Here's this thing. It's a Saturday, and I'm bored, so this was made. It's my longest chapter yet!
The boredom really shows, huh?
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. Lemme answer some reviews.
FoxyFoxation: I can't really confirm nor deny that you will be crushed? Maybe it was split up? Maybe it can? Maybe sisterly love can power through everything? Maybe I'm glad you're looking forward to this chapter?
-mpw09?
Imagine Exorcist: Well, that'll be next chapter. Here's this thing, though.
FirstTimeStoryTeller: Indeed. It won't be in this chapter, though.
Bomberguy789: Who knows? Ruby was always socially awkward. Maybe Ruby just never wanted to be-
Thank you for your reviews!
Please enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.
""Oh, not you again!"" Two aspiring Huntsmen yelled at each other. Neither one was particularly happy to see the other.
On Jaune's side, his dislike of the other prospective student came from the way she treated both he and his partner when they first encountered her. Her voice, through his perception, was shrill like a banshee's and as irritating as the sound of nails scraping across the blackboard. No matter what Ruby said, he couldn't bring himself to try to find even a single good trait in the girl.
On Weiss's side, she didn't really view Jaune as much more than an annoyance. In fact, she had forgotten he was even there when they first ran into each other. He seemed incompetent in her eyes, and definitely didn't warrant her attention, or even her ire.
No, the reason why Weiss was displeased to see Jaune was because of something else entirely. The dolt just so happened to be friends with something comparable to the most fearful of Grimm in the stories Winter used to read to her. Someone who was part of a group of people that one could equate to a natural disaster.
Yes, Jaune Arc had the support of a Branwen. Ruby Branwen-Rose, the childish, (supposedly, anyway. Weiss had an odd feeling about her which was separate from her Branwen-phobia) unassuming girl, had taken some sort of interest in the blond, though Weiss wasn't sure why.
Anyway, what all of that meant was...when Jaune Arc is around, the Branwen isn't far behind, and she had no desire to test a calamity more than once.
"Huh? Jaune- oh, it's Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the SDC, or Schnee Dust Company, the best Dust...err, what was it again?" Weiss cursed mentally. Of course, even at Beacon she wouldn't be able to catch a break. Maybe she should've just joined the military like her sister. At least there would be no Branwens there.
"Don't inflate her superego, Ruby." Jaune glared at Weiss, putting his hand out to the side, as if to protect the little monster from Weiss. Why. the Schnee had no idea, as the smaller girl was obviously much more skilled than the him.
"That's not what superego means, you dolt," Weiss fired back, returning his glare with an icy stare of her own. Jaune, being, well, Jaune, flinched.
"I-I knew that..." he stuttered out. He wasn't scared of the Heiress. Nope, not one bit.
"Come on, guys! Let's stop fighting; we're all aiming to become comrades in arms, right?" Ruby beamed a smile at the two of them. Weiss, taking a page out of Jaune's book, shivered slightly. Said blond smirked at her. One quick glare in his direction showed him his place, however.
"Um, are you all alright?" The group of three all turned to face the new speaker. The first thing Ruby noticed was her head of dark red hair, tied in a ponytail that fell to her waist. If she were capable, she was sure she would've felt a pang of jealously upon seeing how tall the girl stood, coming to about six feet. Concerned green eyes looked back at her from under a bronze circlet headpiece.
"Oh, Pyrrha!" Weiss quickly recomposed herself, smiling a sycophantic smile at the redhead. Jaune's eyes widened in shock. "We're all just fine, thank you," she assured. Pyrrha didn't look convinced.
"Are you sure? You two," she gestured to Jaune, who smiled at her, "were shaking quite a lot earlier." Though Pyrrha had the best intentions when asking about them, Weiss grew mortified.
"Y-you saw that?" she stuttered out. No no no, this couldn't be happening! She couldn't allow herself to appear weak in front of the strongest initiate in the school, who was also going to be her future partner!
"Yes, of course. I was just speaking with you a minute ago, before these two appeared, remember?" Of course! She had forgotten about the Champion the moment the Branwen happened into her field of vision. Stupid, stupid Weiss!
"Hey, Weiss, who's your friend?" Ruby asked, causing Weiss to not jump a bit in fright. Being around a Branwen wasn't good for her heart.
"My name is Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you." Pyrrha offered Ruby her hand.
"Nice to meet you! My name is Ruby Branwen-Rose!" Ruby forced an appearance of enthusiasm and shook her hand with both of hers. Pyrrha smiled warmly at her childishness.
Jaune turned his charm up to max and introduced himself, "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue - ladies love it! I also happen to be amazingly single at the moment." Pyrrha, wondering just exactly how she should respond to that, settled on a indirect, polite rejection.
"I see. Hopefully you'll find someone soon!" Jaune, being his oblivious self, didn't notice the implication.
"I think I might've found someone already, but we can leave that for later. For now, how would you like a spot on Team Jaune? Personally, I'd say it's the winning team." Pyrrha sighed. Another person had come to seek her out for her talents and reputation. Was it too much to ask for someone to ignore those things?
Weiss, meanwhile, was growing irritated at the blond. She wasn't going to let him steal her future partner from right under her nose! "Hmph, do you even know who you're talking to?" Jaune looked at her in confusion. "That's Pyrrha Nikos, who graduated top of her class at Sanctum."
"Never heard of it."
Ruby put in her two cents as well "I think it's a combat school like Signal."
"Signal? What's that?"
"A combat school."
"So helpful, Ru-" Weiss cut him off. She couldn't believe the lack of knowledge the two were displaying.
"Seriously, neither of you know anything? She won the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row, making a new record."
Jaune looked at Ruby.
Ruby looked at Jaune.
They shrugged in unison.
""Never heard of it.""
Weiss, at this point, was ready to blow her top, whether a Branwen was around or not. She flailed her arms wildly. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow Flakes box!"
Jaune gasped and pointed at Pyrrha. "That's you?! I thought they only do that for famous athletes and cartoon characters!"
Pyrrha smiled. Of all the things, she was recognized for being on the front of the box of a sugary cereal. "Yeah, it was pretty cool, though the cereal isn't very good for you."
Ruby still had no idea. "Um, I've never eaten those..." Jaune, hearing that unforgivable news, took on a serious visage.
"Ruby, forget the (admittedly delicous) cafeteria food. Tomorrow, I'm going to show you what a real breakfast is like."
"Uh, okay?"
"Anyway!" Weiss cut in. "So, do you still think you're in a position to ask Pyrrha to be on your team?" Weiss smirked. Jaune was obviously hurt by comparing himself to the Invincible Girl. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"I guess not," he admitted. Pyrrha opened her mouth to encourage Jaune, but Ruby surprisingly beat her to the punch.
"I don't think that's true," she objected. Weiss, despite her Branwen-phobia, narrowed her eyes at Ruby. Not a very intimidating glare when she had sweat on her forehead. "You haven't even seen Jaune in combat yet, so I don't think you have the right to judge him just yet."
"Ruby..." Said blond was surprised. She was standing up for him, even though they had met only the night before? 'Maybe,' he thought, 'this is what a good friend is like?' Jaune had some friends before, but he doubted they would've defended him. They would've laughed right along with the Ice Queen.
"Besides, even if he isn't good right now, he has the potential to get better. That's why you came to Beacon, right, Jaune?" Ruby forced on a smile. Pyrrha sent Ruby an appraising look. She hadn't expected words like those from someone with such a childish demeanor.
Jaune's face hardened to show his resolution. "Right. Even if I don't have the skill now, I'll earn it with my own hard work. I mean, this is a training academy for a reason."
Weiss would never admit it out loud, but she could empathize with him. Her fingers idly traced over the crooked scar that marred her left eye. She thought back to all of those nights spent alone in an empty room, going through forms. She thought back to the various fencing instructors who taught her how to properly wield her rapier. She sighed.
"Whatever. We don't even know what team assignments are going to be like yet, so doing a recruitment pitch is pointless at the moment."
Ruby, feeling that Weiss was free from the influence of her darker emotions, spoke up. "See, Jaune? I knew Weiss was a good person under that icy cold shell!"
"W-what?" Weiss sputtered. Pyrrha nodded in agreement.
"Yes, beneath her sycophantic smile lies a kind heart," she smiled. "I would be honored to have either of you on my team." Pyrrha acknowledged the girl cloaked in red. "Of course, it would also be a pleasure to have you on my team as well, Ruby."
"Eh, I still don't see it," Jaune countered.
"Ugh, you guys are insufferable. In any case, we should all be leaving soon." Weiss pointed at the analogue clock on the wall. "Initiation begins soo-"
"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
"Annnd that's our cue! Come on guys, let's get our gear out of our lockers and get going!" Ruby, for once, didn't have to forcefully add emotion into her voice. Coming up was the moment that decided her career as a Huntress.
"Am I grouped in with the rest of you?" Weiss wondered aloud.
"Of course! The four of us are going to be on Team Jaune, right?"
Weiss was horrified at that notion. There was, pardon her language, no bloody way in Remnantshe'd be on 'Team Jaune.' Sure, being on a team with the Mistral Champion was a goal she had since she'd decided to come to Beacon, but it came with too many conditions. Being on a team in which her leader was a bumbling oaf with, seemingly, no combat experience was bad enough. Being on a team with a Branwen was absolutely impossible.
Most importantly, even if she was stuck with the two of them, it wouldn't be on 'Team Jaune.' They would be 'Team Weiss.' The name was important.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
'You can bear it, Ruby. You can do this,' she chanted to herself. She tried to distract her mind by thinking about killing the Grimm down below, but it didn't seem to be working. Every word from the ashen-haired man reminded her of how close she was to him. Of how easy it would be to reach out and use her claws to-
Wait, what? Claws? She didn't have any of those. That was...disturbing.
Ever since the night she had that dream, she knew she'd been acting weird. Whenever she saw Ozpin, she instinctively reached for her weapon in preparation to reap his soul. Not only that, although she didn't mention anything to Jaune, but when she woke up after the entrance ceremony, she had a pair of ears. An extra pair of ears. Now, Ruby couldn't remember much from when she was born, but she was pretty sure that she had been born without a pair of fuzzy red-tipped black ears on her head.
Anyway, Ruby didn't know if humans suddenly becoming Faunus was a common thing or not, but she wasn't one to test the waters. So, that morning, Ruby went inside the ladies' room and did the logical thing to do in that situation.
Ruby unfolded her blade and cut her extra ears right off. It hurt, it hurt a lot, but strangely there was no blood. There was no evidence left behind, either, because the ears decided to disintegrate. Yeah.
That brought to mind a question that Ruby still didn't really want to think about. What disintegrates when cut?
Again, she didn't really want to come to that conclusion.
Professor Spank took over, something she was glad for. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams."
"Have you heard anything, Ruby?" Jaune whispered to her.
"I don't know much besides the fact that they assign students to teams of four," Ruby admitted. Jaune was about to speak again, but the Professor stared straight at him, discouraging him from asking.
"Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion," she continued after she was confident the blond wouldn't speak again. "Each of you will be given teammates...Today." Some cries of surprise could be heard, most likely from the few loners who knew nothing about team assignments.
To her distress, the Headmaster spoke up again. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ruby smiled at Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrah, who were standing beside her. Pyrrah smiled back confidently, Jaune, nervously, and Weiss just ignored her.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," he finished.
'There is no logic in this whatsoever. Typical of him.' Well, Ruby agreed with the first part of her thoughts, anyway.
"Seriously!? I did all that networking for Team Jaune, and it was all for nothing!?" her blond friend cried out.
"Sorry, Jaune, but it seems the contents of your team will be left up to fate." Pyrrah said, though she didn't mean a lick of what she said. She had ways, many of them.
Weiss, on the other hand, smiled. Anything to get away from those two.
"After you've partnered up," he continued, "make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."
'Everything? Does that include you, too?' she wondered. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that it was odd to be displaying hostility, since it was one of the myriad of emotions she couldn't feel, but she ignored that thought.
Jaune gulped upon hearing the word 'die.' He really was in over his head, wasn't he? "S-say, Ruby, you'll be there with me, r-right?" Ruby was too busy staring at Ozpin to notice. "Uh, R-ruby?
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." Jaune's Pumpkin Pete hoodie was soaked with cold sweat under his breastplate. "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics," he explained slowly and clearly. "Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff."
"We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Questions?"
Jaune timidly raised his hand. "About that whole die thing..."
"Good!" he interrupted, causing Ruby's chest to heat up. "Now, take your positions." Every initiate dropped into some sort of stance except for Jaune, because he still had his hand raised, and Ruby, who didn't see the point. Who actually had knowledge of what a useful stance for getting launched off of a cliff would be?
"Uh, sir? I've got a question..." Jaune tried again. The first student, a man with a shaven head and a golden Mohawk, was launched. Ruby pointed it out to Jaune, and his hand slowly lowered.
"Yes, what is it?" Ozpin questioned.
"Uh, never mind. Do we uh, like, get a parachute or something? That guy didn't seem to have anything attached..."
"No, you will be using your own landing strategy." Weiss and Pyrrha were already well into the air. Ruby smiled reassuringly at Jaune and gave him a thumbs up before she was launched as well.
"So, um, what exactly is this landing strat-" He couldn't get any more out before he was launched as well.
Ozpin sipped his coffee as he watched them all go.
"Did you notice? Ruby Rose's eyes seemed to light up. Do you know anything about that, Ozpin?" He shook his head.
"I haven't the slightest idea," he lied.
Ozpin was more worried about why her crimson eyes were set ablaze. Could she have learned something? He had noticed that same gaze back in the entrance hall, though her eyes weren't as intense then as they were just a minute ago.
Maybe Qrow told her? No, that was too unlikely. To the best of his knowledge, which he had in spades, Qrow had no idea of what he had done to his adoptive daughter. The man was an effective spy, no doubt there, but Ozpin doubted Qrow would be able to monitor him without being noticed.
Who else was there? Ruby Rose didn't come into contact with many people, so the list was narrow. Perhaps it could have been James? Could he have linked Ozpin to the system malfunction? Maybe, after he linked the two together, he revealed his findings to Qrow.
Ozpin could feel a headache starting to form. After he began the tighter surveillance of James and Qrow, he would need a nap. Looking at the cup in his hand, however, he sighed.
Why did he have to have a caffeine addiction?
