Hey everyone, sorry for the wait! I just finished up my first semester and I am now on winter break. Now that I have more free time I want to address some announcements and news for 2022.

First, I wanna say thank you so much to all who still follow this story and me!

Second, I promise I am not quitting! I know I took a bit longer to update again but it was because I had to prepare for finals, and I had a lot of homework this semester which I'm happy to say I'm receiving straight A's! I busted my ass off for this and it is a first for me that I can honestly say I even did that.

Third, I'm going to state here and now that I will not make false promises with deadlines I won't be able to keep. I realize now that the best way for me to write these stories is by going at my own pace. With school and work, I need to set my priorities and time management.

I realize when I tried to write with a deadline in mind my stories would never come out satisfying. They were sloppy, rushed, and I even had to revise them heavily after I posted which is inexcusable as a writer. I plan to publish other stories next year and that is why I plan to take my time and flesh out what I need to so do not expect intensely long chapters all the time.

Forth, I will not let the harsh criticism get to me. When I asked for constructive criticism I am grateful to those that did. However, I was met with some DMs who harshly berated and hated my story. I'm disappointed in that but it is what it is.

Now that I got all that out of my system I hope you all can understand these announcements and changes. I apologize once more, and I hope you will continue to stick with me and enjoy these stories.

Well, that's about it, I hope you enjoy it because it's time to continue the story!

Please be sure to favorite, follow, and share!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the Music, Anime, or Manga that will be referenced in this story as well, all rights go to their respected creators and studios.

Beta Reader: KittyKat-Belle

Opening Theme: We're Not Alone by Coldrain

CHAPTER 5: The After Effects

In the cold early hours of Vale, the majority of the city's residents were still sleeping in blissful ignorance after a long night of festivities.

The sun had barely broken over the horizon as activity rose just beyond the Vale suburbs, deep within the abandoned warehouse. Standing within the center of the structure was a lone figure taking in all their surroundings as they remained motionless in the shadows.

"Matron." A voice suddenly called.

The figure, known as the matron, slowly turned to the voice where she saw three men appear before her as they dropped to their knees with bowed heads.

"Have you found something?" The matron asked. Her voice was sultry and low yet honeyed with the distinct edge in her tone.

Neither of the three men responded. None dared to speak first as their eyes darted back and forth as if having a silent conversation with one another.

This quickly stopped as the air around them began to warm when the matron now turned her full body towards them. They all flinched and the man on the right quickly raised his head in a panic.

"We detected faint traces of essences turned to ash throughout the entire area." He said with the other two nodding along. "A battle has taken place here; not just inside but outside as well and..." The man paused and braced himself, "it is with a thousand apologies to say that all casualties belong to… our brethren, Matron." The man bowed his head so low his forehead practically hit the cement ground, "I deeply apologize for such a disgraceful sight."

The matron merely hummed as she walked towards the man, swaying her hips beneath her large, black cloak.

He held his breath as he saw the outline of her shadow cast over him and flinched when a hand slowly cupped his cheek. Against his will, his head was raised as he stared deeply into the matron's glowing red eyes.

"How right you are." She chuckled darkly. "This is a disgraceful sight."

He winced, unsure if she was referring to the situation or himself.

And in truth, he hoped for the latter.

"Which is why I sincerely hope you brought something of merit to me." She continued as she slowly traced her nail around his jawline. "Otherwise, this sight might become even more… disgraceful."

The man could no longer hold the shakiness in his breath. His eyes darted to his associates, silently pleading for aid; but the bastards kept their heads low to the ground, not even so much as a side glance his way.

He mentally swore as he quickly glanced back at the matron and noticed that she had leaned dangerously closer.

"Well?" The Matron now cupped the man's face with both hands, and he could feel her breath tickling the tip of his nose, "I'm waiting."

He felt a warm sensation that seemed to grow hotter and hotter with every second passing caused sweat to break from his forehead. He clenched his teeth as a thousand thoughts quickly ran through his mind.

If he even so much as uttered the wrong words he was done for. Failure was never an option for the Matron, and all knew of the repercussions.

In his mind, he screamed. There had to be something! Anything to get him out of this.

He glanced towards his fellows again and once more they refused to look his way. A wave of anger rushed through him as he glared at them, but it was then that - whether through luck or fear - the man had suddenly remembered something.

It was such a small action on his part but in the presence of the matron, he had forgotten all about it.

"W-Wait!" He pleaded in an almost breathless cry his eyes stared up at the cloaked woman, "Wait, I-I do! I do have something!"

Not wasting another second, the man scrambled down his robe as he wildly searched through every pocket in his pants. For a second he worried that he had dropped it and his blood grew cold.

But then he felt it.

Not even hiding the wild relief behind his grin, the man gripped the object and pulled it out for the matron to see. Her curious eyes swung from his face towards his hand, as did the other men, as all eyes now laid on... a small pebble.

The matron did not say anything as everything went silent. Her smirk had vanished as the air around them now grew terribly, and uncomfortably, humid.

The man's face grew flustered by the heat and he could see the others sweating profusely as well as they stared at him with bewildered, panicked, and rageful eyes as if he were a madman.

Was he a fool? Was he trying to mock the situation? They must have thought.

'No, you fools.' The man would have argued back, 'I'm trying to save my skin!'

The matron slowly turned her sight to the man again as she slowly exhaled a long, dragging, breath through her nose. "Are you attempting to amuse me?" She slowly asked. Her voice was utterly, and calmly, monotonous.

The man's eyes widened as he shook his head, "No Matron! Never!" he cried. "I swear upon my loyalty to you that this is indeed something of merit!"

"Explain." She interrupted as she raised the man to his feet with her nails slowly penetrating his face.

Ignoring the pain and blood dripping down his cheeks, the man inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes as he thought his next words carefully. "T-The result of a nest being destroyed and a subclan erased were not done by mere amateurs! Whoever did this was skillful enough to mask their presence from our senses!"

The matron's eyes narrowed, "You are certainly trying my patience."

The man winced when he felt her nails digging a little deeper, "A-Apologies Matron! H-However, despite their efforts, they are not as cunning and swift as they believe themselves to be!" He hastily said, "What I have found proves otherwise!"

He once again raised the small rock to the Matron, but she refused to look at it again until the man cried out, "There is a scent on this rock! Though faint it is there!"

The man gasped as he fell to the floor. He remained sprawled out as he glanced up to see the matron now holding the rock in between her thumb and index finger inspecting it carefully.

She held it up and turned it at every angle through the now-growing sunlight coming through the window. "Where did you find this?" She asked.

The man quickly rose to his knees again and cleared his throat, "B-Beneath some rubble near the southern corner of the entrance."

"Interesting." The matron hummed and brought the rock closer to her nose. She took a deep whiff and released what could have been described as a euphoric sigh. "You seem to be telling the truth." She chuckled and smelled it again, "How curious. This blood was from a mortal and yet… something had corrupted it… recently so… curious indeed."

She turned and glanced down at the man again. With a wave of her hand, he was suddenly lifted to his feet just as the matron approached him. "You have done well, my loyal servant. Come here."

The man's eyes widened as his body began to move on its own. He held his breath as the Matron leaned in and pressed her lips unto his. Her tongue entered his mouth with no resistance as the man's face paled. He dared not move as he shifted his sight towards the other two and he could see the terror in their expressions as well.

The forceful kiss abruptly ended as the matron pulled back, leaving a thin trail of blood and saliva thinning between them. "You have proven your merit. See, was that so hard?" She asked playfully.

The man dared not respond. The matron smirked and turned towards the other two. "It seems that dear Perry here came through with a successful lead to our assailants."

When hearing that, the two other men slowly rose to their feet as their shoulders relaxed. They smiled at one another, much to the displeasure of Perry. Though entirely angered, he was just happy to be alive.

"However..." The men all froze as the matron now walked towards the duo. "It would seem you two have not."

She licked her lips at their horrified expressions.

"M-Matron?" One of them said, "I-I don't understand..."

"Then allow me to clarify." She responded slowly, "Perry, here, has confided in me some useful information while you two have remained completely silent - offering nothing. Do you understand now?"

The color that drained from their faces gave the matron her answer, much to her satisfaction.

"N-No Matron!" The man squealed as he dropped to his knees. His eyes darted around as if trying to find an answer within the concrete floor. "Y-You see we found that rock together!"

"Y-Yes we did!" Seeing what he was doing, the other man quickly followed suit and dropped to his knees as well, "W-We simply elected Perry to speak on all of our behalf's!"

"Is that so?" The Matron watched on with amusement as the two bowed their heads low.

"I-It is Matron!" The other man suddenly cried as he stared intently at Perry.

"I wasn't asking you, child." The Matron retorted, despite how calm she spoke the man still flinched as he kept his head bowed.

"Well, Perry?" The matron asked, now turning to the third man, "Do Dee and Dudley speak the truth? Have you found that evidence together?"

Perry said nothing at first as he merely stared at the two men. And seeing the anger behind their eyes at him made Perry's blood boil. How dare they look at him like that; to cast such entitled eyes expecting him to play along with this farce.

Their stares turned into glares now as they mouthed for him to say yes. There was such ferocity in their eyes that they truly believed this to be all his fault somehow… just like every other time. They were so contemptuous to let him be the scapegoat just moments ago and now angrily demanded his aid as if he owed them.

Perry gritted his teeth as he remembered their eyes never once looking his way just minutes ago.

How deliciously ironic.

"No Matron," Perry said as his lips stretched upwards into a smile, "They do not."

He can smell their fear and rage now. It was so intoxicating Perry thought he would go drunk from it as Dee and Dudley's expressions were a contorted mixture of negative emotions.

"How unfortunate." The matron sighed, "I'm honestly hurt, boys. How could you both lie to me after I treated you like my own children." She took a few steps forwards, causing Dee and Dudley to jump.

"M-Matron, please spare us!" Dee cried as he glanced up, "I-I beg you, please!"

"Y-Yes please!" Dudley rose as well, droplets of sweat pooled down his face, "Give us another chance! Let us prove ourselves! W-We are still loyal!"

The matron stopped and hummed at their words. There was momentary relief on Dee and Dudley's faces, momentary hope. "Do you believe yourselves still useful?"

A glint in their eyes came forth. There was still hope! The two men nodded vigorously, and it was now Perry's turn to glare as their eyes briefly glanced at him with triumphant smugness that made him want to gouge their eyes out.

"Alright then, Dee, Dudley." Matron caresses each of their faces, "If you wish to prove your loyalty then I have one final task for you. Complete it and you have regained my belief in you."

Perry silently sneered as they smiled.

"Y-Yes Matron!"

"What must we do?!"

The matron smiled and moved her hands on top of their heads. "Burn."

They repeated her word in their mind, believing they must have misheard. But their eyes widened when they saw the twisted smile on their Matron's lips. Before they could react or cry a plea, their bodies were engulfed in flames.

Their screams echoed within the warehouse as they waited for mercy, but the words soon slurred as their lips began to burn off. They danced and flailed like wild animals as their skin blackened and their bodies grew thinner and thinner.

Perry could see the matron smiling with pure satisfaction and he soon realized that he, himself, was also smiling - grinning like a madman. The pain… the fear… it was delicious.

He watched as their flesh peeled and flew with every swing by the chunks. He can hear their bones snap and crack with every step as their yelling now turned into dry groaning. Within seconds, a flash of light erupted out of what used to be their eyelids as their bodies fell to the floor into a pile of ash.

With another wave of her hand, the flames died off and the matron slowly approached Perry. "Return to the lair. Gather some of our best trackers and hunt down the owner of this scent." As she caressed his cheek and handed him the rock. "Once you find them, follow them from a distance and report to me of their movements. Failure is not an option. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Matron, it will be done," Perry said and bowed.

She waved him off and Perry was quick to vanish into the shadows leaving the matron alone as she stared at the piles of ash with the smile still plastered on her lips.

"How curious, indeed." She chuckled. "So it begins."

Flames began to envelop the matron's body as she quickly vanished with a powerful force that blew the ashes of what was once Dee and Dudley's remains scattering in the wind, sending them into the rubble, gone forever.

/-/

Everything ached.

That was the first thing Ruby noticed as she slowly opened her eyes. There was an uncomfortable stiffness in her neck that only seemed to worsen as she rose from her groggy state.

She stretched and, through a blurry vision, found herself on one of the living room couches with no recollection of how she got there.

She slowly glanced around the room. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. At least, until she noted the sleeping body on the adjacent couch.

Though Ruby couldn't see much, there was a patch of black hair sticking out from underneath the heavy blanket. She was confused for a second until her mind quickly processed that it was Ren and it all came back to her.

'Oh yeah… the sleepover! Then that means…'

Ruby glanced around again but couldn't see him. She rubbed the crust from her eyes and with a clearer vision, finally spotted a patch of blond hair sticking out from the entrance of the pillow fort she built.

She shook her head, letting out a yawn. 'We must have been really tired last night. I can't even remember what time we got home.'

In fact, Ruby couldn't remember much of last night as she glanced up at the clock.

'Quarter past nine?! Aw man, that's way too early for a Saturday!'

She pondered whether or not to go back to sleep but grumbled when her body decided since she already was up to commence the urge for the toilet.

Begrudgingly, Ruby tossed aside her blanket sending shivers down her arms and legs as her bare feet touched the cold floor.

She stumbled lazily towards the bathroom as she tried, once more, to recount the events of last night.

But it was still fuzzy.

She remembered the party and then their departure from Sun's; but other than that, nothing else. Not how they got home, not what they did after, nothing.

Ruby shrugged.

It wasn't as if it were that important, not like the party itself. It was the most fun Ruby had in a long time. She smiled as she entered and flipped the bathroom lights on.

'I really need to thank Sun and Velvet for-'

She stopped, eyes widened, and screamed.

There was someone in her bathroom!

Someone that she did not recognize!

It was a girl who looked roughly a year or two older than her. She stared back at Ruby - equally shocked and confused - and screamed as well.

Ruby then couldn't help but glance down at her body. Her cheeks flustered a bright red when she noted the girl was in nothing but her bra and panties which really left nothing to the imagination.

Flawless skin, a beautiful face, an hourglass figure with curves and plump in all the right areas; not to mention a chest that made Ruby's now 15-year-old self-envious.

Intimidated by this fierce specimen of femininity, Ruby hastily backed up and slammed herself against the wall.

The girl mimicked her actions again causing Ruby to stop screaming.

She stared at this girl for several long seconds, as terror became bafflement before then turning into a shock.

Realization poured into Ruby as she remained paralyzed. She was not staring at some random stranger in her bathroom.

She was staring at a mirror…

And that stranger - with the amazing body - was her!

She inhaled a deep breath.

"HOLY SHIT I GREW BOOBS!"

*CRASH*

"AHHH! RUBY! THERE'S A NAKED GUY IN THE HOUSE! I THINK HE'S GONNA TOUCH ME! PLEASE DON'T! I DON'T SWING THAT WAY!"

"YOU'RE THE PERVERTED ONE HERE YOU DEGENERATE! THIS IS NOT YOUR HOUSE! GET OUT OR I WILL CALL THE POLICE?!"

Ruby jumped in a panic. The yelling was coming from the living room and if there was a pervert that's where the boys were. Without thinking, she yanked the bathroom door open and sprinted down the hall. She didn't even notice that the knob was nearly crushed or that it slammed, literally, into the wall.

"Jaune! Ren!" Ruby cried, "Where's the pervert?! Don't touch my friends or I'll-"

She stopped and her eyes widened.

"Oh my… gods…"

The pillow fort lay collapsed with all the pillows and blankets scattered across the floor. One of the couches was overturned but that was the least of her concern.

Her eyes widened as there, standing in the middle of the living room, were two handsome, but nearly naked, boys staring at one another - and then to her - in complete bewilderment.

"UWAH! WHY ARE THERE NAKED GUYS IN MY HOUSE?! YANG?! DID YOU DO THIS?! I'M TELLING DAD!"

"AH, RUBY! THERE'S A NAKED 3D GIRL HERE TOO! SHIMONETA WAS RIGHT! FEMALE PERVERTS EXIST!"

"WHY IS EVERYONE HERE SO INDECENT! PLEASE PUT SOME CLOTHES ON AND LEAVE THIS HOUSE IMMEDIATELY!"

Ruby couldn't handle all the yelling and immediately covered her eyes as she became a babbling, blushing mess. While her sister would have most likely believed this to be a gift from the gods, she had no idea what to do.

However, the cursed curiosity of her hormones caused her to slowly peek through her fingers as her sight lowered.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she blamed Yang for all this as she regretted that instantly.

Hot, pink-colored briefs… and a pair of black High School DxD themed boxers.

'Wait a minute…'

Her hands dropped to her mouth as she screamed into it. She only knew of two people who would ever, willingly, wear those.

"J-Jaune?!... R-Ren?!" She called out. "Is that you?!"

Her heart began to pound as her mind quickly connected the dots. Despite the impossibility… the unbelievably… how they reacted said it all.

"Ruby! The 3D girl knows my name and she thinks this weird pervert is Ren!"

Ren glared at the blond. "I am Ren! And you are most certainly not Jaune!"

"Yes, I am!" Jaune cried then pointed at him, "And you can't be Ren! He doesn't have lady hair like you!"

Ren's eye twitched. "E-Excuse me…" He pursed his lips, "I do not have lady hair! And Jaune has always been scraggly! You are not!"

Jaune's lip trembled a bit. "... I'm not scraggly…"

"I didn't say you!"

"Oh… my gods…" Ruby repeated again as she felt like she was about to pass out.

It was them…

Not even a day ago, both Jaune and Ren had been thin and, if she was being honest - a little weak-looking - with Ren due to his asthma and Jaune due to just being scraggly.

Now they were something closer to those boys in the Vacuous magazines her sister always read. Ruby couldn't help but stare. They were taller and their bodies looked like the result of intensive training that would have taken years to develop.

Ren was now leaner, toned, and athletic with no traces of the fragility or frailness he once had prior. His face was more angular, clear, yet soft where even his magenta eyes seemed to radiate without his missing glasses.

Jaune was the complete opposite.

Where Ren had the body of a Mistrali Olympian, Jaune had the figure of a light bodybuilder. While nowhere near like Cardin's or those overly bulky professionals, Jaune had his own physique.

His shoulders were broader, his back defined with firm muscles and a flat stomach with no baby fat whatsoever. The acne on his chubby-cheeked face was now an acne less, developed chiseled jawline.

That fact that not only their bodies changed but their hair as well was bewildering with Ren now having long, luscious, hair reaching down his lower back, and even sporting a streak of magenta in one of his long bangs.

Jaune, actually, grew bangs now with his weird bowl haircut now becoming a mop of long blond locks that swept over half his face that suited him much better in her opinion, even if he looked kinda emo now. It was still an improvement.

This was all too much for Ruby as she suddenly fell to her knees.

"A-Ah! The naked girl fell!" Jaune cried as he turned to Ren. "D-Do we help her out?!"

"I'm… not sure…" Ren awkwardly looked away, "She did not give us consent to touch her and I do not want to be seen as a pervert."

"But you already are one!"

"Silence!"

Ruby groaned as she gripped the sides of her hair. Now actually noticing it, even their voices sounded deeper. She was beginning to feel very self-conscious with her two best friends now staring at her nearly naked figure.

"Will you both shut up!" She cried and started to get back up as the boys flinched and took a step back. "And for the record, you already know me!"

"I'm afraid I do not." Ren said, "The only girl I know in this area is Ruby and this is her house."

"Yeah!" Jaune agreed, "Plus Ruby's flat-chested!"

A vein popped from Ruby's forehead. "... F-Flat chested…" Her face grew dark as her fists tightened, "F-FLAT CHESTED?!"

*SMACK*

"Ow!"

*SMACK*

"Ugh!"

"JERKS!" She cried as her teary eyes glared at the boys now gripping their cheeks in sheer agony. "YOU KNOW I DRINK MILK!"

"W-Wait… Ruby?!" Jaune exclaimed as his mouth dropped.

Ren's eyes widened a little, "By the gods…"

The blond shook his head a little as he now eyed Ruby up and down with a faint blush. "N-No way…" he muttered, "It… it can't be…"

"It is me!" Ruby blurted out, hands on her hips, still with the aggressiveness in her tone.

The boys instinctively jumped back.

Neither of the boys still looked fully convinced and Ruby began to worry a little that maybe from the shock alone they might not believe her.

"Prove it!" Jaune finally said, "If you're Ruby then… then tell me something only Ruby would know!"

Relief emanated through Ruby as she smirked a little.

"Easy!" Here was her chance, "You used to wet the bed until sixth grade!".

Jaune's face blushed red from embarrassment, "W-Why is that the first thing you go to?!"

"To be fair, I was also aware of that," Ren said as he glanced towards the blond, "Sorry Jaune."

"Gah! Stop! Don't make me relive those moments!" Jaune rubbed his face "So it really is Ruby…." He glanced towards Ren, "Then that means you have to be…"

Ren smiled, "You still wear your Pumpkin Pete's blue onesie at home."

"Snnrk," Ruby covered her mouth as her shoulders began to shake uncontrollably.

"Aw c'mon Ren! I didn't even ask you to prove anything~!"

"I simply thought it best to prove it was me as well."

"I didn't ask for humiliation!" The blond whined.

"Neither did I." Ren crossed his arms, "Lady hair…"

As Ruby stifled her laugh, she felt uncontrollable happiness swell within her heart. Despite how different everyone looked, they were all still the same.

Suddenly, her eyes began to sting. She reached up and discovered she was crying. She had no idea why, but she was and not only that, but something also flashed in her mind.

Her head began to hurt as she winced and gripped it tightly as she fell to one knee. Her eyes shut and the flashes reappeared again. She couldn't even make them out. They were too blurry, but she thought it was a place. Someplace dark that made no sense to her.

There was also something else she was feeling; something that bewildered her.

Cold.

Not understanding, Ruby quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. She didn't even realize that Jaune and Ren had been calling her name the whole time.

They had been crouched down in front of her and staring at her with worry. The headache soon dissipated as she quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.

"S-Sorry guys! I… I was feeling overwhelmed. I have no idea what's going on! What happened to us?"

As they all slowly rose to their feet, they each glanced at one another again, this time taking in each other's looks. No one said a word as the excitement died down with the gravity of the situation now starting to sink in.

The room felt tense.

"I… I think I need to sit down…" Jaune mumbled as he stumbled back and practically fell onto the couch.

"I think I must as well," Ren said as he quietly sat right beside Jaune.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head awkwardly as she wordlessly sat with them too.

The blond groaned as he slowly rubbed his forehead, "Guys I… I feel like I'm about to dry-heave right now!" So many things were not adding up in his mind and he was trying very hard not to have a full-blown panic attack. "What happened?! How is this even possible?!"

"I'm not sure." Ren admitted, "It shouldn't be…" He slowly raised a hand up and touched the side of his face, near his eye. "I had a stigma in my left eye… and yet now I can see everything clearly without my glasses - which I can't seem to find."

"Yeah… this is totally not normal..." Ruby chuckled dryly. "Imagine my surprise when I looked in the mirror and saw… these." She half-heartedly gestured towards her chest. "I freaked out so hard."

"We certainly heard it," Ren smiled a little, "It scared me awake as I fell on the floor. I then saw Jaune rise up - demolishing your fort - and then… you know the rest."

Ruby nodded as Jaune finally lifted his head.

"This just doesn't make any sense!" He cried, "I mean… this can't be real! It- It has to be a dream! That's it, I'm dreaming! I have to be dreaming! I mean I was never buff, Ren never had long hair, and Ruby could never grow boobs that big!"

"HEY!"

*SMACK*

"OW! AGAIN?!"

Ruby was now standing over Jaune glaring down at him as he rubbed the back of his head, whimpering.

"Real enough for you?! Or do you wanna insult my chest a third time?!"

"Sorry!" He squeaked, "When did you get so strong anyway?! That really, really hurts!"

"Milk Jaune!" Ruby smirked as if that were the most obvious answer, "Milk!"

"Wha-?" Jaune stared up at her in disbelief, "You can't expect me to believe that-"

"Ruby, Jaune!" Ren gently interrupted as he stood up as well. "We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted again." He glanced in between them. "We need to take this seriously if we are to figure this out! This entire thing is unprecedented!"

"That's one way to describe it…" Jaune muttered as he rose.

Jaune sighed as he glanced down to inspect his new body. Although it freaked him out to no end, he couldn't help but stare admirably at his newly formed muscles, especially his stomach. He never had abs before and now he did! Sure he had always dreamed of having a body like this, but he never imagined how amazing it really felt.

He couldn't even resist the urge to poke them several times as they felt a little ticklish. He did it again, and then again as Ruby rolled her eyes as she watched him practically tickling himself.

She was about to call him out on the childish act until… she, too, glanced down at her breasts.

An idea formed in her mind as she pursed her lips, as she gave in to her own curiosity. Shamelessly, Ruby gave her breasts a tiny tap and yelped a little by the sensation. She did it again, and again, and again until she found herself giggling alongside Jaune.

Yang had always floundered her girls around Ruby's face all the time - both metaphorically and quite literally. But now she finally had a chance to revel in her own moment as her dear sister was no longer the only one with a set of girls.

Ren's eye began to twitch uncontrollably as a small vein emerged from his forehead. He crossed his arms tightly into his chest, watching his two friends, as his jaw clenched.

He inhaled sharply.

"Enough!"

His voice was loud enough to startle both Ruby and Jaune out of their little moments. They quickly turned to him like two embarrassed children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

This satisfied Ren as he nodded. "Thank you," he said, "now, I apologize for yelling but as I already said, we have to remain focused."

"S-Sorry…" Ruby muttered.

"Yeah, sorry…" Jaune nodded then glanced down at his body again. "You think this is really gonna be… permanent?"

Ren did not reply right away as he bit his lip. He can see the minor hope in Jaune's eyes and silently sighed. He noted it was also in Ruby's and a part of him couldn't really blame them.

These bodies - though completely outlandish - felt and looked absolutely amazing. Ren had never felt more empowered before in his life. He was certain that Ruby and Jaune must have felt the same way.

What's more, he felt like he actually had stamina now; like he could run an entire triathlon.

The sheer fear of the situation alone would have been enough to already send him into a full-blown panic attack thus triggering his asthma.

And yet, one never came.

He was not hyperventilating or short of breath in the slightest. In fact, he felt completely calm although confused and concerned.

"I'm not sure," He eventually admitted, "If it is… then all the more reason for us to find out what happened, posthaste."

"Yeah, but how?" Ruby asked, "I don't remember what happened last night." She cupped her chin, and started to really think back, "I know we went to Sun's party, I was with my sister, then there was that awesome birthday surprise, and then… nothing…"

"Huh, so it's not just me!" Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head. "I can't remember anything after that either! I remember the party and us about to leave, but… that's where it gets foggy."

"Interesting…" Ren nodded, "I only recall up to that point as well." He slammed a fist into his hand, "This cannot be a coincidence! Whatever happened, it happened after we left the party! It's not much but this is a definitive lead."

"Ok, so we have a clue on where to start!" Ruby said but frowned, "That's great and all but~ what are we gonna do about… this?" She gestured towards her body.

Ren narrowed his eyes as he nibbled the tip of his knuckle. "I don't know…" he admitted again and cursed himself that it was now twice. "I'm still not even sure how I'm going to explain this to my parents."

Jaune's eyes widened, "Oh crap, you're right!" He jumped and gripped his hair in a panic. "I have to be home by tonight! How the hell am I gonna explain this?!" He started pacing around the coffee table and he mumbled to himself, "Oh, man~, oh man~, what am I gonna do?! Mom's gonna totally freak out when she sees me! And who the hell knows what my sisters are gonna say! Oh man, what do I do?! What do I do?!"

In his hysteria, Jaune suddenly stopped and gripped Ruby by the shoulders as he began to freak out and shake her uncontrollably.

"Damn. It. Jaune. Calm. Down!" Ruby cried.

However, her plea went ignored and she started to feel dizzy now. In a last-ditch effort - and in hopes of snapping him out of his sphincter moment - Ruby slapped Jaune across the face once again.

"Ow!"

It worked.

However, she winced as she watched his body hit the floor and let out a soft cry. She underestimated her strength again and mumbled an apology as she quickly helped him up.

"Why do you always resort to hitting me?!" Jaune whined as he gently rubbed his cheek for the third time.

"It's super effective." Ruby shrugged and patted his head, "But hey, look on the bright side! Your new body isn't just for show! You took those hits like a champ, bud!"

"That doesn't mean they didn't hurt Ruby! And would you stop petting me!"

"I can't help it! Your hair is so fluffy!"

"I don't care, get off!"

"Focus!" Ren interjected, once again earning his friends' attention. "Please! We're running out of time!" His eyes darted between the two. "We can figure out how to hide our bodies later! But right now, we have a lead and somewhat of an idea on where to look! So I suggest we retrace our steps, and, with any luck, we may even stumble upon another clue!"

"Alright…"

"That makes sense…."

"Good," Ren nodded, "Now, any questions?"

A hand slowly went up.

"Yes, Ruby."

"Can we shower and get dressed first?" She shuffled over her toes awkwardly, "It's starting to feel weird talking to you guys like this… and if I'm honest, I'm seeing more of you than I want to…"

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded, "I didn't wanna say anything Ren but… it's kinda hard to listen to you seriously when you're in your underwear…"

Ren blinked, glanced down, blinked again, and closed his eyes; trying very hard to fight back his fluster.

"You raise a valid point…"

/-/

Moments later, the door to the second-floor bathroom swung open as Ruby walked out in nothing but her Full-Metal bathrobe. With a sigh of satisfaction, she walked down the hallway towards the sanctuary of her room and slowly closed the door.

The shower itself had been an unusual experience. It was awkward and felt like she was washing an entirely different person despite it still being her body.

She turned to the mirror on her dresser and frowned.

She didn't realize it until she was washing up, but her hair had gotten longer too. The bright red highlights she once had now turned into an almost crimson-like color as the length reached down her shoulders

Although she admitted that having longer bangs over her eyes was kinda cool, and even made her look mature, Ruby didn't like how much effort it took just to wash. She had to use more of her shampoo than she would have liked and realized she would have to buy more soon, much to her dismay.

And then when it was fully wet Ruby realized the time it took to dry as it was to wash. It started to annoy her and now understood why Yang was always nearly late to school every day. It made her wonder what the point was even.

But hair aside, Ruby stared at the beautiful girl in the mirror. In truth, there was a part of her that still clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, this was all some kind of crazy, weird, fever dream.

Any second now she would wake up in her pillow fort and see her best friends sleeping as their normal, dorky, selves again. But after a few seconds of silence, she suddenly pinched herself on the cheek and winced.

The pain was definitely real, causing Ruby to sigh in defeat.

Although she liked how she looked now, even she had to acknowledge their dilemma. Ren was right, no matter how good her new body was, it wouldn't matter if socially it didn't fit in with her current life.

She collapsed in her computer chair and groaned as she closed her eyes and slowly began to spin around listlessly.

Downstairs, she guessed either Ren or Jaune had finished up their own shower as she heard the sounds of running water suddenly stop followed by some minor shuffling.

She had no idea how she could even hear that from upstairs but chalked it up as just another enigma to an already growing pile.

It wasn't even noon yet and Ruby found herself growing more and more confused by the minute. She had an abundance of questions with no answers.

She groaned again and couldn't stop thinking about what Ren had said. There really wasn't much time left. Pretty soon Jaune would be going home, and she would be seeing her sister tonight as soon as she got back from her own sleepover.

Since Ren lived alone, he'd be fine until Monday.

Monday…

Ruby slapped a hand over her closed eyes. She hadn't even thought about school. What would people even say? Would they even recognize her? How would the teachers react? What if they thought she was a new student!

She didn't even want to think about that. Maybe, she could lock herself in her room forever and try homeschooling.

She grimaced. That would never fly with her dad.

Ruby shook her head. Right now she has to focus on one thing at a time. First, they investigate… wherever they were going… and then she could focus on avoiding Yang.

'Gods… who would have thought that finally getting a pair of boobs would spiral my life out of control.' She sighed and stopped her chair from twirling, 'well, at least it can't get any worse.'

*CRASH*

Ruby jumped when she heard a loud bang coming from downstairs again. She let out a frustrated sigh as she wondered what the hell those two were doing now. They had just finished cleaning up the living room and if they so much as made a mess again she was going to slap them silly again.

However, as she stomped her way towards her door, she stopped and listened closely. She can tell both of them were moving around but swiftly, almost frantic. She could make out their audible shouts muffled through the door before hearing a loud thumping coming towards her.

'What are they…'

The thumping grew louder now and closer as the audible shouts of Jaune, and Ren did as well. It finally hit her.

The thumping was footsteps, and they were heading straight.

"RUBY!" Jaune screamed as he banged furiously at her door, "PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR! HURRY PLEASE, PLEASE! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR NOW! HURRY!"

Without hesitation Ruby sprinted the last few steps towards her door as Jaune continued banging on it and threw it open causing Jaune's fist to fly down from the unexpected opening and fall to the floor.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried.

She looked down at his body already springing back up. But what caught her by surprise was that he was still naked! He only changed into a new pair of boxers! She was about to yell at him but froze when she saw the look in his eyes.

They were wild, panicked, and it kinda scared her to see him look so worried. "What the hell's the matter? What's going- ah!"

She yelped and was caught by surprise at suddenly being shoved. She quickly turned and was shocked to see that it was Ren who pushed past her as he darted inside. His composure was gone as his face was completely red from embarrassment as he tried very hard not to look her in the eyes.

Ruby's jaw dropped.

Somehow, unbelievably so. Ren was wearing even less than Jaune!

Where Jaune has his boxers on, Ren came in only a short pink towel draped around his waist!

"A-Alright what the hell is going on?! Tell me right now!" She demanded as Jaune slammed the door shut and locked it as he turned and laid his back against it.

"We are in serious trouble Ruby!" He cried, "Like serious, serious trouble!"

"What do you mean!" She yelled, "What trouble!"

"It's… really bad, Ruby." Ren muttered as he sat on the computer chair, still not looking up.

"For the love of Oum can you please just tell me what it is?!"

Both Jaune and Ren glanced at one another before the latter said, "It's Yang, Ruby. She's outside and is about to come inside."

Ruby's eyes bulged, "WHAT?!" She panicked at the thought of Yang seeing them all together like this. 'Oh no! Oh no, no, no, no, no, NO!' It was way too early for her sister to come home. "A-Are you sure?!"

"We're positive!" Jaune cried and pointed towards the window. "We saw a large, white limousine pull up into your driveway! See for yourself!"

Ruby did.

She practically raced towards her window and gripped the frame as she peered outside. And what she saw made her blood run cold.

To her dismay, it was true.

Down in the driveway, already parked, was the familiar large, white limousine with the very noticeable Schnee signature logo imprinted on the door.

The driver had already made his way to the back door and held it open as Ruby saw Yang, already stepping out of the vehicle.

She slowly turned away, back to her friends as sweat trickled down her forehead.

Her sister was about to enter their home with Ruby still in a bathrobe, and having two nearly naked, boys locked in her room.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"

Dun, dun, DUN~! Oh Ruby, you and the boys are truly in a pickle now. How will the Nightwalkers get out of this one?! Who knows!

And thus, the fifth chapter ends! What did you think? Please be sure to share your thoughts and constructive criticisms in the reviews - whether good or bad it's all welcomed! And please be sure to share, favorite and follow!

Well, that's all I have to say! Please stay tuned for the next chapter and please, have a wonderful Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Stay safe out there! And, until next time, I will see you later!