"Mordred… Pendragon? Any relations?" Cu Chulainn asked, a raised eyebrow directed at Arthuria.
"She's my sister, actually" Arthuria replied but was cut off by the laughter coming from the stage in front of them. Laughter that was coming from Mordred, to be precise "Half-sister, I should add"
"Hmmm… I never knew you had a sister" Chulainn added, as he eyed the newly formed Team RWBM.
"It's… sort of a long story" Arthuria replied, a small smile gracing her lips at the antics of Weiss and Mordred on stage.
"Now that you mention it, the two of you do share a striking resemblance" Pyrrha chimed in "I never noticed that before until now"
"I think that's all they have in common, if you ask me" Chulainn added, an amused smile on his face as Mordred was being scolded by the Deputy Headmistress "She seems like a lot more fun than you, Arthuria. Better taste in armor design, too"
"Ahem… Right. Well, let's carry on, shall we?" Professor Ozpin said from atop the stage "Jaune Arc, Arthuria Pendragon, Pyrrha Nikos, Cu Chulainn"
"Oh, that's us. Let's go" Chulainn said, as he marched toward the Headmaster.
"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the hesitant look in the blonde's eyes.
"Y-yeah… I'll be fine... Never was any good with stages and all that" the boy replied, before he and Pyrrha joined Arthuria and Chulainn.
"The four of you retrieved the White Knight piece. Therefore, from today onwards, you shall be working together and helping each other grow as Team JAPC (Jasper) led by… Jaune Arc"
"Wait… What?" uttered the newly appointed team leader, confusion filling his eyes as he stared at the Headmaster.
"Congratulations, Jaune" Pyrrha said, her hand on the boy's shoulder "I'm sure you'll be a great leader"
"I'll be countin' on you then, Team Leader" Chulainn added, a smirk on his face.
"…Huh?" was all Jaune could say as he still could not comprehend what just happened.
[The next morning]
"-dred. Mordred" came a familiar-but-not-that-familiar voice in the girl's head.
"…Ugghhh…" the blonde managed to barely groan, her eyes trying desperately to stay open despite the best efforts of the sun's rays through the window trying to blind her to death.
"Mordred" the voice said once more as Mordred finally realized that it wasn't coming from her head, but her newly appointed team leader.
"What do you want…?" Mordred asked, as she turned to the other side of her bed.
"It's-"
"It's half-past eight, you idiot. Get up. Our first class starts in half an hour" came an irritatingly familiar voice Mordred instantly recognized "I will not have my reputation tarnished by being on the same team as someone who's late on the very first day of class"
"… Five more minutes…" Mordred said, before Weiss pulled the girl's blanket away.
"No. That's what you said twenty minutes ago, that's what you said ten minutes ago, and that's what you said five minutes ago" Weiss exclaimed, throwing the blanket in her hand onto the ground "The only reason I haven't stabbed you with Myrtenaster is because Ruby convinced me not to"
"Goddamn, I forgot how much of a bitch you could be when you wanted to" the blonde replied, finally getting up but not without sending a glare at the Schnee heiress.
"You can glare at me all you want. I don't care" Weiss replied with a huff as Mordred turned her attention towards Ruby.
"Red, aren't we partners? You should be on my side, like, all the time. Especially when it's against Ice Queen here" Mordred stated.
"Uh… Well… I mean… Weiss does… have a point, Mordred. Classes start today and we wouldn't want to be late on our first day, right?" Ruby replied.
"And there you have it. Three against one. Now go and take a shower"
"It's not three against one. That goth chick isn't even listening to this conversation" Mordred whined, pointing towards the fourth member of her team, Blake, who was sitting quietly on her bed with her nose deep in her book "In fact, I'm pretty sure she's reading porn right now"
"N-no, it's not!" Blake cried out in defence, shutting the book in an instant.
"Yeah, that's convincing" Mordred scoffed.
"It also doesn't matter. Now get up and get ready so we can finally get to class!" Weiss shouted.
"Goddamn it, fine. Don't bother waiting for me" Mordred replied, grabbing her shower supplies.
"Mordred-" Weiss started before being cut off by the blonde.
"I get it, I get. Don't be late, right? Jeez, Ice Queen, you're starting to sound like a broken record, you know that?" Mordred replied, as she left the team's dorm.
"Gods, now I remember why I hate her so much" Weiss muttered to herself as she tried to rub away the headache that had formed.
"Well, if anything, this has certainly been a lively start for Team RWBM" Ruby said, in a failed attempt to cheer Weiss up as the rest of Team RWBM left for class.
"So Weiss, how do you and Mordred know each other?" Ruby asked after a few seconds of silent walking.
"Through a business relationship between my father and hers. Her sister, Arthuria, and I were childhood friends. Mordred was, and still is, an annoying pest that I just can't seem to get away from" Weiss replied, frowning as memories of her past came back to her.
"Well, at least Arthuria's here, right? I bet you were glad to see her" Ruby added.
"That's true. And I was. The last time I saw her was when we were 12. Before I had the responsibility of inheriting the SDC pushed onto me" Weiss added.
"By the way, do we have any idea what's our first class is going to be?" Blake asked, her nose still deep in her book.
"It's Grimm Studies by Professor Peter Port" Weiss replied.
"Grimm Studies? Sounds exciting!" Ruby exclaimed, as her pace suddenly quickened "I wonder what kind of cool, experienced hunter will be teaching us?"
[Ninety Minutes Later]
"Pstt… Blake, there's still thirty minutes left to class and Mordred still hasn't shown up yet" Ruby told the girl as she eyed the classroom entrance.
"Yes, Ruby. I can see that" her teammate replied.
"Weiss looks like she could pop a vein at any moment now" the team leader remarked, eyeing the white haired Heiress.
"At this rate, she just might" Blake noted with a snicker before the classroom door opened, interrupting the professor's lecture to reveal their very late team member. Their team member who still had messy hair and an unbuttoned uniform despite having an extra hour to get ready for class. Said team member then proceeded nonchalantly join the rest of her team as she took a seat next to Ruby, not even bothering to give an explanation as to her tardiness.
"You! Where were you?! You're an hour late!" Weiss shouted as quietly as possible.
"I got lost…" the blonde replied lazily, as she stared ahead at the Professor.
"Ahem. Right. As this is the first day of classes, I shall excuse your tardiness, young lady. However, be sure not to repeat your mistake. Are we clear?"
"Sure… You got it, Prof" Mordred replied in a bored tone.
"You got lost?! How?! Directions are given to you through your scroll" Weiss pointed out, not willing to let the matter go just yet.
"Ah, it doesn't matter, does it? I'm her now so that's all that matters"
"Of course it matters! You're an hour-"
"Ahem. Miss Schnee, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Professor Port asked.
"N-no, sir. I apologize for disrupting your lesson" Weiss replied, a red tinge on her face.
"Yeah, Weiss. Anything you'd like to share?" Mordred asked, a smug grin on her face as Weiss replied with a snarl and a glare.
"Well, if you're not too busy, how would you like to demonstrate to the rest of the class your abilities in eliminating a Grimm?"
"O-of course, sir. It would be my honor"
"Excellent. Now then, go get ready and we can get started"
[/]
"Go, Weiss! You can do it! Aim for its belly! It's completely defenceless under there!" Ruby shouted in encouragement.
The Heiress gritted her teeth at the girl's encouragement as sweat poured down her brow.
"What's wrong with me?! This should be a simple matter to me!" Weiss thought to herself with a scrunched brow "No, this is not my fault. It's theirs! They're distracting me with their incessant shouting and chattering!"
"Not looking too good there, Ice Queen" Mordred remarked, watching the fight with little to no interest "At this point, I might even have to save your ass"
"Ahem. Language please, Miss Pendragon" Professor Port remarked from the side.
Grinding her teeth even harder now, Weiss was barely able to dodge the incoming charge from the Boarbatusk as the Grimm found itself stuck to the classroom's walls from its tusks.
"Now, Weiss! Now's your chance to-"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop trying to give me orders!" Weiss shouted before she flipped the Grimm over on its back with the help of her glyphs. The Heiress then leapt up high before using her Glyphs to propel her forward towards the Grimm's unprotected stomach, stabbing the creature and effectively killing it.
"Marvelous! A superb demonstration by Miss Schnee. We are truly in the presence of a fine Huntress, ladies and gentlemen" Professor Port announced before the school bell rang "Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have. I'll see you again next time, students. Don't forget to keep up with your readings"
Weiss immediately left the classroom with a huff, not bothering to wait for the rest of her team.
"Weiss, wait!" Ruby shouted from behind the girl. Not receiving a response, the fifteen year old team leader then proceeded to activate her semblance as she caught up with her teammate in the school's hallway "What's wrong?! Why are you being-"
"What's wrong?! Everything! What did you do to become the team leader?! Nothing, that's what. Ever since I met you, you have done nothing – absolutely nothing – to earn your position as team leader. You were simply handed the position by Ozpin. Just like you were handed a spot here in Beacon. You don't deserve this. Any of this. You're just a child!" Weiss shouted, not noticing the tears welling up in the younger girl's eyes, as she turned around to leave "Professor Ozpin made a mistake"
"Weiss… wait…" Ruby tried but the Heiress was already gone.
"That was a bit too much, Ice Queen. Even from you" Mordred remarked, who had been standing nearby and heard everything.
"Shut up. You're the last person I want lecturing me about any of this" Weiss replied, as she went to cool off somewhere. Mordred simply shook her head at the retreating girl's form before diverting her attention towards the sobbing girl that was her team leader as she sat against the wall.
"Hey there, partner" Mordred said, startling Ruby.
"O-oh… Hey, Mordred" Ruby replied, trying frantically to rub away the tears that had streamed down her face "Didn't see you there"
Mordred stared at the younger girl for a few seconds before delivering a light knock on the girl's head.
"O-ow.. What was that for?" the girl whined, rubbing her head.
"If you wanna cry your heart out, do it. No point in hiding them" Mordred answered as she took a seat next to the young girl.
"Don't worry about Ice Queen. She's always been a bit of a bitch like that" Mordred said after a few seconds of silence passed between the two.
"O-oh… You heard that, huh?"
"Every word"
"Mordred, do you think Professor Ozpin made a mistake? Do I even deserve to be your team leader?"
"Hmmm… No" Mordred replied "No, I don't think the old man made a mistake and no, I don't think you deserve to be team leader"
"O-oh… I-"
"At least, not yet"
"Huh?" Ruby asked, looking at her partner with a look of confusion.
"Look, Red, nobody just becomes a great leader in an instant. They have to work for it. So, go do just that. Prove to that idiot that you can and you will become the greatest team leader ever to step foot in Beacon. After you've done that, you can march up to that idiot and shove it in her face over how awesome you are" Mordred said.
"Y-you really think I can be a great team leader?"
"Of course I do. Have I ever lied to you before?"
"W-well, you did say you weren't going to be late this morning…"
"That was me lying to the Ice Queen, not you" Mordred replied before she got up "So, you wanna go get something to eat?"
"Um… No. Not right now. There's something I have to do" Ruby replied.
"Hmmm… Cool. Well, see you later, I guess" Mordred said as the two partners left in opposite directions.
[Team RWBM's Dorm]
"Oh, hey… Didn't know you were in here" Mordred said upon entering the room as Blake was busy with yet another book.
"Hey" was all Blake said in reply. Lying down on her bed, Mordred turned towards Blake, staring at the girl as she read her book.
"…"
"…"
"You know, reading porn in broad daylight can't be healthy for you" Mordred remarked.
"This isn't porn!" Blake shouted in defence.
"Oh yeah? Remind me, what's the title again?"
"… Ninjas of love…"
"And what is the story about?"
"… It doesn't matter what it is" Blake replied, not bothering to answer the question "And besides, I have other books I can read. Books of different genres"
"Books that you are choosing not to read at the moment, instead choosing a book that is less than safe for work"
"Now I understand why Weiss doesn't like you"
"Heh… Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment" Mordred replied, a smug grin on her face "So, what's it like being partnered with the most annoying girl to ever exist on the face of Remnant?"
"I don't know. You'll have to ask Ruby that" Blake replied, a small grin of her own.
"Ouch. Nice. Guess I walked into that one"
"But if you're talking about Weiss, it is what it is. She can be incredibly bossy at times, as you've no doubt seen" the girl replied.
"Don't I know it"
"It's only been one day, though, so hopefully, she'll mellow out in time"
"Yeah, good luck with that" Mordred replied with a snort as the door to their dorm slid open.
"Is Ruby here?" Weiss asked, as she stepped foot inside.
"Hold on, let me check. Yo, Red! You in here? Ice Queen's looking for you!" Mordred shouted. A few seconds of silence passed before Mordred said anything "Nope. Doesn't look like she's in here"
An annoyed tick appeared on Weiss's forehead. Ignoring what the blonde just said, Weiss asked, "Do you know where she went?"
"Not really, no" Blake replied.
"Same here" Mordred added "Why? You gonna yell at her again?"
"No! I wish to… apologize to her. I know what I said was too much and that's why… I need to make things right" Weiss answered.
"Gasp… Weiss Schnee? Apologize?! Think of the scandal! The outrage! The media outcry" Mordred said in a mocking tone.
Instead of giving the blonde the satisfaction, Weiss simply turned around and left the room.
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Piss her off"
"Because it's fun? You should try it sometime. It's very cathartic" Mordred answered.
"Wow. Cathartic. Didn't realize you knew how to use such a big word" Blake replied.
"Screw you, Belladona" Mordred replied with a flip of the bird.
"No thanks. I'm not into that" Blake countered with a smirk before turning her attention back to her book.
[Later that night]
Weiss tiptoed back into the room, ignoring the snoring from her team as she made her way to Ruby's bed, the girl having fell asleep on a bunch of books and papers. Surprised at the how hard the young girl was working, Weiss made to cover the girl up with her blanket before Ruby woke up with a start.
"W-Weiss! I didn't realize you were back. I- I was studying but then I feel asleep and I'm sorry that I-"
"Shh… They're sleeping" Weiss said, her arm over the girl's mouth as she pointed over her shoulder at Blake and Mordred "Would you like some coffee?"
"Umm… I don't drink-" Ruby started before changing her mind "Yes, I would. Cream and five sugars"
A few seconds later, Weiss came back, a hot mug of coffee in her hand as she handed it to the young girl.
"Ruby, I… I wanted to say I'm sorry. Sorry for how I acted this morning. Also, I just want to say that I think… No, I know you're going to be a terrific team leader" Weiss said, receiving a beaming smile from the younger girl.
"Y-you really think so?"
"Of course. Also, I'm going to be your greatest teammate ever. Even more so than that useless brute you call a partner" Weiss added, before leaving the girl to her studies "Good luck studying"
"Thanks, Weiss" Ruby said, as Weiss left the room.
[Chapter END]
A/N: And that's a wrap on chapter 2. Shorter chapter this time. Hope you guys don't mind. Also hoping to write longer chapters as the series continues. Also, thank you all for the faves, follows, and reviews. Really means a lot to me, especially the reviews (Apologies if I don't reply to them).
About this chapter, I hope you guys like it. Nothing much happens, really. The next chapter should kick things into a higher gear. I've thought of a few ways to make it different from canon so, stay tuned.
With that said, fave and follow if you like the story. All reviews are welcome so, feel free to speak your mind.
NoXIV Signing Off