Standing in front of Yang, was the woman she had been searching for the past two years since she got a hold of a picture that belonged to her Uncle. The photo displayed his team: STRQ, and its team members back when they attended Beacon and even had three members of her family.
Her uncle: Qrow.
Her father: Tai-Yang.
And her step-mother: Summer.
However, in front of her now was who Yang guessed was the fourth member whom she had no knowledge of. Her father and uncle did mention a fourth member briefly but did never elaborated further on who that was.
Yang couldn't help but swallow nervously as she eyed the dark-haired woman. She didn't know how Neo knew who this woman or why she would run upon seeing her, but one thing was for certain: she emanated an intimidating aura.
She raised her head expectedly as she glared down at Yang, which only amplified her daunting presence and made Yang instinctively take a defensive stance and tightened her firsts.
"Who are you?" Yang asked. "How do you know my name?"
Initially, the woman didn't answer as she took a moment to simply examine Yang.
"How did you know I was on the train?" Yang asked. "Why did you save me?"
"Your welcome, by the way," the woman replied before narrowing her eyes at Yang. "It will be the last time I help you."
Yang was taken aback by this and was left speechless. However, she was quickly reminded of something…
"Hold on," Yang said as she then patted at her pockets before pulling out her Scroll, as she then quickly swiped through different images of her family and sister, before finally finding her Uncle's photo.
She quickly zoomed in on the image of this dark-haired woman and raised the Scroll for her to see.
"I know that this is you," Yang said, only for the woman to cock her brow in response. "You were teammates with my father, uncle, and step-mom."
"Is that all?" The woman asked, to which Yang was slightly taken aback.
"Excuse me?" Yang asked, a sudden flicker of rage coursed through her as her eyes flashed red, which the dark-haired woman noticed and tilted her head.
"Is that all you know about me?" The dark-haired woman reiterated as a smirk began to play across her face.
Yang blinked and was confused for a moment, even more so as the woman began to chuckle to herself before it died down with a sigh.
"I never thought that my own brother would neglect to tell you about me," the woman said to herself as she turned away. "I understand Tai but…"
"I'm sorry?" Yang asked as she didn't catch what the woman said and took a step forward.
The woman noticed this, and quickly reared her head back at her and stared at her intently.
"Please," Yang continued as she took another step forward, as she did a double take between the image and her. "I am looking for someone."
"Seems like you have found someone," the woman quipped as she pointed at the image.
"No!" Yang snapped but then paused a moment to calm herself as she also shook her head. "I mean, I am looking for someone important and I think you are the only one who can help."
"I am going to guess that you are looking for your mother," the woman replied.
"What?" Yang asked as her eyes widened in surprise but also excitement. "How did you know?"
"Let's call it a lucky guess," the woman replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Listen, lady," Yang snapped but then noticed the woman place a hand on her sheathed sword and then took a moment to calm herself once more. "If you know anything about her, please tell me."
The woman didn't respond immediately, which only began to tick of Yang even more, especially since she felt she was finally getting somewhere.
The woman then shook her head and looked down at the ground before looking up at Yang again.
"For someone who took my looks, you really do take after your dad's thick-headedness," the woman replied.
Yang couldn't speak. She instead took a moment to repeat what she had said in her mind before it finally dawned on her.
"M-mom?" Yang stuttered; her legs felt like jelly as she tried to stay up.
"We have a winner," the woman replied but then couldn't help but cringe. "But I'll admit, being called 'mom' is just weird."
"Uhh," Yang stammered, but then suddenly felt elated as she then couldn't help but laugh to herself.
Nobody had ever told her anything about her mother other than she had left her and her dad when she was born. Now, after many years of wondering and searching, she instead came to her.
"I… I have always wanted to meet you," Yang said excitedly. "I have so many questions."
Yang attempted to take another step forward, only for the woman to quickly draw her blade and pressed it against her neck.
"Wh-" Yang said but couldn't finish as she looked down at the blade and then at the woman, her face expressed shock and her eyes conveyed confusion.
"Listen, kid, I don't know what you thought would happen," The woman said as she pushed the blade forward, forcing Yang to take a step back in order to not get cut. "I am only here to tell you that what happened back in Mt. Glenn would be the last time I save your skin."
Yang held her breath and didn't move, and when the woman pulled her sword back, she quickly swallowed and took in a deep breath.
The woman exchanged glances with her one more time before she turned without saying another word.
"Wait," Yang said as she reached out to her but was ignored.
Yang then grits her teeth as she watched the woman who had revealed herself to be her mother, simply turn her back on her and walk away. The sinking feeling in her chest reminded her of when she kept pestering her uncle about her mother because her dad wouldn't tell her.
How one day, he thought she deserved to know that her mother simply walked out on them. It was bad to think about then and now she has finally found her, only for her to walk away once more.
Yang couldn't bear it and her eyes turned red.
"I said wait!" Yang lunged and grabbed the woman by the arm, which made her stop mid-step but she still didn't turn to face her. "You owe it to this family to tell me-!"
Suddenly, the woman pulled her arm away, only to reel her elbow at Yang's nose. It came in quick, but luckily, Yang managed to utilize her Aura to take the brunt of the hit but was still strong enough to bring her down.
Yang quickly tried to get back up only to be brought down by the woman as she pressed her boot onto Yang's chest.
"Listen, Yang," the woman said with ice in her voice. "You may have my blood but we are NOT family."
However, she was surprised to see Yang grasp at her foot and tried to lift it off her.
"Why?" Yang asked through clenched teeth and her voice strained as she tried to push against the woman, only for the woman to apply more of her weight down on her. "Why did you save me only to leave again? You owe me and dad an explanation!"
"You think I owe you anything?" The woman laughed but then decided to step off Yang and stepped back. "Get up."
Yang quickly kicked herself up and took on a low posture, ready to take action against whatever comes next.
"The strong take what they want," the woman said as she pointed her sword at Yang again. "If you want answers, then come and get them."
Yang stared at the woman but couldn't move, let alone, speak. She knew that this woman was far out of her league and now the one question that kept ringing in her mind was: why?
The woman held onto her blade as she examined Yang but then spat on the ground as she turned away from her once more.
Suddenly, she slashed at the empty air and Yang saw a red tear open up in front of her. It was just like when she had been saved back in Mt. Glenn.
"Goodbye, Yang," the woman said without turning to face her and just as quickly as she spoke, she stepped through.
"Please…" Yang said a hushed plea but it fell on deaf ears.
The woman was gone and the tear closed behind her.
Only Yang remained and was left with a familiar feeling…
Yang couldn't help but stare into the empty space where her mother stood as she began to think about all the questions she wanted to ask. How she had rehearsed everything that she had wanted to say but was not given the chance.
To ask why she left and how Yang was even willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she had good reason to leave. If she knew that she was even alive… and now she knew that her mother was always aware of her existence but it seemed like she didn't care.
All the questions she wanted to ask… her prepared speeches, down the drain as she would never get to tell them.
Yang raised her hands and looked into her empty palms. All these years of searching and when she finally found her, she felt like she still came up with nothing.
Something inside Yang began to hurt, her eyes flashed red and she closed her eyes.
"Argh!"
With a scream, Yang fell to her knees and brought down both of her fists. With a loud crack, her fists smashed into the concrete ground, forming two craters on impact.
Yang's breathing slowly calmed and became heavy as she reeled her body back, dragging her fists along the ground before they rested on her lap.
Her eyes were no longer red when she opened them, nor were they their normal lilac; instead they turned a dark blue.
0-RWBY-0
After their initial interrogation from General Ironwood's investigators, Team HAVC spent a night in the brig of the Atlesian Flagship, the Olympus. With them, were armed guards stationed right outside of their cell all throughout the night.
In the morning, they were surprised to see not another one of the investigators, but Ironwood himself.
"How long are we going to be your prisoners, General?" Haiiden growled.
"You were never prisoners," Ironwood replied calmly. "You are merely being detained until we can figure out what happened."
"We told you everything we knew," Haiiden said.
"Perhaps, but we have determined one falsity in your story and that was you coercing Leaven," Ironwood said as he glared at Haiiden. "Seems as though he flew you to Mt. Glenn of his own free will."
Haiiden swallowed and hoped that Leaven was going to be okay.
"His punishment is not mine to decide, however," Ironwood continued, which immediately alleviated Haiiden's worry. "That is for the Headmaster of Beacon to address, but considering the circumstances and your intentions, I believe Ozpin will be lenient, as usual."
"He will," Zed replied as he reasoned with Ironwood. "We only wanted to help our friends who were in trouble."
"Admirable as it may be, there were better ways of going about it," Ironwood countered.
"You wouldn't have believed us if we told you about the White Fang and Mt. Glenn," Haiiden interjected.
"Perhaps," Ironwood once again addressed Haiiden. "However, the alternative is better than commandeering school property."
"I agree."
The team was surprised to hear a recognizable voice and they all stood at attention as Professor Goodwitch came into view.
"However, I will have to ask if locking them up was necessary, James," Professor Goodwitch remarked. "They are not thugs or criminals; they are students of Beacon Academy."
"There have been some changes," Ironwood replied assuredly as he stood tall, his hands behind his back. "The Council of Vale has asked me to take over investigations regarding the breach. Team HAVC was part of that investigation, so these accommodations were for their safety. Rest assured, they were treated well as long as they cooperated in the investigation into the breach."
Professor Goodwitch listened but didn't address Ironwood. Instead, she glared at Haiiden like a mother scolding a child who in turn, diverted his gaze.
"Come with me," Professor Goodwitch said. "Headmaster Ozpin would like a word with you."
Ironwood nodded as he personally reached forward and with a swipe of a keycard, unlocked HAVC's cell. One by one, they exited the cell and were presented with their confiscated weapons. Haiiden quickly attached the sheath to his belt as he and pulled out his blade to examine it.
The guards quickly raised their weapons but were dismissed by Ironwood. Haiiden silently sheathed his sword before shooting an approving glance over at Ironwood, and his team quickly followed behind Professor Goodwitch.
With General Ironwood and his entourage following closely behind.
0-RWBY-0
Haiiden had hoped that he wouldn't have to tell Ozpin about what they had been doing behind his back. He assumed that General Ironwood would have just relayed everything that HAVC had told them but Ozpin had requested to hear it from them, personally.
(However, when the doors to Ozpin's office slid open, he and his team were surprised to see another team standing before them. A group of four girls, one of which had a flowing mane of yellow hair.
Another with a neat side-ways ponytail and the Schnee Family insignia emblazoned on the back of her blouse.
The third was the girl named Blake that Haiiden and his team had been helping track down Torchwick.
Then finally, a small black-haired girl with red accents who wore a black and red skirt.
"Welcome back to Beacon, HAVC," Ozpin said as he watched General Ironwood march over to the side of the office and watched. "I hope your overnight stay with the General wasn't too stressful."
The four girls likewise traced the General's movement but then turned to see who it was that Ozpin was referring to and now all eyes were on HAVC.
"We understand, Headmaster, that it was necessary," Cecilia replied, to which the rest of the team nodded and stood beside the other team.
"Of course," Ozpin replied. "We must get down to the bottom of this and try to ascertain as to what happened. Which is why I have also requested an audience with Team RWBY so as to get their side of the story."
"So, they are alright?" Haiiden asked excitedly.
"Indeed," Ozpin said with a smile as he gestured towards the four girls. "RWBY, I would like you to meet HAVC, the team who took it upon themselves to go after you in Mt. Glenn."
"It is nice to finally meet you," Haiiden greeted, to which the rest of his team likewise greeted. "We have heard a lot of good things about you."
"Hell yeah," the yellow-haired girl replied enthusiastically as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Nothing but good things here."
"Yang, please," the white-haired girl responded with a huff as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.
"Zed has told me about your team as well," Blake said, ignoring her teams' banter as she addressed Haiiden. "Thank you for doing your best to help us."
"Although we didn't need help," the girl named Yang objected. "We had it under control."
"Yang, I don't think we had it under control," the black-and-red-haired girl replied sheepishly.
"Team RWBY, please," Ozpin interrupted and despite his calm and kind tone, the office fell silent under his authority. "Continue your story, Ruby."
"Yes, sir," the red-and-black-haired girl said hesitantly as she began to twiddle her thumbs.
Haiiden was stunned to see the small girl then step forward. He had heard stories about a girl named Ruby all year and was prepared to meet with a hardened warrior. Instead, he was surprised to see a short and timid girl who stuttered as she told her story.
Just then, something pinged in his mind as this little girl reminded him of someone…
"You don't have to be worried, Ruby," Ozpin assured her. "I simply want to hear your side of what happened."
"Well," Ruby continued. "When we were with Dr. Oobleck, it was my turn to take watch, and it was then that I noticed White Fang patrols in Mt. Glenn."
"It was then that you decided to follow them?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes, General," Ruby said nervously.
"Why didn't you alert your team, or at the very least, Professor Oobleck?" Ironwood asked sternly to which Haiiden glared at him from the corner of his eye.
"I-it was only a brief moment," Ruby said with a slight stutter as she turned to Ozpin.
"James, please," Ozpin said as he looked over at the General. It was one of the few moments that Haiiden had ever seen Ozpin look at someone sternly.
"Forgive me, please continue," Ironwood said with an apologetic nod.
"I only saw them for a moment and I didn't want to lose them," Ruby continued, a little more confidently with the help of Ozpin. "I thought I could watch and see where they were going but I lost my footing and fell into a hole."
"It was there that you were captured by the White Fang," Ironwood concluded.
"Yes," Ruby replied.
"Did you make no attempt at escape?" Ironwood asked.
"I didn't have Crescent Rose with me," Ruby said, embarrassed as she twiddled her thumbs again. "I had no way of fighting my way out."
"When we noticed that she was gone and that she had left her weapon behind, we noticed immediately that something was wrong," the white-haired girl immediately jumped in.
"Yeah," the girl named Yang said defensively. "We went out to look for her and our dog, Zwei, showed us the hole where she fell in."
"Wait, you are allowed to bring pets into Beacon?" Cecilia asked quizzically.
"That is beside the point," Ironwood interrupted as he waved his hand dismissively. "Now we are faced with a situation where you forced the White Fang to act, which caused the breach."
"Are you blaming us for what happened?" Yang blurted out angrily.
"Definitely not," Ironwood objected as he stared down Yang, who swallowed and back away. "What I am saying is that with your intervention, they were forced to act and you were ill-prepared to stop their plans."
"If I may," Vaughn interjected and everyone turned to face him. "The way I have seen and heard the White Fang operate, if they were allowed to work under their own devices, I believe the devastation would have been much worse."
"Yeah," Zed said as he calmly placed his hands behind his head. "The longer they are left alone, the longer they can plan and prepare. If anything, RWBY should be praised for stopping them while they did."
Ruby smiled at Zed, who winked at her playfully.
"I fail to see how a breach in Vale's defenses is praise-worthy," Ironwood replied in a low voice as he addressed Zed.
"The students also had a hand in stopping the flow of Grimm into Vale," Goodwitch added. "That surely must be praise-worthy to you, General."
"It is," Ironwood replied. "However, I also think that cleaning up a mistake goes without saying."
The office went quiet as Ironwood pulled a scroll and jotted down some notes.
"I think I have all I need from Team RWBY," Ironwood said but then looked up at HAVC. "Now, Team HAVC, explain how you came to commandeering Academy property."
"Commandeering?" Blake exclaimed and turned to Zed. "Zed, what did you do?"
"We hitched a ride with Leaven to Mt. Glenn," Zed replied with a nervous smile.
"You stole Bullhead?" Blake asked, wide-eyed, to which Yang snickered.
"Damn," Yang whispered.
"I wouldn't say 'stole'," Haiiden coughed.
"Indeed," General Ironwood said in their defense. "The pilot admitted to working with them willingly."
"And with that," Ozpin replied then addressed HAVC. "Please, share your side of the story."
Zed started first, as he brought up their mission against the White Fang back in Mistral and how he had wanted to get information about the whereabouts of Roman Torchwick. All while he told this, he made sure to leave out the fact that he was once a part of the White Fang.
"Why were you interested in Roman Torchwick in the first place?" Ironwood asked.
"I heard that the White Fang had been stealing Dust shipments from the Schnee Dust Company," Zed replied, the answer already rehearsed in his head multiple times. "My father works directly under Mr. Schnee and he gets the brunt of it whenever something didn't go well."
"Yes, I remember your father," Ironwood nodded. "He works closely with Jacque."
"Yeah," Zed replied.
"Now, how did you hear about Roman if your search began with the White Fang?" Ironwood asked inquisitively.
"I used to protest alongside other Faunus back before the White Fang became… radical," Zed replied, the words tasted bitter in his mouth and even Blake looked back at him, before looking down at the floor in shame. "Many were my friends who went to join and some of whom I kept in contact with. They told me about a human that they were working with and about his methods."
"This is not important but I feel I should ask: if you had contacts in the White Fang, why did you not report this to the police or the militia?" Ironwood asked sternly.
"I understood their problems with some humans, as a Faunus myself," Zed replied. "I agree that things are not perfect but I also didn't agree with them either. If that answers your question…"
"You believe that their reasons, not their actions, were justified," Ironwood reiterated, to which Zed nodded silently.
"Okay," Ironwood said as he jotted down notes on his Scroll. "Moving forward, you came to realize that this human who was working with the White Fang was Roman Torchwick. Why go after him?"
"I felt that he was responsible for the White Fang taking a radical turn," Zed continued. "I hoped that, if I took him down, then things would settle down."
"Its never that simple, Mr. Ignis," Ironwood said with a shake of his head.
"Yeah," Zed sighed.
Zed continued to recount his experiences, and one by one, his other teammates began to recount their experiences as well, adding to Zed's initial story and to clarify any confusions. They continued on about their exploits, or as Ironwood like to call it: 'extra-curricular activities'.
Stating how after their mission to Mistral, during the break between quarters, they heard about Blake Belladonna and that she was an acquaintance of Zed's. Which lead them to confront the White Fang at the docks a couple of months prior in an attempt to help her.
"Before I continue," Zed said suddenly. "May I ask what exactly happened in Mt. Glenn?"
"I am a bit curious too," Haiiden added. "We were not told any details during our interrogations."
"We have learned that the White Fang had planned to rig explosives along the underground railway," Ironwood revealed. "These explosives were made from stolen Dust, provided by Torchwick. The purpose of these explosives was to allow the Grimm to flood in and take advantage of the breach."
"Was Torchwick there?" Zed asked through clenched teeth.
"He was," Ironwood replied simply.
"Did he escape?" Zed asked, not looking up from the floor as he tightened his fists.
"We got him, Zed," Blake replied with a smile, which made Zed's ears shoot straight up out of his hair which made even Ruby giggle. For a moment, Zed was at a loss for words and was even confused.
"You would be pleased to hear that he is in Atlesian Custody," Ironwood added and Zed couldn't contain his joy as he hopped in the air.
"Yes, yes!" Zed said happily. "Blake, I knew you could do it!"
After Zed had settled down, somewhat, and revealed that he had a run in with Torchwick at a warehouse near the coast but ultimately failed to apprehend him with his team. After that, the trail had gone cold and Zed had lost track of Torchwick, until Blake revealed that there was a possibility that they were somewhere in Eastern Vale.
With this, Zed was able to conclude the possibility that the White Fang was in Mt. Glenn and once it was revealed that Team RWBY was in Mt. Glenn as well, Haiiden decided to go after them.
"Admirable," Ironwood commented. "But better left to the VPD investigators and for the Valean Militia. This is not the kind of work that future Huntsman should be undertaking."
"They only wished to help in the best way they can," Opzin countered but then chuckled. "They are young, and as such, they don't think about their actions. Doing what they thought was right was all that mattered to them."
"These 'heroics' from your students have indirectly caused a breach that allowed the Grimm to swarm into Vale's walls. This was your responsibility," James snapped. "The people's safety needs to be guaranteed, especially during the Festival."
"Not now, James," Glynda hissed.
"Yeah," Haiiden interjected. "We were just caught off guard. Ozpin has always done a good job protecting Vale."
Team RWBY likewise expressed their praise for Ozpin.
"That is ultimately to the Council's of the Kingdoms to decide," Ironwood said but then faced HAVC once more. "Keep going."
"What do you mean?" Haiiden asked with a roll of his eyes. "We told you everything we knew."
"All but one detail," General Ironwood emphasized which made Ozpin narrow his eyes and focus on HAVC, curious as to what the General meant. Even Team RWBY looked over at them.
"I mean…" Zed said hesitantly. "There was a human down in Mt. Glenn that we came across who was claimed he was working for the White Fang. He said he was even stalking Team CFVY and RWBY when they were in Mt. Glenn"
"Another human?" Blake asked as she turned to her team, who were surprised to hear that someone had been watching them. "There was nobody else there with us. Why would another human be in Mt. Glenn, let alone, be with the White Fang?"
"I have to say that I am likewise a bit curious," Ozpin said. "Aside from Torchwick and his associate, who was already a surprise, I never knew the White Fang accepted humans; or at least, not since after the previous leader, Ghira, stepped down."
"That's what I thought too," Zed replied with a nod.
"Describe the human you met, please," Ironwood asked and looked at Ozpin expectedly.
HAVC froze for a moment as they began to recount their experience with this man.
"He fought with twin swords," Vaughn started. "A khopesh, I believe. My Dust rounds had no effect on him. Almost as if his Aura was eating them as they splashed off him."
Ozpin placed his arms onto the table and clasped his hands together as he leaned forward onto the table.
"For someone as well dressed as he was," Cecilia added. "His clothes were a mess."
"Do you mind elaborating?" Ozpin asked.
"Sure," Cecilia said with a hesitant nod. "I mean, it looked as if this person was set on fire but only enough so as not to destroy his clothes entirely. That's not the worse part though…"
"It was the smell," Zed said in disgust. "It took me a moment but the smell reminded me of burnt bodies."
Everyone turned to Zed in bewilderment, even Ruby's eyes were widened in surprise, and he sensed their confusion.
"In Menagerie it's a common practice to burn the dead," Zed replied and Blake nodded in agreement, but then Zed turned to his team. "Besides, you all should know what it smells like too; remember back in Mistral when we came across that dead guy in the wilderness?"
The other members of HAVC's expressions immediately changed as they remembered back to that day.
"Oh yeah," Cecilia commented but then raised her hand to her nose. "It was awful."
Haiiden took a look behind him at Professor Goodwitch as she shot a wide-eyed glance over at Ozpin. Haiiden couldn't quite put a finger on it, but if he had to describe the look, he would say that she seemed… fearful?
"May I inquire as to what this man did?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah, the madman attacked us," Zed replied. "He was a monster."
"No matter how much we threw at him," Cecilia added. "He just threw it back to us."
"In the end, it was just Haiiden and him," Vaughn commented. "Whatever happened, if he had not held him off, we would be dead."
Haiiden recalled on that moment and how close to death they really were.
"Are you alright, Haiiden?" Ozpin asked, his eyes solely on him now. "I understand if this was a traumatizing experience for you.
"No, I am fine," Haiiden replied but then couldn't shake what this gray man had told him back in Mt. Glenn. None of this felt right… and he even looked over at Ironwood, of all people, for some kind assurance.
Ironwood simply glanced over at him without a word.
"When I fought this man, he seemed to know who I was," Haiiden added, only for Ozpin to lean back in his chair as he stared at Haiiden intently. RWBY likewise listened curiously.
"What makes you think that?" Ozpin asked.
"He seemed to recognize my mother's sword," Haiiden continued all while Ruby looked at him. "He even knew about my Semblance and that my mother had died."
Ozpin sat silently.
"Ozpin, you knew my mother," Haiiden said. "Do you know who this man was? He even mentioned you specifically."
RWBY looked over at Ozpin.
"Judging by your descriptions, I can't say that I do," Ozpin replied and shook his head.
"Oh," Haiiden said, disappointed that he would not be getting the answers he sought.
"I am glad that all of you are alright," Ozpin said quickly. "You took a risk for your fellow students and Huntsmen and I commend you for that."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Haiiden said, and his team bowed their heads.
"As commendable it may be," Ironwood interjected. "You should have gone to the faculty first. You could have been killed and it would have been on Ozpin's shoulders. Perhaps the students experience too much leisure and freedom if they think they can go wherever on a whim."
Haiiden glared at Ironwood from the corner of his eye.
"Anyways, I must go prepare for my announcement," Ironwood said as he went for the office's elevator all while Haiiden followed his movements until he stopped in front of the door. "I trust you can take control of your students and assemble them in the foyer."
Ozpin did not answer and without saying another word, Ironwood left the office.
"What announcement?" Haiiden asked as he turned back to Ozpin.
"It is nothing to worry about," Ozpin said with a reassuring smile. "However, for the time being, I believe it best for you, or RWBY, to not go on any more heroics for a while."
"We will try our best, sir," Haiiden replied, which made Ozpin chuckle.
"Of course, I can't ask you to keep your natural inclination to help people in check," Ozpin replied. "On another note, I believe you are entitled to a well-deserved rest, HAVC; you and Team RWBY."
"We are just glad to hear they are alright," Haiiden said with a sigh. "Makes it worth all the trouble."
"Thank you again," Ruby said happily.
"You really didn't have to," Yang said with a roll of her eyes but then finally let out a huff of resignation. "But, yeah, thanks."
"I have heard from the other teams that you two have not been fully acquainted yet," Ozpin said, and with that, the two teams turned to one another which allowed them to get a better look at each other.
"RWBY, let me introduce Team HAVC," Ozpin said as he gestured at them with his hand. "They joined Beacon the same year as Team CFVY."
For a moment, the two teams were silent as they examined each other.)
"I guess I will be the gentleman and go first," Zed said with a grin as he stepped forward and place a hand over his chest. "My name is Anders Ignis, but you can call me Zed."
"What kind of name is that?" Yang asked as she laughed out loud.
"Yang!" the black-haired girl exclaimed.
"Well," Zed said with a wavering grin as he scratched the back of his head. "My mom wanted to name me Anders, but my dad wanted to name me Zed. So, they compromised and named me Anders while my dad secretly calls me Zed."
"'Compromised'," the white-haired girl joked. "However, I do recognize the name…"
"That is because my dad works for your father," Zed replied only for the white-haired girl to cock a brow at him.
"Oh, so you already know who I am?" she asked.
"I think everyone in Beacon knows who you are at this point," Yang quipped.
"Well, I am sure word does spread around," she said as she stepped forward and placed a hand over her chest. "In any case, I think it would be rude to not officially introduce myself. I am Weiss Schnee."
"Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," Vaughn reiterated, a little surprised.
"Yes…" Weiss answered, albeit, hesitantly. "That is one of my titles."
"Its always nice to see a friendly face from Atlas, Ms. Schnee," Cecilia said as she then motioned towards her brother. "Forgive his manners; my name is Cecilia Scyerei, and this is my brother, Vaughn.
"Pleased to meet you but please, call me Weiss," she replied and bowed before standing straight. "You are from Atlas as well? Why come to Beacon?"
"Long story," Cecilia and Vaughn replied together.
"However, I assume you have an equally long story as to why 'you' are here," Vaughn added.
"Well, hopefully as we get to know each other, we can get around to telling them," Blake said. "My name is Blake Belladonna."
"Nice to finally meet you, Blake," Haiiden replied. "Sorry we never really revealed ourselves when we helped but, in all honesty, we did it for Zed."
"We still appreciate it," Ruby replied to which Haiiden turned to her and beamed at her. The girl that everyone had been telling him about, and he eagerly waited for her to introduce herself.
"Come on, guys," Yang said as she slammed her fists together. "We had it under control and we ended the White Fang's plans with a Yang."
HAVC was taken aback by this strange term and the silence was broken by a cough coming from Ozpin.
"With a… Yang?" Cecilia asked incredulously as she turned to her brother, who merely shrugged.
"Yeah, you know…" The yellow-haired girl continued. "Yang? Bang?"
"You seriously got to stop," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes as she placed her hands on her waist.
"I mean… It didn't really work the first time, Yang" The black-haired girl said as she twiddled her thumbs before addressing HAVC. "This is my sister, Yang, by the way."
"I think we got that," Haiiden said with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, come on," Yang said with a huff as she turned to a now embarrassed HAVC. "It was funny, right?"
"Oh! Ummm, yeah," Haiiden replied as he scratched the back of his head as he tried his best to smile politely.
"Yeah, it was funny," Yang said all while she grinned to herself proudly.
Before long, all eyes were on Haiiden and the black-haired girl.
"Now lastly, we have the two team leaders," Ozpin said.
Haiiden looked at Ruby and was surprised to hear that she was the leader of RWBY. Her stature made him assume that she was probably younger than the rest of her teammates; even her almost innocent expression and her shy demeanor put him off guard. Despite this, he trusted Ozpin's decision to allow her into Beacon and he extended his hand out to her.
However, that he got a better look at her the feelings he felt just moments ago returned as she reminded him of someone; but he couldn't quite put a finger as to who.
"Haiiden Shiro," he said as he smiled at the small black-haired girl and extended his hand and at first, she was hesitant and looked over at her sister but then took in a deep breath and likewise extended her hand.
"Ruby," she said. "Ruby Rose."
Haiiden's eyes shot wide open upon hearing her name and he didn't have time to react as she grabbed his hand and shook it.
"R-rose?" Haiiden stuttered and didn't realize she heard him.
"Mhm," she replied but noticed his surprised and silently tilted her head at him.
When she let go of him, he quickly pulled his hand back but was unable to take his eyes of this young girl.
It was then that he remembered who she reminded him of. She shared the same name and was the spitting image of Summer Rose, his mother's friend; and the woman who died to protect him when his home was attacked by the Grimm.
"Forgive me," Vaughn said. "But may I ask how old you are, Ruby?"
"I am fifteen," Ruby simply replied as she looked over at Vaughn.
"Fifteen…" Haiiden thought and calculated that she must have been around three or four years old when she died. The thought of losing a loved one at that age made him swallow nervously.
"That's pretty young," Zed said, as he placed his hands behind his head and looked over at Ozpin, then back at Ruby. "I bet you are quite the Huntress."
"Well, not yet," Ruby replied shyly and with a nervous smile but then squeaked as she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace by her sister.
"With how good you are," Yang said. "You practically are one."
"Yang, please," Ruby begged, her voice strained as she was hugged tightly. "You are embarrassing me in front of the new team."
"You are embarrassing us too, Yang," Weiss added. "Act a little bit more professional."
"Trust me," Cecilia replied, as she pointed at Haiiden and Zed. "This team is anything but professional."
"Ouch," Zed said as he peeked over at Cecilia. "That cuts deep."
"That's enough for now," Glynda Goodwitch said and the office went quiet under her authority. She then turned to Ozpin as she raised her Scroll.
"James is calling for the all of the students to gather within the next fifteen minutes," Glynda Goodwitch continued. "He says he expects everyone to be on time."
"I guess I have no choice in the matter," Ozpin sighed. "Students, please make haste to the foyer. At the request of the Council, James must make an announcement to the students of Beacon, as well as our guests from the other academies."
"Is everything alright?" Vaughn asked.
"I believe its best you hear the news from the General himself," Professor Goodwitch replied instead as she began to corral the students towards the elevator.
"Let's go, mate," Zed said as he clapped his hand on Haiiden's shoulder as he stared at Ruby, which caused him to jump.
"What? Yeah," Haiiden replied and began to make his way to the elevator silently. He swallowed nervously and stared into space as he stood beside Ruby and the doors to the elevator closed shut.