RWBY Puppet AU

Chapter 5: Turmoil

"DAMNIT WEISS! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Yang roared from the courtyard.

"Patience, she'll be here soon." Blake calmly said as she urged her partner to slow down, still eyeing her bandaged chest and obviously worried for her stiches opening.

Reluctantly, Yang groaned as she slumped up against the bullhead she and Blake had managed to procure from Professor Ozpin after calling him, conceding to her request. She eyed her partner as she glanced off into the distance, having been assured the brawler their friend would come to their aide in this mission, yet what irritated her more than Weiss's sudden demand for a wardrobe change at the hospital was Blake's calmness.

"We're dealing with some damn demon possessing my F-ing sister right now! How could she be so composed right now? Does she just see my sister as some…mission!?" Yang thought incredulously. Her eyes were starting to redden at the thought. She knew Blake and Ruby weren't nearly as close as with her, but thought they were all friends and had important places in each other's hearts. Then a thought clicked in Yang's head that nearly caused her hair to shoot of embers.

"Didn't Ruby say Blake just bolted after "saving her" from Weiss on our first day?" Yang thought, remembering the bitter frown on her little sister when she was scrunching in her sleeping bag that night. Apparently Ruby and Weiss bumped into each other and triggered a dust explosion by accident. Weiss accosted Ruby, rather overly harshly as Ruby put it and Yang agreed, so Blake had stepped in after Weiss got high and mighty and asked her sister who she thought she was talking too. Blake had taken the chance to deride Weiss's family name and company, taking the anger off Ruby and onto herself, It was one of the reason's Yang was ecstatic at having her as her partner at first. Anyone who would protect her little Rubes deserved her friendship and trust. But now that she got a chance to truly think about it, Yang realized she might have placed that faith too quickly. This girl probably didn't even care about Ruby, she probably just wanted her back to have more chances to side with her against Weiss and feel prouder about being a Faunus.

"This little bitch thinks she can use my baby as some…chess piece like that!?" Yang roared in her mind as her eyes went bloodshot and she slowly approached Blake. Before she could scream her thoughts, a sudden cry in the distance snapped her out of it as she saw Blake's eyes glistened at the sight of the source.

"Weiss! See, told you she'd be here quickly." Blake chuckled. Seeing her partner's smile made Yang huff as she took a deep breath, fighting with all her will to calm down. It was just so unfair seeing that smile from her, only the catgirl and her little sister could keep her calm that way, it was like cheating.

"Yeah well…still not Ruby quick so I'm still pissed." Yang huffed as she crossed her arms, making Blake and Weiss roll their eyes annoyed.

"Yeah what else is new?" Weiss asked sarcastically. As Yang whippered her head to counter, she was frozen in place along with Blake as they caught sight of what she had chosen to wear. It was her standard battle dress true, but with one added addition only…

"R-Ruby's Cloak?" Blake stuttered, staring in disbelief as Weiss smiled confidently.

"Ruby, I'll be borrowing your cloak for a while." Weiss thought as she heard this.

Blake and Yang were shocked to say the least as they eyed the heiress. Weiss had always loved white and blue, the standard Atlas and SDC colors, it being contrasting with Red being one of the many arguments she had heard between the heiress and Ruby when discussing dorm decorations or painting.

"Why did you grab my sisters cloak Weiss?" Yang asked confused. A bit of her was irritated seeing her teammate take one of her sisters possessions without permission, but she couldn't help but melt a bit seeing something positive about her sister again. Weiss didn't miss the relaxation she saw in her teammates expression, it having been one of the reason's she chose it knowing her condition.

"It's to sooth our hearts." Weiss said softly as she placed her hands on her own.

"Ruby told me a while back why she wears it all the time." Weiss solemnly said as she remembered that fateful conversation.

"Oh Weiss! What's up?" Ruby had cheerfully asked her partner as she caught sight of her approaching that day. Weiss took a sigh of discomfort in the real world at the recollection. Ruby's bright smile being only a memory now made this painful to recollect, as it was like a desire fate might not ever let her have. She shook her head in defiance at the thought though, she had to remember, to keep her will for that desire strong.

"I was wondering if I could ask you something." Weiss had asked.

"Sure! Go ahead!" Ruby had cheerfully replied.

"Say Ruby, why do like to wear that hood so much?" Weissasked curiously.

"Why…Why do you ask Weiss?" Ruby asked, shivering when hearing the question, almost dropping her smile as it stung her heart to even respond that much. Her sudden trembling made Weiss all the more curious about the item, she could tell it had more significance to the young warrior beyond dramatic fashion, which was something that Ruby was known to pester her about before.

"You wear it all the time, even talked Ozpin into letting you wear it with your uniform. I just can't help but wonder about it." Weiss said honestly.

"Ruby! Mommy has a gift for you." Summer Rose had warmly said to her,

Ruby took a moment to ponder how to say this, intriguing Weiss as she never knew Ruby to slow down and be quite for even that long. For Ruby though, this was a delicate matter. Every time she put on her cloak, she could remember her mother's face, her last words to her that both warmed her heart and made it ache, as it was also a reminder she was gone forever.

"This hood…was given to me by my late mother." Ruby said with a sad smile, catching Weiss off guard as her eyes widened in shock hearing this.

"She died when I was still very young. This is all I have to remember her with." Ruby finished saying, tears beginning to sting the corner of her eyes. Weiss felt immense remorse for her prying as she saw this, realizing she had broached a sensitive subject. She instantly ran up and gave Ruby a tender hug, the warmth of her body soothing the younger huntress a bit as her smile became more genuine.

"I'm sorry Ruby, I didn't know. I shouldn't have asked." Weiss said remorsefully. Ruby just shook her head in response.

"It's fine Weiss, I didn't really mind telling you. You're my partner after all and…also someone very special to me." Ruby softy said with a tender smile. Weiss blushed as she felt a strange warmth envelope her hearing those sweet words. She felt her body grow weak as she stood there, powerless to utter anymore words as she heard Ruby continue.

"I wear this hood because, even though my mother is gone….I really feel like she's still with me while I wear it." Ruby said as she clasped her hands to her chest lovingly.

"I don't think you'd want your mother to see you like this so…" Weiss now bitterly thought as she gave a firm glance to her remaining teammates, catching them off guard.

"I feel like if I wear this hood like her, even if Ruby isn't with us at the moment, she'll still be…. FIGHTING BESIDE US!" Weiss shouted with pride and passion. Blake and Yang twitched as they heard this, their hands trembling with rage and vigor as those words lite a fire within. All their anger for Cinder, all their love for Ruby, they felt Weiss's words blast all their feelings at them.

"Come on then! Lets go save Ruby, and make that bitch pay!" Weiss roared, Blake and Yang smiled as they nodded in agreement.

"YEAH! LETS GO!" Yang cheered.

"We're right behind you Weiss!" Blake hollered as they entered the ship and it soon took off.

Little did they realize, as the ship departed with them, the trio indeed had Ruby nearby, just not the one they wanted.

"Psst! So Yang Xiao Long and her team already left! Damn it!" Cinder cursed as she saw the ship take off to the east, towards her base. Now she was going to have to steal an airship from the courtyard to get to her base to catch them before she was attacked. Her irritation at this was matched only by the audacity of Mercury's next question.

"They're on their way here, shall we move to a new location? I don't think you'd want them to fight you right now." Mercury asked.

"Pff, What? You afraid of those little kids?" Cinder asked in a condescending and annoyed tone.

"No, but do you really want them to find you so easily? The plan could fail after all the energy you burned up possessing lil' Red." Mercury asked curiously. He knew soul transference consumed much of Cinder's aura and spirit, it had to have exhausted her a bit, so strategically it was best to hide and rest a bit before engaging in battle.

Cinder clicked her teeth at the notion; she flared a fireball in her hand in response, startling Mercury to her amusement. As confident she was in her power to kill them, she just couldn't stand the thought of letting her plan to torment Ruby fail. The mere notion of failure was enough to bring her blood to a boil.

"Let them come! I'll beat and burn them to an inch of their pathetic lives and have Ruby finish them off!" Cinder yelled with sadistic joy. The desire to kill right now was really consuming her, her heart rate spiking.

She had to find some "stress-relief" right now. As she looked down at her captive through Ruby, an idea bolted into her mind and she immediately began to head down to the courtyard, assured her next targets would be there from their scroll's group chat.

"I guess I can kill some time before Ruby finishes her team off. Things are a bit out of order, but I'll make do." Cinder chuckled as she dragged her first victim through the brick road.

Ren weakly groaned as he felt as firm hand grip his collar and drag him across hard concrete. He had been captured. As weak as he felt right now, he could tell that much at least by the rocks scrapping his back. His vision was hazy though, so he couldn't see who had incapacitated him. But he knew truth, it had to be Ruby, or more specifically the one controlling her.

"C-Cin….Fall." He weakly whispered before gritting his teeth. As much as he wanted to fight back against her, his arms were as heavy as his eyelids right now. He was too weak to move, to weak to escape. As his eyes slowly began to shut, he could hear the arrogant chuckle of the little girl who he once called his friend. As helpless and exhausted he felt, his frustration and anger with this girl possessing her kept him awake, the futile desire to slug her and awaken Ruby being the only power to will himself awake. His captor loved the defiance she sensed within him, seeing it as her chance to showcase further superiority.

"Oh good! You've learned the name of your true reaper." His assaulter said with a smirk, her left eye flashing a small golden orange flame as she did so. As he sensed her power before him, Ren gasped quietly in fright as the last bit of his consciousness slipped away, pulling him into a deep sleep he knew would very likely be his last, that is if his team and girlfriend didn't rescue him he hoped not.

"Nora." He whispered, her bright smile flashing before his eyes as they started closing, he just hoped he could wake up, just once more, to see her face, that warm smile again. But his body refused to listen to him to open them, his head hanging limply as his eyes closed, the darkness finally consuming him.

"Will be joining you soon Renny!" A possessed Ruby cheerfully said. As disappointed she was with how easily she defeated Lie Ren with her powers, Cinder was ecstatic as she heard the fear and pain of her name come from her "prey", almost tempted to cut him to shreds right here with the blade she had hidden, still stained in the blood of that nurse she had Ruby kill. The smell of sulfur from it fueled her desires. Her hand trembled with excitement a bit as she saw his team off the distance, her next victims.

"Now that was a good stress relief! Taking out the sharp one first!" Cinder yelled, catching the groups attention.

"No way…" Jaune whispered in fright as he and Pyrrah's eyes widened in shock at the sight of their teammate being dragged before them. They eyed his wound's especially, his left arm was broken in half by the midsection, severe bruising and laceration on his face, and the way his limp head hung as he was carried made them unsure if he was even alive. The one holding him shocked them even more, it was Ruby but with a glowing eye?!

"Now….who's next?" Cinder growled, still not dropping her devilish smile.

The group was frozen in terror, even Nora, the normally loud and hyper one, couldn't even force out a scream of fright as she eyed her lover's condition, that was until she saw the maniacal smirk of pure evil radiating on Ruby's face, as if it gloated she had murdered him like she feared.

"REN!" She cried out, desperate for him to wake up and respond. The silence following her scream only made

Cinder was enjoying the hell out of the panic in there turmoil, it fueled her so much she couldn't toy around anymore, she had to pounce.

"You want him? CATCH!" Cinder yelled as she flung Ren's limp body towards Jaune Arc. His eyes widened as he lunged the catch him before he could hit the ground, worried his head could strike concrete and cause irreparable damage.

"REN!" Jaune cried for his teammate and friend. He didn't even get a chance to check him for breathing or pulse before the corner of his eyes caught a light and he instantly glanced down. His skin paled as he saw what looked like a glyph beneath him, followed by a small glimmer of fire. Ren's weight added to his own slowed him down, he didn't have the time to jump and get them both out of there. Pyrrah, seeing his debacle, instantly held out her hand as it glowed.

"JAUNE!" She cried as she reeled her hand back, yanking the two with her polarity semblance out of the glyph just as it was about to explode in a fiery blaze.

"You alright Jaune!?" Pyrrah asked concerned.

"Ow! Been better but thanks anyway." Jaune groaned as he rubbed his butt.

"How's Ren? Is still alive at least?!" Pyrrah asked, shuddering a bit seeing his wounds. She was honestly afraid to ask.

Jaune, despite his behind feeling sore as it struck the hard cement of the walkway, shook off his discomfort and gently laid Ren on his back, hoping with all his soul his teammate was alive.

"Ren, You alright!?" Jaune asked as he began feeling for a pulse on his friend's neck or arms. Cinder eyed Pyrrah as she stood guard over him while he checked.

"That's right…this girl has a polarity semblance. That means using a scythe against her would be a bad idea, she'd whip it around and make it slash me. Oh well! Old fashion way it is." Cinder thought as she brandished her hidden arm blades.

Pyrrah eyed the girl immediately as she did so, sensing her bloodlust, but recoiled as she saw the stern look Ruby gave her fade as she was startled by a similar sensation coming nearby. Glancing over, Cinder saw sparks of pink electricity fly through the air as a result of an enraged girl brandishing a hammer right now.

"You…you…you…you…" Nora grumbled repeatedly with rage as she slowly walked towards the possessed Ruby, who only snickered as she calmed down.

"Me what?" She asked mockingly.

"You're dead." Nora said with a cold range as she jumped towards Ruby, preparing to plunge her hammer down on her head to Pyrrah's shock.

"NORA STOP! SHE'S STILL RUBY!" Pyrrah cried out, but it was too late, Nora was too enraged at Ren's condition she just had to pummel this woman's head in, Ruby be damned! Cinder just smirked as she retracted her hidden blade and formed from a ball of fire she summoned in her hands, courtesy of her maiden powers, a pair of swords she used to effortlessly stop the hammer's strike before slashing away the Valkyrie.

Pyrrah and Jaune sighed in relief for a moment as they saw a pair of blades protect Ruby, only to wince as they realized what was going on.

"Those swords aren't her weapons! Where did they even come from!?" Jaune yelled.

Pyrrah eyed the shining pair of black and red blades glowing sparkles around them, sparkles she instantly recognized.

"D-Dust! She formed it from the dust embedded on her clothes!" Pyrrah cried out. Ruby waved her arms out, flaunting her body and new clothes.

"I'm not used to fighting, so I stole some fire dust from the hospital they use to heat it up. Really helped when I took control, got my dust swords here as an added bonus." Ruby chuckled.

Meanwhile, Cinder was laying against the cell they kept Ruby in weeks ago, huffing in exhaustion.

"There are different ways I can control Ruby, one is to simply give her mental commands to follow. Another is for me to completely control her every movement. Transference may give Ruby my powers but she won't know how to use them. So I have to focus here, but that's causing a lot of my energy to fade, I need to end them soon and get Ruby here while I rest before her team shows up." Cinder thought.

As Cinder took a deep breath of exhaustion from her real body, Ruby's did the same. This infuriated Nora more.

"Why you!" she bitterly growled. She wanted a challenge at least to force this woman to fight longer, so she could have more chances to crush her and her cockiness for hurting her lover. As she stepped forward to attack again, Pyrrah's hand grabbed her wrist to her confusion.

"Nora please stop! That person over there is still Ruby, but she isn't doing this of her free will. If you attack her like that, all you'll be doing is hurting our friend, not that witch controlling her." Pyrrah firmly said as Nora winced hearing the scolding. This shock was nothing compared to the sound of Jaune's announcement.

"HEY EVERYONE! REN'S ALIVE!" Jaune cried, drawing a smile from Pyrrah as she pointed Nora to her boyfriend, shocking her as she saw a small rise and fall on his chest.

"Ren is breathing. He's badly beaten, but Ruby let him live!" Jaune cried out. Nora gasped as she heard these words, her hands shaking as she almost dropped her hammer feeling immense guilt consume her.

"I…I can't believe I did that. I could have killed Ruby." Nora said as she hung her head in shame. Pyrrah patted her back tenderly in response.

"But you didn't, that's all that matters Nora." Pyrrah said softly with a smile that soon formed to a bitter frown as Cinder chuckled at them.

"If your going to be like that too then you'll loose like Ruby did. You can't beat me if you hold back your attacks, I said the same thing to Ruby the night I abducted her. Though it really doesn't matter anyway if you did." Cinder said.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrah asked.

"Nothing can hold me, even if you did managed to win here you can't save Ruby. Neither can her team, in fact I'll be sure to have Ruby kill them after I trash you here considering their as weak as you." Cinder gloated.

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THEM!" Jaune roared, but Cinder just looked unamused.

"I promise you their strong, my friends….TEAM RWBY WILL STOP YOU WITHOUT A DOUBT!" Jaune hollered furiously. Ruby just gripped her blades and gave him a death glare and frown in response.

"I…I won't let you kill them." She heard Ruby weakly groan in her mind. Cinder grit her teeth in annoyance in response.

"Shut it red!" Cinder yelled as she used her semblance to petal burst right in front of Nora and Pyrrah to their shock. Pyrrah saw the blades coming closer and knew she had barely enough time to dodge, but what about Nora?

"NORA! PYRRAH! LOOK OUT!" Jaune cried.

The instant he did, Pyrrah made her decision, her own health be damned. She instantly smacked Nora's chest, pushing her away from Ruby, but left herself wide open, a fact not lost on the possessed Ruby who delivered a cross slash to Pyrrah's chest, shattering her aura and drawing a torrent of blood from the defeated champion as she fell on her side unconciouss.

"Heh, didn't think the "invincible girl" would fall so easily. Probably don't even need my swords now." Ruby mockingly said as she dispersed the dust swords.

"DAMN YOU!" Nora roared with tears in her eyes as she changed her hammer to gun mode and tried launch 4 blasts of grenades at Ruby. Ruby used Cinder's powers to create a wall of fire around her though, melting the grenades before they could even hit. Jaune saw those weapons and Nora's fury on her face and grew worried. She was trying to kill Ruby again in her rage.

"Nora don't-" He tried to call but she cut him off.

"Don't worry. I won't kill Ruby, but that doesn't mean I won't break her legs. I just…don't see any other way to stop her." Nora sadly said.

"Jaune if your not going to help me fight, then grab Pyrrah and Ren and take them to the hospital for care while I stop her." Nora then firmly said.

Jaune nodded and ran to Pyrrah, confident with that statement Nora could do her job while he did his, only to raise his shield instinctively as he caught a glimmer of light in the corner of his eyes. His instincts proved accurate as his shield blocked a fireball headed for his head that exploded on his shield.

"Forget about me?" Ruby said as she soon formed a glyph beneath the two who jumped backwards immediately to try and dodge. Their aura's shattered from the impact of the explosions thought. As they painfully stood up, brandishing their weapons preparing to face her, Cinder just laughed through Ruby again. At that point, Jaune grew enraged, he couldn't stand the sight of this girl using Ruby's body for such cruelty or laughter again.

"I'll stop her!" Jaune cried defiantly as he swung at Cinder who merrily dodged or parried his blade with her hidden knife. She then swung him over her shoulders and made him fall on his back before delivering a painful stomp to his stomach, knocking him out after he screeched in pain. Nora soon jumped in to try and save him, shooting with her gun at the witch who deflected it with ease before Nora transitioned it into her hammer mode and swung at the side, careful not to hit Jaune. Only she met nothing but blank air as Ruby somersaulted over her to her surprise, she had never know Ruby to be that nimble.

"I've got you!" Ruby yelled cheerfully as she patted Nora's back to her shock. Soon a blast of fire and energy singed her back as she screamed in pain.

"G-Guys…R-Ruby…I failed you." Nora bitterly thought as her team and Ruby's faces flashed before her as she fell on her face, passing out. Cinder's hand trembled as she did so, not getting the result she wanted as she saw Nora's steady breaths.

"She's still alive? Cinder exclaimed

"Ru-Ruby." Nora whispered.

"That blast felt weaker than I wanted it to be. Damn it! Either Rose is fighting me or the transferences power is running out. I have to leave now!" Cinder thought. As much as she wanted to kill Team JNPR now, she had to reserve her strength and get Ruby to her now before WBY arrived, she had wasted more time and energy then she would have liked already. As she walked away, a shield smacked her head painfully to her annoyance.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Who…your still alive?" Ruby asked in shock as she saw Pyrrah groaning as she stood on her knees wheezing for air. Her status actually served to annoy Cinder further as she stood up.

"Hmph! I wasn't planning to check if the rest of you were even alive. Should have stayed down, you would have lived longer." Cinder groaned as she used her powers to form a crossbow and arrow, aiming it at Pyrrah's chest.

The champion couldn't move though, she knew she didn't have the strength to even stand. Hell, she barely had enough strength to speak as Cinder asked her for final words. But Pyrrah knew exactly what to say, she believed them more than anything right now as she saw Ruby's face.

"Team RWBY will save our friend, I'll believe that to the end!" Pyrrah confidently said. She was soon startled as she saw Cinder's hand release the arrow, assured her time was up. To her shock and Cinder's though, the arrow actually missed, going right behind her and landing to the left of her body.

"She missed?" Both girls thought in unison. But soon an arrow wasn't the only thing on the ground, tears began falling on it as well as Pyrrah looked up to meet a pair of teary silver eyes and heard a familiar voice.

"Pyrrah…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ruby whispered to her.

"RUBY!" Pyrrah cried, desperate for her friend to keep hearing her voice and keep fighting. Cinder groaned at her base in anger and exhaustion in response.

"AGH! Transference wore off! Ruby's trying to regain control!" Cinder yelled furiously. Ruby's body twitched as her head hung backwards, her tearful eyes soon bleeding as an immense headache consumed her.

"I WON'T ALLOW THAT!" Cinder's roar echoed in Ruby's head as she held it painfully and screamed in agony.

"RUBY Ha-" Pyrrah cried before a boot struck her mouth, cutting her off and knocking her down at last.

"Ruby…Hang in there." Pyrrah thought as her consciousness faded.

The Final Countdown

Cinder had Ruby commandeer a ship of her own and was now flying back to her base in the east.

"EGH! Ruby's friends slowed me down! Now her team got a few minute head start!" Cinder bitterly thought.

"Those girls should be there soon, but 20 minutes is more than enough time to recover my energy and weaken them enough for this brat to kill them. I will have my revenge you little red riding bitch!" Cinder furiously thought as she pressed the lever on her control pad and accelerated the ships speed towards her destination.

Meanwhile, an Ursa was cut down and laid on its stomach in the forest east of the hospital. As it slowly dissipated into black dust and faded into the air, it's killer groaned as he looked off to see a base nearby. Almost like a Grimm, he could feel the negativity and bloodlust in the air around it. He knew whose base it belong too and it made his blood boil.

"Guess it's time to finally end my deal with Fall after all." Adam Taurus thought as the image of the possessed Ruby's deadpan eyes flashed before him. He shook his head in defiance.

"No! It's not for that filthy human. I just don't need their business anymore or loose ends that's all!" Adam yelled annoyed in defiance, drawing his blade again to slice in half a beowolf attracted to his anger to vent.

"Lets just get this over with." Adam thought as he made for the base slowly.

At the same time, WBY was standing outside the base fervently locking eyes bitterly at the boy standing between them and the tormentor of their friend Ruby.

"Mercury? Your involved too?" Blake asked in shock.

"That's right kitty, what about it?" Mercury asked with a cocky tone.

"Nothing! Out of our way Mercury now!" Yang roared with rage. She didn't have time to waste on him but he just brandished his robotic legs with a chuckle in response.

"Sorry Bimbo, your gonna have to make me." He coldly said with a smirk. Weiss clicked her teeth as she drew her saber in response and pointed it at him.

"WITH PLEASURE!" All of WBY yelled in response as they lunged for him.

"Ruby, we will save you!"

END