Weiss Reacts to Substitute Teachers, Part 1!

A/N: Welcome, one and all, to Weiss Reacts Volume 3! And man, man, man am I excited for this! Firstly, we will be confirming, thus far, what will definitely be featured! Anyone who's applied or given their blessing for fics, do not despair- these are only being confirmed to remind myself to do something on them, so there's still a chance for you!

On the fic side, Half-Blind Otaku's We Were Close, Nutshop's Nora's Arc and Chris7221's Emergence, Aliens Among Us, Those Left Behind and Convergence, and finally, our very own Lucina Reacts! On the non-fic side, K-On!, Squid Girl, Gurren Lagann, Code MENT and SAO Abridged- the only SAO-related anything this fic gets near!

But enough shots at SAO, now we're being serious. If you want to submit a fic, please, please, please read the rules now up in my profile. I cannot stress this enough. If you want your fic to get in, you're subject to all of these rules. I know, I probably sound like a tired schoolteacher, but please, do take the time to read them, this makes the process a lot easier. I also reserve the right to change them at any time. But, now that's out of the way, let's start this fic with a bang!

DISCLAIMER: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, otherwise we'd make the Grimmfather fight canon.

All mentioned franchises and characters belong to their respective owners.

"With strange aeons, even death may die. Huh."

Yang tilted her head, scratching her head. "…..that sounds familiar. Any of you guys ever heard that phrase before? It sounds badass."

Weiss nodded slowly. "You know, I think I may have read that line before, but if I have, I can't seem to remember where it's from."

Blake sighed, unloading a duffel bag containing all of her clothes from the summer and other supplies she'd brought with her onto the dorm's desk. "Yeah. It really does sound familiar, but I can't for the life of me remember where I first heard it."

Ruby was also unpacking, stretching her arms. "Yeaaah, I don't know. It doesn't really sound all that familiar to me at all. Hey, Weiss, could you help me take my laptop out?"
"Sure. Move up a little."

Team RWBY, along with the rest of Beacon, had taken their leave after the Harvest Festival and the graduation ceremony for the older year- although some, like Winter, had to stay in the academy to finish their studies due to having elected for an extended expedition for extra credit and missing out on some of their studies- and had taken off for the end-of-school-year holidays. As it transpired, Weiss and Ruby ended up spending the summer together due to Siegfried, Weiss' father, and Ruby's parents having made the executive decision that the two lovers needed to spend their last summer at Beacon together. Thus, the Schnee and Rose-Xiao Long family spent their summer at a beach house owned by Siegfried, their first summer as a family in hindsight.

With Yang and Siegfried along, of course, it was highly embarrassing, and the couple had hardly any time to themselves. With Winter, of all people, it became plain awkward. Yin, Yang's mother, was the only person to give them any time to themselves in the end.

Blake, meanwhile, had elected to go home to her father Ysengrim to reconnect with him. It seemed successful, judging by her happy mood when she arrived at the academy the same time Ruby, Yang and Weiss did.

All in all, it was an uneventful, if very embarrassing, summer holiday month for team RWBY. Fortunately, it was, for almost everyone was exhausted for the month, having slain one of the most powerful and ancient Grimm known to man and Faunus alike. Indeed, a break was welcome after all that.

Of course, all good things came to an end, and even that holiday had to end, and so it was that Team RWBY returned to their dorm. Weiss sighed.

"Yang, you were such a pain, you know?" The heiress remarked, glaring at her.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault this time. You know how much my dad likes you dating Rubes." The brawler retorted, giggling. "He thinks it's cute you get all blushy when Ruby embarrasses you~"
"I-I don't get embarrassed like that, you dunce!" The heiress snapped, blushing in embarrassment. Blake raised an eyebrow at the remark, but said nothing.

"What's that look for, Belladonna? Huh? What?"

"Nothing." The catgirl shrugged casually. "Get back to unpacking already."
Weiss scoffed, shaking her head. "…tch. Idiot. Sometimes, I just don't understand what kind of things go through your head…."

Ruby took out one last pair of clothes from her bag and placed it on the chair in front of her, to be transferred to the cabinet later, and checked the clock. "…..you know, guys, we're a little late."
"For?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, before realising what, exactly, they were late for and clapping herself on the forehead. "…..I am a complete dunce. We have to go to that special assembly for everyone in our year, remember?"
"Oh, right!" Yang nodded in agreement, realising what she was talking about. "Ozpin was going to talk about something, wasn't he?"

"He might tell us what's up with Professor Faust." Blake offered helpfully. "Supposedly, she's not even back yet."

"Not back yet?" The heiress tilted her head. "Why wouldn't she be back yet?""

The brawler next to her shrugged. "Beats me. I think that Grimmfather incident took a bit out of her, though- she looked pretty pale when we beat it. She was also talking about some guy called 'Johann', too. You think he might've been someone important?"
"Let us not tarry!" Weiss reminded them, strolling towards the door. "Let's go!"

Yang stared at her, blinking. "…..did she seriously just say 'tarry'?"

"I heard that, Xiao Long!"

Blake rolled her eyes, looking to Ruby. "Your girlfriend is insane, you know that?"

"Well, you should, you've lived with her for four years." The reaper retorted. "Not that I don't like it~"

"….and, of course, like your sister, you have very strange kinks." The catgirl remarked, placing the last of her clothes on her desk before heading out, taking care to tie her ever-present ribbon over her head before going out.

Yang stared at her briefly as she passed by, almost too long. Ruby tapped her over the shoulder.

"Yang?"
"H-huh?" The brawler shook her head. "What?"
"…you were staring at Blake all weird." The reaper noted, frowning. "Are you crushing on Blake or something?"
"Haha. Hahahaha. Ha! Good joke, Ruby." Yang smiled at her, patting her on her shoulder. "Good joke, Rubes. Let's go, eh?"

The brawler walked out of the room hastily, leaving her sister confused.

"…..what was that about?" Ruby mused to herself, before shaking her head. "Weiss is going to kill me if I'm late!"

Five minutes, in Beacon's Main Hall….

Team RWBY managed to slide into a space at the back of the hall just in time- Professor Amadeus, the old music teacher, stared at them with his hawkish eyes behind his gold-rimmed spectacles and shook his head as he held the door open just enough for them to slip in.

"Good afternoon, ladies." The old man remarked drily. "I suppose your packing was uneventful?"
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, sir." Yang wheezed out, settling into the chair next to Blake. The old composer sighed.

"Don't make a habit of it. You're the oldest students in the school now, bar a few. You should set the bar high." Professor Amadeus warned, before standing in front of the door, placing his hands atop each other and watching Ozpin take the stage.

Onstage, Ozpin stood up in behind a long table, with the staff of Beacon thus far- all the usual teachers, minus Professor Faust- holding up a microphone, calmly awaiting the cessation of all chatter in the hall. As it faded away, he cleared his throat, silencing the last few stray speakers.

"…..thank you for your attention." The headmaster announced, breathing heavily. "Welcome, once more, to another year at Beacon Academy. I hope the summer has been well for you all, and now that you are all rested, you can prepare for another year of studying and education with us."

Weiss glared at Yang, who spared her a smirk. "…all rested my backside."

Ozpin continued. "As you may be aware, this is a special assembly, and only the staff and any Huntsmen and Huntresses in the last year of Hunting education are present here today. The reason may already be obvious to you. I wish to address you all with a special message.

You who still remain here today are the cream of the crop of our Hunters. Others have dropped out, unable to cope with the stress, or have been through infirmity or trauma been rendered incapable. Yet others have been removed from the Academy, having proven themselves unworthy of the education we provide. Those of you still left today, you have proven yourselves worthy. You have become young men and women to be proud of and to be celebrated.

If you are not yet aware, there are also those among you who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Misses Scarlatina and Winter Schnee, were awarded the Light of Beacon, our highest award, for their actions two months ago in preventing a disaster to Beacon and vanquishing one of the greatest threats to the Kingdom. They are examples to be held up and followed."
Yang smiled proudly at the thought of herself being an example to be looked up to and followed.

"Sexy and badass. Good taste."

"Quiet." Weiss growled.

"But, we have already awarded them, and so we must concentrate on the rest of you." The headmaster announced, turning to the rest. "All of you have the potential for equally heroic deeds. All of you are examples to be held up to the rest of the school. You are, all of you, and pardon the pun, the beacon-light to Beacon Academy, and I expect you all to hold up to that standard.

However, now, we must discuss less abstract matters."

Ozpin gestured to the empty seat that Professor Faust should have occupied.

"As you may have noticed, Professor Faust is absent. This is as a result of the events of two months ago, as she has requested a leave for psychological reasons and will return next week. For the moment, we have acquired a new teacher to take over her Dust Theory and History lessons, Professor Quirinus Albus."

At that moment, a man the audience hadn't noticed stood up, surveying the audience.

He was of average height, about a head taller than his neighbour Glynda. His short, messy hair was pure white, whiter than even Weiss' hair, and his skin was pale- not so pale that he looked chalky, but he looked too pale for a Hunter, which he presumably was. His eyes were a deep crimson, presenting a stark contrast to his ivory face.

His clothing, too, was unusual- a crisscross of blue and silver metal plates across his torso, his chest and shoulders covered by a brown cloak draped around them. His legs were armoured fully with silver plates, right down to his feet, clad in black military boots, and next to his waist, the pommel of a sword was visible. Finally, around his neck and hanging down the front of his chest was a strange, iridescent stone hanging on a small chain, glinting in the light.

Professor Albus gave a small bow to the audience before sitting back down.

Yang tilted her head. "…..he looks familiar."
"I know, right?" Blake looked to her, nodding in agreement. "…..I think we've seen this Professor Albus guy before."

"Apart from that, Professor Fall would like to see teams MLDY and CRDL after the assembly, and Professor Oobleck would like to speak to the following students regarding their choices for this year- Sun Wukong, Neptune Vasilias and Miltiades Malachite. The rest of you may vacate the hall. Your first lessons will be in an hour to allow you all time to acclimatize to the Academy again.

I hope you all have a great rest of the year."

With that, Ozpin left the stage as the teachers stationed at the doors began to open them and let the students pile out.

Ruby pulled out her scroll, checking her lessons. "…..we all have Dust Theory together, right?"
"Yep. Professor Faust is teaching us." Weiss replied. "Or, rather, Professor Albus, whoever he is. I guess we get the new guy."
"He's only here for a week." Yang reminded them with a sigh. "Shame. He actually looks fun."

Team JNPR walked up to them, with Nora the only one appearing with a visible change over the holidays; she was now wearing what appeared to be a sombrero and a fake moustache.

"…what's with the ridiculous hat?" The heiress drily inquired. Nora grinned.

"I like this hat! It's comfy and easy to wear!"

"Hey. Uh, yeah. How are you guys?" Jaune inquired, smiling.

"Ready and raring to slack off!" Yang cheered, earning her a smack by Weiss.

"Already tired of Yang being a dunce and I haven't been back two hours yet."

Ruby tipped her head towards the knight. "What about you guys?"
"We're good." Ren responded. Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "Couldn't be better."

Professor Albus passed by them suddenly, examining them with his red eyes.

"Ah. Team RWBY and Team JNPR." He announced, in a somewhat youthful voice, smiling. "You must be the teams Ozpin and my colleagues seem to love talking about.

I expect big things from you in my lessons, even if I am only teaching for a week. See you in an hour."

Nodding to them, the white-haired man strolled past them. Ren examined him from behind, frowning.

"….you know, there's something wrong with this." The gunslinger muttered when he was sure the professor was out of earshot.

Weiss looked at him, confused. "What?"
"I believe he might be part of the Antic Order." Ren declared.

Weiss shook her head. "Impossible! How could you possibly know that?"
Jaune shrugged. "Ren's told me the same thing. He says he has proof."

The gunslinger nodded in agreement. "I do indeed have proof." He produced a pile of papers, showing them to everyone present.

Pyrrha scratched her head, confused. "What is it?"
"It's a communique from the Antic Order Headquarters in Fuyuki City." Ren explained. "You can see from the header that it was assigned by Reflet."
"Yang's older counterpart from Ylisse…." The heiress muttered.

"The communique wasn't meant to reach us, but I managed to pilfer this from Cinder's office." The gunslinger continued. "Basically, the gist of it is, they're sending someone to the school to teach us how to prank people.

To that, I protest!"
The heiress rolled her eyes. "One, I find it highly doubtful that people shouldn't teach you how to properly do anything. Two, I find it too coincidental that the Antic Order sends in an instructor for your antics on the same day school just happens to need a teacher! That's far too easy."

Yang shrugged. "Sounds like the Order. Nobody would expect it. It's too obvious. Exactly what I'd think, after all."

Jaune crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Too easy, like Weiss says. I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, they probably sent someone like, I dunno, Haruhi or something-"
"You realise that Haruhi, as in, Suzumiya actually works for the Order, right?" The gunslinger pointed out. "I'm assuming you're talking about her and not Fujioka."

"…if I understood anything about these stupid anime you all watch, I might be horrified." Weiss snapped. "Look, whoever they send, I doubt it was Professor Albus."

"…..you having said that, the chances are he likely will be." Blake shrugged. "I say we watch him during class and see if he has ulterior motives."

Ruby gaped, surprised. "A detective mission?"
"Well, I kinda need to find the person who needs to teach me how to prank and give him a piece of my mind." Ren remarked, looking as if he had been slapped. "How dare they! I practically pioneered pranking here! They have the gall to send some random person to teach me…."

Weiss sighed. Not even a full hour back in Beacon and now she was in some sort of stupid plot to prove that the new substitute teacher was in fact an Antic Order member.

"It's settled, then. We're going to his class and spying on him, since we have no other choice and you all seem to be convinced." The heiress uttered. "But don't think I like this very much. I don't."

"And if anyone finds any evidence that he's in the Antic Order, come back and collate evidence so we can prove it and I can purge it from my territory, got it?"

"I'm so excited!" Ruby cheered. "Nothing like a good stakeout!"

Weiss facepalmed. She was already exasperated and exhausted, and now this.

'…..this had better be worth it.' The heiress remarked irritably. 'Good enough to suspect a perfectly innocent man…..'

"Fine. Get your stuff ready, meet down here in bottles and go into your dorms, we'll meet in one hour for Dust Theory."

To be continued….

A/N: Next chapter, the mystery of Quirinius Albus continues! The insanity has only just begun, lads. Only. Just. Begun.

So, I hope you enjoyed that, leave your ideas, comments, thoughts, criticisms, reviews and suggestions, and I hope you have a GREAT day! Until next time!