Breaking Point

You throw your head back, and you spit in the wind.

Let the walls crack, 'cause it lets the light in. Let 'em drag you through hell, they can't tell you to change who you are; that's all I know so far.

And when the storm's out, you run in the rain; put your sword down, dive right into the pain.

Stay unfiltered and loud, you'll be proud of that skin full of scars; that's all I know so far.

So, you might give yourself away, and pay full price for each mistake.

But when the candy-coating hides the razor blade, you can cut yourself loose and use that rage.

-P!NK 'All I Know So Far'

Silence permeated throughout the room, they had taken a moment to allow Ruby to collect herself as she sat up and took a deep breath in and then slowly exhaled out, "I'm-"

"If you are going to apologize, I will skewer you with Myrtenaster." Weiss stated cutting her friend off with her arms crossed and classic glare in place, "You have nothing to apologize for."

Ruby nodded as she leaned forward, hands clasped in front her, looking down at the floor. Yang placed a hand on her back in a sign of comfort, "Why didn't you tell us how you were feeling sooner?"

"I…" Ruby paused, closing her eyes and sighing out through her nose, "I didn't want to appear weak. I am supposed to be the leader. I'm supposed to be strong. I-"

"You are human." Blake said softly as she went over to kneel in front of Ruby and took the reaper's hands in her own, "You have a team behind you. You are not supposed to handle everything on your own."

Weiss came over as well and knelt by Blake's other side and forced her partner, who turned away from the amber gaze of the faunus, to look at them again, "And anyone who told you differently, I will be happy to break their legs."

Yang chuckled, albeit sadly, "That goes double for me sis."

Ruby shook her head, a phantom of a smirk playing on her lips, "Then you would be breaking poor Oscar's legs."

A flare again built up in Yang as she nearly growled out, "What?"

Wincing with slight guilt, Ruby groaned, "Hadn't meant to say that out loud." Seeing that they were waiting, she sighs, "Ok it was more Ozpin than anything. After that first day of classes…the one where…" She stole a glance at Weiss.

Instantly Weiss looked away this time, "I yelled at you?" She asks swallowing down the guilt.

"Yeah, anyway Ozpin shared some words of wisdom with me. He mentioned about the leadership role was a 'badge of burden' and he had wanted me to think how I would up hold it."

"Ok, but I'm sure he didn't mean to bottle anything up and letting it implode." Yang said reigning back her temper just a bit. When the other three looked at her, she says, "Yeah I know I am one to talk right? We went over this."

"Right, well as you recall I almost did kill Ozpin…or Oscar when he was acting like Ozpin. So, there is that." Ruby said.

"And why did that happen exactly?" Weiss inquired.

"I went to the training area after I left you guys. I was listening to music, trying to channel my feelings on the electronic Grimm. Oscar was trying to tell me about the meeting Winter was having, and I didn't want to go. He kept insisting and pushing, finally he mentioned that I was a leader and had to be there and I had enough. I went off on him. Said horrible things to him."

"Ruby-" Yang started to say.

Ruby had gotten up now, moving away from them to pace the room, "I didn't know who I was totally talking to at first. I just knew that I didn't want to be apart of his sins anymore."

"His sins?" Blake asked a bit confused as she went over to the bed that Yang was sitting on and Weiss went over to the chair by the desk, watching Ruby carefully.

Ruby shook her head and continued as if Blake hadn't spoken up, "I felt like he played me from the start. I mean seriously, what the hell did I really do that night? Chased a criminal that robbed a dust shop and let him escape. Really what kind of grown ass adult would let a damn fifteen-year-old girl into a school made to train warriors?! Like really think about it!" Ruby shot back as she threw her hands in the air, "His damn smirk in that police station." She shook her head and leaned against the wall arms crossed, "He knew what he was doing and I will give you the evidence. He played me. He fucking played on the hopes and dreams of a fifteen-year-old girl…all because of what I inherited from my mother!"

They were silent as the watched the reaper. The inherited trait from Summer Rose clearly seen like the light of day. Even worse, they could see that Ruby was trying to remember that they were not the subject of her now rising anger as she recalled those events. Taking a deep breath again, Ruby began again, "I told him he was playing all of us like chess pieces. That he had our fates decided for us. And just like how all of you ganged up on him about the memories when we found out that we 'couldn't just kill Salem', well I asked him that same question…and really kind of answered it myself." She added quietly.

The three of them looked at each other again, as Ruby pushed away from the wall and began to pace, "What was your answer?" Weiss asked.

"What do you think? You were the one with the highest grades in our classes. You tell me Weiss."

For once, Weiss didn't have an idea, "I'm afraid I don't-"

"Blake?" Blake didn't say anything, "Yang?" Yang shrugged. Ruby shook her head, "I accused him of trying to make us all Maidens like Pyrrha…" Seeing their expressions, she then continues, "And then I accused him that it was his fault Pyrrha died and I should have let Jaune punch his lights out."

While Oscar recounted the fight, he kept the details to a minimum, having never gone into great detail about this. All they knew was that somehow Ruby lashed out at him thinking that he was Ozpin, but never the words that were exchanged; and they were sickened to hear it-not that they were sickened at Ruby, more like how plausible that plan could have been. They were after all 'Team RWBY', they were Ozpin's favorites in school, doing things that no team should have gotten away with.

"Oscar told me that he wasn't Ozpin, but I said he might as well have been. And…" Ruby looked at Yang, and again Yang did not like the look in her sister's eyes, "And I said that he knows what happened to mom and got her killed. That he also had been leading us to our deaths."

"Ruby, what do you mean? The thing with mom?" Yang asks getting up and stopped Ruby from pacing.

Ruby stared at Yang for a minute before again looking away and taking a step back, "When Ironwood first gave us our license, Uncle Qrow and I were sitting in the stands. He mentioned that mom would have been proud of us…of me. I asked if…and this is something that has been bothering me…but I asked if mom's mission was another one of Ozpin's secrets."

Yang looks away now, her prosthetic hand shaking slightly as she grips it to try to make it stop. Blake and Weiss join their respective partners offering silent comfort, "And was it?" Yang managed to choke out, forcing her voice to be as steady as she could make it, "Was it that…prick's secret?"

Ruby shook her head, "No. Qrow told me it was mom's secret; but I didn't quite believe it when I was confronting him at the time. I also mentioned to him that he had plans for me right from the start, which in turn led me to question if the initiation was also premediated. Basically, all this ended with me saying I would not serve a false king, and I attacked him."

Ruby sat back down on Weiss's bed, avoiding any eye contact. It was clear that this was becoming more involved than they couldn't have imagine. Just how much more of this internal struggle was Ruby carrying around? Weiss sighed and sat down next to Ruby just as Blake and Yang took to Blake's bed, "I just wanted it to stop." Ruby whispered.

Weiss reached over and grabbed her hand, "It's ok. It'll be ok. You do not have to keep hiding this from us. You can trust us."

"It was never a matter of not trusting you." Ruby answered in a low tone squeezing Weiss's hand back, "It was a matter of me wanting to be strong enough to do this on my own. To be dependable and the leader you all deserve, but…"

"We are stronger together Ruby." Blake answered, as her leader's voice trails off into another tone of self-loathing, "And you are dependable. You are the leader that we deserve."

Ruby shakes her head, "Do you even see me? I've made some pretty questionable decisions since we've gotten here. I made us lie to Ironwood about Oz, about the relic. And Ironwood isn't really doing much better right now, we can all see that. It's only a matter of time and quite frankly…I do not even know what to do if that time comes. I feel like…" Ruby pulled away from Weiss and started waving her hands around as if that would help them see what she was seeing in her mind, "I am aimless, confused, don't know what's right or wrong, good or bad."

"Then neither do we, because we are right there with you. But you are wrong about the aimless thing. We are not aimless." Weiss says in the rare gentle tone, "I'd say more battered and broken."

"Thank you for summing that up." Ruby deadpanned, imitating Weiss's signature eye roll.

"Yeah, where are you going with this?" Yang asks skeptically.

Weiss smiles and looks at her three friends, "That just because we are battered and broken, we have been known to be ready to stand back up. There's a difference."

Now there are small smiles to accompany her statement. They sit in silence again for a moment before Blake states, "I also would like to say that I know you don't always know what to do, but that's never stopped you from doing something."

Ruby looks at her now, Weiss and Yang also giving Blake their full attention, feeling the weight of her words as she hesitantly continues, "I was like that as a girl, but time and…a lot of other things, took their toll on me." It was Yang's turn to offer comfort to her partner, wishing she could have met Blake as a child and offered her the kindness and friendship she deserved growing up.

"Blake-" Ruby started to say.

"I'm-" Weiss started in as she thought of all the things the SDC and the prejudice she grew up around.

Blake held up her hand to the both of them, "I am not saying this for pity or to cast blame. My point is that I wasn't sure if that kind of girl could actually survive in the world until I met you." Ruby cocked her head to the side and Blake smiled at the confused look she was getting from the reaper, "When you approached me the night before initiation. It was a little strange at first because you were younger, but I've always looked up to you, Ruby. And I still do."

Ruby could feel tears building up and wipes her eyes, "Thanks, Blake."

Blake nods and smiles, she feels a squeeze of her hand and sees Yang smiling at her, mouthing a thank you to her as well. They all sat around each other in meditative silence, hoping that maybe this would be an official start to healing what has been broken.