Ruby sat on the ground with a helpless expression on her face, watching as her partner, Weiss, was walking back and forth, trying to figure out the correct way to get towards the Temple.

Weiss: "It's definitely this way... I mean, this way, it's definitely this way. Alright, it's official. We passed it."

Ruby: "Why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

Weiss: "Because I know exactly where we are going. We're going... to... the Forest Temple." The argent eyed girl just deadpanned and groaned in frustration from her dumb logic.

Weiss: "Oh, stop it, you don't know where we are either."

Ruby: "Obviously, but at least I'm not pretending like I know everything."

Weiss: "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ruby: "It means you're a big, stupid jerk and I hate you!" Weiss fell silent as her expression seemed to display shock... then hurt... then frustration.

Weiss: "... Argh, just keep moving!"

Ruby: *mocking voice* "'Just keep moving. Hurry up. Wahhh, watch where we are going.' Why are you so bossy?"

Weiss: "I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!"

Ruby: "Stop treating me like a kid!"

Weiss: "Stop acting like a kid!"

Ruby: "Well stop acting like you're perfect!"

Weiss: "I'm. Not. PERFECT! ...Not yet..." She grinned slightly, "But I'm still leagues better than you." She began walking away, leaving Ruby annoyed, frustrated and upset.

Ruby: "You don't even know me..." She stood there for a while looking down as her eyes began burning from tears threatening to fall until she heard Weiss call out to her.

Weiss: "I'm positive this time! It's this way. Do you mind hurrying Little Miss Riding Hood?"

Ruby: "My name is Ruby and you have no sense of direction Weiss. We're nowhere near it."

Weiss: "Don't be ridiculous. All you can do is follow me, I know where to go."

Ruby: "Hmph! I'm not much of a follower!"

Weiss: "I'm not sure about that. Mind telling me why a girl like you would attend the academy?"

Ruby: "To be a huntress of course! Like the one in the stories!"

Weiss: "Stories...? Unbelievable. I came here to learn. To grow stronger. I strive for perfection. Unlike you, I'm not here for fun and games. If all you want is to be a part of the stories, give up and go home. Your mother's waiting to read one to you."

Ruby fell deathly silent. It was almost unsettling as this girl who seemed to love talking just... stopped, all together. She felt something trigger from within her from the moment Weiss mentioned her mother. A memory.

In this memory, Ruby was kneeling in front of her mother's grave with her hood over my head. She was trying to stay strong but failed as she broke down in tears, all of the negative emotions flowing out of her. Sadness, anger, hopelessness... was what she felt at that moment...

She continued to avoid making eye contact with the heiress as she was holding her emotions back. At this moment she realized that Weiss knew nothing. She understood nothing. And she was going to make her understand.

Ruby: "You don't know anything..."

Weiss: "You're a little girl fascinated by fairy tales, am I wrong?"

Ruby: "You... think you know everything... Huh...?" She stayed quiet with a somewhat concerned look on her face... "I... lost someone important to me...That's when I realized, reality doesn't always end happily like the stories... No one's going to show up in the nick of time... No one's going to save you... So instead of being sad... and waiting for help to arrive... I decided I would be the hero... And I will... I'll turn tragedies into happy endings. That's why I'm here!"

They were interrupted by a loud squawking noise behind Ruby. She turned around to see two large black wings as a large Grimm known as a Giant Nevermore surfaced, ready to feast on its prey.

Weiss: "A Grimm!?"

With an idea brewing in her head, Ruby equipped her beloved Crescent Rose in its rifle mode and ran at the Nevermore. It opened its mouth to eat her but she shot it in the mouth, causing it to get disoriented. Then she shot it a couple more times on its underside. Afterwards, she holstered her weapon and latched onto the leg of the Nevermore as it was slightly thrashing around.

Ruby: "Gotcha!" It began to slowly hover off the ground, but she held my hand out to Weiss "Weiss!! Take my hand!!"

Weiss: "Huh!? Huh!??"

Without much of a choice, she grabbed her hand, and she pulled her up onto the Nevermore as it began to fly away. They held on tightly to the Grimm as it soared through the sky. While Ruby seemed to remain relatively calm, even joying the thrilling ride, Weiss on the other hand was utterly terrified.

Weiss: "AAAHHHH! Are you trying to take me down with you!?!?"

Ruby: "Ehehehe! It'll be faster flying instead of walking in circles!"

Weiss: "I WAS A FOOL TO FOLLOW YOOOUUUUU!!!!!"

>Chapter 3: The Emerald Forest Part 2<

Ruby: "HEADS UUUUUUP!"

Just before she made the grand landing, Jaune came flying out of nowhere and knocked into Ruby in midair, sending them both into a tree and the four on the ground in a dumbfounded state.

Setsuna: "Wha...?"

Blade: "Did your sister just fall from the sky...?"

Yang: "I..."

However, before any of them could process what they just witnessed, their attention was turned to the forest where an Ursa Grimm stumbled out, roaring before it fell over, revealing Nora and Red.

Nora: "Aww... It's broken... Ew..."

Ren: "Nora...! Please...! Don't ever do that again..." He looked back up only to see a blinking outline of the girl in question. She had run up to the temple and looked at a rook chess piece with sparkles in her eyes before she excitedly grabbed it and began singing as her emblem appeared behind her with a pink background.

Nora: "Ooooohhhhh... *singing* I'm Queen of the Castle! I'm Queen of the Castle!"

Ren: "NORA!"

Nora: "Coming Ren!"

Akito: "Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa...?"

Blake: "Maybe...?"

Yang: "I..."

Again, she was cut off by the screech of a Deathstalker, which burst out of the forest with the girl, Pyrrha Nikos fleeing from it.

Pyrrha: "Jaune!"

Jaune: "Pyrrha!"

Ruby: "Woah!" She stood up and sped out of the tree, leaving the blonde boy behind.

Jaune: "Ruby!" She grouped up next to the others, with Yang immediately opening her arms to hug her.

Yang: "Ruby!" the girl in question grinned and returned the gesture.

Ruby: "Yang!" However, the two were pulled apart by...

Nora: "Nora!"

While all the craziness was happening, Blake had noticed that Akito wasn't next to them anymore. She looked around before she looked at Pyrrha, who was just about to be knocked away by the Deathstalker, only for her to be suddenly picked up and moved out of the way as a blade crashed into the Deathstalker's face, disorienting it. Akito had dashed in and saved the red-haired Spartan by picking her up and leaping out of the way before returning to the others.

Akito: "Maybe next time, don't get chased by a fully grown Deathstalker, Cherry Blossom!" He said, gently putting her back on her feet.

Pyrrha: "Akito, thank you!" She quickly thanked him with a bow.

Blake: "Wait, you know Pyrrha Nikos, Akito?"

Pyrrha: "Hello there!"

Blake: "Um... Hi."

Akito: "Long story short, we met her when Setsuna and I were in Mistral. She's the only human she likes." He swiftly explained to her, with the amber eyed girl nodding in response. "Anyways, why the hell are you running here with a Deathstalker on your ass?" He asked as the redhead merely let out a sheepish laugh.

Pyrrha: "I-" However before she could answer, Yang cuts her off with a burst of fiery rage.

Yang: "UGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! CAN EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!?" Everyone remained quiet as Akito counted the two seconds in his head before Ruby pulled on her sister's sleeve and looked and pointed upwards.

Ruby: "Umm... Yang?" Everyone looked up only to see a certain Weiss Schnee holding onto dear life from a Giant Nevermore.

Weiss: "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME!?"

Ruby: "I SAID 'JUMP'!"

Blake: "She's gonna fall."

Ruby: "She'll be fine!"

Ren: "She's falling."

Setsuna: "Please die!" She exclaimed as everyone looked at her. The white-haired wolf Faunus blushed out of embarrassment and quickly hid behind Akito, who sighed and shook his head.

Jaune slowly stood up from his tree before he spotted the falling Weiss. With a confident grin, he leaped highly into the air and caught her bridal style. Akito facepalmed as Weiss looked at him, bewildered.

Jaune: "Just dropping in?" However, almost immediately after, both noticed they were still in the air. With a scream, the two fell to the ground, with Jaune face planting into the ground and Weiss landing on his back.

Weiss: "'My hero...'"

Jaune: "My back..."

Yang: "Great... Gang's all here. Now we can die together!"

Ruby: "Not if I can help it!" She yelled as she charged the Deathstalker, wielding Crescent Rose. Though Yang tried to stop her.

Yang: "Ruby, wait!" Ruby attempted to hit the Deathstalker but it just smacked her away from her. Ruby began firing off shots from Crescent Rose at the Deathstalker but it didn't affect it, only annoyed it. She attempted to run away but the Giant Nevermore swooped down and launched a bunch of its feathers at her, one of them, pinning her cloak, preventing her from moving anywhere. She tried to pull her cloak from the feather but it wouldn't budge.

Yang: "Ruby! Get out of there!"

Ruby: "I'm trying!" As Ruby was struggling to free herself, a white blur rushed toward her, and immediately froze the Deathstalker's stinger; it was Weiss. "Weiss...?"

Weiss: "You are so childish! Not only are you dim-witted, hyperactive and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose that I can be a bit... difficult, but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do it together. So if you would quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer..."

Ruby: "I'm not trying to show off... I just want you to know I can do this..."

Weiss: "You're fine." She said as she walked back to the others. As Yang went over to her younger sister and brought her into a tight hug. After which, they all regrouped as the Nevermore circled them and the Deathstalker struggled to free itself.

Jaune: "Guys, that thing's circling back! What are we going to do!?"

Weiss: "There's no sense in dilly dallying. Our objective is right in front of us."

Ruby: "She's right, our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs. There's no point in fighting these things."

Jaune: "Run and live, that's an idea I can get behind."

Ruby, Jaune and Setsuna ran over to the chess pieces, picking up a Knight, Rook and Black Queen respectively before returning to us.

Ren: "Time we left!"

Ruby: "Right. Let's go!"

However, before they could make their escape, a loud and threatening roar caught their attention. The trees to the forest shook violently as a massive Grimm with dorsal fins on its back and a massive tail. This kind of Grimm was known as a Glaivetail.

Yang: "What!?"

Jaune: "How are we supposed to fight that thing!?" It roared at them and stomped towards them, however, it was staggered by a pink beam colliding with its face, disorienting it just as Setsuna leaped towards it, yelling with her Ice Wolf Claws activated before she clawed its side.

Blake: "Setsuna! Akito!"

Akito: "Go! Handle the Nevermore and the Deathstalker. Setsu and I got this Glaivetail."

Blake: "But-!"

Akito: "Blake!" She flinched slightly from him raising his voice, but when she saw him looking back at her while smiling, she fell completely silent. "We'll talk after this happens. But right now, trust us. Trust me." The amber eyed girl was hesitant but seeing the sincerity in his expression, she took a deep breath and nodded.

Blake: "Alright." He smiled in response.

Ruby: "Alright, let's go!"

The others ran off, with Blake being the last one to leave. She shared eye contact with the wolf in front of her before she went off. Akito smiled as he watched her go before turning his attention back to the Glaivetail, which was still occupied by Setsuna, who skidded back, her Ice Wolf Claws digging into the dirt.

Akito: "Setsu! Keep it distracted and don't hold back!"

Setsuna: "Right!"

She yelled back to him as her eyes glowed a bright blue, triggering her Semblance, Primal Instinct to activate. She roared as she disappeared in a blur with all of her senses, strength, speed and endurance. The Glaivetail roared and slammed its tail down at her, however, she swiftly dodged to the side and clawed its thigh, causing it to stumble and roar in pain. As Setsuna assaulted it, Akito had his eyes closed and his fists clenched with his weapon, Alpha equipped.

Akito's thoughts: "Been a while since I've used it... Now would be the best time... So let's go..." He glowed a bright blue before his eyes shot open.

"Gundam Exia, Akito Zara; Eliminating the Target!"

High-tech looking armor began to form around him. White, Blue, Red and yellow were the colors, with the helmet having "ears", a silver V-Fin and green eyes and the chest as a glossy green orb that would shine every now and then. As the armor formed, more weapons could be seen, twin silver blades with blue guards, a long one on the right hip and a shorter one on the left hip. Then there were four white "handles" on the back, two on the rear shoulders and the other two on the rear skirting armor. As the transformation completed itself, the armor emitted a green light of particles from its back before jetting itself towards the Glaivetail at an inhumane speed; this was Gundam Exia.

(Akito Zara—Gundam Exia)

As Setsuna leaped away from the bruised Glaivetail, Akito immediately rushed in at sonic speeds, ramming into the side of it causing it to fall over onto its side where it was assaulted with pink beams coming from Zeta and the GN Vulcan on the left forearm. The Glaivetail roared in an enraged manner as it swiftly swung its massive tail at Akito, only for the armored wolf to dissolve in green particles from his >Quantify< ability. He reappeared behind it, drawing the GN Beam Saber from his right shoulder before he slashed down, completely severing the Glaivetail's massive tail, causing it to roar loudly in pain, but Akito quickly put it out of its misery by slashing directly vertically with Alpha, its blade being coated in magical energy, completely cutting the massive Grimm in half, killing it.

With him holstering the GN Beam Saber back on his shoulder and folding up Alpha, Akito's attention was immediately caught by Setsuna, who was on the ground, groaning and moaning in pain as her muscles began to spazz out and her head felt as if a jackhammer was being drove into it.

Setsuna: "A-Ak-kito..." the man in question landed next to her and picked her up in his arms, holding her close to his armored chest as the GN Drive on his back began glowing again and he began flying

Akito: "Save your breath, Setsu. You've done well." 

As they flew out of the forest, they caught the end of the battle, finding Ruby decapitating the massive Nevermore on the cliff. Blake heard the noise of Exia and looked behind her, seeing Akito flying with Setsuna in his arms. She released a relieved sigh before she smiled at them and nodded. However, when Akito looked back down at his partner, he became surprised to see what looked like thin vines seemingly growing on the left side of her neck.

Akito's thoughts: "What... is that...?"

>>Later<<

Ozpin: "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!" The crowd began to cheer for the newly formed team. Right after they stepped down, Ozpin began speaking.

Ozpin: "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR, led by... Jaune Arc!"

Jaune: "Huh!? Me!?"

Ozpin: "Congratulations young man." Pyrrha gave him a playful punch on his shoulder which had a little bit more force in it, so much that he fell over as the audience laughed at the display.

Ozpin: "And finally, Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" 

Ruby and Weiss had looks of shock as Blake smiled and Yang hugged her younger sister to her death. Akito stood in the crowd, with the slightly crippled Setsuna on his back as the newly formed Team RWBY exited the stage however, the black-haired Wolf Faunus narrowed his eyes as he seemed to notice what looked like small, thin vines on the back of Weiss' neck, similar to what he found on Setsuna.

Akito: "Hmm..."

Ozpin: "Now we are to have one more team, however two students forfeited at the last minute. So the two that remained are not on a team. Will Akito Zara and Setsuna please come up to the stage?" The crowd went silent as Setsuna's ears flattened. Akito sighed and walked up to the stage with his partner on his back. When he glanced into the crowd, he saw both Pyrrha and Blake with saddened expressions, the latter especially.

Ozpin: "Now normally, you two would be sent home due to the lack of students to form your team... However, after an incredible display of teamwork and charisma from the both of you, I personally decided that I cannot let your skills go to waste." He clicked a button on his scroll, causing the screen behind him to display their battle against the Glaivetail Grimm, showing Setsuna using her Semblance and Akito using Exia. Everyone looked on in awe as the two in question looked back to the professor. "Instead of being sent home like normally, you two have been placed on a two man team named, Team WOLF with Akito Zara as the leader."

The students in the crowd cheered loudly for the two as they looked at the old wizard in shock.

Ozpin: "Now unfortunately, we no longer have any extra dorm rooms as the last one was taken up already by staff. So you two will have to share with another Team. Is there any team who would like to have these two?" Akito and Setsuna turned to see a couple of hands in the crowd but the ones that stood out the most were the hands of Blake, Yang and Ruby. The headmaster spotted them and nodded with a smile before hitting a button on the Scroll. "Then Team WOLF will be staying with Team RWBY for their time at Beacon. Congratulations."

Akito: "U-Um... Thank you, Professor." Setsuna just bowed her head in respect as Akito glanced over at Blake particularly, who had a smile on her face, causing him to smile back.

Ozpin: "This is shaping up to be an interesting year..." He glanced at Akito specifically, who had a smile on his face but he particularly noticed how his eyes flashed through those 4 different colors that weren't his normal golden eyes. It took him slightly by surprise, but he only smiled more. *thoughts* "So they all are here... What an interesting year indeed..."

______________________________________________

Next Chapter: "Leadership"

Blake: "... I never really got a chance to say this yesterday but... I missed you, you know that Wolfie...?"

Akito: "Yeah... I missed you too, Kitty... Genuinely"