RWBY AU: Of Sparks and Embers

Author's note:

The following is a work of fanfiction and should be disregarded in respects to RWBY and any given canon. Literally reading this will do nothing for your experience enjoying the series, this is an outlet for creativity. You have been warned.

Addendum : This fiction is written assuming the reader is familiar with the events of RWBY as well as its setting and characters.

Chapter I : The Shining Beacon

A yawn escaped my mouth, exhaustion still spread through my limbs. Today is my first day at Beacon Academy, and the airship was set to depart ridiculously early in the morning. Given, my first thought was that I might have a chance to sleep on the way there, the commotion on board made certain I would be having none of that. All around me were what felt like hundreds of aspiring huntsmen and huntresses, barely beyond their early teen years. Children, is what they all are. I'm no exception. I'd been attending Signal Academy for the last few years, and saw a few of my classmates chose to move forward to Beacon as well. Most of my friends chose to move on to Haven Academy instead, to be closer to home. I wasn't surprised, that would have been the logical choice. I had to do things the hard way though. I knew I'd miss them for a while, but the Vytal Festival was later this year, so it wasn't like I wouldn't get to see everyone again. Shaking my head in an attempt to return myself to the waking world, my thoughts drifted to the previous week.

I'd gone back home to a village on the outskirts of Mistral. We had our fair share of problems, being so far away from the kingdom. Ultimately, we had enough travelling huntsmen and huntresses that came by to keep the town safe from Grimm. That said, it was pretty common for the children to wind up seeking education further and further away, maybe just for the change in scenery. I fought to get my family to approve my choice of Beacon over Haven, and even I felt my reasoning was pretty weak at best. I just wanted to explore the world, see as much as I could, and do some good along the way. Nobody was happy with the decision back home. Mom got furious with my thoughtlessness, and Dad wasn't too pleased with how far away I was going to be. Maybe I hadn't left home on the best of terms. Even up to the last day back home, I felt like I was the one in the wrong for choosing to do what I felt I wanted to do. I wanted more than anything to be just like the heroes and heroines I always heard about. Of course, every town had their local legends, but a part of me wanted to be a driving force of good in the world. Once again, the feeling of excitement kicked and ignited in my chest. There was an urge of restlessness as I stood, ignoring the drowsiness from moments before.

I felt a great blaze of determination, knowing that when I finished my training here at Beacon, that I had to show the fruits of my training to my partner and rival, Yuuki. She was my closest friend, one I knew from my earliest years. I remember the days of playing with toy swords with her off in the woods, always coming back with scrapes, cuts, and a little bit of blood by the end of the day. But it was always our dream to make it big in the world, and make the world a better place. She followed me all the way to Signal for all the time I spent there. I thought we'd get to be together forever, but time has its ways with people, unfortunately. Circumstances came up and she had to continue onward with her schooling at Haven academy. However, I felt an unbreakable bond between the two of us. I could feel her heartbeat pounding in unison with mine as we both sought for the same thing, and ultimately, I felt just how long the months would be until we could meet once more. I'd promised to give her something to be proud of, and determination swelled again.

I walked the bridge of the ship, taking in the view. At first, I saw my own reflection if only faintly. I had been wearing a black dress, accented with red and gold along the edges. It happened to pair well with my black and white overcoat, given that with fall approaching, everything was getting colder. My swords' handles reflected in the glass pane as well, both resting on my back via magnetic strip. Once again I thought of how stupid early I had to wake up just to get ready. It was honestly a wonder that I'd managed to even dress myself, let alone make it on time. I looked at the window again, and let my vision shift to the environment behind my reflection. Mountain sides spread wide across the landscape, and off in the distance, the ocean. It brought both feelings of serenity, and of fear spawned from heights. Immediately I regret my decision and turned around, walking back to an area where there weren't windows literally everywhere. As I passed by, crowds of people murmured their minds openly without abandon. One voice caught my attention though, and made me stop in my tracks, if only for a second.

"Look! You can see Signal from up here!" the girl exclaimed. I turned my head in the direction I thought I heard, and saw my old academy. It was then I realized I had been walking by the infamous "Firecracker". That nickname I'd only heard a few times, from a couple of other students under Instructor Qrow. Anyone who knew that name knew that Yang Xiao Long was although a barrel of fun, a crate filled with trouble. She was always a nice person, up till someone made the wrong move and nicked off even a sliver of dead hair. I thought how crazy the story was, how quickly she could get angry over a single strand, and even more that she wasn't shedding hair everywhere she walked. The younger girl next to her hardly looked alike. Clad in red and black, a cape like that practically screamed "Qrow was here". Maybe they were related? I hadn't the faintest idea.

Before I could entertain the thought further, my view and my attention were drawn away by a blonde guy making desperate haste for the nearest trash can. I took a step away to let him dash by, all the more glad I did. The poor boy was practically dripping with vomit on his sweater. Not long after, the momentum in the air changed. I felt everything slow down slightly, as if our ship was nearing its final stop. I sighed, trying to ease off the tension and anticipation that was tightening in my chest, and continued back toward the hallway. No more time for being scared, no more time for regrets. The future was ahead of me now, and I only thought of an old saying that brought me back up from the ground over and over again.

"Just keep moving forward."

One by one, students poured into the auditorium. Every face that came through was filled with hope, determination, and most likely, excitement. I looked around, but unfortunately no familiar faces struck out to me just yet. Out of old habit, I reached in my back pocket and retrieved my scroll. Streams of messages, names and photos flooded my screen as usual. Everything faded quickly though, as all my tabs and windows on screen minimized to make room for one large box. Vibrations trembled through my hand as a familiar tune rang through my ears. I quickly ducked outside and swiped the screen, placing it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked.

"I hope you have fun with your new school, Leona Vermillion. Don't worry, all the arrangements have been taken care of." A distorted voice on the other line spoke.

"Wha? Just who are you?" I asked.

"You'll know what you need, when you need to know." the voice replied. With that, the call dropped dead.

I put the scroll back in my pocket and stood there, just staring into space. Just who was that? Who would call me like that and on top of that who out there knew me by name? I couldn't think of anyone who'd leave such a cryptic message. Worries and anxiety came rushing into my mind as it slowly realized the shock. It was a harmless prank call at best, a danger at worst.

I continued to stand there, dumbfounded. I snapped back to my senses when I overheard a couple of students. Not clearly enough to tell what they were saying, but enough to at least tell they were there. I turned around and sighed. There was no sense worrying about things now with so little information, but I'd have to come up with something soon. I shook my head and looked up to see the girl clad in red and black walking with the blonde boy that vomited on the ship. The sight was only for an instant, before long they were already beyond my view. I followed suit and re-entered the building, troubles heavy on my mind.

Following the opening ceremony, there was free time before lights out. I wandered about the courtyard, looking for a place to just sit and unwind. There was a lot of information to take in. Hell, I didn't even know where to start. I found a column by the fountain and propped my back against the wall. Slowly, I slid down until my legs gave way and I sighed in a slump. As if it were an unconscious reaction, I reached over and drew my dual gunblades, Rend and Tyr. Rend was a gunblade modeled with the eastern styles found in the outer villages to Mistral, while Tyr was a blade with a shape more common to Vale smiths, like a longsword. And I brought together these two aspects when I made them. I couldn't help but feel a bit proud once more, before the feeling from before came back.

All I wanted to do was just stare at them, and bring myself to my center. There was always a sort of calming effect they brought to me, just by staring. Maybe it was because I made them with some unconventional parts, more personal techs rather than usefulness. Or rather, it may be because I poured my all into them, and they represented me when I held no doubts. In any case, I felt as though I were brought back to the past. I remember going over weapon designs with Yuuki back at Signal, and her insistence that I combine it with a gun. I couldn't understand why, she just told me "Every decent weapon nowadays is also a gun. Just depends on how strong you make the calibur. Gotta find that fine tuned balance, or else the whole thing will fall apart."

Balance. That word echoed in my mind, and every time I saw the blades, I thought of how well she helped me find my balance. There always was a sense of duality associated with me, for better or worse. Every so often, I felt a swell of emotion from deep within me, almost like someone else was there. This used to happen over and over again since as early as I could remember.

There was once an incident where I became overwhelmed by these feelings, and I don't remember any of it. It was around the time I first met Yuuki, when I was about eight years old. We got into a scrap with a couple beowolves, and I blanked out. I don't remember what happened after that. Instead when I came to, I was broken and beaten, battered to a bloody mess, and Yuuki was pressed up against me, holding me as tight as she could. We weren't dead, but something happened, and I don't remember what. When I asked her about it, all she could tell me clearly was that it felt like I was a completely different person. That I wasn't the same person from before until after the fight ended. Almost like there was another me, it seemed. That's ultimately what frightened me most.

There were definitely other instances with this feeling. I felt it on a daily basis, in fact. Every day it felt like I was lying to myself and everyone around me to appear as I wished. Yuuki helped me get through those times a lot. Her strength gave me courage, and led me to finally learning why it was important to have self expression in the first place.

I exhaled a deep breath. Melancholy set in, and I knew I had to start moving before my thoughts turned to the negative. I brushed off the dirt from my clothes as I got up, observing my surroundings. There was a person before me, staring at my blades.

"C-can I help you?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry. Just couldn't help myself, I like weapons a lot. It's kind of like meeting people, but better." they said.

I wasn't sure what to make of it. The person before me was definitely the girl from the ship. And was that comment meant to be a positive introduction?

"You don't say…?" I asked, trailing off from the end of my sentence.

"I can see you made them with a lot of care. They're practically brimming with love and strength~" she continued.

"Why thank you." I made a slight bow. This girl was a little odd, but that's fine. She seemed friendly enough, if not a bit socially awkward. Reminded me of myself.

"What are their names?" she continued to stare.

"Oh! Uhm, well… The eastern looking one is Rend, and the western one is Tyr. I had a close friend of mine help me pick out the designs." I replied. A thought ran through my mind the moment I finished my sentence. "Why did I bother mentioning that? That basically felt like pointless information to drop." I sighed internally, opting to just live with my inability to socialize properly.

"oooh, those are so cool!" she exclaimed. It took all but a second for her to reach back and draw her own weapon. I saw a complex machine unfold and a huge scythe formed. And of course, at the tip was a gun barrel. Everything really is also a gun it seemed.

"Very impressive." I nodded to her. " How about yours?"

"This is my sweetheart, Crescent Rose. It's not just a scythe, it's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle." she spoke rapidly almost as if the line were rehearsed.

"That looks super complex, how did you even manage that?" I asked, dumbfounded at the blade before me.

"Well, I had a lot of help from one of my teachers back at Signal."

"Woah, woah, wait up. You went to Signal too?" I was taken aback. This girl looked a bit young to have been in my class, and I didn't remember her from my classes.

"Yeah. I kind of got moved up two years unexpectedly." she looked down at her feet, as if not wanting to admit it.

"Well for what it's worth, I'd say it speaks volumes about your ability. Besides, not many people I know seemed to like Qrow's classes." I laughed.

"Yeah, scythe users aren't exactly common. But I mean, Uncle Qrow was always nice with me." she beamed with a bright smile.

"He's your uncle?" I practically felt my jaw hit the floor. "That certainly explains it. I thought you were practically a carbon copy."

"You think so? I've been trying really, really hard to make sure I remember everything he taught me." She laughed once, as if to herself.

"You must have been successful then." I gave her a thumbs-up. She put Crescent Rose away, as I sheathed my blades as well.

"What's your name?" I asked. I realized I'd been talking with this girl for some time now, and hadn't even bothered to ask who she was. "Mine's Leona."

"Ruby." She replied.

"Well Ruby, it's been a pleasure meeting you and Crescent Rose. I'm sure I'll see you around soon" I giggled a bit as I bowed and turned to walk away.

Several hours had gone by, and time for lights out is coming up soon. Just like Professor Goodwitch instructed us, the first-years gathered in the ballroom. There certainly was a sense of uncertainty and anticipation in the air. Most of the other students were reciting rumors on how teams would be determined, though none seemed to actually know for certain. I hadn't the slightest clue myself. I was tired, though not nearly enough to fall asleep. Now was a good time for me to try talking to someone, make some new friends. Potentially seek out my would-be teammates tomorrow. Not that I knew what to look for.

I walked around the hall with some of the other students who must have been thinking along the same lines as I was. Something caught my eye, a momentary glint of light. I turned and walked toward where I thought I saw it. No matter where I looked though, all I found were students unpacking, in pajamas, or otherwise already asleep. Before I realized it, I wound up at a wall, having walked past the last row of students. I turned around and tried to look across the room again, and just couldn't figure out where I saw the light from. I took a step and felt a presence, as if someone were behind me. It didn't make any sense of course, given that I already had my back to a wall. A chill ran down my spine, and I made a beeline to the nearest doorway. Once I got outside I turned a corner and sat against the wall, my breath running only the slightest bit short.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." an unknown voice spoke, yet I couldn't see anyone or anything nearby.

"Show yourself!" I called out. Suddenly before me was a short boy, dressed in a strangely multi-colored pajama onesie. He had layered blonde hair, or so I thought. From the moment I thought I saw a color, its' shade changed almost immediately. Within seconds, it appeared to be transparent.

"Hm. You're a little tall compared to most of the other girls here." he said, looking up and down at me as if I were being scanned for something.

"Excuse me?" I was taken aback. Even though his statement wasn't directly an insult, it certainly felt like one. "I'll have you know I'm only 5'6 thank you."

"Huh? Oh, no no no I meant no insult. Just making observations." his head twitched a bit while he stood there, posed.

"You sure have a funny way of doing so. How could anyone not think you were being a creeper?" I retorted, feeling steam flowing out of the top of my head.

"Bad habit of mine, apologies. Too much fun, the idea seemed." he seemed to be nervously twitching.

"By chance, are you a faunus? Chameleon I'm guessing?" I asked, desperate to get the topic off of him endlessly sizing me up.

"Certainly. I do also like playing pranks from time to time, but the ability to blend in certainly helps." He fixed his posture and stood upright before bowing.

"Advance apologies, but by chance, are you a boy? Your height and shoulders seem to-" he began to ask. I never gave him the chance to finish. I slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

"Advance apologies my ass! Just what is your deal?" I was practically fuming by this point.

"You're the one who asked the invasive questions first." He spoke, gritting his teeth as he shook his head.

I let out an audible sigh as I calmed myself down a bit. "Maybe I did." I sighed again. "Alright, I'm sorry I hit you, you just kind of...creeped me out. Like, a lot."

"I get that a lot, my bad. Sometimes I don't realize I'm blending in. Usually when I pick up on it, I get an urge to pull a prank. Harmless ones at that, but otherwise still funny." He laughed a bit as he finished his thought.

"So why'd you follow me? Just a prank?" I asked.

"Nah. I mean the prank was part of it, but I had...a hunch." He put his hand to his chin and hummed for a moment. "Call it an instinct if you will. I've got this feeling that you've got something going on. Something big. Maybe you aren't even aware of it yet. But I suspect things might be a little more interesting if I follow my gut."

"That's...one way of putting it I guess. What's your name?" I eased up my posture a little. "I'm Leona."

"Vert." He held out his hand for a handshake. I returned the gesture with a slight smile.

"I hope we get along, however tomorrow's initiation goes." I nodded.

"Same here. You're the first person to not run away from me so far." He laughed to himself.

"Well, maybe prank people less and you'll make more friends." I couldn't resist the urge to point out the obvious.

"It's in my nature, can't help it really." He smirked.