Who doesn't love delays with updates.


Ruby slumped against the wall and let herself slide down with her eyes shut. It had been another day filled with drama from her team. Mostly directed towards her and her choices. Even her own sister held some resentment towards the young leader. Ruby couldn't figure out what stun worse, her team as a whole or her own sister hating her guts. She was just fifteen, how was she expected to handle this much and be expected to lead them? It was too much to handle.

"Maybe Ozpin did make a mistake. Making me leader, I can't even keep them calm over Neo." Ruby thought out loud. She ran her palm across her face. The stress of the position definitely was taking its toll. Ruby hadn't slept right in weeks, ever since this whole mess began. Her whole body felt like shutting down right then and there.

"Miss Rose?" Ruby perked up at the sound and snapped her head in the direction, only to see Professor Ozpin standing before her wearing a concerned expression. "Is everything alright?"

Ruby frowned. "No.. sir.. It's not. My team hates me for.. Well they hate me because I defended Neo." Ozpin made an 'oh' face before kneeling down to eye level with the girl.

"Miss Rose, your actions were not wrong in anyway, despite what you team thinks." Ruby matched Ozpin's eyes.

"Really?" She asked. Ozpin nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately, they see the here and now not the bigger picture of what's going on nor do I expect any of my students to understand. I have told you not to repeat what is spoken during our sessions correct?" Ruby nodded. "I'll allow you to inform your team. So that they understand what is happening better. Perhaps that should grant you some breathing room.. And sleep." Ozpin said with a smile. Ruby looked away in embarrassment.

"Is it that obvious?" Ozpin chuckled lightly before standing up.

"It is, unfortunately. 'Bed Head' doesn't suit you Miss Rose." Ruby blushed and started flattening down the parts of her hair sticking up." Now run along to your teammates. Explain to them the situation and get some needed rest. I'll postpone our session till tomorrow, that way you have some time to rest, both you and Miss Neo." Ruby watched as the Professor walked down the hallway, leaving Ruby sitting on the ground.

"Okay…" Ruby said aloud, as she stood up in a single motion before jogging towards the first year dorms.

Upon arriving to the first year dorms, Ruby was met with loud noises coming from within her team's rooms. Other first year students walking by clearly heard the commotion and walked away quickly.. After opening the door, she saw Yang and Weiss in a heated argument while Blake was sitting on Yang's bed pretending to read. It was clear she wasn't getting any reading at all with the loud noises present. To Ruby's relief, Neo wasn't there. She was back in her apartment, after it was retrofitted with listening devices and the occasional camera. She was permitted to stay there unsupervised physically.

"If it wasn't for your sister we wouldn't be harboring a criminal!" Weiss yelled. Ruby was used to her yelling but that stun. Weiss hardly ever made direct hits like that.

"Weiss I swear to god i'm this close to-"

"Shut up!" Ruby yelled. Forcing all eyes onto her.

"Oh look who's back." Weiss started but Ruby wasn't having any of it. She grabbed the heiress by the shoulders and forced her onto her bed with much protest.

"Sit there and shut up!" Ruby commanded. Weiss closed her mouth before she could utter another word. Ruby had never yelled at either of them in vein before, and seeing Ruby like this scared her to an extent.

"Blake." Ruby said calmly. "Go to the library and read. I need to speak to Weiss and Yang alone please." Blake simply nodded and jumped down from the bed and walked out of the room.

"Yang." Yang looked at her sister with a tilt of the head. Not confused or curious but a 'What do you want' look. "Go to the bathroom. Cool off. I'll talk to you after I talk to Weiss. I don't want you doing anything you'll regret later. Please." Yang let out an annoyed breath before complying wordlessly.

After Yang had shut the bathroom door, Ruby directed her attention to Weiss. She was sitting with her legs crossed and staring out the window. Ruby took a moment to compose herself before sitting next to the heiress. Weiss inched away from Ruby instinctively.

"Weiss." Ruby began hesitantly. "We need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about Ruby." Weiss spat. Visibly angry with her leader.

"Fine. I'll talk you listen." Weiss scoffed but nodded anyway.

Ruby thought for a moment before speaking. "Weiss do you know what Neo has been telling Professor Ozpin?" Weiss shook her head. "That's because I was told not to tell any of you a thing. But Ozpin said I was permitted considering our lack of teamwork recently is showing negatively on our grades." Weiss looked at Ruby finally with a hint of concern. Ruby lied of course. They were still one of the highest ranking first year teams in Beacon, even as dysfunctional as they were, but that wouldn't last if she didn't get them all on the same page. "Neo is telling Professor Ozpin and some General guy about what she did for Roman Torchwick and the White Fang. Secret stuff and what not. Stuff that were not suppose to know about. Shes giving up plans, secret bases, names, stolen stuff. Everything. Shes helping us Weiss, and Ozpin said that because of her, were all a little safer. She's even told us where they took the stolen dust crates. She wants a second chance Weiss.. I'm not going to ask to you like or or be friends with her or.. Or.. I don't know. I just want you to respect my decision and know that what she's doing is helping us."

Weiss stared at Ruby for what felt like hours. She knew that Neo was giving up Roman but she didn't know she was giving up White Fang activity or even the stolen dust shipments. She didn't like her, and she doubted she ever would. But, she didn't want her performance to be damaged due to her one-sided hatred. Team before pride.

"Okay Ruby..I'm.. sorry. I'm sorry I was so difficult and.. Yeah. I'll try to be understanding from now on." Ruby beamed with glee and hugged Weiss immediately. Weiss squirmed helplessly from Ruby's iron grasp before giving up and returning the gesture with one hand. "Thank you Weiss!"

"Yeah yeah.." Weiss muttered but smiled nonetheless.

"Okay now go away. I don't want Yang to throw you out a window." Weiss pictured Yang actually picking her up and throwing her not out the window, but through the wall leading outside. "Yeah… that would be.. Problematic.. I'm going to be in the library with Blake." Weiss quickly left the dorm, if she wasn't trained around the elite, Ruby would have expected her to bolt out of the room.

"Now, Yang." Ruby said as she knocked on the bathroom door. "Yang? Come out I wanna talk." Ruby stepped back a few paces and the bathroom door swung open. Yang's face was covered in water and her palms were covered in a thin layer of blood.

"Yang! Oh my god what did you do?" Ruby yelled as she grabbed her sister's arm and looked at the palm. Yang had dug her nails into her palms in an attempt to keep her rage down. The blood was smeared slightly as if she ran it through the sink a few times.

"I didn't want to make a hole in the wall so.." Ruby bolted into the bathroom and retrieved the first aid kit underneath the sink. She guided her sister towards Blake's bed and sat her down, cleaning the fresh wounds on Yang's palms.

"Yang you big dummy." Ruby muttered as she cleaned the last bit of blood of Yang's hand. "This is gonna sting." Yang flinched slightly as Ruby applied the disinfectant ointment. "And done." Ruby finished wrapping both hands in gauze and looked up at her sister. Yang looked ashamed. She was letting her anger get the better of her and all she ended up doing was hurting herself by pure accident.

"Yang. I love you and I know you love me. But this has to stop." Yang shut her eyes and didn't respond. "I know you hate Neo for lying to us. I know. But Ozpin said she's helping each time she gives up information about Roman and the White Fang. Shes helping by talking. I don't want you to like her Yang.. which I doubt you will considering you hit her." Ruby finished with faint chuckle. Yang smirked at the memory. "But I need you to relax more and trust that this.. This is the right thing to do." Yang frowned and focused on a random point in the room, taking in each word her sister said carefully. Ruby wrapped both of her arms around Yang. "I want my big sister back.. I want my obnoxious, loud, and, pun making stupid big sister back." Ruby fought back tears as she buried her face into Yang's shoulder. Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby and hide her face in Ruby's dark hair. "I'm sorry for hurting you Ruby." Yang muttered. "I'm sorry you saw me this way."

"Just.. forgive her and try to calm down more.." Ruby's voice was cracking. She always looked up to Yang, and seeing her sister get enraged and hurt herself by attempting to keep calm hurt her worse than any Grim could.

"I'll try." Yang said with a faint smile.


Not the best chapter in my opinion but oh well.

I'm going to try to update by next week. I wanna finish this story by the end of November or early December so I can begin working on my other ideas.

Thanks for reading as always guys!