Ruby woke up the next morning to the nurse gently shaking her and calling out her name in a soft voice. "Miss Rose, classes start in thirty minutes."

Ruby made a noise of acknowledgement before rolling over onto her other side. "Five more minutes," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Miss Rose." There was an edge to the nurse's voice this time and she shook Ruby a bit more firmly. "You might want to return to your dorm to get ready-" She stopped abruptly and pulled her hand away. When she spoke again, she seemed to be speaking to someone else in the room. "Ah, good morning, Miss Xiao-Long. What did you need?"

"Good morning!" Ruby heard Yang chirp in response. "I brought Ruby's uniform. Is she awake yet?"

"Not quite." The nurse let out an exasperated sigh. "I've been trying to rouse her for the past fifteen minutes; I'm afraid she's going to be late for class."

Yang giggled, not at all surprised. "Don't worry, I've got this."

A few seconds later, Ruby's scroll began to ring beneath her pillow. Ruby groaned and reached under her pillow to grab it. She pulled it out and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"

Yang's voice sounded from two places at once-the other side of the scroll and the other side of the room-as she yelled, "Wake up!"

Ruby shrieked and chucked the scroll away from her as she rolled backwards off of the bed, landing on the floor with a thud! Her scroll slid across the floor, stopping against Yang's foot.

Ruby's head popped up from the side of the bed and she glared at Yang, who was doubled over and laughing, clutching her stomach with one arm. The nurse stood by her desk, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted, her face flushed with embarrassment. She jumped to her feet and stalked across the room to her older sister. "What was that?"

"A wake-up call!" Yang announced, a proud grin stretched across her face.

Ruby huffed and bent down to retrieve her scroll from the floor, looking it over for any damages. She let out a relieved sigh when she didn't find any.

Yang stepped over to Ruby and threw an arm across her shoulders. "How'd you sleep, Sis?"

Ruby shrugged off Yang's arm and stepped away from her, still feeling annoyed over her little prank. "I was sleeping just fine before you ruined it with your dumb pun."

"Dumb? I think you mean 'genius'." Yang walked over to the chair by Ruby's bed and picked up the folded uniform she'd left there. She returned to Ruby's side and handed it to her. "I brought you your uniform. Classes start in less than twenty minutes, so you better hurry up and get ready. Weiss will give you an earful if you're late."

"Right." Ruby took the uniform from her. "Thanks."

Yang turned to leave, but Ruby reached out and stopped her. "Wait! Um, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

"I'll give you some privacy." The nurse stood from her desk and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"So, what's up?" Yang plopped down on the bed opposite Ruby's and smiled at her little sister patiently.

"Well, it's about the whole soulmate thing," Ruby started as she began to take off her pajamas.

"Mhm?"

Ruby took a deep breath and decided to just ask. "Why are you so excited about it?" She slid her legs through her skirt and pulled it up to her hips, then zipped it. She'd been thinking about Yang's excitement, and her own lack thereof, since the night before. It had been bothering her-she would have expected their reactions to be the opposite.

"What do you mean? You aren't excited?" Yang tilted her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face.

"I want to be," Ruby replied honestly. She pulled her shirt on and buttoned up the front, then tied the ribbon into a bow. "But I've never thought about relationships; I've always been so focused on becoming a huntress and helping people." She shoved her arms into the jacket of her uniform and started to button up the front. "And on top of that, we've agreed to help Blake figure out what's going on with Torchwick and the White Fang. I don't want my soulmate involved in that-it's dangerous!" Then she gasped, even more problems flooding her mind. "What if Torchwick or someone finds out about him and targets him? What if-"

"Ruby, calm down." Yang stood and reached out to her sister, placing her hands on her shoulders. "I understand your concerns, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Especially that last part; if he's here, then he's studying to become a hunter, too. Danger is part of the job."

"What about the bond, Yang? What if it influences my mind and forces me to fall in love with him or something? Would it even be real?"

"Take a deep breath," Yang instructed.

Ruby did as she said, inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth a few times, slowly.

"Good. Now, do you want to know what I think?"

Ruby nodded, watching her sister with huge, desperate eyes.

"I think that soulmates don't have to be romantic," Yang said. "This guy could just be like the brother you never had. Like a really close best friend. And if the bond is supposed to be romantic, who's to say that your love for him wouldn't be real? If soulmates are people that are meant to be together, like Ozpin said, then maybe the bond just guarantees that you get together."

"But isn't that the same thing as forcing us to fall in love?" Ruby questioned, confused.

"No. Soulmates are people that are meant to be together, right? Even without the bond, these people would be meant to be and fall in love. Like I said, maybe the bond just guarantees that you guys get together. Get what I mean?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment before answering, "Not really."

Yang sighed. "I tried. Anyway, my point is, the bond doesn't have to be romantic and even if it is, I don't think your feelings would be fake. And I'm excited for you because, platonic or romantic, you have someone who's destined to be by your side. They'll always love you, for you, and be there for you. I guess I'm excited because it means I don't have to worry about you too much."

"But Yang… I have you."

Yang's eyes widened as if she wasn't expecting that response. "Awww, Ruby!" She reached out and wrapped Ruby up in a tight, bone-crushing hug.

"Yang," Ruby gasped, squirming in her sister's grasp. "Need. Air."

"Whoops." Yang released her with a giggle. "Sorry about that, Sis." As Ruby straightened out her uniform, Yang glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Well, class starts in almost five minutes. You want to walk there together?"

"Yeah." They started to walk out of the room together before Ruby suddenly stopped. "Oh, wait! Does my hair look okay?" She frantically scanned the room for a mirror.

"You've got a bit of bedhead, but it's no big deal. I'm sure Weiss carries a comb that you can borrow. Come on." Yang grabbed her sister's sleeve and started tugging her along. Ruby was using her free hand to comb through her hair.

Yang opened the door, jumping when she almost ran into someone. "Oh, sorry! Professor Ozpin?" She smiled up at the headmaster. "What are you doing here?"

He returned her smile with his own and answered, "Good morning, Miss Xiao-Long. I just stopped by to check on Ruby." He spotted the young girl over Yang's shoulder and addressed her. "Miss Rose, how are you feeling?"

"Oh, um, better," Ruby answered with a polite smile. "We were just on our way to class."

"Good. Before you go, I wanted to ask if you and your soulmate would meet me in my office after classes are over for the day. I wanted to talk to the both of you about the bond, as I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Ruby frowned quizzically at that. "You know a lot about the bond, Professor?"

"Not a lot, no. The soulbond is a very mysterious phenomena, but I will tell you everything that I do know and do my best to answer any questions you two might have. I will also go over the most important part: the side effects."

"Oh, okay. We'll be there." The words were out of her mouth before she could take them back. She wanted to kick herself; she didn't even know her soulmate's name, how was she going to find him and convince him to go to Ozpin's office with her?

"Glad to hear it. Now, you two should get going. Class starts in two minutes."


A few hours later, Mercury stood in line with Emerald, filling his tray with as much food as it could carry. Emerald was watching him with a disgusted look on her face.

"I lived on the streets for almost my entire life," she was saying, "and even I can't eat that much food."

Mercury shrugged and stacked some cookies onto the corner of the tray. "What can I say? I have a big appetite."

She raised an eyebrow. "And a bottomless stomach?"

He turned his head to wink at her.

She rolled her eyes and picked up her tray, turning to face the rest of the cafeteria. Her eyes scanned every table in the room until she found the one she was looking for. She nudged Mercury with her elbow and nodded in Ruby's direction. "Found her."

Mercury looked up, following Emerald's gaze to where Ruby sat with three other girls, presumably her teammates. They all seemed to fit the descriptions: the blonde bimbo, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and the bookworm.

He turned back to his tray with a thoughtful frown. If he was going to get through this, he was going to need more food. He started adding double helpings of everything. The stack of cookies threatened to fall over and spill out all over the floor.

Emerald made a face. "Seriously?"

"Shut up," he mumbled, "or I'll go for triple."

"Ugh." She waited as he finished covering every inch of his tray, and then the two walked together to Ruby's table. They stopped at the end, and Emerald was the first to speak, "Mind if we join you guys?"

The four girls looked up in surprise. Ruby's eyes widened and she made a strangled noise of surprise before stammering out a response. "O-of course! Have a seat!" She scooted to the side to make room. Across the table from her, the heiress did the same. "Um…"

"Mercury," He said as he set down his tray and slid into the seat next to her. Emerald took the seat next to the heiress. "And this is my partner, Emerald."

Emerald offered a friendly smile and a wave.

"I'm Ruby," Ruby replied, then turned her teammates, gesturing to each of them as she introduced them. "This is my sister, Yang. Sitting next to her is Blake. And that's Weiss." Ruby leaned over, whispering-but still loud enough at everyone for the table to hear-"But we just call her the 'Ice Queen'."

"Hey!" Weiss's head perked up at the nickname and she pouted, glaring at Ruby.

The three other girls laughed as Emerald and Mercury exchanged annoyed expressions.

"So, Mercury," Yang said as they all started to settle back down. "You're my sister's soulmate?" She leaned over to get a better look at him, ignoring the glare Ruby shot her way. "Tell me, what are your intentions with my little sister?" There was a wicked glint in her eyes; it almost scared Mercury. Almost.

"Yang," Ruby hissed, a warning in her voice. Her cheeks were beginning to turn red from embarrassment.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "My what?"

Emerald raised her hand to her mouth to cover her snicker.

"You heard me. What do you intend to do with my little sister now that you've bonded to her?"

Mercury wanted to point out that bonding with her precious little sister wasn't his choice, but he bit his tongue. He was supposed to be making nice, not acting like… well, like himself. So instead, he summoned up a charming smile that everyone fell for and replied, "For now, I was just hoping to get to know her."

"Ooh." Yang leaned back, grinning. "Smooth. I accept."

Ruby's face was now the exact same shade as her hood and she was staring at her lap as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

Mercury resisted the urge to roll his eyes at how easy that was, and turned his attention to his food. The stack of cookies had mysteriously fallen over, half of them now drowning in the lake of macaroni and cheese. He glanced up and narrowed his eyes at Emerald, who was quietly humming and looking quite pleased with herself.

"So, where are you guys from?" Yang asked. "Are you new to Beacon?"

"We're from Haven," Emerald answered, as Mercury was currently busy shovelling macaroni into his mouth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust; it tasted like chocolate.

"Ooh," Ruby looked up with interest. "You're here for the festival."

Emerald nodded in confirmation.

Weiss frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Where are your other teammates?"

"Probably training," Emerald replied with a shrug. "They weren't hungry."

"Oh, okay."

They left it at that, falling quiet again. Yang turned to Blake, who was drawing in her notebook, and Weiss started to fool around on her scroll.

"Um, Mercury?"

Mercury took a short break from stuffing his face to look at Ruby, who wasn't looking back at him. Instead, she was playing with her closed milk carton, tossing it from hand to hand as she spoke. "Professor Ozpin wants us to meet him in his office after classes are over," she said.

"Why?"

She gave a little shrug and stopped tossing the milk carton long enough to open it. Then she stared into it, as if she wasn't sure whether it was safe to drink or not. "He wants to talk to us about the bond and the side effects and all that." She brought the carton to her lips and drank from it.

"Oh." Mercury looked away, thinking. Cinder had assured him that Ozpin didn't know who they were or why they were truly at Beacon. In that case, not attending the meeting would be more suspicious than attending. Drawing unwanted attention and unnecessary suspicion to his team was the last thing they needed, and Cinder would most assuredly kill him for it. Looking at it that way, it was clear that he didn't have a choice.

"Okay," he said finally, turning back to Ruby. "I'll be there."

Ruby looked at him then, a smile spreading across her face. "Really? That's great! Should we meet somewhere, then? Maybe by the statue outside of the school?"

"Sure."

Her smile widened and she turned to her tray with enthusiasm, practically devouring all of its contents in seconds. Mercury could only watch, momentarily stunned by that bright smile of hers.

When he finally managed to look away, he shook himself. What the hell was that?

Across the table, Emerald was watching Ruby with squinted eyes. She turned away, unable to watch anymore, and gave Mercury a look that said, Yup, that's your soulmate.


After classes had ended, Mercury found himself waiting for Ruby in front of the statue just outside of the school. He was sitting on the ground, leaning back against it, and playing a game on his scroll.

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed when he turned off the game and put his scroll away. He stood up and impatiently began to pace in front of the statue, irritated. Where was she? He hated waiting. Why did he have to be the one to arrive first?

He felt it then, as he was thinking about her and where she could possibly be, a pull. Something, some type of force, was trying to pull him to the left as if being attracted by a magnet. He turned in that direction and spotted Ruby hurrying towards him.

She skidded to a stop in front of him. She'd been running, but she didn't look winded, only tired. "I'm so sorry I'm late! Class ended a couple of minutes late and then I was talking to Blake and then I realized what time it was and-" She stopped in the middle of her rambling to take a breath. "I'm sorry. Were you waiting long?"

"Nah." Mercury shrugged, managing to look indifferent despite the growing ball of irritation in his chest. "Don't worry about it."

She smiled, relieved. "Good! Are you ready to meet Professor Ozpin?"

"Yeah." Let's get this over with.

The two walked side-by-side into the school and took the elevator up to the top of the tower, where Ozpin's office was located. The ride up was silent-Ruby, too nervous to start a conversation and Mercury, too antisocial.

Professor Ozpin turned his chair when they arrived and stood to greet them. "Ah, Miss Rose." His eyes switched over to Mercury. "And you must be her soulmate. What is your name?"

"Mercury Black," Mercury replied as he scrutinized the headmaster. He didn't know very much about Ozpin, but he could tell right then that there was something about the old man that was… off. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Black. Have a seat." Ozpin gestured to the chairs that sat across the desk from his.

"You wanted to talk to us about the bond?" Ruby prompted as they sank into their chairs.

"Yes." Ozpin lowered himself into his own chair and sat back, propping his left foot up onto his right knee. He steepled his fingers and regarded them both with a teacherly expression. "As I've mentioned to Miss Rose, the bond is a mysterious phenomena that is very rare. That being said, I don't know very much about it, I'm afraid. But I will do my best to inform you of what I do know and answer any questions you have." He paused, watching them both. They nodded in acknowledgement, prompting him to continue.

"Reports of people becoming bonded to one another started many, many years ago-spanning decades, even centuries. All of them say the same things, such as how the bond formed and the side effects that they experienced.

"The bond forms when two people who are soulmates make eye contact for the very first time. There are limitations, however."

"Limitations?" Ruby's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Only those with unlocked auras can form a bond with their soulmate," Ozpin answered. He was still watching them both with an attentive expression; it was beginning to creep Mercury out.

Ruby and Mercury both raised their eyebrows, taken aback by this bit of information. Ruby's eyes widened in wonder and she leaned forward. "Really? Why is that?"

"You remember the pain that was brought on by the bond's formation?" Their faces paled slightly and they flinched at the memory. They nodded. "That pain was a result of your auras reaching out and connecting to each other. Something that is not possible for those whose auras are still locked."

"But… everyone has a soul," Ruby argued. "So isn't it possible for those without their auras unlocked to have soulmates?"

"Of course," Ozpin replied. "But without their auras unlocked, the bond cannot form. We know this to be true because, in all of the reports, every single bond was formed between two people whose auras had been unlocked."

"So, if our auras are connected," Mercury began, "what does that mean exactly? Are we able to use each other's aura?" The thought was troubling. Mercury had always hated sharing.

Ozpin shook his head. "No. Your auras are connected, but it is more of a symbolic link than anything else. You cannot use each other's aura or semblance."

Whew. "Okay." Mercury leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

"However," Ozpin leaned forward and picked up his mug from where it had been sitting on his desk. He took a short sip from it before continuing. "Your auras being connected does come with a few side effects."

Ruby cocked her head to one side. "Side effects?"

"Yes."

"Such as?" Mercury was annoyed. Couldn't the old man just explain everything at once?

"A few things," Ozpin said, and then began to list them, "Telepathy, the ability to communicate with each other via your thoughts. The ability to feel what the other person is feeling. And the ability to share your dreams with each other."

For a moment, it was if time had frozen in that office. No one moved, or spoke, for what felt like the longest time as the two students took in what the professor had just said.

Ruby was staring at him with her mouth wide open, eyes filled with amazement. Mercury was looking at the old man as if he'd grown a third head.

Ozpin took another sip from his mug. "There's also the ability to use your bond as a sort of compass," he said, "to find each other. That particular symptom is immediate-in fact, I'll bet that you've both already felt it by now. It feels like something is pulling you into a certain direction, an invisible force perhaps."

They both shook their heads yes, still mute.

"That is the bond, trying to guide you to your soulmate. You should only feel it whenever you're thinking about them." He let that sink in, then said, "There are some unwanted side effects as well."

Mercury wanted to snort. Who said any of the other side effects are wanted?

"To start with, the marks. If anyone other than yourself or your soulmate touches them, they will burn just as intensely as they did when they were first formed."

Mercury winced and reached up to rest his right hand on his right shoulder, his fingers rubbing the mark through the fabric of his shirt. It explained why it had hurt so much when Emerald had brushed against it while wiping the blood off of his back.

"Why is that?" Ruby asked. When Mercury glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was doing the same thing that he was, her right hand clutching her left shoulder.

"No one knows for sure. There isn't any way to find out." Ozpin reached forward to set his mug back down on the desk, then leaned back again. "There is one more thing I must you warn you about, and then I'll answer any questions you may still have." They both looked at him, waiting.

"Distance," Ozpin said. "No one is sure of the reason behind this either, but if you two get too far apart, it will strain the bond and may cause you to feel physically ill."

Ruby and Mercury exchanged shocked glances. Mercury was beginning to feel a panic rising in his chest. What? If he started to get sick whenever he was too far away from Ruby, Cinder would most assuredly kill him. He'd be less than useless to her anyway.

Not only that, but it forced him to be close to this girl. Something he was decidedly not very happy about.

"Is there anyway to break the bond?"

Mercury turned his head to look fully at his soulmate, his eyes wide. Ruby refused to look back at him, keeping her eyes glued to her lap. Her ears were turning red.

Ozpin frowned at her, equally as confused as Mercury by her sudden question. "May I ask why you want to know, Miss Rose?"

"I was just wondering if anyone has tried to break the bond before," Ruby answered, talking so fast that it was a wonder she didn't trip over her words. "You know, if for some reason, they didn't want to be bonded or something."

Mercury couldn't help feeling offended by the question. He recognized that it was stupid because he was literally just thinking about how he wasn't happy at having to spend time with her, and it was even a question that he had been planning to ask Cinder later-but still, it's not like he would have asked it right in front of her.

Ozpin didn't look convinced, but he answered her question anyway. "No, the bond cannot be broken. Yes, people have tried. The bond can only be damaged, but not completely severed."

"Oh." Ruby nodded, accepting this. She still wouldn't look up. "Okay."

"Anymore questions?"

Mercury turned away from Ruby, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I have one," he replied. "What does us being bonded mean? What do we do now?"

"That's up to the two of you," Ozpin replied simply. "You aren't being forced to enter a relationship if that's what you're asking."

His answer didn't satisfy Mercury, so he tried to probe deeper, standing up from his chair. "What about the side effects? Especially the distance. What are we supposed to do when we start experiencing them?"

"That's for you two to decide."

Mercury narrowed his eyes at the headmaster. He could feel the frustration bubbling up inside of him from the lack of solid answers, but he decided to let it go. If he continued to argue, he could potentially cause trouble for his team going forward. Cinder was already going to be pissed about the distance thing, they didn't need a whole other set of issues on top of that.

But Ruby wasn't quite ready to drop it. "What about after the Vytal Festival, when Mercury has to go back to Haven?"

"That's a good question," Ozpin replied, his expression unreadable. "I'll think about possible solutions. In the meantime, why don't you two head back to your dorms? Unless you have any more questions for me?"

"No," the two replied in unison.

"Alright. Then, goodnight, Miss Rose. Mister Black."

"Thanks, Professor Ozpin." Ruby stood and turned to leave the office. Mercury followed behind her.

"Whew," Ruby said awkwardly as soon as they were in the elevator. "That was a lot to take in, huh?"

Mercury didn't look at her, his jaw set. "Yeah." He still couldn't fathom why she had asked about breaking the bond in the first place, or why it was bothering him so much. He had been planning to ask Cinder the same thing after all, so why was he so pissed off that she had beaten him to it?

The rest of the elevator ride down was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Once it reached its destination, they walked together out of the building.

Mercury started to walk past her in the direction of the dormitory when she reached out and grabbed his elbow. "Mercury?"

He stiffened a bit and glanced over at her through squinted eyes. "What?"

She flinched at the chill in his voice, pulling her hand away. "I- I'm sorry if I offended you, when I asked if the bond could be broken. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Mercury wanted to laugh in her face. Hurt his feelings? Pfft.

"But I'll make it up to you, I promise! Will you and Emerald sit with us at lunch again tomorrow?" She smiled up at him then, that same bright and positive smile that had left him in a weird trance earlier.

It didn't have quite the same effect this time. He wanted to glare at her and flat-out tell her no, but he was soon reminded by the image of Cinder's glowing eyes that he was supposed to be befriending this girl.

So, for now, he pushed his issues aside and countered Ruby's sunny smile with his most charming one. "Yeah, count on it."


A few minutes later, he was in Cinder's dorm with Cinder and Emerald, recapping everything to them that Ozpin had told him and Ruby. Well, everything except for the distance thing, of course; he just couldn't bring himself to mention it yet.

When he was finished, neither of them said anything for several minutes as they processed all of the information. Mercury tried to read their faces-Emerald looked like she was questioning whether or not he was messing with them while Cinder looked as blank as ever.

After a long time, Cinder said, "Report to me if the side effects become a problem." Then she turned away, pulling out her tablet and opening it.

Emerald and Mercury frowned at each other before looking at Cinder. "That's it?" Emerald questioned.

"No." Cinder looked up from her tablet. "Roman has a meeting with the White Fang tonight and it must go as planned. I want you two to find your new friends and ensure that they don't interfere this time."

"Why would they know anything about a White Fang meeting?" Mercury asked.

"The one that interrupted Roman's plans at the docks was a Faunus," she replied. "He said that she spoke to the White Fang that were there as if she were one of them. She tried to dissuade them from working with them and I don't want the same thing happening tonight. Go and make sure that it doesn't."

"Yes, ma'am." Obediently, Emerald and Mercury walked through the halls to RWBY's dorm. Mercury raised his fist and knocked on the door a few times, then stood back and waited. Minutes passed with no answer. He tried again.

Nothing.

He leaned forward and pressed his ear to the wood, but didn't hear any noises from the other side. "Looks like no one's home," he said, stepping back again.

"Damn it, where are they?" Emerald growled, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at the door as if it was responsible for their absence. "Do you think they went to the meeting?"

"I don't know." Mercury pushed a hand through his hair, agitated. He was wondering where they could be and if he and Emerald should risk sneaking into the meeting to find them when he felt it.

The pull. The bond.

Ozpin said something about using the bond as a compass.

He turned to the right and started walking down the hall, letting the bond pull him gently along. "This way," he called over his shoulder to Emerald.

She frowned at him, looking more than a little puzzled by his sudden confidence, as if he knew exactly where he was going.