Chapter 20: Clash of the Titans

Team RWBY waited in a pavilion in the backyard of the Schnee mansion. Weiss's guards had come and moved them there after Rain had left. They were surrounded by the Schnee family's elite guards.

"Psst, Weiss." Ruby made a failed attempt at whispering, "Who are these guys? They look creepy."

"They're the best of the best. My father hired them due to their reputation as unkillable."

"Do they live up to the hype?"

A man with a golden right arm dropped down onto the table between them. He leaned down into Ruby's face. "You tell me, little lady."

Ruby tried to respond, but only succeeded in letting out a strangled "Eep."

"Barney, stop that." Weiss slapped him on the arm. "You're scaring her."

"Sorry. I just don't like being talked about as if I'm not there."

Weiss let out a sigh. "Ruby, this is Barney. He's the leader of my father's bodyguards."

"You have a golden arm." Ruby blushed because she blurted out the only thing that came to mind.

"Yes, I do. Although the gold is only a thin plating over the actual armour." Barney's arm transfigured into a variety of weapons, "The rest of it is actually a rare metal that is almost indestructible. I could have just gotten a prosthetic when I lost my arm. But I figured that I might as well have as useful an arm as I can."

Ruby had started drooling when she saw Barney's arm's different forms. It was a weapon geek's dream.

Weiss leaned over. "Ruby, you're making a puddle on the table."

Ruby broke out of her daze and flushed a deep crimson.

Barney tried to stifle his laughter. "Ruby, is it?" he stuck out his hand, "It's nice to meet you."

He and Ruby shook hands. Then he got off the table and started patrolling the grounds.

Ruby slammed her head on the table and let out a groan.

Yang slid over next to her little sister. "So, do I have to break that guy's other arm? Or should I start prepping him to join the family?"

"Yang!" Ruby started chasing her sister around the pavilion while Weiss and Blake watched with small smiles on their faces.

As the sun started nearing the horizon, a fog rolled into the backyard. A fog so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. A few punches and groans could be heard for a few minutes. Then, as soon as it had come, the fog dissapeared.

Standing in the center of the duelling field was Rain and a pile of broken sniper rifles. Barney immediately swept in front of Rain and levelled his arm, in shotgun mode, at Rain's face. His two underlings were right behind him.

"Is there really a need for that? All I did was take out the snipers Wilhelm set up just in case he started to lose. You're an honourable guy."

"You can lower the weapon, mister Smith. Master Branwen was merely ensuring an even fight." Wilhelm Schnee walked down to the field with a claymore on his back.

"If you clearly understand a fair fight then why set up the snipers in the first place?"

"Because it would have been rude not to. You were expecting them, weren't you?"

"True enough. Are you ready?"

"Yes. I've readied my will just in case you go overboard."

"Damn. I knew I forgot something."

The two of them moved to their starting positions as the Winter Soldiers moved off to the side.

"Before we start, can I ask you something?" Rain asked.

"Why not? Go ahead. Use your tongue while you can."

"Based on the way my little sister has been ogling Barney, I was just wondering how old he was. I need to know if I should kill a pedophile or welcome a prospective brother-in-law."

Wilhelm started laughing uproariously and had to lean on his sword to stay upright. "The confidence coming off you is incredible. I would be scared if I wasn't equally confident."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"He's thirty. He was in cryostasis for awhile, though. So he's more like nineteen or twenty."

"I'm oddly okay with that."

"Is that all? Can we get on to the fight now?"

"Oh, yeah." Rain fashioned an ice blade with an energy core. He held it in his left hand and got into a ready stance. "Let's go."

Barney raised his arm and fired off an explosive Dust round to signal the start of the match.

Immediately, Wilhelm charged across the field and launched a sideswipe at Rain. Nobody saw Rain move, but he was suddenly standing on top of the claymore.

"If that's as fast as you can move, this is going to be a short fight."

Wilhelm dropped his sword and ripped off his suit jacket. His upper arms were covered in gloves similar to Rain's, but made of more varieties of Dust. Wilhelm put together his hands as if there were a ball between them and his gloves started to glow.

"Well, that's new."

Wilhelm pushed out his hands and unleashed a blast of multi-elemental fury towards Rain.

Rain nimbly did a dodge-roll out of the way. When he stood up, he noticed the end of his coat was on fire.

"Okay." Rain slipped out of his coat, "Now I'm really freaking nettled."

What followed was a clash of gods. The two of them sending stronger and stronger blast toward each other. Team RWBY was on the edge of their seats, trying to figure out who would win. But Barney and the Winter Soldiers just stood by, complete calm on their faces.

Ruby took a chance to slide close to Barney. "So who do you think is gonna win. I don't know if my brother can."

"Nah. Your brother's just playing with mister Schnee."

"What? But they seem so evenly matched."

"Did you learn nothing from the fight between your uncle and miss Winter?"

"You saw that?"

"I keep an eye on all the Schnees."

"What do you mean about that fight, though? What should I have learned form it?"

A chunk of stone flew out of the dust cloud toward Ruby's face and Barney caught it out of the air, crushing it in his fist. "Your uncle and your brother are very similar. In his fight with Winter, Qrow was just playing around. He was in control the entire time and could have ended it whenever he wanted to."

"And Rain is doing the same thing?"

"Since he stood on top of mister Schnee's sword, it was over. The gloves were supposed to be Wilhelm's trump card. He had to bring them out for his second attack. If that isn't enough for you, look at your brother's face."

Ruby squinted to see through the dust swirling over the battlefield. The clouds cleared for a second and she got a clear glimpse of her brother before he was once more obscured.

"He was smiling?" Ruby asked confusedly

"Yeah. Mr. Schnee has worn a permanent grimace since the start, but Rain is having fun. He's dancing around in there just to piss off Mr. Schnee."

"How can you see that?"

"My semblance allows me to see through anything." he looked at Ruby, "Cute underwear, by the way."

Ruby flushed and covered herself with her hands.

"Relax, kid. I was just messing with you. I wouldn't do that to someone, unless I had to search them for weapons."

Barney looked back out to the dust cloud. "And it's over. Wilhelm is on his knees and breathing heavily. Wait. What is your brother doing?"

Screams could be heard from within the dust cloud. Barney jumped out of the pavilion and tackled Rain to the ground. He held Rain down with his metal arm and looked to his boss.

Wilhelm Schnee had often been intimidating by his very presence and reputation for incredible cruelty. But the man Barney saw was broken. His face was a mass of blood and bruises. His moustache seemed to have been burned off during the fighting. But what had caused his screaming was the worst part.

Rain had carved the word "Traitor" into Wilhelm's forehead.

Barney pulled back his left fist to punch Rain. "Why did you do that? You'd already beaten him."

"That man turned on his own brother and made him die a destitute cripple. Now everyone will know that this 'pillar of the community' would sell his own mother for a grape."

"Mr. Smith." Weiss had gotten onto the battlefield and was standing behind Barney. "Perhaps you should get my father to a medic."

Barney then got up, picked up Mr. Schnee, and carried him into the house.

Wilhelm woke up with a start in a medical bed. He looked around and his eyes landed on the mirror.

"It's not as bad as it looks, boss." Wilhelm noticed Barney standing in the corner. "The doctor says your aura should heal it up soon and a little makeup should cover up what little scars remain."

"Good. Now go kill that son-of-a-bitch."

"Sir. He won the duel. You should honour your agreement."

"Honour be damned. He humiliated me in front of my family and my employees. I want him dead. I want his family dead. I want everything he cares about destroyed, damn it!"

"Sorry, sir. But you don't pay me enough for that."

"I will have you destroyed, Smith!"

Barney swept forward and stuck his arm, as a sword, in Wilhelm's face. "Now you listen to me, you piece of garbage. You will honour your agreement with Branwen or I will do worse than carve some words into your forehead. And you know I can deliver on that."

Wilhelm's face twisted with rage. He wanted to kill Barney, but he knew that was impossible. Eventually he let out a deep sigh. He knew when he was beat.

"Fine. I'll let my daughter go and lift the embargo."

"Good." Barney got up and walked over to the door. He stopped right before he left the room. "I'm done with this job. I need to serve a man with some shred of integrity." He slammed the door behind him.

Rain was standing outside Weiss's room as Team RWBY helped her pack to leave when Barney walked out of Wilhelm's room.

"That sounds like it was a fun conversation."

Barney stopped walking and leaned against the wall opposite Rain. "Does your old offer still stand? The Soldier program?"

Rain cocked an eyebrow. "You? You want to take orders from me?"

"Honestly? I just want to be doing something good for once. It's been too long protecting scum. So," Barney lit up a cigarette, using the lighter in his thumb. "do you have room for a guy just trying to do the right thing?"

Rain's mouth twitched into a wide grin, "I think I might have a few open spots. The first thing I need you to do is get these girls to my yacht and protect them until I get back."

"Why can't you take them?"

"Because I'm already behind schedule and I don't fully trust my team to get the job done."

"Why don't you trust them?"

"When you and your guys turned Oz down, we had to recruit less than reputable people. They all served dutifully for the past few years, but lately... I don't know. It might be nothing, but my gut tells me not to trust them."

"Fair enough. I'll get the girls back safe."

"Thanks. Oh, one more thing. If you touch Ruby, I will rip your throat out through your as with your own arm. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, man. But, Rain, I'm not going to go after a sixteen year old unless she pursues me first. I'm not that kind of guy."

"Okay. But if she does go after you first, no funny stuff until she sees a ring."

"Roger. One question."

"Shoot."

"Why mutilate Wilhelm if you know his aura would fix it?"

"My semblance manipulates aura. He won't die, but his aura will never heal his forehead."

"Damn, that's cold."

"Yeah. Yeah... Bye."

Rain ran off down the hall and leaped through a third-story window, disappearing into the night.

Barney just humphed and took a drag off his cigarette. "Show off."

A.N: So I originally planned to have Wilhelm back out by having Barney substitute for him, but I ended up making Barney a good guy and shipping him with Ruby and I think I'm slowly losing my mind. Anyway, back to the main plot next time.