Ruby woke up to the sun hitting her face. Yawning, she sat up and stretched her arms towards the sky. Suddenly, though, Ruby felt around where she was sleeping. Ace wasn't with her. Where did he go?! Ruby thought, panicing, she jumped out of bed, running for the door. However, she triped over something extremely heavy, and faceplanted inches from the door.

"Ow Ow Ow Ow!" Ruby squealed, rubbing her forehead.

"Ouch! What the-" Ace yelled.

Ruby analized the area around her. Ace was clentching his side, rolled up in a ball on the floor. Kora and Yang where both gone, leaving behind a tiny peice of paper that was posted on the door of the dorm.

Ruby jumped to Ace's aid, "ACE! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"

"It's alright...I'm good...really..." Ace replied weakly.

Helping Ace to his feet, Ruby noticed that Ace was covered in sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

"Ace...why are you so sweaty?" Ruby asked curiously, placing Ace onto the bed they had slept on.

Ace hesitate, "Uh...I...I was working out."

"WHAT!? You just got patched up, and you where supposed to be resting!" Ruby said.

"Come on, I'm a fast healer. Look-" Ace pulls off his wraps around his chest, "See? I was just doing a light workout to make this stiffness go away.."

Ruby stared in awe. Though his chest was full of scars that where from the fight they had earlier, they where almost completely healed. Wow...he looks pretty hot so scared up like that...Ruby thought. She soon found herself day dreaming about Ace.

"Uh...Ruby? You still with me?" Ace asked.

Ruby snapped back to reality, "Huh?! Oh, yeah, course I am. I was just thinking of reasons why you have such a fast healing rate..."

Ace presented his Dragon Arm, "Its because I'm a Dragon Faunus. Dragons are usually very fast healers, so I inherited the ability from that..."

Ruby smiled, "Wow, I wish I was part dragon too! It must be so cool!"

Ace shrugged, "Well, except for the fact that everyone in Vale thinks that all Faunus are murderers..."

"Well, thats because most people are ignorrante..." Ruby commented.

Ace nodded, "Yeeeah, that is true."

Ruby then stood up, stretching back her back. After that, she walks over towards the dorm door, taking the note that was stuck to it;

Dear Ruby and Ace,

You guys weren't awake during the time Kora and I got up from our Night Post. We where going to wake you guys up, but we thought you two looked so cute sleeping together, we didn't want to desterb you X3:

Ruby blushed furiously before continuing to read;

Anyway, whenever you two get up, make sure you get to Prof. Ozpin. He came by asking for you to to see him as soon as you can. Well, other than that, we gotta run, school classes to catch, you know. Don't worry about your classes, Prof. Ozpin has excused you two for the whole day. See Ya sis!

Yang Xio Long and Kora Hogana

"What does that peice of paper say?" Ace asked.

"It says that Yang and Kora had left for classes, and that we gotta go see Prof. Ozpin today." Ruby explained.

Ace looked shocked, "Prof. Ozpin? Why him?"

Ruby shruggs, "I don't know, maybe he wants to ask us about our "raid" on the White Fand's HQ..."

Ace nodds, "Makes sense...well, better get going-"

Ace stands up, stretching out all of his limbs. However, he overstretched on his side. Doing so, he fell to a knee, cradaling his side in pain. Ruby rushes to him, going to help him walk, but Ace lightly pushes her away.

"Ruby, come on, I gotta walk this off, I don't want you to go throwing yourself my direction whenever I'm hurt...I don't want to be a burden to you..." Ace explains.

Ruby shakes her head, "It isn't a burden to recieve help, Ace..."

Ruby, despite Ace's protests, helped him put on his trenchcoat, and helped him towards Prof. Ozpin's office.

Upon ariving at the doors of the office, Ace knocked on the doors. As he hit the third knock, the doors opened themselves.

"Come in..." a voice calls from the room.

Ruby and Ace look at each other with uncertainty. Nodding, they both enter into the room. As they entered, Ace was taken aback by the abstractness of the office. The gears turning all around the room where...unusual to him.

"I see you are intreeged by my office?" the voice called again.

Ruby and Ace turned to see Prof. Ozpin looking out of the window, enjoying what looked like a hot cup of coffe.

"Yeah...you could say something like that..." Ace answered.

"Ah, yes, this office has always striked me as an unusual place..."

Laughing to himself, Prof. Ozpin proceeded to his desk, taking extra care to take his time. After sitting, he motioned for Ruby and Ace to have a seat. Shaking their heads in silent thanks, they each took a seat in front of him.

"I can assume you both know why you are here?" Prof. Ozpin asked.

Ruby nodded, "Yes. You called us here because of what happened yesturday?"

"Correct."

"What do you want to know?" Ace asked harshly.

"Well...if you can explain what exactly happened, then that would be of great help to us and the Hunters and Huntresses..."

Ace looked at Ruby, questioning wether or not they should tell the truth or lie about what happened. Ruby slightly nodded her head, indicating that he should tell the truth. Sighing, Ace sat up in his chair, and explained everything that happened from when he and Ruby had gone on the date to when they defeated Cinder and Torchwick in battle. As he told the tale of their raid, Ozpin nodded slightly and listened intently to every single detail that was told. After Ace finished, Prof. Ozpin sat back in his chair, interlocking his fingers in front of his face. After what seemed like an eternity, Prof. Ozpin sat back up again.

"Thank you for shareing this information with me. Now, I have some good and bad news. Which would you-" Prof. Ozpin started.

Ace inturupted, "The Bad news. What happened?!"

"Ace! Chill out!" Ruby hissed.

Prof. Ozpin waved his hand, "It's quite all right. I know Ace just wants to make sure everything is ok. Well...sadly, the bad news is the White Fang, Cinder, and Torchwick are all currently missing..."

Ace and Ruby went into uproar.

"What the HELL do you mean, "missing"?!" Ace roared.

Ruby yelled, "What about thw HQ we raided?!"

"All of it is empty. It was almost as if nothing was there. The damage from the fight you two had is still their, so we know where the White Fang HQ was...but we are currently unable to pinpoint where they are. However, the good news is that we have gathered data from the abandoned White Fang HQ that might be very important...and it involves you, Ace." Ozpin said.

Ace froze, slowly catching Prof. Ozpin's eye. Whatever news he had, it was FAR from good. Ace knew that.

"Well? What is it?!" Ace demanded.

Prof. Ozpin sighed, "It's...your father. Soshitsu Hogana has risen, and is currently the new leader of the White Fang."

Scilence filled the room. Suddenly, Ace's Dragon Arm started radiating a red glow. It grew brighter and brighter by the minute.

"your...you...joke...right?" Ace asked shakily.

Ruby jumped up, "Ace, whats going-"

"Soshitsu...!" Ace shot up, fire not erupting around him.

Ozpin then dashed over to Ruby, both taking cover under Ozpin's desk. Ace exploded, running through the window Prof. Ozpin was standing a few moments earlier. Ruby managed to drag herself to the window, only to find Ace was no where to be seen.

"Where did he go?!" Ruby asked aloud.

"I...cannot say for certain...but, I do have a theroy..." Ozpin replied.

Ruby slowly peered out of an alley way that lead to The Ruins of Starfall. Nobody seemed to be around. Equipting herself with Crecent Rose, Ruby cautiously made her way around the ruins. Ashe and debris where scattered all over the floor, and she gagged with each breath. She soon found herself looking at what appeared to be a grave. Ruby approached the grave, examining the tombstone:

Here lies Angela Hogana

R.I.P.

September 1st, 1980 to December 8th, 2012.

Ruby read the tombstone over and over again. She soon felt a tear fall from her face. This...this is Ace's mom's tombstone...She foud herself thinking. Ruby knew at that moment, Ace and her had more in common than she could have ever know. Suddenly, Ruby heard something stiring behind her. She turned at high speeds, changing Cresent Rose into sniper mode. On the other end of the barrel stood Ace, aiming his dual-pistols at Ruby.

"R-Ruby?!" Ace stuttered, imediatlly lowering his guns.

Ruby lowered her weapon herself, "Ace?! Geez, why didn't say anything?"

The two stared at each other in an awkward scilence. After a few minutes, of scilence, Ace makes his way to th tombstone of his mother. Tears of ember fall down his cheeks.

"...I was only 12 when she died..." Ace started.

"Ace...it wasn't you-"

"But it WAS! I wasn't strong enough, it was I who she was killed in front of, I should have done SOMETHING!" Ace spat.

Ruby cried, "But Ace, please! It wasn't your fault, I know what it is like-"

Ace turned, his crimson eyes flaring, "No, you don't! You don't know what it's like to not have a mother!"

Ruby breathed deeply, "Actually...I do..."

These words made Ace stop in his tracks. W...what does she mean? Ace thought rapidly. Ruby's tears streamed from face at a rapid rate. She pulled her hood over her head.

"When I was young...my mother died on a mission. I was so young, that I don't even remember her face..." Ruby explained.

Ace, now feeling guilty, sank down to the cold floor. The flames of anger soon subsided. Ruby took her place next to him, bringing Ace's head to her cheast, hugging tight. Ace looked at Ruby, who was slightly crying at both of their loses.

"...Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"Lets make a promise to each other..."

Ruby sat up, looking at Ace with confusion. Ace looked her in the eye, looking extremely serious.

"What do you want to make a promise on?" Ruby asked.

Ace hesitated, "...Lets...lets promise to have each other's back, no matter what. We will be partners that will do anything to protect our teams from evil, and bring the White Fang to justice...can you promise this with me?"

Ruby closed her eyes, as if considering Ace's proposition. Finally, she jumped up, pulling off her hood, beeming at Ace.

"Then we had better get started in our search!" She proclaimed.

Ace nodded, crimson eyes flareing with determination. No matter what, you will pay for all the evil you put into the world, father...Ace thought in the back of his mind, before following Ruby out of the Starfall Ruins.