Chapter 9: The Son of theWaves

You lazily walk around, hands behind your head, and whistling a little tune you're making up on the spot. Ruby is beside you, happily looking around at the environment. It's your first time in the forest of Forever Fall, and it's not disappointing. The whole way over here Ruby and Weiss were explaining its beauty, though in two very different ways. Ruby was more imaginative and visual, where Weiss' was far more scientific and factual. Still, you listened to both of their explanations. That's one thing you like about your new friends. They all have a different way of seeing things, and each of them is interesting.

Weiss and Ruby are on either side of you, both admiring the view and listening to Ms. Goodwitch.

"Professor Peach requires some samples of various plants in this area. You all have different flora to collect, so partner up with those who have the same plant as you and go. We'll meet back in an hour," Glynda explains.

Everyone starts partnering up and heading out. You, coincidently, are partnered with Ruby and Weiss. Weiss has a small map on her scroll, and is looking at different locations of where your plant could be. You remember it's usually located by the water, so you just have to find some sort of stream or riverbed.

"What was that tune you were whistling?" Ruby asks, cocking her head to the side.

"Oh, nothing in particular. I think my dad whistled it a lot and it got stuck in my head. I even made lyrics to it in my spare time, but I'm no singer. Still, it's fun just to whistle it."

"Oh... Well you shou-"

"I found where we have to go," Weiss interrupts, walking in between you and Ruby.

"Well, no time waiting around. Let's go. We can talk on the way," you declare, heading off in a random direction.

"It's the other way," Weiss sighs.

You spin around and start walking in the opposite direction.

"I knew that. Just making sure you did," you say, attempting to cover yourself.

Ruby giggles while Weiss rolls her eyes, but still smiles. The three of you begin walking until someone grabs your arm. You turn to see who it is, and it's none other than Yang. She seems a little embarrassed as she looks at you, and you know exactly why.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You're not completely asleep, but you're not completely awake either. You know you've slept a bit, but the constant sound of moaning is keeping you up. You lazily open one eye and look over at Yang, who's rolling around on your bed so much that one would think she's on a log. Yang suddenly rolls right off the bed, slamming on the ground with a loud 'thud'. You hastily, but shakily, rush to her side. You roll her onto her shoulder and very lightly shake her.

"Yang... are you alright?" You whisper in a pleasant tone.

"Mmmm," she moans.

You relax, knowing that she's fine. You've dealt with drunks before, and you were never a huge drinker yourself anyway. You much preferred watching everyone else be stupid, but it came with the price of having to take care of all those people afterwards. Still, better you than someone else. At least you know you'll take good care of them. You don't know where Yang could have ended up if it wasn't for you and Blake. Maybe that club owner would have taken her. He did seem very happy to see Yang in such a weakened state.

You stand up and begin to return to your wall. You don't really want to move Yang in her state, since she's peacefully sleeping and has the potential to-

"Huahhhgla. Ack, ca."

You let out an exhausted sigh and turn around to see Yang, puking all over your floor. She's still coughing, and it seems she might get some on her hair. You lazily waltz over to her and move her hair behind her ears. You notice Yang's eyes are somewhat open, meaning she's slightly awake.

"Hey, how about we move this to the bathroom?" You gently recommend.

"No... I'm ready anywhere," she mumbles.

You lift her upper body off the ground and let her lean on you.

"You're what? What does that mean?"

Yang then throws all her body weight on you, causing you to fall over and for her to be on top of you. Her breath absolutely reeks of vomit, which makes you a little queasy. Yang suddenly puckers her lips and attempts to kiss you. You place your hand on her forehead to keep her away.

"Yang! Stop it! You're not thinking clearly."

"Come on, it's just the floor," she whines, still trying to get to you.

You struggle with her for a bit. You don't want to be too forceful, as she's still drunk and has the potential to throw-up, but if you're too gentle then she's going to make contact. You make a quick decision to roll over, so you're on top of her. She becomes a little disoriented, but smiles when she sees you.

"I suppose this might work too," she slurs.

You get off her and lift her up again, letting her lean on your shoulder.

"How about we get somewhere more comfortable?" You suggest, which she happily agrees to.

You bring her to the bathroom and set her down beside your toilet.

"There you go, now just... puke in there, please."

"But I thought..." Yang stops talking and starts mumbling before throwing up into your toilet.

"Yeah, that's why. Stay here, I have to clean this up," you moan, grabbing some paper towels and wetting them.

It's not conventional, but you don't really have a lot of options at the moment. So, you start scrubbing away, tossing any used paper towels in the garbage basket. Once you clean up all the puke and it at least looks presentable, you stop. The smell is still there, but you can't really do anything about that now. You head back to the washroom to check up on Yang. Once you enter you see her hugging the toilet bowl. She glances up at you then softly smiles. You take a seat beside her and start gently rubbing her back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she lets out. "I think I'm better. Thank you."

You smile, patting her back.

"Do you want to just sleep in here? I can grab you a pillow and blankets?"

She subtly shakes her head.

"No, it's okay. I just need you here in case something happens."

You nod, accepting her logic. Yang places her head on the rim of the toilet bowl. You lean towards her and make sure none of her hair gets in your toilet. She smiles and mouths 'thank you'. It's good that she's back to normal and not trying to kiss you anymore. It's difficult to resist when a beautiful woman is literally throwing herself at you, but you know she's drunk and doesn't actually mean it. It would be a mistake, and you don't want to ruin anything over some drunken fling.

You keep rubbing her back until she falls asleep. She looks really peaceful, and isn't making any weird noises. She's definitely feeling better, which puts your mind at ease. You lean against the wall and attempt to fall asleep, but keep your arm on Yang for support.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time you woke up, she was gone. Blake explained that she dropped by and found you two in the bathroom. She took her back to her dorm before anyone could know what happened. You haven't talked to Yang since then, so you suppose this is going to be about last night.

"Can I talk to him alone for a second?" Yang requests.

Weiss and Ruby shrug before slowly walking away. Yang breathes in deep to prepare herself.

"I'm sorry about last night (Y/N). It was a lot of fun, until your room. Sorry about the smell, and... well..." She gets a little red at this point.

"Oh, don't worry about it Yang. I mean, how many guys can say Yang threw herself at them," you chuckle.

Yang snickers a bit, but not too much. You place your hand on her shoulder to get her full attention.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm happy I could help. We'll do it again sometime," you smile, patting her shoulder. "But next time you can take care of me, huh?"

Yang genuinely smiles.

"Yeah, then we'll see if I can resist you," she jokes.

"I don't know, I'm pretty charming. Heck, if you weren't drunk, I might have accepted it," you wink.

"Oh I'm sure you would," Yang laughs, following along.

You turn and start to return to your group. You let out a single wave as your exit.

"You'll have to get rid of that smell, by the way. Then we'll be even," you shout.

Yang rolls her eyes but keeps smiling. She's happy this went over smoothly, but she almost knew it would. You didn't seem like the kind of guy to hold a grudge over that. Her mind thinks back to what you said about going along with her kissing you. She ponders it for a moment, but quickly brushes it off. She knows you were joking, even if you didn't intend it to be a joke. She has a feeling. A feeling that tells her-

"Are you coming?" Blake questions, interrupting Yang's train of thought.

"Oh, yeah. Let's go Blakey."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You regroup with Weiss and Ruby, which wasn't hard at all. They weren't that far away from you since they were walking so slowly.

"So, what was that about?" Weiss inquires.

"Oh, nothing. Just about last night," you respond, placing your hand behind your head.

"Oooh, were you and Yang together last night?" Ruby asks.

You nod.

"Blake too. It was a good time."

"So that's where they went. Why do I think you all got into some trouble," Weiss predicts, her voice ever so hurtful.

You place one hand on your chest in an overdramatic fashion.

"How could you ever think that of me, Weiss? I'm torn that you'd think so little of us."

Ruby laughs at your joke.

"Yes, how could I ever think that," Weiss comments.

You pat Weiss' back, laughing.

"You know me too well, Weiss."

"What an honour," she sarcastically remarks.

"See, you can be funny too!" You enthusiastically say.

Unknownst to you, Glynda is following your group. Of course she is to monitor all groups of students at her own discretion, but she's oddly drawn to your group – to you. It's unprofessional of her, but, then again, she was extremely unprofessional a couple nights ago. She even kissed you, albeit it was only on the forehead. Still, she never knew you could bring that out in her. Ever since that night, she's had a strange attraction to you. Not a romantic or sexual one, but almost a protective one. Perhaps a maternal one. But you're not even her son, she knows this. But part of her wants you to be, and part of her doesn't. It's conflicting, and all she can really do is watch you from afar. Sometimes, even when they were dating, she felt the same way with Jet.

Glynda shakes her head in an attempt to snap out of her delusions. She's been having so many memories of her and Jet lately because of you. From when she first met him, to when he started to woo her, and even their first date. Even now as you joke and bicker with Ruby and Weiss you remind her of him. The stance, the laugh, even the fighting style. Though she got her own satisfaction out of teasing you yesterday when she set up the match between you and Team RWBY, it completely backfired on her. It circles back to Jet being so far ahead of her, as he would take on similar challenges with other students and even Grimm.

"Such a show off," she whispers, smiling at the memory.

She composes herself and watches you for another moment until you, Ruby, and Weiss are out of view. She places her hands behind her back and walks off, looking for another group.

"So, if my map is correct then the stream shouldn't be too far ahead," Weiss says.

You nod.

"Alright. So, what does this professor look like, anyway? She wasn't there this morning."

Ruby shrugs.

"None of us have actually seen her. Nora thinks she doesn't exist, and I'm starting to believe her," Ruby whispers the last part to you as if she's being watched.

"As if," Weiss interjects. "She's possibly just very busy doing some sort of experiments with all the materials we've gathered."

"Is there any reason to think that?" You ask, ducking under a low branch.

"Well it's a better guess than she doesn't exist."

"Maybe she's in on it," Ruby whispers in your ear.

You start laughing while Weiss goes red.

"Oh be quiet, you dunce!"

Ruby starts laughing with you, which just makes Weiss even more irritated.

"Oh come on, lighten up a bit, Weiss. We're just playing. Come on, if we finish this up quick then can we make fun of you?" You compromise.

"Yes. Wait, no!"

"Ah, you said yes!" You point your finger towards her. "Alright Little Red, let's find this plant."

Weiss face palms at your immaturity.

You and Ruby run through some of the bushes ahead and find a small stream. The water is crystal clear and sparkling due to the sun. It's honestly a great sight, and made even better with Forever Fall's beauty. You walk up to the stream and kneel down beside it. You dip your hand in, feeling the moderately cold water flood by you. You cup your hand and grab some of the water to then drink. It's refreshing.

Ruby's watching you while Weiss finally catches up. She surveys the area a bit then looks back at her scroll, searching through the pictures until she finds exactly what the plant looks like. Once she's got it clear in her mind, she starts scouting the area. She takes a few steps down the stream, then looks back. You and Ruby are hovered over the water, laughing and making jokes. Weiss huffs, agitated that she's doing all the work. She stomps her way to you and taps your shoulder, which gets your and Ruby's attention.

"Come on, we haven't got all day. Ruby, you go down the stream while (Y/N) and I will go up. Once either of us has the plant then we'll notify the other via our scrolls."

Ruby pouts.

"Aww, why do I have to be alone?"

"Because you and (Y/N) won't get anything done, and I don't trust you on your own," she finishes, vigorously pointing at you.

"You point a lot, you know that? Well, whatever. Might as well get to it. Happy hunting, Little Red," you wave as you begin walking away.

Weiss soon follows you, leaving Ruby alone. She quickly spins around and starts searching for the plant.

She quickly gasps, stiffening up at a realization.

"I don't know what the plant looks like."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You and Weiss stroll down the stream, keeping an eye out for the target. It's been silent for now, and you don't like it. Weiss has been giving you odd looks lately. It didn't start until that night with Glynda.

Did she see Glynda and I together? No, nobody was around. So, what could it be? Perhaps my... my scar? No... this started after that.

Weiss notices you're in deep thought. She finds you do that a lot when nobody is talking to you. She sighs, not really liking the silence that's surrounding you two. She tries to think up something to say, but everything she wants to ask relates back to that scar on your back. It's unfair to think about, since you've dropped her scar entirely. You've been nothing but friendly too her, albeit sassy too. But her mind thirsts for knowledge, and she wants to know what happened to you. She even has Yang curious now, and had hoped she'd get some answers out of you about it.

No, she's being too harsh. You've done nothing that deserves scorn from Weiss, and yet she's harder on you than anyone else, save Jaune.

"So, what did you and Yang do last night?" Weiss inquires, snapping you out of your trance.

You look to her, process the question, and shrug.

"Oh, you know, Yang stuff."

"Did you get into a fight?" She flatly predicts.

You turn to her in amazement.

"How did you know?" You exclaim.

"Yang stuff tends to involve violence."

You burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I suppose. But I'm not at liberty to say what happened last night. You'll have to talk to Yang yourself."

Weiss shakes her head.

"You didn't do anything indecent to her, did you?" She accuses.

"What!? No, no, no, nothing like that!" You defend. "We just went to a club with Blake!"

"A club? Why didn't you invite me?"

Once again, Weiss' words cause you to laugh.

"Y-You? A club? Hahaha, that's a good one."

"Hey! I can be fun too, you know! I just have to be the responsible one all the time!"

"Oh yeah?" You raise your brow, smiling smugly.

"Yeah!"

"Okay Weiss. This weekend we'll go out on the town and you can show me how 'fun' you are," you plan.

"Deal. I'll blow you away with my entertainment!" She declares with conviction.

You throw your hands in your pocket and smile.

"Alright, it's a date. Pick you up at six?" You wink.

Weiss crosses her arms and looks away.

"Hmph, you wish I was your date," she smirks.

You swoop in beside her, placing your hands behind your back and start acting more childish.

"I do indeed, Weiss. Would you be my date this weekend?"

Weiss shakes her head and reluctantly smiles.

"Shut up, you dunce."

You laugh in victory. You look across the stream as you exhale and notice the plant. You nudge Weiss and point towards the plant.

"Hey, isn't that what we're looking for?"

Weiss follows your hand and sees the plant.

"That's it. Alright, go get it," Weiss commands.

"What? Me? Why? Oh, fine," you pout, letting your shoulders sag.

You jump to the other side of the river and reach for the plant. It's completely green with some white dots along the roots. There's a red flower on the very top with a blue middle. You can't remember exactly what this plant is and what it does, but all you know is you need it.

"Wait!" Weiss shouts, hopping over the river.

"What?" You gripe, retracting your hand.

"You dunce, don't you pay attention? You can't just remove the flower willy nilly."

"Willy... nilly?" You doubtfully repeat.

Weiss rolls her eyes.

"Let me do it. Step back," she says moving in front of you.

You throw your arms in the air.

"If you knew I was going to do it wrong then why send me over here?" You shout.

"You're right. I'll remember to have zero faith in you from now on," she coyly remarks.

Your face falls flat and your shoulders slouch. She got you fair and square.

Weiss cups water in both hands and holds it around the plant.

"Alright, grab it."

You kneel beside her and quickly rip out the flower. Weiss moves her hands under yours, letting the roots situate in the water. Weiss sighs in relief.

"Perfect. Now we have to get this to my pack. There's a containment unit in there."

"So I have to hold this thing until then?"

Weiss nods.

"If it doesn't have any water to absorb, then it could release extremely deadly gas. Not even our aura could protect us from it."

"Whoa, seriously?" You shout in surprise.

"You really didn't pay attention, do you? Come on, let's go. I'll let Ruby know we've found it," Weiss states, pulling out her scroll.

You and Weiss start walking back to the meeting point, you being insurmountably careful not to drop the plant.

"So, what was this called again? The... terra..."

"The Terratorn flower, yes. Hurry, we're almost there. I don't want you getting hit by the gas."

Finally you and Weiss make it back. Weiss pulls out a small tube from her back pack and holds it towards you.

"Put it in here, quick."

You move your hands over the opening and hold it there for a moment. Weiss watches you and starts to get a bit annoyed that you're taking too long.

"Drop it!"

"This is a careful procedure Weiss! It takes time, and patience!"

Suddenly the plant and water hover out of your hands. You wrap your hand around Weiss' hip and leap away from the plant.

"Hey!" She shrieks.

You land a few feet away from the plant, but... it's still hovering.

"No need to worry students, I can put your plant away. How noble of you to grab Weiss in the face of danger," Glynda compliments, waving her crop towards the tube.

Weiss breaks free of your grip, turning away from you so you can't see her blush. She collects herself and notices that the plant and water are moving towards her. She extends her hand and allows the flora to gently enter the tube. She closes it and places it in her bag.

"Well, you know, it's natural to save such a beautiful woman," you smirk, leaning closer to Weiss.

"Oh please, you aren't getting out of this with flattery," Weiss scolds.

You shrug in a carefree manner.

"I tried."

You look around, seeing everyone starting to come back with their plants. However, you notice Ruby isn't among them.

"Hey, you messaged Little Red, right?" You pose to Weiss.

She nods.

"I did, but I don't see her. Almost everyone else is here too."

Hm... She's the fastest of us all. She should be here first...

"I'll go look for her," you volunteer, walking away.

"Hey! Do you even know where you're going?"

You shrug, still walking away.

"Nope, but I'm sure I can find her. I'm lucky like that."

You leave the group and retrace your steps. It's not easy, since the forest doesn't vary at all. But at least you know it's along the stream, and which way to go. She has to be near a stream, unless something happened to her. But she can take of herself, so Grimm aren't that much of a worry. But Weiss said about that plant... that's what's got you a little worried.

You make it to the stream and look both ways.

No sign of her here. Must be farther down.

You turn and begin walking down the stream, keeping your eyes open for a red hood.

Of course Little Red gets lost in a place that's mostly red. She'd be a piece of cake to find anywhere else, but nooo.

After about five minutes of seeing red dancing through the air and the sound of crunching, you see something lying on the ground. Ruby is facing you, eyes closed, breathing slow, with a plant in her hand. Your eyes widen, scared at the possibilities. You kick off one foot and start sprinting towards her but stop after a few steps.

"No... Weiss said the gas would knock anyone out. If I get to close, I would be the same," you recollect.

You can see faint hints of a gold mist around her. It's no doubt the gas Weiss spoke of. So, you can't get close to her, which means she has to come to you. You don't have much time to think. She's dying as you stand there, coming up with something to do. Finally, you make a decision. You grab the hilt of your blade and release it to the world, then quickly slash your hand allowing the blood to flow. You twirl the blade in your hand a few times as blood takes over. Once it does, you stab the ground and focus. The blood seeping from your hand increases, but the side effect is worth it. Blood starts making its way towards Ruby in a straight line. Once it reaches her the blood creates a circle around her, then raises from the ground to create a dome. You clench your teeth a bit and pull back on your blade, but keep it in the ground. The blood dome starts moving towards you, getting Ruby out of the mist.

You release your blade the moment Ruby is close to you, and rush to her. The dome returns to a circle before being absorbed into the ground, so none of it falls on the unconscious Huntress-in-Training. You know that the move was probably uncomfortable, as that move isn't meant to be mobile. It's supposed to be a shield, so when you moved it all it did was forcefully push Ruby in the direction it was going. Still, it's better than leaving her in the gas.

You push Ruby onto her back and rest your head on her upper chest, listening for a breathing pattern. It's faint, but it's there. This alone makes you smile in relief. You lift your head away from Ruby and pick her up, one hand under her legs and the other under her back. She somewhat crumples in your arms, and her head rests against your chest. You smile at the sight, as she does look very peaceful at this time. Her breathing is light, and she's snoring a bit, which is really cute.

But now isn't the time to stare at the young girl in your arms. You need to bring her back to the others, pronto. You kick your sword into the air and lean your body back. The blade falls right back into the sheath perfectly. With your blade back home, you start running back to your group. As you run you hear a growl coming from the side. Your eyes drift to the side and notice an Ursa coming right at you. Since you're running he misses you, but you know he won't give up so easily. You jump, twirl, and extend one leg out. You turn and slam your leg down on the Ursa's head with all the power you can muster. The Ursa instantly dies, flopping on the ground. You land graciously, still holding Ruby in the same way, and start running again.

Thankfully no more Grimm attack you, which is good. You don't want Ruby to get hurt. You see some of your classmates up ahead and slow down a bit. You come to a halt the moment you enter the clearing. Everyone looks over at you, and everyone's eyes widen when they see the unconscious Ruby.

"What happened?" Yang questions, rushing to her sister.

"She pulled the plant right out of the ground. The gas got her. Too bad she didn't have you to warn her, huh Weiss?" You cock your eye brow.

Weiss has a downcast face at the sight of her leader.

"Is she okay?" Glynda ask, approaching you.

You nod.

"Yeah, she didn't inhale enough of the gas..... I think. She's still breathing."

"Well, this is rather unfortunate. However, it's a good thing you went to check on her," Glynda says to only you, then speaks to all the students. "Alright students, we'll be returning to the school now. Make sure you have all your materials with you to submit."

"I'll take Ruby," Yang offers, grabbing Ruby.

You hand her over to Yang, who carries her similar to how you did it.

"Thank you. I mean it," Yang says with honestly.

You wave it off.

"You would do the same for me, I hope."

Yang smiles.

"Yeah... I think I would, unless you were making me mad that day."

"Hey!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The day is almost up, and you soon have to make it to Tuckson's. Once you returned to Beacon Ruby was sent straight to the medical wing to rest. Glynda and Ozpin allowed you, and the rest of team RWBY to take the day off in order to be with Ruby. She isn't in critical condition, luckily. The nurse said she'd only been exposed to the gas for a few minutes before you got there, so no lasting effects will occur. She just needs time for her body to fight off the gas she inhaled, then she'll wake up.

So, that's what you've been doing. The room Ruby's in is very similar to the one you woke up in on your first day. Thus, everything is white and there's that goddamn light. You occasionally give that light a dirty look, even if it's not the same one that blinded you. Yang is on a chair beside Ruby's bed, being surprisingly patient. Weiss and Blake are standing around the bed, while you lean on the wall opposite of Ruby.

Your eyes are closed and your arms are crossed, making you in that cliché brooding look. You don't really care though. You just want to make sure Ruby's okay when she wakes up. It's been a few hours, so you assume she'll wake up any minute now.

Slowly, Ruby starts fidgeting more, making cute little sounds that make you smile. Her silver eyes are finally opened to the world. She looks around, trying to make sense of where she is. Yang, being beside her, is the first to notice Ruby's awakening. She hugs Ruby, but not too tightly.

"Oh, Ruby! I was so worried about you!" Yang coos, hugging her little sister.

"Oh, thank you Yang," Ruby softly says, hugging her back. She looks around to see Blake, Weiss, and you. "What're you guys doing here? And where am I?"

"You're in the medical wing. You inhaled the Terratorn gas," Weiss explained.

"Oh, the plant. Yeah, I forgot about that," Ruby nervously chuckles, rubbing the back of her head. "So, how did I get here? Did you find me, Weiss?"

Weiss shakes her head.

"No. (Y/N) found you and brought you back."

"And saved you from a Grimm, I may add," you speak, taking a step towards the bed. "How're you doing Little Red? Dizzy at all? Seeing two of me?"

"Cause that's what we need," Weiss comments, smirking.

Ruby giggles.

"Nope, just one of him."

"Thank goodness. So, girls, I have something interesting for you all," Weiss announces, gathering everyone's attention. "Due to our leader's recovery, I am going to treat you all to dinner tonight."

Blake's mouth starts to drool, thinking of the food she could get in town. Yang and Ruby high five as celebration.

"Yeah, Weiss! You rock!" Yang cheers.

Ruby looks over at you.

"Is... is (Y/N) invited?"

Weiss glances at you, raising her brow to ask whether you want to come. You shake your head.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have plans already with someone."

"Oooh, a date?" Yang teases.

Ruby subtly looks away, but you don't notice.

"Ha, no. Unless you count stacking books with another dude a date, then sure," you jest. "But hey, maybe I'll be able to drop by after I'm done."

"Very well. Are you going now?" Blake inquires.

You shrug.

"Maybe. Now that I know Little Red is alright, I'll probably leave."

You walk around to the opposite side of Yang, but still beside Ruby. You rustle her hair, which she giggles at but still knocks your hand away, making you snicker.

"Glad you're okay, Little Red. Next time we'll stick together, huh?"

Ruby hopefully nods.

"Yeah."

You both gaze into each other's eyes, almost entering a trance where it's just you two. Her glowing silver eyes staring back at you. It's enchanting, really, and you can't help but smile. Weiss, Blake, and Yang watch from the sidelines, confused at what's happening. You eventually snap out of the trance, and look to the others.

"Well, I'll leave you ladies alone," you say, lazily clapping as you slip away.

The girls watch you leave, then all focus on Ruby. She looks at her teammates' confused faces, and become confused herself.

"What?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Nora wouldn't even help us find it. She just found trees with syrup and started drinking it all. She didn't help at all," Jaune explains as you both walk around the grounds of Beacon. "But obviously it wasn't as bad as yours. Is Ruby okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine Jaune. They're even going out to dinner soon, I think. Something like that."

"You're not going?" Jaune intriguingly asks.

You shake your head.

"No, made a promise to help someone out today. So, well, I like to keep my promises. Thank for walking with me to the docking area," you smile as you both stop near the massive aircraft.

"Meh, it was a fun talk. I'll see you another time, (Y/N)," Jaune waves as he turns back to the academy.

You wave back before moving into the line. A clump of people are on their way out of Beacon tonight, mostly because it's Friday and they could be spending their afternoon in the city rather than studying. You're actually surprised that you don't see team RWBY yet. It's been a couple hours since you left them, and that's more than enough time for Ruby to recover and get ready for a night out. But, in the end, it doesn't bother you. If they were here it would make the flight more entertaining, but there's nothing wrong with a quiet flight. You take a seat and relax, scanning the ship to get a read for everyone. You can hear a few conversations here and there, but refuse to focus on them as to avoid the title of an eavesdropper.

So you sit and wait for the ship to depart Beacon and land in Vale. This doesn't take long, thankfully, and you leave the ship immediately. You have a jist of Vale now and can find your way to Tuckson's. As you walk, your mind starts to think of what kind of books Tuckson has brought in. You're allowed to take one, and you're hoping there will be one that catches your eye. Who knows, maybe you and Ruby can read it together after she's done with your book.

Because of the time, it's a tad dark out right now, and will only get darker. You hope you're not too late to help him out. It'd be a shame for you to promise something and to not follow through. You finally reach Tuckson's store, and enter it. The bell rings and you hear some rustling in the back.

"Coming, one moment," Tuckson shouts.

"Tuckson, it's me: (Y/N)," you shout back.

"(Y/N)... the Huntsman?"

"The very same one that promised to help you out," you say, approaching the back.

"Oh, good. The shipment arrived no more than ten minutes ago. Please, come to the back," he directs.

With permission, you go to the back of the store. There's a bunch of boxes neatly organized, which you assume are filled with books. There's an open door that leads to an alleyway, which is where Tuckson walks in with a box.

"Thought you might have been late... well, the truck is back there. Grab the boxes and stack them over here," he explains while placing a box in the corner.

You nod and follow him to the truck. There's at least two dozen boxes in the truck, all piled in the back. You hop into the back of the truck and grab one box to hand to Tuckson. He accepts it and begins walking back to the store. You grab two boxes – one for each hand – and follow him. They are somewhat heavy, yes, but with your strength it's not a problem.

"So Tuckson," you start, placing the boxes down. "Why did you decide to run a book store?"

Tuckson pauses for a moment, almost like he's hesitating... or worried. He shakes it off and walks to the alley.

"Well, my son had a love for books when he was younger. I always liked to buy him new ones and read them to him. I suppose that just stuck with my after all these years," he calmly says.

You both grab some more boxes and start to walk back.

"Oh, so you have a family?"

Tuckson's face droops a bit.

"I had a family. My wife, she... well, she died during childbirth," he reveals.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I-I didn't know," you apologize, truly not meaning to bring up such hard memories.

"No harm in not knowing. It was a long time ago, so I've had time to accept it. But I thank you, anyway," he kindly says.

He hands you two more boxes as he grabs one.

"So, your son, where is he now, if I may ask?"

"My son..." Tuckson seems caught on those two words for the whole walk back to the building. "My son was a... what would be the best word. Not an activist, but he very much believed in Faunus rights."

"Oh, was he a Faunus? Are you?" You casually ask.

Once again, without you seeing, Tuckson tenses up before quickly replying.

"No! No, m-my wife was one. He was a half-breed."

"Oh, that's good," you cheerfully state.

"What's good? That I'm not a Faunus?" He asks with a harshness in his tone.

"No, it's just cool to see an example of a human and Faunus having a relationship. With all this hatred and the White Fang... well it's just nice to hear about these small stories. Things like that should be in the news."

You both place boxes down and go another round.

"So, you don't hate the Faunus?"

You shake your head vigorously.

"No, not a chance. Who cares if someone has a tail or a pair of fluffy ears? We're all just people, you know? I'd help a Faunus out as instinctively as I'd help a human."

Tuckson smiles at your words. It warms his heart to hear of a Huntsman that isn't closed minded about Faunus. Perhaps his first assumptions of you were wrong. Your words were genuine, and your smile wasn't forced. You're a Huntsman, but you're taking the time out of your day to help a common store owner with his inventory. Maybe that's what the world needs more of. Then again, if there was a choice between slaying Grimm and stacking books, it's obvious which one you'd go for.

Thus, after some conversation that helped make the time fly and the work easy, you and Tuckson bring all the boxes to his store room, piling them almost to the ceiling. You wipe your hands on your jeans while Tuckson smiles.

"Thank you for your help, (Y/N). I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. It was nice. So... can I check out some of the books?" You eagerly ask.

Tuckson chuckles.

"Yes, go ahead. But try not to rip open the boxes, please."

You nod.

"Of course! Thank you!"

You march over to the boxes and begin to look through them Tuckson leaves the back room and back to the desk. He notices how dark it is now, which means it's late.

"Gonna have to close soon. Probably won't get many more customers. I'll shut down when (Y/N)'s done picking his book," Tuckson whispers to himself.

Suddenly the door opens, and the bell rings.

"Welcome to Tuckson's Book Trade, home to..."

Tuckson stops speaking when he realizes who's there. The man's wearing a white hooded cloak, keeping his identity a secret, but Tuckson sees right through it. He knows who's under there.

"Tuckson," he greets. "I haven't seen you lately."

His voice isn't too deep, and almost sounds like a younger man's voice. However it's serious and has a deadly tone to it.

"I've... been busy," Tuckson hesitantly responds.

"Too busy for your brothers? Come now, you know it's unwise not to attend our meetings," he deviously smiles. "Now are you going to fulfill your promise? If not... well... it would not end well for you."

Tuckson grinds his teeth, thinking of some way out of this.

The man smiles.

"Think on it, Tuckson. It would be a shame to see your little shop disappear... and you along with it."

With that last warning, the man turns around and leaves. Once he exits the store Tuckson exhales, releasing all anxiety and fear with one breath. You come up behind Tuckson a moment later.

"That guy... who is he?"

"You heard?" He exclaims.

"We'll talk about what I heard later. For now, who is that guy?"

Tuckson sighs, knowing he's been caught.

"His name is Dylan Brine, also known as The Son of the Waves. He's... he's a lieutenant in the White Fang, and a powerful one at that. He's tore a man apart until there was nothing but bone."

You smirk, then pat Tuckson's shoulder.

"I'll deal with him," you declare, making your way around his desk.

"What? No! You'll be killed!"

You chuckle.

"Tuckson, I've fought a lot of people before, so don't think I'm a rookie. Besides, he's threatening this place, and that I cannot allow. I'll be back to pick up that book, and when I come back, you better answer some of my questions. Fair enough?"

Tuckson wants to argue with you, to make you see reason, but there's a fire in your eye. He sighs, defeated.

"Very well. Just be careful."

"Gotcha," you wink.

You exit Tuckson's store and scan the streets for the cloaked figure. Your eyes easily distinguish him from the rest, and you begin to tail your target. He's walking rather slowly, and there's not many people walking around Vale at this time. It's extremely easy to follow him from a distance, but that makes you worried.

Why is he allowing himself to be such a target? He has no idea I'm here, but it seems like anyone could tail him. Does he not care? He might not even be going anywhere important. A White Fang higher-up must be going somewhere important or vital. I guess I just have to keep following him.

The white cloak flows through the streets and you follow the white flash. It's almost like a ghost in the way it moves and how nobody acknowledges it. It's as if you and it are the only things here, and everything thing else is false. But, finally, after walking for a few blocks, the figure enters an alley. You look beside the alley and notice a giant opera house. Its craftsmanship is beautiful with designs flowing like water.

Huh, this looks amazing. Is this the place that Weiss mentioned a few days ago? Hm, well I'll give the girl some credit, it's a sight to see. Maybe I'll drop by here with her and impress her with my infinite knowledge.

You skulk up to the alleyway and notice there's a metal door blocking off the alleyway.

"Hm, not suspicious at all."

You walk up to the door, lean on one leg, and knock. A small latch opens at the top, revealing a White Fang member.

"Housekeeping?" You smile, but he slams the latch closed.

You roll your eyes and start to walk away.

"Well, that's a shame. How am I ever going to-"

You turn around and sprint towards the door. You jump, spin around, and drive your foot into the door. It flies off its hinges, trampling the White Fang member. You casually walk in, rubbing your hands together in anticipation while the few members raise their guns at you. You saunter towards them, making them nervous.

"Is that Slater?"

"I think it is."

They know me? How? Whatever, best not let them alert everyone else.

In what seems like a second, you burst in front of the first one, then thrust your fist into his stomach. He coughs up spit and falls to the ground, knocked out. You look over to the other one, who's a little to the left of you. You jump, push yourself off the wall, and zoom over to the next guy, delivering a solid punch to his jaw. Like his friend, he's out cold. With no threat around, you scan the area. There's a door into the opera house a short distance down the alleyway, but there's also a window you can enter up above.

You bounce from wall to wall until you reach the height, then smoothly land through the window. You're in the rafters, so it's dark. You're not visible from anyone below, so this is a perfect location. There are a few wooden rails going across the building and up. There aren't any chairs where you are, and instead there's spotlights. A plethora of cords link into one box that's on the other side of the building, which you can reach if you need. There are spider webs about, giving it the typical abandoned building feeling. There's one spot light that's focused near the middle, lighting up most of the base floor.

You approach the railing and look down. Most of the chairs seem to be rotted away, or moved. There are crates of weapons scattered about, but there are fewer than you thought. You notice some White Fang members grabbing the remaining crates and taking them back stage.

The cloaked man approaches someone in a white dress coat, red hair that's covering one eye, and a hat.

"Hurry up, you mutts. We don't have time to smell the roses," Roman orders. "And what are you doing wearing that outfit?"

The cloaked man grabs his chest and rips the cloak off of him. Standing there is a taller, lanky man with short, shaggy brown hair. There's cat ears in there, but it's hard to spot due to his hair. He face is soft with bright blue eyes, and his head seems a tiny bit small. However, he isn't bulky, so it works with his body. He's wearing a red t-shirt under a grey, cargo jacket over it, though the jacket's sleeves only reach slightly past his elbows. He has brown khakis and dark red shoes. He has black gloves covering his hands that have blue jewels sitting on the hand. They're both in halves, like a semicircle.

You raise your brow as you look at the new person.

That... that's the same guy who ran away before. The one Blake let get away. He looks different. He's more confident now, and is dressed differently.

"Are we almost done, Roman? We have to move these weapons out."

"Yeah, I'm working on it, don't hiss at me."

Dylan's eyes droop in disinterest.

"I'm not in the mood for these games, Roman. I have other things to worry about," he says.

"Aww, you're worried about the bookstore clerk?" Roman mocks.

"He's still a Faunus, and I'm hoping he comes to his senses."

"Well, not all animals can be tamed," Roman smirks, turning around and walking with his cane.

Dylan grinds his teeth but decides to let it go. He's used to Roman by now, and he knows how rude he is to the White Fang.

"You act like that around Aza?" Dylan questions, not looking at Roman.

Roman stops dead in his tracks. He flinches, thinking of what to say.

"Of course not. I'm utterly polite with women. Ask my ex-wife."

"Nice try, you weren't married. You used that before," he smirks with victory.

"Ah, shut up kid. Just make sure we get these weapons to the bullheads," Roman commands.

Suddenly, a spotlight shines up above, right on you.

"White Fang, enemies to the humans, using an old human building!" You recite, slowly walking across a thin wooden platform.

"Oh no," Dylan sighs, recognizing the voice.

"It's actually revered as an artifact of humans, and yet you use it for their destruction. IS," you spin around, raising your hand to your face and slowly clenching it. "THIS. IRONY?" You finish, standing prominently before all the men and women in the room.

Dylan clenches his fist. Suddenly the blue jewels on his hands start to glow, and two golden poles shoot out of the side, sticking out a few inches. The poles extend towards his arm, connecting at the center and creating a semicircle on each hand. He pulls his fist back and punches the air. A rush of wind flies out of the jewel, going straight at you. The pressure hits your location, shattering the support beam to pieces. But, you're not there anymore.

Dylan keeps his cool as he scans the room.

"Roman, get the weapons out of the building. I'll hold off Slater."

"Wait, that's the Slater kid?" Roman questions.

"This is between two old friends, Roman. Let us settle this as such," Dylan calmly states.

Another spotlight activates looking at a railing on the right side of the building.

"A human and Faunus friend?" You start in a questioning manner, placing your hand on your chest. "Is that even possible in the White Fang? Perhaps he cares more than I thought? Come here? Give your friend a hug!"

Dylan shoots another wave at you, but when it hits you're gone.

You land on a different railing, still shrouded in darkness.

Hm... That blast made my jacket wave. I even felt it press against my hand. It's air. Very pressurized air. Hell, if I'm right, that could blow the skin off my body if not for my aura. I gotta be careful here. A hit from that could hurt.

You smile and wait another moment. A different spotlight shines on you, giving you the attention.

"And I, like you, shall fight to the end. My conviction, your orders, and shall we throw them together until one shatters to bits. But you believe in your orders through and through."

Dylan shoots at you again, but you hop away, landing on the chandelier in the middle of the room then jumping off of that to land on a different railing. As soon as you land another light shines on you.

"So is it your conviction and orders, versus my conviction alone? Am I at a disadvantage? Have I lost before we've even begun?" You melodramatically whine.

"You're just as annoying as you were last time," Dylan states, staring at you.

You shrug.

"Meh, I just wasn't in the mood. I mean, you do recognize that, right? It's from a Faunus play."

Dylan shoots you, but you dodge once more, landing on a wooden support farther away from him, in the middle of the theater. The final light shines on you.

"Good, waste your time with me," Dylan whispers. "You're very elusive, you know? Maybe I should start getting serious."

You roll your shoulder.

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Well, we could keep doing plays. That would be fun," you admit.

Dylan grabs something a vial out of his pouch under his jacket. It's blue, and... familiar. You've seen something like that before. Dylan shoves the vial into the jewels, then smashes his fist together. His weapons perfectly match up as a perfect circle with the blue jewels creating one. The jewels light up a brighter blue, then he releases them. He pulls back his fist and punches at you. Air shoots out, as normal, but shards of ice are sent at you too.

"Hey, chill out!" You scream, jumping out of the way.

The ice spreads near the front of the theater, making that a dangerous zone for you. You land on the stage and take a stance.

"And here we are, ladies and gentlemen, the battle between Slater and Brine. The Son of the Waves versus the Son of... hm... other Slater? Son of Slater?" You pose.

Dylan clenches his fist.

"Do... you ever shut up?" He growls, turning one eye towards you and giving you a deadly stare.

"It would be counterproductive if I stopped talking during a production. The audience would get terribly bored."

Dylan releases his tension and starts smiling.

"Alright... we'll satisfy this audience you're speaking of."

You raise your brow, preparing yourself for whatever he might be planning. Dylan lifts his hands, and you notice his eyes become an even brighter blue. Water suddenly starts forming around him, creating spears.

"Son of the Waves... yeah, I see it now," you nod.

Dylan throws a spear at you, which you easily dodge by jumping up to the rafters. He starts creating one after another, throwing them at you every time you land. You roll over one, land on a railing then hop, letting one fly between your legs. You land back on the railing then cartwheel to the side, avoiding another one that destroys the railing. You hop off the railing, evading another spear, and land across the way. Dylan pulls his hands towards his body, then extends them out, sending water everywhere. Unable to dodge an attack that has no limit, you form an X with your arms and get slammed into the wall. The wood breaks on your impact, but still keeps you in the building.

You rub your head and moan as you pick yourself up. You walk over to the railing, seeing what Dylan's doing.

"Well, it is wise to keep hydrated," you remark, and then end up chuckling at your own joke.

Dylan smiles.

"Yes, well, we should keep this fight electrifying, too."

Dylan grabs another vile from his pouch, puts the vial in a jewel, clamps his fists together. The jewel turns yellow, and sparks start flying. Your eyes widen when you see this, and then you frantically look around the area.

"He never tried to hit me," you realize.

"Of course not. I just needed enough water around to shock you," Dylan says, raising his fist.

"Ha! I get it. Oh, wait, no!"

Dylan shoves his fist into the ground, sending electricity surging all over. Even with the wooden design, the amount of water covering the surface is more than enough to keep the electricity flowing. You jump off the railing and land on the chandelier, as it's the only safe spot you can see. You can see the electricity still in the water all around.

Damn... there's nowhere to land. Wait... but then...

You look over at Dylan, who's preparing a punch. You notice that there's no water around him at all.

Of course, he can control water. He's keeping it a safe distance away. Which means I have to get up close and personal!

Dylan shoots only air at you, which you manage to jump right over. The chandelier crashes through the opera house and lands near the entrance.

"Brine, this is Roman. The weapons are loaded and we're all onboard. Where are you?" Roman informs through a headset in Dylan's ear.

"I'm busy with Slater," he says, watching you soar over him. "I'll get there soon."

You judged your power perfectly. You land right in front of Dylan, within the small circle of dry wood. Dylan throws a hook and fires his weapon at the same time, but you duck under it and connect a shot to his stomach.

So he's like Yang. He uses his weapons to power his punches.

Dylan starts moving back, which moves the safe zone with him. You have no choice but to follow, so you do. You start kicking high and low. Whenever you need to move closer you hop towards him and switch legs. Dylan handles you efficiently, blocking your attacks. You attempt to swoop his legs but he hops over it. He comes down from his hop with an attempted elbow. You continue the motion to swoop again, but this time you plant your hand in the ground and your leg high, guiding the elbow away. As you continue with the motion, you plant both hands into the ground, move both feet in the air, and spin your body to the momentum, entering a handstand position. With Dylan disoriented, and you in a perfect position, you bring your feet down on his back one after another, watching him upside down. Dylan catches one of your legs and tries to punch it. Knowing that, with the pressurized air, he could break your leg, you swing yourself up, moving your entire body above his and breaking free from his grip. You bring your one foot back and kick the back of Dylan's head. You continue by spinning around and driving the side of your foot into his back.

Dylan turns around and charges his punch. He hits you right in the stomach, activating the air. You fly back towards the stage at an insane velocity. You notice you're headed for just above the stage, where there's a solid surface. You manage to land on that, but everything else behind you shatters. You burst from your location and charge a punch on the way. Dylan doesn't expect this, and doesn't react fast enough to counter. You send your fist into his cheek, making a clapping sound on impact. It's so strong that Dylan flies back, smashing through the entrance of the opera house and landing in the street.

You can hear screaming from civilians outside. You keep your eyes on Dylan, who's slowly getting up. He grinds his teeth and clenches his fists. It's just like the first time he met you, and you killed all his allies. That time he didn't have weapons, and this time he does. But he still can't beat you. You haven't even taken out your sword, and still you're finding a way to beat him.

Dylan grabs another vial from his pouch and shoves it into the jewel. It glows a pure red, and Dylan smiles. He falls to one knee and keeps his weapons connected. Slowly, a vortex forms in the jewel. You attempt to see it, but it's quite the distance away and the darkness doesn't help. But it's easy to see the ever growing glow coming from him.

"Eat this, Slater!" He shouts, releasing a tornado of fire towards the building. Your eyes widen and you start running towards the side of the building. Thankfully the electricity is gone now, so you can run easily. You jump to the top floor and attract your blade mid-jump.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" You frantically shout.

You unsheathe Crimson Blaze and slice open the wall, allowing you to escape. You jump out the building, bounce off the wall, then bounce off the opera house to reach the top of the adjacent building. During the last jump, the tornado hits, devastating the building. The force sends you flying across the rooftop and falling off the other side. You hit the other building flat on, somewhat hurting you. You push off that building and move towards the street. You grab a glowing sign pole and land atop a random store's sign. You see the building flaming, and Dylan separating his weapons. People are frantically running away, screaming. Nobody seems to notice you standing on a sign above them.

You prepare to attack, but you notice something near the building. A small child under the building, in the fetal position and crying. The opera house is falling apart, and it won't be long before something lands on him. You jump off the sign and run towards the child. As you predicted, a piece of the opera house separates from the rest. You run as fast as you can then slide to his side. You raise your hands and catch the charcoaled debris.

"Kid! Run!" You shout, struggling to keep the debris up.

Then you remember. You remember your fight. You turn your head to see Dylan loading up another shot.

"Damn. KID! GO!"

The child, scared beyond belief, starts running away. However, you hear more cracking and see another part of the building about to fall on him. You try to throw the debris away and reach him, but you can't act fast enough. You can just watch as the debris falls.

Boom

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ahhhh, that was the best," Ruby smiles with satisfaction. "I never knew food could taste so good."

Blake chuckles.

"I have to agree. The way they cook their fish is surprisingly satisfying."

"What can I say, I have good taste in restaurants," Weiss smugly says, smiling.

All of a sudden a loud roar erupts in the distance. Team RWBY looks towards the sound and sees flames shooting out from all over the place. Without a word, the team knows what to do. They all start running to the location, preparing for battle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The debris explodes into tiny pieces, letting the boy escape. Puzzled, you look around to see where that came from, and who saved him. Your eyes only see Dylan, who seems to have punches already. He looks at you and hesitates.

"I-I missed," he stutters.

You toss the debris to the side and get ready for round two. There's no reason to hold back anymore. People could be in danger, and you can't act fair right now. You don't like fighting hand-to-hand combatants with your weapon, but this time you have to. You attract Crimson Blaze to your hand then unsheathe the blade. It's time to get serious.

Dylan starts shooting smaller fire blasts at you, which you fluently weave to the side to dodge. He shoots his last one as you approach and you jump over it, then come down on him. He connects his fists, making the jewel glow. It starts forming a shield that you connect with. You grunt, pushing as hard as you can against this shield. It doesn't seem to be cracking at all. In fact, you don't even know if you can get past it. It's very similar to your blood shield, but without blood.

You push on the blade, allowing you to gain some distance.

"Still haven't dealt with him yet? Do I have to do everything myself," Roman shouts in Dylan's ear.

You both hear the roar of Bullheads soar over your heads. Three of them circle around to the farthest end of the street and beginning raining down on you. You spin your sword, deflecting every bullet that's close to you. You take a few steps back, then decide to leap and gain some distance.

The Bullheads stop firing and take up a position around Dylan. One lands in the street and opens its doors for him. He sprints into the Bullhead and watches you as it takes off, smiling. You grip your sword tightly and get ready to attack when you hear something behind you. It sounds like... heels?

A woman passes you. Hat, dark shades, brownish clothes, and an interesting fashion sense. She's holding a purse and walking so nonchalantly that you know she's not some random civilian; the biggest hint to that being the bandolier of bullets around her.

"Nice job, kid. First week at Beacon and already you've cause a scene," she jokes.

"Well, you know, I like to set records," you say, relaxing a bit.

She looks back at you with a smile.

"(Y/N) Slater right? Name's Coco. We'll get formal later, for now let's take these guys down."

"I'm all down for that, but how do you expect to fight anyone with a pur-"

Coco bends her knees and moves one hand forward. Her purse starts morphing into something bigger, and far more deadly. It transforms itself into a minigun.

"Okay... okay, I stand corrected," you admit, backing off.

Coco smiles, then unleashes a barrage of bullets, making the Bullheads think twice about sticking around. Some start to escape, but there's one you're most interested in: the one with Dylan Brine. Since Coco's providing cover, you take this chance to rush forward. The door to the Bullhead hasn't closed yet, and you'll use that to your advantage. You sheath your blade then throw the sword as hard as you can into the Bullhead. Dylan sees the weapon and ducks out of the way, letting it hit the back wall and fall on the ground.

"Close the doors!" He commands, and not a moment later the doors close.

You smile, as your plan's going marvelously. You run as fast as your legs allow you, then leap forward a bit, land on the ground, and rocket into the air. Coco watches you fly towards one Bullhead, and redirects her fire so she doesn't help you. She notices one Bullhead retreats altogether, while the other ones linger. She aims for those lingering ones.

As you get closer to the ship you extend your arm forward, attracting your sword to you. The sheath flies against the Bullhead's door, messing up the flying. Nobody can do anything about it as the ship starts drifting towards you.

"Open the damn door!" Dylan commands, knowing they'll crash if this continues.

The moment the door opens he sees you, smiling and coming towards him. The sword returns to your hands and you land in the ship. You slide on your heels as you enter, then flip backwards, dodging a punch from a White Fang member. You land behind him, spin, and kick him into the wall. Another comes at you with a punch, which you simply lean back to dodge, then smack him down with your sheath. Dylan tackles you against the back of the ship. He attempts to punch you, but you move your head out of the way and make him hit the ship. You move your feet in between you two and spring Dylan towards the cockpit.

He smashes into the co-pilots seat, which messes up the pilot. With your bearings gained, you throw your weapon at the control stick, snapping it off entirely. With no control, the Bullhead starts to crash. You attempt to get out, but the drop is sending you all over the place except the exit. You end up smashing into a button, which closes the door. Dylan falls into the back with you, but you can't fight since you both keep hitting the walls. It finally spins out, smashing atop a building.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Coco shoots down the last Bullhead, which crashes into the water. With no more threats, she reverts her minigun back to a purse. She fixes her glasses and looks around.

"Hm... wonder where the other kid went?"

The moment she finishes the sentence, she hears an explosion somewhere close.

"Oh... over there, probably."

Down the street four girls come into view of Coco. They all have their weapons ready, and are scanning the area for danger. Coco struts towards them, recognizing them as team RWBY.

"You kids are late, I'm afraid. The rest ran away," Coco confidently states.

The girls lower their weapons.

"What happened here?" Weiss asks.

Coco follows Weiss' eyes to the opera house. Coco returns her attention to the girls and shrugs.

"No idea. Was like that when I got here. I assume the other one knows."

"Other one?" Blake repeats.

"Yeah, green jacket, jeans, black shirt, pretty cute."

Ruby facepalms.

"Oh, no..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Smoke billows from the crash site, and the rest of the Bullhead is on fire. You start coughing as you regain consciousness. You extend your hand forward and pull yourself further away from the crash. After a few pulls, you lay back down, breathing heavy.

"Talk about a rough landing, jeez," you complain, feeling your body aching.

You push yourself onto your back to get some fresh air and to stop eating dirt. You're breathing is heavy, but you're alive. Surviving a crash is a first for you, admittedly, but it was the only way you could take them down. Speaking of them, you look towards the crash. A few White Fang are hanging out of the Bullhead, probably dead. You push your upper body off the ground and lean on your hands. You scan the area until you find Dylan Brine under a wing. There's no fire around him, but he's definitely in bad shape.

You lift your hand into the air, and not a moment later Crimson Blaze burst out from the crash site. You attach it to your belt and stand up. Your job's done here, though you caused more commotion than you wanted. But now you have no way to find those other White Fang members, like that red haired cane guy. You cross your arms, thinking of a way to track them down. You know Vale's had a problem with them lately, and it's your duty as a stand-up citizen and Huntsman-in-Training to stop this threat. But you have to find them first. Your eyes drift back to Brine. He's still lying under the wing, barely breathing.

"Hm..."

And here we are my friends. I'm very happy to see you've all been enjoying this series so far. I love reading every review and comment I get, truly. It helps keep me going to see all the feedback, whether it be constructive criticism or what you liked in that specific chapter. I swear, I must be a tease for Yang fans. I'm so sorry, guys!

Anyhow, I actually have a little proposition for any artists out there. I want to create a custom picture for this story. I can't really find one on google that I like, and the current one is... well it's not really what I want in this story. So, if there are any artists out there who have time to draw a custom picture for me, than I'd really appreciate it! Of course I would pay you. I'm not expecting anything for free. But please, if you are interested in creating a picture for me then send me a private message. I'd love to speak with you!

Also, I've decided to add in a little bonus at the end of every chapter, just for fun. A little fact thing, if you will. Every chapter I will put a fact about a character in this story, the concepts, how it came to be, and so on. No spoilers, obviously, but I think it would be a fun little thing to have at the end of every chapter. So the very last line of this authors note will be this chapter's fact.

Lastly, I've been holding a poll on Fanfiction.net to see what my next RWBY story will be. Sorry for the people on other websites, but Fanfiction has a built in poll system and it just makes everything easier. Anyway, I've decided to end the poll today. Throughout its lifespan the poll was always extremely tied. Even now, at its end, the winner only has one vote more than the others. I thank those who voted. But, the winner and next RWBY story I write will be............ RWBY: Illusion. Yes, the Weiss x Male Reader is next. Don't think I'm starting it right now though, because I'm not! But when I start writing another RWBY story it will be that one. Don't worry Blake and Yang fans, I still intend to write Devil of Beacon and Limitless.

Anyhow, that's all I can think of for right now. I thank you all for reading, and look forward to seeing you next chapter.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!

FACT 1: I actually learned of RWBY through a fanfiction called "Weiss and I" on Fanfiction.net. I fell in love with the story and the character of Weiss through the story alone. However, since I had no idea who any of these characters looked like, or anything about RWBY, I decided to watch one or two episodes. HA! I got hooked instantly, and thus my RWBY career began. This is similar to how I started writing Frozen fanfiction, and how I started writing at all. It began with a fanfiction I fell in love with, I watched the movie, and decided to make my own stories. It seems I can only get into things through "X Readers". Odd, huh?

BONUS FACT: Because I started with a Weiss x Reader, I really wanted to write a Weiss x Reader story. However, since there was such a good one already, that being "Weiss and I", I thought I should give a different character a chance, so I dismissed Weiss as a decision altogether.