Chapter 2

Beacon. The limelight hogging school of Vale. Those who got in were the best of the best, huntsman and huntresses destined for heroism. Here, boys would become men, girls would mature into women, and lifelong friends were curriculum. Beacon has failed gloriously in every single aspect.

3 whole weeks in, and Ruby's teammates might as well be strangers. Immediately ducking out of class at the shrill ring of the bell, not bothering to wake Ruby up, nowhere to be seen at any of their meals. It seemed like Ruby was stuck chasing their afterimages no matter how fast she pounded her feet against the floor, and that was saying something considering her whole gimmick was speed. Even Yang, was suspiciously absent ever since Beacon.

Ruby stared blankly at the ceiling, the silence deafening in her little dorm. She wasn't stupid, no matter what others whispered. She knew that they were avoiding her. Why? It seemed that she was the only one in the dark. Ruby groaned and palmed at her face, pulling the skin taut and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Another day of grasping at her teammate's coattails seemed inevitable. Another day of damn autonomy and mediocrity in a place surrounded by the prodigious. Weiss' table clock ticked away, taunting and laughing at her, letting her know that with each passing second her teammates were enjoying her absence.

'Why…' tick 'Why me?' tock 'shut…up' tick ' SHUT UP'. Red blurred and a maelstrom of roses flourished, a whirlwind of rage and bitterness stabbed at the offending object, ending its short-lived reign of torment. Papers, blankets, and clothing relished and danced in the storm, giving their adulation for this meaningless act of violence. Ruby emerged from the carnage with gritted teeth and a scowl, hateful silver orbs observing the clock that was currently speared by her index. Hate gave way to confusion, which then relented to wonder.

Her finger had pierced all the way through the clock, sparing neither its shell nor internals. Aura pooled at the tip of her finger, shimmering and pulsing to match her heartbeat. Already Ruby's engineering mind raced with possibilities, manufacturing and drawing blueprints to turn already deadly weapons into devastating conduits.

Her mind was already contemplating the utilization of this revelation to team RWBY's weapons and it would have continued to do so had it not been for the door creaking open.

"Well, I'm sorry not everyone shares your admiration for such works of…"

Weiss' voice trailed off as she surveyed the havoc inflicted upon the dorm, her eyes widening and mouth falling agape. Following suit behind her were the alius partner duo of team RWBY, though it appeared that Weiss was more interested in solidifying the formation of the first ever trio team instead of bonding with her actual partner.

The abject astonishment and horror in Weiss eyes were a telltale of what was to follow, and in a desperate attempt to preserve the peace, Ruby ran damage control.

"Hi…Weiss"

Great start, keep it rolling.

"So I know this looks bad, but I think I found something really cool and I-"

Weiss' eyes narrowed and seethed with rage, a low growl emanating from the depths. Alas, no plan survives contact with the enemy. A surely stomp of her foot lay waste to Ruby's hopes for a peaceful solution, seemingly increasing the pressure in he room tenfold. Like a ruler poised to deliver an execution order, Weiss began her tirade.

"Ruby Rose! You idiotic, ignorant, selfish, knuckleheaded, clumsy beyond measure little girl! That clock has been, WAS more useful than your entire venture here at Beacon! And his horrid mess! You've left clothes on the floor, papers on the ground, IS THAT MY PLANNER IN THE BIN?!" Weiss looked none too out of breath, even with the ear ringing volume of her scolding.

'That…That wasn't completely horrible', Ruby consoled herself.

"I…I'm sor-"

"SORRY?! Honestly Ruby, how the hell did you get into Beacon? You're late to classes, horrible in team-based fights, and so socially inept that even Grimm would be more pleasant to hold conversation with. You're a little girl walking around Beacon like its your playground. Honestly do us all a favor and just drop OUT!"

Ruby shrunk back at her insecurities being laid bare, casting pleading eyes to her sister. Ruby expected a defense, maybe a word or two to console Weiss. Yang just shrugged, a strange flash of vehemence in her eyes that Ruby couldn't quite grasp before disappearing into the pools of lilac.

"I mean, if you were to take her words, swap it around with less prickly synonyms? You can kinda see her point, can't you Ruby? You've needed my help a lot ever since…you know. And you are kind of a mess in almost everything besides a solo fight, and Beacon's all about teams you know? Maybe you outta go back to Patch for a while, I mean this little excursion can't last forever right? You know dad would love to have you home"

'Ex…Excursion?', Ruby's heart dropped. Her silver eyes clouded with tears, and a sob threatened to break loose. She thought Yang loved having her here, two sisters against the world. Yet, the absence of a defense had unveiled Yang's true judgement, she thought her inutile. Almost pathetically, she cast her pleading gaze to the one that stayed silent, the one that merely watched. Watery silver met callous amber.

Eyes were a gateway to the soul, and Blake's was without a heartbeat. When Ruby desperately searched for a morsel of compassion, Blake gave no quarter in response, opting to spear Ruby's heart with a sword forged in apathy. Why? Blake said nothing, and she kept her motivations incarcerated. Ruby yearned to fissure, to let her teammates know how much she hurt. Still, she choked it back down, dipping her head in surrender.

"I'll pay for the clock. Ok?" Ruby muttered out apologies as she pushed her way past her teammates, feeling their judgmental stares on her back as she made her hasty escape. Wiping tears that threatened to flow, Ruby scampered to the rooftops of Beacon, desiring nothing more than the cold concrete to nullify the heat that was running through her veins and muscles, burrowing itself deep in her like a pike of shame.

Climbing the steps two at a time, she emerged out of the stairwell and into the chilling night. Despite the cold nipping at her skin, leaving goosebumps as it trailed a judgmental finger on her arms, it offered no respite as the sweltering heat within laid waste to Ruby's confidence and esteem.

No one was around to witness her failings. No one to cast pitiful stares at the outcast of Beacon whom was unwanted by all including her own sister. No one left to care about the failed leader.

Ruby wept.


With shrunken eyes, defeated and embellished with misery, Ruby made her way back to her dorm past midnight. Her scroll lay undisturbed in her pocket, blissfully undisturbed despite her being out worryingly past curfew. Ruby didn't care about any of that however, and she sought to cast her eyes down to the worn flooring of Beacon's halls instead. She would have been contempt to lay in her bed, hopeful to sleep past her teammates awakenings as she so often did. However, it seemed that one last stab to Ruby's heart was to be thrown for the day.

"Ah, Miss Rose. Out past curfew I suppose this does give me the opportunity to free up a little of my schedule for tomorrow"

Ruby didn't need to raise her head to see who it was, being as familiar as every Beacon student was with the headmaster himself. At the possibility of her despondent state being noticed, she funneled what she had into plastering a weak smile on her features.

"Good evening Headmaster, I'm sorry for this I was hungry and…and I just needed a little water and-"

Ozpin just raised a palm, bringing Ruby to an automatic stop.

"You needn't explain yourself Miss Rose, the curfew is mainly a guideline, not a restriction. Imagine giving the esteemed defenders of Remnant a bedtime", Ozpin chuckled, prompting Ruby to give a polite giggle in response.

"If you don't mind Miss Rose, please do forgive me for taking up a little more of your time. I have somewhat of a urgent matter to discuss with you regarding your team dynamic", Ozpin said cryptically as he gestured down the dimly lit hall to his office.

'My team dynamic… not my team's dynamic'. A small distinction, but one that Ruby took note of nonetheless.

Not really having a say in the matter prompted Ruby to give a feeble nod, shuffling after Ozpin mutedly as he led her to the office.

With a practiced motion, Ozpin settled into his chair, which featured intricate clockwork mechanisms showing off internals consisting of cogs and gears. Upon a gesture behest of Ozpin, Ruby nervously took her seat opposite the large desk. The desk itself was humongous in size, resigning Ruby to shrink behind it like a dwarf. The intrinsic patterns on its woodwork told stories and fables from another era, and it struck Ruby like a revelation that this desk might be significantly older than her very person.

"Miss Rose, let's make this brief. How are you getting along with your team?"

Ruby nervously chuckled, "Great! I mean, its really fun, we…we all get along and…and…". To her credit, she trailed off as soon as she noticed Ozpin's unbelieving gaze. Her shoulders slumped down and she gave a sigh of deep rooted melancholy.

"Not good Headmaster, we barely talk. It's like they can't stand to be in the room with me"

Ozpin nodded, though Ruby observed it was more out of an acknowledgment than contemplation. Fixing his glasses, Ozpin leaned forward and clasped his palms together, as though something he heard had cast any doubt out from his decision.

"Miss Rose, Ruby, when I invited you to Beacon I was impressed with your steadfast decisions and decisive actions in the face of real danger. Something that was rare for someone so young such as yourself". Ruby felt a tide of heat rush to her face, and a smile made itself known on her face at the sound of good news after a horrible few weeks.

"But"

The smile dropped, her heart stilled.

"I must admit I was hasty in making you team leader, and placing such pressure on you at such a young age".

'Wh-What?'

"Perhaps this old man was just relieving the good old days. I'm sure you are aware that your mother was team leader back then?"

Ruby found her voice, stammering: "Well yes but what does this have to do with-"

"She was allowed more time to mature and grow, something I didn't allow for in my hasty recruitment of you"

Ruby's eyes went wide, and her breaths came out shallow and haggard.

"It is after much consideration, and discussion with your teammates and teachers, that the position of team leader is transferred and elected onto your partner, Weiss Schnee. This decision is with the full support of both the professorate and your teammates. You must forgive me for my oversight and placing such a heavy burden on you when you were not ready Miss Rose. Truly my mistake."

Ozpin made a mistake. Ozpin repaired his mistake. In turn, Ruby Rose broke.