Next chapter. Bit shorter than usual, but should still be fine. The chapter after this will have more drama and payoff for something people have been eagerly awaiting.

Also, I've had people claim that Neo didn't do anything wrong or that she's just an innocent orphan fighting for her father figure. Um...like, everyone does remember that she's complicit in a plan to murder everyone in Vale, right? Like she's already in the middle of helping Cinder with her plans without any remorse. I get people saying Ruby blaming her for stuff that happened in The Ever After is sketch, but Neo's already in on Cinder's plot. So is Roman.

Some people also say that she should try to redeem the baddies. What motivation does she have to do that? They're unrepentant mass murderers. Even Emerald only turned away cause she realized she would die too rather than any moral objections. Ruby doesn't have the means or motivation to try and save the villains.

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Yang found herself at a crossroads.

The bodacious blonde brawler of team BYRN stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The face that stared back at her was practically unrecognizable. There were bags under her eyes, her mouth was set in a low frown, and her hair was the wrong kind of messy. Not the messy that she spent an hour or two styling to look all-natural, but actually messy. It was a horror no one should be subjected to.

And yet that was the farthest thing from his mind right now. All she could think about instead was Ruby. Her little sister, her precious Rubaby...and Yang had corrupted her. With her rebellious streak and devil-may-care attitude, Yang was the coolest chick in all of Patch. Guys wanted to date her and women wanted to be her. It was tough being so awesome, but Yang took to it with a natural ease.

She was sorely regretting it now.

Shaky hands gripped the side of the sink and she shuddered. It was her fault. Ruby was always a bit of a wallflower. As cheerful and energetic as her baby sis was, she found it hard to talk to people. And with a sister like Yang, she couldn't really be blamed for it. She was always the one that stole the spotlight. There were even a few people who tried to make friends with Ruby so they could get an 'in' with her. Yang made her thoughts on that clear. With her fists.

So it was no surprise that Ruby would start copying her. She had looks that could put a model to shame and she could kick the ass of anyone on Patch with one hand tied behind her back. Ruby didn't stand a chance. Of course, she'd try copying her awesome big sis. Yang would've done the same in her place if she had someone as amazing as she was for a big sister.

It was all her fault! Forgive her, Ruby!

All she could think of was regret. She'd corrupted Ruby with her charisma and looks. It was her fault. She left Ruby alone on the first day because she wanted her to find friends of her own. Now she'd gone down a dark hole from where there was no return. Was this how Dad felt when she first put on that outfit that let her girls out? Cause right now she was feeling like a worried mom.

Now she was faced with two choices. She could accept that the Ruby she knew was gone, or she could try to find a way to get the lovable dork back.

She knew the answer already. She had to do something. Maybe it was hypocritical of her, but she didn't care. The thought of her precious Rubaby turning into some...delinquent wasn't something she could take! No, she had to find a way to reverse it.

But how? She knew from experience that lectures didn't work. Go to Jaune? No, she'd just rebel even harder. She remembered when Dad gave her first boyfriend the hatchet talk. It only made her even more determined to act out. The allure of breaking the rules was that you weren't supposed to break them. The more Dad pushed her, the more she became the icon of rebellion that she was today.

So she had to come up with another idea.

Ruby idolized her, that much was obvious. She had to use it to her advantage...and she knew exactly how to do it.

Yang took a deep, shaky breath and hardened her gaze. She knew a way to save Ruby from her downward spiral, but it would cost her everything. She'd cultivated her 'too cool for school' reputation for years and she'd be throwing it all away by doing this. Was it worth it? Would she be willing to sacrifice it all?

Yang remembered Ruby as she was and nodded. The blonde bombshell made her preparations and swallowed down all her hesitation. She would do this. For Ruby!

Ten minutes later, Yang had made her entrance into the cafeteria. She kept her head held high and walked with a purpose to the team's shared table after getting her tray. Students from the first year turned to look as she passed. Why wouldn't they? She looked almost unrecognizable now. There were no classes today, which allowed her to pick and choose the outfit she needed for her plan to work. An outfit that was the very antithesis (hey, she knew big words too) to Yang Xiao Long.

Gone were the short shorts and tube tops. In their place was a fancy yellow blouse that covered the entire of her upper body paired with an ankle-length brown skirt. Finishing off the ensemble was a pair of tasteful dress shoes and red-rimmed glasses. She'd also brushed her hair to a straighter, neater style rather than the unnaturally natural messy way it usually was.

This was the plan. Ruby idolized her, the sudden change to teenage rebellion made that obvious, so all she had to do was change her mind on what was cool. And if it meant sacrificing her image, she'd do it.

"Good morning, everyone." Yang smiled down at them all.

Reactions were mixed. Blake raised a brow as she looked up from her book, Ren did the same (sans book), while Nora and Pyrrha looked curious at the sudden change. Weiss looked surprised, though her expression quickly shifted to approval. Jaune didn't react at all and kept pushing around the sausages on his plate without looking up at her greeting.

The only reaction she cared about was Ruby's. Lilac eyes flicked over to the reaper and she winced at the outfit she wore. It looked like something Yang herself would wear.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Ruby asked bluntly.

"Pardon?" Yang forced herself to ask back.

"That." Ruby gestured to her, "Did Dad find your secret booze stash? Cause I told you blaming Drunkle Qrow wouldn't work."

"I...have no idea what you mean, dear sister." Yang sat down across from Ruby with the same placid smile as before, "I'm simply having breakfast with you and the rest of our friends."

"Uh-huh..." Ruby raised a brow, clearly unimpressed, "And you just decided to start dressing up like a priss and talking like Weiss today for no reason?"

"Why are you arguing about this?" Weiss cut in, "Your sister clearly understood that being a boor didn't help her. I, for one, approve of your change, Yang. That salacious and provocative attire did you no favors. This is much more sensible."

"...Thank you, Weiss." Yang's left hand balled into a shaky fist underneath the table.

"Yeah, whatever. I give you three days before you get bored of it." Ruby turned to Jaune and frowned, "Jaune, what's wrong? You've hardly eaten! That's no good. A growing boy like you needs his nutrients." She speared a sausage with her fork and raised it to his face, "Come on, say ahhh~"

Shameless. Absolutely shameless. Even Yang wouldn't have done something as brazen as feeding someone in front of her friends. Pyrrha blushed and looked away while Weiss scoffed and muttered something about 'hormonal dolts' under her breath. Team BYRN didn't care, all too used to Ruby's antics at this point. Yang took in a deep breath and ignored how much she wanted to cry. She'd get the sweet, innocent Ruby back one of these days, she was sure of it.

"So...anyone have any plans for today?" Yang asked.

"Yep, me and Jaune are going on a date!" Ruby hugged the blonde's arm and squealed, "Nobody wait up!" She let out a lewd little giggle, making it obvious to everyone what she was thinking about.

...

Yang choked back bitter, angry tears and kept eating.


Poor Jaune.

That was the thought that ran through Ruby's mind as she and Jaune made their way down into Vale for their date. He'd been so quiet ever since she saved him from Neo a couple of days ago. He must've been so scared. She cursed Neo again in her head. She wanted to kill her then - still wanted to kill her now - but she couldn't. Not yet. Not until Cinder came out of whatever hole she was hiding in and enrolled into Beacon.

So she'd keep breathing...for now. Maybe if she was in a good mood she'd stay alive once they gave the power Cinder stole back to Amber.

But back to Jaune. She hated the idea of seeing him so sad, so of course she suggested a date. Not that she needed a reason to want to go on a date with him, but what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't take care of him? It was her fault he got kidnapped in the first place. She'd gotten careless. She should've kept a closer eye on him and Neo never would've gotten close. She'd make sure to stick close from now on.

"Come on, Jaune. There's a good place I know around here." She held his right hand with her left and gently led him to an old cafe she remembered from years back. When Beacon fell because of Cinder, the cafe was one of the numerous places that fell with it. They never even found the owners. So many people died in the Fall and the final war against Salem that she couldn't comprehend it.

Ruby took a deep breath and looked up at the clear blue sky. She had a second chance here. She would save everyone and stop millions of deaths. Cinder and her cronies would go first, but then she had to deal with the rest of Salem's circle of psychopaths. Tyrian was near the top of her list. He was the one who killed Winter and crippled Uncle Qrow. She'd shove that fucking stinger of his down his throat.

Raven would get hers too. When she showed up to help them, they'd been too picky to be desperate. Same with Emerald. Back then, she'd believed in giving others the benefit of the doubt. Raven and Emerald had the blood of thousands of innocent people on their hands, but she naively believed that they could make up for it by helping them fight against Salem.

She learned how stupid she was when the two of them ran away to save their worthless lives. She shouldn't have been surprised. They only helped them out of self-preservation, so when it looked like they were about to lose, they prioritized their own survival over risking their necks to save the world. That was why Winter died. She'd never forgive them for it.

Now she knew better. People who could murder hundreds of innocents without a care until they realized their own lives were on the line didn't deserve second chances.

"Ruby, you alright?" Jaune asked softly.

"Huh?" She blinked softly and winced. They'd stopped in the middle of the sidewalk because of her wandering thoughts. She did that a lot back in her old time after Jaune...died. Days just spent staring at a wall or moving on autopilot so she didn't soil herself or rot in her own filth.

"You're staring off."

"Just thinking about Professor Port's assignment. Sorry." She stuck her tongue out and kept walking. She needed to stop lingering on the past(?). She'd make sure they all got their happy endings.

Ruby took a seat across from Jaune on a table outside and they both ordered. This was...nice. Back home, there really wasn't enough time for dates. By the time they'd gone to Vacuo, it was one fight after the next, trying to hold their ground against Salem's seemingly unending horde. There was one time she'd fought for a whole day straight, destroying entire hordes of Grimm with her Silver Eyes. But she was always too late. Always too late to stop them from dyi-

"Hey, Jaune! What's your favorite movie?" Ruby asked suddenly. She already knew the answer, but she needed a distraction.

"Uh...Live Hard? That movie with Spruce Willis."

"Yeah, I know it. It's one of my favorites too." She pulled her right foot out from her sandals and gently slipped it under the cuff of his jeans. Jaune jumped slightly, cheeks turning red as Ruby smirked and rubbed her toes against the warm skin, "What do you think of the sequels?" Her foot inched up slowly but surely.

"U-Uh, not a big fan of the second, but the third was a-alright!" He squeaked adorably when she pinched the skin. Even back in her old timeline, he'd been so shy. Both of them were, really. Spending a decade alone in the Ever After had broken him, and the fall of Atlas had nearly broken her too. She'd make sure he wouldn't go through that again. He deserved better.

Oh, she hated the waiting game! If she had her way, she would've already jumped his bones and made him 'remember' why the two of them were destined to be together. But she had to be patient, she told herself. It would make it all so worth it. She remembered all the things she bought in preparation. The collar, the candles, the aphrodisiac...she was going to make their 'first' time the best!

"Really?" I liked the second." Ruby hummed.

"R-Ruby, could you, uh..."

"Could I what?" Ruby tilted her head to the side and looked at him with faux innocence, "I'm not doing anything, Jaune."

"Y-Yeah, you are!" he whispered, face practically a tomato now. So cute.

She was about to tease him more when a head of orange hair rounded the corner.

Across the table, Jaune found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He had no idea what to make of Ruby Rose. On the one hand, she was a stalker who knew details about him and his family that undeniably made him nervous. On the other hand, she was training him (despite her grabby behavior) and did save his life from that crazy girl with the umbrella, even if she'd been brutal about it.

On the other other hand, it was clear that she was crazy. Not just in the 'stalker that knows everything about you' kind of way, but something else. Something deeper. Despite everything, he couldn't help but feel at least slightly sorry for her, even though he knew that was probably a bad idea.

He was just about to ask her to please stop playing footsie with him when her eyes suddenly widened and she stood up with enough force to nearly push the table over. She had that far-off look in her eyes again as she walked away from the table, completely forgetting her other sandal, "Ruby?" He fixed the table and grabbed the discarded footwear before following after his partner.

Ruby continued walking until she stopped in front of a cute orange-haired girl with freckles who looked about his age.

"P-Penny...?" Ruby whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

The girl - Penny - tilted her head to the side and blinked, "Yes, that is my name. Pardon me, but who are you?"

"My name's Ruby. I'm...I'm your friend."

"You are?" Penny blinked again before she gave Ruby an open-toothed smile, "Oh, sensational! I was out in town hoping to make new friends! It is a pleasure to meet you, Ruby!"

"Y-Yeah, it's so...so nice to meet you too!"

Ruby hugged her without warning. Penny looked confused at the sudden gesture but didn't push her off or seem to disapprove in the least. Ruby kept hugging her for a few more seconds before reluctantly pulling, "You're going to Beacon, right? We can hang out!"

"Oh! Yes, I would like that very much!"

"Me too..."

The two of them talked for a few more minutes before Penny left. Jaune was left just awkwardly standing there, unsure of what to do or what to say. That...was weird. That Penny girl clearly didn't know who Ruby was, but Ruby definitely knew her. Another person she stalked? But then why did she act so different compared to when she met him on their first day at Beacon?

"Hey, Jaune? Could we...cut the date short? I'm feeling kinda drained," Ruby said.

"Uh...no problem. You forgot this, by the way." He handed her the sandal.

"Huh? Oh, thanks." She put it on quickly and chewed on her lower lip, "We should go back to Beacon. Don't want anyone else getting any bright ideas with you."

"Yeah, sure..."

"Awesome." Her smile returned to its usual brightness and she wrapped both arms around his right, "Let's go!"


Penny sighted, which clearly isn't doing any favors for Ruby's well-being. She really pushes the limit next chapter and this time Jaune isn't going to just sit there and take it. Uh-oh.

Also, Yang's segment had her as comically overconfident. It makes her feelings more comedic since she's kinda making it all about herself and doing everything she can to make herself responsible because, in her eyes, she's just that awesome.

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Question:

1. Seems like a decent chunk of people wanna see Ruby fail and/or get screamed at by Jaune. Why? I would've thought people would be into the whole Yandere time traveler thing, but there are reviews pretty much cheering for Ruby to mess up and fall on her face.

Answers:

MereC55 - Yeah, I can agree that Ruby was being sadistic. Maybe she should've been the bigger person, but I imagine that Ruby's not very keen to be merciful given that she sees Neo as a sadistic psychopath even by this time period. Kidnapping Jaune did NOT help matters.

that guy - It is still humor, though it starts leaning harder into black comedy. That and Ruby does shape up.

Also, I think it goes beyond conspiracy at this point because Roman and Neo are already actively helping Cinder. They've been stealing Dust for her for weeks if not months. And I assume they ARE aware given that neither of the two express surprise at Vale being destroyed in V3. Hell, they gleefully took part in it and tried to kill Ruby when she moved to stop them. Look at Roman's behavior as he destroyed the ships. There is no guilt or hesitation there.

While they didn't come in without Cinder threatening them, the fact that they didn't do anything - run away, tell the Huntsmen, stop Cinder themselves - paints them as horribly selfish people who will gladly murder thousands if not millions of other people if it means avoiding risk to themselves. And that makes them monsters in Ruby's eyes. Fans give them a pass due to charisma and looks, that's about it.