I do not own RWBY

She'd never cared about right or wrong, maybe that made her a villain. To her, the world wasn't black and white but shades of grey. No one was completely evil, nor were they so pure that nothing could touch them. She refused to acknowledge the exceptions to that rule. In truth, she'd always been more than willing to kill those that stood in her way something that most would refer to as evil. She didn't care if her heart turned black if it meant getting what she wanted. After waiting thousands of years it was almost time for this world to end; for her to end. Ozma was nothing but a broken shell, despite how much he'd hidden his flaws over the years. Time and time again the man had turned humanity against her by telling a fraction of the truth.

Ozma was a hypocrite. He didn't believe that humanity would achieve peace nor did he truly think they were worth protecting. The simple truth was that he fought to keep her from winning. It was selfish to keep this game going as long as they had. He'd trained children into weapons before throwing them at her as if it would make a difference. When they died believing in his lies it was easy to see no one he tainted was going to see the truth. For a while, she'd simply watched as his pawns tossed themselves into hell in an effort to kill her. They never even made it to her castle, instead, they'd died without making a single difference. She buried those children. Despite how detached she'd been from the world, she still saw the truth of his actions. The only thing he wanted was to clean his hands of his sins.

So, while she sat here waiting for someone to finally kill her, she hadn't expected the man that arrived. Calling himself a god he proposed a plan to end her life along with Ozma's scheming. He offered her a way out of this world but she had to do what he wanted in exchange. She'd agreed to a plan that was going to end in her death.

Gathering her allies, despite how little she trusted this man, she turned toward a future that might finally set her free. It was easy to hunt down the silver-eyed warriors until there was only one left; a single girl that he'd made the key to her demise. To her, it was easy to order the deaths of those she didn't care about. She hoped that this girl would live up to the task she'd been given by fate.

Recruiting Cinder while knowing that the child was going to betray her, it was hard to believe that the same child had burrowed her way into her heart. The girl was so broken yet longed to put herself back together again to become something beautiful. When Cinder returned from Beacon it was easy to see that she'd found that missing piece of her life. It was something she herself had never been able to do after Ozma died. Tyrian was her son in all but blood. His loyalty was unquestionable. She loved him too, in truth, he was the only thing she'd miss in this forsaken world. Until he'd found Cora, she'd hesitated on going through with her plan that was going to leave him alone in the world. He didn't deserve to be alone, no one did. Now she knew that even when she died, he'd have someone he loved; that was all she needed to keep moving forward. Hazel was a fool, that she didn't care about in the slightest. Even if Ozma didn't kill him, she would. Who in their right mind joined the side of the creatures that killed their family? Apparently Hazel Reinhart. Just like Watts, he was going to die. Her plan didn't call for their lives, but that didn't matter to her. They didn't matter to her beyond their abilities and even then it was pushing the limits of her patience to keep them alive.

"Haven will be the beginning of the end."

Looking out at the empty grimm filled nothingness, her heart ached. History was going to remember her as nothing but a blight on the world, she was fine with that. Soon this world would end. All she had to do was wait, so why was she filled with so much uncertainty. It had been years since she felt so close to humanity. A part of her wanted to see what her chosen children would create in a world forsaken by the gods that created it. When she died, she hoped that they didn't morn her.

(Ruby)

Making it back to Raven's cabin was both a relief and a torment. On one hand both Vernal and Dakota decided to race for the shower with the faunus easily winning. Adam simply stood watching them go with a smirk that led her to think he was amused. What caused her to still was the two men waiting on them to return. Despite the way her hands trembled, she still smiled hoping to trick the fear inside her. Neither of them knew just how broken she was nor did she want them to ever find out. Deciding to act like her old self she broke into a run.

Tossing herself into Tai's arms she hugged him tightly. Having him return the hug so easily was like coming home. Burying her face against his shoulder, her throat tightened. She was happy to see him again, so why did she want to cry. Forcing down the emotion, she let him go with a smile painted on her face. Laughing when he ruffled her hair she noticed her dad standing off to the side of their little reunion. Instead of lunging at him, it was all she could do not to fall into his arms. Hugging him tightly, she pretended not to notice the way he sucked in a tense breath.

Just like usual he smelled of whiskey and gunpowder. He was the only person here that she trusted enough to hold her like this. Barely resisting the urge to crumble she pulled away with the same fake smile that was almost instinct by now. Noticing how his eyebrows drew together in worry she danced away with a happy laugh that almost got stuck in her throat. His smile was just as fake as her own as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Welcome home."

She was breaking. It was something he'd noticed after her fight with Tyrian but how was he supposed to help her. Viper might call him a King yet he had no idea how to do anything on his own. When he confessed to wanting a relationship with her there wasn't a shade of doubt that he'd scared her. The truth in his words meant nothing if it pushed her away. Still, he'd said his piece now it was up to her to decide what she wanted.

Ruby was strong, if given another year or two he didn't doubt that she would be able to defeat him. As a leader, she was the perfect soldier although her tendency to throw herself into battles was worrying. It might be selfish but he wanted her on his side. He was going to lead the White Fang soon, his people were getting into place right now. Even without Cinder's support, it was going to be easy to deal with Sienna's faction. When Raven got done leading the tribe it was going to fall into his hands as well. He'd have an army of terrorists and bandits; probably not the most competent force for change but it was the one he was stuck with.

With Ruby's plan to take Mistral he'd have an ally in power. The city was going to be under his control. It wasn't going to be easy, he doubted the nobility was going to roll over and let go of their hold on the Kingdom. She'd have trouble taking control with them in charge. With the current situation in Mistral, he wasn't going to be able to help her either. Children, faunus children, were going missing. A slavery ring was being created due to the lack of contact with other Kingdoms. There was also the fact Blake wasn't going to just let it go that he supposedly tried to have her family killed. He'd need to deal with those issues before even thinking of helping anyone.

While his logical reasoning was true, it wasn't the only reason he'd spoken so bluntly about his desires. She might be strong, but Ruby was fragile emotionally. If it was up to her, they'd never get past flirting and fighting, he wanted more than that in his life. Unlike what his team thought, he did have the urge to settle down with someone he respected. Ruby was the type of person that he respected more than anyone. The fact she kept moving despite how much she wanted to break was nothing short of amazing. Someone like that was what he wanted in his partner.

In truth, he'd been interested in her from the moment he learned of her existence. After all, it wasn't every day that a human caught his attention. Then he'd seen her fight with Viper and considered her a reckless child. Well, more like a reckless bloodthirsty child. Meeting her had only reinforced that belief. She was a little crazy yet when he talked to her it was easy to forget she was human. The fact they were so different fled from his mind when she grinned so brightly. Maybe it was selfish but he liked seeing her smile.

Turning toward the training ground behind the house he sighed. He didn't need to tell her how he felt once again, there was no point in repeating himself. It was hard to forget the fact that he wanted to voice his thoughts despite her desire not to listen. Hesitating, he glanced back at the way she faked a smile before deciding that training wasn't something he wanted to do right now. Heading into the house, he made his way to his room ignoring the bickering of Dakota and Vernal. Tossing his sword on the bed he frowned. Would it really be such a bad thing to repeat himself just this once?

(Pyrrha)

Fire danced across her fingertips with a playful energy that brought a smile to her face. Raising her hand she sent a wave of fire at the man in front of her only for him to block her flames with a wave of his hand. Unlike the maiden's her eyes didn't glow when she used her magic; part of her wondered why. Still, it was easy to call on the green flames to attack but doing anything else was pushing it. Wiping the sweat from her forehead she tilted her head when he motioned for their training session to end.

"You've gotten better," he said. The praise wasn't something that he gave out easily. Her answering smile caused his heart to melt a little. Was this how Anubis felt toward his child? Couching into his hand to bring himself back to reality he said, "but your magic isn't just for fighting."

"But destruction is easy," she stated. Eyeing the scorched floor around them he could easily tell she was telling the truth. This room might just be a mental construct for them to train in but it had been almost torn to pieces by her destructive tendencies.

"I'm a god of magic, healing, and trickery, not just destruction," he explained only getting a nod in return.

From the way she let the fire curl around her fingers, she didn't seem to understand. Allowing a dagger to appear in his hand, he rolled up his sleeve ignoring the way her eyes widened. Without flinching he sliced a thin line from his elbow to his wrist. Holding out his hand he ordered her to heal him. From what he'd seen she was a very hands-on student. Hesitating she let the fire fade as she moved closer to him. Watching as her hand hovered above the bleeding wound, he frowned at the flash of uncertainty that darted through her eyes.

"Relax, the magic knows what to do. Let it guide you."

Eyebrows pinching together she narrowed her eyes before breathing deeply. Her magic fluttered beneath her skin trying to rush to the surface only to stutter to a stop. The only thing she could make was fire. Setting him ablaze wasn't going to help him at all. Drawing away from him, she looked down at her hands.

"The only thing I can make is fire," she said softly. Fire burned away everything around it.

"What is fire to you?"

Stilling at the question she hesitated. Her fire was warm and playful. It was her home rather than anything else. Watching it hover over her palms she frowned. Fire destroyed until there was nothing left but ashes.

"It burns."

"Why?"

"Because it's fire."

"It's magic," he countered. She was still thinking like a mortal. Looking at the blood flowing down his arm he sighed before saying, "just because it takes the form of fire doesn't mean the only it'll do is burn. Fire burns to make way for something new. It provides warmth in the darkest moments. It comforts and cradles while lighting the way for those that are lost. Instead of thinking of it as fire just let it guide you."

Nodding slowly, she reached out. For a moment her flames hovered over his arm before curling around it like wrapping someone in a blanket. Instead of burning him, it flowed across his skin like water turning his blood to steam and sealing his wound closed as if it never existed in the first place. Watching the fire flicker out of existence, he couldn't keep the proud smile from his face. Noticing her staring into space he raised an eyebrow as she processed what she'd done. He was really starting to like having a child.

Hi guys, what did you think of this chapter? Anyway, I decided to try a writing aid, the one where you find songs to represent the characters. Some of you are probably wondering why I'm bringing this up; well, I had the idea to ask what songs do you think would fit Ruby and Adam both as individual characters and as a couple. I'll tell you guys what I come up with in the next chapter.

stay safe and have a good day

Shyla