Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Attack on Titan. They are owned by Rooster Teeth and Hajime Isayama respectively.
It had been 15 minutes since the previous episode. Many members of the audience were still reeling from the events of episode 5. The students were aware that in their line of work, death was always a possibility—;in both worlds— but seeing it happen was shocking.
The villains quietly discussed among themselves.
"Ain't gonna lie, Red's untimely death came out of nowhere," Roman commented.
They nodded.
"It's to be expected," Salem said. "We got used to seeing... Shingeki no Kyojin, I believe it was called, as a TV show, we lost sight of the fact that these are real events occurring in another universe."
"That's one lesson learned, I guess: no one is safe, even the 'protagonists'," Hazel sighed, glancing at the students. Yang and Qrow still looked distraught. The others were barely faring any better.
The students and teachers were slowly coming out of their shock. Teary eyes still abound but no one was actively bawling again.
Yang could stand to let go of Ruby before she kills her Blahk thought, sweatdropping at the sight of the blonde holding her sister tight. Ruby did not seem to mind, stroking Yang's back softly, whispering words of comfort into her ears. Welp, painful as this all is, we really need to get this show back on the road.
"Well, I assume we're all ready to continue?" Blahk asked.
"Give us a minute," Weiss sniffled, wiping her eyes.
"Tell us, Blahk," Jaune asked. "Does it get any worse?"
"Do you want me to answer that honestly?" Blahk answered in a grim tone.
They sighed. That was enough of an answer for them. And it was warning enough to mentally prepare for the possibility that their counterparts may not make it.
"Ruby? Yang? Qrow?"
The trio nodded grimly. Ruby did not know how to feel upon seeing herself die, but she'd do her best to help her family get through the pain. Winter also silently vowed to be there for Qrow whenever he needed it.
[opening theme plays]
"Is there any point in still watching this?" Pyrrha said. The others nodded in agreement. No point in watching it anymore when most of the events foreshadowed had already taken place.
"That's fair," Blahk replied. "This will be the last time you see this opening."
" This opening? There's more?" Cardin's question went unanswered as the scene moved on.
The World The Girl Saw/The Struggle For Trost, Part 2
"Hey."
A blurry figure became clearer, revealing it to be Yatsuhashi. "Hey!" he called out, shaking a dazed Oscar to get his attention. "What's wrong Oscar? Snap out of it! Hey!"
The crushing feeling of guilt returned as Oscar was reminded that someone had died trying to save him. His fists clenched in anger.
"He's still alive?" Emerald asked with a raised eyebrow.
The teen was still out of it, with the image of Yatsu's face moving in and out of focus. "Oscar! Hey! Oscar! Hey!" Oscar finally blinked, slowly coming to his senses. "You awake? Feeling alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" Other cadets stood by on the rooftop. "What about your squad?"
"Squad?"
"Come on, get a hold of yourself. Why are you alone?" the short-haired teen questioned, a hand still on his shoulder. He removed it, looking at his palm questioningly. "Your body feels kinda slimy. What in the world happened?"
He was entirely useless in battle and got his best friend eaten in his place. Roman didn't dare voice those thoughts, lest the students descend on him in anger.
Those seemed to be the trigger words to jog Oscar's memory, his expression morphing into one of terror as the memory of his squad's death flashed through his mind. He screamed, clutching his head in anguish.
"I'm dead weight! I should just die!"
"Hey, calm down Oscar!"
"Damn it!" Oscar yelled, tears streaming down his face.
"Where's everyone?" Yatsuhashi asked, making him freeze, unable to answer.
"That's enough, Yatsu," Salem said, drawing his attention. "They're all dead. Minus this guy."
Ruby's heart clenched in guilt, the memory of her counterpart's squad's deaths flashing through her mind. They depended on me, and all I did was lead them to their deaths.
"Shut up! Oscar hasn't said anything yet!"
She tilted her head to look at him from the corner of her eye. "Isn't it obvious just from looking around? We don't have any more time to waste on him."
"Why is Oscar the only survivor?" he asked while Oscar still trembled beside him.
"I'll ask again; how is he the only survivor?" Emerald interrupted. repeating her earlier question. "Where did the Titan go?"
Cardin shrugged casually. "Maybe it had its fill?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe they thought he was a corpse," Salem replied nonchalantly.
"Probably the reason," Ozpin muttered.
"While I think it's unfortunate they ran into a swarm of Titans, the fact that Ruby and the others died while this incompetent survived is ridiculous."
"Hey!" Sun yelled indignantly at her rude comment.
"Not cool, dude," Yatsuhashi commented.
Team RWBY, JNPR and S_N glared at her.
"Hey, you bitch. Want me to shut you up for good?!" Yatsuhashi threatened, glaring.
"Stop it, both of you!" Velvet ran in, placing herself between them. "I'm sure we're all just shaken up. A bunch of our friends are suddenly dying, after all! It's only natural!" she finished with tears in her eyes.
Salem threw an arm around her. "That's my Velvet! Marry me when this operation is over!" She laughed loudly.
A huge blush adorned Velvet's face.
Said girl smirked. "I'm down if you are, Bun-Bun."
"C-Coco!"
"That's one of the fakest laughs I've ever heard," Blake deadpanned.
"True, she's screwing around more than usual," Yatsuhashi said.
She's distracting them. Trying to keep their minds from falling into a pit of misery and despair, Ironwood thought. It was such an obvious attempt, he wondered how they missed it.
Yatsuhashi crouched before Oscar. "Anyway, we can't just sit around here. Can you stand, Oscar?"
Oscar stilled his panic and stood. "Sorry for being a burden," he said, walking away. "I'll go join the rearguard."
"H-Hey. Oscar!" Yatsuhashi called out but was ignored by the grief-stricken boy as he jumped off the building and swung away.
"Let's move, Yatsu! Our orders are to keep advancing!"
Throwing one last look in Oscar's direction, he moved to join his squad.
This is hell. In the city, Oscar stared at the blood-spattered streets as he flew through the air. Wait, that's nothing new. I just wasn't aware of it until now. This world has always been hell. He remembered his past, being picked on by bullies. The strong prey on the weak. His book about the outside world lay rumpled nearby. It's so mercifully simple.
Agreed. This was the number one rule that Cinder lived by and respected above all else. One that was present even in nature--predator hunts prey, spider hunts fly, Grimm hunts humans; survival of the fittest at its finest, natural selection at work to cull any unfit to survive in a cruel world.
This is why I need the power of the Maidens Cinder thought. Scraps would not be enough. I will not rest until I have them all. And perhaps... I should look into Multiversal technologies as well she thought with a dark smile on her face.
Emerald shivered in fear of the dangerous and malicious aura Cinder was emitting.
Salem merely cocked an eyebrow but ultimately chose to ignore it. Cinder's ambitions were of no concern to her, provided she followed orders.
Little Ruby and Pyrrha ran to his aid. But... my friends... Ruby punched a bully and Pyrrha tossed another into a wall. ...sought the strength to live in this world. Ruby grappled with two bullies while Oscar looked on. They saved a weakling like me. He stared at Ruby's extended hand. I couldn't bear that. He glanced up at Ruby and Pyrrha, looking at him with worried gazes. To them, I'm just someone who needs protection. I wanted to be strong like them, so I could stand as their equal and survive in this world. Tears ran down his face.
Jaune sighed. He empathized with the boy's feelings of uselessness and weakness. For the longest time, he too had felt like dead weight. The weak link of Team JNPR; dragging his team down with his incompetence and unable to look them in the eyes as an equal on the battlefield. On most days, he still felt that way. Even with Pyrrha's help, a few weeks of training aren't enough to get him up to his friends' level but he'd be damned if he gives up now. I will become a leader that my team can be proud of, he swore in his mind.
In the present, his hook failed to lodge into a wall. He collided with the wall, crashing to the ground. He cried, cradling his ankle in pain. And this is all my feelings amounted to. Because of me, Ruby was...
"Don't blame yourself for it, kid." This statement surprisingly came from Yang. She made efforts to mask her pain with neutrality, but anyone that looked close enough would see the hollow look in her eyes.
Ruby could only stare helplessly at her sister. Yang... she thought sadly, wishing there was more she could do to help.
Hearing sniffles, Oscar opened his eyes. Nearby, Hannah was performing CPR on Franz. He walked over to them. "Hannah, what are you...?"
"Oscar, help me!" Hannah was crying. "Franz isn't breathing! I've been trying to resuscitate him over and over again, but Franz isn't...!"
"Hannah, it's dangerous here, so let's just--"
"I can't just leave Franz like this!" she interrupted him.
"No, Hannah... Franz is..." Franz's mutilated body is shown, bisected at the waist. Oscar clutches his face, horrified. "Please... just stop. There's nothing... that can be done for him."
Gasps sounded throughout the cinema.
Nora raised a hand to cover her mouth. For a brief second, the imagined herself and Ren as Hannah and Franz. She quickly stamped down that line of thought. It didn't stop her from tightening her grip on Ren's arm.
The others could only watch in horror and sadness at the disheartening scene.
At the base of Wall Rose, the citizens were still evacuating. A merchant boss was trying to push his caravan through the gate, blocking the entrance and keeping people from leaving.
"They're not done evacuating after all this time?!" Weiss shrieked in anger and disbelief. "What are the soldiers dying for then?!"
Some people flinched at the latter part of her statement but agreed with the former.
"H-Hey, you guys! Do you understand the situation we're in?" a man asked.
An overweight businessman, who many in the audience assumed was the boss, turned to the crowd. "We're only doing this because we understand! If you want to live, help us push!" he yelled in reply.
The crowd yelled at the man, incensed.
The crowd's sentiments were echoed by many members of the audience.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Cardin yelled.
"Selfish bastards!" Sun snarled.
Yang's eyes turned red with rage. "Soldiers did not die on the frontlines for your selfish ass to ignore the lives of other civilians!"
The teachers sent death glares at the merchant boss.
"Typical," Salem clicked her tongue. "Even in times of crisis, humans will always find a way to put their desires above all else."
"That won't fit no matter how you push it!"
"Quit screwing around!"
"The Titans will devour us all at this rate!"
"What the hell are you doing soldier?!" A Garrison soldier was pushed forward. "Arrest those men!"
"B-But..."
"Do your job and detain those men, soldier!" Winter was incensed with the soldier's incompetence.
"Just try it, flunky!" the businessman dared, glaring at the soldier. "I'm the boss of the company here."
"Uh, well..." the soldier stammered, sweating nervously as the businessman moved closer to him.
"Who do you think provides the meals you soldiers shit out? Can you pay to feed all the soldiers in this town?" the businessman yelled in the soldier's face. "All of you, push! The goods here are worth more than you can ever make in your petty lives! If you cooperate, you'll be rewarded!" he yelled at the crowd.
"Selfish asshole!" Velvet growled out.
"People's lives are at stake and you're more worried about your precious cargo?!" Glynda sneered at the businessman.
"It's alright," a mother hugged her daughter, assuring her. "Your father will shoot all the Titans down with his cannon."
"Mom, look," the little girl pointed behind her mother's shoulder.
Thud. Thud. Thud. The crowd listened with trepidation as the sound moved closer with each thud. A 15-meter ran around the corner, crashing into a building and sending a soldier on the ground flying.
"Pfft!" Some of the students tried to muffle their laughter at the sight. It was depressing to see that the soldier had given up but the sight of him being sent flying was hilarious.
Yeet! Nora thought, muffling a chuckle.
The crowd panicked.
"Push it through! Push if you don't want to die!" the businessman ordered as the crowd surged forward in panic.
"Stop! My child is..."
Three Garrison soldiers chased after the Titan. "Damn, why is it ignoring us?" a soldier cursed.
"It's an Abnormal! Don't think too much about it!" another replied.
"It's fast! Even we elites can't catch up to it?!"
"At this rate..."
Pyrrha shot past them. Sinking a hook into its neck, she moved in for the kill, slicing the nape off in one fluid motion. The 15-meter went down in front of the crowd.
The students cheered for Pyrrha.
"Way to go, Pyr!" Jaune praised his partner.
Pyrrha ducked her head, mildly embarrassed by their praise. Seeing her crush's wide smile turned in her direction spread a massive blush throughout her face.
"Hey, Pyr! Are you okay?" Jaune asked in confusion, touching her forehead. That action only caused her face to heat up even more.
The others smacked their faces at the boy's denseness. Even the villains who'd never interacted with the team could see Pyrrha's massive crush on him as clear as day. Mr. Arc has to be denser than a rock to be this oblivious, Port thought, chuckling to himself.
Pyrrha studied her now dulled blades. She looked up at the scene in surprise, wondering why they had not evacuated yet. "What... are you doing?"
"Oh, perfect timing!" the businessman said. "Hey you, make these people help me out! I'll reward you handsomely!"
Pyrrha blinked in shock and surprise at the man's request. "My comrades are dying right now," she said, pointing her sword back in the direction of the battle, looking traumatized. "Because the evacuation is lagging, they're fighting the Titans and dying."
Their light-hearted mood was dimmed, remembering Squad 34's fate.
"Of course they are! It's your duty to offer your lives to protect citizens and their property, is it not?! Don't get full of yourselves because you freeloaders are finally doing your job after a hundred years!"
Multiple glares were directed at him.
Pyrrha's face went blank. She jumped off the Titan's corpse and walked towards the man as the crowd parted for her. "If you think it's natural for people to die for others, I'm sure you'll understand that at times, the sacrifice of a single precious life can save many others."
Many eyes widened at the implication of her statement.
"Wait, she won't actually...?" Neptune asked unsurely.
"She has a point," Hazel said. "His greed is slowing the evacuation down, causing the death of countless soldiers. Getting rid of him is a small price to pay to save the lives of not only the soldiers but civilians as well."
The teachers hated it but they could see the validity of his words. However, students still looked uncomfortable. Makes sense, though. Some had fought other humans and Faunus, but they weren't soldiers They weren't trained to make the hard choices that soldiers did in battle. Their training, first and foremost, was to face Grimm— mindless beasts, not members of their species.
His bodyguards stood in front of him protectively at the underlying threat in her words. "Just try me! I've known your employer for many years. You don't know how easy it'd be for me to order you, underlings, around!" he threatened. The bodyguards charged at her.
Roman snorted derisively. "Yeah, right. He's all talk."
Neo silently sniggered beside him.
Pyrrha slammed the dull side of her blades into the back of their necks, taking them down instantly. She walked up to the man, looking down at him. "How can a corpse speak, I wonder?"
Cardin whistled appreciatively. "Damn, now that's just badass."
"You show him, girl!" Coco cheered.
The businessman nearly shit himself in fear as she raised her blade to cut him down. "Wait!" he yelled, backing up into the cart. Her blade stopped short of his neck as she stared at him impassively.
"So badass," Jaune, Ruby and Nora whispered, stars in their eyes.
"P-President..." an underling spluttered next to him.
"Move the wagon," he said defeatedly.
The wagon was pulled out and the evacuation continued as Pyrrha watched. "Thanks, Sis!" the young girl from earlier said, drawing her attention.
"We're saved thanks to you," her mother smiled in gratitude. "Thank you so much."
Pyrrha sheathed her blades and saluted. The girl smiled in awe as she turned and walked away.
Pyrrha nearly burst with happiness at the compliments, both from the screen and her friends.
Grey clouds gathered in the sky, soaking the earth in a shower of rain. On the streets, a Titan steamed. "Good work taking it down, Ackermann. I'm impressed." Ian and Pyrrha stood on a nearby rooftop.
"Thank you very much. However... I dulled my blades in a single blow in my impatience," she replied, discarding the now useless blades. "I'll be more mindful next time."
"She's throwing her blades away?" Oscar asked in confusion.
"I think that's what the metal boxes by their hips are for," Penny said, eyeing the containers and what looked like the detachable end of their blades. "It acts as a sheathe containing spare blades should the current ones get dulled in battle."
"Just what kind of life have you been living until now...?" Ian wondered aloud. He turned away when she looked at him. "Never mind, it's nothing."
That's what I want to know Pyrrha thought. Just what kind of experiences did you go through that made you... you?
Pyrrha pulled her scarf to cover her nose. Her mind flashed to the mother-daughter duo that thanked her, remembering her own family. Why am I remembering that now?
"Are we going to see Pyrrha's backstory?" Nora asked.
"Probably." Most of them were curious to see what her life was like before the fall of Shiganshina— and why she was so overprotective of Ruby.
Currently Disclosable Information
Ultra-hard Steel (Part 1)
Material that possesses both stiffness and flexibility, which allows it to slice through Titan flesh. The "half-edged sword blades" that are manufactured out of it are widely known as anti-Titan weapons.
Ultra-hard Steel (Part 2)
To refine "ultra-hard steel", the blast furnaces of the factory town are essential, so they cannot be manufactured elsewhere.
A brown, wooden house came into view as rain poured heavily. Inside the cabin, a family of three sat around a table. Mr Ackermann peeled potatoes while Mrs Ackermann wrapped a bandage around her daughter's right wrist.
"Uhn..." 9-year-old Pyrrha grunted in pain.
"Awwww!" the other girls squealed at the sight of the adorable girl.
"You're holding up well, Pyrrha," her mother complimented.
"It hurts," Pyrrha muttered, holding back tears. Mrs Ackermann smiled at her encouragingly.
"This brand has been passed down our family for generations," she said, gently cradling her daughter's bandaged arm. "If you have children someday, give it to them also."
"So that's why..." Roman muttered silently. Not so silently, because Cardin asked what he was referring to. "Are you telling me none of you ever noticed the bandage that always seemed to be wrapped around her wrist?"
By the looks on some faces, they did not.
"You don't have one of those, do you Pyr?" Jaune silently asked his partner.
"No."
"Say, Mom... How do you have children?" Pyrrha asked innocently.
"The question every parent dreads." The teachers chuckled silently.
Yang shook her head fondly, remembering when Ruby finally got her answer. That moment was so awkward on both their ends. The Talk had ended with Ruby looking a little green in disgust and Taiyang nearly dying of embarrassment.
Mrs Ackermann chuckled nervously. "Well, you should ask your father," she said, surprising the man.
"Well, Dad?"
"Uh, well, Dad isn't so sure either," Mr Ackermann laughed nervously. At his daughter's crestfallen expression, he spoke quickly. "Ah right, Dr Jaeger will be here soon, so why don't we ask him?"
Many members of the audience chuckled at his deflection attempt.
"So that's how Pyrrha and Rubes know each other. Dad was their doctor," Yang said.
Mrs Ackermann smothered her laughter. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, looks like he's here already." Another knock sounded. "Coming!"
The rain continued to pour outside. Taiyang stood with Ruby outside as he knocked on the door.
"Pyrrha?" Ruby questioned.
"That's right. She's a girl your age. There aren't any other children around here so get along with her," Taiyang told his daughter.
"Doesn't look like they've met yet, Yang" Blake commented.
"This is a couple of months before episode 1, so they're both 9 years old," Blahk chimed in.
"That depends on her attitude," the young girl replied.
"Someone's a picky kid," Qrow said with a raised eyebrow.
Ruby and Pyrrha sweatdropped at onscreen Ruby's attitude.
Weiss analyzed her teammate's onscreen counterpart. Something about her felt off... "Is it just me or is that the scarf Pyrrha always seems to wear?"
"Huh," Jaune hummed in affirmation. "It does look like it."
"Ruby," Taiyang said, exasperated. "This is why you only have one friend." He turned to the door to knock again. "Maybe they're not home? Mr. Ackermann, it's Dr. Jaeger."
Blood was shown on the other side of the door.
They tensed immediately. A feeling of dread settled in Pyrrha's stomach.
Taiyang opened the door a peek. "Pardon the intrusion." He gasped in shock at what he saw in the house.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked. "Hey, Dad?" Taiyang continued to stare in horror at the sight. Splatters of blood caked the window.
Taiyang was kneeling over Mrs Ackermann's corpse. "No good." He turned to his daughter in the doorway. "Ruby, is there a girl nearby? Did you see Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha gasped in horror, wide eyes tearing up instantly. Jaune immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort. Nora and Ren joined in to console their teammate.
The other's expressions ranged from shock and pity to apathy.
"Oh no!" Ruby covered her mouth in shock, her expression mirrored by her teammates.
"So what we saw in episode 2... was true?" Oscar stuttered.
They remembered the brief flashback of two bodies that were shown. At the time they'd dismissed it, seeing as the screen had not elaborated on the issue and promptly forgotten all about it.
"No," Ruby replied.
"I see. I'm going to go call the Military Police and request an investigation. You go wait at the base of the mountain. Understand, Ruby?" Taiyang told her. The young girl continued to stare at the scene with wide, dark eyes. "Ruby!"
Those eyes... Salem thought to herself, shivering slightly in anticipation. What for? Even she did not know.
Another cabin located deep in the mountains came into view.
"Hey, is she really going to be worth anything?"
Pyrrha was shown, bound and lying on her side on the ground in front of the traffickers.
Their blood froze when he said that. Sex traffickers.
"We killed both her parents to nab her..." the same voice from earlier said.
"Take a good look at her face," The one in charge was seated, arms crossed.
Using his foot, the lackey rolled the little girl over and leaned in to get a better look at her face. "Not bad, but she's still just a kid. Doesn't strike my fancy."
Team JN_R glared fiercely at the screen, silently daring the man to manhandle their teammate again. Pyrrha just looked numb to everything.
"I don't care about your tastes," the boss said. "She's an Oriental. In the past, there were different human races. She's the last descendant of a family that escaped to the walls from the Orient. We'll auction her to some perverted patron at the underground market of the capital."
The teachers glared at the men in disgust.
"The other Orientals have been wiped out, so she should fetch a handsome price."
"If they lay even a single hand on her..." Nora said, hands twitching as if trying to summon Magnhild and shatter their legs.
Most of the villains were indifferent toward the scene. The only ones that felt a shred of pity for Pyrrha's situation were Hazel and Emerald.
"Her dad didn't look like an Oriental," the lackey said sourly. "I doubt she's pureblooded."
She's not some horse or trophy animal to be bred, Glynda thought, glaring heatedly at the screen.
"Exactly!" The boss stomped his foot on the ground, his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Her mom would've been the real jackpot! You just had to freak out and kill her!"
Bloodlust radiated off of Pyrrha in waves as they brought up her mother. The other students shivered fearfully.
"I-I didn't have a choice! She was putting up a fight!" the lackey stammered out an excuse.
"Is that your best excuse?! Huh?!"
Pyrrha stared despondently and in a daze, her mind flashing back to what had happened.
"Dr Jaeger, we've been waiting —" Mr Ackermann was cut off by the knife that was stabbed into him. He stared in horror at the bloodied blade as it was pulled from his gut, staggering back and falling. Three men stood in the doorway.
Many members of the audience flinched.
Pyrrha shook in anger and sadness upon seeing her father's death.
The noise attracted the attention of the mother and daughter.
"Why, hello there," the boss said, stepping into the house, still holding the bloodied knife. Mrs Ackermann stared at it, a look of horrified realization on her face as her hand inched towards a pair of scissors on the table.
"Don't do it..." Ren whispered. "Just take her and run."
"You'd be wise to listen to us. Unless you want your head split in half by this --"
She charged at him, scissors in hand, screaming.
"This bitch...!" She grappled with the man holding the axe.
"Pyrrha, run away!" Her mother screamed.
Pyrrha's eyes teared up again, fear for her mother and counterpart's life wracking her body. She would have slipped into shock without Jaune's assistance.
The knight-themed blonde kept his arm around Pyrrha, acting as a safety blanket for her. I wish there was more I could do to help. Still, this is the least I can do after everything she's helped me achieve.
"M-Mom...?" She was paralyzed with fear.
"Pyrrha, hurry!"
"Um... Dad...?" She turned a frightened look to her father's body.
The teachers looked on in sadness. No child should have to go through such a traumatizing event. Some of them half-expected Pyrrha to begin taking them down like her future self but they quickly realized that this wasn't the skilled fighter they had gotten used to seeing. This was an innocent child placed in an unfortunate situation.
"Damn it, that's enough!" He brought the axe down, sinking it into her mother's neck.
Pyrrha stared in horror as her mother dropped to the floor, a pool of blood quickly forming beneath her.
Pyrrha couldn't take it anymore and sobbed into Jaune's Pumpkin Pete sweater, clutching the fabric tightly as if meaning to tear it.
The other members of Team JNPR were saddened and annoyed on her behalf. Nora angrily pointed to the ceiling and shouted. "Oi Blahk, do we need to watch this?!"
The other students voiced their agreement with Nora. "We pretty much know how this will end, right? The Military Police save her and she moves on to live with Dad, Mom and myself. There's no need to traumatize our friend any further!" Ruby's argument was loudest. Her anger was to be expected, having gone through this exact pain in episode 1.
"First of all, wrong on the Military Police part. Which you'd know if you watch everything," Blahk began. "I arranged the events like a story so that you'd get a better understanding of the characters and happenings in the past, present and future."
Yang clenched her fists in anger. "That's not fair! These aren't stories, they are real people!"
"I'm sorry, Yang," Their host apologized. "But this is the way it has to be. Pyrrha, if you're not comfortable--"
"I'm f-fine..." she interrupted him, rubbing her eyes with one hand, the other still clutching Jaune's like a lifeline. "Let's just get this over with."
"Ooookay then. Sorry for the impromptu break everyone. Let us continue."
"What the hell, man?!" the boss yelled at him. "I told you we'd only kill the dad!"
"But she was—"
"Quit your excuses! Nab the brat!" Pyrrha stared, frozen in terror, at her mother's corpse.
The image of her mother's corpse would be forever burned into Pyrrha's memory.
The lackey stepped over the body, walking up to Pyrrha and grabbing her shoulder. "Hey, now you'd better behave. Otherwise... I'll do this!" He punched her, knocking her out.
"You bastard!" The students yelled angrily.
Pyrrha's mind returned to the present. She stared at the window. It's cold... The two sex traffickers were discussing when the door creaked open, startling them both.
Ruby shyly peeked inside. "Excuse me," she said in a soft tone.
Yang's anxiety spiked up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... What is she doing here?!"
Ruby was also at a loss as to her counterpart's actions.
"Hey, you brat!" The lackey stomped over to her, opening the door wider. "What are you doing here?!" he said, looking down at her in annoyance.
"Um, uh... I... was lost in the forest..." Ruby looked scared and nervous with tearful eyes. "...and I saw this cabin..."
Emerald narrowed her eyes in suspicion. As a master thief and illusionist, she could tell when someone was putting on a fake act and at this moment, onscreen Ruby was doing so. But for what reason? She's a kid. Does she hope to take out three grown men on her own?
The lackey looked over at his boss who waved his hand. Dismissal
They tensed. Yang saw red while the armrest of Qrow's chair cracked under his grip.
"If they so much as harm a hair on her head..." The drunkard growled, his threat gone unspoken. His blonde-haired niece was thinking on the same wavelength.
The lackey turned back to Ruby. "A kid shouldn't be walking around in the forest alone," he said in a sickly sweet voice, kneeling to rub her head. "Scary wolves are roaming there." The knife behind Ruby's back came into view.
Their eyes widened in incredulousness and realization of what she was about to do,
"But you won't have anything to worry about if you come with--"
Squelch! Blood quickly darkened the man's shirt. "Thanks, Mister." Ruby casually moved the man's hand off her head. "I get it now, so die, you bastard!" She pulled the knife out of the man's throat, blood spraying in the air as the man dropped dead.
"...what?" It did not matter who asked the question. Teachers, students, soldiers, and villains; all stared in shock at how casually a nine-year-old child took a life.
She went after them... intending to kill. Blake thought, gawking at the screen along with her fellow students.
The protagonist herself was frozen stiff. Silver eyes were glued to the screen in surprise and horror at what she'd just seen her counterpart do. Murder was a concept she was aware of. She was also aware that as a Huntress, she may have to face off against human opponents and diplomacy or capture would not always be an option. But it always seemed so far off in the future. Watching a younger version of herself do it so casually and uncaringly threw her for a loop.
"You kidding me?!" The boss stood from his chair quickly. Ruby shut the door on him with a scary look on her face.
The adults would be willing to admit that the look scared some of them. Roman involuntarily shivered.
Those same eyes... A predatory grin formed on Salem's face. Those were the eyes of a predator hunting prey; on the face of a child at that. Who are you, Ruby Jaeger? What are you?
"C-Come back, you damn brat!" He threw the door open, axe in hand. Ruby charged at him, the knife now taped to the end of a broomstick, forming a makeshift spear. Taken by surprise, the man failed to stop Ruby's charge as the makeshift spear was stabbed into his chest, throwing him to the ground.
This isn't self-defence Ozpin thought. Self-defence implied that you were under threat of violence and fought to protect yourself. Child Ruby actively sought out the kidnappers. This was premeditated murder. And he didn't know how to process that.
"You goddamn animals!" Pyrrha turned to stare at the scene, eyes widening in shock. "Die, die! This is what you deserve!" Ruby stabbed into his chest repeatedly, blood spraying in the air. "You had it coming! Stay down for good!" she yelled with rage-filled eyes.
"What the fuck?!" Yang yelled, failing to keep her temper in check. "You expect me to believe this shit? Rubes would never--" Blahk interrupted her instantly.
"Ruby Rose? No. Ruby Jaeger, though? Yes." was his reply.
Her rage bled out. "Still..." She glanced at her shellshocked sister. Ruby...
"She's crazy..." Emerald gasped.
Ruby's allies couldn't find it in them to disagree. Nora, Oscar and Neptune sent nervous looks at their Ruby. Cardin, Blake, Coco and Ren's looks were more contemplative.
Ruby winced when she noticed the looks that were thrown her way, wrapping her cloak tighter around her body to hide from their gazes. Yang took notice of this and glared at everyone, silently challenging them to keep staring. They flinched and turned back to the screen. Ruby smiled in gratitude.
Roman, Neo and Cinder, uncaring about Yang's protectiveness, looked at their Ruby strangely. They couldn't help comparing the sickeningly sweet teen they knew with the ruthless child on the screen. The two were so far apart in character and mannerisms, that they wondered how the two were the same individual within the Multiverse.
The teachers and Hazel were also taken aback by the sheer brutality and viciousness of the scenario. How can a child/my niece be so bloodthirsty?
Ruby sat, breathing heavily, while Pyrrha stared at her. She wiped the blood off her cheek. "It's all right now. Don't worry," she said in a calmer voice.
Pyrrha was grateful for the rescue but the knowledge she'd gained of her rescuer was still mindblowing.
Ruby cut at the restraints. "You're Pyrrha, right? I'm Ruby." She continued untying the ropes. "Dr Jaeger's daughter. I'm sure you've met him before. I tagged along with him to your house for medical examinations. And there..."
Pyrrha's mind flashed to one of the sex traffickers at her doorstep. "There should have been a third man."
Shit! Ironwood thought, tensing. I know I forgot something!
"Where's the third man?" the students panicked.
Footsteps came up from behind them, startling the children. Ruby dove for the knife but was kicked, sending her rolling back.
"Did you do it?" The man grabbed Ruby and held her up by the throat. "Did you do it?! Did you?!"
Pyrrha watched in horror, trembling.
"I'll kill you! You're dead meat!" the man yelled, strangling Ruby.
"Ruby!" Yang yelled in worry.
Ruby looked Pyrrha in the eye. "F-Fight..." she choked out. "Fight! If you lose, you die!" The hold on her neck tightened further. "If you win, you live!" The bloodstained knife lay on the ground, forgotten.
"What are you thinking, you brat?!"
"You're giving speeches now? As you're being strangled?!" Weiss shrieked in disbelief. "Get out of there!"
"Tear out his eyes!"
"Break his nose!"
"If you don't fight, you can't win!"
"Goddammit, Ruby get out of there!" Qrow yelled.
Pyrrha's eyes widened. She picked up the knife, still trembling in fear.
They tensed in anticipation. Pyrrha chewed on her lower lip, foot-tapping nervously.
"I can't do it!" Then a shock ran through her body, like a bolt of lightning. She stared at the scene, frozen. "At that moment, I remembered... that I'd witnessed this scene before..." Ruby's arms fell to her sides.
"Shit, is she unconscious?" Sun asked.
Ruby...! Yang thought anxiously.
"...time and time again..." Pyrrha narrated. Her mind flashed to her and her mother in the garden. "It's always been unfolding before me." A grasshopper had a butterfly in its clutches. "But... I turned a blind eye to it. That's right." Her father came up to them, grinning and holding a goose by the neck. "This world is... cruel."
Pyrrha's body stilled, the knife becoming steady in her hands. "At that instant, my body stopped shaking. Since then, I've had complete control over my body. I thought I could do anything."
"So her superhuman abilities were not always active?" Winter wondered.
Ozpin hummed in thought. "Apparently. It looks more like a... survival instinct, that requires a trigger. Perhaps it lay dormant all this time."
"And what's the basis for your theory?" Cinder asked with thinly veiled curiosity. "The survival instinct part, to be specific."
"It's speculation at best. Up until this point, little Ms Ackermann has shown to be an average and normal child. All the superhuman abilities displayed by her older self are seemingly non-existent within her," Ozpin explained. "That is, until this very moment--a life-or-death scenario, where she has to make a split-second decision to ensure her survival, and that of Ms Jaeger's."
Cinder hummed and turned to face the screen, deep in thought.
The others processed everything that had been said, as they continued watching the episode.
Fight. Sparks flooded Pyrrha's body, starting from her brain, moving through every muscle in her body, all the way down to her feet.
This is when it all began Cinder thought with a feral grin.
Fight. She clutched the knife firmly, crushing the handgrip. Fight! Feet dug deeply into the ground, crushing the floorboards. Pyrrha charged with a war cry.
Pyrrha's eyes widened at her little counterpart's feats, even for a child.
"His heart was pierced from the back with one strike," an MP soldier said as he held up a lantern, illuminating the corpse in the corner of the room.
"Those kids did this?" his partner asked in disbelief.
"We feel you, man," Sun said. They had watched it, and even they were still reeling from all the emotions this episode put them through.
Nighttime outside, the children and Taiyang stood near a small fire. Pyrrha had Taiyang's jacket wrapped around her while the doctor kneeled before his daughter, hugging her. "Ruby, I told you to wait at the basement of the mountain," he said, holding her shoulders. "Do you understand what you've done?!"
"I killed some dangerous animals!" Ruby yelled, glaring with conviction. "They were beasts that just happened to look human!"
The students were shaken by her words.
This kid... Glynda could scarcely believe this was supposed to be Ms Rose's counterpart. Anything is possible within the Multiverse, it seems.
"Ruby!" Taiyang yelled admonishingly.
Ruby jolted slightly. "Dad never raised his voice at me..." she muttered under her breath.
"I'm as surprised as you are, Rubes," Yang murmured.
Qrow whistled. "Damn, Tai's pissed..."
"They would've been long gone if we'd waited for the Military Police to arrive! It would've been too late!" Pyrrha half-listened nearby, a hollow look on her face.
"That's no excuse! You were just lucky, Ruby!" Taiyang said, looking angry. "I'm scolding you for thoughtlessly risking your life like that!"
"But..." Ruby said, voice shaking. "I wanted to save her quickly." She looked at her father sadly, suitably chastised.
Roman scoffed silently. No way this is the same stab-happy psycho that we saw earlier he thought.
"She switches between bloodthirsty psycho and naive little shit so fast," Cardin said in amazement.
Ruby sweatdropped at his blunt but accurate assessment.
Taiyang was stunned by Ruby's words but he accepted her reasoning. In as much as she recklessly put herself in danger, she did it for the sake of someone else. He rose to his feet, turning to address Pyrrha.
"Pyrrha, do you remember me?" Taiyang asked. "We met a few times when you were younger."
"Dr Jaeger, which way... should I go to return home?" Pyrrha asked, a hollow expression still present on her face. "It's cold." She tugged at the jacket Taiyang had wrapped around her tiny shoulders. "There's nowhere... for me to go home to."
Pyrrha never before wanted so much as to reach into the screen and hug the broken girl.
They stared at her silently. Ruby moved towards her, removing her scarf.
"Oh, is this it?" Coco asked with a grin.
She wrapped it around the traumatized girl. "You can have this." Ruby tossed the last bit over her face.
Giggles were heard throughout the theatre.
"I think you need scarf wrapping lessons, Crater Face," Jaune snickered.
Ruby felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "Shut it, Vomit Boy."
"It's warm, right?" Ruby asked gently, a tiny blush on her cheeks.
"Is she blushing?" Blake asked, smirking at Ruby.
"Awwwwwn!" Weiss, Penny, Velvet and Sun cooed at the cute image.
Yang refused to pass up an opportunity to tease her sister. "Oh, someone's got a crush..." she said in a sing-song voice.
"Shut up, Yang!"
Pyrrha buried her red face in Jaune's hoodie. Her teammates' laughter rang out in her ears.
Pyrrha stared at her quietly before looking down. "It's warm," she said quietly, reaching up to touch the soft fabric.
Taiyang came up to them, smiling slightly. "Pyrrha, why don't you live with us?"
"Huh?"
"You've been through a lot," he continued. "You need plenty of rest."
Pyrrha turned to look at Ruby, green eyes looking hopeful. "What?" she asked. Ruby reached into the large coat she had on, grabbing her sleeve and tugging her along. "Come on, let's head back already. To our home."
" Our home, huh," Qrow grinned from ear to ear at the adorable scene.
Happy smiles adorned the faces of most of the audience. Even Hazel, Emerald, Neo, and grudgingly, Roman, smiled.
Pyrrha's eyes teared up. "Okay," she said, as tears ran down her face.
"I know it's not us per se, but thank you, Ruby," the spartan girl smiled in gratitude. "For giving my counterpart a home."
Ruby sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Don't mention it," she replied with a grin.
Back in the present, Pyrrha slices the nape off of another Titan, landing gracefully on a roof. The rain continued to pour heavily. A cruel world where... Titan bodies steamed around buildings near her. ...only the victors can survive.
Cinder's eyes gleamed with greed. So much power!
Bells tolled in the distance. The gate began to slide shut.
"We're withdrawing, Ackermann," Ian said. "Climb up the wall."
"I'll support the vanguard's withdrawal." She turned and left.
"Is it any surprise why she's so attached to Ruby now?" Port commented, letting his question hang in the air.
"Not anymore," Ozpin replied with a small smile, taking a sip of his coffee.
How did he get that... Never mind, we can summon meals of our choice here. Glynda thought. With that thought, she summoned a steaming cup of tea for herself.
"Hey, Ackermann!" Ian called after her.
But I have a place to return to in this world. Pyrrha flew through the air. Ruby, as long as I have you, I can do anything.
To be continued...
Butterflies fluttered in Ruby's stomach at the thoughts. She was touched that somewhere out there, she was able to have a positive effect on someone's life--other than her immediate family, of course.
"Yang..." Coco said, "your sister is crazy."
The buxom blonde let out a bark of laughter. "Tell me about it!"
"Hey!" Said girl yelled in indignation.
"You have to admit, Friend Ruby, your counterpart's actions are an abnormality for a human of their age," Penny chimed in.
Ruby looked at Penny in confusion. "Human?"
Realization crossed Penny's face. "Child! I meant child! *hiccup* Yes, child. Hehehe..." she finished with a nervous laugh at the end. Ruby shrugged and accepted it as one of the weird quirks of her friend.
Ironwood and Winter let out a breath they were holding when Penny's secret was not blown.
"Despite the tragedies that occurred in this episode, it ended rather nicely," Velvet smiled brightly.
Emerald was quick to remind them of one harsh fact. "And she finds out Ruby's dead in the next episode."
That quickly soured their mood.
"Oh, I forgot that happened," Neptune said.
"Oum, learning about that is going to be so awful," Yatsuhashi murmured, rubbing his eyes.
Glynda glared at the dark-skinned girl for ruining the mood. Emerald merely shrugged in response.
"Let's just move on to the next episode and get this over with."
Phew! That was an emotional rollercoaster. The hardest part of this chapter was capturing Pyrrha's heartbreak at the death of her parents. I wrote and re-wrote that part more times than I care to count.
One detail I changed as I was typing this is the embroidery scene. I dunno why WiT changed that scene from getting a tattoo/brand to a sewing lesson. Then when MAPPA took over, they left the tattoo scene as it was in the manga and the reveal came outta nowhere. So I'm sticking to manga details and leaving it as a tattoo.
I am now done with my finals. Yay!! There's some other stuff I need to do before it is finalized but I am more or less a college graduate now. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Once again, please review (constructive criticism only) and let me know what you think of this episode/chapter.
P.S: Updates on this story won't be as fast as they used to be. I have other stories I've been planning for a while now. With so much free time on my hands, I can begin working on them. That is not to say you'll need to wait for months at a time for a chapter. I'll try my utmost best to drop at least two chapters a month. Three, if I'm in a good mood. Till next time. Peace out!