Author's Note:
Warning: The following fanfic contains some (minor) spoilers from RWBY and Fate/Stay Night (worth of spoilers are subject to debate).
This is my first fanfic so I would appreciate it if people kept the flaming down to a low level (hopefully to the point where it's non-existent). Getting that out the way, the past and future of the RWBY characters are just speculation at this point. When more information about the characters is released (e.g. more episodes) I'll come back and rewrite the chapters. In a nutshell, I'm just guessing at this point. Some parts may seem OOC but I meant those. If you don't like it leave a reason on the review saying why.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or RWBY or the song Red Like Roses. All rights go to their respective owners.
[EDIT] 29/10/2013:
I have added the stat sheet for Archer. If you find something wrong with the stats then please tell me.
The Last Rose
Tohsaka Rin was not amused at the sight in front of her. Last night when her Servant was summoned for the upcoming Holy Grail War, the said Servant ended up appearing in another room after an explosion was heard. The room in which the Servant appeared was in a complete mess with a gaping hole in the ceiling. What made matters worse was the fact that she had tried to summon the Servant Saber for the war. Instead the Servant revealed its identity as that of the Archer class. After a few minutes of awkward silence between the two, the master decided to go to bed and prayed that she was just hallucinating.
The following morning Rin woke up and convinced herself that the events that took place last night were nothing more than a dream and that she would try the summoning ritual after school. The master headed to the kitchen for breakfast and opened the door and was not amused by what she saw. At the table was her Servant who was covered in a red hood and cloak. Under the cloak, Rin could make out that she was dressed in a black blouse which was accompanied by a skirt with red trimmings. What didn't amuse Rin was the fact that her Servant was eating large quantities of cookies followed by several glasses of strawberry milk.
'You have got to be kidding me,' thought Rin before she decided to interrupt the glutton before she caused more financial problems for the Tohsaka family.
"Excuse me," asked Rin as she sat opposite her Servant. "But what do you think you're doing?"
"Huh!?" said the Servant before she started to choke. She quickly grabbed the glass of strawberry milk and drank it in one go.
"Let me ask you again. What do you think you're doing?" asked Rin as she smiled sweetly at the Servant who started to become embarrassed that she was caught stuffing herself.
"Sorry but it's been a long time since I got to eat cookies this good," said the Servant as she rubbed her head sheepishly.
As she rubbed her head, the hood that was covering her face fell backwards and Rin got to see her face properly. Rin noticed that the girl opposite her was not that much older than her and that the Servant had silver eyes and her hair had a few red streaks in it.
"Um…" started the Servant as she shifted uncomfortably under the gaze, "I know we kinda got off on the wrong foot last night but I'll introduce myself again. I'm the Servant Archer for this war. I'm gonna guess that you're my master?"
"Yes, I'm your Master."
"Um…Do you have a name I can call you by?"
"Tohsaka Rin, but I prefer that you call me Master."
"Um…Do you have any plans or strategies for the war?"
"Yes. All we have to do is to defeat the other Servants and Masters."
"Um…Can you please stop staring at me like that?" asked a very nervous Archer after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"What do you mean?" asked Rin as she kept on staring at the unfortunate Servant.
"It's kinda starting to scare me," said Archer as she started to wish that she was somewhere else at the moment.
"Well, you see Archer," said Rin as she smiled again. "Thanks to a certain Servant there is now a destroyed room with a hole in its ceiling. There is also the fact that groceries will need to be bought thanks to the same Servant eating a lot. I'm just wondering how the Servant is going to pay for it."
Archer took that as her cue to dematerialize.
Rin watched a young Archer train in a red forest with a man she called her uncle. She was surprised when she saw the girl pull a large contraption that was hidden by her cloak and was even more surprised when she found out that the device was a gun and that she could use it with deadly precision. However the look on Rin's face was of seer disbelief when the gun transformed into a scythe.
'You have got to be kidding me' thought Rin as she saw gun-scythe hybrid weapon that Archer wielded.
Afterwards she found out that Archer designed and built Crescent Rose which was the name of the weapon and Archer provided to be highly adept at using it though nowhere near the level of mastery that her uncle had. During Archer's training with her uncle, the Master watched her Servant as she fought against the creatures of darkness…the creatures of Grimm. She watched as the young Archer fought against them, even to the point of exhaustion but still she continued to train. Her reason for doing so: So that she would never again have to watch the death of someone she cared about.
Years have now passed by, and after stopping an attempted robbery Archer was admitted into a prestigious academy which trained warriors on how to fight against the creatures of Grimm. Rin watched on in shock as the Headmaster launched the students into a forest filled with Grimm and shock turned to horror as her Servant and partner were attacked by a giant bird. Horror turned into amazement as her Servant led a small group of students into defeating the giant bird.
'Only you could come up with a plan that crazy' thought the Master as she watched Archer deliver the finishing blow to the bird.
Rin watched her Servant as she became a better fighter and an even better leader throughout her stay at the academy. She couldn't help but feel a certain amount of pride in her Servant as she watched Archer overcome every trial, hurdle and hardship with her team and friends supporting her, and she supported them in turn during their hardships. However those days would not last forever.
Rin felt the familiar tug on her conscious as she moved to the next set of memories that her Servant had but was horrified at what she saw next. The scene changed to a snowy forest which had barren trees but what horrified the Master was that in a clearing the remains of several Grimm lay around the area, slowly disintegrating into the air, and in the centre of it all was the broken, bleeding body of Archer. As Rin tried to comprehend how this could have happened to Archer, she managed to hear the faint voice of her Servant.
"-ike…-fills…-ings…-he…"
Rin strained her ears to hear more of what her Servant was saying.
"-st…-ld…"
Rin strained her ears even more but there was no sound for her Servant had passed away.
"Master!"
Rin opened her eyes in shock and looked around her. The snowy, barren forest was gone and in its place were the familiar sights of the living room in the Emiya household.
"Hey, are you ok Master?" asked a concerned Archer.
"W-What do you mean?" stuttered Rin as she tried to look away.
"You were crying."
"H-Huh?" sniffled Rin as she wiped away her tears. "It was nothing. Just a bad memory."
Archer looked doubtful at what her Master had said but accepted it nevertheless.
"Then whenever you're ready we'll go and get Saber's Master back," said Archer as she left Rin to dwell with whatever was on her mind.
"Archer! What do you think you're doing?!" screamed Rin as the ceiling of the Einzbern Manor fell in-between Master and Servant.
"Saving your lives!" yelled Archer as she jumped backwards to dodge a punch from Berserker. The force from his punch left a massive crater in the floor of the manor but the shockwaves from it were enough to throw Archer in the makeshift barrier almost knocking her unconscious. On the other side of the barrier stood an injured Saber who was supported by her Master, Shirou, and Rin who stood shocked at what just happened.
"Why?" was asked Rin in quiet voice.
"Don't let her sacrifice go to waste," gasped Saber as she clutched her sides.
"What do you mean by sacrifice?" asked Shirou as he held onto Saber but not before quickly looking at the direction of the gunfire and inhumane yelling that occurred on the other side of the rubble.
"If all of us tried to escape Berserker would have killed us. However, if one of us bought the others time…" said Rin before forcibly dragging Shirou and Saber as they ran towards the door. As they reached the door Rin turned around and shouted "Don't you dare lose to a mindless brute, Ruby!" Rin once more dragged Shirou and Saber but not before they noticed the tears in her eyes.
Archer stood with her back towards the rubble-wall and aimed Crescent Rose at Berserker. "Sorry Master but I might not be able follow that order," she said quietly.
"Do you think that a mere Servant like you would be able to defeat the mighty Hercules," boasted the little Master of Berserker.
Archer changed Crescent Rose into its scythe form much to the surprise of the little Master and walked towards Berserker.
"An Archer that uses a scythe?! What is she doing? Berserker, kill her before she does something!" said Illya. Berserker would have complied if it weren't for a small piece of his mind that wasn't touched by the Mad Enchantment. Something warned him that if he took a step forward he may end up losing a life.
Archer continued to walk forward and as she did so, she pulled up the hood of her cloak. This scared Illya as what walked towards her was not a Servant of the Bow but a young woman who would be the perfect incarnation of the Grim Reaper if the cloak was dyed black.
"Berserker! I order you with the Command Seal to kill her!" screamed Illya.
The Command Seal made an immediate effect on the giant but as he stepped forward to kill Archer she was gone. In her place were rose petals and he then suddenly felt sharp pain on his ankles. He sensed the enemy Servant behind him but as he turned around rose petals were once more in her place and once again felt sharp pain near his waist. This continued as Berserker tried to keep up with Archer only needing a hit to kill her while Archer tried to avoid his hits by wounding him enough so that she could finish it. After what felt like minutes to the two Servants it was actually a matter of seconds to Illya. She watched as Archer disappeared only leaving a trail of rose petals wherever she went. She knew that Archer was doing enough damage to Berserker but would it be enough to kill him.
Suddenly Berserker was on his knees and Archer appeared in front of him with Crescent Rose in its gun form.
"I'm sorry" said Archer as she was about to squeeze the trigger-
Only for Berserker to quickly punch Archer. The force from the punch was enough to throw Archer into the makeshift barrier and destroy it.
"You have got to be kidding me," groaned Archer as she tried to move herself but her injuries were too severe for her to move. She looked up to see the wounds that she inflicted on Berserker but was shocked to see them heal and that he got up and was slowly approaching her.
"That's his Noble Phantasm God Hand: Twelve Labours," explained Illya with glee. "It allows him to resurrect up to eleven times. He also becomes immune to whatever killed him before. You were foolish to try and buy time for your friends because I'm going to kill them anyway."
"I died before protecting my friends and I'm willing to do it again," said Archer. 'This isn't good' she thought. 'Looks like I'll have to use that. I'm sorry Rin. I just hope you can forgive me.'
Rin, Shrou and Saber tried to put as much distance between the Einzbern Manor and themselves when they suddenly heard a familiar voice singing.
Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.
Rin stopped to look back at the manor with tears in her eyes but soon resumed running.
"Tohsaka. What's happening?" asked Shirou as tried his best to keep up with Rin with Saber leaning on him.
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
"It's Arc-no, Ruby's Noble Phantasm," replied Rin quietly.
"What does it do? I mean, like, is it dangerous?"
"Ruby's Noble Phantasm is strange one," as Rin tried her best to explain. "In exchange for boost in strength, agility and other stats she forfeits her life."
"How is that possible?" asked a barely conscious Saber.
"I know it's a strange one but I know that she would be willing to give her life to save others," said Rin as the trio ran deeper into the woods.
"Black the beast descends from shadows," sang Ruby.
Illya sensed that what was coming from Archer were more than just words. "Berserker," she commanded, "Finish her now!"
As Berserker raised Nine Lives and quickly brought it down…
"Yellow beauty burns gold," sang Ruby before impact.
A strong gust of wind blew throughout the manor forcing both Servant and Master to close their eyes. When both opened their eyes they were amazed at what they saw. The destroyed interior of the Einzbern Manor were quickly replaced with snowy, barren forest.
"I-It can't be. She has a Reality Marble," stuttered Illya suddenly faced with the prospect that Berserker might lose. "Where is she?"
Suddenly Berserker roared and jumped in front of Illya.
"What are you doing?" asked Illya just as she noticed Archer.
Archer stood before the Master and Servant and took up a stance. What was different about Archer was that she wielded a different scythe. The scythe she wielded now was pure black and its blade twice as tall as her. She wore a white cloak instead of a red one and the emblem of a red rose was imprinted on her cloak.
"This Reality Marble is my Noble Phantasm. The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter," explained Archer. "How many lives do you think I'll take away before you kill me?"
Without any further warning Archer and Berserker charged towards each other.
Statistics:
Class: Archer
Identity: Ruby Rose
Basic Stats:
Alignment: Lawful Good
Noble Phantasm: Ex
Strength: B+ (A+)*
Mana: E (D)*
Endurance: C (B)*
Agility: B+ (A+)*
Luck: D (C)*
* See The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter
Class Skills:
Independent Action: B (A)*
Magical Resistance: E (D)*
* See The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter
Personal Skills:
Bravery: C (B)*
Clairvoyance: C (B)*
Eye of the Mind (True): B (A)*
* See The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter
Noble Phantasm:
The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter: Ex
Explanations:
The Last Rose of Summer: Thus Kindly I Scatter: Ex
It is the only Noble Phantasm in Ruby's arsenal. To utilize it, she sings a song; a song in which its lyrics mask the directions to the grave of Summer Rose. It is a Reality Marble which brings forth the location of where the last descendent of Summer Rose made her last stand protecting her friends. One could say that it was ironic. Ruby made the journey to visit the grave of her ancestor once more but this time she would join her ancestor in eternal rest. In this Reality Marble, Ruby wears the white cloak and wields a black scythe, both of which belonged to Summer Rose. In doing so, all of Ruby's statistics are raised by a full rank but only till the emblem of the rose on the cloak wilts away. Once the emblem disappears, Ruby would perish regardless of whether the enemy is defeated or not.
Lyrics:
Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
Black the beast descends from shadows.
Yellow beauty burns gold.
Author's Note:
In this chapter the bond shared between Rin and Archer would be one close to one shared by siblings. This would explain why Rin acted OOC in parts of the story since she would never have to hide her real personality from her Servant.
If I get enough responses or if enough people want it, I'll try and create a chapter dedicated to each member of team RWBY (and possibly JNPR) but updates will come out every two months (hopefully earlier) due to university.