(A/N) Wow... i really didn't expect such a warm welcome... i'm actually at a loss. Thanks everyone for your support!
It has occurred to me that i haven't actually specified an upload schedule for this story, so i guess i'll say that there really won't be one. I mean, i plan on getting at least one chapter out per week, though it'll really come down to an 'I'll publish it when it's done' type policy... that could mean one chapter per week, like i plan, or two... or maybe three if i'm particularly inspired (Read: not busy) that week. Also, I've decided that individual review responses will be at the end of each chapter whereas announcements will be at the beginning.
Also, POV switches are now a thing! i wanted to be more subtle about when they happen... but fanfiction won't let me put a double line break, which is what i was GOING to use... Now it'll just have /-\ in between two line breaks.
Now... on with the show!
Edited for clarity on 2/16/19
Chapter Two – Players and Pieces
/-\ Yang Xiao Long; Beacon Academy grounds /-\
"Its good to see ya again, sis." That sentence reverberated through my head over and over again as I stared at the bare face of my sister.
The sister I thought was dead for the vast majority of my life.
Five minutes ago, I had been afraid for my life in her presence, and yet… now I couldn't look away. I had thought about her every day since her 'death', never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually get to see her again. I dropped to my knees and my hands came up to my eyes as I attempted to hide them from my 'little' sister.
I felt something squeeze me, and I moved my hands just enough to see my sister's face. I quickly embraced her, years of held tears finally spilling free. "It's okay, I'm here now…" I heard her say as I wailed. This went on for what felt like only seconds, but, judging by the now-risen sun, had been at least an hour.
"R- Ruby… I- I'm sorry…" I stammered out, wiping the remnants of my tears away.
"Sorry for what?" She asked.
"I… I… I couldn't save you…" I stammered out, wiping away my tears.
Her face turned into one of steely conviction. "And just what could you have done? Not even mom could have won that engagement and you were just a child at the time." Her face softened once more as she sighed. "Sorry… I just don't like it when people do the whole 'It's my fault' jig."
I embraced her again. "I'm just glad you back, sis…"
She returned it immediately. "I am too." We held the position for a minute or two before she hoisted me to my feet. "C'mon, lets go get some chow… we've got a big day ahead of us."
I looked on in a mixture of horror and amazement as my sister absolutely demolished her plate of food, a stupid smile plastered on her face the entire time. "Uhh… enjoying the food, sis?" I awkwardly stammered out.
She burped. "How could I not?! This stuff is amazing!" She said shortly before she shoveled another pancake into her mouth.
"Uhh… its just school food… its not that good…" I tried to rationalize. Then I had a thought. "Just what have you been eating this entire time?"
She looked up from her plate, quickly slurping up the remains of a bacon strip. "Hmm? Oh, if I was on base, I got this bland nutripaste stuff… off base… well… whatever was available… usually weeds n' stuff…"
I paled. "W- Weeds?!"
"Yea, turns out they're all you need to survive for months on end… well… all I need…"
I blinked. "But... weren't you here yesterday? What did you eat then?"
She shrugged. "Guess I missed dinner."
Suddenly, the loudspeaker boomed. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation, again, all first-year students to Beacon cliff."
She paused for a second, her eyes darted between me and her food… then me… then her food… before she quickly devoured the rest of her plate in two seconds flat and popped on her helmet. "Shall we?" she asked.
I blinked a few times before nodding in affirmation.
/-\ Ruby Rose; Falling above the Emerald Forest /-\
'Goddamnit Ozpin, Goddamnit Ozpin, Goddamnit Ozpin!' The thought reverberated through my head as I fell through the air after being launched from Beacon cliff. I picked a landing zone and locked my armor, preventing any damage whatsoever. I careened through several trees before making a sizable crater in the ground.
I quickly got up and checked my surroundings… no contacts. I turned northwards and began lightly jogging to my destination, my shotgun held at the ready. 'Okay let's see… Landed? Check. Not in combat? Check. Partner? In progress. Who would I want as a partner, anyways? Well, Yang is probably actively seeking me out, and I would really like to be on the same team as her, so hopefully its her. Blake would just be awkward… seeing as she may or may not think I tried to kill her… though she does have some medical training… that'll come in handy if any of us needs it… I never really introduced myself to Vomit boy, though that's probably for the best, he doesn't seem like he knows anything… Hmm… I feel like I'm…' I skidded to a halt in front of the Princess. '…forgetting someone… Fuuuuuuuuuck…'
She eyed me warily for a second before giving a hesitant nod and extending her hand. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
I accepted her gesture. "Spartan B- err- Ruby Rose." She raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "C'mon, the objective is this way."
"And how do you know that?"
"My helmet has a built-in compass…" I deadpanned.
"Hmph… Very well, lead on."
I nodded, but before I could turn around, I spotted a black creature about to leap onto my new partner. "CONTACT!" I yelled, before pushing her out of the way of the leaping beast. The Grimm lunged, and I tackled it to the ground before shoving my knife into its throat several times, killing it.
I quickly got up, barely having time to identify the evaporating corpse as one of a Beowolf before my motion tracker lit up with several contacts. "GET UP! WE AREN'T DONE YET!" I commanded my partner. I quickly scooped up my shotgun before stowing it on my back, I wouldn't need it for this fight. In my shotty's stead, I held my magnum in my left hand with a knife in my right.
As soon as the grimm emerged into the clearing, I opened fire, targeting their bony skullplates. All of the bullets hit their marks, but very few did any noticeable damage. Out of the half-dozen or so Beowolves that emerged, only one dropped from my pistol's rounds. Seeing how useless it was, I stowed my pistol and exchanged it for my backup knife.
By the time I had completed my switch, the beasts were upon me. One of them lunged forwards, teeth bared, but I easily sidestepped it, shoving one knife into the base of its skull. By the time it hit the ground, I was already withdrawing my other blade from the skull of one of its comrades and slashing at yet another Beowolf with the previously bloodied blade.
I surged forward, throat punching a Grimm while winding up a roundhouse for one of three remaining enemies. I ducked under a lunge and dragged my knives across the beast's underbelly, twisting as I freed them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my partner repeatedly stab the only upright Beowolf several times in the chest with her rapier. Taking the initiative, I ran over to the sole survivor and snapped its neck.
I looked over to my partner, whose chest was rising and falling rhythmically. "Just another day at the office, eh Weiss?" I said while stretching my arms over my head.
She raised an eyebrow shortly before shaking her head. "Let's get moving." She deadpanned.
"You're no fun…" I said, before leading her onwards.
/-\ Yang Xiao Long; Emerald Forest /-\
I popped up to my feet shortly after landing in a forward roll, scanning the small clearing I had entered from above. Seeing the area was clear of any Grimm, I took off running in a direction that I assumed was where my sister landed. 'Gotta find Ruby, gotta find Ruby…' I thought to myself. 'Oh, this is bad, this is bad! I need to be on her team! What if someone finds her first?' I shook my head. 'No, I need to find her now!' "RUUUUUBY?! RUUUUUBY?!" I called out, getting no response.
Suddenly, a large black paw shot from the forest, swiping directly for my face. I easily slid under it, firing my gauntlets to arrest my momentum about a dozen feet past it. I whirled around, hands up in a boxing stance, to see what had attacked me. A trio of Ursa Minors stalked from behind cover, each licking their chops at the prospect of what they think will be an easy meal.
My face twisted into a snarl as I let out a wordless battlecry. The Ursai charged and I rolled left to avoid another strike, ending in a crouch to power up my next attack. I threw an uppercut at the nearest one, sending it careening into one of its packmates. I charged the remaining one, sending a flurry of punches into it. The first strike stunned it, the second broke its front left leg, the third shattered its muzzle, and the fourth destroyed its throat. The beast fell, lifeless.
I let out another wordless battlecry as I charged the other two Ursai, each trying desperately to untangle themselves from the other. Another uppercut sent the one on top flying into the trees and I straddled the remaining one near its head, which was laying on its back. I sent punch after punch into its lower jaw and throat, only stopping when it went limp.
I quickly rolled off the evaporating Grimm to avoid a clawstrike from the sole survivor of the pack, but I was too slow, and the hit connected. As I was recovering, it let out a roar… …that sharply turned into a dying yelp. I stood in confusion as it slumped over dead, though it faded when a certain bow-wearing ninja retrieved her sword from the base of the Ursa's skull.
I breathed a sigh of relief and felt my eyes return to their normal, blue, color. "…Thanks." I said, causing her to nod in return. "…I guess we're partners, then…" I sighed.
"Looks like it." She flashed me a small smile. "I watched your fight, you're pretty good."
I sighed again. "…Well, I've had a lot of practice over the years…" I responded, memories flashing before my eyes. I shook my head and only now noticed that she had raised an eyebrow. "I… don't wanna talk about it…" She gave a curt nod. "C'mon, I think this way's north."
We walked for a few minutes before I spoke up again. "So… umm… this morning, you said that girl attacked you…" Her face turned serious as she nodded. "…and I was wondering… why did you… uhh… lie about that?"
Her eyes widened. "I… uhh… I…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Look… I just…" she groaned. "Shekilledalotofpeoplealright! I just... I saw you with her and i thought you were next andthenwhatifimnextand-"
I put my hand over her mouth. "Shh… take a deep breath and hold it." I instructed, she and I did so as I removed my hand. "Now out through the nose." We both did so. "Now in… aaand out… Better?"
She nodded. "Y- Yea… I think so… thanks…"
"No problem, but you two will at least need to work together from now on."
She raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"
"Oh, because we'll all be on the same team."
She visibly flinched. "Why would you want to be on the same team as that… murderer?!"
"Because she's my sister." I started walking and motioned for her to follow me. "One that I thought was dead for almost ten years now…"
She blinked. "Wha- but how?! I saw her fall from the sky and she started asking what planet she was on!"
I sighed. "Well, looks like I have more than a few questions to ask her later…" I paused. "Let's get moving."
"So… uhh… think this is it?" I asked, upon clearing the forest and seeing the ruins in front of us.
She gave me a look that seemed to say 'well duh' before strutting onwards. She strode into the ruins, pointedly looking at each item that rested on its own pedestal. "…Chess pieces?" she asked.
"…Yea…" I paused as I looked around. "Some of them are missing, we're probably not the first ones here…"
She nodded. "I guess we should pick one." She said as she moved to collect the last remaining black bishop piece.
"Wait." I commanded.
She paused. "…Why?"
"I think this is how he assigns teams." She raised an eyebrow. "Every pair needs their own relic, teams have four members each… and there's two copies of every chess piece."
"…Alright." She conceded. "But that still doesn't answer my question."
"Like I said: I'm going to be on my sister's team, and the best way to do that is to wait for her here."
"Yea, but there's no guarantee that-"
We heard a loud crash and both snapped towards it… only to see a dissolving Ursa Minor impaled on one of the branches of a newly-uprooted tree. Seconds later, a familiar red-armored figure emerged from what remained of the tree line, her gauntleted hand reaching for her sniper rifle. She gave an upwards nod. "Sup?"
I blinked as she strode over to us… alone. "Uhh, where's your partner, Ruby?"
"Hmm? Oh, I kept showing her up, so she tried to pick a fight with a giant nevermore. They should be arriving right about…" She lifted her rifle skyward as a screech pierced the air. "…now."
At that point, three distinct sounds roared through the air. The first was a girlish squeal coming from the forest, the second was the bark of Ruby's sniper rifle, the third, and final one, was a pained shriek coming from a Nevermore.
My eyes darted to where she shot at, and I saw a person wearing white fall from the grip of said Nevermore. My eyes widened in horror as she plummeted, and I moved to intercept her near the ground. Ember Celica clicked as I readied my dual-shotgauntlets to propel me upwards, but before I could act, I saw another person sailing through the air… screaming all the while.
He hit her perfectly and his momentum sent them both into a nearby tree. I stood there, confused, as I looked around to the others in the clearing. Both were hard to read, one wore a fully-enclosed helmet and the other had a look of indifference about her. Eventually, Ruby shrugged and moved towards the relics, settling in front of the pair of white knights after some time.
She picked up the pieces and tossed one to me. "Here, you'll need this."
I caught it effortlessly as she stowed hers in one of her chest pockets. "Uhh, okay… Shouldn't you check on your partner though?"
She shrugged. "She's fine. Actually, I think I hear her cussing out Vomit Boy over there." She said as she thrust a thumb behind her.
"Uhh… oka-"
-Boom-
"Yeeeeehaaaawwwww!" A girl shouted as she dismounted an Ursa Minor. "Aww… its broken…"
A man dressed in Eastern-Mistrali garb emerged from behind her, panting. "Nora… don't ever do that again…"
He looked up to see his partner had gone and looked around for a moment before finding her looking at one of the white rook pieces. "Oooo!" She said as she grabbed it, posing in multiple different ways. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!"
"NORA!"
"Hehe… coming Ren!" She responded with a mock salute.
My partner spoke up as the two met by one of the ruined pillars. "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"
-Krrraaaaaaggghhh!-
A redheaded woman in decorative Southern-Mistrali armor ran out from the forest, a large, moss covered, Deathstalker hot on her tail. The massive Grimm clicked its mandibles a couple of times before swiping at her. She dodged every attack effortlessly, but I could tell she couldn't keep this up for long.
I aimed Ember Celica behind me and fired off two rounds, one from each gauntlet. "DODGE!" I yelled as I careened into a joint on one of its claws. I threw a few punches, allowing the woman to escape before I myself attempted a retreat… the key word being 'attempted'. The Deathstalker threw strike after strike at me as I dodged left and right to avoid them.
I stumbled slightly after I put a little too much effort into dodging one of its strikes… …only to be hit by a follow up that sent me rolling across the ground. I got my bearings long enough to recognize the beast's distinctive tail swooping down on me and I instinctively shut my eyes and covered my head.
Seconds passed… but nothing happened… I tentatively opened my eyes and saw-
-CRACK-
-Kkkkrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhh!-
-my sister riding the Deathstalker and repeatedly punching it. With every punch she threw, the already large spiderweb of cracks in its armor grew even further. I scrambled away on my back as the Grimm struggled in vain to shake her off. A deafening crack resounded through the air after a particularly powerful blow. Ruby followed up by tearing a large piece of armor from its host before burying a green metal ball into the resulting hole.
She quickly leaped from her perch and backpedaled as fast as she could… …shortly before the Deathstalker exploded…
I stared wide-eyed in shock as my sister threw her hands up in the air and shouted. "YEA! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MESSIN' WITH HUMANITY!" What was left of the Deathstalker started to slowly dissolve and Ruby took several deep breaths. "…gah… naptime…" she almost whispered as she flopped to the ground. I rushed over and slid down to a spot beside her.
"Ruby! Are you okay?!" I yelled, concern evident in my voice.
"Yea… Just gimmie a minute, sis…" She patted my shoulder. "Goddamn… stim crashes suuuuuuck…" I blinked in confusion. "We'll talk about it later, for now let's- Oh… SHIT!" She rolled to her feet, quickly grabbing her sniper rifle. "EVERYONE LOCK N' LOAD! WE'VE GOT GRIMM INCOMING!" I rushed to my feet, but Ruby was faster, her rifle quickly snapping to three distant beowolves. Her rifle fired off a trio of shots, each dropping their target. "We're surrounded! Weiss, you're with me! Ren, Vomit Boy, cover the south! Red, Blake, get the west! Yang, Nora, take the east!"
/-\ Ruby Rose /-\
The others seemed to take my orders in stride, a fact I noted while deftly reloading my sniper. The main enemy force was coming from the north. By their radar signatures, they were all Ursai and smaller, but their sheer numbers more than made up for their lack of higher-difficulty Grimm. Several larger signatures approached from the east, which was why I put our heavy-hitters on that flank. The west mainly had smaller Grimm, and in fewer numbers than the north… though not by much. Due to it being the way we came from, the south had very few Grimm approaching, thusly, I felt comfortable putting the two unknowns on that flank. To make matters worse, there was still that giant nevermore running around somewhere…
Four more shots rang out from my rifle, this time two Boarbatusks and an Ursa minor fell. My magazine dropped. "Weiss! Make us some defensive spikes!" I yelled as I inserted another mag, this time taking aim at the lone ursa major of the horde. It dropped, but at the cost of three shots. With the remaining one, I downed a fairly large beowolf. The spikes finally materialized, impaling a dozen Grimm before they broke.
Six magazines, and dozens of monsters, later, I was on my last legs for ammo. I glanced at my motion tracker. The southerners were just finishing mopping up the remains of their foes with the west not too far behind… though the east was having a lot of trouble. I quickly glanced at them to see what they were facing, and my eyes widened. Two Beringals and a juvenile Deathstalker had them in a terrible spot. "Weiss, Vomit Boy! Help out the east!" I yelled over my intercom. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold this position for long by myself… especially without Weiss's defensive spikes… so I went with option 'C'. "Red! Get to the south and clear an evac corridor!"
"We haven't grabbed our relic!" was her response.
"Grab one and go! We can't hold this position for long!" I said as the last 14.5mm round left my rifle. I quickly switched it out for my shotty, though the horde was still well outside its effective range.
"We're clear!" I heard the spartan wannabe shout.
"Alright! All units disengage! I'll get the rear!" I looked at my motion tracker and saw everyone had disengaged. I stowed my shotgun and engaged my semblance, catching up to the former eastern flank in seconds and sticking a Beringal with a plasma grenade as I passed it.
The familiar sound of a sticky's explosion echoed through the air, one red dot dropped off my motion tracker, signifying the Beringal's death. I kept running and running, by this time, I had far outpaced the Grimm, though I couldn't let up yet, I still needed-
-Cccccaaaaaaaaawwwwww!-
'…This day just doesn't get any easier, does it?' I thought to myself. "Change in plans! Everyone get to the bridge and cross it. Nora, once everyone is across, destroy the bridge! I'll find my own way back!"
Before they could protest, I veered off from them and fired a few pistol shots at the pursuing nevermore. It screeched loudly, though I suspect it was more in annoyance rather than pain. One thing was for certain: I had gained its complete and undivided attention.
All according to plan.
Looking back at it, I saw the nevermore start to climb…
…before shooting feathers out of itself like bullets.
"SHIT!" I yelled as I dove to the side, barely avoiding being skewered by one. I recovered with a roll and spotted a fairly tall ruin ahead. Deciding that this was the best option I had, I sprinted towards it.
The overgrown parrot swooped down to grab me at one point… …that proved to be a mistake on its part, as I was able to grab onto it. I quickly began scurrying up its leg and onto its back. It obviously didn't appreciate this and did all sorts of wild maneuvers to try and shake me off, though it only succeeded in delaying the inevitable.
I made my way up its back and onto its neck, where I drew my knives and began hacking at the vulnerable flesh underneath. I carved and carved, easily removing my own weight in black, corrupted meat before I reached what I was looking for. The spine.
I quickly primed my last remaining plasma grenade and stuck it to the offending organ before leaping to the sky and locking my armor. Before I landed, I saw the nevermore begin to fall, limply, to the ground, signifying its death. The second I felt myself come to a stop, I unlocked my armor and redrew my shotgun, ready for action.
I glanced at my motion tracker and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that I had escaped them… …or so I thought… Literally a second after I finished sighing, a huge rock came out of nowhere and hit me square in the chest, depleting my shields in an instant and doing a number on my aura. I recovered with a roll and turned towards the source… …a giant stone golem…
'Okay… options…' I thought as I dodged repeated strikes. 'I've got one grenade left and no mass weapons…' Another giant stone whizzed past my head. 'Yep, time to book it.'
After a few seconds of running, I came across a gorge in the distance. One that could not be crossed by the golem… or me… unassisted, that is. A smirk crossed my face as I ran towards it. I reached for my last frag grenade and jumped at the last second, letting it detonate just behind me to produce the maximum amount of lift.
My shields hadn't started recharging yet and my aura broke with the blast. After a split second, I felt the pin-pricks of shrapnel dig its way into the nigh-unarmored sections of my skin. I just barely grasped the opposing side of the gorge and pulled myself up before I, again, took off running.
After several minutes, I checked my motion tracker. No contacts. I collapsed under a tree, looking to assess the damage I had inflicted on myself. I sighed as I dressed my wounds… This was going to be a long walk home…
/-\ Yang Xiao Long; Beacon Cliff /-\
"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER OUT THERE!" I screamed at my partner.
"Yang look at yourself… You're bleeding, your aura is broken, you're low on ammo… What do you plan on doing out there?" She retorted.
"I'LL FIND HER!"
"And do what? You saw the horde, they'll rip you to shreds!"
I stood there, unmoving, as I realized she was right. I don't know how long I was standing there, but at some point, I felt my eyes turn from blood red to their usual blue. "I… I can't lose her again…"
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Ozpin might know if she's here."
"Y- Yea… let's go find him." After several minutes of looking, we finally found the headmaster. "P- Professor Ozpin?"
He hummed as he turned around. "Ah, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Belladonna. What can I do for you two?"
"W- We were wondering if you kn- know where my sister is…"
He sighed, and a slight frown tugged at his face. "Unfortunately, Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose was last seen riding a nevermore leaving surveillance range… I'm sorry to say that her aura has broken… it is unlikely that she survived her ordeal…"
I broke down crying, right then and there.
Hours later, I stood in the auditorium, once again sister-less, while Ozpin started his induction speech.
"It is with a heavy heart that we are gathered here today. While sixty-five of the eighty initiates this year passed initiation, I regret to inform all of you that, of the fifteen that failed, five of your classmates did not survive the exam." The screen flashed five faces, one of them being Ruby's. "Every year, several young huntsmen and huntresses lose their lives on this first day… It is tradition that we honor their memories before moving on to team assignments. Each student that perishes during initiation is to be inscribed on a special plaque within Beacon's courtyard. So far, over the seventy-nine past initiations this school has operated, five-hundred-and-fifteen names decorate that list. Now, for the eightieth, the number will become five-hundred-and-twenty. There will be a short period of time after every person is announced should anyone wish to say a few words… Now, we shall begin…" With a sigh, he began. "Silver Tsun was an honest young man…"
He went on for a long time, saving Ruby's for last… though I could not stop shedding tears. "Finally, the last, and arguably bravest, among the newly deceased. Ruby Rose." Her portrait took over the screen. "This list would likely have been much larger today had it not been for her actions. At least seven people in this room owe their lives to her, and many more will, in turn, be saved by those seven huntsmen and huntresses-in-training. I did not know her personally, though I'm sure she would have been one of, if not the, best students to pass through these halls… If anyone wishes to come forward, they may do so now."
I hesitantly approached the stage and cleared my throat. "R- Ruby was my sister… I- I didn't get to know her that well over the years… actually, I just learned she was still alive this morning… S- She disappeared after the grimm attacked our home about ten years ago and I haven't seen her since… But in the little time th- that I got to know her again, I could tell that she would have given anything to protect people… and she did…" I took a few deep breaths. "I- I think Professor Ozpin was right… she would have been a great huntress… Rest in peace, Little Rose…" I took another deep breath and started off the stage-
-CLANK-
"Ah, sorry I'm late… its been one hell of a day." A familiar voice said. I stared wide-eyed in shock as she marched towards the stage, completely unable to formulate a response. She strode past me and reached into her pocket, producing her white knight piece and handing it to Ozpin.
He gave a warm smile. "I must say, Miss Rose, it is quite unusual for a student to interrupt their own funeral."
"Heh, what did I tell you about Spartans and dying, Professor?" She reached into another pocket and retrieved her broken scroll. "I'll probably need another one of these, though… landed on it wrong after the grenade jump."
He gave a slight chuckle. "That can be arranged. Now, if you and Miss Xiao Long would take your seats, we can move on to team assignments."
She nodded and strode towards me, probably noticing that I was frozen in place. "C'mon, sis, let's-" I cut her off as I enveloped her in a tight hug, which she promptly returned. "It's okay sis… I'm here…" She cooed as I started sobbing into her shoulder. Suddenly, I felt her sweep me off my legs and put me into a bridal carry, though I didn't care. Ruby was here, and things were going to be alright.
"…Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRDL. Lead by… Cardin Winchester." The four of them left the stage to make room for the next team.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team JNPR." Nora hugged Ren with a happy giggle. "Lead by… Jaune Arc!"
Jaune blinked. "Huh? L- Lead by?"
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin said before Pyrrha gave him a light punch to the shoulder… …accidentally sending him to the ground, eliciting a short laugh from the audience. They quickly left the stage.
"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. Lead by…. Ruby Rose!" I gave my sister a warm smile and caught Weiss's shocked expression, though her expression was neutral as she held her helmet at her left side. "Normally, this would be where the ceremony would end, but I have a special announcement to make." Professor Goodwitch handed him an ornate box. "It is a little-known fact that students here at Beacon can earn awards, but it is a fact none the less. There are only a handful of said awards that can be earned by students, some of them even dating back to before the Great War. They can be given for academic success, bravery, or a number of other things." He paused for a moment. "Ruby Rose, for not only showing exemplary bravery during your initiation, but also for putting the well-being of others before your own, I hereby award you Orion's Cross." He opened the box and handed her an ornate golden cross with a single silver star at its center and hung from a maroon ribbon. She accepted it and immediately snapped a salute. He nodded, and she dropped her hand. "You may display the medal however you wish, as this is not a military academy. Though past recipients have typically worn theirs upon the left breast of their school uniforms." He stepped back. "It certainly looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year…"
(A/N) I personally don't think this one turned out as good as the last one... though that could be my personal preferance for plot over straight up fight scenes... though i certainly don't dislike those either... idk, let me know what you guys think.
Part of me is a bit iffy on giving Ruby a medal... especially since Beacon isn't a military academy. But she needs something, and what else would she be given? Money seems a bit... odd... and a higher grade just seems cheap, especially since she was technically so late that everyone thought she was dead. Also, naming a medal after Orion seems appropriate (For those that don't know, Orion is a constellation in the night sky, commonly referred to as 'The Hunter').
Another iffy part for me was when Blake kinda broke down to someone who amounted to little more than a stranger (Yang) when they had just became partners... But then again, Blake isn't really depicted as the most logical person... sooo idk...
Something that i'm not iffy about is Weiss picking a fight with a giant nevermore... on her own... My reasoning is that in the show, her older, and supposedly more disciplined, sister attacks Qrow, her ALLY mind you, simply because he was drunk and made a few snarky comments... In this, Ruby killed 7 (or 8? i honestly can't remember) beowolves in the time it took her to kill 1... its implied that this trend continued for the entire time they were together. It seems reasonable that the Ice Queen's temper would eventually get the best of her and thusly would jump at the chance to show off.
Anyways, on to the reviews!
evevee - Thank you, that was very kind. I certainly intend on writing more here.
Guest 001 - That's alright, not everyone is bound to like something... it would actually be a bit weird if everyone did... still, thanks for keeping your disagreement civil and i hope you have a nice day.
Guest 002, 004, and 005 - While i appreciate that you (I am assuming its the same person) are thrilled enough with my story to ask multiple times for an update... Writing is not an instant process... I need time to think of things, and then, usually, even more time to actually jot them down... Then things get edited, for better or worse. I don't mean to discourage you from reading my story, or any others for that matter, just... maybe wait a little longer than ~3 hours after it was posted before asking for an update.
Guest 003 - I don't really have anything against an OC Spartan (in fact, Ben from 'The Men From Onyx' is pretty cool imo... at least i think he's an OC, correct me if i'm wrong.), though i think Jaune would be sent home before they even got to the augmentation process, without aura, that is. And as for the rest... no comment.
MegaElite - Well, here's your first taste of Ruby B-312 interacting with everyone! Hope ya liked it. There'll be more next chapter.
The first choice - Thanks for the compliment! And Crescent Rose is just too iconic to not make an appearance... though it will not be for a VERY long time.
Karmisa - Glad you're enjoying it!
Dragonsword1000 - Thanks! I like this Ruby too, but after seeing the new Adam trailer for volume 6, i can't help but think Blake would start drawing parallels between him and her if she knew about what happened in the dust shop... That was completely unintentional, by the way...
MiukiAkiyama - Glad you're enjoying it!
.39 - You'll just have to wait and see...
Tuiop - Thanks!
seraphimknight - Much appreciated!
And that's all! After editing this... dear god did I overuse elipses in the earlier chapters.. Oh well. Anyways, the next one is called 'Killing Machine...?' See ya guys then!
