Hello again! Here's another chapter of Ruby B-312. But let me tell you guys something quick before you start reading… THERE IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT IN THE BOTTOM A/N, PLEASE READ IT. Well, at least read that part of it… Anyways, that is all…

Edited for clarity and/or minor fixes 4/27/19


Chapter Eleven – Homecoming


/-\ Ruby Rose; Vale /-\


The Vytal Festival!" My partner happily exclaimed. "Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!"

"Heh, is the Ice Queen finally melting?" I jokingly jabbed at my friend.

"Quiet, you." She said, her happy expression fading for a moment before re-asserting itself. "This is a festival dedicated to the cultures of the world! There will dances, parades, a tournament! Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!"

"Didn't know you were that into organization, Weiss." Blake remarked as we approached the docks.

"Well, I will one day be the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company," Blake grimaced at that comment. "the company will be ruined if I don't study organization, so I figured 'why not learn to appreciate it?'."

"Point." She said.

We approached the end of the pier and I raised my eyebrow. "So, not that I'm sayin' we can't stay, it is your day after all, buuuut why are we here?"

"Yeah, the docks smell like fish…" My sister commented.

Blake shrugged. "I don't see the problem."

Weiss clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, I heard that students arriving from Vacuo will be landing today, and, as a huntress-in-training at the legendary Beacon Academy, it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine Kingdom."

"Heh, if you wanna spy on the competition, just say so."

"You can't prove that's what I'm doing."

I smirked. "Whatever you say, Ice Queen."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such an Oaf."

"Heh, so I've been told." There was a several seconds long pause. "Soooo, when are they getting here?"

"Well, that ship over there just pulled in." Blake observed. "Maybe they're on tha-"

"HEY! STOP THAT FAUNUS!" We heard shouted from the decks of another ship.

We all turned towards it to see a blond-haired monkey Faunus running from a pair of sailors. He jumped down from the boat and ran across the pier, his athleticism indicating that he was very likely a huntsman-in-training. A pair of cops approached where he hung from a lamppost…

…before getting a banana peel thrown in their faces.

The man ran up the steps, the officers hot on his tail, and would run right by us. I smirked as I gently placed my foot just slightly outwards, causing him to trip as he turned to wink at Blake.

He fell with an "Oomph!" as the police officers caught up to him. One of them immediately dove onto him and threw on a pair of aura-cuffs before reading him his rights. The other turned to us. "Thanks for the help, we'll take it from here." He said as they carted him away.

Weiss pinched her nose and sighed. "I'm sorry Blake, but people like that make it so tempting to return to my old habits…"

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" She shot back. "I don't expect you to fix every Human, so why do I have to fix every Faunus?"

"I didn't- I just- Ugh, just… forget I said anything…"

Blake sighed. "I guess you did describe him as a person instead of immediately jumping to some of your other terms like 'Degenerate' or something…"

"Yes, well… I think we can be done here for the day." My partner said.

We all turned to walk away. "Hey, what do you guys think of another evening stroll before the semester's over?" I asked as we strode past a bustling dust shop.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And whoabouts would we be strolling with?"

I grinned. "Eh, I think some vampires are in the area."

"Well, I for one am not opposed to your proposition."

"Same." My sister said as her partner nodded.

"Alright, how does this weekend wound?"

They all gave their affirmations as we rounded a corner.

"Do we have any- Oof!" My partner started before running into someone and knocking them over. "Ugggghhhh…" She groaned.

"Uhh, Weiss?" My sister said, snapping her out of her temporary daze.

Weiss shook her head and looked directly at the person who she had accidentally tackled. "Gah!" She exclaimed, practically leaping away from the grounded girl, who merely smiled and waved.

My partner adopted a look of slight horror as we stood there in complete silence, neither party moving a muscle. "Umm…" I started. "You okay down there?"

The girl paused for a moment. "I am wonderful! Thank you for asking!" She said before remaining, unmoving, on the ground.

I raised an eyebrow. "Aaaare you sure? Do you need help getting up?"

She shook her head. "No thank you, I am perfectly capable of resetting to a standing position on my own." She said… still remaining on the ground.

"Soo… uhh…" My sister started. "Do you, uhh… want to get up?"

The strange girl paused for a moment as if thinking it over. "Yes." She said matter-of-factly, giving a slight nod at the same time. She thrust her legs up and over her head, throwing herself into a roll and propelling herself upwards. The three other members of my team took a step backwards, though I wasn't so easily weirded out. "My name is Penny, It's a pleasure to meet you!" The girl chirped.

"I'm Ruby, leader of Beacon's Team RWBY. This is-" I gestured to the rest of my team.

"Oh!" The girl interrupted, a spark of recognition on her face. "Then they must be Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long." I blinked. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

I paused for a minute before smirking. "Heh, looks like you weren't the only one spying, Ice Queen."

Weiss manages to shake herself from her stupor for a second. "You're participating in the tournament, then?"

She gave a single, enthusiastic, nod. "I'm combat ready!"

"Well… It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Penny, but I'm afraid my team must be moving on now. We have… a… team meeting! Yes, we have a meeting to go to! Team ears only." Weiss said, seemingly thinking on the fly.

Blake gave a goodbye wave, though Yang seemed oblivious. "Wha? No, we-" I gave her a 'light' smack to the stomach. "-Hurk!" She got out, though she recovered quickly. "I uhh… yeah we do, actually. Let's get going, guys." She said, absentmindedly rubbing the place that I'd hit.

We walked for several seconds before Penny seemingly teleported in front of us. "What did you call me?" We were all hopelessly confused on what she was talking about. "You…" She got right up in my partner's face, and I stood with my hand on one of my hidden knives, ready to defend my teammate. "You called me an 'acquaintance'!" We all paused for a minute. "I have read that it is a synonym for 'friend'. Am I really your friend, Weiss?"

She blinked before her face hardened. "N-"

"Of course she is!" I interrupted, earning a shocked glare from my partner. "In fact, we're both your friends, right Weiss?"

Her eye twitched. "Yesof course we are, Penny." She spoke through clenched teeth.

The girl, seemingly oblivious to Wiess's near-meltdown, stepped back and threw her hands up in the air. "Sen-sational!" She returned her gaze to us, a smile plastered on her face. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Weiss facepalmed. "What have you gotten me into now, Ruby…"

Penny teleported to her side. "What is wrong, friend-Weiss?"

I came to her rescue. "Nothing, Penny. But we'll have to get a rain-check on that. We do have a meeting to get to." I lied.

"Okay!" The girl chirped. "I look forward to spending time with you two! Good day!" She said as she stiffly strode off.

When she was certain Penny was out of earshot, Weiss pinned me against a wall… …or at least tried to… Letting out an indignant huff, she eventually gave up. "Why did you do that?!" She yelled.

"You were gonna turn her down." I stated.

"Yes! And what would be wrong with that?! There's something wrong with her, and I would rather not be responsible for dealing with whatever it is."

"And you would break someone's heart over it?" I asked. "Weiss, even a Spartan could see that she was desperate to have a friend. So desperate, that I think we might be her first." I giggled. "And besides, in case you've forgotten, I roped myself into it too. If she really is crazy, then I've got your back."

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine." She shook her head. "But if I get murdered, I'm haunting you."


"And that's the match." Professor Goodwitch commented. "Sapphire Spruce is the winner." She looked at the clock as the two combatants exited the arena. "Now, I'm sure you all are very eager to be done with this class for the semester, however, we have one more match." A slight grin tugged at her lips. "Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos." The rest of the class erupted into whispers as both Pyrrha and I took the stage, the only two undefeated combatants of our year. "Are you ready?" Goodwitch asked. I racked the bolt of Onyx Rose before nodding to my instructor. My opponent shifted her weapon to its rifle form and took a kneeling position, bracing herself behind her shield before nodding as well. "Alright, begin!"

I rolled to the side, avoiding her first volley, while aiming at her weapon. She flinched slightly as a couple bullets slammed into the aura around her hand, throwing off her aim. A few rounds pinged off the floor around me just as my weapon clicked, signifying that it had expended its ammunition. Instead of replacing the magazine, I dropped my weapon, exchanging it for my knives. I had elected to bring neither Wilt and Blush nor my armor to any classes, seeing as the former would raise many unwanted questions and the latter would make any combat stupidly unfair… as opposed to the plain stupidly unfair that most matches are without it.

She quickly shifted her rifle into Xiphos form and charged me. I elected to give the crowd a bit of a show and held my dagger just slightly off target, allowing Milo to skid across it and slam into my aura-protected shoulder. I didn't even wince at the pain, plasma fire tends to dull that reaction, instead opting to trap the blade with my arm.

Her eyes widened as Milo was wrenched from her grip when I spun, though she was not so shocked that she failed to dodge the follow-up kick that I threw. She slammed into me with her shield, though its effects were dull at best compared to what a Mgalekgolo could do with the same move. Just for added effect, I stepped backwards, giving the illusion that Pyrrha had me on the ropes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her weapon being flung at my head, a black aura surrounding it. I ducked, though that meant her blade was returned to her hand.

She slashed at me with relentless fervor, though I blocked every strike. While she certainly wasn't pushing my limits, her strikes were precise, quick, powerful, and didn't telegraph any more than they needed to. In other words: Pyrrha Nikos is an excellent swordswoman. 'Too bad I'm a Spartan.' I idly thought as I swept her legs, knocking her off balance.

She yelped as I punched her in the face with the butt of one of my knives. She rolled out of the way just as I would've leaped onto her. Instead of being pinned, she now attempted to pin me. She pounced on me, though I used her momentum against her and threw her off. I again attempted to pin her and she made one last ditch effort to not lose the match… …by kicking me in the groin.

I raised an eyebrow as I held my knife to her throat. "Yield." I commanded, to which she paused; meekly nodding a few moments later. I got up instantly and sheathed my knives before helping her up. "Kalos teiri, Pyrrha."

She blinked. "Pardon me?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're from Southern Mistral, right?"

She withdrew her hand and rubbed the back of her head. "My ancestors may be… but I'm afraid my family hasn't spoken the language in generations."

"Oh." I said, surprised. "Well, the literal translation is 'Good Match', but where I'm from, it means something along the lines of 'You were a worthy opponent'." I explained, though I would never reveal that I learned it during Spartan training… …or that it was literally the only phrase in Greek that I understood.

"Oh, well in that case, Kaylowse teerie to you, too." She said, smiling.

I returned the gesture as Professor Goodwitch finally spoke up. "Well, it appears we have a winner." She said, the scoreboard behind her reading 87% aura for me and 85% for Pyrrha. "Let this be a reminder to all that neither ringout nor aura levels are the only ways to win a tournament-style duel." She paused. "This has been an interesting semester and I am very proud to say that everyone has improved since they walked through those doors the for the first time. While this class may be over for now, I expect you all to be back next semester. In case you have forgotten, the next term begins on Monday, March 21st. I will not accept any excuses for being late." The bell rang. "And with that I bid you all farewell. Have a good two-week break." I started to walk out of the classroom and- "Miss Rose." I turned to her. "A word, please."

I walked over to her. "Yeah?"

"If you ever find yourself in a real fight, might I suggest that you not hold back." She said before her eyes narrowed. "But I believe you already know that, don't you?"

Having been working around ONI spooks for my entire career, her attempt at intimidation almost seemed laughable. I gave her a small smirk. "Well, yeah. Heh, you saw me during initiation, after all." I turned and walked away. "Have a good day, Professor Goodwitch." I said as I exited the arena, under no illusion that she was completely oblivious to my team's activities... And if she suspected something… Ozpin wasn't far behind…


/-\ Weiss Schnee; Schnee Manor Airpad /-\


I took a steadying breath. There was a possibility, however unlikely, that Father lurked beyond the door in front of me. More likely it was Klein or, hopefully, Winter. I took off my helmet and opened the door to exit the bullhead I was riding. A grin spread across my face as I locked eyes with my sister. "WINTER!" I shouted, sprinting forward and enveloping her in a hug…

…shortly before coming to my senses and backing off. "Oh, umm…" I adopted a practiced, and formal, posture. Just now realizing that I had dropped my helmet. "It is wonderful to see you, sister."

Winter shook herself out of her shock and waved off her guards. "Leave us." They nodded and strode away…

…shortly before Winter enveloped me in her own hug. "I am equally happy to see you as well, sister." She broke the embrace and looked me over. "I never took you as the armor-wearing sort of huntress, Weiss. Why the sudden change?"

"Oh, umm…" I trailed off as I picked up my helmet. "Well, it has to do with my team's leader. In her experience, armor is a necessity."

She motioned for me to walk with her. "That may be true for her fighting style, but yours relies on keeping mobile. Armor may not be the best idea for you."

"I'll admit, I thought the same thing at first. But with what's out there, she's right." I said, implying that I was referring to the Grimmlands, though actually referencing the stars. "Armor is a necessity. For everyone." I paused. "Plus, this particular battle dress uniform is specifically designed to not hinder my mobility."

"That is somewhat reassuring." She hummed. "You seem to have a great deal of faith in your leader." My sister observed.

I paused for a minute. "Yes. I would say that I do. While some of her methods might be considered to be… unorthodox, she has proven to be an effective leader both on and off the battlefield."

"Interesting." She opened the doors to her chambers. "Let us continue this discussion in private." We both strode in and she poured us each a cup of tea. She took a sip. "Weiss, know that whatever you do, I will always love you."

I blinked. "Of course. Why would you feel the need to state that?"

She sighed. "Whatever you say here will not leave this room. Be it by my lips or yours. Understand?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh-kay… Might I ask what brought this on?"

"As you well know, just under two months ago, a major White Fang hideout was destroyed by an unknown force."

I nodded. "Yes, it is quite fortunate that someone is finally willing to apprehend those ne'er-do-wells."

"What you likely don't know, is that I was the one to interrogate the survivors." She paused. "A number of them mentioned a figure in white armor wielding a rapier and using the Schnee semblance." My eyes widened. "Weiss, I need to know. Was that your team?" I sat there, too shocked to answer. My silence seemed to be enough of an answer for her as she put her hand over mine. "Why?"

After several seconds, I composed myself. "They're up to something. Something big." I paused for a moment. "We had intel that they were working with Roman Torchwick." Now it was Winter's turn to be shocked. "And, knowing them, that could only mean one thing… They were being used by someone else." I paused. "We pieced together that Torchwick would never work with a group of Faunus supremacists. And, conversely, the White Fang would never work with a Human, let alone someone as racist as him."

"So, rather than tell the authorities or your headmaster, you took it upon yourselves to, as you put it, 'apprehend those ne'er-do-wells'."

I nodded. "Yes. We haven't just been gathering intel on the White Fang. Professor Ozpin is hiding something, and it is impossible for us to fully trust him at this time."

"Trust or not, you still should have gone to him. After all, you are merely four huntresses-in-training."

I frowned. "My other two teammates and I might just be huntresses-in-training, yes, but we are led by a Spartan." I said. "One of the best out there."

She sighed. "I just want you to be safe, sister."

"I know. But it will be my duty as a huntress to protect the people. Why not get started now?"

"Because you're not ready, Weiss." She paused. "I don't know how Beacon runs their programs, but if its anything like Atlas, then I know you are ill-equipped to deal with the things that happen in the field."

"And Ruby is helping to fix that issue." I shot back. "Every morning, we train. As a team. And it shows, too. Our combat scores are all in the top ten percent of our class. With Ruby being number one, Yang being number three, Blake fourth, and I am fifth. With the person in second place being none but the esteemed Pyrrha Nikos herself, an individual that joins us most days in our training." I paused. "But enough of this serious business, Winter. Its not often the case I get to spend time with you. Perhaps we could practice together?" My form shrank slightly. "I… I am having some trouble with summoning, and I was wondering if you could give me some tips."

She blinked, dazed for a moment, before a small smirk spread across her lips. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Funny, just a single semester in and Beacon has already changed you. Perhaps I was wrong, the rigid structure of my alma-mater was ill-suited for you."

I finished the last of my tea. "Oh? The esteemed Winter Schnee being wrong? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" I asked, sarcastically, before realizing what just escaped my mouth. "Hmm, it would seem you are correct in that I've changed since leaving. I suppose that Oaf of a leader has rubbed off on me, somewhat."

She stood up and motioned to the door. "Of course I am correct." She smirked. "I am the esteemed Winter Schnee, after all." We both stared at each other for a moment before sharing a hearty, yet elegant, laugh.


/-\ Yang Xiao Long; Patch /-\


"Are you guys sure you want me here?" My partner asked. "After all, I'm sure I would be fine back at Beacon."

"Blake, don't worry. We'd uhh… we're happy for you to be here." I said.

"Plus," My sister interjected. "You're kinda already here."

"She has a point, you know." A gruff voice behind us said.

I whipped around. "Uncle Qrow?!" I exclaimed, shocked. "H- how long've you been here?"

"Five minutes." Ruby and Blake said, almost in unison.

"Ya know, sis, we really need to work on your situational awareness…"

"Whatever…" I sighed. "So, uhh… what're you doing here, Qrow?"

"What? I can't spend a little time with whatever's left of our family?" He said, sarcastically. "Also, I wanna see Tai's reaction to Ruby." He paused for a moment. "By the way, why'd you all wear your armor?"

I shrugged. "Well, it's the easiest way to transport it to be honest… Also, Ruby was bringing hers, so I figured 'why not?'." I said as we approached the clearing our house was in.

"Is this it?" Blake asked. I was just about to give my affirmations when, suddenly, a corgi bolted out from behind the building. "GAH!" She exclaimed as she frantically leaped up a tree.

The three of us looked at each other before my sister and I burst out laughing, though Qrow was confused. "Afraid of dogs, kiddo?" He commented.

She shifted nervously in her tree as the dog happily barked at my feet. "Please keep it away from my belongings."

I reached down to pet the creature. "Don't be scared, he's uhh… he's friendly!"

"Zwei! Come here, boy!" I heard my father shout in the distance. "Zwei! Where are-" He rounded the corner. "-you…" He strode up to us. "Umm, hey there, Qrow. Kinda… unexpected of you to show up, and with a couple friends…" He turned to Ruby and I. "And you are…?"

With a smirk, I depolarized my visor. "Hey dad."

He jumped back slightly. "Well then, I didn't expect you to come home wearing armor." He grinned awkwardly and extended his hand towards Ruby. "Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang's dad. I'm guessing your one of her teammates?"

She nodded and shook his hand. At her silence, I spoke up. "C'mon, don't make him wait, sis."

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, sis?" We both heard the snap-hiss of her helmet depressurizing. His eyes widened and his mouth opened, but no words came out.

"Heh, Tai dot exe has stopped working." My sister joked…

…shortly before our dad fainted.

We all looked at each other before Qrow burst out laughing. "Alright, Tai, let's get cha inside." He picked up his former teammate in a bridal carry before turning to me. "Show your friends where they'll be staying, I'll deal with him."

I nodded in understanding as he strode inside the house. "Alright, Blake, you can come out now." She leaped from her perch shortly before jumping onto, and leaping off of, my sister; her eyes locked onto Zwei the entire time.

I lead my teammates into the house and had just started up the stairs when I realized Ruby wasn't following me. "Hey, uhh… Rubes? What's-" I paused as I realized she was looking at a picture of her mother. "…Oh… Take as long as you need."

"My mom was a Faunus?" She suddenly asked.

Blake suddenly perked up, but I answered instead. "Yeah, you didn't know that?"

"No! I've only seen one other picture of her; and she has her hood up in it. If my mom was a Faunus, why don't I have her cat ears? Or a tail, or something…"

"Well…" Blake started. "One in every five-thousand children born of a mixed-race couple will actually be Human." She paused. "So cases like yours, while rare, are not unheard of."

She blinked. "Huh, well… I guess ya learn somethin' new every day."

"Maybe this is why you hate racists so much?" Blake questioned.

"Nope." She said, popping the 'P'. "Two reasons, really. One: I've seen what it did to the Human race in the past." We both shivered involuntarily, remembering her description of monsters like Adolf Hitler. "Two: I've actually been a victim of it in the past…" She said a little sheepishly.

"What?" Blake questioned. "But… you're Human…"

She shrugged. "Some Marines just don't like us Spartans. They think we're nothing more than emotionless machines that ONI cooked up." She paused. "Funny that they drop the issue the second covvies show up."

"Well, for what its worth… I'm sorry you had to go through that."

She gave my partner a smile. "It's alright, it's in the past." She paused. "Well, let's get unpacked. Time's a wastin'!"

"Hey!" We heard my uncle call. "Ruby! Come here!" She shrugged before heading into the living room.


/-\ Ruby Rose /-\


"Yeah, birdman?" I asked as I strode into the living room.

"R- Ruby…?" My father stuttered out as he sat up on the couch. His eyes locked onto mine. "Is… Is that really you?"

"Yep!" I said, popping the 'P'. "I'm back, dad."

He paused for a moment. "How?! Where have you been this entire time?! And where did you get that armor?!"

"Hmm, let's see… I don't know, off-world, and classified." I rattled off.

He blinked before getting up and enveloping me in a hug. "It doesn't matter, you're here now." He pulled away and gave me a sad smile. "I'm just glad you're back, Little Rose."

I smirked. "Heh, not so little anymore, dad."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. What the hell have you been eating, by the way? Like, seriously, your mom was like five-foot-two! And here you are, taller than me!"

"Heh, again, classified." I said with a smirk. "Though the armor does make me a bit taller." I leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I'm actually only six-foot-four." He pulled back and I giggled at his incredulous look. "And I was the short one."

"Gods! Just how tall were these people?!"

"Hmm, well, Jorge was seven-four without his armor." I said, my grin dropping for a second as I remembered his fate. "So, uhh, I can't really tell you what I've been up to… Spooks'll have my head. Buuuut what's been goin' on here?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow as Tai answered. "Well, not much, to be honest. Oh, well, I guess you could say that Mountain Glenn doesn't exist anymore… But things have been quiet, all things considered."

"Oh yeah, I read about that in my history class. It was supposed to be an expansion to Vale, right?"

"Yep," Qrow interjected. "supposed to be a safe place for three million people to live and work… Good thing only a couple hundred thousand were living there when it fell…"

Tai crossed his arms. "That's still a couple hundred thousand lives lost, Qrow."

"He's got a point, uncle." I said. "While you're right that its not as bad as it could have been, that was still a horrendous loss of life."

"Not sayin' it wasn't." He huffed before pulling out a flask. "Anyways, I think you two have some catching up to do… And I'm gonna find out what the inside of this thing looks like." He said, shaking the offending item as he strode out of the room.

We stood in awkward silence for a minute before he spoke up. "Sooo, uhh, how long've you been back?"

"Well, I landed about a week before the semester started… soooo… about four or five months now."

He blinked. "And you didn't think to call me? Maybe let me know you were alive?"

"I did, but I figured that this was better left to be a face-to-face meeting. Also, who's to say you'd've believed me if I called you?"

"Point…" He sighed before suddenly perking up again. "I just remembered something." He strode over to a weathered looking trunk in the corner of the room. "Your uhh… Your mom wanted you to have this when you were older." He said, producing a red cloak. "She made it specifically for you, said every Rose has had one and that it works with your semblance."

I blinked before taking it. "How could she know about my semblance? I didn't even know about it until…" I trailed off. Flashes of Operation: TORPEDO flashed through my mind.

After an unknown amount of time, I was awoken from my pseudo slumber by my father shaking me. "Ruby! Ruby! Can you hear me?!"

I blinked. "Uhh… Yeah… I'm fine." I said in a rather unconvincing tone.

"Are you sure? You were shaking." He looked me in the eye. "Ruby, are you alright?"

"Yes. Just some… bad memories is all." I sighed. "Anyways, what does this thing have to do with my semblance?"

"Oh, umm… She said that every Rose before her has had a semblance that somehow related to rose petals. Cloaks like this one have the ability to latch onto them. It's kinda like a battery, but for your semblance specifically."

I hummed. "Well, that's kinda handy."

He chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it. By the way, what is your semblance?"

"Hmm? Oh, I can burst into rose petals and move super-fast!" I said as I demonstrated…

…leaving a trail all over the room… "Hehe, sorry…"

He only smiled. "Don't worry about it. If they're anything like your mom's, they'll disappear in like, an hour or so."

"Huh. Y'know, I always wondered what happened to 'em. Guess I just never stuck around to find out…" I paused. "So… If you don't mind me asking… what was mom's?"

"Its okay. Hers was she could make solid objects out of her white rose petals. Came in kinda handy when you're fighting a giant nevermore." He sighed. "But she usually just made loads of weapons with it."

"That sounds… extremely useful." I commented before sighing. "But, anyways… I should probably go unpack now… See ya later."

"Actually, I was wondering something." I paused mid-stride and turned around with a hum. "Well, since both my daughters came home, I was kinda wondering if you'd like to go on a camping trip while you're here."

I smiled. "Sure thing, dad." I said as I climbed the stairs.


We stared at each other intently for several minutes, each trying to guess what the other was plotting. I remained as impassive as Blake, while both Yang and Tai were trying to suppress grins. We had already been home for a week now, and everyone was starting to get comfortable with each other, though Blake still kept to herself. Suddenly, my sister shot out of her seat and thrust a finger at me. "Ruby Rose, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

"Your funeral, sis." I replied with a smirk.

She slams a card down on the table, knocking over one of Blake's pieces and receiving a glare. "Hehe… sorry…" She fixes it. "Anyways, ANCIENT DEATHSTALKER!" She shouts. "If I roll a seven or higher, your pitiful AK-85s will melt before my forces!"

"Heh, you do realize that you have to roll a d8, right? That's like… a 20% success rate…"

"25, actually." Blake chimes in.

"Still, I don't fancy your chances." A look of determination spreads across her face as the die leaves her hand… …only to vanish as she rolls a natural one… "Aaaaand there goes your motorized infantry…"

"Bah!"

"Now, the Kingdom of Vale will fall before the might of Atlas!" I shouted as I threw down a card. "I command my Beowolves to board your airfleet!"

"What?! You can't do that!" She shouts.

"Where does it say I can't?" I asked, smugly.

"Gah! I'll find some reason you can't…" She says as she rummages around in the box for a minute before sighing. "Daaaad, where's the rulebook?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, we haven't needed it in a long time. Here, I'll look it up quick." He pulled out his scroll and started typing. "Uhh, what?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"I don't have a signal… Weird…" He paused in thought. "That's not right, Patch has always had great signal."

Just then, my suit's long-range radio picked up a signal and beamed it to my neural implant. "This is Weiss Schnee to any and all UNSC forces. Winter Contingency. I repeat, Winter Contingency, Atlas. How copy?"

I paled as I pressed my finger to my ear, keying my mic. "Repeat your last. Did you say Winter Contingency?" Both Blake and Yang immediately stopped whatever they were doing and stared at me.

"Correct." She said with no small amount of sorrow. "They're here, Ruby."

"…May god help us all…" I paused. "We're en route. ETA whenever the fuck we get there. Stay alive, Ice Queen."

"Just get here, Oaf." She said as the connection cut out.

I turned to everyone. "Alright everyone, Winter Contingency has been declared. Suit up, Helljumpers, we're goin' to Atlas." They ran off to get their armors as I burst into rose petals, reforming into my own suit. I turned to my father who had the single most confused look on his face ever. "Alright, a lot of shit has now been declassified as a matter of global security. I'm a Spartan-III commando with the United Nations Space Command, and the enemy that is hell-bent on our extermination as a species has come to Remnant. We're gonna go steal ourselves a bullhead and save as many lives as possible. Grab whatever gear you need, we leave ASAP."


(A/N) Well… Shit has officially hit the fan for Remnant… Also, I have come up with a name for every capital ship (by Remnant standards) that will be participating in the coming battle… soooo there's that…

For clarification, the docks incident at the end of cannon volume one actually didn't happen in this timeline. Mainly because Team RWBY came in and started breaking all the WF's toys.

/- IMPORTANT -\

Well, I kinda have some bad news for everyone… Ruby B-312 will be going on hiatus for a bit… But not before this arc, and also the rest of V1, is finished… which will be in two or three chapters, depending on how things go. This isn't me losing interest in the story, far from it, actually. Instead, its because I have gone so far off the rails of the cannon show that I can't really use its timeline anymore. Thus, I can't really just fly the story by the seat of my pants like I have been doing. If all goes well, chapter fourteen or fifteen (again, depends on how the next few chapters go) will be published in late December or early January. This doesn't mean that I'll just be doing nothing over the hiatus, though. If everything goes according to plan, I'll put up another story at the same time as the last chapter of this one before the hiatus.

\- IMPORTANT -/

Some interesting tidbits about Summer Rose this chapter. And for those that say Ruby should be a faunus because of her mother's heritage, I shall point you to the World of Remnant on faunus, where Qrow says something along the lines of a human + a faunus typically means the kid is also a faunus. I'd say that 4999 in every 5000 (or 99.98%) is good enough to be considered a typical result. Fun fact: I wanted to make Summer a Wolf faunus, buuut there's no way those ears were gonna hide under a cloak… Also, that would make her the third wolf faunus in the story. (Random hobo in ch7, Selini, and then Summer). For those that missed it, she's a cat faunus.

On to the Reviews!

TheFishKing – I do, actually. Whenever you see a /-\ symbol in between two line breaks, it means the POV is switching.

Dragon lord Syed 101 – I haven't decided if she's bi or just gay, but yea, fun times are indeed ahead.

osterreicher97 – Salem currently doesn't know about Ruby, yet… But Cinder does. And little ole glassy is just a tiny bit fucking pissed off at Ruby… though she doesn't know its Ruby specifically… The reason why Adam lost so horribly is because he A) didn't know how to fight a Spartan. And B) Severely underestimated Ruby's capabilities. All in all, he's lucky to still have four functioning limbs.

SenorGorilla – Thanks! And with the timeline, now's as good a place as any to say how it works. I have decided that time does not flow linearly between the RWBYverse and the Halo Universe. Meaning that it could, theoretically, still be seconds after Ruby left, from their point of view, or it could be thousands of years in the future, or anywhere in between, really… But the date she arrived on Remnant (by their calendar) was Sunday October 24th, 1581 PE (Post Establishment). I think I stated the date at the end of the last chapter, but I'll say the current one again. It is now Thursday March 10th, 1582 PE. Meaning she has now been home for around four and a half months. Concerning the second review, this is the actual Covenant. Not the Storm that we see in Halo 4/5 or the Banished of Halo Wars 2. These guys are the real deal coming straight from Reach.

raw666 – Oh, yea. Adam is PISSED that he got beat… Though idk if he'll fall into an obsession or if he'll stay somewhat rational. The villain's reactions are the main reason this story will be going into hiatus soon, as I need some time to think their plans through. Also, can't have Adam dying so soon in the story, now can we?

Shadow Walker of Fire – Thanks! Actually, it wasn't her mom she shouted at. It was just a random raven… But who says her mom wasn't watching while doing the bird-equivalent of laughing her ass off? Place an M45 by my feet!

Guest 01 – Yep, he's ever so slightly BOILING WITH RAGE. And he hasn't been told because Ruby wanted it to be a face-to-face encounter.

DRMAK – Thanks! And you'll probably get to see her use it in the next arc. The only reason why she didn't keep Melodic Cudgel when she beat Roman in ch1 is because the police wouldn't let her keep it.

spartan-140 – Possibly. Because of the aforementioned non-linear timeline, I have no idea what's going on in the Halo Universe atm.

psp reader – And thank you!

seraphimnight – Thanks! And I've gotta throw in a fun little curve-ball every once in a while. Keeps things interesting.

Guest 002 – Yea, she's kinda OP at the moment. While I have stated that her power level is roughly equal to that of a half-maiden, she's capable of much more due to what she is. I try to take into account as many things about a character as possible when they fight, such as Adam's ignorance and overconfidence during the last one… leading to his curb-stomp and the loss of Wilt and Blush. Even so, she'd have an extremely difficult time going against a full-maiden or even Ozpin, let alone someone like Salem. Or course, that may change if she were to learn how to use her eyes… Also, I may have laughed way harder at that last comment than I'd care to admit.

– Okay, I'll take that as a complement… soooo thanks!

Lucian Cardell – Glad to see you're enjoying it!

And that's it for this chapter. The next one up will be chapter twelve, 'Winter Contingency'. See everyone then!