Rose Colored Diamonds

Chapter One: Late to the Party

She was standing at the aisle. It was the perfect day for a perfect wedding. The sun had raised to the perfect angle, which gave the chapel an immaculate glow. The chapel was decorated white. Flowers, streamers, and banners filled the hall with bright white. Sunlight from the windows made the fresh flowers glow brighter. Her bridesmaids stood off to the side, smiling brightly. She ran a hand down the side of her immaculate white wedding dress. At her side was a tall, handsome man wearing a sheepish grin. He was dressed in a matching, perfect white suit. As they were being read their vows, the chapel doors slammed open. She gazed into the darkness and watched in horror as the man drew his cane sword. The manor, the wedding, all of it disappeared from her. The vision of her happiest day had been replaced by the sight of red.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

Weiss grumbled and slapped the alarm at her nightstand rather roughly. She turned in her bed and wrapped the warm blankets around her tighter. Despite her best efforts, her senses started picking up more things to prevent her from going back to bed. She didn't remember her dreams much, mainly because dreams were dreams and reality was reality. As she slowly, and reluctantly, decided to wake up, she peeked around the room. Yang's arm hung off the edge of her makeshift bunkbed, and she could hear the boisterous blonde snoring away. Blake still laid asleep with a serene look on her face. Above, Weiss could hear Ruby still dozing away, talking in her sleep about cookies. She reached over and picked up her scroll to check the time.

"Ten thirty…why do I feel like…oh no. OH. NO." Weiss sprang from her bed and sprinted to the bathroom to clean up. "Get up everyone, we're late! We're really, really late!" Weiss moved quickly, grabbing her combat skirt from her closet. "Everyone, get up!"

Yang grunted rather boorishly and leaned over with a lazy look. Despite what it may seem, she was the easiest to wake of the group. Her long wild hair covered a part of her face as she struggled to see what the heiress was up to, "W-whu? What're you talkin' about?" She asked lazily.

"We're getting another combat mission today! And we're late to pick out a good one!" Yang paused for a moment, registering her words, before flopping back onto her bed. "You guys!"

"I knew I should've set an alarm today…" Yang muttered and rolled off the bed. The loud thump caused Blake to spring up. The faunus girl blinked awake, looking at the blonde who was doing stretches in front of her bed, and looking at the heiress rushing around the room in a varying state of dress. She put two and two together and grabbed her stuff to get ready while Weiss probably took up the shower. Yang woke Ruby up, and the young leader sprang into action in panic.

After a quick breakfast of toast and cookies, courtesy of Yang's decision to buy snack bread the day before and Ruby's stash, team RWBY made their way to the main hall where the missions were put up. They bickered among themselves as to just whose fault it was that they woke up so late. The bickering continued as they tried to find a mission that wasn't already taken.

"Ladies." Professor Ozpin approached the group from behind. "This is an odd sight. Normally you are the first to select a mission."

"Sorry Professor. We woke up late because the group alarm got turned off somehow." Ruby explained, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish grin on her face. Someone (totally not her) had turned their alarm off over the weekend, and only Weiss' backup alarm had saved them.

"Ah yes, the old alarm clock. You imagine someone would have made it so it would automatically turn on, wouldn't you?" Professor Ozpin gave the group a soft smile before he continued, "But I must say: next time? Please be on time. As you can see, there are not many missions still available. In fact, there is only one last time I checked." Professor Ozpin smiled kindly at the young leader and tucked his cane under his arm, as he pulled out his scroll with his now free hand. The other hand, for obvious reasons, was occupied with the ever present coffee mug. "Ah yes, an investigation mission to Rosa Korsa."

"Rosa Korsa?" Blake asked, "Where is that?"

"You wouldn't have heard of it I assume. Rosa Korsa is an outpost huntsmen use on long patrols. It used to belong the Rosa Korsa family, but has since fallen into the custody of the academy and local huntsmen." Professor Ozpin took a sip as he looked down at the mission details, "They were a clan of brilliant huntsmen. They were called the red bears because of their family crest and their combat capabilities."

"I think I heard a story about them a long time ago." Weiss said, putting a hand on her chin, "They said the family was known for being relentless. I also think that they did not like my family very much."

"You are correct, Miss Schnee. The Rosa Korsa family has had relatively bad ties with your family, but in the last years of its existence, relations went from hostile to simply cold."

"So…what does the mission want us to do?" Ruby asked, pulling out her scroll to take notes and get a copy of the mission request. "Also, this is our solo mission right?"

"Yes indeed. The mission is fairly simple. We need a team to go to the estate in order to do a resupply and maintenance check. From there, the team will practice their hunting skills in the general area and check it for grimm. You are to clear out any packs that you find, and use the estate as a forward base." Professor Ozpin sent Ruby the plan and schedule. "This is going to be a slightly longer mission than you're used to, I'm afraid. But we need to make sure the estate is still usable after all the rumors about it."

"What rumors Ozman?" Yang asked curiously, "Don't tell me it's like something out of a horror flick or something. You know, where we're using the house of a murdered person." She grinned and Professor Ozpin gave her a look, but chose to ignore the odd nickname.

"You appear to have hit the nail on the head Miss Xiao Long. Indeed. The manor has had rumors about it being haunted dating back decades already. But I can assure you, there's nothing there. No one has experienced anything outside of the normal things you would hear in an old building."

"Wait, seriously?" Yang raised an eyebrow at the Professor.

Professor Ozpin nodded. "Oh you know how it is. Creaky doors, loud floorboards, the wind coming in from old windows. Nothing ghostlike, simply old." Professor Ozpin put away the tablet and sipped his mug. "Now, I suggest you go speak with the requisitions room and pick up what you need. You should also consider bringing warmer clothing. The weather does not appear to be holding well, and I suspect it will only be worse there." The team nodded and turned to make their way to the requisitions office.

"Maybe you should have told them more about the ghost rumor. You remember Professor Alabaster refuses to even go there anymore." Professor Goodwitch appeared at his side.

"No. There's no need to scare burgeoning hunters with stories of the dead walking. There is no such thing." Professor Goodwitch frowned.

"I agree with you in that ghosts do not exist, but the amount of reports about the manor show a staggering amount of proof otherwise. But…I suppose they shall be fine. It is a simple mission, and they will not be staying there too long." Professor Ozpin nodded at her. "Would you like to play a game of chess tonight? I finally found my pieces after having the missing so long." Professor Ozpin looked around shiftily.

"Of course I will join you. I am free tonight after all the mountain of paperwork. Where did you find your pieces?"

Professor Goodwitch shot him a disarming smile, "Well, it seems there is an amusing story about that…something about a certain headmaster using them in initiation…" Professor Ozpin hummed and turned to go on his way, "Perhaps tonight he can prove he's better instead of leaving the game half played." Professor Ozpin walked away a little faster.

Professor Brun Howlzer double checked the tablet, scrolling through it with a stylus. Team RWBY had come to him to get some stuff to take on their mission. Pretty standard recon and resupply if he remembered the mission details. "Hold up there Long. You've got the wrong box." Yang paused, holding up a medium size wooden crate. "It's that cardboard one over there." Yang plopped the box down back where she found it and moved over to get it.

"So Professor Howlzer, do you know anything about the place we're going?" Yang asked, "Professor Ozpin made it sound a little too simple."

"That's just Ozman in general." He waved his hand dismissively with a smile, "Everything is simple when you're Ozman. At least, until Glynda appears." This caused Yang and Ruby to giggle a little as they moved around the storeroom. "But seriously speaking, where are you kids going anyway?"

"We're going to the Rosa Korsa estate." Weiss walked past, carrying a small hard case of dust crystals.

"Whoa, that's out in the middle of nowhere." Professor Howlzer looked up in surprise. "You sure you kids are up for that?"

"We're ready for anything Professor! Besides, I think we're bound to go out somewhere far eventually. Might as well make it now, right?" Professor Howlzer smiled at nodded at Ruby's enthusiasm.

"Well. I can tell you that Rosa Korsa is quite literally the house in the middle of nowhere. The nickname most hunters use for it is Hinzerhaus. It's a good stop point for long patrols, and I think Ozman keeps it supplied with emergency stuff…" he lightly tapped a wooden crate filled with medical supplies with his foot, "Just in case someone needs to use it."

"How safe is it to be using it like that?" Blake asked, "It's out in the middle of nowhere, and you would think that the grimm would have taken over it."

"Yes, well. No one's quite sure about why Hinzerhaus is like that. Grimm avoid it as much as most people, which is odd given its history." Professor Howlzer went back to checking his clipboard. "Alright Yang, take that crate next to you and put it on the dolly over by the door." Yang nodded and hefted up the box of bagged, ready to eat meals.

"So, why do you think that is?" Blake continued.

Professor Howlzer shrugged and checked off a few things from the tablet, "Probably gives the grimm the creeps as much as it does us. Saying the manor "has seen better days" is putting it mildly. The place is old." He put an emphasis on the last word.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I don't want to scare you kids on your mission, but that place gives everyone the creeps. It's an old house and it comes with all the quirks of an old house."

Yang interjected, "Oh, so it's like totally haunted then?! That sounds awesome. I've always wanted to meet a ghost…"

"I didn't know you were interested in ghosts and specters, Yang." Blake looked at her boisterous partner.

"And punch them." Yang finished, causing Blake to face palm loudly. "But seriously, you make it sound like a total traditional haunted house!"

"Well." Professor Howlzer started, "We all have different experiences. I always chalked it up to the house being old. Creaky floor boards, doors that squeak, wind that goes through window cracks. That sorta thing. But Rina—I mean, Professor Alabaster, thinks otherwise. All the times we were posted out there for a mission, she's told me a different story each time."

"Story?" Ruby tilted her head and looked at her physical education instructor.

"Yes. Professor Alabaster is certain she…hears things there. Hears and sees things. Like seeing shadows moving themselves, or doors slamming or opening themselves. One time she woke me up during her watch because she heard footsteps outside the guestroom." Professor Howlzer ran his hand through his long black hair. "Granted, she's a little jumpy mouse sometimes."

"That sounds…totally awesome." Yang grinned.

"I'm suddenly not so sure about this…" Ruby groaned. Leave it to them to get the haunted mansion mission. "I think I've watched enough horror movies to know where this is going."

"I'm not saying its ghosts. But…considering how many reports and accounts we've collected over the years…I'm not sure if it isn't anymore." Professor Howlzer shrugged. "It's probably a combination of boredom, isolation, and the house being so old that's making people see things. I wouldn't worry about it. We can fly out there any time we need to."

Team RWBY stood idle for a moment, processing the information. "Speaking of flying…you kids should probably get going. It's not a short flight out there, not the route that the pilots can safely take. You should get your stuff, prepare yourself to stay there for the time being, and be ready for…well…anything weird." They nodded to Professor Howlzer as he left, pushing the dolly loaded with their mission supplies and gear to the landing platform.

They prepared for a long mission, taking a spare set of clothing, toiletries, and other personal supplies. They also decided to bring along some cards to kill time during their downtime.

All the meanwhile wondering: was it possible for a house to be haunted?

Notes:

So this is going to be an experiment in writing. I've never written horror/suspense. I've personally never written horror before, though I've always find the writing to be very interesting - and compelling - if properly done. I'm aiming for more suspense than gore and viscera. I'll probably be messing with the canon, since, well most fiction ends up doing that anyways.

As to when this takes place...well, realistically this is between Volumes Two and Three. Anywhere else and it just seems a bit off. Nothing crazy has happened yet, but we'll see where it goes from here. There'll be a few OC professors and characters, but the main focus is going to be on team RWBY.

It's different from my other works, and I'm hoping to at least get some writing experience out of this project. I can't really say if I'll have it updated as regularly as other stuff, since Hearts of Iron IV has taken over my life.

Thanks your your time! Hopefully I don't muck this up too badly, eh?

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY and canon details.