A/N: Chapter 41 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 41: Family Brawl

Outside the battle arena...

Weiss appreciated any and every little time she could spend hanging out with Winter since she's been so busy in Atlas. She began sneaking small peaks here and there to look at her older sister as they walked towards Beacon, unable to explain the giddiness that rose within her. The clanking of Atlesian soldiers followed behind her slowly turned weird and both sisters turned as a robotic head rolled across the ground, coming to a halt by their feet.

"Hey." A drunk voice called out to them as the dark-haired male from Crow Bar stumbled onto the courtyard, holding a decapitated robot body. He focused his gaze on the two Schnees before adding, "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen."

"Halt!" Winter ordered in a loud crisp voice as the soldier beside her moved forward to combat him. Her eyes narrowed when the beheaded body was tossed to the ground like it was nothing but trash. What the hell is he doing here?

"Excuse me, do you have any idea who you're talking too?!" Weiss stormed up to him without fear, hands on her hips and ice blue eyes throwing daggers in his direction. "I'll have you know that you should be showing her some respect!"

"Sssshhhhh, shhhh. Not you little girl." The man spoke, before pushing her out of the way and walking up till he was a few feet in front of Winter. The other soldiers stood protectively on both sides, their guns ready to fire as a crow began to caw above the courtyard. Spreading its wings the avian took off into the air and away from the potential fight that was about to ensue. "You. I saw that gaudy ship of yours in town. I guess you're here too."

"I'm standing right before you. Or are you just blind?"

"So it would seem." The man spoke after squinting his eyes, a smile breaking out upon his face. "Could've fooled me. You blend in so much with the background."

"Do you realize that you just destroyed Atlas military property? That's a criminal offense in the book." Winter spat, feeling her emotions getting riled up. Out of everyone that I had to run in to...it had to be him!

"Ohhhhhhh I'm sorry." He replied, feigning fright before laughing at his own acting and gesturing to the mess he made with pride. "See, I mistook this for some sort of...sentient garbage."

"I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss asked, walking back to her sister's side. By now some of the students crowded around, watching the conversation between two full-fledged hunters, one of which is still kinda drunk. "Should I even be shocked about that? You meet other people daily for your business trips."

"Jeez, you Atlas specialists think you're so special, don't you?" The man known as Qrow scoffed, glowering at them while stumbling a bit on his feet.

"It's in the title."

"Well, you know what you really are? A buncha sellouts...Just like your boss."

"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough." Winter stated frostily, curling her hands by her side. "I didn't come here to be talked down to by the likes of you."

"Oh, I heard too." Qrow teased, throwing his hand up into the air in a grand gesture. "I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin. What a shocker. Should've made headline news but it seems like someone was paid handsomely to keep everything under the rug."

"Ozpin? What does the headmaster have to do with–"

"Weiss, it's time for you to go. You'll gain nothing if you stay here any longer."

"B-But Winter...!" Weiss objected, feeling her sister push her to the side with a strong hand. She's never seen her sister angry before but she was getting a front row seat in this rare opportunity. She could practically feel the cold Aura radiating from Winter's body. She's really mad about this...

"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like how Atlas proposed to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow gestured to the much larger crowd of students that seemed to be interested. "Yeah...when is Atlas going to deliver on that promise?"

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" Winter drew her sword, pointing it at the huntsman in challenge. The students all 'oohed' as he swept his bangs back with a hand and out of his eyes which twinkled with joy.

"Oh sure, I'll just hold my tongue with my hand. Gonna look pretty stupid if you ask me." He chuckled before adding, "All jokes aside...come and take it." The air swirled around as the student body held their breath. Winter didn't waste a moment, moving at such a fast speed that even Weiss was taken by surprise till she reappeared in front of him.

"Hyaaaah!" The elder Schnee began to thrust her sword arm forward, attempting to stab Qrow in the face. He barely moved from his spot, relying only on upper body and head movements. Damn this man...why can't I hit him with my normal attacks?!

"Whoops. Watch where you swing that sword." Qrow smiled as he avoided Winter's slashes and stabs, performing a half bow and felt the blade whistle overhead. "I would like my head on my shoulders thank you very much."

"Tch!" Winter, seeing the opportunity, attempted to lop off his head only to make contact with his weapon. The sound of gears running caught her attention and she backed off as the black-haired huntsman got into an attacking position. The two of them crossed swords, Qrow tapping his against hers in a goading manner like they were fencing. Unlike Winter, who's fighting poster was regal and poise, Qrow had a little bounce to his stance. Then they began their dance with a flurry of blows that were too fast for normal students to see, but they nonetheless cheered both competitors on.

"Weiss! What's going on?!" Ruby huffed as she cut through the crowd and made her way towards the heiress' side. "I could barely see you from the sea of students!"

"Now's not the time for short jokes Ruby! Some crazy guy just came up and attacked my sister!"

"Oh no, why would someone do such a– that's my Uncle Qrow!" The leader squealed much to Weiss' surprise, her eyes widened when she watched the fight that was happening before her very eyes. Cupping her hands around her mouth she began to cheer him on, "Kick her butt Uncle Qrow!"

I can't believe that male is related to Ruby! "Teach him respect, Winter!"

"...what kind of a weak cheer is that?"

"T-T-That's none of your business! I can cheer for Winter however I like!" There was a huge explosion as Qrow took a huge chunk out of the courtyard. He followed Winter with his eyes as she took off, scaling up the building and running along the railings of the building. Bunching his leg muscles he took off after her, running along the opposite end while firing bullets. Coming to a halt, the Schnee wrapped herself in some mist, shrouding herself from view.

Like that would work on me! I can see straight through your attack! Qrow thought, watching his opponent burs through with not one but two swords. He planted his feet firmly, holding his weapon in front with a determined expression. The two collided before Winter was able to shove him back. Not missing a beat she quickly conjured up a lot of snow birds, sending them flying to her opponent.

Oh she got better. Qrow noticed as he quickly dispelled the ice birds with a single slash. Rising to his feet he prepared to change his weapon's form, watching the gears along the hilt begin to turn. Winter for her part noticed the seriousness and decided to charge up for an all-out strike, a massive glyph appearing behind her. Suddenly his eyebrow rose with interest and he quickly stopped the transformation, placing his sword back where it belonged despite the booing of the students. He got here faster than I anticipated.

What the hell is he playing at? Winter frowned from where she was kneeling, noticing that her opponent had put his weapon away. A part of her wanted to stop and ask but another part was egging her to finish the match and put Qrow in his place. Is he asking for a death wish?

Good, she hasn't sensed him coming yet. This is going to be entertaining. Laughing to himself Qrow leaned his upper body half-way forward and taunted her with a finger, a coy smirk on his face. C'mere, Ice Queen. Lay one on my cheek, right here. You know you want to.

Fucking bastard! "HYYYAAAAAH!" Falling for the taunt, Winter shot forward with the intent to kill.

"SCHNEE!" Ironwood's deep voice rang out, Winter's blade stopping inches before it could stab Qrow in the throat. She turned to look over her shoulder, the Atlas headmaster walking up to them with his hands behind his back. Penny, who was trotting alongside him, carefully peaked out from behind his leg. "What the hell is going on here? Why are all the students standing here? And what in the world do you think you're doing?"

"General Ironwood, Sir, I can explain. He started the altercation."

"That's not true, she started it and attacked me first." Qrow frowned when he made himself noticeable, both hands folded behind his head and his weapon was sheathed by his side. "I'm the victim here."

"Is that true?" Ironwood asked, noting how Winter still had her weapon out. Seeing that she wasn't going to win this round and that Qrow had an innocent expression on his face, Winter clucked her tongue with frustration and looked to the side with her head down in shame.

Heh, busted just like I envisioned it. Looks like I can get away unpunished for the time being.

"And you." The dark-haired huntsman looked to see that Ironwood was looking at him directly, walking past Winter. Deciding to play innocent, he pointed a finger to himself to make sure he was the one being addressed. "Yes I'm talking to you. What are you doing here?"

"Funny. I could ask you the very same question."

"I–"

"Now, now everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the coliseum." Ozpin spoke as he walked up with Glynda by his side, a trusty mug in hand. The huntress didn't even look very pleased when she assessed the damage. "I can assure you there's better seats and popcorn for your enjoyment."

"Break it up, everyone. We will deal with this mess." Glynda stated more strictly, not beating around the bush at all. "If there's a problem with what I'm asking you to do, then I hope you're ready because I'm not in the mood at this moment for more tomfoolery."

"Hmph. Let's go." Adjusting his tie with a gloved hand, Ironwood sent Winter a silent glare before walking away. The Atlas soldiers and Penny followed suit without a second thought. Sensing that someone was watching her, Penny turned her head around at the last minute and waved an arm in greeting when she spotted Ruby among the crowd. The leader of RWBY chuckled before sending what appeared to be a playful stink eye at Qrow, who hadn't moved an inch from his spot.

"Heh...UNCLE QROOOOOOW!" She jumped him eagerly, latching onto his forearm and hung on when he looked at her with an unimpressed expression. She really couldn't contain her giddiness whenever he was around and it has been awhile since she last saw him. "Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me huh? Did you miss me?!"

"Nope." Qrow replied with a playful smile, ruffling her hair with a hand that wasn't occupied with holding a full-fledged teenager. "I don't see that firecracker anywhere, where did she go?"

"She's...somewhere, just not...here, probably getting ready for her double match. But I'm sure you'll find her and she'll appreciate your visit!"

"Yeah, I guess I should go and visit her. Wouldn't she be surprised by my visit."

"She's gonna flip out!"

"Qrow!" The two of them looked over to see Ozpin still standing there with a thin-line for a mouth. Glynda herself was busy fixing up the damages with a flick of her riding crop, a frown on her face as well. "A word in the office if you please."

"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow whispered to Ruby as she let him go, definitely acting like he had been sent to time-out. "And here I thought I'd be able to get away without any hindrance."

"Well you did kinda messed up our courtyard...to be honest." She told him with a small smile, almost apologetically but knew he was just messing around. "I didn't expect you to walk off without a slap on the wrist."

"Yeah, I guess I kinda did. A slap on the wrist is nothing compared to what's out there." He winked and gave her a fist bump. "Catch ya later kid."

"And suddenly your recklessness makes more sense to me." Weiss commented, walking up to Ruby's side and the two of them watched Qrow walk off after the other adults. "Must've gotten it from him."

"You're just mad cause he whooped butt!" Ruby teased, nudging Weiss' hip with her own in a playful manner.

"That was a draw at best! If we pitted them against together without any distractions you can be sure that Winter would win!"


Inside Ozpin's office...

The gears slowly grind against one another along the ceiling as Ironwood stood beside the desk, his hands still held behind his back. Winter on the other hand continuously paced back and forth, biting her lips with aggression as the clicks of her heels resonated through the space. Had she been left to her own device, she could potentially walk a streak on the tiles. Once the noise of the elevator caught their attention, she stopped pacing and focused on the door with interest.

Hmm? Heh, looks like she's here. Color me surprised. Qrow raised both brows and smirked as he stepped out, followed by both Ozpin and Glynda. They were flanking him on both sides like they were his security guards. And boy does she look hella pissed at me.

"What were you thinking?!" Winter shouted at him, looking annoyed and mad. "Have you lost your mind?"

"If you were one of my men I'd have you shot!" added Ironwood, looking just as pissed off as Winter. "There's no way I'd allow such behavior!"

"If I were one of your men I'd shoot myself. Thank you very much." retorted Qrow, reaching underneath his coat to pull out his hand-dandy flask. Unscrewing the top he began to drink.

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation now did it?" Glynda quipped, making a jab at Winter who narrowed her eyes in response.

"He was drunk!"

"He's always drunk!"

Glug~ Glug~ Glug~

"Oh." Qrow, noticing that everyone was looking at him, put a lid on his flask and tucked it away. "Right. This meeting, can't forget why I swung by."

"Qrow, why are you here?" Ozpin, sighing and resting a hand to his head, questioned him as he sat in his chair. "Please explain yourself."

"You've been out of contact for weeks!" Ironwood berated harshly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can't just go dark like that in the field. It's unprofessional of you!"

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy. Not like Ice Queen over there."

"That's General to you." Winter corrected him, narrowing her eyes. "You are to show him respect."

"Whatever the fuck you call him. I could care less about giving him my respect." Qrow ignored her and addressed the others who continued to stare at him. "You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you our enemy is here. At Beacon."

"We know. Nothing new there." Ironwood commented, walking over to lean against Ozpin's desk with a not-so-happy expression on his face.

"Oh! Oh, you know." Qrow, irritated by the general's tone of voice, snapped. It was like he got his feathers ruffled and the sarcasm was dripping in his voice like venom. "Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed! Whoop-dee-fucking-doo!"

"Qrow!"

"Communication's a two way street, pal. Here, check this out." Qrow fished for his Scroll, holding it in one hand while pointing at it with the other. "You see that? That's the send button. Fuckin' use it."

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised. We weren't going to waste precious resources if you died." Winter argued.

"When you assume, you're making an 'ass' outta 'you' and 'me', sweet cheeks." The dark-haired huntsman frowned before saying, "Speaking of the topic, I have reason to assume that you don't need to be here. In this room. Seriously, who invited her to this party?"

"Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back on my ship." Ironwood ordered, feeling that Qrow wouldn't be willing to talk anymore if he and Winter continue to bicker. In all honesty he wanted to breeze through the meeting without any hindrance.

"But Sir..."

"Winter, leave." Hearing her first name come out of his mouth, the Schnee didn't argue anymore. Snapping a salute she turned on her heels and made her way to the elevator. Along the way Qrow, flirtatious as ever, sent her a wink which she promptly ignored. Once the elevator closed and the noise of it making its way to the bottom level echoed around, Ironwood continued, "Go on."

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." He quickly took another swig of alcohol, hearing Glynda's voice of disbelief. He continued, "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or headmasters. Those are just generic labels. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows."

"Because if the public knew shit about all this, there'd be chaos. You know that." Ironwood growled.

"And so you tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn?" Qrow's red eyes bore into Ironwood's unwavering gaze. "I'm waiting for your answer."

"Discreet wasn't working." Ironwood replied, setting his Scroll down on the table. There was a few noises before a hologram of a kingdom showed up. Pushing himself off the table the general walked towards it and said, "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! Don't bullshit." Qrow interrupted as he pointed to the headmaster who merely shrugged in response. "He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us."

"And I am grateful."

"Oh well, you've got a real funny way of showing it. I wonder how you show appreciation or as a matter of fact...any possible human emotion."

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act."

"Your acting is only second best and saying that Atlas would protect is false advertising." Qrow harrumphed loudly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hopefully I'll still be around to witness this 'protection' of which you speak."

"Don't be snarky. When the people look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength."

"Hehehehe...hahahaha! You-You honestly think they're scared of your little ships?" Qrow laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made and let me tell you...they are fear. Your little scraps of metal are nothing compared to what she's done."

"And fear will bring the Grimm." Ozpin rose from his seat, finally speaking after watching the two bicker back and forth. "A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds: If this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Ironwood, realizing that everyone was looking at him, sighed and strode forward towards the desk. Casting a glance at Qrow, he reached for his Scroll with his gloved hand. The screen illuminated, showing a quick image of a queen chess piece before the general stuffed it in his pocket and before Qrow could ask questions should he have seen the screen glitch. Turning around he asked aloud, "So then, what would you suggest we do?" Ozpin smiled at the question.

"I suggest we find our guardian."


Inside Cinder's room...

"And you're sure you know who you saw?" Cinder questioned, arching an eyebrow in wonder. She and Emerald were going over their plans when Mercury rushed in like he had seen the devil. Even his silver-hair was all over the place. "Your eyes weren't playing tricks on you are they?"

"Bad hairstyle, used a scythe, and smelled like my dad after a long day. Yeah, it's definitely him." Mercury replied with confidence from where he sat in the chair. He was out enjoying his stroll when he came across the fight and did a double take. Once he realized who it was, he booked it straight back to Cinder. "It was him no doubt."

"What do we do? Are we going to call it quits?" Emerald asked from where she sat on the other bed.

"Nothing. We'll stay the course, they have no idea who we are so we have no reason to worry." Cinder spoke after pondering and weighing her options. "Besides, the last of the heavy lifting is being taken care of thanks to our clever little friend." Walking over she glanced at the Scroll and picked it up. On the screen was a similar chess piece but also a rotating 'W' character in the corner. "Ahhh, speaking of which, it appears we have a new access point."

"Anywhere good? Last time wasn't what I considered...interesting to say the least." grumbled Emerald, rolling her eyes for extra effect to show her moodiness. "Mercury couldn't have cared less."

"Honestly, it's whatever." The silver-haired huntsman waved a head without much thought. "As long as I get to go somewhere cool or bring havoc to others, I'll be totally fine."

"Well you can say we got a little bit of luck on our side, Emerald." Cinder mused before saying, "For now, go to your rooms and I'll prep everything for tomorrow. All you guys need to worry about is the matches...which is definitely nothing you can't handle."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Got it." Simultaneously, Mercury and Emerald stood up and left the room with smiles on their own faces. Once they left, Cinder put on her thinking cap as she hacked into the server and began to rig the randomize algorithm for the doubles match.

"Let's give the crowd a good fight. Something that'll put them at the edge of their seats." She smiled, pitting her team against Coco and Yatsu and confirming the match up with the press of a button. I can't wait to see what kind of show this will bring.