A/N: Hello, Archemedies here, letting you all know I'm not dead, however you much you might have thought that due to the lack of updates. But I'm back, with the fifth intermission of this story/adventure/drug trip/thing. Delete as appropriate. But wait. What is this? The views...THERE OVER 9000!

I'm sorry. I had to. But all jokes aside, I can't tell you guys how shocked I am to find this story has over 10 thousand views. When I started this, I never thought it would get over a hundred views, but now, with 10,773 views, 62 follows, and 41 favorites, I just have to say: thank you.

Intermission 5: The Road to Hell...

"...Is paved with good intentions"

-Proverb

Ruby was simply sitting in her dorm room, discussing her day with the other members of her team, when conversation turned to a subject she didn't feel comfortable speaking about. Up until that point, she'd just been making mindless small talk, every-so often catching Blake's eye, and causing both girls to look away, blushing. Ruby still wasn't sure about what had happened that night, or why it had happened, or what it mean't. But she did know she needed to speak to Blake about it. Preferably without Yang or Weiss looking over their shoulders.

"Ruby, are you paying attention?" A shrill voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She focused to find Weiss giving her an Ice Glare TM.

"Wait, what?"

"I asked how your job was going"

"Oh...Er..."

DoNt tEll HeR

"Its..Fine"

SAy MoRE

"Yeah, just fine, nothing to worry about...Hehe" Her teammates gave her confused, and rather concerned looks. Blake especially.

ChANgE TOPiC

"So Blake, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Ruby"

The look she wore told the young huntress exactly what words were left unsaid.

"I'm fine Ruby" But you're obviously not.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Yang piped up.

"So, anyway me and ice queen here are gonna go grocery shopping-"

"OK, first off: Don't call me that, second: Why am I going with you?"

"First answer: Ice queen. Second answer: You're loaded"

Weiss simply gave an irritated sigh, before following the yellow headed brawler out the door.

Ruby let out a relieved breath, before turning-

And being pinned to the wall by a hyper-velocity Blake. The shorter girl was slammed against the wall, with Blake putting her hands on the wall on either side of Ruby's head, Blake's face, and lips, ending up only centimeters from Ruby's own.

WHOAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Erm. Blake?"

Blake said nothing, but continued to stare into the younger girls eyes.

"Seriously Blake, what are you-"

"You're not alright"

That simple truth, it tore through her veins, blew the cobwebs and whispers from her brain.

"No, I'm fine-"

"No you're not"

"Seriously-"

And then, nothing.

Nothing but warmth.

That's when she realized, Blake was kissing her. For a few, brief seconds, she fought against it, but soon, that stopped. After they separated, Blake sat her down on their bunk bed and looked her in the eye.

"..."

"..."

"Are you going to stop lying to me now?"

"I...I..." Ruby visibly deflated. "Yeah"

And thus, she began her tale. Of the marble bust, of the book, and of the five nights of horror she'd endured. As she talked and talked, Blake stared at her. And stared. With eyes that turned from confused to concerned. From concerned to worried. And from worried to scared.

"Ruby...How...How could you keep this a secret? Why would you keep this a secret?"

And that's when Ruby had to speak about the voices. Whispers, on the edge of hearing, beginning when she took that damned job, and growing in volume the longer she spent in that place. Strangely enough, they only made themselves known when she left that place, a siren song, calling her back. And that one, louder voice, clearer, and more concise, giving her instructions, pulling the strings from within the shadows.

After this, Blake had nothing to say.

Ruby watched her in silence, until she plucked up the courage to whisper:

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"No Ruby...I don't know what to think. All I want to know is...Are you going back?"

Ruby stared, shocked, at Blake, before responding:

"I...I...I feel like I have to. I don't know why, but I just can't leave that place behind"

Blake only looked at her with a mixture of pity and...Love?

Good God, it was love.

"Blake...About last night...What was that?"

Blake looked away.

"I don't know Ruby...But...I just...Feel for you...I can't describe it, but...I don't want you hurt"

"Blake, I wouldn't want you hurt either, but...Its more then that isn't it?"

The guilty look Blake cast down towards the floor gave her all the answer she needed.

"Wow...That's...I'm..."

That was when words failed the young girl, and, for the first time since her mothers passing, she was speechless. And so she did what she always did when words weren't enough.

She stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around the Faunas girl.

They stayed that way for sometime, as tears fell from both girls eyes, until the sound of heavy footfalls came up the stairs. The two girls quickly separated and sat down on the bunk beds, doing their best to look innocent. It was at this point Yang romped in through the door lugging several bags in with her.

"We're back!"

Her enthusiastic entrance was greeted by a dry:

"We noticed"

The words had come from where Blake currently sat on the bottom bunk of one of the beds.

Yang blew a raspberry in Blake's general direction, and walked over to the pantry and began to place items from the bags within. Weiss walked in after her, muttering under her breath about extortionate prices and daylight robbery. Ruby sat on her bunk, twiddling her thumbs, until she got the very definite feeling someone was staring at looked up from her clasped hands to find Blake giving her a smoldering glare. As she looked up and locked eyes with the raven haired girl, Blake mouthed at her:

Tell them?

Ruby glanced at the other two people in the room, before looking back and shaking her head. Blake frowned at her, before producing a book from somewhere about her person and turning her attention to the printed world on the page.

Ruby frowned, took one look at where Yang and Weiss where arguing about god knows what, pulled the covers up over her head and let sleep claim her.

START.

Once more, she sat on the ripped seat, hunched over the controls of the arcade machine, as that single word bored into her, flashing insistently. She hit the start button and began the game.

She seemed to be playing as Freddy once again, standing in the parts and service room. She stood for a few seconds, until what seemed to be the puppet appeared in the doorway, floated there for a little while, and then left. As it exited the room, a mechanical, monotone voice boomed:

S

She began to follow it.

A

It led her through a corridor.

V

She found herself in what seemed to be the room which contained the show stage, on which stood Toy Chica, Freddy, and Bonnie.

E

The puppet left the room, and led her down another corridor.

T

It pulled her through a square room, in one corner, lay the Mangle.

H

The puppet walked out, and she followed, strolling through a room which seemed strangely like her office.

E

Another corridor. But when she walked into the next room, the Purple Man stood at the far end. The Puppet was no-where to be found.

M

She tried to turn and run, but she couldn't run back out the door she'd come in through. The Purple Man advanced, and she had nowhere to run. He reached her, and the screen crackled into blue static.

You can't.