Chapter 17 - Family


Beacon Academy - Docking Bay

Teams RWBY, JNPR, NEGL, Tekkadan, McGillis, Isurugi and Almiria watch as Weiss' father approaches her, not looking happy one bit.

"Where have you been? In case you hadn't noticed, the whole world is plunging into chaos. What do you have to say for yourself?" Jacques demanded.

Weiss is a little fearful of her father, but tries to brave through it as she remains stoic, "I was out on a mission with my team, Father. Believe me, I am well aware of the state of Remnant. We've been helping with the evacuation efforts from the outside villages. There wasn't much time to chat," she replies.

"Well, not anymore. You're coming back home with me, NOW. Let's go, I'll have Klein gather your things from your room before we leave." Jacques demanded.

This shocks her, "What? Why do I have to leave? In case you hadn't noticed, there's a war going on, and the people need all the help they can get. That's why I'm here. This is what I've been training to do. It's my duty as a huntress." Weiss explains.

"A duty which I knew from the beginning was a waste of time and money. You're only duty is to the Schnee family. Nothing else matters. Whatever happens to these people is not our concern. Now, come along. I've wasted enough time here," Jacques says as he turns around and begins to leave.

Weiss looks downtrodden and doesn't know what to do. She looks at all her friends, silently asking for some form of help. But then Orga steps up, as does Kudelia, who deeply understands how Weiss feels.

"Weiss…" Orga said.

"Orga, what should I do?" Weiss asked, trying her best to hold the tears back.

"Weiss, hurry up!" Jacques yells out.

"Why don't you shut up and let them talk!" Kudelia threatened, which caused some Tekkadan members like Atra, Biscuit, Takaki, Hush, Fumitan, Azee, Eco, Cookie, Cracker, Zack, Chad, Merribit, and even Jacques gasp at Kudelia's outburst, while people like Mikazuki, Atra, Biscuit, Lafter and even Gaelio, McGillis and Almiria, smile at seeing Kudelia standing up for Weiss.

Orga smirked before looking at Weiss, "Weiss, you must do what you feel is best… in your heart. It is your life. YOUR choice. No one can take that from you. No matter what, you will always have Tekkadan's support." Orga explained, comforting her.

Listening to his words, Weiss takes a look at all the people around her. Her teammates, her friends, all smiling at her. People who have been more like a family to her than her real family, aside from Winter and Klein, have ever been. Realizing what she truly wants, Weiss gets a determined look in her eye as her father walks back over to her.

"Weiss, I do not have much patience right now, and that blonde brat is about to get on my nerves," Jacques said, which got most of Tekkadan (especially Mikazuki, Atra, Fumitan and the Human Debris and Faunus members) glare angrily for saying such a thing to Kudelia. "We. Are. Leaving. NOW!" He ordered her as he stands in front of her back, as Orga and Kudelia stepped back a bit.

"…No," Weiss declares.

Her father looks stunned at hearing her answer, "What did you just say to me?" He asks, anger seething from his voice.

"I said… no. I'm staying. My friends, and the people of Remnant need me more than you do right now," Weiss stands her ground.

"Did you not here a word I said? The Schnee name takes precedent over everything else. If you stay, you will only end up embarrassing the family with your disloyalty," Jacques fires back.

"Embarrass? I'm choosing to fight on the frontlines as a huntress. My sister will no doubt be fighting as well in Atlas to protect the people. And let's not forget my grandfather. He always worked out on the front, fought when he needed to, and oversaw things personally, rather than from some office in relative safety. I won't be embarrassing the Schnee name, I'll be upholding it. As a huntress, as I always have. I'm not being disloyal. I'm shown more loyalty to the family than you ever have!" Weiss defiantly says.

"Embarrass? I'm choosing to fight on the frontlines as a huntress. My sister will no doubt be fighting as well in Atlas to protect the people. And let's not forget my grandfather. He always worked out on the front, fought when he needed to, and oversaw things personally, rather than from some office in relative safety. I won't be embarrassing the Schnee name, I'll be upholding it. As a huntress, as I always have. I'm not being disloyal. I'm shown more loyalty to the family than you ever have," Weiss defiantly says.

"How dare you?! Do you think you can do whatever you want because of your last name? Do you have any idea the pains I've had to go through to keep this family on top? I am the one that has brought prestige to the Schnee name, and more importantly, I am your father. You WILL do as I say, or else," he threatens her.

"On top? You may have made the SDC more profitable than ever, but at the cost of the company's soul, and the family's honor. My grandfather brought honor and integrity to the Schnee name, MY family. A name you have dragged into the mud. A family you married into-" Weiss says until Jacques suddenly slaps Weiss across the face.

Everyone looked stunned, and even some, especially Mikazuki, Orga and Kudelia, became angry at the the exchange, while Weiss slowly looks back at her father with shocked eyes.

"You have no right to rebel against me in such a manner. I am your father, and I know what is best. You will come with me now. Hopefully back at home, you will remember your place. However, if you continue to act against me, then you will no longer be the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," Jacques says, looking vivid.

Weiss' eyes widen even further in shock, as does everyone else's. Weiss' father grins, thinking that he'd finally won…until Weiss narrows her eyes and slaps him back across the face.

Jacques cannot believe that his own daughter would actually THINK to dare to slap him across the face. Looking absolutely livid, Jacques raises his right hand.

"YOU STUPID, LITTLE B-" He begins until someone else slapped him in the face… and it was Kudelia, which surprised everyone, even Weiss. Jacques was even more livid, a stranger dare to lay a hand on him.

Kudelia's eyes were filled with pure anger, as Jacques managed to snap out of his state and glares angrily back at the young aristocrat. "Not once, but twice, you stand up to me! Just who do you think you are?!" He demanded.

"Kudelia Aina Bernstein. And let me say, you are the worst father who cares about no one," Kudelia said, which shocked Jacques, as everyone began to smile at seeing Kudelia always standing up for others. "I've heard what you've done: cheap labor forces, dangerous working conditions, destroying competition, company propaganda and enslaving Faunus; even children had to suffer!" Kudelia hollered.

"You have no right to control Weiss! In fact, she's found a true family! A family that won't turn their back on anyone!" Kudelia hollered, which made Jacques attempted to attack Kudelia, only for Orga to hold his hand. "What are you doing?! Let go of me, you filthy rat!" Jacques yells as he tries, and fails (thanks to Orga's surprisingly strong grip), to get free.

"You will not lay another hand on Weiss, Jacques Schnee. I suggest you calm down and leave, before the next thing you'll be getting is something worse than a slap." Orga warns him.

"You dare to threaten me?! ME?! I am the head of the Schnee family, damn it! I will not be treated in such a manner!" Jacques yelled before looking at Weiss. "Are you happy now?! You would let these scum treat your own father like this?!" He asked, in an angry manner.

Finally losing her fear of him, Weiss stands defiant, "Their names are Orga Itsuka and Kudelia Aina Bernstein. They're not 'trash'. They're my friends, mentors, and more importantly, they've been family than you ever have. You can let him go, Orga. We're done here." Weiss said.

Orga lets go of Jacques' arm, who straightens out his suit before looking back at Weiss. "If that's what you truly think, then consider your claim to the SDC revoked. And you are not to return home until you are ready to do as I say. Your brother will inherit that claim. Unlike you, he is not a selfish brat," Jacques declares.

"Selfish? The only selfish one I see here is you. Even as the world is consumed in a war against the Grimm, you're only thinking of yourself. As for my claim to the SDC, you can keep it. But when all of this is over, and we've saved humanity, I'll be coming back for it. I will restore the Schnee family name to its former glory. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I will one day. This is MY life, and I won't let you dictate it anymore, Father," she defiantly says, spitting the last word out with a hiss in her voice.

Jacques growls like he's about to attack her again, but then sees how all of Weiss' friends, her REAL family, stand all around her, ready to back her up. Seeing that he is in no position to continue, Jacques turns around and leaves. Once he is clear out of sight, Weiss finds herself falling onto her knees, her legs shaking.

"Weiss, are you alright?" Ruby asks as Tekkadan and the three student teams kneel next to or around her.

"I can't believe it. I actually stood up to him for once. Heh, it almost feels like a dream. I was so scared the whole time that I didn't know how long I was going to last," Weiss said, her voice shaky.

"Ms. Schnee, are you going to be okay? I mean, your claim to the SDC…" Fumitan trails off.

Weiss sighs at hearing this, "I figured he would've done this. He never liked it when anyone would go against him. He hated it when Winter joined the Atlas military, when I decided to become a huntress, and when he and Mother would argue all the time. The only one he liked was my younger brother, Whitley, because he would always do as Father told him to do. Like his little pet. He's just as bad as my father, if not worse," Weiss hisses out as she slowly stands up.

"Are you okay with this? Your brother getting the SDC, and not you?" Elizabeth asked.

"Honestly, I'm not, but there was no way I was going to let him control me anymore. And I meant what I said, when all this is over, I WILL reclaim my right to the company. I still want to bring honor to the Schnee name, and I will do it. But, I will do it MY way," Weiss says and turns to them and hugs her teammates. "Thank you. All of you. I probably wouldn't have made it through this without your help," she says.

Ruby, Blake and Yang hugged her back, "Of course. That's what friends are for," Ruby says. "No, we're not friends…We're family. You have gotten to know me, you look past my name and my status. You cared about my opinion and my wellbeing, and you've always supported me. There are times when you get on my nerves, but, it's something I've come to love about you guys. Aside from my sister and Klein, you guys are my family." Weiss explained.

They all smile at this and hug each other a little tighter. Tekkadan, McGillis, Isurugi, Almiria, Team JNPR and Team NEGL watch for a moment before they decide to take their leave. However, Orga stops when he felt a hand grasp around his left and looks back to see Weiss standing behind him,

"My family includes you, Orga. You, Mikazuki, Ms. Kudelia, Atra, Fumitan, Akihiro, Masahiro, Team JNPR, Team RWBY, Team NEGL, and all of Tekkadan. You're all family. I wouldn't be the person I am now if I haven't met all of you." Weiss explains.

Orga softly chuckled, "That's why we're family, Weiss. And nothing's gonna change that," he says.

With that the group leaves to head back inside the academy. However, Blake and Yang glance at each other when Weiss mentioned family, and begin thinking about their own. While Blake begins to think about her parents, Yang thinks about her mother. She knew that her uncle Qrow would be fine, and that her father would be helping out at Signal. He taught her how to fight after all, so she wasn't worried about him. However, she still had no idea where her mother was, and if she was still alive with all this chaos going around. Meanwhile, Blake wondered how her parents were doing, if they were alright. She at least knew where they were, but it had been so long since they last spoke, and the last time they spoke ended ugly.

Tekkadan, McGillis, Almiria and the three teams return to Ozpin and give their reports to him. He then said for them to get some rest since it may not be long before their next mission. The three teams leave his office while Tekkadan, Almiria and McGillis return to their station for the time being. The teams head to the cafeteria, noticing how some of the refugees are inside, and manage to scrounge up some food. Deciding the cafeteria was too rowdy, the teams have their meals in their dorms. In Team RWBY's dorm, the girls eat their meals in relative silence. However, a few minutes later Ruby notices the despondent look on her sister's face and starts to get worried.

"Yang, is everything okay?" She asked. When Yang doesn't answer, Ruby walks to get in her face this time. "Yang, what's wrong?" she asks again.

This gets her attention, "Huh? Oh, it's nothing Ruby. I'm fine," Yang replies, though the tone in her voice says otherwise.

Ruby pouted a littie, "I don't believe you. You can tell me if something's bothering you, you know," she says.

Yang sighs at seeing that she can't get passed her sister, not unless she wants Ruby to use the puppy dog eyes on her again.

"It's just…Weiss' talk about family got me thinking…about my mother," she admits, getting their attention.

"Your mother? You mean your mother and not Ruby's mom?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah, it's just. From what little Dad and Uncle Qrow have told me, she's supposed to be pretty strong. Believe me, I'm still angry with her, and I still want answers from her, but…she's still my mom. I'm not sure even she can handle all this on her own. So I'm a little worried." Yang explained.

"…I get where you're coming from. I've been thinking about my parents as well," Blake says, joining on the conversation.

Ruby looks to her, "Your parents? Actually, you've never mentioned anything about your family before," she noted.

"It's a…difficult subject for me. I haven't spoken to them in a long time, not since my father stepped down as high leader of the White Fang." Blake admitted.

"Wait, your father was a leader of the White Fang?!" Weiss gasps.

"Yes… But, that was when the White Fang was a peaceful organization. It was only after he left with my mother that it became violent…When they left, I had an argument with them," she says as tears start to form in her eyes. "I…I yelled at them. I shouted at them. I called them cowards…I was angry, thinking they had given up…But, soon I realized that they were right, that the White Fang was becoming something it was never meant to be. Shortly after that, I left the White Fang, and you know the rest," Blake says as she starts to cry.

Yang moves to wrap an arm around Blake, comforting her, while Ruby sits next to her on the other side.

"Okay, then we see if Professor Ozpin will let us go and find them. Do you at least know where your parents are, Blake?" Ruby asked.

Blake wipes her tears away, "Yes. Truth be told, when my father stepped down as high leader of the White Fang, he then became the chieftan of Menagerie. He's still there with my mother as far as I know," Blake says.

"Okay, well that's good. They may need some help with the Grimm there as well. We could use that to help us get a mission there. How about we go talk to Professor Ozpin and ask him about this?" Ruby suggested.

The others nod and recompose themselves before finishing their meals.

XXX

Beacon Tower - Ozpin's Office

Once finishing their meals at their dorm, Team RWBY head over to Ozpin's office. When they enter, they see Professor Ozpin along with Goodwitch, Qrow, Orga, Biscuit, Eugene, McGillis and Kudelia with him.

"Team RWBY? I do believe that I gave you time to recuperate after your mission. What's this about?" Ozpin asked.

"Don't think rest is their MO." Eugene joked. "Well neither have we." Orga commented, which Eugene grunted.

"Been a while, huh kids." Qrow said.

"Sorry Uncle Qrow, but we don't really have time right now. We need to talk to you Professor. It's about our next missions," Ruby explained.

"What do you mean? Your next mission will come when we decide on what it will be. We can't just have you run around wherever you want," Glynda slightly berating Team RWBY.

"Now, now, Glynda. So, what is it you wish to ask me?" Ruby asked.

At the mention of his sister, Qrow narrows his eyes at the team, while the other two professors, leading Tekkadan members and McGillis raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"I see. And why would you want to do this? I can't just send you off without a good reason, you know," Ozpin points out.

Blake steps up to his desk, "My father is the chieftan of Menagerie and the former leader of the White Fang. A lot of Faunus, especially those in Menagerie trust him. The only way we can stop the Grimm is by working together, and we need as much help as possible. They can't stop them on their own, and neither can we. If we can help them, they might be willing to help us in the future. It's at least worth a shot, and I'm worried about them. They are my family after all," Blake explained.

As McGillis grimaced at remembering the White Fang he took out in Vacuo and knows it won't be pleasant when he meets the former chieftain, Ozpin remains stoic before he nods to her, "You make a good argument. Sending you there to help would help with negotiations. I can agree to your mission to Menagerie. However, what about you, Yang Xiao Long. Why should we go after your mother? For one thing, we do not even know where she is at this time," Ozpin asks.

At this point, Yang hadn't really thought of a good reason that could match Blake's. Could they really waste resources to find one missing huntress?

However, Qrow then steps up, "We need her because of her strength. You know that she and I were from the Branwen bandit tribe. They're strong, and as much as I hate to say it, we'll need all the support we can get. Besides, Yang still deserves some answers from her. I've been doing some digging, and I have a pretty good idea on where to find my sister," Qrow explains.

"Wait, you were with a group of bandits?" Ruby asks.

"That was a long time ago. Unlike Raven though, I left to help out with Ozpin, and I was done with their crap. Raven didn't feel the same way though. Look, what's important right now is finding them and getting them to help us out," Qrow replies.

Ozpin sighs, "I see you point. Very well. However, to save time, we'll have to split you up." Ozpin explains.

That's when Orga steps up, "Ruby, you and Blake will travel with McGillis, Isurugi, Gaelio, the Muscle Team, Nat and Gideon to Menagerie to help the Faunus there and to seek their aid," he explains.

"I'll go to Menagerie too. The Faunus there will need someone to create understanding if they learn about Tekkadan's background and my dream to help." Kudelia suggested, which made the others smile.

"Well then - me, Orga, Eugene, Mikazuki, Atra, Hush, Ms. Xiao Long, Ms. Schnee and Mr. Branwen will go to where Yang's mother is located." Biscuit explained.

"It won't be easy. Raven does not have a very high opinion of me, Qrow, or the huntsmen, so be careful. They're bandits after all." Ozpin explains.

"I'm going with them," they all hear behind them and look back to see Amber walking towards them.

"Amber? Why would you want to go to a bandit hideout?" Glynda asked.

"I just have this…feeling. Something, or someone, is there with Raven's tribe. It might be better for me to be there just in case. I've fully recovered from my injuries, and I'm ready to get back out there. It's my duty as a Maiden after all," Amber replies.

"…Very well, You may join Yang's group. I have a feeling you'll need all the help you can get. You will leave here tomorrow to head to your destinations. It will take you a little time, so be prepared for a trip longer than normal," Ozpin says.

"Roger that." Orga said.

"Thank you, Professor." Ruby said.

XXX

Unknown Village

Meanwhile, in Anima, one village is engulfed in flames as several bandits retreat from the fire, carrying whatever useful materials they could find in their arms. One female bandit with short hair and what looks like a tattoo of a bird on her left arm walks up behind the head of the tribe itself and Yang's biological mother, Raven Branwen as she watches the chaos.

"We have everything we could carry from the village. Shall we be going, ma'am?" She asks.

"Yes, we're done here. We'll need as much as we can get with how active the Grimm have been getting lately. Let's return to camp," Raven said without looking back.

"Yes, ma'am," the woman says and leaves.

With her alone now, Raven looks back at the village one more time before she turns to leave. However, as she leaves, she suddenly stops and looks up into the night sky.

"Hmm… Feels like things will get complicated real soon…" Raven thought before she leaves.


Chapter done! Not only Weiss stood up to her father, taking control of her life, Kudelia made her badass case to stick it to Jacques' face! But it won't be easy with Yang when she finds her mother? Will Blake be able to save her parents? Will Orga and Yang convince Raven to join their side? Will Mikazuki or Atra end up fighting Yang's mother? Until then, please Read and Review.