[...The robbery was led by the nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities as of late. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the local Vale Police Department. Back to you, Vicky…]

As the report continued, the more guilt Ruby felt within her. However, this wouldn't be the first time she'd be listening to recent criminal activity. It's almost second nature for her to listen to either local news or police radio dispatches during the dead of night. Even though she hung up her 'cape', there was nothing stopping her from checking in once in a while, no matter how guilty she felt.

She would, however, be too busy in thought to notice her older sister sneak up behind her and bear hug her once again for the third time in the last two days. Ruby's back was already starting to ache, and she was half sure that something was already broken.

"I still can't believe my younger sister is heading to Beacon with me! I'm soo proud of you!" Yang excitedly said as she waved her sister around.

"Y-Yang...P-Ple-ase...I-t's..no big deal..." The blonde beauty dropped Ruby and gave her a questionable look.

"Ruby, let's be real here. You single-handedly stopped a well-renowned criminal from robbing a Dust shop. Not only that, you personally gained the interest of both headmaster AND headmistress of Beacon Academy. They even bumped you up to attend Beacon early. How is that not a big deal to you!?"

The young huntress grumbled to herself at the praise given. The media is always all over the achievements of Hunters and Huntresses these days. It's not that she doesn't want people to recognize what they do for the community, but it's the fact that news outlets of kingdoms almost never cover the good that their local police do. If a Huntress-in-training stops a local robbery, that will always get their attention. But if the local police department stops an illegal dust trade that could possibly threaten the lives of civilians on the street, it always falls under the radar of what the media wants.

[In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now…]

That's the other thing that fueled Ruby's guilt trip, attacks from violent organizations. She could've stopped it if she had investigated the now rogue faction of a once peaceful organization. Maybe she could've saved lives? Or even stopped the rogue faction in the first place?

Her loathing would be interrupted as the news feed nearby would be cut off to show headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, about to make an announcement.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon"

"Who's that?"

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch"

"Oh"

"You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of…"

Another mystery Ruby had yet to solve herself. It was no mistake that Professor Ozpin needed her for something and wanted to keep a closer eye on what she's doing. What are you after?

"I guess home isn't too far after all"

Ruby looked to Yang, seeing her give a warm smile at the view ahead of them. From the window of the airship, almost all of Vale could be seen; the working people at the commercial district, the small homey feeling of the residential district, and if you squint, even the nostalgic small island of Patch where both girls used to live. Ruby couldn't help but mirror the blonde's face. Vale really was beautiful from up there. The view would've given anyone a sense of peace and-

Blaargh!

"Ew! Ew! Ew! It's on my shoes! It's on my shoes!"

I guess the view isn't for everyone

As soon as the airship docked at Beacon, many students rushed out to get some fresh air, especially the blonde boy with motion sickness, who immediately went for a nearby trashcan to continue to puke his guts out. Lucky for him, a kind young huntress in red decided to be there and comfort the puking boy. Her attempt at soothing was rubbing circles onto his back and having crackers at the ready for when he's done. Ruby knew as well as anyone the effects of motion sickness. She shuddered at the memory.

Seeing as the boy probably won't be stopping anytime soon, Ruby looked towards her other companion. "Why don't you go ahead, Yang? I think I see a couple of your friends calling out for you."

Yang's face turned from confused to a cheshire grin. "Oh, my little sister is already trying to get herself a boyfriend." She playfully said as she grouped up with her friends and left the two alone.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the antics before checking up on the sick boy

"T-Thank y-ou." Was all he responded after taking a seat by the trash can. While the puking may be over, he was still experiencing some nausea and stomach aches. Ruby passed him her crackers and began looking around for any good source of water. Seeing none, she turned back towards the ill lad.

"I'm going to find you some water. Just take a breather and eat those crackers to ease yourself for now" She said before leaving to search around the campus.

Now, where would be a good place to search for water? The cafeteria would be the best option, but it was the start of the school year and she doubted they'd let anyone in before dinner was ready. Breaking in there wasn't an option either; she barely made a name for herself and being branded a 'thief' won't do anything good for her at the moment. Maybe there's a water fountain around here, maybe even a water dispens-

She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to even notice another young elegantly dressed huntress-in-training in front of her until a collision that resulted in knocking both of them to the ground, along with the baggage and contents of the other person.

Ruby frantically helped the girl back up and quickly apologized. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry Miss-" was all that came out before her silver eyes met with familiar light blue ones.

Weiss. Weiss Schnee. THE Weiss Schnee

"Sorry!? Do you have any idea of the damage you just caused!?"

A very ANGRY Weiss Schnee.

But Ruby made no comprehensible response and or even an effort to listen to what she was ranting about. Honestly, she was still shocked at seeing the heiress here in Vale. What was she doing here? I would've thought that she would follow in Winter's footsteps and joined Atlas Academy. And why choose Beacon, of all places?

Seeing that the red-themed girl not listening only angered the heiress even more. "What are you?! Braindead? Is anything I'm telling you even going through that thick skull of yours?!" She ranted, waving a bottle of dust around in frustration. Although, little did she realize that the clasp of the container was broken, causing dust to spread in the air around them.

It didn't take long for Ruby to feel a warm sensation surround her. Broken out of her thoughts, she noticed that both teenagers were surrounded by different colored dust particles. That wasn't a good sign.

"Are you listening to…" The heiress stopped and accidentally breathed in some dust particles. "..to...ah…"

Now that REALLY isn't good! She had to act quickly before Weiss caused the dust particles to explode.

"...ah...ah...AH-"

Acting quickly, Ruby covers the entirety of Weiss' mouth and nose with her hand to stop her from sneezing. Under normal circumstances, a calm and level-headed person would've noticed their error and thanked the savior for saving them from being blown up. It was unfortunate that the savior in question was already in the hot seat of a very pissed off 'victim'.

The white-themed girl was fuming with rage and swatted the girl's hand off her face. "How dare you! You caused a fissure in my dust container and now you dare to manhandle me afterward?!"

"Look, Miss-"

"Heiress, actually"

Both girls stopped and looked to where the source of the third voice came from. They were greeted by a tall girl dressed in black, white, and purple. She had long black hair that went past her shoulders and had a bow to top her head. The most intriguing part about the girl was her piercing yellow cat-like eyes. Ruby honestly would've mistaken her for a faunus because of those eyes. She walked towards the two girls and tossed a vial of dust at Weiss, whom easily caught it.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

"Finally, some recognition-"

"The same company for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

The heiress fumed at the statement. "-What- How dare- Ugh...the nerve of…" And she trailed off with her servants picking up the remnants of her left luggage.

Seeing the new personality of her old friend, Ruby sighed in regret at how much the 'Snow Princess' has changed. She would've conversed more with the tall 'cat' girl but upon turning around she had already left. This entire debacle would've been a complete disaster if it weren't for the fact that Ruby found what she was looking for in the first place.

A lone plastic bottle of water on the ground. Upon picking it up, she noticed that the cap was still sealed and the type was of spring. Seemed too fancy for the average hunter, it must have fallen from the baggage of Weiss when they got knocked to the ground.

At least something is heading my way. She thought as went back for the sickly blonde boy she was helping in the first place.

After 'Vomit boy' finished his crackers, he kindly accepted the water offered to him by his cape-wearing heroin. He nodded to her in thanks, who responded back with a simple nod. Feeling all better now, the boy picked himself back up, smiled, and reached out his hand for a shake. "Jaune Arc. short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

Ruby shook his hand but shook her head at the introduction. "Ruby Rose. And if you want to introduce yourself to ladies, please don't start off with that."

Jaune blushed at her comment and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Oh...well, my mom used to say...nevermind"

A momma's boy, how adorable. Ruby chuckled after she gestured to him to follow her. "Follow me. I'm pretty sure the teachers are already starting the introduction for the new applicants."

An awkward silence followed the two students as they ventured towards the auditorium. Not wanting for it to continue, Jaune broke the ice first.

"So...why did you help me back there? Everyone else either went past me in disgust or plain ignored me."

"Well, that's why we're all here right? To learn how to become huntsmen and huntresses to help people that are in need. I saw someone in need and decided to help," She responded, before looking back towards him. "And besides, we're all going to learn in the same school. It's good to help your future brothers and sisters in arms."

Jaune wasn't much surprised by her response. Funny how obvious the answer really was, yet it had somehow slipped past him. Not wanting the silence to continue, Ruby asked him a question.

"Anyway, you specialize in any weapon?" Call it a habit or a result of training, but Ruby would always want to know the capabilities and equipment of her future allies. Knowledge is key whenever one is in combat and the odds are against you.

"Umm, I have this." He said as he pulled his sword out of its sheath. At the same removed the sheath from his belt and it transformed into a large shield that could cover his body.

This was another thing that was notable about Jaune Arc. Looking at the way he holds himself, it doesn't look like he knew any defensive or offensive forms. The grip on his sword looked weak and he was barely capable of holding his shield upright. It was a damn miracle that he was capable of even carrying both onto his belt. Actually, if you dirty him up a bit and hardened his facial features, Ruby would've mistaken him for an escaped inmate who stole guard equipment back in Atlas. Was Jaune not properly trained? If so, how did he even get here?

But she hid her suspicion behind a smiling facade. No good at accusing someone without further evidence. "Hm, classic weapon type. Not a lot of people follow that so I'm guessing...family heirloom?"

Jaune's eyebrows raise in surprise. He was impressed that she was able to deduce the origin of his weapon with just one look. "Yeah...this was used by my great-great-grandfather during the Great War. Anyway, what about you?"

Ruby grinned at the question and reached behind her belt, under her cloak. She pulled out a stick that looked to have arrow-headed edges on both sides. The look of the weapon confused Jaune, who was expecting more out of it.

"A stick?"

"Say hello to Rose Thorn. It's a weapon classical weapon type similar to yours. It's a telescopic spear that can be used for close quarters and can be thrown for long-range. Right now, it's in its retracted form, but I would recommend you to stay a distance to not get stabbed."

It wasn't long before both teens reached the auditorium. The place was jam-packed with a variety of students from different places. Jaune honestly felt intimidated, but Ruby kept a calm and collected form. While crowds weren't always her thing, she was trained to remain controlled during any type of situation. Both students walked through the crowd until a buxom beauty called for the girl in red.

"Ruby! Ruby, over here!" Yang called out as she waved her arms from her spacious spot.

Seeing Yang, Ruby gestured to Jaune to continue following her. It would be rude to just leave him here to be eaten by the crowds. He also owed Yang an apology for getting vomit onto her favorite shoes. As they approached closer to Yang, the blonde beauty was surprised to see her younger sister drag 'Vomit boy' along with her.

"Yang, meet Jaune Arc, the boy who kept puking on the airship." Ruby introduced before looking towards Jaune. "Jaune, this is my sister Yang, the girl whose shoes you puked on."

Jaune's face flushed at seeing one of the 'victims' to his 'sickness'. "I'm sorry about that. You know, motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on."

Yang just chuckled at his apology and excuse. "No harm, no foul. Anyway, what took you both so long?"

"About tha-"

"You!"

All three turned to see Weiss Schnee approaching the trio, especially towards Ruby. The girl internally sighed for the nth time today, prepared for another rant coming from the heiress.

"Look-"

"I want to apologize for earlier"

Now that caught the rest of them off guard, especially Ruby. While the blondes were confused about what 'Snow White' was talking about, the third of the three could give a big guest on which she was apologizing for. Weiss continued on.

"While it was your fault that caused my luggage and dust to be littered about, I would like to place the blame onto myself for causing more dust to be dispersed. If it wasn't for you, we would've been blown off the face of remnant".

Both blondes were still confused about the situation and the kind of apology given, but Ruby cared not for what they thought. She was just happy to see that some remnants of her best friend were still there. As Ruby was about to respond, the heiress frankly gave her a safety brochure and promptly left without a word.

Yang wasn't completely sure what had happened, but she wouldn't dwell on it. "Huh, I've never seen an apology go so rudely"

All attention was then directed to the front of the atrium, on top of the podium where the headmaster and headmistress of the academy stood.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

As the headmaster finished his speech and stepped off the podium, many students began to murmur and whisper amongst themselves.

"He was...off" was all Jaune could state after the speech.

"It was almost like he wasn't there. Right, Rubes?" Yang voiced as she turned to Ruby, whom was missing from her place.

"Ruby?"

Ascending up towards his office, Professor Ozpin stood in the elevator and reflected on the other activities he had for the day. The pieces for initiation were already set for tomorrow and Glynda had already checked if the launching mechanisms were functional. Qrow hadn't reported back yet and James is already on his ass regarding a 'secret asset' gone rogue. Other than going over the applications of the new students and going over the activities he had for the higher level students, the rest of his day wouldn't be as interesting. And he hasn't even finished his coffee. Perhaps today would be more mundane. Or perhaps maybe…

Once the elevator doors opened, he was greeted with Ruby Rose sitting in his office chair, legs on his table, and hands attempting to balance one of his pens. The headmaster smiled at the sight before him and slowly walked towards her.

"Nice speech if you wanted to rally up a pack of sheep," She said sarcastically. "Assuming that IS your end goal."

The headmaster stayed silent until he stopped in front of his own desk. Ruby changed positions by sitting up straight and began twirling the pen around her own fingers with ease.

"What IS your end goal?"

"You want to know my end goal?"

The girl rose from the chair and stared him blankly in the eyes. "I want to know why you forced me into this school."

Ozpin merely chuckled in response before moving around the table. "Ms. Rose, I never forced you into anything. I merely mentioned your application to your family"

Ruby mirrored in suit until both were the opposite of their original positions. The Professor seated himself back onto his chair and rested his elbows on top of the table where his mug was neatly placed.

"You had the option to deny my claims and set the record straight, yet you stayed quiet and glared at me until you left the station." He then intertwined his fingers and rested his chin behind them. "Would you want to hear my own theory of you, Miss Rose?"

She was quiet at first, standing straight as she gripped her own hands, feeling her own nails nearly pinch through the skin of her palm. If it weren't for her aura, blood would've been trickling down her hands. She then spoke. "Enlighten me."

The man stared into her silver eyes, straight into her soul, and started their second battle.

"Something happened to you. Something in your own past, something recent. Something traumatizing that caused you to quit your previous 'night job' and start focusing more on being 'Ruby Rose'. You strive for the life of the young huntress, you strive to become like everyone else. You've built walls to block out who you were. Yet, every so often, your previous life would slip between your walls. You don't want that, so you continue to distract yourself."

He raised his coffee cup to take a quick sip before continuing.

"And then I come in, offering you a chance that would help you become the Ruby Rose everyone knows you to be. But you knew that there would be a cost, the cost of breaking down the walls you spent long building. I am still unsure of what incited the entire thing but I am very sure of the rest of my claims. That's the reason for everything, why you have a distrust in me, why you didn't tell your family, and why I know for a FACT that you will not be throwing in tomorrow's initiation."

And to top his argument off, he leaned back into his chair, with his elbows on the sides and fingers still intertwined.

"You fear to lose being Ruby Rose"

The entire room was left in silence. None of the two knew how long they stayed there. Time had passed for the sun to leave and the shattered moon to glisten through the windows of the tower. Both players were at a staring contest with one another, both testing each other through the mind and wits.

A dripping sound soon echoed through the office. It was a steady rhythm of drops falling towards the now tainted floor. Ruby hadn't noticed that her aura was completely deactivated. She hadn't noticed the emptiness that was swelling in her own stomach. She hadn't noticed the piercing feeling coming from her palms. She hadn't noticed the stream of blood falling between her own fingertips.

And with that, she simply, but swiftly left the room, leaving a trail of blood in her wake and as well as the look of regret the Headmaster had on his face.

The Professor may have won the battle, but it came at the cost of breaking a psychologically scarred 15-year-old girl.

First Another note: Hello and thank you for following my very first story! Forgive me if it took a while to get written and published, but believe me that I have an entire arc that will follow the journey of Ruby. My initial schedule for the release of each chapter would be at least every week, but that may change depending on my college workload or personal problems. Now, the next chapter might be shorter than it should normally be so I decided to add a 'flashback' or 'side-story' by the end of it. Thank you again for you patience and for liking and following my story!

I do not own any of the characters. All characters and names used are owned by either Rooster Teeth and Detective Comics (DC).