A/N: Chapter 19 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 and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 19: Dance Dance Infiltration
Inside the ballroom...
The dance continues as students chattered among themselves or eating by the foot table. Not too far Oobleck and Port could be seen striking up a pleasant conversation, the latter released a jolly laugh as if something amusing struck his funny bone. Ozpin and Glynda were having a chat of their own until Ironwood interrupted and extended an hand, asking the Huntress for a dance. With an encouraging smile from Ozpin Glynda had no choice but to accept Ironwood's invitation and the two of them found themselves on the dance floor.
"I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too." Jaune said as he slid in next to Ruby who hadn't moved from her spot. I had already darted off to use the restroom due to nature's call.
"Yup."
"To the socially awkward." He extended the cup in his hand and she did the same, their cups clinking in cheers.
"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss." She told him.
"Meh, it's fine." He brushed it off casually even though it was hard for him to spit out the words. "Neptune's pretty cool. No big deal. I get why she went with him."
"What do you mean?" The leader of RWBY questioned.
"Well, come on. Not many people can pull off blue hair." Jaune jokes before taking a sip of his drink.
"No, I mean Weiss came to the dance alone." At that he started choking, hitting his chest to get the liquid down.
"Uh, what?!" Turning his attention to the side he noticed the Ice Queen poking at a wilted flower in a vase.
"Yeah, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys." Ruby explained.
"Is that so?" Jaune mused, watching Weiss turn to see Sun and Blake laughing at whatever Neptune was doing. Gritting his teeth in rising anger he held his arm out to Ruby, cup first. "Hold my punch."
"Uh...okay?" Ruby said, taking the cup in hand and watched the blond storm off towards Neptune. She even took a sip from his cup. As he moved to confront the blue haired Huntsman he noticed Pyrrha leaving, walking up the grand steps and disappearing out of sight. Making up his mind Jaune decided to hold off on giving Neptune a talk and chased after the red-haired Huntress.
"Hey, Pyrrha." Finding her on the balcony Jaune stood at a respectable distance and used his voice to let her know he was there.
"Hello Jaune." She turned around, surprised to see him.
"You okay?" He asked, walking towards her with concern in his voice. "I haven't seen you tonight...well until now."
"Well I did have one dance with Timber but that's about it. Other than that I'm...just fine."
"You look really nice."
"Thank you."
"Your, uh date...Timber was it? He isn't gonna beat me up for saying that, is he?" Jaune questioned a little nervously.
"Oh Jaune, you're being silly." She chuckles. "But yes I think you're safe for tonight."
"So. Where is Timber? Why isn't he out here with you?"
"When he first asked me to be his partner, I was surprised." Pyrrha said. "He just wanted one dance with me. Once it was finished he told me I could do whatever I wanted, no restraints. So...here I am without a partner."
"W-What?"
"Yup. That's how it went. He should be inside somewhere but for now, I'm all by myself."
"Then...what now?" Jaune asked, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Surely someone else must've asked you out. I mean...you're Pyrrha Nikos! H-How could no one else ask you to the dance?"
"I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. So much so that I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise." She turned away from him as she spoke. "But when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place." She turned back to look at him with a weary smile. "Everyone assumes I'm too good for them; that I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people. That's what I like about you."
"Me?"
"When we met, you didn't even know my name. You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime. I guess...you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with."
"The kind of guy...you wish you were here with..." Jaune repeated carefully, listening to every word she said.
"That's right. You saw me for who I was." Pyrrha smiled before turning around and walked back in. No sooner had she left, Neptune arrived looking a little disgruntled.
"Hey, uh...Jaune, right?"
"Yeah." The blond released a sigh after the talk with Pyrrha.
"This party's pretty lame, huh? I mean, ballroom dancing?" Neptune just shook his head and laughed. "Pbbfff."
"Yeah."
"Cute girls though, huh?" Neptune turned to look behind him. Curling his hands into fists Jaune whirled around to confront the very guy he wanted to pick a bone with since the start of the event.
"Is that all you think about? D-Do you even care about the girls you're hitting on? How they feel about you?"
"Huh?" Surprised by the change in attitude Neptune narrowed his eyes a bit at the accusation. "Whoa, where's this coming from all of a sudden?!"
"How could you turn her down like that?" Jaune asked.
"I'm not following..."
"Weiss!"
"Uh...yeah, about that.. I, uh.." Neptune scratched the back of his head and looked away briefly. "It just...didn't work out. Ya know?"
"What? You think you're too cool? Too many other options? Weiss Schnee asked you to the dance. What in the world could possibly keep you from go-"
"The truth is...I can't dance."
"Beg your pardon?" Jaune blinked once, unsure if he heard right. "Run that by me again?"
"I can't dance, man." Neptune turned away shamefully. "I just can't."
"But, you're...so...cool."
"Thank you." Neptune smiled at the comment. "I try really, really hard."
"You would rather break a girl's heart, and go to a dance alone, than...just admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?" Jaune questioned.
"Yup, that about sums it up."
"Well, I certainly feel a lot better about myself."
"Please don't tell anybody. Look, if you want Weiss, she's all yours; I don't wanna get in your way." Releasing a small sigh and leans casual against the railing.
"Do you like her?"
"Yeah, I mean, I don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty cool." Neptune explained.
"Then just go talk to her." Jaune told him as he imparts Pyrrha's advice about being honest, crossing his arms over his chest. "No pickup lines, no suave moves. Just be yourself. I've heard that's the way to go."
"But isn't that-"
"Hey, you don't have to look cool all the time." The blond assured him. "In all honesty, if you could be a little less cool, I'd really appreciate it."
"Yeah. Okay."
"Go on." Jaune tilted his head in the direction that Weiss was probably at. "Go talk to her. I guarantee it'll make her night."
"Thanks. You're a really cool guy, Jaune."
"Alright, don't lie to my face." Jaune replied but gave the blue-haired Huntsman a fist bump. Watching Neptune walk back inside, he released another small sigh. "Alright. Only one thing left to do."
Meanwhile...
"God I was so nervous. Dancing is still quite new to me...luckily I didn't tread on any toes." Stepping out of the stall I made my way to the sink and turned on the faucet. Feeling the cold water touch my fingers I put a little soap in the palm of my hand and scrubbed. "And these shoes are friggin tight...I should change out of them before I get blisters..."
You can't hide forever.
Oh Dust...not this again. Suppressing a groan of annoyance I lifted my head to see the humanoid Grimm looking back through the mirror. The Beowolf mask was as unsettling as it ever was, the red glaring eyes seemed to look straight into my soul. "What do you mean? Why do you keep popping up when I least expect it?"
The hour will soon be upon you. When it comes you will have nothing left...you'll be nothing less but a broken girl. Embrace the dark that was placed upon you since the moment you were conceived.
"Are you giving me warnings?" I leaned close, my nose mere inches from the glass. "What's going to happen?"
Darkness shall arise. The land drenched in the blood of those closest to you.
"That's not helpful at all." Slamming my hands on the sink I didn't even bother holding back my slowly building anger. "Give me the truth and don't leave anything out."
All will be revealed in due time. A grin appeared across the reflection's face as its voice started to fade away like an echo. In due time.
"...damn it...what does it all mean? Forget it...better get back and have a dance with Kairos. She deserves one since she asked me to this event after all..." Shaking my head I quickly finished up and left, making my way back to the main room. As I was just about to reach the wide opening something caught my attention and I came to a complete halt. It was a for a brief moment but I saw the faint trail of someone making their way across the campus. "What was that?"
"Oh hey Leader." I looked up as Timber greeted me with a grin on his face. "What are you doing here with your mouth open like that? Kairos is inside waiting for you, she looks very anxious and even asked when you'll be back."
"Uh...something came up, something that I feel like I need to check on. Can you stall her for a few? You know, keep her occupied." I pleaded, knowing I might regret my decision at some point or another. "I'll try to get back as soon as I can."
"I don't know how long I can do that but you can count on me. If all else fails I can dance with her until you return." Flashing me a smile he disappeared back into the crowd and out of sight.
What a great guy, so glad he's on my team. Smiling to myself I quickly excused myself from the dance, stopped by the dorm room to change out of my heels.
Back at the dance...
"I think we really needed this." Yang was saying as Ruby walked up to join her. The two of them looked out to see Blake and Sun still dancing while Ren and Nora joined them on the floor not too far away. Even Penny was doing a little jig with two Atlas soldiers stood guard.
"Yeah." Ruby agreed with a head nod. "And you did a great job planning it too."
"Aww, thanks!" Reaching over Yang quickly wrapped an arm around her sister's neck, pulling her close. "It wasn't me though. Weiss did a lot too." Ceasing her struggles Ruby noticed Neptune approaching Weiss and took a seat in the vacant space beside her.
"Timber I know you're lying to me. Where the hell did she go?!"
"I can't tell you...Hey, want some punch?"
"I'm being quite serious!"
"What's going on over there?" Ruby and Yang turned to see a very concerned looking Kairos storming up with Timber scrambling right behind her. "What's up? You look upset."
"It's been a while since Reina disappeared to use the restroom...not very usual for someone like her." Kairos said, keeping her voice low and her eyes darted back and forth. "She hasn't come back but Timber here is trying to cover up for her. As if I can't see through your charade...you really need to work on that."
"...please forgive me..." He replied meekly.
"She might've fallen in the toilet." Yang offered, prompting Ruby to elbow her sharply in the ribs. "I mean...have you checked the restroom?"
"Yeah I have and she wasn't there, she must've left. Now if you two don't mind, I'm gonna go and look for her." With that, the Huntress walked off and disappeared out of sight. Apologizing Timber excused himself and went back to mingle with the other students.
"Well that was something unexpected...But you know, tomorrow's back to work." The blonde brawler sighed as she continued her conversation with Ruby.
Reina left? Where did she go...I should probably follow suit. "Well, I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby said, shrugging her shoulders with defeat. The sounds of laughter reached their ears and they looked over the rails. "Except maybe that."
"Jaune?" Pyrrha gasped as the crowd parted, revealing Jaune wearing a dress and sneakers. "What are you wearing?"
"Eh, a promise is a promise." He said amidst the laughing of the others, a small sheepish smile on his face. The red-haired Huntress suddenly busted up laughing and wiped away a tear from her eyes.
"Jaune, you didn't have to."
"Hey. An Arc never goes back on his word. Now do you want to stand there and laugh at me," He held out his hand for her to take. "or do you wanna dance?"
"I...would love to dance." She smiled and took his hand in hers.
"Ren." Nora said excitedly as the two waltzed off, striking a very dramatic pose. "This. Is. Happening!"
"Wait, what is happening?" He asked before Nora dragged him onto the floor. Together team JNPR performed a synchronized dance number and the audience cheered, whistled and hollered.
"I didn't know you were a dancer." Pyrrha said, smiling at Jaune the entire time. This was hands-down the best night of her life. "You surprise me more and more by the minute."
"Yeah, well these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters." Jaune replied.
"So, what made you change your mind?" Weiss asked as she and Neptune watched the dance. "You said you were embarrassed at first. What made you come talk to me?"
"Huh? Oh, well...you're lookin' at him." Neptune prompted, forcing the two of them to look back at the happy duo taking the stage. "You've got some good friends looking out for you."
"Looks like everyone here has a dance partner." Emerald spoke as she and Mercury watched from the second level. They avoided mingling with the other students and decided to watch from afar. "No one seems to be missing from the room so you seem to be in the clear."
"How much longer do I have?" A voice spoke through the ear piece, no doubt belonging to Cinder.
"We should probably be home by midnight, to be safe." Mercury replied calmly.
"I'll keep my eye on the clock." With that Cinder ended her transmission and began to put her plan into action.
Elsewhere...
Once I felt comfortable in my sneakers and tossed the heels into the wardrobe I stepped out and followed the Aura as closely as possible, keeping my footsteps just as quiet against the concrete. The color that appeared inside my Mind's Eye was so distinct that there was no mistaking who it was and I felt my stomach twist into a knot. The cold air whipped around my face and I soon found myself standing before the CCTS, the very tower I went with Weiss and Timber to receive any information.
"Here?" I mused, tilting my head to the side. The Aura was still clear in my mind so there was no mistaking that I was in the right place. "Why would someone want to come here at this time?"
"Reina!"
"Kyaa!" I couldn't help but unleash a sharp cry before turning to see Ruby standing really close behind me, her nose mere inches from my face. "Ruby! What are you doing here?! How did you find me?"
"I could be asking you the same thing. Why aren't you at the dance?" She put her hands on her hips as if she was interrogating me. "Wait...did you just 'kyaa'?"
"Don't you dare tell the others. This stays between you and me!" I hissed as my face burned up with embarrassment.
"Well it's a little late for that." I turned to see Kairos standing right beside Ruby, her arms crossed over her chest. "I heard it too."
"O-Oh." I scratched the back of my head with a hand. "I guess Timber didn't keep you entertained long enough."
"So why are you out here?" She prompted, still awaiting my answer. I could feel some amounts of anger rolling off her body and that wasn't a good sign. "I want to know why you just ditched me at the dance."
"I-I was gonna come back!" I said, feeling a little hurt by that statement but it was partially true. "Look I'm sorry. I really feel bad about what I did but something caught my attention." I pointed to the tower with an index finger. "I was following a trail and it led me here...it could be another student but..."
"Why would a student be all the way here though?" Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I thought all the students were supposed to be at the dance."
"Then why are we out here? We're students right?" I laughed before getting back to my serious mode. "Well there's only one way to find out and that is to go deeper, deep enough to unravel our mysterious guest."
"You might not be the only one." Ruby was saying as we prepared to enter the giant structure. "I was standing by the doorway and noticed a figure running along the rooftops."
"A figure?" I asked.
"Someone dressed in black...I couldn't really see that far away."
"Wait!" Kairos spoke up and directed our attention to the side. Lying in the flowerbed appeared to be one of the guards that were stationed for the evening. "Someone's definitely not where they should be."
"Better get my weapon..." Pulling out her Scroll, Ruby summoned her weapon locker and held Crescent Rose in her hands. "Ready."
"Lets go." Getting affirmative nods from the two I pushed against the door and we entered. The first thing I noticed that the guards that were supposed to be patrolling the building were no longer there, obviously taken out by the intruder. The second thing that I felt unsettling was the atmosphere, as if someone was watching our every move. "Do you sense anything unusual?"
"Let me check..." Removing her earmuffs and hanging it around her neck Kairos used her Faunus ears to pick up any abnormalities, turning her head ever so slightly so she could scan the whole room. "Nothing here. My guess is the intruder must be in the library terminals."
"There's an elevator here so we can take it up." Hurrying over I pressed the button and we climbed aboard. Ruby already had Crescent Rose in its scythe form while Kairos gripped the handle of her sword tightly. I gently gripped my right shoulder and held my hand there for a few minutes; I was still disturbed by what happened in the restroom but I needed to keep my head in the game.
"Wow, this room wasn't what I expected it to be." The Faunus murmured as we stepped off the platform, listening to the door close and the elevator went back down. "I should come here more often to do homework."
"More guards here." Ruby said, noticing a couple of bodies scattered on the floor. "Who ever did this is quite good." She stumbled a bit and glared at her feet. "Stupid lady stilts!"
"Shhh...our guest is here." I held out my arm to stop them from advancing forward. Around us the monitors made their small humming noises but it definitely felt like everyone was holding their breaths. I began addressing the intruder in the room. "There's no need to hide, show yourself." Nothing happened.
"...maybe there's nobody..." Ruby said after a few minutes of waiting.
"No, Reina's right." Kairos growled as her tail flicked back and forth behind her. "That person is here."
"I will not say it again." I called out. "We know you are here." Finally the Aura rose and I could see the faint outline of the intruder walking out to greet us. "There you are."
"You know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-" No sooner had Ruby spoken, Cinder used what looked like ice Dust to form dangerous looking icicles and sent them our way. "Whoa!" She quickly used Crescent Rose to deflect, twirling her weapon expertly with her fingers.
"Pro dodges!" I somersaulted away as Kairos made a beeline for Cinder directly. Noticing the Faunus, Cinder quickly summoned her own weapon. She quickly crossed them in the shape of an X to block the jab and retaliated with a couple slashes herself. Narrowing her eyes dangerously the Faunus stood her ground and blocked the strikes; she wasn't going to risk blowing up the entire tower if she unleashed her full power so she opted for sword-play instead.
"Why are you holding back?" Cinder asked, smirking at her opponent in a teasing way. "That's no fun. You should always go full-force against your opponents."
"Make no mistake, I actually do want to blow you to smithereens." Kairos jabbed back, her lips curling back into a snarl. "Unfortunately I don't want my account cleaned out if this tower ends up going to ashes."
"Well that's too bad. I thought you'd put much more of challenge than this."
"How dare you!"
"Hyyyyyyyah!" Ruby intervened by slamming Crescent Rose between them, forcing them to separate. Twisting her body in mid-air Cinder attached both blades together to form a bow and summoned her arrows. The fact that she could do that so gracefully blew my mind, our opponent was something we couldn't afford to underestimate.
"It can be a bow as well?!" Kairos quickly got into a defensive stance and slashed away at the projectiles that were sent her way. "What a troublesome weapon!"
"Watch out!" I stepped in and used Aura Shield to reflect the arrow coming in from her blind spot. "Phew, that was close."
I never imagined I'd run into her again...well her and the red one so soon. Cinder mused as she landed in a crouch, lifting her head to gaze at us from behind her mask. But looks like I was right on the money, she doesn't use any sort of physical weapon.
"Keep on your toes. She's the real deal." Kairos murmured as she stood by my side. "I can't find any flaws in her."
"That's kind of bad, don't you think?" I replied and she just laughed in response.
"That was a nice warm up don't you think? Shall we kick it up a notch?" Cinder asked and without warning my left shoulder exploded into pain.
"Guah!" I grunted as I landed on my back, the arrow embedded deep in my left shoulder and blood already staining my clothes. "It hurts!"
"Reina!" Kairos turned with a look of surprise. When did she fire that arrow?!
"Don't look away." Cinder smiled as she disarmed the Faunus with a jab to the wrist. Jumping into the air she nailed a drop kick which sent the girl crashing into nearby monitors. "You're giving me free points here."
"Take this!" Ruby quickly fired bullets which were deflected easily with a simple gesture of a hand.
"I should take care of you as well." Closing the distance between them she and Ruby proceeded to engage in a flurry of blows, Cinder's blades versus Crescent Rose. It was obvious that Cinder had the upper hand and soon Ruby found herself pushed back bit by bit. What she wasn't prepared for was a large wire laying on the floor and her heel tripped over it.
"Waah!" The leader of team RWBY yelped in surprise, tumbling backwards and disappeared behind a desk with a small crash. "Oww! Stupid lady stilts!"
"Why don't you two stay down for awhile? There's someone else here that I hope to have a small chat with..." Knowing that it may take some time for the other two to recover Cinder quickly walked up to where I lay, holding onto my left shoulder with a pained expression. "Poor baby, does it hurt?"
"Arrrgh!" I coughed out, feeling a weight of her foot slam down upon my chest and pushed me deeper into the floor. "Ack!"
"What? Is this all you got?" The woman asked tauntingly, sounding a bit disappointed as she cocked another arrow into her bow and pointed it at my face. "Where's the skills you used against Mercury? I want to see it first hand."
"I knew it had to be you." I replied back through gritted teeth. "There's no mistake, you were with the other two back then."
"Oho? So you do remember who I am." Cinder's mouth curled up into a devilish smile. "I feel very flattered."
"What do you hope to accomplish here?" I questioned, very curious about her motives. "What are you aiming for?"
"If I told you right off the bat then where's all the fun?" She clicked her tongue absentmindedly. "Being the villain is so thrilling because I just love leaving the heroes stumped."
"Reina!"
"Let her go!"
"Don't move!" Cinder ordered sharply, prompting Kairos and Ruby to freeze in their tracks. "Take one step and I won't guarantee her safety. A shot from this range will not miss."
"Damn it..." Kairos growled under her breath, narrowing her eyes at Cinder. "You coward!"
"All's fair in love and war." Cinder replied before the sound of the elevator caught her attention. Noticing this I seized the opportunity to strike her back.
"Aura Palm!" I quickly pressed my right hand against the leg that held me down, setting off a small explosion. Surprised and wincing in pain, Cinder quickly made her getaway just as the elevator door opened to reveal Ironwood.
"What are you students doing here?" He questioned, his eyebrows knitted together in concern and suspicion.
"It's the intruder! We came to stop her!" Ruby said but when we looked back Cinder was long gone. "Rats!"
"She's a sly one that's for sure." Kairos sheathed her sword before standing next to me, her eyes no doubt had been attracted to the arrow still lodged in my shoulder. "Do you want me to pull it out?"
"I mean I could do it myself but I think it'll be better if you do it." I turned my head away. "Be gentle."
"You probably shouldn't." Ironwood advised just as she was about to reach for the shaft. "Let a professional handle it."
"If you mean yourself then be my guest." The Faunus stepped back so Ironwood could take a look. "If you hurt her by making it worse...I'll take you on myself."
"Um guys...you might want to check this out." Ruby's voice caught our attention and we noticed that one of the screens lit up by itself. "Did anyone turn on the power?"
"Nope." Kairos said.
"Not me." Ironwood replied.
"I'm currently bleeding from my shoulder and trying not to die of blood loss." I said in a salty manner, keeping my hand over the wound. "I don't have time to worry about some paranormal activities involving computer screens turning on by themselves."
"This is the only one though and the image on it is quite mysterious."
"What's the image like?" I asked.
"A large black queen chess piece." Ruby replied before tilting her head to the side. "But why a chess piece of all things?"
"It's probably hacked." Kairos said. Noticing that the General was preoccupied with me she quickly pulled out her Scroll and took a picture of the image before it went away.
"Don't you kids worry about it." Ironwood spoke up after giving me a diagnoses. "Get your friend to the nurse and patch that wound up. The arrow's quite deep and I don't want to do anything to mess it up. Whatever happened her tonight needs to stay between us. Got that?"
"Yes sir!" We replied.
Back at the dance...
Changing into a ballroom gown and ditching her masquerade mask, Cinder alluded the two guards that followed her into the room. After sweeping the room once they left and returned to their post. Releasing a small sigh she quickly made her way over to where Mercury and Emerald were dancing, tapping the Huntress on the shoulder.
"Oh, may I cut in?"
"Of course." Emerald replied without hesitation, stepping back so Cinder could have a dance. Giving Mercury a small smile she excused herself and left the two alone.
"And how's your night been?" Mercury asked as he started to dance, looking deep into her golden eyes. "Not too busy I hope."
"Hmm, a little more..." Cinder thought about it playfully before giving her answer. "...exciting than expected."
"Should we be worried?"
"Hardly. They'll be scratching their heads long after we've finished what we came here for." She scoffed before wincing a little, looking down for a brief second. "Ouch."
"What happened to your leg?" Mercury inquired, noticing the small limp Cinder was carrying when she danced. It was so small that it could be overlooked but the silver-haired Huntsman noticed it right away. "You got injured?"
"It's nothing for you to be concerned about." She assured him. "Just a little carelessness on my part."
"...was it because of her?" His eyes narrowed slightly and he couldn't keep the subtle growl from his tone of voice. "You ran into her didn't you? I thought Emerald and I had everyone in our sights...Can't believe we allowed a little rat to escape."
"Mercury, don't worry about it. I'll be fine, I promise. Besides it was more than just one rat...there were two more with her."
"I'm really sorry about what had happened."
"You need to let it go Mercury. Don't worry about a small thing like this."
"If you insist..." He replied, giving her a very skeptical look before smiling. "So then, what now?" She smiled back in response.
"Enjoy the rest of the night. After all...it is a party."
