Way of the World

by SpiralAK

It was supposed to be simple. Stop a Dust robbery, beat a thief. Ruby Rose didn't expect that this thief would die, or that Roman Torchwick's blood would be on her hands. Instead of being arrested, Ruby was given an opportunity: enter Beacon, hone her skills, become a hero like the storybooks. It was a chance to redeem herself, but nobody said redemption would come easily.

1. Don't Fear (The Reaper)

Chapter 1: Don't Fear (The Reaper)

It wasn't the altitude that put Ruby on edge.

The chatter on the airship filled the air with its annoying, distracting buzz. No one on the airship was paying attention to her, but she could still feel their eyes crawling on her back, itching to tear off her hood and expose her.

Red like blood, it poured down her head, cloaking her shoulders and shrouding her back. It was her scabbard, a veil that separated her from the rest of the world. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't worn it.

She couldn't imagine a time where she needed it more than now.

"Roman Torchwick was found dead in Vale in the aftermath of an attempted armed robbery," Lisa Lavender reported on the big TV. "According to eyewitness reports, a lone combatant apprehended Torchwick and his cohorts at a local Dust shop, before fatally wounding the notorious criminal in pitched combat. The combatant's identity remains undisclosed at this time."

At this time, at this time... those words kept on repeating in her head like a broken record. They didn't stop students of all stripes from racing to figure out who did it, leaving Lisa Lavender's coverage of a Faunus rights protest that turned violent completely unnoticed.

Ruby always wondered how the Faunus coped with being judged and mistreated. From what little she knew, most of them carried that weight. A few went crazy. Some of them even tried to hide from it all.

Right now, Ruby wanted to hide, but she wasn't hated for something she couldn't control. That was exactly why no one could ever learn who killed Roman Torchwick.

In spite of the blaring noise, Ruby felt her eyes droop shut. The gentle rumbling of the airship and Lisa's droning monotone was enough to whisk her away to some far-off land where she wasn't on the edge, overlooking the abyss.

Gaping hole. Gushing blood. Dead.

Ruby's eyes ripped open. Silver eyes. They were striking and vivid, like her lucid memories. She never would have known that her eyes were anything special, but it was the first thing Professor Ozpin noticed. Instead of leaving her in that dark room, he gave her the chance to join his academy.

In spite of what she did.

Beacon Academy grew larger by the second, a series of ornate spires and buildings that reached for the sky. It was going to be her new home. She would have to meet new people. Prove to herself that she deserved to be there like everyone else.

Prove that Ozpin's trust in her wasn't misplaced.

---

Ruby wanted to be a red blur, weaving around anyone in her way like a hawk in the sky, flying to a beat only she could hear. Instead, she was forced to ground, walking on the gray concrete path with everyone else. Couldn't draw attention to herself.

Beacon Academy was right in front of her, and the pictures of it didn't do it justice. Spring was in full gear, bringing an abundance of blooming foliage that saturated the academy in a splash of gorgeous green and radiant red.

Red was her favourite colour, but black wasn't far behind. Most of Ruby's clothing was black, and everything except her stockings was trimmed or laced with red. It looked stylish and hid stains of all kinds. She couldn't ask for more.

The other students' clothes were just as dazzling, forming a eyecatching rainbow of colours. They were busy with their own conversations, and some of them were still talking about Torchwick. She heard whispers about a scythe, and moved far, far away from anyone who could connect the dots.

Ruby kept herself occupied by the academy's architecture instead of its people. Once she got settled in, maybe she'd try talking to someone. They had to have a snazzy weapon or two.

"Ruby?"

Ruby froze in her tracks. Of course Yang was here, Ruby even got her message to meet up. But Yang was making a beeline her way, and she couldn't run away from her. Wouldn't.

So she stood on the gray concrete, a lone Beowolf about to be swept up by Hurricane Yang.

"I knew it was you!" Yang said, grinning. "You'd better pinch me, Ruby, because I must be dreaming!"

She did her best to smile. "You sure?"

"Hmm... you're right, don't pinch me. If it means we won't be at Beacon together, I don't ever want to wake up!"

If only this was a nightmare, but that hope was crushed the first time she woke up in a fright. At least she had Yang to talk to. As long as she didn't talk to anyone else and Yang didn't discover the truth, her time at Beacon wouldn't be a disaster.

Yang put her hands on her hips, still smiling. "Did you hear what happened to Roman Torchwick?"

Ruby barked out a laugh she immediately wanted to take back.

"Who hasn't?"

"Right?" Yang's smile morphed into a wild grin. "I'd really like to meet whoever wasted that guy, and shake their hand."

Ruby gulped, mouth going dry. Sure, Yang wasn't exactly the model of a law-abiding citizen, but this wasn't someone painting the town red. They were talking about a dead man.

Yet, her lilac eyes were shining bright.

"Really?" Ruby asked. It was all she could force herself to squeak out.

Yang slapped her hand on Ruby's shoulder, squeezing hard. "It'd definitely be a cool story. I thought you'd be all over this, Ruby!"

She tried to slither out of Yang's grip, but she was strong and stubborn as an Ursa, and she'd only get stronger the more she tried to resist.

A sigh passed through her lips, like the last gasp of a deflated balloon. "There's not much of a story. Nobody knows how Torchwick died."

Yang puckered her lips. "You aren't wrong, but what matters is that he's dead."

Ruby nodded, even though she knew for a fact that it wasn't that easy. Not even thirty minutes had passed since she set foot on Beacon, and she was already seconds away from falling apart.

"Well, enough of that!" Yang said. "Let's go and make some new friends." She let go of her shoulder, bringing a brief sense of relief. "Just have to get this out of the way."

Ruby tried to bat Yang's hands away, but she couldn't stop her from pulling down her hood, revealing her face to the whole world. Long seconds ticked by and nobody took the time to tear her to shreds, so maybe she could try walking around with her hood down.

"There we go! Don't be shy, no one's gonna bite. We're all in the same boat."

Ruby frowned, looking at the gray pavement and white stones waiting to be trampled on.

"Easy for you to say."

"It's all true."

When Ruby faced her, Yang was still smiling, but it was a softer smile, one that always comforted her.

"Trust me, Ruby, you belong here. You'll be making lots of new friends and showing everyone how awesome you are, and before you know it, you'll forget that you ever had the jitters."

She was worried that she wouldn't make any friends, but it wasn't because they'd see her as some little kid or some charity case. The truth was so much worse.

"Can you stay with me?" Ruby asked, hoping that her trembling voice didn't give everything away.

Yang grinned. "Of course."

Ruby smiled, in spite of the butterflies. "Thanks."

"No problem-o."

As they made their way to the academy, Ruby found herself thinking less about how things could be at Beacon. Yang helped a lot, talking about little things that Ruby could easily respond to.

Ruby also saw lots of amazing weapons. She put a lot of care into her own weapon, so she was almost tempted to find out if someone was as passionate as she was about everything that was anything about weapons.

Then she heard people talking about Torchwick's death, and she shelved that idea.

As they passed the nearby courtyard, Ruby saw someone hauling a ton of silver suitcases on a luggage cart. She thought about talking to whoever owned them, but the haughty glare the girl in white sent her way made her reconsider.

Yang whistled, awed. "What do you think she's carrying in those things?"

Ruby noticed a pair of butlers behind her, carrying other suitcases that looked just as gaudy.

"Something really expensive."

"More like super expensive. Wanna go ask her?"

"I dunno, Yang."

"She looks like she could use a friend."

Ruby took another look at the girl with the white hair as she dusted off her suitcases with a fancy brush. They really did look expensive.

"What are you looking at?" the girl asked.

Ruby flinched. She had to think of something quick.

"Those swanky suitcases," Yang said. "What's inside, your shoes?"

The girl huffed. "For your information, these suitcases are carrying premium Dust. This is a combat academy, not a fashion school."

"Good to know. I just thought a girl like you wouldn't be caught dead without a spare outfit."

Yang had a point: with her white dress and the way the inside of her white jacket and matching boots were lined in red, she seemed more like a princess from a faraway icy land than an aspiring huntress.

"Of course I wouldn't, but these suitcases are far too important to be transported unsupervised."

Ruby took in a deep breath, steeling herself. Who she was didn't have to matter. If Yang could talk to this snobby girl, then so could she.

"What kind of Dust's in there?" Ruby asked.

The girl smirked. "All sorts: fire, lightning, ice. You name it, I have it, courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company."

"And that rapier lets you use that Dust, right?"

"Of course it does." She unsheathed her rapier, letting Ruby see the cartridges embedded along its guard. "I load a cartridge, then with Myrtenaster here, I use the cartridge. I can also switch to whichever one I need in an instant."

"So cool," Ruby said in an awed breath.

The rapier was so sleek, so sharp that Ruby's mouth started to water. She wanted to know everything about it. The problem was she didn't want to go overboard when they only just met.

Yang shot her a thumbs-up. Buoyed by her support, Ruby pulled out her own weapon and transformed it into its full size.

"This is my weapon, Crescent Rose. It can shift between a scythe and a high-impact sniper rifle. Isn't it great?"

"It certainly is interesting, I'll give you that much."

The girl took a closer look at Crescent Rose, and slowly, her eyes began to expand.

"Quick question, did you hear about that Dust robbery all over the news? Of course you have. I heard that someone with a scythe was involved. That makes you a prime suspect."

"I... haven't heard about it?" Ruby said. She wasn't ready for this, not even close.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm from Atlas and I know about it, so unless you've been living on the frontier, then you must have heard about that robbery."

"Whoa, let's not get too rowdy here," Yang said, disarming smile locked and loaded.

"Please. We're having a civil conversation, and it's not like there's only one scythe-wielder in the world. If she wasn't involved, she can say so."

Ruby shook her head. She didn't want to lie, but at the same time, she didn't want to spill the beans and make a mess when she didn't even need to.

"Well?"

Yang's smile flipped upside down. "Give Ruby a break. She doesn't have to say anything."

The girl scowled. "Well, excuse me for being curious! Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I'm her sister, so you'd better be nice, princess!"

It looked like the girl in white was about to explode, but then, she didn't. "I'm just asking questions. If Ruby can't answer them, then maybe she's guilty. How would you – "

"Stop!" Ruby said. "How do you expect me to answer you if you're being so pushy? I don't even know your name and you're already asking me about something you heard over the news!"

Ruby covered her mouth, but thought better and dropped her hands. After how she lashed out, there was no point in backing down, even if she just wanted this conversation to end.

"The name's Weiss Schnee, and don't you dare forget it. You'll be seeing me again, Ruby, Ruby's sister."

Yang frowned, not a trace of joy to be found on her face. "I'm Yang. Go ahead and chase those rumours, but don't even think about bullying Ruby."

Weiss scoffed. "Whatever. I will get to the bottom of this story, mark my words."

Mercifully, Weiss sheathed her rapier and walked away, suitcases and butlers in tow. Ruby returned Crescent Rose back into a more manageable size and holstered it at the small of her back. Routine stuff.

Yang had swivelled to face her, smiling wryly.

"Wow. Weiss wasn't ready for that!"

Ruby frowned. "She was going too far."

Yang chuckled, her long mane of blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. "And you put her in her place. Keep that up, and you'll take Beacon by storm."

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. She survived. No one knew what she did. That was why Yang was being so supportive.

It wasn't like she murdered someone and buried their corpse in a dirty back alley, but the truth wasn't much better, and it sat in her gut like lava creeping on an idyllic village.

If Yang ever became afraid of her... No. Ruby shoved that thought into the dark recesses of her mind, the same place her nightmares went.

"Thinking about what Weiss said?" Yang asked, concern shining clearly in her lilac eyes. It made her worries a little bit easier to stomach.

Ruby shook her head, still unwilling to speak. There was a girl reading a book in the courtyard. She could overhear them.

"Then what's going on? You've been really quiet."

Ruby itched to hide behind her hood, but it wouldn't keep Yang from seeing through it. Her sister wasn't dumb: someone would say something, Yang would put the pieces together and WHAM, things would never be the same.

"I had a bad dream last night."

Shock rippled across his face, frozen for eternity. His cane fell, hitting the rooftop with a clatter. He followed suit, a puppetmaster whose strings were sheared. Blood gushed from his body, a roaring waterfall that was red like roses and –

Ruby shivered. Yang put both her hands on her shoulders, rubbing them.

"It's okay. You woke up, and you made it to Beacon. You'll forget about those nightmares before you know it."

"I hope so."

Yang smiled. "I know so. And don't worry about that story." She looked around, before lowering her voice. "If someone killed Roman Torchwick with a scythe, they must be the fastest, coolest huntress in the whole world."

Ruby flinched. Was she hearing her right? It couldn't be, she must have been imagining things.

"You think so?"

Yang let go of her, dusting her hands off. Then she extended her right hand.

"Would you do me the honour, Ruby?"

Ruby swallowed a thick lump down her throat. "An honour? I don't know about that."

She frowned. That girl with the book had left. They were all alone. And there was no doubt that Yang knew that she killed Roman Torchwick.

"I killed someone, Yang."

Yang was still smiling. "Yeah, a criminal. You know how cool you are for taking him down?"

Cool wasn't the word she'd use, but this was coming from Yang, the same person who roughed up a vibrant club and beat down a local information broker in the process.

"How did you even figure it out?"

"You were acting pretty strangely, and you never did tell me how you got into Beacon. I guess the headmaster knew talent when he saw it, and I totally agree."

Yang's hand was still extended, and her smile was so sincere that she couldn't have been lying.

"When you put it that way..."

Ruby grabbed Yang's hand and shook it. Yang had a firm grip, but beneath her gloves, she knew her hands were soft like the fluffiest pillows. Then Yang pulled her in close and hugged her, squeezing her tightly.

"Yang?"

She wasn't sure if she wanted to return the hug or get out of the way.

"Just thought you could use one of these."

The edges of her eyes started to grow wet. "I thought..."

"I'm proud of you, Ruby," she whispered.

"You are?"

"Always."

Ruby wrapped her arms around Yang's back and returned her hug with just as much force. Relief flooded every part of her body. She was probably staining her sister's brown jacket with her tears.

When she let go, Ruby rubbed at her eyes, sniffling a little.

"Feeling better?" Yang asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

When Yang smiled, Ruby was able to return it.

"Great. Let's get going."

They walked away from the courtyard, and Ruby wasn't trudging along. Her steps were lighter, and she was able to look ahead instead of at her feet in her desperate hope that no one would try to talk to her.

"If I were you, I'd own this story," Yang said. "I know killing people isn't the same as killing the Grimm, but people will really respect you for it, and it'll definitely keep folks like Weiss from using it against you."

At the same time, it would probably make people afraid to be around her. Not everyone was as accepting as Yang was, and Yang only accepted her so quickly because they were sisters.

"Can I think about it?"

Yang smiled. "Sure. Whatever you want to do, I've got your back."

Ruby nodded, fighting a smile. "Thanks, Yang."

Yang beamed. "Any time."

Not everyone would see things Yang's way, but Yang was proud of her, and for now, that was enough. Still, it wasn't going to be easy, being the youngest student at Beacon. Her work was definitely cut out for her.

But there was no reason not to give it her best shot.