Journey of Micheal: Curse of the Grimmlord

by Chaosdragonedge412

Micheal was ripped from his world and put into the world of Remnant. He finds himself with a new body and a new life ahead of him. This new life, though, has a couple of things in store for him. An ancient Grimm and the virus it produces. (Bad at descriptions and titles)

25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Micheal was breathing heavily and had an uncomfortable expression on his face as he slept. In his dream, he was wandering through the halls of Beacon's dorms, closed doors on each side of the hallway. The thing that stuck out was that everything was devoid of color; everything was in grayscale, giving it a cold, lifeless air that felt unhospitable. The wolf faunus had been experiencing this same dream for the past week, but it kept becoming worse each time he kept enduring it. The first time he had it, it full of color, and the hallways were pack with students, and he was walking with his friends. But as the week dragged on, the dream began to turn grey slowly, and people were disappearing till only Micheal was left. He was looking for the door to his dorm, where his friends were, where there is color. The strange environment wasn't what bothered Micheal the most about the dream. He looks behind him to see it moving behind him, down the hall. Micheal was no stranger to Grimm in his sleep; almost half of his dreams since living on Remnant seem to have them. But he found this particular one notably eerie as it lumbers after him. It has a tall humanoid body with disproportionally long arms and fingers that reach the floor. It has a hideous face that resembles a skull. It reminded Micheal of a zombie, and it felt wrong, for lack of better words. Its presence alone seems to drain him of energy. It had popped up a few days ago and, at first, would only poke its head around corners. As the week dragged on, it began to reveal itself in the open and began to walk after the wolf faunus slowly.

Micheal then began to run from the creature. He ran through grey hallways, around bends, up the stairs, searching for his dorm and away from the monster. No matter how far the wolf faunus ran, the hallways never seem to end, and no sign of the color to give any warmth or safety. He glances behind to see the creature keeping up with him. It was not running. It just appeared to teleport and was still getting closer. Then the worst possible thing happened, he came to a dead end. He turned around to see the creature only a few feet from him, raising its arms to grab him.

Medical Wing, Micheal's room

Micheal woke with a start, his breathing even more labored than before. It took him a long minute before he calmed down and allowing his eyes to wander the room, slightly reassuring himself that he was in the infirmary of Beacon. His eyes wander to the nearby window to see an orange glow on the horizon. The wolf faunus then sat up, rubbing his face, feeling his cold, clammy face. He felt terrible, and for some reason, he knew it was not from poor sleep. For some reason, that creature is related to this horrible feeling he was experiencing. He did not feel like getting to sleep, knowing what he was going to dream about again. The outworlder shakily grabs the remote and turns on the TV attempting to drive all thoughts of the zombie Grimm from his mind.

Late that morning

Micheal was looking through the Grimm encyclopedia about the Grimm he has seen these past few days. Nothing could drive it from his mind, and it both irked him and worried him not knowing what this creature was. His ear twitched at the sound of the door to his room opening. He picks his eyes up to see Ozpin coming into view. Ozpin was looking at him with a stunned face at the sight he saw. The wolf faunus was very pale with dark bags under his eyes. He had heard the reports from team RWBY, his partner, and the medical staff Micheal was looking off. But he could not investigate it due to a sudden surge in work, both with the unusual formation of the wolf faunus' new team and his duties as a professor and headmaster. Now that he had some free time to visit the outworlder, he could see that reports were accurate. To the headmaster, it appeared that Micheal's health was deteriorating.

"Hey professor, good morning," Micheal says weakly but politely, obviously trying to put the headmaster at ease, which didn't work.

"Mr. Law," Ozpin says, regaining his composure and striding towards the faunus' side. He pulls a chair forward and sits next to the bed, placing his coffee mug on a nearby table. His eyes glance toward the book in his student's hands and then into said person's eyes. A stern look in his features that wants answers now. "Why do you look like this? What's going on?" The wolf faunus sighs somberly, giving the book one last look, and then looks the professor in the eyes.

"I wish I knew myself; all I know is that every time I've slept this week, I just experience these nightmares that do nothing more than just make me feel like shit every time I wake up," Micheal says.

"Explain these nightmares to me," Ozpin requests, wanting to get to the point.

"Well, I'm just walking through the dorms, which seem to lose color each night, but that part isn't the worst part," Micheal explains, pausing at the memory of the Grimm. Ozpin notes the subtle shift in his student's demeanor, citing something was spooking him.

"What is?" The headmaster urges gently, needing to know more.

"There's this Grimm; it reminds me of a zombie, it's eerie with its long arms and lumbering walk, but when it near me, it feels like it is making me feel terrible and feels like it's draining me of energy," he responds. Ozpin hums at the response, deep in thought at the description. "Do you have any idea what it is, sir?" a slightly pleading and distressing tone in the young faunus's voice.

"Just a theory, but fortunately, you're returning to your dorm today along with your partner," Ozpin informs.

"Damn it, professor! I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I need more than that; I've been feeling like shit this entire week, not allowed to leave Beacon without permission, and being pulled from my team for something that isn't my fault," Micheal argues, irritation etched on his face.

"Mr. Law relax, I know you're extremely frustrated right now, but I am on your side. I only have a theory because I have only heard rumors of this situation you're experiencing. I need time to study the stories, and when I do find something, I will inform you, Mrs. Belladonna, or Mrs. Xiao Long; whichever one of you three I can meet with at the time," Ozpin says calmly.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm just…" the wolf faunus tries to explain.

"I forgive you, Mr. Law, given the circumstances," Ozpin interjects. His student's physical features soften immensely. The headmaster gives a comforting smile and places a gentle hand on the young faunus' shoulder. "But from what I've heard from the rumors, returning to your friends will make you feel better. You need to keep yourself optimistic; that should prevent these dreams from being so terrible," the headmaster says. "I came to talk to you about your new team."

"You cheer me up only to bring me down again, sir," Micheal comments, annoyed.

"Unfortunately, that was part of the agreement I made with James to keep you here, and I felt the need to inform you of your two new teammates," Ozpin explains.

"Can I ask questions first?" Micheal request.

"Of course," the headmaster allows with a nod.

"Yang threw the idea of telling the rest of team RWBY and my partner of my predicament," the wolf faunus starts.

"And you're asking me if that's okay," Ozpin interjecting in an inquiring tone, knowing the question before his student asked.

"We wanted to run the idea by you in case it was not safe to do so because of Mr. Ironwood," the outworlder clarifies. Ozpin hums as he ponders an answer.

"Thank you for coming to me first. As for the idea itself, I will be honest, I will have to inform James if you did enlighten the other three about your unique predicament," Ozpin answers calmly.

"Damn, that would put the three of them under the radar as well," Micheal says. He spots Ozpin giving him a curious look. "Blake, Yang, and I figured that the military person that was going to watch me was going to watch them as well."

"A solid presumption and something I believe James would do to be safe. I said, I trust James, and I do; he won't do anything unless you give him a reason to, so I recommend keeping out of trouble. James may be harsh at times, but he is fair; he is giving you the same chance I am to prove yourself," Ozpin says.

"I'll be the good boy," Micheal says, slightly frustrated, reluctantly resigning to his fate. Then Ozpin pulls a scroll out of his jacket and opens it. He spends the following few seconds tapping icons on the screen until two portraits pop up on the scroll. Each small picture contains the face of a pretty, young girl around his age, one with red hair and the other with blue hair.

"Your new teammates, the one with red hair, is Ember Mars, your new leader and the representative from Vale. Mrs. Mars is attending this academy in the same year as you and needs a new team due to circumstances. The blue-haired one is Crystal Bleu, heiress of the Bleu corporation and the representative from Atlas, she will be arriving next week," Ozpin informs.

"I'm going from the only guy on a team of girls to the only guy on a team of girls with another heiress; what a change," the wolf faunus comments dryly. Ozpin gives an amused smile at the remark, not precisely disagreeing with it.

"Yes, it's not much of a change in that aspect," Ozpin comments himself.

"So, am I meeting Ember today or tomorrow?" Micheal asks.

"Today, I will be meeting her in a couple of hours to show her new team members and allow her time to pack her luggage to move. I am still working on the paperwork with James for Mrs. Bleu's transfer," Ozpin clarifies.

"What's my new team's name?" The wolf faunus inquiries.

"Team EMBH," the headmaster answers, pointing to the name on his screen. He sees his young student giving him a questioning look. "It's the best we could do with the names involved, Mrs. Hunter's initial is the closest we have to an -er of ember," Ozpin explains.

"I guess you did what you could," the wolf faunus says. "How much longer am I in here?"

"Mrs. Schnee will be here in an hour to take you to your dorm, allowing the doctors one last time to check on your health," Ozpin explains. He looks at his scroll for the time and then stands up, grabbing his coffee mug. "I need to go prepare for Mrs. Mars' visit and do some paperwork that I have been pushing to the side; just remember to stay optimistic and keep out of trouble, or James will come after you." Then the headmaster left the room and heads straight towards his office, already pondering his words for the new team leader.

Hour Later

Micheal was pacing back and forth, anxiously waiting for Weiss to appear and taking him away. Dr. Sack had given him one last checkup. And while his pale appearance did cause her some worry, she didn't find anything physically wrong with him. She still prescribed him some medication for his condition to help return his complexion to normal. The wolf faunus' ear twitches as he hears the door to his room open. He turns to see Weiss in her regular outfit, giving him a small smile. Micheal could see the worry in her eyes at his appearance but gives a comforting smile to ease his benefactor. It did seem to work a bit as her smile did widen slightly.

"You're up," Weiss says as she walks into the room.

"I was just waiting for you; I'm ready to leave this place," Micheal states as he walks over to gather his few items. Weiss grabs a few items herself, and the duo left the room, then made their way towards Hitomi's room. "How are things back at the dorm?" Weiss sigh in an annoyed tone.

"Stressful, Ruby has been a bit..., fanatical this whole week," Weiss says with a small pause to think, a slight scowl on her face.

"How?" Micheal asks curiously.

"She's been working us frantically; every day, she is making us commence some team training, then stays up studying or developing strategies for the team, including you two. She seems to think that if she works harder than before and proves herself, the school won't pull you two from the team," Weiss explains.

"I know, she's taking it hard, but what about you?" Micheal asks. The heiress sighs as she purses her lips into a downtrodden frown.

"Better than Ruby, but still angry in my way," Weiss answers, a slight growl in her voice.

"You wanted us to remain part of the team?" Micheal inquires, a feeling telling him what the answer was.

"Honestly, yes," Weiss says, turning her head towards the wolf faunus. "You and your partner are the first decent faunus I met."

"How did Hitomi take the news?" Micheal asks, his face dropping.

"The news hurt her; I do think she finally was getting comfortable enough to talk to us regularly," Weiss answers.

"I do hope that my new leader will let us still interact with you," Micheal wonders aloud.

"That's one of the irritating parts, I don't know if they will, but I can say for certain we will be damned if we can't still talk to you and Hitomi," Weiss says wholeheartedly. Micheal smiles at the white-haired girl's words, delighted to hear them. Then a thought occurs to him; he did know his two new teammates. The wolf faunus wonders if it would be okay to inform his friend of them. He cannot imagine the headmaster getting angry with him at revealing the information. Weiss may know a thing about them. He was too concentrated on his studies and training to get to know other students outside their circle of friends, so he cannot recall a girl named Ember Mars. And Weiss may know about Crystal Bleu as the girl is a fellow heiress.

"Professor Ozpin did inform me of mine and Hitomi's new team," Micheal states. Weiss gives him an inquiring look, waiting for more information. "My new team leader is a girl named Ember Mars, and her partner is Crystal Bleu. Do you know them?"

"I have seen Ember Mars before but never talked to her, I didn't see her as anything special, but she didn't seem like a bad person. I have met Crystal at a few corporate parties before; she's a decent person, she was one of the few people I could talk to during those moments and enjoy it," Weiss says.

"Ah well, we'll meet Ember later. Ozpin says she will be dropping in by Today, anything else I should know," Micheal comments. He frowns as Weiss's lips thin even more. "What?"

"I think the worst part of all this is that Ruby hasn't touched her weapon all week, not even for maintenance. She's been using that bear faunus' weapon during our routines," Weiss answers. That completely surprised the wolf faunus, his mind pondering the reason why. He recalls her flinching as she reaches for her weapon before grabbing Faith but did not think she was terrified of touching her beloved weapon, just a bit uneasy.

"Damn, I remember her being reluctant to touch her weapon but ignoring it," Micheal comments.

"We tried to convince her to at least attend to it, but she skirts around it or ignores us," Weiss says, rubbing her temple. "It's honestly getting annoying to be with her. I know she didn't take killing someone or yours and Hitomi's transfer well, but it's getting maddening dealing with it."

Ozpin's Office

The headmaster's office was quiet except for the periodic sound of rustling paper. The elderly professor was rummaging through his paperwork and numerous students' schoolwork, revising and reviewing everything he saw. Unfortunately, He had gotten a bit behind on things with everything going on now dealing with his unorthodox pupil, Micheal Canus Law. Now that there was a moment of peace, he could finally catch up a bit. Or so he thought, as a high-pitch beep from the speaker on his desk catches his attention. He sighs, slightly annoyed in response, glaring at the speaker for the interruption as he takes a glance at the steadily piling paperwork on his desk. He reluctantly pressed the button on the speaker accepting the call. "This is Ozpin speaking," he says professionally, hiding his annoyance at the interruption.

"Professor Ozpin," A familiar voice speaks equal professional, which the headmaster recognizes as Glynda Goodwitch. The headmaster relaxes at the voice.

"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch, What can I help you with?" The Ozpin asks, voice softening towards his fellow instructor.

"Mrs. Mars is here to see you as you requested," the woman responds. Ozpin had to think about what she said for a second. He quickly remembers requesting said student; it had slipped his mind as he worked on his paperwork. He remembers arranging a meeting with the young girl.

"Good, please send her in," Ozpin orders. The machine beeps as the call ends. The headmaster took a few seconds to organize his desk into a presentable presence and grabs a few folders, filling the paperwork to complete it later and gabbing folders for the students he wanted. He took a cautionary glance at the folders to confirm they were the ones he wanted. The folders were on a few people, Ember Mars, Micheal Canus Law, Crystal Bleu, and Hitomi Viola Hunters, and places them in a stack on the desk. The doors to his office open to reveal a young auburn-haired girl.

The girl appears to be the same age as most of the first-year students at Beacon. She stood at the height of 5'9, almost about the average height for women her age. Her auburn hair is short and unkempt with deep chocolate-colored eyes. Her physical demeanor gives the impression of a calm, pleasant person. Her facial features were reflecting that with a rounded childish face and delicate features. Her school uniform did little to hide her voluptuous figure as it hugged her form. She was among the female body that opted not to wear stockings, her bare legs showing plenty of muscle.

"You called Professor?" the girl inquires; her voice is serene and light-hearted.

"Yes, Ms. Mars, please take a seat," Ozpin responds, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of the desk. The girl did as she was told, eyeing the folders on the desk, and makes herself comfortable. Ozpin grabs Ember's file from the stack and opens it. "I believe you requested to transfer to another team a requested ago," Ozpin inquires as he sifts through the folder.

"Yes, sir, I don't have much of a team left," Ember comments.

"Two, who were siblings, dropped out because of family issues back home and were not sure they would be able to return and a fair amount of grievances with current partner," Ozpin remarks as he pulls the request form from the file. He places the form on the desk and places the girl's folder to the side.

"He's just damn jerk," the auburn-haired girl says coldly, looking away from the headmaster.

"Yes, there were many complaints among other students about his behavior," the headmaster comments somberly. It was always an unpleasant experience to hear team members not getting along and students causing trouble for others, but unfortunately, Ozpin had grown accustomed to it. "Well…" Ozpin starts, a small smile on his face and an upbeat tone to his voice. Ember returns her attention to the older man. "I can grant your request today."

"Really," Ember says happily, an excited smile on her face. 'I'm getting a new team.'

"Yes," Ozpin says, gesturing to the other folders on the desk. He pushes them towards the young girl. Ember grabs the stack and looks at the files, eyes widening at two of the names.

"Micheal Canus Law and Hitomi Viola Hunters, the wolf and fox faunus, sir?" Ember inquires with a stunned expression.

"Yes, as you should know, they have been part of team RWBY for the past month, making them the only team with six members, which only happened because there were no other initiates available after initiation. I was going to leave it that way, but I believe I now have found a place to put them," Ozpin explains.

"And Crystal Bleu, it appears she's transferring from Atlas to here," Ember inquires again, her eyes not leaving the weapon heiress' file.

"A coincidence, I am granting you a new partner, and James Ironwood, the headmaster of the academy there, informed me she was looking for a new team as her previous team broke up. So, I managed to convince Ironwood to transfer her to this academy; she will be arriving next week," Ozpin says. It was partially correct; Ozpin and James looked through all the Atlas Academy first-year student documents for a suitable representative when they came across her. Ember gave a hum of acknowledgment at the explanation, eyes sifting through Micheal's folder.

'High aptitude with firearms, good grades, good mentality, but not good at much else, workable but probably best as a marksman,' she muses in her mind. She places the wolf faunus' folder down and picks up Hitomi's, 'good balance between physical and ranged, wields two weapons, weird, why not one with two forms, she's got lovely hair and tail, I want to brush it.' She then glances at her new partner's file, a slightly excited smile on her face. The Bleu corporation heiress, huh? She's pretty, let us see, good grades, no real exceptional area of expertise but can handle a wide variety of weapons well, makes sense for a weapon heiress, probably a physically powerful person.' Ozpin's smile widens slightly at the scene in front of him.

"This new team's name is EMBH, and you are the leader of this new team," the master informs, intertwining his fingers together. Then he frowns slightly at the young girl's stunned face.

"A-again, sir?" she questions uneasily, her hands tighten on the folder. Ozpin remembers the girl's shocked face the last time he made this declaration.

"Yes, same reason as before, none of your new team members showed any aptitude toward leading a team. Your semblance is the only thing among your entire team's capabilities that shows promise to lead a team. Besides, you have a little experience being team leader now," the headmaster says. Ember gives a bitter smile towards Ozpin.

"Begrudgingly," the auburn-haired girl comments.

"Well, you are going to have to accept this responsibility again, so I recommend enduring it. You are the only one with the potential to lead. Your two new teammates should reside in team JNPR's dorm at this moment. There is some renovation underway where their old team's dorm and the two neighboring dorms were, so for the time being. I suggest you gather your things and make your way to JNPR's dorm; I will send you their room number in a minute," Ozpin states.

"Why are the dorms being renovated, sir?" Ember asks curiously. It was strange that such a thing was happening.

"That was part of the agreement for Mrs. Bleu's transfer on her part anyway. As far as to why she wanted it that way, I honestly can't tell you; she said it was going to be a surprise," the headmaster explains. His eyes then glance at his computer screen for the time. "I believe it's time for you to go gather your things, Mrs. Mars; you can leave now."

Outside team JNPR's dorm

Ember looks at the dorm number and then glances at the text on her scroll. "Here it is," she nervously comments as she puts her scroll away in her coat pocket. She had changed out of her school uniform into her regular wear. She wore a long deep red trench coat with a black, tight sleeveless shirt underneath that shows some cleavage. She also wears a pair of deep red sweatpants with black lines down the sides and a pair of red boots. By her side on the ground are a couple of red suitcases and a cardboard box. Ember attentively stretches her hand out and politely raps on the door. She could hear a couple of voices speaking from the other side.

"Whom could that be?" the first voice asks, female by the sound of it. It sounded warm and friendly. That put Ember at ease a little, knowing there was potentially a decent person on the other side.

"I'll get it; it may be Ruby and the others," the second voice says. This tone of the voice sounded male but as friendly as the previous one, at least.

'So, they're out right now; I should ask where? I need to see them,' Ember comments to herself. She hears the door unlocking and then opens to see a handsome blonde boy on the other side. He looks at the auburn-haired girl with a slight tilt of his head and a friendly smile, politely puzzled at her appearance.

"Who is it, Jaune?" a red-haired girl glance from around the door frame. Ember immediately recognizes her as Pyrrha Nikos. "Oh, hello," the champion says politely.

"Hi, I believe this is team JNPR's dorm?" Ember inquires, gaining more confidence at Pyrrha's friendly tone.

"Yes, I'm…" Pyrrha starts.

"Pyrrha Nikos, I know, I recognize you, I'm Ember Mars," Ember interjects.

"Nice to meet you, Ember, this..." she gestures to Jaune. "Is my partner and the leader of the team."

"Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it," the blonde flirts. Ember giggles playfully at the remark, a smile on her face. Jaune's smile widens at the sound.

"I bet, but don't hurt yourself flirting with me. You're handsome, but I'm not interested," Ember says honestly. The blonde's face and shoulders fell at the hurtful comment.

"Can I ask why you're here?" Pyrrha inquires.

"I was looking for Micheal Canus Law and Hitomi Viola Hunters. The headmaster said they were here," Ember responds. Then a black-haired boy with a pink strand of hair peers from behind Jaune's back.

"So, you're Micheal and Hitomi's new team member," he says.

"It's her," an excited voice says. Then an orange-haired girl peers around Pyrrha's shoulder. "She's pretty attractive," the girl says out loud.

"Um, thanks, and I'm the team leader as well," Ember says with a light blush, looking away.

"Well, come on in," Pyrrha says politely, gesturing her to enter. Ember grabs her items and brings them inside the room. "The other members of our team are Nora Valkyrie," the champion gestures to the ginger, who beams at Ember. "And her partner and longtime friend, Lie Rin," the black-haired boy gives a polite smile and waves. Ember gives them a polite smile and nods back as she looks around. She sees the room's resident team's beds and a collection of futons scattered across the room. Then she eyes suitcases of diverse sizes and colors along the right wall. "This seems cramped," Ember remarks as she places her cases by the collection along the wall.

"It is," Jaune admits.

"I don't know why they didn't make them use a spare dorm," Ren comments, slightly exasperated.

"It's like a sleepover, though," Nora says cheerily.

"A very cramped one," Pyrrha says quietly to herself.

"So, where are Micheal and Hitomi?" Ember inquires sternly, getting straight to the point. She was ready to meet her new teammates now. Team JNPR flinched slightly at the tone, not expecting it. The auburn-haired girl smiles to put the others at ease, but her eyes showed an unrelenting desire for the answer to her question.

"Ruby took them with her team to the training building," Ren answers.

"Why?" Ember inquires as her eyes see an odd object in the stack of suitcases. She walks over and reaches out for the item. She pulls out Crescent Rose from the pile and begins to study it intently.

"She still sees them as her team," Ren answers.

"Even though she should know this is happening," Ember says as she continues to fiddle with Crescent Rose, then she accidentally morphs the weapon into its scythe form. She knew something was wrong with the armament as she could hear a low grinding noise as it transformed and sees a slight amount of rust on the blade.

"That's Ruby's weapon," Jaune says.

"She hasn't been taking care of it. Is she an irresponsible person?" Ember asks.

"No, she used to do maintenance on it once a day at least and doing her hardest to be a good leader, but lately, she can't bring herself to touch it," Nora answers.

"What changed?" the auburn-haired girl says, carefully transforming the weapon back into its rifle form. Pyrrha then explained the events after the Elder Scourge's assault on Beacon, from Ruby, Micheal, and Hitomi's journey from what she heard from the trio. It included the hike to the desecrated fox village to assault from the Grimm. Ember absorbs the tale wholeheartedly, her eyes glance at the discarded weapon. "I see," Ember says as she relaxes into a chair. The auburn-haired girl returns her attention towards the other four occupants of the room. The members of Team JNPR were sitting on their respective beds. "So, this whole situation is poorly timed from the looks of it."

"Yeah, she hasn't taken to taking another's life well, and she's been experiencing nightmares from that night," Jaune comments.

"Plus, she feels like she's a terrible leader since she is losing two members of her team and feels like it's her fault, so her mind is going haywire in an attempt to keep them together," Pyrrha says.

"And I guess saying that I would never stop them from interacting with her team wouldn't help," Ember says.

"Probably not, at least not right now anyway," Ren remarks.

"Well, I better head over there and get this over with or get the issues with Ruby started anyway," Ember says, getting up.

"Do you think there will be a problem?" Jaune asks. Ember shrugs in response.

"Don't know, but best to get over with if there is," the auburn-haired girl says.

Training Building

"Again, we need to get this right," a young girl's slightly crazed voice says from the other side of the door. Ember stood there listening to the various sounds, ranging from voices to weapons clashing, from the other side. The auburn-haired girl couldn't make what was going on in the room due to the numerous noises.

'Hopefully, that's them,' Ember remarks to herself, placing a hand on the door. She closes her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. 'Six of them, from the feel, I say three humans and three faunus, odd, if it's them, then I swear the team consisted of four humans and two faunus,' she comments.

"What the hell was that ringing noise?" a friendly voice says.

"I do not know, but it wasn't pleasant," the young voice lightly whines.

"You think you had it bad? Imagine the two of us," a soft male voice says.

"Was anyone's scroll alarm going off?" a bossy-sounding voice asks. Answers of denial followed the question.

"Not mine, Weiss," the young voice says.

'That's them; I remember that one of the members is the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company,' she remarks to herself. And after taking a deep breath, she knocks on the door.

"Now, who can that be?" the friendly voice says, slightly annoyed. A minute later, the door opens to reveal Yang with a curious look on her face as she stares at Ember. She wasn't expecting a visitor. The blonde's eyes wander up and down the visitor, both sizing her up and checking her out. "Hello," Yang says warily, but not unkindly.

"Hi," Ember says, peering behind the beautiful blonde. She could see the members of the team RWBY and her new teammates in the room. Everyone was looking at her in return, as curious as Yang. She could see the wolf and fox faunus but could not find the third faunus she sensed. Then her eyes land on Blake, and she looks at her intently. 'She has some features of one, but if she is, where is her heritage? Potentially under the bow?'

"Who are you?" Yang asks in the same tone as before.

"Ember Mars…," the auburn-haired girl says and is about to tell more.

"Oh, so, you're Micheal and Hitomi's new team leader," Yang says, and Ember could hear an uneasy edge to the voice. The new leader could see a judgmental look in the blonde's eyes. She could feel the critical eyes of the other members of team RWBY upon her as well. Ember's eye glance over at her new team members to see the fox faunus giving her the same look like her former team. However, she does relax at Micheal's much kinder, curious gaze before he looks at the intense stares of his friends. He silently apologizes to his new leader for his friends. The auburn-haired girl takes a deep breath and readies herself to make an excellent first impression.

"Yes, leader of the newly formed team EMBH," Ember says, putting as much confidence in her voice as she could. "May I come in?" Yang steps to the side, and Ember steps into the training room. The tense air in the room was palpable, and it only served to make the new leader more nervous. The auburn-haired girl gives a warm smile in hopes of putting the others in the room at ease. It did not seem to work much. She noticed that the youngest seemed to be glaring the hardest at her, a very resentful glare. Ember found it odd, from what she saw in the distance, and Ruby always appeared friendly. The auburn-haired girl then walks over to the faunus partners and holds out her hand.

"It nice to meet you two," Ember says politely. The fox faunus did not budge, but her partner firmly grips Ember's hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Micheal says, equally polite in return. Ember could at least appreciate the wolf faunus' earnest attempt to be polite, or maybe he is usually polite. But it disheartens her Micheal's partner was cold with her. Hitomi takes a frustrated breath.

"Nice to meet you as well," the fox faunus says. The lack of sincerity in the tall faunus' tone internally discourages the new leader. Ember could see the wolf faunus grimace slightly as well to his partner's response. Well, she found solace in that she had at least someone on her side in this room.

"Jaune tell you where we were?" Ruby asks with a slightly aggressive tone in her voice. Everyone turns toward the youngest of the group; Ruby's friends were surprised at the tone. None of them like this either, but not to this extent. Most of their frustration was due to the young girl's attitude this week and their current living arrangements. They had no idea why Ozpin forced ten people, eventually twelve, into one room that was barely big enough for four people and all their possessions.

"Ren did, but yes, they did inform me, I do have a right to meet my new teammates," Ember says, not backing down from the young leader. She was not going to tolerate the girl's attitude regardless of the circumstances. She could see Ruby's glare intensify, her grip on the gunblade tightens, and Ember returns it. The Auburn-haired girl could see that the younger leader's eyes are red around the edges. Ember could not back down from the young girl, not letting anyone walk over her no matter what. Yang then steps between the two leaders, her hands outstretched. She knew she needed to step in before the situation escalated further.

"Ruby, enough," the blonde says firmly, glaring between the two of them. Her glare subtly sharper when gazing towards Ember. The new leader knowingly softens her gaze, realizing the unspoken message. Yang's gaze softens slightly in return. The blonde then turns toward her younger sister. Ruby huffs and holsters the gunblade on her hip. She then walks out of the room, not looking at anyone. As the brunette closes the door behind her, her friends sigh in both relief and exasperation.

"I'm sorry for my sister's behavior," Yang says, hands on her hips.

"I'm not angry with her; JNPR filled me in on the situation," Ember says comfortingly, with a friendly smile. Yang sighs, returning the new leader's smile, albeit with a small one. Then Ember gives the blonde a stern stare, crossing her arms, "That said, I'm not going to back down from her just because things are…, stressful, for lack of better words, for her." Yang sighs reluctantly at the proclamation, roughly rubbing her temple.

"I guess," Yang says in an understanding tone. The blonde hoped it would be suitable for her sister for a person to stand up to her as she was not listening to her team. A groan emits from the sole male of the room as he relaxes against the wall, taking a deep breath as he relaxes.

"Weiss, I didn't realize just how bad it was. I'm exhausted," Micheal says. Ember eyes the wolf faunus, studying him intently. She had to admit he looked like hell, being extremely pale and slightly disheveled.

"You're tired," Weiss retorts, irritated at the response, hands on her hips. "We've been dealing with this all week."

"We just got out, and honestly…" Micheal takes another deep breath. His face contorts into a look of pure exhaustion. "I just have no energy for training."

"You look like you still belong in the hospital," Ember remarks, concerned for her new teammate.

"I'm supposed to be okay," Micheal comments, though he could not deny his new leader's remark either. He had been asked if he was all right by not only his former team but all their friends as well. If he was honest, he does want to relax in the company of his friends.

"I do agree with that sentiment. I think you and Hitomi should have had a few more days of resting before training," Blake says.

"I could use the exercise in all honesty, but yes, my partner needs the rest," Hitomi says with a slight groan as she stretches slightly. She then walks over to Micheal's side and places a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" She asks with a concerned look on her face. She was taken aback by her partner's pale appearance. She did argue with a previous leader that Micheal needs rest just based on his appearance alone. But Ruby ignored her and dragged the two of them along. The wolf faunus places a hand on his partner and gives a reassuring squeeze and smile.

"I'm all right, just need a breather, that's all. Ruby worked us far harder than she should have," Micheal says comfortingly. Hitomi returns the gesture with a small smile of her own.

"Yes, she did," the fox faunus remarks earnestly.

"Hey Hitomi, you can head back with Weiss and Ember, Blake and I will stay behind to help Micheal if he needs it, as he said he needs the breather," Yang says. The blonde gave the wolf faunus a look that told him that they needed to talk. He had mentioned to them that he had spoken to Ozpin earlier, and she wanted to know what precisely the headmaster said to him, plus to see if he had asked their question.

"It shouldn't take that long," Hitomi tries to complain.

"It's okay; go on ahead; besides, you need to interact with Ember more than me. She will be our leader from now on, you, well both of us, but you are still not good with new people. So, you need more time with her to get to know her," Micheal explains to his partner. Hitomi gives his hand a firm squeeze in response and mutters a silent 'I know.'

"I guess, just hurry up okay, I rather all of us be there to control Ruby," Hitomi says, letting go of her partner's shoulder. The fox faunus takes a deep breath and walks over to her new leader, and holds out a hand. "Let me introduce myself properly, Hitomi Viola Hunters; forgive me, I'm just no good with new people." Ember grips the taller girl's hand firmly, giving a reassuring smile.

"No harm was done; I'm willing to take whatever pace you need to be comfortable around me," Ember declares. Hitomi gives a small smile at the declaration. Then Ember, Hitomi, and Weiss left the room, leaving the remaining trio of their friends behind. Micheal slides down the wall to sit on the ground.

"So, what happened with Ozpin?" Blake asks, getting to the point.

"Well, partially what I said, he showed me my new member," Micheal comments.

"I can't believe you're getting put on another team with basically the same setup, the male of a team of girls with another heiress to boot, though if Weiss speaks fondly of her, then she can't be a bad person," Yang says walking over to sit by her friend.

"I also asked our question about informing Ruby and the others," Micheal remarks.

"And?" Blake inquires.

"No go, Ozpin would have to inform Mr. Ironwood," the wolf faunus says.

"Putting them under the radar as well," the cat faunus remarks. Her fellow faunus nods in confirmation.

"Well, we could tell them in secret and tell them to be quiet about it," Yang suggests, crossing her arms.

"How do you plan on convincing them without Ozpin and those videos of his?" Blake asks pointedly.

"There is no way Weiss and Hitomi would believe us with those, and I doubt Ruby would be that accepting of such a tale," Micheal remarks. The first word for his friend was gullible, but he found it was not the right word for the situation.

"So even though Blake believes it, that won't convince them," the blonde says, looking at her partner. Said person gives Yang a quirked eyebrow. "I mean, you would be exactly like Weiss in that way. You would find it ridiculous and wouldn't believe it for a second." After a second of thought, the cat faunus gives a slight nod, knowing her partner was accurate in her assumption.

"Okay, let's go with that and say we manage to convince just Ruby. She would probably want to see these videos herself and either go visit Ozpin herself or with one of us, resulting in her being under James' eyes as well," Blake explains. Yang frowns at the explanation and crosses her fingers.

"I just hate keeping this from the team. I don't like keeping things from Ruby, especially something this important about our friend," Yang says, looking at Micheal. The wolf faunus sighs sadly in response as he gazes into his friend's eyes.

"Here I am causing more trouble," Micheal says off-handily.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Yang says warmly, wrapping an arm around the male faunus' shoulders.

"Still, I was hoping to tell you about this when I was ready," Micheal says.

"Nothing can be done about it now. Besides, did you think Ozpin wasn't going to explore your past? Even just a little bit?" Blake asks. Micheal just shrugs a bit at the last question. It probably was going to happen. Eventually, he just hoped it was down the line. Yang pulls out her scroll to look at the time.

"Well, better get a move on. You good now, Micheal?" Yang asks as she got up. The blonde then held out a hand for her friend.

"Yeah," Micheal responds as he takes the hand.

"Well, at the very least, your back with friends, and besides, Ember does seem like a decent person," Yang says, hugging Micheal tightly for a second with a warm smile. Blake gives her fellow faunus a small smile of her own. "If Ozpin says, that will help fight against that zombie Grimm's influence, and then let's get back to the dorm with the rest of our friends."

JNPR Dorm

Everyone in the room could feel the tension in the air. The older team members RWBY, JNPR, and the members of the soon-to-be team EMBH could feel the dangerous vibe Ruby was giving off as she continues to glare at Ember intently. The auburn-haired girl frowns at the continued displeasure from her fellow leader.

"So, Ember…" Yang starts, trying to distract everyone from the tension. The new leader looks at the blonde expectantly, wanting the distraction. "Why did you want to change teams?"

"I didn't really have much of a team left," Ember remarks.

"Why?" Ruby asks. Ember eyes the younger leader as she readies her answer.

"Well, two of my members left because of family issues at home. I don't hate them for that; family is family, after all," Ember says with a small smile. Then her face morphed into a scowl. "And I really hated my so-called partner."

"Why?" Yang asks in an amiable tone.

"He was just a lecherous, prideful asshole," the new leader answers with anger in her voice. "He believed he was the leader of the team, not me," Ember remarks. She sees the brunette's eyes widen a little in response.

"You were the leader?" Ruby inquires. The auburn-haired girl scratches the back of her head, looking at the ground sadly.

"Unfortunately," Ember comments.

"Why is it unfortunate that you became the leader? Most would be excited," Pyrrha remarks bemused at the new leader attitude.

"Well, because I didn't want the position, no one in my team had an aptitude for leadership, but it forced on me because of my semblance," Ember answers.

"Which is?" Weiss asks curiously. What kind of semblance could be needed for someone to be considered a leader?

"Mrs. Schnee…." Ember starts.

"Just call me Weiss," the heiress interrupts.

"Weiss then, go hide somewhere, please," Ember says, closing her eyes and covering her ears. Everyone looks at her curious before turning toward their white-haired friend. Said girl just shrugs in response and walks and into team JNPR's kitchen, opening the door quietly. She left the door open, trying to avoid making too much noise, and then hid in a far corner. She then glances out the door at Pyrrha and gestures with her hand to inform Ember she is ready for whatever she will do. The amazon then walks over and taps on the new leader's shoulders.

"Weiss is ready," Pyrrha states as Ember uncovers her ears but does not open her eyes. A second passed before anything happened. Then a loud, piercing ringing noise, like a whistle but shaper and more obnoxious, invades the ears of everyone in the room. The occupants instinctively cover their ears, trying to dull the sound, but to no avail, if anything, it made it worse. If it was uncomfortable for the humans, the three faunus had worse. If it was loud and aggravating for the humans, it was excruciating to them, deafening them and hurting their ears drums. Micheal and Hitomi grimace in pain at the noise, inching away from the source. Unfortunately, Blake had no choice but to mask her pain to match the human in the room, despite being in the same pain as her fellow faunus.

"You're in the far corner of the kitchen," Ember states, opening her eyes and looking at the door to said room. Weiss emerged from the kitchen, holding one of her ears with a grimace.

"That was you who made that noise earlier," Weiss says, instinctively raising her voice so she could hear herself over her ringing ears. Her eyes wander to the others in the room, noting they were not much better off. All were trying to clear their ears of the ring in their ways. Micheal was pointlessly slapping his ears; his partner simply just grimaces, probably thinking it was only going to go away on its own. Yang, Nora, Jaune, and Ruby were digging a finger into their ears, helplessly trying to clear it. Pyrrha, Blake, and Ren just stood there with a strained look.

"Yes, sorry about the ringing, there is nothing I can do about it. I've tried. It's just a byproduct of my semblance," Ember says with an apologetic look on her face.

"So, you send a sound wave to locate your target, so it's echolocation," Pyrrha deduces.

"Correct, since I can locate my teammates and other things with a quick and silent sound wave, which, believe it or not, it is. The ringing you here is the effect of the wave when it hits you; otherwise, you wouldn't hear it. I can plan and respond to the situation, or at least that was the theory behind my appointment," Ember confirms with a sigh.

"So why are you against the position?" Jaune asks.

"Because I don't think I'm fit for it," Ember complains.

"How do you know? You never got the chance to try last time. You may actually be good at it, don't sell yourself short," Pyrrha says in a comforting tone.

"Maybe you're not cut for it," Ruby says. Yang gives her sister a stern glare, attempting to silence her sibling.

"Ruby," Weiss snaps.

"No, if she feels this way, then maybe she shouldn't be leader," Ruby retorts back.

"From the way you're acting, I feel I have more right than you," Ember says.

"What!?" Ruby shouts, glaring at Ember.

"You heard me," Ember says calmly. She returns the look her fellow leader is giving her. "You're acting childish to something you can't control; I know things aren't going your way right now, but this no way to react to them, throwing a fit or increasing the number of practices isn't going to change anything, Micheal and Hitomi are going to become a part of my team."

"Yet you don't want to be a leader," Ruby counters.

"I don't like it," Ember says firmly. "But I will learn how to be one since they choose me for the position."

"Then we should see if your capable of being a leader," Ruby says, her erratic mind settling on an idea.

"With what?" Ember says curiously.

"A fight," Ruby says.

"And how will that prove anything?" Ember questions.

"Simple it will show our fighting ability and show how well we can plan against our opponent," Ruby says. The rest of the brunette's team and Hitomi silently look between each other in a silent conversation about this predicament. Micheal was getting up to stop this, but a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. He looks to see Hitomi giving him a stern look to stop. Micheal had a feeling his friends want this to happen to see what Ember was a capable fighter, at least.

"You want a bout, we'll do this if you want to prove something to yourself, but you have to use your weapon, or else I won't agree to this," Ember says, pointing to said object. Ruby's eyes slowly move to her armament, looking at it apprehensively. She still loves her weapon, but she has a tough time bring herself to touch it, even just for maintenance, as if it hurts her only by holding it. She felt as if she tainted the weapon beyond use after killing that faunus. Even though that same faunus was trying to kill her, it still felt wrong. But she needed to prove that she was not a failure of a leader and that by winning this, she would prove that Ember was good enough to be her friends' leader. She would get to keep them, at least in her erratic mind. Ruby grit her teeth and then took a deep breath.

"Fine, I will," was all the brunette said before walking over and grabbing her weapon with shaky hands. Then she rifled through her stuff for her cleaning supplies to start maintenance on Crescent Rose.

Later that night, Ember invites Yang out to talk privately. Ember leads Yang away from the dorm to a secluded corner of the dorm building. "So, What's up?" Yang asks.

"I just want to ask for your permission to be rough if necessary," Ember requests.

"You're going to fight my sister. That would mean being rough," Yang says, crossing her arms.

"With the way your sister is, I may have to be rougher than would be necessary, plus let's be honest here, the rest of you are partially for this so you can see what I can do since none of you stepped in to stop her at that point," Ember says. Yang raises an eyebrow but could not deny the accusation. "It would mean I need to potentially go all out, and I would like to know you won't be angry with me if I have to be rough and you're blessing if I have to be."

"I'm going to be angry if you seriously hurt my sister, but I will give my permission, just please don't hurt her too badly," Yang asks.

"I promise I won't, I really want to be friends with her and the rest of you, but I will show you I'm not one to be pushed around," Ember says with a determined look in her eyes. Yang places a hand gently on her shoulder gives a small smile of comfort.

"You're all right; I can tell you're not a bad person. We're just stressed with recent events. After this, I will gladly help you and my sister get along, as long as you keep your promise," the blonde says, tightening her grip to prove her point. Ember winces at the feeling but nods in confirmation.

Next Day, Amphitheater

Ember and Ruby stood in the middle of the arena. Ember wore her clothes from yesterday when she introduced herself. Ruby in her combat attire, eyeing Crescent Rose with an uneasy gaze. The weapon looked better after she cleaned it yesterday, but it was still unclean to its wielder. The reaper looks from her weapon towards her opponent to study her. As already noted, Ember was in her attire from yesterday but now brandishing her two weapons.

The first is more than likely her main one; it is a red poleaxe with an axe head as large as Ember's torso. The pole shaft is equal in height to its wielder, but the axe head stands out. Instead of a sharpened edge, in its place is the teeth of a chainsaw. The second hung on her hip, and it is a weapon similar to Duke's. A single-edged sword is attached to a firearm but instead of a rifle looks connected to a shotgun. Ruby gazes at the fox faunus, noting that this was the second time she saw someone carry two weapons intentionally. She turns toward her opponent, slightly curious as to why someone would wield an extra weapon. She remembers Hitomi using both weapons once in combat, but other than that, she stuck to one armament at a time; it seems a little impractical. 'Why not just combine both weapons into one,'the brunette muses.

"You really want to do this?" Ember asks.

"Of course!" Ruby snaps back. The red-haired leader sighs in response.

"Fine, you look nervous, if…," Embers states as she widens her stance, gripping the shaft of the weapon with her free hand and leveling the head behind her.

"No, I'm fine," Ruby says aggressively as she uneasily morphs from its rifle mode to its scythe form. Despite her feelings, she could not help but feel at ease holding her sweetheart again. The scythe's usual weight gave her a measure of calm, similar to a long-lost joy rediscovered. The reaper smiles internally to herself. She made a mental note to hold her weapon again after this to revel in this comfort. She then shifts into her combat stance, ready for the match. Yang looks between the two with a melancholy look, displeased with the reasoning for the competition. But she, with the rest of her team, could not help but be curious how Ember will perform and if she is truly capable of being her two friend's new leader. Yang takes a deep breath and counts down in her head.

'Three…, Two…, One…' then the blonde takes a deep breath. "Begin!" Yang shouts and immediately backs away. In the next instant, Ruby bolts forward with the aid of her semblance and swings her scythe at Ember. Said girl brings her axe around with more speed than the brunette expects and blocks the strike with the broadside of the armament. Then the whirring of the weapon's mechanisms emits from the object as the teeth of the blade began to shift into motion. Ember then quickly swings the armament around to slam into the young girl. But the reaper leaps away then dash forward after landing, this time angling her weapon to slash the red-haired girl and pass by. Again, Ember blocks the strike and attempts to attack her junior, but with the butt of her weapon's shaft. She misses her target, but she turns to face her opponent in time to see another incoming assault. She blocks the incoming attack again and retaliates, only to miss again. This routine repeatedly continued for the next ten minutes. Ruby was on the offensive while Ember continued to block each attack with her large weapon deftly but only to miss her counter-attacks, neither combatant making any headway against the other. Both combatants are coming to recognize the other's skill.

"Well, she can use that unwieldy weapon," Weiss remarks as her eyes scanning the match. The rest of team RWBY and team JNPR, with Micheal and his partner, sat in the stands.

"Faster than I thought she could," Blake adds on.

"Still too slow to hit Ruby," Hitomi remarks.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Micheal asks. He figured his friends were eager to see what Ember could do. Which why they were okay with the sparring match, even if they were not okay with their friend's attitude.

"We're curious what she can do; at least she appears to a capable if slow fighter, though it may just be because of her main weapon," Weiss answers, confirming her friend's thoughts.

"Well, at least Ruby is using her weapon again," Micheal comments.

"And appears to be having fun from the looks of it," Hitomi adds on. Everyone could not but smile as they could see a smile on the brunette's face during the few moments that she stood still.

"You're pretty good," Ruby says as she readies herself for another attack.

"Thank you, but I don't see any way to hit you with your speed," Ember cheerfully says as she reaches around her back with one hand.

"Well, I have the advantage there," Ruby says.

"True, but let's mix things up a bit," Ember says as her eyes sharpen and quickly throws out two metal canisters. A sharp ringing resonates in Ruby's ear, but this one was stronger than previous ones she heard, as the difference between one clap and a hundred claps at the same time. The sound disoriented her to the point that she could barely register the cans flying towards her. The two canisters hit the ground with a sharp clang. The brunette only had a moment to register the object before they exploded. In a second-most of the arena became cloaked in a thick blanket of smoke. The smoke cloud is preventing anyone from seeing what was transpiring within the cloud.

"Interesting, smoke bombs," Blake comments. However, she noticed that Ruby strangely stayed put through the action. She did not appear to move away from the bombs despite plenty of time to react.

"So, she is going to use her semblance to give herself an advantage and putting Ruby at a disadvantage," Micheal states.

"Seems like it," Hitomi says with a slight admiration.

"A way to weaponize her semblance," Weiss notes with a raised eyebrow. The heiress wonders what was wrong with her partner before the bombs exploded. By the odd sway of her figure, she appeared to be disoriented by something. She could not figure out why she would react like that. The fight had not been long enough for her to be exhausted yet. The match would have needed to drag on much longer than before Ruby became that tired. She was a ball of energy most of the time. "Two ways to weaponize her semblance?" She vocalizes under her breath.

"What'd you say, Weiss?" Micheal asks, his ear picking up the comment.

"I think she used her semblance to stun Ruby," Weiss answers.

"That would explain why Ruby just stood there," Blake says.

"She focused her semblance onto a single person or a singular direction to disorient whatever she hits," Micheal says.

"A possible explanation," Weiss concedes.

Ruby shakes her head to clear her befuddled mind. As her eyes sharpen to the world around her, all she could see was grey, the grey of the cloud surrounding her. She quickly looks around herself, trying to discern her surrounding, looking for Ember. A grinding sound rips through the air. The sound matches that of a chainsaw. She acknowledges that Ember activated the teeth of her weapon. Then came a strange grunt with the sound of popping and something whipping through the air. A ringing resonates in her ears. Ruby responds by leaping back, just in time to dodge the head of Ember's axe materializing from the mist. The brunette notes that it was just the head of the weapon attached to a metal cord before it disappears into the smoke. She grits her teeth in frustration at the situation, unable to see while her opponent can, in a sense, see her. But a good factor she figured out was that every time the ringing resonates grew louder in her ears, she knew an attack is coming. Ember was trying to stun her again for an easy hit. Ruby unconsciously frees a hand from her weapon in an attempt to cleanse her ears of the slight resident ringing she was still hearing.

The brunette squints her eyes as she looks around, pointlessly looking for movement of any kind. Suddenly, she felt something slams into her back with tremendous force. The impact sent her flying forwards and then crashing into the ground. Her weapon clatters next to her with a metallic thud. Ruby groans and frowns in pain as she makes to push herself off the ground. An effort that she found excruciating due to the pain that wracked her body at the moment. The attack had come so suddenly, and from a direction she did not expect that she could not adequately prepare her aura to block it. So, she took almost the full brunt of the attack.

Everyone looks at the holographic screen to see the bar representing aura levels drop significantly, decreasing from green to yellow in one go. All of Ruby's friends and teammates' eyes went wide at the sudden drop in the brunette's aura. Yang stood up from her seat at the sight of the screen. She tried to peer through the thick cloud obstructing her view of her sister. The blonde's hands grip the railing in front of her with such force she began to bend the metal. Micheal's eyes widen at the sight of the metal bending, wondering how his friend did not turn his hand into dust.

"Ruby," Yang says under her breath.

The brunette did get to her feet eventually and recovered her weapon. She grits her teeth as she reaches around to rub the spot where the attack hit, only to jump from a jolt of pain. Ruby looks around, trying to figure out where her opponent could be in all this smoke. A thought to get out the smoke crossed her mind, but she shot it down because it would not be much better than being inside. The smoke would still be obscuring her vision of Ember's position. She could try and use her semblance to help move or disperse the smoke a bit. Though her back was killing her too much to move that quickly so soon and there was the possibility that Ember would just use more smoke grenades to create another cloud. Then there is the possibility Ember wants that and ready to strike her when she performs that plan. It would help if she could hear better, but there was that annoying low ringing in her ear obscuring her hearing. If she could not see, she would have to rely on her hearing, but this ringing prevented that. Then it dawned on her, when Ember hit her with her semblance earlier, it had left some kind of lingering effect that dampens her hearing. Then another thought hits her; the lingering ringing must always be alerting Ember of her position. Ruby knew she needed to get out of the smoke at least before making her next move. So, she grits her teeth and, with the aid of her semblance, rushes out of the smoke.

The brunette found herself a small clearing between the wall and the cloud of smoke. The opening itself was only five feet wide. Ruby smiles as she could see the cloud slowly dissipating, giving her more room to work with. That still left her with the cloud in front of her, though, and her inability to locate her opponent. Then a tiny dark rectangular shape emerges from the smoke. Ruby ducks as the head of the axe passed over her head and back into the smoke. Then a metallic clink resonates in front of her. The brunette looks down to see another smoke canister, her eyes widening. Ruby kicks the canister as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, the can did not fly far before exploding and blanking her in smoke once again.

"Come on, can't you do something else!?" Ruby shouts, frustration in her voice.

"Why?" Ember asks her voice calm. "If you can't figure out how to deal with this them, why should I stop? I'm just pressing my advantage." Ruby grits her teeth as she readies herself to use her semblance. She decides to try her other idea to clear to smoke. Her body had mostly recovered from that hit. She knew she was going to be sore later, but she needed to win. If she did not win, it would prove she is a terrible leader, and she would lose her two friends, at least in her mind. But just as she takes off, another dark shape emerges from the smoke an inch from her person. The brunette did not have time to react and took the hit square in the chest; the combination of both the attack's speed and the speed of her semblance multiples the force of the impact. The blow sent her flipping over and landing on the ground with a thud. Her aura shattered once she lands on the floor. The young leader just laid with her eyes closed, breathing slowly, knocked out cold. An explosion boom followed by a loud gushing, like heavy wind blowing, could be heard, and the cloud of smoke dissipated in a matter of minutes.

The whirring of Ember's chain-poleaxe slows to a stop and comes to rest the shaft on her shoulder. The new leader looks at her unconscious college with a degree of contempt for herself. She did not mean to be this hard on her or rough her up this much. But she needed to prove herself to this girl and her team. Then there is hopefully the chance to talk to her once she wakes up. She wants to be friends with Ruby. Ember could hear the sound of rapid footsteps approaching her and her opponent. A gust of wind brushes past her shoulder as Yang came to her sister's side. In the next second, the rest of the brunette's team and friends ran to her side. Ember sighs as she rolls her head back and closes her eyes. A hand clasps her shoulder, and she cracks one eye open, moving her head to see Micheal giving her a comforting smile.

"I don't feel good enough to receive that gesture," Ember remarks.

"You did what you could," the wolf faunus says.

"At least you gave Yang full warning and asked her if you could be as rough as you needed to with Ruby," Hitomi says as she stands to her new leader's other side.

"I know; I just hope she'll be ready to talk to me. I do want to be her friend," Ember says.

"Probably not anytime soon. Everything was so poorly time; she's not mentally ready for any of this," Hitomi admits, then she notices her partner pondering something. Then quicks a curious eyebrow as he pounds the bottom of his right fist into the palm of his other hand. "You got an idea?"

"Yeah, just give me a moment," Micheal says as he walks off and pulls out his scroll. He then quickly dials a number in his scroll. It was, in his mind, probably the one person he could ask for help. The scroll rings a few times before clicking.

"Mr. Law, Can I ask the reason for this call?" Ozpin voice answers from the other side.

"Professor, I need, well, my new leader, needs some help with Ruby…" the wolf faunus then proceeds to divulge into an explanation of the situation. The reason Micheal has the headmaster's number was that Ozpin gave it to his student as a way to contact him if needed. He can imagine, as he explained, Ozpin crossing his fingers and listening intently to his student while ponding the situation. After some time, he had finished his explanation and then waited in silence for the headmaster's response.

"What exactly do you expect me to do?" Ozpin asks, his tone implying curiosity.

"Well, I'm hoping you could help keep Ruby in check along with explaining the situation with her. She isn't listening to her team while my new leader tries to talk to her," Micheal says.

"While I can help, this is mainly between Mrs. Mars and Mrs. Rose," Ozpin says.

"I know, sir, I just feel like they could use some help, also…" Micheal responses. He waited for some reaction from his headmaster, but when he got no response, he continued. "Is it possible to reveal the secret as to why our dorms are being remolded to her?"

"How would that help exactly?" Ozpin inquires.

"Well, we've guessed that our dorms are probably being merged or connected, and if that's true, it may cheer her up since we'll be in the same room again or something like it may make her more willing to listen to Ember," Micheal puts out there.

"I see what you're trying to suggest, but I will divulge some information, in that there is a reason three rooms were needed and the reason being something Mrs. Rose might enjoy quite a bit," Ozpin says with some amusement in his voice.

"So, you'll help?" Micheal asks.

"Yes, I will call Mrs. Mars and Mrs. Rose to my office tomorrow for complaints amongst your friends, then I will converse with them. I will consider this something a problem that needs my attention, but…" the headmaster stops.

"But?" Micheal inquires, feeling the seriousness in the headmaster's tone. He had a feeling there would be a task for him.

"But I have a task for, you will need to earn our trust," Ozpin confirms the wolf faunus' suspicion.

"I had a feeling you would say that. Is it possible to have Yang and Blake help me at least?" the wolf faunus says after a sigh. 'More things to complicate my life. I was just hoping to stay quiet and be a good boy.'

"Depending on the task, I will allow their help or your other friends, but this task no, though I will allow you to inform them of it. It's a simple task, you are going to need to know more about this world, so next Friday, I want you in the library studying of the four kingdoms, plus during this time you will meet the one James sent to watch over you," Ozpin informs.

"Meeting me in person?" Micheal says curiously. He thought that person would be discreet in their watch of him and his friends.

"Her request, she wants to meet you and judge you for herself, plus she is going to be your personal trainer and tutor to get up to speed on any bit of knowledge you want to know, be either academic or combat-oriented, that's all I will tell you for now," Ozpin states.

"Okay, and thanks, sir," he got a hum of acknowledgment before the call ended. He lifts his head to see Blake staring at him. She smirks in amusement as her friend nearly jumps out of his skin for umpteen time since she has known him.

"We really got to work on your sense of awareness outside of combat," Blake says.

"Stop sneaking up on me!" was the only response Micheal could think of.

"Why were you talking with Ozpin?" the cat faunus asks, getting to the point.

"Asking him for help with this situation," the wolf faunus says.

"And he agreed?" Blake inquires, crossing her arms.

"Yes, he has; he's going call them under the guise of complaints from us," Micheal answers.

"Then we will have to get everyone on this," Blake comments. Her friend nods in agreement to the statement. It was how this plan is going to work. "What else did he say?" Micheal looks behind him to check if the other were listening, only to see everyone, but him and Blake, gone. "They left to get Ruby to the medical wing." The wolf faunus then proceeds to tell Blake his task set upon him. "So, basically, your task is to meet this person."

"Along with studying about this world," Micheal adds on.

"That may be a cover to put you in place to meet this person without anyone listening in; those study rooms in the library are soundproof," Blake states. Micheal's eyes roll up as he ponders the possibility and nods, seeing his friend's point.

"I'm going to ask her if she is going to watch over you and Yang to make sure our suspicious are true," Micheal says.

"Do you think she will confirm it?" Blake asks. Her friend shrugs in response, something the cat faunus could agree on. This person has no reason to confine that information with them, but she guesses there would be no reason to ask them at least. "Well, whether she does or not, tell us."

"Got it, let's go and catch up with the others," Micheal says. As he begins to walk off, Blake grabs his arm in a firm grip.

"Not yet; there is one thing I need to ask you about, alone without anyone listening to us," Blake says. The wolf faunus turns to look his friend in the eyes. He could see they were serious, none of her playful gleam from earlier when she scared him. But under that severe expression, there was a look of apprehension.

"What is it?" Micheal asks, unsure what to expect.

"Since you knew us before we officially met, you knew I was part of the White Fang from the start, didn't you?" Blake accuses.

"Yes, I did," Micheal answers honestly. The faunus duo stares at each other for a second in a tense silence before Blake sighs and letting go of Micheal's arm. The cat faunus then rubs the back of her neck in a melancholy mood. "I am not going to say anything. You know that, right?"

"I know, I have known you long enough to realize that, but doesn't mean I like the fact people know that part about me without my consent, but nothing I can do about it seems, I can't just say forget about it," Blake states as she looks her friend in the eyes.

"That's fair," Micheal says.

"Now you and Ruby know," Blake comments quietly.

"So, how did Ruby figure out? And did you want Ruby to know I know your little secret?" Micheal inquires.

"Duke Bern told her while you and Hitomi were unconscious, and I'm not sure, part of me says yes, and the other says no, she made me promise to tell at some point," Blake says.

"Well, when you're ready," Micheal says as he turns from Blake, ready to go to the medical wing finally. "I wonder if it's better than Ruby finds out early," mutters the wolf faunus under his breath.

"What do you mean early?" Blake says with a tone of anger or annoyance. The wolf faunus could not tell, seeping into her voice, and he turns to see her face matching her voice. He nervously chuckles as he prepares to explain himself.

'Why did I forget she has good hearing too?' Micheal questions himself. The wolf faunus then proceeds to explain the meaning of his off-hand comment and the circumstances behind it. He watches Blake's face change from a deeper scowl to disbelieve at the situation told to her. While his appearance screwed up the timeline, it still profoundly worries and intrigues the wolf faunus what this timeline holds for him. While he only knew the events of volume 1 and some warning of later parts, he wondered what he could change and not change. The fight between Weiss and Blake was going to happen regardless, and he had a gut feeling on that point. It does raise an intriguing prospect, what can he do to aid things now. As he ended the explanation, Blake was rubbing her temple in frustration.

"The team found out because of this Sun Wukong drew out the prejudice in Weiss, and we have a fight that resulted in me blurting out my association with the White Fang and indirectly told them I am a faunus," Blake summarizes.

"Well, the good news in that timeline is that the two of made up and Weiss works on her views of faunus from there on," Micheal informs. The cat faunus sighs as some of the anger fade from her face.

"That's comforting to hear, but the fact my secret becoming known so easily is frustrating," Blake states.

"Understandable, well, you have two advantages that Blake didn't have when it comes to dealing with Weiss," Micheal says. His friend looks at him with a curious look. "Well, you know this fight is coming, and I fairly sure it's going to happen," he sees Blake give that statement a thought for a second before giving him an agreeing look; it is the inevitable clash between them. "So, you have the ability to think how to approach this situation. The second thing is that Weiss is softer on faunus since me and my partner have been on the team. I doubt she is truly over it yet, but she at least polite with Velvet and is slightly concerned about her when Cardin bullies her; she was dismissive of her in the other timeline till after the two of you made up."

"So, you're saying Weiss would be more accepting of my faunus secret," Blake comments.

"Plus, you have me, Ruby and Hitomi to help when you tell Weiss, plus you could tell Yang to have her on your side as well," Micheal adds on.

"Are we teaming up against Weiss now?" Blake asks, amused with a quirked eyebrow. Micheal just shrugs in response.

"I'm just laying down an idea," the wolf faunus defends himself.

"I know, I do believe you're right; it will happen somehow, even if it's in a lesser fight than what you knew. I'll just have to think of a plan, but we've talked enough. We need to catch up with the others," Blake says, plus she wanted to ponder this eventual situation herself. Though as Blake passes by her fellow faunus, Micheal suddenly hugs the cat faunus, his head resting on her shoulder. The raven-haired girl was caught off-guard by the sudden movement as her face goes bleat red from the sudden closeness. "M-Micheal, what…"

"I just want to say thank you for everything, especially now, I know this whole situation must be strange for you and Yang, but thanks for at least sticking by me, even if you don't believe me yet. It makes me feel better to finally tell someone and let things out, I don't have to hide anything from you girls," Micheal says. Blake's blush fades as she listens to her friend and returns the hug. She could see his tail wagging slowly and smiles at the sight.

"You're welcome," the cat faunus responds. Then the wolf faunus breaks the hug with a smile on his face.

"Sorry about that, I had to get that off my chest," he says, gesturing with his hands to finally move on.

"It's fine, and it's nice to know you are more open with us," Blake states.

"It's nice to have someone to be open with," Micheal says. As the duo rounds the corner to leave the amphitheater, they run into Ember.

"Are you two an item?" Ember asks them bluntly. Micheal screams for a second before holding his chest and bending over to pound his leg pointlessly. Blake takes deep breaths with a hand on her chest from the sudden shock. Neither faunus were expecting to run into the new leader. As they calm down from the sudden scare, they both register the question and blush in response.

"No, we're just close friends, that's all," Micheal answers.

"Ah," Ember says in an unconvinced tone. But she decided to drop it; she did not return to ask them about their relationship. "Yang is wondering where you two were and why you're dilly-dallying, and…" she turns towards Blake. "You're a fan…" she did not get to complete her question as Blake clamps her hand over Ember's mouth, her eyes wide in shock. Micheal proceeds to look around, his ears moving in all directions to hear anyone coming or nearby.

"We're clear, but let's move somewhere more discreet," the wolf faunus says. Blake places a finger to her lips as she leads the new leader and her friend to a secluded spot.

"How did you find out?" Blake asks once she found a spot and is deemed safe enough.

"My semblance tells more than your position. It also senses the race, size, and aura, if it's not a Grimm, of a person or creature, it how I can also tell whom I detected," Ember remarks. "So why do you hide it?"

"I want people to see me for who I am, not what I am," Blake answers.

"I see a faunus afraid to show the world who she is," Ember says. Blake narrows her eyes at the new leader. Ember returns the stare with equal vigor but then shrugs. "But it's your choice, so whatever, if you want to keep it a secret until you're ready, I'll respect it and keep my trap shut." Blake's gaze softens slightly at the remark and then sighs.

"Well, my leader made me promise to tell at some point, and after some talking with a friend, I believe it would be better the sooner," Blake says.

"So, why are you two still here?" Ember asks.

"I was explaining to Blake that Professor Ozpin is going to help us out with Ruby," Micheal says, only revealing half the reason. He felt that his new leader preferred bluntness when it came to responses, so it would be easier, to be honest with her.

"How is he going to help?" Ember asks with a hopeful expression. 'If it will help me be friends with Ruby, then I'm down.' The wolf faunus then proceeds to explain to his new leader how the headmaster would help them. Ember pushes off the wall she was leaning on. "Seems simple enough; we just got to convince the others to play along while Ruby is asleep."

"Best to do it now, since we have no idea when she will be up," Blake states. Ember nods in agreement and begins to wander off. The cat faunus grabs the sleeve of Micheal's jacket as he begins to follow his new leader. The wolf faunus turns to his friend, curious at the confusing gesture, only to grow more interested at the serious look on her visage.

"What's up?" Micheal inquires.

"I'm wondering how long she was outside the amphitheater," Blake comments quietly. Micheal's eyes widen in acknowledgment at the comment, acknowledging the implications. It was an unexpected complication, and while no dilemmas may come from it, since it such an outlandish story and no one should believe her. It is something that needed to be taken care of now.

"I'll inform Ozpin of your suspicion, but for now, let's catch up before she decides to eavesdrop on us again, and besides, one of us needs to tell Yang what Ozpin said," The wolf faunus suggest equally quiet. His friend nods in response to the suggestion, and she decides to tell Yang herself. As the trio rejoined the others in Ruby's hospital room, the brunette was still unconscious; they proceeded to tell them the plan with the situation. Later, Blake invited Yang to the roof to discuss with her what she and Micheal had discussed, under the excuse for fresh air and to escape the cramped feeling of their situation. Micheal walked out into the hall and into the most private place he could find to tell Ozpin about the predicament with Ember.

"You two got careless," Ozpin remarks, an edge of annoyance in his voice. Micheal sighs, knowing they deserved that anger.

"We're sorry, sir," Micheal says somberly.

"Nothing can be done about it now, do know if she did overhear your entire conversation. You just made your new team's life more complicated if she did. You understand that?" Ozpin warns.

"I know, sir, there is the possibility that she thinks we're making it up or something like that," the wolf faunus puts forward.

"Yes, there is that possibility, but if she overheard you using my name, then she may not think so," Ozpin says.

"Yeah," Micheal mutters under his breath. He hears a sigh from the other side of the call.

"I will deal with this personally; I will have to wait for her to ask the question, then I will go from there," the headmaster remarks. There was a moment of silence between the two. "Anything else, Mr. Law?"

"Yeah, two things, sir," Micheal admits. He had both a question and a request. Another moment of silence hung; the wolf faunus took that as his opening to say his piece. The wolf faunus takes a second to check the surroundings to make sure he was still alone. "First, if she did overhear Blake and me, there may be the possibility that she may ask Ruby about this, even if that is an outlandish prospect…" Micheal tries to explain.

"Mr. Law, you want me to tell Mrs. Rose about your predicament if Mrs. Mars made her curious about you," Ozpin says, knowing where his student was going.

"Yes," Micheal says.

"Why?" Ozpin questions.

"She is the first person to become my friend in this world, and she has been on my side since all this started, coming to Remnant, attending Beacon, and the recent escapade…" Micheal stops for a second to take a breath. "She came to help me when she knew how dangerous it was going to be, and she still left Beacon to be at my side, her and my partner, she deserves to know."

"They all do," Ozpin adds on.

"I know, and I'm honestly tired of hiding things from them. The next day after Yang and Blake found out, it made me realize how much I hate doing it, so I want to start revealing it to my friends, starting with Ruby," Micheal explains.

"Even though James will have his eye on them," Ozpin comments.

"Yes, sir, I know, but I want them to know, it would help them understand my position and any future complications with Mr. Ironwood as well," the wolf faunus says.

"I see," a second passed before the headmaster spoke again. Micheal assumes the headmaster either is taking a drink from his mug or ponder his words or both. "If that is what you want, then I will help you, but I will warn you that your friends may react negatively to the prospect of being watched by James because of you," Ozpin warns.

"Noted," the wolf faunus remarks.

"I imagine this includes your new team and JNPR," the headmaster inquires.

"Yes, though I want team RWBY and my partner to know first, considering they've known me the longest and the ones I'm closest to," Micheal says.

"That's reasonable and your second piece," Ozpin says. Micheal takes a second to examine his environment.

"I'm curious if this person that I will be meeting knows of my position, not just being under Mr. Ironwood's radar but the fact I'm not from this world, it would be nice to know if I have to choose my words ahead of time," Micheal inquires.

"I honestly do not know; James has not told me yet. I plan to ask him after this call and can only assume he's debating on whether to relinquish this information as well. I will inform you when I have the answer," Ozpin says.

"Yes, sir," Micheal says.

"Mr. Law, I have to call James to give you an answer and understand the plan with this person observing you, and plan for my conversation with Mrs. Ember and Mrs. Rose, have a good night," Ozpin says.

"You too, sir," Micheal says as he ends the call. Micheal sighs as he places his scroll against his head. The wolf faunus is grateful that the only punishment was some chiding from Ozpin for his and Blake's potential slipup. However, that feeling slipped from his mind as he pondered the reactions of his friends once they find out the truth about him and that they are under the watch of James. He bites his lips as his hand subconsciously tightens on his scroll; the unbidden images of his friends and team hating him entering his mind. He closes his eyes and tries to push the ideas out of his mind, knowing they cannot be accurate. Yang and Blake are still on his side despite knowing they are potentially under a watchful eye as well, meaning the other could be as well. The thought of them turning on him still entered his mind, refusing to leave like an unwanted animal that keeps returning to your yard. Then the image of the zombie Grimm flashes through his unsettled mind, making the wolf faunus jump backward and slams into the wall with an audible thud. "I need to relax and return to my friends. Yeah, yeah, my friends will help keep this thing at bay," he mutters to himself as he walks back to JNPR's dorm after apologizing to fellow students for the disturbance.

The next day

"Mrs. Rose, you realize why I called you here today?" Ozpin asks as he looks at the younger of the two girls in his office. Both team leaders sat in a chair on the opposite side of his desk. Ruby was staring at the ground, her face downcast. The headmaster could only hope that was she disappointed in herself.

"Because of my recent attitude," Ruby says, looking up at Ozpin. The headmaster smiles internally, happy to see the young girl acknowledging her problem.

"Yes, your team and friends have reported to me about this, requesting my help on the matter," Ozpin pauses to make sure Ruby was paying attention to him. He found that the brunette was giving him her full attention. "And to be honest, I'm disappointed in you. I understand that life is not going your way right now, but this no reason to act the way you did."

"I know, sir," Ruby says. She takes a deep breath, readying herself for whatever punishment Ozpin had for her. "I know it's no excuse; I was just confused and angry at myself and the school. I thought it was my fault that they were begin removed, and somewhere along the way, I thought that if I could prove myself, then the decision would be reversed."

"Even if you denied a fellow student a chance at having a decent team of their own," Ozpin says.

"Yeah," Ruby says, disappointment in her voice. Ozpin could tell the brunette it directed at herself and no one else.

"When did you come to think about your behavior?" Ember asks.

"This morning," Ruby answers turning toward her fellow leader. "I woke up early this morning, the sun was barely coming up, and I began to think of the recent week and realized how bad I've been."

"I'm proud that you came to realize this on your own," Ozpin remarks. The brunette smiles slightly at the compliment. "That said, it is wrong of you to act this way. The reason your team and friends called my help was that you wouldn't listen to them."

"Yes, sir, I should apologize to them," Ruby says and then looks at Ember.

"And Mrs. Mars as well, Mrs. Rose…" the brunette looks back towards the headmaster. "Your friends and teammates are not angry with you, annoyed but not angry, but they know you can be better than this, as do I," Ozpin says.

"Yes, sir, how are you going to punish me?" Ruby asks.

"Well, first, are you going to get along with Ember Mars from now on and apologize for your behavior?" Ozpin asks.

"Yes, sir," the brunette responds. The headmaster responds by gesturing to said girl. Ruby turns towards Ember. The brunette takes a deep breath as her face becomes somber. "I'm sorry, Ember, I didn't mean to be…"

"A bitch," Ember interjects. She bashfully scratches her cheek at the reproachful look the headmaster gave her.

"Yeah… that," Ruby agrees quietly, scratching her cheek. Before the brunette could continue, the redhead holds up her hand to halt her.

"It's fine; I was never really angry with you. Your friends had informed me of the recent events, so I knew you weren't in your right mind. I wasn't going to back down, mind you, but I wasn't angry," Ember explains. She smiles softly at Ruby's slight smile. "I just want to be your friend, plus you have more experience leading a full team than I do, so I need your help. If you promise to be my friend, then all is forgiven." The redhead holds out her hand with the same small smile. Ruby takes the older girl's hand and shakes it.

"Sure, I can do that," Ruby says.

"Good, now Mrs. Rose," Ozpin stars, getting the young girl's attention. "You will be in detention with me for the next week to discuss how to approach your current issue and how to work past it." Ozpin looks at Ruby intently for a moment, pondering his and Micheal's discussion of revealing the outworlder's secret to his former leader. They did have a right to know, and Micheal is willing to tell. But the headmaster only wanted to reveal if this new leader initiated the conversation or reveal it of his own accord.

"Yes, sir," Ruby responds.

"That is enough for now, Mrs. Mars unless there is anything you wish to discuss with me," Ozpin inquires. His gaze focuses on the new leader, trying to decipher her. He decided to open the door to see how she will react. If she overheard and was curious, he gave her the opportunity. Ember's eyes roll up as her face morphs into a thoughtful one. The headmaster's gaze never wavered from the young woman as she thought for a minute.

"Nothing I can think of, professor," Ember says.

"I see, you are dismissed from my office, but Mrs. Rose, I would like you to stay. I would like to chat with you a bit more," Ozpin says.

"Uh, yes, sir," Ruby says, unsure how to feel about a further discussion with the headmaster.

"Ruby, I'll wait for you," Ember says. Ruby gives the older girl a small smile and nods. Ember then takes the elevator and leaves the office.

Half-and-a-Hour Later

Ember was looking through her scroll with a bored expression, sitting on the ground by the elevator doors. Now and then, looking at the elevator entrance, wanting it to open to reveal Ruby, pondering why it was taking so long. 'It can't take that long to reprimand someone for their behavior,' she comments to herself. The leader was waiting for Ruby so they could walk back to the dorms together. It would help them get to know each other better and help smooth the edges of their friendship. It was also a way to get more info on her new teammates, at least about their habits and quirks. She had seen them from a distance, and they seemed like decent people, but she needed to know for sure. The only one that she could not place a finger on was her new partner. She had no information to go on for her other than her school records. 'Maybe Ruby has something, or her partner would probably be better; Weiss' company had to have done some work with Crystal's.'

Then a ding resonates from the elevator. Ember closes her scroll and stands up, waiting for the doors to open. They open to reveal a very perplexed Ruby, who was deep in thought about something.

"You okay?" Ember questions. The brunette, disturbed from her thoughts, looks up at the older girl in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just think about what Ozpin told me about my behavior," Ruby says. Ember could tell by her eyes that there is something else wrong with her but decided not to push it. She was trying to be Ruby's friend, and this problem could be a personal one. The best she could do is support her through this.

"Well, if you need my help, don't hesitate to come to get me or talk to me," Ember offers.

"Thanks," Ruby says with a broad smile, which the older girl returns. The duo then begins their journey back to the dorms.

"Hey Ruby, how have your friends and family tried to help?" Ember inquires.

"Well, Yang and my dad took me to my favorite restaurant, and I got to talk to my uncle through the phone. He sadly couldn't make it due to work, but it was nice to hear from him. Weiss took to me an arcade, which was fun, even though Weiss was terrible at games. Blake took me to a book store. Micheal talked with me about how he dealt with the experience and said the same thing his dad said to him, Hitomi simply hung out with me for a day with JNPR in tow," Ruby explains.

"I guess your friends did the best they could," Ember says. The red-haired woman picked up the comment about the wolf faunus. While she was curious about it, it was not crucial at this moment. She made a mental note to ask about it later.

"Yeah, if I'm honest, my dad, uncle, and Micheal were the only ones that understood what I'm going through and knew what to say, but I still appreciate their efforts," Ruby says warmly. The duo then proceeds to spend the remainder of the time chatting about themselves.

Ember knocks on the door to JNPR's dorm. The door opens to reveal Hitomi with her cheeks alight with a red that matches Ruby's cloak. "Hey, you two, about time," the fox faunus says in a tone that contains friendliness and warning. The two leaders lean around to see a peculiar scene. A dazed Yang was on her back with a drunken smile and blushing what appear to be hearts around her head. Micheal was face-first into the ground with a bump on his head, his limbs twitching, and Weiss kneeling over and poking him with a bored expression. Blake is invested in the book in her hand, not even acknowledging the wolf faunus. She gives the due a causal glance before returning toward her book. Everyone else gave them a nervous smile with a look of warning in their eyes.

"Everything okay in here?" Ember asks. Hitomi's eyes snap to her, sending a shiver down the red head's spine.

"Of course, why wouldn't it be," Hitomi says in a dangerous tone.

"Good, can we come in now?" Ruby says, getting the message in the tone, not wanting to be her friend's wrong side. Hitomi stepped aside as the duo see Micheal and Yang getting dragged to the side of the room. The rest of the day went relatively peaceful, besides some tense air between Hitomi and Micheal after he woke up. Ember found herself quickly and warmly welcomed into the group. Though what went unnoticed by the group was Ruby now and then staring at Micheal. Her eyes filled with both curiosity and sadness at her faunus friend. Or at least she thought she was unnoticed; Blake caught her young leader's intensive interest in Micheal. It made her curious at the sudden behavior. The curious thought of her knowing Micheal's peculiar predicament crossed her mind. So, she made a mental note to tell Yang and Micheal, ask Ozpin about this, and prepare herself if Ruby asks her.

A/N: As always, criticism is good.

I really struggled with this chapter which was part of the reason it took so long, and the other reason was, well, covid and, honestly, letting this get away from me. But excuses aside, I struggled to make a feasible attempt for an angry and slightly unstable Ruby. I still feel like it could be much better, but I need to start somewhere. So, it is what it is, I'll just have to figure out a system for it.

Ember Mars is among the last new characters for a long while, at least the ones that will stick around and not one-off characters. I did not let her win against Ruby to prove she is better than her. She is just pragmatic when it comes to her semblance. As for the name of the new team "EMBH," or as I call it ember, I spent way too much time trying to create a name out of the initials I gave myself and couldn't make any other word. So that's what I'm working with.