"So… what are we gonna do?" Yang asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

It was cold out on the balcony, but they had agreed that they could use the fresh air. Their apartment was up on the seventh floor. The twinkling lights of the city all around them would have taken Ruby's breath away any other day, but the stress of their newest challenge kept her from lingering on it for too long.

"We have to impress him." Weiss said, shifting in her seat. "We're just starting. We need to get our music out there and it needs to be as good as the competition."

Ruby looked around at her band, gulping. They had the chairs gathered in a loose circle so they could look at each other. Yang had an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips while Blake was on her second, the smoke catching the breeze and drifting lazily off the balcony. All had a look of concentration set on their face. Weiss' was a little more scowly, but Ruby thought it was just because it was Weiss. She always looked a little more scowly than everyone else.

Ruby didn't know if they could be as good as the competition. They were new, very new, with little experience. Hell, they hardly knew each other. They didn't know the motivation behind each other's actions. They didn't know what their heart's beat for or the rhythm that they lived their lives in...

An idea hit her like a freight train. "I've got it guys!"

All eyes locked on her, but instead of becoming nervous, she was encouraged. "We need to split up. If we form groups of two, we'll have two songs to give him and it might help our chances a bit!"

'And it will help us get to know each other.' She thought.

They each looked at each other. Yang beamed, Blake looked weary, and Weiss looked thoughtful.

"Alright. But how do we choose the pairs?" Weiss tilted her head slightly.

Ruby thought for a moment. "We have two lyricists, me and blake. So each of us-"

"I call dibs on Blake!" Yang shouted, grinning at her sister.

Ruby smiled back. Perfect! Blake and Yang could learn more about each other. That left Ruby with… oh…

Weiss looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Yang didn't pick Blake to get to know her, she just didn't want to be the one thrown under the bus. Ruby gulped and flashed her a shaky smile. "I guess that means we're partners, Weiss."

Ruby held out her hand. Weiss looked at it for a moment before rolling her eyes and shaking it. "You'd better be good."

Ruby puffed out her chest proudly, "This isn't my first band Weiss. I know what I'm doing."

"You were in a band before this?" The pale woman narrowed her eyes skeptically.

"Yeah." Yang chipped in, "It was just us two, but we made it work. Our name was Red Eye."

Weiss' eyebrows pulled together as she looked at both of their eyes. When she had confirmed that neither of them actually had red eyes, she asked, "Why 'Red Eye'?"

Yang's smile wavered and fell, an oddly brooding look coming over her that Ruby knew all too well. She sighed and lit her cigarette, taking a long drag before muttering, "Only played after midnight…"

"That's bullshit, Yang!" Ruby laughed, "It's called Red Eye cause I got in a fight with this guy and his buddies kicked my ass before the first show." She smiled a bit at the memory, "I ended up having to play with a broken blood vessel in my eye."

Weiss paled. It was kind of scary, considering how pale she was already.

"Do you have pictures?"

Yang gasped and looked at Blake, "Of course I have pictures, what kind of big sister do you think I am?"

Ruby laughed as Yang pulled out her scroll, Weiss shooting nervous glances at the guitarist and murmuring something about gang violence.

She was starting to like her little group.

When everyone started making their way back inside, Ruby caught a glance at Blake's hair again out of the corner of her eye. It had been bugging her for some time now, but she'd been a little too intimidated by the taller woman to ask about it. This was her chance to do something nice for the quiet faunus.

She tapped gently on Blake's shoulder, wincing as the faunus flinched and whirled around to face her. Blake seemed to relax a bit when she saw who it was.

"What is it?"

Ruby swallowed nervously. "D-Did you cut your hair yourself?"

"Yeah." Golden eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"I cut my own hair all the time." Ruby gestured to her multicolored locks. "I could fix yours for you. Not t-that it looks bad or anything!"

She held back the urge to groan and hide her face in her hands. Much to her relief, Blake didn't look offended, only thoughtful as she stared at Ruby's hair for a while.

Finally, she spoke, smiling slightly. "I would like that."

Ruby smiled widely, letting out an excited squeal. Blake put up some resistance as she was dragged into the bathroom, along with a chair, but eventually accepted her fate. Ruby rummaged around beneath the sink until she found her hair cutting kit, coming up and pulling out a comb and some scissors.

"Alright, just get your hair wet in the sink and we can start."

After she complied, Ruby draped the towel over her shoulders and began to cut.

She started at the ends, making sure to layer it in a way that kept it out of the older woman's face. Every raven lock shone like silk under the bright light of the bathroom as she worked her way up. She didn't know if faunus ears were as sensitive as human ears, so she made sure to take special care with combing the hair around them. When she finished, she looked down at her work with pride.

If she thought Blake had looked stunning before, she looked even more breathtaking now. The slightly spiked ends accented her sharp jaw and defined cheekbones in a way that made Ruby's mouth go dry.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as she went over Yang's advice. She licked her lips nervously as she tried to slow her breathing. The thought of rejection made that a lost cause.

"Are you alright?" Ruby startled at the low, silk voice. Unfortunately, jolting with a pair of scissors in your hand never ended well.

She hissed in pain, looking at the rather deep cut in her forearm and clamping a shaky hand over it. That could wait.

Blake was looking at her arm, eyebrows knit together. Ruby felt as though she might hyperventilate. She just needed to be confident. It was now or never, if she waited anymore she'd lose her nerve.

"B-Blake!" She shouted, breathing still ragged.

The dark haired woman looked at her, standing from her chair.

A compliment! She needed to compliment something about Blake that she really liked!

"You… You have a great face!"

Blake took her hand, turning her arm up and looking at the wound before pressing a gentle hand to her forehead.

Ruby almost stopped when the woman touched her, she didn't think it would be working so well, but persevered. She looked up into the wide golden eyes, fluttering her eyelashes to the best of her abilities and biting her lip. She cheered internally when Blake leaned down to stare back, replacing the hand on her cheek instead of her forehead.

It was perfect! She didn't know why she was so nervous in the first place. She took a few deep breaths, letting them out quickly. Time for the final part.

"I-I hope y-you know CPR-"

The yellow eyes widened further and she cut Ruby off by ducking down and slinging the smaller girl across her shoulders, leaving the bathroom in a rush.

Success! Ruby had been so irresistible that Blake had literally swept her off her feet! She made a mental note to thank her older sister for the advice later.

Her face scrunched in confusion as they left the hall, passing by the kitchen on the way to the door and leaving a small trail of blood thanks to Ruby's arm. Where were they going? The room was in the opposite direction. Ruby would try anything at least once, but she had always thought her first time would be in a bed. Or at least a bedroom.

"B-Blake?"

Blake looked back at the girl, concern shining in her gorgeous eyes. Ruby nearly forgot how to breathe, her cheeks flushing and her heart soaring-

"Don't worry, we'll be in the infirmary soon, just hang on."

-before plummeting like like a rock in a lake.

Weiss awoke to the obnoxious, shrill beeping of her alarm clock. After pressing the off button with maybe a little more force than necessary, she heaved a sigh and sat up.

She still found it odd to awake to such silence. Usually, the moment she woke up she was greeted with a professional "Good morning, Ms. Schnee. " and a hot cup of coffee pressed into her hands. She could do without the servants, but the coffee was necessary for surviving the day. It seemed she would have to make her own coffee. Maybe after a shower though.

She forced herself out of bed with a groan, straightening her nightgown and pulling some clean clothes from her closet. With a slight pause, she took out a comfortable long sleeved sweater as well and pulled it on.

Trudging down the hall, she noticed red dots all over the ground. Only two days and they were already staining the carpets? Whoever did this had better hoped that it came out.

She stopped suddenly as she pushed open the bathroom door. A towel sat on the floor next to an overturned chair, tufts of black hair scattered all around it. What concerned her the most was the crimson puddle on the floor and the blood drenched scissors next to it.

Weiss closed the door. It seemed coffee was first after all.

Crime scene in the bathroom ignored, she turned and made her way to the kitchen.

Weiss had just sat in one of the stools at the counter with a steaming mug, when the front door opening caught her attention. She turned in her chair to see Blake walk in. The woman had dark bags under her eyes and her clothes were a little rumpled.

Did she commit the murder? Weiss would bet her car that the victim was the red one. Blake didn't look like the type to take well to annoyance, and Ruby was hyperactive and had a habit of rambling. Her theory was disproved, however, when Ruby bounded through the door after her.

"I'm really sorry Blake!" She wailed. "I didn't think it was that bad. Your hair looks really nice though!"

Weiss continued to think as Blake nodded and fiddled with the ends of her hair. "It does. Thank you." She paused, inhaling slowly and looking at the floor. "I'm not cleaning up the blood though."

Ruby gasped and rushed to the bathroom as Blake stalked over to her bedroom. That was it then. They both teamed up on the blonde one. Weiss huffed and sipped her coffee. Oh well. Saved her the trouble. With one dead and the others in prison, she'd be the only one left. Then, she could finally start her career, alone, as she had planned.

She finished her coffee and cleaned her mug, chuckling darkly to herself. When Ruby came out of the bathroom, she gave Weiss a nervous wave. "Good morning Weiss! Sorry about the mess, there was kind of an accident."

"I do hope you finished with the bathroom." Weiss raised a snowy eyebrow. She knew better than to ask about it. That would make her an accomplice.

Ruby smiled, "Yup! All clean!"

Weiss simply nodded, picking up her pile of clothes and heading towards the bathroom. How in the world was she so happy after brutally murdering her sister? She was like a psychotic puppy dog.

Weiss didn't realize how lost in thought she was until she walked face first into something soft. Her face scrunched in confusion and she took a step back, looking at what had blocked her path. Her face grew hot.

She tore her eyes away from the soft, golden skin of the taller woman's cleavage, only to regret looking up at the flirty smirk. "Hey there."

Weiss' confusion furthered. Yang wasn't dead? She glared, her plans for a solo career ruined.

Yang tilted her head slightly, "Isn't it a little early to be pissed at me, princess? I haven't had time to do anything yet."

"I thought you were dead."

Yang opened her mouth, only to close it a second later, bemused.

"There was a lot of blood. I was sure the others had finished you off." She explained. The blonde didn't look any less confused and shocked. Weiss sighed. Oh well. Even if she didn't get her solo career, now there weren't going to be any exhausting police interviews or magazine articles. She stepped around Yang to take her shower.

When she was clean and clothed, she made her way back to the living room (Noting that the stains did come out of the carpet). They only had a week to write and rehearse two songs, and she would be damned if the first time she missed a deadline was in a music studio.

When she got there, the only one she could see was Blake. The dark Faunus sat comfortably on the couch with a thick book in hand and a cup of what smelled like tea. One down, two to go.

"Do you know where the others are? We should really get to work."

The furry ears twitched in acknowledgement and she sighed softly, shutting her book. "They said something about sparring. Probably in the gym."

Weiss couldn't help but envy how gracefully Blake moved as she got off the couch and sauntered over to the door. With a quiet huff, she followed closely.

The halls were bustling with activity, people rushing every which way to get to their destination. The outfits varied greatly. While some were dressed much like her with her black slacks and plain white button up, others were dressed in jeans and t-shirts, their pajamas, or some very strange outfits.

"What happened in the bathroom?" Weiss asked.

Blake shrugged, "Ruby was cutting my hair. When she was finished she was staring into space and breathing really hard, so I asked her what was wrong. She jumped and stabbed herself in the arm and started babbling deliriously. After that, she made a face like she was having a stroke and asked me if I knew CPR, so I took her to the infirmary."

"Was she alright?"

"Yeah, she needed a couple of stitches though. Her heart rate was out of control for a few hours so I ended up sleeping there. They only released her this morning."

Weiss sighed, shaking her head. Hopefully this wasn't a common occurrence, you could hardly play a song if one of your members had a stroke on stage.

As they drew closer to the gym, Weiss heard a high pitched scream that she vaguely remembered from the day she met her band. They entered cautiously, finding the last two members throwing savage punches at each other. Weiss would have been worried if they weren't wearing gloves and protective gear. Not much protective gear. Not much of anything actually.

Besides the helmet and gloves, the only thing on their bodies were sports bras and scandalously short shorts.

Ruby had a lot fewer tattoos than her sister. Simple black crosses were on her hip and forearm, and an elegant and intricate rose on her shoulder. The thorny vines curled around and wrapped her arm down to the elbow.

Yang, however, lived up to what Weiss initially thought. A living canvas. Most of her right arm was bare, save for the intense flames that were on both wrists. Her left had thorny vines, much like her sister's, and symbols that rippled over her muscles. Her shoulder had what looked to be scales wrapped around it. When she turned to fend off another blow, Weiss saw that the scales wrapping around Yang's arm were only the tail end of a furious dragon that took up the entirety of her back and wrapped around to her stomach…

Oh dear…

Weiss gripped the door frame, her eyes widening as she took in a shuddering breath. Looking like that had to be against the damn law. At least a felony. With sculpted legs, heavily muscled arms and shoulders, and abs that made the heiress salivate, Yang was looking at a hefty lawsuit. And a pair of handcuffs.

A snicker beside her forced her back into reality, "Weiss, you're drooling."

"Shut your mouth this instant." She snapped, wiping a sleeve across her own. Dear lord, she was drooling. That blonde haired brute had no business looking like that, dammit!

Blake opened her mouth, but what was sure to be a witty and mocking retort was cut off by another high pitched scream from the blonde.

"Ruby calm down! You're going to pop your stitches!" She squealed, giving up on trying to block the surprisingly brutal punches from her little sister and running for all she was worth.

"Your advice was SHIT, Yang!" The smaller woman yelled, giving chase. She wasn't as heavily muscled as Yang, but she still managed to put Weiss' lean form to shame. She had much less bulk and her muscles blended easily beneath her skin. And she was fast. That was proven by how quickly she caught up with Yang, tackled her, and proceeded to punch her in the face. What she lacked in strength, she definitely made up for in ferocity and rage.

Weiss wondered if she should intervene. It might not have been too late to let them kill each other. Blake would make a good partner. She was quiet, considerate, sane…

With a sigh, she pulled her taser from her pocket and pressed the button. The sharp crackling made them freeze instantly, their face's paling as they looked at her. She held back a smirk and slipped the handy device back in her pocket.

"If you two are quite finished, we have work to do."

Weiss found that Ruby's room was cramped. All of the bedrooms were the same size, so that wasn't the problem. What made the space so unbearably claustrophobic was the massive amount of instruments and devices. They littered the floor (Most of them on stands or in cases) until the only place to sit was the bed, which was pushed into the corner.

"So… What do you usually do when you're making music?" Ruby asked, rifling her desk and pulling out a red notebook.

Considering that Weiss had only made one song herself, one that involved crying hysterically at a piano for a year, Ruby was probably the senior when it came to composing.

"I don't really have a set method."

Ruby nodded, opening her notebook to a blank page.

Weiss looked at it skeptically. It was well worn and a little singed around the edges. "Well, what is your method?"

Ruby hummed, playing with her fingers nervously "I'm not sure. I just feel stuff and write it down."

Weiss sighed and pulled her legs closer to her body in attempt to stave off the growing claustrophobia. "That tells me nothing."

"Well…" Ruby flipped through the notebook for a moment before handing it to her. Weiss found herself looking at a song titled 'I Burn'. "I wrote that one about Yang. That's not what it originally was, the first one was all sunshine and rainbows cause I really love her, you know?"

Weiss wasn't sure how 'sunshine and rainbows' turned into the embodiment of a raging fire.

"But one day, I went out clubbing with her. She's always been really protective, but when this really insistent guy kept hitting on me, she kind of lost it." She chuckled at the memory, shaking her head. "I couldn't see it at first. I thought she was just flirting with him to keep him off me, especially when I found out that he owned the place, but the night ended with her beating the shit out of seven guys and the entire bar on fire."

Weiss' eyes widened. Were all of these women insane! "How are you not in prison? Better yet, how are you alive?!"

Ruby giggled as if they were just talking some cute boy at school. "We would have been in trouble, but they didn't put any warrants out for our arrest. It turns out that he had around 100 kilos of cocaine in the back. It kind of overshadowed the arsen."

Ruby shook her head and pointed to the notebook. "That's not the point though. What I'm trying to say is that I didn't look at her as a big sister, I looked at her as a person when I wrote that song. And that's how it felt."

Weiss nodded slowly. When she aggressively ignored the story that came with it, she could slightly grasp what the younger girl was trying to convey. Weiss felt a lot more comfortable, now that she wasn't in the dark.

Then, she was literally in the dark. She realized too late that her companion had leaned over to turn off the lamp. "R-Ruby!"

"It's easier to think when you don't have to look at stuff, Weiss. If you feel uncomfortable I can turn it back on." She hears.

Weiss took a deep breath, her heart calming slightly. "It's fine."

The sensory deprivation unnerved her at first, but she found herself growing more comfortable by the second. It was honestly relaxing to not have anyone looking at her while she talked.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. It was easy to lose track of time when the only thing she could hear was breathing. The temperature in the room was comfortable and the sheets were soft under her hands. A faint smell of roses eased the tight muscles in her shoulders.

"Weiss?"

"Yes?"

She heard shuffling before a moment of silence. "Why do you want to make music?"

Weiss blinked. Why did she want to make music? She had never really asked herself that question before. The motivation had never been very clear to her, she just felt drawn to it.

"Can you… elaborate?"

"Well, what do you want to accomplish? Like your goal. Your endgame."

Weiss stayed quiet for a long time before giving her hesitant answer, "I guess I just want people to be okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Life isn't always on our side. Some people have a hard time finding joy. Some people can't feel like they're loved. Some people have a hard time holding onto hope, and I want that to be okay."

"You want them to feel that way?"

Despite the question, Weiss didn't feel judged. Her heart felt light in the dark room. "No. I want them to know it's okay to feel that way. The world is a dark place and it's easy to give up. I don't want them to feel that nobody understands them. I don't want anyone else to feel alone."

She let out a sigh, laying back on the bed. "I want to make a difference in someone's life. Even if it's just one person out of the thousands or millions that hear me."

Everything was quiet. Her heart beat steadily in her ears as she felt a small weight lift off her shoulders. Her head felt clear.

She would have thought she were alone if not for the second set of breaths. "What about you? Why do you do it?"

She heard more shuffling before a weight settled on the bed next to her. "Well, I want people to know the truth."

"The truth? About what?"

"All of the injustices in the world. It twists me up inside when I see bad things happening to good people." She heard a deep sigh. "I'm only one person. I can't make everything alright myself. I want them to know the truth and that, if we work together, we can change things for the better. I know that everything won't be perfect, but I can try. I have to try."

While Weiss found it to be idealistic, she could respect the girls motivation. Ruby wanted to make things better for people. She wanted to give them hope and encourage them to fight for things they believe in.

For some reason, Weiss didn't doubt that Ruby would change the world.

AN: Hey there guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I was feeling really blocked on this one for a while and had to take a small break, but I'm satisfied with the results.

67 followers!? Thank you SO MUCH you guys! Knowing that so many people are looking forward to the next chapter means the world to me! If you'd like to let me know how I'm doing or make a suggestion, don't be afraid to drop a review. No matter how small it is, I always appreciate it.

Until next time friends
-Vox