A/N:

Based on BlueStarlalight's idea regarding soulmates, here's my own interpretation of the concept, and the possible consequences thereof.

In this AU, everybody is born with a tattoo. The tattoo is brown scribbles, to start with. But, one day, if the person is lucky, the tattoo changes from brown to orange, slowly swirling in little patterns.

When it turns orange, this means that the person will discover who their soulmate is, either that day or within the next couple of days.

When they make physical contact with their soulmate, such as shaking hands with them, the tattoo changes for a third and final time. It turns from orange to gold, and spells out the name of their soulmate.

Usually this phenomenon occurs when a person's in their 20s, though there are plenty of exceptions to this rule. And even if they do discover their soulmate, a happily ever after is not guaranteed.

The information is there on their arm, but it is up to them what to do with it.

END A/N.

Her alarm buzzed, an incessant little sound that would settle for nothing less than a hard button push. Ruby woke with a yawn, stretching and arching her back. She sat up, the other girls in her dorm also getting up, one by one. "Good morning team," she greeted.

Weiss was already dressing, while Yang engaged her hair with a sturdy brush, her eyes still shut. "Good morning Ruby," Yang answered. Blake still slept.

Ruby slid down from her bunk, and shook Blake awake by the shoulder. "We have history today, right?"

"I think so."

"And then trigonometry," Weiss supplied.

"Ugh, I hate trig," Ruby sighed. She went to the wardrobe, her hand wavering in the air for her uniform. Pulling it off the hanger, she glanced down at her arms. She did a double take, and turned her arm out. "Woah."

"What is it?" Yang asked, opening one lazy eye.

Ruby skipped around, showing her arm to the others. "Guys look! Look! Look at my tattoo!" She hopped on the spot, but even so they could see that her tattoo had turned orange, circling and slithering.

"Oh my gosh!" Yang jumped down from her own bed, moving in for a closer look. Blake got up, and gathered around with Weiss.

"No way," Weiss said.

"You're so lucky, Ruby!" Yang cheered.

"That is so rare, for it to already be orange." Weiss pulled back her sleeve, looking at her own brown, nonsense tattoo. "Almost no one gets to discover their soulmate so early on."

"Congratulations, Ruby," Blake said softly.

"I know!" Ruby beamed. "I wonder who it could be?"

He stood in front of his bathroom mirror, still in his pajamas. The razor glid down his cheeks and along his jaw, removing the stubble that had grown overnight. He rinsed the blade out in the sink, drips of shaving cream disappearing down the drain. He washed his face and inspected it, giving a satisfied smile once it passed his test. Brushing back his long white bangs, he reached for the toothbrush resting in a nearby cup.

It wasn't until he lifted it to his teeth that he caught sight of his tattoo in the mirror's reflection. He stared at it, foamy toothpaste stuck to the corner of his mouth. Gone were those familiar brown scribbles, replaced by orange swirls. He moved his arm, shifting his gaze from the mirror to the real thing. He hadn't looked at his tattoo in years. He'd just assumed that he was one of those types of people whose tattoo never changed, and never discovered their soulmate. But it seemed Fate had changed its mind about him.

That morning, Professor Ozpin dressed with a little bit more care, in his signature green. He grabbed his cane, and stepped out of his on-campus apartment, walking down the stairs to his office. I wonder who they could be? he thought to himself.

Ruby sat in class, not listening to a word the teacher was saying, as usual. She chewed on the end of her pencil, staring into space. Alright, who all do I know in this school? she thought, compiling a list in her mind. I hope it's not Jaune, I just can't ever imagine dating him. She didn't really know much about Ren, but she didn't think he would be her soulmate anyways. He and Nora were always attached at the hip, and she'd hate to come between that. Oh God, I hope it's not Cardin. She shuddered. Alright, who else, who else do I know? It occurred to her the possibility that her soulmate could be a woman, but she hoped that wouldn't be the case. She realized that she really didn't know that many people in school. I guess whoever it is will be a total stranger...

Ozpin leaned against the counter in the teacher's lounge, going through various papers. Nearby him sat a mug of hot chocolate, from which he sipped occasionally. In the back of his mind, he dwelt on the mystery of his soulmate. At first he suspected Glynda, since they were such good friends, but a friendly morning handshake with her proved that wasn't the case. Now he was going through the whole list of his staff at Beacon. If it turned out to be a man, Ozpin resolved to simply be good friends with him. He also reminded himself of the possibility of someone paying a visit to the school and running into him, either a colleague or a total stranger. I suppose there's just no way to tell, he mused.

Ruby followed her team down a crowded hallway as students changed classes. She watched her feet, lost in thought. She jumped when her shoulder accidentally collided with someone's arm. "Oh, sorry!" She looked up, seeing Professor Ozpin.

He smiled kindly at her. "It's quite alright Ruby, just be more careful." His hot chocolate had come dangerously close to spilling.

"Right, sorry. See ya." They both took a step in opposite directions to their destinations.

They froze. They felt it at once. A tingling sensation on their arms, like they were being electrocuted there, but it didn't hurt. His hand clenched around the head of his cane, and she grabbed her arm to stop it from shaking. When the sensation passed, they didn't move. Then, slowly, carefully, balancing his cane, Ozpin reached for his sleeve. He pulled it down, and saw the sparkling golden cursive of his tattoo spell Ruby Rose. They turned around by increments, looking up from their tattoos.

Silver and brown eyes locked.