Breaking Remnant: Bound by Shadows

Rating: T/M

Series: RWBY

Pairing(s):

Volume 4: Winter

Summary: Aganju came to Beacon wanting to be treated as equal. Pyrrha wanted to be viewed as a normal girl. Neither of them expected to be that fate would have them meet. Now, they navigate the academy grounds and beyond, with secrets and danger awaiting them at every corner. The alternate timeline takes place just before the start of RWBY volume 1 and AU in the Breaking Remnant series.

(Rewrite of RWBY: Shadows of Destiny)

Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY... that honor belongs to Rooster Teeth. I do own the rights to my OCs.

Chapter 23

The city of Mantle actually looked beautiful from above as the police airship sailed over the former kingdom. Aganju spared a glance out of the window, feeling his stomach sink at the bittersweet scene. Despite what he witnessed, he knew the truth of the city below and nothing would change that. The vulpine pulled his gaze from the scene beneath them, seeing an even more depressing sight.

He looked down at the bonds that held him and his allies. Each one held a similar expression on their faces ranging from tired to outright dejected. The only one who diverted from the traditional line-up was Nora Valkyrie who was hard at work gnawing at the restraints. Normally, the girl's antics would've made him crack a smile. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the humor behind her actions, only empathy.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Ruby broke the silence.

"I'm going to go with jail..."

Though Qrow's pessimistic answer wasn't helping, Aganju couldn't blame him. That did seem to be the best answer, given their current situation. Ruby, typically the most optimistic of the bunch dropped her eyes in defeat. To see his adoptive sister in such a state made him wince slightly, almost as if he was watching the girl receive a physical punch to the gut.

"I still can't believe that fishing pole guy just took us out like it was nothing."

"Welcome to Atlas," Weiss huffed. "Those were Ironwood's Ace-Operatives."

"You guys had a run-in with the Ace-Ops?" All eyes turned to the source of the unknown voice, a young bearded man with brown locs tied up. He looked at them with awe that steadily shrunk to irritation. "Ironwood must really have a bone to pick with you."

"They're not that big of a deal," Weiss soft scoffed.

"Not that big of a deal?! The Ace-Ops are THE ELITE of the elite of military Huntsmen! They're also Ironwood's personal attack dogs."

"So they got you too, huh?" an unimpressed Nora spoke up.

"Pfft! I wouldn't let myself get caught by them!" he replied smugly. "I'm here because I've been speaking out against Atlas' exploitation of Mantle and General Ironwood is trying to silence me!"

The two agents piloting the ship turned to one another after hearing the proud declaration of the impending inmate.

"You threw a brick at our ship!" the co-pilot rebutted.

"It's worth it if it gets people talking about our cause!" he shot back, earning an eye roll from many of the cabin's passengers.

By this point, Aganju decided to tune out the nonsense as he leaned against the window in frustration. Across from him, Pyrrha and Blake noticed the frustration radiating from the young man. Though it was safe to say that he wasn't happy, both girls picked up that if nothing else, he was more worn out than angry. He just looked... tired.

The two wanted nothing more than to comfort him but, given the situation, that would be somewhat impossible. The conversation continued but it held little interest to the three. Blake, being a former member of the White Fang had figured that she'd wind up in this position but, to see Pyrrha Nikos in such a position was truly a sight to behold. The 'Invincible Girl' tested the strength of her bonds, finding no slack whatsoever.

Thankfully, the ship had finally arrived at the city in the skies. In a few more minutes, they'd all be walking into an Atlas precinct to be booked and detained until further notice. At least... that was what they'd expected. Once they arrived over Atlas, the gang marveled at the pristine beauty of the kingdom. For the first time since their arrival, the depressing air gave way to wonder and reverence.

Well, for most of the group at least.

"It's so beautiful!" Ruby fawned.

"Don't let that fool you..." Weiss quietly countered.

While the scythe-wielder was joined by Jaune Arc in marveling, the rebel took a look at the massive empire as well. However, his eyes narrowed as if contemplating something... Something clearly wrong.

"This isn't the police station."

He was right. The airship wasn't headed to the Atlas precinct at all. Instead, it held its course, sailing straight toward the middle of the nation, the largest building in Atlas growing larger by the second.

"It's Atlas Academy?" Qrow blinked several times, disbelief replacing his own cynical nature.

The pilot brought the aircraft in for a smooth landing where two military personnel waited patiently. Once they finished, the doors opened to allow the former Beacon students and Qrow to exit the vehicle.

"I guess we will be seeing General Ironwood..." The scarlet speedster chuckled nervously. "For better or worse."

To lay eyes on Atlas Academy, mouths dropped at its magnificence. The men silently motioned for them to follow along as they escorted them past the courtyard. Several hallways and an elevator ride made things appear longer than it truly was. Though they were ascending, nobody could help but feel themselves sinking deeper into quicksand.

"What do we do now?" Roxanne whispered.

"For now, it's best that we watch what we say to Ironwood," Ruby instructed.

It was a solid idea, but one that didn't exactly elect pride and eagerness. One of the guards turned to them but thankfully, he swiftly returned his gaze forward, seeing no harm in what was being said. Blake and Ren placed a hand on either of the girl's shoulders, flashing encouraging grins toward her as the elevator ceased its ascension. From there, the trek seemed unending but they proceeded onward until they arrived at the main hall, their 'escorts' suddenly stopping.

There, they heard a stern yet familiar voice coming from the western passageway; the voice of the one person they worked so hard to see.

"If I have to sit through one more council meeting..."

His frustrations were interrupted by the emanation of one Penny Polendina.

"Yay! You're here!"

The pair of General Ironwood and Winter Schnee turned around, wondering what the synthetic girl was so happy about. Dark blue eyes slowly grew broader as he and Winter identified the group in custody. His subordinate appeared uniformly taken aback at the visual of her sister and her friends in cuffs. The two siblings, long since separated after the Vytal Festival, exchanged a silent yet, heartfelt moment until Nora once again inserted herself into the picture.

"Anybody wanna give us a hand with these?" she brandished the Atlesian restraints.

Winter quickly resumed her authoritative (and dare I say, fearsome) stance, approaching the guards with her professional yet, fear-inducing aura.

"You have ten seconds to take those off before I start hurting you..."

The icy force of her calm tone was enough to make the men move triple time as, one by one, they removed the bonds from each of their wrists. Whether it was their duty to abide by their superior or just sheer bed-wetting terror for what she would possibly do to them, they managed to complete the task in the allotted time afforded to them. Ironwood simply watched in amusement as the scene unfolded.

From there, the General invited them inside his office; clearly, there was a lot to discuss.

The conversation was brief but it was full of hearty content, some of it a bit much to take. From Weiss and Winter's reunion to the revelation of the latter learning of the relic and maidens to the Ace-Ops to the plan to use Amity Coliseum as a form of a satellite to both restore communication to Remnant while simultaneously keeping the staff of creation out of Salem's grasps.

What really carried a heavy burden on the minds of everyone was when he mentioned telling the people about Salem. Such an act truly meant more than even the general could understand. He'd detail about how the military forces would be needed to prepare for a possible riot or worse, a massive influx of Grimm. The worn-down Atlesian assured that after handling Atlas' issues, they'd spread the message with the world after launching the satellite into orbit.

It was truly a risky decision, but, what else could the others say?

Even when Weiss mentioned the unfavorable consequences of such a move, Winter would counter that Atlas would come in, as a result, to help with the monsters.

"Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all."

[Atlas Academy]

After the conversation, which felt like it'd been going on for hours, Aganju and the others were granted access to some of the empty dorm rooms to rest and recuperate from their, admittedly long, journey. As they descended the staircase leading back to the main hall, he mulled over everything that was told to them, Ironwood's plan mostly. He still wasn't convinced that was the best idea but figured that unless he could come up with a viable alternative, he'd remain quiet on the matter.

For now, all he wanted to do was find a comfy bed to rest in. The general also mentioned something about them getting their weapons and clothes upgraded which made the fox boy grin softly.

"So that was the second time I got banned. Then there was the third time when-"

"Alright, cut the chatter..."

Aganju was the first to see the five-man team shooting the breeze with one another. Interestingly, he noticed one member, in particular, a young dark-skin male with a dog's tail. By the looks of things, he gave off a disinterested attitude, though Aganju could pick up that there was something else. However, it was the brown-haired man who spoke up.

"I'd like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication down in Mantle. We didn't mean to-"

"I feel so bad, honestly!" A tall Amazonian woman rushed out, narrowly missing the vulpine faunus. She immediately grasps the hand of Ruby Rose, wildly shaking it and the girl as a result. "If we had known who you were, we'd be laughing over a hot meal right now!"

After hitting the floor, a bewildered Ruby tried her best to regain her bearings. Unfortunately, such attempts only resulted in her seeing multiple, blurred copies of the Ace-Ops.

"I understand. You were just following orders."

"You could've asked up some questions first," Weiss added, casually spinning the still unstable speedster in amusement.

The dark skin male entered the discussion, his desperate attempts at sounding professional.

"Questions are for the weak, but we're all on the same team now. Not that I'm happy about it..."

"That makes two of us..."

Despite their nonchalant tone, both Aganju and the operative's tails betrayed them, wagging vigorously and signaling their obscure outlooks on the matter. Neither wasted time in grabbing the appendage, blushing as the two groups shared a laugh at their expense. Even Pyrrha ceased her guilt-ridden sulking to giggle at the pair's reaction.

With that done, both disgruntled faunus finally getting their traits under control, the apparent leader of the smaller team stepped in.

"We just want to say we're sorry and we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students but you've been fighting just as hard as we have. Maybe harder."

"Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do." A young woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides smirked.

"Ugh, not everything's a competition hare." A pale skin male replied, his voice gentle yet firm.

During the informal introductions, Ruby was about to give her name when Penny suddenly zipped in front of her, eager to give them the grand tour. That took a while, serving to really sap everyone of what energy that remained. But, at least the boring aspect of their arrival was finally over, an idea that they all appreciated.

The first night in Atlas would prove monotonous for most.

Despite the pressing matters, General Ironwood granted the group a day to recuperate and upgrade their weapons. From there, many of them scattered to do their own things. Whether it was getting a bite to eat or going straight to bed, nobody could blame the young adventurers for indulging themselves. Those who stayed up managed to finally get the names of their newest allies.

The eloquent male, and leader of the fivesome, was Clover Ebi. The dog faunus was Marrow Amin and the competitive woman was Harriet Bree. Vine Zeki was the stoic and monotone member while Elm Ederne was the passionate and (sometimes) excitable one, drawing comparisons to Ren and Nora.

In fact, some of the Beacon group were able to draw other parallels to the other members of the Ace-Ops, most humorously Aganju and Marrow. The duo quickly denied this in sync with one another, inciting a chorus of laughs once again. Of course, Harriet and Yang were the two competitive ones, much to their team's chagrin as they engaged in an arm-wrestling contest.

After dinner, Aganju decided to hit the showers.

He was grateful that the Headmaster and military leader provided them with the standard school pajamas while crossing the rather silent halls. Given that most of the students were out on missions in terms of the military rotations, he had little worry about privacy as he stepped inside the large unisex bathroom.

"Wow..." he whistled softly. His eyes scanned the brilliantly lit room as he made his way to the communal area. "It's a little gaudy, but, I won't complain."

Finally, he removed his clothes one by one, tossing the articles into a pile before stepping inside. He reached out and turned the knob, allowing the sudden influx of hot water to soothe his sore muscles. His lips curled up for the first time since entering the continent while using the soap and shampoo provided to him. He couldn't hold back a soft moan as he scrubbed his scalp underneath the long tufts.

It feels so good to just relax... he let out a satisfied growled.

While he continued to clean himself, Aganju was unaware that someone else had entered the large lavatory.

The door closed softly behind the mysterious figure. This is what snapped Aganju out of his musing, causing his ear to twitch. Amidst the fog, he slowly turned around finding a large figure approaching. He instinctively dodged when they appeared to try and seize him, side-stepping the figure.

"Oho! You're a fast one!"

"What the?! Elm!" he howled as her form became clearer through the thick steam. "What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, relax. We're all allies here" she bellowed cheerfully, grabbing the faunus in a headlock, smashing her bare breasts against his head. "If we can't share a shower, how do you expect to develop strong teamwork?"

Aganju found little sense in her rebuttal, but that didn't change the fact that the faunus found himself in an awkward place. Aside from the fact that Elm's (admittedly soft) breast was rubbing against his cheek, and he was happily in a committed relationship with Pyrrha, his sensitive nose was now picking up a musky odor that made him want to gag.

"Sorry about that..." She blushed/giggled at his futile struggle. "This gal's a little ripe after a long day."

Oum... Help me... he groaned inwardly.

"You'll have to do better than that if you hope to get out of my grip!" she teased enthusiastically.

Of course, Aganju continued to fight out of the hold, eventually succeeding. His reward was the sweet scent of the soapy air as he took a deep inhale while Elm continued to laugh. However, that soon died down when the slightly taller woman took notice of his body. She was no stranger to the male anatomy, but the sight of his body filled her with both intrigue and grief.

So young and yet... so hardened by life already.

The mere image of his toned and muscular torso was enough to make unprofessional thoughts appear. She was grateful that he was of age or else she'd have checked herself into the Atlas therapists office asap. She resisted the urge to shiver as she traced her mahogany eyes over the many cuts and scars that adorned his form. She took special note of the deep violet abrasions and burns while the fresher marks were mostly along his chest, arms, and neck, encompassing his upper body.

However, there was one battle wound that stood out to the Amazon, one that finally brought out a different side of Elm Ederne.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked.

"What?"

"That scar... By the looks of things, I'd say that you were stabbed."

He didn't respond at first, but the despairing look in her eyes quelled the flames.

"I've managed," he looked away, hiding past remnants of that horrible day. "I'm not dead yet and that's what matters."

"Clearly. I'm impressed at all of the damage you can take and still keep coming. Did you get that wound during your battle at Beacon?"

Aganju's frown deepened, clearly growing uncomfortable by Elm's prying. Images of fighting Grimm, White Fang members, and... her... That only made his stomach unsettle even more than it already was by this point. The mixture of hatred and anguish was on display for the special operative.

"I came here to shower and rest, not be interrogated."

"Fair enough," Elm smiled softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I won't press the matter further..."

"Thanks..."

"However," she noticed the vulpine flash a cautious glance at her. "If you ever feel like blowing off some steam, I'm more than free to rev your engines in between missions."

Aganju's eyes nearly popped out his head as he noticed the devilish grin on the woman's face. It didn't help him either when she winked at him, further cementing his worries as a tint of scarlet began to form along his face.

"W-Wait! I... I don't think-!"

"Of course, we'd have to have a private place where our teams won't interrupt us," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, completely missing the young man's reactions. "I could reserve the training room after 0900 so that we're not disturbed. Luckily, it's sound-proof...!"

"Sound-Proof?!" his violet eyes began to morph into their crimson variants though without the anger that typically accompanied it.

Just what was this woman conjuring in her mind? Aganju wasn't sure, but, he was certain that he wouldn't engage in such an act with the operative for multiple reasons, even if she was rather attractive. He quickly shook off that notion before it could take root in his mind, stammering and blushing profusely as Elm rambled on about her vague ideas for the empty training room.

"...After a couple of weeks, you'll be as hard as a rock."

"H-Hard?! I don't think t-that's a good idea..."

The amazon then raised a brow at the faunus, confused at his sudden declination of her offer.

"You don't want training?"

Wait... Training? Was that Elm's intentions the entire time?

"Oh, um... Right. Training. That's what you meant" he sheepishly rubbed his neck, still beet red. "I mean, I'm okay with some extra training... "

"Of course! What else would I be referring to?"

"N-Nothing! Um... If you'll excuse me, I have to get some rest" the fox laughed nervously, eagerly grabbing his towel nearby. "I'm gonna need plenty of rest if I'm going to have any energy for... training."

With that, Aganju bid the operative goodbye before zipping out of the communal shower. Elm then allowed her warm smile to shift to a devious smirk before erupting in a gentle giggle. She knew what she was doing the whole time, though she couldn't resist teasing one of the newbies. In her mind, she was considering messing with the tall blond, but she was more than happy to get a few laughs at the canine.

Still, Elm knew that he was spoken for so her jokes were harmless if nothing else.

At least she had a new training partner.

I hope he can keep up... she mused to herself while lathering her body with her Eucalyptus scented body wash.

Back at the main hall, Pyrrha had finished her shower on the southern end of the school given its close proximity to the cafeteria. She savored the feeling of the high-pressured water for as long as she could before drying off and getting dressed. All that was left was for her to report to Team JNPR's room and she could finally relax. Make no mistake, a part of her wanted to see if she could squeeze some time with her boyfriend, but, she held off on the idea for now.

"I bet he's probably resting..." she told herself with a small grin.

"You'd win that bet."

Immediately, what little image of glee she had vanished upon hearing the soft voice behind her. Green orbs closed for a moment as the normally collected warrior took a moment to compose herself before turning around to face the owner. She made sure to put on her best smile.

"Hello, Marrow."

"You can cut the smiling act, 'Invincible Girl'..." the specialist chuckled. "You're not fooling me."

On cue, Pyrrha's lips fell into a straight line.

"You always seemed to know how I truly feel," she crossed her arms, finally allowing her face to rest in an unimpressed expression. Marrow knew that look all too well and wasn't trying to overstay his welcome. "So, what can I do for you? I'm late for bed."

"What? A guy can't catch up with an old friend?"

"Goodnight, Marrow..." Pyrrha turned to leave.

"Pyrrha, wait!"

"In case you forgot, we have a mission tomorrow, and I have an appointment in the morning."

"Why him?"

"That's none of your business..." she refused to turn around.

"I'm sorry," the male sighed in defeat. "I just couldn't believe you moved on so fast."

Moved on...?

"What would you expect when someone just leaves you behind without a word?" Pyrrha replied, a bit of sorrow in her tone. "I know you were given a chance to come to Atlas early, but you left me behind without so much as a word. One day we were planning on to Haven together and the next-"

"I left you behind."

Pyrrha nodded silently as finally relented, revealing her hurt gaze to the already guilty faunus.

"Yes. You went to Atlas and I chose to go to Beacon where I've made amazing friends and met an amazing guy. There were some dark moments, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world. Marrow, you will always have a special place in my heart, but I'm happy with Aganju. The love and experience that I've received from him and my friends cannot be measured nor surpassed."

Between the two, Marrow regretted his decision to just leave, but, he constantly told himself that he was making the right decision by not passing up a chance to come to Atlas Academy. Sure, he left his old life behind but, this was the first time that he was staring at the consequences directly. He knew that there was no one for him to blame but himself.

"I understand and I'm sorry," the canine Faunus kicked some imaginary dust but smiled softly. "He's really lucky to have someone like you."

"I choose to believe that destiny brought us together" she returned the grin.

Marrow looked to accept Pyrrha's explanation, choosing to give her a quick embrace. As they leaned in, the pair found themselves staring into one another's eyes. light blue locked onto pools of emerald. This went on for a few moments longer until Pyrrha suddenly ripped herself away with a nervous giggle. Marrow mirrored her actions, averting his gaze before quickly bidding the warrior a good night.

Shock washed over Pyrrha's features before she realized what'd just happened. Even though nothing happened, a terrible truth had begun to rear its ugly head, worming itself into her heart. Disgust and dread stung her throat like bile as she rushed back to her room. Thankfully, the rest of her team was fast asleep after the hearty meal. Slipping into her bunk, Pyrrha's attempts to fall asleep were thwarted.

Every time she closed her eyes, that image of Marrow smiling while she rested in his arms would haunt her dreams. Even worse, she couldn't shake that familiar feeling she got when they hugged.

Oum... Help me... she groaned as she pulled the covers over her face.