AN: You will hate me.

That's not a guess. I'm pretty sure by the end of this, you're going to want to punch me.

I asked you guys a question in Chapter 1 or 2, "Who's the villain in this story?" I promise you, I have played all of you as fools. Well, maybe not 1 person since she helped inspire this for me.

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. And after the chapter, you'll be glad I don't.

Chapter 10: Surprise!

Ozpin was back in his office, his head in his hands as Ruby slipped through his grasp once again. And according to the townspeople and by Yang, she wasn't exactly in any danger from Farayan that the Altas government emphasized. She seemed to actually have a fun time in Topaz.

So why did she leave with Farayan?

That was the question that plagued Ozpin's mind for the past hours as he studied maps and ran over the things he'd heard while questioning the citizens, trying to decipher where they were headed next. Ironwood was next to him, mulling over the same information while also casting concerned glances in Ozpin's direction. This was the most devoted he'd seen the headmaster be to a cause that wasn't a kingdom-wide threat. And it had taken a toll on him. His hair was disheveled, glasses smudged with fingerprints from taking them off too often to rub his tired eyes awake.

"Farayan wouldn't have a plan," Ironwood overheard Ozpin mutter, "He doesn't know any portion of Vale besides the places he's already been. And he isn't headed back to the capital, so we can't know where he would be. So where would Ruby take him?" Ozpin's hands flew over the projection, fingers flying as the map whizzed and panned into a specific region of the kingdom- an island just off the coast.

Ozpin started to get out of his seat, cane in hand before Ironwood tried to coax him back down. "Ozpin, wait," he tried, "You can't go out like this."

Ozpin just glared back. "I'd prefer if you didn't try and stop me from recovering one of my students," he stated.

He was going to have to try a different approach. "They're not going to be there by now," Ironwood reasoned as he gestured towards the map, "It's at least a five-day hike, even without any Grimm attacks. And that's if they go the direct route."

Hesitating, the headmaster turned back to the map as he thought out what the general had said. In the end, he sighed and sat back down at his desk. "So what do you suggest?" he inquired.

"Get some rest, first of all," Ironwood offered, "It doesn't look like you've had a night's rest since this whole incident started."

Ozpin took another sip from his mug, allowing the bitterness sweep his body as a quick way to awaken himself. "With the Queen and Qrow's disappearance along with it, there's not exactly a moment to lose."

"But there also isn't any benefit from depriving of yourself of rest," Ironwood argued. Ozpin sighed, sensing wisdom in the general's words and a defeat in his own. "You already know their next destination-."

"Only an assumption," Ozpin reminded.

"And you know you have enough time to cover the area around it to know where they could be. So take a day off, or at least take a couple hours off to rest."

As Ozpin was giving in to his requests, though, the screen blared to life once more. This time not with another piece of information, but from an incoming call. One glance at who the other end may be made Ozpin sigh merely out of tiredness. A click of a button and the screen shifted to a feed showing a familiar mop of green hair with the same annoyingly familiar Atlesian logo behind her. "I'm a bit busy, Doctor," Ozpin stated, "And I'm quite sure that anything I know about Farayan, you also know."

Dr. Treuse huffed at the obvious understatement. "Well, what I'm about to say may either make things easier for you, or it could make things infinitely more complicated for you."

Ozpin stared back. "Pray do tell," he edged on, "Let's hope the former proves true."

"Now that I'm thinking about it, it would probably only complicate things more. You have a student under his influence, correct?"

There wasn't any doubt who 'He' was, but Ozpin thought 'influence' was a bit much for his role in the whole ordeal. "Ruby Rose," Ozpin answered, "I offered her a place in this academy two years early because I saw the potential in her, and I saw the spirit in her."

Treuse looked up, almost as if to see if anyone in the heavens was looking down at them. "Let's hope that her spirit is as strong as you believe it to be," she replied. Then, with a sigh, she commanded, "I need for you to kill Farayan."

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

Three days had passed, and Ruby and Farayan were still carrying their trek down to Patch. The shore on their right and the edge of the forest to their left, it wasn't supposed to be long until they reached their destination. Along with the added bonus of not encountering any extra challenges (the Grimm), it was turning out to be a relaxing, week-long hike through the kingdom.

That wasn't to say they were only strolling lazily through. Oh no, Ruby had the brilliant idea of making sure Farayan wasn't completely helpless without her around. So, for the few days, Farayan found himself collapsing on the ground in exhaustion as he tried to keep up with the Huntress in training.

True, if Ruby decided to do hand-to-hand combat, she might've lost a couple of times to Farayan, especially if he decided to switch to his matted Beowolf hands, but no. She wasn't going to abandon Crescent Rose that easily.

From day one, Farayan voiced his complaint to Ruby. "Why do you get to use a weapon when I don't have one?" To which she replied by sticking her tongue out at him, prepping herself by lowering into a ready stance. Without a warning, she bolted forward, swinging her scythe the opposite way so the blunt end would shove her companion back instead of slicing through his already tattered shirt.

Farayan barely had time to think before the weapon was upon him, so instinct took over, stumbling back as he raised his arms to shield his face. A resounding clang rang in the air, and the pair were sent reeling in opposite directions. His arms were vibrating and buzzing with numbness as he tried to shake the feeling off, Farayan's face scrunched together with obvious discomfort. "At least give me some warning," he shouted at his friend.

Ruby didn't respond immediately and instead stared at Farayan. More specifically, his arms. She walked over, eyes never leaving their mark, with a contemplating expression. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Confused, Farayan looked down and refrained from gasping out loud, but his eyebrows still shot into his hairline. There, surrounding the backs of his forearms, were feathers. But not the small, finger-long ones of an average bird. These midnight-black feathers spanned just a bit farther than his elbow, maybe a dozen or so in total. "What the…?" Farayan murmured, moving to fidget with the newest addition to his limbs. But as soon as his finger grazed the edges, Farayan yanked his arm back with a small yelp of pain. "They're sharp," he informed Ruby, strangling his cut finger as he waited for it to heal.

Ruby inspected the feathers, a thought crossing her mind. "Can you pluck one out?" she inquired.

Farayan paused for a moment before pinching the base of one of the feathers, pulling it out in a swift yank. He winced like he'd just pulled out a handful of hair.

It was heavier than Farayan expected- definitely too heavy to be able to fly with even if he had wings full of these feathers. The stem was about as narrow as a pencil, yet Farayan could still hold the end without the feather snapping in half. That settled Ruby's suspicions. And her next course of action. "Now you have your weapon," she smirked, stepping back towards her starting position.

Farayan snapped his head up to Ruby, then back to his feather. "You've got to be kidding me," he groaned, pulling out another one and swapping it to his other hand. Feather-daggers in hand, Farayan hunched down into a ready position, hands jittery at the new feeling of his weapons.

Needless to say, it still wasn't a contest between a girl with years of experience against a boy with four seconds of training. He got better every day- instead of losing in seven seconds, he could now last almost a half-minute before Ruby's scythe found its way to rest just under Farayan's chin, or he'd find himself flat on his back, gasping for breath. And all of that was without her Semblance.

The third day had been especially brutal. Farayan decided that he couldn't face Ruby head-on; the reach of her scythe stopped him from ever getting close enough for him to use his daggers. So instead, he threw them. The first few caught Ruby off guard, making her dance around Farayan as he threw volley after volley at her. Even if quite a few were wildly off their mark, it kept Ruby on her toes. It started to look in his favor.

Then she started shooting.

Farayan flopped onto the ground, groaning as a dozen bruises stung his chest, back, and arms, feeling like he'd been shot by paintballs. But much, much worse. "Oh, come on," Ruby grinned, leaning over the teen as she prodded him gently, "It's just a couple of rubber bullets on the lowest setting. It just stings."

Farayan glared at her. "Just stings," he echoed with an eye roll, "Maybe with heavy clothes. You shot my bare chest!"

"Think of that before you throw things at me," Ruby teased.

Farayan groaned as he sat up, wincing and deeply inhaling every time his bruises brushed against his clothes. They were gone within a couple of minutes, but the ache didn't leave his muscles, and the disgruntled expression didn't leave his face. A moment later, Ruby prodded him again with her foot. "Come on," she grinned, "We still have a couple more days of walking." As she started to leave him behind, the mischievous girl called out behind her, "And don't think I'm gonna forget you throwing things at me."

"You shot me, though!"

And so went their schedule for the few days on the hike. Hike, train, more walking, and eating whatever Farayan caught every day. Both of them were used to more action or at least more tasks.

So, their trip was almost boring. And inside a forest full of monsters, that was never going to bode well.

The fourth day, Farayan awoke while the sun was still hidden behind the horizon, painting the sky with oranges and reds in the blue sky. Eyes still heavy with sleep, he flipped over and glanced at where Ruby slept and stiffened.

They weren't alone.

A white-haired man sat just a few feet away from them as he sipped from a mug, standing out with his prim suit and cane laying by his side. "Ah, you're up," the man spoke as he glanced towards Farayan.

Farayan froze, unsure of if he could bolt before the man either took him or Ruby. "Ruby?" he called out, eyes never leaving the man.

"Hmm?" Ruby hummed, turning in her sleep.

"There's someone else here," Farayan replied, "We might have to run again."

Now, Ruby scrambled up into a sitting position, wide awake with her weapon in her hands. She scanned her surroundings before her gaze landed on the white-haired man and gasped. "Headmaster Ozpin?" she questioned, "What are you doing here?" Then, a thought crossed her mind. "You're not going to give Farayan to Atlas, are you?"

"Not exactly," Ozpin calmed, "I'm here to talk to Farayan here." He glanced at the boy in question. "If that is what you call yourself now."

Farayan narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Tell me," Ozpin ignored his question, "Why did you whisk Ruby away again? I was under the impression that you called Miss Xiao Long to try and give her sister back."

The next moment, Ruby's piercing gaze bore through Farayan while he shifted uncomfortably. "You called her?" Ruby demanded, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Farayan rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a long story," he drawled.

"And this long story was created in just a few minutes?" Ozpin asked. Before Farayan could refute his point, the professor went on, "How much do you dislike Dr. Treuse?"

Farayan let out a low growl. "I'd prefer if she was dead," he answered with a burning fire in his stare.

"She did take you off the streets, cared for you, and gave you a chance to go back into society. You realize if there were no results for another year, Treuse would've let you back into the real world under the protection of the Atlesian government?"

The revelation let Farayan reeling, blinking to take in the information before his scowl returned. "I still want her dead. She put something else's blood in me!"

Ozpin nodded, understanding his frustrations, but his frown disagreed with Farayan's emotions. "I only have a few questions left," he went on, "How did you escape?"

Farayan blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

"How did you escape the lab?" Ozpin asked, "From what the scientists could tell, you were attacked by the Grimm on your way out, and it tore through your shoulder. So how were you able to fend it off, escape the lab, and not only survive your injuries but heal quickly enough to make it here?"

By now, Farayan's heart was racing just as quickly as his mind, questions and doubts whirling around and freezing Farayan in a flurry of second-guessing. "It's…," he managed out, "It's a long story."

"Curious to how that's your answer to some critical events." Ozpin fished around in his pocket before pulling out a small device- his Scroll. With a few quick motions and taps of the screen, he tossed the Scroll to Farayan who caught it. "But then again, it isn't that surprising considered what the lab discovered a few days ago."

Farayan looked down, perplexed by Ozpin's statements, and then he couldn't peel his eyes away. On the screen was a teen, sitting in the corner of a room that looked more like a jail cell than a bedroom, though the white paint made it sure it wasn't either. The boy leaned against the corner, staring at the space in front of him with such a relaxed pose, Farayan couldn't tell if he was awake or not.

But what captivated Farayan was who the boy was. Short, black hair contrasted with empty blue eyes on a thin frame. Dressed in familiar gray rags, and the boy also had a bandage wrapped around his left shoulder. "That's-," he breathed, "That's me."

"That's Farayan," Ozpin confirmed, "In almost every sense of the word. It took a bit of effort to determine since you two have been swapping blood these past few years, but it's Farayan." Ozpin stared at the Farayan in front of him. "What's even more interesting is that," he nodded to the Scroll in the teen's hands, "is live."

"What?"

"Farayan right now is in Atlas, quite a way's away from here, sitting his room with no response for the past four days." Ozpin stood up, leaning forward against his cane firmly planted into the ground. Dread set in the two teens as his words sank in, neither one wanting to believe what was implied. "So, who is the young teen in front of me, then?" Ozpin asked.

Farayan felt his heart beat through his ears, his breath coming out in rapid, shallow gasps, and his head shook violently. "There's a mistake," he rambled, "I'm Farayan. I'm… well, me. There has to be a mistake."

"I believed so, too," Ozpin offered with a sad frown, "Until you answered my questions."

"You're wrong," he exclaimed, "I'm Farayan. I ran away from home when I was six because my mom died and my dad was a drunk. I got pulled in by Dr. Treuse and was injected with Grimm blood for the past three years. I studied history, science, math, reading, and anything else they threw at me."

On and on, Farayan listed every little detail he could think about himself. His run-ins with the police officers, the songs he listened to, and anything else small about him. All the while, Ozpin nodded along, studying the blubbering teenager on the brink of hysterics. "You really do act like yourself," he mused.

"I am," Farayan shouted.

"Then you can hopefully answer what your birthday is?"

A sense of confusion surged through Farayan's body before it chilled into horror. "I-I don't know," he conceded.

"Perhaps your mother's name? Your ability to fight off Penny Polendina?" Ozpin pressed.

By now, Farayan was holding his head in his hands, muttering, "No," over and over again to himself.

"Do you have any moments where you can't explain why you do certain actions? Any voices in your head that may not have been there before your escape?"

It all sounded insane. A Grimm inhabiting Farayan's body? Nothing about it made sense, but all evidence pointed towards the fact. The utterly insane fact. Hesitantly, Farayan thought, "Hello?"

"Well, the jig is up."

In the next moment, Farayan was screaming in pain. His head felt like it was being split open with a jackhammer from the inside-out. As if someone was shoving someone else's mind inside the same skull. The other two individuals around him jumped back while they could only helplessly watch Farayan writher on the ground, yelling at the top of his lungs. The screams seemed to echo for minutes- hours-, but in reality, it was barely half a minute.

Finally, the aching stopped along with the screams. Farayan's breaths were still coming in gasps, but this time it was from recovery instead of panic. Ruby and Ozpin were still staring at the hunched-over boy. "Farayan?" Ruby called out in a timid voice.

Farayan sat back up on the back of his ankles, staring up at the sky as his breath evened out. It should've been a relief of seeing Farayan recovering, but it was all turned to horror by one small, little detail that destroyed the image.

The manic grin on Farayan's face, pair with the distant, out of touch look in his eyes. "Sorry, Farayan's not here at the moment," Farayan giggled, "He's a bit tongue-tied." Ruby held back a gasp, but any other words that would've come out of her mouth were interrupted by Farayan's yelp of pain. His breathing went ragged for a few seconds before it evened out again. "Wow," he panted, the insane smile never leaving his face, "Farayan still has some fight in him. I'm impressed."

Gears whirled when Ozpin brandished his cane, the end aimed at Farayan in a defensive stance. "Professor, no!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Get out of the boy," Ozpin growled.

"Oh, prof," Farayan clucked in disappointment. The boy got to his feet, dusting off his pants and turning to face Ozpin with a condescending look. "You really need to listen to yourself sometimes. I'm not in Farayan's body; Farayan is in mine."

Ozpin blinked in disbelief, his frown pronounced as he glared at the Grimm. "I thought your ability was to adapt to anything. What does taking Farayan's personality benefit you with?"

Farayan tilted his head, a bit confused. "Is that what the scientists told you? That's just a part of the whole thing." His smile reappeared, "It's more like I just take stuff. I've got hundreds of years of experience taking things. What you would call Beowolves, Nevermore, Boartusks- but Farayan was the first human I'd ever taken from."

Farayan laughed, "That was hard as well. Two years of taking in portions of his Aura through his blood, and I still had to take a portion of his body to take his appearance. But, it came with a lot more benefits." Then, in Ruby's voice, the teen went on, "Humans are so adept to change, I can take and learn things in days."

Ruby shivered at the unnaturalness, taking out her own weapon and aiming at Farayan. "Oh, come on," Farayan pouted in his own voice, his smile betraying his true emotions, "I'm sorry, but you helped me the most. You actually taught me how to act like a regular person." Ruby raised Crescent Rose and aimed it at Farayan. "You don't want to shoot," Farayan announced, "What if you kill Farayan along with me? Maybe you could save him."

At those words, Ruby's hands faltered, and her weapon lowered. The horror still wracked through her body, though, her breaths shallow as she bit back a scream that housed a flurry of emotions. "I trusted you!" Ruby screamed finally.

The Grimm smiled its signature, sinister grin. "Oh, you were right to trust Farayan," he admitted, "But the problem is he's a part of me now. Farayan really did care about you." Tears pricked at Ruby's eyes, broadening the War'Din's grin, "He was trying to protect you from everything."

"Then give him back," Ruby cried.

"No can do," Farayan smirked, "Don't know how to, and I wouldn't do it anyway. He'd probably die unless you stitch his soul back together." At his words, Ruby's heart dropped and her spirit split. The poor girl collapsed to her knees, choking back a sob before the dam burst. "Poor Ruby," Farayan cooed, "I might not have wanted to do that, huh?"

Farayan's speech would've gone on for a long time, most likely to stall for time to hatch an escape, but his ramblings were interrupted by a small dart stabbing the small of his back. He grunted, yanking it out and exposing the white projectile, but his knees started to weaken. Farayan swayed on his feet as the world seemed to do laps in his head. "No," he breathed. This time, another emotion seeped into his words.

Fear.

"I'm not going back," Farayan exclaimed, staggering to stay upright. Farayan stumbled away from where the dart came from, away from Ruby and Ozpin as well, but another dart found its target. When Farayan was still on his feet, albeit wavering dangerously, one last dart in the arm dropped him like a sack of stones, ending his connection with the conscious world as the tranquilizers did their job.

Out of the woods popped half a dozen Atlesian soldiers, all carrying rifles along with the rest of their white uniforms. Before anyone could make a move, however, Ozpin stepped forward with a fire in his eyes. "I thought I explicitly said that Farayan was mine to handle," he growled.

The soldiers back away while the headmaster's dangerous aura washed over them. One stuck out their chin defiantly, most likely the one in command. "Nevertheless, he's still Atlas property. And therefore, must be returned to Atlas for us to handle."

The soldier's confident demeanor wilted a moment after when Ozpin's steely gaze washed over him. Thankfully, another one of his crew came to his rescue. "I'm sorry, Headmaster, but this is to try and help Farayan. The real one. Dr. Treuse has considered it possible to try and do what the Grimm has hypothesized- sew together Farayan's soul back into his body."

Moments felt like hours as Ozpin stared down the Atlesians, the six of which shifted nervously in their boots. "Fine," he finally relented with a disgusted look, "But if you do manage to recover Farayan, you will immediately bring him to me."

The soldier in charge started to protest. "But sir, that's against our-."

"Make no mistake," Ozpin stated in a steady, barely restrained voice that could make fire freeze in its tracks, "Unless this is properly handled, I will see to it that each and every person involved in this… abomination of an experiment will have their lives shattered."

With hurried apologies and promises, the troops gave Ozpin their word before turning to be greeted by a sight. Ruby was hanging onto Farayan, trying to shake him awake. "It won't work, Miss," one guard called out, "He was hit by three darts, and it takes only one to stop an Ursa in its tracks."

"And you shot him with three?" Ruby screeched, her head whipping around as she glared at the one who spoke.

"L-like we said," he stuttered. Ruby's gaze was almost as intense, if not as intense, as Ozpin's. "The Grimm is extremely resistant to things we've already hit it with."

If anything, his words enraged Ruby even more. "His name is Farayan," she snapped, "And he's not a Grimm!"

Someone tugged on her arm. "Ruby," Ozpin's voice sounded next to her, "Let go, please."

Ruby buried her head back into Farayan's shoulder, letting out a small, "No," in the process. "You're not taking him away." A few moments later, she felt the body she'd been holding onto shift. Then, Ruby realized it was four other people pulling on Farayan. "No," she repeated, desperation filling her voice, "Don't take him away!"

Another set of hands wrapped around Ruby as she was forced off Farayan's arm.

She screamed.

Ruby screamed as Farayan was hefted away. She screamed as Bullheads descended on them and separated the two even further. She screamed at Ozpin who stared at the group in defeat; at the pilot who whisked her away back to Beacon. Ruby yelled and cried until her throat couldn't take it anymore, and she still kept crying while her lungs gave up. She screamed all the way when they strapped her down to a hospital bed, and she kept screaming until she was put under while the doctors nursed her back to health.

All the while, Ozpin sighed. Ruby was back where she should be, and the Farayan ordeal had been solved. But still, he couldn't help but feel as if he'd lost.

It was a victory for all intents and purposes.

But at what cost for Ruby?

AN: You're welcome. I killed Farayan from Day one, and none of you noticed. There will be no Deus Ex Machina of Farayan's plot armor. He survived the rhino Grimm and Penny and the War'Din not because of luck or skill or me being a God of my story. He survived because the War'Din's a natural survivor. It's going to take the wheel whenever it feels like it.

I've played you all like fools! You can never trust me! Farayan's dead! (*Cue maniacal laughter along with lightning and sinister organ music*)

Well, dead in most senses of the term. I told you I'd show you one person who'd die in my story. (Okay, yeah, I'm evil.)

But I've wanted to do this for so long. Where the villain is the main character and creates such a twist with so many hints without some bull crap like "He's actually the strongest person that will ever live!" Is killing Farayan 'Deus ex machina', though? I have no clue.

But in all seriousness, this was supposed to be the end. When I started Chapter 1, I was planning for something like this to end the story and just let the rest of the events unfold as canon.

But what would be the fun in that?

Anyway, reviews!

EdenAngel7: Well, Yang probably doesn't know why Farayan whisked Ruby away again. And judging by her nature to not exactly think things through before rushing in and her overprotective nature, I made some educated assumptions.

Also, thank you! I strive to play with souls.

ThatGreenDooredBookshop: Roman's making his appearance, and boy oh boy you're going to love what I'm going to let him do. Cinder and Co.? I'm not spoiling anything.

Also, I told you in advanced I was sorry. I'll say it again, just because this is that moment of, "It can't get any worse."

AHBookWorm7: And I just shattered that dynamic. Whoops.

Anyways, that's the chapter!

Signing off as your resident villain, Flames of Fire.