Chapter 9
Records
Tai-Yang came back to consciousness quickly, truly a testament to his many years of waking up at the crack of dawn. It could be that perhaps to his training as a hunter, making him alert at even the slightest presence, even in his sleep.
Or it could be his dutiful practice of being knocked unconscious, then subsequently returning to the land of the living.
He was also more than aware that hallucinations were a bad sign when one has just come-to.
"Glynda, I think I need a hospital." Tai-Yang says calmly, rubbing his face. Glynda, his life-long friend, merely gives him a questioning look. A disbelieving look. When he needed a hospital! Some friend!
"Why?" She asks, eyebrow arched delicately in that oh so very classic Goodwitch way.
"Unless my dead wife has come back and is sitting right next to us, I am hallucinating." Tai-Yang says roughly, a pang of hurt spiking through him, even after all the years that had passed since Summer's death.
"That is not your wife." Glynda confirms. "That is your daughter, having time travelled from the future." She says blandly, in the same listless tones as a man directing a shopper to the spice rack in his grocery for the thousandth time.
Tai-Yang turns to the woman. A dead ringer for his Summer if he ever saw one. The same eyes (eye?), the same nose, the same hair... his cheekbones. She also wasn't a petite woman as Summer had been. In fact, he she was the same height as his own mother.
A woman that looked like Summer, with some of his features and his mother's build.
"Ruby?" He asks, beyond shocked.
"Hey dad."
And then everything went black again.
"I've never seen him faint before." Glynda muses, amusement dancing around the edges of her voice. Rose grins. "That's twice in one sitting."
"Neither have I." Rose says. "If I didn't know how tough the old bastard was I'd be worried about his health."
"Quite." Glynda says primly, but Rose catches the corner of her mouth twitching. Hmm...
Maybe she really should try and get Glynda laid… preferably paired with herself. She pauses however when she realises that she was about to attempt seducing her old schoolteacher next to her unconscious father.
For some reason the entire situation reeked of a story she would never live down, so she gave it up as a bad job.
"Now that we have your qualifications…" Glynda says slowly, breaking the silence. Rose returns to the present and then snorts, eyebrow raised.
"Ozpin's managed to forge documents for me already?" Ruby asks, impressed. Glynda shakes her head negatively.
"No. This," She lifts Rose's black and gold I.D. "has everything we need on it."
"What? How?" Rose asks curiously, regarding the smile I.D with intense scrutiny.
"As is protocol, you would have tried to get it back to the hunter barracks in the capital once every month, correct?" Glynda questioned.
"Yeah, I missed one or two but I managed to get back pretty regularly. I was in the capital a lot. Why?" Rose queries.
"Each of these contains a complete and comprehensive list of the assigned hunters relevant statistics. Through reports, videos and other information sources, the data is compiled and scanned onto the memory chip every month, updating it." Glynda lectures.
Rose looks genuinely surprised. "I thought they just changed some of the codes and stuff so that it would still work as a universal keycard as they got new passwords."
"That as well, Ms. Rose." Glynda says, but before she can continue Rose lifts a single hand to interrupt.
"I should probably tell you I've assumed the identity of Rouge Rose, older sister to Yang and Ruby." Rose tells her. Glynda looks at her strangely.
"'Red' and Ruby Rose?" Glynda questions with a hint of mockery in her even tone.
"No one's ever accused my father of having much sense, in names or otherwise." Ruby replies evenly. This time Glynda does smile slightly at Rose.
"True." Glynda agrees. "Now as I was saying, I have the most accurate, or at least as accurate as possible, report on you available." Glynda slips the small I.D into a slot in her computer, opening the file to peruse it's contents. Rose waits patiently, watching as her father makes discontent noises in his fitful, spontaneous rest.
Glynda looks on, her mood darkening but honest respect growing for the woman in front of her. The file is so full of operations, the kill count so vast and her skill level so high that if she didn't know better she would think she was looking at the report of veteran twice Rose's age.
"Ruby Rose," Glynda pauses to tap a few keys. "Now Rouge Rose. Aka 'Crimson Harvest'. Ranked as the Captain of the Hunter Killer corps, served for two years. Served as an Elite level Huntress for a year before that and an official huntress for a one year period as well. Graduated as Valedictorian from Beacon academy. Assigned the black and gold level pass due to the state of emergency caused by the 'Faunus Reclamation' war. Slated for fast tracking to High-Commander of Vale's united hunter forces." Rose nods at each until the last, at which she promptly chokes and coughs in surprise.
"Wait what? High-Commander?!" Rose sputters. Glynda nods.
"For exceptional service and leadership, it also notes that the war would have already been lost without you and your team." Glynda says. "You should be proud, Ru- Rouge. To be even considered for the position is one of the highest honours for a hunter. To be guaranteed the position at your age is an achievement that very few could match." Rose nods dumbly. It's not every day you find out that you were destined for the highest position a hunter can achieve in Vale, possibly the world.
"So, am I qualified?" Rose jokes weakly. Glynda snorts inelegantly.
"A safe assumption, Rouge." Rose waves her off.
"Call me Rose, if you would, I am already used to it and I don't wish to compromise my cover by not responding to my 'first' name by accident." Rose says.
"Of course." Glynda says agreeably. "Now, I would usually take you up immediately but I cannot pretend not to be cautious of hiring someone to teach combat directly out of a warzone." Glynda says slowly, trying to keep her words inoffensive. Rose hums.
"Yes, I can see how that could be bad." Rose agrees. "I want to spend the next week gathering resources and planning. I don't think what has happened has completely sunk in for me yet, honestly I don't think it has for anyone. It's still too fresh." She says.
"Yes… I certainly haven't adjusted to the thought, to be perfectly honest." Glynda confesses. Rose shrugs.
"As I said, neither have I but if I haven't snapped in the next week it's safe to assume I could manage to teach the combat classes." Their conversation is interrupted by another groan from Tai-Yang.
"I think I've had a stroke." He says groggily, sitting up in his seat, looking beseechingly at Glynda. "Could you call the hospital? Or a mortician? I could be dead."
"Tai, do try not to faint again." Glynda reprimands teasingly. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Yeah, if you keep fainting like a big ol' puss this is going to take forever." Rose says lightly, voice level and her face the picture of innocence. Tai-Yang slowly turns to look at Rose.
"Are you sure I don't need a doctor Glynda? Or are you seriously telling my fifteen year old daughter is now sitting next to me fully grown." Tai-Yang asks weakly. Rose shakes her head.
"Not quite. Little Ruby is still around." Rose says and Tai-Yang breathes a sigh of relief. "But I am Ruby, eight or so years from now." Tai-Yang looks at her sharply.
"You really came from the future?"
"Yup."
"You are my daughter Ruby. From the future."
"We've gone over this but yes."
"As in you are my little Rose bu-"
"Yes, dad, I am."
Tai yang pauses, thinking furiously. "How in the fucking world did you manage to do that, Ru?"
Rose grins cheekily. "I ran."
"You ran?"
"I am pretty quick."
"I know that, but actually running into the past is... well, impossible."
"Ok, I am really quick."
Tai-Yang groans. "Goddamn it Ru. I leave you alone for less than a month and you break the laws of the universe? I told you to stay out of trouble."
"Technically it happens years from now." Rose says glibly.
"You and Yang are going to turn me grey before my time." He pauses, then his eyes widen. "Oh shit, two Ruby's and Yang?" He puts his head into his hands and groans.
"We get it from you, you know." Rose informs him casually.
"Curse these Xiao-Long genes."
"I think that's the first time you've ever cursed your genes, ever."
"Being preposterously attractive and talented isn't worth all this trouble."
"Pffft. Liar." Rose says dismissively.
"It's almost not worth it." He concedes.
"And we don't turn your hair grey, at least not within the next eight years, if it makes you feel better." Rose informs him.
Tai-Yang pauses contemplatively. "That does make me feel better." He says happily.
"I honestly don't understand you and Yang's thing with your hair." Rose says, shaking her head.
"It's a Xiao-Long thing."
Rose looks a little affronted. "Technically, I am half Xiao-Long, dad."
"A blonde Xiao-Long thing." He says comfortingly. Rose scoffs.
"Blondes."
"Ah-hem." Glynda clears her throat pointedly, looking between Rose and Tai-Yang. Both rub their necks sheepishly, a shared nervous tick.
"Ah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to exclude you, Glynda." Rose apologises.
"Sorry, big-G." Tai-Yang says. Rose looks at her dad incredulously.
"Big-G?"
"Well it used to be little-G but when she turned fourteen-" He starts, putting his hands out in front of his chest indicatively. He doesn't get to finish however, because he is smacked firmly in the forehead by a stapler courtesy of Glynda. "Fuck! Owww, Glynda!" Rose gives her dad a pointed look.
"Aren't you an elite Hunter? Does passive aura shielding mean anything to you?" She questions.
Tai-Yang scowsl, rubbing his forehead. "That thing is dust enhanced and she coated it in her aura before she threw it." This time Rose gives Glynda a pointed look.
"Why do you have a dust enhanced stapler?" Rose questions. Glynda raises an eyebrow and lifts a hand toward Tai-Yang. "Ah, of course." Rose says with a nod. Tai-Yang's forehead rubbing becomes slower and his scowl becomes less pained and more thoughtful, brow furrowed. He turns to Rose, face solemn.
"What did I get you for your ninth birthday?" Tai-Yang asks. Rose blinks, non-plussed.
"Dad?"
"Answer the question. What did I get Ru for her ninth birthday?" He says seriously. Rose pauses, looking at him. Then she sighs.
"My cloak and my name. I wanted something to remember mom by, so you got me the cloak and changed my last name to Rose, in honour of her sacrifice." Rose says softly. Tai-Yang lets loose a pent up breath.
"You're really my Ruby."
"I really am." She replies quietly.
Tai-Yang stands, walking over to Rose and gently lifting her out of her seat by her shoulders. He looks her up and down, burning the image into his mind.
"My little girl, all grown up." He says, voice proud and sad, then he wraps her in a firm hug. Rose pauses, but then returns the hug, arms tight around her father, head buried against his chest. A long moment passes before they separate, both a little misty eyed. Glynda's softer throat clearing gets their attention again.
"I am sorry to interrupt..." She says, looking genuinely sorry. "But I think you should know why I called you here, apart from facilitating this... reunion." She hedges.
Rose shoots her father a look. 'We'll talk later.' it says and he nods. She turns to Glynda. "Of course." She agrees, sitting down and focusing on Glynda. Tai-Yang mirrors her. "So why are we here?"
Glynda smiles mysteriously. "You requested a team with a mage and a heavy close combat specialist." She states. Rose tilts her head to the side.
"That I did." She says bemusedly.
"I've found two perfect candidates." Glynda replies evenly. Rose's eye glimmers with excitement.
"Oh?" She asks, the pieces lining up in her mind.
"I feel Tai-Yang and I meet your requirements quite well, Rose." Glynda says firmly. Rose leans back into her chair, looking between Glynda (who seems oddly excited) and her father (who looks a little confused).
"I can work with this." Rose says, grinning broadly.
FAVOURITE~REVIEW~FOLLOW!
IMPORTANT NOTE: It's come to my attention that some people aren't sure exactly when this is set. Let me clear it up. In canon a semester is six months (with some holiday time hinted at) and the tournament is set to take place at the end of the year.
In my story a semester is still six months but the tournament starts in the final month of semester one. Team RWBY has not yet even attended the Vytal festival, which happens halfway through the first semester. If you don't know exactly when I mean, then a good way to think of it is that Ruby, Yang and Weiss still do not know that Blake is faunus.
I'll try to make the time frame more distinct in the coming chapters but I thought I would clear this up now, so people don't get too confused.
On a happy note, this story has gotten over two hundred followers, near a hundred reviews, over a hundred favourites already. Thank you so much for your support. I am really happy that this story is being so well received. I'll endeavour to do my best and come up with the best fic I can.
RWBY IS OWNED BY MONTY OUM AND ROOSTER TEETH.
