Kamen Rider Aurum

by Starpion

When an ancient threat reemerges in the world of Remnant, one young man rises to the challenge in order to become a hero and achieve victory! That hero's name? Kamen Rider Aurum!

4. Shades of Green

Jaune yawned as he woke up, sunlight pouring through the window of the Team JNPR dorm room. It was a modest living space with a couple writing desks and chairs, shelves over the desks, a small bookshelf below the window, four comfortable beds with white sheets and red comforters, a closet, and a bathroom for the four to share. The bathroom had all the standards: toilet, sink, mirror, medicine cabinet, and shower. There wasn't much in the way of decorations yet, but that was likely because the four just decided to crash for the night after initiation and the team ceremony.

As Jaune popped his shoulder, he recalled the events of last night. Team leader. The thought still blew his mind, almost like it was a dream. As he pinched his wrist and winced, that theory went out the window. This was actually happening, huh?

Jaune looked around his room, seeing his teammates still asleep. He didn't blame them for sleeping in after the day that they had. Pyrrha had placed her circlet on a desk and had changed into her bronze pajamas. Ren still didn't have a set of sleepwear, so Jaune presumed he had his Huntsman uniform on under that blanket pile. And Nora… wasn't in her bed. The blankets were on the floor. Where was-

"Morning, fearless leader!"

"Whoa!" Jaune turned to see Nora standing right by him, wearing her pajamas. She had a dark gray T-shirt that read "boop" in white letters with her insignia in pink in place of the second "O." She also had a pink skirt with white thunderbolts on it.

"Surprised to see you up this early!" said Nora. "I only got up because I could barely sleep! I'm so excited for our first day! Well, yesterday was the first day really, but you know what I mean!"

"Looks like we were both surprised," said Jaune as he clutched his racing heart. "What time is it, anyway?"

"7:41," said Nora as she pulled out a white Scroll, one having been supplied to each of the students. "Figured I'd let sleepy-head over there wait until eight to wake him up, since our first class starts at nine. Grimm Studies with one Peter Port. Heh, Professor Peter Port. That's fun to say!"

"Gotcha," said Jaune. "Mind if I take a shower?"

"I already took one," said Nora with a wave of her hand. "I just changed back into my PJs because I'm not really looking forward to that stuffy old uniform." She jerked her thumb behind her, pointing to a quartet of uniforms folded on one of the desks, two male uniforms on the end and two female ones in the middle. While students could wear whatever they want outside classes, every class save for combat expected them to wear the uniform in full, though garments like hats or accessories could be added to them. It wasn't nearly as strict as Atlas (he had to fight to wear his hoodie during lunch, damn it), but it was an expected.

Jaune just sighed as he grabbed the one furthest on the left, along with a few toiletries and a pair of underwear from one of the duffle bags under his bed. Making his way into the shower, he thought over his teammates as he brushed his teeth. First was Pyrrha, of course. He was happy to call her his partner. She was strong, smart, and most importantly, nice. He was completely confident that they'd work well together.

As Jaune took off his onesie and climbed into the shower (which put the ones in Atlas to shame, with hot water that went beyond "tepid"), his mind turned to Ren. He was nice too, and able to keep a cool head in battle, but he was very quiet. One of the things he noticed at Atlas was that communication between teammates was key, so he hoped that Ren would be able to pull through in that regard.

Last was Nora. Jaune thought of a good word to describe Nora as he dried himself off. She was… eccentric, he finally decided. Hyper, rambunctious, and with an unusual train of thought at times. But she and Ren got along like a house on fire (though that description for Nora terrified him), and she was willing to follow his orders. So he was sure she'd be a great teammate as well.

Overall, he had a pretty sweet team. He just hoped that he'd be able to be a good leader. He also hoped that Ruby was having as much luck as he did, if not better. She looked even more shocked than he did, like she was gonna pass out on the stage. He could only hope for the best for his first friend on campus.

Adjusting his tie, Jaune got a look at himself in the mirror, grinning at what he saw. His uniform was a black suit with gold lining, blue vest and white shirt underneath. A red tie was tucked into the vest. It wasn't the most comfortable or stylish outfit, but it showed that he was a Beacon student, and that was good enough for him.

As he walked out of the bathroom with a little pep in his step, he saw Nora sitting at a desk with her feet propped up, playing a game on her Scroll. "Oh, hey Jaune," said Nora. "Just in time!"

"Just in time for what?"

"This! You may want to cover your ears." Jaune was quick to do so as his teammate put her pinkies in her mouth, then let out a shrill whistle. Even with his palms over his ears, Jaune still winced from the sound. Pyrrha gasped as she was startled awake, sitting straight up. Ren, apparently used to Nora's antics, got out of his blanket cocoon and rubbed his eyes.

"At least she kept her promise," said Ren as he checked the time on his Scroll.

"What's going on?" yawned Pyrrha as she put on her circlet.

"Listen up, maggots!" said Nora in her best drill sergeant impression. "It's 0800 hours, leaving us with one hour until our first class! And now that you're awake, our fearless leader will read the itinerary! Take it away, Jaune!"

Jaune soon found all eyes on him as Nora moved over to her bed, eagerly awaiting his orders as if he had anything planned. "Uh, I guess we all just get ready for class? And then, I dunno, wait for class?"

"Seems like the logical plan," said Pyrrha. Jaune sighed, relieved he didn't make a bigger fool of himself as he reached back under his bed. Pulling out the belts that held his Aura Driver and Huntsman Medals, he strapped them around his waist. One could never be too careful, Ironwood often told him. With that, he just kicked back and relaxed as his teammates got ready for the day. First thing on the agenda, finding that cool game Nora was playing!

~KRA~

In a flash, everyone was dressed and ready to tackle the first day of classes. Ren had the standard male uniform without any customizations, while Nora and Pyrrha had their own uniforms with Pyrrha wearing her circlet and Nora wearing her gloves. The female uniform was similar to the male uniform in appearance, but rather different piece by piece. They had a black suit jacket over a white shirt and tan vest, a red ribbon wrapped around the collar. Rather than pants, they had plaid skirts and black stockings, Pyrrha wearing hers above the brim of her skirt and Nora wearing hers over her calves.

"Looks like we have a bit more time," said Jaune as he sat on his bed, school supplies and Scroll in a little pile next to him. He cleared his throat, getting his team's attention. "Okay, since I'm the leader, I feel like I should be transparent with you guys."

"What do you mean? You've already earned our trust," said Pyrrha.

"I know. But this is about, well… Aurum."

"I see," said Ren. "It is unusual to have a superhero as a teammate."

"Well then, let's try and get over that!" said Jaune. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me about it, so go ahead and ask! I'll try to answer them the best I can!"

His teammates looked amongst themselves, not saying a word. Even Nora was silent. Jaune was nervous, clutching the mattress of his bed. But those nerves drifted away as they turned to him with grins. "If it will feel like you're building our trust, then I doubt we'll be able to stop you," said Pyrrha. "And I'm curious too. This is the perfect chance to get some of those odd questions out in the open."

"Cool!" said Jaune. "In that case, fire away when you're ready!"

"Ooh, ooh ooh! Memememe!" said Nora, raising her hand excitedly like a girl a third her age volunteering for show and tell.

"Looks like you're starting," said Jaune. "What do you want to know, Nora?"

"I saw something when you cut down that Umbra. He blew up and left nothing behind! Even the Grimm that I blow up with Magnhild become chunks at the smallest before disintegrating, no matter how many grenades I use! How come?"

"I recall you saying you'd tell us about that," said Ren.

"I did, didn't I?" said Jaune as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not a hundred percent sure myself. I've only fought two, and they both blew up like that. I'm guessing it has something to do with my finishing moves?"

"Your finishing moves? Like that final swing?" asked Pyrrha. "I recall your sword announcing something along the lines of 'Victory Slash.'"

"Yeah, that's one of them," said Jaune. "I can also pull the activation lever on my Aura Driver for a Victory Strike. Those moves focus all my power into a single strike powerful enough to blast an Umbra to pieces. But it takes a lot of effort, to the point that doing two before taking off the suit totally wipes me out. And if I miss, I leave myself wide open. So I like to save them as a final strike when I have the perfect opening, one to bring it all home!"

"Ooh, I have something like that too!" said Nora. "But you'll just have to wait and see what it is, fearless leader."

"I'm sure it'll be cool," said Jaune. "Okay, what's next?"

"I haven't gone yet," said Ren, "so I suppose I'm next. What was that you said before transforming? It sounded like old Mistrali, but it was hard to hear over those trumpets."

"Oh, that's easy! Henshin, which means 'transform' in an older language! I actually have what I found that word in!" Jaune got off his bed and pulled out another duffle bag, fishing something out. Ren and Pyrrha were expecting a textbook or an encyclopedia on the language, but instead they were shown a comic book with a grasshopper-themed superhero. "It's what Batta Battler says before he transforms! There's a ton of older Mistrali words used for the names!"

"A comic book?" asked Ren.

"And what's so bad about that, Ren?" asked Nora.

"Yeah, this is awesome stuff! And it's where I got the word 'Kamen' from too," said Jaune as he flipped through the pages with a wide smile. "It's from one of the Battler's friends, Kabuto Kamen!"

"So what does that mean?" asked Ren.

"Masked," said Jaune. "And 'Aurum' is from another language I learned about in this old history book. Figured it was cooler than 'Project Gold.'"

"What about the 'Rider' part?" asked Nora.

"I ride a motorcycle," said Jaune proudly.

"You do?!" asked Pyrrha, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, and thank my huge Aura reserves that I'm still alive after all those crashes," said Jaune. "It took me six months to clear the first course! Motion sickness bites, but now I can ride the HopperCycle without issues!"

"So where is the HopperCycle?" asked Nora.

"Right here," said Jaune as he pulled out one of his Huntsman Medals, one with a grasshopper on it. "I can turn this into the HopperCycle and back in an instant."

"Can you show us?"

"Nora, it's probably for the best that we don't summon a motorbike in the middle of our dorm room," said Ren. "Between the mess and attention, it's a disaster waiting to happen."

"Crap," said Nora with a snap of her fingers. "Okay then, I'll wait. But it better be super cool!"

"Don't worry, it is," said Jaune. "So what's next?"

"Hmm, can you transform using that coin? The HopperCycle one?" asked Ren.

"'Fraid not," said Jaune. "The ruins that held them suggested they were for transportation only. And even if I could, well…" Jaune pulled out the Aura Driver and tried to put the HopperCycle Medal into the slot on the top, but it wouldn't fit. "It's a little bigger than the Huntsman Medals, so it can't go in."

"Dang," said Nora. "I wanted to see what a grasshopper Aurum would look like."

"It is a bit disappointing, but it makes sense," said Ren.

"While you have your Driver out, I'd like to ask my next question," said Pyrrha as she raised her hand.

"Sure! Go for it, Pyrr."

"How does the Driver work exactly?"

Jaune paused as he looked up, putting the HopperCycle Medal out and pulling out the Stag Beetle Medal. "Well, it's not just the Driver that does the work. It's the Huntsman Medals too. Apparently they were made using magic a super long time ago, centuries before the Great War. Back then, Umbrae were a thing too."

"So they existed before?" asked Ren. "And did that belt?"

"Nope. Back then, people could just use the Medals, forming their armor and granting them weapons based on what they were most comfortable with using."

"That's why your weapons were so close to your own sword and shield," concluded Pyrrha.

"Yep! Anyway, because it's been so long since they were used, the magic in the medals has faded. Only the HopperCycle has enough to be used without the Driver, and even then it's still not as strong as it was before. So while I was doing private training in Atlas under… my mentor," said Jaune, wanting to keep General Ironwood's involvement a secret for his sake, "he had a scientist build this. It lets the user power up the medal and activate its latent magic again, forming the armor and letting them pull off special moves that could break through the Nether of the Umbrae!"

"Incredible," said Pyrrha.

"Oh, and it locks onto the Aura signature of the first person who uses it. So only I can use it." He held out the Driver to Pyrrha. "Here, try putting it on." She did as instructed, putting it onto her waist as Jaune did before, but it didn't do anything. Nora and Ren followed, but the device remained inactive. But when Ren gave it back to Jaune and he put it on his waist, the belt instantly wrapped around him. The three gasped in surprise as he took it off. "See what I mean? The only way somebody else is using this is if I kick the bucket, and that's not really something I want in the near future." With that, he put the medal and Driver back where they belonged. "Okay, any other questions? Anyone?"

"What?! Did you say 9 o'clock?" This question didn't come from anyone in JNPR, but a certain heiress from RWBY right across the hall. "It's 8:55, you dunce!" There was the sound of a door opening and somebody rushing through the halls. Jaune opened the door to their room and peeked out, his teammates following. Weiss was dashing through the halls at a speed that rivaled Ruby with her Semblance, the rest of RWBY watching her disappear.

"To class!" declared Ruby as she, Blake, and Yang followed.

"Class?" Jaune stumbled and fell as he realized that he had completely lost track of time during the Q&A. His team toppled around him, having leaned against him. Getting out of the pile and grabbing his class supplies, he took off like a shot. "We're gonna be late!" he yelled as JNPR sprinted through the halls of the school, trying to find their classroom.

~KRA~

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as PREY! Haha!"

Ruby woke up with a start, hand pressed against her face. They were in the front row of one of Beacon's lecture halls, a circular room with descending mahogany desks leading towards the deck at the front. Said desk had a globe on it, a golden bust of their professor to the right. Detailed drawings of mang Grimm species native to Vale were on the wall, a blunderbuss with axe blades on the stock on display above it.

And in front of the desk was their professor, chuckling at his own bad joke. He was an older man with a portly figure, with gray hair combed to his sides. His eyes seemed perpetually closed, and the thickness of his eyebrows were only matched by his impressive mustache. He wore a burgundy suit with gold trim and buttons, a white shirt with a thick red tie underneath. His suit pants were tucked into a pair of olive green cavalry boots. If she remembered correctly, this was Professor Port.

As Port gauged his students' reactions and noticed that nobody was laughing, he cleared his throat as Ruby tried her very best to pay attention. "Uhhhh… 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!"

Ruby couldn't help but have her eyes wander to her team. Blake and Yang were doing far better when it came to paying attention, and Weiss was taking notes diligently. She wasn't sure why, this was just basic introductory stuff that they knew! And it was boring her to death.

"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 looked at RWBY as he said this, giving a wink as a joke. This one got more of a response from Yang; namely a groan of annoyance. "Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"

"Ayyyy-yep!" shouted one of the students, Ruby looking at the most exciting thing that happened oddly as the boy sat down embarrassed.

"That is what you are training to become. But first, a story." Ruby perked up at this. A story? Maybe this first day wouldn't just be introductions! "A tale of a young, handsome man… me! When I was a boy, blah blah blah…" And like that, her interest was lost as the man started going into a speech about his youth. She was hoping for a cool story about fighting Grimm to set the mood for the class, but she doubted that even he could make it entertaining with this drawl of an opening. A flash of inspiration hit her as she opened her notebook and got to work, deciding to take the destruction of boredom into her own hands.

~KRA~

"Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter,' he told me…"

Weiss' hand was a blur as she took careful notes, paying attention to the possibly embellished story of their professor wrestling a Beowolf with his bare hands. There were a few pieces of truth in it, however, mostly related to the Beowolf itself. Whether this was merely a preview or Port's method of teaching, it was slightly more interesting than simply reading lines off a textbook. If only he didn't have to drone on at times about frivolous tangents.

Weiss sighed as she noted the Beowolf's attack behavior, glancing at her leader. 'Leader,' she thought, still in disbelief. She still couldn't believe that child was granted the title of leader she rightly deserved. Weiss had the poise, the skill, and the knowledge. But Ruby, while skilled, was too immature and naive for the role. Rather than familiarizing herself with the schedule, she had spent the majority of the morning making BUNK BEDS, for crying out loud!

And as if to prove her point, Ruby giggled as she showed her and the rest of her team what she had been doing for the past moment. Rather than taking notes, their "esteemed" leader had drawn a childish caricature of their professor. She only groaned as Blake and Yang laughed. Weiss glanced at JNPR, the majority of them taking notes. Even Jaune was being diligent, though he seemed to struggle to keep up with his teammates. The only exception was Nora, who seemed enraptured by the tale ever since Port claimed to have suplexed his opponent. None of them were causing distractions, but Ruby - her LEADER - was causing a scene in the front row!

"Ah-heh-HEM!" Speaking of which, it had not gone unnoticed as Professor Port cleared his throat, waiting for everyone to pay attention. And Weiss was quick to resume her note taking. "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

As their professor took a bow, Weiss glanced at Ruby as she was trying to balance her textbook on a pencil. Weiss felt her blood boil as her grip tightened around her own pencil. Did she care about class at all?! Was THIS who was supposed to lead their team for the next four years? At this rate, they wouldn't last one!

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"

At this point, Ruby was balancing the book and an apple on the pencil, holding it with one finger and making a ridiculous face. 'How could I be passed up? It should have been me!'

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

Ruby had somehow managed to fall asleep for the SECOND TIME this lecture. 'Even if I was somehow destined to be passed up, Blake or Yang would be far more qualified!'

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Ruby had woken up… and was now picking her nose. Was she fifteen or five?! 'Why, oh god why, am I forced to be led by this juvenile fool who can't even pay attention for FIVE SECONDS in class?!'

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do, sir!" yelled Weiss as she shot her hand into the air. Port seemed to smile as he held his hand out to the cage that was in the corner of the room.

"Well then, let's find out!" The cage started to shake as whatever was inside growled, red eyes peering through the bars. "Step forward, and face your opponent!" Weiss simply smirked as she stood up and went to change into her combat outfit. Maybe now, she could show everyone just how worthy she was.

~KRA~

"Can we get on with this, Cinder?"

Cinder sighed as she turned to Mercury, who was sitting on a rock in the forest. The group had returned to Beacon, this time located in a part of the forest that ran along the edge of the cliff that separated Beacon from the city of Vale. After the destruction of the Drill Umbra, it was clear that Aurum was among the new students. And Mercury had been no help, not having seen his face out of the armor.

"Again, I don't see why you brought us along. Can't you just make the Umbra and leave? Emerald and I are doing jack out here."

"Emerald is here to ensure we aren't detected, and you're here for added muscle in case we run into any obstacles. Does that satisfy you?"

"If you'd prefer, you can hang out with Torchwick," said Emerald.

"Ugh. That blowhard? I'd rather set myself on fire than deal with him any longer than I have to."

"That can be arranged," growled Cinder. "Now then, it's time to create our newest servant." Cinder pulled what looked like a ballpoint pen out of her pocket and set it on the ground, holding her hand out and summoning an Umbra. The Umbra immediately flew to the pen and phased into it, the shadow pouring out as its body came forth from the darkness.

The Umbra had a white torso with an indecipherable scripture written all over it in blood red ink. He had blue epaulettes with click pen buttons on his shoulders, clips of a similar color acting as pauldrons. Both arms were pitch black, his right hand being a faded gold with black fingertips. But his left arm from the elbow down was a large white ballpoint pen with four ink canisters. The colors were black, red, blue, and green going from the top clockwise facing the tip. His legs were black with rubber greaves and half of a ballpoint pen tip over each foot as armor. For his mask, he had no mouth; just red eyes and markings that looked like streams of teardrops with ink splatters around them.

"Ah, this body is wonderful! To whom do I owe the pleasure of my birth and this form?"

"Great, a pompous one," said Emerald with a roll of her eyes. "My favorite."

"Enough, Emerald," said Cinder, Emerald shutting up immediately as Mercury cackled. "You can thank me for your creation, Ballpoint Umbra. And like all Umbra, I've created you for a purpose: the spread of fear and misery among humans, all for the furthering of my master's plan."

"Ah, an excellent premise!" said the Ballpoint Umbra. "A chance to write an award-winning tragedy is upon me! The masses will be captivated by the despair I cause!"

"Then get a move on," said Mercury. "The only despair you're causing is my boredom."

"Tsk tsk tsk," said the Umbra, clicking his tongue behind his mask and waving his pen like a finger. "One cannot rush the writing process. An author like me requires inspiration first!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Cinder as her eyes started to glow. "I gave you an order, Umbra, and you will-"

"All I require is some observation," said the Ballpoint Umbra, cutting off Cinder. "To properly begin my story, I just need two things. A name…" He held his pen arm to his side, showing the green ink chamber was glowing. "…and a victim."

~KRA~

Now wearing her Huntress uniform and clutching her precious weapon Myrtenaster, Weiss stood at the front of the lecture hall. The cage had been moved to the other side of the room, Professor Port holding his weapon by the barrel to use it as an axe. Weiss pointed her rapier at the cage as whatever beast was inside it growled inside its prison. No more distractions from her excuse of a leader. This was the time to demonstrate her skills.

"Gooooo, WEISS!" cheered Yang from the sidelines, causing her to avert her eyes from the cage and spy her teammate with her fist in the air.

"Fight well!" said Blake as she waved a small flag with "RWBY" printed on it. Where she got it from, Weiss had no idea.

"Yeah, represent Team RWBY!" finished Ruby.

Weiss lowered Myrtenaster and turned to her leader. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh, um, sorry," said Ruby sheepishly as Weiss turned back to the cage, getting back into her stance.

"Alright!" shouted Port as he hefted his weapon over his head. "Let the match… BEGIN!"

Bringing down his axe, he chopped the lock in half as the door of the cage dropped down. What crawled out was a boar-like Grimm called a Boarbatusk. It was about twice as big as Weiss with pitch black fur. It had white hooves and bone-like armor covering its back and thighs. A white mask with red marking adorned its face, four red eyes peering through. It had six tusks: two sticking up from its snout, two pointed down like a pair of fangs, and two from under its chin that curved up and reached its eyes.

As soon as the Boarbatusk was free, it squealed and charged at Weiss. Using her rapier, she deflected the attack with a glancing blow and rolled to the side, out of its reach. Looking at her opponent, its armor seemed to have taken the brunt of her swing. Her attacks would need to be precise and powerful for any lasting effect. The Grimm seemed to be studying her as she got ready to strike.

"Haha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" laughed Port.

"Hang in there, Weiss!" shouted Ruby.

Weiss was quick to make her move, holding out Myrtenaster as she rushed towards the beast to thrust it through its hide. One strike would be all she needed. The Boarbatusk was charging once more, the two meeting in the middle of the impromptu arena. However, she failed to connect as the blade of her weapon was caught in between the shorter tusks of her enemy. Weiss kept a firm grip on the hilt, even as the Grimm shook its head around trying to disarm her.

"Bold, new approach!" commented Port. "I like it!"

"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!" cheered Ruby. Weiss glared at Ruby, annoyed by her constant interruptions. This turned out to be a mistake as the Boarbatusk wrenched Myrtenaster out of her grip and threw it out of her reach. Before she had the chance to respond, the beast knocked her down using its larger tusks.

"Oho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" asked Port. Weiss wasn't too keen on his commentary either, but at least he had the excuse of being a teacher. Ruby was just throwing her off. As Weiss looked up, she saw the squealing Grimm charging once again. She quickly rolled out of the way, causing it to zoom past her and ram the other front desk. With the Boarbatusk temporarily disoriented, Weiss located her rapier and ran up to grab it, preparing for the next attack.

"Weiss! Go for its belly!" yelled Ruby from the desk. "There's no armor underneath-"

At this point, Weiss had hit her limit. "Stop telling me what to do!" she yelled at Ruby. The younger girl recoiled, looking hurt by her words. But there was a more pressing matter to attend to, as the Boarbatusk had recovered. The Grimm jumped into the air and started spinning vertically, landing on the ground and gaining speed. But Weiss was ready this time. As it spun forward, she summoned a light blue glyph in front of her using her Semblance, blocking the attack and causing the Boarbatusk to fall onto its back.

As her opponent struggled feebly to get back up, Weiss formed another glyph behind her and turned the cylinder of her sword so that the purple chamber was right in front of her: Gravity Dust. Leaping back, she pulled a trigger to activate the Dust and focused on her glyph, turning it black as it anchored her feet in place. Pulling her weapon back, she removed the effect of the Gravity Dust from the glyph and used it to propel herself forward, thrusting her blade out and impaling the upturned Grimm. It let out one final squeal before going silent, the deciding blow having been dealt. The heiress let out a gasp of relief, the battle finally over.

"Bravo! Bra-VO!" cheered Professor Port. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" Weiss got up and removed her sword from the disintegrating carcass, turning her attention to her team. They were all oddly silent now, Ruby still looking upset. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and… stay VIGILANT! Class dismissed!"

Weiss glared at Ruby before making her way out of the room to change back into her uniform. "Sheesh, what's with her?" asked Jaune, but she didn't bother looking back. All she wanted was to get out of that room.

~KRA~

Ruby was silent as she pushed a baby carrot back and forth with her plastic fork. Two classes later, it was finally lunchtime. But despite not having had time for breakfast, she didn't feel hungry at all. She glanced at her teammates, each wolfing down their own lunches and occasionally making small talk. The same could be said for JNPR, who was seated at the same table. But there was one other person who seemed to lack an appetite, and she was the same reason why Ruby hadn't touched her food: Weiss Schnee.

After Weiss' outburst during the Grimm fight, Ruby hadn't said a word. She wanted to say something to try and patch things up, but her mind drew a blank. She was terrified that anything she said would just make things worse, and the last thing she wanted to do was to drive a wedge in her team on the first day. Taking a deep breath, she decided that she had to end this silence.

"Weiss?" The girl in question didn't respond verbally, just glaring at Ruby. "I-I'm sorry about the whole Boarbatusk thing. I wasn't trying to distract you, I just wanted to cheer you on. Be a good leader, you know?"

Weiss just scoffed. "About time," she said as she grabbed the apple off her tray. "I'm going to get some air. Don't wait for me, I'll be back in time for History." She bit into the fruit and turned on her heel, walking towards the exit without another word.

"Weiss, wait!" said Ruby, only for Yang to grab her hood.

"Hold it, Sis," said Yang. "She's pretty ticked at you right now, though I don't know entirely why. Wait until she cools off a bit before talking to her or you might screw things up."

"One of us will talk to her, try and find the root of all this," said Blake, looking up from her tuna melt.

"Thanks, girls," said Ruby. "Which of you-"

"I'll do it!" said Jaune excitedly, hand flying into the air. "Uh, I'll talk to Weiss for you. See what's bugging her. Maybe she'll be a little more open with somebody outside her team."

"Be my guest, lady killer," said Yang. Jaune took off as Ruby wished him luck.

'I'm sure he's doing much better than I am,' thought Ruby as she opened her carton of strawberry milk. 'Being a leader is hard. Maybe… maybe I'm not ready for it.'

~KRA~

Weiss sighed as she walked through the Beacon courtyard, arms crossed as she walked around aimlessly. Nobody else was here, which was fine by her. Now that her mind was a little clearer, perhaps she was a little harsh on Ruby. But her anger was far from unjustified. She thought back to initiation when the two of them fought a pack of Beowolves. Ruby tried far too hard to prove herself and just ended up getting in her way, resulting in a farce of a fight that nearly caused the forest to go up in flames. And for the second time in two days, Ruby had distracted her in what should have been an easy fight and caused her to make a fool of herself. It didn't matter how skilled she was, she just wasn't ready to be a leader.

"Led by Ruby Rose," said Weiss as she picked up a small stone and skipped it across the man-made river, the stone elegantly bouncing on the surface and out on the other side. "What did Professor Ozpin see in her? What does she have that I don't?"

"Ruby Rose! That's an excellent name!"

Weiss gasped as she turned to the trees along the path, a humanoid Grimm walking towards her. "Short, alliterative, a name that's easy to remember! It would be perfect for the deuteragonist! Or perhaps the antagonist in this case!" said the Umbra as he held out the pen he had for a left arm.

"Y-You're-" stammered Weiss as she reached for Myrtenaster, only to remember that it was secure in her locker. No sword, no Dust.

"And you seem like the perfect lead for my bestseller! That jealousy you feel is just what I need for the protagonist!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Weiss.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough!" The Umbra's pen started glowing green on the side as he started writing something in the air, green ink stationery as he wrote with incredible speed. When he was done, Weiss gasped as she read the backwards letters: he had written "RUBY ROSE" in that ink.

"Envy… Inkantation!" yelled the Umbra as he pointed his pen arm at her, the words shooting forward. Weiss put up her hands to construct a glyph as a shield, but she was a split second too late as the letters struck her. She screamed in pain as the ink wrapped around her body, fading into her body just as she lost consciousness.

~KRA~

"Weiss, where are— WEISS!" Jaune sprinted as he saw the white-haired Huntress collapse onto the cobblestone path, an Umbra walking out of the garden. This was a complete shock; an Umbra on campus? Where did it even come from?! Jaune decided he'd ask later as helping Weiss was top priority. Once he got close, he saw that she was unconscious, but breathing fine. "What did you do to her?"

"All I did was set up the story. Consider this a prologue to my magnum opus!" boasted the Ballpoint Umbra.

Jaune turned to his opponent and pulled out his Driver, pulling out the Stag Beetle Medal with his free hand. "I have no idea what you're up to, but I can't let it happen!" Flipping the coin, he put it into the Driver.

STAG BEETLE!

The familiar trumpet fanfare began as the Ballpoint Umbra seemed intrigued, holding his pen in his right arm. "Henshin!" shouted Jaune as he pulled down the lever.

ARMOR UP! STAG BEETLE! GLEAMING GOLD!

The stag beetle appeared and separated into the golden orbs of energy, forming the armor of Aurum around Jaune. Once it was over, he got into his signature pose. "The defender of justice! Kamen Rider Aurum!"

"Kamen Rider, hmm? Well then, I won't have you ruin my masterpiece!"

Aurum quickly summoned the Stag Saber and Beetle Sheald, drawing the former as the latter unfolded. "Then come and get me!" he said as he sidestepped away from Weiss. The last thing he wanted was her getting caught in the crossfire.

"Try all you want, but I'm the author here. And what I say is absolute!" The red ink chamber started glowing as the Ballpoint Umbra pointed his pen at Aurum, firing a barrage of lasers. Aurum was quick to block them with his shield to the best of his abilities, though a couple managed to graze him. He could feel himself being pushed back by the rapid shots. Swinging his sword to deflect one final blast, the Kamen Rider charged forward.

Aurum swung his sword as he passed the Umbra, slashing him across the chest. He pivoted around for a thrust, but the Umbra dodged and swung his pen arm like a club. Jaune blocked it with his shield and kicked the Grimm in the stomach, following with a downward slash that caused the Umbra to cry out. The Ballpoint Umbra then pushed the tip of his pen into Aurum's chest and fired a series of blasts at point blank. Aurum stumbled back, gripping his chest in pain.

"There's an age-old saying," said the Ballpoint Umbra as Aurum looked up to see him pointing the pen his way. The blue reservoir was glowing and the ballpoint opened up. "The pen is mightier than the sword!" The pen's point fired a stream of blue ink that splashed in Aurum's face and over his chest, covering his lenses and blinding him.

"Gah! I can't see!" yelled Aurum as he did his best to wipe the ink away with his left arm. But as he cleared his eyes, he saw the black reservoir glowing as the Ballpoint Umbra drew a line in the air. The black ink moved over to the pen's tip and solidified into a thin, foot-long blade.

"But then again, thanks to my Script Sword, I am perfectly capable of wielding both." The Umbra rushed forward and dealt a flurry of swift slashes to Aurum, each one more painful than the last. Finally, Aurum managed to block a strike with his shield. He pushed the Umbra back and swung the Stag Saber, only for the Umbra to parry the attack and deal a painful riposte. Aurum tumbled along the cobblestone, slowly righting himself with his sword as a support. "Well now, it seems you have some fight left in you."

"Aurum!"

The Kamen Rider turned to see Ruby dashing over with her Semblance. "Ruby? What are you doing here?"

"Lunch ended, so I came to get you guys! But I didn't think-"

"Ah, you must be the Ruby Rose that she mentioned!" said the Ballpoint Umbra.

"Wait, she?" Ruby turned to see the unconscious heiress and gasped. "Weiss! What happened?!"

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough! But for now, I must be on my way! The exposition is over, and now it's time for the exciting part!" The Ballpoint Umbra fired a spray of ink, Aurum and Ruby dodging out of the way only to see that the Umbra had vanished into the woods.

"He's gone," said Ruby. "Even if I can catch up to him, I can't take him out." She turned to see Aurum punching the ground, turning back to Jaune in the meantime. "Jaune?"

"If I was faster, maybe I could've protected Weiss!" he chastised. "And then I got my butt kicked!"

"Jaune, calm down," said Ruby as she put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see her smiling. "You'll get him next time. But right now, we need to worry about— WEISS!"

Jaune turned to see that Weiss was coming to, slowly getting onto her hands and knees. Ruby walked up to her partner and offered her a hand. "Are you okay? What happened with that Umbra?"

But as soon as Weiss looked up at Ruby, she just glared at her and slapped her hand away. "None of your business, that's what happened. And I can get up by myself." She got up and looked at her Scroll, scowl deepening. "And now we're going to be late to class again. Perfect." She spun on her heel and walked away, Ruby and Jaune sharing a look. If anything, she seemed even more irritable than she did during the Boarbatusk fight. Neither of them noticed her typically ice-blue eyes flashing green.

~KRA~

"Jaune? What happened out there?" Pyrrha was surprised to see Weiss, Jaune, and Ruby arrive so late. Ruby had dashed away to find them when lunch ended despite her sister's warnings, and now they were late to class. Surely whatever conversation they had couldn't be that long.

"Umbra attack," whispered Jaune as their fast moving history professor dashed around the classroom while reading the syllabus. Pyrrha had to hold back a gasp. An Umbra at Beacon? "It got away, but Weiss seems okay. Not sure what he did to her before I got on the scene." Pyrrha turned to see Weiss glancing briefly at Ruby, giving her a venomous look that the younger girl was oblivious to. It seemed that she wasn't quite over what happened this morning. She glanced at Jaune briefly before opening her textbook.

"We'll talk more about it after classes," whispered Pyrrha, Jaune nodding as Pyrrha started to read through the first chapter. 'I can only hope that Jaune and I never end up like that.'

~KRA~

After History and Weapon Crafting, RWBY's last class of the day was Plant Science. Ruby sighed as she took notes, pencil gliding along her notebook. After Professor Peach finished her brief introduction, she was quick to begin the first lesson. Ruby didn't think she'd miss Professor Port's story, but at least he didn't throw them right into the material on the first day!

Ruby sighed as the professor changed the slide before she had the chance to finish writing everything down. Turning to her partner, she noticed that her notes were complete. She was a bit hesitant to ask her if she could copy off her to catch up, considering she had distanced herself in the past two classes. When Blake insisted that they at least sit together for the last class even if they didn't talk to each other, Weiss looked like she had swallowed a lemon and only complied because of Yang's insistence (apparently she was rethinking the whole "let her cool off" thing after Ruby told her about the Umbra). But as Professor Peach changed the slide yet again, Ruby realized she didn't have much of a choice.

"Psst. Hey Weiss, could I look at your notes for a second? I missed a couple things."

"Why don't you go ask anyone else?"

Ruby bit her lip. She hadn't been this nasty before. This morning, the worst she'd say was not to distract her. Had she messed up that badly? "But I need-"

"YOU'RE the one who was erroneously chosen as leader. I'm sure that you can figure something out, can't you?" Ruby's jaw dropped as Weiss stared at her, turning back to the holo-screen and resuming her meticulous notes. Ruby looked at her other teammates, giving her sympathetic looks after that little outburst. Ruby flipped the page and started on the current slide, deciding to ask Yang or Blake for help after dinner. But more importantly, she needed a chat with Weiss.

After Peach concluded her lecture and dismissed the class, Weiss stormed out as fast as she could. But Ruby was faster. "Weiss!" she said as she turned a corner.

"What?" snapped Weiss as she turned to face her partner. Ruby took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"What's wrong with you?" Okay, not the best start, but it had to be said. "Why are you being-"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with YOU?!" Ruby swore that Weiss' eyes flashed a bright green for a second. "You're supposed to be a leader, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"

Ruby scoffed in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"That's just it!" snapped Weiss as she walked closer to Ruby, causing her to take a step back and nearly trip on her cloak. "You've done NOTHING to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"

Ruby took another step back, just as confused as she was hurt. "Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together?' I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by YOU," said Weiss as she poked Ruby in the center of her chest. "I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better." As she turned around and started walking away, Ruby weakly held her hand out to her. But what she said next caused her hand to fall to her side. "Ozpin made a mistake." And with that, Weiss marched away in a huff, muttering something like, "It should have been me." Ruby's arms just swung back and forth as she held back tears.

"Ruby? What happened?" said Yang, causing Ruby to look up and see her other teammates.

"I…it's nothing," said Ruby.

"Bull," said Yang. "Something's wrong." She put her hand on her shoulder and bent down so they were at eye level. "Now please tell me what," she said gently.

Ruby sighed. "I had a talk with Weiss. It went really bad."

"I wouldn't put too much stock in her words. It's clear that she's upset that she didn't get the leadership role," said Blake.

"Maybe," said Ruby as she rubbed her arm.

"Come on, let's go get dinner and head back to the dorms for some video games. I'll let you win if it makes you feel better!" Yang paused for a moment. "Well, I'll go a little easy on you."

"Go ahead. I'll catch up."

"If you insist," said Blake as she turned to head to the cafeteria. Yang looked at Ruby for a moment with a concerned look before she followed her partner. Ruby started to take a walk around the halls, trying her best not to burst into tears.

~KRA~

"Envy Inkantation?" asked Mercury.

"Indeed, old sport!" said the Ballpoint Umbra. "Using my green ink, I can cause intense feelings of jealousy towards the one whose name I wrote!"

"And how is that supposed to create even a fraction of the misery I requested?" asked Cinder.

"The only tragedy is how poor his plan is," said Emerald as leaned against a tree.

"Oh, but this is merely the rising action," said the Umbra as he held his pen in his hand. "Even as we speak, my Inkantation is bleeding into her body! It's fermenting like a fine wine, her envy growing stronger and stronger until her thoughts turn murderous!"

"Okay, now you have my interest," said Mercury.

"Oh, I can already picture the climax! My victim killing the target of her jealousy, then being broken from the spell as she realizes the weight of what she's done! And nobody shall believe her! Oh, what a tragedy as she bears this burden forever! This incident will be recorded in history! The reviews will be raving! Oh, what beautiful despair!"

Emerald glanced at Cinder, the dark-haired woman smirking. "It seems I've made the right choice after all. I will be looking forward to your results."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I intend to witness the fruits of my labor firsthand!" The chortling Ballpoint Umbra walked off, Mercury smirking.

"For a pompous pen, he's certainly got style," said Mercury.

~KRA~

Ruby sighed as she walked through the halls, trying to get her mind off what Weiss had said. But her words were hooked into her mind. What if Ozpin really had made a mistake? What if she really wasn't cut out to be the team leader? Seeing a balcony with a few benches on it, she decided to step out. Maybe watching the sunset would calm her a little bit.

Walking out onto the balcony, she found that she was right. The sky was a beautiful canvas of colors, reds, oranges, and purples dancing across it in harmony and forming a masterpiece. The everyday majesty temporarily wiped her worries away as she smiled, the sun slowly dipping into the west. In the corner of her eye, she noticed that she wasn't the only one taking in the sights.

"Professor Port?"

The mustachioed man turned to her. "Ah, Miss Rose! To what do I owe this FINE pleasure?" he boomed. It was clear that the bravado he put on in class was no act.

"You know, just… watching the sunset," said Ruby. "It's nice."

"Indeed! Nothing is better after a hard day of training the next generation of warriors!" He smiled behind his mustache. "Speaking of, how did you find my lecture?"

Ruby felt herself starting to sweat, not wanting to admit that she spent a good chunk of said lecture either goofing off or in dreamland. "It was… cool," she settled on. She did admit that Weiss' fight was cool. But as soon as she thought of Weiss, her mood was ruined. Those feelings of dejection and doubt dwelling within her. And apparently it was all over her face.

"Hmm. Something's troubling you," said the professor.

"Uh, no, not at all, sir! Totally fine!" Convincing.

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!" said Port, with Ruby tapping her fingers together.

"Well, okay. It's just that… uh… I don't think that I should be the leader of Team RWBY!"

Port was silent, as if he had misheard or misinterpreted her words. But she knew that he heard her clearly. This only made her more worried. What if he agreed with her on this? Was Weiss right to say that she didn't deserve this? She was really starting to believe her partner's words.

"That's preposterous!"

Ruby was surprised by the sudden outburst. "What?"

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never ONCE led me astray!"

Ruby should've been relieved by his words, but she was still in shock. "But Weiss said-"

"Ah, Miss Schnee. Your partner, correct? She has the blood of a true Huntress in her, that was made clear this morning. But with all due respect to her, her exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by her poor attitude."

"Huh?" said Ruby, surprised by this. She felt a little guilty that Weiss wasn't here to hear this.

"This issue of yours, could it be that Miss Schnee desires to become leader herself? Is that why you doubt yourself?"

"Well, I think so," said Ruby.

"Then it's painfully obvious. Your partner is merely being a child who has been spoiled all her life, and now that she has been denied what she wants, she resorts to throwing a tantrum."

Ruby gasped. That… made a lot of sense. She did vaguely remember Weiss being shocked when she was given the role, though only vaguely. She was too busy trying not to fall on her face. "So all this.. is on Weiss?"

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here," said Port. "I do not believe her reaction was appropriate. But was it unjustified? And do you believe that Ozpin made a mistake in his decision? In your words, not those of your teammate."

"Well, I dunno," said Ruby. "I just wasn't expecting it, is all."

"Well, allow me to pose a question. Think of this as an additional lesson from me," said Port. "What does being team leader mean to you?"

"Um… leading my team? Helping them in battle?"

"Far more than that, Miss Rose! Team leader is more than just a title you carry into battle! It is a badge, one worn constantly! And one must wear that badge proudly in every waking moment! Is there any reason for others to follow you if you do not constantly do your best? Why should others put their trust in you when you spend your valuable class time doodling?"

Ruby's cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red similar to her cloak. "You… you saw that?"

"Indeed I did! And I must say, the only reason why you aren't in detention right about now is because it took all my years of training and experience to not burst into laughter." Ruby smiled a little at this, but it quickly vanished as Port cleared his throat. "As I was saying, this is quite the burden to be put upon you. But it can be overcome! I suggest that you take some time to think about this responsibility. While Miss Schnee works on being the best person she can be, it is up to you to become the best leader you can be! Do you think you can accomplish that?"

Ruby thought over his words for a moment, then smiled. "I'll do my best, professor! Thank you!" With that, she ran off, hoping to grab her dinner before her teammates went back to the dorm. But she still managed to hear Port's parting words.

"You are quite welcome, Miss Rose! And as I said, stay vigilant!"

~KRA~

Step. Thrust. Step.

On the raised stage of the amphitheater, which also served as the location of Combat class, Weiss was practicing her fencing technique with Myrtenaster. She was sloppy in that fight against the Boarbatusk. Letting herself get distracted and disarmed. And it was all due to one Ruby Rose.

'Ruby,' she thought as she grit her teeth, imagining the air before her as her face as she lunged with her blade, feet moving across the arena delicately as though she was skating on the tiles. What a joke of a leader. The team leader was meant to help their team in battle, but all she did was hinder her and hold her back!

Weiss swung her sword as she activated the Fire Dust, an arc of flames following the slash. It was good, but not enough. It wasn't perfect yet. SHE wasn't perfect yet. And she refused to settle for anything less. And that started with the leadership position.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit her as she sheathed her sword. Her eyes turned green once more as she pulled out her Scroll. But as she typed a message into it, they didn't return to their normal blue. 'It's clear that nobody will listen to my words. But my actions will make it perfectly clear who deserves to be the leader.'

~KRA~

"I'm back! Did you miss me?"

"Darn, and I was hoping she forgot about us," joked Blake as she gave Ruby a friendly wave. "You're looking better."

"Yep! I had a chat with Professor Port that helped a ton!"

"Guess a nap helps once in a while," joked Yang as Ruby blew her a raspberry. "But seriously, I'm happy that you're feeling better. Today was just one day. You'll get better at this leader stuff, I'm sure of it!"

"Thanks, sis," said Ruby as she sat at one of the desks. "And don't worry, I'll try to be the best leader I can! But first, I need to talk to Weiss. Have either of you seen her?"

"I'm afraid not," said Blake. "The last time I saw her was our last class, and she never showed up for dinner."

"Maybe she's in the courtyard again?" suggested Yang. "And hey, if you wanna talk to her now, I won't stop you."

Ruby suddenly got a ping from her Scroll, pulling it out to see a new message. "Ooh, it's from Weiss!" she said as she read it aloud. "'Dear Ruby, I want to make amends for my behavior. Do you think you could meet me for a sparring session in the amphitheater? Just a friendly match to make up for what I said. I know how much you prefer speaking with weapons rather than words. Sincerely, Weiss Schnee'"

"Was that a text or a letter?" asked Blake, with Ruby grinning ear to ear.

"This is perfect! I can finally apologize to Weiss and we'll go back to being besties!"

"You sure about this? This seems a little suspicious," said Yang as she looked down from her bed. But Ruby paid her no mind. The chance to make Weiss happy with her was too good to pass up.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself! I'm not a little kid anymore!" said Ruby as she grabbed her Huntress uniform and sped off for the locker room to grab her precious Crescent Rose. She'd finally get to show Weiss that she really was capable of being the leader and put all this behind them. And all while showing off her moves!

~KRA~

As she opened the doors to the amphitheater, Ruby saw Weiss standing in front of the stage with crossed arms. Once the white-haired girl noticed her, she uncrossed her arms and started walking towards her.

"Hey, Weiss! Ready to start sparring?" asked Ruby as she walked to the middle of the room.

"Just about," said Weiss. "I just need to do one thing first." She suddenly stabbed the ground with her sword. Ruby heard a crystalline sound and spun around to see huge columns of ice in front of the door. Her partner had just sealed off the only way in or out.

"Weiss, what the heck are you— gah!" Ruby turned to see a rapier pointed at her face. She also noticed that Weiss' eyes were now an emerald green.

"Consider this a formal challenge. Ruby Rose, I hereby challenge you for the position of team leader!"

"Wait, what now?"

"It's simple. The winner of this fight shall lead Team RWBY henceforth."

"Like heck they will! I'm not doing this, Weiss!" said Ruby as she started to walk away. But a glyph appeared in front of her, cutting her off.

"You seem to miss the part where you have a choice. I will have that honor one way or another!" Ruby quickly used her Semblance to dash out of the way as Weiss lunged at her, grabbing Crescent Rose and unfolding it into its gun mode.

'Something is wrong with Weiss. Very wrong. Hopefully I can figure out what and bring her back to normal,' thought Ruby as she cocked her gun. "Okay. Let's do this!"

~KRA~

"Oh, frabjous day!" cheered the Ballpoint Umbra as he watched the fight through the glass ceiling of the amphitheater. Finding them was easy thanks to the negativity that drew him in, and now he had a perfect aerial view. It wasn't too interesting thus far, with Ruby dodging Weiss' attacks with superhuman speed and the recoil of her bullets. But with the moon and the lights of the building illuminating the stage, it was the perfect scene for the climax. And soon, his tragedy would leave everyone in glorious tears.

~KRA~

"And that's when Ruby showed up, and the Umbra ran away," explained Jaune to his teammates.

"So it's still out there in the forest?" asked Ren.

"For all I know," said Jaune. "Man, I really screwed up. It was only my third fight, and I could only land a couple of blows."

"So? It's not like you win on the first try every time," said Nora. "If I had a lien for every time I blew myself up with one of my own grenades, I could buy Beacon! Or at least this room."

"What I think she's trying to say is that this isn't the end of the world. You're still alive, so you have another chance to stop the Umbra when he returns," said Pyrrha. "And if need be, we'll be by your side."

Jaune couldn't help but crack a smile. "You guys are the best. Still, something feels off about the whole thing."

"What do you mean by 'off?'" asked Pyrrha.

"I dunno, it's just that Weiss was out cold when I got there," he replied. "She's definitely not the type to faint in the face of danger, and she didn't look hurt. But I have no idea what happened out there."

"Hmm, curious," said Pyrrha. "Perhaps we should ask her team about how she's been acting? I noticed her still upset with Ruby this afternoon."

"It would be better than searching the woods at night," said Ren.

"Alright, we'll see what Ruby has to say," said Jaune. The four made their way across the hall and knocked on Team RWBY's door, a pajama-clad Yang answering.

"Hey, Vomit Boy. What brings you and the crew here?"

"I wanted to talk with Ruby for a bit," said Jaune. "Could you get her?"

"She's off with Weiss to do some sparring," said Yang. "I don't buy it, but Ruby insisted she can handle herself."

"Don't buy what?" asked Nora.

"That after she spent all day acting like Ruby kicked her dog and laying into her this afternoon, she'd suddenly act all buddy-buddy! Something feels… off about this, I feel it in my gut!" There was that word again. "Off." It was very familiar. Her behavior… the attack… wait!

"All I did was set up the story. Consider this a prologue to my magnum opus!"

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough! But for now, I must be on my way! The exposition is over, and now it's time for the exciting part!"

Jaune wasn't sure exactly what the Umbra was up to, but whatever it was, it had something to do with Weiss and Ruby. And the latter was most likely in grave danger. "Where did you say they were?"

~KRA~

"Whoa!" Ruby flipped onto the stage as she dodged a thrust from Weiss. She took aim and fired a round at Weiss' feet, but the heiress leapt into the air using a glyph and dodged it. Ruby activated her Semblance and sped away as she landed and stabbed the floor of the stage. Weiss growled at her and removed her rapier from the ground, swinging her sword up and sending a line of ice spikes her way. Ruby dodged once again as the frozen spikes traveled across the ground, firing another shot that was blocked by a glyph.

Weiss practically snarled at Ruby. "Is this all you can manage? Or do you actually have the audacity to hold back and humiliate me further, you thief!" Spinning the cylinder of her weapon, she swung her blade and released a wave of fire. Ruby was able to leap over it through a shot at the ground, watching as it engulfed the ice spikes and reduced them to slush. Ruby started shooting at Weiss' feet again, trying to throw her off balance. But the heiress simply created a series of glyphs to use as stepping stones, making her way up as the girl in red unfolded Crescent Rose into its scythe form. She slashed as Weiss lunged, the blades clashing in midair as the two were pushed back. Ruby managed to land on her feet while sliding back, spinning her scythe for good measure. Weiss simply used another glyph to break her fall, landing as delicately as a snowflake before getting into her stance.

With their Semblances propelling themselves forward, the two lunged at each other. Weiss aimed her sword at every imaginable angle, Ruby managing to block the majority of her strikes thanks to her scythe. But while she was quick to parry, she didn't once counter. "Weiss, stop it! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Then that makes one of us!" Weiss' swings became more wild, less controlled as a few more stabs made their way past Ruby's defenses. "You have no idea how much I've trained for this! What I've done to even have a chance to become a Huntress! What I've had to put up with back home! Nobody is more deserving of that title, and you stole it from me!"

One last thrust forced Ruby back. But she wasn't about to give up. "If this is what you want, then I'll have to give it everything I've got!" Holding her scythe back, she bolted towards Weiss, seeking to break through her Aura with one swing and hopefully talk some sense into her.

But she never reached Weiss. She found herself rooted in place, instinctively swinging her weapon five feet in front of her opponent. Confused, Ruby looked down to see a black glyph underneath her feet. The same type of glyph that let Weiss cling to it even when sideways. Before she had a chance to do anything else, the glyph turned light blue as a burst of ice shot out.

Ruby tried to move, but it was hopeless. Her body from the neck down was frozen solid, preventing her from swinging her scythe or using her Semblance. She couldn't shoot either. She saw Weiss walking closer, lifting her rapier and pulling it back for the final blow. "That leader position will be mine, Ruby. By any means necessary."

Ruby could feel herself sweat despite being freezing. Weiss wasn't about to… she wouldn't, would she? But as she saw those emerald green eyes, she knew it was wishful thinking. She could only think of one thing that could get her out of this mess. There was no guarantee that it would work, but she had to try. She had to get through to Weiss. Taking a deep breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I'M SORRY!"

~KRA~

Weiss lowered her rapier. Did she hear that immature thief correctly? Was she… apologizing? Right when she was about to have a sword run between her eyes? How pathetic, begging for her life like this. Weiss raised her weapon to strike, having no time for the hollow words of a false leader.

"I'm sorry that you didn't get the leader position," continued Ruby. "I didn't even want to be the leader!" Weiss lowered her sword again, but this time she smirked. It seems that the fear of death was finally able to crack her. She'd finally triumphed over that foolish-

"But you know what? Ozpin chose me for a reason, and though I don't know what that reason is, I don't plan on letting him down!" Weiss growled. That insufferable dolt was still clinging to the role of team leader! HER role of team leader! How on Remnant could anybody buy into such an obvious error of judgment?! Clearly, Ruby was delusional! She was naive! She was… crying?

"I know you're sad that you didn't get what you wanted, Weiss. But I promise that I'll give you the next best thing. I'll be a leader that you can be proud of!"

Weiss just shook her head. Empty promises to save her skin. She was the only one who deserved the accolade! And once she struck down Ruby Rose, Ozpin would have no choice but to grant her the title! Then she would have everything that she wanted!

…wouldn't she?

'There's nothing she can do! Killing her is the only way to get what you desire!'

'But is that really what I want? To kill her?'

'Of course it is! It's the only way!'

'But… what if that isn't what I want anymore? What if she really is willing to put the effort in to become a better leader?'

'As if that child could keep her promise! At best, she'll forget about it the next day!'

'Maybe… or maybe I'm the one being childish.'

'Enough! Kill her! Take what you want!'

'No. No!' Weiss dropped Myrtenaster as she gripped her head, feeling as if it would split in half. She screamed to the heavens as loud as she could.

~KRA~

Ruby was stunned as she saw Weiss pointing the blade of her rapier at her. She wasn't going to kill her, was she? But she didn't seem to be making an effort to do so, or even move. Her eyes kept moving back and forth as though she was looking for something. Suddenly, her weapon fell to the floor as she grabbed her head and screamed at the sky.

That's when something weird happened. Green capital letters started to show up on her body, glowing brightly. Ruby's eyes widened as she read her own name in this mysterious ink. Suddenly, the letters came off of Weiss and splattered onto the floor, Weiss' screams stopping as the ink dissolved into a green mist and vanished. Weiss fell to her knees and let her arms hang at her sides, head tilted down and her uneven ponytail in her face.

"Weiss? Are you okay?" asked Ruby from her ice-cold prison, only to hear soft sobs from the heiress. As she lifted her head, tears were pouring from her eyes. Her blue eyes.

"What have I done?" she asked. "I almost… oh god! I don't deserve to be a leader. I barely deserve to be your teammate!" She started frantically wiping her tears away. "Ruby, I… I'm so sorry!"

"And I'm still sorry," said Ruby, Weiss looking up at her. "I mean, I wasn't being a very good leader, was I? We both messed up. But if you can be a better teammate and I can be a better leader, then everything will work out."

Weiss grabbed her rapier and stood up, smiling at Ruby. "Thank you, Ruby. I suppose I was too harsh in my earlier judgments."

"Maybe a little bit," said Ruby with a smile. "So… do you think you can help me feel my toes again?" Weiss was quick to help, using Fire Dust in her rapier to heat the ice and melt it to the point that Ruby could break free. "Thank you," she said as she blew into her hands.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a loud crashing sound. Looking up at the ceiling, they saw somebody dropping down through a hole that had been punched into the glass. The figure was the Ballpoint Umbra, his sword piercing the floor of the amphitheater as he landed. Shards of glass rained around him.

"No, no, no!" he scolded as he pulled his pen out of the ground and willed the blade away. He pointed at the two with his hand. "How dare you defy my story! How dare you put on this farce!"

"Hmph," said Weiss with a smirk as she turned to Ruby. "Now look who's childish." Ruby couldn't help but giggle.

"Silence!" shouted the Umbra as the green chamber of his own started to shine. "I am the author! I decide the ending! And your ending, along with the years of your life, shall be written in stone!"

"Your ending sucks! So we're gonna change it!" yelled Ruby. She got into a combat stance, Weiss following suit. The Umbra started to write Ruby's name in the same green ink.

"Envy Ink… huh?"

Ruby wondered why he paused until she heard a familiar noise. Suddenly, the wall of ice in front of the doors shattered as a motorcycle drove straight through it. Aurum leapt off the HopperCycle and drew his sword, holding it over his head as he fell with a war cry. The Ballpoint Umbra turned to try and change his target, but Aurum brought down his blade and sliced the green ink reservoir open. The Grimm screamed in pain as the letters disappeared, the ink once again evaporating before disappearing altogether.

"What have you done?! My glorious tragedy is in ruins now!"

"Sorry, but this book won't be published," said Aurum as he turned his HopperCycle back to its medal form. The Umbra just growled as he cradled his damaged pen, the green chamber completely empty.

"Give up while you can, Umbra!" shouted Weiss as she pointed at the enemy with her sword. "You're outnumbered and outmatched!"

"Wrong on both accounts! And while it's not the ideal ending I had written, the mysterious deaths of three students will be plenty despair-inducing! Penumbrae!"

With a snap of his fingers, the Ballpoint Umbra summoned a group of the maskless minions that surrounded the raised stage. "Deal with the Huntresses! This masked side character is mine!"

"Side character?!" asked Aurum.

"Don't worry about us, we'll take these guys! Just deal with the Umbra!" said Ruby as she shifted Crescent Rose into its gun form as the Penumbrae started climbing onto the stage.

"Can do!" said Aurum, pointing his sword at the enemy.

~KRA~

*bang*

With one shot in the head, a Penumbra crumpled as Ruby loaded her next shot. She shot another in the stomach, rolling out of the way as one reached her and swung its claws. Ruby jumped and fired another shot, propelling herself back and blowing its brains out. Landing, she saw two more charging blasts in their mouths. Activating her Semblance, she sped away as the blasts hit where she once stood. She barreled over to a scimitar-wielding Penumbra and bisected it as she passed by, zipping behind another. She swung her scythe over her head and into the ground, slicing the Grimm in half.

The two that shot her started running towards her, shrieking as they brandished their blades. Ruby blasted one in the neck, but her next shot merely grazed the shoulder of her target. She dislodged Crescent Rose and blocked the next slash. As the Penumbra pushed his sword against the shaft of her scythe, she positioned her blade so that it was lined up with her opponent. Pulling the trigger, she managed to cleave it in half as the sword clattered harmlessly to the floor, then used the momentum to slice another right down the middle.

Weiss was busy with her own group of Penumbrae, stabbing one between the eyes and slashing the torso of another open. Lining herself up, she formed a glyph beneath her feet and thrusted Myrtenaster at a Penumbra while launching herself forward. The strike tore through it and killed it instantly, Weiss letting the disintegrating corpse slide off her blade. Seeing one of the Grimm charging a blast, she formed another glyph to launch herself away and dodge, then formed another to loop back. One swing of her saber was enough to lop the top half of its head off.

Landing before two Penumbrae, she got to her feet and spun the cylinder of Myrtenaster so the yellow chamber was on display. Yellow electricity danced across the sword as she plunged its blade into one of the Grimm. It shrieked as it was electrocuted, Weiss removing the blade from its smoking corpse in order to parry a slash from the other. It dropped its sword as the electricity from the Lightning Dust traveled into it, allowing Weiss to cut it down with the electric sword. Hearing the screech of another approaching, she spun the cylinder again to the green chamber. Pivoting around, she swung her sword and sent a blade of wind flying to the Penumbra. The Grimm was sliced in half as another ran forward with its claws bared. Once more, Weiss spun the cylinder so the light blue Ice Dust was ready. Summoning a glyph beneath its feet, she swung Myrtenaster up like a conductor's wand. Ice sprang forth and froze the Penumbra solid, a glyph-assisted kick shattering ice and Grimm alike.

Weiss backed up so that her back was to Ruby's as more Penumbra jumped from the bleachers to the stage. "I'm not sure how many of these we can fight," she said as she checked her Scroll and its Aura meter. "My Aura is dangerously close to the red. I can only make a few more glyphs before I'm open."

"Don't worry, I have an idea," said Ruby, whispering said idea into Weiss' ear as the Penumbrae circled the pair like a pack of sharks.

Weiss' eyes bulged as she looked at Ruby, the younger girl replacing her ammo clip with one marked with the symbol of Gravity Dust. "Are you insane?! This has to be the most reckless plan you've thought up since riding a Nevermore!"

"Trust me, it'll work!" said Ruby. "Just get ready!" Weiss looked conflicted, but nonetheless selected her Wind Dust and formed a large glyph underneath her partner. As soon as the glyph was formed, the horde of Grimm charged.

"NOW!"

The second that Ruby gave the signal, the glyph under her feet turned green. A large whirlwind kicked up and sent her spiraling into the air, knocking back some of the Penumbrae. Without a moment to spare, Weiss formed a black gravity glyph under her to keep herself stationary. While Ruby was spinning like a top, she rained down shot after shot of Gravity Dust bullets, sending her even higher while gunning down several of the Penumbrae. In particular, one that tried to hit Weiss from behind was awarded a shell through the head that blew its skull to shrapnel.

Once Ruby reached her zenith, she unfolded Crescent Rose into its scythe form. Weiss immediately dispersed her gravity glyph and concentrated on the larger glyph in front of her. Spinning the cylinder to her reserves of Ice Dust, she focused every last grain into the glyph. Huge crystals of ice burst out in a large structure that towered over Weiss. Seeing the glacier, Ruby pointed her scythe behind her and fired a gravity round. Accelerating her fall, she spun around as she approached the iceberg before she slammed the tip of Crescent Rose in like a pickaxe striking a vein of ore. The ice cracked, fissured zigzagging down the structure before the entire glacier burst. Weiss swiftly backed up so nobody was behind her and formed a glyph as a shield, shards of ice crashing against it. The Penumbrae weren't so lucky as frozen fragments of various sizes flew out and hit them, impaling and shredding the army until the last one fell in a pile of smoke and ice.

Weiss' shield fizzled and faded away in a rougher manner than when she willed them away, her Aura completely spent. Looking at Myrtenaster, her Ice Dust reservoir was completely empty. The others had various amounts left, ranging from half-full to untouched. Weiss looked over the ice chunks and disintegrating Penumbrae to see Ruby laying in the epicenter, red Aura covering her body completely as she let out a weak cough.

"Ruby, you idiot!" she yelled as she sprinted over to her leader, helping her to her feet. "That stunt could have killed you easily! Did you even think of the consequences?"

"Yep," said Ruby as she balanced herself with Crescent Rose, the last of her Aura fading. With two long fights back to back, the two were in no shape to continue. But they had won in spectacular fashion. "I thought of what a leader would do. Thinking up plans to win… and putting their teammates first." Weiss gasped, then shook her head as the two shared a smile. For the first time since the announcement was made, Weiss saw Ruby as her leader. And nothing could change her mind about that.

~KRA~

"We both know what happened the last time our swords clashed, Kamen Rider," said the Ballpoint Umbra as he quite literally drew his sword, the blade sticking out of the pen's opening as he pointed it at Aurum.

"That was then," said Aurum as he grabbed the Beetle Sheald from his hip, swapping it with his Stag Saber and unfolding it on his right arm. "But this time I'm ready for you!"

The Umbra made the first move, charging forward with his blade. Aurum blocked the lunge with his shield, not budging an inch. The Ballpoint Umbra unleashed a rapid barrage of slashes and stabs, each of them glancing off the shield as Aurum kept his ground. Even when the Umbra tried to attack around the shield, Aurum would simply move it and stop the blow.

Furious, the Umbra raised his blade and went for a downward slash, but Aurum simply blocked it and pushed it away. He took the opportunity to aim a swing at his opponent's right, but his blade was stopped by the ink sword.

"Perhaps this will be different than last time! Your sword swings are so much weaker!" laughed the Ballpoint Umbra as he pushed the sword away, then moved to stab Aurum in the chest. But the blade's tip only hit the Beetle Sheald. The Umbra pushed against it, but he found himself backing away as Aurum stepped forward.

"But my shield's defense is stronger," said Aurum. He sidestepped and tilted his shield so that the Umbra would move forward, stumbling as he did. The Kamen Rider took the opening with his own downward slash, cutting the black ink chamber wide open.

"AGHHHH!" howled the Ballpoint Umbra as black ink poured out like blood, his Script Sword turning to liquid as it splattered on the floor as a puddle. The black ink started to evaporate just as the green did, the tragedy lover clutching the gashed pen fruitlessly as Aurum got back into his stance.

"Now I see," growled the Grimm. "By exchanging your weapons, you have your shield on your dominant arm to prioritize defense. But a few edits have little effect on the ending!" Jumping backwards, the Umbra blasted a stream of ink at Aurum. The defender of justice raised his shield in front of his face, blocking the torrent. He lowered his shield to see the Umbra in front of the stage, pen pointed to him as the red reservoir started to glow.

Aurum grunted as energy blasts slammed against his armor, trying to regain his footing as he moved his shield to stop the salvo. Crying out, he started to sprint towards his opponent with his sword behind him, the blasts harmlessly hitting the Beetle Sheald and doing nothing to impede him. The Ballpoint Umbra kept firing wildly, aghast at the resilience. The energy blasts only stopped when the tip of his pen met the golden shield. The Grimm gasped as Aurum lowered his shield and raised it, the top hitting the bottom of the pen and forcing it up. With another cry of effort, Aurum brought the Stag Saber up and severed the two remaining ink cartridges.

"NO! What have you done?! You've spoiled my masterpiece!" screeched the Umbra as he cradled his wrecked writing weapon. Aurum swung his sword to his side and flicked off the evaporating ink while he collapsed his shield into its sheath mode, sheathing the blade before sword and scabbard vanished in a flash of gold light.

"I'm changing the ending," said Aurum as he grabbed the lever on his Driver. "Victory is in my sight!"

VICTORY STRIKE!

The Aura Driver announced the finisher's name as Aurum pulled the lever, jumping into the air as golden energy coated his right leg. The Kamen Rider shot forward in a flying kick, crashing into the Ballpoint Umbra before landing. The Umbra stumbled around as sparks surrounded his body.

"What a… twist ending," he said. "The true protagonist of this tragedy… was MEEEEEEE!" And with one final shout, he collapsed before exploding.

Aurum let out a sigh of relief as he picked himself up, the fire dying down behind him. His opponent was strong, but he came out victorious this round. He looked to see Weiss and Ruby moving slowly down the stairs of the stage, said stage littered with shards of ice. "You girls okay?"

"Fine now," said Weiss. "My Aura can't come back soon enough."

"But thanks to our awesome teamwork, we won!" cheered Ruby as she raised a fist, turning to her partner. "Hey, that last attack really needs a name, doesn't it? In case we need to do it again. How about White Rose? Oh, that's perfect!"

"If I may, I don't plan on doing that again," said Weiss. "For your safety and my sanity, not to mention what Yang would do to the two of us."

"Come on, I bet she'd volunteer herself to be launched in the air!" said Ruby.

"I'd pay good money to see that happen," said Aurum with a laugh.

"Ahem."

The three students froze before turning around, one Glynda Goodwitch standing in front of the door. Her piercing eyes moved around to see the numerous bullet holes, the shattered glass littering the floor, the shards of ice embedded in the stage. A Dust bomb could've gone off and nobody would know the difference.

"Hi, Professor Goodwitch, sir," said Aurum as he turned back to Jaune, just in time for his expression to change from barely-concealed panic to pure terror. "Ma'am! I meant ma'am! Uh, what brings you here on this lovely night?"

"I was drinking tea in my office and preparing to go home for the night," said Glynda. "But plans can change. Especially when one sees one of your students driving a motorcycle into a building." Jaune laughed nervously as he prepared for the worst. "So, could any of you please explain WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" she asked in barely-restrained rage.

"It was the Umbra!" shouted Ruby, quick to jump to the defense of her friends and herself. "He's the one who smashed the ceiling in, then we had to fight all his weird minions while Jaune fought him, and he was shooting ink and lasers everywhere-"

"That's enough, Miss Rose," said Glynda as she grabbed the riding crop attached to her boot and extended it. "You don't need to say anymore."

"Wait!" said Weiss. "The Umbra… wasn't the only one."

Glynda raised an eyebrow. "Miss Schnee?"

"Weiss, what are you doing?" asked Ruby quietly.

"I was the one who brought Ruby here and instigated a fight. A good amount of this damage was caused before the Umbra even arrived, which I take full responsibility for."

"But it wasn't your fault! He was the one who-"

"Made me envious to the point of harming you, yes," admitted Weiss. "But I doubt it would have been nearly as effective if it wasn't for my own emotions. I've… been a bad teammate. But I'm going to change that, starting with helping to clean up!" Ruby and Jaune were shocked, but the former gave her friend a sad smile.

"If you insist," said Glynda, adjusting her glasses and waving her crop. The glass was covered in a purple glow before the shards spun into the air like a swarm of leaves in the wind, returning to the dome and reforming piece by piece. Before long, it was like nothing had ever happened to the ceiling, not even a scratch on the glass.

"Cool…" said Ruby and Jaune.

"You can remove the ice while I repair the damages. As for you two," she said as she rounded on the startled team leaders, "I'll let you off with a warning due to the circumstances. But for everyone's sake, please keep the collateral damage to a minimum."

"Yes, ma'am!" said Ruby and Jaune as they left the amphitheater as fast as their legs could carry them.

~KRA~

By the time Jaune was back in his dorm and changed into his pajamas, Nora and Ren were already fast asleep. The former was snoring loudly as the latter was as quiet asleep as he usually was awake. Pyrrha was in her bed reading a textbook by the light of a lamp when Jaune crawled into bed. After the day he had, the soft mattress was like heaven.

"I assume that the Umbra was taken care of?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah," said Jaune as he put his hands underneath his head. "And Weiss and Ruby are good, though they're a little beat-up."

"I'm glad," said Pyrrha mid-yawn, placing the history book and her circlet in a pile on the bookshelf before turning off the lamp. "Hopefully, you can get a good night's sleep now."

Jaune just nodded, staring at the ceiling before he turned to his partner. "Hey Pyrr? Remember what you said in the locker room before initiation? About me being a great leader? Did you mean that, or were you just trying to cheer me up?"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Pyrrha as she turned to Jaune. "Of course I meant it."

Jaune smiled as he pulled up the covers. "Thanks, Pyrr. I mean it." She might have said something else, but by that point Jaune's mind drifted into slumber.

~KRA~

Weiss sighed as she returned from the locker room. By the end of the day, she had to refill her ice and fire chambers. If she kept this up, all the Dust she had brought on the first day wouldn't last the semester. Putting her Scroll to the panel by her dorm's door, there was a soft beep and a click as it was unlocked. Opening the door, she saw that Blake and Yang were fast asleep in the haphazard bunk beds they made that morning. However, underneath the little blanket tent on Ruby's bed, a light was on.

Climbing onto her own bed (the bottom bunk to Ruby's top bunk) and lifting the sheet, she was surprised at what she saw. Ruby was in her pajamas and out cold, which she had expected. But her head wasn't on her pillow, but a sheet of notes. A pencil was in her hand, and she was surrounded by open textbooks. Weiss gasped. Had she been studying ever since she returned to their dorm? Evidently, her words about becoming a better leader were far from hollow, Weiss cracking a small smile at the progress and determination of her leader.

Weiss cleared her throat and slowly shook Ruby, her eyes fluttering open. Once she was awake, she started flailing in surprise. "Weiss! I-I was studying, and then I fell asleep!" she shouted. "I'm sorry-"

Weiss clasped a hand over the younger girl's mouth, putting a finger over her lips to shush her. The last thing either of them needed was their groggy teammates on their case. Noticing a nearly empty coffee mug by her pillow, she lowered her hand so Ruby could speak. "How do you take your coffee?"

"I… I don't…"

"Answer the question!"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Uh, cream and five sugars!"

Weiss sighed at the overly sweet order but didn't complain. "Don't move." In a flash, she had made a fresh cup to Ruby's liking. And they said that her coffee maker in the room was ridiculous! "Here."

Ruby took the mug. "Um… thanks, Weiss."

Weiss smiled, then felt a bit guilty. "Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader." Ruby smiled at her, Weiss returning the gesture. "Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have! Good luck studying!" She was about to duck under and grab her nightgown, but first she pointed at one of the notes Ruby had strewn across the bed. "That's wrong, by the way." As she ducked down and grabbed her sleepwear, she paused as she entered the bathroom to change. "Hey, Ruby?" she asked from the doorway.

"Uh-huh?" asked Ruby.

Weiss just smiled at her leader. "I always wanted bunk beds as a kid."

---

And that's a wrap! And considering this is the longest chapter of anything that I've written excluding author's notes, it's clear that long chapters are the norm for this. I probably could've split this in half, but I wanted to resolve the conflict. We also had a few more changes this time around, right down to who Ruby and Port spoke to. There are two reasons why I did this. First, it was obvious that Weiss wouldn't have taken Port's words to heart while under the effect of the Envy Inkantation. The only reason she bothered to listen to Ruby was because she was expecting something else. Second, this was Port's best moment in the show, while Ozpin has many more chances to shine in the future. So I wanted to give him a time to shine! Now then, onto the lone guest review!

Guest: Yeah, Ironwood won't be too pleased, will he? The Silver and Bronze riders will be revealed relatively soon, so feel free to guess their identities until then!

See you all when the next chapter is ready! Starpion out!