Quick Note: Since this AU is primarily based on gender-swapping, many character names will be altered to accommodate this detail. Not all, but many.
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Huntsmen and Huntresses.
The best and brightest warriors of Remnant,
ranking higher than Kingdom Police, and even Military,
in terms of strength and skill.
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Shots echoed across the snowy field as the Creatures of Grimm fell one by one. More came to replace them, but it made no difference; these were younger monsters who foolishly believed they could defeat any human. They could not have been more wrong.
15-year old Ruby 'Red' Rose gunned down another before settling back into a ready stance, taking in his opponents – around a dozen or so young Beowolves, all lacking armor but still bearing wickedly sharp fangs and claws. Easy targets… but all it would take was a single wayward punch, one missed dodge, and his entire evening would be ruined. And right in front of Dad's grave, no less.
The young man pulled his fist back, letting the next round of shots load into Amber Celica with a loud click. Red, as he preferred to be called, grinned, his silver-colored eyes gleaming in the moonlight. His bright red jacket stood out amidst the snow of the battlefield, emphasizing the deep red of his hair and the silver-and-red armor plating of his dual shot-gauntlets.
Another Beowolf lunged forward, three more at its heels. Red launched himself at them with a backwards shot, sent a combo of punches into the first Beowolf, then quickly let loose one hard punch on each of the ones that followed, sending them flying. More monsters appeared all around him, waiting for his guard to drop, but he reacted faster than they anticipated – Red jumped high into the air and rained down shots of Fire Dust from his gauntlets. The shots did far more damage against these guys than they would've against normal Grimm since younger Beowolves lacked any armor, but their sheer numbers would likely make up for it.
Red landed lightly on his toes. He ejected his spent shells, pulled two lines of fresh ammo from his belt, then tossed them up and let them fall into the waiting chambers of Amber Celica. He slammed his fists together and darted back into the fray, guns blazing.
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As an additional precaution to maintaining peace,
the founders of the Academies believed that
their graduates should be kept separate
from kingdom allegiance.
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Weiss took a shaky breath, standing back to his feet. The massive Arma Gigas waited for him, greatsword at the ready.
No one would help him here, for this was a test every Schnee was expected to pass alone. Winter did not fail, and the older man was now a Specialist of Atlas Academy and one of the school's brightest stars. Young Whitney, his little sister, had no intention of taking this test at all, but that was to be expected. She was training to take over the Company when Mother eventually retired. They were women of business.
Weiss had higher goals. If he failed, then so be it; that would mean he was never cut out for this kind of work in the first place. If he failed, he would die.
And so he stood. Weiss returned Maiglockchen to its sheath, securing the white ribbon to his arm. He still wasn't as tall as Winter or as muscular as Father, but Weiss Schnee was no pushover. His Aura had taken a beating thus far, but had only just broken in their previous exchange; his pure white waistcoat didn't have a single scuff, but his left eye burned and he tasted his own blood. A lucky hit. There would not be a second.
Weiss readied his weapon and focused his Aura beneath his feet into a Glyph. The Arma Gigas took this as a signal and lunged, yards of steel sailing through the air to cleave the young man in two. Weiss darted forward, propelled to superhuman speeds by the Glyph, and rained blows upon the armor with Maiglockchen. He used both the white sword and the matching bladed sheath in tandem, keeping the former secured to his person with a Dust-enhanced ribbon. When the Arma Gigas kept swinging, Weiss kept dodging, but would occasionally send the blade hurling at his opponent. And if the blade missed, he tugged on the ribbon to fire the built-in gun to get in some extra hits from impossible angles.
Over and over did the massive greatsword come down, often taking massive gauges out of the floor. These hits were far too strong to try and block, so Weiss remained in constant motion to avoid them instead. Winter would've blocked the assault, and that was fine for him… but he was not his brother. Weiss had to become his own man.
He flared his Aura and continued the assault.
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Once finished with their training,
Huntsmen and Huntresses are free to choose
who they work for, as well as what kind of work
they would do. Allying with a particular kingdom
or village is entirely up to the individual.
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Blake Belladonna sighed as he swapped out his magazine of Fire Dust for one of Electric. Of course the mission had to hit a snag like this. And of course Eve was enjoying herself.
At least these robots only had minimal armor, so Crescent Shadow made scrap out of all of 'em without any real effort. Using such a large weapon in close quarters was dangerous, but he and Eve were both aware of the risk – heck, the masked warrior woman often said she enjoyed the thrill of knowing death could come at her from every side. Blake just figured she was starting to crack. If only he knew then…
More robots activated from the depths of the train car, red visors glowing as they prepped themselves for melee combat. Using guns was too risky with all the Dust around them, though things like that never seemed to bother Eve Taurus. Blake was much more sparing with his ammo, only shooting when his targets were at point-blank range.
Two robots came at him from the front. Blake took out both in a single swipe of his midnight-black scythe, their head units flying. Another three came from behind. Blake ducked low, continuing the motion into a spin as he simultaneously blocked another two strikes from his other side along the way, taking out the attacker's leg units. Crescent Shadow danced in his hands as Blake darted to and fro, taking out both his own attackers and a few strays trying to get a hit in on Eve – the flame-haired woman was always grinning at times like these, though it was hard to tell if it was from the joy of fighting or pleasure from destroying the property of the SDC. Who could tell, really? All that was clear was that her twin pistols were shifted into bladed chains and back every few seconds.
Eventually the robots stopped coming. The young man finally let himself take a breath as Eve started poking around in the cargo, opening a few crates. Blake gave his cat-like Faunus ears a rub as he joined her, and they took in the sight together; Dust, likely tons of the stuff, on its way to Vale in what was obviously a perfectly legal and unquestionably moral business transaction.
Yeah… and when they got back to base, he'd kiss Lee Amitola on the mouth.
"Perfect," said Eve with a low growl. Her grin gave the word a sinister edge that Blake didn't like. "Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges."
Blake frowned. "What about the crew members?" They knew ahead of time that the train had a crew of a dozen or so people, most of whom were at the front of the vehicle. They were supposed to deal with them first.
Eve sneered. "What about them?"
It was in that moment, just before a much larger and deadlier robot emerged from the shadows, that Blake made a fateful decision. One that would haunt him for months afterward. Eve had shown her true colors, and the young Faunus felt like a fool for not noticing until now.
No matter how evil the leadership of the SDC could be, that didn't mean the people on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder had to pay for those crimes. Merely being born as humans… that was all the reason she needed to justify killing them.
He would have no part of this anymore.
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Every Academy has its own methods of teaching,
but the end result is the same:
Huntsmen and Huntresses ready to make their own paths.
Some would stay together as a team, some would move on
to work alone…
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Yang Xiao Long cracked his knuckles and put on his most charming smile.
The twins gave him an angry look.
All around them lay multiple goons with red sunglasses, most knocked out and a few bleeding. The remainder stayed back to avoid being stabbed.
"Filthy brute!" cried the twin wearing a frilly red dress. "How dare you hurt my sister!"
"…" The other twin remained speechless, bent over and sweating in pain.
"I told you I was just looking for somebody," said Yang as he sauntered out onto the dance floor. He gave his blonde hair a flick. "All you had to do was tell me what I wanted to know and I wouldn't have gone that far. Simple."
"That's no excuse for what you did, you lowlife! Thug! Barbarian!"
"Hey, look at it this way…" Yang adjusted the narrow sword at his hip and smiled even wider. "If I'd squeezed a bit harder, one of you would've become an actual girl."
Before either of them could respond, a new voice broke the stalemate. "That's quite enough, boy."
The owner of the bar strutted out from a side room where she'd been hiding while Yang dispatched her goons. Tall, with long black hair that fell straight to her waist, the woman known simply as Juni looked over the Malachite twins while twirling an ebony cane with a curved golden handle shaped like a dragon's head. She looked the part of a bar owner, clean white shirt and white gloves with a black bowtie and long legs embraced by a black pencil skirt. Also, every time the woman moved, her chest gave a wonderful bounce. Nice.
"Did the nasty man hurt my little babies~?" she cooed as she ran her hand along their faces. They both leaned into the touch, muttering various nonsense things that Yang thankfully couldn't hear.
Instead he solidified his Aura Shield and drew Hexijing once again. Everyone in Vale knew that Juni was more than just the owner of this nightclub, and far more than a simple information broker… she was also a powerful fighter who personally kept her gang in line through brute force. The hairs on the back of Yang's neck were standing tall in anticipation.
Juni seemed to sense his eagerness; she glanced at him over her bare shoulder and smiled. "Run along boys… I'll nurse your wounds after I dispatch this… neanderthal." Her voice carried a tone of playfulness. She came forward, her black hair shimmering in the spotlights, and readied her cane. The twins, along with the remaining goons, vanished into the back of the nightclub.
Yang flared his Aura and drove forward, aiming away from her center mass (he was still just looking for information, so killing was off the table). He'd been trained in the art of the sword since before he could walk, but that didn't mean he could take it easy. And Juni was no amateur; she blocked his first few strikes easily with her cane, their weapons meeting with a brief burst of sparks, giving the younger man cause to wonder what her stick was made of. They exchanged a few phrases, metal striking metal loudly, before parting again.
A moment after finding her feet, Juni revealed her cane's secret – she pointed it towards him and pulled a trigger hidden in the dragon's mouth, the butt end of the cane popped open revealing a gun barrel, and an instant later a large Dust bullet shot out with a high-pitched whine.
Yang brought Hexijing low to high in a perfect arc, slicing the shot clean in two. A pair of muffled explosions came from behind him on either side.
Juni didn't bother waiting for Yang to follow through. She was in his face a moment later, landing a few critical hits with her cane before sending him flying with a hit to his chest. Luckily his fall was broken by a glass table that somehow survived his previous rampage, only to shatter now. And damn that was a hard hit. His Aura was already quite low and that hit almost broke his shield. He staggered to his feet and took a deep breath.
Yang grinned. The blade of Hexijing began to glow with a yellow-orange flame.
Juni saw this and frowned. She aimed her cane-gun once again, this time unloading multiple shots one after another. Yang easily cut through every shot, his sword leaving a trail of fire through the air with every motion.
Once again, the nightclub owner tried to jump in before he was finished, but this time he anticipated her approach. Her attacks were all blocked by a sword wreathed in fire, sparks flying as their weapons sang to one another. Yang found an opening and attacked with a straight jab, but Juni dodged at the last moment. The only damage was a single thin cut across her sleeve. Didn't even touch the skin beneath, although the fabric ended up burning just a bit.
They parted once again, taking another breath. He brought his sword low, she raised her cane, and they both smiled as they charged forward.
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But all are expected to serve humanity
and never succumb to the darkness.
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Wednesday:
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Beacon Academy had always been seen as the gold standard for excellence. Whether it was in their academic standards, professional faculty, or even just their dedication to keeping a tidy campus, every other school on Remnant looked to Beacon as an example of how to get it right.
Of course, that didn't mean everything about the school was perfect.
"Ow! That huuurts…!" The voice of a young rabbit Faunus broke through the buzz of lunchtime conversation. "Please stop…"
Red and the rest of his team stopped eating and looked to see what the problem was. Not that they needed to look; this kind of thing was almost always centered around one particular group of first-years.
"Ha ha… see? I told you they were real," said Cardina Winchester, the tallest and arguably strongest girl in their class. Not to mention the most arrogant, the most callous, and the most out-and-out racist person Red had ever had the displeasure of meeting. The rest of her all-girl team stood nearby, laughing along with her. Everyone else in the cafeteria either stared apathetically at the scene or blatantly ignored it.
"Them again," growled Petra Nikos, a tall young man from their sister team JNPR. "Honestly, why won't anyone stand up to that woman?"
Nor Valkyrie, one of his teammates, piped up and said, "She always pulls the 'Are you really gonna hit a girl?' angle whenever they try. Apparently nobody has the balls."
"Is that your excuse?"
"Wouldn't you like to know~?"
At the center of their circle stood a young man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail, his Faunus ears drooping low enough to cover his face. Velour Scarlatina was his name, though he was a second-year so Red didn't know him that well. All that was clear was that he'd had enough – Vel took his tray of food, only half-eaten, and staggered his way past the bullies to reach the door. Red could clearly see the guy's face on the way out, though… bright red from embarrassment and chocolate brown eyes brimming with tears.
Petra made to stand up, but a quick hand pulled him back down – Joan Arc, the leader of team JNPR, stared into her mashed potatoes and sighed, "Leave 'em alone, Petra. You know how Goodwitch feels about fights between teams. And besides, Vel is a second-year… he doesn't need us to come to his rescue."
Petra gave the shorter girl a glare, then sighed and sat back down. Every move he made dripped with anger at his leader, but he obeyed. Nor gave a worried look to the last member of their team, another tall young woman named Rena, who just shook her head.
To be honest, Red fully understood Petra's frustration. He hated bullies. No one had the right to treat another person like that, Faunus or not. Were it anyone else, he would've been right there as soon as the boy made his first cry of pain.
But this was Cardina Winchester they were talking about. A girl.
That made things a lot more… complicated.
"You know…"
Red felt his stomach drop into his shoes. Yang was already up and standing next to team CRDLs table, leaning back and wearing his normal shit-eating grin. That stupid- "…I'd say go pick on somebody your own size, but… I'm guessing they don't exist."
Cardina got up from her bench, standing almost a full head taller than Yang, and sneered. "Buzz off, blondie. I'm busy."
"Yeah, I noticed that… but I think Vel's had enough of you for one lifetime." Yang was still trying to hold his smile, but it was clearly getting more difficult.
Team CRDL gradually moved to surround the blonde boy as Cardina squared right up to him. "Look at the little boy trying to be a big, strong manly man. Whassa matter… don't like how I treat the animals?" She pressed a finger into Yang's chest, pushing slightly.
The shorter boy flinched, clearly trying to stop himself from grabbing that finger and breaking it. "Not particularly, no. But keep it up and you might find yourself in actual trouble. I mean…" Yang pulled out his scroll and tapped it against his open hand. "…There's quite a few recording devices all around you."
To their credit, only one member of team CRDL flinched at the implied threat and looked around the room. Cardina glared for half a second before her face broke into a wide grin. "Aww, there's no need to get so serious. We were only joking around, weren't we girls?"
Russelle Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Skye Lark all nodded in agreement. Naturally.
Yang glanced between them all before turning his attention back to the tall girl in front of him. "No, but really… just leave Vel alone and there won't be any trouble."
Cardina's smile turned back into a sneer as she started walking away, completely ignoring her tray of food. She didn't head for the door, however, instead turning towards the table where the rest of team RWBY sat. Specifically, she made a beeline for Red.
It should be noted that Cardina, like most of the girls at this school, was quite well endowed. It took everything he had to stay in his seat as she came closer. It was a wonder no one around him could hear his hammering heartbeat.
"You're in charge of these idiots, right?" said Cardina as she towered over the poor redhead. "It looks to me like your teammate just threatened me, and as the leader I have to hold you responsible for that. I could easily take this matter right to the top…" She let the implied threat hang in the air.
Weiss spoke up from Red's other side, bristling as he said, "Well that sounded like a threat to me!"
Blake spoke up next, "Your word against the entire school wouldn't hold up very well."
Cardina ignored them, her hazel eyes focused entirely on Red. Boring into his soul. The young man swallowed hard, trying and failing to keep his body from shaking as he finally said, "N-N-Nob-b-body made any th-threats, Card-d-dina. How ab-b-bout we just… p-pret-t-tend like this n-never happened…?"
Stupid stutter.
Amid the indignant shouts of his teammates and the glare from Yang, Red saw his doom standing before him; Cardina Winchester recognized his shaking for what it was: fear. He could see the gleam in her eyes. There would be no rescue. There would be no salvation.
Cardina looked at Red like a cat watches a mouse with a wounded leg. "Open sparring sessions are supposed to start next week, right? How about we settle this… with a match next Friday? Your team against mine? I think we can let Goodwitch decide the punishment."
"Next Friday is our trip the Forever Fall," Petra spoke up from a few seats away. "And all first-year teams are required to go."
Cardina shrugged, "Next Saturday, then. One extra day makes no difference to me."
Yang, Blake and Weiss replied in perfect unison, "You're on!"
Red felt like vomiting.
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"You look like you're about to vomit," said Weiss.
Red groaned quietly from his bunk. He didn't look at anybody.
There wasn't much conversation as the gang prepared for bed. Yang and Red were on their respective bunks, fully dressed in their school uniforms and waiting for their turns in the shower. Blake was tucked into his blankets, already showered and clean, his nose deep in one of his books. He still had on his knit cap, which he seemed to wear all the time; Red could only guess the guy had a bad haircut he didn't want anyone to see, but never thought to ask.
Weiss was busy getting his things together to take his turn, but as usual the young heir was taking his sweet time about it. "While I am impressed that you stood up to that woman, I have to wonder…" he looked up at Yang, "…did you have to antagonize her like that?"
"I just couldn't stand it anymore," Yang said, crossing his arms and pouting. "I don't care what you say, bullies are the worst." After a moment to think, he added, "Waste of a good pair of jugs."
Without even losing his spot, Blake nodded, "While I don't disagree with that last point, did it occur to you that stepping in would embarrass Vel? Or that Goodwitch could label us as the troublemakers for getting involved?"
"I didn't step in til after Vel left, remember? He'll be fine."
"But he'll still hear about it," Weiss pointed out. "In fact, I'd say most of the school would find out before he did, which will only add to his shame."
Yang pointed at both of his teammates, "Both of you are forgetting that Vel was not trying to fight back. At all. Yes he certainly could have, but he didn't. In case you hadn't noticed, he's not the kind of guy who would force the issue."
Blake tapped his chin, then said, "Yeah… I can agree with you there."
Yang continued, "As for Goodwitch, all he'd have to do is investigate a little and he'd find out the truth for himself. I didn't point out the recording devices for nothing, you know."
Red was only paying minimal attention to their conversation. His mind was filled with thoughts of what they were up against. Team CRDL was another first-year team like their own, but with two major differences – they were all girls, and they were actually capable of fighting as a team.
The latter point was where team RWBY was still sorely lacking. Red knew full well he could hold his own in a one-on-one brawl, and still had a good chance of coming out on top against a group of opponents. Weiss had his sword, which could become dual-swords if he used his sheath separately, so he was great against multiple opponents as well. Blake had that massive scythe weapon that was perfect for crowd control. Yang had his own sword, which was excellent normally and devastating once his Aura charged it up.
However, they still had massive problems to work through. Weiss was the most impetuous, arrogant young man Red had ever met, one who always thought he was right and defied his leader's decisions at every turn. That incident in Miss Port's class was still embarrassing for both of them, even though they'd finally started moving past it. Blake was more of a lone wolf than he should be by now, and unless the plan of the hour was fully laid-out, he usually acted on his own anyway. That and his fame for beheading a giant Nevermore during initiation might've gone to his head a little. Yang was… well, Yang.
Speaking of…
Red finally looked up when he realized no one was talking anymore. He caught his brother's lavender eyes, a look of concern in them, and sent back a glare. Yang's face fell as he understood the message. "I screwed up, didn't I…?"
"It took you this long to figure that out?"
"I… damn, bro… I didn't even think about-"
"That seems to happen a lot with you."
"…Yeah, I deserved that."
Blake finally put a bookmark in his place, then looked between the brothers for a moment. "Did I miss something?"
"Yeah… see, Red here has a little issue he's trying to work through, and… it's kinda my fault. A little." Yang ran his hand through his hair nervously.
Weiss, who still hadn't gone to the shower yet for some reason, said, "We're listening."
Yang looked at Red again, but seeing he had no support, he continued on his own: "Back when I turned 10, we had a big party with a bunch of my friends over. And they all brought their moms. And there might've been a few non-child-friendly drinks being served. As it turned out, my bro over there was… not prepared to deal with that many tipsy older women who decided he was the cutest thing they'd ever seen."
Red quietly trembled at the memory.
"It took quite a few minutes before we realized he was being… well, smothered in the mess. He actually couldn't breathe. All the ladies apologized… a lot… after it was over and they snapped out of it, but my bro… well, he was always a pretty shy kid before then, but afterwards…"
"Long story short, I was traumatized," Red finally spoke in a stern voice. "Now when I get too close to a girl, my throat locks up and I can't breathe. Any girls. I'm in training to be a freaking Huntsman, to fight and kill the Grimm and protect the innocent… and I'm goddamn afraid of girls, okay?!"
Weiss, Blake and Yang were leaning backwards, eyes wide. No one spoke. It was bizarre to hear their leader curse, even using such a tame word.
Red hopped down from the bed, face burning, and said, "Get done with your showers and get to bed. We have a long week ahead of us, and the work starts tomorrow." He pulled a shirt out of a drawer.
Yang said, "Work? Like what?"
"Training. Drills. And you don't get to complain about it, either – you got us into a mess we weren't ready for, so as the team leader, I have to get us ready!" Red tried not to growl as he stripped his uniform shirt off to change. "I'm going for a walk."
"At this hour?"
"I need to cool down so I don't kill you in your sleep tonight."
"…Fair enough."
Just before he got his t-shirt on, one of the guys made a weird noise, almost like a grunt. Red ignored it. Instead he threw on his shoes and tried not to slam the door on his way out.
He didn't get very far before leaning against the wall and sighing, running his hands through his damp hair. Dammit… well, at least it's out in the open now. At least they wouldn't ask questions when it inevitably came up again, which he knew it would; deep trauma like this can't stay buried for long. And hopefully they could keep it a secret… this was not the kind of detail he wanted the whole school to know about-
"I need to take evening walks more often~" a feminine voice drifted towards Red from the end of the hall. "It's amazing what kind of things a girl can overhear…"
Red turned his head slowly, his neck muscles creaking like a rusty hinge, and his silver eyes fell on the very last person on Remnant he wanted to see right now: Cardina Winchester. Looking like the cat who just caught the canary.
The young man suddenly had a very dry throat.
Cardina, dressed in a long-sleeved tee and short shorts, casually sauntered over to where Red stood, stopped in front of him and leaned over his head, one arm against the wall. She towered over him, even when they were both standing.
"Do I scare you, little boy~?"
She knew. She heard him shout the single, most damning thing he could've revealed to anybody. She might've only suspected earlier today, but now he'd confirmed it for her. Like a moron.
"I-I-I'd rather y-you… d-d-didn't stand s-s-so… c-c-c-c-c-close…" Red tried and failed to talk like a human. He also couldn't maintain eye contact with any part of her body for more than a few moments. The memory of being suffocated began to replay in his mind. His lungs started to burn. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to force his windpipe to stay open.
Nothing happened for a full minute, and when he finally pried his eyes open, Cardina was standing on the other side of the hallway, hands behind her back, looking as innocent as a puppy. Red's breathing immediately began to slow down.
"So sorry, little Red," she cooed. "I totally didn't mean to scare you. But I was wondering… maybe you could do me a little favor…?" Cardina actually tried to look cute, putting one finger against her face and giving a slight pout.
Red began to sweat.
"That idiot Joan got us both in trouble today in Oobleck's class." Cardina was now fully pouting, her bottom lip almost touching the damn floor, "And because of that we both have to write out these stupid essays. I really don't have the time, so… would you be a sweet little boy and write it for me?"
"Th-that's not… I d-d-don't…"
"Pretty please~?" The tall girl suddenly drew close and leaned forward, her head and chest dangling inches from Red's face in a heartbeat.
"GAH!" Red damn near scrambled away on hands and knees, muttering, "Okay, okay! I'll do it, just… just stay away from me!"
Cardina stood back up with a smug grin. "Ah~ I knew I could count on you, little Red." She patted him on the shoulder, her long arms allowing her to do so without the rest of her getting too close. "I have a feeling this is the start of a bee-you-tiful friendship."
Red slumped back against the wall, panting, as Cardina laughed her way back down the hall. She made sure he noticed the way she popped her hips as she walked.
Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! Now he was really screwed.
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"What was that, Milord?"
"Don't call me that, you brute."
"I've called you far worse. But seriously… all Red did was take his shirt off and you sounded like you were about to choke. Did you… see something you like~?"
"I was merely caught off guard. Your brother was more… developed than I had expected."
"Well he did grow up learning martial arts from my Aunt Qrow. We've both been in pretty good shape all our lives. Not to brag or anything, but he can just about bench-press me."
"So I noticed. I might need to have some one-on-one time with him later…"
"Don't get your hopes up, dude. I'm pretty sure my bro is straight."
"I WAS NOT- I mean… wait, didn't you say he was afraid of women?"
"That's different. You can still find something attractive while being scared of it."
"… … …That doesn't make any sense!"
"Not with that attitude it doesn't, Wonder Boy~"
Further cracks at the young heir's expense were silenced as a wad of bundled up pants bounced off Yang's face. Weiss stomped into the bathroom shortly thereafter.
Blake waited until the water started running, then muttered, "That's how I wanna die, you know… crushed by boobies."
Yang immediately said, "You and me both, partner."
Blake lifted a fist without looking. Yang bumped it with his own.
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Author's Note: For this particular AU, I took the fairly bog-standard concept of gender-swapping every character and added weapon-rotations to make it different – this is why Yang has a sword and Blake has the scythe, among other things. The nickname of Red came from the way Roman referred to Ruby in the first episode (also because 90% of male Rubys are called Garnet). I know there's a few other questions you may have, but give it time… if I did my job right, you'll get the answers by the end of the story.
[Like with Rubia, this OC was originally seen in the original Paradigm, but I'm giving Red a revised debut here in order to introduce him to a new set of readers. Paradigm Of The Rose, my multiverse project, is currently undergoing massive renovations, but hopefully it shouldn't be too much longer…]
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