So, this was the very first NeoxRuby story ever made, and I took it down a little while after to rewrite it; fix errors, correct mistakes, extend it a little bit. Not much to say except that the first NeoxRuby story was mine, I rule, I love cookies, hate tomatoes, the usual.

I don't own RWBY...*Sniffle*

(^^^^^^)

"What good is she anyway? She can't even talk!" Emerald was the only one who didn't like Neo, the new guard to Roman. Neo was extremely quiet, causing some to think that she was mute, or her tongue was cut out or something.

In reality, she was thinking of her secret, redheaded girlfriend, whom of which she had seen when she was called to help Roman when he thought it good to hop in a mech and chase them across the highway, likely causing him to become more noticeable.

She couldn't get the image of the disappointed and betrayed look that Ruby gave her out of her head, but she was doing this for her, to protect her...

"Would you can it, Emerald? Some of us are trying to sleep." Mercury exclaimed from his bunk within the room. It was a small, shabby room, but one they had grown to relate to a home. A small bunk bed for Emerald and Mercury to share, and a recently added single bed for Neo, off to the far left of the room.

"Shut it, Merc! Seriously, though, don't you think it's at least slightly weird that she won't talk?" Emerald inquired, forgetting Neo was in the room. She was about to speak up, when the look of betrayal flashed on Ruby's face in her mind again, and she was caught in an endless loop of that moment.

"Firstly; you do know she's right there, right?" Mercury spotted Neo was sat staring into nothingness. "Never mind... Second; does it really matter if she talks or not? She does the job right, does it really matter?" he questioned. Emerald shot him a glare.

"Of course it does!" She shouted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Neo, meanwhile, was shaking her head and muttering things over and over again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She continued muttering while the other two occupants of the room were shouting at each other, arguing why it does and doesn't matter if they argue. Then it devolved back into the argument of Neo's ability to speak.

"It really doesn't. If she gets things done, why should it matter if she talks?" Mercury sounded bored, his voice near monotone.

"...Because...I want someone to talk to!"

Mercury looked genuinely hurt at that. "Hey! I talk to you!"

Emerald gave him a deadpan stare. "...Other than you, ass for brains."

Mercury was about to throw something at Emerald, who stuck her tongue out childishly, before the muttering from Neo turned into slow, soft, steady sobs. Each one was like a hammer falling upon their souls, smashing it, shattering it, sending the pieces around their bodies. The soft sobs turned into slow, louder sobbing, her eyes both pouring out small, slow rivets of water.

Emerald and Mercury were, to say the least, confused. The hard, quiet Neo was crying her eyes out, clutching a pillow to her chest, squeezing her face into it, muttering through broken sobs and small sniffles. They couldn't do anything, this was new ground to them; so they just waited and watched with some sort of morbid curiosity.

Neo, on her part, was pouring all her self hatred, her disappointment in betraying Ruby, in everything into her tears.

And she just wept, all night long.

(^^^^^^)

Ruby was tossing, turning in various angles, sitting upright and falling back down, and all just to get rid of the image of Neo.

Neo, that wondrous, curious, loosely kept, quiet, half pink-half brown haired girl; Ruby, to say the least when she met her a half year ago, was completely infatuated with her. She had to fight, and sometimes bleed, just to get Neo to notice her, and all of that amounted to a relationship, but secret. If Yang found out she was a lesbian, it would not go down well. Ruby was, after all, the last of her family- the Rose side of the family- and was expected to resurrect it from the ashes, as Yang had so often reminded her-she feared disownment. Weiss... well, she didn't know about Weiss, how she felt about same sex relationships...but knowing her it couldn't be for them- she felt fear of hatred. Blake was a mystery, her being from a previous relationship with a man, and her normal stoic attitude to anyone displaying public affection of either relationship put her squarely in the 'do not figure out and leave were it is' department- Ruby feared her leaving.

To be honest, Ruby feared a lot; she feared spiders, she feared people hating her, she feared...people finding out about her and Neo. But, if one were to look into her small, significantly brilliant yet childish mind, they would see Neo's handiwork of keeping Ruby grounded, 'down to earth'.

These fears were all completely justified,; Yang would disown her, leaving her with no family to speak of, Weiss would hate her- more than she did when they first met- and probably publicly embarrass her; and she wasn't sure about Blake, and that was what she feared about her the most... not knowing how she would take it or what she would do.

So, here she lay, mulling the evidence of Neo being involved in a criminal syndicate, the ones fighting her, and the look of utter shock on her face when she bowed before literally shattering and disappearing towards the end of their fight.

In Ruby's mind, she was telling her that this was all wrong, that Neo was the enemy, but as so many times before have proven, Ruby's heart always prevails; it was telling her that Neo would never do anything to hurt her, even if she was on the bad side; it was telling her Neo was doing this to protect her, that she never knew Ruby was at Beacon.

It was telling her to get her lazy butt out of bed and find her, get an explanation and sort things out.

And for the first time in her life, she stood up with purpose, instead of cluelessness, and walked with pride, not slouched nervousness as she always was.

(^^^^^^)

Beacon fountain has been used for many reasons; from runaway teammates that are revealed as Faunus, to secret lovers meeting under the brilliant night sky.

Ruby and Neo often frequented this place to speak, catch up, and generally bask in each other's presence, holding hands and giggling softly, sharing smiles both genuine, telling each other about their days- apparently Neo had left a lot out of those kinds of talks- and sharing heartfelt kisses beneath the watchful eyes of the glimmering stars.

She figured if Neo was to be anywhere, she would be here. She always did have a flare for the silent areas, even if she was inside. She preferred the outdoors anyway, but Ruby did too, so she couldn't really complain.

And, as a result of her heart's reign over her body and mind, she sat, cross legged on the side of the fountain, looking up at the sky until the sound of broken twigs and soft footsteps caught her attention...

...and there she was, her pink and auburn hair flowing behind her, her umbrella slung over her right shoulder as she walked, but the faint streaks of what were tears seemed to be shimmering in the moonlight, the stars assisting in lighting up that particular feature, causing Ruby to gasp and run over, catching Neo's attention.

Just as Neo snapped her head towards the direction of footsteps, she felt Ruby pound into her abdomen, holding her in a vice grip, but thankfully her clothing prevented spinal injury.

The matter of breathing, though, was a bit...different. Currently, Ruby had winded her, so she couldn't speak to let Ruby know to let her go. What a way to go out; death by Ruby's over-affection. Though, she did suppose, that wasn't a really bad way to die.

Just as Neo started to go red faced with lack of oxygen, Ruby pulled away, then went back in, hugging her softer this time. "Neo, are you okay?" Neo was confused, no dumbfounded...no not even that, flabbergasted. Ruby, her sweet, innocent little Ruby, was worried about her? When she had almost hurt her? Ruby certainly was one for quick forgiveness, though Neo supposed that isn't really that bad a trait.

Neo's eyes suddenly released the water they had pent up, the tears flowing freely as she clutched Ruby's cloak, bringing her in for a searing kiss, one burning with all the passion and the amount of sorry she would have said to her; all of it, every last ounce of it, was placed into one, big, passionate kiss.

Ruby was stunned for a second, before giving in and placing her hands on Neo's hips, bringing her closer to deepen the kiss. Neo's lack of oxygen won over passion, however, and she pulled away, placing her forehead to Ruby.

"I'm sorry, Ruby...I should have told you..." Ruby just placed her lips to Neo's again, cutting her off, before coming back out again.

"I don't care, but just promise to tell me everything in the future; I don't judge people, you know that." Ruby whispered, running a hand through the pink side of Neo's hair, before looking into her slightly different coloured eyes, smiling as she saw Neo do so.

"That, well, with my job that might be a bit hard to do, but no more secrets." Neo promised, placing ehr forehead back to Ruby, who just contently sighed before rubbing hands over Neo's cheeks, drying the stained tears.

Ruby forgave her so quickly, and Neo made a silent promise to never again take advantage of that, to completely open up with her, to tell her those words she hadn't been able to utter for nearly a year, the ones she needed to say, lest something happen and everything go unsaid.

"Ruby..." Ruby lifted her head to look in Neo's eyes. "...I love you." The 'L' word: The one Ruby had been waiting to hear, was said as soft as silk, as loud as angel choirs, as smooth as melted butter in summer.

Ruby's knees buckled at the words and as a last ditch effort to keep herself upright, she threw herself at older teen, clashing their lips together, and tears of happiness streaming down both their faces.

As they parted, Ruby looked at Neo, and saw a smile. "You know, there is a reason that this is all forbidden and stuff." Ruby said. "I'm a huntress, and you work for Roman. We need to keep this as secret as possible."

Neo looked sad slightly. "You do know that I have to do everything he says? If I don't he levels Beacon..." Neo softly whispered. "...What if he..." she couldn't finish the sentence. She had to do it, no matter what, but she could fight back; no one could get her to attack Ruby.

Ruby shushed her. "Then we fight him, together, like we always have been."

They both hugged, feeling each other's heartbeats in time with their feelings. Relief, happiness...cluelessness to the pair of amber, cat slotted eyes that have been following Ruby since she shuffled out of the dorm.

Amber eyes that, beneath them, held a smile of happiness for her leader; she found happiness, true happiness; not that smiling and upbeat personality that Ruby flashes everyone. No, this was true happiness, and she felt happy for them both.

They say that those fighting on the opposite end can attract as can opposites themselves.

They also say when you mix different colours together, they intertwine, becoming one, a mix of all of the feelings that they both had before mixing, and releasing a light unto the world.

She knew they would be that light, no matter how dark the intentions are.