I feel as though Smash Ultimate is going to be a huge distraction to me.

New chapter here. You may notice a couple of things different from the original content. I had to get the author's permission to do this.

1. Some grammar errors are fixed such as punctuation or any misspelled words (mostly the first one). I can't add, subtract, or alter words or sentences from the original content. I still enjoy the story. I guess you can see this as a slightly polished up version of the story. In a way I could be considered a beta, but only for content that had already been posted. I'm not official. This will also occur for future chapters.

2. Music that is not in the original story will not be in bold. It's just a neat aesthetic. It may mostly apply to battle scenes, but there may be some moments outside of battle that I will tried to find music to match because I feel those scenes stand out within the respective chapter. Music won't be applied to everything. I'll try to limit the music selection to XC2 + Torna and RWBY unless I find something from XC1 or XCX which could better fit the scene. I doubt XCX would have music I could use despite it being my favorite Xeno game because it kind of reminded me of PSO (Phantasy Star Online).

Everyone is already seated.

"I will not be reading. Any questions you may have may be answered in the story. If not, then I will answer them to the best of my ability." Luck said.

Everyone looked at the first chapter.

Red Rose meets the Rose Reaper

"Why would you meet a 'Rose Reaper' when you already are one?" Nora asked.

"Umm..." Was Ruby's intelligent response.

"This 'Rose Reaper' must be one of these…Blades." Ren said. The concept of Blades was new to the natives of Remnant. They won't be used to it until later.

"You got to admit that the title can give the impression of Ruby being a narcissist. Wait, do you talk to yourself in the mirror?" Nora asked Ruby.

Ruby's Yang senses were tingling so see gave an answer quickly. "Yes, but only for self-motivation. Can we read the first chapter?"

"I should let you know that the title you read is not the main story, but rather one of the prologues." Luck informed them.

"Okay. How many prologues are there?" Blake asked.

"There are four, each having three parts." Luck looked to Ruby. "I suggest you read your entire prologue."

Ruby followed the suggestion. She was kind of interested in reading about herself.

It was an ordinary day at Beacon academy. Well, as ordinary as it is, considering all the super powered teen-agers who're training to become the defenders of the world. However, the day went from ordinary to terrible, when Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, and the resident weapon. Not 'picked apart', piece, but broken and shattered beyond repair. It was even right before combat class.

Ruby dropped her scroll and started to hyperventilate. Tears started to come out.

"Ruby, calm down." Yang brought her sister into a hug gently stroking the back of her head.

"Friend Ruby, what's wrong?" Penny was concerned. "How can she have a reaction like this?"

"My... baby… is…destroyed" Ruby tried to speak trough her rapid breathing.

"Her Crescent Rose is more than just a weapon. She hand crafted it. It was like a child to her. And losing said child hits almost as hard if not just as hard as when we lost our mom." Yang explained to everyone. She turned to Luck. "Where are the barracks?"

"Upstairs on the right."

"This is gonna take some time. Come on, Ruby" Yang escorted her sister upstairs.

"We will wait until she settles down."

The readers can only wait for Ruby calms down.

Thirty minutes have passed. Everyone was left to their own activities whether it be exploring this station, getting a view of Remnant and space, or playing a mobile game. They were concern for Ruby, but the circumstances were a bit odd for them.

"We're back." Yang said out loud. Everyone gathered at the seating area.

"Ms. Rose are you alright." Oobleck asked.

"Yes." Ruby could barely be heard.

"She said yes." Yang clarified.

"Has she ever been bullied in any way in in Beacon or her previous school?"

"To the best of my knowledge, no."

Jaune kept quiet about his situation with Cardin which was already dealt with. He couldn't share with the headmaster here. What if he gets exposed for the fact that he forged his way into Beacon?

"Well, if something similar happen then let us know. We may be a combat institution training you children to become the next defenders of Remnant, but we are still a school just like any other. We do trust that you can handle your own problems, but please remember that Beacon staff is still an option." Ozpin told the students.

"Um, Ruby." Jaune caught her attention. He was holding Crescent Rose. "I found your weapon alongside ours in the storage area. I figured being able to hold it might make you feel better.

Ruby took her weapon and hanged it closely. "Thanks, Jaune." Ruby picked her scroll off the ground. She felt a bit better and resumed from where she left off.

That's why right now, Ruby was being comforted by her big sister Yang. The brawler of team Rwby as well as the best girl in Beacon, in her opinion anyway. However, she had two things on her mind, making sure Ruby would get through this, as well as beating down the person responsible for making her baby sister cry.

Not too surprising that similar events just happened.

'Making a girl cry isn't going to fly.' Jaune thought.

Yang didn't even react to her other self's claim.

"Ms. Xiao Long, regardless of which reality, there are proper ways to handle a problem than to just needlessly assault someone." Oobleck said.

"I know professor."

"Doctor." He corrected her.

"H-how could they do this?" Ruby sobbed into her sister's shoulder, barely audible.

"Because they're…Jerks." Yang said with barely suppressed fury, and last minute self-censoring. "How could Goodwitch let them get away with this? The Blonde girl added in while stroking Ruby's head in an attempt to comfort her.

The Beacon students had an inkling of the possible perpetrators. They just didn't know that they could do something personal against Ruby. Yet, they could see it happen.

"Because there is no evidence." Said Blake Belladonna, who was reading a book by one of their work desk. Or at least she had tried, but Ruby crying, as well as the culprit's horrible actions were distracting her too much to actually focus. "Otherwise, I'm sure Professor Goodwitch would've expelled them." The black haired girl, who was also secretly a faunus, added with a scowl.

Even though this was a serious moment, Blake looked at Team JNPR and Penny. Her team and most likely Beacon staff knew of her status as a faunus.

"I already knew the day we met." Penny revealed.

"How?!"

"You're bow unnaturally moved despite the lack of wind that day."

Blake looked at team JNPR.

"This is the first time we've heard." Jaune quickly lied for his team. He wasn't going to let her know that Weiss told them.

Indeed. When Team CRDL were making fun of RWBY for crying over her destroyed weapon earlier today. It looked like the strictest of all professors wanted nothing more than to expel them from Beacon right then and there, among all things.

"Has Mr. Winchester done anything similar during your time at Beacon?" Ozpin asked his students.

"Yes, and in front of most students too." The students confirmed.

"He thinks he's a big shot since he managed to be a huntsman in training. He picks on people he deems as easy targets, especially the faunus in the academy. His team supports him." Yang snitched.

"I see. I will have a word with his team regarding their position."

"Why are those… rapscallions even allowed here in the first place?" Weiss Schnee added from the desk she used to study to get her mind off the whole thing. Though with little success. "Ozpin made a mistake letting them in." The white themed girl complained. And this is coming from the girl who once thought that Ruby being their leader was a mistake. But this and that don't compare to one another.

"Did you really think that?" Pyrrha asked Weiss.

"I did." Weiss admitted.

"It had only been on day Ms. Schnee. You should expect someone to be an effective leader from day one. It takes time." Ozpin told her.

"Next time I see them, I'm gonna pummel their faces in." Yang said with her normally lilac eyes turning red.

"And get yourself on detention at the very least." Blake pointed out with a sigh.

"That's BULLSHIT!" Yang roared, her glorious hair that she was so proud of producing flames in the process.

"SWEAR!" Ruby pointed at Yang.

"But you were the one who read it out loud."

That silenced Ruby. She continued to read.

"Yang, please!" Thankfully the pleading voice of her little sister quelled the coming temper tantrum. The blonde's eyes even turned lilac again after one look at Ruby's silver eyes. "I- I don't want you to get in trouble." The red Reaper said before hugging her sister harder. "Please, don't do anything."

"But Ruby they-" "Please." Ruby interrupted whatever protest Yang tried to let out.

"…No promises." Yang said as she hugged Ruby. "But I'm making sure they pay one way or another."

"And I will help." Weiss said, getting up from her desk. "When we find enough evidence, Team CRDL is finished."

Blake too put her book down as she turned to Yang and Ruby in her seat. "It's not gonna be easy finding evidence, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try." The ninja kitty said with a serious look.

"…Thanks guys." Ruby said, feeling better.

With that Team RWBY chose to go to bed now.

"Thanks for supporting my other self guys." Ruby thanked her team.

"We would do the same for you. I sure even team JNPR would do the same." Team JNPR agreed with Weiss.

(Few hours later)

Ruby had decided to take a walk around Beacon. The little reaper knew that she shouldn't be out anymore, but she just couldn't sleep. The support of her teammates did help her get through the worst of her depression, but the memory of Crescent Rose's shattered form twisted her heart. That weapon was inspired by her uncle Qrow, a scythe master in his own right. She had spent a lot of time designing her weapon as well as forging it, with occasional advice from Qrow whenever she had a question. And when she finally completed it, Ruby's super cool uncle ruffled her hair as he said, "Good job, kiddo." That had been one of the happiest days in her life. But now, the weapon she had built with her heart, pouring her hopes and dreams into every screw, every hammer strike, even polishing, was now reduced to scrape metal.

Ruby hugged her scythe harder.

It boggles the mind for everyone except Yang that Ruby can have such an attachment to a weapon like it's a person, but they would have to grow and accept it.

The last thought made Ruby hiccup. No! She had to be strong now. Not just for herself, but for her team too. "I will just remake my baby." Ruby said in determination. After all, some of the pieces could still be used if she remade Crescent Rose.

"No, you won't, brat." A cocky voice said, before tackling Ruby. Before the girl could even think about getting up, a weight got on top of her, pinning her down on her stomach. "Not so tough without your precious 'baby'." The cocky voice said mockingly.

Ruby was able to turn her head enough to see a pair of armor clad legs standing not too far from her. Then she looked up to come face to face with Cardin Winchester, leader of team CRDL. "Cardin, what're you doing." Ruby asked in confusion and slight fear.

"THAT BASTARD!" Yang roared. Her eyes turned red and her hair was set ablaze. This was enough proof for her. "You destroy my sister's weapon, made her cry and pinning her down. I take the last one as physical assault."

"Miss Xiao Long, stand down. We don't need you breaking anything assuming there are destructible objects in this station." Oobleck advised.

"NO!"

"Yang, please stop." Ruby pleaded.

"But-" "Yang." Ruby wanted her to stop.

"…Fine." Yang went back into her normal state.

"I can't punish Mr. Winchester for his other self's deeds, but I can punish him for what he has done in our reality." Ozpin told Yang.

"You better and not anything light either."

The bully of Beacon gave an arrogant smirk. "Isn't it obvious? Getting rid of something that shouldn't exist. With this." With the last part Carding showed Ruby a pair of pliers with what looked like a glowing blue gem stone in the shape of a cubic diamond.

Before Yang could react, she was overcome with a calming sensation. "What is this?"

Nora looked at Ren who shrugged. Ren was ready to do something, but someone beat him to it. The people with unknown semblances or abilities are Penny, the headmaster, the doctor, and Luck who was the greatest unknown factor.

Ren managed to catch a glimpse of Luck's retreating hand with a fading light. "What did you do?" Ren asked Luck?

"I just used an ability of mine."

"Would you mind going into detail?" Oobleck and Penny wanted to know of the Blade's abilities.

"Not at this time. Keep reading" Luck didn't seem to be willing to talk so they can only continue.

"We may get to know how core crystals first appear in Remnant or at least the first impressions of our other selves." Oobleck said.

Ruby's eyes widened in fear at the sight of it. "Isn't that Death Dust?" Death Dust, the new type of Dust that was discovered by Doctor Oobleck and several other Huntsmen. According to staff, the sole crystal had to be grabbed with pliers, because if a person touches, their aura is drained, before several wounds opened in their bodies. One of the Huntsmen who touched the crystal died to their wounds, three went into critical condition, Doctor Oobleck himself only got several papercuts. Hence the name Death Dust. The things was supposed to be in a container locked within Oobleck's office, until a researcher from Atlas would come to pick it up. "Why do you have it?" Ruby asked the bully.

Oobleck took a pause from his notes since he wasn't reading. "Why do the core crystals have that effect? I can understand that it didn't affect Klaus since he created the crystals."

"It just means that you weren't able to awaken a Blade. To be able to awaken a Blade you must have the innate potential or aptitude. If you do, then you awaken a Blade. If not, then what you just read happens. You won't actually know if you have the potential unless you try. Bloodline, heritage, or any other background don't mean much." Luck explained. "If you had to ask about the me about the death and injury toll… well, I'll leave that to your imagination.

That actually scared everyone to varying degrees.

"You really are a stupid brat." Cardin said with a smirk. "I broke into Oobleck's office and snatched it from there." Then the bully had an amused look. "I thought I would use it to kill one of your teammates, but imagine my luck seeing you wandering around."

Yang may still be feeling the effects of whatever Luck did, but she knew what she wanted to say. "You fucked up Cardin for targeting my team, especially my sister."

"Swear." Ruby called out.

Oobleck, Ozpin, Weiss, and Pyrrha didn't like Yang's choice of words. The students did admit to themselves that they agreed with Yang.

At that, Ruby's eyes widen in horror. "Y-you can't." Ruby whimpered, truly scared.

"It's what you deserve." Cardin said with a hateful look. "Maybe after this I'll use it to put down all the animals." At that, Ruby tried to struggle against whoever was holding her down.

"…Cardin," said the person holding her down, "Are you sure about this. I mean… we're about to kill someone."

Cardin gave a condescending look to his partner in crime. "What's the matter Russel, chicken?" The person, now revealed to be Russel Thrush, Cardin's teammate, shut up from that remark. Satisfied at his teammate's silence, Cardin grabbed Ruby's right hand before moving the Death Dust to Ruby's grip.

Everyone started to fear for the red reaper. They have no proof that Ruby, or rather the alternate Ruby, would survive from the core crystal.

"Please to whatever divine being that isn't Klaus protect my sister." Yang muttered a quick prayer.

"I know this is an alternate reality in story format, but please give Ruby plot armor." Blake muttered her prayer.

Penny didn't want her other self to lose her first friend.

"Please, let the other me live."

"Cardin! Why are you doing this!? I never did anything to you." Ruby cried out, desperate to get out of this. "SOMEONE HELP!"

"No one can hear you now, or even if they could they wouldn't care." Cardin said in annoyance as the innocent looking crystal was now inches away from Ruby's hand.

Then in a last-ditch effort, Ruby clenched her hand into a fist so that the Death Dust Crystal wouldn't be placed on her hand. It would have been a good plan, it the dreaded crystal hadn't reached her by then. And now Ruby could feel her aura being drained by this evil thing.

"Russel, move, before she explodes." Cardin quickly said, before moving further away. Russel obeying his leader's command ran as fast as he could. Cardin doesn't realize it, but Russel was still uncertain about all of this. Sure he wanted to get rid of Team RWBY, especially Ruby who was allowed here two years ahead of time, while the rest of them had to work for it. But that didn't mean he wanted her dead. Unfortunately for the mohawked bully, it was too late to regret now.

"Having a conscience won't save you from your crime or what we could do to you." Weiss said.

As Cardin and Russel took their distance, Ruby found that she couldn't let go of the crystal that was charging itself to kill her. Or at least, that's what Yang theorized about why it drained aura before inflicting wounds. "Not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!" Ruby screamed with tears blurring her vision. Why couldn't she just stay in her dorm? How could Cardin be so evil? When did everything start to go wrong? These are some of the many questions that plagued Ruby's mind as her vision started to fade from rapid aura exhaustion. "At least I get to see mom." Was the last thought Ruby had before everything went bright blue, before fading to black.

Ruby hoped that she had the potential to awaken a Blade even if only for her other self to survive. She wasn't sure if awakening a Blade could be a good thing.

Not far away, Cardin stopped at the flash of a blue light that came from where they left Ruby. "Is the brat dead?" Cardin wondered as he turned to go back to see the mess the little nuisance had left behind. Besides, he had to go get the Death Dust. Russel never stopped running, but not because he thought someone would see him at the scene of the crime.

Cardin didn't get far as he spotted a red cloaked figure standing at the spot he left Ruby. "How the hell are you still alive!" Cardin shouted in anger, the little shit is supposed to be dead. However, the anger soon turned to shock as he noticed that the person in red cloak is not Ruby. How did Cardin realize that in the dark? Because when the figure turned to him, the bully saw Ruby motionless on the floor.

"…Who are you?" The figure in the red cloak asked, revealing them to be a man. However, the cloak also had a hood which completely obscures the person's face.

"Did she just…"

"Did I just…"

"Yes, your other self awakened a Blade." Luck confirmed. "That doesn't necessarily mean you can awaken one yourself.

"Wait, are there any more core crystals in this area?" Penny asked.

"No, there are no core crystals here. To the best of my knowledge, my summoner only had my core crystal." Luck left the readers with a bit of disappointment.

Cardin couldn't explain why, but something about this person scared him. Actually, now that he got a look. Aside from the cloak, the person was wearing what looked to be a black leather jacket with silver embroidery. Random parts of the embroidery had red roses either painted or sewn, some blooming some budding. The man also wore black pants, which also had silver embroidery, but not roses. The man also wore a pair of combat boots. However, what struck as freaky for Cardin, was that occasionally blue energy was coursing through the embroidery like some kind of sequence.

"What a cool design." Ruby gushed over the design of her Blade despite the fact that she can't see his face.

"You know, his appearance makes me think of what Ruby might where if she were a guy."

"Maybe that's just a coincidence." Jaune said.

"I wonder what his weapon is?" Ruby was curious.

"I'm surprised that wasn't the first thing you would say." Weiss said.

"…I asked, who are you?" the person asked again.

Now that Cardin had gotten a good look at the man, he was in turmoil. "Is this guy a Huntsman? How much did he see? Is he going to arrest me?" Were the thoughts that struck fear into Cardin. So in a desperate attempt to not get caught, he charged at the strange an un-armed man.

"Looks like Cardin got caught in the act." Jaune said, clear happy that the eventual consequence would hit Cardin hard.

"While we haven't seen any Blade in combat, I am sure that Cardin would lose." Nora said.

(Few minutes later)

(Play XC2: Elysium in the Dream)

The door to the Beacon infirmary opened, revealing a red cloaked man who not too long ago was charged at by Cardin. Not that this person knew the assailant's name. The only thing he knew was that he was attacked, so he fought back. One dodge and slamming the assailant's head into the wall was all it took for him. Though that's not what mattered to him right now. What mattered now was the unconscious Ruby in his arms. Of course, this person doesn't know the 15 year old first year student's name, not yet. All he knows is that he belongs to her, until death do them part.

While the last part was directed to Ruby, Blake and Pyrrha blushed with her. Sounded like something from a romance novel.

"Okay buddy. I am grateful that Ruby had the potential of awakening you, you giving Cardin an embarrassing defeat, and took my sister to the infirmary, but I don't like the way you phrased your existing yet nonexistent relationship with her."

"Yang." Ruby whined.

"I just stating facts."

"Are relationship does exist between them." Luck said

"What?! Explain." Yang demanded

All Luck did was point at her scroll implying that she should read more to find the answer.

"Damn it. You're lucky that you are our way out of her."

"It's in my name." Luck said with a smirk.

"…This will do." The person said as he put Ruby into an infirmary bed before tucking her in. "We can have a proper introduction in the morning." The man said as he then picked up what looked like a metallic rod from the holster on his back. The rod looked to be made from black metal as a core and some silvery metal on parts of it. Curiously, the end of it had a small actual rosebud. The stick itself was around the length of a police baton. Then suddenly, the baton extended into the length of a polearm. Then, from what looked like an open slot at the tip, a red scythe blade came out, much longer than should've fit inside. From the other side, a much smaller identical blade came out. The man inspected the blade of the baton that had turned into a scythe. "The blade seems fine." He muttered as he gave the weapon some test swings and somehow only hitting air in the relatively small room instead of the furniture or anything else that could be broken. Then after one more swing, the rosebud at the bottom end of the scythe bloomed, revealing not just a beautiful red rose, but what looked like the barrel of a gun. "…I suppose I'll test this another time." the person muttered, not wanting to wake up Ruby. Speaking of the girl, the person now noticed fresh teas flowing down her face in her sleep. The person quickly retracted the scythe into a baton before moving to wipe the tears.

As cool as the weapon was, Ruby couldn't help but feel like it was another version of Crescent Rose. It's not a bad thing. In fact, she was kind of flattered, but minus a point or two for originality.

"What happened to you." The person wondered as he moved his hand away, until Ruby grabbed it in her sleep.

"Don't…leave." Ruby whimpered in her sleep, sounding heartbroken and clutching the hand that had wiped her tears like her life depended on it.

Ruby didn't think that what her other self said was directed to her Blade. It may have been about her mother.

"A cute moment wouldn't you say." Penny said.

"I'll admit it is, but we don't know the guy yet, so I don't want him trying anything with Ruby." Yang was still triggered from that one comment which sounded like a marriage proposal.

The person let out a sigh before using his foot to draw a nearby chair closer so he can sit down. As he did this, the person used his free arm to finally take the red hood down. Revealing himself to have a pitch black hair that was mostly chin length. And his face… One could almost call him the male version of Ruby, except for his eyes. They were milky white and pupilless, yet they could see just fine.

"He is me, but as a guy." Ruby said.

"I believe this is what some people refer to as rule 63."

"But how?"

'Architect's knowledge' activated. "Core crystals are like information processing unit located within a Blade. They gather data about the selection pressures of the outside world, and the biological status of their bonded partner, but also the experiences and emotions they share and send the data to the Aegis. As the data accrues, new evolutionary code is sent back to the core crystal and is used to create new further evolved Blades." Luck explained.

"So Blades have an intricate information network going on between them and this Aegis you speak of." Ozpin said.

"Truly fascinating." Oobleck said while making notes on his scroll about the information presented. When he finished he saw Ruby's confused look. "In simpler terms, the moment you touched the core crystal it took your biological make up and overall status into consideration when you gained a Blade. You influenced the appearance." Oobleck paused for a moment and turned to Luck. "Core crystals do drain aura, but does aura affect the awakening process?"

"I would assume so, but I'm not completely sure. I wasn't awakened by someone with aura. I doubt Klaus would even know. He only gathered so much data about Remnant on short notice trough the Conduit."

"I won't leave you." The person said sympathetically. "Not until your death, which will not come for a very long time so long as I have a say in it." The person had a smile at the end of what sounded like an oath. "I hope you know how to wield a scythe, but even if you can't, I will teach you. And after that, you can bring the wicked to their knees, and give justice to those who can't reach for it themselves. And as you do that, I will be by your side through all of it. Because that is my duty as your Blade…My Driver." With those final words out of the way, the person touched a glowing blue crystal that was previously covered by lower part of his hood. It had the same blue glow as the Death Dust had, but it was in the shape of a blooming rose.

Throughout all of this Ruby still clutched the hand that had wiped her tears with a smile. It will be interesting to see how she will react to cuddling the hand of a stranger."

(OST end)

Ruby finished the chapter blushing from the last scene. "That is, uh, quite the commitment." Ruby nervously said. "Also, I do know how to use a scythe."

"What does the Blade mean by the term 'Driver'?" Weiss asked.

"It just a specified term to establish the partnership between a Blade and their bonded partner."

"I noticed that you tried to keep that answer in a general format. Is there any reason why?" Ren asked.

"Humans and faunus with the potential can awaken Blades, but the potential is not limited to them. Even monsters can awaken Blades." That was kind of scary. Imagine if Grimm were able to utilize Blades.

"Is it possible to know what Blade you might get?" Penny asked.

"Generally, no. In my world, it getting a certain Blade is like winning the lottery. You are guaranteed a prize, but you may not get the Blade you want for numerous attempts. However, there are certain core crystals that will get you a specific Blade. It is similar in this alternate reality. I believe that lottery-like system in not present with each core crystal. I think the random factor here is trying to find a specific Blade among all core crystals. You can't tell which from which because all crystals look the same." Luck explained.

"And the music?" Yang asked."

"Just an aesthetic. I hope Q&A is over." Luck said.

That thing with getting Blade at the end. Yeah, I had to get confirmation from Novice4129. I probably didn't explain it well, but you know what I mean.