Aaand hello once again y'all! Once again, thank you all so much for the love and support this story's been getting, its been genuinely fun! Had this chapter sitting on my laptop for a while, so why not deliver, eh? Review time!

Alucard45: I know, I know, there's very few things that can beat Ruby dragging the Nevermore up the cliff with her Scythe, but I am glad that I got close to the coolness factor XD. Ahh, nice catch with the Silver Eyes! And I think that I know which story you might be talking about, it's a shame that it never got continued (and I appreciate that the story is considered good :D)

Now, I don't want to reveal too much too soon, but you're correct in that there will be changes to how the eyes work and that it connects to aura. They way I used them here actually line up a bit more with canon however: remember during RWBY's escape from the Apathy, Ruby let them flash out for a brief moment to drive them back? From that, I gathered that at lower levels (in the case of this story, the level that Ruby is currently at when it comes to the Eyes, so no obliterating Grimm with her eyes alone) the Eyes can still do minor damage to Grimm. With that said, you're correct in saying that she infused her Eyes with her aura (and I didn't specify, but she didn't use her special dust in that last kick)! I'm glad that it's cool, but of course, there's still the drawback of needing to use a bunch of aura and getting exhausted after using it, so it won't be an attack she can spam freely.

Now... new Grimm. It's a good guess, but no, the Scudo Angelos are not based off Bleach Hollows (though they do look fairly similar, can't deny that), but are directly from the Devil May Cry game series (not the remake, we don't talk about that), something that'll be constant throughout the story. Again, don't wanna say too much, but you're right on the money, they are 'spawned' under the condition that Ruby isn't able to fully eradicate a large-sized Grimm with her eyes. If she does get the hang of her ability, no problem! If she can't, there's a chance at least one Angelo will spawn (depending on the Grimm size). Oh and don't worry, everyone who fought the Angelos will remember its voice and Ruby's eyes.

Finally, the big man Port himself! He talks the talk in the story, but we never get to see him flex his stuff. It's exactly like what one of the reviews said, he's an oldy in a young-people's game, and you just don't become a leading professor of a topic with experience AND skill, which is exactly what I wanted to show off. He'll also be getting some extra screen-time!

Thanks again for the love dude!

LightStorm89: Oh, just you wait dude! You think you love the story now? Seeing as you're a Dmc fan, don't forget, there are several different Angelos... that's all I have to say for now ;D.

Jak Fortune: Damn indeed my man, damn indeed.

merendinoemiliano: So happy you're liking it dude, and happy new year to you too!

Jake Redhawke: Niiiice, another Dmc fan! Also, correct, Yang does the Dempsey Roll, and remember, it's canon! Don't forget she did it all the way back in her first Yellow Trailer along with her Volume 3 fight against Mercury. It's an awesome move that I'm honestly surprised isn't used more, both in the show and in other fics.

hirshja: Thank you, exactly my thoughts! Port's always been pushed to the side as a boring storyteller, and I think it's a bit of a shame we don't get to see more of the Head of Grimm-Hunting in action!

Guest 1: Happy you're liking to story so far dude! But yeah, I get where you're coming from with the music cues. Honestly, music is such a big part of early RWBY when it comes to setting the tone of a fight, but like you said, trying to do that in written format is difficult and comes off as amateurish. I have an idea how to implement it more cleverly, but I'll still need to think on that. Regardless, thank you for the honesty dude, and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Guest 2: Thank you for the love dude, don't worry, I'll be keeping up with this as well!

Kivuntappaja: Happy you liked the Christmas greeting dude XD. So, there IS a legitimate reason for shouting attack names, which will get fully explained a bit later, though the two main reasons are a) Anime logic XD, and b) It acts as a mental trigger. This one is especially important. I won't deny, trying to write Ruby dragging the Nevermore up the cliff with her bare hand does sound goofy, and it is, considering she stabbed her hand through its face to get a grip, which is exactly what I'm going for. Current RWBY has its highs and several lows, but it lost something very important as time passed. Enemies are not to simply be defeated or overcome: they have to have their asses thoroughly kicked in the most bullshit, batshit way possible XD. Oh, and the new Grimm in case you didn't know are directly from the Devil May Cry series! Thank you again for your honesty and support dude!

Sithdoom: Ayyeee a TRICKSWORDTRICK connoisseur XD! Sadly, no Judgement Cut for Ruby... specifically Ruby and the main cast of protagonists. (You're actually right, Ruby's speed alone could probably be enough to emulate Vergil's moveset... huh.) There is someone who can do Judgement Cuts in the story, but I won't say much beyond that. Devil Trigger states on the other hand... well, I'll keep quiet about that too ;D. Yup, worry not, no Jaune/Ruby pairing here, that'll stay 100% true throughout the story. It's funny actually, I somehow forgot that Penny had freckles... XD. Regardless, stick around and find out what happens next!

With all that said, onto the shoooow!

Fighting Rose

Chapter 7

Trouble in paradise

"It's… odd, to see you recovering so quickly," Blake said to Ruby, the latter making sure that the dust-based bandages were placed over her injuries correctly.

"Yeah, well I think it's in part because of my Semblance," Ruby admitted, her voice sounding a bit… off. "Should be at… maybe 80% capacity by tomorrow afternoon?"

"Always looking for another fight huh?" Yang chuckled, yawning as she plopped down onto her bed. "Anyways, I guess this is our first official night together as Team RWBY! Ain't that right, Team Leader Ruby?"

Team Leader. Honestly, if Ozpin was looking to try and blindside her, he'd done so with extreme success. That tiny, infuriating smirk on his face… he pulled this on purpose, he was testing her by trying to screw her over.

"Yeah… Team Leader," Ruby muttered, 'First you screwed my mom over and now me? Tsk, thanks for nothing. Speaking of which…' It was hard to ignore the silent fuming of Weiss Schnee as she made her way around the room, each step and movement sharp and jagged, what felt like anger rolling off her body. 'Greeeaaat, she probably thinks she deserves to be leader. Honestly… why not? She's pretty smart, she seems good at strategies and crunching the numbers super-quick. Ah well, you can take the Weiss from the Schnee, but you can't take the Schnee from the Weiss.'

Stifling a groan, she forced herself to stand up, looking at the state of the room. Their four beds were packed together side by side in the smaller-than-average room, their luggage all stuffed in the closet and the cabinet laying flat on its face. This wouldn't do. '…If Ozpin saw something of my mom in me, then I can lead Team RWBY just like she led Team STRQ, and better. Besides, it's not exactly like I can turn the position down, not unless I want to give up my place at Beacon here.'

"Okay… Yang, I need you to try and pick up the beds and place them on top of each other. If we rig this thing right, we should be able to make bunk-beds and give us way more space. I'll see if I can get a hammer and some nails to keep them in place, it's safer than using some rope and a pile of books to hold 'em up. Until then, please don't break them Yang."

"That was the one time," Yang whined as she stood up, gripping the bed that Blake was on and lifting up with a small grunt, adjusting her balance to make sure she didn't spill dark-and-broody onto the floor.

"Right, just like that," Ruby said as she made to whip out her scroll, "Now try and hold it like that for a – "

"I'll be able to hold it in place," Weiss said quietly, everyone's attention caught. "I've recovered more than enough aura to make smaller Glyphs so that Yang doesn't have to stand there the whole time."

"… that's perfect," Ruby said after a moment, a small but genuine smile on her face. "Thanks Weiss."

"H-hmph, well, this room is a pigsty," She said, trying to cover up the embarrassed splash of pink on her cheeks. "It's only natural to want to have it cleaned and organized."

"Fair enough," Ruby agreed, though she was internally wondering something, her gaze flicking back to Weiss as she used her Glyphs to help Yang. '… it isn't anger, not really…' She thought, trying to get a feel for Weiss. 'She feels like… like me when I get a technique wrong or when I get an idea-block.' The way her aura seemed to roil and waver into itself finally made sense to Ruby, lightbulb going off in her head. 'Is she… frustrated? That makes a lot of sense actually, a Schnee getting frustrated at not being given a position of authority.' Having just sent the request for some tools to the Beacon Staff, she felt a gaze on her, her head sharply snapping to stare directly at Blake.

Shock spiked through Blake, barely able to supress a flinch before she forcibly schooled her emotions, her very aura becoming smoother. Still, Ruby just smirked and winked at her, Blake's eyebrows dropping flat and a small, playful pout on her face.

'So you can do it too, huh Blake?' Ruby thought, her curiosity spiking, 'You can read emotions as well. Not even a proper day at Beacon and I'm already learning some interesting things!' Her eyes widened as she ran that thought through her mind again, a scowl on her face as they narrowed. 'Is that what Ozpin is trying to bait me with, to get me to stay here as Team Leader? Maybe I was too honest when I talked to him.' It wasn't too long after that the hammer, nails and other tools were given in and Ruby was busy cutting and hammering away to get the right fit. Blake was idly reading, and Yang was out like a light right underneath, despite Ruby's hammering.

*TOK, TOK, TOK*

"Hmm… yup, this should do it," Ruby said with a self-satisfied smile, slightly leaning in and flicking her wrist to give the nail one last tap. Her arm froze up and her back suddenly flared with agony, the muscles yanking and twisting painfully. She barely managed to stifle a cry of pain, standing stock-still as she tried to haphazardly wash some aura over her muscles to soothe the pain. "I… gotta get something from the bathroom for a moment. Just hold the last bed in place."

She didn't even hear what anyone had to say as she stiffly walked into the bathroom (surprisingly sizable) and shut the door, gingerly sitting down on the closed toilet and biting into her arm in another attempt to stifle the stabbing pains spreading through her lower back. Contrary to what civilians, and by extension the majority of hunters believed, there were severe drawbacks to having and using aura. The manifestation of the soul did not simply swell from and flow randomly within the body: instead, Ruby had found out that there were circuits, metaphysical points of connection from each physical part of a person all the way to… something. Ruby herself wanted to call it the soul, but she hadn't delved deep enough, nor did she truly think that the something was the soul itself, seeing as it didn't feel like aura truly flowed from it. Regardless, these circuits were something dormant that every living being had within them, humans, Faunus and animals alike, opening up fully once their aura was brought forth by whatever means. These auric circuits could be increased in quantity via physical training, specifically physical stress creating more pathways from which aura could flow, and in quality via exercises revolving around control, such as meditation and using skills revolving around the more delicate usage of aura. There were other ways, but that was besides the point.

Thus, the problem. As a power-source converted from something unknown to something physical via a medium that were the circuits, physical problems could arise from poor use of aura, like say, forcing more aura through circuits that could only withstand a certain amount and quality. 'Pockets' of aura could remain trapped within the circuits while said circuits mended themselves, sudden 'flares' of aura leading to rather painful consequences… as seen here. Fighting through the pain, Ruby tried to calm herself and look within, focusing on where her circuits seemed to be firing off randomly to affect her back. She attempted to steady her breathing and gently ease out the flow of aura within it, only for another flare to hit her and make her bite down on her arm harder.

'God, why now!?' Ruby cried internally, her ears catching some muffled speaking from the room, something about someone also looking for something in the bathroom before the gentle padding of feet made its way to the door. 'NONONONONO-!' Blake quietly opened the door, taking one unsurprised look at Ruby before closing the door behind her just as quietly, kneeling by the surprised younger girl.

"Turn around," Blake said softly, a small grin on her face, "I know the side-effects of clogged streams when I see them."

Ruby stared at Blake for a moment before another lance of pain struck her, forcing her to ease herself to face away from Blake, the latter lifting her shirt and bare her back, a hiss coming from Blake. "God Ruby…"

"I-is it as bad as it feels?" Ruby joked with a strained chuckle.

"Ruby, your lower-back is purple," Blake said sharply as the tips of her fingers pressed firmly against the massive bruising, Ruby gripping the lid so hard that the porcelain began to crack… until a wave of soothing relief made her sigh out loud. It felt like her lower back was suddenly wrapped in smooth silk, Blake's aura gently working out the knots that were causing the pain as Ruby's muscles relaxed. "I've heard and seen that overusing your aura can cause the streams to back up, but why is it centred around your lower back and legs…?"

"It's because of my main fighting-style," Ruby said, a small twinge of pain as Blake quickly went to work on another knot. "I fired up my aura as much as I could and funnelled everything I had into my legs and back for that diving kick, when the Angelo came at Weiss. My body could take one flare, but that was the first time I even tried to do two."

"You did this to yourself to rescue her?" Blake asked, and Ruby snorted as she could practically feel the raised eyebrow on Blake.

"I know, I know, she's… prickly," Ruby chuckled, "But… she's my partner, and while we may not be friends now, I wanna break past the Schnee and get to know Weiss, y'know? I'll give her a chance. She can't be that bad, right?"

"For someone so skilled at your age, you're unbearably naïve," Blake sighed.

"Maybe," Ruby laughed, "Though, it's not like I don't appreciate it, trust me when I say I really do, but uh… why are you helping me? You don't even know me all that well."

"Well I…" Blake stopped, curious herself, "… I guess I just have a good feeling about you."

"O-oh… thank you," Ruby said, her cheeks heating up a bit before she turned with a cheeky smile. "Well if that's the case, then why not give Weiss the same chance?"

"Because… ugh," Blake scoffed, "She's going to challenge your authority solely because she's a Schnee, I hope you know that."

"If it comes to that, then I'll break her Schnee pride over my knee," Ruby said plainly, the words making Blake flinch, "… I'll be honest, she's got every right to challenge my authority. I got into Beacon just because I stopped Torchwick – "

"Wait, that was you?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, just got lucky and unlucky," Ruby sighed, "But I basically got in because 'Ozpin said so' and I was made team leader because 'Ozpin said so.' Being two years younger really doesn't help my case. I know he did it on purpose, and now I can't back out."

"Why can't you…? Oh. Ooooh. Under special circumstances, forfeiting your leadership means forfeiting your place here as a student, right?" Blake remembered from the legal contracts that every student had to sign before enrolling. Normally, leadership can be willingly passed onto another member of the team or taken via trial by combat. However, though Ruby may be the youngest to ever have been accepted into Beacon, she was not the first to get in early. Students who did find themselves both accepted early and placed as Team leaders, but did not want the mantle or were unfit for it, were simply sent back to their combat school for further training until the appropriate age of 17 could be met to re-enter. Not an expulsion per-se, more like an honourable and temporary discharge, one that Ruby herself did not want. At all. Regardless of her forced position in the team, if Weiss became a threat to her chance to grow even stronger, then…

'No. No, Weiss is smarter and more composed than to whine about something like that, especially on the first day.'

"Mm," Ruby hummed, "Anyway, thank you for helping me Blake, would've been barely able to do a quick patch-up and get an hour or two of sleep after passing out. Also, if you don't mind me asking, why'd you call them 'streams?'"

"I was taught about aura from… an old partner," Blake said, her face going flat as she reigned in her emotions, though not without Ruby noticing the slight tremor in her aura, "And the way he described it was like streams running through you. Too much water rushing through and you could mess up the flow."

"Huh, that's a pretty good description. I always thought of them as circuits," Ruby laughed as she stood up idly twisting and prodding her back, able to look in the mirror now. There was still the normal bit of soreness, but she was used to that, the supposed bruising and sharp pain now gone. "Thanks again Blake, I really owe you for that one."

"You don't owe me for anything," Blake said back with an earnest smile, however small, "Now let's fix up that final bed. As funny as it'd be to see Weiss sleep on a floor, I'd rather not listen to her whining all night."

As they exited, Blake couldn't help but glance at Ruby while they went back to work, focusing on the glimpses of those silver eyes, the haunting memory of the Angelo screeching its namesake. 'Silver, huh…?' Blake wondered.

…The next morning, five minutes before Professor Port's class…

Weiss had been watching Ruby like a hawk ever since she was awoken early in the morning, roughly around six-thirty. She remembered a familiar sound of rushing air, the image of Ruby Rose silently training in her pyjama-pants and black tank-top hard enough to work up a serious sweat. Her movements were not like the night before the Entrance Exam, a bit stiffer and more controlled out of necessity. Again, there was that same pause where she stood there, tears welling in her eyes for a moment before the fiercely scrubbed them away. Though unlike last time, Weiss was surprised to see a look of raw frustration, so much like the expression that Weiss had to experience almost every time she looked in a mirror. Ruby had actually sat in front of the mirror that Weiss had provided, staring at herself with a scowl, examining her eyes as she started to mutter, just loud enough to capture the gist of what she was saying.

"Do the Angelo-types… because of my…? Hmm… can't rely on them… wasn't getting anywhere anyway…" She sighed and stood up, grabbing clothes and making her way silently to the shower, stopping as she reached for the door, her next words making Weiss jolt.

"That bathroom's all yours after I'm done Weiss. I'm pretty sure your showers are just as short as mine."

'She's… she must be mocking me,' Weiss thought as Team RWBY made their way to their first class. 'Is she so childish to lord her authority over me like that? Trying to shock me? A child does not deserve the position of leader! It should have been me! It HAD to be me! If I had taken charge, maybe that… abomination… wouldn't have been brought forth… somehow.' The mere thought of the Angelo, its frightening capabilities and its horrid imitation of speech, all of it haunted her thoughts, unable to get her to speak about it. She didn't appear to be the only one: Pyrrha's distraction, Jaune's silence, even Nora's bubbly nature dulled.

Regardless, they found themselves sitting right in front of their sister-team JNPR, something both Yang and Nora had dubbed them seeing as they had worked together in the Entrance Exam, and so far the two teams seemed to be on good terms. Well…

"Oh, hello again brat!" Pyrrha said with that shocking snark of hers returning, having just been talking to Jaune with her regular well-and-cheery tone. "You look pretty well for someone who got their behind handed to them. How're those ribs?"

"Sup again fake-champ," Ruby greeting back, both of them grinning and jabbing at each other without any real hostility. "And you're one to talk. How's that busted nose of yours doin? Looks a bit crooked from where I'm standing." Pyrrha huffed and rolled her eyes playfully, subtly checking her nose while Ruby lightly prodded her rib.

"Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to," Jaune chuckled, Pyrrha's cheeks turning a bit pink, seen by nobody but Ruby who just waggled her eyebrows at her. Pyrrha subtly flipped Ruby the bird, a playful glare shooting back, the lightly tense atmosphere eased for the time being... at least in regards to all but one person.

'How?!' Weiss screamed internally. 'How can someone as distinguished as Pyrrha Nikos side with a bumpkin like Ruby instead of me!?'

"Hello students!" A familiar voice cut through her thoughts, the equally familiar visage of Peter Port making his way to the front of the class. "Some of you may already know who I am, but regardless, the name is Peter Port, and I am Beacon Academy's resident Grimm-Studies Professor. As such, let us not waste any time and get into the meat of the subject: Grimm. Demons. Monsters. Prowlers of the night! Of course, I prefer to call them out for what they truly are, my prey! Hahaha…" The silence of the class was nothing short of awkward, yet he seemed to take it into stride relatively smoothly.

"Ahem, well of course, you all shall feel the same once you graduate! Now, seeing as it's the first class, we shall go into the basics, which is what we hunters do, and protect the innocent people from that which they cannot defend themselves against: the world! Now for example, when I was a boy…" The professor proceeded to dive into a lengthy and snore-inducing rant about his own greatness and capabilities. Weiss found herself dozing off at times, trying to snap herself awake and take whatever notes that this… story… of the Professor's had to tell.

'Is… is this really the same man who effortlessly beat a B+ Ranked Grimm? Surely there's something here…?' Glancing to her right, Blake and Yang seemed to be of the same mindset, struggling to find something to write home. To her left, Ruby was… drawing. 'IS SHE NOT EVEN TRYING!? What a chil….de…' Ruby looked deep in thought, eyebrows knit together in a similar fashion to this morning, and her sketch was… certainly something. It wasn't the best-looking, but the subject of it was clear enough to see.

'The Angelo…?' Though the sketch was rough, the look of it was just as menacing as she remembered, its voice still haunting her ears. Snapping out of her slight shivering, Weiss saw Ruby jotting down notes.

Seems distracted with multiple targets.

Not smart to go head-on unless I'm at 100% speed or have Yang's strength.

Break shield to stun?

Need to cut it off with angles if I can't break the shield.

Am I too weak to fight it alone?

That made Ruby's face scrunch up again, her frustration clear to see. Her hand clenched hard enough to make the metallic pen creak, only for her to breathe out and calm herself, glancing up to try and listen in to Professor Port's story. She stifled a snicker and quickly drew something else, saying "Psst!" at the rest of the team to show them an extremely childish drawing of Professor Port as… Professor Poop.

'THIS GODDAMN CONDRADICTING CHILD.'

Both Yang and Blake had a few giggles at it while Weiss struggled to contain her rage at the fact that this confusing brat of a child was somehow her leader.

"In short, a Hunter is strong, strategic, and wise, like myself! That being said…" Port chuckled, "Which of you believes themselves to be a true Hunter, or Huntress! For the ladies in the room~" He said with a wink, Weiss' hand shooting up.

"I do professor!"

"Well then, change into your combat gear and be back promptly to test your skills!" Weiss did just that, preparing herself in record time before standing at the floor of the class, Port having dragged out a cage containing the thrashing form of a Boarbatusk, massive tusks scraping against the metal bars. Yang and even Blake cheered for Weiss while Ruby just remained silent, keenly watching the proceedings.

"Show us your mettle, Miss Schnee!" Port said as he raised his battleaxe, bringing down to cut the chain. "Begin!"

Weiss was instantly in her stance as it came charging at her, sidestepping and slashing at its side while keeping her eyes on it. 'No damage?'

"Hoho, wasn't expecting that, now were you?" Port chuckled, Weiss gritting her teeth and charging in to try and skewer head-on. It simply snorted and thrashed its head in response, Weiss crying out as she was rag-dolled for a moment, holding onto her weapon for all she was worth.

"Weiss, disengage and reset yourself!" Ruby shouted out, Weiss snapping her head to glare fiercely at the girl only to have her weapon ripped from her grip and flung off to the side.

"Disarmed! What shall you do now?"

Weiss growled and quickly leapt over the Grimm as it tried to gore her, sprinting over to her weapon and getting back into her stance.

"Aim for the belly!" Ruby called out again, "There's no armour-!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Weiss roared, silencing both Ruby and everyone else. She didn't get time to see the younger girl's reaction as the Boarbatusk curled into a ball and spun like a buzzsaw, building up momentum before shooting right at her. The words of Ruby still echoing in her mind, Weiss quickly conjured two glyphs, one in front of her that the Grimm slammed into with such force that it squealed and flopped onto its back, Weiss leaping onto the second one in the air before launching herself at its prone form, spearing it right through the chest. The Grimm let out one last cry before it quickly faded to ashes, Weiss huffing as she stood up, ignoring Port's praises and turning to glare at Ruby once more. However, her entire body locked up and her senses screamed at her to run, her rapier dropping to the ground as she back peddled. Yang was trying to hold Ruby back by the shoulder, only for the smaller girl to fiercely rip herself away for her elder sister with ease, an utterly monstrous snarl on her face. Seeing it was one thing, but having this wave of pressure directed at herself with full intent to follow through was terrifying to Weiss.

"Professor Port," Ruby called out, gaining the man's attention. "Bring out another Boarbatusk."

"Oh? Haha, well, I supposed you may be fired up from Miss Schnee's previous performance, but we don't have much time left, and I'm sure that you won't be able to change in-!"

"You fought a pack of Ursai in a greased-up suit right after your cousin's wedding," Ruby shot back, not even looking at him as she made her way down the steps, "I'll be fine in my uniform, so just bring one out."

"… very well then, one more demonstration for the eager Miss Rose!" The Professor laughed, seemingly oblivious to the tone of the room. Weiss was still frozen on the spot, shaking like a leaf as Ruby stepped right next to her, a hand on her shoulder and gripping very slightly. It felt like a crushing vice to Weiss.

"Couldn't even last a day, let alone our first class, huh? Now sit down."

Weiss found herself quickly walking back to her seat, sitting down and trying to calm herself. The fact that Ruby was still staring right into her soul with the sensation of a thousand knives against her throat didn't really help.

"Here we go Miss Rose! Without further ado…!" The chain was snapped off and the Grimm set its sights on her, "Begin!"

It charged at her with its spinning attack, intending to cleave and pulverise her to a gory mess, yet she stood there and let it come to her.

"YAAAH!"

The following *BANG* was so sharp that everyone's hands instinctively slapped over their ears, Faunus especially… excluding Blake of course, despite her almost leaping from her seat and cringing as if in pain. Because there would be no way she was a Faunus, right? Yeah, no way at aaalll. Anyway, Weiss' eyes snapped back to the battle, only for her (and almost everyone else's) jaw to drop.

"I don't have enough raw strength to toss around cars or move mountains like my sister," Ruby explained causally to the extremely impressed professor, "But I can pierce right through them pretty easy, so long as I can concentrate."

Ruby's left straight-kick had intercepted the Grimm's spinning attack by shooting clean through its stomach all the way to her knee, her foot and shin sticking out of its armoured back. It had died on the spot.

'Sh-she… she managed to precisely kick it right where its belly was while it was spinning that fast.' Weiss felt her stomach drop. This wasn't just a girl who threw raw power around, this was someone striving for power via perfection.

"Bravo, Miss Rose! Taking advantage of your strengths and finishing the threat with extreme efficiency is key. I see you've been taking notes since yesterday."

"Yeah," She grunted as she ripped her leg free from the dissolving corpse, giving a small bow to the Professor, "I have."

"Well then, that is encouraging to hear!" Port said before turning to the class, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Now, be sure to go through the assigned texts as prescribed in your scrolls and stay vigilant!" With that, the Professor proceeded to gather his things and walk out of the class, the startled students about to do the same, until…

"Weiss Schnee." Everyone turned to look at Ruby, still standing at the floor of the classroom with that same snarl on her face, Weiss herself frozen yet again. She then proceeded to rip into Weiss. "Wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, but nooo, had to have a stick so far up your backside you're practically choking on it. Tried to play nice, tried to help you out, but you wanna whine about not getting what you want? Fine. No more playing nice." She dug into her skirt pocket (surprisingly useful) and chucked something leathery at Weiss hard, hitting her face hard enough to sting and make her flinch as she tried to catch… a leather glove.

'…hold on, did she just – !?'

"You're basically an aristocrat, right?" Ruby snorted, "Then the message should be clear, but in case it isn't… Weiss, your attitude is a threat to my position as leader and therefore as a student of Beacon. You wanna play leader so badly? Let's get this stupidness over with, so come and try to rip it from my hands."

(TWBY Continued...)

So, Weiss vs Ruby in the next chapter. Honestly, I'm surprised that professor Port was able to convince Weiss, who up to that point had been given everything in her life on a silver platter for free, for seventeen years. Around a presence as toxic as Jacques Schnee having influenced her for that long, regardless of her age and her hatred towards him, there is nobody in the WORLD who wouldn't try to cling to their pride in a situation like this, regardless of vanity. On the flip side, Ruby's still 15, and I thought it'd be more fitting for her to bit a bit more hesitant when it comes to being the Leader this time around.

Now, let's see if anyone can guess where I got the Aura Circuits idea from...? ;D

Also, just something to clarify about the Devil May Cry references in the story. You by no means have to have played or experienced the games (again, discarding the remake) to understand the story going forward, as I've written Dmc influences in the properly fit the world of RWBY. However, if you have experiences the games and are also a lore-nut, the experienced will only be enhanced, and you might get tipped off to some possible roads the story may be taking. With all that said, thank you all so much for the love, support and criticisms, as they all help me to keep moving forward. Peace out and Happy New Year!