I do not own RWBY

Ruby stared up at the moonlit sky and continued walking although she didn't really want to. After looking for Blake for the last six hours she was far too exhausted to even think about anything other than finding her teammate. While she'd sent her teammates back to Beacon with Weiss' team and the case, she had continued to look. Even now she could still remember the look of terror on Jaune's face when he'd seen her; apparently, he'd been blaming himself for Weiss figuring out Blake was a faunus. Lucky for him she'd decided to let Blake decide his punishment once she found the faunus.

Logically she knew that Blake would meet Sun and be fine, but she wanted to find her teammate. She wanted the faunus to know that she wasn't going to push her away due to her species; not even Cardin would do that, anymore at least. The also more selfish reason was that she wanted to fight Roman Torchwick once more. Cardin was on standby back at Beacon so all she had to do was send him a message on her scroll two hours before the fight would take place.

Stumbling into someone she looked up to apologize; perhaps it was finally time for her to find an inn and take a nap. Looking up at the blonde she'd ran into she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Maybe staying up last night outlining her latest plot wasn't the best course of action but in her defense, she'd been sure that she'd managed to avoid her teammate playing Houdini. Now however she was looking up at the one person in the world she knew would never allow Blake to get hurt while also being the one person she willingly shipped her teammate with.

"You okay there," he asked with concern. Tail swishing behind him he blinked his blue eyes down at her as his hands rested on her shoulders, steadying the girl when she almost toppled over.

"Yeah," she said and covered her mouth when she yawned. Tired was an understatement; the first bed she saw was likely going to be the one she collapsed on. Or maybe she would just go to sleep on that park bench she passed an hour ago; they couldn't be that uncomfortable if homeless people slept on them all the time. Wait… she'd just found Sun who in canon had found Blake; it was possible that he knew where she was. Straightening she pushed her exhaustion into a box in the back of her mind before saying, "I'm looking for my teammate. She has black hair and golden eyes."

"You mean Blake," he said more than asked. Scratching the back of his head nervously he shifted slightly; should he really bring one of Blake's teammates right to her when she'd run away from them. However, he couldn't just leave her there when she looked ready to fall asleep standing up, and if she'd went to the trouble of looking for her teammate despite her exhaustion then she really cared about the girl. Seeing the raised eyebrow, she sent in his direction he said, "I'm Sun."

"I'm Ruby," she said an amused smile appearing on her face. Standing in front of her was one of the only people who would have Blake's back when she couldn't; she hoped that Blake would do the same for him. The smile on her face didn't vanish as she said, "you've seen Blake."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway; there was something knowing in her smile. Shifting nervously under her gaze he started, leading the girl back to the inn Blake was hiding at he was shocked that she was walking straight. The small girl had seemed dead on her feet yet now she was walking as if she was completely fine. Deciding he didn't like the silence, he asked, "so your Blake's teammate?"

"Leader," she corrected gently. Glancing over at the boy when he gasped, she resisted the urge to smirk.

"But you're so tiny," he said confusion in his voice. The girl's height barely reached his chest and he was shocked that she was a team leader. Seeing her roll her eyes he shifted nervously saying, "I mean I'm the leader of my team and none of them are as tiny as you."

"I can still fight despite being tiny. If you don't, believe me, we can always have a sparring match," she offered and he smirked slightly. She doubted that he knew what exactly he was signing up for when he nodded in agreement with her suggestion. Oh well, she wouldn't go easy on him.

Turning her thoughts back to Blake as they entered the inn Ruby began to worry. How would she react to seeing Blake? How should she react? She didn't even know if Blake wanted her here however that didn't mean she would back down and let her teammate be alone. In truth she was a very possessive person, even more so around people that she cared about. Blake was her's there was nothing else that she had to know in order to help the other girl. So, when Sun stopped outside a door and pushed it open, she didn't hesitate to enter the room.

Blake turned to look at the door from her spot by the window and froze when she saw her leader. She'd never seen Ruby look so tired; was that her fault. She paid no attention to Sun as Ruby stepped into the room and propped Crescent Rose against the wall, the girl was still so full of confidence that it radiated from her. There was part of her that wanted her leader to yell at her for leaving, yet there was a much bigger part that wanted Ruby to just pull her into a hug and never let go. She was so tired of being afraid of how the world would react to her being a faunus.

"I'll leave you two alone," Sun said closing the door. Whatever was about to happen was between teammates; not something that he could interfere with.

There was fear in Blake's eyes; it was obvious the faunus was worried about what she was going to say or do. Ruby could feel almost every muscle in her boy straining against the urge to draw the older girl into a hug however right now that might do more harm than good. While Blake might be her teammate, she was also a coward; Ruby didn't doubt that she would run away again at the slightest reason. That was why Blake had to be the one to start this conversation not her.

Blake waited for the small reaper to tackle her into a hug or yell at her, yet Ruby did neither. Instead she just stood there staring back at her with knowing silver eyes that pierced her soul. She felt as if Ruby could see past all the walls, she put up so instead she let them all down saying, "why are you here?"

Twitching at the question Ruby frowned her eyes narrowing. Did Blake not remember that she wasn't alone anymore? They were teammates, friends, so, why couldn't the faunus just understand that they wouldn't leave her to fight her demons alone. Ruby knew that she wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but she'd thought that the other girl would have at least accepted that her team would be there for her. Why couldn't she understand that she would never be alone? Sighing Ruby pushed down the torrent of emotions that she felt, instead she ran a hand through her hair.

"I thought you trusted us," she said finally before sitting on one of the beds in the room. Honestly at this point she was afraid that if she didn't sit down she would simply collapse. Looking up at her teammate she watched as Blake flinched but made no move to comfort the older girl instead she continued saying, "did you actually think we would turn on you?"

"No," Blake protested taking a step forward. While she might compare Ruby to Adam sometimes when the younger girl fought, she knew that she could trust her. Ruby was her friend even if she didn't really show it outwardly; she would even tolerate Cardin. She just didn't want her team to suffer for her mistakes nor did she want to lose them. Clenching her hands until her nails threatened to bite into her skin she said, "I just didn't know what to do."

"You ran," Ruby said calmly keeping the emotion out of her voice. She hated seeing her teammate like this however she couldn't afford to fall apart now. Tilting her head, she asked, "why?"

"I-" the older girl started before looking down. Would Ruby even understand her reasoning? The younger girl wasn't a faunus, she didn't know about the pain they were put through because of humans. She wanted to believe in her leader but at the same time, Weiss was a Schnee. The heiress to the SDC could make their lives hell if she wanted too and it was easier to run away than face the fact that she might have gotten her team into trouble. There was no way that she could explain to her leader that she was afraid her presence would get them hurt both emotionally and physically.

Ruby threaded her hands together and stared at the guilty faunus before sighing. She hated to admit it but she had a vague idea of what Blake was afraid of. While she knew Weiss wouldn't expose Blake the faunus had no such assurances. When she spoke, it was easy to hear the exhaustion and pain in her voice, "did you not trust me?"

Blake looked up and was surprised to see the tears in Ruby's eyes. The younger girl never showed her emotions so clearly, it was horrifying to know she was the cause of her leader's pain. She was quick to deny her leaders assumption, "there's no one I trust more."

It was shocking to realize that she meant the words wholeheartedly. Ruby, although she had her faults, was someone who had gained her trust. While it might be a mistake and lead her right back into the darkness, she'd escaped from she wanted to have faith in her leader. The redhead wasn't Adam despite how similar they were and treating her like him would cause nothing but grief. Ruby was kind and she doubted the girl would ever abandon her or order her to kill people.

"Then what does it matter," Ruby snapped as she tried to wipe her tears away. Until this moment she didn't know just how strongly the old fear of being abandoned clung to her soul. She didn't want to die alone again or be forgotten by those she loved. It wasn't fair how afraid she was of being alone. Trying to push the fears away she stood slowly and said, "the only person whose opinion you should be concerned about is ours, we're your teammates and if you're worried about someone taking you away then don't be. I don't like to share and your mine, my teammate, my friend. Nothing will change that."

"Sometimes it's not that easy," Blake said sadly. She knew all too well how cruel life could be and she doubted life would adhere to Ruby's plan for them. She'd seen far too many people crushed by the weight of the world to just believe in her leader without hesitation.

"This team is mine," Ruby said stubbornly her silver eyes flashing with a dangerous promise. She'd lost far too much in her first life to even consider giving up what she'd gained in this one. It was selfish but she'd rather burn the world to dust than allow anything to happen to those she cared about. Fighting to keep the possessive fire under control she said, "if you're worried about the Schnee's then don't be Weiss is on our side. If you're worried about the White Fang, then fight with us don't abandon us to go out on your own. How can we protect you if you keep running from us?"

Don't abandon me. It was an unsaid plea that hung in the air between them as if it was a dark cloud. Golden eyes widened as she noted the trembling in her leader's hands; it was all too easy to realize exactly what the younger girl was afraid of. She barely noticed her body was moving until her body was tackling her leader. Wrapping her arms around the girl she clung to her even as they crashed down onto the bed behind her leader. This was the first time she'd initiated any kind of contact with her leader and she could feel the younger girl shaking in her arms. Feeling Ruby return, the hug she closed her eyes taking in her leader's scent

The world might be cruel and crushing but Ruby was warm. The younger girl's stubborn nature would never allow her to walk away and abandon those she loved yet she also wouldn't shove her ideals on those she loved. It had taken one act of cowardice for Blake to realize that Ruby wasn't as strong as she pretended to be. The younger girl was terrified of being alone, she clung to those around her with iron claws. There was something fear-filled in the way Ruby tried to make everyone around her happy while keeping her own fears locked away.

When Sun returned to the room hours later, he was surprised to see them wrapped around each other fast asleep. At least, they had settled their issues, he hated arguing with his own team so seeing them make up so quickly was reassuring. Far too many teams had been destroyed by misunderstandings and arguments. He covered them with one of the blankets from his bed and went to lay down. He had to wonder what Neptune and his teammates were doing right now; were they angry that he'd came to Vale before them.

Ruby woke up the next morning to an empty bed and for a moment she almost panicked. The fear that her teammate had left her again was almost overwhelming, but she took a deep breath before pushing it down. Sitting up she stretched and looked around her eyes scanning the room for her teammate. Finding the black-haired girl sitting on the balcony with Sun eating breakfast she relaxed and stood slowly. Sun looked up when he saw a pale hand steal Blake's tea causing his blue eyes to meet amused silver.

"Morning Ruby," Blake said without glancing up at the other girl. Ruby sipped the tea before quickly giving it back to a smirking Blake however the taste lingered on her tongue.

"How can you drink something so bitter," she questioned and when Blake simply raised her eyebrow, she realized that was the reason the faunus was drinking bitter tea. It was a well-known fact among their team that Ruby liked sweet things. Rolling her eyes Ruby turned her attention to Sun saying, "good morning Sun."

"Morning," he said picking up his teacup with his tail.

The look of amusement she sent in his direction caught his attention, but she looked away from him just as quickly. Leaning against the railing behind her teammate's chair. She listened to Blake tell Sun about her past and felt a strange mixture of pride and sorrow for the older girl. It was impressive how Blake had broken the shackles holding her to the darkness of the world in favor of becoming a huntress.

"What about your parents," Ruby asked causing Blake's bow to twitch. The action brought an amused smile to Ruby's face while Sun looked between them curiously.

"They live on Menagerie," Blake told her leader as she placed down her teacup. It had been a while since she'd seen her family and thinking about them now made her realize how much she missed them. Yet even now she remembered the cruel words she'd said to them when she left to join Adam. There was a strained tone in her voice when she said, "my dad was in charge of the peaceful white fang until he stepped down."

"What are we going to do about the White Fang," Sun asked as Ruby stole a muffin off the table. While the two faunus talked it out and decided to check the docks for the white fang she continued to steal the food.

"So we're going to the docks to check and see if the white fang is going to steal the shipment of dust coming in tonight," Ruby clarified and both of them nodded. She didn't tell them she would be calling in backup or the fact that she knew Roman would be at the docks waiting on them. There was a smirk on her face as she said, "sounds fun."

"That's mine," Sun complained as she stole the last of his tea, Ruby was pleasantly surprised when it tasted sweet. Turning to Blake when he saw she wasn't going to give it back he asked, "Is she always like this?"

"I'm going to shower," Ruby said handing back his cup. It was far past time that the two faunus had a chance to talk alone and she wanted to wash her hair. Blake waited until Ruby vanished into the bathroom to speak.

"No, but I think she's decided your one of us," she said and when he looked confused, she sighed. Most of the time she didn't really understand her leader's mental state, she was pretty sure Cardin was the only one who could understand Ruby. There was one thing she did know about her leader; however, Ruby was incredibly accepting of people. Smiling slightly, she said, "in her mind the only reason she found me was you. That to her means you're under her protection."

"Did she do the same with you and your team," he asked curiously, he might be the leader of his team, but he'd never treated them the way Ruby did Blake. He did wonder just how strong the girl was that she thought a fight with the White Fang was fun.

"Yes," Blake said smiling although she might not admit it, she was happy for everything Ruby had done for her.

"Huh," he said confused but Blake simply smirked. She could have told him about Ruby's hugging habit but decided the look on his face would be worth seeing.

Hours later Ruby was placing her scroll back in her pocket after having sent a quick message to Cardin and her teammates. Running a quick hand through her hair she frowned slightly; there is always calm before a storm. Ruby could feel it coming and she hated it, the universe seemed to be pushing toward the fall of Beacon. It would have been all too easy to tell Ozpin everything, yet she didn't know if it was a good idea. All the things that she'd done up till now had been in preparation for the Fall of Beacon, yet she didn't know if she should even try to stop the attack.

As they reached the roof overlooking the docks, she felt her scroll buzz letting her know that Cardin had gotten her message. While he wouldn't be able to bring his team, mainly because neither of them thought his team could handle this, he would be able to bring along her teammates. She hadn't told Blake about her intention to summon reinforcements due to the fact she knew the older girl didn't want to involve their teammates.

Laying down on the roof she sighed deciding to close her eyes while they waited. Roman despite being a thief had more than enough battle experience than they did. If the man got serious, he might even be able to take out all three of them; at this point there was no way they could surprise him, well at least not for Sun or Blake. Her scythe skills were most likely on the same level as her uncle, and when her dagger was thrown in it would most likely be easy for her to overpower him.

She wouldn't be able to capture him though since that would change the timeline and she wanted to keep everything the same until her knowledge ran out. Cardin agreed that it would be for the best to keep almost everything the same while making small changes so that things would end in their favor. That didn't mean however that she had to hold back from having fun; for her battle was fun. The rush of battle was the only place where she felt truly at home.

Hearing footsteps she sat up slowly her eyes finding Sun as he walked over to sit beside her with his arms full of fruit. While Blake started a tangent about how stealing was wrong Ruby picked an apple off the pile and settled down to eat. She watched with amusement as the White Fang showed up without very much subtlety. If it was just Roman who was doing this raid, then it would be stealthier she had no doubt about that.

Hearing Roman snap at the faunus currently working to steal SDC dust, she took a bite out of her apple. The best thing to do would be to record the robbery and then present the evidence to Ozpin so he would open an investigation; however, there wouldn't be any fun in that. Watching Blake snarl and stand with anger dripping off her body, Ruby rolled her eyes. She was sure that Roman could be a lot worse if he wanted to be. She didn't see Neo around either so either the girl was off somewhere, or she was hiding in wait; personally, she would rather wait to meet Neo, however the prospect of meeting her early was tempting. Maybe she should start haunting ice cream shops for the woman, or would that count as stalking?

"The White Fang would never work with a human like him," Blake growled causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow. Was that bloodlust she sensed coming from the black-haired girl; how interesting. While Blake dove headfirst into the fray and held her blade to his neck, Ruby calmly finished her apple and stood. She wasn't really in a hurry to fight against Roman at the moment, but they did have to stall for their backup to arrive. Unfolding Crescent Rose, the small reaper vanished in a swirl of petals.

Sun froze his entire body stilling as dark petals fell to the ground around him followed shortly by the bodies of the White Fang agents. Landing in a crouch Ruby didn't see the way his face paled at the vindictive smirk on her face. Hearing a groan from one of the goons she'd knocked out her breathed a sigh of relief at the fact they were still alive. For a moment he'd thought that he'd once again surrounded himself with murderers.

Standing Ruby laid her weapon on her shoulders and winked at the goons daring them to attack her. Rising to her challenge they howled out a war cry as they charged at her head-on. The sharpened blade of her scythe shinned an eerie silver as she twisted the shaft spinning around her neck to catch one of them around the waist. Tossing him at his friends she felt minorly relieved that he had an aura and she hadn't just cut him in half; becoming a murderer at fifteen wasn't something she wanted to do. Chuckling she activated her semblance allowing the extra speed to let her cut through the goons around her as if they were nothing but paper while using the blunt side of her weapon this time.

"You guys were way too easy, you should try training more," she said while using her foot to prod the downed body of one of the faunus; his answering groan caused her to laugh. Glancing over at the battle between Blake, Sun, and Roman she narrowed her gaze.

It was easy to spot the goons that were trying to sneak up on her friends and she reacted. Using the recoil from her scythe's gunshot she launched herself into the air before using another shot to send herself crashing down behind her teammate like lightning. Seeing the White Fang members eyes widen at her appearance she twisted causing the blunt side of her scythe to crash into their bodies. Hearing a bone crack, she winced but otherwise didn't react as they hit the pavement harshly. All her hits were non-lethal so they should be fine.

Glancing over her shoulder at the battle behind her she winced as she saw Blake be kicked away into a metal crate. Seeing the girl's weapon slip from her grasp as her aura shattered Ruby tightened her grip on her scythe and moved to intercept the shot from Roman's cane. Sun caught Blake as she crumbled to the ground and Ruby deflected Roman's shot upward as she landed between him and the two faunus. Taking a moment to assess the situation she frowned. Blake was in no position to fight and Sun would spend all his time protecting the girl instead of helping.

"Take Blake and leave," she ordered turning her attention to the thief. Biting his lip the monkey faunus nodded before running from the battle; even he knew that right now he would be in the way rather than of any help. Seeing Roman raise an eyebrow she offered him an amused grin that caused him to give a lazy smile. Ignoring the goons trying to pick themselves up off the ground she said, "it was nice of you to wait."

"Good to see you too Red," he told her with a huff of amusement. The wild expression that crossed her face was the only warning he had before she was in front of him with her scythe poised to cut through his neck. Blocking the attack with his cane he barely noticed the sparks flying across his weapon as he shoved her away.

Stabbing the pummel of her scythe into the ground she swung around it before using the momentum to launch herself at him. Raising his cane to block he winced at the force bearing down on his arms only to feel his legs give out as she finally knocked him backward. Rolling to a stop he didn't even take the time to aim as he fired three shots in her direction. While two were easy to avoid the third skimmed past her face highlighting the wicked expression on her face.

He'd been right when he first met her, Neo would love this girl. He hadn't had this much fun fighting someone in a long time yet even he could tell she was holding back; however, it was the wild charge that outlined her inexperience. Sidestepping the downward slash that tore apart the pavement he grabbed the shaft of her scythe before kicking her in the chest. For a moment her eyes widened as she hung suspended in the air then her fingers lost their grip on her weapon and she was sent flying.

Crashing into the crate behind her harshly she gasped as all the air was forced from her lungs. Biting her lip, the reaper barely caught herself before she crumbled to the ground. Tasting copper, she licked at her lip while steadying herself; he kicked hard. Watching him toss her weapon to the side she felt her fingers twitch; most people would panic after losing their weapon yet somehow the situation set her blood on fire. Catching sight of a flash of white in the corner of her vision she ducked causing the machete to impact the crate with a clang. Grabbing the goon's wrist, she didn't hesitate to reach up with her other hand and grab his hair. The muffled groan he let out when she slammed his head into the crate was satisfying.

Stepping away from the downed man she noticed the group of goons around her who seemed to think they were threatening. Stomping down on the blade of the discarded machete she caught the weapon by the hilt when it flew upward. The feeling of the weapon in her hand caused her to grimace; it really was a piece of trash. Seeing Roman send an annoyed look toward the goons as well she tensed as they all charged at once causing her to lose sight of the thief.

Blocking a bullet, Ruby simmered in anger. She'd been enjoying her fight with Roman; how dare they interfere with her fun. They weren't even a threat either in fact the only thing they had the upper hand on was their numbers other than that they were nothing. She really hoped that not all White Fang members were this foolish or useless. All she wanted was a challenge, but they couldn't even provide that, could they? Finally allowing her annoyance to show on her face she lashed out the blade of the machete sparking as it impacted the one held by the goon unlucky enough to draw her attention.

The man stumbled causing him to crash his friend just before a golden shield slammed into them both. Dropping the machete, Ruby didn't even flinch as the shield flew past her and back into the hand of her partner. Silence hung in the air for a moment before Cardin charged past her with a vindictive smirk. At least he was getting a healthy outlet for his hate of the White Fang. Raising an eyebrow at the almost psychotic laugh that filled the air she briefly wondered if he needed counseling.

"One day! We let you out of our site for one day and you pick a fight with the fucking White Fang," Pyrrha hissed causing Ruby to flinch. Catching sight of Roman, she gave the older girl a sheepish smile before vanishing in a swirl of petals. Unsheathing her dagger, she appeared above the man only for her action to be followed by Jaune's worried cry.

A dark petal falling in front of his face was the only warning Roman had before she slashed downward with the weapon. The attack was barely blocked by the thief's cane before he angled the weapon to the side causing her to skid to the ground. This was getting far out of hand; it was past time that he retreated. As if reading his mind the girl lashed out with a wild swing that was far weaker than her earlier attacks.

"Want to call it a night Roman," she asked just loud enough he could hear her.

"Might be for the best," he said winking at the girl. The answering laugh sounded far too sweet for such a vicious little girl.

Nodding slightly Ruby flipped away from him giving him time to call out the order to retreat. There weren't many faunus left to answer his call but in their defense, they did try to get away from Pyrrha and Cardin's wrath. Watching him run for the airship, Ruby made no move to stop him, instead, she sheathed her weapon. She had no intention of capturing him tonight, that being said, she did hope he had time to play again in the future. Walking over to her scythe she casually slammed her palm into the chest of one of the goons when he tried to attack her.

After Roman escaped it took twenty more minutes for the cops to arrive; by that time Jaune had tied up the White Fang members. Even Blake and Sun had returned although Blake did have a mild concussion which was confirmed by the paramedics when they arrived. Pyrrha had been kind enough to wait until Blake was confirmed to make a full recovery before she snapped.

Tapping her foot against the pavement she calmly asked, "what were you thinking?"

Ruby shrank away from the tone as the older girl glared down at her waiting for an answer. It wasn't helping that Cardin was snickering at her predicament. Shifting nervously, she suddenly felt like a child who'd been caught stealing cookies. Resisting the urge to point at Blake and blame her for everything, she tugged at a loose strand of her hair.

"Um," Ruby started only to be cut off by Jaune.

"Grounded," he snapped sounding like an offended mother. Crossing his arms, he ignored the shocked and offended look sent at him by his faunus teammate. Instead, he said, "all three of you are grounded for a week!"

"I'm not a Beacon St-"

"Week and a half," Jaune said cutting off the monkey faunus. Paling Sun decided to cut his losses and nodded nervously in agreement with his fellow blonde.

Blinking at the commanding tone used by the Arc, Ruby allowed a small smile to appear on her face despite the fact she'd just been grounded by her teammate. She was happy that Jaune was finally growing as a person. Being so focused on her blonde teammate she didn't notice the realization appearing on Cardin's face.

"It's the hat," he stated with a grin. Seeing the confusion on their faces he sent Ruby a pointed look causing her eyes to widen as a blush spread across her face; he was talking about the crush she had on Roman.

"No, it's his smirk," she said without thinking. Slapping a hand over her mouth at the confession she hid her face in her hands as the boy laughed at her.