A/N: Hello everyone! It took us a while to come up with this chapter, but you see, I had been writing for my other story (shameless advertizing time: If you like Frozen, go give it a read. It's called "Let It Snow", and it's been on hiatus for way too long... I'll try to update though!), and we decided that what TSO was writing wasn't really fit for this chapter. Long story short, we ended up wasting about three weeks before we finally managed to write the proper chapter. We hope you like it!
TSO's A/N: Okay, it is extremely weird writing young children, I don't think I like it. Parties are also something I don't think I'll ever want to write about again. Also, in this note I have attached content from an idea we had that was thrown out very early in planning. (I will admit, I was sad to see it go, but it had to.)
Cinder looked into the red eyes before her, tangling her hand into green hair, and pulling the dark girl's head nearer, whispering between shallow breaths, "Oh, Emerald, master thief, I do believe you have stolen my heart."
—TSO
Disclaimer: We don't own Rooster Teeth, RWBY, the characters, or the au this story is loosely (I repeat, loosely) based on. We do own the rest of the plot though! Tasteless jabs at celebrities constitute fair game.
~TSO: Uh... Excuse me, dumb ass -_-, but isn't a flashback "like a cut scene to the past"? It's like a flash (aka cut scene) back (aka past). I don't see what the problem is.
~DarkShaquille: I know for a fact that you still haven't watched this, and it's only gonna get more confusing for you. Glad you're reading though! And glad you like it :)
~Guest (Chapter 1 review): I'm pretty sure you won't see this, but I'm gonna reply anyway. I fixed Miltia's name (thanks for the heads up), and both TSO and I are pretty sure that while, yes, Melanie's outfit is white, her color is actually mint green.
~ScytheReaper: Thank you! Glad you liked it, and we hope to see you around :)
~echoxknox: Let's hope it doesn't get too confusing or anything. Ask away if you have any questions about it (we won't spoil anything though :P)
~Thedoctor24601: Would you look who decided to drop by. Hello there! Huh... Glad we made you laugh I suppose :P And you're gonna have to start watching it at some point 'cause this will only confuse you further! Plus, spoilers (duh). (I keep getting more and more people to watch RWBY, and I'm quite proud of myself.) Also, thanks for your help on this one!
3.
Stuff had been packed, rooms had been cleaned, beds had been made, and everyone was more than ready to leave Beacon Academy for the summer and have some much needed, and well-deserved, vacation.
Ruby looked to her peer, "It's amazing how fast the semester ended, don't you think?" she did not appreciate the silence that followed her question. "Don't you think?" she repeated louder.
The raven-haired girl standing next to her blinked and turned her head to face her team leader, "Huh?"
"I said," Ruby started again, "it's amazing how fast the semester ended, don't you think?"
"Oh, uh… yeah. Sure," replied Blake, ignoring the muttered "Honestly, Blake?" that had come from the other girl.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Ruby, keeping her tone hushed.
"Nothing, why?" Blake's gaze turned away from the redhead, and she sighed as she stared into nothingness.
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Seriously? Do you even realize what you look like right now?" she asked, and proceeded to imitate Blake to the point of mocking, a grin appearing on her face when the latter one couldn't stop a laugh from escaping her lips. "Come on, Blakie, please tell me what's wrong?" she said as she smiled warmly, and draped her arm around the older girl's shoulders.
Blake smiled, raising an eyebrow, "Blakie?" she asked. Ruby raised her shoulders as her smile grew a little bigger. "Look, it's nothing, okay? I promise. It's just that—I talked with my parents and they seemed kind of weird; so I'm a little worried, that's all." Ruby removed her arm from Blake's shoulders and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Honest," said Blake, only to receive a raised eyebrow from the other girl that caused her to sigh. "I'm sure it's nothing so let's just drop it, okay? Why don't we talk about something else?"
"Like?"
"I don't know. Anything really... what are you planning on doing this summer?" Blake offered a half forced smile that did nothing to convince Ruby to drop the subject.
"You know perfectly well what I'm going to be doing this summer, Blake. Your attempts to change the subject are pitiful." Blake blinked once, her bow twitching ever so slightly, let out a frustrated sigh, and started to walk away from a very much taken aback Ruby.
"What the—Hey! Where are you going? We're leaving soon!" yelled the younger girl as she ran behind the other one. "Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing Blake's arm when she finally caught up with her.
"Home. The airship will be leaving soon, which means you'll be leaving, so I need to get home." Blake's answer only managed to confuse Ruby even more.
"Uh… the airship is that way. You know, where we had been standing like a minute ago…"
"I know."
"Then how are you gonna get home if you—"
"Same way I got here. I'll walk." Ruby's eyes squinted in question, and her mouth opened slightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you. You're gonna walk home? You do realize we're on top of a cliff, right? A very tall cliff—"
"Airships don't go where I live," answered Blake simply, and raised her shoulders.
"Where you…" it dawned on Ruby that she had never looked into that subject, "where do you live?"
"Outside the kingdoms." Blake's short replies had begun to tick the red haired girl off the wrong way.
"Where—" she tried asking again, but she didn't have the chance to finish.
"Outside," was the Faunus girl's answer, and Ruby had had enough.
"Fine!" she exclaimed after letting out an exasperated sigh. "Do what you want, see if I care!" she turned her back to Blake dramatically, and started walking, fighting the urge to look over her shoulder. When she was a few paces away, her anger faded, and her shoulders slumped. 'I do care…' she thought, dropping her head, and she was ready to turn around when she felt a hand clasping her own. She stiffened, but only for a moment.
"I'm sorry…" muttered Blake, and smiled a small, albeit genuine, smile. "I know I haven't been the best... friend lately, but—"
Ruby's eyes grew wide, and she hastily placed a hand over Blake's mouth. "Shh!"
The older girl tried to protest, her voice coming out in muffled incoherencies. "Don't say things like that, Blake. Don't you know that negative thoughts are bad? They will like eat you up like a cookie and make you really think you're a terrible person!"
"So what?" asked Blake when Ruby cautiously removed her hand from her mouth. "And where did you even hear tha—"
Ruby tried to quickly change the subject, "Yang! There you are!" exclaimed the girl in red, shoving the Faunus girl aside, and ignoring her mild protests. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"I was right here. With you… waiting to board the airship, remember? And then you left…?" Yang threw a confused and somewhat suspicious look from Ruby to Blake and back. "What are you guys doing anyway?"
"We—" Blake begun, but had her speech cut short when Ruby stepped in front of her, and interrupted.
"We were just talking about how Blake is going to walk home, because apparently airships don't go where she lives," said the girl innocently. "Isn't that weird?"
"Uh… Not if she lives outside the kingdoms, it's not," came Yang's answer, and Ruby's jaw fell slightly for the second time that day.
"You… wait. You knew that... How did you..." Ruby was looking from Yang to Blake, too confused to be able to form full sentences.
"I told her," came Blake's somewhat indifferent voice from behind her.
"I'm sure Ozpin could arrange something for you, though," continued Yang. "Climbing down the Beacon Cliffs probably isn't the safest way to leave."
"No, it's okay. I could actually use some time to myself," replied Blake. "Now come on. You guys are going to be leaving soon, and I wanna be there to see you off," she made an attempt to link her arm with Ruby's, but sighed and gave up when the latter would have none of it.
"Took you long enough," Weiss' voice sounded above the crowd as she made her way to the three girls. "If I miss the airship because of you three, I will not forgive you."
"Don't tell me you're going home with us mere peasants and not using your own private airship," commented Blake, earning a glare from Weiss, and laughs and a pat on the shoulder from Ruby and Yang. "Why are you so eager to go home anyway?" she asked.
"For your information, Father and I have a lot to discuss when I get home," said Weiss, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Not that it's any of your business," she muttered. "So can we get going now?"
"And can you please stop being such a control freak? The airship is still here, we're not gonna miss it."
"Uh, it's called being punctual. Thank you very much," at that, Weiss turned on her heels and headed towards the gangway.
"Well, looks like we have to go," chuckled Yang.
"Yep. I'll call you!" exclaimed Ruby as she leaned in to hug Blake. "Have a great summer!" she added when the two girls broke their embrace, Yang watching them somewhat intrigued. "Have lots of fun, and please be careful on your way down… are you sure you don't want to ask Ozpin to arrange something for you?"
"Yes, I'm sure," she replied. "You should go now, Weiss doesn't look too happy." The three girls turned to see a very annoyed Weiss, glaring daggers at them. "Have fun guys." Blake turned to leave, but was stopped by Yang's loud voice calling after her.
"Hey! Where is my hug? You can't leave like that!"
"Oh, uh… S-sure…" was all the Faunus girl had time to say before being squished into one of the tightest hugs she had ever experienced. "I can't- breathe!" she managed to say, but her voice was barely heard.
"We're gonna miss you!" exclaimed Yang when she finally released Blake from her iron hold.
"I'm gonna miss you too, guys," said Blake, throwing a knowing look at Ruby, and turned around to leave, this time in large strides, so that Yang wouldn't have time to decide that she wanted another hug.
Blake looked at the cliff before her and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Getting up had been no problem, but the descent was going to be an entirely different issue.
She pulled the blade from her back and examined her situation again. She could just jump down, and hope her aura could make up the difference in the landing. It had worked fine for her the previous time she did it. Of course, this was much farther down than at initiation, and the area below her was bare rock. So maybe her landing technique wouldn't be enough this time.
Blake threw the Gambol Shroud down, imbedding the blade into the rock face below. She figured she'd probably shoot herself at least twice on the way down, but her scroll said she could cover it, so she turned around and began to climb down the sheer face.
Now, climbing up a steep cliff is quite difficult, but climbing down one is infinitely more so, and Blake was quickly beginning to realize that her plan for getting home might not have been the best. She was continually missing footholds, and, as this wasn't enough, her support was underneath her, meaning she would still fall some distance before stopping.
The Faunus girl wrapped some of the slack in the line around her arm and took another step down. She slowly started getting the hang of it, and she let her mind wander as she made her way down. The first thought that popped into her mind was that she had never actually tested to see if her weapon could maintain a hold if she were to fall. Sure, she could swing from the sword, but this was different, and it was starting to bother the girl.
Her foot slipped off of another hold, and the brunette's heart skipped a beat as she kicked to a different one. Another step.
She began to think about Weiss. The girl seemed devastated by the marriage; Weiss had barely even spoken to anyone after she found out, and people had started comparing the "new Weiss" to Blake herself. Blake took a moment to think about the wedding. She figured it was probably going to be the wedding of the century. Every tabloid would be there, telling all the lies they could; the entire Schnee family would be in Atlas, all in one place, probably raising the property value with their very presence.
The girl rolled her eyes at the thought of how lavish and pretentious it would be. The event would be a week long, everyone covered in jewels and precious metals... One could probably pan the leftover drinks for gold afterwards. The glitter would probably be made of gold too, and the confetti would be encrusted in diamonds and platinum. A snort of disapproval escaped her lips. They would certainly be wearing the finest silks and fabrics of exotic lands. The men's socks would match their ties, which would match their women's undergarments. The parasols and canes would be gilded and polished just for the occasion. Out from the cellar would come a bottle from 1702, and everyone would have a lavish party of sorts only a true snob could have, complete with polo, dressage, croquet, peasant hunting, and golf tournaments. There would be a dog show, and horse races... The very air would smell of perfumes and colognes, bottles of which were worth more than a new car, and the centerpiece would be the Schnee Crystal, a five hundred carat uncut freeze crystal, harvested from the Schnee quarry. Massive bolt engines running lights so bright they could be seen from space would supply power, and the people would go through more Earl Gray than there was in all of Atlas.
Blake shook her head and sighed. Everything would be paid for by the tears of dying kittens and the products of Faunus labor the Schnee Dust Company outsourced to Menagerie, no doubt. Workers there were paid less than one lien an hour to cut and grind dust from the Schnee quarry. "Capitalism," she muttered.
Blake made it to the Gambol Shroud and pulled it from the cliff face, preparing to plant it another fifty feet down.
Blake opened the door to the foyer of sorts and stepped in. The Faunus had just gotten back after a three hour hike from Beacon to the place she had learned to call her home.
After dusting herself off a little, and setting her things down, she prepared to take a long overdue nap, and headed into the main room. She began to undress as she made her way down the hall, taking off her bow first.
When Blake entered the room, she was shocked by the sight before her. The girl's parents were there, sitting around the table, waiting for her.
"Why are you two here?" she asked, rather bitterly.
The two looked at each other, and then back to their daughter, "We have a matter of business to discuss with you."
Blake sighed, "For the thousandth time, I am not returning to the White Fang, and I never will." She could hear a chair creek.
"We aren't here to recruit you, Blake," her mother said, "We have something else to discuss." Blake blinked, and her mother proceeded in a manner she thought her daughter would relate to, "The past few years have been difficult for all of us, Blake, and I know you want to see a more peaceful relationship between humans and the Faunus race." Blake nodded, and her mother hesitated, "We… We have made a deal with a powerful human that should aid you in this goal."
Blake thought for a moment, it seemed like a good idea, except for one small part, "When have you two started caring more about what I want, and not what the White Fang wants?"
Her mother sighed, this probably wasn't the best time to lie to her daughter, "The human offered us a deal." Blake blinked again, "He said if we went through with the arrangement, he would begin investing in strides toward helping assimilate the Faunus into society."
Blake turned her head slightly; something about this didn't seem quite right, "Why do you need me?
"Weiss!" Her father's voice echoed through the halls of the mansion the minute she opened the door and set her suitcase down. No, Orich Schnee had not sent their private airship to pick her up from the Academy, he hadn't even come to greet her; and the tone of his voice told her that greeting her was not a priority on his list that day. Although, in reality, she was lucky he even took the time to remember she existed, albeit only as a way to create additional revenue. Weiss took a deep breath and followed her father's voice to the place he was always at: his office.
"Y-Yes, father?" her tone was somewhat uncertain, stuttering a little as she walked in the room. The man was sitting behind a desk, reading a piece of paper, showing no sign of acknowledging her presence.
"Sit," he said, pointing to the chair across from him with his head, his eyes never leaving the paper. She didn't know why, but Weiss felt the need to swallow hard before walking to the place the man had indicated, and sitting down.
A few moments later, her father raised his head and removed his glasses, his eyes examining his daughter from head to toe. Weiss straightened her back the moment her father's eyes fell on her. She had been taught at an early age that proper ladies never slouch, and now she was just doing it on impulse whenever her father was around.
"I'm sure you know what I want to talk to you about," her father started, not really waiting for an answer.
"Of course I do," muttered Weiss. "It made headlines after all, didn't it?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that ladies-"
"Ladies don't mutter. I know," Weiss resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and folded her hands neatly on her lap.
"The wedding is scheduled to take place next month," the girl's eyes widened at the simplicity of her father's tone.
"Next month? You can't be serious, father! We need more time to-I need more time…" her voice faded. She knew this was going to happen, she always knew, and she thought she was ready for it. Hearing her father's words, however, made her realize that maybe, just maybe she wasn't as ready as she thought she was. "Can I at least know who my future husband is?" she asked when her mind caught up with the fact that she didn't even know who the person she was supposed to marry was. "Unless I have to wait and see him at the wedding…" she mumbled.
"You're not going to see him at the wedding, Weiss, simply because it is not a 'he'." Weiss' jaw dropped, and she could swear that her heart had stopped beating, as she turned to stare at the man, her eyes wide in surprise and disbelief.
"A girl?" she asked, trying to keep her voice as level as she possibly could.
"A Faunus," his voice had more than a hint of discontent, "it is also female," his reply only managed to confuse her even more. "I believe you may even be acquainted with said animal," Orich continued, his eyes once again going over the documents on his desk, not paying attention to the girl in front of him.
"I know her? How would I know any Faunus? You never even let them near me as a child, choosing to lie to me about what they were instead. The first time I met a Faunus was…" Weiss paused as her mind caught up with what she was about to say, but it couldn't be so, there was no way her father would marry her to that woman. The blonde swallowed before speaking again, "Who-who is she?" Weiss was trying hard to keep her voice calm and collected. She knew perfectly well where yelling at her father would lead. The man looked around his desk for a moment, before grabbing a piece of paper; he threw it at his daughter's feet, his head never raising to look at her. Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes as she bent over to pick the paper up, which had landed face down. It was a photo.
Weiss' eyes grew bigger than she ever thought possible, and her breath got caught in the back of her throat as she took in what she was seeing. Her mouth moved up and down as if trying to speak, but no sound came out. Her eyes examined the picture thoroughly, and then darted from it to her father and back. How was that possible?
The picture was that of a girl alright, a girl Weiss had grown to know all too well the past year. A girl whom she thought would never be her friend, a girl who had kept a huge secret from her, and yet somehow Weiss had managed to look past that and forgive her, and a girl she had never even imagined would accept such a preposterous arrangement, a girl who's heritage she didn't even know anything about when they first met.
"Blake…" the name came out as barely a whisper from the girl's lips. Weiss felt her face growing hot, and she clutched the picture, crumpling the edges a bit. Before she knew it, she was on her feet, the picture completely crashed into a ball, and her face red. "WHAT?! How could you do that to us?"
"Do not raise your voice at me!"
Blinded by rage, Weiss didn't even notice her father's hand until it was too late.
Meanwhile, a very similar conversation was taking place somewhere outside the kingdoms.
"What do you mean I'm getting married?!" Blake was breathing hard, trying vainly to calm herself.
"It's not up to you, Blake. Sit down and listen!" her father hissed at her; but knowing his daughter, he was not going to get what he had asked for.
"Not up to me? It's my marriage, it's my life, and it's not up to me? Whose call is it to make then? Yours?" No, the girl was not just going to sit there and accept everything her once-dear parents had to throw at her.
"Yes! It is our call to make! You're our daughter, and you do as we say!" her father yelled, rising to his feet in an attempt to intimidate the younger feline. Blake knew in an instant that her already strained relationship with her parents was going to take a turn for the worse.
"I am not your property! You can't make decisions like this one and just expect me to agree with them!" She whipped her head to where her mother was sitting, "And you're okay with this?!" she yelled, her arms flying around.
"This," started her mother, imitating the girl's actions, "is what has to be done, Blake. It is for the best." The woman's voice was calm and collected, but there was anger hiding underneath, just waiting to come out.
Blake wanted to scream. All this time, she had managed to create a persona that was mysterious, dark, and seemingly indifferent to pretty much everything; and now all she could do was watch it fall apart.
"For who's best? Certainly not mine! You didn't even bother-"
Her father stood as tall as he could, "Blake! That's enough! We have made a decision and—" the infuriated sigh that escaped from the girl's lips interrupted the man, who glared at her, his ears folded all the way back, mirroring his daughter's.
"Do you even know who you're marrying me off to?"
"Of course we do, Blake. We're not that bad of parents," came the mother's reply.
"Oh, of course," muttered the cat girl sarcastically. "May I know?" she asked when neither of her parents showed any signs of speaking any further; though she was starting to gain suspicions of the answer. The man approached the table and grabbed a newspaper. Turning it to the first page, he handed it to Blake, who grabbed it from his hand throwing a glare at him.
Her eyes scanned the front page, "You can't be serious…" it was exactly who she guessed.
"You can't possibly think, after all this, that we are not serious," stated the man simply.
"How is this for the best?!" Blake had to try extra hard this time not to scream at her parents. "You want me to marry into the Schnee family! You actually bought me a spot in the family! Is that what good parenting is according to your book? Marrying your underage child off to some family who hates our kind just to ensure your personal gain?" By now, Blake's ears were no longer visible, hidden in her raven hair.
"Open your eyes, Blake!" it was her mother's turn to yell now. "It's not for our personal gain! It's for the good of all the Faunus people! Having a connection to that family ensures our well-being, our survival! If you could just see things the way we are, you could see that you're over-"
"No! Don't you dare say I'm overreacting, because I'm not! And I'm not marrying Weiss!" she yelled and marched to her room.
"Blake!" The loud bang of the door closing made the Faunus couple jump in surprise.
Blake let herself slide to the floor, her back resting against the door, and wrapped her arms around her knees.
The door opened, and a ten-year-old girl ran through the room, her red dress flapping in the breeze, eager to tell her father all she had done that day. As she approached the entry, she was swept off her feet by hands as large as she was. Immediately a face nuzzled against her black and grey hair, "Who's my favorite daughter?"
"I am… Daddy," the girl tried to answer between giggles.
The man put her back down and looked her in the eye, "Do you think you can guess what I did today?" The girl pondered, it was a game they played: each time she guessed right, she got to tell him one thing about her day.
"Did you make any deals?" she asked. He shook his head, "Did you go shopping?"
"Sort of," he smiled, "your daddy just bought a small company in Atlas."
"What's Atlas?" the girl asked.
"It's a kingdom far off in the southeast, honey. Do you know what's most special about this company?" The girl shook her head, he smiled, "One day it's going to be yours."
Cinder cocked her head to the side, "Why?"
The man's smile only grew wider, "Because you're my favorite daughter, and it's your birthday."
A/N: So... That happened. What did you guys think? As always, thank you for the alerts and reviews (except your review TSO. Your input is clearly not needed)!
P.S.: Since no one answered my question, the title of this story is a reference to "Springtime for Hitler" from The Producers :)