Author's Note

I'm sorry for the late publishing. I keep losing motivation on this. And I got school to be worry about. So I might take a longer time to finish a chapter. I notice some parts in this chapter is dry. However, enjoy mes ami~!

Chapter 14

She was blinded with the color of red and black. The red of blood and the black of fear. Blood and fear brings regret to herself. For those she has sinned.

If this is how I will die, I can't imagine how Hell looks like...

But the blood soon leave and left fear with her. The darkness of her biggest fear haunts her once again. Grimm... She hated Grimm but at the same time, she feared Grimm and she is the Grimm. Do she hate herself or fear herself?

I get confused every time I ask a question...

The answers she seek but what answered her is another question. What are you?

I'm a...

No answer.

I-I'm a...

She stuttered. With the hints of fear in her voice. She doesn't know how to answer the question. However, she answered the first question.

I hated myself for being the Grimm. I feared myself for trying to kill my friends. I can't deny I feared Grimm. I can't deny I hated Grimm. So I hate and fear of myself. But, does it really matter?

The darkness has yet to leave her. A flickering light beckons her. A person. A woman. She immediately recognize the raven haired woman.

Mom...?

Mom! It's me!

Silence answered her. She saw her mother open her mouth but no voice coming out. The movement from her lips, however, tells her.

Why did you killed me, Ruby...?

"MOM!" She shouted and jolt awake. She's in her nightwear. In Blake's bed. In her dorm. She look up to the wall clock. Two fifteen in the morning. No one's awake. She sighed. Another nightmare, she thought.

She slowly get out from the Faunus' bed. She quietly creep out of the dorm. To the place where she would go whenever she's troubled. The Emerald Forest.

She shifted herself and walk through the dark. Accompanied by the stars which were barely seen. The forest seemed lifeless. No Grimm in sight. But she doesn't care. She head to the river, where she once killed an Alpha Beowolf nearby. She look down to her own reflection on the calm stream. Her face is unclear. But it's okay to her.

Ruby doesn't want to see the monster she adopted.

"What did I do to deserve this...?" She whispered to herself. No answer. She didn't expect any answer anyway. It'll confuse her, she said. Silence. That's what she wanted. No voices, no insults. No figure, no beating. No more suffering, she thought.

But deep inside, she's suffering...

Yang, Weiss and Blake watched their leader staring out of the window with a blank expression. No words came out of her mouth nor from her team mates. Silence. Just like last night. Only the sound of the wall clock ticking. And Yang doesn't like it.

"Ruby, you haven't say anything this morning. This isn't like you! What's wrong, little sis?"

Cold eyes meet with lilacs. Yang could see sadness and guilt in her eyes. She knows what the white haired girl think. "Ruby, there's nothing worth to regret anymore. It happened. And you know you can't stop it..."

"What if I can...? Maybe, I should be better off from this world...just like they said. I don't deserve to live..."

Yang sighed. She approach her sister and gently place her hand on her shoulder. Ruby wouldn't look up to her. She murmured, "What am I...?"

"You're special, Ruby. You're a human who were granted with Grimm abilities. Those abilities...aren't a curse. You used that abilities to help us. You saved us many times with it. A human-Grimm hybrid. It's not the thing you should be regret of. If you keep regretting, you won't remember the great things that happened to you. That's why...you can't remember me..."

Ruby slowly raise her head to her team mates. Weiss and Blake give her a warm smile. She look at her sister. She muttered, "Am I...that special?" Yang answered with a single nod.

"It doesn't matter who you are, Ruby. You are special to us. You're special to me..." Yang pulled her in an embrace. She didn't respond on the warm contact. However, she smiles. She answered, "Thanks, sis..."

"You're not the only one who need to answer the question alone. You can ask someone else to answer it for you," Weiss said.

Ruby opened her mouth to reply. But suddenly, Jaune barged in with panic face and breathing, "Guys, we have an emergency!"

"This is bad..."

"They're drawing near!"

"What should we do?"

Jaune led the girls to the training room. JNPR and Alex has gathered. And so does the teachers. Other students have yet to arrive. On the screen, a horde of Grimm drawing near the academy. From the sprinting Beowolves to the flying Nevermores. Ruby felt a sudden adrenaline rushed through her veins. However, she managed to control the urge to kill.

"This is terrible! We have to inform other students about this immediately!"

"We can't, Miss Goodwitch! It'll only create panic in the students!"

Ruby watches the screen of the horde advancing to the academy. She saw the new types among the Beowolves and Ursas. She later caught a glimpse of a large Grimm. A familiar dragon Grimm. The adrenaline kicks in. She growls. Her hair stands up. The spikes emerged from her back.

"W-what's wrong, Ruby?!" Yang noticed the changes of her sister. Weiss look up to the screen. Her eyes widen in shock, "Yang, look! Isn't that Leviathan?!" She pointed to the dragon Grimm.

"But how...?! Didn't Ruby killed him?!"

Alex steps in the conversation, "Kane must've created him again! From what I saw, he tried to provoke Ruby. We have to bring her out right away!" Yang, Weiss and Blake nod. Yang and Blake quickly drag the white girl out. Alex sighed.

"You know something, don't you...?" Weiss said.

"What do you mean?"

"You know something about Ruby. Something that we don't know. Who are you actually...?" Weiss give him a sharp glare. The red haired man respond, "I'll tell you once all of this are over, Weiss..."

"Don't tell me. Tell her sister. She cared about Ruby more than I do. She's the who you're supposed to tell. Remember that..." She answered and walk out. Alex sighed once again.

Once they stepped into the courtyard of the academy, the horde stopped. Leviathan steps in. Ruby growls fiercely once she caught the sight of her nemesis. Yang and Blake tried to hold her down. Weiss and Alex stood next to Faunus. "Yang, Blake, let her go," Alex said.

"But-..." Blake's words are cut off by the man, "She won't go anywhere. Don't worry." Yang and Blake release their grip of their leader's arms. Ruby didn't make any move. However, her aggression increases. She quickly activate Eclipse Rosé.

Then, team JNPR along with Ozpin and Glynda arrived. Right on cue, Ruby lunges herself to the horde and disappear into thin air, "RUBY!" Her team mates shouted. But there's no sign of the white girl. The horde look around as well. Everyone started to panic but Ozpin, Glynda and Alex remain calm.

Suddenly, a small group of Grimm were sliced into pieces and disintegrated into rosé petals. Another blink of their eyes and another Grimm is sliced once again. A red and white figure dashed through the horde and slices the creatures with the blades of her gauntlets. Blood smeared over her pure white skin and her clothes. An Ursa charged to her and pinned her down. Ruby plunge her gauntlet into its mouth and shoot. The blood from the creature covered her face. She pushed the headless Ursa aside and quickly get up.

A Beowolf charged to her but she quickly kick it away, revealing another Grimm behind it. Before she could punch it, the Grimm were sliced into half by Blake, followed by Yang and Weiss. "You look like you could use some help, leader," Yang said, teasingly.

A lion Grimm attacks and Jaune managed to decapitated before it could reach any of the RWBY girls. Pyrrha shielded the blonde boy from a Deathstalker's pincers, "You handle Leviathan, Ruby! We'll finish these creeps!" Ruby give an affirmative nod and make a run for the dragon Grimm.

She cut every Grimm that blocked her path with the blades of her gauntlets. She slowly covered in the red blood of the dark creatures. She didn't stop however, she shifted herself into Grimm once she gets nearer to Leviathan and pounced him. Both giants roar as they claw and bite each other. The wounds on Ruby's body worsens but there weren't any burning sensation like last time.

Ruby kicked him to the ground and step on him. She tighten her grip around his neck and pull it out with massive force. His neck snapped. The white Beowolf immediately pull it apart from its body. Leviathan's body soon disintegrated along with the head. The horde stopped. Ruby gave them a glare and growls. The horde slowly back away and later sprints into the forest.

Everyone cheer in victory, "Yeah, we drove them away! Way to go, Ru...by...?" Yang noticed her sister turn her back to her. Her size decreases and return to a human. She fell to her knees and cry. Yang carefully approaches her, "Ruby..."

"I'm sorry, mom... I led them here... I'm the one who led them... But I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..." She sobbed. She cover her eyes with her hands, wiping away every tears that streams down. But she keep on crying.

Then, she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her. She didn't look who's arms belong to but she know it's her sister. Yang knew hugging wouldn't stop her cry. She open her mouth and sing :

Don't worry, I've got you

Nothing will ever harm you

I'm close by, I'll stay here

Through all things I will be near

Close your eyes

Don't you cry

Love's around you

In time you'll fly...

Ruby uncover her eyes. Tears still falling down. But it's not her tears this time. It's her sister's tears. She look up and see her sister crying for her. Her warms tears landed on her white skin. "It's never been...your fault, Ruby... Please, don't say that... No one blames you... No one did..." She murmured.

Yang caresses her white hair. Ruby lean closer to her chest. She let her sister cry for her. She let her friends see them in this state. She soon realize what her mother said in her dream. Her mother didn't blame her.

It's not your fault, Ruby... It's what her mother said to her. She realize no one blamed her all this time. For once, Ruby felt peace being with her sister, without any worries she would lose control...

"She have good friends by her side. The ones that understood her. If it wasn't for my stupid mistakes, she won't suffer like this..." Alex muttered to himself. He settled by his desk. On his desk, there's a picture frame of a girl and a woman. He pick it up and examine it. He sighed.

"She grew up so fast, Summer. But I'm worried of her condition. I should've known she's not ready for this. How I wish I could turn back time..." He place the frame on his desk. He sigh once again. He walk out from his office. He closes the door. He muttered to himself.

"Will she ever accept me again, Summer...?"