I do not own RWBY

Ozpin was alive. The man who put Pyrrha in a coma was still roaming Remnant without paying for his actions. Her partner hadn't woken for weeks yet he was completely fine. Shifting against her sister, she knew that only Yang's hold was the reason she was staying calm. Throwing a look in Jaune's direction she winced at the way he shook. Jaune and Pyrrha were much closer than her so he needed someone right now. Shaking off her sister, she moved to pull him into a hug. Despite how angry he was with her she was still his leader and he was still her knight. Locking his arms around her, he buried his face in her shoulder as if trying to hide from the world.

"This Salem, do we have any actual evidence that she wishes to destroy humanity?"

"Weiss!"

The question langured as Weiss tipped her head back. Cold blue eyes cut into the general with a ruthless efficiency that Ruby respected. She was right, all they had was Ozpin's word that Salem was the bad guy. Worse still they only knew half the story, without knowing Salem's side they would be siding with Ozpin who she really didn't like right now. None of them wanted to side with Ozpin; he'd ruined that the second he decided to hurt Pyrrha. Crossing her arms, Weiss waited for a long moment for him to say something however the general couldn't. Ozpin was the only piece of evidence they had.

Cutting her cold gaze to her sister, the girl raised an eyebrow. Winter was so quick to defend the man that it was almost offending. They spoke like it was a certainty that Salem was evil yet none of them had met the woman. Honestly, no matter how grateful she felt toward Ironwood for letting them stay in Atlas Academy she was starting to think that leaving would be a better idea. Although they didn't have many places to go unless she wanted to take over the SDC early. The mansion would give them plenty of room and allow them to have some distance from Ozpin's people. All she had to do was deal with her father.

Sending a glance at Ruby she wasn't shocked to find murder in those silver eyes. The reaper had always been quick to throw herself into battle despite it resulting in her getting hurt. Right now, Ruby was injured, she needed at least a week to recover even with aura, and they needed Aiden to treat Pyrrha. Making Ironwood their enemy wasn't a good idea, however, they all couldn't trust him not to side with them over Ozpin. He was loyal to the man despite Ozpin hurting Pyrrha.

It would be easy to stay here and have faith, but she refused to let faith try to be the solution to their issues. Tracing the hilt of the dagger Ruby had given her she sighed. Her family was complicated, she had no doubt Whitley would hate her for what she was going to do. The family she'd found at Beacon was much better and she wouldn't allow them to be hurt by Ironwood's faulty loyalty. Putting herself between her classmates and Ironwood's people she'd claimed as family she allowed a taunting smirk to appear on her face.

"There are three certainties in this situation: one Ozpin will return and you will be loyal to him, two he hurt Pyrrha making him lower than scum, and three Ruby will continue to get herself hurt trying to protect us. So, we can't stay here at the Academy, thank you for offering us your protection but we'll be clearing out within the week."

That wasn't fair, she didn't always get hurt. Pouting as Ironwood nodded in understanding, she ran a gentle hand through Jaune's hair. Where were they supposed to go now, it wasn't like they had piles of places left to go to. Unless Weiss decided to do something drastic. Given that her sister in law was waiting a week, the estimated time of her recovery, it was possible that she needed an attack dog. Was Weiss planning on attacking the Schnee manor, if so, she was happy to help.

"Weiss h-"

"Winter, I'll be arranging a family gathering. I trust you know what that means," she asked cutting off her sister before she could begin a lecture. Glancing at her classmates, she silently asked them to trust her only to free at the fact none of them were doubting her intentions. They all had faith that she was doing the right thing for them. They trusted her.

"Is that all you needed General," Cardin asked. He was buzzing with repressed anger which was only increased by the rage of his companions. They were all bordering on murderous except Ren who seemed to be suppressing his emotions all on his own.

Being dismissed by the man, Ruby started to pull away from her knight only to bit back a noise of shock when Jaune picked her up. Wrapping her arm around his shoulder, she frowned as he carried her from the room without her permission. Did this mean he was done hating her? She had no idea what her knight was thinking. Sighing the reaped leaned her head on his shoulder as they stalked toward the room, she'd been given during the last time she stayed here.

She could've walked, the pain medicine meant she didn't even feel pain right now. Pouting, she wondered if Ozpin would try to get them on his side. Ironwood's plan to raise Amity and announce Salem to the world was a bit short-sighted. By recalling his military, he left the rest of the world open to attack. By shutting down the dust trade he broke treaties with other Kingdoms. Nothing he did now would keep the world from thinking that he was preparing for war causing the panic levels of other Kingdoms to rise. Salem would use that panic to her advantage.

Mistral would be the next Kingdom attacked, that was plain to see since Cinder and her team had come from Haven. The spy placed in the Kingdom had to be pretty high up most likely a council member or a teacher; the easiest position to get Cinder into the Vytal Festival would be Headmaster. If she wasn't mistaken the Headmaster of Haven was Leonardo Lionheart the father of Theodore Lionheart one of the best Huntsman in the world. To most people thinking that Lionheart could be a traitor to humanity would be inconceivable; to her, it was a true possibility.

Every Huntsman Academy had a relic that was guarded by the Headmaster. That relic could only be accessed by a Magic Maiden, she ignored the part of herself that childishly longed to have magic powers. Had Cinder taken the relic under Beacon? Given that the General had no idea she felt like Cinder hadn't. The woman didn't come off like someone who wanted to destroy the world. If anything, the woman just seemed a bit bloodthirsty. Humming softly, she wondered if turning Cinder to her side would be possible.

Glancing up as they entered her room, she wasn't expecting the sight that met her gaze. Stuffed animals, shopping bags, and stacks of weapon magazines littered the room. By littered, she meant that her entire bed was covered in adorable stuffed animals. There was a dark red fleece blanket on the bed too along with fluffy fuzzy pillows. Almost purring as Jaune gently set her on the bed she grabbed the closest plushy to study it. The brown wolf was soft to the touch with emerald green eyes.

"Sky and Dove went a bit overboard," Russel said as he flipped through a magazine on handguns with feigned interest.

Flushing scarlet the two boys shifted nervously as Ruby turned her attention to them. They'd used Weiss's money to buy everything, but the girl hadn't complained about it. Exchanging a glance, they froze as Ruby stood and pulled them into a hug. It was the first time the girl had showed any sort of affection toward them. They wished that the hug lasted longer.

"I really worried you guys," she said. The soft tone paired with the puppy eyes she leveled in their direction caused almost everyone's heart to melt.

"What the hell were you thinking," Cardin snapped. He'd lasted about three hours before losing his mind that was a new record.

"I-"

"You have to realize that none of us want you to die for us. You have to realize that your life matters. Next time you might not be lucky enough to be saved," he said. There was rage in his eyes, but the rage was overshadowed by the genuine fear of losing her.

Usually, at this point, she would apologize and make some false promise about being more careful. That was how she acted every time he shouted at her to be more careful, however, that didn't happen. Instead, she sat back down on the bed with a sigh that sounded more defeated than anything else. Now he was worried; the worry increased tenfold when she picked up a random plushy and hugged it tightly. He could almost hear her thoughts from here as she shifted between determination and nervousness.

"Rubes?"

Yang's whisper carried through the silent room as the blonde sat down beside her sister. The last time Ruby looked this nervous she was seven. Before she could touch the reaper, a hand was clamped around her wrist. Bristling like an enraged cat she glared at Cardin daring him to keep touching her; she would punch him. Instead of releasing her like a sane person, he shook his head as if to warn her away from touching her sister. Who the hell did he think he was?

Two episodes in less than a month wasn't good. Yang had never seen her episodes, no one had, he himself could barely handle them. Having two teammates betray her back to back might not be something she could recover from. He hoped that he was just overreacting but nervousness like this wasn't normal. At this point, he was considering getting her a pet or something. Watching her eyes, he noticed them slowly closing off until her emotions were back into the box, she kept them in. Nodding, he released Yang's wrist before moving away. If her episodes got worse, they would have to tell the others about them.

Offering her sister, a fake smile, Ruby stood with a mumble that she was going to get some air. Leaving the room quickly she didn't notice the way everyone turned to look at Cardin who winced before scratching the back of his neck.

(Adam)

"A Month!"

The fact Viper stared at him with annoyance was worse than the way Trifa shouted. He would be gone for a month for the hunt Raven had planned. In truth, they had nothing to do until Sienna arrived in Mistral from her trip to Vacuo. That wouldn't happen for another three months at least, there was no point in making a move they had an opportunity. Leaving Viper and the others here while he went hunting was the best option, he also wanted a vacation.

"That girl's going to be there isn't she," Viper asked. The knowing smirk that spread across his face was slightly terrifying. Groaning, he leaned back against the cushions hoping that the others would simply let this go.

"Girl? What girl? Did you finally find someone," Trifa asked. The bounce in her step was all too easy to see, especially because she was grinning widely at him.

"Who our King? I doubt he'd know what to do with a girl if he found one," Yuma said. Tossing himself onto the couch opposite to Adam's own, he had to shift to ensure his wings didn't hit the cushions. Huffing the spider faunus rolled her eyes before kicking his leg just hard enough to make him notice.

"She's real, I fought her," Viper said. The words caused both agents to shift their gazes between him and Adam with varying levels of belief.

"Really!"

"I have the video."

"Let me see!"

Why were they so interested in his love life? There were so many bigger issues that they had to deal with at the moment. Leaning back as they watched the video, he felt a bit annoyed but mostly amused. The two had been in deep cover for over a year, having them home felt like more of a relief than anything else. It was nice to have them both safe.

He was excited about meeting Ruby, even though he would have to leave his people for a while. It wasn't as if anything would go wrong with Viper in control. The man might be a bit unpredictable, but he was good at his job. He was more worried about if Ruby was hurt or not after being stabbed by Ilia. The woman was nothing if not obsessed with Blake, the only reason she was still alive was because he would be able to use her.

"Oh, I have someone to introduce," Viper said brightly. Ignoring the way both Yuma and Trifa rewound and analyzed the video of his fight with Ruby. Tilting his head in confusion Adam had no idea what Viper was talking about. He'd vetoed and chosen each of his people by hand, interviewed all of them one by one. Lips pulling into a grin Viper said, "a stowaway."

"What?"

Sitting up, Adam narrowed his gaze. How did a stowaway get in his base? Were they dangerous, a threat?

"Yep, a little stowaway."

"Little?"

"You're bringing a un vetoed stowaway into my lounge," he asked. He decided that there was no point in trying to figure out what Viper was planning before it happened. There was no way the man would give away his plans. If anything, the man would become flightier stead of telling him the truth.

"Please..."

"Fine."

"Be right back," he said brightly. Rushing from the room to collect his newest toy, he didn't even try to hide his excitement.

Leaning back, Adam tried to relax, it wasn't as if Viper would bring someone dangerous into their group. If anything, the man's excitement spelled trouble for whoever he was talking about. Given the man had said little it was possible the stowaway was a child, leaving Viper around children wasn't the best of ideas. At least if he was dealing with a child, he didn't have time to talk about people's love lives. By peoples, he meant his. After Blake, he had no desire to share his relationship status with any of them much less Viper.

Noticing Trifa and Yuma rewind the video yet again he sighed. At this point, he had no idea if they were analyzing Ruby's fighting style or simply still doubting the girl existed. Seriously he showed interest in one person and suddenly they were planning his wedding. As long as they kept their fantasies to themselves and didn't both him about them, he didn't care. He would settle down one day, he was sure of that, but he had no intention of settling down before freeing the faunus.

Raising an eyebrow as Viper skipped back into the room holding someone's hand, he could almost feel their pain. It was a girl with long recently washed red hair, there were still beads of water dripping onto the towel across her shoulder. The fact she hid partially behind Viper and peaked out with distrusting green eyes made her a lot smarter than most of the recruits he dealt with. She was tiny reminding him of some of the kids that worked at SDC mines however this kid was from Menagerie. A white-spotted tail was flickering behind her revealing her anxiety.

"King, this is Nix isn't she adorable," Viper asked as he tugged her forward. Slumping in defeat the girl allowed him to herd her to stand in front of Adam. Her hands were smooth, she didn't have a weapon or any training with weapons. There was no way this girl was a threat to him and his people, however, she was a stowaway. Without waiting for Adam to speak Viper said, "she's a sixteen-year-old leopard faunus, I think snow leopard to be exact, and she has no combat experience at all. I found her hiding in the cargo bay, she had fleas."

Lips twitching into a frown the girl allowed her tail to jerk upward and slap the blonde man in the face. Viper didn't seem to mind if the way his grin widened meant anything. Deciding to ignore the wild grin on the blonde's face, Adam sighed.

"Why did you stowaway on our airships," he asked.

"I got scared by the fire," she said although he noticed that it wasn't the full truth. The girl didn't trust him, she was smart.

"Viper, kid's yours for now."

(Ruby)

Atlas had one thing going for it, a great view of the stars. Leaning back on her hands she stared up at the sky knowing that a view like this wasn't something she would ever see in Vale. She was strong enough to admit that she wasn't in the best mood at the moment; in truth, she had no idea how she was supposed to feel. What she did know was that she wasn't alright. Her emotions were all over the place making it hard to keep herself from reacting without thinking. Blake had in a way betrayed her, she didn't mind. People were naturally selfish creatures after all, and it helped that the faunus hadn't hurt the others. Somehow having Blake hurt the others would've been worse.

Still, having Blake choose Ilia did make her chest ache. They'd spent months together at Beacon, but that wasn't enough to make Blake choose them instead she'd chosen the woman who'd been attacking her house. She didn't know why her teammate, former teammate, prized the brunet nor did she care. Knowing wouldn't make the situation better. What she did know was that if she saw Ilia again the faunus would die, no matter what Blake thought. She missed the days at Beacon, life was easier; she'd known exactly what was going to happen.

No matter the injuries she'd gotten defending her teammates they always healed with no issues except for this time. Pain, blood loss, and scars were all things she could deal with. None of them were of any real consequence because they would heal this time was a little different.

The crunch of footsteps brought her out of her head as Cardin came to sit down beside her. He looked stressed, the darkness in his eyes was a lot more visible than usual. Maybe letting him take over leading the others while she was gone wasn't the best idea. He'd never been leader material, but he was an amazing warrior. She trusted him more than she trusted anyone.

"So, how bad," he asked. Catching the glance, he sent toward her stomach, she let a dark smile play on her lips.

"Are you sure you want to know," she asked.

Sometimes knowing was far worse than being kept in the dark. All these years she'd tried to keep her emotions under control, it was her only option. Now however there was no reason to play at being the perfect little reaper. There was no time to play around when she needed to establish her power base before Ozpin made himself known; she didn't have time to allow setbacks. Cardin nodded, just like always he was all too willing to try and carry her burdens. Leaning toward him, she curled against him knowing that he would need something to hold onto.

"I'll never have kids."


Hi guys, poor Ruby. So, what did you guys think about this chapter?

Anyway, I published a new story called Family, it's for RWBY if you have time check it out.

stay safe and have a good day

-Shyla