Man. This took way longer than I wanted it to be. Real life happened, so much of it that I really don't remember all of what happened. Suffice it to say this is way overdue and leave it at that...

And because it's been so long I needed to re-read this story. I fixed a few minor things (manly format and grammar), but if something slips by, whatever it is, please let me know. (But don't be assholes about it. Please.)

Remember, the Volume 4 trailer is on October 3rd! That's... actually in a few hours for me, but still! I have a small youtube channel where I react to stuff (same username as here) so you'll see my reaction to it there!

There's more at the bottom, so here's the chapter!

Just a reminder
*Warning* This story is 'M' for a reason!
(Though if you've gotten this far, you're a little late for this warning)

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Edited: 2/27/18 - Minor changes and touch up. Now I can start writing the new chapter in earnest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later…

Yang was once again nervously pacing in their dorm, but unlike the previous time, her other two teammates weren't in much better shape. Anxiety and other emotions were clouding their thoughts as they waited for Professor Goodwitch… and Ruby, to come back. Today's the day that my sister's getting out of the medical ward, and I hate myself because I can't fully convince myself to believe that it's a good thing. I almost don't want her to be here, and that scares me. She freely admitted it. She knew that she had few weaknesses, and anything concerning her sister was one of them.

Yang, along with Blake and Weiss, had waited anxiously for any news about Ruby's status after she had woken up. Amnesia was uncommon, but not unheard of, when there wasn't a head wound as certain traumas can make people seal memories away. But this type and situation was different than anything they knew, except for Blake where things like that happened in certain novels she read. But that was merely in fiction, not reality. And while it looked like Ruby, or Rose, had become less aggressive and cruel, at least on paper and observations done by doctors and teachers, there was still an undercurrent of apprehension as to if Ruby would relapse or not.

And it was that uncertainty which was slowly killing the three.

Though for Yang, it was killing her a little faster.

I've always protected my sister, but how can I protect her from herself? This isn't something that I can just punch until it goes away… How can I deal with the changes in her if she never- no Yang Xiao Long you will not think like that. Ruby will get better. She'll recover. That strange Dust must wear off sometime or she'll remember everything eventually…

She took a glance at the uncomfortably black weapon over by the side of their room. Under further examination, they found that nothing was wrong with the weapon, which in itself was wrong. It should have shown some of the same signs that Ruby had, but after a thorough cleaning, it showed up with nothing. Standard Hunter metal that wasn't infused with Dust. The only Dust left was in the rounds and leftover used grain in the barrel from firing.

They didn't want answers on why there was so much dried blood on the paint.

Ozpin himself went over the findings and had to report that there was nothing that gave the indication that it had been altered or would change back. His best guess was it was some kind of permanent transfiguring Dust that left no signature or residue. Weiss had even offered to let the Schnee Dust Company run tests, surprising the other two because they knew that Weiss hated to have anything to do with her father's/family's company. But Ozpin repeated that the knowledge of these particular Dust types used must not be allowed to spread more than it already had.

And that didn't sound suspicious at all, Yang thought sarcastically. Although he did say that he did have some further ideas about it, but that's all. And he sounded… off, like during that first speech he gave. Distracted and… worried. Like he was just saying it to make us stop looking into it because he knows what it does... or rather, he was surprised by what it did do, like it wasn't supposed to do that. Yeah, thanks Professor… Reeeeal morale booster there...

Yang sighed. That's something I've been doing for a while now, she thought to herself. Hesitantly she met the eyes of her white-haired teammate and raven-haired partner.

Blue and amber eyes met lavender, each pair reflecting the same inner turmoil. Blake, still moving a little gingerly, was still wearing a bandage, but was more or less well off, save for the scar that would be there. Weiss was fine, but her face would have a second permanent scar as, like Blake's, it was slightly too deep for Aura to heal. If it were any other situation, Yang would say that women dig scars. However, Weiss was seeing Neptune and it was her own fucking sister that caused Weiss to have that scar! Not to mention the fact that those two were partners. Close partners no matter how much Weiss tried to put distance between them (intentionally or otherwise), since Ruby always managed to close the gap and then some.

But now it was Ruby that created another gap. No: a goddamn canyon. And as much as I can reason that it was the Dust affecting her and that she wasn't in the right state of mind… I can't. For some reason it just doesn't feel right. It's like a stranger's wearing my sister's face. Or worse, a monster.

It was mid morning and they heard Ruby had woken up in the evening after Ozpin's first visit. Ozpin had talked with her and had expressed his concerns about her memory holes and false patches, which didn't help the girl's anxiety any. What they determined was that the Red-Black Dust crystal had somehow severely altered Ruby's memories, the extent of which they were still trying to determine. However there were some basic things that Ruby did remember, even if some details were off, so it wasn't total amnesia (frankly they knew that, but it was still reassuring to hear) and it did give them a little hope that their Ruby would come back.

That hope was counterbalanced, or rather thrown off the scale, by the memory of what the Dust affected Ruby did. Just the brutality and remorselessness that Ruby showed was a complete stark contrast to the image that they held of her. For Blake and Weiss, they had known the bubbly, hyperactive leader for less than a year, but she had grown on them. She was caring and cheerful and was a good leader (once she got the hang of it, and they adapted to being on a team).

Blake saw someone who viewed the world as black and white, good guys against the bad guys. When they first met, Blake saw a naïve girl who wanted a fairy tale ending which doesn't exist. But as they got along, Blake saw more. Ruby was a girl who had been touched by hardship before, loosing her mother at a young age, but still managed to see the good in everyone and, on occasion, showed incredible maturity in thought. Ruby didn't care that Blake was a Faunus, and saw her as a person. The conversation at Mountain Glenn only highlighted the fact that Ruby was incredibly determined and had a clear goal: to make the world a better place. Over time, some of Blake's pessimism diminished, most of it can be linked to Ruby's personality and beliefs.

Now, to have seen such coldness and hate in Ruby caused Blake to nearly withdraw, to flee like she had done so many times before. It was only her other two teammates that kept her from reverting to pre-Beacon Blake.

Weiss never had an ordinary childhood. Being born into the Schnee family was basically being born into modern-day royalty as she had everything that she needed. Delectable food made by professional chefs, tutors for everything she would need to know, butlers for her needs, and lots and lots of money. Though there is a big difference here between what she needed and what she wanted. For everyone that was around her she still felt alone.

Her older sister, Winter, helped alleviate some of the loneliness, but she had responsibilities in the Atlas military that put her in conflict with the company... or rather Father. Therefore the title of Heiress was thrust upon Weiss at an early age. No real friends, barely any contact with 'normal' people, and admittedly spoiled and unused to true hardship. True, there had been family members killed by the White Fang and other Faunus groups in retaliation for the company's employment policies, but in all honesty, it really was nothing that directly impacted her.

Indirectly was a different story, mainly through Father. Weiss desired to separate herself from the Schnee Dust Company, and so, enrolled as a Huntress at Beacon. Unlike Winter who became a special operative in the Atlas military, which abdicated her from becoming the heiress due to the oaths she made, Weiss was still next in line, and felt alone because of it. Weiss had almost resigned herself to a life of loneliness under Father's thumb.

Then Ruby literally exploded into her life and, as poetic as it sounds, added color to it. Being on this unique and diverse team caused Weiss to open up beyond what she thought was possible. Yes there were moments that stretched her past what she could handle and she snapped, mostly caused by the different and sometimes conflicting personalities and life experiences. But throughout it, Ruby was there, trying to get Weiss to open up at her own pace though pushing her all the same. Somehow the little girl in a red hood wormed her way into her cold heart with that adorable face and those silver eyes that seemed to suck you in…

Weiss in real life coughed, getting back on track. The point was that Ruby was always the positive and cheerful one of the bunch. Not like how she was the last time they saw her.

For some reason, none of them wanted to go visit her in the infirmary. Not even Yang. And that in itself was another cause for worry and guilt.

But their reprieve was coming to an end. Ruby had been cleared to leave today and was probably on the way back, under Goodwitch's escort. And _WBY could almost feel an approaching doom.

It was Weiss who broke the silence first. "This is ridiculous!" She exclaimed, making Yang and Blake jump a bit. Yang looked at the white haired member of their team in surprise. "We're all just moping around as if we're the last survivors of a Grimm attack. We're doing nothing productive.

"Ruby's coming back." As much as she tried to power through it, she hesitated for the briefest of seconds. "And we're acting like doomsday is coming. What would Ruby think when she sees us like this? It wouldn't help her at all."

"You're right," Blake spoke up now after Weiss' pep talk. She seemed like she was forcing herself out of a hole, which, metaphorically, she was. "We need to be supportive of her when she gets here. She still is our leader, regardless…"

"And my sister," Yang said softly, though they could hear her. "Even if she has memory problems, she still is my sister."

"Which means that she needs all the care and help we can provide to help her remember," Weiss took over.

"Yang," Blake stood up and went over to the brawler, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I'll say it if no one will," she took a breath, "we're all afraid. Of Ruby. For Ruby. Of what she did. If she doesn't remember. But if we let that fear cloud our minds, then there's no way we will be able help Ruby."

Yang paused. She's right. We are afraid of losing our Ruby. But we can get her back. If worse comes to worse, then we'll just put the pieces back together… hopefully it doesn't come to that. She took a deep breath and sighed yet again. But this time, it was resolute and cleansing, blowing out all the tension and dread she was feeling. She opened her eyes. "For better or worse, we're here for my sis. For all of us if one of us needs it."

"We'll help her through this and help her get back her memories. And if we fail in that, we'll make new ones for her," Blake said.

"She needs to know that we don't blame her for anything," Weiss said. "Anything we do potentially can set back her recovery. We need to care for her as best we can."

"Don't baby her though," Yang added with a smirk. "One: that's my job and two: she hates being babied. Which is why I do it." The smirk grew larger as she remembered some moments back at home. I'll bring those up at some point to remind her.

Weiss and Blake nodded in agreement, their minor pact decided.

Then there was a knock on the door.

The gloom returned.

Though this time it was only a light grey instead of the pitch black before. Which was a vast improvement.

As one they all moved to open the door and welcome Ruby back with open arms.

Half an hour ago…

Even though she was confined to the medical bed, Rose decided she wouldn't waste her time being idle and took it upon herself to educate herself on this Remnant.

Thankfully for her sanity, instead of just staring at the ceiling of the infirmary since she was confined to her bed, she had her scroll and access to the web and the Wi-Fi of Beacon, though for some reason the password had changed to B3acon#. Actually, no, there is a reason. Separate worlds, she had reminded herself after she pondered why. Though I have to say it's really easy to access. No security aside from the poor choice of password. That can be explained by the fact Remnant, and by extension Beacon, isn't in the same amount of turmoil as my world.

Blazing through old history and current events, Rose was intrigued by the history and politics of this world, or more specifically, the differences. She soaked everything up, vastly interested in learning the history. She kept going back, trying to find if there was a split between this world's and her world's timelines, and if so, when was it. Eventually she had found it and one of the keys for the difference.

She had already reasoned that Black Dust wasn't used. The reason was either it hadn't been invented because the creator, Vikstein Noir, had never existed or his findings never announced as she couldn't find any data about him, or because someone for some reason was suppressing the knowledge. Going by the reactions of Ozpin, Rose figured it was a mix of the two.

But Black Dust was the key factor in the split. In her world Black Dust was one of the things that ended the Great War and led the Hunters to greatness. Hunters used the Grimm they enslaved to serve their chosen sides, annihilating their opponent's armies and forcing their surrender. But once the 'final' battle was fought, every monarch, except Vale's, tried to control, disband, and then destroy the Hunters. As such the Hunters fought back and ended the monarchies, establishing their supremacy.

Since Black Dust wasn't created here however, the War stretched on longer and had a slight, but very different outcome in the long run. Here, the Hunters never gained the power the Dust offered, and even though the war ended similarly, the monarchs never had to deal with the open rebellion of the Hunters and abdicated their power peacefully to the weaker Councils, who now pathetically squabbled with each other. The Hunters never exercised their power except to largely remain neutral on paper. Though from what Rose had read, Atlas had full control over their Hunters, or 'Special Operatives' as they're now called.

Another major difference was that Ozpin was suspiciously missing from these historical events. The founding of the modern kingdoms was established without him, and he only appeared when he was hired as a professor and eventually the Headmaster of Beacon. Almost as if he didn't exist, or was hiding. Ozpin's far older than he lets on, if you know where to look. Unfortunately, I don't know where to look here.

It's interesting how one change sends a ripple through time and alters an entire world, Rose thought as she continued skimming through history, compartmentalizing everything she read and getting as much information as possible. Without the power of the Grimm on their side, the Hunters became subjugated under the council rule… more or less, she amended as she read. They've tried in the past to stifle Hunter autonomy here, but never succeeded or did with minor results, Atlas being the exception. As such, that's why it's the strongest Kingdom here. The 'power' that the councils here have is… pitiful, all the more so since they're the ones giving themselves power. At least back home the council was ineffective solely because Ozpin held the real power, though ineffective isn't the right word.

Though I have to admit, it's amusing to learn racism here is just as rampant as back home, perhaps even more so, Rose thought as she read yet another article, this time on the Faunus Rights Revolution. A rather poetic name for a bloody war.

Rose thought over what she had read. Once again, the influence of Black Dust, or the lack of, changed the outcome of the Faunus War. Back home, the Hunters played another key role in fighting the Faunus forces, with the enslaved Grimm. The war ended in a technical stalemate and a cease fire agreement, but in actuality the Faunus lost. Barely any rights were given to them, and those that were are often violated without punishment. Here however, the Faunus won the war, though history books written with the Council's oversight never say as such, and were able to force settlements out of the kingdoms. However discrimination never stopped, and in some ways became even more subtle and malicious.

In both worlds the White Fang rose, but their methods and goals are very different. Recent news highlighted the changes between the two: one had been formed as a gruella 'freedom' fighting force, and the other as a peace movement until it turned into a militant revolutionary organization.

After the war in my world, the White Fang rose almost immediately, continuing the war on a lesser scale, still fighting for concepts as equality and freedom. Rose snorted to herself. I'm not blind nor fooling myself; I know that a lot of Faunus view the Fang as a positive thing for them, but it will only lead to their death if they continue their support, as they are a group of traitors to the legitimate government and must be hunted down.

Rose shook her head, I'm getting off track here. Now, the White Fang in this world started just a tad later, but focused on peaceful movements and protests. But five years ago the leaders changed they altered their tactics, and changed their logo, she added as a side note. They became more like my White Fang, but focused more on terrorist attacks and vandalism. But because of that, their cause is muddled and now Faunus view them with uncertainty to outright contempt.

Very interesting.

And another interesting observation, there's no Ember Rebels here. What changed? What forces at work prevented them from forming? The Ember Rebels in her world were a group of discontented antagonistic people who had the bright idea of trying to fight against the government for some reason, claiming that they were being oppressed by a tyrannical polity (slightly true) that seized power in a coup overthrowing the legitimate government during the Great War and is therefore illegitimate (completely false).

While there are no proven ties between the Fang and the Rebels, there are certainly a lot of overlaps and a few instances of the 'you-help-me-and-I'll-help-you' scenarios. Though I figure it's only a matter of time before they join together. Thankfully there are a few things keeping them apart, and how we're... encouraging the divide.

But there was nothing like that here save for organized crime.

Though Rose knew there had to be something brewing. Peace… the concept is nice but it's a lie. There's always something.

Rose continued her information scrounging and found some interesting things, especially about herself. Or rather, the Ruby of this world.

Apparently I stopped Torchwick from robbing that Dust store. Different than what happened in my world. Rose stopped herself from growling. She hated the fact that the crook got away from her.

Anyway, the dock heist tried to take place again, though it was stopped with a 'collection of Hunters and Huntresses in training'. Pictures showed her team in the aftermath. And then a little more than a week ago, Vale was breached and Grimm attacked through a sealed off railway after the White Fang drove a train into the kingdom from Mountain Glenn. Once again, her team was there.

Rose zoomed in on the image of her Alter. Though the quality wasn't exactly top notch, she could see a few differences. The main was the cloak. It was still the same red as when she first received it, undyed. Second was the weapon. She could see it was a smooth-blade scythe, and the paint was red as well instead of black. Minor differences in clothing aside, Rose couldn't find any video and therefore didn't know exactly how this Ruby fought.

We're both scythe wielders, but there should be differences between our styles as she uses a straight blade compared to my serrated. I just don't know, and I don't like that. I want to be prepared.

This Ruby's personal history I know almost nothing about, though I'll assume that Ruby had a more coddled and… undisciplined life. Though one good piece of news is that Summer Rose is dead. On the bad side though, mom's MIA, and for some reason dad isn't on the Vale council.

This is going to be one of the most difficult things I've done, Rose realized. I'll have to blend in and hide my true nature amongst these plebeians and weaklings. She laughed softly to herself. A true test of my improv and bullshitting skills. Hopefully they won't catch on that I truly am not their Ruby… ugh, I guess I have to suffer being called that, she suddenly thought. Though with all things, there's going to be a limit to what I can get away with my amnesia and false memory excuses. I need to be careful in how I act. I'll have to go along with the flow and carve my own person from the remains of the memories they have of Ruby.

Now I have two goals: find a way to return, and see what I can exploit from this world. Her lips curled into a foreboding smirk. This should be fun.

She heard the clacking of high-heeled boots and forcefully put on her mask, lest Goodwitch see her as she truly is and end the charade.

Shortly thereafter, the blond professor entered her field of view. She had a scowl on her face, but Rose knew that was just her normal resting face. "Miss Rose, are you ready to return to your team?" She asked briskly.

And let us begin. "Yes. Doc cleared me and I'm changed so I'm ready to go," Rose answered.

The professor nodded and said, "Well then, if you'll follow me." Rose slid off the bed and started following Goodwitch, keeping her face blank, though with the tiniest bit of worry on it. "If you haven't been informed, due to the severity of your… actions, you'll be placed under watch by the faculty for the foreseeable future. If there isn't a staff member around then the rest of your team or members of another team will be with you when you aren't in class, and you are no longer allowed to venture into Vale."

So I'll be under scrutiny until the Comm- Headmaster thinks I'm okay then. Annoying, but understandable, if a little lenient. It'll make it more difficult to do what I want. I guess getting home will take some time… but I do have time... "Okay. I understand," Rose said respectfully.

"Additionally, you will not be allowed to participate in combat instruction save for team battles, and then only in a limited fashion," Goodwitch continued. "You'll also be required to receive a medical check at the end of each week for the rest of the semester until the Vytal tournament starts."

Rose nodded, forcing down her pride. "Understood."

Rose noticed that Goodwitch was giving her a look that she couldn't pick what it meant. "Is… is there anything else?" Rose made sure to add a bit of a hesitation in her voice.

The look disappeared and Goodwitch shook her head. "Not at the moment. Frankly we're all concerned about you making a full recovery and what exactly that Dust crystal did."

"Any ideas on what the crystal did, aside from my memory problems?" Rose inquired, hoping to get an idea of what they thought and play along with their ideas.

"Several, but the most common is that it's some sort of permanent transforming Dust since your clothes and weapon haven't reverted back. That's enough for now, your team and sister are anxious to see you," Goodwitch changed the subject.

"I-I am too. I don't know what they'll think of me now." Isn't that the truth? I doubt that Xiao Long, Belladonna, and Schnee really care. They just don't want to get flushed out of Beacon. Rose blinked at her own thoughts. Wait, no, this is a different world. I can't assume anything. They'll have different angles here too. I'll have to figure them out as well.

"They're all concerned about you. In my personal opinion, Team RWBY is one of the closest-knit teams I've seen in a while. I'm sure that your teammates will try to help you as much as they can."

"I hope so," Rose said, hoping that she was convincing. They continued walking, conversation turning stale between them. Rose was constantly scanning her surroundings, taking in everything and if there were any threats nearby. That she didn't feel any wasn't a source of comfort. And the minor differences between her world and this one were just enough to distract her, her concentration being diverted. The walls are a little lighter shade, she noticed, and the doors are a different design, but it still feels like Beacon. And it's really distracting.

Eventually, Goodwtich stopped and Rose followed suit. She then knocked on the door. Wait, is this their dorm room? She took a mental picture to remember since it was different than where her's was.

After a moment, the door swung inwards and Rose had to clamp down on her immediate reflex to attack as Xiao Long, Schnee, and Belladonna were all standing in the doorway, bringing on a bit of paranoia of them being so close together.

"Ruby!" Xiao Long cried out as soon as the two made eye contact. Her eyes are lavender. It's disturbing to see them not red, Rose thought. Though any rational thought left as the blond brawler charged forward, arms outstretched to the side. Instinct took over. Rose gave in to the reflex and used one of the few moves that would incapacitate Xiao Long without her Semblance kicking in.

Using her own Semblance, Rose shot her hand forward in a jab directly into Xiao Long's solar plexus. One of the weaknesses of Xiao Long's Semblance was that if she was critically hit before her Semblance could build up, then she could be easily taken out. And with a speed Semblance fueled jab which made Rose's hand literally blur, Xiao Long would definitely be out.

There was an audible thud as her hand made contact, then Xiao Long crumpled with another thud to the floor, wheezing and gasping for air, blond hair splayed out around her.

Huh. I'm actually surprised she didn't try to block or dodge like she normally does. Rose kept the satisfaction off of her face and looked up, ready for any more attacks from the other two, but they just stared incomprehensibly between the gasping form of Xiao Long and herself. It was only when she felt the glare of Goodwitch on her that she realized that she screwed up somewhere. Shit.

Rose tried to salvage what was left of the situation. She forced her eyes to go wide, as if she was confused and shocked at her own actions. "Wha- I-I didn't-" she forced the next part, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

"Miss Rose!" Goodwitch barked, surprised and angry.

"I don't know! It was reflexive!" She made herself sound angry. "I'm already screwing things up!"

Xiao Long weakly waved her hand from the ground, trying to convey the 'it was nothing' motion. "It's… fine…" she gasped out. "Give… me a… mo…ment…" each pause was punctuated with a little gasp of air.

I suppose I should do something about this, to make it look like I care. She looked at her two standing teammates. "Get her inside. Put her on a bed."

The two hesitated for a moment before they gently bent down and picked up Xiao Long and brought her inside. Rose made sure to have her face show the regret that she figured she should have (but didn't actually feel) as she followed them in, forcing her posture to be meek, submissive.

However, when she stepped inside and saw the layout of the room, she couldn't comprehend it.

Blink.

Blink.

She stood there, utterly dumbfounded before her brain found the track again.

How in the fuckin' hell are the beds like that?

Instead of the beds being all laid out in a neat format, on the floor like beds normally are, they were in the rough approximation of bunk beds, or what bunk beds would look like if someone explained the general concept of what they were to a retarded five year old and told it to have fun recreating them.

One of the beds was being held up by four stacks of books on each of the bottom bed's legs, which couldn't be safe in any way. But the absurdity of that set-up paled in comparison to the third bed, which was being suspended unevenly by ropes wrapped around the frame of the bed that went to hooks that were drilled into the ceiling, cracking the plaster. The only thing more horrifying than that was the fact somebody trusted it enough to not fall down and crush them, as they had put their own fourth bed underneath that monstrosity.

What. The fuck. Is this?

Rose was drawn out of her stunned state when Goodwitch roughly pushed her all the way into the room. Rose turned around and for once didn't need to exaggerate the slight fear she felt as Goodwitch glared at her, a slight snarl upon her face. "Explain. Now," she demanded.

Goodwitch really isn't all that different in-between worlds. Rose opened her mouth and began to say what she thought would be a convincing reason.

"I… can't really. It felt like instinct, just a reflex. The memories I have… they're all jumbled up. But many of what I remember have Xia-… Yang, attacking me suddenly. It feels like reflex to attack when she makes a move, like she did just now."

"She was going to give you a hug, you Dolt," Schnee said, slightly accusing.

Rose blinked. "Well excuse me, but all my memories of Xi- Yang trying to 'hug' me are her actually trying to kill or hurt me," she then shot back, suppressing the urge to curse.

That made everybody freeze, even Xiao Long's breath hitched. Horrified looks were mixed with pitying expressions. "That's terrible," Schnee said softly.

"It is what it is," Rose said, shrugging. The fact is that I just got used to it over time. It's almost routine for us to fight for our lives against one another. It keeps us strong though so I don't complain.

"Then I suggest that you learn to control your… 'instincts'," Goodwitch said technically as a suggestion, but was anything but.

"I'll make an effort to," Rose readily agreed, Because I'll get found out faster if I don't.

"See that you do," she said with a glare. "I'll leave you in your team's hands now." Without further ado, Goodwitch turned around and marched out of the room, the door swinging shut behind her with a thud. Rose could feel the silence settle in the dorm, but unlike many she relished in it.

Until she decided that she couldn't waste anymore time and get to work.

She turned to her teammates, scanning them in depth. Schnee's new scar was pink, but was mostly healed now. Her dress was more of a skirt now, which Rose had to admit, made her closer in style with herself. But the lack of my pet collar around her neck needs to be fixed at some point.

Rose shifted her gaze to Belladonna. She could still see the bandages from where she wounded her underneath the slightly altered clothing, or probably this world's normal clothes. That bow on her head covering her ears was still there, and now Rose could see that it could fool the oblivious or the indifferent, but nobody that really paid attention.

Finally she slid her molten silver eyes to her half-sister Yang Xiao Long, who was now finally sitting up on the bed, recovering from the (on her half) unexpected attack. Though in all honestly what did she expect, charging at someone with their arms open like that? It's practically broadcasting an attack. Rose scoffed inwardly at the idea of a hug. Pointless. I haven't gotten one since the Whore left, and the ones that she ambushed me with were unwanted. I've never asked for one. Never needed one. Though it's a good way to see who cares about whom. Handy interrogation observation.

Rose sighed silently. Let's get this rolling then, she thought reluctantly, not at all eager to interact with these versions of her teammates. They're probably going to be more unbearable here. "Alright. We need to clear some things right now," Rose said. All of them snapped their eyes to her, and Rose felt a pleasant little shudder go through her seeing the emotions in their eyes. Though they quickly lost that and started listening to what she had to say.

"I'll say it right now: I am not Ruby, or rather the Ruby you knew. I have different memories and I remember things differently. I know faces and names and places, but not necessarily why or how. I remember doing things differently and I'll probably be going off of those memories until things come back to me." She toned it down now. "Everything's… jumbled up. I need… I need help," Rose looked down, as if ashamed of herself. "I wasn't in my right state of mind when I…" she trailed off. "But I feel terrible about it and I-I want to apologize again if I haven't already."

"It's alright," Belladonna said soothingly. "It's just like you said, you weren't in your right state of mind. You weren't in control of your actions." Rose heard the very silent unspoken, 'you still aren't' in that though, even if it was her own mind superimposing them onto Belladonna's words.

"If anything, it's my fault," Pet… Schnee said, one of her arms holding the other. "I'm the one that made that Dust crystal, even if you were the one that used it. I shouldn't have let you even touch it! I should have done something more to test it or not even make the thing!" Rose raised one of her eyebrows slightly at Schnee's outburst. This is different, she actually has fire in her. Different than the ice she normally has. It's… refreshing to see her have this kind of self-worth that isn't brought on by survival or primal needs.

I think it'll be much more fun to break this Schnee since she has some spirit in her.

"Weiss," Xiao Long said, having recovered now, "we've been over this before. Stop beating yourself up over it." Well that's surprising, they actually managed to have a civil conversation for once. No, no, it's not the first time for them, Rose reminded herself yet again, but it's surprising for me.

"It's going to be fine," Rose said, going closer to Schnee and laying a hand on her upper arm. "I'm sure I'll have my memories sorted out soon… with your help of course," Rose added, saying it to everyone, but making eye contact with Schnee and doing that thing which made her Pet's legs weak. Putting even more onto that, she dropped her hand, but not before trailing a finger down Schnee's dainty arm briefly. It was enough to make sure Schnee felt it, but not long enough for the others to notice or get suspicious.

"O-Of course," Schnee stuttered, and Rose had to stifle a victorious grin.

"We'll stand by you when you need us," Belladonna said now, making Rose turn away from Weiss.

"I've always tried to be there for you sis, and I will be here for you now," Xiao Long said, standing up. "I promise. We promise to help you through this. Whatever you need, we'll give it to you."

Careful what you say Xiao Long, I may take you up on that.

"Thank you," Rose said instead, nodding her head in the motion of thanks.

"Hey Ruby? Can I give you that hug now if you won't freak out?" Xiao Long asked carefully, almost nervous, as if asking again would warrant another attack. Or maybe it was the fear of rejection, of the 'No.'

Rose on the other hand, froze on the inside. She was repulsed by the idea of her half-sister giving her a hug. They've never got along and every time they acted nice to the other was to try and get some advantage over them. There were no genuine feelings except severe distrust and toleration at the very least. Add to that Rose's personal feelings about physical contact and she was barely managing not to lash out at Xiao Long for even suggesting such a thing.

Struggling to control herself, she knew what had to be done. "F-fine." She braced herself as Xiao Long came closer. After a short eternity, the two pale arms wrapped gently around her and she was slightly squeezed against her older half-sibling.

There was a peculiar warmth coming from Xiao Long. It wasn't the burning heat that she normally had. It was like a heater, with the warmth seeping into Rose's skin, going all the way to her bones. And the… hug, wasn't threatening or brutal in its strength. It was… gentle.

As Xiao Long continued, Rose remained stiff in her grasp, muscles ready to spring to action in an instant at the slightest hint of aggression or trickery. But gradually, despite her commands, she felt her muscles relax. A scent invaded her nostrils, smelling of lavender and cream, mainly from the yellow mane that went down Xiao Long's back, with just a hint of Dust powder from the shots she used in Burning Celica.

This… isn't what I was expecting. It's warm, but not burning. Gentle, not crushing. And there's something else that… I… can't identify. I don't like it! I can't-! At least that's what she told herself. However, before Rose was about to viciously push away, Xiao Long withdrew, much to Rose's relief.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Xiao Long said as Rose got a hold of herself.

"Yeah… I am too, for the most part," Rose added. She exhaled out of her nostrils to get the smell of this Xiao Long out. "So, you all know the restrictions I'm under, right?" She changed the subject to something more safe.

"Yes, we understood what Ozpin told us," Schnee said. "We'll get you ready for the Vytal tournament in no time."

Rose grinned, "Good, because I've been getting ready for that." It'll test my skills against the best this Remnant has to offer. "I expect all of you to be ready in top cond-…" Ohh… right, as her mind caught up with her words she remembered their current condition, and that she was the one to put them in this state. "Scratch that, let's all recover first."

Xiao Long snorted. "Sounds like a plan," she said agreeing.

Rose nodded. There was a short silence before Belladonna asked a question. "So what do you want to be addressed by? You expressed… dislike, putting it mildly, against your given name 'Ruby'."

"I still do," Rose growled before she controlled herself and had to put on her act again. "Sorry, but it's those damn memories and feelings. Memory me was strong on the subject… I guess that's something we'll have to work on then?" She made her eyes water a bit, and was successful when she saw all of them relax slightly. "And speaking of names, the memories I have of you, we all used different names, mainly our last… We… didn't particularly get along." The exceptions include the incredible sex Xiao Long and I had with our partners.

There were more uncomfortable looks around the room that Rose found amusing before Xiao Long said cheerily, "Okay, introduction time! I'm Yang Xiao Long, and I like to be called Yang. I'm your flamin' hot sis, literally sometimes! Eeh?" Oh dear fuckin' god she does that here too, Rose groaned as Schnee and Belladonna also groaned to various degrees.

"Anyway, I'm Blake Belladonna, partner to this idiot," she said dryly as she thumbed at Yang, who protested jokingly. "I like to be called Blake." As she said so, the Faunus sat down on the bed supporting the other with books. She hid the little twinge that she had because of her injury well, but Rose noticed it.

"And I'm Weiss Schnee, your partner," the girl in white said. "And you can call me Weiss."

"Okay then Weiss," Rose said, adding just the slightest hint of a purr in her voice before continuing on. "Y'know, you didn't need to be that formal about it. I remember your names, just not what you like to be known by here… But I suppose it's good to clear the air a bit."

"I guess so. This is hard on us too, R-Rose," Xiao Long, Yang now, said. "We all have to adapt," she said, sitting down on the bed Blake was on, and Weiss sat down opposite of her, under the monstrosity.

Rose looked around and finally asked the question that she had since she walked in. "Remind me again which bed is mine?" Three pointed fingers confirmed the answer that was the worse in her opinion. She slowly looked upwards at the hanging catastrophe and withheld a sigh. Fuck me. If the Ruby from here exists still, I'll kill her just for making this. "Yeah, I'm not climbing up on that now," Rose said.

"Do you not remember making that?" Blake asked.

"Nope." Rose popped the 'p', force of habit.

"If you're not going to sleep there, when where will you?" Weiss asked, questioning.

Rose decided to pull another one on her and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Are you offering me a spot in your bed Weiss?"

There was a beat, then Yang started to laugh uproariously. "Oh this is rich! I guess you did learn a thing or two from me after all these years!"

Weiss sputtered once she realized what Rose was implying. "Whuh-that's-wh- That's not what I meant!" She finally shrieked.

"Oh. My bad," Rose said, loving how Weiss' pale face was slowly reddening. So she's not as kinky as my Pet then. Or just doesn't know it yet. I'll have to train her later then once she becomes mine.

A knock on the door quieted them and Weiss took the opportunity to get away from Rose to open it. Rose narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she saw the person who stood in their doorway, all joviality lost.

Emerald Sustrai. She was standing there with an innocent expression of concern and friendliness, but as she looked further, Rose could see Emerald didn't want to be here.

"Oh, hello Emerald," Weiss greeted the student from Haven.

"Hi Weiss," Emerald greeted, then looked over the heiress' shoulder to the rest of the room, "Yang, Blake… Ruby." She hesitated a moment when they made eye contact.

Rose unconsciously narrowed her eyes, trying to find out what the girl was doing. I don't trust her. I never have even in my world. She and her partner were hiding something and I didn't like it. If it weren't for the fact that I had no dirt on them I would have probably attempted to kill them.

"Hey Em," Yang greeted the green haired girl, "what's up?"

"Well I heard through the school grapevine that Ruby was feeling better and wanted to wish her to get well. My partner… saw what happened and I wanted to know if everything was fine with you guys."

Oh, she's good, Rose had to admit, but I know what to look for when someone's telling a lie. And this one isn't even a straight out lie, but a half-truth. But I'm better. "We're getting there," Rose interjected coolly.

There was a beat before, to her credit, Emerald recovered. "Well, that's good news. Wouldn't want you dropping out of the tournament due to personal reasons."

"Oh yes," Rose said, keeping the same level of cool, not breaking eye contact with the green haired girl.

"Speaking of internal team things," Weiss said, smoothly continuing on, "is the last member of your team here yet?" That got Rose's attention. Before it was just the other guy, Mercury, and her. If teams are still comprised of four, then that means there's a third member I don't know. Something I'll have to look into. It looks like these two are up to something as well.

"No. Our last teammate's still held up back in Haven and told us they're not going to be here until the day before the tournament starts," Emerald explained.

"A pity," Weiss said, "We hardly see your team anyway."

"They're… not the most sociable people," Emerald said slowly, trying to find the right words.

I bet they aren't, Rose thought in her head. "Convenient." She said aloud. There was an awkward pause.

"Well, I hope your teammate comes soon," Yang decided to ignore the previous comment. "We'll see how good you actually are on the battlefield!" Yang pumped her fist.

Emerald answered with a grin of her own. "I look forward to it. Glad to see you're all better now. I'll see you later then," she backed out of the door.

"See you later," Weiss replied as she closed the door behind her. RWBY was once again alone in their dorm, and silence permeated again. This time Rose didn't particularly care for it.

Damn these restrictions that I have to follow. I can't pry anything from Emerald's team without breaking character now. They'll have to come to me, which won't happen.

"What was that about?" Rose turned to meet amber eyes.

"What was what?" Rose asked back.

"Why were you so shut off from her? You were the one that introduced us to them in the first place," Blake pointed out, inadvertently handing Rose another tidbit of information.

"Well, I don't remember her much. Just a name and a face. And she seemed… insincere," Rose explained.

"What, about giving us a verbal 'get well soon' card?" Yang questioned.

Rose just shrugged. "I don't know, but something was telling me she was putting on a façade. Maybe it's just me."

"Maybe. Though I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry," Weiss said, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm glad you agree with me to a degree," Rose said, making eye contact briefly. She broke it off and looked around. Now what?

"Sooooo… now what?" Yang unknowingly echoed her thoughts.

"I guess we could continue helping you try to remember more," Blake said to Rose.

Rose shrugged again. "Fine." She shifted around to get comfortable on Weiss' bed. Now it's time for me to learn all I can so I can blend better and eventually gain an advantage here. Just because there's no way back now doesn't mean it can't happen again. From what I've perceived, our two worlds are almost on opposite sides in our convictions. There will be conflict and I intend on being on the winning side and the one that gets me more power. "So, where should we start?"

As they talked, Yang grew slightly more comfortable with this new Ruby… no, Rose now. I don't like calling her by her last name, but if it makes her more comfortable in the mean time, then I can accept it for now. She's more guarded, and still aggressive, but she's making an effort to remember. Though I hope she'll remember sooner rather than later, Yang thought as she stared at the darker clad version of her sister, who was talking with Weiss.

Yang was slightly amused at the two's interactions now. Especially since Ruby's now trying the moves on our Ice Queen. She's not as subtle as she thinks with the double-entendres and the right tones. I think it's just because it's Ruby of all people flirting with her that Weiss doesn't know how to deal with it like she normally does.

A sudden amusing thought flashed through her mind. Oh man, Neptune's not gonna' like this. Someone's trying to take his 'Snow Angel'… she paused. And that someone's my sister… I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I mean, I can ship it, and the two could be adorable together… but in actuality… I don't know. We'll see.

I just hope everything's right up in her head right now. Or getting better if it isn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, that's that. I'm not completely behind this chapter but it's the best I could do. *Shrugs* Anyway, there was a bit of an info dump at the beginning of Rose's POV and if there's any questions I'll be happy to answer them with a PM.

Now I want to kinda' cut-off the people that think Rose's playing Beacon like a fiddle. Aside from the fact that she is, most of Beacon, especially _WBY, is trusting of her and will mainly still see her as the 15 year old they all know and love. They know that she's changed and it's still there in the back of their minds, but they want to see her as the girl they know. Even though the suspicion remains, they're overriding it and projecting their desire to see only Ruby. And unless Rose does something blatant or is sloppy (highly unlikely), they'll continue to do so. Rose is being careful to cover those moments and uses excuses when she misses one. Meanwhile, much like an actor, she'll continue to get better with the roll that she's been given, making it harder to slip up. Additionally, she's starting her own mind games with the people there. Now that may backfire on her… but we'll see. ;)

Okay. 8,000 word apology accepted readers? Please?

So remember to Read, Review, Favorite, Follow! (R.R.F.F)

-OrangeGalen