers, but that didn't stop them. They continued in his foot steps for centuries, and one day, a warrior rose. He took down the Grimm once and for all, and to this very day, that kingdom stands strong, getting up every time it fell, and holding their ground every time they it tested by the world.
Orchid dreamed of becoming that hero someday, to become the one who stood up in the time of need. She is gonna be that person. She is gonna make Remnant proud. She is going to be the only person her parents didn't want her to be if it meant making the world a better place.
That was a precious memory to her because she and her mom are almost never in good terms. They barely got along now, and so those few precious moments of the past became some of Orchid's most unforgettable memories.
Orchid was so lost in her own thoughts that she forgot that the Professor was talking. "…And then I asked every member, except their leader, 'Why do you want to become a huntress?' They had good reasons to become one, and even though they didn't open up to me, they opened up to their teammates."
"I-I sorry, can you please rewind a bit, Sir?" Orchid asked kindly. "I spaced out for a second there." Normally, Orchid didn't respect the old hag, but after everything that happened recently, she had the courage to put her pride aside, even if it's just for a bit.
Oobleck sighed. "I know you found a picture of team RWBY in that old building," he said.
"Um…Ruby? Like, my mom?" Orchid asked.
"Yes …and no," the man chuckled. "Your mom was their team leader."
"What?" Orchid looked at Doctor Oobleck in shock, stopping in her tracks. "My-my mom—"
"Was an excellent student. She was moved ahead by two years and he exceptionally skilled with the scythe, may I add," Oobleck explained quickly.
"Scythe? The most difficult and dangerous weapon on the surface of Remnant?!" This was getting crazy. Her mom…her mom was a cripple. She only had one eye and could barely walk straight because of imbalance, her robotic leg weighing her down. How could she wield a scythe?!
"Yes, my dear. Crescent Rose was about two feet taller than her at that time," Oobleck said.
"C…cre—"
"Her weapon."
"It still doesn't make any sense!" Orchid cried, stomping her foot like a little child. "My mom… my mom is nothing but a housewife! She can only cook meals, make the bed, do the laundry, wash the dishes, clean the house, tend to our wounds—but she's not a huntress!" The more Orchid went on, the more she doubted her words. She felt like they were becoming less and less believable. The lies she had told herself for so long were nothing more than empty words. They meant nothing now, so what was she even saying?
Orchid was lost for words. Tears were streaming down her eyes, but she barely took notice, too lost in her own thoughts and emotions.
"Orchid, child," Bartholomew said softly, putting two fingers under the girl's chin and lifted her head, making her look him in the eye. "Your mother has done many, many things that most people would call unbelievable—impossible. She was present in many historical tragedies. She was there at the Breach in the eightieth year of the Peace Era, if anything she was part of the reason why it happened prematurely, she was there during the Fall of Beacon also in the same year, she was there when Haven stood its ground against the White Fang ambush in a year later, and she was there when her world crumbled around her slowly and painfully. She's been through so much just to get to where she is now. Give her some credit for that."
Orchid wiped away the tears on her cheeks and stepped away from her teacher. "I-I think I'm gonna go now," she said, turning her heel and running away, not waiting for his reply or permission.
Lies. They are all lies. No big deal. You've done the right thing, running away from your family, only visiting once in a long while, if at all. You're not doing anything wrong. Well, if you look at it, you are doing things very, very wrong, but—no, you're looking good. Don't think tha—
"ORCHID!"
The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts, as well as the strong tug on her hood, pulling her back and almost cutting her head off in the process. Once she regained her balance, out of reflex, she pulled her fist back, unsheathing her shotgun gauntlets, and punched the man in the face, sending him flying into a building with a blast. The old wall crumbled with a loud thump.
Once it was all over, Orchid's Semblance started to fade away, allowing her to see more clearly. Huh, she didn't even know that she had used it on herself. She heard a groan and took a defensive stance. From the rubble, a boy with shaggy black hair, a pointed nose that had been broken once, and sunken gray eyes popped his head out of the piles of rock.
"You're lucky, cough, that my aura's up pretty high, cough cough," he choked.
"LEAD?!" Orchid screamed, running over to help her best friend. "What are you doing?!" She started clawing the rock and rubble out of the way, allowing Lead to breathe.
"I could ask you the same thing," he coughed, brushing the powered cement out of his face. "What happened back there?"
"I… um…"
"And don't think I mean when you punched my face."
"Oh," Orchid blushed. "I'm sorry."
Lead sighed as he pulled Orchid into a hug. "I'm glad you didn't run into any Grimm without me."
"Shut up," she whispered as she lay her head on his shoulder.
The two sat in silence, each just enjoying the company of the other. Orchid felt a sense of cliché, but she didn't mind. No words needed to be said. They were best friends, after all.
Just when they were about to get up and leave, they heard a hiss, and both were on their feet, weapons drawn. From the sinkhole that Orchid nearly fell into earlier, the black head of a massive King Taijitu came out, and it was gigantic, even by Orchid's standards.
"Um…Orc?" Lead squeaked, "What exactly were you thinking about?"
The Grimm's large, beady eyes glared down at the two, most likely deciding on which helpless child to devour and which to save for its contrasting twin.
Mustering his courage, Lead grew in size, all the way to the biggest he's ever been –the size of a young Nevermore. Normally, this would be enough, but with the Taijitu's still towering height, Lead still held little to no advantage besides making himself a bigger treat instead of threat for the Grimm.
"Lead Granite, you idiot, RUN!" Orchid yelled, running away.
Sensing her fear, the King Taijitu slithered its way to the silver eyed girl. Once Lead realized what was happening, he went to chase after the head, but he tripped over a fallen wall and was greeted by the white head of the Grimm, which was just as big, if not bigger, than its counterpart.
Its big red rubies had a fire in them that made Lead shiver in fear.
He then let out a scream.
XxXxX
"I'm sorry about your team, Coral," Doctor Oobleck sighed, hanging his head. "I didn't mean to scare young Orchid. It's just that her mother and her team were extraordinary people, and I wanted to tell their story, considering how they won't be able to do it, with majority of her team has passed away and Orchid won't listen to her—"
"It doesn't matter Pro—"
"Doctor," Retina interjected sternly but playfully.
Coral sighed, "I'm sorry, doctor," she emphasized not of anger, but to amuse Retina, "It's not uncommon for my teammates to run off like that, and believe me, they've been to worse places than Mountain Glenn."
"I hope so."
A scream suddenly ripped through the air, a powerful yet terrified one.
Retina gulped. "Was that—"
"Iris, go ahead of us and see who it is, we'll be right behind you," Coral ordered.
Retina nodded nervously, readied her bow and hopped onto the nearest rooftop before taking off, and like her team leader promised, they were right on her tail. She looked ahead and was greeted with the huge white head of a King Taijitu, back turned. Not too far away, its black head was pouncing everywhere, as if trying to catch a moving prey. It probably was.
She looked back at the white head and saw it get knocked to the side, Lead's hammer doing nothing but dazing it for a split second. Sadly, it didn't give her teammate, an ice cream stand compared to a skyscraper, any leverage.
"Guys, it's a King Taijitu! And it's HUGE!" she said.
"How huge?" Coral asked. She grunted as she tripped over a rock, but quickly got back on her feet.
"'Huge' as in 'I can see it from here like how you can see Shade Tower from the coast of Vacuo' huge."
"I do hope your teammate is exaggerating," Doctor Oobleck said as he hopped over a pile of rubble.
"You and me both," Coral panted.
XxXxX
"Damn…you…Taijitu…!" Orchid cursed, dodging the big head the best she could. Man, for a Grimm it's size it is fast. "Crap!" Orchid squeaked as the black head finally caught up with her and threw her into the air. The snake opened its mouth wide, ready for its prey to go down its throat, but it never came.
Orchid snapped her eyes open with a grunt as she fell into Retina's arms, weighing her down a little with her weight.
"You okay?" Retina asked as she placed Orchid on a nearby rooftop a supposedly a safe distance away from the Tatjitu.
"More or less," Orchid replied, out of breath. "How are we gonna take that thing?"
By now, the Grimm had noticed that its meal was taking a while to enter its mouth. It turned and saw the two on the rooftop. With a loud warning hiss, it slither forward.
"I don't know—Orchid, RUN!"
XxXxX
"Dang it, Lead!" Coral yelled, dodging her teammate's foot. "How are we supposed to help you if you keep trying to squish us?!"
"What other choice do I have?!" Lead exclaimed, attempting to dodge the white head again.
"Shrink down, Mister Granite," Doctor Oobleck said, "You semblance isn't getting us anywhere, if anything, you're draining your aura even more."
Lead yelped as the white head of the King Taijitu lunged at him. He shrunk, the Grimm smashing its head on a building, causing it to collapse on top of it.
"Now what?!" Lead yelled, running over to his team leader.
"We can't take it, we have to go!" Coral ordered.
"Your team leader is right," Oobleck concurred. "This Grimm is ancient, maybe as old as the Grimm Dragon that sits atop of the fallen Beacon Tower. We won't be able to fight it."
"Um, are you saying that the Grimm Dragon's real?!" Lead exclaimed.
"Yes, I've seen it with my very eyes," Oobleck said. "I'd tell you about it more but oh no it's back."
The two teens whipped their heads in the direction of the white head. The King Taijitu had recovered, and it was hungry.
"Go!" Coral yelled pushing her teacher and teammate out of the way.
She brought out her weapon of choice, Staffy. The vials of Dust rotated to ice and released a big puff of it. She focused her energy on the individual particles and forced them to liquify. Now with better control over the dust, she splattered it in an arc opening towards the Grimm. As it settled on the ground, the Taijitu pounced. With a yell, Coral activated the dust, causing it to create spikes strong as steel and tall as a CCT. It held the King Taijitu back, but did nothing more.
"Coral!" Lead called. He was gesturing for her to come over and run with them, and she complied.
XxXxX
Retina gasped as she skidded to a halt, her head bonking on the concrete wall behind her. She groaned as she got back up on her feet. She notched an arrow onto her bow and jumped into the air. She aimed the best can, and fired. Bull's eye.
The arrow hit its target and literally exploded in the King Taijitu's eye. She turned her head and saw her team and Professor running away from the white counterpart, which was trapped in a barricade of ice spikes it proceeded to destroy.
"Retina! Run! Take Orchid and Run!" The yell of Lead was almost quiet in the chaos, but she understood.
She nodded and swooped down and grabbed Orchid by the armpits.
"Thank me later," she said cheerfully with a smile as she burst into the air, higher then she's ever been before, and she could feel her aura draining out of her.
She fell. If it weren't for Doctor Oobleck, she would've died.
"Not a very wise decision, Retina," he said she set her down. The red head felt dizzy, and she fell back from the loss of balance. Orchid caught her.
"Ret, thanks for the save, but you need to get up!"
Retina was still dazed. The world was spinning and she was numb. She could barely process her voices around her, then she passed out.
"Retina! Retina Iris, GET UP!" Orchid commanded, but her passed out partner remained motionless.
"Orchid, can you carry her?" Coral asked. She nodded. "Good. Lead, you and I will stall the Taijitu. Professor Oobleck—"
"I will stall the King Taijitu, you make sure your team makes it to safety."
"Safety?!" Lead exclaimed. "There's no where to run—"
"Beacon."
"Beacon Academy?!" Orchid yelled out of no where. "But that's—"
"A long shot, but your best chance of survival," her Professor said. "There are several professional huntsman in the area, and so long as you can get there, you have little to worry about."
"And what about you?" Coral asked.
"Coral, my dear," Doctor Oobleck said, placing a hand on the red head's shoulder. "My days have come to an end, I'm afraid. Don't worry. I have no regrets," he smiled. Then, he was gone.
XxXxX
"It's catching up!" Lead exclaimed. His lungs ached and his legs were numb. He knew that if he stopped running, he'd never start up again, and that would be bad. Orchid was stumbling with Retina on her back. Coral was doing her best to slow down the King Taijitu. It wasn't working. Doctor Oobleck had given them a healthy amount of time, triple of what his team could provide, but they were too slow. The teacher's efforts were done in vain.
"We're almost there!" Orchid exclaimed.
"How do you know that?" Lead asked.
"I don't!"
His best friend was acting on instinct. She wasn't sure of where she was going or what she was doing. He knew that she just wanted to see the next sunrise and watch as her team bounced back to normal. Lead feared that if they fall today, there was no getting back up.
"There!" Orchid exclaimed. "I can see Beacon Tower… or what's left of it."
Ahead was a faint silhouette of what was supposedly a tower. Lead knew that it's supposed to be one, but the gigantic Nevermore-like figure sitting atop of it made him second guess facts.
"Run faster!" Coral suddenly ordered, sprinting ahead of them.
Lead didn't dare to look back. He ran, Orchid on his tail and Coral leading them. Things seemed to blur around him. It was probably Orchid loosing control over her Semblance, causing it to affect not only herself, but also her teammates. It was probably a bad thing, but Lead didn't want to think about the packs of smaller Grimm that accompanied the bigger problem as they entered the skirts of the city.
Then it happened.
The one screw up they needed.
They tripped.
Lead fell first, then Coral, and Orchid trudged to a stop.
They were goners.
Everything went white.
"Ren, are you al—"
"Oh my gods, Orchid!"
Everything was white, and the only thing she could hear was ringing, maybe a few muffled voices here and there, but that was it.
Orchid forced her eyes open, but only to be greeted by a sensation that her world was spinning. She snapped them shut again. Good news is she could feel her limbs again, but everything else around her felt like honey. Her lungs ached, but it was better than it was, when was carrying—
"Retina!" Orchid gasped, sitting up. The sudden action gave her a heck of a headache. She almost passed out.
"Careful." A gentle hand was on her shoulder, probably calloused. It pushed her down onto the bed. Orchid could finally feel again. Her head laid on the feather pillow as she wrapped the quilt around her tighter. Wait…
"Crap, my team!" she gasped, getting up again. And again, she regret it.
A woman beside her chuckled. "They're fine, Orchid." The voice was familiar, soothing even, but cracked. She laid Orchid down again. "And I'm glad that you are too."
That voice…
"Mom!"
There it was. She hadn't been awake for any more than a minute, but she was already conducting her third regret.
There was a small bark along with a weight on her lap. At first she was gonna tell her mom to get off, but a tongue going all over her face prevented her from doing so.
"Ew," she gagged. "Yaaaaang!"
She was finally able to open her eyes without a headache. On her lap sat a fluffy small Husky dog wearing a yellow collar with a plate that had an insignia of a heart on fire. Yang barked and proceeded to lay down on Orchid's lap motionlessly except for her wagging tail.
"Heeeeeey there's my little firecracker!"
Orchid turned her head and saw her good ol' grandad Tai. She smiled, eyes lighting up. He knelt down next to her bed, her mom stepping aside.
"How are you?" Tai asked.
"I'm fine," she replied, "but my head feels like it's been torn open by a blunt knife," she joked.
Her grandad chuckled. "Nice to see you've already recovered."
"That's because you're here. Hey, where's dad?" she asked. Then she frowned. "And my team?"
Tai sighed as he looked at her mother, who smiled, but Orchid could only glare. Even everything that happened, she couldn't bring herself to question everything about her mom about her past, about things that she never told her children.
The woman sighed as she blew away some of her black and red hair away from her face, exposing the black and gray eye patch with a rose insignia printed on it that covered her right eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out as Orchid's glare became more steely and cold. Her mom turned and left the room without saying a word. Yang whimpered and followed, leaving Orchid with Tai.
The old man sighed as he placed a hand on his grandchild's shoulder. "What is it that makes you disrespect your mom so much?" He asked.
Orchid gripped her patterned quilt and turned away.
"There's no one who worries more about you than your mom, and I thought that I was a worrywart. Your mom takes family concern to a whole new level. With how much you've worried her, I'm sure you've upset generations of mothers," he joked.
Orchid didn't laugh. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't know what she was so mad about. It was a mystery to why she hated her mom. Hate's a strong word, but using it to describe her feelings towards her mom seemed right. Tai was right, though, why does she hate her mom? She knows that something happened in the past, and she came to hate her mom from then on. The problem is, she didn't know what the something is.
"Looks like my little flower's awake again."
Orchid snapped out of her thoughts as her father came through the door, carrying a plate of chocolate chip and sugar glazed cookies while his green and orange eyes lit up with relief.
"Dad!" she called. In one swift motion, she threw her quilt away and hopped onto the hardwood floor with her socks and ran to the man who raised her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's good to see you again," she sobbed, leaning her head on his shoulder.
Her father sighed with a smile. He passed the plate of treats to his father-in-law and gave his elder daughter a hug. "You too, my little flower." He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, meeting her in the eyes.
Orchid smiled back, tears streaming down her eyes. Suddenly, her father twitched, lips sinking into a frown. "Dad?" she asked, concern dripping from her voice. When her father continued to twitch, eyes shrinking and dilating uncontrollably, she frowned deeper. These episodes weren't rare. They happened every now and again, and they concerned Orchid every time, especially when her dad started talking. Orchid turned to her grandfather, who had stood up with the plate of sweets in hand. He was also concerned, but didn't do anything. It hurt Orchid knowing that there was nothing either of them could do about the situation. No one never could.
The twitching stopped as her father tensed. In a sudden glow, he relaxed. It concerned Orchid even more. Her dad never glowed before. He opened his eyes. They were…different.
"We need to talk," her father said, but it wasn't her father. The voice was deeper, and the tone was demanding. A different demanding. Even when her father demanding something, he never sounded like that. Her dad tensed again and glowed, but he didn't relax. His eyes were sealed shut. He gripped Orchid's shoulders tighter. "Shut up," he murmured. He took a deep breath. "Stay away from my daughter." He growled suddenly. Orchid's eyes teared up again. Her dad was not okay.
"Orchid, come over here," Tai ordered urgently, gripping Orchid's wrist and pulling her away from her father.
"Dad?" she choked.
"Get out," he ordered.
Orchid gasped, hurt by her own father, told to leave. She was at the brink of sanity, but the reassuring hand on her shoulder kept her intact.
"He's not talking to you," Taiyang said.
Orchid's need to cry went down her throat like she had a glass of water. The feeling of dread was gone just like that. She snapped her eyes up to her grandad, who was glaring at her father.
"I said get out!" her father suddenly screamed. Orchid gasped as her heart jumped to her throat. Her dad was not okay. "Get out!" Her Dad then turned and ran out, hands covering his head. Orchid heard the front door swing open, her mother calling his name as she went after him.
Orchid stood in shock. Something was up. Something very wrong, yet she couldn't do anything about it.
"What happened?"
Her friends were suddenly at the doorway, eyes filled with fear and voices dripping with concern.
"Dad?" Orchid squeaked.
Taiyang sighed wearily as if it'd happen before. He turned Orchid around as he rubbed her shoulder. "He's going to be okay," Tai reassured her. He politely pushed the plate against her chest, offering Orchid a cookie. She sniffed and took a bite out of her comfort food.
XxXxX
I said in my first RWBY fanfiction that I would explain myself, so here I go.
I ship Rose Garden because I ship Arkos.
When I first watched the first few episodes of RWBY, I went, "Oh, this blonde idiot Jaune will be Ruby's boyfriend." I was wrong, and I got to Volume 2 and said, "Jaune, you dunce, get over here and kiss Pyrrha!" Then when I got to Volume 4, I see this fourteen year old boy named Oscar and went, "Well crap, this kid's important." Then Volume 5 came out and the second Oscar was stared at Ruby for a moment too long I went, "Yep, Imma ship this, but Oscar's too young. Wait! I know I'll just ship Lancaster!" Then I realized, "Wait…what if Pyrrha comes back?!"
After a long and painful debate within myself, I have decided that I would make an AU where Oscar's older than Ruby so that they make babies that everyone will love. Not really. I doubt any one would even care about Orchid and Cedar when there are way better next gens out there which ship White Rose and Bumblebee. I also highly doubt that people will love me after I end up shipping Nora and some other guy before killing them both and having Ren raise their child. I'm evil. :P
I hope you guys enjoyed the story and good bye I'm dead now.