Author's Note: I've had a lot happen to me since the last chapter I uploaded. I learned a lot of life lessons between then and now. I also realized that I've been putting this story off for too long. My hope is that I can get caught up on writing this fanfic by the time Volume 10 comes out (on Crunchyroll again, no doubt). If you believe the plot of this fanfic will only follow the main story, don't worry. If you've read up to this point, you can already tell that the deviation from the canon storyline is growing. It will only be a matter of time before the deviation comes to head and everything falls into place. Until then, this will likely be my last Author's Note while I focus on getting us to the events of Volume 3. I'll see you at the End of the Beginning!

Ruby's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the bright rays of the morning sun. She felt a calmness wash over her as she heard birds chirping. It was morning, yet her alarm didn't go off. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one hand while the other reached under her pillow to pull out her Scroll. What time is it...?

Pressing the power button on her Scroll to activate the screen, the time read "06:55 AM". The current date also read, "January 19th, 2E 80." The current year was the 80th anniversary of the Great War's end—which also marked the start of the Second Era, where the Four Kingdoms (Vale, Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo) established peace after the decade-long Great War. Now that she was a part of this academy, Ruby realized she would soon partake in the Vytal Festival, which celebrated that same peace.

After turning off her morning alarm for the day, Ruby slipped her Scroll into her sweatpants pocket and carefully descended from her bunk bed. She looked around the room and saw reminders of what they had accomplished as a team last night. They worked together to turn the four beds they were assigned into improvised bunk beds, thus giving them more room for their things. This included Yang's posters, Blake's books, and Weiss's painting of the Forever Fall forest. She also looked at the new curtains for the window, recalling the arduous process of evenly splitting what was originally a single, big curtain.

Now that it was a new day, it was time for Team RWBY to tackle today's challenges.

Ruby walked to the dresser to retrieve a whistle she had set aside. She brought it to her lips and took a deep breath, but someone caught her attention.

Blake was sound asleep under her covers, still wearing that black bow on her head. Ruby found this fashion choice amusing. Before, she thought nothing of it. But now that she had knowledge of Blake's true nature, Ruby realized that it served a dual purpose in aesthetics and utility. Furthermore, logic dictated that having animal ears meant loud noises would be even louder for someone like Blake.

Rather than risk rupturing her teammate's eardrums, she put the whistle away and went to wake her up gently instead.

"Blake, it's time to wake up," Ruby spoke softly as she nudged Blake's shoulder. Ruby watched as amber eyes fluttered open and then looked up at her.

"What time is it...?" Blake groaned.

"It's almost seven," Ruby answered. "Classes aren't until an hour, but I wanted to give us time to get ready and study our schedule."

Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "Alright. Just give me a minute..."

"Sure," Ruby acknowledged. "Let me just wake up the others."

"You already did," Weiss remarked as she sat up and started stretching.

Ruby turned around and looked at Weiss in disbelief. "But I was so quiet!" she exclaimed, now speaking at a regular volume.

"I'm a light sleeper, so you weren't quiet enough," Weiss remarked. "But your initiative isn't lost on me, so it's alright."

This made three out of the four members of Team RWBY. Now all they had to was get Yang out of bed. Ruby went to Yang's bed and stood on the balls of her feet to reach her sister and nudge her awake. "Yang? Yaaang?"

"Mmhh... five more minutes..." Yang grumbled while turning away.

"Come on, Yang, we have to get dressed and eat," Ruby pleaded. When she was met with silence, she sighed. Ruby needed to use a different tactic. She glanced back over at the whistle she left on the bookshelf. "... Weiss, can you do me a favor and pass me my whistle?"

Yang quickly pulled away from Ruby's touch and sat up straight. "Rise and shine, everyone!" she said with sing-song enthusiasm.

She never was a morning person... Ruby thought to herself. But she smiled as the rest of her team did, content that they had completed their first mission together as a team.

Half an hour later, every student at the academy was in the dining hall. A diverse mix of teams from different years gathered together, each occupying their designated tables. Team RWBY and Team JNPR sat across each other, allowing them to speak with one another.

"I'm sorry we couldn't pair up together," Pyrrha apologized.

Weiss dismissed the issue with a hand wave. "No need to apologize," she replied. "We just had to let the dice fall where they may, right?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at the reference. "I suppose so. I hope things work out for you."

"Likewise," Weiss responded. She contemplated the circumstances. This isn't the most disappointing thing to have happened. I just hope Ruby knows what she's doing.

Ruby, meanwhile, was focused more on the sheet of paper she laid on the recently-cleaned table. There were names and numbers, all uniform and with the same typeface.

"Let's see..." Ruby started from the beginning of the list, thinking aloud. "From 8 AM until 12:30 PM, we have three classes taught by Professors Port, Oobleck, and Finlay. After lunch are Professors Peach, Greene, and Mulberry's classes."

"We're getting two science classes back-to-back?" Pyrrha wondered.

"Looks like it," Ruby answered.

Jaune looked at his own copy of the class schedule. "I wonder if Professor Mulberry's class will help me figure out what weapon to make?"

"What's wrong with the one you have now?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." Jaune paused for a moment. "Ruby has her scythe, there's Yang with her shotgun... gauntlet things, and even you with your spear that can be used as a rifle. I just think I can come up with something better."

"I'm sure you will," Pyrrha stated as she placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You've got more than enough time to figure something out."

"Even if you don't," Ruby interjected, "swords and shields work just fine. And it's good to stay consistent!"

Blake slid Ruby's copy of the class schedule closer to herself and looked over the contents. "... 'Stealth and Security,' huh?"

"I had a feeling that would catch your eye!" Ruby exclaimed. "You seem like the ninja type."

"What about you two?" Yang wondered, looking between Ren and Nora. "Which classes are you looking forward to?"

"It's difficult to say," Ren answered. "If I had to pick one... I'm also looking forward to Professor Greene's class. I'm sure I'll learn a lot."

Nora locked eyes with Yang, who looked expectantly for an answer. She was unsure how the others at the table would react. But if she told them she looked forward to attending Professor Finlay's class, which was labeled as a hybrid of chemistry and Dust application, Nora knew Ren would express disapproval as soon as she said it.

During the moment, her mind was brought back to the first time she took a class on Dust application. She and Ren were younger back then, and they had the opportunity to attend a trainee academy in Mistral. They worked well together and showed promise as students.

Unfortunately, Nora was responsible for their expulsion.

At the time, she hadn't considered how dangerous Dust in powdered form could be if mishandled. It also never occurred to her that Lightning Dust had a habit of zapping whichever object or person was closest after becoming unstable. This led to her terrorizing the entire classroom as—to use an out-of-universe descriptor—an angry Tesla coil. This incident was how Nora gained her Semblance and was the only reason she wasn't dead seconds after undergoing intense electric shocks.

So, on the upside, electricity in all forms made her more powerful for a while. The downside? The school labeled her and Ren as liabilities and kicked them both out. They were off speaking terms for over two weeks, and even after the fact, he never truly forgave her for her lapse in judgment.

But Nora knew things would be different this time. She was older and more mature. And she always wanted to use Magnhild's grenade launcher to fire live rounds with Dust payloads instead of smoke.

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm gonna go with Professor Finlay's class."

Weiss looked at Nora suspiciously, picking up on her hesitation. She looked over at Ren. He hid his emotions well, but Weiss noted a micro-expression that implied something painful about the idea. She had a professional understanding of Dust and its many applications, so she felt responsible for Nora's success in that class.

Weiss stood up from her seat and offered a pamphlet to Nora, who hesitantly took it and looked over the front of it.

"... 'Dust for Dummies and other Inadequate Individuals'?"

"The title is only for marketing purposes," Weiss explained as she sat back down. "The Schnee Dust Company encourages everyone new to Dust application to read it."

Nora examined the back of the pamphlet and read the blurb, then returned her attention to Weiss. "Thanks, I guess."

Ruby gave a confused look to Weiss. "How many of those do you have on you?" Ruby wondered.

"Just that one."

"Oh."

"And two dozen more in our dorm," Weiss added.

Ruby's confusion didn't go away. In fact, it multiplied and spread as everyone else at the table stared at Weiss. She looked at each person and felt cornered.

"What!?" Weiss shouted. "I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I joined this academy. Can you blame me for being cautious?"

"Come on, Weiss, it'll be fine!" Ruby assured. "If this is about what happened when we first met, everything worked out in the end."

Weiss was about to snap back at Ruby like a whip. It would be too easy to remind her whose fault it was. But this was different; Ruby had more authority as the team's leader. She had to keep herself in check, which stung her pride.

"You... have a point," she conceded.

During the exchange, Nora looked away to go through the Dust for Dummies pamphlet. She squinted her eyes as she saw something unusual.

"Wait a minute. 'Avoid sneezing on exposed Dust'?" Nora looked at Weiss. "Who'd be dumb enough to do that?"

"Monsters! Deeemons! Prowlers of the night!"

Ruby and Yang had already heard the lecture about Grimm and the responsibilities of being a Huntress. But to Professor Port's credit, he used theatrics to make it entertaining. Both sisters couldn't fault him since the lecture didn't apply to them, who had the privilege of attending a training school before Beacon. The speech about what made a great Huntsman was meant for everyone else; the people who wanted to hunt Grimm for money or to feel a sense of glory. Ruby fell into the latter camp, but who didn't? At least she and her sister proved capable enough for the life of Huntresses.

"But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... me! When I was a boy..."

Ruby's attention fell on a large object behind Professor Port. Whatever it was, it had cloth draped over it to conceal the contents, which left Ruby guessing what was underneath. Everyone was told to bring their weapons to class, so she figured it was some kind of Grimm.

"The moral of the story? A true Huntsman must be honorable! Dependable! A True Huntsman must also be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Weiss glanced at Ruby and mentally reviewed the checklist Professor Port laid out. Honorable? Sure. Dependable? If she wasn't, we would've died in the Emerald Forest. So that means she's also strategic. But those last two...

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Wait a minute! Weiss realized. I match those traits better than Ruby does! This is my chance to prove I should be the leader!

"That would be me."

Surprised, Weiss looked over to see Ruby had already raised her hand. She then turned her attention to Professor Port to see how he would react.

"Someone thinks highly of themselves, don't they?" the Professor remarked. "Let's see if you have what it takes to be a Huntress, Miss Rose."

Professor Port then went to the draped object and pulled the cloth away to reveal a cage. Ominous shadow leaked through the bars while glowing red eyes stared at Ruby. Based on the size of what kept the Grimm contained, Ruby assumed it was either a Creep or a Boarbatusk inside.

"Step forward and face your opponent!" Professor Port beckoned.

Ruby got up and grabbed Crescent Rose from her desk. She descended the steps to the front of the classroom and took her position opposite the cage, where she then took up a fighting stance. Not once did she take her focus off of the Grimm inside.

"You got this, sis!" Yang exclaimed. "Time to kick some butt!"

"Fight well!" Blake cheered.

Weiss crossed her arms and watched to see what Ruby had planned. It was noted that Crescent Rose remained in rifle form, which made Weiss assume that her team leader wanted to go for ranged attacks.

Professor Port brought out Blowhard and held it by its barrel. "Alright! Let the match... begin!"

Port swung his weapon and broke the lock that secured the cage's door. A Boarbatusk ran out and charged toward Ruby. She didn't move from her spot. Instead, she lowered her stance and waited for the right opportunity to strike.

The Boarbatusk got close enough to wind up a swipe with its curled white tusks. But before she was hit, Ruby gripped Crescent Rose by the stock and swung her weapon like a golf club, parrying the Boarbatusk's attack and sending it onto its back. She activated her Semblance, flew from her spot onto the Boarbatusk's underbelly, and pinned it with her knee, her left hand (to grab hold of one of the Grimm's tusks), and Crescent Rose's business end. She lined the barrel against the Boarbatusk's jawline and flexed her index finger against the trigger.

The gunshot became the end of the Boarbatusk, now limp underneath Ruby. It was an exclamation mark to the brief duel and the beginning of the uneasy silence that filled the classroom. It was quiet enough that the spent bullet casing could be heard bouncing across the floor.

Weiss watched Ruby move off the dissolving Boarbatusk in astonishment. I don't think I could've taken one down that fast! And she got her education on some backwoods island!

"Miss Rose?"

Ruby turned to look at Professor Port. "Yes, sir?" she replied nervously. She didn't know how to feel about the look on his face, but it must've involved some unfortunate news.

"There's something I should make clear to the rest of the class, and to you especially: if you're trying to impress me, you won't get extra credit for brutality, flourish, or trying for "style points" as kids call it these days. It offers no substantial tactical advantage against Grimm—and you'll only expose yourself to danger if you let yourself be so reckless. Are we understood?"

Ruby slowly nodded her head. "I do, Professor Port. It won't happen again."

"Good," Professor Port replied as his serious demeanor went away. "Aside from that important caveat, you performed wonderfully! You've shown your potential as a proper Huntress and set an unofficial record! I've never seen such speed and agility!"

Ruby smiled as she accepted the compliment. But the Professor had more to say. This was unfortunate for her since it ruined the moment for her.

"You have a lot of promise, just like your mother!"

Ruby knew he meant well, but his words reminded her that she had grown up without her mom. Frankly, her "family" felt outright dysfunctional.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today," Professor Port continued for the rest of the class. "Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and remember: stay vigilant! Class dismissed!"

Wordlessly, Ruby walked quickly up the steps. She purposefully refrained from making eye contact with anyone in the class, her team, or even her sister. And when Yang tried to stop her and ask what was wrong, she already Petal Bursted out of the classroom. Jaune was initially confused, but his eyes widened once he put the pieces together.

"Oh, Gods. Poor Ruby..." Jaune lamented.

Nora looked between her team, what remained of Team RWBY, and the door Ruby fled from. "Uh... Care to fill me in, Jaune?"