"Come on, Ruby! I'll race ya to the playground!"

"Yang, wait! My shoe is undone!"

"Then you should have tied it better!" Yang laughed as she left her sister in the dust and ran for the playground.

Ruby plopped herself down on the grass and crossed her arms. "Meanie…"

Ruby tried her best to retie her shoelaces, but she was having trouble as she couldn't seem to get her fingers to hold onto the metaphorical bunny ears while simultaneously looping the laces around and through them. Eventually, she gave up in a huff.

"Need a hand?"

Ruby lifted her head to see a slightly older girl with bright green hair and a skateboard under her arm. "Oh, um, y-yes please…"

The girl smiled and kneeled down in front of her, wasting no time in tying Ruby's shoes after placing her skateboard in the grass. Ruby couldn't help but feel like the girl looked strangely familiar. "Um, do I know you?"

"Hmm?" The green haired girl looked up at her for a moment before going back to tying. "Oh, I'm Reese. We met a few days ago back in the apartments."

Ruby went wide eyed as she finally remembered. "Oh yeah! I'm Ruby, it's nice to meet you."

Reese giggled and finished Ruby's laces before standing up. "Nice to meet you too."

"Hey Reese! Come on!" A voice yelled from a skatepark just a few dozen feet from the playground.

"On my way!" Reese helped Ruby to her feet. "I gotta hurry on back to May, wanna come along?"

"Oh, um…" Ruby eyed the skateboard Reese held, a small flower surrounded by bright green flames imprinted on the bottom of it. "I-I'd like to, but my sister is waiting for me at the playground."

"That's fine, maybe another time. Oh! And don't forget about my offer, I may not look it but I'm a pretty good skater so feel free to ask me for a lesson."

"Sure!" and with that, Ruby waved Reese off and ran over to the playground, where her sister was apparently watching the entire time.

"Who's your new friend?" Yang asked with a smile.

"Her name is Reese, she said she'd teach me how to skate!"

"Ha, I'm sure you'd land on your butt a lot"

"No way, I can totally do it!"

"I'd like to see you prove me wrong, sis."

The sound of a pencil tapping was the only thing that filled the void of silence. Ruby sat on the couch, her knees raised to her chest as she stared at the floor. Her fingers dug into her arms as she fought the urge to cut. Miss Peach had asked her a few questions regarding her issue, prodding questions that Ruby guessed were subtle ways to make sure she wasn't going to kill herself or something. Luckily, they were mostly asked as yes or no questions, giving Ruby more time to keep to herself. Once the questions had ended, Miss Peach called Raven for the third time, who was no doubt busy managing Qrow's restaurant as he fulfilled his temporary return to teaching.

Ruby can't even imagine how Raven was going to react, she doesn't know Raven very well after all. In fact, Ruby had only met Raven for the first time when she and her sister moved in with her. She knew nothing about her, other than that she was her sister's biological mom and was a long time friend of her own mom and father. Well, "friend" might not exactly be accurate.

"Ruby, how are you feeling?"

Ruby didn't respond, or rather she didn't know how to respond to that. She was feeling all sorts of things. Fear, sadness, anger, shame, guilt, the list went on. To make matters worse, she still hadn't eaten anything all day, which certainly didn't help her irritability.

"Ruby…"

"I'm fine." Ruby snapped as she dug her fingers deeper into her arms, clawing at her wrist, and buried her face into her knees.

Miss Peach sighed and went back to writing her report to the Headmaster, but a knock on her door caused Ruby to flinch and Miss Peach to get up from her seat. Ruby's grip on her wrist tightened as she waited for her worst fear to come true. Miss Peach walked up to the door and gave Ruby a reassuring smile as she walked by. "That must be Raven."

Ruby heard the door open as Miss Peach greeted Raven. "Miss Branw-"

"Alright, what's the problem?" Raven, wearing a white work blouse and maroon pencil skirt, stepped past Miss Peach and into the office. She stared at Ruby for a moment with raised a brow.

Ruby was going to respond, but luckily, Miss Peach saved her from explaining as she walked over to her desk and gestured for Raven to sit. "Don't worry, we'll be getting to that in just a sec. Please, have a seat."

Raven furrowed her brows but relented and sat in one of the two chairs in front of Peach's desk. Ruby curiously watched Raven's every move. As scared as Ruby was, she also couldn't help but wonder how Raven is going to react. Despite the professional clothing of her waitress job, Raven's posture was about as you'd expect, she slumped back into the chair with her legs parted despite the tight skirt she wore.

"So, did Ruby get into a fight or something?"

Ruby winced at that, she nearly forgot about her fight with Cardin, and Peach didn't have a clue about it. Now she just hoped that maybe she could get out of that stupid mess.

"No, she did not. Though that would certainly be better than the truth…" Miss Peach let out an exasperated sigh and clasped her hands together over her desk. "There's no simple way to put this, but Ruby appears to be cutting herself."

Almost as if on instinct, Ruby curled up on herself and tightened her grip on her wrists. She wasn't expecting Miss Peach to be so blunt about it. She buried her face into her knees to hide the fact that she might start crying again, the last thing she wants right now is to cry in front of Raven.

"I...I'm sorry, what?" Raven muttered, causing Ruby to suddenly peak her eyes out from above her arms and knees and saw that Raven's expression had an odd mix of confusion and shock.

Peach sighed, she really didn't want to repeat herself. "Ruby is cutting herself. A friend of hers reported that she suspected Ruby of cutting and so I was hoping to talk to her this morning, but I guess she was late for school and missed homeroom. Just a while ago, her same friend found her bleeding from the wrist in the locker room after P.E. and helped her to the nurse's office."

Raven was silent, staring intently at miss Peach while Ruby watched Raven's face contort from shock to concerned, surprising Ruby even further. Did Raven actually care? Why? Why would this woman who had only met her about a month ago care about her? Raven shifted in her seat for a moment, sitting up properly as she became a bit more serious.

"I…" Raven paused, clearly struggling for what she should say. Ruby couldn't blame Raven for being at a loss for words, her own mother was just as speechless when she found out as well. "Are you sure?"

Miss Peach took a deep breath before looking over at Ruby. "Ruby, I hate to ask you of this but would you please show Raven your wrist?"

A silence fell upon the office as Raven and Peach looked at Ruby, with Ruby staring blankly at Peach. She took a deep breath and decided to just get it over with. She couldn't hide it anymore, no matter how badly she wants to. She rolled up her sleeve as fast as she could, like ripping off a band aid.

The moment Raven saw the scars below the gauge bandages, she almost immediately avoided looking at them. She seemed shocked as she quietly cursed to herself, but not in such a way that Ruby was expecting. If Ruby didn't know any better, Raven was actually concerned. Raven was silent for a good minute before looking over to Miss Peach.

"So what's going to happen?" Raven seemed nervous, or rather she was unsure.

"Well, for starters, I advise Ruby receives help from a mental health professional and-"

"No." Ruby suddenly muttered. "I don't need it…"

"Ruby…"

"I don't need help, it's not the first time I've gotten over it!" By the time the words left her lips, it was too late. Ruby covered her mouth instantly as she realized what she just said. "Fuck…"

Miss Peach leaned forward over her desk as she arched a brow at Ruby, staring at her intently. "Care to explain what you mean by that?"

Ruby pursed her lips as she cursed herself internally. She really needs to stop speaking without thinking first. "...I relapsed."

Miss Peach gave a heavy sigh as if another boulder was placed on her shoulders. "When?"

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, struggling to get the words to come out of her throat. "W-When mom died…"

"Hmm...She died earlier this year, right?"

Ruby quickly nodded as tears threatened to spill forth. She didn't want to continue talking about her mother, and thankfully Miss Peach seemed to understand that and shifted her attention to Raven.

"Raven, you're awfully quiet after hearing that Ruby is hurting herself." Miss Peach stared at Raven, her eyes hiding the mistrust she had for the woman.

"I just don't know what to say…" Raven seemed distant as her eyes were glued to the floor.

"Well, I suppose that's understan-" A sudden knock on the office door interrupted Peach, causing her to roll her eyes as she got up. "Excuse me for a moment."

As Miss Peach walked over to the door, Ruby stared at Raven while she wasn't looking. Raven had always been a sort of mystery to Ruby. The woman was quick to anger, tended to keep to herself for the most part, and yet there was some sort of emotion that Ruby saw in the older woman's eyes from time to time. An emotion that Ruby couldn't quite figure out. And Raven currently had that emotion in her eyes right now, appearing distant and far away.

"Ah. Headmaster Ozpin, Miss Schnee. What are you-"

"Where is she?" Ruby flinched when she heard the familiar stern, angry tone of Winter Schnee behind her and was instantly reminded of the fact that she was still in trouble for what she did to Cardin in P.E. earlier.

"Ruby Rose!" Winter called as she stormed into Peach's office, stomping over to Ruby, who only locked her eyes onto the floor as she mentally prepared to be lectured. "I thought I told you to stay in the locker room until I took care of Cardin and Penny."

"Well, you see-"

"Is that all you Schnees care about?" Raven cut in, glaring at Winter with her piercing red eyes. "Ever thought that the world doesn't revolve around you and your fucking orders?"

"Ladies, please refrain from any fighting." The headmaster stepped into the office shortly after Winter, with Miss Peach looking both confused and annoyed behind him

"She started it." Raven muttered, crossing her arms and pouting like a student who was being lectured by a teacher. To be fair, she actually went to this very same school and still knew quite a few of the older teachers who still teach there, including the headmaster himself.

Winter scoffed but obeyed the headmaster nonetheless as she stood to the side, with Peach going back to her desk and Ozpin standing beside her. Ruby suddenly felt even more anxious as everyone was silent for a good few seconds, creating an already intense atmosphere even more so. Miss Peach cleared her throat as she decided to be the first to speak before Winter and Raven could tear each other's throats out.

"So, I will try asking again." Peach did her best not to glare at Winter and managed to maintain a neutral and professional expression. "What is the reason you decided to barge into my office and lecture Ruby in front of her guardian without first explaining yourself?"

"Ruby got into a fight with Cardin Winchester, beating him and breaking his nose, right after he threw a ball into another student's face, giving them a bloody nose." Winter explained without hesitation.

"Sounds like the Winchester brat deserved it." Raven scoffed, earning her a fierce glare from Winter.

"She attacked another student."

"And? The other student just so happens to be a little sack of shit just like his father. I don't see the problem here."

"Why you-That is no reason to tackle someone and beat them into a bloody pulp!"

"Wait, what?" Raven instantly turned to Ruby with a surprised, almost excited look in her eyes. Ruby nodded, admitting to her brief moment of rage. Raven laughed, an unsurprisingly excited laugh. "Ha! I thought you probably just punched the little shit! Who knew the little wallflower had it in her to beat the snot out of someone!"

Ruby shrunk in on herself from the sudden attention she got from Raven and Winter, who resumed , a sudden cough brought the two women's attention away from her

"Ladies, I believe there is more to the issue at hand besides a simple school yard brawl." Ozpin's tone was serious, clearly losing his patience with his former students turned adults. Both Raven and Winter looked to the side, both crossing their arms and remained silent. Ozpin sighed and looked over to Peach who looked just as annoyed with the bickering women as the headmaster. "Miss Peach, what exactly is the reason Ruby came here instead of staying put like Winter told her to?"

Miss Peach removed her glasses in order to massage her temple. She had barely made any progress and she was already feeling a headache. "Weiss brought her to me after she found her alone in the locker room with blood coming from her wrist."

"What?" Winter asked almost instantly, looking just as surprised as Raven did earlier. "But.. Ruby wasn't hurt at all during or after the fight. Why was she bleeding?"

"She's cutting herself." Peach stated without a single ounce of hesitation. "Weiss, your sister, helped Ruby and took her to the nurse right before informing me of what happened."

"Wait, why was Weiss in my class's female locker room?"

Miss Peach and Winter stared at each other silently for a moment as Peach tried to figure out how to answer without revealing too much about Weiss or her off the book counseling sessions with her. In the end, she decided to just go with explaining what she did know that didn't involve any personal information.

"Weiss had a feeling Ruby might be cutting herself, so she informed me. I hoped to have Ruby come in first thing in the morning and talk, to see if what Weiss claimed was true." Peach glanced over at Ruby, who was still avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room, sitting on the couch with her knees against her chest.

Ruby wished she could just disappear right now, all this attention was starting to get to her. It was too much for her, she wanted to cut. No, she needed to cut. Everything was going wrong and there was nothing she could do about it, it could only get worse as she was sure that even more people would have to be told what was going on.

"Hmmm…" Ozpin took a sip from his ever so present coffee mug, it was almost as if the thing was a part of him with how often he carried it around with him. However, he didn't say anything, simply pondering about the dreadful information. Miss Peach however, had much to say on the matter.

"I would like to have Ruby come in a couple times a week for counseling." Miss Peach didn't waver, in fact, she was absolutely determined to help Ruby the best she could. "Also, I believe it would be beneficial for her to be moved into Mr. Branwen's P.E. class to avoid any future issues with Cardin."

Ozpin sipped again from his mug, still looking every bit serious regarding the matter. "Alright. Winter, is there anything wrong with that?"

Winter sighed but shook her head. "No. I actually agree. It would probably be better if she was in her uncle's class."

"She should also start seeing a proper psychiatrist." Peach added. "As confident as I am to help, I'm afraid I can do much outside of general guidance."

Ruby drowned out most of the conversation at this point as her focus was put more on fighting off the urge to cut. Her fingers bore into the sleeves of her blouse. With so many emotions raging inside her, all of it mixed into a state of fearful confusion as she wondered how any of this could get any worse for her.

"Miss Rose?"

Ruby looked up at Ozpin to see a soft smile on his face. "Y-Yeah?"

"I believe today's been quite the ordeal for you, how about we have you go home early."

"What? B-But what about my classes?"

"I'll make sure that Mr. Port gets the notes from your classes and you can pick them up in homeroom tomorrow." Ozpin continued to smile softly, taking a small sip from his bug as if he were having a pleasant conversation with her and not talking to the broken girl that she knew she was.

Ruby sighed in defeat, knowing full well that she really wasn't being given a choice in the matter. She nodded and slowly stood from the couch, picking up her backpack and slinging it over one shoulder. "Fine…"

"Ah, before leaving. We do need Raven to fill out a few documents." Peach began digging through her desk and handed a rather reluctant Raven several papers and a pen. "Just need you sign these stating that we've informed you of your child-erm, Ruby's problem."

Raven swiftly signed the papers and handed them back, only for Peach to hand her another paper. "What's this?"

"A Parent fact sheet, I'm obligated to give you that."

Raven's brows furrowed as she skimmed through it for a few seconds before folding it several times and shoved it into her breast pocket. She went over towards the door where Ruby awkwardly waited and led Ruby out into the hall and towards the parking lot of the school. The entire walk to the truck was done in silence with Ruby walking barefoot across the school's polished floor and then on concrete and asphalt. Ruby made a pained expression once she got to the rocky, black surface of the parking lot as she felt a slight sense of pain in her feet. Ruby didn't care. If she couldn't run away from what is going to happen next, then she might as well try to get it done and over with as soon as possible.

Once at the old grey pick-up, Ruby swung open the passenger side door and slammed it shut behind her after getting in. Raven soon followed, although she was clearly more calm as she got in. there was a sudden silence as Raven simply sat there for a few seconds, not moving at all before she finally pulled out the paper Miss Peach handed her. Ruby watched Raven in the corner of her eye, curious and surprised to see Raven actually taking her time to read it. Raven looked serious as her eyes narrowed at the fine print.

Raven's grip on the paper tightened, crumpling the paper in the process, and let her hand fall to her lap. She glanced over at Ruby before letting out a heavy sigh. "You probably want to go straight home, huh?"

Ruby didn't meet Raven's eyes and simply raised her knees to her chest, hugging herself as she glared at the dashboard in front of her. "I don't care."

"Alright." Raven sighed again and finally reached for the ignition where she left the keys inside while she was in the school. "It'll be irresponsible of me to drop you off at home, so I guess you're coming with me back to Little Miss Fortune."

When Weiss had to return to her classes, she didn't bother trying to hide how puffy her eyes were after crying. She didn't talk to her friends in class and spent the rest of her day wanting to be by herself. So by the end of the day, she was mentally exhausted as she got ready for Fencing. While she and the rest of the girls in her Fencing Club changed into their gear, everyone was chatting excitedly while Weiss kept to herself.

"Hey, did you hear? That guy Sun is having a party at the beach again tonight."

"Again?"

"Yeah! Want to go?"

"Sure!"

Weiss ignored the chatter of her fellow students and slammed her locker shut, startling everyone around her. She ignored the stares she received as she made her way out of the locker room and into the gymnasium, where her older sister was waiting patiently while reading something on a clipboard. As the first and only person out of the locker rooms as of yet, Weiss walked straight up to Winter and stood idly to wait for her fellow students.

"Is something bothering you, Weiss?"

"No, just tired." It wasn't exactly a lie, just half of the truth.

Winter stared at her for a moment, her eyes narrowed as if analyzing Weiss like a possible crook. "...I-"

The doors for both gendered locker rooms suddenly swung open as the rest of the Club's members entered the gymnasium and Winter cut herself off in order to begin the session. She held her clipboard under her arm and cleared her throat. "Alright everyone, glad to finally see you all again after a week of having to prepare for the upcoming festival. It's a shame I was only able to convince the headmaster to resume our extra curricular activities for only a week before going back to preparing again next Monday."

Weiss was barely listening as the only thing on her mind was Ruby. Should she try talking to her again? Would Ruby even give her the time of day? Maybe she should just leave Ruby alone for a while.

"Now let's get started, I want you guys to be in top fighting shape before the tournament next month and this week is the last week in October for us to get some practice in."

Weiss nearly groaned out loud. She had forgotten all about the upcoming regional fencing tournament. She was already so busy with her classes and studying, then adding Ruby's sudden return on top of that certainly kept Weiss' mind preoccupied. Though, it was just one more thing Weiss had to stress over now.

Winter then separated everyone in groups of two as sparring partners as usual, with Weiss being partner with another student that she once again didn't bother knowing the name of. And once again, Weiss couldn't bring herself to be at her best. Sure she was currently winning, but just barely. She couldn't care less about this spar, let alone the upcoming tournament. Why did she even join the club again? Was it because her sister was in charge of it, giving her time to spend with her? It was the only reason she could honestly come up with. But in truth, even while spending her afternoons in the fencing club with her sister, Weiss didn't feel any closer to her sister most of the time. Even in the same room as her, Winter was just too busy.

'Maybe I should just quit...It'd be a lot easier if I could use this time studying and I'd probably be a lot less stre-AAH!"

It all happened so fast as Weiss suddenly fell backwards and onto the safety mat with a quiet thud. She made no motion to get up as she stared up at the ceiling and heard the sound of her sparring partner rushing over and kneeling beside her, their protective mask visible on the other side of her own.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine…" Weiss sat herself up and removed her mask. 'Great, now Winter is going to come over and lecture me.'

"Weiss." Like clockwork, Winter was already walking over to Weiss and her sparring partner, who quickly got up from their kneeling position and helped Weiss up to her feet.

"I'm fine." Weiss dusted herself off and picked up her rapier. "No need to fret."

"Weiss, can I speak to you for a moment?" Winter wasn't really giving her a choice as she was already walking over to an isolated area away from the other club members. Weiss rolled her eyes as she turned around and followed her.

"Winter, I'm fine. I was just spacing out for a second and-"

"How are you feeling?" Winter wasn't giving Weiss the stern and confident expression she usually wore when she is currently teaching. Instead, her eyes had a glint of worry in them and she had a slight frown that she seemed to be trying to avoid making.

"I...I'm fine. Like I said earlier, I'm just tired." Weiss gripped onto her rapier a little tighter. She didn't like the way Winter was looking at her, it wasn't normal. It's not the Winter she's used to.

"Does it have something to do with what happened with Ruby earlier today?"

Weiss nearly dropped her rapier in surprise. "H-How do you-"

"Miss Peach told me after I found Ruby in her office." Winter took a deep breath and sighed before she took a step forward, placing a gentle hand on Weiss' shoulder. "I'm glad to hear you helped her, but don't let it get to you. It doesn't involve you and-"

"Yes it does!" Weiss snapped, her grip on her rapier tightened to the point of turning her knuckles white. She had shut her eyes tight, hoping it'd be enough to block the tears that were beginning to form. She was sure that everyone in the gymnasium was staring at her and her sister now, wondering why on earth she snapped. To be honest, she didn't know why either, she just couldn't contain all of her stress and emotions anymore.

Without warning, Weiss was suddenly tugged along by her sister, who led her to the hall outside the gymnasium and into Winter's small office. Winter closed the door behind them before returning to Weiss. Weiss didn't question why they had suddenly just left the gymnasium, she didn't care if others saw her like this but maybe Winter wanted to save her from the embarrassment.

"What is wrong, Weiss?"

Weiss stared at her own feet, struggling and failing to hold back a few tears. She felt like a small child again, weak and scared. "Nothing…"

"Weiss...I know I'm not good at this, but I'm trying my best here…" Winter drew small circles with her thumbs on Weiss' arms. "So please, tell me what is wrong."

"I…what if she's cutting herself because of me, b-because of what I did to her back then…"

"I-I'm sure that isn't the case, Weiss." Winter failed to hide her uncertainty, which only fueled Weiss' fear.

"You don't know that!" Weiss finally looked up at her sister, glaring with tears staining her cheeks. "Ruby was my friend and yet I let that stupid bitch manipulate me into bullying her all because I'm too afraid of father!"

"...W-What?" Winter looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

She shut her eyes tight, realizing what she just said. "Shit…"

Weiss turned around and sat in one of the nearby chairs in her sister's office, burying her face into her hands. Why the hell did she just say that?! Now Winter's going to ask more questions and probably won't let her go until she's answered every single one. However, after a few seconds, no questions came. A few more and still nothing. A deafening silence surrounded her and Weiss couldn't stand it. She looked back up at her sister and managed to glare at her. But Winter wasn't angry like she thought she'd be, but rather she looked confused as well as tense.

"So...you and Ruby were friends?"

The confused expression Winter gave her was enough for Weiss to end her glare and sigh as she sunk into her seat. She hated how she suddenly felt guilty for lying to her sister. "Yes…"

"But-"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Weiss looked at her sister with pleading eyes, begging for her to just drop the topic. She wasn't in the mood right now to explain everything to her sister at the moment.

Winter was silent for a moment, further fueling Weiss' anxiety, but she eventually nodded. "Okay. Okay, I understand. I won't pry."

"Thank you...I promise I'll explain when I'm feeling up for it. Now if you excuse me, I think I'm gonna head home early." Weiss got up from her chair and was about to walk out of the office.

"Weiss, wait." Winter walked behind her desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a small blue and white box. "I managed to get your patches that Saphron prescribed for you from the pharmacy yesterday. I was gonna give them to you after practice but, since you're going home early…"

Weiss hesitantly took the box and stared at it for a moment, briefly skimming over the directions and such before finally smiling at her sister. With everything that has happened with Ruby, Weiss had completely forgotten her doctor's appointment with Saphron. Yet despite her forgetting about her patches, Winter didn't forget and even managed to pick them up for her. Despite how stern and unemotional her sister portrayed herself, deep down Winter loved her deeply and always went out of her way to support her.

"Thanks...For taking care of me so much. I'm Sorry for being such a hassle and-"

Winter suddenly gave her a tight but brief hug that caught Weiss completely off guard, lasting only a second before pulling away. But that one second was probably the closest Weiss had ever felt with her older sister in years if not ever, both literally and figuratively. "Don't apologize. I know I can be...difficult, but just remember that I'm always here for you no matter what."

Weiss couldn't stop herself from smiling even if she tried, she gave Winter another hug, but unlike her sister, she had no interest in letting go after just a second. Winter was surprised by the sudden act of affection but eventually relaxed and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Winter."