CHAPTER 6:

Initiation Pt.1

Ruby slowed and her fingers twitched as she sensed the air around them change and she looked around. There wasn't any real basis for why Ruby was suddenly so cautious, but she could tell that something had changed around them. Where once they were the only ones in the vicinity, now there were other presences, and ones she knew for certain weren't friendly.

"Hey, uh, Weiss? Let's stop for a sec!"

Slowing to a stop, Weiss narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to question why until she saw Ruby's tense expression. "Is there something wrong?" said Weiss instead. She put a hand on her rapier and did the same as Ruby, looking around. "What's happening?"

"We're being surrounded," Ruby said. "Not sure by what, but it isn't anything good."

"How can you tell?" Weiss turned to look at Ruby with a frown. "Don't tell me it's just a hunch."

Ruby merely sighed as she took her Crescent Rose out and deployed it. Weiss took a step back as it unfolded completely, and Ruby tilted her head. "It wasn't a hunch! Put a little more trust in me, alright? Look. It's too quiet. That's how you know everything that doesn't want to be eaten around here is gone. We've got predators or Grimm on our hands."

The bushes then rustled and Ruby found her eyes zipping around the edges of the small clearing trying to count how many there were. At the same time, Weiss inhaled sharply at the dozens of red eyes appearing from the shadows of the trees. "Beowolves," Weiss hissed. "Where'd they come from?"

"Doesn't matter," said Ruby as she blinked the sharpness away, planted Crescent Rose into the ground and loaded a shell. "Get ready!"

Weiss drew her rapier and stepped in, back to back with Ruby. "Don't tell me what to do." she said. "I know what I'm doing."

The Beowolves began circling them, and Ruby found herself pouting at Weiss' comments. "If you know what you're doing, then do it!"

"I will when you stop talking!" Weiss said through gritted teeth. Ruby felt her new partner shift into a stance, and Ruby dropped to her knee.

"There's thirteen of them," said Ruby. "First one to seven wins!" In that same instant, the Beowolves leapt at them, Weiss shot forward, and Ruby fired three shots, puncturing three Beowolf skulls. Ruby then kicked off from the ground and swung up on the length of her scythe before shooting into the ground and flying into the air. Repositioning Crescent Rose behind her, she fired another shot and spun into a large slice that cut one Beowolf straight in half.

Hitting the ground in a slide, Ruby bled off her extra momentum by cutting into the ground with her scythe's blade. Seeing that she wasn't in immediate danger, she chanced a glance over at Weiss and felt herself flinch.

Weiss' form was flimsy and uncertain, so unlike what Myrtenaster had told Ruby. Sure, she could see where exactly Weiss was correcting herself so that she was more stable in her footing and powerful in her strikes, but Ruby could tell it was Weiss' first time actually fighting 'for real'. That, and glancing at the one decaying Beowolf next to Weiss, Ruby knew Weiss wasn't exactly being efficient.

If she faltered then Ruby would have to step in. As two more Beowolves filled in to avenge their fallen, Ruby rested Crescent Rose on her shoulder. "I'm at four, Weiss!" Ruby hollered. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing–" Weiss pierced the Beowolf all the way through, pulled out her rapier, and activated Myrtenaster's fire cartridge, "–Just fine. Worry about yourself!"

Ruby let the Beowolves jump into the air before she flashed forward and twirled to a stop. Behind her, the Beowolves fell with heavy thumps, and their heads quickly followed. "I did. I'm worrying about you, now!"

A line of flames slammed into two more Beowolves that had thought to try sneaking up on Weiss from behind. The smell of burnt Beowolf invaded the air as they were quickly consumed by the flames. "Then stop it. I can handle myself!" Weiss cried. She then leapt back as two more flanked her, and she slid to a stop. "And I count four. Take that!"

"I'm at six, Weiss."

Weiss stared at Ruby for a moment before she remembered the two Beowolves rushing at her. "What? How?" Weiss yelled, fending off one Beowolf before taking down the other with a rapid series of stabs infused with Ice Dust.

Ruby shrugged and leapt at the other Beowolf. "I drink milk?"

The Beowolf she leapt at jumped away, straight into the pointy end of Weiss' Myrtenaster. "That is not an acceptable answer!" She activated her Ice Dust and the Beowolf was skewered from the inside out. "And that makes six for me too!"

Letting Weiss catch her breath, Ruby walked up to her and stopped by her side. "I've got a lot of real-world experience, Weiss. You can practise all you want, but nothing beats the real thing."

Weiss widened her eyes at Ruby. It looked like she wanted to say something, but Ruby turned instead to the final Beowolf, larger than the rest, who had been staying back the entire time to watch the fight. The Alpha. Grinning lightly, Ruby looked at Weiss and pointed her thumb at the Alpha.

"You up to finish our game?"

She watched Weiss' eyes widen even further as she looked between Ruby and the giant Beowolf. "Do you really think we can take that thing on?"

"Why not?" Ruby asked. "It's two against one."

"It's bigger than us, at least twice as big as any Beowolf I've ever seen, Alpha or not."

"And we have Dust, guns, and our Semblances. Your point?"

"We could die!"

"It would take a lot more than this to kill me."

When Weiss realised Ruby wasn't going to back down, she straightened up and tried to regain her composure. "I am not fighting that thing, Ruby. Our objective is the relics! If you're so dead set on it, do it yourself."

For a moment, Ruby looked at Weiss with a small frown. When the Alpha Beowolf finally got tired of waiting and charged at them with a roar, Ruby closed her eyes and held her scythe close. The Beowolf was still coming fast and they were very much in danger, but something in Ruby's chest cooled and stung like cold frosting metal. The words that came next spilled out of her mouth before she could think.

"I know what it's like to be alone, Weiss. We're partners now. If I'm going to do something, I want to know you're right there doing it with me."

When Ruby heard a soft gasp followed by the sound of rotating gears, she looked up to see Weiss in another stance, a glare directed at the coming Beowolf. Ruby felt her soul reignite at the sight, and she could have sworn she saw her Aura flicker, almost in happiness. "What are you waiting for, you dolt!" Weiss exclaimed, a drop sweat forming on her temple as the Beowolf lunged. "It's right on top of us!"

Ruby slid a foot book and let her scythe begin to swing down from her shoulder. Then, as she twirled the scythe and Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster forward, she smiled wide. "I was waiting for you," Ruby said, and their attacks connected at the same time.

With some well placed Gravity Dust, Weiss had stopped the Alpha's charge just short of reaching them and forced it to land hard. The moment it started fighting the glyph, Weiss had released it and stepped in with Ice Dust frosting over her blade. Ruby had used her scythe's falling energy to twirl into a powerful upward slice that cut through the Alpha's thicker hide but clashed with its protruding bones, while Weiss' strike glanced off the Alpha's faceplate and into its side.

"Weiss!" Ruby shouted. They both kicked back as the Beowolf got back up and roared. "Let me handle distracting it. Aim for its eyes."

"Easy for you to say," retorted Weiss. The Beowolf was charging them again, this time with a noticeable gait. "That bony faceplate isn't just for show."

"Oh, I know. But what kind of partner would I be if I didn't trust you?" Ruby smiled at Weiss. "We've got this! Just believe in yourself, because you're more amazing than you know."

Ruby wasn't just saying that either. Knowing what she knew about Myrtenaster, it was easy enough for Ruby to see just how much Weiss was already adapting, how much of her skill was turning into battle-worn instinct. Fighting beside Weiss made it all the more apparent that she was just as quick a learner as Ruby herself was. If anything, Weiss made up for her lack of experience with a drive to prove herself. A drive she sadly knew didn't come from a good place.

But if Ruby could save Weiss from the personal hell she must be in, then she would do everything in her power to do so.

She watched as Weiss' grip on her rapier tightened. "You don't need to patronise me, Ruby," Weiss said, "But, thanks I guess."

"No problem!" Ruby then rushed forward to meet the Alpha head on. "Now, are we finally taking this thing down or what?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Weiss shouted back. Ruby laughed as she started using her Semblance to run circles around. She spun in and out of her Semblance, using her speed to slice at and evade from the Alpha. Crescent Rose would occasionally clash against the Alpha's bones and fend off a swipe, but for the most part she was doing everything she could to annoy it.

All the while, Weiss was looking for the perfect hole. The perfect moment for her to rush in. Ruby had given her her prerogative, and there was no way she was going to fail now. She started walking, then jogging, before she was running, and finally sprinting straight at the front of the Alpha. She began casting glyphs ahead of her to propel her forward as she swung her rapier like a wand, casting glyph after glyph above the Alpha.

Hearing Ruby still laughing as she dodged another swipe from the Alpha, Weiss found herself breaking into her own smile—Something that shocked her greatly. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and she was starting to lose herself in the tempo that Ruby was creating. With each slash, Weiss grew closer, and her smile grew a bit wider. Every step increased the strange warmth in her chest that bubbled out.

At the last glyph, she tweaked its strength and yelled, "Now, Ruby!"

A few red petals blew past Weiss in a rush of wind as Ruby stopped in front of the Alpha. Its blazing eyes were locked onto her form, so little in comparison to the large Grimm. For just a moment, Weiss felt another shadow of doubt creep into her chest, but it was immediately shattered when Ruby finished her stop with a spin and a look at Weiss.

"Go Weiss!" Ruby shouted. She then hooked her scythe into the Alpha's open maw and fired a bullet. The concussive force nearly cut through the Alpha's jaw as Crescent Rose shot towards and planted itself into the ground, bringing Ruby and the Alpha's head along with it. The sound itself stunned the Alpha long enough for Weiss to get a clear and steady shot.

She wouldn't waste it.

Weiss blasted forward, a blur nearly on par with Ruby's own Semblance, and her rapier sparkled with electricity as it shot straight through the Alpha's head. The many other glyphs she created around the Alpha then sparked before a cage of lightning erupted and the entirety of the Alpha convulsed from the thousands of volts burning through it. Finally, Weiss released her hold on her glyphs, and there was silence in the clearing as she pulled her rapier out of the already-dissolving Alpha.

All Weiss could hear was her heavy breathing and the soft hiss of the Grimm disappearing. was interrupted by the sound of furious clapping. Weiss was jolted out of her stupor as she looked over and saw Ruby jumping up and down ecstatically. She then yelped as in another wave or rose petals, Ruby grabbed her free hand and began dancing.

"You did it, Weiss! You beat it, haha!"

The thought of being annoyed crossed her mind, but Ruby's energy was infectious. Something about her ecstatic celebration made Weiss' exhaustion disappear and be replaced with a warmth she knew well. She felt herself begin to smile, and she couldn't help but laugh along with Ruby.

"No, Ruby," Weiss said as she sheathed Myrtenaster. "We beat it. I only landed the finishing blow. I wouldn't have been able to do that if you weren't there to distract it."

Ruby fidgeted in place with a light blush. "Pshaw, you're just saying that, Weiss. All I did was cut it up a little."

"While that is true, I think I can confidently say, from what I've seen, that you've proven yourself to me." Ruby gasped as she met Weiss' eyes with a twinkle in her own. Weiss then smirked. "Well, mostly. You did well for being a kid."

Ruby's excitement immediately turned into an indignant pout as she rushed to Weiss' side. "That's no fair. You barely even used any of the Dust in Myrt–I mean, your rapier when we fought. You haven't proven yourself to me!"

"As if I have anything to prove," Weiss said haughtily, though Ruby saw the smile on her face.

Ruby hummed in a teasing tone. "Sure, Miss Perfect. I'd love to see you handle an Alpha on your own."

She was then surprised by Weiss' immediate response. "I'm not perfect, Ruby," said Weiss. Ruby paused in her step to see Weiss frowning at her. "I never said I was. And I likely could have managed if you gave me time and a moment to collect myself."

"Whoa, Weiss," Ruby said with her hands up, "I didn't mean–"

"Honestly," interrupted Weiss, "I never wanted to fight that Alpha in the first place! But it was your idea, so I guess we had to run along with it, huh?"

"But didn't you have fun?" Ruby asked quietly. "I saw you smiling…"

Weiss flinched. She couldn't deny that the last part of that fight had been quite thrilling. "I–Well, yes, I might have smiled, but that has no bearing on the fact that we didn't need to fight that to keep heading towards our objective; Which, if you've forgotten, is the relics at the temple ruins."

"I haven't," Ruby said, some strength returning to her voice as she turned to Weiss. "Didn't you notice? The Alpha was in the way. It was blocking the forest in the direction we're walking in right now. I think it knew that we wanted to go further past it. And we wouldn't have gotten past it even if we ran away because it likely would have chased us! The only reason it wouldn't follow is if something crazy happened, like the forest catching on fire or something."

An odd feeling rushed through Weiss, as if she had just missed an incredibly large bullet. Weiss cleared her throat. "H-Hmph! Fine. You have a point. And what kind of idiot would set the forest on fire?"

Ruby shrugged. "Couldn't be me."

"Whoever would do such a thing sounds like a bunch of idiots."

"True that."

An awkward silence settled between the two as they kept walking until, after a couple more minutes of walking, they found themselves standing on a short cliff overlooking what must have been the ruins Ozpin had been talking about. Ruby looked at Weiss smugly. Weiss huffed at her expression, though she couldn't stop herself from smirking as well at the thought of being the first to make it.

"Go ahead. You're going to say it anyway."

"Told you we were going the right way!"

Just then, the bushes rustled behind them, and they both immediately readied their weapons, Ruby dropping to a knee as she loaded a shell into Crescent Rose.

When a familiar yellow mane appeared, Ruby compacted Crescent Rose and disappeared from Weiss' side. "Yang!" cried Ruby, and the now fully visible Yang caught Ruby in a spinning hug.

"Ruby! Wow, didn't think you had it in you to beat me here!"

Ruby stepped away and waved her arms. "You should have seen us, Yang! Weiss was like 'bzzzzat' and I was like 'whoosh' and 'slice' and then she went 'wapow' and got the Alpha, and we were just, like, super cool!"

Weiss winced and sheathed Myrtenaster. "I wouldn't say it like that, but I do agree we did fairly well."

"What an interesting partnership you have," a voice said from beside Yang. All three jumped as Blake practically materialised next to them.

"Oh my god! Blake!" cried Yang. She tried punching Blake in the arm, but she effortlessly moved out of the way. "Don't do that!"

"But it's funny," Blake said with a grin. "Especially since the Schnee got scared too."

"My name is Weiss."

Blake gazed at her lazily. "Hm. Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Corporation. I know your name."

Weiss flinched at her tone of voice and she placed her hands on her hips defensively. "Then please, use it."

Blake stared at Weiss for a moment longer while Ruby and Yang shared a look. "Uh, Yang? Is Blake okay?"

Yang glanced at Blake, who raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't know," Yang said. "What's going on here, Blake?"

"Nothing. Just curious." Blake turned back to Weiss and tilted her head as she folded her arms. "So. You're Ruby's partner?"

"As much as it pains me to say so, the answer to that question is yes."

Ruby whined. "Hey!"

Weiss grinned. "In any case, if you're with the yellow menace…?"

Both Yang and Blake snorted. "Yes. I'm Yang's partner."

"Damn straight, Weiss Cream," confirmed Yang.

Weiss scoffed. "Did I hear something just now? In any case, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Blake, was it?" She stretched out her hand. "Weiss Schnee, though it seems you're already aware of who I am. I hope that doesn't change the way you look at me."

Blake stared for a long moment at the hand. Weiss kept it out for just as long, and when she was about to retract it and cough into it, Blake slowly stretched out her own hand and shook it. "Blake. Belladonna. I hope we're not on the same team."

Something about the way she said that rubbed Weiss the wrong way, but then she took a glance at Yang and saw her grinning widely. She shivered as she let go. "Likewise. Any team that has Yang in it is sure to be a disaster."

Yang mock gasped and leaned forward with a wide smile. "You hurt me, princess. That hurt."

"Cry about it."

"Alright, alright, let's get back on track," Ruby chimed in. "Let's get moving, Weiss. We got here first, so we get first dibs!"

Weiss looked at Ruby in confusion. "First…dibs?"

Everyone looked at her in mild shock. Blake was the first to break their confusion. "You don't know what dibs is?" she asked. "Wow. You really were sheltered…"

"I had a good upbringing!" Weiss defended weakly. "I know about a lot of things!"

"But you don't know about dibs," Yang murmured. "Damn."

"Okay, quit it, guys." Ruby patted a mildly distraught Weiss on the shoulder. "'Dibs' is when you claim the right to something, Weiss. That's all there is to it. I'm sure you can guess what 'first dibs' means."

"Yeah…I got it," Weiss said. Then, she got fired up and jumped down the cliff. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get our relics before they do!"

Ruby watched as Weiss bolted for the ruins, and she looked back at the stunned pair behind her. "You heard the lady!" Ruby grinned as she fell backwards. "Schnee you down there! Ha!"

A puff of petals rushed over the cliff edge as Ruby's body disappeared, and Yang turned to Blake with a shrug. "Wanna race?" Yang asked.

"No."

A/N: A shorter chapter, just because I have three exams I need to take next week and this one was kinda escaping me. I was happy to write the first real team moment here, as well as writing my own battle scene for the first time. Please tell me how I did! And I'll be sure to keep modifying canon now, since everything is starting to snowball here. I just don't know if we still want the big Nevermore fight along with the Deathstalker fight, but I might just leave that up to you, my dear readers.

And now, onto the responses! But before that, for brevity's sake, thanks to everyone who reviewed, saying thanks and for more chapters! I love you!

Dan1142000:

Sounds funny! Might have to do it in the future haha.

Khoashex:

Indeed. Something to definitely keep in mind!

Kleave guy:

Definitely more to come. We're still getting started for the most part, so I hope you'll keep reading to find out!

Wyran cost:

I'm glad you enjoyed Ruby scaring Weiss as much as I did, haha! And yes, I don't think I'll have the Nevermore fight anymore, unless people want more fight scenes during the Initiation, but I can always establish more fighting later. As for Ozpin's cane, I actually did rewatch the episode before writing this and yes, Ozpin had his cane during the ceremony but not on the cliff; An interesting oversight on the animators' part, or something else? I don't know!

Tordmund:

Don't worry! I'm going to do my best to finish this, and even if not, to write a chapter that fast forwards to a future that would be the end of this story. But thanks for reading, and I hope to hear more of your thoughts!

WildFreedom:

Your review is completely in line with your name and I love it, haha! I will definitely be deviating from canon as much as I can now, though I will still try and follow the big plot points...just not the way they originally happened. Thanks for your thoughts!

TalonScythe:

Thanks for another lovely review! As always, I love the breakdown you gave. I definitely went for the start of the HGW for that exact reason: That it was such an important event to Shirou that it is literally imprinted in their soul. As I said above, I think it was just an animation oversight for the cane; Either that, or Ozpin really values his cup of cocoa over his need to maintain appearances with a cane, but take that as you will! Thanks for noticing my take on Ruby's quick learning. And I've been doing more research into Origin and Element, and honestly, Shirou truly is the strangest of them all.

From my research, Imaginary Elements and the five Elements are quite literally standard among Magi. The fact that Shirou even has such a unique Element truly is strange, being "Sword". Among the list of known Elements, his is the only one that is nothing like any others. By this justification, I'd like to think that the soul Ruby inherited is still twisted enough that it recognises a unique Element, but it's also changed enough over the years with Ruby's own life to become 'Weapon'. As for Origin, it looks like there's any number of unique Origins out there, so, with Ruby's silver eyes and the legend associated with them, along with Shirou's own life, I feel like Warrior is also a fairly good change. And for Attributes, I didn't think they were too important of a detail to list, but you got them in one.

Thanks for reading as always, and I look forward to your next review! I truly hope you like the action I put in this chapter, and if there are any gripes, please tell me!

That's all for today, folks! Thanks for reading, and please, leave a Review to tell me what you think! I hope I satisfied with the action in this chapter! Just as well, to clarify for everyone who talked about Reality Marbles:

The short and simple is: Reality Marbles are the highest form of taboo magecraft since it is a literal rejection of the world itself, but is also the closest to being True Magic as an actualisation of the soul. Twisted souls or the like aren't required, but a strong sense of self and person, or an ideal or belief strong enough to overwrite the world itself with your own soul, your own world, will become your Reality Marble. Hence, in Shirou's case, the fire from his childhood and his insane devotion to his ideals, along with his Origin and Element aligning to 'Sword', all add up to his UBW. Other RM's, I believe, are similar in nature. The reason why it is important that Ruby's soul is still twisted, is because she specifically inherited Shirou's soul, with his RM and ideals still so powerful that it transcends person and place. This is all at least from what I've read.

I might just edit this for an omake later, so look out for that I guess!