"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move fall like a thunderbolt." -Sun Tzu


RWBY: Black Rebellion


Rouge Rose had always been a curious thing, from the day he was born. Ask his father, or his sisters, and they could tell you that, unlike most children, who start to show signs of maturity at the age of eight, he was already a grown man in terms of mentality. By the time he could learn how to walk, he knew how to speak. By the time he knew how to speak, he knew how to read. By the time he knew how to read, he wanted to learn how to fight. Of course, at that point, he was still so young. Unfortunately, such a sentiment was shared by his sister, who was only a few minutes older than him. She had wanted learn how to fight as well, to wield a scythe like her mother and uncle, to learn how to, and he quote, "become a hero like in the stories." When it became clear to their parents that he wouldn't take no for an answer, they unlocked the twin siblings' aura, and gave them a head start on how to fight.

Ruby wasn't as excelled as others, which was to be expected. Just as she had told Ozpin, she had been utter garbage before he taught her how to use a scythe properly. Rouge, however, was different. From the moment he picked up the blade, one could clearly see he was talented. He was a natural, and if the praise Qrow gave him was any indication, it was clear that he may surpass even Summer. However, there had always been that one lingering problem that he always had; his lack of commitment. Despite being talented, he never put any true effort into it. He would rather spend his time in the library, reading books about strategies and the story of the world he lived in rather than engage in combat. Were it not for Qrow and his father, Taiyang, chances are, he would have lived his life as a twig and a bookworm who was good with a weapon.

There was more than enough complaints from Rouge as he trained with Ruby, but the effort paid off. The two were of equal skill, and shared the same style, which was to be expected. Both their uncle and their mother were skilled scythe users, thus it was natural for them to be wanting to use a similar weapon. Their time at Signal had more than done wonders, as their weapons were nearly identical, sans their color schemes and functions. Wilted Requiem, and Crescent Rose, twin scythes, both of which designed by Ruby, who was the more technical genius of the two. In spite of her social awkwardness, her talent in weapons was second to none. Ask her anything about a weapon, and she could go on for possibly hours on end. Rouge never had much talent for understanding weapons, but Ruby's knowledge more than helped him in the designs for Wilted Requiem.

Truly, they were closer than most twins, but there was always that distinct difference between them... Rouge most of all. Ruby was the more optimistic of the two. Being raised on the stories of Huntsmen and Huntresses, she had aspired to become just like the heroes of those fables and legends and stories and myths. She wanted to be the hero who would protect the world from the darkness. It was a naive way of thinking, especially considering that the real world was unforgiving and cruel, but Ruby still held steadfast to the light of optimism, never faltering for even a second. Rouge, however, was the realist. He knew what kind of place the world was like. It was like a beast, ready to swallow you up when presented the opportunity. He knew that people weren't as clear cut as Ruby believed. The world wasn't black and white, it was a giant blotch of gray, with no signs of light and dark. People could be cruel and spiteful, even murderous. One had to look no further than the White Fang to see the depths of human depravity. To Rouge, it was the fault of humans, especially the Schnee Dust Corporation in particular, that the White Fang even existed. Because of them, they pushed the Faunus to the brink, and created monsters of their own making.

And he was sick of it all. This cruel, twisted world, the world that had robbed him of his mother, the world that would destroy his sister for her naivete. It was all so... stupid. This world, this hell... If having power meant you were just, then was being powerless a sign? No... He couldn't... He REFUSED to accept that. This world, which favored only the strong... It didn't deserve to exist.

He wanted to destroy it.


"...Rouge? Hellooooo, earth to little brother!"

The black-haired boy blinked rapidly, seeing Yang's face a few feet away from his own while waving her hand across her face. He craned his head slightly, turning to see her and Ruby looking slightly concerned for him. "You okay, Rouge?" his twin asked out of concern. "You looked kinda distracted."

"Ah, sorry about that." he apologized. "I was just... thinking about some stuff."

"Stuff?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

He paused briefly. He couldn't quite exactly tell them that he had been thinking about his promise to his mother, as neither of his sisters were even remotely aware of it. It also wouldn't do well for him if they learned about it, so he went with a quick escape, albeit a slightly touchy subject for him. "...I was just thinking what mother would have said, if she could see us now." His words brought forth a discomforting silence to them. Yang looked slightly more worried for him while Ruby's eyes turned out to the window, as if gazing across the ocean, and to the Isle of Patch, where her resting place laid.

"Hey..." his older sister said gently, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "She'd be proud of us."

'Not all of us.' he wanted to tell her, but he held his tongue. Instead, he gave a false, yet wry smile. "Yeah... I suppose your right." Slowly, the Bulkhead began to slow it's descent, it's large frame turning to it's side. The machine jolted somewhat, causing further discomfort for the blonde boy who had been blowing chunks at different intervals, as it linked up with the docks. Eventually, the doors slid open, allowing the students to exit the Bulkhead. No sooner did the doors open did the blonde boy bolt right out, his feet skidding across the floor as his hands grabbed unto a nearby trash can, and began to empty the contents of his stomach. Rouge shook his head, slightly amused by the sight, before following his sisters out with the flow of students.

They soon stopped as soon as they set foot on the school grounds. He had to say, up close, Beacon was far more impressive than what the papers said it was. "Whoooooa..." Yang and Ruby said in awe, looking at the long pathway leading up to the school. The pathway was lined with trees, all with branches colored a light shade of red to represent the current season. "The view from Vale's got nothing on this." Yang commented, taking in the sights as she looked around the school grounds. The school itself was vast in size, especially from the towering structure actually behind it, also likely to be apart of the school. Several lush areas were also surrounding it, providing a sense of serenity and peace and tranquility, likely to provide a sense of peace and quiet to the students.

It was a nice view, all in all, although the statue looked sort of out of place to Rouge. "Ooh! Ooh! Rouge!" Ruby's excited shout caused him to look at her as her form seemingly became smaller, her eyes in the form of sparkles, seemingly floating into the air as a student passed by. "That kid's got a collapsible staff!" she waved her arms around excitedly, hearts pulsing above her head before another student passed by, this time carrying a blade wreathed in flames. Ruby's face grew even more excited as she clung to his arm. "A-and she's got a fire sword!"

"Easy there, sis." Rouge chuckled as he pulled on her hood, keeping her from floating away and out of there sight. "I know you're obsessed about weapons, but try to tone it down a bit."

"Yeah. They're just weapons." Yang agreed.

"Just weapons...? JUST weapons?" Ruby looked at their sister as if she grew a second head...or her hair was cut short. Rouge let out a small sigh, foreseeing the inevitable lecture. "They are NOT 'just weapons'! They are a part of us, a part of how we live! They are extensions of ourselves! They protect us, fight with us, keep us warm and comfy at night!"

"Ruby," Rouge smiled wryly. "Weapons do not make friends."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what little bro said."

Ruby, however, frowned in confusion as she tilted her head to the side. "But, I've got you two as friends, don't I?"

"We're siblings, Ruby." her twin bopped her on the head lightly. "We do not count as friends."

"Whaaaat...?" Ruby pouted. "That's mean! I've always thought we were friends, despite being blood related."

"Ruby, sooner or later, your going to have to grow out of your shell, and learn to make new friends." Rouge said sternly. "For example," he stabbed his thumb over by the Bulk Head, where the blonde male was still blowing chunks. "Vomit Boy over there."

The red reaper cocked her head. "...really, Rouge?"

"What?" he shrugged. "He could be a very decent guy."

"Yeah, if he doesn't go puking on your shoes...or worse." Yang grimaced.

"You shouldn't really making lasting judgments based on first impressions. After all, motion sickness is actually a pretty common issue amongst the populace." Rouge reasoned.

"Whatever you say, bro." Yang shrugged before she looked over her shoulder. "Whoops~ Sorry guys, my buds are here." True enough, a group of people were quickly coming up behind them. "See ya!"

"Yang, wait-!" Too late. The crowd swept her up, and charged past the two twins, leaving them gawking. Rouge was slightly disappointed in his sibling, having parted with them, before she could even offer a single word of advice to Ruby. As for said sister, she felt like crying. She really did. How could Yang just go up and leave them here?! She didn't know the first thing about making friends in the first place! It was one thing to get to know them via social interaction, but it was another if it was getting to know them because of their weapon. Sadly, she doubted the last one would work so well. It would just make people think she was nuts!

"...well, there she goes." her twin remarked dryly before turning to Ruby. "I still think you should get to know people rather than their weapon." he said sternly, as if he were imitating his father. "Seriously, Ruby... If you want to swoon over weapons, why not your own?"

"But I am happy with Crescent Rose..." As to prove her point, she took out her scythe and hugged it close. "I just...like seeing new ones. It's like meeting people...but better."

Rouge face-palmed. "...you are a nut case."

"And you're a meanie! And you're supposed to be my brother!" She pouted.

"Hey, I'm just stating a fact." he shot back with a smug grin.

Ruby was about to retort when something smacked into her, causing both whatever hit her and she herself to be thrown to the ground. "Kyah!" she accidentally knocked over a bunch of white suitcases during her fall. "Whoa, Ruby!" Rouge immediately went over to his sister, helping her up. "You okay?"

"yeah. I-I think so." the girl said as she was pulled up.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" a shrill voice admonished.

"S-sorry..." Ruby apologized as she looked up. Rouge appeared to recognize the owner of the voice, and scowled heavily. It was a young girl, dressed primarily in light blue, white, and some red. She wore a pale blue bolero jacket over a similarly colored thigh-length dress with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of the dress. The inside of the bolero was red and the sleeves turn blue as they get closer to her wrists. The back of the bolero displayed a familiar crest, which bore a resemblance to a snowflake. Similar to Ruby, she wore a combat skirt(?). She wore an apple-shaped necklace along with a pair of thin, rectangular earrings. She had white, heeled wedge boots that go to mid-calf; the insides were also lined with red. Her long white hair was pulled back in an off-center ponytail, at the base of which is a small tiara that resembles icicles. She had a pale complexion and ice blue eyes. She also bore a crooked scar down her left eye. She also wore a small bag on the back of her dress, wrapped around her waist with a ribbon.

"Sorry?" the girl scoffed. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could've caused?!" Ruby didn't understand any of it as she took one of the white cases, handing it to the girl, who snatched it away from her. "This is Dust mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry." she informed her as she checked the contents, seeing all the vials within safe and sound without a scratch.

"Uh..." Ruby was still slightly dazed from the impact as her eyes were like swirls.

The girl glared at her, almost seethingly. "What are you, brain dead?!" she snapped as she removed one of the vials. "Dust! Fire, Water, Lightning, energy!" she stated as she swung the vial around. She failed to notice the powder that was flowing out, a result of the cork on the vial coming loose slightly from the impact when the cases knocked into Ruby.

Before the girl could continue, Rouge snatched it away. "One, quit yelling at my sister for your stupid mistakes." he snapped at her. "Two, quit swinging the damn thing around when the cork isn't sealed properly, unless you want her to sneeze with the stuff in her nose."

"H-How dare you?!" The girl snapped at him. Stupid mistakes? How dare he? She snatched the vial out of Rouge's hands, and indeed noticed that the cork had been knocked loose. She scowled at the fact that he was right. She then resumed her gaze with him. "And just who are you?!"

"Rouge." he introduced himself, albeit with hostility. "And the girl you were yelling at because of your mistake is my sister, Ruby." He narrowed his eyes at her as he folded his arms. "And before you say something about us being too young to attend Beacon, we were special exceptions. Now, apologize."

The white-haired girl's eyes widened, her face mimicking a gaping fish. It almost seemed as if someone had just slapped her. Her face then contorted with anger. "A-apologize?!" she screeched. "Why?!"

"Because your the one at fault here." he stated simply in a matter-of-fact tone. "You're cart ran into my sister, so naturally, it's you're responsibility."

"Do you know who I am?!"

"Yes," Rouge snorted. "An overly arrogant brat who belongs to an equally arrogant corporation who fumbles around with it's own money and can't tell their ass from their head." He smirked, seeing her face turn red from anger while Ruby looked on worried. What on earth was Rouge doing?! Now, sure, it might have been the girl's fault, but it was also partially her own fault as well, having bumped into the trolley in the first place. If she had been looking where she was going, she would have noticed it. "Now, ask me if I give a damn."

"W-why you...!" the girl growled. "I'll have you know that my name is-!"

"Weiss Schnee," a voice interjected. "heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. It's one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." The group turned to see is a girl of light olive complexion, similar to Ruby and the now named Weiss Schnee. She had long, wavy black hair, and her eyes were amber, complemented by light-purple eye shadow flaring backwards. Her eyes were slightly tilted upwards at the ends, giving her a somewhat catlike appearance. She had on a black ribbon tied in the form of a bow, and wore low-heeled boots and stockings that start off black at her hips, but gradually fade to purple as they neared her shoes. On the outside of her stockings, were white emblems that are most likely belladonna flowers. She wore black ribbons on both of her arms, with a black detached sleeve and a silver band on her left arm. She also wore a black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white sleeveless undershirt that exposes part of her midriff with white shorts connected to her shirt, although it was partly obscured by the vest. Her shorts had a zipper on the front of each leg. She also wore a detached scarf-like collar around her neck.

Weiss looked smug as she folded her arms. "Finally, some recognition!" she boasted, shooting Rouge a smug, arrogant grin-

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

-only for it to promptly drop, leaving Rouge with the arrogant look. "And let's not forget the shady dealings, shall we?"

"Wha- How dare-?!"

"You can try and deny it all you want and try to save face, Ice Queen." Rouge shrugged. "But it doesn't change the truth. From how I see things, the Schnee Dust Corporation is just as corrupt as any shady business that exists on Remnant. Just because it's one of the leading energy producers on the planet, doesn't make its existence immaculate or Holy. To me, the reason it got to be as such is due to the underhanded business tactics, corporate greed, and its discriminatory actions against the Faunus."

Ruby's jaw dropped. She had never seen her brother put down someone in such a manner... at least, not since Cardin Winchester from Signal Academy. Weiss, however, was fuming. H-how dare this no-named loser talk so poorly about her family's corporation?! Sure, it's had some shady dealings in the past, but that still didn't give anyone the right to belittle it like that! Gah, what was she even wasting her breathe here for anyway?! They were all just a pack of idiots! She slammed her dust vial back into the case, and whirled about on her face, stomping away indignantly while Rouge smirked in victory. Ruby still felt bad about bumping into the trolley, and ran up behind the girl. "I promise I'll make this up to you!" she told the heiriess. She was obviously ignored, causing her to sigh at the retreating form of Weiss schnee. "Looks like I'm not the only one having a rough first day." she muttered before turning to the black-haired girl. "So what's-?"

The girl was gone.

Again, she sighed dejectedly as she fell on her rear tiredly. "Welcome to Beacon..." she muttered before feeling someone standing over her. Looking up, it was the blonde-haired boy from earlier, holding his hand out to her.

"H-hey." he greeted. "I'm Jaune."

"...Ruby." the girl smiled as she pulled herself up, accepting his hand. She then cocked her head to the side. "...aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

Jaune sighed. "Yep..." he mumbled. "That's me."

"Don't mind my sister," Rouge told him, offering a pat on the back. "After all, motion sickness is more common than people think, right?" The blonde smiled, grateful that somebody understood that part. "I'm Rouge. Ruby's younger brother."

The boy blinked. "...younger?" he said, confused. "Not older?"

"Yeah. People often mistake me for being the older brother given my height compared to hers...and the fact I act more mature than my dear older sister, here." Rogue gestured to Ruby.

"Hey!" Ruby pouted cutely. "I can act mature when I want to! A-and I'm still growing, you know!"

"Yeah. But right now, you are acting like a child." Rouge responded. "And I have no doubt that you will grow into a wonderful woman like mother. But until then, you are still a child in my eyes..."

His twin pouted further, turning away from him with a huff while Jaune chuckled, scratching his cheek. 'They kinda remind me how I am with my sisters.'


Elsewhere, in the City of Vale, near the docks, an old abandoned warehouse was thriving with activity. While it appeared to be empty, it was actually far from it. The lights were lit, revealing the interior to be filled with several crates of either weapons, ammunition, or dust. Roaming around the warehouse were different individuals. They all wore the same article of clothing: a black jacket with silver trims, yet also present on their person, dangling either around their neck, in the hand, or at their hip, were ebony masks with red markings, not unlike the ones Grimm wore, but also different from the ones worn by the White Fang.

They were the anti-thesis of the radical Faunus group. They were the ones who sought to change this twisted world. They were composed of both human and faunus alike, comrades and friends in arms that seek to raze the corruption that plagues Remnant.

They were the Black Fang.

They weren't like the White Fang, who existed for many years, they had been founded recently. Sure, there were some problems in the beginning, but as time progressed, those differences remained, but were greatly diminished. There was little discrimination between them, now they only had the desire to eradicate the twistedness of Remnant.

Of course, that didn't stop the arguments.

"Dammit man, get your tail out of my face!"

"I can't help it!"

"Well, try! I can't concentrate playing with your tail in my face!"

"You may as well give up, since you're losing."

"Screw you, you racoon bastard!"

"Well, this racoon bastard just stole your money~ Royal flush, baby!"

"Argh! Dammit!" The human threw his cards into the air.

The other players folded in their hands.

"Haha! Sweet! Thanks for the winnings!" The Raccoon Faunus grinned cheekily as he swept the money they all bet towards him with his tail.

"I heard that racoons were master thieves," a girl mumbled, watching the game from afar. "But this is ridiculous. Also... gambling, really?"

"It's a way of passing the time," the one beside her said. "Hell, I like to gamble every now and then." She turned to face them. She couldn't quite see what they looked like, due to the blue hood over their face, but she could tell it was a man due to the sound of their face. His attire was simply a blue hoodie that obscured most of his face, though she could see strands of electric blue hair beneath the shadows, and denim jeans with black combat boots. Strapped over his back was a blade held in a sheath. "So, what do you think of the Black Fang?" he asked with a grin, leaning against the railing. "Not what you expected, right?"

"...Not exactly. My first impression of you guys were to be a bunch of serious mercenaries. Not a bunch of care-free guys who spend their time betting money, playing video games, watching movies, and other crap." She stated.

"Hey. We may be people seeking to bring about a revolution...but in the end, we're just that: people." The hooded male shrugged.

"Oi, boss!" one of the members called out. It was a man with light red hair and blue eyes. His teeth were unusually sharp, and has a pair of gills at his neck. "We just got word from PIECE! Torchwick's making a move!"

This caused everyone to halt what they were doing, whirling around to face the apparent leader of the group. A wide grin formed on his face as he jumped over the railing, landing on his feet. "Alright!" he whooped. "Now that's what I want to hear!" He turned his attention to the other members. "Alright, ladies, let's get to work! Just cause our glorious leader ain't here doesn't mean you get to slack off! And remember, don't bother holding back! Hit 'em with everything you got!"

"YEEEAAAAAAAAH...!" The men cheered in unison. The ones playing poker all but forgot their loss to the Raccoon Faunus, and the Raccoon Faunus had forgotten about his winnings. They were all pumped. It was mission time again.

The woman blinked rapidly, seeing the sudden change. Nonetheless, she grinned, showing off her sharp molars, and her rugged tail dancing behind her. "I take back what I said earlier," she said with glee. "I think I'm gonna love it here."


"Hey, look, I'm sorry, but Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

Jaune sighed. "Okay, look, I'm just saying anybody can get motion sickness." he said. "Also, what about you, miss weapon nerd?"

"She wouldn't mind a name like that at all...given that is exactly what she is." Rouge commented offhandedly.

"Am not!"

"Then what about you comment of meeting weapons is better than meeting people?"

"Ah-wha-bu-uh..Shut up!" Ruby pouted again.

"My thoughts exactly." Rouge grinned in victory.

Jaune chuckled. "You guys really are twins." he said smiling. "Sort of reminds me of my own family."

"Really?"

"Yep," he grinned. "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, and the ladies love it~"

Rouge sweat-dropped. "...do they?"

"Th-They will...At least, I hope they will..." His confidence dwindled as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I-I mean my mom thinks so, so..." The twins' stare became rather uncomfortable. "You know what, never mind."

The conversation died down immediately after, being replaced by awkward silence. Ruby decided to break it.

"Sooo...uh...I got this thing." She whipped out Crescent Rose to its scythe form and stabbed the blade into the ground.

"Ruby...This is why your social life is awkward as hell." Rouge shook his head in exasperation. "Who in their right mind would randomly show off their weapon in order to start a conversation out of the blue?"

"What?" she frowned. "I made herself, so I think I should be entitled to showing it off."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Wait, YOU made that?!" he asked in shock. Ruby nodded in confirmation. "H-holy crap..."

"Yeppers," she grinned. "I made my bro's weapon too."

"Yeah. I am really proud of Wilted Requiem." Her brother nodded. "Despite my sister's quirks, she is a weapons expert."

"How about you, Jaune?" Ruby asked curiously. "What do you have?"

"Well, uh...I-I got this." He unsheathed a double edged sword from his hip. It was standard in design, possessing a normal blue handle and gold pommel and guard. From Rouge's observation, it seemed to be an antique, given the choice of weapons in modern society. But even then, the blade of the weapon remained sharp.

"Oh?"

"And I got this shield too..." He grabbed the sheathe from his hip and pressed a button, allowing the scabbard to unfold out into a shield. But as he did so, the item jumped out of his hands, resulting him in playing an awkward game of hot potato before catching it.

"Wow..." Ruby breathed. "So, what do they do?"

"W-well, the sword's pretty much what it looks like, nothing fancy." Jaune said as he sheathed it. "And as for the shield, I can make it smaller, so it makes it easy to carry around."

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it still heavy?"

"Y-yeah..." Jaune sighed, putting his shield away. "S-so, uh... do either of you guys know where the auditorium is?"

"Huh? No...I thought you knew." Ruby stated. That was why she was following him.

"Well, fortunately for the BOTH of you..." Rouge stated as he took out his small note book. "The auditorium should be the large building on the left from where we stand now."

Ruby smiled widely. "You are the best, bro!"

Jaune sighed in relief, and the three left.


"Oh, Rouge! Ruby! I saved you guys spots!" Yang waved out to them amongst the crowd.

"Oh, there's our sister!" Ruby cheered. She was both happy and irritated to see Yang, the latter being because she practically left her and Rouge by themselves. "Well, it was nice talking with you, Jaune. Later!" she bowed her head, and went after Yang.

Jaune sighed, drooping his head low. "Great..." he muttered "Now where am I supposed to find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" It was now he only realized that Rouge was still presented, and immediately panicked. "N-not that I'm trying to hit on your sister or anything! Honest! I-it's just that, well, um..."

Rouge smiled wryly, holding up a hand to stop him. "It's fine, Jaune." he told him. He noticed a girl with red hair staring at them, having overheard Jaune's comment. "Besides, who knows? You might find one closer than you think."

"Eh?"

"It's nothing." he told him before bidding him farewell. He then joined his sisters.

"...I don't think I'll ever get that guy..." The blonde knight murmured as he scratched his head, causing the observing red head to giggle.


"Whoa whoa whoa, back up, say what?! The kids went to Beacon?! ALL of them?!"

A sigh escape him. "Yes, Qrow. How many times must I say it?" Taiyang said into the scroll. He had been contact by his old team mate and brother-in-law, Qrow Branwen not too long ago, asking how Ruby and Rouge have been since he last saw him. He ended up talking about how his two youngest children were caught up in a Dust Store robbery by Roman Torchwick and fought back. One thing led to another, then Ozpin came in and invited Rouge and Ruby to Beacon, and they accepted.

"Damn," Qrow sighed. "Kids these days... Grow up so fast, I tell ya."

Taiyang sighed again. "Well, if I had it my way, those two wouldn't be Huntsmen or Huntress." he said tiredly. "Although, they're just like their mother; stubborn." He felt a thin smile form on his face. "And something tells me it only got worse when they studied under you."

His old teammate laughed at this. "Hey now, all I did was teach them how to fight." A pause. "Well, not both of the, per say. Rouge was already plenty good to begin with. I just reinforced what he already knew. Speaking of which, those two still together?"

"You know it." The blonde father grinned. "Those two are still as inseparable as the day they were born."

"Lemme guess, they still take a shower together?" Qrow joked. Taiyang laughed. Back when they were still small tykes, Ruby and Rouge had practically done everything together. Being twins, they were far more closer than most siblings. It didn't matter what it was, be it playing dolls or pretending to be heroes, they did everything together. Or... at least they did. Ever since that day, things had changed. They were still close, but Rouge...

"No, they don't, but they're still as close as ever."

"And how about the kid?"

"Which one?" Taiyang asked. "I have three of them, remember?"

Qrow groaned. "You know which one I mean, you dumbass. I meant Rouge." he clarified. "How is he?"

"As far as I know, he's doing well. Why?"

There was a brief pause of silence before Qrow replied, "You know that's not what I was talking about, Tai."

"Yeah...I know..." Taiyang relented. "I just...I just don't really like talking about him in that way. I know that Summer's death had affected all of us...but for Rouge...I think it impacted him the worst."

"More than one would think." Qrow said, his tone serious. "I'm worried about that kid... He has the same look as my sister, and I NEVER want to see that look in the eyes of a child."

"To be honest...neither do I..." Taiyang grimaced, all too familiar with what Qrow was referring to. After all...she was his first wife.

He didn't know what happened to Raven. One day, she was here, but after Summer died, she just... disappeared. Gone without a trace. Qrow had mentioned he had found her, but she wasn't the same person she used to be. Cold, harsh, she wouldn't even see Yang for whatever reason. That was the only time Qrow ever found her, and since, she ha gone completely silent. Taiyang was a mess back then. Not only did he lose Raven, but he lost Summer as well. He was fortunate that Qrow was there for his kids, for he wasn't able to raise them properly at first through his grief. However, Qrow had told him just how badly Summer's death affected the children. Yang was an utter wreck. She holed herself up in her room, not wanting to speak to anyone until Ruby managed to convince her to come out. Ruby herself was also in shock, but she was too young to understand what "death" really meant. She thought that Summer was coming back, but Qrow didn't have the heart to tell her that she wouldn't be. He simply believed it would be better for her to understand it on her own.

Rouge, however...

Rouge was a different matter entirely. He didn't cry. He didn't sob. He didn't weep. All he had done was shed a tear. A single tear. But what disturbed him most were his eyes. Eyes that were once bright and innocent. After Summer's death, they became bleak and dark. It was as if they were filled with complete dread and malice. Whatever the target of those feelings was, neither Qrow nor Taiyang knew. But one thing was for sure...the boy grew determined. Before Summer died, Rouge never took things seriously. Even when he was training, he would always come up with some excuse to remove himself from training, or skip it altogether. After his mother passed away, that changed. He stopped being lazy. Now, he worked himself to the bone. He was finally realizing his potential, but while he wasn't as physically fit as Ruby (which was saying something, as the girl's hand-to-hand combat skills were utter shit), he was still terrifying to see with a blade.

Whatever the case, Rouge was slowly becoming something else... Whatever it was, he didn't know. He could only hope he didn't end up like Raven had, a path of loneliness and isolation. "Oh, yeah, almost forgot." Qrow suddenly seemed to recall something. "You heard about those Black Fang punks?"

"How can I not?" the father replied. "They've been over the news nonstop ever since their debut two years ago."

"Yeah. I find it crazy how much they have grown as a force in that time." Qrow stated.

"Well, they're different from the White Fang." Taiyang stated. "Given their goals. Why do you ask?"

"I meant how much their numbers have increased since their creation. From what I recall, there were only a handful of members when they made their debut."

"Well, now that you mention it..."

"Exactly." Qrow nodded.

Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "...you think they might be involved with this 'Queen' your after?"

"Maybe, I dunno." his friend answered honestly. "But either way, I'm going to keep an eye on them. Anyway, I gotta go."

"Alright. See ya." Taiyang nodded. "And don't forget to visit the kids once in a while. I'm sure they miss their favorite uncle."

"Yeah, yeah..." Qrow laughed. The link ended there.


"I can't believe you went and ditched us!" Ruby whined, glaring at Yang heatedly as she put her hands on her hips. "I thought sisters stuck close!"

"Hey, sorry." Yang shrugged, clearly not at all sorry about her actions. "Besides, I see you made at least one new friend." She glanced over at Jaune. "...even if it is Vomit Boy."

"I told you. Don't judge a person based on their first impression." Rouge shrugged, then remembered something. "Oh yes, before I forget..." He whacked Yang in the back of the head with his hand."

"Ow! Dammit! The hell did you do that for?!" The blonde whined.

"That was for abandoning both Ruby and I without giving us a shred of advice for what to expect in our new school life here." The boy responded calmly.

Yang pouted deeply. "Oh, come on!" she threw her hands up in the air. "You guys got to meet Vomit Boy, didn't you?!"

"Still hardly an excuse for leaving us like that." Rouge glared at her in contempt. There were times when he loved his older half-sister...and there were times when he wants to smack her for her idiocy.

"It still wasn't cool!" Ruby said childishly. "I almost even exploded if it weren't for Rouge!"

Yang rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah, suuuuuuure."

"YOU!"

Ruby yelped while Rouge glowered even more. Upon turning, they both found facing Weiss.

"Oh God it's happening again!" The red hooded girl cried as she jumped into her sisters arms.

Yang blinked. "Wait, you seriously almost exploded?"

"Yes, we were." her brother growled. "Thanks to a certain stuck-up arrogant git."

"How dare you?!" Weiss snapped at him.

"How dare I? I think you should be asking yourself that, Ice Queen."

Weiss' face turned red quickly. "Excuse me?!"

Yang, immediately seeing the rising hostilities between the two, intervened as she stepped between them. "Wha-hoo, calm down here!" she advised, pushing them away from one another. "I think we got off to a wrong start... Why don't we make it up to each other?"

"Pass." Rouge snorted. "I'd rather be friends with Winchester than this 'princess.'"

That was when Ruby and Yang knew that the situation had just turned critical. Rouge stating he would rather be friends with CARDIN of all people than her just told them how disgusted he was of her. Weiss didn't know who 'Winchester' was, but it was clear by the sound of his voice that he wasn't anyone he wanted to associate himself with... and the fact he would want to be around someone like that rather than her, an heiress, pissed her off to no end. Dammit, what in the hell was with this kid?! Who in the hell did he think he was?!

"U-um, I'm really sorry about my brother!" Ruby tried to diffuse the situation. "W-why don't we start over?!" she held out her hand. "H-hi! My name's Ruby! Wanna be friends?"

"Yeah!" Weiss changed her demeanor to be cheerful, but retained her sarcastic tone. "And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and...scraggly over there." She jerked a thumb behind her, gesturing to Jaune.

"Really?" The blonde boy questioned.

"Wow, really?" Ruby asked with optimism.

Weiss merely gave her a flat look. "No."

Ruby's face dropped.

"You want to make it up to me?" Weiss asked, earning a strong nod. "Then keep your brother away from me." With a huff, she whirled about on her heel, and walked away in a strut.

Yang frowned heavily, folding her arms as she turned to Rouge. "Okay, what in the heck did you do to piss off the Ice Queen?"

"All I did was give her my honest opinion...that she and her company are over-privileged parasites of society, thriving upon underhanded tactics and corruption while oppressing the weak and the faunus. That they are nothing more than trash that this world will be better off without." Rouge calmly stated with narrowed eyes. Ruby's face turned into one of concern. This wasn't like Rouge... It was almost as if he had become a different person. Yang was even more concerned, recalling he had acted like this before. Ruby had been too young to remember it back then, but a long time ago, Rouge had seen a group of adults beating up a Faunus, simply because of the fact that he had animal-like traits. She found it unfair, but there was little she could do. She was barely thirteen back then. What difference could a kid do? Rouge, however, looked so angry that it was almost terrifying. It was then she realized just how different her brother had become since his mother passed away.

The cute, innocent little brother she had was gone, and was replaced by someone so utterly disgusted with the discrimination of the world.

...that, and seriously overprotective of Ruby. The red reaper failed to notice it, but Rouge looked pretty close to whipping out Wilted Requiem and cutting off her head. How ironic that was, given that he was the younger brother, if only by a few minutes.

"Aaaaaalright, enough of the emo look." Yang said, deciding to brighten up the mood as she wrapped an arm around her brother. "Seriously, it doesn't suit you at all~"

"Tch." Rouge clicked his tongue at the gesture, but made no move to push her away.

The banter was cut short, however, as two people made their way to the podium. One was Ozpin, and the other was Glynda. "Guess the announcement is starting." Ruby said. In a few moments, the auditorium fell silent.

The silver haired man stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak. "Ahem...I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far...It is up to you to take the first step."

The group looked slightly bewildered at his statement. Rouge, however, found himself in agreement. Everyone here (well mostly everyone) believed that, by learning here, they would obtain the skills they needed to make the world a better place, or at the very least, get stronger for whatever reason. He didn't know why people would want to obtain strength, though it wasn't hard to figure that out. Some wanted power for personal gain, and others, for their own benefit. Either way, Ozpin's statement rung true. Everyone was wasting their energy for idiotic things. They were fools who had no idea what they wanted in life. But he was different. He knew what he wanted. He was willing to devote every aspect of himself to achieving it. Ozpin nodded his head to them, but gave a glance to him and Ruby. For a moment, the two locked eyes, a smoldering intensity present between the two of them before their contact broke. As the man left the podium, Glynda walked up to the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

That said, the chatter resumed, and the crowd of people moved away. As they did, the three siblings followed after them. "What was up with that?" Yang asked with a frown. "Kinda seemed like he wasn't all there."

"I don't know." Ruby shook her head.

Rouge remained silent, letting Ozpin's words to truly sink in.


It was night-time in the ballroom, with several students cramped inside. Several people were gathered, all packed in a single room. Various lamps were lit to provide illumination for them, which Ruby was grateful for, as she was lying on her stomach, a paper in front of her with a pencil in her hand. She was in the process of writing a letter to her friends back at Signal, as she had promised to do so when they learned that she was graduating Signal two years ahead of them. Needless to say, everyone was ecstatic for her, and wanted to know everything about it.

"Whatcha doing, little sis?" Yang asked, coming up from behind her. "Writing a letter?"

"Mm." she nodded. "Back to my friends at Signal. I promised I would write back to them on my first day."

"Aw...that is sooo cute~" Yang was greeted to a pillow in the face.

"Shut up! I wasn't able to bring any of my friends with me!" Ruby pouted.

"Oh, come on..." her sister said coolly as she removed the pillow from her face. "What about Jaune? I'm sure he counts as a friend."

Ruby sighed. "And I'm sure Weiss counts as a negative friend, so I'm back to zero." she mumbled, hanging her head low.

"I think she has it more out to Rouge than you, though." Yang pointed out thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, do you know what his problem is with that girl? I get she's a stuck-up brat and all, but he's more hostile than I'm used to."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know." she answered truthfully. "All I know is that he really seems to hate Weiss." They didn't know why, but they could tell that their brother doesn't hold the Schnee heiress in a grand manner. Yang sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe he's just going through puberty..." she muttered before looking around the room. "Gotta admit, though. There's a LOT of people here." She grinned widely. "It's like a slumber party!"

"Not sure Dad would approve of all the boys though."

"I know I do~" Yang said lecherously, looking around and ogling the many hot bodies in the room before her eyes fell on Jaune, who was wearing a light blue onesie. Her face dropped while he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head before smiling and waving at her. The girl waved back weakly. "...never mind."

"Hey, where's Rouge anyway?"

"He said he wanted to take a walk outside before going to bed."

Ruby nodded in understanding before sitting up, setting her stuff aside. "Hey, Yang?"

"What's up, little sis?"

"Do you he'll be... okay?" she asked, earning a frown in response. "I mean, well, Rouge has been kind of... antsy, lately, and I don't know why."

Yang shrugged her shoulders. "He's probably nervous is all." she said before giggling. "Remember what he was like when you two first entered Signal?"

"Hm?" Ruby perked up in remembrance, before realizing what she meant. "Oh yeah..."

Rouge was very paranoid when they first enrolled at Signal. He was always critical around other people, and practically stuck to her and Yang like glue during their time there. Of course, he had found a few people he could call friends, but he was still very weary around others. She chalked it up to him being paranoid, but she did notice that he was a bit more open around Faunus. Of course, this earned him a reputation as a Faunus-sympathizer, and ended up with a lot of the more cruel kids ganging up on him.

Or at least they tried, until they became acquainted with Yang's Ember Ceilica.

She was proud of her brother was doing, reaching out to the people that were oppressed and made friends with them. She wasn't about to let a bunch of bullies make his life miserable because of that, or convince him otherwise. As she thought about her brother, she hear soft footfalls echoing off to the side. Turning her head, she saw her brother walking into the room. "Oh, Rouge!" she said happily, waving at him. He was dressed in a simple white tee with black pants. "There you are!"

"Sorry," he apologized, walking over to them. "I just wanted to get some fresh air." He chuckled softly. "I almost got lost finding my way back here. Signal wasn't even this huge." That was an understatement. The campus grounds of Beacon were easily twice as large as the grounds back at Signal. However...Rouge was not telling the whole truth, not that either of his sisters noticed.

"Well, whatever." Yang shrugged before raising an eyebrow. "So, serious answer... Why do you hate the apparent Ice Queen so much?"

Rouge sighed. "I don't exactly hate her, per say..." he told her as he sat down. "I hate the Schnee Company in general."

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Ruby, why do you think Faunus are so heavily discriminated against?" he asked her. Ruby tried to think of an answer, but couldn't find one. For as long as she couldn't remember, she had always seen Faunus being hated, and according to her father, it's been like that since the war a long time ago. "Sure, the White fang has only made things worse, but it's the Schnee Company that agitates them. Unfair labor laws, living conditions, treatment... There's a long list of why Faunus are so angry about being mistreated."

"So, basically..." Yang surmised. "They're why the White Fang is around?"

"No, they've been around for a while." Rouge shook his head. "It changed when the change of leadership happened."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, but shrugged her shoulders before she noticed a familiar face sitting close to the wall. "Wait, is that...?" she muttered, earning the attention of Rouge and Yang. They turned, and saw the black-haired girl from before. "Rouge, isn't she the girl from before?"

"Yeah. I believe she is." Her brother nodded. Yang then got an idea, the gears in her head turning.

"That's perfect! Another potential friend for you guys!" She jumped up and grabbed er siblings by the arm.

"W-whoa!" Ruby yelped, being pulled. "Y-Yang, what are you doing?!"

"We're going to meet a new friend~" She said in a sing-song voice.

"Dammit! Let go of me!" Rouge snapped.

It was too late. Yang shoved the two in front of the girl, who noticed them as they were dragged by the busty blonde. She raised an eyebrow, looking up from her book. "...can I help you?"

"Hello there!" Yang grinned.

"Uh, hi..." Ruby meekly waved.

"...Hn." Rouge merely nodded his head.

The girl seemed to recognize the twins. "...weren't you the girl that nearly blew up?"

"Y-Yeah that's me! My name is Ruby! But you can call me weapons frea-nevermind."

Rouge smirked somewhat at that before bowing his head. "Rouge."

"And I'm Yang!" The blonde grinned.

"Blake." The raven haired girl nodded.

"Sorry about this." Rouge apologized. "My dear older sister-" he shot Yang a glare as she grinned back at him. "-though it would be a good idea to have us make friends, hence dragging us around like a kicked puppy!"

"C'mon! You and Rubes are gonna be here for the next four years! You gotta start making new friends!"

Ruby sighed. "So... Yeah, there you have it."

"I see..." Blake stated.

"So...uh...I like your bow." Ruby offered.

"Thank you."

"It looks great with your...robe."

Blake didn't even look up from her book. "...right..." she mumbled, turning the page.

"N-nice night, don't you think?" Yang asked with a shaking grin. Obviously, she was starting to realize that this was a bad idea.

The girl shrugged. "It's lovely." she said. "Almost as lovely as this book." She looked up at the two, amber meeting silver, lilac, and hetero chromatic. "Which I will continue to read." They narrowed, almost threateningly so. Rouge could have sworn he saw her bow twitch. "As soon as you leave." With that, she turned back to her book, clearly going to ignore them for the rest of the night.

Yang sighed. "Yeah, this gal's a lost cause." she decided as she turned around. "C'mon, you two. Let's-"

"What's it about?" The question caught the girl off guard. She blinked, looking up at Ruby and her brother, as the two had asked the question at the same time. "Your book." Ruby clarified. "What's it about?"

"Um..." Blake paused for a moment, setting her book down. "It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Jackal and Hyde?"

Her eyes piqued with interest. "You know it?" Blake inquired.

"Yeah." he nodded. "It's one of my favorite stories."

His twin giggled. "We were practically raised up on books." she said with a smile on her face, remembering her time with Yang back when they were younger. "Yang used to read to us every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters; they're one of the reasons why I want to be a Huntress."

"Why's that?" Blake smirked wryly. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I want to be just like those heroes in the books. Someone who fought for what's right, and who protected the people who couldn't defend themselves."

Blake, now truly interested, bookmarked her book, and closed it, setting it down beside her. "That's very ambitious for a child." she noted before looking at Rouge. "And what about you?"

He offered a slight grin. "That is for me to know, and you to find out, Blake." he said simply. "Although, if the real world worked how we wanted it to, then the sort of things Ruby and other people want would come true."

"That's why we're here." Ruby told him with a bright grin. "To make it better."

"Maybe...but there are somethings that just won't change that easily..."

"But we can make it change." she told him with a smile, much like his own. "After all, isn't that why we're here?"

Rouge smiled in conceit. Well, she won that round. It appeared she was learning. Blake also appeared to be pleased by her answer, giving her an affirmative nod. However, before she could say anything, Yang wrapped her arms around her sister, and hoisted her up, spinning her around. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

"Y-yang!" Ruby blushed as she flailed. "Cut it out!"

At this, the male twin sighed, shaking his head. "I take it they do this often?" Blake asked.

"You have no idea..." Rouge muttered.

"What are you doing?!" A familiar, shrill voice cried. Rouge scowled in contempt as the sisters broke up their scuffle.

Yang turned, and found herself glaring back at the familiar, and annoyed face of Weiss Schnee. As soon as the two saw each other, their eyes widened, and pointed accusing fingers at one another.

"OH, NOT YOU AGAIN!"

Rouge face-palmed, this time groaning out of frustration. "This is going to be a loooooooong night."


Shining Beacon...END


"You can't change the world... It's impossible." -?