Chapter 39

The Man Behind the Curtain


A thousand thoughts raced through Ruby's mind as she wandered the campus with no clear destination other than isolation. It was a peculiar sensation after a month of sluggishness and sedation, and she had nearly forgotten what it was like being unable to keep up with her own thoughts and how quickly they could shift. Because of her semblance, just a minute or two of concentration could feel like hours, but trapped in her own mind it felt as though days had passed mulling over the same thoughts again and again until they became habit and eventually like an addiction.

'This must be how Dad feels...' she thought not for the first time in recent weeks.

The Beowolves ripping her and her mother apart now played vividly in her mind, both from her and her mother's perspective. Every lie told to her by her family throughout the years echoed in her ears, each one burning more than the last. She didn't feel like a team leader anymore, much less a member of a team. Certainly not one good enough for Weiss, Blake, or Yang...

As she walked her feet still troubled her and occasionally she limped, but it was more like a nagging sensation that she had long since begun ignoring. Her other aches and pains she mostly blamed on herself for pushing her still recovering body too far, as well as pushing her sister's semblance beyond what she could safely control. Even still, her physical pains were dwarfed by those constantly running through her mind without even a moment's reprieve.

After several hours had passed without keeping track, Ruby found herself on the outskirts of the campus not far from the visitor's landing site where she had first arrived the day before initiation. It was Beacon Academy's central most courtyard with arguably the best view of both the campus and The City of Vale, but wanting to hear herself think Ruby stayed clear of the mighty waterfalls and instead sat down on a bench facing a statue depicting a huntsman and huntress preparing to do battle with an enormous Beowolf.

The likeness of the beast was uncanny, especially with the sunset causing its shadow to be cast over the adolescents that in Ruby's mind appeared to be much older and more experienced. More than once the stone creature had been accidently shot by a freshman, and she recalled how terrified she had been seeing it for the first time as a child when she had come with her father on business. Even now she found its appearance unsettling, and she fought the urge to shoot it in retaliation for her thoughts and nightmares. A crater in the central courtyard was probably a bit excessive however, especially given that it would be her second in her short time at the academy, but she did briefly contemplate whether anyone would notice the beast's head inexplicably missing from atop its shoulders.

Ruby resisted her trigger-happy nature however and instead took a deep breath of fresh air, something she'd only been getting lately from the bedroom window. Despite the high elevation of Beacon Academy and it being her childhood dream, Ruby suddenly found herself thinking of the chilled air and isolated mountains of Patchwork.

She missed the snow covered trees and cool nights even during the middle of summer. She missed the simplicity of life and being surrounded by herds and flocks of animals, as well as the shepherds and cattlemen watching over them. Everyone had known each other by name, everyone had grown lush gardens just outside their homes free for anyone to sample, and everyone had believed themselves to be in the safest region in all of Vale...

Ruby squirmed uncomfortably and instinctively surveyed her surroundings which she had been neglecting to do since running away. Absently she could hear her various combat instructors admonishing her carelessness, but the voice of her uncle no matter how upset always made her smile. Just like Yang, their Uncle Qrow's voice was rampant with emotion even if he did try hiding it underneath a rough and often indifferent exterior.

She was in a clearing with little to no cover besides the statues, and from experience Ruby knew that her red cloak could be seen as far as the eye could see. She didn't feel nearly as safe as she had in Patchwork, or Signal for that matter, but she attributed it to her having finally grown up. There was no such thing as 'safe' on Remnant, but despite having her guard down and more than her fair share of enemies, Ruby couldn't have felt safer except if her uncle had been there.

To her right was a small outcropping of trees and foliage that would've made for decent cover from prying eyes, and Ruby's instincts told her it was currently being occupied. Standard surveillance procedure normally would've called for all scouts to spread out, but she had a feeling that mission integrity was dependent on whether or not Blake could keep Yang and Weiss from accidently blowing their cover, which meant being their babysitter and trying to keep them from killing each other.

Not particularly bothered by their surveillance and just grateful for what space they were giving her, Ruby glanced down at her wrist scroll pleased to see that her aura had already recovered five percent after being knocked down back to zero. Making it to fifteen before the tournament was a certainty now, baring accidents of course, and guessed that she'd probably be up to seventy percent or higher by the time the opening ceremony.

Measuring aura levels was far from an exact science but it was generally agreed that fifteen percent of a person's aura was usually the minimum needed to protect oneself from lethal blows and gunshots. Ten percent and below was when aura shields began to falter, and so all academy sanctioned competitions had strict limits on how low aura could fall before combat instructors began stepping in.

It wasn't uncommon however for the final blow to drop an opponent down to zero and seriously injure them. Her sister had a long history of purposefully injuring opponents she didn't like or had made her mad, but it was almost universally agreed upon that huntsmen would rather drop to zero and risk injury than lose via technicality. Nothing was worse than being at fourteen percent and still capable of fighting but having the towel thrown in on your behalf.

Of course someone like her sister who had a massive aura reserve and could recover five points even during battle also had the ability of maintaining an aura shield at lower percentages. Both she and an opponent's aura might read fifteen percent during an official match, but in actuality Yang's would probably be closer to ten or even five percent. Only teammates and combat instructors were allowed to see the official percentage numbers during competition. Everything on the scoreboard was simply to help the audience visualize the action better, as well as help the announcers build suspense and drama.

Ruby was the exact opposite. Her aura shield was relatively weak compared to the rest of her class, and she also couldn't maintain it reliably enough even at higher percentages. Instead she relied on her incredible speed and skill with Crescent Rose, which until recently had kept her comfortably in third place in the freshmen combat ratings. Her combat skills were rivaled only by her love for weapon tinkering and explosives, and since arriving at Beacon they were the only things she found herself consistently able to improve upon.

Unbeknownst to her teammates, she had already requested a training room for every other day until the tournament. None of them were quite as sharp as they had been, not even Yang, but everyone's aura reserve excluding Ruby's had grown significantly since returning from the mission. In combat, both Blake and Weiss had improved tenfold since the beginning of the year, but her partner and sister would need to be more comfortable teaming with one another if they were to succeed in the doubles round and on further missions.

Yang and Weiss were ironically Team RWBY's strongest and most dynamic pairing, and Ruby suspected that was only going to become more obvious the longer Weiss' powers developed. Until then however, their ultimate goal would be to get Yang in the best fighting shape possible. She was their only real chance in the singles round, and they'd also be able to rely on her to secure the team and doubles rounds if it came to it, as well as keep them alive on subsequent missions.

While struggling to create a thorough training regimen, her mind began to wander and she felt the beginnings of a migraine, possibly leftover from Weiss. She kept a bottle of extra strength aspirin in her ammo belt for such situations but she resisted the urge to immediately reach for it. In her mind she'd grown too accustomed to grabbing pills even when she had needed them, and was scared of following the footsteps of far too many well-meaning huntsmen and huntresses.

She wanted to attribute the slight tremor in her hands to her physical exhaustion or perhaps the cold, but she couldn't be totally sure and so didn't want to risk taking another step on what was assuredly a slippery slope in her profession. She didn't want painkillers to become what alcohol was to her uncle, or more recently her sister...

"Where are you?" she sniffled, wishing that a dusty old crow would land on her shoulder. Last she'd heard, her uncle was on a secret mission somewhere on the other side of Remnant, but no matter the obstacle he always seemed to show up when Ruby needed him most. More than once he had flown through her bedroom window at night when she needed him, and once she was on the verge of sleep he'd kiss her goodnight and return to whatever mission he was currently on, flying back nearly as fast as she could run.

*sniff*

"And what would a young huntress such as yourself be doing sitting alone on a cool evening like this?" Ruby whirled around and saw a tall man leaning on a cane behind her, holding two piping hot mugs in his hand.

"P-Professor Ozpin!" She tried to stand but the headmaster motioned for her to remain sitting, and settling back down she couldn't help hiding a sheepish grin. It seemed her uncle wasn't the only one with a knack for finding her.

"Don't mind me," he said. "I was just out for a stroll when I saw you sitting here. I assure you, carrying two cups of hot chocolate is purely coincidental, though now that I think about it, my leg could use a rest. Would you mind if I sat down beside you?"

"Do they have marshmallows?" Ruby asked, sounding as though her answer might depend on his own.

"Of course," he said, offended to even be asked such a thing. Ruby quickly scooted over and accepted the mug while the elder huntsman carefully took a seat beside her, massaging his left knee once he was comfortable.

From afar it would've been quite the comical scene with Ruby's feet barely touching the ground while the stork-like Ozpin's were practically folded against his chest, though he soon straightened them once he was able to.

"I remember when this statue was first commissioned," he said, starting the conversation which Ruby was grateful for as she'd never been particularly skilled in that department. "It's original purpose was to promote companionship and friendship between the huntsmen of different kingdoms. You may have noticed the young man with the sword has a darker complexion while the fair lady has a battle ax. They represent Vacuo and Vale respectfully, centuries old allies throughout countless wars and insurrections, though I must admit the Beowolf absolutely terrified me as a child. Must have given me nightmares for weeks, and I suspect that's been the case for children ever since. Perhaps I should request another be made in its stead. This time including all four kingdoms as well as the faunus."

"Hmm..." He took a thoughtful sip from his mug, and Ruby looked up at him with a raised brow and foam mustache. "But isn't the statue over a hundred years old? How-"

"A hundred and twenty-two to be exact. Give or take a year," he added with a sheepish grin.

Ruby nearly choked and waved her hand apologetically. "Y-you look good for your age," she stuttered. "W-what's your secret?"

"I moisturize," he answered seriously, followed by dipping his head and breaking out in a wide smile. "I had the great fortune of being blessed with a particularly potent aura and a rare talent for time dilation, as well as good genes. But if you wouldn't mind, I'd rather if you kept that information to yourself. You can keep a secret, can't you?"

"I-I can! I-I promise! Wait, about your age, time dilation, or that you moisturize?"

Ozpin chuckled. "All of the above. It's not exactly a secret that I'm rather spry for my age, but I'd rather avoid the accompanying stares and whispers behind my back. I'm sure you can sympathize." Ruby bobbed her head up and down, shuddering at the thought. "It's also not exactly common knowledge however, and it's against my wishes that Professor Port tells tales of my exploits from when he was a boy. I suspect that most students don't know about my age either because of Peter's penchant for tall-tales that believe it or not are mostly true, or they simply tune him out during class. Which one are you, I wonder?"

"Well, I, um, you see-"

"A little of both but mostly the latter," he translated, nodding sympathetically. "Still, even if you only listen to him ten percent of the time you'll still learn more about Grimm and how to combat them than you will from anyone else on Remnant. Chances are he's single handedly killed more Grimm than any other living huntsman, including me and your uncle."

From behind her mug of hot coco Ruby nodded. She'd heard stories of Port's former combat prowess and had actually known her Grimm Ecology professor since she was a little girl when he'd come visit her dad and uncle at Signal. He'd been particularly close to her mom, but Ruby and Yang had had a tendency to make themselves scarce whenever they heard he'd be stopping by. It wasn't anything personal, but while the man might have very well once been the most dangerous huntsman on Remnant, he was still by far its most boring.

"If you don't mind me asking," Ozpin continued, "what seems to be troubling you, Miss Rose? I can hardly believe that you'd come out all this way just to sit alone on a cold park bench and stare at a statue that I'm now having serious reconsiderations about. Might it have anything to do with your most recent and might I say miraculous recovery?"

Ruby was silent as she stared at her now half-empty mug, unsure what to say if anything. Or where to even start for that matter.

"Don't worry about being overheard by your sister and friends." He held out his hand which held a small green glyph. "Besides time dilation, I've also been known to dabble in sound projection and illusion glyphs. Anyone trying to overhear our conversation will find our words as well as our lips impossible to decipher. Including a certain cat faunus who I've learned not to underestimate." He gave a knowing look and winked. "Don't take it personally. Your sister and friends mean well, but along with being cautious they're also understandably worried about you. I have a deputy headmistress who's much the same actually, though I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Professor Goodwitch that I compared her to Miss Xiao Long. I'd prefer to live long enough to see my hundred and thirty-first birthday next year."

Ruby bit her lip, hardly listening and assuming that the headmaster already knew all of her family's secrets, and likely already knew the questions on the tip of her tongue. They weren't for him to tell however, and despite desperately wanting answers, Ruby wanted them from Yang, not her headmaster.

"I-I've just had a lot on my mind lately," she answered honestly. "I wanted someplace quiet to think..."

"Well then, I suppose I should apologize for interrupting. Once my leg is feeling up to it I'll leave you to your thoughts, but before I go, I do have one question I'd like to ask." He turned and his serious expression was betrayed by a mischievous smile. "Tell me, did you enjoy General Ironwood's banquet? I've never seen such a exotic dessert table in all my years."

"Dessert?" she squeaked. "I-I mean, I wasn't at the banquet, Professor. Well, I was there but I wasn't."

Ozpin snapped his fingers. "That's right. Miss Schnee said something about you visiting a friend who couldn't make the banquet. That was very kind and thoughtful of you, though I'm sorry to say you missed quite the spectacle."

Ruby blushed as she caught a knowing look from the professor. "Her name's Penny," she said, "but you probably already know all about her..."

A sad smile crossed the headmaster's face and he patted her hand. "Not everything, but enough to say with confidence that what you did transferring your aura to her was extraordinarily kind of you. Foolish perhaps, but in my experience love usually is. I'm just sorry I didn't realize the severity of the transfer until after you returned from Mt. Glenn. I put your life in great jeopardy, Ruby, and for that I deeply apologize."

The pair sat quietly as the wind rustled the nearby trees and bushes. After several long moments Ruby gave his hand a squeeze, surprising the headmaster and causing him to look up. "It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" She smiled and suddenly found herself on the verge of both tears and laughter.

Wordlessly Ozpin removed his glasses to clean a spot. "I suppose it did..." he murmured.

With a weight lifted from her chest Ruby sat kicking her legs while finishing the rest of her hot chocolate. "The morning you gave us the mission," she said, "you already knew that I'd be out of the wheelchair and standing in your office, didn't you?"

Another sad smile tugged on the headmaster's lip. "Many things in this world are still a surprise to me, Miss Rose, but more often than not they're tragedies, not miracles. I was fairly certain that your team would depart on the mission I laid out for you, but I knew it for a certainty when I saw the security footage of Miss Polendina sneaking through your hospital room window. What I hadn't expected however was you transferring your mother's aura to her beforehand, at least not the large sum that you did. It's an incredible feat that I'm not entirely sure if you truly appreciate or understand the significance of."

He squeezed her hand and looked down again. "I also hadn't expected you'd be kidnapped by Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, or that you'd expend what little of your mother's aura you had remaining in order to save as many lives as you did. For that I am truly sorry, Ruby, but also eternally grateful..."

Ozpin sighed, and for a moment Ruby thought she could see all one hundred and thirty years in his dark eyes. "I made a terrible miscalculation with you and Miss Polendina, and I also made the fatal mistake of underestimating our enemies, again. I told you the truth about your team's purpose for going to Mt. Glenn, but secretly I had been testing a theory I've had of you since your mother died. And unless I'm mistaken, you've recently discovered what my theory might have been."

She swallowed a lump in her throat, hearing what she thought might've been an invitation to ask what she already knew to be true. "You wanted to know whether or not I was special, didn't you?" her voice cracked. "T-that I am different from everyone else. That I'm the prodigy that everyone keeps telling me that I am. And more..."

Ruby lowered her head and sniffed, and tried shrugging away a hand when it was laid atop her shoulder.

"You're an incredible huntress and leader, Miss Rose," he said gently. "But as you seem to have already guessed, I didn't invite you to my academy simply because of your prodigious combat skills or aptitude for doing the right."

"I knew it..." she sniffed, fighting a losing battle against tears.

The hand on her shoulder squeezed, and she looked up to see the headmaster smiling down at her. "I invited you to my school because just like your mother, you have the heart of a true huntress. There's probably fifty or more young huntsmen and huntresses attending combat schools with higher combat ratings than yourself, but none of them have the heart that you do. Not even your sister or Miss Nikos. Miss Xiao Long wishes to go through life like an autumn leaf drifting wherever the wind takes her, and Miss Nikos' greatest wish is to become a two time Vytal Festival champion. Noble ambitions in our profession to be sure, but there's a reason I didn't invite either of them two years too early. I don't gamble with lives, Miss Rose. I make investments, and the one I made with you has already paid off ten-fold."

Ruby sniffed again but she smiled as tears ran down her cheeks. "Y-you didn't invite me just because I'm special?"

Ozpin shook his head. "Ruby, you are more special that you will ever realize, but it's not who you're descended from that caused me to invite either you or your mother to my academies. Your mother walking from the badlands of Vacuo all the way to Vale impressed me beyond words, as did you risking your life for a price-gouging shopkeeper."

The caped-girl beamed and wiped her eyes and cheeks. She had never liked being considered a prodigy for her age, and loathed being called as such. She had worked hard to attain her combat rating, arguably harder than anyone in her class back at Signal, and the thought of being moved ahead two years simply because of who she was related to bothered Ruby more than she cared to admit. She hadn't grown up wanting to be a princess or even remotely famous. All she wanted was to be a huntress, a silent guardian of the people whose name and deeds were known only by her peers, and occasionally the people she rescued from the clutches of death.

"The night we met was more clandestine than you know," Ozpin continued. "You stopped a robbery orchestrated by Roman Torchwick's benefactor, and from there you and your friends thwarted a massive dust heist at the docks, discovered and destroyed a prototype Paladin, sabotaged a terrorist plot to cripple The City of Vale, and defended a city besieged by Grimm. In my experience that's not coincidence. That's two lives intertwined by fate, but I'm afraid it may not be his life yours is intertwined with. Do you know whom I speak of?"

"The woman in the Beowolf mask," Ruby said without hesitation, nodding grimly. She had long since feared as much, but glancing up she couldn't help smiling. "Professor, I-I don't think I ever actually thanked you for inviting me to Beacon. It's all that I've ever dreamed of since I was a little girl, and despite all the bad things that have happened I don't regret coming. These past four months have been the happiest of my life, and if it hadn't been for you, I probably would've never met Weiss, Blake, Penny or any of my other friends here at Beacon."

The headmaster marveled at her for a moment before letting out a breath that he seemed to have been holding for quite some time. "You are more than welcome, Miss Rose, but I'm the last person deserving of your gratitude. Even so, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that. It may have ultimately been my decision, but you coming here was due to your own hard work and selflessness. You have only yourself to thank, and perhaps those that trained you. All I've done is set you on a dangerous path, one of hardship and suffering, and almost certain death. One that your family knows all too well..."

Ruby shrugged. "I know," she said. "I may not have known what I was fully getting into but I've known this is what I wanted to do since I can remember. It's what I was born to do. The past few months have been hard and I'm sure they're only going to get harder, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. Thank you for making me a team leader even though I didn't deserve it, and thank you for making me Weiss' partner and putting me on the same team as Blake and my sister. If anything bad ever happens to us, Professor, please know that I won't blame you. Not even if it's on a mission that you give us. We've all accepted the risks, and being at Beacon has been the happiest time of our lives. I know it won't last forever, but neither does hot chocolate, and it's the best thing in the world next to milk and chocolate chip cookies."

She presented her empty mug as proof, and a warm smile spread across Ozpin's face as he looked down at her, his eyes twinkling. "You're much wiser than an old fool like me," he said softly, "and also much kinder. You're as much a huntress as your mother, Ruby, and that's the greatest compliment I can give. It's what I first noticed when we met and I looked into your aura for the first time, and I do mean your aura."

Ruby blushed and kicked her feet, unable to sit still but also not wanting to move from her seat.

"I'm not sure if you realize it yet, but your team is actually quite similar to your mother's. Both you and her were reluctant team leaders for starters, and your sister is as much like her mother as you are yours. Both have their violent tendencies and volatile tempers, but just like Raven, your sister loves her family and friends more than anything. Miss Schnee's situation isn't too dissimilar to your father's when he was a teenager and kicked out of the house, and just like him, she's found a family to call his own."

"What about Blake and my Uncle Qrow?"

Ozpin frowned for a moment before looking up at the clouds, possibly searching the skies for a particular blackbird with red eyes. "When I first met your uncle and Miss Belladonna, they were both full of anger and bitterness toward the world and themselves. I feared that if I didn't give them the tools necessary for making the world a better place or help achieve their goals the right way, they'd continue down a dark path that only ever ends in misery and despair..."

Ruby nodded having heard her uncle talk about himself and his sister in a similar manner before, even joking that he would've either been killed fighting bandits or hung as one if it hadn't been for Ozpin. And although she didn't like to dwell on such matters, Blake was probably lucky not to have been killed during her time with the White Fang, or imprisoned. Even after leaving her old life behind her, she hadn't exactly been living a noble or virtuous life on the shady side of town. Not that Ruby minded or was bothered of course, but she felt it was best leaving Blake's past where it belonged.

"It's my hope however that Team RWBY doesn't repeat Team STRQ's fate, and that I don't make the same mistakes. Or make brand new ones for that matter."

Silence fell between the student and headmaster, only to be interrupted by his knee popping as he stretched his bad leg. "Here I come down all this way to try and cheer you up when I dare say it's had the opposite effect," he chuckled. "Thank you, Miss Rose, for once again sharing your kindness with an old man. And for exceeding any and all expectations I may have had of you."

He gestured toward the empty mug which she reluctantly handed over due to there still being chocolate at the bottom her tongue could reach. "It's alright, I-I think? Um, thanks for stopping by." She smiled awkwardly and waved, unsure how normal people said hello and goodbye so gracefully when she could barely have a conversation without embarrassing herself or feeling like a dolt.

The headmaster stood up, grimacing as he did, and seeing a look of concern quickly gave a reassuring smile. "It's nothing really. Just a combination of old age, the weather, and an injury that never quite healed properly. Prosthetics have come a long way since I was an active huntsman, and I'm afraid it'd be a rather complicated procedure getting it replaced all these years later. And time is not a luxury that I have at the moment."

Ruby looked down worriedly, seeing nothing that gave away the man's prosthetic. A large portion of huntsmen had some sort of cybernetic, and while she knew the chances of her someday having them attached or inserted inside of her body were rather high, she still couldn't help being the least bit disturbed, as well as morbidly fascinated which she knew better not to vocalize. The few times another student had asked her to work on their prosthetic the conversations had been short and to the point, which Ruby normally would've appreciated except her inquisitive mind and motor mouth hadn't allowed it.

"Farewell, Miss Rose."

"Goodbye, Professor. And thank you."

He laid a hand on her shoulder and flared his aura, and immediately Ruby felt a familiar presence stir within herself for the first time since falling asleep in Penny's arms. Ozpin seemed to sense this as well but turned back the way he came before any specific emotions could manifest themselves.

"Goodnight, Miss Rose. Try to get a restful night sleep tonight. I don't want you overdoing it before the tournament. Unethical as it may be, some of us have money riding on it."

For the next several minutes Ruby sat in silence but while smiling and kicking her legs. Although alone she wasn't really, and she felt a tender warmth reminiscent of her mom wrapping her arms and cloak around her before bedtime.

"I miss you, Mom," she said, wiping her eyes. "And I love you..." After drying a few more tears she retrieved her scroll, and a moment later loud music started playing in the nearby bushes where three voice began cursing and arguing with one another.

"You said you turned the volume down!" screamed a shrill voice.

"I thought I did!"

"Well apparently you didn't..." someone said dryly.

The voices cut out over the scroll but Ruby could hear them just fine as the bushes caught fire and began wrestling with one another.

"Hey!" she called, stifling a laugh. "Y'all wanna order a pizza and watch a movie tonight?"


A sadistic smile spread across Weiss' face as she studied the card in her hand after having drawn it from the deck. Behind her, Yang and Blake sat on the floor beside the bottom bunk with full mouths and wide grins as their leader fidgeted nervously on her partner's bed.

"Even you will be able to guess this one." With as much dignity as she could muster, Weiss stretched her arm out so that her nose and elbow met. "BAHRUUUUUHHHAAAA!" she trumpeted loudly.

Both Yang and Blake nearly choked on their food howling with delight, but underneath her partner's cold gaze Ruby slowly shrank back into the shadows.

"Aardvark!" she shouted. "Wooly mammoth! Mastodon! Goliath! Oliphant! Professor Oobleck! Unicorn! Rhinoceros! Oh-God-I'm-sorry-Weiss-please-don't-be-mad-at-me!"

A buzzer sounded on the other side of the room causing both Yang and Blake to erupt into triumphant cheers as the undefeated champions celebrated yet another dominant performance.

"Elephant!" Weiss screamed. "THE WORD WAS ELEPHANT!"

Ruby blinked. "Oh..."

"How do you guess everything except elephant?" Ruby shrugged and tried forgetting that playing charades had in fact been her idea. Months earlier when Ruby first suggested playing the game as a team building exercise, nobody had been very enthused about playing such a mundane game but it had quickly become one of their favorites, particularly Yang and Blake's.

Weiss stalked over to her cowering partner and knocked on her head as if it were a door, and thought she heard a hollow response. "Does this thing even work?"

"Elephant slipped my mind!" she said, slapping the hand away. "I-I thought I'd already said it!"

"Then what's your excuse for when I got on all fours and barked like a dog?"

Ruby remained silent as she fiddled with her fingers, but across the room her sister hummed with delight after swallowing a particularly large slice of pizza she'd been sharing with Zwei. "To be fair, you barking like a dog made me think of another word too."

As Weiss massaged her temples she glanced out the corner of her eye and saw her teammates still congratulating one another, including Zwei who would've congratulated a Grimm on its most recent kill if it meant being hand-fed pizza toppings.

"Can we please trade partners?" she pleaded. "Specifically can I have Blake? She's clever enough to figure out your absurd clues and gives ones even you can guess. I meanwhile am stuck with the witless wonder who can't even guess dog or elephant correctly but expects me to interpret her standing still as her being a tree."

"No can do, princess," Yang teased. "You made your bed of nails when you chose Rubes as your partner and now you two have to lay on it. Preferably while cuddling."

"Besides," Blake added, "Yang and Ruby practically think on the same wavelength, and watching you blow a gasket every time y'all lose gives me back one of the nine lives y'all stole from me."

Yang turned to her partner looking aghast. "A cat joke!" she cheered. "Blake just made a cat joke!"

"It's the full belly and mimosas talking. Also, I'm allowed to make cat jokes because unlike yours, mine are actually funny."

"Hey!" Taking exception to such a ridiculous statement, Yang grabbed a nearby pillow and tried taking her partner's head off with it but Blake ducked and rolled out of the way just in time before grabbing a weapon herself, leaving Zwei to gobble up her few remaining anchovies.

"Ruby, pillow!" Weiss shouted. Ruby tossed her a frilly pillow but was too late as Weiss sailed across the room courtesy of a pillow striking her square in the stomach.

Yang stood up, grinning fiendishly after grabbing another pair of pillows from her own bed. "Alright, who's next?"

The girls glanced at one another and gave knowing nods having gone over their strategy multiple times already. Ruby and Weiss would go low while Blake and her shadow went high, and anyone left alive would duel for the coveted title of 'Pillow Fight Champion' which was currently held by the undisputed, undefeated champion.

The plan went about as well as usual, with Yang sitting atop her semi-conscious teammates and sharing what remained of their pizzas with Zwei. Normally sitting atop her fallen foes and having them repeat whatever she ordered them to would've been enough humiliation, but sometime during the battle someone had smuggled a brick into their pillow and Yang hadn't taken too kindly to being hit in the back of the head with it. An example had to be made in order to keep the peasants in line, and nothing was more cruel than watching someone eat your favorite pizza right in front of you. Except perhaps having a corgi sit on your head while the rest of your body was tangled with two other girls and used as a makeshift throne.

After her dominance had been thoroughly asserted and Yang had gotten her fill of pizza and cocktails, a movie of her choice had been unanimously decided upon and the bunkbeds taken down so that they lined up side by side.

"You're the best big sister in the world, you're better at video games than me, and you're Uncle Qrow's favorite..." said an almost inaudible voice.

"What was that, Rubes?" Yang asked after being presented with her sixth cinnamon roll for the night. "My ears are still ringing from you emptying a magazine in my face."

"I said I was sorry..." she grumbled, crawling over an indignant Weiss.

"Are you though?"

Flopping down beside her sister, Ruby glanced up and after studying her face for a moment shook her head. "Not really."

Yang swallowed and wrapped an arm around her. "You shouldn't be sorry," her voice cracked. "I love you, Rubes, a-and I promise that we'll talk soon..."

She pulled Ruby close and buried her face in her hair, which had always been too short for Yang's liking. On either side of them, their partners stole a glance at one another, beyond relieved to see the sisters getting along again but uneasy that not everything had been resolved.

Toward the end of the second movie eyelids began dropping and Ruby snuggled closer to her sister who she was using as a pillow. To Weiss' chagrin everyone had decided to pile up in her bed due to the more comfortable sheets and mattress, but at the moment she didn't seem to care much as she snuggled with her partner while Blake did the same on the other side of Yang.

While Zwei walked around atop their feet trying to decide which ones to curl up with, the girls all flared their auras until they became one. Both sets of partners felt whole again, as did the team.

"Goodnight Team RWBY!" they all said in unison.

'I love you,' they all said silently to one another, making each message personal and private.

Together with multiple consciousnesses still overlapping, they slipped into unconsciousness and began snoring in sync with one another...


When Ruby's eyelids fluttered open she found herself enveloped in a world of white. She looked up at what should've been the ceiling of her darkened bedroom only to find wisps of mist and bright lights looking down at her. She rolled over feeling groggy, thinking she must've gotten up to go to the bathroom sometime during the night and fallen asleep with the hot water running again. It was the most logical explanation she could think of, and she couldn't find any objection to sleeping on a bathroom floor as comfortable as this.

It was like sleeping on a cloud, and she sighed as there wasn't an ounce of pain in her entire body. She hadn't felt this good or comfortable in weeks, possibly months, and immediately her eyes shot open and she sat upright.

The ground was cool beneath her and the air crisp and fresh, reminding her of being high in the mountains. The air wasn't thin however, and she found breathing effortless despite having bruised ribs from her match with Yang. Looking about, all she saw was a white void and an endless expanse of mist.

"Is this Heaven?" she wondered aloud. "Mom? A-are you there? How'd I get here?"

Ruby shuddered as she imagined Yang rolling over in her sleep and causing her to suffocate, but just as likely was Weiss choking her in her sleep with the idea of blaming it on Yang when she awoke.

"Um, isn't somebody supposed to come out and greet me? Hello?"

On the ground not far away somebody groaned and began to stir. "Alright, that's it. I'm never drinking mimosas before bedtime again, and I actually mean it this time..."

"Yang?"

"Rubes?" a golden mane popped above the mist. "Are we dead? Don't tell me I choked on my vomit and smothered you. I promised Dad that I wouldn't."

"Maybe Zwei ate us," Blake grumbled, also rising. She gave the pair nervous glances before kicking at the ground. "Get up, Weiss. Ignoring us won't make any of us go away."

The barely visible girl in white groaned but got to her feet to prevent being kicked again. "That's just terrific," she said. "Our bodies are going to be found in bed together, and with my luck I suffocated with a face full of Yang..."

"Hey!" she shouted. "That's easily gotta be a top ten ways to go, and it beats being eaten by an overweight corgi or choking on your own vomit."

"Zwei is not overweight," Weiss said sharply. "He's simply putting on his winter coat and storing fat before the cold sets in. It's perfectly natural and don't you dare insinuate otherwise."

"Oh my God!" Ruby said. "Who's gonna take care of Zwei!?" Both she and Weiss began screaming only to be interrupted by Blake patting them on the shoulders.

"We're not dead," she deadpanned, wincing from their high-pitched voices.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, pointing at the sisters. "Because this looks an awful lot like hell to me."

As she and Yang exchanged their customary 'Go to hell and please kindly stay there' glares at one another, Blake stalked around testing the ground and the mists.

"Could one of us be dreaming?" Ruby asked.

Blake nodded. "It'd make more sense than the four of us being dead. We all fell asleep in the same bed while flaring our auras. It's possible we could all be sharing the same lucid dream."

"All four of us?" Weiss shook her head. "Partners in close proximity with each other share dreams all the time. Ruby and Yang being sisters I can understand, but you and me?"

"Maybe they're acting as a bridge between us, or maybe we're more alike than either of us cares to admit."

"Doesn't matter," Yang interrupted, her patience beginning to thin. "We're here and that's what matters. Anyone have any idea whose dream this is? Can't say I've ever dreamed of something as boring as this before. You?"

Weiss and Blake looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking their heads, and slowly everyone turned to Ruby who was looking out into the white expanse with a blank stare.

"I-I think it's mine," she whispered. Realizing she had spoken aloud she blushed and turned to her teammates. "I-I've never had a dream like this, at least I don't think I have, but something about it seems really familiar..."

The girls all shared nervous glances with one another but Yang managed to force a crooked grin. "No offense, Sis, but if this is your dream then Weiss is right. Your head's emptier than any of us thought. When this is over we're taking you to get a cat scan to see if there's anything up there." She tried sounding her usual jovial, carefree self but Yang couldn't help thinking of the countless artistic interpretations of Heaven and her sister finding this place somehow familiar. She shuddered and began stomping around looking for anything that might reveal their location, including angels to threaten.

"I suppose this being your dream would make sense," Weiss said with an air of impatience. "If it were mine none of you would be here right now, and if it were yours it'd probably be a bit more imaginative."

"If it were my dream there'd be more guys and less clothes," Yang confirmed. "Speaking of..." She gestured down at herself then her teammates who were all wearing their huntress attire and appeared to be loaded for bear.

Out of habit or perhaps comfort they all drew their weapons and checked to see what ammunition had been loaded.

"High-grade explosive red," Ruby announced with a dry mouth. Yang and Blake nodded, their faces suddenly paler than before. "A-at least if we get in a fight we'll be ready," she said optimistically.

Yang activated her gauntlets while Blake continued surveying the area. "Problem is, what could your imagination spawn that we'd need high-grade explosive red dust? For our sakes, Rubes, try keeping your head empty. Real or not, I'd rather not have a visit from one of your nightmares."

Ruby nodded, instinctively holding her breath. "Me neither..."

Behind them, Weiss screamed and nearly had her head blown off. "MY EYE!" she shouted. "It's real! I-I can see again!"

A warm smile spread across her face that melted all their hearts, and a single tear rolled down her left cheek which she caught with an unsteady finger. "It's real! It's not artificial! It's actually real!"

Ruby ran over and wrapped her arms around her. "Your scar's gone too!" Weiss' hand flew up and her smile widened.

"Mine too," Blake said, checking her left bicep which as usual had been covered up.

Yang held up her hands. "Don't look at me. Haven't gone any. What about you, Rubes? Feeling alright?"

"Great," she squeaked, having trouble breathing now that Weiss had her arms around her as well. "Nothing hurts, not even my feet. I'm not even sore from our match earlier. If we were dreaming though that would make sense, right?"

The revelation that they'd eventually have to wake up caused them all to glance down and sigh, but Weiss quickly returned to studying her teammates and their surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. "Just my luck that you'd dream of a world devoid of color," she said, unable to contain her absolute glee.

"I think we should head in that direction." Everyone turned to see Blake pointing in the distance. "It's faint, but the mist is swirling differently about a hundred yards ahead. I think it might be some kind of barrier."

"Better than nothing," Yang said, leading the way. "It might be a boring dream but I guess it has its perks." She winked at Weiss who happily winked back with her left eye.

It wasn't a particularly long walk to the barrier Blake had been pointing at, and as they approached they saw she'd been correct. The mist was practically fog now, and there was a wall of it going up and in either direction as far as the eye could see. Upon closer inspection Yang got a sense of deja vu, reminded of the blue fog in Beacon's underground vault, but they were the only two cautious in their approach as both Ruby and Weiss skipped along enjoying the scenery and being able to walk without any pain or discomfort.

The pair had to be grabbed by the shoulders so as not to bump into the otherworldly barrier, and before her partner could try punching it, Blake tested the fog with her katana. Instead of hitting something solid she found her blade being repelled back almost magnetically, and tried several attempts before giving up and examining the blade.

"Seems safe enough," she said to Yang, who was currently sizing up the wall. "Reminds me of an Atlesian hard-light force field. Thanks for waiting before sticking your hand through it by the way."

Yang replied with a devilish grin as she approached the obstacle momentarily in her way, and everyone smartly took a step back and attempted using one another as a makeshift shield.

Ember Celica discharged and Yang found herself suddenly engulfed in flames as the explosive round presumably hit something solid. She waved the lingering flames and dust away from her face and like the others watched the disturbed mist swirl around the vicinity before returning back to normal. With a shrug she began alternating punches until she had used all twelve rounds from either gauntlet. When she finally reappeared her eyes had a reddish hue but whether it was out of frustration or blowing herself up a couple dozen times nobody could be sure and didn't ask.

At last Yang gave it a kick and stumbled backward when her foot was repelled. "That's not happening," she said matter-of-factly, massaging her knuckles before reloading her gauntlets.

"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Weiss asked. "If this is Ruby's dream then maybe this is some sort of barrier in her mind. We could be causing permanent brain damage for all we know."

"Want me to try shooting it!?" Ruby asked earnestly, already chambering a round.

Weiss hid her face in her hands. "Why do I even bother..."

"I have a better idea." Grinning like a madman, Yang relieved her sister of Crescent Rose and held it up out of her reach.

"W-what are you doing!?" she screamed, flapping her arms in hopes she might fly up and snatch it. "Give her back!"

Yang ignored her as she pressed various switches and buttons on the over-engineered sniper-scythe. "Okay, how does this thing work again? AH-HA!"

The massive blade bent backward and both Blake and Weiss immediately took several steps back, dragging Ruby along with them.

Weiss swallowed. "I just want to let all of you know that it hasn't been entirely unpleasant knowing you all. Especially you, Blake."

"Ditto..."

"Don't hurt Crescent Rose!" Ruby yelled. "She's a good girl who never did anything bad to anyone!"

"That's a lie," Weiss muttered, stepping back a couple more feet just to be safe. "You should be more concerned about us. Your sister and scythe already give me nightmares, but together they're a match made in hell."

Yang laughed maniacally as she took a couple practice swings, the girls all following the wide arcs of the blade while simultaneously saying silent prayers. Finally, after a long wind up, Yang pulled the trigger causing an explosion directly behind her and struck the wall of mist. Terrible wails echoed throughout the great expanse, and just as Yang felt the wall beginning to give under the tremendous force, she was thrown backward over her teammates' heads flat on her back.

Ruby grimaced and grasped the sides of her head, dizzy and suddenly not feeling well, but hearing Crescent Rose clatter onto the ground she quickly recovered and chased after her beloved sniper-scythe, stepping over her sister in the process.

"You alright?" Blake asked.

"Just peachy," Yang grumbled, refusing a helping hand when it was offered.

Ruby cradled Crescent Rose tightly to her chest, making sure to keep it far out of her sister's reach. "It's okay, Crescent. I'll never let her hurt you ever again. Never-ever."

"If you ask me that couldn't have worked out better," Weiss said with a smug smile. "What's left of Ruby's mind is still intact, we're not dead, and I got to see Yang Xiao Long bested and fly asset over teakettle with both eyes."

Yang turned and her eyes darkened. "Laugh while you can, princess. Up next we're gonna try using your head as a battering ram..."

*twitch*

Blake whirled around with her weapons raised. "We're not alone," she said quietly.

A figure emerged from the mist a short distance away. "Who's there!?" Yang demanded, stepping out in front with raised fists.

The stranger stopped and waited for the fog to disperse, and the team gasped as they saw a young woman wearing a red cloak with a hood covering their face and a tattered cloak trailing behind.

"R-Ruby?"


(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Although Ruby has a lot on her mind at the moment, I thought it would be interesting and in-character for her to be afraid that her heritage was the reason Ozpin invited her to Beacon, and that the skills she's worked so hard to develop were in actuality influenced by said heritage. Volume 1 established that Ruby doesn't want to be viewed as special, or different, but I think you can make a strong argument that the reason she was invited to Beacon in the first place is because of her Silver Eyes (and possibly because of her family). In my opinion it would be a major blow to her already undermined confidence, and I wanted to touch on the subject here. Ruby already has survivor's guilt, and her feeling unworthy has been a recurrently element in the story. Ozpin may have given her encouragement, but ultimately Ruby's the only one who can restore her self-worth.

Ozpin may have all the answers Ruby wants, but it's Yang she wants them from, and its her she wants to be mad at. I like to think of Ozpin as ultimately being on the side of good, but it's a "chaotic good", and I think he tells a lot of half-truths in order to get what he wants. He's the only one who sees the big picture, and unfortunately the lives of our heroes are inconsequential compared to the greater good, at least from his perspective. Ozpin has lived a very long time and played a part in a lot of people's deaths, and I think that builds up a callous after awhile. I think he's managed to maintain his humanity throughout the past 130 years, and I like to credit people such as Summer and Ruby for doing so. After all, he is a descendent of Ozma, and with the theme of cycles in both RWBY and this narrative, it only seems right that Ruby helps remind him why life is worth living and fighting for. That's partially what makes Ruby so special in my opinion.

I've also rarely ever seen a scene where the main character personally thanks their mentor for all they've done before their untimely death, and I wanted such a scene here in "The Patchwork Prodigy". It also sounds like he might have something to do with Ruby's dream. More on that later, and I must admit I really enjoyed the scene with the girls playing charades, having a hard-hitting pillow fight, and falling asleep together while watching movies. I hope you did as well, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 40. It's the climax of the story and something I've been looking forward to since 2015.

Thank you for letting me be a small part of your lives these past six years, friends, and thank you for being such a big part of mine. Through the good times and bad, you've been there for me.

All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)