A few days after Qrow and the three remaining members of Team RWBY arrived at Patch, a small funeral was held for Ruby, in which only the four of them as well as Taiyang, Ozpin, and Glynda Goodwitch were all present for. It was quiet, kept secret from anyone else, and during the funeral, Qrow had taken Crescent Rose, which had been cleaned and polished beforehand, and partially transformed the weapon so that he could lean the scythe against the small gravestone that had been made. Ozpin had spared no time or money in getting a pure, white marble headstone carved, similar to that of Ruby's mother, Summer, and then had the memorial stone set up on the same cliff that Summer's grave was.

-Ruby Rose-

-A loving daughter, caring sister, and friend-

-Red Like Roses-

Yang had stayed out after everyone else had returned to the house, with Weiss rejoining her several hours later to see Yang sitting in front of the grave with Crescent Rose collapsed and resting on her lap. Letting out a small sigh, Weiss stepped up and lightly cleared her throat.

"Yang... you should come back now. It's getting late."

Weiss was answered by silence as Yang continued to sit there, merely shifting a bit so that she could rest her head on her knees as she stared out over the cliff. Weiss crossed her arms over her chest for a couple of seconds, a bit annoyed that she was being ignored, but quickly dropped them to her sides again as she moved closer, sitting down on the ground next to Yang quietly and crossing her hands together as she draped her forearms over the top of her knees. The two of them sat in silence for several seconds, with Weiss occasionally looking over to the blonde with a concerned look on her face, and after several minutes, Yang finally spoke.

"She always came up here, you know. Every month she'd sneak out to come talk to Summer, no matter what I told her about it being dangerous to go by herself..."

Weiss turned her head, looked at Yang for a moment, then half-chuckled at the thought.

"Yeah... she was stubborn like that. She never did listen very well," Weiss said, a tiny smile forming on her lips.

Yang shook her head, and Weiss saw, briefly, that Yang's eyes were puffy and red, telling Weiss that Yang had recently been crying hard.

"I can't believe she's really gone... I mean, I never thought that something like this would happen, I thought we would be able to bring her home," Weiss said in a whisper, looking at the headstone with a look of regret clear on her face.

The two of them fell silent again as the sun set under the horizon, the sky turning a myriad of oranges, blues, and purples as light faded from the day as night threatened to overtake the sky. While the two of them sat there, a light flurry of snow began to fall around them, with several snowflakes covering the ground around them in a light dusting as the gravestone gained a few flakes on its surface also.

"You two are still out here? Aren't you cold?"

Weiss turned her head, looking over her shoulder silently to see Blake standing a few feet away, as the other girl held a flashlight in her hands with a pair of earmuffs covering her cat ears. Weiss merely nodded before she faced forward again, letting out a breath that could be seen by the colder temperature in the air. She was used to the cold, having grown up in Atlas, and Yang made no mention of being cold either, seeing as she had been raised on the small island of Patch where it snowed regularly. Blake, however, being used to the tropical climate of Menagerie, shivered lightly as she walked over to her teammates, sitting down on the opposite side of Yang with a light grumble as she got comfortable.

"A lot happened that we didn't want..." Yang finally replied, looking at Blake as she sat down, the blonde sighing heavily as she leaned forward and leaned Crescent Rose against the headstone again. "I just wish I could have kept her safe from Raven... and the Grimm." She trailed off as she watched the sun set. "Salem..."

"It's not your fault Yang, don't blame yourself for this," Blake said as she grabbed Yang's hand, tightly holding it as she sat there. "None of this is your fault. There's no way you could have known that anything like this could happen."

"But she was my little sister; it was my job to protect her. And I screwed up; that day in the Emerald Forest, and again in Mistral. What kind of sister am I if I can't even do that?" Yang asked as she started sobbing again, closing her eyes as she hung her head.

"Yang, stop it. Even if you could have known, there wasn't much you could do; Ruby wasn't herself. Something happened to her to make her act that way; and I know she would hate to see you beat yourself up over this. She'd want you to keep being strong, just like you always are," Weiss said as she rested a hand on Yang's shoulder gently.

"How? How am I supposed to be strong, when the person I was being strong for is gone? Is it even worth it anymore?" Yang asked between sobs.

"Of course it is," Blake reassured, shifting in place so that she was facing Yang now. "Just because she's gone, doesn't mean you stop. You've got to keep being strong for her. And not just you, but me and Weiss, too now. We all have to be strong for Ruby. It's going to be hard, I won't lie to you, Yang. But we can do this for her. It was her dream to help people, to be a Huntress, and that's what we're going to do, alright?" Blake said as tears ran down her cheeks now.

"I don't know if I want to anymore..."

Weiss pulled her arm away, wiping her eyes a bit as the three of them sat there and collectively cried. "You can't quit Yang. I'll be damned if I let you just give up now. We're going to become Huntresses, and we're going to do it together... for Ruby."

Everyone was quiet for several seconds as the snow continued to fall, the last vestiges of sunlight fading completely as the shattered moon started rising behind them through the tree-line. They all sat there together and cried quietly, just holding each other and comforting one another as it became later in the night; and it wasn't until Yang had no more tears left to cry that any of them moved, with Yang rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand before she sniffled and nodded her head.

"Yeah... For Ruby."

Raven had left Beacon only a few days after Qrow and the girls had left for Patch, the Spring Maiden having been tasked with tracking down anyone who could be the new Fall Maiden after the power had been passed on from Ruby. And true to Ozpin's word, she had had her weapon confiscated to keep her from being able to open portals to wherever she wanted, and even though Raven could just as easily open a portal to someone she cared about, it was limited to only a certain number of people and still required a bit of effort without the Dust Scabbard. So, in lieu of her weapon, Raven had been given a loaner weapon by Ozpin, a rifle that was similar in design to the ones used by the Atlas military, albeit with a few modifications, such as a larger magazine capacity as well as a function to channel Raven's Maiden Powers into projectiles to help her in combat, should the need arise. While it wasn't the best choice for the Spring Maiden, she couldn't complain. At least she hadn't been locked up like her brother Qrow had wanted. She just wish she didn't have to play the part of a glorified manhunter.

Currently, Raven was aboard a train to Vacuo to try and track down a few people that Ruby had known and considered friends back at Beacon. Supposedly, Velvet Scarlatina, and Coco Adel of Team CFVY were stationed at Shade Academy, having been sent there a few months ago to help assist with a growing Grimm problem. Raven had no real reason to assume that either of them were the new Fall Maiden, but Ozpin had given her a list of people to look for, and they were on it, so here she was. Lucky her...

Raven was shaken from her thoughts when the train slid to a stop, the brakes squealing loudly and causing Raven to growl in annoyance and pull her mask down over her face as a few passengers shuffled towards the opening door. It wasn't that Raven hated people, she just didn't trust people that she didn't know. And having to be in public like this just made her more uncomfortable. She kept her eyes on the newer passengers as they found their seats, her mask making it nearly impossible to see her face underneath the ornately designed Grimm mask. It wasn't until the train started moving again that Raven slightly relaxed, looking out the window next to her to watch as the train pulled out from the station.

"Damn you, Ozpin..." She muttered under her breath.

When Ruby finally managed to climb her way back out of the ravine she had fallen in, the rain had stopped falling, and the sun was high above her, midday setting in as Ruby clambered over the edge of the cliff. Groaning in pain as her injured side practically felt like it was on fire from all of the climbing she had done so far, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky for several seconds as she took the chance to catch her breath. She had no idea how she had managed to get as far as she had, considering the fact that she had only stopped for water a few times during the climb, and still hadn't eaten anything since she regained consciousness; a fact that her stomach had no problem reminding her of as it audibly growled.

Ruby closed her eyes for a few moments, then climbed to her feet again, wincing from her side slightly, and started walking away from the river, stumbling occasionally due to not being in the best of shape.

"Gotta... gotta find food," She mumbled to herself, more to keep herself on task rather than get distracted by the pain.

As Ruby kept on walking, she replayed the events that had led to this, what had happened and what she had done to end up on the verge of death. She'd never wanted this. When she joined Salem... something that she never thought would ever happen, she had joined because she had had a plan. That plan was something that she had tried to keep a secret to everyone, even Salem. But now it had all fallen apart, she was alone now, with her own family trying to kill her, and now she had nothing, not even a weapon to defend herself. She didn't know if she should try and get her plans back on track, or just give up and actually, truly work for Salem; it seemed the better option at this point. At least, maybe then she would have a place to call home, and someone who cared for her, even if Ruby didn't fully trust the Grimm Queen.

"You think it's that easy to hide from her? How do you know she doesn't already know all about your plans, Ruby?"

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut a moment, shaking her head a moment before opening them again, going a bit pale when she saw Cinder standing several feet in front of her, the former Maiden glaring at her with her one good eye as Cinder's hand burned with a large flaming orb.

"You're not really here... you can't do anything to me, now just leave me alone, Cinder," Ruby growled through clenched teeth.

"So I'm... all in your head then?" Cinder smirked slightly, looking at the flames that enveloped her hand. "So sad... even now, after everything you've been through, you're still so naive."

Ruby narrowed her eyes a bit, then tightened her hands into fists as she stopped walking, standing only a few feet away from where Cinder was now. Ruby blinked several times as she stared, a tree near Cinder looking different as if a shadow were being cast on it from the glow of the fire, and Ruby could've sworn she saw the grass under the former Maiden looking flattened as if Cinder really was standing there.

"What is that supposed to mean, huh? You trying to just make me paranoid now, saying things you think will psyche me out?" Ruby questioned. "I hate to tell you, Cinder, but it's not going to work." Even as she said it, Ruby couldn't help but feel like it had made her a bit more paranoid. Something wasn't right, why did this hallucination feel so real compared to previous ones?

"I don't need to say anything. You're already wondering about it. I'm merely toying with you, I want to see if you believe it." Cinder mused, watching closely as Ruby's eyes started dancing around in a hurried way. "The damage has been done, Ruby. I'm in your head now, and I know all your little secrets. You think you can fool Salem, but do you really think you can keep lying to yourself about the truth? Even if you pull off getting all of the Relics, do you really think your plan will succeed? Salem will find out, and when she does... she'll dispose of you, just like she did with me."

Ruby felt her blood go cold, going a bit stiff for a second before she shook her head and called upon the power of Fall, using the little bit of Aura she had to call forth a large gust of wind. Leaves rustled in the trees, and the grass started swaying hard as Ruby snarled and sent the massive amount of wind towards Cinder, hoping to cause the hallucination to leave her alone.

"Shut up, I don't care what you think you know, you're not real! You can't do anything to me, and there's no way that Salem can know anything about that! Quit messing with my head, damn it!"

Cinder glared at Ruby as the wind passed through her, seeming more annoyed by it than anything else as the former Maiden walked towards Ruby, stalking towards her as her hand continued to be enveloped by fire. Ruby stood her ground, adamant that the hallucination couldn't do anything to her, and let out a heavy couple of breaths as her side started to hurt again.

"You're wrong, Little Rose. Salem knows everything. And when you return to her, she'll break you. Make you beg for death when she punishes you for your betrayal..." Cinder growled as she grabbed Ruby by the throat.

Ruby's eyes widened in horror and surprise at the feeling of the scorching flame-covered hand around her throat. Her hand shot to her throat, her fingers clawing at Cinder's hand, but found it impossible to pull her throat free. She was losing the ability to breathe, and her skin was burning, and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

"You're... n-not real. Get. Out. Of my head," Ruby choked out between breaths, her vision going blurry.

It was then that her remaining Silver Eye triggered, sending out a lance of white-hot energy that caused the hallucination to scream in anguish before pulling its hand away from Ruby's throat as it seemed to be vaporized. Ruby crumpled to the ground in a heap, grabbing her throat as air rushed back into her lungs, and as she hit the dirt, she saw the fading form of a Grimm a couple of feet from her, the body of the creature having been vaporized when her eye triggered. She laid there for several seconds, her mind reeling from everything that had just happened, and as she started to pass out again, she faintly heard someone shouting at her as, for the first time in weeks, her thoughts became clear and unclouded.

Ruby woke up several hours later, and found herself laying in a bed with a thin, slate-colored sheet draped over her as her head rested on a, rather stiff, pillow. She blinked several times, staring at the ceiling of an unfamiliar building, and narrowed her eyes in confusion when she realized that she could hear the sound of machinery not too far away. Turning her head, she let out a small whimper of pain as she coughed a couple of times, then stared across the room to see another empty pair of beds along the far side of the room, with several medical instruments lining a couple of shelves. She must have been in some sort of a clinic, if she had to guess, based on what she could see.

"Where am I now..?" Ruby groaned as she threw the sheet off of her, moving to sit upright on the edge of the bed. She hissed in pain as she did so, then looked down to see that she was wearing a black tank-top, one that was several sizes too large for her. But the other thing she saw was a large bandage wrapped around her midsection, covering the wound in her side completely. Someone had taken the time to make sure she was completely patched up; but then that brought up another question.

"Where are my clothes...?" She mumbled in a worried voice, looking around the room again.

It was then that she became aware of what type of room she was in; it wasn't very large, as it seemed to be the attic of whatever building Ruby now found herself in, with only enough room for the three beds as well as a few cabinets that were haphazardly lined against one of the walls with all of them being cluttered with either medical supplies or tools. One cabinet even seemed to be covered in a series of wrenches and screwdrivers, something that confused Ruby a lot.

Before Ruby had much time to examine the room any further, a loud bang sounded to her left, and she swung her head in that direction to see a metal hatch-door swing open and slam onto the wooden floor as a man with disheveled, dirty blonde hair climbed his way into the room. He had a pair of welding goggles on his head, and was smoking a cigarette as he brushed himself off and stood up straighter, looking at Ruby with a mildly annoyed look on his face.

"Well well, look who's back from the dead... 'Bout damn time, kid. Now, before you go asking any questions, why don't you come downstairs? Got some tea for ya' it'll help ya' feel better," the man said before letting out a puff of cigarette smoke, climbing back down the hole in the floor slowly.

"Wait! Who are you?" Ruby asked as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

The man stopped, poked his head back up from the hole, and grumbled before pulling his cigarette from his mouth with an annoyed frown. "Didn't I say not to ask questions?" He paused and sighed. "The name's Cid. Now get down here and drink yer' damn tea before I drag ya' down myself!"

Ruby blinked several times in confusion as the man disappeared from view, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

"Okay then... no questions. Got it," She said under her breath as she stood up and made her way towards the hatch.

AN:

And there's chapter 10!

This one was a bit of an interesting one to write, as I decided to go ahead and change the plot of the story just a bit. A lot of people have either left a review, or PM'd me saying how it's very strange that Ruby would suddenly give up everything and go to work for Salem like she had. And I know I already said that the Beetle Grimm is heavily influencing her actions, but I never really fully explained how. And I don't want it to seem like Ruby is being TOTALLY manipulated by Salem either, but at the same time, it is occurring. I wasn't sure how to handle it 100%, but after giving it some thought, I think I have a good plan now that can tie it all together while still using that element of psychosis that I wanted. Hopefully you guys can get a hint of the new plan from this chapter.

Also, I went ahead and decided to break up the 'doom and gloom' of the story by not only having a bit of humor at the end, but I also HEAVILY went and wrote in someone there at the end that is actually a reference to one of my personal favorite Final Fantasy characters. So, bonus points to you if you know who it is. He'll be making more of an impact in the story than just being the one to help patch Ruby up, so I hope you guys like him.

Anyways, let me know your thoughts; I hope to start on Chapter 11 in a day or two, so it shouldn't take long. Thanks for sticking with me and this story guys!

As Always

SR