So, I said in my last story I didn't have any ideas but...uh...this came to me like a day later. So, my next tale, another multi chapter one! This time its maybe half an AU? Well, you'll see. Each of the first four chapters will focus on a different woman from RWBY, and will reveal where they are in this timeline. So, let me present the first chapter of Picking Up The Pieces.

Ruby cursed under her breath. 'Sandworm, shit!' she thought, keeping her scope locked on the massive desert dwelling Grimm. It had its head reared up, scanning the horizon, nose twitching in the air almost as though it could scent her. But she knew it couldn't, she was over a kilometer away, and its sense of smell went at best five hundred meters. No, Sandworms relied on their ability to sense the lightest of footsteps upon the desert sand they called home. Unfortunately for Ruby, this Sandworm had made its nest just next to the only source of fresh water she had found in days. And with its circular, lamprey-like mouth, getting close to it would probably only result in a very uncomfortable moment of being eaten alive. Not something she was into.

The oasis seemed to be taunting her, even as sweat dripped down her face. She lay flat on top of a sand dune, the dusty, dark brown cloak she carried instead of her old one now laid on top of her. She could snipe the Grimm from here…no way she'd miss. But her ammunition was getting dangerously low. She didn't know when she'd find another outpost or trading caravan that hadn't been destroyed…and it's not like she could go back to Vale.

Ruby snarled at herself, shaking her head quickly to clear the memories. She didn't have time to dwell on the past. She needed water, the Sandworm was in the way, and getting close to it in the desert was suicide. She sighed, chambering one of her last three rounds. She fell into herself, letting her breathing slow down, eyes sharp as she narrowed in on her target. Sandworms had one crucial weakness…the second bone plate just below the throat was ever so slightly out of alignment with the one below it. A well placed shot could penetrate right through the armor, instantly ripping the throat clean open. That, combined with the Dust she'd woven into the bullet, should completely blow its head off. She was very grateful she'd learned so much from We-

'SHUT IT!' she snapped at herself mentally. She didn't want to think about her, didn't want to think about any of her ex 'team'. Not anymore. She was on her own, that's how it was going to stay. Wasn't like she knew where they were, anyway. Sighing, she tried to bring her concentration back on the Grimm. It had relaxed, turning its head away from her, contemplating the oasis next to it. She waited, patient as a hunting cat, needing her perfect sh-there!

The retort of Crescent Rose cracked across the desert, startling the Sandworm. But before it could move, the Dust infused round had shot into its throat, choking off any roar or scream it had planned to make. It had only a brief moment to be shocked, before its head erupted into a towering burst of flame, scattering shards of its armor to the winds. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, glad that was over. She lay low for another few minutes, waiting for the telltale signs of any other movement, but when none came, she quickly holstered Crescent Rose and began her slow trudge to the oasis.

Ruby rolled her eyes in pleasure, happy to just lay back for a brief moment and relax. With the Sandworm having made its home here, no other Grimm would be around for kilometers. Wouldn't last forever, once they realized it was dead, but for now, she had a paradise. She'd managed to find a few root vegetables that were edible, but it was the water she was happy about. She'd already filtered out what impurities she could (she was lucky she had managed to keep her survival kit from Beacon in working condition) and refilled all her bottles. For now, she relaxed in the cool waters.

Glancing down at herself, she winced as she saw the scars littering her abdomen. Though she bore numerous scars on her tanned, weathered skin that she'd gained simply trying to survive after the Fall, the ones inflicted by Cinder long ago were the worst. Cinder's blades were sharp, but jagged, and had nearly ripped her open in two lines straight down the center of her chest. She bit her lip, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to ignore the memory of that night. The only reason she was still alive after that was thanks to her friends…argh!

"Dammit brain shut up!" she snarled out into the air. She didn't have friends anymore. They weren't the people she had thought they were…she wasn't worthy of them anyway. She failed at her job. She shook her head, water droplets flying from her ragged, shoulder length hair as she tried to forget as much as possible. None of that mattered. She had hunting to do still. After the Fall of Vale and Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral had needed all the help they could muster. Ruby had heard a rumor they had already begun rebuilding Atlas, but hell if she cared. She was done with Atlas. She couldn't go back.

Ruby sunk deeper into the water, barely keeping her head above the surface. She stared up into the slowly darkening sky, watching the tiny twinkling lights beginning to appear in the sky. She knew it'd get cold soon…the Vacuo desert was well known for dropping into the negatives when night fell. She should get out of the water, but not yet. She wanted to relax, to indulge, just for a little bit of time. Idly, she reached out towards her pack to grab her red cloak, but her hand had barely moved when she froze. 'Stupid! Your cloak is gone. You don't deserve to wear it. Mom would be ashamed of you,' she berated herself.

Instead, she picked up one of her smaller knives. She carried multiple ones on her…sometimes Crescent Rose wasn't perfect for the task, such as cutting the meat off an animal, or carving something, which she felt like doing. She'd already grabbed a couple fallen branches, and set about carving her symbol into one. Something about the idea relaxed her…she'd carve symbols, leave them behind, leaving just the tiniest trace she was ever there. Eventually, it'd rot away, decomposing into nothingness…but until then, she could prove she existed.

It took her little time to finish the rose emblem. All the practice she had, it wasn't like it was tough. But as she sat in the clear water, the light fading behind her, she took a deep breath. There was lots of room on the branch she'd grabbed…

Night had fallen by the time she'd finished, a tiny Dust powered lantern giving her just enough light to finish it up. She stared at the carved wood in her hand, her hand shaking slightly. Weiss' snowflake, Blake's flower, and Yang's burning heart carved just below her rose. She hadn't seen those symbols in five years, but they were burned into her brain. Every time she went to sleep, they were there, hovering right around the edges of her subconscious. Five years together…eight years apart.

With a snarl, she slammed the branch down into the bank near the water. It went deep into the loamy earth, the four symbols just barely visible above the bank. She sighed, clambering her naked form out of the water. She took a moment to look down at her reflection, still having trouble reconciling the woman she was now with who she was so many years ago.

Tightly corded muscles roamed across her form, covered in deeply tanned skin. Scars littered her body, reminders of both her years as a Huntress, and her years out here, alone. Some massive and sweeping, others just tiny marks, telling a tale of broken bones and blood, of desperate fights for survival, and of failed attempts to save others. Her hair was jagged and down past her shoulders now…she hadn't had time or the inclination to cut it. Though she had nearly ripped her bangs out when they had gotten in her eyes last time. The long, bitterly red scar that crossed her face diagonally from the bridge of her nose, down her cheek, through the left side of her lip, and down her chin, a remnant from a fight against the Drake itself. Her eyes, once shimmering mercury pools of hope, were now hard, glinting steel reflecting back up at her from the water.

Ruby had always wanted to be a hero, but that dream had died the hard way back in Atlas. She was done trying to be some storybook hero. She just wanted to rest, but the damned nightmares wouldn't let her! She had to keep moving anyways. Something kept her moving, something inside her told her that she couldn't stay in one place, not for long.

Shivering slightly as the air swept past her nude form, she quickly reached for her clothes to begin wrapping herself up. It was past time to get a bit of rest, before she set out again. After struggling into her slightly less dusty outfit (as she had cleaned her clothes before taking her bath), she reached into her tattered pack and grabbed up a ball the side of her fist. Tapping a series of buttons on the edges of it and channeling her Aura, she watched as it began to glow. Blue light emanated from it as it began to hum, before it suddenly leapt up and hovered over her hand. With a tiny motion upward, the dimly glowing ball floated up into the air.

Ruby smiled, happy that she'd brought this little device along. It always made her smile to activate her Alarm Bot she'd built back in her fourth year at Beacon. It scanned the surrounding area for anything bigger than a small animal, and would alert her by electrical signal emanating from the bracelet she wore on her right wrist. Her smile faded as she thought of her dorm room for a moment when she had first revealed the device. Yang's grin, Blake's subdued smile, and Weiss' genuinely pleased smile as she demonstrated how it worked. The three of them had been so proud of her, as they always seemed when she made something new…

'Argh!' Ruby slammed her hand into her forehead. Grumbling to herself, she quickly laid out her cloak on the ground. Flopping her pack down at the top of it, she wrapped her cloak tightly around her as she lay down, using her pack as a pillow. Willing herself to sleep, secure in her Alarm Bot, she dropped into sleep almost instantly.

"Yang let go! We have to help them!" Ruby's shout was barely heard over the roar of the flames. She wiped at her eyes with her free hand, hoping to get the ash out of her eyes.

"Ruby, we can't do anything for them right now! We have to evacuate while we can!" Yang pleaded with Ruby, her grip tight on Ruby's left arm.

"Yang's right, Ruby. Atlas is going to fall, we have to retreat," Weiss' voice was calming, but an undertone of fear rang through it as she glanced around. The four of them were safe on top of the building they were on for now, but the flames were nearing them.

"NO! Dust be damned, I'm not leaving these people! We stopped Cinder, her stupid plan can't succeed years after she's dead! That's not how this works!" Ruby shouted, wrenching her arm out of Yang's grip and glaring at the other three.

"But it did, Ruby! We can't help them right now. Ruby, please…let's go. We can't do anything for anyone in the city right now. But if we survive, we can-"Blake's plea was cut off by Ruby, who slashed her arm at the air in a silencing motion.

"If we survive? Is that all that matters to you guys?! We took an oath as Huntresses! We stopped Cinder, we graduated Beacon! We are supposed to protect and save-"

"YOU CAN'T PROTECT ANYTHING IF YOU'RE DEAD!" Yang's scream stopped Ruby in her tracks, her eyes going wide as tears fell from Yang's eyes. "Dad's gone, Qrow's gone, your mom's been gone, and who the hell knows where Raven is? I can't lose you too Ruby, I just can't! I CAN'T!" Yang rushed forward, grabbing Ruby up in her arms, Ruby stiffening up as Yang sobbed into her shoulder. "Vale fell, Ruby. Atlas is falling. We can't save everyone, but we can rebuild. But we can only rebuild if we're alive to rebuild it! Please, Ruby, don't do this!"

Ruby broke free from Yang's arms, shoving her away from her. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared at Yang. "I'd rather die than be a coward," came the whisper from Ruby. Without hesitation, she blurred into a flurry of rose petals, rushing off the building and into the burning remains of Atlas.

She could still hear Yang and Weiss screaming her name as she sped off, but she shut it down as much as she could. Tears spilling from her eyes, she sniffled, trying to block out the sounds of her team. Suddenly, a thin, wailing cry caught her attention, and she rushed towards it. A massive apartment building of some sort was aflame, pieces of it breaking off and falling to the street below. She heard the cry again, from somewhere up above…eighth floor!

Ruby wrapped her cloak around her face as best she could, before trigging her semblance again. Using the combined recoil of Crescent Rose and her speed, she ran up the wall as quickly as possible. As she reached the eighth floor, she slammed Crescent Rose into the brick side of the building, using it to arrest her movement and somewhere to grasp onto. Swinging on it, she flung herself forward, letting her feet smash into the window she had stopped by. Smoke rushed out, billowing in her face, making her eyes water.

Right before her, she saw a young couple, a small bundle in their arms cringing on the ground. As the window broke, they looked up with wide eyes, seeing Ruby land in the room. A cry of relief came from the woman as she rushed over to Ruby, holding out the bundle in her arms. "Please! Take our daughter, quickly!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, but what about you two? I gotta get all of you out! C'mon, let's see about-"

The man interrupted her. "We tried, the stairs are all blocked out. Look, take our daughter first, you can't carry us all down the wall. We'll wait here for you, you can come for us after she's safe, ok?"

Ruby stared at the couple, another wailing cry coming from the bundle making up Ruby's mind instantly. She reached out and snatched up the blanket, holding the child tightly in her arms. She turned to the window, but looked over her shoulder quickly. "I'll be right back, ok? Stay safe, I swear I'll be right back!"

The woman waved her on as the man tightened his grip on her shoulder, coughing into his hand. "Go! Please, go!"

Ruby flew out the window, using her scythe to catch onto a street lamp near the ground to slow down her fall. She knew of the nearest emergency center, it was barely two blocks away, she could make it there and back in no time. Her form was a blur, petals flinging behind her as she rushed towards it, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was still open. Atlesian troops directing people towards evacuation airships, medical professionals scurrying about. With no time, Ruby just blurred up to a nurse and dropped the bundle in his shocked arms, before dashing back towards the building. She'd been counting, twenty seconds…twenty one…

She was back! Flames had erupted out of the windows on the seventh floor, making her wince as she realized she couldn't go back up by running up that wall. But…aha! Across the street, another building of similar make, and this one not on fire! Decision made, Ruby blurred up the side of that one. Twenty two…

She latched Crescent Rose into the side of this one as well, tensing her legs in preparation of leaping across the chasm separating the two buildings. Twenty three…She glanced up, squinting through the flames, catching a glimpse of the couple crouched down on the floor. They looked up at her yell, seeing her through the smoke. She pooled her energy, about to jump. Twenty four…

A powerful rumbling came from the building as it shook. Ruby's eyes widened, locked on the terrified eyes of the couple, as the floor beneath them simply…gave out. They didn't even have time to scream before they were swallowed up by the flames, the entire building giving out a roar as it collapsed onto the street below.

Ruby had no time to think, no time to speak, no time to do anything but stare numbly at the remnants of the building. Most of the flames had been snuffed out by the collapse, but smoldering licks of fire flicked up from the remains. Ruby released Crescent Rose, falling heavily onto the pavement below. Intellectually, she knew that had hurt her. She thought she might have broken her foot at the very least. But she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything. All she could do was stare at the shattered building, at the remains of not only stone and wood, but of people and life.

Ruby fell to her knees, gasping for air in a city filled with smoke and death. Everything in her was twisted, confused, broken. She was a hero, right? Heroes save the day, they don't miss, and they aren't too slow. A hero, like…like her mom.

Ruby looked down at the red cloak spilling over her shoulders, swept forward and partially blocking the view of her body. The cloak her mom had given her, before she had died. The only thing she still had of her, besides her eyes. Her cloak…

Ruby ripped the cloak from her shoulders, throwing it down on the ground as tears spilled from her eyes. She sobbed into it, hands clenching on her thighs, her nails digging into the flesh beneath her leggings. She stumbled to her feet, still ignoring the shooting pains coming from her right foot. She began shuffling away, away from the city, away from the people, away from the cloak. She had failed her mother, had failed her cause. She had no right to wear that cloak, and no right to call herself a huntress, not anymore. Ruby vanished into the night.

Ruby woke with a gasp, before slamming her head back against her pack. Dust, she was so sick of these stupid nightmares! It had been eight years, couldn't they leave her in fucking peace?! Taking a deep breath, she rolled on her side, curling herself tighter into a smaller ball. It was still too early to get moving, too cold. Just a few more hours of sleep, and she'd be off, going who knows where.