A/N: Chapter 7 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum.

What I do own are the characters of my OC teams: REKT, GTSY and DAZE.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 7: Badges and Burdens

The next morning...

The sound of birds tweeting in the air floated through the open window, rousing Weiss out of her beauty sleep. The ice princess slowly sat up and stretched her arms high above her head in an elegant manner. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she turned her head slightly to see Ruby leaning close, a small silver object held between her fingers and a smug expression on her face.

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEH~!

"Gah!" Weiss yelped and comically fell out of bed much to Ruby's amusement, all remaining remnants of sleep left her body just like that.

"Goooooood morning Team RWBY!" The leader exclaimed happily, hopping off of Weiss' bed.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" The ice princess asked from where she was currently laying on the hardwood floor trying to get her heart rate under control.

"Now that you're awake we can officially begin our first order of business." Ruby replied.

"Excuse me?" Weiss stood up with a skeptical look on her face, brushing off the dirt from her clothes.

"Decorating!" Yang said with Blake standing right beside her with a small smirk on her face. The yellow-haired brawler had a lot of items in her arms, some of them could possibly be Blake's as well.

"What?" The ice princess questioned again, giving the two of them a confused look.

"We still have to unpack." Blake explained to her, holding up a suitcase which popped open on its own. She and Yang just watched as all of its contents spilled on the floor. "And clean."

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEH~!

"Ahh!" Weiss fell over again when Ruby blew the whistle again.

"Alright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their mission." Ruby said as she lifted an arm into the air. "Banzai!"

"Banzai!" Yang and Blake said simultaneously, holding their own arm into the air. Just by watching her three teammates striking ridiculous poses so early in the morning made Weiss sigh in defeat. Seeing as there was no other choice but to join in the endeavor, the ice princess quickly got dress in the appropriate attire and helped out with the decorating.

Yang was in charge of the posters while Blake was currently organizing her books though she craftily hid her copy of Ninjas of Love in a special place where no one else would ever find it. Weiss herself was hanging up framed art paintings and Ruby...well she thought the curtains were a bit inadequate so with the help of Crescent Rose, she sliced the material diagonally. Of course she got a scolding from Weiss who stitched the curtain back up. Taking a step back, the team analyzed their room which looked fine and dandy except for the beds which were piled in the middle of the room.

"This, isn't going to work." Weiss commented dryly.

"It is a bit cramped." Blake agreed.

"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff." Yang stated almost cheerfully.

"Or we could ditch the beds." Ruby thought about it before an idea popped into her head, causing her to gasp out with excitement. "And replace them with bunk beds!"

"Um, that sounds incredibly dangerous." Weiss objected.

"And super awesome!" Yang agreed with her sister.

"It does seem efficient." Blake said with a nod of the head.

"Well, we should put it to a vote." Weiss said even though she knew for a fact that it was already three against one.

"Ha, I think we just did." Ruby laughed as Blake gave a thumbs up and Yang did a rock-star pose. Weiss had a frown and a buzzer to accompany her feelings.


The room next door...

"ARGH!" Kairos had screamed at the sound of Ruby's shrill whistle that reverberated through the walls, falling out of her bed in a tangle of limbs and sheets. "Ow!"

"W-What happened?!" Startled due to the sudden tremor, I sat up abruptly and leaned over the rails with worry. "I-Is there an earthquake?! W-Where am I?"

"Nah...Kairos just fell out of bed...hard." Timber told me from the other side of the room, his head popping up from underneath the blankets like a little puppy. His spiky silver hair was sticking out everywhere in a giant bedhead.

"Yeah, that shake must have moved mountains on the other side of the world." Efram commented with a laugh. "Next time I should just yell 'Timber'!"

"That's my name though..." Timber replied as he climbed down the ladder, giving the boy a pointed look. "It could get a bit confusing."

"...Shut up..." Kairos growled, righting herself up and glared at the boys the best she could. "Don't make me come over there and kick your butts."

"No one is kicking anyone's butts this morning." I spoke calmly as I used the ladder to climb down, one step at a time. "Come, let's get ready."

"I call dibs on the bathroom!" Efram stated as he threw his sheets haphazardly to the side, revealing his fish-patterned sleep trousers.

"Aww man...I wanted to use the restroom first!" Timber whined, watching the other boy disappear into the facility followed by a door slam. "He takes forever...I swear if he could, he'd fill the tub with water and stay in there for eternity."

"I'm a man raised by the sea!" came Efram's muffled voice through the door. "Water is my life!"

"Doesn't mean you can hog the room to yourself!" Timber shouted back. "Hurry up! I really need to go!"

"Then you shouldn't have drowned all that water before going to bed!" was the reply. "Now where did I put my uniform..."

"Ahaha!" I laughed as they continued to bicker.

"You should get ready too." Kairos whispered as she walked past, putting on her earmuffs as she reached for something behind me. The door reopened and Efram strode out wearing his school uniform instead of his usual attire. He kept the sandals on, stating that the closed-toe shoes would suffocate his toes. He had on a white shirt with a blue vest over it. A red tie could be seen around his neck and he opted to wear the black jacket-lined with gold-around his shoulders instead of buttoned up.

"Wow you work quick." I stated, hearing the door close and assumed that Timber just went in. A noise from across the room told me that Efram was retrieving something from the wardrobe, perhaps his weapon but I assumed that we wouldn't need those after a few weeks.

"Well while you were standing watching those two boys bicker I decided to use the restroom way before Efram did." She replied, looking at herself in the mirror and adjusted her collar a bit, retying the red ribbon at least the second time. She had on a white shirt instead of her long-sleeve turtleneck with the accompanied red plaid skirt. Long stockings kept her legs warm while she donned a brown jacket. "It would be really bad if our leader wasn't prepared before her team members."

Yikes! She's right. Deciding that Timber might take awhile, I quickly undressed right then and there, not bothering to check if Efram was looking. Our room had four bunk beds, one for every member of our team. There were also four desks located at the four corners and beside them were drawers for clothes. There was also a large wardrobe located near the window for our jackets, suites as well as a great storage for our weapons. A special feature that I didn't noticed before was a solitary restroom that had a shower, toilet and two sinks. It was lavish despite being a suite-style living.

"O-Okay Reina! It's all yours!" I nodded in Timber's direction when he emerged from the lavatory and navigated my way to the restroom, wrapping my scarf around my neck. Even while I was in the restroom cleaning myself, I could hear some kind of construction noises happening next door, like a bunch of jackhammers rattling against granite stones. Timber himself wore the black suits with the blue vest and white shirt. He still kept the black tank top underneath the white shirt and hung up his brown hoodie sweater for another time.

"What are those fools doing so early this morning?" Kairos grumbled when I walked back out, the clean white collared shirt tucked in nice and neat with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. I kept my ripped jeans and sneakers, stating that I didn't feel comfortable fighting in a skirt. My trademark scarf could be seen snugged around my neck. "First the whistle and now they're reconstructing their entire room?"

"Okay guys gather around for a brief meeting. I hope I don't have to do this every morning because I don't think this is effective. But I'll figure out something later." After hanging up my black jacket next to Timber's sweater, I clapped my hands and within my mind I could see them gathering around me in a semi circle. "So today we have classes together, along with the other newly created teams." I pulled out a dark notebook and flipped through the pages. "At 9 we have our Grimm Studies class..."

"What? Did you say 9 o'clock?!" Timber asked, sounding nervous.

"Umm...yeah. Why?" I glanced in his direction.

"It's 8:55! We're gonna be late!" He shouted after checking his watch.

"ARGH!" Swinging the door open and closing it frantically, we thundered down the hall like a huge stampede of charging rhinos. Ruby's team and Jaune's team all poked their heads out to see what all the commotion was. "TO CLASS! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

In our haste, everyone rushed through the empty courtyard and ignored Ozpin and Glynda who just happened to witness the running of the first years. The man just calmly sipped his drink while the Huntress merely glanced at her watch, a knowing smile on her face.


In class...

"Uuuuugh...that was horrible..." I groaned as I laid my chin on the table completely out of breath. We all made it, every single one of us, with one minute to spare...well almost all of us. Jaune was the only person representing Team JNPR in the class so he decided to sit right behind us so he wouldn't be so lonely. "I wish we could have gone through this last night before bedtime."

"Good morning Reina!" Ruby spoke as she sat down next to me with Weiss right next to her.

"Good morning Ruby." I replied, sensing Kairos settling down on my other side.

"By the way, I heard a crash coming from your room? Approximately right after Ruby's whistle blowing." Yang's voice spoke, the brawler settling in by Weiss with Blake next to her. "What happened?"

"W-Well you see...!" Timber was about to say something but one death glare from Kairos immediately shut him up. "N-Nevermind!" He squeaked before sitting down beside Efram who was busy trying to balance his pen on the bridge of his nose.

"Welcome students." The professor walked in, standing before the podium and gazed at his new students. He appeared to be a middle-aged man, possibly in his mid-fifties. He had on a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons and the pants that he wore, was tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots. He had gray hair and a gray mustache and appeared to be slightly overweight.

"My name is Peter Port and I'll be your teacher." He launched straight into his lecture about the creatures of Grimm, talking about their strengths, weakness as well as appearances. "Monsters! Demons...Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names."

"Zzzzzzzzzz." Ruby dosed off after a few minutes in, her snoring reaching my ear. Glancing to my left, I could hear the scratching of granite on paper and immediately thought that Weiss was the only one writing notes.

"But I, merely refer to them as prey." Peter continued before letting out a hearty laugh, causing his belly to visibly shake up and down. "Hu-hah! Haha." His laugh caused Ruby to wake up but other than that, nobody was laughing. In fact, it just made the class extremely awkward.

"Uhh, and you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy." He covered up his blunder with a cough. "Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces. And that's where we come in. Huntsman! Huntresses..."

"Eww." Yang murmured when the professor clicked his tongue at the word 'Huntresses' and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "Uhh, hehehe..." She groaned.

"Pervert...old man..." Suddenly I felt heat heating up right beside me and noticed that Kairos was trying to burn a hole through Peter's head with her eyes when in actuality she was about to burn a hole in the bench that we were sitting on with just her butt. I quickly smacked her lightly in the back of her head with my hand and she shimmered down, keeping her anger level to a minimal.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why..." He once again flung his arm out in a dramatic pose. "the very world!"

"Eyyy-yeah!" A student from the back of the room stood up and cheered, causing everyone to look at him. Embarrassed he sat back down.

"That is what you are training to become." The professor ignored him. "But first, a story."

UUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHH! The entire class thought in unison, letting out angry, bored groans in protest.

"A tale of a young, handsome, man."

"We all know where this is going..." Kairos whispered into my ear.

"Me." Peter said with a smile. "When I was a boy, blah blah blah..." I tuned him out immediately and when I checked back in with him he was talking about how his grandfather used to misspell the word 'cabbages'.

What the-?! Weiss, ignoring the story, turned to see Ruby holding up her piece of paper with a poorly drawn Peter on it, he honestly looked like one of those stick-figure cowboys. Off to the side of the drawing were the words, 'Professor Poop'.

"Phht." The leader stuck her tongue out playfully and she and Yang just started laughing, Weiss on the other hand was scowling and her entire body was trembling with rage. However the laughing stopped when Peter cleared his throat, giving the girls a pointed look.

"In the end the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity." He continued his story. "And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high. Celebrated, as a hero." He bowed for a minute before straightening back up. "The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic...Well-educated...and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do sir!" Weiss stated in a loud clear voice; having enough of Ruby's insolence, aloof nature, disrespectful behavior, and totally buffoonery during the lecture, her hand shoot up into the air without hesitation. The last act that caused her to snap was Ruby sticking a finger up her own nose and picking it like she was digging for gold.

"Well then, let's find out." Peter said as he looked to the cage that appeared next to him, a pair of red eyes looking right back at him and a feral growl came out through the bars. "Step forward, and meet your opponent."

"Grrrrr." The creature growled as Weiss stood confidently in the middle of the room with her trusty multi-action Dust rapier, Myrtenaster, drawn. She had ditched the school uniform and was in her usual battle outfit.

"Goooo Weiss!" Yang cheered from her seat.

"Fight well!" Blake added, waving one of those tiny red flag banners with the letters 'RWBY' painted in white.

"Yeah, represent Team RWBY!" Ruby added, irritating the princess.

"Ruby, I'm trying to focus."

"Oh, sorry." The girl apologized.

"Alright. Let the match, begin." With one mighty swing of his weapon, Blunderbuss, Peter cut off the lock on the crate and the door crashed to the floor, revealing the Grimm within. It had the appearance of a large, armored boar. With cloven-feet and long hair sprouting from its spin, it also had a snubbed snout, normal sized tusks and two additional curved tusks jutting out to the side. Four red eyes, a series of plates ran along its back and thighs much like its Grimm counterparts.

"It's a Boarbastusk." Kairos said, her eyes watching the battle with interest. "First time I've ever since one in person." The ringing sounds of Myrtenaster colliding with the Grimm's tusks or its bony armor reached my ears.

"Haha, wasn't expecting that were you?" Peter asked as Weiss re-positioned her stance after swiping at the creature, noticing that her strikes weren't having much effect.

"I kinda was..." Efram commented under his breath while Kairos and Timber chuckled at the statement.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby shouted encouragingly just as the two fighting competitors lunged at one another. The only power the Boarbatusk has to rely on is its massive tusks and since its upper body was heavily armored, it could withstand almost any stabbing or cutting attacks.

"Gah!" The princess yelped when the creature locked Myrtenaster in its tusks, putting them both in a struggle of power, tug-of-war style.

"Bold, new approach. I like it!" Professor Port clapped his hands with glee.

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby cheered, distracting Weiss and gave the creature an opening to disarm the princess, flinging the blade across the room before tackling Weiss to the ground with its tusks.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Peter asked as the girl slowly propped herself up on all fours.

"She's gonna kick its hairy butt!" Efram said loudly.

"Aah!" The white-haired girl rolled out of the way when the creature charged at her, smacking its tusks against a couple of empty desks. Making a bee-line towards her blade, she picked it up and faced the boar as it made a u-turn, clawing at the floor with its feet.

"Weiss, go for it's belly!" Ruby advised. "There's no armor underneath-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" The girl snapped angrily before refocusing on her opponent. The boar then tucks itself into a wheel and rolls at Weiss, who blocks the attack with a Glyph, stunning the creature. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she lunged at the boar and managed to stab it in the stomach with her blade, thus killing the Grimm. Letting out a squeal upon its death, the creature began to generate smoke, leaving nothing behind.

"Bravo! Braaa-vo!" Professor Port praised her. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings and, stay vigilant. Class dismissed." Letting out an angry huff, Weiss stormed out without looking at her teammates.

"Do you think Weiss was a bit harsh on Ruby?" Timber asked quietly once the ice princess disappear. "I mean...she did give some good advice out there..."

"Don't worry about it too much okay?" Efram said as he stood up, weaving Jaune over since he knew that he and the blond had a class together. "Let's let them solve it out for themselves."

"Reina..." Kairos looked at me as I noticed Ruby walking off, most likely to follow after the girl. "You don't think..."

"You guys go on ahead." I told them, rising from my seat abruptly. "I'll see you all tonight."


Outside...

I followed Ruby secretly once class was finished, making my footsteps as silent as a shadow. The sound of girls bickering reached my ears and I crouched against the wall, tuning into the conversation.

"What's wrong with you?" Ruby was saying, sounding a bit hurt. "Why are you being-"

"What's wrong with me?" Weiss interjected hotly. "What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader and all you've been so far is a nuisance."

Ouch...I thought. That's a harsh thing to say.

"What did I do?" Ruby scoffs.

"That's just it, you've done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so."

"Weiss, where is this coming from?" Ruby asked, unsure why her teammate was so aggravated at her. "What happened to all the talk about, working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by you." Weiss stated simply, not even bothering keeping the iciness out of her voice. "I've studied, and trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better." Then she pointedly turned her back on her so-called leader. "Ozpin made a mistake." With that scathing remark, she walked off.

"She's quite...cold." I decided to make myself known, walking up beside Ruby and staring in the direction Weiss walked off to.

"Reina...what do you think?" Ruby asked me. "Do you think...I'm not fit enough to be leader?"

"Hmmm. Now that didn't seem to go very well." The two of us turned to see Ozpin himself standing there, cup in hand.

"Is she right?" Ruby asked him. "Did you make a mistake?"

"That remains to be seen." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean it's only been one day." said Ozpin. "Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them." He leaned in close, staring at Ruby straight in the eye. "Do you?"

"...no sir...I don't." She replied and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly." Ozpin told us, gazing at us from behind his spectacles in a thoughtful manner. "If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"

He's right...I thought as Ozpin turned his back to us.

"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby." He spoke cautiously. "I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it." He paused a bit before glancing in my direction. "Same goes to you Reina. Though I can't get the feeling that you...have been burdened with an even unimaginable responsibility."

That's right...I thought, clenching my hands into fists. I won't rest until I pay her back for what she did. But...I can't let my emotions control me, for now I just have to focus on my team and my studies.

"Let's go back Reina." Ruby said and the two of us thanked Ozpin for his advice.


Elsewhere...

Weiss was busy walking off steam. Never before had she let her emotions run wild like that and she even yelled at Ruby. Looking up she realized that her legs took her to where Peter Port was standing with his back towards her, looking out across the city.

"Professor Port." She spoke, getting his attention.

"Ah, Miss Schnee." He said, turning around to face her. "And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"I-I enjoyed your lecture." She told him.

"Of course you did, child; you have the blood of a true huntress in you." Peter agreed.

"You really think so?"

"Most surely." The man then noticed that Weiss diverted her eyes to the side, as if she was tentative on what she wanted to say or more importantly, how to say what she wanted to say. "Hmm, something's troubling you."

"Yes, sir." Weiss admitted.

"Dear, girl confess to me your strife." The professor led her to one of the benches and the two of them sat down.

"Well, I-I think I should have been the leader of Team RWBY." Weiss confessed to him. Peter stared at her for a good minute before speaking.

"That's preposterous."

"Excuse me?" Weiss snapped, looking at her professor with a skeptical eye.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never once led me astray." Peter explained to her.

"So you would just blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?" Weiss asked him.

"With all due respect your exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by your poor attitude." Peter said.

"How dare you!" She glared at him with anger.

"My point exactly." The professor commented before continuing. "I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted."

"That's not even remotely true." Weiss denied, causing the professor's mustache and eyebrow twitch. "Well, not entirely true."

"So the outcome did not fall in your favor." Peter said. "Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision? So instead of fretting about what you don't have, savor what you do. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be." At that, Weiss felt her anger subsiding and a small smile on her face as she bid her professor good night.


That night...

When Weiss walked back to her room, I was just coming out of the very same room dressed in my pajamas. Noticing her presence approaching me, I gave her a small smile and a head dip before disappearing into my own room, closing the door behind me with a soft click.

Odd...why was she in the room at this hour? The ice princess thought before opening the door quietly. Yang and Blake were already sound asleep in their beds, but she noticed a strange light coming from Ruby's bed. Closing the door as softly as possible, Weiss made her way to Ruby's bed and carefully moved the drapes to the side.

The owner was asleep with numerous amount of textbooks propped open on her pillow, her laptop open right beside her, a piece of paper with written notes and problems and a pencil in her hand. Soft breathing could be heard from the girl's lips. From what Weiss could infer, the girl fell asleep studying.

And Reina was probably with her up until this point, that explains why she was in our room. She gently nudged Ruby awake, clearing her throat as well.

"Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed softly when she stared up at the ice princess, startling the sleep out of her. "I-I was studying and then I fell asleep. Oh Reina isn't here anymore, I didn't even noticed her leaving. I'm sorry." Suddenly she felt Weiss' hand covering her mouth, indicating that she didn't need to explain herself.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asked, noticing a mug similarly to Ozpin's lying right beside the girl's pillow and removed her hand to let her leader speak.

"Uh, I-I don't." Ruby told her.

"Just answer the question." Weiss said, accompanied with a light eye-roll.

"Uhh! Cream and five sugars." Ruby answered quickly. The ice princess released a sigh but it wasn't one of those sighs like she was annoyed.

"Don't move." She ordered and disappeared. After about a minute, she popped back up with a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. "Here." She smiled softly.

"Um, thanks Weiss." Ruby thanked her and took the cup from her teammate. The girl looked off to the side before gazing back at her.

"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader." She admitted and Ruby smiled. "Just so you know, I'm going to be the best teammate you'll ever have. Good luck studying."

Heh...she's so cute. Ruby thought when the girl disappeared and glanced at the warm cup of coffee lying right next to her.

"That's wrong by the way." Weiss commented, popping back up to point at her leader's homework before disappearing for good.

Huh? Ruby looked at the papers and inwardly groaned. Luckily it was just a simply mistake so it shouldn't take all night to fix.

"Hey Ruby?" Weiss said.

"Uh huh?" The leader looked to see that the girl was halfway out the door. Apparently she wasn't planning on sleeping any time soon.

"I always wanted bunk beds as a kid."