Ayo once again! Just wanna say this might be the last chapter for a bit, seeing as I still have to work on my other Bnha story 'Rumble Young Man Rumble!' Please feel free to check it out (shameless plug). Now, you guys are KILLING it with the reviews, follows and favs, thank you all so much! Speaking of which, there are a couple of reviews which share a very specific point in interest, namely my wording at the end of the last chapter in regards to Jaune, Ruby and Pyrrha, which I will cover now, I HIGHLY suggest that you check it out, as it applies to everyone going into this story, not only the people who have pointed this out.

Guest, 101, Amidamaru88, William0312: So, first and foremost, thank you all for your reviews and honesty in regards to what I said at the end of the last chapter. Now that being said... I CANNOT wipe the shit-eating grin you've put on my face now. Do you truly think me so predictable in the ways of writing? That's I would pick something as bluntly implemented as a love-triangle? I say NAY! XD Now don't get me wrong, I understand why my words last chapter would make you interpret them as 'love-triangle drama', but allow me to reassure you, that is most CERTAINLY not the case. No, I've got something SPICY planned for the three of them (not romantic in nature), and I don't want to give away much beyond the fact that this Ruby will NEVER get with Jaune OR have any form of romantic feelings for him... I'll leave you do try and figure out what's coming for yourselves ;D. In specific regards to William0312, don't worry, you're not being judgemental! I get that unnecessary drama is boring and may detract from the main story, but drama will HAVE to happen at some point considering the canon events of RWBY, I just aim to write it in a way that better develops the characters. Thank you all once again!

uzzi455: Damn, I actually played around with the idea and there's no doubt that it IS a good one, it's unfortunately not the route I'm going for. Granted, things can change in the future... but don't hold out hope. Sorry dude :c

Ben10Extreme: Right!? I was also surprised to hear about it when it was first brought up, and it really doesn't make sense from a story-standpoint. What makes it worse is how the writers attempt to get her to 'learn' hand to hand in Vol 5 within the span of a week, and somehow she can deal with MERCURY? It's part of what inspired me to write the story actually, and I hope the story continued to impress!

Rivera92: Thank you dude! It's funny you should mention moguera, I'm actually a big fan of his works and they're actually a big part of how I wrote my more recent stories, like my Bnha one and this current RWBY one. Events will stay pretty familiar, so RWBY and JNPR will still be formed, but Ruby will NEVER train Jaune, at least before Vol 5, and that's for a specific reason that I won't go into. Thanks again dude and I hope this chapter is as good at the last!

merendinoemiliano: Glad you liked the landing and Pyrrha dude! I always wondered what Pyrrha would really act like is she was around someone she was entirely comfortable with, maybe influenced to be a bit cheekier and outgoing.

KHARAKI TAKAN: Happy you liked it man, also pleased that people are taking to this newer incarnation of Pyrrha nicely!

Alucard45: Please, I ain't stopping you dude, stick around for as long as you want XD! I'm happy that you're liking how Ruby utilizes aura in this, and yeah it's a pretty big martial-arts/ shonen trope that I admittedly am I big fan of. On the topic of a locked vs depleted aura, you're actually correct! However, Ruby simply isn't experienced enough to know that just yet: think about it like an empty cup versus a cup that was recently poured all the way out. Ruby can only see that the cup is generally empty in both cases, but for the latter, she still can't tell whether there are small droplets left over. Ooh, you're not too far off the mark, and it IS foreshadowing... but I won't say much else ;P. As for Ruby's semblance and Vol 8... ugh. Not angry at you, it's just the writing and description of Ruby's semblance that INFURIATES me. If she hAs nO mASs, how the HELL was she able to BREAK THROUGH A METAL DOOR in the previous volume, which if we go by the time in the show, it hasn't even been a few DAYS!... Sorry for ranting, but to put it short, I'll be using ELEMENTS of Vol 8's portrayal of Ruby's semblance, though I WON'T make it act as Penny stated.

Honestly, thought Pyrrha won 3 XD. Imma fix that right before I put this chapter up, so thanks for pointing that out. I'm really happy that people in general seem to like this new side to Pyrrha! Indeed, I'm hyping up Ruby versus Pyrrha, though it might not be as far as you'd think. And yeah, there's a couple times where JNPR will get jarred by Pyrrha and Ruby's trolling XD. And of course, punching is largely Yang's thing, so why not have Ruby kick a Grimm in the shnoz, right XD? So happy you're enjoying the story for far dude!

Guest 2: I'd actually argue against that. Ruby figuring Pyrrha's semblance out IS gonna be a hype moment, but I believe that Pyrrha's victories are most certainly not hollow. It's a testament of her skill to be able not only to dodge attacks that could chop off limbs, but to also be smart enough to use her semblance in a way that lets her remain unharmed and safe with minimum effort. Pyrrha's the Remnant equivalent of Floyd Mayweather (boxing champ, easily the richest sportsman and champion the world has ever seen), her extreme skill is supplemented by her smart defence.

Guest 3: Oooh yeah, Ruby would probably drool at the attack and its name XD

That said, onto the show!

Fighting Rose

Chapter 5

First contact

Weiss Schnee, upon her graceful landing, was almost sure of what to expect in the test. Her superior skill would see her breeze through the competition, pick up a suitable partner, leave them and the Professors in awe at her dazzling ability, and finish as the rightful team leader. She would go on to lead the greatest team Beacon had ever seen, graduate at the top of her class, and return to Atlas in triumph. Oh, she could almost feel the enraged look on father's face-!

A growl cut through her daydream and her training kicked in, whipping Myrtenaster up and setting her feet in a poised stance, her body whipping around to where she heard the noise coming from. A simple Beowolf stalked towards her, growling as it slowly inched forward. 'Okay, remember your training… wait,' She glanced down, slightly adjusted her stance, 'Two feet of space in between, not one and nine-tenths you oaf!' A snarl once again broke through her thoughts and the flinched at the sudden burst of speed from the Grimm, leaping towards her and swinging right for her head. Stumbling back, she yelped as its talons barely brushed past her nose before regaining her balance, just in time to dart forward with a yell and stab it right through the neck. It flailed for a moment before Weiss sharply drew her blade out and whirled around, fire trailing from the tip of the blade before she decapitated it on one fell swoop.

'Ugh, I should've had my stance correct before it had the chance to attack me!' She berated herself, a scowl on her face before she calmed herself down. 'Never mind that, I must find a partner. I know that Pyrrha Nikos landed around here somewhere…' She took off in the general direction of where she thought Pyrrha had landed. 'Her incredible skill will supplement my tactics and ability.' There were sounds of a scuffle ahead of her and Weiss grinned. 'Yes, that must be-!' She broke though a few bushes and came face-to-face with something that made her freeze.

Ruby Rose, the same little girl who had lingered at the back of Weiss' mind was now in front of her, decimating a small pack of Beowolves with a style that one could call utterly brutal and frighteningly efficient. Stomping one's head into the ground, spearing an arm through another's head, tearing the final one's skull clean off its body with a single kick. While no doubt there was the reality of Hunters having to fight with rather rough tactics, this seemed… almost cruel. The fact that Ruby's teeth were bared like a wolf on the hunt and her face twisted into a fierce snarl only cemented the idea further. A rustle of leaves startled Weiss again and she just reacted, turning to stab a Beowolf through the chest before she almost fell, though it wasn't even focused on her. It froze before it keeled over, rapidly dissolving to dust as Weiss quickly turned to face Ruby, once again freezing on the spot. Silver eyes stared directly into her, Ruby's body still lightly tensed, ready to pounce. Weiss felt like she was caught in the sights of something extremely dangerous, the pressure of a genuine predator. Then Ruby relaxed and the pressure vanished, Weiss feeling like she could finally breathe.

"…hey Weiss."

"…A-ahem… Ruby," Weiss greeted back. Ruby didn't need her awareness to see that Weiss was both surprised at having found Ruby rather than someone else (she was betting her money it was Pyrrha) and the fright at how she'd just dealt with those Beowolves. Ruby sighed and walked forward, a wry grin on her face as she held out a hand.

"Looks like you and I are stuck together for the next four years of our lives," She said, "So would it kill you to drop the long face and lighten up a bit Princess?" That familiar haughty look returned to Weiss' face and Ruby's grin widened.

"I don't have a long face!" She shot back, cheeks reddening before she huffed, daintily clasping hands with Ruby's and shaking, "…b-but regardless, let us work together well, Ruby."

"Likewise," Ruby giggled, before they immediately took off in different directions. "…Weiss, where are you going?"

"Towards the direction of the Ruins, obviously."

'…hooo boy,' Ruby thought before she brushed her combat skirt off and sat down, "…So you're absolutely sure that you know where it is?"

"…Yes, it's to the north, that way."

'That's south-west,' She thought with a stifled laugh. 'You know what? We've got time to burn. If she really doesn't know that you can just look at the sun to tell where east and west is, then this is going to be so much fun.'

"Right then princess, lead the way."

…

Yang slowed her fall by literally ripping through several trees with terrifyingly powerful blows, kicking off of others as she slowed down enough before landing with a smooth roll and a massive grin.

"Nailed it!"

Opting to save her energy, she calmed herself and casually walked forward, knowing that the ruins were bound to be north and keeping an eye on the sun. "Wonder if Ruby's around this area…" Yang wondered aloud, "She should be a bit to the right of me, I think… aw well, she'll be alright." She whistled a tune as she walked along, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to use the 'awareness' that Ruby had, listening in on the environment around her, eyes darting around to focus on any sudden sounds. She heard a rustle from a bush off to her left and her curiosity got the better of her, walking towards it.

"Anyone there – oh."

She instantly dashed back with her hands up, a wild grin on her face as two massive Ursa tried to swing meaty paws at her. A regular human would've been torn in half like paper, and even Yang would've found herself sent onto her ass if she took a blow from something this big. That was fine by her.

"Alright then…" She put her guard all the way down, arms hanging almost loosely at her sides before she stood straighter. Then, she started to bounce: lightly, nothing high or stressed, utterly relaxed. "Trickster!"

Deciding that the human was just toying with them, the Ursai bellowed and charged at her, their feet making the dirt tremble in their footfall, the first one getting to her and lunging with thick, sharp teeth, only to chomp around air. Yang was beside it now, still bouncing lightly on her toes with that same grin on her face. Roaring, they lunged at her again in an attempt to simply squash her this time under their combined bulk: that was a mistake on their part.

"Striker!" Red-hot knuckles blasted into the sternum of the one in front of her, blonde hair suddenly lighting up briefly before they were both blasted backwards. Yang didn't waste a single moment, flicking her wrists and reconfiguring Ember Celica's functions.

"Gunslinger!" In an instant, the two Grimm were blanketed by a hail of burning gunfire, bolts of pure heat slamming into their furry hides and engulfing them in flames as they roared in pain. Naturally, there weren't prepared as Yang dashed in once more, lowering her base as she rocketed a left uppercut right into one's lower gut, Ember going off with a bellowing *BANG* and tearing a burning hole right through its chest, the Grimm dissolving into ashes near-instantly. The other one barely managed to get a decent guard up in time as Yang shifted back into her so-called 'Striker' style, lowering her centre of gravity again as her lilac eyes burned crimson.

'Spring off the toes,' She thought, 'Let aura travel from my legs… feel my back burn… and let it explode from my knuckles!'

"Sun-Dragon STINGER!"

Her entire body twisted as she threw her right fist forward, the ground under her right foot sinking and cracking from the sudden force. The Ursa on the other hand wasn't as lucky as the ground, Yang's fist blasting right through its guard and into its chin. Combined with the force of her punch and massively enhanced by her aura, Celica's discharge was a literal bomb going off, the Ursa's head reduced to atoms before the rest of its body went flying through the air, blasting through a tree before disintegrating into nothingness.

Yang stood there with a fist outstretched, breathing out to try and cool herself down. At least, that was until Ursa burst from the bushes and bolted right for her. Grinning wide, Yang right at it, covering the distance what looked like a burst of golden fire from her feet, catching the Grimm off guard as she roared and rocketed a left hook into its face, hard enough to shatter the bone-plating and rip right through its grey-matter in an instant. All was seemingly quiet after that, Yang's heartbeat echoing through her head, her body buzzing with heat. It was there that she felt something brush up against her awareness, a faint rush of air coming from behind.

'This is…!'

She whipped around, arm whirling through the air to bat away… a gun-blade attached to a ribbon? Regardless, she saw the blur of a figure moving towards her, the weapon already back in their hands and she simply reacted, stepping forward to meet them with powerful right hook – only for both of them to freeze. The barrel of Celica was pressed against their temple, while a katana-type blade was gently brushing against Yang's neck as she stared into shining amber eyes.

'Was… was that what Ruby was talking about with awareness? That felt awesome!' Yang thought with a grin as she relaxed. 'Also, partner!'

"You're faster than I thought you'd be," The amber-eyed girl said with a tiny smirk. Yang chuckled nervously, now realizing that there was a live blade pointed right at her neck.

"E-ehehe… thanks? But uh, could you kindly take the sword away from the throat? Kinda need that."

"Gun away from my head then," She shot back with that same little smirk, "Need that too."

At that, Yang completely relaxed and laughed, hands going up as they stepped away from each other. "Haha, you're not bad with the jokes!" She said before holding an open hand. "Blake, right? I get a feeling that we'll get along just fine."

Blake took her hand and shook firmly. "And you're Yang, if I remember. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise Blakey," Yang said with a big smile, "Now, let's fetch us some relics!"

…

"…w-well, it's definitely that way!" Weiss said, dragging Ruby along as the younger girl just sighed, idly toying with a small flower in her hand.

"Whatever you say princess," She said before a grin stretched across her face, "Isn't this the same area we were just in? For the third time?" Though Ruby was behind her, she clearly saw Weiss' body tense up in frustration and rage, her cheeks quickly reddening. Ruby could literally feel the smouldering rage roiling from her aura, cracking and heaving like a frozen lake preparing to explode. This was without a doubt, anger. 'Yeesh, it's like she ready to shank someone,' Ruby thought with a small chuckle. 'Time to piss her off even more!'

"I think I might have an idea on where to find it," Ruby said, Weiss whipping around and glaring daggers.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yep," Ruby answered back bluntly, "The Sun rises in the east, sets in the west. It's only around 8:20 in the morning right now, so it'll be easy where North is. Hell, we'd probably be able to see the cliffs we need to get to if we were high enough."

"… how will you do that with all of these trees in the way?" Weiss pointed out, eyes narrowing as if she'd turned the tides.

"Uh, common sense, both of us have semblances that let us hop above the trees. You've got Glyphs and I…" Ruby crouched down, aura and rose-petals swirled around her. "…have my Scatter." She shot straight up like a bullet, easily breaking through the treeline before quickly checking the sun's position and locating the cliffs to the north. Using another quick burst of her semblance, she repositioned her body mid-air and rocketed right back down, pinballing off a few trees to slow her fall and cushion her landing, right back in front of a gaping Weiss.

"North is that way," Ruby pointed, "And so are the cliffs. The forest seems to narrow down a bit more the further north we travel, funnily enough, so we shouldn't miss the ruins. I think I caught a glimpse of a big opening about a mile up, that might be our best bet." Weiss was rendered completely silent as Ruby went forward, though she quickly walked up to her side, still glaring at her.

"Why didn't you just do that from the start?" Weiss grumbled.

"Because you denied by help the first ten times," Ruby shot back with that same grin on her face. "I decided to get it over with on the eleventh. I get wanting to do things on your own, to grow stronger and show that you alone are capable of being the best… but what's the point if you just stand there looking like an idiot?"

"Don't call me an idiot!" Weiss snapped, only to receive a raised eyebrow in return. "So what if you can tell where north or south is? You'll still have a hard time matching my poise and grace in the middle of combat."

"Poise and grace doesn't amount to much when your life is on the line," Ruby said nonchalantly, "Didn't you almost trip up over yourself when that Beowolf jumped you?"

"I-I had just landed down! How did you even see that!?"

"… Weiss, I was talking about when we met." Weiss immediately turned tomato-red as Ruby's face stretched into that infuriating grin once more. "Wow, I'm good."

"Oh hush you," Weiss sighed, finally defeated. "You're unbearably infuriating."

"Then that mean's I'm doing a great job," Ruby giggled, her smile much more natural now, at least until something suddenly felt… big… enter her awareness.

"Ugh, why does the ruins have to be so-?" Weiss started before Ruby quickly slapped her hand over Weiss' mouth, a small squeal before Ruby hurriedly shushed her. There was a questioning look in Weiss eye before an absolutely massive black feather gently floated to the ground in front of them. Weiss' head instantly shot up to see an equally gigantic Nevermore having just perched on top of the trees with shocking silence. Weiss however, was not silent.

"OH MY GOD!"

The Nevermore's head instantly broke through the leaves above, staring right at them before unleashing a screech that rattled both girls' bones.

"DAMMIT WEISS, WHY'D YOU SCREAM!?"

"BECAUSE IT SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!" She shrieked back as they both took up their stances, "SINCE WHEN DID GRIMM GET THAT BIG!?"

"Have you EVER stepped out of your own mansion and try to fight a LIVE GRIMM BEFORE!?"

"I fought a Geist possessing a giant suit of armour," Weiss said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh wow, seriously? That's actually really cool – wait, never mind that! Giant bird in front of us!"

"Right! I have no idea how to fight this thing!" Weiss admitted.

"I've got a sure-fire way to deal with it, something that'll work for sure against something like this." Ruby said confidently, her feet set in a highly stable stance… before she promptly turned around, grabbed Weiss by the wrist, and sprinted off. "WE HOOF IT OUTTA HERE!" Ruby, despite dragging along Weiss, had near-impeccable running-form, legs pumping and arms swinging as soon as Weiss managed to get her own feet under her and run alongside Ruby.

"That's your strategy!?"

"DUH! I've got something else that might kill it, but unless we've got more people to work with and I can't take it down, then I'll be all outta gas and both of us are toast!"

…

One thing Yang learned about Blake in this short period of time was that while she wasn't the most talkative person in the work, she was certainly interesting. Perfectly snarky and cheeky, yet quiet and thoughtful. She seemed shy and closed off at times, but Yang knew that her own shining personality would drag Blake's true persona back into the open in given time.

"Sooo…" Yang said as she walked backwards, facing Blake, "Since we're working together, call me curious, but what's your Semblance?"

"Oh, uh…" Blake suddenly seemed to phase to the side, leaving behind a perfect copy of herself. "Shadow-clones. I leave behind a physical construct of aura made in my image, and I can use it to make platforms to jump off of or make a quick dash."

"Mmm, defensive-mobility type huh? That's pretty damn cool!"

"What about yours? I saw your hair light up that one time…" Blake asked, her own curiosity getting the better of her. At that, Yang grinned and lowered her stance slightly, clenching her fists hard as her hair suddenly glowed like a golden fire, eyes flashing red.

"Dragon-Burst! When I first unlocked it, I just thought that any damage I took builds overtime before by body can't contain it, and I get a massive power-boost for a short while. Ruby helped me figure out that it was way more than that: I can sacrifice small bits of my aura for short bursts of power, and even better than that, I don't need to take damage for by Semblance to power me up. I just need raw kinetic force!"

"Huh, so a conditional-offensive and enhancement? I've…" Her expression seemed to become darker, Yang flinching at the blank look on her face and the tremble in her eyes. "I've met someone with something similar before." Yang instantly powered down and sheepishly looked away, much to Blake's surprise. Was she… embarrassed?

"S-sorry."

'Oh my God she is,' Blake thought with her usual tiny grin.

"You uh… you had this look on you that said the person with a semblance like mine… ain't exactly the best kinda person. If it helps, I won't use it if I don't have to around you." Blake's smile was warmer this time around.

"Thank you Yang, but please, don't worry about that. Your semblance is… different compared to them."

"Oh? Different how?" Yang jumped at the chance to crack a joke, if only to lighten the mood, "Am I just hot as hell? My burning passion? My awesome firepower?" Blake rolled her eyes at the frankly dumb puns, but it only served to cement her statement.

"It's… warm."

That shut Yang up pretty quickly, her cheeks a bit pink as a beaming grin split her face.

"Oh look, I think that we found the ruins," Blake said, realizing that they had reached a clearing. From there, it was a straight shot right towards some rather notable ruins, objects on pedestals openly glinting in the light.

"Wow, that was…" Yang's brow furrowed as she looked around, bending her knees as if to prepare to dodge.

"Something wrong?" Blake asked, the hair on the back of her neck standing up at the sudden serious aura that overtook Yang.

"No… and that's what's screwing with me," She huffed, "A wide-open field, literally nothing between us and the goal? Yeah, something's gonna happen."

"What are you thinking? Traps? Maybe grimm burrowed in the ground?" Blake asked.

"Bad luck, therefore all of the above," Yang sighed, "Let's just wing it and hope nothing bad happens."

With that, the two of them cautiously but quickly made their way across the field, Bake keeping a keen eye on the ground and the surrounding forest for any signs of movement. They reached the relics without incident, and likewise, Blake quickly picked up the shining ivory knight-piece and stored it. At that, all was silent, and Blake breathed out in relief.

"…Well, that was e-"

At that moment, multiple thing s happened. A heavily-armoured Ursa burst through the trees, bellowing in pain as a ginger-girl riding its back shrieked in delight, pummelling it to death with her Warhammer. Right after, Ruby and Weiss were running full tilt through some bushes no too far from where Blake and Yang had exited, a massive Nevermore suddenly swooping above the treeline. Then, the skinny blond that Blake had caught glimpses of came flying through the sky, screaming like a girl before he face-planted into the dirt right in front of the Bumblebee duo.

"…" Blake sheepishly looked at Yang, the latter giving her a deadpan stare. "I mean… it's only one Nevermore, right?"

Finally, a pile of trees were flying into the air as Pyrrha came barrelling through the woods, a thickly-armoured Deathstalker hot on her heels and attempting to rip off said heels with gigantic pincers, large enough to crush cars… and people. Several people at the same time, as a matter of fact.

"Dammit Blake."

"Don't pin this on me!"

(TWBY Continued...)

Initiation is heating up! Also, Yang's style seems to have changed up huh? Wonder what that's all about... Regardless, hope you all enjoyed, and see you next time! Peace out!