"Mom! Yang won't give me back my beowolf doll!"
"Aw, come on Ruby, why you gotta tattle on me?"
"Cuz you're being a jerk!"
"Girls!" Summer Rose's voice cut above the bickering as she stood, hands on her hips and one brow raised at both her daughters. Lavender and silver eyes respectively blinked up at her, one more guilty than the other. "Yang," she continued, her voice firm but not unkind.
The six year old blonde sighed before turning her gaze back to her sister, holding out the stuffed animal. "I'm sorry, Rubes," she apologized as four year old took it from her.
"It's okay." Summer Rose watched as both girls shuffled their feet, Yang looking sadly at her younger sister until the smaller of the two gave a small smile. "You want to play with us both? I don't mind sharing," she offered with a gap-toothed smile.
Yang's face instantly lit up in a megawatt smile, and Summer couldn't help the fond expression that slipped onto her face. These two, she thought, thick as thieves.
The door was suddenly slammed open, causing the three occupants to jump. "Tai! What's-" She cut herself off at the look of pure panic and fear on her husband's face. Her own silver eyes widened, a feeling of absolute dread settling in her stomach as she looked from her husband to the two children looking to them both and back. "Are they coming?" she asked, already moving the girls to her and Tai's bedroom.
She didn't actually need an answer.
"Summer, hide the girls! We don't have much time!" He barricaded the doors and windows, knowing there was no time to run and no use. The Empress's elite would hunt them down before they even made it a block down the road. He ran back into the bedroom where his family was, as Summer was holding both the girls tight in her arms, tears streaming silently down her face.
She gently urged them under the bed, a tight fit even for Ruby but they made do. Yang holding onto Ruby's hand as Ruby clung to her beowolf. "Whatever happens girls, no matter what you hear or see, you can't make a sound," Tai spoke quickly as he lay down so he was eye level with both his daughters. "Don't come out from under here until you can't hear anyone in the house, and even then, be really quiet." He shook his head, blue eyes closing momentarily as he took off his prized gauntlets and handed them to his eldest. "Yang, you look after your sister. Do you understand me?"
"Dad, what's going-" She was cut off by some vicious pounding coming from the front door.
"Yang, do you understand?"
The tinier blonde bit her lip, eyes tearing up as she nodded, her grip on her sister's hand tightening while her free hand took the weapons from her father. Taiyang shared a look with his wife, giving her nod, before glancing back at the girls. "We love you both. Take care of each other."
Ruby curled up on herself as both her parents' boots disappeared back into the living room. Her silver eyes were shut, fighting back tears and failing as lavender eyes watched and she listened, waited. The sound of crunching, splintering wood filled the night air. Ruby audibly whimpered and Yang let go of her hand to rub soothing circles on her back like their mother had, even as the sounds of a struggle persisted. Amethyst orbs watched the bedroom door intently, until the sounds of their mother screaming made her flinch and she looked away, unable to cover her ears as she used both her hands to cover her sister's.
It felt like it went on for ages, until there was suddenly silence. Tears stung her eyes again but she pushed them back as booted feet sounded once more, heading in their direction.
The boots were definitely heavy duty, custom made and black as a raven's wing with red line down the side. But it was the blade, dripping crimson with blood that Yang could not tear her eyes away from, even as the boots stopped right before the bed, facing it, them.
Then a second pair of boots made themselves known at the door, his own red tinged sword still out. "Ma'am," the second pair started.
"We're done here," the woman replied her voice cold and indifferent, flinging her sword in an effort to get some of the blood off of it. Yang watched as it splattered on her mom and dad's bedroom floor. "I'll expect you to report to the Empress that Taiyang and Summer were dealt with accordingly," she continued and Yang heard rather than saw the woman's sword slash through the air and a swirling, red mass now sat in the midst of the now useless bedroom. The tiny blonde watched as both sets of booted feet stepped into the mass and then...they were just gone.
Yang waited. She waited, no longer holding her sister's ears as Ruby silently shook and trembled next to her. The people were long gone, as was the yelling, and the screaming. The six year old's muscles were stiff and tense as she slowly, carefully crawled out from under the bed. The dark haired girl whimpered but Yang gently shushed her, letting her know she was just checking to see if the coast was clear.
The young Xiao Long took a deep breath and stepped out of the bedroom carefully...and nearly vomited. Blood was splattered everywhere, two giant pools surrounded two severed torsos and limbs. So mutilated where the faces that they were unrecognizable even to the child that had looked at them everyday for as long as she had been alive.
The blonde...just stood there...until reality set in... Ruby...take care of Ruby. That's what she needed to do. Dad told her to do that. Slowly, she made herself look away from the gruesome sight, made herself march back into the bedroom, and she made herself tell Ruby to come out from under the bed as she grabbed her father's gauntlets from under there as well, slipping them onto her hands for now.
"Where's Momma and Daddy?" Ruby, looking smaller than she was, still shaking, looked up at Yang with big, wide mercury colored eyes. Yang didn't know what to say, so, pushing back tears, she untied the orange bandanna around her neck and then proceeded to tie it around her little sister's eyes. "Yang, what are you-"
"Just trust me, Rubes." Her voice was hoarse, and Yang herself barely recognized it. "You don't want to see." She could see, even with Ruby's eyes covered, her expression fall, and she thought perhaps the implications were setting in, even if Ruby was still too young to truly get it. With a deathgrip on the younger girl's hand, she carefully led her back out into the small living room of their home. Ruby flinched, clutching her stuffed toy tightly to her chest.
"Yang, what's that smell?"
The blonde hadn't noticed that before...but now it was more than apparent, the metallic tang that now pervaded the air. She didn't answer, helping Ruby step over a limb here and go around a puddle there before they walked passed the broken door and into the night.
*Five Years Later in Atlas*
The ten year old sat and watched from her spot on the bed as her older sister packed their suitcase. Her hand reached up absently and touched the now bandaged side of her face, where a scar would no doubt form given the proper amount of time. It wasn't news to the Schnee heiresses that their father was an overly tyrannical man. Jacques was overly focused in every aspect of his family's lives, their posture, their manners, how their attitudes reflected on him. Everything had to be perfect, not a single toe out of line, a single hair out of place. Yet, everything was not perfect. His wife was an alcoholic driven there by depression and his daughters were never enough.
Everyone in the Schnee manor followed the patriarch's wishes, mostly without question. Their butler, Klein, was always kind to the children. It was just the way things worked. This, however; didn't stop Winter from disagreeing with the head of the house on more than one occasion, especially when the matter involved Weiss. Each one of her outbursts were met with sharp 'disapproval' from the man. Defiance wasn't a choice.
Not until today.
A day that had started out common enough, and had quickly took a turn. After getting showered and dressed the girls had made their way into the grand hall of the estate to find it cleared out, except for their father and a giant suit of armor that stood at the end of the hall, thrashing and swinging it's sword at the cage that held it. The cold steel of the armor was matched only by the look in Mr. Schnee's icy blue eyes as he stared down at his daughters. Weiss swallowed nervously from her spot behind Winter.
"This will be your opponent today," he spoke, gesturing vaguely behind him though the subject of this announcement did not need to be clarified. "Perhaps this will be the encouragement you need."
"Father-"
"I don't remember asking for you to speak, Winter." The eldest child clenched her fists and her jaw but said nothing more. Both father and the oldest daughter were ushered to the side, out of harm's way, leaving Weiss all alone in the middle of the room. The tiny thing held Myrtenaster in her hand, pointing it toward the foe that had not yet been unleashed.
"Begin."
With that command, everything was set in motion as the gheist possessed knight was released and he charged forward, giant sword clasped in his hand and ready to swing down onto the youngest Schnee. She managed to dodge the strike with some finesse, her grip on her rapier tightening. She swung for the knee joints, before using one of her sigils to jump away as the giant's fist came down and crashed into the ground where she had once stood. The next glyph was used to propel Weiss forward and up, Weiss intending to knock the knight's helmet off but she was blocked with the bigger blade, and the knight's free hand backhanded her, sending her flying across the room.
The girl cried out, aware of the pain that wracked her body, as well as the sting on her face.
"Get up!" Jacques barked.
And so she pushed herself up, whimpering as her body protested. She faced her opponent once more, blood slowly dripping down and forcing her to shut her eye. She panted, and she could hear Winter protesting to their father off to the side. That would cost her later. Shakily, she held her blade up in front of her, the chamber in it spinning until it landed on the Dust she wanted. With one last flick of the blade, she sent her glyphs out to restrain the monster, a feat which used up most of her remaining energy, and used her Dust coated rapier to slice the knight in two, ending the fight.
She collapsed to her knees, her heartbeat rushing in her ears, the place on her face throbbing as some of the blood slid into her mouth as she panted. She spit it out onto the floor as she felt Winter rush to her side. The elder sister kneeled down and inspected the damage, blue eyes softer than they had been all morning as she reassured Weiss, telling her she had done well.
"You'll do it again."
Winter looked up at their father sharply. "Father, Weiss needs-"
The slap that echoed off the hall walls cut her off, and Weiss found herself holding tighter to her sister as Jacques leaned over them, but once again Winter met his gaze with defiant eyes, even as her cheek turned red.
"This is the second time today I've had to reprimand you for speaking without permission," he warned. "You will allow me to continue your sister's training."
"No."
Jacques wasn't the only one who froze at the word. Winter could feel Weiss's once limp body tense within her hold. "Excuse me?"
"I said no." And this time she made sure to state each word as plainly as possible. Weiss wished her sister would stop. This wouldn't end well if she kept pushing. She could do it again. She could fight again. She really could. Even if her body protested and ached anew at the very thought.
There was a moment of silence and then Weiss was dismissed from the hall, which Klein helped lead her out of, and Winter was left alone with their father. Klein had bandaged her and assured her that Winter was a tough girl. She'd be alright. But the sinking feeling in her stomach just twisted and writhed. Hours later their bedroom door opened and indeed Winter came in. Weiss was relieved until she realized Winter was covered in bruises and limping as she went to their shared closet and pulled out their suitcase.
Winter looked over at her sibling as she closed the suitcase and locked it. "You ready?"
Weiss had never been more ready for anything in her life.
The sisters managed to escape with Klein's help, sneaking through the mansion in the dead of night and avoiding any security that may have been lurking about. And eventually they even made it out of Atlas, and headed toward Vale.
But even there, they weren't safe. Because of their status as foreigners, as well as Schnees, the two young girls were tormented by the locals who hadn't taken kindly to their father's business practices. People of all walks of life despised their family for one reason or another. It wasn't until a red eyed man found them that they caught a break.
*Nine Years Later in Vale*
Life was never fair. Life was never kind. Those were the absolutes of the world. Being one of Empress's White Fang assassins had beaten that lesson into her head from a very young age. This world was kill or be killed, survive or die. She was not her own person. She was one of many, a Faunus amongst other Faunus and humans in this crazy world, in this elite assassins hierarchy. She belonged to the Empress, and had from a very young age. She belonged to him, and had for a few years now. At least, according to him she did.
In her time amongst the rank of the White Fang, a collective group of humans and Faunus trained from a young age to fight and kill for the Empress, Blake had accepted that what she wanted didn't matter, despite everything her parents had told her. She could die and no one would notice, except maybe her... partner, for a brief moment.
He would; however, notice without a doubt if she was late. And it never ended well when she was late. The thought caused her to shiver as she trudged down the street, one arm wrapped firmly around her middle. Her shoulders sagged with the weight of everything that was pressing down on top of her.
She been one of the top candidates that had walked out of the White Fang training program alive, had excelled in her combat, had become a lethal weapon, uncaring for the life that was ripped away by the blade of Gambol Shroud. Her mentor... her partner basked in the carnage. Every drop of blood only brought a smirk to his face.
And this was the man that had...
Her arm hugged her stomach tighter, the thought of what he had - what they had done causing the girl to feel sick.
She shook it off by the time she came to the rendezvous spot, what was actually their - Adam's base of operations given to him by Salem for being such a loyal member of her was where his sector of the White Fang usually met. And there he was when she opened the door, sitting by the table that showed a map of Vale. Blake made sure to note that Wilt and Blush, his sword and sheath, sat against the wall behind him, not quite out of his reach.
The bull Faunus straightened to his full height upon her entrance. His expression unreadable, blue-grey eyes ironclad in their secret keeping. Blake's own amber eyes shifted to the ground, even when she heard him move and begin to pace. She shifted nervously. She knew what to expect in these quiet moments, what would happen when he started to act like this. Her skin was still marked from last week's lesson. This time was different. Something in the pit of her stomach was asking her to run this time. But that would be seen as an act of betrayal.
Not that her meeting with the leader of Night Raid had been any better. Letting them walk away alive was even worse.
Adam finally stopped in front of the ravenette, his lean frame towering over her. Her ears were flat against her skull and back, almost hiding in her hair. He knew. Of course he knew. He had to know. Adam was the type of person who liked to keep tabs on his personal pet.
"Seems like a lifetime ago when I pulled you out of the rubble."
"City of Xion," she answered. "There were many losses that day."
"Not for me," the redhead replied, brushing the comment aside. "I'd gained a talented and beautiful soldier that day that would later become my right hand." He chuckled, but it held no humor. "You were so brave in the face of death, even as a child. I thought I had found someone I could call partner." His jaw clenched. "I've trusted you, depended on you, but now all I see is contempt in your eyes." He took a threatening step forward. "Why would you turn your back on me? I even had the decency to share my bed with you."
Blake could feel the room's atmosphere twisting and thickening with tension. "I have betrayed nothing," she tried.
"Oh, and meeting with one of those rogues is, what exactly? Fennec and Corsac saw you! Where is your loyalty?"
"Where is yours?"
Adam raised his hand, intending to strike but stopped, instead pointing an accusing finger at his subordinate. One last chance to fix this, he decided. One last chance for her to say she regretted everything and apologize. "If I ever learned that insurrection spread among my ranks, if I ever discovered that my men and women conspired against me... I would burn them to the ground," the older Faunus said deliberately.
Blake shook her head, meeting her superior's eyes for the first time.
His fist clenched. "Kneel."
Normally, on any other day, this would be where she'd submit, where she'd give in, save herself the fate of a worse beating than she was already going to receive anyway. After all, that's really all he wanted, her submission, her body, her autonomy. No. Not this time.
"No."
The word had barely left her mouth before the first of many hits came. His fists connected with her skull. His booted foot connected with her stomach, her back, her ribs. All Blake could do was try and stave off the worst of the damage, but it was no use. By the time he was done, her breathing was ragged, and all she could see other than stars was the darkness starting at the edges of her vision. Her hands clutched at her midsection, sharp pains coming from that general area of her body.
"I'm...I'm..." Blake began, spitting out blood. "I'm preg...nant...pregnant..."
The last thing she remembered before her world went black was the way Adam's eyes had widened minutely before fury flashed across his face.
Alright, so me and my brilliant partner in crime, Speedy, are trying something a bit new this time around. In a way. See, I watched the first three volumes of RWBY back in July, and I think around that time is when I watched Akame ga Kill (at Speedy's behest) as well. And after some pouting and gentle nudging and possible begging I got her to watch RWBY back in December because I wanted her help with this fic (needless to say she's now hooked.) But we had to finish our other two ongoing stories before we could get to this, obviously.
A couple things I want to state about this "crossover," some rules if you will, just in case they never come up in the fic. Aura...is not something everybody has. Everyone still has their respective semblance (possible tweak here or there) but aura is not a thing for every character. However, I made a slight exception to this rule. Due to the nature of Yang's semblance, she does have an aura.
Second of all, while the Grimm are prevalent in this world, but will most likely not play a huge role, even with Salem being the Empress of all Evil stationed in Vale.
We have not made any final cut decisions on which side characters (like SSSN, CFVY, the professors, Oz etc) will be in this story, so we'll all be surprised if any just happen to show up.
And this may be a dealbreaker to some of you... but I removed the gun function from a lot of the weapons, except for Ruby due to her being a sniper. Guns just don't really work in my mind if you're meant to be an assassin/ninja.
I'd also like to just state that this is not the only time there may be TRIGGERS in this story, so tread carefully.
Anyway, we hope you enjoy this story. And please leave a review if you do.
We out! Peace!