Hello everybody! I'm back with another installment of Stark Contrast. It's been a while, but it's here. A lot of things have happened, mainly VOLUME 3 IS FINALLY HERE! THE HYPE IS REAL AND IS STILL GROWING! This is the best volume yet, and only two episodes are out. Qrow and Winter! Gah!

*cough* Anyway...

I've been going over this story and noticed some continuity errors along with other more mundane ones. Every chapter has now been edited (most are small things, like wording and grammar). The main change is that Tukson was stated to have been killed by Mercury in an early chapter, but then he was implied to be alive in a later one. This is how it is: Tukson is dead. He was working with the White Fang, but defected to the government and was killed for that defection by Emerald and Mercury (Like in V2.E1.) I caught that because of what happens in this chapter, which I'll explain more at the end.

So now that that's cleared up, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Edit: 12/4/17 - Changes to Blake's motivations for joining the Hunters, but nothing groundbreaking.

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"Well hello there Rose."

Ruby sighed. "Torchwick." Just the person I really don't want to see.

"No need to sound so depressed dearie, I just wanted to have a little chat with you," Torchwick said as he came closer, a smug look on his face that's often seen on a predator's face after its worn out its prey.

Ruby groaned and closed her eyes. "Go away, I'm trying to sleep."

"You've had plenty of time with those two vixens and Mercury. I should get a turn."

"No."

"Wow, shutting me down already? You're as bad as Neo," Torchwick drawled.

Ruby cracked open an eye. "Maybe she has the right idea," she replied. She couldn't help but crack a small smile when Torchwick grumbled, satisfied with her small victory.

"You know you're making this harder than it needs to be," Torchwick said.

"Good. I didn't want to talk to you anyway," Ruby stated. This is sorta' amusing, she thought to herself.

"Why are you so contrary dearie? We're on the same side here." Ruby shuddered at being called 'dearie'.

"Which side is that? The side of thieves and terrorists?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth she winced. She knew what she said wasn't true… here at least. But dealing with her White Fang had left its mark.

"And are the Hunter's better?" Torchwick shot back. They're supposed to be… Ruby thought to herself. There was an awkward silence for a couple of beats.

"So apparently you're not Ebony," Torchwick opened up.

"Who?" Ruby asked, genuinely confused.

"My pet name for you. Or Rose, rather."

"Oh." What is with him and his nicknames for people? "I guess I'm not," Ruby muttered.

"You guess?"

Ruby shook her head. "I know I'm not her. This place is just so different, a stark contrast to my world."

"Riiight. I'm not sure I believe you. I know what the hunters are capable of and this could be an elaborate trap to kill all of us."

Ruby couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't think because if she did, those images would come back. No, it's better to stay this way. A throbbing in her head started. "I don't know…" Ruby whispered.

"Right, your amnesia, different world, Dust crystal thing you have going on. You're messed up."

Ruby pulled a Blake and raised an eyebrow in a 'really?' position. "You're one to talk."

"You're right, I am."

"You just love the sound of your own voice."

"Damn right I do."

Ruby snorted at the absurdity of the situation and laughed as much as she could. Here I am, stuck in a Oum-forsaken Remnant, having an almost civil banter with one of my arch-nemeses (that fire/glass/Dust lady, and anyone who takes my cookies included) while I'm confined to a medical bed after… stop. Don't think. Ruby lost all humor and became emotionless.

Torchwick frowned for some reason. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

Ruby just stared blankly at him and he sighed irritably. "You are not making this easy." Ruby shrugged in indifference, still silent. "Great now she's turning into Neo."

Ruby shrugged again and then hissed in pain. Her ribs weren't 100% yet. "She's-gah!-She's nicer than you."

"You haven't seen the other side of her yet," Torchwick growled slightly. "Everyone has a different side, and I'm wondering if you are Rose's."

"I'm not her!" Ruby said as loudly as she could. "I'm not."

"Of course," Torchwick said mockingly. "Perhaps you're her light twin sister Red?" Okay, now that's just creepy. "This isn't that kind of science fiction dearie. This is all just a big set up to finally kill us. After that you'll go back into their loving arms, a mission completed? I'm sure they'll love to have you back," Torchwick continued, unaware of the consequences his comment would have.

Ruby's eyes shot open and her pupils dilated, the throbbing turning into drums. Those hands. The hurt. The torture. Those eyes, those blood red eyes. Pain. Monsters. "Go back?" No. No! "No. No no, I'm not going back! No, go away!" Suddenly everybody that was inside seemed like they were about to pounce on her. "Leave me alone! Please! Yang please! Help me…" she ended in a whimper as she curled up into a ball to get away from the pain and the memories. The throbbing in her head started to become deafening and then blackness overtook her.

Roman took a step back away from the panicking girl in front of him in shock. As much as he would protest, he had actually enjoyed the banter he had going with her… a little. Barely worth mentioning. The mood swings were a bit extreme, like a lesser toned down version of Cinder, but reacting in sadness rather than aggressiveness. But then he said something and the small, yet arguably powerful, girl was transformed into a quivering wreak of a human being.

Roman was quite frankly unnerved by this. Neo had been in their clutches for only a couple of hours before he got to her and she had been in a bad way too, but not this extreme. And he'd seen Ebony in the thick of combat before. He couldn't put the images of her and what was in front of him together. Ruby suddenly sucked in a breath and stiffened, then Roman was pushed out of the way by an extremely irate O'Malley.

"Damn it Torchwick, this is why I didn't want you in here!" O'Malley said as he got a needle and injected it into Ruby's neck. A few seconds later she relaxed limply onto the bed and O'Malley sighed before turning his gaze on Roman.

"First off, you. Out of here. No talking." O'Malley stated.

"Oh come on-" Roman started.

"I said. OUT!" O'Malley barked, a scalpel suddenly appearing in his hand. Where the hell did that come from, Roman wondered.

"Alright, take it easy, I'm already gone," Roman said and backed out, keeping an eye on the scalpel. I know how well he can throw that thing. I don't want to know what other uses he has for it. He closed the door and took a breather, trying to get his thoughts in order. A sudden silent presence drew his attention away.

He looked down and saw Neo staring up at him, an eyebrow cocked and a slightly smug look on her face. 'You should have listened.'

"And you should know that I wouldn't have." Roman countered. "I didn't anyway."

Neo rolled her eyes. 'You don't say.' Then her face softened. 'How bad is she?'

"Pretty bad," he said as he started walking away, Neo following.

'You've seen worse before.'

"And I know I have!"

'But…?'

Roman sighed and pressed a hand against his face. Why did that disturb me so much? I've seen people who've been in their 'care' for years, people killed in front of me, but that shook me. Why? Why did seeing Rose… "Because I still think of her as Rose," Roman said aloud.

'Explain. Figure this out.'

"Everyone's saying that she's not Rose, rather Ruby, but I still see the two together. I don't see them as separate people half the time. Still don't until I get real proof." He looked at Neo and couldn't get what she was 'saying' this time, so she took out her Scroll and typed.

What if the proof has been right in front of you the entire time and you've just refused to see it?

"Then I'll look like a fool," Roman said, meaning that he didn't care if he did, and that he didn't believe he was wrong. "And don't say that's a normal look for me."

Neo smirked as she pocketed the Scroll. 'Okay, I won't.'

"You're a brat sometimes, you know that?"

Neo made a mock offended look and then turned away, making a soft scoffing sound. 'I'm an elegant, sophisticated lady, thank you very much.'

"You're a brat, end of story," Roman said, a small smile on his face.

Neo playfully pouted and then became neutral. 'So now what are you going to do?'

"Wait a day or so and then talk to her again." After he got a glare, he added, "And be a little more tactful this time."

'That'll be the day.'

"Hey, I've done my fair share of public speaking before. It's no problem."

'Rebellion rallies don't count.'

Roman grunted. "I'm still going to talk to her again. I need to be sure that she's not Rose, or has any mental thingy-going on."

And how will you be sure? What will tell you something different than what we've been saying? Neo typed out this time.

"Damnit woman! I don't know!" Roman shouted as he finally lost his temper. Neo flinched at the outburst. "I've fought Rose twice and each time I barely managed to escape in one piece. And each time she had a bloodthirsty grin on her face as she eviscerated everyone. She knew she outclassed me. She knew I stood no chance. She was playing with me each time! Everyone else died and she almost got me as well! Hell, even without her fuckin' team she could wipe the floor with us!"

'She scares you.'

"Fuck yes she does. I just can't picture her anyway else. Definitely not the innocent child she appears right now. And most definitely not in pain and mentally tortured as she is right now," Roman finished, subdued.

What will happen when you're proven wrong? How will you accept her?

"You're convinced about this alternate world thing?" Neo nodded. Roman sighed. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that's true. But for accepting her? I don't think I ever will. And that's fine. If I'm wrong, then I can be professional enough to work with her… just not too closely."

Neo smirked for some reason. 'You say that now…'

"Shut up."

Neo smiled then looked at something behind him before her eyes grew wide and she suddenly vanished in a flash. "Wha-?" He turned around to see an extremely irate DuFrense marching towards him, thankfully not in 'Omega mode'.

"She's more trouble than it's worth," Roman muttered, preparing for the onslaught.

The streets of Vale were empty, which was abnormal considering it was early in the afternoon when people would usually be out and about. All the shops were open, but there was nobody on the streets. A large swath of the inner city had been vacated once word spread, for understandable reasons.

A small army of Grimm was parading through the streets.

Boarbatusks, Beowolves, Ursi, a couple Creeps, and a smaller King Taijitu and Deathstalker moved steadily down the streets, their eyes all black and aware, scanning the street for any sign of movement.

In front of the army were two yellow and white figures. Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee.

Yang Xiao Long. The bloodthirsty brawler and the powerhouse of RWBY. Xiao Long had felt like she had been in her half-sister's shadow almost since the day she was born by the slut Summer Rose (one thing they agreed on: she wasn't her mother). For some reason, Ruby Rose had always gotten special attention and training ahead of everyone else, earning phrase for her advancements. Xiao Long felt like she was left behind, and that brewed resentment. Which then turned to anger and hatred against her sister. She vowed to rise above her younger sister and eventually surpass her in every way.

Xiao Long was only partly successful, excelling in certain areas like sheer strength and endurance, but falling behind in many, many others like speed and agility. Sparring practices were common throughout their lives, starting out relatively calm but eventually turning into a free-for-all to try and kill the other. Sometimes she came out on top, though mostly Rose did, and on occasion they tied. Logically she knew she wouldn't beat Rose in those areas no matter how hard she tried. She just didn't have the mindset or ability to adapt nearly as much as Rose could.

Unfortunately, Yang Xiao Long wasn't really a logical person.

Weiss Schnee. The precision point aimed at the heart of the enemy, and second in the hierarchy of RWBY. From a young age she had been told that a Schnee bows to no one. She's seen her father dominate many other businessmen, but on a rare occasion also submit to a select few in power, like the Supreme Commander. It was those few that stood out in her mind. Somehow there were people stronger than her parents, ones that forced them to bow. From then on she had dreamed of becoming one of those people, to make everyone bow to her, a Master (or technically a Mistress).

However one night changed her perspective when she accidentally spied in on her parents in their bedroom… For years after she wondered how and why her father became so submissive to her mother, how he could stand being treated that way. It wasn't until she met Rose at Beacon that she understood. Within a minute of meeting her Weiss had earned a scar with a lazy swipe of a scythe… and gained a Mistress.

It was that day she learned two important lessons: even Masters have leashes, and sometimes you can enjoy having a leash, no matter how perverse.

The two of them followed by their shadows came across a modest three-story apartment/store just a little off the downtown area. That was their target. Silvery strands covered the windows and the doors, sealing them shut. Weiss smirked, knowing that Belladonna did her job. She was the one that found out that this building was a meeting point for rebel sympathizers, both for the White Fang and Ember Rebels. That is why she sealed the building, so no one inside could run.

Weiss looked up and saw the black forms of the Reclusers*1 scurrying around the building tops, taking positions to watch the streets. She couldn't help but shudder. Almost everybody has an irrational fear of things that have more legs than they do; the most they can tolerate is four it seems. Come to think of it, people don't like things that have no legs, like snakes, she thought to herself. She shook her head to get rid of those random thoughts. They didn't serve any purpose and distracted her from the mission.

A smaller shadow detached itself from the edges of the alley and sauntered over to them with feline grace.

Blake Belladonna. The shadow and terror of RWBY. As a cat Faunus, she had encountered the prejudice that humans harbored for them, and vice-versa. Growing up outside the kingdoms made her stronger in order to survive, until she stumbled upon a dead Hunter's Black Dust stash. She then enslaved the nearby Grimm to her will, which got the attention of the White Fang, which are always looking for potential fighters against the Hunters. She joined up, not for the cause per-se, but because she enjoyed causing pain – she enjoyed fighting. She remained faithful to the organization (in her mind anyway) until a woman approached her, calling herself Raven. Blake was at first hesitant to listen to her, but soon saw that the Hunters were better. Better trained, better supplied, and better in general. And they had power.

Suddenly she realized that she was wasting her life working for the White Fang and their impossible goal of 'equality'. They would never have the power needed to accomplish that feeble goal while humanity only understood violence. What she truly wanted was respect through power. So she decided to join the Hunters and demanded respect. If she had wanted to, she could've risen in the White Fang ranks and improved Faunus life through her efforts, but that would've ultimately needed her to take control over the organization. Looking inwards, she really didn't want to put in the effort to do so with the Fangs – not when the Hunter academies presented a much more viable goal with tangible results. It wouldn't be easy; but when has anything in life worth doing been easy? Decision made, she leaked a train heist operation and let herself and her partner, Adam Taurus, be 'captured'. She defected, spilled White Fang secrets, and left him to rot for a chance at greatness.

Some would call her a traitor or a hypocrite for joining the government that subjugated her people in the first place; she referred it as 'being realistic and pragmatic'.

"So how many inside?" Weiss asked as the 'B' of their team joined them.

"Two families and eleven hostiles. Used to be thirteen but some tried to flee when they saw me," Belladonna said and gestured off to the side, where two rotted and blackened corpses resided, courtesy of her Grimm.

"Those Reclusers are a fuckin' nasty piece of work aren't they?" Xiao Long commented.

"Are we ready to go in?" Weiss asked, ignoring the brute.

"Unless anyone has any objections?" Belladonna inquired.

Weiss turned around and spoke to her Grimm amongst the small army. "Surround the block and make sure no one goes in or out. Don't go inside unless we call for you."

"What she said," Xiao Long said to her own Grimm.

The Grimm didn't acknowledge them in any way except to do as they said, near mindless as they were. They dispersed and the threesome turned to the entrance. Xiao Long took the initiative and grinned, pulling back a fist and then punched the door open with a punch aided by Burning Celica. The door shattered.

From inside, several shots rang out and Xiao Long backed out of the doorframe to avoid getting shot. Weiss put up a blocking glyph while Belladonna then used her Semblance to get inside, her clone absorbing the bullets that were tracking her. Now with the heat off of them, Weiss and Xiao Long followed inside.

Choosing a target, Weiss charged forward and swiped with her rapier, disarming a man… or dishanding him rather. He cried out and fell to the ground, cradling the stump on his arm, staining the ground red. A loud bang signified that Xiao Long had joined in the fighting, and the body flying through the air to hit the back wall confirmed it.

"We're supposed to keep them alive." Belladonna commented, her tone saying that she didn't care either way as she bashed Gambol Shroud against a Faunus' head, knocking her unconscious.

"Eh, we can keep at least one alive," Xiao Long shrugged.

"We got chewed out the last time we let too many of them die," Weiss said. She waved her rapier and used some ice Dust to freeze the rebels in the room to the floor and walls. She made a quick head count and saw they were missing a few. She went over to the man she dehanded and crouched down in front of him. "You. Tell me where the rest of you traitorous scum are and I'll make this relatively painless."

The man, a dog Faunus now that she saw him, looked up with pale eyes, cradling his bleeding arm. "Fuck you!"

"Mistress does that to me enough," Weiss muttered, then spun the Dust chamber till it hit the fire Dust and swiped her sword at the stump. He screamed as the flames ate at his skin, cauterizing the wound, and a bit of what was left of his arm. "I was going to be nice and freeze it, but you provoked me. Where. Are. They?"

"Go ahead and kill me already," he said defeated. "It's what's going to happen anyway."

"Eventually. We all die some day. Today for you isn't your day." Weiss made to shock him with more Dust, but a sudden bang from a gun and the subsequent metallic clang of Belladonna deflecting the bullet drew her attention away from the man.

"He went in there," Belladonna said, pointing to a set of doors that suddenly closed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Xiao Long said and charged towards them. Weiss rolled her eyes and followed, Belladonna next to her.

She was understandably surprised when upon opening the doors Xiao Long let out an 'oof!' and suddenly reversed direction very quickly. So quickly that she caught her other two teammates, sending them all sprawling on the ground, though they recovered quickly.

Weiss looked up to see someone that she thought she saw the last of. Dressed in her pale blue and gold armored outfit*2 and that mysterious box on her hip, she looked like she had just stepped off to do a mission. The only things that marred her face were the burning intensity in her eyes, and half of her right rabbit ear missing.

"So, this is where the traitor ran off too," Weiss sneered. "Helping the filth of the earth. Why am I not surprised?"

"I'll give you one chance to turn away and leave this building," Velvet Scarlatina said in a low accented tone.

Weiss smirked evilly. "And I'll give you one chance to surrender with only part of your other ear missing, how about that?"

"No." With that, Velvet charged forward swinging her arm across her body, making WBY duck from the stream of Dust fire that came out from the crystal she was holding. Weiss looked up and cartwheeled out of the way when Velvet's leg passed through the space she was just in with a kick. Belladonna also avoided it my Semblancing away with a shadow clone. Xiao Long charged in with a series of punches and jabs, all of which Velvet ducked and weaved through, responding with her own kicks which she eventually landed one in Xiao Long's leg, causing her to stumble.

Belladonna fired a couple of shots that Velvet avoided by using some Dust to raise the stone underneath the floor up and deflect or absorb the rounds. Belladonna jumped over the barrier with a double swipe of her sheath and katana. Velvet deflected both blades with her vambraces, and responded with a lightning quick jab. Belladonna hopped backwards then went in for another attack, this time actually hitting Velvet, but the wound was deflected by the rabbit's Aura. Velvet gained just enough room to get a kick in that separated the two of them, giving them some space.

Weiss took advantage of this and charged forward with a linear stab, but before it connected, a monster-sized sword caught her in the chest and flung her backwards, driving the air out of her lungs and causing her Aura to deplete a good percentage.

She looked up to see a giant of a man grappling with Xiao Long. Before he left, he was quite possibly the only person who could match Xiao Long in strength and endurance. Yatsuhashi Daichi was arguably the most honorable person that attended Beacon in several classes. It was little wonder why he joined and defended Scarlatina if you look at it from a certain flawed perspective.

Weiss growled and rushed forward again to strike the warrior, but he noticed her approach and kicked Xiao Long's legs out from under her and threw her at Weiss. Weiss ducked under the flying blond brute and continued on, quickly slashing at Daichi. Weiss smirked as she landed several successive hits on him before he brought his sword to bare. She was made for quick, elegant strikes whereas Daichi was broader in his approach, due to his height and style. Weiss cartwheeled from the downward slash, but lost her balance as the impact wave buffeted her and she stumbled. That was enough time for Velvet to come out of nowhere and kick her, sending Weiss skidding across the floor into one of the newly made corpses.

God damnit! We're getting our asses kicked! What the fuck is wrong with us?! Weiss jumped up and slid over to Xiao Long, whose hair was starting to give off wisps of flames. "This isn't working."

"No shit Bitch," Xiao Long growled.

Belladonna appeared next to them, wisely having taken a more cautious approach and stayed away from the defected pair. "We can take both of them. We outnumber them."

"On three." Weiss ordered. "One, two three!" WBY charged and ducked or jumped over shards of glass that Velvet shot at them. Belladonna blocked Yatsuhashi's sword with both of her weapons, then Yang punched him in the gut, sending him back. Weiss made several thrusts at Velvet, making her backpedal and deflect the blade with her vambraces. She shot some ice Dust at her, but Weiss flicked her sword and the ice went around her, then crossed her arms to absorb a kick Velvet sent.

Weiss growled, then adjusted Myrtenaster's Dust to Gravity Dust. When Velvet came at her again, Weiss flicked her blade twice; the first causing Velvet's arm when she blocked the strike to fling violently backwards, throwing her off balance, then the second cutting across her chest. The strike didn't have that much power in it, but it was enough for Velvet to get thrown backwards and her own Aura to get dropped a bit.

Weiss allowed herself to smile, which was increased when, with a grunt, Yatsuhashi skidded backwards, looking a little tired. Weiss' smile dimmed a little bit, seeing the rest of her team looking as tired, but reformed it. We can do this. We can finally kill them.

"This is not the best situation Velvet-san," Yatsuhashi spoke to her, keeping his eyes on WBY. "We should fall back and regroup."

"No, help is on the way, Aaron called for it before this," Velvet responded. "We can still pull through."

"I doubt help would make it in time," Belladonna said, her ears twitching. "We have this building surrounded and sealed off. It's hopeless."

"Well, you know what they say about hope," drawled a new voice from the doorway. Everybody turned to see two newcomers standing just inside the building. One had darker skin and deep red eyes with green hair, the other had grey hair and eyes, and a lighter complexion.

Emerald and Mercury had arrived.

(Several Hours later)

Neopolitan stood looking out at the city from her perch on the roof of the warehouse. They were obviously off of the main city so it was darker in their area, making it easier for her to see the glow of inner Vale. She came here to calm down or to think on difficult days. This was one of them.

She had known Roman for years, since they were kids living on the fear filled streets, trying to eek out a living mainly by pickpocketing. During that time they visited several underground groups opposed to the current regime and trained to fight. Each time (after three months tops) those groups were shut down by way of sword and Dust rounds, courtesy of the Hunters. And each time Neo and Roman would barely escape with their lives.

It wasn't until a little over a year ago, after they attracted enough attention to be labeled nuisance, that Queen had contacted them and offered them a proposition they didn't want to refuse: a plan to end the Hunter government. There were many details that still needed to be roughed out, but it was a better plan than what they had seen by a long shot. One that actually had a very good chance of succeeding. Cinder was a natural-born leader that almost oozed charisma, and she had three things that the others didn't. Three very important things: a very viable plan, enough money to fund their operations, and a rightful claim.

So here they were, closing in on the endgame. It was still some distance away, but it was in sight.

But there was a potential wrench thrown in the workings that went by the name of Ruby Rose.

Suddenly the girl had been dropped in their laps and it opened up new possibilities, and dangers.

After Ruby had been brought in, Neo had copied the files Roman got (should have left the chip in a better spot than in your pants' pocket) and looked over them and had agreed with Emerald and Mercury: Ruby had changed. The Black Reaper had been swapped with a now broken girl. She still knows how to fight, but not to kill, Neo saw the distinction. She hasn't been hardened by the world we live in. Unfortunately she'll have to in order to survive.

Her conversation with Roman after was… difficult. More so than normal, but that was because he had genuine reasons to not trust Ruby. Trust is a bad word, more like accept her, though Roman would go for tolerate. The two times Roman had encountered the Black Reaper he had come back and gotten blackout drunk, something he doesn't do often. Neo tried to make him see reason or the facts they had so far, and she supposed she got him to make a compromise of sorts.

Now she was on the roof, parasol in her hands, standing like a guard statue, looking. She had gone there to unwind, but as time went by and the night grew, the more something felt… off.

It was as if a storm was coming and it was the deep breath before it hit. The air felt tense. She could feel something was about to happen.

Ten, almost eleven days since Em and Merc brought Ruby to them. Things were happening, but nothing major yet. And that was what worried her. So what started out as a stress reliever turned into a watch. Her eyes looked around, looking for anything different, anything out of the ordinary.

There. A shadow moving out of the light. Neo narrowed her heterochromatic eyes and scanned around the area she saw movement. She flicked to another spot when she saw another flash, but couldn't see anything definite. Maybe I can put up an illusion to hide the warehouse? Temporarily? No, too much effort for little results. This is one of the few times I wished I had Emerald's mind-altering Semblance…

Suddenly a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows much too close to their base. And they showed no signs of stopping. In that moment, Neo became frightened. Her eyes turned pale and she stumbled back a step. She knew that color cloak and whom that cloak belonged to. She knew that everyone here in that person's way was going to be in a world of hurt.

Now Neo couldn't talk per-se, but she could still make sounds and the occasional word or two, she just preferred not to as it was slightly painful and a personal choice. However, seeing that cloak anywhere near them brought two words to her lips.

"Oh shit."

She vanished in a flash, back inside. Even a few seconds warning is better than nothing.

She appeared in the middle of a group of White Fang soldiers, who were startled when she appeared. She started waving her arms and shoving them away from the path the person would take.

"Hey! What's the idea here?" One of them shouted. Neo just shook her head and pointed franticly away, hoping they would get it.

There was a loud bang and then the metallic thud of a door falling. That, combined with the look she probably had on her face convinced the White Fang members to follow her advice and they scrambled away with panicked shouts. Neo in turn ran to where Roman would be, since he would be the one they went after.

The noises and panicked shouts grew louder as she grew closer to where he was. As she turned the corner, she saw him leaning out of his door. "What is going on here?!" He shouted.

Neo skidded to a halt and pulled out her scroll and typed a short message. She here . It was a bad sign when her typing grammar wasn't perfect.

"Who-" He was cut off when a guard went flying into the wall behind Neo and a pair of bootsteps came closer. A figure turned the corner and Roman's eyes widened comically. "Oh shit," he echoed Neo earlier.

"Torchwick," the person, the woman, said. "Where is she?" She demanded.

"Ah, well you see, she's uh…"

"Don't Grimmshit me. Where. Is. She?"

Roman gulped. "This way," he gestured.

Ruby was worried. She had woken up from her panic attack a couple of hours ago and immediately felt ashamed because of it, no matter how much Doc told her it was normal and acceptable. She still felt disgusted, both with herself and the people- no, animals that caused her to end up like this. The only thing that was keeping her mind from collapsing was that she knew she was from another world, another Remnant.

I hate this. I hate all of this. I hate being weak, I hate being stuck here, I hate it hate it hate it! I just want to go home. I don't want to remember any of this. Ruby sat brooding in her bed, getting up a couple of times to use the toilet or heal herself again. She could feel herself getting better, but she didn't feel better. Her body had gone down to a dull ache, save for her ribs, but she felt tired. All the time. The only moments she had energy were when she wanted to heal herself.

All this time left her little choice than to go over the conversation she had with Torchwick. A tiny bit of her appreciated the candor and jibes they traded, but mostly she felt that it could have gone better. Of course, what did I expect to happen? He's Torchwick, here and there.

Ruby was drawn from her thoughts as yet again she heard loud voices from outside the room. She recognized Torchwick's voice, strangely tense and panicked, and a woman's voice answered him, one that Ruby didn't recognize.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Don't even start with me Torchwick. Her face is everywhere and don't tell me I wouldn't recognize her."

Doc came up next to Ruby and muttered, "Now what is he doing?"

The doors opened again. Torchwick came in first, followed by Neo. Then a third person came in and Ruby felt her breath hitch and she felt faint.

She had seen pictures, and had very old memories of her. The smell of cookies and the warm hugs. The smell of roses in bloom. She had seen her white cloak that her own was based off of. The same hair, right down to the red tips at the end. Almost the same face…

And the exact same silver eyes that she now made contact with.

She knew her.

"…Mom?"

Summer Rose.

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I'll give you a moment to freak out...

...Done? Okay.

Yes, for those that didn't get my not so subtle hints, Summer Rose is now here. She's obviously going to have a major role in the alternate Remnant, but you'll have to wait. And before you ask, Qrow, Winter, and Raven will be making appearances in the future (some sooner than others). On a side note, now that they've all but said that Raven's Yang's mom, I can go ahead with ideas in later chapters.

The reason I found out Tukson's dead (or decided he is) is because I was going to put him in this chapter. WBY was going to go into his bookstore to kill him, but it's kinda' hard to do that if he's already dead. So we have Velvet and Yatshuhashi(? If I don't have his name in front of me, I can't remember it) as the main people, who were going to appear anyway regardless.

The Reclusers are my original Grimm (not-so-original for the fandom), and the stats are at the bottom.

Important! I'll update pretty soon so you won't have to wait long. Either by the weekend or next Thursday at max since the next chapter's coming along pretty well.

Edit 12/4/17: With Blake's changes in motivation, nothing major has been altered. But with the information that her parents were the original founders of the White Fang (or simply alive contrary to many theories before Volume 4) caused me to change things slightly to fit with cannon. I'm just lucky I'm not too far into the story that I need to change something major!

So I'll leave you to your lives, and remember to Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow (R.R.F.F)

-OrangeGalen

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*1: Recluser: spider Grimm. 3-4ft tall & 7-9ft wide (10-14 w/legs fully extended). 8 legs with 2 oversized mandibles in the front. Plates on the head and cephalothorax, and grows more on the legs. Abdomen grows miniature razor sharp spikes like hair, growing larger with age. Venomous: bites cause necrosis. If injected, venom can spread throughout the body, killing a person in minutes. Can make webs. 6 eyes in pairs, with one pair centered. Class A- Grimm due to numbers and lethality. If a nest is found, immediate eradication is recommended.
Habitat: Nests is caves and forests, but have been found closer to human/Faunus cities and in large abandoned buildings. Prefers darker areas.
Strengths: Surprise, stealth, numbers, swiftness, venomous, webs ensnare/entangle & hard to get off without tools. Grimm spikes are sharp. C.Q.C at own risk. Venom has no known cure.
Weaknesses: Strike at the unarmored leg joints & cephalothorax-abdomen area, or from behind at the abdomen. Legs are relatively weaker than body, so once the legs are disabled, the Recluser becomes more manageable. Eyes are a weak point, and inside the mouth is another if one can attack it. Strong piercing weapons, larger blunt force weapons, or explosive/incendiary rounds recommended. Strong Dust attacks at affect the entire Grimm are effective, such as lightning or freezing it solid. Webs can be cut with a sharp blade, or be burnt through, or frozen then shattered. Fire/ice travels across the webs, making them susceptible for large swaths to be taken out at once.

-Got this idea from the Brown Recluse spider in the U.S. Had several close encounters with this spider (or a similar type) over the summer at camp. There were five of those fuckers in one tent we were rolling up. I was paranoid as hell for the rest of the day. I was originally going to call them Widows, but I found that the Recluse was a nastier spider.

*2: Velvet's original color scheme for the Fan Art contest.