Qrow leaned against a wall and covered his mouth after a few seconds he hear the sounds of movement slowly drawing near him as it drew closer Qrow placed his other hand on Harbingers hilt and waited after a few silent seconds the movement began to go away from him, letting out a sigh of relief he slid down the wall
"Shit... okay." Qrow quietly said as he leaned out from his cover and counted the number of Grimm near him, thirty-three Beowolves, seventeen Ursa, at least eighty Creeps, two Goliath, and seven Nevermore, Qrow sighed and looked up the building seeing a hole in the ceiling large enough for him to fit in, hopping up Qrow grabbed the edge and pulled himself up, rolling as he got up he heard movement downstairs, apparently he lucked out with his move, continuing upward he began to wonder why someone thought it was a good idea to build a high-rise with the interior completely sealed off, he just wanted one window, or a fire escape, but apparently safety wasn't this contractors priority.
(o)
Akame sat up from her bed to a muffled cry, standing up she placed her earn on the wall between her and RWBYs' room she continued to her muffled crying from their room, quickly exiting her room into the hall she knocked on their door, after a few moments the door opened and Blake stepped aside, Akame walked past her and saw that both Ruby and Yang were having nightmares of their own it seemed.
"What happened to them?" Akame asked as she walked over to Ruby who kept shivering and swinging her arms swatting at something in her mind
"I don't know, Yang came back to the room and fell asleep with out a word. Ruby came back and did the same, I don't know whats going on." Weiss answered her concern rising, Akame did the only thing she could think of and pulled Ruby into a hug, her crying didn't stop but after a while it began to quiet, after she fell silent Akame looked over Ruby
"Its cold..." Ruby quietly mumbled with a shiver
"Move Yang over here, I'll stay with them as long as I need to." Akame said, she and Blake then moved Yang to Rubys bed while Weiss watched over Ruby, Akame put Rubys blanket over both of them and then sat on Yangs' bed watching them
"You two should get as much sleep as you can, you have three hours and ten minutes before classes start." Akame said as she sat watching Ruby and Yang as they snuggled together under the blankets Akame put over them
"Okay, but what about you?" Blake asked as she sat at one of the desks
"I'll watch them, they're my family so I'll watch them." Akame answered neutrally
(\_/)
Ruby blocked strike after strike her blades shattering with every one, kicking her leg out she caught her attacker in the jaw sending her to the ground the figure then sat up and pressed a button on her arm sending the fist into Rubys jaw falling to the ground she rolled back from the momentum, she felt a bunch of strings rap around her limbs, struggling to move another figure ran forward and slammed her fist into her jaw their hands then rapped around her throat slowly growing tighter and tighter, struggling to move due to the wires and the lack of oxygen, finally another figure showed up and plunged a familiar Katana into her heart and everything went black
"AHHH!" Ruby finally screamed and slammed her eyes shut
"STOP SCREAMING!" Ruby heard and she quickly complied "Who are you?" the man asked, he had long green hair with a pair of goggles on his head
"Who are you?! Where am I!? Whats going on!?" Ruby rapidly questioned as she looked around the cabin finding herself in an unfamiliar location
"I'm Lubbock, you're in our cabin, and I don't know." He answered as he kneeled next to her and looked her over "You look fine... a little too innocent but otherwise you're fine."
"What?"
(o)
"I suddenly feel the urge to punch something green..." Qrow mumbled to himself as he limped towards the infirmary
(\_/)
"Nothing, I'll go get Tatsumi, he's better with woman than I am... sadly." Lubbock said as he stood and walked towards the kitchen before pausing and spoke "Don't leave just yet, lets figure out whats going on with you first." he said then exited the room, looking around again Ruby couldn't seem to understand how she got here, she had to be dreaming there was no other reason for this, its all just one big nightmare
"Yo, who are you?" A woman's voice came from the staircase, looking over to them Ruby saw a very pretty girl with long orange hair with red eyes, she had a pair of headphones on her head and was dressed like she would fit right in at Beacon
"I'm... Ruby... who are you?" Ruby answered as she moved away from the girl
"You seem pretty discombobulated, hows 'bout you and me talk a bit try and see if we can figure this out." she said and sat down on the couch then pat the spot next to her, Ruby hesitantly sat next to her "So, whats the last thing you remember?"
"I... fell asleep, I started to dream about killing Grimm then... these... shadows showed up and... killed me... now I'm here." Ruby answered the girl nodded a few times the reached into one of her vest pockets and drew out two lollipops and held one out to Ruby who took it
"Hm... I've talked to some of the people in the village about things like that after Esdeath showed up here-" the girl began but was cut off by Ruby
"Wait you know Esdeath!?" Ruby asked nearly choking on the lollipop
"Yeah, one of her subordinates killed me, Kurome. How do you know her?" she answered leaning back on the couch placing her hands behind her head
"She show- ow!" Ruby began but quickly jumped away from the girl after feeling a prick on her neck
"There, now you cant lie! Just in case." the woman said happily as she spun a needle in her fingers
"She, showed up three weeks after Akame came back with Uncle Qrow." Ruby answered then quickly covered her mouth
"Oh, you know Akame and Qrow! I am so sorry then, I kinda jumped the gun there." she quickly apologized the stabbed herself in with a different needle "There, now we're in the same boat. I'm Chelsea by the way."
"Who are you to Qrow?" Ruby asked as she rubbed her neck
"In my time in Night Raid I liked him, he may have decked me in the face but I really wanted to get to know him better and do other things after I found out he basically tortured himself trying to save me but Leone beat me to that." Chelsea answered with a slow blush growing on her cheeks
"Okay... gross... Akame told me you died... how are you not?" Ruby asked again
"I am, this is the afterlife but everyone has different names for it. Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, Arcadia, Azure, Zion, Shangri-la, Canaan, Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, Eternal Retribution, etc. My turn; How did Esdeath get out of here, I mean Bulat told her how to get out of here but... I didn't really expect her to... you know, survive. From what I've heard its an extremely dangerous journey that few people survive." Chelsea said as she leaned back in her seat
"I don't know how she survived but shes been manipulating all of us sense shes gotten here, I knew that but after a while it didn't matter." Ruby answered then began to speak to herself "Why wouldn't I care?"
"Esdeath has always been a manipulator, you wouldn't be the first to be tricked by her and know it. Here." Chelsea said and held out a new needle to her "That has the same poison that's in us on it but its a lot stronger, when you start to leave here if you concentrate on this needle you'll bring it with you, then all you have to do is jab her with it and it'll force her to admit everything you ask her, good luck with that one though."
"Thanks? But I don't want her to die." Ruby said as she took the needle
"Well were not dead yet so I can assure you Esdeath will barely feel it, apart from you know the confessions." Chelsea waved off then then stood in scilence for a few moments before Chelsea spoke again "Has anyone ever told you that you're really pretty?"
"I'm back and I got Tatsumi!" Lubbock called as he and a new man walked through the kitchen door preventing Ruby from answering
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Chelsea shouted at him "She just showed up here and the first thing you did was run and get Tatsumi! That took you so long what if she ran off into the forest and no one ever saw her again!? You woulda been the death of her!" Chelsea continued to shout at him
"Hi, I'm Tatsumi the defacto leader until Najenda gets here." Tatsumi greeted as he gestured for Ruby to follow him as he walked into the kitchen, quickly chasing after him she ducked under a needle thrown at Lubbock who dodged and ran out the front screaming
(\_/)
Entering the kitchen Ruby looked around, it looked like the one back home the only difference was that the table was made of wood, Tatsumi was currently cooking something and another man who was massive and had a pompadour in the shape of a heart was sitting at the table
"Bulat this is... I'm sorry I forgot to ask your name." Tatsumi began but quickly turned to her and waited for her to answer
"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." Ruby answered feeling the light haze on her mind slowly fading away
"Good to meet you, I'm Bulat." the newly named Bulat greeted with a wave
"So, how'd you end up here?"
"Actually, Tatsumi can I asked you for your help on something else?" Ruby asked slight embarrassment growing along with a blush
"Seriously Tatsumi how can you get so many people to get attracted to you so quickly?" Bulat asked causing Ruby groan and speak
"Ew no, I don't even like guys like that... I think... but I'm stuck in a relationship with Esdeath, how'd you deal with that?" Ruby quickly shot down earning a laugh from Bulat and a sigh from Tatsumi
"I don't think I can, most of the time that I spent with her I was used as a body pillow, and then almost every time after that nearly dying, but Qrow had it way worse than me."
"Everyone keeps saying that Uncle Qrow got so hurt when he was in the empire but he doesn't act any different than normal." Ruby said earning shocked looks from both Tatsumi and Bulat
"You... you're related to Qrow?" Tatsumi asked Ruby nodded "Your uncle is an asshole, but hes a good guy. He was super effected by Leones' death though, she kept an eye on him ever sense she died." Tatsumi said his voice was light like he was talking about a family member he hadn't seen in years
"He... he never said anything to us, I don't think he said anything to Akame either."
"She probably already knows, she just hasn't approached him about it." Tatsumi waved off as he turned and placed a plate in front of her she finally began to think about where she was and quickly questioned the two people present
"How long will I be here... did I die!?" Ruby asked horror filling her mind
"No, but you're near it. This mainly happens to people who are on their deathbeds a little too early, its a state where you see the afterlife but it'll all feel like your life is flashing before your eyes. So that means your soul is dying but you're not dying." Bulat explained as Tatsumi began to wash the dishes
"Okay, but Chelsea gave me this." Ruby said as she held up a needle "She said I can bring it with me, is that true."
"Yeah, you just gotta make sure you remember it then when you wake up your memories and reality will struggle to match up, thus giving you the needle. Sadly that doesn't work with all dreams, only near death ones." Bulat answered calmly "Just be careful with that thing though, Esdeath could take a hit from it but... I don't really think she'd be happy about it."
"I'm scared now." Ruby said staring at the needle
"Yeah, not even I did that so... good luck." Tatsumi said earning a deadpanned look from Ruby as time ticked forward "I thought you would have vanished by now..."
"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked now glaring at him
"You're... kinda... transparent." Tatsumi answers causing Ruby to look down at her slowly fading body she then covered her mouth preventing herself from vomiting "Careful if you focus on that you'll end up without the needle and just vomiting, that's a no win situation." Tatsumi quickly said Ruby nodded and held up the needle in front of her face staring at it until she completely vanished along with the needle
"She looked like Esdeath for a second there right?" Tatsumi asked earning a nod from Bulat
"Yeah, yeah she did... I hope Akames doing okay." Bulat said Tatsumi then went back to washing the dishes
(o)
Akame sat watching Ruby slowly stop crying after a few moments she quickly sat up and vomit then looked at her right hand
"It worked..." Ruby grumbled then looked around
"Ruby, are you okay?" Akame asked earning the girls attention
"I'm fine... and I got this thing." Ruby said holding up a needle earning a confused look from Akame
"Where'd you get that? No... how'd you get that?" Akame asked staring at the needle
"I don't know... but you should Gather everyone; my team, Uncle Qrow, Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch, we're going to have a hopefully short conversation with Esdeath after classes today." Ruby said as she hopped from her bed
"What about Yang?" Akame asked hopping down from Yangs' bed and pointed up at Rubys bed where Yang was quietly sobbing
"What happened to her?" Ruby asked feeling no concern for her sister but she knew she should
"No idea, I've just been watching over you two for the first few classes, Blake and Weiss have been gathering our work so we wont miss anything." Akame answered as she drew her scroll and began to type on it "Do you want me to bring Murasame?" Akame asked
"Yes, just in case. Also I'm sorry for how I've acted the past few days, I wasn't myself." Ruby apologized as she walked to the door, Akame nodded
"Its fine." Akame waved off as Ruby shut the door and left
(o)
Classes moved swiftly,Yang and Akame joined RWB after lunch, then something unexpected occurred in combat class
"Now then, I feel today would be a good idea to have a bit of fun." Esdeath said as she leaned on her desk "Today, I'll be pairing you up against each other in matches that seem fair or unfair it doesn't matter to me who you go up against, it could be your own teammates, you must be prepare for anything in your profession, even betrayal." Esdeath explained as she pressed the randomize button on her scroll. Ruby felt her fear rise, she felt that Esdeath knew, she couldn't figure out how she could have figured it out or-
"Ruby Rose verses Akame Branwen... interesting." Esdeath called causing Ruby to gasp and Akame to stand, both of them walked into the changing room and Ruby began to panic
"I cant do this Akame, I cant!" She said rapidly pacing back and forth "I've been struggling to keep my head on straight this whole time! I don't wanna betray any of you!" Ruby continued until Akame grabbed her and smacked her on top of the head
"Regardless of what we want we have to go out there and fight, Esdeath cant be made suspicious of us. If she is then we're all dead." Akame calmly said resting her hands on Rubys shoulders
"But if I fight I lose myself, I can't control it I'll lose myself again!" Ruby denied earning another smack from Akame
"Then ignore your instincts, they serve you well but they also can lead to your downfall." Akame said as Ruby rubbed the top of her head where Akame had hit her "You can rely on your instincts to guide your hand but if you rely on them you will be nothing but a tool for those who know how to exploit you." Akame continued
"But-" Ruby began as Akame raised her hand again "Wait! How are you so calm on the battlefield?"
Akame smiled at her and spoke "I have you all to act as my anchor; you, Yang, Taiyang, father, and even Raven... sometimes."
"Is it really that simple?" Ruby asked her fear still clear on her face and in her mind
"Its as simple as you let it be, you think that your mind acts on its own but you control everything you do; you chose to let your instincts win, you chose to enjoy killing all those people, you chose to let Esdeath control you. Now what are you going to choose? Are you going to correct that mistake or are you going to choose to lose yourself to her?" Akame said causing Ruby many feelings of guilt but also the brutal reality Akame constantly brought her, its always been her choice, she just chose not to see it
"You're right, I'm going to correct this." Ruby said finally finding her confidence
"As father would say 'Words are cheap'." Akame said smiling warmly at Ruby how nodded confidently
(o)
Exiting into the arena Ruby summoned a pair of blades looked at them for a few seconds then looked back at Akame and took a calming breath, Akame raised Murasame and prepared to defend herself from an assault
"The match ends when one combatant is unable to fight, aura regeneration is allowed, and the match continues even after one combatant aura is shattered." Esdeath said earning a nod from both "The match begins in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... begin!"
Ruby rushed Akame and swung both her blades, Akame deflected both strikes and kicked Ruby in the gut, stumbling back Ruby swung again and flipped backward summoning a few shards of ice and launched them at Akame who easily avoided all of them and closed the distance swinging downward
"Mahap-" Ruby began but it was too late her Aura shattered Akame flipped and kicked her upside the head knocking her out
Turning around Akame looked at Esdeath, she looked furious and glared at her after a few tense seconds of glaring she sighed then spoke "Akame wins, please take Ruby to the infirmary and return after." Akame nodded and picked up Ruby then exited the room
"Next match will be, Cinder Fall verses Weiss Schnee, have fun out there you two." Esdeath said as the two rose to their feet
(o)
Entering the infirmary Akame lied Ruby down and shook her lightly
"Ruby... you okay?" Akame asked as the girl blinked her eyes a few times
"I'm okay..." Ruby drowsily answered as she sat up
"Good, good..." Akame happily said as she gave Ruby some of her Aura to kick start her own again she then hugged Ruby and spoke quietly "Find somewhere easily accessible to hide that needle; in your sleeves cloth would be a good spot. There's no telling if were being watched or not so do it discreetly." Akame the let go of her and kissed her on the forehead and exited the room
"She would make a good mom..." Ruby said after Akame was out of earshot
"Ms. Rose? How are you feeling? Its rare that we see you in here." the doctor happily asked
"I'm fine, I just lost a match with Akame. But I wouldn't doubt that more people would be ending up in here today were doing all out matches today." Ruby said earning a groan from the doctor
"I completely forgot that was today." He groaned then blinked a few times "You wouldn't happen to have a twin would you?"
"N-" Ruby began but her mouth was covered by... her own hand? Looking up she saw herself smiling down at her
"Yeah, I'm a bit older then her but we chose two very different careers, I'm not big on fighting I was going to come visit her and her team but... I guess I'll just start with her." she happily explained earning a nod from the doctor
"Is that true Ms. Rose?" the doctor asked earning a nod from Ruby "Alright I'll leave you two then."
"Well, little sis, how've you been?" Sarah asked sitting down next to Ruby before she could speak Sarah spoke again
"You know, I've heard some... interesting things coming through the wiretap we got on you and your team." Sarah said earning a fearful look from Ruby "Don't worry too much, I'm the only one who knows. Now, I could tell Esdeath like I should, but I see this as a good opportunity to get you and your team on a leash."
"I could just kill you and take it." Ruby threatened, it was empty but she hopped her bluff was good enough to dissuade her
Sarah laughed a bit "That's funny kid, you couldn't kill me on a good day, but A for effort. Now are you gonna accept the deal or are you going to try and kill me? But if you do try and kill me and fail, you will never forget what I do to you." Sarah replied, Ruby couldn't tell if she was bluffing or not and she was terrifying even if she wasn't bluffing if Esdeath found out it was all over. Ruby may like being a huntress but for some reason everything her first year at Beacon has been very delicate and time orientated
"Fine." Ruby said looking down, this wouldn't last too long but it would make things a lot easier if Esdeath didn't learn about their plan
"Good, now strip." Sarah said earning a shocked look from Ruby
"What? I need to get my copy of you perfect, so I need to make sure my body is identical to yours. I might do other things but we'll cross that bridge." Sarah waved off with a sight blush, this was a very awkward situation for Ruby and hopefully the last one
(o)
Akame reentered the classroom, Weiss was beaten rather badly, Yang was mostly fine, Blake was fine, Pyrrha was fine, Nora and Ren were both beaten rather badly, Jaune wasn't in the room, Cardin was injured but was mostly fine, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury, were fine, their teammate was happily watching as two students beat each other into bloody pulps, she never introduced herself but something about her was familiar ignoring that fact she sat down next to Yang, Akame leaned over and spoke
"How did so many matches go through so quickly? I was only gone for twenty minutes." Akame asked Yang looked over to her for a few seconds and the continued to watch the fight and spoke
"The matches haven't been lasting as long as I expected. Most of them ended really quickly. As Weiss over here could tell you." Yang answered neutrally earning a strike from Weiss which she shrugged off
"Right, I'll keep my eyes open then." Akame confirmed and focused on the fight
(o)
Qrow leaned on the wall of Glyndas classroom waiting for the students to leave
"Its time, you wanna wait a minute or...?" Qrow asked as he uncrossed his arms
"Lets go now." Glynda answered as she downed her medication
"Right, I assume if things go south you and Oz will be hopping in, yeah?" Qrow asked as they exited the room
"Yeah, did you manage to reach Raven?"
"After our last conversation? No, we gotta deal with this one without her." Qrow answered as he stalked down the hall much to Glyndas annoyance
"I know I'm not one to talk about family matters but your family is ridiculous." Glynda commented earning a nod from Qrow
"I'm not gonna deny the truth." Qrow agreed earning a scoff from Glynda
"Yeah... I'm sure." she commented sarcastically
"Most of the time." Qrow then added she rolled her eyes at that and they came to a stop in front of the class he then whispered "Hide your presence as well as you can and don't move a muscle then prey that she doesn't notice you, this'll go one of two ways." Qrow said as Glynda nodded and quietly moved away to where she and Ozpin would be meeting up
Entering the room Yang, Blake, and Weiss were all sitting around, Esdeath was sitting at her desk reading something off her scroll
"Wheres Ruby and Akame?" Qrow asked as he walked down the steps and leaned on Esdeaths' desk
"Akames' gone to go get her from the infirmary." Yang answered her eyes locked on Esdeath who occasionally smiled at her, no one said a word after that and the atmosphere slowly grew very tense
(o)
Entering the infirmary again Akame was greeted by a strange sight, Ruby was almost completely naked and... Ruby was... studying her body
"Whats going on?" Akame asked earning both pairs of silver eyes to jump to her
"Holy... shit..." the clothed Ruby said staring at Akame her jaw hanging
"AKAME! THIS... this... me-you-checked-to-with-to-do... that's not me that's one of Esdeath soldiers! She knows the plan its all part of a deal I'm not really comfortable with!" Ruby quickly tried to find the words Akame slowly drew Murasame and pointed it at the Ruby who was staring blankly at her
"I will eliminate you." Akame said the impostor made no effort to move attack or anything just let her eyes wander all across Akame who prepared to attack
"You're... perfect..." the impostor said her eyes quickly filling with lust and she slowly walked towards Akame studying every last inch of her "Completely... perfect..." Akame ignored her and held Murasames' blade in her path, she walked right into it shattering her Aura, that snapped her out of her stupor and she jumped back landing on her knees "Please dominate me!" she begged earning a disgusted look from Akame
"The desire to be owned is a weakness that Esdeath readily exploited in you." Akame said aiming the blade at her again "You were broken by your past and decided to free yourself. But freedom wasn't what you wanted was it? You wanted someone to stop you, and put you back in the dirt that you were so familiar with the taste of correct?" Akame asked the impostor who was looking up at her from the floor looking completely pathetic, Ruby couldn't understand where her conviction and confidence went now she was acting like a dog, Ruby was broken from thought when Akame spoke again "You lost your purpose when no one could kill you, you lost people who could beat you when you learned to mimic them with your body and actions right?" another nod from the impostor "So when Esdeath defeated you you found your purpose again. You chose slavery over freedom, you chose to abandon something I have killed in the name of, for the thing I was fighting against." Akame spoke her voice carrying little emotion in it
"Please! I'll be good! I wo-" the impostor began to beg but was silenced by Akames hand covering her mouth
"This blade," Akame began and held up Murasame in her vision "will kill you if you cut yourself on it." Akame then uncovered her mouth and spoke again "Cut yourself with it."
"Wait don't do it shes not lying!" Ruby quickly said and the impostor hesitated a bit, Akame took Murasame away from the woman and sheath it
"You're not completely broken." Akame said then slammed her fist into the side of the womans' head knocking her out "Lets move her to your bed, then go get the truth." Ruby nodded and pulled the woman up and moved her to the bed, after exiting the room Ruby was surprised by the presence of Neo who smiled and waved at her
"Akame?" Ruby began but left the obvious question in the air
"I asked Neo to tag along in case things went sideways." Akame answered as they began towards Esdeaths' class
(o)
Akame entered the classroom alongside Ruby both were surprised to see Qrow there before them, Akame immediately hugged him and Ruby smiled at him
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin." Esdeath said as Ruby leaned on the railing behind her "As both Ruby and Akame have already heard the name I'll quickly catch everyone else up, Salem. Salem is a foe that me, Qrow, the other headmasters of the huntsman academies, James and a few other people know of. She is the master that the Grimm answer to, and her human forces are here." Esdeath said as she stood and leaned next to Ruby
"I thought the Grimm were mindless beast, if what you're saying is true then why hide it?" Ruby asked as Esdeath placed a hand on her shoulder
"That's one I can answer properly." Qrow cut in before Esdeath could speak "People across the world would panic if they knew our enemy, so Oz elected to keep it a secret, I agreed until I had to deal with Esdeath and her cronies. I saw how people can come together against a common foe."
"Even then, he chose to hide it from you." Esdeath said looking to Akame
"He had a perfect reason to do so." Akame waved off calmly
"I agree with Esdeath on this one though, I should have trusted you but I didn't." Qrow said as Akame placed her hand on his
"Think nothing of it, I know you would have told me sooner or later." Akame calmly answered him
"How can you be so calm? Their spewing nonsense, they have to be." Weiss spat looking to her team for support
"Oh don't worry, the part about magic is harder to believe." Qrow snarked rolling his eyes at her
"Is that how you can turn into a bird?" Akame asked looking to him
"What?" Ruby asked looking to her uncle
"I'm actually curious about that myself. James said that only the Maidens had magic so I assumed that was part of your semblance." Esdeath added her attention turning from Ruby to Qrow
"Yeah, that's a bit of magic Oz gave me." Qrow confirmed
"Do it!" Ruby cheered now completely interested, Qrow sighed and in an instant he was gone replaced by a crow which Akame quickly held her wrist out to, hopping onto her wrist she lifted him to eye level
"Fascinating..." Esdeath commented studying him
"That's sooo cute!" Ruby cheered walking around Akame looking at the crow
"Well Weiss... I can safely say... you're wrong." Yang said also getting up and looking at the crow on Akames' wrist
"But if magic exists then... why doesn't everyone know? Why doesn't everyone have it?" Blake asked also looking at the bird
"That's because not many people have it, and the people that do don't really wanna be found." Esdeath said earning everyone's attention again "While magic exists only six individuals have it at one time; Summer, Spring, Winter, and Fall, the four maidens from the old children story, Ozpin and I can only assume Salem. Personally I feel they should all be grouped together with someone powerful." Esdeath said earning many dark thoughts from everyone present "But that's not what matters, what matters is that with how things are right now one of the maidens has been placed into a critical state and will die soon." as Esdeath spoke Akame placed the crow back on the ground and he transformed back to normal
"We probably got until the end of the tournament before they try anything, so we can wait a while. What is a problem is that we need someone to inherent the powers." Qrow added then pointed at both Akame and Ruby and spoke "No."
"What about me?!" Yang asked in outrage
"You're an adult." Qrow waved off
"And Akame isn't?" Yang asked again earning a raised eyebrow from Akame
"She mature, and if she chose to take the power her life would be exactly the same as if she stayed in the empire, that's the whole reason I brought her here, to not have to deal with that." Qrow explained looking to Akame
"I'll listen to you father, but if we have no other choice I will do what I must." Akame answered bowing slightly, Qrow nodded in understanding
"Now, on to the relics. Creation, Knowledge, Destruction, Choice; all are relics given by the 'gods' to humanity, they all act as conduits of their specific power. Ozpin nor James would tell me what they specifically do, but know their powerful in their own rights." Esdeath said as she sat back down and pulled out a few sheets of paper "Each relic are locked in vaults with corresponding maidens, James never told me the pattern though." Esdeath said looking deep in though for a few moments until Qrows voice pulled her from thought
"Winter for creation, Summer is destruction, Fall; choice, Spring; knowledge." Qrow answered as he and Akame leaned on the railing "I'd assumed at first that James gave you winters powers, but I was surprised that he's not that stupid."
"I see it as unfortunate, imagine Demons Extract combined with the power of the winter maiden." Esdeath countered, that statement earned the fear of everyone in the room but Qrow
"Yeah, I did. Their reaction is about right." Qrow said gesturing to everyone in the room, Esdeath hummed in agreement
"Well now that you all know, will you stand against Salem with us?" Esdeath asked
"I will." Ruby agreed
"Me too, I cant let my lil sister fight the big bad all on her own." Yang agreed happily as she glared at Esdeath
"I'll stand with my friends." Blake agreed
"I agree, no matter how absurd this sounds." Weiss agreed with a sigh
"I came here to stand with father and that's what I shall do." Akame agreed as she smiled at Qrow who smiled back
"Good, now then." Esdeath said looking over the sheets of paper "Lets see..." Esdeath began but gasped when she felt a sharp strike to the back of her neck, quickly standing she swung her fist back and caught Ruby sending her into the wall, reaching behind her she yanked a needle from the neck after releasing a pained yelp Esdeath spoke
"Dammit, what was in that?! ANSWER!?" Esdeath roared and snapped her fingers a few shards of ice appeared but quickly fell apart after she shimmered red
"WHAT DOES YOUR SEMBLANCE DO!?" Ruby shouted back as she stood summoning two blades
"It merges two or more souls into one, the strongest of the number will eventually overpower the others and subjugate all the others until they act just like the winner." Esdeath answered quickly then covered her mouth hearing the doors slam open three people entered turning around she saw Glynda, Ozpin, and Neo
"Why would you use it on Ruby?" Akame asked as everyone prepared to fight if they needed
"I wanted her to be like me, I didn't want to lose another I loved to your idiotic self-sacrificial ideals!" Esdeath shouted in rage "WHAT DID YOU POISON ME WITH!?" Esdeath shouted again her fury only quelled by her now physical weakness
"A strong truth serum and poison." Ruby answered "I didn't like what I was becoming so, Akame helped me." she then walked up to Esdeath who growled at her like an animal
"Ms. Rose I recommend you move away from her." Ozpin advised taking a small step forward as Ruby let the blades of ice fade away
"Esdeath, I do love you." Ruby said ignoring Ozpin "But I'd rather you love me for me, and not what you want me to be."
"I do, but-" Esdeath tried to speak but was cut off by Ruby
"No buts!" Ruby said then placed her hands on Esdeaths' shoulders "You can either love me, or the idea of me. You cant have your cake and eat it too."
"What does that even mean?!" Esdeath asked her voice shaking a bit
"I don't know, Uncle Qrow used to say it when I was little." Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head
"It means you cant both have something and use it, the use of the word cake is just the simplest way of putting it, you can either have Ruby for who she is, or lose her entirely." Qrow clarified earning an 'Oh' from both of them
"Fine..." Esdeath placed both her hands of Rubys cheeks then everything fell unnaturally quiet for Ruby
I revoke my strength, I revoke my power, I revoke my experience, I ask for nothing in return, please don't deny me...
"I wont deny you." Ruby said after she felt her soul return to her in full, it was like finally seeing a relative you haven't seen in years
"It will be a few months before you are completely back to normal, or whatever normal is for you now, your soul wont forget everything that's happened to it but, you wont be able to use Demon's Extract... I think..." Esdeath said she then spoke her thoughts out loud "Maybe if you drank some of my blood you'll be able to use it again... if you wouldn't mind could we test that later?" Esdeath asked as she struggled to stand but was quickly supported by Ruby
"I don't mind but we should get that poison out of you." Ruby said as they walked to the door leaving everyone behind as they left
"So... Neo... what'd you hear?" Qrow asked turning to her, Neo stretched her arms out and made a few gestures to him, his height, then brought her hand to the ground
"Shes saying basically all of it." Akame added, earning a happy nod from Neo
"Oz!" Qrow whined "I don't wanna deal with this!"
"Akame, Neo, please come with me. We'll talk about Neos spot in this brotherhood." Ozpin said with a sigh, both quickly followed after him leaving WBY Glynda and Qrow alone in Esdeaths' class room
"Soooo..." Yang began "Father?" Yang asked looking to Qrow followed by everyone else
"What? I didn't force her to do that." Qrow defected looking a bit embarrassed
"I think its cute." Glynda said smiling at him "You're now your own little fucked family."
"Did... um... professor?" Weiss asked slightly concerned for her teachers health
"What? Weiss we fought that woman, and we all nearly fought her again, you nearly died. I don't give a damn, in my book you four are all huntsman." Glynda said as she turned to the door "Now then, you five, RWBY and Akame, wont have classes tomorrow, we were expecting that this was going to end in a fight... but I'm sure its fine if I 'forget' to retract the excused absence message sent out." Glynda said as she exited the room earning surprised looks from WBY
"Welcome to the club kids, it only gets harder from here." Qrow said as he exited the room too
(o)
Ozpin sat at his desk as Neo and Akame did the same across from him
"I'm assuming you'll want compensation to keep quiet... no pun intended." Ozpin asked calmly, Neo shook her head then pointed at Akame then herself and then intertwined her fingers
"I believe she wants to be on my team." Akame said again Neo nodded happily
"I... don't think I can do that, You have a reputation that cant be ignored." Ozpin said sadly Neo snapped her fingers and reached into her coat then the other side of the coat then she reached into Akames coat and pulled our Romans hat
"How did you do that?" Akame asked pure amazement on her face Ozpin could have sworn she looked like a little girl, Neo looked deep in thought for a few moments trying think of a way to explain it and settled for shrugging, she pointed at the hat then herself then Akame then Ozpin
"Do you want our excuse to be, you sold Roman out to Akame who then told me?" Ozpin tried to piece together, Neo nodded "That may work... I'll have to talk with some people, you should be a member of Akames' team after the Vytal festival." Ozpin explained earning a pout from Neo, Ozpin chuckled at that "No need to worry, if you wish to stay here for the night you'll be under Akames' supervision."
(o)
Ruby helped Esdeath along, after entering the infirmary they entered a private room, Ruby helped Esdeath lie in the bed but was stunned and horrified when Esdeath grabbed her throat and yanked her forward, Esdeath slammed her lips into Rubys and held them together for as long as Ruby could stand, after releasing her Ruby began to gasp for air
"You executed your plan perfectly, and you hid your intent as well as Akame could, you are truly a formidable force." Esdeath complemented warmly, but such a thing was short lived as the air quickly became cold and she spoke in a serious tone afterwards "But the next time you plot against me, I will put your collar back on." Rubys eyes widened at that, she didn't like having that collar on and it was more a prison then anything, looking from Esdeaths' eyes her gaze drifted down to the tattoo over her heart
"You could be more discreet about staring." Esdeath commented causing Ruby to blush and stumble over her words
"N-No! I was... I wasn't- I mean, I was looking but-" Ruby tried to explain without sounding like a liar
"I know." Esdeath calmly replied as she unbuttoned her coat and pulled it off leaving her completely exposing her chest, Ruby wasn't normally fazed by nudity but Esdeath was a different case she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to things that Yang would tease her for thinking
her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of snapping "Ruby?" Esdeath asked Rubys struggled to move her eye from her chest back to her eyes
"Yeah?" Ruby questioned barely thinking of anything but Esdeath
"I asked if you could hold onto my clothes for me. Their not that dirty but I'm going to sleep and I'd rather be comfortable." Esdeath repeated as she held her clothes out to Ruby
"Of course! I'll even wash them with ours if you want." Ruby offered earning a smile from Esdeath
"That would be nice, thank you." Esdeath thanked as Ruby took her uniform, after saying their goodbyes Ruby left and Esdeath began to cough up blood
"That poison is strong." Esdeath commented as she stared at the bloody hand "But it wont get the better of me."
(o)
Qrow was leaned on the wall of the room watching Neo as she gestured to Akame and Akame replied, it was quite surprising that Akame had such an easy time understanding what Neo was saying
"Well I'm gonna leave you two now." Qrow finally said gaining both of their attention "I'm gonna head to the infirmary and get myself checked up, then head to Amity." he explained
"Why are you going to Amity?" Akame asked looking from him to Neo
"Oz wants me to do a once over of the place." Qrow answered earning a nod from both of them again
"Okay, but be careful." Akame said then she stood and hugged Qrow who hugged her back
"Its just an arena, whats the worst possible out come? I get into a fight?" Qrow asked sarcastically earning an eye roll from Neo
"I don't want your sass." Qrow snarked Neo just stuck out her tongue at him "Alright I'm gonna go now before I have to beat up your girlfriend." Qrow said as he dived out her window
"I- SHES NOT!" Akame shouted in embarrassment at him as he flew away, turning back to Neo who winked at her with a grin causing Akame to blush slightly
(o)
Ozpin sat in his office staring at Amity, he didn't know what the future held right now, but he knew at the very least that Salem was going to strike soon, after a few minutes of staring he heard his scroll start ringing spinning around he grabbed it and held it to his ear
"Ozpin its James, I wanted to ask you something but I haven't had the time to call until now." Ironwoods voice came after he answered
"What is it James?" Ozpin asked as he spun back and stared ant Amity
"Esdeath, you said Qrow ran into her before on another world. How did he get there?" Ironwood asked earning a sigh from Ozpin
"I don't know, I may have extensive knowledge on many subjects but that's one that continues to evade me. I have never heard or seen such a thing happen, but I suppose Qrows' lucky enough to come back alive. From what he told me it almost turned out differently many times." Ozpin said earning a tired sound from Ironwood
"How could such a thing never be recorded! By anyone! Anywhere! I've spent the past few weeks attempting to find something that backs Qrow and Esdeaths' claims but I cant find anything! Nothing!" Ironwood exploded in anger "You were my last resort, if you don't know anything then... How is it possible?"
"No idea, but when you get as old as me surprises are always nice." Ozpin said contently
"I'll... call you later Oz, I just got... something very concerning." Ironwood said his voice holding slight panic in it and he hung up
Ozpin sighed and turned his chair back around and began to type on his computer attempting to find random disappearances that occurred in the past few years
(o)
Walking down the bleachers Qrow looked around seeing generally nothing, originally Esdeaths' solders were supposed to handle this but Ozpin didn't trust that so Qrow was doing it, walking down the steps and jumping over the railing he walked to the center of the arena and looked around again nothing suspicious, he was purposefully doing a very quick search because the place was massive and he was searching it alone so speed was preferred.
(o)
Reaching their room Ruby looked down at Esdeath's clothes, she was surprised by how soft they were, that was only a minor issue compared to the other one, which was far stranger, she felt compelled to check and see if they smelled like Esdeath, but thinking like that made her feel weird so she continued to push those thoughts down, knocking on the door it was opened by Weiss
"Hey Ruby, how'd it go after you left?" she asked letting Ruby in, Yang was lying on Blakes' bed, Blake was doing some work for Oobleck if the history book was anything to go by, and Weiss was also doing work but for what looked to be Grimm studies
"It went pretty good." Ruby said as she jumped up onto her bed
"What are those lil sis?" Yang asked as she sat up from Blakes' bed
"Their Esdeaths' clothes." Ruby answered looking at them
"Oh... why?" Yang asked growing both suspicious and what Ruby could only assume scared
"She doesn't like sleeping in lots of clothes, its either nothing or a white button up." Ruby said her voice slowly growing more and more distant as she stared at the uniform in her lap
"Ruby!" Yang called causing Ruby to jump in surprise "You doin' okay? You seem more than a little distracted." Yang said looking suspiciously at her
"I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine!" Ruby waved off "Is it weird that I want to smell these?" Ruby finally asked very quietly earning confusion from Yang and Weiss but Blake began to blush a lot she was growing redder by the second
"What was that Ruby?" Weiss asked as she sat down at one of the desks
"NOTHING!" Ruby waved off "Is it getting late? We should probably all go to sleep we got a lot of work to do tomorrow!" Ruby avoided quickly as she rolled onto her bed and threw the blanket over her
"Blake what did Ruby say?" Yang asked turning to Blake who Opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a flurry of red rose petals rapidly surrounding her which quickly formed Ruby who was covering her mouth
"Nothing. Yang. Right Blake?" Ruby asked a blush covering her cheeks, Blake nodded and Ruby released her with a sigh
"She wants to know if they smell like Esdeath." Blake said quickly Ruby dived to try and stop her again but tackled a shadow clone instead
"Ruby, thats kinda weird. But to each their own." Yang said calmly she then spoke again this time her voice sounded wrong "I cant really do anything to stop her so..." Yang then turned to Weiss
"What?" Weiss asked not understanding why Yang was staring at her
"You're the only one to land a hit on her out of all of us." Yang answered earning an out raged look from Weiss
"I stabbed myself!" Weiss clarified as she placed her hand over where she now had a scar
"Okay and? I already tried twice, it didn't work out either time." Yang shot back
"What happened the second time?" Ruby asked earning a quick glare from Yang
"I lost." Yang answered quickly and coldly
"How'd you lose so badly that you gave up? I've never seen that happen, even with dad! You still cant beat him but you've been trying sense before you even got close to getting into signal!" Ruby questioned
"I don't wanna talk about it. So just drop it." Yang growled a bit her mind wandering back to Esdeath again, she wanted to forget her loss, her stupid idea that she could beat that woman, and the fact that she just made herself relive that defeat again
"Okay... its just weird." Ruby agreed and backed up a bit from her angered sister
"Sorry, lets just... get some sleep." Yang apologized and leapt up onto her bed, Ruby followed soon after with her bed and then Weiss and Blake after they finished their work.
(o)
a week later things had seemed to change quite greatly, Esdeath and Ruby began to spend more time together, Yang barely had any sleep and was clearly suffering from it, Weiss and Blake spent their time studying and training with Winter, Qrow and Akame trained together and could constantly be found sitting together in complete silence leaning on each other, Neo could occasionally be seen with Akame when shes not with Qrow. The tournament was set to begin in a few hours and everyone prepared themselves for whats to come
(o)
"So, what did you choose to do?" Qrow asked as he and Akame sat on the packed airship leading to Amity
"In the end I decided against joining." Akame answered sadly and looked down
"Doesn't matter to me." Qrow waved off then happily continued "I'm just glad that I have a whole month off to spend with you."
"I'm glad that we can too." Akame agreed, most people would think they would get tired of each other or get annoyed with each other but that never happened, if anything they enjoyed to spend time together
"Yo, whats up you two?" Rubys voice came, looking in her direction they saw her and Esdeath
"Nothing much, we're just going to get good seats." Qrow answered then spoke again this time far more carefully "I thought you were going to visit your mom."
"I was planing on heading there later today." Ruby answered earning interest from Esdeath
"Do you mind if I come with? I'd like to meet her." Esdeath asked warmly Qrow and Ruby shared a look
"Umm... her mom isn't with us." Qrow answered carefully "Its a bit of a sore spot." Qrow finished while Ruby looked downtrodden
"I didn't know. I apologize." Esdeath said and placed her hand on Rubys' shoulder
"Its okay... I don't mind if you come with." Ruby said after a few quiet seconds, Esdeath then pulled Ruby into a one armed hug
"Alright, we'll go find a place to sit now." Esdeath said and turned to leave but was stopped by Akame grabbing her wrist
"Sit." Akame said as she stood, Qrow followed her up letting Esdeath and Ruby sit
"Thank you Akame, I'm sorry for bringing down the mood." Ruby apologized as they sat
"Don't worry about it, me and father will look for somewhere else to sit." Akame waved off as they shifted a bit and she held onto Qrow and her stomach
"Yeah, the turbulence can get a bit much when you get this high." Qrow said as he placed his hand on her shoulder holding her a bit steadier
Esdeath stood and placed her hand on Akames shoulder "Sit." was all she said as she guided Akame to her seat, all four of them enjoyed the moment an continued to wait for their transport to land, Ruby was excited, Akame was sick, Qrow and Esdeath knew it was going to be very boring to watch...
A/N And it ends, I feel like this Volume took way longer than it should have. But with how everything has gone I'm surprised I haven't missed a day yet... or at least I don't think I did... did I miss Christmas? I don't remember. Anyways much like what I did with volume one I'm gonna go back and do with Crow of Night Raid, mainly because when I did it with volume 1 a lot more people caught up so it got me thinking that some people are waiting for the update for Crow of Night Raid or have completely forgotten so I'll be notifying all of them. Once that's done well move onto Volume 3... I'll take a few weeks off two or three but after that I'll more than likely bring it back, I cant stay off it for too long. I know that very well.