Yahallo! This is the final prologue! Sorry for the wait! I had to edit the previous chapter due to a few story errors. Thanks to Groszekace for helping me edit the previous chapter. Also check out 'RWBY: Team ChRoME', written by Groszekace as well as 'RWBY: Within Enlightened Hearts'! See ya!
~Kaage
Prologue, Chapter 3: We are Family
Emerald awoke to an unexpected scene: Cinder sleeping on her left and Mercury on her right, with Rain sleeping on the floor. Racking her brain, she then remembered last night's events:
"So you three are gonna sleep on that bed" Rain said, pointing towards the ONLY bed in the room.
"Isn't that YOUR bed? Why should WE sleep on it?" Emerald asked, suspicious.
"I'm pretty sure you three sleep together. Kinda seems like what you'd do. You know, being criminals and being on the run and all."
The three deadpanned at this statement.
"No. We can sleep on the floor. You take the bed" Emerald said, pushing him towards the bed, convincing herself that the young wolf Faunus had a hidden agenda
"But you're guest's so-"
"No, we'll be fine" Emerald insisted. But Rain stood his ground and turned to them.
"Emerald. Please catch Mercury"
"Wait, wha-"
"Ignavio"
And with that, Mercury collapsed, falling asleep in Emerald's arm while Cinder did the same in Rain's.
"What did you do!?" Emerald shouted.
"Relax, it's just a simple sleep spell. They'll be up by about… six in the morning. And with that..." Rain said, looming over the poor Mint-green haired girl and cornering her.
"Oh no you don't..."
And with a simple smile, he said:
"Ignavio"
Emerald shuddered at the memory. And she once thought Rain was a naive person.
Come to think of it, they didn't even know Rain that well. Other than the fact that he was powerful and from last night's incident, stubborn, not much was known. Emerald still remembered how she met him when she woke up…
Her eyes shot open as she heard shouting. She attempted to leap of the bed out of reflex but winced when she felt a pain on her chest. She looked to see a burn mark, small enough to go unnoticed unless someone paid close attention. "Must be from that boy we fought" Emerald grumbled as she examined her surroundings. Tall ceilings held up by grand pillars and engravings, one would think they were in a fairy-tale. If not for the hospital robes and drip tubes. She pulled the needles out and started walking slowly. Pulling the curtains open, she found Mercury on the bed opposite her and Cinder on the one beside her. She then heard voices at a distance, which fueled her curiosity. As she approached the source, what she saw puzzled her: A human girl was talking to a Faunus man. Most would run and hide. But from what she saw, the two were close. Then she heard more movement from outside, approaching them. She slipped behind the curtains to see Cinder, unconscious. She swore, she was gonna find that man.
"Hey big bro,when do you think those guys you knocked out will wake up?"
"I… don't really know. I hit the first two pretty hard, AND accidentally used Excalibur on the last one. So… a week, maybe?" wait, that voice…
"Rain, where are you? Master Lancelot's looking for you. He needs you to train the new Saber recruits" So… his name's Rain" Emerald opened the curtains slightly. She could now see half his face. Rose Red eyes and Ebony Black hair with a streak of Pearl White, with Garnet Red at the tips of his hair.
"Be there in a second Arturia... Ok Luvia, I gotta go, ok?"
"Aww… Do you really have to? I still wanna talk"
"Sorry Luvia. But I'll be back, ok?"
"Alright… But give me a goodbye hug first!"
And with a hug, the unsuspecting Rain left. Emerald followed closely, using her Semblance to sneak by the children.
Rain roamed the halls, with Emerald trailing behind him, seemingly unnoticed. However, when they turned the corner, Rain reappeared behind Emerald, holding her at knife-point.
"You're not very perceptive, aren't you? I could hear your footsteps loud and clear"
"But… My semblance-"
"Is no use right now. Follow me" and with that he continued walking, with Emerald following him.
"Name's Rain. You?"
"… Emerald Sustrai" She said, still wary of the boy.
"Where are we going?" Emerald asked, keeping her distance from the young Faunus.
"To Master Lancelot"
As they walked onto the courtyard, they met with a middle-aged man, with blonde hair and a scar under his left eye.
"Rain! Where were you?"
"I was with Luvia… again"
"… Magic with your sister?"
"Yep"
Then Rain remembered Emerald. "Oh, Master Lancelot. This is Emerald Sustrai. She's-"
"The one you fought. Well it's nice to see you awake"
"Thank you, Sir Lancelot"
"Please, just Master Lancelot. 'Sir' makes me sound old" The knight said with a smile.
"Says the 730 year-old man"
"Well Rain, maybe you want Arthuria to help you train the newbies?"
"Well… You'd be killing the recruits, not me"
"… You're a hundred years too smart from your own good, you know that?"
Smiling, Rain said. "Yes, I know"
"Anyways, What are you gonna do with her?"
"Wait till the other two wake up, you'll see" Rain said with a knowing smirk…
She could not believe this was what he had in mind. 1 week ago, the three of them were criminals. Now they had a chance to fight as a Huntsman.
"Guys, wake up. We gotta go to Sanctum"
… After they learn HOW to fight as a Huntsman.
The four of them arrived at the front of Sanctum Academy. The large towers and castle-like structure made Emerald and Mercury's jaw drop.
The three of them wandered into the building, following Rain. Soon, the schools PA system rang.
May Mr. Rain Gleave, Ms. Cinder Fall, Ms. Emerald Sustrai, and Mr. Mercury Black please report to Principle Chrome's office. Thank you.
"… Well, that was fast. Let's go"
The three of them began jogging towards the tallest tower. As they ran into a Red-Headed Amazonian.
"Hey Pyrrha. Can you tell Mr. Redwood I'll be a little late? If you see him, of course"
"Oh, Hello Rain! Sure. Who are they?" Pyrrha asked, pointing at the trio behind him.
"Oh, they're new students. Pyrrha, meet Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. Guys, this is Prryha Nikos. Also known as the 'Invincible Girl'" Rain said, earning a slight blush from Prryha.
"You know I'm not invincible. You of all people should know that" Prryha said, looking down and blushing slightly. "Are you competing in the tournament? You didn't attend last year"
"You bet Pyrrha. No holds barred?"
"No holds barred. Goodbye Rain" Pyrrha said, walking away.
"See ya Pyrrha. Alright guys, let's go" Rain said, walking towards the Principal's Office.
"So… Mr. Rain" Principal Chrome said, staring at Rain. An awkward and tense silence filled the room.
"Hello Mr. Chrome… So you wanted to see us?"
"Yes… What kind of student thinks its ok to let those outside to become a Huntsman without telling the relevant authorities?"
"Me, of course" Rain said, straight-faced and neutral, only angering the Principal further.
"… One of these days, you are going to get killed"
"The same can be said for everyone else"
"… You may leave"
"Thank you Principal Chrome. Let's go guys"
As the four of them walked out, the three accomplices could hear the Principal cursing under his breath.
They've been through half the day's events, and now they finally got to lunch.
"So Rain, how's the food here? I need to eat" Mercury said, hands behind his head.
"Well… It's nice. But I bring my own food. Here's a tip: Never ask Arturia to cook. She burnt my kitchen when she tried to boil water" Rain said, his lunch box in hand.
When they got to the cafeteria, the first thing Mercury noticed was the food. It was laid out like a buffet.
Immediately he walked to the buffet and began picking his food. In the end, he ended up with a plate filled with meat, meat, and meat. As Emerald, Cinder and Rain got to their seats, Emerald was disgusted at the sight of Mercury's plate.
"Is there anything about you that isn't disgusting?"
"It's part of my charm" Mercury answered, smirking.
"Hey, has anyone seen Rain?" Cinder asked, looking around. Near them, a large group of girls had congregated around someone.
"Looks like the Prince's at it again"
"Goddamn wolf Faunus. How does he do it?"
"Prince? Wolf Faunus?" Emerald asked. Please don't tell me…
When they got close, what they saw surprised them: Rain, a WOLF FAUNUS, was surrounded by girls, both Human and Faunus. This was something else.
"Please help me make a weapon Rain!"
"Could you help me train?"
"Could you join my team for our research project?"
And among the shouts and screams was the voice of Rain trying to calm them down. "Girls, please calm down. One at a time, please."
It was a funny sight. Rain, the calm and composed magical Swordsman, was being assaulted by an army of fan-girls.
"Should we help him?" Emerald asked, skeptical. The two girls looked at Mercury who raised his hands. "Give me a target, and I'll kill them. Send me an army of girls, and I'll run"
"I got this" a voice from behind them said. The trio turned to see Prryha, Irritated. Raising her hand, she focused her Semblance, carrying all the girls by their metallic school badge pinned on their shirt collars and seating them on the benches. She then took Rain by the sleeve and dragged him out of the cafeteria, with Cinder and Emerald following her, the latter dragging Mercury who was still holding his plate, eating.
"Honestly Rain… You know what happens when you go into the cafeteria" Prryha said, shaking her head. They were currently in the school garden, eating their lunch.
"I forgot about that when I was showing the new students the school. And besides, if they need my help, why shouldn't I help them?" Rain said, eating his food.
"So, what are you going to make?"
"Huh?"
"Your weapon. You're going to make one today. You must have decided on a design, right?" Prryha said as she packed her lunch box.
"Yes, I actually have. A simple 4-form mecha-shift weapon. Sword, War Scythe, Rifle and a compound form for ease of access. I even made a name for it"
"Really? what's the name?" Prryha said, catching the other three's attention. They leaned in as Rain said the name.
"Caliburn"
It had been 4 months since the criminal trio joined the Grand Order. If one saw them now, it would be near impossible to tell they had stolen a Maiden's powers.
Mercury was now an Assassin class, Emerald an Archer, and Cinder a Caster. They also looked different.
Gone was Emerald's bowl cut, now with a straight fringe and bangs, as well as two long locks on each side, in the back. her attire consisted of an intricate white top and a cropped olive-colored undershirt, on the back of which is her personal emblem which is in the shape of a cut gem, along with white pants and brown chaps that end at her calves and an overlong belt, twice-wrapped, where she keeps her weapons as well as a single pouch.
Cinder now had longer hair and wears gray pants and boots; a beige leather, sleeveless jacket with light-beige details; brown gloves, a sarashi tied around her chest and another around her hips, and a pauldron on her left shoulder, with a Red Gem embedded on it. She also wears a belt around her waist, which has multiple brown pouches attached to it. On her back is a black tattoo of what appears to be a pair of high heel shoes placed sole to sole, forming a heart shape inside.
Mercury did not change much, with only his outfit being different. He now wears a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket, that covers his upper body, along with a single notched belt with what appears to be a sash or bandana draped over it. Protecting his arms are sets of rerebraces and vambraces.
Due to their 'unique situation', they, along with Rain, Arturia and a few children, moved to a new building. It was smaller than the grand castles the others lived in, but it was nonetheless huge. 6 stories tall, complete with training facilities and a reasonably large garden at the back.
They were now comfortable with their new lives. And more importantly, the people of the Grand Order were now used to them. Especially the children. To them, Emerald was known as the big sister. The children loved her, and Mint-green girl loved them. She told them stories, taught them nifty skills like origami and solved issues between the children. She could also be scary if they put themselves in danger.
Mercury was the "cool uncle". He showed them how to break-dance, played video games and showed them how to prank. HARD. Because of that, Emerald and Mercury were always at each others throats.
Cinder was… the aunt. She would make sure the kids behaved, helped with the cooking and along with Emerald and Mercury, would bring the children into the city for sightseeing or to buy certain things. She was usually training, which meant that she spent less time with the children than the others.
Rain was the father figure. It also helped that he was in the Grand Order from a young age, and that meant that he knew the children from when they were born. He never got angry, always keeping a level head and reprimanding the children gently and teaching them values. He also trained them to fight with swords as well as basic spells. The trio also found out that Rain was a huge gamer, as well as an amazing chef. He made most of the meals, with Cinder's help.
And Arturia was the mother figure. She was similar to Rain in many ways. Patient, kind, yet firm. She was in the Order much earlier than Rain, being born into it. She took care of the children when Rain, Emerald, Mercury and Cinder were in Signal Academy. Of course, Rain would usually wake up eariler to cook breakfast and lunch so that Arturia could just heat it and serve, as she could not cook for the life of her.
The sun was now setting and the five teenagers stood at the balcony.
"It's beautiful" Arturia said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"You know… it's kind of unbelievable, you know? A few months ago, I was kicking your buts in an abandoned building. And now, we're living together in the same house" Rain said, sitting on the railing.
"Yeah… I never thought I'd be doing this. Working with you guys… thanks Rain" Emerald said, staring into the sunset.
"For what?"
"For helping us"
"Guys, you're forgetting" Rain said, putting his arms around his 4 friends and flashing a big smile. "We're family!"
"Yes… I guess we are family" Cinder said, smiling a little.
The 5 teens spent the rest of the time sharing good memories as they watched the sun set.
FINALLY! The final piece of the prologue is done! Big thanks to Groszekace for giving me tips for my stories and the various amendments I made for the previous chapter.
So from here onwards, the story will follow the canon storyline and will follow the storyline(mostly, anyway).
So live long, love life and have fun!
~Kaage