A/N: Thank you all who bother to read my prologue for Second Life, and for coming here to Chapter 1. If you skipped the prologue, get your asses back there, it is important. If you didn't, continue on to Chapter 1, we are now coming into Remnant.

More importantly though, a heartfelt shout-out to:

Rybalov, ZePhantomReader, babaga he who laughs at anime, for following this series after the prologue. And Hollowsoul75, TenWings, mega1987 for being crazy enough to favorite it. I love you all! And the other 94 viewers as well! Thanks to you all I forced myself to put this chapter up 4 days faster than planned. I had no idea it would get as many views and viewers as it did.

And as a heads up, the story will occasionally switch to other points of view, to build the scenes and world as best as possible. The main focus will be Mato, but the world won't work if everyone else is cell-shaded people with no impressions after all. Please leave reviews, I appreciate all criticism as much, if not more than, thank yous. This is after all my first work and I am certain I need help.

Also, once again, a shout out to my friend CushionySiren3 and his story 'The (Un)Forgettable Team TAPE'.

Oh yeah, I use the metric system. Apologies for the confusion of those in the USA. If asked for it enough, I will possibly put the equivalents in parentheses. (Possibly because I don't like using parenthesis in stories, I feel it breaks the flow… But whatever my viewers want I will oblige with, so remember to send me those PMs or reviews!)

Remnant

Western Forest - On the Island of Patch

December 23rd, 2013 - Late Evening

Ruby was an emotional mess. It had been years since her mother, Summer Rose, passed away. But standing before her gravestone brought about the same amount of sorrow as it did when she fully realized what it meant that Summer had died.

She stared at the grave for a few more minutes before she turned around and walked away. She wasn't here to visit her mom, she had come because a pack of beowulf newborns had been spotted. Normally, her dad would be the one to come out here. Or Uncle Qrow. But they were both away on missions elsewhere.

So Ruby Rose, fifteen year old huntress-in-training had taken it upon herself to go clear them out. Patch might not have too many problems with Grimm, but it didn't house any real hunters or huntresses aside from Taiyang or Qrow. So when those sparse problems reared their head? That left the huntress-in-training Ruby and Yang, but Yang had graduated Signal and had moved out to Vale proper so as to get ready for her start at Beacon.

So here Ruby tread through the dead forest alone, snow crunching beneath her boots, as she headed towards the last sighting of the young Grimm. Not that it concerned her in the least. After the nine years of harsh training she had undergone with Qrow, all so that she could follow her mother's wishes. So she could do what Summer tried and failed to do. This 'mission' was laughable. She wouldn't even have to use Crescent Rose if it wasn't so late and she wanted to get home.

Even before arriving at the clearing where they had been spotted, she heard them around her. But she made no motion to change direction. Unless they attacked her, it would be wiser for her to attack them in the clearing, where she could take full advantage of her weapon. So she nonchalantly continued, as the amount of growls around her increased.

Mato was hurting. Sure, a lot of it was physical, having your body ripped apart to what she could only believe was the atomic level, to be transported to another world DEFINITELY hurt. But that had been going on for a couple of hours now, so she kinda got used to it, and tuned it out for the most part. She had plenty of experience with withstanding physical pain anyway. No, what hurt Mato was the last action of Black Rock Shooter. She had done the impossible, sacrificing herself to grant Mato the chance at the life that her lifelong partner had always wanted of her.

And it hurt.

Mato had done nothing but force Black Rock Shooter into painful situations, and down a path that went against everything she had ever wanted. But in the end, her stoic partner not only helped her in her journey, but even took the responsibility, chains, and end that came with it.

Instead giving Mato another opportunity at a free life.

As Mato felt her body literally reassemble itself, a cold wind caressing her as she felt gravity pull her down, she swore to herself and the stupid-stubborn-selfish-lovely woman one last life goal. She screamed it at the broken moon that stared back at her as she fell towards her new world. Her shout taking all her energy, a smile floated onto her pale lips as her consciousness faded.

Ruby had just finished dispatching the last of the beowulfs in the clearing. She was surprised at how many there had been. It had been a much larger pack than she had anticipated, even forcing her to use her good ammo, brought only in case of emergencies, loaded with the stronger red dust known as burst dust. As she finished ejecting her last clip and stowing away Crescent Rose though, her thoughts on the matter were shattered when a loud shout resounded throughout the clearing.

"I WILL LIVE!"

Ruby looked around, trying to pinpoint source of the shout, before a loud explosion resounded from the center of the clearing, sending a huge plume of snow into the air. Even before the snow had reached the peak of it climb, Ruby had Crescent Rose fully out again and poised to strike. Waiting as the snow fell back down and revealed its secret.

It was only a few moments till it had calmed enough to see that there were no Grimm around. So Ruby started approaching the point of explosion slowly. Her eyes widening in disbelief once she reached the edge of the small crater that hand been created. It wasn't the type of crater created by an explosion, no, it was the kind of crater created when a heavy or tough object hit the ground at high speeds. Which in this case was a pale girl in a pair of black shorts, gloves, knee high boots, string bikini top and jacket. A hood covering most of her head. A petite face framed by black hair.

Ruby stood there for all of five seconds observing the scene, trying to understand why such a lightly clothed girl was out in the middle of Grimm infested wood during winter. Then why she had fallen from the sky, clearly from a REALLY high altitude if the humanoid shaped crater she was lying in was any indication. And on the fifth second, when she noticed that she was still breathing, HOW she had survived.

But all of that was immediately pushed aside upon the realization that the girl was alive, and needed to be taken out of there to a warm place as or she would die of hypothermia. And if her pale skin was any indication, she needed warmth as soon as possible.

Ruby stowed Crescent Rose again, leaned into the small crater, and gingerly pulled the newcomer out. Attempting to keep her head and neck properly placed to avoid any damage in case the fall had hurt her. It was a startling revelation when she found it to be a pointless endeavor. The girl was completely unscathed.

Closing the jacket and wrapping the girl in her own red cloak, Ruby proceed to run towards her home. Sixty kilometers away, normally an hour transit for most with aura to push the human body beyond its limits.

Ruby got the pale girl home in just under two and a half minutes.

Taiyang Xiao Long's Home

December 24th, 2013 - Early Morning

For the first time in over eighty years. Kuroi Mato was slow to wake up. In her quest to merge and erase the 'other side', Mato had been incredibly punctual in waking up to feed herself, before heading back to sleep to continue her single-minded goal. She didn't even need an alarm clock after the first couple of months. Always waking up at the exact same second of the exact same set of hours each day, changing it up only as she physically aged and her body's needs changed, or when an event like the birth of her friend's children came about.

Till the last day, it creeped Yuu out how Mato would just suddenly go from sleeping, to walking around like if had been awake for hours. Yuu even joked about how she resembled robots in movies that suddenly opened their eyes and walked around.

As such, the drowsiness she felt as she opened her eyes to a blurry world, was a surprise to her.

Blinking away until the image before her resolved itself into a normal ceiling, slightly lit up from the yellow rays of the sun peeking in through the curtains, Mato sat up on the bed she occupied. She looked around, noticing how surprisingly empty the room was. Hosting only the bed she was in, a nightstand beside it, and a wardrobe in the corner. A single door lead into and out of the room, a curtained window behind her. Slowly Mato lifted the quilt and moved to get up, noticing a pair of strawberry print pjs. As she reached towards them and noticed her smooth pale hand and arm, the memories came back to her rather quickly.

Black Rock Shooter had given Mato a second chance at life in a different world, with her own body. Mato slowly got up, testing her new legs, but finding no problems she proceed to look down at her attire, noticing that she was in a black tank top with some kind of heart design in the front. And upon further inspection, noticed that the designs on her pants were actually some kind of pink flower petal, not strawberries. She headed towards the wardrobe in the hope that it held some clothing for her.

Upon opening it though, she stopped to look at herself in the half-length mirror attached to the doors. There stood Black Rock Shooter as Mato remembered her. Pale skin, bluish-black hair currently hanging down past her waist instead of in its usual irregular twin-tail. And those piercing blue eyes with the circular patterns. Mato smiled at seeing her in such a silly outfit instead of her usual black themed clothes, but froze when the image in the mirror copied her.

Mato knew that it was not Black Rock Shooter, that it was Mato seeing herself, but the fact that her reflection was smiling, that her usually emotionless 'other self' was smiling, the twinkle even reaching her normally dead eyes. It drove the point home like nothing else could, and nearly brought Mato to tears. She was dead, or would be soon, taking over the last vestiges of Mato's old life.

Mato collected herself quickly, recalling her promise to the shattered moon, herself, and more importantly the woman who never stopped loving her. She would live out the life that Black Rock Shooter had given her to the fullest. She smiled grandly again, her reflection copying her, even revealing the fangs that most didn't know were there, and decided that it suited her much more than crying or being emotionless. She was certain Black Rock Shooter would agree with her. So she resolved herself once more to live life to the fullest, bringing a smile to both of their faces.

With that she turned to the jacket that was hanging inside the wardrobe, their old black jacket, with the white stripe running down the sleeves and the same colored star on the back. Before she reached for it though, the door to the room opened and revealed a young girl dressed in a black blouse and skirt with red trimmings, a red cloak hanging from her shoulders.

"Oh my Oum! Your awake! Should you be getting up? What happ-"

Mato looked up to the young girl's face, staring into startling silver eyes on a cute face framed by black hair with red tints. Or would that be really dark red hair with some lighter tones? Mato had never been one to keep up with style… Or anything for that matter. Fully dedicated life consuming goal and all, had left her mostly socially inept when it came to fashion and its verbiage. Mato smiled as she laughed at that thought, she was nearly a hundred years old, and she was worried about FASHION lingo.

Mato did laugh out loud breaking the girl's mounting tirade after that last thought.

The young girl's, and after Mato's last thought, she realized that to her at least, EVERYONE would be a young girl, furthering her smile as she held back her laughter, look of fright morphed into one of relief as a smile suddenly appeared.

"So what's your name? Mine is Ruby Rose."

"Kuroi Mato."

Ruby smile turned into a frown of concentration, or confusion… both? "Black Clothed huh? That explains your outfit last night. I know that people like to name their children after colors after the great war, who then take said names into their outfits usually, but yours is a new one even by standards like my own." Her face then quickly morphed to one of shock, "AH! I am not saying it's weird though or anything! I actually think it is a nice name! It is very-"

"Miss Rose!"

"Eeep!"

"Calm yourself child, there is no need for that." Mato stated this while smiling in her grandmother tone. She may not have spent much time awake, but she still played with Yuu's grandkids, and spoke with those around her. She instinctively replied and acted as her mental age stated she should thanks to the small child before her. Which apparently confused and angered the youth before her.

"Hey! I not a child! I am fifteen years old, and a huntress-in-training. Besides, you look much younger than me! And are shorter too! You can't be more than one-hundred fifty centimeters."

That statement brought Mato back to her situation, and also a bit of confusion. 'I could have sworn I was one-hundred sixty centimeters at the end, and Black Rock Shooter always looked a bit taller. Unless those boots held ten centimeter soles… I will have to check that out later.'

"Apologies. Although I must state that short as I am, I am still physically your senior by a year."

'Actually… wouldn't this body actually be the same age as I am mentally all things considered? Or is it really only a couple hours old since it was altered, then broken down, and recreated here?'

Mato decided it was too confusing to think about things like that, and decided that she was physically sixteen, the age when she became the overseer, and mentally ninety-seven.

"Ah, right, I forgot to ask. But what were you doing out there in the middle of winter in such light clothing? And for that matter falling from the sky? And how did you survive the fall? Oh my Oum, are you some kind of awesome huntress with a semblance that allows you to fly through the air or survive such impacts without problem? And how much can you take before -"

"RUBY!" Ruby immediately clamped her mouth shut. "Thank you. You must learn not to just jump into a huge tirade like that. I have known you for less than five minutes and you have broken into no less than three of those. You will never find a lover like that."

"Hey! What does that mean?"

Mato just pinched the bridge of her nose a bit before continuing. "To answer your questions in order. I was out there, wherever there is, in the middle of winter, in light clothing, because it is the only clothing I have. Actually, the only physical thing I own in this world now that I think about it. I fell from the sky because that is where the transportation decided to recreate my body. I survived because I am tough, heal quickly, and have a ridiculous tolerance to physical pain at this point. Seeing as how I have no idea what a huntress is or a semblance, I am going to answer with a negative. And in regards to that last one, I mean that you constantly fall into a tangent thought like right now and run with it. Completely ignoring the other party or letting them get a word in edgewise."

"Okay, before I ask you about the first part, as that sounds like something that will probably be best AFTER breakfast. What does that have to do with me finding a lover? Not that I am looking for one."

"You will never be able to end up in any romantic relationship, since such a reaction is, for all intents and purposes, as one might say, 'putting your foot in your mouth'. You would greatly inconvenience the other party. As well as possibly causing misunderstandings for yourself, which you will then believe them to be true, and run with them. Leaving your partner behind in the dust, once again uncomfortable, as they might be shy and not want to point out the truth, since it would mean pointing out that you are wrong in your assumptions. Actually, regardless of wild tangents or long monologues, never make assumptions period, you will save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run."

'Then again, seeing as how I am a nearly one-hundred year old virgin, I really shouldn't be saying anything about relationships... Oh, lovely, now I am thinking about dusty entrances and dry mammaries. Although considering how little this body has in regards to said area that last one may not be wrong anyway.' Mato blinked at her own thoughts. 'Wow, I just realized that even if I had the perfect personality, which I probably don't all things considered, this body leaves a lot to desire… you would think that if you were recreating it to be able to live in another world, you might take advantage of said ability and make a few tweaks. Then again she probably had even less experience with what others may like, and even if she did, I don't think she would care with her personality, or lack of one... And what the hell, I don't recall talking to or making fun of myself before… Or did I, considering my only partner never really spoke to me as I fought, or ever really... It makes me seem insane… oh god, did Black Rock Shooter leave me her insane side and it merged with my own personality? No, she was more murder and destruction than black humor and talking to oneself... '

Mato once again closed off that line of thought for another time as she faced Ruby. Who had changed her expression from that of a young pouting child to that of a serious businessman or detective somewhere in the conversation. Trying to sniff or wring out lies and truths from their targets. Mato made a mental note that this girl was probably more than she initially seemed.

Ruby released a small sigh, her expression faltering for a second, "I will take that into account. Now come, I will make some breakfast for the both of us. Then, if you are willing, I am curious to learn more about you Kuroi, it sounds like you have quite the unusual story to tell."

Mato smirked, definitely not a normal child.

A/N: For those wondering of you who were too lazy to do the math. I have made it so that Ruby's top speed while using her speed semblance, is about 400m/s. Or about 70 meters beyond the speed of sound. Those smarties who did do the math, and realized this fact, as a preemptive answer to the question. No. Ruby does NOT create a sonic boom. Her semblance (along with most when you really think about it) is more of a reality breaker in this series. Like Rejectverse's Disco Wolf. Rather than just making her fast, she actually seems to slow down time to everything besides her, allowing her to travel through this slower world freely, while also speeding her up considerably (Although not to the speeds mentioned above. Those speeds are gained with a combination of her increased speeds and the reality bending bubble she seems to create around herself.).

This means she can do a few more things than in the series, like thinking on her feet quickly, (Instinctual plans created on the spur of the moment? More like she has a lot more time to think than most think possible.)

Like NOT make a paste of her internal organs. (Seriously, no one wonders how she can move that quickly without her internal organs shifting and rupturing from all the maneuvers she does while at such ridiculous speeds?)

And carry others with her without them being hurt by such abnormal speeds. (Seriously, I have seen quite a few fics that have Ruby pick people up and carry them, or shove them out of the way. Think about that, something going hundreds of meters per second slams into you. What happens? A big splatter, either from Ruby's body or the other party's. And carrying them? Same as the reasoning above.)

Now, to close up this explanation of Ruby's semblance. She does still in fact move ridiculously fast. As stated, her semblance is a reality breaker with a focus on speed. Granting her the ability to create something of a bubble around her with a different time dilation to the rest of the world, as well as boosting her speeds so that she do things like putting ridiculous amounts of force behind her swing when she decapitates a giant nevermore.

Side Note: Unlike the cannon which seems to infer that Ruby has only trained for a couple of years at Signal. I am writing that she has been training under her uncle Qrow since she came to terms with her mother's death and decided to become a better huntress than her. To become the BEST huntress. I am certain I will be put these into the story eventually in flashbacks and whatnot. Especially once a pairing is decided for her, as revealing one's life is always a good way to deepen one's connections. But I wanted to inform you all in advance, so you understand why Ruby is going to be different from Cannon. 6-7 more years of intense PERSONAL (One v one, rather than classroom setting, as she was too young to go to said schools) training under a registered hunter, who we can only infer is good, if he has even a sliver of the talent Ruby and Yang have shown? Yeah, she is going to be good at using her weapons. ALL her weapons. Scythe, sniper, mind, body and environment.

Also, if any of you have problems with Ruby's lines, please give me suggestions. I actually have more difficulty with her lines than anyone elses. As cannon Ruby thought process are hard for me to emulate or capture, and trying to get a balance of that, and my own image of what she should be has been most depressingly difficult. I almost wanted to throw the idea of cannon Ruby out the window and just use my own interpretation of what she would have turned out as under said circumstances. Making this effectively an AU, instead of an altered tale… I might just do that anyway if this proves as consistently difficult… Please PM or Review with thoughts, comments or advice!