"To be honest, I don't really blame the kid, I nearly had a heart attack myself... Plus, she's been through a lot over the past week and a half, more than any sixteen year old ever should..." Qrow said with a small sigh.
Summer gave a small nod, looking over at the girl, who was currently out cold once again. "To be quite honest, with the things they did to her... I'm surprised she didn't have an total mental breakdown..."
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Weiss said quietly from beside Ruby's bed. She had not left the girl's side since she came back with the nurse, holding her hand tightly, and barely moving at all, let along speaking before now.
"The doctor said it was a minor heart attack, and there shouldn't be long term effects. It was just the stress of everything piling up so quickly..." Said Ozpin from the doorway, causing everyone to look at him. "But she should be perfectly fine when she wakes up."
They all smiled happily at the news, before Summer spoke again. "What about that Neo girl, the one that helped us escape, is she alright?"
"That... Is actually why I am here right now..." Ozpin said slowly, taking a seat next to Summer's bed and sighing. "When you all got back, it was chaotic as the doctors tried to treat the three of you at once. Her wounds, being the most fatal, were treated first. It appears Emerald's knives pierced both of her lungs, and the only reason she wasn't dead upon arrival is because of Weiss's quick thinking."
Weiss gave a small smile as Blake patted her on the shoulder, though she looked a bit grim. "But that isn't all, is it?"
"No, it isn't... You see, those experiments Neo was subjected to as a young girl... well, they seem to have given her above average speed and intelligence, allowing her to out-think and out-maneuver her opponents... But it also works in other ways. The speed in which she moves also accelerates her body's cell duplication, allowing her to heal much faster than a normal person. By the time she had even gotten to the infirmary, her lungs were healed, and the wounds had all but closed." Ozpin said, obviously choosing his words carefully.
"So, if she's all better, where is she, can we see her?" Blake said curiously, raising an eyebrow.
"That is where the bad news comes in. As soon as she awoke, her wounds healed, Ironwood took her, claiming that she was a criminal, and could lead them to Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder... She was brought to his ship to be... Interrogated..." He said solemnly, looking down as he began pacing. "I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't have it, telling me that if I even tried to stop him, he'd shoot me. I have no doubt in my mind that I could overpower him, but I have to think of the repercussions that would have on Beacon as a whole. If the Headmaster attacks Atlas' head general over a criminal, what reputation would that give us..."
"So you're going to let them have her, and probably torture her?!" Weiss said frantically. "The only reason she joined Roman was because he saved her from Atlas's cruel experiments. Do you have any idea how terrified she must be right now! And besides, if she knew anything about Cinder, I can say for sure that she would tell you of her own free will, with no need for any of this!"
"I tried explaining that to him, but despite everything he still thinks that the moment we turn around she'll stab us in the back." Ozpin said sadly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We have to approach this calmly, or else we might start something irreversible."
Qrow gave a small groan, rolling his eyes as he made his way towards the door. "I'll go have a talk with Jimmy about this..."
"No, Qrow, we don't need to making things worse than they already are. Glynda is already on her way to try and talk some sense into him. I don't need you barging in and guaranteeing the girl's permanent imprisonment." Ozpin said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "Just stay here and let her take care of it."
Qrow looked at Ozpin and shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "I guess my hands are tied with this one... I'm gonna go get a drink..."
Before Ozpin could stop him, Qrow had shaken off his hand and walked out, letting the door shut behind him with a small click. Ozpin simply shook his head before turning back towards the rest of them, giving a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure our new friend will be back with us in no time." He said before slowly turning on his heel and opening the door. "Get well soon Summer, and Ruby too."
Without another word, Ozpin left, the door shutting behind him with another soft click, leaving the room in silence once more. Yang sighed, sitting in a chair between her mother's and sister's beds, shaking her head slowly.
"I mean, it isn't like I think Neo deserves this but... She is really dangerous, and she's hurt a lot of people... I don't think she deserves what's going on now, but Ironwood isn't completely wrong..." The blonde said, looking down shamefully. "I must sound like a terrible person for saying that... I mean, she almost died helping us rescue Ruby and Mom..."
"Nobody really blames you Yang, I mean, she did a lot of horrible things. But still, look at her... She can't be any older than Ruby, and she's gone through complete Hell... And now she's back there again." Summer said, her voice soft and soothing, holding the busty blonde's hand gently. "When I was back there, before Ruby got there, she was in charge of taking care of me. Making sure I didn't die from infection and dehydration... For the longest time, she barely even looked at me, and when she did, she only had this cocky smile on her face... But one day I noticed she seemed different. She had obviously been crying, and she was a lot more gentle when she cleaned my wounds."
"That must've been when Roman died..." Yang said, trying to remember the event. "He was trying to rob a warehouse full of Dust when professor Oobleck and team JNPR were sent to stop him. During the fight, there was a fire, and it set off a crate of red Dust crystals, which in turn sent the whole warehouse up in an explosion. The only reason Oobleck and the others survived was because Nora used her hammer to launch them out..."
"Well, whoever this Roman guy was, he seemed to be important to her. He also seemed to be the one that sort of kept between Cinder and Neo, because after that, whenever Cinder and Neo came in together, she seemed completely terrified of her." Summer said, shaking her head softly. "I couldn't help but feel bad for her... And when they brought Ruby in she seemed even more nervous. Every time she came in to treat me, she was always checking over her shoulder, and she was really jumpy."
Yang opened her mouth to say something else, but she was interrupted from a small groan from Ruby's bed. The girl's eyes opened slowly, revealing the soft silver color underneath. She raised a hand to her head and groaned again. "Uhhg... What happened..."
"Hey Ruby, how're you feeling..." Weiss said nervously, giving Ruby's other hand a gentle squeeze.
"I'm... Better. My head still hurts kinda bad though... What happened? All I remember is my chest hurting really bad, then I passed out." Ruby said, sitting up in her bed and returning Weiss's squeeze.
"You... Had a heart attack... The doctor thinks it's from all of the stress from what's happened recently." Weiss said with a comforting smile. "But I'm glad you're okay now."
"A heart attack..." Ruby said quietly, looking down at her free hand and giving a small sigh. "Well, I feel fine now..."
"Glad to hear it!" Yang said, smiling brightly, standing up and ruffling the girl's hair. "I'll go tell the others you're awake!"
Ruby gave a small smile as Yang rushed from the room. Her attention was caught again, however, when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see Summer smiling softly, tears in her eyes. Her eyes widened as she remembered what had happened just before she collapsed, and she gave a small, almost whimpering sound, tears springing to her own eyes.
It happened so quickly that Weiss honestly had no idea how she ended up on the floor. Sitting up, slightly dazed by the sudden rush of movement that had taken place, she looked at Ruby's bed, which was now empty. Turning around, she say Ruby, her arms around Summer's neck, her face buried in her mother's shoulder, sobbing hysterically.
Summer wrapped her arms around Ruby, tears leaking out of her eyes as well. "I'm so glad you're okay..." She said, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back her own sobs, though it was obvious that was a losing battle.
"H-how are y-you h-here?" Ruby said, her voice muffled, her head still buried in the woman's shoulder.
"It's a long story... I'll tell it later, when we have more time." Summer said, smiling softly as she gently rubbed up and down the smaller girl's back, trying to calm her down.
Weiss smiled as she watched the reunion, tears in her own eyes as well. After a few moments, Ruby finally lifted her head a bit, giving a small sniff as she turned and smiled at Weiss. "I'm sorry I knocked you down... I just..."
"Up, up, up, no excuses. You don't have to apologize for that." Weiss said, giving the girl a gentle smile. "However, if you EVER make me worry like that again, I'm going to personally lock you in our room every time we go on a mission!"
Ruby nodded quickly, her eyes widening slightly. "Yes ma'am!"
Summer gave a small giggle at the exchange, giving Ruby's hand a small squeeze. "You have quite the dedicated girlfriend here. She hasn't left your side since we first got back."
Ruby's smile grew as she looked at Weiss. "I am pretty lucky, huh?"
Weiss opened her mouth, a retort ready, but was cut short as the door opened, several people filing in. Team JNPR, along with Sun, Neptune, Yang, Blake, and Qrow all entered, smiling brightly.
"Yang told us you woke up, so we thought we'd come see how you were doing." Pyrrha said happily, giving Ruby a small smile.
"Hopefully you're getting your strength back." Blake said, sitting herself on Ruby's bed.
"Strong enough to strangle me half to death." Summer said, a collective laugh following, along with Ruby quickly letting go, her face slightly red.
"You could have told me it hurt..." She mumbled quietly.
"I haven't seen you in thirteen years, do you think I'd let a few bruises stop me from squeezing you till your eyes popped out?" Summer said, poking her on the nose gently.
Ruby gave a small giggle as she tried wriggling out of her mother's embrace. "Crushing me... Can't breath... Light fading..." She said, swooning dramatically.
"Oh, don't be so over-dramatic..." Summer said, squeezing the small girl.
"Umm, Mom... I think you're actually killing her." Yang said, causing the group to laugh again.
Summer released Ruby, who promptly fell off the bed with a small 'oomf'. Summer's face was completely pink.
"So, Ruby, Professor Ozpin said that if you're feeling up to it, you can return to classes tomorrow!" Yang said happily, helping her sister to her feet. "And Mom is gonna be released too!"
"Really? Yeah! Though, I'm like two weeks late on Professor Port's essay on Beowolves... Not to mention all of the other homework and stuff I've missed..." Ruby began, talking so fast the rest could barely understand her.
"Ruby... Ruby you need... Ruby please stop... RUBY!" Yang yelled, causing the girl to jump and become suddenly silent.
"I'm sure that the teachers will forgive you for a weeks worth of work considering what happened." Yang said, smiling as she crossed her arms.
"Well, it'll be nice to get back to normal." Ruby said with a bright smile.
"Speaking of back to normal..." A voice said from the doorway.
Everyone turned to look at the owner of the voice, and saw Ozpin walking in, taking a sip from his mug. "Have you given any thought to the offer I gave you Summer?"
"I've... Thought about it, yes." Summer said, obviously choosing her words carefully. "And I think I've decided to take you up on it... It'll give me more time with Ruby, and more time to think of how to talk to Tai..."
"Is he still unaware of your... Situation?" Ozpin said, raising an eyebrow.
"He knows I'm in the hospital, yes..." Summer said nervously, twiddling her thumbs.
"You know that isn't the situation I was talking about." Ozpin said with a somewhat condescending look, causing Summer to shrink back slightly.
"He... Is aware, yes... And that's the problem... He found out just before I went on my last mission. We argued about it almost all night, and it ended with me leaving for my mission early..." Summer explained, her face turning sad.
"I see... Well, I'm sure everything will work out in the end." Ozpin said with a gentle smile, turning to leave the room. "Now, students, I think your next class starts in five minutes..."
Jaune looked down at his watch, his eyes widening as the color drained from his face. "Oh god we're gonna be late, Professor Oobleck is gonna kill us!"
((Somewhere across the school, many students heard a voice, screaming something that sounded like to word "Doctor" to the heavens...))
The group rushed out of the room after Ozpin, each of them promising they would return after dinner that evening to visit again. A few minutes later found Ruby and Summer alone in the room. Ruby was laying on her mother's bed, her head in the woman's lap as Summer gently stroked her finger's through Ruby's hair.
"Excited to get back to classes tomorrow?" Summer said with a small smile as Ruby's eyes began drooping.
"Yeah, it'll be nice to have things back to normal..." Ruby said, yawning softly. "Oh... What was the offer Professor Ozpin gave you?"
"You'll see tomorrow." Summer said with a small wink, patting the girl's head gently. "For now, just get some rest, you have classes tomorrow."
As promised, Summer and Ruby were released from the hospital early the next morning. The doctor advised both of them to take it easy for a few days, however, when he noticed both girls weren't paying any attention, he simply rolled his eyes and pointed them to the door.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Ruby asked her mother excitedly as they made their way towards Team RWBY's dorm room.
"I think I'm gonna head into town and get some clothes. I like the stuff Glynda lent me and all but... It isn't really... Me..." Summer said with a small smile as they approached the door. "Now, good luck in classes, and try not to exert yourself too much, okay?"
"Alright, I'll try and be good." Ruby said, smiling brightly as her mother kissed her forehead and turned on her heel, waving goodbye as Ruby entered her room.
The first thing Ruby saw when she entered the room was a bright flash of yellow hair. The next thing she saw was herself being squeezed half to death by the blonde brawler she called her sister.
"Yang... I can't breath... Let go..." She said, trying to wriggle herself out of the hug. "You just saw me yesterday, what's the big deal?"
"Hey, it's your first day back in classes, it's a big deal, okay?" Yang said, smiling happily.
The rest of the team had already donned their uniforms and were sitting on their beds, or rather, Weiss was sitting on her bed, smiling over at the red-hooded girl. Blake however was laying down, with her head in the lap of a familiar, shirtless boy.
"Sup." Sun said simply, raising a hand in greeting, his other hand gently scratching between Blake's ears, enticing small purring noises from the Faunus girl.
"Hi Sun, when did you get here?" Ruby said curiously as she opened one of her drawers, taking out a uniform and fresh underwear.
"Oh you know, like five minutes ago." Sun said with a shrug. "Figured I'd come and hang out and go to class with you guys."
"Well, I'll be ready in a few minutes. I''m just gonna take a quick shower, then I'll be good to go!" Ruby said, hurrying into the bathroom.
The girls chatted with Sun as Ruby showered, coming back out about ten minutes later, her hair still slightly wet. "Ready to go!" She said with a large grin as the rest stood up.
"Welp, first class is with Professor Port." Weiss said, as they all marched out into the hall and made their way through the school to the plump man's classroom.
After a very boring tale of a time in Port's childhood where he supposedly arm wrestled an Ursa, the bell finally rang, announcing Lunch. "Remember children, I wan that essay on Nevermores on my desk by next Tuesday, or it's detention!"
The class slowly shuffled out of the classroom and towards the mess hall, all poking fun at Professor Port's tall tale. When they finally arrived at the mess hall, they loaded their trays and sat down, shortly being joined by Neptune and Team JNPR.
"So, what class do we have next, sparring with Goodwitch, right?" Blake said, taking a bite of her tuna sandwich.
"Yeah... I hope she doesn't make me sit out today." Ruby said, sounding slightly doubtful as she poked at her mashed potatoes with her fork.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll let you fight, as long as you fight Jaune." Nora said happily , taking a bite of chicken.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Jaune said indignantly, looking at the orange haired girl.
"Well, I mean you're sort of-" She began to reply, but was cut short by Ren, who placed his hand over her mouth.
"Nora, please stop talking..." He said quietly as Jaune looked slightly put out.
"Oh come on Jaune, you've definitely improved since we first met!" Pyrrha said encouragingly, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
"It's alright, I know I'm not the best fighter." Jaune said, taking a large bite of his pizza.
"Don't worry Jaune, you're still a great leader!" Nora said cheerfully, patting him on the back, sending his head into the table.
Jaune groaned as the rest of them laughed, raising his now pizza sauce covered head and sighing. "Thanks Nora..."
When they had all finally finished eating, and in Jaune's case cleaning up, they made their way towards Goodwitch's sparring room together. When they arrived, everyone else had already taken their seats. They all sat with their respective teams, looking towards the empty sparring ring.
"Where's Goodwitch, she's never late." Yang said in a carrying whisper, several other students nodding in agreement.
The words had barely left the girl's mouth when the sound of the door opening filled the room, followed by the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. The woman cleared her throat as she reached the middle of the ring, both hands behind her back, a small white hood on her head and a smile on her face.
"Good afternoon everyone. Professor Goodwitch is away currently, so I was asked by Professor Ozpin to take up her position while she's gone." Summer said, pacing back and forth, not taking her eyes off the students. "I assure you nothing will be different while I'm here. Professor Goodwitch has left me a small list of things to go through with the class while she's gone. Before we get started, I'll introduce myself."
The class exchanged slightly confused looks, but most shrugged it off, giving Summer their full attention. "My name is Summer Rose, I've been a Huntress for about twenty years now. I've gone on many missions and fought against almost every kind of opponent; so I'm not lacking in experience when it comes to combat. If you ever need help or an answer to a question, feel free to come to me, and I'll be more than happy to assist you!"
"She can give me extra lessons any time..." Cardin said in a carrying whisper.
What happened next made many of the class jump in fright. The room had gone silent after Cardin's remark, though it didn't stay that way for long. A loud BANG, along with a CRASH echoed through the room, causing many to jump and a few yells of surprise. The class looked at Summer, her arm extended, a small smirk on her face. They traced the direction of her arm to Cardin, who was currently sitting with her scythe buried where his lap had just been. Yang was also standing, her right gauntlet smoking from the shot she had taken right at his head.
"I think you should be our first volunteer for a sparring match today, hmm? Would you and a team member of your choice please step forwards?" Summer said in a sweet, innocent voice, tilting her head and giving a small giggle. "And who should we have you up against... How about two members of Team RWBY?"
Before anyone could blink, Yang and Ruby were both standing in the sparring ring, glaring at the two men in front of them. Yang punched one fist into her other hand, giving a small smile, whilst Ruby simply crossed her arms.
Summer stepped back out of the ring, typing something into her scroll, the ring activating and the giant board displaying each fighter's aura levels lighting up. "Ready? Three... Two... One... Begin!"
The as soon as the last word left Summer's mouth, both Yang and Ruby charged towards the two men at top speed. The two tried to block the girls' ferocious attacks, but they were no match.
Yang had gone for Sky, her gauntlets firing with each punch she made, each one connecting with the man in some area of his body, his aura dropping in record time. When he finally hit the ground, he gave a small groan of pain, trying to rise, but falling back to the ground as his aura hit the red.
Cardin wasn't so lucky, as he had the physical strength to fight his much smaller opponent, but not the speed. Each of his attacks cut only through air as he swung his mace wildly, trying to connect even a single blow while Ruby dodged him almost effortlessly. Giving a small smirk, she finally took her scythe off of her back and unfolded it, swiping out Cardin's legs from underneath him and swinging at him hard in mid-air, sending him flying out of the ring and slamming into the wall, followed by several shots of her sniper rifle, sending his aura level into the red.
Yang and Ruby happily walked off the ring to a loud round of applause, taking their spots next to Blake and Weiss.
"That was a wonderful match, both teams did... Well..." Summer said, causing a collective laugh at Cardin and Sky's expense. "Now then, do we have any volunteers for the next match? We should have enough time for about... Three more for today."
Hands went up around the room, and Summer began picking at random. The first match-up was Ren and Jaune vs Sun and Neptune, who easily won, much to Team JNPR's disappointment. The second match-up was Weiss and Yang vs Blake and Pyrrha. This match was a lot more exciting, and lasted much longer than the previous match-up had.
Yang and Pyrrha went blow-for-blow with each other, both trying to get the upper hand, with Pyrrha eventually gaining the advantage, and sending Yang flying into Weiss, who was currently locking swords with Blake, sending both girl's aura into the red zone.
The final match was the most interesting by far, as it was a free for all between four teams. Nora, Blake, Russel, and Neptune all entered the ring, ready to fight. Russel was the first to be knocked out, a swift kick from Blake sent him into Nora's fist, which sent him directly into Neptune's trident, depleting his aura in a matter of seconds.
The fight afterwards was much more exciting as the three dodged, parried, and countered each other's attacks, all seemingly evenly matched. Their teams, along with the rest of the class, cheered loudly, with a loud round of applause when Blake's punch sent Neptune flying out of the ring. The class held their breath, expecting a long and hard fought battle between Nora and Blake for the win... However, Nora had different plans. Blake readied herself, getting into a fighting stance as Nora switched her weapon into it's grenade launcher form. She fired six quick shots at Blake, who lept and rolled, trying to avoid the deadly pink explosives. She was just coming out of a roll when she saw a glint of metal out of the corner of her eye, Nora's hammer striking moments later, sending her flying up to the ceiling, and back down, where she landed in the stands with a crash.
Ruby and Weiss helped Blake up, who was still slightly dazed. Just as they got her to her feet, the bell rang, signifying the end of class.
"Alright everyone, for an assignment, I want you all to give me a paper tomorrow on some observations you made on the fight." Summer said as the students picked up their various belongings and began filing out.
Ruby and Yang stayed back after class while Weiss took Blake to the infirmary to make sure she didn't have a concussion, with Nora constantly apologizing behind them.
"Sooo, how'd I do?" Summer said, smiling brightly as Yang and Ruby walked up to her.
"You did great! Why didn't you tell us you were going to be our substitute?!" Ruby said excitedly, wrapping her arms around Summer.
"I wanted it to be a surprise." Summer replied with a light shrug as the loudspeaker crackled to life.
"Would Team RWBY and Summer Rose please report to my office as soon as possible?" Ozpin's voice said, booming out of the speaker above the door.
"What could this be about?" Yang said, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head curiously.
"I dunno, but I guess we'd better find out." Summer said with a small sigh as all three of them started down the hallway...
End Note: Hiya guys, hope you liked the chapter! I also hope you like the idea of me making Summer a temporary teacher. It allows her to stay near Ruby for a while longer. And speaking of Summer, what secret could she possibly have that made her and Tai fight the last time they saw each other? Drop me some theories :p
I'd also love to thank you guys for supporting my story by reading and reviewing it! And a super special thanks to , who has been a constant fountain of ideas, opinions, and all sorts of helpfulness!
If you guys could rate and review, that'd be super cool but it isn't mandatory, just helps me know what you guys like and don't like so I know if there's stuff I should avoid :p
Anyways, I think that's it, Chiao!