Chapter Two
Placing the Pieces
Yang grunts when a pillow strikes her in the face, followed by Ruby not-so-quietly whispering they need to get ready or they'll be late. With a muffled groan, she shoves the pillow back at Ruby and sits up, stretching her arms lazily above her head.
"Mmph, feeling better, then?" she asks, drowsily digging through her night bag for her hairbrush. Ruby always wakes up stupid early if she's excited or nervous, so Yang knows they have plenty of time before orientation.
"Nnnng," Ruby drums her hands on her knees, tilting her head back and forth, "not as scared."
"Good," Yang mumbles, tugging her brush through a particularly stubborn knot. Nearby, a hyperactive girl is tugging her awake-but-unresponsive friend along by the wrist towards the mess hall. Not even Ruby is that bright and chipper in the morning.
That doesn't mean that Ruby doesn't low-key rush Yang, pushing at her back when she doesn't appreciate Yang walking at a leisurely pace. Yang just smirks in amusement, letting Ruby burn some of her energy as they reach the mess hall, eat, then head for the locker rooms.
At this point, Yang picks up a Ruby-appropriate pace as she starts grinning in her own excitement. Ember Celica clicks in satisfaction as she fastens them on her forearms, the chambers of buck shots full and ready to see the show. Yang wonders how the teams and partners are made, remembering all the times she pestered Dad or Qrow about it but them remaining secretive.
It had annoyed younger Yang, but now she likes the mystery of it.
Still, as she glances at Ruby triple-checking Crescent Rose, Yang can't help but frown. She decides she can't be Ruby's partner. She'd ideally like to be on Ruby's team, but her sister will never step outside her comfort zone if they're paired together. So regardless of the method, Yang will avoid her.
It stings, though. She wants to make sure Ruby is safe.
Annnd now I'm thinking in circles, she withholds a sigh, distracting herself by looking around the locker room. She shoves the thoughts aside and slams the locker door with maybe a bit more force than necessary, but nobody seems to care.
Problems properly stored away for now, Yang's eyes fall on a surprising sight. The most popular fighter in recent history, Pyrrha Nikos herself, stands a few lockers away putting on golden armour over red underclothes that match her vibrant crimson hair. Even small-island girl Yang recognizes the Mistrali champion, her face is on every Pumpkin Pete's cereal and she's been interviewed extensively for years. What is she doing at Beacon, Yang wonders?
Regardless, this is the perfect opportunity for Yang to size the champion up. With a bright smile, she saunters up and says a quick 'hey!' Pyrrha looks up from polishing her spear with slight surprise, but smiles pleasantly before standing. Yang can't help but falter a step when she has to look up at Pyrrha. Yang never has to look up at others! How tall is Pyrrha, six foot five? Six even? That is so damn exciting!
"Nice to meet ya, champ," Yang winks, giving a sharp but casual salute. "I didn't expect to see your face anywhere but in our cupboard!"
That gets a shoulder-shaking laugh from the champion, who's tanned complexion darkens a tad. Yang can tell it's sun-tanned, rather than her own natural deep tan. Still, it looks good on her.
"Are you a fan, then?" Pyrrha doesn't seem sure if she's flattered or embarrassed.
"Well my sister loves the cereal," Yang thumbs over her shoulder, not needing to look to know Ruby has frozen in alarm at being mentioned, "but I've always had the dream of fighting you myself. Be sure to give me a good spar, later!" she claps Pyrrha on the shoulder, getting another, lighter laugh.
"That would be wonderful! You're a brawler?" she nods to Yang's arms.
"Heh, yup!" Yang raises and flexes her guns. Pyrrha may beat her in height, but Yang still wins out against everyone in the room in terms of muscles. "Got any experience?" she winks for good measure.
Pyrrha's blush deepens and Yang feels giddy. Damn, who knew the unbeatable champion is so easy to fluster? It's cute.
"Not as much as I would hope. Most people in the tournament scene use weapons. It puts on more of a show."
"We should spar then!" Yang grins. "It would be a good challenge for the both of us!"
"That sounds fun!" Pyrrha claps her hands, beaming. "Let me know where your dorm is some time this week, then we can schedule a session!"
"That's a promise!" Yang clicks finger guns at Pyrrha with a wink, walking backwards a step before returning to Ruby. "See, that's how you talk to people!"
"Not all of us can have the confidence and swagger of one Yang Xaio Long," Ruby says with the closest she can to a deadpan.
"True," Yang grins, throwing an arm over Ruby's shoulders. "But you'll get there."
Ruby looks down, playing with her hands. Yang frowns.
"What's wrong?"
Ruby shakes her head. "I'm still nervous," she rubs the back of her head. Yang smiles softly, ruffling her hair.
"Then let's get going. It won't get better sitting here," she steers her out of the locker room.
"Yang?" Ruby's voice is small and Yang dreads what she'll hear next. "Do you think we can be partners?"
"That's kind of up to fate, I think," Yang smiles stiffly, hoping Ruby won't notice. She wants to protect her sister no matter what, but she has to be firm right now. Ruby will never grow into the kind of Huntress she wants to be if she stays stuck in her shell.
Ruby just hums. They follow the assorted signs to a cliff overlooking the deep evergreen forest, steel launch pads sticking out against the lush grass. Yang gives Ruby an affectionate noogie before pushing her towards a different one. Ruby stumbles, sticking her tongue out at Yang who returns it with childish gusto.
Anything to distract her.
It isn't too much longer when each pad has someone standing on it, Ozpin and Goodwitch facing them. Ozpin has a coffee in his hand that Yang longs for, but having the shakes later isn't good for combat.
"This is the Emerald Forest." Appropriate name. "Sometimes our jobs mean facing the unknown. Be that environments or people. Therefor, your partner will be left up to chance; by making eye contact with the first person you come across after landing. There are relics deep in the woods that you and your partner will retrieve. Beware, this forest is home to many different kinds of Grimm. They are young and of low intelligence, however do not mistake them as easy targets. Never let your guard down."
He pauses for a moment to let his words sink in, sipping his coffee. He smiles.
"Now, let your years at Beacon officially begin."
He and Goodwitch move aside, and one by one the students are launched off the pads into the forest. Yang braces her legs, clicking Ember Celica as she feels her spot tremble. She launches, releasing a loud hollering laugh as she blasts shots behind her, sending herself further into the trees from the power.
Ruby may be faster, but Yang knows she can make it deeper into the woods than her sister. Guilt settles in her gut, but she stubbornly shoves it in the back of her mind where it can sit still and finally shut up. This is what's best.
With another loud, mirthful laugh, Yang descends through the canopy. Immediately she spots her first target; a lone Ursa lumbering through the undergrowth. With a borderline feral grin, Yang pulls her arm back and punches down. Her fist crunches into the Ursa's bone-plated skull, feeling it crack under her knuckles. She pulls the trigger and uses the momentum of the explosion to flip over it and land on her feet facing the bear-like Grimm, which roars and stumbles from the attack.
She doesn't give it the chance to recover, running forward and pummelling into its stomach. She feels her blood burn as her grin grows, violet eyes blinking red and embers flickering at the tips of her hair. She lets out a loud war cry, winding up and uppercutting into the underside of its jaw, snapping its head back. The Ursa falls onto its back and Yang jumps onto its stomach, slamming her fist into the roaring mouth to feed it a mouthful of bullets.
She doesn't stop until the bear is dissolving off its bones. With a satisfied little huff, she backs off and rolls her shoulders, cracking her neck and shaking out her arms. "Now that's a warm-up," she says to herself proudly, planting a foot on the skull. "You call this a challenge?"
Suddenly there's a grunt behind her and she whirls around, only to find an Ursa already falling onto its face. A thin blade is embedded into its back, attached to a ribbon leading into the trees above. The girl Ruby had talked to last night jumps down, pulling the ribbon back to retrieve her weapon.
"I had that under control," Yang comments, earning a small eye-roll. "Bet ya I can beat more Grimm than you," she winks, taking off with a laugh. After a brief moment, she sees the girl running beside her on completely silent and graceful footsteps.
Yang smiles. Ruby will be fine.
She'll be fine.
0o0o0
"Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang!" Ruby mutters to herself as she runs through the woods, after running into a bird and losing sight of her sister. She keeps an ear out for Grimm, but her priority is Yang so she'll run until she finds her and then Ruby won't be alone-
Ruby skids to a halt when she sees a flash of white, rose petals streaming past and around Weiss who stands in her path.
Weiss inhales deeply, letting out a flat "No," before turning on her heel and beginning to walk off. Ruby's shoulders slump, not really upset that the other girl said that but the sting of rejection still hurts. She hops on her heels, timidly looking around the trees when she sees a Beowolf lurking in the shadows on Weiss' left side.
Ruby rushes forward, unfurling Crescent Rose and slicing through the wolf's neck as it lunges. It falls to the ground with only a whimper. She sighs in relief and Weiss is staring at the pile, the brief glimpse of a scowl on her face before her features cool. She fixes Ruby with a glare, made worse because in the dim lighting her right eye kinda looks like it's shining. But it's probably just a trick of the light.
"You listen to me, understand?" she says, voice cold and snappy.
"Yes, ma'am!" Ruby salutes. Weiss narrows her eyes and opens her mouth to speak, but growls drown her out from around them. Four Beowolves slowly emerge from the brush, cutting off all forms of escape. Neither Ruby or Weiss panic, turning to put themselves back-to-back as they prepare their weapons.
One of the Beowolves is bigger than the rest. Not quite an alpha level, but old enough to be considered the leader of the pack.
Ruby spins Crescent Rose like a propeller blade, startling the ones nearest away from her and she hears a distinct click behind her, before a sheen of frost crawls over the grass at her feet, turning it all into slick ice in seconds but leaving a clear spot for her and Weiss. She glances over her shoulder, Weiss pulls her rapier out of the ground and another series of clicks comes as the chamber at the hilt rotates.
That's so cool! Ruby thinks, attention back on a Beowolf who leaps at her. She swings Crescent, swiftly cutting her down to hit it. The tip sinks into its shoulder, then it swipes at Ruby. She ducks and brings Crescent down, slicing off its arm as it rears back with a howl, falling onto its back as it slips on the ice. She spins Crescent and brings her down into the Grimm's chest.
She glances at Weiss, who is almost dancing with the Grimm in quick, elegant movements. She jumps in and out of its range, each jab of her rapier leaving nicks in the Beowolf's skin. She jumps over a dangerous swipe and lands on the arm, using it to lurch forward and sink her weapon into its eyes. She kicks off the arm, landing beside Ruby and facing the final two Beowolves.
The Beowolves attack in unison, charging them. A click is heard, then a short burst of fire erupts from Weiss' rapier, making the wolves falter and giving Ruby the chance to surge forward. She hooks the scythe on the not-alpha's neck and boosts around it, slicing clean through and spinning to see Weiss piercing the other in the heart. Ruby hits the ground and rolls to her feet, the Grimm falling as the forest becomes silent.
"Your rapier is so cool!" Ruby blurts, bouncing on her heels as she hops in circles around Weiss. "Can it use any kind of Dust? How expansive is it to maintain? Oh, I guess your family owns a Dust company so you don't have to worry about that. What's her name? Did you build her yourself?" Ruby leans forward, fists bunched at chest height as she gives Weiss an eager smile.
Weiss puts a hand in front of her. "Now isn't the time? We need to find those relics," she takes a step back.
"Oh..." Ruby deflates, backing off and fiddling with her hands.
"...Her name is Myrtenaster," Weiss sighs, rolling her eyes. "Now shush, we don't want to get ambushed."
"Okay!" Ruby chirps brightly. She has a bit of skip in her step and a lightness in her chest.
Maybe she'll be fine after all.
0o0o0
Pyrrha lets herself fall naturally, doing little else for altering her course other than catching herself on a tree branch. Up ahead she hears the hollers of other students and witnesses a younger girl with a red cape hit a bird, falling beneath the canopy up ahead. Worried for her, after all a nasty fall is the last thing anyone needs right now, Pyrrha jumps down from the tree and runs towards where the girl hopefully landed okay.
She enters into the area just in time to see the girl run off muttering Yang's name under her breath, desperately. Ah, Yang's sister, so Pyrrha shouldn't interfere. At least the girl is unharmed. Pyrrha holds back, watching the cloak disappear into the trees. After looking around for any possible danger, she closes her eyes, a metallic tang in the back of her mouth as she detects where north is.
Opening her eyes, she walks for a few minutes before she hears the growl of an Ursa. Rushing forward, she finds a small pink-and-brown-and-white girl dodging under the Ursa's attacks, using a parasol to absorb blows when possible. The girl is fast, of that there is no doubt, but Pyrrha doesn't think she has experience fighting Grimm. She looks like the more-advanced fighters from Mistral who only know human-based combat.
Pyrrha aims Miló in spear form and launches it, spearing the bear through the center of its chest. She pulls it back out as she runs up, passing the girl and switching Miló into a sword to slash horizontally across the stomach. With it falling to the ground dead, she turns to the girl, smiling shyly with a little wave as she stares at Pyrrha with wide heterochromic pink-and-brown eyes.
"...I suppose this means we're partners?" Pyrrha asks, smiling as she puts Miló and Akoúo̱ away.
The girl's cheeks puff out and her brows turn down, before sighing and nodding. Pyrrha feels a little sore at the reaction, but can't fault a stranger for not being completely on board with this method of partnership.
"What is your name?"
Pyrrha waits as the girl pulls out a card and flips it for Pyrrha to see. "'Neo Politan.' Well it's very nice to meet you, Neo! My name's Pyrrha, I hope we can get along," Pyrrha's smile returns as she begins to walk, Neo following beside her with her parasol resting on her shoulder. Neo just nods, a thoughtful look on her face as they continue through the woods.
0o0o0
(just shut up already)
Blake pulls Gambol Shroud back to her side from yet another failed sneak attack.
Maybe she had been hasty choosing Yang as her partner. At first she seemed like the best bet; she was attentive and caring to her sister, was bold talking to the champion and seemed friendly enough. She even took down an Ursa by herself without being winded, which takes a unique kind of strength and confidence that Blake sorely lacks. She just talks so much, and so joyfully. Blake's been around her fair share of chatterboxes
(like mum)
but Yang has gotten all of them beat for just how much noise they made.
Honestly though, she regrets being so quick to judge. Maybe it was better than being stuck with someone who hid their intentions, or worse the Schnee, but why should she ever trust her own judgment? Brothers know she should have learned by now.
However, she won't sit here brooding. She's spent enough time brooding. Even if this isn't the optimal outcome, she'll only have to deal with this girl for four years then go off and hunt alone.
(she's spent longer in worse places)
"So what do you think the relics are?" Yang asks, fiddling her hair to get some sticks and leaves out of it. "I bet it's, like, old man teeth."
"Why would it be that?" she asks, unable to keep all the irritation out of her voice.
"So we'd have a reason to chatter!" Yang grins, even snaps finger guns at her, with far too much pride on her freckled face. Blake stares. "Not even a twitch, eh? Don't worry, I'll get you to laugh by the end of the day," she winks.
"Doubtful."
"Nah, I'm like a mushroom." She side-eyes Yang. "I'll grow on you like a fun-guy."
...
Blake just walks faster.
Not much later she detects a Beowolf, seeing it lurking in the dark underbrush. And if there's one, there will be more. She holds her arm out in front of Yang, nodding towards it for her to see. Before she can give any kind of advice, Yang is already sprinting at the wolf.
(with red eyes striking fear into her heart)
Leaving her open to attack. Again.
Blake just sighs, swinging Gambol Shroud's ribbon in tight arcs before launching her blade out, wrapping the ribbon around the Beowolf's wrist and letting herself get pulled closer. She flips to slam the heels of her boots into its snout, releasing the ribbon to flip over its back and stab Gambol into the base of its neck, severing its spinal cord. It surprises her how easy it is to kill these Grimm, but she supposes that's the whole point. Not every one of these kids lived outside kingdoms, and she doubts the school wants them to die on the first day.
Yang sure is trying her damnedest to get herself killed, regardless. Blake continues to keep her alive by attacking any Grimm unawares and partway through wonders if the blonde is doing it on purpose. Every now and then, Yang will grin like she helped Blake out instead of the other way around or shoot her a wink.
This girl makes no sense.
Blake shakes her head of the distracting thoughts as smoke wafts into the air. Just a few minutes past their last encounter they find a break in the trees and enter a large clearing, with crumbling ruins in the center. Placed atop multiple pillars are chess pieces, white and black, with a few spots already empty.
"So these are the relics?" Blake asks, mostly to herself.
(she should stop that habit, she's around people now)
"Looks like it!" Yang saunters up to one, grabbing it with little thought. "How 'bout a cute little pony?" she asks, spinning around and holding the white knight piece in the air.
The comment manages to get a smirk out of Blake, which Yang spots because she absolutely beams at her like a child on Solstice. It wasn't even a laugh, but she knows Yang counts it as a win anyway.
She's annoying, but at least she's kind. Hopefully Blake won't find any more surprises.
...Why does she hear screaming?
0o0o0
Just how gullible can someone be?
Partnering with the Pyrrha Nikos is objectively better than any other option Neo had. She's notorious for her brawn and brains, which is in criminally short supply across Remnant, and frankly one person can't be that good at life. But why did Nikos' weakness have to be believing such a blatant lie at face value?
It takes a liar to know a liar, and Cardin reeks of it. 'Oh yeah, follow me into this cave that is totally not suspicious at alllll.' Right. Neo opts to stay outside, because she isn't an idiot, and waits for the ambush from his partner. It's what she would do.
Although it makes no sense for a Huntsmen to do that during an initiation that is being monitored. Surly Ozpin would recognize he isn't fit to be here?
Cardin rushes past her, then Pyrrha a second later. The champion grabs Neo by the wrist and nearly yanks her arm out the socket, forcing her to lag behind her much longer strides. Moments later the rock wall behind them explodes as an alpha Death Stalker chases after them. Thick armour plates cover it from tail to legs, rendering Hush useless.
A rare shiver of fear crawls up Neo's spine. Honestly, it just adds to the thrill of a fight as she grins.
The stinger strikes. Neo warps ahead, now in front of Pyrrha who stumbles at the abrupt change, and their echos shatter behind them. Pyrrha easily picks up the pace and out matches her again, eyes wide with interest. "Is that your semblance?"
Neo nods. The Death Stalker rips its stinger from the earth, where it had been lodged, and quickly catches up to them.
"We can't just keep running from it or we'll exhaust ourselves. Fighting head-on isn't good either. We'll need to disable the stinger somehow. It still needs to move, so a precise blow could sever it and then we would just have to worry about the front," Pyrrha rambles, spinning in place while using Neo's momentum to push her further ahead, and throws her shield (you know, her best defence) at the stinger. It flies like a discus and hits, sparks flying, and somehow returns to Pyrrha.
Neo squints. Her weapon had done the same earlier. It has to be her semblance, but what triggers it?
Neo doesn't have time to care when a pincer snips at them. Pyrrha dodges without breaking stride, nodding to herself as if the toss taught her something.
"We'll need to immobilize it somehow to give us the chance for a clear shot, but there's a thin gap at the stinger. And if we can't go with that plan, gravity is our next best bet. It's so big it might crush itself with its own weight."
They run into a clearing, where two people have just finished killing a King Taijitu. The new duo see them and quickly join in their sprint.
"Hiya! I'm Nora!" says the girl, a massive hammer resting casually over her shoulders. She seems largely unbothered by their guest. "And this is Ren!" she nods at her partner. The two are basically polar opposites of each other; she's short and chubby with bright orange hair and cyan eyes, while he's tall and lean with light pink eyes that match the streak in his black hair. Not to mention he only nods at them in acknowledgement, while Nora continues to talk as if they're on a stroll.
"So who's your friend?" Nora jerks her thumb at the Death Stalker.
Pyrrha tells them about the plan, clearly glad at having more help. Nora has a big grin, borderline manic and reminding Neo of a certain someone, while Ren nods thoughtfully.
"I think our best bet would be the gravity. But until we find a good cliff or pit, let's distract it and attack from different angles," he says.
"Oh! Oh I call top distraction!" Nora raises and waves her hand.
"Okay. Nora and I will draw attention from the front, hitting and running to keep it following us. Ren and Neo, get into the trees and use them to attack only when you deem it safe. Aim for the eyes until you get a clear visual on the stinger."
Neo instinctively bristles at being ordered around like some lapdog, but goes along with it. This is still a better alternative than what she almost got stuck with...
0o0o0
When Ruby and Weiss had first come across the Nevermore, they'd quickly turned around without a word. She's read every book about Grimm and knows their intelligence is the highest among any known Grimm, even the juveniles can run circles around the oldest Beowolf or Ursa. They're terrors in all kingdoms and cause the most damage one Grimm can do. She remembers Uncle Qrow's rambles about them being 'a mockery to avian flight' in many of his drunken tangents.
Secretly, if they weren't monsters out to destroy humanity, they'd probably be Ruby's favourite Grimm.
But, yeah. They'd decided to go a different direction, coming across more minor Grimm. So far, they've actually fought really well together! Weiss doesn't have pure strength or speed, stuff Ruby is used to to, so she makes up for it by being accurate; she's rarely missed an attack. But she truly shines when using Dust, like making Ruby an icy ramp to run off for an extra oomph or covering her by using fire and lightning.
It's just, well, Weiss stumbled during their last fight. It was only for a second, but the woods caught fire so quickly it forced them to retreat back towards the tree. Ruby just saw the slumbering Grimm for a moment before grabbing Weiss' wrist and, ah, convincing her to go with her plan...
"Ready?" Ruby yells over the wind, Crescent Rose buried in the Nevermore's shoulder as they ride it over the trees towards a ruined castle. A castle is where relics and treasures are found in stories, so it makes sense it would be there. "I'm gonna let go on the count of three!"
"You're crazy and I hate this!" Weiss shrieks, holding onto Ruby with a pale(r) face.
"One, two, three-!"
As if waiting for the cue, the Nevermore spins in a corkscrew with a furious screech, dislodging Crescent. A heavy wing then smacks into them and sends them plummeting towards the ground at speeds too fast to use their weapons to adjust themselves. It's all they can do to keep holding one another as the ground fast approaches them.
Weiss frantically tugs her arm free of Ruby's death-grip, her fingers twisting and folding over themselves before a black circled panel appears in front of them. Ruby barely registers it before they crash through it, but feels a strange force tug at her body. Another panel, crash. Another panel, crash. On the sixth, she sees a stylized snowflake before they shatter through it. Their decent slows to a near halt by the time they land on the ground, winded and just laying face-down in the grass.
Wrestling to separate tangled limbs, Ruby rolls onto her back and squints at the sky when a shadow blocks her vision. Yang's grin is lop-sided, probably deciding if she should laugh or worry, as she helps Ruby to her feet. "Hey, Rubes. Glad you could drop in."
"Special delivery," Ruby jokes dizzily, brushing grass off her dress. Bella is standing a few feet away, smirking in amusement at Weiss as the heiress pointedly avoids eye contact.
They're in a ruined arena-kinda place, a sprawling skeleton of marble and stone stretching out behind it. An old city, maybe? There were a lot of attempts to make such before kingdoms were properly established, so it makes sense. Ruby skips over to a nearby pillar and takes a yellow-white knight chess piece, rolling it in her hands as she feels the smooth, warm surface.
"We did it!" Ruby twirls to Weiss, beaming.
"Something's approaching," Bella alerts them, watching the tree line. It's a few moments later when Ruby picks up on something crashing through the trees.
Then a giant Death Stalker comes crashing out of the trees, in hot pursuit of Pyrrha and the hammer-girl from this morning, who leap and dodge over the pincers and stinger. The quiet boy is just jumping off the face of the Grimm, smoke billowing from its left stalk eye, and parasol-girl is flipping between the tail and trees.
She sees an opening and runs in short bursts as she aims at the back of a pincer. Large black feathers suddenly pierce into the ground all around her, forcing her to skid to a stop with a choking gasp as she falls onto her butt. The Death Stalker's stinger rears back and strikes-
She closes her eyes with a wince, but doesn't feel pain. She peaks her eyes open, a cloud of frost escaping her mouth as she gasps in awe. A pillar of ice has sprouted from the ground and holds the stinger in place, the Death Stalker screeching in indignation as it claws and attempts to free itself.
A heavy huff draws her attention to Weiss, who stands between her and the Death Stalker.
"Brother's Grimm, must you be so reckless?" she scolds, holding her hand out to Ruby. She takes it as Yang, having already been rushing over, helps haul Ruby up to her feet as well. Blushing sheepishly as Yang checks her over for injuries, dusting off grass and dirt, she looks up at the sky when a massive shadow envelops them. Circling the clearing is the Nevermore, its shining red eyes focused on them.
"What the heck?" Yang says, done her frantic check but keeping a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I thought Ozpin said only young Grimm were in this forest?"
"Apparently not," Bella deadpans.
"Either way, we should deal with it before it flies out of the forest and hurts someone," Ruby tells them. "We should go into the ruins," she points, "that way we'll be on even ground."
Just as they make it onto the bridge, the Grimm suddenly drops into a dive and crashes into it. They stumble and separate, leaping across the rubble to avoid falling into the water far below. Bella hooks her sword on the railing and swings in a circle under the remaining bridge, using the momentum to fling herself to the other side with amazing grace. Weiss uses her panel-thingies to hop across the gap, using the chance to fling arcs of lightning at the Nevermore's wing as it passes underneath.
Yang takes a different approach. She jumps onto the Nevermore's beak with a manic grin, hair aflame and eyes aglow. She punches into its many eyes, pumping buck shots into each one, all the while scream-laughing. The Nevermore flicks its head to try and dislodge her, but Ruby wishes it luck as she speeds up to clear the debris. Stopping Yang is as easy as halting a train.
"Are both of you really this crazy?" Weiss yells, exasperated.
"You should meet our uncle!"
The ensuing fight is a chaotic cacophony of crashing rubble and Nevermore screeches. It doesn't help that on a lower level the other four students are fighting the Death Stalker, which is making the higher parts shake and fall apart. At first it's nearly impossible for them all to keep up with each other, each of their fighting styles so different that they end up mostly doing their own thing. But as time passes, Ruby starts noticing the patterns.
Weiss keeps attacking on the front line, but Yang would make for a better fit for it so she tells her to back up and support from a distance, slowing the Nevermore down with icing its wings and shocking its mask. She doesn't look happy about it, but she falls behind them.
Bella will break off, attack from nowhere, then retreat quickly. Good in theory, but she's doing it to her own rhythm without letting the others take advantage of the tactics. Ruby asks if she can wait for Yang to be engaged, then they can attack together with their speed. Bella doesn't say anything, but nods and waits.
Yang, of course, is as reckless and rambunctious as she always is. Ruby, timidly, isn't sure if she should even bring anything up, but then Yang almost gets eaten and she shouts for her to only attack when the Nevermore is distracted. Yang is also the easiest to convince, shooting her a thumbs up.
Frost covers its wings and neck. Black ichor drips from its wounds. Its mask is cracked and chipped. And it begins to fly away.
"Nope!" Ruby chirps, then turns to Bella. "How strong is your ribbon?"
It turns out, absurdly. Ruby is held in place on the thin fabric, both ends of the weapon spun around pillars and kept in place by Bella and Yang, as Weiss uses her panel-thingy to pull Ruby back like a slingshot.
To ease some of her nerves, Ruby jokingly asks Weiss, "Think you can make the shot?"
"Think you can manage to hit?" Weiss scoffs in return, but there's no annoyance or malice. If anything, she matches Ruby's tone with a playful smirk.
Ruby grins in surprise, then focuses on the Nevermore as it begins to reach the peak of a cliff. "Now!" she yells, and Weiss releases her. The wind whistles in her ears as she activates her semblance for an extra boost and soars across the sky, hooking the curve of Crescent Rose around the Nevermore's neck. Just before she slams into the cliff, she bursts upward and uses the velocity to run up it, dragging the Nevermore behind her.
It stops short at the top, then Crescent cleaves through its head. Ruby twists in the air, landing on the edge as its bones fall to the water below, feathers and rose petals drifting around her. She smiles proudly at the distant specks of the other three.
They did it. It worked! They did it!
They're Huntresses!
0o0o0
"Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Neo Politan and Lie Ren," Headmaster Ozpin announces. "You collected the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you are Team PNNR, lead by Pyrrha Nikos."
Loud claps, cheers and whistles rise in the hall as the new team walks off the stage. Nora jumps up to land a friendly punch on Pyrrha's arm, who smiles shyly as Ruby, Yang and their partners walk up.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Bella Black and Yang Xaio Long." Ruby's knees threaten to give out as every eye at Beacon stares at them. "You collected the white knight pieces. From this day forward you are Team RWBY, lead by Ruby Rose."
Her breath catches as the world tilts on an axis. She remains standing, vaguely feeling Yang giving her an excited side-hug, and blinks dazedly ahead. Why her? Why her?
Even over the polite cheers and claps, Ruby can hear Weiss' foot tapping. She fearfully glances over, flinching a little at the withering glare.
Aaaaand there goes any hope of being normal...
A/N:
1) PNNR is pronounced Pioneer
2) I wasn't expecting to dive into Neo's PoV this soon, but apparently she didn't care about what I wanted so I decided to go'd with the flow'd
3) Akoúo̱ low-key looks like uwu speak and if I'm cursed to see it, so are you
This chapter was super fun, but man did it give me all kinds of hell. Had to rework it about five times. But! On the bright side it let me dive into different perspectives and introduce Buff Yang and Chubby Nora Supremacy
I hope all the combat was okay! I haven't written anything like it in a long time, so let me know if I wrote it too hasty and/or too lengthy, please.
Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged! Thank you for reading!