Chapter 13: Dance, Dance Inf- Oh, I see what you did there.

Well, I'm looking forward to more updates. Are you looking forward to more updates?

Oh hells yeah!

Well, regular updates are pretty much never going to happen. Like ever.

...May I ask why, exactly?

Because people keep quitting at my job, so I'm forced to take more hours and therefore NEVER get anything done. At all. But I got a little break to get some stuff done. And here's the product of that little break. Whenever it gets posted.

And remember kiddos. We own nothing.

Also, two things. First, I convinced Duncan to try out "Intros" for his stories like I do every now and again. I made this one. Yes, it's an altered version of the Volume 2 intro of RWBY, but I hope you guys like it. I know that I certainly do.

Second, there's going to be a surprise at the end of this chapter. Here's a hint: it's tied into "Love is Multiversal: Love of the Hunt." If you can guess what it is before you reach the end, then congratulations! You get a virtual cookie.

And they are delicious. So, anyway...

Enjoy.

BGMs:

Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Suede

Careless Whisper - George Michael

Crime Scene - Eve to Adam

Chandelier - Sia

Troublemaker - Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida

(Play "RWBY Vol. 2 Opening")

(There's a point where it tips, there's a point where it breaks)

The scene starts as the clouds part away, the camera slowly zooming in toward Beacon Academy's courtyard.

(There's a point where it bends, and a point we just can't take)

The scene changes to show the backs of three individuals- Ruby Rose, Duncan Verser, and Michael Verser- as they stand side by side as the area flickers into shades of white, gray, red and black as a pair of silver eyes open overhead.

(Anymore)

The three of them are then shown from the front, all of their eyes closed.

(There's a line that we'll cross and there's no return)

They are then joined by Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, as white fire burns in the sky.

(There's a time and a place, no bridges left to burn)

Ruby, Duncan and Michael open their eyes, looking up into the sky.

(Anymore!)

As the black sun shines and the academy disintegrates into nothingness, everything fades to white.

(We can't just wait with lives at stake)

Ruby then falls from the sun and through the atmosphere, joined by a whooping Duncan and a screaming Michael.

(Until they think we're ready)

Gears then zoom into existence as Professor Ozpin stands in his clock tower office, which is then replaced by images of Team JNPR; Team CRDL; Team SSSN; Team CFVY; General Ironwood and Penny with Atlas soldiers; Ozpin with Glynda Goodwitch, Bartholomew Oobleck, and Peter Port; Hei "Junior" Xiong with Melanie & Miltiades Malachite; and Roman Torchwick with Neopolitan in rapid succession.

(Our enemies are gathering)

The Antiverser walks through flaming streets with Cinder Fall, Lucifer, Mercury Black, a conflicted Emerald Sustrai, and Adam Taurus by his side, and an army of Grimm right behind them.

(The storm is growing deadly)

Back up in the sky, Ruby, Duncan and Michael are joined by the rest of Team RWBY, along with Teams JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY as they all land in the streets of Vale.

(Now it's time to say goodbye)

A blurry fight is shown as Duncan and Pyrrha fight side by side, defeating silhouettes resembling the members of Team CRDL.

(To the things we loved, and the innocence of youth)

The scene then shifts to Cinder and The Antiverser, looking at the moon as Atlas ships soar overhead. The scene immediately shifts to Unit VRSE and Team RWBY charging to face their foes.

(How the time seemed to fly)

Yang is shown brawling against Mercury, Blake battles against Taurus, Weiss fights with Emerald, Ruby against Cinder, Michael crosses blades with Lucifer, and Duncan clashes with The Antiverser.

(From our carefree lives)

Kicking backwards, Duncan glares as he launches another attack, quickly joined by his friends.

(And the solitude and peace we always knew)

The final scene has them launching a final strike, in the order of Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ruby, Michael, and finally Duncan, with the camera zooming in to his pupil as the title is shown.

MLTI VRSE

(End "RWBY Vol. 2 Opening")

Third Person's POV:

A Few Days Ago:

"I'm back!" Roman shouted half-cheerfully, half-smugly as he opens the door leading inside his secret hideout, a warehouse in the industrial sector of Vale he personally remodeled into a proper apartment for a man of his stature and tastes, with Melodic Cudgel before he walks inside and closes the door, again, with his cane.

A young petite woman, hair half-pink and half-brown with white streaks in the pink half and brown eyes, looked up from the fashion magazine she was reading while seated on a soft couch. She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and gray boots with very high heels. Under her jacket was a black corset, curved in the middle at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck.

The girl tilted her head quizzically, left eye changing to a pale pink. Her right hand made a cutting motion across her neck before pointing down, the arm lowering.

"Me? Dying? Don't be absurd Neo," Torchwick snorted. "Like I said to Cinder, I always have a contingency plan."

She made some more gestures.

"...Yes, the fake body was very convincing. Let's say that for now. No, we don't work for the fire bitch anymore. As much as it fails to amuse me, my fate is currently in the hands of someone that wants me to be a goody two-shoes. Temporarily, of course." What he didn't mention, however, was that he was enjoying playing the good guy for a change.

Neo stood still for a few seconds before nodding and going back to her magazine. Roman walked past her and sat on his desk. He opened a drawer and took out an expensive-looking bottle of brandy. At that moment, however, someone knocked at the door.

The red-head sneered. "Whoever it is, tell them I am not available and get the fuck out of here," he said to Neo without turning back. "If they don't comply immediately, remove them."

Roman heard Neo stand up and walking to the door. Satisfied he poured himself an almost full glass of the delightful nectar. Raising it he took a deep sniff, savoring the aroma, and brought the glass to his lips...

Only to be interrupted when Neo walked in front of him, left eye now white and right eye pale pink, lips set into a thin line. She lifted up both hands: with the right hand she made a cutting motion while with the left one she patted her chest. Then her index fingers traced two circles in the air before she threw her hands up and walked away.

"What? What do you mean I don't pay you enough? Enough for what?"

"Hello, Mr. Torchwick," a new, unknown voice said from behind him as Roman felt something landing on his shoulder. Turning around he discovered the something was a hand: each nail was perfectly trimmed and painted black, a bone-white skull painted on each one. On the ring finger was a golden band, an emblem consisting of a pale white stylized horse's skull on the top.

Something he was quite familiar with during his time in the Land of the Dead.

"Oh...Hell," Roman drawled.

"Not quite, but close enough. We need to talk, Mr. Torchwick."

Present Day:

"OH! You guys look great!" Yang cheered, as the latest three attendees entered the ballroom.

Ruby Rose, Duncan Verser, and Michael Verser looked all out of place. Ruby, because she obviously hated the outfit and loathed her shoes. Duncan, because he was wearing another version of his hooded jacket as the blazer for his tuxedo. And Michael...

Well, aside from his sharp white and blue tuxedo, he looked like an absolute wreck.

Probably because he had accidentally agreed to two different dates for this dance.

"For the record, I'm going to just out and say that if this gets really boring...I am totally spiking the punch bowl," Duncan deadpanned.

"I...would actually find that hilarious, against my better judgement," Yang hesitantly said.

"What's 'spiking' mean?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Just stay away from the punch bowl after you see Duncan go near it," Michael sighed, adjusting his collar.

"You look nervous, Mike," Yang grinned. "Something wrong?"

He simply turned to look at the blonde boxer. "...You know, don't you?" said dead man growled.

"Yep," Yang affirmed, making a popping noise at the "P," and still grinning. In response, Michael only sent a chilling glare at her, which made her nervously chuckle and back away. "Right, sorry."

Duncan simply shook his head in amusement. "So where're the others?" he asked, looking around for their friends.

"Over there, by the windows," Yang told them, gesturing to Blake, Weiss, JNPR, Sun, and Neptune. The group noticed them and waved. Nora especially towards Michael.

'Fuck my life,' Michael thought to himself.

Snickering at his protégé's dilemma, Duncan led the three towards their friends. "Meet us when you're done, Yang," he told the blonde.

"Stupid lady stilts!" Ruby grumbled, trying to walk properly.

"You know there are dance shoes for girls that aren't...those...abominations, right?" Duncan asked, as they reached their friends.

"...Quick. Tell me a good swear word," Ruby said calmly. "I think I need one now."

"Don't!" Michael, Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Ren, and Yang (from across the room) ordered Duncan.

"Killjoys," Duncan and Ruby grumbled.

"Sooo..." Sun began, trying to break the ice as he worked with his necktie. "What's up?"

"A two letter word indicating direction."

"..."

"..."

"...Okay, no more questions for you," Sun told Duncan before turning to Michael. "How 'bout you?"

"Just...nervous," Mike told him. "I've never attended a single school dance in my life when I was human. Let alone with a date."

"Really?" Blake said with surprise. "Why's that?"

He shrugged. "To scared to take the first step. That kinda changed once Dunc found me, though."

"Well then, this will be awesome!" Nora cheered, zipping next to Michael. "Won't it?"

He was about to retort, but simply looking at the pink-loving ball of sunshine's gaze- which was just full of life- made him smile and say "I don't see why not." As she cuddled up to him, Michael couldn't help but sag a bit from exhaustment.

{Remember that you have no one to blame but yourself for this situation, Partner.}

'Thanks for the "encouragement," Weiss-kun,' Michael growled inwardly. 'Truly, you are a font of knowledge.'

"And you, Red?" Sun asked Ruby.

"I hate these shoes. I hate this dress. And I don't know how to dance," the young Grim Reaper answered.

"You could've just asked me to alter your hood for the dance so you could feel more...you," Duncan told her. "I mean, that's what I did."

"Hey, no hind-sighting me!" Ruby whined. "That's not funny!"

"Actually, it is," he said with a chuckle.

Michael's POV:

I soon found myself on the dance floor, slowly dancing to the music with Nora. The whole time, I was keeping his eyes on the door, watching for when Emerald made her entrance. Still, I couldn't help but let myself appreciate the grace that Nora had with her movements.

And her hips...my god, could she move them, both in a fight and in dancing...

{I believe the phrase is, "keep it in your pants,"} Weisslogia cut in.

That got me to shake myself back to focus. "I've gotta admit," I said with honesty, "for a hammer-wielding grenadier, you sure know how to work a dance floor."

"Ren and I did a bit of it when we were younger," she responded. "Heck, we did pretty much everything together. Not like we were 'together' together, mind you. I mean, I get why others would think we were like that, but he's been my friend for years, and-"

"Breathe, Nora!" I said with a laugh. She blushed in embarrassment, realizing she was going off on a tangent.

"Sorry," she said, scratching the back of her head. "I'm told I do that a lot."

"Really? Never would've guessed," I replied with a smirk.

The two of us chuckled a bit, before we fell into a brief bit of silence. I cast my gaze back to the door for a second. Still no sign of Emerald or Mercury yet. Sighing, I began to wonder how I would manage to get through this without causing any pain- especially emotional- to Emerald and/or Nora if I was caught like this.

Why did I have to get cursed with this stupid pheromone ability?! Speaking of which...

"Why did you ask me to the dance, anyway?" I asked.

That got her to blush quite noticeably, causing her to look down as we danced. "W-Well...I know it sounds kinda stupid, but...I've kinda had a crush on you since I first saw you. 'Love at first sight,' huh?"

"That happens more often than you'd think," I offered.

"Yeah, well I guess it really got to me," she continued. "I mean, my heart just raced every time I thought about you, you kept popping up in my dreams, and oh my god I must really sound like I'm obsessed right now, don't I?"

"A bit," I replied humorously. That caused her to groan a bit from embarrassment. "That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. In my opinion, it gives you a reason to want to get to know me at the very least."

"But I-"

"Nora," I began, "it's okay. To be honest, I'm...I'm trying to sort a few things in my life out right now. Plus, I don't want you to rush into something you might regret later. So for now, how about we just...well, see where things go from tonight?"

A moment of silence caused her to think, then smile as she answered "Sounds like a plan to me." The two of us then went back to dancing, our bodies a little closer together. As I looked back at the door, she asked "Are you okay, Michael?" Looking down, I saw Nora looking at me with a bit of worry.

"Uh, yeah," I lied. "What makes you think otherwise?"

"The fact that you keep looking at the door every minute, for starters?" she offered.

{Perceptive little one, isn't she?}

'Not now!' A slight gulp. "Uh, well-"

"Mikey!" Duncan called, standing next to Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha by the punch bowl. "Can you come over here for a sec?"

...Thank you, forces of the Multiverse. "I, uh, better go see what he wants," I said. "Wanna catch up on the dance later?"

"You bet!" she replied with a bright smile. "In the meantime...hey, Ren!" As she walked off, I went over to where my mentor/brother/friend was stationed, all while releasing a rather large breath I had been holding.

On the way over, I took a few looks around to see how the events were progressing. Penny was over by a few guards, dancing a bit while the guard in red (me in disguise, as I decided to spend some time with her) tapped his foot in tune; Sun was "raising the roof" as he danced without a care; and- most surprisingly- Neptune was actually dancing very well near a few girls. Made sense, seeing as he received advice from Jaune back at the Paradise club on Level 2.

Oddly enough, Weiss seemed a bit anxious as she arranged some flowers. I decided to ask later, after seeing what Duncan needed.

However, before taking another step, I ran into someone that made my heart stop for a second or two. Someone with familiar mint green hair. "Michael!" Emerald happily stated.

That wasn't what caught his mind when he saw her, though. What caught his mind was the new dress that she was wearing. It was pure white in color, a stark contrast to her dark skin with a pair of long gloves that reached her biceps and a skirt that reached down to her ankles. The top was backless, and the front revealed a tantalizing amount of her cleavage as the dress pressed her breasts up a bit. It didn't help that the material clung to her body so well.

All in all, she was dressed to kill. Metaphorically speaking.

"..."

{...Seriously, no one can be this unfortunate.}

Ignoring my partner, I said "H-Hey, Em. I, uh, I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Just arrived, actually," Mercury said as he walked up with Cinder. Walking away with said villainess, he said "You kids stay out of trouble!" The mint-haired thief stuck her tongue out at him, causing me to laugh a bit at the childish display.

"So," she said as she turned back around, "ready for a dance?"

"Actually, I'm heading over to Duncan," I said. "Apparently he needs me for something."

Leaning in, she planted a kiss on my lips before walking away. "Don't keep me waiting," she whispered huskily, adding an extra sway in her step. Which- I later found out- she was hoping I would notice. And I did.

Don't judge me. You'd have done the exact same thing as me.

Third-Person's POV:

Sagging a bit, Michael made his way to the punch table and toward a grinning Duncan. "You look tense," Duncan said with an innocent smile (which made him glare at the King in hatred). Handing his protege a fresh cup of punch, he continued "Don't worry, I didn't spike it."

Michael gratefully took the drink, looking at the others gathered around. "...I see you guys are hiding here, as well?"

"Yep," Ruby answered, putting emphasis on the "P."

"Uh, yeah," Jaune answered lamely.

"For the moment, yes," Pyrrha nodded.

Shrugging, Duncan answered "I'm just a bit antisocial at the moment."

The five of them stood in a circle, a brief moment of comfortable silence shared. "...To the socially awkward, then." The sounds of clinking glasses resounded, before they shared in a deep drink. "So, how're things with you guys?" Michael asked Jaune and Pyrrha. "You two seem to be a little...closer than usual."

"Yeah, well, that's because Pyrrha and I are, well...together," he answered.

...

...

...

'...Didn't you say he had yet to find out about her feelings in the show, Michael?'

'Yes I did, Masamune-chan. Yes, I did.' Shaking himself out of that bombshell, he said "Congrats, Jaune! And here I thought you would've been hopelessly pining for Weiss by now!"

"You can thank me for that," Duncan said proudly. "I may not be Cupid, but I know how to make others wise up."

"[Like you're one to talk about wising up,]" Ddraig spoke up.

The others jumped a bit at that. "Oh, hey there...Ddraig, right?" Ruby asked.

"[Correct.]"

"Uh, hey," Michael said. "You, uh...you still ticked about last time?" he asked nervously.

"[Go feed yourself to a thresher maw.]"

"Yeah, no," Duncan answered for me. "He may be a bit dim at times, but that doesn't mean he isn't smart enough to apologize. Anyway, how're things going with you and your 'company'?"

"...Dunc..."

"Yeah?"

"I will seriously hurt you, if you don't drop it."

"You'd try," he shrugged.

Sighing, the young Multiverser said "So, what did you need me for?"

"Oh, just to get you to loosen up a bit," he answered. "Seriously, you're gonna run yourself ragged if you keep this stressed."

"I know, it's just...*sigh* I don't want to mess this up. And Lord knows that I will when Nora and Emerald find out that I'm with both of them at this dance."

Their three companions all choked on the punch a bit, coughing as they worked down the liquid. Recovering first, Pyrrha exclaimed "You're WHAT?!"

"Sit back, Rubes," Duncan whispered to the stunned leader of RWBY, "and watch the magic unfold."

"I-I wasn't trying to, I swear!" Michael defended hastily. "Nora pretty much stunned me into it back on Terra Infinitas, and Emerald asked me after we got back! Of course, I forgot about that at the time, but I swear I'm not trying to lead them on!"

"But I- you- 1 girl- 2 girls-!" Jaune stammered. "Math doesn't work in this situation! One girl plus one girl does not equal good times!"

"I had not really pegged you as the kind who would even allow it to reach this point," Pyrrha scolded, eyes slightly narrowed. "How could you not tell one of them afterwards?"

"Because he's a guy and therefore an idiot?" Duncan suggested.

Before he could retort, Michael (and Jaune) nodded and submitted to that logic. "I'm just...at a loss," he sighed. "Women problems have been happening to me all over since I became a Multiverser. I was notthis attractive to women before. I wouldn't say I was ugly, but I just kind of blended in."

"Well how do you plan to deal with this, then?" Jaune asked, still trying to wrap his head around multiple women and one guy.

"By doing all that I can do," he sighed, staring at the ground. "Do my best. Try my hardest to make them happy and if they end up hating me...then I deserve it. But I'll be damned if I don't try to make them the happiest girls in existence before that."

Unknown to Michael at the time, his words affected Duncan. Not like a big revelation, mind you. More like a reminder. He had already known what I said to be true, but had forgotten long ago. Men tend to do that. But that's aside the point. The point is, if someone likes you, and you like them back; Make. Them. Happy.

And if multiple people like you, and you like them back, too...

Well, whatever choice you make, hold no regrets.

"Hey, I'm gonna go do something I should've done months ago," Duncan said, standing up and setting his cup down. "I'll talk to you guys afterwards.," he told us before leaving.

"While he's doing that, could you...explain how you've been apparently having this problem all over?" Ruby questioned, eyes narrowed and twitching.

"I...I started producing pheromones after I changed," he began, running my hand through his hair. "One moment, I wasn't. The next, I'm like a...uh...I don't know what simile to use for this. What am I like?"

"A scented candle?" Jaune offered, shrugging.

"Don't know if that works."

"A man-whore?" Pyrrha deadpanned.

"Language!" Michael yelled, gesturing to a shocked, blushing Ruby. "Never expected that from you, Pyrrha!"

"I'm not particularly fond of the idea of men trying to have more than one girl at once," she elaborated. "It could be possible, theoretically, but is mostly impossible. Therefore, I am somewhat...agitated, at the moment."

"We can see that," Jaune nodded, wide-eyed.

"So, Duncan never warned you about this?" Ruby asked, choosing to ignore Pryyha's previously hidden foul mouth.

"No, he didn't," Michael told her, shaking my head. "Don't get me wrong, I've seen him with a girl before, but it sure the hell shocked me. I kinda had this impression that he was this sorta...ancient, wise, hermit kinda guy who decided to not take on lovers for some big reason."

"Why would you think that?" Pyrrha asked, looking in another direction.

"Well, like I said. I've only seen him with one girl in the years I've known-"

That's when the dance music stopped, halting all the dancers.

(Queue "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede)

"Oooga chaka, oooga oooga oooga chaka, oooga oooga oooga chaka..."

The small group turned to where Pyrrha had been looking; The DJ's (who Michael could swear look just like the robots of Daft Punk). Both of them were currently counting lien and Duncan was swaying to the song, his back turned to the crowd.

"I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me...Girl, you just don't realize, whatcha do to me..."

Then, he turned around. He continued his own little dance to the song. But, this was weird. What is he doing?

"When you hold me, in your arms so tight, you let me know...Everything's alright."

'Wait. I know what he's doing,' Michael thought in realization. 'He's dancing for someone. But...who is he-?'

*FLASH*

*FLASH*

Spotlights. Spotlights that were shining on BLAKE and YANG.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'm, hooked on a feeling!"

The King of the Multiversers in one swoop appeared before the BY of RWBY and instantly grabbed the two. In fits of laughter, the Faunus and Boxer went along with him, accepting his not so subtle invitation to dance as they made their way to the dance floor.

"I'm high on believin'! That you're in love with meeeeeee!"

"Uh, I'm sorry," Jaune spoke up, wide-eyed as he, Ruby and Pyrrha tried to process what was going on. "What was that?"

*CRUNCH*

Unconsciously, Michael had been gripping my glass of punch. So much so, it had broken in his hand. But he didn't care. Why, you might ask?

He knew.

The piece of shit mother fucker knew beforehand about the pheromone ability. And the son of a bitch let him suffer.

{Uh, partner? Your inner world...it's, uh, it's getting a bit dark in here...and hellish...}

"...I fuckin' hate you so much right now, Duncan," Michael whispered coldly, a fire in his eyes that contradicted the mood of the ballroom. "You. Will. Pay."

{Calm down, Michael,} Weisslogia said. {If you try to jump him, he'll just kick you're ass. You need to be smart about this.}

'...Damn it all, you're right,' he thought, sagging a little.

"Actually, wait," Jaune spoke up, hesitantly. "I just remembered, that I...kinda knew about this beforehand."

"Fuckin' WHAT?!" Michael yelled, blood vessels visibly popping in his forehead as he whipped his gaze to the young Arc.

"A few months ago, uh...Duncan was running in his PJs," Jaune began, looking sheepish. "He ran into Ren and me in the library. We asked why he was in his PJs and he got all defensive. We calmed him down a bit, then he said he had to run from his room since Blake and Yang discovered something."

"They were in his room?!" Pyrrha and Michael exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jaune confirmed, scratching the back of his head.

"...Wait, what did they find out?" Ruby asked, having caught something important in that sentence.

"Uhhhh, NOTHING!" Jaune stammered, before shaking his head in fear. "Nothing at all! Why did I even say that? Heheh..."

"Jaune..." Pyrrha growled.

"Uhhh..." the Swordsman instantly submitted to the Spartaness. "He can, uh...make it so girls can't get fat."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Ruby. Pyrrha. Look this way, real quick," Michael said, getting their attention. The girls, having just started processing that knowledge turned their gazes to him. And therefore, into his greatest power to hide such a thing.

The Jedi Mind Trick.

"You will forget everything you learned about Duncan just now," he said, waving his fingers in front of them as he worked his magic.

"We will forget everything we learned about Duncan just now..." the two of them droned, their eyes glazing over a bit.

"You will not acknowledge the next three minutes."

"We will not acknowledge the next three minutes..."

"Jaune..." Michael muttered. "No one can ever know..."

He readily agreed.

Duncan's POV:

"Lips as sweet as candy. It's taste is on my mind."

"Wow, Duncan," Blake laughed as I spun her around, "I didn't think you were such a good dancer."

"Practice makes perfect, my fair lady," I replied with a smile. "And I've had more time than anyone else to get good."

"Girl you got me thirsty, for another, cup o' wine!"

Taking in Yang for a moment, she and I tangoed to the tune. "So what brought on this sudden bought of PDA?" she asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really loving it, but I didn't think you wanted this kind of attention."

I sighed a bit. Looking over at Mikey (who seemed to be performing the Jedi Mind Trick at the moment), I answered "Let's just say that I got a bit of a wake-up call from a close source." Taking Blake into the dance, I continued "You two are important to me. I've said it before, I know. But I'm tired of hiding it from others. And if they want to judge me for being in a relationship with more than one person, then they can tongue kiss Ddraig's chrome taint for all I care."

[Thank you, for that extremely horrendous, disturbing mental image,] Ddraig deadpanned.

'It's what I do.'

[Indeed. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'mma just gonna go vomit my guts out and then proceed to douse my mind with 10 tons of bleach in an effort to get rid of that mental image, before cranking up your pheromones a bit in retaliation with Issei's help.]

'Wait, what-?!'

[Enjoy the party. Try to survive Weiss later.]

...Oh, just wait, you fucker. Just you wait for 'Oppai Dragon'...

"That is...we did not need to hear that," Yang admitted, eyes narrowing in slight annoyance. "But I have to admit, that's pretty brave of you to do."

"Got a bug from you, girl. But I don't need no cure."

"Well, there's an upside, at least," I said. Pulling them in close, I gave them brief- yet loving- kisses as I continued "Now everyone knows that you're off the market, and that you're all mine."

"I should stay a victim, if I can for sure~."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Blake said with a small smile, for me and me alone. It was shared by Yang's cocky grin, a sign of her nature to never look back on her choice to join in this weird as all hell relationship.

She'd never regret it. She rarely regrets anything, though.

POV Change:

"This...can't be allowed," General Ironwood said, having approached Ozpin and Glynda in an attempt to ask the latter to dance. "Young love is one thing, but that..."

"I must agree with James on this one, actually," Glynda nodded, trying to wrap her head around Duncan Verser of all people being even remotely capable of actually charming even ONE girl in the first place. "There has to be something-"

"All the good love, when we're all alone."

"I see no real problem," Ozpin remarked, unfazed by the sight (and shocking both Glynda and Ironwood). "Unless we catch students in the act of inappropriate conduct, their lives are their own," he told them, taking a sip from his ever-present mug.

"Keep it up, girl. Yeah, ya turn me on."

"And that doesn't count as inappropriate?" Ironwood asked, eye twitching.

"It counts as students attempting something very stupid that will either blow up in their faces or possibly work out," Ozpin coolly retorted. "The most this will do is agitate some of the male students and disgust the female ones. As long as they keep up their school work, I don't care."

"IIIIIIIIIIIIII'm, hooked on a feeling!"

POV Change:

Nora was next to Ren, the former of whom was confused about what was going on. "Uh, Ren?"

"Yes, Nora," he said in slight surprise. "That is happening right now."

"So, you're seeing this, too?"

"Yep."

"..."

"..."

"...Well, at least they look cute together!" she said brightly, earning a tired sigh from her longtime friend.

"I had actually thought Blake was joking when she mentioned sharing. Silly me. However," Sun said as he and Neptune stood near them. "Duncan Verser is the luckiest son of a bitch in the history of Vale."

Neptune, on the other hand, finally understood why Duncan told him to back off of Yang back at Junior's club. And that he should probably continue to do so.

POV Change:

"Um, Michael?" Penny whispered. "I am not quite sure I understand. Why is Duncan dancing with Blake and Yang?"

Next to her, Michael- who was disguised as the soldier in blue so he could dance with Penny (figuring she could use some company)- was simply standing there, glaring at his fellow Multiverser in a calm, almost palpable fury. "Because he's in a romantic relationship with them, apparently," he said through clenched teeth.

That got her even more confused. "But, I always thought that people only entered into a romantic relationship with one person?"

"Normally, they do," he continued. "However, there are...certain cases, where multiple romantic partners enter into a relationship with each other, mostly one guy with multiple girls. Such a relationship is often referred to as a harem."

"...I'm...not sure I understand this very well..."

He sighed in response. "Trust me, sometimes I don't really understand it, either. And I've experienced it," he said, taking a swig of some punch.

That got her attention. Looking up, Penny asked "Well, would you wish to help me understand?" He raised an eyebrow in questioning, still drinking his punch. "Maybe...I don't know, have a harem with me in it?" she asked in pure honesty.

Cue one massive spit take, followed by dropping onto the floor in a coughing fit.

POV Change:

"All...everyone is distracted," Emerald said into her communicator, staring at their enemy in shock.

"How long do I have?" Cinder asked from the other end.

"All night," Mercury answered, also staring in equal shock (with slight jealousy brought on by being a man and not having a similar situation for himself). "Verser's dancing...with partners. Plural."

"I- What?"

"The bastard has two girlfriends, evidently."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I'm going to get back to the task at hand," Cinder told them, breaking their awkward silence. "I'll be back before midnight."

"This is all kinds of weird," Mercury said, turning off the communicator. "How does a guy like that get girls like those?"

"Better question," Emerald responded. "How does a guy like that get a girl, period?"

Neither had an answer.

(End "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede)

Third Person POV Change:

"School romances," Cinder sighed, rolling her eyes. "They're all stupid."

The raven haired temptress, garbed in attire to hide her identity while on this job, began running across the rooftops. As she did, she was completely unaware of a pair of silver eyes watching her as she made her way to her destination.

Said destination was the Cross Continental Transmit Tower. Granted, there were guards both in and around the area, but compared to her skills and abilities, they may as well have sent mall cops against her. At best, they would prove to be a decent warm up.

Not the first guard, though. He went out like a light, with a blow to the back of the head. Cinder pulled him out of sight, and made her way inside. There were more guards present, who took notice of her. "Excuse me," one of them said. "No one's allowed in this area."

She didn't turn around. He reached for his gun.

"Stop!"

And with a charge, she attacked.

Cinder dodged the shots with ease, grabbing the man's gun arm as she struck him in the face. Another came charging at her right, sword brandished. Not that it did him any good, as she effortlessly kicked him in he solar plexus and used her hostage to shoot the other in the chest with his gun.

As the shot guard fell to the floor, she threw the one in her grasp into the railing, knocking him out cold. The remaining two guards drew their blades, jumping away from the elevator to engage her in combat. Not that they would stand a chance against her.

Spinning around, she used her Dust clothing to activate her weapon, forming two curved blades made of Dust and glass from a flash of flames. Using a combination of her sword skills and acrobatics, she effortlessly dealt with the guards.

'Now to get upstairs,' she thought. As luck would have it, the elevator was on its way down.

The doors opened, revealing two guards. They noticed their friends lying on the floor behind her, but were still too shocked to respond properly as she calmly walked in between them.

Not even three seconds after the doors closed, and they were unconscious.

"Hmm, that's handy," she mused, having pocketed one of their scrolls that showed the Wi-Fi password. With a graceful swagger, Cinder proceeded into the communications center, picking the first terminal. Then, she got to work.

"A party guest is leaving," Emerald told her over their communicator.

"Which one?" she asked, still typing.

"Ironwood."

"I guess the General's had enough fun for one night," Mercury quipped. "Should we intervene?"

At that, every terminal flashed a black queen chess piece. "No," Cinder smirked. "We're done here."

"You know this place is closed after dark, right?"

Spinning so fast as she stood up, her chair flying towards the window. Duncan Verser was right in front of her, leaning on desk with his arms crossed. She didn't even hear him enter. "Oh, you look surprised," he mused, smirking at her eyes that were, if only by a small amount, wider than usual.

"You...you're in the ballroom-"

"Oh, that's adorable," he chuckled. "You think I'm restricted by location!"

Without another word, Duncan charged at Cinder. His signature sword, Bright Shadow, already thirsty for blood.

Using Glass, she made her twin blades and blocked the first blow. Kicking Verser in the stomach, she launched herself backwards. While in mid-air, she discarded the dual blades in favor of a bow. She notched three arrows let them fly at her target once she reached the ground.

Verser deflected each arrow with one blow.

What really made her pause for concern was the fact that he actually looked serious now.

All of her connections' research into Verser only ever saw him serious once. Every other time he looked smug, hysteric, amused, etc. The only other time he looked as serious as this was right before he had beheaded Torchwick's 'double.'

"That's a very interesting fighting style you got there, Fall," he observed, paying close attention to her bow. "Your weapons are disposable and made on the spot. Dual-wielding and archery in tandem, too.Very interesting, indeed."

Without a word, she created another set of blades and threw them at Verser. He side-stepped them.

"Should've thrown them horizontally," he advised. "Always worked for me that way," he told her before raising his left hand into devil horns. A thin but very strong strand of black webbing shot from his wrist and attached itself to her before he pulled her back to him.

Creating another sword out of Glass, she cut the thread. But she was already in motion towards him. She struck high. He crouched low. She turned her body to slash at his middle. He turned in tandem with her and moved himself back. She slashed upwards. He blocked downwards.

She made another sword to strike his left side. His left arm turned into a vicious-looking chrome gauntlet and blocked her blade. Never once did his expression change.

The elevator rang, opening to reveal Ruby and Michael. The instantly took to pulling out Crescent Rose and [Aura Radiance], respectively. Duncan took advantage of the distraction his friends brought, and pulled the trigger to the revolver built in his swords handle. The kinetic force made his blade shatter her sword with one blow while his left hand gripped the other blade and crushed it. And one roundhouse kick later, she was at the edge of the room.

"Well," Michael drawled, "that was easy. Didn't even get a chance to shine."

"Next time, Mikey," Duncan said.

The trio closed in on her, weapons trained on her at all times. However...her communicator beeped.

"To the right, then leave," a heavily synthesized voice told her.

Duncan's eyes focused to the distance beyond the window. His eyes saw a man wearing an outfit similar to the Red Hood, except all black and dark matte grey. (A/N: From the Arkham Knight game. Coincidentally, the outfit I thought up for The Antiverser looked pretty much the same as the Red Hood. This was before I had even seen a picture of the Hood, too. Weird, ain't it?)

More importantly, he was holding and aiming a heavily modified scoped rocket launcher at their position...it had already fired.

Cinder was no longer a concern. She would already be gone by the time the rocket would hit and so would the shooter. Michael and Ruby, however...

The blast would cause only minor injuries to Michael, as he has not learned well enough to simply reject such injuries from happening. But Ruby would either gain severe burns, or worse. The only thing that needed to be thought of was how to prevent the damage. 10 meters until the missile would break the glass and destroy the room...

Cinder, whether she realized it or not, touched a nerve with Verser when she fought him. Her style of combat was too close to the one he knew. He had slipped up not too long ago, and used powers he had long since tried to forget. But he could not, as his eyes always automatically recorded what he would see his friend, allies, and enemies use. It had been a very long time since he used this. He only hoped he had not gotten rusty.

6 meters left...

His left hand twitched. Circuitry beneath the skin glowed as he searched for the tool to use to protect his two pupils from harm. He found it right where he would need it. Like loading a bullet into a chamber, he visualized what he needed in this world. Then, he raised his left arm to the incoming missile.

3 meters...

Michael had grabbed Ruby in an attempt to shield her, once he saw the missile. But he had also been paying attention to Duncan. His mentor just stood there, unflinching. He then paid close attention to his teachers' actions. His left arm glowed, but before that, he could've sworn his left hand was tan and covered in a red cloth. And...he was praying...

The missile was in the tower with them.

The explosion made it impossible to hear what Duncan said. But he saw flash of brilliant purple in the shape of a seven petal flower before light overtook them.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

From the ground below, General James Ironwood watched in confusion as he saw something racing toward the top of the CCTT at a fast pace. That confusion was replaced with a sinking horror as a ball of inferno consumed the top floor, right where the object had collided upon impact.

"Get out of the way!" he cried out to the soldiers with him on the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, they ran like bats out of Hell as debris tumbled down.

Once stopping, everyone looked up in morbid fascination as the tower burned like a torch in the night. "What the hell was that?!" one of the soldiers asked.

"I don't know," Ironwood answered, angry that such an attack even happened in the first place. "But I intend to find out."

Seconds Earlier...

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Flames erupted from the missile's impact, flooding the room with extreme heat. It was so intense that Michael and Ruby had to clench their eyes shut, lest their eyeballs dried out. Michael could feel his skin burn from the few flames that managed to touch him, while he made sure that Ruby was well protected.

Soon, the explosion managed to die down. Slowly opening their eyes, both Multiverser and Huntress-in-training looked in morbid awe at their surroundings. What was once a room filled with communication terminals, was now filled with fried tech, singed floors, and burning debris. And in front of them stood Duncan, breathing in deeply as the purple flower of light dissipated into particles. As it disappeared, he dropped to the floor on his knees, running a hand through his hair as he muttered "Way too close."

"Duncan..." Michael muttered. "What...what was that?"

"Old power of mine," he waved off. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now, we should probably head downstairs. The good General is waiting for us, and I'm sure he'd love an explanation as to what just happened."

As they made their way to the elevator, Michael froze in his tracks. His eyes widened in realization. And fear. "Duncan...that man with the rocket launcher...it was him..."

Ruby and Duncan turned to face him. "Him?" Ruby asked.

"You sure about that?" Duncan inquired. He didn't have an ounce of levity in his voice.

"Yeah," his protege nodded. "It was him. You don't forget a ma- a being like that...The Antiverser...is on Remnant..."

Duncan's POV, 10 Minutes Later:

While my double exited the building with Mikey's double and Ruby, I was finishing up with my dance with Blake and Yang. I had no doubts that we'd be the talk of the school for a while, but I didn't care. If they had a problem with it, I'd let them have a talk with Bright Shadow and Samantha.

However, I was currently not focusing on that. Instead, I clenched my hand in anxiety at recent events. This...Antiverser, had officially begun to make his move here, and he was already off to a fine start. Not only did he try to kill us back at the tower, but he had forced me to use something I tried not using again for a long time.

[Tell me about it. To think that you'd be forced to use any of those again, after swearing off powers from that world.]

'I know, Ddraig. But Cinder's fighting style...it reminded me way too much of mine, that it struck a chord with me.'

[Speaking of whom...] Sure enough, Cinder was dancing along with Mercury nearby. She turned her gaze toward me for a moment, her eyes filled with caution and weariness. There was no fear, though. She's tougher than most, then.

A moment later, the music stopped, bringing my attention (along with everyone else) to the stage. On the stage (next to the DJs, whom were once again bribed) stood Mikey, a big grin on his face as he brought a microphone up to his mouth. "Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention, please."

'Oh, this ought to be good,' I thought.

"Now, I know that many of you were expecting this dance to be like other dances," he continued, "but Professor Ozpin and I decided to...well, shake things up a bit. That's why tonight, Beacon Academy is going to be the host of its very own dance-off!" Everyone was cheering at that, excited at the turn of events. Raising his hand to quiet them down as a screen descended, Mikey continued "Now, to start things off, we're going to have this play out: the screen behind me will select four random students, pairing them into two groups. Those two will be dancing against each other, and after the first song ends, everyone else will join in until the last couple standing wins!"

As everyone began talking about this, I noticed a small gleam in my protege's eyes when he said "random." He was planning something. Immediately, the first two students were being selected as the screen randomly went through the images.

PYRRHA NIKOS

JAUNE ARC

As two spotlights shone down on the "randomly chosen" students, everyone had different reactions (mainly toward Jaune, wondering how he got lucky enough to be chosen to dance with Pyrrha). I, on the other hand, was grinning at the sight. "Will Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc please report to the dance floor?" Mikey called out, causing them to smile and go hand in hand.

The screen began to randomize again, until the first of the second pair was chosen.

CINDER FALL

As a spotlight shone down on her, I relished in the shock at the turn of events. It seemed that she didn't want to be the center of attention right now. 'Oh, this is gonna be sweet.'

[Indeed. I almost pity the poor bastard who- hey, did it get brighter, all of a sudden?]

Sure enough, it seemed like the area that I was in was suddenly brighter. I was left confused for a second.

Then I noticed it was quiet. Deathly quiet.

Then I saw the stunned look on Cinder's face, prompting me to slowly turn to look at the screen.

DUNCAN VERSER

"Will Cinder Fall and Duncan Verser please report to the dance floor?" Michael asked, his grin as wide as a Cheshire Cat. It was then that I recognized what that smile was, exactly.

A smile of vengeance.

...

...

...

...

...

...

[...Well, fuck.]

"I'm gonna kill you, Mike," I deadpanned, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You know that, right?"

"I said, 'Will Cinder Fall and Duncan Verser please report to the dance floor'?" Michael reiterated, maintaining his vengeful grin.

Switching my glare from Michael to Cinder and lowering the intensity of it, I walked over to my forced dance partner. She walked from Mercury to me, as well. She was glaring at me too, naturally. So...at least we have that in common.

"I will not enjoy this," she said, standing right in front of me. "I'm saying that right now."

"Neither will I."

Formalities out of the way, I placed one hand on her hip while holding another. And she placed one arm on my shoulder as she gripped my hand. Pyrrha and Jaune took the same stance. The spotlights were on all of us and the music began to play.

"DJ! Drop the needle!"

(Queue "Careless Whispers" by George Michael)

I sighed in disgust and rolled my eyes. Of course he'd pick this. It's cheesy, cliché, and fits this vengeance scheme of his perfectly. If it didn't piss me off so much, I'd actually be proud. Cinder at least shared similar sentiments as I once the first few notes played. Never heard the song before, and she instantly hated it.

A woman after my own heart, if it weren't for us being on opposite sides.

"You know, you'll never stop me," Cinder said, confident that no one could hear us as we danced. "From what I've been told, you still don't even know what we're doing."

"I don't need to know the endgame," I said, keeping my voice low as I moved with her. "I just need to know how to mess it up."

One has to wonder why people always think they have to know what they're messing with in order to ruin it. It's actually quite easy to ruin someone else's plans without knowing any of the details. Really, you just need to stand in their way and break everything in sight.

"Why bother?" she asked, raising a brow. "Why bother with them? They don't owe you anything.."

"I am strong. Therefore, I protect the weak."

"Domination can keep weaker people safe," she countered.

"True," I replied honestly. "Subjugation is a valid way to protect people."

Surprised? You shouldn't be. To become powerful, sacrifices will be made. To gain willpower that surpasses everyone else, you must harden yourself. There's always a price for power...and I've paid my dues to put me above everything else. Even if I cheated in some cases, too.

"Then why not help me?" she whispered, pulling me in just a way to make it look like more than it was. "It's much easier to protect the weak my way, if that is your goal."

"Because I don't care to do it anymore," I answered. "Been there, done that. Boring."

It was, actually. Why bother telling people what to do, when seeing what they can do on their own is so much more interesting? Sure, I am being hypocritical. But a push here, advice there. There's nothing wrong with having a positive ending in mind, and trying to see how others will get to it.

"Been there? Done that?" Cinder inquired, amused. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Then here's some advice that isn't surprising." I coolly told the woman in my arms. "Stay the course you are on, and I will be your end. That is the only outcome of any relationship we will have."

"Hmm." She smirked. "...We'll see."

"You know, I know a girl who sounds a lot like you," I said, remembering a certain...model. "She's a lot nicer, though."

"I'll keep your womanizing experience in mind," Cinder replied, unimpressed and uncaring.

The song began to die down. I had not been paying enough attention to Jaune and Pyrrha, as their dance was more energetic than ours and therefore they won.

"I'll be seeing you around, Verser," Cinder told me before walking off.

"I need some punch..." I growled to myself. "And liquor."

(Queue "Careless Whispers" by George Michael)

"Uh, what's with that look on your face?" Yang asked, as she and Blake approached me after my dance with Cinder finished. "Did she smell or something?"

"No, I just don't like her."

"Dare we ask why?" Blake questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"And can I ask why the two of you aren't jealous or something?" I asked back, avoiding her question. "She did pull me close."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Duncan," Yang deadpanned. "The three of us have been dating- and sleeping- with each other for a couple months now. And we're aware that you have a harem of girls from other realities."

"We're not going to just get jealous," Blake added, also deadpan. "We have an unorthodox relationship, and frankly, just anyone flirting with you is not going to set us off like crazy stalkers or fan girls."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I love you girls so much."

"We know," Yang smirked.

"And you watched Star Wars!" I happily exclaimed, before wrapping my arms around their waists and continuing to the punch bowl to start getting drunk.

"So, Mikey," I began with a twitching eye, "care to explain what the hell that was about?" Everyone else was off on the sidelines, looking back and forth between speakers, eager to see what would unfold.

My brother/student merely shrugged. "Well, I was originally planning on trying to jump you after the dance," he began, "but then Weiss-kun reminded me that you would just whoop my ass."

"Which I would."

"Indeed. So I decided to go with a more...subtle route."

"By making me dance with Cinder Fall."

"Yep."

"...Why? Why would you risk pissing me off that much?"

"Anyone ever tell you your bedside manners suck?"

"Blake and Yang don't mind," I shot back with a smirk.

"Touche."

"Thank you. Now, your answer?"

"...*sigh* Why risk pissing you off? Well, gee willikers, let's think about that one for a second," he said sarcastically. "How about because you didn't warn me about this 'curse' we Multiversers have, and you're a jackass. Does that answer your question?"

"[He's got a good point.]"

"One day, Michael," I warned my little brother figure as I chose to ignore Ddraig's barb at me. "Karma will come back to bite you in the ass one day."

"Oh, come on!" the young Multiverser snorted. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"..."

"[...Did that little shit really just say that?]"

"...Did I really just say that?"

The moment those words left Michael's mouth, the atmosphere in the room became still. It was like something suddenly changed, but nobody knew why. The noises from outside grew quiet and the temperature seemed to drop dangerously close to zero. Blake shuddered, feeling as if someone just walked on her grave.

"Fuckin' called it," I said in resignation, turning my head as I went to the punch bowl. The others, however, kept their gaze on the doorway.

Outside and out of the sight of everyone else, a black dot floated above the ground. It stood immobile for a few seconds before it began to descend, tracing a line all the way to the concrete. Once it touched the latter the dot expanded into a puddle of mist-like black substance. From it two more lines emerged on either sides of the first, reaching the same height before they converged, creating a rectangular shape split into two. More details appeared, as if conjured by an illusionist, until finally in front of no one stood a solid black door adorned with numerous white skulls, the head and torso of a skeleton on each half of it.

The door opened, revealing a young man who calmly walked to the entrance of the ballroom as his doorway disappeared.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun, Neptune, and Michael all turned their gaze to the entrance to see a new arrival; a figure that us Multiversers were all too familiar with. In came a man, no older than 16, wearing nothing but black. He had pale skin, black hair w/ gold bangs on the front, and blood red eyes. On his hands were nails painted black, with bone-white skulls on each one, and a golden ring on his left hand. Strapped to his back was a golden sword, and a pair of long-barreled revolvers strapped to his sides.

And as he walked through the ballroom, a sharp chill went down the spines of everyone present, stifling the atmosphere. No one could tell where the source was coming from. Because even though the others could see him, they couldn't see him. Only Mikey and I could.

"'And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him,'" I said, pouring some punch (mixing in some liquor into the cup) as he reached us. "Long time no see, Prime. Punch?" I asked, turning around to meet his gaze and holding out a glass to him.

Prime Death, the Aspect of Death. Once, he was a young man who was interested in understanding Death. So, when he died prematurely...I went to go get him. This was very early into my own career and neither of us got along perfectly. I, myself, mourn the loss of being normal. Him? He erased his previous existence in a way that no one would feel pain from his loss but he would still be here. I like to change things. He likes to make people accept them.

Still, aside from that, he is actually quite pleasant.

"Yes, please," Prime answered, taking the offered glass. He took a whiff, noting the alcohol mixed with the fruit punch, but drank it regardless. Finishing his drink, he placed it to the side. "I apologize, but I didn't come here to dance or for drinks."

"Wait...I remember a 'Prime' mentioned yesterday," Neptune spoke up, a strange look on his face. "This guy is Death, isn't he?"

"That is correct, yes," Prime answered.

"...Awesome," he said, nervously shaking his head before downing spiked punch. "...Another," he told Sun, handing his glass to the equally parched monkey Faunus.

"He doesn't...look like Death," Yang observed, looking him over. "He feels like it, but he doesn't really look it."

"Did you think I would just be a skeleton in a black robe with a scythe?" Prime asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde boxer. "I prefer not to terrify people when it's their time."

"So what brings you here, Prime-sensei?" Michael asked, sipping some punch I gave him.

Yeah, in case you forgot/didn't know, Mikey considers Prime to be his teacher, or sensei. This was the result of their first meeting long ago, in a world were Michael became a guardian of life and death. Prime helped him when he was at his weakest, and made him stronger (as well as helped him in his battles, even becoming the ruler of the afterlife in that world).

The two get along rather well, and Mikey really respects him (almost as much as he respects me). Doesn't mean he doesn't get nervous around him at times, though. Especially during those extremely rare moments when Prime gets pissed.

Seriously, a genuinely pissed off Prime is by far one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. And that's saying a lot.

"A strange thing, actually," Prime said, walking over to the window. "I was checking on the Land of the Dead recently, when a curious oddity came to my attention. Someone Duncan specifically sent there was gone. I was under the impression that Roman Torchwick was to remain dead, but for some reason he was resurrected. Now I won't stop a resurrection...but he was gone before returning to life. And when I asked him about it, he said to go to you two...why is that?"

Wordlessly, I pointed at Michael. Prime directed his gaze to him.

"Duncan, you rat basta-!"

"Michael," Prime interrupted calmly. "Care to explain?"

"..."

"..."

"...I got lost and needed directions," my pupil answered weakly.

"...So, in the face of getting lost, you decided to trust an unknown banished soul, who was a criminal...instead of just calling Duncan for directions?"

"..."

"..."

"...Yes?"

"..."

"...To be fair, I didn't know that place was meant for those killed by Multiversers," he continued. "Or that he was Roman Torchwick. I only found that out after arriving on Remnant."

"..."

"Also, Duncan already sent me a map. I just...took a wrong turn..."

"..."

"...Prime-sensei?"

"I just needed to set the record straight," Prime said, his face having remained neutral throughout the whole explanation. "On another note, it's been a while since you and I have properly sparred, Michael. We should rectify that."

"Karma, I love you so," I said, letting the booze take me away.

Third Person's POV:

As Michael tried to drown his suffering in alcohol, Prime brought up his left hand to eye's level and snapped his fingers. A huge purple magic circle appeared under his feet and expanded to cover the whole room. In a flash all people seemed to vanish, save for those aware of Prime's presence.

"A Fuzetsu barrier. Been awhile since I saw one of those," Duncan commented. "Is that where you've been recently?" he asked Prime.

"Among other places. Universes where there are many threats to the balance between life and death necessitate great care," the red-eyed boy replied before walking to the center of the hall. "Especially in the world that Michael and I first met." Once there, he turned around and spread his left hand to the side, the right one keep behind his back. "Michael."

"...Yes Prime-sensei." Michael downed the last of the punch before taking out [Aura Radiance] and getting into position, his clothes changing into his Multiverser Outfit.

"Wait! Are you going to fight here?!" Pyrrha protested.

"Don't worry. The great thing about this barrier is that nobody outside will notice anything, and any damage will be repaired before going back," Duncan told her.

Prime's left hand clenched into a fist before he opened it. Purple flames appeared in his palm and spread out, condensing into a scythe with a size similar to Crescent Rose. The staff however was made of bone and the blade grew out of the back of a human skull with a crown of thorns on top. Prime then pulled his left arm up and to the side while the other arm crossed under it, right hand resting on the staff.

"That..." Ruby breathed, that stance reminding her of Uncle Qrow.

"Before we begin, can I ask you a question?" Michael asked Prime, who nodded in confirmation. "Are...are you angry with me?"

"No. Disappointed, certainly. I had great hopes that you would grow up nothing like Duncan-"

"Hey!" said King of the Multiverse yelled.

"...But far from me to pretend to dictate your life's choices. No, I am instead eager."

"Ea...ger?"

"Yes. Rejoice Michael, because the theme of today's lesson-"

The young Multiverser felt his blood freeze.

{Partner? An ominous disemboweled voice started laughing here in your inner world, and frankly it's freaking me out.}

"-is 'Responsibility'."

And then Prime disappeared.

"MICHAEL! UNDER YOU!" Blake screamed.

(Queue "Crime Scene" by Eve to Adam)

Michael immediately lowered his sword, just in time to parry the blow aimed at his legs from the scythe of Prime, who was moving very close to the ground using the special technique of Cassandra fromClaymore.

"That was a low blow!" Michael said with a grin.

"Yes, it was," Prime replied neutrally. Before he pushed with many times his previous strength, making Michael soar in the air and slam into the ceiling.

Before he could jump back down, Prime was already lunging skyward. Michael dodged just in time to merely lose a moderate chunk of his arm before it healed itself. However, wall-crawling while upside down is kind of a disadvantage when your enemy can fly and attack you while your hands are busy trying to keep you steady.

Preferring the ground to his current location, Michael dropped down to try and even the field. However, Prime maintained the high ground as he was still flying.

Adopting a defensive stance would still be futile, as Prime was able to deal blows that cut him up from a distance without even touching him. What was that ability called? 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?' Michael recalled Duncan knowing about Prime's use of that power amusing, saying Prime had a sense of humor after all. It wouldn't be funny if he used it right now, though.

However, giving one's self an inner monologue turned out to be a bad move, as Prime took advantage of Michael's attempt to assess the situation and struck again in a series of blitz attacks from the air. None of which Michael could properly block.

And every few attacks that Michael made...Prime skin turned to stone, more likely to damage [Aura Radiance], and making Weisslogia yell "Ow!" with each hit.

"Okay. Is it just me, or does that Prime guy have a counter for every move Michael has?" Neptune asked the nine stunned Hunters-in-training and one mildly interested Multiverser. "First was his skin turning into stone, and then that freaky thing with his eyes to see despite the bright light and all the rest? Does he have a special ability and/or technique for every problem?"

"Nope. That's just his [Cheating Body] ability," Duncan said as he continued to drink his punch.

"Cheating Body? What's that?" Weiss asked.

"That's how I call it. The real name is [Meta Probability Physiology]: it means that Prime has complete control of all probabilities within himself, unlocking infinite possibilities as to what he can be and how he interacts with the world."

Very blank gazes were his only reply. "In English?" Blake asked.

Duncan scratched his head. "It means that he can change himself however he wants. If he needs the strength to break a boulder, he gains it. If he can't breathe underwater, he becomes able to. If he wants to shoot lasers from his eyes, he can." He took another drink. "And if he uses a weapon, he just wills himself to be a master of it, complete with talent, knowledge and instincts normally gained after years of gruesome training."

"What?! But, but...that's cheating!" Jaune said with outrage. For him, who suffered greatly for his lack of natural talent and became competent through blood and sweat, such an unfair ability rubbed him the wrong way.

"And that's why I call it [Cheating Body]," Duncan smirked.

"I agree with Jaune," Pyrrha frowned, crossing her arms. "Just gaining strength without any effort...doesn't your friend have any pride as a warrior?"

"Probably not." He tilted his head. "Scratch that, absolutely not. But Pyrrha, you seem to be misunderstanding something. Prime isn't a warrior." He turned back to the battle, a certain half-forgotten memory flashing through his mind: that of a black-coated figure wielding a scythe made of bone, a skeletal hand gripping the shaft.

A figure standing in the middle of a literal sea of dead bodies.

"Prime is a killer."

Truth be told, Duncan had no pride either. Now, there are some things that he will take pride in. Being a jerk, helping others become great or overpowered, drawing, gaming, etc. But he takes no pride as a warrior. As a teacher. Or as a hero. After a certain point, no Multiverser could have pride in such things. Their abilities place them above everyone else at all times. Their accomplishments? Taken and altered from other heroes when we become them.

Sure, those heroes they can become are fine with it now, but they weren't always in their heads. And when they first woke up, they weren't too pleased.

Regardless, aside from Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience, every skill or power a Multiverser has gained was not earned or worked for like a natural hero or warrior. Thus, Multiversers hold no pride. One cannot have any pride in anything they did not truly earn.

Michael had forgotten just how...troublesome fighting against Prime was. The older Multiverser was strict but fair, in some ways the complete opposite of Duncan. Training under him wasn't fun, but it was rewarding and it made him stronger.

Still, Prime Death as an opponent was anything but 'conventional'.

Case in point, Michael knelt down to avoid being cut into half, the past mock battles with Ruby helping him predict the movements of his Sensei's scythe, and jumped to the side, [Aura Radiance] thrusting upward to disable his opponents shoulder. Prime raised his right arm to block it, Michael predicting he would harden his skin to deflect the blow and then attacking from above.

*SCHLTICK!*

Instead the blade pierced through the red-eyed boy's forearm, who then proceeded to push sideways and savagely split apart his own limb on Michael's weapon, splattering blood everywhere...included on Michael's eyes, who found himself blinded and unable to react when Prime kneed him in the stomach.

The witnesses watched in horrified fascination as the two halves slammed back together, the wound sealing itself midway into a karate hand thrust that hit Michael in the shoulder. He let go of his scythe and began using his bare fists.

"Pain is transient. Nothing but an illusion the minds of mortals create to delay death," he calmly explained while he mercilessly pummeled his student. "Master your own mind. Recognize what cannot kill you, and ignore it. Don't let fear put limits on your potential."

"I can't stand it anymore!" Nora shouted, enraged. Readying Magnhild, she prepared to assist Michael-

"Thaaaaat caaaaaan't beeee alloooweeed~" an unknown voice sung. A cloud of flies zipped into the scene at incredible speed and hit Nora in the stomach, pushing her back and into Ren.

"...Did I just watch a bunch of flies punching someone in the gut?" Sun, the master of stating the obvious, helpfully provided.

"Ohohohohohoh!"

Following the haughty laugh a figure descended from above, hundreds of flies trailing around her. By appearance alone she was a girl around Ruby's age, maybe younger, with black and white striped hair and glowing red eyes. Her ears were covered by headphones shaped like fly's eyes. She wore a furred cape, furred gloves and form-fitting black boots.

And, the last detail that made Weiss, Jaune and Pyrrha blush while Neptune and Sun whistle, was that she was wearing a black and white striped bikini that left nothing to imagination.

"Who are you?" Nora demanded.

"Ohohohoh! Clear your ears and pay attention, because the great me is about to make a presentation!" The flies converge and fuse to create a throne, on which she sat. "Coming directly from Hell, I am the great Devil Beelzebub! Lord of the Flies and Demon Lord of Gluttony! Fear me!"

"Hello Beelzy. How are you?" Duncan greeted her nonchalantly.

"You've got a mouth on you, Duncan Verser," Beelzebub stared at him with one eye closed. "One has to wonder who, or what, do you find worthy of respect?"

"Not you, that's for sure."

"Ohohohoh!" the Demon Lord laughed, clearly enraged.

"...Did she say Devil?" Jaune gulped. "And a Demon Lord at that?"

Nora shot at Beelzebub with Magnhild. The Demon Lord caught the grenade barehanded and tossed it away without even looking. "Did you not hear what I said, girl? Interfering is not allowed."

"I don't care! That's not a lesson, that's torture!"

"So young...so naive." Very slowly Beelzebub turned to stare at Nora, eyes glowing even stronger. "I like young and naive people. They taste sweet."

She licked her lips, the flies under her control gathering around her. "My children...let the banquet begin!"

As Beelzebub's flies went to attack Nora, they stopped in mid-air.

"What?!" Beelzebub yelled, outraged. "I said 'get them'!"

"And I say stop," Duncan said, holding up a hand to the flies. "You have no power here, Demon Lord. I, on the other hand, do. And I always will."

"Ooooooooh, sometimes I really hate that about your kind," she growled before her body seized up as well.

"Don't care," he coolly retorted, controlling her and her flies. "No one is to interfere with the sparring match and you're not going to attack anyone here, either...so say I, King of Chaos and servant of the House of Gremory. And Nora?"

The still angry Valkyrie turned her gaze to Duncan, still holding her hammer.

"Michael has a [Cheating Body], too," he reminded her. "He just chooses not to use it. Add in the fact that Prime is just schooling him and that Mike has a helluva healing factor...there really is no point worrying. He's scared shitless, yes. But in any real danger of long-lasting pain? No. So, are you all going to play nice?"

"...Fine," Nora grumbled, relaxing her stance and putting Magnhild down.

"...Of course I'll concede to the King of Chaos," Beelzebub sarcastically remarked, overdramatically bowing. She did, however, not know when to stop."Far be it from me to disobey someone who has been Lucifer himself, in a past life..."

"Now you're pissing me off again," he growled, getting everyone to shut up and get back to watching the fight.

Ruby always thought her Uncle Qrow was the strongest Huntsman in the world, the most skilled scythe user she knew.

She was wrong. At least, for the latter part.

Prime was a whirlwind of steel, his motion never stopping. Every blow flowed into the next with the ease of water in a river, his body following the movement while using the scythe's staff as center of gravity.

For that is what fighting with a scythe is all about. The origin of every technique and their variations could be traced to a single, basic move: the [sweep].

Scythes were created to harvest grain and other cereals. While they could also stab downward like a pickaxe, it's only with a sweep that the user could exert the maximum amount of strength in their blows.

Prime swung down diagonally from the left. Michael parried the blow by letting the blade slide down on his sword and retaliated with a thrust. His opponent leaned to the side, pulling the scythe up in a 'C' to hit his face with the back of the handle. The young Multiverser hastily raised his sword to parry, but Prime- at the last moment- pulled back and slammed the lower end of the staff into his stomach.

Michael pushed him away with an attempted kick and then stepped forward, swinging down his sword at the same time.

Prime raised a single finger. Moments before touching his hand turned into stone, [Aura Radiance] slammed into it with a metallic ring...without dealing any damage whatsoever.

"Michael. Do you know...what being a 'Multiverser' means?" Prime suddenly asked Michael.

To say he was a bit thrown off would be an understatement. In fact, the others (minus Duncan) were thrown for a loop as well. "Eh? What being a 'Multiverser' means...we're the strongest guys alive sans the Multiverse itself, right?"

"A correct answer, but an incomplete one." Prime closed his eyes. "A Multiverser enjoys more freedom than anybody else." He opened his eyes, staring hard at his student as they disconnected from their stances. "But he also shoulders more responsibilities than anybody else. A while ago Duncan brought you and your friends to visit Terra Infinitas. There, you learned that there are things even he isn't allowed to change."

Duncan scowled. Michael grit his teeth. "Yes. And I still say it's wrong a-"

"Wrong? What do you know of right and wrong Michael?" Prime interrupted him, his voice like the death rattle of an entire planet. "The Multiverse is everything. It encompasses all existence: light and darkness, hot and cold, life and death, good and right, pleasure and pain. Everything begins with Duality, and evolves with Trinity."

He slammed the staff's tip on the ground. "Duncan was the First. He is Chaos, that which bring forth Change so that the Multiverse can live instead of just existing."

He raised a hand, a skull made of purple smoke forming above the palm. "I was the Second. I am Death, that which bring forth Order so that the Multiverse can exist instead of tearing itself apart."

"Did I already told you how much of a Drama Queen he is?" the King of the Multiverse asked sardonically before turning serious. "He's right, through. Multiversers aren't just the chosen of the Multiverse: we're also its Guardians."

"Well said Duncan," Prime said, completely ignoring the initial jab.

"Is this what you mean with 'responsibilities', Prime-sensei?" Michael slowly asked. "That I can do what I want, but when the Multiverse calls I obey, no ifs, ands, or buts?"

"Again, a correct answer but also an incomplete one," Prime said, resting his scythe on his shoulders with one hand on the staff. "We were given absolute power because judged worthy of it. We were given the highest of duty because we are judged able to perform it. But beyond that there is also another type of responsibilities Multiversers, this one by choice.

"It's [responsibility for our actions]," Prime smiled softly. "No matter what, we are and will be responsible for our own decisions. Tell me Michael, are you someone who runs away from responsibility?"

"Of course not!" Michael replied vehemently. "I'm not that kind of person!"

His smile became a bit brighter at hearing those words. "That's right. You wouldn't have been chosen as a Multiverser otherwise," Prime said, his voice dropping to barely a whisper, though Michael could still hear it. "Not that I would allow you to skip away from your responsibilities."

{...Is he always like this?}

'That's Sensei for you,' Michael smiled wryly.

"With that done..." Prime turned to look at Duncan quizzically. "Why did you call me a Drama Queen?"

Duncan smiled. "Because-"

"Since I'm currently male, it's more accurate to call me a Drama King. Gender specific adjectives exist for a reason."

Duncan's smile fell. "Why do I even bother?"

Weiss' POV:

After that, the barrier fell. Like Duncan said, everything was repaired and no one even noticed there was one in the first place. Like we had never left. Our little group dispersed to go about the party elsewhere. And I turned my gaze to Duncan, who was with Blake and Yang.

He noticed my gaze on him and my teammates and said something top them. Likely something about catching up with them later. The two turned to see me, confused, before adopting a knowing look. They nodded their heads and then left to the dance floor.

(Queue "Chandelier" by Sia)

'Now...Dust, I don't even know what to do,' I thought to myself.

"Same here," Duncan told me, looking just as nervous as me. Great. Mind-reading again.

It had been extremely embarrassing last night to enter Duncan's room to ask him out. Typically, it's the boys who ask the girls out. But I am not typical...

...And, obviously, neither is he.

So imagine my surprise when I ask him, he nervously gets up to lock the door. Then tell me that he's already going with Blake...and Yang...and that the three of them had been a 'thing' for months now, which started right after Duncan...dealt, with Roman.

Naturally, the first thing I did was slap him. Hard.

I was about to start cursing him, probably hit him more, but somehow he calmed me down and explained the situation to me. Evidently, he, Michael, and the other Multiversers (sans Prime and possibly this Nick person he and Michael mentioned), have a condition where they produce very potent pheromones. Pheromones that make it difficult for women to ignore them. Not force them to be the only male girls would be interested, but to be very difficult to ignore. Which still ends up being the same thing.

Apparently, Duncan has a harem. And so does Michael, even if it is just starting.

I am...still not sure how to deal with the situation at hand. I don't exactly like sharing. Sharing a boyfriend is a lot more than what someone can handle.

"This isn't a conversation we should have here or now," Duncan said, breaking the silence.

"What now, then?" I asked, just as deterred as him to discuss the Goliath in the room.

"Let's get outta here first," he suggested, taking my hand.

Not a second later, the cool breeze of the outside hit me. Duncan teleported us outside...onto the rooftop.

"This is your best idea for privacy?" I asked, staring at the edge. I could see some of our classmates moving around at ground level. Some were drunk, others trying to keep the drunk ones out of trouble.

"Listen, Weiss," Duncan began, regaining my attention. "I'm not gonna start explaining how I can't love you, or it's too dangerous to love me, or some other cliché BS, since I'm already with...a lot of girls, right now. Married to some, too. The truth is, I personally think you, Blake, and Yang are kinda crazy for falling for me. It'd be better of you three, and every other girl, got one man each for yourselves."

"...I sense a 'But' here," I pointed out.

"There is no 'But' here," he clarified. "Harems are still piggish, perverted, and unrealistic in this age. But I'm stuck with the issue and have at this point accepted it, again."

"And?"

"And I'm not going to ask you to stop nor am I going to convince you to accept it," he told me. "Right now, at this moment, it's only going to be us. Afterwards...whatever happens is your decision, and I will continue to see you as a great and promising young huntress, no matter what."

"I thought I was an 'Ice Queen'?" I deadpanned.

"Queens have to be smart," he smiled. "You fit that part pretty well."

"Perfectly."

"Modest, too," he snorted, before putting an arm around my waist. "Now come here and let's dance."

After that, it was just him and me. No harems, no Grimm, nothing but us and this moment.

'Well...he's not a bad dancer, at least.'

(End "Chandelier" by Sia)

Third Person's POV:

Michael looked up at the ceiling, watching for a moment as Weiss and Duncan began to dance. His reaction: to growl in a very animal-like fashion, which quite honestly scared some of the others. "Uh, Mike?" Jaune said hesitantly. "What exactly has you pissed now?"

"Oh, nothing," the young Multiverser responded. "Just that Duncan is now dancing with Weiss, who may very well be in love with him for all I know."

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Jaune exclaimed. "She won't go for someone like me, but she'll go for the complete opposite of herself?! I would've half expected her to fall for someone like Neptune!"

"If Duncan never showed up, she may very well have done that," Michael said, taking a large swig of his punch. "I swear, one of these days..."

"Aw, cheer up, Mikey!" Nora said, using her hands to bring the corner of his lips into a smile. "Tonight's a night of relaxing!"

A brief moment of silence, followed by a tired sigh and a smile. She was really starting to get to him. "True. So, you guys ready for whatever tomorrow brings?"

"Without a doubt," Ren said.

Chuckling, Jaune looked at Pyrrha and said "As long as we're all ready." They leaned in and kissed, with Nora gushing a bit at that.

Before Michael could say anything else, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I wondered where you ran off to," Emerald said, bringing everyone's attention to her. Pouting a bit, she continued "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me."

{...Yeah, you're on your own, Partner.}

"...eheh. Sorry, I was kinda caught up with a bit of, uh, catching up," he said nervously.

"You can catch up later," she said, wrapping an arm around his. "After all, you still owe me a dance." With that said, she dragged him (unwillingly(?)) towards the dance floor.

"...So, that's the other girl he came with?" Pyrrha inquired.

"Seems like it- Oh, crap..." That was the moment that Jaune and Pyrrha remembered: Nora didn't know. Gulping nervously, they turned to look at Nora, expecting a good degree of hurt to be sketched on her face. What they saw, however...

Was surprise.

Noting their confused expressions, she said "I, uh, kinda figured out that Michael came here with another girl as well." Now her team mates were shocked. "I mean, he kept nervously looking over to the door, expecting someone to show up at any moment. Then there was Duncan explaining this whole 'curse' that he and the other Multiversers have with girls. Plus, I kinda saw how Mikey freaked out a bit yesterday (what with the whole causing an earthquake with screaming). So I kinda put two and two together, so to speak."

Let it be known that Nora Valkyrie is smarter than she looks. Hence why her team was still shocked. "And you're okay with this?!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"Pyrrha, I love you guys," she began. "I love Mikey too, even if its more than I love you guys. I honestly think that people should be able to express the love they have in their hearts, even if it's in a way like that. Besides, its not his fault he ended up like that...it's Duncan's, really."

"...Sooo...you're okay with the guy you like being with another girl...?" Ren asked cautiously.

"Not completely," she admitted. "But I can at least learn how to share. Besides...she's kinda..." She trailed off, a noticeable blush on her face.

"Nora?"

"Well, when I saw her...I kinda felt the same way I did when I..."

"When you...?"

"...Ren?"

"...Yeah?" He took a lengthy sip from his drink.

"...I...I think I might like girls, too," she finished nervously.

Cue Ren performing a major, wide-eyed spit take, coughing on the punch while Jaune and Pyrrha had their jaws dropping to the floor.

Nearing the center of the room, Michael himself tripped and stumbled as he heard Nora's confession. While surprised that she was a bit okay with his situation, he was not expecting her to admit to being bisexual. To say he was shocked was an understatement.

"You okay?" Emerald asked, having helped her date catch himself.

"Yeah," he lied a bit. "Just a little...I think Duncan may have spiked my punch a bit."

"...You have got to get a new brother," she deadpanned.

"I would if I could, but no one else will take him," he sighed dramatically. "But enough about him. I believe you and I have a dance to perform?"

With a sultry smile, she wrapped her arm around his neck, while he wrapped his around her waist. That's when the music started.

(Queue "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida)

Michael couldn't help but chuckle a bit as the music began to play, something his date did as well. Never heard the song before, and she loved it. A woman after his own heart. Now if only they weren't on opposite sides of this fight.

As they began to dance to the beat, Emerald said "You wouldn't be able to tell that this is only your second time dancing."

"Trust me, I'm just as surprised," he replied.

"Though not as much as you were when you set your brother up with Cinder," she shot back. "Why exactly did you do that?"

Spinning her around, he pulled her in as he said "Let's just say I just figured out that he was keeping a 'family secret' from me. And I wanted him to suffer for it."

She raised an eyebrow as they expertly scuffled around the others. "By having him dance with someone he hates?"

"Well, I can't beat him in a straight up fight," Michael replied honestly. "That was the next best thing."

A moment of surprised silence passed, before she laughed a bit. "Well now, aren't you a bit of a sadist."

"Vindictive," he replied without missing a beat. "There's a difference." A difference that he learned throughout his years working alongside Duncan. It made sense that, during said time, he would pick up a few traits from the King of the Multiversers.

Not that he was complaining.

"Speaking of miss Fall," Michael continued, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what she did at the tower, would you?"

"Mmm...no," Emerald replied, faking thinking it over for a moment (and laughing when Michael faked disappointment). "If you want to know, you could always join up with us."

"I would...but I have a problem with people who would willingly sic an army of Grimm on innocent people," he said with complete seriousness. "Why are you doing this, anyway? People will get hurt if you do this."

He pirrouetted her, causing the bottom of her dress to spin out and around. "Why do you even care?" she asked, equally serious. "From what we know, neither of you were even born here. You two have power that puts everyone here way beneath you. You don't owe them anything."

"What are you getting at, Em?" he asked.

She took him in, leaning into his ear. "Why go out of your way for people who are beneath you?"

He tensed a bit at that. She got a bit worried when his eyes gained a pained, faraway look in them.

"...Because they're worth it," he answered. Noting her confusion, he elaborated "I look around, and I see so much potential. I look at Jaune, and I see a warrior waiting to emerge. In Team RWBY, possibly the greatest Huntresses that Remnant will ever see. And in you..." He brought her back a bit, looking her right in the eyes. "...I see a wonderful, strong, beautiful woman, who can be so much more than someone who wants to cause chaos with this plan."

His words caught her by surprise, with the finishing statement causing her to blush. "...You know what I've done," she said as she looked down, figuring he knew more than he let on. "You know what I'm capable of doing. That we're planning an attack on this city. So why bother?"

Cupping her chin, he brought her gaze up to his. "I already told you...because you're worth it." With that said, he dipped her low to the ground and brought her in for a deep kiss. One that she eagerly returned, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as the music ended.

As they separated, the two of them looked at each other with eyes clouded with emotions. "You keep this up, and I may have to take you back to bed," Emerald whispered huskily.

Michael smiled. "Is that such a bad thing?" he asked.

"Not even remotely."

He brought her back up, bringing her in for another deep kiss.

{Is that tongue?} Weisslogia noted.

Separating again, Michael whispered "Maybe another time?"

"Maybe," she replied back. "For now..." Without a word, she shuffled around a bit, working her legs as she placed something in his pocket. "Something to think about." With that said, she sauntered off, being sure to slowly shake her hips as she did.

{...Dude,} Sterling Archer whispered. {You actually get to tap that...}

'Whereas you don't get to tap anything anymore, Sterling.'

{...You know, I was actually in a good mood just now. Now, I'm gonna make your life in the Multiverse hell. You'll find out how tomorrow.}

Shaking off his stunned expression, Michael briefly wondered what he meant by that. Then he recalled that he had something stuffed into his pocket...something that shut his mind down once he pulled it out.

{...Is that...a thong?}

(End "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida)

"Michael?"

"HOLYCRAP!" In a flash, he expertly hid the white piece of cloth in his pocket as he turned to face Nora. Sighing, he said "Jeez, Nora, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," she said. "I was just...well..."

Realizing what she was going to say, Michael sighed as he said "Look, I'm so-"

He was quickly cut off as she leaned up on her toes, kissing him full on the lips. He remained ramrod still, even as she moaned a bit into the kiss. Separating, she said "I know what you meant when you said that you're trying to figure stuff out. And when you do...just know that I'll always love you, no matter what." With that said, she smiled brightly and walked away, adding a bit of a shake to her own hips as well.

'...'

{...Luckiest...son of a bitch...ever...} The shock in Weisslogia's voice was practically palpable.

'...Shut up, Weiss-kun...'

Emerald Sustrai was many things. A thief, a criminal, possessor of one of the greatest hair colors ever, etc. But right now? She was thirsty. And from the looks on a good number of the guests right now, someone clearly spiked the punch bowl. Most likely Duncan Verser, if what Michael said earlier was any indication.

So, obviously she'd have some.

The sly thief made her way to the punch bowl. She'd already danced with Michael, and honestly had fun. Despite the fact she had had to work while dancing, too. Ah well. She'd probably get another roll in the hay with him if the booze did the trick.

Reaching the punch bowl, she filled her glass. Just as it was about to reach her lips-

"I would not do that, if I were you."

-The glass of punch flew from her hands, spilling its contents all over the floor.

Emerald turned to her side to see Prime, calmly standing by the table looking at the snacks. He seemed to slightly sneer at the coconut filled chocolates, though.

"What the hell was that for?!" she asked, voice raised in slight outrage. "I was gonna drink that!"

"Yes. And I pointed out that that would be a bad idea," Prime said, still looking for something to eat. "I don't like pointless death. And those brought about by alcohol are...most distasteful."

"It was one drink," Emerald deadpanned, staring at Prime intensely. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

Glancing at her for a moment, he replied "I am known as Prime. I'm also an ally of Duncan, the man that you are against. I am also Michael's mentor." Those last two really got her attention. "As well as the one who will be keeping you from making a large mistake tonight."

"Yeah, because you're drinking for two now, Em," came Verser's voice from behind her. She nearly gave herself whiplash just to see that Verser was leaning against the snack table drinking punch.

"What does that mean?" Emerald asked, wary. She didn't need this womanizing psycho near her now.

"Oh, we can see things others can't," he nonchalantly told her. "Even if it's just starting."

"Again. What? Does? That? Mean?"

"You're pregnant," Prime answered.

Duncan had to hold it in when he saw the mint-haired thief's eyes widen. "W-w-what?"

"Mikey left a little muffin in the oven when the two of you decided to bake on the first date," Duncan way too cheerfully revealed to her. "Really should've used protection...so...SURPRISE!"

Emerald, now shocked to her core, did the only rational thing when it was revealed that she was pregnant.

She fainted. (A/N: Hat's off to you, RebukeX7!)

"...Did you have to do that?" Prime asked, looking to the unconscious thief on the ground.

"Yep. It was great. Good thing the lesson was 'responsibility', huh?" Duncan rhetorically asked, drinking more punch. "So, how are things with you?"

"Fine, for the most part. Simply planning things out, mostly."

"...You know, last I checked, you summoned, you know, her. Him, whatever. Stupid gender confusion with him and his 'father'," Duncan said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, she doing okay? The others, too?"

"I have only recently begun my work there, but they are fine," Prime told him. "They're not the same people that you knew, though. Same people, technically, but not yours."

"I know...just been a long time since I saw them."

"That is your fault just as much as it is theirs."

"Maybe..." Duncan grumbled, looking into his cup. "If you ever need help there, though..."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Duncan, but you and I are two different people," Death politely told him. "I believe all they need to do is accept things to move on towards a better future. Not change things to try and make one."

"I know...offer remains, though," Duncan nodded, before smirking at Emerald's unconscious form again. Setting her up on a chair nearby, he chuckled and said "I am SO gonna laugh my ass off when she tells Michael. It'll be so worth it."

"Quite." Looking around at the people, Prime smiled a bit and said "You know, I think I might be joining you and Michael in this world. I'm not sure why, but I think I might like it here. Plus, someone has to serve as Roman's parole officer, even if he's serving Michael now."

Duncan smiled at that. "Great to hear! It'll be nice to have a good set of eyes on him, especially with what's coming up. Just, stay away when he goes to Mountain Glenn."

"Very well. May I ask why?"

"...Remember what I told you about this new Antiverser?" Noting his steely gaze, he continued "Well, he's here. And I don't want him to catch onto us allying with Roman."

Prime nodded. "Understood...things are going to change soon, aren't they?"

"Yeah," he responded. "And I have no idea how much..."

The Next Day:

"They were here," Ironwood stated, Glynda and Ozpin both present in the latter's office. "Ozpin, they were here!"

He was like this since last night, after learning more about what had happened at the tower last night. Suffice it to say, he was not happy. At all.

"Yes, we're very much aware of that," Glynda sarcastically said. "Thank you, James."

"Fantastic, you're aware!" he responded, exasperated. "Now are we going to do something about it, or are we going to stay the course and ignore what's right in front of us?!"

Before Ironwood could continue, the elevator doors began beeping, signaling guests. The doors opened revealing Ruby, Duncan, and Michael. "Sorry it took so long," Ruby nervously apologized. "Someone pressed all the buttons on the way up here...It wasn't me."

"It totally was her," Duncan smirked, selling her out.

"Thank you for coming, you three," Ozpin greeted, standing up from his desk. "How are you feeling?"

"Shaken up mostly," Michael answered. "We weren't expecting someone to shoot a missile at the tower. The dance helped, though."

"I'd feel better if our bad guy catching record wasn't 1-3..." Ruby jested, met with serious stares from the two headmasters and Goodwitch. "Yeah...that wasn't funny..."

"The attempt was still how Hunters and Huntresses should act," Ironwood told them. "You recognized a threat, you took action, and did the very best you could."

"Now, the general has informed us of the...events, that transpired last night," Ozpin began. "But now that you've rested, we were wondering if you had anything else to add?"

"Was anyone else with her?" Glynda asked. "Did she look familiar to you at all?"

"She wore mostly black, and a mask. Didn't talk much," Duncan began, lying slightly. "There was an accomplice, though."

"The one who blew up the tower," Ironwood deduced.

"After she finished hacking into the system, I engaged her in combat," Duncan continued. "Ruby and Michael entered not long after, but before they could help, the guy shot the rocket at the tower. She escaped in the confusion."

"And you three didn't stick around either?" the General pointed out. "Why?"

"I have nothing to say."

"Excuse me?" Ironwood asked, eyebrow raised.

"Forgive me, James," Ozpin interrupted. "But Duncan knows of your personal investigation into his background. Just as you do not trust him, he does not trust you..." Ozpin turned back to the three. "Perhaps we should continue this later. Just write me a report of what each of you saw last night, for now."

The three nodded and left the room back through the elevator.

"You're defending him?" Ironwood asked. "Why? He could've just told us, but didn't simply because he doesn't like me?

"That's beside the point," Glynda told them. "Verser said she hacked the system. That's a problem."

"One we've already prepared for," Ozpin pointed out.

"You planned to for the tower to get hacked?!"

"We had a special program developed that could silently track the digital movements of whatever program our intruder placed in the system. It won't strike until they do. And when it does, it'll supplement its attack with firewalls and purges."

"You're going to let them go?!" Ironwood raged. "To continue this whole charade with lives at stake!?"

"This isn't about simple victory against an unknown threat, James," Ozpin pointed out, sitting down. "I desire a victory that sends a message to future threats."

"And that involves letting the enemy play their game, evidently."

"No, it's about humiliating them at the cusp of their victory," the Headmaster corrected.

Ironwood sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Once you've realized what should be done, you know where to find me," he said, storming out of the office to head to his air ship. Glynda excused herself to return to her other duties.

"(Sigh)...James," Ozpin sighed, cradling his forehead with his hand.

"He's going to get you at risk of being fired," a new voice told Ozpin. Duncan hadn't actually left, having also been hidden in shadows for when the other two would leave.

"He means well, even if you don't think so," Ozpin defended Ironwood. "...But he can get on my nerves. Anyway, what really happened?"

"Cinder went in cover of the dance to hack into the tower. I had already uploaded our little counter-virus. I engaged her once she was done, Michael and Ruby came, the new guy blew the place up to help her escape," Duncan told him. "Had to use an ability I haven't used in a long time to keep Mike and Ruby safe...and then you let Michael force me to dance with the person who just hacked the place."

"Hmhm, it was funny," the Headmaster chuckled. "The look on your face made it all worth it. Though, I was not expecting the whole-"

"It's a problem I have. The girls initiated it. I've accepted it at this point. It will not interfere with anyone's work at this school," Duncan sighed and quickly defended, having memorized the excuse.

"Point taken. Now," Ozpin said, before pulling out a chess board. "A few rounds before the missions?"

"You're on."

Duncan's POV:

"That was a bit risky," Weiss stated after the three of us got back, "irritating the General like that."

"Maybe," I shrugged, "but it's so worth it."

Michael pointed his thumb at me, his deadpanned eyes saying 'This is what I put up with on a daily basis in some worlds.' The rest of RWBY nodded in understanding, before Ruby sighed "I just hope we handled it well enough."

"I'm sure you did," Yang said. "Oh! I almost forgot!" As she said this, she produced a cylindrical package and continued "Dad sent us something. I thought we could open it together."

Instantly, Ruby perked up. "Ooooh! Something from home!" And just as instantly, she was hanging off of Yang, trying to get at the package. Right before it opened, allowing a black, hairy cylinder to come out and land on the floor.

And shake a bit.

And then pop open to reveal- to everyone's surprise- the true contents of the package.

...A black and white Corgi.

*Bark* *Bark*

Cue the 'WB' of RWBY reacting in shock, the 'RY' reacting excitedly, with Mikey and I joining in. "ZWEI!" Ruby cried out.

"OH MY GOD, HE'S SO FREAKING ADORABLE!" Michael cried out, picking up the indestructible dog and cuddling him. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?"

"He sent a dog?!" Blake exclaimed.

"In the mail?!" Weiss continued.

As Ruby and Michael cuddled the corgi (who took turns licking their faces), I said "From what I recall, their dad does this all the time."

"The father, or the dog?" Blake asked, now perched on the top bunk, keeping her distance from the canine. It was almost too cute for words, how much she was reacting to Zwei.

"What's wrong, Blake?" I playfully asked. Scared of the teeny weeny doggie?"

Her response was to narrow her eyes at me. "I can and will cut you off, Verser. Remember that."

...

...

...

"...Yes, dear," I mumbled, taking a good gulp from a glass of water I had on hand.

[Whipped.]

"Are you seriously telling me that this mangy..."

She was instantly met with the stare of Zwei.

"Drooling..."

Who continued to simply stare at her.

"Mutt...is going to wiv wit us foeva? Oh yes he is, yes he is!" And that was the moment Weiss' resolve shattered (as well as the moment that she and Mikey found common ground).

"Please keep it away from my belongings," Blake deadpanned.

["Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater?"] Glynda requested, her voice coming in crisp and clear over the loudspeakers.

"So what do we do? I mean, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for the week," Mikey pointed out, as said dog was now right beneath the bed, looking up at Blake as she moved away slightly.

"There's a letter," Yang said as she pulled out the paper in question. "'Dear girls. I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang.'" As soon as she said this, she turned the container over and poured out a ton of canned food on top of Zwei, who poked his head out right after.

"...How exactly did he fit all of that in such a small container?" Mikey asked numbly.

"And what is he supposed to do with all of this?!" Weiss added, gesturing to the canned food. One shake later, and a can opener came out.

[So what, the dog can work a can opener?]

"Well, I guess that settles-"

*SCREECH!*

"HOLY-!" The sudden screeching of the loudspeakers caught me off guard, causing me to accidentally throw the contents of the glass forward and onto Mikey. As he sputtered, I looked up and muttered "What in the blue hell?"

[That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?]

'No, it wasn't. So why did it...?'

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...*Bark*"

"...Mikey?" I asked calmly.

"...Yeah," 'he' said, 'his' voice higher in pitch.

"...Did you...by any chance...happen to go to the world of-?"

"Yes."

"And fall into the-?"

"Yep."

"...So when you went there...you became-?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"[...I-I'm sorry, I-I-I can't even...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHA!]"

I soon found myself laughing as well, rolling on the floor while RWBY held back Mikey's now feminine frame, all while said person was kicking and screaming indiscriminately at me. A feminine frame that possessed a height similar to Neo, with physical proportions that matched Yang, and had his spiky Auburn hair reaching down to the small of his back.

Oh, I had a lot of mileage to use on him now...

Soon Afterwards...

"So let me see if I got this right," Blake said with a twitching eye as we made our way to the amphitheater (with Ruby having a large backpack that held a smuggled Zwei in it). "You went to a world of martial artists- becoming one named 'Ranma Saotome'- and while on a training trip with your so-called 'father', you fell into a spring of water that cursed you? Making you turn into a girl when you become doused with cold water, and back into a boy when you get doused in hot water?"

Mikey, who had changed back to a male, nodded slightly as he blushed. "That's pretty much the gist of it," he confirmed. "I thought I locked that part away, though."

I laughed at him, long and hard. As I have been for the past fifteen minutes.

Now, technically speaking, Michael is a guy. I am a guy. That is the mentality we are born with and are used to. But also...technically speaking...

Multiversers have no set gender.

Becoming beings of pure energy that don't even need a corporeal form, gender doesn't matter. But since being men is what I, Michael, and the others are born knowing, we stick to it. I however, have willingly tried out being a girl before.

Just to make it that more surprising for Blake, Yang and Weiss when the time comes.

The attempt was to try and learn the true secret of understanding the female mind. And I do know the answer.

Understand that answer, however? Not at all. So I won't tell anyone, because if an omniscient multi-dimensional god can't understand it, then no other man will either.

Not long afterwards, the group went to the auditorium to hear Ozpin's speech and get our missions. We would obviously go for Search and Destroy in the South-East.

Ozpin's speech did however help give some more insight on Remnants history. The whole reason for colors as names was rather nice. Thankfully, 'Duncan' can translate to 'Dark' or 'Dark-Skinned'. So I think I'm in the clear for the color name. Michael...not so much.

Sucks for him.

Anyways, where did the others head off to? Right in front of the mission selection terminal.

"There!" Ruby pointed out. "Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!"

"Well, it's in the south east," Blake agreed. So, Ruby typed in the Team name and was almost instantly denied.

"Wonderful," Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Any other ideas?"

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby suggested.

"I got this," I said, reaching them at that moment. I walked up to the terminal and typed in VRSE, then RWBY and was authorized. Turning to the others, I merely 'shushed' them and we went on our way.

Though I did see Ozpin on the way out. He wasn't up close, nor did he say anything. He just nodded.

Message received.

Third Person POV Change:

"So, what's the plan?" Michael asked everyone as they left the building.

"We go to the south east, get rid of some Grimm, find the White Fang, stop them and save the day!" Ruby cheerfully summarized. "Then...hmm. I don't know. Cookies to celebrate?"

"I can get behind that," Michael agreed. "Don't think that's how it's gonna go down, but sounds like fun."

"Anything you two wanna tell us?" Yang asked, knowing that both Duncan and Michael knew about events before they happened.

"Just be aware of everything, watch your footing, and things will go well," Duncan responded coolly, avoiding answering in full as his mental link to his master told him he wasn't to let them know future events at the moment.

"Hey look!" Another student yelled, running towards a returning team. "Team CFVY is back!"

And they didn't look too happy, either.

"Velvet!?" Blake shouted to her fellow Faunus while running up to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the rabbit Faunus replied, a slight English-sounding accent. Neither Duncan nor Michael really expected her to sound English. Guess Duncan should've paid more attention to her when he scared Cardin and his friend in the cafeteria months ago. "I had Yatsuhashi with me," she said, pointing to her larger stature partner walking behind her.

Strangely, if anyone noticed, Duncan's intent gaze lingered on Yatsuhashi's sword for a few seconds. Though, no one did.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago," Weiss pointed out, concerned at the time their seniors took. Fun fact, Velvet's Team were second years. And a dumbass first year like Cardin was still able to bully her. Frickin' racist prick. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Velvet pointed out, tired from the trip and the mission itself no doubt. "It was just...there were just so many..." she told them, the memory of the number of Grimm flashing through her eyes. She quickly returned to reality. "Oh, but don't worry. You first years are just shadowing Huntsmen. So you should be fine...and you have him," she ended, pointing at Duncan.

Said Demi-god just shrugged while everyone else just kinda nodded.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet told them before rejoining her team.

"We can do this," Ruby said, invigorating herself and her team mates. "We've never backed down before, and we won't start now! Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman-!"

"Am I not genuine enough?" Duncan suddenly spoke up.

"No," the entirety of Team RWBY (and Michael) deadpanned at once.

"Then you deserve this," he said without remorse, but filled with amusement.

45 Seconds Later…

(Queue "Naruto OST - Fooling Mode")

Yang looked disturbed. Ruby was shocked. Weiss was wide-eyed to the point of no longer having pupils. Blake sweat dropped. Michael face palmed. And Duncan looked genuinely excited.

"Hello boys and girls!" the one and only Bartholomew Oobleck greeted, geared up for the mission. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?!"

The fact that he shares the same voice as Caboose makes this all the better.

Shaking off the shock first, Weiss hesitantly asked "Professor Oobleck?"

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags are unnecessary," he spoke in his usual fast pace, "seeing as you've opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you, we will not be establishing a single base of operations; rather, we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I packed all of our essentials myself, plotted our air course, and readied the airship. And...it's Doctor Oobleck," he stated, getting all up in Weiss' face. "I didn't earn the PhD for fun, thank you very much! Now then, come along, everyone! According to my schedule, we're already three minutes behind...schedule!" And like that, he reached the airship in one second.

"...I know he's a Huntsman and all...but the idea of saving the world with him acting like that...not filling me with confidence," Michael muttered.

"Save the world?!" Nora cried out, Team JNPR coming up behind them. "You guys are going on world-saving missions without us?! I'm hurt! Sad! Maybe a little hungry?" she added with a growling stomach. "But that last one isn't your fault though..Ren." Looking at her teammate, he simply turned away and crossed his arms.

"Sounds exciting," Jaune said. "Where're you going?"

"Mountain Glenn," Duncan answered. "Operation: Search and Destroy." Everyone felt a little uneasy as he added an evil chuckle to the end of that statement.

"Well, we're heading out to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village," Pyrrha said.

Nodding, Ren said "We leave tomorrow."

"Then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune offered, as he and Sun approached the two Teams. "We're shadowing a Crime Specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We get junior badges," he gloated.

Jaune envied him.

"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuffs always exploding, or there's some huge revelation about our place in the world, and junk," Sun pointed out. "So we thought this might be a better way to check out the Kingdom when it's, y'know, normal."

"Well-"

"FOUR MINUTES, EVERYONE!" Oobleck shouted from the chopper, to remind everyone.

Whatever Ruby was about to say was overshadowed by the sheer ridiculousness that was Prof- Err, Doctor Oobleck. So, everyone just stayed quiet for a few moments.

"Well, we're gonna go murder a lotta Grimm," Duncan said, breaking the awkward silence with his disturbing genocidal tendencies. "Let's go, guys. They're not gonna kill themselves!"

[Always the tactful one, aren't you?]

'It's what I do.'

(End "Naruto OST - Fooling Mode")

On the airship...

"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter," Yang commented, holding onto a railing alongside Ruby and Blake, Weiss stood next to Dr. Oobleck, while Duncan and Michael sat on the openings of the airship keeping their eyes open for enemies below and above.

"I admit I fancy myself as more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a Huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles," Oobleck reassured the boxer, keeping his speech pattern fast even now.

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked, scratching her head.

"Those are truffles," Blake corrected.

"Like the sprout?" Ruby asked her team mate, still confused.

"Those are Brussels," Yang corrected.

"Besides, given my expertise in the fields of history, as well as my dabbles in the archaeological survey, our dear headmaster saw fit to assign me to this particular...assignment," Oobleck informed them, pausing for only half a second.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss illogically asked the Senior Hutnsman.

"Why, what a preposterous question you silly girl," Oobleck instantly rebutted. "History is the backbone of our very society...and the liver! Probably the kidneys too, if I were to wager."

"Okay Weiss, even I know that was a stupid question," Duncan said, turning his gaze from outside to her. "'Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it', and all that. Learn from past mistakes, atrocities, battles, and you won't, well, be doomed to repeat it."

"Seriously, I don't want to bring up stereotypes, but are you sure that's your natural hair color?" Michael asked. "Because if it's dye, then- OW! Seriously, knock it off!" he cried, rubbing where Weiss stabbed his arm.

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby spoke up, drawing all eyes to her (after they were done laughing at Michael's misfortune).

"Oh right," Yang recalled. "It was an expansion to Vale...but in the end, it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." She finished with less enthusiasm.

"Correct!" Oobleck commended. "And now it stands as a dark reminder."

"...And a likely place for a hide out," Blake said.

"...Precisely," Oobleck knowingly agreed, adjusting his glasses with a smile.

Moments later, their airship touched ground and the group readied themselves...while Oobleck simply drank from his thermos.

"Children," Oobleck began. "You all still may be students, but as of this moment your first mission as Huntsmen and Huntresses has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. And that includes you as well, Mr. Verser."

"Killjoy," Duncan grumbled, causing the others to laugh at him.

"Ruby!" Oobleck said, startling RWBY's leader and making her drop her prized weapon after noticing her luggage. "I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school."

"But, uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet," Ruby defended. Rather intelligently, if I may say so myself. Though her Team mates (minus Duncan) didn't seem to agree. "So I didn't."

"She's not wrong," the Senior Huntsman muttered to himself. "Very well Ruby. Leave your bag here. We will pick it up upon our return," he ordered.

"But, I, uh-!" the young Huntress stammered.

"Young lady, what could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important-?" Oobleck began to question before the adorable head of Zwei peeked out of Ruby's back pack.

Everyone just stared at her.

"Get back in the bag," Ruby lamely whispered to her dog, who merely barked in response.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle, teaming with death and hostility, and you brought...a dog?" Oobleck asked, speaking disturbingly slower than he normally would dare to.

"I, uh-"

"GENIUS!" he suddenly shouted, before spinning around. The rest of the team were dumbfounded, minus Ruby, Duncan and Michael. Whom could only shrug in response to this before Oobleck grabbed Zwei from the back pack, knocking Ruby over thanks to his caffeine-addled speed. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of sound! Making them excellent companions for a hunt such as ours!"

Zwei simply barked.

"I'm a genius," Ruby gloated, adjusting to the situation quickly.

"Well, if that's the case..." Duncan shrugged before turning to his left. He raised two fingers to his mouth, and whistled.

The sound of the space-time continuum ripping could be heard from behind a building, before an ashen gray wolf, with specks of ice blue in its' fur came from behind a corner. The wolf had in place of a normal tail, a blade in the shade of one. Its' onyx black claws were nothing to scoff at either. The menacing silver eyed predator ran towards the group before coming to heel before Duncan, sitting on its hind legs in obedience.

"Good boy," said master of the animal cooed, scratching behind the wolf's ears. The dog stayed silent, though he gratefully accepted the attention.

Mixed reactions to the animal happened. For one, Blake was instinctually mortified. Another, Weiss and Michael just stared at the new creature. Third, Yang, Ruby, and Oobleck instantly crowded around the new arrival to admire its appearance for one reason or another. And Zwei?

Actually, the dog seemed to like the newcomer. And even more surprisingly, the wolf seemed perfectly fine with the little corgi licking and ruffling against it. Actually, it played back a little bit.

"Why, I've never seen a creature like this before!" Oobleck began. "It's a wolf, but the more aggressive parts of its body are similar to that of- Grimm."

"Yeah, but it's so cool-."

"No Grimm. A creature of Grimm." Oobleck corrected, pointing towards a lone Beowulf. "Approximately 100 yards from us, at this very moment."

"What?!" Yang exclaimed, as RWBY and company turned to see the Beowulf stalking aimlessly around.

"Stop!" Oobleck ordered quietly, after seeing RWBY and Michael draw their weapons. "There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. Most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity: Sadness. Envy. Loneliness. Hatred. All qualities are held by our current group holding ill intent."

"So what now?" Ruby asked, lowering Crescent Rose.

"We wait. We track." Oobleck told them. "If this specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Yang asked, already bored.

"It's uncertain." The Doctor answered, bringing his hand to his chin in thought. "Hours. Days. Weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from their pack for months- and there's the whole pack." He noticed at the end once more Beowulfs appeared.

"What?" Weiss asked, already in disbelief.

"And now they've seen us."

"What?!"

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US!" Oobleck, Duncan, and Michael told her.

"Tracking out of the question?" Yang calmly asked their teacher.

"Indeed."

"Plan?" Ruby asked.

"How 'bout this?" Duncan interjected, turning to his own wolf. "Kuekuasheu… kill."

The Blade Wolf instantly charged at the incoming Grimm and began its own hunt before its master and company joined it.

It didn't even take five seconds. And that's with Oobleck and Duncan NOT joining in on the fight.

"Now… shall we get a move on?"

"Tell me, Yang." Oobleck asked the Y of the Team after she shotgun blasted another Grimm away.

"Huh?" Said girl questioned back, caught off-guard. "Well… to fight monsters-."

"Nope! That is what you do." Oobleck quickly denied. "I want to know why you do it. An honest reason as to why you want to be a Huntress."

"Because I'm a thrill-seeker." She answered without shame. "I want to travel around and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as possible. And if I help people along the way, even better. What other reasons could I need?"

"… I see." He replied, satisfied with her answer.

The esteemed Doctor sat atop a damaged beam, writing down notes while Weiss fought Beowolves.

"And you, Miss Schnee?" He asked without breaking his gaze from his journal. "A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra work… So, why choose this over a cushy job in Atlas?"

Pulling Myrtenaster from the last Grimm's throat, the Schnee heiress turned to her teacher. "It's exactly as you said. I'm a Schnee. I have a long legacy of honor to uphold. Once I found out I could fight? There was no question what I was going to do."

"… Interesting." He nodded, before jumping off the ledge.

Slashing through a barricaded doorway, a flock of small Nevermores flew past Blake into the sky. Until she switched Gambol Shroud into its pistol form and shot them all out of the sky.

"And what about you, Blake?" The coffee-addicted professor asked while he inspected the inside of the building from the door. "You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in the world to just stand by and do nothing." She answered bitterly. "Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stop it."

"Very well… How?"

"… That's what I'm looking for."

"And what about you, Michael?" Oobleck asked the new addition, as he horizontally slashed at three Ursa, bisecting them all at once with [Aura Radiance]. "I don't know much about you, after all. Why did you choose this life? Why do you fight?"

Allowing the blade to disappear in particles of light, the young Multiverser responded "Both of those questions are one in the same, really."

"Is that so?" the doctor inquired.

"...My old life ended...in a way I'd rather not talk about," he said, looking down in sadness. Bringing his gaze back up in conviction, he continued "But Duncan gave me a chance to make a difference. So I owe it to myself to fight and protect others, so that they won't go through what I did. Because that's what Duncan would do."

"Hmm...well, you're certainly a lot more balanced than he is," he said jokingly. That caused Michael to look at him in shock, surprised that he was even capable of making jokes.

Later...

It was early into the night that the small group made camp in an abandoned building. After they came across a pack of Goliaths, Michael had tried to convince Duncan to try and tame them, only for him to be hilariously shot down. His reasoning was that he didn't want any.

...For now.

Back in the present, they got a campfire started (which Oobleck complimented as 'textbook') and huddled around it. "Any volunteers for first watch?" he asked.

"Mikey and I can take turns watching," Duncan offered, mentally laughing at the shocked/annoyed expression on his protege's face. "Everyone else can rest up in the meantime."

"Very well," the doctor nodded. "Get some rest, girls. We still have a lot of ground to cover." With that said, he took up a spot in the rafters while the others warmed up.

Later…

Team RWBY all lay by the campfire, trying to sleep, while their teacher slept soundly in the rafters of the broken down building. Duncan and Michael, however, were on watch.

Did I forget to mention that they were trying to sleep? No? Well, that's what they were doing. Trying to.

"Blake?" Yang asked, breaking the ice. "You awake?"

"...Yeah," said Faunus replied without opening her eyes.

"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like...what was he trying to say?"

"Maybe he was just curious," her partner waved off.

"You think?"

"...No," the Faunus admitted.

The Y of the Team just sighed, shifting on her sleeping bag. "Weiss? You awake?"

"Of course I'm awake. You two are talking," the Heiress snapped, making Yang flinch.

"Yeah, you two weren't even whispering," Ruby spoke up, turning to her sister.

"And I think he..." Weiss began hesitantly. "When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. And despite everything, that hasn't changed. But I'm not stupid. I am fully aware of what my father's done with our company and our reputation. The company's operated in a...gray area, since he took over."

"To put it lightly," Blake commented.

"And that's why I feel the need to do it," Weiss sat up to tell her team mate. "No job in Atlas would've changed anything. The only thing I could do was be a Huntress. Consequently, that has led me to finding resources that could definitely make a change, thanks to Duncan. But if he wasn't here, I'd still be doing this. My father didn't start the Schnees...and he will not be the end of them."

"Wow..." Ruby said, awing at her partner. "That was deep."

"Ruining it, Ruby," the heiress responded.

"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right," Blake began. "I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always said what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a better place...wouldn't be better for everyone. I joined the academy because Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. I've been thinking recently, if it was possible to undo the years of hate I helped fester after I graduate. Now..."

"You want to find proof," Weiss concluded.

"Huh?"

"Proof of a better future," the heiress explained. "Obviously, we can see 'What ifs', 'Could've beens', 'Will bes', and other possibilities. You want to see proof that you can make those here."

"...Yeah," she admitted. "I'm tired of running. When you all found out I was a Faunus, I ran. Duncan joined me, but I still ran. When I realized what Adam had become, I ran. Even my semblance; leaving a shadow behind to take a hit while I run away...I'm done running. Now, I'm searching."

They just remained silent...until Yang spoke up.

"At least you guys have something that drives you," the blonde said, shifting onto her front. "I just go with the flow. And… I like that. It's who I am. And now...I can do that for a while. I will do that. But...I don't have any other reason than that. Not to be a hero. Just...fun."

"Not all heroes need to want to be," Ruby spoke up. "Just do what you think is right for you. Sometimes...that's all anyone can ask, even if it's a little selfish."

"...And what about them?" Weiss asked, nodding to their male partners overlooking the war zone they were in.

"...I remember Duncan telling me he was a 'Hero that shouldn't have been'."

"What does that mean?" Yang asked, confused. "Does he regret it?"

"I don't think so," Blake said. "Just...what he lost."

"Maybe," Ruby admitted. "It all goes over my head sometimes. What about Michael?"

"Same boat as you, I think," Yang said, looking at Ruby. "He wants to be a Hero, too"

"I'm sorry if I'm that person right now..." Weiss began. "But this is a still a job. Even Duncan treats it that way, too. Whatever we thought of before joining the academy, it's our job now. Protecting the people is our job now. What we want, comes second to that."

And that was when Oobleck, up in the rafters, smiled.

Outside, Duncan and Michael huddled under an overpass for cover, the latter grumbling "I could be warming up by the fire, roasting a few marshmallows. But noooooo, I have to be out here freezing my nuts off with you and your harem-building ass."

"Are you really still pissed?" Duncan asked incredulously.

"Yes! And of course, you do realize you owe me big time for not giving me, Adam and LaTrell a heads up about the pheromone curse, right?"

He sighed. A moment later, he asked "Okay, what is it you want?"

"Oh, nothing major," Michael began. "You're just going to be living in two worlds of my choosing, and you can't say shit about it. Plus, I get to accompany you," he finished a bit smugly.

The glare from his mentor would've caused a lesser man to shit himself. "...Fine," he growled. "Name the worlds."

"Hmm...well, I only have one chosen so far," he began. "But, it'll be enough at the moment." With that said, he took out a manga volume and handed it to Duncan.

Who simply stared it, no expression on his face.

...

...

...

[...He...does realize that you're an open xenophile, right?]

'Seeing as he only recently found out that I have a harem...then I'd say no, he doesn't,' the King of the Multiversers responded. All while breathing a large sigh of relief (and snickering somewhat) on the inside.

Handing the manga back, he shrugged and said "Fair enough. Though I would've thought you'd have enough with harems at the moment."

"Well, I always liked the series," Michael defended. "Plus, I always seem to have an easier time with the advances of women who don't look completely human, for some odd reason. I still get flustered, but I manage it better. Case in point: Arcee."

Duncan felt his eyes widen in surprise. To think that his protege/brother was a xenophile as well...he was definitely going to have an interesting love life. "Once again, fair enough."

"Yeah, but right now, I wanna see you suffer the harem, too. In person."

Duncan just stared at his protégé.

{You are a vindictive little bastard, aren't you?}

'Yep.'

[You know, I'm already looking forward to the look on his face when he finds out.]

A moment later, he continued "So, I heard about your talk with Oobleck. Gotta say, I'm touched that the reason you do this is because of me. Shocked, but touched."

"Why would you be shocked?" Michael asked. "I mean, yes, you've done some shit that I would really like you to stop doing, but for the most part, you're a hero."

Hearing that, a solemn expression formed on Duncan's face. "A hero...heh, funny."

"Funny?"

"Sorry," he apologized, "I'm just...reflecting on that...tell me, Michael. What is a Hero?"

"That's easy," Michael hesitantly responded, raising an eyebrow. "A Hero is someone who dedicates themselves to saving everyone, no matter the cost."

"And that is impossible," Duncan responded without missing a beat.

"What the-!?" Michael gasped, not expecting that.

"The truth of it is, you can never save everyone," Duncan began, looking up at the shattered moon. "When you save one person, you are choosing to not save another."

"But, you-"

"Let me finish," he interrupted his student's stammering. "I'll be completely honest. I thought the same exact thing when I started out. I strove to be a Hero, even if I was pretty much forced into my current position. Naturally, the first hero I ever was, was Spider-Man."

Michael nodded at that, knowing that Spidey was practically Duncan's number 1 idol, given how many autographs he sees Duncan ask for if they encounter a new Spider-Man. Something that always got a chuckle out of him.

"And I actually did rather well, even if I didn't really have a grasp on my [Cheater's Body] yet. But the next hero, however..."

"...Duncan?"

"The next world...it opened my eyes to the reality of the more 'realistic' worlds. I had...forgotten who I was for a decade. Lost my memories, and everything that made me who I was. A man saved me, and I had tried to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to be a 'Hero of Justice', someone who could save everyone...but the world won't accept that."

"What?" Michael asked in confusion. "But that sounds so-"

"Mankind cannot comprehend someone wanting to help people for the sake of helping people, without an ulterior motive," his mentor explained. "People in general will always distrust someone like that, because they themselves will never do such a thing. So therefore, everyone else must have something to gain. That's how people rationalize it, on average.

"Eventually, I just..." the Senior Multiverser just sighed. "I wasn't one to not fight back when a person I saved framed me for things I didn't do out of mistrust. I had saved that particular world quite a few times! After a while, I faded out of that one, though I took those closest with me. We had had enough of the conflict people were forcing on each other, and us.

"Then, I kept seeing things differently. Mankind...everyone had that same, selfish outlook. So, I could only do what was 'humanly' possible: Save the many, even if I had to kill the few. I had willingly accepted the path of the Anti-Hero. Even with all the power you've been granted, people will not allow it if they can. They'll often see it as abuse of absolute power.

"I do not regret killing to 'save' people," Duncan told Michael. "But I do wish I could've held out a little longer. The attempt, just the attempt, to save everyone, absolutely everyone...that does matter, Mikey. It does. And I admire the drive people have to try to make it happen, no matter how futile it is. Or at least how futile mankind makes it. But at the same time, such a dangerous goal will kill you in the end. Or worse."

"..." Michael just sat speechless, staring at his mentor. No more words were spoken on the subject right now, the two simply mulling over what was said. Completely unaware of the events that would play out between the within the next 24 hours as a result of the conversation.

Because unbeknownst to Duncan, his words would serve as the catalyst to what he would come to claim as one of his greatest sources of pride, as well as his greatest sin.

And unbeknownst to Michael, he and Ruby had been triggering something within Duncan the past few days. At the rate it was going, it wouldn't be much longer till something happened.

Later...

After Yang had taken up watch after Duncan and Michael hit the hay, Ruby was left awake at night with only Zwei to keep her company. The campfire had begun to die down, only the glowing embers remaining on the logs as they blackened.

Looking over, she brought her gaze to Michael's sleeping form, laughing a bit as drool went down the corner of his mouth. As she looked on, she thought back to the day they first met and blushed a bit. For the briefest of moments, she had thought that he was actually kinda cute. He was friendly enough, that was for sure. In fact, as time went on, she began to compare him to a shining knight from the stories that she read as a little girl (if a little more realistic).

As a plus, he shared her desire to be a hero, so the two of them got along rather well, to the point that she even offered to teach him how to use a scythe. The thought of how many times he cut himself got her to snicker a little.

Then she thought about a few times that brought...something out of her: jealousy. When she heard about how Michael had 'relations' with Emerald, to say that it annoyed her (and embarrassed her) was an understatement. Even if she didn't fully understand why it did. However, the revelation that Michael had gone to the dance with Emerald and Nora (as well as finding out from a laughing Duncan abut Penny's suggestion to Michael) helped her to finally understand why she felt jealousy.

To some degree- the amount of which was unknown at the time- she had begun to develop feelings for Michael.

His personality, his conviction, his friendliness...those and other factors led to her beginning to fall for the heroic Multiverser. However, he already had Emerald and Nora. Even though Duncan had a harem (with her older sister included, which irked her to no end), she couldn't just selfishly ask to be a part of it. She didn't even know if she wanted to be with him like that at this point, or if he even liked her like that.

Wait a cotton-pickin' second, she was actually thinking this?! At fifteen!?

Groaning, she asked "When did my life get so complicated?"

She received no answer.

Suddenly, Zwei got up and started walking away, which caught the red-hooded Grim Reaper's attention. "Zwei? Zwei! Get back here!" she whispered harshly. After finding he had no intention of returning just yet, she groaned in frustration as she packed up Crescent Rose and ran off after him.

Poking her head out of the building, she began to call out for him. Only to find that he was doing his 'business' on a nearby iron beam.

"Zwei," she began, "this is a wasteland. You literally could've done that anywhere!" She got a bark as a response.

"What was that?"

Upon hearing the new, mysterious voice, Ruby took Zwei and hid behind some rubble. What she saw when she peaked out shocked her.

"What was what?" one of two White Fang soldiers asked in annoyance.

"I thought I heard a Beowulf."

"Ugh, let's just finish our patrol and get back to base. This place gives me the creeps." With that said, the two walked off, with Ruby and Zwei following close behind. Eventually, they followed them right as they went toward a building.

"Did they go in yet?" Ruby asked in a whisper, holding Zwei up from behind a corner. "One bark means 'yes'."

A door closed shut.

*Bark*

"Oh! This is it!" she said excitedly. Trying to call the rest of the group, she found that her scroll didn't have a high enough signal to make a call. "Come on, we've gotta go get the others."

However, they didn't get very far before she was reminded about what Duncan said:

"Just be aware of your surroundings, watch your footing, and things will go well."

As she hung from a hole that opened up in the middle of the abandoned street, she found herself wanting to hit Duncan. Managing to toss Zwei out and back onto the street, the ledge she grabbed onto broke apart, bringing her to fall into the abyss.

"OH, CRAP BASKEEEEEEEEEETTTS!"

Soon, she landed on something hard in the dark cave. Dusting herself off, she managed to get up and find something shocking: an underground city. Or rather, the ruins of such a city.

A door opened behind her, revealing the two White Fang members that she followed, guns aimed at her. She had nowhere to run, as she discovered when she nearly fell off the edge of the roof she was on. Plus, to make matters worse, she dropped Crescent Rose back up top.

She tried to fight, but was easily knocked out. "The boss is gonna want to see this one."

When she awoke, she was being dragged through the ruined city. White Fang were in various areas, using mechs to move large crates here and there. What disturbed her the most was the sight of a large bomb in a train car that they passed.

That was not a good sign.

"Hey boss!" a White Fang wearing glasses comedically over his mask called out. "We found something you might wanna see."

From a nearby train car, a familiar voice called out "Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya: with this new guy showing up and everything else that's been going on, I have had a day."

"Uhhh...it's a little girl?"

In response, one disturbed Roman Torchwick took one look at Ruby and sucked air in through his teeth. "Yeah, that would be bad."

Okay then! Next chapter marks the end of Volume 2 for MLTI VRSE.

I admit this is, yet again, another filler chapter. I'm hoping the next one will make it up to you because it's mostly going to consist of fighting, now that the Antiversers are coming to Remnant. And that can only mean one thing. All-out war. Slaughtering Grimm. And...

Well, it's about time some things stop getting held back.

All in all, me and ShepardisaBOSS want this next chapter to be our biggest, bad-ass, most destructive, awe-inspiring chapter yet. We're gonna be researching GOOD fight scenes from movies, animes, TV shows, real life combat. Suggestions would be nice.

And if anyone is wondering when my other fics will be updated...again, read the A/N at the top. I AM making an effort, even if it doesn't seem like it. Life is just, well, an asshole.

Anyways, anything else you wanna say, Mikey?

Yes, actually. First, a virtual cookie to those who can figure out the series that Duncan lived his second life in after becoming Spider-Man. Because let me tell you, that world will be playing a major part in the next chapter.

Next, the talk between the two Multiversers about a 'Hero of Justice' will be playing a major part in Michael Verser's character development. In fact (SHAMELESS ADVERTISEMENT ALERT!), that talk is a main reason behind my soon-to-be released revised origin story, "The Multiverser: Death/Re: Birth by Fire", which is also heavily influenced by the series mentioned in the talk.

Third, Emerald is pregnant. That is now a thing in this story. Which is something that Michael WILL find out about next chapter.

However, the manner in which he finds out will not be funny as Duncan Verser anticipated. At all.

Indeed. Side note: that may also be a result of the next chapter of the companion lemon series to this story, "Love is Multiversal: The Love of the Hunt", which I may or may not allow Duncan to be a part of later on.

Ye- Wait, what?

Well, considering your last attempt didn't work, I figured I might let you in. Though I may just be trolling you as well.

...You are learning well, my apprentice. Anything else you'd like to bring up?

Actually, yes. To those of you who paid attention, Michael is forcing Duncan to go to a world of his choosing, and will be accompanying him. All I can say about the world in question...monster girls.

Finally, I had a hell of a time coming up with Michael's revenge against Duncan for not telling him about the pheromone curse that all Multiversers (sans Prime Death) possess. It was rather hilarious, and may also hint at something in the future.

...Okay, then. See you all next time.

Next Chapter: Return of the Dream

OMAKE: WHY, OH WHY, HAREMS?

Having got together after the dance ended, and after Prime left to go check up on Roman, Team RWBY and Unit VRSE decided to hang out in Duncan's room before heading off to bed. That'd be enough time to address the elephant in the room.

"So, Duncan..." Michael began calmly. "Now that we've got some free time on our hands, how's 'bout you explain the pheromone issue that YOU WERE KEEPING SECRET FROM ME THIS ENTIRE TIME!?"

"Oh, this'll be good," Yang snorted

"I have to admit, I'm curious how you have this pheromone thing, too," Blake said. "With that whole [Cheater's Body], couldn't you just not have one?"

"A good question!" Duncan responded. "Allow me to answer why even Michael has one; it's still his fault."

"..."

"..."

"...I'm sorry, come again?" Michael asked with a snarl. "It's MY fault?!"

"Yep. The pheromone thing is always the fault of the Multiverser that has it."

Michael gaped in shocked anger. "But...But I don't want pheromones-!"

"Wrong," Duncan whispered in a deathly tone that silenced the entire room. "Your [Cheater's Body] is subconsciously creating those pheromones because you are a guy. And as such, there's that tiny, little, primal instinct in your psyche that is constantly chanting 'Women. Women. Women. WOMEN!' As such, that little...tiny...perverted...bastard in your head is the reason you're making as many pheromones as possible."

He was still shocked. "But...you're the one with Issei-!"

"I said that it is YOUR subconscious mind. Issei can mess with that part of my brain, yeah, but it's your own natural instinct in the first place," Duncan refuted. "In ages past, it was logical for men to mate with many women in order to insure as many offspring as possible would be born to continue their bloodlines. And that instinct now has turned into complete perversity. If you wanna get rid of it, you're gonna have to make like Prime and pretty much erase all the testosterone from your body...but you won't. Because that tiny bit of your mind has made its mark. Deny it all you want, and deny it you will, but you like having a harem."

...No words. He had none. Not even anyone in his subconscious had anything to say on the matter.

"...This is stupid," Weiss spoke out. "I can...understand...the logic, somewhat. But there's no way girls could always be okay with it!"

"Many times, they aren't," Duncan confirmed. "Actually, one of the most powerful girls I know wasn't okay with it one bit, but inevitably submitted to it. I ended up marrying her, but I gave her an order that made her know that I loved her even though there were other girls. She gets along with many of the girls in the whole harem, though, ironically."

"...You gave her an order?" Ruby asked, before she (Plus Weiss, Blake and Yang, especially) noticed something. "To your wife?!"

"The nature of our relationship starting in the first place was...different," Duncan confessed. "The order, however, allowed her to, at her leisure, punish me in any way she sees fit, because harems are still bad. She can do this absolutely whenever she wants to."

"Ha! Serves you right, bastard!" Michael laughed, having sat back and tried to come to terms that his predicament was his fault. At least Duncan suffered, too-

"Actually, she could probably use the way I worded the command to punish ALL Multiversers with a harem. And she has enough power thanks to me that it WILL hurt. A lot."

"...Fuck," Michael whimpered, paling.

Team RWBY didn't know how to process all the new information yet. However, the fact there was an apparently scary powerful girl that could appear anytime, anywhere, that could hurt Duncan enough that he was scared...

Was funny.

Despite the relationship Blake and Yang agreed to, and the one Weiss was attempting to come to terms with, they looked forward to this mysterious woman bringing divine punishment on Duncan, Michael, and their siblings.