Within the darkest night of the forest in Anima, shows a little boy, Fenrir Calavera, sitting under a lonely tree, clutching on a giant axe that was formerly his father's...Fenrir cries and cries, but no one comes to his aid...no one to help him. The only thing that he can do, is find his Grandmother, he knows she'll be able to help him. As Fenrir musters up the strength to stand up with the help of his father's axe, he hears something bustling in the bushes. Caution, he approaches the rustled bushes, curious to what could be moving. Suddenly, a giant spider with glowing orange eyes jumps right out and lunges at Fenrir. Screaming in terror, he tries to run but his legs are unable to move and just as it gets him...
Fenrir wakes up screaming, sitting from his bed inside the dorm room. Taking deep breaths, Fenrir tries to calm himself down; touching the scar on his right eye
*
Morning arrives as the sun shines through the window overlooking Beacon Academy from the new room of Team RWBY, inside, Weiss Schnee is sleeping soundly in her bed. Her eyes flutter open and she stretches her arms above herself, yawning, while Ruby Rose, dressed in her strangely-colored school uniform, creeps up on her side and suddenly blows a whistle, causing Weiss to fall off the bed.
"Good morning, team RWBY!" Ruby cheers, jumping off Weiss' bed
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Weiss asks, laying on the floor
"Now that you're awake, we can officially begin our first order of business." Ruby says, ignoring the question
"Excuse me?!" Weiss stands up, brushing herself off
"Decorating!" Yang Xiao Long says, holding a bunch of decorative junk besides Blake Belladonna who's holding one simple suitcase
"What?!" Weiss exclaims in surprise
"We still have to unpack." Blake says, holding up the suitcase only to accidentally spill its contents. "Aaaand clean."
Weiss does not look enthusiastic, especially when Ruby knocks her back again with the blow of her whistle.
"Aaaalright! Weiss, Blake, Yang, and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission! Banzai!" Ruby raises her fist up cheerfully
"Banzai!" Blake and Yang cheer along imitating Ruby's pose, they turn at an angle as Weiss lays on the floor, frustrated she has to work with these clowns.
*
In Team CJVR's dorm, Fenrir, Jotaro and Crimson are getting ready for their first class, putting on their school uniforms. Jotaro was dressed properly while Fenrir decides to wear the uniform his own way; still wearing his jeans and boots while his left sleeve is rolled up and his tie's crooked.
"Ugh, why do we have to wear these ridiculous ties?!" Crimson complains, struggling to tie his tie.
"What, you don't wear ties where you're from?" Fenrir jokes, smirking.
"No, we had shirts and pants and it was enough! Vacuo ain't the place where we dress all...fancy!" Crimson says, continuing to struggle with his tie.
"These uniforms help us look presentable. We are the face of the new generation and so we must honor our Huntsmen predecessors by showing how much we care for Remnant and its people." Jotaro explains, finished with his tie. "Things in Beacon and Vale are far different from Vacuo, just remember that, Crimson."
"Yeah yeah, different Kingdom, different culture." Crimson waves off, still focused on his tie until he gives up. "Alright, screw it! I'll just let it dangle my shoulders! Nice and breezy that way!"
"Have it your way..." Jotaro sighs, turning to Fenrir. "What about you? You're not attending Beacon academy dressed like that, are you?"
"Everyone's got their own way of wearing uniforms, this is mine." Fenrir shrugs. "Relax, I'll at least pay close attention to classes."
"Very well, just don't forget, you're the leader of this team now." Jotaro reminds, making Fenrir roll his eyes in disinterest
"We aren't fully a team yet...not till sleeping beauty grants us his presence." Crimson says, he and the others look at River who's still asleep in his bed letting music play in the headphones he's wearing.
"Someone should wake him up..." Jotaro advises. "The team won't be accounted for class until he's with us."
"Wanna rock papers scissors for it?" Crimson asks raising his fist with a grin.
"And waste more time?" Fenrir cocks an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "He's your partner, you wake him up."
Crimson frowns and walks to River's bed. Jotaro glances at Fenrir, supposing now would be the time to ask.
"Not sleep well? I noticed you were up before us." Jotaro says.
"Eh, I've been conditioned." Fenrir shrugs. "Probably better that way, gives me a chance to myself while I get ready."
Jotaro narrows his eyes at Fenrir, who doesn't notice the look, but decides to dismiss his assumptions for now. Crimson nudges River's shoulder to wake him up. River groggily pushes Crimson away; he's half awake but doesn't want to get up. Crimson puts his hands on his hips, furrowing his eyebrows until he gets an idea. Smirking, Crimson reaches under the bed and jerks it sideways, making River scream as he falls off the bed and hits the floor.
"Ow..." River sits up, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"
"To wake your lazy ass up!" Crimson sasses, grabbing River's uniform from the dorm bureau and tosses them to him, hitting River's face. "Freshen up and get dressed, don't wanna be late for our first class cause of you!"
With a complacent groan, River gathers his uniform and enters the bathroom to freshen himself up. Crimson looks at Fenrir and Jotaro to notice their disapproving expressions
"What? He's awake, isn't he?" Crimson asks, shrugging
"Pretty harsh way to wake him." Fenrir comments.
"Hey, I already tried nicely, Eyepatch. Besides, it feels like a smack to the head is enough for that guy to listen." Crimson says.
"That's not entirely true..." Jotaro adds.
Minutes later, CJVR exits their dorm with enough time to reach class. Fenrir stops to look at Team RWBY's dorm next door.
"Should we give the girls a heads up?" Fenrir asks, pointing at RWBY's dorm. Crimson and Jotaro stop but River continues walking.
"A gentleman mustn't bother nor disturb a lady when she's preparing her day." Jotaro advises, only to confuse Fenrir and Crimson. "It takes longer for the girls to get ready than us boys, we should leave them be. Besides, Weiss' on their team, I'm sure she's keeping them above schedule."
"If you say so." Fenrir says with uncertainty.
The others continue walking, catching up to River as they reach their first class.
*
Inside RWBY's dorm, they just finished decorating their room and it seemed perfect...only with one problem. The beds are cramped together in the center of the floor.
"This isn't going to work." Weiss sighs.
"It is a bit cramped." Blake agrees.
"Maybe we should ditch some of our stuff..." Yang suggests
"Or we could ditch the beds..." Ruby gasps as she gets an idea. "And replace them with bunk beds!"
"Umm, that sounds incredibly dangerous." Weiss protests
"And super-awesome!" Yang cheers, pumping her fist
"It does seem efficient." Blake nods
"Well, we should put it to a vote!" Weiss suggests
"I think we just did." Ruby chuckles
To the sounds of two dings and a single buzz, Blake thumbs up the idea, Yang makes a double-rocker gesture, and Weiss angrily curls her fists at her side. Decided, they rush at the beds, where sounds of jackhammering and sawing are heard until they gather back at the front of the room.
"Objective: Complete!" Ruby announces
While Weiss' bed is simply on the ground next to her art and luggage, Blake's bed is next to her books, which are used to raise Yang's bed over it by placing the novels on the posts, and Ruby's is hanging from ropes on the ceiling with a blanket used as a tent over it.
"Allllright! Our second order of business iiiiiiiis...!" Ruby spins around the room until she lands on her bed and a book lands in her lap. "Classes... Now, we have a few classes together today. At 9, we've got to be-,"
"What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?" Weiss asks in worry.
"Uuuum..."
"It's 8:55, you dunce!"
Weiss is the first rushing out of the room and down the hall, the members of RWBY and JNPR peeking out from their doorways to look at her go.
"To class!" Ruby stutters, rushing out.
Yang, and Blake rush out with Ruby in quick haste.
"Class...?" Jaune Arc asks in startled realization.
Jaune loses his balance and ends up toppling Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren on top of him. He manages to get out from under them and start dashing.
"We're gonna be late!"
*
Team CJVR arrived at their first class for the semester which was study of Grimm with Professor Peter Port, CJVR already took their seats which were positioned behind Team RWBY's seats as Professor Port begins his lecture
"Monsters! Demons...prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey! Ha ha!!"
The Professor had then expected laughter from his lame joke but received silence
"Uh...and you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces, and that's where we come in! Huntsmen, Huntresses..."
Port then clicks his tongue at Yang, making her a bit uncomfortable
"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why, the very world!"
Then, a random student in the class stands up and was about to cheer until he notices that no one else was following suit as he sits back down awkwardly
"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story, a tale of a young...handsome man...me! When I was a boy..."
As Port tells his story, River sighs, annoyed at what he has to listen to
"I hardly see the point in his stories..."
His gaze falls upon Fenrir to notice his head lying on the desk, completely asleep
"Seriously? He was awake before us and he decides to take a nap now?" River sighs.
"Perhaps we should incorporate coffee into our everyday schedule...right, Crimson?" Jotaro says, turning to Crimson but notices his teammate's leaning back on his chair, asleep
"...Yep, certainly coffee..." Jotaro sighs
As Fenrir and Crimson continue napping, River and Jotaro decide to listen for them both...until the story was dragging too long, River began to space out.
"Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter' he told me..."
River continues to space out from Port's story with the blankest and least interested look on his face. Even Jotaro was struggling with his notes
"In the end, the Beowulf was no match for my sheer tenacity! And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity, My head held high, and I celebrated as a hero!"
Port takes a bow of appreciation and accomplishment; he quickly straightens to state his point
"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must honorable, a true Huntsman must be dependable, a true Huntsman must be strategic, well educated and wise. Who among you believes to be the embodiment of these traits?"
Feeling like showing off his skills, Jotaro was about to raise his hand but was blocked by Weiss who just stood up with her own hand raised.
"I do sir!"
"Well then, let's find out! Step forward and face your opponent!" Port gestures to the cage with a growling Grimm inside.
As Weiss steps out to quickly dress into her combat gear, Jotaro had noticed a small amount of frustration coming from her. Jotaro tries to figure out what could be annoying her, but can't come up with many theories. So instead, he decides to wait and see if he'll figure out the source of her anger by watching. As she arrives, donning her combat gear, Weiss steadies her weapon and stands ready to fight the Boarbatusk locked in the cage. As she readies herself, the rest of her Team cheer the young heiress
"Gooo Weiss!" Yang cheers
"Fight well!" Blake waves a small flag with RWBY's logo on it
"Yeah! Represent Team RWBY!" Ruby cheers, shooting up her arms.
Then, Weiss turns to Ruby in irritation
"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" Weiss snaps.
"Oh...sorry!" Ruby sits down, a little hurt.
Jotaro takes a mental note, why would Weiss snap at Ruby when the rest of her team was cheering?
"Alright, let the match begin!" Port swings down his weapon and breaks the cage's lock
The Boarbatusk runs out and charges at Weiss. But the girl quickly dodges to her left and swings her weapon, hitting the Grimm by its side. When it reaches the wall, it turns around to face Weiss again, growling at her
"Ha ho! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port comments.
"Hang in there, Weiss!"
Weiss and the Boarbatusk charge directly at each other and just as they got close, her rapier gets caught into the Grimm's tusks
"Bold new approach...I like it!" Port approves
Port may have thought Weiss' strategy was impressive, but it only confused the Kurozaki boy. Charging at the Boarbatusk head on was not a sound strategy, especially for Weiss. Could something have aggravated her?
"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!!" Ruby cheers.
Weiss turns her head towards Ruby, only for the Boarbatusk to take its opportunity and yank her rapier out of her hand, throwing it across the room until it lands behind the Grimm. Jotaro took notice of how Weiss kept getting distracted by Ruby's cheering, but whatever for? She's used to having an audience
"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port chuckles.
The Boarbatusk charges at her again but Weiss quickly dodges out of it's way as the Grimm hits one of the students' desks. Weiss quickly runs towards her weapon and picks it up
"Weiss! Go for it's belly! There's no armor underneath-,"
Weiss turns towards Ruby with visible anger showing on her face
"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!!!!" Weiss shouts, upsetting Ruby.
And it was those words that gave Jotaro the answers he's trying to figure out, and knowing this, he sighs heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose, slowly shaking his head
"Oh Weiss..." Jotaro mumbles.
The Boarbatusk performs a spin attack, launching itself towards Weiss. The girl quickly summons a glyph in front of her, causing the Grimm to knock itself off it and land on its back, allowing Weiss to summon another glyph above her, jumping right on it and launching herself towards the Grimm, stabbing its belly, killing it
"Bravo! BRAVO! It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress in training! I'm afraid that's all we have time for today, be sure to cover the assigned readings. And...stay vigilant! Class dismissed" Port announces.
Weiss walks away, not noticing the eyes following her from Jotaro, JNPR and her teammates
"Geez, what's up with her?" Jaune asks.
"She's acting spoiled..." Jotaro replies, mostly to himself.
Ruby quickly gets up from her seat and chases after Weiss. Jotaro stands up from his seat and follows the both of them
"Where are you going?" River asks, stopping Jotaro
"To talk some sense into my friend." Jotaro answers, facing River
"But we have another class soon..." River shakes his watch.
"It won't take long, I'll meet you guys later." Jotaro waves away and leaves
River is left to wake up Fenrir and Crimson. He stands up from his desk and attempts to nudge their shoulders but stops himself, thinking it's not a good idea.
"Uh oh..." River says, his head jerking every direction stressfully.
*
In the hallway, Ruby catches up to Weiss and attempts to get her attention
"Weiss!"
Frustrated, Weiss turns her body around to face the cloaked girl, not interested in whatever Ruby has to say
"What?!"
"What's wrong with you?! Why are you being-,"
"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with YOU?! You're supposed to be a leader and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"
"What did I do?!" Ruby scoffs.
"That's just IT!! You've done NOTHING to earn your position! Back in the forest, you've acted like a child! And you only continue to do so!"
"...Weiss, where's this coming from? What happened to all that talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team."
"Not a team, led by you...I've studied! And trained! And quite frankly, I deserved better!"
Weiss turns her back towards Ruby and folds her arms, showing she's made her point
"Ozpin made a mistake..."
After that, Weiss walks away. Leaving Ruby alone to doubt her own confidence.
"Hmm... Now that didn't seem to go very well." Ruby turns around to see Ozpin approaching who spoke up.
"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" Ruby asks
"That remains to be seen." Ozpin laughs a little.
*
As Weiss was watching the moonlight sky upon the the Beacon Academy's balcony, Jotaro casually approaches her
"So...that demonstration was almost a disaster." Jotaro jokes, resting his right arm on the railing, smiling at her
"...I'm really not in the mood right now, Jotaro..." Weiss sighs
"Course you're not, because you think you would've done better as Team RWBY's leader." Jotaro points out.
Gasping, Weiss looks back at Jotaro, surprised by his guess.
"How did you-?!"
"You're very easy to read, Weiss; I know when you're frustrated over something...you can't hide your emotions from me. No matter how hard you try." Jotaro answers.
"...Well, you agree, right? I would've been better off as team leader."
"Sorry, Weiss...but that's not true..."
*
"What do you mean?" Ruby asks Ozpin.
"I mean, it's only been one day. Ruby... I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?" Ozpin asks, leaning closer to Ruby.
*
Angrily, Weiss glares at Itsuki, practically insulted that her only friend would not support her like this
"Excuse me?!!" Weiss shouts.
"Don't take it too personally! You have the right qualities to be a leader." Jotaro clarifies, waving his hands in defense.
"So why would you side with that dolt and not me?!"
"I'm not siding with anyone, I'm merely pointing out the facts! Yes, Ruby seems childish, but she also has potential to be a true leader. You have potential as well...but the only reason you weren't appointed as leader is simply because of your attitude."
"My attitude?!"
"Look at it from another perspective, in your position, you've been given training, equipment and the ability to choose whichever school you wished to attend. Then, you weren't appointed as leader and you start to resent the one who got that position...who would see that as?"
"Well...I..."
*
"Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you're not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" Ozpin asks.
Ruby looks thoughtful with Ozpin's words, then smiles at him.
*
The Schnee girl tries her hardest to think of an answer that would fit herself...but no positive things would come to mind, so Jotaro answers the question for her
"They would see you as a spoiled girl, who thinks everyone is below her and the world is revolved around herself. Is that how you want people to see you, Weiss?"
"...No, I want them to see I'm a Huntress...a hero to the people"
"Then be that hero...sometimes it doesn't always take leadership. That's why I've never had a problem with the position I'm in, I respect my team leader...despite whatever faults he may have."
"But...if I can't be a leader...then what else am I supposed be?"
"Simple..." Jotaro pushes himself off the railing, walking away. "Be the Team's Advisor...a Leader can't make the tough choices without one after all."
As he says his peace, Jotaro leaves the balcony for Weiss to think about what her friend said, then smiles at his wisdom.
*
"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it." Ozpin says, turning his back to Ruby.
Ruby, with a last look of consideration, turns and walks away. She comes to the balcony where Jotaro is walking away from Weiss and smiles a little at her partner.
*
After night falls, Weiss enters Team RWBY's dorm to see Blake and Yang sleeping in their beds. She climbs up to Ruby's bed and sees the young girl sleeping with a bunch of papers everywhere. The young Schnee was almost surprised, could Ruby have been studying? Clearing her throat, Weiss nudges Ruby's shoulder to wake her up. The young girl snorts until she wakes up seeing Weiss
"Weiss! I-I was studying, and then I fell asleep, I'm sorry!"
Weiss puts her hand on her partner's mouth and shushes her to stay quiet, she glances towards the the pile of papers and notices an empty coffee mug next to them.
"How do you take your coffee?"
She quickly pulls away her hand, allowing Ruby to speak, but the young leader hardly understood why she was asking
"I..."
"Answer the question!"
"Uh, cream and five sugars!"
"...Wait right there" Weiss sighs, carefully climbing down from Ruby's bed for a quick minute, coming back with a new coffee mug for Ruby. "Here."
Ruby gratefully takes the coffee mug, still confused as to why Weiss is being nice to her all of a sudden
"Uh...thanks, Weiss, but...why so sudden?"
"Once upon a time...Jotaro said the only way to make up to someone, is by doing them a favor. So I decided to make you coffee as an apology from earlier." Weiss explains.
"Weiss...you didn't have to." Ruby smiles.
"I know...but I wanted to. Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be the best leader."
Ruby smiles brighter, happy by the compliment from her partner
"Just know, that I'll be the best teammate you'll ever have! Good luck studying!" Weiss climbs down but quickly climbs back up and points at one of the papers. "That's wrong, by the way."
Weiss climbs back down and walks to the door. As she opens it, she quickly looks at her leader
"Hey Ruby?"
"Yeah, Weiss?"
"...I always wanted bunk beds as a kid."
Weiss gently closes the door, leaving Ruby to happily smile as she continues her studies
End of Chapter 5