It had been a few days after the Forever Falls incident. Team CRDL(Cardinal) was presumed missing and dead after the corpse of Cardin Winchester was found on the track of a railroad. It was presumed that Cardin had fallen and the rest of the team had succumbed to the creatures of Grimm. Their bodies were never found.

Subtracting four from twenty-five, that left twenty-one students left. Eight of them being out protagonist, thirteen freshmen students are left over.

How long till the rest of them die out as well?

Who knows~?

~ ~ ~

Our little group of Huntsmen and Huntress were currently in class. At the moment, Professor Goodwitch was lecturing the class, explaining simple defensive movements should one's Aura deplete.

Ruby was currently leaning on her hand, her eyes narrowed down in boredom. She tapped away at her desk, scribbling away at some random doodles. She didn't find the class boring, it was merely that she already knew how to fight without Aura. She'd been doing it for most of her life anyway.

The redhead let out a breath of boredom, she glanced over to Pyrrha who also seemed to be bored as well but paid rapt attention anyway. What a star student she was. She could get the notes from the spartan later anyway. Pyrrha wouldn't even hesitate to give her the notes.

Ruby pursed her lips, scanning the classroom for any form of entertainment. There was Jaune, who was digging in his nose, Ren was writing down notes, Nora was sleeping, Weiss was also paying attention, Blake was also bored but she was across the room.

Speaking of which, the Faunus had been avoiding the two redheads for some time now. Ruby had to guess that it had something to do with the murders and deaths of CRDL(Cardinal). The reaper assumed Blake would be fine due to her past, but she seemed to be avoiding her completely.

She'd have to check up on that.

"Miss Rose," Glynda's voice brought her out of thoughts. "Could you tell me what's the best way to disable an enemy with just a pen?" she asked, the slight ghost of a smirk on her mouth. There's no way to fight with a pen.

"Hm? Yeah sure," Ruby grabs her pen and aims it at Pyrrha. "You either aim at the eyes," she jabs it forward but stops right before it pierces the spartan's eyes. "Or the throat," she does the same with the throat but stops right before it stabs, "the cervical vertebrae also works as well." she aims the pen at the side of Pyrrha's neck.

Despite the pen nearly stabbing her in vital areas, the champion doesn't seem bothered by this at all, as she merely writes down the new information. Nodding in understanding.

Glynda just takes a breath in. She was played, like the goddamn cheap kazoo she was.

"Yes, that is correct." she praises, though she just wants to strangle the damn girl. "Remember students, anything can be used as a weapon! Pens, butter knives, your environment, words, and even utensils. You were born with hands, it's up to you how you use them." she stated oh so, professionally.

Across the room next to Blake, Yang pursed her lips worriedly. Each spot Ruby had just listed were vital spots, one that could result in permanent or fatal damage. How does Ruby know that?! She shouldn't know how to kill her enemies! Is she secretly a serial killer.

The blonde glances her eyes to the hidden Faunus who stared at Ruby with narrowed eyes as well. She must have realized it as well, Yang thought as she turns back to the duo.

Pyrrha was very obviously a crazed psychopath, probably a mass murderer who eats the entrails of children as a form of sport. She must be the reason Ruby kills, most likely influencing her with her cursed knowledge.

"Miss Xiao Long," Goodwitch's voice brought the brawler out of her thoughts.

"Hm?! Oh, yeah?!" Yang answered intelligently.

"Perhaps you would pay more attention if you were on an active battlefield, hm?" Glynda perked an eyebrow. SHe always had it out for the blonde. "So, I thank you for volunteering to spar with someone Miss Xiao Long."

"Huh? O-oh! Yeah! Of course." the brawler smiled awkwardly. She still didn't know what was going on.

Blake leaned over and held a hand up to her mouth before whispering. "She's telling you to pick someone and fight," she explained.

"Oh, Oh! Right! Of course!" Yang laughed sheepishly as she walked down the stairs. She eyed the crowd searching for someone to spar against. The battles always brought out the best of her, it was always so exhilarating to feel the adrenaline.

Hm, too weak, too easy, too Jaune, Weiss would be too troublesome, she wasn't really in the mood to butt heads with Nora, Blake was too quick, she wanted to stay away from Pyrrha, the freaking psychopath, hmmm. Choices, choices.

Finally, her lilac eyes landed on one person.

Ruby perked an eyebrow at the blonde's gaze landed on her. Nuh uh, nope. Pick someone else, like Pyrrha. She knew this bitch wasn't about to pick her. If so, she was gonna smack a bitch. But... maybe she could use this to her advantage, see how strong she was compared to the brute.

"I chose Ruby!" Yang pointed her finger at the redhead. Everyone sorta let out a shocked gasp, the class, as well as most of the school, knew the two had some bad blood between one another. For what reason, no one knew. They just knew Ruby would tear out Yang's throat if, given the chance, that is if Pyrrha didn't do so first.

Pyrrha shook herself out of her stupor before she glared at the blonde. She grabbed the pen on her desk, ready to stab the brawler. This bitch wanted to fight her Ruby? She gonna have to get through her first!

A hand pulled her back, and she jerked her head to see Ruby shaking her head. Pyrrha was confused but obliged as she sat down.

"Miss Xiao Long, I recommend you chose someone else," Glynda stated roughly. She did not need these two to go at it. Ruby could kill the blonde, or Yang would go too far, or something could trigger Ruby, whatever might happen, she could not allow it!

"No, no. It's fine." Ruby smiled as she stood up. "She wants to spar against me, then she can." ruby gave the blonde a sweet smile, the same one she gave Ozpin before. "I just hope she doesn't go too far," Ruby adds, enjoying the shameful expression on the brawler's face.

Glynda grips her riding crop tightly. She was completely against this. If you asked her opinions on the two half-sisters, she'd say Ruby was a sweet misguided girl who was merely trying to survive in this cruel world. As for Yang, she was nothing more than a disruptive, thickheaded, impulsive, brute, most likely inherited those traits from her fathers. It would make sense.

"A child should not have to bear the sins of their fathers, Glynda," she recalls a phrase a friend of her once told her.

The sins of a father...

But... does Yang not bear sins of her own as well? Has she not also committed heinous crimes against Ruby? Does she deserve to even be out here in the public? Why haven't Taiyang, Qrow, and Yang been arrested? Why do they still walk with freedom?

Glynda let out a sigh, she would take a risk. Perhaps this spar would allow the two sisters to vent out any tensions they had with one another.

~ ~ ~

Ruby pops her neck, her assault rifle slung over her shoulder. She had her wooden sword in its sheath and her .44 in her holster.

Yang rotated her wrists, popping her knuckles. She had Ole' Reliable on her pants, Ember Celica on her wrists, and Dragkov on her back.

Glynda glances at both sisters worry on her face. Perhaps she could stop this... no, this would be a chance for the two to vent out any tension. Besides they weren't in any actual danger, if anything happened she would step in.

"Right..." she whispered to herself. "Are both opponents ready?!"

"Yep! Armed and ready!" Yang shouts out, her gauntlet transforming.

Ruby takes a breath, before raising her assault rifle. "Ready."

"Okay, begin!"

The buzzer rang out signaling the beginning of the match, but neither party makes a move to attack. Ruby just stares at Yang, and vice versa.

Lavender stares into Silver.

Red vs Gold.

Without warning, Ruby began firing a volley of bullets at the blonde.

The projectiles crashed into Yang who raised her arms up in defense. The bullets bounced off her gauntlets, but the rest of her body was exposed.

Her Aura was slowly chipped away until she rolled to the side. She ran around, avoiding the bullets the redhead tried to hit her with.

Ruby sucked her teeth in annoyance seeing how the brawler was dodging her bullets. This rifle was great at close targets, but accuracy dropped the father the target was.

She stopped her assault, before pressing forward. She fires careful and aimed shots as she approached the blonde, the bullets hitting their marks.

Yang grunted as she tried to deflect the bullets. She threw a few punches, firing off shotgun blasts at the redhead.

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she rolled to the side, the shotgun pellets catching her cloak. She sucked her teeth in annoyance as she looked at the tattered holes in her cloak.

"Oh! Uh, sorry, Rubes!" Yang grinned sheepishly as she scratched her head.

Ruby just huffed before rushing at the blonde once again. She quickly closed the distance, making sure to throw off Yang's aim by firing at her arms or shoulders.

Soon she was right in front of the blonde, she leaps and made a spin with a kick.

But Yang raised her arms in defense as she shoved off the Reaper.

Yang threw a few hits, most of which were dodged by the redhead.

Ruby threw a fist forward, but Yang merely partied the fist and wrapped her arm around the appendage.

The brawler grinned as she reeled back a fist and threw it right into the reaper's face.

Ruby stumbled back, holding her face in pain. She looked up to glare but jerked her head dodging another punch.

Yang threw punch after punch at the redhead, who had to dodge or parry.

The blonde threw a punch but overextended. Ruby took the chance to jerk her head up, headbutting the blonde in the jaw.

Yang stumbled back but received three consecutive punches to the throat.

Yang coughed out but reacted by lunging forward, catching Ruby in a tackle.

Ruby's body deformed into rose petals as she reformed behind Yang. She spans around in a roundhouse kick, her heel glowing with Aura.

But the brawler rolled away, missing the foot crashing into the stone floor.

Ruby prepared another kick, but Yang pulled out Ole' Reliable and fires at point blank range.

The shots crashed into Ruby, sending her flying off.

She quickly recovered, anger in her eyes as she charged at the blonde.

She lunges at the blonde who panicked and fired off incendiary rounds.

Ruby reacted quickly by wrapping herself in her cloak. The flame ate away at her cloak as the shots crashed into her as well.

In an act of slow motion, Ruby slapped away the flames with her burning cloak and delivered a stomp on Yang's exposed stomach.

The blonde dry jack as a foot kicked into her jaw.

Ruby leaped away before Yang could respond. She slapped away at the flames at her cloak, the holes and cloth burnt horribly. But then, the cloth flashed red with Aura, the holes and burnt fabric soon seemed to repair itself. The fabric and thread grew out and entwined itself as it finished.

"Huh, guess it really does work." Ruby smiled as she clapped her cloak. It was a prototype of a project she was working on. Seemed to be doing fine.

Ruby's instincts yelled at her to dodge and so she did.

Two screaming flares flew at her like homing middles. She leaped away and twisted her body avoiding the shots.

She landed gracefully as the shot exploded violently behind her.

She looked up to see Yang eyes burning red with Aura as her hair glowed lightly. But she pauses before taking a breath. Her hair cooled down and her eyes were back to their lilac colour.

She raised her fists, taking a stance before cocking her gauntlets. She smirked before gesturing Ruby to come to get some.

Ruby cocked a brow, before pulling out her assault rifle. She let out a sigh before walking towards the blonde.

Everyone watched with bated breath as the redhead approach the brawler. Each step she took only seven to add more tension to the spectators. This battle was really kicking off, and the two didn't seem to be holding back.

Ruby kept a sweet smile as she approached the brawler. Her expression didn't betray her, but Ya g still kept her guard up as she grew closer and closer.

Then, without warning, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of rose petals.

Yang's eyes shot open as she turned around. Her instincts proved right as Ruby's boot slammed into her with enough force to push her back.

The reaper kicked off the blonde, and while midair, Ruby raised her assault rifle and let out a burst of bullets.

Yang grit her teeth as the bullets crashed into her Aura. They felt like hornets stinging into her skin, even if they weren't.

Ruby stopped her assault, before disappearing again.

Yang went to block behind her, but Ruby anticipated that and came from the side.

She span around and delivered three punches to the shoulder, before disappearing again.

Again and again, Ruby flashed here and there, delivering small attacks which slowly chipped away at the brawler's Aura.

"Rrrr, enough!" Yang exploded literally as her Semblance activated. Her hair burned intensely like a bonfire as her eyes glowed red with Aura.

The exploding force was enough to send the Reaper off balance, which was all Yang needed to make her move.

Yang propelled herself forward with her gauntlets before slamming her fist into Ruby. The force sent Ruby down and bouncing up.

But Yang didn't stop there and she lunges at the bouncing girl and fired off several screaming flares. The shots may have missed the girl directly, the exploding force was enough to burn and blast the Reaper away.

"Damn you!" Ruby grit her teeth before flipping herself around. She landed on her feet, the floor and her muscles straining from the force before she launched herself at the brawler like a cannon.

The ground exploded as she shot through the air, she gripped something in her cloak before meeting Yang.

Yang's eyes widened as she saw Ru y flying towards her like a bullet. She saw the Reaper reach for her sword, but she didn't have enough time to dodge!

CLANG!!!

A blast of air whirled out for a moment as wood met metal. The sound of concrete cracked as Ruby's wooden sword pushed against Yang's giant blade of steel.

Ruby grit her teeth as did Yang. The wooden blade groaned in disapproval as it could not compete against the giant metal blade.

Ruby pushes off the blade and spins around. She aims her assault rifle and fires off several bullets at point blank range.

But Yang's sword surface area is so great it's enough for the blonde to use it as a shield. The bullets bounce off the metal, not even a dent in the steel.

Ruby huffs in anger as she dashed off with her semblance. She lunges at the blonde from behind, but Yang raises her sword to block the attack.

'How?' Ruby dashes off again and slashes at the swords-woman, but her attack is parried. 'How can she move that giant blade like it's nothing?!'

Ruby dashes off again, she runs around the girl in a circle, firing from her rifle, but her bullets merely bounce off.

Ruby growls in frustration and leaps at the girl. She spins around and delivers a kick, but Yang dodges the attack by mere inches before grabbing her leg and throwing her away.

Ruby rolls across the ground, her Aura making her bounce slightly. She picks herself up, keeping a grain from coming out.

She takes a stance with her sword, glaring down at the blonde.

'Is she somehow faster with her sword?' Ruby contemplates as Yang smirks at her. 'I can't take her on with just this stick. I need Silver's Edge if I want to get on even ground with her.'

Ruby's legs tense as she prepares to attack, but pauses.

She remembers that she wasn't here to beat the blonde. She merely wanted to gauge her strength. That's why she didn't bring her wires or Silver's Edge.

But that didn't mean she was going down without a fight.

Ruby changes her stance, her sword still out. Currently, Yang wasn't attacking, she was merely defending. So maybe-

BOOM!

Ruby eyes widen as she sees the massive blade miss her by just mere inches. Concrete and rebar fly out as Yang grins.

She pulls back her blade before swinging it at the Reaper.

Ruby barely has time to raise her own as the metal slab crashes into her. The force sends her away like a baseball against a bat.

Ruby feels a massive chunk of her Aura drain as she sent across the arena. Her Aura activates and she bounces across the ground. She crashes into the wall, her bounciness unfortunately gone. She falls forward like a rag doll and flops onto the floor.

"Holy... fuck..." Ruby groans out as she picks herself up. That damn woman hits like a fucking truck. And she would know!

"Ruby watch out!" She hears a voice call out.

Ru y jerks her head up to see Yang charging at her like a bull, her massive blade reared back ready for a strike.

Ruby grits her teeth before shooting off with her Semblance. She dashes towards the blonde, but instead of meeting her at the middle, she slides under the slab of metal.

She turns around ready to strike but has no chance to as the blade flying at her.

She cranes her head back, just enough so that her head stayed on.

She took the chance to thrust forward at Yang's armpit.

The strike is enough to send the blonde off balance, which gives the redhead an opportunity.

Ruby reels back her blade before delivering a slash at the swordswoman. She slashes and slashes, getting in a few good hits, but her wood soon meets metal.

Yang grins as she shoves off the Reaper. She prepares to swing, but Ruby strike making her defend.

The two exchanges blow with one another. Ruby's reflexes quick enough to prevent Yang from delivering heavy swing, but Yang has enough strength and speed to attack back.

The two push against one another, making each other walk back and vice versa. The audience watches in amazement as Ruby is somehow able to defend against Yang's giant blade. Others are in awe of how Yang can swing her giant blade with such ease.

Pyrrha is gripping the desk tightly, enough to crush the wood as she watches in both worry and excitement. She knew Ruby would win. She was well trained in swordsmanship, and she would never fall to someone like Yang.

"Enough!" Yang growls as her Semblance activates once more. A small burst of force flies out, sending the redhead off balance.

That was all Yang needed as she reared back her blade. Her arms bulged as her Semblance made her glow gold.

Ruby had little time to react as she raised her sword to block. Aura and Karma flowed through the wood strengthening the blade just in time.

Yang swings her massive blade in a horizontal slash. The blade crashes into the wooden sword, Auric energy and bits of Blue Karma sparks out. But the metal blade snaps the stick in two and crashes into Ruby's stomach. The young girl's Aura shatters at the immense force before she sent flying away.

Ruby's body is thrown across the arena, she skids across the floor like a thrown doll before stopping.

The buzzer rings out signaling the match has ended. People all cheer and shout in the blonde's victory. Some pay others in beta they lost, other gloat about their right to brag and overall it's like betting on a horse race.

Ruby struggles to pick herself up when a shadow looms over her. She looks up to see Yang smiling down at her before giving her a hand.

Ruby blinks at the appendage, before taking it. The blonde picks up the redhead like nothing.

"Thank you." Ruby groans out, her stomach still aching.

"Your welcome," Yang smiles, happy that there weren't any hard feelings. "Uh, you okay? I didn't hit ya too bad did I?"

"I'm fine, it just aches a bit." Ruby waves off the blonde, before walking over to her sword.

The wooden stick now laid in two broken pieces. The sword's hilt was crushed from being gripped so hard, while the blade itself was splintered into tiny pieces.

"Uh, sorry about your sword, Ruby." Yang apologized. "But I can get you a new one-"

"Quit kissing my ass, Xiao Long." Ruby stopped her as she bent down to pick up the pieces. "I don't want you to try and buy me, just cause you messed up. Sides' it was my fault for bringing a weapon not suited for such intense fighting." She picks up her revolver and rifle.

"Uh, right, sorry," Yang mumbles out.

"I'll see you later." Ruby walks off, ignoring the worries questioning by Jaune and the enthusiastic cheers of Nora.

Yang watches her sister walk away, a frown on her face. When she suddenly feels like someone trying to burn a hole in her.

She turns to see Professor Goodwitch giving her a dissatisfied look, while Pyrrha was glaring at her like she just committed a sin against her.

She suddenly feels like she should be worried.

~ ~ ~

Ruby stumbles out of the class, she gritting her teeth rather hard, but she pushes on. She tries to appear normal, but that final attack broke her Aura like glass. The little Aura she has absorbed a tiny fraction of the force, but her body took the rest.

She could feel her ribs fractured, and some internal bleeding, but she had no Aura to heal. And she was in no condition to use Karma, be it red or blue.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha's voice called out.

The redhead turned around to see her spartan approaching her. She bore an expression of worry and concern.

She gave a rueful smile, trying to hide the actual pain literally inside.

"H-hey Pyrrha!" She greeted a bit awkwardly. "What's up?"

"Are you okay? You... you lost." She stated.

'Thank you for pointing the obvious Pyrrha, my dear.' Ruby held her tongue back. No need to vent her frustrations on other just because of her own failings.

"Yeah, I did." Ruby straightens her posture. "But uh, it's okay. I merely wanted to gauge her strength. No need to accidentally kill the girl because she's too weak." Ruby gave a bullshit excuse. Why it wasn't a complete lie, it wasn't the whole truth anyway.

Pyrrha seemed to accept that answer, whether she knew it was a lie or otherwise she didn't show it.

"So, uh... well, are you okay though?" She asked. She was kicking imaginary dirt despite being inside. "Do you... do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?"

Ruby went to deny the request but paused. If she were being completely honest, she felt like complete shite. She was tired, she was in pain, she was still recovering from the CRDL(Cardinal) incident, and she felt a migraine coming in. And while she probably wouldn't die, it would be an ass to walk all by her lonesome. It'd be best to have someone with her.

"Um, actually, yeah. I'd appreciate it." Ruby gave a tired smile. Pyrrha seemed surprised by her answer, expecting a refusal. But this...

"Great!!" Pyrrha shouted, making Ruby flinch. "Oh sorry! Then, uh let's go!" She smiled sweetly at the Reaper.

Ruby felt her heart flutter, but it was most likely her ribs trying to impale her heart.

"Okay." She smiled and followed the spartan.

"Ruby!" An obnoxious voice called out.

Ruby's mood dropped as well as Pyrrha as they both turned around to see Yang running towards the two.

"Hey! I was wondering where you were Rubes!" The blonde chuckled. "The crowd got a bit excited and well, they were all betting on who would win.

This seemed to piss the two redheads, even more, unsettling the blonde.

"Uh, you guys good?" She asked.

"What do you want Xiao Long?" Ruby softly snapped.

"O-oh! U-uh, well, I just wanted to check up on ya!" She gave a sheepish smile. "I know we have some bad blood between us, but I just wanted to k ow that it wasn't anything personal, y'know?"

Ruby just stared at the blonde with deadpanned eyes. To be honest, she got a bit too excited in the battle. She was sorta wanting to beat Yang's ass as a way of venting out. Y'know, some good ole' revenge.

"Yes?" She answered curtly. "We're fine. It's just like you said, it was a simple spar. Nothing personal, right?" She gave a crooked smile which unsettled Yang.

"U-um, yeah right." The brawler cleared her throat. "So uh, I was wondering... do ya wanna hang out?" There was a tinge of hopefulness in her voice.

Ugh, she did not have time for this. All she wanted to do was get some meds, and sleep. Even if she got some nightmares, she needs to de-stress. Actually, sleep might cause more stress.

"Actually," Pyrrha interjected in the conversation. "I was just walking Ruby back to her dorm since she might want some rest after you beat her." She gave her award-winning smile to the blonde. "But you, oh, so kindly interrupted us. So, if you could bugger off, that would be grand!"

Yang seemed to forget the champion existed because she took a step back as if surprised. She grimaces at Pyrrha, not enjoying how she was with her sister.

"Tch, What's your problem? Can't two sisters hang out with each other?" She crosses her arms.

"You're not my sister-" Ruby was cut off.

"My problem? Ruby doesn't even consider you as her sister!" Pyrrha retorted.

"And she considers you like one?" Yang perked an eyebrow.

"Pffft, no!" Pyrrha seemed to find the idea hilarious. Ruby and her sisters? As if!

Although...

"Onee-Sama! Can we cuddle?" Ruby asked cutely.

"Ara ara, Of course, ~." Pyrrha smiles as she glomped the younger redhead.

A burst of blood splurged from the champion's nose as she tried to cover it. The idea was so lewd and she may have read it off of Blake's book.

Yang seemed to understand what went through the Spartan's head. A disgusted look grew in her face as she took a step back, repulsed by the idea of incest.

I mean, who would ever be into the idea of a brother and their sister, or even their mother? That's just nasty y'know?

.

.

.

Coughcoughenablercoughcough coughcoughmostrwbyfanficscoughcough

"Gross! What the hell is going on in your sick head, freak?" Yang scooted closer towards Ruby. "Come on Ruby, you don't need to hang out with people like her." She went to grab her sister, but Ruby moved away.

"Yang, shut up." The younger girl snapped, she held a hand on her head. She did not have the energy to deal with this bullshit. "Look, I just wanna... I just wanna..."

Ruby trailed off as her gaze seemed to dull. She stumbled forward, before falling down.

"RUBY?!?" Was all she heard before she blacked out.

"What did you do?!" Pyrrha screeched as she kneeled by the redhead.

"I didn't do anything!" Yang defended. "She just collapsed!" She kneeled down to her sister.

Pyrrha presses a finger on Ruby's wrist, sighing in relief at the sign of a pulse.

"Holy shit, she burning up." Yang presses her hand on Ruby's face, noting how warm her face was.

"Don't touch her." Pyrrha slapped away the brawler's hand. "You probably had something to do with this!"

"I didn't do anything, Nikos! I'm trying to help!" She was really getting pissed at the Spartan always getting in between her and Ruby.

"Help? You've done enough." The champion slid her arms under Ruby's legs before picking her up.

"Hey." The brawler grabber the redhead by the shoulder. "I'm trying to help." She stated firmly, staring the spartan in the eyes.

"I don't know what Ruby's told you, and I don't know how much you know. But I really am trying to help. I hurt her back then, and I want to make things right." She stated with sincerity.

Pyrrha took a moment to take in the blonde's words, staring into her lavender eyes.

She hurt Ruby. There was nothing else to it. She and her family scarred Ruby enough that she has nightmares. Even she doesn't have them very often!

But...

The brawler was trying to help. There was no doubt that Yang was genuinely trying to repair the broken relationship between her and Ruby.

.

.

.

Pyrrha took in a breath before letting it out.

"Fine." She grits out. "If you really want to help, then make sure no one sees us. I need to get her to her room, that's where she keeps her stuff." She explained.

Yang seemed to be caught off guard by the spartan's cooperation, but nonetheless accepted it.

"Right."

~ ~ ~

"Alright kiddo, today I'll be showing you how to fight." Ruby's mother announced as she did a few stretches.

"Fight? But... why would I wanna fight?" The young rose tilted her head in confusion. "I-... I don't wanna hurt anyone..."

The mother let out a sigh, but not of annoyance or frustration.

"Look, Ruby," She squats down to the Rose, she placed a hand on her cheek. "It's not about hurting anyone... it's more about defending yourself."

"Defending... myself?" Rose repeated.

"Yes, after all..." the scenery changed abruptly as everything faded away into white nothingness. "You're pushing yourself too far..."

Ruby panicked as she was now her current age, her scars, and mentality reverting back.

"W-what the-?" Was she dreaming?

"On the contrary, my dear rose!" A voice made itself known.

Ruby jerked around to see the Second Narrator sitting cutely on a chair. They were reading a book, despite it being upside down, and a cup of tea was floating next to them.

The closed the book, the slap making it vanish into dust before taking a sip of their tea through their mask.

"You..." Ruby seemed to remember the Narrator, and of their visit.

"Yes, me!" She cheered throwing away their tea as it fell through the nonexistent floor they stood on. "I'm glad you remembered me, Rose!" The ink blots on their mask shifted into a vague smile.

"You... what are you doing here?! Where is here?!" Ruby reaches for a weapon she didn't have.

"Me?" They press a gloved hand on their chest. "Why, I haven't done anything! In fact, all I've done is come to visit you in your little dream!" Their voice was unfocused and distorted. As if several voices were trying to speak over each other.

"Dream...?" Ruby seemed confused at the idea. She was dreaming?

"Well yes, but actually no." The Narrator took off their fedora as a sign of respect. "We are in your mind technically, but let's not get specific dear."

They began walking towards the redhead, who tried to run, but to no avail.

"Now now, we don't wanna get an aneurysm, do we?" They tapped at their head.

Ruby just groaned, holding her head. She scratched at her head, messing up her hair. She looked to her left to see a shard of mirror reflecting back at her.

Her eyes were bloodshot, the bags under her eyes rather noticeable. Her pupils seemed to be exceptionally large as if trying to take in everything.

But the most noticeable thing was her hair. While she mainly bore black hair, the tips of them were red. How it grew black but changed later, she didn't know.

All she knew was that the hair near her roots were considerably more red than black.

"Yep," the Narrator leaned on a nonexistent wall. "Seems like you're working yaself to the core."

"... what do ya want?" Ruby asked. She was in no mood for games.

"Me? Oh, nothing in particular~. Can't a friend check up on their buddy?" Even if their face was covered, Ruby could still tell they had a smug face.

"We aren't friends." Ruby clarified. "How can we? You tried to kill me."

"Only because I was hired to do so. Dear ole' Roman didn't play by the rules and the contract was cut off. Much like his fingers." They giggled, their laugh holding a bit of a feminine tone.

"So what? We make up and kiss? That still doesn't excuse you."

"And I suppose you'll say the same with Xiao Long?" They raise their brow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you really believe that your little murder went unnoticed? Your dear sister may not have seen the deaths, but she knows. She knows you, Nikos, and Belladonna was the reason of CRDL's(Cardinal) deaths."

"How do you know that?"

The Narrator's mask smiled as they snapped their gloved fingers. A piece of the sky shattered like glass before converging together creating one giant mirror.

The mirror then absorbed light before showing a scene of Blake abandoning Russel and Sky, the scene changed to Pyrrha fending off Grimm, not sparing a glance to the corpse of Dove currently being mutilated. The scene finally ended with Cardin being run over by the train, and Ruby never looking back.

Ruby stood there astonished.

"Just how strong is your Karma?"

"More than you could know~." They answered slyly, their eyes flashing purple for a brief second.

Ruby took a step back but realized it was pointless. This person, this woman, she had her tied up like a puppet. Only she wasn't pulling the strings, just because she wanted to see what she'd do on her own. This was like some shitty plot to a crappy story.

"Close enough." They commented, walking towards the girl. "But be aware, that just because your her daughter, doesn't mean I favor you. You just happened to get my attention." The smiled as the stood in front of the redhead.

"... what does that mean?" Ruby wanted to walk away, but she was pressed against a nonexistent wall.

The Narrator smiled, not with their ink blots, but she could see their cheeks move underneath. They leaned forward, pressing a hand against the nonexistent wall, as if in some romance movie.

Though it was a bit awkward since they were both nearly the same height, the Narrator only high enough due to their heeled boots.

"It means..." they leaned forward, "you keep doing what you're doing." They pressed their lips against Ruby's as the world seemingly shattered like glass.

~ ~ ~

Ruby's eyes slowly creaked open, the action feeling far too exhausting.

"I told you! That's not going to work!" A voice yelled, but to Ruby, it felt like a siren next to her ear.

"And what do you know about medicine?" Another voice retorted. It was a bit softer, but still incredibly loud.

'What's going on? Where... where am I?' The girl groggily thought. She tried to crane her head to look around, but it only served to worsen her pain.

"My dad has had plenty of hangovers, I know what I'm doing."

'Is that... Xiao Long?' Ruby closed her eyes, wanting to gain a bit of energy before trying to get up.

"This isn't a hangover, she's obviously suffering from something else!"

'That's... Pyrrha.' Ruby nodded mentally. She knew that voice anywhere.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yang huffed, crossing her arms.

"... I don't know." Pyrrha admitted.

"Then why the hell are you giving me shit?!"

"Because I know an aspirin and some water isn't going to help with something that is very clearly not a hangover!" Pyrrha yelled back.

'They're too loud... shut up...' Ruby wanted to yell at them, but she was far too tired for that. All that came out was a half-assed groan.

Apparently, this was enough to garner the attention of the two bickering girls.

"Ruby!" They shouted in synch. They both rushed over to the redhead, worry both clearly on their faces.

"Are you okay?!"

"Do you need anything?!"

"Are you too hot?!"

"Or do you need more blankets?!"

The two peppered the girl with questions, their volume did not help her in the slightest.

"Rrr, SHUT UP!!!" The girl shouted out in frustration.

The two girls shut their mouths together, both caught off guard by the redhead's shouting.

"Ugh, you guys are too loud." Ruby groaned rubbing her temples. Such a pain. "My head is killing me, and you two's bitching isn't helping in the slightest." She sighed.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha apologized like the Canadian she is.

"Uh, Yeah, sorry." Yang scratched her head as if she were a scolded puppy.

"Whatever..." Ruby moves her leg off the bed, before trying to get up.

"Wait, Ruby!"

"Maybe you shouldn't-"

"I'm fine, okay?!" She snapped. "You guys are too loud..." the redhead groaned as she got into her feet.

She flailed around for a moment, nearly losing her balance. The two girls were ready to catch the younger one should she fall. But they were not needed as Ruby managed to set herself.

"... I said I'm fine..." she said again, noting the worried look of the two. She sighed, might as well make them do something if they wanted to help.

"If ya wanna Help, then go get me some meds." She ordered, making the two girls jerk up. "Pyrrha go get me some clothes, Xiao Long go get me some medicine from the cabinet in the bathroom. For migraines."

"Right!" They both shouted, making Ruby wince. "Oh, sorry." They apologize before running off to their tasks.

Ruby then simply began undressing, wanting to take off her clothes.

She ripped off the tie, before taking off her jacket. She then slowly removed her blouse and looked at herself in the mirror.

There on her right side, where her ribs were, was a big black and purple bruise. There was a thin shallow cut somewhere there, a bit of blood leaking out.

Ruby sucked her teeth in annoyance. Damn dumb blonde. Couldn't she have held back?

"Hey, Ruby I got your clothes." Pyrrha turned around.

The redhead turned her body so that the spartan would be able to see the bruise. She didn't need the girl to start panicking over something this little.

"Pyrrha!" She feigns embarrassment. "Don't look at me! I'm half naked, you perv!" She threw her clothes at the redhead's face.

"Gah! I'm sorry!" She apologized turning around. She didn't know Ruby was almost naked! Though that would be a sight to die for.

"I heard yelling!" Yang slammed the bathroom door open. Okay, now she really didn't want to be seen half naked.

"Damn it, Xiao Long! Get the fuck out of here!" Ruby grabbed one of Blake's book and threw it at the blonde.

"Gah! I'm sorry! I didn't know! Why are you even naked?!" The brawler raises her arms in defense of the flying books.

"Xiao Long! Why are you peeping at my Ruby?!" Pyrrha shouted. "And you yelled at me for incest?!"

~ ~ ~

After the whole debacle with Ruby being half naked (knock knock FBI), the young rose laid in her bed all snuggled up in blankets. She had taken some medicine and had opted to just miss out on the rest of the day.

"Ahhh~," Pyrrha moaned. "Ruby's so cute when she sleeps."

"Okay, now that's just creepy. Watching Ruby sleep and all."

"Yes, well... what are you still doing here?" Pyrrha made a horrible attempt to change the subject.

"This is my dorm." Yang fell for the attempt. "I also sleep here." Yang let out a sigh. She didn't want to argue with the Spartan. Besides Ruby was sleeping right now.

"Right, unfortunately..." the spartan stood up, popping her back. She looked down at the Rose, admiring her face until she noticed something.

"Has Ruby's hair always been that red?" She spoke out loud. Her hair was a bit redder than it usually was. Not only that but she could see bits of red in her roots.

Yang did a look over Ruby, but she didn't see too different.

"Dunno, she looks the same to me." Yang stood up, she popped her back.

"Leaving?" Pyrrha asked hopefully.

"Actually, Yeah. Class is still going on, and we already missed one. I'll skip out till the next starts."

"I see..." the redhead nodded, delighted that the blonde was leaving. She'd get more time to be with Ruby.

"What about you?" Yang asked.

"Hm? Oh!" She couldn't let the brawler know her plans. "I also have to go. Ruby's needs rest, so I'll get notes for her next class."

Actually, that was more important than being with Ruby. She did want to stay with her, but she needed to attend class so Ruby wouldn't fail. Damn it!

"Cool, cool, so uh, I'll see you later then." Yang nodded awkwardly before walking to the bathroom. "Gotta use the pooper, so yea, go on without me."

"Right." Pyrrha nodded awkwardly as well, before walking out.

After a few moments and flushing the toilet for reassurance, Yang walked out of the bathroom. She peeped her head out, making sure the champion was out the dorm, before walking out.

She quietly stepped around the room, making sure not to wake Ruby.

She tiptoed to the desk bookshelf they had and grabbed Ruby's journal. She then walked over to the work-desk they had, before opening the drawer.

She grabbed the key inside and inserted it into the journal's lock. It opened with a click, and the brawler opened the booklet.

Her eyes widened in anticipation as the pages reveal themselves to the brawler.

Inside the book was...!

"... huh?" Yang could only blink in confusion as she looked at the book again. Even so, she still had that blank look on her face.

Inside the book, were not words and letter like Yang expected, but several scribbles and markings! They looked to be squares, L's, dots, X's, and random scribbles.

But they were written in order and in ink. As if it were in some code or something.

"Tch looks like she really doesn't want anyone to read this..." Yang pouted as she flipped through the pages searching for any signs of writing she could read.

It wasn't until near the last of the pages, where they were blank for future use, did Yang see something.

A photo fell out of from the pages. Yang bent down and picked it up, wondering what it was.

It was an image of what looked to be a younger version Ruby, Pyrrha, some silver-haired boy, and an older red-haired kid. She couldn't tell if the red-haired kid was a boy or a girl, but they had little horns sticking out of their hair, signifying they were a Faunus. They also had a black fabric over their eyes, but they seemed to be happy.

Yang stared at the photo, specifically at Ruby. She noted how happy the young girl was. She had an arm wrapped around Pyrrha and another around the silver and red-haired kid.

She seemed happy.

A moan was heard as Ruby slowly awoke. She slowly craned her eyes open as he lifted her head. She looked around the room to see she was alone. Ruby let out a sigh before resting her head back down and falling asleep.

Yang waited for a moment before peeking out from the bathroom. She saw Ruby was still sleeping so she came out. She put everything back in its place before leaving.

She paused in her movements looking back at the redhead. She didn't know what was going on, nor did she know who those people were, but...

She needed to confront Ruby.

7,485 words, excluding disclaimer and Author's Note. I will accept criticism and opinions.

Apologies for the delay everyone! I had been busy because I have a life, and I wanted to work on these last few chapters. We're getting close to the end of this volume which is still Volume one.

I sorta tired and well, meh here's the chapter.