Weiss and Dante sat on Weiss' bed in their room, Weiss with her head bowed and her hands folded in her lap and Dante glaring defiantly at their father. Jacques paced in front of them. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." He seethed.
"No, what's unbelievable is that I could get that woman and half the other people in that party, including you, thrown out. Preferably into a nice, big mud puddle." Dante said.
Jacques suddenly stopped, then turned and pointed at her. "Do you have any idea what your stunts cost us? Both of you!" He snapped, pointing you Weiss. "You, chasing a boy out for merely making conversation," He said, then pointing to Dante. "And you breaking a woman's wrist?! You're lucky she can't sue!" He snapped.
"She tried to attack me in front of a whole ballroom full of people. I'd have welcomed a law suit so I could sue that bitch for ever cent she's got and put her in the rags she should be wearing!" Dante countered.
"And that boy spat in the face of the very thing that charity was supposed to represent!" Weiss added.
"That charity was made to show we were the good guys! And now we look like anything but! And you didn't merely cost us Lien tonight, either! Our reputation! Our... our..." Jacques snapped, before he sighed angrily and held his head, unable to come up with the words to finish expressing the gravity of their mistake.
Weiss waited for a moment before speaking. "I want to leave." She told him.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked.
"I said I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't want to stay in Atlas anymore!" Weiss snapped.
"Exactly. To hell with these people, to hell with Atlas and to hell with you! Beacon was our first option out of here and we took it to get as far as we could from you. And my only regret leaving was we left Whitley alone with you so you could turn him into as much of a little shit as you are!" Dante snapped. Jacques growled at his sun, contemplating hitting him, but refrained. Dante seemed to have noticed this as well, because he smirked. "Good call. If I didn't let that hot mess get away with trying to hit me, what makes you think I'd let you get away with it?" He questioned challengingly.
"I don't give a damn about what the two of you want! This isn't about you. This is about the Schnee family name and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!" Jacques snapped.
Weiss stood up from the bed. "I have done nothing but fight to uphold the honor of my family name, a name that you married into!" She snapped.
Jacques slapped Weiss hard on her left cheek, sending her head to the side as she gasped in reaction. Dante gasped as well, looking at his sister, before glaring back at his father, bringing his foot up and kicking him in the chest, sending him back into the wall behind him, appearing in front of him in an instant and grabbing him by the throat. "If you ever so much as touch her again, I'll strangle the life out of you. You don't have any power over her anymore. And you definitely don't have power over me." He snapped, throwing his father to the ground.
Weiss nodded and stood beside her brother. "Exactly. You're only interested in your own agenda, making sure you never seem like the monster you really are. We're doing what we feel is right! And that does not include wasting our time up here with these clueless people in Atlas. The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to leave. It's ours. And we'll do it as a Huntsman and Huntress." Weiss agreed.
"Preach, sis." Dante said, patting Weiss' back.
Jacques was breathing heavily this whole time from shock and slight pain from what Dante did to him as they spoke. Dante hadn't injured him, not even close, but he still made sure he hurt his father. Jacques finally recovered and stood up. As he spoke, he moved to stand in front of his children, peering down upon his daughter and glaring at his son.
"No... you won't. You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future." He snapped.
"What?!" Weiss demanded.
"Oh, yeah? And how do you figure that's going to work?" Dante asked.
"Your presupposition that you can simply have whatever it is you want is a clear sign of our failure as parents. But from now on, I'll be giving you the full attention you require, starting by keeping you where I can see you." Jacques explained. With that, Jacques turned once more and walks away.
"You can't just keep us from leaving!" Weiss snapped.
Again, he stopped and turned to look at her. "I can. And the staff here will make sure of it." He told her.
"Oh, right. Because you have a guy who can stop us. What was his name again? Michael Mc-Doesn't Exist?" Dante questioned.
"As I said, all of the staff will be instructed to prevent you from leaving. And would you really want to hurt any of them? Innocent people just doing their jobs?" Jacques asked.
Dante growled at this, knowing his father was right. "Damn you, old man..." He growled.
"So now we're just your prisoner?!" Weiss demanded.
"You are my daughter and son. You're children. And children are grounded when they misbehave." Jacques explained.
He walked away and this time, he continued walking even while his daughter spoke.
"This is only going to make things worse, Father. People will ask questions! They'll want to know why the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is suddenly nowhere to be found!" Weiss snapped.
Her father stopped in front of the door and faced her."Which is why you are no longer the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Nor will you be the heir to the company, Dante." He told them.
"What?!" Dante asked, shocked.
Weiss took a step back, stunned. "Excuse me?" She asked.
"Clearly, the trauma you both endured at the fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously both revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed it on to your brother Whitley." He explained.
"You low, dirty, underhanded bastard!" Dante snapped. He was tempted to beat his father down again, but that wouldn't solve the situation.
Weiss stared at Jacques, breathing heavily as she digested the news. "It's time to wake up and face reality." He told them and finally turned and left. Through the open door, Whitley could be seen waiting and clearly having been eavesdropping. Jacques turned to the left without acknowledging his son.
"That son of a bitch! That was our one chance to fix this nightmare of a company!" Dante snapped.
Weiss took a moment to deal with her emotions and then stepped out into the hall with her fists clenched. "Whitley?!" She called out to her brother, who was moving down the hallway in the opposite direction his father had gone.
"Yes, sister?" Whitley asked, turning around with a small smile.
Dante soon emerged as well. "You can drop the nice little act, Whitley. The old man taught you how to have a good poker face, but we can see right past it." Dante said.
Whitley's smile faded into a look of disinterest and annoyance. "Very well, then. What do you want?" He asked flatly.
"Did you know about this?" Weiss asked, walking to her younger brother and crossing her arms.
"About what?" He asked.
"What did I just say about the poker face? We can see through the act, so drop it." Dante ordered.
"You never liked Winter. You never liked me. You never liked Dante. But you've been nothing but supportive since the moment we came back." Weiss questioned.
"The two of you never respected father. I knew it wouldn't be long before something happened and you forced him to strip you of your right as heir and heiress." He explained.
Dante glared at his younger brother. "Two-faced little bastard." He snapped.
Weiss' eyes widen with realization. "You wanted this to happen." She said.
"It's foolish not to do as Father asks." He told his siblings. And as he spoke, he leaned forward, his disinterested look changing into a threatening and angry expression.
"Well, congratulations. You're as much of a dishonest, disloyal, slimy little snake as the old man himself." Dante snapped.
"You're too kind, brother." Whitley said with a mocking bow. Dante simply scoffed and went back into their room.
Weiss stared with a look of hurt and betrayal. "I can't believe you." She said.
"Don't worry, Weiss. The Schnee family name is in good hands." Whitley told her, before he tured and walked away, Weiss staring after him.
Weiss returned to her room, collapsed face down across her bed and cried. Dante was standing and silently fuming, but then turned and knelt beside his sister, putting a hand on her back. "Come on. This isn't over and we're not staying here. We're getting out of here, we'll find Winter and then we'll find a way to bring that bastard down. And Whitley, too, if we have to. Or maybe just because it'll be fun." He told her, smirking at the end.
Weiss looked up at him, surprised, but then put a determined look on her face, taking his hand as he helped her up. "You're right. Words have failed. Only action can accomplish anything now." She said.
Dante moved his mattress to reveal a large safe underneath it, opening it and revealing all his weapons. He locked and loaded Spiral, spun Coyote around like nunchaku, swung Nevan in its scythe form a few times before changing it into its guitar form and plucking some notes, stepped into and slipped on his Ifrit gauntlets, stylishly swung his Cerberus nunchaku, spun Rebellion on the ground before spinning it twice and putting it on his back and finally, twirling Ebony and Ivory before securing them onto his hips.
She walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut. She moved her bed over several feet, pushed a desk and kicked aside a low glass bench at the foot of her bed. A wide shot showed the furniture askew. A cushioned stool was on its side on the floor and a long white box marked with the Schnee snowflake symbol rested on her vanity. She approached the box and opened it to reveal Myrtenaster and Dust vials inside. She lifted her weapon and posed with the blade held vertically in front of her face.
Dante then summoned Beowulf and had him smash open the window to their room, before switching the bird-footed cat demon for Griffon hopped onto the creature's back, reaching for his sister, who smiled and took his hand, letting him pull her up onto the demon's back. Jacques and Whitley burst into the room with several staff members, Dante looking back just in time to smirk and give the finger to his father and brother, Weiss even joining her brother in the gesture, before flying off. Jacques ran to the balcony and glared out at his retreating children, before shouting in anger and storming out.
Tyrian pulled his tail back. Qrow turned around, swinging his weapon and holding at the ready by his side.
"As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen. A true Huntsman has entered the fray!" Tyrian said in awe.
Ruby got up and set Crescent Rose on its end. Qrow glanced back at her. "I don't know, this guy's weird." Ruby said. She then glared at Azula. "But she was with Cinder." She said.
"Again, certainly not by choice. I can't stress that enough." Azula added, walking up to stand beside Tyrian.
Nora glared at Azula, but used this moment to run to Ryu as he began getting up with difficulty. "Ryu!" She cried, kneeling by his side.
Qrow faced Tyrian once again. "Look, pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you both need to leave my niece alone." He told them.
Azula laughed. "You truly don't know who you're dealing with, making demands of me." She scoffed.
Tyrian chortled. "Why, friend, my name is Tyrian. And I'm afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve this young girl. So, that is what I must do. One does not upset the Queen." He explained.
"Queen?" Ruby asked.
"Salem." Qrow growled.
"Who?" Ruby asked.
"I'm sure I already explained this to you. For once so fast, you seem to have trouble keeping up." Azula taunted.
"Hmm, I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?" Tyrian asked and assumed a crouching position.
"Took the words right out of—" Qrow started.
Tyrian rushed Qrow before he could finish voicing the thought and the two fight. The two traded a few blows before Azula rushed in, slicing at Qrow. He managed to push Tyrian back and knock Azula down onto her back, but she simply rocketed back up with fire, shooting herself at Qrow and slamming both feet into his face, Tyrian almost clawing him, Azula rushing in to attack as well, but Qrow managed to deflect both of their attacks with a ballerina-like spin.
Ren and Nora tried to rush in to assist as well, but Azula shot fire at their feet, forcing them to stop, before going after Qrow. Tyrian, however, took notice and chased after them. However, Qrow managed to push Azula back, intercepting Tyrian and pushing him back. "Don't come closer!" He warned them, pushing Tyrian back and slicing at him, forcing him to jump back. He managed to get through Tyrian's defenses and prepared to attack, only to notice Azula coming in to attack his side again. Fortunately, Ryu had recovered and intercepted her. "You're persistent." She snapped.
"As much as you are arrogant." Ryu told her, pushing her back and throwing his windmill shuriken to cut her and knock her down.
"Ryu! I said-!" Qrow started.
"I know! Ozpin told me everything! But you can't do this alone!" Ryu snapped, blocking Tyrian as he recovered and tried to attack Qrow, the Huntsman pushing the Faunus assassin back. Ryu then rushed in at Tyrian as Qrow turned back to the recovering Azula. She rushed in and attacked Qrow, managing to hold her own. Qrow was clearly more skilled, but her dual-wielding allowed her to minimize the disadvantage, as well as using her flames to create openings to exploit.
Ryu and Tyrian were once again matching each other move for move, Ryu having switched back to his Falcon's Talons. Tyrian now had his tail for an extra appendage, but Ryu still had blades on his feet to attack with as well. Tyrian suddenly lashed out with his tail, wrapping it around Ryu's neck and choking him with it, but Ruby, having climbed onto a tall building's roof to snipe and attempt to help while still staying back, then fired a sniper round at Tyrian, narrowly missing him, but distracting him long enough for Ryu to kick him in the face with both feet, staggering him and allowing Ryu to jump forward, grab Tyrian by the head and fling him into the wall of a nearby building with the guillotine throw.
Azula, who had her blades locked with Qrow's, noticed Ruby assisting and glared at the young sniper, shooting fire from her feet to hit Qrow in the shins, forcing him off-balance and allowing her to blast him back with lightning. She then rushed after Ruby, shooting jets of flame from her feet to reach Ruby in an instant. However, before she could attack, Ryu was behind her and grabbed her, jumping back off the roof and high into the air, before spinning as they descended, slamming Azula headfirst into the ground with the Izuna Drop.
Azula shouted in pain and rage, using the last of her aura to power her semblance and released a massive blast of fire, sending Ryu back, depleting his aura as well. Both of them now equally vulnerable. The two of them traded several more blows, Azula now struggling without the aid of her fire and lightning, but then Tyrian suddenly rushed in, Ryu narrowly deflecting his blades and struggling to hold the two of them off, but Ruby then rushed in and deflected a blow from Tyian as Qrow blocked Azula's blade with his own sword.
"Do you wish to be taken!?" Tyrian demanded.
"No! But I refuse to let someone else get hurt because of me!" She said determinedly.
"Ruby! This is too much for you!" Ryu said.
"What he said, just stay back! You'll only get in the way!" Qrow agreed.
"This is my fight, too!" Ruby snapped, but was then kicked away by Tyrian, who then locked blades with Ryu, trying to strike at him with his tail, but Ryu managed backflip and catch Tyrian in the chin with the blades on his feet, destroying the rest of his aura.
"It's not that!" Qrow told her, his lack of focus allowing Azula to kick him back, about to attack, but Ryu threw his windmill shuriken again, narrowly missing her.
This, however, turned her attention back to him and land three deep slashes to his chest while he was open from throwing the shuriken, but in her blind rage of attacking, she forgot the shuriken comes back. And come back it did, slicing through her right arm, reaching the bone and rendering it useless, Ryu catching the blade before stabbing Azula in the right shoulder with his left claw.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Qrow were still dealing with Tyrian. The assassin deflected Ruby's next attack, leaving her open for what would be a killing blow, but fortunately, Qrow knocked it out of the way with an attack similar to Dante's Stinger move, then kicking Tyrian away from her. She smiled at him in gratitude and affection while he raised his head from his stance to look at her, only to gasp in pain as he was immediately cut in the abdomen by Tyrian's stinger.
Tyrian chuckled while everyone but Ruby took a beat from the unexpectedness of it. She, however, immediately cut off the stinger from the rest of Tyrian's tail. It bounced to the ground, spurting purple liquid that corroded the rock floor it landed on. Tyrian reeled back and cried out from the pain. Standing, he whirled to face Ruby, infuriated. "You bitch!" He snapped.
He took a step or two forward but was off balance. Nora, Ryu, Ren and Jaune all moved to block their path to Ruby and Qrow. "It's over! You're both out of aura and outnumbered. You can't win. Leave now or I'll finish both of you!" Ryu snapped.
Azula growled at this, holding her useless arm. "You were fortunate this time, but don't think you're safe. You WILL see us again." She snapped, retreating.
Tyrian took a few awkward steps, not engaging. "She'll forgive you." He told himself, running away.
Qrow, who had still been upright with his weapon at the ready, collapsed to one knee and clutched at the wound, panting heavily.
"Uncle Qrow! Are you okay?" Ruby asked, rushing to his side.
"I'll be fine. He just grazed me." Qrow told her, but he pulled his shaking hand away to show the blood on it. The others arrived at his side.
"You're injured. We need to treat it quickly." Ryu said, producing some bandages he'd been given from the village they dealt with the Geist from.
"Who was that guy? And why did he call Ryu a Revived?" Nora asked.
"How did you get here?" Ren asked.
"Why are people after Ruby?" Jaune asked.
Ryu sighed at this, looking at Qrow. "This is going to be rough to explain." He said, to which Qrow groaned and nodded.
"Uncle Qrow? What's going on?" Ruby asked.
Qrow breathed heavily and clutched his abdomen again. "What's your favorite fairy tale?" He asked, groaning once more as everything went black.
A/N: Another chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it. And for those thinking that Jacques would probably have Dante arrested for assaulting him, remember Jacques knows that Dante knows Jacques has been branding their faunus workers, so if he tried to have Dante arrested, Dante could simply bring that into the light and Jacques would have some explaining to do. And even if Jacques could avoid criminal charges, the Schnee name, or at the very least Jacques himself, would never be trusted again and he'd lose a lot of business, which we all know is the last thing he wants.
Also, I have a YouTube channel now, titled Sai Blade, so PLEASE check that out, subscribe and share with your friends. I'm hoping to make a career out of it, so I can stay home and work more on my fanfics all day, which means more stories for all of you.
And yes, having Dante and Weiss escape now does cut out a bit more of the story, so I'm being a bit lazy, but it also makes sense, as Dante has summons that could fly and get them out of their sooner, rather than having to wait and sneak out later. And while Weiss may have been training before she escaped, she could always train wherever she and Dante go, so she's not losing skill or anything. In fact, Dante will be right there to assist her, so she'll be even beyond what she was at Volume 5. Plus, it was another great way to screw over Jacques.
So, again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, especially Jacques getting his ass handed to him, as well as Azula and Tyrian getting wrecked as well. Azula may have appeared a bit more OP than she should be, but keep in mind, she was always one of the greatest threats in The Last Airbender and her mind and tactics make her deadlier than anything else, so that's why she appeared to be able to hold her own against Qrow. Let me know what you thought in the reviews and keep an eye out for the next chapter.