HIYA! And I'm back, about two weeks from the last chapter so I decided to make this a long one... actually it was longer but I thought it ended in a weird place so I cut this chapter in two and used the second half as a start for the next chapter.
Anyway this is basically a small introduction to the rest of the main cast and sets a basic foundation for our characters. Tension is still strong between Ruby and Yang but you'll soon find out just how bad it is.
there's a note at the bottom that I'd appreciate if you read; so you can give your own opinion on how you want this story to go.
I hope you enjoy!
Ruby monitored her own breathing in the silence. Her first day at Beacon had just ended and after professor Ozpin's lacklustre speech they had settled down in one of the main halls to sleep. At least, that had been her intention. Except there was something preventing her from drifting off into unconsciousness: the blond who currently had their arms wrapped around Ruby's waist.
It looked like Yang had wanted to stay close to her… maybe a little too close.
The very fact of the matter was that her older sister was holding her so tight she could barely breathe… actually, Ruby wasn't going to let this go unpunished, she had some… words to discuss with Ozpin.
Slowly, carefully, Ruby shifted in her sleeping sisters' hold, inch by inch as to not disturb her rest. The iron bindings called Yang's arms came free and allowed the red huntress to slip out of her hold.
He stood up and brushed herself off quietly as to not wake anyone else up. If anyone saw her up at this time of night they might start asking questions; although thanks to her pyjamas it would probably only look like she was breaking curfew.
Ruby stepped gingerly around the sleeping bodies, mindful that the dark was making it difficult to see exactly where she was going, but as luck would have it, the silver eyes girl made it out of the room without stepping on anyone.
Unfortunately, she had been so focused on stealth that she didn't notice a pair of bright golden eyes; watching her leave.
Ruby didn't meet any opposition as she travelled the halls of Beacon; the teachers still most likely asleep. Not bothering to watch the students for the first night. Only an idiot would break the rules on the first day.
What did that make her?
Ruby chastised her wandering thoughts; she had a reason to be up, so it was fine.
That was what she told herself as she walked into the elevator that took people up clocktower.
To the Headmasters office.
There was elevator music, Ruby noted distractedly. She could not think of the reason for the life of her. This wasn't a hotel; it was a place people went to if they were getting in some pretty big trouble… but this was Ozpin, and in the five years Ruby had known him there was one irrefutable fact.
The guy likes to mess with people.
It was so like him; the elevator music probably lulled people into a false sense of security… although Glynda probably hated it, with her being so strict all the time she probably felt it was a waste of money.
Actually that might have been the reason he'd got it. the fool loved to poke the bear that was Goodwitch.
…
Did Ruby just call Glynda a bear?
Was she going to die now?
She didn't have much more time to contemplate these thoughts at the moving metal contraption made a noise and the doors slid open. On the other side Ozpin sat at his desk, the mug of coffee still in his hand. Glynda was there too. Suddenly she twitched and Ruby almost gulped. Seriously, could that woman tell when people were thinking about her?
The Headmaster of Beacon looked over to her with calm eyes, signalling Ruby to enter even as the two teachers paused whatever conversation they were having.
"Miss Rose," he greeted with a smile. "You seem to be up quite late."
The girl in red glared at him and approached his desk, sitting down across from him, waiting for him to give an explanation.
He raised an eyebrow. "Miss Rose, do you mind telling me why you are here?"
Oh, right she hadn't told him yet. Ruby fought back a blush of embarrassment as she crossed her arms angrily… It was supposed to look angry anyway; instead it just looked cute when you noticed she was still in her PJ's.
"I think you know professor," he said nothing as she emphasised the title. "But in case you forgot, I think you should have given me a warning about the first day of school."
Still he remained silent while Miss Goodwitch gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about Ruby? From what I could tell you had a relatively normal day. All that occurred was a gathering of students and the Headmaster's," she glared at him. "Half-hearted speech.
Ozpin placed the hand not cradling the coffee mug over his heart and a look of false pain set on his face. "My dear Glynda, surely you do not discredit my words, I believe what I said was heart-warming."
Ruby wasn't as amused as she would have been by their usual banter, not with what she was facing. "Ozpin," she ground out, using his name this time. "I want you to tell me why, just, why you didn't tell me that my sister was going to be here?"
There was a moment of silence between the three of them, before Ozpin sighed, leaning back in his chair and sipping at the mug before looking at the small girl.
"Ruby, if I was to ask you what your greatest asset was when fighting the Grimm what would it be?"
He hadn't answered her, but she answered the question anyway with what she thought was the best answer. "Experience, every day I was fighting Grimm; sometimes it might have only been a couple but sometimes there were hundreds. It did a lot for me that I was able to fight them, and pick up new skills."
He nodded slowly as if he was falling asleep, even if his eyes said otherwise: they were alert, as per usual. "Then tell me, what would you say is your greatest weakness?"
Ruby blinked, thrown off a little. "I… what?"
"Your greatest weakness, what is it do you think?"
The girl in red swallowed, looking away briefly. She didn't know what she was supposed to say about that. She hadn't put much thought into it.
The Headmaster answered for her. "It's teamwork Miss Rose."
There was a moment where he allowed his words to sink in before continuing. "You and I have known each other for five years now, Glynda, Qrow and I have trained and taught you much in what others would consider a short time. However one thing I have realized is that you do not usually… play well with others."
Ruby flinched slightly but refused to meet his eyes.
"I work fine with Uncle Qrow." She rebuked weakly.
"True," the Headmaster agreed. "But Qrow is an experienced Huntsman who you have known for your entire life, not to mention the fact that being in a team with your mother and father have given him some practice in dealing with you beforehand… he is your family after all."
"Others are a much different story; many times I have seen you working with local militia to hold a defence of work with other Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training only to go off on your own to complete the job. This is a poor quality in any Guardian Miss Rose."
"What's the point of this professor?" Ruby question as she finally turned to face him.
The man leaned forward now, both arms crossed underneath his chin. "I have no point Miss Rose, I have a question; How is it that you can hope to be a Huntress if you cannot even work with your sister?"
Ruby recoiled as if struck by some invisible force, the chair being the only thing to stop her from falling down.
"I- that's not… b-but I…"
Ozpin watched as his apprentice struggled for words before Glynda rested a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, relaxing her slightly as he sighed once more.
"I believe I already have an idea for the reason behind it but I would prefer if you told me yourself."
Ruby hesitated for only a second before letting out a breath. "What am I supposed to say? I just left my family five years ago without so much as a goodbye, and before you say it I know; we had to keep them in the dark so that Salem wouldn't target them but… sometimes I wished I could have taken Yang with us."
Ozpin nodded his head in sympathy. "I understand Miss Rose, but you know that we could not, not with what her mother would have done."
Ruby had to concede to that. If Yang had gone as deep as she had then there was no doubt she would have encountered her mother, Raven would be the type to not take an interest in her daughter if that had been the road she'd taken. It might have sounded like a good thing at first, but the fact of the matter was that Raven was a leader of murderous bandits and worse; she'd gone rogue.
If she had interacted with a young impressionable Yang there was no telling what could have happened. No, it had been better that her big sister had stayed behind, where she could look after dad.
"So why then? Why now of all times? I know you Oz, and you know about every student that passes through your doors. People don't get into Beacon by accident. You knew Yang would be here. So why?"
The man wore a small smile. "Miss Rose, as you have said, you know me and you know that while I may be a protector, I am also a teacher. If someone shows the potential to be a Huntsman or Huntress then it is my duty, as well as the duty of everyone in this faculty to guide these aspiring youths and mould them into defenders of the people. Yang Xiao Long is just one of the many that show this potential, and I must be fair to everyone."
Ruby palmed her forehead, exhaling loudly. "Then what do I do?"
A kinder smile appeared on her friends face, but it was Glynda who answered for him.
"You don't necessarily need to do anything Miss Rose; right now you should focus on tomorrow's initiation. But afterwards I would suggest speaking with your sister; reconnect with her. You are both going to be here for the next few years, it would be best to do it sooner rather than later."
Miss Goodwitch continued in a soft voice. "There is no shame in being afraid, Ruby, not of this. Family can be one of the most difficult things to manage but in most cases they will love each other regardless of past mistakes… and who knows? You might find a friend in your sister after all these years."
After a long moment Ruby nodded, relaxing slightly as she stood up. "Thank you Professors… I guess I better get some sleep."
They let her go, but right before she stepped into the elevator a voice called her back.
"Oh and Ruby," Ozpin said. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but it would be for her own good if you kept Miss Xiao Long ignorant of just what you were really doing for the last five years, and what who we truly are… now get some rest, the teams will be picked tomorrow."
The silver-eyed girl studied him for less than a second, those rare orbs hardening as she nodded. "Yes sir." She said simply as the doors closed, and her vision of them was cut off. The ground beneath her moved downwards and Ruby was able to slip back into the halls of Beacon.
Still, no one had woken up, making it an easy task for Ruby to slip back into her bed, and after much consideration, the arms of her sister.
Her body relaxed as she slowly drifted off to sleep, ready for whatever tomorrow would bring…
…
Wait! Did Ozpin say teams?!
…
…
When morning came Ruby had honestly expected to still be in her sisters grasp. So it was a surprise when she woke up to see Yang had rolled over, arms spread lazily at her sides. It was kind of funny to be honest.
She looked around, the sun was just peeking through the windows and it looked like everyone was still asleep. Although that really didn't come as much as a surprise that it probably should have; Ruby was used to moving around in the wilderness, and daylight was something you never wanted to waste.
However a noise off to her side told Ruby that she really wasn't the only one up.
A massive yawn came from a girl with bright orange hair, dressed in pink and white with a huge smile on her face. She moved to shake a boy in green with black hair, although strangely he had a single strand of pink in it.
"Wakey, wakey Ren! It's morning!"
Ruby winced at the volume of her voice. Although it didn't seem like it was going to wake anyone else up. They must have been pretty tired after yesterday.
The young teen called Ren finally rose up, groggily at first before giving his bubbly companion a tired look. Although Ruby noted that there wasn't any sign that he was actually upset with how loud she was.
"Nora…" the boy said with a tired smile. "I don't think the others would appreciate it if you woke them up so early."
"Early?" the ginger gasped. "You call this early? It's nearly seven already!"
"Yes Nora… in the morning."
"Exactly!"
The male let out a sigh of defeat but despite that the girl did quieten down a little, if only because she finally noticed Ruby watching them. Suddenly, faster than she had time to process the girl in red was in the clutches of the older girl.
"Look Renny! She's so cute! Can we keep her."
Ruby struggled desperately to free herself from the crushing grip to no avail. She looked up at the boy called Ren. He gave her a pitying look but seemed reluctant to intervene. It was a last resort, but it was the only way:
She saw the males resolve crumble under the power of her puppy eyes, one of the most powerful weapons in her arsenal.
"Alright Nora, why don't you let your new friend go."
"K!"
Ruby gasped for a moment as she was released from the arms of death. "Thanks." She coughed out weakly.
He gave her a kind smile before helping her to her feet. Still, somehow nobody had been woken up by the commotion.
The three of them stepped around the bodies into the halls for more space. Ren turned to the red Huntress. "I'm sorry about Nora, but I don't think we got your name."
Ruby introduced herself before scratching the back of her head. "It's fine, really. She took me by surprise is all."
The older girl just grinned and draped an arm around Ruby's shoulder as Ren continued.
"Pardon if this comes off as rude but, you seem a bit young for Beacon."
She smiled. "It's fine, I uh… was moved up two years, one of the Professors suggested I join early actually. So here I am!"
"Indeed." He nodded. Nora seemed far more impressed.
"Oh Renny, she must be like, super strong! Are you super strong Ru? Maybe you can be on our team! We'd need to find you a partner though; maybe we can bribe the headmaster into getting somebody."
Ruby couldn't help the giggle that escaped her; not only from the red-heads energy, but from the very idea of Ozpin accepting bribes. "I don't think that would work," she said. "He has a school."
Nora slapped both hands against her cheek as if this was a new revelation for her. "You're right! Eh, don't worry, we'll find some way to get you on our team, or maybe not, who knows?"
Ruby smiled at the duo. "Well, you two seem to have most of it figured out anyway. You two are planning to be on the same team?"
"Yep!" Nora answered for the both of them. "The two of us have been together for like, ever! Well, not together, together. But, not because Ren isn't handsome he is but-"
"Uh, Nora?" Ren tried weakly.
"It's just the two of us have known each other for so long and I don't wanna mess anything up and-"
"N-Nora!" the teen tried again.
"So not together, together! Just together" she concluded with finality.
Ruby stared. "I… see." She really didn't. She turned to her left, spying a rather large clock on the wall, an idea came to her.
"Hey, why don't we go to the cafeteria? Get some food before everyone else."
Ren seemed to contemplate it for a second before a smile spread to his lips and nodded. Ruby grinned; she already knew the way so she offered to lead.
As predicted the cafeteria was empty save for those working in it.
After a… heated discussion, Nora had convinced all of them to have pancakes. Before they sat down Ruby motioned to one of the workers behind the counter, a dimple nod but it was enough. The girl in red smiled her thanks as she was offered a mug of piping hot coffee.
She took a sip as she sat down, a relaxed smile spreading across her face. That was the stuff! Ruby thanked the Gods that Ozpin had been kind enough to let the staff know about her the day before she arrived. She didn't know what she would have done if she didn't have her coffee.
"So," Ruby started. "What do you guys know about the whole, 'team forming' thing today?"
Ren shrugged. "Not much really, just that from what I heard each team will be made up of four Huntsmen-in-training. Other than that there wasn't much I could learn on the first day."
The silver-eyed girl nodded in acceptance of his answer; it wasn't much but at least it was more than she had known last night… although it was a little concerning that she didn't know how these teams were going to be formed. Maybe that was Ozpins was of making sure no one could rig the system or something.
As the three of them ate it looked like people were finally beginning to wake up, judging from how they were spilling into the hall. Many people were still groggily shuffling about as they lifted their breakfast.
Yellow caught Ruby's eye and she turned back to her new friends as Yang came storming over, a look that clearly said she wasn't happy with something.
The blond stood behind her for a moment as she gave Ren and Nora a smile that was a bit too wide to be genuine.
"Hey! Can you excuse me and my sister for a moment thanks!" she said with false enthusiasm before clutching at the back of Ruby's hood and dragging her out of the cafeteria, the younger girl protesting all the way. Nora waved back happily before stealing the remains of Ruby's pancakes. Damn. They'd been good too.
Yang stopped in the hallway and turned to the smaller girl as she brushed herself off, turning to glare into lilac eyes.
"What the hell was that for? You can't just drag me around like that!" she growled angrily.
Yang crossed her arms over her chest and glared back in kind. "Where were you this morning? I woke up and you were gone."
"Well yeah, I was meeting new people, you know? The ones you just dragged me away from."
Yang sighed in frustration, her eyes flickering red for a moment before going back to their usual colour. "Look, I think you should just stay with me until initiations over so we can have a chance to talk ok?"
Ruby rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself sis."
Yang scoffed. "Can you? You're only fifteen."
"And yet I got into Beacon the same time you did. I wouldn't be here if I couldn't." She rebuked hotly.
Yang couldn't argue with that fact and as her mouth clamped shut Ruby walked past her.
"Where are you going now?" Yang shouted after her.
"The locker rooms!" came the reply. "Initiation's in half-an-hour."
The smaller girl didn't wait for the blonds words as the doors closed behind her. This morning wasn't really off to a great start.
Ruby got dressed in her usual black and red outfit, the golden bracelet clamping onto her left forearm. It was a comfortable feeling for her as she redid the lace on her boots.
Soon enough the locker rooms were filled with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training getting themselves ready, or in many cases just getting themselves psyched up.
At least there was a silver lining to all of this; Ruby got to see everybody's weapons! Personally, the small Huntress thought it was better than meeting the actual person… most of the time. Amber was cool all by herself.
Ruby moved slightly as somebody bumped into her shoulder.
"Oh! Sorry Ruby."
She smiled forgivingly. "It's fine Jaune." She told the blond.
He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah? Well I was just looking for my locker anyway, guess I wasn't looking where I was going."
She nodded in understanding. "So are you ready for whatever this test is supposed to be?"
"O-oh, y-yeah of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, suddenly nervous for some reason.
"Nah it's nothing. It just looks like there's a lot of people worried about it today."
He blinked. "Aren't you?"
Ruby shrugged. "It's only the initiation. I doubt it'll be that hard, at least not for our first day."
The taller boy relaxed at that, a relieved smile on his face. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He seemed to realize something at that moment. "Ah, sorry Ruby, I need to go get my stuff now, I'll see you soon."
She gave a small wave as he left, and promptly turned back to inspecting peoples weapons. There was one that immediately caught her interest:
It was a sword, a crimson red metal with beautiful golden trimmings. The grip seemed to be slightly wider at one side, signalling that it was a mechanism to transform the blade into something else. What that was Ruby didn't know but it was exciting. So very excit-
"Um… can I help you?"
Ruby blinked, confused at where she had ended up. Somehow she had moved until she was just inches away from the owner of that magnificent weapons face.
Her own silver eyes stared into bright green.
Ruby jumped back slightly. "O-oh, sorry about that."
The girl was tall, taller than Yang actually, with fiery red hair and dressed in bronze armour. The amazon-like woman gave a smile, although it looked strained.
"It's fine, I'm sure you were-"
"Hello ladies."
Ruby and the girl in bronze turned to the voice. It was Jaune, smiling at the three of them.
Three of them? Oh! It was at that moment that Ruby finally noticed the other girl- Weiss- glaring at the blond.
"Can I help you?" she asked him coldly.
The male didn't seem to get the hint. "Well snow angle I just came over to invite you onto team Jaune, I think the two of us would be excellent partners."
"Actually," the redhead said. "I heard the teams were made up of four people."
The blond blinked for a second before rolling with the new information. "Well then that's lucky for all of us isn't it? maybe if you play your cards right you could end up with the two us, be a part of the winning team."
Ruby looked at him. There was no winning team. Where had he gotten that idea?
It was at that moment that the Schnee stepped between the two. "Listen, Jaune was it? do you have any idea how you're talking to?"
The blond smiled. "Not in the slightest snow angle." Ruby could have sworn she'd seen the ice queens eye twitch at that but she continued.
"This, is Pyrrha."
The newly introduced Pyrrha smiled and gave a little wave. "Hello again."
"Pyrrha was the best in her class at Sanctum."
"Never heard of it." Jaune shrugged. It was Ruby's turn to stare at him. Never heard of Sanctum? How could he not have heard of one of the most famous of combat schools?
It seemed Weiss shared the sentiment.
"She was victorious in the Mistral regional tournament four years in a row without a single loss. "
The Huntress in red gave Pyrrha a far more interested look now; four years in a row? That was definitely an impressive thing, even one victory was something not many people got to boast about, and she did it when she was thirteen!
Again Jaune gave a shrug of indifference. "The what now?"
Ok, seriously, what backwater town was this guy from?
Weiss seemed to have given up. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes box!
Marshmallow flakes! Why hadn't Ruby heard of these things?
That seemed to get a response from the boy; he gasped and pointed to Pyrrha. "That was you? They only do that for very famous people!"
She smiled wider at him, it seemed more genuine. "Yeah… it was a little cool. But I wouldn't actually recommend the cereal to anyone; it's not terribly healthy."
The ice queen crossed her arms. "So after hearing all that Jaune, do you think you have the right to ask her to be on your team?"
"W-well, I-"
"Don't worry Jaune." The tall teen offered with a smile. "I have a feeling you would be a great leader."
He immediately brightened before finally noticing Ruby. "So what about you Ruby? Feel like joining team Jaune?"
She scratched the back of her head nervously. "Well… I don't know, I guess I'd have to see if you could fight. B-but we don't even know how the teams are gonna be picked so we might not want to make any plans yet."
He hummed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"RRRRUUUUUBBBBYYYYY!"
Ruby paled as the other three looked past her in shock, or maybe it was fear. A strong hand gripped the back of her hood and yanked her up to eye level.
Silver glared into red. "Seriously Yang! You can't keep doing this!"
"And you can't just keep wandering off!" Yang growled.
"I'm not a child Yang; I told you already I can take care of myself."
"You're staying near me and that's final. We need to be on the same team."
Ruby groaned. "What is with you? You can't just give some breathing room for a day-and-a-half? You're not here to babysit me."
The others took with a moment to wisely step back as flames seemed to lick Yang's mane. The scene promised conflict, until a pink blur crashed into the two of them.
"Hiya Ruby!" Nora laughed as the three girls tumbled to the ground. The Valkyrie already had an arm around reds shoulder. "You two look like you're havin' fun!"
Nora helped Ruby to her feet and smiled. "Yeah… fun." she moved her head and waved. "Hey Ren."
The boy nodded back as she came closer, ignoring the glares that Yang gave him and Nora, whatever he was about to say was cut off as the speakers rang out:
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff of initiation?"
Glynda's voice sounded through, and even though it was calm, it was still enough to relax whatever tension had risen.
Pyrrha stepped forward, most noticeably between, Yang and the rest of the group. "I think you should do as Miss Goodwitch asked don't you? Come on."
There was a round of agreement as Yang huffed, but followed the rest of the group, at the back.
Nora still had an arm around Ruby, but it was relaxed and as Ruby turned to say something to her she winked.
Huh… looks like Nora had been able to read the situation after all. She was smarter than she let on.
…
…
Ruby shivered slightly as the wind whipped over the cliff face. It wasn't particularly cold but being this high up made a lot of difference when it came to temperature.
All the trainees had been lined up, Jaune was on her right side and her sister was on her left, with a frown plastered onto her face. Along the line was a big guy who had introduced himself as Cardin Winchester. Then it was Ren, Nora, another guy called Russel, Pyrrha and then Weiss. There were more people but Ruby could make out there faces from this angle.
Both the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch stood at the edge of the cliff, facing them. Ozpin had his signature mug in hand.
"For years, you have trained to be warriors of the highest calibre, today your skill will be evaluated in the Emerald forest."
He nodded to Glynda. "I am sure that many of you have heard rumours about teams being assigned today. Well allow us to clear up any confusion; yes, you will receive your partners today."
Ozpin's face was serious as he continued for Miss Goodwitch. "These teams will be with you for the next four years here at Beacon, so it is important for you to end up with someone you work well with… that being said, you will be partnered with the first person you make eye contact with."
Oh… oh no. Ruby suppressed a gulp as she gave a side glance at Yang, whose face had suddenly turned predatory.
The others along the line made their own noises. Nora's in particular was one of excitement, and Ruby tough she heard a 'called it'
Ozpin did not seem fazed by the reception. "Then, after you have partnered up you must make your way to the other end of the forest and collect the relics set out for you and make your way back to the top of the cliff."
"Be sure to slay anything in your path. Or it could prove fatal."
There was a moment of silence before he sighed. "I will be honest with you; today especially I have a feeling that there will be danger, more so than is usual for new blood. Which is why a number has been imprinted onto all of your scrolls. If you call it, you will be extracted from the forest but, you will have failed.
There was another wave of muttering. Glynda stepped in to calm them. "This is not something to be ashamed of. This year is simply the exception after the rising number of Grimm. We do not expect it to get too out of hand. That being said, if you do fail there is always next year for those wishing to try again."
No more was said as the Headmaster to a sip if Coffee. "Are there any question?"
No one said anything, not even as Jaune looked a little put off.
"Good, now be prepared, you will be using your own landing strategy."
If anyone had something to say about that they were out of time, one after the other in short succession the steel squares they hand been standing on sent them rocketing skywards.
Ruby spread out her arms as she was separated for the crown of people in the air, using her semblance to aid her in movement forward. She didn't need to look as the sound of mechanics shifted in her hand and the sniper rifle took form.
Ruby pointed down and pulled the trigger continuously. The recoil of each shot slowing her fall bit by bit. The trees sailed below her. In a final burst of speed the Huntresses feet connected with the branches. The first shattered from her momentum, so did the second and the third. But the forth only creaked and Ruby used this to stop her fall, sliding of it and rolling onto the ground. She'd landed, but she didn't stop. Ruby crouched low and pointed the rifle into the foliage, sweeping right to left.
After a moment of stillness she relaxed, letting out the breath she'd been holding and folding her weapon away.
With nothing to say to anyone but herself she sped forward, the green passing by her vision in the blink of an eye. In her head she thought about the potential partners; Yang was off the list instantly after the headache she'd created for Ruby.
There were plenty of other options: Pyrrha maybe? She seemed nice, if a little too formal, but that was fine. Jaune seemed nice enough, a little on the overconfident side but maybe that was just Ruby. Nora? No, she was probably going to be Ren's partner after all that talk yesterday. That crossed of Ren too then. What about Blake? She was ok… a little quiet and it wasn't like they had much time to interact… maybe not. So… who was left for Ruby to partner with?
As if the Gods had heard her thoughts they answered. Rather immediately she might have added, in the form of a white-haired girl. Ruby skidded to a stop as the girl turned to look at her.
Rose made contact with Schnee.
Eye contact… damn.
Weiss was the first one to break the stare-off.
"If your sister tries to attack me, I will hold you responsible."
Ruby scratched the back of her head and smiled weakly. "Yeah well… I guess I'll have to keep her off you then. Come one, let's keep moving then."
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me? Who put you in charge? I don't know who you think you are, but if we're going to be working together then I expect you to follow my lead. Is that understood?"
Ruby slumped in defeat. Looks like the ice queen was incredibly bossy… this was going to be a pain.
…
…
Yang wasn't in the best of moods as she crawled out of the crater she'd made. So far the day had gone the complete opposite of the wat she'd wanted it to. From her sister refusing to talk to her to getting separated it was like the world was screwing with her. It gave Yang the intense desire to punch something.
Wasn't this forest supposed to be filled with Grimm? The blond had been walking for a good twenty minutes and there wasn't a single sign of the monsters. There wasn't a sign of any people either, but that was a different story.
Yang didn't know what to do. The plan had been to join Beacon, train as a Huntress, become popular and adventure out into the world. Then her sister had popped back into her life after half a decade and changed all of that. Now she was getting frustrated when the punk argued with her and she'd made herself look bad in front of an entire crowd of people. She could have sworn she'd seen Pyrrha Nikos there too!
Yang was ripped from her thoughts by a rustling in the trees above. She jumped back preparing for a fight as her gauntlets wrapped around her fist, shot loaded. She hadn't needed to worry though; as it wasn't a Grimm that appeared but the girl from yesterday.
Blake Belladonna.
The relief of meeting someone else was almost instantly washed away by the fact that she wasn't going to be Ruby's partner now.
She sighed and raised a hand lazily in greeting.
The raven-haired girl raised her own in return, silently hopping down to the ground. And when Yang thought silent, she meant silent like, there wasn't a sound as the girl's feet touched down. That was cool.
She shrugged internally. "I guess you and me are gonna be working together then huh?"
Blake raised an eyebrow in response. "Looks that way. Do you mind not pointing your fists at me like that?"
Despite herself, Yang grinned at the opportunity. "What's the matter? Wait I see, you don't like how they're blocking your few of my chest."
Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh joy, a joker's in the pack."
This only made Yang grin wider. This girl was feisty. She liked that.
Over at a different side of the forest Red and White journeyed through the foliage.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Weiss called back to Ruby.
"Yes I'm sure, I know how to track. Not only that but I got a good view of the ruins from the air. We're going the right way. Let's just hurry and be the first ones there."
The Schnee nodded, more to herself than to her new partner. They walked in relative silence that was only once or twice broken from when Ruby pointed out a better route for them to go.
There was a niggling question at the back of Weiss' mind though and she would be damned if she didn't ask about it.
"So… that… Yang girl, she's your sister?"
Ruby sighed. "Yes." Was all she said.
The rich girl's mouth pressed into a straight line. Her new partner wasn't very talkative, even though she'd seen her blab for ages to that Nora girl at breakfast this morning.
"Is there… a problem between the two of you?"
That got a chuckle out of Ruby as she shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I mean we've been here two days and she just won't get off my back! Like she expects me to fall over from the slightest wind or something."
"Well," Weiss argued. "You do seem a bit… young to be here. What are you, fifteen?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but that shouldn't matter! I mean if Ozpin moved me up early then I must be good enough to fight Grimm. I bet I have or experience fighting than her. No! I guarantee it."
The older girl gave her a sceptical look. "Right, sure. But even if you are adept in combat, can the same be said for your academic ability?"
Ruby flinched slightly from the prob. "Not really," she mumbled dejectedly. "I'm more centred around practical work you know?"
Weiss did know. Well, she thought she did. Not from experience, a Schnee was expected to be as intelligent as they were skilled.
"Well it is a good thing you have me as a partner then," she proclaimed with a flick of her hair. "As heiress to the Schnee Dust Company I will be making sure that you can keep up with my level"
Ruby gave her a pointed look. "Why do you talk like that?" she asked finally.
Weiss blinked. "Like what?" she asked suspiciously.
"Like you're analysing every word that comes into your head before you say it."
"I… don't know what you're talking about." She said uncertainly.
"See! There it is again, it's like you know what you want to say but you have to be careful about how you say it."
"Don't I?"
"Nah, not really. Honestly I'd prefer if you talked a little less like an ic- like a robot. But hey! Whatever makes you feel comfortable."
She didn't know what to say to that. Here was a person she'd met with a cold attitude and instead of receiving the same she got a relaxed, even flippant mood. Weiss really didn't know what to do about this.
So she stayed quiet as they pushed through the bushes. There was a silence between them, but it was a nice silence. One that Weiss highly enjoyed.
"Heh… you dolt." She muttered under her breath. If Ruby heard her, she didn't mention it.
…
…
Blake didn't know what to think about her partner, No, wait, she knew exactly what to think; the blond was loud, destructive and in a really bad mood. On the bright side, it wasn't directed at Blake herself.
"And then she just refuses to mention where she's been all this time! I mean yeah, maybe I came on a little strong but I wouldn't have to if she just talked to me."
Blake hummed in response, not arguing but definitely not agreeing to much. She really, really didn't want to get involved in a sibling argument, especially not between the red-hood and a girl that could set herself on fire.
But she could see where Yang was coming from, even if she wouldn't say it; there was something… off about Ruby. She had been nice enough upon their first meeting, but Blake knew better than anyone about fake personas. Then there was last night. A girl like her had no business sneaking around like that. And then a total mood switch directed at her sister just to top off all the weird things about her going on.
Of course Blake admitted that she could just be overly suspicions. But still…
Speaking about being suspicious.
"Hey," she called back to the blond. "Have you seen any Grimm yet? Or… encountered any at all?"
Yang blinked. "Huh… I guess not, weird." She shrugged.
Blake raised an eyebrow. "You're not at all concerned about how we're expected to be cutting our way through Grimm?"
A wide grin spread across the taller girls face. "What's the saying? Don't look a gifted horse in the mouth? If there's no Grimm then there's no Grimm."
"You're not at all wondering where they are when the Headmaster specifically mentioned the rising numbers?" Blake pressed.
Yang chuckled. "Gee, no need to be so eager to fight the things, just relax kitten."
Blake froze for a fraction of a second before she continued walking, turning to narrow her eyes at her new partner. "Kitten? She asked curtly.
That smile was still there.
"Yeah, it's my nickname for you. You like it?"
"…No."
She received a pout for her response. "Aww, you're no fun!"
"Tch" Blake was starting to wonder if she had made a bad life choice in choosing Yang to be her partner.
At that moment the shrubbery started to separate and Blake Blinked rapidly as the sunlight poured through the trees. It was Yang that confirmed her theory.
"Hey, I think this is it. See the relics there?"
She did; chess pieces both black and gold in colour arranged ornately. So what? They just had to pick one and leave?
The duo made their way into the centre of the ruin, podiums holding the chess pieces around them. There was four of each, two of each colour.
The black bishop pieces were missing. It looked like someone had already been here. Although judging by the heavy footprints. (probably made by someone in metal armour) they weren't long gone.
Yang hummed thoughtfully before grinning. She grabbed the golden knight pieces, both of them for some reason. She turned to Blake. "Hey, got any problems with a pony?"
She just shrugged back. "Why two?" Blake asked simply.
"Well duh! For our other teammates."
Blake sighed. She still wanted her sisters on her team. For all the complaining she did about her so far it was difficult to see why.
After Yang had stuffed the relics into God-knows-where she grinned. After a moment she put her arms up and stretched.
"So, you ready to go kitten?"
Blake muttered something resembling a rebuke under her breath but if Yang heard she chose to ignore it.
Blake straightened up!
Suddenly her brow began to twitch rapidly and the hairs on the back of her neck rose.
There was something out there! Something-
"Ow, ow, ow!" a masculine voice sounded out.
She slumped as two figures emerged from the bushes. A head of blond hair could be seen through the green. It was quickly followed by red as Jaune and Pyrrha emerged.
The champion smiled in relief. "Thank goodness, looks like we were following the right path."
"Yeah, I guess so, good work with that by the way." The blond completely missed Pyrrha's wide smile as he finally noticed the two of them.
"Oh! Hey guy!" he waved. "Guess we were the second pair here."
"Third, or four actually," Blake corrected automatically. "The first full team already came and left so I suppose we won't be seeing them until this is all over."
Jaune shrugged his shoulders. As Pyrrha stepped over to the podiums. A look passed over her face as she stared at the relics, perhaps in conflict on which one to choose.
Again Jaune didn't seem to notice this, walking up and grabbing the golden rook piece. He smiled at his female partner and for a moment the amazon looked flustered. Probably due to the embarrassment of not being able to decide Blake guessed.
The events next happened so fast that all the secret Faunas could only react with bemusement:
There was a quake as a Huntsman and Huntress flew in… on a hammer? No, scratch that; the Huntress was practically dragging the boy around like a ragdoll.
Nora landed with a force that cracked the ground, but her ever-present grin made it seem like she didn't even notice. Behind her, Ren rose unsteadily to his feet.
"Nora, he said through gasps. "Please don't do that again."
"K, Ren!"
The four of them blinked, and it must have been simultaneously because when they looked again Nora had moved. She let out a sound of awe as she stared at the remaining golden rook piece.
She clutched it in one hand and raised it into the air in triumph.
"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the cas-"
"Nora!"
"Coming Ren!" she giggled happily.
Blake would have been happy to say that that had been the end of the excitement…
She was wrong.
The wind kicked up forcefully and the ground moved again at the same time as a red and white blur shot from the forest. The smell of rose petals breezed through as two girls came skidding to a stop.
Ruby perked her head up.
"Oh! We're here."
Her words were not appreciated.
"You dolt! Why on Remnant would you do that?!"
The younger girl tilted her head in confusion. "You said we should pick up the pace. So I did."
Weiss stomped angrily. "And why did that mean picking me up and running so fast I almost got whiplash?"
Ruby looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you were the one setting the pace!"
The Schnee's jaw dropped, the wind taken out of her sails as she could only stare at her partner in utter shock. She couldn't argue with that child-like logic.
Blake began to reevaluate her opinion on Ruby; if she could mess with the Schnee then she was ok in her books.
Yang took this as an opportunity. She stepped forward and reached into her back pocket… and somehow one of the knight pieces came out.
"Yo! Good to see the two of you made it. Saved you a relic." She said, tossing it to the white-haired girl. She caught it on instinct and Blake couldn't help but wince."
The red hood caught it and suddenly looked worried. "Wait a minute! Which one did you pick?"
"Same one." Was the quick response.
Weiss stilled, and it looked like she had caught on to the situation.
"W-wait!" she began to sweat. "I don't want this one; let me pick a new one."
Yang shrugged, but her shit-eating grin gave it away. "Sorry, but I don't think the rules let us change once we pick, that would kinda make the whole point of this… well, pointless."
"Nooooo!" the Schnee cried as she sank to her knees.
Ruby didn't look impressed. Well, she did, but she didn't look surprised about it at all. "You planned that didn't you?"
Yang winked. "I guess you could say that that's checkmate."
The groans resounded from all of them minus Nora.
"Oh screw you guys that was a good one!"
THe gROuNd ShoOk.
The earth beneath them cracked and Blake stumbled.
"What's going on!?" Jaune cried.
Whatever Pyrrha was about to say to reassure her partner was cut off as the ruins were destroyed.
No, destroyed wasn't the right word in Blake's mind; obliterated was like it as a tower of darkness smashed its way from underneath and practically blocked out the sun.
It was a Grimm, bigger than the Faunas had ever seen in her life; dripping black ooze and giving off a grotesque feeling of terror.
Then the topped moved, and after a realization of horror she saw that it was its head.
And it could see them.
No one moved.
There was only silence and the sound of breathing.
Then, brutally slow, its face began to open in five segments, and on the inside;
Were thousands of teeth.
Blake's cat ears twitched as she heard Ruby speak, although she doubted anyone missed the fear in her voice.
"It's an Ouroboros." She whispered.
The noise was enough for the monster. And it let out an ear-splitting roar that shattered the heavens.
Ruby screamed.
"RUN!"
And they did.
…
…
Another Chapter finished and I'm already excited for the next one!
But now that this is out of the way I have a question for you dear reader:
I view this story as a sort of AU. I don't really know what exactly qualifies a story as one but it definitely isn't how canon turned out. at least not completely. My question is this; how much would you like this to diverge from Canon and into AU territory? if I go full AU then I'll have the freedom to make up lore, magic and Grimm to my own liking and personally that's what I would like to do. But I understand if some people may be a bit miffed if I change what makes this a RWBY story. So what do you think? AU freedom, Keep with canon laws or do you not really care. I would really appreciate it if you let me know.
Again I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are tuned in for the next one, if not then.
Follow, favourite and Review.
Goodbye!