Who is Worthy?

Weiss

'Chin up, eyes forward, and heel to toe.' Proper manners and etiquette are essential to commanding respect. Weiss had mastered these essentials, and drilled them into herself until they became far more than mere habit.

The sun had barely cracked itself over the horizon and she had already dressed, eaten, and prepared for the day in its entirety. Diligence and strict planning are essential for high class living after all. She confidently strode her way through the uninhabited halls of Beacon. She would arrive precisely an hour early for class and use that added time to review the previous day's lesson. She would also double check her homework and conduct any last minute improvements. One could never know who was watching and where they could be, so to look productive at all times was a useful skill.

If she truly wanted to become team leader it was imperative that she gain the good graces of the administration. As she settled herself into her chair in the empty classroom, she spared a glance at the clock mounted upon the wall. It showed exactly eight in the morning, she had been precisely on time.

"Hmph, and yet our official team leader is still probably asleep. Not a care in the world, that one." She grumbled to herself. It seemed unfair that the youngest among them would be granted the highest responsibility. Weiss would admit that she did not particularly dislike the young girl, but she was dismayed at the prospect of someone so inexperienced being held in a position above herself.

She herself had struggled simply to gain an opportunity to be allowed for application to the Academy. She had to ensure that she stood heads and shoulders above her peers, yet she had been reduced to a common team member. 'What else do I have to do to prove myself ready? What does she have that I don't?'

She busied herself with her assignments, trying to displace the resentment that weighed heavily inside herself. 'It's not fair to hold my position against her, but it enrages me every time I think of it!'

She offered a perfectly practiced greeting to the instructor as he entered the classroom. The large man was certainly robust. He carried a cheerful demeanor that was only matched by his meticulously groomed mustache that covered much of his face. His well-tailored suit fit his plump form and he offered her a crisp greeting in return. 'Good, he's seen how punctual I am.' Small steps were how she would win over the staff, and then when they saw how properly suited she was for responsibility she would finally be placed in charge.

The rest of the class trickled in slowly. Weiss paid them no heed, instead opting to sit perfectly poised in her seat awaiting the lecture. She was rather suited for such endeavors, event banquets and dinners required perfect posture for many long and dragging hours. If this would allow her to move ahead then she was satisfied with some discomfort for gaining an advantage.

It wasn't until five minutes before the start of the lecture that her own team came bursting through the thick wooden classroom doors. Blake for her part seemed the most composed simply smoothing out her skirt, rumpled from their dash to class no doubt, as she took her seat. The blonde ball of eccentricities that was Yang was chatting animatedly to Blake, the quieter girl hardly reciprocating the effort as they made their way next to Weiss. Yang was grinning widely, seemingly taking great joy in the excitement of their near tardiness. And then finally, their leader appeared, the last one into class. The short, red hooded girl was breathless as she sat down. Her hair was uncombed and her uniform a wreck. With a groan, Weiss caught her attention, smoothed out the wrinkles, straightened her necktie, and offered her own personal comb for the girl to use. Ruby cheerfully thanked her, but Weiss was simply trying to make sure that no outside observers thought less of her team for having such an unruly appearance.

The instructor certainly looked unbothered, barely even sparing a glance at the girl's dynamic entrance. Professor Port, as same with most Beacon instructors, was a very accomplished Huntsman. A truly distinguished figure in his profession, he unfortunately, suffered from quirks that Weiss found herself unable to reconcile with.

"And so, it was there that I found myself lost alone in the forest without my trusted weapon. Nary a scrap of food to my person. Luckily, I had procured food from a nearby town days prior." It was dull, uninspiring, and long-winded dribble. Weiss however had set herself upon the task at hand and dutifully took notes. Her team, it seemed, had no such dedication. Blake had begun reading a completely different book than the assigned text, some obscure work about Ninjas and love if the title was any indication. Yang had zoned herself out entirely, and their team leader was asleep. It had barely been five minutes since the class had started and already Ruby Rose was sound asleep on her desk, light snores escaping her. 'Simply no class whatsoever!'

Admittedly she also was growing increasingly more tired as the lecture droned on, she even caught herself drifting once or twice but she remained focused and steadfast. It was unbecoming of a leader, much less a Schnee to not give their full focus to whatever the task at hand may be. If she had ever even tried to sleep during her private tutoring sessions back home she would have been scolded on the spot.

"And so, with a mighty roar both I and the beast engaged in a bloody bout for survival. It was only by the sheer luck of the mountainside that I was able to crush the monster under an avalanche, but it still would not yield. Exhausted and disarmed I had no choice but to take the cabbages in my pack and smother it- "

Even with the memories of past tutelage gone awry with boredom Weiss still unwittingly glanced around the room, trying to preoccupy herself while avoiding completely drowning out their instructor.

She started to make note of things.

The class was entirely of first years, as was expected. Grimm Studies was a mandatory course, if they succeeded in making it to year two more electives would open to them. Most of the class was either asleep or in the process of becoming so. On the other side of the semicircular room, she saw the redheaded prodigy that was Pyrrha Nikos aptly taking notes. She was seemingly unperturbed by the long running monologue of their teacher. 'What an absolute shame we couldn't be on the same team. She is everything a leader should be, unlike this dolt.' Guilt stabbed through her as she glanced at Ruby. 'No. That's not fair, she's certainly trying, just lacking the experience needed for such a role.'

Sitting to Pyrrha's side sat that brute of a man. The sight of the young blonde caused a spike of anger to flash through her. 'That thug has absolutely no shame! He isn't even taking notes. And what is with that ridiculous grin?' The boy, granted, had his right hand still bandaged, but Weiss found it equally affronting that he had simply reclined in his seat and listened raptly to the lecture with a smile dusting his lips. It infuriated her. 'Is there something he's seeing that I'm not? It's like he's gloating that he's better than me!'

Weiss turned her full attention back to the lecture with renewed purpose. She wouldn't allow for someone like that arrogant, disrespectful hoodlum to gain any sort of advantage over her. As she prepared herself mentally for the remainder of the dull lecture Professor Port suddenly stopped.

"Now as you all know, you are the future generation entrusted with securing the peace of Remnant. More so than the enemies you will undoubtedly face, you must also be willing to confront yourselves. Embrace your shortcomings and pursue a higher purpose." His boisterous voice echoed throughout the room, wakening several of the students that had been napping. Ruby stirred next to Weiss and soon gave her full attention to the instructor. "Now I would like a volunteer to demonstrate for the class how to engage a creature of Grimm. Who among you will take up the challenge?"

The Professor walked to a container against the wall that shook and shuddered as he approached. It was casually hidden underneath a large cloth which was dramatically torn away. Trapped behind iron bars on all sides was an enraged tusked creature. Short but stocky. It rammed its skeletal plated head against the bars to no avail. "Who would like to engage this beast in the age-old tradition of combat? Don't be shy now, I assure you it is perfectly safe." The beast squealed loudly in response.

The blonde ruffian instantly raised his bandaged hand, however, a sharp elbow from his partner straight into his side caused him to reconsider. Pyrrha simply smiled warningly. Weiss daintily raised her own hand. This was a perfect opportunity to show her capabilities. "Ah Ms. Schnee, wonderful! Please prepare yourself."

Weiss collected her gear quickly. She changed into her usual combat attire, it would be poor form to allow her official uniform to get dirty, as appearances must always be maintained. Her prized weapon Myrtenaster felt just right in her hands. She double checked the dust chambers engineered into the blades guard. With a careful eye she ensured the blade had retained its fine edge. Satisfied, she reentered the classroom and strode her way to the front of the room. She was positioned directly across from the caged Grimm.

'Left foot forward, blade at eye level and parallel to the ground, knees ever so bent, shoulder width apart.' She recited to herself, running through the stance that she had practiced endlessly to perfection. 'This is my moment. I'll end this in an instant and then they will all have to acknowledge my abilities.'

Her focus was broken by the rather sudden cheering from her teammates. Ruby for her part was waving her arms enthusiastically and hollering out words of encouragement. To her side both Yang and Blake offered physical gestures of support and encouragement. It was all rather embarrassing, and Weiss felt herself fighting a rising wave of discomfort. As she was preparing to tell them to stop, the cage of the Grimm opened and the Boarbatusk charged her with great speed.

She deftly rolled out of its path as it slammed its thick head into the wall, cracking the plaster. The Grimm oriented itself around slowly, its body unable to allow for sharp twists or turns. Falling back into her stance she bade her time until the next strike, watching for the perfect moment. "You got this Weiss! Go for its belly! It's weak there!" Ruby's voice called out and Weiss felt the hot flame of indignation rise.

"I certainly don't need you to tell me that!" Weiss' words were cold and sharp. Ruby wilted under her glare while the righteous anger that had flashed in the Heiress was replaced with the beginnings of shame.

"Forward!" A deeper voice cried out across the room; it was the blonde brute. Weiss realized her error far too late and as the Grimm rammed into her, she barely pivoted to the side. Her blade became tangled in its long tusks and was ripped from her grasp.

The Grimm shook its snout wildly, tossing Myrtenaster to the side. Weiss eyed her fallen weapon, estimating the dangers of dashing for it. The Grimm charged, and Weiss was forced to roll to the side to avoid it. The Grimm became enraged as it crashed past her once more and stomped its hooves into the floor. Weiss rushed for her weapon just as the beast began another charge.

With no time for proper form, she channeled her aura into her semblance. The Schnee's were far more than industrial titans, they also possessed a carefully inherited genetic semblance, one of the few hereditary types in the world. A bright shining Glyph appeared in front of her, acting as a crystalline shield. The Grimm bounced right off the Glyph as Weiss channeled another underfoot, this one taking on a black shade as the dust she stored in her weapon began fueling it. Weiss dashed forward in a burst of speed and thrust through the creature of darkness. It squealed loudly, shuddered, and faded into nothingness. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well done! It appears we may have the makings of a truly fine Huntress!" Professor Port praised. Weiss felt herself swell with gratification. She immediately searched for her teammate's reactions. Blake seemed passively unimpressed, while Yang offered a cheerful thumbs-up. Ruby, though not quite as energetic as before, gave her a cheerful congratulations as Weiss retook her seat. It was a bit disappointing, but there was little that could be done. Weiss's gaze flickered to the blonde on the opposite side of the room. He was simply sagging in his seat, relief evident in his face. Pyrrha said something inaudible to him, but he simply waved his hands in dismissal. 'No matter, after all I certainly don't need to waste my time proving myself to him of all people. It really is a shame though. Pyrrha and I could have made such a powerful team together.'

Class crawled on slowly after that. The professor had taken to again telling tales of his youth, many clearly embellished for dramatic effect. Weiss, of course, dutifully jotted down every word. As the class finished and students filed out of the room, she decided that now was as good a time as any to voice her concerns. She bid her team a swift farewell and followed Professor Port out of the classroom. They had no immediate class period. As a matter of fact, it was an open period followed only by combat lessons in the afternoon.

The instructor had taken to the fresh clean outside air. Settling himself upon a bench in the courtyard, he took out what appeared to be a small pipe. Weiss was sure it was simply a smoking pipe and nothing more deviant. They were a high staple of upper-class sophistication in Atlas, enjoyed by many elites. She cleared her throat and announced herself to the man. For his part, the Professor stumbled for a moment and stashed his special item away.

"Ah Ms. Schnee, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked.

"Professor I was hoping I could discuss something that has been troubling me as of late." Weiss began tentatively, still unsure how best to broach the subject. The man urged her on with a polite hand motion. "Well, I was wondering if it were possible for me to be made leader of Team RWBY."

It was direct and entirely uncharacteristic of Schnee etiquette when dealing with potential business partners. She had always been instructed to negotiate from a position of absolute power and if not then to capitalize on known weaknesses and exploit the other party. Here however she was entirely out of her depth and was in no real position to negotiate. So, she hedged her bets and laid it all out.

"You would like to become team leader?" Professor Port asked.

"Yes, that's right." Weiss felt her hopes well up. A brief pause. His laughter broke out across the courtyard just as loud and boisterous as the man himself. Several students and passersby even paused to see the commotion and Weiss felt absolutely embarrassed as her hopes plummeted into a growing pit in her stomach.

"What an absolutely absurd idea." The man calmed himself, now he leveled his eyes at her and stroked his long mustache as he pondered his next words carefully. "To put you in charge would be a great detriment to your team."

"Excuse me?" Weiss said angrily.

"You certainly have the potential to become a fine Huntress, but your appalling attitude and lack of proper coordination are in of itself unbecoming of a Beacon initiate." Seeing her affronted expression, he spoke more softly. "I take it you have lived a life of getting exactly everything you've ever wanted. Provided for every need and every whim."

"That's not- "Weiss was at a loss for words.

"Let me share with you an important piece of advice Ms. Schnee, and please do take it to heart. Who is the leader is almost irrelevant in the field. What matters most is the trust between teammates, understanding and relying upon one another to ensure you all return home safely. What happened during Initiation." He paused. "That unfortunate tragedy was a very, pardon the pun, grim reminder of the importance of what we at Beacon attempt to teach to your younger generation. Miss Rose may be young, but she shows incredible promise, as does the rest of your team. So, I urge you to be there with them now. With enough time, a day may come when all you have is yourself, but it need not be today. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." The man offered her a curt wave and casually strolled away.

Weiss simply stood there aghast. She was at a true roadblock. She had been denied outright, a rare occurrence all its own, however, it was the direct insult to her character that struck the hardest blow. It was rude, inconceivable, and she would not stand for it. She took a seat on the bench and thought over what she had heard. Schnee's however did not pout nor sulk, so with perfect form and composure, she sat as elegant as was possible in such circumstances. One was never quite sure who was watching and from where.

'Me a bad teammate? Perish the thought! I have been trying my best for the sake of this team. I wake up earlier than the others, ensure everyone has completed their homework, do my best to make sure no one has missed any notes, and am always prepared for the day. I have done more than anyone.' She huffed. 'But done it for whose sake exactly? Was it really for the team or more for myself? And for that matter what exactly does it mean to be a good teammate anyways? Is there a grading scale I can use? I mean what else can I really do?'

"Look out!"

'I should probably talk to the others, right? But how am I supposed to get Blake to converse? If we get into another argument about the Faunus, we'll be right back to square one.'

"Watch out!"

Weiss glanced up in time to watch a bright pink figure collide straight into the bench she was sitting upon, flip over the top, and crash into the grass behind. "What in the world?" Weiss cried out. Leaping to her feet she came around to the figure. From the heap, a bright orange hair girl hopped right up. She dusted herself off and let out a loud whoop, looking no worse for wear.

"Sorry about that, Ren told me I should be careful while roller skating but once I started it was so much fun and before I knew it, I was going so fast!" The girl cackled with glee.

"Right," Weiss said, unsettled by the amount of energy the girl was displaying. "You're Nora, right?"

"Yup that's me! The one and only, unless of course there's more than one. Have you seen another Nora wandering around? That would be big trouble you know?"

'Oh, I'd much rather take Ruby over this.' Weiss bemoaned. "I can't say I have, and why, may I ask, were you trying to roller skate?"

"Well, we were doing some hard-core team training you see, and Pyrrha was all being her usual awesome self totally whooping our butts. She said I should really work on my agility and said how she used to do roller skating when she was training for tournaments. And so, I said, that sounds awesome. And then she said I have a pair you can borrow. Well then, I was totally excited and gave her a huge hug because she was being so super nice. Well, it turns out it's a lot harder than it looks and I totally lost Ren at some point. And then I crashed into the bench and met you and-"Weiss placed a hand over Nora's mouth, though the girl kept going, mumbling unintelligible words.

"Yes, that is all very wonderful, but I should really be going," Weiss said. 'I'm sorry I asked.'

"Aww, no need to be shy!" Nora said as Weiss removed her hands from her lips. "I saw you pouting over here as I crashed. What can big sister Nora do for you?"

"Big sister?" Weiss was unsure.

"Yeah! I mean we are sister teams after all right?" Realization dawned on Nora's face. "Oh! Did you guys want to be the big sisters?"

"That's not the problem!" Weiss protested.

"Well, whatever!" Nora commented as she grabbed Weiss's wrist and dragged her back around the bench. Weiss protested but couldn't break from the grip of the other girl. Despite her small stature, Nora's strength was absolute. Weiss found herself seated once more with a very serious looking Nora across from her. Or at least what Weiss assumed was an attempt at trying to appear serious; Nora was having particular trouble maintaining a straight face.

"Now what's eating at ya?" Nora's grin remained but there was an earnestness in her turquoise eyes that Weiss found hard to dismiss. Honestly, Weiss wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this. She had never met someone so upfront. 'But maybe it wouldn't hurt to ask for a little advice, right? I mean there's no real harm if I open up a little right?'

Weiss cleared her throat. "Well, if you must know I am having some personal troubles." She was bracing for the inevitable bombardment of words she was sure would come. However, a look at Nora's face revealed that the other girl was taking this seriously and was waiting for her to continue. "I have been giving considerable thought to perhaps changing team leaders. I think my team could benefit from more serious and well rounded leadership."

"Would that be you?" The question caught Weiss off guard. Her temper got the best of her now that she was not in front of a higher authority and her tongue slipped.

"Is that such a bad idea? Am I not worthy enough to be team leader? What am I missing? Or is it that Ruby is simply so much more amazing than I am?" The words tumbled out like a dam bursting from the strain of a flood.

"Would you say the same thing if Pyrrha was your team leader?" another simple question.

"I…that's not…" Weiss's thoughts ground to a halt. Nora simply smiled kindly at her and snorted softly.

"You're taking this way too seriously. Pyrrha has been a great leader so far. It's not cause she's strong, which she totally is. It's not because she's famous either. And it's definitely not cause she's experienced, Jaunes got her beat there. It's because when we're training or studying, she is always there to listen and help. Just now she let me borrow her personal skates to help me improve." Nora stuck out her legs and admired the worn-down rollerblades on her feet. "She cares about us. Not a silly title or position. If she wasn't leader then I'm sure not a thing would change for Team JNPR, and I think that's what's important."

Weiss was at a loss for words. It wasn't just what Nora said that caused her hesitation, the serious look in the girls' eyes and the fondness she spoke with was what truly struck Weiss.

"I'm not saying a leader isn't important, but when I think about me and Ren, we never have to think about who's in charge cause I know he has my back and I have his." Nora's seriousness suddenly disappeared and was replaced with embarrassment. "I mean me and Ren as teammates. Not like as a couple you know? I mean we are partners but not like together partners, but we are together, you know just not like that…"

Weiss couldn't help but giggle. The total one-eighty the girl had done broke the mood completely. It felt good to laugh freely, it had been a long while since she had had a chance to do so. "I think I understand."

"Whew…thank goodness. That could've been a huge misunderstanding." Just like that Nora's wild grin was back. The girl leaped to her feet, the skates slid out and she fell onto the pavement. "Ouchy! These things are harder to use than they look."

Weiss gracefully stood and offered the girl a hand. As Nora unsteadily made it to her feet Weiss felt surprisingly better. She was still confused about what to do about her team going forward, but suddenly the problems seemed far smaller. With an enthusiastic farewell, Nora took her leave, nearly running into a group of other students sitting near the open fountain. Nora swerved to avoid them and immediately crashed into the water. Weiss covered her eyes in embarrassment to save Nora some dignity. The girl splashed wildly, and Weiss quickly made her escape.

She felt lighter and more assured with each step She had been so caught up in being the best candidate for leadership that she had utterly failed at being a teammate. 'An apology is perhaps in order. Should I buy a gift? No something small would be best.'

Nora

Nora spluttered in the fountain. She had made such a cool exit too, this seemed unfair. She had been all serious like and gave some deep advice. Now she was soaked thoroughly and couldn't get out of the fountain with these stupid skates on. She hoped they would be ok; she would feel awful if she ruined something of Pyrrha's.

"Nora, what exactly are you doing?"

"Ah, Ren!" The day was better already. "Well, I was giving out some patented Nora advice and then I fell into the fountain! And now I can't get out and I'm hungry too."

Ren said nothing and simply helped her out of the water. She had trouble keeping her balance and Ren immediately went to steady her. She held onto his shoulders as he walked, dragging her behind himself. He even offered her a snack he always kept, he called it his Emergency Nora Provisions. Nora smiled to herself as Ren pulled her along. 'Yup! This is what being partners is all about.'

AN: Hey! Well, I've got some news to share. We are officially moving to a weekly schedule. As of now, the plan is for a Tuesday release each week, but it very well could become a Wednesday release. Regardless hopefully no more wild unannounced chapter drops! Also a bit of an afterward, this chapter may be a little on the redundant side but I felt the best way to handle a Weiss introduction was through a similar lens of the show with a few added insights and changes. I hope you enjoyed it, I certainly had a lot of fun writing Weiss. I felt solid in her characterization but I could be off the mark, what do you guys think?

As always I want to give a special thank you to the Beta for the story, Commissar Arty. They have been an exceptional help. Dealing will all of my questions and insecurities can't be easy so please give them a follow if you have the opportunity they really are the reason this story ever makes it off of the drafting table.

Lastly to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited I want to say a special thank you. It means so much you are willing to read this story and you make me want to do better each time. Thank you.

Gonsmoss

Hey! Not sure if you've made it this far but if you have what do you think? I am a bit embarrassed about my early characterization, especially of Yang, Weiss, and Jaune. I feel I have a better handle on them now and am trying to fully understand them. It's not been pretty but I do want to improve each time. The biggest theme I want to tackle in this story is revenge and trauma, and I hope you'll stick around for a bit more. Thank you for the review and please take care.

Crimson Shikyo

Thank you for the review! I hope this one was worth the wait, I'm trying to be more consistent but the days fly by sooner than I realize. Thank you again and I hope you enjoyed it. Please take care.

Kabuto S. Inferno

I really don't want to say much for our new trio of flashback characters for fear of spoilers so I'll have to cut myself off before I go anywhere near them. I will just say that our merry trio all have their parts to play!

Can I make a Tsune reference without getting sued? Well, I guess I have to if I want to go through with what I want to do later with certain Grimm. Though I have to make a confession, I have never finished Professor Arc. I almost caught up but haven't had a chance to go back in a while.

Blake is an enigma to me. I have had more trouble writing for her and Yang than anyone else. Though I greatly enjoy the dynamic she and Jaune have had so far. The only one I find more enjoyable to write for is Pyrrha and Jaune. When this story started I actually was leaning toward a more antagonistic role with Blake and Jaune, similar to the Weiss situation but I'm more and more surprised how characters change when I sit down to write.

I am so excited that Berserk will be seen through to the end. The last two chapters were distinctly lacking Miura but the care and attention they were given by his supportive staff more than squashes any complaints I have. They were so great to see after such a long time, did you see the special tribute manga that Mori made for his friendship with Miura? After reading that I have absolute faith in the team.

Thank you for reviewing I look forward to your thoughts each time. Please take care.

Theanimemaster9000

I can't say much or spoilers will spoil the spoiler! Berserk has been a massive influence on my life and I really want to do something to at least show my love of the series. When Miura passed artists, song writers, and so many talented people all came together to show such a deep appreciation by making tributes. I want this to be mine, though the writing can definitely be improved. I want to give back, and I'm happy you guys are here for the journey and have fund some enjoyment it really means the world. Thank you.

SentinalSlice

That sentence at the end was the first part of this chapter that I wrote, everything else modeled after it. I am excited for what comes of this chapter in the future. Thank you again for reviwing it means alot. Please take care.