Disclaimer: Does anybody read these? I know you do. I don't own RWBY.

Road to the End

By: athrunzala

05: Night Out I

"You never mentioned that you used to go here."

"Yeah," Dante hung his head slightly at the statement. "I tend not to discuss my past easily."

Ruby looked up at him. "That bad, eh?"

"You could say that. Now, just let me handle this."

As they approached the checkpoint, Ruby handed the piece of paper over to her former teacher, who, in turn, handed it over to the guards.

"And you are an alumnus of Atlas Academy?"

"Student ID number 871305DV. Dante Volcanus. Team Assignment: COLD. Partner: Caos Dynasty."

The guards entered all of the information given into the terminal next to them. When it all returned a match, they returned their attention to the pair before them.

"Ruby Rose. Affiliation: None. Status: Survivor of Vale Invasion. Says here you entered Atlas with Qrow Branwen and three others. Where are they."

"Uncle Qrow is headed back to our lodgings, assuming they were able to get a room."

"Very well. You can both pass. Start anything, and we will not hesitate to shoot you."

The pair passed through the checkpoint and into the back hallway, where Dante leaned up against the wall across from the door their target would exit through.

"So," Ruby's curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. "Why are you..."

"In Atlas? Long story, but I'll make it short."

Dante sighed as he began to relay the information, the memories haunting him slightly.

"Underground... You mean illegal?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Ruby. Not everything is cut and dry like in books. I'm no better than the scum that destroyed Vale."

"Professor..."

"Hey. She's coming out."

Sure enough, as the dark haired girl looked over, the door opened, and Weiss exited.

"Alright. Let's get this over. Who is in line... first..."

The heiress' voice trailed off as she saw all of two people there.

"Ruby!"

"Heheheh... Hey Weiss."

"What are you doing in Atlas?"

"Well... Trying to see how everybody is and kinda..."

Dante rolled his eyes at the flustered actions of the younger girl. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Here was the person who was once the leader of Team RWBY, who was now looking to form an army to take back Vale, and she was getting hot under the collar over seeing her former partner again. If he didn't know better, he could swear that they...

"Get down!"

Immediately after he said that, he jumped forward, catching a thrown knife in his forearm.

"Professor!"

"Ruby... what did you just...?"

"Ms. Schnee, It would best serve you to get behind me."

"But... Don't worry."

Dante punched in a code on his scroll, and a pneumatic tube brought what he had keyed in to him. As he opened the box, his identity became known to Weiss.

"What are you doing here!?"

"Right now, saving your life. Ruby, your weapon is in here as well."

He tossed the folded up Crescent Rose to the younger girl, who caught it with a realization.

"This hallway is too small to use my weapon!"

"Then take a position back there, and cover me."

"No offense, Professor, but your one sword won't be much use here."

"That, my former student, is where I have a surprise."

Dante adjusted the weapon in his hand, and it suddenly became visible. There, on top, was a split in the blade. The upper segment slid forward, and he reached across, removing Pollux from its nested place atop Castor.

Luckily, for them, the would-be assassins were as stupid as they were noisy, So they were defeated easily, but not before they managed to deplete Dante's Aura. The second was stopped after driving his blade into the Huntsman's leg, missing the femoral artery by a fraction of an inch.

"You... you okay?"

"I'm fine. But.. professor..."

"I... I'll be... I'll... be..."

Dante then collapsed on the ground, causing the knife to be dislodged, and opening up a still healing wound in his side. His gray tee-shirt was rapidly turning burgundy.

"Ruby, if anybody else is here with you, have them meet us out back. We can't stay in town."

The dark-haired girl nodded and sent off a message to Jaune and Qrow. Giving Weiss her cloak, she helped the Heiress lift their former professor off the ground and carried his limp form out of the building.