11 Emerald forest

We are officially caught up I combined 2 chapters to make it longer and so that I can start some new chapters instead of improvising on things I already wrote which to be honest is a pain to do.

Also all of this is 3rd pov let me know if you prefer this or 1st person

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Weiss gazed at the broken moon, mesmerized by the night sky, before turning her head to observe everyone sleeping. A sigh escaped her lips as she scanned the area, her eyes eventually landing on Ruby's resting place. The mere sight of Ruby had a calming effect on Weiss as if everything would be okay. However, there was someone else who had a similar effect.

She looked around until she spotted a particular red-haired individual. Weiss couldn't help but think, 'Hmm, she makes me feel calm like Ruby, although given her and Ruby's personalities, it's no wonder I quickly grew attached to them while watching the show.' A slight smile crept onto Weiss's face as the thought crossed her mind.

 "I suppose I should attempt to get some sleep," Weiss reasoned with herself before finding her spot and drifting off into the nightmares that awaited her.

—Morning—

Nora's enthusiastic "Morning" caused Weiss to wake up as she struggled to sleep most of the night with memories haunting her. 'How does she possess so much energy this early? Oh well,' Weiss mused, rising and heading to the washroom not bothering to linger much on her night.

Upon entering, Weiss noticed Pyrrha brushing her teeth, and it seemed like everyone was intentionally avoiding her. Joining her side, Weiss started on her morning routine, prompting astonished expressions all around, including on Pyrrha's face. It was the perfect opportunity to tease her second favorite redhead.

"Take a picture; it'll last longer," Weiss quipped, turning toward her with a smirk. Making Pyrrha blush, her face mimicking the shade of her hair.

"Oh no, I was simply taken aback that you stood next to me," Pyrrha stammered, attempting to explain. Everyone tended to feel insecure due to her being the invincible girl, so they tended to avoid her and the thought of anyone getting ready next to her wasn't something she could've imagined.

"Hmm, standing beside a beautiful girl like you can be quite intimidating," Weiss said with a wink. After finishing applying her lotion, Weiss left for the cafeteria.

'What should I have for breakfast?' Weiss pondered before settling on pancakes with strawberries. 'These are marvelous; strawberries are the most delicious things in the world,' Weiss thought to herself. Finishing swiftly, Weiss proceeded to the locker room where Yang and Ruby were seen talking.

"You appear unusually excited this morning," Yang pointed out while observing Ruby retrieve Crescent Rose from her locker.

"Well, yeah. No more socializing; now I can focus on letting my skills do the talking," Ruby responded cheerfully, affectionately holding Crescent Rose.

"Ruby, initiation isn't merely about fighting. Growing up also means learning to talk to new people and working together," Yang gently scolded.

"Ugh, you sound just like Dad. First, what does talking have to do with fighting against Grimm? Second, I drink milk for your information," Ruby pouted at Yang.

"And here I thought we had a close relationship, Ruby," a voice emerged from behind Ruby.

"Oh, Weiss, when did you get here?" Ruby asked upon spotting Weiss.

"I overheard you mention not wanting to interact with others that's hurtful," Weiss replied, placing a hand over her chest dramatically.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean you, I love talking to you. I was just talking about showing off my combat skills," Ruby quickly clarified.

'Wow, she changed her opinion quickly,' Yang thought, observing the interaction.

"Hmm, so you do want to be around me," Weiss inquired, stepping closer while lightly pushing Ruby's chin up to look her in the eye, teasing her even further.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ruby stammered over her words, struggling to speak.

"Alright, you're getting a bit too close," Yang said swiftly, positioning herself between them.

"Don't worry, Yang, I won't do anything she doesn't want to do. See you on the field, Ruby," Weiss assured her, waving them goodbye and focusing her attention on retrieving her weapon.

After gathering her weaponry, Weiss encountered Jaune beside her. "I'm Jaune Arc. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he introduced himself with false confidence, attempting to impress Weiss.

"So, Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear your compliments from yesterday," Jaune continued, flexing his arm.

 "Oh, about that, I wasn't certain which team Ruby should go for, so I provided her with two options. And sadly, for you I'm more inclined toward girls," Weiss stated in a monotone voice, her expression neutral.

She thought it was normal for her to find girls more attractive as she didn't have the best experience with men. She's surprised she didn't develop androphobia with everything she's been through.

"Oh, oh!" Jaune stammered, awkwardly rubbing his head. The red-haired individual beside him raised an eyebrow at Weiss's statement.

"Do you have an issue with that?" Weiss asked Jaune.

"Wha—no, no, no, I don't have an issue with that. My sister is married to another girl, so I'm completely fine with it," Jaune exclaimed, waving his hands frantically trying to not get on the girls' bad side.

Weiss walked away, leaving him to lower his head in defeat. "That could've gone better," Jaune muttered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's not offended," Pyrrha comforted him after witnessing the awkward exchange.

"I hope so," Jaune sighed before heading to the cliff.

Weiss watched as Ozpin began his speech thinking of how knowing what was to come made things tedious. "Each of you will be assigned teammates today," Glynda announced, prompting Ozpin to continue emphasizing the importance of finding a compatible partner.

As they were launched into the forest one by one, Weiss couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. 'Alright, let's get this party started,' she thought as she was launched into the forest, summoning glyphs to slow her descent and landing gracefully on the ground. Amidst Ruby's panicky screams, Weiss knew she had found her partner 'Well let's just hope she finds me like in the original' Weiss thought as a red blur entered her field of vision. 

"Hey Ruby, I suppose we're partners now," Weiss greeted her with a smile as Ruby came to a stop.

"Ye-Yeah, I guess we are," Ruby replied nervously, bouncing on the tip of her combat boots.

"Let's go," Weiss said, taking Ruby's wrist and leading the way in a random direction. "So, what's your semblance?" she asked to get to know each other better.

"Oh, my semblance is called Petal Burst. It allows me to move really fast, like 'whoosh'," Ruby explained, demonstrating with hand gestures before suddenly disappearing into a nearby bush.

'Hmm, she still vanished even though there was no reason to,' Weiss pondered, noticing the rustling nearby.

"Ruby! I'd appreciate it if I didn't have to face these on my own," Weiss shouted, her voice carrying over the increasing rustling sounds.

"Alright, then. I'll hold them off until Ruby comes back. If I remember correctly, she should appear in front of the Beowolf I'm looking at, so..." Weiss thought to herself before executing a 180-degree turn and attacking the Beowolf behind her.

Just as she spun around, Ruby appeared exactly where Weiss had predicted. Swiftly dispatching the Beowolf, Weiss used a glyph as a platform, propelling herself toward the next one.

"Ruby, you handle the ones on your side, and I'll take care of the ones over here," Weiss instructed her, aiming to avoid any interference from Ruby during her attacks.

They efficiently eliminated the enemies and began their search for the temple. Unlike in the canon, they didn't need to flee, nor were they arguing. This was a promising start.

"Hey, Weiss, do you know the way?" Ruby asked, hoping her partner was familiar with the correct direction.

"Nope, but don't worry. I'm sure we'll eventually find our way there," Weiss reassured Ruby.

At that moment, Ruby spotted a Nevermore. "Oh, Weiss, let's use the Nevermore to reach the temple!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm not sure if that's a wise idea, Ruby," Weiss responded, attempting to divert her attention from the Nevermore.

"Come on, let's go!" Ruby persisted, grabbing Weiss's wrist and pulling her closer to the Nevermore, clasping its talons. 'At least I won't be plummeting aimlessly when she jumps off the Nevermore,' Weiss mused as she clung tightly to the talon.

The bad news was that the Nevermore accelerated to a high speed. However, the silver lining was that they spotted the temple.

"Alright, Weiss, get ready to jump in 3...2...1..." Ruby counted down before leaping.

'Couldn't she have said "Jump" or something?' Weiss thought, rolling her eyes subtly as she let go and created platforms for her to descend safely.

While descending, she noticed Pyrrha being pursued, so she decided to lend her a hand. Drawing Myrtenaster, she loaded it with ice dust and launched an icy attack.

"Thank you!" Pyrrha shouted, expressing her gratitude as Weiss nodded and reached the ground securely. "Ruby, did you retrieve the relic?" she asked her excitable partner.

"Yup, it's right here," Ruby responded confidently, showing her a white rook. "Excellent. Now that we're all reunited, we will all die together," Yang commented, causing Ruby to shake her head and dart forward.

"Not if I have anything to say about it! Ahhhhhh!" Ruby screamed at the Death Stalker before getting obliterated with its tail.

"Ruby, get back!" Yang yelled; her concern for her younger sister showing.

Ruby nodded before dashing back toward the temple with all the speed she could muster. However, that's when the Nevermore initiated an attack, unleashing its feathers and ensnaring Ruby's cape.

Without hesitation, Weiss jumped in front of the tail and used Aegis to tank the hit. Then she used Myrtenaster, effectively freezing the Deathstalker in its tracks with an Ice glyph. Aegis still used a lot of Aura but not as much as it did before.

"Ruby, what were you thinking, charging in without a plan?" Weiss scolded her as she lightly checked her over for injuries.

"I'm sorry. I just really wanted to impress you," Ruby admitted, her gaze downcast.

With a sigh, Weiss reassured her, "You don't need to impress anyone, Ruby. Just be yourself and make thoughtful decisions." She offered her a comforting pat on the head.

"Well, let's go take down that bird!" Nora exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Hold on, Nora," Ren interjected, grabbing her shirt to prevent her from rushing toward the Nevermore.

"Why? Let's just go beat the thing," Nora protested.

"Remember, the objective is to get the artifact back to the cliff," Blake pointed out in a hushed tone.

Ruby's smile returned as she agreed, "Blake's right. Come on!"

They hastened away, but the Deathstalker pursued closely, having broken free from the ice, and the Nevermore was hot on their heels.

"Let's split up!" Weiss yelled, aiming to allow them to showcase their abilities. They formed their future teams and commenced their attack.

Despite their relentless assault on the Nevermore, their attacks bounced off its tough. Frustration started to build up as it seemed like nothing was working. "I have a plan! Weiss, freeze it in place. Blake and Yang, create a spring with Blake's grapple, using those pillars as anchors," Ruby commanded.

"Understood," they all chorused, fully comprehending her strategy. Weiss mimicked her counterpart, freezing the Nevermore's tail, then somersaulted away to prepare a glyph for Ruby's launch.

"Ready?" Weiss asked to which Ruby responded confidently, "Yup!" She propelled herself forward using her sniper as a booster, gripping the Nevermore's neck with her scythe.

Deploying glyphs along the cliff's edge to sustain her momentum, Ruby adeptly sliced through the Nevermore's neck.

As Weiss gazed up at Ruby, she felt her heart skip a bit and her face burn up a bit but she quickly snapped out of it and shook her head.

Eventually, all of them reached the cliff where Ozpin and Glynda were stationed, causing Jaune to drop down in relief and exhaustion.

"We're... *gasp*... Finally here," Jaune managed to wheeze out.

"Congratulations, you've successfully returned with the artifact I requested," Ozpin congratulated them.

"Though some barely met the qualifications," Glynda remarked, her gaze fixing on Jaune momentarily before shifting back to the group. "Now, off to the auditorium to introduce your future teams," she directed, leading the way.

"Isn't this exciting?" Ruby whispered to Weiss, causing her eyebrow to quirk. "Weren't you the one who was hesitant about socializing?" Weiss reminded her.

"Yeah, but that was before. I hope we end up with Blake and Yang on our team. We were incredible out there," Ruby said, reenacting their battle against the Nevermore with her hands.

Upon reaching the auditorium, Ozpin began announcing the teams. Truthfully, Weiss wasn't too concerned about CRDNL or the others remaining the same as canon, except for Team JNPR and, Team RWBY.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie, the four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. Henceforth, you shall be known as Team JNPR, with Jaune as your leader," Ozpin declared, surprising Jaune.

"Finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long, you four secured the white knight pieces. From this moment forward, you are Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose," Ozpin continued.

"Congrats, Ruby," both Yang and Weiss chimed in, with Yang opting for a bear hug while Weiss settled for a comforting pat on her head.

The camera pulled back to reveal Torchwick on the phone conversing with an unseen person. After hanging up, he let out a sigh.

"Open it," Torchwick instructed a henchman who handed him a wad of cash. The henchman opened a case, revealing shards of dust.

"We're going to need more men," Torchwick murmured to himself before reaching for his scroll.