Glad to see people aren't too upset over the cliffhanger from last chapter. We'll see if the trend continues.

Chapter 10:

Ayumu and Gin wanted desperately to calm Ruby down, and reassure her that they meant her no harm, especially after all they'd done to help her. But it was clear that Ruby's rational mind wasn't exactly in charge at the moment. That and the continued pressure of their presence was only agitating her further. At this rate, Ayumu was afraid that she'd start hyperventilating.

"Ms. Ruby…" he said cautiously, "…Gin and I will respect your wishes. We'll leave for now. In the meantime, please try to calm down. If you don't feel comfortable speaking with us yet, that's fine. But…just…please…don't do anything that might cause you to hurt yourself."

Ruby said nothing, only continuing to pant and glare at them as Ayumu pulled Gin, who was reluctant to follow, from the room, and carefully shutting the door, leaving Ruby to herself. As the door clicked shut, the sound of her harsh breathing was muted and…after moment, began to be replaced by sobs.

Looking over, Ayumu saw that Gin was despondent and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know you want to help her. But the best thing we can do now is give her some space and let her calm down."

Gin nodded hesitantly and allowed Ayumu to guide him down to the hall and back towards the tavern.

Upon reaching the tavern, they were immediately greeted by an anxious Tawny. "What happened?" she wanted to know. "Is Ruby all right?"

"It appears that Ms. Ruby has recovered her memories," said Ayumu with a sigh.

"But…that's a good thing isn't it?" asked Tawny.

"In the long run, it may be," said Ayumu. "But, it appears that the process of recovery itself was traumatic, most likely because whatever caused her to lose them in the first place was itself traumatic on an emotional level."

"That poor girl," whispered Tawny, covering her mouth with her hands. "What could she have been through?"

"Given her sudden mistrust of us, I believe that it was particularly bad…and personal," said Ayumu. "I think she was betrayed by someone, someone she'd trusted almost absolutely."

"No!" gasped Tawny. "Who would do that to a sweet girl like her?"

"That's what we hope to find out," said Ayumu.

"And about your call?" asked the mayor, coming to join them.

Ayumu frowned. "I believe we'll put that on hold for the time being," he said. "Given that she's remembered now, I want to be sure about the particulars of Ms. Ruby's situation before we commit her to the hands of anyone else. If she truly was betrayed by someone, we don't wish to deliver her back into the hands of the one who injured her in the first place."

"Absolutely not," said the mayor in solemn agreement. "We'll postpone that for now, and focus on dealing with the prisoners then."

"Please do," said Ayumu, nodding at him politely. "In the meantime…" He turned to look at Tawny.

"Yes…?" asked Tawny hopefully.

"Come dinnertime, could I impose on you to bring Ms. Ruby a meal?" asked Ayumu. "Also, during that time, could you see if she might open up to you in our stead. As someone she once protected, and someone she doesn't view as particularly threatening, I hope that Ms. Ruby might be more willing to speak to you, even if she isn't willing to talk with us."

"Absolutely," said Tawny eagerly. "Whatever I can do to help."

"Thank you very much," said Ayumu, he and Gin bowing their heads to her. "Then we'll leave her in your hands for the time being."

Turning from her, Ayumu now went to address the innkeeper. "I apologize," he said, "but it appears that the three of us will be imposing on your establishment for a while longer."

The innkeeper sighed, but it wasn't melancholic, merely accepting. "I understand," he said with a smile. "After what you've done for us, there's no way we could turn you out on the streets."

"Still, we don't wish to force you to deal with the same problem from new tenants," said Ayumu. "Gin and I have every intention on making ourselves useful for the duration of our stay."

"What are you planning to do?" asked the innkeeper.

"For a start, we'll start with helping the work crews to make repairs on the wall, as well as providing security," said Ayumu. "Now that Team Brown has been dealt with and morale is on the rise, the pressure from the Grimm should decrease. But there are likely still more on the way, apart from those that had been previously drawn, and we'll want to be sure that the settlement is fully secure before we leave." Then he shrugged. "Aside from that, we'll be helping out with whatever odd jobs people might have for us."

The innkeeper chuckled and clapped Ayumu on the shoulder. "You're good lads. You're definitely nothing like those brutes. I appreciate your desire not to burden us. But you're welcome to our establishment anytime."

"We appreciate your kindness," said the mayor with a nod. "For the time being, relax. You've got enough worries already."

Ruby's sobs tapered off as she drifted into a fitful sleep. The thought of returning to the bed never occurred to her. Instead, she remained tucked into that corner, trembling as she was assailed anew by the memories her mind had locked away because of the pain they had caused her.

When she came to, Ruby's eyes felt sticky and dry. She blinked blearily, taking stock of herself and her surroundings. Her back and butt were sore from sleeping in her current position and posture, the hard wall and her curled slouch not helping to keep her comfortable. Her face felt like it was burning hot and, briefly, she longed for the feeling of Gin's hand against her forehead, that cool sensation of his skin against her own. But she crushed that feeling down mercilessly. Gin and Ayumu were total strangers to her. How could she even think about trusting them after what had happened to her?

Ruby wasn't sure how long she spent mulling things over. Abruptly, she became aware of the sound of light taps on the door. The knock was light, loud enough to be heard throughout the room, but quiet enough that it probably wouldn't have disturbed her, had she still been asleep.

"Ruby?" asked a soft, plaintive, familiar voice from the other side, a voice Ruby recognized and, strangely, didn't stir a feeling of fear and mistrust in her.

"T-Tawny?" asked Ruby worriedly.

"Can I come in, honey?" asked Tawny softly. "I've brought you some dinner."

Ruby hesitated for a moment. Then her eyes drifted to the door and a feeling of panic surged through her when she saw that it was unlocked. But that panic disappeared when she realized that no one had disturbed her despite that. "Y-yeah," she said.

The door opened with a click, the waitress slowly pushing it open to make room for the tray she was carrying. Tawny looked across the room for Ruby and found her in her spot in the corner. Immediately, her eyes began to tear up. "Oh!"

Setting the tray on the room's sole table, Tawny immediately rushed over to where Ruby was. On reflex, Ruby curled up tighter, and let out a soft whimper as Tawny knelt down in front of her. "It's okay," said Tawny in her smoothest, most reassuring tone. "You're going to be all right, hon."

Ruby sniffed and looked up at her. Tawny smiled and pulled out a handkerchief, using that to gently dab at Ruby's cheeks and the corners of her eyes, wiping away what remnants of Ruby's tears she could. "Can you get up?" she asked.

Ruby nodded and Tawny slowly pulled her up onto her feet, carefully unwrapping the sheets from around her as she did. Ruby winced as her spine popped, protesting after her previous posture. When she was standing upright, she found herself staring up into Tawny's eyes for a moment before Tawny pulled her in to a tight hug. Ruby found the last remnants of her self-restraint giving way and she collapsed against the woman, sobbing as Tawny held her, making soothing noises as she rubbed her hands up and down Ruby's back.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Just let it all out."

Wordlessly, Ruby continued to cry. Tawny guided them back to the bed and sat down on it, pulling Ruby onto her lap and holding her like a toddler. The minutes passed and Ruby's sobs subsided yet again, her breathing softening. For a second, Tawny thought that Ruby had cried herself to sleep again, but then felt Ruby moving against her. She also heard the sound of Ruby's stomach growling. Despite the situation, Tawny couldn't keep herself from giggling.

"Ready for dinner?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, looking up with a sniff.

Once again, Tawny dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief, before helping Ruby to a seat at the table, and taking off the covers over the dishes to reveal a plate of spaghetti and sauce, the same thing she'd had her first night in the inn, along with a small plate of the Caprese that Ayumu had introduced her to. There was also a glass, along with a pitcher of milk, which Tawny poured for her as Ruby fell ravenously on the food. Finally, there was a thermos and a mug, which were left alone for the time being.

Once Ruby had finished eating, Tawny giggled at the sight of her sauce-splattered face and used the napkin on the tray to wipe it away from her lips. Ruby sighed and sniffed, before looking down in shame.

"What's the matter?" asked Tawny.

"I'm…I'm just like a child," said Ruby. "Y-you're just taking care of me, like I can't do anything on my own."

"Honey, there's nothing wrong with needing care, especially after what you just went through," said Tawny. "I don't know the details, but it obviously hurt bad." She smiled fondly and gently stroked Ruby's cheek. "You're not a child. I could never think of you like that, not after you protected me from that brute."

Ruby sniffed again and a smile found its way back onto her face. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Then she began to sniffle again. "But I feel like a child…just like she said."

"Like who said?" asked Tawny.

"I…I don't want to talk about it," said Ruby. "I can't…not yet."

"I understand," said Tawny. She turned to the thermos and unscrewed the top, a sweet, warm scent rising from the contents that made Ruby's face perk up immediately. "I always like this whenever I'm feeling down. There's nothing better in the world."

"Hot chocolate!" gasped Ruby as Tawny poured the rich liquid into the mug and held it up to her. Ruby took it gratefully, letting the warmth seep out through the sides of the mug and into her palms before taking a sip. It was as sweet and rich as she'd expected. But the flavor was surprisingly complex, the chocolate itself accentuated by a touch of chili powder and a few other spices that gave the drink an added dimension. Its warmth seeped into her, relaxing her.

"Feel better?" asked Tawny.

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said. "Thank you."

"Of course," said Tawny, leaning in to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "Anything you need, sweetie."

As Ruby set the mug down, Tawny pulled her into another embrace, this one gentle. Ruby leaned into it with a sigh.

"The boys are worried about you, you know," said Tawny after a few moments of silence. "They've been on pins and needles ever since you threw them out earlier. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"No!" said Ruby abruptly, an edge of panic in her voice.

"Why not?" asked Tawny.

"I…I can't trust them," said Ruby firmly. "I can't trust anybody."

"You trust me, don't you?" asked Tawny, pulling back far enough that she could look Ruby in the eyes.

Ruby averted her gaze, refusing to meet Tawny's. "Th-that's different. You're not…not…"

"…Dangerous?" suggested Tawny.

"Sorry," said Ruby, prompting a giggle from the waitress.

"I'm not offended, hon," said Tawny, pulling Ruby back into the hug. "I'm a waitress, not a warrior. The last thing I'd want people to think about me is that I'm dangerous. I really did need your help when you knocked Grosse off me.

"Now, what's wrong with the boys? They've been looking after you for a while now. What's the matter?"

"I…I just don't know," said Ruby with a sniff. "I can't trust them anymore. I don't know what they want from me, why they helped me even. I mean…" She trembled. "They even took my clothes off."

"What?" gasped Tawny, going rigid. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"B-because they were treating my injuries," said Ruby, pulling out of Tawny's arms. Her hands went to her blouse, pulling it out and up and allowing Tawny to see the scar etched into her stomach and the one between her breasts, partially hidden by her bra, drawing a horrified gasp from Tawny. "That's what they said, anyway," she said lowering her blouse back down. "I don't know if I can believe them anymore."

"Honey, if it's a choice between observing social proprieties and saving your life, I'd go with the latter without a second's thought," said Tawny, cupping Ruby's cheek.

"B-but Gin made me take them off again," said Ruby. "He said he had to check, but…"

Tawny swallowed. "Did he make you…or did he ask you?" she inquired.

Ruby paused, thinking about it for a moment. "H-he asked," said Ruby. "He said it was important…but he wouldn't do it if I told him not to."

"And Ayumu?" pressed Tawny. "Did either of them touch you in any way that made you feel uncomfortable or keep touching you when you asked them to stop?"

"No," said Ruby softly. "Ayumu especially wouldn't touch me without asking me if it was all right first. Gin would only really touch my forehead if I didn't ask him to do something else."

"Those two have been very careful with you," said Tawny, combing her fingers through Ruby's hair, carefully pulling out tangles. "They never wanted to give you a reason to mistrust them, and they respected your boundaries as much as they could under the circumstances…that's what it sounds like, anyway."

Ruby swallowed, but said nothing.

"You know," said Tawny, "I think Gin is awfully fond of you."

"Wha-what?" stammered Ruby, looking up at Tawny with confused eyes.

"Ever since you chased him and Ayumu out, he's barely said a word," explained Tawny. "They've been waiting downstairs, in the tavern, but Gin keeps looking over towards the rooms. He almost forgot to eat his dinner before Ayumu reminded him."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her cheeks coloring.

"He's worried about you," continued Tawny. "They both are. I can tell that neither of those boys would think about hurting you. They care about you too much to ever do that."

"But why do they?" Ruby wanted to know. "I'm just…just some random girl they found in the forest. Why did they help me? Why did they care for me? Why are they worried about me? I never met them before that day."

"Who can say?" said Tawny. "People don't always care about or like each other when they meet. But when they spend time together, they become attached, form bonds. Those boys probably helped you because you were there, and because they could. But you've become someone much more important to them now."

"I…" Ruby stared downward at her hands. "I…I want to believe it…but…"

"What happened?" asked Tawny. "What's made you so suspicious and untrusting all of a sudden?"

"Because I trusted them," whispered Ruby.

"The boys?" asked Tawny.

"No! Not them!" said Ruby quickly. "My friends! I trusted them!" Her eyes welled up with tears and she broke down sobbing once more at Tawny held her tightly. "They were my friends…and they tried to kill me!"

Ayumu and Gin looked up as Tawny entered the tavern. In fact, Gin shot to his feet, nearly knocking over the chair he'd been sitting in.

Tawny's face was pale, as though she'd just heard that a family member had died. Despite that, she smiled at them as she approached their table. "She's ready to talk to you now," she said.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Tawny," said Ayumu. "We can't thank you enough for what you've done." He and Gin bowed to her.

"You two don't have to thank me," said Tawny. She cast a glance back down the hallway behind her. "Just…just help her however you can."

"We promise," said Gin firmly, Ayumu nodding his agreement.

Tawny giggled and gently ruffled Gin's hair, making him flinch, but not pull away. "Go on, you two. Don't keep her waiting."

The boys made their way down the hallway and upstairs to the room they'd been sharing with Ruby. The door was left unlocked. When they entered, they found Ruby sitting on the bed, kicking her legs idly. She looked up as soon as they entered, her eyes following them nervously. Gin took a step in her direction, but stopped when Ayumu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's wait until she's comfortable with us being closer," said Ayumu, smiling at Ruby.

"Thanks," said Ruby, blinking away tears again and shuffling on her bed.

"So…what have you remembered, Ms. Ruby?" asked Ayumu softly.

Ruby sniffed and looked away, her expression distant. "My name is Ruby Rose. I was born on the island of Patch, off the coast of Vale. My dad is Taiyang Xiao Long. My Mom was Summer Rose."

"Was…?" said Gin softly.

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Yeah. She…she died…a long time ago."

"Go on," said Ayumu.

Ruby took a deep breath. "I have a sister. Her name is Yang…Yang Xiao Long. She's two years older than me. She's my half-sister actually. Her mom was with Dad before my mom was. But her mom left and Summer took over. She loved us so much Yang didn't know Summer wasn't really her mother. After Mom died, Yang looked after me like she was my mom."

"That's good," said Ayumu.

Ruby nodded. "Anyway, a lot of stuff happened. Then…a few months back, I was visiting Vale with Yang. Yang was going to go to Beacon Academy. I still had two years to go at Signal. But I had gone with her while she was taking care of some entry-related stuff. I was visiting this Dust shop when this criminal, Roman Torchwick, and his goons tried to hold it up. I fought them.

"I saved the shop. But Torchwick got away. During the fight, a Huntress showed up and she took me to see Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster at Beacon Academy. After seeing what I did at the Dust shop, Professor Ozpin invited me to Beacon a whole two years early."

Ayumu beamed and gently elbowed Gin, their suspicions confirmed.

Ruby sighed and pressed onward. "Yang was so excited that I was going with her. During the initiation, I met my partner, Weiss Schnee."

"Schnee?" said Ayumu, his face going tense and pale, betraying strong emotion for the first time.

"Easy," muttered Gin, elbowing Ayumu in the side.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, looking up.

"Just a matter from my past," said Ayumu. "It's immaterial at the moment. Go on."

Ruby hesitated, but decided that Ayumu wasn't going to talk about it until she finished her story. She started staring blankly at the wall again. "We formed our team. It was me, Weiss, Yang, and Yang's partner, Blake. Together, we were Team Ruby…and Ozpin made me team leader."

"It sounds like things were off to a good start," said Ayumu.

Ruby nodded, rubbing her eyes. "There was another team that formed during the initiation that we were close to. It was Team Juniper. It was led by Jaune Arc, the first friend I made at Beacon." A tiny bit of color appeared on her cheeks, and Ayumu heard the tiniest hitch in Gin's breath. Ruby didn't notice, pressing on. "On that team was this girl, Nora. She's super energetic about everything and a lot of fun to be around. Then there's Nora's friend, Ren. He's…really quiet. I don't know a lot about him, to be honest. And then…there was Pyrrha Nikos."

"Nikos…" Ayumu mused. "The name sounds familiar. Wasn't she some tournament fighter in Mistral?"

Ruby nodded fervently. "Yeah! She's famous in Mistral…a little in Vale too. She won the Mistral Regional Tournament four times. She's had all sorts of endorsements and sponsorships. She's even on a cereal box. She was the best fighter in our entire year…maybe in the whole school."

"It sounds like you admired her," said Ayumu.

"Yeah…" said Ruby, her excitement burning out almost immediately. "I really did. I thought it would be awesome if I could be as skilled as she was someday. I totally looked up to her…until she…"

"This Pyrrha Nikos was the one who did this to you?" asked Gin, leaning forward.

"Not just her…" said Ruby.

Several days earlier:

Ruby Rose hadn't been having the best few days recently. She was tired and worn down. Beacon's academic courses were far more difficult than she was used to. That was to be expected. They were geared towards people two years older than her, people who'd had two extra years to prepare for the academic demands Beacon's teachers placed on them.

She had no intention of making excuses though. Ozpin had invited her to Beacon, and Ruby had accepted. She had known that it would be difficult. She had to work harder than her classmates to understand the material. Sometimes she had to go to her friends, particularly Blake or Weiss, for help. Weiss was often too insistently busy with her own studies, but Blake was always happy to make time to help her…especially after the night at the docks.

Finding out that Blake was a faunus, not only a faunus, but also a former member of the White Fang, was a shock. But after they had gotten over the initial rough patch and calmed down, Ruby felt closer to Blake than ever before, even though Blake was actually Yang's partner. Blake was clearly still troubled about the situation with the White Fang and their partnership with Roman Torchwick. But the pressure from the upcoming end-of-semester exams had forced that problem to the back of their minds for the time being.

Ruby would never really enjoy studying. She was a person of action, and sitting still for hours on end just didn't suit her. That was one of the reasons she did so well in practical classes, even though her academic performance was middling at best. Still, she'd come to appreciate studying, if only because it offered her some refuge from the other pressures Beacon exerted, pressures she didn't think Ozpin had thought would come to bear on her.

As it turned out, not everyone at Beacon was as excited as Yang was to have her there. Yang had said she would be the bee's knees. But Ruby felt more like she was in a bees' nest. She didn't want to bother her teammates about it, but she felt the eyes that followed her throughout the school. She heard angry whispers from people as she passed. When her friends, especially her sister, weren't around, she even found herself bumped and jostled by people who were clearly going out of their way to "accidentally" stumble against her. Things hadn't gone further than that yet, fortunately. Ruby was determined to push through and become the best Huntress she could be, despite the harassment.

Ironically, some of her worst and most overt tormentors, the boys of Team CRDL, had actually backed off a couple months in, their decision coinciding with that incident in Forever Fall, involving Jaune. Whatever reason, Ruby was glad that at least they were off her back, even if there were plenty of other students willing to take their place when it came to bullying her.

It was then that they were approached by Professor Ozpin about a special training assignment. Apparently, Weiss and Pyrrha both felt that their teams could use more practical experience in the field, though their first actual mission, shadowing a Hunstman, wouldn't be until the next semester. Ozpin had agreed surprisingly easily, having found a pack of Grimm in the wilderness southwest of Vale that needed to be exterminated. Professor Port had gone with them as a faculty supervisor. That was when everything went wrong.

"Well now," said Port cheerfully as they made their camp, his bushy mustache twitching. "We've located the Grimm. There seems to be quite a lot of them too. This is the perfect opportunity for you first-years to show your mettle."

"That's right!" boasted Yang, cocking her fist, her lilac eyes shining with eagerness. "We'll kick some serious butt!"

Ruby had always been envious of her sister. Yang boasted a spectacular figure that she didn't even try to hide, instead showing it off with tight black shorts, and a tight orange top, over which she wore a leather vest. Combined with her lively eyes, infectious smile, and her head of long, wavy, blonde hair, Yang was the kind of girl who could set all the boys around her to drooling, just by entering the room.

On her wrists, she wore her weapons, the paired gauntlets, Ember Celica, equipped with fire-Dust shotguns that allowed her to strike with literally explosive power. When not in use, like right now, they were collapsed down into a pair of bracelets on her wrists.

Beside Yang, her partner, Blake Belladonna, smiled and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Blake was a girl of few words, when all was said and done. Her quiet nature was a sharp contrast to her partner's boisterous one. Tall, slender, and pale, she practically exuded a sense of mystique. Though her assets were less substantial than Yang's, Blake was still a study in beauty, with her black vest and shorts, along with a white crop-top that left her toned stomach uncovered and her upper arms bare. Her black hair wasn't nearly as long as Yang's, only going a little ways past her shoulders. On top of her head was a black bow that only her closest friends, those currently seated around her (sans Port, of course), knew hid a pair of black cat-ears that marked her as a faunus.

Her weapon, Gambol Shroud, rested on her back. Its basic form was that of a broad, cleaver-like weapon. However, that was merely the sheath for a black katana. The katana itself could fold over to become a sickle, attached to a black ribbon that functioned like a chain when Blake whirled and threw it through the air. It was combined with a pistol that Blake could fire to control the direction of her weapon's swings…when she wasn't just using it as a pistol.

"Perhaps we could go about this quietly," groused Ruby's own partner, who labored alongside Ruby to set up their tent.

Ruby was certain that somewhere, there was a dictionary. And in that dictionary, next to the definition for the words beauty, elegance…and prissiness…was a picture of her partner, Weiss Schnee. Weiss really was the picture of elegance and class. With her white dress and matching bolero jacket, Weiss' stylish appearance made her seem more like a socialite than a Huntress in training. The weapon she wore at her waist spoke otherwise, of course. Weiss' pale-blue eyes often seemed cold and distant to Ruby's mind. She wore her white hair in an off-center bun and tail off to the left of her head.

At her waist was her weapon, the Dust-rapier, Myrtenaster. As a weapon, it was practically a symbol of her privileged position as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of Remnant's largest and most successful businesses. Situated around the ricasso of the blade was a set of six revolving chambers, each one filled with a particular variety of Dust. Anyone else would have found such a weapon expensive to keep armed and maintained. The fact that Weiss did so with ease spoke a great deal about her easy access to one of the world's most important resources.

Of all her teammates, Weiss was the one who most troubled Ruby. From the moment their team had been formed, Ruby had felt the resentment the heiress had borne her. Ruby didn't deny that Weiss was well-educated and well-trained. She probably would have made an effective leader. But Ozpin had made his decision, and Ruby had ultimately decided to do her best to become the best team leader she could be. Despite that, she got the feeling that her best wasn't good enough for Weiss.

After that one altercation in the hall, during their first day of class, Ruby had thought that Weiss had accepted her. But, eventually, it became apparent that Weiss wouldn't come around that easily. Whenever Ruby had tried to get Weiss to join her for something fun, something other than schoolwork. Weiss would pull away and insist on studying, often berating Ruby in the same breath that she needed to work harder to get her grades up. While she'd occasionally joined them in whole-team outings, she never really wanted to do anything with Ruby as her partner…except if it was an exercise for class.

"Sorry, Ice Queen," said Yang, to Weiss' irritation. "I'll ask the Grimm if they can attack us without roaring or howling."

"Uh…I think she means we don't want to attract their attention yet," tentatively suggested the leader of the other team present, their closest friends at the Academy.

Jaune Arc didn't necessarily look like the vision of an aspiring Huntsman. Sure, he was tall and fairly muscular. But those muscles were hidden beneath an outfit that could be called "hodgepodge" at best. His legs were covered by a pair of worn jeans and, over his torso, was a simple short-sleeved hoodie, over which he wore a diamond-shaped breastplate, which made him look like someone who'd just decided to put armor on over his casual clothes. His head was covered with a somewhat shaggy mop of blonde hair, which framed his blue eyes.

Jaune's weapon was also rather…underwhelming, from a certain perspective. Resting at his waist, Crocea Mors was a simple sword and shield combination, the shield collapsing down to form the sword's sheath. Ruby had always thought an appreciation for the classics was good, but Jaune considered his weapon a simple hand-me-down.

She couldn't quite hide a giggle at Jaune's remark, feeling a slight heat in her cheeks as she did so. In many ways, Ruby considered Jaune her best friend, as well as the first friend she'd made at Beacon. When she'd been in a slump after a sneeze triggered a Dust explosion (which she sometimes thought Weiss still hadn't forgiven her for), Jaune had been the one to come to her aid, holding out a hand to her when everyone else had ignored her plight. She'd repaid him later by giving him a pep-talk that had apparently broken him out of a funk he'd been in while Team CRDL had been bullying him. She liked Jaune a lot, to the point where she realized she might have even had a crush on him.

It was true that Jaune was clumsy and uncoordinated, unquestionably the worst in their class when it came to combat skills. But he was funny and goofy. He was also something of a dork, in an endearing fashion. It helped that he was extremely friendly and kind, always willing to lend a helping hand. He was even fairly handsome to Ruby's eyes, hence the small blush she got whenever she saw or spoke to him. Lately, with Weiss giving her the perpetual cold shoulder, Ruby had been going out of her way to spend more time with him, finding that they shared plenty of interests and, even where their interests didn't coincide, they were able to listen to one another. Jaune was always happy to lend an ear when Ruby was going off on a tangent about weapons, while she could listen while Jaune went on for hours at a time about X-Ray and Vav comic series.

Weiss humphed irritably. While she enjoyed being vindicated, Ruby knew that Weiss would rather not be backed up by Jaune of all people, given her low opinion of him. It hadn't help that Jaune had been flirting with her quite persistently when they'd first met.

"She does have a point," said the quietest member of their group, which Weiss appreciated a good bit more.

Lie Ren, whom everyone just called Ren, was the kind of person who made Blake seem like a chatterbox by comparison. His face and magenta eyes, with their stoic expression, always seemed to exude an air of calm. His head was covered by long, black hair, with a streak of magenta running down the front. The rest of his hair, save his bangs, was tied into a ponytail running down to the middle of his back. Over his slender body, Ren wore a green, Mistrallian-style tailcoat and loose, white pants.

To the average observer, Ren looked completely unarmed. However, Ruby knew from experience that his weapons, a twin pair of green submachine guns, with curving dagger blades affixed below the barrel, were hidden just up the loose sleeves that covered his arm. A single flick was enough to slide both weapons down into his waiting hands, ready for battle.

Ruby liked Ren quite a bit. Despite his quiet nature, which made him seem aloof at times, he was also extremely kind. He was an excellent student, which was helpful, as she sometimes approached him for help with her schoolwork, when Blake wasn't available. Ren was always willing to help, and unlike Weiss, didn't seem to judge her for her difficulties.

It probably had something to do with Ren's companion, who was giggling eagerly at the thought of the upcoming battle. Ren's partner couldn't have been more different from him. Nora Valkyrie was a bundle of eccentric energy that could exceed even Ruby's most sugar-fueled hyper moments. Her short, orange hair contrasted nicely with her pale-green eyes, which were always shining with happiness and excitement. Dressed in a white, sleeveless top, a black vest that ended at her waist, and a pink skirt, Nora was always on the move, looking for something new to catch her interest.

That energy served her well in battle, allowing her to wield her weapon, a massive warhammer that could transform into a grenade launcher, with ease, batting Grimm, sometimes several at a time, over the horizon. Of all the people Ruby considered friends at Beacon, Nora was probably the one Ruby felt was closest to herself in terms of personality and temperament.

"We'll want to make sure of things before we commit," cautioned the final member of their party.

Pyrrha Nikos was like someone's vision of a warrior goddess come to life. She was the best fighter in their year by a country mile. With her bronze armor and golden circlet over her head, pulling her long, red hair back into a tail, and keen, vivid-green eyes, she looked perpetually poised and ready for battle. Ruby had seen her fight several times since coming to Beacon and had always found herself in awe of Pyrrha's skill, grace, and strength, able to trump even multiple opponents simultaneously.

Despite that, she was almost perversely modest about her skills and achievements, seeming more embarrassed than anything by the accolades lobbed her way by students and faculty alike.

Even her choice in weapons reflected Pyrrha's elegance and skill. Like Jaune, the basic form of Pyrrha's weapons were a sword and shield combo. The red and gold xiphos, Milo, was wielded in tandem with her round shield, Akouo. But that was where the overall similarity ended. Milo was capable of transforming into a rifle or javelin, while she could hurl Akouo with incredible skill and accuracy, always ensuring that it returned to her hand after it was thrown. Pyrrha's style was brilliant, freely incorporating all three forms of her main offensive weapon, often transforming on the fly. There was probably no one at Beacon Ruby admired as much as her.

"Pyrrha's right," said Weiss decisively, always quick to back up the assertions of the four-time tournament champion. "We need to assess the situation more before we move in."

"So what do you suggest we do?" asked Yang.

"We need to scout things out," said Weiss. "We know the location of the main group, but we'll want to make sure there aren't other packs scattered around that could flank us when we begin the attack."

"Good idea," said Ruby decisively, seeing an opportunity to flex her leadership muscles and initiative…even if she was just going along with what Weiss suggested. But a good leader accepted input from her subordinates, right? "Let's assemble a scouting party and check out the perimeter."

Weiss' eyebrow twitched, betraying a simmering anger at Ruby's attempt to take charge. However, she suppressed it firmly. Instead, she closed her eyes and nodded.

Seeing an opportunity to work more with her partner, Ruby grinned. "Then Weiss and I will go scout the flanks and rear," her choice of terms earning a snicker from Yang.

"Uh…which way is the rear?" Jaune wanted to know.

"The direction opposite the main Grimm force," said Pyrrha, standing up. "That will serve as the forward direction for this mission. I'll come too."

Weiss nodded curtly, with no sign of protest. Ruby wanted to sigh. This was a chance to work more closely with her partner, one on one. But, at the same time, if they ran into trouble, there was no denying that Pyrrha was one of the people she'd want at her. "Uh…right…well then…let's get going!" Ruby started heading away from the camp.

"Ruby, you dunce!" Weiss shouted, stomping over. "The rear is that way!" She pointed off to an angle, showing that, from where she'd set out, Ruby would be heading more towards the Grimm herd than away from it.

"Um…sorry," said Ruby, grinning sheepishly, only earning a glare and an angry growl from Weiss.

The three of them headed off into the forest. The trees closed in around them and, soon, the light of their modest campfire had completely disappeared from sight, leaving them to find their way through the trees and undergrowth amid the deepening twilight. It was quiet. The only sounds that reached Ruby's ears were the crunch of leaves beneath the feet of her and her companions, along with the occasional rustle of the wind or the stirring of some nocturnal animal. Weiss and Pyrrha said nothing as they walked alongside her.

Ruby gamely resisted the urge to make idle chatter. She knew Weiss would berate her for making unnecessary noise. Instead, she tried to be as quiet as she could wincing at every snapping branch.

After a considerable amount of time walking, Ruby realized she'd made a mistake. The overall plan had been to scout things out, but Ruby realized she hadn't thought about how far they needed to scout before returning. She supposed that now was as good a time as any to begin making a circle of their camp to check the general area.

However, the decision was made for her when she cleared a break in the trees and came to an abrupt halt, stifling a yelp of surprise as she found herself mere feet from the edge of a cliff. The ground abruptly terminated in a rock face that descended straight down for several meters, before the forest continued on below.

"Well, I guess this is a good stopping point," said Ruby, checking over the cliff. "Grimm are gonna have a hard time climbing that."

Then her ears picked up a sound that set her nerves on edge, the grating sound of a steel blade against its sheath as Weiss drew forth Myrtenaster. Ruby turned, a question on her lips, wanting to know what her partner had spotted that had prompted her to draw her weapon. Had a Grimm creeped up on them without her realizing it?

But there was no sign of Grimm as Ruby turned around. Instead, she found Weiss looking intently at her, her eyes as cold and merciless as the icy plains of Solitas. Their eyes met for just a second.

"Weiss…?" said Ruby, a hint of worry and fear creeping into her tone.

Then Weiss leveled Myrtenaster and lunged, its tip plunging right for Ruby's heart.

Stay with me, guys! Just remember, with most authors, you might wind up waiting a week or more after a cliffhanger like this. With me, I can guarantee the next chapter will be out on Thursday!

Okay, with that out of the way...Show of hands, who did not see this coming? Okay...nowhere near as many as I thought, and I was lowballing that estimate. I suck at foreshadowing, it would seem; not in the "Oh my God! That twist came absolutely out of nowhere and makes no sense!" way, but more in the, "Oh, he just spoiled that twist two or three chapters in advance," way. I've been told, occasionally, that I'm about as subtle as a brick to the face. Oh well...

Just to clarify, in case I didn't make it apparent, this takes place shortly after the events in Volume 1, so between the first and second volumes.

Next chapter up on Thursday.