Here it is folks, the official chapter 8 (not counting the announcement as a chapter).

Trying something new out this time. Everything that's normally up here; the review replies, the little updates, ext., they'll all be down at the bottom. So, let's get to it!

Chapter 8

Biotic Sex Magnet Pt2

ALLIANCE MISSION BREFING ROOM #118, THUNDIAS

July 9thth, 2173

A meeting. Mid-day. When basically every soldier was out training, we were having a meeting. It only meant one thing.

Someone left the Rangers.

This sort of thing had happened before, back during the whole initiation phase. Whenever someone dropped out or was kicked out, Yang made sure it wasn't a shameful event. There wasn't a reason to give the other service branches that the former Ranger might enter a reason to hate us after all. There was still hazing, that was a part of any military dropout situation, but in all of humanities brief existence, there likely wasn't a dropout situation that was more supportive than this.

That was, if the dropout wanted to attend. Quite a few chose not to, mostly from embarrassment and self-shame, but one person had written a letter that Yang read aloud, saying that they didn't feel worthy to be in the presence of legends in the making. The ones who did attend, however, often got emotional.

People make friends quickly in the military. You have to. If you don't trust someone to watch your back, then you're wasting time worrying about it and not focusing on the job at hand, something that has gotten countless soldiers killed. These friends are like family, and when someone was dropped or left voluntarily, it was like losing a part of yourself.

"You all know why we're here." Yang spoke from behind a podium. We were in a briefing room; just chairs, the podium, and a screen that was normally used to show footage or pictures of the soldier's upcoming mission. "Another Ranger has left us."

It was the day after Yang and I had gotten out of the 'hot box' as the rest of the Rangers has started calling it. We were all given the day off, mostly so Yang could get a proper grip of what had happened during her absence. There was only so much you could do from a terminal.

I had spent the day at the biotics center, though I was happy to be free from the training room. There was a lot of gear I was use to using in my biotic workouts that I hadn't had access to in the room, and I wanted to get back to my normal routine. Night quickly came and I flopped onto my bed, only idly wondering how Cass had spent her day before sleep took me.

And now I was here.

"However, this is a special case." She announced, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "As most of you know, Cassandra Shepard has left our presence, but it was not her choice, nor ours."

My stomach quickly knotted up, but I stayed silent.

"Instead of her being removed from training, she has been pushed forward due to medical reasons, which I've been asked to keep quiet about. She is still a Ranger, a member of our family, but is now on live fire missions, something you all will be doing in a few months."

"Mam, why is she being advanced?" a Ranger asked, pretty sure it was Lockley, but it might have been Stark by the way his voice wavered slightly.

"As I said, it was a medical condition that I won't name at her own request, but it has not hindered her physically or mentally. Due to this, and her top scores, I felt it was fair to advance her as a way of helping her recover." Yang answered. "Some of you may end up working alongside her during your own live fire missions. I only ask that you be respectful and don't ask why she left."

"Thank you mam." Ok, that was Stark. Good to know.

"Since Cassandra has not left the Rangers, and is not here to answer questions, you are all dismissed, save William." Yang looked me in the eyes. "I need a few minutes with you."

"Got it blondie." I half murmured. My gut was causing me no small amount of pain, but I was all too use to it. 'Fucking nerves. I thought being a soldier would help me learn to control this.'

Everyone else was filing out of the room while I remained seated. Riley gave me a sympathetic look before she left, and I returned it with a small smile that never reached my eyes. Finally, the door shut.

"Damn I hate this job sometimes." Yang sighed as she collapsed into her seat. "Sorry I didn't tell you this sooner. She asked me to keep it from you until the service."

"How long has she been gone?"

"Since you stopped getting messages from her." She said. "About two weeks now. Kinda glad you spent your day off yesterday in the biotics center. You'd have probably stormed into my office pissed as hell from all the apologies you'd be getting."

I just leaned back in my chair, my head hitting the top of the back of the chair. "Is it what I think it is?"

"Yup." She nodded. "The damn biotic attraction you didn't know about. Doctors said all she needs is time away from you. About two or three months' worth. Right around the time I planned for you all to start taking missions."

"Well, guess I'm single now." I said with a humorless laugh. "All well. She and I made a promise to each other. Better keep it."

"She's waiting for you. Comm room seven." Yang said as she stood up. "Take all the time you need. Training starts back up tomorrow."

A soft "Thanks" was all I could manage as she left the room. I stayed seated for a good ten minutes after she left, quietly thinking about nothing.

I don't remember when I started doing it, but I'd guess around age ten or eleven. I'd lay in bed on nights where I wasn't tired and just thought of nothing, which for a ten year old, is stupid hard. It took weeks before I actually managed to quiet down my brains attempts to fill my thoughts, but I did manage it.

Now here I was, ten years and a new dimension later, thinking nothing. It was calming. Not hearing my inner doubts, no thinking about what I was going to say, not worrying. Then it was ruined, not by interruption, but by a single thought that breached my head.

'If I were an A.I. I'd probably be dead right now.'

"I'm starting to think I'm not normal." I muttered as I stood, my gut having eased considerably. "Oh, wait, I've already died once. That might explain a bit." Having calmed my nerves, I started a brisk walk to my vid-call with my now ex-girlfriend.

That left a bitter taste in my mouth, no matter how I tried thinking about it.

'Comm room seven.' I thought as I reached the door. 'God I wish this shit didn't happen to me.'

The door opened and I took a seat at the lone terminal station in the room. These rooms were used for the personal or private calls that people don't want to be overheard. The Alliance still monitored these calls, but it was only for people speaking in code or for people trying to leak classified data. It was monitored by a V.I., which was also monitored by a V.I., so there wasn't a risk of some Alliance officer blackmailing someone. A quick few keystrokes to put in my password, and I was logged in and immediately connecting to a waiting caller.

And just like that, Cass' red hair and yellow eyes filled the screen.

"Hey." She said. 'Just hey? Eh, better not worry about it. She's probably kicking herself over that already.'

"Hay is for horses." I joked, and to my relief, broke the tension as Cass chuckled at the dumb joke.

"You have no idea how badly I needed that." She smiled, an honest one that lit her eyes up like a light show.

"And I didn't realize how badly I needed this." I admitted, smiling back. All my nervousness was gone. "I can't tell you how many times I worried about how you'd act after I got out of that training room."

"You worried about me? Come on Will, you know me better than that." I knew that if she were here, she'd probably give me a playful shove. "And I know you never intended for this to happen. I don't hold any of it against you, so stop your worrying damn it."

This time it was my turn to chuckle. "Heh, yes mam. Still, I'm glad."

Cassandra's smile dimmed a bit. "Honestly, I'm more worried about you. I'm sorry I had Blondie keep my leaving from you."

"Cass, I was never worried about that. I understand completely. You NEED to be away from me for your own health." I sighed. "I was just worried you'd end up hating me because I'd somehow made you lose control of yourself or something."

"Well, you kind of did… I was going crazy about you, and not in a good way. Obsessing over you, jealous to the point of anger. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it if you ordered me to do something." She paused. "It… was probably the most frightening thing I've ever experienced."

"Cass…" I tried apologizing before she interrupted.

"Save it Will. I told you I knew you never intended for that to happen." Her smile returned in full force. "And never once did you make me do anything. Instead, you played the perfect gentleman, erring on the side of caution. Despite how terrified I was, I knew you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I felt scared, but safe."

"And you're ok now?"

"Well, the doctors say if I stayed near you and you accidentally dropped that mental block you made, I'd slip right back to where I was. But it's only if it's you who does it. I can't tell you how many biotics have tried hitting on me since I left. And no, this doesn't mean I can't be around you permanently." She assured me. "After the two to three months are up, I'm sooo putting in a transfer request to come and see you."

"But until then…" I trailed off.

"Yeah. We made a promise."

"And we keep our promises."

That was it. Until we got to see each other in person again, we were no longer a couple. It hurt a lot more than I hoped, but less than I expected.

"I still love you though." she softly whispered. "The doctors say I might still have lingering symptoms, but I know I still love you."

"I love you too Cass." I said in return before my smile grew a bit wicked. "Though, you might have come competition."

"Oh? Moving on already?" she asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No, not at all, but someone's already displayed interest." I continued teasing. "Someone you know."

"I swear, if it's Beth I'm punching your teeth in." I looked at her in shock. "What? She's a bitch! Why would you ever want to be with her?"

"I'm horrified you'd even suggest her!" I exclaimed. "No, damn it now that's stuck in my head. No its Yang."

"Blondie? But she's our CO!"

"I KNOW! Doesn't change the fact that I think she kissed me in my sleep two nights ago!"

"SHE WHAT!"

"Whoa, calm down." I said, instinctively raising my hands to shield myself. "I was basically asleep, so I don't know if she actually did it."

Cassandra just sat there in silence for a minute, looking angry, before growing frustration demanded she speak again. "Damn it, I can't even be mad at her!"

"Wait what?" I stammered. "Did I just hear that right?"

"She's a really lonely girl."

"How do you know that?!"

"Because she lives alone with a cat!"

They say the sound of my head hitting the desk was heard throughout the building.

"Please tell me that's not the only reason you think that." I begged.

"Of course not! I just wanted to see your reaction!" She answered between fits of laughter. "You are WAY too predictable Will!"

"Remind me again why I've put up with you?"

"My ass."

"Fair point." I admitted. "So what other evidence do you have?"

"My tits."

"Again, fair point, but not what I was asking."

"Ohh. My bad." She apologized, her face now heavily flushed. "Well, she doesn't have any pictures."

"Pictures?"

"Yeah. In both of her offices, she doesn't have any family photos. Nothing on her desk, no pictures of friends, it's just her and her cat."

"That's… how did I not notice that?"

"Because I'm a girl. I notice things like that." She said proudly.

"Oh, sure. You'll notice that, but you failed to notice that dancer spiking your drink at the Sha-

"WE SAID WE'D NEVER SPEAK OF THAT AGAIN!"

"And that time Jayce and Johnson were trying to get you to sleep with Lilly. And when Markov did that thing with his thumb and his-"

"I GET IT ALREADY!"

"Good. Because that one almost topped the first." I shuddered, desperately shoving those memories back into the pits of my subconscious. How the hell Markov did those things, with just his thumb no less, haunted the dream of everyone who saw it for months.

"Asshole." She muttered. "Anyway, I don't know why I noticed it. I just did. No family photos, no pictures of friends, hell, she doesn't even have pictures of her cat!"

"Can we drop the whole cat thing?"

"Fine, but other than her feline friend, I think she only has you."

"The hell are you talking about now?"

Cass started explaining. "She's a career soldier, that much is obvious, but she grew up in a time where human biotics were feared and treated as freaks, even among Alliance personnel. Plus the fact that her public file says she just popped up out of nowhere, and her biotics look like she's on fire, she can't have many friends."

"In fact, I think you're her only one." She continued. "She pushes you the hardest, and I've seen the way you two act together. Right when one of you is thirsty, the other hands over a water bottle. It's exactly like what we have… or I guess had now that I'm being deployed. You don't need to speak, you just know what the other needs."

"Still doesn't mean she's into me." I countered.

"True, but if there was anyone I'd want to replace me, it'd be her."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not? I'm stupid jealous of her body! Hell, all the girls are! And don't you dare tell me you haven't looked at her that way!"

"I will because I haven't! I was usually too busy looking at you."

Queue intense blush. Her cheeks were about as red as her hair.

"Flatterer."

"I do try."

"Damn it stop making this harder for me!"

"Are you… telling me you don't want to hook back up?"

"What? God no! That's not what I'm trying to say at all Will!" she paused, trying to find the right words to say. "I told you I love you. I'll always love you. Even if we both end up with other people, you'll always hold a place in my heart."

"But I want you to be sure I'm what you want. I'll probably regret this at some point in my life, but I want you to flirt with other women. Get to know them, love them, and do what you want. I want you to love me because you want to love me, not because you feel you have to."

"Cass."

"Because I'll be doing the same thing. Its more doctor ordered than what I want to do, but I have to do it. For the next two to three months I have to try and find someone else to love, so the doctors can be sure there aren't any lingering side effects."

"Alright."

"Will?"

"I don't like it. Hell, I hate it, but alright. But, just like you said to me, I'll always have a place in my heart for you. And I swear, if whoever you end up with breaks your heart, well, even the Terminus systems won't be safe from my wrath." I looked up to see tears in her eyes, and the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her face. Our eyes met as I finished. "Because no one messes with my girl and lives to tell the tale."

"That's so sweet." She murmured as she whipped away her tears. "And incredibly cheesy."

"There you go ruining a perfectly romantic moment." I sighed with a smile on my face. "Isn't that supposed to be my job?"

"Please don't. We'd never have another moment for the rest of our lives." She laughed.

We spent five hours talking to each other that day. Involving some of the most random topics we'd ever discussed and hours of laughter. Cassandra, at one point, made a comment that she'd have a six pack if I kept making her laugh as hard as she was.

Unfortunately, it was all a fake. Well, not completely since we were having a lot of fun, but we both knew we were using it as a way to ease the feeling of loss we shared.

About halfway through, Sparky came trotting in. I was surprised he was still hanging around, since I essentially ditched him and locked myself away for a month. When he saw who I was talking with, he got close to the camera and whimpered.

Turns out that Cass had taken care of him for the first week I was gone, and the initial jealousy caused by my biotics quickly faded and allowed the two to really bond. I think it really helped that Sparky could probably smell my sent on her, and had basically stood guard over her in my absence, no matter how often she yelled or threw things at him while she came off her biotic induced 'high.'

After Cass left, Sparky was taken care of by the remaining Rangers, essentially becoming the group mascot. Everyone took turns taking care of him and, in one notable incident, tried to bathe him. That ended with several chewed-up water hoses, multiple broken buckets, and several Alliance officers were trying to find the cause of a large hole that suddenly appeared around the time of Sparky's bath.

Upon learning this I just chuckled and, while scratching Sparky's back, muttered "Sparky McBoomboom."

Meanwhile, the brown-green Varren had played innocent perfectly. Too perfectly.

"Well, it's getting late." Sighed Cassandra. We both didn't want to end the call, that was blatantly obvious, but we knew we had to.

"Yeah… God this sucks."

"At least you're not being ordered by doctors to hit on guys. I swear have of them give me the creeps."

"Yeah? I gota figure out this situation with Blondie. That'll be awkward as hell for a long ass time."

"Well… I guess this is goodbye."

"Like hell it is. This is see you later." I smiled. It was forced, but convincingly sincere as well. "Were Shepard and William. The dynamic duo. Best of the best because we watch each other's backs. We'll be kicking ass throughout the galaxy in no time, I guarantee it."

"Ha. Burn the galaxy to the ground or die trying?"

"Damn straight. See you 'round the galaxy Cass."

"Stay safe Will."

And with that, the image of my now ex-girlfriend disappeared.

"Will? How'd it go?" Yang asked as Sparky and I walked into her 'office away from home.'

"Well, apart from the heart-wrenching pain and mandatory three month rejection list, a hell of a lot better than I thought it would." I answered, taking a seat. Sparky crawled under the chair's legs and laid down, seemingly going straight to sleep. "Doctors forcing her to date others as a way to speed up the process and ease the whole 'I miss you' feelings that I caused, and she told me to do the same."

"She gave you a hall pass?"

"No, because we're not dating anymore. Remember how I said if anything got in the way of our duty, we'd break it off? This is kind of in the way."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She and I knew it was likely to happen. Shit, I'd figured we'd never see each other again after basic, but that's clearly changed." I let out a long sigh. "Anyway, I just want to get back to work. Keep my mind off this shit, because I know I'll over analyze it if I get too much free time."

"Well, Blake and I've been thinking about something. A sort of test, if you will."

"Was that a pun? Damnit that was a pun."

"I have no idea what you mean." She assured me, feigning innocence. "Now, do you want to hear this or not?"

"Will it hurt?"

"No, you won't get hurt by listing to me."

"For some reason, I disagree." I muttered. "Screw it, hit me."

"Well, You, Blake, and I are all from different realities. Where Blake and I come from, we have Aura, Grimm, and Faunus that make our world unique. In this reality, theirs aliens, Element Zero, and a giant cycle of death that occurs every fifty-thousand years." She explained.

"Ok? I already knew that."

"We were wondering what made YOUR world unique. Here, there's Biotics, in Remnant theirs Semblances, what did your Earth have?"

"Jack shit. Most we had was a shit ton of crazy, weird, and downright freaky stuff happening all the damn time, and most of it was unexplainable. Planes going missing, weird lights in the oceans, entire islands disappearing, strange lights in the sky, and scientists were left dumbfounded." I paused. "Now that I think about it, probably the weirdest thing was the fact that all of our games and shows ended up being real, just in a different universe."

"That's what Blake and I thought." Yang agreed. "We're both in agreement that your Earth is like a hub reality. It can see into any reality it wants, but no one is the wiser since it's all portrayed as fiction."

"That makes sense, but why does that matter? And what's this test you were talking about?"

"Well, you said that Death gave you your biotics, but what if he actually didn't?" Yang explained. "What if he just acted like it was him, and your body was able to rapidly adapt to it?"

"That… doesn't make any sense."

"Think about it! Your Earth can see into any reality it wants, but only as a form of fiction. What if that means your bodies, should they end up in one of those realties, is able to adapt that reality?"

"Ok, this is all speculation." I sighed. "There's no way to prove it."

"That's where you're wrong."

"Say what?"

"You're body adapted to this reality, but I'm not from here either." She said with a smile. "Where I'm from, everyone has an Aura and a Semblance, and that's holding true here, with limitations, in the forms of me and Blake."

"Blake and I."

"Whatever." She huffed. "Point is, it's possible for someone with an unlocked Aura to unlock someone else's Aura."

My eyes widened as I figured out where she was going with this. "So you want to try and unlock MY Aura to see if your right. I like it! There's just one problem."

"Oh?"

"Your reality knew that everyone who had a soul had an Aura. So really, it'd make perfect sense for people from this reality to have an Aura as well." I explained this time. "We could pull anyone from the Rangers and tell them it's a meditative technique. And who knows if biotics would interfere with it?"

Yang just sat there in silence for a few minutes before flipping me off. "Damn it Will! I just want to see if this would work! I don't care about the science side of things!"

The palm of my hand quickly, and loudly, slammed into my face. I should have known Yang would just want to try something instead of thinking everything out. There were dozens of things that could completely screw this up. It might not work for biotics, or the opposite might be true, hell, it might be unique to just Remnant! This plan was absolutely-

"Besides, you'll probably heal faster like me."

-AMAZING! "Let's do it!"

"That's what I thought you'd say! Now, I've only done this once, so hold still." She told me as she stood from behind her desk. "Hopefully this will turn out better than last time."

I had stood up as well, but when I heard that I immediately became worried. "What do you mean last time? You told me this wouldn't hurt!"

"No, I told you listening to me wouldn't hurt." She smirked. "And that last time was because Ruby kept squirming around so it took an hour."

"Don't lie to me Xiao Long. Is. This. Going. To. Hurt."

"Maybeeee?" She shrugged. "It didn't hurt back in Remnant, so it shouldn't here."

"Real helpful." I sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit!" She said, clapping her hands onto my shoulders. "Now, this kinda works like an Asari mind meld. Just close your eyes and clear your thoughts."

"I'm so giving you a black eye if I get hurt." I muttered before closing my eyes. Clearing my thoughts was easy, since I had done it earlier.

Honestly, I was surprised. Instead of some chant like what Pyrrha did for Jaune, there was just silence, quickly followed by a warm feeling spreading all over my body. Once it had spread all over, the warmth started moving inwards, slowly but steadily making its way to (for lack of a better word) core.

Then, when the warmth was halfway through its trip, a brilliant heat burst out from my core. It simmered for a brief second, as if it were taking in its surroundings for the first time, before racing out and meeting the warmth that had stopped moving inward. The two heats moved back and forth for a moment, as if testing each other, before merging. The intense heat from my core cooled down quite a bit, as the warmth heated up, but only slightly.

Then, the warmth slowly withdrew itself, almost as if it were reluctant to leave. My now cooled down heat seemed to follow it out, as if it were showing its new friend the way out. When the warmth finally withdrew completely, the heat warmed back up, but never returned to the intensity it was at the beginning. It felt as if it were hovering outside of me ever so slightly.

"Huh, silver."

I opened my eyes to see Yang, now much more closely than she was before, something I was alarmingly ok with. I just went through a breakup, and I didn't mind someone I thought had kissed me in my sleep being this close to me? She was just a breath away from me!

Wait, did she say silver?

"Huh?"

"Look at your skin." She said, pointing at my arm.

My eyes followed to where she was pointing and opened slightly in surprise. It honestly looked like my damn arm was glowing a dim silver. Almost immediately after I realized it, the dim light grew brighter, covering me almost completely in a metallic silver light.

"So… is color a big factor, or is it just cosmetic?"

"Mostly cosmetic. It's lots of people think it's supposed to be a reflection of your inner self, but there are lots of contradictions to that.." She explained. "Mine was yellow and fiery because of my personality, but it could also be because I like the color yellow. I got no clue why yours is silver."

"Eh, whatever. It looks badass." I frowned. "Well, as badass as a glorified grey can get, but its something. How do I use it?"

"I don't know, I only ever used mine for healing, which was automatic, and now it's tied into my biotics. Maybe toss a lift or something? See if it's like mine?"

"We really should have thought this through more." I sighed as I gave Yang a gentle push. I didn't know what to expect, but when my biotics flared up they shined a bright silver instead of the purple/blue they normally were. "Shit, how the hell am I going to explain this? It'll bring in all sorts of unwanted attention."

"We could probably pass it off as some technique I taught you in the training room." She suggested, putting her hand under her chin in thought. "Or we could create an incident. How do you feel about nuclear radiation?"

"Technique it is." I quickly told her while flipping her off with a small smile. "But if ANYONE questions me on it, I'm sending them to you."

"Yeah, that's real fair."

"I know right? Glad I thought of it."

A sudden crash made the two of us jump. My head whipped around, searching for the source of the noise, and found it in the form of a tipped over chair. The same one Sparky had been, and still was, sleeping under.

"Fucking killjoy." Sparky just whimpered in his sleep. "Oh, great! He responds even in his sleep! Hey Sparky, trip up Yang will ya?"

As if he felt the need to further prove he was superior to all other Varren, Sparky's biotics light up and Yang found her ass rapidly approaching the ground. Despite the commotion he had caused, Sparky just rolled onto his side and continued sleeping.

"I love that Varren." I beamed as I walked over and lightly shook Sparky. His eyes snapped open and jumped to his feet, almost as if he was never asleep in the first place. "You ready for bed bud?"

Sparky, to everyone's continued amazement, nodded his head eagerly.

"Well come on then. We've wasted enough of Yang's time."

"Not really." She admitted with a light groan as she got back up. "I was just playing minesweeper on the terminal."

"They still have that game?! I'm soooo downloading that to my tool tonight." I yawned as I reached the door. "Well goodnight blondie."

"Night Will."

Just as the door was about to close, I said one last thing to her. "Oh, and we need to talk about that kiss you gave me."

A short chapter, I know, but between school, work, my birthday, and getting sucked into a stupid long story that I HAD to finish, I decided this one would be much shorter. Now, after this chapter, there's going to be several large time jumps, because were at 8 chapters and haven't gone over a year in the timeline. This is taking MUCH longer than I thought it would.

While I don't know how many chapters it'll be till the start of the first game, it shouldn't be many. I'd guess somewhere between 6-8, but that's subject to change if I feel like a scenario needs more than one chapter. These chapters are going to be key events, such as Ranger graduation, two military background missions, and some filler so things aren't jumping forward TOO quickly. Next chapter should be an actual Ranger mission, unless I decide to change things on the fly.

However, to compensate for the shorter chapter, I've left a present at the bottom of the story. While it's not going to be mentioned in the actually story around the time it happens, it will be brought up during the events of the first game. It'll be AFTER the review replies. Then after that is two codex entries, this time there on Aura and Semblance's since I threw them in and I feel like I should explain them to people who HAVENT watched RWBY.

ALSO, I want it to be know that when I write a story, I typically shoot for 9 to 10 thousand words total, but I do not include any codex entries or review replies in that. I only include the story, author notes, and any sneak peaks that are put in to make up for the shorter chapters.

Just an FYI.

Oh, and also, I made a change to the story. If anyone can find it, you get a cookie.

Review replies

Shugokage: I'll take that as a complement!

General-joseph-dickson: Might be more than a bump now. Hehe.

Tamagat: Holy hell dude, four reviews on the same day? Thanks for the support!

Mikle Silver: I've gotten past that point so it's no longer an issue, but the problem was it was in the first game. There's lots of let's plays for ME 2 & 3, but hardly any for the first.

AlexisGrimm: I like it better too, but I feel like people might get confused if others call her Cassie and Will calls her Cass. I don't know, maybe I'm just over thinking it. Regardless, thanks for the input!

Cprime.3000: Sparky is love, Sparky is life! It worked out perfectly since, when you think of the term Rangers in a fantasy element, they usually have some form of animal companion. I also may or may not (let's be honest, I totally am) be taking some liberties on how long Varren lifespans are. I think fifteen to twenty years is pretty fair for an average.

Good thing sparky is anything but average.

Blaze1992: No problem man, I respond to everyone's reviews so it wouldn't make sense if I ignored yours. Anyway, as for the whole multi-paring, it makes sense, but it feels like it'd be hell to write. Plus you got the whole 'kind of dating, but officially broke up' thing going on where Cass HAS to date others, and Yang may or may not have shown interest in Will. Then, to top it all off, Will has yet to meet the rest of the possible romantic interests, who may or may not end up with him.

So yeah, Multi-paring sounds great, but would be hell to write. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. He he he.

Well, here's your look at something that'll never be in an actual chapter, but IS cannon to THIS story. There will probably be quite a few of these as time goes on, so enjoy!

London was burning.

The Reapers were attacking earth in full force, and while the orbital defense platforms had taken more than their fair share of blood, they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers the Reapers brought to the fight.

And for some reason, they were focusing a rather large portion of their attack on London. From the Reapers point of view it made sense. London not only contained several military bases and command posts, but it was also one of the last known locations of two of their high-priority targets: Commander William May and General Yang Rose.

The Reapers had reports of him traveling to New York, where Major Cassandra Shepard was detained, but William had a history of screwing with their plans, so they took no chances and hit both cities hard.

As it turned out, the reports were true. Will had taken a shuttle to New York to meet up with Shepard and get her to the Normandy, which had been in dry-dock for the past three months.

That left one target left, sitting in one of the few secure command bunkers remaining, alongside the remaining members of the British royal family.

"Let it never be said that I hate brittish accents." Yang muttered to herself as she strode into the command room, the Prince and Queen, the only remaining two members of the royal family, were quick on her heel. "ALRIGHT ASSHOLES, GIVE ME AN UPDATE! WHAT DO WE HAVE THAT THE REAPERS HAVENT TAKEN OUT YET?"

"Not sure yet mam. We've got dozens of reports streaming in, but most of them are getting cut off halfway through. What few bases we can contact are changing every minute." The Staff Lieutenant in charge reported. "We've ordered station Boulmer to send out as many surveillance drones as they could, but they're still in route. All stations in North Yorkshire are busy shuttling out as many civilians as they can."

"Get ahold of any base not prioritizing civilian evac and tell them to strap anyone who's passed basic flight training into the cockpit of the nearest bird so they can do their damned job! Set up a screen of fighters and provide cover for the civilian transports." Yang barked out to various communication specialists.

While Yang was busy getting as many civilians to safety while also trying to get a better view of what's going on, the young prince Arthur was anything but motionless. He was going from station to station, monitor to monitor, to both reassure the doubtlessly stressed out personnel managing them, but also to get a better read of the situation.

The prince, like many in the royal family's history, had a military service history. While the Alliance puts everyone through basic training, the prince's true forte wasn't on the battlefield, it was directing it from the sidelines.

Much like his ancestor from the twenty-first century, the prince had a few tours as a gunship pilot and gunner, but he excelled in a command role, leading any team he took charge of to victory with minimal losses.

Unlike his ancestor, he didn't make a career out of it. Instead he took two tours of duty before retiring and focusing on the more political aspects of being a prince, however he swears that his military training was the most help when he found himself dealing with power hungry politicians, and he made sure to stay up to date on anything that could give him an edge, whether it be in politics or in the defense of his country.

And as he passed one certain station, and idea came to mind.

"P-Prince Arthur! I-It's an honor sir!" the serviceman choked out in surprise when said prince placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Calm yourself. This battle will be lost if we lose our wits. Fear and stress are the enemy." The serviceman nodded before taking several deep breaths. "Good, now I need you to check something for me."

"Aye sir."

"Do we have any camera feeds from the city? We need eyes in London!" Yang asked, though from her tone it was more of a demand.

"Working on it!" Prince Arthur calmly replied before guiding the serviceman through a series of electronic backdoors that lead to London's street-camera system. The building that had housed the monitors and personnel assigned to watch them had been destroyed, but the servers were in the basement and had thankfully remained untouched.

"Were in!" The serviceman gleefully announced. "Pulling it up to the main monitors now!"

The Prince gave the serviceman a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before turning, his eyes meeting Yang's as she gave a quick smile and nod before returning to the task at hand.

The next twenty minutes were filled with less urgent shouting and more I'm-trying-to-be-heard shouting as the staff tried, and in many situations successfully, re-routed forces to evacuate and defend key areas. One of the most surprising routes had been-

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN!" A serviceman interrupted the prince's thoughts.

"FALLING DOWN?" The staff lieutenant questioned.

"FALLING DOWN!" The serviceman confirmed.

"London Bridge is falling down." The lieutenant muttered to himself, his voice laced with depression. The bridge had been one of the quickest routes to a still secure evac area. He looked up towards the queen. "My fair lady. We have to get you and the prince off world."

"I agree." Yang spoke up before the prince had any chance to say no. "I need to get off world as well. As much as I want to stay and fight, I can lead our forces better without the looming threat of a sudden Reaper landing."

"And do what, leave our people here to die?" a single, calm voice silenced the room. Queen Arturia, a woman who just recently passed her prime, still truly looked the part of royal ruler. For many years she was assumed mute or unwilling to speak, yet she looked right at home in the command bunker. "You know me better than that. I will not stand by and watch as Earth falls."

"Your majesty-"

"No, General Rose. I know you mean well, and I fully understand your reasons, but I will not budge on this point." She said as she reached into a hidden pocked in her dress, before pulling out, of all things, Admiral bars. She quickly attached them to points on her dress's shoulders that, once there, showed just how warped everyone's view of the Queen had been.

Her dress, while elegant, was essentially a flashy Alliance dress uniform. Many had noted the colors over the years and made the connection, but statements from the royal family merely passed it off as coincidence mixed with a healthy dose of patriotism. Now it was clear there was ulterior motives for the colors.

"After all," The aging woman said with a serene smile. "Someone has to stay and keep the men in line. Better me than some fresh lieutenant who just got out of Officer School. Now, General R-, no Yang, please escort my grandson off world. While he would do wonders for us here, the Royal family must live on."

The entire room stared in shocked silence. The admirals list was public and well known, and while there was indeed an Admiral Arturia, the lack of a posting lead many to believe it was simply an honorary title given to some retiree.

Yang, however, knew much more than the average serviceman and wasn't surprised at all. There was a reason why she had helped the queen turned admiral's security detail when the Reapers hit. "I'll get it done mam."

"If you're staying, take this." The prince said, pulling out his pistol. "If only to put my mind at ease."

To everyone's surprise, the queen only chuckled. "Come now Arthur, do you really take me as some defenseless old woman? I am more than capable of defending myself."

She then, in a movement that was clearly practiced, reached beneath her dress and pulled out her own pistol.

The prince just smiled and sighed, returning his pistol to his hip holster. "I truly shouldn't be surprised by your antics." He looked her in the eyes, losing all of the humor and calm that he'd been forcing to the surface. "Stay alive. Please."

"I'll do my best. Now get going." The queen turned admiral softly whispered into her grandson's ear as they shared their final hug. Both knew the chances of them seeing each other again were slim to none.

Then, the embrace was over, and the prince strode out of the room.

Yang walked up and grasped Artura's hand and flared her biotics. "Don't worry, I'll keep him alive."

The queen brought forth a savage smile and, again to everyone's surprise, flared her own biotics. "And I'll be damn sure to take out as many as I can down here. I wouldn't be a Six if I went out any way other than a blaze of biotic glory!"

"You'll never change." Yang smiled and gave her a pat on the back and walked out. "God save the queen."

"God save whatever ace you have up your sleeve." The queen quietly replied just before the door shut. "I know you wouldn't leave otherwise. Us sixes never pass up a good fight."

With that said, the queen reigned in what she considered the largest burst of emotions she'd let out in years and got to work. She had a duty to her country to protect its civilians at all cost, and she'd be damned if she failed.

CODEX

AURA

Aura is the manifestation of one's soul in the RWBY universe and can be used for a wide range of abilities. These abilities differ from person to person, and are dependent on a number of factors such as training, experience, and innate skill. According to scientists in the RWBY universe, any living being with a soul has an aura, however only Humans and Faunus are able to weaponize it for their own protection. This has proven to hold true in Will's universe, due to Yang unlocking his aura, which is an intense silver. It is currently unknown whether or not the residents of the ME universe are capable of using an aura, but it is assumed so.

There are many theories that attempt to explain an individual's aura color. Two of the most widely accepted theories are that the color reflects their inner self or personality, or that it has something to do with the person's semblance (See Codex entry: SEMBLANCE for more information.) There are, however, individuals whose aura color is simply their favorite color, and has nothing to do with their personality or Semblance.

Auras have many abilities in defense. A skilled aura user is able to create a barrier to help protect the user themselves, or their target. It is also possible to physically enhance their body, such as increasing agility to avoid being hit or strength to take more damage and continue fighting.

Likewise, a person can use their aura to attack, most commonly in the use of physical enhancements such as strength to deal more damage to a target, but in more skilled users, creating waves of force through a target, or in the projection of a Semblance.

The most notable ability of aura, other than a person's Semblance, is its healing factor. Anything from small scratches to broken bones and internal bleeding can be fixed by aura healing. Naturally, the more severe the injury, the longer it take to be healed, but broken bones are usually healed within a day or two (it should be noted that, despite being healed, repaired bones remain sore for up to a week and are much easier to re-break during this time.)

SEMBLANCE

A Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with effects varying greatly from user to user. The nature of one's Semblance is noted as representing an aspect of their character, but it has been known to either resemble the semblance of their parents, or be influenced by the person who helps unlock their aura. Sometimes both.

Semblance is a more tangible projection of one's Aura. Those that use their Semblance are able to manipulate certain physical phenomena according to the nature of their power. Overuse of one's semblance for prolonged periods of time may adversely affect its user at certain times, most commonly leaving the user feeling tired or drained.

Examples of Semblances follow: The ability to move at speeds so quick it seems as if the user can teleport, the creation of Glyphs with various effects, various forms of clone creation (each only able to be used for a short time before vanishing), and various forms of telekinesis.

Since their arrival in the ME universe, both Yang and Blake have been unable to properly use their Semblance, the former losing it completely and the latter having extreme difficulty in its usage. It is unknown what Will's Semblance is currently, if he will ever discover one, or if it was overridden by his biotics, the final theory being the most favored due to Will and Yang's biotic abilities in combination with Yang's loss of her Semblance.