Chapter 3: Path Ahead

Tension grew quickly within the viewing station. They had gotten front row seats to the near, if not total, destruction of a kingdom. Each person was rattled in their thoughts.

Ansem and Rinoa were in the theatre room. She frowned in concern for her husband's silence.

Ansem's fist tightened until his knuckles grew pale. His wife place a firm yet gentle hand over his and squeezed lightly. He saw her eyes filled with a supportive gaze that beckoned him to speak to her, to let her in. Feeling undeserving of that compassion, he looked away but admitted, "I allowed this to happen. If I had been more careful with my research in my youth, this would not have happened. I have put the children in danger. Who knows what is happening with Kairi and Sora."

Rinoa tilted his face towards her again so that she could look him in the eyes, "Things are bad right now and we don't have a lot of information, but things aren't hopeless. The children are capable. Besides, things can change. We may yet be able to learn from this. Don't lose heart, darling." She punctuated her statement with a kiss.

Qrow sauntered his way to the kitchen, his eyes already searching for the next drink. A good drink had a way with reality. It dulled the rough edges and cleared his head, made him stronger. That was why he didn't let Taiyang caustic behavior mess with him. This problem would surely pass.

Qrow nearly lost his balance when his shoulder was pulled. Swaying, he spun around to tell the intruder to buzz off before shutting his mouth. Summer stood before him. He stood straighter to the best of his efforts.

"Qrow," she said in concern, "I am so sorry for how Tai is treating you. I hope you understand. It isn't right, but he's hurting right now. No matter what the circumstance to my death was I don't blame you. We all knew what the risks were when we chose to attend Beacon." Her eyes fell to the flask in his hand but made no motion of judgment, "I think it would do you some good to let the past be the past. I can't imagine how much you mourned, but I think you need to start letting yourself move on. I'll talk to Tai and see if we can get him out of the dumps. Then we all can talk, alright?"

He smiled at her, "I would like that, Summer." It seemed that he had forgotten how strong his leader was. The woman was beautiful in all the ways that truly mattered. Friends like her were a rarity in the world and he wanted to enjoy this reunion for as long as it lasted.

Annabeth and Malachi had secluded themselves to one of the rooms. She had been pacing back and forth for the better part of ten minutes.

"How could Jaune be so… so reckless!?" she ranted with an anger born of worry. "I know I didn't raise my baby to be suicidal. He must've gotten his recklessness from you." She spun and pointed at him in accusation.

Malachi shrugged in indifference, "We would've done whatever we wanted when we were his age and damned anyone that told us otherwise. You used logic as your excuse and I confidence. I messed up true, but I think this is good for him. This could be a chance for him to find himself." He rose and hugged his concerned wife.

"Maybe you're right, Malachi. Let's go back. We need to continue watching the video."

The older generation returned to the room to find the students in their sitting spots. They appeared to holding up a deal better than the adults.

When everyone was settled, they played the next video.

A bright eyed Ruby jumps off the airship. She spins around and cheers, "Hello Beacon, here I come! Isn't this exciting Ya-" her words are cut off when she notices that Yang is being lifted off the ground by a crowd of her friends.

"Hey, Ruby I'll see you later," Yang says as the crowd of friends carries her away.

"Y-You traitor!" Ruby screams dramatically before deflating. "Yeah, Beacon." She says with a lot less enthusiasm.

"Yang," Summer scolded in disappointment.

Yang laughed awkwardly, "Alright that was my bad. I kind of followed the mood besides Ruby can handle herself fine. It was totally in my plans?"

Summer looked very unconvinced and unimpressed.

Taiyang cracked a smile, "Come on, Summer, Ruby's a big girl."

Ruby drags her feet before kicking a pebble in frustration. Said pebble hits Weiss' hands and she nearly drops a bag before recovering. She turns to the source of the rock and sees Ruby. She shoots Ruby a mean glare.

Ruby laughs awkwardly, "Sorry about that."

Weiss marches in front of Ruby and points a stern finger in her face, "Is that all you have to say!? You could've caused a major accident and on the first day here too! Do you know what's in this bag? It's pure concentrated dust. How someone as reckless as you got here I'll never know."

Ruby cringes, "I'm really sorry, but it's great news that didn't happen."

Weiss snorts, "You are such a doofus. This isn't a joke." She actually begins to shake the vial of dust.

Ruby huffs and says, "I get it already. I'll stay out of your way!" She raises her hands in emphasis, unfortunately knocking the vial into the air.

The pair watches in horror as the contents of the vial spill out causing all sorts of explosions.

The vial rolls to Blake's feet and she picks it up, "Well that's an interesting way to start at a new school." Her dry tone rings in their ears.

Weiss pats her clothes and snarls at Ruby, "Blame the idiot over here."

Blake smirks, "Well I expected better dust management from the great Schnee heiress. I don't believe shaking volatile dusk is proper. Then again it's just one thing on a long list of Schnee company problems."

"Excuse me!" Weiss grits.

Blake throws the vial, which Weiss catches, "Well that's a start, but you could do more."

"What exactly do you mean by that!?" Weiss snarled at Blake's direction.

Blake in turn folds her arms, "How about the outrageous monopolies, abuse of Faunus workers, reported connections to criminal organizations, the list just goes on."

Weiss rushed to her feet, "I will not stand here and be insulted."

"Truth hurts, doesn't it? Though, your suffering is nothing compared to your Faunus miners!" Blake followed suit and got on her feet as well.

"Claw out the princess' eyes!" Qrow cheered.

"You two will be silent! If you cannot speak civilly, then do not speak at all. And Qrow, do not encourage such rowdy behavior," Glynda admonished with a firm tone.

Blake and Weiss dropped to the ground as the other Beacon initiates grimaced.

Her taunt finished, Blake walks away from the pair of them. Weiss stomps away in indignation.

"Great job, Ruby. You're really running with this," Ruby slumps to the ground and screams at the sky. "Maybe if I stay here, the ground will swallow me up and be done with it."

The scene shifts over to a forested area. Jaune reaches the school grounds. His clothes is cluttered with cuts and dirt. Waving his hand, he dismisses his summons that are walking with him.

Weiss frowned deeply at the sight.

"Why so grouchy, princess?" Yang whispered to Weiss.

Weiss did not answer causing Yang to shrug her shoulders.

Jaune swipes the sweat from his brow. He appears to be awestruck with the grand nature of Beacon Academy. On his walk to the main building, he notices Ruby on the ground. He walks up to her and chuckles ruefully as he offers his hand to her, "It looks like you need a hand."

Ruby looks up and smiles brightly, "I really could." She takes his hand.

The pair walks in companionable silence until they reach at statue at the center of the walkway. It depitcts a huntsman fighting against one of the creatures of Grimm.

Jaune looks at the statue forlornly before placing a single hand upon the huntsman's leg, "Hey Ruby, why are you here?"

Ruby blinks before smiling confidently, "I want to be a hero just like my mom was. I want the ability to make the world a better place. If I can help even one person then my time in Beacon would've been well spent."

He looks at Ruby with admiration, "I wished I was as sure as you are. I came here to find a place I belong and to discover myself. I don't know if I will succeed but I need to try. It's amazing that you've already chosen your path. Well, it looks like everyone getting ready for the presentation, let's go hero."

Ruby smiles warmly and follows him to the auditorium.

Summer felt overwhelmed by emotion. She felt so proud and touched by Ruby's dedication to her memory, but she was concerned. As hypocritical as it was, she didn't want Ruby to face the harshness of the huntsmen's lifestyle. She clenched her fist in worry.

Ruby and Jaune walks into the entrance.

Ruby sees Yang and waves towards before turning towards Jaune, "I see my sister. Do you want to walk over with me?"

Jaune shakes his head, "No, you go ahead. I just need to think."

"If you're sure," Ruby says with a touch of concern. She jogs towards Yang.

The surroundings quiet down as Headmaster Ozpin appears on the stage. Ozpin looks at the gathering of Beacon hopefuls and speaks, "Beacon has a history of being a bastion of knowledge and fortitude. Each one of you holds a responsibilityto,at the best of your abilities,refine yourself. Know this; to be a huntsman is a remarkably sober and unrewarding business. It is not the goal to surpass all others at whatever cost, but instead to serve others at whatever cost."

Weiss clapped her hands, "That was an excellent speech. It met every expectation I had of the illustrious headmaster of Beacon Academy. "

Blake rolled her eyes, "It would do you better to actually understand what he's trying to express instead of giving empty flattery."

Weiss gritted her teeth.

Nora yawned at the speech.

Ren nudged her in scolding, "Don't be rude. It was a very well spoken speech."

"It looks like you're losing your touch with the next generation, Oz. I think you're going to bore the kids to tears,"Qrow quipped as he slung an arm around his boss' shoulder.

Ozpin sighed dramatically, "Back in my day, such words of inspiration were appreciated and respected."

Jaune appears troubled by the words. He clutches the ribbon Alice gave him.

"Why so moody?" A cheerful voice asks.

Jaune turns around and sees Nora.

"Look, look, I'm on the screen. I'm the next big star!" Nora clapped.

"Turn that frown upside down. What's the point of all of this if you're not having fun?" She asks.

Jaune stares at her in confusion, "Fun?"

"Yep. Why go anywhere if you aren't interested in the road ahead? Oh there's Ren! I'll talk to you later. The name's Nora by the way." Nora zips through the crowds to reach Ren.

Jaune watches Nora maneuver through the crowd and whispers, "The road ahead?"

Nora nodded sage like, "I sure am wise."

Ren stared at her unimpressed, "I believe I told you that."

"Semantics," Nora waved him off with a smile. As far as she was concerned, his wisdom was her wisdom. They were a team for life.

Malachi shook his head, "He thinks too much!"

Annabeth snorted, "It's better than someone who doesn't think at all. Though, if he was really thinking he wouldn't have run away from home!"

"I wonder why the kid would ever dip out," Qrow muttered lowly.

"Don't try me," Annabeth snarled. Her eyes lit up with the fury of a thousand mothers that had to watch their babies go. Every muscle in her body tensed in preparation of making the drunken Qrow into paste.

Yang opened her mouth but Summer cut in, "Don't add to the fire."

"Fine," Yang said with the petulance that only a parent could tolerate.

The scene shifts to night. Beacon hopefuls are in sleeping wear and selecting areas on the stadium floor to sleep.

Ruby falls to her sleeping bag and moans, "I can't wait for tomorrow. I'll finally get to show my stuff, none of this socializing silliness or backstabbing sisters."

Yang rolls her eyes, "Oh, don't be a baby. Getting out of your comfort zone is good for you. I'll say it was a success. You made some friends!"

Ruby snorts, "I made one friend and met a Weiss."

Weiss happens to walk by and returns the snort, "The feeling is very much mutual."

"Upset princess?" Blake said. Her smile had a sheer cattiness that one could only hope to master in their lifetime.

Weiss turned her nose at the question. Her pride would not allow her to dignify the question with a response. A Schnee didn't have to prove that they were great. Actions spoke louder than words.

Ruby huffs, "I think I need some air." She walks to the balcony. There she enjoys the light breeze pushing against her skin. Her eyes catch sight of the school's tower. The silver in her eyes glow as the markings return to her flesh.

Ozpin, Glynda, and Qrow shared a look between them. A sense of alarm was steadily building between them. They didn't care for Ruby's unconscious fixation on the tower.

Summer bit her lips.

Taiyang eyed Ozpin's group with an air of suspicion. Their behavior just screamed conspiracy. If his daughter was in any kind of expected danger, he wanted to know the ins and outs of it.

Jaune exits the bathroom and makes his way to his resting area. He bumps into Ren and Nora. Nora is in the middle of some kind of wild retelling of something or other and has her hands twirling around.

"I see you're as energetic as always," Jaune says. His smile is tentative as he shifts his attention between Nora and Ren, "It must be nice to have such a good friend."

Ren nods with a soft smile, "I agree. I couldn't ask for a greater friend."

"Aw shucks, you're making me blush," she jumps up and pulls Ren into a headlock.

Jaune shakes his head, "I'll let you two do your thing."

"Sure! See you around buddy," Nora says with a strong pat to his back that causes him to nearly fall over. He goes to bed alone and fiddles with Alice's gift.

The next morning, Jaune walks into the locker room. He's looking at his locker number in confusion. During his search, he sees Pyrrha and Weiss in the midst of a discussion. When his eyes land on Weiss, he is enamored. Jaune stands straight and walks with a swagger.

Weiss huffed in annoyance with an appearance that screamed that she was wholly aggrieved with the whole situation.

"Come now, he's not that bad," Pyrrha said.

The married women in the room shared a laugh. It was just so cute and adorable that he thought that he was being smooth. If Jaune had been there, he wouldn't wished for Remnant to smite him out of existence.

Jaune leans by Weiss' side and winks at her, "How you're doing, snow angel? I think we could be a good team. How does that sound?"

Annabeth cringed so hard that some feared that her face would get stuck that way. She shook her head in denial as though it would undo all of this. "No baby, no. This is all your fault."

Her husband merely laughed, "It could work."

Weiss ignores everything he said and directs his attention to Pyrrha, "Excuse you, I was in the middle of a conversation. Do you have any idea to whom I'm speaking to?"

Jaune eyes Pyrrha up and down, "No idea, but she can join the team too." He winks at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha giggled into her fist, "I wouldn't mind too much, if you would have me."

Weiss massaged her throbbing head, "Please don't encourage his buffoonery."

Pyrrha shrugged unrepentantly, "He has a loveable dorky charm to him. It's cute."

"It's pathetic," Weiss rebutted.

Annabeth wished she could beg to differ.

Weiss' expression grows ugly as she begins to jab Jaune in the chest, "Does winner of the Mistral Tournament ring any bells?"

Jaune's smile falls to an awkward grimace, "Never heard of it, sorry."

She huffs and throws her hands in the air, "I will be taking my leave while my patience is intact. Good day,Ms. Nikos." She marches off sight.

Pyrrha shoots Jaune a warm smile, "Don't worry about her. I think we'd make a wonderful team. Best of luck to you."

The screens goes to Ruby. She's cheerfully humming to herself.

"You're in a good mood, sis. What's the occasion?" Yang asks.

Ruby puffs up her chest, "I'm finally in comfortable territory: fighting. This whole friend making thing was a total bust."

Yang crosses her arms, "Don't be like that. What are you going to do when you get a team? Even if I'm part of it, there'll still be two more members."

Ruby stills and frowns, "I… don't know, but that's not important. Oh, there's Jaune. Hey Jaune!" She waves at his direction.

Jaune flashes a relieved smile and walks their direction.

Summer clapped in joy, "Look at that, Tai. She's getting awfully close to Jaune even with all her social anxieties."

Taiyang scratched his beard in confusion, "You sure about that? I think you're reading a little too much into this."

"Sure, they aren't flirting… yet, but they're really relaxed with each other. Jaune isn't going macho and Ruby isn't freaking out.

"What's up, hero?" Jaune asks.

Yang cracks a teasing smile, "Already on nicknames already?"

"I just calls them like I sees them," he says. Then he winks at Yang, "Hey sweetie."

Yang bursts into laughter and pats him on the back, "Better luck next time. I'll give you two some space." She waves at Ruby before making her leave.

Ruby clicks her teeth, "Jerk. I can't believe she's ditching me again."

Jaune looks disappointed, "What am I doing wrong? Dads said ladies love the confidence."

Annabeth jumped to her feet and pointed at her husband accusingly, "I knew you had your hands on this. What are you filling my baby boy's head with? Are you trying to turn him into some kind of bargain deal womanizer!?"

Malachi had the audacity to laugh, "I forgot I told him that. I say it was great advice, Jaune just needs more practice."

"Muscles would probably help," Nora said as she flexed her biceps.

"I like the way you think, girlie," Malachi agreed as he too flexed his biceps.

Qrow raised his eyebrows at Malachi, "How are you even real?"

"It was probably the nicknames," Ruby says.

"Well if you're such an expert, you should throw out some names," Jaune says.

"Well, there's hunk?" She says with a flush. "Alright, I'm just as bad, but I don't use them so I have the moral high ground."

They glare at each other before breaking out in smiles.

"Thanks, I needed that," he says.

"Any time. Let's go, the initiation is going to start," she replies.

The scene shifts to the cliffs above the forest. Student hopefuls stand on platforms before Ozpin and Glynda.

"Teams will be selected on first eye contact basis. Once you have paired up, you are to get a relic and return to this location. Please prepare your landing strategy."

Jaune swallows, "Landing strategy? I am not prepared for this." He nearly whimpers as he sees people soaring through the sky as the platform flings them forward. "I've made a terrible mistake."

His platform activates and he's then soaring through the air.

"Break a leg," Ozpin chuckles as the screen fades to black.

"That poor boy needs help, not your teasing, Ozpin," Rinoa said in disapproval.

Ozpin crossed his legs and calmly replied, "It is the hazard of a huntsman."

Glynda frowned, "I don't care for Jaune's entry into the academy. It's evident that he hasn't stepped foot in a huntsmen school before."

Malachi snorted as he waved her away, "Who needs an academy? Plenty of huntsmen back in the day used their good old moxy. I say good on Jaune for leaping head first in the flames. It's sink or swim time."

"In all honesty I'm more interested in what happened to Sora. Academia initiations are all pretty similar," Ansem said.

Summer disagreed, "I'm glad to see how Ruby has grown. Sure she's a bit of a nervous wreck, but she's budding into a fine young lady."

Weiss fiddled with her fingernails in disinterest. Her primary concern was to use the screening to get a leg up on the competition.

Nora patted Weiss on back with enough strength to topple Weiss over, "Don't look so bored girlfriend. We're in a magical room seeing the future, what better things do you have to do? This isn't an everyday event you know?"

"I'm curious as to whose machinations have brought us here and what their motives are," Ren said. "I can understand our elders' presence here due to their power and positions, but the rest of us don't have much ability to cause change. It'll be troubling if there are some expectations tied with this viewing."

"I concur with young Ren's concerns. These viewings seem to center around Sora, Ruby, and Jaune but why aren't they here? They would have the most direct ability to bring about change. This is both strange and troubling," Ansem said.

"We will merely have to sit and wait. It's possible that the answer is within one of the discs," Ozpin interjected.

Qrow snorted, "That's easy for you to say."

"Stop whining and be an adult," Glynda replied.

"Whatever."

Malachi groaned, "We didn't see any action this time. The trailers and the last episode had me pumped up. There was just talking and more talking this time. I'll die of boredom if the rest of the show is just learning and more learning. I'll let my wife deal with all the heavy thinking."

Annabeth ducked her head in embarrassment as the other women chuckled at her husband's behavior. Could he not embarrass her for one moment? Sometimes she just wanted to give the big lug a slap to the head. "Please be quiet."

"Yes, sweetie," Malachi drawled.

Yang cracked her knuckles, "Don't worry big guy. I'm sure I'll get to strut my stuff next episode."

Nora slung his arm around Yang's shoulder, "I like the sound of that. Let's rock and roll."

The group waited for the next episode to begin.

…

Author's Note:

I've realized that a beta reader would do me some good. Does anyone know a reliable way to meet people interested in beta reading?

Until next time.