Requiem for the Hollow Rose

by sreshtiyer

After witnessing the death of Pyrrha, white fills her vision and the Rose huntress finds herself in a desolate and bleak place. Confused, lost and still grieving the loss of her friend and her own helplessness, little does Ruby realize that was just the beginning of her arduous journey. Innocent to Mature Ruby. Rated M for psychologically disturbing themes (non-sexual).

50. Chapter 50: Assimilation

Chapter 50: Assimilation

To say that James Ironwood was in a daze was a gross understatement. Even the men around him could tell that the iron willed general was possibly, for the first time, completely unsure about what to react to, even if it didn't necessarily show on their faces. But it wasn't just him. Military duty was one thing. But they outside of their duties, they were regular people too. Regular people who had families and friends back in their home towns. A place that this mech claimed had completely taken over. It was no surprise that many simply wanted to abandon whatever station they were at, and return to their homes, to their family, their wives and husbands, their children and parents to make sure that they were ok. If possible, even evacuate them to somewhere safer. Somewhere that wasn't enemy territory.

But this stalemate was not one that was limited to the personal alone. The general himself was, for a lack of a better description, frozen in place, torn over what course of action he wanted to take. Which was strange given how his semblance was one that allowed him to carry out decisions with a firm resolve. It was as if he was equally determined to follow through with both options he was considering. Whether to go back to Atlas, back to his people, back to enemy territory and back to Winter or whether he needed to abandon all of that and prioritize sending information about the recent happenings to Ozpin and Ruby, hoping that it reached them before the enemy did.

"Sir if I may" started one of his men with a rather hesitant tone. "I believe we should land at Atlas City, despite Madam Schnee's orders. We simply don't have the fuel resources to make it to Beacon. However, we could make a short pit stop at Atlas to repair the damages to our ship and refuel before we make our way to Beacon. It would allow us to gauge the situation back home as well" he finished, stepping back. The general was lost in thought yet again. On the surface, it seemed like a good plan. But there were still risks to consider. For example, what would happen if they were captured by the enemy on their way back? If Atlas City and all of its infrastructure were really under that android's control, then wouldn't they be playing right into their hands? For all he knew, the android could very well be alerted the moment any airship entered Atlas City.

But that reminded him of the new issue that he had overlooked. If this android could send in messages and the CCT itself, then any message they tried sending Ozpin would be intercepted as well. Which meant that whatever he did, whether it was leaving for Beacon or if it was sending Ozpin information, it couldn't in any way be connected to the CCT. Which also reminded him of the call Ozpin was about to make the next day morning, something he couldn't really do much about. He walked back and forth uneasily, his palm on his head and on his face as he sighed multiple times, unable to decide upon a course of action even with the help of his semblance. But that delicate balance wouldn't last for too long, for after about 5 minutes, it appeared that the scales had tipped.

"….Men, prepare to set for Atlas City" he stated, stone faced. "Do whatever it takes to get the ship up and operational. However, we will not be setting course for Beacon. If the enemy indeed has control of information coming in and out of Atlas City and the CCT, then it wouldn't take them too long to read ATC logs and find out when a bullhead leaves the city. The same goes for any kind of information being sent over the network. The enemy cannot know any more than they already do. And my duties to my country come first before anything else. Therefore, we shall return to Atlas City to assess the situation and the damage done to the military and to the city and its people" he ordered. There was a unanimous 'Roger!' from everyone, as the ship continued towards Atlas City. He knew very well that this was probably not what Winter wanted him to do. But in his mind, there was no better alternative.

As for Ozpin and the information he needed to send him, he would get it done one way or another, no matter the methods he had to take. Even if it meant sending a small team of huntsmen to travel to Atlas by traditional means to evade the CCT network. Even if it meant that such a team on foot would potentially take days to reach Beacon by such a method, and that it would be incredibly taxing for the team itself to traverse through the land facing the Grimm at every turn. But Winter had paid a far greater price by allowing herself to be captured by the enemy, which in return meant that the Winter Maiden had been as well. And so, his thoughts didn't flutter any more at the aspect of the danger he would be putting the team he would be sending to Beacon.

---

"….lu…..io….ns….!"

Amongst the ocean of visions, memories of days past and the days to come, a lone voice called out to him, cutting in through the waves of his mind like sunlight flittering through and reaching the depths of the unlit ocean floor.

"…..ur….jes…y…!...ey…!...ke…!"

A field of lush, green grass lit by warm sunlight. Remnants of a peaceful time. The sounds of Quincy children frolicking about, their mothers and fathers training them in the arts. Some were warriors. Some were scholars. And yet some others found their calling in guiding others reach greater heights than their own. And yet, their minds were unanimous in glorifying the name and legacy of their race. His race. His people.

"…jes…y…!"

These people knew of the bloodshed of a 1000 years ago, and chose to learn from it, accept it as part of their past and evolve beyond the errors of their past ways. Grand structures of white and blue surrounded them that would put any kingdom to shame. The Wandenreich was a wonder of architecture in its entirety as well as a marvel of technology. The result of the blood, sweat and tears of his people and their work over 1000 years. As Yhwach walked amidst his people, watching upon them in pride, a young maiden hopped around him, holding his hand with a grin on her face. A girl no older than 10, with light wavy brown hair reaching up to her shoulders and bangs parted sideways, soft brown eyes wearing a simple white dress. She was eagerly leading the king of the quincy using her hands to grab his own and leading him onwards.

"We're just 10 minutes away from my house! Your majesty, you HAVE to try the lebkuchen I baked just for you!" said Masaki, smiling. Of all the people in the Wandenreich, she alone was completely unperturbed in his presence.

"…..ning, your Majesty!"

The scene in his mind vanished as the Kings eyes opened to the daybreak illuminating Atlas Headquarters as well as the room of high command he found himself in. It was a large, open room at the highest floor of the Atlas Military Headquarters temporarily modelled to resemble the throne room of the Wandenreich with help from Gremmy and BG9. More than anything, his immediate notice went to the bubbly young girl right at his side with the same kind of sheepish grin the girl from his dreams had and was tugging at his arm. By her side was a tray laden with refreshments as well as breakfast consisting of a simple Atlesian sandwich, some milk in a small pot and a cup of steaming hot coffee.

"Salutations, your Majesty! Guten Tag! I've prepared for you to freshen up and have some breakfast!" she chimed, hopping in place from excitement as she did. Her once green eyes were now colored blue. Standing in front of him were BG9, Bazz-B and Haschwalth who had an apologetic expression on his face.

"My most sincere apologies your Majesty, we tried to convince her out of it, but she simply wouldn't calm down and insisted on bringing you refreshments. While BG9 argued against it, I saw no harm in it and I was closely monitoring her, so I believe it should be fine, but if you'd like we can take her away" the blond Quincy said apologetically.

"I will be sure to re-educate Penny Polendina in proper manners-" started the machina, but Yhwach raised his hand, silencing him.

"Nonsense. Why should one be penalized for wanting to serve the ruler of her country?" he questioned, reaching out to the bowl in front of him, freshening himself and drying his face with the cloth presented to him in the tray. Then, he reached out for the sandwich in the tray, grabbing a bite.

"Mhm….quite an appetizing start for a new day" he remarked with a satisfied expression.

"I gave it my all in order to make the best food I could make for his Majesty! I am so very happy that his majesty finds it acceptable!" she chimed with another huge grin on her face. Haschwalth sported a relieved expression on his face, and the scene even brought a small smile on his face.

"I told you you were worried for nothing" assured Bazz-B to Haschwalth.

"Come here" he commanded, and the girl immediately did so. He placed a hand on her head. "Hmm…you do appear to be similar to BG9. And yet, as you stand now, you are but a hatchling. BG9 will do well in helping you grow in your journey, in that there is now doubt. However, not as you stand now. Yet, tell me kleine dame, do you feel fear as you stand in front of me?"

"There is no way I could ever feel fear in front of the one who wants to spread glory and joy to everyone I love and care about. I am ready to serve his Majesty whenever you call for Penny Polendina!" she proclaimed with an innocent expression, going to attention and giving a salute.

"Is that so? Indeed, as a machina, you are so much more purer than a sentient being. It is a trait to be admired as well as pitied. However, I admire your resolve and your willingness to serve a greater purpose than yourself. And for your dedication to our cause, it is only right that I ensure you have the necessary means" he said, and a bluish glow enveloped Penny. She raised her eyes in surprise. "I have now gifted you with nothing less than a small portion of my own strength. Though you will need to nurture it, there is no doubt that they will serve you and our cause much more than you ever could. And to commemorate such an event, as well as showing me memories I thought I would never see again, I shall give you a new name" Upon hearing that, the orange haired robot girl's eyes lit up with excitement. "Henceforth, you shall be called Brunhilde, which stands for 'One who is ready for battle'"

"Brunhilde…." Repeated Penny slowly, with an expression of awe. "Brunhilde….oh I am so very honored, your Majesty! Thank you so much! I shall give it my 200% and beyond in serving you! I will definitely be combat ready and be worthy of my name!" she said, promptly hugging Yhwach. The quincy king rubbed her head.

"Brunhilde…..that's almost like" thought Bazz-B silently.

Haschwalth could only look away with a melancholy expression. "Brunhilde…." He repeated to himself. "Though similar, there is no question that he chose to name her after Hildegarde, which was Lady Masaki's name. No matter how harsh he may have been to her after her corruption by the hollow, His Majesty's compassion for his own never faded…Indeed, now that I observe the situation closely, this is not so different compared to how things used to be whenever Lady Hilda was with his Majesty. Even someone such as he, who can take the most harshest of decisions in case of a crisis still cannot fully let my lady disappear from his memories"

"Now with that settled, it is time for you to finally give me your report, BG9. Now that I have rested well, it is time to hear that which you were so eager to tell me yesterday night" he ordered. Haschwalth, Bazz-B and BG9 took their respective places in front of Yhwach, kneeling down. Penny stepped to the side, giving a small bow as well as he went back to his chair.

"What I am about to report to his Majesty are memories that I have extracted from Winter Schnee and Brunhilde upon my encounter with both" he explained, and then proceeded to impart the knowledge he collected using his ability onto Haschwalth, Bazz-B and Yhwach's minds. It didn't take long for him to be done and retreat back. Haschwalth's and Bazz-B's eyes were raised in surprise as was Yhwach's, but the latter was more intrigued than surprised.

"I see…..I see….how very interesting. Though I knew some of this already, now, I have the complete picture" remarked Yhwach to himself, leaning back in his seat. "Very well done, BG9. You have indeed provided very valuable information in the short time we have been here"

"Whoa, whoa whoa…..that was…but then that means….!" Mumbled the red haired quincy to himself. "How….that was….!"

"Incredible…certainly I didn't downplay this world when we got here, considering the things your Majesty told us. But I never expected this world would have so much more hidden within" remarked Haschwalth. "The relics alone…they are no doubt artefacts just as powerful as the artefacts of the Soul King that make up our own realms, if not more. The existence of animal-human hybrids is something I never expected either. But it explains a few things. Perhaps they are the equivalent of the race of living beings that stands besides human beings, just like our own world. Or perhaps they are akin to arrancars, in that they have animalistic traits. However, when we encountered these 'faunus' I didn't sense any spiritual pressure that was any different to that of a human being. Which leads me to believe that faunus in this world are more akin to us Quincy than arrancars. If the rules of this world do apply to us from another world, it would explain why our reishi forms a protective barrier around us by default unless we actively control it. And it explains why the arrancars turned to these 'faunus' when they were brought here. Or the fact that Gremmy couldn't bring them here without a gigai"

"Indeed, Haschwalth. I knew that our worlds would share so much more in common, even things similar to myself. I was aware of the fact that my father, the Soul King, and the realms in our world were created by beings far greater than even he and the fact that our world was in fact not the only one. However, what I have learnt today far exceed my expectations. I never expected to see relics that could very well mirror the role of my father's limbs here in this world. But one could surmise that as worlds that share common origins, this is something to be expected. And to think one of them resides right here in Atlas City. BG9, once again, you have been exemplar in your duties" he commended the machina, clapping his hands twice. The android took yet another deep bow taking a few steps back.

"I only exist to continue my service in His highness's name" he replied.

"Not to mention" added Bazz-B. "Ruby Rose…..so she was someone who was no better than a regular foot soldier when she came to our world. Nothing but a child. And yet, she grew to be one of the most powerful Espada to serve in Aizen's army. I always thought she would be someone as powerful as the maidens. That would mean that a maiden in this world has so much more potential to grow as a fighter"

"Astute observation, Bazz-B. What this world lacks is a motivator. A leader. A guiding light to show them the path to salvation and glory. Abandoned by its very creators, this world is the very picture of pity. Its people hunted down and culled by foul beasts created by none other than its own creators. However, their pitiful lives will soon find salvation. For we as the Quincy will lead them into new age free from such pity and disdain from the gods for a 1000 years more and beyond. But that shall not lead us away from our current objective. The time of the Soul Reapers to pay for their transgressions against our people is at hand. Though we were at war and our ideals did not match, we still respected their prisoners of war, treating them with dignity and releasing them after the war was over. And yet….all that awaited the 2661 brethren unfortunate enough to come across them would be torture and experimentation at the hands of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, or being burnt to death by the demon of the 13 court guard squads. For a 1000 years we have waited. And now, how fitting that one of their own would leave the Soul Society in such a miserable state. Aizen Sosuke's little skirmish has left them wounded and weak. And with the power of this world on our side, a world created by beings that surpasses the creator of our own, soon, Soul Society will be nothing more than a begotten memory, along with the shores of Hell and the plains of Hueco Mundo. And the Quincy can reign supreme as the rightful inhabitants of a world devoid of evil" he declared, gripping his arm rests.

"I can't believe such horrible people exist…" said Penny with a downcast expression. "Do..doing such terrible things…when master BG9 showed me all of the things those horrible soul reapers did to them….I…I nearly shut down" she quivered, clutching her hands.

"Worry not" assured Yhwach. "Under my care, you will possess the ability to prevent such a miserable fate from befalling your people and punish those responsible as an ally of justice. We have already begun our preparations. Do we have an update on the rest of the happenings, Haschwalth? Bazz-B?"

"Yes, your Majesty. I managed to track down the last source of relatively high spirit energy before his Majesty woke up today morning. Now that BG9 showed me all of that stuff, I have no doubt that along with Raven that we captured yesterday who's the Spring Maiden, Winter Schnee that BG9 captured who's the Winter Maiden, Cinder Fall whom his Majesty found being the Fall Maiden, I managed to capture this faunus leader called Sienna Khan, who happens to be the Summer Maiden. I did have a bit of opposition from her White Fang followers. But I managed to capture her without killing any of them" reported Bazz-B.

"Gremmy has been occupied constructing camps and equipment at all of the locations that we have captured in Remnant. Quilge has been busy in confining the Witch as well as the other arrancars and ensuring that they are ready to be 're-educated'. Though they did lash out at first, but they are finally under control and ready to join our war forces. I am unsure however, if His Majesty plans to have them become our soldiers through Giselle's zombies or ensure their loyalty through Pepe's schrift or with BG9's ability admittedly since they are not yet obedient to our cause. On the other hand, the glyphs needed to use the Witch as a medium to open a portal to the demented realm and Hueco Mundo have been going according to plan. With the information given to me by BG9, now I finally understand how His Majesty planned to eradicate these two realms from existence"

"Very good Haschwalth. Excellently done, Bazz-B. And do you have anything more to report, BG9?" asked Yhwach.

"Yes your highness. As I have stated earlier, the maidens are under our control and are soon ready to be re-educated. I can use my 'knowledge' to implant directives of loyalty to His Majesty. Out of the four, Cinder Fall swore her loyalty of her own accord to His Majesty, along with Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai and Arthur Watts. Raven Branwen, Sienna Khan and Winter Schnee can be 're-educated' to join our cause, as I did with Brunhilde. They are currently confined to their own chambers. Otherwise, if His Majesty deems it better to deal with them himself, I will step aside. I do calculate that it would be beneficial for his Majesty to see them in person, as they are the keys to opening the vaults to the relics. I have tasked Dr. Watts to set up an appointment with Jaques Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company. I have reason to believe that 'dust' of this world will be a very valuable resource for our war against the Soul Reapers. As Quincy, it will provide to us an instant source of reishi, as well as allowing us to modify our Holy Arrows into different types of ammunition. It will be possible to construct other forms of weaponry that non-warriors can use as well. I was also able to capture General Ironwood who was returning to Atlas City after I spared his ship. His reasons for doing so escape me, however, I calculate he will be vital in uniting the people of Atlas under our banner. I have him and the rest of the military staff restrained in the hanger. Also, with three of the four maidens at our side, should the need arise for us to gather the relics, it will be possible. I propose to gather the relics in case they are needed. I can prepare to escort each of the maidens to the vaults here in Atlas, Haven, Shade and Beacon. That is all" he finished.

"Very good, BG9. I will leave it up to you to deal with the maidens. And I agree with your suggestion regarding the relics. Before anything, our first priority should be to unite Atlas City and rebuild it from the ground up. A floating city that hinges on the Relic of Creation is a weakness that cannot be allowed. There is also the question of integrating our architecture and our technology with the technology of Atlas City. Meanwhile, Haschwalth and the rest of the Sternritter will be responsible for scouting more potential soldiers amongst the hunters that currently exist, scouring the remaining kingdoms and recruiting them to our cause. As before, the first approach should be to subdue without violence unless attacked first" ordered the Quincy King.

"Then your Majesty, only thing left now is.." said Haschwalth.

"Ruby Rose" finished Yhwach. Penny flinched audibly upon hearing the name, an uneasy expression on her face. Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"What is the anomaly, Brunhilde?" asked BG9 in his robotic voice.

"I…I…it is nothing of significance, Your Majesty" she said, dwindling her thumbs and tapping her foot. Her uneasy expression however, remained on her face.

*Hic*

Bazz-B blinked his eyes in surprise, and even Haschwalth was looking at her curiously. Not because of the fact that the android girl just hiccuped abruptly, but because of the fact that they'd just witnessed an android hiccup. Something that didn't make sense. In that moment, it was easy to forget that the girl wasn't human. Unlike BG9, this machina was a lot different.

"You lie" said BG9 simply. "While going through your code, I found an unexplainable set of directives that did not seem to be included as part of your design. I deduced them to be a result of your soul being integrated as part of your design. Such as your reflex to hiccup when you speak in falsities" beeped BG9.

Bazz-B blinked again, almost as if he'd misheard BG9. He was gazing upon the fumbling Penny with a dumbfounded look. She almost looked like a child that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Yhwach slowly knelt down to her side, looking at her in the eye and placing a hand on her shoulder. She was still looking away with a guilty look on her face.

"Brunhilde….is there something bothering you?" he asked once more.

"Mhm…that's….Your Majesty….you said…Ruby. I was just a little co-concerned" she said. "Ruby is my dear friend. When BG9 showed me all of the things that happened to Ruby, I wanted so much to go straight to her. There was so much I wanted to talk about with her. But I knew that my duties to His Majesty came first. I knew that with His Majesty here, everything would be alright. But I still couldn't help be worried. But after His Majesty told me that he would eradicate evil, starting with the hollows, the demons and the realms of Hell and Hueco Mundo itself, I thought that His Majesty wanted to….and that's why I was-"

The fumbling girl was silenced when Yhwach placed a finger against her mouth. "So that's what it was. It came as no surprise to me that Ruby Rose is familiar with our little lady here. Indeed, she was formidable not because of her abilities or because of her commendable willpower, but rather for the pull she had over all of the people she comes across in the battlefield, be it soul reaper, hollow, arrancar. But you have no need to fear. Although Ruby Rose is an existence with reishi far evil than any arrancar out there, fact stands that she is also host to Summer Rose and is her daughter. Summer Rose was the only one out of all of the twisted soul reapers who spared the lives of our brethren even during the times of war. She never took a single Quincy life. It would stain our honor if we let that debt go unpaid. But there is really no reason to worry about Ruby Rose or Summer Rose at the moment. We have other matters to attend to at the moment after all and the Soul Reapers are our next objective. We still need to focus on establishing ourselves here. It is fine to leave her alone for the time being. Taking over Vale can be something that can be left for last until confrontation with Ruby is unavoidable. Which of course means that the Relic at Beacon Academy can be left for last. As for you, you would do better to focus on improving yourself and learning to nurture your skills and truly live up to your name. But once you do, you can be the one who confronts Ruby yourself. How about that?" promised Yhwach.

"Really? I can go see Ruby?!" she asked once more, her blue eyes lighting up. "Thank you, your Majesty!" she chimed, hugging him once more. "I'll do my best to work hard so that I can see Ruby!"

"That you will. BG9 will be responsible for your training as well. Feel free to make any enhancements to her you deem fit" he told the machina.

"As you command, Your Majesty"

"With that settled, the only thing remaining now is to see through with Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. But that should already be taken care of back in the World of the Living. And now, I believe we all have our roles to play. Now the only thing left is to wait for the right time" he informed, getting up from his chair and proceeding towards the nearest Sun gate. "It's time I paid a visit to our captives and then another visit to the Witch and our arrancar captives"

---

"Rise and shine sleepyhead! Time to wake up for class!"

Yang blinked her head sleepily, rubbing away at her eyes and the thing that was poking her on her cheek grumpily.

"Five more minutes…." She grunted, as she grabbed an unsuspecting Blake closer to her and giving her a sleepy bear hug, relishing in the familiar feeling of warmth. The faunus too didn't seem to mind apparently, evident from the satisfied smile on her face as she continued letting out soft purrs.

"How in the world did it come to this?" questioned Weiss raising her eyes, looking at the two snuggling each other on the floor instead of being at their own beds. The snow princess was up early of course, as was her routine.

Despite the fact that she too had stayed awake quite late in the night along with the others, not to mention all of the things she had to witness and take in the previous day, it didn't affect her everyday routine. She was up at 6, refreshed herself, got a bit of light reading for the upcoming day and then showered and prepped herself for class. Ruby on the other hand had been up much before that, which naturally surprised the white haired girl.

"You're up….this early?" she had asked.

"I don't sleep too deeply I'm afraid" she responded with a small smile. "It's more than enough for me though. And mom wanted to get Yang ready for class like in the old days"

"Oh…right. Good luck with that" remarked Weiss with a sleepy smile. That's right, Ruby's mother lives within her, thought Weiss, recollecting the events of the previous days. Even now it felt quite strange for the Schnee heiress. The fact that her teammate in front of her, despite her appearances was actually a 30 year old woman, who harbored not only her mother's soul but also had a mischievous and yet absolutely adorable young girl as her daughter. And that her current appearance was that of an 18 year old cheetah faunus which didn't match the age groups of any of the three souls within said body.

The feeling remained while Weiss went on about her activities until the point she got ready to do some more light reading before the four of them set out for class. In the meantine, Ruby herself had left out for a light morning run around the Emerald Forest, something that Weiss never imagined any student huntress in training to be saying so casually, considering how dangerous it was. However, it did remind her of how much more powerful her teammate was currently, something that only complimented the feeling in her head.

Which brought her back to the current situation, with the cheetah faunus trying to get their two sleeping teammates to wake up. But beyond her initial bewildered outlook on the whole situation, when Weiss looked at Ruby (or perhaps it was Summer in control at the moment) looking at Yang and poking and shaking her to wake her up, Weiss couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy and longing. How long had it been since she'd felt her mother's warmth? She had the influence, assets and the name 'Schnee' on her persona, but even with that, this was something that she could never have, something that most others had.

Perhaps that was why she felt it so necessary to voice out her 'proud heritage'. Because it was the ONLY thing she had that was remotely connected to 'home'. Or perhaps it was just her damn pride talking whenever she did. Or even because the closest thing to a mother that she did have was her sister; exemplar, perfect and honorable, and yet kind and caring when it counted. It hadn't helped that her mother WAS present in the Schnee manner, most often mumbling to herself while drunk and generally not caring much about anything else. It was a constant reminder of that which she could never have. And it was all because of the only other person who any child in a normal family would rely on for support. And it felt pathetic whenever she was reminded of the fact that it was the same person whom she was trying so hard to please just so that she could one day inherit the Schnee name when she was worthy enough. Though it was her dream to one day be a better person than her father ever would be, it didn't change the fact that till then, she would be left bowing down to his whims. But then, she could not only save her family name but also her mother from herself.

"Maybe you shouldn't try to wake up so early then. You know, being a so uptight is nice an' all, but it's ok to relax and well, 'step down' once in a while. Otherwise, you'll miss the finer things in life" cut Ruby's voice, breaking her thoughts and catching her by surprise. Weiss blinked, wondering if Ruby just read her thoughts.

"I could feel how uneasy and jealous you were getting. I could also feel your gaze. I did tell you right? I can sense emotions" she replied simply. "You really needn't, you know. I would be more than happy to baby you along with these two" she grinned.

"Th-that's fine, I'm already getting goosebumps just thinking about my own 18-year old roommate babying me like I'm a toddler" huffed the snow princess with an embarrassed look. Ruby went up to her, rustling her hair, "Don't overthink these things too muck, 'k? And you needn't feel any embarrassment either. After all, these are things you wont be able to enjoy once you grow up. You should get the best out of them whenever you can. Like that one over there who's still shamelessly using Blake as a furcoat" she chuckled, pointing to Yang and Blake.

It caused Weiss to look away in further embarrassment. "Now that's just awkward.."

Going back up to Yang, she sighed, before forcefully yanking the comforter and opening the blinds to their room. Then, the cheetah faunus's eyes lit up with mischievously.

"Wake UPPPP my dear SSSUUNNSHINE!" she called out, starting a tickling frenzy on not just Yang but also on a poor, unsuspecting Blake. The faunus yelped sharply, arching her back and jumping up with an expression of utter surprise. Yang screamed out in surprise, rolling about half laughing and half irritably.

"Ru-ruby, what the..?!" exclaimed Blake, blinking her eyes, her heart beating fast from the unexpected wake up call. "Wait, why am I on the floor…? And what's Yang doing here..?!"

"You two were so cute together when you curled up against my lap yesterday night. Here, I even took a picture! You really liked holding on to my tail so much, eh?" grinned Summer, pulling out her scroll and showing it to the still half-asleep Yang and Blake. The faunus had the most curious, embarrassed and awkward expression on her face before trying her best to swipe the scroll from the cheetah faunus, but to no avail.

"Mom…is that you…?" asked Yang irritably and sleepily. "Dammit it's still so weird…but…I never thought I'd be woken up like that again" she said, rubbing her eyes.

"You two could learn a little from Weiss, she's already up and ready" said Summer, literally picking up Yang and pushing her towards the washroom. "Now go on, brush your teeth and take a shower, let's head out and get breakfast. Make sure to brush them for atleast one minute!"

"I know mom, I'm not a kid you know…" replied Yang grumpily, before heading in "But...thanks. I never thought I'd ever get to see you come and wake me up like that again" she said with a smile before heading in. Summer then went to do the same to Blake, but the faunus backed away sporting an incredulous expression. "I'm good, thanks. I AM a cat faunus you know, and I'm positive you know yourself but I'm very particular about grooming myself. I'm not sure what to think about my teammate's mother being present in a dorm full of teenage girls and treating them like little kittens. Not to mention the fact that…." She trailed off, recollecting the memory of her silly looking face as she clutched Ruby's tail and slept beside her and Yang.

After the awkward morning wake up call, following Summer's insistence on getting the girls prepared for class by doing their hair, dressing them up and generally nagging them lovingly, the foursome now headed towards their next class, with team JNPR joining them midway.

"You guys look like you had a rough night…" commented Yang, still yawning.

"Speak for yourself" chuckled Nora back, pointing at the dark circles underneath Yang, Weiss and even Blake's eyes.

"Well, I suppose considering everything that happened yesterday, can't say I blame them" said Jaune. "I mean..I'm still stumped" he said, looking at Ruby.

"Jaune! That's super secret stuff!" shushed Nora, putting a hand over his mouth.

"I know, I wasn't going to talk about that!" retorted Jaune back.

"They don't look like that had a rough night.." commented Ruby, sweatdropping.

"Say Ruby….um…it's getting quite crowded, isnt it?" asked Pyrrha, looking around. And indeed, as the two teams had been walking around, they were being eyed at constantly, with 'oohs' and 'aahs' echoing amongst the other students. Many were looking at them, specifically Ruby, and whispering amongst themselves in hushed voices. Some were even pointing at Ruby without bothering to be too discrete.

"Someone's popular…" said Yang, whistling.

"After that spectacle yesterday, and considering that video logs of battles between students are available for almost anyone to access….I wouldn't be surprised if all of Vale didn't already hear about this" commented Ren, ignoring the looks they were getting. "Especially since the mighty Pyrrha Nikos was just defeated instantly"

"It's the same as back home…" sighed Pyrrha. "I really appreciate the support I get from everyone, but sometimes it really gets overwhelming when I can't even go out grocery shopping without having 20 people line up for a selfie. If I'd know it would've come to this...I'm so sorry Ruby"

"Someone already put it up on Metube and it already has like 30k views…" said Nora, showing them her scroll, which then had a video playing titled "Pyrrha Nikos defeated?! INSANE practice match at Beacon Academy" with tons of comments flooding the comment section.

Such as 'Absolute legend', 'Woah is this for real? How come we never heard about this?', 'I really thought this would be clickbait, but I never thought I'd see the actual thing wtf' and even comments like 'Lol nice videoshop', '100% staged', 'Seriously? This scripted shit again?', 'Are any of you even watching the same thing? Spliced? Videoshop? How the fuck can you splice a video that's taken from a handheld scroll? If this is legit, this faunus chick just made history'. 'At 3:19, you can clearly see the blur from when that faunus chick disappears. You're telling me a huntress in training did that? Get real.', 'Um yeah? They can? Aren't those why Semblances exist?', 'Also, to add to Darkmaster2021's point, there's literally hundreds of students at that arena. One of them actually happens to be my cousin and she said this was real', 'Yeah but that still doesn't mean this wasn't faked. It could've been scripted. Or staged. Publicity for that academy to get funds or something like that'.

"The internet can be scary…." Commented Yang, shuddering at the whole thing.

Ruby however, didn't quite mind at all, though she would be lying if she said she was completely ok with all of the happenings around her. She did enjoy her privacy after all and could definitely use a lot less noise and clutter around her. But when she soundly defeated Pyrrha in front of the whole school, she could come to terms with the way things got out of hand.

But Ruby would realize those would be the last things on her mind after a certain announcement was published on their scroll.

"Notice of change of schedule for the day..?" read out Weiss, her eyes scanning the contents of the announcement from Glynda. "It says here that our class with Professor Ooblek has been rescheduled for tomorrow in place of…" she trailed off, her eyes narrowing in confusion, as if she was unsure if there had been some sort of mistake. After confirming that she was indeed seeing what she was seeing, her eyes went wide as she and those around her looked at Ruby surprised.

"…Combat training to be conducted by Teaching Assistant Ruby Rose under the supervision of Professor Glynda Goodwitch…?!" said Blake surprised, completing the sentence for Weiss.

Ruby herself appeared curious and surprised, which surprised the rest of them.

"Why the hell are you surprised?!" asked Yang deadpanned. "I mean, didn't Ozzy talk to you about this? Wait, we were there too, but…didn't he say that he only 'considered it a possibility'?"

"Not quite…" replied Ruby sweatdropping. "I mean he did discuss the possibility but…this is news to me as well"

"Looks like Ozzy boy is up to his mischief again.." commented Summer from within. "Oh dear…"

"It's definitely strange that Professor Ozpin would just appoint you that post without asking you first or going through the formalities, since he was so insistent on it. I can't believe professor Glynda would go along with something that 'doesn't follow the correct order of things'" said Pyrrha.

"Maybe that's why he did it" said Blake dryly.

"Well….can't say I'm not interested" grinned Nora. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have a feeling classes will be a lot more interesting with you around"

"That's true. If you ARE going to be teaching us Combat Training, then I can't wait to get started!" cut in Pyrrha once more.

"I think I need to have a word with him first" sighed Ruby. "After all, we still need to talk to him regarding Cinder"

"I think it'll be fine sweety. We can look for Cinder soon enough. Personally, I think this works out really well! After all, rather than attending boring classes, isn't it much more fun teaching them yourself? Like when you trained Mila, Sung-su, Apacci, Yuzu, Karin and Ichi? Not to mention, I just love being with the kids and teaching classes! As you know, your mom was very popular amongst the students here! In fact, the number of times I've gotten love letters and-"

"Fine, fine mom" cut in Ruby internally, placing a mental hand against Summer's mouth, preventing her from talking more. "I'll do it. But I don't mind classes you know. However, this way, you'll have something to do as well and Crescent won't be chewing me out for making her sit in classes for so long. Let's go" she sighed.

---

Something felt different, and it didn't help Qrow Branwen catch a wink of sleep more, despite the amount of alcohol he'd downed the previous night. Was it the lack of the familiar feeling of something cluttering up against his legs as he slept on his couch? Or perhaps it was the multitude of noises he's heard over the past several minutes. Or maybe it was the soft humming that was the only pleasant sound he'd heard amongst the clinking of metal, sounds of fabric scraping the floor and other similar sounds one would expect to hear in a house. Whatever the case, he knew that he wasn't going to sleep anymore. And so, ignoring the pulsing headache and rubbing his eyes, he looked around to see what was going on.

Only to see nothing at all.

"Wha…?" he asked himself, half asleep and half confused. When he looked by the kitchen, he found the answer.

"Oh!" said Amber, raising her eyes. "You're finally awake". Amber turned down the heat on the stove, coming over to Qrow. She was still wearing the simple clothes she was given the previous day.

"What're you…where's all my stuff..?" he asked, looking around. Gone was all the clutter, the empty bottles of booze, half eaten takeout food, plastic bags and the like. All of his clothes that were normally lying around were gone too. The floor too looked clean. So much so that he hadn't even noticed that his house was this spacious. In fact, the whole space had a rather nice fragrance too. And over at the kitchen counter, he could see that things were lit and looked alive. He rarely ever used the kitchen, which explained his surprise in seeing anything there work.

"Oh, um sorry about that! I was up rather early and I didn't want to wake you up. But as I had nothing else to do, I thought I would clean up a little bit. Consider it thanks for saving my life, though this is nothing compared to what you did for me. I must say though, I never expected Qrow Branwen lived in such a pigsty. I could've never guessed just looking at you from the outside! I've also made some breakfast, but since you didn't have any ingredients, I had to sneak out and go get some. Don't worry, I made sure to cover my face" she chuckled with a bright smile.

Qrow had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't still drunk. The weak, frail girl from yesterday seemed like a forgotten memory. Sure, she still sounded a bit tired and worn out, but it was a million times better than how she was the moment she was out of that pod. The most advanced technology of Atlas hadn't done anything to help improve her condition and yet, after Ruby was done healing for no more than a few minutes, she was already this well.

Qrow let out a long sigh.

"You should be in bed resting. The last thing I want is for Summer or Ozpin chew my ears off for letting you take care of my shit while I was lying in bed, drunk" he waved off, getting up. "So just leave all that and just go look after yourself, will you?"

"No, it's fine. I feel rather fine. Maybe its because of my maiden powers, but I do feel a lot better after Ruby healed me. I did have trouble moving myself around at first, but over time I was able to do some basic chores. I can't just keep accepting help from everyone without doing something in return. And I don't think I can lay down all day long with nothing to do" she protested, "Why don't you go freshen yourself while I get breakfast ready? For one, I'm starving. And I think you'd like some too" Amber then coughed, clearing her throat rather harshly and drank a large glass of water.

"Look, you don't owe anyone jack shit and I and my niece helped you out because we felt like it. So don't be trying to undo all that work just because of some sense of responsibility. It'll be hella lot more work if I have to drag your ass all the way back to Ruby again" he said irritably.

"I'm fine! I'm really grateful for you saving my life, but I'm really fine now! I know you feel responsible for what happened, but it was my fault that I messed up that badly! So just let me help you out! The least I can do is take care of the ones who cleaned up after me!" retorted Amber, her tone elevated with an obvious look of displeasure.

"Look, I don't care what you think, but I'm not taking any chances again! Kiddo even said that her treatment was temporary and that I shouldn't let you exert yourself. So just pipe down and go back to bed!" snapped the expert huntsman, yanking Amber's arm.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, and a momentarily flare appeared over her eye which was gone instantly. She was clutching the hand where Qrow had grabbed her protectively. There was an odd and uncomfortable pause of sorts, where Qrow reeled reflexively from her in shock the moment he'd noticed her eye flare up, afraid that he'd gone too far.

The two continued to stare at each other irritably and in caution until Qrow scoffed, turning away from her and heading to the bathroom. "Fine, do whatever you want" Amber huffed away, going back to the stow. But the mood was definitely not the same as before. Amber just couldn't understand why he was treating her like she was a weak and defenseless girl that needed saving. If anything, as the Fall Maiden, it was her duty to give the people and even expert huntsmen like Qrow a fighting chance against the Grimm. Sure, she'd messed up once, but it was a mistake she never intended to repeat again.

Few minutes later a simple breakfast of toast, omelette and cup of coffee with milk were laid out. Qrow and Amber were seated at opposite sides. Though the red feeling in her mind did fade out, neither was speaking a word as they silently munched their breakfast. It was even difficult for Amber to look at Qrow's eyes. And in time, that vague feeling turned to one of light guilt. After all, Qrow was kind enough to give her a space to stay and she was a guest at his place. No matter how unkempt his place had been, she had no real business moving around his things and touching things, even if it was for tidying up the mess. Not only had she done that, she'd even managed to argue and fight with him on the very first day. But it was he who'd started it at first.

"It's…..good" muttered Qrow in a somewhat stubborn manner, not looking straight at Amber. "And….thanks for cleaning up the place. You needn't have bothered, but I'm glad you did. I'll try not to make too much of a mess. And sorry about earlier"

Amber blinked in surprise, not expecting such a reaction.

"Ah…thanks" she replied, unsure of how else to word her thoughts. "I'll be happy to take care of some responsibilities as long as I stay here. And….I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have messed around with your things before asking. That was unbecoming of me. And also for how I reacted. I know you mean well, it's just that I'm still trying to come to terms with a few things"

"Ah, don't sweat it" waved off Qrow. "The first chick I bring back home and the first thing I have her do is go through my trash and almost attack her. Doesn't really make for a good first impression, does it?"

"Well, I'll admit I was definitely surprised" she admitted with an amused smile. "I think I've seen a lot worse. Just try not to make that much of a mess from now on. Atleast when I'm here. If you ask me, between getting my powers sucked away and put in a coma vs having to stay at a scruffy bird's nest cluttered with junk who also wants to yank me around once in a while, I think I prefer the latter"

"No promises there, but I'll give it a shot" he rasped back with an amused chuckle of his own. "And for the record, I'm a really nice guy towards the ladies, so if I do attack you, then you probably had it coming"

With the tension in the air cleared, Amber spirits were back to her cheery self that Qrow remembered seeing the moment he woke.

"By the way, if it isn't too much trouble, think you can accompany me to Beacon Academy?" asked Amber. "I wasn't able to thank Ruby properly yesterday, given my condition. But now that I'm feeling a lot better, I just want to go and give my thanks at the very least. And I thought it might be nice to see her and all of the other kids taking class and watch them go about their day. Will that be too much trouble?"

"I'd rather be out there looking for our missing Fall maiden" he replied, "But Ruby did mention she would be out there looking for Cinder. But if the kiddo's gonna be stuck in school, then I might as well give Ozpin the heads up before leaving"

"Oh…that's right…" Despite her condition, Amber was able to register the things that Ruby had told her regarding the flow of events ending up to her recovery. It was a surprise for sure to learn that the person who had managed to so thoroughly outwit her had been right there, right within her reach, only to evade capture. Perhaps it was a result of the split power of the maiden within her, but the urge to find the other half of her powers and reunite them had been a big one. "Then…let's head over after I'm done cleaning up here?"

"Yeah sure, why not? Although, you could just leave the dishes in there for now, couldn't you?" he asked exasperated.

"If you really wanted to be sincere about what you promised me, this is certainly not convincing me" she chuckled. "But it's fine, it's not too much trouble. Get ready while I finish up here, I'll be with you"

Sighing once more, Qrow got up to go and take a quick shower when-

"Oh, mind the floor its still-!" called out Amber, following which she heard an audible thud and a comical 'squawk', which did take the brown haired girl by surprise.

"A little late for warnings, isn't it? You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" his muffled voice from beyond the bathroom door groaned, which made the fall maiden giggle heartily.

"No, but I feel I should have" she retorted teasingly. Maybe living with the scruffy and not-so-tidy Qrow Branwen wouldn't be so bad after all. At first she was a bit nervous and though the start hadn't been as smooth as she thought, she could make this work.

---

"What do you mean, 'What's going on?' miss Rose? Naturally it is as it states there. You've just been officially appointed as a TA for Combat Training alongside Professor Goodwitch" explained Ozpin with a sly smile on his face.

"No I get that but I thought these things needed me, the person in question, to be present while you make this 'official'?" asked Ruby. "And" she spoke in a whisper, leaning in. "Why are we doing this when we decided that we need to be looking for Cinder? And whatever happened to telling General Ironwood and Winter about our new developments?"

Ozpin, Glynda and Ruby were having their current chat in the teacher's observation podium while curious murmurs and speculations were running rampant amongst the students who had been summoned for combat training.

"I too was opposed to this" added Glynda, adjusting her glasses. "However, the headmaster wanted to present this as a 'small gift' for everything that you have given him and all of us yesterday"

"Naturally this is but a small compensation. We will still need your credentials for the actual 'official' announcement. The announcement earlier was simply my way of giving you a surprise. I hope you found it to your liking" he added with a satisfied smirk. "And as for Cinder, I believe there will be more than enough time for you to look for her later in the day or even afterwards? As a TA, you have certain privileges regarding your student life that can come in handy. One of them is to be a little flexible with your schedules. Regarding James, I did contact him, both to confirm that he made it to Atlas safely and to inform him of new information. However, he seemed quite urgent in his tone and before I could tell him anything much, he asked me to 'wait a while longer' since he mentioned meeting with Jacques Schnee as well as the Atlas Council. It did sound a bit odd at first that he would be so held up the moment he got back to the base, but considering that he was away for a while from Atlas for the Vytal Festival preparations, as well as considering that he went silent during the time he was in Hueco Mundo, I could understand the urgency. And so, I simply asked him to let me know when it was appropriate, to which he agreed. So that's been taken care of for now as well"

"You really are a naughty boy aren't you Ozzy?" retorted Summer with an exasperated smile, shrugging. Ozpin raised his eyes, not expecting the sudden switch. Though it was not all that different from how he himself used to switch back and forth between his host spirit and himself. "Fine fine, I guess there's nothing else to do till then. I also told my honey bun the same thing. But I really want to be a teacher rather than a TA. I AM capable of teaching you know, since I AM technically a licensed huntress. I even have a teacher's license from the time I taught here"

"That you do" agreed Glynda. "But right now, you are 'Ruby Rose, 15 year old huntress in training' with no license for teaching or driving. Which of course means that this is as much as you'll get. However, for the sake of 'getting experience' I will merely observe from the distance while you will be the one doing any actual instructing"

"Mhm…" acknowledged she acknowledged. "Well, then let's get going shall we? Don't want to keep those peeps waiting for long"

"Mind if we join in?" came a rusty voice, accompanied by footsteps.

"Qrow…and Amber..?!" exclaimed Glynda, surprised to see the two of them.

"Hello" greeted the Fall Maiden, offering a small bow. She then turned towards the cheetah faunus. "Ruby, thank you so, so much for helping me recover. I'm forever indebted to you"

"You're welcome Amber but….what are you doing here? You've recovered a lot faster than I thought and I'm happy you did but.."

"I told her the same thing" cut in Qrow. "But she's a stubborn one alright. Not only does she rummage around my room and clean up the whole place, but she's out in the kitchen cookin' and even has the energy to shout at me for rattlin' her about straining herself. Said something about 'Not wanting to stay shut in my house all day' and that she was 'feeling just fine'. After that, she wanted to come drop by because she wanted to see you"

After hearing that explanation, Ruby and Glynda both had looks of concern for Amber.

"Having to go through that filthy stink pile…." Said Glynda with a tone of dread, patting Amber's shoulder. "I knew Qrow could be questionable when dealing with women, but this is a new low, making an injured person going through one's garbage….."

"You could've just let me know you know? I'm sure that alone would've taken most of your morning.." said Ruby sympathetically.

"Hey I'm not that bad you know! And I would've helped if I someone bothered to check with me once before doin' their own thing!" he defended himself comically.

"No matter, seeing as Amber herself doesn't feel any different, I suppose we can let it slide. It wouldn't be good to keep her confined in one place if the person in question doesn't wish for it. Especially since she IS the fall maiden. And I believe she will be a lot safer here in Ruby's company" said Ozpin, "And perhaps being out in fresh air can help a bit with her recovering condition as well. And who knows, by watching Ms. Rose's lessons, the children might not be the only ones who learn something. I'm sure the adults here can learn a thing or two as well"

"That's true" agreed Glynda. "Which is why, its best if you start, isnt it?"

"I'll be watching as well, if you don't mind" mentioned Amber. "I'm surprised though, I know you're skilled, but this is a first for me as well, seeing a student teaching other students at an academy like this. If professor Ozpin himself has such praise for you, I'm interested to see just how skilled you really are"

"And that goes for me too kid, go do your thing" added Qrow.

A small pause, following which Ruby went back to her audience whose attention immediately fell back to her as she stood in front of them, watching eager eyes cast upon her from the audience. The chatter amongst the students fell considerably as well.

"As you all know, I'll be responsible for some of the classes you'll be taking as part of combat training. While Glynda..sorry, Prof. Glynda will be the one in charge, I'll be the one training you for the most part. I'll keep it simple, since I know you'd rather swing your sword than talk in a practical class. It's simple really. I'll be putting each one of you in different scenarios that tests various skills. I leave it up to you to decide which way is the best for you personally. I might join in and spar occasionally as well, but naturally I'll try to keep myself at your level. And all I will have to offer is general advice on certain tactics and quirks, and it's really up to you to use them as you see fit. Feel free to ask me anything in the meantime" she finished.

"Teach!" came a yell from the audience, and Ruby recognized it as the voice of Nora.

"Yes, Nora?"

"So, if you're like, teaching us instead of the prof. do we call you as 'teacher' as well? Or do you prefer 'Madam Rose'? Now that's classy!" she shrieked in excitement. Ruby suppressed a chuckle.

"No Nora, nothing like that. After all, I'm just an 'assistant'. And while I am older than you, I think hearing you call me 'Sensei' or 'Teacher' or anything like that would make it difficult to look at you guys as my friends. I think 'Ruby' will do just fine. Or sis if you prefer" she said, eying Yang, who returned a sheepish smile. Another hand shot up, this time it was another girl from the far side of the stadium.

"Yes?"

"Um..will we be sparring with you as well? If so, will it be one on one or will it be as one team?" she asked.

"It depends. To train your team building skills, I may ask you to do that. Otherwise, I might spar with you on my own. Or you may even spar team vs team. And you may even be asked to fight the Grimm in the same manner" she responded. "Any more questions?"

"Yeah. Here's one, I want to know why a filthy faunus who looks like she's barely qualified to be drinking down there telling me how I should be fighting?" growled the voice of Cardin Winchester earning him distasteful looks from many others, especially the faunus students as well as teams JNPR and WBY. Yang looked like she was ready to send Cardin and his pack of crones blasting off into space, Weiss's fingers were itching to encase them all in a block of ice and Blake's eyes were especially cold, glaring at them and her teeth gritting at them.

Ruby however was quite indifferent. "Actually, I'm well beyond drinking age, despite how I look. And I'm not sure it matters what I am when teaching you how to fight. It's not like the Grimm really care about whom they kill, so why should you? I think you guys can definitely be better huntsmen, both in attitude and skill. I can assure you that there are things I can teach you that you wont get anywhere. But sure, if you think you dont need my help, feel free to leave by all means. I'd rather you not bother my friends if so. I won't hold it against you for skipping class. But please, don't forget your belongings" she said, raising her hands. And held in them were the weapons of team CRDL, earning her rather surprised looks as well as hushed gasps. There were cries of support and excitement from the faunus students, as well as some applause. Team WBY and JNRP were smirking to themselves in amazement and excitement, while team CRDL themselves were more annoyed than amused, but surprised nonetheless. Ruby calmly went over, handing a gaping team CRDL their weapons.

"Anymore questions?"

When no other hands went up, she started speaking again.

"Alright, then let's start. But before we do, I need everyone to come down here to the arena and stand by their own groups. Of course, be sure to leave some space around yourselves". Though the request was certainly strange, it got the students wondering whether Ruby planned something big right from the get go. They wondered if they would all be fighting at the same time or something similar.

"For today, we'll not be using our weapons. Actually, I don't think we'll need our weapons for quite a while. Though a weapon is definitely like your own soul, a part of you that serves like an extension of your arm, there's no use in holding one unless you're up to the mark yourself. And the way we design weapons here have some serious issues that need their own class. For now, we'll be training on our base abilities. Movement, reflexes, insight, resilience and the like. But more than physical and mental abilities, we all have one natural ability that can be a great asset if used correctly. Right now, we all use it very passively, at times not even realizing we have it. Some of you may have an idea of what I'm talking about. But for those that don't, our training today will be with reishi. Or as you all know about it, Aura" she explained, forming a red orb in her raised fist. And thus began Ruby's role as a teacher/TA at Beacon Academy, and one that would be memorable to the students from the very first lesson on, whether it was in a pleasant or unpleasant way.

---

There was a stunned expression on Aizen Sosuke's face as he gaped at Kyouka following the words that escaped her lips. Was it confusion? Betrayal? Disbelief? Surprise? Kyouka couldn't decide on one. It seemed like each emotion was fighting internally within her master's soul to come out on top and show itself. Which of course, was understandable. It wasn't often that one realized the very thing they had sought, or well, in this case, atleast a part of it had been right there all along, within themselves.

Was it cliched? Perhaps. But it made sense. Kyouka simply thought it fit in very well with how life worked in general, like it was all part of a grand design for how things were always meant to be. And considering what it took for them to actually get to this point, Kyouka felt it wasn't so strange after all.

After what seemed like a few, uncomfortable seconds of internal contemplation, Aizen spoke again, with a stone faced expression.

"Explain" he said simply.

"How very like him" she thought to himself. Of course he would be one to prod for more information before taking any rash actions. It brought her a certain comfort knowing that even in such a situation, something things never changed between them.

"It's as I said. I'm the will of the Right Arm of the Soul King. The very same arm located in the Rukon district and the very same from which Kisuke Urahara created this" she said, pointing to her right ear. And hanging from there, like a like some sort of celestial jewelry was the Hogyoku.

"Does it look good?" she asked. "It's too bad I don't have a matching pair"

"Back to the matter, Kyouka" he reminded her, a slight hint of impatience in his tone. She gave an amused, disappointed smile before looking back at him again.

"You needn't look so worried and upset, Sosuke. I told you right, that I plan to tell you about myself? And I assure you that once I tell you my side of things, you'll understand everything. Feel free to ask me anything until then, but I'd rather you not interrupt me unless there is something you really don't understand" she told. Taking a deep breath, she started again. However, this time, the background shifted along with her explanation, matching to provide life like representations.

"We already know about the four parts of the Soul King and how each one forms the domains we reside in. I won't go over things you already know. But as I mentioned, each of the parts do possess their own will. Why you ask? I'm entirely sure myself but considering how everything in our world has a spiritual self and a physical self, it could very well be that since the four limbs of the Soul King are actual physical existences, we exist as a sort of balance, forming the spiritual self of the Soul King's physical limbs. Because we also represent the race that originates in each of the realms. It's a bit strange isnt it? The limbs that form Hueco Mundo and Hell aren't even in the shape of legs and arms. They take on the form of the entire realm itself. But that realm is a physical thing, and that makes the difference. And each of us have our own virtue. And I stand for the virtue of 'Progress' " she explained.

Aizen's eyes widened. And needless to say, Kyouka had a satisfactory smile on her face. Even that much had been more than enough for him to pick up on what she was insinuating.

"Yes. It's exactly what you think it implies. Surely you must have wondered. Your unnatural obsession with wanting to….no, with needing to go further and beyond anything that exists in this world. To continue growing, to gain more knowledge, to…progress. Needless to say, this is your answer. That drive of yours is a result of this" she said. She gave a pause, giving way for Aizen to put forward his own thoughts.

"Then….are you suggesting that all that I've done, everything that I've yearned for and achieved have not even been my own? That it was all a part of a plan that I have been carrying out without even realizing it as part of someone else's whims?! Is that it Kyouka?!" he snapped, demanding an explanation.

"Not at all" she replied softly. "The answer to that is complicated. Let's put it this way then. Back when I gained self awareness, so many, many many, millennia ago, there were two things I realized. You see, I, the will of the Right Hand, represented the pure essence of what it meant to be a 'Soul Reaper'. Fittingly, I took on the form that represented that best. A Zanpakuto. But a Zanpakuto spirit cannot manifest by itself. For a being to be called a Soul Reaper, one must have the other as well. And thus, you came to be. My other half. Without you, I am nothing. I wouldn't even exist as a concept. But that applied to you as well. You and I, we were bound together since we were born. But even so, I, the being in question, am still the one called the 'Will of the Right Arm'. That will be Kyouka Suigetsu now and forever. Not Aizen Sosuke. However, you are a part of me. And the essence of a Zanpakuto is to mirror its master's self. So then, is it truly that strange that you and I would share so very many similarities? Including my virtue for progress?"

"So that's what it was…" he replied, his expressions darkening. "And how does that make any difference, Kyouka? Fundamentally, all you have shown me is WHO it is to whose whims I've been dancing to. What difference does it make to know that? It still changes nothing!"

"Oh but it does Sosuke" she responded. "The very fact that despite how deeply we are connected to each other we are still two individual beings changes everything. For one, while it is true that I represent the aspect of 'progress', you are not bound to it because of me. You could say that being a part of me, we've rubbed off of each other. Not that different to how Ichigo's inner hollow influenced certain traits in Ichigo's psyche, such as his instinct for battle and how his own inner hollow was influenced by Ichigo's drive to protect those he cares about, something that you would never naturally see in a pure hollow. This isnt that different. While we share our drive for progress, you and I are very different. For one, your passion to overcome yourself is a selfish one. It is for yourself alone. You will not be bound by anyone, and you will crush anyone who dares to rule over you. But I" she explained, looking up.

"I seek progress in everything. Be it myself, you, the Soul Reapers, Hollows, Arrancars, Quincy or even the damned of Hell. In my eyes, everyone is equally worthy, and equally interesting. And I will equally be willing to help them go beyond and forward. You have experienced that yourself, haven't you? When you brought Yuzu here to Hueco Mundo to help develop her abilities. Or when you paved the way for Ichigo to grow his own skills. Or the Arrancars for that matter. Or even little Momo. Fu fu fu, yet another thing I've rubbed off on you" she chuckled. "But…unlike you, I simply do it because that is who I am. Not so that I can test myself or to sate my loneliness in this vast universe. I simply must see it all. But that doesn't mean I'm a completely benevolent person. If it takes the sacrifice of thousands , of millions for the next generation to evolve, flourish and thrive, then so be it. If it takes the extinction of the entire species of dinosaurs for human beings to eventually appear on Earth, I would do it in a snap. I will not ponder over such a trivial thing. The very fact that I possess the Hogyoku, an artifact made up of many, many thousands of souls if proof of that. I will do whatever it takes to groom those who seek progress and help them achieve it. And I shall relish it every single time, that feeling of achieving my purpose. For what they gain will be something that I gain as well and thus, I progress along with them" she finished.

Aizen couldn't help but be drawn to her words. Though she was so much more 'level headed' than he was, he could tell that there was so much emotion behind her words. And beyond the greedy expression on her eyes, he could see an unending and ever growing universe reflected within those star shaped pupils. He felt as if he was staring into a bottomless abyss, one that seemed to contain the depth of her greedy desires as well as he entire being.

"If you are still unconvinced" she continued "We differ in the fact that unlike you, I do not wish for the death of my father. My father being the Soul King, naturally" she said softly.

"….then why?" asked Aizen slowly. "Why Kyouka?! Why would my own Zanpakuto…why would you aid me in my ambitions knowing what I planned to do? And why would you tell me all of this now? What purpose was there in keeping the fact that what I sought was right here?"

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely, Sosuke" she said sternly and yet, with a touch of softness. "Had you succeeded, had you really reached the pinnacle known as the Soul King, not only would you have had to take his place, you would've been reduced to nothing more than a lonely god with limitless intellect and knowledge who could do nothing but watch as those around you went on with their lives, fulfilling their purposes, growing, living while you stayed where you were, lifeless and stale. That could no longer be called living. You would be bereft of the very purpose of life itself, which is to pass on that which you know and possess to those that come after you, despite the fact that you would be at the pinnacle of all life here. And it would have broken me to see you in such a pitiful state. But, I was your Zanpakuto. And as such, it was my duty to answer your call when you called for me. And so, I could do nothing but offer you my aid, until I knew the time was right. Had I told you everything from the beginning, you would have rushed to the Royal Palace in order to strike him down. I had to be sure that you were ready to accept yourself and me. I needed for you to accept yourself, which in return means me as well, over your ambitions. Without that, your fate would be one of complete loneliness and despair. But now, thanks to the many, many people who influenced your life this time around, we find ourselves at a different path. One where I get to remain by your side. And one that possibly leads to a much brighter outcome for all of us. And that's really it. Knowing all this, if you feel any differently compared to when I first asked you to choose, I'm willing to accept whatever choice you make"

There was yet another long silence between Zanpakuto and Soul Reaper. This time however, Kyouka didn't bother reading his face, and merely waited for his response. Was it nervousness? Did she not want to attempt knowing what her master's response would be? Perhaps. To Kyouka, it was laughably human. But that was not necessarily a bad thing.

"Tell me one last thing Kyouka" asked Aizen, grabbing her undivided attention. "If I still intend to go after that linchpin known as the Soul King, what will you do?"

"Nothing" she replied simply. "I will be ever present by your side, regardless of what you do, supporting you and offering you my thoughts as I see them and when you ask for them. But I have told my own views. After that, what you do is up to you. You are free to pursue your own ambitions and choices, Sosuke. I, of all, will not be an obstacle to them. I will however, lament the fact that that I couldn't do more to save you as you take a lonely path. But no matter what you become or where we stand, I will continue to watch over them all, helping them evolve and progress till the end of time itself. However, if you chose to take another path, then too, I shall remain by your side, doing the same. However the difference is that while you may not be an omnipotent and omniscient being towering over all, you will get to witness along with me how much different things can be from a different perspective. And for one, you wont need to rely on just plain old me whenever you feel alone. Because there will be others, those that can truly see you where you are currently. They already exist. You are simply blind to them. But if you'd gone through with your ambitions, you no one would truly be able to understand you, even myself"

"I see. Then in that case, you have nothing to worry about Kyouka. Because my answer is unchanged. I accept you as you are, as well as your words" he replied.

The regal being's eyes were raised in surprise, following which a bright, warm smile adorned her face. She put her hands around from behind him.

"Thank you. That truly means a lot to me" she spoke with a tone of affection. "I may be one who has no distinction between individuals when it comes to whom I offer my wisdom and help to, but even I can have favorites" She then let go, facing him once more.

"So what now, Kyouka?" asked Aizen. "I am still unclear as to why you would choose to tell me all this now at this specific moment in time, even going so far as to mentioning Yhwach prior in our conversation"

"Because it's time, Sosuke. Yhwach has finally started moving, his plan that was being materialized over a 1000 years is finally starting to take effect. A plan that involves all of the realms that encompasses our world as well as the world that Ruby comes from. And I'm afraid that if my brother succeeds in his plan, then nothing will remain in all of the realms combined. And those that he intends to target will need me and you to help them evolve and overcome this crisis. And personally, as a harbinger of progress, I can't allow for an outcome that threatens to delete this world or one that threatens my father" she explained.

"Your brother?" questioned Aizen.

"Indeed. I told you, didn't I? We are four of us, each one representing a virtue. I, the will of the Right Arm of the Soul King, represent Progress. My sister back in Hell stands there as its overseer, she is the Will of the Left Leg of the Soul King and represents the virtue of 'Karma' or 'Order' or the very concept of following a certain 'Code'. We each have our opposite counterparts. As I am a Soul Reaper, one that represents progress, my other half is the Will of the Left Arm of the Soul King and one who represents 'Stagnation' or 'Nothingness', which in turn is the opposite of progress. And fittingly, they represent a race opposite to mine, Hollows. And as such, the one who represents my sister's significant other, that is the Will of the Right Leg of the Soul King, is none other than Yhwach, the father of the Quincy, a race opposite in existence to that of the damned, and he represents the virtue of 'Factionalism'"

"While my sister in Hell is unbiased to all those that enter her realm, punishing those that deserve it in a fitting manner and never steps outside her code, Yhwach is the complete opposite. He believes in complete superiority of his own people, while holding unfair and almost primal hatred towards hollows and the beings from Hell. And for that reason alone, he will continue to persecute any that he deems 'evil', no matter the means he has to take. Even if it means breaking the natural order of things. And he has the ability to do so. With how weak the Soul Society is right now, and how long the Quincies have had to refine their race, no one will have a fighting chance. Right now, my sister still remains in Hell, guarding her domain and will never step outside her realm unless interfered with. As for the overseer of Hueco Mundo…..well, you could say that they are in a sort of deep sleep. Sealed until something awakens them. But it doesn't matter. Because the four of us are fated to meet in the final stage. In that playing field, I intend to play my role. And that of course, means that you needed to be ready as well" she explained.

It wasn't often that Aizen of all people got the chance to relish in taking in new information and unknown revelations which were present right under his nose. The feeling when one felt all of the pieces of a puzzle falling in place was not something Aizen got to enjoy that often. And so, there was another calculated silence, with the Soul Reaper taking in all of the new information he was just given.

"You are rather devious, much more so than I ever gave you credit for" he responded, but not in an accusatory way but rather in a manner of respect. "You proclaim that you gave me the choice to choose between two different paths, and yet, you also fed me information, one that I have no way of really verifying that gave me the illusion that my choices were equally right, and yet were clearly meant to steer me towards picking one over the other. Most others might not have seen through your ploy, but unfortunately for you, amongst our many similarities, the way we think is also one of them"

"I'm not sure I have any idea what you mean" she said with a sly and fond smile, looking at him with a foxy expression. "Pleasantries aside, with that settled, I believe it's time we get to work, isnt it?"

"Get to work?" he questioned her.

"Mhm. Its around that time now. You and I will have a lot of interesting things to look forward to and I know you'll enjoy it just as much as I will, much more than any of the games we've been playing here" she answered.

"I'm not sure you remember, but whatever you plan to do, its futile unless Kisuke Urahara can remove that seal on my soul" reminded Aizen.

"Oh don't worry about that, I'll take care of that in a second" she said casually, getting up from underneath the tree. She then closed her eyes, clenching her right hand. The red eye symbol on her hand was glowing and she seemed to be deep in thought. After a minute or so, she finally opened her eyes again, going forward until she was underneath open sky.

Then, she began drawing array upon array upon array of complex patterns, one that represented the structure of a kido spell no doubt. But what awed Aizen was just how incredibly complex it was, and given how much he himself was knowledgeable in kido, this was a definite shocker.

"What is this…?!" he asked, exclaiming. "I've never seen such a complex spell…where did you learn how to do this?!"

"Just now" replied Kyouka with an innocent expression. "Kisuke and Summer may have cast the spell, but apart from them, there is one other who knows how the seal works and how to break it. All I needed to do was ask them. And no, I'm not talking about Ruby"

Aizen raised his eyes. "What do you..?"

"This is one thing that's best seen in person. Anyway, I'm almost done. Let's go and surprise Kisuke. This will be very interesting indeed fu fu fu!" she said in an amused manner.

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And with that, I can't believe I've hit 50 chapters! A milestone that has taken me quite a long but rewarding time to reach! And it was all thanks to the support and encouragement I got from all my readers, helpers and fellow enthusiasts. To make it even better, I'm happy to be able to release this chapter right before the year ends. So may we all have a better year than the last, much better than the time the poor souls of Remnant will have under the rule of the Quincy! A happy new year, happy holidays and I'll see you all next time!

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Response to reviews:

Argorok: Thanks a lot! Ah well, kinda expected right? I mean, there's really no comparison between the two. Yup, for now things really arent looking too great for anyone.

Lucian Naruto: Yeah, and I mean sure, Salem has definitely lived a very miserable immortal life. And in that long life she has definitely gone through a lot. But yeah, as he put it, immortality doesnt make her invincible.

MaxHD2490: He probably killed her more times than that but of course, Yhwach aint breaking a curse set by the God of Light himself. Yeah, and in that short exchange where his attacks 'shrunk the pools of Grimm significantly' all of Remnant will feel the effects of such a thing. Actually, the opposite might quite be true. With Yhwach around and Salem gone, Remnant might do very well under his rule. But of course, its a different story when he plans to use Remnant for his own war.

KingJGamer: Nope, it was never mentioned that his zanpakuto spirit was a guy or what she/he even looked like honestly. And a lot of headcannon and fan theories assume that Kyouka Suigetsu is female, so I guess why not?

ranjira1988: I feel you. But the time for payback for the arrancars will definitely come.

Mobian: Hmm kinda. It's like this honestly. They are more disgusted by the aspect that they are 'evil beings' with hollow reishi. The animal euphemism simply helps their prejudice. It's kinda like how one might use the phrase 'You pig!' or 'You dog!' and what not right? But it doesnt mean that we hate animals. After all, we do go bug eyed over cute cats and dogs. So it's the same thing here. Its' why the dont hate the faunus, because they dont have the same evil reishi as hollows and hell beings. The Quincy are definitely worse than Aizen because they pretend to be on Remnant's side first before making use of them as war assets.

Oh yes that nightmare will definitely be spoken about soon. Very soon.

Monster King: Thanks a lot!

firewyrm2: Oh yes he will. Too bad there's no chair-sama in this version. The two worlds will definitely interact very soon in the upcoming chapters. It is inevitable.

GoGand214: Haha very much indeed! It's even better when you realize that Masaki mentioned that Erika was a song that was sung quite often during her time at the Wandenreich for Quincy military marches!

Ceps: Things look grim now, but they will start shifting in tide.

Fregreg: Thanks! Indeed. Very ironic, isnt it? No wonder Aizen initially lost his shit against his own Zanpakuto just moments after telling her that he chose her over the Hogyoku.

Xeno01: That was the point, after all, a villain is only as good if he does something undesirable. Oh yes she will. As Yhwach mentioned, Ruby wont be disturbed for sometime. But that may not necessarily be a good thing. When she finally realizes everything that's been going on, she will wish that she never stayed in Beacon so blissfully unaware.

True, that would be the case. But well, Neo is still resting in Patch. She did fall into the ocean from up above after all. Pretty sure even she would need a week or so to even recover. But very, very soon. Because its not just the Quincy who are making their move. Kyouka is as well, as well as the Kurosaki siblings. And Ruby can only 'evade' this whole situation for so long.

rama alif: Thanks a lot!

djmegamouth: Sadly no my friend. Since not everyone has read it here, I thought it would be best if I dont include stuff from there, since I myself dont know what's in there. True, but since the worldbuilding itself is different in my story, since it ties in with Remnant and the brother gods, I thought I should change facts like these to logically match what I have in my story. Yeah, but since I am only using the stuff in the show, I dont plan to use the backstory that's in the novels. I have something completely new planed for Neo. And I believe it will really make her character shine. Yeah she is. Ruby's friends already had so much to deal with. Ruby was merely trying to do her best in dampening the severity of everything.

NEGATARO: Welcome back! Yeah, eventually, we'll definitely get there. Thanks a lot for reading!