A/N: It's been brought to my attention that a few, very vocal, individuals have problems with major characters dying in stories. So, I figured I'll add this here for any new readers. A Red Stained Remnant had threats and danger, but A Red Stained Remnant II holds no punches and follows through on those threats. MAIN CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO DIE IN THIS. If you would rather avoid reading that, then take the ending of A Red Stained Remnant as the end of the story. Things wrapped up well enough to be getting by. If, however, you would risk the potential heartbreak for the reward of another story, then read on, dear reader, read on...

Ruby closed her eyes. She could feel Weiss' fingers caressing her face, gliding down her nose, and tracing her lips before slipping away. Ruby took a shuddering breath at the sensation. Weiss traced a finger down her cheek, brushing her ear. Ruby's heart thudded, beating against her ribs. An anxious fire kindled in her chest. She wasn't nervous, but eager. She could smell Weiss, she was that close. Ruby remembered the feeling of Weiss' lips on hers on the day they'd first confessed their love for each other.

It was intoxicating, the sensation of Weiss. Her presence, her smell, her taste. Everything about Weiss set Ruby's nerves aflame; the slightest touch set her skin aflame. She heard a giggle. Weiss' voice. The feeling in her chest—the burning; the anxiety; the hopeless, unstoppable, insatiable love—swelled. Ruby took a gasping breath and opened her mouth to speak: to tell Weiss how much she loved her.

Another finger touched her lips and Ruby shivered again. Her whole body cried out for Weiss. People called it desire; this was a need. Ruby needed Weiss more than she'd ever needed anything else. Ruby had thought from a young age that her dream in life was to be a Huntress, to help people. Now she knew… she'd give it up in a heartbeat if Weiss had asked her to—though she knew that Weiss would never ask.

A finger slid down Ruby's neck, pausing at the small hollow at the base of her neck. She arched her head back, revelling in Weiss' intimate caresses. Her skin was on fire. Heat was rushing through her.

Ruby reached out. She whispered Weiss' name as she reached for Weiss' cheek. Her lips softened as she reached out for a kiss. Anticipation threatened to overwhelm her. The memory of their last kiss was enough to set her imagination wild.

Her hands grabbed nothing but air.

Ruby smiled. Weiss' always loved playing games. Ruby would never have guessed how much of a tease she would be; she's always seemed so direct, so serious. She reached out again.

Nothing.

Ruby grasped with both hands and opened her eyes—

Her hands closed around nothing. The rain poured down on her. The spell was broken. Ruby remembered.

Weiss was gone.

And it was her fault.

Her hands fell to her sides as the realization crushed her. Her face was turned upwards, letting the rain wash over her. Raindrops. Not Weiss. Just the rain. Tears welled up and overflowed in a heartbeat, mixing with the rain that ran down her face.

She let out a shuddering cry and looked down at her feet, covering her mouth with a hand. It did nothing to stop the tears, or the sobs that followed. Her shoulders shook as she sucked in ragged breaths in between gasping, tear-filled cries. Water ran into her mouth, and she tasted salt.

A gust of wind blew past and Ruby's knees almost gave out. She stayed upright through sheer force of will, fighting back against the wave of grief that threatened to crush. Rain ran down the back of her neck, making her shiver again.

Ruby stiffened her spine. She didn't wipe away the tears that had already been shed, but she fought back more. Something tugged at her neck. She raised a hand to her collar and pulled at the thin, silver chain. It jumped free with a light tug and bounced into the air.

Ruby caught it at eye level. She lowered her hand and opened it. In her palm lay a small, silver snowflake. The symbol of the Schnee family. Weiss' symbol. And Ruby's only memento of her.

The grief hit her even stronger at the sight of pendant. She closed her hand, squeezing. The points of the snowflake jabbed into her hand, but she ignored it. The pain helped hold back more tears. Pain was all she had now.

She tucked the pendant into her shirt and sucked in a deep breath. She closed her eyes and held the breath until her head began to spin, then held it a little longer. Her lungs cried out for air and, once they screamed for it, Ruby gasped and breathed in.

The grief lingered. The pain didn't fade. But that was nothing new. Ruby had grown used to that over the last year. Heartache and sorrow had been her constant companions, and she'd learnt to cope.

Barely.

Ruby opened her eyes just as a gust of wind blew at her. It whipped her jacket out behind her and blew a splash of rain into her face. She winced as the water flew into her eyes and reached up to raise her hood.

Once again, her hands grasped at nothing. That's right. That's gone too. Remembering Weiss had dragged Ruby back to her past, in more ways than one. She'd gotten rid of her hood a few months after her graduation from Beacon—soon after losing Weiss. Now she wore a long, dark red trench coat—so dark it was almost black. The hem of the coat whipped against her ankles in the wind. Another gust blew the coat back, revealing the inner lining to be a bright red—sewn from the remains of her beloved cape.

Time to grow up, she had decided. Enough with the childish cape and hood. The coat served as a reminder of her past; it was a part of her life that she'd outgrown, not forgotten.

Once the wind died down, Ruby's eyes focussed on the view before her. Vale stretched out for miles, a vast, sprawling metropolis. The lights of the city shone up from in between the buildings below her. Ruby looked down from her rooftop. The street below her was utterly devoid of life, not even a stray animal was in sight.

A bell tolled in the city, a long, deep hum that echoed off the buildings. Each chime hit Ruby multiple times as the sound bounced off the buildings around her.

Twelve tolls of the bell.

Midnight.

Ruby sucked in another ragged breath.

Midnight… The beginning of a new day.

Weiss' birthday.

Ruby stood on the edge of the rooftop, gazing down at Vale, as a tear spilled over and ran down her right cheek. The sound of the bell died away slowly, and Ruby wiped away the solitary tear. She could feel the cool metal of the pendant touching her chest—just another cold reminder.

She grabbed the pendant and held it up. I should just throw it away, she thought. She's never coming back. I should get rid of it! She glared at the snowflake, squeezing it once again. All it did was cause her pain. What was the point in keeping it?

She tucked the pendant back into her shirt, clutching it tightly to her chest. No, that was one thing she could never do. Not in a million years.

Ruby took another deep breath and looked out over Vale. Other than the storm, the night was peaceful. All of Vale, at peace, safe, sheltered. She couldn't help but feel bitter. She had once had safety, peace, love. Now here she was, standing on a rooftop in the middle of a storm, trying to remember what she'd lost over a year ago. But, try as she might, she couldn't stop. She couldn't get over Weiss. She didn't think she ever would.

It was all my fault, she thought. How am I supposed to just get over that?

A police siren pierced the night, cutting through Ruby's thoughts. She reacted on instinct, spinning to the right—where the sound had come from. She dashed to the edge of the roof and looked down. The siren was getting closer, and the flashing lights were visible on the walls of buildings a block away.

Ruby reached to her belt and pulled out Crescent Rose, unfolding the vicious scythe in a flash and resting it on her shoulder. The police car appeared, hurtling around a corner onto the street below. It didn't appear to be chasing anything, but Ruby stayed where she was and watched, just in case.

The car came to a stop directly below Ruby and the policemen got out of the car. They pulled out guns and looked around frantically. Ruby was about to jump down and ask what they were looking for, but they hurriedly jumped back in the car and sped off, tires spinning on the wet road.

As Ruby watched them drive way, she couldn't help but feel confused. What were they doing? The car turned the first corner it came to, heading back the way it came. Who, or what, were they looking for?

Ruby sheathed Crescent Rose and started to turn away when a flash of movement caught her eye. She whipped back around and narrowed her eyes against the rain. Sure enough, there was another movement across the road. There was someone peeking out of an alley across the road from her. The combination of heavy rain and distance made it almost impossible for Ruby to make out any details, but she thought it was a man. It would certainly be a worryingly sized woman if the figure was female—not even Pyrrha was that tall.

The figure edged out of the alley and, once it looked around for more police, ran across the road, toward Ruby.

She smiled. Big mistake.

The figure—definitely a man, Ruby could see that now that he was closer—turned in the direction that the police had gone and began running up the street. Ruby ran alongside him, albeit five floors above. She reached the edge of the roof and looked down. The man paused to look down the alley that would lead him directly under her, but continued running down the street.

Ruby clicked her tongue in frustration. She drew Crescent Rose in a flurry and, with no hesitation, threw herself off the roof. The man below ran, oblivious to her rapid descent. Ruby aimed her descent towards a streetlight a few metres down the street. She swung Crescent Rose as she approached and hooked the scythe on the horizontal bar of the light. The world blurred as she spun in a tight circle.

She flicked her scythe off the light and kicked herself forward, towards where the man was now running. In mid-air she realised she was off target. The man was running parallel to her flight, but he was at least two metres to her right.

Damn. There was no way for her to both reach him and avoid notice. She had to pick one.

Crescent Rose roared. Ruby was pushed towards the man and was now falling directly towards him. He glanced over his shoulder at the noise, stumbling slightly. She was close enough now to see his eyes widen at the sight of her rocketing towards him. He tried to quicken his pace but by then it was too late. Ruby slammed into his back feet-first and he went sprawling on his stomach.

Ruby kicked off him and back-flipped, landing on her feet five metres from where he landed, with Crescent Rose at the ready. The man, showing a surprising level of agility for someone his size, pushed off the ground with his hands, spun through the air and landed facing Ruby.

He was definitely tall. Taller than Pyrrha, without a doubt. Probably taller than Jaune as well, though he didn't look much older than Ruby—five years at most. His hair was long, hanging to his shoulders, and was a deep crimson. His eyes were a bright, vibrant blue.

And, for some reason, despite the cold, he wasn't wearing a shirt. He wore a pair of long pants and a pair of leather boots, but his upper body was completely exposed. Ruby had held Sun as her standard of 'men with abs', but this guy put Sun to shame. His entire upper body was rippling with muscles and covered with scattered scars. His arms were as thick as small tree trunks, his shoulders hulked intimidatingly and his chest and stomach looked like it had been carved from marble.

Ruby wasn't sure if she should be impressed or terrified.

She noticed a thin leather strap wrapping around his chest, but couldn't see what it was connected to. She didn't have to wait long to find out. The man had apparently realized that he couldn't evade Ruby the way he had the police and was getting ready to fight. He dipped a shoulder and swung a large, black shield off his back and onto his arm. He grinned at Ruby. It wasn't a normal smile. It was… bloodthirsty.

Ruby straightened, resting Crescent Rose on the ground. The man's head cocked to the side in interest at the sight of it. Ruby took a breath before speaking.

"Who are you?" she called out.

The man just smiled, saying nothing.

Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at him and chambered another round. "Who are you!?" she shouted. "Why were the police chasing you?"

The man eyed the scythe for a few seconds, still saying nothing. Ruby opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off.

"What's your name?" His voice was rough, gravelly—like he'd spent many years spending a lot of time shouting. It fit with his physique. He had the body of a hardened warrior, the scars to prove it, and the kind of voice you'd imagine an angry soldier to have.

Ruby pointedly ignored the question. "Why are the police chasing you? Who are you?"

The man smiled but, again, didn't answer. Ruby was beginning to get angry, and a little worried. The man was standing in front of a Huntress, and didn't even blink; he grinned while ignoring her questions.

Ruby swung Crescent Rose behind her and got ready to attack. "I'll give you one last chance. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Ruby saw the man's teeth as he grinned. She counted to five as she waited for him to answer. He said nothing. Alright. I gave you enough chances.

Ruby fired Crescent Rose behind her and rocketed towards the man. His grin seemed to grow wider as she swung her scythe towards him. He stepped forward at the last second and smashed his shield into Crescent Rose.

Ruby's arms screamed in pain at the impact. He was stronger than he looked. And that's saying something. She tightened her grip despite the pain and used the shield as a fulcrum to swing herself over his head.

A hand reached towards her, grasping for her leg. She fired again—the bullet ricocheted off his shield and into the night—and spun away, chambering a third round.

Her boots slipped on the wet road and she skidded a few metres before stopping, though she retained her footing. The man frowned for moment before breaking into another grin.

Ruby dashed towards him, blurring into a flurry of rose petals. She caught a glimpse of his surprised face before Crescent Rose crashed into his shield and sent him flying into the wall behind him.

The wall buckled slightly as he hit it; the bricks cracked and caved inwards a few inches. The man pushed himself off the wall with a laugh. Ruby raised an eyebrow. He actually sounded genuinely amused. Who is this guy?

The man shook his head with another laugh. "Well this is a nice surprise for my first night. No one told me Vale would be so hospitable. But maybe we can make this a bit more fun."

The bottom three quarters of the shield folded up and formed a long pole with a black leather grip at the bottom, while a blade jutted out of either side of the section that remained. In the blink of an eye, the man's shield had turned into a double-bladed battle axe. A small lever jutted out and over the grip, like a knuckle guard.

The man shot Ruby another grin and pointed the axe at her. He squeezed the lever and a burst of fire shot out from the end of the axe. Ruby swung Crescent Rose as she jumped away. Shotgun shells pinged off the head of her scythe. Some of them hit her legs, but her aura protected her from the brunt of the damage.

By the time she brought her scythe down, the man was lunging towards her. His axe streaked towards her neck, his grin even wider. Ruby dashed to the side, leaving a puff of petals in her wake.

She fired before she'd even stopped moving and used the momentum to lunge towards the man's now exposed side. But somehow he'd managed to recover from his swing in time and slammed his shield into Crescent Rose. Before Ruby could jump away, he slammed his shoulder into the shield and sent Ruby sailing backwards.

Ruby toppled backwards as she flew, until she had her back to the ground. She heard the man laugh and gritted her teeth. If she landed on her back he'd be on her in an instant, and the fight would be over. She tensed her stomach, curled her feet up and collapsed Crescent Rose into its half-extended sniper rifle form. She stabbed the barrel downwards and sparks flew as it scraped along the ground. Ruby's momentum carried her onwards as Crescent Rose slowed down. The rifle tipped her upwards and Ruby used it to flick herself up, pushing off the ground. Then she fired, launching herself into the air.

The man's axe nicked past her head as she flew upwards. The gust of wind that came with its passing flicked Ruby's hair into her face. She saw a lock of her hair fly free and fall back towards the ground

She looked back down at the man as she fired again, sending herself even higher. You're lucky you aren't fighting Yang, she thought with a grim smile. There'd be nothing left of you.

The man saw her smile and grinned in return. He took a step back and readied his axe for another strike.

"You're more fun than I thought you'd be!" he laughed. He dashed forward, swinging the axe back as he approached.

Ruby swung Crescent Rose's blade back out and flipped herself upright. She fired upwards and jerked as her momentum reversed and she rocketed towards the ground. She spun as she fell and rose petals danced in a flurry around her as she turned into a whirling blur.

Her scythe crashed into the man's shield. How does he recover so damn fast? Ruby gritted her teeth and twisted Crescent Rose. She snared the edge of the shield with the hook that jutted out on the back of her scythe's head and wrenched the shield aside. The man's eyes widened as Ruby's feet slammed into his chest and sent him flying backwards, tearing the shield from his grip.

To the man's credit, he recovered as fast as he ever did. He planted one hand on the ground as he toppled over and vaulted away, turning his fall into a full flip and landing on his feet five metres away. Without even glancing at his weapon, which lay barely a few metres away, he threw himself at Ruby. He reached out with his bare hands, grasping for her throat.

Ruby fired Crescent Rose to the left and was jerked to the right. The man growled in agitation, his amused smile gone. That made Ruby smile. She fired again and dashed behind him. Fired again as he spun to face her, so she stood to his left. Fired again. And again.

She dashed in a circle around him, getting faster with each shot. Rose petals filled with air and were scattered by the falling rain. The man glanced away for an instant as a rose petal drifted in front of his face, and that was when Ruby struck. She fired directly away from him and flashed towards him. He barely had time to register that an arrow-shaped spear of red was tearing towards him before Ruby slammed Crescent Rose into him.

Somehow the man was quick enough to lean back, rolling with the blow. His hand lashed out, quick as a viper, and closed around Ruby's throat. Ruby gasped for air as his hand squeezed, but was quickly cut off. The man spun with the force of Crescent Rose and hurled Ruby into the wall behind him.

Ruby managed to flip herself around just in time and she hit the wall feet-first, bending her knees to soften the impact. She looked up as she chambered a round, ready to launch herself off the wall and straight into another attack.

A sudden pain seared through her neck.

Ruby cried out in pain and fell to her knees. She raised a hand to her throat, but felt nothing there. As soon as the pain had arrived, it was gone; she wasn't even sure it had actually been there at all.

She looked up and shot to her feet. The man was standing in the middle of the road, resting his battle-axe on one shoulder. He looked utterly relaxed; Ruby felt a surge of anger at his look of disinterest.

"Well as fun as this has been," he said in a smug voice. "I'm afraid this fight is over. I'd advise you to stand down before you get hurt; I don't want to have to kill anyone on my first night."

Ruby smirked. Over? She was just getting started.

Crescent Rose roared once again and Ruby flashed towards him. He didn't react, didn't move his axe, didn't try to dodge. All he did was shake his head. Ruby swung Crescent Rose as hard as she could into his side. Ruby saw the man get knocked to the ground, saw blood blossom and run down his side.

Then her ribs caved in.

Ruby screamed as she fell to the ground, barely holding onto Crescent Rose. She heard the man laugh as she tried to pick herself up. Her vision blurred as agony burned through her. She placed a hand gently on her ribs, feeling for any blood.

There was nothing there; she couldn't feel any damage at all. Touching the spot didn't hurt her at all either. She looked down in confusion. It looked like there was nothing wrong. There was no damage to her clothes, she couldn't feel any blood, or even any cracked ribs. But her side was still screaming in agony.

Another laugh caught her attention and Ruby looked up. The man was standing a few metres away, resting his axe on his shoulder again. There was blood running down his side, though he ignored it. He was still wearing that stupid smile.

"I told you," he said. "It's over. Better to just give up."

Ruby gritted her teeth and dragged herself to her feet. She didn't give up that easily. The man frowned at her.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you," he said.

Ruby almost laughed. You'd like that, wouldn't you? She couldn't open her mouth to say it; she was too preoccupied gritting her teeth against the pain.

The man's gaze flickered away and he winced slightly. He half-raised a hand towards his head as he clenched his eyes shut. He shook his head fiercely.

Ruby saw her chance. She pushed herself forward, through the pain, and fired Crescent Rose to launch herself towards him.

The man's head whipped up. Ruby caught a glimpse of his eyes just before she struck; blue gems surrounded by a terrifying red. He stepped forwards, inside Crescent Rose's arc. The scythe blade wrapped around him and stabbed into the back of his left arm, rather than hitting him in the side as Ruby had intended.

Her left arm screamed in pain and she reflexively let go of Crescent Rose. She caught one more glimpse of the man's face—his eyes were terrifyingly bloodshot and his mouth was twisted in a hideous leer—before a fist crashed into her face.

She was knocked back. Crescent Rose slipped from the grip of her weaker right hand and she hit the ground weaponless. The man was on her in a flash, his hands wrapping around her neck. Ruby struggled, but the man was holding her down, and he was far stronger than her. Her side was still in agony, as well as her left arm and now she could feel blood running down her face.

The man leant in close. All trace of his earlier cocky grin was gone. All that was left now was animal rage. He grunted as his hands squeezed. Ruby gasped her air, kicking her legs, but to no avail.

The edges of Ruby's vision turned white and black spots swam before her eyes. All she could hear was the man's animalistic panting as he crushed her windpipe.

She pulled at his hands.

Tugged at his fingers.

Nothing worked.

White closed in.

Spots grew bigger.

Sound faded.

Ruby…

Went…

Numb…

The pressure lifted.

Ruby sucked in a gasping breath. Her vision swam, everything blended together into an incoherent swirl. She went into a fit of coughing, trying to gasp for breath at the same time. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and the pain she'd been feeling before started coming back. Every rain drop that landed on her head sent a pulse of pain through her brain.

Some part of her remained alert and tried to find the man. She pushed herself up onto one elbow and blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her vision. Everything was still blurry and unclear, but it was a little better. Enough to make out the shape of her almost-murderer a few metres away.

He was bending forward, with his head in his hands, muttering unintelligibly. Ruby tried to turn her head, to look for Crescent Rose, but she pain lanced through her, and she fell back to the ground. She tried to pant, but breathing too hard sent pain shooting through her as well. She was terrified; this man was clearly insane and liable to kill her at any moment, and she couldn't do a thing. Even breathing put her in crippling pain.

She had nothing to do but wait until the pain lessened—it did, but very little—and she could look at the man again. Her heart leapt into her throat. The man was standing right over now, axe in hand. He was panting as if in pain and glaring down at Ruby. Rain dripped off his long, drenched hair and onto Ruby.

Ruby tried to move.

Tried to scream.

Tried to plead.

Tried to close her eyes.

The pain was still crippling, and prevented her from moving or speaking, and a mix of terror and morbid curiosity stopped her from closing her eyes. She watched as the man got down on one knee and pressed a hand to her head. She flinched away from touch and nearly screamed again as pain lanced through her.

His touch was gentle, strangely so. Ruby lay still, utterly frozen, convinced that she was about to die. Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want to die, but here it was anyway. In her mind, she whimpered in fear. She couldn't help it; the terror was overwhelming. She'd been prepared to die for years, to die protecting people, saving innocent lives.

But this… This was no heroic death of a Huntress of legend. This was slaughter. She was like a helpless animal, unable to defend itself.

The man's hand stroked down her face tenderly, until he caressed her neck. His hand lingered on her throat for a few seconds, just a light touch. He was still breathing heavily and occasionally muttering angrily under his breath. Her head was pounding too hard for her to make out any of his ramblings, but the sound was enough to terrify her even more.

Then his hand lifted away.

Ruby's heart almost stopped in surprise.

The man spoke, his voice loud enough for her to understand, though it sounded pained.

"I told you: it's over. You're lucky to be alive, girl. Next time, don't be stupid."

And with that, he was gone. Ruby could make out his blurred form walking away, slinging his shield onto his back as he left Ruby lying alone in the middle of the street.

As he blended into the rain—Ruby's vision too blurry to see him across the growing distance between them—the pain in Ruby's side and arm faded. When she couldn't see the man anymore, she slumped back to the ground. She closed her eyes as the pain faded further.

I'm alive…

She was as surprised at the realisation as she was relieved. She laughed, a blend of relief and hysteria, then regretted it immediately as it set her throat afire. So that pain wasn't going to magically fade away…

She blinked in surprise. The pain in her side and arm was completely gone. She was still in agony: her head was pounding, her throat was burning and she could still feel blood running from what felt like a broken nose, but it was an improvement.

She levered herself onto one elbow again; it was much easier this time. She looked around her and realised that her vision was slowly focussing again. Alright, she thought with trepidation. Let's get up. Come on, Ruby!

She hauled herself into a sitting position and her head swam, but without the pain in her side and arm, she could manage it. It took her a minute or two, but she managed to eventually drag herself to her feet.

The rain washed over her. Ruby looked up and opened her mouth. She collected half a mouthful of water and swallowed it. It was a little soothing to her throat, but she could tell it didn't do much.

She looked around—slowly—for Crescent Rose. It was laying a metre behind her, still in its scythe form. Ruby hobbled over towards it. She bent down and grabbed it, almost toppled as she straightened, but managed to maintain her footing. Taking a moment to gasp for breath, Ruby examined her surroundings, trying to get her bearings.

Her vision had cleared enough by now that she could see the building she'd been standing on top of before all this had started, about fifty metres down the street. Sighing in resignation, Ruby started the long hobble back towards it.

It took her what felt like a year—though it was more likely just a few minutes—but she reached the front of the building. Every step sent a stab of pain through her head, making simply climbing the small staircase to the front door an ordeal.

She unlocked the door to the building with her scroll and stepped inside. Getting out of the rain made her feel better. Her head threatened to split apart from the inside with each step, but at least it didn't hurt as much if she stood still now.

There was no noise within the building, which was understandable—it was the middle of the night. Ruby hobbled past the staircase, to the elevator. The doors opened as soon as she pressed the call button, and she shuffled in. She hit the button for the top floor and slumped against the wall as the elevator rose. She fought with all her might to stay upright. If she fell over, she knew she wouldn't get back up on her own.

The elevator shuddered gently as it stopped, and the doors opened. The hallway before her was well-lit, short, and had only two doors—one on each side. The entire top floor of the building was split between two apartments—one of them Ruby's. She slid along the wall to her door, eternally grateful for the short hallway.

She held her scroll in front of the scanner on the wall and the lock clicked open. She pushed the door open and nearly fell inside. The door clicked shut and locked behind her.

The room was large, wide and open. There was a dining table to Ruby's left, a kitchen directly in front of her, and—alluringly—a bedroom to her right. The bedroom was the first door in a short hallway that ran behind the kitchen, and Ruby forced herself to walk past it. She staggered down the hallway, to the bathroom.

It was a simple room. Tiled floors and walls. A shower set against the far wall, a toilet on the left, and a sink and medicine cabinet on the right. Ruby opened the medicine and pulled out a packet of painkillers. Her head was still pounding. She read the side of the packet—take two pills every 12 hours as needed—and tipped out four.

She pushed them into her mouth and turned on the tap. She leant forward, sucked in a mouthful of water and swung her head back as she gulped it down. Her head swam with the sudden movement and her throat cried out in protest as the pills went down, but she managed to swallow them.

Having accomplished that, Ruby moved on to the herculean task of getting back to her bedroom. She moved down the wall, using it as support, and eventually came to her door. She stumbled inside, threw Crescent Rose onto the floor, and toppled onto her bed.

Then, and only then, did Ruby relax.

Her head throbbed in pain. She knew she needed to get to sleep—she was utterly exhausted by the night's events—but she also knew that she wasn't going to, at least until the painkillers kicked in.

So she lay there, stewing in her pain and misery, the fight running through her head over and over again. Who was that man? What did he want in Vale? If he was up to no good, why had he let Ruby live?

Eventually, the pain faded away, and Ruby sighed in relief. Sleep crashed over her now that her mind was free of the debilitating pain, but, as she drifted off, she remembered.

Weiss.

Her heart seized in her chest, and she felt the grief wash over her again. She almost wanted the pain back instead.

All of a sudden, sleep was a long time coming.