Ruby made her way back to her dorm room. So far, her second year at Beacon hadn't been a pleasant one. She had nearly killed Jaune in goodwitch's class, and she was restricted from sparring early on. Not that she needed to get any stronger; Yang's semblance took care of that. Whatever medications they tried were all too weak for it, and Ruby herself was nowhere near controlling it. She would be depressed if she wasn't so pissed.
At least I got through today without going off the deep end, she thought to herself as she entered her room. Weiss and Blake were inside already. Well, it is almost midnight. The two girls looked at their leader with concern, and Weiss had some anger on top of it. "Where have you been? We've all be worried, Velvet is out looking for you." Weiss interrogated.
"I was just on a walk. I'll message Velv." Ruby answered and pulled out her scroll. "…As soon as my scroll's charged." She placed her scroll on the charger and turned to see Weiss inches away from her.
"On a walk? You let your friends worry about you because of a walk?"
"Weiss, we can argue tomorrow. I got through all of today without an incident, I'd really like to not have one now." Ruby deadpanned.
"That's not good enough!" Weiss replied. "We can't keep treating you like broken glass! Like a ticking time-bomb!"
"Well that's what I am!" Ruby shouted, her eyes beginning to change. "A ticking time-bomb! And all we can do is count the seconds until I go off again, and hope I don't hurt someone this time! You act like I haven't even tried to control it, I have! All year! Nothing! Works!"
"Yang could control it, there must be a way!" Weiss told her. Blake watched the scene in horror. Was Weiss trying to set Ruby off?
"It was her semblance! She grew up with it! It's not even supposed to be inside me! It belonged with her, it doesn't belong with me!" Ruby was getting louder and her eyes, brighter. Weiss realized she had let her anger get the better of her at the worst possible time.
"I'm sorry, Ruby, I shouldn't have said that…"
"And now you back down! I can't even hold a good shouting match with anyone when they're afraid I'll explode! There's no right answer, and I HATE IT! AAARRGHH!" Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and slammed the door on her way out. She ran, faster and faster, and spotted Velvet. Turning to avoid her, Ruby lost track of her direction. Instead of the Emerald Forest, she soon found herself in Vale.
Ruby almost wished for a Grimm attack. She needed something to hit, and could probably clear the entire city of an infestation right now. She didn't stop running until she spotted someone. A faunus. Ruby was never good with people, but even nearly a year later, her memories of that night were as vivid as ever. She saw this man, under a White Fang mask, attacking the school. The night Yang died.
"You!" She shouted, unfolding Crescent Rose. They were in the poorer section of Vale, where no one would react to Ruby's shout. In fact, most of the street cleared, knowing a confrontation was coming. The faunus turned around. He had ram horns, the left one chipped. Definitely him. "You were in the White Fang." Ruby heard herself growl, beginning to lose control.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said quickly.
"Don't lie to me!" Ruby shouted, rushing him. He barely managed to avoid her attack. "You attacked the school! I saw you!" The ram faunus said nothing, pulling out weapons instead. A pair of steel claws, held like brass knuckled with three thin blades coming out of each one. Ruby rushed again, and the ram dodged once more, bringing a claw down.
"What!?" he stared at the girls cheek, which should have a large gash. Hell, he should have torn her jaw off, but nothing. This girl must have a powerful aura. His thoughts were interrupted by the back of the girl's scythe, which had struck his cheek with the force of a car crash. He was thrown into an ally by the attack, hitting the back wall. The girl flashed forward once more, faster than even he could see this time. Bringing his claws up in blind hope, he managed to block the scythe's blade.
He decided to use his best assets. He head-butted the girl with his ram horns. She stumbled, but seemed physically unaffected, while he had felt his horns crack. Who is this girl!? He was starting to get scared. She seemed to shrug off anything he had dished out. And her eyes… burning red with sheer anger and hatred. His last thoughts were regrets of a lifetime of bad decisions, because one of them had to lead here. She flashed forwards one last time, where he felt her blade poke his neck. Everything after that was numb, and then darkness.
Ruby pulled her scythe out of the wall, the ram man's now-separated head bounced down the ally. As she returned to her senses, she fell to her knees. What have I done…? I killed someone… I actually went and killed someone… She felt her stomach refusing its contents, rushing up her throat and out of her mouth. Puking all over the ally floor did little to alleviate the girl's horror at herself. Looking at the body only made her stomach lurch again, though there was nothing left to vomit.
She took Crescent Rose to the docks, where she furiously scrubbed away the blood in the sea water. The salt content could rust her scythe, but she would fix that later. As long as the blood was gone. Despite there being nothing left, she still sent bile into the water after thinking once more on what she did. She walked slowly back to Beacon, half expecting the police to stop her at some point along the way. I knew I was dangerous, but to actually kill someone… I didn't even know his name… if he had friends, family…
However, she made it all the way back to her dorm without incident. She realized she had forgotten her scroll and couldn't get in. I should probably shower in the lockers real quick before I wake anyone up to let me in. Blake could probably smell it on me… twenty minutes later she returned to the door and knocked. It was almost immediately opened by Weiss.
"I'm sorry Ruby. I let my anger get the better of me, I was just stressed-"
"It's fine, Weiss. I just want some sleep…" Ruby pushed past her and into the dorm room, collapsing on the couch, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the cushions. She was just too tired to climb up to her bed, or notice Velvet was in the room.
The next morning at breakfast, everyone assumed Ruby's lack of sleep was to blame for her melancholy mood. Weiss checked the news as she does every morning. "There was a murder in Vale." Everyone turned to her. "It's not a large article, and there seems to be nothing to track."
Blake looked at the screen and groaned. "He's ex-Fang. All of Vale can be suspects after what they did, and I doubt the police are going to bother solving this one."
Ruby was amazed, and slightly relieved. Still, she had killed that man… she was dangerous, more so than she thought before. By the time classes ended, she knew what she had to do. But there was something she wanted to do first. She caught up to Velvet after classes and stopped her in the hall. "Hey Velvs, can I ask something?"
"Of course, Ruby." Velvet responded.
"I was wondering if… I could spend the night with you tonight…" Ruby asked.
The rabbit faunus turned red very quickly. "I-I uhh, I'm not sure we should… be doing that quite yet…"
Ruby turned red herself at her girlfriends response. "No! Not sex, I don't mean that… just sleeping I swear…" I couldn't touch you like that with these hands anyway… hands that took a life…
Velvet calmed her flush with clarification. "I still don't know, love… maybe if it was a room with just us, but with my team there… I'm sorry."
Ruby's gaze dropped. Of course. I was foolish to think that karma would let me have even that after last night. "No need to apologize Velv…" The young girl turned to walk away, but soon stopped and turned back. "I love you, Velvet."
Velvet was amazed. Sure, they kissed. Sure, she called Ruby 'love'. But neither of them had said those precious words like that before now. She knew there was only one answer. She knew how she felt, and knew it was honest to say, "I love you too, Ruby." They shared a smile and left for their respective dorms. And that would be the last time Velvet saw Ruby Rose.
Three months later, Neo would discover a very different Ruby in the darkness of Vale, and help finish the girl's transformation into Reaper.
Reaper redressed with her back to Neo. There wasn't a kinder or more accurate way other than 'vicious rage fucking' to describe what they had just done. Well, Reaper was in a rage. Neo seemed to enjoy herself just fine. The most curious part is that it actually calmed the Red Haze, and no one was hurt. Other than what Reaper's nails had done to Neo's back, but her aura would heal that right up.
Not that Reaper was going to thank Neo. The multi-colored girl never did anything for anyone else. Reaper didn't know if there was a greater plot or the girl was just experimenting, but they both understood what happened. They used each other. No emotion, no caring, nothing to appreciate. Just mutual gain. Reaper had an uneasy feeling that this wouldn't be the last time.
As she left the closet, she briefly wondered if there was a different reason that Yang was always so promiscuous. Maybe she had discovered it as a control method as well. Reaper shook the thoughts from her head. She had accepted a long time ago that she would never control the foreign semblance she stuck herself with.
Reaper stepped back into the planning room and saw Torchwick putting finishing touches on his new plan. "Ah, Re- well I guess I can't call you 'red' anymore. Black? No, I guess I'll have to do with Reaper. Reaper! How do you feel about being a battering ram?"
"Excuse me?" Reaper looked over his new plans. She had to admit, they could work. Better yet, she doesn't even need to board the train with this new plan. "I think I can handle this." Torchwick smiled and the trio left to do the intel gathering work to fine tune their plan. On the way out the door, Roman noticed Neo's smile.
"You seem a bit cheerier than usual." He remarked. Neo only winked and strutted off.
Three days later the train would pass through a section of Vale. There would be the engine car, two cars of military personnel, and the jewel car. If their plan worked, they would essentially shrink the train to the just the engine and treasure compartments, switching the tracks at the next junction and going home free before the soldiers could properly react.
Neo and Roman managed to board the train and take over the engine car quietly. Disguised as a stewardess, Neo passed drinks through the two personnel cars. Between the two, she jammed the coupling, ensuring they would stay together. All she had to do was wait for the signal to decouple the jewel car. Meanwhile, halfway across town, Reaper stood waiting.
Everything depended on her timing. Once Roman sent the signal they had passed the mark, she would have to move faster than ever. She had Crescent Rose to propel her, and she tensed against the wall of the building that faced down the street she would use as a runway. Three streets over from Reaper, a faunus caught the unusual smell of roses in the air. "Ruby?" Velvet asked herself. She tried to follow the scent. Could it really be? Is Ruby in Vale?
Reaper's black scroll buzzed. She didn't bother checking it. Only two people had that number, and she told them both she would go at the buzz and not the reading of the message. Velvet turned the corner to find the scent had vanished. Perhaps a florist just dropped a bouquet, the rabbit girl rationalized, watching a rose petal pass by her in the wind.
Reaper was moving faster and faster, firing Air Dust rounds out of Crescent Rose behind her. The specialized rounds had no projectile, and twice the kick of her normal shots. She moved faster, faster, faster than she ever thought possible. Everything slowed downed to her so she could still see where she ran when she used her speed semblance, but even Reaper saw the buildings blur beside her. The tracks ahead were still clear, and the train came into view. She jumped and kicked her legs out, focusing all of her considerable aura on her feet.
Bullseye, Reaper smiled as her feet connected with the center of the first personnel car. The soldiers inside must have thought an Atlesian Warship blindsided them at full speed. The engine and treasure compartments were already uncoupled by Torchwick and Neo respectively, so only the roughly fused personnel cars fell off the track. Reaper kicked off the car as it went flying, back flipping and landing on top of the jewel car as it passed.
Roman slowed the engine just enough to catch and couple their target, and then pushed it back to speed. They paid off a man to have the track switched, so all they had to do now was wait until they were a safe distance to unload. Neo popped her head over the roof of the jewel car to check on Reaper. Her fists were tight and her breathing was deep and quick. The impact with the train car must have aggravated her Red Haze, Neo thought, recognizing the way's the girl tried to hold it back. They never worked for long, though, and there were no Grimm, ex-Fang, or Cinder groupies to behead.
Neo smiled. Reaper needed to calm before the train stopped, and Neo knew the perfect way to make that happen. Without warning, the multi-colored girl pulled the scythe master into the train car. Roman went to check the goods shortly after and hesitated at the door once he heard the sounds from inside. "Crazy finds crazy, I suppose." He thought out loud. "I guess I'll just have to wait for now."
Reaper emerged from the car just before their stop, straightening her outfit. "Have fun?" Roman playfully asked.
"Shut up." She told him. Roman raised an eyebrow at Neo, who had emerged already perfectly dressed. She shot him a look that said we can't afford to let her lose her head now. Torchwick decided it would be best to follow Reaper's advice and 'shut up'. Reaper pulled her hood low as they approached their client. Roman wasn't sure if the girl did it to hide her old identity or lose herself in her new one, but he had learned not to ask of the angry girl's eccentricities.
While the deal was being finished, Velvet entered her bedroom with one of the rose petals from earlier in her hand. She had noticed it soon after they started dating. Ruby's petals and the petals from a real rose always had a different look and feel to them. And this was definitely one of Ruby's petals. The girl was in Vale, and Velvet had almost caught her.
A/N So that's Act 1! let me know if you guys want more. Peace out for now.
