Interlude 1 after the Author's Notes. It is quite important.

The ending of the chapter, and other character elements, have been updated to fit narrative.

CHAPTER 6:

One Step Forward

The time to change gave her time to think.

Why was Ruby getting so worked up over nothing? It's not like this was a life or death situation. There was no reason for her to think of this as anything but a match. All he had done was look at her with contempt, insult her pride, and scorn her skill.

…On second thought, perhaps there was a reason she was mad.

Ruby didn't like to boast her talents or skills. She knew she was good at making weapons. She knew that she had skill in the scythe, and had proper combat experience to go with it. She knew that, if she were surrounded by a pack of Beowolves, that she could handle it on her own just fine. So, for this Cardin Winchester to come out of nowhere and begin telling her that she wouldn't stand a chance against him? It ticked her off.

It was as maddening as Weiss calling her a faker.

And Ruby was no faker. She had worked hard to get to where she was. Sure, she technically wasn't supposed to be in Beacon yet, but it was a testament to her skill and training that she was even here, wasn't it? Ozpin himself had been impressed. She knew her way around a battle. She knew how to take people down. Signal Academy and Qrow had taught her how.

Did Cardin think that she would be easy prey just because she was young? Had he never learned not to judge a book by its cover? Where had he even gotten the know-how to make it into Beacon? Maybe all that would be answered and more if Ruby were to get a glance at his weapon.

But no. That would be disrespectful, wouldn't it? Ruby didn't want to make it any easier for herself than it already would be. Nevertheless, she would at least deign to learn its name. His weapon deserved that much. Ignoring the murmurs and sounds of changing around her, she stepped back into the practice hall.

A few students were already waiting anxiously near the combat ring. The ring was wide enough that there was enough space and then some for two people to walk around, and a large screen displayed Ruby and Cardin's profiles and diagnostics. Ruby glanced at her own Aura metre and narrowed her eyes as she saw it flicker. As she began to wonder why, she was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of raucous laughter among the chattering students filing in from the changing rooms.

Cardin's voice in particular was easy to pick out as he said, "This'll be a piece of cake! Don't worry, guys. I've got this in the bag."

"Are you sure, dude?" one of his teammates asks. "Just because she's 15 doesn't mean you should underestimate her."

Yet another one of his teammates scoffed. "Come on, man. It's because she's 15 that Cardin will be fine. What's a little girl going to do against that?" He then pointed at Cardin's weapon, and Ruby traced the path with her eyes to look at the mace that Cardin held.

"The Executioner, huh?" Ruby muttered as she recorded its name alone told her everything she needed to know about who she was going up against, and she didn't think she needed to dig any deeper to know what kind of person Cardin was. "Ugh. Gross."

As Cardin stepped up into the ring, he caught the tail end of Ruby's remark and scowled. "What was that you just said?"

Ruby's eyes met his and she folded her arms. "I said your weapon's name is gross."

Cardin's grip on The Executioner tightened. "You don't know anything."

"But its name," Ruby said. "Why would you ever give your weapon that name when you want to be a Huntsman?"

Cardin scowled. "How do you even know its name in the first place?"

Ruby stared at him. "Does it matter?"

"You're really annoying," Cardin said with a growl. He then frowned for a fraction of a second before smiling with a glint in his eye that was as fake as his confidence. "But since you asked so nicely, I called it The Executioner because I'm going to kill every Grimm I come across. And I wanted everyone else to know that I could do the same to them if I wanted to."

Ruby felt like flinching at Cardin's remark, but she steeled itself and glared back at his determined look. A look that made her mind ring with worry and her instincts to lockdown into hard determination. She knew that Cardin was just being tough, but something within her was screaming that words didn't need to be true to be real. And yet, the person that stood before her and the words he spoke couldn't have been more different. Just who was Cardin? Did he really have the nerves to kill someone? And if he did, why was he in Beacon Academy?

Regardless, that wouldn't happen. Ruby would make sure of it. But it wasn't just that, because she saw the potential in Cardin. The way he held himself was confident, but something in her told her that confidence misplaced could lead to tragedy. Ruby decided that she would cut him down here and now, so that he would never take that path.

Maybe Ruby could save him before he ever needed saving in the first place. How many lives could he protect too?

"So," she whispered. "You want to kill me. Is that it?"

"Nah," Cardin said. "I just want everyone to know how weak and useless you really are. I mean, what are you going to do? Beg me to give you a cookie? I'm nothing like a baby Grimm, you know. All you'll get is a face full of Dust." He laughed. It rang hollow. "It's not too late to back out. I have some treats I could give you if you really want."

Ruby twitched, and she heard the crowd hush as Yang's voice echoed, "Oh. He really went there."

As Ruby's face continued to contort into rage, Goodwitch's voice effectively silenced anything she may have wanted to say. "Cardin Winchester! This may be a mock battle, but we still adhere to duel etiquette! Petty insults, such as those, before the battle has even begun is below a Beacon Academy student and will not be tolerated!"

Cardin's fake and easygoing smile began to grate on Ruby's nerves as he shrugged. "Yes ma'am," he said. He was so insincere that it almost hurt Ruby not to move against him right at that moment. He was wide open. He didn't even care about her. It was as if she didn't matter to him.

"Miss Rose, are you alright?"

Ruby blinked as she realised she had swayed and faltered for just a moment. Her gaze snapped back to Cardin, who was watching her with a disgusting smile. "Y-yeah," Ruby said. "I'm fine, Professor Goodwitch.

Goodwitch continued to eye the both of them for a moment before nodding. "In that case—Combatants! Are you ready?"

Cardin readied his mace "Yeah."

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose's inert form. "Yes."

Goodwitch nodded. "Then, the match between Cardin Winchester and Ruby Rose may begin!"

Ruby could hear Yang's voice cheering her name just before the crowd hushed itself in anticipation. Before Ruby could even engage the mechanism on Crescent Rose, Cardin started rushing her. Her thumb hovered over the switch, and she hesitated. Quickly making a decision, she stared at Cardin and the world slowed as her eyes grew warm. Then, without even needing to think, she shifted ever so slightly and stuck her foot out. Time resumed, she blinked, Cardin tripped, and he fell with a loud grunt.

A silence more deafening than the hush that preceded it fell over the crowd. Ruby stepped closer to the centre of the ring as Cardin picked himself up near the edge of it. Ruby heard Goodwitch comment on something about going out of bounds, but she wasn't really paying attention. All of her focus was on the rage that was beginning to fill Cardin's face.

A strange sense of satisfaction filled Ruby. "I thought you were going to give me a face full of Dust," said Ruby. "Where's that confidence now?"

Cardin stood and grit his teeth as he brushed himself off. "You're dead!"

"You can't kill me if you can't touch me." Ruby engaged Crescent Rose and it unfolded into its full size. She let its momentum swing before she planted it into the ring's ground and leaned against it. "So? Still want to try?"

The only response Ruby received was another war cry. This time, Ruby didn't even need to focus to know where he was going to swing. She brought up Crescent Rose and deflected the Executioner. Some Fire Dust made the swing explosive, but Ruby only used the energy and momentum to spin with her scythe and hop away.

Cardin was already moving against her. Ruby had to give the guy some credit: He knew what he was doing. He knew how to swing the mace with power and how to recover and pursue. The thing was—He was arrogant. Prideful. And his temper was quick—almost too quick—to rile. It showed in his swings. Too much energy. Too easy to predict. It showed in his face. It showed in the way his breathing was already getting laboured. It was ridiculous how much he was putting into every swing. Like it was a fight to the death. Was he always like this?

Without fail, Ruby was able to deflect and dodge every strike. He would swing down, she'd block and hook the strike with her scytheblade, and he would curse as he swung again. He would attack from the side, and Ruby would rush in and use Crescent Rose's shaft to block, while she also used it as a pole and side-kicked Cardin away. Back and forth, back and forth, and it seemed so easy.

Too easy. As if she knew how he was going to move before he moved. As if she was simultaneously wide-open and well protected at the same time. As if Ruby could read his every movement.

And there was her attitude, too. Why did she feel so satisfied seeing Cardin so beaten and exhausted? Ruby had never felt joy in the pain of others, so why was now any different? It was like she was at war with herself. Even if Cardin had insulted and demeaned her, she had always taken insults in stride. Yang was the one who exploded. But now…

"I thought you said this would be a piece of cake," Ruby said. "It feels like you're not even trying."

Now it was like she was a walking storm of sharp words and fiery emotion.

"Shut…the hell…up!" Cardin yelled. "I'll kill you!"

He rushed at her again, but he could never hit her. Every time he overreached, she would kick him or hit him with the blunt ends of Crescent Rose. At the end of it all, Ruby had worked up a light sweat, while Cardin was heaving like he had run a marathon. He clutched his stomach with one hand while using his mace as a prop with the other. When he struggled to get up, the sound of a reverberating buzzer filled the ring and the arena. Ruby unstuck Crescent Rose from where she had last swung it and shrunk it down as she listened to Goodwitch's words.

"That's enough!" Goodwitch cried. "As you can see, Cardin's Aura has dipped into the red. By tournament standards, this duel is officially over. Ruby Rose is the winner of this match!"

Even more deafening than Goodwitch' announcement, however, was the silence that was only broken by Cardin's exhausted breathing. "I should've won…" Cardin coughed. "I can't lose...I'm not weak...I'll get you back!"

Ruby frowned. "Get over yourself, Cardin. You thought you could beat me, so I took your challenge. Don't underestimate anyone here. We all deserve our spot in Beacon."

With that, Ruby stepped away, and as Goodwitch began giving some more instructions while teams and partnerships divided, she found herself in the midst of Team RWBY.

"That was crazy, Rubes!" Yang gushed. "You looked awesome up there! I didn't know you could move that fast without using your Semblance!"

Blake pursed her lips. "It looks like I was worried about you for nothing, huh? You're pretty nimble. Then again, Cardin doesn't look like the hardest person to beat."

"I could've said that much as well," Weiss nodded. "Good job. Team RWBY's reputation stands, and you've humiliated another team. Let's hope they don't hold a grudge."

Ruby sighed. "Seeing what kind of person Cardin is, I doubt he'll ever forgive me."

At those words, everyone stilled. Weiss was the next to speak, saying, "Did you…you know?"

"Just its name," Ruby said quickly. "I didn't look any further than that. At least, I don't think I did."

"You don't think," Blake muttered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You were moving as if you knew what he was going to do, like you were using your eyes to Read him," Yang said. "They actually started glowing at the end there."

"They what?"

Ruby blinked and rubbed at her eyes. They didn't feel any different. Sure, Ruby felt like she was more aware of everyone when she looked around her, but it wasn't to the point where she could dodge anything if she knew about it…Was it?

Ruby shook her head. She could think about it later. Right now, they were in class. "Anyways, let's go over the tournament rules again. Goodwitch just finished telling us what to do before we pair off and spar with each other."

Ruby hadn't really paid attention during her match with Cardin, so it was good to review everything again. It wasn't like she didn't know anything from her days at Signal. No, Ruby was sure this was to drill it in, because it seemed like there would be many more matches like those to come. Ruby would be ready for them. Her team too. She would make sure of it.

When Goodwitch told everyone to start sparring, Ruby paired off with Weiss, and soon, the sound of clashing metal and loud chatter and grunts filled the arena air. Ruby got into position against Weiss. Just as she was about to pull out Crescent Rose, Weiss coughed politely.

"Hm?"

Weiss shook her head. "Can we place a handicap on our spar?"

Ruby blinked. "Uh, sure?"

"You don't get to use your weapon. But I get to use mine."

"Oh! Is that all?" Ruby nodded. "Sure. I can do that."

Weiss flourished Myrtenaster and took a stance. "If I manage to land a hit on you, I win. If you evade all my attacks until the end of the period, you win."

Ruby nodded. "Sounds good to me!"

Weiss eyed Ruby for a moment longer, which made Ruby squirm uncomfortably on the spot. "Uh, Weiss? Are we going to start or—Woah!"

Just like that, Weiss had shot forward with a glyph. Ruby barely had enough time to shift her body so that Myrtenaster barely missed her. "Give a girl some warning next time, Weiss!"

"Like you gave us warning on your ability?" Weiss asked. She began stabbing at Ruby, but Ruby managed to evade by a hair's breadth everytime. "I appreciate your brevity, but to have an ability like that, that isn't even a Semblance, is, frankly, preposterous."

Ruby couldn't say anything, because all of her mental and physical energy was currently being occupied with not-being-stabbed by Weiss

"And yet, all the proof I need stands before me!" Weiss shouted. "You dodged every attack Cardin threw at you! You're dodging every attack I throw at you! I'm even using some techniques I've been practising in secret and you're already gone before I can lunge! You know my form better than I do!

"So why? Why is it fair, Ruby? Why did you tell us? Why do you get to know who I am? Why does it have to be you?!"

Weiss lunged once more, and Ruby faltered as Myrtenaster dented her Aura. In reality, Ruby had frozen thinking about Weiss' question, and she quickly realised she didn't even need to think about her answer. She had already answered it just by taking Weiss' hit.

"Because I only wanted to help," Ruby said. "I didn't have to tell you. But I wanted you to know. Both of you. Because we're a team. And as the leader, I didn't want to keep any secrets from you."

Weiss stomped her foot. "I know that, Ruby! I know! I just…" She lowered Myrtenaster and shook her head as her shoulder slumped. "I…I can't. I could never have done that. Expose myself. Lay myself bare before my team. Tell them something like that. I've been thinking about it all day and…"

She heaved a big sigh. "I…You deserve to be team leader more than me. And if you already know so much about me, you know that I can get jealous. Angry."

Ruby could only nod silently in response.

Weiss shook her head. "You won, Ruby. Even though I hit you in the end. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Ruby hesitantly nodded once again, just as the bell rang. With another shake of her head, Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster and turned away. "Of course you did. It's who you are, always wanting to help. Even in defeat, you manage to win."

She stood and watched as Weiss disappeared into the crowd. Blake then passed by her with a glance before she nodded and walked off, and finally, Yang slung her arm around Ruby's neck and pulled her close.

"You did pretty good, sis," Yang said. "Even if it looked like he wanted to kill you just by looking at you."

"I'm worried about him, Yang."

Yang blinked. "Uh, why? That guy was a total jerk—"

"I'm worried he might take his anger out on other people."

They had started walking with everyone back to their changerooms, and Yang frowned as she heard Ruby's explanation. "Look. That guy isn't your problem, Ruby. If anything, just tell a teacher. If not, he's our problem. I won't let him get near you. Even Weiss and Blake were worried, you know."

Ruby cracked a small smile at that. "Hm. Maybe I haven't screwed everything up yet."

"Come on, Ruby. You're just a little greenie. We'll make a great Huntress out of you yet! Besides, we've resolved the problem for the most part. No sense in worrying about it too much. Blake seemed like she wanted to talk to you too, and I already heard you and Weiss going at it. Team RWBY is doing fine. Just keep your spirits up!"

Thinking about it, Yang was right. Ruby knew she was overthinking things, but she couldn't help it. She was worried about her teammates. She was worried about what Weiss and Blake were thinking about. And now, she was worried about Cardin too. Not just because he seemed angry, but because it felt like something was troubling him. At least all of Cardin's focus was on her. Ruby would have felt terrible if it was on anyone else.

Weiss and Blake were almost done changing into their uniforms, and Yang was already stripping by the time she got to her locker. Ruby, on the other hand, paused at her locker door and took a deep breath. She just needed to calm down. She'd been way too on edge the past few days to really take a nice breather. Even her spare time had been spent worrying instead of goofing off like she usually did.

Ruby wasn't too torn up about that one, but she did miss having fun. Maybe she just needed to let go for the rest of the night. The only thing she really had left to look forward to was her talk with Blake. Glancing at the person in question, Blake's bow seemed to flick as she turned to look back at Ruby.

"Talk later?" Ruby asked.

She received a nod from Blake and, after a moment, a weak smile. "You were pretty fast," Blake said. "I mean…I thought you did alright."

"You don't have to force yourself to talk to me," Ruby whispered. She knew Blake would hear despite the chatter of the changeroom. "But thanks. I appreciate it."

Blake nodded and turned away only to be accosted by Yang. Ruby didn't expect her to say much more. They would talk later. But it went to show that Blake's good nature that Ruby had seen in Gambol Shroud's history was just as true then as it was now, in a mundane environment. Then, as Ruby was closing her locker, she found herself face-to-face with the hungry eyes of one Pyrrha Nikos.

"Uh, Pyrrha?" Ruby found the glint in Pyrrha's eyes a little concerning. "You need something?"

"Please fight me."

Ruby reeled at the immediate response. "Woah, Pyrrha! Right now? I mean, we had a our last class for the day, but—"

"It doesn't have to be now," Pyrrha corrected, "But I want you to fight me. I thought your form was ridiculous with how many openings you had, but it was like you knew exactly where Cardin was going to hit before he swung. I could just tell you were skilled based on how you moved."

Ruby looked around and found the rest of Team RWBY and JNPR watching her in amusement. She quickly gave them a silent plea for help, but they only shook their head, while Ren gave her a sorry look. "I mean, yeah?" Ruby managed to finally say. "I know my way around the ring."

"Then how about tomorrow, after classes are over? We can take one of the practice rings available to us."

"S-Sure? I guess—"

"Great." Pyrrha then walked over to her team, who could only look helplessly at their shameless teammate. She eyed them with confusion and asked, "What?"

They all shook their heads while Nora smiled at her with a thumbs up before winking at Ruby. They then dispersed, leaving Team RWBY to look at each other awkwardly.

"So," Ruby started, "Should we go back to our dorms?"

"Yes," Weiss coughed, "Let's get going."

It seemed like everyone had quickly filed out and left after combat class. The hallways were still packed, but everyone had a tired and leisurely pace to them. Eventually, the hallways thinned, and Ruby found herself lagging behind as she watched the backs of her teammates talking with each other, Yang being the loudest of them all. She smiled at the sight. The thought crossed her mind again that, even if she was the weak link in Team RWBY, she was glad to see that everyone was getting along for the most part. The friendship she had been terrified of stopping before it began, Weiss and Blake, was flourishing, and Ruby was happy because her team was happy.

Now she only had her personal talk with Blake left to go, and Ruby knew that Blake had a lot of things on her mind since that morning. There hadn't been any time to breathe since then, and now that there was, Ruby would need every ounce of courage she could muster.

Her instincts flared, and she whirled around, only to see an empty hallway. Ruby could have sworn that she had felt someone staring at her with ill intent. Narrowing her eyes, she stood there for a few more seconds before Yang called her name.

"Rubes! Are we going to our dorm or not?"

"Coming!"

She spared one last glance at the corner of the hallway before running to catch up with her team. Blake looked at her, and raised an eyebrow before glancing back at the same space Ruby had been staring at. Ruby could only shrug her shoulders.

As they finally neared their dorms, the sense of camaraderie among them began to be replaced with a tranquil silence that made Ruby anxious. She didn't like silence. It made her antsy. It meant that nothing was happening, and if nothing was happening, then they were just waiting for something to happen. There had been enough times in the Grail War when it had suddenly grown quiet and—

Ruby found herself standing at their dorm room door with a headache as they all looked at her. "Hey, Ruby? You okay?" asked Yang.

She closed her eyes and breathed. Those memories weren't hers. "Fine. Just…thinking about today."

"A lot happened," Blake said. "It's understandable."

Weiss nodded. "Get some rest. You need it."

"Not yet," Blake intervened. Everyone looked at her except Ruby, who lowered her head. Blake continued, "I need to talk with our team leader."

It escaped no one's attention that Blake didn't refer to Ruby by name. Weiss and Yang glanced at Ruby before looking at each other. "Sure," Yang finally said for the both of them. She then made a fist and said, "But if you try anything…"

The sound of cracking knuckles filled the air. Blake nodded. "Nothing will happen."

"I hope so."

Weiss sighed. "Just remember that we have school in the morning. We're students at Beacon now. We have an example to uphold, even if we didn't have the best start today."

Ruby only nodded. "Thanks, Weiss." She and Blake then watched as the other half of team RWBY disappeared behind their dorm doors, leaving Ruby alone with Blake.

"Come on," Blake said after a moment of hesitation. "I saw a spot on the roof I wanted to check out."

She turned heel and began walking briskly, almost concerningly fast, but Ruby knew what it was. Blake was more nervous than she was letting on. Nonetheless, Ruby was able to keep pace with her just fine, even if she did have to push herself a little to keep up. They practically flew up a nearby flight of stairs which led to an open patio on the roof of Beacon Academy. There were no rails, which seemed just fine to Blake as she headed straight for the edge and sat there, facing the open courtyards of Beacon Academy and staring up at the shattered moon in the sky.

Ruby approached and sat a couple feet away from Blake, and began swinging her legs in the open air. The silence seemed content to stay for as long as they wanted, and they spent the next few minutes just admiring the view.

Finally, the silence broke as Ruby heard Blake sigh.

Ruby turned to see Blake watching her with piercing eyes. "How much do you know?" she asks. Her voice is no lower than a whisper.

"Enough," Ruby replied. "I know what you're running from, at least."

Blake flinched and tensed at that remark. "So you know what I am."

"Yeah."

"And you know why I ran."

"...Yeah."

Blake's grip on the edge of the patio grew tighter as she looked at the ground below. "Why aren't you turning me in?"

That wasn't what Ruby was expecting. She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why aren't I…What? Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm a Faunus!" Blake exclaimed bitterly. "Because I was a part of the White Fang! If you know that much, then you know exactly what we've been doing the past couple years! I'm an accomplice, and I was the partner of the most brutal Faunus of us all!"

"But you never wanted to do anything bad in any of those missions, right?"

Those words stopped Blake's emotional anguish in its tracks as she whirled her gaze back at Ruby. "W-Well, no, but—"

"And you were kind. Your swings with Gambol Shroud are always controlled, always the right amount of force."

"I always tried not to hurt anyone too much—"

Ruby shook her head. "Why did you come to Beacon, again, Blake? Did you want to get caught?"

Blake was taken aback by Ruby's counter-question. "No…I came because I wanted to change. To leave my past behind."

"Why do you carry it with you, then?" Ruby asked. For some reason, Blake was really bugging her. As if Blake's uncertainty in her purpose of coming to Beacon was utterly irritating. She stopped swinging her legs and really looked at Blake. "Your weapons hold your history. I'm sure you remember it just fine too. If you wanted to leave it all behind, why did you come here?"

"I just told you—"

Ruby frowned. "You told me excuses, Blake. You want to change, fine. You want to forget your past, sure. But why? Why do you want to change? Does your past define you so much?"

"Of course it does," Blake growled. "I'm a Faunus. It isn't just my past. It's my identity. I can't just throw it away. But I couldn't stand by and watch as we destroyed the lives of regular Humans and put hundreds of lives in danger. I was raised to value life. And I wanted my life valued. Faunus are people too, Ruby! Why don't you understand that!"

"Who said I didn't?"

Blake blinked and the rage she had been building sputtered. "W-what?"

"Why do you assume so many things? I might know things about you now, but I still barely know you, and you barely know me," Ruby said with a scowl. "Come on, Blake! Are you serious? Just listen to yourself! You're destroying yourself because you think everyone else is against you! But I believe in the same thing! Everyone deserves to live! Everyone deserves a chance!"

Ruby glared at Blake. "You don't get to be mad, and I don't care that you're a Faunus. You don't get to say I don't understand, because I know enough. Remnant gives and it takes, but the one thing we all have in common is that we want to live." She shook her head and continued to stare into Blake's shocked eyes. "So what is it going to be, Blake? You want to save everyone just like I do, right?"

Blake continued to stare back at Ruby with wide eyes. "I…"

"We both know what you want now, Blake. The question is: Are you going to run, or are you going to be a part of Team RWBY and help me save the world?"

A myriad of emotions flew through Blake's face, and Ruby waited patiently as she saw Blake war with her own self. Ruby returned her attention to the night sky as she swung her legs again and waited for Blake's reply. Finally, she heard Blake's voice, now steeled with resolve.

"I won't run. Not this time."

Something far more than Ruby's own emotions swelled within her, and she swore she heard the sound of a hammer spark against metal. Ruby leapt to her feet as her own heart burst with relief and happiness and couldn't help but grin as she ran over to Blake. "I'm so glad!" Ruby exclaimed. She ignored Blake's surprised yelp as she pulled Blake to her feet and hugged her. "Team RWBY would be nothing without you!"

"O-okay! Hey! Don't hug me!"

After some struggling, Blake successfully broke Ruby's grip and brushed herself off as she glared at her. "Don't do that again."

Ruby grinned as she saw a lot of Blake's tension disappear in favour of annoyance. "Don't worry. There's more where that came from."

"I'm worried about you."

"Nothing new. Yang's always worried about me."

"That's not what I meant."

Ruby shrugged. "Anyways, let's get back. We've been out here a while."

Blake blanched. "Oh. Yang might kill me."

"You'll be fine," Ruby said. "Just let me walk through the door first."

"...Okay."

As they moved to leave the roof, Ruby paused at the door. "Hey, Blake. One more thing"

"Hm?"

"I already know, but when are you going to tell them?"

Blake paused next to Ruby. It was a good question that made Blake wonder about when, if ever, she'd planned on telling anyone in the first place. If Ruby hadn't found out, would she have even considered it? Blake would never know. She had a feeling, though, that it might have been a big mess. In any case, Blake wasn't sure, and she turned to Ruby with an unreadable expression.

"Eventually. Weiss might already suspect something, but…"

Ruby smiled. "You can trust us, Blake. We're your team now."

Blake shook her head. "No. Not yet. I…I might trust you a little now, but I still barely know Yang, and Weiss…I can't figure her out."

A moment passed before Ruby nodded. "Good enough for me. We have all the time in the world, after all!"

They began walking back, and Ruby continued to nurse a headache and wonder when she had grown so bold. She yelled at Blake. Why had she yelled at Blake? Sure, she had felt indignant at the time, but still…

They made it back to the dorm room, Yang threw Blake a suspicious glare, everyone got ready for bed, and Ruby climbed up and snuggled into her covers as she tried to organise what had happened that day in her mind. Just as she was about to drift off, she heard Weiss' voice mutter in the darkness, almost imperceptibly quiet.

"I always did want bunk beds…"

And Ruby smiled as she fell asleep.

Maybe things would be alright in the end.

A/N (REVISION): Cardin's confrontation in the next chapter (also modified [heavily, I might add]) was originally the ending to this chapter, but this was my originally planned ending. I guess I just wanted to move on with the story so people wouldn't be bored, but it looks like I should just keep my pace as it was. In any case, I've modified this A/N, and might just remove it entirely in the future.

(Original) REVIEW RESPONSES:

Argo Devillian (and other guests bothered by the Arma Gigas retcon):

Well, how about this: Since Magecraft is a thing, Weiss' summoning glyph works a little bit differently now. In fact, I'm going to have Ruby interact with one of them in the future and—Well, we all know what happens when Ruby/Shirou touches anything, specifically when Shirou touches a summoning circle. Servants ensue.

So, put simply—Weiss' glyphs are more closely related to magecraft now than before. They can summon anything that's been defeated.

Or anything present within the [REDACTED].

SirEvangelFrost:

Sorry to disappoint, but Ruby still isn't ready to actually Trace anything. I won't have her Trace any Shirou weapons until, well, the story gets rough and something happens that I won't spoil. Needless to say, they will be Traced when they're needed.

Guest:

I'm sorry to hear that you're bored out of your mind reading my story. I hope you can find better stories than this one, because I'm really trying my best here. If you do find it, tell me! I'd love to read it.

Cyan-Snake:

Think about it: A weapon-reading Semblance, when everyone owns a weapon in Remnant. You could find out about anything. Someone's weapon can quite literally be their life-blood. Wouldn't a Semblance like that either be quickly hushed, or taken in? It would be taboo to discuss a weapon's history, because it's akin to discussing someone's past. You don't even know each other, and someone knows your every secret. Wouldn't you act weirdly too?

Wyran cost:

Cardin doesn't play clean. Thanks for the Review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry, Team RWBY's bonds will be tried and tested even more, and I'm going to keep stretching that bond until it's unbreakable.

TalonScythe:

Always happy to see you around. Thanks for reading, and I hope this chapter was alright! Thanks for your comments as always! And yeah, Ruby washed the floor with Cardin, but she is still way too trusting in a safe environment. She can get caught by surprise, which is the only reason why Cardin got her. But yes, we'll be exploring more of why Ruby is growing more and more Shirou-like.

TOWER OF PIMPS:

Those are some great ideas! Frankly, I love them, but I have my own plans for Ruby's version of Tracing. Don't worry, I can implement some of your ideas too, but for now, sit tight, and thanks for reading!

That's it for this week, folks! See you in two! And now, an Interlude, because Omake's are a little overrated.

INTERLUDE 1

In the blackest of nights, the shattered moon still shines…

"...Something has changed."

"Yes, my queen."

"The sands of Fate are shifting. The world itself is stirring. I thought our world's Gaia long-dead, but—"

"It is as you say, my queen. Even the Grimm pools are reacting."

"Alaya must have interfered. She always does."

The queen shrouded in shadows hummed.

"The strength of Humanity's will to survive is simply astounding. Not even the Brother Gods could have foreseen this, and it was partly their fault. And for Gaia to now stir, weak as it may be…"

"My queen—"

"But this is troubling. It must mean the world is in dire need. Tell me. What has become of the Moonhold?"

"It remains steadfast. Your magic has ensured that it does not break."

"Those are only temporary measures. Not even I could withstand what the Moonhold contains."

"My queen?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you? It does not hail from this world. It sleeps because it wishes to. Nothing on Remnant could truly hold it, were it to try. If it truly wished, we would all likely cease to exist. Relics aren't able to touch it. And even I would be gone, resilient as I am."

"Surely, you jest—"

"I do not joke. If it awakens; If the seals we—I placed on it millennia ago begin to break…None of our plans will matter anymore."

"..."

"If the Moonhold is broken, then Ozma is the least of our worries."

"Then let us hope the Seals remain."

"...Begone from my presence. I must think."

The sound of footsteps, and a door closing.

"Indeed," the figure whispered. "I haven't hoped for anything since…" The figure shook their head. "No. There is no choice."

The figure stared out into the distance from their throne.

"It must not awaken."

In this Remnant, something changed in the past. Something that changed the reason why the Moon was shattered. Something that involves existences from other planets. Beings that have no concepts similar to what Remnant has. Something that the Brother Gods would be hard-pressed to fight even at their best.

Uh oh.