Hello people! Sorry for the late upload (I really don't have a reason...so, yeah) But here is Chapter Twelve at last! Hope you enjoy!

Oh, if you see any grammar mistakes, please report them and I'll fix 'em. (I have been paranoid that I'm missing some in the proof-reading)

"OF COURSE, THERE IS NO RULES ABOUT HANGING PEOPLE OUT OF WINDOWS BY THEIR FEET! IT'S NOT LIKE IT HAPPENS OFTEN!"

"If there's no rules, then why are you yelling at us?" Crimson poked a finger into his ear. He eyed the fuming Prof. Goodwitch

"Also, why am I in trouble again?"

Glynda fixed him with a glacier-cold glare. "Just because there are no specific rules about what happened in the dorm, does not mean it wasn't still a major breach of school policy. You endangered another student heedless of the rules of the school." She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Unfortunately, I cannot expel you, but that doesn't mean you won't be suspended!"

Ruby's eyebrows rose. "So, are we suspended?"

Goodwitch's eyes narrowed. "Yes. Until further notice, you will return to your homes, if you cannot, the school will-" She trailed off as Crimson raised his hand. "What?"

"Yeah, could we eat lunch first?"

Glynda Goodwitch's eyes twitched.

"Who eats swordfish?"

Crimson looked at the silver platter that held an entire swordfish resting on a bed of salad greens.

"I mean, seriously. Swordfish? What?"

Skyler just continued to eat his food while Crimson talked about how much of it there was.

"How many students like swordfish? And what's with all the watermelon? There's like entire tables of watermelon."

"Hello, teammates." Ruby said as she and Neo sit down with them. "I see Crimson is ranting about the watermelons again."

Crimson looked offended. "I'm not ranting! There's just a lot of watermelons!"

As the "watermelon conversation" ensued, Team JNPR came over to their table.

"…I don't have to take your anti-watermelon bigotry and-Oh…hey, Jaune."

"Hey, Crimson." Jaune greeted as he sat down with his team beside the unknown criminals. The rest of his team sat beside him. Skyler seemed to almost explode at the fact that Pyrrha Nikos was sitting at their table. Crimson wiggled his eyebrows at him, which made the well-dressed spy blush in both embarrassment and anger. Jaune looked around at the two teams.

"Oh guys, this is Team RSNC. RSNC, these are my teammates, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie."

"Hello!" Pyrrha said warmly and with a smile. She looked over to Ruby, who paused in the process of eating to smile back. "You must be Ruby Rose."

"Yeah, and this is my partner, Neo." The tri-colored student gave a lazy wave. Ruby then pointed to Skyler and Crimson.

"The one in the fedora is Skyler Snow." Skyler took off the fedora and did a small bow of the head.

"And the one with the deathhawk is Crimson Shard." Crimson waved even lazier then Neo and spoke.

"So, you're Pyrrha Nikos, uh?"

Something passed over the warrior's green eyes, but the smile remained in place. "Yes, I am…I take it you have heard about me?"

Crimson smiled. "Bits and pieces." He drummed the table with his fingers. "So, how's Beacon so far?"

"It's lovely, how is it for you?"

"Well…"

Skyler snorted and turned to the red-haired warrior.

"We all got suspended for attempted defenestration on Crimson here."

Pyrrha looked over with wide eyes at Crimson, his smile not changing a bit.

"Yeah, after lunch we can either take a bullhead back to Vale or the catapults. Goodwitch didn't care which." He stood up, brushing off his one remaining sleeve.

"Well, I must be going-Oh, that's bad!"

Crimson looked in growing unease as Team EBWY entered the cafeteria. Skyler jumped out of his seat and cast a look at Ruby and Neo. Neo's face transformed into a glare, a glare that made Crimson surprise that Yang Xiao Long and Ebon Winters didn't go up in flames. Ruby's face hardened and Skyler saw her hand twitch to her back. The place where Crescent Rose was usually slung. Crimson sat back down and looked over at the two with an unspoken question.

Skyler narrowed his eyes at them. "They'll go sit somewhere else, more than likely."

They didn't.

"Well, I guess Ms. Schnee is feeling practically grateful." Skyler muttered as he cast a wary look over at Ruby and Neo. Both looked less than pleased. They weren't the only ones though.

Yang had a look on her face that was half-absolute horror and half-…even greater absolute horror. But she let Ebon pull her easily along to the table. As they sit down beside Team RSNC, Weiss offered her hand to Ruby.

"Ruby Rose, I just want to thank you for what you did in class yesterday."

Ruby's dark look was thinly veiled as she turned to Weiss.

"It was the least I could do."

She turned back to her food only to stare at it, or rather, to glare it like it did her an unspeakable wrong. At least, it was less obvious than glaring at the person at the end of the table.

Neo, on the other hand, did no such measures to disguise her hatred.

"I'm sorry, but what is your problem?" Blake said, a little irritably, giving Neo a hard stare.

Neo turned to the raven-haired huntress and flicked a finger at Yang. The blonde huntress looked at the finger in even more horror then Ebon thought could ever appear on someone's face. Yang quickly turned her eyes to the table.

Oh my God, she knows?!

The fact that the knowledge of what Ruby's early life was like wasn't exactly private knowledge, shook Yang to her already breaking core.

How could she know…. di-did She tell her?

Yang stretched her neck to look over at Ruby, as soon as lilac eyes touched her, Ruby jerked her head up and met the gaze with a sliver glare, and, in the first time in over five years, Ruby Rose spoke to Yang Xiao Long.

"What?"

To say the word came out in a snarl, with that one word pounded in with fire and steal, would be a colossal understatement. It was so bad that Crimson dragged Jaune away from the table. Skyler backed inaudibly away, as far away from the standoff as he could get.

Yang jolted back and started to stammer.

"I-I…uh-h…R-Ruby, I-I..."

"Shut up."

The words were spoken coldly, with no hint of…anything else in her voice. "Shut up now."

Yang managed to close her mouth, but the look in her eyes remained. That look was more than enough for Ebon to finally join the conversation. Slamming her hand on the table, she nearly shouted.

"What is going on?!" She turned to Yang. "You shut down as soon as someone so much as mentions Ruby's name and you refuse to explain why!" She turned to Ruby. "And you! You nearly killed Yang and you obviously want to do it again! Why?! You two are sisters!"

Laughter crackled out from Ruby's mouth. The noise made both Team EBWY and JNPR jump in their seats as they watched the huntress with wide eyes. Ruby spit out the last of the laugh and looked up at Ebon.

"You don't understand anything."

With that, Ruby rose from her seat and marched out of the cafeteria. Neo cast one last glare at Yang before following. Crimson watched them go and released Jaune from his grip.

"Ok, you can go back now."

Ruby sat on her pallet, staring at the floor of their dorm. The wind blowing in through the open window causing Neo's hammock to swing lazily, casting shadows on the planks of wood. She didn't move, even when the door opened, revealing Neapolitan standing on the threshold. She stepped into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind her. Neo walked over to where Ruby was sitting and kneeled down beside her. A gently hand on the shoulder. The hand didn't mean anything, but was something Neo did whenever Ruby was diving too deep into memories.

Ruby twitched at the contact, her wild eyes meeting Neo's worried ones. They gazed at each other for an indefinite amount of time. Ruby's eyes lost their wild shine and was replaced by their normal glint. She closed them.

"I spoke to her." Emotion was raw in her voice. "I swore I wouldn't."

Neo smiled sadly. "That wasn't something you could control."

Ruby looked back into Neo's eyes. "But I spoke to her! For five years I couldn't even think her name and just now?" Ruby shook her head and went back to staring at the floor. "What am I going to do?"

Neo put a hand under Ruby's chin and lifted her face.

"You do what you whatever you think is right. I will help you." The look in Neo's shifting eyes was fierce. Ruby gazed into them.

"Neo, I don't kno- "

Ruby was interrupted by Crimson rushing into the room and slamming the door shut behind him. He stayed glued to the door as the sounds of pursuit sounded from the hallway. Ruby, the past events momentarily forgotten in her confusion, stared at him. "Crimson? What are you- "

"Shush!" Crimson hissed at them as voices lifted outside the door.

"WHERE DID HE GO?!"

The voice was female and very, very, angry. Large footsteps sounded outside.

"Let's go, Coco. We shouldn't be in the first-year dorm." The voice was deep and with a light accent. The person named Coco sighed angrily.

"Fine, but if I see that little prick again…" The mutterings faded as the pair walked back down the hallway. There was silence for a minute, then Crimson breathed a sigh of relief.

"Big-ass gun." He muttered before turning to the two girls with a bright smile.

"Hey! Since we are suspended, what says you about going to visit…anyone, for the rest of the week? Like, right now?" He beamed at them before some sort of realization hit him. "Oh, uh…Skyler is somewhere in the ventilation system."

Neo face-palmed.

"INSIDE VOICES!" Ruby shouted down the stairs as Skyler yelled something that was completely incomprehensible except for a sentence that sounded something very close to "Unforgivable whack-job of a criminal!".

Apparently, it was Crimson that caused Skyler to dive headfirst into a ventilation shaft. Neither of them telling Neo or Ruby why.

Ruby entered the loft of the warehouse, Ruby's and Neo's home. Ruby looked around at the warm interior and breathed in the familiar smell of Roman's cigars and Neo's smell of ice cream, and, if Ruby concentrated, the scent of roses. Neo walked up to her, out of the kitchen area, and shrugged.

"Ro' must be out."

"Yeah." Ruby glanced behind her as Crimson and Skyler stepped up, into the loft. Crimson nodded, his cleavers shining below his shoulders.

"Nice place you got here."

Skyler spied Roman's screened off room. "So, where's Torchwick?"

Neo and Ruby shrugged. "A job, probably."

"Ah."

Crimson wandered over to the kitchen. Ruby looked after him.

"You know, when Rome' comes back, he's going to wonder why the entirety of Team RSNC is crashing at his home when they're all supposed to be at Beacon."

"Yeah, probably." Crimson answered as he opened the fridge, his face lightened up. "He is also going to wonder why all his food is gone." He proceeded to raid the fridge. Ruby was indignant.

"Hey! That's our food you're stealing!"

"Mmmf." Crimson waved her away with his mouth full. He closed the fridge door and went off done the rest of the loft.

"Don't touch anything that looks like it might explode!" Ruby called after him. "And if you value your life, stay away from my end of the loft!"

She walked over to the sitting area where Skyler and Neo were already lounging. Sitting down next to Neo, she sighed and leaned her head back.

"So…what now?"

"Plot ways to betray Crimson to those second-years that hate him?" Skyler suggested. A small smile formed on Ruby's face.

"Nah, Crimson would catch on."

They leaned back and watched as Crimson's figure weaved in and out with the shadows of the coming night. The air in the loft murmured with the faint sounds of the docks outside and the gentle hum of the kitchen inside. The constant swish-flow of sound slowly allowing Ruby to drop into a daze. And from a daze into restful sleep, sitting beside Neo and hearing the soft ticking of the watch in Skyler's vest. Ruby drifted through nonsensical dreams. Dreams that were broken by the sounds of the warehouse doors screeching open. Ruby stretched.

"Well, that's probably Roman. I'll go tell him the good news of school."

She got up and walked down the spiral staircase. She stepped into the shadows of the warehouse, crates casting them all over the floor.

"Hey, Rome'! Guess who!"

"Ruby Rose, presumably."

Ruby froze. The voice that answered her was a woman's. A low and seductive voice that radiated cruelty and fire. Ruby slowly turned around as a tall woman stepped out of the shadows, a smug smile on her face.

"You are just the person I wanted to see."

Oh no. Ruby's stare became a glare of thinly veiled disgust and intense dislike. Her voice mirrored her face.

"Cinder."

Cinder Fall stood in front of her, looking down at Ruby. "I don't recall asking you to leave Beacon." She bent down condescendingly. "Why are you here? Why is your team here?"

Ruby wasn't surprised that Cinder know who she was with, but how to tell her that her master plan might fail because her spies were all suspended?

"Early vacation. For being such good students." Ruby stepped back from the taller woman. "What are you doing here?"

Cinder's smile opened, showing her teeth. "Is Roman here?"

Ruby stiffened, remember the last time Cinder asked that. Oh, not this time, you sick psycho. Drawing her head back, Ruby spoke.

"That's not answering my question, what are you doing here?"

Cinder straighten up, her smile growing a little taunt. "I am here, to speak with Roman." Her amber eyes brightened. "Who is obviously not here."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "No, he's not. So, I guess there is no reason for you to still be here, is there?"

The smile shrank into a tight line and the amber eyes flared.

"You will learn not to speak to me like that!" Cinder spat over her shoulder as she flashed back towards the still ajar doors and, heels clinking against the floor, disappeared into the night.

Ruby stayed still a moment, glowering after the person who thought that she could rule Ruby's life. Finally, Ruby went up into the loft. As she entered the warm dwelling, she breathed a sigh of relief to see…Neo holding a flailing Crimson in a headlock with Skyler collapsed on the floor laughing. Neo paused in her punching Crimson's head to look questionably up at Ruby.

"Where's Ro'? Wasn't that him down there?"

Ruby took a deep breath. "It was Cinder."

Neo released Crimson and Skyler, after a few coughing hiccups, managed to stop laughing. He gazed between Neo and Ruby.

"Cinder? Cinder Fall? Isn't that our employer?"

"Yes, but she's a gigantic bitch!" Ruby spat vehemently. Neo's mouth quirked into an agreeing smile.

"I'll take your word for it." Skyler said mildly. He picked himself off the floor and looked down at Crimson.

"Just to let you know, you deserved ever moment of that." He mocked the dazed Crimson who twitched at the sound. He groaned.

"I don't mean to be rude, but can someone please kill the person who is using the jackhammer on my brain!"

~After Ruby left the loft, leaving Crimson, Neo, and Skyler alone~

Neo watched the red clock trail down the staircase after Ruby, smiling a small smile, she rose from the sofa and went down the loft, flipping on lights. The newly illuminated abode revealing Crimson in her corner! Neo huffed in outrage and stormed over to the fellow assassin.

Neo whacked him on the shoulder with her parasol to get him to turn around and pointed back towards the sitting area, snapping her fingers for emphasis.

"Get out! Move!"

Crimson just planted his feet in front of her and smiled his cocky grin. He didn't move an inch.

"Oh, my lovely Neo, I was just poking around your wonderful home and guess what I found!"

Resisting the urge to flip him off, Neo crossed her arms and glared at him, raising her eyebrows.

"What? What did you find?"

The cocky grin becoming a full-blown smile. Crimson lifted his hand to show Neo a small Ursa plushy. Neo's face became red in unadulterated anger as she tried to snatch the stuff animal away from Crimson's grasp. But Crimson being 6.1 plus eight inches of platform boot, he just lifted the dangling Ursa above his head and well out of Neo's reach.

"Who would have thought the cold-bloodied assassin, the feared Neapolitan, kept a stuffed Ursa." His eyes found the whirl of Neo's. "So, does he have a name?"

That was it.

Neo can take a lot, she can resist the urge to kill certain so-called people, she could do all this and more. But this! You couldn't pay Neo enough to take this! She set her teeth in a snarl and decided to let Crimson have one, last chance. She pointed to the friendly looking Ursa.

Give me the plushy now!"

The cockiness of the smile only grew as Crimson looked down at her.

"Or what? What are you going to do to me-AH! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

WARNING: Things are going to get a bit heavy in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and to all the reviewers, followers, and favoriters (Yes, that is now a word) all I can say is THANK YOU SO MUCH! You're all awesome! So, I'll see you in the next chapter!