The Maiden's Guardian

Hey everyone, Welcome back for another chapter of The Maiden's Guardian. I am sorry for making you all wait so long for this chapter, I was trying to get the next chapter for Wings of the Leaf finished before I started this and had huge writers block but I'm trying to suppress that. Thank you very much to all my loyal readers and to any future followers of my writings it's because of all of you that I am able to constantly get a drive to keep writing my stories since it always makes me very happy to see that people are actually enjoying what I'm writing.

I'd like to take this time before we begin to remind you all, that the poll is still on going right now for who will be paired with my OC Azul romantically in this story, As I said before the poll choices are just who I personally picked with my beta, if you have any other suggestions go ahead and send me them in a review or PM and I will consider the idea, there is also the option for a small Yuri harem in this story if enough people tell me they want that.

Anyway without further ado, let's get into it!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any other games and anime mentioned in this story, I merely own my OC ^_^.

Chapter 3: Preparation and Theory

+Location: Beacon Academy=Workshop+

+Time: 1 month before Canon+

Azul was in the workshop while her mother was busy in a meeting with Ozpin and some old guy she didn't recognize, though he did smell of alcohol. Azul was finishing her latest versions of her pistols as she had to resize them again before her first official year as a Beacon student began in about a month.

She had been taking good care of the pistols and was constantly upgrading them, making the barrels and blades longer so they will be able to constantly fit to her size. She had also managed to work in an extended magazine and a new shot selector cylinder that will allow her to change the dust types she uses on the fly along with a very special function she had worked in with help from her mom, but that was her last trump card.

She smiled and picked up Sinister and Dexter as she twirled them around a bit before the pistols started to change to their gunblade modes seamlessly, the blades now were about 3 feet in length each as the barrels had changed to fit the blades as well.

Azul twirled the gunblades again as they changed back to their standard pistol mode, the barrels are now 3 feet long, 1 inch wide and about 8 inches high, the pristine white weapons looked quite simple but they were anything but since over the years it turned out Azul was literally the only person able to use her TTH's, since no one else could really handle them that well.

She spun the pistols around for a moment before the metal started moving, she slammed the two guns together as they locked and shifted together into a single larger gun, this was the newest mode she developed for her weapons, which she appropriately named Medium. This was a large-calibre shotgun mode that was another one of Azul's new trump cards due to the punch it had when mixed with her various dusts that she kept loaded in the weapons at all times.

Azul smiled at her work and twirled Medium, separating it into Sinister and Dexter again before she twirled the two guns around and holstered them in the new larger holsters she had crossed on the back of her waist.

The Huntress-in-Training had been developing some new techniques over the years for her fighting style that were made possible with her semblance, which she had been improving her control of as well.

Azul had recently started exchanging letters as well with Clover Riven, who had graduated a few years ago and was now a full-fledged Huntsman. He had become a pen pal of hers in a way as they kept each other up to date with what was going on in their lives.

Satisfied with her work for the day, Azul decided to head back to her dorm room she had been assigned in the first years dorm building as she was gonna be starting soon, her mother had been sharing the room with her so it was perfect to her.

+Meanwhile in Ozpin's Office+

Ozpin and Glynda were joined today by one of their veteran hunters, one Qrow Branwen who had come in on Ozpins request to discuss some odd and alarming events.

The seasoned hunter sat down in one of the chairs in front of Ozpins desk and sighed. "So Ozpin what is it you wanted to discuss with me? All you mentioned was that it relates to Summer and Amber."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and set the mug down on the desk before looking at Qrow rather seriously. "It's about Glynda's daughter, Azul. I think she might be connected to the Maidens somehow but I can't be sure."

Qrow raised an eyebrow at this and chuckled. "You sure that coffee you're always drinking isn't spiked Ozpin?"

The headmaster adjusted himself a bit and nodded. "I'm quite sure Qrow, some odd things have happened with her. A few years ago, Azul, Glynda and I were here in my office when Glynda and I were talking about Summer. Azul was curious and when we explained who she was, Azul collapsed and became almost hysteric and in pain before she started mumbling about Summer and the Winter Maiden."

Qrow was a bit surprised by this. "But is that really enough to say she is connected?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Normally, no it isn't, but when Amber was brought here, Glynda introduced her to Azul and the two immediately were like best friends bordering on behaving practically like sisters. And on the night that Amber had been attacked Azul woke Glynda up by screaming and thrashing in her sleep and when she was woke up herself, she started telling Glynda how she had a nightmare about Amber had been attacked and having her power stolen from her right before her eyes. I don't need to tell you that it can't be seen as a mere coincidence."

Qrow was thinking this over as he digested the information. It was true such oddities couldn't be drawn up as a simple coincidence, even more so when Amber, while she had been somewhat cheerful, did her best to try and keep her distance from most bonds with others and for her to immediately form such a deep bond with Azul was strange. "Any idea what it might mean Ozpin? I can see if I might be able to dig up any info on something like this, though I'm not too sure what to look for."

Ozpin nodded. "That would be appreciated Qrow, as for my thoughts I can only speculate she is somehow linked to the Maiden's but how I don't know, the last thing we can recall as strange…well, Glynda would be able to explain better."

Qrow looked to Glynda who cleared her throat. "Yes, well, after Amber's attack, when we had fully confirmed her condition and moved her to the vault, when I brought the news to Azul...by Dust, I thought the academy was going to get levelled."

Qrow looked shocked at this statement. "What do you mean Glynda?"

The headmistress sighed and adjusted her glasses a bit. "Azul has the single largest Aura of any living creature in known records, our instruments and equipment can't even fully measure it due to how vast it is. When she was informed of Amber's condition, her aura surged so fast that the bed we shared at the time shattered right under her along with the floor of the dorm room almost caving right in, the walls cracked and the windows in the entire dorms all shattered. If I hadn't calmed her down by telling her she would be allowed to go visit Amber in the vault, I think she may have caused even more damage with just her aura alone; her anger and sorrow when she finally saw Amber down there was...well, palpable is putting it lightly."

She shuddered as she recalled the absolutely murderous expression on Azul's face when she beheld the unconscious Fall Maiden lying in the life support casket that was the only thing maintaining her life functions. Never mind the roiling and tumultuous feeling of her Aura almost going out of control. Glynda had felt as if she were suffocating just by being in the same room.

"I dunno Oz. This ain't natural, for a slip of a girl to have such a powerful aura." Qrow said with a frown, "I mean, Yang and Ruby are above average in terms of Aura, but that's because the Rose, Branwen and Xiao Long families have a long history of activating their Aura and marrying other Aura users. We have no idea 'bout Azul's lineage, right?"

"No." Glynda said shortly, "Still, even if she does contain a secret, she is my daughter. I have raised her to be a strong, independent, generous girl. She would no sooner harm someone from malice than Ozpin or I would."

Qrow held his hands up after Glynda spoke. "Right, right…sorry Glynda. I didn't mean anything by it; all I'm saying is that aside from her being your adoptive daughter, we know next to nothing about the girl's past at all."

Glynda nodded at Qrow. "Apology accepted and I understand where you are coming from, but she was only five years old when I found her, there isn't really a whole lot to look into considering how I found her" Qrow of course knew how Glynda had found Azul, being informed by Ozpin of the event, bizarre as it was.

Ozpin cleared his throat to get Glynda and Qrow's attention. "Alright then, I believe that is enough for today, Glynda I believe it is dinnertime, Azul must be waiting for you" Glynda nodded and excused herself as she left the headmasters office promptly to have dinner with her daughter.

+Timeskip=1 month later+

+Location=Downtown Vale, From Dust Till Dawn+

Roman Torchwick sauntered down the street. He was dressed in his snazzy white jacket, black trousers and black bowler hat on his head. In one hand, he carried a cane that was heavier than it looked, while in his other hand, he had a cigar that was swiftly put into his mouth.

Following behind him were four members of Hei 'Junior' Xiong's gang. They wore black suits, red shades and carried red scimitars and pistols as weapons. They were cheap and, to his mind, expendable muscle. While they were weak by the standards of Hunters, they were infinitely more preferable to the animals in the White Fang that his employer was going to force him to work with, in a few weeks' time.

Smirking, he banished the contempt he felt for the Faunus as the Dust shop came into view. He snorted at the lame pun that the shop had for its name. Some people should be shot for having such pathetic senses of humour, in his humble opinion. Gesturing at the men behind him to follow him, Torchwick entered the shop.

From Dust Till Dawn was a fairly average shop in Vale. It was primarily a Dust shop, but also carried ammo casings and other items that Hunters and Huntresses would frequently buy along with Dust. And, as the Hunter Academies Beacon and Signal were nearby, it also carried things that teenagers would likely buy as well; magazines, music, games and the like. The owner of this particular store was some doddering old fart in glasses standing behind the counter.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" Torchwick asked the owner dramatically as the goon to his left drew a pistol and levelled it at the old man's head.

"P-Please!" the man raised his hands in surrender, his voice this and reedy, "Just take my Lien and go!"

"Shh-shhh-shhh." The orange-haired man said condescendingly, "We're not here for your money."

"Grab the Dust." He ordered the goons, who spread out throughout the shop to follow his order. Some went to the Dust dispensers and started to siphon the precious substance out of them and into the containers they had brought with them for that purpose, while one stared down the owner at the counter to make sure he didn't try any heroics. The last one started sweeping the shop for any customers to shake down, evidently finding one, although Torchwick couldn't see them.

"Alright kid, put your hands where I can see 'em!"

Silence.

"Hey, I said hands in the air!" Was a kid seriously giving this gangster trouble? He should have asked Junior for a discount…

"Hey, you got a death wish or somethin'?"

More silence followed by stamping feet and the rustle of cloth.

"Yes?" The voice that spoke up next was sweet, female and young. Torchwick doubted that the owner of that voice was older than fifteen at most.

"I said, put your hands in the air, now!" Clearly the gangster was getting annoyed.

"Are you…robbing me?" This sentence and the way that it was spoken rang warning bells in Torchwick's mind. There was no shock, no fear and no surprise in that question, just honest curiosity.

"YES!"

"Oh…"

THWACK!

The next moment, the gangster was sailing out of the stacks and slamming into the wall at a respectable speed that made the leader of this robbery sigh. A Huntress was here. Hardly surprising given the proximity to the basic academy Signal on the nearby isle of Patch and the advanced academy Beacon just outside of Vale, but he had hoped that coming this late would reduce the chance that one would show up to almost nothing.

'Live and learn, Roman.' He reminded himself and jerked his head in the direction of the huntress, silently ordering the goon he was looking at to take care of the problem, although he doubted it would make a difference.

The goon nodded, drew his pistol and stormed into the aisle that his friend had been ejected from and shouted, "Freeze!"

'Amateur!' Roman bemoaned the incompetence of the idiots he had hired, 'Shoot first, and ask questions never!'

The next instant a black and red blur shot past him and through the stores glass window, resolving itself as the thug lying comatose on the pavement and a girl, as he'd suspected no older than fifteen, standing next to him. She wore a black combat dress with red trimming, black tights, black combat boots and a red cloak that flapped dramatically in the wind. Her hair was a deep brown that was almost black, except for half an inch or so of the ends, which were dyed red. Her visible skin was pale, almost white, and her mercury silver eyes gazed out at him, still with no fear in them.

The girl's most noticeable feature, however, was the enormous scythe that unfolded in one hand. It was literally bigger than the girl that wielded it and had to be as heavy as she was, if not more so! The scythe's blade was obviously very well maintained and glittered dangerously in the light of the streetlights.

Spinning the enormous weapon around, the Huntress (in-Training, she had to be at her age) embedded the blade in the tarmac of the street, deliberately provoking the gangsters to come at her. Torchwick had to applaud her sense of dramatics if nothing else.

"Okaayyy…" he drawled before turning his head to glare at the three remaining thugs, including the first one to encounter the girl, who had lost his hat, "Get her!"

The three men charged out into the street, scimitars at the ready. The girl just smirked.

The first one to reach the silver-eyed girl slashed at her, but she dodged out of the way by using her scythe, still solidly embedded into the ground, as leverage to lift herself up and away from the red blade. Twisting around in a circle atop her weapon, she slammed both of her feet into the face of her attacker, breaking his glasses and sending him flying through the air and back into the Dust shop via the window.

Using the motion of the centrifuge to loosen the weapon from the ground, she landed on the ground, holding her scythe in a reverse horizontal grip, with the enormous and deadly blade behind her and the pointed tip in front of her.

The thugs charged in again and the girl pulled a trigger on the shaft of her weapon, which fired a gun mounted at the head of the scythe, making her spin. Using the centrifuge once again, she slammed the bladeless around and into the gut of the first one, sending him flipping into the air like a coin, screaming in fear and pain.

Redirecting the centrifuge, she spun the scythe-gun vertically and slammed it down on the other one, who emitted a squawk like a squashed mouse. Then things got interesting.

The one she had taken out first by tackling him through the window had recovered and grabbed a rifle from somewhere and now advanced on the girl, pulling the trigger and firing at her in short burst, none of which hit her. Why? Because she vanished in clouds of red rose petals every time she was targeted. It almost looked like teleportation, but Torchwick could see that it wasn't. What it was, was extreme speed. It must be her Semblance.

Getting tired of dodging, the girl reversed her scythe and fired a round, sending her speeding towards the man and slammed both feet into his ankles, sending him careening into the air. Jamming just the tip of her scythe into the ground, the girl lazily spun around once before removing it and smacking the falling gangster back onto the ground in front of Torchwick, unconscious, before landing herself, weapon at the ready.

He had to admit that he was impressed. To have not caused a single cut on four men with unawakened Auras, despite using a weapon which was solely designed to cut, was indicative of the skill and talent that the girl possessed. It also told him two things about her. First, she had prodigious talent with her weapon, as just a casual glance at the men he had hired told him that they would be sore when they woke up, but would suffer no broken bones or fractures. Secondly, she had likely never had to fight for her life before, as her first response was to subdue rather than disable. Had Xiong's boys had awakened Auras, this fight would have been much harder for her due to the Aura shield.

'Then again, she would have likely upped her game if they had had Aura.' Torchwick conceded as he muttered, "You were worth every cent, truly you were," in a sarcastic manner. He was definitely going to demand a refund from Xiong for this. They hadn't even lasted a minute.

"Well, Red," he said as he stepped over his defeated minion, "I think we can say it's been an eventful evening," he dropped his cigar and put it out with the butt of his cane, "and as much as I'd love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

He brought his cane up and pointed it at the girl. The end flipped up as he depressed a button and Melodic Cudgel fired a powerful Burn Dust shell. Despite the size of the cane, Torchwick had plenty of ammo, all of which was more powerful than a combat shotgun's shells.

As the girl quickly fired into the ground and flew up to avoid his weapons fire, Torchwick ran over and started climbing the fire escape of a nearby building. His employer would be by in a bullhead to pick him up soon. She wasn't going to be happy about not getting this shipment of Dust he was supposed to get for her…

The sharp retort of a gun firing alerted him to trouble following him. The shouted "Hey!" that the girl unleashed after she landed just confirmed it for him.

"Persistent…!" he growled in irritation, before a familiar sound made him grin.

A Bullhead VTOL transport rose up in front of him, the side door already sliding open. He leapt onto it and turned around, mockingly saluting the silver-eyed girl as he tossed a Burn Dust crystal at her feet.

"End of the line, Red!" he shouted and fired another round from Melodic Cudgel at the crystal. Dust, especially Burn Dust, was highly volatile in crystal form and if struck by enough of a physical impact, it would go off like a spiked grenade, which would teach this brat about messing with things that are none of her concern.

A purple and white blur flung itself in front of the girl as the shot hit the crystal. Torchwick laughed and cackled as the red explosion bloomed on the roof of the building before he paused as the smoke dissipated.

A tall blond-haired woman stood in front of the red-cloaked girl. She wore small glasses, a black skirt, and corset, a white shirt and a black and purple cape that had four long streamers fluttering from it. Her jade green eyes were narrowed at Torchwick dangerously and she dismissed the purple shield she had raised to protect the silver-eyed girl with a flick of the riding crop in her right hand.

'Glynda Goodwitch. Just fricking perfect.' Torchwick cursed. No one who had lived in Vale for any length of time didn't know the woman, Headmaster Ozpin's second in command at Beacon. A powerful Huntress and Dust Mage, she was infinitely more of a threat than the brat.

Adjusting her glasses primly with her free hand, Glynda slashed her riding crop at the VTOL, unleashing nine blasts of telekinetic light at it. They struck the aircraft all over its hull, making Torchwick stagger and flail as he tried to keep himself balanced.

Clawing his way to the cockpit, he yelled at his employer, "We've got a Huntress!"

Without saying a word, she smoothly stood up and made for the bay area, leaving him to take the controls and stabilise it.

As he tried to make good his escape, the Huntress on the roof wasn't having any of it. With another swish of her crop, she created broiling storm clouds above the VTOL that unleashed a hail of ice spikes that pelted it, one coming close to ventilating Torchwick's head if he hadn't dodged in time.

His companion, strutting along in high heels, counterattacked once she reached the bay doors by launching a fireball at Glynda, who blocked it with the shield she had used before. With another gesture from the fire-user, the remnants of the fireball, which had scattered to the ground around Glynda, charged up to explode again, the Huntress only barely managing to leap away in time to avoid it.

Even as she did so, however, Glynda launched a counterattack. She exerted her telekinetic Semblance on the fragments of brick and concrete that had been dislodged by the blast and grouped them together, forming a spear, before hurtling it at the VTOL with deadly accuracy.

Three blasts of fire broke it apart, but Glynda merely reformed it and sent it flying at the aircraft yet again. Torchwick hurriedly tried to jink to avoid it, partially succeeding as the ramshackle spear glanced off the top of its hull and scattering the pieces into the air.

With another gesture of her crop, Glynda gathered the detritus into three streams of purple light that sought out the engines, seeking to bring the craft down once and for all. The fire-user unleashed a globe of pure heat, turning all of the detritus around the VTOL into burning ashes.

The red cloaked girl switched her scythe into a more compact form and fired several shots at the woman, each blocked by the woman on the VTOL as easily as if they were spit balls. Glynda recognised the kind of Aura strength that would take to tank sniper rounds, and then reasoned that the woman must be generating extreme heat to melt the bullets before they hit her.

The woman in the VTOL gestured flamboyantly and the surface of the roof around the two females burned orange as it was heated by the fire user. Glynda quickly swiped at the red cloaked girl with her crop, sending her flying out of the blast radius before leaping herself. As the blasts went off, both women watched as the door slid shut on the VTOL and it fly off into the night.

Glynda growled to herself at the waste of time, Aura and Dust this had been before turning to look at the silver-eyed girl through narrowed eyes.

+Later+

+Location: Vale Police Department Interview Room+

Ruby Rose flinched as she was lectured by Glynda Goodwitch about being reckless. It wasn't fair! How was she supposed to know that that weirdly dressed man had an accomplice that could shoot fire and make concrete explode?!

"…if it were up to me, you would be sent home with a pat on the back…" the woman was saying, "…and a slap on the wrist!"

She punctuated her words by smacking the table in front of Ruby with her riding crop, making the silver-haired girl flinch back from the blow.

"However…" Glynda said reluctantly, "…there is someone here who would like to meet you."

Ruby looked puzzled as the door swung open, revealing a grey-haired man wearing shaded glasses, a dark green jacket, dark green trousers, black waistcoat, emerald green shirt beneath the waistcoat and a cross-shaped broach attached to the base of his throat. In one hand he carried a cup bearing the seal of Beacon Academy, a pair of crossed axes, while in the other he carried a plate of chocolate-chip cookies.

"Ruby Rose," Ozpin said slowly, as if sampling the name of the girl before him. Leaning forward, he continued, "you…have silver eyes."

"U-umm…" Ruby wasn't quite sure what to make of this man and she was also worried about getting another lecture.

"So then, could you tell me where you learned to fight like this?" Ozpin asked before taking a sip of what was in the cup, coffee presumably. Glynda obediently held up a handheld computer displaying a rewinding video of her fight against Torchwick and his thugs.

"S-Signal Academy…" the cloak-wearing Huntress-in-Training replied nervously.

This earned her a raised eyebrow from Ozpin.

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well…one teacher in particular." Ruby admitted.

"I see." The grey-haired man said evenly and placed the plate smoothly in front of Ruby, who, after a moment, tentatively grabbed a cookie and ate it. After swallowing it, she started to gobble the rest of them down fast. She had burned a lot of energy with her Semblance earlier, so she was refuelling.

Glynda looked both resigned and irked at her lack of manners, but Ozpin ignored it as he said, "It's just that I've only ever seen one scythe-wielder of that skill before; a dusty old crow."

Ruby perked up. "That's my uncle!" she exclaimed around a mouthful of cookies, "I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. Now I'm all like woahhh!"

She mimed karate moves to go along with her sound effects.

That made Ozpin smile. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

"Well…I want to be a Huntress." Ruby said, determination in her voice unlike what you would expect from a fifteen year old girl.

"You want to slay monsters?" the Headmaster of Beacon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded firmly, "I only have two more years of training left at Signal and then I'm going to apply to Beacon. My sister's starting there this year and she's trying to become a Huntress and I'm trying to become a Huntress because I wanna help people. My parents always taught me to help others, so I thought 'might as well make a career out of it.' I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are so much more romantic and exciting and really, gosh, you know?"

"Do you know who I am?" the ash-haired man asked with an smile.

"You're Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon." Ruby replied promptly.

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"You want to come to my school?" Ozpin asked, getting straight to the point.

"More than anything." The cloak-wearing girl said earnestly. Ozpin shared a look with Glynda who rolled her eyes and let out a disagreeable 'humph' at her leader.

"Well okay." Ozpin said casually.

After Ruby calmed down and was sent home, Ozpin and Glynda were walking down to the Bullhead that would take them back to Beacon, talking about what just happened.

"Honestly!" Glynda huffed, "Why on earth did you invite her in, two years early?"

"Did you look into her eyes, Glynda?" the Headmaster asked, "Did you see the way she fought? She is ready for Beacon. Recall that from what Qrow has said, she has no talent for using Dust, which is the majority of what the last two years at a basic academy focuses on. She will be bored out of her mind at Signal and her talent squandered."

"She's far too reckless," the blond Dust Mage argued, "I almost had a heart attack when she almost got hit by that cannon-cane!"

"I believe you are projecting your worries about Azul onto Miss Rose." Ozpin said firmly, "Both are remarkably similar, are they not? Both determined to do the right thing, both determined to help others…it is little wonder you are projecting. Still, I believe that had it just been Miss Rose and Roman Torchwick, she would have held him long enough for you to capture him."

"The Dust Mage that helped him escape was of considerable power." Glynda stated with a frown, "Not only that, she had a Pyromancy Semblance that allowed her to control heat as well as fire. A very deadly weapon in the wrong hands, and the wielder is definitely that. She didn't even hesitate to try to kill Miss Rose along with me."

Ozpin listened to Glynda's assessment of the Dust Mage she had encountered, someone so powerful would be quite a foe to deal with. He would need to keep this information in mind he thought to himself as he and Glynda boarded the bullhead and headed back to Beacon.

=Hey everyone, Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I've been getting really distracted and exhausted by work and other things, but I'll try and be a bit more punctual with my chapters in the future. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. We finally made it to CANON, so things are gonna be a lot more fun from here on out! ^_^. As always please leave a review if you enjoyed and if you have any suggestions for this or my other story, See you all in the next chapter!=