*PLEASE READ: This story is entirely unrelated to anything I've written previously. I'm starting from scratch here. There will be instances where events from my other stories are repeated because I'm working with some of the same themes. This story assumes you have not read The Other World or Shadows of Beacon. If you have read them, just be ready to read some of the same stuff with a new twist to it. Enjoy.*

Chapter 1

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now." Sho Minazuki demanded, holding one of his blades to Adachi's throat. "Why are you even here you backstabbing son of a bitch?"

Adachi smiled. "Go ahead and do it." He said. "God knows I'm tired of living. Just know that I did you a favor. I knew that monster was going to screw you over and I tried to stop that. If you'd gotten it through your thick skull sooner we wouldn't be in this mess." It was only partially true. Adachi had also acted as he did because it benefitted him. Having the world destroyed was no good for anyone living in it. Sho grunted angrily and released Adachi, turning his back and grumbling to himself. "Now, I know it's hard for a little brat like you, but can we try to act like adults now?" Adachi sneered. "We're not on earth anymore. Just looking at the moon tells me that." He pointed to the shattered orb that hung high above them. "This could be a golden opportunity, for both of us."

"Fine." Sho sighed. He hated to work with the bastard but he did not have much choice at the moment. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, judging by the lights over that way, there's a city." Adachi observed. "Where there's a city, there's people. Where there's people, there's people to take advantage of."

"We don't know anything about that place." Sho said. "It's probably full losers. Who needs people anyway?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Adachi asked, getting increasingly frustrated with Sho. "I know you think everybody sucks and I'm inclined to agree, but sitting out here in the wilderness isn't going to do us any good. Besides, there's fun to be had in a place where no one knows who we are."

Yu awoke to the high-pitched ringing of his cell phone. Who would be calling before sunrise on a Saturday? He rolled over, grabbed the phone and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?" He said groggily.

"Hello, I'm sorry to wake you." Margaret said on the other end of the line. "I think I've located Sho Minazuki."

Yu was suddenly wide awake. "Where is he?" He asked eagerly.

"It's a bit difficult to explain." Margaret admitted. "Suffice to say he's no longer in this world. He's not alone either." She paused for a moment as if to let it sink in. "Tohru Adachi is with him."

Now she really had his attention. "Where are they?" He asked. "I'm going after them."

"I would advise against this, but I know you won't change your mind." Margaret said. "Meet me in Inaba when you can. Bring what companions and supplies you would need for an extended stay and I will take you to them."

"This place sucks." Sho complained as he and Adachi walked down the sidewalk. They were in a city called Vale. The planet was called Remnant. The inhabitants were human enough and seemed to speak the same language, and the two had had no trouble fitting in. "Let's kill someone." Sho said.

"Moron." Adachi grunted. "Have you seen the weapons they have here? I don't care how well you fight; if you attack someone they'll tear you apart. Half of the people here are professional warriors. Do you even pay attention?"

"Maybe I'll kill you then." Sho threatened.

"You don't have the balls." Adachi countered. He paused for a moment and pointed to a store front. A number of dangerous-looking weapons were on display. "Look, if you want to cause trouble, at least arm yourself properly."

"We don't have money stupid." Sho said. "You want me to rob a weapon store? Who's the moron now?"

"You don't have money." Adachi said. He pulled a handful of what looked like credit cards out of his pocket. "You'd think with all the criminal expertise you've got you'd have learned to pickpocket by now." He tossed a few cards at Sho. "Buy yourself something nice."

Sho walked into the weapons shop and the proprietor immediately focused on Sho's swords. "Nice blades." The man said. Sho did not respond. "They look like antiques but I bet I could modernize them for you."

"You think?" Sho was surprised. "What the hell? Go nuts." He placed the swords on the counter.

"It'll be pretty easy to build pistols into the handles." The shop owner said, examining one of the swords. "What do you think?"

"Go for it." Sho said. "How much is this gonna' cost?"

"That depends on the quality." The owner said. "How much are you looking to spend?" Sho slapped the cards down on the counter and slid them forward. "Mid-range it is. Give me a few hours and they'll be ready."

"Perfect." Sho smiled. He was already imagining how he would use his new weapons to kill the store owner and steal all his cash. "Making weapons around here, you must make a killing." Sho laughed hysterically at his terrible pun as he walked out. The shop owner, somewhat confused, watched him leave before going to work.

"What are you so happy about?" Adachi asked, leaning against the wall outside.

"The joke I made." Sho said.

"Your jokes suck." Adachi taunted.

"Fuck off." Sho said. "What have you been up to?"

"I just got some special ammo for my revolver." Adachi said. He spun it on his finger before catching it and flipping the cylinder open. "Apparently everything around here runs on something called dust. It sounds stupid but that shit packs a punch." He slapped the cylinder back into place and pointed the gun at Sho's head. "Now that you're unarmed I should end you." The serious look on his face disappeared and he burst out laughing. "You should have seen your face. Man, we're going to have some fun here."

It was Sunday morning and Yu was ready to go. With a large bag full of clothes and assorted items slung over his shoulder he was ready to chase Sho and Adachi. He waited at the train station for Rise and Naoto to arrive. He would have asked the others to come along, but he felt too guilty. They were all living normal lives. Well, normal for them at least. Naoto and Rise's lives were anything but, and they had been searching for Sho too. Rise traveled a lot and had her Persona's abilities to help in the search, and as a detective Naoto was ideal. Even if he hated to drag them away they would insist on coming.

Naoto soon arrived, carrying what looked more like a large purse than luggage. Apparently she traveled light. Rise was not far behind, dragging a bulging rolling suitcase with her. Yu found it funny that they both met their particular stereotypes. Of course he would never tell them that.

"You're both ready for this?" Yu asked.

"Of course." Rise said cheerfully. "A vacation with Senpai, you spoil me."

"The others aren't coming?" Naoto asked nervously. "It's just the three of us?"

"I didn't want to bother them." Yu explained. "They're just getting back to normal. It wouldn't be fair to them."

"So, where are we going partner?" Yosuke asked, seeming to appear out of nowhere. He walked up to Yu and slapped him on the back.

"But how did…" Yu was shocked. "I didn't want…"

"Oh give it a rest." Yosuke said. "You know you want me to come. Don't give me some excuse about living a normal life. I share a house with Teddie. Normal has literally no meaning to me."

"Did you tell the others?" Yu asked. "How did you even…"

"No, I didn't tell them." Yosuke said, much to Yu's relief. "As to how I figured it out, it was pretty obvious. When I see the three of you in Inaba together, carrying luggage including weapons, it doesn't take a detective to figure out that you're going to fight somewhere. And given the recent events, I'd say this has to do with Sho. You guys must have tracked him down and now you're going after him."

"Why are you even here?" Naoto asked. "The train station isn't near anything you're interested in."

"So his uncle told me he was coming and I decided to meet him here." Yosuke admitted. "A detective should know the value of a good tip."

"I thought I'd stop in and say hi before we left." Yu laughed uneasily, scratching the back of his head. "So much for secrecy."

"So gang, where are we going?" Yosuke asked.

"I thought you were planning to rob the place." Adachi said as Sho exited the weapons ship carrying his newly upgraded swords. "Chicken out?"

"There are too many people in there." Sho defended himself. "We can't take the risk of there being witnesses."

"That's disturbingly logical for you." Adachi observed.

"I want to kill them too, pricks." Sho said. "The two assholes flashed badges and said they were junior detectives. They didn't look like detectives to me. One of them wasn't even wearing a shirt. The other guy was a total loser."

"Detectives huh?" Adachi said. "Why are they here?"

"I don't know." Sho replied. "They were saying some crap about a criminal organization in the city and asking if I saw anyone suspicious. The morons didn't even realize I'm the most suspicious person on the planet. I guess you're not the only idiot with a badge."

"A criminal organization operating around here." Adachi thought aloud, ignoring Sho's insult. "That sounds like an opportunity."

"Being a detective I thought you'd look for a cop-ortunity." Sho laughed hysterically.

"You do realize that you're not the least bit funny." Adachi complained.

"This could take days, won't we be missed?" Rise asked.

"I'll take care of it." Margaret assured her. "Here, you'll need this." She handed Yu a bunch of what looked like credit cards. "Local currency. I hope it's enough."

"Yosuke, are you sure you want to come?" Yu asked. "It could be dangerous."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Yosuke said. "After everything we've been through I'm not backing out now."

"Where exactly are you sending us?" Naoto asked.

"It's another universe." Margaret explained. "The shadow world is separate from this world, and the place you're headed is separate too."

"Parallel universes?" Yosuke said excitedly. "Very sci-fi, I like it. Is it full of monsters?"

"It's much more like earth than the shadow world." Margaret explained. "The inhabitants are mostly human and should not be hostile."

"It'll be nice to go someplace where nobody knows who I am." Rise said. "The place not being full of things trying to kill us is a bonus too."

"I didn't say that." Margaret clarified. "The local wildlife will be dangerous but nothing beyond your capabilities."

"We should really get going." Yu said. "We need to find Sho and Adachi as soon as possible. That world is at risk as long as they're in it."

It was clear to Sho and Adachi that they were going to be spending quite some time in this world. They would need supplies, with changes of clothes being high on the list. Adachi give Sho more of the money he had stolen and Sho headed off to find something to his liking. Adachi did not want to dress like a kid, so he went his own way, looking for a suit or something suitably classy. He was a criminal and knew it, but he was going to be a well-dressed one, not some slovenly thug. He walked down the street, reveling in the knowledge that nobody here knew he was a wanted man. He was free.

"Stop it!" A female voice shouted from an alley. "Leave me alone!" Adachi was curious and hell, this could be an opportunity for some fun. He rounded the corner of the building to see a group of guys, high school age by the look of them, picking on a girl, pulling on her tail. Adachi had read about Faunus but this was his first actual encounter. They were an oppressed minority on Remnant. They were just the sort of group he could exploit, just as long as he could get them on his side. Help one and word might spread.

Adachi was a sociopath, no question, but even sociopaths have their own twisted, self-serving morality. "Hey guys, what's going on?" He said casually as he approached. The three men turned to face him. "You got some problem with her?"

"You here to stop us?" One of the men asked threateningly.

"No, I'm just curious." Adachi replied with his characteristic calm and condescension. "Is she a bitch? She cheat on you or something?"

"She's a Faunus." Another of the men said as if to justify their actions. "Isn't that enough?"

"So you're picking on her because she's different." Adachi sighed. "How childish. Punks like you make me sick. You make life really shitty. It's so annoying." He hated people who refused to grow up. The sooner you realized how shitty the world is, how things really work, the better. If you did not, you were just making it worse for him.

"Faunus lover huh?" One of the men said. His anger was clear. He stomped toward Adachi, cocked his arm and loosed a furious punch at him.

Adachi sidestepped the strike and punched the punk in the side of the head. The man was momentarily stunned but growled and turned to attack again, only to find a revolver pointed at his forehead. "I'm not here to mess around." Adachi said. Terror spread across the punk's face as his friends took off. Adachi snapped the gun downward and pulled the trigger, blasting a hole in the punk's foot. "Now, get the fuck out of here and grow up." Adachi said over the punk's scream of pain. The punk hobbled out of the alley as fast as he could, calling after his friends to help.

"Th-thank you." The Faunus said. "I don't…"

"You get out of here too." Adachi said. "Don't make me regret helping you." She ran off. Adachi considered following her, having some fun, but decided against it. That would only bring unwanted attention. He had plans and he was not about to let his passing fancies get in the way.

"Ugh, my head." Yosuke said. "It's like I got punched."

"Yeah, it's pretty bad." Yu admitted without showing any pain. "Are you two alright?"

"I'll be fine." Naoto said. She grimaced, one eye pressed closed, and held her head.

"I feel sick." Rise complained, kneeling and doubled over. She looked like she might vomit.

Soon the feeling passed. Traveling between worlds was unpleasant to say the least. Conveniently, they were near a city. Yu hoped Sho and Adachi were there too. The sooner he tracked them down, the sooner he could go home. The group headed for the city, a place apparently called Vale, and after asking around a bit found a hotel where they could stay. The people were friendly enough and seemed to speak the same language. Two rooms cost a few thousand Lien. Margaret had given them tens of millions. Either she had given them far too much or this place was a dive. It turned out to be the former. After dropping off their things, they headed out. Before they could find Sho and Adachi, they would need to learn more about the world.

"I can't believe you found clothes almost exactly the same as the ones you came with." Adachi said. "The people here really have no taste."

"Have you seen the way some of them dress?" Sho asked. "Freaks. Half of them look like they're wearing Halloween costumes."

"Their bizarre clothes do present benefits." Adachi admitted. "Those elaborate outfits are much easier to pickpocket. I think we might have hit the jackpot when it comes to women too."

"You only like to kill sexy ones huh?" Sho taunted.

"I don't hate women." Adachi said. "One day I'd like to settle down with a pretty girl, one who's a good cook and does what I say."

"You want a slave girl then?" Sho said. "How romantic. Be sure to invite me to the wedding."

After a few hours at a library, Yu, Yosuke, Rise and Naoto had a pretty good feel for the world. Some of the nuances were surely lost on them but they would be able to get by. It was comforting to find out that the world was full of professional warriors. Sho and Adachi would have a hard time doing any damage with so much armed opposition. The only worry was about shadows. If Sho and Adachi somehow figured out how to connect to a shadow world here, things could get very dangerous very fast. They would also need to better arm themselves. Blades were woefully insufficient here. Every weapon seemed to be a combination of multiple types of arms. A sword that's a gun, a hammer that's a gun, a gun that's two types of gun.

They group decided to visit a weapon shop to properly equip themselves. "Hi, I'm looking for something in a sword that's also a gun." Yu said to the shopkeeper.

"We've got plenty." The man said. He pointed to a corner of the store. "That section over there has a bunch of options." Naoto was looking for something similar, so she and Yu went off to browse.

"I'm not very strong." Rise said. "Do you have anything with less kick?"

"I know just the thing." The shopkeeper said. He disappeared into a back room before returning moments later carrying what looked like a spear. "Plant the back end against a wall or the ground, point the tip at the enemy and pull the trigger." He said, demonstrating with the spear aimed straight up. The spear suddenly extended, the blade at its point shooting upward with tremendous speed. "Press this button here and it turns into a directed energy weapon." Rise looked at him quizzically. "A laser." He clarified. "No recoil." She picked it up to examine for herself while Yosuke took his turn.

"Do you have anything like this?" Yosuke asked, placing his twin Kunai on the table.

"More antiques." The shopkeeper mumbled. "Yeah, smaller weapons are over there."

"What do you mean more antiques?" Yosuke asked.

"Oh, yesterday some kid came in and asked me to upgrade some antique swords." The shopkeeper replied. "I don't usually see too many plain blades like that anymore."

"What did he look like?" Naoto asked.

"What did he look like?" The shopkeeper repeated. "He had a big scar on his face, red hair I think. He made a painfully stupid joke."

Yu and Naoto looked at each other. "Sho." They said in unison.

"Did he have anyone with him?" Yosuke asked.

"He came in alone." The shopkeeper replied, straining to remember. "I think he met up with an older guy outside. You know him?"

"Don't worry about it." Rise said. "He's an acquaintance." The group hurriedly purchased their weapons. Yu got a katana that, once in its sheath, converted into an assault rifle. Yosuke got a pair of blades that transformed into Uzi-like SMGs. Naoto selected a rapier that was also a semi-automatic rifle. Rise stuck with the spear the shopkeeper recommended.

"You can buy ammo in the dust shop next door." The shopkeeper said helpfully. "Show them your receipt and you'll get a discount."

"They're definitely here." Yu said once the group was outside. "There's not another city anywhere near here, so they wouldn't leave." They allowed themselves to think their adventure might be nearing its conclusion already. It was just getting started.

It was too late. The train rapidly approached the end of the line, a metal barricade blocking the way. Team RWBY stood atop the speeding locomotive as it sped toward destruction. "What do we do?" Blake asked. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other and nodded. Weiss thrust her sword down into the top of the train and the entire team was encased in ice. Then it hit.

As the dust settled, Ruby struggled to focus. It had been a tremendous impact. She was seeing double and everything hurt. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear an alarm. She looked around. They were in Vale. People all around the crash site just stared. Suddenly, the ground shook as hundreds of Grimm burst through the breach the train had created, descending upon the unsuspecting city and its helpless citizens. The members of Team RWBY struggled to their feet. The situation was dire but they were Huntresses. With determination they engaged the horde of Grimm. The kingdom was in danger and it was their job to save it.