AN: Hello gents and ladies. Welcome to chapter 2 of Winter's Bloom. Before we start this story, we would like to say how much we appreciate all the love Chapter One got. We are glad you all liked it. Anyways if the panda has nothing to say enjoy.
I have many words to say. Beavers. Maples. Yakitori. Whiskey. Tim Horton's. (Why those words?) I'm a Japanese Canadian, why wouldn't I say those words? But anyways, your follows, favourites, and reviews were greatly appreciated, there was a lot of squealing and fangirling by me. Just ask Dragon. (She broke a few times).
DISCLAIMER: Dragon and Panda do not own RWBY or any of its characters. Those rights belong to Rooster Teeth. Please support them and the show. Also full disclosure, Ruby and Weiss designs are based off of the tumblr user's funblade RWBY future!au. We claim no part in their designs and are using the designs in the making of this fanfic. Go check out their art! It's awesome!
Ruby could only stare down at the window, having figured out where and when they were at that moment. Weiss followed her partner's line of sight and blinked once, twice, three times before she turned back to her Ruby and spun the girl around to face her.
"Ruby. What. Did. You. Do?" She growled out, keeping in mind to leave her voice at a low volume.
Ruby could only let out a hysterical burst of laughter as she turned to glance at her younger counterpart, who was still blissfully reading the magazine and jamming to her tunes. It had been a long night as she remembered going through this very night and that, no matter how she looked at it, she was glad that she would be going to Beacon two whole years earlier than she was supposed to be all due a case of right place, right time.
"I honestly don't know what happened." Ruby couldn't help but smile at her younger self. If what she was seeing was true, then all her friends were alive again. Her smile died a bit when she heard a couple steps heading their way. She turned her head and saw one Roman Torchwick with a couple of his goons heading this way.
"We need to move." Ruby commanded, grabbing Weiss and pulling her away from the store without a warning.
"Wait, stop dolt! What are you doing?" Weiss asked wondering why they were being moved so suddenly and where they were even going.
"We can't interfere with what is about to happen. I actually really don't want to change this, so we are moving to another spot." Ruby stated in a matter of the fact kind of way pulling them into an alleyway. She used to come by here all the time before she joined Beacon so she knew the area pretty well. So inside the alleyway, was a ladder that lead to the roof.
"Come on. I want to see this from the outside." Ruby said sounding a bit excited at the prospect.
"See what from the outside? Ruby what is going on?" Weiss asked, irritated her partner wasn't answering her questions as she climbed the ladder below Ruby.
"Did I never tell you guys how I joined Beacon early?" Ruby asked as she reached the top of the ladder. She could have sworn she had mentioned it.
"I don't believe so." Weiss stated thinking as she climbed onto the roof with Ruby. Ruby giggled even more excited by this development. She looked like a child about to show their parent a drawing.
"Keep your eyes on the store then. I'm so excited!" Ruby stated as she leaned on the ledge of the building watching the store with rapt attention. Weiss frowned at this before looking at the building herself. She did it just in time too because at that moment a red blur shot out through the window before standing up and showing young Ruby Rose unleashing Crescent Rose and looking back into the store.
The partners watched as three armed men came out and charged at the teen girl before she zipped around taking care of all of them in a matter of seconds. Roman Torchwick came out and talked to the young girl very briefly, before he aimed his cane and fired at the young Rose, making her shoot her weapon down. It launched her in the air giving time for Torchwick to run off.
"So that's why. I'm surprised Glynda didn't just yell at you for doing something so stupid." Weiss said offhandedly in a way that was both a compliment and an insult at the same time causing Ruby to pout.
"She did yell at me. But Ozpin came in and recruited me." She stated before turning into a frown as she saw the airship lift Roman in the air as he held up a dust crystal. Ruby and Weiss both acted on pure instinct when he threw it. Ruby pulled up her hood and dashed in front of Young Ruby in the air and pulled out her sword hitting the dust crystal while Glynda and Weiss appeared behind her using their magic to shield young Rose from the attack.
Glynda was confused as to these two's sudden appearance but recognized the way they held themselves and their reaction time. She was certain these two were Huntresses that weren't going to stand by and let this happen. All three of them, at the same time, let loose on the ship. Ruby shooting while her weapon still looked like a sword, Weiss with her glyphs, and Glynda with her magic. The ship rumbled from being attacked by three huntresses before Cinder showed herself in the ship and launched a fire attack at the three. Ruby and Weiss jumped behind Glynda as their aura wasn't fully recovered from everything. The fire hit the glyph and embers spread to the ground. All three huntresses jumped out of the way before it exploded. Glynda then took the rubble and attacked back with it. Ruby collapsed on one knee from exhaustion. Weiss looked at her partner to see if she was okay. Ruby nodded, signalling to Weiss that she was fine causing some off her hair to fall loose and her hood to fall back a bit showing her face.
Young Ruby looked at the huntresses concerned when her eyes widened at the hair and face of what she saw. She couldn't help but say it. "Mom?" Young Ruby asked in a whisper. This caught the attention of both Older Ruby and Weiss who turned and looked at her, both with wide eyes, before looking back at each other and nodding. Glynda had it handled. The Summer Rose look-a-like grabbed Weiss and the two disappeared leaving a few petals behind.
And just like that, she was gone, leaving young Ruby to wonder if her mother had actually saved her or if she had just imagined what had just occurred.
The two huntresses landed in an alleyway. They sat down, leaning against the wall taking a few deep breaths. Who would have guessed fighting in a war, traveling across time, and then defending a young Ruby all in an afternoon would be so exhausting?
"We shouldn't have interfered." Weiss said in a slightly nagging tone, laying her weapon next to her as she calmed her breathing. This comment caused Ruby to chuckle.
"You jumped in the same time I did Ice Queen, so you're one to talk." Ruby teased with a smirk.
"I was following you, you dolt." Weiss insulted with a smile. During the war, Ruby and Weiss used to use the names they did as kids to make fun of each other to ease the tension in especially tense situations, but now they were just nicknames that didn't mean anything.
Ruby chuckled before standing up, leaning on Crescent Rose slightly. Her aura was still quite low given the current circumstances, and they still had a job to do. One that was quite important actually.
"We need to find Ozpin. Him and Goodwitch will be talking to young me in a couple minutes, telling me about Beacon. We need to meet with them afterwards and explain the situation and the circumstances." She explained, looking down at Weiss.
"You're right. If anyone will know what to do or for a way for us to blend in it will be him. So when do we approach the professors?" Weiss asked.
"We wait for a while… or we could try sneaking into Ozpin's office. It might help us with our case and prove to him that we're ready for whatever he can throw at us."
"Well that does seem like sound logic." Weiss thoughtfully said, deciding that the benefits could be potentially very good for them in helping them prove their case. But something at the back of Weiss's mind told her that this could potentially be a bad idea and end terribly, and when she had these feeling with Ruby, they were mostly correct.
Ruby held her hand out to help pull Weiss up. Weiss sighed before taking the hand and grabbing her weapon with her other hand. With the minimal combined efforts of both of them, Weiss pulled herself up and brushed off any dust that may have gathered on her clothes.
Weiss looked at her… fearless leader and decided that it was time to voice her concerns about the plan to ambush the headmaster of one of the most prestigious hunting academies. It was her job to keep Ruby's more out there ideas and plans reined in within the realm of possibilities.
"Ruby. I don't think it's a great idea now that I think about it to ambush Ozpin and Glynda on the same night a robbery took place." Weiss told Ruby as they walked toward Beacon. They could probably make it to the school before Ozpin and Glynda could which would give Weiss some time to dissuade her stubborn leader.
"What? We aren't ambushing them. We are just… surprising them is all." Ruby responded to Weiss, smiling in a not at all mischievous way.
"Or! We could wait in the courtyard where they will see us and approach us in a non-personal area and then surprise them." Weiss countered causing Ruby to sigh in exasperation.
"Why do you have to take all the fun out of this?" Ruby pouted, making Weiss shake her head in well concealed frustration. Ruby could be one of the best leaders and fighters in Remnant when she decides to be serious. However, whenever she isn't serious she can be the same dolt, no, child she was in school.
Ruby and Weiss then continued to head to Beacon in silence. They both walked casually in a path that no one would see or take notice of them. They both silently agreed that until they talked to Ozpin they wouldn't draw any kind of attention towards themselves on the off chance that they got noticed. A few times they had to change their path to avoid other people. Eventually, after a long while going around the water, they ended up at beacon. Weiss looked up at the building getting lost in the moment for a bit remembering the time she spent here. Ruby nudged her lightly to snap her out of it. Ruby put her hood up out of habit of entering a new area and the fact she didn't want Ozpin to see her at first.
"Come on. They will be here soon." Ruby told Weiss as she continued to head toward the courtyard. Hearing this Weiss shook her head and followed after her partner.
Meanwhile
A lone airship was heading toward Beacon. It was currently over the water in front of the Beacon entrance. Inside the airship, was the Headmaster of Beacon Ozpin and one of its professors Glynda Goodwitch. They had finished their conversation with young Ms. Rose and were now discussing something a bit more pressing. They were looking at a screen of the fight that had taken place, more importantly, the last bit when two unknown huntresses jumped to the aid of Ms. Rose. They paused the footage of when they both stood up front before the explosion. Ozpin leaned on his cane while Glynda crossed her arms.
"They were fast to act that's for sure." Glynda commented, outright curious as to who they are and why they helped Ruby Rose,
"The white one looks like Ms. Weiss Schnee's relative. However outside of Winter I don't know of any huntresses in the family who have that skill level. As for the other one." Ozpin inquired before he resumed the video then paused when the red huntresses collapsed onto her knee and shook her hood loose a bit. Glynda's eyes widen slightly at what she saw. A silver eye, a rose symbol, and a very familiar face.
"That's impossible. Summer is dead." Glynda turned looking at Ozpin to see what he had to say.
"Indeed. Yet here we see someone who is able to use her semblance, looks a lot like her. Yet there are differences. This one is younger than Summer yet too old to be a child of hers. Summer didn't have any family outside of Ms. Rose. Which begs the question who is this Young Huntress? Who is her partner? They can talk without speaking. They are familiar with each other." Ozpin expressed his thoughts when a small alarm went off and a small window on the screen opened up. It showed the Beacons courtyard fountain. With a familiar red cloaked figure sitting next to the white haired huntresses. They both seemed to be waiting.
"Looks like our questions might be answered." Glynda stated to Ozpin looking at the two.
Ozpin nodded. "Seems they want to talk with us as much as we want to with them." He put on a comm to the pilot. "Please hurry towards Beacon. We have a meeting I don't want to miss." Ozpin expressed before they sped up towards Beacon.
When the headmaster and professor arrived at Beacon, they were greeted by the sight of one Summer Rose look-a-like being sat on by her white haired compatriot, whom was examining her nails as if nothing was wrong with the situation.
A Few Minutes Earlier
Ruby was standing on the fountain's edge humming as she balanced herself with her arms spread out at her sides, humming a catchy rock song stuck in her head. Weiss could only take so much before she had enough of it. She irritably snapped, "Can you please stop?"
Ruby froze for a moment, tilting her head towards her partner with an almost convincing innocent look before saying, "Stop what? I'm just standing here."
Weiss could see the sly grin and the spark of mischief in Ruby's silver eye and it infuriated her. Greatly. She decided to take a calculated risk and reached out, wrapped her fingers around Ruby's ankle, and pulled Ruby's leg out from under her, causing her to lose her only stable connection to the ground and to ultimately lose her balance. She fell forward and landed on her stomach and before she even got a chance to recover and get back up, Weiss sat herself down square on her partner's back and began to buff her nails with Ruby's cape.
Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch walked up to the two. Glynda frowned at the scene and Ozpin merely raised an eyebrow before the two Huntresses realized they were being watched. Weiss eleganlty stood up and straightened out her suit.
"Headmaster Ozpin. Professor Goodwitch." Weiss stated to the two older hunter and huntress in a professional manor acting like nothing was wrong. Ruby huffed and jumped up making her hood fall completely down letting Ozpin and Glynda get a good look at the girl. The one that drew their attention the most was the eye patch. To anyone else they would think the girl didn't have an eye but they recognized the size of it. Whatever hit the girl didn't just take her eye, it probably took half of her face. Ruby didn't pay attention to them at first and just pouted at Weiss.
"That was uncalled for." Ruby pouted before turning serious and looking at the two professors. "Anyways. Professor Goodwitch. Professor Ozpin. It good seeing you two again." She greeted warmly with a smile. Hearing the red huntresses voice, they could tell this wasn't Summer for sure. She looked like her, yes, but her voice was different.
"I believe I would remember you two if we had met before, and I don't recall meeting you before." Ozpin responded to the girl holding his cane in front of him with both of his hand on it.
"Of course we meet. You talked to me a few minutes ago. The first thing you said to me was that I had silver eyes." Ruby stated smiling making both Ozpin and Goodwitch's eyes widen.
"Ruby Rose?" They both stated in unison making Weiss chuckle and Ruby to smirk.
"My, oh my what a surprise." Ozpin muttered.