So uh, back from the dead surprisingly! I know I know, I kindly ask that you lower the torched and pitchforks for a moment as I explain myself. So uh... had to travel for a while, getting University stuff properly sorted out (was a hell of a nightmare this time around), and the big one, deep-diving into my Dissertation. That last one's gonna be a real killer when it comes to being more consistent with updates (as you can PROBABLY guess by now over two months later) and I deeply apologise for that, along with not having answered your reviews. On the PLUS side, I've got this and the next following chapters ready to upload at a moment's notice, AND been ironing out a LOT of the story moving forward. Yes the Endgame is pretty far off, but I've got SO much batshit insane stuff planned, smoothing out the semi-crossovers that actually fit with the story, concepts and ideas, power-boosts that directly tie into a character's growth, and most importantly, a SERIOUS buff for the faction controlled by the 'Wicked Witch of the West' (we all know who it is, but humour me here), granted that one's been there since the beginning, but ah well.

Enough prattling, I feel that I should at least mention that WE'RE AT 300+ FAVS AND 400+ FOLLOWS? WHAT? I wasn't even HERE! Man, you guys make it tough to quit XD. Seriously though, thank you again for the love and support you've shown my lazy ass.

Now, onto the show!

Fighting Rose

Chapter 19

Much-needed rest

…Two days later…

"Wheeewww…" Ruby sighed as she leaned back in the chair, patting her stomach from the satisfaction of her bucket-sized cookie-milkshake, making sure to watch out for her cast-wrapped arm bumping into things. "This is nice."

"Woul' be bettr' wi'out the bro'en bones," Yang huffed playfully as she slowly ate her own XXL Chocolate ice cream, occasionally wincing from the pain in her jaw.

"Hey, not my fault if you didn't block in time," Ruby shot back with a cheeky grin only to yelp as Yang poked Ruby's sore thigh with her toe, whining as her muscles spasmed a bit. "I hate you so much."

"Love you too sis," Yang snickered back.

"These Sundaes are so good," Sun groaned as he slurped up his final one… out of twenty. Though the group was more or less desensitized to such a feat no thanks to having seen Ruby, Yang and Nora's calorie-intake per-meal, the regular civilians outside the Ice-cream shop staring in awe and horror as the group proceeded to wolf down a load of ice-cream. At least, the majority of the group…

"Come on Jaune, only three more laps around the block!" Pyrrha cheered him on as she easily ran beside him, the poor boy sweating buckets while he dragged his feet along every step of the way. Ruby chuckled, a bit surprised to feel a lack of a sour face on her features as she watched Jaune struggle yet continue to look forward with determination in his eyes.

…Two days before, right after the fight...

"Yeah… looking at it logically, there's no way I could've healed up that quickly even if my Semblance helps with speeding my recovery up," Ruby groused in her infirmary bed. "How did you get me back to fighting-shape so quickly?"

"You'd be surprised," Yang chuckled, "Pyrrha's been helping Jaune get stronger for the past while now, also been training him in his aura department. Lemme tell you, the dude's got a massive amount of resting aura, not to mention that it's kinda weird too. Whenever he gives aura to someone, it seems to… boost them as well? We're not entirely sure what that's about really."

"So I was touched by his very soul," Ruby said as her face scrunched up, "Ew."

The sisters burst into laughter as they relaxed, the comforting whirring of machinery in the background calming them down.

"I get it, you know?" Yang sighed, "Not wanting to like the guy. I get that him being here is disrespecting everything mom has done, but… cut the guy some slack."

"Did you really just follow up 'He disrespected everything mom has ever done' with 'cut him some slack?'" Ruby deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay-okay, not the best place to start," Yang laughed sheepishly, "… but think about it like this. As far as we can tell, the dude really had no knowledge on what we do, and when he found out, he stuck to it. He's willing to put in the work and it seems like he's got the potential to do a lot of great things. Above all else, he's a pretty good guy."

"…hmm," Ruby hummed, the sour taste in the back of her mouth. "… he did chose to heal me even after everything I've said. Won't deny that he's at least got some balls on him."

"So you get what I mean?" Yang asked.

Ruby was silent this time, thinking on the matter. 'Now that my head is clear, I can't exactly deny it. He an I… aren't all too different. I can't deny that he's at least got the drive to improve now that he's faced with the facts. However…'

"I accept his determination and willingness to change," Ruby answered, "But that doesn't change the fact that he's a dangerous liability to us and his team."

"Haa…" Yang sighed, "Guess you're right. Just gotta give him time."

There was silence for a time, Ruby stirring in her thoughts as she had for a long time after her fight with Yang. It had been good to properly release her anger in as... healthy (at least mentally speaking) a manner as possible. But for it to have escalated to this point, for her to have even dared to lash at out everyone around her, to strike and spit and belittle her own sister... the realisation cracked something within her.

"…hey Yang?" Ruby said, her voice alarmingly fragile.

"Ruby? What's wrong?" Yang asked as she immediately sat up in her bed, ignoring all other pain as she saw Ruby's head hanging low, hair covering her eyes.

"…I-I'm sorry," She said shakily, mouth wavering as tears flowed down her face. "I-I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, for beating on you, for using Raven against you, I'm so sorry."

She clutched her head and wept, curling in on herself as her breathing became more and more rapid, eyes going wide and practically vibrating in her skull as her vision lost focus, silver starting to creep in on her sight.

"I'm not cut out to be Team Leader. I'm just a brat who lashes out, someone who's got this stupid idea that I'll be strong when the moment something goes wrong, all I can do is flail around like some goddamn child-!"

Ruby was stopped as she felt a pair of warm arms wrapped around her, the silver in her vision receding soon after.

"Ruby Rose," Yang said softly, rocking Ruby back and forth, "You're human. It's human to be angry, to lose control sometimes. Hell, I'm not exactly someone who can rag on you for losing your temper. Yeah what you said hurt, yeah you roughed me up, but you know what? I forgive you."

Ruby's face wobbled again before she fully threw herself into Yang's embrace, sobbing into her shoulder and clutching her sister like a lifeline.

"You're here for a reason Ruby. You're strong, and there's nobody in the world who doubts that, nobody but you. You gotta realize you're so much more than you make yourself out to be, and it all starts with coming to terms with yourself. Above even that, no matter the words you hurl," Yang said, a serene smile on her face, "No matter the punches I take, I will always love you."

…Present...

"And that's time!"

Pyrrha's shout snapped Ruby out of her comfortable daze to see Jaune and Pyrrha finish up their final lap, the former practically on death's door as he collapsed in a sweaty heap right there on the sidewalk, Ruby having to stifle a snicker as she idly prodded him with her boot.

"Remember, you've still got extra strength-conditioning reps to do back at Beacon."

"Ruby, be nice," Pyrrha chided half-sternly while Jaune simply groaned out loud much to the amusement of everyone around him.

"Sure-sure," Ruby huffed playfully, holding out her hand to Jaune with a cheeky grin on her face. "Now be a dear, heal the delicate flowers that are me and my sister."

"Delicate my back-left-foot," Weiss chuckled as Blake elbowed her, stifling a giggle of her own.

"You're lucky I'm so useful," Jaune groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, unsealing his aura and grabbing hold of Ruby's hand. Soreness bled away from her muscles, hairline fractures in her bones knitting together, her auric circuits strengthened as her aura rose. Ruby couldn't help but gasp at the surge of strength flooding her body, keenly feeling every last lingering wound heal within a minute flat. She grinned savagely as she sharply flexed, the cast around her arm bursting open like a coconut in a shower of petals.

"God that gets addicting," Ruby breathed as she breathed out and calmed down, her boosted strength fading after a moment while she closed her eyes and idly stretched her body. "I'm more than happy with my Semblance, but yours is pretty neat too. Buffing yourself and allies can be helpful in a pinch."

"You'd think so," Jaune sighed as he moved onto Yang, her hair already lighting up. "But it's still really inefficient. I haven't figured how to boost myself on the fly while giving aura takes some time."

"That's fair," Ruby nodded, whipping out her notebook and muttering as she wrote down notes. "Maybe his Semblance is always active, at least to a lesser degree? Or is it just a natural quality of his aura and not actually his semblance… hmm." She sighed and put her notebook away as she jot down some final notes. "Anyway, now that we're all healed up…" A creepy grin stretched across her face

Blake and Weiss raised a brow as Yang groaned, "Ruby, we just got healed, please give it a break."

Ruby laughed at Yang's despair, a more cheeky look on her face as she pat her sister's shoulder. "Don't worry, not gonna be pushing ourselves to the breaking-point or anything like that. Honestly now that I've got my head out of my ass, it's only now really occurred to me… I haven't exactly shared a lot of the skills I know about aura to you all, have I?"

"Wait…" Weiss said as her eyes went wide, "You're going to-!?"

"Teach you? Why not?" Ruby said with a smile. "Did you really think I'd just hoard a load up on skills that could help everyone around me? That's dumb. Besides…" A confident smirk adorned her face, her healed arm pointing up to the sky as she unconsciously let her aura flare. "One you improve, I must improve and vice versa, until eventually… I will become–!"

"Unrivalled under Heaven," Sun finished, Ruby's eyes going wide as she stared at Sun, a similarly confident grin on his face as his own aura simmered just over his skin. A strange tension overtook the group as they both stared each other down, though that wasn't to say that it was oppressive or negative. The air itself seemed electrified, a buzz of excitement and an unspoken challenge passing between the two of them.

'He's really strong, no doubt about it,' Ruby thought as her muscles trembled in anticipation. 'I can barely wait to clash with him!'

'Still can't believe that there's others out there who think like the old geezers… well, me too I guess,' Sun chuckled internally, 'She'd fit right in back home. God, I wanna fight her right now.'

They both realized after a moment that they were practically about to throw hands in the middle of an ice-cream store and calmed down, Sun laughing as his cheeks turned pink while Ruby turned beet red, covering her face with her hood.

"S-sorry," She squeaked, "Didn't mean to throw around my bloodlust like that…"

"Nah, ain't your fault," Sun chuckled back shyly, "Went and got overexcited first then projected that on you."

"N-no, I sort of initiated it first," Ruby said with a little bow.

"Maybe, still returned it," He shot back with a cheeky grin.

"Well I-!"

"Okay you two enough flirting," Yang laughed, "Let's got back to the arena and get started."

"Yaaaaaang!" Ruby squealed in mortification as she ineffectively beat on Yang's arm with her fists.

"Oh, uh, hope you don't mind," Sun butt in, "I'd kinda like to come along too. My buddy Neptune should be meeting up with me after he finishes some work. Not to mention, I know a thing or two about aura, but I'd be happy to learn some more!"

"That'd be awesome!" Ruby cheered, her previous embarrassment forgotten. "Who knows, I could learn a thing from you too. So let's - !"

…

"Get started!" Ruby said as she clapped her hands together.

"Did… did Ruby just wait until we got to the training-facility to finish her sentence?" Weiss asked Blake and Yang. "Wait… why don't I remember the trip here? Hell, since when did we change into our workout clothes?"

"…I could've sworn that we were just at the Ice-cream shop," Blake muttered in agreement.

"Whuzzat?" Yang asked as she idly picked her nose, Blake and Weiss slapping their palms to their respective faces.

"So before we start," Ruby caught everyone's attention, "I've got one question for everyone. What is aura?"

"A force-field made from your soul!" Jaune answered instantly.

"Right and wrong! Ten more push-ups!" Ruby shouted, Jaune groaning as he pushed through his exercises.

"The physical manifestation of the power from your soul," Pyrrha answered next.

"Correct!" Ruby said as she pulled a giant whiteboard on wheels out of nowhere. "So, I've already explained this to some of you guys and some might already know, but Aura is more than just a layer of protection. It's a source of power that lets us surpass human limits, strengthen our attacks and grant us incredible defence at minimum. Still though, there's something I wanna make clear: aura is not a perfect shield." She scribbled a drawing of armour before crossing an 'X' through it, "Jaune! With your aura at full, can you take a bullet to the head?"

"Wh-why would I-? Yeah, I think so."

"What about a grenade?"

"…" Jaune looked at his hands and pondered for a bit. "…maybe."

"I think you can," Ruby answered honestly, "Now… what about a Gauss-Cannon in railgun formation?"

"Eh?"

"What about a BFG-Bolt to your leg? A point-blank Super-Shotgun to the hand? The very tip of a Goliath tusk to your thigh? Do you think your aura can hold out?"

"Uh, those examples are kiiiinda extreme," Sun pointed out with a cheeky grin, Ruby turning red again. "Though I get where you're going with this."

"A-ahem, you're right Sun," Ruby giggled shyly, "But the point stand stands! Why do you think that Pyrrha and I took so many injuries during our brawl? The same way armour can be pierced with enough force in one concentrated area, so too can aura. Because we're Hunters training constantly, our auras are already pretty tough, which is why the effects are generally lighter, even if some of the force still manages to get through. Cut skin, fractures, bruising, generally are what you'd see but it's still better than having a weak aura where a kick from me would go straight through you."

Everyone besides Yang and Sun flinched as Ruby flared her aura and sharply bit down on her own arm, unfazed as blood spurt from the deep gash.

"See?" She said nonchalantly as blood gushed from the wound for a moment, everyone staring in horror. It wasn't so deep, but the fact that Ruby was able to do it with such ease…

"Good LORD Ruby!" Weiss practically shrieked, rushing to pull out some gauze before Ruby stopped her with an open palm and a little grin. She closed her eyes as aura coalesced around the bite-mark, the flow of blood stopping very shortly after as her wound began to rapidly close. After she was done, she gently breathed out, looking just a little worn out from the effort for a brief moment before she was right back to her usual self.

"Aura rapidly increases the speed of injuries healing, so if you can concentrate your aura into a big wound then it heals just that much quicker. Letting it coalesce onto your skin or even just under it, like Yang did yesterday, helps a bunch with tighter defence," She said as she tried to bite down once more, barely leaving a mark this time. Scribbling more notes first, she then sharply threw a normal jab.

"Focusing into your muscle-groups increases striking power, lifting strength and speed."

She threw another jab, this time fuelled by her aura and barely a blur to the eyes of all watching.

"There's just so many things that aura can do for you, and we aren't even getting started with Semblances!" Ruby practically squealed in excitement before she reigned herself in. "First thing's first though, let's get into one of the best boosts you guys can… probably… tap into right now to get a way better understanding of your aura."

She closed her eyes as an invisible wind began to whip around her, Sun uncrossing his arms with a big grin on his face.

"The rose blooms, the petals Scatter!"

Rose-petals wildly swirled around her body as Ruby unleashed her full might, a massive grin on her face even as a vein popped on her forehead.

"Some of you already know about launching attacks using aura, but fully opening and priming your aura-circuits first lets you maximize its overall effectiveness. Basically think of your body as a big tank of water," She drew said tank on the board, "While normally we'd release a certain amount of power in some of our actions," A single spout was drawn on the tank. "Finding your 'Trigger' will let you use the full breadth of your restricted power, right up to your body's absolute limit!"

To finish it off, numerous spouts were drawn on the tank, all able to release water at once.

"So we just gotta make up a poem and poof, we're powered up? Awesome!" Nora shouted, already on her feet to give it a go.

"Nah, it's not that simple," Ruby said surprisingly evenly, the patterns on her skin fading away, "More than just saying some words, you sort of have to… understand yourself. Who you are. We're talking about the soul here, so you can't just force aura out for a big attack. This is baring your soul on your very skin, and if you don't understand who you are, then you'll never be able to pull your 'Trigger' to bring out everything you have."

"Saying words isn't necessary," Pyrrha chimed in, "But it does help verbalize the image you want to connect with bringing out the full extent of your aura. For me it's a shattering sword. What about you Ruby?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Ruby teased Pyrrha, "Rose blooms, petals scatter. Duh."

"…shit, you've got me there," Pyrrha chuckled under her breath.

"So uh, yeah!" Ruby clapped, "Some of you might just be fine with meditating, others might be better off shadow-sparring or going through techniques. Let's get to work everyone!"

Excitement in the air, even the worn-out Jaune was quick to get to work, Ren, Weiss and Pyrrha calmly meditating while most of the others began to shadow-spar, Ruby herself switching in and out of the Trigger-state while throwing out sharp kicks through the air. Even fully healed, bringing out so much power left those all-too familiar twinges of pain in her muscles, the stings bringing out her ecstatic grin as he pushed herself harder, unable to deny the rush of power, the realization that she had become stronger. She went at it for a while, though purposefully slowing down as the bursts of power had begun to twist and pull at the muscles in her legs and back, as per usual.

"No point in overdoing it," She sighed as she finally slowed to a stop, grunting while stretching her back and legs. Looking around, she grinned at the sight of everyone working hard, Pyrrha steadily maintaining her Trigger as she went through breathing exercises with Ren, Ruby blinking a bit as she forced herself to focus on him. Every once in a while, his features seemed… warped, almost indistinct at times.

'His Semblance? Come to think of it, I've never seen it in action.' Turning to Weiss, her grin widened even further as she raced over to the older girl. 'That's it Weiss, you're just on the cusp of it! Dig deep, find the centre of yourself and bare your soul with pride!'

…

She winced as pain blossomed across her eye time and time again, facing down the towering Arma Gigas with everything she had. A leap over a terrifyingly fast sword-slash made her blood go cold as it followed up even faster than before, the flat of its massive blade smashing into her entire body and sending her flying backwards. Her back smashed into the floor, all the air knocked from her lungs as her body blossomed with pain.

"You foolish child!" The armour spoke in a familiar voice, harsh blue eyes suddenly shining through its visor right at her own. "Did you really think your rebellion meant anything? That going to Beacon would suddenly change your duty? You are a SCHNEE!"

Her body was flung back by a savage kick to the stomach, vision going hazy as her body rolled across the stage floor, the crowd equal parts laughing and cheering. Not for her, but for their own shallow sense of entertainment.

"A Schnee does not waver," The armour spoke as it approached her, massive blade dragging behind it, "A Schnee is not distracted by paltry things such as friends! A Schnee was born to do one thing: rule above all else! Discard your worthless baggage and do your DUTY!"

The greatsword swung right down for Weiss' head, only for it to suddenly be stopped dead in its tracks by the palm of her hand.

"…Will you shut up?" Shoving the blade back, the Arma Gigas fell onto its backside, suddenly looking much smaller that before. "I am a Schnee, that's true. But I am not the Schnee that my father wants me to be. I am not the Schnee who will make the same mistakes him, nor will I be so ignorant to be caged by my past experience!"

With every step Weiss made, a piece of armour shattered and turned to dust even as the Arma Gigas rolled to its feet, gripping its sword tightly. The entire landscape changed, an open field covered in a thin layer of soft snow, the sun shining down upon Weiss, yet more strangely, the light glinting off the numerous swords stabbed into the ground for as far as the eye could see, Weiss recognising all of them as blades she practiced with in the past. A warm smile made its way onto her face, practically able to feel the grips of the blades in her hand, though it was quickly dispelled as the Arma gigas viciously slammed its fist into the floor in frustration, jumping to its feet and sprinting at her.

"You little WORM!" It… no, she roared as it swung its blade straight down again, only to shatter like glass as Weiss swung right up with a simple looking arming-sword.

"Mirror-mirror, on the wall…" Weiss intoned as she stabbed forward, the blade tapping helmet's forehead. "Shatter your glass, I rise and stand tall."

The helmet too turned to dust, revealing none-other than Weiss Schnee herself, her facial features so much harsher, almost hateful before her eyes closed and expression turned serene. With that, Weiss's world white, brilliant pride washing over her senses as she too closed her eyes.

…

Weiss gasped as her eyes snapped open and a rush of power flooded her system, literally feeling something deep within her opening up as her aura crackled to life. A veil of frost seemed to envelop her body, a gentle chill in the air around her. She looked at her arms, pale blue light shining from under her skin like cracks in fine glass.

"This is…!" Weiss muttered, barely able to breathe at the strength her body was feeling.

"You did it Weiss!" Ruby cheered, absolutely ecstatic at the progress her friend made, "I know it feels overwhelming, but try to hold it for as long as possible!"

Weiss did just that, gritting her teeth and holding onto the rush of strength for as long as she could. It was as if she was holding onto a single breath at the very bottom of a pool, the pressure slowly but surely pressing down upon her lungs and filling her with the urgency to stop and take a breath. Even still, she ignored that feeling for as long as she could before finally it was too much. The flow of aura suddenly shut off as Weiss fell to her knees, still dizzy from the lingering sensations as Ruby gently kept her upright.

"How do you feel?" Ruby asked, her eyes practically shining, "A bit dizzy? Muscles a bit sore, a bit out of breath?"

"Y-yeah…" Weiss agreed.

"Then all is good!" Ruby clapped as she helped Weiss up, "Feels awesome, doesn't it!? Of course, you'll have a hard time maintaining it as you are now, so you've gotta build up your body and control to use it for longer periods of time, but it's still amazing that you've got it down so quickly."

"I think she was already at the edge of reaching it," Yang said as she walked up to them, "Pretty sure she was just about to reach it when she talked some sense into me the other day, same cracked glass and all."

"That's… I actually somewhat remember that." Weiss admitted, "The sensation is similar but so much more intense."

"Then it's probably best if we stop for now," Ruby said honestly, "No point in pushing your body so hard right off the bat."

"That rich coming from you, Ruby Rose," Weiss said with a raised brow and cheeky smirk, the latter chuckling shyly, "I decide how far I will push myself."

"Loving the feistiness," Yang purred playfully before Weiss threw a random glove at her face with a shriek of indignity. Blake couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of her team, pleasantly surprised that Weiss was able to bring out the full extent of her current power. The joy in her eyes and on her aura was a beautiful sight for Blake, the frigid façade all but gone from the aristocratic girl, something that Blake didn't truly think was possible.

'Yet here we are,' Blake thought, 'The impossible is made real… although…'

Doubt clouded her mind once more as the events of the past month caught up to her yet again. The sudden aggression of the White Fang, their alliance with Torchwick, the sudden need for high-quality Dust and weaponry… She looked at her own hands, a lance of disappointment piercing her chest at having not once been able to tap into her Auric Trigger in her life. She felt that she was so painfully close, only for the sensation to fade, rarely to be found or even properly remembered.

'Would it be enough? Will a little bit of training ever be able to catch up to a military force? To whatever is going on behind the scenes?'

She clenched her fists, the nails biting into her palms a penance for such thoughts.

'It doesn't matter if it's enough, or whether I'm ready or not. I have a duty to see this through. Still, I won't be able to fulfil it if I don't at least catch up.'

Just as Weiss came down from the rush of her Aura Trigger, she couldn't help but feel something off emanating from Blake. Looking at her, Weiss initially wanted to disregard the feeling, only to see details that by all means should have been next to invisible. Blake's nails biting into her palms hard, a tiny crease in her brows, very slightly pursed lips, the slight indent of her cheek that signalled her gnawing on the inside of her cheek.

Impatience, frustration, hesitation.

"Hmm," Weiss hummed in thought.

"I feel it too," Ruby muttered before she looked to Weiss, "She's getting antsy."

"… I've been on a roll recently when it comes to talking to people," Weiss said rather simply, "We'll all talk with her, but let me start."

"Sounds like a plan," Ruby said before smiling again and flicking Weiss on the forehead, "Back to it Weissy, we still got time to burn!"

…

"Everything burns," Weiss groaned as she exited the shower, towelling off her hair as best as she could, despite the burning muscles in her arms.

"Yeah, that does tend do be the case," Yang laughed as she idly fiddled with one of her shotgun-shells, occasionally peaking over Ruby's shoulder to see what she had been tinkering on for the past while, "Your body eventually gets used to the initial burst of power, but there's always gonna be consequences for unleashing something that your body intentionally restrains."

"Wow, you almost sound wise," Ruby drawled, only to yelp as Yang pinched her side.

Amused at the quarrel between siblings, Weiss still did not miss Blake trying to leave the room as stealthily as possible, sharply whirling around and dramatically pointing her finger at the girl in black.

"HOLD IT!"

Blake froze, surprised at having been caught despite moving in as subtle a manner as possible, Weiss simply tapping her foot as crossing her arms, a stern look on her face offset by the poofy towel wrapped around her hair like a bee's nest. Both of them went into a mildly tense stare-down for a moment before Weiss of all people actually grinned.

"I hope you realize that me saying to Yang 'we're here for you' didn't just apply to her."

"It didn't? Shame," Yang sighed, shushed by Ruby's elbow to her ribs.

"And so, Blake Belladonna, tell us: what is bothering you!?" Weiss shouted as she swiftly flipped onto a chair, precariously balancing on its two legs as she flourished at Blake, the latter surprised at Weiss' sudden… flamboyance.

"Crazy!" Ruby applauded.

"Naw, that's a Badass minimum," Yang argued with her own applause.

Shakily, Weiss managed to hop down and daintily place the chair back by the desk before smiling softly at Blake, a silent but patient gesture that calmed Blake down.

"I'm… shocked that all of you can remain so calm, considering the current situation."

"Lemme guess," Ruby drawled, "The White Fang, their involvement with Candle-stick and a potentially massive underground scheme to sum it all up?"

"Exactly! Something big is happening and I can damn well be sure that this is just a prelude to something bigger!"

"Supposedly, police and the hunters are gonna have it under control," Yang started.

"And I know for sure that they won't!" Blake argued back, "They don't know the White Fang like I do, they don't know just how dangerous the powerhouse of the Vale Branch is, they don't know how deep the Fang's faith really runs and how far they'd go for it!"

"Supposedly," Yang stressed, Blake surprised as the natural confidence the blonde was exuding, "Kinda started to catch on that something was going down when Roman Torchwick of all people was heading a big operation back at the docks."

"Now under normal circumstances, I'd be the voice of reason and say that despite the relative progress we've made and the experience we gained, we are not ready," Weiss held up a hand to halt Blake's outburst with a wry smile, "… however, considering it's our duty to stop heinous acts, along with the fact that we've got the perfect team fit for the operation and this situation is far from normal…"

"Y-you don't mean…?" Blake stuttered, shocked at the direction Yang and Weiss were going.

"Duh," Ruby laughed, "I'm not going to miss out on the opportunity to help people, much less all of Vale. Yang and I know a guy downtown who could probably clue us in to some juicy info on the what's-what in down-under."

"The down and the what?" Weiss muttered under her breath.

"At least as long as someone doesn't trash his club," Ruby said pointedly at Yang, the latter whistling and looking away sheepishly. "So uh… yeah. We're all pretty much raring to take down a potentially military-level threat from a now corrupt organization, so you're not alone in this Blake! We can't just rush in tomorrow though, we need to prepare a strategy and train up. We already work together well, but creating specific combinations for specific situations can give us a whole lot more utility as a team."

"I still think this is an incredibly risky idea," Weiss sighed, only to stop as Yang gently massaged her shoulders.

"Think about all the extra crediiiiit," Yang whispered.

"This is the greatest idea in the history of ideas," Weiss said resolutely, determination bursting from her body as Yang and Ruby peeled with laughter.

"…Thank you guys," Blake said with a smile, anxiety making way for anticipation.

"Pfft, don't sweat it," Ruby said as she went back to tinkering, "Sorry we couldn't move out sooner, internal issues and something I'm close to finishing up."

"O-oh, it's no problem at all," Blake stuttered, unsure how to work around the touchy subject for a moment until she actually looked at what Ruby was doing. "… is this what you mean by finishing up? What is it exactly?"

"Well, since I raged out and literally shattered my armaments when I brawled with Pyrrha, along with the fractured bones in my everything after I fought Yang," Ruby chuckled, "I've sort of come to the realization that I'm still at my safest when I've got actual protection. Above that though… it's time I've busted out some actual weapons."

"Oh, then these parts are…!" Weiss realized.

"Got it in one," Ruby grinned, "Had the metal fully forged yesterday, though it was a bit hard with the cast and whatnot. All I gotta do now is assemble him."

Looking at the mess of metal that was piled on Ruby's sheets, swearing that she saw what appeared to be… clawed toes of some kind resting within. Along with something that vaguely looked like... an iron wolf's open mouth?

"Him?"

"Yup. Been itching to make him for a while now, and there's no better time than now to see if my design holds up in a field-test. As much as I'd love to charge in barehanded, a little extra caution never hurt anybody." She went to take her scroll from her pocket, only to kiss her teeth upon remembering that she'd left it in the training-gym. "Bah, gimme a sec." She rummaged around her personal cupboard and pulled out an old notebook, flipping through it and showing the schematics and design of the weapon in question.

"Wow Ruby, this is…" Blake said, a bit surprised at how… beautifully brutal the weapon looked.

"I know right? He's a perfect fit for my style, something I've been tweaking and thinking about for a good few years now. Hold onto that while I get my scroll, I'll show you the more up-to-date version that I'm assembling right now!"

"Might as welcome along," Blake said with a smile of her own, "You've went and got me curious now."

Ruby excitedly rushed out the room with Blake following behind, leaving Weiss staring at the design in wonder, a single name highlighted multiple times on the page.

Lightbeast, Beowulf.

…

As Ruby rushed through the halls, she turned the corner towards the exit before coming to a screeching halt, stopping just shy of ramming into a green-haired student wearing a Haven uniform and her other two friends, a grey-haired boy and someone else just behind him.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Ruby quickly apologized.

"Don't sweat it kid," The mint-haired girl said, "At least you were watching where you were going."

"Then I'll just have to slow down a bit next time," Ruby chuckled sheepishly before she started to examine them, "So uh, you guys are from Haven huh? I guess you're here for the Tournament then."

"That'd be correct," The woman behind the boy said as she stepped out, and it took every ounce of restraint for Ruby to leap back and snarl, muscles going tense under her clothes. "Though I'm afraid we're a little lost. Where exactly are the guest rooms?"

'IT'S HER!' Her mind screamed as she all-too-clearly remembered that smouldering aura and those exact same orange eyes from the night when she first clashed with Torchwick. 'No, I can't start a fight here, not without any proof. Calm down and go with the flow, scope her out and see what I can find.'

"Well let's see…" Ruby hummed, pretending to stare off into space while she examined her. She was surprised to see that orange-eyes was entirely calm and confident despite being in front of someone who should've recognised her.

'Because as far as she's concerned, I shoudn't have been able to!' Ruby realised, 'Her face was obscured by shadow, and from what it seems she can't read my aura, so that puts me at an advantage.'

"From what I remember, the exchange student dorms are east of this building. Head there and you'll definitely find them."

"Thanks for the help kid," The grey-haired boy said with a permanent smirk on his face, he and mint-hair walking past her.

"Hopefully we can meet another time," She said with sincere politeness, a small bow towards Ruby as she moved to follow her team.

"Ruby, you don't have to run so fast-!" Blake laughed as she came around the corner, only to stop dead as her eyes went wide and aura screeched with shock upon looking at Orange-eyes, something Ruby clearly did not miss.

'Blake knows her!?' Quickly looking at the woman in question, Ruby was again surprised to see a distinct lack of shock or even recognition. 'But she doesn't know Blake…'

"Oh, this is my teammate," Ruby said quickly, making sure not to say her name just in case, "And I'm Ruby! Don't think I caught your name though."

"Cinder. A pleasure to meet you two," She said once more before she took her leave.

"Anytime Cinder. Welcome to Beacon!"

Both Blake and Ruby stood there for a moment after they left before letting go of a breath that they didn't know they were holding, visibly sweating and shaking.

"So uh…" Ruby started after a moment, "You know her?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Blake responded shakily, "…seems like you do too."

"… then it looks like the plot is thickening," Ruby muttered, unease roiling in her stomach and her fists clenching hard as she felt the steady confidence emanating from Cinder.

(TWBY Continued...)

And so, this chapter comes to a close. Hope you guys enjoyed even though it was more exposition-y than normal, and as per usual, leave a follow and fav if you REALLY like the fic, and a review also helps flush out any issues with writing! Peace out!