AN: And we're back with a new chapter. Finally, I can get back on schedule.

Quick Poll Count: Sisterly wins!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. Never have, don't now, and probably won't in the future. (Rooster Teeth, if you're reading this... don't add me to that owner list. I'd kill off every lovable character in a heartbeat for "science").

Chapter 9: Topaz Town

Farayan's morning didn't start off well. Because of the gaping hole in the back of his hoodie from it being singed off, he had to tear off the hood, hanging by a few threads, and wear the thing backward.

Actually, his day hadn't gone well since the night before when Ruby wouldn't meet his eyes for something he said. "Ruby," Farayan whined, "Come on already."

A prickle of a smile flashed on Ruby's mouth before disappearing into her scowl. "Don't talk to me," she harrumphed.

Throwing his hands up in the air, Farayan set off into the woods and towards the town. Behind him, he could hear boots kicking up dirt and crunching on twigs as Ruby followed him, albeit with a hint of reluctance. "You're still sulking?" Farayan exasperated.

"I don't sulk," Ruby denied, "I'm just upset at what you said last night."

The mirth radiating off Farayan was strong enough for Ruby to feel even if she wasn't looking at him. "You do realize that's basically the definition of sulking, right?"

Groaning, Ruby turned to glare at Farayan's back. "But how have you not heard of her?" she questioned.

"Hey, I was stuck in a lab for four years. Sue me for not being up to date with stuff like that."

"But it's Casey," Ruby exclaimed, "How do you not know a single song by her?"

Farayan rolled his eyes as he continued the trek. "Maybe because she started after I was put in a lab?" he sassed.

With a huff, Ruby caught up and strode by his side, her arms still crossed in defiance of her stance. "Haven't seen a movie," she listed from his answers last night, "You don't know Casey- I swear, it's like you didn't have a childhood." Farayan flinched slightly before staring blankly ahead while he clamped his jaw shut. Guilt welt up in Ruby as she stared at her feet, scuffing the ground beneath her. "I'm sorry," she apologized," That was dumb of me to say."

A few seconds went by, and Farayan finally let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. The teen tried to flash Ruby a sad smile, but it came out more as a grimace. "It's fine. Just… just don't remind me of it again, please?"

Ruby nodded without hesitation as they fell back into silence, the slight tension still hanging in the air, though. Willing to break it, Farayan inquired, "You said you skipped two grades?"

A bashful look blushed on Ruby's cheeks as she laughed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah," she drawled, "They thought I was good enough with my scythe to be considered for Beacon."

Farayan nodded along while a smirk started to form. "Even though you were horrible at History?" he teased.

Ruby let out another huff as she slapped Farayan's arm, more annoyed than anything. "I wasn't that bad," she defended, "I just… forgot things that I didn't think were important." At Farayan's pointed look, she rolled her eyes. "I don't like it, alright? I don't want to know how Colonel What's-His-Name defeated something because of politics."

In response, Farayan put a hand to his heart and gasped. "How dare you?" he exclaimed. Then, in a more serious tone, Farayan asked, "Seriously? You don't even like the wars?"

Ruby gave him an indifferent shrug. "It's the only time I didn't fall asleep in class," Ruby offered with an embarrassed smile. Much to Farayan's displeasure, if his long and drawn-out groan was anything to go off of. She glared at him as another playful slap hit him on the arm exactly where it did before. "Don't give me that," Ruby scowled lightly, "You probably had a subject you hated as well."

At Ruby's comment, Farayan nodded. "Math," he answered, "Never going to use it, so what's the point in knowing it?" Then, Farayan noticed Ruby's triumphant look, and he realized how his statement sounded. "Alright, you've made your point," he conceded, "But I still think you're crazy for not liking History."

That still didn't wipe the grin off Ruby's face. A few more minutes went by filled with silence- not awkward or comfortable, just pure, free-thinking-time silence. Then, as it started to drift towards awkward, Ruby piped up, "So if you didn't listen to good music," Farayan gave Ruby a tired glare, "and you didn't watch movies, what did you do when you were younger?"

Instead of answering, however, Farayan merely shot Ruby a smug smile. "Nope," he denied, "You already asked your twenty questions last night. Now, you're answering mine."

Ruby blew out a puff of air as she rolled her eyes. "You're still doing that? We finished the game last night!"

"Correction," Farayan grinned, "You finished last night. Your answer to 'What's your favorite food?' should not be snoring."

Arms crossed, Ruby threw back her head and closed her eyes, already tired of Farayan even though her smile indicated otherwise. "Alright," Ruby conceded, "Ask your questions."

After a moment of thought, Farayan asked, "How'd you get into Beacon two years early?"

Ruby clicked her tongue as she reminisced about that memory. "I got lucky," she admitted, "Well, maybe unlucky, but I fought a group of bad guys and saved a store. Ozpin saw it and offered me a way into Beacon."

Farayan nodded along as he thought of another question. "Which question is this?" he mused.

"Thirteen," Ruby answered. Then with a sly grin, she added, "Fourteen now."

"That doesn't count," Farayan protested.

"Yes, it does," Ruby sang, laughing at the disgruntled expression that filled Farayan's face. "Now come on- ask your next one."

One of Farayan's elbows poked Ruby for a moment. "Jerk," he muttered, to which Ruby promptly stuck her tongue out at him- just to make sure he knew how mature she was. "Best friend?" Farayan inquired.

It took Ruby a bit too long to think about that question, and she knew it, judging from the rosy-tint blooming in her cheeks. "Does Yang count?" she squeaked.

In response, Farayan shot Ruby a look that clearly said: "Really?" "That's not a part of your family," he clarified.

Ruby let out a huff. "I guess it's Weiss then."

Farayan was opening his mouth to ask another question when a wave of stench wafted over him. It was all he could do to not openly gag as his eyes watered. "We're getting close," he proclaimed.

"No kidding." Farayan looked up to where Ruby was now pointing, and, through the tree line and shrubs, he could see the edges of a few buildings. Farayan was tugged away from his observations by Ruby, hands around Farayan's arm as she dragged him forward. "Come on," she exclaimed, glee evident in her voice.

But as she pulled him along, Ruby could feel the tenseness and reluctance Farayan had in himself. Then, she put two and two together when she realized why Farayan of all people wouldn't want to be seen in a town. "Oh," Ruby breathed, "I guess this is goodbye, then?" Her shoulders slumped, and her grip slipped as she dangled her arms to her sides.

Farayan sighed at the sight of Ruby's growing sadness. He threw his head back, thinking of a way to cheer her up as he dragged a hand through the black mess he called his hair.

A fur-matted hand. With claws.

The sudden idea made Farayan freeze before he pulled his hand back towards his face, his mind whirling as the idea started to bloom into a plan. "Maybe…" Farayan mused. Every other time was done unconsciously, but he might be able to do it. He closed his eyes, picturing exactly what he wanted to happen while he tried to will what he wanted his body to do. His eyes were still closed when he heard Ruby gasp. Farayan finally blinked and looked at Ruby. "So, did it work?" he asked.

Ruby's mouth was agape as she nodded. "I can't show you, but yeah. It worked."

Farayan was now unrecognizable as himself. Hair and fur matted all down the sides of his neck and even a bit over his face. His cheeks became narrower and pulled back, and his eyes were now a crimson red- the same color as the edges of a Grimm's eyes. Now, he could pass as a faunus without anyone batting an eye at the idea. Especially with the claws on his hand.

"How did you do that?" Ruby exclaimed, reaching forward and poking the new fur on Farayan's forehead.

Her hand was quickly batted away while Farayan wrinkled his brow at where Ruby poked. "I have no idea," he admitted, "I just remember that I could do this with my hand, but I didn't know I could do it intentionally."

Ruby smiled again as she pulled away. "Now all you need is a new name," she quipped. At Farayan's confused look, she elaborated, "Well, I can't call you Farayan, can I?"

And now began the new task of trying to rename Farayan. "Smokey?" Ruby suggested with a barely-held snicker.

Farayan scowled. "What am I, a bear?"

"Cinder?"

"That's a girl's name."

"Adriano?"

Farayan paused as he tilted his head up in thought. Nodding a few times, he eventually smiled. "That'll work."

"Then it's settled," Ruby exclaimed, "Adriano Black!"

Farayan laughed at her excitement as he slung an arm around Ruby's shoulders. This time, it was Farayan- Adriano, sorry- that was dragging Ruby towards the town. "Come along, Rose," Farayan joked. And, finally, they reached the end of their journey.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

"This is barely a town," Ruby whispered to Farayan.

Now that they were in the town, the two realized just how small it was. The place was picturesque. Straight out of a film. It was just large enough to contain a couple hundred people at once, and it was the sort of small town that everyone knew each other's name and smiled all the time.

Ruby loved it, and so did Farayan. But they liked it for completely different reasons- the former because it was so pleasant, the latter since the size made it easier to hide in.

As the two were gazing around, a thought hit Farayan. "Ruby," he called.

"Hmm?" Ruby jerked her head away from the signs hanging over the doors of shops to stare at Farayan.

"Why am I here?" Farayan asked. He gestured to the town in general. "As in, why did you bring me to town? I could just run now and let you go back to your life."

Farayan's fantasy was interrupted when Ruby gave a hard pull on his arm, dragging him forward a few stumbling steps before he regained his balance. "Because," Ruby drawled, almost condescendingly, "I'm showing you how actual people should live." As Farayan opened his mouth to protest, Ruby went on, "I mean, you can't go through life without having a favorite movie or song or whatever."

Instead of continuing his protest, Farayan just laughed as he allowed himself to be towed along by a determined Ruby. "For the record," Farayan put in, "I actually do have a favorite song."

"Songs by people that have been dead for at least a century don't count," Ruby opined.

Farayan rolled his eyes. "I'm not that old," he quipped. Then, he paused as a thought crossed his mind. "Wait a minute, you're older than me. Why are you the one complaining about me having older tastes?"

"Small details," Ruby waved off, to Farayan's amusement. "Now, which movie do you want to see?"

Farayan blinked and looked up as he just noticed the blaring signs above him. Plastered on the entrance of the theater they were in front of was half a dozen movie titles, all waiting to be watched. And all looked unfamiliar to Farayan. "I have no idea," he conceded. Then, he felt a pair of dainty hands cover his eyes, making him flinch back before he realized it was Ruby. "What are you doing?" Farayan asked.

"Now choose," Ruby quipped, "It doesn't matter what you pick if you can't see the choices."

A smile quirked at the edges of Farayan's lips. "That doesn't make any sense," he pointed out, "But alright."

With a flourish of a gesture, Farayan raised a hand and pointed vaguely at the signs above them. From behind closed eyes, he had the image of Ruby following where his finger was pointing. "Top one or bottom one?" Ruby asked with a hum.

"Um," Farayan managed, unprepared for the question, "Top?"

The next instant, he was being dragged forward, and Farayan barely managed to stumble along up-right as his eyes flew open. The first thing he saw was Ruby pulling his arm to the booth where a bored-looking man sat behind the glass. "Hello," she greeted with a smile, "Two tickets for 'Grimm Eclipse', please."

The man snapped out of his bored trance and looked at the pair with a hint of suspicion. "Aren't you two supposed to be in school right now?" he inquired.

"We, uh," Ruby stammered, rubbing the back of her neck as her cheeks pinked. "We… have the rest of the day off."

The man raised an eyebrow at this. Ruby's tone wasn't exactly confident in the slightest, "Is that so?" he pressed.

Before Ruby could ramble on defensively, Farayan stepped forward. "Well, we just got off an assignment," Farayan admitted a lie, "We have the rest of the day off before we go back in…" He turned to Ruby, "What- four hours?"

"Five, I think," Ruby corrected his fable.

The employee shrugged, turning to the computer at his hands. "That'll be thirty Lien," he said.

As Ruby was pulling out her wallet from the folds of her skirt, Farayan coughed at the amount. "Movies got expensive," he mused.

Ruby handed the man the money and turned back to her partner with an expression which was equally amused and judgmental. "Well, what did you expect?" she snorted with a smile, all in good humor, "The only movies you've watched are older than you."

The employee just chuckled at their interaction, handing them their tickets through the hole at the base of the glass. "Well, enjoy the movie, you two," he offered. Then, as an extra thought, he added, "And enjoy your date."

Farayan jerked his head up to the man before looking at Ruby who did the exact same. After a brief moment, they wrinkled their noses in disgust while laughing at the idea. "Yeah, it's not a date," Ruby giggled.

"Definitely not," Farayan agreed. With that thought being thoroughly laughed at, the pair on a "date" went in, chuckles interrupting the comfortable silence every few seconds.

The theater barely had any employees and even fewer people enjoying movies- the middle of a weekday wasn't the best time for business. So Farayan and Ruby were able to enjoy their movie in relative silence with only a couple of guys playing hooky to get out of school- even a couple of adults skiving off work for a day off.

And the movie itself was… action-packed. It was a regular superhero film with guns, violence, the occasional love interest running in, and the hero saving the day at the very end against literally all odds. Complete with all the suspenseful music and explosions anyone could hope for- and more. (AN: Michael Bay in a nutshell.)

To Farayan, he couldn't imagine a movie cheesier than this; there were probably a half-dozen movies with the exact same plot line, just with different names plastered on different characters.

But Ruby? She thought it was the movie of the year.

The sun was halfway through its journey to the horizon when the two walked out of the theater- maybe five in the afternoon if they had to guess. And Ruby was still squealing about the movie they just saw. "That was great! Did you see how that guy-?"

"I don't remember a single thing out of that movie," Farayan realized with a small smile.

Ruby's head jerked as fast as it could without her Semblance, glaring at Farayan with the same intensity she had when staring down a Grimm. "How could you?" she exclaimed.

"Nothing stood out," Farayan said with a shake of his head, "I've already seen that movie three years ago, only this time it had marginally better graphics."

"But," Ruby flushed, "How could you not remember anything? It was supposed to be one of the 'most anticipated movies of the year'?"

"Ruby," Farayan called as he laid his hands on her shoulders. Then, with the most serious tone he could muster, Farayan asked, "What is the main character's name?"

He watched as Ruby's expression flickered from smugness to confusion and then to horror as Farayan's point was proven. Farayan laughed as he ruffled her hair, the next moment being batted away as Ruby huffed in annoyance. "And that proves my point," Farayan exclaimed in triumph.

Ruby threw up her arms in exasperation, leaving Farayan behind to watch her with that air of smugness still radiating off him. "I guess that means you don't dinner, then?" Ruby suddenly asked.

That got Farayan to catch up quickly, wiping the smirk off his face in the process. Ruby just grinned at him, showing her teeth and her victory off. Farayan rolled his eyes in response. "Guess money still makes the world go 'round," he observed.

"More like food is the best motivator."

"True."

After a bit of wandering, and a few disputes of which building to venture into, they settled on an old-fashioned diner, complete with glistening red and white booths and high stools along a bar in front of the kitchen. "You picked this just because it's old-fashioned," Ruby accused her companion.

Farayan conceded with a shrug and a smile. "Just because I knew you couldn't stand not criticizing it," he admitted.

However, Ruby just flashed him a smile. "Joke's on you- I actually like it." Not waiting for another retort, Ruby turned around and skipped towards a random booth with Farayan trailing behind her.

They sat across from each other while a waitress came up to their table. "Welcome to Ruby's-," she greeted.

"And now there's the reason you wanted to come to this," Farayan accused the across from him, eliciting Ruby to stick her tongue out at him.

"May I take your order?" The waitress asked, eyeing the pair of them with a smile at their interaction.

"Could we have two burgers and fries?" Ruby asked sweetly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Farayan's confused look. At this, Ruby groaned as her head hit the table. She groaned, "You have to be kidding me."

With a snort and a roll of his eyes, Farayan replied, "Of course I am. I'm not that ignorant." He turned back to the waitress who looked as if she was halfway to laughing or shooting them confused looks. "She," Farayan explained, jerking his thumb at Ruby, her head still on the table, "has the idea that I was raised in a lab for my entire life."

"Well, you were," Ruby quipped, peeling her head off the table.

Their waitress laughed as she wrote down their order. "Well," she put in, "I'll be out with your orders shortly. Don't let me interrupt your date."

The two in question looked at each other, giving the other amused looks before they shook their heads, laughing at the idea. "Definitely not a date," Farayan rejected with a smile, "Just two friends in town."

Their waitress let out a soft "Oh," as she backed away from the table. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I thought it was." Too embarrassed to say anything else, their waitress backed away and exited to the kitchen.

Farayan watched her exit through the flapping door before turning his attention back to Ruby. "Why does everyone think we're dating?" he mused.

With an innocent shrug, Ruby smiled as she gave a pointed look at her companion. "Maybe it's because we're two teens. Alone, and at a diner together." She watched as Farayan's face suddenly flushed, understanding the picture that Ruby painted. "Exactly," she quipped, triumphant.

Eventually, the conversation had to turn to the biggest between the two teens- how old Farayan's choice of everything was. Every time the point was brought up, an argument brewed within moments as each criticized the other's choice, a smile on their faces to diffuse any anger they might have.

That didn't mean, though, Farayan wasn't frustrated at Ruby's insistence. "These were literally the best of the best," Farayan argued, "How can you say you've never heard of any of them?"

"Because they're so old," Ruby whined, "And if they're the best, why aren't you including Casey?"

She received an eyeroll at her driving the conversation back to the one artist. "Because I haven't heard her yet?" Farayan suggested, "And because I still think my songs are better?" A huff was all he received from Ruby. And as he was about to shoot off another retort, he caught sight of a particular machine in the corner of his eye. Then, his smile broadened, almost smug at the sight. "Here, I'll prove it." Without a warning, Farayan got out of his seat and made his way across the room.

Ruby turned and peered over the back of the booth to see Farayan approach a jukebox. "Really?" Ruby drawled with a roll of her eyes, "That's probably older than you."

Farayan shrugged. "So are most of my songs," he replied, "So that should fit nicely." And a few button-clicks later, Farayan stepped back as the record whirled in the machine. Watered-down music filled the air along with the sounds of sizzling burgers and random chatter.

Ruby was still waiting for him as Farayan sat back down in his seat. And she was puzzled by the smug, triumphant look Farayan was giving her. "What?" Ruby questioned.

All she received was a pointed look and an exaggerated gesture in her direction. It was only then Ruby realized she was swaying slightly. Along to the beat of the music. As soon as she realized what was happening, she stopped with a sigh of resignation, adding to Farayan's smug nature. "Fine," she huffed, "Maybe your music isn't so bad."

The argument would've gone on for another hour or so if they let it, but their waitress happened to walk out with their order. Since neither of them have had a proper meal for whoever knows how long, they dug in with a ferocity usually found in rabid wolves.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

By the end of their dinner, the two were in high spirits and with full stomachs. When their plates were emptied of anything edible, Farayan was leaning back in his seat, content written all over his face, while Ruby was polishing off the remains of her drink. Abruptly, a gurgling noise rose up as Farayan glanced over at his companion, her face rapidly flushing as she put a hand on her stomach. Without a word, Ruby stood up and hurried over to the restroom doors. "And that's why I went before the movie," Farayan yelled after her. Faintly, he could hear Ruby shout something back in protest, but from her distance and the other noise rising from the other booths, it mostly came down to imagination.

Farayan laughed once more before the smile he forced drooped into a frown. He had fun- the most fun in years- that night. Even between the good-natured bickering, there wasn't a single thing he'd regret about that evening.

Which made it so much harder to leave.

Farayan made up his mind the night before, when Ruby had fallen asleep. It wasn't fair of him to keep the girl away from her actual life. She had her team, her friends, her family- more people to worry about her back home than just Farayan. Plus, he just wanted to protect her as a favor. He was the one that kidnapped her, after all, so seeing her returned was the least he could do.

But he'd grown attached to her. That's what tends to happen when two people spend days at a time with only each other for company. It also helped that Ruby had a bubbly personality- one that no one could hate her for since she just made everything better.

And he hated it right now. Just because it was making it so much harder for him to leave.

Farayan sat there for another minute or so, staring at the ceiling as he reminisced about the past couple of days. He'd been on the run, fending for his life and trying to find his way in life now that he was a fugitive, but it had been the best days of being outside of a lab. Just caring about themselves, not having to worry about the future when fighting for their lives, and even trading banters.

Reluctantly, hesitantly, and with every other word that says Farayan didn't want to do this, he finally stood from his seat, hands in his pants' pockets, and left for the door.

The last thing he wanted to do right now was to say goodbye, so why not just skip it?

There was a small building near the diner, much more pristine-like and advanced than the small town they were currently in, judging by the multiple screens blaring through the windows. These small buildings were littered throughout every town, connecting them to the CCT Towers. They were nowhere near as expansive as them, but it served the same purpose of connecting everything together.

Farayan walked in, eyeing the other occupants wearily as he made his way up to the front counter. He was startled out of his suspicious glances when a hologram whirred to life in front of him, a smiling clerk appearing behind the desk. "Hello," the mechanical voice rang from the hologram, "What can I do for you?"

A smile forced its way onto Farayan's face. "Hello," he greeted, straining to keep an upbeat tone in his voice, "I would like to talk to Yang Xiao Long, if you could?"

The smile never faltered off the hologram as she leaned down, appearing to gaze at an invisible list behind the counter. After almost a minute of waiting and a lot of anxiety from Farayan, she looked back up. "Your call has been connected," she notified, "Computer 016 in the back."

Farayan barely remembered to say a quick "Thanks!" before he rushed to the computer, his posture stiff and knees as weak as his nerves. He took a deep breath and sat down, relaxing as much as possible for the shouting he was sure to come.

Moments later, the call connected, but the screen remained void of any video. "Hello?" Yang's voice rang out, "Who is this?"

"Turn on the video," Farayan suggested, "You'll probably recognize me then."

Silence hung with a bit of dread as a feed popped up on the screen. Yang was staring in confusion at her Scroll with what looked like a dorm room behind her. She studied the person on her screen. "Are you one of Ruby's friends from Signal?" Yang asked, tilting her head as she tried to remember.

Farayan furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't recognize me?" he questioned. As he spoke, he remembered why Yang wouldn't recognize his look. "Oh, right." With a bowed head and eyes closed in concentration, Farayan willed for his appearance to form back into the one he was used to. Before he even opened his eyes, a loud crashing noise broke Farayan out of his trance.

Yang stood up so suddenly, her chair was thrown back and crashed to the ground. "You!" she spat, eyes ablaze as anger danced in the red, merciless pits that were her pupils.

Shoulders slumped, Farayan propped his head up with his hands cupping them in front of him to hide the smile that couldn't reach up to his eyes. "You're Ruby's sister, right?" he inquired.

From the way the camera was facing the ceiling, Yang was leaning over her Scroll, hair drawing shadows on her face and making her expression ever the more sinister. "What did you do?" she growled.

"Nothing," Farayan promised. Then, he smiled. "Well, besides for the fact that she might still be ignorant of what constitutes good music." At this, Yang propped her chair back up and sat down again as her initial rage was tampered down. Though the murderous look in her eyes didn't diminish. Farayan sat back, almost lazily, and let out a deep sigh. "Look, if you want Ruby, come and get her."

"Is that a threat-?"

"No, seriously," Farayan interrupted, "Come and get her. Topaz Town, in a place called Ruby's Diner." He could see Yang's lip quirk with a hint of amusement, and Farayan tried to crack a smile as well, but it came out more like a grimace than anything. "Yeah, ironic name, right?"

Now that she knew her sister was safe and her location as well, Yang could relax her death glare a bit. The call itself was… uncalled for, to say the least. For Ruby's captor to call her and give her away and her location- it just didn't add up in Yang's mind. And just the nature of Farayan puzzled her. It wasn't a hostile, panicky, tense teenager making demands for a ransom or anything. Farayan was tense, yes, but more of being recognized than as if he had a gun pointed at his head. He looked relaxed but tired, like he was tired of a leisure walk and not exhausted from a marathon.

The thing that confused Yang the most, however, was his conceded tone. Tired and sad as if he was losing something more important than just a hostage. "Why are you doing this?" Yang interrogated.

Farayan rubbed the bags away from his eyes. "I'm tired," he admitted, "Of taking care of Ruby, being on the run- everything. I just want to be left alone, and this is the best way to do it." His mouth curved into a bittersweet smile. "Ruby has a life with all of you, and she's got a future. I'm not gonna take all that away from her."

Yang was silent for a long minute, studying Farayan for any deception or malice in anything he said. All she found was a sad teen, contemplating his choices and choosing the best one for Ruby and not himself. She sighed. "I'll put in a good word for you," she offered, "And Farayan?" His wandering gaze snapped back to the girl on screen. "Thanks for taking care of Ruby."

It was the first genuine, soft smile Farayan was able to make since the beginning of their conversation. "Ruby's a good person," he replied, "You're lucky to have her as a sister."

The video shut off, most likely Yang going to talk to someone with authority to get her sister back to where she belonged. "It's done." He sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he recollected his thoughts and memories of his time on the run.

"Now let's get out of here," the voice in his head suggested. Even though the enthusiasm in his mind was there, everything in Farayan's character told him to say goodbye. Not for himself, but for Ruby. "No time," his voice shut the idea down. As if his feet were made of lead, Farayan eventually got up and dragged himself out the doors, a heavy heart making it all the harder to shamble down the sidewalk.

He didn't make it three blocks, however, when a red blur tackled into his back, almost knocking Farayan off his feet. The teen stumbled at the last second as he caught himself from taking a tumble into the concrete. "Where have you been?" the blur shouted.

Farayan pivoted his body, staring at Ruby who had her arms latched around him as she tried to hug the breath out of him. "Ruby, let go," Farayan demanded.

"No."

Farayan rolled his eyes as, in her stubbornness, Ruby continued to latch onto him like he would disappear at any moment. Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely out of the question. "You're starting to create a scene," he pointed out. Amused, Farayan watched as her cheeks reddened as she dropped her arms to her sides. "I'm leaving."

"No, you're not," Ruby protested.

It was hard not to get frustrated at Ruby's insistence, but the dread Farayan felt managed to draw his attention away from the emotion. "I'm serious, Ruby," he said, "I didn't want to say goodbye because I'd have to see you again." Ruby's expression softened. "It just makes it harder for me to do this."

Now, Ruby's steely expression reemerged. "For you to abandon me?" she questioned.

Farayan hung his head in defeat. "You have your life," he replied, "And I have mine. Well, what's left of one. I shouldn't keep you from living your life."

It was a while before either of them spoke, letting the silence that hung in the air speak for itself. "So, you thought I would want to get rid of you at the first chance I got?" Ruby asked in a whisper.

Startled, Farayan looked back up to a sight that rattled him. Ruby was staring back at him, face full of betrayal. "I…" he stammered, "I thought you wanted to see your friends again and to go back to Beacon. You know, to become a Huntress?"

Ruby's eyes started to glisten with unshed tears as she tried on a sad smile, touched by his concern, but also hurt by the near-abandoning. "I do," she affirmed, "But I can do that at any time." She frowned, "But I can't always see you. And what if you're caught? You said it yourself- Atlas would rather hush everything up than let you go."

Farayan stared at her. "So, you'd rather stay on the run with a presumed terrorist, hunted by two governments, rather than go back to school?"

Ruby nodded.

A muffled sigh escaped Farayan. "And you're not changing your opinion?"

Another nod.

"You know I could just run right now, right?"

Ruby smirked. "I'll catch up with you. Speed Semblance, remember?"

"I could always try outlasting you since you still don't know how to catch food," Farayan challenged.

Ruby shrugged, "I'll just steal your food."

An entire minute went by as Farayan glared at his companion who glared back at him, challenging his next move. Another few seconds went by, and Farayan's shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're not giving this up, are you?" he presumed.

"Nope," Ruby said, her tone smug.

"When will you stop following me, though?" Farayan asked, "You have to go back to your life eventually."

That made Ruby pause and ponder. When did she want to go back? As soon as she could, but she also wanted to make sure Farayan was safe first. Then, a thought hit her. "We could try and go to Patch," she exclaimed, "I could see you in the summer once school gets out, or even during winter break. Then we could think of something else after that."

Farayan looked up, deep in thought. "My geography's a bit worse than my history," he started, "But isn't Patch on an island? A long way's away?"

Ruby nodded, "Like a four-day run." Farayan raised an eyebrow at how quick she answered his question. "We had some weird exercises at Signal," Ruby answered.

"That's less of an exercise and more of a marathon," Farayan replied.

Before either of them could say any more, a screech jerked both of their attentions away to the thing that made the noise. A woman stopped just in front of them, eyes wide in horror as she started to back away from them. Her slow stumbled turned into a run as she screamed bloody murder. There was no doubt that she knew Farayan from a news report or something that he was a wanted man, but it took a second for him to realize how he was spotted. When he did, though, Farayan cursed. "I forgot to change my appearance again."

Ruby turned to her partner-in-crime. "Why did you change back?" she inquired.

Farayan waved her off. "Not important," he assured, "Well, I guess we have to leave now, so are you coming with or do you want to go back to your friends?" He offered her a hand which she took without hesitation. Farayan grinned, "Come along then, Rose."

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

When Yang landed in Topaz Town, she could already tell something was wrong.

It took barely any effort for her to convince Ozpin to let her go get Ruby, and it took even less to convince someone at the airfields to let them use one of the Bullheads- especially since Ozpin assured then it was for a hostage being released. In no time at all, Yang found herself sitting in a Bullhead, streaming over to the town with Ozpin calmly beside her. The only indication of how much the entire ordeal was taking on him was from the bags under his eyes and the white-knuckled grip he had on his cane. But all of that was finally over, with Ruby being returned.

At least, that's what they had thought until they landed a few hours later. The area had been reduced to a state of panic while a dozen-or-so people- Yang assumed they were the police- tried to calm everyone down and questioned some of the startled and excited witnesses. "What's going on here?" Yang demanded the nearest person.

The person happened to be a woman, wide-eyed and jumpy with fear. "He was here," she screeched, "I saw him- the guy on the news! That criminal ran off!"

Yang tried to even her breath as she asked, "Was he with a girl? Black hair, pretty short fifteen-year-old that really likes the color red?"

The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, that's the girl that he was talking to!"

She didn't expect for Yang to grab the collar of her shirt, dragging the woman to eye level. "Where is she now?" she questioned.

"The girl ran with him," a man spoke. Yang's head jerked toward the person in question- an aging man with graying hair and a pair of thick glasses. He flinched under her gaze, but nevertheless went on, "He dragged her into the forest, going west. To the ocean."

Yang took in what the old man said, and when she reacted, she reacted violently. With trembling hands, she released the woman who was still in her hands before yelling at the sky, the air humming with energy around her as Yang's hair started to ignite. Everyone around her backed away at the sound and then backed away again when they caught sight of her. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder, making her throw them off and whirl around to yell at the person who did it.

Yang paused when Ozpin stepped back to let her vent which she gladly took the offer. She was about to started yelling once again- at anyone, at anything-, but she caught sight of the intensity of Ozpin's gaze. He was just as frustrated as she was, and that took most of the anger out of her system. But, it was replaced just as quickly by an emptiness. "She's gone," Yang sighed, "Again."

Disappointed, Yang slouched back towards the Bullhead, and her anger returned with the lack of Ozpin's presence. "Farayan's dead," Yang growled to herself.

AN: And that's the newest chapter! Oh man, next one is going to be so much fun. That's when I reveal one of the people dead. In past experience, this is probably going to be the chapter everyone is going to hate me for. And I'm also introducing another character. He's going to be here to stay for quite a while, and I'm going to have such a fun time writing about them.

On a side note, this is the longest chapter I've written for this story. ACT and piano are over, so I can now start focusing a bit more on this. And just in time, because the next arc in this story is going to be so much fun. For me. (*Queue evil laughter*).

Anyway, reviews!

ThatGreenDooredBookshop: Yeah, you probably should dread what I'm going to do. Not just to Penny. How many of the girls' lives am I going to ruin? Seven? Twelve? All of them, just to be safe. I'm not commenting about the limbs because all of that will be revealed next chapter, and same goes for the sanity. Yep, Ozpin's merciful.

AHBookworm7: Sorry, NEXT chapter you're going to get a pretty good idea of what to draw. And Penny's alive, sort of. Barely. And sorry about your hand. Let it grow back soon.

sonic: (*Finger guns*) And I like you, too.

Anyways, that was the chapter. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you all next time.

Signing off, Flames of Fire.