The Hunters of Beacon: The Seeds of Doubt
Chapter 1
'So this is what a semester break feels like... Bored out of my skull in a house where I seem to stay more often than my own brother. Speaking of which I should text him and make sure he isn't in the hospital again sometime later. Anyway where was I? Oh right, being bored. Or I could clean... But in order to do that I need to find where I put that cord for the surround sound system. After all it makes everything go smoother than without it.' And that's where this begins, with me laying in a tangle of cords. Not to say it was frustrating but it seems that no matter how one organizes this things they always end up a mess. I eventually gave up on organizing them. Now back to the task at hand. I got up from laying on the living room carpet and walked to the last place I remember actually leaving it, on the end table next to the T V. As soon as I got there it was indeed still there and so was the laptop it was supposed to be connected to. I moved the mouse and it immediately awoke. Of course I never unplugged it from the wall unless I was at school. I found my music app, pressed play and to my joy Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue began blaring inside the whole house. Oh what a day!
Around the same time in the RWBY dorm...
"Yang, we've been trapped here for nearly two months now. Are you sure we can't call someone and hang out with them." Ruby whined laying on her back on the floor.
"Well we could go hang out with Matt." Yang suggested.
"That's a great idea. we haven't even talked to him since the semester ended." she then snapped out of her excitement. "But didn't he say to call ahead?"
"What's wrong with a surprise visit?"
"I don't think he likes surprises all that much..." Ruby said quietly obviously concerned about her elder sister's idea of a surprise.
"Rubes you worry too much. What's the worst that could happen? I mean after all we did kinda surprise him with Velvet. He took that rather well. I think he'll be fine." Yang stated confidently.
"Ok. I hope you're right."
"Well thanks a lot ye of little faith."
That's when Ruby threw a pillow at Yang and started a pillow fight.
Much Later that day...
Across the continent in Atlas, Weiss Schnee is sitting at her desk, in her large, fully and I must say elegantly furnished room waiting for the day she could go back to Beacon. She missed everyone; even Yang surprisingly, but who she missed the most of all was Ruby. Without Ruby it seemed as if the world had gone dark again. While she talked to Ruby at least once a day it wasn't the same as having her physical presence and to hold her adorable dunce. As Weiss thought about Ruby she realized that she still hadn't told her family that she was currently dating a girl. After all her father wasn't the most open minded of people. His blind hatred of the Faunus was a prime example. He believed they were animals to be used a slaves; not people capable of thought and emotion. Winter might understand considering that she's no where near as closed minded as her father. But the matter still existed; she had to tell them if only to get it off her chest. She made up her mind long ago; that her father wasn't going to control her life. She threatened to expose him for the murderer that he is. Obviously he didn't want those secrets to get out but neither did he want to kill his daughter. So he let her have her way. She was going to avoid it by going back to Beacon early. She knew that avoiding it would never make it disappear, yet she couldn't bring herself to tell her family. Not yet... The sound of her scroll ringing brought her out of her thoughts. It was a message from Ruby.
'Hey Weiss, how have you been since we talked this morning? I know I shouldn't constantly pester you but I was wondering if you'd like to come back to Beacon a little early? Matthew has a few team based exercises that he'd like us to try along side JNPR and he's got Velvet trying to convince Team CFVY to join us even though they are a bit ahead of us. Well I hope I get to see you soon.'
Weiss was ecstatic that Ruby had given her this opportunity. She immediately started to pack everything she needed and get away from the troubled place known as home and the company she was destined to inherit. Running to and fro from her closet and dressers, yet still taking the time to fold everything neatly. It would have been quite the spectacle if one had just met Weiss and her many habits.
After she had finished Weiss had realized that she had never sent her response to Ruby. She quickly typed her message to Ruby.
'Of course I'll be there! If I didn't show up then something would probably explode. But also because I love you.'
A few hours before this...
Ruby and Yang were taking a cab out to Nevermore Valley with Ruby admiring the scenery. She stared into the green and brown colors of the trees, fields, and various houses blurring by as they sped across the countryside. Her mouth was hanging open in the fact that she'd never been over to Matthew's house and could have never imagined that he lived in an area surrounded with all of this nature considering that he really isn't much of a nature person. In the distance was the wall that cut off the city from the failure of Mountain Glen. And what she saw was in front of the gargantuan barrier were a few small houses. Yang on the other hand had learned throughout her experiences that not everyone was what they appeared to be. Maybe the peace and quiet appealed to him? She'd have to ask eventually. Right now there was a more immediate problem. Yang didn't have enough money to pay the driver... She'd have to ask for Ruby's help or perhaps even Matthew. Neither idea really sounded appealing but she was left with no other options.
"Hey Ruby I have a question... Would you mind helping me pay the driver? I don't have enough..." Yang asked sheepishly.
"Seriously Yang!?" Ruby shouted. "Fine I guess but you're gonna owe me big time for this! I was saving this money to get Weiss a gift. But all you do is jump at any opportunity! You never think to prepare, double check, think ahead, or even read the fine print!"
"Alright Ruby..." Yang said with a frown.
Ruby immediately noticed the change in Yang's mood and realized that she had really hurt Yang with her shouting.
"Yang?" She asked apologetically.
"Yes Ruby?"
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell at you."
"But you did Ruby... I ruined your chance to get Weiss a present and your right about everything. I'm always doing this. You probably think like most others, that I'm a party girl. That I don't really have a care in the world..."
"I never said any of that. I just want you to pay me back and then take Weiss and me shopping."
"Oh... So I just made that monologue for nothing?"
"Kinda, but it felt like you meant it. So maybe it wasn't all for nothing."
"Thanks Rubes." Yang said reaching over and giving Ruby a bear hug.
Then Yang decided that she needed to know what Ruby wanted to get Weiss.
"So Rubes what are you getting our local Ice Queen?" Yang said with a wink.
Ruby immediately began to blush and stuttered, "N-n-nothing!"
"Ruby... If you're getting Weiss a maid costume or something as equally skimpy, you can tell me." Yang said casually.
"Why would I tell you what I'm getting for Weiss? I've known you for most of my life and you love blackmail."
"Ruby I understand how love goes. You're both moving forward in your relationship and who am I to hold that over you're head?"
"You approve of us?"
"Of course, as long as she makes you happy and doesn't wrong you."
"So this means I can fulfill one of my dreams and get Weiss and myself maid costumes?" She asked hopefully.
Yang shook her head and sighed, looking at her sister and saying, "Yes Rubes."
"YAY!"
Matthew's house, Nevermore Valley, Around the same time...
First person...
After cleaning I decided to go wake up my brother and spar. The little twit was resistant because he was going to spend the day with his "friend". I say that she's more than a friend only considering that every time I bring it up they start sputtering out excuses, blushing, and what not. So their totally dating. I'd be proud if he'd ever admit it. Anyway so sparring was a bust so I tried to do the next best thing. I went out to the yard and then out the corner of my eye I see Yang trying to get her sister out of a tree in my front yard. I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head at the sisterly duo as Ruby looked over at me with a pout.
"Matt, stop laughing." Ruby shouted from across my lawn puffing her cheeks.
"Rubes calm down. Maybe if you ask him kindly he'll come over here and help me get you down." Yang said managing to contain her laughter.
"Fine!" She shouted embarrassed. "Matthew, would you please help me down?"
I couldn't help but continue to smile, "Of course Ruby."
I jogged over there and examined the tree to see which branch she was caught on. It didn't take all that long and soon after I used my semblance to break the branch off and like I expected Ruby came with it. They both came to a stop on the grass with a dull thump. Ruby was a bit dazed from hitting the ground and having the small tree branch fall on top of her. As she was regaining her bearings Yang and I had burst out laughing at what had just happened. Yang was wheezing by the end of it all and Ruby was trying her best to look threatening to the both of us. Well she only succeeded in making herself look adorable with her glare. After Yang had stopped rolling in the lawn we all had walked inside and they saw a rifle cabinet loaded up with various loaded rifles, to their left a modestly furnished living room, and directly in front of them there was a wooden dining room table with two computer cases and various computer parts and tools laying around it. Ruby immediately took notice of what I had on the table and sat down right in front of the shiny black gaming tower. Yang had left apparently searching for the bathroom.
"What's this your doing?" Ruby asked her eyes gleaming.
"Building my new computer to have in the dorm."
"But look at this hardware! I could never afford this..."
"Ruby, you'd be amazed at what you'd find if you have enough patience and some luck."
"So what would this be used for there?"
"Well I haven't quite figured that part out. But I'm sure I'll figure out something." I then thought for a moment, "Why don't you try your hand with the older equipment I have in the other case?"
She looked to the case right next to the gaming one. It was a simple black case with what looked like it had a hinged door on the front and two blue LED lights on and the audible noise of the fans spinning.
"What was this one used for?" Ruby asked.
"Well that was the one I had in my dorm along with a laptop. I learned during the semester that it wasn't really up to par with modern technology so I brought it back here to be used as more of a multimedia computer rather than gaming or HD video editing type." I paused for a moment so I could gather my thoughts. "Now that I think about it that thing has only sat there and played music since I brought it back here. How the mighty have fallen..."
I looked over to her and saw her turn the case to its side and open it. She looked like a young kid in a candy store whilst examining everything working in perfect sync, just as if it were any other day.
