AN: Hi, dear readers! First things first, thanks to all of you for the big numbers of follows and favs! I really didn't expect so many to be interested in this after only the first chapter! So, a big thanks to all of you!
Next, this chapter is only slightly longer as the first, but it felt like a good spot to end.
Other than that, not much to say, so enjoy!
gothboy-wxlf: Thanks for being the first to review! Also, I hope this story will live up to your expectations.
Tensazangitsu: As am I! There's so many aspects about this Ruby that will be different to the show's always positive and really sweet and cute Ruby Rose. I do believe that being raised by Raven will have a huge impact on this Ruby and she will adopt so many characteristics and views of Raven that she will be a hugely different person altogether compared to the Ruby we know. Also, is that name a Bleach reference? :P
Never before had Ruby seen the world from such a height as she did now, sitting inside of an air bus on her way to Shade Academy. Of course, there was the occasional airship that she would see as it flew by but seeing the ground below her from so far away was something different and fascinating to her. In such a short time so much in her life had already changed.
Growing up as Raven Branwen's adoptive daughter certainly wasn't an easy experience but it was still something she had grown to cherish. It came with expectations and a sense of duty to the tribe. It came with lots of tough love but not without the tender moments in between. It came with the knowledge that whatever she did would also reflect on her mother.
There were times when she struggled to cope with the training Raven put her through. She never was in mortal danger, obviously, but Raven still made sure to make the training hurt.
"You think your enemies will go easy on you, Ruby? You think your enemies will say 'she only has training experience, let's not hit her so hard?"
She also remembered times when Raven's training had her bedridden for a week, her aura still untrained as it was doing very little to protect her. As the time went on however, Ruby grew more and more determined to prove herself to Raven and the tribe. When she first started training once she reached her sixth birthday Ruby definitely was one of the weaker children; she could admit that much.
She got beaten easily, she cried a lot, she didn't want to hurt others. Two years later her attitude had changed thanks to a lot of one-on-ones with Raven.
The Branwen tribe's chieftain was the reason- probably the sole reason- why Ruby was who she was today, and she was forever grateful for that. Despite knowing that she still had ways to go Ruby was aware of her strength, of her cunning, of how ruthless in battle she became. She also knew that all those changes from the innocent child who couldn't land a hit without apologizing for hurting the other kids to who she was now were thanks to Raven.
With only fifteen she now was an experienced fighter compared to many others. Her mother shaped her, forged her and built her.
The woman who gave birth to her, the woman whom she wished she could have known in person, whom she wished she could have at least be able to talk to, was Summer Rose, her birth mother.
But- and that was the decider, the point that shaped her entire being- the woman who raised her, who became her mother in every sense aside from giving birth to her, was Raven Branwen, chieftain of the Branwen tribe.
In her blood she may be a Rose but in her very being, her very soul, she was a daughter of the Branwen tribe.
But sill, a last connection to her birth mother was what she craved. She wanted to know what it was about those academies that Summer Rose was so intent on joining them. Having the same training as her birth mother would mean so much more to her, both in maybe gaining some understanding to the kind of person Summer Rose was. She knew that Raven was more of a mother to her than any other person could ever be, having saved her from certain death and taken her in, but Raven also knew where Ruby was coming from. There was nothing wrong with wanting to learn more about the kind of person the woman who gave birth to her was.
Ruby also understood that maybe her curiosity would be sated or maybe it wouldn't, but one way or another she would graduate from Shade with the experience and knowledge of a huntress and her tribe would profit from it. After all, wasn't that why the tribe sent Raven and Qrow to Beacon all those years back?
I'll make you proud, mother, Ruby thought to herself as she gazed out of the window of the air bus, I'll come back to my family even stronger.
It took the better part of an hour for the air bus to arrive at Shade Academy. Ruby wasn't sure what she was expecting but it certainly wasn't a building that looked like some kind of temple in the middle of an oasis.
Once she got out of the cooled interior of the air bus she was hit again by the heat of Vacuo. The entirety of the Academy seemed to be made of stone as it was surrounded by a large body of water and a big number of palm trees strewn across. It was a far cry from the environment she usually was used to.
"Come on."
Looking to her side, she saw Nolan nodding towards the building, indicating for her to follow him. When he saw her walking towards him he started walking up the ramp of the air bus station.
"How does it work?"
Nolan gave her a questioning look. "How does what work?"
"Applying to the academy."
"Oh," the redheaded boy nodded in understanding, "that. As far as I know it's different for every academy and since Vacuo is, uh, more liberal when it comes to rules and laws and stuff, they don't ask you to formally apply but to do a few tests. I'm not sure what kinds of tests they ask you to do though."
Whatever those supposed tests were going to be, Ruby wasn't overly worried. Of course, she was hoping for anything physical, ranging from hand-to-hand combat to any other forms of fighting tests. She was confident that she would be easily successful in those sorts of tests. Since the teen never went to any school though, she wasn't entirely sure how successful she would be if there were to be any written tests. Raven did teach her a lot of the basics of any school curriculum she could think of and she knew almost all there was to know about Grimm but still- if she had to choose between physical and written tests she knew what she would pick.
As they got closer to the building the entrance became more and more visible. In a stark contrast to the almost ancient look of the academy's exterior the entrance was very modern in both its design and safety standards.
The door opened with a low hiss, allowing them both inside. Once the heat was replaced with a pleasantly cool temperature Ruby couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, making Nolan chuckle.
"Despite what everyone says, you never get used to this desert's heat," he grinned at her.
Ruby glanced at him from the corner of her eyes before her attention was drawn to an information and service desk, a young woman with short blonde hair sitting behind it. Making her way quickly to the desk Ruby gained the woman's attention.
"Welcome to Shade Academy! How may I help you?"
"My name is Ruby Branwen and I wish to apply to Shade Academy."
"Of course! Do you have any identification?" The woman asked with a smile and reached her hand out once Ruby handed her scroll over.
The ID only held the barest of information on her person, just enough that Ruby wouldn't accidentally confuse anything without giving away too much. Raven saw to that.
"You are only fifteen?"
Sighing internally, Ruby looked at the woman. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
Chuckling at Ruby, the woman shook her head. "Not really, no. It's just the last time someone who wasn't at least seventeen years old got accepted was over twenty years ago."
"I am more than capable."
"That's what they all say. It's your decision though." The woman was concentrating on the screen in front of her while typing in the data from Ruby's scroll for a few moments before handing the little device back to the teenager. "There, your name's now on the applicants list. I have uploaded any information you need into your scroll. Make sure to read all of it. Applicants have their own quarters to stay in, the location can also be found on your scroll now."
"Thank you," Ruby gave the woman an awkward nod before turning away from her to check out the location of the quarters the woman mentioned.
The map of the building provided to her was more detailed than she expected and, not wanting to waste any more time, she was about to head towards there when Nolan stopped her once more. "So," he began, "did everything work out?"
"Yes," Ruby gave him a nod. "Although, apparently not many around my age who also apply here seem to be successful. But I will change that."
"You seem pretty confident."
"It comes with how I was raised," Ruby replied with a small smirk. It certainly did come with how she was raised. If Ruby hadn't developed confidence in herself and her abilities, she was sure that Raven would not have kept her around for very long. Raven always told her that the most important thing in becoming stronger was the confidence that one could become stronger. If Ruby hadn't developed that mental strength her Chieftain had drilled into her then she never would be who she was now.
"Now you got me curious."
Raising an eyebrow at him, Ruby took on a perfect imitation of Raven's commanding posture. "Keep your curiosity to yourself if you know what is good for you."
"Whoa, relax!" Nolan held his hands up in a placating manner.
"Good."
Without any further words Ruby left Nolan and, with the guidance of the map in her scroll, made her way to the applicant's quarters.
On her way there she took in her new surroundings. If everything would go as she expected, this place would be her new home. For as long as she could remember, home to her were camps; simple yet comfortable. She didn't have a lot of luxury in her life, if any, but she was used to it and never felt the need for it. Maybe it was a case of 'you can't miss what you never had' but it was what she knew and what she grew up with.
But in this building, there was so much going on, so many screens, so much brightness. It was a bit of culture shock to her, even as it did have her attention; her head swivelling left and right making it obvious.
She almost hated to admit it, feeling as if she betrayed Raven and her tribe, but she couldn't deny the tingling feeling of excitement deep down in her stomach. Despite that, though, she knew that she would not do what Raven's brother did. She would not betray her family, whether she enjoyed her time here or not.
She was a Branwen after all.
Once she reached the quarters Ruby took another look at the information handed to her and saw that she had to share the room she would stay in for the time being with a number of other applicants. It also said that the rooms weren't exclusively for girls or boys; instead, it would all be mixed. There was no surprise reading that piece of information, as it was first and foremost a kind of military school. Also, back in her tribe there was neither space nor time for modesty. More than once did she take a swim in lakes, wearing nothing but her birthday-suit, other teenagers of both sexes from her tribe joining her.
Growing up in such an environment had her grow into feeling comfortable about her body and nudity in general, so the arrangement of mixed sexes in the sleeping quarters wasn't anything that bothered her in the slightest. A body was just that- a body- after all.
Looking around her she saw a few numbered rooms; not many in quantity but she assumed they were big enough to house a decent number of applicants. After a while she found the one she would stay in for the coming days and immediately opened it before entering, causing everyone inside to turn towards the door to look at the newcomer.
Ruby gave her temporary roommates a once over before greeting them with a quick nod before she looked for an unoccupied bed.
"There's one farther in the back."
Turning towards the voice, she saw a girl a bit taller than her with dark blonde hair and violet eyes, wearing a green dress. "Thank you."
Not paying further attention to her, Ruby walked towards the bed the girl mentioned.
"You aren't really talkative, are you?" The girl asked, still following Ruby.
"No," Ruby replied once she reached the bed and sat down, untying her small bag and putting it on the bed.
She didn't take much with her; only a couple more pairs of her usual clothing, a few pairs of underwear, necessary toiletries and everything needed to keep her weapon functioning. If she needed more, her mother could always use her semblance to reach her instantly.
"Oh well. The name's Dew Gayl. What's yours?"
"Ruby Branwen."
"Dew, who're you talking to? The newcomer?"
Looking up, Ruby saw another girl with dark indigo hair and olive eyes joining her and the Dew girl.
"Yes, Nebula. This is Ruby Branwen and Ruby, this is Nebula Violette."
"Great to meet ya. Say, you look kind of young..." Nebula let the sentence hang there, her question obvious.
With a slight sigh, Ruby confirmed it. "Yes, I am fifteen, but I am sure that I can still join here."
"And why do you want to join early? Why not wait a couple more years?" Dew asked her, genuinely curious, which was something Ruby really didn't enjoy.
"My reasons are my own."
"Fair enough," Nebula shrugged at her before indicating for Dew to leave Ruby alone, which the younger girl appreciated. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Vacuo is a rough place and-"
Ruby chuckling made Nebula stop mid-sentence as she raised an eyebrow at her.
"Believe me, I can take care of myself just fine," Ruby smirked at the older girls with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Settling in in her new environment was a process Ruby found both strange and exciting at the same time. It was strange because nothing she experienced in her first night at Shade Academy was even slightly similar to what she was used to from her tribe. Even sleeping in an actual bed was odd and so foreign that she had trouble finding any shut-eye.
It wasn't the first time she slept very few hours though and she could run on little sleep; maybe not call on her peak performance but it would be enough.
Still, she was more than confident that she would have no trouble whatsoever in succeeding whatever the test were going to be.
She was a Branwen after all.
As she was standing in a great hall with every other applicant as the headmistress of Shade was giving a welcoming speech, she observed her competition.
Very few of those she could see seemed threatening to her while the rest gave off a very…average vibe.
Dew Gayle and Nebula Violette seemed to be very capable fighters, but she would have to see their command over their auras first, their semblances and how proficient they were with their weapons.
"Now, I am sure all of you want to know how we will determine here at Shade Academy who out of all of you is worthy to be trained here and prepared for their future careers as hunters and huntresses."
Ruby perked up as the headmistress seemed to finally be ready to address that topic.
"We change our tests every year, after all you always have to be prepared for uncertainty. Last year we took an example out of Professor Ozpin's, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, book and had our students go out into the desert, survive in pairs and find matching relics with their future teammates. This year, we will have two-on-two fights. Your partner will be determined randomly by our computer system. If you succeed, which means if you win your fight, you and your partner will remain as such through the next four years. After all the winners and as such, accepted applicants, are determined your team will also be randomly picked for you.
You may not always get along with your partner or other teammates, but it will be expected that you set aside any personal grievances and be professional about it. After all, as a hunter or huntress you rarely will be happy about the people you have to work with.
And now, good luck to all of you!"
