A/N: This was originally chapters 3-4. They have since been combined into one chapter as I felt it would be better to read it all as one chapter, than pieces broken up. Some revisions have been made. This A/N will be removed at some point in the future.

I will place summaries of the original Review Response discussions at the end of the chapter.

CHAPTER 3:

Eve of Opportunity

This might be bad, thought Ruby nervously. She sat in a dark room illuminated only by a hanging spotlight above the table in front of her. The silence that had fallen ever since stepping into the room with Goodwitch was uncomfortable, and Ruby never did get that autograph from her. Her fingers had started drumming the table and she had started fidgeting in her seat by the time Goodwitch seemed ready to talk to her.

"I hope you realise that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady," chastised Goodwitch. "You put yourself and others in great danger."

"But they started it!" Ruby immediately protested, "I was just browsing magazines when those guys came in guns blazing!"

"Security footage shows they didn't start 'blazing' their guns until you started fighting," deadpanned Goodwitch. Ruby shrunk back at the statement, while she could only sigh. "As it stands, if it were up to me, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back…" Ruby beamed, only to then hiss and coil into her seat in terror as Goodwitch's riding crop smacked the table. "And a slap on the wrist!"

"I'm sorry!" Ruby cried, trying to seem as small as possible.

The Beacon teacher only shook her head before checking her scroll and looking at the door. "...In any case, there's someone here to see you."

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal a white-haired man dressed in green. Ruby instantly knew who this man was: Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy; And as her eyes fell from his steaming mug (of hot chocolate, she somehow noted) to the plate of cookies he held in his left hand, she began vibrating in her chair.

He then leaned in close, snapping Ruby out of her cookie trance and making her lean back from how uncomfortable she felt. "Well then, Ruby Rose…I must say, you have striking silver eyes."

Ozpin's odd remark made Ruby pause. "Uh, yeah, um, I guess I do…"

A small smile appeared on his face before he nodded at Goodwitch, who pulled up street footage of her encounter with Roman and his men. He then asked, "So! Where did you learn to fight like this?"

Ruby watched herself fighting for a moment, grinning at her own performance before wincing as her past self dove away from Crescent Rose and proceeded to dual wield swords. "I, uh, learned at Signal Academy," Ruby finally answered as she tore her eyes away.

He hummed. "They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well, one teacher in particular…"

"Hm…I see." He sighed dramatically as he set the plate of cookies down. Ruby nearly lunged for the plate. She was able to rein in her impulse the second before her fingers could reach for a cookie and she looked up at Ozpin pleadingly. He seemed to debate with himself for a few seconds before nodding and motioning at the plate.

Ruby didn't need to ask twice.

Ozpin sat down and took a sip from his cocoa. "So, this teacher…I only know one other person who can wield a scythe like that with such skill. A dusty, weathered old crow…"

The cookies (about 13, including the ones she hadn't eaten yet–She counted!) had nearly disappeared by the time he had finished his sentence. "Oh, yah!" Ruby exclaimed, her voice muffled with cookies, "Thash mah Unca!" She blinked, and a light blush dusted her cheeks as she realised that she had nearly just coughed crumbs all over the Headmaster of Beacon. She finished eating the last cookie on the plate before wiping her mouth and taking a deep breath.

"Sorry! I, uh, said that's my Uncle Qrow. He's the teacher that taught me. I wasn't good at using a scythe, like at all, as in complete garbage, but I got him to take me under his wing one day! Now I'm all 'Hoowah' and 'Haiyah' thanks to him!"

"And you're quite adept at that." Ozpin then seemed to finish his cocoa, where he looked at his mug and sighed before setting it aside. "So, what's an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a combat school like Signal designed to train warriors?"

A sudden rush of emotion filled Ruby. Even now, with her being hyped up on sugar, the question made her mind stop and think. "Why…" murmured Ruby. "Well, I want to be a huntress."

Her answer seemed to satisfy Ozpin as he steepled his fingers and directed a pointed look at her. "So you want to slay monsters–?"

Ruby interrupted him with a shake of her head. "More than that," exclaimed Ruby. "I want to, well–" She paused, really thinking about her next few words carefully. Specifically, one word that both energised her, and made her feel like crying for some reason.

"I want to be a hero! Someone who can save everyone, or as many as I can, anyway! I think my mom would have liked that. She and my dad, they taught me and Yang, my sister, to always help others, you know? So why not make a career out of it, right? And Yang, she's going to start at Beacon this year to become a Huntress as well! Huntresses and Huntsman are always risking their lives out there; And I mean, the police do that too, but like, these are huntsmen and huntresses, and I just think they're so awesome and cool and, well, yeah!"

…Ruby blinked before slapping a hand over her mouth and groaning. Okay…So maybe I did eat too many cookies, she thought. Ruby watched, however, as Ozpin and Goodwitch looked at each other. It was like they were having a staring contest, except Ruby knew they were actually just talking to each other without talking. Wait, how does that work again? Ruby's hand proceeded to go from covering her mouth to covering her chin in thought.

In the middle of Ruby's musings, Ozpin and Goodwitch seemed to come to a consensus as Goodwitch sighed and Ozpin grinned. Noticing this, Ruby returned her attention to him.

"Do you know who I am, Miss Rose?" asked Ozpin.

Ruby nodded quickly. "Of course! You're Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy!"

"It's nice to formally say hello."

"Nice to meet you!"

Ozpin chuckled at Ruby's energy. "Now that that's out of the way…" He raised an eyebrow. "You said you wanted to attend my school, yes?"

Nodding more seriously this time, Ruby still looked adorable as she said, "More than anything."

Goodwitch seemed to poignantly ignore Ozpin as he glanced at her, and even harrumphed as he maintained his gaze. Turning back to Ruby with a shrug, he nodded once. "Well, okay then."

It took a moment for Ruby to realise what Ozpin really said. When his words finished processing in her brain, Ruby's eyes widened as she stared between Ozpin and Goodwitch.

"Really?!"

~~R o a D~~

Ruby wheezed as Yang crushed her in an embrace. "Oooo! I can't believe my little sister got accepted into Beacon! Everyone's going to finally realise how amazing you are!" She then stepped away and slammed a fist down on Ruby's head, making her cry out as she gasped for air. "And that's for leaving in the middle of the night! You know, I woke up to my scroll yelling at me, only to hear from the police that you were in their custody. Do you know how worried and angry I was?"

Once her meeting with Ozpin had finished, Ruby was promptly let go only to find Yang waiting outside with bed-head and a tired scowl. When Yang marched up to Ruby ready to explode, she had been quick to explain what happened. It was apparently enough to sate Yang's anger, but Ruby still pouted as she rubbed her sore head.

"I'm sorry, Yang! I couldn't sleep!"

Yang could only sigh at Ruby's remark as they started walking away from the station. "I know you were excited to see me off tomorrow, but I didn't think you would have enough energy to run around Vale beating up master criminals."

"Ugh," Ruby groaned. "I already said it wasn't my fault. No, it was because I had that dream again! You know, of the world filled with weapons. That's why I couldn't sleep!"

"You've had that dream countless times, Ruby. It's cool and all, but it's nothing to lose sleep over."

"I'm serious!"

"And I'm Yang. Heh. Let's just go back to bed and figure this all out tomorrow, okay?"

Ruby stomped her foot and grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "Yang! You're not listening to me! I need you to listen!"

"Woah, Rubes, calm down–"

"It felt like I was dying, Yang! Like everything I ever was had caught fire and I couldn't breathe and I kept seeing and hearing things and, and–" She took a deep breath, "–It just felt so real, you know?"

Any resistance Yang was putting up instantly evaporated as Yang stared at Ruby in confusion. "...What?"

Taking a deep breath, Ruby continued. "I got further into my dream than I ever have. Before I only ever saw the weapons. But this time, I touched one, and all of a sudden I knew everything about it: Its name, how it was made, where it came from and who used it, everything! And then I saw some other really beautiful weapons I can't even begin to describe but then it felt like I was burning up and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I swear I was on fire and then I was reaching for something when I woke up and–"

"Ruby. You're crushing my shoulders."

Ruby broke out of her rambling and widened her eyes as she saw Yang valiantly trying not to wince in her grip. She let go as fast as she could before holding and kneading her hands together. "S-Sorry! I was just, I was, uhm, well…"

"You don't have to apologise," Yang sighed. "It's my fault I wasn't taking you seriously and I'm tired." She looked around and seemed glad to see that no one was there to see Ruby meltdown in public. "Look. Why don't we go back to the hotel room and you tell me everything there, okay?"

Ruby replied with a meek nod. "Okay."

The walk back was quiet. There were even fewer people out now that it was past midnight, and likely fewer still after the commotion Ruby and Goodwitch had made fighting off Roman and the mysterious woman. Eventually, they made it back to the hotel where they quietly shuffled into their room.

Finally, once they had both situated themselves on their beds, Yang snapped her fingers. "Alright, help me help you. Spill."

"Okay, so you already know that I had the dream today–"

"Yeah, you only went on about it for a minute without breathing. Come on, Rubes!"

"–And I started reading every weapon in my dream like a book. I saw two swords especially that were just beautiful to look at, but when I looked at them, it felt like a nail was being shoved into my brain!"

Yang made a face. "T.M.I. Keep going."

"Then, it felt like I was experiencing another life, and then my body got really hot, like 'on fire' hot, and then everything caught fire and I fell, and then I saw a sheath–"

"Wait, a sheath?"

"–Called Avalon; And I reached for it, and just when I touched it, I woke up!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. "What do you mean 'a sheath'? I thought your dream world only had weapons in it."

"Well, yeah, it has lots, and I mean lots of weapons, like an unlimited amount of weapons, and most of them swords or blades of some kind, but this was something else, Yang!" Ruby stood up and began pacing as she waved her hands. "It felt other-worldly, like I was looking at something so far out of reach that I would never make it, but when I touched it…"

Something sparked in Ruby's eyes as she stretched her arm out. "It was warm. So peaceful. For just a moment, it felt like everything was going to be alright. Like I would never have to worry again. Like-Like home was still home and mom was still—"

"Ruby," whispered Yang. "Just stop. Please."

Yang's quiet voice shocked Ruby. She turned to see Yang gripping her knees tightly. "…Yang?"

"I'm fine, Rubes. You just…brought up some memories." Yang took a deep breath and smiled tiredly at Ruby. "So, this world of yours. You saw things, felt things. Why is that important now?"

Ruby watched her sister for a moment longer to make sure she was okay. Ruby knew that Yang, for all of her boisterous bravado, was still a girl dealing with a lot of problems. Guilt and anger were always simmering underneath Yang's cheerful surface, and Ruby had seen Yang cut down enough trees with her fists to know that she wasn't as fine as she made herself out to be.

And maybe that's why Ruby thought that being able to read Yang's Ember Celica wasn't surprising in the least. She knew her sister through and through.

"I'm sorry, Yang. I didn't mean to bring that up. But you know that's not your fault."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"You were a kid, Yang. We both were." Ruby bit her lip and sighed as she said, "I mean, I still am, kinda."

"You definitely act like one."

"Yaaaang! You weren't supposed to agree with me!"

A grin finally split Yang's face. "Where would be the fun in that?"

Ruby smiled back and walked over to sit beside her sister. She then gave her a side hug, which Yang returned. "We're sisters, right?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, Rubes. I've got your back, remember?"

"Yeah."

They sat like that for a while longer before the both of them yawned, looked at each other with surprise, and laughed.

"We should go to sleep, huh," said Ruby as she stood and stretched. "Eugh. I need to shower tomorrow too."

Yang snorted. "You can say that again. You smell like a wet Beowolf."

Ruby twirled around and stomped her foot. "I do not!"

"Could have fooled me!"

"Whatever! Go to bed!"

Yang's laughter followed Ruby as she stripped herself back into her pajamas and leapt into bed. "You suck, Yang."

"What happened to being good?"

"That was then, this is now!"

The only thing Ruby heard was more laughter. Ruby snorted at Yang's guffaws and began laughing again too. Both sisters were rolling in their beds and laughing loudly, until eventually, their collective tiredness caught up.

"Ruby?" Yang asked as she began settling in.

"Yeah?"

"You never did tell me why your dream was so important. I mean, yeah, it seems kind of traumatising hearing it from you, but you've loved having that dream since you were a kid." Ruby heard shuffling, and Ruby rolled over to see Yang propping her head up with a hand.

"Remember how I said I could read the weapons in my dreams like a book?"

"Well, yeah. That part was really cool, by the way."

"I don't know how, but I can do it in real life now."

"Oh. That's neat."

"Yeah."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Yang."

Ruby turned the side-table lamp off and rolled back over before snuggling in. Her day had been pretty eventful, having run around Vale getting last-minute things with Yang, but her evening had been all over the place. Ruby was glad she could finally get some good sleep. She only hoped her dreams would be as uneventful and awesome as they usually were.

Just as Ruby was about to doze off, she was shocked awake to hear Yang scream.

"Wait! What do you mean 'you can do it in real life'?!"

~~ R o a D~~

"I still can't believe my little baby sister is coming with me to Beacon! Isn't this the best day ever?"

"Y-Yang, please!" Ruby gasped, "Stop! AIR!"

Yang released Ruby and patted her on the back, which didn't help Ruby as she coughed and tried to regain her breath. "But I'm so proud of you! Not just anyone can admit that they were admitted into Beacon two years early!"

Ruby pushed her away. "Come on, Yang. Don't say that out loud. I barely even did anything!"

"What do you mean?" asked Yang. "From what I heard, you were amazing. Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!"

Ruby winced. "But I don't want to be 'the bee's knees'. I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"You won't be normal for much longer if your dreams and that 'reading' ability of yours is anything to go by," said Yang in a quieter voice. "Look. I know you're nervous. With what you told me—You can't make that stuff up." Yang then grabbed Ruby by her shoulders and grinned. "But shouldn't you be more excited about this? This has been your dream since forever!"

"Well, yeah, I'm excited," said Ruby with a smile before she sighed. "But I got moved ahead two years! People are going to start thinking I'm special or something. And on top of that, I still don't know how to control my 'reading'! Do you know how many people here I already know everything about just because I looked at their weapon?"

"No?"

Ruby threw her arms wide open and cried, "This many!" She then latched onto Yang and began to moan. "Yaaaaaang! I'm so scared! I don't even have any of my friends with me like you do! What do I do?!"

Yang laughed at Ruby's plight, who pouted in betrayal. "Look, Ruby, you'll be fine. You just have to make some new friends!"

Just then, a screen blinks to life showing someone on the Vale News Network talking about what happened with Roman Torchwick the night before, but omitting Ruby's name. Ruby groaned as she buried her face in embarrassment. It then changed to Lisa Lavender talking about some sort of Faunus Civil Rights unrest before the screen fizzled out. It was replaced by a hologram of someone Ruby had just met the night before.

Yang noticed her sister's recognition, but couldn't help asking the question, "Who's that?"

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon Academy. My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh." Yang turned to Ruby, who was watching the hologram attentively. "You met her last night, right?"

As Goodwitch started talking about Beacon Academy and what enrolling there entailed, Ruby nodded at Yang. "Yup! She was super cool, you know? She did this whole thing with her riding crop, she uses that as a weapon by the way, where she made this rock-javelin thing—"

"O-kay, cool the jets, Ruby. I don't want to know what crops she's been riding in her spare time."

Ruby groaned. "That's terrible, Yang."

"You know you love it."

"That was a bad joke through and through."

"You wouldn't know what a bad joke is even if it hit you."

"One of them is speaking to me right now."

Yang gasped loudly. "Hey!"

As Yang started sputtering about how Ruby was being a brat and shouldn't insult her elder sister like that, Ruby turned her head to look out the window of the Airship. In the far distance, she could see the spires of Signal Academy, and she swore that when she focused her eyes (and they started to burn), that she saw home. "Look, Yang!" exclaimed Ruby, "You can see Signal Academy from here! And home too! Wow, home looks so small from here."

Yang, to her credit, quickly recomposed herself as she looked to where Ruby was looking. "Okay, Signal, I can see. But how the hell are you seeing home from here?"

The burning in Ruby's eyes stopped as she looked away, and she rubbed at them. "Ow. Uh, I don't know, actually. I just kinda focused and my vision, like, doubled or something."

"That's weird…" Yang muttered. "Is something wrong? You okay?"

"Yeah I'll be fine." Ruby blinked the rest of the pain away before she saw a blond boy holding his stomach and covering his mouth as he looked out the window. "I can't say the same for Vomit Boy over there, though." Yang turned to see him run away from the window and fall against the opposite wall.

"Yeesh. Guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang turned back to Ruby and narrowed her eyes. "Ruby. Your eyes are red and look like they're bleeding. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked. "Yes! I'm okay. Are my eyes really that red?"

"Yeah. Kind of. It looks like it's going away now, but they're still red around the edges." Yang sighed. "I swear, Ruby. Something weird is going on with you. I was planning on leaving you to find friends for yourself, but now I'm thinking of just sticking close to make sure you're doing alright."

Ruby blinked as she stared at Yang in shock. "W-what? You were planning on abandoning me?"

"Well, yeah," admitted Yang. "You don't have friends right now, and you need to work on your social skills."

"My social skills are fine! I can make friends just fine!"

"Clearly, since the only person you've spoken a word to since the flight started is me, your sister."

Ruby pouted and crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, maybe other people should make an effort to talk to me. How about that?" Ruby then shook her head. "And as much as I would love to be with you at all times–Trust me, the only reason I'm doing alright right now is because I'm with you–You don't need to watch over me. If you want to hang with your friends, that's fine. Mostly. Not really. But do what you want!"

In response, Yang gave Ruby a side hug. "Oh, Ruby. You're so cute. Fine, I'll go with my friends once the Airship lands, but I'm coming straight back to you if I hear you hurt yourself or something, capiche?"

Ruby nodded happily before she started squirming in Yang's tight grip. Then, Ruby frowned as Yang's grip started tightening, until Ruby started trying to fight her way out of Yang's crushing hug. She finally had it when she started getting noogied in the head. "Alright, alright! Ack! I get it! I'll try not to blow myself up or something!"

"Good!" said Yang. Just then, the blond boy came back and he stumbled near them. They both looked at him with worry. "Hey, you alright–HEY! OH MY GOD!"

The blond boy had tried to smile at them but he only succeeded in losing whatever control he had left and puked all over the floor next to them. They both recoiled in horror and Ruby screamed as she pointed at Yang's boots. "Ewww! You have puke on your shoes!"

"Gross! Gross gross gross gross gross! Get it off!"

"No, Yang, stay away from me. Wait, don't point your shoes at me! Yaaah! Get away! Get awaaaaay!"

Ruby started to run as Yang chased her, the both of them leaving behind their mutual point of contention. Ruby didn't get very far due to how many people were packed in the halls, so when Yang caught up to her, they stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Soon enough, the Airship landed and everyone around them started filing out. When Ruby and Yang did the same, they both stopped in awe.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" exclaimed Yang. "This is going to be our home for the next four years, Ruby!"

Meanwhile, Ruby was paying attention to something else, and in this case, many something elses. "Oh my gosh, Yang! There's so many weapons here! Look at–!" And then Ruby's brain began flooding with torrents of information as her eyes kept flicking from weapon to weapon. It was at this moment that Ruby realised why it felt like she was burning whenever she 'read' a weapon.

It was like each weapon was searing itself into her soul, branding its image into her dream world. Their histories and their techniques were only the beginning as everything else about them all rushed through her at the same time. Names and places and owners and accomplishments—It was a chorus of ringing metal that Ruby couldn't even begin to stop.

Ruby grabbed at her chest and gasped at how hot she felt, her breath even managing to release steam into the air. "Y-Yang!" Ruby cried as she shut her eyes in an attempt to stop the flow.

"Ruby?!" Yang rushed towards her and made to hold her up but winced as her Aura reacted to how hot Ruby's skin was. "Woah! You're blazing hot right now!"

"M-make it stop," Ruby whispered. "Th-the weapons, I can see everything about them!"

"Hey, Rubes, keep it together, they're just weapons!"

Ruby fell against Yang, who activated her Semblance to mitigate the heat pouring off of Ruby. And despite her rising temperature, Ruby began shivering. "I c-can't stop it, Yang!" She whimpered. "Y-Yang!"

At her sister's pleas, Yang's eyes began looking around wildly as she looked for someone who might be able to help her. She saw some of her friends catch her eye as they rushed to see what was going on, while Yang grit her teeth. "Help!" Yang finally cried. "Someone, anyone who has some Ice Dust, or has a cold Semblance! Please! My sister's burning up!"

"Y-Yang…"

"Hang on, Ruby! I'm getting help!"

Ruby's breath was shallow, and she was weakly reaching for something Yang couldn't see. "I…I can't…"

Suddenly, Ruby went limp, and Yang screamed. "RUBY!"

"What is going on here?!"

A new voice pierced the heat of the moment like a knife through butter. Yang snapped her head towards the source of the voice, and stared at what looked like some sort of princess dressed in white. However, that didn't matter to Yang right now. What mattered was helping

"My sister, Ruby! She just started burning up, overheating!"

"If she's sick, we should call a professor or something—"

"Ruby doesn't have time!" Yang snarled. "This isn't normal for her! Can you help her or not?!"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then do it!"

The girl, finally realising the urgency of the situation, popped a canister from the rapier attached to her hip and quickly opened it before creating some sort of glyph above Ruby. Just as Yang realised what exactly was happening, and who the girl might be, the girl in white activated her glyph and held her canister up before Yang felt a rush of cold wash over her and Ruby.

Its effect on Ruby was immediate. Her breathing became easier, she stopped shivering, and her body relaxed in Yang's grip. But Ruby was still warmer than normal, and that scared Yang. She then grit her teeth at the fact that she was caught up in whatever spell the girl had cast, but in this situation, she couldn't care less.

When it finally seemed like Ruby wasn't going to heat up anymore, Yang breathed a sigh of relief and nearly started crying. She then remembered just where exactly she was, and choked back the sob that was building in her chest. Yang then turned to see the girl in white putting capping her canister before neatly slotting it back into her rapier. Around her, the crowd quickly started dispersing as the danger had passed, while Yang's friends stood off to the side in silent support.

Yang gave them a meaningful look before turning to Ruby's saviour.

"Thank you," Yang said hoarsely. "I'm useless when it comes to these things."

The girl huffed in annoyance which bugged Yang greatly, but Yang also saw just how relieved the girl was as well. "It was nothing, I assure you. Merely happenstance that I was able to help." She then eyed the both of them, her eyes frowning slightly as she really observed Ruby. "But isn't your sister a little young to be in Beacon? It's no wonder she must have collapsed from stress."

Just then, Ruby started stirring awake. Yang quickly repositioned herself so that Ruby was sitting up, and that was when Ruby chose to crack open her eyes.

"Ack…too bright!" Ruby yelped. "Urgh…It feels like I got punched by an Ursa and chewed on by a Beowolf…" Ruby opened one eye after the other and blinked lazily before frowning at Yang's own red eyes and the girl in white standing next to them. "Uh…Yang? What happened?"

"You passed out."

That seemed to shock Ruby awake as she leapt out of Yang's arms. "I what?!"

"Calm down, Ruby! You shouldn't be moving yet!"

True to Yang's warning, Ruby immediately stumbled upon standing, right into the girl in white. Said girl cried in surprise as she nearly toppled over. "Watch it, you dolt! I just helped save you!"

"S-Sorry," Ruby apologized as Yang rushed to her side. "Looks like standing up after passing out really isn't a good idea."

The girl shook her head with scoff. "Clearly."

"Jeez, Rubes. Give a girl a heart attack, why don't you," Yang said. "You're still not okay."

"Sorry, Yang," Ruby murmured, before she turned back and finally got a good look at the girl in white. "Sorry…uh, what was your name again?"

"I never gave it."

"Uhm…"

The girl in white seemed to debate with herself about something before she sighed and extended a stiff arm out. Ruby tentatively took it. The girl seemed to wince before she shook it once and let go.

"The name is Weiss. Weiss Schnee."

"Oh! Uh, my name is Rose Ruby. Wait! I mean 'Ruby Rose'. My name's Ruby Rose."

"Pleasure. And I would truly appreciate it if you didn't make me waste any more of my dust by passing out again."

A silence then fell between them that was anything but pleasant. Luckily, or unluckily, before the moment could get any more awkward, the third person among them introduced themselves.

"And I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's sister! Thanks for being Ruby's friend!"

Ruby promptly shoved Yang away, who chuckled at her reaction. "Yang! Oh my god!"

Weiss responded by sputtering out unintelligible things as her cheeks reddened.

Yang laughed loudly. "If you're okay enough to push me away, then I'll just let you talk to your new friend!" Yang then grabbed Ruby by the shoulders and whispered, "But we're going to talk later, alright?"

Ruby quickly nodded her head, to which Yang saluted. "Alright then. See ya later!" And she dashed off, leaving Ruby stranded next to a confused Weiss.

"So…" Ruby finally said, interrupting Weiss' confusion. "Do you come here often?"

Weiss shook herself out of her stupor and looked at Ruby with calculating and narrowed eyes, as if Ruby were some sort of enigma that she couldn't figure out. "...Hm. Of course not. This is my first time stepping foot on Beacon grounds."

"Oh. Right, of course. Me too, actually."

Weiss then continued eyeing Ruby up and down before frowning once again. "And are you sure you aren't a little young to be at Beacon Academy? You don't look any older than fourteen—"

"Fifteen!" Ruby chirped. "I'm fifteen."

"Apologies. You look younger than fifteen. What are you doing here?"

"What am I…?" Ruby gaped at the question. "I mean, Professor Ozpin—"

Weiss put up a hand and turned on her heel. "You know what? I don't need to know. I'm sure you're here for a good reason, one I'll find out eventually. If not…Well, I guess we'll just see how much of a faker you really are."

Faker.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my trolley so I don't lose any of my luggage. Goodbye, Ruby."

Faker.

"And…I hope you don't collapse again; Initiation is likely stressful enough as it is. Please take care of yourself."

FAKER!

"Uh, bye…" said Ruby. However, she had barely registered the rest of Weiss' farewell as her mind was too busy echoing that one word: faker. For some reason, it made Ruby's blood boil. Like she was being mocked. Like she was worth nothing more than the ground she walked on. As if every fiber of her being was fighting to disprove her words—

Something within Ruby clicked back into place, and Ruby blinked as her sudden rage seemed to disappear. She then swayed and stumbled, catching herself with her hands on her knees, as she took a deep breath. "Why was I so mad?" wondered Ruby in a whisper. "Just because she called me a, a faker—"

Ruby couldn't even stomach saying the word. It made her feel sick. Which was odd, because she'd never had a problem with the word before. She'd never even considered the word something she would ever need to think about, but now, it was all she could think about. Her eyes returned to the retreating form of Weiss, where her eyes fell on Weiss's rapier.

After her disaster of experiencing hundreds of weapons all at once, Ruby wasn't going to commit the same mistake, and especially not with only a single weapon to worry about. She definitely didn't like passing out, and she still felt clammy with heat and had a headache that was pounding behind her eyes and around her head. If she was going to attempt to Read Weiss' weapon, she was going to do it right—This time, at the very least.

Myrtenaster. That was its name, and all Ruby wanted at the moment. In that instant, Ruby's joy at her targeted use of her Reading (as she had dubbed it, though she also felt a strange urge to laugh at the name) overwrote her previous hesitation. If Ruby was capable of isolating the steps to her Reading, then she would also be able to keep herself from burning up.

Slowly, very slowly, Ruby unraveled as much as she could about Weiss' Myrtenaster. She saw that it was a Multi-Action Dust Rapier. She saw the flaws in its creation, the care that had been put into making it. She saw the training hours Weiss had put into mastering her forms, and the way she took care of the blade itself. How she had based it off of her elder sister's own weapons.

How torn she was about her family. How she came to Beacon to escape from her father. How she just wanted to prove herself. How she felt like she was worthless and a failure.

How familiar it all sounded, and how much Ruby wanted to help her.

Ruby slammed her Reading ability shut and closed her eyes. A flaring heat, infinitely more gentle than before, washed over her before dissipating. "Too much," murmured Ruby. "I-I saw too much. Ugh…" Ruby didn't want to know those parts. She didn't want to know that Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, was a sheltered, fractured girl who wore a cold and prickly mask to protect herself. She wanted Weiss to tell her those things herself. She wanted Weiss to be as happy as could be.

She then wondered if Weiss wanted to be friends at all.

"You know, it's rude to stare."

A voice next to Ruby made her jump away and fall on her butt. She groaned and rubbed her butt as she glanced up at her source of momentary terror. "Oh! H-hey, didn't see you there. Sorry." Now standing above her was a girl wearing lots of black, and had a bow situated on top of her head. Ruby cocked her head as she looked up at the girl, because she smelled something different about her. Ruby then went cross-eyed as she rubbed at her nose. Why would someone smell different than anyone else? She wondered. How can I even smell her? Weird.

The girl in black smirked and stretched out a hand. "I'm the one who snuck up on you."

Ruby took her hand and groaned as she stood back up. "Man, I really hope falling isn't going to be a trend for me. I'm hating it already."

"Who knows? Maybe you've just got bad luck," the girl said.

"I…can't say that I don't. But I've always said, 'Bad luck is just good luck waiting to happen'!"

"You say that?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes? Okay, uhm, no…I just came up with it actually."

The girl snorted, at which Ruby smiled. Ruby then watched as a pensive look fell on the girl in black's face. "It's just odd, though. I would have thought that she'd…"

"Thought what?" asked Ruby. "Was Weiss going to do something?"

"Nothing." She shook her head. "But I wanted to ask: Why were you staring at Weiss Schnee like that? Was it because she saved you? Did she say something to you?"

"What? No," said Ruby. "I was looking at her weapon, Myrtenaster."

"You already know her weapon's name? Huh."

"I mean…kind of."

"Anyways, that's all I wanted to know. I guess I'll see you around."

Ruby blinked as her speaking partner slinked off and disappeared as fast as she came. All that she saw was the disappearing sight of ribbons that seemed to want to be Read by her, but were too far and detached now to do so. "Huh? Wait, what? I never got your name!" Ruby sighed and furiously rubbed at her face before hunching her shoulders over. "Ugh, I'm so confused."

"Don't worry. I'm super confused too."

Ruby groaned as she heard yet another voice pipe up next to her. What is with the world and trying to get me to talk to people? Ruby thought. Is…Is my luck really that bad? She straightened up to see a familiar face, though it definitely wasn't one she was hoping to see again soon. "Uh, hi? Weren't you the guy that threw up next to us on the ship?"

His still-green face turned to give Ruby a shaky smile. "Oh…Yeah, that was me alright. Eheh…" He took a deep breath. "Sorry about that, by the way. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the—You know what, nevermind."

For a moment, Ruby thought about ignoring him, but Yang's words haunted her. She wanted to prove Yang wrong about her social skills. And it wasn't as if Jaune wasn't nice; In fact, he seemed pretty alright now that he wasn't puking his guts out. If the world wanted her to talk to people, then talk to people she would!

Ruby shrugged and puffed her chest out. "Apology accepted. My name's Ruby Rose!"

"Ruby, huh? Nice name."

"Thanks," said Ruby. "My mother chose it for me. It's special like that."

After that, they stood in silence for a long moment as neither could think of anything else to talk about. Ruby then remembered why she was even at Beacon in the first place, and her head swivelled to see the last few people starting to make their way towards the entrance. "Come on, Vomit Boy, we should get moving with everyone else."

"Oh, right! Let's do that." As they started walking, suddenly Jaune realised what Ruby had said, and he turned to her with a small frown. "Hey, what'd you call me again?"

"Vomit Boy?"

"Yeah, that! I didn't do that on purpose, you know."

Ruby grinned. "Of course not. But it was still one-hundred percent gross."

A sigh of defeat escaped Jaune. "I mean, you're right, but still, I feel bad when you say it like that. It's not my fault I have motion sickness."

"Haven't you ever been on an Airship or Bullhead before? Motion sickness usually isn't that bad."

"You can't blame me for something I can't control."

"I can and I will," smirked Ruby, who found some odd sense of satisfaction in seeing Jaune fight to defend his dignity.

"Look, all I'm saying is that motion sickness is more common than you think, okay?"

Ruby finally couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. "Alright, alright, I'm done, haha! You're funny, you know that? And yeah, sorry about 'Vomit Boy', it was the first thing that came to mind."

Jaune huffed. "Jeeze, and I thought you were as nice as you looked. Maybe I should call you 'Meltdown' after you nearly caught fire." Upon hearing that, Ruby's face grew red, and Jaune seemed to realise what he said. "Wait! I didn't mean to make fun of you collapsing, I was—"

"Just shut up, Jaune," Ruby said as she looked away. "You're really dumb. You know that?"

"Aw man. Haven't even entered Beacon and I've already messed up.""

Meanwhile, Ruby was turning at the fact that Jaune had complimented her, albeit in a roundabout way. She couldn't really care less about being insulted. Why am I getting so flustered by this?! Ruby screamed in her head. I'm not even attracted to the guy! I mean, I want to be friends, but…eugh?! Still, it was nice to be complimented instead of my sister for once…

"Thanks," said Ruby suddenly, shocking Jaune out of his depression.

"H-huh? For what?"

"You don't need to know that."

Jaune sighed. "I'm never going to understand girls, am I?"

"Nope," Ruby said with a smile. She then looked at him curiously and asked, "So, what kind of weapon do you have? I have this!" Ruby proceeded to pull out Crescent Rose which she quickly expanded to full size and let stab into the ground.

Seeing a giant scythe suddenly appear in his face was enough to make Jaune jump away in shock. "W-whoa! Is that a scythe?!"

Ruby grinned and brought it up before cocking the chamber. "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A custo-what?"

"It's also a gun, Jaune."

"Ah. That's…cool?"

"Yeah it is!" agreed Ruby. "Because I made it myself." She then gestured towards him. "So? How about you?"

At this point, Ruby was already steeling her mind to make sure she didn't see more than she wanted. Or anything at all, really, since Jaune was introducing her to his weapon. However, as he pulled out the sword from within his sheath, something about it made her double take. It was as if her brain stuttered upon seeing the blade, and a foreign feeling of confusion rose up from within her. A feeling that the blade before her wasn't all that it seemed to be.

"Crocea Mors…?" Ruby couldn't help but murmur. One of her hands then shot up to her mouth as she realised what she had just carelessly said aloud. A random stranger knowing the name of your personal weapon: Who wouldn't find that suspicious? I was so sure I stopped myself from Reading it too… Ruby frowned.

Jaune, who just finished pulling the sword out of its sheath, nodded his head in confirmation at Ruby. "Yeah! That was, er, is, it's name!" he stuttered, before tilting his head in confusion. "How'd you know?"

And of course, he had to ask the question. Ruby cursed her luck. How was she going to explain this? Immediately, her first thought went straight to her love for weapons, and "Oh! Uh, I'm a huge weapons buff. I know a lot about old weapons, and yours looked familiar, so…"

Jaune raised his eyebrows in appreciation. "Wow. You must really know your history and weapons, then, because this belonged to my great–great-grandpa, who used it in the war. It's basically antique."

But that's not its true history, is it? Ruby found herself thinking. Maybe if I just saw a little bit–

[Crocea Mors–]

[C̵r̶o̴c̴e̴a̶ ̷M̴o̶r̶s̶–]

Two Records/Weapons/Blades suddenly began clashing in her mind, and Ruby gasped as a familiar sharpness invaded her brain. Every time both blades crossed, she felt another page of history record itself. Nothing could compare to the flood of information and the burning she had experienced from recording hundreds of weapons at once, but it was still more than painful enough. Her grip on Crescent Rose tightened and its cool metal helped ground her as she forced herself to stop Reading.

"-uby? Ruby!"

"Huh? Did something happen?"

Jaune was looking at her like she had just told him she wanted to die. Ruby inwardly laughed at the thought, until she realised that Jaune was genuinely concerned.

"You, uh, you okay?" Jaune asked nervously. "I was just talking about how my sheath was also a shield, but then I saw you spaced out pretty hard there, and you were holding your scythe like you wanted to kill me–I mean something!"

Ruby looked down and found that she had taken a stance with Crescent Rose. Her knuckles were white and her palms were sweaty. Before she did anything else stupid, Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose and tucked it away. "Sorry about that. I thought I heard something."

Jaune blinked, and his terror quickly shifted from her to his surroundings. "Are we not safe at Beacon? Don't tell me Grimm are going to start invading!"

"No, we're fine," Ruby sighed. "There's nothing out there. I'm a little stressed right now, and I need to lie down. So we just need to get…to…the opening ceremony…"

Ruby's face fell into a pale grimace. "Uh, Jaune? What time is it?"

"Uh, five minutes before the hour. Why?"

"Why? Are you serious?" Ruby facepalmed. "We're going to be late! Let's get moving!"

Jaune yelped as Ruby pulled on him. "Wait, we don't even know where we're going, do we?!"

"Doesn't matter, we'll figure it out!"

"You know I can run on my own, right?"

"Shut up and run, then, dummy!"

They ran through the halls like Beowolves to negative emotions. Occasionally, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of petals only to reappear and redirect them. It shocked Jaune every time, until they finally reached an auditorium packed with other Beacon hopefuls. Ruby didn't even bother to let Jaune catch up before she started looking for one particular blonde.

"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!"

Yang's voice rang across the auditorium clear as day, and Ruby grinned. Of course she would. "Jaune, it was nice meeting you, and thanks for being a new friend. I'll see you after the ceremony!"

The just-arrived Jaune wheezed and keeled over on his knees and Ruby caught him lamenting the loss of a conversation partner as she gravitated to Yang.

"How are you doing little sis?" asked Yang as she pulled Ruby in and gave her a noogie. Ruby flailed in her grip and protested until Yang tightened her hold and flattened her palm onto Ruby's forehead. "You're still warm, Ruby. Why the hell are you still Reading—Don't give me that look. I know who you are."

Ruby sighed and gently pried herself from Yang's grip. "Okay, fine. Yeah, I Read Weiss and Jaune's weapons."

"Oh? You did make them your new friends. Good job by the way. But refresh my memory, because didn't something just happen literally right. Before. I left?"

Ruby winced as she could feel the literal heat in Yang's gaze. "I passed out from Reading too many weapons all at once…" She then met Yang's flickering red eyes and pouted. "But I'm learning to control it! See? I'm looking at hundreds of them right now and I'm not passing out!"

"That isn't saying much, Ruby. The fact remains that you're still burning up after I told you to chill. Out."

"She's right, you know." Ruby shrieked and latched onto Yang as they both found Weiss Schnee raising an eyebrow at them in mild amusement. "Sorry, I couldn't help but eavesdrop at the end there." Her gaze then turned to Ruby in particular, and Ruby stared at the look she saw in Weiss' eyes. A look she knew all too well, because it was a look she and Yang shared every time they saw a mother having fun with their kids: Longing and fondness.

That wasn't something she definitely couldn't learn from Reading Myrtenaster.

"You should listen to your sister, Ruby," said Weiss, her demeanour as cold as ever. "You're lucky to have her here with you. I'm sure there are many who would love to have their siblings supporting them right now."

"Uh, thanks, Weiss. I'm really happy Yang's here too," Ruby said awkwardly. "But still–Kinda weird that you just listened in on our conversation like that."

A light blush dusted Weiss' face as she retorted, "Yes, well, I can't really help it if you're talking so loud in a crowded space! And you're calling me weird. Don't let others hear you when you're having private conversations, you dolt!"

"Hey, hey!" Yang waved her hands and grinned as she put an arm around Weiss. "Come on, Weiss Cream, relax! If you just Yang around us more, we'll melt right through that icy personality of yours!

Weiss sputtered in her grip. "Why you–Get yourself off of me! That was terrible!"

Yang grinned as Weiss tried to fight her off. "Respectable, but it takes a lot more than that to get me off. Hah!"

"Yang!"

"Sorry, Ruby," Yang said unapologetically, "But don't think I'm letting go anytime soon. You helped my sister and I out a lot!"

Weiss could only gasp in Yang's grip as she continued trying to escape. "You know this doesn't mean we're friends, right?!" she wheezed. "I still have the right to reserve judgement! And let go of me, urk!"

"Aw, wittle Weissy doesn't know if she wants friends or not. You're adorable!"

"You're hurting her, Yang! Let Weiss go!"

When Ruby rushed over to pull on Weiss, Yang laughed and let go. The resulting loss of something holding Weiss back had her stumbling into Ruby, who yelped in surprise. "Wah!"

This resulted in a tangle of limbs as Ruby tried to overcorrect Weiss' fall and grab onto her anyway she could, while Weiss flailed at her sudden freedom. Once Weiss realised she was free, and the somewhat embarrassing situation she found herself in, she looked down to see herself still being held by Ruby and blushed. She quickly stepped away and coughed into her hand.

"Ahem. Thank you, Ruby, for breaking my fall. You're certainly much more reasonable than your sister, who is a vapid, barbaric blonde menace."

"I take offence to that!"

Weiss side-eyed Yang as she stepped back to face them both. "I never agreed to be one of your friends. We are not friends!"

A numbness washed over Ruby as she processed those words. I knew it, she thought. Of course she doesn't want to be friends with me–

"Ruby, on the other hand: I wouldn't be opposed to making her an acquaintance. She is, at the very least, more civil than you!"

Ruby instantly perked up at that as she realised, Weiss wasn't talking about me! Woohoo! "I knew you were amazing!" Ruby cried as she latched back onto Weiss. "You're my new bestie!"

"Gah! Is this a family thing?! I take it back! I don't want to be your friend!"

Ruby giggled as she let go of a spluttering Weiss. It felt oddly satisfying seeing Weiss break away from her stone-faced persona, and for a moment, the sound of ringing metal filled her ears as a vision of someone was superimposed over Weiss. Then, the ringing disappeared, the vision vanished, and what remained was Weiss huffing as she finished her rant.

"We haven't even started yet and I already feel exhausted. Ugh."

That made Ruby giggle again, and just as she was about to comment, something entered the room. The presence of some sort of power or energy, well-contained but dangerous all the same, hit all of Ruby's senses. Goosebumps raised all over, her hands twitched towards her Crescent Rose, and she could smell something old/ancient. Her silver eyes immediately went searching for the source, and saw Ozpin cresting the stairs onto the stage alongside Glynda.

She couldn't have known that it was what she was looking for, but when Ruby's eyes fell to the cane Ozpin now held in his hands–

[̸̘̄͜T̷͚͙̍̕h̷͖͝͝E̸̝͊̌ ̶̞́Ḽ̴̲̊ǒ̶̢N̸͎̿g̷͖͉̏̊ ̸̫̹͛̐M̶̰͘ė̴̡̨̈́M̷͚̓o̸̼̗̓Ȓ̴̝͇̏y̶͉̓–̶̘͉̃̃]̶̩̟͝

–She was unprepared for the rush of heat as she accidentally tried Reading it.

Everything about it instantly invaded her mind, but Ruby tore her eyes away and isolated the pain before she could Read it any further. As quick as it had come, the pain disappeared, and Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Ruby then coughed and tried not to wince at the steam that escaped her. What the heck? Ruby thought wildly, One quick glance was enough to make me cough more steam?!"

"Hey, it's starting!" Yang shouted. Everyone seemed to have heard her as everyone's heads turned to look at the stage, but Ruby could tell her sister had noticed her sudden fit as she saw Yang briefly glance at her with narrowed eyes. Weiss also looked at her with a frown before looking away and shuffling away from them.

Forcing herself to pretend she didn't see anything, Ruby returned her gaze to Ozpin, who was now standing with his cane forward (Ruby was desperately fighting the headache she felt just seeing it in her peripheral vision) and listened to his speech.*

"Hm…I'll keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

The moment Ozpin retreated and Goodwitch replaced him, Ruby heaved a sigh and rubbed at her temples. She barely registered what Goodwitch said as she found that her headache had actually gotten a bit better, which didn't really make sense to her.

"That was weird, huh? He seemed kind of off, right, Ruby?"

Maybe it was because she was letting whatever information was stored in Ozpin's cane seep into her instead of all at once like a fiery waterfall? Ruby couldn't tell. It was getting harder to think with each passing second.

"Ruby?"

Can I please just learn how to manage this new ability? Ruby pleaded silently.

"Ruby."

Hearing the flat usage of her name, Ruby snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up at Yang's blank face. "We're going to set up our bags in the ballroom like Goodwitch said, and then we're going to talk. Sound good?"

Ruby gulped and nodded. "Yeah…"

After setting their sleeping bags, finding a locker, and taking a shower, Ruby had never felt so drained getting into her pajamas. Sure, the shower itself was very nice; She had taken it cold, and just as much steam had come off her as the steam made by everyone else taking hot showers, but stepping into the ballroom filled her with another wave of exhaustion.

People were everywhere, and there wasn't really any space at all to walk, but she managed to make it back to their spot. There, she dropped herself face down into her sleeping bag and groaned. What is my life right now? Ruby rolled over and rubbed her eyes. I'm at Beacon! I should be excited! Instead, I'm just tired, I have a headache, and new things to deal with keep popping up left and right…

"Nnnngrah…" Ruby moaned as she buried her face once again. "Ashafshaf."

Yang still wasn't done. Ruby didn't expect her to be, honestly. She knew how much Yang took care of her hair. If anything, Ruby was probably going to be dead asleep by the time Yang was done, but she also knew that she would likely be woken up by her regardless. Sighing, Ruby decided to at least be a little productive, and groaned as she pulled out her scroll. Maybe she could just type out a letter to her friends at Signal.

Sometime and one nearly-finished letter later, Ruby braced herself as Yang dropped onto the bag beside Ruby. "Heyo. It's like a big slumber party in here!"

Ruby shrugged, signing her name off on the letter and saving the draft before saying, "Sure. Dad probably wouldn't approve of all the boys, though."

"I know I do." Yang then grinned and hungrily gazed at all the shirtless guys and some wandering girls still getting ready. Her grin then fell into a grimace as Jaune walked past. Hoping to erase the image of a guy in a onesie, she turned back to see Ruby putting her scroll away. "What were you writing?"

"A letter to the gang back at Signal," Ruby said. She hid her scroll under her pillow and proceeded to collapse into mush. "I told them I would tell them all about Beacon once I got here. Don't have much to say, though. Just the first day."

"You know what that is? Adorable."

"Nnnngh. I didn't get to bring my friends like you did. I don't know anyone here."

"What about Weiss? And, uh, Jaune?"

Ruby sighed and turned over, her eyes tracing the dark chandelier hanging above. "You heard Weiss. She doesn't even really consider me a friend right now. And…okay, Jaune counts, I guess. But that's only one out of hundreds! I had a whole group of friends at Signal. This is a disaster."

"You can say that again, Rubes. You're an absolute mess."

That shut Ruby up as she closed her eyes and hummed. What Yang said was right; Ruby was falling apart at the seams. The night before felt like an eternity to Ruby. It was the first time she had ever actually done anything in the dream, and it had given her an ability that was both a blessing and a curse. Ruby honestly thought that there was more happening to her than she knew, but she couldn't tell what it was. She just knew that she felt strange, sweaty, and uncomfortable in her own body.

Huh, she wondered. Maybe it's just puberty.

She said as much to Yang, who snickered at the thought. "No way, Rubes. You and I both know this isn't that."

"Yeah, I know.

"So, tell me what happened." Yang propped herself up on her sleeping bag. "Your 'Reading'. You Read some more weapons."

"I did, yeah. Overheated a bit because of it. I took a cold shower you know. No one could tell because I was steaming hot."

"Of course you are. You're my sister—We share the same genes."

Ruby threw a pillow at Yang. "Not like that! Sheesh! You're so bad!"

Yang threw the pillow back and laughed. "Okay, fine! My pun stash would probably make you overheat again anyways." She repositioned herself and said in a more serious tone, "But seriously."

After glaring at Yang for another moment, she sighed. "I wanted to prove to myself that I could control it. After passing out, I talked with Weiss and she said something, called me a f-faker, and I just got mad or something and I guess I wanted to see if I could. And I mean, I did! But then I saw a little too much about her, and that was when I just stopped Reading hers. And then I met Jaune, and barely even tried before I heard, like, metal hitting metal, and got a weird headache.

"And then the ceremony happened, and I was able to stop myself from Reading everyone's weapons again, or maybe it was because I already Read them and had it 'recorded' in my mind or something, but then Ozpin came on the stage and—" Ruby shivered as she remembered the pain/heartache/souls/ancient she felt just looking at his cane. "There's something up about Professor Ozpin, Yang. I didn't even see his cane before I could already start sensing it. It was like it had a life of its own, and I only glanced at it when my Reading basically forced itself open…"

Yang stared at Ruby before laughing nervously. "Uh, woah. That's a lot? Like, that's pretty, uh, you know? Ruby, what you're saying is, how do I put this?"

"It's bonkers!" Ruby whined. "Crazy! Looney! Like I'm huffing Grimm smoke! But it's all trueeee!" She hugged her pillow and rolled to look at Yang with teary eyes. "Yang…why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know, Ruby…I really can't tell you." Yang moved closer and put her hand out, which Ruby grabbed tightly. "I can promise you this: We're sisters, and we stick together. I've got your back. Always."

A deep well of emotion sprung from somewhere in Ruby's soul, rushing through her like a river and making her smile and laugh as a few tears spilled from her eyes. Yang's smile was so beautiful. It was like staring at a campfire, warm and inviting. "Thanks, Yang. I love you."

"Love you too, little sis. You're so adorkable."

"I love you a little less now."

"Aw man!"

They both shared a laugh as whatever tension remaining between them vanished. They then grinned at each other and began trading jibes as they wound down, when the strike of a match grabbed their attention. Ruby wiped her eyes and sat up to see a somewhat familiar face huddled next to a candle against the wall.

"That girl…" Ruby whispered.

Yang looked at Ruby. "You know her?"

"Yeah. No. We actually met after you left me with Weiss. But we barely talked."

When Ruby heard silence, she frowned and looked to see Yang grinning at her. "Well, making one more friend tonight won't hurt, right?"

"What? Yang, no. No—!" Ruby struggled in Yang's grip, but she was already weak from the day's ordeals. She consigned herself to her fate as she was quickly dragged over to where the girl reading a book was.

"Helloooo!" Yang greeted, to which Ruby shushed her and the girl reading looked up in annoyance. "I believe you met my sister earlier today?"

The girl turned to look Ruby over, who squirmed under the gaze. "Aren't you that girl who passed out?" she asked.

Ruby flushed red. "Y-yeah. That was me! Not that I wanted to. My name's Ruby Rose, by the way. Or just Ruby. That's fine too."

The girl seemed to find something amusing about Ruby because she raised an eyebrow and only said, "Blake."

"Nice to meet you, Blake!"

"Mhm."

A silence fell between the three of them, where Ruby shuffled in place before Yang poked her. "What are you doing?" Yang whispered.

"Help me!" Ruby shot back.

"So!" Yang shouted, which made Blake twitch. "Blake, right? I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister. I…like your bow!"

Blake's eye twitched. "…Thanks."

This did not deter Yang. "It goes great with your pajamas!"

"Uh-huh. Right."

Ruby laughed awkwardly and grimaced as Yang kept talking. "It was wild today, huh? But it's a nice night out, now!"

Blake calmly marked her page with a ribbon before looking up and waving it around, stone-faced. "Yes, a very lovely night. Almost as lovely as this book I'm reading; A book I will continue to read…" She made to open her book again until she glanced up at Ruby and Yang. "As soon as you leave, of course."

Yang's face looked like a rock as she turned to Ruby. "Yeah. She's a lost cause. Sorry, Rubes—"

"What book are you reading?"

Ruby had blurted out her question before she knew what she was doing. Was it her sleep-deprived, mentally exhausted state of mind? Or was it because she didn't want to give up on being friends with this person? Either way, Ruby asked her question, and she really wanted to know the answer.

To her credit, Blake looked up at Ruby with newfound interest. "Sorry?"

"Your book," Ruby repeated. "What's it about?"

Blake blinked and looked down at her book before looking back up. "Uh, well…It's about a man with two souls, both fighting for control over his body."

"Oh, wow. How cool. So interesting," snarked Yang.

But for some reason, Ruby felt herself resonate with the idea, as if it was so very familiar, and she widened her eyes in surprise. "That sounds amazing. Are they compromising? Is one losing their identity to the other? Or are they becoming one superpowered entity?"

At the barrage of questions, Blake reeled. A smile did adorn her face, however, as she said, "I'm not too far into it yet, so I don't know, but it's getting there."

"Cool. I love books too, you know. Yang used to read to me every night before bed—Stories of heroes and monsters and deeds. Just one of many reasons I wanted to be a Huntress."

Blake actually closed her book and put it on her lap before smirking at Ruby. "And why's that? You hoping for a 'happily ever after'?"

"No," Ruby said immediately, surprising both Yang and Blake. "A 'happily ever after' isn't in the cards for me…But I can find it for others. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books: Someone who fights for what's right, who protects people that can't protect themselves!"

"Wow. That's quite the dream you have there. Unfortunately…" Her smile turns bitter as her eyes look at something far away. "The real world isn't the same as a fairy tale, as much as we would like to think."

"But that's why we're here, right?" asked Ruby. "To make everything better. To save as many as we can."

"That's my Ruby!" Yang cried happily as she pulled her into a headlock. "An idealistic weapon nut! But she's my idealistic weapon nut!"

"Gods above, Yang, cut it out! Argh!"

They then started wrestling on the spot, and Blake laughed softly at the comical site. "Wow. Okay. Well, Ruby and Yang, it's been a pleasure getting to know you but—" A voice then suddenly cut her off, coming from the darkness filled with righteous intent.

"What in the world is going on over here? Don't you people realise some people are trying to sleep—?! Oh."

Weiss, who had been looking to shut up the people keeping her awake, saw Ruby and Yang still entangled in their wrestling, and all of her righteous fire died. "Nope. I am not dealing with you two right now. I can fall asleep regardless. Good night, and I hope Ruby wins."

Blake rolled her eyes at the antics of Weiss Schnee, but realised she was right. With a sigh, Blake gave Ruby and Yang a look before she blew out her little candle, plunging the last corner of light in the ballroom into darkness.

A/N: The Review Responses from the original Chapters 3-4, "Fast Track to Beacon Academy" and "Making Friends Never Ends", touched upon these topics:

Ruby: She isn't going to be a Mary Sue, but we will explore how her soul is still distorted, if in a different way than it was originally when she was Shirou. And because she is Ruby Rose, and not Shirou Emiya (though they share the same soul), she views the world differently, if still skewed to being a hero—and her Reality Marble's chant, which we will likely never see in full, is different compared to Shirou (because she isn't Shirou).

She does, however, experience something similar to Dream Sharing, where she experiences her past life as Shirou.

Love: We'll get there eventually. Ships will sail when they do, and I will do my best to write them.

Canonicity: The timeline will eventually deviate. A lot. It's already deviating. But we're going to go off the rails in later chapters.

Now, onto OMAKE 1, as taken from the original Chapter 4: "Making Friends Never Ends". These are purely for entertainment purposes and have no bearing on the actual story itself.

OMAKE 1:

Archer Meets Ruby

"…The hell? Where am I?"

EMIYA looked around and found himself in a place that looked eerily familiar. He saw a shattered moon and night sharing the sky with a horizon on the verge of twilight. It was when he finally looked down and saw the weapons sticking out of the ground that he groaned.

"You're in my Unlimited Weapons Works! Unlimited Weapons Forge! Uh…Still working on the name." The girl that appeared in front of EMIYA shocked him, and he reflexively traced Kanshou and Bakuya to swing at her.

She merely summoned an insanely large scythe and effortlessly parried his married blades. "Hey! Why are you attacking me?!"

"What the hell are you doing here?!" EMIYA asked instead. "You shouldn't be here! This is a dangerous place!"

"This is my soul!" the girl cried, stomping her ground. "I should be asking you why you're here! Sheesh! I can't believe I was this insufferable once!"

EMIYA stared at the girl, because her mannerisms were also eerily similar and yet all sorts of wrong. "Wait. If this is your Reality Marble… who are you?"

"Ruby Rose, from Remnant," the now-named Ruby grinned. "I'm you, dumbass. Get your facts straight. We reincarnated into me, and we became more awesome than we could have ever imagined. Now, our Wlade Works is a Forge that manufactures anything. I am superior to you in every way. Take that, Archer!"

EMIYA's eye twitched. And then twitched again. "Oi. Even reincarnated, you sound like an idiot. I guess I have to teach myself another lesson, even if I look like a little girl."

Ruby seemed to puff up and growl at the implied insult. "Why you! Ugh! You're just like Yang, making terrible comments! I'll teach you a lesson, old man!"

"You're calling yourself old, you know that?"

"Burn in hell, Archer."

"Do you have enough weapons, then, Ruby Rose?"

Ruby scoffed. "I could nuke you and your UBW to the ground with the random relics I've recorded in my Forge during my time in Remnant. I have your UBW on top of that too, idiot. Who's going to win now?"

EMIYA actually began to sweat. "…This may be harder than I thought."