Ruby woke up in the Beacon infirmary. Looking around, she could see parts of the roof that were patched up by Goodwitch. She could also see the number of fellow students also treated in the infirmary. Eyes coming to the bunk next to her, she saw Blake, still asleep and wrapped in bandages. Seeing her team mate hurt sparked something deep inside Ruby, something the young girl didn't recognize. Memories of the night before came slowly.

Velvet. Ruby was on a date with Velvet. And then they saw someone. They ran… to say hello? To fight? Ruby was no longer in the tournament. But it was to fight… the pieces came back slowly, and as they culminated to the finality of the night, Ruby heartbeat increased. The monitor beeped rapidly, calling over the nurses. "Where's Yang! Where's my sister! She made it, she had to, where is she!?" The young girl yelled at the nurses.

As the nurses attempted to console Ruby, Pyrrha attempted to console Weiss back at RWBY dorm. She had spent the whole night in tears. She couldn't tell whether Yang's death, Ruby's unexplainable condition, or Blake's injuries hurt worse. She eventually decided all three were equally shitty, and spent the whole night crying. Half-way through the night, the noise attracted the warrior girl, who came in to be shoulder to cry on. JNPR made it through the night unscathed, so none of them could imagine nearly losing your entire team.

An announcement over the intercom told them classes were suspended indefinitely. Weiss knew Beacon wouldn't be shut down. The school had survived as long as Ozpin had, and she figured classes would resume in a few weeks after students had time to grieve. Weiss didn't know if a few weeks would be enough for them. There weren't many fatalities from last night, but Yang was one of them. Pyrrha left the dorm to collect breakfast, bringing back Weiss's and staying with the girl until Ozpin came to the room around noon.

"Ms. Schnee." He greeted. "Ms. Rose and Ms. Belladonna are awake, and able to receive visitors." Weiss's eyes widened and she dashed from the room. Ozpin stopped Pyrrha at the door. "After you returned her power, it seems Autumn will make a full recovery. The world is indebted to you, Ms. Nikos." Pyrrha nodded, and continued back to her dorm to get some sleep.

Halfway to the infirmary, Weiss stopped short. She pulled out her scroll and dialed Velvet. Ruby's girlfriend deserved to know the young leader was conscious.

"Hello?" the faunus answered, sounding as though she didn't get much sleep herself.

"Ruby's awake."

"I'll be right there!" Velvet told her and hung up without hesitation.

Velvet got to the infirmary before Weiss. She was stopped at the door. Since there were so many patients, they had to impose a rule can only team mates could visit. Once Weiss arrived, she was able to talk them into letting Velvet through with her. "Fine, I guess there's no helping it. Just don't tell anyone else. You two should know something before you see Ms. Rose."

"Did something happen to her?" Weiss asked.

"Soon after she woke, she experienced a fit of rage. We traced the emotional stress back to the news of her sisters passing. It woke her other team mate here, who told us rage is an unusual response."

"Yes, it is. In fact it sounds more like Yang…" Velvet remarked thoughtfully.

"We had to inject three time the normal amount of tranquilizer knock out someone her size just to calm her down. Her body was burning through it before it could take effect."

Velvet and Weiss traded uneasy looks. The heiress was thoroughly confused. The faunus had an inkling of what may have happened, and it only made her more anxious. She didn't want to worry Weiss until she was sure, and stayed quiet as they went to Ruby's bed. Ruby had her face buried in her hands, and wept uncontrollably. Blake was awake, but her injuries kept her in her own bed.

"Ruby…?" Vlevet spoke softly and slowly, afraid to alarm the girl in case her theory proved true. Ruby stopped shaking and raised her head slowly.

"Velvet? Velvet…" Ruby looked at her girlfriend with her silver eyes shining from tears. Velvet moved quickly now that Ruby knew she was there, and drew her girlfriend into her arms. "Velvet, she's gone… Yang's gone… I did… and she's still gone…"

Weiss saw Velvet had Ruby, so she spent her attention on Blake. She looked over the faunus and felt her heart seize. She had noticed her admirations for the cat eared girl for some time. It was painful to see her so hurt. She sat next to her on the bed. "How are feeling?"

"I'm alive. It's more than I can say for…" Blake stopped herself before finishing her remark. "I've been better."

Weiss put a hand on Blake's. the faunus looked up at the heiress, and saw something in her eyes she couldn't place. "He killed her, Weiss. Adam killed her. My old partner…"

"I know if you could have done anything, you would have. It's not your fault Blake." Weiss assured.

"There was nothing I could do last night, but if I only tried harder back then… perhaps I could have changed him… changed the White Fang…"

"Blake, it's not your fault…" the heiress assured once more, but all for naught. Her partner's death was hitting Blake harder than anyone except Ruby. The girl in question was crying into Velvets shoulder until a doctor came that wanted to speak to her.

"Ms. Rose?" he asked.

"Yeah?" She responded, looking up at him.

"Ms. Rose, I've been reviewing your charts. It looks like you're going to have to stay longer than we once thought."

"What? How long?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"A few days of observation, and then we'll see." The doctor answered.

"A few days? And then we'll see!?" Ruby's voice filled with a venom that sounded foreign and unnatural coming from the sweet girl's mouth. "I thought you said I was fine!?"

"Physically, yes, you are."

"Then why keep me here!?" Ruby's anger seemed to only rise, and it was beginning to frighten her friends. The doctor was also visibly unnerved by the sudden mood swing. "If I'm fine, just let me go!"

"We just want to check a few things out." The doctor insisted. "Please, Ms. Rose, calm down." He had to duck the food tray from Ruby's lunch that the girl just threw at his head. Swiftly the nurses crowded, pushing Weiss and Velvet back, as they attempted to calm the young leader down.

"What the hell was that?" Weiss asked.

"A lot calmer than the first time." Blake replied from her bed, which she suddenly found uncomfortably close to Ruby's. "At least she's not throwing punches. Yet."

"Did either of you see her eyes?" Velvet asked them. They both turned to her and shook their heads. Velvet grabbed the doctor and pulled him into a huddle with Weiss and Blake around the cat girl's bed. "I think I know what's going on." She told them all. "Do all of you know what an Aura-Link is?" She had told Blake last night, but she didn't know what Weiss and the doctor knew. The heiress looked at her with horror, and the doctor looked at her with understanding. "I see you do."

The doctor checked his charts. "Ms. Rose attempted one with her recently deceased sister, I presume?" Velvet nodded. "I'll have to request the sister's records. Thank you for informing me. Foolish girl…" the doctor walked away.

"What did the Aura-Link do to her?" Weiss asked. She knew the concept, and knew it could have horrible consequences, but not much else.

"I wasn't sure until I saw her eyes as she was talking to the doctor. They turned red. I think she accidently took on Yang's aura, her semblance." Velvet answered.

"What will that do to Ruby?" Blake asked.

"I don't know." Velvet looked at her girlfriend through the group of nurses. "Yang had a very powerful, anger based semblance. It may be too powerful for Ruby to ever control…"

A few days later, Velvet returned on her own. Ruby was one of the few students still in the ward, even Blake left the day before. Velvet approached Ruby cautiously. "Hey, love."

"I hate it here." Ruby told her. "They won't let me go. I just want to leave here. I want to spend a day with you, I want to see Weiss and Blake and Y-…" The young girl tightened her grip on her sheets. Velvet saw her eyes start to tinge red. "I feel like a prisoner."

"It'll be okay, Ruby." Velvet placed a reassuring hand on her girlfriends shoulder.

"When!?" Ruby shouted, making Velvet jump back. "When will it possibly be okay? Yang's gone, and you all are too scared of setting me off to come see me!"

"I'm here. I always will be, Ruby." Velvet assured, though she couldn't keep her voice from shaking.

"I know Velv…" Ruby struggled to calm herself. "I appreciate it… it's just… Aaaggh!" Ruby lost herself and punched the railing on her hospital bed hard enough to bend it. The impact on her bare hands only aggravated Yang's semblance inside her.

"Ruby…" Velvet's soft voice pierced the veil of red settling on Ruby's vision long enough for her to become concerned with her girlfriends safety. Velvet's not safe around me, not when I'm like this.

"Go." Ruby told her with a hard edge to her voice. Velvet reached a hand out and Ruby's eyes burned brighter. "Just Go!" Velvet stopped and her hand and after a moment, turned to leave. She walked quickly into the hall and slid down the wall into a sitting position.


Velvet sat in a similar position in her bedroom, only with tears. It's been nearly five months since she last spoke to Ruby. Now that it was the middle of break, there was no constant presence of friends and classmates to distract her from her thoughts. Once she returned to school, it would be her fourth and final year. Velvet had no clue what she would do after that. Her and Ruby once decided that Velvet would hunt out of Vale, that way she was close by until Ruby graduated herself. They once spoke of a lot of things…

It was a lot harder to talk to Ruby after the failed Aura-Link. Ruby angered so easily, and it was nearly impossible to calm her. She eventually learned the best way was to go and hit something until Yang's semblance was exhausted. Velvet lost count of the number of times Ruby would run off in a rage, to return a half an hour later with the smell of Grimm soaking the girl through and through. A few times she returned with injuries to boot.

Ruby's new anger problem made more than just talking difficult. Once team RWBY's second year began and classes started, she was soon restricted from sparring in Glynda's combat class. Apparently, she had nearly killed Jaune and had to be restrained to end the battle. She seemed to lose all reason and hearing when Yang's semblance acted up. Velvet herself once had to stop Ruby on a date, after someone insulted the faunus's ears and set the girl off.

And if she was scary against people, watching her let loose against Grimm was downright terrifying. Ruby had double the aura reserves she used too, Yang's general energy being transferred along with her semblance. She could take a lot more hits and direct their strength right back at her enemies. Once she set off in a rage, she could clear an entire nest of Grimm on her own. Not particularly impressive to hear, except she didn't do it tactically, instead surviving full assaults completely alone.

Outside of her rages, Ruby was almost as she was before, if a little more cynical. Despite missing her girlfriends happy-go-lucky attitudes, Velvet stayed. Ruby needed her more than ever, she knew that. She wasn't going to stop loving the girl because things got difficult. And there were a few days it seemed to work, days where they smiled and kissed and cherished life. Days that made it seem Ruby could control Yang's semblance and truly recover. And then she ran away.

"Velv! Dinner's ready! Your friend Coco is here!"

"I'll be down in a minute mom!" Velvet wiped tears from her eyes before heading downstairs.


The first two months with Torchwick were filled with almost non-stop jobs. They had to prove he was still out here, and that he could handle himself as well as before. It was working. They were making waves through the criminal underworld, rumor spread that Roman Torchwick was on the rise again. The jobs started paying more, and the trio could soon afford their own place. Hidden away with security out the ass, it was the perfect place to call home.

Roman was more ambitious than before, however. He didn't want to play the game, he wanted to run it. Well, maybe not all of it, but enough that they could run a gang and hold their own territory in Vale. And it seemed they were finally gaining reputation, as they were approached and asked to do a job, not the other way around. A train robbery of pure capital, 40% of which they got to keep. Normally Roman would protest, but even 40% of precious jewels in the amount discussed would be a beautiful profit. He still managed to talk the client into 45.

All that was left now was the details. Details Reaper took offense too. "I will not kill innocent people!" She shouted at him from across their thick, metal planning table in the back room of their abode.

"I'm not telling you to kill them, that would be barbaric! Just rough them up." Roman shot back.

"If my semblance goes off in there, I will kill them. I won't be able to stop myself, and I doubt you would be willing to try!" Reaper yelled, her eyes quickly turning red.

"It's the best plan! It's simple, efficient. It's easy to take a train! The only possible tuft would be the soldiers. But your fighting skills are worth a whole army." Torchwick told her.

"Yes, they're soldiers. Which means they will fight back, which will activate the Red Haze, which will kill them." Reaper tried to stay calm.

Neo rolled her eyes. Reaper and Torchwick often argued during these planning stages. Roman didn't like drawing blood any more than the scythe master. It drew too much attention, after all. But he couldn't seem to understand that Reaper can't control her rages. They would shout, Reaper would stomp off to slaughter Grimm in the Forever Fall before she could shove her blade into Torchwick's neck, and Roman would alter the plan by the time she got back. So it went, and Neo doubted this time would be any different.

"Listen, Red-" Torchwick continued, interrupted by Reaper slamming her fist into the table, which dented far too easily for Roman's tastes.

"Find. Another. Way." She growled, turning on her heel to stomp off. I am going to kill that man one day, and he will only have himself to blame.

Neo watched Reaper walk away, and grew a large smile. There was something she was curious about. Something she wanted to test for ages. Now was as good a time as ever. She followed Reaper at speed, closing the distance between them. When she got close enough, she pulled on the scythe master's shoulder to turn her around, and planted a voracious kiss on her lips.

Reaper shoved her off quickly, the anger in her eyes were joined by confusion. Neo watched carefully, trying to gauge the situation, ready to react. Unfortunately, Reaper's natural speed semblance was too much for the multi-colored girl. Neo was picked up and thrown into a nearby supply closet, the kind that had plenty of space. She was terrified that she had horribly miscalculated as Reaper slowly entered the closet and locked the door behind her.

Right up until Reaper pounced and started doing exactly what Neo hoped she would. Clothes were lost, nails and teeth drew blood, and noises actually came out of Neo's mouth.