I do believe I might owe a few explanations about last chapter. A Certain Reviewer(who I don't blame nor hate in any way) has pointed out that I'm basically retelling the canon story. It's kinda been apart of my most popular fics.
Davis's Time Travel Adventure, Hazardous Time Travel Wait What?, WITCH Gx, Digital Kingdom Hearts, etc. are all rewritten canon, where I change dialogue and a few scenes here and there. Honestly, I enjoy canon, and feel like a good majority of it works. However, there are certain events I like to change. And Most of them are more Mid-Late Season/series rather than right off the bat. RWBY is similar for the first Volume.
The first Eight Episodes of Volume One take place over the course of about 48 hours, give or take, and the Ninth Episode takes place over the immediate 24 hours after that. 72 hours covered in half of the First Volume before any major Time Skip, as mentioned by Glynda in Episode 10 to Jaune. It works both ways, 72 hours is plenty of time to change a lot of events; however, at the same time 72 hours is 3 days. 3 days don't feel that long when time flies like does when watching Volume One as a Single Video that's 1.7 hours, with no breaks or extra openings or endings. Watching an Entire Volume without breaks makes it feel like a movie, where it's moving at a much faster pace. Because that was my first experience, the first 72 hours crammed into basically one felt too short to change too much, plus Ruby REAPING a Giant Nevermore is just too good NOT to write down. Same thing for JNPR's SLAMMING victory over the Giant Death Stalker, it's just too epic.
Now, this will take some divergence midway through the episode. It's a little too forced to have Ruby and Weiss argue a third time. Just Read and find out.
Disclaimer: RDF1 doesn't own RWBY or any affiliated properties. Go watch the show!
(Chapter Begin)
(Recap)
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren," continued Ozpin, as JNPR moved onto the stage, "The four of you retrieved the Whit Rook Pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as... Team JNPR, led by... Jaune Arc."
Nora cheered as she hugged Ren. Pyrrha was glad that Jaune was selected as leader. He really kept everyone together during that last battle.
"L-led by?" questioned Jaune, not quite believing it.
"Congratulations young man," informed Ozpin quietly.
JNPR then moved off as RWBY walked forward, the last Team who left who had gotten through Orientation.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long," picked up Ozpin, never missing a beat, "The four of you retried the White Knight Pieces. From this day forward you will be know as... Team RWBY, led by... Ruby Rose.
Weiss was surprised by this, but didn't make a scene in front of everyone. Ruby had surprised her greatly, so if this was warranted, Ruby would prove herself in the days to come. Yang wasn't as reserved as she cheered for her Half-Sister being named as Leader, hugging Ruby in front of EVERYONE in the crowd.
"It seems this will turn out to be an... interesting year," commented Ozpin as the festivities came to a close with this last round of applause.
"Hmm," chuckled Fox, "She actually did it. Slaying an Elder Grimm. That is something."
"You're not jealous, are you Fox?" asked Coco.
"Nah... she earned that one. She's a True Reaper of Grimm after all," smirked Fox.
"Her Scythe was a blast to take pictures of," noted Velvet.
"Her strength is belied by her appearance," commented Yatsuharu.
"She's definitely gonna go places," smirked Coco.
"Should she need help, we'll back her up, right guys?" asked Fox.
The others nodded. Ruby was certainly worth working with.
Neo smiled from her hidden place by the door at the entrance. Ruby defeated an Elder Nevermore to get into Beacon. She doesn't do anything halfway it seemed. Shaking her head, she headed out steathily and made her way to Roman's current Warehouse. She knew she was getting flak for not killing Roman after all this time, but she felt it would be worth it. Roman meant too much to her to actually kill him. She didn't want him dead. He actually cared about her, unlike the orphanage that left her to die ten years ago, she was only Twelve for Oum's sake! He didn't know about her condition, and she wanted to keep it like that. Holding a hand to her throat, where she constantly concealed the scar left by the Ursa Major that killed her before her time. Even if it killed her permanent, she would save Roman.
RWBY barely managed to make it to their room, before choosing a bed to crash in. They didn't say anything as they changed into their night clothes. One last hug between Ruby and Yang and RWBY fell asleep, leaving worries for the next day for the day.
(Recap End)
The next morning, Ruby was the first one up around 6AM. She was used to this while at Signal because Yang took so long to get ready every morning. Noticing all three of her now teammates were still asleep, Ruby got ready first. It was roughly 25 minutes later that Ruby was dressed and ready when she noticed Blake getting ready for her turn. A simple exchange of nods was all that was needed for Blake to take the next shower. Ruby started organizing her things into her side of the shared dresser between her and Weiss as no one in RWBY had the energy to do so last night. She was nearly finished when Blake came out 15 minutes later. Five minutes of silent organizing was interrupted by Yang waking up. Her hair was the epitome of Bed head as Yang gathered more products than Blake and Ruby used combined as she headed into the Bathroom. Blake glanced at Ruby, who shrugged and rolled her eyes: This was more or less routine for Yang. True to form, it was nearly an hour later when Yang came out and Blake and Ruby were already putting up other personal possessions either on the walls or shelves. Yang fell into routine as she put away her belongs as well. This continued until Weiss woke up around 7:45. She noticed the others were dressed and ready so she headed into the Bathroom herself to take her turn.
Once Ruby was finished, opened the door and zoomed down the hallway. Two minutes later, she was back with some basic breakfast and carton of Milk and Juice. Weiss had finished getting ready by this time and started putting away her things... as efficiently as she could with the remaining space. After everyone finished breakfast, Ruby spoke up.
"After all is said and done, the only thing we don't have proper room for is our beds. Ideas?" asked Ruby.
Blake and Yang thinking of how to organize the beds without compromising everything else when Weiss spoke up.
"It may not be plausible, but... we could do bunk beds?" proposed Weiss.
"All in favor?" asked Ruby, to which Blake and Yang gave their approval.
"Alright, it'll have to wait until later if we don't want to be late for class. It's past 8:30 as it is."
With that, RWBY headed out the door, with JNPR joining them, as they headed down towards their lockers to grab their stuff for Class. Along the way there, they crossed paths with Ozpin and Glynda. Most of them gave a form of acknowledgement as they headed by either nodding, saluting, waving, or giving a greeting. Ruby realized she needed to talk to Ozpin, but that could wait for a better time. Class took priority right now.
Their last class of the day was Grimm Studies with Professor Peter Port, who tended to ramble on into anecdotes about his experiences in his youth. Ruby found the stories rather boring on two fronts. One was because she had faced similar and greater threats because of her work, and... because of the circumstances to how she got said work. Being so bored didn't go unnoticed by Weiss, who while giving Ruby a chance, was rather irritated she wasn't paying attention to their teacher. Being two years younger, Ruby needed to work harder to catch up with everyone else. What didn't help was that Ruby found various activities to distract herself from Port's story, and Weiss couldn't figure out why Ruby would ignore such valuable information (though she herself only questioned the value outside of passing this class).
"Now, do any of you feel you have the qualities of a Huntsman?" proposed Port.
Weiss's hand immediately went up, before anyone else could react.
"I do, Sir!" proclaimed Weiss boldly.
"We shall see," replied Port, "Change into your combat outfit and ready your weapon. I have a... friend that wishes to test those qualities."
It didn't take long for Weiss to get battle savvy, and after a bit of moral support from RBY, Port unleashed a Boarbatusk from its cage.
(AN1)
"Watch out Weiss! He looks strong!" called out Ruby. This Grimm may be basic, but it doesn't look far off from becoming an Alpha, maybe another year or two... if Weiss doesn't kill it here and now.
"Trying to concentrate here," countered Weiss, getting into her stance and charging in with her Glyph speeding her up.
The Boarbatusk actually adjusted its angle and received a glancing blow as it tried to charge back at the human in front of it. Weiss went for it again, but the Boarbatusk recognized it in time and adjusted it's head to catch Myrtenaster with it's tusks.
"Weiss, counter it with something unexpected!" informed Ruby.
Weiss wasn't able to think of a counter in time and the Boarbatusk managed to disarm Weiss, leaving her vulnerable.
"MOVE WEISS!" shouted Ruby, forcing Weiss to concentrate on the Boarbatusk and not her 'partner'.
Weiss managed something unexpected by acrobatically performing a forward flip over the the Grimm and managed to grab her weapon again.
"Finish it off, now!" urged Ruby.
"LET ME CONCENTRATE!" countered Weiss, calling forth two Glyphs.
The Boar had already begun a Spinout and couldn't stop itself before it hit the first Glyph and landed on its back. Moving quickly, Weiss backflipped onto the second Glyph and used it to launch herself at the Grimm, piercing the underbelly and killing it.
"Indeed a good fight to be had," complimented Port, "That will be all for today, make sure to complete the assigned readings."
Sensing hostility, Ruby decided to confront her one last time. She now understood Weiss's derision of her. It wasn't age or experience, it was her pride. Weiss is expected to be perfect and the best that being Leader should have followed that. Ruby needed to clear the air, even if it meant telling the truth. While Death left it up to his Reapers to decide who should know about themselves. It looked badly if someone betrayed such a sacred trust and used it against his Reapers.
"Weiss, wait up," called out Ruby. Yang subtly guided Blake away from this conversation, as it was something between Partners, not just teammates.
"Ruby, what is it!?" snapped Weiss, a bit too fiercely as she realized what she was doing.
"Look, I know it's hard..."
"You don't know the first thing about me. Yes, I shared a bit about my father, but you don't know me," said Weiss, a bit calmer now, but still frustrated.
"You think being me is easy?" countered Ruby, doing her best to keep an even tone, "I didn't have to meet you to know what most of the public already do. You seem to a problem letting others lead you that aren't adults. Your father may not be perfect, but he most likely raised you to take charge and let no one tell you what to do that didn't have established Authority or in a public setting. Weiss... Being on a team means listening to each other. Had it been Blake or Yang out there, I would have given them similar advice. If I was out there and you offered advice, I would take it."
"That's because your younger than everyone here and Blake is willing to follow your lead and Yang's your sister. It's different for me."
"The only difference is your pride," spoke Ruby in a serious tone, "I have that problem too at times. Yes, I didn't pay attention in class, but one: it's the first day. And two: You don't know how long I've studied Grimm. I haven't need to study Grimm in over 2 years. No one at Signal ever called me out on not paying attention in class because I still passed the tests and did the homework and answered questions when asked. Just because I got selected as Leader doesn't mean I have to do everything perfectly. I'm still younger than everyone by two years. To expect perfection out of a 15-year-old is ludicrous, but I guess that didn't stop your father, did it."
Weiss wanted to explode, but Ruby hit home in a logical sense she couldn't deny. Ruby's right, while she's two years younger than everyone, no one was judging her based on that. And yet Weiss couldn't help it because she had been judged at that age. Weiss couldn't help but remember it's only been a day since teams were assigned, and Ruby did okay in the other classes today. Why was this bothering her so badly?
"What would you say to somebody who's been taught to expect things a certain way and how to deal when it doesn't?" asked Weiss.
"I would say... 'Be your best self'. Adapting is something Huntsmen do all the time. I'm lucky I have my sister on my team. I'm lucky Blake's someone who's willing to listen. And I'm super lucky I have you for a Partner."
Wait... that caught Weiss off guard, "How are you lucky to have ME as a partner?"
"You saw me in the forest yesterday. I can handle swarms of Grimm with my speed and Sniper Scythe. I may not have seen you have a full advantage, but you've shown to be able to keep up with singular large enemies and adapt to their style of fighting. That scar wouldn't be there if you didn't adapt," explained Ruby, feeling much more calm now, "None of my friends from Signal can do what you do, and yesterday... when you put aside your pride and were willing to listen to me, we managed to take down an Elder Nevermore. Not many Huntsmen can do that solo. I'm hoping we can work together, because together, we can fight at our best."
Weiss couldn't help but feel touched. No one outside her sister and at one time her mother was so genuinely kind to her. If someone like Ruby could be the one to help her unlock her true potential, than her pride was only going to get her killed.
"Thank you Ruby," said Weiss, smiling, "I mean it."
"If you ever want to talk, I'm here," replied Ruby, "I'm open to ideas, so don't hesitate to share if you think it'll help."
(AN2)
With that, Ruby and Weiss smiled at each other before turning to head their separate ways, Weiss to put up Myrtenaster, and Ruby back to her dorm room. Ruby was caught off guard when she found Ozpin around the corner.
"Oh, Professor Ozpin," greeted Ruby.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear," informed Ozpin, looking a bit acquiesced, "but that was well handled. Sounds like something a Leader would say."
"Weiss and I have had bad moments, but I had to at least explain myself. To be honest, I didn't expect to be named Team Leader."
"You were the one who earned it. You came up with the plan to take down the largest Nevermore in a 50-mile radius. Jaune's quick thinking allowed JNPR to take down the largest Death Stalker in a 200-mile radius."
"That's actually something I wanted to ask you about," frowned Ruby, "How could you let TWO Elder Grimm live in Emerald Forest!? Do you know how long it takes for a Grimm to become an Elder!? LONGER THAN YOU'VE BEEN HEADMASTER!"
Ozpin was taken back a bit by her words, but felt like he was missing something, "I'm not sure. While Emerald Forest is used for new students, it's heavily monitored and any Alpha Grimm that's been around too long gets killed by one of our teachers. I've killed a few myself as Headmaster. How two escaped my notice seems rather odd. And you call them... Elder? What studies have you done that brings you to that conclusion?"
Ruby figured Ozpin was fishing, and if anyone deserved to know, Qrow said that Ozpin would be able to handle the information better than most.
"Elder Grimm: An Alpha who has survived many years and learned how to fight and not fight humans. I'm sure you can figure out some Grimm that are even older than that."
"I see," replied Ozpin, letting it go for now, "I'm afraid I can only offer my apologies to the unfortunate circumstances Jaune's and your teams encountered."
"Hey, they gave you ample information on what we can do, and concreted any decisions on making us teams. I can't argue how it turned out," chuckled Ruby, "Thank you for that, and I'm sorry for raising my voice."
"You're one of few who do. I tend to learn more from those willing to tell me I'm wrong. And having made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child, it's refreshing to know there's still more to learn, because if there wasn't, then it shows a limit to our growth."
Ozpin left Ruby with that cryptic advice, and Ruby let him.
'"More mistakes than any man, woman, or child"? Why would he say that?' thought Ruby, 'Something to check on back at the office.'
Later, back at the dorm room after RWBY had agreed on making Bunkbeds and eating supper, Weiss brought up a question that had been bugging her since her talk with Ruby.
"Hey Ruby, you mentioned earlier that the Nevermore we took down was an 'elder'. What did you mean by that?" asked Weiss.
"That's... rather complicated," said Ruby, feeling a bit nervous she let it slip.
"You did say haven't 'needed' to study Grimm for 2 years. What have you learned about Grimm that even the Professors don't know?"
Ruby headed over her desk and brought out a blank sheet of paper. The Room remained quiet for a bit while Ruby scribbled on the paper before giving it to Weiss, with Blake looking over her shoulder.
"That right there is basically an outline for the Grimm in our World."
Basic Grimm: 0-10 years
Alpha Grimm: 10-50 years
Elder Grimm: 50-200 years
Ancient Grimm: 200-500 years
Super Ancient Grimm: 500+ years
"And what is this supposed to mean?" asked Blake.
"It tells you how powerful a Grimm is, or the potential growth of one," informed Yang, moving next to Ruby, "It's something I don't know the full details of myself, but my little sis has found herself facing some nasty ones."
"I found an old notebook that dated back to before the Four Kingdoms being established. Someone studied Grimm for so long, or rather many people studied Grimm over the centuries and that is what was basically the result. The Ages aren't set in stone either, just that most fall within these age groups."
"You mean... there's a Grimm that's over 500 years old?" asked Weiss, feeling a bit Pale.
"Who knows," remarks Ruby, glancing to the left, "One thing I do know is that the Grimm we faced was far stronger and Smarter than any other Grimm this close to the Kingdom of Vale. I can't begin to explain things in a way for you to not only understand, but accept it in a way that doesn't affect you for the rest of your life. Elder Grimm are super rare as it is. Depending on the area and how frequent missions are given there, Elders are few and far between."
"What about the Death Stalker," brought up Blake, "Was that...?"
Ruby and Yang's looks was all the confirmation needed, it was an Elder. And while they were at Beacon, they weren't likely to encounter any Grimm remotely close to that power, it doesn't change how close they came to dying to two of them.
"We made it through because we worked together. No Grimm, Elder or otherwise, can stop teamwork like we did together. When Huntsmen work together, they are unstoppable.
"I... see..." said Weiss slowly.
"We have time, and we can spend time training together so we can be as effective if not more so than we were yesterday," said Ruby, who then went to get ready for bed.
Yang followed suit and Weiss and Blake took a few moments before getting ready for bed themselves. RWBY went to bed, knowing their tasks ahead of them was that much greater outside the school itself. Hopefully Ruby will lead them well.
(AN3)
(Chapter End)
Well, there you go. The First Day is done. Now, Jaundice has a bit of a time skip, so... entirely new parts for the next chapter.
Yes, the information is a bit shortchanged, but this was more for the shock value. Again, it's only been one day. By the time we get to Jaundice, things will be different for RWBY.
Author Notes
AN1: Battle Savvy... something doesn't feel right about that commentary. Any ideas on a better description? (Hint Hint!)
AN2: And there's the Butterfly effect happening. Instead of Port needing to sort Weiss out, Ruby bares her honesty to Weiss and it finally got through. Weiss and Ruby won't be anywhere near as hostile in the future. I've gotten most of it out, and this was really the only part of it where I had a problem with Weiss and how Ruby was handling it. OH... Also different conversation with Ozpin where I sorta ended shoehorning in his 'More Mistakes' line. Given what we know now compared to V3... yeah, it makes sense. Also, Ruby doesn't know about Opzin's... history. She just knows Ozpin as himself, not any previous life.
AN3: Added a full team scene here instead of Ruby and Weiss making up over late night studying and coffee. Also, Ruby opening the floor for suggestions and Weiss actually making it, another change thanks to Butterfly Effect.
Okay, I better not spoil anymore. About halfway-ish through the first Volume of Chapters, so things are not moving too quickly. Kept it to Beacon this time to open up other... locations for next time.
Until then...
Later,
RDF1