Time passed quietly at the hospital. Roman did not wake again but seemed to be healing fine.

Doctor Arvan handled drawing blood from Ruby to store, he also decided she was strong enough to draw more at once, reducing the time it would take to save enough.

As far as hospital food went it was actually very good and healthier than anything she'd ever had. Doctor Arvan informed her that one of his renters was a nutritionist that was also a brilliant cook.

She also kept up on the local news as well and it surprised her when she read that Beacon asked to keep look out for a stolen scythe. The article described Crescent Rose and mentioned that it had been stolen from one of the student's and that it might be the murder weapon from the recent killing.

"Stolen?.. They think it was stolen... Or they are covering for me." Ruby sighed.

After that there was little mention in the papers, Doctor Arvan informed her that the trail had quickly gone cold and she was safe.

After the first day Doctor Arvan had dusted off the monitoring machines and hooked them up to Roman.

"He's in a coma, I'm afraid." He informed Ruby and that worried her, but she held onto the hope that he would wake up again.

"Heart and brain activity is normal... I think he will recover, even though he should be a dead man." Doctor Arvan said, turning to look at Ruby. "He came back for you, that took more willpower than I can imagine... He must love you."

"I don't know about that." Ruby said, looking away. "He's the surviving type."

Arvan only chuckled at that.

The days passed by and turned to weeks. It was the most time she had spent off her ankle and it gave it a chance to heal properly. The world outside seemed to quiet down, though Ruby rarely left the ward. Only stepping out to use the restrooms or to shower. She took her meals at Roman's side, and slept in the nearest bed. The most she saw of the world was through the window, which faced a park so that was very little.

In what felt like a blink of the eye to Ruby a week turned to four. On the third day of the fourth week Doctor Arvan examined Ruby's ankle again and noted it was healing quite well. "I suppose you could get around without the crutches now as long as you keep off it as much as possible."

"I will." She promised.

Later that day Ruby had been laying next to Roman in his bed, talking to him because Doctor Arvan said it might help. She talked herself to sleep though.

Roman woke to find her sleeping there, head on his shoulder. He looked around the room in confusion at first, seeing the machines and Ruby out cold. Slowly he started to remember what happened. He reached up and touched his chest, feeling the scar from the bullet and the scar from the surgery, but no stitches.

He remembered Ruby killing his shooter and tensed, the way she had killed the man... he looked at her. The way she had killed him was the same way Qrow had killed his sister. That unnerved him and he found himself a little afraid of her now, even though he didn't wish to be. She had saved his life. He knew he was in Arvan's hospital, which eased his nerves a bit and gathering from the monitors that he had never seen the estranged doctor use and the fact he had scars and not stitches it was easy to assume he had been out a long time.

He wrapped an arm around Ruby. She had probably been there for him the entire time and he forced back his fear as best he could, knowing it was irrational. He held her, watching the heart and brain activity monitors. Then he noticed that while the heart one was beeping in time with his heartbeat the other was silent. Grinning, he yanked the sensors off his head which set off an alarm in another room, Doctor Arvan's office. It wasn't loud enough to wake Ruby so he laid back and closed his eyes, waiting on the doctor to charge in, which he did, moments later.

Roman opened his eyes just a hair to watch the doctor as he looked at the monitors in distress. Then turned a grim expression on Roman. That is when the doctor noticed the sensors had been removed. The grim expression turned to a scowl and Arvan yelled at him.

"Damn you Roman! You don't do that!"

Roman started laughing and between the two they woke Ruby. She quickly shook her grogginess when she realized Roman was not only awake but laughing. She 'squee'd audibly and hugged him tightly.

"You're okay!" The relief in her voice was clear and he hugged her back.

Arvan stopped yelling and for a small moment all was right with the world.

When she let go though, sitting back to look him in the eye, Roman saw those odd silver eyes of hers. His mind picked then to play tricks on him, showing him a flash of Ruby, standing over him, a cold look in her eyes and a bloody scythe in hand. That image morphed into Qrow, same cold eyes, same bloody scythe.

Roman could do nothing to stop his heart from quickening in fear which was telegraphed to the other two by the monitoring machine.

Ruby glanced to the machine then back to Roman. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." he stuttered, trying to shake that image and calm down.

Ruby hugged him again, guessing he had just remembered how he ended up here to begin with. "It's okay, you're safe now."

He hugged her back, fearing he might not be able to look her in the eyes anymore.

"We have something in common now." Ruby said, resting against him and not caring to look him in the eyes for this bit.

"Oh?" he asked, curious.

"We are both wanted criminals." She stated plainly.

He knew that hurt her and he hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry Red, this is my fault."

"Don't blame yourself. Beacon is trying to say Crescent Rose was stolen from me and that's why I left. But it's only so long before the truth comes out." She sighed. "That's why I have decided that I will fake my death. My fate is sealed, there is no chance of ever returning to Beacon ever again."

"I may at least be able to clear your name when we do it though." Roman stated, having an idea.

"Really?" She asked, looking at him hopefully.

He quickly turned his gaze elsewhere as if thinking. "Yes. Just leave it all up to me Red."

"On that note." Doctor Arvan spoke up. "I ran a few tests on miss Red's blood. I have some of the exact type in storage for transfusions. It will cost you but I have enough that combined with what she already has you should have enough to convince the authorities that she is dead."

Roman nodded. "That would help, thank you."


The next week was spent preparing for the 'death' of Ruby Rose.

Roman plotting, writing and printing things. When Ruby asked, he explained his plan.

"I'm going to make it look like you were kidnapped the day after you sent that letter." He explained. "That you were nabbed by a large human/faunus trafficking ring. It will look like Crescent Rose was sold on the black market so not only can you keep it it will clear your name. What I'm doing here is writing out their logs, big underground trafficking like this has to keep up with their work. Hmm... Some pictures would be good. Bit of staging, bit of makeup and posing and it will be quite convincing. What do ya say?"

Ruby nodded. "Sounds good."

They set to work on that, cleaning out the closet which was on the outer wall so the brick was exposed in places. They died Ruby's hair back to it's natural color and Roman sat her down and did her makeup. They took her dress, which was already ruined from the night in the rain and roughed it up a bit more. That done and a chain retrieved from the garage, they were ready to go. Ruby looped the chain over the clothes hanger rod while Roman changed the date and time in the camera to reflect when she was 'kidnapped.'

Pictures taken, they set aside the chains, adjusted her makeup and dress. Roman told her how to pose so that she looked like she was under the effect of drugs.

It went on like that, adjusting her makeup and pose, changing the date and time in the camera until they had enough to have record up to the day he was scheduling her 'death.'

The pictures turned out well, all taken in black and white, leaving it to look like she was trapped in some basement or something.

The way Roman had done her makeup made it look like she had been badly beaten, the next few showed her under the effects of drugs while also looking as if she had been tortured. The last picture compared to the first was astounding. Her cheeks sunk in, bloody, bruised and scared. The dates of the pictures spread out showed a clear example of what the long effects of the drugs had been on her.

Had Ruby not known that was her and the pictures were faked, she'd have easily thought them real.

"Perfect." She nodded.

"With the logs, the blood and the rest of what I'm planning, It will be too much evidence to refute. I am also thinking a recording of your 'last words' might be a good idea but it will have to be where we do this at for it to sound right." Roman said, quite pleased with himself.

Ruby nodded. "I'll start working on what I need to say."

"We are doing this soon Red, I've already made some calls and a place is being set up." Roman explained as he typed.

Ruby nodded.

Everything proceeded on schedule, they picked up a cloak exactly like hers and ripped it up.

Roman got his hands on the drugs that she shows signs of being on in the pictures and they spiked the stored blood with it.

The day came, exactly forty two days after she left Beacon. She and Roman loaded the car and headed to the site that afternoon.

Roman planted the fake logs in the 'office' of the warehouse while Ruby spread the blood as Roman had instructed. It was an arena, there were multiple cages linked to it so the fighting ring runners only had to pull the divider up and the Grimm would get in. Several Beowolves and one Ursa, filled the cages, they were hungry too. There was one cage empty though.

Once she was done with the blood and Roman met her in the arena with a tape recorder. He ordered his hired help to stir up the Grimm and make them angry. That done they switched on the recording and Roman used a voice changer to mask his voice. Ruby did her part, acting convincingly that she was dieing and saying her last words.

Roman planted the tape and made sure the Grimm were fed a little so that they would seem like they had eaten Ruby.

With that the hired help cleared out and Ruby and Roman left as well. The rest of their plan left to time.


Even though the search had been called off and Ruby seemed to be in another kingdom, after the murder of David Winchester Ozpin was taking no chances. He trusted team JNPR with the task of roaming the streets after dark and looking for the killer.

They had gotten used to a system of searching block by block but had never found anything.

That night however, Pyrrha found a warehouse door open and drops of blood leading in. She whistled for Jaune to back her up before slipping in. There was a temporary wall up, making a room with a booth and two doors, both doors led to the larger area so she continued in, though Jaune had not caught up with her yet. She found herself standing at the back of some bleachers and base of stairs that went up to a loft above the first room.

She decided the stairs could wait, she wanted to see what the bleacher were surrounding.

In the middle of the bleachers was a massive heavy-duty chain-link fence, reinforced all over and with solid metal in a four foot wall all the way around the base. It was some sort of arena.

Moving closer she noticed five large cages, and one larger than the others, making six.

Directly in front of her was a heavy metal door.

Cautiously moving ever closer she saw that the cages contained Grimm. Four Beowolves and one Ursa, leaving one cage empty.

Closer still she was standing right at the heavy metal wall, looking in she noted all the Grimm cages set up to release them into the ring. Inspecting the ring itself she noticed blood, lots and lots of blood.

Her eyes drifted along the splatters of fresh blood to a big pool of it in the middle, There, she saw a red cloak, shredded, she noticed the the shreds of black fabric scattered about, the mostly destroyed boot.

Ruby's clothes.

That realization sunk in slowly. Ruby Rose, was dead.

Pyrrha's stomach lurched and threatened to rebel against the gruesome scene.

Stumbling away from the ring she bumped into Jaune.

"Pyrrha? What happened, are you alright?" Jaune asked, worried.

Pyrrha met his gaze, horror stricken. "Ruby..." That was all she could manage and pointed.

Jaune walked past her to see what happened for himself, worried if it affected Pyrrha that way.

Pyrrha saw Nora and Ren entering and she rushed over, grabbing and hugging on to Nora.

"Don't! Nora, you don't need to see it, stay with me." Pyrrha pleaded.

Nora stayed as Ren joined Jaune at the ring. Jaune was on his knees and Ren quickly understood why, he didn't spend long looking at the scene, instead, turning his back on it and taking out his scroll.

Professor Ozpin had instructed them to call him directly if they found anything and they had.

It only flashed twice before Ozpin answered.

"Have you found anything?" Ozpin asked, a mix of worry and hope in his voice. That hope faded when he saw Ren's grim expression.

"Yes sir... I think," Ren took a steadying breath. "I think Ruby is dead, sir."

Ren paused as a pained look crossed Ozpin's face. That had been his worst fear.

"I think you should get down here sir, it looks like something bigger was going on. I'm sending you the location now." Ren said, disconnecting.

Team JNPR sat outside the warehouse waiting for the professors to arrive.

By the time they did Pyrrha was in tears and Jaune looked traumatized.

"I... I could have done something, said something..." Pyrrha sobbed. "Anything to stop her from leaving, but I didn't!"

Nora, the only one who had not seen what lay inside, was trying to comfort Pyrrha.

Ren stood when he noticed Ozpin and Glynda had arrived and were watching Pyrrha worriedly.

"This way." Ren motioned, leading them in.

The professors quickly figured out what the place was before seeing the arena floor.

"Where is her body?" Ozpin asked.

Ren motioned at the Grimm. "They seem awfully calm for being in cages..."

"No one can survive losing that much blood..." Glynda noted, looking at the mess.

Ozpin closed his eyes and turned away. He felt like he had failed. He had failed to protect or even help Ruby. As he walked away from the ring he heard Pyrrha outside.

"How did she lose to them? What happened?" The girl sobbed.

Ozpin noticed the stairs to the loft above the first room and headed up. Inside he found filing cabinets that had been burned on the inside. Looking around he noticed there was a folder on the desk.

Opening it he found if full of records, pictures and a cassette tape. He noted the first line was the date after Ruby had sent the letter.

The pictures were of her.

Ozpin closed the folder, unable to bear looking at it here. He picked the folder up and took it with him back downstairs.

"Lets go, we need to inform the police." The others followed without argument.

Glynda made the call, Ozpin couldn't find the strength.

They sat outside and waited on the authorities to arrive.

Once the scene was handed over they headed back to Beacon.

Ozpin and Glynda sat in his office, spreading out the contents of the folder.

Ozpin looked somewhere between wanting to just scream and wanting to kill someone.

"Ruby is innocent of the Winchester murder." Glynda said, reading over the first section of the logs. "Crescent rose was taken from her and sold on the black market... for less than it was worth."

Ozpin sighed.

They reviewed the rest of the information in near silence.


The coroner called the next morning with the results of the lab tests on Ruby's blood. It was hers, it was also too much for anyone to survive losing, thus Ruby Rose was proclaimed dead.

Ozpin asked if a drug was found in her blood and he confirmed that it was.

Ozpin hung up the phone and sighed heavily. "Glynda, would you be so kind as to fetch Ruby's team?"

Glynda only nodded and vanished from the room. While she was gone he called Qrow, to inform him of his nieces death. He also said he would inform Ruby's father as soon as he told Yang.

Ozpin was hanging up the phone when Glynda returned with the girls, all held worried expressions after hearing team JNPR return that night. His frustration with the team got the better of him and he spoke bluntly. "Ruby is dead."

Weiss somehow became even more pale.

Yang crumpled to the floor, lost in sudden grief.

Blake's expression was pained and regretful.

"Do you know what happened to her? She was kidnapped, drugged and tortured. She was stripped of everything she had ever been, the people who took her planned to break her and make her a slave to sell on the black market. They called her 'Subject 4272F.' That number his how many these men have caught and done this sort of thing to. Over four thousand people. I think on an ordinary day Ruby could have wiped them out, but no. She was weakened because of what YOU THREE put her though!" Ozpin lectured, slamming a handful of the reports down on his desk at the end to accentuate his point.

All three girls jumped.

Glynda rested a hand on Ozpin's shoulder, silently telling him to calm down.

He took a deep breath and walked over to the window. "Read those logs."

None of the girls seemed that they wanted too, but, they did as asked, Yang looked the most miserable of the three and Glynda felt bad for her.

Yang picked up the first log. It detailed seeing Ruby in the busy transport station.

Subject 4272F was found buying tickets out of Vale.

Subject cornered and assaulted, she put up a fight but was quickly subdued.

Subject has sale worth of $600 000 00 Due to rare silver eye color and young age.

Yang read, tears of anger sliding down her face. The pictures were timestamped and laid out in order. The first showed Ruby chained up, beaten and battered. The next she was unchained and was flopped helplessly in the floor. The log that went with that picture read as follows.

Subject 4272F found to be dangerous. Subject placed on obedience drug.

The next picture showed Ruby clawing at her own skin.

Subject 4272F resisting obedience drug. Subject is proving strong willed. Dose to be doubled.

The next few pictures and logs went on like this, all showing more and more proof Ruby was stronger than anyone they had ever caught prior.

The last picture made them all wince.

Ruby's cheeks were sunken, as well as her eyes, She was skinny in the most unhealthy manner and the amount of cuts and bruises on her didn't help that matter. She didn't really even look like Ruby anymore, just some sort of nightmare shadow of herself.

The log read as below.

Subject 4272F spirit refuses to break. Subject would rather die then let go. Subject termination advised.

All three girls jumped when they noticed Ozpin standing at the desk again, watching them.

"They took everything from her and she refused to give up. They took her weapon from her, they drugged her so she couldn't fight back or escape but she still tried." He said, pointing to several reports of her attempting to escape.

"They traded Crescent Rose for the very Grimm that would later kill her. For forty days she suffered at the hands of these people, and there is no telling what was done to her that was not documented. Yet after all that she STILL fought to her very last breath. The last log states that she managed to kill one of the Grimm before they took her down. And do you know what is worse?" He ended with the question.

The girls waited silently for him to continue.

Ozpin reached over and pressed a button.

A recording filled the room. The sounds of hungry, angry Grimm filled the first minute or two.

That was followed by a voice that was masked.

"We are not completely without humanity. If you have last words, speak them now." The garbled voice demanded.

The recorder was then moved closer to Ruby as her labored, wet breath now audible.

"Y-Yang... I'm sorry..." She coughed. "I... wasn't...strong enough... to come... back..." She coughed again. "Not... strong" Her voice was growing weaker. "I lost..." She wheezed and the recorder was moved away. There was the sound of a metal door and then the garbled voice saying.

"Release them."

What followed was the sounds of Grimm having a feast and of Ruby's agonized screams.

The screaming lasted several minutes and Yang sank to the floor, sobbing hysterically.

Weiss hid her face in her hands and Blake looked depressed.

Ruby's screams ended abruptly and the recording ran out soon after.

"According to the logs, they told her if she could beat the Grimm she could go free. She was still under the effects of the drugs. She should have had no chance but she still brought one of them down." Ozpin said. "The bad part is that if you lot had listened to her and not Cardin. She would still be alive."

Yang screamed in agony at the loss of her sister. The pit of pain she felt was like nothing she had ever felt before. Yang cried with all her aching heart. Weiss to sunk to the floor and though her tears were silent, they were unending.

"No one should have to die like that." Blake said, wiping at her own tears that refused to stop falling.

Ozpin let the sobbing die down some before picking up the phone again.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked hollowly.

"Calling their father. He needs to know his youngest child is dead." Ozpin answered. "It's my responsibility as headmaster."

Blake nodded and fell silent.

Ozpin placed the call.

"This is Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy." Ozpin said, waiting for the man on the other end to reply.

"Yes, actually. It is about Ruby." Again Ozpin waited.

"No, actually... I have called to, regretfully, inform you that. Ruby has passed on from this life. I'm sorry." Ozpin and the man on the other end fell silent. Ozpin waited for him to reply first.

"Yes, Yang is here now, I think she needs your support." Ozpin let the other man speak. "Yes, yes of course, I'll hand the phone over right now." Ozpin carried the phone over to Yang and handed it to her. His tone far more gentle than it had been in a while. "It's your father."

Yang took the phone and sobbed into the receiver.

Ozpin left the others to mourn. He went to Glynda's office to make the announcement that school was postponed for the day in memorial of Ruby Rose, who passed away the day before.


A/N: Hey everyone! Please don't shoot me...

Moving on.

SO, WHICH ONE OF YOU *points at readers* TOLD ROSEWICK TRASH PEEVES ABOUT THIS FIC?

WHICH ONE OF YOU IS REFERRING MY WORK TO OTHER PEEPS?

BECAUSE, COME HERE I NEED TO HUG YOU.

Sorry, I kinda exploded...

It's just, I've been reading their fic and it's really good and they mentioned being suggested to read my fic THIS FIC and I kinda got excited.

For those of you who are wondering who that person is, they are one of the writers at:

The Jashinist and Peeves.

The fic of theirs I've been reading is:

Still Dreaming

(It's in my faves list if you wanna read it guys and you should it's good.)

Sooooooooooo

Moving on...

What do all of you think of Doc Arvan? Editor2 isn't fond of him... Editor1 (Rest their soul after they "failed at grammar" and... *ahem* were eaten alive by Editor2) liked him if I remember right... Anyway, would love to hear what all of you think of the guy. And the fic too, I love Reviews and would love to see more of what all of you think.

Moving oon...

Just want to note Ruby's cloak, they got another clock to leave behind, she still has hers. I just wanted to throw that info out their because Editor1 missed it and got confused in future chapters.

Lastly...

ODST110... Please don't shoot me, things get better I promise...

Wow, longest a/n I've done... Sorry if I bored everyone...

If Rosewick is trash, so am I and this trash shipper is out!

*POOFS In ninja smoke*

Editor2 pops in to the document to add a note as well

Editor2: I didn't eat Editor1... I just literally fired them by throwing them into the deepest pits of lava in hell.

(Also you guys should have seen when the Author saw someone referred this... so much high pitched excited screaming)