Chapter One: From the Stars
It's a quiet day in the outskirts of the wasteland of the outskirts of the continent of Vale. The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming. A rabbit hops to and fro. But, unbeknownst to the quiet area, and the planet in general, trouble is looming over the horizon, much closer than they think.
It has been five years since the defeat of the demon Whitley, spawn of the demon Winter at the hands of Yang, savior of the earth. The world has been at peace in the absence of any real trouble. But, it is in times of peace that one must prepare the most.
The farmer works on his truck, a Chevy he's pretty proud of. He's had it for years and it certainly works for him, being a welcome source of transport and pack mule. On this particular day, it needs a bit of transmission work and he's hard at work underneath it. But, above him, something hurtles toward the planet with incredible speed.
With a crash to shake the entire continent (or at least it felt like it), it lands, startling the farmer. He knows that direction. That's his, uh, carrot patch. Yeah, that's it. He runs to his other truck he uses when he's working on his main truck and zooms off down the road. He scarcely makes it to the crash site when he catches sight of the object.
"Wh-What the…?" He mumbles, reaching for his gun. Sure it probably wasn't a good idea to just have that in his truck, but something crashed to the ground. He sidles carefully up to the impact crater, looking down.
His worry turns to confusion as he sees the object. It looks like a large sphere with a strange glass case in the center. There are strange markings all over written in a language he certainly didn't understand. He carefully stepped down to the strange object, jumping back in surprise as it hissed, smoke pouring out of it. He watched as the front opened up, revealing a strange shape in the glass case. A green fluid drained from the case as the occupant was revealed.
It, or rather she, was incredibly tall, towering over the farmer (who wasn't tall himself, but he certainly wasn't short). Her body was incredibly muscular, her arms looking to be the size of his legs easily. Her long black hair cascaded down her body, stopping at her waist, but being incredibly full and flowing. Her skin was rough and calloused looking, as if she'd endured much hardship, but still looked smooth and full at the same time. Draped along the ground behind her was a plume of feathers, black as sin and pointed looking. It swayed as she stood and moved, occasionally jerking as if moved.
She was dressed in something that could only be described as modern tribal. It looked like it had wide shoulders and a tank top, cloth draping over her waist with a strange symbol. The uniform also had boots and gloves that were dark red in color.
Her eyes were the most striking. They seemed red, but were actually a purple color, staring at the farmer. Over one of them was a strange device that seemed transparent, but had some sort of display, reading some sort of information.
"Are you Xiao Long?" She asked, her voice deep, yet still feminine.
"Wh-Who?" The farmer asked, aiming his gun at her.
"Hmm, on second thought, she should have already wiped out all these weaklings," The woman ignored him, pushing the side of her head. "My Scroll reads you at three. So, why are you still alive?"
"L-L-Leave," The farmer, with trembling hands, fired his gun. The laser bolt struck the woman, making no damage and leaving no scratch. He gasped, incoherent babblings coming from his mouth as he stared in shock. The woman looked down at her hand, staring at the bolt.
"I think I'll give this back to you," She flicked her thumb back at him, striking him with it. It blasted through his shoulder, cratering itself into the rock behind him.
"Now to find Xiao Long," The woman said, rising into the air and taking off in a different direction. "My Scroll shows her as being this way. Or, at least a high Aura."
In the direction she flew, in the wilderness, Whitley, demon spawn of Winter, frost demon, stood, training himself in the hopes to one day beat Yang. He was not going to lose a second time to her. His progenitor's wishes aside, he was not going to let her have victory over him for long. He would kill her with his own hands.
Dressed in his white garb, his cape flowed over him, hat sitting proudly on his head. He would train with this. He already had a special ability he was working on that would surely give him the victory he desired. Victory would be—
He turned, feeling the incredible power coming for him.
"Yang!" He gasped, clenching his fists. But, it was not Yang that landed in front of him. This was someone else. Someone much more dangerous.
"You're not Xiao Long," The woman crossed her arms. "But, I'm impressed you have such a high power on such a backwater world. Not often you see someone boasting three hundred fifty."
"Wh-What?" Whitley felt his anger overcloud his caution. "You'd do wisely to not mess with me."
"Oh, is that so?" The woman scoffed. "Pray tell why should I do that? Your power is nowhere near my own and I certainly don't think you could beat me."
"Oh yeah, how about this?!" Whitley thrust his hand forward, an icicle shooting forth to strike the woman. It exploded harmlessly against her chest, the shattered pieces falling to the ground like snowflakes.
Whitley's mouth hung open in shock as she didn't even flinch.
"Ooh, that's pretty strong. I think a couple of millimeters of skin felt the tiniest chill there. Now, how about I show you a power to truly be feared?"
She held a hand up, a dark swirl of energy gathering, growing to the size of a basketball. As she prepared to unleash it, her device on her ear beeped.
"Looks like you get lucky today, Frosty," She chuckled. "I've found a higher power and it's probably Xiao Long's. I'll come back to kill you later."
With that, the woman took off flying, leaving Whitley still in shock. He still couldn't comprehend that this woman effortlessly took his attack. He clenched his fists once he regained his composure, growling as he grit his teeth in utter anger. He'd deal with her as well as Yang. Hell, he'd probably kill this Xiao whoever right in front of this bitch, just to spite her.
In the mountains to the west of the continent, the small child sat on a large log. Her black hair dropped down into her silver eyes, partially obscuring them as she watched her mother punch a large tree, the massive tree toppling to the ground. Around her, she gently caressed her tail. It was a weaving and twisting tail, more like a group of rose vines, thorns included. The end of her tail was a rose in full bloom, even giving a sweet scent. Draped around her neck was a red hood, the tie in the center holding a small ball with a Relic inside.
She blinked as the log collapsed, slamming onto the ground. She stood up, her traditional dress getting a little scuffed as she ran over to her mother.
Her mother looked down, her long blonde hair dropping past her breasts. Her lilac eyes looked at her child.
"You okay, Ruby?" She asked, patting her. "Did that scare you?"
The child, Ruby, shook her head, holding her mother's leg.
"Well, let's take this log to your dad and we can go see all my friends," She laughed, the child nodding. Her mother gave a whistle, a large dust cloud moving over to them.
"Hello, Beacon," The blonde pat the cloud. "Take Ruby home. I'll follow behind."
The cloud took off, moving at incredible speeds. But, the child didn't fall off, held by the magic of the cloud. Her mother followed behind, flying with the huge tree held in one hand. They arrived back at their house, a large man was waving to greet them.
"Good you're back, Yang," He said. "Any trouble?"
"Nope, got the wood," The blonde, Yang, grinned, tossing the tree to the side. "Welp, now that that's done, can I go now, Yatsu?"
"*sigh* I suppose," The man, Yatsu, said. "But, don't you get Ruby in any fights. And, be back soon."
"Will do," Yang hopped on the cloud with her daughter. "Beacon, off!"
The cloud took off at high speeds. Yatsu turned around, sighing. He had felt something ominous in his meditation, something that gave him a chilling feeling. But, he chose to let them go in spite of that. He hoped that decision would not come back to haunt him.
"You're gonna love the Axolotl Hermit," Yang told Ruby, who looked forward quietly. "Blake's pretty cool too and Velvet's also cool. I think Ilia will be there. And, the Axolotl."
"Axolotls are pretty," Ruby said.
"Yeah, they're pretty cool," Yang pet Ruby. They sped over the ocean, zooming until a house came into view. With that, they landed at the island, stepping off.
"Who's there?" A woman with bleached blonde hair and glasses walked out, dressed in a librarian's uniform. "Wait, Yang?"
"Hey, teach!" Yang waved, Ruby in one arm. "I'm here!"
"Is that Yang!?" The teacher was pushed out of the way by a woman with rabbit's ears. "Move it, lech!"
"Velvet!" Yang grinned. "Good ta see ya!"
"Well, I haven't seen you in five years!" Velvet shouted, slapping Yang across the face. "You need to call more!"
"You can call me anytime," The Hermit gave the finger guns, only to get Velvet's shoe thrown at her.
"Wait, who's this?" Velvet asked, pointing at Ruby as a woman with cat's ears walked out.
"Yang?" Blake ran over, hugging her best friend. "It's so good to see you! Wait, who's this kid?"
"Yang, who is this?" The Hermit asked, walking over.
"This is Ruby," Yang held her out with her hands under Ruby's arms. "She's my kid."
"Wait, wait, so Yang…" The Hermit, Glynda, started before Velvet punched her in the face.
"I mean, she has a point…" Blake muttered.
"Wait, is that a tail?" Ilia, who had walked out, pointed at Ruby's tail. The tail swiftly moved up to Ruby's hands, where she cradled it.
"That is a tail!" Velvet and the rest all became very pale, looking at Yang with wide eyes.
"So, um, Yang," Glynda began. "Has she ever stared at the full moon?"
"No, we go to bed early," Yang said.
"Oh good, Yatsu's on it," Velvet sighed in relief.
"On what?" Yang asked.
"Nothing!" Blake said quickly. "So, um, how old is she?"
"How old are you?" Yang asked Ruby. Ruby held up four fingers. "See, she's four."
"Wow, that's impressive," Blake said. "And I don't even have a date."
"Ah, you'll get one," Yang clapped her on the back… which sent Blake face first into the sand.
"Is she showing potential for fighting?" Glynda asked.
"Nah, Yatsu doesn't let her train," Yang waved a hand as she set Ruby down. "He says that he doesn't want her to attract trouble or something."
"That's too bad," Glynda looked at Ruby. "They say silver eyes are a sign of great power."
"Well, if she has any I've never seen it," Yang said. "But, maybe it's there. Well, whatever."
"I can't help but notice she has the Lamp Relic on her hood." Ilia said. "Are you collecting?"
"Yeah, but just for fun," Yang said. "I already got the Winged Shoe and the Cross Shield back at home. I just use that one to keep a piece of gramma with her."
"I'm surprised you didn't name her Summer," Glynda said.
"Summer is her second name, but Yatsu wanted Ruby Rose." Yang said.
"Not too many people have second names," Glynda nodded. "Or third names for that matter."
"Yeah, she's special alright," Yang grinned. "But, she's kinda lonely. Yatsu's pushing him to study, but it's clear he's doin' it so she can't train."
"Well, if it's a time of peace, I can understand that," Glynda said. "Hopefully trouble doesn't disturb this planet again."
"Well, if Whitley decides to rear his head again, I'm training to beat him," Yang grinned. Suddenly, her face turned to shock as she looked up into the sky.
"Velvet, take Ruby inside," Yang said, whipping her head to the rabbit eared woman, picking Ruby up and handing her to Velvet.
"Wh-What?" Velvet was surprised at the speed at which Yang issued her command.
"You feel it, don't you?" Glynda clenched her fists, her breath hitching.
"It's way stronger than Whitley was the last time you fought him," Blake said. "What the hell could he have done to get that strong?"
"That's not Whitely," Yang said. "That's something way different."
"Are there even demons that powerful?" Blake asked.
"None that I've ever encountered," Glynda got into a battle position.
"Seriously, what are you talking about?" Velvet asked. "You can beat whatever this is, right?"
"Get Ruby inside!" Yang said more urgently. But, it was too late. With a crash, the source of the massive power landed.
"And, it is here," The massive woman said; even Yang, the tallest of the group, was at least a foot shorter than her. "The source of the power level."
She looked at Yang, her face turning into an expression of elation.
"Ah, Xiao Long," She walked over to Yang. "It's good to see you, daughter."
"D-Daughter!?" Velvet gasped, ears standing straight up. "How can you be her mother?!"
"The resemblance is there somewhat," Glynda narrowed her eyes. "And, she seems to have a tail like you did."
"Daughter, my name is Raven." The woman said. "I, we, come from the planet Schnee, home of the proud warrior race of Faunus. Counting you and I, there are only four left in existence… or, was it five? No matter. We make our trade killing off the species of planets and selling them on behalf of the Empress of the galaxy. We were having a tough mission and I'm glad I remembered you. So, explain why you haven't destroyed this planet's inhabitants."
"The hell is a Faunus?" Blake asked, walking up to Raven, looking at her tail. "I mean, you're in over your head here, space freak. So, shoo before you get hurt. Clearly, you got the wrong person here. Yang wouldn't hurt a fly unless it hurt her friends or it was a tournament. So, buzz off."
The plumage behind Raven swung around, slamming into Blake. The cat eared woman was sent hurtling into the house, smashing through it. Everyone was stunned for a second before Yang regained her composure.
"Look, I'm not this Xiao whatever. My name is Yang and I'm a Remnant-ite."
"You damn fool!" Raven pulled back a fist as if she was about to hit Yang, but regained herself. "Did you suffer major head trauma as a child?"
"Summer once mentioned that she had found a baby and taken her in," Glynda crossed her arms. "And, said baby had suffered a fall that somehow didn't kill it."
"So what?" Yang kept looking at Raven. "I'm nothing like her. I'm not going to kill any planets or the people on them."
"Except for the Blue Collar Army," Velvet muttered and everyone nodded.
"I can't believe you're that daft!" Raven exclaimed, clenching her fists. "Now, come with me or else!"
"Well, you're crazy if you think I will," Yang said. "Now, leave before I make you."
"I'll make you come with me one way or—" Raven started before she caught sight of Ruby, who had been quiet. "Is… Is that your child?"
"You're not touching her!" Yang rushed for Raven, who slammed her arm into Yang's jaw. The blonde flew backward from the force of the blow, skidding across the beach and landing in the water.
"Well well well," Raven easily plucked Ruby from Velvet, looking her over, taking note of her tail especially. Ruby sniffled, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "A fine specimen. It seems our kind are compatible with the people of this world. Very good to know. Perhaps we can make use of this planet after all."
"Leave her alone," Raven glanced over to see Yang stumbling over, blood dripping from her mouth and her cheek already swollen. Raven just laughed, rising into the air.
"I'll take a Faunus with me one way or another." She said. "I admire your tenacity. Worthy of a Faunus. But, your mentality is off. So, I'll need you to kill a hundred of the creatures of this world and bring them here by tomorrow morning. They must be fresh bodies. No already buried corpses. I'll keep count. But, if you don't, I'll just take my granddaughter with me. I'm sure she'll make a fine warrior."
Yang kept stalking toward her, falling to her knees and crawling over toward her.
"Rest yourself, daughter," Raven leered down at her. "Our kind can do amazing things when we brush with death in battle. But, you've a long way to go before you're able to defeat me."
With that, Raven took off, Ruby gripped tightly in her arms. Yang growled in frustration as she pulled herself to a sitting position. A little rest would do her some good.
"How are you gonna beat that?" Velvet looked up, gulping. "She was so strong and fast."
"I need to get up there." Yang stood. "I need to save Ruby."
"Rest, first, Yang." Glynda pushed her back down. "She did a number on you, so you need to rest so you can fight her later."
"She has my daughter," Yang clenched a fist. "I can't just sit here while she can do whatever she wants with her."
"She has your blood," Velvet said. "She'll be fine."
"Ruby's not a fighter," Yang managed to stand. "Yatsu didn't want her to be. He decided it would be best if she didn't learn this lifestyle and attract trouble. Ruby's never trained or been in actual combat in her life. Besides, that Raven woman's strong."
"I'm sure you can come up with a way to beat her. You've beaten strong guys before. This is no different."
"We'll back you up," Glynda put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah," Blake clenched a fist. "I owe her some payback for that surprise attack."
"That's not a good idea," Yang shook her head. "You both have already died before and Jinn said that you couldn't come back after a second death when we revived you."
"Oh, that's not good," Blake gulped. "Well, I suppose… if I die to save your daughter, it will be worth it, especially if this Raven character is part of a bunch of space pirates serving some tyrant."
"No," Yang shook her head. "I can't ask you two to risk your lives like that. Besides, she's here because of me. I don't know nothin' about destiny or nothin', but I suppose I'm a magnet for this kinda stuff like Velvet said. One day, it's gonna cost more than it should. But, I'm not gonna let that be today."
"If… If you insist," Blake sighed. "But, I hope you at least have a plan."
"I mean, I'm gonna sneak attack her."
"You can't be serious…" Blake said. "That's your best plan?"
"She won't be expecting it," Yang said. "I can just follow the Relic on Ruby's hood using the radar. Did you bring it here?"
"Yeah, I always carry it with me," Velvet nodded. "I still agree with the consensus that you going it alone isn't a good idea."
"It's the best idea I've got," Yang said. "Unless you've got a better set of ideas."
"…Not really…"
Yang nodded, sighing as she stood up. She was already beginning to feel her pain lessen. Clearly, this Raven had been holding back a lot. She obviously hadn't wanted to kill her after all.
"I think I have a solution that will satisfy all parties." They all turned to see the source of the voice. Whitley stood there, in front of the house, walking over to Yang.
"Whitley!" Blake got into a stance, rushing for him. Whitley simply moved a finger, a black Glyph appearing under Blake's feet, trapping her there.
"I've no time to deal with your squabbles," The demon looked to Yang. "I don't really care about your brat, but that freak is certainly a threat to my conquest of this world. I would much prefer to do this myself, but if she took you out with one hit like that, I stand little chance in the long run."
"So, what are you suggesting?" Yang asked.
"I think we should join forces just this once to kill her and stop her." Whitley clenched his fist, smirk widening. "Of course, this will be temporary, but I believe we will have to do it this way."
"And, I suppose we're enemies again after that."
"You're smarter than you look."
"Then, let's go. This is the best time."
"Indeed."
Velvet handed Yang the radar for the Relics, Yang jumping onto Beacon.
"Care to hop on?" She asked Whitley.
"You and I both know I can't ride that thing," Whitley narrowed his eyes. "But, I suppose I'll just have to race you there."
"You're on," Yang grinned, the two taking off in a burst of speed.
"Is this a good idea?" Blake asked.
"For those two enemies to join, this must truly be a danger to the planet," Glynda looked after them. "But, I know that while alone, they can do great things, they're nearly unstoppable if they combine their abilities. The two most powerful beings on the planet joining together. This will be legendary."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Velvet asked. "We need to follow them."
"What, why?" Ilia asked.
"I want to see this!" Velvet ran inside. "And, you're all coming with me."
"Count us in," Blake and Glynda stepped up.
Raven held Ruby by the collar, gritting her teeth at the sobbing and wailing of the child.
"Shut up!" She shouted. "You are my grandchild, a member of the Faunus race! We do not cry and whine like this."
"I want my mommy!" Ruby wailed.
"Shut up!" Raven opened her space pod and threw her into it. "Finally, some peace and quiet."
Raven stood outside, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. She was going to take a short nap. Aside from Xiao Long and that Arcosian, there wasn't anything on this planet worth engaging. Odd that one of them was on this planet however… No matter. She was just going to nap and—
A sharp beeping from her Scroll alerted her to a high power in the area.
"Wh-What?!" She exclaimed. "One thousand thirty one! Where the hell was that power earlier?! That's more than Xiao Long and that other weakling combined."
She turned toward where the Scroll was indicating the power came from, the Scroll HUD focusing in on her pod. Her hands began to tremble slightly at that.
"Th-The brat?! That insane power is coming from the brat?! Is this a result of her heritage? Is that what a human and a Faunus makes? No, wait, that has to be an error. This stupid thing is always acting up. There's no way that brat has that much power."
She closed her eyes again, thinking she needed to recalibrate it. It beeped again and she looked at the scanner.
"Two power levels approaching fast. This power matches Xiao Long's." She said. "And that one the Arcosian. I really need to deal with this stupid thing."
She turned to where it was indicating to see Yang and Whitley approaching rapidly.
"Wait, they're actually coming?!" Raven exclaimed. Her eyes widened and her whole body shuddered as she turned back to the pod. "That… that means it wasn't messing up earlier. That means… that means Xiao Long's daughter has a power that high…"
The two landed behind her, getting into fighting stances.
"I'm here for my daughter," Yang said, fists clenched.
And, here, we have the first chapter of a RWBY/DBZ crossover. I wanted to take a short break from Huntress Crusaders and work on this because both are long. So, I think I'll work on this for a bit and then come back to that one. But, I hope you enjoy.