Road to the End, Volume 3

By: athrunzala

14: Beacon, Once More

The sky was slightly grey as people trickled onto Beacon's campus. The newly rebuilt buildings ready to accept students and alumni alike. But, for a group of them, the halls were emptier. There were voices that would be missed. Faces that wouldn't be seen again. And the new statue in the courtyard paid homage to this fact. The grey figures of the war had been destroyed by Grimm and out of control mechs, so a new one was erected in it's place.

The two figures, a man and a woman stood back to back, their familiar weapons ready, primed to strike an unseen enemy. Pommel to shield, they would stand guard over the campus. In the man's right hand was a long sword, the corresponding heater shield on his left arm. His hair cleanly carved from the stone, his expression stoic. The woman's hair was tied back in a ponytail, her attire looking simple and ancient next to her companion's own modern-looking clothing. Her right hand had a firm grip on a javelin, while a buckler adorned her left arm.

Ruby stood there, on the verge of tears at the sight, her team having never seen the statue before. She let her eyes wander across the cold, lifeless granite, and her breath caught in her throat at the base. There, crossed and preserved for all eternity, were Milo, Akuo, and Crocea Mors. The shields were leaned against the blades of the shattered weapons, which had been mounted to make it look as though they were pierced into the stone.

A hand on her shoulder broke her trance. Turning her head, she saw Weiss standing there, a comforting smile on her face.

"I just..."

"I know, Ruby. I miss them, too."

"It won't be the same here."

"I know that. Now come on, We're going to miss the dedication."

They entered the Auditorium, where a very familiar face stood, looking uncomfortable in a School uniform that he hadn't worn in what seemed like ages. As their eyes scanned the crowd, they were drawn to where a metallic hand was waving in the air, attached to it a blonde head of hair that was in desperate need of a brush.

The pair joined Yang and Blake, who was looking less like herself and more like someone who could die at any moment.

"Is she okay?"

"She says she is, Ruby."

"I can -urp- hear you, you know. I'll make it through this."

The three shot unsure glances at each other before cringing slightly as the microphone was knocked over.

As the new students laughed, Ruby and Yang put their heads in their hands. There was no way that this year was going to be easy for them, and they were glad to be notified that they would be allowed to remain on campus while they conducted their search for Ozpin.

All the same, seeing their father up on the stage, acting as headmaster was embarrassing. They had hoped that Glynda would step up into the position, but she had refused, stating that she couldn't handle it, and that she wanted to "see somebody else fill the missing position".

At the same time, she was still up there, showing her support and solidarity with the new headmaster. As soon as he finished his speech, which was thankfully short, due mostly to Yang having helped him write it, Glynda stepped up to the microphone, her commanding tone bringing silence to the new students.

"As you are all aware, this is our first semester back on this campus. And there are rumors about participants from the reclamation project being here. I will tell you that they are true."

She paused for a bit to let the crowd mutter about it for a bit, then, cleared her throat and started again.

"However, I would ask that you give them their space, as they have their own missions and tasks to deal with. At the same time, you should know who they are, so I will call them up here for you to see."

She went through the list of names, from which, it was noticed by returning students, the members of Team CRDL were suspiciously absent. As she reached the end of the list, she called out the last team name. Team RWBY. All four women took the stage, standing side by side with graduates and teachers.

"They are officially on our staff, and have the authority to deal with situations on campus. Please do not make them use it. That is all."

As the hall emptied, Ruby noticed an older pair of individuals standing with their backs to the wall, one leaning and one standing bolt upright. She walked over to them.

"Can I... help you?"

"It's been a while, Ruby," the one said, as he stood up, pulling himself away from the wall, his face coming into the light as he did, the tell-tale triple scar on his face giving him away.

"Professor Volcanus!"

"Please, Ruby, calm down. I just got back. We both did."

"Both?"

"Ruby Rose. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing you since the assault."

"I'm sorry, but I'm drawing a blank."

"Heya, Caos!"

Yang's greeting shot the name into the front of Ruby's mind. Her eyes got wide as she looked the people before her up and down. The voices were the same, but the outward appearances were completely different.

Dante had removed his facial hair, and was now wearing a button-up shirt with twin breast pockets. From his waist, there hung a cape-like adornment, which she could hear Yang making comments about being a "buttcape", while being corrected by Blake that it was a modified Kama, being a solid piece in the back.

As for Caos, her hair was cut as short as it always was, and her typical green-lensed glasses adorned her face. However, it had been the clothing that had thrown her off, as she was wearing a variant of the clothing worn by Winter when she had first met her. The Specialist Uniform suited her, but she wasn't sure that it was a willing garment, given how the older woman adjusted her collar every now and again.

"I told you, Caos, you can open the collar around here."

"And I told you that we are at a dedication, I am wearing it up."

"Fine. Be stubborn. I'm going to my office. If you need me, Ruby knows where it's at."

"Oh no. Not this time. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

They left, seemingly bickering as they strode across the grounds.

"They argue like a married couple," Weiss said in a less than hushed tone. This was met with a loud "We heard that! And we aren't!" from the pair, who they had thought was out of earshot.

"I'm gonna go get some rest. It's gonna be a long year."

Ruby stretched, and found Weiss under her arm as she brought it down.

"I'm going with you. I'm kinda tired myself."

"Oh would you two just kiss already?"

Both women blushed at the outburst from the blonde, then walked away towards their lodging.

"Whelp, only one thing left to do now: find Blake."

Yang then wandered off to find her partner, who, during all of this, had disappeared to another location.