Disclaimer: The following is a fan based work. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth Productions and was created by Monty Oum. Written by Monty Oum, Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross. Please Support the official release.
4 years later...
I am so lost…
Rouge Arc, the youngest of her seven siblings, had no idea where she was. It had been exactly four years since the night of her parent's death at the Arc manor, and in that time she had never once been allowed to step outside the grounds of Beacon academy since coming there to live and train in secret. However, living inside a school for the majority of your teenage life does not help much when attempting to navigate the streets of downtown Vale.
Okay…what was the name of that store again? From Dust Till Dawn?
She had not seen her sister Amber all day, although that was normal, considering she usually wanted to be alone. On this day especially. Jaune and Joan at least had the courtesy to hang out with her during the day, but usually by the evening they were less than enthusiastic about spending time together, and both retreated to their rooms. Rouge, suffering from massive boredom, decided it would be a great idea to sneak out of the school and stowaway on one of the bullheads that had arrived to deliver supplies to the school. The bullhead was a better option for her escape, due to the ride being less abrasive on her motion sickness, unlike the airship. If she could not spend time with her siblings and aunt Glynda, who was busy with preparations for incoming students, she would find her own entertainment. Rouge looked down at the map of Vale on her scroll, looking once again for the correct directions to the dust dealer.
Alright, just two more blocks, then a left turn and I should be there…
Walking through the last two intersections, she rounded the corner of a small restaurant to see her destination. The small, golden colored shop almost blended into the rest of the strip.
"Yes, I made it!" she cried.
Rouge started skipping towards the store, whistling a happy tune to herself as she opened the door to the shop and waltzed in, making sure to shut the door behind her.
When she turned around the first thing that caught her eye was the man behind the counter, dressed in a green shirt and red apron. He looked very old, with a balding head but he greeted her with a warm smile.
"Welcome to From Dust Till Dawn, were we only sell the finest quality of dust. How can I help you?" he asked.
"I'm looking for some raw lightning dust crystals and some kits of 12-gauge dust rounds. Do you have any of those?" she asked.
The old man nodded. "Yeah I have the crystals here but the rounds are on the back wall, by the magazine rack." He turned and pointed to right. "You can find them right over there, second shelf down. When you find the ones you're looking for, come and get your crystals. I'll have them ready for you when you check out."
Rouge gave him a warm smile. "Thank you sir, oh just three lighting crystals please." Rouge took off in the direction the older man pointed too. When she made it to the end of the aisle she turned right.
Oh, looks like I am not the only one here.
By the magazine stand stood a young woman in a black and red gothic outfit, with a red cloak on her shoulders. She had her nose in a Schnee company weapons magazine, and what appeared to be head phones on her ears, totally closing her off from the outside world.
Well, better get my bullets…
She walked towards the shelf containing the dust rounds that she needed.
Okay… four-ten, twenty… AHA! Twelve gauge slugs. Perfect.
She grabbed some boxes of the shotgun rounds.
Maybe I should get Amber some rounds for Thor? She goes through ammo pretty quickly with only a ten round magazine…Where would he keep his fifties… Oh! There they are!
She reached up on her tip toes, to try and snag a box of the .50 caliber sniper rounds
"I said put your hands in the air, now!"
Rouge was knocked out of her concentration and looked to view the source of the commotion. On her right, a black suit and red tied thug, was standing over the girl she saw earlier. The girl's hood had been pulled back and she had removed her red headphones from her ears. She gave the thug a curious glance with her silver eyes.
"Are you robbing me?" she asked.
"Yes!" the thug exclaimed. Rouge noted the red sword the criminal held in his right hand.
"Ah…"
The thug attempted to reach for the metal case she was carrying. Only for the red cloaked girl to send him flying, compliments of an aura enhanced kick. The thug skidded across the floor of the shop sliding past the front desk, unconscious.
That had to hurt…
Rouge noticed a second thug coming down the aisle towards them. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the mysterious girl. Rouge, reacting quickly, grasped the handle of her Dual sword Jakiro. Unsheathing the blade, she snapped the two segments in half. The now two blades mecha-shifted into akimbo, twelve gauge shotguns. Pumping both levers she chambered a dust round into each barrel and let loose on the thug.
The force of the blow sent the thug through the air and out the front window of the shop. Letting out a relieved sigh Rouge turned to her left to see if the girl was alright, to see only a trail of rose petals where the gothic attired teen once stood.
Where did she go?
Hearing a commotion towards the front of the store, she looked to see the mysterious girl from before standing in the middle of the street with a large red scythe. A man in a white trench coat and bowler looked at the girl and then shifted his gaze down the aisle at Rouge. He glared at her.
"Okay…get them." Signaling to his goons, they split into two groups, one of which started to come towards Rouge. Two sword armed thugs lunged forward to attack. Pumping the levers on her shotguns, Rouge chambered two new dust rounds. Back flipping out of range of the two sword swipes, she planted her feet on the wall behind her and unloaded both shotguns into the wall and held on tight.
The recoil sent her flying forward. With her targets in sight, she shifted her shotguns back into their swords form and plowed both blade's handles simultaneously into the thug's necks. Knocking them out cold. Cartwheeling through the air, she was able to land perfectly out into the street, next to the other girl who had just dispatched the last of her group of attackers.
The man in the bowler hat starred down at his last defeated henchman and sighed. "You were worth every cent, truly you were."
He took his cigar from his lips, dropped it to the pavement and crushed the lit tip it with his cane. "Well red and…red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around," He lifted his cane gun and took aim at them both "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."
The cane ejected a large caliber dust round that whistled as it approached them. Reacting instantly, Rouge jumped in front of the other girl and crossed her swords in a defensive stance. The round made contact with her twin blades, and an explosion enveloped the two girls. Rouge struggled to hold back the force of the blow and in the end was successful. Looking back toward the shop both girls noticed the absence of the white clad criminal.
"There he is!"
Rouge turned to see the other girl pointing to the alley across the street, where the bowler hat man was climbing up the side of the building on a ladder. At that moment the old man came out from his shop to see what had happened. The mysterious girl shifted her gaze to him.
"Are you alright if we go after him?" she asked.
"U-huh." He nodded. She then turned to Rouge as they each shared a knowing look.
Alright let's go…
They vaulted up to the top of the apartment building, just in time to see the crook running to the opposite side of the roof. "Hey!" he stopped in his tracks. It looked as if he had no alternative route for escape, as the nearest building was too far for him to make in a jump.
We got him now.
Police sirens could be heard wailing in the distance. They only had to hold out for a few more minutes.
Wait, what's that sound?
The breeze on the roof turned into a harsh wind that descended upon the two girls. Dust and debris whipped through the air and Rouge covered her face with her sleeve in an attempt to see through the hazy cloud.
Behind the man, a bullhead emerged from below the roof line. The screeching of the twin engines cut out the noise from the police sirens and the surrounding city streets. A large searchlight flicked on, and was pointed directly towards their position, blinding the two girls even more.
The crook leaped toward the bullhead and landed safely onto the door pad, entering the cabin compartment he turned around to view the two girls once again.
"End of the line girls!" his left arm moved towards them and a small, shiny object glittered as it cut through the path of the searchlight. A small 'tink' sound could be heard as the object collided with the roof and rolled in front of the two girl's feet. Rouge's eyes widened. It was a raw, uncut fire crystal. She looked up in time to see the man aim his cane gun toward the crystal and fired. Rouge shut her eyes in preparation for the explosion to come.
A loud bang was heard, as the round made contact with the crystal. Wind whipped through Rouge's hair and smoke filled her nostrils but she was relatively fine.
Wait what happened?
Rouge opened her eyes and paled. There, standing in front of the two girls, was Glynda Goodwitch. The blond huntress flicked her riding crop unleashing a torrent of purple beams, which struck the sides of the Bullhead. The wings dipped as the onslaught of whips forced the vehicle downward. Rouge could see the white clad criminal stumble about the bullhead's cabin attempting to hold on to anything to help stabilize himself.
Glynda then let lose a beam of light from her riding crop that expanded into a shining, purple glyph over the bullhead. The glyph dissipated into a black cloud, which rained down ice shards onto the listing bullhead, tearing through the metal shielding.
Looks like we got them.
Rouge smirked. Only to be knocked out of her joyful moment when a ray of embers shot towards Miss Goodwitch. Her eyes widened in fear and she froze. Seeing the red flame, getting closer to her aunt, was sending her thoughts back in time four years ago to that fateful night.
She struggled to find her voice in the moment.
"Auntie Glynda, Look out!" Rouge cried.
Regaining her focus, Glynda deployed a shield that blocked the fire bolt dispelling the energy. A red glyph appeared beneath her and she dodged out of the way just in time for a pillar of flame to erupt making Rouge flinch in fear.
Okay, just breathe…breathe its okay.
Rouge's thoughts were going a mile a minute as she attempted to regain her composure in the middle of the present conflict. She started thinking about her brother and sisters. How they had been there for her after the fire.
Damn it, I need to focus!
Suddenly, Rouge felt herself fly forward, as intense heat and flames licked the back of her legs. Glynda had used her semblance to move them out of the way of a large pillar of flame, which would have roasted them alive, if not for her aunt's quick reflexes and skill at using her semblance. Rouge looked up in time to see the bullhead cabin doors close, and the twin engines roared as the VTOL lifted off into the night sky. Rouge gave an exhausted sigh.
It's finally over…oh wait…
Rouge's head slowly looked over to see a very unhappy Glynda. Her eyes boring holes into her skull with an extremely disappointed look. Oum strike me down now…
"You're a huntress!" the gothic clad teen exclaimed. She had a starry eyed look, as if she had just met Oum himself. "Can I have your autograph?!"
Who is this girl…?
Rouge starred downward, finding the floor of the police station a much more inviting sight than her aunt Glynda's face.
"I hope you both realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly." Her aunt continued to pace back and forth. "You put yourselves and others in great danger."
"They started it!" the girl next to Rouge replied in an accusatory manor.
Glynda regarded the gothic girl with a cold stair. "Miss Rose If it were up to me, you would be sent home…" she inhaled and then turned the rest of her body. "With a pat on the back." A short pause. "And a slap on the wrist!" to emphasize her point, Glynda smacked the front part of the desk where the girl's hands rested. The young woman jerked them back to a safe distance, her voice gave a squeak in surprise.
Glynda shifted her eyes to Rouge. "And you Rouge. How could you just run away like that? Especially today of all days. Your brother was a nervous wreck when he realized you had disappeared."
Rouge felt a wave of guilt hit her. The fact that her brother was the one to find out she had left and told Glynda, meant that he was probably up right now in the middle of the night, scared out of his wits for her safety. She loved her brother very much and would never want him to be in pain because of her actions. She realized she had been very selfish in coming out to the city tonight, especially on the anniversary of her parents death.
"I'm sorry Glynda." she replied, trying to keep herself composed. "I didn't mean to worry you all."
Her aunt merely sighed and turned around. "We will talk about this later." She looked over her shoulder and regarded the both of them warily. "I will be back for you in a few minutes. Stay here and do not get into any trouble." Her aunt walked to the door and left the two girls alone inside the interrogation room. The heavy silence of the room was broken a few seconds later.
"Hi my name is Ruby what's yours?"
Rouge looked up to see the girl staring at her from across the small table. Her large silver eyes innocent, yet inquisitive. Rouge cleared her throat.
"Oh, uh, my name is Rouge." She replied lamely. Ruby smiled brightly.
"What a nice name, I like your sword, or is it swords? The way you were able to shift them into guns and then back to swords was so cool. You blocked that shot from the criminal guy too. And the way you were all like HA-Huh-Yah!" Ruby was out of her seat now leaning closer, and closer across the table. Her hands were flat and mimicked, what Rouge assumed, were her sword strikes in the fight earlier. "And you're related to that lady? She's not very nice but what she did with those beams of light was, so, cool!" they were face-to-face now and Rouge was feeling just a little overwhelmed.
"Uh, yeah cool…" Note to self, keep this girl away from sugar…
Realization seemed to dawn on Ruby's face as she noticed how uncomfortable Rouge looked.
"Oh… I'm sorry." She retreated back to her seat. "I just get a little excited when I see weapons. I guess you could say I am a geek about that sort of thing." She laughed nervously twiddling her fingers nervously. "I probably made you feel uncomfortable." The girl now had a glum look on her face that made Rouge feel a little guilty.
"No, it's okay. I just am not used to people who aren't my siblings. This is actually the first time meeting someone my own age." She explained quickly, trying to cheer Ruby up.
"Wow, really? You don't have any friends?" that seemed to make Ruby more upset.
Oh crap, what should I say? What would Jaune do in a situation like this…? She composed herself.
"Yeah but it's okay. My brother says that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet! Would you like to be my friend stranger?" Rouge held out her hand in invitation to the gothic clad teen. Ruby looked at her curiously.
"You want to be my friend? Really?"
Rouge shrugged and put on a big smile. "Hey girls got to start somewhere right? So how about it?"
Ruby shot her hands forward and clasped Rouge's outstretched hand. "Oh yes! We will be friends! Best friends!" she shook Rouges hand furiously. Rouge smiled.
Well I guess this day has not been all bad… Cannot wait to tell Jaune about my new friend…
Suddenly, the door to the interrogation chamber opened, revealing Miss Goodwitch and Mr. Ozpin.
Oh…right…
Rouge sat waiting outside the door to the interrogation room, tapping her fingers on her knee. Out of all the people to come down to the police station, she should have figured it would be Ozpin. The man had allowed them to live within the walls of Beacon for four years, and in that time he provided guidance and comfort over the years. The man was technically her legal guardian until she turned twenty-one and graduated from Beacon.
Rouge yawned and looked at the clock above the counter, where the night-shift officer sat pouring over paperwork. It was already very early in the morning and she had been up for more than twenty four hours without sleep at this point.
Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a bit…
"Mommy?"
"Rouge honey, it's okay I'm right here."
"Mommy I'm scared!"
"Rouge just stay here with Jaune don't leave. I'll be back soon."
"No! Mommy no!"
Flames engulfed her vision.
Rouge…Rouge…Rouge!
"Huh?" Rouge lifted her head to see Ozpin and Glynda standing before her. Ozpin did not look the least bit happy. Considering the fact that she had snuck out in the middle of the night though and was partly responsible for destroying both public and private property, she couldn't really blame him. Rouge righted her hunched posture.
"Hey Ozpin… how are you?" she gave him her best smile, hoping he would take pity on a doomed soul such as herself. Ozpin gave an exhausted sigh.
"Rouge, what you did tonight was very reckless…"
Her smile faltered. "I know sir…"
"And yet you still did it anyway. You decided to disobey the rules and put yourself in danger. Not only that, you have caused your siblings and ourselves a lot of distress." His face did not betray any support for her in her current situation.
"I'm sorry Ozpin, Glynda. I did not mean to worry you, or cause any trouble. I- I just wanted to get out of Beacon and visit the city." The remorse was thick in her voice as she gave her reply. But that was only half of the reason for her act of rebellion. Today Jaune and Joan would start their education at Beacon. Even though she would join them in two years, she would be alone for the first time in her life. Sure she would have Amber for another year, but she was scared of being alone. All of her siblings left after leaving Beacon and she had not seen Violet and her other sisters in almost two years. Would her family forget about her? She felt a hand rest on crown of her head.
"Rouge, believe me, I understand what you are saying. You and you siblings have never had the luxury of a normal child hood." Ozpin patted her head. "You have been denied the simple pleasures. Freedom, independence and friendship are things you could never have, due to events that you had no control over."
Rouge didn't really know how to respond to that. At this point she just wanted the floor to swallow her up.
"That is why, I have decided to allow you and Amber to attend Beacon with Your brother and sister this year."
That got her attention. Rouge looked back up into Ozpin's face, to see a warm smile.
"For real?" she was absolutely stunned. If this was Ozpin's idea of a punishment, she was seriously contemplating the man's mental health.
"Yes, I believe you are both ready to handle yourselves with Jaune and Joan. I have faith that you will be able to become great huntresses. I have already informed Amber of this decision. She was just as surprised as you are now."
Rouge couldn't believe it. She had wanted to be a huntress since she was small. Her oldest sister, Violet, used to tell her all about Signal and later Beacon academy, when she was younger. Since then, she had promised to become a huntress along with her older siblings. She was to attend in two years, but being able to attend now, with Jaune and Joan, would be the best.
"In fact, it would be nice if you could make friends while you are there as well. But I guess you already got a head start with Miss Rose." He said.
Rouge did not think she could handle anymore of Ozpins surprises. "Are you saying that Ruby got accepted in to Beacon as well? We'll be classmates?" she could barely restrain her excitement at this point. She would not have to lose her only friend.
Ozpin nodded in confirmation.
Rouge shot to her feet and tackled the headmaster into a huge hug. "Oh Ozpin, Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best day ever!" she exclaimed.
Ozpin merely patted Rouge's head attempting to calm her down. "Yes, tomorrow you, Amber Jaune and Joan will begin your education." His smile turned into a light smirk. "But do not assume that this is your punishment. You still ran away from home and caused us serious concerns for your safety young lady." He turned to Miss Goodwitch. "What do you think we should do Glynda? What sort of punishment would you deem acceptable?
Rouge's excited smile went to a small frown at hearing of possible punishment but with Ozpin handing her fate over to Aunt Glynda… I'm in trouble… Rouge gulped.
Glynda smirked and Rouge noted her eyes had a mischievous glint to them.
"Oh, I don't. Maybe she could serve a few detentions with Professor Port? She said.
Evenings with Professor Port?! I'll die of boredom! She loved him, but his stories were so not fun to listen to.
"Or maybe we could have her clean the memorial of heroes in front of the school?" she added.
That would take forever! Rouge did not like where their discussion was headed.
"Actually Miss Goodwitch I have a better idea." Ozpin interjected. "How about instead of taking her with us on the bullhead back to Beacon, Rouge can instead ride up to the school on the airship with her new friend?"
"An excellent suggestion sir! I think that is a splendid idea." Glynda had a knowing smirk on her face.
No…Oh Oum no…
Yang Xiao Long could not be happier. She was finally going to be attending Beacon Academy and her little sister was going with her. She currently had Ruby in a bone crushing hug. "I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" her embrace tightened a little bit more
"Please stop." Ruby groaned. Her voice divulging her displeasure at the embarrassing and uncomfortable display of her older sister's affection. Yang retreated from her hug.
"But I'm so proud of you!" Really she was. Her baby sister took on a wanted criminal and his goons. Sure she had a little help but still it was worthy of praise.
Ruby sighed. "Really, sis it was nothing…"
"What do you mean? It was incredible!" She shifted her posture and gestured to the other people on the airship. "Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's Knees!" she exclaimed. They were starting to get a little bit of attention.
"Look, I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', okay! I don't wanna be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees, like Rouge!" Ruby pointed to the strange red headed girl that had accompanied them from the police station, who was currently vomiting into the nearest trash can bin. Something about motion sickness, Yang didn't really know.
"What's with you aren't you excited?"
"Of course I'm excited… I just… I got moved ahead two years. I don't want anyone to think I'm special or anything." She said gloomily her silver eyes directed to the floor.
Yang moved to her side and wrapped her in a one armed hug. "But you are special. And besides you're not the only one who is the odd ball out of the class." Yang directed Ruby's attention towards her new friend. "Vomit girl is in the same position as you. If anyone understands how you're feeling, it's got to be her."
Ruby sighed once again. "Okay, I guess your right, but sis."
"Yeah Rubes?"
"Please try not to embarrass me in front of everyone okay? And please stop calling Rouge vomit girl."
Yang looked insulted. "Hey she puked on my shoes, girls gonna have to deal with the name."
Rouge retched once again, holding onto the rim of the trash can for dear life.
Stupid airship…stupid motion sickness… I didn't even eat anything this morning, what could possibly be there to throw up!
Taking out a handkerchief, with her family crest on it, she wiped her face clean with some water from the fountain by the trash can. Feeling presentable and less nauseous she reunited with Ruby and her sister.
"Hey Rouge! All better now?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, just my motion sickness acting up. Now that I have got it all out I should be okay." Rouge turned her attention to the other individual with them. "And sorry Yang for getting puke on your shoe." Rouge performed a light bow to the blond.
Yang just shrugged with her free arm. "It's alright Vomit girl! Let's just say you owe me a favor."
Vomit girl? Oh man. Not even at Beacon yet and I make a bad impression. Way to go Rouge.
"Hey! I'll have you know that-"
At that moment, the holo-vision that had been running the morning segment of the Vale News Network was interrupted by a holo-image of her Miss Goodwitch.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attending this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."
"That's your Aunt isn't it?" Rouge turned to see Ruby addressing her.
"Yeah, she is the Combat teacher at Beacon. She'll be teaching us about fighting and ways to work as a team effectively."
"Is she from your father or your mother's side?" Yang jumped in to their discussion.
Rouge shifted uncomfortably. "Well she is actually not related by blood. She was a friend of my mother. They knew each other from school, and worked together as partners on missions."
"Oh, that is cool! So your mother is a huntress?"
Rouge's expression turned grim. "My mother was a huntress. She died four years ago, my dad as well."
Yang's smile dropped to a frown. "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to-"
Rouge shook her head. "No its okay. I have gotten over it." The silence was thick between them all. Ruby tried to get their attention off of what had just happened. Looking out the window of the airship she motioned to them both.
"Wow! Look, you can see Signal from up here!" The girls moved to the viewing port. "I guess home isn't too far away after all?"
Yang grinned. "Beacon's our home, now."
Heh, you have no idea…
A shift of the airships cabin brought Rouge back from her thoughts. As her mind caught up to her body, she felt a familiar pressure in her stomach.
Oh no…
And with that, Rouge threw up on Yang's shoes once again.
AN: First I want to thank my reviewers and everyone who Favorited the story this far. I did not expect to get as many people viewing this story as I did.
Also an important note on the RWJA trailers. Jaune's and Rouge's were actually a one-shot I wrote a while ago that never got published. It would have ended up being this story but I never got around to it till now. While Winster's trailer (One of our OC's) is a character I actually created for an original short story in English class. He will show up next chapter. The trailers are not cannon to this story, I just added them as a little teaser for whats to come. Jaune didn't go ham on Junior yet. Will he possibly later in the story? certainly! But he hasn't yet. Winster's scene may come back later as well.
Also I know I used a lot of dialogue from the show for this chapter. I hate doing that, but it was necessary to flesh out the conversations. Next chapter there will be more character interactions and we will get to see Jaune (finally)! Can't wait. Also I want to limit OC's but they are necessary for the plot in the beginning, especially since we haven't actually met any of Jaune's sisters yet (We probably never will either).
And last, but not least I hope everyone had a safe and happy thanksgiving here in the states. For my Overseas reviewers I would like to wish you all a happy end to the fall Season as we approach winter (Or spring to summer, for those in the southern latitudes.) I will probably update sometime before Christmas. Got a lot going on right now.
AND NOW CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FOR ROUGE!
Height: 4 foot 11 inches
Body type: (lets say underdeveloped...) like Ruby.
Hair color and style: short spiky red hair
Eye color: red
Weapon: Dual broad swords
Battle Outfit: Red tunic with gold lining and baggy red pants (Allow for more fluid movement)
Notes - Will be basing a lot of her moves on Zuko from ATLA. His season three outfit is what Rouge's outfit is based on. His weapon of choice was the dual swords as well. Jakiro (The name of Rouge's weapon) may seem familiar to all the DOTA fans out there. *wink wink nudge nudge*
Any way please review and send me your thoughts. What do you think will happen next? What will Jaune be like?