A bit later than usual, but here's the next chapter. The idea for this chapter was a bit more difficult than I thought to fit into the rest of the story, so it took a bit longer than usual to write.

The last chapter was a bit less divisive than the previous one. The general consensus seems to be; sympathy for Ruby, dislike of The Voice, and hatred towards Yang and Weiss. For the most part, that's what I've been shooting for.

Also, if things go as planned, there should only be two more chapters. After this one, there should be a Weiss/Yang chapter, which will give you an insight into how they are handling what has transpired.

So, without further delay, here we go. Hopefully, you enjoy the chapter, or at least don't want to kill me by the end.


The woods were eerily silent, despite the wind that shook the loose leaves from the trees. South of Vale, in the large forests that surrounded the kingdom, Ruby Rose waited patiently for her quarry to make itself known.

Some might worry for the young woman. After all, not a week ago, she was near catatonic. She said nothing, ate nothing, and did nothing, all because of what her sister and now ex-wife had done. Granted, Weiss was still technically Ruby's wife, but for all intents and purposes they were pretty much divorced. It just wasn't official. Yet.

Ruby still hadn't recovered from what she had suffered. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and just wait for the end to come, however it may choose to do so. However, Blake did everything in her power to keep that from happening. The faunus had spent most of her time with Ruby in some way or another. Most of the time, she would try to hold conversations with the younger huntress, though those talks were pretty one-sided.

So, Ruby hadn't given up yet. However, she wasn't certain if she could go on much longer. She had told Weiss and Yang she didn't want to see them again. She didn't want to see Weiss and Yang happy together, not when it would bring back so much pain and anguish.

But, in doing so, it created a void in Ruby's heart. The two people she loved more than anything in the world had betrayed her, casting her aside into a sea of chaos.

For the last 22 years, Ruby had looked up to Yang. The older sister had been a role model for Ruby. She wanted to be like the blonde. Confident, caring, strong. All the things that Yang was, Ruby wanted to be.

Time changed Ruby's desires. Her mother's death caused her to look to Yang as a motherly figure more than a role model. At that time, Ruby wanted to forge her own identity. She wanted to be known for her own accomplishments, not as the younger sister of Yang Xiao Long.

Because of this, Ruby started doing things differently than her sister. However, she was never too far from the blonde. Yang was still her pillar, her rock. She wanted Yang close at all times. She asked her for advice, for guidance. She went to Yang with every problem she ever had, and Yang would happily oblige.

Ruby knew that Yang was jealous of her. After all, Ruby had just about everything she ever wanted; she was a great Huntress, she lived in a nice home, and she was married to the love of her life.

Yang never found love, as surprising as that sounds. Half of the school seemed intent on getting with the blonde. But that was the problem; most of the students weren't looking for a long-term relationship. They wanted sex, plain and simple.

Perhaps, for some people, that would be enough. For some people, love was simply a game they had to play to get their goal. But, for Yang, that wasn't the case. Yang wanted something real, something to call her own, and that was something she never got.

If Ruby wasn't in the picture, then one might understand that Yang didn't want what she had to be taken from her. After all, would you stand idly by while someone took away the person you loved more than anything? Most people would answer with a resounding 'Hell no!' Yang was no different.

However, in this case, Ruby wasn't trying to steal Weiss. That was Yang's crime. Which meant that, while Yang's feelings were understandable and even somewhat admirable, they were selfish and entirely wrong.

A week ago, Ruby would've done anything to get Weiss back. However, now that she knew Weiss didn't want her back, that goal had been abandoned.

Which brought us here, in the middle of the woods, waiting for a pack of Beowolves. Ruby left Blake's apartment without telling the faunus where she was headed, knowing that Blake would stop her. Ruby went down to the Hunter's Office and took the first hunt on the bulletin; a group of Beowolves had been spotted outside a small suburb south of Vale. Suburban areas were practically nonexistent; Grimm, no matter how few there may have been, were still the most dangerous things one could face.

Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tightly as she scanned the surrounding brush. There was nothing to indicate that Grimm had been in the area. However, there rarely was, since the creatures of darkness were very difficult to track and even more difficult to kill. At least, from an untrained perspective.

A sigh hit Ruby's ears, although it would be more accurate to say it rang out in her mind. "Is this really what you spent all your time doing?" The Voice asked in disbelief, looking severely uncomfortable with being in the woods. "No wonder she left you…"

A flare of annoyance. 'Can't you shut up for five minutes?' Ruby angrily thought, knuckles turning white around her weapon's handle. She was barely focused as it was. She didn't need her own mind distracting her.

The Voice, of course, simply chuckled. "Aw, c'mon Ruby." It pouted, approaching the huntress. "You know you'd get lonely without me." There was nothing but evil in the words.

The rosen woman frowned. 'I was doing perfectly fine until you showed up.' She countered, shifting only enough to get a better view of the clearing. Still no signs of her targets.

The Voice joined her, hitting the ground with no sound, phasing through twigs and leaves that surrounded Ruby. "Yeah, sure you were." Sarcasm dripped from the words. "That's why you were thinking about Weiss for the millionth time." It informed, getting a glare from the young woman.

'She's my fucking wife!' Ruby retorted with no restraint. 'Of course I'm gonna think about her!'

The Voice gave a faux aghast look. "Language!" It said shortly, barely hiding laughter. Ruby's frown deepened, turning to face the clearing once again. "Are you really so naïve, Ruby? Do you really think you'll get Weiss back after what you said?" The words were spoken casually, like saying 'The sky is blue.'

Ruby's frown faded, her face falling, before she rested her head on the ground, looking down. 'Of course not…' She thought emotionlessly. Weiss had Yang. Ruby told them never to contact her again. Those two things meant that, whatever there was between the heiress and the huntress, it was gone, as dead as could be.

The Voice smirked. "You might not want to do that…" It warned, its voice humorous.

Ruby was about to ask what it meant, but her unasked question was answered when a growl hit her ears. Her Aura flared, and she reacted blindly, dashing forward just before the Beowolf slashed into her.

She aimed Crescent Rose and fired at the Grimm, the bullet shattering its skull armor and part of its actual skull, the creature falling over dead as five more joined the fray. Three normal Beowolves flanked Ruby on either side, while two Alphas flanked her front and back. She was surrounded.

For once, Ruby was able to think clearly, planning her attack quickly. As soon as the first Beowolf lunged, she fired, Crescent Rose propelling her skyward. She spun around, firing behind her, and brought the blade of her scythe down on the unsuspecting Grimm.

Its head was removed cleanly from its body, black smoke already gushing from its corpse. One of the Alphas howled in what could be taken as anguish. Ruby had learned quickly that while the Grimm were evil, they did have some semblance of family. It seemed this was nothing more than a family of Beowolves that wandered too close to society.

Another thing Ruby learned was never to let her own person feelings cloud her judgment in battle. While she was not happy to be killing a family, they were not going to show her the same restraint. It was either them, or her.

The two smaller Beowolves lunged, coming at Ruby from either direction. Ruby fired behind her again, combining the momentum of recoil plus her semblance to charge the Alpha in front of her. It snarled, ready to fight off the huntress.

Unfortunately for it, flesh didn't fare well when hit by a large scythe blade. Its arm became great friends with the ground, the beast howling in pain. Ruby spun clockwise, firing a fifth shot and pirouetted instantly, Crescent Rose cutting her foe in half with little resistance.

The two small Grimm charged again, and Ruby ducked under them. However, she didn't see the other Alpha charging behind them, and narrowly avoided getting mauled by the enraged monster's paw. She rolled backwards, before slamming her weapon's blade into the ground.

With the recoil all but neutralized, Ruby took aim and fired, the three shots taking out the two smaller Beowolves. Unaware of her ammo count until the chamber clicked empty, Ruby was forced to rely on her own speed to beat her last opponent.

The Beowolf charged, and Ruby dodged left, bringing her scythe down and pulling. The action wasn't nearly as powerful as it could've been, since she would usually use a round to increase the torque of the swing. As such, it simply pulled the beast closer.

Ruby jumped over the swing and rolled over her weapon, using the momentum to tug violently. The action was met with a satisfying 'squish' as the blade cut into the beast's throat. Black blood spilled out with little hesitation, the life leaving the Grimm just as quickly.

The huntress allowed herself a moment of cockiness, a smirk on her face. She hadn't spent too much energy, and her targets put up little resistance. It wasn't the most satisfying, nor the most thrilling, hunt she had taken, but it was still exhilarating.

However, Ruby felt another Grimm's presence right on top of her. Her grip on Crescent Rose tightened, and she steeled herself before turning to meet the foe head on.

As she spun around, a claw ripped through her right arm, shredding tendons as they tore through skin like hot butter. The Grimm, an Ursa, had gone unnoticed while Ruby foolishly celebrated prematurely.

She barely refrained a scream, her teeth grinding together with so much force, it was amazing they didn't shatter. A long, thick breath left the woman as she brought the now useless limb to her chest, blood pouring without pause. From behind her, The Voice smirked. "Serves you right." It scolded.

Ruby used what little remaining semblance she could to put distance between herself and the Ursa. With only use of her left, but fortunately her dominant, hand, she removed the spent magazine from her weapon and frantically reinserted a fresh one. The Ursa charged her like a bull, ready to tear through more than just an arm.

As it arced through the air, teeth glistening with deadly intent, Ruby awkwardly aimed her rifle and pulled the trigger, her lack of support causing the weapon to fly away in recoil. Thankfully, the bullet was true, impacting right in the beast's mouth, blowing its brain out from behind it, black smoke leaking from the area.

However, its momentum caused it to crash into the huntress. Both the dead Grimm and Ruby flew back, sliding across the dirt and leaves. The nearly 700 pound beast was mostly on Ruby's right arm, applying pressure to the torn muscles. Once again, Ruby had to grit her teeth to not scream. Instead, she panted heavily, trying to force the Ursa off her arm without further injuring herself.

After a minute, she did so, freeing herself and collecting her weapon. Her Aura began to work, but such an injury would take several days to fully heal. However, the bleeding had already stopped, but that did nothing for the bloodstains that already formed on her skirt and arm.

The Voice chuckled. "I thought you were a big-time Huntress?" It asked in jest. It looked at Ruby's arm, accessing the damage. "That was a rookie mistake that nearly got you killed." There was a brief pause, before its smirked evilly. "Oh, I see!"

Ruby frowned. 'Don't read into it too much.' She shot, starting towards the main road and where she had parked her car. 'I made a mistake. I'm not suicidal.' The words were bitter.

Of course, The Voice didn't agree, following behind with its hands behind its back. "Oh, c'mon. That's a lie and you know it." It said simply. "You can't live without Weiss, Ruby." It paused. "Maybe you're right, though. You'd probably kill yourself in a more, how shall I say, dignified way." It explained, as if the idea intrigued it.

Ruby growled as she continued walking. 'Why do you want me to kill myself? You're me.' She questioned with no hint of care.

The Voice chuckled as it matched Ruby's pace. "Well, that is true." It half-sang, phasing through branches as it followed. "But, I don't actually want anything. I only want what you do, Ruby." It then looked around the forest, a look of displeasure on its face. "Seriously, though, why do you spend so much time out here?"

The question was asked with little real interest in an answer. However, Ruby still provided one. "It's usually quiet…" She audibly said, her voice hoarse and dry from not being used. The Voice smirked at her, but didn't say anything.

Ruby, however, frowned. 'If you don't like it, leave.' She suggested, her voice short.

She didn't expect The Voice to listen, but she was silently happy when it faded away. "I'm still up here, dummy." It reminded. However, when it wasn't in a visible form, it was much easier to ignore.

It took a few minutes for Ruby to find her car. As she got into the driver seat, she placed Crescent Rose in the passenger seat. Buckling took a bit of time, since she couldn't use her right arm. She wasn't even sure how well she could get out of the woods with just one arm.

That was when she noticed her scroll. She left the device behind so it wouldn't distract her while on the hunt. She picked it up and looked at the screen; she had seven missed calls, all of them from Blake. Ruby frowned slightly. She had probably worried Blake more than she wanted to.

She sighed and pressed the 'Call' button under Blake's name, waiting patiently as it rang. It only rang twice before it was answered. "Ruby, where the hell are you?" Blake's voice was thick with worry and a small hint of anger.

The huntress sighed again. "I took a hunt." She said simply, her voice slightly meek.

There was no answer for a moment as Blake processed the words. Finally, she sighed. "Which one?" She asked, her voice short but not as pointed as earlier.

"The Beowolf one." Ruby answered quickly, her mind coming up with solutions for starting her car without the use of her right arm. "I'm on my way back now."

The faunus audibly nodded. "Next time let me know when you're going to leave." She said with a small hint of humor.

Ruby chuckled. "Don't worry. I will." She responded with a small laugh. "Alright, see you in a bit." With that, Ruby ended the call.

As soon as the scroll was off, The Voice returned, sitting in the passenger seat, phasing through Crescent Rose as it did. "So, didn't tell her about that?" It pointed to Ruby's wounded arm. "You aren't going to be able to hide that, you know."

Ruby knew that, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she awkwardly started her car, turned the radio up to the point that it could be considered deafening, and drove.


It took nearly two hours to get back to Blake's apartment. Driving with one hand was not an easy thing to do, especially in rush hour traffic. It was nearly 6 pm when Ruby finally pulled into the parking area of the apartment building.

After gathering her weapon, the young huntress made her way up the stairwell. Her arm was still useless, but the pain had dulled, so it no longer hurt whenever she moved. It looked a hell of a lot worse than it felt, though, the wounds a vibrant red that looked disturbingly like muscle.

Once arriving at the door, Ruby knocked once. A few seconds later, Blake opened the door. She looked slightly worried. "I thought you said you took the Beowolf hunt?" She asked as she stepped to the side, allowing Ruby to enter. "That couldn't be more than an hour away at best, even with traffic."

Ruby smiled sheepishly, pathetically trying to lift her right arm. Upon the sight of the injured limb, Blake's eyes went wide. "Ruby, what the hell!?" The faunus immediately moved to get a better look at the damage.

The rosen woman frowned. "Blake, it isn't that bad…" She trailed, but when Blake lifted the arm up slightly, she audibly winced, a hiss of air leaving grit teeth.

Blake frowned. "This is more than just bad, Ruby." She scolded, although she wasn't nearly as angry as her voice reflected. She was more exhausted with Ruby's stubbornness. "Come on, let's get this cleaned up."

Blake led Ruby to the bathroom, where she then grabbed a first aid kit. "What happened?" She asked as she grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

Ruby sighed, her arm held in place by the faunus. "I got ambushed by an Ursa." She confessed meekly.

Blake's frown deepened. "Ruby, in all the time I've known you, the only way someone could ambush you would be in your sleep." She countered. She poured some of the alcohol onto a hand towel.

Ruby went to defend herself, but the sting of the alcohol as it cleaned her wounds rendered her unable to talk, instead simply exhaling thickly. Blake sighed. "So, what was distracting you?" She asked knowingly, wringing the cloth over the sink, bloodied rubbing alcohol dripping into the drain.

Once the stinging passed, Ruby finally spoke. "Nothing." She defended, but her words were less convincing than she wanted.

The older woman didn't buy it. "Don't lie, Ruby." She looked into Ruby's eyes, trying to read them. Ruby tried to avoid eye contact, closing her eyes and turning her head away. "Were you thinking about Weiss?"

The mention of Weiss caused Ruby to tense, answering the question more effectively than any voice could. Blake reached over and grabbed some gauze pads, placing them along the wounds. "Ruby, I know you think that hunting will help you recover, and maybe it will…" She started, making sure that the bandages wouldn't shift. "But you aren't ready. If you can't focus on just your hunt, then bad things can happen."

Ruby, however, sighed. "Well what am I supposed to do?" She asked dejectedly, her head leaning back and hitting the wall with a dull thunk. "Hunting is the only thing I have left. I can't just give it up." The younger woman was lost, as she often was in the last week.

Blake squeezed Ruby's hand. "I'm not telling you to give up." She said sympathetically. "But you can't keep doing this alone." She then grabbed Ruby's chin, turning the younger woman to face her. "Let me help you. Please."

Ruby didn't answer, not immediately. She processed the words, replaying them over and over in her mind. Each time, she became more and more certain of herself.

Blake was offering her a hand. The faunus wasn't going to sit idly by while Ruby wasted away. She was going to actively help the younger woman, doing whatever was necessary to ensure that she would eventually be able to move on.

However, what she failed to see, and what Ruby had failed to make known, was that Ruby didn't need a friend. She knew she had friends who would help her. She could've gone to any of them and asked for help. She needed help, yes, but she didn't need it as bad as everyone thought.

No, what Ruby needed was purpose. She needed a reason to keep living. She needed something to look forward to, something that made her keep going no matter how dark things looked. She needed more than a friend; she needed someone to love.

In the past, that was Weiss. Even when things looked dark, Ruby would picture her wife, and that would give her the strength to go on. She wouldn't dare leave Weiss alone, because, at least at the time, she knew that the heiress wouldn't be able to go on without her. She had no intentions on dying, because then she wouldn't be able to see Weiss again.

That had been taken from her by someone she never thought would do such a thing. Yang had taken her wife away, but just as importantly, Yang had taken her reason to live away. People are social creatures, and they need companionship. Losing that can be devastating, no matter who it is that suffers it.

Ruby still hadn't moved on from Weiss, and she likely never would. Weiss was Ruby's first love, her true love. That wasn't something you just walked away from, no matter what the other person felt towards you. Even if Weiss would never stop loving Yang, Ruby would never be able to let go. She would always hold onto the hope that one day, they could make things work again.

However, her emotions were in turmoil. She wanted Weiss, but she also needed companionship. She needed to be loved, and at this point, it didn't matter who that person was. To Ruby, having someone to love would make moving on easier.

To an outsider, Blake was not that person. After all, the faunus was acting more like an older sister than potential companion. She cared for Ruby, don't get her wrong, but her intentions were purely platonic. She had no desire to move their relationship further than what they had right now.

Ruby, however, didn't see things like this. Her logic wasn't easy to follow, and even if one could follow it, it didn't make a lot of sense. Ruby was drawn to order. Most of her life had been chaotic, and the people who structured her world were held in high regard. This had caused Ruby to fear change, unless she was the one to initiate it, because to her, change was rarely a good thing.

So when things became chaotic, Ruby sought order like a matter of life or death. The actual person whom ordered the chaos wouldn't matter. If they helped her, she'd cling onto them with little hesitation, whether they wanted it or not. It just so happened that Blake was the person that did this.

The faunus completed dressing Ruby's injuries. The bandages were bound tightly to prevent the gauze from dislodging and to keep the wounds themselves closed. "There."

Blake stood up, but Ruby remained seated and motionless. "Ruby?" Blake's voice was slightly worried. "Are you alright?" She reached over to help Ruby to her feet.

The touch brought Ruby's mind back into reality. She looked up at Blake, seeing amber eyes looking at her with concern, the faunus attempting to bring her to her feet.

She wasn't thinking straight. Hell, an argument could be made that she wasn't thinking at all. Her judgment had been clouded by her tumultuous emotions. Emotions can make people do crazy things in their own right, but when your emotions are in such disarray, they could be down right insane.

Ruby reacted in perhaps the worst way possible; she allowed Blake to bring her to her feet, and once there, she leaned over and pressed her lips against the faunus's. For what it's worth, she did it slowly, indicating her intentions. The kiss itself was meant to be slow, a cautious pace similar to many first kisses.

But it never got that far. After the initial shock wore off, Blake gently pushed Ruby away. The faunus looked stunned, but she didn't look angry. Instead she looked sympathetic. "Ruby, listen to me." She started gingerly, her voice soft as to not frighten the younger woman.

Blake sighed. "I know you're hurting." She continued, attempting to keep her voice as soft as possible. "You're confused. You've been with Weiss for 6 years, and you don't know what to do." The faunus put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "But this isn't the answer."

Each word was said with as much care and sympathy as possible. It was easily clear that Blake wasn't angry at Ruby. She was trying her best to let Ruby down gently, to nudge the younger woman in the right direction. In Blake's mind, Ruby was simply trying to get back what she had. But, that wasn't the way to go about it.

However, to Ruby, Blake's words were less kind. They weren't a sympathetic attempt at direction her to the right path. They were cold rejection. They were twisted, turned into nothing more than anger.

Ruby didn't say a word. She had nothing to say. Instead, she pushed her way past Blake and went to her room. Once inside, she collapsed onto the bed, silent tears rolling down her face.

The Voice decided now was the best time to return, appearing to kneel next to Ruby's bed. "Honestly, did you expect that to end any other way?" It asked rhetorically, its voice evil as usual.

Ruby shook with a restrained sob. The Voice sighed. "Do I have to say 'I told you so'?" It asked, phasing its way to be in Ruby's vision. "Face it, Ruby. You will never find love again." An evil smirk. "Are you going to keep living in a world where you can't be loved? Do you really want to subject yourself to that pain?" The words were a sinister suggestion.

It was the worst thing for Ruby's own mind to be telling her. However, she seriously contemplated it. What was the purpose of life if there was nothing to live for? Why go on when there's nothing but pain and anguish in the future?

And so, that night, left alone to her own thoughts, Ruby made a chilling decision. When the time was right, she would end her own life.