Chapter 1

— Void —​

In the midst of absolute darkness, where every direction led to an endless void, a single beacon of light pierced the abyss.

Two figures sat opposite each other, divided by an ornate desk crafted from exquisite wood, its craftsmanship evident even to the untrained eye.

One of the figures appeared as a blurry manifestation, taking the vague form of a man with glowing yellow ethereal eyes fixed upon the other. The second figure, a young man with red hair, fiddled with a device in his hands before sighing and placing it on the table.

"Are you finished?" The entity asked, leaning forward.

The young man rubbed his neck and chuckled, before bowing in gratitude. "Yeah, sorry for taking too long, and thank you for being patient with me."

"For beings like us, time holds little sway," The other remarked. "But I must admit, your kind is rare. Even if there were constraints or schedules, I would have given you some leeway to finish your work."

"Haha, thank you," The man replied, scratching his chin with a smile.

"Let's see…" The shade extended a hand to pick up the tablet and stroked the place where the chin would be. "Hmm, the world of RWBY? Certainly, within expectations, it is a popular choice for romances with plenty of options after all," He commented, mischief glinting in his eyes despite his amorphous nature. "Or to claim all the options for oneself."

However, the young man shook his head, his smile still on his face, but slightly fader than what he originally had . "My friend might be tempted to do that, but personally, I don't want that sort of thing. Everyone deserves a happy ending, and I want to help them achieve it."

The ethereal eyes blinked once, then lost their color, the being tilting his head in a pensive stance. "I have heard of your history, read your past as one would read a book, It was within my expectation for you to say such a thing. But, many others are just like you, and as what has been often said, absolute power corrupts absolutely, wonder if you will still be firm in that view of yours after years with this power at your disposal, and the infinite growth it provides."

The eyes reopened, now a deep shade of red. "After all, the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and many of those who claim themself as heroes, paragons of said subjective justice, still find themself walking away from their path, falling to temptation and indulging in their desires . It makes me wonder, whether you are real, or just one of the many who follow in their footsteps, and abuse their power for their perceived greater good."

The young man met the shade's gaze, his expression resolute. "I won't."

A silence fell between them, the air thick with tension as the shaded being looked straight into the young man's eyes, searching for any lies or crack. After a few minutes of searching, the shade seemed pleased with what he saw, closed his "eyes" and smiled. When he reopened them, they were back to their original yellow hue. "I don't know why, but my instincts are telling me that you really might be the one, safe travel, kid."

With a snap of his fingers, the only beacon of light within the void was engulfed in darkness.

=+=

2 Years later— Kingdom of Vale . Vale City —​

Leading her small group, Ruby Rose stepped confidently through the automatic doors of the station, marking her first official stride into the capital of Vale as a Combat School graduate.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she tilted her head towards the sun, soaking in its warmth before spinning on her heels with arms outstretched, and with a beaming smile on her face, she cried out. "Welcome to Vale, girls!"

"We were here two weeks ago, Ruby," Cerise Garnet quipped, her hand adjusting her long reddish hair with a hint of amusement.

"But this time it's different! We're fresh graduates now! One step closer to Beacon!" Ruby insisted, her grin infecting her friends too, as they also began to smile happily, though not as much as her.

All three of them recalled the proud moment of their graduation ceremony back in Patch just a week ago, for Ruby, both herDad and Uncle Qrow attended her ceremony alongside Zwei, and when at home, the both of them were more than happy to give her multiple hours long hug fest to show how much they are proud of her.

Abigail Esme, munching on a chocolate bar, interjected with a nonchalant tone, though her smile is still faintly visible. "Speak for yourself, I won't be in this continent by the end of the month."

Ruby's expression faltered slightly at Abigail's remark, but not for long.

"Boooo~ Abi! Why did you apply to Unity?" she asked, a faint pout forming on her lips. She knew why of course, Menagerie's Huntsman Academy was relatively new, thus making it easier for applicant to gain admission to compared to others, and considered Abigail horrible grade in both written and physical test, joining a pretty much accept-all-students- schools is the obvious choice to make, but it still suck to be separated from one of her two best friends.

They could still talk through their scrolls, true, but it was the principle of the matter!

Abigail shrugged, almost looking indifferently, taking another small bite of her sweet. "My grades weren't the best, you know that, if I want to join a Huntsman Academy, Unity and Shade is my best bet, but I hate sand, so Unity is my first pick."

"Ugh, please stop talking about the Academy please, I'm still nervous about whether my transcript would be accepted or not," Cerise groaned, dragging both hands over her face before crossing her arms. "Hopefully it can pass through Atlas screening. My parents were hoping I could join the military if I pass. If not, worst case scenario, I'll just go to Shade. Sand aside, the Academy isn't that demanding."

Now that got Ruby's attention.

"Wait–! Cerise, you too?" she exclaimed, turning to her friend with a mix of surprise and confusion. Cerise hadn't really disclosed her plans for what she planned to do after graduation. Ruby had just assumed that her friend would join her in Beacon due to her good grades, but it seemed she was going all by herself.

Cerise uncrossed her arms, furrowing her brow. "Yeah, due to what happened in the last Vytal Festival, Beacon's admission rates are abysmal. Like, jeez. You'd have better chances of being struck by lightning than passing their ridiculous standards."

"I wouldn't go that far, it's more accurate to say that we are more likely to meet an Alpha Beowolf while taking a stroll through a park than passing Beacon," Abigail chimed in.

"Ugh, girls, come on! Don't be so pessimistic! With just a little more training here and there, we could all pass! If we are paired together, we could be the next RWBY!" Ruby exclaimed, hoping her optimism was shining through them.

However, her friends remained unmoved by her display. Abigail took the last bite of her sweet and tapped her chin while chewing. "You want us, of all people, to not only to qualify to compete in the Vytal Festival, but to win it? As a first-year student? Against dozens of fourth-year elite students who've trained twenty times harder than us? Yeah, not happening."

Ah, come on!

Ruby turned her attention to her other friend, and was about to persuade her friend before she got interrupted.

"Yeah, no," Cerise deadpanned. "Ruby, look, I know I'm good, but I'm not that good. With my semblance, I may be strong enough to win in a 1 vs 1 match against some of their second years, but all the third-year teams from any Academy would steamroll me. And besides, did you forget that those 3rd years we are going to face are team RWBY itself, the last Festival Champion and team JNPR, where they had the Invincible Girl and Jaune Arc as part of their team?"

The negative response only made Ruby pout. "You girls are so pessimistic. It would have been really cool if you came with me to Beacon."

"Good luck with that."

"Yep, you'll need it."

Ruby huffed, crossing her arms. "Hush you! Literally all of my family enrolled at Beacon. I can't be the exception!"

While it was true that not want to be the only non-Beacon student in her family, her desire to attend the most prestigious Huntsman Academy extended beyond following in her family footsteps. Vale's Hunter Academy represented everything she aspired to be; a skilled Huntress, a defender of peace, and a hero to those in need. Moreover, her amazing sister, Yang, was already making a name for herself at the academy and she already had some plans to mooch off her a tiny bit.

"So? Become the first!"

"Yeah, don't forget to dye your hair fully black too, combined with your black and dark red clothing, you can be the black sheep of the family, in more ways than one." Cerise teased, a playful smirk tugging at her lips as she waved her hand towards Ruby dress, which is mostly black, with only a tiny part of it red.

"You girls are the worst! Stop encouraging me to fail!" Ruby felt her cheeks burn as she glared at her so-called friends being so mean to her.

"Cerise! Quick!"

"On it!"

Wait, what?

Cerise swiftly retrieved something from her pockets, which turned out to be a small cookie. Before Ruby could even process what was happening, Abigail lunged at her and enveloped her in a hug, trapping her.

And before she could voice any complaint or question, Cerise shoved the cookie into her mouth.

"Mmmm!!!" Ruby glared at her friends as she started chewing and enjoying the sugary taste—it was even her favorite. So she would take the cookie, but she was still annoyed!

Swallowing, she turned her head away. "Hmph!"

But both her friends burst into laughter and giggles, much to her dismay. The laughter was contagious, and she found herself joining in seconds later.

"That was really fun, but really dumb," she muttered.

"Jokes aside," Cerise said, wiping her eyes, "Rubes, Don't feel pressured about Beacon. Your dad is a pretty cool guy. I'm sure he'll be okay with you enrolling in other Academies if you don't pass, it's your uncle that you need to watch out for, you won't believe how much teasing material he has over you that he has shown to us."

Ruby nodded her head absent mindedly, no matter how cool her Dad was to her friends, she can't really see it, he's her dad, so how can she think of him as cool?

Uncle Qrow though? Now, the part where he loves to tease her all the time aside, he's cool, the fact that he's the one who teaches her how to fight using a Scythe, and how his Harbinger is a less cooler version than her Crescent Rose also helped.

"Ruby, if you fail, you can just come to Unity! I heard they did their combat lessons on their private tropical beach!" Abigail remarked, breaking her away from her thoughts.

"Rather than Unity, I think she would be more suitable to join Atlas, my contact told me that the Headmaster would give any new students the latest model of DustLink." Cerise's comment caused them to stop in their tracks and snap their heads in her direction.

"Wait, seriously?!"

"They are really giving the latest version away for free? the one that is being hyped up about their groundbreaking Octa-Core Lightning Dust Processor!?" Ruby exclaimed with palpable excitement, her mind already racing with the possibilities she could do with that processor.

Cerise nodded with a smile. "Yep."

Ruby's mind already began to be filled with a lot of ideas before Cerise finished her words. With that much processing power at her fingertips, she could revolutionize the design of Crescent Rose, drastically improve her baby morphing speeds, or even delve into experimenting with a potential third form. The new DustLink promised a playground for simulations, offering an opportunity to push the boundaries of her weapon's capabilities to new heights.

Her friend displayed her old scroll model. "With that promised DustLink, I can finally give this baby an upgrade."

Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes at the simplicity of it. Such an amazing device with that much processing power, wasted on merely messaging and selfies. Some people just couldn't grasp the magnitude of their technological marvels. Ugh...

But before she could linger on her thoughts, a sudden rush of wind interrupted them, drawing their attention. A hover-bike zoomed past dangerously close to them.

That had to be intentional.

Ruby looked at the hover-bike, and… the rider was waving at them.

Yep, totally intentional.

Jerk.

"Talk about a mood killer," Abigail remarked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Seriously, what a jerk," Cerise chimed in, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Hey, look at me, I splurged all of my lifesaving on the latest Atlas hoverbike model. Give me some attention! As if having a hoverbike is what makes a man cool, side, those aren't even THAT expensive."

Ruby, unlike her two best friends, didn't complain out loud, she just watched the hover-bike vanish into the urban labyrinth of buildings.

Once, she had wished to get one of those solely for the sake of tinkering with its mechanics, just to see if she can add a vehicle form for Crescent Rose. However, she lacked the license to buy one, Yang had one, but she staunchly refused to let her make any alterations to her Bumblebee, that's why her dream of giving her baby a vehicle form still remains a dream.

"Anyway, I gotta dash. Need to finish my travel plans for Menagerie by today, my schedule for the next month is full." With a brisk wave, Abigail bid her farewells and walked down the street.

"Bye!" Ruby returned the wave, matching her enthusiasm and with an earnest smile.

"Ah, Ruby, I got to go too. I need to prepare my cram school schedule. Exams are just a month away, and I want to be fully prepared." her remaining friend chimed in.

Ruby nodded, offering a supportive smile. "Good luck!"

Cerise flashed a grin before pivoting on her heels, accelerating into a full sprint. With practiced ease, she tossed a metallic board onto the ground, which seamlessly transformed into a sleek hoverboard. Leaping onto it, she effortlessly glided away, leaving her behind at the station.

Left alone once more, Ruby couldn't help but sigh. They had plans; mostly her plans but plans nonetheless, like hanging out at the new coffee shop in the Mall, followed by playing some games in the arcade, and winning a giant plush. But she could always invite them another time; there was still plenty of time before the exams.

The exams that she also had to study for. The thought weighed on her mind, bringing another sigh.

If only she were two years older, she could be spared from these academic burdens, and instead focus on battling Grimm, doing cool missions, and saving people like her sister.

But dwelling on such thoughts wouldn't change anything. There were things left to do In Vale.

Collecting herself, Ruby raised her gaze, attempting to admire the azure sky. However, it was obscured by a flurry of flying advertisements and the towering skyscraper adorned with a colossal TV screen, broadcasting a preview for an upcoming movie premiere.

Perhaps attending the premiere with the whole family could be a welcome distraction. Vale always had a plethora of entertainment options, unlike her hometown of Patch, where developments were slower to materialize.

Wait, she was getting distracted again.

Well, there's nothing she can do about that, there was a lot of stuff that she needed to do in Vale to prepare for her initiation to join Beacon, and the building, store, entertainment, and everything in Vale are so much more compared to what Patch has.

With a shake of her head, she reached for her scroll and tapped open the map application. It was a very handy app that had become available years ago, sparing her and many others people who are blind to direction from the need to carry bulky pamphlets or rely on guidebooks, or asking for directions from strangers. With a few taps, she pinpointed her next destination; the Metro station, and the app quickly gave her the step-by-step instructions on how to get there.

Fortunately, it was only a block away from her current location. After making sure that she's in the right direction, she activated her semblance, and swirl of petals, she effortlessly traversed the distance, reappearing directly in front of the Metro entrance in just a few seconds.

She loved her semblance; it turned minutes-long, boring walks into mere seconds.

Ruby descended the stairs into the station with a skip in her step, only to find it strangely deserted. A mischievous grin played at the corners of her lips as she once again activated her semblance, effortlessly gliding through the empty space until she stood before the railway platform.

And to her delight, the next train was already pulling into the station.

As the train came to a complete stop, its bell ringing out in a cheerful melody, Ruby patiently waited for the departing passengers to disembark before stepping aboard herself.

Seizing the opportunity, she claimed the first vacant seat she spotted.

With another chime, the doors sealed shut, and the train began its journey, gradually accelerating to cruising speed.

Anticipating the length of her trip, Ruby reached into her bag and retrieved her headphones. Slipping them over her ears, she selected a familiar tune from her scroll and allowed the music to envelop her, drowning out the noise of the world as she settled in for the ride.

The train surged forward in speed, ascending from the depths of the underground into the open air, offering her a good panoramic view of the sprawling city of Vale below. Despite the unconventional rollercoaster-like design of the metro lines, devoid of sharp turns or steep drops, the vista was undeniably captivating.

As she peered out the window, her gaze swept across the cityscape, tracing the bustling traffic of bullheads and smaller air vehicles weaving between the towering skyscrapers. Yet, amidst the urban hustle, another ubiquitous flying advertisement intruded upon the skyline. Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes at how overbearing they were and it was about some mundane promotion for a new brand of shampoo. Like why did those things have to be everywhere?

Perhaps Yang would find those kinds of ads as useful, but Ruby had no interest in such things. Her own hair was perfectly fine, thank you very much.

Redirecting her focus beyond the city limits, Ruby's eyes settled on the distant silhouette of Beacon Academy, perched atop the mountain like a beacon of hope on the horizon. She harbored no doubt that she would soon join its ranks, undeterred by the difficult entrance exam. The sight of an airship approaching Beacon only reinforced her conviction, a hopeful sign of another wave of aspiring students like herself.

Returning her attention to the cityscape below, Ruby couldn't help but notice the transformation of Vale's commercial district. It gleamed with a newfound opulence, far more extravagant than she remembered from years ago, in those few times she came with dad and Yang. The newest highlight and shining jewel of the district was undoubtedly the colossal mall, or Yang's paradise, to be precise. She had no idea that there could be that many products for hair care, it was baffling to say the least.

Turning her attention to Beacon's plaza, her eyes were drawn towards the towering screens and holographic displays that adorned its towers. One display depicted a fearsome Beowolf, frozen in a perpetual snarl, while its counterpart showcased a hunter brandishing his weapon with unwavering resolve.Though very impressive. The static images of Huntsmen and Grimm paled in comparison to the dynamic holographic spectacles she had seen online, and were only available in Atlas.

The comments talked about how amazing those were live, and filled her head to also get a chance to travel to Atlas, only to watch those battles. Yet that would take precious time from her already tight schedule. She just couldn't drop everything to watch a show, at least until she was accepted into the Academy. Besides, her dad and uncle were pretty busy with their jobs back at Signal.

"Next stop, Commercial District"

​Oh right! She needed to hop off there.

With a sigh, she paused the music and removed her headphones, draping them around her neck. Rising from her seat and adjusting her skirt, she made her way towards the exit and stepped off the train. The hustle and bustle of the Commercial District immediately greeted her, a chaotic symphony of voices and movement.

Pulling out her scroll, she quickly marked her next destination: From Dust Till Dawn, a dust that her sister had recommended to her, she said that it's the shop that she often goes to when she or her team want to stock up on Dust. She still needed to stock up on supplies, because she went a little over the budget with her latest project.

A cursory glance around confirmed what she already knew: the district was packed with people. It was no surprise, given its status as the heart of commerce in the city. Unfortunately, the place being so crowded meant that she couldn't rely on her semblance to move around, unlike back at the Bullhead station. The last thing she needed was a run-in with the authorities. A tedious lecture on responsible conduct looming over her head.

Resigned to that fact, she set off on foot towards the dust shop, weaving her way through the sea of people. And putting extra attention on those jerks who walked around with their head glued to their scrolls.

Upon arrival, she approached the automatic gates, which obediently slid open, granting her entry into the store. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to the screens hanging from the ceiling, each one displaying a very good limited-time sale.

And it was exactly what she had been hoping for!

A bundle deal featuring a mix of dust types: lightning, fire, and ice, all conveniently packaged together. Without hesitation, she dashed towards the counter, nearly catching the worker off guard.

"May I help you?" the clerk inquired.

"Yeah! I want three of the promos on the screen!" she declared. Then, after a brief moment of consideration, she amended her request, "No–Wait! I want four!"

She knew it might strain her budget, since she doesn't have much Lien in hand, but she doesn't want to miss on the sale, she's on a tight schedule, preparing herself for the entrance exam on Beacon, so she doesn't know when she would be free enough to visit Vale to buy stuff again.

Nodding understandingly, the store clerk made his way to the back of the store, leaving her to wait impatiently. Ruby, unable to contain her curiosity, began tapping her finger on the glass counter, her gaze shifting as she tried to catch a glimpse of the employee's whereabouts. She wasn't trying to steal anything, just curious.

After some moment, the clerk returned with four boxes, placing them neatly on the counter before proceeding to scan each one, showing he had plenty of experience. Once done, he packed them into two large paper bags emblazoned with the store's logo.

"Here you go, miss. Would you like a receipt?"

Finally!

"Yep!" she chirped, retrieving her scroll to complete the transaction. Once the receipt was in hand, she gathered her bags and made her way towards the exit.

However, just as she was about to leave, she paused, realizing she almost forgot her manners. Her father would surely disapprove if she left without a proper thank you. "Thanks!"

The man behind the counter inclined his head slightly. "Thanks for your patronage," he replied courteously.

Satisfied that her small oversight had been rectified, she exited the store, feeling rather pleased with her purchase.

As she walked, she counted the leftover Lien on her hand, after excluding the Lien for going back to Patch, she doesn't have much left.

Nevertheless, she still had some leeway to treat herself to something sweet before heading home.

Perhaps it was the perfect opportunity to visit that new coffee shop she'd been eyeing for some time, and then swing by the recently opened arcade at the mall. They had been advertising the latest gaming system from Atlas everywhere, and she couldn't resist the allure of trying it out for herself.

With a grin that mirrored her growing excitement, she already had her next destination in mind for some well-deserved fun.

=+=

— Patch —​

"Dad, I'm home!" Ruby announced her arrival.

Mom had told her that it's good manners to tell your family that you are back when you are out, just so you wouldn't surprise them when you are back. And in no time, her small corgi came bounding towards her and began running around her in circles, causing her to burst into giggles as she kicked off her shoes.

"Zweeeeei!" With tenderness, she scooped up her dog, before swiftly planting kiss after kiss on his furry head, the gesture reciprocated by the canine as he nuzzled against her.

A playful pinch to his snout elicited an amused bark from Zwei before he bounced off towards the living room, his tail wagging in eager anticipation.

As usual, Ruby decided to follow him, intending to play with Zwei for some time before going back to her room. Furthermore, years of growing up alongside Zwei, she knew he wanted her to follow him, either to ask her to play fetch with him or to play with some new toy that Dad had brought back or he just wanted to play fetch.

"Ow-ow-ow-Zwei no–! Hey! No pulling hair!"

Wait, that's not Dad's voice, that's—

"Yang?"

And her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the yellow hair of her sister stop moving, the huntress-in-training sat up straight on the living room couch, carefully pushing Zwei aside as she sent her younger sister a grin. "Hey Rubes! Guess who's back?"

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, dropping her bags and rushing towards her sister with a tackle, glomping her with the tightest hug she could give.

"OOF–! Okay Rubes, your sis is strong and all that, but no tackle." Yang chuckled, and returned her hug.

She couldn't help it! Her sister was back in Patch!

It's been more than a year since she last came back, Ruby wasn't about to hold back in showing her how much she had missed her!

"Why didn't you tell me you are going back!? I would have waited for you before leaving!" Ruby complained, her mind already racing with all the fun stuff they could have done together.

If she knew her sister is going back to Patch, she could introduce her sis to both Abi and Ceri! She already told her about them of course, but they had never met face-to-face, she's sure they all would get along well!

Plus, they could go take a stroll through Vale together! She could take Yang's advice on what she needs to buy when she's at the mall, and if they had the time, they could even play some games in the Arcade together! So many ideas, so little time. It was frustrating how quickly the day seemed to slip away; if only there were more than 24 hours in a day.

Yang laughed, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I was planning to surprise you at Signal, but my ride got delayed. By the time I arrived at Patch, you had already left for Vale, so I decided to wait here." She glanced down at the bags Ruby had dropped. "Huh, looks like you bought a lot of stuff, did you just go on a shopping spree?"

"Yep." Ruby confirmed, breaking away from the hug to retrieve her bags. "I found these on sale, so I bought them in bulk."

Yang reached for one of the bags, pulling out the dust bundle with a low whistle of appreciation. "A sale? Damn~ I wish these had been more frequent when I first started at Beacon. It would have saved me a lot of Lien."

Ruby could still remember those dust prices. They always proved to be a problem, especially when she needed it for Crescent Rose maintenance and testing new potential upgrades.

"So, how's my little sis doing? Everything good?" Yang asked, settling onto the couch, only to have Zwei jump onto her lap and nuzzle against her.

"Yep. Everything's fine! I also had some fun today. What about you?" Even if her friends left their outing early, she still managed to enjoy her time in Vale, so her day was fine..

"Ehhhh~ It's so-so." Yang replied nonchalantly, making a waving gesture with her hand before freezing as the scroll in her backpocket began to ring.

Ruby, unable to resist her curiosity, leaned in a little closer, eager to catch a glimpse of the caller's identity.

It was a decision she immediately regretted the second her sister accepted the call.

"YANG! Where were you?! Both Blake and I have been waiting for you for hours!!! We were supposed to meet at the–"

Ouch, the sudden blast of noise made Ruby's ears ring painfully, and even startled Zwei, who promptly leaped off Yang's lap and scampered away.

Thankfully, Yang quickly taps the hung up button, bringing an end to the unwelcome deafening scream.

"Yep, so-so." Yang added, a strained smile on her face.

However, Ruby could only sympathetically rub her abused ear, still recovering from the sudden outburst from the loud caller. "Is that your friend?"

"Yep, that screamer is Weiss. You remember the team picture I sent to you some time ago? She's the one who's always in full white dress,"

Ah, she nodded her head, knowing who Yang was talking about.

She hadn't personally met her sister's team, but she had seen the picture Yang had sent her last year.

In it, Yang stood alongside a faunus girl with waist-length wavy black hair, a shorter girl with also a waist-length hair, but now tied into a ponytail and are white, she's also in some white clothing that looked more fitting in some formal event than a school, and a red-haired young man whose height tower over even her sister, the tallest of the 3 girl.

Hmm.. If the girl in the white dress was Weiss, then that meant the black-haired girl must be Blake, right?

As her mind worked to piece together the names of her sister's teammates, she heard Yang groaning and slumping on the couch.

"Ugh~ Can't believe she still hasn't toned down," Yang grumbled. "You would think that two years with us being the highest grade students would be enough to change her strict attitude, but noooooo, she's still being a slave driver, it wouldn't be such a pain if she's only like this in combat training, but she's twice as worse when it's about theoretical knowledge!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I mean, come on! Why do we need to study for midterms?! Ozpin already promised us excellent grades as a reward from our last mission! It's a guaranteed passing mark at the end of this period, and midterms are still months away!"

"So, you're hiding from her?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

Yang coughed lightly, flashing a sheepish smile. "Eh, more like taking a small breather. Weiss has good intentions, but sometimes she's just a little too much. Although considering she had called me, it seems Blake couldn't distract her much longer. Dammit, Reinhard, of all times, why did you have to be called by the Headmaster to his office now?"

"Reinhard?" Ruby tilted her head, the name ringing a few bells in her head but not quite connecting all the dots. "Is that your friend? Why would the headmaster call him?"

"Yep, one of my best friends, he's also my team leader, he's the redhead in the picture I sent to you, as for your latter question… Hmm… He said it's because of something that he did in our last mission and—Wait, Rubes, have I ever told you about my latest mission yet?" Yang asked with a sudden realization.

Ruby shook her head.

For the last 2 years, Yang had often boasted and bragged to her on scroll about all the cool missions that she and her team embarked on, such as stopping the criminal Torchwick and his associate, stopping the White Fang attack, saving a village from horde of Grimm, stopping a wandering bandit clan in Mistral, and many more. From the way Yang is talking, this mission is one of her latest ones.

Adjusting her posture, Yang cleared her throat. "Okay, where should I start? Remember when I told you that I would be gone for maybe a month to Vacuo?"

She nodded her head, Yang had told her about it, she's busy on a camping trip at that time with Abi and Ceri, so she doesn't really remember all of the details, but she knows her big sis went to Vacuo.

"Okay, cool, it was a mission from Shade's Headmaster and Ozpin. They wanted us to take down some bandit group who had sprung up in Vacuo. I don't know all the details, but since it's our team that got this mission, the so-called 'Remnant Golden Team' and all that jazz, some of the big honchos were paying close attention to it, like the other Academies Headmaster."

"Cringy name aside, you guys were so cool at that time!! The news outlets talked about your team for a whole year!" She interjected.

"Hell yeah we were!" Yang agreed with a nod. "Anyway, this mission turned out to be... more complex than we initially thought. It was a real pain in the ass. Turns out, the bandit group was just a faction of a much larger gang. So when we busted those bandits, we inadvertently stirred up trouble with their higher-ups. Long story short, we ended up facing a whole crime syndicate! But hey, it was totally worth it. We cleared our mission credits quota for this and the next month in one go!"

"Yaaang! Don't just give me a 'long story short' like that! Tell me! Tell me more!" Ruby complained as she shook her sister's arm. The scenario sounded like something straight out of one of her favorite comic books. A student team went out on a mission, and in the middle of it faced the local crime syndicate, which then they would need to beat, and in the end, they won. She always thought stuff like that was something that only happens in comics! The fact that it happens in real life, to her big sister of all time, makes her giddy and want to hear every detail of it!

Yang Xiao Long was legit, the coolest Big Sister in Remnant!

"Well, once we arrived at Vacuo, we—" Yang began, her expression thoughtful as she stroked her chin, only to be interrupted by yet another call on her scroll. This time, however, she chose to ignore it, hanging up the call immediately.

"Okay, well, it turned out we were not the only team called to Vacuo. A 4th year team was already waiting for us when we got there—" Her sister resumed her tale, but before she could talk more, another call came through, causing her to sigh in defeat.

"Sorry, Rubes. If Weisscream kept calling me like that, then she means serious business. I promise to tell you more when I'm free," Yang apologized, declining the call once more.

"Awww, no fair!" Ruby protested, crossing her arms and pouting. She couldn't just drop a bombshell like that and leave out all the cool details! Like, who does that?

"Hey, no pouting like that," Yang chided, poking her cheeks a few times. "You'll get wrinkles."

Ruby rolled her eyes but couldn't help herself and giggled a little as the poking was a bit ticklish.

However, that playful moment was short-lived as Yang's scroll rang once again, prompting her to stop poking her face and sigh in resignation.

With a defeated expression, Yang took a deep breath and answered the incoming call.

"YANG XIAO LONG! I WOULD FREEZE YOUR WHOLE HAIR SOLID IF YOU DARE TO HANG UP ON ME ONE MORE TIME!" A yell erupted from her sister's scroll, echoing loudly through the room and causing both to wince in pain.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way already. No need to blow up my ears," Yang retorted, her tone exasperated as she walked away towards the kitchen, lowering the volume out of consideration. "I was talking to my little sis! It's been a year since we last met, so I lost track of time. I didn't mean to make you both wait for that long!"

With Yang preoccupied with something else, Ruby felt a twinge of disappointment.

Missing out on hearing a cool comic event that happened in real life wasn't going to dampen her spirits though. After all, soon she would be the one embarking on exciting missions and telling thrilling tales across Remnant.

As Zwei returned and jumped onto her lap, Ruby couldn't help but smile, rubbing the corgi's head affectionately. She already had her mind set on what to do next; work on Crescent Rose and train.

Just you wait, Beacon Academy. Ruby Rose was coming!

___________________

An:

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