AN: Apparently, people have been saying that this chapter hasn't been showing up. This is a second attempt. Hopefully it works this time. For future reference, if this happens again, it usually shows up on the FF app.

Chapter 38

James was starting to really get on Ozpin's nerves.

Since the night before, when Miss Rose had apparently encountered an intruder in the CCT, but the said intruder got away while James was busy attempting to arrest Miss Rose, he had spent all morning ranting.

"They were here!" He said. "Ozpin, they were HERE!" He slammed his fists into Ozpin's desk, glaring at the headmaster.

"We're very much aware of that!" Glynda said. "Thank you, James."

"Fantastic! You're aware!" James yelled, still managing to be sarcastic despite his anger. "Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?!"

Mercifully, Ozpin received a notification on his desk that someone wanted to enter his office, allowing his argument with the general to come to an end. He pressed a button to allow them in, and Miss Rose and Aqua stepped into his office, Ruby fidgeting nervously, and Aqua scowling at James.

Oh, boy.

"Thank you for coming, Ruby, Aqua. How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked.

"Okay, I guess," Ruby answered. "I'd feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn't oh-for-three." The teachers looked at her without saying anything. "Okay, so that's the tone we're going for, got it."

"Ruby," James said, approaching the girl. "I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could."

"And got arrested by a pig-headed soldier boy," Aqua growled. "If you're gonna make stupid comments, either apologize for that or keep them to yourself."

"I will not apologize for acting based on the information I had available to me," the general said, staring down the Keyblade Master. "I will admit that my information was mistaken, but I will not apologize for attempting to apprehend the person that looked to me like a threat." They glared at each other for a few seconds before Ozpin cleared his throat.

"If you two are done," he said, before turning his attention to Ruby. "Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that…transpired last night, but now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."

"Was anyone else with her?" Glynda asked. "Did she look familiar to you at all?" Ruby shook her head.

"I've never seen her before, and she never said anything to me. But she fought with an umbrella and could change her appearance. It might have been her Semblance."

"That doesn't sound familiar to me," Glynda said.

"Me neither," James said. "We'll have to check the criminal databases for anyone matching her description."

"Wait," Ruby said. "You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"It's possible," Ozpin said. "But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together."

"Actually," Ruby said. "I…I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something, in the southeast. Just outside the Kingdom."

"Interesting," Ozpin said. He had a fairly good idea where that was.

"I thought you said the intruder never—"Glynda said, but Ozpin interrupted her.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby," he said. "Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a long day ahead of you. You as well, Aqua. You'll be in charge of a team of students for their mission, and will need to make preparations."

"Any time," Ruby said, turning to leave.

"Of course," Aqua said.

"And Miss Rose," Ozpin said. "Please try to be…discreet about this matter."

"Yes, sir," Ruby said, and mother and daughter entered the elevator, and descended. James looked satisfied for the first time in 24 hours.

Well there we have it," the general said. "We send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way."

Glynda wasn't happy. Honestly, she rarely was where James was concerned.

"Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado?" She asked in frustration. "You treat situation like it's a dick-measuring contest!"

"Glynda!" Ozpin yelled in exasperation.

"Well, he does," she said, crossing her arms in indignation, her face red. Ozpin sighed.

"She's right, though," Ozpin said to James. "As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic."

"I have served you faithfully for years," James said, starting to get frustrated again. "But if you mean to tell me that your plan is to really hold the defenses, and wait-!"

"It is not!" Ozpin yelled, standing up from his chair. "You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"

"What was a risky move," Weiss said to Ruby after the leader had returned to her team's dorm room.

"No, I think you handled it well," Blake supported her.

"I hope so," Ruby said.

"I'm sure everything will be alright," Yang said. "By the way, we got something." She held out a cylindrical package.

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us. I figured you'd want to wait to open it together."

"Oh, something from dad!" Ruby said.

"Yeah," Yang said, not exactly enthused about the package. To be honest, Ruby knew that Yang wasn't happy with their father right now. Well, for the last several years actually. He had never managed to quit drinking, and Yang never really forgave him for that. It had gotten bad enough that Mom and Uncle Qrow had actually moved the girls out of the cabin to live with them. Ruby herself was still close with him, but Yang hadn't spoken to their father for at least the last two years. Ruby was happy though that Yang was considerate enough to wait until she was back to open it.

Yang opened up one end of the cylinder, causing a black object to fall out. It twitched a couple times, before jumping up and sprouting legs. The creature in question was a small black corgi with a white belly. He barked twice, and Ruby and Yang jumped up excitedly while Weiss and Blake jumped in surprise.

"Zwei!" Ruby cheered happily, scooping the dog up into her arms.

"He sent a dog?!" Blake asked, taking cover on Ruby's bunk.

"In the mail?" Weiss asked.

"He does stuff like all the time," Yang said.

"Your father or your dog?" Blake asked. Weiss leaned forward to look at Zwei in Ruby's arms.

"Are you telling me that this mangy…" she said, and Zwei looked at her. "Drooling…" Zwei tilted his head in confusion. "Mutt is going to wiv wif us foweva?" Weiss said, giving to the adorableness. "Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!"

"Please keep it away from my belongings," Blake said. They suddenly heard Professor Goodwitch tell all the first-year students to go to the amphitheater over the intercom.

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for the week," Weiss said. Ruby put Zwei down, and he walked up to the bunk Blake was hiding on and barked happily at her.

"There's a letter, too," Yang said. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang." She flipped the package over, and a pile of canned dog food and a can opener fell out. She groaned. "We left Zwei with him when we went to Beacon, and he just sends him back. Typical. And hasn't he been paying attention to what time of year it is? We can't exactly look after him while we're out on a mission. Unbelievable. Oh, and he couldn't be bothered to feed us, but he knows how much food the dog needs."

"Yang," Ruby said to stop her sister's rant. "That might mean he's trying. Give him a chance, please. Besides, maybe this means he's taking missions again. That's good, right?"

"I guess," her sister said.

"What's that all about?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing," Yang answered. "I'm just not a big fan of our deadbeat dad, is all." Weiss and Blake looked at each other.

"…Do you want to talk about it?" Blake asked.

"Not really," Yang said. "Come on, let's go. Zwei will be here when we get back." Weiss pet the corgi as they left, and Blake jumped from the top bunk to the table to avoid interacting with him.

Ruby was about to leave with her team, when she looked back at Zwei. She had missed him so much when she left to go to Beacon, and it was a shame that she couldn't have him around.

….Or could she?

Ruby walked into the amphitheater after her team, putting down her large brown backpack that definitely didn't have anything suspicious in it. She joined her team, who was standing in front of Team JNPR. The amphitheater was filled with students from all four academies, each school given their own area. The students were talking amongst themselves loudly. She could see Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin on the stage. Professor Goodwitch walked up to the microphone.

"Quiet!" she announced. "Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." She stepped aside to allow the headmaster to take the stage.

"Today we stand together, united," he said. "Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for.

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day.

"We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsmen or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

With that, he simply stepped away from the microphone, signaling that it was time for the students to pick their missions.

Team RWBY walked up to the mission board, a large holographic screen displaying the available missions.

"This is perfect!" Ruby said. "All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!"

"Yeah!" Yang said. "We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!"

"Let's check 'search and destroy'," Weiss suggested. Ruby fiddled around with the screen until she saw something she liked.

"Here we go!" she said. "Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!"

"Well, it's in the southeast," Blake said.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang said. Ruby picked the mission, only to receive a message that it was not available to first-year students. Why was it even on the board, then?!

"Wonderful," Weiss said sarcastically.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby suggested.

"Well, that's one option," Professor Ozpin said, appearing next to them. "Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you four will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked, laughing nervously while her team glared at her.

"I'm still curious how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester. I'm also interest to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast."

"Um, well," Ruby said.

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for," the headmaster continued. "So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" He pulled out his scroll and pressed a few buttons, causing the display board to make a noise.

"We won't let you down," Ruby said. "Thank you, professor."

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you so far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. Good luck."

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang said as the team headed to the Bullhead docks.

"But it's the truth," Blake said.

"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it!" Ruby said enthusiastically. A student ran past them, shouting.

"Hey! Team CFVY is back!" he shouted. They could see the aforementioned team limping towards the campus, and Blake walked up to Velvet, who seemed to be in the best shape.

"Velvet?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the rabbit Faunus answered. "I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me."

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago," Weiss said. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," she said. "It was just…there were so many…"she looked genuinely haunted by whatever had happened, which worried Team RWBY immensely. She looked up and saw how the girls were looking at her. "Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"…Right," Yang said uncertainly, especially nervous because of what Team RWBY was actually doing.

"I should go," Velvet said, looking back to her team. "Be safe, okay?" She jogged off to catch up with her team.

"We can do this," Ruby said. "We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now."

"Right," Blake said.

"Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang said enthusiastically.

That enthusiasm didn't last once the girls realized who they would be shadowing.

"Why hello girls!" Professor Oobleck said, wearing a trench coat, safari hat, and giant backpack. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

…Could they get a do-over?

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, girls, seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And…" he quickly got in Weiss's face. "It's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much." He quickly backed away, while Weis was left feeling very uncomfortable.

"Come now, children. According to my schedule, we are already three minutes behind…schedule!" He zipped off into the waiting bullhead.

"Well, alright," Ruby said, trying to stay positive. "Looks like we're to be saving the world with Doctor Oobleck—okay, yeah when you say it out loud it sounds worse."

"SAVE THE WORLD?!" they heard Nora shout. They turned and saw Team JNPR approaching them with Mom. "You're going on world-saving missions without us? I'm hurt… Sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault, though, Ren…" she glared at the boy in question, who just crossed his arms and turned away. Mom, for her part, pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Why do I have the feeling that you four are about to get yourselves into a mountain of trouble?" She asked. "Again?" They could only laugh nervously.

"Where are you going?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, just outside the kingdom," Ruby said.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora said.

"We're going to be helping a Huntsman in a frontier village investigate missing people," Pyrrha said.

"We were chosen special by Ozpin!" Nora declared.

"We were on our way to the airship," Ren said.

"Aw, then we got nobody to party with," Sun said, walking towards them with Neptune. "We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges." Jaune looked at them with stars in his eyes after learning about the badges. "We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk, so we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, you know…normal."

"Well—" Ruby said.

"Four minutes, ladies!" Doctor Oobleck shouted from the bullhead.

"…I'm so sorry," Mom said.

"Well, uh," Ruby said. "Wish us luck!"

"Hold on," Mom said, walking towards her.

"What's up?" Ruby asked, but was pulled into a hug by her mother. After a second, Mom did the same for Yang.

"Be careful," she said. "I love you."

"Love you too," the said back, before Team RWBY headed to the Bullhead.

Aqua watched solemnly as her daughters' team departed for their first mission.

"Everything okay, professor?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I just have a really bad feeling."

AN: And that's it for this chapter! So, I'm going to have Team JNPR go on a mission, and they were hand-picked by Ozpin to help a Huntsman investigate missing people. I'm planning on showing Team RWBY's mission first and then showing Team JNPR's. I'm pretty excited to write it, and I'll be tapping into the spirit of Kingdom Hearts by having them meet a couple of Final Fantasy characters. I'm not going to say who, but I'll give you a hint: There will be two of them, they're from the same game, and have never been in a Kingdom Hearts game before. I'm looking forward to it.

And we also got some insight into what's been going on with Tai.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time!