Ruby opened her eyes. For a few seconds, she listened to the soft sounds of her roommates' breathing, trying to figure what exactly woke her up when she saw the door gently close behind someone.
Curiosity pulled her from her warm bed sheets and she dropped onto the ground, following silently through the door while throwing a glance at the empty bed of her partner.
The hallways were empty, as they should due to the strict curfew Beacon had. No students should be roaming around at… Ruby had no idea what time it was and she forgot to bring her scroll with her, but judging by the angle the moonlight shone through the windows, it had to be well past midnight. So late that anyone caught in the halls would surely be punished with enough detention to last the month. Yet why was Weiss, the biggest stickler for rules and the voice of reason of team RWBY walking around at this time?
There was a glimmer in Ruby's eyes as she caught the shadow of a figure turning the corner, and she silently stalked towards it, her back to the walls.
Swiftly, but not too fast as to cause a gale, RWBY tailed the dark figure, making sure to stay enough distance away to remain undetected but still keep track on her. The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes dragged onto what felt like hours.
Was this place always so twisty and complicated? Ruby wondered, turning yet another corner. She quickly lost track of where she was, her surroundings looking more and more unfamiliar in the weak moonlight. Ruby bit her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving her friend whose speed had now picked up.
Crap! Did she notice me?
Ruby picked up the pace as well but Weiss was surprisingly fast and as Ruby turned the corner, the hall split into two paths and there was no hint of which direction her friend went.
"Dangit," Ruby whispered under her breath. "What should I do now?"
"Why are you following me?" A silky voice whispered into her ear and Ruby jumped into the air, her heart doing a similar feat out of her chest. When she landed, she violently spun around spewing apologies.
"I'm sorry Weiss, I just got really curious and I didn't mean to be nosy or anything, I just wanted to know what you were doing so late at night and…" Ruby blinked. "Wait, you're not Weiss."
The woman wore an amused expression as she looked down on the smaller girl. Her smoldering golden eyes pierced the darkness, sending an uneasy shiver down Ruby's spine.
Danger, whispered a small voice in the back of her head. She's dangerous.
Ruby ignored it and gave an awkward smile.
"Oh hey, aren't you Mercury and Emerald's teammate? We met a bit ago outside my room."
"Yes, your name was... " The woman paused, as if to think. "Ruby wasn't it?"
"Yup!" Ruby said. "Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY!"
"Well then Ruby Rose, I'll ask one more time," the woman said, still wearing that smile that made Ruby so uncomfortable. "Why were you following me?"
"Honestly, I thought you were my teammate Weiss," Ruby said, scratching the back of her head, chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
"Hmmm." Her gaze felt like fire, roaming through Ruby's mind, leaving scorched earth and ashes in its midst.
Dangerous, the voice whispered more insistently. Ruby didn't brush it off this time. There was something very familiar about this woman, and it was going to drive her nuts if she didn't find out.
"Well, it's late and I must get back to bed," the woman said, already retreating down the hall. "A pleasure meeting you… Ruby Rose."
"Wait, what's your name?" Ruby blurted.
The woman turned around slowly, a brow arched but still looking at Ruby with that amused expression. Kind of like how a kid looks at an ant before burning it with his magnifying glass. Ruby held back a shudder.
"Yeah, you know mine, but I don't know yours. Kind of unfair isn't it?" Ruby continued, not really paying attention to what she was saying. She was focusing all mental facilities to figuring out where she saw this woman before. She was so close recalling… so close…
"The world's not a fair place," the woman said, her smile finally faded and Ruby unconsciously reached for Crescent Rose on her back, only to grasp at empty air. Then faster than Ruby's eyes could follow, the woman vanished and then appeared right in front of her, just a breathe away. Ruby froze. Those mesmerizing eyes burned into her own, so bright they almost seemed to glow. There was a scent of smoke, the campfire kind, mixed with something else. Something sweet yet sharp. Ruby gulped.
"But I suppose you are right. It does feel unfair doesn't it?" The woman brought her hand up to Ruby face and lightly brushed the back of her hand on the girl's cheek. It was only the gentlest of touches, barely even a graze, but Ruby flinched at the lingering burn the woman's touch left behind.
"My name," she whispered into Ruby's ear. "is Cinder Fall."
She leaned back observing Ruby's reaction, while Ruby just stood there wide eyed and jaw locked. Then her eyes widened further and she took in a sharp breath of realization.
"Wait! Could you like, stay still for just a second?" Ruby asked, quickly formed a makeshift mask with her index fingers and thumbs. She lifted it up to Cinder's face and her face contorted into grim shock.
Cinder's eyes narrowed.
"You're the one who broke into the transmission tower that night!" Ruby yelled, jumping back and inwardly cursing for not bringing Crescent Rose.
"Such a shame," Cinder sighed. "I rather liked you too."
And then a searing light filled the hallway, blinding Ruby before her world ended in darkness.
Author's Note: Hi, thanks for reading.
I'm a fairly recent fan of the show and it's been occupying way too much space in my head for the past bit so I started this to free up my head a bit. I ended up being not quite sure what genres to put this under so it may be subject to change.
I may also add some romance later in the story, but this will really depend on the flow and it'll be very minor in the whole scope of things.
I'd greatly appreciate it if you could leave me some feedback through reviews or PMs since I'm trying to improve my skills and it would just make my day. Thanks again, have a good one!