You calmly walk across Beacon's grounds, hands in your pockets as you stare ahead. Nothing much has changed in terms of your appearance since last year. The only significant difference is your entire left arm is covered in the same stretchy material that once only sat on your shoulder. In the distance, a small group of teams gather in front of the auditorium.
"Hey, (Y/N)!" Coco waves. "Wanna come meet the new teams?"
You tilt your head slightly to make eye contact with her, then return your gaze forward.
"Jeez," Coco lowers her hands. "Why is he still so lame?"
"Coco…" Velvet whispers.
"I know, I know, but still! He can't wallow in sadness forever!" She places her hands on her hips. "He should at least make an effort!"
"He hasn't made an effort in a year," Yatsuhashi chips in.
"It's sad," another girl hops into the conversation. "He used to be so fun."
"Yeah…" They watch you walk away. "I… do feel bad," Coco sighs.
You saunter past the statues, the ponds, and the people. You stop at the cemetery, filled to the brim with gravestones. You pass by quite a few until you reach a collection of eleven stones. Each of them has a picture of who they were before their unfortunate passing.
"RWBY… CMNE… GRAE…" You whisper. "I…" You look to the sky and huff. "I hope you're okay… I know I come by every day so nothing would have changed, but, uh…" You return your gaze to the stones, more specifically, Cinder. "Some boyfriend I was… some leader I was," you tighten your fists in your pockets.
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"Congratulations, students," Ozpin smiles at the newly formed teams. "As you all know, you'll be assigned a third or fourth-year team to assist you in your training. You'll see some of them outside. We'll have another meeting tomorrow that'll decide it. I do hope you enjoy your time at Beacon. Train hard, study well, and protect each other. Have a good night, everyone."
Ozpin walks off the stage, minding his own business. He can already hear all the teams start talking about their mentors and their time at Beacon. Ozpin steps off the stage and looks in the direction of the cemetery. He's well aware you're there and not here, despite him requesting your presence. You've been avoiding him, professors, and even other students. You only interact with him when it's about your recent condition.
In the crowd, a single team stands out from the rest. Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc, has some of the most promising students this year. Jaune himself, which Ozpin has high hopes for, the dynamic duo Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, and finally Pyrrha Nikos, the top graduate of Sanctum Academy. It was a hard fought battle to get the chess pieces and return to Ozpin, but they're teamwork and Jaune's leadership is what got them through.
"So we get another team?" Jaune scratches his head.
"Indeed," Pyrrha nods. "They guide us for the first year and ensure we learn properly. They even train us!"
"Oooh, sounds fun," Nora rubs her hands together. "Think we'll get some super cool team?"
"Perhaps," Ren responds, walking towards the door. "We should get settled into our dorm."
"Right!" Nora throws her hand in the air. "Coming Ren!"
"So, Jaune, how does it feel leading the team?" Pyrrha pleasantly asks, shifting both her hands behind her.
"Ah, well, I think you should have got it but I don't think PNJR sounds as good… hehe…" He sighs. "Okay, yeah, that wasn't very good."
Pyrrha giggles. "It's alright. I think you did a fantastic job, Jaune. Professor Ozpin clearly thought the same. You should be proud of that."
"Yeah, I guess," Jaune replies as the two leave the building, shuffling in the crowd. "So are these the fourth years?" He gets on his tippy toes and looks at the people on the sidelines.
"I believe so. Would you like to say hello? Maybe one of them will take a liking to you?"
"Maybe I can find the best ones! Or maybe the worst so I don't look so bad…" Jaune shrinks on himself as he speaks aloud. "Wait, what if Nora takes up all our spots?"
Pyrrha giggles once more. "It would be best if we hurry. I'm sure we'll see our mentor team tomorrow."
"Yeah!"
The two shuffle out of the crowd and start walking towards the dormitories. Pyrrha stops and looks back at the dozens of teams, all talking and laughing. It's odd to see such cheerfulness when they're practicing to protect people from humanities greatest threat. But, she notices one person far away from everyone else. You're walking back in the area after paying your respects like you do every day. You stop for a moment, checking out all the new students and all your classmates who're so excited to greet them. Then, you notice someone's staring at you.
For a brief moment, you and Pyrrha lock eyes. There's nothing said, nothing thought. You see her, you snicker, and you keep walking.
"Idiots," you mumble under your breath.
"Ah, (Y/N)," Ozpins greets, somehow behind you.
"Mm…" You turn around and look at him with a less than enthusiastic gaze. "What do you want?"
"That's no way to talk. I expected you to be here."
"I am here. Far away, watching. I don't need to be in the crowd."
"Have you given my proposal any thought?"
"Yes. No."
Ozpin chuckles. "I'm going to pretend that was in the opposite order."
"Believe what you want, Ozpin," you start walking away. "I'm not mentoring any of them. They'll be dead within a week."
"Not if you're there."
"Obviously," you bluntly reply, still marching.
No more words are spoken between the two of you. Ozpin's eyes drift to your bandaged arm. Despite everything, he smiles. "You'll be there."
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You lay on your bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Not if you're there."
"Obviously."
"Obviously…" You repeat to yourself. "Tsk… to put this on me… how petty to think I'd want to lead again…" You raise your left arm into view, opening and closing your fist. "And this… burden… I'm not meant to lead anyone anymore."
"Not if you're there."
"I was there last time," you tighten your muscles. "What difference did that make? Nothing… nothing," you let your head fall. "No… I refuse to be bogged down. I'm fine on my own," you roll back on your bed. "No reason for more."
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All the new teams gather in the auditorium where, on stage, dozens of other teams stand. They all smile, wave, and make sure these new students feel welcomed. Ozpin stands at the forefront of it all, looking back at the present teams. Of course, you're not there. Ozpin sighs, but quickly smiles to cover it up.
"I'm glad you could all make it. Today, you'll be assigned your mentor team. Keep in mind, you may have a sister team that's also mentoring under one of these teams. It'd be best, if you're in that situation, to warm up to that other team. Now, let's begin the assignment. Team JNPR," the team's picture shows up on the screen. "You'll be paired with team CFVY," he gestures to said team. "This will be the only team you'll be assigned, CFVY. You may leave with JNPR if you wish."
"Sounds good," Coco nods. "JNPR, meet us outside."
Both teams make their way out of the building, stopping outside the closed door. "So, you're JNPR?" Coco eyes up the four. "Interesting. I can work with this. Good to meet you," she offers her hand to Jaune first.
"Y-Yeah. I'm Jaune Arc," he shakes Coco's hand. The other members all shake each other's hands, taking a few moments to get the pleasantries out of the way.
"Good to meet you all. Trust me, you're working with the best team," Coco proudly states. "You won't be disappointed."
"We're very eager to learn," Ren bows his head. "Surely your experience will prove invaluable."
"I like you," Coco snickers. "We'll work out just fine. Now, let's start step one!"
"Don't you four have classes today?" Velvet meekly asks, shifting past Yatsuhashi.
"No, that's us, Vel," Coco waves her off. "But we only get one class today. Bonus points, right?"
The rest of her team don't respond. JNPR is quickly gathering that Coco is the only real vocal one of the group.
"So, I wanna see you guys do a little fighting. Know where you need to improve, you know? So, I have a Bullhead waiting to take us to the Forest of ForeverFall. We'll fight a few Grimm, get a grip on your skill levels, and know where to go from there."
"Fighting… more Grimm, huh?" Jaune nervously laughs.
"No need to worry," Yatsuhashi speaks up. "If things get difficult we'll pull out. We're more than capable when dealing with Grimm."
"Maybe he can give you a few pointers, too," Coco elbows his side. "So, are you all ready to go?"
"Yeah!" Nora cheers.
Ren merely bows his head. Pyrrha smiles and nods. Jaune nervously shifts in place but isn't showing signs of backing down. Already, CFVY is getting a feel for their new team. They know some things to improve… and most of that revolves around Jaune.
"Alright, let's go!" Coco leads the other seven towards the docks.
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"I'm disappointed."
"But not surprised?" You respond, looking over your shoulder.
"No… not surprised," Ozpin clearly responds.
The headmaster stands a few feet behind you, feet spread with his cane planted firmly between them. He looks around the cemetery with an anchor around his neck. Each student, each teacher, each Huntsman he knew. He accepted them into his school and they're now dead, partly because of him. He isn't fond of visiting this place, but he still does. It keeps him grounded, reminds him of the consequence of their actions. You relate to him, in that way.
You return your gaze to the gravestones and sigh. "What do you want, Ozpin?"
"I wanted you to lead a new team."
"You had plenty of elidable teams. I'm only one person."
"You're the one who survived."
You turn around, eyes sharp as you silently threaten him.
"That matters."
"You don't know that. We never found their bodies."
"They were crushed in a cave," he bluntly responds.
"You didn't even look!" Your voice raises temporarily, but you return to staring at their graves and take a breath. "If you're here to lecture me then don't bother. I'm sure you have better things to do," you shift your hands into your pockets and relax.
"No, I don't. You are my student. You're… more of a special case than any other. Not only am I professionally concerned, but personally," Ozpin strolls to your side. "I know loss is difficult… but the best way to heal is to let others in."
"I'm fine," you turn around and walk past Ozpin. "Don't worry about me, Ozpin. I'll handle myself from here on out."
"Professor Ozpin!" A woman screams, running towards you and him.
You recognize the woman, Glynda Goodwitch, one of the professors here at Beacon. Ozpin turns around and starts walking towards her.
"What's the problem, Glynda?"
Glynda passes by you, standing still and looking back at the two professors. She stops in front of Ozpin and pulls out her scroll. She hands it to the Headmaster and he takes a moment to listen. You're too far away to hear the words, but you can tell something's happening. Growling, gunfire, and unintelligible banter. It's clear that someone is being overwhelmed by Grimm.
Ozpin looks up at you with sharper eyes than ever, almost sending a shiver down your spine.
"What?"
Ozpin moves past Glynda, still holding her scroll. "You'll want to hear this."
You're able to process the noise more clearly now. One sound stands out above everything else. It's gunfire… single shots that sound very, very familiar.
"Ozpin, get me a Bullhead right now."
"It'll be ready when you reach the docks. Team CVFY and JNPR are the ones being attacked," Ozpin speaks. "Bring them back. You're dismissed from the rest of today's classes."
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"There's no way," you shake your head as the wind rushes across your body. "That sound… is it possible?" You tighten your grip on the handle. "JNPR and CFVY… what were they doing in the Forest of Forever Fall?"
The Bullhead zooms over the red trees and circles around a downed Bullhead. "We'll be staying in the air, just in case."
"Got it."
You leap out of the Bullhead and dive right into the red sea of trees. You spin around and land, bones shaking under the pressure. Thankfully, your Aura took any damage that may have caused. You stand up straight and start running towards the crashed Bullhead. You can't hear any voices, Grimm, or gunfire in the immediate area. So, either the battle is already done or they're farther away. First, you need to find any clues as to what happened.
You walk to the Bullhead and check the pilot seat. There's a bullet hole in the glass and beyond that is a pilot with a gaping hole in their head.
"Shot down… I wonder if they were trying to escape?" You grab your scroll. "Hey, I suggest keeping a distance from the area."
"Of course!"
"Of course," you mock after hanging up. "How brave. Whatever," you sidestep the Bullhead and walk towards the back. "Let's see if there are any…" You stop in place, eyes shaking as you stare at a new body.
"V… Velvet…" You mumble.
Your eyes shake as they stare at her bloody body. You spring to her side, sliding to your knee and lifting her back off the ground. You examine her body closer, still a little shaken to see the Faunus in such bad shape. Unlike the pilot, Velvet has a large gash from her shoulder down to her stomach. Her right arm is loosely dangling since there's nothing there to support it. Her eyes are still open, lifelessly staring back at you.
"I…"
Despite everything, this shakes you to your core. You've been coping with RWBY and CMNE for so long, but you never had to see their bodies. Now… now it's different. Velvet is gone. You're holding whatever is left of her. It's heartbreaking to see your friend, a kind soul who never really like combat all too much, and now she's gone. You drag your hand down her face, shutting the lids, and rest her back onto the ground. You stand up and extend your left hand towards Velvet. Some of your bandages start moving, slithering towards Velvet and wrapping around the girl. Round and round the bandage goes, covering the girl from head to toe to protect her remains and for easier transportation. Even though you've used enough to cover the entire girl, your arm is never exposed to the outside. Thankfully, that'll never be a problem with your Semblance.
"Rest in peace, Velvet," you say once she's completely covered. You grab your knife and cut the bandage and retract the rest to your arm. "I hope the rest of you are okay… please be okay."
You take another look around the area, spotting more signs of conflict. Bullet holes in trees, slash marks along the grass, and footprints. That last one catches your attention. You take a few steps away from Velvet's corpse and kneel down to check the tracks.
"Heels..? Coco? Maybe…" You think back for a moment, trying to remember who JNPR was. "They were… Pyrrha Nikos? She uses heels. Either one, they lead deeper into the forest," you stand up and start following what tracks you can see. "I don't like that I can't hear anything… knowing the Velvet was slain I… I don't have much hope for the others. But those gunshots," you think to yourself. "It sounded too much like Ruby's sniper."
On cue, you stop at the sight of a rose petal. You kneel down and grab the gray, shriveled rose petal. "Tsk," you crush it. "That… isn't Ruby's… but…" You shake your head and start running. "Damnit, there's no time to mess around."
You know you're going the right directions since there is plenty of damage on trees and grass. You can only hope that you're not too late. Even if you are… it won't be on your conscious. You didn't bring these guys out here… you didn't lead them to death. You're just the recovery squad.
You slide to a halt and look around the immediate area. Plenty of trees are cut down, along with burn marks on the grass. You slowly walk towards the tree and check it out.
"Hm… burn marks… and this tree," you can see that is wasn't cut in half. The way it's knocked over, the impact markings, and the ragged breaking point… "This was knocked over with a punch? Kick? Maybe someone was thrown into it," you continue to speculate. "But with these marks," you look to the grass. "If Ruby was here… she couldn't do damage like this. Maybe it wasn't Ruby… but…" You check the area once more, taking everything in. "What if… it's not only Ruby? No," you shake your head. "What am I thinking… they would've come back. This has to be some sort of human or Faunus enemy."
Lucky for you, a gunshot is heard in the distance. You stand up and look toward the direction the sound came from. You immediately sprint to that area as fast as your legs can take you. You brush past bushes, duck under loose branches, and jump over small holds made by battle. Faster and faster you move until you finally find a small group of people. Your eyes once again widen at the sight. Yatsuhashi is pinned against a tree with his own blade while Fox is, like Velvet, simply lying on the ground, dead.
Coco is resting against a tree, bleeding but alive. In front of her is Pyrrha, on her knees and crying. Her weapon, in gun form, is resting beside her. Jaune, Nora, and Ren are injured but not gravely.
"Kid… come on… now," Coco coughs up more blood. "Ah… my clothes…"
"Coco," you speak, marching towards the group. The members of JNPR all look to you, their eyes lighting up at the sight of back up. You kneel down beside Pyrrha. "Coco, what happened?"
Coco snickers, barely keeping face. "We… were attacked by a group. Three people…"
"They were all in robes," Pyrrha cuts in. "We couldn't see who they were, but… they were so strong. CFVY… they…" Tears start streaming down her face, layering the previous markings.
"I got it," you quickly say. "Gather your team. Make sure you're all ready to move."
"I…" Pyrrha's emerald eyes shiver while staring at you.
"You're getting out of here, trust me," you nod, not bothering to smile. "Now, Coco, you're-"
"I know," Coco chuckles, looking down at her severely gashed stomach. "One of them… they caught me from behind… a blade and chain…"
"Blade and chain?" You whisper.
"I wanted… the redhead to end it for me… but…" Coco slowly raises her hand, which you quickly grab. "Please… I can't… keep a smile for much longer."
"We can-"
"No," she shakes her head. "No… you can't. Please… get those kids outta here…"
You lower your head and tighten the grip on her hand.
Why… this wasn't my fault, and yet… everything inside me… damnit… DAMNIT
"Yeah… I'll get them out," you look back at her, keeping a straight face. You keep holding her hand with your bandaged arm while grabbing your blade with the right. "Coco… I'm so sorry."
"I… am too…"
Without hesitation, you pierce Coco's body, killing her in seconds. Her eyes fade to lifelessness, reuniting her with her team. You pull your blade out and huff.
"Rest in peace… old friend."
Still holding her with your left hand, you extend your bandages to wrap around her body and cocoon her. You stand up and walk over to the other two, doing the same to them one at a time.
"Velvet's back at the ship," you say aloud, not looking at the younger Huntsmen-in-Training. "We're going to bring these three back to her and then rally the next Bullhead."
"We can't," Jaune quickly intrudes. "One of those… people… they shot us down when we tried to escape the first time. Right out of the air!"
"So it was out of the air?" You clarify. "interesting… but that's of no concern. We'll be fine. We know what they'll do." You grab your scroll and connect to the pilot. "We're going to need a pickup. Where's the closest you can make it?"
"I'll send you the coordinates. Be there in five."
"Got it," you disconnect your scroll. "Alright, we have five minutes. Don't fall behind."
You grab Yatsuhashi's body and lug it over your left shoulder. "Can any of you carry them? They're the lighter ones."
"I can," Pyrrha raises her hand.
"No need for that. Just answer," you scold. "Grab whoever you can."
Pyrrha, being closest to Coco, picks her up with Jaune grabs Fox.
"You two," you say, marching towards Nora and Ren. "You're our eyes and ears. If anything gets close… well, you're our first line of defense. Got it?"
"Yes," they respond.
"Good. Let's move, then."
Carrying the bodies, you all slowly march your way back through the forest, treading old ground.
"You four did well to survive," you say, a meager attempt to give praise.
"We only survived because the others sacrificed themselves… it wasn't even Grimm," Jaune shakes his head. "It was just murder… it was-"
"Hey, calm down," you cut in. "Get all panicked and more Grimm will come." You wait a few more seconds before talking, letting the sound of footsteps refresh the conversation palate. "So who attacked you?"
"We don't know," Ren responds. "There were three of them, all cloaked in really dark, tattered robes."
"Mm… I saw dead rose petals. That have anything to do with it?"
Yeah, one of them was super fast! Every time they moved those dead petals came out."
"Tsk," you brush that off. "I'll have to mention that… and the weapon Coco mentioned… who was the third?"
"I have no idea," Pyrrha responds. "They sat back most of the time, acted as a distraction."
"Interesting. I'm guessing it was that surprise that caught CVFY off guard."
"Yes," Pyrrha replies once more. "Velvet… she fell out of the Bullhead when the pilot was shot. She was killed before we even hit the ground. I-"
"You can tell Ozpin about it," you coldly respond. "I know all I need to. Maybe recite it in your head a few times."
"You're weird," Nora blurts out. "You're concerned one second and uncaring the next."
"Sorry I tried," you quickly respond, making sure they don't get too detailed with your emotions. "We're almost there. Hurry up and-"
You jump to the side the second a gunshot can be heard. You spin around, setting Yatsuhashi down and unsheathing your knife.
"Take him and head to the Bullhead," you shout. "I'll cover you!"
You jump ahead and deflect another bullet to the side. Nora grabs the body and starts running with the rest of her team. Pyrrha stops and turns around, watching you dash from side to side, flipping and twirling while you deflect each bullet.
"Go, damnit!" You shout. "These aren't easy!"
Pyrrha turns back and starts sprinting through the forest. You cut the last bullet down and exhale.
"There's no doubt about it… Ruby!" You scream. "What're you doing?"
Your voice echoes through the trees. After waiting a few seconds, three cloaked figures land in front of you, making a significant thud on impact. You keep your weapon tight in your hand, ready to react to anything. Unfortunately, it's impossible to see the faces under the hoods. Each of them has varied, yet familiar heights. Or maybe you're just hoping it's familiar.
"Who are you? Why'd you attack students of Beacon Academy?"
The three don't move, as if they're statues. You notice they're not even breathing, or they're extremely skilled at concealing their breaths.
"You're a lot of fun," the smaller one on the right speaks. One layer of her voice is Ruby's, no doubt about it, but there's a second, female layer that is also recognizable… yet you can't put your finger on it. "I liked how mobile you are. So much more fun to shoot at than the others," she giggles. "They didn't even try."
"Kid, I've got team JNPR and… the bodies. Where are you?"
"Oh, another birdie to shoot down?" The girl giggles. "What do you two thing?"
The other two remain silent, letting the smaller girl talk.
"Are you Ruby?" You bluntly ask.
"Ruby? Ruby Rose? A trespasser? Adorable? Loved by all yet killed… by you."
You furrow your brow. "I didn't kill her… but I have no qualms about killing you."
"You already did," the three speak in unison.
The three dash at you simultaneously, almost as if their mind was one. You jump to the left then quickly extend some material to the tree directly across from you, passing over them as they attempt to follow your first evasion attempt. You spin around and land against a tree, bursting off the wood and attack them… or you would if they were still there. You flip forward and land on your feet, sliding to a halt. You look around the area to see if they've hidden somewhere nearby by in the trees or bushes. Since their breathing was so minute, you can't rely on that.
You step back, keeping your blade arm high to protect yourself from any possible attacks.
"They could be trying to psyche me out… but if they went after the Bullhead…" You turn tail and start running. "Shit… Are you there? Where's the pickup?"
"We're here!"
You stop and look up, seeing the red leaves be pushed aside by the wind pressure.
"Why… whatever," you raise your arm and extend your material, wrapping it around the Bullhead and pulling you up. You retract it when you can walk into the loading area. "Glad you're all safe," you greet the young team before turning around and looking down at the forest. "Ruby… Emerald… was that really you?"
Well, here's chapter one! Or… chapter two, technically… the first one was a prologue but most websites will still technically call it chapter one… well, whatever. Yeah, these chapters may come out pretty fast. AS weird as it is, I kinda wanna blow through this story. Not in a bad way, but it makes it easier. This is a short story, after all. No need for it to take super long. Plus, Limitless' chapter is done (at the moment of writing thing) so I really had nothing else to work on.
Looking ahead, I don't even know if this'll hit ten chapters. I never really plan out stories by chapter; I just have the general plan and write until I'm done. So, I won't bother mentioning the chapter count from here on out. It'll be done when it's done, but it'll be done soon… I hope. I am a college student, you know, I have other things to do! I guess it's a blessing and a curse that I'm so obsessed with writing. Guess you could say I'm the bearer of the writing curse! Eh? Aaaah? Okay, sorry. My potential for bad jokes is Limitle- okay, I'm done! Sorry!
I'll see you guys in the next chapter. I hope you're enjoying. This is off the heels of Crimson Shadow's hiatus (and after Pyrrha's death, funnily enough) so I hope this'll tide you over for a bit. Well, I hope Limitless does that too… and any other story. Okay, rambling, I'm gonna go no. See you guys next time.
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