Hello, guys want to say I made a new chapter yay.

1- If you had any ideas to add to the story, say it and I might use them in the future.

2- Sorry if I didn't upload and sorry for my grammar

Chapter 9: Truth

Ruby on her upper bunk, Zwei sleeping beside her. Weiss just below them. Blake on her bunk. Ben and Yang cuddling below Blake. It was a quiet night for team RWBBY. It's been days after that little "Roman and the White Fang" incident. Now all they want is a good night's sleep. It's been a tiring week.

But fate doesn't seem to agree with that.

A bright flash and a loud sonic boom in the room managed to irritate everyone asleep. Ruby covered her ears with a single pillow, Weiss did the same, Blake simply shifted in her sleep and Ben accidentally laid his head on Yang's breast, but Yang simply hugged him. Zwei, however, was the only one who woke up. He barked at Ruby.

"Go back to sleep, Zwei..." Ruby said, muffled under her pillow. Zwei hopped off the bunk bed.

Zwei barked again. This time, twice and louder. Ruby groaned and took the pillow off her face. "Zwei! I said sleep-" She stopped talking. Zwei is looking at Ruby happily as Ruby is just staring at something behind Zwei.

"GUYS!" Ruby yelled. Her yelling caused her teammates to wake up and look at her. After seeing that she's looking at something else, they look at what Ruby is looking at. This surprised everyone, especially Ben.

"Well look who decides to visit after a while," Ben yelled at the person standing behind Zwei.

The man behind Zwei is wearing a simple lab coat and goggles. He's also wearing a brown polo shirt underneath his lab coat. He seems to be in his 50s...but he's been living for 100,000 years and simply stopped aging. His name is...

"Professor Paradox?!" Ben yelled.

"You know him, Ben?" Ruby said, getting off her bunk.

"Of course, he does, young Ruby Rose. He's known me since the day he met me. Or should I say, the day I will meet him? Time travel makes verb tenses really confusing." Paradox replied.

"How does he know my name?" Ruby said.

"Time travel?" Blake asked, facing Ben instead.

Ben rubbed his head. "Yep...He can do that stuff. And don't be surprised if he knows who you are. He time travels. He's probably met you at some point. Anyway..." Ben faces Paradox. "What are you doing here, Paradox? And why didn't you appear before? Like, when I got transported here for the first time!"

Paradox sighed. "Very well, you deserve an explanation like your real counterpart."

Ben froze in place when he heard that. "Counterpart?"

"Ben...There's something you must know... You are not the real Ben."

Complete silence filled the room.

"...Explain," Yang said, closing her eyes. When she opens them, they were bright red. "Explain why you're telling us that my boyfriend is not real...EXPLAIN!" Yang yelled.

"Calm down, Ms. Xiao Long. Let me talk." Paradox said, clearing his throat. "Ben, do you remember the grenade that Eon threw at you?"

Ben nodded, still don't know how to feel.

"The grenade is made by Eon himself. It was designed to incapacitate a target by transporting the target to a small black hole." Paradox explained.

Ben felt silent. Yang held his hand, trying to comfort him. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all looked at each other in worry for their teammate.

"Once the black hole has completely sucked in the target, it will cause the target to be transferred to a different dimension. However... the real one knocked away like it was a normal bomb. there's a catch. In order for the target to never be found as Eon was hoping, the grenade will create multiple clones of the original, all with the same memories, appearance, and so on. The clones will then be sent to separate dimensions, those who would look for the target, like friends and family for example, will have a hard time determining where the real target is." Paradox continued.

"So...I'm one of these clones? While my real me knocked out like it was nothing" Ben asked.

Tears fell from Ben's eyes. Knowing that this whole time that you weren't real, that you were just used as a decoy, it hurts him. Especially after thinking all the memories, you have, good or bad...they belong to someone else and simply copied. Ben...Team RWBBY's Ben Tennyson... is not the real Ben. Yang, seeing her beloved crying, hugged him tightly. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all had tears on their face.

Paradox himself felt guilty... but he had to tell the truth.

"Professor..." Ben said as Yang lets go of him.

"Yes, Ben? I'll answer any question you have." Paradox said.

"...What happens to the other clones of the original? Including me?" Ben asked.

"Well, once the original has arrived in his original dimension, the clones will be trapped in the dimension they were transported in. And...well...it has already happened." Paradox said.

"I see... Then...I'm stuck in Remnant?" Ben asked.

Paradox nodded.

Another silence filled the room. Yang hugged Ben again. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all follow suit and did a group hug. Even Zwei joined in by rubbing his head on Ben's feet.

"I'm sorry Ben... I have told this to your other counterparts and they reacted the same way. But I thought it was best if all of you knew the truth." Paradox said.

"It's okay, Professor. I... I'm... just tired..." Ben said after the group hug ended.

"Very well. But I must go, Ben. As much as it pains me to leave you like this, I have other things to attend to." Paradox said. Ben simply nodded.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"I am a time-traveling hero, Ms. Schnee. Ben is a good friend of mine, but even I have other things to do." Paradox explained.

Blake nodded. "We understand. We'll take care of Ben, Professor."

"Please do, Ms. Belladonna." Paradox replied.

Ben then went back to bed, tears still in his eyes.

"Ms. Xiao Long," Paradox called Yang's attention.

"Yeah?" Yang asked.

"Though I know he cares for all of you young ladies, you are currently the most important person in his life. Please do take care of him" Paradox said.

Yang wiped away her tears and nodded. "You don't have to tell me," Yang said.

"And...please do not try to be rough on him by Friday. He's rather inexperienced." Paradox replied with a smirk.

"Huh?" Yang asked. Sure she knows he's a time traveler, but what's gonna happen on Friday that he knows about.

"Well, take care, young ladies. And take care of your Ben." Paradox said as he disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Team RWBY all looked at each other than at Ben, who has fallen asleep.

"Guys...We need to do whatever we can to comfort Ben." Ruby suggested.

"We know, Ruby. But, as much as it pains me to say this, I feel tired to do that right now. It's the middle of the night." Weiss said.

Blake agreed. "Weiss has a point. We can't comfort him in our current situation. We'll think of something tomorrow."

"Okay. Let's hope for the best." Ruby said. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake all went back to their beds. Yang simply sat down on her and Ben's bed. She strokes the hair of her sleeping boyfriend. Tears run down her eyes.

Ben...I'm sorry you had to ensure this...I love you...I'll do anything to help you...

~O~

The next day Ruby and Weiss told team JNPR and Ozpin about the news from Paradox

"I see," Ozpin said to Ruby and Weiss.

"He can't leave Beacon or even Remnant even if he wanted to," Weiss said.

"If he did leave Beacon, he has no place to stay." Ruby continued. "Please, Professor... Let Ben stay with us. I know that actual students need to go through tests or something but-" Ruby said but was interrupted by Ozpin.

"Who says I'm not letting him stay?" Ozpin said.

Ruby and Weiss were astonished at first but then smiled. "Really?" Weiss asked.

"Ben's been staying here for the past one and a half-semester. He's practically a real member of the school now. Besides...If his condition is as harsh as you said... Then I believe that Ben may not have a place in the dimension of his counterpart... but he has a place here." Ozpin finished.

Ruby and Weiss both nod.

"You ladies need to tend to your teammate. Besides, your team still has classes." Ozpin said.

Ruby and Weiss looked at their scrolls and saw the time. They nodded their goodbye but before they left...

"Oh, by the way..." Ozpin said. "Tell Ben he's excused from class for the rest of the week. He deserves some time to take this all in."

Ruby and Weiss nod.

Jaune: Man Ben was right about the time travel things that he did.

Ren: Yeah with the Weird stories about time traveling and this stuff I think Ben should have time to himself

Ruby: We should also help him, He helped us a lot and we should do the same.

Then Emerald and Mercury heard Ruby's last sentence that made them curious as they went to the group " What happened is there something wrong ?" Emerald asked

Weiss: Ben got bad news yesterday and it was hard on Ben.

Mercury: What type of bad news?

Pyrrha: Well Ben heard that his Grandmother died yesterday and left Ben broken.

Emerald: Oh! We are sorry about that.

As both RW and JNPR left, Merc and Eme went to their room.

~O~

Ben woke up from his bed. He rubbed his head. Then he remembered what Paradox told him and sighed.

"Hey."

Ben looked to his side and saw Yang sitting beside him. "How are you?" She continued.

Ben simply looked down. Yang, seeing him like this, got hurt. She can't stand seeing the people she loves be sad and depressed. Yang gave him a tight but comforting hug. Ben merely reacted by hugging back.

"Ruby and Weiss came in earlier. Professor Ozpin told them you're excused for the rest of the week." Yang said as both of them break the hug.

"I see. Where's the other?" Ben asked.

"They went to their classes," Yang replied.

"...What about you? Don't you have classes with them?" Ben asked.

Yang sighed. "I won't be going to class today. I need to take care of you."

Ben looked down. "Go to class, Yang. I... I need some time alone."

"No. I...I can't just leave you. I- " Yang said but get interrupted by Ben and said, "Yang...Go to class...I'll be fine."

Yang looked down. "Okay...Just...call me on my scroll when you need something."

Ben nodded and Yang took her things and left the room.

Ben sighed and went to their dorm's window. Using the Omnitrix, he dialed in the alien he wants and slammed it down, and turned it into Astrodactyl. He opened the window and flew away. Away from the school.

The End.