Hello once again! Probably surprised at how quick this came out, and that's because I had already had it written. Once more, thank you all for the support the story's been getting, and any reviews! Onto that, shall we?
Alucard45: Once again, apologies for missing your previous review, and thank you for stinking around dude! We more or less covered everything during the PM, so I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Kept123: As per usual, glad to put out a chapter my dude!
TheShadow977: Yeah, I totally missed that the first time around XD. The Grimm reminds me of Guts and his own beast of darkness from Berserk, so it's definitely something that I like!
KHARAKI TAKAN: You know what? Yeah, you're right, it's probably best that I make my intention clear with my writing, and as such I've changed that piece of dialogue the better suit what I'm trying to imply, so thanks for that dude. In regards to ep. 2 again, yeah, that's fair, but I'd also argue that they made up for it more in the following seasons. Glad you liked the chapter! And... heh, alright, TWBY is a running gag that I picked up. The same way R-U-B-Y is spelt RWBY, the pun here is that TO BE Continued becomes TWBY. It's dumb, but I use it regardless XD
merendinoemiliano: Happy you liked the chapter my man!
101: Thanks for the kudos dude! To answer your question, yup, you correctly picked up that Ruby's still good with mechanics, even though aura is her driving obsession. It isn't stated, but she did create her own gauntlets and boots meant to support her style, and I'm glad that you find it suits her! Also, thanks for pointing out the error, changed it up and made it a bit better suited for Weiss and Blake's characters. Appreciate the support dude!
Kivuntappaja: I really apologise for the spoilers man, it hadn't occurred to me for some reason that there were others who hadn't caught up to the show. I'll do my best to avoid spoiling from this point onwards, and I get where you're coming from with the show going downhill. Frankly I agree with you, but the last couple episodes show... promise. There are still mistakes that make me want to THROTTLE the writers, but I digress. Don't worry, there won't be a big focus on Ruby's freckles thing, but I do get where you're coming from with the apprehension in regards to Oscar (which I assume due to be because of either Ozpin, or the age-difference). Now, Imma just say this: Ruby is by far not the only thing that had been changed in this story. The Kingdoms are more fleshed out, I want to breath life into the lore of RWBY, and above all else, I want to FIX things that I (in my personal opinion) feel could have been done better in the show, Oscar being one of them. Don't think that your review hasn't held any sway over what I do: I'm grateful for your honesty, and it has made me better flesh out ideas for the future.
lovecrazyhedgehog: Yup! Think about it like this: Volume 8 writing started EXACTLY after the Venom movie was released, and the Hound shows a LOT of abilities similar to Venom. Plus, that weird teeth-plating on the top of its head almost looks like it could open up...
Daoist3lives: Happy you like the concept, I'll be sure to keep up the good work! Huehuehue, come at be bro, but I reFUSE to let go of TWBY continued XD
With all that said, back to the show!
Fighting Rose
Chapter 4
The first step
Weiss Schnee, ever the model student, rose earlier than the rest. The sun had barely begun to lighten the sky, and that was something she was well accustomed to. A perfect eight hours of sleep resulted in her awareness being at optimal condition, her body quickly warming up as her mind became fully alert. A dainty yawn and stretch later, she was out of her designer sleeping-bag and had her toiletries in hand –
*WHOOM*
She paused at the sudden sound, hair standing up in the back of her neck as she realized it sounded extremely similar to a sword cutting through the air. She turned around and stopped what she was doing, slightly entranced by the sighed before her. On the far side of the room, right in front of one of the large windows, was a familiar silhouette. The light shining through the window was very dim, the girl's body cast in shadow, yet those unmistakable silver eyes seemed to gleam brightly. She was bouncing on her toes, hands down by her waist as she seemed to be staring at something in the distance before her foot seemed to just lash out on its own, fast enough that Weiss would've missed it if she blinked. A front-kick rapidly transitioned into a whirling hook-kick, equally as sharp and equally as deadly before she leapt high into the air, at least seven feet. There was silence for a brief moment, her body suspended in air before she unleased a final roundhouse, Weiss gasping softly at the flash of rose-red that followed in its wake, a fleeting moment that made her wonder if she had imagined it, yet what looked to be petals of some kind drifting through the air made her think otherwise.
She stood still after landing, breathing deeply to recover. Though Weiss could only see her side on, Weiss saw something that even she couldn't mistake from this distance: the water running down her cheeks was not sweat, and the glassy wetness of her eyes only proved it. There was something about the sight that made Weiss' heart ache for an instant before she squashed it, quickly turning away and rushing to the one of the female locker-rooms.
'It's none of your business,' She thought. Yet, the blank look of sheer sadness on the young girl's face lingered in Weiss' mind, constantly in the back of her head.
…
All the students in the cafeteria bore witness to something… well, interesting, to say the least. Just as the majority of them had woken up and freshened themselves to put on their combat-outfits, Ruby and Yang were already seated and prepped in their own gear, while also gorging themselves on a feast fit for four full-grown adults.
It was a sight both fascinating and horrifying in equal measures that they two girls seemed to practically inhale the pile of food in front of them, chicken legs reduced to bone, beef strips reduced to scraps of fat and cartilage, salads and greens reduced to flecks of leaves, and in no time, they were completely finished. In perfect synch, they stood and threw the remaining scraps away before jogging off to the weapon-storage room. Even then, they weren't the first ones there, most noticeably a ginger-haired girl talking off a long haired boy's ears off, though the serene expression on his face made it clear that he was quite used to this.
"…Nora, I don't think sloths actually make any sounds."
"Then it's PERFECT! Nobody will suspect a thing about us working together!" She cheered.
"C'mon Nora, let's head out," He said with a small smile.
"Y'know, just not together-together, hehe…" She chuckled as she followed along, happily skipping away.
"They look pretty chipper," Ruby commented as they passed by, strapping her bracers to her forearms.
"And you're already zoned in," Yang teased as she checked her gauntlets, Ember Celica, one last time. "You look like you're about to rush right into the test and get a head-start before everyone else."
Ruby chuckled shyly, confirming Yang's thoughts before she zoned back in, her face serious and eyes brimming with excitement. "As much as I'd love that, I'm still trying to plan out a general route for the test."
"Oh? What have you got so far?"
"Pretty simple really. Try not to waste energy, team up with you, finish the exam either quietly or as flashy as possible."
"As much fun as that would be…" Yang said after a moment, "… maybe consider partnering up with someone else?" Ruby grumbled silently, Yang grinning as she continued. "I wouldn't mind if we ended up as partners, but you're in Beacon! Expand your horizons, meet new people, make new friends, the works!"
"I know, I know," Ruby sighed, sitting down on a bench as her heel tapped the ground, "I'm just… nervous. I want to have every advantage one my side, I need to, and you're one of the strongest people I know."
"Ruby, I may not be in your team, but I'll always be here for you. You can always count on that."
"Pfft, you sound like dad," Ruby snorted, a warm smile on her face as Yang ruffled her hair. "…let's head out."
The two sisters proceeded try and walk out, only for Ruby to bump shoulders with someone familiar. "Sorry – oh, hey Weiss."
"Ruby," The girl in white greeted, "Best of luck in the test today."
"Aww, thank you!" Ruby said with a grin, "Look who's getting all soft!"
"Oh hush you!" Weiss snapped, though the reddening of her cheeks was evidence enough that she was embarrassed.
"And who's your frie…" Ruby started, turning to the other girl that Weiss was talking to before her face went entirely blank, the other girl's expression likewise doing the same. She stood a good deal taller than the rest of the girls in the current group, even half-a-head above Yang, cutting an impressive figure in her gladiatorial-style armour, not to mention the high-tech face-pate she was wearing. Foldable and retractable, it protected the side of her head, her temples, and most likely her full face went in its full protective form, the bronze colouring making it look almost like a crown that framed her strikingly beautiful face. Emerald green eyes, soft lips, a gently curved nose, and the braided crimson hair made her look truly Amazonian. That wasn't the focus of their stare-down, however.
"What's…?" Weiss started, only for Yang to gently tug her back, shaking her head with a tiny grin and putting a finger to her own lips.
"Well…" The gladiator started, a giant smirk on her face. "I'd recognize that voice and face anywhere… 'FightingRose217', correct?"
"Heh. It has been a while, hasn't it… 'Crimsonchampion3'."
An oppressive aura began to weigh the air down, Weiss feeling the tension spiking higher and higher. "What exactly is going on?"
"Um, Ruby's always been a bit… vocal… when it comes to calling people out for certain things," Yang said, Weiss snorting at the truth behind the statement. "She runs a Dustgram page, 'FightingRose217', and she likes to analyse fights and chat with people with similar interests. But what she really loves doing… is calling people out for certain fighting-styles or people she feels she can beat. In short, she loves shit-talking."
"So she's been calling out Pyrrha Nikos?!"
"Yuuup. They've been back and forth for like, a year now," Yang chuckled. "I've had the fun of listening in too, that shit is funny."
"How've you been, keyboard-champion? Still wearing those fake belts around your waist?" Ruby prodded.
"I'll have you know that they're still two more belts than you have," Pyrrha shot back. "What tournaments have you won?"
"Bah, you went up against half-assed opponents and inexperienced talents," Ruby said with a grin, "Those trophies and champion belts are nothing but cheap plastic. You're just a title-holder, not a real champ, standing in the presence of a real warrior!"
"We'd be about the same height if I was sitting," Pyrrha said with a smirk, Ruby actually turning red as her face scrunched up, Weiss' jaw dropping slightly. Pyrrha, the previously well-mannered and polite paragon of grace and beauty had just become a snarky back-talker, and had managed to match the equally snarky Ruby of all people. But what surprised Weiss the most was how relaxed Pyrrha looked. True, there was tension in the air and both girls looked mildly angered, but it came across as more impassioned, sparks of genuine rivalry dancing in between them. Despite the jabs and insults flying between them, it was hard to ignore the lively fire in the eyes of both girls, the grins threatening to stretch across their faces.
'Why is it that Pyrrha Nikos didn't smile like that around me?' Weiss grumbled to herself, 'What makes this younger child better than me? Me!?'
"Sooo, good to see you gain Snow Angel!"
'I DO NOT NEED THIS RIGHT NOW.'
"Heard the rumour that we're making teams, so I was thinking: you, me? Perfect start, perfect partners!"
"No."
"Aww, come on Snow Angel!" Jaune pleaded, "I'm sure that we'd make an awesome pair! Maybe me, you, and… this gal over here!" He pointed Pyrrha, pausing her and Ruby's verbal jousting.
"G-gal?" Pyrrha said, her cheeks turning a bit red, Ruby raising an eyebrow as a sudden shyness overtook the gladiator.
"…Do you not recognize who that is?" Weiss snapped, Pyrrha actually wilting slightly, "She's Pyrrha Nikos! Four-time winner of the Mistral Regional Combat Tournament!"
"Can't say I've heard of it," Jaune answered honestly, Weiss' eyes bugging out and Pyrrha's eyes shining, her face lighting up like a Christmas-tree.
"Sh-she's the current Pumpkin Pete's cereal mascot!" She shrieked, waving her arms around as Jaune gasped in recognition.
"That's YOU!? They only do that for celebrities and cartoon characters!"
"It was pretty fun," Pyrrha admitted, "Though the cereal isn't exactly healthy for you."
"A.k.a, it's shit," Ruby said, "Like the way you fight."
"Don't start," Pyrrha snipped back, though she was unable to hide her smirk.
"Well, miss Nikos, whadda you say? Wanna join team Arc, the winning team?" Jaune moved in, attempting to act suave but ultimately failing miserably. Still, Ruby was surprised as Pyrrha actually blushed, an eyebrow going up at the sight.
"Well I – !"
"What makes you think that you have the right to stand by someone as distinguished a Pyrrha Nikos?" Weiss snapped, Jaune wilting away as Pyrrha's eyes darkened slightly, her expression going flat. "You don't even look fit to swing that sword of yours!"
"…I think you'd make a great teammate," Pyrrha said with a smile, Jaune's mood instantly picking up as he squirmed like a happy little schoolgirl.
"D'awww stop it~!" He giggled before immediately turning to Weiss with a smug look on his face. "See? I've got one lucky lady vouching for a spot on the team. Spaces are filling up quick~!"
"Ugh, Pyrrha, some help please?" Weiss said urgently as Jaune appeared to have no idea what personal space was, Pyrrha sighing as she whipped out a javelin and threw it at the boy, the blade barely scraping by his neck but hooking into his hoodie and sending him flying into a locker with a girly scream.
"I'm so sorry!" She called out, Ruby simply eyeing the javelin that pierced.
'She was able to throw that javelin with enough force to somehow send Jaune, who probably weighs an extra 150+ pounds, flying straight backwards without it dipping during its airtime? Yeah, something stinks here…' Ruby thought with a small smirk, 'Don't think I didn't feel that concentration of aura when you threw it Pyrrha!'
"All First-Year students make their way to the cliffs, the entrance exam will begin in ten minutes."
"Well," Pyrrha said with that loose smirk, "I'll be seeing you at the finish-line, Ruby Rose."
"Watch yourself redhead, you make it sound like I'm finishing after you," Ruby snipped back, though she too was smiling. They both stared off for another moment before they relaxed and chuckled, bumping their knuckles before Pyrrha was the first to head out with Weiss, taking her spear out of Jaune's hoodie and letting the lanky boy plop into the floor.
"Oww… my father told me that girls looked for confidence!" Jaune sulked, "Where did I go wrong…?"
"… so two thoughts come to mind," Ruby said with a small grin as she helped him up, "First, you're taking what your dad said waaaay too far. Second… Weiss? Really? I'm fine with her, but dude, she'll eat you alive."
"Yeah lady-killer, and it doesn't exactly look like she's into your uh… confidence." Yang laughed, the poor boy wilting was they exited, though Ruby just couldn't take her eyes off of him, that same blank look on her face.
'…Why does it feel like he's completely out of aura?'
…
The exhilarating sight of the Beacon Cliffs washed away all other thoughts. The wind on her face, the breeze blowing through the air, the vast stretch of forest several feet below them, the fair sounds of the endless Grimm prowling the woods, all of it served to excite Ruby Rose.
'Is this what mom and dad felt standing here?' She wondered, idly coming to step onto one of the many metallic plates that lined the edge of the cliff. 'I'm nervous, I feel sweat on my forehead, my legs are shaking, and I want to get this thing started right now!'
"For years, you have trained to become warriors," Ozpin spoke, Ruby's attention snapping to him, "And today, the abilities that you've honed over that time will be evaluated here in the Emerald Forest."
"There have been rumours going around in regards to teams," Glynda picked up, "Allow us to put those to rest. Your teams will be decided for you… today."
"Your goal today is to find an abandoned ruin containing a number of relics and acquire one with your partner. After that, head to the opposite cliffs to complete the test. It's simple enough, but just because it's simple, doesn't mean it will be easy. Do not hesitate to use every available weapon in your arsenal, to use all your power, to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."
There was in audible gulp, but even that was drowned out by the roaring Ruby's heart in her ears, a grin stretching almost unnaturally across her face as her aura began to roil around her body, some students taking notice as just how viscous it appeared. It was then that a sharp *TOK* was heard, a yelp from a student as they were suddenly launched into the sky thanks to the metal platform. Suddenly realizing what the metal plates were for, one by one, they were launched off into the forest.
Jaune was sputtering something about having a parachute, but Ruby honestly couldn't care less, a large boy in grey armour shooting into the air right before Yang. The latter turned to Ruby and both sisters shared a wink, Yang quickly slipping on a pair of aviator-glasses before she too was launched, a whoop of joy fading to the air. Ruby closed her eyes and gently breathed out, feeling the spring-loaded contraption beneath her grow tighter and tighter, her knees bending before her eyes flashed open.
'Let's FREAKING DO THIS!'
*TOK-BANG*
The metal plate exploded right as it launched Ruby, the metal caving in as an explosion of rose-petals and wind shocked and blinded the remaining students. Ruby squealed openly at the exhilarating feel of the wind against her face her body propelled straight forward in a swirl of petals dancing through the air. Getting control of her emotions, she kept a mental check of her aura: her semblance-enhanced blast-off barely took a sliver of it away, but she knew that the constant use of it to blast her forward was going to drain her more than necessary. Abruptly shutting it off, she rapidly dived towards the forest floor. For a normal civilian, this would spell certain death: for Ruby, and by extension the majority of other trainees, this was another day in the office. Right as she reached the treetops, she used another burst of her semblance to launch her diagonally through the leaves, tucking her body and flipping as she raced towards a tree-trunk, her feet barely touching the bark before she launched off once more, touching down on another tree before she rapidly repeated the process three more times, pinballing between several trees before she tucked her body once more and flipped, landing on the ground with a sharp slide.
"That's probably… five percent," She muttered, "Now let's go!" She instantly took off in a brisk run, keeping her awareness open to her surroundings while her mind raced. "Okay, what're my options? Blake is interesting! She's got great flexibility, and from the way she moves, she's probably a stealth type, could set up for some nice combinations. Yang is Yang, that's the best option, but she probably landed somewhere behind me, so that's unlikely. Jaune…" She grimaced at the thought, "…Nice, but I don't get the feeling that he's the best in a fight. That leaves-!"
A growl cut through her muttering and Ruby's eyes instantly snapped to her left. A young Beowolf emerged from the bushes, growling as it bared it claws and teeth, only to have a yelp cut short as Ruby covered the distance in an instant. Her body appeared to spin on the spot before her left foot lashed out in a hook-kick, an armoured heel smashing right into its temple before she followed all the way through, growling as she used her momentum to slam its head straight down into the floor. There was a sickening *CRUNCH* as its head folded like a cardboard box, inky-black liquid and bone smashed into the dirt.
"Two more flanking me," She muttered, grinning wide as she heard the two others come at her from both sides. She grunted as she kicked a chunk of dirt into the face and open mouth of one, sending it reeling and gagging while she turned to deal with the other Grimm, its claws already swinging for her face. Her reaction was instant and automatic, stepping in closer to its chest and grabbing its wrist. Her sharp pivot was accompanied by a burst of petals, the Grimm launched clean over her shoulder and racing for the ground. Still grabbing its wrist, she snarled as she rapidly pivoted the other way while it was still airborne, another meaty *SNAP* as its arm bent the complete opposite way before the bone snapped entirely, jutting out of its ruined arm like a spear. Its open-mouthed yowl of agony was also cut short, Ruby's chopping roundhouse crashing into the broken arm like a hammer to a nail, driving the sharpened bone right through its mouth and out of its skull.
The last one hadn't even recovered in time as a blurring front-kick crashed into its jaw, Ruby's leg glowing with aura before its head was torn from its body, the girl landing smoothly as her eyes rapidly darted around, swearing that there was one more Beowulf to take care of, only to hear the *SHK* of a pointy blade piercing whatever constituted for a heart within the Grimm. Relaxing, she turned to meet pale blue eyes, their owner staring right back into Ruby's own, a faint tremble running though their body.
"…hey Weiss."
(TWBY Continued...)
So, Pyrrha and Ruby regularly troll each other? Kinda surprising right? All SEEMS like light-hearted competition between them, which it IS, but give it time and see what happens later down the line... namely when Jaune is thrust into the spotlight. That said, hope you enjoyed, and peace out!