/ | \

\ | /

Scene 4

Preparation

A/n: This is my Christmas present for the surprisingly positive response. Enjoy, you sick, sick people


? pov

I sat at home, waiting, thinking. I couldn't stop thinking. It's all I could do. I was helpless.

Again. I thought once again I'm just helpless.

When we got the call about Ruby being hospitalized my heart stopped. I hoped, prayed, that she was alright.

We'd always tried to keep her out of trouble, always tried to keep her safe. Unfortunately we must have pushed her away in the process. I didn't really realize how badly it affected her until the other night when she questioned us.

I knew she was interested in becoming a huntress, but after what happened I just…I couldn't. I didn't want to lose her again. What I didn't realize was how badly that hurt her. I mean, we told her she couldn't be a huntress, and that it was too dangerous, and yet everyone else was. It was the family business after all. But we told her she wasn't good enough for it.

That's not the only reason, though. I mutinously thought to myself.

Right, it was also because I was scared of her. I couldn't help it. After she changed she was just so…different…so creepy. Then there was the way she starred at me with those judging eyes, criticizing and accusing me.

Every time she looked at me with those eyes, just to reminded me of my mistakes. I wanted to help her, to make up for my mistakes, but that fear, that terror, always held me back.

She terrified me, especially after what I saw her do that last week she went to school. That wasn't something a normal, sane, rational person would do, and she was pleased with it.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by the sound of the door opening. I turned my head to see my father come in with a serious look on his face. Ruby wasn't behind him.

"Uh, Dad? Where's Ruby?" I asked worriedly.

He looked to me with bloodshot sunken eyes. He grew a small, sad, smile on his face when he saw me sitting there waiting for me.

"Is she okay?" I asked, getting more concerned. If she was fine she would have been with dad, right?

But she isn't, she isn't there, she isn't here, she isn't safe, she isn't okay, she isn't-

He sighed, cutting off my thoughts. Plopped down on the couch in front of me, and looked at me again.

"Yang, I realized something, when I went to see her." He began, and odd tone in his voice.

"W-what you'd realize?" I asked, my concern growing.

"Your sister…is dead." He said

If before my heart stopped, now it shattered.

"W-what, what are you talking about dad? She can't be dead!" I protested, growing hysterical.

"Oh no, she's dead." He began

He leaned back in the couch, letting out a breath.

"She's been dead for a long time." He continued.

At that, I suddenly understood where he was going with this.

"N-no, she's alive dad, she was here the other day, remember?" I said, trying to convince him of it. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was probably trying to convince myself of that too.

At that he laughed, a cold, mirthless, laugh.

"Oh no, Yang, my poor sweet girl, she's got you fooled too." He said, giving me a sad smile.

"But don't worry, I figured it out. I understand now." He continued.

"F-figured what out?" I asked, almost afraid to know.

He just laughed again, a grin growing on him. Then he leaned onto me, getting right in my face.

"That girl, running around calling herself Ruby, isn't Ruby." He whispered.

What is he talking about? I thought in horror.

But my thoughts were written all over my face.

"I know, I know, crazy right?" He said rhetorically as I just gazed at him in horror.

"But! I have proof!" He exclaimed.

Proof? What proof!

"You see, you know what she did tonight?" He asked.

I wanted to talk, to protest, to say something, but instead I just mutely shook my head, enraptured by the raving of my father.

"She killed seven men in cold blood. Murdered them, just because they got in her way." He explained with a manic smile on his face.

"No…" I muttered in horror, in terror. I wanted to deny it, but I couldn't.

Somewhere deep inside me I knew she would do it. But how?

"I know what you're thinking, we kept her from learning how to fight, how to kill. We didn't let her make any weapons or anything, nothing. Didn't even let her go to Signal. How could she kill so well if she didn't know how?" He asked.

"Well, you see Yang, she was bad little girl." He began

"She went behind our backs! She made her own weapon, a scythe! A fitting weapon for a killer, and somehow learned how to kill anyway!" He explained, his mania growing as he regaled me of the tale.

As much as I wanted to fight this, I was enthralled by this. I was horrified and captivated all at once.

"She what?" I muttered, terrified of the prospects of an armed and dangerous Ruby.

"That's when I realized something. This whole time, I've been worried about Ruby becoming a killer, becoming a bad girl. But then I realized, my little Rubes would never be a bad girl, she's not a killer." He continued to explain.

"That's when I had my epiphany, if Ruby isn't a killer, than this Killer! Isn't! Ruby!" He revealed.

"Some demon, some monster came back wearing her skin after it killed her! It tried to use her skin to blend in, to pretend to be her so it wouldn't get caught!" He explained. "Ruby isn't Ruby, instead it's just some demon trying to corrupt her memory!"

Finished with his tirade, he grew quiet.

I stared at him in horror, my mouth moving, but no words coming out.

It sounded so…wrong, but I couldn't fully dispute it. It made a kind of sense. I just sat there, trying to understand it.

Maybe when she came back, she didn't come back, and this…thing…did instead?

As I sat there, he got up from his seat across form me. He slowly made his way around the table separating us. He pulled me into a hug, trying to comfort me.

"I know, it's hard to believe, but it's the truth." He said softly to me, any hint of his previous mania gone.

"B-but, no! It can't be, she has to be alive! It has to be her!" I argued fervently

He then pulled apart, holding my arms at the shoulders as he looked into my eyes.

"So, are you saying you'd rather believe your sister's a demon? A monster? A killer? You'd rather believe that than believe your sister's still the same sweet Ruby she was before, and that this monster killed her and took her place?" He asked seriously, a steely frown on his face

"Because I'd rather believe she's dead, but in peace, and still the pure little girl that we know and love, that she's sitting in the afterlife with her mother." He continued

"But I guess you'd rather believe that she became corrupted, that she became this monster, because make no mistake, whatever is in your sister's skin is a monster." He said firmly, and with conviction.

As I stared at him in mute horror, I considered what he said. Was he right? Was I doing her a disservice by believing that this monster was Ruby?

No! It is Ruby! It Has to be! She came back to us! I argued in my mind, but it did no good. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, doubts, and beliefs.

Was I just believing what I wanted to be true? Was Dad? Who was right? Who was wrong? Was Ruby alive? Dead? A monster? Just a sad, lonely, little girl? Did she really come back?

Then I had the most worrying thought of all.

Where was she?

"D-dad?" I began, getting his attention.

"Yes?" He acknowledged.

"W-where-" I tried to say. I paused, gulping, too scared to know the answer.

"W-where's Ruby?" I asked, finally

With that, he got a hard look on his face. It was a look of conviction, steely determination, and regret.

"Yang, I know you don't want to hear this…" He began, throwing my heart into a pit.

No

"But that thing, is a monster, and it's defacing the memory of your sister." He continued, terror taking root in me.

Don't say it.

"And Yang…"

Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it!

"We KILL monsters." He declared softly, yet with a face of firm steel and iron.

"Y-you killed her?" I asked in horror, terror, some emotion I don't even know how to verbalize.

He sighed, leaning away from me.

"No, I wasn't able to. It's all kind of a blur, but I think she got away somehow." He explained, a look of defeat, of loss, on him. He really felt like he missed out on killing Ruby, like the monster got away from him.

"I don't know where the demon is now, but I'll find her Yang, I promise. I won't let that monster fill your sister's legacy with blood and madness. We'll kill that demon." He vowed, but it wasn't the one I wanted to hear.

I couldn't-I just couldn't

I couldn't think about it like that.

I didn't want to think like that.

I didn't want to think at all!

All that filled my mind were thoughts about my little sister being a demon, being a monster, and me having to kill her.

Do I have to kill her? Is she even a monster? Is Dad right? Is he insane?

No, I can't have dad be insane, I can't have this family break down even more! It's barely holding on as is. I need him to be sane. I thought

But, could I believe my own sister was really dead? And that a Demon had taken her place? That I needed to kill her?

But what if dad was wrong? What if she was still the same, sad, lonely, little girl I thought she was? What if she was scared and alone right now, and instead of comforting her like the good big sister I should be, I'm thinking about how I should kill her?

What if I do kill her?

What if I kill her, but it's really Ruby, not monster? I can't do that, I can't be responsible for my own sister's death.

Not again.

Suddenly I was hot, I was too crowded. I needed to get out, I needed to be alone.

"I need to go." I whispered, horror, terror, and fear consuming my thoughts.

Dad nodded, understanding. "I know it's hard to accept. Take your time." He said, letting go of me.

I walked to the door, my eyes wide, my face frozen. I opened the door to the cold air outside, and walked out.

I walked, slowly marching forward, my feet taking me into the forest.

Then I jogged.

Then I ran.

I ran, me long, golden, hair whipping behind me. Tears trailing down my face as I yelled, screamed.

My aura flared as my eyes ran red.

I just had something that I needed to get out.


Glynda pov

The next day I took Ms. Rose out with me to go shopping for school supplies. The next couple of weeks would be…difficult…for the both of us.

Apparently Taiyang had taken Ms. Rose out of school while she was still quite young, still in elementery school even. While they did manage to home school her well enough for her to read, write, do basic math, and have a basic understanding of some history, the fact is, she is severely lacking in the academic areas.

As a result I would have to help bring her up to Beacon's academic level. That meant I needed to buy even more materials for the girl than I would normally have to, all to help teach her at an accelerated rate.

Even if she was some kind of savant with eidetic memory, she wouldn't be completely ready when school started, meaning she would need remedial lessons. Lessons I would likely provide.

I sighed, already exhausted just thinking about it.

The only real saving grace was Ms. Rose herself. Despite how…creepy…she could be, it appeared to be incidental. She didn't actually try, or like, to be creepy, it just happened. Once you got past that…she was actually quite nice.

"So, we have to wear uniforms?" She asked curiously as we walked through the store.

"Yes." I politely responded.

"Why?" She asked.

Had it been anyone else, I would have suspected that question to be one of sass. I would have suspected she was questioning my authority, and that she was just being difficult.

However, I had learned something about the young girl.

She's naturally quite curious, and often asks questions about everything she doesn't understand. She also tends to be quite...blunt. While she does keep her more venomous thoughts to herself, her lack of social contact as severely hampered her ability to censor herself.

So, in this case, she wasn't being difficult, she genuinely wanted to know what purpose uniforms served at the school, she just wasn't being terribly polite about it.

I sighed. that was actually a complicated question to answer.

"There are actually several answers for that. First, tradition, uniforms have been a part of the school for years." I answered.

"There has to be more than that?" She said skeptically, a brow raised in suspicion.

"Indeed. Another reason is because it brings the school together under one banner. A more…modern…reason is that nowadays the young men and women who attend the school don't always wear the most…sensible…things." I explained.

"Oh…like Yang?" She suggested, understanding.

My mind flashed back to when I read up on Ms. Rose's older sister. Someone who had an…affinity…for showing skin.

"Yes…like your sister." I grimaced.

Ms. Xiao-long would likely be nightmare to teach. That's not even taking into account the fact we have to keep her from discovering that her sister, who her father vowed to kill, is attending the school.

"Will they have a uniform my size?" She asked.

It was a good question.

Ms. Rose, at 4 feet 8 inches, was quite a bit shorter than the average student. In fact, she was easily the shortest student to be attending this year. Another example of the odd stunted growth of the young girl.

"No, likely not. That is why we are going to the store now, to get a set of custom fitted uniforms for you. It'll take time for them to make them." I explained

She nodded her head in acceptance.


That's essentially how the rest of the day went, going around getting school supplies.

She was…oddly pleasant. Especially considering how I was worried she would act after the incident at the hospital. Then there was the part about her being a sociopath. Ozpin said he wasn't sure she was, but there were the things she said about caring about people.

So far, Ozpin appeared to be right. He said that just because she was a potential sociopath didn't mean she was some kind of serial killer to be. Well, aside from her colder, hollower, attitude, she was actually quite inquisitive.

I found myself oddly enjoying her company.

However, when we got to my house, she did ask me an odd question.

"Ms. Goodwitch?" She asked, getting my attention.

"Yes, Ms. Rose?' I acknowledged.

"Why did you become a teacher?" She asked, staring at me with those soul-piercing silver eyes.

There was something…stirring…behind those eyes. I don't really know what it was. There was curiosity, and something else.

It wasn't a totally unexpected or weird question, but something in those hollow eyes put me on guard.

"Well…I guess it's because…I enjoy teaching. While many people, students and staff alike, will tell you…disreputable…things about me, the fact is, I enjoy teaching. I love children, I wouldn't be able to teach if I didn't. I simply…believe in using a firmer hand than most to instruct them." I explained to her.

She seemed to consider this for a moment, tilting her head in thought.

I was about to leave the room when she spoke up again.

"So you do it because you enjoy it?" she clarified.

"Umm…." I began, feeling somewhat suspicious. I don't know why, but I felt like I was being hunted. Like I was the prey, and she the predator. I felt like this was a trap, but I couldn't figure out why, so, I ignored it.

"Yes, yes I do." In answered cautiously.

"So, you do it for you?" She asked again.

"Yes?" I answered suspiciously.

"So we're not so different then." She asserted.

"Pardon?" I asked

"I know you've been thinking about what Ozpin said about me, and what I said in the hospital. You've been thinking about how different I am, and how you're going to teach me, right?" She explained with a small smile.

I nodded dumbly, stunned that she was perceptive enough to pick up on all of those things.

"So I thought about how I could fix that. That way I could help make you understand." She continued.

"How does this help?" I frowned, not understanding.

"Because, I'm the same. I do what I do because I want to feel good, like you. We both do what we do for ourselves." She elaborated with a small smile.

Then, with that sentence, I understood what she was getting at.

"No, it's not like that. I don't do it for selfish reasons, I do what I do to help others." I explained

She tilted her head in confusion, "But, you do it because it make you feel good, right?"

"Well, yes but-" I began

"So you do it for yourself." She interrupted.

"No, I don't. I'm not selfish, or self-centered." I countered curtly

"But helping people makes you feel good, that's why you do it. Not for them, but for you. If it didn't make you feel good, you wouldn't do it, you said it yourself." She argued, frowning.

I wanted to shout at her, to yell at her. I wanted to tell her to stop it, to shut up. I wanted to tell her she didn't understand because she was just a child.

And that's what stopped me.

She's a child.

A perceptive child, but a child nonetheless. I needed to stop thinking of her being normal 15 year old, because she wasn't.

In addition, she technically had a point. I may not have wanted to admit it, but she had a point. Not a great one, necessarily, I doubt she truly understood what I was saying given her lack of empathy. It's hard to explain to explain a desire to help others to someone who lacks such a basic impulse, but I knew that going into this.

I took a breath, and relaxed, letting the anger flow out of me.

I was a grown woman, not some moody teenager. I could resolve this without resorting to shouting.

"Ms. Rose, why are you doing this?" I asked, getting to the heart of it.

She frowned, sighed, and looked back at me. He face was, as usual, mostly blank and hollow, but there was a measure of…annoyance…in her eyes. It was small, very small, but there.

"I just wanted to try and get you to…to understand. The first step was to try and establish common ground." She tried to explain.

"Okay, so you tried to get me to understand…what?" I asked, trying to get her to explain it in her own words.

She sighed in annoyance, though it was rather calm and muted annoyance, and covered with a bored look.

"No one else gets me, not really. My family fears me, my dad wants to kill me. Most everyone I've ever met think I'm creepy. Not that I've actually met many people." She began, looking off somewhere.

She then redirected her gaze towards me once more.

"So, I thought it would be better if you understood me if you're going to be teaching me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." She explained.

I sighed, feeling a multitude of feelings. Frustration, relief, sympathy, some I didn't even know how to verbalize.

So, she just wanted to make a connection with me? Well, in that case, maybe she wasn't as broken as I thought. She was undoubtedly broken, shattered, really, but perhaps not as badly as I thought.

Despite what she was saying, I believe I understood what she really wanted.

She was…lonely…essentially. Not surprising really. Her father just disowned her, and she doesn't appear to have much faith in the rest of her family still caring about her either.

She seems to have been alienated by her family, accidentally or otherwise I don't know. Considering how isolated she's been by her family, prevented from going to school and having friends, it's likely the case that she doesn't know anyone else.

Well, except for whoever Lucifer is. I thought

So, taking all that into consideration, despite how shattered she was, despite how hollow, how inquisitive, she was still a lonely little girl. And she wanted what all people wanted, to be understood, to not be alone, to be loved.

She just…had difficulties expressing that.

"It's fine, you just…you need to learn how to be more…tactful…I suppose." I responded finally, carefully wording myself.

"Really?" She asked skeptically, surprised by how well I was taking this.

"Yes, I recognize that you have…a lack of experience, when it comes to social interactions. You can be quite blunt, come across as having an attitude, and being aggressive in conversations." I explained

"Not my fault." She retorted, pouting slightly.

"I never said it was. It is the fault of those who kept you from interacting with people, with those who isolated you." I explained.

"So that's what you're here for, right? You're here to teach me, to get me ready for school." She asked.

"More than that…Ruby…I am a teacher, and as such, I am here to prepare you for life." I explained, tentatively deciding to take a leap and use her first name.

As much as I distanced myself from most of my students, I found I just couldn't do the same to this shattered little girl.

I wanted to help her, from the moment I laid eyes on her I wanted to protect and aide her.

No matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn't distance myself from her, I just kept getting closer.

The more I learned about this broken young girl, this living, broken, doll, the more I wanted to fix her, to put her back together. I wanted to learn how she got like this, what broke her, what turned her into this doll.


Yang pov

I stood alone in the forest, no one around for miles.

Well…

Former forest.

I had spent hours here, kicking, screaming, raging, and killing Grimm. I was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. My aura would heal it well enough, I wasn't concerned about that.

The area around me looked like it had been hit by tornado of fire and destruction.

I smiled weakly at that thought, I guess it had.

The sun was coming up now, it was officially morning. I had spent all night out here, in the forest, killing Grimm and destroying everything in my path.

I let out a shaky breath, and with it, all my frustration, anger, sadness, and confusion.

After dad had come, and told me the news.

That he had tried to kill Ruby,

That Ruby was a killer

That Ruby might not be Ruby

That he didn't know where Ruby was anymore

I just…I needed this.

I needed to come out here and think.

To destroy, to tire myself out kicking and screaming.

And I did.

And it worked.

I knew what I was going to do.

Earlier, I had debated whether or not I was going to still go to Beacon. I was considering just looking for Ruby instead, trying to find her, and with her, the truth.

But then I realized that was pointless.

If Dad and Qrow couldn't find her, then I sure wouldn't be able to.

So, instead, I would still go to Beacon, but would insist to dad that he tell me if he found Ruby. I wanted to hear her side of the story. I wanted to see for myself if my sister really was a demon or not.

I had to know the truth for myself, I had to learn for myself if I needed to kill my own sister, or save her from my father's madness.

I didn't want to believe my father was insane, but it was either that or believe my little sister has been replaced by some demon and I needed to kill her.

I wouldn't just throw the opportunity given to us when she came back to us.

I couldn't just kill baby sister, nor could I just believe my father was insane.

It just wasn't that simple. I didn't want either of them to be true, and yet, it was one or the other.

So, I decided I would hunt down the truth, I wouldn't make a decision one way or another until I knew more.

But I thought If dad was right...

If there was some monster, walking around, pretending to be her, and defiling her name...

If that's the truth... I thought, my aura flaring again.

Then I Will KILL It! I WILL KILL IT WITH FIRE AND FURY! NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM AVENGING MY PRECIOUS LITTLE SISTER! I thought as I punched a hole in another tree, causing it to fall with a resounding THUD.


? pov

"Right, so...you remember what to do when you get to school right?" He asked me, concern on his face.

"Be a good girl." I answered with a smile.

"Which means?" He asked

"No killing." I answered teasingly, knowing what he was really seeking.

"And...?"

"No torture."

He sighed tiredly.

"Why do you even need to ask? It's not like I've done any of that for years. That's not who I am anymore." I asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm worried about you, okay. I may have saved you, but you still have over 12 years of mental conditioning working against you." He responded sincerely

"Yes~...saved." I responded with flat look.

He sighed again, knowing full well how I felt about this.

"I know you don't mind what happened, but trust me, that wasn't good for you, it wasn't healthy." He explained.

"No, I was extremely healthy." I countered.

"No, I mean mentally healthy, not physically." He groaned.

"Maybe I happened to like my mind?" I retorted teasingly

"It wasn't healthy, you weren't sane." He explained

"And I am now?" I questioned with a raised brow

Once again, he sighed.

"You're getting better. The treatments are working, they are helping put you back together."

"I was together in the first place?" I questioned

"Kokkinos." He said with a sigh, calling me by my first name, getting tired of my teasing.

Like a flipped switch I went from teasing and sweet to obedient.

"Yes master." I responded, bowing my head in submission. I immediately shifted into attention, standing straight up with my feet together. My hands were collapsed together in front of me.

He sighed again,

"How many times have I told you, I'm not your master. Stop calling me that." He insisted.

"Legally, you are." I corrected.

He groaned again, likely questioning his decision to buy me all those years ago

"Just...just try to be a good girl, okay? A good, nice, normal, girl, okay?" He pleaded

"Whatever you ask master." I responded calmly.

"Look, I just want you to be happy, okay?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Well, considering it is Beacon, one of the most prestigious hunter academies in the world, it shouldn't be too hard." I answered

"Yeah, I know. Just...don't kill any students, okay?"

"Didn't I already agree to that?" I asked

"That was a request, this is an order, do not kill anyone at school." He clarified, "Understood?"

"Yes master, I shall not kill anyone at school." I answered robotically.

He sighed again

"I suppose that's the best I'm going to get, isn't it?" He asked rhetorically.

"Don't worry master, I won't let you down. I'll be the best at the school, whatever it takes. I shall not fail." I declared with a smile.

"Stop calling me that!" He moaned


A/n:

So yeah, now we got some of Yang's perspective as she struggles to find the truth.

AND

More broken home stories

And Ruby and Glynda bond, maybe?

And...

...mystery girl...

Yea

Also, turns out you sick fucks actually like this story, especially the part where Taiyang tried to strangle Ruby to death

Seriously, I looked. Like, only five people saw that and decided the line had been crossed.

That's fucked up

I like it, Keep it up.

I will

Seriously, that isn't the most fucked up thing that happens in this story.

God, I have done terrible, terrible things to the RWBY story-line.

and I'm not sorry.

Also, Taiyang actually has a logic to his madness, which, as I understand it, is usually how it works.

Insanity doesn't equal murder party and violence, there has to be a certain logic to it, which he has.

Unfortunately that's how it tends to work in fiction, if someone's crazy or mad, then they're likely violent.

That's not how it really works.

That's how it can work, but again, it needs a certain logic to get there.

Taiyang's is that his daughter is dead, and there is a demon/monster that has possessed her, or has taken her skin, and impersonated her. It has done this all for the purpose of killing and murdering people in his daughter's name, ruining her memory.

But yeah, if you have anymore questions, throw them at me. I might, Might, answer them.

Depends on whether it's a spoiler or not.

Like, one person asked if Ruby met the Devil

Here's the basic, barebones, not-technically-a-spoiler-kinda, somewhat of an answer but not exactly.

Remnant, at least how I have it, does not have the christian religion

When Ruby mentioned Lucifer, nobody made the connection with the devil, because the don't even know about the christian devil, let alone believe he exists.

I might have them worship Monty or something, maybe not.

But they Don't know about Lucifer.

I have to explain here, otherwise I'd have to get really fucking meta, which could be weird.

And that's all you're getting on that front

In any case, next scene we finally get to Beacon

This was basically setup for Beacon

In any case, tell me if I'm doing this right, or I fucked something up. More importantly though, tell me if you got any of my hints. If you did, then I'll pm you a small explanation for the hint.

EDIT: Thanks to google translate begin a stupid asshole and a bitch, I have to change Vyssini to Kokkinos. Thanks google translate, for fucking me.