Quick A/N
this is set in an AU, and you will pick up the differences quite soon. Some other stuff about the AU is located in an Authors Note in Chap 2.
I do not own the cover image, it belongs to ElectroKineticArtest on DeviantArt ( art/Ruby-Rose-Headphones-RWBY-388854919)
Enjoy Reading!
There once was a world known as Remnant.
In Remnant, there were four Kingdoms. Vacuo, Mistral, Atlas, and Vale. These four Kingdoms served as protection from the creatures of Grimm, nightmarish creations with no soul, who strive for nothing but the blood of the free races of Remnant.
In the Kingdom of Vale, there was a city of Vale, ruled over by a Queen of Vale. And next to this city of Vale, there is a forest of, you guessed it, Vale.
It is here that we begin our story.
A flash of red, or perhaps black, and that's all you see. Ruby Rose, Huntress-in-training and the youngest Huntress to be accepted to Vale's school of Hunters and Huntresses, was very, very, fast.
Perhaps too much so.
"Ruby! You're going too quickly - you and the target are nearing the edge of the range of my telepathy." Glynda's voice spoke, a not-so-welcome difference from Ruby's usual Spotter, Nora Valkyrie. Nora was sadly hospitalized and not fit for spotting, so Ruby's instructor, Glynda, had to step in.
A "spotter" is the guide of a "Huntress". Spotters were gifted with special abilities to be able to see through the eyes of a willing individual, sense their hosts surroundings, and speak to this host. In special cases, they can even do much more than that. Sadly, there are drawbacks - a spotter can mean disorientation to the Huntress, and it can leave both the spotter and it's host extremely drained after the telepathy ends or when the host runs too far from the spotter, thus ending the telepathy. However, the advantages are great. Spotters, using their ability to sense their host's surroundings, were incredibly useful in gaging situations and improving combat performance by sending incredible amounts of information to their host. When the host and spotter were not compatible, though, the effects were lessened somewhat.
"That's even more reason to run fast, Glynda," Ruby reasoned, speaking aloud. "Besides, this target is priority-one, right? If I don't catch him - or her, I guess - I'm out of the school." Sure, it was dangerous to talk back to a teacher but she would much rather face the consequences of that rather than break her streak of successfully recovered targets.
Ruby could only hear what Glynda wanted to transmit into her mind, but she could've sworn that she heard a sigh. "..fine. I presume you are familiar with the fatigue that you will have to endure after the link breaks?" Glynda was strict, but she wasn't mean. She understood better than anyone what would happen if the target wasn't recovered.
"Yeah!" Ruby lied. It can't be that bad, right? "Warn me, though." Ruby was already somewhat fatigued - this target was by far the fastest she had ever had to chase, forcing her to exert her semblance to even larger limits. Why she was sent, instead of a senior Hunter or Huntress? This question remains to be answered.
"Three.." Glynda began, sending as much information about the target as she could before the link broke. "Two.."
Ruby braced herself, slowing her speed momentarily so she was ready for the break. Eh, it'll be fine. Huntresses and Hunters in training were required only to break their link while either asleep or fully rested. In those cases, Ruby didn't feel much. During a chase? Easy as eating a piece of cake.
"One."
Ruby didn't like cake very much.
Black spots swam in her vision as she stumbled, praying thanks that her aura had protected her legs from this immediate deceleration. It was like being punched in the stomach fifteen times after being drugged with some sort of sleeping pill. The Huntress-in-training doubled over, promptly hitting her head on a tree and stumbling a few more feet in that same direction, barely managing to not fall over and pass out.
Until her feet met nothing, and she was falling.
On a normal day, this would not be an issue. She'd use her aura to shield herself from the impact, maybe walk out with a bruised knee, and continue chasing. This was not a normal day. This was a two hundred meter cliff, and she didn't have enough energy to tie a shoe, much less break her own fall.
Ruby's tired mind raced through possible solutions, and cursing herself for stupidity. I should've just sat down! That's basically the easiest thing in the world to do! I should've rested for maybe a minute and continued chasing, but nooo, I had to continue running. Now I'm dead, and all that's going to be left is a red blob with a cape on top, and people are going to point at it and be like "Yep, that's Ruby Rose, she fell of a cliff and died! Don't do drugs kids!" And that's if they find me! Is it going to hurt? I hope it doesn't hurt. End my life quickly, whatever god is out there. I wonder how far I've fallen? Am.. am I falling?
Ruby cracked open an eye, seeing the ground a few feet below her. She wasn't falling. She was.. floating? It was really comfortable, actually. Like laying on a feathery bed.
"..And here I was, so worried about who they're going to send after me. But no, apparently my father decides "yep, let's send this fourteen year old kid with a pinecone for a brain". And somehow, that's worked better than whatever else they could send, because I had to come back and help you. You stupid.. dolt!"
The voice sounded female, and ended with a huff as well as what sounded like someone kicking the ground.
"Fifteen.." Ruby mumbled.
"What?" The voice responded.
"I'm not fourteen. I'm fifteen." Ruby says back, a little louder. I think this is my target. If I can keep her distracted while I regain my strength... my life may not be ruined after all.
Well.. she did just save me, though. Maybe..
No! Becoming a Huntress is my dream - I can't give up now!
"Oh, 'cause that makes a difference. You're still young, and that was my point. Young - and inexperienced."
"Fifteen and a half, if that helps my case."
The voice let out an angry sigh. "Fine! Just inexperienced, then, if you care so much."
There was a few seconds of silence as Ruby was lowered to the ground, nearly causing her to groan because of how uncomfortable it was compared to the cushion of air holding her up a few moments ago.
Ruby struggled to get up, only to be pushed back down. It was soft, though. Not like a shove.
"Ah-ah-ah. You must be worth something, if they sent you instead of a more experienced Huntress. I'm going to use you as a bargaining chip, since there's no way I'm going to be able to run after spending all my energy. Even if I was fully rested, there's no running at this point. If I can't leave stealthily, I can't leave at all. May as well turn myself in and wait for another chance, if using you doesn't work."
"You're a priority one target.. Do you really think using me is going to work? And can I at least sit up?"
On second thought, I probably shouldn't encourage her to leave me here.
"No, and yes."
Ruby sits up, blinking a few times and looking up to the figure.
She seems young, like me. Sixteen? Seventeen, maybe?
The girl was entirely clad in white, her clothes remarkably unscathed even though she had just been running for the past half hour. She also didn't seem that much worse for wear in regards to her energy, though she said that she was nearly out of aura. The most notable feature about her were her piercing blue eyes, searching every inch of Ruby's body.
Ruby, for some reason, felt woefully inadequate next to her. It almost felt like the other girl was exerting some sort of aura of.. superiority.
They stared at eachother for a good minute until Ruby was overcome with awkwardness. She looks away, towards the ground.
"So.. I'm Ruby.."
"Weiss." Weiss says curtly, tapping her foot on the mossy ground. While the forest of Vale was by no means jungle-like, it was rather grassy and had many trees, like a stereotypical forest. This particular area, though, held many more trees, nearly enough to completely block out the sun above, sunlight only showing through in mottled patches. It was actually rather calming. If Ruby and Weiss were here in different circumstances.. well, their meeting would be a lot less tense. "So.. you're young. Is the Huntress school taking in children these days?"
Ruby tried her best not to feel insulted. Though, the comment only made her feel smaller next to Weiss. She's so brave. Does she know that she's going to get captured and tortured, if not worse? "No, I'm just kinda.." Ruby attempts and fails to find a way to put it that won't make her sound like a narcissist. "Good at it."
"Good at hunting people. At fifteen."
"And a half!" Ruby protests, grasping at straws to defend herself against how inadequate she felt.
"Ruby, what do the Huntresses do?" Shouldn't she know that? Everyone does.
"We're the Kingdom's special forces. We use our strengths to hunt down the nation's enemies and perform reconnaissance." Ruby responds.
"What if it wasn't like that? What if Hunters and Huntresses used their strengths to help people, to protect humanity - and the faunus, sure - instead of fight amongst themselves?"
"But we do help!"
"From your perspective, sure. But imagine what the people you're hunting down are thinking - they think that what they are doing is right. And you're stopping them from doing that. If a Hunter or Huntress from another nation captured you, they would be "helping" their own nation. But from your view, they'd be an enemy. What if, instead, we all helped each other, against the common enemy - the Grimm."
After a calm conversation, Ruby was left wondering why this girl was priority one as a target. Now she had her answer - a political radicalist. After the Great War, Vale was left in quite a political turmoil. Since it was still so fragile, radicalists were often "silenced" as quick as possible.
It's not that Ruby necessarily disagreed or agreed, it's just that.. She didn't want to have to choose. She wanted to help her kingdom, and to do that..
The Huntress-in-training grabs her Nullifier, flaring the last of her energy into her semblance to stab it into Weiss's leg, the two-pronged tip puncturing skin. The Nullifier was a tool that if applied, will prevent the usage of aura and also paralyze weaker or tired out targets after a few seconds. Ruby hoped that Weiss was one of the two.
Weiss's eyes widened as she was stabbed, caught off guard by Ruby's attack and internally cursing herself that it happened. I thought she wasn't like the others. I made a mistake.
"I.. I trusted you!" Weiss spat. "I saved your life! And this is how you repay me? I.. you.." Weiss slumps forward onto Ruby, who catches her and slowly lowers her to the ground.
For the first time after a chase, Ruby felt regret.
I'm sorry.
"Ruby, are you okay?" Pyrrha spoke, looking with concern towards the young huntress-in-training. Pyrrha was the de-facto leader of the group of five - well, four. Yang was currently out on a mission, as she has been for the last few days. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, both also training as hunters/huntresses and spotters, had their own reasons for not taking the role of leader, and Ruby herself felt that she was too young to assert herself properly. Yang was very assertive, and definitely shared some of the leadership and maternal qualities that Pyrrha had, but she lacked the aura of quiet confidence that Pyrrha seemed to exert.
Ruby picked at her food, not feeling particularly hungry. She also didn't feel like responding. In fact, the only thing that she felt like doing was marching up to her room and sleeping.
The group of five shared a common house. It was rather large, with a common area, a kitchen, five medium-sized bedrooms, and even a basement (Ruby refused to go down there after the rat incident) and served as a living area for the group for the last three months. They had all been accepted at the same time, and various common interests and shared personality traits had brought the group together quickly after training started. It's like a second family, Ruby had once thought.
"You haven't been eating or sleeping well," Pyrrha continued, clasping her hand over Ruby's, "I'm worried about you. We all are."
Ruby was not exactly sure how to respond. She wasn't one for lashing out, and she wanted to talk, she really did. But how could she even start?
I wish Yang were here. Pyrrha's nice, and she tries to help.. but she's not my sister.
"I'm sorry that I can't help, and that I don't know what to say. Whatever you're going through, if there's anything I can -"
Pyrrha was cut off as Ruby started talking.
"It's okay, Pyrrha. I'm fine. Just.. a rough assignment."
"Rough assignment?" Pyrrha's face dawned with comprehension. "Do you mean, the priority-one a few days ago?"
It was generally taboo to talk about a past assignment in the world of Hunters and Huntresses, but between friends, it's usually shared anyway.
"I... Pyrrha, do you ever feel bad for the people we hunt?" Ruby asked, looking up at the red haired girl.
"Yes - it's completely normal, Ruby. But.. you need to keep in mind, they aren't like us. We hunt for a reason - to protect the greater good, and to save lives. The people we hunt are.." Pyrrha searches for a good way to put it. "Evil."
"From our perspective, sure." Ruby snaps back, almost immediately. She was taken aback by the speed of her response, as was Pyrrha. It's like I'm repeating Weiss. Is that good? Bad? Am I being mind controlled? "We think those people are evil, but from their view, we are evil. So who's right?"
"The person who is right is the person saving lives, Ruby. Us." Pyrrha says firmly. "Ruby, where are you getting this? Who did you hunt?"
"How do we know we're even saving lives?" Ruby ignores the questions, "We're never told the big picture, Pyrrha. All we're told is the appearance and abilities of our target and to hunt them. We aren't told any of the details. So how do we know we're right?"
"We know we're right because Vale still stands strong today. Without the Hunters and Huntresses, surely it would have fallen."
"And who tells you the state that Vale is in? The same people that make us hunt, Pyrrha. The same people that force us. Are we heroes keeping peace, or are we weapons of war, pointed at the enemies of Vale so someone else can claim a victory?" Ruby's voice has been raising this whole time, from her usual soft voice to what's near a shout.
"Ruby." Pyrrha stands up. "I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, nor am I discussing this matter at all any more. What I am going to say is this - you're my friend. I trust that whatever you're doing, you think is right. However, others will not share the same view. So whatever you're thinking about doing.." Pyrrha's face softens, "please, stay safe. For me, for Yang.. and for yourself."
"I'm not thinking about doing anything, I jus-" Pyrrha shushes Ruby, holding up a finger to indicate silence.
"Someone's coming."
"Nora and Ren?" Ruby guesses. The duo had been out today, something about trying all the pancake shops in Vale.
"They're supposed to be gone for another two hours. Besides, it's only one pair of footsteps."
The house that the group shared was not in Vale - it was directly adjacent, bordering the forest of Vale. Thus, footsteps were not something heard every day, as missions were granted inside Vale. Someone coming to the house means something important.
"I'll answer the door." Says Pyrrha, walking up to the doorway. After she was a few feet from the door, three loud knocks were heard. Pyrrha opens the door, seeing a "runner", or a courier sent by the Huntress Academy.
"I have a message for Ms. Ruby Rose - is she here?"
Runners meant bad news. They meant very, very bad news.
"Uh.. yeah?" Ruby appears from behind Pyrrha, and is handed a sheet of paper from the runner. "T-thank you?"
The runner simply nodded, turned around, and began to walk away. Pyrrha closes the door, then turns to Ruby, a worried look on both the girls' faces.
"What is it?" Pyrrha asks.
Ruby looks at the letter and begins to read aloud.
"Ms. Ruby Rose,
I am deeply sorrowful to inform you that this day, at 6:32am, Yang Xiao Long was reported dead in the field on a reconnaissance assignment in a terrorist organization in the West of the Kingdom of Mistral.
My deepest condolences for your loss,
Signed,
Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, Huntmaster and Huntmistress of the Vale Huntress Academy"