Betrayal shatters every heart. Mine was reforged with ice.
Two figures in dark clothing stood on a rooftop, gazing down at an old warehouse, watching the men come and go and the guards prime their guns.
"Ready?" The elder, dressed in red and black with eyes like blood asked quietly, even though she already knew the answer. The younger, dressed in black and turquoise with eyes like sapphires, nodded.
With that, the two figures turned into birds.
In the warehouse, a man tsked as he walked among row upon row and stack upon stack of cages, shaking his head as he gazed into each one.
"Dead, dead..." He frowned, then heard a cough from one of the curled-up forms and fired his gun. "Dead. Dead, dead, dead..." A sickening smirk grew on his face. "Well, you're a stubborn little freak, aren't you?"
"L-leave me alone." A boy's voice shouted, followed by some small coughs. "I-I'm a person, like you!"
"You wish." The man smirked, not noticing the tiny figure landing behind him. "As if a freak like you was anything like-" The man yelled in pain and surprise as he was tripped, his head slamming into the ground. He was knocked out instantly, revealing a girl around the age of twelve standing behind him.
The girl was of average height and weight for an athletic girl of her age, and she had big blue eyes and long, feathery black hair that was pulled over her left shoulder in a low side-ponytail held by a dark-blue ribbon. She wore black jeans, black combat-boots, a black belt with a dark-blue buckle that held the large silver sheath for some sort of weapon to her left hip and some small black punches on her right, black fingerless-gloves, a black choker, and a dark-blue blouse. She was wearing some black mascara that made her eyelashes stand out, along with some lightly-applied black eyeshadow and black eyeliner that brought attention to her eyes.
She dropped a rusted shovel, shrugging lightly as she looked down at the man with a light expression of surprise - like she wasn't expecting the tactic to work -, then she ran over to the cage, reaching for the right side of her belt. The boy growled and lunged, the girl barely backing away in time to avoid any injury.
"Get away from me, human!" The boy glared, livid. The girl blinked, then rolled her eyes, pulling something small and silver from her belt.
A lock pick.
"Do you want to get rescued or not?" The girl asked, annoyed. The boy glared, but he backed away from the cage door, the girl going over and picking the lock. In a few moments, the boy was free. "Are there any others?"
"... No. Just me." The boy replied, still suspicious. He hadn't moved to exit the cage. The girl shook her head, sighing ruefully.
"We were too late... Come on. My mother will buy us time, but we need to get in a more open area before I can get us out of here."
"How do I know I can trust you? How do I know this isn't a trick?"
"What kind of trick? Also, don't you know a rescue when you see one?" The girl asked snippily, raising an eyebrow. A moment passed, then her forlorn expression returned and she held her right hand out. "My name is Rhea, Rhea Branwen."
The boy hesitated for a moment, then stepped out of the cage and into the light. He was around thirteen or fourteen, he wore torn black clothes, and he had red eyes and red hair. Two defining features were the two bull-horns that almost blended into his wild hair.
"Adam Taurus." The boy replied, clenching his fists at his sides. Rhea nodded in acknowledgement, then grabbed his left hand and started running, pulling the surprised older boy along behind her.
The children made it outside, then gasped as they saw at least a dozen men aiming guns at them. It only got worse as Adam collapsed, too weak to carry on.
"Hey!" Rhea looked back at him, her eyes wide. "Are you okay?!" Adam looked up at her, wincing and gripping his side.
"R-run..."
"Now listen here, Missy." A man smirked cruelly, stepping forward, and Rhea looked back at the men. "If you just step aside and allow us to take back our property, you can walk away from this without a scratch." Rhea's hand immediately went to her sheath, and she drew a large blade of Ice-Dust.
"All people are created equal." Rhea announced, glaring venemously as she stepped between the men and the bull-Faunus. "If you want him, come and get him." Adam looked up at her from the ground, his eyes widening.
"W-what are you doing?!" He asked the girl, terrified. "They'll kill you!" The girl looked back, giving a light smirk.
"I'd like to see them try."
...
It was just fine.
We lived in peace,
Looked to a happy ending.
...
The men charged, but Rhea stabbed her blade into the ground, creating an icy slick to make them slip and slide. The girl ran across the ice with no problem, drawing a blade of plain Hardsteel and swiping it at their legs, knocking them out from under them and sending the man sliding across the ice.
...
The days were bright,
They shined like gold.
Every step ascending...
...
The men looked up as Rhea slashed with a red blade of Fire-Dust, creating a thick shroud of steam to use as a cloak. The lead-man looked around, his eyes narrowed.
"Where did she go?!"
Meanwhile, Rhea grabbed Adam's shoulders and was pulling him away from the steam where the men were still wandering, grunting slightly in effort as she pulled the boy across the dirt.
"W-we have to run..." Adam tried, looking up at her. Rhea kneeled and helped him sit up, then actually shook her head.
"No."
"What?!"
"If we leave, these men get away and can do what they did to you to more innocent people." Rhea announced coldly, and Adam's eyes widened. "I won't let them get away with this, and I won't let you have to go through life wondering if they'll come back for you... I've got this."
"But-!"
"Stay here." Rhea ordered, then her expression softened. "And stay safe, okay?"
Rhea stood, taking a few steps back as the boy watched her with astonisment, then she gave a small smile and a nod before turning and running back, vanishing into the swirling steam.
...
Our dreams came true,
Our path was clear.
The moon watched safely from above...
...
The men were still wandering around in the steam, looking around for the girl in blue with their weapons raised. That's when a man screamed as he was pulled into the steam.
Then, another one went.
And another.
Another.
...
But every smile
Is not the same,
And every heart's not filled with...
...
The steam dissipated, revealing four unconscious men and a livid little girl with a green blade of Wind-Dust drawn and ready, the child prepared for an attack. The remaining ten men glared, and the leader pointed.
"Get her!" He shouted, his eyes narrowing in rage as he bared his teeth. "Make that stupid little bitch pay for what she's done!"
...
Love for mankind!
Look around, it's getting very hard to find!
Not every open wound is simply healed by time,
But revenge is always sweet,
And chaos is the prize!
...
The men started firing their guns at her, but Rhea deflected the shots back, injuring two. Then, she flicked her blade and sent a green cyclone of wind at the men, throwing them back.
Adam stared at the battle, astounded by the display of bravery and power shown by the young girl in blue and even more astonished by the fact that she was doing it for him and Faunus like him, for all of those who had suffered at the hands of those men. For people like his parents.
...
Feel it everywhere and you see it growing.
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!
...
The lead man stood and fired, catching the girl in the side. Her aura protected her, but she looked up, even angrier as the remaining eight men faced her.
Rhea drew her Ice-Dust blade and gave them no time to attack, charging by herself instead and tripping three men with the blunt side of her blade, their heads slamming into the ground as she ran past. Due to lack of an unlocked aura, they were instantly knocked out.
...
The machines of war will fuel both sides,
And the greed will only grow more lies!
Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!
...
Rhea faced the remaining five men, noticing Adam slumping over, unconscious in the background. Her eyes were slowly shifting from blue to violet, but she shook the red haze off and tried to focus.
"You're going to get it now, Missy." The leader growled lowly, livid. Rhea couldn't help but let a smirk cross her face, a chuckle escaping her lips.
"I doubt that."
...
Where did it go?
Our peaceful youth
Seems to be gone forever!
...
"What kind of kid are you?!" Another man asked, his eyes wide. Instead of an answer, he got Rhea's boot in his face, the back of his head slamming into the ground as Rhea looked at the remaining four.
"I'm a Branwen."
...
And in its place:
A life of war!
Every truce has severed!
...
The girl leapt up and changed into a bird, screeching as she flew overhead, dodging bullets. Then, she swooped down and used her talons to leave four large scratches across the leader's face.
...
We'll live our lives
Watching our backs,
Not knowing who to trust or fear!
...
"That child is a demon!" A man screamed, and three ran off. Rhea landed and transformed, the battle now between her and the leader of the operation.
The head of the Faunus Slave Trade.
...
The hate just swallows all the love,
And all the
Truth will disappear...
...
Rhea gave a yell as she charged, the man enraged as he watched her come for him. But he was also ready, and he brought the butt of his gun down on the girl's head, kicking her back.
The girl stumbled, and he ran forward and slammed the butt of his gun into her stomach before shooting her, her aura taking the attack but the girl flying back and hitting the ground, grunting in pain.
...
Lost and blind...
Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind!
It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined,
But the future's looking bleak,
And the storm is set to rise!
...
Rhea slowly climbed to her feet. She looked up, her eyes now glowing a hate-filled red.
'What is this anger, inside of me?' Her rational side managed to ask. 'It's so strange... But I like it.' Rhea raised her blade, feeling a wicked smirk cross her lips as those crimson eyes narrowed. 'This will be fun...'
...
Say goodbye.
Time to die.
Say goodbye.
Just say goodbye.
Time to die..!
...
Rhea gave a yell of rage and charged, slashing the man with her blade several times and sending him flying back. His aura protected him, but his eyes had widened in disbelief.
'She's grown stronger.' He thought to himself, stunned as he began fighting back again. 'How is this possible?!' He landed a punch to the right side of Rhea's head, but it didn't seem to affect her.
Until she saw that he pulled his hand away after the attack, bringing several strands of black hair with it.
...
Feel it everywhere and you see it growing!
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky!
...
Rhea's howl of rage was almost animalistic, and she charged at the man as he actually cowered in fear. Had just pulling her hair out by accident really caused her to lose her senses?!
The girl reared her left fist back as her whole body briefly flashed with blue light, her eyes still glowing crimson as she bared her teeth.
...
The machines of war will fuel both sides,
And the greed will only grow more lies!
Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die..!
...
Rhea's fist made contact with the leader's stomach, and there was a resounding crack as the man was sent flying into the wall of his own warehouse, going through it and crashing into the cages. The cages fell, and something happened in there that caused the warehouse to explode.
"Whoa!" Rhea stepped back, her eyes widening in disbelief. 'I just... Killed that man.' Rhea looked down at her hands. 'I was so angry... And I liked it...'
...
Die!
Die!
Die..!
...
Rhea suddenly faltered, a weariness taking over her entire body, and she looked down, taking a deep breath. She panted lightly with her head bowed and her eyes closed, seeming to be very tired in the wake of the fighting, then she picked up her sheath and turned, facing away from the flaming warehouse as another explosion went off.
Her mother stood there, watching with a raised eyebrow. Raven didn't entirely understand where Rhea's second-wind had come from, but knowing that her daughter was capable of raw strength had her mildly impressed.
"Excellent work, Rhea. Go on ahead, back to camp. I'll finish up things, here." The woman sounded somewhat proud. Rhea gave a small nod, smiling through her exhaustion.
"Alright." The girl went over and pulled Adam onto her shoulders, using a free hand to draw a dark-turquoise blade and slash a portal. "Come on, big guy. I'll patch you up."
"And Rhea?" Raven inquired, and Rhea looked back. Her mother had her back turned to her. "... Showing your exhaustion is a sign of weakness. Never lower your guard like that ever again."
"... Yes, Mother." Rhea nodded, frowning slightly. Raven nodded in response, and with that, the children vanished through the portal.
The woman in red looked around, then drew a blade of Fire-Dust.
Adam shifted, then woke up, letting out a small groan of pain as he sat up. He opened his eyes, wearily noticing a cheery campfire with some sort of animal cooking on it.
"Huh..?"
"Hey!" A voice greeted, and Adam jolted, looking up to see a smiling Rhea. "You woke up a lot faster than I thought you would. I'm just glad you stayed sleeping while I patched you up!"
"W-what?"
"You were hurt kinda bad." Rhea admitted, and Adam looked down, pulling his shirt up to reveal bandages wrapped around his abdomen. He could smell various medicines and antiseptics, and he looked up at Rhea with wide eyes.
"W-why?"
"Huh?"
"Why did you rescue me?" He asked, stunned. Rhea and Adam stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, then Rhea managed to smile as she replied.
"Why not?" She asked, and Adam's eyes widened further. Then, he slowly smiled back..
/\/\/\/\
Nearly Six Years Later
/\/\/\/\
Weiss Schnee, the friends that had gathered on the docks, and Ruby Rose stared at the new arrival. Rhea Branwen's eyes darted around suspiciously, her hand still on the hilt of her blade, then she took a deep breath and looked at Ruby, managing to give a small smile as she spoke.
"Hello, Ruby."
"... You're my..?" Ruby stared at the girl with wide eyes, stunned. Rhea slowly nodded, then Ruby suddenly squealed in delight and hugged her, knocking Yang Xiao-Long's arm off from around Rhea's shoulders. "Two big sisters! This is so COOOOOOL!"
Yang hugged the both of them, the three daughters of Taiyang Xiao-Long united at last. Yang gave a small half-laugh, hugging the two of them tighter.
"Yeah... It's cool..."
"... She's also the leader of a tribe of robbers and murderers." Qrow Branwen deadpanned heavily. Rhea looked up at him, glaring.
"They're getting better!"
"Still haven't removed the Right of One."
"Better, as in NOT PERFECT." Rhea stated, pulling away from Ruby and Yang and crossing her arms. "Another few months, and maybe they will be... As long as I can get some of the more idiotic tribesmen to follow orders properly." Rhea scowled, her eyes briefly darting to the side. "Godsdamnit, Kyle..."
"Whoa!" Sun Wukong walked over and crossed his arms, surprised as he looked Rhea up and down. "So, you're like a darker, edgier, crazy version of Yang?" Rhea looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Crazy?"
The question came out simply enough, but Rhea had once-again adopted the scary, commanding tone of a tribe-leader and battle-hardened warrior. Her eyes had narrowed, glinting slightly, and while that gesture didn't appear to be truly threatening, it sent shivers down the spines of everyone within a four-yard radius. The temperature actually seemed to drop...
What would happen if she became truly angry?
"You are..." Sun pointed at her, smiling nervously as he backed away. "VERY scary."
Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing. Yes, this newfound sister of theirs was a bit scary. But there was something about her, something that told them that she didn't really mean it. She wasn't a bad person, she just seemed...
Well, Blake once phrased the situation as misguided.
Yang knew that Rhea cared about people - she was there because she was trying to protect her after all, and she had escorted her and Blake and Qrow to that place to make sure that they were safe - and she knew that there was something wrong with this Tribe. Sure, Rhea led them, but it was obvious that Rhea was also terrified of them and determined to follow their traditions in order to keep them in line.
Just imagining that made Yang a little bit sick. She had a younger sister who was pretty much being held hostage by fear, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Rhea had to fight that war alone, and while Yang was against it, she was slowly beginning to understand that this was a war that she had fought for her entire life and managed to win several battles in.
Why would she lose, now?
"... Thanks." Rhea deadpanned heavily, then she looked up at the Grimm-Dragon that was circling the school. A smirk slowly formed on her face. "What a battle... Excuse me, for a moment."
"Wait..." Yang raised an eyebrow, Ruby looking just as confused. "What?"
Rhea suddenly darted forward, drawing her dark-blue blade and slashing it before her, creating a swirling portal that she entered. As the vortex vanished, Qrow sighed and drew a flask.
"Great. Just like her mother..."
A portal appeared in the air above Beacon, Rhea falling out and landing on the Grimm-Dragon's back, running across its spine with a blade of red fire-Dust, hacking at the flesh exposed between the armor plates.
"She's nuts!" Neptune Vasilias shouted, his eyes wide while Qrow nonchalantly took a swig from his flask. "There's no way that she can take that thing down!"
"If she can beat Raven..." Qrow's eyes narrowed dangerously as he lowered his flask and looked up at the fight. "I wouldn't put it past her."
Well... How about that?
I made several changes to the "Blue Trailer", as it is known in "A Tale of Twin Dragons", including Rhea being a bit more resourceful and careful about protecting the person she's rescued, along with that being the night she began to discover her semblance.
Like I promised, I worked more on her relationships, this time around. We know that she's extremely obedient to Raven - her mother - and also a little bit afraid of her, and we see her attempting to forge a friendship with Adam - the first person she's met who's even remotely close to her age - even though she doesn't really know how to act truly "friendly" due to her mother's influence.
I've also tried to develop her reckless side a bit more. It was something hinted at in "A Tale of Twin Dragons" that I didn't really do a good job of showing.
So... Yeah.
I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)