(Note: These first chapters set in the past are only introductory, not the whole story. The present is near.
And yes, the calendar used for this Remnant is in Latin, for personal taste).
Year 2035 after the remanence, month of Septembri (September), two months after the promise in the gravestone.
There were so many good memories that had accumulated over the years they had been together. They lived, trained, loved and fought together for a time that they wanted to be eternal; but over time, it all fell apart. As they began to dig into the reality of Remnant, little splinters of doubt began to form in the minds of those who called themselves Team STRQ, splinters that, with time and blood, turned to rancor, slowly burying all that "the heroes of the frontier" once were.
Summer Rose's death was the final nail in the coffin.
All that had changed in them for the better, all old wounds they had healed and people they had become, no longer mattered all that they had been through together; Taiyang Xiao-Long at the time, hurt by the loss, didn't want to see or talk to anyone having to do with Beacon, he was too busy building his family's future. Still, he was not spared attempts by former colleagues to contact him, condolence calls, visits and gifts; he could understand people's concern and spoke to many of his acquaintances to let them know that they were okay... for the time being.
At that moment, there was only one thought: to keep any threat away from his daughters, to protect everything he had left and make sure they had the best life they could possibly have. The first step was to sever any connection to his reputation as a huntsman, to hide any traces that his enemies might follow or even his friends. "Friends" was a word that was losing its meaning. But, if there was anyone he least wanted to see, it was him.
"Get the hell out of my house!" the blond bellowed, trying to contain his anger. All calm had disappeared when he caught a glimpse of that whitish hair getting out of the car that parked in front of his house.
"Taiyang please, we need to talk about this" Professor Ozpin tried to reason. Tai tried, he really tried to talk at first, but he simply couldn't see the man who had divided his team, who had contributed to his family having shrunk so much. "What happened in Atlas..."
"What happened, is that my wife died Ozpin! And you're here wanting me to work for you, to keep throwing myself into hell, for you!" Taiyang berated him, furious. The temperature in the living room seemed to rise with each passing second. "There wasn't even a body to bury, I have nothing left to remember her by, nothing but my daughters and don't think for a second that I'm going back to work for your damn secret club!"
"Tai, believe me I know how difficult this is, that I understand your pain and you have all my support for whatever you need, but at this moment I need your help, there are innocent lives in danger, lives like your daughters' that need all the help they can get at this very moment, you know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't an emergency." Said the old headmaster, very seriously, trying to persuade the one time student of his. "There is something very dangerous about all th-"
"There's always something with you, there's always a great danger that *we* have to overcome, it always has to be team STRQ. But guess what? There's no STRQ team anymore, Raven's gone and now Summer... listen, I know what happened out there, but I can't help you, I'm already paying too many consequences for all this" He paused slightly as the image of a burning hut flashed through his mind, the moment where all the memories they had kept had been destroyed, but he specifically remembered why they had had their shelter set on fire in the first place. "They're still out there, you know that, and they're getting bigger...if I act now, they'll know where I am and who I live with, I'm NOT going to help you anymore."
With that sentence, the temperature in the room dropped tremendously, denoting the lack of two people in that Patch house. Tai held his former teacher's gaze, refusing to lower it for any reason to let him know that he was dead serious. Ozpin considered pressing further, of persuading Tai by other means, but there was a small spark in his mind, a simple thought that set his mind to work swiftly in the short pause the blond had made.
He didn't know Summer Rose's daughters, but there was a chance... that growing up away from their mothers' legacy would be more beneficial in the long run; it was a healthier option, a way that would keep them safe long enough. With some regret he accepted that he couldn't count on Taiyang's skills for the emergency that was involving Vale and Atlas, but there was another person in his mind that he could count on, he just hoped that she hadn't met the same fate as his apprentices.
"They're asleep" Announced a sober Qrow Branwen, coming down the stairs. "They didn't leave it easy for me, I'm outnumbered and Yang counts for two."
Even Qrow didn't know why he had tried to lighten the situation with humor, which, by the way, had come rather bitterly out of his mouth. He was met with an equally bitter image as he looked around the room, his best friend's sharp gaze riveted on his mentor's eyes, creating a tangible tension.
"I'm not going to say it again Oz, go away please" For Tai it was a strange relief to see a fleeting hint of resignation and acceptance in the professor's eyes, it was the only thing that let him know that this one could, at the very least, understand his situation. Ozpin sighed and nodded slowly as he turned to leave the Rose-Xiao-Long house.
"I hope we can talk again soon Taiyang, if you need anything just call" As the professor walked out of the house, Qrow turned to his teammate... He couldn't help but wonder if they still were after all.
"Hey, come on, you don't have to act right now, but you can't just walk away from all this, from everyone" Qrow argued. He knew the blond wouldn't join the mission, he had been against convincing him, but still Qrow didn't stop Ozpin from trying.
"I can and I will Qrow, you of all people should understand that" He said sharply.
"I understand completely, but not this way" The red eyed man said, placing a hand on Tai's shoulder. "I don't want it to be this way, you're my friend Tai, you're my family."
The blond looked the crow man in the eyes, there was no deceit as before, if not a genuine crimson glow that begged him not to turn his back on him, not to leave him. But he could not simply forget. The revelation of that day, the secret between Qrow himself and Raven...the battle they had dragged Summer into. They were no longer the same family they used to be.
"You should leave too Qrow" Taiyang turned away from him, not daring to look any longer. The former Branwen tribesman stood very still, feeling a familiar emptiness in his chest growing icier as he watched his best friend walk away. "It's getting late...I'll see you another day."
It wasn't a total goodbye, Qrow had read between his friend's words. "Not now" was really what Tai meant to convey; he needed time, Qrow did too. They all did. Even Ozpin, who, though he seemed engrossed in working, was just as devastated as everyone else if not more; Qrow had a suspicion the old principal was desperately trying to mask it all, to at least honor the memory of the student closest to him by aiding in the tragedy that had just befallen.
Everyone still needed to heal, even though it had been two months since her death, the wounds in everyone, were still open.
" Fine, whatever you do... Please don't take them away from me, I just want to..." Qrow couldn't finish his sentence, but Tai, hearing him understood, he didn't want to be alone despite what his presence meant.
"I would never forgive myself for doing that Qrow, but I won't let you drag them into everything that's going on, as long as you keep working for Ozpin... don't tell them anything." Tai gave one last look at his friend. There was no threat in his tone, only resignation.
Qrow nodded and smiled at him one last time before leaving the house. As he closed the door behind him and looked out into the darkness surrounding the Rose/Xiao-Long house, his mind took him back to those moments in the Branwen tribe when he was left out in the open because of his curse, alone. And once again, he was the same as before, he no longer had his sister, he no longer had his best friends by his side; in those moments Qrow was just thinking about blowing off steam, he needed a drink badly. He walked towards the dirt road and disappeared into the trees.
Taiyang meanwhile, waited for several seconds standing there in the middle of an empty room.
That father, now a widower, leaned wearily on the large chest of drawers in the room, where a few photos that had survived the years and countless misfortunes lay; one specifically, the only surviving photo of Beacon where STRQ could be seen, complete. He no longer felt safe being alone, no longer had the warmth of his wife by his side to comfort him, but he could still be there for Ruby and Yang.
He went upstairs and headed for his daughters' shared room, but before entering he gave a sidelong glance at the bedroom... at his bedroom; he couldn't sleep alone that night. He quietly entered and was met with the tender sight of two little girls sleeping peacefully; Yang was hugging Ruby protectively, while Ruby just sunk her face and curled up under the blanket.
He felt a bit of joy and peace in her distress. He looked at the couch right next to the bed and at the nightstand to one side; on the table lay an open storybook, just halfway through one, which told Tai that the little girls didn't get to hear the whole story their uncle was telling them before they fell asleep. Next to the book she found a coffee cup (with a suspicious whisky smell) whose handle was broken... probably by bad luck.
Uncle, Uncle Qrow. That at least made Tai snort with amusement. The former bandit would have disowned being called "uncle".
Taiyang sat up and settled his back so he could sleep without being sore the next morning, for there would be a lot of work in the coming weeks. His house needed to be adequate for growing girls, to keep them safe and for sudden unexpected visits from strangers...uninvited strangers. He closed his eyes, trying not to think, to simply shut down to rest.
They would get through this, however they could.
Explanation of the AU
Hello there! First of all, thanks for taking the time the interest in reading my little story.
What is RWBY Shining Metal?
This is an AU, a different universe from the show that moves away from the general RWBY line to focus on two protagonists that will help the reader immerse in this different Remnant, using this "two visions" dynamic for a unique immersion.
One realistic and unfiltered vision, who looks at the world as it is while fighting against the dangers of it; enjoying the small details of life.
And another bright and positive vision, that looks at what the world could be while highlighting the wonders of the world; even if small hints of darkness appear.
Gold and Silver, shiny metal, making narrative contrast at every opportunity when the point of view is switched between the two characters to offer different perspectives, gifting the reader with a complete view of Remnant and the dynamic between the two main characters. Even if secondary characters are used from time to time, the narrative line will generally revolve around the two main characters.
This AU is dedicated to being broad, with a wide spectrum of possibilities on the horizon that are explored little by little in each chapter, since outside of a great complicated or linear plot, this story is episodic and presents different situations in which our protagonists will be involved and thus little by little they will evolve as people, while discovering little by little the general direction of the plot of this story, but it will always be about something: discovering, finding out new things, exploring the world around them.
In this first "Volume", the spotlight is on Vale, on the Forever Fall forest and a bit of Patch along with the people who inhabit these places, which will help or hurt the protagonists. Exploration is not only limited to places, but also technology, Dust and other elements of World building, since this story also focuses more on science fiction than on the futuristic fantasy that the show presents, relying on aesthetics or descriptions which have small dyes of the Halo saga, a characteristic that RT has had in many of his works.
But there is no greater enemy than oneself, this story is strongly focused on its characters and their development, their thoughts, personalities, likes, pains, defects, qualities, successes and their mentality; the main conflict is the characters' own minds that are threatened by the weight that has been placed on them with their responsibilities and duties, as successors or as survivors, and how these affect them in their daily lives.
Even before this publication, there have been doubts from several people as to whether this story is just another RubyxOc story. No, definitely not, this is not about a romantic relationship, it is about how a friendship explores the world and themselves at the same time, a friendship that in the future will unite the others. Let's remember that this story takes place before Beacon, to establish the main characters and then gradually introduce the others we know and love, always taking time to get to know each one. It is worth mentioning that shiping is not the central focus, so even the other characters will not fall in love with each other when they meet; romance, on the other hand, will be explored in the form of strong friendships (or conflicts) that will aim to strengthen and develop the people, whom we will see to be human, have doubts, make mistakes and changes in their mentality.
You will even be able to see the characters reacting and listening to music from our world, enjoying their lyrics or criticizing them (you will see how this will be possible), or you could see how they enjoy small pastimes, tasting new dishes and learning more while exploring Remnant, at your side.
This is an alternate universe, some things will change, others won't change at all, but you can trust that your favorite characters will keep their essence, while discovering new ones at the same time.
As for the playlist of this story, you can help by expanding it, you can suggest any song you like and I'll see what I can do; but the songs will be discovered in a few moments of the plot, key moments, so the songs will remain anonymous.
Another thing is that this story is written in Spanish and then translated into English for publication, so I offer a huge apology for certain errors in the text that may be, while I am working on the English expressions to make the characters more natural.
Ready to explore this AU?