4
Weiss doubled over on the side of the track, heaving as she took great gulps of air. Her face was almost as red as Ruby's cape with sweat pouring off of her. The rest of the team wasn't much better of with their leader being flushed and tired herself but not on the verge of collapse like Weiss was.
"I hate her." Weiss gasped, "I hate her so much." The heiress slowly collapsed onto the cool grass, uncaring for the state of things or how she looked. Ruby was the only one who remained standing as the others sat down next to one another.
"I don't think she's that bad." Ruby said with a in defense of herself but was ignored.
"How can someone so innocent turn into… into that?" Weiss got out between lungfuls of air and turning her ice blue eyes over to Yang who was equally flush.
"I dunno, Weiss-cream. You think I can smother it out of her?" Ruby gave her sister a look of betrayal.
"Yang!"
"It was just a joke." Yang mumbled.
"You can't smother your team leader!" Ruby shouted.
The team had just gotten done with Carmine's new class and weren't the only ones collapsed on the ground. Team Juniper was not so far away with only Nora being the one standing. The girl looked almost almost right as rain if it wasn't for the heavy breathing and slight flush, she was easily the least affected of the entire class.
Carmine had mysteriously given everyone rucksacks filled to the brim with rocks and told them to run until she said to stop: she didn't say so until half the class had collapsed. For those that had lasted they got to take a break and at that moment the ones that hadn't made it were being made to do push ups. At least team RWBY didn't have to do those.
The worst part was that their teacher had lead the pack with a similar backpack filled with stones and looked fine. Even Blake glared over at their new professor and Ruby looked at a loss for something to say, their leader was probably hoping they wouldn't blame her. Because although it was her it also wasn't.
Weiss was too exhausted to think about it.
"All right!" Their tormen- teacher shouted out so everyone could hear her, "Class dismissed, get yourselves cleaned up. And remember, we'll be doing a run like this every time."
The entire class groaned in unison before starting to make their way shambling towards the locker rooms. Once inside them the talk turned towards their new teacher, and while most of it was grumbling, some of it was speculation.
"Hey, Rose." Coco Adel sidled on over to their team, confidently sporting her black undergarments. As it turned out, the new class had been opened up to higher years to take optionally and team CFVY was one of those that accepted, "I hear the new profs your sister. That true?"
"Uh, yeah. Why?" Ruby asked.
"What's the dish?" Coco draped one arm over the smaller girl.
"The… dish?" Ruby echoed in confusion.
"Oh come on! Your sister is the newest professor at Beacon and she can't be older than thirty. She's got all the boys, and some of the girls, drooling over her. So spill. What's she like at home? Which way does she swing? And most importantly, where does she shop?"
"Trust Coco to think shopping habits were the most important information but before Ruby could even open her mouth to reply, Yang interjected herself, "And I'm sure if you want answers to those you can ask her yourself!"
"Aww!" Coco cooed, " Is someone worried I might steal their big sis?" Yang's eye twitched, "I mean, if she asked I probably would go around the block with her but I've got my eye on someone else."
"From what I know, Carmine's been relatively estranged for a while now." Blake spoke up, saving Yang from giving whatever retort she had in mind, "I think both Ruby and Yang are just glad to have a chance to reconnect." There was a slight edge to Blake's voice that Coco seemed to pick up on.
"Alright, Blake, I get it. I won't pry." The brunette smirked, "Maybe I'll ask her if we can go shopping together. Ciao." The second year sauntered away.
Weiss gave Blake a strange look before pulling on the rest of her clothes. The girl had always acted aloof and more often than not had her nose buried deep in a book most of the time. The fact that she cared enough to even acknowledge Coco's existence was odd in and of itself but the girl had sounded defensive of the bizarre new addition to their lives, not that it affected the heiress all that much. Though she would admit the notion was intriguing, she was curious what their partnership was like in the future. Ruby had her problems and Weiss knew she had her own as well. Their relationship had gotten off to a very rocky start, even that was an understatement. Just remembering her attitude towards the girl brought back an embarrassed flush to her cheeks. In a way, she was glad Professor Port had set her straight on the matter. Carmine proved that Ruby had potential as a talented huntress and Weiss had never thought that to be in dispute, just her maturity.
It was all moot because she had promised to give her leader her support and, unlike her father, her word meant something. Maybe the man would have been disappointed at a Schnee not being made leader, a Schnee did not follow after all, but if it irked him then all the more reason to keep things as they were. Maybe it was childish of her, but Weiss couldn't bring herself to care about what her father thought anymore. She'd made her choice, and it was hers to make not his.
Trying to tear her thoughts away from her family issues, Weiss turned to the rest of her team, "By the way, I heard that preparations for the Vytal Festival are going on in Vale right now? How would you all like to spend Friday afternoon in the city?"
The blond's lilac eyes lit up, "A night on the town? I'm in."
"I night out as a team! That's a great idea Weiss!" Their tiny leader exclaimed, then all eyes turned to their quietest member who looked hesitant.
"Come on Blake. You're not gonna sit in our room and read are you?" Yang smirked, suggestion what answering that question might entail if she refused to come. In Blake's defense she looked ready to fight for her right for peace and quiet, though it looked like she was realizing how poorly that might go against team RWBY's resident powerhouse. It really was unfair how strong she was and Weiss might have resented it had their class not had Pyrrha Nikos in it. It was oddly satisfying seeing the blond taken down a few pegs by team JNPR's champion.
"I'll go." Blake let out a defeated sigh.
Even Weiss managed a smile at the antics of their team. It may not have been the way she had envisioned it going when she first came to Beacon but maybe that was for the best. She'd seen her father surrounded by sycophants and yes-men all her childhood, the heiress didn't want the same. Finally done dressing and with plans made, she closed her locker.
Jaune had a headache again. They'd been coming in often since he'd woken up in the bandit camp, covered in bandages. Considering the type of care they had given him, he was lucky he had aura to help him heal instead of relying on their lacking medical expertise. It didn't help that Raven hounded him constantly to tell him more things, not that he could remember much to her satisfaction. He knew things, things she said he can't have known but he still did. Even Jaune was puzzled as to how. He knew she was the Spring Maiden. How he knew, he couldn't remember. It was the case with everything. Crocea Mors was his weapon and the other sword on his belt was the Relic of Destruction. Why he had it, no one could tell.
They had quickly discovered the Relic was useless, though, after Raven tried activating it, much to her disappointment. Jaune had a feeling that her not having the thing was for the best, anyways.
Once again they were having tea in her tent and she was asking him questions about the things he knew and he answered to the best of his ability. She'd saved him, for a reason she refused to tell him, and extorted the information out of him as payment.
"I don't believe you." Was the simple statement she made, scowling at him from across the small table they sat at. The conversation was an old one and one he'd lost patience with.
"Well you don't have a choice because I don't remember." She'd asked him, again, how he had known what he'd known. Jaune stopped himself from rattling the table, if only to avoid spilling the tea. It really was too good to waste, some rare Mistralian kind. Undoubtedly stolen, too.
They scowled at each other in silence for a time until Raven reached into a pocket and removed a scroll, sliding it past the kettle so he could reach out and grab it.
"What's this?" He asked.
"A scroll." Came her reply and he looked up to catch a smirk, "It's your scroll. I'm done with it so you can have it back."
She wasn't even going to pretend not to have invaded his privacy and if he could remember a lot about his past life he might have cared. Now though? He kind of expected it from her at this point even though he'd only been up for a few days now. Not that he could really say anything about her practices. Not only was her tribe the only people around for a good few days trek but she was also obscenely strong. He was all but a prisoner of her tribe and the only reason he wasn't trapped in a cage was because he was still the second strongest person in the camp, much to Vernal's bemoaning.
That had been a surreal scene, too. Waking up and accusing someone of being dead was an odd experience, especially when it happened again after meeting Raven. Something was up, he could practically smell it. After opening the scroll up his eyebrows scrunched together. There was nothing odd about it at all. Just his own mug staring back at him, though a few years younger. The details looked right and it was issued by Shade. Jaune looked back up at Raven in confusion.
"The date." She said rolling her eyes. Jaune inspected the issue date and sat in confused silence until Raven got impatient, "The issue date is five years from now. And your birthdate is weird too, unless you're really seventeen."
That really was weird, but Jaune couldn't understand what it meant and told her as much.
"Because either you're a very bad spy or something magical is afoot." Jaune rolled his eyes. Another trait he'd quickly learned about the bandit leader was her flair for the dramatic.
"I suppose you're gonna get to the point eventually, right?" Her smirk turned to a scowl.
"You have information I want." Then she interrupted him when he made to speak, "And you either can't or won't give it to me. But that's fine. I know a way to get what I want regardless and you're going to help me."
"Okay but why should I help you? And why would you need me anyways?"
The smile she gave him then reminded him of a predator, one who was too lazy to come over and kill you but wanted you to know it could if it wanted to, it sent shivers down his spine, "Because, Jaune, I'll let you have one of Knowledge's questions."
Jaune froze, his mind supplying random facts about the Relic of Knowledge. The name Jinn came to the forefront and so did his suspicion about why she needed him. She probably didn't know how to use the Relic, and suspected that he did. The deal, however, was a good one and he would have to think about the best way to use his question.
"I'm listening."
The elevator dinged and out walked Taiyang into Ozpin's office in what had to have been the first time in years. Qrow was a step ahead of him but didn't take the spot next to Oz that he was fond of, it was taken by a different person and the only reason he was here in the first place. His heart leapt to his throat when he saw her.
Black and red hair that hung down to her shoulder and a black eye-patch with the Rose family symbol emblazoned in silver upon her left eye. Under the red leather jacket he could spy twin holsters holding something crimson and her signature red cloak seemed to have been turned into a sash tied around her waist. She looked the spitting image of Summer, so much so that his heart ached painfully in his chest. That was a wound that would never go away, merely become more bearable with time.
Qrow had briefed him on the way over from Patch but the sight of his daughter blew away every doubt he'd had. Every fiber of his being told him she was the real deal. Ozpin sat at his desk typing away at his terminal with Glynda already standing to his other side. Qrow went to stand beside his niece who was leaning against the column and they both stood watching his reaction.
"Ruby…" Taiyang was at a loss for words and could only say the girl's name. Qrow cursed under his breath and brought some lien out of his pocket where his daughter smugly took it and placed it within her coat, "You bet on me?!"
Not a very elegant first conversation with his suddenly older daughter but his shock had overridden his speechlessness.
"I trust you recognize your daughter?" Ozpin was the one to instill order on the conversation, and it was good thing because Tai was already halfway towards beating Qrow to a pulp.
"Yeah. I'd know my baby girl."
"Well those of us without father instincts have already conducted a blood analysis. She is definitely Ruby Rose." Oz followed up, "So as a formality meet your eldest daughter, Carmine Rose."
Taiyang shook his head at the headmaster's dramatics but had the wind nearly knocked out of him by a blur of red rose petals, Carmine gripping him in a fierce hug, her face buried in his chest.
"Hey Dad. It's been a while." The girl, no, woman that was his daughter looked up at him with a pleading look.
"I need you to listen to Ozpin, Dad. You're not gonna like it. But I need you to hear him out." She whispered.
When Tai looked at the man with raised eyebrows and Ozpin smiled apologetically, "Family reunions aren't the only reason I asked you here today Taiyang." The father of two felt himself tense up, he'd gotten out of the professional scene for a reason, he wanted to focus on being there for his girls. He looked at his daughter and held his tongue, waiting for Ozpin to continue.
"I need your help Tai. You're one of the few trusted individuals I have left. I am asking, no begging, for your help. Miss Rose has told me of what the future holds and I must say that the future looks dark. I want your help in insuring that such a future doesn't not come to pass."
"Oz." Carmine sternly looked at the headmaster, "You need to tell them."
"Yes, Miss Rose, I do." Ozpin took a deep breath, "From what I have been told of future events some of what happened was my fault. I want you to know that I do trust you, all of you, but the secrets I have kept I have done so because it was easier for me to do so and not because of any lack of trust." His eyes glanced over at the young woman next to him. It was the closest he'd ever seen the man to emotional and it was giving Tai a bad vibe, he wasn't going to like what was about to be said.
Even Qrow looked shocked at what Ozpin had to say, and the man was supposed to be Oz's right hand. Though that could be understandable given what had come out of the man's mouth. Not only the truth about Salem but about himself and the Relics as well.
"You son of a bitch!" It wasn't Taiyang who said that but rather his partner and friend, Qrow, who lunged at the headmaster, fist raised. He never made it however because Carmine was already in between them, holding onto the arm he was threatening Ozpin with, "I can't believe you. You said you trusted us!"
Ozpin closed his eyes.
"What's the point! This entire time, everything I've done for you, I thought I was making a difference."
"Qrow!" Glynda shouted, eyes glinting, "Not another word." The two glared at each other for a tense moment before Qrow clicked his tongue and walked to the elevator, departing the room.
The silence that followed was deafening, "I have half a mind to join him, Oz. What the hell made you think it was okay to keep something like that from your inner circle?" Taiyang found he had little sympathy for the old man, even if he looked far older than he had moments ago.
"I have lived a very long time. A hundred lifetimes have come and gone for me." He slowly spoke up, "I have trusted many people, and been betrayed just as much. Some things were just easier to keep to myself."
"Right" Tai snorted, "Because trust has anything to do with it. You just didn't want to admit you had no plan. You let all of think we could beat her but we can't. I'm all for not letting her exterminate the human race but what are we, a delaying tactic? I don't want to throw my life away and I'd like to believe Summer didn't."
Carmine winced, "That's the thing, Dad. We might have a plan now." That caught his interest.
"Yes. Miss Rose convinced me of the necessity of being upfront. Now more than ever I need all of your help."
Taiyang crossed his arms, "Alright then Oz. I'm listening."
"That's all I ask." The headmaster nodded gratefully, "Miss Rose has told me what she can remember of her own history and what happened and I hope to prevent that. I've spent the last week coming up with a plan of action that I hope works, the enemy is indeed prepared but we have the best weapon of all, foreknowledge. I would like to keep this advantage for as long as possible. Towards that end I wish to let the enemy make their moves while minimizing their impact until we can trap them and be assured of our own victory."
"Okay but how do I come into this?" Taiyang asked.
"I want you to assist your daughter in a venture to deny the queen her pawns." Ozpin leaned forward, "Tell me do remember the stories of the first Grimm?"
"You mean how the God of Darkness created Grimm to destroy the God of Light's creations?"
"Precisely. I am old but this story is far older than I am. The God of Darkness first created ten beings of darkness to assist him in opposing his brother. These beings are known as the Primordial Grimm. Each was given the gift of magic by their creator and, if Miss Rose is correct, do not necessarily ally themselves with Salem."
"You're serious? Grimm?!" Taiyang was incredulous.
"Yes. These ten Grimm are unlike anything you've ever encountered. They possess intellect on par with any human as well as the gift of magic. In my original life I only ever encountered one, Nemeus. Our battle was close and I was forced to flee for my life. When miss Rose told me of her encounters late in the war with Grimm far more powerful than any other. These Grimm existed before Salem and are not beholden to her though it appears that she will eventually get their allegiance."
"You want to kill them, Oz? If they're as powerful as you say, we'd need one hell of a team to do it."
"Killing them may be required but no, that's not my intention. I intend to gain their allegiance."
"You what?" Had he heard that properly? Even Glynda looked at a loss for words and the only person who looked like they didn't have their jaw on the floor was Carmine.
"They don't like Salem. Or most of them don't." Carmine elaborated, "I fought one when Vale fell. A massive serpentine Grimm named Jormungandr. I wasn't able to kill him with my eyes but I did free him from whatever Salem had over him. Our conversation was brief but he left peacefully as thanks."
"You spoke with him? It can talk?" Taiyang asked.
"Not in the way you're probably thinking." Ozpin cleared up, "I did say they were given the gift of magic. They can use to use it to communicate, if the choose to."
"When he left," Carmine continued, "He said he was going home to Lake Matsu. I want to go speak to him. If we can convince him that Salem is a bigger threat to him than us..."
"You think he'd join us?" Taiyang finished for her.
"Or at the very least remain neutral." Carmine shrugged.
Taiyang looked between his daughter and the headmaster with wide eyes, "You're both nuts. You're talking about the Grimm here."
"All intelligent beings have the ability to choose, Taiyang, despite their base natures."
"I thought choice was a gift from the gods?" Tai countered.
Ozpin smiled, "Choice was also given by the god of darkness as his contribution to creating humanity. Regardless, this is why I need your help. Carmine can't do this alone."
Taiyang took a deep breath and let it all out in a ferocious sigh. Ozpin had him and of course that was the reason he had reached out in the first place. There was no chance in hell he was about to let his daughter walk into a situation like that and knowing Ruby he knew she'd do it with or without help. Asking for it was a courtesy. He took a moment to observe her. She was the spitting image of Summer and it made him proud to see it. He knew she would have been so proud of her daughter as well, standing shoulder to shoulder against Salem.
It wasn't ever a fight he had wanted them involved with but knew the possibility was there when they both had decided to become huntresses. Ruby really was too much like her mother and that scared him more than he'd like to admit, could he keep going if she didn't come home too? And now he had an extra daughter to worry about.
"Relax, Oz. I'll help. And I'll try and talk to Qrow."
Ozpin bowed his head slightly, "Thank you, Tai. The four of you will leave for Lake Matsu Friday evening, I'll have everything sorted by then. Hopefully you will all be back before class on Monday."
Once the elevator door closed it left father and daughter alone as the mechanism whirred to life, rapidly transporting the two down the tower. Carmine rode it downwards by leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, he could see how different she was from her younger self. Her sister, now. The influences of Yang and Qrow were definitely present in her demeanor but something else that was hidden just beneath the surface.
Occasionally her eye would become unfocused and she'd appear lost in thought, and never a good one at that.
"You okay?" He asked.
She shook her head to dispel whatever thoughts were clouding her and gave him a smile but for the first time he realized it wasn't Ruby's smile, but a different one. One worn thin by time and hardship but still honest. A smile all her own representing the person she had become.
"I'm fine, Dad. It's good to see you again."
A/N: Okay this chapter is heavy with exposition but needed it to be put SOMEWHERE in order to introduce part of the oncoming plot. The Primordials. Other than that I actually like this chapter. It's setting up for some fun times.
Also, yes. This came out in the wrong order, Lithium Rose is supposed to be updated before this and the only thing stopping me from doing it in the right order is that I am very unsatisfied with chapter 32 of LR so I am putting more time into it. In the state it's in now it just doesn't flow right. But fear not it will be the NEXT update.