The Day We've Waited For [RWBY]

[OmegusXIII]

A/N: To be clear, this isn't my way of attacking the canon show, far from it. Rather, it's something to celebrate RWBY's 10th anniversary. Keep in mind, though, that this would be my own personal take of RWBY in general, so if at any time, you're thinking, "that's not how it happened in the show" or "that's not how they act", well, that's the point. A majority of it will remain the same as canon, but the characters, concepts, and ideas you're familiar with may not be the way you remember them in this story. I ask that you remember this if and when you leave a review on this story. And please, keep it constructive. Otherwise, just ignore it and go on with your day. In any case, I hope you will all enjoy it, and thank you.​

Chapter 1: Red, White, Black, and Yellow​

Legends. Stories scattered and forgotten through time. Man, born from dust, was strong, wise, and resourceful. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction, the creatures of Grimm, set their sights on man and all of his creations.
Man was hunted by the Grimm, and just when it seemed like man's brief existence might return to the void, the smallest spark of hope brought forth a great change. Man used his passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity to uncover a new power. Appropriately named "Dust". Man thus lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadows' absence came civilization and life.

But even the most brilliant lights will eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone, darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians of the light, but take heed: there will be no victory in strength.

It began one morning as a young girl was talking to a gravestone on a hill. The epitaph read, "Summer Rose — Thus, kindly, I scatter." The girl wore a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which is a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining. She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles.

Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appeared as a large silver buckle on her wide black belt, which is slung around her hips on an angle. Attached to her belt were a pocket and a row of bullets. She seemed particularly joyful for what would normally be a morbid thing to do.

"Hey, mom. It's been a while… Oh! Guess what? Yang and her boyfriend, Canis, just got accepted into Beacon Academy! How cool is that?! She always said she wanted to be a Huntress. Canis was willing to be a part of it, too. And they did it! I just can't believe it. But if I'm being honest, it is kinda annoying…"

Upon realizing what it meant, Ruby tried to explain.

"Oh, of course I'm happy for them both. But I want to be a Huntress, too. I still have two more years at Signal. Why can't I be more like them…?"

Instead of letting herself dwell on it, Ruby perked back up as she showed off her weapon.

"Anyways, when it comes to weapons, I'm as good as anyone. Better, even! I'm going to work hard so I can protect the people from Grimm. Just like you did, Mom."

Ruby gently stared at the tombstone, focusing on the signet of a rose, much like her symbol as she held onto it.

"I mean… it would mean a lot more if you could come back and see it. I don't know where you've been or what's going on, but… I can't forget about that promise you made me. Even if it's just in spirit… I really wish I can see you again..."

After a moment, Ruby sighed solemnly. Just then, she heard the engine of a motorcycle pulling up from behind her. And to her elation, it was none other than her big sister and her companion. The blonde was a tall, fair-skinned young woman with lilac eyes and long, thick, wavy bright golden hair that fades to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top. She was wearing a tan jacket that bared her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that featured two gold buttons. Underneath this, she wore a low cut yellow crop top with her emblem on the left breast in black that covered her F-Cup chest, and on her left leg was a purple scarf tied around it.

As for her companion, he had spiky black hair to go with his wolf ears, and he was wearing a black leather jacket with a white shirt inside it that held a symbol of a wolf with two sickles behind the head. He also had gray pants that held two scabbards for what looked like sickles inside them, one on each side of him. To say that he wasn't like the girl would be obvious: he was a Faunus.

Faunus were a subset of humans who had animal traits that distinctly made them unique. Perhaps too much so for their own good. Because of those differences, they ended up being mistreated. But that's a whole other story. Ruby gasped in excitement as she ran up to them.

"Yang! Canis! You came!"

Ruby giggled as she ran right up to Yang and hugged her. Her head reached the tip of Yang's nose when she went in close. She was almost a foot shorter than her older sister while Canis himself was a few inches taller than Yang. She had a feeling about what Ruby was doing.

"Giving mom the good news, huh?"

"I told her you guys got into Beacon! Why can't I go…?"

Yang chuckled sweetly before she spoke to her little sister gently.


"Oh, Ruby. Don't worry. Your time will come. Isn't that right, mom?"
Yang gave the gravestone a small wink as Canis took a look. After a moment, he broke the silence.

"Oh, that reminds me, Ruby. I brought you something from Vale."

Canis opened his pocket pouch and got out a bag of cookies. Ruby immediately shrieked with glee as she snatched the bag and devoured them with gusto.

"Oh, thank you so much, Canis! You're the best! I just wanna squeeze you till you pop!"

Ruby didn't hesitate to hug Canis in her own bear hug, nearly choking him to death.

"AGH! Betrayed by my own kindness! I can't breathe…!"

Ruby saw how pale Canis was getting and eased on her grip.

"Oh, sorry!"

While Canis got the moment to breathe, Ruby thought about their relationship. She of all people knew how close they were getting with each other.

"So, have you guys told dad yet?"

Yang shook her head. She wanted to get it done sooner, but Canis still had the jitters.

"Nope. We were supposed to be on our way, but Canis wanted to pay a visit to you first."

Canis chimed in with a blush over his face.

"Hey, I'm still trying to work up the nerve, okay?"

Ruby laughed a bit from his reaction. She always thought it was cute to see Yang's best friend blush like that.

"That's okay. It actually makes it easier for me to wish you guys luck anyway."

Yang rubbed Ruby's head gently, happy to know her little sister encouraged them to be together.

"Thanks, Ruby."

---

Meanwhile, out in the courtyard, a girl with long white hair brandished to a ponytail was holding her rapier out before holding it close to her head, pointing it straight up. She wore a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sat in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress was scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this, she wore a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar.

She also wore a small apple pendant on a silver chain and thin, rectangular silver earrings. Her boots were white, wedge-heeled, and higher at the back than the front. They had a small silver decoration across the top of the foot and were lined in red with a thin white sash tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back. She also had a snowflake emblem on the back of her dress. Her weapon of choice, her rapier, was standard-sized for a rapier and primarily silver-gray in color. The hilt possessed four prongs that encased the revolver-like chamber around the ricasso instead of a bow type hand-guard that was common among most rapiers, in a manner somewhat alike to a swept hilt. Just then, she heard someone speaking up behind her.

"The arrangements you've requested have been made, Miss Schnee. Your father is waiting."

The girl sighed to herself before she turned to the man who'd spoken. He was a short, slightly heavyset man with balding brown hair and a large mustache. For his outfit, he wore a white collar, long-sleeved shirt, black vest, a cyan tie, black trousers, and black shoes. In addition, he carried a pocketwatch in his person to keep track of time.

"Shall we get going, Klein?"

Klein bowed his head with an affirmative answer.

"Yes, Weiss."

It was no secret that not everyone had the encouragement of family and friends. This world has families with different backgrounds and different relationships. And in the case of the Schnee family, genuine love didn't seem to have any place in their spacious mansion…

The Schnee family founded Dust a long time ago, and from there, they built an empire. But it didn't start out with profits. Back then, Weiss' grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, cared more about the people in general and what they needed. The Schnee family would have been known for their kind nature, had it not been for his failing health. In his last moments, Weiss' father, Jacques Gélé, convinced him to turn over the company to his stead. Since then, their morals went downhill as quickly as their profits skyrocketed. And things were even worse at home.

Weiss was obviously upset about what her father had been doing, especially when it caused numerous uproars in the Faunus community. Their actions that provided them more money only stoked the flames of their rebellion, the White Fang. Whenever they could, they attacked the Dust trains and robbed them of their prize to distribute amongst the Faunus themselves. And whenever anyone tried to stop them, there were… casualties. Weiss hated all of that, and she wanted to stop it. And the only way for her to be able to do that was to be a Huntress.

Since she could first wield her rapier, she trained with her big sister, Winter, to train herself to be a Huntress that could stand on her own. Winter was always an instructor before sister in that regard, but she knew that Weiss would be able to do what was right for her family. And she wasn't going to give up on it anytime soon. Weiss and Klein walked down the hallway. As they did, they looked to their right. Just outside was a beautiful garden. And who should she see but her mother.

Her name was Willow Schnee. She was a fair-skinned woman with slate-blue eyes, her white hair tied up in a bun, low on the right side of the back of her head, while her bangs are shaped around the left side of her face and a small, curled lock of hair reaching almost to her shoulders. Her attire was colored navy blue, white and gray, consisting of a white coat with sleeves that exposed her upper arms, a red-lined high collar and a red brooch. She was holding a glass of red wine and was gently swirling it as Weiss spoke rather coldly to her.

"Day drinking already, mother? I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Klein sighed in resignation. He knew how tough things were for her since her falling out with Jacques. The only two reasons she didn't divorce him was, one, because of what their profit has done for the family, for better or worse. And two, she didn't want to leave her children alone. The drinking she occasionally did, or "day-drinking" was to help her get through it, not that she expected Weiss to understand what she had to go through, at least completely. But today was a special case. Willow set her glass down before she turned to her.

"I assumed it was wise to get it over with now rather than later. It is your special day, after all."

In truth, Willow was rooting for Weiss' decision from the very beginning. In fact, she had even asked Winter to help her grow into a Huntress herself. While Weiss acknowledged her support, though, she had a bit of resentment for her constant drinking. These days, she was more of an advisor than she ever was a mother. But she supposed anything was better than no support at all.

"So, I'll take it you're ready, then?"

Weiss nodded to her before Willow stood up from her bench.

"Well, then, let's get going."

In a moment's time, Weiss, Klein, and Willow walked down the hall with Weiss leading the way. On the way, they met another face of the Schnee family, Whitley. Weiss' brother had white hair and blue eyes like the rest of the family, though his hair was mostly pushed to the left, albeit with a cowlick. He was fairly tall with a slender build and stands a few inches taller than his older sister, Weiss.

His attire consisted of a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the sleeves fastened just above his elbows by navy blue cuffs, each with twin gold buttons. Over his untucked shirt, he wore a light blue vest, with a black handkerchief in his right breast pocket. He also wore a black necktie, navy blue trousers and black dress shoes.

"Presenting Weiss Schnee. Our future Huntress."

Weiss didn't seem too happy to see him.

"Whitley, what are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about you, of course. A test this dangerous isn't normal. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we?"
Klein had a worried look on his face. If the tension were any thicker, any of them could cut it with a knife. Weiss was quick to dismiss Whitley's words. She read into her tone enough times to know she was mocking him.

"No. This is hardly enough to be intimidating. So just shut up and watch."

As Weiss walked by him, however, Willow turned to her right, showing a short glance of worry for Whitley before Klein held his head down. Whitley shifted himself, moving his head down a few inches before he spoke to himself.

"I've always watched you… my fearless, foolhardy sister."

A moment later, Weiss opened the door and walked in with Klein and Willow beside her. Only once the door closed behind them did Klein and Willow take their leave in opposite directions and walk up the stairs, leaving Weiss to walk to the middle of the court. Once she was in plain view, Weiss looked at Jacques, Willow, and Whitley on one side while someone else was on the other.

She was a tall and fair-skinned young woman with slate-blue eyes, black eyebrows, and long white hair, the latter of which was tied back in a bun that was high on the left side of the back of her head, along with bangs along right side of her face and a small curled lock of hair down the left just above her shoulder. Her outfit consisted of a white long-sleeved coat with a single dark blue clasp around the center waist holding it shut alongside a red jeweled brooch on the collar. The coat's length ran down to her ankles and the sleeves are split from shoulder to elbow. She wore a white pleated sleeveless blouse with a dark blue waistcoat and a pair of white trousers with dark blue garters alongside a pair of gray thigh boots with black detailing around the knees. She also wore a pair of black forearm length gloves with gray trimmed cuffs.

Weiss focused her attention to her father, her eyes squarely focused on Jacques as she spoke out to him.

"I'm ready to take my test, my dear father, sister. I hope you'll be true to your word."

Jacques was the first to speak, but he was none too pleased with the whole thing.

"This is all utterly preposterous."

Winter didn't hesitate to reply back.

"As I recall, this test was your idea, father. Weiss is prepared to do it."

Jacques scoffed while Willow gave a passing smile to Winter. It only lasted for a moment before Weiss interjected.

"I am. Now, please release the Grimm."

The Grimm were creatures of natural destruction. Many feared them and did their best to stay away, or if they couldn't, they had to fight. But those in Atlas had a different means of dealing with them. The richest occasionally go out hunting and collecting them, for whatever that was worth. The task itself would've been nigh impossible if not for the Schnee family.

Their semblances, abilities granted to the people via their aura, allowed them to create their own replicas of the Grimm they hunted. This saved many of them the trouble of having to confront Grimm many times over. But this one was rather different. Although the purpose of their end goal was destruction, many of them had different ways to go about it, whatever the reason was. It was pretty odd when they had no soups to begin with. In any case, as it happened, the Schnee family got this one in particular as a trial of sorts. Jacques begrudgingly accepted her request to release it.

"Very well. But if I decide it's impossible, you will fail. That will be the end of this foolishness."

Willow sneered at her so-called husband before she spoke up.

"Well, I say it is not impossible, and she won't fail. That will be the end of yours."

Jacques scowled at his wife before muttering under his breath.

"One of these days, Willow, you'd do well to sober up and face reality."

"Perhaps, you should do the same thing."

Jacques was flustered by her words and grumbled after a moment. Weiss gave her a soft smile, happy to know that at least someone is looking out for her. She gestured to Klein to pull the lever. The butler agreed to do so and set his hands upon it and waited for her okay. Weiss nodded to him, making the butler rather worried. Still, he was obligated to, for her sake. He pulled the lever down, and suddenly, the floor in front of her descended slowly.

Weiss prepared herself as she held on to her rapier and waited. The next time the loft came back up, she was confronted with a gigantic Grimm. It had the appearance of a knight dressed in black, its red eyes fixed on her. Weiss pulled her rapier out before the Grimm held onto its own blade and brandished it.

Within seconds, the Grimm Knight made its first move, thrusting the sword right at her, only for Weiss to move swiftly to the side. Taking advantage of the lapse she lunged at the Grimm, getting a few good hits on the helmet. Once she landed, the Grimm swung its sword, forcing Weiss to jump above it before she circled around the knight.

It attempted to attack, only for her to block midair, guiding the blade to the ground. Using the momentum, she bounced back and struck it again at the helmet with a flip. The Grimm retaliated with a heavy swing, forcing Weiss to block before she ran right up to it. But the knight was quick to parry with its sword, throwing her to the other side of the court. Just as this happened, a glyph with a signet of a snowflake, the same one as on the back of her dress, appeared where Weiss would've landed. She righted herself and used it to balance herself and launch up right back at the Grimm.

Weiss consistently used her glyphs to launch fast strikes against the Grimm. Winter looked on unimpressed whereas Willow perked up a smile, happy that she was managing to hold her own. However, Winter had a good reason not to be so confident.

As Weiss landed, she coated her rapier in a red-hot aura, emanating from a red crystal stored in one of its ports. She swung at the knight's sword just as it was about to hit her. Weiss was barely able to stand against it, knocking the sword back and aiming to strike it again, but the Grimm retaliated with a punch, knocking the aura off of her. Using its own momentum, it didn't hesitate to bring down its sword to hit her, forcing the girl to block before she was sent careening to the floor, but not without it leaving a mark on her face.

After a heavy crash, Willow stood dumbfounded at the result while Jacques and Whitley had looks of puzzlement. When the dust cleared, Weiss was barely standing on her own, using her rapier to hold herself together. A small drop of blood landed on the floor. To Willow's shock, Weiss was bleeding from her face; it had been cut over her left eye by the Grimm!

It had taken a toll on Weiss, her head buzzing and her ears ringing from the impact. It happened a little fast for her. Any more so, and she would've been done for. Whitley smirked at this, knowing she could at least handle that much. As for Jacques, he was grinning, as if expecting a forfeit. He felt she must've realized her "folly".

"Come to your senses yet? Call it off."

However, Winter knew better as she got a closer look.

"Not quite yet. She's not done."

Winter was correct. She's not done, far from it. Weiss got her balance back and pointed her rapier at the knight, ready to continue her trial.

---

Meanwhile, someone else was going through a different, more personal trial. Two people were running through a red forest as the leaves fell. One of them was a fair-skinned young woman with wavy black hair and amber eyes, along with a pair of black cat ears on top of her head. She was dressed in a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. She was a Faunus. And she wasn't the only one.

The other one beside her was a tall Faunus with a lean build and auburn hair that spiked backward in a windswept way. While most of his hair was red, he had streaks of brown along a few strands of it. A noticeable trait of his appearance was the mask he wore, which obscured his entire upper face above his nose. To complement it, he wore an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket had crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it. The girl spoke up to him first.

"Adam, are we really doing this alone?"

Adam read into her concern and replied.

"The only security on that train are just combat drones, Blake. The humans are too scared of the White Fang to send anything else. You're not scared, are you?"

Adam said this question to her with a stern tone. It was hard for Blake to tell if he was being genuine or if he was suspicious of her. Either way, she didn't hesitate.

"Do you think I scare easily?"

Adam scoffed at her response. He could tell that she wasn't as fearful as he thought. A smirk went across his face.

"Never said so. I'm aware of your bravery. Glad you can confirm it."

Blake never said a word and continued her sprint with Adam. Far away, they heard a train honking as they looked to the distance. Beyond the mist, Adam knew they found it.

"That's the Schnee Dust Company's train. Just think about how much dust is on board!"

Blake and Adam were sliding on a ledge at that point before they leapt off and landed right on top of the train. From then on, they made a sprint ahead to one of the vents and opened it up. Once they got inside, Adam looked around the car and frowned. On the bright side, he wasn't wrong about the security. Not a moment later, the drones switched on and targeted them.

"Looks like we're gonna be doing this the hard way."

Blake and Adam got out their weapons, ready to engage. For Blake, it was a sword named Gambol Shroud. When sheathed, the weapon is able to slice opponents in two with its cleaver-like cover. However, when unsheathed, Blake is able to use both a sword and sheath in tandem against her opponents. As for Adam, he had two of them. One was a sword named Wilt while the other, his rifle/scabbard, was Blush.

"Don't be so dramatic."

One of the robots spoke to Adam as it turned its arms into machine guns.

"Intruder. Identify yourself."

Adam made no comment. He pulled up Blush and literally shot Wilt out like a cannon, hitting its hilt on its faceplate, knocking it back! No sooner had it bounced off than Adam lurched forward and grabbed it, slicing it in two before it could react. Once he sheathed it back, the slice was more evident and it fell apart. The robots responded by turning their arms into blades and running after the two of them. Adam smirked as he got ready.

"This might get a little messy."

Blake got ready to attack as she replied.

"Don't have too much fun."

Adam scoffed at her words.

"They're just machines. Where's the fun in that?"

Blake lunged at the robots and vanished, only reappearing took cleaved through another set of robots by the legs while Adam sliced at several of them through the middle. Blake picked up Gambol Shroud and began to fire at the robots in the distance. With them cleared, Blake picked up her cover and held them both to combat the security drone with its blades. She knocked one away before shooting it in the back. She then sprinted to another drone and hacked it in the middle before swiftly appearing in front of another to shoot it point blank in the face.

---

As the gunfire echoed, Weiss was now on the floor, holding her head down as if she'd gone through something troubling as snow fell down on her. It was outside, overlooked by the shadow of the statue. It was her family crest adorned with wings. Just then, she heard footsteps as she looked up to the owner of them. It was Winter.

"Your aura can only Shiro's you from one or two direct attacks at most. When your aura is gone, another attack will finish you. Those without power will return to dust. That is the law of this world."

After a long pause, Winter's face lost its stoic facade and showed… sadness.

"I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."

Weiss was saddened herself as she replied.

"I'm sorry. I'll get better."

Winter turned and walked away as she spoke solemnly.

"You'll have to if you want to leave…"

---

She did want to leave. Weiss couldn't change anything by staying put. She put all her heart and soul into today. She wasn't going to give it up anytime soon… not ever. The Grimm prepared to attack, only for it to provoke Weiss to act. She lifted her rapier, coating it in blue dust before slamming it to the ground with a shout.

She summoned pillars of ice right towards it, catching the Grimm in ice! Using the split second she had, Weiss coated it in fire again just as the Grimm swung at her again. This time, Weiss jumped on the sword, barely hanging onto it before she ran as fast as she could on it, aiming her rapier right at the hand that held it. After a swift strike, the grim lost its grip, the sword embedding itself on the wall just next to Klein!

Grimm's hand was on fire, angering it further than ever. In its anger, it lifted its legs off of Weiss' ice trap and ran towards her. But she was counting on that. Weiss sprung up a glyph just underneath it, launching it up into the air before she summoned several more in front of her, out of which shot beams of light that pierced its arms, legs, and its chest.
Those beams turned into glyphs, suspending it in the air. Weiss summoned one more to launch herself right up to it, doing a flip as she was headed right towards it. Weiss focused her gaze at the Grimm, her rapier powering up with a white light inscribing small runes on it before she plunged it dead center in its chest, piercing right through it and causing it to disintegrate completely. With that final blow, Weiss landed on the ground triumphantly, her bloodied scar not even fazing her one bit. Klein was overjoyed to see it himself.

"Ms. Schnee, you passed! I knew you'd do it!"

Willow formed a relieved smile her daughter's way as Weiss spoke up to Jacques.

"So, Father, now that I've finished this foolish test, will you let me go to Beacon?"

Jacques growled in defeat. If he could have his way, he'd refuse. Winter smirked at him.

"Well, father? A Schnee always upholds his end of the deal. Those were your words, after all."

Winter was right. Those were also his words. Words that he'd come to regret…

"Have it your way."

Jacques walked away in defeat as Whitley maintained his smirk. Weiss looked at Klein, who nodded to her proudly. Then, she looked towards her mother, who had the proudest look on her face. Weiss nearly broke down into tears seeing that face. She hadn't seen a face like that for a long time. After all this time, she'd finally done it. She was finally going to leave…

---

Meanwhile, back on the SDC Train, Blake and Adam burst through the car and landed on the roof of another. As it turned out, there was more than one car full of security drones. Blake shot at a few of them far away before she tossed Gambol Shroud at them, holding onto her ribbon to guide it. Once it zipped by, Blake pulled on it, causing it to fire at the drones, the whiplash of it sending it back.

Blake focused its trajectory to shoot down another and another. After pulling it back, Blake was about to counter when Adam sliced it. He rushed past Blake, who looked on as he used Wilt to cleave through a whole battalion of them. He rushed forward again to send them into the air, using Wilt to slash them three times consecutively where he stood.

Then, he pulled his sword out of his scabbard before he sliced it into the air before firing it from behind. With that, Adam sheathed his sword back. The fighting from then on was over before Adam and Blake walked into the next car.

Play Boruto Music: "Hatred"
​

It was different from the other car they went in. It was marked with countless crates holding the Schnee family crest. Adam opened the crates and became rather impressed with the payload.

"Perfect."

Adam picked up one of the containers of blue dust and turned to Blake.

"Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges."

Blake became worried when he said this.

"Charges? For what?"

Adam looked at her with a fierce glare as he stated the obvious.

"We're crashing the train."

Blake's ears dropped down in absolute fright.

"But what about the crew members?"

Adam's glare didn't change.

"What about them?"

As Blake and Adam argued, they never noticed that someone else was in the room. It was a little girl, dressed up in a little red jacket with a light blue shirt. She also had short brown hair that spiked at the back. She was sleeping at the moment, beside a pile of dust crates on the other end of the car. But their voices were stirring her awake. Her vision was groggy as Blake protested.

"You said it was just a robbery. There are human engineers on board."

Adam surveyed the dust as he went on.

"Exactly. They're just humans. Not Faunus, like us."

Blake was beginning to show more and more distrust towards him. At that point, a horrifying reality came to light for her.

"Those attacks weren't accidents, were they? You wanted to kill them!"

Adam turned back to Blake with a "matter-of-fact" kind of look.

"And if I didn't? What difference would that have made?"

Blake snapped back at him. She couldn't believe what he was hearing out of him.

"It would've made plenty of difference, Adam! There could've been another way!"

Adam remained adamant in his position, his grip beginning to tighten on the dust container he held.

"Except there wasn't, Blake. It was either me or them. No two ways about it."

Blake grew increasingly furious with him the longer she talked. But as they did, the little girl who woke up peeked out of the corner of the crate to see the argument for herself. The whole tension was making her nervous, so she wisely stayed hidden as she looked on.

"There shouldn't have to be that kind of ultimatum! What happened to bringing equality for all Faunus?! What happened to peace?!"

Adam clenched harder on his container, trying to contain his anger to keep it from exploding.

"That timeline changed a long time ago… I'm just acting accordingly."

Blake wasn't convinced by this one bit.

"And what? Attacking the humans so brutally, humans who had families, that's your way of acting accordingly?! Is that what your mother would've wanted?!"

Blake pushed the worst button of all for him. Adam slammed his hand on one of the crates, making a loud thud that frightened the girl as he shouted.

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING HER INTO THIS!"

Adam was seething, glaring at the visibly stunned and frightened Blake. Adam noticed how he'd acted and began to tone himself down, his mouth showing clear surprise and regret. He gave himself a moment to calm down before he made a sigh of resignation.

"I'm sorry. But we can't make peace. Not even if I wanted to. They're just… not like us."

Blake turned her head away, feeling just as tired as he was. But the only thing she was tired of were his excuses.

"Not like us…"

A few seconds later, the door opened, making Adam turn his head to see Blake turning her back on him. The whole thing was making him uneasy.

"Blake…?"

She turned back to him and replied sadly.

"Adam… I'm sorry. I have to find my own path."

Blake held out her cover for Gambol Shroud and smashed at the links that connected the trains. Adam felt shocked and dismayed at what was happening. Already, he began to assume the worst.

"Blake! Are you betraying the White Fang?! Betraying me?!"

Blake didn't say another word for a few seconds before she replied sadly.

"Goodbye…"

The train cars began to slow to a stop as the engine peddled onward. After a few seconds, Blake took something out of her pocket and tossed it away. It was a black flag with a red wolf on it, overshadowed by three red claw marks. Blake was done with the White Fang. For good.

Back at the car, Adam was furious. Just when he thought he had calmed himself down, it built back up again, making him roar in an outrageous burst as he tossed the dust container at the wall, shattering it to pieces. The girl squeaked in fear of such fury. It didn't take long for Adam to process it. Someone else was in here with him. And whoever it was, he wasn't going to give them any mercy…

Adam instantly drew out his sword and held it out, the blade glowing a crimson light color that illuminated most of the room as he walked forward.

"I know you're in here! Come out, now!"

All Adam got in return as a quivering whimper out of the girl. She tried to hide it, but it did no good. He'd heard her. Adam moved his sword right at the crate the girl was hiding at, slicing it in two! The girl yelped in fear, her head racing with one thought: she was definitely going to die.

Adam stepped closer, looking past the crate to find the girl quaking in terror. This was something new to Adam. He hadn't been to any train that had stowaways. But alas, a human was still a human. He prodded his sword out near her, but he toned himself down as Wilt's glow diluted near the poor child.

"Get up and turn around. Now."

The girl was too stunned to heed Adam's words for a second. But the sword reminded her that she was in a terrible position to refuse. She put her hands up, stood up on her legs and turned around. Adam looked into the girl's frightened brown eyes and spoke coldly. He couldn't believe a child had actually stayed in this, of all cars. Then again, he was aware of the concept of child labor in Atlas. He was all too familiar with it…

"How pathetic can they get? Sending a lone child to guard their precious dust."

Adam said this with a venomous sneer. It sent chills to the girl's bones. She shook like a leaf even worse now. That aside, he put Wilt back inside Blush and interrogated her.

"Who are you?"

The girl took a few shaky breaths before she answered, albeit nervously.

"P-Phoebe. My name's Phoebe."

Adam sighed as he got a closer look at her attire. He knew Atlesian garb when he saw it. It hardly looked suitable for Vale's weather. Before he could interrogate her any further about where she came from, he heard someone speak from outside.

"Adam! Are you alright?!"

Adam sighed. It was not quite an opportune moment. But he turned back to the girl and gave Phoebe a fierce look.

"Don't even think about running. You don't want to know what happens if you do."

Adam turned away and walked to the door. Phoebe stared at the crate he split open. She could guess the picture already. And she realized he was right; she really didn't want to know. All Phoebe could do was stare in shock as the guards outside spoke to him.

"Should we go after her?"

"There's no need. Once she sees more of the world, she'll realize we're in the right."

Phoebe stood in shock, holding onto herself for dear life as Adam spoke out.

"Help me with the payload. And with the intruder."

The Lieutenant showed great curiosity over the matter, especially another one of his guards. She was dressed in a black hood and a white sleeveless shirt with a black belt, black pants, and a Grimm-like mask like the others, except her dark blue rabbit ears stuck out of said hood. She was the most confused out of everyone else, knowing how he worked.

"Intruder? I thought there weren't any humans except for the engineers."

Adam turned back to the girl, seeing that she had stayed still like she was supposed to.

"So did I. But at least one good thing came out of this."

Adam walked towards the girl and towered over her, his white Grimm mask glowing red at the markings. Phoebe stared into them with fear as he spoke.

"Do you understand, human? From here on out… you're a prisoner of the White Fang."

End Boruto Music: "Hatred"​

---

"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul."

2 Days Later:​

As the shattered moon shone on the town, Ruby was walking by herself. She was busy looking for something to give Yang and Canis to celebrate their being accepted. She was also wearing earphones over her head, blocking out most of the outside world's noise, which was mostly quiet chatter.

"I forgot how big the city of Vale is. It's way more fun than Patch Island. They got the best music, and the cafés, and the weapons!"

Ruby was more excited over the third part. She saw the weapons as extensions of one's being. She tried holding an axe once; it was what her mother had used before. But the weight was a little too much for her. So she stuck with her weapon, Crescent Rose.

"I don't know how I'm gonna see it all. Oh, and I still need to get a gift for Yang and Canis, too."

Just then, Ruby noticed a red sign up ahead, telling her to stop. After a moment, it changed green, telling her to go ahead. Ruby's face beamed when she saw what was on the other side. It was the shop that said, "From Dust Till Dawn".

"The dust shop's still open!"

Ruby rushed in ahead to get to the door and walked inside. When she did, she saw a small crowd inside. One of the patrons was looking at a magazine. He was roughly the same height as Ruby, wearing a simple brown jacket with a white shirt inside it, along with olive pants, which were tucked into worn, brown boots. His skin was tanned and he had a faint, perpetual blush and freckles on his cheeks. His hair is dark brown and his eyes are hazel, the main iris being forest green, with accents of burnt orange and yellow around the pupil. Ruby went close to the boy as she eagerly went over to him.

"Excuse me? Is that the next issue?"

The boy looked past his shoulder, seeing Ruby beside him. He was confused for a moment before he replied.

"Uh… yeah. Just over there."

Ruby zipped by him and picked up a copy of what he was holding.

"The next issue of 'Weapons Magazine'! Oh, this is the coolest! Patch doesn't have this yet. Vale really does have everything, huh?"

The boy gently smiled at her before he concurred, though it was at his own behest.

"Well, you'd know a lot more about it than I would."

The boy closed the magazine and held his hand out to her.

"My name's Oscar. Oscar Pine."

Unfortunately, Ruby didn't hear him. Her earphones blocked it out.

"Huh?"

She took off her earphones and spoke up.

"Did you say something?"

Oscar muttered, a bit dumbfounded that she didn't hear him this time when she did before. Then again, she must not have needed to when he was literally pointing the way.

"I was introducing myself. My name's Oscar."

Oscar held his hand out, gesturing for Ruby to do the same. She took his hand, and the two shook them as she took her turn.

"My name's Ruby. It's nice to meet you."

Ruby took notice of their height afterward and blinked her eyes curiously. Oscar was confused by this manner.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"Just wondering. How old are you?"

Oscar was thrown off-guard by the question, but he answered all the same.

"Uh, close to 18, actually."

Ruby found the answer suspicious.

"Hmm… then why are you short like me?"

Oscar frowned as he made a retort.

"Shut up. I'm getting there…"

---

Meanwhile, back on Patch, Yang and Canis were laying down together under the blanket with their clothes tossed in the hamper. Yang's chest was covered up while she nestled against him. It wasn't any surprise that the two of them would be together like this. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, after all.

They've known each other since they were kids. Their first meeting wasn't exactly on good terms. The first time they met, he inadvertently caught Ruby and Yang in a trap at Patch. She ended up chasing him all the way to the other side of town, where she first met his family. It was awkward, but the two made up after that and went on to be good company.

For 9 years since then, they developed a more intimate relationship, getting to know each other enough for Canis to know who Summer Rose was. They'd only started dating a couple of days prior to celebrate their being in Beacon. This was another one of their dates, this time a little closer to Yang's home. They were both staring at the acceptance letter in their scrolls, a phone-like communicator one is given when they come of age. The couple was reading it aloud with Canis speaking first.

"'You have passed the Beacon Academy Admission Examination. Now that you have completed all necessary admission procedures…"

"We are delighted to accept you into our school. Hmm."

Canis laid back as he smiled.

"Honestly, I don't think I'll get tired of seeing that, especially with how things are lately."

Yang looked up at him, confused by his talk.

"What are you talking about, Cane?"

Canis sat up, the blanket sliding off to show his chest.

"Exactly what I mean. Come to think of it, even if I get accepted there… would people really accept me? A Faunus?"

Yang scoffed at his doubts.

"Of course, they will. It doesn't matter to me one bit what you look like. And if it's bothering everyone else, that's their problem. Besides, even if their problems become your problems…"

Yang put her fist over the palm of her hand as she smirked, her lavender eyes changed to crimson red.

"That makes it my problem, too."

Canis looks at Yang as her eyes flared red, smiling at her upbeat attitude.

"Glad to see you're on my side."

Yang smiled as her hands went down.

"Always."

After a moment, Yang went close to him and held her hands over his shoulders, her head leaning over his.

"So, do you wanna keep going? Maybe wrestle me to the ground again?"

Canis chuckled at the offer before he answered.

"Maybe later. First, we gotta check on your dad and Ruby."

Yang puffed her cheeks, miffed that she had to wait even longer. Then again, he did have a point. She made a smile as she concurred.

"Alright. The night's still young, anyway. And there'll be plenty of time for it afterward, right~?"

Canis nodded to her as he gently stroked her long, blonde hair.

"Sure. As long as you can answer me one thing."

Yang blinked her eyes. She was already curious about what he was thinking.

"What's that?"

Canis made a sly smirk as he asked.

"What would you say if I were to get you a girlfriend?"

Yang blushed bashfully, processing the very question he gave her.

"W-What?! Why would you say that?! You're my boyfriend, aren't you?"

Canis looked back at her as he explained.

"Just hear me out. You could have me, your boyfriend, and a girlfriend to have fun with us. Eh?"

Yang took a few seconds to get into it. Once she realized what he was getting at, her face grew as red as a tomato.

"Dude. You're really saying that to me? Right now?"

Canis kept his smirk as he made a light jab.

"I'm not hearing a no…"

Yang grabbed one pillow and swung at his head, knocking him down to bed as Yang snorted at his compliment.

"You just really like to say the first thing that pops in your head, don't you?"

Canis lifted the pillow off of his head and gave her a grin.

"It's not impossible. You're pretty popular with everyone to pull it off."

Yang grinned at the thought before she sat on the ledge of her bed, her shadow overlooking a portrait of Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby with Canis in between the two girls, grinning widely.

"You're a real dork sometimes, you know that?"

"What can I say? I'm a polygamist."

---

A few minutes later, Yang and Canis were dressed back up and walked out of the room. Taiyang was on the couch as Zwei was laying on the floor. After a moment, the door opened with Yang and Canis walking into the room together.

"Hey, dad."

"Did Ruby come back yet?"

Taiyang answered them as he looked at them.

"Nope, not yet."

Yang couldn't help but dwell on it as she looked at the ticking clock.

"It's not like her to be gone for so long. That's weird."

Canis made a light grin as he added to it.

"Probably for the best. It would've been pretty awkward if she saw what we were doing."

Taiyang raised an eyebrow at that. He knew what they were talking about, and as much as he felt the need to ask him, he knew they wouldn't do that without any protection. He knew Yang too well for it, in fact.

"Rumor has it that she's secretly buying you a go-away present, Yang."

Yang put her hands on her hips and made a playful whine.

"Dad, why would you tell us that? I've been trying to play dumb."

"I like presents."

After a moment, he sighed to himself.

"It's gonna be a lot harder to go out as a family after you're gone."

Canis saw Zwei whimpering at his feet and knelt down to stroke him across the back.

"At least we know she won't be by herself. She'll be having me to tag along."

That said, Yang did have one concern.

"I hope Ruby will be okay while I'm gone. She tends to get caught up in her own little world sometimes, you know?"

All the same, Taiyang didn't seem so concerned.

"A little independence will do her good. I love that you guys support each other, but she can't rely on you for everything, you know? Like being on time, for instance."

Yang softly replied as Canis picked Zwei up by his stubby little arms and had him dance around as he panted excitedly.

"I know, I know. You're right, Dad."

Just then, Canis' scroll rang out, puzzling Zwei as his ears dropped down with a puzzled expression.

"Huh? Hold on."

Canis picked it up and put it on his ear.

"Hey, mom, what's up?"

Yang and Taiyang looked at him with curiosity as Canis made a friendly smile.

"Oh, you saw Ruby? Yeah, she's just doing some—"

Before he could continue, he paused for a second before a look of confusion went over him. Two more seconds later, he had a shocked expression.

"Wait, she's what?"

Canis growled under his breath before he replied.

"We'll be right there."

Canis ended the call right there with Yang and her father showing concern.

"What's going on, Cane?"

The only answer Canis could give was a determined look.

"We need to get to that Dust shop, now!"

---

And as it turned out, it was for good reason. At this moment, the shop was being approached by a man and his minions dressed in red tuxedos and red glasses. The ringleader had slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye while black eyeliner traced his visible left eye.

His main outfit was a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. Once inside, the elderly shopkeeper turned around to see him.

"Yes?"

Unfortunately, he found himself under gunpoint from his cane as he smoked a cigar.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?"

The people gasped in worry as they witnessed the event. In no time after that, they bolted out of the shop, screaming in panic. Upon hearing the commotion, Oscar peeked out of the corner to see the altercation himself.

"Please, just take my lien and leave…!"

The leader reassured him with a shush.

"Calm down. We're not here for your money."

He turned to his minions and gave them an order.

"Grab the dust."

On his command, the minions put tubes in the slots and began to suck them up. Oscar grew tense really quickly.

"This is not good. Ruby, we have to get—!"

Before he could tell her, however, he saw that she was still reading her magazine on the other side, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"'The first stage of a weapon's transformation should combine offensive and defensive strategies.' Yeah, totally!"

Oscar frowned at the scene and spoke to himself.

"You're not even listening, are you…?"

Unfortunately, one of the minions saw them up ahead and drew out a red sword.

"Hey, kids! Put your hands up where I can see them!"

Oscar put his hands up, forced to play along so he doesn't make a bigger ruckus than normal.

"And now we're trapped."

On the other hand, it did give Oscar an opportunity to get Ruby's attention. He gave her a nudge with his elbow, making her turn around.

"Yes?"

The man gave the boy a look of disbelief before he answered.

"Don't look at me. I just met her today."

The man gestured for Ruby to take off her headphones. Once she did, she showed a curious look.

"I said put your hands up, now!"

He held the red sword out in front of them. Ruby still had a dazed look as she asked him.

"Are you robbing me?"

"Yes!"

Ruby began to have a big grin on her face.

"Oh…"

Play RWBY Music: "This Will Be the Day"
​

Suddenly, a moment later, that same man was sent flying across the shop, crashing into the shelves as the leader took notice. Oscar sighed to himself as he got out a small black cane from his back which extended its end into a sword.

"So much for shopping…"

Another one of the mooks went after the pair, ready to fire.

"You little punks!"

Oscar held his cane out, holding his hand over her.

"This might get ugly. You better—"

Suddenly, before Oscar could say another word, Ruby coated herself in a red swirl, going after the minion and crashing him out of the window with red flower petals trailing behind her, taking Oscar by surprise as he noticed. And he wasn't the only one.

"Wow, a semblance. Is she a Beacon Academy student?"

No sooner had Ruby gone out the window, literally, than she drew out Crescent Rose and transformed it from a gun to a scythe. She turned back to the criminals and twirled her scythe above her before spinning it and stabbing the blade into the ground. As Oscar saw this, he was in utter awe, blinking his eyes before he took notice of the minions surrounding her and was reminded of what was going on. He readied his cane, rushing out in-between them to join Ruby. The leader looked unimpressed at the duo.

"Okay…"

After a long pause, he gave them a glance.

"Get them."

In no time, they aimed for Ruby first, only for her to use the handle of her scythe to lift herself, dodging his sword. Then, she flipped herself on it before kicking him squarely in the face!

Oscar took notice of the other minions going after them and jumped ahead, using his cane to strike at his sword, holding it back before he kicked at the other one coming up behind him. Then, he shifted his movement, moving away from the man before retracting the blade from his cane and stabbed at him with the blunt end, striking him down to the ground.

Meanwhile, Ruby fired a shot with Crescent Rose, making her spin around before sending one goon into the air with an uppercut slash, causing a red glow to circulate through him before landing on impact. Then came the heavy artillery.
Ruby used her semblance to bob and weave around the bullets, scaling on the walls to gain altitude. Then, she launched herself right at them, slicing off the gun fired at her. With the opponent defenseless, she slashed at him, hitting him in the back with the blunt end of her scythe before he crashed down to the floor beside the leader. Oscar and Ruby huddled together as the boss looked down at his beaten down cronie.

End RWBY Music: "This Will Be the Day"​

"You were worth every cent. Truly, you were…"

He dropped the cigar he was smoking and walked towards them, stabbing the end of his cane on the cigar and putting out the smoke.

"Well, Red, Green, I think we can safely say it's been an eventful evening. And as much as I'd like to stick around…"

The leader picked up his cane and pointed it at Oscar, the reticle popping up from the bottom to aim.

"I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Oscar had only one thing to say about it.

"Oh, crapbaskets."

The boss didn't hesitate to fire at him, only for Ruby to get in the way and block it with the base of her scythe. But instead of exploding, they were blinded by a puff of smokescreen that came with it. By the time it went away, Ruby and Oscar noticed that the boss was gone. The duo looked around for a moment, seeing where he had gone. Ruby gasped when she saw the boss using his cane to hoist himself up into the ceiling. Ruby turned to Oscar and asked.

"You okay if I go after him?"

"Not like I could stop you."

With that, Ruby turned into a swirl of red flowers and headed after the boss. All the while, Oscar sighed while he looked on.

"Always in your little world, aren't you?"

Oscar looked around at the street and saw a Faunus couple up ahead. One of them had long red hair and wolf ears, wearing a plain blue dress. And her husband had black hair with blue eyes while his wife had green eyes, along with a dark blue suit and black tie. They seemed a bit rattled. The boy sighed to himself as he looked upon them. He figured while he was at it, he might as well tend to them.

"Hey! Are you two okay?"

The wife spoke up with a trembling voice.

"Yes, we're fine! But what about Ruby?"

Oscar was perplexed.

"You know her?"

The father answered with a nod.

"She's a family friend of ours. Is she alright?"

Oscar pointed at the ceiling above.

"Yeah. She just went after the boss up there."

---

At the same time, Zwei was sniffing out for Ruby. After he picked something up with his nose, Zwei barked and ran out. Taiyang knew what it meant.

"She's close!"

Yang and Canis followed up from behind him.

"What in the world did you do this time, Ruby?"

"Let's ask her ourselves once she's safe!"

---

Up on the ceiling, the boss was dashing like there's no tomorrow. Unfortunately, he heard Ruby's voice behind him just when he thought he was off scott-free.

"Hey! You won't get away!"

The boss turned around to see Ruby holding her scythe out.

"You thief."

The boss only responded with a grin towards her.

"You sure are a persistent brat."

Play MHA Music: "Gigantomachia"​

Suddenly, an airship went up from behind him, blinding Ruby with its searchlights. This afforded him enough time to hop on board. Once inside, he held out a small cartridge of red dust.

"End of the line, Red!"

The cartridge landed in front of them before the boss opened fire and hit it, making Ruby gasp as the bullet struck, triggering a massive explosion.

---

Below on street level, everyone saw the explosion, causing the people to go into a panic.

"What was that?!"

Yang and Canis grew worried for a moment, Yang most of all, as they saw the dust of the explosion ascending to the sky. But when the dust scattered, they saw a purple glyph.

"What the—? Is that…?"

---

At the ceiling, Ruby was mystified by the purple glyph hovering in front of her. It had a symbol of a pentagram in the center. The boss was none too pleased with the interference. He knew very well what it meant to see it. Ruby heard footsteps walking from behind her and turned to see a surprise guest: a Huntress.

She was a middle-aged woman that had very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses. She had dangling teal earrings that matched the hanging pendant on her collar.

She also wore a white long-sleeved, pleated top that had a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flared in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings.

For her feet, she wore black boots with bronze heels and a cape that was purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape is stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads appeared an emblem of a tiara. She was holding a crop in her hand, which held the glyph in place. After a few motions, the glyph disappeared, and Ruby looked at her with awe on her face.

The Huntress made another motion, summoning another glyph before firing purple bullets of light at the airship. The boss was knocked back, nearly falling to the floor before he balanced himself and rushed to the pilot.

She had long hair that was half pink and half brown. Her outfit was a white cropped wide, broad tailed jacket with a pink interior, collar, a single pink button and large pink cuffs. She also wore brown pants with a dark belt that had a gray buckle and an additional narrow belt under it.

Under her jacket was a brown overbust corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of black beaded necklaces, which hung haphazardly around her neck. She also had black and white spat styled under the knee boots alongside black gloves.

"We've got a Huntress! Let's beat it, Neo!"

Neo nodded to him before she tried to drive away. The Huntress wasn't done with them, however. She fired another salvo of purple light at them through her glyph, only for its weapons to counter them. Despite it, however, one of them got it in the underbelly, making it wobble. That was when someone else stepped up. All that could be seen of this assailant were her black glass slippers and piercing yellow eyes that glowed in the dark.

The Huntress glared at her before the assailant clenched onto a vial of red dust before throwing it at her, forcing the Huntress to block it with her glyph. Upon impact, the dust fell to the floor. The assailant used this as an opportunity, flinging her arm upward before she saw an unearthly orange glow below. She quickly backflipped out of the way before the airship closed its hangar doors, escaping into the night as the crowd looked on.

End MHA Music: "Gigantomachia"​

Seconds later, Ruby looked at her, still in awe over her abilities. She grew into a flustered state when she turned over to her.
"Oh, hi! You're a real Huntress! Can I have your autograph?!"

---

The answer was no. Hours later, Ruby was taken into custody. She was now in the interrogation room getting an earful, joined by Oscar. He tried to cover for her, but ended up getting under arrest himself.

"I hope you realized that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, Young lady. You put yourselves and others in great danger."

Ruby tried to counter, only for the Huntress to place her crop right next to her face, making Ruby flinch.

"And on top of that, was your aura even strong enough to stop any of the attacks?"

Ruby shrunk as she admitted to her.

"I don't… really know…"

The Huntress glared at Oscar next, making him flinch next.

"And you! Neither of you were supposed to be out close to past curfew! What would your mother have thought?!"
Oscar replied anxiously.

"Actually, it's my Aunt. She's the one who taught me most of what I know."

In his attempt to explain, the Huntress already had a theory about it.

"So you decided to show off?"

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Police Headquarters of Vale, the doors opened from outside. The entire force turned around to see someone very surprising from their point of view. He was a middle-aged man with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features, along with black eyebrows.

He wore shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consisted of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wore black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. Everyone knew who he was and saluted him.

"Oh, sir! Professor Ozpin!"

"Just stopping by for a quick visit."

And he didn't come alone. He was also accompanied by a middle-aged woman with tan skin and black hair tied up in a ponytail bun with blue eyes. She was wearing a blue blouse with a black skirt and white cuffs at the end of her sleeves, as well as black high heels. As she and Ozpin walked inside, Yang, Canis, and Taiyang were waiting, sitting on the chairs at the waiting room alongside the Faunus couple. Canis sighed heavily, already fearing the worst for Ruby as he stroked Zwei's fur.

"Man. This is a total clusterfuck."

The Faunus mother replied sharply.

"Canis! Watch your language."

Canis reeled back from her initial sharp outburst from hearing his name.

"Sorry, mom. Dad. I just hope she doesn't get expelled from Signal for trying to do some good around here. That just doesn't seem fair."

Just then, Ozpin's voice rang out.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

The group all turned to see Ozpin and his companion, mainly looking at the professor himself.

"Good evening, Tai."

When Taiyang noticed him and Dora, he became especially nervous.

"Uh…"

Dora poked fun at him as she smirked.

"Should've figured it was your kid acting cavalier at a dust shop. Like mother, like daughter after all."

Canis blinked his eyes at the look of her.

"Uh, do you two know each other?"

Dora looked at the young Faunus and grinned.

"More than you can imagine."

Before anyone could make the introductions, Ozpin spoke up.

"Don't worry. I merely wish to speak with your daughter for a little while."

Canis' mother and father took notice of the woman with Ozpin. The latter of the couple was genuinely curious.

"And what about her?"

"Oh, she's here to speak with her nephew, too."

The mother gave her a soft smile.

"Your nephew was very brave to protect Ruby. It really means a lot to us."

The woman gently smiled at them.

"Thank you."

With that, Ozpin and Oscar's aunt continued down the hall as Yang and Canis looked on.

"Uh, is that who I think it is, Cane?"

"Maybe. Is it?"

Taiyang nodded to confirm their thoughts.

"Yep. The girl is Dora. The leader of Team DLAS (Dallas) back in the day. And the big guy? That's the head of Beacon Academy."

---

Inside the interrogation room, the Huntress finished up the interrogation.

"If it were up to me, I'd send you home. With a pat on the back…"

Ruby's eyes lit up as Oscar sighed in relief. However, her sharp tone returned to prove otherwise.

"…and a slap on the wrist!"

She slammed her crop down on the table, making the duo flinch.

"But… there's someone here who'd like to speak with you."

On cue, the door opened behind her, and she stepped aside. To Ruby's surprise, and Oscar's horror, they were met with his aunt, who stepped forward first. Before he had any time to react, she gave him a big hug.

"You dumb kid! Where have you been?! I thought something had happened to you!"

Oscar muttered with shame as he spoke softly.

"I know. I'm sorry for making you worry…"

Ruby smiled at the tender moment. It was nice to know she cared about him. While she hugged her nephew, Ozpin stepped in, holding a plate of cookies.

"You'll have to excuse Dora. Once she sets her mind on something, there's simply no help for it."

Ozpin set the cookies on the table and sat down, holding a scroll in his hand. As he did, Oscar had a breathless look on his face. He looked like he was about to burst. Through it all, Ruby was really confused.

"Ms. Ruby Rose, and young Oscar Pine, no less."

Ozpin leaned closer to Ruby, focusing on her eyes' color.

"You… have silver eyes. Just like your mother."

Ruby blinked them in surprise, becoming dumbfounded by it.

"Wait. How did you—?"

Before she could continue, Ozpin gestured to the footage in the scroll.

"So, where did you two learn to do this?"

Ruby responded first as Oscar rubbed the back of his head, beginning to sweat in extreme nervousness.

"S-Signal Academy."

Ozpin looked at the young boy and posed him the same question. Rather, he was about to, but he answered.

"I already told her I learned them from… my Aunt."

Oscar glanced over to his Aunt, who crossed her arms his way. She supposed she couldn't get too mad at him, though. He was just trying to defend himself. Ozpin and the Huntress looked at her in surprise, Dora giving them a nod.

"That is true."

Getting back on the topic, Ozpin turned his attention back to Ruby.

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see."

Ozpin picked up a cookie and held one out to Ruby. Tempted to take it, she gently took a sniff at it before she took it from his hand and ate it. Gripped with the flavor, Ruby began to shove several more of them into her mouth! Oscar was surprised by her energy before she stopped and looked at him, asking the boy with her mouth full.

"Want one?"

Oscar shook his head as he answered.

"No thanks…"

Ozpin spoke again as he replied.

"It's just that I've only seen one scythe-wielder of that skill level before. A dusty old crow."

Ruby was still eating one of the cookies when she piped up.

"Oh, yeah. That's my uncle alright…"

Realizing her mouth was a bit too full, she swallowed her food and took a breath.

"Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like…"

Ruby swung her arms around her, nearly hitting Oscar as she did her best kung fu noises.

"So I've noticed. And what is an adorable little girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Ruby paused for a moment before she answered.

"Well… I wanted to be a Huntress. Just like my mom was."

Ozpin noticed how tight Ruby was holding onto her hands. She could tell it was something she'd do anything for.

"I see."

The headmaster leaned in close to her face as he spoke to her again.

"Do you two know who I am, Ruby, Oscar?"

Ruby replied a bit perplexed before Oscar did so more confidently. In fact, he seemed a bit excited.

"I think…"

"You're Professor Ozpin. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy, right?"

Ozpin nodded to him.

"Nice to meet you. Now, I have one more question for you both. Ms. Rose, Mr. Pine, do you want to attend my school early?"

Ruby and Oscar both gasped in utter surprise as they stared at him.

"What?!"

---

Moments later, Ruby had told Yang and Canis the news. Yang was the most excited.

"You're coming with us?! I can't believe it!

Yang hugged Ruby as she showed her elation rather quickly. She giggled with joy as Canis checked with her.

"He really said that?"

"Uh, yeah. Professor Ozpin said he'd let me skip ahead to get in."

Yang finished her hug and looked at her little sister with pride.

"Amazing! Now we get to go to Beacon together! All three of us!"

Of course, not everyone was overly happy with it like Yang was. If anything, Aunt Dora seemed quite anxious.

"Are you sure this isn't a little too fast for you?"

Oscar rubbed the back of his head as he tried to comprehend it all.

"Maybe? I mean, I've always wanted to go to Beacon anyway."

Aunt Dora showed Oscar a sad smile as she admitted.

"I know. I just didn't think it would happen today. That's all."

For a moment, she paused, allowing only a moment to collect herself before she asked her nephew something important. It was a big step to be certain. She had to be sure she was ready for it.

"Oscar. Are you really sure that you want to do this?"

Oscar didn't answer straight away. He simply looked over to see Ruby being hugged by both Yang and Canis.

"I wanted to be a Huntress. Just like my mom was."

He smiled gently at the sight before he looked back up to his Aunt.

"Yeah. I think I am."

Aunt Dora smiled gently at Oscar, kneeling down to his level before she placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle smile.

"Then I'll support you. Every step of the way."

Outside the police station, Ozpin was talking with Tai about Ruby.

"She's gifted, Taiyang. She reminds me of you, and the rest of Team STRQ."

Taiyang smiled fondly, closing his eyes at the glory days. Way back when, he was part of Team STRQ alongside Summer and Qrow. They had their ups and downs, but they were the most memorable of Beacon Academy. There was one notable difference with him and Ruby, though, first and foremost.

"She's still just a child, though."

"All birds eventually leave the nest."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just never thought they'd leave together."

---

Leaving was the easy part. But where to go from there would be another story entirely. Blake figured that out quickly when she left the White Fang. Ever since, she was searching for a new path, one that didn't destroy anyone but helped others instead. What Adam had in mind was the complete opposite. And she wanted nothing to do with that or with him.

For days, Blake was on the run, isolating herself from everybody, and keeping herself away from the Grimm she happened to come across. That included a pack of Ursai just outside a barn. She used Gambol Shroud, swinging from tree to tree in the shadows before landing on the roof.

Once inside, she set her bag down and tried to ruffle inside it to eat. Just then, she heard her scroll ringing from the bag. Blake picked it up and took a look. After opening up the notifications, Blake gasped softly, staring at the words with hope in her eyes. She even started to cry.

"Notice of Acceptance… now I… Now I can take a different path"

---

Weiss was on her own path, too. And the only ones who supported her were Klein and Willow. They were all out in the courtyard where Weiss used to train with Winter.

"Your remaining luggage has been sent to Beacon, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss felt grateful and relayed it to her butler.

"Thank you, Klein. I'd better go."

Willow became rather concerned. As much as she knew Weiss needed to do this, she couldn't help but feel as though her siblings would be left out.

"But wouldn't you want to wait a little longer?"

Weiss looked back at the mansion, having a few good ideas why it'd only waste her time.

"Looks like Winter was too busy to come. And of course, Father and Whitley couldn't be bothered to see me off."

Klein sighed sadly as Willow looked down somberly.

"Apparently not…"

Weiss peeked up with a smile despite this fact.

"But… I'm really happy that you two came by to say goodbye to me, mother. Even if you do drink more often than you should."

Willow became bashful at this comment before Weiss continued.

"Thank you so much for everything."

Klein bore a confident grin as he encouraged her.

"Please do take care of yourself, Ms. Schnee. I'm certain you'll make a fine Huntress."

Willow stepped up next and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"That's right. Remember who you are and carry on the legacy of my father. We believe in you."

Weiss smiled at the two of them before she went off, pushing her luggage down the crossroad by herself. She's more determined than ever to set things right. And she'll do it as a Huntress.

---

Meanwhile, on Patch, Ruby set a bouquet of roses on top of Summer's gravestone. Canis and Yang were right behind her, both of them holding each other's hands. They were waiting for her to pay her respects one more time with Summer before they had to get going.

"It's time for me to go, mom. I hope you'll be okay without me."

---

A short time later, everyone was walking for the airship. Everyone attending Beacon was holding weapons, bags, and/or bags for their weapons. Amidst the crowd walked Blake, who sighed in relief.

"I made it."

Taking a few steps in, she looked out the window and saw her reflection, glancing at the black bow on top of her head. She smiled at herself, more than ready to embrace her new path. Just on the other side was Weiss, who pushed her luggage the whole way inside.

"Pushing my own luggage. I wondered what that felt like."

Weiss turned to her own reflection and grinned, happy to be able to choose for herself her own path, one that was not decided by anyone else.

At the same time, Ruby, Yang, and Canis were at the bridge with Taiyang and Canis' parents seeing them off.
"Thanks, dad! For you, and mom, and Uncle Qrow, I'll try my hardest. Not much time for friends, though."
Canis put his arm around Ruby and went close to her, making a grin with a flash of his teeth.

"Oh, no? What about that boy who was with you last night?"

Ruby blushed bashfully once she saw the grin on his face.

"Oh! Maybe, I don't know… But we weren't that close to begin with. Anyway, I can't wait! I'll be as good as the best Huntsmen and Huntresses ever! I've dreamed about this my whole life!"

Taiyang laughed at her cheerful spirit before he spoke with pride.

"That's the spirit!"

The mother spoke to the trio as she looked upon them.

"But remember, you don't have to overdo it to be the best."

The father couldn't agree more, though it was mostly for his son's case, knowing how ambitious he was back in the day.

"That means you, too, Canis."

Canis smirked at Yang as he made a comeback.

"Maybe try telling that to the woman who kept wrestling with me."

Yang laughed as she made a slight pinch on her shoulder.

"Come on! You know you love the guns, Cane."

As Canis laughed sheepishly with a blush.

"Yang, not in front of my parents…!"

Taiyang turned his attention back to Ruby, holding a smile on his face.

"I'm your dad, and I'm proud of you just the way you are. You got it?"

Yang held her arm up proudly.

"We know, dad. We should really get going."

Taiyang sighed in defeat.

"Okay… write to us, yeah?"

Ruby smiled and nodded to her father as Yang added to her nod.

"See you later."

With that, the trio went inside the airship just as Oscar and Dora arrived. The Aunt and Nephew were walking with Oscar hauling his own baggage. There wasn't much to pack for him to begin with, so it was only a lime green suitcase. Once they got close, Dora spoke up to him.

"Remember to brush your teeth after meals. And after that, make sure you shower."

Oscar mumbled at her advice.

"Come on, you're supposed to be my aunt, not my mom."

Dora grinned at him with a laugh before she stopped and looked down at her boy.

"Oscar… I really am going to miss you. It just won't be the same without you at home."

Oscar looked up to Dora and smiled.

"Relax, Aunt Dora. I was trained by the leader of Team DLAS. I think I'll get by."

Dora smiled at the young man before she hugged him.

"I know. Your parents would be so proud of you…"

Oscar hugged Dora back, starting to have tears in his eyes. All he'd ever known was that they were taken away tragically when he was just a kid. For what reason, he can't begin to make sense of, and neither could Dora. But she tried to do right by him for 17 years. And now, she's hoping all that effort will pay off. Both of them were…

Minutes later, the airship took off with Zwei barking at the airplane, as if trying to say goodbye while Dora and Taiyang looked on. After a moment of silence, Dora piped up whilst wiping the tears from her eyes.

"The hardest part of this is watching them leave…"

Taiyang spoke softly to her.

"Yeah. I know the feeling…"

 

[Akuma-Heika]

"Your aura can only Shiro's you from one or two direct attacks at most.

Click to shrink...

I know what someone was reading as they wrote this

 

[Fellgar]

Not bad. Not sure where your planning on taking this just yet, but I will figure out more with the next chapter.