Red Roses, White Scales
Chapter 25
Guardian Angel
Ozpin's office
Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon was currently sitting in his office while awaiting the arrival Team RRWBY's leader.
Normally, he receives, the monthly reports, per messages. But since, RRWBY is already the highest ranked team from all first years he wished to have it personally given to him.
That the leader of Team RRWBY was his favorite, which was a secret, played also a role.
The door of the elevator opened, revealing, the current Mistral Champion possibly also the strongest student in his academy.
"Professor Ozpin, I came to hand over my monthly report about my team."
Ozpin nodded, while leaning on his table "Glynda, would you be so kind, to leave us alone?"
"Of course." The blonde teacher nodded and left the office.
Mikhail followed the older woman; his eyes didn't left the female, until she was out of sight.
Meanwhile Ozpin smiled slightly 'He observes her, like a predator, and that in a way, where most people could not notice it.'
When the door of the elevator closed, Mikhail turned his head to Ozpin "Sir?"
"Please," He pointed at the chair before his desk "Sit, my boy."
"Sure." Mikhail shrugged.
When the boy sat down, Ozpin could have sworn, to see the image of Summer, but only for a brief moment.
"Sir?"
The headmaster cleared his throat and shook his head slightly "It's nothing, just my age."
That made Mikhail curious, that statement was a lie yet somehow a truth, too…"Good, but I think you should take a break from work."
Ozpin's lips curved into a smile "Thank you, Mikhail, but I am fine."
"If you think so." Mikhail leaned back "So what can I do for you?"
The headmaster nodded "I wish to hear about Team RRWBY."
"Okay, here is the …."
"I would like to hear it from you."
"Sir?"
"Datas are good and fine, yet I wish to hear about them, from their leader, in person of course." Ozpin leaned back and put his hands on his lap "A boy as observant as you, should already have found the errors in your team."
'Okaaaay…..' Now Mikhail felt perplex, but if Ozpin wants to hear it "Good, what do you want sir?"
"How about, starting from R to Y. And please, be open and say it in the eyes of a leader and not as a brother."
"Of course sir." He understood "First Ruby Rose."
The headmaster raised his hand "Go on."
"Ruby Rose, is despite for her age, extremely talented. Wielding a scythe, and being able to handle it so well for her young age, shows how gifted she is. Yet for her, it is not enough. She is not giving up, no matter how hard it is. Her talent for weapons could be extremely useful in the battlefield. Not only that, she is also able to think fast and takes actions. Because of this, I will make her to my second command."
Ozpin nodded…..His praise for his sibling was well placed, but unlike the younger one, the older twin had much to learn.
"Now for the negative aspect." He sighed "Unfortunately Ruby Rose also acts too fast too, which could cause danger for herself and the others. She is still too immature, and thinks that the world is all sunshine and lollipop. She must grow up. If not, she could receive a great amount of mental damage, if not worse, she will break in future time. For her Semblance, she must work on her tunnel vision. I already started a program to enhance her close-combat ability as well, *Sigh* if she would at least wear a sidearm or a sword…but she don't want to cheat on her weapon…"
"….I understand."
"Now Weiss Schnee. She is talented and combined with her hard training she had received there is possibly no one, who can compete with her, in the aspect of dust knowledge, gracefulness and technique. She can almost control and cast her runes perfectly. With them, our team has an immense advantage, since they can change the battlefield to her liking and even enhance herself and others."
Ozpin tapped everything he heard on his scroll.
"Now to the negative aspect….Weiss is arrogant to the point of self-adulation, probably to hide her fears and insecurities. Even though her attitude changed for better, her arrogance did not. Even in battle, she can't stop, showing of her pride and gracefulness, giving her enemies the chance to counter or learning the gaps, in her fighting style." Mikhail put his hands together "And there is still the problem, with the Faunus. She is quick to judge, showing her bad attitude towards others and her anger issues, even more. While she said, that she hasn't anything against faunus, only that she doesn't trust them, this could still be dangerous, when working with them or for them. An ember, that is still present, can still cause a massive fire.
"What about….."
"Blake Belladonna…,"
Ozpin perked up, by the sudden hesitation of Mikhail.
"Is well-versed in the aspect of sneaking, infiltrating and having knowledge about the White Fang."
The older man leaned forward "So you know about Blake's past, I assume?"
"Affirmative, Blake trusted me with that matter, since I also noticed her faunus heritage from the first day."
"That is surprising"…..Ozpin was puzzled, about how Mikhail suddenly spoke…..so military and mature. That he was close to Blake Belladonna that she even told him about her ties to the White Fang surprised him as well "And you are alright about that matter?"
"Yes. Blake left the White Fang, even though she knew the risk, of being hunted down and executed. Instead of hiding and evading, she took the most stony and heaviest way…..by going to Beacon and becoming a huntress to bring peace between humans and the faunus." He smiled "She tries her best, no matter how many times she fails….but" The smile on Mikhail faded…..
"But?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"But unfortunately Blake hides her true self, her heritage from others. She tries to make, everything she had done, right….only by herself. Except me….and you….she doesn't trust anybody in this academy and this is something that I find…..rather…..unsatisfying."
"Meaning?"
"Blake thinks that she will be hated for what she did, she was and is. And the part that frightens her is that she really started to like everything here and becomes more comfortable." Mikhail put a strain of hairs behind his ear "She wants to trust, she wants to become closer to us and her surroundings, yet she fears for being judged by her past, for what she is….and…."
Ozpin continued "And she is even more afraid, that her past and errors will come back to haunt her and that those she started to care for, could be eventually hurt by it."
"Indeed…"
Both males sighed at the same time.
"Mikhail go on, please."
He nodded "Yang Xiao-Long. Excellent in close-combat and even though she is using a mix of various fighting styles, she actually learned to combine them in her own way, making her unpredictable for those, who fight her. Combined with her Semblance, physical power and determination she is a force to be reckoned of."
"But?"
"Yang Xiao-Long is unfortunately mentally unstable, since certain things in our childhood…especially were I…..was almost killed. Since then she is overprotective of me."
"You mean…."
"I wish not to speak of it. It is not fair to mention more of it, behind her back."
"As you wish my boy, continue."
"Yes. As I mention mental problems. Yang has anger issues as well, which are directly linked to her Semblance. The disappearance of Raven Branwen, twin sister of Qrow Branwen, took a bigger impact on her than she wants to admit. Yang believed the entire time that Summer Rose was her mother, paired with the shock…of….her sudden death….." Mikhail cleared his throat and needed a moment "She was…in a state where she couldn't think right, causing the incident in the forest. Such a reaction is understandable for a six-year old girl."
"And her performance?"
"Yang is after me, the strongest member in close-combat in her team and physical strength. Her Semblance makes her even more dangerous. Yet, she defiles to work on her weakness, such as, her low stamina, her angry issues and obsession with her hair. Shortly, she is a glass-cannon, who hits hard, but shatters, when her enemies finds a way to drain her stamina, or attacks her so hard and strikes so critical, that her Absorption-Semblance, is useless."
Ozpin filled his mug, took it, stood up and turned around, looking at the City of Vale "Thank you my boy."
"No problem, sir."
Ozpin was suddenly silent and just looked at Mikhail.
The former dragon noticed the sudden change in the tone 'He is suspecting something…..'
"Good. You are dismissed. You may go."
"Of course, sir." He nodded and turned around. Before entering the elevator he took a short glance at Ozpin, who looked again at Vale. Mikhail shook his head and went in.
XXX
"Such an interesting boy, indeed." Ozpin took another sip from his mug, when the clicking sound of heels, behind him gained his attention.
"I always thought, that favoritism in a position like yours, is not acquiesced, Ozpin." It was the voice of a female.
But the headmaster didn't turned around to see the person behind him "Yes, indeed you are right, Agent." He sighed "But that boy reminds me so much of his mother."
The female snorted "Is it because of your precious silver eyes or is your care simply the guilt of taking the boy's mother from him?"
Ozpin tightened the grip on his mug "I…I have no excuse for what I have done to…..Summer and I will never expect his forgiveness….."
The female chuckled "Knowing him, he would even forgive you….but isn't it what you fear, my dear headmaster?"
The older man didn't answer nor turned around.
"Your silence says more than thousand words." She started to chuckle "This is so exquisite."
Ozpin sighed "Why are you here Agent, for tormenting me or feeding your amusement with my failures?"
The female began to walk from left to right, her heels clicking with every step "You know it is simply not my style to kick vermin that is already on the ground."
The headmaster took the insult, and just stood in front of the window. But he wasn't unfazed by the woman's words.
"But mind you, you, your academy, Vale, the entire world does interest me not. The only thing, I want, is that the boy is safe. The others can die, rot and perish."
That perked Ozpin's interest "Why is it, that you are so interested in Mikhail?"
"First, don't speak his name so casually. You vermin has no right," She spat out "And second, that is not for you to know." Her voice became harsher "After all you are the one who broke his heart, by murdering his mother. You are lucky, that I already didn't kill you."
Ozpin gripped his mug tighter until it broke "I did not….."
"You sent her to her pitiful demise!" She lashed out "And now you are thinking of doing the same with him, don't you!?"
"I have no choice; I will still try…."
That caused the female to snort again "Yes, yes, always burdening and throwing your own sins and responsibilities at others. You are not better than Salem. You are a pathetic and petty being, Ozpin!"
The headmaster tightened the grip on his cane "I am pretty sure that he will not fail."
Suddenly the temperature of room went up and Ozpin felt his skin stinging and burning, yet he dared not, to turn around.
"Listen well, Ozpin." The female's voice went grimmer and she became even angrier "I don't care about your precious silver eyes, I don't care about your petty war, I don't care about the kingdoms, the Schnee Dust Company or the entire world. I have enough dirt of you and them to bring all of you down! The only reason that I didn't do it was only for him! For that boy!" Ozpin felt that the heat rose up and sweated like pig in the roast "But if Mikhail takes harm or if anything happens to him, even one hair, I will make sure, that I will see you burn and not that her. And then I will destroy Vale and the other kingdoms. And when I am finished, I will come for Salem and her miserable little pawns. And I will make sure, that all of you will suffer agonies beyond your pathetic recognitions."
Ozpin swallowed, he knew, that the person behind him could do all those things "I….I understand."
"Good." The temperature turned normal "As long as the boy is safe and happy, I will work with you and be a part of your brotherhood, even with that whoreson Ironwood in bound." Again the clicking sound of the heels echoed through the room as the woman left "So long, you fool. And tell Ironwoods, he should keep his dirty human fingers from him."
The headmaster turned around, to see only no one. But he did notice that were the woman stood, the floor was burned.
He sat down on his chair and tried to calm himself. Right now….he knew that he almost screwed up.
"Summer…..I am so sorry….." He gripped his head in frustration.
XXX
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
*Click*
"What do you want Lucius?"
"Mmh, stingy are we my dear?"
"I am not in the mood for you games."
"Haha, don't be like that my dear Cremisi."
"Don't speak my name so casually, you scum. And don't try to sugarcoat me; I know that you are after Mikhail."
"Hm, as expected from you. You already know about it."
"All along."
"Then maybe I should clean my circle a little bit….but never less. Yes I am after the boy."
"Grr! I will not let him be a part of your sick horrors."
"Oh, so angry? When will you stop being so scornful?"
"When you are dead."
"Mmh, well let's stop our quarrel for now."
"Then, leave the boy out of your sick games."
"Unfortunately I can't. Well you see, he is essential, as you for my plan. How about it, you should join as well, if we three are together we could erase….."
*Click*
Sup guys, surprise chapter!
Since today is my birthday, I want to give you this chapter.
Not only this, I started another fic, named Remnants of a Dragon, which will replace RWBYZ.
I am sorry, for the people who liked the story, but I will delete it, since I fell quite in a hole, by making more chapters of it, and decided it to replace it.
Don't worry; it will still be a MikhailxRuby story.
So enjoy it.
PS. Cremisi means Crimson in the Italian language, while Lucius means, to illuminate. It is also another version of the name Lucifer.
If you have any questions, pm me.
PPS. I am also quite disappointed that no one wanted to make this into a reading story. Well I will still be on hiatus. The reason for it will be explained.
Khan