Chapter 6: The Badge and The Burden

Detroid: Well, we're back with another chapter

sakuraphoenix: That's right! And if you're like us, and you're reading this because you love RWBY, then we're not gonna keep you waiting any longer, so we'll hit the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: We do not own RWBY at all. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum. We only own our OC's.

Detroid: It's going to start off with Sapphira in her POV so…. Enjoy!

sakuraphoenix: What he said!

I opened my eyes to see the bed next to me empty… and Towa was curled up sleeping in her cat form right next to me! Awwwww! She looks so cute like this! Maybe closing my eyes for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt… until I heard a whistle which scared both me and Towa out of bed! What the heck was that?!

"What was that?" I asked

I then saw Towa growling as a cat, when I saw Ruby! She woke us up?!

"Why did you wake us up?!" I exclaimed angrily

"Well, I figured nothing like a wake up call to start the morning!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly
And the next thing she knew, she had a shotgun pointed in her face. If her running screaming was any indication, it'll teach her to wake up a girl and a cat in the morning.
"Mew." Towa mewed angrily

"I know, right?" I said to Towa

"Mew, mew!" Towa mewed as I started petting her

"You like this?" I asked Towa

Considering that she was purring, I'll take that as a yes. And the fact that she was nuzzling my hand. Okay, it's official, Towa is so cute in this form!

"I know I already said this but your just so cute in that form." I said

"Mew." Towa mewed before she yawned in her cat form

"Let's get back to sleep." I said

"Mew." Towa mewed as she curled up next to me again

"Night Towa." I said

"Mew." Towa mewed as I pet her a few times

I closed my eyes once again, and woke up to the sound of someone's alarm clock. How long were we sleeping? And where was Towa?! Okay, never mind. That question was answered when she came in with what looked like breakfast.

"Morning." I said

"Hey, I made breakfast for everyone." Towa said

"Did you say you made it?!" Natasha asked as she sprang out of bed

"Yeah, she did." I said while stretching as I got out of bed

"Don't worry, there's plenty for everyone." Towa said as she gave Natasha her breakfast before giving me mine

"Thank you." I said

"Anytime, but uh, who wants to wake up Rani?" Towa said as we saw Rani still sleeping

"We know someone who can." I said while looking at Towa as I smirked

"Wait… what are you thinking?" Towa asked as she backed away slightly

"I was meaning…. You know who woke us up earlier." I whispered to Towa

"Oh…" Towa said before we suddenly heard Ruby's whistle, which woke up Rani, whom fell out of bed

"Okay, who's whistle was that?" Rani asked while rubbing her head

"You're awake." I said

"Not by choice. So uh, who made breakfast?" Rani asked

"I did." Towa said

"You did?" Rani asked in surprise

"Yep, I like cooking stuff almost as much as I love eating stuff." Towa explained

"In any case… we have business to take care of once we eat." I said

"Like unpacking." Towa said while holding up one of her bags before it opened and the contents fell to the floor before she said:

"And cleaning."

"Basically, yeah." I said

Once we finished eating, we started unpacking, Rani having less luggage compared with Weiss, I mean, she had three luggage carts! And well, all Rani had was one large suitcase and three smaller ones for storing her Dust. Natasha didn't have a lot of things other than Dust and clothes, kinda weird if you ask me. Towa had a lot of cookbooks, which explains her love of food. I wonder if she has to eat a lot because of her burning so many calories as a cat or something? I'll figure that out later. As for me, I finished unpacking my clothes, Dust, basically everything I had packed, while we had dressed into our school uniforms when we had faced a new problem. The beds.

"Okay, looks like we have too much stuff." Rani said

"Bunk beds anyone?" I asked

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Rani asked

"Well, if we set them up wrong, yeah, but hey, I'm sure we'll have them set up without any form of bodily harm." Towa said

"Well, let's get started." Natasha said

"Okay!" I said happily

It took us some time, but we finished the bunk beds! And honestly, they didn't even look like they were going to fall over. I'm just glad we could get them set up.

"We're done." I said

"And not a moment too soon." Towa said while stretching

I was about to say our next order of business when I heard Weiss exclaim:

"Did you say nine o'clock?! It's eight fifty-five you dunce!"

"Uh… T-t-to class!" Ruby said to Yang and Blake

"Class?" asked Jaune

We then heard a crash outside as we peaked out and saw his team all sprawled out on the floor.

"We're gonna be late!" exclaimed Jaune

"He's right! Let's go." I said

All twelve of us started sprinting to class, and already I was wishing we were missing it…

"Monsters! Demons… prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I nearly refer to them as prey. Uh… And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses…" The professor said as he clicked his tongue while looking at Yang before continuing:

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why… the very world!"

Somehow only one student agreed with him, or was not paying attention like most of us either way.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome, man. Me." The professor said

The lecture started sounding more like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah as he spoke.

"This is boring." I said to myself while hoping I could get back to my book after this class

I then heard Ruby laughing at something before I saw the photo she drew, Yang, Rani, Natasha, Towa, and myself snickering or laughing at it before the professor called for attention. It was so worth it though.

"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity. And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high. Celebrated, as a hero. The moral of this story? A true hunstman must be honorable. A true hunstman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be embodiments of these traits?" The professor asked as I saw Weiss shoot her hand up into the air, looking mad for some reason

"This can't be good." I whispered to Towa

"Nope." Towa whispered back

"I do, sir!" Weiss exclaimed

"Well then, let's find out. Step forward, and meet your opponent." The professor said

"A Boarbatusk? Seriously?" Rani whispered to us

"This should be easy for her." Natasha replied to Rani

"This is Weiss we're talking about. She's gonna try to attack it head-on if she's mad for whatever reason." Rani said as Weiss had left the classroom to change into her normal clothes and grab her rapier

"Goooo Weiss!" Yang exclaimed

"Fight well!" Blake exclaimed

"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly

"Ruby, I'm trying to focus." Weiss scolded

"Oh, um, sorry." Ruby said to her

"Guess we know what she's mad about." Rani whispered before she rolled her eyes in annoyance

"Yeah." I said

"Alright. Let the match, begin." The teacher said as he held up his rifle battle ax combo and sliced the lock to the cage, releasing the Boarbatusk inside

The Boarbatusk charged, the metal of Weiss' rapier clanging with the white natural armor of the Boarbatusk, not even fazed by Weiss' attack.

"Haha, wasn't expecting that were you?" The professor asked the Grimm

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed

Weiss charged in to attack the Boarbatusk, but her rapier got caught in the Boarbatusk's tusks, tangling her weapon with the Grimm's tusks.

"Bold, new approach. I like it!" The professor exclaimed

"Come on, Weiss! Show it who's boss!" Ruby exclaimed

The Boarbatusk then got Weiss' weapon untangled from its tusks and pushed Weiss back, her rapier sent to the other side of the room.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" The professor asked her

Weiss dodged the attack of the Boarbatusk, the dodge happening just in time as the Boarbatusk was flipped over onto its back as Weiss retrieved her weapon.

"Weiss, go for it's belly. There's no armor underneath…" Ruby started to say

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snapped

The Boarbatusk then rolled itself into a ball, and rolled itself toward Weiss, who then used her Glyph as a shield, forcing the Boarbatusk onto its back before she used another Glyph and jumped onto it, the Glyph turning black before she jumped and killed the Boarbatusk.

"Bravo. Braa-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and, stay vigilant. Class dismissed." The professor said

As Weiss angrily walked off, Rani followed her. Out of concern, I looked at Towa, whom nodded as she bent down, as if looking for something, before I saw her transform into a cat. I hope Rani's not doing something stupid… and I couldn't take it any longer. I followed Towa and Rani out of the classroom, and picked up Towa just as Rani caught up to Weiss. Uh-oh…

"Hey, frosty." Rani said to Weiss as she turned angrily to her

"Weiss." Ruby said

"Ruby, you should go back to the dorm. I'll handle frosty." Rani said to Ruby

"I… I want to help talk to her." Ruby said to Rani

"Trust me, she'll only act like the spoiled brat she is if you do that." Rani said to her

"Spoiled brat?! What did I ever do to you to earn that judgement call?!" Weiss exclaimed

"That's exactly it! You act like you know everything, and you snapped at Ruby during class!" Rani exclaimed

"So?" Weiss countered

"So instead of going to call Ruby out for what you think is her behavior, think about yourself, ice queen!" Rani exclaimed, looking furious

"Weiss… Rani…" Ruby said

"Ruby, please. What Weiss will say next is something you don't wanna hear. Trust me, okay?" Rani asked her

I sighed as I walked out from behind the corner, Towa now sitting on my shoulder.

"Guess…. My cover is blown but Ruby… Rani is right." I said

"But… okay… I'll see you back at the dorm, Weiss." Ruby said as she walked away

"Ruby, listen. I've dealt with Weiss when she is like this in the past for a very long time in fact and It's kinda best for Rani and I to talk to her." I said while putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder

"Alright." Ruby said as she walked away, looking a little better

"As for you Weiss. Ruby was just caring for her teammate in class." I said

"So? All she's done so far is act like a child! She's supposed to be a leader and all she's done so far is be a nuisance!" Weiss exclaimed

I barely had time to react when I saw Rani slap Weiss! Okay, she deserved that.

"First off Weiss, you're like Ruby. A spoiled child who gets what she wants. Every time your father and I have a business deal after my parents went on a mission, when I came to Atlas, I always walk in on you telling your father what you want instead of listening to what other people say. My point of all of this is that you only care about yourself. You don't care for other people and how they feel ever." I said

"That's not true!" Weiss exclaimed

"It is, Weiss! You think you deserve to be leader. You think Ozpin made a mistake. Wake up. It's only our first day at Beacon. You should give your leader time to act like one, and not be the impulsive little brat you are! Trust me, if I knew you were coming here to Beacon, I would've gone to Haven Academy, because that is how bad you are, Weiss Schnee!" Rani spat as she glared daggers at Weiss

"You can even ask our professor and he would agree with Rani and me." I said

"Fine, and I'll even have the pleasure of coming to you myself and say 'I told you so' when he agrees with me." Weiss said as she huffed away

"Mew…" Towa said as she jumped into my arms, looking scared

"Oh, hey kitty. Did our fight scare you?" Rani asked as she looked concerned as she scratched Towa between her ears

"We're sorry." I said

"Mew." Towa mewed

Towa just curled up in my arms. Man, either she was more easily rattled as a cat, or she didn't get into many verbal arguments growing up.

"Hmm. Now, that didn't seemed to go very well." Headmaster Ozpin said

"H-Headmaster Ozpin." I said

"W-we're sorry you had to see that." Rani said as Towa mewed in agreement

"Yeah but did you make a mistake making Ruby the leader?" I asked

"That remains to be seen. It's as you said yourself, Miss Soiree, it's only been one day. Girls, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment I would not consider Ruby Rose's appointment to be leader to be one of them. Do you?" Ozpin asked us

"I can't make that decision. I don't know Ruby that well." Rani said to Professor Ozpin

"But… I do. I grew up, knowing Ruby all my life." I said

"I will say this, being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you? You and Ruby have been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Sapphira. I advise you take some time, to think how you will uphold it. Have a good day Miss Aquafield, Miss Soiree, and you as well Miss Rosamonde." Ozpin said as Towa looked shocked in my arms

"Towa?!" Rani asked Towa in shock

"M-mew…" Towa said while nervously lifting a paw

"Guess your cover is blown for our other teammate." I said to Towa

"Wait, Natasha knew?" Rani asked before Towa pointed at me with her paw as if saying 'here's why'

"Yeah. The night right before our initiation test." I said

"Well, you're really cute, Towa. No one would ever suspect that's you." Rani said to Towa

"Mew." Towa mewed

"I know right?" I asked Rani

"Exactly. Come on, let's get dinner in the cafeteria, and don't worry, I'm not gonna give you a saucer of milk." Rani said to Towa

"That would be cute though." I said

"Mew." Towa said in my arms as she puffed up her cheeks

Rani and I laughed at Towa. I know she was thinking about the saucer of milk being a cliche, but she looked so cute when she puffed up her cheeks like that!

Natasha's POV

I looked at the new scroll I had gotten after I left my dad, for various reasons, thinking about calling Sapphira, Towa, or Rani to see if either one of them knew where Ruby was.

"I worried about Sapphira and Ruby. I wonder where they are." I said to Yang as we walked about to our respectful dorms

"I'm sure they're fine." Yang said to me

"You sure?" I asked

"Sure I'm sure." Yang said

"Well, speak of the devil. There's Ruby." I said as Ruby came back to the dorm

"Hey Ruby." Yang called out

"Are you okay?" I asked

"Not really…" Ruby answered

"What happened?" I asked, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder

"It was Weiss. She seemed upset, then I walked in on Rani looking angry at Weiss, but then she told me to leave because she thought I shouldn't see what was going to happen next. Do you think she hates Weiss?" Ruby asked me and Yang

"If I were the rival of the Schnee Dust Company then yeah." I said

"Plus, glad you weren't there Ruby." Sapphira said while walking up to Yang, Ruby and me

"Sapphira! Hey, who's your friend?" Ruby asked as she saw Towa's cat form

"Mew." Towa mewed

"Just a stray kitten I found but point is, glad I told you to leave talking to Weiss to Rani and me because well… Let's just say Weiss had something coming to her from the get go." Sapphira explained while Towa was nodding

"Oh…" Ruby said

"Yeah… but it's funny though. Rani slapped Weiss." Sapphira told Yang, Ruby and me

"Ouch, for her at least." Yang said as Towa jumped back into Sapphira's arms

"Yeah… she had it coming because…. Long story short, she thinks she deserves to be the leader of team RWBY and I pointed out to her that she only thinks about herself and doesn't care for nobody else ever." Sapphira said

"Sheesh, I told you she was out for Ruby. Come on, let's go inside. You should probably get our school stuff put away before dinner. And don't let the teachers see her. I don't think pets are allowed on the campus." Yang told us

"Plus, don't worry Ruby, Yang, Rani, Towa and I are here for you whenever you need help." Sapphira said while smiling

"Yeah, you're right." Ruby said while smiling before she and Yang entered their dorm

We closed the door behind us as we entered our dorm, Towa jumping out of Sapphira's arms and transforming back into herself. Whoa, that was cool.

"In any case, let's get some sleep." Sapphira said

"Don't you mean dinner? Because I'm starving!" Towa exclaimed

"I'm starving as well." I said

"Let's go then." Sapphira told me and Towa

All three of us walked out of the room. Even though they knew my first name, I was glad Ozpin didn't say my last name. Because if they knew… if they knew who I was related to… they would hate me. I know it...

Detroid: Welp, we're coming closer to the end of volume one if we keep this up

sakuraphoenix: Just a few more episodes to go, and a lot of time to kick some bad guy butt.

Detroid: Yeah but in anycase, please review and until next time, I'm Detroid….

sakuraphoenix: And I'm sakuraphoenix! Both of us saying we heart you, signing off for now. See ya later, Feraligatr!

Detroid: Chao!