One last Patch before the War

by SirDarkvid

Remnant is a dangerous place, the consequences of the great war still plaguing the world. In the young kingdom of Patch, four children will grow up on the peaceful island; unaware of the role they would play in protecting it. And as the Grimm evolve in ways not seen since times long past, Team RWBY will have to attempt to find a way to forge their own legacy.

5. Blooming In Patch 4

Patch, Sanctuary Academy, Oum Building

08:50 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

Glynda centralizing the education of the entire archipelago had not been as easy or smooth as she hoped, but it could have been worse. Having all types of education on one campus allowed for a fluid and ever-moving ecosystem where older students could interact and teach younger ones.

The Oum building stood imposingly in front of the group of children and Summer, its huge front yard filled with children of all ages. The building, like every other one in Sanctuary, was named after famous Hunters, many of them from the Great War. This one in particular housed the entry and elementary level classes, both for civilian and huntsmen courses.

The majority of classes here were for regular elementary school with so few children starting the path towards becoming huntsmen so early. Fortunately, demand was always sufficient to fill two or three classes of 8 students each. This allowed for more specialized training, raising the average skill level and survival expectations of the huntsmen.

For their education, Glynda had designed an apprenticeship system over the years whereby famous huntsmen from Patch or guests from other kingdoms served as assistant tutors to the licensed teachers. Normally these people were chosen personally by Glynda, but with the kids from Kuroyuri getting a new school building , she had to improvise. Needing half her staff to prepare said new school building on a different island left her with only one option.

Recruiting the huntsmen that she would otherwise never have thought of.

"Come on, Port, my friend... let me be an assistant tutor too!"

"For the last time, my assistant is-"

The group made their way to where Summer understood they were supposed to meet Port before entering class, finding him arguing with Patch's very own bogeyman, always accompanied by his most loyal hitwoman and right-hand.

All the children stood on guard at the sight of him, his bowler hat thrust forward as his cane stuck in the grass. All but Weiss and Whitley, staring at the scene in confusion. "Roman Torchwick!" Ruby shouted in imitation of her mother, stepping to the front of the group and pointing her practice sword at the red-haired villain. "Your hours of misdeeds are over, surrender to justice!"

The self-proclaimed 'Pumpkin King' turned to the little ones, both hands gripping the hilt of his cane. "Ah little red, already trying to be like your dear mom aren't you?" He chuckled darkly. "But if you think you could just come here and start your training as a huntress, well think again. Because Roman Torchwick is back in town, and he won't let you through so easily!" The criminal raised his cane at her, activating the hidden trigger to open the tip. "Are you planning on meddling with my plans?"

The children were silent for a few seconds, looking first at him and then at each other. "What... what's your plan?" Yang asked in a whisper, tilting her head.

"Exactly blondie. My plans are far beyond your comprehension. And because of that, you will have no chance of stopping me!" At Torchwick's shout, all the children rushed towards him, rolling in the grass as they tried to defeat the villain.

Summer meanwhile turned to her daughters' tutor, who watched the scene with a sigh. Peter Port, also known as Big Game Port, or as he would like to be known, Master of the Hunt Port. A legendary huntsman and one of the first members of the Huntsmen's Guild, his legend of hunting the most dangerous Grimm across the globe propelled him to become a teacher at Beacon and a member of Ozpin's effort to rebuild the academy. And becoming a secondary mentor of STRQ during those times.

And after the fall of Beacon, the first person Glynda called to join Sanctuary. "What's Roman doing here, Port?" Summer asked without taking her eyes off the trashy brawl of the kids, who had managed to completely dominate the criminal. Yet despite being on the ground surrounded by children, he still managed to keep is hat safe from them. It was quite impressive in Summers opinion.

The professor shrugged. "That's what I'd like to know, he showed up a moment ago with Miss Neopolitan here, even though I made it clear to him that the position was taken."

Summer looked behind Port, crossing glances with her former Academy classmate, poker buddy and the most likely criminal to commit a massacre in the entire archipelago, Neopolitan Vanille. Being taken in by Romans father, Graham Torchwick, after being abandoned in the archipelago, she and Torchwick had an insatiable taste and appetite for chaos. After the fall of Beacon, no one of her generation was surprised that they left the islands to form a criminal empire, returning years later with an epithet that made criminals all over Remnant tremble.

'The Witch'

Did such a nickname come from her illusory semblance? Did it come from the fact that she had not aged in any apparent way in nearly twenty years? Or was it for much darker reasons? Summer didn't intend to find out, her encounters on both sides of the battle with her had made her prefer to leave Neo alone and trust her to stay on Patch's side.

And now, a potential psychopath like her was going to be her daughters' assistant tutor. The mother preferred to save her complaints for poker night with the criminal duo, rather focusing on the fact that one of the most skilled fighters she knew was going to help teach her daughters how to survive in this world.

"How did you let yourself be talked into this, Neo? What did Glynda offer you?" Summer asked with a smirk, grabbing her by the shoulder.

The criminal pulled out her Scroll, mounting it on the wristband she always wore on her right hand. "[I owed her a favor, and Graham has asked us to stay in the archipelago for a while for Roman to help in the construction of Neo-Kuro.]" The Scroll's robotic voice replied, reading the message Neo had written with her pinky. The pink-haired woman may not have been a big fan of assistive systems for the handicapped, but it was much easier to use them than waiting for others to remember what each sign language gesture meant.

Summer was quiet for a few seconds, staring at nothing in particular. "Help with construction- Ah, right... I always forget that legally Torchwick is an architect." Neo nodded listlessly, the criminal rising abruptly at the sound of his name.

"It was either architecture or finish my huntsman studies, so I chose the only option that didn't require clearing my record." Torchwick's smirk was anything but innocent, yet he sounded convincing. But what really impressed Port was that Neopolitan was nodding in agreement. "And since I have to stay here in Patch to help my dad with that idiotic thing about building a city in a month, I need something fun to do. And what's more fun than teaching the next generation all about the world?"

"Torchwick, please..." Port frowned, his mustache wagging from side to side. "Neopolitan finished her education as a huntress, something you didn't. This isn't my decision, you need at least a huntsman's license to be eligible for the position-"

"But I have one!" Torchwick exclaimed, rummaging through his pockets, pulling out his wallet and showing a license that even Neo didn't know about.

"Licensed huntsman from Haven Academy? Really, Torchwick?" Summer narrowed her eyes, snatching the wallet from him to check its authenticity. "This... this is actually real, where did you get this?"

"Summer Rose, you think the Pumpkin King would go preaching his sources of fakes all over the place... some people really-" The redhead mumbled through his teeth, realizing too late what he had just admitted.

Port narrowed his eyes at Roman, clearly unamused by his attempt of lying his way into the class. Summer could see that this was going to turn into an argument, something she did not have time for. Stepping between the two, she spoke. "Come on, Torchwick, join me in dropping Oscar and Whitley off at their class and then I'll buy you breakfast. We can both complain about the fact they didn't let us be assista-"

"You were rejected because you lost an eye, women. You lack … spatial perception or something, I didn't pay that much attention to your message."

The two adults slowly walked away, Roman trying to apologize for the rude command and Summer laughing it off smoothly, leaving Port with his class. The final bell sounded moments later, causing the rest of the students from other classes to enter the building. "Children, it's time to visit our new classroom, so please everyone, follow Professor Neopolitan." Port instructed as the children formed a line, Port stepping forward to get the keys.

Neo looked back and wondered what had become of her life. How had she ended up in this situation, followed by eight bright-eyed children full of hope?

It made her feel… nauseous.

"And here we are, classroom 26, 7th floor!" Port announced with a smile, opening the classroom door and stepping aside. Neo swooped in without waiting for the kids to enter, darting to what would be her desk for the next five years, testing the disappointing chair. "...Follow Professor Neo, children. You each have your name assigned to a table and one of the lockers on the wall, so drop your backpacks and sit down!"

The children silently surveyed the classroom. It wasn't too large, being made for smaller classes, but it was fully equipped with everything they might need.

A soft carpet marked the area where the holographic projector was active, two shelves next to it filled with manuals and books on one side, and practice weapons on the other. Eight desks set up in two rows, dividing the classroom in half, with the other half occupied by more bookcases and a 1/2 scale model of a Beowolf.

Port and Neo's tables stood in the front of the classroom, a digital whiteboard behind them illuminating the room. Blake found herself following Yang without thinking, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she saw that her desk was next to her. Ruby was right in front of her sister, and Weiss in front of herself.

If it weren't for the fact that Port couldn't have known, the cat would have thought he had set this up to keep their 'team' together. "What is the criteria for seating, Professor Port?" Eliza asked, already in her seat right next to Weiss.

"Height."

The comment didn't seem to please the blue-haired girl too much, who looked to her sides to see that Ruby, Weiss and Jaune were in the same row. "Then why is Jaune here?!"

Port had to swallow a small chuckle, enjoying the young girl's attempt to not admit that she was short. "Because the person in his row is Mr. Fox, and although his visual assistance system allows him to distinguish people, as you should know it doesn't allow him to see digital screens."

"No chance but to admit that you are adorable size, Eliza!" Yang joked, opening the window next to her sister, the natural tropical scent filling the classroom. Eliza merely stuck her tongue out at the blond, settling back in her chair. "Professor Port, when are you going to give us our next training weapons?"

"Didn't you take some of the gauntlets from summer class?"

"Yep, and I almost certainly want to take them, but I also want to try out the rest of the weapons!" The blonde smiled, pointing to the rack of weapons. The rest of the children voiced their agreement, all of them eager to try out different weapons.

Not that Port could blame them, to want to be a huntsman from such a young age one had to have a certain passion for weapons. "Handing you the training weapons is our third class today, Yang. Before that we have an introduction for those that did not attend summer classes." The teacher explained as he activated the board behind him, transferring the controls to his assistant teacher.

"Before we start, why don't I introduce myself? You may already know each other, but I'm sure Weiss would like to formally meet the great Peter Port." With a click, his and Neo's names appeared on the screen behind him.

"The introductory hunting course lasts for ten years, split between two teachers. My name is Peter Port, and I will be your teacher and tutor for the next five years. Accompanying me is my assistant teacher, Neopolitan Vanille, who will take over for the more physical parts of the curriculum . But don't think just because you entered the huntsmen course that you no longer have your normal classes, hoho." Port gently stroked his mustache as he laughed. "You will have all the same classes as the regular courses on top of your huntsmen training." All the children grunted and groaned at once, except for the two girls right in front of his desk. "Well then, let's start with the basics, what is a huntsman?"

"Me, me!" Ruby raised her hand so eagerly that everyone turned to her, the wolf determined to prove that this was her field of expertise. Blake was a little nervous that Ruby was trying to overcompensate for her young age, but her own self-doubt kept her from speaking up.

She had already expected to feel out of place, but she hadn't expected it to start so soon. It was clear that only she and Weiss had not attended the summer course, from the number of weapons missing on the wall. Those memories were something she would never have, something that would always separate her from the others.

"Go ahead, miss Ruby." Port said as he sat on the edge of his desk, enjoying the wolf's energy.

"A huntsman is a warrior or soldier who specializes in fighting Grimm and handling missions in wilderness territories!"

"Good job, Pup!" Yang stretched across her desk, patting her sister's shoulders.

"Correct Miss Ruby, but two corrections. You have made a mistake and left out something very important: We huntsmen are neither soldiers nor mercenaries, since we are talking about that kind of profession. We don't have to obey the kingdoms directly unless we are directly associated with them or a state of emergency is declared, but we have the obligation to help the Remnant population whenever the situation arises."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just be mercenaries?" Fox asked without bothering to ask for a turn to speak, making Port wonder if only Ruby, Eliza and possibly Weiss were going to respect the turn to speak. "My family in Vacuo are mercenaries and they do the same things the huntsmen do."

"It's true that mercenaries in Vacuo have a tradition almost as long as huntsmen, but there is a difference between the two professions. Mercenaries answer to no one and have no international guild to support them, their actions and consequences are entirely their own responsibility. The huntsmen on the other hand are backed by the Huntsmen's Guild... does anyone know what it is?"

Weiss raised her hand quickly, determined to make it clear that she deserved her place here. "The Huntsman's Guild is the only international organization not belonging to any kingdom, responsible for controlling and observing the global Grimm population and handling and directing the missions that are issued from every city on the planet."

"That's it, Weiss! Good job!" Yang celebrated by rising from her chair, hugging Weiss until Port forced her to sit back down.

The professor gestured to Neo, who grumbled and gave way to the first slide of the day. The Guild headquarters appeared on the screen, a map of Remnant marking its location north of Vale.

"That's right, Miss Weiss. The Huntsman's Guild was founded after the Great War by the King of Vale, determined to create a force independent of the Kingdoms that could fight against the Grimm born out of the cumulative negative emotions the war had brought. The Guild was built on the independent island of Vytal, and from there it was decided to build the four Huntsman Academies throughout Remnant, designed to be both institutions to teach future generations and regional headquarters of the Guild."

"Or at least, that was the original intention during the Vytal peace treaties. The Great War changed much of our world, and the four great kingdoms splintered in the coming years. Patch, Arcadia, Argus, Menagerie on a smaller scale, Vytal itself... The desire to achieve individuality gave way to many emerging kingdoms, and each wanted to possess their own Academies. The King of Vale fought during his last years to try to consolidate Beacon, Heaven, Shade and Atlas as the only official Academies, even founding the Combat Schools in order to designate the academies of all these emerging kingdoms. But of course, none of them accepted it."

"Wingdar, Sanctuary, Arcadea Garden, Athonos... These Huntsman Academies are recognised by the Guild, but without the consensus of the original four kingdoms we are not allowed to extend hunting licenses, forcing us to redirect our graduates to Vytal. At first, it was Beacon until the arrival of Ozpin who refused to make these academies official, then it was Heaven until the arrival of Lionheart, and currently the problem comes from Atlas with Cordovin. But this doesn't mean that you should consider yourselves less apprentices than those of the official academies, because some of the greatest huntsmen on the Ranking come from these schools, like Sanctuary for example."

"What is the Ranking?" Jaune asked, raising his hand. Port was glad that at least half his class seemed to follow the rules.

"Good question, mister Arc. Before I explain, perhaps you can relate the ranking to the Huntsleague card game, but you must understand that that game uses its own internal system. The Guild Ranking is the system used to designate the best huntsmen and the most dangerous Grimm, assigning a score to each one that then serves to mark which missions each huntsman can access. It will be easier for you to understand if we start with the huntsman part... Well children, what score would you give me?"

They all started talking at once, giving him scores too low for Port's liking. Everyone... except a certain faunus in the second row. "Miss Blake, you seem a little distracted, is something wrong?"

The cat reacted almost jumping out of her chair, realizing she had ended up with her hands on her knees and her gaze sunk on the desk. "I... no..."

"Miss Blake," Port whispered, approaching her desk, taking her hands in one of his. "I know you may feel a little overwhelmed, and I want you to know that you have no reason to be. One of the reasons that the huntsman apprentice classes are so small is so that we tutors can attend to all of your personal needs, and know what you may require at any given time. You are home now, and Patchwork will take care of you."

That was a word Blake hadn't heard in quite a while. A patchwork was like a self made family, with each member of different origins that came together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. On Patch, it was considered an honor to be part of something like that, to be acceptat and cared for and to give the same thing in return. After the isolation and despair she felt when she was away, Blake longed for something like that.

With their efforts, with their affection and warmth they offered her... it made the fear bearable. It made her feel at home, and now that home was educating her in what was necessary to protect others. "That's better, Miss Blake." Port stroked her head gently, smiling sincerely as he watched her return the smile slowly. "How about you try to guess my position in the Ranking? Go ahead, we're all ears."

The cat was silent for a few seconds, looking her teacher up and down. "...B?"

The whole class burst out laughing, Port taking the laughter in stride. If it cheered one of his students up, he would gladly take some unintentional insults of his hunting abilities. Yang stood up to hug her best friend, Ruby following quickly behind.

And with the two of them, the entire class minus Weiss rose to join in the collective hug, the young ex-heiress merely turning in her seat and grabbing Blake's hand, somewhat nervous of seeming too cold but not knowing what else to do. "Just a B? Children, how little you think of me!" Port laughed, returning to his desk, waiting until the kids were seated again. Seeing even Neo hide a smile was a pleasant sight, confirming the professor's suspicions that the criminal might enjoy her time here.

"Ranks are assigned based on four statistics: strength, skill, intelligence and instincts. These values are evaluated as you enter the final phase of your education as a huntsman, as you graduate and get a license, and each year you serve as a huntsman, using physical tests and mission results as measures. Before you ask, even if you stop practicing as a huntsman, by law you must be tested every five years, in case you need to be called up again in an emergency."

"The Ranking ranges from Rank F, which means you are either huntsmen not practicing for five years or trainees in the final stage, to Rank S, which indicates that you are qualified to take on Remnant's most dangerous Grimm and to attend as first force to every major emergency near you-"

"But our parents are SS Rank!" Yang complained, rising abruptly from her chair, nearly knocking it to the floor in the process.

Port knew that the young blonde R-XL-B was going to be difficult to deal with, probably one of the most difficult of every child he ever taught... but he hadn't expected her to be this rowdy right from the get go. "Now I was going to talk about it, Yang, so please-"

"Wait, just Yang? You call everyone else Miss and Mister!"

"Because they're being respectful and staying seated in their chairs. If you want to be Miss Yang, behave like a good student and don't interrupt the class all the time without raising your hand."

The blonde was silent for a few seconds, sitting back in her seat somewhat regretful of the scolding. Her little sister in front couldn't help but let out a giggle, which Yang punished by pulling the tip of her tail with her legs.

Doing his best to ignore it, Port instructed Neo to move on to the next slide, showing the current roster of huntsmen in the SS rank. "As I was saying, the S rank is the highest rank a normal huntsman can achieve. But... What happens when you are not a normal huntsman? What happens when your achievements are too many to count, when your presence becomes a source of hope, when your combined score is too high compared to the rest of the S-Rank? Well, you enter the Top 15 huntsmen, or as it is officially known, the SS Rank."

1) Summer Rose-Xiao Long-Branwen, "Tropical Storm".

2) Rhodes Glasc, "Midnight Prince."

3) Qrow Branwen, "Drunk Reaper"

4) Blaid Wolfmans, "Old Guard".

5) Gale Brint, "The last huntsman".

6) Taiyang Xiao Long-Rose-Branwen, "The Dragon Knight of Patch".

7) Holy Valkyrie, "The Saint of Argus".

8) Glynda Goodwitch, "Headmistress".

9) Terra Astraea, "Menagerie's Sky Queen".

10) Ramlah Seter, "The Archeology Ace".

11) Chrome Rückkehr, "Remnants first Cyborg".

12) Rangi Astraea, "Menagerie's Sea King."

13) Paolo Blasquez, "The Witch Hunter."

14) Peter Port, "Big Game Port."

15) Alba Lionheart, "The Roaring Lioness of Mistral."

"As you see, Patch currently has five of its huntsmen in the top 15, among whom I am honored to have been included, albeit briefly. Members of the top 15 have certain extra obligations to attend to compared to the rest of the huntsmen, which include not having a price for our services, not being directly affiliated with the council of any Kingdom, or surrendering our publicity rights to the Guild so that they can use us to promote the effectiveness of the huntsman system. They are somewhat unfair and most of us find ways around them, like for example me and Glynda only being legally affiliated with Sanctuary and not the Patch council, or STRQ being affiliated with Sanctuary Tower. It may not seem to be the most honorable way to conduct oneself, but on this level you need to-"

Port stopped his explanation as he watched Yang raise her hand. "Go ahead, Miss Yang, what would you like to ask or share?"

"Why do you all have nicknames? Can we have nicknames too? The ones my parents chose first were terrible, but I'm sure I would choose a much better one."

"I'm not too proud to admit it, but it's another duty. Almost none of us use them, but they are necessary when it comes to the Guild being able to advertise us. And yes, you can have nicknames, too, but don't expect anyone to call you by them. You need to grow up and become stars so that people can start to-"

"They call you Big Game Port? Because that's a much better nickname than Master of the Hunt Port!"

"Our parents let the people of the island choose their own!" Ruby added innocently, not seeing any problem with the different names.

"...Let's move on to another topic-" This time it was Eliza's turn to raise her hand. "Or apparently not, go ahead Miss Eliza."

"Where are you in the ranking, assistant professor Neo?" The young blue-haired girl asked with a frown. "Because I would lose a lot of faith in this system if a criminal who tarnishes Patch's good name is high in the Rankings."

Port tried to answer, but a gesture from his fellow tutor stopped him. Neo slowly rose from the chair, preparing her Scroll to speak. "[I am currently ranked S, Bleu girl. And I guess that's a terrible thing, isn't it? Because I'm a 'criminal'? You're too young to understand, but justice is an abstract concept-]" It isn't, but Port didn't dare interrupt her. "[And Remnant's natural form is chaos-]" That's debatable, but once again Port decided to remain silent. "[So if you intend to clear the name of your beloved island of 'criminals' like us, be sure to pay attention to how I'll teach you to kick Grimm ass and take me off the Rank. In the meantime, I will continue to defend Patch because it is my home even if people choose to label me as a 'criminal'... ]"

It may not have been the way he would have responded, nor the manner in which he spoke to his students, but Port couldn't deny how effective it had been. The children looked at their assistant teacher, determined to follow the invitation/provocation and knock her out of the rankings.

It was the perfect time to get Neo more involved in the class. "Professor Neopolitan, since you're here, how about you explain how Grimm rankings work?" Neo looked at him with both eyebrows raised, wondering if that was a joke."I'm sure you could use some time on your feet and stop watching your Scroll for a moment."

The criminal grumbled as Port sat back in his chair, retrieving the controls. Lucky for her, she had opened the presentation Port had sent her to take a look at. The last thing she needed was to earn a scolding from Glynda on her first day of mandatory duty. "[Okay shorties, let's start with what's a Grimm,]" Port moved to the first slide, showing a compilation of photographs of all sorts of Grimms. "[Grimm are creatures born of darkness. It's a lot more complicated than that, but what you need to know is that although technically the Grimm are inhabitants of Remnant like us, they don't respond to the same natural rules that animals and plants do. They don't need water or food to survive, or sleep. All they care about, day and night, is hunting down negative emotions and destroying everything and everyone you ever loved-]" One of Neo's worst fears came true, one of the children raised their hand. "[Aggg... what, Fox?]"

"Why do they want to destroy us?"

"[Hell if I know... I know they also attack some animals and plants, but we are their focus. Years ago, when I was a kid your age, there were theories about how they targeted people with auras, but those theories were quickly disproved and people went back to having their auras unlocked till they made it mandatory again. We only know that they attack with no coordination, often even injuring their own in their attempts to reach us]".

The children listened attentively, the criminal being able to notice on their faces a growing spark of concern. "[Listen to me carefully, midgets... we Huntsmen are the only ones standing between the Grimm and the people out there. Only a Huntsman has the training, fortitude and will to fight these creatures on a regular basis. Soldiers may have basic training to prepare them for something like a Beowolf, but that means little if you fight them day after day. That is why you need to train hard if you wish to be able to do what most people can't. But I will not only teach you how to fight, I will also teach you the importance of teamwork. Because a lonely Huntsman is a dead Huntsman. And until all of you understand that trusting your allies is just as important as your skill with a weapon, I won't let you leave this class.]"

Her little speech may not have been the most inspiring, considering half her class was looking at her fearfully, but she would be damned if she coddled these children that were so hellbent on risking their lives in the future. "Professor Neopolitan is right, children." Port joins her at the desk, looking quite happy with how he got his assistant engaged with the class. "The Grimm are dangerous and evil creatures, but we huntsmen are trained to handle them. From the weakest Grassorm to WorldEnder itself, all Grimm are deadly. Finding their weaknesses, adapting to the situation and hunt them down, this is the main task of a huntsman. But we will also learn how to manage the population in case of a Grimm attack, how to survive and move through unfamiliar environments, and how to rescue and care for victims. In a few years, when you graduate from me and start learning under Oobleck, you will learn about the theoretical part of the hunt, such as the history of Remnant and the Kingdoms, languages, economics and diplomacy... and all that kind of stuff a modern huntsman needs to know."

"[Having said that and returning to the subject of the Grimm-]" Port rubbed his eyes quickly, not quite believing what he was seeing. Without having to ask or force her, Neo had resumed teaching, even using her Scroll to move on to the next slide. "[The guild has a Ranking for the Grimm just like for the huntsmen, but how this ranking is calculated is quite different. The strength of a Grimm and its abilities can vary a lot even in the same species, so there's only one way to evaluate it... how do professors do this... does anyone... Does anyone know? And if you do, do you want to say so?]"

At once, three hands went up, making Neo regret the suggestion immediately. Deciding not to express favoritism, the criminal opted to choose the daughter of her regular seamstress. "Malice. Grimm's are evaluated on malice," Coco said quickly, ignoring Yang's sneering faces across the class. There was always some doubt as to why Yang was so hostile toward her, but on the other hand, the blonde's attempts to be a mean girl were so adorable that Coco not only let them pass but tried to encourage them.

"[Malice, exactly. Grimm are malicious creatures as I said, and that malice is something that is spread almost evenly throughout a single species, allowing us to measure their overall physical abilities, creating the Ranking. Let's take two examples within the same rank: Nightmares are big and strong, but have no special abilities beyond ramming and trampling what is in front of them. They are dangerous, but any average huntsman should be able to control and hunt them unless their numbers are unusually high, that's why they are B rank. By contrast, Sabyr's are usually human-sized and much less destructive, but they always hunt in groups, trying to separate groups of huntsmen and attack those who are isolated from their peers]".

"[They are very different Grimms, but in both cases, they do not pose too much of a problem for an average huntsman, so we assign them to the B Rank. These ranks allow us to categorize the various quests, and huntsmen like you will be able to go to the local Guild Academies and headquarters to check out those quests. But you don't have to break your head too much with having to kill the most dangerous Grimm, there are usually many missions of all kinds. Here in Patch for example there are usually quite a lot of missions to clear terrain or get Dust crystals from the Azure Basin mines, or missions in the regions we have around Vale, Mistral, Arcadia and Menagerie]".

"Excellent explanation, Professor Neopolitan!" Port applauded excitedly, making Neo realize what had happened. Talking so much, explaining so much to children... It was strange. She was used to explaining stuff like this to Roman, but it felt different here. "I suppose you will have questions about this, so why don't we have everyone share their thoughts on this before moving on?"

As Port expected, more than half the class raised their hands. Even Ruby, who was knowledgeable in the topic, had questions to ask. "Let's go in alphabetical order then, Blake?"

"Is there an SS rank for Grimms?" Blake whispered with her eyes on the mural, the four large Grimms occupying every corner of it.

Neo sighed, raising her scroll to answer the question. She started this whole thing so she might as well finish it. The criminal looked to her side, seeing Port give her this annoyingly knowing smile as he watched her. With a scowl she started typing. "[There is one, yes, but it's reserved for the already defeated Grimms who have caused the most damage throughout Remnants history. WorldEnder, Monstra, The Sky Lord, Chaotic World... These are Grimms that have caused great destruction in their wake until they were defeated, and some have still left their mark on the world. WorldEnder still lies petrified on top of the Beacon tower, and Chaotic World's skull remains frozen in time hanging in the Vacuo council building. Rest assured that you won't have to worry about them, so focus on the Grimm that you will be dealing with on a 'daily' basis. Satisfied, Belladonna?]" Blake nodded without looking away, eyes on the Grimm. "[Perfect, next question... Bleu girl.]"

"First, my name is Eliza..."

"[I know your name girl. Now, ask your question or i'm going to move to the next one.]"

"...Why don't the huntsmen destroy the Grimm in one place all at once? Wouldn't it be easier to clear a region and not have to worry about it later?"

Neo couldn't help but laugh, enjoying the naivety of the girl. "[If only it were that easy. You see, kids, the Grimm can't be eradicated like that, not really.. If it were possible, don't you think we would have done it a long time ago? Grimm are born wherever there are humans, the theory says they are generated by our negative emotions, so if you want to live somewhere, it better be a suitable place to defend. That's why Patch was founded on an archipelago despite the island of City Ruins. That's why cities are built inside mountains and craters, in enclosed valleys or near natural locations easy to defend. The Grimm will always be with us, so we'd better get used to it and hunt them down. In alphabetical order it would be... Arc boy. Port, you're up, I'm tired of typing]".

Jaune didn't dare to say it but the young man was grateful that Port was the one to answer. "Why do we have to learn languages, economics and diplomacy?"

"Weil dieser Beruf euch in alle ecken dieser Welt bringen kann. Und ein guter Jäger muss in der lage sein sich überall zumindest verständlich zu machen!" Port said in a language that none of the children understood, but which made Weiss cocked her head. "Did you understand that? I doubt it, and that's because it was Atlean. I had to learn it when I was hunting and helping the population with Monstra. As I said, a huntsman is the profession that interacts the most with the average man, so you need to know how to talk to people from all over Remnant, how to assess the damage your fights cause, and how to deal with tense situations and groups of people who will be nervous and scared. Back in my day we learned these things much later during training, which is why I suggested to Glynda that we should start early. On to the next question, Miss Ruby, shoot!"

"Why do Huntsman have research/recovery missions? Can't we just fight the Grimm?"

Nearly twenty years later, Ruby was asking the same question her mothers, father and uncle had asked at Beacon. History was repeating itself it seemed. Hopefully, the answer that worked for them would also work for their daughter. "We huntsmen are the battle profession most skilled at surviving in wild terrain, and Remnant is littered with ruins of fallen kingdoms. Many places lay abandoned in the wilderness and with it a great deal of lost technology and resources. So if any company, individual or community wishes to research or salvage those places, they will need a huntsman to protect them. Of course, no one forces you to accept such missions, but usually there are always interests behind and they pay well... Now that I think about it, most of you don't have economic problems in your families, you are not exactly the kind of huntsmen that get into this for the money. Anyway, Miss Weiss, it's your turn, what do you want to ask?"

Weiss put her hand to her mouth, nervous that the others would think her question stupid. "If-if the Grimm are endlessly born from our emotions, why aren't they attacking cities all the time? I know some have walls like Mantle, but for example here in Patch or in Atlas there are none."

"Excellent question, Miss Weiss! The older cities of Remnant such as Mantle or Mistral still have their original walls, but they are not as important as they once were. You see children, most cities on Remnant use the Merlot Industries defensive system, which emits an ambient aura capable of deterring nearby Grimm. It doesn't stop them, but it does make them feel pain and discomfort as they approach. Here in Patch we have one, but as the island is easily controllable in its entirety, we have the system focused on the ocean to stop aquatic Grimm. Has that satisfied your question, Miss Weiss?" The white-haired girl nodded quickly, receiving a kind smile from the teacher in return. "Well then, the time has come for me to give you your training weapons, but first I want you to answer one simple question. What is aura?"

All children here had their aura unlocked and understood more or less what it was for. But the moment they tried to put it into words, they realized they didn't know what aura was. "It's okay, most people don't really know how it is defined. You see, aura is the manifestation of our soul, of who and what we are. It acts as a natural defense for our body, and we can manipulate it at will for a variety of abilities. Professor Neo, would you mind showing a visual example?"

Neo nodded half-heartedly, stretching out in front of the children. The pink-haired criminal closed her eyes, concentrating her aura which spread around her body, covering it in a soft pink outline.

"Aura is always active from the moment it is unlocked, but it requires conscious thought to protect against attacks effectively. In addition to defense, aura can be used in certain offensive ways. The most basic form of this technique is the enhancement of weapon attacks, allowing channeled aura to be released as a wave or to extend the reach of a slash. It is also what fuels our semblances. As you know, a semblance is a unique ability, born from our soul just like our aura is. One of the most important lessons will be to always be aware of your aura in battle, especially to know how much longer you can fight until you start taking physical damage... you can't wait, can you?"

The children shouted in excitement, Yang barely able to keep in her seat. Others were more restrained, Coco trying to keep cool even though she wanted to finally show off some of her moves. Blake and Weiss stayed quiet, a little overwhelmed by the sudden ruckus in the classroom.

"Okay okay, please don't all get up at once! Professor Neo, do you want to do the honors this time?"

"[I don't like you asking me for so many things, but well...]" Neo stepped between the desks, heading to the weapons stand at the beginning of class. "[Alphabetical order, Belladonna girl, you start.]"

Blake slowly stood up, approaching the stand as she felt the eyes of the whole class on her back, making her cat ears fall flat against her head. Only Neo didn't stare at her, looking through the different options as she stopped beside her. The short teacher went through multiple weapons, seemingly annoyed with what she saw. After a moment she turned to the still nervous cat-faunus. "[This is stupid. Tell me Belladonna, what kind of weapon do you use?]"

Blake looked up, caught off guard by the sudden question. Hesitantly, she pointed a finger at herself. "M-me?"

Neo gave her a flat look. "[Come now, we don't have all day.]"

"I..." What weapon did she want? She had been so worried about everything that such a simple question didn't even occur to her. Before the kidnapping, Blake had always admired the way Raven fought in the videos Yang insisted on watching over and over again. Always determined, wielding her sword with precision and dancing with it in combat. Her semblance was not offensive, but Raven had managed to find a way to push her limits and make it a key part of her style.

But how do you turn something that only serves to flee into something to attack? When she unlocked her semblance during one of Adams games, it was with the wish to get away and hide, never to be seen again. A 'smoke bomb' for a scaredy cat, as he called it.

Blake couldn't turn that into something she could use to fight back, or at least she didn't see how."I... I just know how to run away...-"

"[Hit and Run, right? That's my specialty!]" Neo gave her a confident smile, starting to throw out options at Blake's confused look. "[There's no training umbrella, but daggers will work as a start.]"

The pink-haired criminal knelt in front of her, offering her two blue military knives with a rubber handle. "[Get in, strike, get out. I think your semblance will be perfect for that, just like mine. See me after class and I can give you some pointers-]"

"You are aware that you have to give them training lessons, right?" Port reminded her from behind his desk, still very amused by watching Neo getting more and more into her teaching role.

"[Anyway, you come by during that lame class and I can give you some tips. But this took already too long so NEXT]" Blake wasn't paying attention as the rest of her class suddenly stood up, all mobbing Neo as she returned to her seat, staring at the knives in her hands. Hit-and-Run, according to Cho, is the most cowardly thing anyone could do in their life.

It was perfect. That was just what she was looking for. Being a swordswoman would make her what Cho wanted, but this? It went against anything she tried to teach her. For the first time today, she felt like she could actually become the Huntress she wanted to be.

With everyone having picked their new weapons, the children returned to their seats one by one, waiting attentively for Port's next lesson. The teacher smiled, more than happy with how this first class was turning out. And while he could see how some of them would no doubt cause quite a bit of trouble, their potential was clear as day.

It reminded him of the time when Team STRQ first started, filling him with hope for the future generation. And with one of the best fighters on the island as his assistant, he was sure this class would turn out exceptional.

---

Patch, Sanctuary Academy, Cafeteria of the Oum building

11:30 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

Lunchtime, one of the most important parts of the school day. Thousands of children were divided into two groups, filling the gigantic cafeteria under the control of their teachers. Not even an army of Glyndas could prevent the chaos that ensued, so the best solution was to let them be and pray for the best.

With Port having to go to the headmistress's office for an urgent call, Neo was forced to direct her students to the table assigned to their group, making them go through the cafeteria counter to pick up their respective lunches. That part was easier, Neo finding a use for her reputation and getting the rest of the teachers to move their classes aside for her and hers to get through.

Of course, once all eight kids were seated in their corner of the cafeteria, the criminal left them alone to go get a coffee, or something stronger if she could get away with it.

"Do you think Professor Neo will be back?" Jaune asked, looking at the large clock above the cafeteria doors. "She told us to wait for her to start eating and she's been gone for over 10 minutes now-"

"I'm not waiting any longer, I'm hungry!" Yang growled, opening her lunch box, starting to divide everything between Ruby and her. "You're being good today, Pup, so you can have one of my cookies."

The wolf took the cookie with a bright smile, tail wagging behind her. Ignoring the rest of her lunch, she devoured the treat while Blake couldn't help but chuckle. "You're still doing that?"

"Hey, if it works it works!"

Everyone at the table broke into laughter, except for Weiss who didn't understand what was going on. Feeling more comfortable, Blake decided to venture over and explain the situation to her. "Ruby doesn't like to be in overly crowded places, so her parents worked with our psychologist to design a reward system based on cookies or strawberries."

"Yeeep! If I manage to hold out in crowded places I get a cookie, if I can't take it anymore and need to leave I get a strawberry!" The wolf explained as she started eating her sandwich, following her sister in her anarchy against Neo.

Weiss didn't see the point in getting rewards in both cases, but what bothered her the most at the moment was seeing them eating so nonchalantly. "Can you blame us?" Yang said with her mouth full. "Neo's not coming back, and I want to have lunch before it's time to leave for recess."

The rest of her classmates stared at her, but the blonde just kept eating, ignoring them. It didn't take long for the rest of them to follow her example, the hunger winning out over any potential trouble they may get into. Once they all started eating, Yang mentioned something she had been thinking about all day. "So... this is RWBY vs. CJFE, right?"

The other seven kids turned to her in confusion. "I mean, there are eight of us in the same class, it can't be a fluke. The teams are four huntsmen, so they have to be waiting for us to form two teams and compete against each other."

"That... makes a lot of sense actually," Fox whispered to himself, poking his straw into his milk carton. "If this is a way to create competition between us, the question is whether we're planning to let them do it. We could be super friendly and create unity between us, couldn't we?" Silence. "Yep, we might as well fight each other like good huntsman teams. Hey Weiss, you're from Atlas, right?"

Weiss looked up quickly, dropping her sandwich back into the lunchbox. "Yes... how do you know?"

"White hair, blue eyes, pale. It's easy to tell Atlas people apart." The young white-haired girl paused for a few seconds, not knowing how to take that. Being from Atlas didn't have to connect her with Jacques, but while white hair was pretty common in Atlas and Mantle, the Schnee family hair had a very particular colour. Or at least she thought so. "Ah, I know what you're thinking, Weiss." Fox smiled oblivious to her sudden internal anxiety attack. "You're wondering how I distinguished your hair color if I'm blind, aren't you?"

"Yes! I mean... yes, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"You see, eyes aren't the only source of vision in this world! My eyes are blind, but my aura is not." Fox explained as he pulled a small electronic device out of his ear. "This is ADA, an assistant that acts as my sonar. It gives me a mental map of my surroundings and the people nearby, using my aura to see everything around me… quite a bit better than you guys! And it's all thanks to Dr. Pietro."

Pietro, a name Weiss had had the displeasure of hearing many times from her father. A 'traitor' to Atlas, and one of Remnant's foremost experts in prosthetics and constructive technology. It was unclear to Weiss why her family - or rather Jacques - hated him so much, but a part of her was glad that the good man had found refuge in the archipelago.

"Ahem..." Eliza cleared her throat, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts. The young blue-haired girl had already finished her lunch, waiting elegantly with her hands folded together on the table, one on top of the other. "I know you love talking about Ada, but can you not monopolize the new girl?"

"I wasn't- you know what, Eli? At least I have interesting things to tell-"

"I couldn't help but notice-," Eliza completely ignored her childhood friend, turning to Weiss. "That you're an applied and educated student, Weiss, and that's an admirable thing. When my great-great-grandfather-" Everyone at the table grunted at once, except Weiss and Eliza. "Took control of the archipelago in its darkest hour, he created what is now known as Patch's Rules of the Good Child to promulgate good manners and proper behavior among the young. Those rules and the title were passed to my great-grandfather, who passed it to my grandfather, until he passed away when my father was 6 years old. In 10 years, my great-grandfather will pass his title to my father, and in 30 years I will take control of this archipelago-"

"Sorry sorry, your story is very interesting..." And very similar to the Schnee stories, but that didn't surprise Weiss. Dynasties existed all over Remnant, and Patch had not one but five major families. "But I failed to notice... is it your great-grandfather who is in control of the council now? How old is he?"

"A logical question, but it's less worrisome than it sounds. Great-grandfather Grant is 80 years old, my grandfather would be 62 and my father is 40. We Bleu have the habit of having children very early, my father broke the tradition with me, and I plan to continue like him! I won't let some stupid baby tie me down, this huntress will fight for Patch in and out of the woods, I' ll have the best of both my father and mother!"

"Your mother?"

"Eliza's mother is a super spy!" Ruby said with her mouth full. It was clear that the sister's manners was something Weiss would have to work on.

"Pup is right, my mother is a super secret agent, in the service of Patch! She doesn't come home much because of it, but I'm sure sometime this year she'll come over and you can meet her." There was a definite tone of sadness in her words, but Weiss preferred not to mention it. The last thing she intended was to start a family feud on the first day of school.

The children continued eating after Eliza's explanation, finishing their respective lunch before their teacher returned. And with that finished, the children stared at Jaune. "What's wrong?" The blond asked as he flipped through the school schedule to memorize it.

Fox couldn't help but bring a hand to his forehead, sighing at his lack of "We're introducing us to Weiss, Jaune... you're next."

"What, why? We've introduced ourselves already!"

"But Weiss is new to Patch. She needs to learn a little more about the islands!" Eliza yelled pounding her fists on the table, some of the nearby tables turning towards her. "And as the only male representative of the Arc clan, you have a duty to your citizens."

The blond grunted, stretching out, then dropping his head on the table. "Okay okay... So I am Jaune Arc and I am the only male child of our generation in the Arc clan. Happy?" Eliza and Fox weren't happy, their stares making Jaune shiver a little. "Okay, I get it. Weiss, all the girls who attacked Blake earlier? They're my sisters and cousins. My grandfather, Julius, had three sons, and they've had by now 20 daughters and me... it's a constant hell of dresses, makeup, screaming and irony... Better now? There's not much more of the Arc clan."

"The Arc clan is in charge of security on the island. They run most of the archipelago's police affairs." Ruby explained calmly, completing her friend's explanation. The blond boy let his head fall back on the desk, groaning. He forgot to explain that part. If his twin ever learns of this he would be in trouble. "And Jaune has a twin sister, she's in the super smart class."

"I can't understand how, she's a feral!" The blond growled clearly annoyed at his twin sister's accomplishments. "Okay, now there's nothing left, thank you very much, Rubes." The wolf smiled brightly, not noticing her friend's annoyed tone. Or the scaling look her sister gave him. "And now it's your turn, Coco."

"Me?" Coco smiled looking up, too busy so far showing Blake videos on her Scroll. "I'm not from a major clan, I'm just the daughter of two amazing tailors who moved to Patch from Mantle after getting an invitation for an extraction. My parents are very good seamstresses, and have made our uniforms and those of Sanctuary Tower and the Patch police, but nothing else interesting on my part."

"But that's not true, big sis! You're Coco Adel, the ultimate big sister!" Ruby interrupted smiling, or at least until Yang stomped her foot under the table.

"That's true, but I don't like to brag. Weiss, all you need to know is that you're my friend now, and I'll take care of you-"

"She's not your friend, I'll take care of her!" Yang shouted standing up abruptly to face the young fashionista. "Listen to me carefully, Coco Adel. You are not her big sister, Pup's big sister or anyone else's big sister!"

"Oh, but I am~"

"No you're not! You're a pain in the ass, a bother, a nuisance, stupid and-"

"Your other best friend?"

"NO! YOU'RE NOT MY FRIEND, OKAY?! That's it, we're out of here RWBY!" Yang continued yelling, grabbing Ruby by the hand and walking away from the table, Blake picking up their lunchboxes behind them and following after apologizing.

Weiss stayed behind, hesitating about what to do. Professor Neopolitan had been very clear about not getting up early, but her best bet was to keep trying to blend in through Ruby with the others. The wolf faunus was proving to be a particularly effective source of seemingly cookie-fed information, the young girl's almost encyclopedia-like knowledge still surprising her. "You go with them, Weiss. We'll cover for you with Professor Neo." Coco said smiling, patting her on the back."

"Can I ask what's going on first, why is Yang so hostile towards you?"

The fashionista folded her arms, her smile turning strained as she looked at the retreating blond. "I don't know, but I don't plan to let it stay like this. I honestly like Yang, she's funny and things around her always manage to be more exciting. I know it's very forward of me to call myself a big sister even though I'm an only child, but I just like taking care of others. And I know that just like Yang needs help with the pressure on her shoulders, you need someone to support you too after what you've been through, Weiss." The comment was a bit odd but Weiss couldn't quite figure out why. "Yang says you're a team, right? And I know Yang, if she says that then she means it. She can be a bit pushy, hide her problems and be a little too abrasive... but if you try to get to know her, you'll find a gem in the rough underneath all that blonde hair."

"You are..." The fashionista's advice was the most relatable and loving thing Weiss had ever heard, even from her own older sister. "Coco, you really are the ultimate big sister."

"I don't have the title for nothing. Go with them, go on, if I remember correctly Yang should be by the fence that separates the elementary yard from the middle school yard." Without further hesitation, Weiss gathered up her things and dashed off, bursting through the gates leading to the playground.

...

…

"And how are we going to deal with Neo?" Eliza asked nervously, looking around for the teaching assistant.

"Easy..." The fashionista said, picking up her own lunch box. "We run away before she comes back. She can't scold us if we aren't here."

The plan was idiotic, but with Fox and Jaune following Coco, all Eliza had left was to follow them running out the doors to the playground.

...

...

...

Neo saw the children running off into the distance, heading out onto the playground much earlier than planned. That led the students at the tables near the exit to want to follow them, and the wave effect was spreading throughout the cafeteria despite the teachers' attempts to contain them.

The pink-haired criminal knew she was supposed to stop them and scold them for leaving on their own... But her coffee was still hot and her magazine too interesting. So grabbing both, Neo followed the rest of the teachers into the courtyard, taking a page out of her kids book.

Port can't scold her if she isn't here.

...

...

...

...

When Por returned from Glynda's office, the cafeteria was completely empty. The professor stood there for a moment, his gaze slowly moving around the room, his mustache bobbing up and down. "You're all grounded ..."

---

Patch, Sanctuary Academy, Elementary grade playground

12:00 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

Just as Coco had predicted, her three teammates were under a tree right next to the high school playground fence. Ruby was clinging to it, staring at the training arena on the other side while Yang and Blake were sitting against the tree. "You sure took your time, Weiss." The blonde grunted, her brow furrowed. "Colluding with the enemy, eh?"

The white-haired woman held up a hand, causing Yang to shut up abruptly. "Yang, I like you, okay? I like all three of you well enough that I've skipped all my friendship outreach strategies-"

"Your what?"

"And moved straight to the being friends part. But that doesn't mean I'm going to listen to everything you say. If we want to be friends, I want to know why you hate Coco."

"...You've got some nerve, Weiss Koks, to ask that question. I... I don't know. Coco hasn't done anything to me, but before she came to the island three years ago, I was the star. All the kids in kindergarten class wanted to play with me, because I was the daughter of Patch's heroes. It was great, people were always paying attention to me! But then Coco arrived... and people started to want to play with her more than with me. She was the new girl, and I was the same as always... and suddenly that wasn't enough anymore. All these years, everything I was accomplishing, Coco was doing better!" Jumping to her feet, Yang spun around and punched the tree trunk hard enough to shake it, her hair shining brightly. "I got my first training weapon? She was already on her second. I unlocked my semblance? Coco did too, and she did it in front of everyone in a heroic moment! I managed to damage the Beowolf that Port brought so we could get used to them. Coco killed it! It's not fair, you hear me! I'm STRQ's daughter, I'm supposed to be able to do all this! "

Blake and Weiss were silent, surprised by Yang's rant. The cat knew of her envy of Coco, having been with her during some of these stories. But Blake hadn't expected that it had gotten so bad in the time she was away.

Perhaps if she had been there she could have prevented Yang from feeling this way? A part of her believed that, but with how those two were it probably would have ended the same anyway.

Weiss on the other hand knew why Yang was feeling this way. The expectations of a family name is something that can weigh heavily on you, something she was very familiar with. Even now, with a fake name and a new life, the Schnee heritage still loomed over here. But she knew that she could not let one of her first real friends suffer this alone.

Or worse, let it consume her like she watched it consume her father...

Just as Coco had said, the blonde was a bundle of nerves and problems behind her happy facade. No different than them or Ruby. The three realized, sitting and standing there under the tree, that the one who, on the surface, should have the most problems was the most stable of the four.

"I just want to..." Yang continued, slumbing against the tree before slowly sliding down back , the mark of her fist burned into the bark. "I just want to go back to being who they look up to, who they admire and who they want to play with. I'm STRQ's eldest daughter, they're expecting me to be a hero like my parents. It's stupid, I know-"

"No Yang, it's not stupid." Blake interrupted, taking her hand. "How you feel is not stupid. I can see how much this bothers you, and I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you. But I promise you, if anyone gives you trouble, they're gonna regret it."

The blonde was silent, holding back tears. She hadn't quite realized how much she had missed her best friend until now. "I don't know as much about Patch as you two do, and Eliza and Jaune's explanations don't tell me all that much..." Weiss said, reaching over, taking Yang's other hand. "But I know what it's like, having a family name to live up to. My… My father let it consume him and he turned into a monster. And I will not let you become the same. We are a team now, so we are there for each other. Coco may have shown you up when you were alone, but there is no way she can stand up to Team RWBY."

"Weiss... Blake... I'm not much of a leader, am I?"

"Aren't I the leader?" Ruby interrupted the moment, the three of them coming out of their little bubble to see how the wolf had dropped down from the fence and approached them.. "And as leader, I know you guys look … sad? Yes, sad. And we shouldn't feel sad, not on the first day of school! As long as we have each other, nothing can stop us. As long as Team RWBY stands together, we will beat any foe. No matter if it's a Grimm or being sad. Every problem, big or small, will feel the might of our teamwork!"

Even though it was clear that Ruby didn't quite understand what was going on, her little speech raised their spirits non the less. It was a bit of a shock for the three, seeing their youngest teammate being able to make them feel so confident. Yang didn't waste a second and rushed forward, catching her little sister in a hug and twirling her around. "Since when do you know how to give motivational speeches, Pup?"

"Winter helped me!" Ruby said with a grin, pointing backwards where Winter was leaning against the fence, glancing back with a grin.

"Big sis." Weiss ran up to her sister excitedly, the other three following behind. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be with your friends? Your plan is still going on, isn't it? You didn't settle for that weird boy, did you?"

"No, of course I didn't settle for Marrow! I have multiple potential partners planned already. My initial attempts at 'small talk' as they say went without a hitch and as soon as I figured out the best way to follow them to the bathrooms I will continue with my plan. I was just evaluating the layout of the Academy grounds when I saw Ruby waving at me."

"You guys were making really weird faces that weren't on my keychain, so I had to look for the nearest adult as daddy sayed." Ruby explained as she pulled out her keychain and waved it around in front of them. The three felt bad that they forgot all about their young leader for a moment. "Are you better now? I don't want you to be sad on our first day as a team..." The wolf whispered, clutching her uniform skirt, squeezing it with both hands.

"Of course we're better, Pup." Blake joined Yang's embrace, hugging the young faunus from the other side. "And it's all thanks to you. You may not quite know how to express yourself yet, but you're definitely the most attentive out of all of us."

Ruby smiled at the compliments as her team praised her for helping them.

Winter sat on the other side of the fence, watching her sister and her new friends laugh. What had she done differently then her sister? They strategized and planned together and she had no doubt her sister kept to their plan. Yet here they were, with Weiss surrounded by her new team while she sat alone at a fence after lying about how successful she had been. Winter sighed while looking up at the sky. She always thought the reason she was alone at Atlas Academy was because of Jacques influence, but as she looked around and saw groups of friends laughing she wasn't so sure anymore.

Maybe he was right and there really was something wrong with her. Maybe the people that actually treated her kindly only did so for the money and influence she had. And with that gone, all that was left was herself. And it became abundantly clear that she wasn't enough.

Her self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted by a pat on her back? Turning around, she saw the four girls of Team RWBY looking at her with worry. Trying and failing to put on a brave face, she spoke. "What wrong, do you require any more advice?"

The four looked at each other, hesitant about what to say. Finally, Yang spoke up. "You look sad, Big Sister Winter. Is everything ok?" The new title for Winter surprised the rest of them, making them look at Yang in confusion.

Winter clearly had no talent to make friends with people her own age, but it seemed like she was quite good at leaving an impression on children. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good or bad thing. But despite her hesitation, she couldn't help the small smile when hearing the little blond refer to her as big sister. One of the first things she learned about Patch and its people was that family was very important to them. Both the one you were born with and the one that you gained over the course of your life. To have one of the STRQ children accept her as part of theirs so quickly was not what she expected, but she was glad for it all the same.

And hopefully, she could gain the same honor from the daughter of the most important faunus outside of Menagerie."I just thought about home. Patch is quite different from Atlas and thinking about our old Kingdom is … not the most pleasant thing. Though I must admit, sitting here and enjoying the warm breeze is quite relaxing. So tell me, how was your introductory class? I heard that Professor Port is both an incredible Huntsman and teacher."

"The best!" Ruby was clearly excited talking about their first class, letting go of the fence to jump back and do a little spin on the grass, tail wagging wildly behind her. "I've already switched from a sword to my next weapon, an axe!"

"An Axe, uh?" It wasn't the best for the way Ruby had fought that morning, but Winter couldn't even think about mentioning it when the little Faunus was looking at her with so much joy. "What about the rest of you? Did you find something that fits you?"

"I got to say goodbye to the gauntlets for now, I got a stupid bow..." Yang wailed, Ruby instantly reaching over to pat her on the back.

"And I have two knives to Hit-and-run with." Blake explained as she pulled them out of their sheaths, the only one still carrying them.

"And you Weiss?"

Her little sister smiled proudly, sticking out her chest with her eyes closed. "I got the training rapier, Professor Port said he would bring it from the training arena during Professor Neo's physical training class. Just wait, Winter, I'm going to be the best fencer on this island, as soon as I can use Myrtenaster comfortably, I'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"What's Myrtenaster?" Ruby asked innocently, causing Winter to put a hand to her chin.

If the people of Atlas barely even recognized the rapier by name, it was highly unlikely that a child even younger than her sister would know anything about it. "It's a Koks family heirloom, a Rapier/Dust Wand. Our great-grandmother used it a long time ago, and now Weiss is the one who has inherited it."

It was almost uncomfortable how much Ruby's silver eyes were shining, thrilled that her teammate was training to wiel such a weapon. "If you are interested we can visit our home later today to look at it. It's quite heavy for a Rapier its size so we have it secured in storage until Weiss is older."

Anticipating Ruby's incessant question, Yang covered her mouth with both hands. "Of course we want to, a team needs to be familiar with everyone's weapon!"

"Well it's settled then," Winter said standing up, wiping off the grass from her uniform. She wasn't all that happy with being forced to wear a skirt as part of the school uniform. Maybe she could talk to the Headmistress about it again. "I'll ask Klein if it's okay with him, and I'll take the opportunity to ask Marrow if he'd like to come, too, so we can catch up. If I want to be able to integrate into the society of Patch's youth, I will need someone who has some experience with it."

Even Weiss realized that her sister's plan was doomed to fail. But she had no better alternative at the moment. A sisterly strategie meeting was desperately needed. And only one place was sufficient for something this important. The Koks family dining table.

And as if on cue, Marrow jumped out of nowhere, grabbing the white-haired teenager by the neck and yanking her around. "There you are, Winter! I've been looking all over for you, we could have eaten lunch together-" With a practiced move, she broke Marrow's grip on her neck. In the same motion she moved behind him, forcing one arm behind his back and putting her other arm around his mouth. She may have failed at making friends, but she would not let this buffon make her fail at being a cooler older sister too.

"Careful there princess, or you gonna break your little boyfriends arm." Qrow walked up to them, followed closely by her own Professor for the rest of her time at Sanctuary.

One of Remnant's finest historians and biologists, a master huntsman and self proclaimed coffee expert. Professor Bartholomew Oobleck. "I see you are much more animated and relaxed then you were in class, Miss Koks." The professor said smiling, fixing his glasses.

"Professor Oobleck, sir, this- this isn't what it looks like!" The teenager released poor Marrow before he could turn blue, her hands waving back and forth as she thought of a way to explain her behavior. Oobleck didn't care in the slightest, and Qrow was busy talking to his nieces. "I swear... I'm a good student! I'm not a troublemaker-"

"Ahhh... You almost choked me..."

Winter turned quickly to him, grabbing the front of his shirt. "And I'll do worse if you don't stop- Oh no, I mean... it was just a mistake, Marrow! You know, Atlas trains their students differently. You just … surprised me is all." Winter laughed nervously, hoping her teacher wouldn't notice the lie.

"Miss Koks, you don't have to worry so much." Oobleck interrupted, trying to ease the poor girls nerves. Winter's attempts at justifying her actions had been amusing at first, but the poor girl was starting to panic. "You are young and lively, and as students here at Sanctuary Academy it is you duty to enjoy your time here. This is not Atlas, so please relax. I have no doubt that you will be an exceptional student once you settle in Miss Koks. But maybe don't spend so much time on your scroll watching funny videos" The veiled scolding towards Winter's Scroll on the grass did not go unheeded, the young woman picking it up and closing the video streaming portal she had been watching before meeting Ruby. "And you, my future students, are you taking advantage of this moment to continue educating yourselves?" The professor turned to the four girls on the other side of the fence, only Weiss nodding. "One out of four, not bad. I expected less."

"Don't doubt these three rascals so much, Bartho," Qrow says, hugging his nieces while ruffling Blake's hair. "They're smarter than they look, they don't need to be glued to books all day!"

The professor decided to ignore his assistant until he noticed that Qrow was on the other side of the fence. "Qrow, how did you get there?" Oobleck asked, hoping he was wrong in his assumption.

"How do you think I got over here? I jumped."

"You can't jump the fence, you have a job as a teacher and that includes being a good role model." Oobleck groaned, rubbing his temples with two hands, Winter behind him covering her laughter with her fist.

"Oh come on, it's only six feet high! You can't expect anyone to try to jump something that low! We're talking about future huntsmen, they'll have to make much higher jumps without gaining momentum."

"That's not the point. The problem is that there's a gate in the fence that we're supposed to cross instead of just jumping over. How can you expect the students to respect the rules and not jump the fence if you, the figure they have to learn from, are the first to disrespect it?"

As Oobleck spoke, all Qrow could hear were the birds chirping as he thought about all the things he really didn't want to do, like being a teacher- "Uncle Qrow, I'm sure you're as good of a teacher as Miss Neo."

Blake interrupted the back-and-forth in the huntsman's mind, who quickly turned to her with wide eyes. "Neo, of all people, is being a good teacher?"

"Yep,"

"Neo the witch? The criminal with the longest criminal record of all time in Mistral?"

"That's the one."

"Neopolitan Vanille, the student who provoked the most savage food war in Beacon history? We lost three good elk heads in that battle, may the brothers have mercy on them." Yang and Ruby lowered their heads next to Qrow, lamenting the destruction of three fake elk heads from a place they had never been. The two may only have done it because they enjoyed playing along with him, but he appreciated the sentiment just the same.

"Exactly, Neo."

"That's impossible, have you had contact with her? Maybe it's an illusion-"

"Qrow!" Oobleck finally burst out, unwilling to accept that he had been wrong to choose Qrow over Neo as his assistant. "How much further are you going to go until you admit that Neo is a better teacher than you? You're a good man, even if you drink too much for what is recommended... in men four times your weight, but you're a good man all the same. Now start acting like it, children like Winter and Marrow are here to learn from you!"

"Of course I plan to fucking do it!" Oobleck brought his hand to his forehead, Marrow and Winter bursting out laughing as from behind Ruby began to repeat the new word she had heard. "If there's one person I don't plan to let get the better of me - except in battle, Neo is stupidly strong for her size - it's that midget! I'm going to be the best teacher's assistant you've ever seen, Oobleck, mark my words!" Qrow jolts to his feet, the flask falling from his pocket to the floor.

No one said anything, except for Ruby who walked around her uncle to pick up the flask. "You dropped your happy bottle, Uncle Qrow."

"Thanks, Pup. What I was saying, the best teacher's assistant you ever saw. When do we start?"

" Three hours ago... " Oobleck sighed, shaking his head. He finally understood why Port had laughed so hard when he picked Qrow over Neo. "Why don't you start with-" Before he could suggest anything, Qrow had already jumped the fence without even brushing against it, earning a round of applause from his nieces. "...At least the physical training part will be a breeze... I'm going to ignore all this. Winter! I was wondering if you could help us for a moment in tidying up the combat arena storage."

The young woman nodded enthusiastically, determined to be the best student in the world to make up for what they had just seen. "Well then, let's get going. My future students enjoy what's left of recess with a good book. As you know, culture is power, and that-"

"It's good to know..." Yang, Ruby and Blake responded monotonously, only Weiss enjoying having the opportunity to complete Oobleck's usual sentence. And as soon as the four older ones walked away, the girls formed a circle. "Want to see the treehouse area?" Yang offered Weiss and Blake. The cat was quite surprised that Sanctuary actually finished them.

The project was started almost at the beginning of the Academy but postponed for multiple reasons. It continued just as she and Yang started attending kindergarten. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll find something fun to do-"

"Like climbing! Let's go, quick!" Ruby shot off into the trees, leaving a trail of rose petals behind, returning a few seconds later to find her companions still standing around. "Sorry, I never remember that you can't follow me in Petal Burst. Come on, hurry!" Ruby started pushing Weiss and Blake, forcing them to run while Yang couldn't help but laugh as she followed.

Covered with well-kept trees, tree houses, vines, and rope ladders for the children to play, the treehouse area of the playground usually served as a location for hosting the Grimmkhanas, a traditional physical exercise where huntsman apprentices compete against each other in simulated combat environments.

With exercises such as 'Capture the flag', 'Escape from the Grimm', 'Tracks and trails', etc... To more typical exercises such as training matches, the Grimmkhanas have accompanied the huntsman since the profession was established thousands of years ago.

Usually, the treehouses were occupied by the students of the introductory hunting courses, who were more inclined to fight for what they wanted. Port and the other teachers had a rule of non-intervention to allow the children to express themselves and test their auras, causing the area to be less busy than the rest of the playground.

"GET OUT OF THERE, YOU PALE BUG!"

As they approached laughing and playing with each other, the four girls heard a scream coming from the largest treehouse, built around the central tree of the artificial 'forest'. "That tree house belongs to the Winchester family! Drop the ladder right now!"

Seeing her teammates gasp as they heard the shrill, high-pitched scream of a child, Weiss could imagine that they were in trouble. What she couldn't imagine was who the screams were directed at.

"MAKE ME! THIS TREE HOUSE HAS BEEN CLAIMED IN THE NAME OF KOKS AND…

WHAT'S YOUR LAST NAME, OSCAR?

PYNE?

IN THE NAME OF KOKS AND PYNE, LOSERS!"

The three Patch natives turned to Weiss, noticing with worry how their teammate's right eye seemed to twitch. "...Not even a day, Whitley." Weiss growled with murder in her eyes, sprinting towards the treehouse.

As expected, Whitley was up there, the rope ladder retracted so no one else could climb up. And below, a group of children were gathered. One of them, towering over the rest, was yelling at Whitley while kicking the tree repeatedly. "I'm going to kick the tree down if you don't let go of that ladder, you damned new kid! Keep kicking, boys, it won't be long before you regret it-" A book fell on the leader's head, causing him to curse. "That's it! I intend to kick your ass so hard you'll regret crossing Cardin Winches' path-"

"WHITLEY!" A sudden shout interrupted Cardin's rant, the four children turning to meet RWBY. "COME DOWN RIGHT NOW, I DON'T WANT YOU CAUSING TROUBLE ON THE FIRST DAY!"

"Hey Weiss!" The little white-haired young man greeted his big sister as if he wasn't locked in a tree house and surrounded by four people wanting to beat him up. "I got my aura unlocked, it hurts just as much as you were saying but I'm super tough now!"

"I'M PLEASED BUT I DON'T CARE, GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Turning to the four kids, Weiss began to lower her head apologetically. "I'm so sorry for any trouble my brother may have caused. I'll take him right now-"

"Do you think that's enough?" Cardin growled with his arms crossed, one foot stomping the ground. "Your stupid brother has not only disregarded the unwritten rules of the tree houses, but he's made me miss almost all of recess! You can't just take him with you, he needs to be punished."

"You think I just let you beat up my brother?" Weiss couldn't believe this kid. Who would threaten a three year old for playing in a tree house? It was absurd. "I know he can be a little troublemaker but-"

"YOU WON'T LET ME? LOOKS LIKE I NEED TO TEACH YOU A LESSON!"

"A lesson? I'm sorry, but I doubt you are qualified for such a task." The boy was getting more and more furious, and Weiss had no intention of fighting or letting her brother get beaten up, so she decided to try to imitate how her older sister got rid of other credulous heirs. "My name is Weiss Koks-"

"Do you think I care about your name?" Cardin snorted, puffing out his chest. "You're sister to the pale bug, and you're pale too, so I'm going to call you Pale Older Bug. You're playing with fire, Pale... Weiss, so how about you beat it before I teach you a lesson too-"

A sucker-tipped arrow smashed into his cheek, the aura enforced shot sending the boy flying across the ground. His three friends quickly ran after him to help him back up. "Cut the crap, Cardin. You're not teaching anyone anything here." Yang said as she readied another arrow, drawing the training bow.

Weiss had no idea where Yang got her training weapon from, but after feeling Ruby touch her back to turn around, handing her the practice rapier Port had promised, it was clear the wolf had gone to get everything from the combat arena storage. An impressive feat of speed considering how far the young faunus had to run for it.

"Rose!" The boy stood up with the help of one of his companions, the only one who had added a stupid shoulder pad to his uniform. "Only a stupid beast like you would dare attack one of the heirs of one of the founding clans-" Another arrow hit him in the face, though without aura this time.

"Like I said, cut the crap. The tree houses belong to no one, according to the treaty of liberation after the battle of 'The House by the Fence' last year. Do you want to settle it before the children's court? Because I'd be happy to kick your ass again."

Rubbing his bruised face, Cardin pulled his own training mace from his bag next to the tree trunk. "It's clear you're just a stupid beast, Rose. But what can I expect, being the daughter of a clan with no heirs and the sister of a faunus?"

Yang's hair burst into flames, illuminating the surroundings. "Say that again, I dare you."

"Who consorted with traitorous faunus," Spitting on the ground, Cardin dedicated to the blonde a smile showing his teeth. "Can only end up being a wild animal like them."

Yang tried her best to control herself, but looking next to Weiss and seeing Ruby lower her head in pain at the comment, the blonde lost her temper. Throwing herself forward with her fist in the air, the four children cried out in fear as the flaming girl charged at them.

But the expected pain never came as Yang stopped dead in her tracks as Blake jumped between her and the other kids, arms spread wide. "Get out of the way, Blake." Yang whispered without lowering her arm, her hair burning white hot.

"If you do this, you're going to get expelled on the first day. And I'm not going to allow that."

"They've messed with Ruby, with you, with the faunus. He doesn't deserve any more-"

"Then let me handle it, okay?" Slowly, the blonde lowered her arm, Burn still glowing brightly. "I've dealt with a lot worse than Cardin, so let me handle this. Do you trust me?"

"To the end of the world and back."

Blake nodded happily, turning to Cardin. "Hey, Winchester, long time no see." The cat offered her hand to the boy, trying to keep her tone polite. "Can we settle this like civilized people?"

Cardin rubbed his hands together without taking his eyes off Yang, accepting Blake's hand. "Yes, I think so, Belladonna. I'm glad to see you're back, the blonde beast has been unbearable without you here."

Holding Yang back as much as she could, Blake decided to ignore the provocations. "I'm glad to be back too, and Whitley is new to Patch. Can you turn a blind eye? He's doesn't understand the rules yet-"

"We're not leaving!" This time it wasn't Whitley who shouted, but Oscar. "We've arrived first, and you're a bully Cardin, so if anyone has to leave, it's you!"

"Oscar, you really are my best friend." A part of Weiss was happy hearing her brother had made a friend already. Even if he ignored the carefully laid out plan she made for him after skipping the strategie meetings. "SO BEAT IT, YOU BULLIES!"

The situation wasn't easy to defuse, and Blake wasn't sure what to do. What would her aunts do? On second thought, maybe she shouldn't follow their example this time, she was trying to settle this without excessive amounts of violence and property damage. "I'll smash your heads in as soon as I catch you, you pair of whippersnappers!"

This situation was really turning south real quick. "Cardin, you're not going to do anything to them." Blake said firmly, drawing her knives again. "I challenge you to a huntsman's duel. If I win, you get the hell out of here and promise not to screw with Whitley and Oscar again unless they screw with you first."

Cardin looked her up and down, swallowing nervously. "And if you lose?"

"We'll take Whitley and Oscar, plus I'll accept that the faunus are after your family in front of the whole school."

The offer was very tempting, but Cardin wasn't stupid. Blake was strong before she was kidnapped, and now she seemed even stronger. Still, the offense to the Winchester clan by the two whippersnappers could not go unpunished. "You think I'm going to agree to beat the crap out of some faunus? After what you've done to my family?! Damn straight I will, Belladonna. But let's make it more interesting, a two-on-two, me and Russell against you and the blonde beast."

Yang was the first to step forward, rolling up her sleeves ready for a fight. "Oh, of course I'd be happy to kick your-" Before Yang took two steps, Weiss held her arm out in front to stop her. She was fixated on Cardin, gaze frosty. It was clear she wanted to take a shot at the bully herself. "...You know what, Winchester? I'll let my brand new teammate humiliate you instead. After all, you're talking about hurting her little brother, and we big sisters don't take kindly to this type of threat. You're the first enemy of RWBY, so enjoy the honor."

"...Russell, with me." Cardin ordered the boy with the stupid shoulder pad. He pulled out a pair of training daggers, identical to Blake's, from his bag, the other two moving away to give them space.

Ruby and Yang climbed up into the tree house without a ladder, helping each other.

The battle was going to be intense, and they both wanted to have the best seats to watch their new friends beat the crap out of Cardin.

One first struggle on the Journey 2

Blake and Weiss Vs. Cardin Winchester (and Russel)

"RUDE BUSTER!"

Carding started the fight immediately without any short of countdown or warning. He went all out, throwing an aura blast at the monochrome duo, knocking them both down. "The first one sets the pace! Crush them, Russell, Falling Slash!"

Cardin's partner leapt at both girls, still recovering from the initial blow. With his daggers held high, Russel spun on himself as he fell, forcing the two girls further apart. "Again, RUDE BUSTER!" Cardin launched another Aura wave, this time directly at Blake.

The faunus had no time to react, getting launched into the air by the blow. "That'll teach you to stay out of Cardin's way-"

Two slashes from the back made him tumble forward, followed by a kick that sent him flying. Rolling on his back, he saw Blake standing before him, completely untouched. "Cardin should learn to stay out of Blake Belladonna's way." She whispered as she pulled herself together, stretching out in front of him.

"How did you-"

"Turn around and look for yourself." Cardin turned without thinking, seeing Blake's body lying on the ground behind him. Until it faded moments later before his eyes. "That's my semblance, Shadow Clone. And you still don't have yours, am I wrong? If you decide to leave I'm willing to let it go and cancel the battle. But you would have to surrender, of course."

The heir of the Winchester clan stared at the ground, unable to look at the cat's smug face. Yang and Ruby, already having their semblance, got a pass as the children of Team STRQ, even if it annoyed him to no end. But this? Oh no, he would not let this one slide. "No Winchester... WILL EVER SURRENDER TO A FAUNUS!" Throwing himself at her, Cardin waved his mace back and forth, his attempted attacks proving ineffective against Blake's agility and flexibility. The few that seemed to make contact only caused Blakes body to vanish into smoke. "You're mocking me, aren't you? Stop it! Take me serious you stupid faunus!"

Doing a somersault, Blake kicked the mace out of the boy's hands, driving it through the floor of the treehouse above them. "I'm not taunting you Winchester. But we can end this at any time, you just have to say you surrender."

"Surrender? You think I'm just gonna give up because you got a new trick up your sleeve? You're nothing but a scaredy cat, and I'm gonna prove it right here, right now!" Cardin grinned as he lunged at her. Blake hadn't expected the boy to be so fast, getting caught in his grip. "You think you're so cool because you got me with your semblance, but this isn't a one on one fight!"

The cat reacted too late, managing to turn her neck just enough to see Russell kick Weiss against the tree. She had been so focused on showing up Cardin that she didn't even think about Weiss.

What kind of teammate was she if some small insults are all it takes for her to forget something like that?

Blake had a clear advantage against Cardin, but Weiss couldn't keep up with her teammate. Fighting with a practice weapon was very different from using the foam weapons Klein managed to smuggle into the mansion.

The weight, the grip, following Russell's movements... it was all too much too quickly for her to keep track of. Weiss was completely outmatched and Russel knew it. He used his faster weapons to keep constant pressure on her, not allowing her to gain any distance or even a moment to breathe, knowing that both could give her the upper hand.

It would have been overkill, but Weiss wished she had Myrtenaster right now. Even though it was still too heavy for her to wield, she remembered the sheer power of its dust cylinder. These training weapons had no ranged mode, which gave her no way to compensate for her lack of strength.

"GRRR!" Russel rolled on the spot with his daggers raised, managing to push Weiss against the tree.

She was trapped. And her opponent knew he had her. With a smirk, Russell raised his dagger and lunged forward, planning to drive both weapons into her stomach to break her aura and get her out of the fight. "Weiss!" Blake shouted. She tried to get a hand free from Cardin grip and reach one of her daggers to use as a throwing weapon. Anything to give Weiss a moment to turn the fight around.

"Finish her off, Russell! Now!" The Winchester heir shouted, managing to wrangle the cat back under control, forcing her face into the ground.

Russel repeated his attack, Weiss taking a direct hit to the stomach. "That's it! Good job, Russel! Now come and help me with the faunus, she's very-" An elbow to the stomach forced Cardin to stop talking, but it was too late. Before she could get up, Russell was already on her.

Weiss sat on the ground, holding her stomach in pain. Like always, she was too weak to help. She never could help Winter, and now she can't help Blake either. It hurt far worse than her stomach did, making her want to cry. She should have never left her home and pretend she could be a huntress.

Could anyone blame her for giving up after everything? Ruby, Yang and Blake were nice girls, but she knew they would go far and reach their goals. And Weiss simply didn't have the strength to follow them.

She didn't have what it takes to be a huntress- "EH, CARDIN!" Weiss looked up, watching as Whitley yelled at the boy. "You're an idiot, you know? You think you've defeated my big sister? Well you're sorely mistaken, because Weiss never gives up! And definitely not against a bully like you!"

Cardin growled as the pipsqueak yelled at him. He was going to enjoy teaching him a lesson once he was done with these two. Russel had Blake pinned down, the faunus barely able to move. Getting in front of her, he picked up one of her dropped training daggers. "You're a bloody nuisance, you know that! RUDE BUSTER!"

The Aura wave shot out from the knife, hitting the underside of the tree hut. But what Cardin didn't know was that the properties of the weapon were what shaped the wave. And because he used a knife instead of a mace, the blast shattered the floor of the tree house into pieces, Whitley plunging nearly 10 feet. The Winchester heir cried out in panic as he saw what had happened, dropping the knife as splintered wood rained down on him.

The white-haired boy watched as the treehouse moved farther and farther away, feeling his soul leave his body as the abyss covered him in eternal darkness- " Ouch!" Whitley grunted as he bounced off something solid, the gap where he had fallen still close enough that he could climb back by reaching up. Recognizing Winter's glyph, the little guy dropped to all fours to look for her and thank her for the rescue.

But Winter was nowhere to be found.

Instead, he saw his second sister stand below him, a shaking arm raised towards him. She was breathing hard, drenched in sweat and dirt all over. "Hey, you got the glyphs, Weiss!" Whitley celebrated by jumping towards her instead of back into the treehouse, the two of them rolling on the ground since Weiss did not have the strength left to catch her little brother. "You're awesome, big sis!"

"Four out of four with semblance!" Yang celebrated, shouting with joy as Ruby clapped enthusiastically. "Heat your heart out Team CJFE, Team RWBY is the best team in Sanctuary!"

Weiss heard none of this, her head fuzzy and a low ringing in her ears all she could feel. Along with a strange, warm sensation inside her body, as if something inside her had awakened. It felt... natural, like a fundamental part of her that she was suddenly aware of. Creating a small glyph in her hand without letting go of Whitley, Weiss made it dance and move around her fingers, marveling at it. But she couldn't help but notice that the shape inside the glyph was not exactly the same as her sisters.

It was unique, her own personal snowflake. She could feel her aura hum inside her, begging to make more.

Blake took advantage of the distraction Weiss's semblance was causing to break free from Russell, kicking him and grabbing the knife Cardin had dropped. The cat leapt over the makeshift battlefield directly to Weiss, helping her up. "I'm so sorry Weiss, I forgot this was a teamfight."

Weiss couldn't blame her. She had planned to fight with Blake the same way she saw Ruby and Yang do it. But the moment their battle began she couldn't even focus on her own opponent, let alone her teammate. They simply didn't have the experience fighting with each other. At least not yet.

"Don't worry, I failed to consider the whole situation myself. I guess we both still need to learn a lot when it comes to fighting as a team." Getting back into a ready stance, she pointed her training rapier at Cardin and Russel. "What do you say, one more try, together this time?" Weiss asked, smiling at her teammate.

Blake nodded, giving her own smile in return. Using her foot, she threw the second dagger that was still lying on the ground in the air, catching it and getting into her own ready stance. They didn't have the time to make a plan, but the two were determined to win as a team. Even though both had no idea how to do that. As if sensing their uncertainty, Yang yelled down. "Just improvise! Trust me, that always works for us!" They didn't hear Ruby telling her sister that their improvised plans rarely worked, too eager to return to the fight.

"Hey, Weiss." Whitley interrupted the nice bonding moment, tugging on his sister's uniform. "Can you make me a ladder with your glyphs like Winter does?"

Weiss nodded, confident she could copy her sister. Raising her hand towards the tree house, a single glyph appeared in the air. "That's... that's it?"

"It's my first time, okay? I'm still not clear on how this works!" Weiss snorted, looking away and crossing her arms.

"Come on…" Blake interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I got this, can you set a glyph halfway up?" That was something Weiss was sure she could do, creating the glyph exactly halfway as instructed, even though it was slightly tilted towards the tree trunk. Grabbing Whitley, Blake leapt to the glyph with impressive agility, reaching the tree house with a second jump without trouble.

With the little one safely back inside, Blake set out to climb back down to the glyph, but the moment she touched it, it threw her right into the tree. "Oh my goodness, Blake!" Weiss screamed in terror, rushing to her aid as Cardin burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I have no idea how it happened but-"

"Weiss, it's okay!" Blake couldn't help but start laughing as well, leaving Weiss confused. "You can make your glyphs propel people, so that opens up a lot of possibilities for us. You just have to remember not to point them towards a tree next time." The two girls laughed, finding the whole situation really silly. "That said, how about we start over? Tag-team fighting, let's try to coordinate."

"Of course, and this time both of us at the same time- that's what coordinating means..."

On the other side of the 'combat arena' Cardin watches, not happy at all with how this whole thing turned out. Not only did Blake tried to humiliate him, but now the new girl unlocked her semblance in the middle of their fight. He had enough of this. Grabbing his mace that fell down with half the tree house floor, he started channeling his aura into it again. "RUDE BUSTER!"

The projectile impacted between the two girls just like the first time. But now they were prepared, dodging the attack easily. "I'm so sick of that attack." Weiss bit her lips, trying to come up with a plan. "We have to stop him from focusing his aura. If he can't build it up, he won't be able to keep attacking from a distance."

"Understood, I'll be the vanguard. Take care of covering me and have your glyphs ready." With a quick nod from the white haired girl, Blake was off, launching herself at their opponents. It was difficult but she managed to match both of them, Cardins slow and heavy swings easily dodged while Russel's knife work clearly didn't compare to hers yet.

Weiss followed from behind, using the space Blake was creating to take advantage of her rapier's range, creating glyphs that threw the boys backwards as soon as one was about to overwhelm Blake.

Their coordination wasn't perfect, but they managed to cover each other well enough. Focusing their efforts on Russell, they managed to weaken his aura considerably. Cardin saw how their earlier advantage was slowly turning around as the two girls kept up the pressure. Forcing his teammate to take a blow meant for him, he jumped back to prepare a different attack. "Rude Buster - Boomerang!"

The purple colored Aura Wave passed the monochrome duo before turning back around after some distance, forcing Weiss to abandon her offensive to block it as best she could. "I'm really sick of this attack!" Having no defense against ranged attacks was turning into a real problem, but the solution to counter was nearby, practically right on top of her. Having an epiphany, Weiss looked up at the sisters, Ruby waving as if nothing was wrong. "Ruby, how do you perform an Aura Wave?"

"You just concentrate your aura and then do fiummm, shooooom and then BAM!" A perfectly logical and precise explanation. Weiss wanted to sigh, but she didn't have the time.

"Do you think you can learn to cast Rude Buster just like that?!" Cardin laughed, puffing out his chest. "It's not that easy, don't think you can keep up with me-"

"RUDE BUSTER!"

The Aura wave hit Cardin and Russel like a spinning Boarbatusk, throwing them to the ground in a single blow. "Well, that was easy to imitate." Blake shrugged with a grin, turning to Weiss. "You try it, it's exactly like Rubes said!"

"Okay, but I don't plan to call it something as crude as Rude Buster. I need a more appropriate name." Weiss closed her eyes, concentrating her aura and letting it flow into her rapier. Cutting off the flow, Weiss pulled her arm back before trusting forward, the aura shooting from its tip and hitting Russel before he could get up. "That's it! That was the Ru- ummm... Elegant... Buster! That's my Elegant Buster, you three-bit thug!"

One first struggle on the Journey 2

Russell: Out of action

"I told you, didn't I?" Blake folded her arms behind her head, turning to Cardin. The poor guy was completely paralyzed with fear and rage, not paying attention as the other members of his team picked up Russell and ran off. "It's just you now, Cardin. Last chance to give up."

"It doesn't make sense!" The boy shouted in frustration, not caring to be seen crying in front of his rivals. "It took me weeks to be able to use the Rude Buster, how could you guys have learned to do it so fast?!"

"But I explained it to you the same way!" Ruby growled in annoyance at the insinuation that her lesson had been inadequate, the three girls turning to Cardin in silence.

"...What?!"

"Really, Winchester?" Yang laughed jumping out of the tree, seeing the battle as basically over. "The great Cardin Winchester, planning to avenge his family against the faunus... asking a faunus girl from another clan to explain how to do something?"

"It's not my fault she was the only one willing to help me!"

"And what does that say about you that you treat the only girl that is willing to help you like this? Shouldn't you be thankful instead of insulting her?"

"I HATE YOU! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU TEAM RWBY! WE'LL MEET AGAIN!"

One first struggle on the Journey 2

Cardin Winchester: Total surrender

And with Cardin running off, following his three friends, Ruby jumped out of the tree, helping Oscar and Whitley down. The four girls stood together, giggling after their successful fight against CRDL. Ruby moved her hand out, holding it between the four of them. Yang quickly caught on, putting her own hand on top of her sisters. The two looked at their last two teammates, urging them to join in.

Blake followed with hers, and by the time it took Weiss to process what they wanted to do, Whitley's and Oscar's were already in the pile."RWBY, to infinity and beyond!" The six shouted with laughter, raising their hands toward the blue sky.

---

Half a world away, on the west side of Mistral, a scream was heard amidst the tears and pleas of innocent people. An inhumane sound, like a mockery of what a person would sound like, bringing with it a feeling of dread.

"Fҽαɾҽƚԋ...? αɾƚ ƚԋҽҽҽҽ... ƚ'ɾɾιϝιҽԃ?"

"Tell me I'm not the only one who heard that," Sebastian said, petrified at the grotesque, nightmare-born figure slowly trotting towards him, dragging a stone spear behind it. Clutching his weapon in his hands, the politician rose to his feet on shaking legs, determined to protect the two children behind him no matter the cost.

The Grimm was bobbing its heads, almost making it look like it was laughing, rejoicing in the suffering and agony of the panicked people around it. The smoke was getting thicker, burning his eyes and throat as the Nuckelavee marched towards him.

Hell had made its way into Mistral. And it threatened to destroy everything.

"That Grimm... did it just speak?!"