Epilogue: Inheritors
Part I: The Rose and Her Heiress
December 19, 2687; 1955 Hours
Remnant, Vale
"You look so beautiful!" Yang happily declared, wrapping her younger sister in a crushing hug. Ivan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Ruby trying to free herself from the Spartan's grip.
"Yang please…" Ruby managed, wriggling a bit to ease her breathing.
"Oop… sorry. Forget my own strength sometimes." Yang chuckled, dropping her sister back onto her heels. The entirety of Team RWBY had come back together for the first time in months to celebrate a certain heiress and team leader's wedding. Yang, Winter, and Ivan were all wearing their dress uniforms while Blake had dressed a bit more… normally. Both Ruby and Weiss wore gowns befitting the wealthiest couple on the planet.
The entire estate in Vale had been expertly decorated by the combined input of Weiss' mother, Taiyang, and the newlyweds; and the place was absolutely jam-packed with attendees. All of their old friends from Beacon had come, Thorne and Cinder had even managed to clear some time in their schedules, and Ivan's father and sister had even decided to make the trip out to Remnant.
"Can you please not kill my wife, Yang?" Weiss asked, giving a broad smile as she stepped up beside Ruby and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'd hoped we were all done with the near-death experiences for a while."
Yang chuckled, wrapping Weiss in a similarly-strong hug. "Sorry, sis." She teased, releasing the woman a moment later.
"Ugh… just as annoying as ever, huh?" Weiss' tone was betrayed by the smile on her face. Normally, she'd find Yang's antics a bit annoying, but it would take a hell of a lot more than her sister-in-law's teasing to ruin tonight.
"Hey, there she is!" Taiyang declared, walking over with Qrow. Much to everyone's surprise, Qrow cleaned up pretty well. That didn't stop Winter from continuing her playful banter with him. Ruby darted over to her father and wrapped him in a hug, earning a laugh from the older man.
After a time, the eclectic collection of friends made their way towards the same little section of the garden that they had first celebrated their victory in. There were a few attendees milling about, but it was a surprisingly peaceful little escape. Before long, Thorne made his way over with Cinder carrying a pair of small wooden boxes under his arm.
"Well, fancy meeting you here." Thorne quipped, taking a seat beside Sergei and placing the boxes on the small table that the couches and chairs surrounded.
"Oh god, what're those?" Weiss asked.
"Just an extra little gift, on top of the main one." Thorne smirked. "As much as I'm sure you'd appreciate a new toaster or some shit, figured I'd break the mold a little bit."
Weiss couldn't help but smile as she cracked the first of the wooden boxes open, surprised to see it contained a trio of bottles. She almost choked on her breath as she saw the labels. All three of them were bottles of some of the most expensive wine on the planet, straight from the Mistral countryside. "Thorne… this is way too much."
"It's only too much if you don't drink it." Thorne returned, allowing himself a smile as he leaned back into the couch cushion. "Second one's all you, Ruby."
Ruby was just as excitable as everyone remembered as her hands darted over to the second, notably larger box and pulled the lid off. Inside was a surprisingly intricate glass statue that lightly glittered with infused blue and red dust. It was heavily stylized, but it was clearly a combination of Ruby and Weiss' symbols: a blooming rose for Ruby and a spiked snowflake for Weiss. "Oh my god… this is awesome! Where did you get this?"
"That one was all Cinder." Thorne smirked.
"Cinder… thank you!" Ruby placed the sculpture back into its packaging as she reached across the table to wrap the taller brunette in a hug.
"So…" Yang began as Ruby settled back down into her seat beside Weiss. "About that wine…"
"You know what, no better time." Weiss shrugged, grabbing one of the three identical bottles and removing the wrap around the cork.
November 12, 2689
Remnant, Vale
"Boring day, Weiss?" Ruby asked, a bemused smile on her face as Weiss slammed the front door shut behind her.
"Sinoviet being Sinoviet, hon..." Weiss sighed, flicking a stray strand of hair out of her face. As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she was greeted by several massive platters of cookies and her very pregnant wife wearing a flour-covered apron. It was almost a surreal sight, even though it had been nearly two years since things really 'settled down.' They were actually having something of a normal life, as normal as the wealthiest woman on Remnant and a renowned Huntress could have. "And the doctor told me to watch out for weird cravings… this is just your usual." She chuckled, planting a quick kiss on Ruby's cheek.
"Hey, they're not all for me… just most of them..." Ruby smirked, pointing to some wrapped paper plates that were helpfully labeled with their friends' names.
"Patron saint of temperance, love." Weiss giggled, wiping away a bit of stray chocolate from Ruby's lip. "Still want to drop by the cuckoo's nest tonight?"
"Sure!" Ruby beamed. "Just gimme a few to change."
XXXXX
Ruby beamed a smile as she held out the plate of cookies to Winter as she opened the door. "Oh, thank you, Ruby." Winter smiled, beckoning her sister and sister-in-law inside.
"I see Ivan got a ridiculous car… big surprise." Weiss smirked, nodding to the HuCiv coupe sitting in their driveway.
"That's mine, actually." Winter smirked, earning a look of surprise from her sister. "He said something about me 'seeing the light' when I picked it."
"Where is he, by the way?" Ruby asked. "I thought classes were done until next year."
"They are, he's just helping to show some transfer students around." Winter explained. "Should be back any time now."
"Do I even want to ask about that?" Weiss asked, gesturing to the pile of firearm parts sitting on the coffee table in the living room.
"Oh, a little addition to the collection." Winter smirked. "Some old gun from Earth."
"Still don't have enough firepower, huh?" Ruby smirked.
"There's only two speeds in this house: 'retiree', and 'fuckin' send it'." Winter winced as her sister smacked her on the arm, gesturing to her wife's belly. "Sorry, soldier's tongue." She smirked, ruffling her considerably shorter sister's hair. "You two pick a name yet, or crossing that bridge when you get to it?"
"We settled on Sapphire." Ruby proudly smiled, gesturing to the necklace that she bought for Weiss all those years ago, still worn around her neck.
"I swear, you two are disgustingly cute." Winter chuckled.
It wasn't long after they all sat down on the couch to chat that Ivan stepped inside, tossing his jacket onto the back of a chair, a broad smile crossing his face as he saw Winter, Weiss, and Ruby all sitting on the couch. "How've you two been?" He asked, stepping into the living room as he removed the handgun from his waistband and placed it down on the kitchen counter along with his keys.
"Really good!" Ruby smiled, holding out the small wrapped plate filled with cookies. "Brought you guys some."
"Aw, thanks Ruby." Ivan smirked, sitting down in a chair across the table from them. "Won't last long with how quick Winter can shovel those things away, though." His smirk broadened as he watched Winter playfully roll her eyes.
"We settled on a name, by the way…" Weiss began, earning an interested brow-raise from Ivan. "Sapphire Rose."
"Don't know how you two do it, but it's always adorable." Ivan chuckled, leaning back in the chair. "Due in what… a month or so?"
"Just about." Ruby nodded, a smile crossing her face as she noted the look that Winter was giving Ivan. It was fleeting, but she caught it. "You know… Yang and Blake are having a kid too… Don't suppose you two… you know?"
"God, nothing gets by you." Ivan chuckled. "You wanna break the news, Winter?"
"No way…" Weiss began, earning a nod from her sister. "Spill it. How many, and how long?"
"Yep… Fraternal twins." Winter nodded. "I'll be slowing down for a bit now. They're supposedly due in about eight months."
"Supposedly?" Ruby asked, confused.
"Both of us are Spartans, so they're probably gonna… inherit a few of the augments." Ivan explained. "Probably gonna be faster, stronger, and a little smarter than most. They're definitely gonna need a few extra days in the hospital to give her a few regulatory treatments to prevent any side-effects, but they're gonna be what we affectionately call 'Spartan 4.1s' when they're born."
"Is this common? Safe?" Weiss asked. "I better not hear that my niece or nephew are going to be in and out of surgery their whole lives."
"Common enough for it to not be an issue." Winter interjected. "They'll have a totally normal childhood… They'll just be a bit taller, faster, and stronger than most children. They won't have to go through the entire augmentation process, it's mostly going to be in-utero genetic therapies to make sure they develop properly, then a few days in the hospital to watch for any side-effects."
"Good." Weiss nodded. "I'm hoping all of our kids decide to go for normal stuff." She smiled. "Well, as normal as a child of you two could be."
"Hey, we're totally normal." Ivan defended, crossing his arms.
"We're literally talking about your children having to go through gene therapy in the womb because you're both engineered super-soldiers… over a disassembled gun on the coffee table." Weiss gestured to the parts on the table.
"Hey, I'll have you know I got this because it's a historical reproduction." Ivan defended, holding his hands out. "That, and it was cool. At least the fun stuff I get lasts a lifetime if you take care of it. You'll be lucky if that fancy car you rolled up in lasts more than ten years."
"Don't you literally drive a supercar?" Weiss asked.
"Drove…" Ivan corrected. "That old thing's Sasha's problem now. God bless her with those maintenance bills." He smirked. "Just thinking about that thing throwing another rod gives me anxiety."
Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes.
April 5, 2690
Remnant, Atlas
Weiss stepped off the transport, happy to see that very little of Atlas had changed over the years. The only real new addition to the metropolitan skyline was the massive Misriah Armories building downtown. Thankfully, she wasn't here for business, she was here for family.
As she made her way through the port, she was greeted by the sight of Humans, Faunus, and even a few Sangheili milling about. She couldn't help but smile as she saw a few Marines returning home for leave embracing family members. Right after she was stopped by a few locals who recognized her, she found who she was looking for. Her mother and brother were both waiting just outside the terminal's exit, and her mother's smile lit up like she had never seen before.
"It's so good to see you again, Weiss." Her mother wrapped her in a hug, which she happily returned. Even Whitley gave her a hug. "How's my granddaughter?"
"Sapphire's good, if a bit of a handful." Weiss smiled.
"It's still strange, being an uncle." Whitley chuckled, leaning against the wall a bit. Thankfully, his time away from Jacques seemed to have mellowed him out a bit.
"You really did strike gold, Weiss." Weiss smirked at her mother's words. "I had my… well, call them reservations, but I've never been happier to be wrong."
Before long, Weiss was sat in a small coffee shop that she would always go to with her mother and Klein when she was younger. "You know… your father did write to me." Now that certainly caught Weiss' attention. "He said he was willing to… and I quote: 'bury the hatchet' if you would visit him."
"Not going to happen." Weiss deadpanned. "If I see him, there's a good chance I'll bury a hatchet in his neck. Maybe when he's willing to actually face the family he nearly tore apart."
"I can't say I blame you, darling." Weiss was surprised by her mother. She was half-expecting to be asked to at least humor the bastard. "I know James did go to see him not long ago, and that went about as well as you'd expect. I can't really tell you if he's changed since everything happened, but… at the very least, if you did visit him… you could gloat." Weiss couldn't help but giggle at her mother's wry smile.
May 18, 2708
Remnant, Vale
Sapphire sighed, running a hand through her long head of ivory hair as she stared straight ahead at the holographic projection at the front of the classroom. Try as she might, she just couldn't bring herself to pay attention to the lesson today. She already knew just about everything about the topic, after all. And it was pretty clear that she knew more about this stuff than her teacher did. She jumped a bit as her scroll vibrated against the wooden desktop, and she quickly snatched the small device up and brought it down to her lap to check the screen.
"Something to share with the class, Miss Schnee?" Sapphire groaned internally. Of all the classes to get called out in, it just had to be her history class.
"N-Nothing…" Sapphire shook her head, tucking the scroll into her bag. "Just my uncle."
"And it couldn't wait another few minutes?" Sapphire felt herself shrink down as all forty sets of eyes in the class turned onto her.
"S-Sorry…" Sapphire muttered.
"Just try not to-" Her teacher trailed off as the door to her classroom clicked open. In stepped her uncle Ivan, still towering over just about everyone she knew. "O-Oh…"
"Don't mind me, just got bored of sitting in the car." Ivan smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. It had been nearly a year since Sapphire had seen her uncle, since he had been off-planet for a while, and he certainly looked different than usual. Rather than being clean-shaven like usual, his face sported a full beard now. There were more than a few students looking at the Headmaster of Beacon Academy with something resembling awe. "That's wrong, by the way." Ivan smirked, pointing to the projection.
At the teacher's confused look, Ivan elaborated. "First Contact with the Covenant actually started… kinda peacefully. The First Battle of Harvest in 2525 started because an Unggoy got a little trigger happy and shot one of Harvest's militiamen." Just as he finished his explanation, the simple three tones signaling the end of the day sounded from the speakers mounted in the ceiling. "Well, there's me being a teacher for the day. Ready?" He asked, looking to Sapphire.
"Hell yeah!" She nodded, grabbing her bag and jumping to her feet. Ivan smirked as he tousled his niece's short white hair, leading the way towards the front door to her academy. "Where were you?"
"Oh, dealing with some bureaucratic shit back on Earth… pardon the language." Ivan smirked, reaching into his jacket and handing a small box to Sapphire. "A little gift from me and your aunt… don't tell your parents… yet." He chuckled, opening the passenger's door to his HuCiv sedan for Sapphire.
Sapphire sat down in the passenger's seat, working to put her hair into a small ponytail as Ivan climbed into the driver's seat. "What is it?" She asked, looking at the small wrapped box in confusion.
"Go ahead and open it." Ivan smirked, starting to join the queue to leave the school's campus as he flicked the radio on. Sapphire was surprised to hear an older, analog-sounding recording of what she had to guess was rock-n-roll… or at least something close to it. It was certainly upbeat like she expected rock to be.
"Still listening to this old stuff?" Sapphire laughed, glancing over to her uncle who was happily singing along. As far as she could tell, the song was about a waitress who was working with the Russians, a man gambling in Havana, and said man asking for someone to send lawyers, guns, and money. The lyrics were a bit strange and more than a little macabre, but the song was undeniably catchy.
"Okay… hold up." Ivan began, looking at his niece with a smirk on his face. "What namby-pamby bullshit does Weiss have you listening to?" He laughed, earning a laugh from Sapphire.
"You know those two… it's a lot of classical, opera, and acapella from Mom; and a lotta older pop music and a little pop-rock from Mama."
"Jesus Christ…" Ivan sighed, shaking his head. "Before we get to your present… open that damn phone up and write this down." Ivan watched as an ear-to-ear grin crossed Sapphire's face as she opened up a notepad app on her scroll, preparing to type down what Ivan was about to say. "Warren Zevon, Townes van Zandt, John Prine, The Fugs, and Dead Kennedys."
"Are my parents gonna kill me for listening to this?" Sapphire asked, earning a laugh from her uncle. "How old are these, anyways? I've never even heard of these."
"Well… most of these are from the latter half of the 20th century, so… over 700 years old. In my defense, my dad's a giant music nerd." He chuckled. "Alright, open it up." Ivan beckoned to the gift with a free hand.
Sapphire carefully unwrapped the box, flipping open the plastic lid to reveal a small plastic card. She flipped the card around and let out a small scream, seeing a Beacon student ID card with her picture on it. "No way!"
"Don't think Winter and I will take it easy on you just because you're family." Ivan smirked, finally managing to get out of the quickly-worsening traffic leading out of the school.
"B-but… I don't even have my weapon yet!" Sapphire began. "I've barely even started training!"
"Well, we're gonna go fix that first issue right now." Ivan chuckled. "And I'll work on your folks, see if we can't fix that second problem by August."
"C-Can I ask you something?" Sapphire asked, earning a nod from Ivan. "Why don't they let me… you know, train?"
Ivan sighed, scratching his chin for a moment as he searched for the right words. "Weiss is… well, you know how protective your mom is."
"I know, it's just… she was a huntress too! Just like Mama, but they won't let me even see if I like it! Morgan and Sophia are already so… good at it, and I barely even know how to throw a punch!"
"Well, it's not like you need to be a master at anything to attend Beacon… kinda defeats the point of the academy, after all." Ivan shrugged. "And I can't speak for your folks, but… I know for a fact that Weiss doesn't want you to jump headfirst into it without thinking about it. She went into it because she felt like she had to… she wants you to do it if you want to."
"And if they don't let me go to Beacon next year?" Sapphire asked, looking over to her uncle.
"Don't worry about that, I'll smooth it over with 'em." Ivan smirked. "Now… about your weapon. Any ideas?"
"Well… I haven't really given it much thought…" Sapphire admitted. "I don't think I'd be cut out for scythe like Mama, but… Maybe a sword or a gun?"
"Well, if you need help with guns, you've come to the right guy." Ivan smirked, turning onto the highway and heading for his and Winter's home in the outskirts of Vale. "Anything more specific?"
"I dunno… Mama says I'm a pretty good shot." Sapphire shrugged.
"Well, we can see what you're most comfortable with." Ivan nodded. "Trust me, I've got more than enough guns, we'll find something that you like."
After a few more minutes on the road, Ivan pulled into the driveway to his home, parking beside Winter's bright white coupe and climbing out of the car. After stepping inside, Sapphire saw her aunt Winter walking out of the bedroom with a smile on her face. "There she is!" She laughed, wrapping Sapphire in a hug as the younger girl ran over to embrace her aunt. "How've you been?"
"Pretty good! It's great to see you again!" Sapphire laughed as Winter effortlessly picked her up. "Where's Aleks and Sophia?"
"Oh, they're out with some friends." Winter sighed. "I assume you got your gift?"
"I did! Thank you guys so much!" Sapphire hugged her aunt tighter for a moment.
"Don't worry about it…"
"Wanna give us a hand, Winter?" Ivan asked. "Gonna get Sapphire a bit of time behind the trigger."
"Why not? Been a while since I've practiced." Winter nodded.
It didn't take long for Sapphire to find herself a bit into the woods behind her aunt and uncle's property, standing behind a shooting range that Ivan had set up. The sheer number of different guns in front of her was a bit mind-boggling at first, but she had come to expect stuff like this from her uncle at this point.
She found out rather quickly that she wasn't a fan of shotguns. She wasn't small by any measure, standing a bit taller than Weiss and just a bit shorter than Ruby, but she wasn't a fan of how finicky the M90 CAWS was to load sometimes. Before long, she found herself falling in love with the M395 DMR that Ivan had brought out. It was stable, light for its size, and the recoil system just felt right to her. She had evidently even managed to impress her uncle as she struck a perfect trio of shots on a target nearly three hundred meters away. "Not bad." Ivan nodded, seeing his niece's familiar silver eyes glance up from the optic. "Think we found the perfect fit for you."
After taking another hour to just shoot for fun, Sapphire found herself helping to put everything away in its proper place in their basement. She was surprised as the doorbell rang just as she was finishing up with Winter, only to find her parents stepping inside just as she finished climbing the stairs. "Hey honey!" Ruby laughed, running over and wrapping her daughter in a hug. "How was your last day of the year?"
"It was good." Sapphire giggled, returning the hug. "Ivan schooled the teacher."
"Let me guess, history?" Weiss asked, smirking as she saw the nod from her daughter. "No surprise there… your uncle's a nerd."
"Damn straight, Ice Queen." Ivan chuckled, nodding for them to make themselves comfortable.
"Anything cool happen on Earth?" Ruby asked, sitting down on the couch.
"Sure, if you consider bureaucracy cool like Weiss does." Ivan snarked, giving Weiss a playful elbow. "Speaking of…" Ivan sighed, sitting down in an armchair and kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "Winter and I had a few months on Earth to think about it, and we offered Sapphire a spot at Beacon come August."
"Really?" Ruby asked, smiling broadly. Even Weiss cracked a smile.
"Yep." Ivan nodded. "We're not gonna take it easy on her, but she'll be a good fit… especially now that we did away with Ozpin's fuckin' stupid initiation thing."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, confused.
"We're letting students pick their teams this time around." Winter explained. "Like how Haven and Shade have always done it. And since Morgan, Sophie, and Athena got accepted… well, I think we already know what team Sapphire's gonna wind up with."
"Wait, what about Aleks?" Ruby asked, referencing Ivan and Winter's son.
"He's going to the Marines." Ivan explained. "Bless him."
"Wait, didn't he want to be a Spartan?" Sapphire asked.
"Yeah, but he's gonna have to pass selection after he's done with all the Marine training." Ivan explained. "Normally, you don't get to go straight to Reach. A few people have had the exception made, but it's rare. Even I had to finish with Marine basic, ODST Drop School, and only then did I get sent off to Reach."
"Speaking of…" Weiss began. "You're sure you want to go to Beacon, Sapph?"
Sapphire nodded. "I'm sure! I know it'll be tough, but I've always wanted to be a huntress, just like you guys!"
Weiss gave her daughter a smile. "I know, sweetie… I know you'll make a fantastic huntress… even with these two maniacs helping train you." She nodded to her sister and brother-in-law, earning a giggle from Sapphire. "Ruby and I will always support you, that hasn't changed."
August 15, 2708
Remnant, Beacon Academy
Sapphire walked alongside her cousins Sophia and Morgan, their close friend Athena jogging to catch up with them as they headed for Beacon's Amphitheater. The sheer size of the campus never ceased to amaze the young woman, and that wasn't even considering the sheer amount of technology crammed into the buildings. There were more than a few advanced students watching the arriving first-years, and they were all friendly enough. She definitely got a few more looks than the rest of her friends, being the daughter of the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company and all, but she was used to it at this point.
The amphitheater was packed with well over two hundred students from all over Remnant, Human and Faunus alike. The excited chatter reverberated through the whole building, making it hard to even hear her own thoughts.
After a few moments of drowned-out conversation with her friends, Sapphire's attention was drawn to the stage at the far end of the room, where she saw the familiar face of her uncle standing behind a microphone with his hands clasped behind his back. There was always something… intimidating about him when he returned to his old military bearing. Ivan cleared his throat, catching the whole room's attention. "Good evening everyone… I know you're all excited to be here, and I'm not one for flowery speeches, so I'll keep this quick. Each and every one of you have chosen to come to this academy in particular, and for that you have my thanks. What you'll learn here you can carry with you for the rest of your life… Lord knows I will." He smirked behind the mic.
"You've all answered the call to service, and in my view there's no higher calling. To borrow the words of the creator of the Spartan Program: 'You will be trained, and you will become the best we can make of you.' We've made progress, but Remnant still needs its guardians. If we do our jobs right, you'll all leave this academy not just capable warriors, but well-equipped and learned people with lifelong friends you can depend on. On behalf of our staff and students: Welcome to Beacon Academy. Everyone get settled in, we'll begin bright and early tomorrow morning."
Sapphire looked over to her two cousins and close friend, giving a smile. It was surreal to actually be standing here, much less with the weapon that the headmaster of Beacon had helped her design and build, but here she was. "So… easiest team choice here…" She smiled at her three other teammates.
A/N:
So here's the first of three or four epilogue chapters for each of the groups of characters. Let me just say thanks to everyone yet again for sticking with this story all the way to the end. It's been a hugely humbling experience to have so many people read the stuff I put out, so thanks again. Expect the next chapter to follow the soldiers. As always, godspeed.