Ruby P.O.V.

Where did I place it? Where could it be? I can't find it anywhere. It was a Monday morning in the Rose household. And yes, this was normal... me running around looking for my mysteriously disappearing things that is. I hopped over the couch and took a flying leap down the hallway. I was eight years old and couldn't find my science book anywhere. This was bad, mostly because it was up to me to get good grades. I couldn't do that without my book. I scampered around the house in a scurry, eventually entering the nursery where my younger sister, Summer was playing. I checked the toy box and found the remains of the book. Either Summer, or the dog. I have no idea which, but I was mad. I growled.

"SUMMER!" I yelled, snapping the little one year old's attention to me. Summer had silver eyes, a characteristic we shared, blonde hair, a characteristic her and Yang shared, and peachy skin. She was a very pretty baby-toddler-person thingy. You get the point! "What is this?!" Summer's eyes filled with tears. I didn't know if it was my yelling or she knew what she had done. Allow me to explain. Summer was the baby of the family. Everyone was at her beck and call constantly. My older sister, Yang loved her to pieces, so did my parents. You see, Yang was the eldest, the beautiful, cheerful, and responsible one, Summer was the cute one everyone loved, and I, well I was the mistake child. It wasn't always that way. In fact, I used to be the baby, then Summer came along and things went down hill for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved Summer, it's just when people go from loving you dearly to despising you, it hurts a lot. I sighed. "Do you realize the crap I'm gonna go through because of this?" Summer whimpered more, when Yang and Mom ran into the room.

"RUBY ROSE GET AWAY FROM YOUR SISTER!" my mother yelled. I sighed picking up the ruined science book.

"Mom, she destroyed my book." I said as I backed away from Summer, who was still blowing it out.

"That is no excuse for... Doing whatever you did to make her cry!" Yang scolded. I groaned. 'Like you're the one to tell me I'm indecent. To call me the brat.' I mentally argued. But knowing my sister, you didn't want to piss her off. She just discovered her semblance, which was fire. And whenever she gets mad, her hair catches fire and her fist comes hurling at me.

"I didn't do anything. I just scolded her for destroying my book." I said.

"Excuse me, with your little attitude you've been pulling, you deserve it." Yang jetted her hip out to the side and put a hand on it, glaring at me with angry red eyes. Never did lilac eyes look at me anymore. Only royally pissed red ones. I exited the room, saying nothing, but Mom grabbed my arm.

"Your father will deal with this when he gets home." Mom hissed. I pulled away and walked into the living room, grabbing my book bag and plastic bag that held my lunch.

...

I rushed down the sidewalk, the wind blowing through my hair and my silver eyes scanning everything around me. I was pretty fast, but I never was fast enough to escape the clutches of Cardin and his friends. Cardin was probably the second most cruel person right after Lolina Bennett, the leader of the Schnee massacre back in the olden days. I tripped over a stump in the road, falling flat on my face. Cardin chuckled, grabbing me by my short black hair and pulling me up to face him.

"Aw, poor wittle Wuby." he mocked with a grin. I shivered. "Don't worry, I've got a special job for you. You know that necklace I took from that fauns chick a while back?" I nodded, remembering exactly what he was talking about. Cardin had stolen a sapphire necklace from a faunus girl with black hair and striking golden eyes. I remembered how we barely got away, she had a red headed bull faunus with her and he actually beat me to a point I passed out, but in the end, I just woke up in Cardin's room with the necklace. I guess he drug me there. "Well I need you to bury it in the woods. Somewhere nobody but you can find it. I'm gonna make the freak look for it, and knowing you'll do your job right, she'll never find it."

"Why taunt her? We already took it, isn't that enough?" I asked.

"No, I want to see exactly how far she'll go for it. I want more kitty cat tears." Cardin smirked, pushing me back onto the ground and throwing me the necklace. "Go do as your told." and with that, a scrambled out to the wilderness.

...

I snuck around in the forest. I didn't want to attract grim, that wouldn't end well. Suddenly I heard a whimpering. I silently found the source, and it was the faunus girl that owned the necklace I had in my right hand. I silently, and rather gracefully snuck behind her, putting the silver chain around her neck and fixed the clasp so it'd stay.

"Adam?" she asked.

"No, I'm returning it. I'm sorry, I honestly had no other choice. But it's yours. The same guy that made me take it is going to tell you that it's buried in the woods, don't wear it tomorrow. Otherwise, it's all yours." I said, backing back into the shadows. She snapped her attention to me. I trembled. Faunus were told to be violent and rather scary people. She crept towards me, golden eyes affixed on me.

"You know, I can see right through you. You're afraid of me, aren't you?" she asked. I shivered.

"N-No offence." I replied.

"It's fine. I'm used to it by now. Let me guess, I eat other people and am after the government?" she asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

"No. I'm simply an orphan. Nothing more, nothing less. So don't be afraid when I look you in the eye." she said simply.

"I-I'm sorry about your home situation." I said.

"It's fine, something in me tells me that yours isn't that great either." she said. "Do you need to talk anything out?"

"I-I don't even know your name. And how do you know that things aren't too great?" I asked.

"Our eyes, they both have that same gleam. That glint when one lacks love and care. And I'm Blake by the way." she introduced.

"I'm Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you." I introduced myself.

"So I was right?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, sorta. I used to be showered with love by my family, especially my sister, Yang. Then little Summer came along and now everyone hates me. I don't know why." I explained.

"It must be hard. Whenever I feel upset, I come out to the woods and watch the stars. Whenever a soul dies, it becomes a guardian angel, and that angel watches over you from the stars. If you look at that one right there, that's my mother." Blake pointed to a star. I shivered a bit from the wind. Blake chuckled before pulling her into a gentle hug and rubbing my arms to try and keep her warm. "Should've brought a jacket, honey." Blake giggled.

"Y-Yeah." I shivered, snuggling into my new found heat source.

"It's nice, I've always been on my own. Well, me and a boy named Adam. But he only snuggles with me when it's that or freeze to death." Blake commented.

"I haven't snuggled with Yang since Summer was born." I felt tear try to roll down my cheeks, but they didn't. I looked up at Blake who was so focused on the stars above us. "Blake."

"Yes." Blake answered.

"Can we meet here tomorrow night?" I asked. Blake looked down at me.
"Sure if you really want to." Blake said, looking flabbergasted with my question.

"Yeah, let's be friends from now on, ok." I stuck out my cold pinkie. Blake hesitated before wrapping her equally as cold one around mine.

"Yeah, friends." Blake said.

...

I snuck into the house, it now being midnight. Inside everything was dark. I snuck to the kitchen and look in the covered for something to eat, eventually deciding on chips. I grabbed the bag and went out to the backyard on the swing set to eat, making caution not to awake anyone.

After finishing my snack I changed into my PJs and brushed my teeth before tucking myself into bed. I rolled onto my side and look at Yang, who was snoring across from me. Blake's touch, it was so gently, so careful, the way Yang's used to be. Now the only one who'd feel that loving touch was Summer, but maybe I didn't need it from Yang. Maybe I needed it from the faunus girl. I guess I was just a co-dependent creature.

...

"Aw! Yes." Yang nodded her head with a smile. She was going over yes and no with Summer, who was sitting in her lap. Summer kept saying yes and shaking her head, then saying no and nodding. Yang was just eating her up as usual. Personally, I thought it was adorable, but I'd never be allowed to play that game with Summer. I was the 'monster' of the household. I looked in the mirror in Yang and I's room. I was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans with holes in them and a long sleeved red tee shirt. I grabbed my black jacket off of the coat rack and draped it over myself before heading out to the living room, grabbing my stuff and leaving once more.

...

I sat there on the swing, I hadn't packed myself anything to eat. I didn't exactly think of it, but now I was hungry. Nobody ever went on the swings by the forest that was infested with grim, which was the exact reason I did. Nobody was around to distract my inner thoughts, I could even cry if need be. Nobody would come to pick on me if I was there. But this time, I heard footsteps coming my way. A presence in the swing next to me and suddenly a piece of bread lied in my lap. I looked over at the source, coming in contact with happy gold eyes.

"You looked hungry, I actually had made it last night so it's pretty fresh." Blake said. My jaw dropped.

"You make your own bread?" I asked in awe.

"I'm a faunus, I have no other choice. This recipie is actually one that's been passed down from my mother's side for over a hundred years." Blake replied, taking a bite out of the slice she had been munching on. I smiled before taking a bite and... HEAVEN!

"You're a great cook, Blake." I said happily. "Hey, maybe I can bring the chicken, lettuce, cheese, and chipotle sauce, and you make the bread, and we can make chicken chipotle Paninis."

"I've never had that before. Sure, why don't we do that. I'll bring the skillet and we'll make them for dinner tonight. A bit of a different spot since we'll be cooking, but I'll show you around." Blake agreed.

"Ok. Do you always cook?" I asked.

"I have to eat, don't I." Blake replied.

"Do you live in a foster home?" I asked.

"No, but a place that semi shelters orphans and those less fortunate. I have to cook a lot for Adam too, but it's basically cook or go hungry. I normally cook for the little kids that can't. " Blake explained.

"Lucky for them." I said, stuffy another bite into my mouth.

"Anyone there has no hope for the future. They won't have a chance. You, even with the crap that you put up with are very lucky. You at least have a chance." Blake said, taking another bite. I look over at her.

"Is it because you're a faunus?" I asked.

"Is what because I'm a faunus?" Blake asked.

"That you're stuck at a place that sounds so hopeless." I said, making myself more clear. Blake sighed.

"There are humans there too. But because of the law, they have a chance later on. I, unlike them will be destined to stay there or live in the streets. I'd rather be somewhat warm and have food to eat." Blake said.

"Why is it that it matters whether you're a faunus or a human? Why do we even classify them as different? We're the same, only you have super powers and stuff." I asked. Blake giggled but then became serious again.

"I don't know. There are always people that want nothing more than to crush those beneath them. It'll always be a power struggle." Blake said. "And why it matters so much to others, I have no idea."

"It's weird." I said simply.

"Yeah." Blake agreed.

...

So there we sat, right there in front of the fire, I watching Blake's every move as she cooked the sandwiches. Suddenly, she handed me a cleaned out pumpkin that served it's purpose as a bowl, or in this case, a plate. I hesitated, but grabbed it and began to eat my sandwich.

"OW! It's hot!" I exclaimed. Blake chuckled a bit.

"Of course it is. I just got down cooking it." Blake said.

"Well it hurt." I huffed, blowing on the sandwich a bit. Blake started to fix hers, her eyes quickly losing the light that had just been directed at me, and became dull, kinda sad looking. "Blake."

"Yeah." Blake replied in a melancholy voice.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yes. I'm just nervous about the test results." Blake said.

"What test?" I asked.

"The test you take to see if the White Fang can use you in battle. It's my only shot at a better life, I don't want to miss out on it." Blake explained.

"W-White Fang?" I asked in fear.

"Yes. It's the only chance faunus like me have. Especially if you don't want to end up where I am. If they can use me like they use Adam, I will never have to worry about arrogant demons like Cardin." Blake explained. "And trust me, I've been too close to so many of them."

"S-Sorry, it's just in school..." my voice trailed off.

"I know. It's supposed to be a pack of the devil's helpers or something. Yet, we hail the monsters that is the Schnee family, the ones infamous for torturing and killing those who got in the way of not only their sales, but access to the political theater." Blake explained, flipping her sandwich into her bowl. I guess that being faunus, she didn't have anything to lose by insulting the most powerful family in the world.

"I guess. But they can't all be bad. I mean, don't the heads at the moment have a little girl named-"

"Weiss, yes. And she is very unfortunate. I'm pretty sure that she'll thank her murders, with a father like hers, I would." Blake said.

"Why? Why does she have to die?" I asked.

"Because she'll turn out like the rest. They're like wolves, they're cute when they're little and when they grow up, they're dangerous." Blake explained.

"Everyone has a choice. I have faith in her, and I have faith that you'll move on from this bitterness." I said. Blake looked over at me.

"This, this is the result of your races' arrogance and cruelty. Take it up with idiot followers like your freaking parents." Blake hissed. "People like them, people like Alexander Schnee, the deserve to die. They must die. Die for the crap they've condemned innocents to." Blake started to cry. I scooted over to her and pulled her into a hug. Blake continued to sob a bit. "And I won't rest until that is changed."

"Just think about what I said. I'd hate to see you go down this road over a situation that can be fixed." I said. Blake pulled away from me and looked down at her bowl.

"Unless the past can be undone, bloodshed is the only think that can heal this hurt." Blake murmured.

...

I lied there on the couch, Yang was sitting on the floor eating her ice cream while watching something stupid on TV.

"Hey, Yang." I started.

"Save it. I'm trying to watch TV." was Yang's reply. I groaned.

"I need to talk to someone." I complained.

"Well talk to someone that isn't me." Yang growled, her eyes turning red as she turned to glare at me. I got up and left to our room and lied down in my bed.

"I wonder if I can do anything to help Blake?" I thought aloud.

...

A few months past. Blake happened to get in the White Fang's army and things continued on their route at home. I was walking down the street the address Blake sent me. I looked around. Odd the White Fang would pick such a fancy neighbor hood to hide in. Actually scratch that, a lot of business owners lived there it made perfect sense. I came across a big house and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Blake, who looked a lot less stressed out and afraid. She hugged me.

"Hey." Blake greeted happily. I hugged her back tightly. Blake had kinda been like a Yang (Before Summer came along) to me. Blake seemed to feel as if whenever I was around she had to protect me and make sure I was ok. I spent so many nights out in the wilderness with her and Adam, me drifting off in Blake's lap, Blake fussing with my hair, making sure each strand was in it's perfect place, and Adam would be dissecting something. Why? I have no idea, but I got used to it. I missed Blake. All the stories she told me, well, you know the whole faunus oral tradition thing. Too bad she couldn't read or write. I was going to help her, but she didn't understand English writing. The letters are a lot different than her native language apparently. She taught me some of her native tongue and claims it's easy. It is not an easy language. Precious and horrific sound too similar I called a cute little baby otter horrifying.

"I missed you." I murmured into her shoulder. Blake had gotten a bit taller, now to reach her shoulders I had to stand on my tippy toes.

"I missed you too. Oh, here, put these on." Blake handed me a pair of fake cat ears similar to hers with magician string, so nobody would see the string. She tightened them so they'd stay put and grinned. "Good, now you won't get gutted." I felt my stomach twist at this remark.

"G-Gutted?" I stuttered.

"Haha. Yeah, the people here are a little... Racist? I guess that's the right term. We wouldn't want any Ruby stew now would we?" Blake said.

"They actually eat people?" I asked.

"Yeah, my tribe actually went to war with one of the heavily cannibalistic tribes. It ended well for the other tribe. Not so much us." Blake said casually. "Not practiced as much anymore, so don't fret." I clung to Blake's arm.

"I'm staying right here just in case." I said.

"Don't worry, I told them my little sister was visiting." Blake said.

"Little sister?" I asked.

"We're not identical, but if you had cat ears, we could pass as siblings." Blake said. "And I kinda adopted you as a little sister on top of it."

"Yeah, I guess so." I said a little more happy. Blake led me to a big room with a few staffs and other weapons.

"You said you liked weapons. I thought I could teach you a bit on this." Blake pulled out a sword.

"Yeah, let's do that!" I exclaimed. Blake giggled and handed me a sword and began to teach me proper tribal faunus techniques when suddenly,

"Blake! There's a human in the house! Get your weapon prepared for battle!" a man exclaimed. Blake's eyes widened before nodding and setting up her prized weapon named Gambol Shroud for battle. She grabbed my hand and drug me out to the crook between two of the houses.

"Ruby, I need you to leave now. If they find out I snuck you in, bad things are gonna happen." Blake said, giving me one last hug. "I'll write to you as soon as I can, but understand this will probably be the last time we see each other face to face."

"We can meet in the woods." I said simply. Blake was my only friend, I couldn't not see her.

"No, we're moving. Didn't you notice the boxes. We're going to go try and get jobs as a Schnee maid undercover." Blake explained, squeezing me a bit tighter. "I could very well fall in battle, this could be THE last time." I was clinging to Blake for dear life now.

"You can't leave me when your my only friend." I sobbed.

"I've got you, and if I die, I'll watch over you, remember what I told you about stars?" Blake asked.

"You mean that the stars are where the angels live?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll be with my mom and dad. I'll even see my brothers and sisters. And every moment, I can watch over you, keep you safe. And each night, you can see me and talk to me. You'll never lose me because even if we can't exchange letters, we'll be looking at the same night sky." Blake explained, rather frantically, like those emotions and fear were truly tearing her apart. I gave her one more big squeeze before being released completely.

"Ok. G-Goodbye, Blake, I-I'll see you later." I whimpered. Tears streamed down Blake's cheeks.

"If I live, I'll come back for you," Blake said. "I promise. And one day, we'll live in one of these houses. Goodbye for now, Ruby."
"THERE!" the same voice from the weapon room exclaimed. I turned to face them, now not wearing the cat ears Blake gave me. He beat the baseball bat in his hand a few times. "Caught you, you filthy rat." I felt my heart stop. Blake put herself in front of me.

"Don't touch her." she hissed. He pushed Blake onto the ground and swung the bat at my head. Blake looked over at me. "LEAVE HER ALONE! SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" the mand continued beating me with the baseball bat as Blake cried, being pulled back by a bunch of other men, including Adam. Blake was no longer in my vision, just a bunch of royally pissed off faunus. I felt my head become extremely heavy as everything went black.

...

"Sh. Sh. Just relax, I've got you." I heard a voice say. It was Blake. She was carrying me bridal style through my neighborhood. She lied me on the swing on the front porch and stroked my hair. "I'm sorry, this is goodbye." tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Not goodbye. It's see you later." I said with a soft smile, trying to earn a similar one from my best friend. Blake nodded.

"Yes, see you later." Blake said with a whimper. "Farwell, my friend." Blake got up and started to walk away.

"Bye-bye, Blakey." I said as she disappeared into the shadows. I pulled myself to my feet and walked into the house. Yang was in the living room, playing with Summer as usual. "Yang, m-my head, I think it's bleeding, can you help me find some pain medicine?" I asked Yang scowled.

"Do it yourself, I'm babysitting." Yang spat.

"But sis-"
"Don't call me that!" Yang yelled. "And your head hurts? That's your problem." I looked down at the maroon liquid on the floor.

"Y-YANG! IT'S REALLY BLEEDING! IT'S EVERYWHERE! HELP!" I started to freak out. Summer had a slightly concerned look directed at me and Yang huffed as she got up to see what was going on.

"Fine, I'll check it out." Yang huffed as she walked over to me. My vision started to blur and I hit the floor with a big THUMP!

...