The Phantom Reaper Chapter 1: Let Us Start The Game

The Casino had been unusually noisy that night. More often than not it was a place associated with fruitless screaming and raucous laughter, but tonight it seemed to have gathered the attention of the police. They filed into the brightly lit main hall, quickly fanning out to cover as much ground as possible. The patrons of the Casino shuffled around awkwardly, not entirely sure how they were supposed to react. The police weren't much help in that regard, as they seemed to be more occupied with finding whatever it was they were looking for than assuaging the customers of their fears.

Suddenly, a streak of red passed over them, the customers crying out in shock and awe as this unseen form coasted by in the rafters above them. The figure streaked by, gaining not only the attention of the patrons but also the police. One of the suited men leaned down into his walkie talkie and said "She's here," before barking some orders to the two men standing next to him. As the police continued to extend throughout the Casino the red figure landed softly on a brightly lit overhang, the blinding light cascading outwards and exposing their presence to anyone watching.

They were female, and young looking on top of that. She wore a pitch black corset with red trim. Black tinted leggings led into black boots with red laces that ended just below the knees. A cavalier ran around her waist, holding a number of sniper rounds as well as-surprisingly-a grey cross. A blood red cloak hung off the girls shoulders, connected to the rest of her outfit by two small crosses similar in design to the one hanging from her waist. Her hair was short and black with red highlights, and fastened over her eyes was a red domino mask with black trimming around the eyes. A solid steel grey briefcase was held under one arm.

Upon seeing this woman in her full glory, many of the patrons of the Casino started to panic and run for the exit. The police allowed them to but made no move to follow, one of them shouting out "Up there! She's above us!" before the police scrambled about, many of them disappearing through side entrances and whatnot. The red cloaked figure didn't pay them any mind, instead descending onto a concrete overhang. She dashed to the left most side, tearing of the covering for a vent and shoving the briefcase through it. With that done, she sped across the overhang once again before leaping onto a steel gourney that overlooked the main hall of the Casino.

"Nicely done, Reaper, you've managed to get all their attention on you," a boyish voice complimented her over the small microphone in her ear.

"Indeed. I doubt I would've been able to do it more convincingly myself," another voice added, this one noticeably deeper and playful.

"We've secured the briefcase on our end. Just focus on getting away safely," a female voice this time; this one was muted and serious.

"She's right Reaper, get the hell outta there!" an energetic voice shouted.

Reaper nodded and smiled, "I'm on my way." And like that she was off; leaping onto another gurney before hoisting herself onto the walkway of a large neon sign that hung over the main hall.

"I have to say, showing yourself above the crowd like that was fantastic! Excellent as always, Reaper," the boyish voice cheered.

"I doubt Warlord could've pulled something like that off," a new voice joked lightly, this one feminine as well.

Another new voice, this one quiet and pronounced. "That is because she lacks the proper aesthetics."

"What was that?! Raph, you traitor!" a lighthearted girly voice cried out indignantly.

Reaper rolled her eyes. "Alright you two, that's enough. We need to focus on the mission," she reprimanded as she leapt up to a higher vantage point. Suddenly, a pair of double doors to her right slammed open and three men in suits stepped out.

They caught sight of her almost immediately. "There she is! Don't hold back men; open fire!" he cried out. Reapers eyes widened imperceptibly as they pulled out pistols. Her eyes snapped forward, to a set of half circle structures that led to a balcony.

"Don't bother dealing with them! Just run away!" the energetic voice from before cried out. Reaper was quick to heed to their words, crossing over the structures and making her way to the balcony at the end of them. Bullets would ricochet off the structures underneath her, but none even came close to actually doing damage.

"I swear to god Reaper, if don't make it outta there safe I'll kill you myself!" a haughty voice shouted. Reaper smiled but didn't say anything, having already landing safely on the carpeted floor of the balcony. There was a set of double doors just ahead of her, and she started racing toward them at the command of one of her comrades. Unfortunately for her, the doors burst open and two guards stepped out. Their forms were hunch and they looked rather top-heavy, they also wore strange masks over their faces. A loud thump from behind had Reaper turning around to face another guard almost identical in looks to the previous two.

Only three shadows? I feel almost insulted, Reaper mused as a cocky smirk fitted itself to her lips. "Take em down, Reaper!" a new voice cheered, this one belonging to an energetic male. Reaper dashed forward, her form becoming a mess of red and rose petals as she sped toward the enemy. Just as they were about to collide Reaper suddenly changed direction, racing around her opponent in a circle. The shadow couldn't comprehend this at first, but he soon realized his mistake when he was lifting a good few feet in the air. Before the shadow had a chance to react, Reaper crashed down into them. An elaborate scythe was now in her hands, with the blade pointing directly downward like that of a spear. In the flash of an eye, the tip of Reaper's scythe was buried deep into the shadows chest, it's body now pinned to the ground with her standing atop it.

It was odd-well, to anyone that wasn't her anyway-when the body gurgled and disappeared entirely, as if it had never existed. Reaper twirled her scythe before sheathing it, turning her attention to the two remaining shadows. "Alright! I've found an alternative exit. Reaper! Behind you!" the same energetic male commanded. Reaper heeded his words, leaping backwards with an aerial maneuver and landing on top of a brightly lit sign. She gave a mock salute to the shadows before hoisting herself onto another balcony. Just like before, there was a set of double doors at the end. But these were already opened, and no policemen or shadows seemed to be walking through them.

Reaper dashed through the doors and found herself in the backstage area of the Casino, where concrete walls and ceilings were more common than fancy carpeting and roulette wheels. She was about to contact her teammates, but all of the suddenly her mic picked up some indistinct chatter. "...suspects...waiting outside… couldn't… still with us…" it sounded off.

"Huh? What was that?" Reaper wondered aloud.

"It doesn't matter right now! Just get out of there already!" a concerned voice cried. Reaper's face hardened and she nodded, bursting through a door into a small hallway. To her left looked to be a corner that would lead further inside, so she raced down that way. As soon as she turned the corner, she stopped abruptly and dove behind a nearby heater. There was another man in a suit standing at the end of the hallway leading up to the stairs, talking into his walkie talkie.

"I haven't been able to find the suspects here. I will continue my search further in," he reported before racing down the hallway. Reaper let out a sigh of relief as he stupidly passed her before dashing from behind her cover, making a beeline for the stairs. Once there, she sped up three flights of stairs in quick succession. As she was moving upwards, she passed by a small unit of guards which took notice of her. She cursed and kept moving, recognizing there was nothing she could do about it now. Emerging from one final flight of stairs, Reaper sped down a long hallway. As she did she passed by a long window which let her see into a surveillance room of sorts. It had a wall lined with monitors that displayed different parts of the Casino.

Reaper didn't pay too much attention to this as she sped down the hallway. At the end there was a single door which she burst out of to find herself standing on a balcony that overlooked the entrance to the Casino. "Where's the exit?" Reaper asked, frantically looking around.

"What's the matter? It should be just up ahead," someone commented over the comms. Reaper looked up to find herself staring at an immaculate stain glass window that seemed to swallow up half the front entrance.

"Through there?" she asked exasperatedly.

"...That's just how it is," they replied uncomfortably.

"What's the problem? Will you not be able to make it?" the polite voice asked. Reaper didn't respond, her mouth tugging into a smile. The door behind her was loudly thrown open and the police stepped through.

"Stop right there! There's nowhere left to run!" he shouted.

Reaper turned to him with a cocky grin. Oh Really? Then she threw herself over the balcony. The police gasped in shock, but Reaper wasn't worried as she touched down on the stone walkway extending from the balcony. She dashed to the left, running along the walkway as it snaked around the wall. Suddenly she leapt, plopping down on the windowsill in front of the stained glass window from before. Reaper turned back to the baffled police officers, the biggest goddamn grin on her face.

"See ya~"

Then she jumped.

Reaper crashed through the window, hundreds of pieces of colored glass illuminating her as her form crossed the glimmering moon. She spun in midair, her blood red cloak flowing behind her brilliantly.

"Geez, this showing off is completely unnecessary," the haughty voice from before accused.

"You're so reckless, you know that?"

"That's our leader for ya," the boyish voice snickered. Reaper's grin never faded as she started to descend, twisting in midair so she landed feet first before rolling backwards, lessening the damage to the soles of her feet. Reaper drew herself to her full height, staring into the dim Tokyo streets. Then, seeming out of nowhere, a spotlight turned on, illuminating Reapers figure and making her cover her eyes. More spotlights suddenly lit up until the front of the Casino was bathed in blinding white light.

"What the-These readings-!"

"Enemies!"

"And there's so many of them!"

"It's an ambush!"

"You can get away from these guys, right Reaper?!"

"Reaper?!"

"REAPER?!"

Her comm exploded with everyone's voices. She didn't respond, instead simply standing there facing them. "There she is! Take her down now!" the one she assumed to be the commanding officer cried out. Just like that the sea of police officers started charging toward her. Reaper shot forward to the right, sprinting as fast as she could toward a fire escape she could just make out in front of her. It only took her a few seconds to reach it, and when she did she catapulted herself onto the ladder. She raced up the prongs of the rusted thing, sparing a cocky smirk for the police as she raced up the ladder.

Her victory was short lived, however, as there were a cavalcade of officers sitting on top of the escape. "Shit…" was all she could manage to say as the officer brought his gun up. The butt of a shotgun smashed into Reaper's skull, pain flaring across her head as she was thrown from the ladder into the ocean of police officers below her. It was pure chaos when she crashed to the ground. Boots and hands found themselves on every part of her body as they tried to detain her as quickly as possible. She would have cracked a joke about them coping a feel if she wasn't still disoriented from the blow to her head.

When it all finally stopped, Reaper found her chest pressed to the floor as an officer held her hands behind her back. From her limited vision, she could she a man in a suit approaching her. The police seemed to disperse as he walked, giving him easy access to her. He knelt down so they were more level, before he reached forward and grabbed a handful of her hair. "So we finally caught you, huh? To think all those crimes would be committed by a punk like this," he drawled as he drew her head up, Reaper hissing through her teeth. The man smiled at her, "You have your teammate to thank for this one. You were sold out," he told her before throwing her head to the side.

"Cuff her."

And that was when the world knew. Reaper-the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts-was now in police custody.

…

She awoke to the sensation of cold water.

Her eyes shot open, and she took in a deep breath to try and calm her frayed nerves. Her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings, trying to stimulate herself as her mind slowly woke up. She was in a small, square room that was almost entirely barren. The only noticeable belongings were the chair she was sitting in, a camera in the top left corner and-of course-the door. Her head wasn't so injured that she couldn't recall the events leading up to this, but even still her mind seemed… foggy, for some reason. It was hard to focus on her surroundings, even as she recognized the presence of two other men in the room.

"So, you're finally awake," one of them drawled, making his way toward her leisurely. "Now… we can finally get started!" he exclaimed, kicking her in the side harshly. She was sent spilling out of her chair, her hunched form lying on the dark floor of the room. The man ignored her as she coughed and wheezed on the ground, instead walking back over to the other officer and taking something from him. It was a clipboard with a piece of paper attached to it. She couldn't read anything off of it from here, but she had a guess as to what it was. "Blackmail, defamation, possession of weapons… and manslaughter too, huh?" he paused and looked back to her, waving the clipboard in his hand.

"You really did everything, didn't ya'? And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it," he accused, walking over to her once more. I was… enjoying it? She thought, her memory still a little foggy. The man was crouched down in front of her now. Unbidden, her eyes slipped over to the camera hanging in the upper left corner of the room. "What about the camera? Are you thinking it can be used as video evidence?" the man questioned, making it clear he had followed her gaze.

"I… I don't know what you mean…" she managed, her voice hoarse.

The man chuckled darkly and stood up. "Well you don't have to worry about that. We get to have as much time as we need!" he declared, punctuating the last word with a kick to her gut. She spit and hacked, trying to ride out the pain as it flared up in her torso. The man tsked and bent down, unlocking the cuffs that were secure around her wrist. She grunted and pushed herself to a sitting position, half expecting the man to strike her down for trying. Instead her got to her level and presented the clipboard from earlier. "Sign this. It's a confession under your name," he demanded.

"I understand…" she told him, unsure if he were waiting for her response or not. She was handed the clipboard anyway and the man drew a pen from his jacket pocket.

"Don't expect to get out of here in one piece," he told her, leaning in. "We're going to teach you that one must take full responsibility for their actions."

She didn't respond and took the pen from him. She skimmed the confession, making note of things like the crimes she was accused of. After a moment, she finally signed the bottom.

Ruby Rose… that is my name.

…

Ruby had been in the interrogation room for about half an hour when she walked in. Surprisingly, Ruby was actually familiar with this person. It was a young woman with white hair and crystal blue eyes. She wore a white business suit and carried a bag under her arm. Her hair was done up in a bun and parted to the right side, though the loose hair the hung didn't obstruct her vision in anyway. She was a public prosecutor, if Ruby recalled, and her name was Winter Schnee.

Winter stepped into the room and did a quick look around, most likely taking note of the empty syringe still on the floor. "Bastards… what did they do to you?" she asked.

Ruby sighed. "Drugged me, beat me. Nothing I wasn't expecting, really," she remarked with a shrug.

Winter placed her bag on the table and sat across from her, a frown on her face. "Yes, well, I can't say I was expecting it to be you." She sighed, "Weiss isn't going to be happy to hear this…" she commented lowly.

Ruby looked to the side. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she states.

Winter doesn't respond and instead looks at her watch. "Unfortunately, my time with you has been cut short. I won't be able to interrogate you for as long as I wanted, so let's just skip the small talk and get to the point." Winter declares, and her gaze suddenly hardens. "When did you first learn about that other world? How is it possible to steal a persons heart? I want you to tell my everything. From the beginning."

Ruby looks straight into Winter's eyes. Do I really have a choice? She wonders. All of the sudden the scenery around her darkens until she almost can't see Winter. Ruby looks around, confused, and is surprised to see a transparent blue butterfly coasting across her vision.

"This is truly an unjust game, you're chances of winning are almost none," a voice remarks, and it takes a second for her to realize it's the butterfly that's saying these things. "But if my voice is still reaching you, there may yet be a way out. Remember the power that you awakened too in that other world, and the truth that you and your friends grasped. If you can do that, then you will surely avoid the ruin that awaits you if you fail."

And just like that, the butterfly is gone and everything returns to normal. Winter is looking at her expectantly, "Well?"

Ruby smirks.

"Let us start the game."

…

It is a combination of the jostling of the train and her sister pinching her that wakes Ruby from her slumber. "Wh-wha?" she asks very intelligently.

"C'mon sis, you gotta get up. We're here," her sister tells her, already standing up and stretching her tired limbs.

"Oh, yeah," Ruby responds sleepily, yawning and bringing herself to a stand. She is with her older sister, Yang Xiao Long, and the two of them had been on a train heading for Shibuya the last few hours. Ruby and Yang step off the train into the platform. Now that Ruby's mind was well and truly awake, she turns to her sister as she stops and stretches once more. Yang is so different from her that half the time even she can hardly believe they're related. In contrast to Ruby's short, black hair with red highlights Yang had a long, thick golden mane that fell just below her back. Ruby was short and well-developed for her age while Yang was tall and… *ahem* very well endowed, to say the least.

"You okay there, Rubes? You're kinda staring off into space," Yang points out.

Ruby shakes her head and smiles. "Sorry. I guess I just… have a lot on my mind," she says vaguely.

Yang looks away and her smile drops just a bit. "I know… let's just try to make the most of it, y'know?" she posites, beaming at Ruby. She knows that smile is just for her sake, but chooses not to comment and instead turns her attention to the station.

"Y'know… I think you're right. This will be a good chance to see some of Tokyo," she says, ironically enough for Yang's benefit.

Yang brightens and point's toward the exit. "Then let's go!" she cheers, and starts walking forward. The sisters arrive above ground and find themselves walking into the infamous Shibuya Square. Ruby was currently regretting having dismissed the rumours as overeggzageration; this place was total chaos. Having come from a small country town, Ruby and Yang hadn't been prepared for the frantic hurrying of the crowds that always seemed to be going somewhere. The loud honking of cars and people shouting at their phones in an attempt to be heard.

Ruby had known Tokyo was going to be a lot more busy than her hometown, but this is ridiculous! She felt like she was in a mosh pit, being passed around from person to person. After a few minutes of hectic crowd surfing, the sisters finally came across a place where they could rest. "Hey, you do know where we're going, right Yang?" she asked.

Yang was searching the square. "Well the place we're looking for is in Yongen-Jaya. And that should be… that way!" she exclaimed, pointing.

Ruby sighed and brought out her phone, deciding to look it up in case Yang's masterful direction skills couldn't find it. When she opened her phone, she was surprised to find a weird app on the homescreen that hadn't been there before. The heck? Is this a software update or something? She couldn't help but wonder. The app abruptly enlarged itself, expanding until it covered nearly half her screen. The app had a logo that looked like a stylized red eye, and even though it was just an image, it almost felt like it was watching Ruby. She tapped it a couple times, and when that didn't do anything attempted to delete it.

"Hey, sis, can I-" she stopped abruptly when she got a look at her sister. Yang had stopped moving, entirely. And not it a normal way, it looked as though she had been literally frozen in place. A quick look around showed Ruby that everyone was like that. The pedestrians who had previously been racing down the street were now deathly still, with some of them even in the process of taking a step. Even the cars were frozen still!

"W-what's going on?!" Ruby asked aloud, clutching her phone to her chest and frantically looking around. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long before something happened. It was in the very center of Shibuya square. A large azure flame bursting from the ground and crackling lively in the air above. Ruby wanted to call out for help, or maybe alert the authorities, but she found herself unable to do anything aside from stare at the fire. Suddenly, the flame twisted and warped until it had died down to a more manageable size. Bringing her gaze downwards, Ruby noticed that there was a figure standing in the center of the flame.

Her breath caught.

That figure looked exactly like… her.

They were dressed differently-in a black blazer with a white turtleneck and black and red plaid skirt, as well as a pair of black leggings-but everything else was the same. This other version of her had glowing yellow eyes and a sick, twisted grin on their face as they stared back at her. They didn't say anything, and Ruby wondered if maybe she were supposed to. All of the sudden the azure flame exploded outward, cascading over the figure and rushing toward Ruby at an alarming rate. Ruby gasped and took a step back-

-only to bump into her sister.

Yang looked down at her oddly. "Hm? Is something wrong Ruby?" she asked.

Ruby doesn't answer, instead looking around frantically to see if she can figure out what the hell just happened. Everything seems to have returned to normal. The other people are walking again, the cars are speeding down the lane, and there's not a single flame to be found, blue or otherwise. She turns back to Yang. "What-did you just-?" she pauses and leads off. Did she really need to tell Yang about this. She was already so worried, and it seemed like everything was back to normal now, so what was the point? For a moment Ruby thinks about how she would even explain such a surreal experience to Yang. Before long long she realizes she just can't.

"Hey, Ruby… are you okay?" Yang asks again, fixing Ruby with the same odd look.

Ruby looks down at her phone, and more specifically the weird app that was still there.

"It's fine," she says, deletes the app, and keeps walking.

…

It took them a little while to get to the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya, and a little while longer to find where they needed to go. They had naturally started by finding the home address of their guardian, but after a little talk with the mailman they had been informed that they usually spent all day at the business they own. Ruby and Yang were standing outside of said business right now, looking at it with a… skeptical eye, to say the least.

"'Fall Haven', huh? Our new guardian owns a Host club?" Yang questioned skeptically. Ruby didn't blame her. As much as she wanted to give this person the benefit of the doubt, host clubs were infamous for a reason. And the owner of a host club taking in two young, pretty girls?

She'd be lying if she said it wasn't cause for concern.

Ruby turned to Yang and attempted a smile. "Let's not be so quick to judge. I mean we don't even know anything about this person," she pointed out, trying to stay positive.

Yang was silent for a moment, making Ruby suddenly feel a lot less confident. "Well, I want to sleep in a bed tonight and I'm not exactly getting any closer to that by standing here, right?" she asked rhetorically. Ruby shrugged and stepped forward, opening the door and stepping inside.

Her first impression of the Fall Haven Host Club was honestly… better than she expected. It was a restaurant of medium size in the shape of a square. A number of booths lined the back and left wall, while a few scattered tables could be found in the center of the place. Off to the right of the quaint host club was a small bar with about five stools. The whole place was carved out of some sort of porcelain looking wood that gave it a weirdly homely vibe.

"Wow… this is honestly pretty nice," Yang commented as she walked in the door. Ruby couldn't help but agree.

"Is there anything else you would like me to get for you?" a playful and sultry voice asked off to the side. Ruby and Yang turned their attention to it, and found an older woman standing beside a booth with a pitcher of tea held up. She had lustroes, raven black hair that ended a little above her neck, parted to cover her left eye. She had golden ember eyes and wore a long red dress that ended at her ankles. Her right arm was covered almost entirely with a transparent black glove while her left wasn't even visible because of the dresses flowing sleeve. Ruby thought she was very pretty, and if she had to guess would say she was a good deal older than them, perhaps in her mid-thirties.

"No thank you Madame. In fact, we were just getting ready to leave," the elderly man sitting in the booth said. Together, him and the elderly woman he was sitting with paid the bill, got up, and left the store, thanking 'madame' for the food and drink as they did.

The woman turned to them as she left, seemingly having taken notice of them now. She set the tea pitcher down on a nearby table and approached them, a small smile on her face. "Are you the sisters I'm supposed to be taking care of?" she asked.

"I'm surprised you could tell at first glance, but yeah," Yang said, speaking up so that she didn't have to. "I'm Yang, and this is Ruby," she explained, patting Ruby's head as she did. Ruby casually flicked it off and smiled at their new caretaker for the next year.

She smiled back. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Cinder Fall, though most people just call me Madame."

"I'm just gonna call you Cinder," Yang deadpanned.

Cinder chuckled. "I would honestly prefer if you did. I don't know who had taken to calling me that, let alone why it stuck," she told them. Cinder walked over to the bar and reached behind the counter, grabbing a purse from there and slinging it over her shoulder. "Well, why don't I show you two to my house?" she offered.

"I-isn't your club still opened though?" Ruby asked, speaking up for the first time.

Cinder shook her head. "The other Hostesses have already gone home for the night and in case you haven't noticed business isn't exactly booming. I won't lose anything for closing up a little early," she reassures.

Ruby plays with her hair. "Sorry. I just didn't want to impose," she says skittishly.

"It's quite alright. Now then, shall we go?" Cinder offers, opening the door for them. Ruby smiles and nods, stepping into Yongen-Jaya's backstreets with Yang. Cinder exits and steps out after them, flipping the sign on the door to say 'closed' in the process. She begins directing them back to her house. Ruby has technically already been there, but she lets Cinder guide her anyway to be polite.

"So… um, Ms. Fall, you own that Host club back there, right?" Ruby asks, immediately cringing at how stupid a question it was.

"Indeed. I've managed that place for twelve years now," Cinder responds, likely just to be polite. She looks back at them out of one eye. "I know the fundamentals of your situation as well. You tried to stop a man from hurting someone and ended up injuring them accidentally. He sued you and now you two have been put on probation under my care," she explains, though Ruby isn't sure why. She faces forwards again. "Well… I suppose that's what happens when you meddle in the affairs of adults."

Ruby winces but doesn't say anything, and the rest of the walk is spent in silence. When they arrive back at Cinder's house, Ruby ventures to speak again. "I know I already saw this place, but I can still hardly believe you live here."

Cinder chuckles lightly and unlocks the gate leading up to the front door. "My business tends to do well," she comments offhandedly.

Ruby thinks that's a bit of an understatement. Cinder lived in a quaint two-story condo. It was painted red and had a rather utilitarian design. A balcony could be seen from where they stood, but other than that there wasn't anything to extraordinary about the place. That wasn't to say it wasn't impressive, though. Ruby assumed that Cinder lived alone, and even it if was just her and another person it was still pretty wild that they would live in such a relatively large place.

The three of them entered through the front door. To the left of them was a staircase that led up to the second floor while a hallway extended to the living room. There was another hallway that split off to the right and extended down a ways. Ruby thought the bathroom might be down there, and made a note to ask Cinder about it. "I'll give you the full tour later. You two seem rather tired so I'll show you to your rooms," Cinder offered, already standing by the stairway. Ruby was in no position to refuse and followed after Yang up the stairs.

The second floor was totally different when compared to the first. When Ruby emerged from the stairs she found herself standing in a large open room. Sitting in the middle was a set of three coaches which faced a coffee table that had a T.V. placed on it. In the right corner was a walk-in kitchen with a marble countertop and to the left sat a set of glass doors which lead to the balcony. A wide hallway could be found further along the right wall, and from where Ruby was standing she could make out a hard wooden door on the left wall.

"This is a pretty nice pad," Yang complimented, grinning.

"I do rather enjoy it, yes. That aside, I suppose you two are lucky," Cinder mentioned while pointing at the hall. "Down that hall are your rooms. And you did hear me right; apparently this condo is meant for a four person family, so you each get a room to yourself," she explained for there benefit.

Ruby and Yang beamed at each other. "Wow, I guess our luck really is turning around," Yang comments.

"No kidding. It would've sucked to have to share a room again."

"Your belongings also came in today," Cinder interjects, gesturing toward one of the couches. Sure enough, a couple of large cardboard boxes sits on one of them. One labeled for her and the other for Yang. "Anyways, I'll leave you to it. I'm sure you want to take your time getting situated and unpacking. Just remember that we'll be driving to your new school tomorrow to have you properly instated there. Try and be ready in the morning, alright?" And with that, she leaves.

Ruby and Yang stand there for a moment, finding solace in the brief silence. Finally, Yang breaks it. "Well… I guess we oughta get to it, huh?"

Ruby looks back to the boxes, an odd feeling of melancholy falling over her.

"...Yeah."

It was late in the evening by the time Ruby and Yang had finished unpacking. The room that she had settled in was actually pretty nice, if a little barren. It had a nice soft bed in the center and a nightstand next to it that she appreciated. The closet was on the left wall while a neat dresser lined the back of the room. Ruby honestly hadn't added all that much to it. Most of the things she had brought were clothes and other essentials. A few posters littered the walls now, but that was about it in terms of 'personalization'.

Ruby yawned and flopped back onto the bed, having already changed into her pajamas. She stared up at the ceiling, simply thinking over the events of the day. Honestly speaking… things weren't turning out too bad. Sure, there was that weird thing with her phone, but Ruby was pretty sure she had taken care of that. Even if she hadn't she could just take it to an IT store to get it fixed. Other than that, however, things were looking up. There caretaker seemed nice enough, if a bit distant. Though considering the circumstances surrounding her and Yang that was understandable. Aside from that, they had this new school to look forward too. Well, that may not sound so great on paper, but looking at things logically this was a great opportunity.

If Ruby remembered correctly her and Yang would be attending some nice prep school. Objectively speaking, their small town high schools wouldn't have been able to provide them with the same opportunities as this place. Ruby always had a bit of an infatuation with sports, most notably track and field, so going to a school with(hopefully) a great sports program would be a nice chance to improve her skills. Who knows? If I present myself well enough, maybe they'll even consider giving me a scholarship, she thought optimistically.

"Well… I suppose that's what happens when you meddle in the affairs of adults."

Ruby shook her head as she remeniced on Cinders words. She rolls onto her side and grips the sheets tightly in frustration.

"What a fuckin' joke…" she curses, and she recalls the events that led up to her probation.

…

It happened coming home one night as Ruby and Yang were walking through their blocks backstreets. As they laughed and joked while walking down the road, something suddenly caught their attention and made them stop. It sounded like a woman's voice, and she didn't sound particularly happy.

"Please stop! I already told you no!"

"Who are you to try and stop me? Do you know who I am?!"

The exchange could be overheard by the two sisters as they walked down the alley, steadily growing in unease as the shouting became particularly desperate and panicked. "That doesn't sound good…" Yang says uneasily.

"Yeah, you're right…" Ruby leads off. Her face hardens and her eyes narrow, "If something bad is going down, we should check it out."

Yang pauses for a moment, then nods and takes off at a light jog. Ruby is quick to follow her, keeping pace easily as they follow the voices to their source. As they continue along, the voices can be heard much more clearly.

"Just get in the car!"

"I won't do that! I'm gonna call the police!"

"Go right ahead! The police are my bitches!"

Rounding a corner, Ruby and Yang are finally able to see what's happening. Two people stood in front of a car outside a bar. A distinguished looking man appeared to be trying to force a woman into the car, if his vice grip on her wrist were any indication. "People like you just need to shut up and let me steer this country!" the man shouted, pushing at the woman. Ruby and Yang looked at each other, an unspoken thought seeming to pass between them.

We can't just ignore this…

They nodded, and Yang crossed the street quickly with Ruby close behind. "Hey!" Yang called out, placing her hand on the man's shoulder. "The lady said she didn't want to go with you. You should listen to her," she declared.

The man whipped around, knocking Yang's hand off. "Bugger off you brats! This ain't a show," he declared rudely, though Ruby was already at the woman's side, prepared to protect her from any kind of attack.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ruby asks. The woman doesn't verbally respond, instead nodding numbly.

The man growls. "Impotent brats like you are what is ruining this country! You should know better than to interfere in matters that don't concern you!" he yells, gesturing at them wildly. He whirls on Ruby, to do what she doesn't know, but he trips over his own feet and falls to the ground, cracking his skull against the concrete. Ruby cringes, now realizing that the man is very drunk.

The man hisses and spits, rising to his knees as he looks Ruby dead in the eyes. "Damn brats! I'll sue!" he roared in rage.

Then the police came… And arrested them for assault.

…

Ruby sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling once again. It was still hard for her to accept. She had only been trying to do what was right, so how had it ended like this? It was painfully ironic how the law that she was trying to defend would end up punishing her for it. Ruby dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone, checking the time. "It's getting late… I should get some sleep," Ruby said aloud. She didn't listen to her words, however, staring at her phone as if she were waiting for it to respond. She sighed again and closed her eyes, realizing that sleep wouldn't come easy for her tonight.

She unlocked her phone, hoping it would distract her long enough for her to go to bed. Huh? It's that weird app from before, Ruby realized, recognizing the strange looking eye almost immediately. It was a vexing sight. Didn't I get rid of it already? She asked herself, shaking her phone to see if she might've been mistaking. Nope, still there. It's kind of creeping me out honestly. Whatever, she decided. It was too late to deal with this right now, so she dragged the app back to the bin and deleted it. A yawn escaped her, and Ruby's eyes started to feel heavy. She was more tired than she thought.

Ruby reached over, turned off the lights, and soon drifted off to sleep.

…

Her eyes opened much sooner than she was expecting.

Something was… off, though. Instead of the sterile white of her room, the ceiling was a haunting shade of blue. The walls looked to be cushioned instead of the smooth concrete they were in Ruby's room proper. She sat up, looking at her surroundings as she tried to get a grasp on where she was. Feeling around Ruby realized that she wasn't sitting in the same bed as before. In fact it looked to be a large wooden plank fastened to the wall. It was kinda similar to the ones she had seen in… prison cells.

Eyes darting around the room, Ruby quickly took stock of where she was. An unsanitary looking toilet sitting in the back left corner of the room, and a line of bars kept Ruby locked in the small room. She stood up and approached the bars, grabbing onto them tightly and trying to look around. She didn't have to look long to find something of interest. An immaculate desk stood in the center of the room. Something sat behind it with its legs crossed and hands folded. It looked like a man, but his proportions were all wrong. His legs and arms were spindly and branch-like. His eyes were wide and bulbous and his cheshire cat grin seemed to cover the entire lower half of his face. Not to mention his weird nose, which stuck outward like a point far longer than any human nose would. It looked like a snout.

"Welcome Trickster. To my Velvet Room," he intoned.

"W-what? What is this place? How did I get here?" Ruby asked helplessly.

"Perhaps it would help you if you thought of this place as a dream. The 'real' you still slumbers in the other world, after all," a female voice announced to her left. Ruby started and turned to face them, having just taken notice of their presence. Standing outside of her cell were two girls, each about half her height, and standing on either side of her cell. They wore blue wardens uniforms with black cargo shorts. One held a clipboard and the other held a baton. Physically speaking they looked like identical twins. They both had bleached blonde hair bordering on white, and both of them had burning golden eyes. The two points of difference between them was their hair-which they styled differently-and the eyepatch they wore. One wore hers over her right eye while the other wore hers over her left.

The thing behind the desk suddenly chuckled. "Yes. This place exist between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who have signed a contract may enter here," he paused abruptly, looking directly at Ruby. "And may I say, you are already starting to surprise me. This place is meant to take the form of the users inner heart. To think it would appear as a prison…"

"W-wait a second! You still haven't answered any of my questions. Just what is-"

"Quiet, inmate!" one of the twins shouted, wrapping her baton against the bars harshly. "Don't interrupt our master while he's speaking, inmate! You will come to understand everything in due time!" she huffed out indignantly. Suffice to say, Ruby was sufficiently cowed.

The man sitting at the desk chuckled, and the sound reminded Ruby of nails on a chalkboard. "She speaks true. Our time here is limited as is, so take your time when coming to understand this place," he posited. "It seems we have gotten off topic. I have come here for a specific purpose. You have been met with a most unfortunate fate, and if nothing is done. You will fall to ruin."

"R-ruin?"

He nodded. "Indeed. To not worry, however, for there is still a way for you to escape ruin. You must be 'rehabilitated' toward freedom. By completing your 'rehabilitation' you will have grasped the truth, and surely avoided Ruin. That is why I have forged a contract with you. My role is to guide you toward your rehabilitation," he explained.

Ruby was silent for a solid few seconds after his spiel. "I… have no idea what you mean."

Once again he laughed, and Ruby winced. "This is to be somewhat expected. As I said before, you will come to understand this place and my role in due time. For now, our time grows ever closer to ending, so I believe I shall formally introduce myself. My name is Igor, and I am the master of this Velvet Room. My two wardens are here to help guide you in your goal," Igor told her, gesturing toward the two wardens. "To your right, Justine, and to your left, Caroline. I hope they will prove to be useful allies to you."

Caroline slammed her baton against the cell once more. "It's time for you to return to the real world, inmate! You'd better not fail in your rehabilitation," she chastised.

"N-now hold on just a second! You can't seriously expect me to-!" Ruby's sputtering reply was cut off by the loud ringing of an alarm. The noise permeated throughout the room, and Ruby covered her ears to try and ward off the loud ringing. Oddly enough, she felt deathly tired after hearing the sound of the alarm. Already she could feel her eyes starting to shut, seemingly off there own accord. Wait… what's-?

But it didn't matter, she was unconscious after a few more seconds.

…

The next time Ruby woke up, it was back in the real world. She sat up sharly, glancing about the room as if to make sure it was actually there. After a moment of frantic searching Ruby sighed, shaking her head and throwing her covers aside. What a weird dream. Ruin? Rehabilitation? What's it supposed to mean? Ruby wondered, sitting on the side of her bed.

There was a knock at the door. "Are you up now, Ruby? We need to leave soon," Cinder's voice asked from the other side.

"Yeah, I got up just a second ago," Ruby responded, stretching out her back. There was a satisfying pop and she let out a sigh of relief. She could hear the knob to her door turn, and Cinder stepped in a second later.

"It seems you've acclimatized rather quickly," she commented, glancing around the room.

Ruby smiled. "Well, it's helps that-" her eyes widen and she stops talking. It's only then that Ruby notices it. For a second she wonders how she hadn't noticed it before, but she can't focus on that fact for long as her eyes remain glued to it.

Cinder's left arm is missing.

Completely gone, as if it had never existed in the first place. The sight of it shocks Ruby, as during the short time she's know her Cinder had never seemed vulnerable like that. The grey jacket she wears over her shirt has been accompanied to deal with the fact. It's that fact which makes her realize why she hadn't picked up on it before. The dress she wore at the host club had a long, draping sleeve that covered the entirety of her supposed right arm. In retrospect it was a rather clever deception. Allowing her to present herself as though she had both arms, if Ruby had to guess it was because she didn't want to lose possible clientele because of her disability.

"You're staring."

Her eyes snap back to Cinders and she flushes. "Wah! I'm sorry! I just wasn't expecting-"

"It's quite alright. I know you didn't mean to offend me," Cinder interruptus. She smiles and leans against the doorframe.

"It just surprised me, is all…" Ruby says weakly as she looks down.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. It's a little jarring for everyone," Cinder explains. "It happened when I was a kid. I was in a particularly bad car accident which resulted in me losing this and my left eye," she tells Ruby, her hand coming up to brush against the hair covering her face. "My father died in that accident as well."

Ruby tenses and keeps looking down, unable to bring herself to look at Cinder. "I'm sorry," she manages.

"Don't be. He was a vile man and I've come to terms with what happened," Cinder states bluntly.

Ruby flinches again and finally looks up. "I-I didn't realize-"

"Don't misunderstand me," she cuts her off again. "I'm only telling you this so you won't pester me about it later. I'm supposed to be your guardian. It would be rather backwards if you were the one worrying about me, no?" she joked.

Ruby isn't entirely sure how to respond. "...Yeah, I guess," she finally manages.

Cinder nods and stands up. "Good, then get dressed. If I recall your school uniform came in with the rest of your belongings," she posites. After Ruby nods, she leaves, closing the door behind her. After that conversation, and taking in everything she already knew about her, Ruby isn't sure what to make of Cinder. She shrugs, deciding to leave it at that for now and change. The school uniform she was given was actually fairly comfortable. Ruby didn't know too much about fashion, that had always been more Yang's territory, but she thought it looked fine. A black blazer fell over a white turtleneck. The skirt she had to wear ended a little above her knees and had a plaid black and red design. Black leggings led into equally black shoes.

Adding a bit of a personal touch. Ruby wore her blood red scarf around her neck. Now fully dressed for the day, Ruby examines herself quickly in the mirror. Not seeing anything wrong with her appearance, she nods and exits her bedroom to the living room. Cinder is standing in the walk-in kitchen, cleaning some dishes. Ruby approaches her and sits in one of the stairs facing the marble counter. Surprising her, Cinder places a plate of curry in front of Ruby. "Go ahead and eat this. It's the specialty curry we serve at Fall Haven," she says simply before returning to cleaning.

"Curry for breakfast?" Ruby can't help but ask.

Cinder smirks. "Don't complain, I'm making you breakfast after all," she points out. Ruby is about to deny she was doing such, but realizes that she'll probably just dig her grave even deeper by doing so. She lets out a sigh and reaches for the fork sitting next to her. Reluctantly, Ruby takes a small bit of the dish. There aren't any words said during breakfast. Not because Ruby doesn't want to talk, but because she's too busy wolfing down her curry to say anything. The texture is incredible, and there seems to be this hidden depth in the bold spiciness that makes Ruby want to keep eating it. As if doing so will help her figure out what it is.

She sighs contently as she finally finishes. "Ah~! That was delicious Cinder!" Ruby cheers, beaming.

"I would hope so. It's my host club's staple food after all," she snidely comments. Ruby chuckles sheepishly but doesn't respond. Cinder looks off down the hall. "Your sister still isn't up yet," she observes.

"That doesn't surprise me. Yang isn't much of a morning person," Ruby awkwardly explains.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it," Yang announces, stepping into the living room and sitting down next to Ruby. "Who was the asshole that decided school should start so early!?" she asks crudely.

"The director of education, I believe. Now enough talk, eat some breakfast and then we'll get going. We're already running a little behind," Cinder explains, checking the clock on her phone.

"Right, right. Sorry," Yang says, grabbing a fork and digging in much the same way Ruby did. It was then that Ruby realized Yang hadn't reacted to Cinders missing limb when she walked in. I guess Cinder may have had a talk with her last night. Or maybe Yang just hasn't noticed yet, Ruby consider, watching her sister as she ate.

"Oh my gosh! What happened to your arm?!" Yang exclaimed, having finished her food a moment ago.

Never mind… It's definitely the latter.

…

One awkward car ride later had the trio standing outside of Beacon Academy, the school Yang and Ruby would be attending during their year on probation. It was a rather bland building. A three-floored structure comprised of three main buildings with a courtyard connecting them all. Honestly, it reminded Ruby of a prison. Her, Cinder and Yang were gathered at the school gate right now, about to head in and meet with the faculty.

"I want you two to listen to me for a second. This is important," Cinder suddenly said, stopping and turning to them. Ruby and Yang paused and turned to her, curious as to what she meant. Cinder's gaze hardened. "I may be your guardian for the next year, but I won't hesitate to kick you out if you cause any trouble. Try to keep your heads down and just get through the year. Once that's done, your probation will be lifted and you'll be free to do whatever you want," Cinder paused briefly, resting her hand on her hip. "I don't really care what you do all that much, so long as you don't involve me in it somehow." She shakes her head and looks to the school "Alright, I believe my point's been made. Let's get this over with," she declared, walking up the steps to the school.

Ruby and Yang reluctantly follow, entering Beacon and following Cinder to the principal's office. Yeah… point made alright, she thinks sorrowfully as she trudges through the halls. Her words might've been blunt, but Ruby tried to understand things from Cinder's perspective. She probably hadn't wanted to take in two random kids, and if they did get into something seriously bad it would probably hurt her business. Still…

Ruby shakes her head. For all her internal musing, she honestly doesn't know what she was wanting from this. Cinder was an enigma to her. Perhaps it was arrogant to think she would be able to understand her in so sort a time, but Ruby had always thought herself good at reading people.

They enter the principal's office before Ruby can think on it much longer. There are two people in there. One is a friendly looking old man in a green suit with grey hair and sits behind a desk, the other is a young looking woman with blond hair dressed in a white button up shirt and a black skirt. Cinder enters the room first and approaches them, leaving Ruby and Yang to stand off to the side awkwardly. The man gave them a clearly fake smile. "Well I suppose introductions are in order. You may call me principal Ozpin, I will be trying to make your transition to Beacon as smooth as possible," he told them.

"I'm sure you will. I'm Cinder Fall, in case you weren't already informed, providing for Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long."

Ozpin nods and looks to them. "I believe everyone here will be happy to know that this won't be a long meeting. I took care of everything regarding you girls schedules ahead of time. In fact I have them printed right here," he explained, producing two documents from a manilla folder. Ruby smiled genuinely and step forward to take the papers. Just as she was about to grab them, however, Ozpin pulled his hand back. "Before I give you these I want to make one thing perfectly clear. If you were to cause any sort of trouble at this school, you will be expelled immediately," he clarifies, his voice hard.

Ozpin sighs and rubs at his eyes, his glasses shifting as he does so. "Honestly. Were we tempted to not even take you at all considering the circumstances surrounding you, but there were a few things in your favour. You should be grateful we're giving you this opportunity at all."

Ruby's lips form a thin line. "Of course, sir," she says numbly.

Ozpin's eyes fall upon her. "Ah, that reminds me. Regarding your classes, Ms. Rose, allow me to introduce you to your homeroom teacher," Ozpin says, gesturing to the woman standing beside her. As Ruby's eyes land on her, she notices that the woman appears very exhausted, and even has small rings under her eyes.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. Though, if I may Ozpin, I can't help but wonder why I was tasked with this responsibility. Wouldn't a male teacher be better suited to deal with such a troublesome child" she points out.

Ozpin just shakes his head. "I'm afraid that's just how things ended up. Yours was one of the only classrooms with an available seat. Speaking of-" he exclaims, and gestures to Yang. "Your homeroom teacher was meant to be here today as well, but unfortunately Mr. Oobleck couldn't be with us," he explains.

"Will they not be in the same homeroom?" Cinder suddenly asks.

"We thought it would help them better perform is they were seperated," he explains, though why he thinks that, he doesn't say. He doesn't have to. Ruby isn't stupid, she can read between the lines.

"I see," Cinder remarks. "If all is well and good, might we end things for today? I have to think of my business, after all."

Ozpin nods and smiles, another one of his fake ones. "Of course. You may be going. Just remember to present yourself well tomorrow, you two," he says, gesturing to Ruby and Yang. Ruby stiffens but doesn't say anything, simply accepting their schedules from Ozpin and leaving the office.

As they make it back to the entrance Cinder lets out a loud sigh. "My god. I just met the man today and I could hardly bring myself to stay in the office," she complains, resting her palm on her forehead.

"Feeling's mutual, believe me. I had to force myself to keep quiet so I didn't blow up at the guy," Yang bemoaned, slumping over.

Cinder stretched her shoulders and turned to face them. "I supposed we should simply take solace in the fact it's over. Let's return home; you'll have it to yourself for the rest of the day seeing as I need to run the club." She glances over them. "I hope you can manage on your own. I would rather you not bother me unless it's urgent."

"Nah, it's all good. This won't be the first time Rubes and I are on our own," Yang reassured, waving her hand.

Cinder gives them a small smile. "That's good to know. I'm glad I can expect you to provide for yourself when I'm not around," she remarks. Cinder faces the entrance, her back now facing them. "It's time we got out of this place, don't you think?"

Ruby couldn't agree more.

…

They got caught in some serious traffic on their way home, much to everyone's chagrin.

"This is incredibly tedious. I'll expect you two to start taking the train to school tomorrow on," Cinder declares, taking a huff of her cigar. That had been a bit unexpected, but Ruby wasn't about to come down on Cinder for her smoking. Ruby nodded to let Cinder know she was listening. She supposed it was a good thing her and Yang already had a little experience with the metro since they would be using it everyday.

Cinder reached down and turned on the radio, a newman's voice quickly crackling to life in the small car. "Regarding the tragic train crash that took place yesterday; nobody has appeared to have been killed by the crash but there are many suffering from serious injury. During police questioning, the conductor hasn't made any statements. However, it was released that he reportedly had a mental shutdown. Which leads this to be the most recent case in the strange incidents of mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns that has been plaguing Tokyo for the last three years…"

"Mental shutdowns? What was all that about?" Yang questioned from the passenger seat.

Seeing as they weren't making any forward progress, Cinder turned to regard her. "I'm not the best person to ask. I haven't been paying too much attention to it, you see. But from what I gather there has been a strange series of incidents where people will randomly shut down or go psychotic for no real reason. Some of them have gotten pretty dangerous, too. Like the incident that newsman was reporting. Apparently the conductor of a train had a mental shutdown at the wheel. It crashed into the station and a whole lot of people got hurt. Though thankfully nobody died."

"That's horrible…" Ruby comments. She images what it might have been like for those passengers, helplessly watching as they were steered toward their possible death. She shudders and shakes her head, choosing not to think any more on it. "Cinder… If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to take us in?" Ruby asks randomly, trying to distract herself.

Cinder takes a drag of her cigar before she answers. "I'm a friend of the family. I can't imagine I would still be invited to the holiday parties if I didn't help out a little here and there. I also happen to be getting paid for it, which is nice," she states simply.

Ruby and Yang can't seem to find what to say for a moment. "...Oh, I see," Ruby finally manages.

Cinder regards them with a smirk. "You needn't be so disappointed. My reasons may be purely self serving but I am still taking care of you. It's not as if I'm having you sleep in the attic of Fall Haven or something equally ridiculous," she playfully chastises.

Ruby feels her cheeks redden and Yang is quick to speak up, trying to defend them. Cinder playfully jokes back and the two of them start a back and forth as they drive home. Ruby doesn't join in herself, instead choosing to look out the window.

As she does, she imagines what would happen if one of the drivers had a mental shutdown at that moment.

…

"Wake up."

Ruby curls in on herself and mumbles something.

A foot taps her shin. "You already slept in. It's time to get up."

Ruby twitched but doesn't otherwise respond.

Cold water is poured on her head.

Ruby shoots up. "Hit the breaks!" she cries out, flailing her arms in front of her.

"No. I believe it's time to step on the gas pedal," a familiar voice calmly explains.

Ruby's senses are coming back to her now. She looks up to find Cinder standing at her bed, an empty cup in her hand. She's dressed in the same outfit she wore when Ruby met her at the host club, and a small frown is on her face. Reality comes crashing down for her. "Crap! How long was I asleep!?" she asks, frantically pulling herself out of bed.

"Longer than you should've been. I decided to let you sleep in because, in all honesty, you looked like you needed it," Cinder remarked. She's not very far off either, Ruby had found herself plagued with nightmares about mental shutdowns that night. "I had Yang leave a little while ago so she wouldn't be late. Foods on the table in case you're hungry. Oh, and Ruby?"

She turns to her, in the process of hastily throwing on her Beacon uniform. "Hm?"

"Maybe wait until I'm out of the room before you start undressing," she deappans.

Ruby freezes, her face becoming the shade of a tomato and she stands there half naked. Cinder leaves before she can say anything back, but it doesn't stop Ruby from feeling incredibly awkward as she finishes preparing for the day. She's gone when Ruby steps into the living room, and Ruby spares the time to scarf down the curry Cinder made her before bursting out the door. Charging for Giza line.

She makes it there before too long and rides the train to Aoyama-Itchome station. She hops off the bus and makes her may to the surface, weaving in and out of the crowds like a snake. If there were ever a time to curse my height Ruby bemoaned as she finally emerged from the station. Ruby had often wondered if her classmates were just freakishly tall for there age, but sixteen years old and sitting at 5'2, she had been forced to face the reality that she was just short.

A drop of water splashed against Ruby's head as she stood there. She stops and looks up, a feeling of dread coming over her as she saw the darkening of the clouds. "Rain, seriously?" she complained aloud as more drops started to hit her. Ruby groaned and held her school bag above her head, preparing to make a mad dash for the school. She took off a second later, her shoes pounding against the concrete as she raced down the street. Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her, Ruby couldn't help but smile. Even with all the craziness that was going on in her life right now, she could run. Run fast and happy with a huge smile on her face. Her feet would carry her down the track and all eyes would turn to her as she didn't just pass the competitors, but outclassed them entirely.

She shook her head, letting those memories fall by the wayside and she charged under an awning. The rain was really starting to pick up and she still had a little time before school started, so she could afford to take a few minutes. She slung her bag back over her shoulder and pulled out her phone, unlocking it to find that familiar unsettling app on her home screen. Again? I need to get my phone checked out…

Ruby is about to delete it again when something stops her. Another person walks under the awning, and Ruby turns her head so she can see them. It a girl who stands there. She has brilliant red hair tied up in a ponytail and looks to be about her age, if not a little older. Ruby notices that she looks to be wearing the same school uniform she is. Is she from Beacon? Ruby wonders.

As if sensing Ruby was looking, the girl looks back to her. It's now that Ruby notices she has peircing emerald green eyes. "Um… hey," Ruby forces out, feeling she needs to say something to not seem weird.

She smiles, and Ruby thinks it makes her look rather pretty. "Hello," she greets simply, but there's a lilt to her voice that makes Ruby think she finds this amusing somehow. Before she can say anymore, a car pulls up in front of them. It's a plain grey model that looks to seat four in total. The window rolls down and an older man leans toward it, looking at them with a friendly smile. He has black hair that looks to be greying at the end. A big puffy mustache covers his upper lip and-similar to the girl standing next to Ruby-he has green eyes.

"Hello there. Would you like a ride to school?" the man asks, though Ruby isn't sure who he's talking too.

"Um… sure," the girl standing next to her says. She opens the door and steps inside, taking her place in the passenger seat.

The man turns to her. "How about you?" he asks politely.

Ruby is startled for a second but quickly regains her composure. "Nah, I'm good," she politely declines. The man shrugs and leans back, rolling up the window in the process. As he does, Ruby looks to the girl in the passenger seat. It's odd… for a second she swore she could see a look of total defeat on the girls face, but the window closes entirely before she can confirm if that's the case. The car drives of a second later, and for some reason it makes Ruby feel weird, like she was missing something.

She shakes her head. "I'm probably just imagining it…"

"Wait a second!" someone suddenly cried out, making Ruby jump. A young boy charged past her, looking like he was about to chase after the car for a second before stopping. "Dammit! I can't believe him. Poor perverted excuse of a teacher…" he swore under his breath.

"Perverted… teacher?" Ruby mumbled out without thinking. The boy turned to her, and Ruby recognized the Beacon uniform he wore. It was immaculately done up, and he even wore a red tie around it. He had unkempt blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was tall-easily topping six feet-but he looked kind of lanky, almost like his bones couldn't support his frame.

"Oh, um… You're not gonna say anything to Watts, are you?" the boy asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Who's Watts?"

The boy fixed her with the same odd look. "Do you really not know who Watts is? You know, the guy who acts like the school is his castle?" Ruby just shrugged. "...You are a Beacon student, right?"

"I'm a transfer. This is my first day," she clarifies for his benefit.

His eyes widened slightly. "Oh! I see. Bit weird you would transfer so late in the year though."

Ruby looked off to the side. "It was a bit sudden," she says lamely.

The boy shrugs. "Well it's not my place to judge. Come on; I'll walk you to school, I know a shortcut," he explains with a smile.

Ruby smiles back. "Thanks, that would be a big help. Don't wanna be late on my first day, after all."

"I get you. Follow me," he gestures toward an alley off to the side. The rain had let up while Ruby was loitering, thankfully, so she didn't have to bother covering herself. Just as they were about to exit the awning, a sharp pain ruptured throughout Ruby's head. She grabs at it, trying to keep calm as the world almost seemed to warp and distort around her.

A moment later, everything seems perfectly normal.

"What was that…?" she wondered aloud as she rubbed her head. A quick look up showed her the boy was doing the same thing.

"Man, that was weird," he remarks. He shakes his head and continues walking, Ruby following close behind. She slipped her phone back into her pocket as they walked, but if she were paying attention she might've noticed that mysterious app was pulsing. The two of them made there was through the back alleys. Turning on occasion but keeping a steady pace. After about half a minute, they emerge from the small alleyways to somewhere different.

Ruby's eyes widen. She can't believe what she's seeing. "Um… you did take us to the school, right?"

"Y-yeah! This is the route I use every single day!" he defends frantically. He sounds just as confused as she is, and she doesn't blame him.

Because, well… the school was a castle.

A.N: That… was a long one, to say the least. PLEASE R&R, I am going to be going all in with this fic, updating as frequently as I can. I know some people will probably find it weird that Cinder of all people is Sojiro's replacement, and I can kinda understand why. But to put it bluntly, it's my story and I'm gonna do what I want. Cinder's my favorite character in RWBY, so I'm a little biased. Cover art by Emi on pinterest. Next chapter should hopefully be out next friday. Than weekly after that if I can manage it.