Jaune Arc.

That was the name of her target. Her first ever target. Twenty years old, Caucasian of average height and build, blue eyes blonde hair. Lives alone on the second story of the apartment complex known as "Haven," room number C-10. Second middle child in a family of ten. Seven sisters, a mother and father. The young man had lived a completely boring and uneventful life, according to her briefing. It was rather unfortunate that he would not be able to live it fully after today.

Ruby took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, exhaling as she slowly trotted along the sidewalk. Today was her very first day on the job. She wished she could have brought Zwei with her, but she was in a bustling city. A horse like him would stick out like a sore thumb, something that she was taught to avoid in this day and age.

"A Dullahan can't charge through the streets on their horse while cackling madness, anymore." That was what her mother had told her. "Humans today, they just don't believe in the supernatural anymore. And perhaps maybe that's for the best. After all, when they find out you are the one causing so much death, they might try something silly."

Such was the life of a Reaper class entity, the life she had chosen for herself. She felt her breath hitch as she came to a turn. Glancing up at the iron pole that was jammed into the sidewalk, she saw two small green signs placed up at the very top.

"Oniyuri street." She whispered to herself, hiking her red hood up to conceal her face as she turned down the path. She had brought along the hooded cloak that her mother had made for her as a good luck charm, and as a way of hiding her identity. Hopefully it would provide her with the courage she needed as she began to move closer and closer to her destination, where she would need to set the event in motion. She gulped nervously, her face heating up more and more with every step she took. She felt bad about doing this, but perhaps with time that feeling would fade.

"Humans? Nah, don't worry about them, sis. They're like any other animal, except smarter." The conversation she had with her sister just before she had left began to play back in her mind. "Sure, they might seem like nice people, but when you get right down to it, humans just care about themselves. They're only out for their own survival, and they don't care about anything that doesn't help them do that."

"But Yang, don't you and dad sleep with humans like, every night?" Ruby could feel her mouth curve into a wicked smirk. "If humans are like animals, does that mean you two are into bestiality?"

Yang froze up, her mouth opening and closing silently as her bat-like wings flapped defiantly, a clear giveaway that showed how flabbergasted she was. "N-no! Besides, we need to do that to get their life force!" Ruby watched as her older sister folded her hands across her chest and began to pout. "Not like everyone can just shout a guys name out and have him drop dead like you..."

Ruby's smile drooped ever so slightly. "Sorry, sis. I'm just really nervous, that's all." Her smile perked up again when her older sister placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be fine. Just don't worry about the humans and just focus on getting the job done." Yang smiled as she pat Ruby's shoulder a few times.

Her hands wrapped around her hood, tugging it tightly around her head as she rounded a corner and continued to march on. Her eyes drifted to each person that passed her by, none of them being any the wiser on her true identity.

"Oh my little Ardaigh Dícheannta, it's okay to be nervous on your first day." The voice of her mother rang out in her head, replacing her sisters.

Ruby stamped her foot on the ground and gave off her angriest pout. "Mom! You know I hate that stupid nickname!"

Her mother placed a hand to her mouth in over-exaggerated shock. "You do?! But... but Yang and I spent weeks thinking it up! And it's so clever! It means-"

"I know what it means, mom!" She could feel her cheeks puffing out, as they usually did when she was angry. And she would have stayed that way, too, had she not felt the familiar sensation of her mothers hands clapping over each cheek, causing all the air to blow out her mouth. The two shared in a brief fit of giggles before Ruby's melancholy attitude returned. "...Do I really have to go today, mom?"

Her mother smiled, placing a hand on her head. "Sweetheart, this is what you wanted to do, remember?"

"I know but... I don't wanna hurt anyone..."

She could feel her mother frown. "Ruby, you know that humans are simple, corrupt creatures that only care about their own selfish desires."

"But... what about dad and Auntie Raven?" She felt her mothers fingers curl up, pulling her hair as they did.

"Your 'Auntie' Raven was a sick individual who tried to murder her only child, your sister, when she found out what she was." Her mother's hand relaxed, and Ruby did the same. "And it was for the better that we left her and your Uncle in the mortal world. They despised us after they found out what we were." Her mother's voice returned to its soft and sweet tone as quickly as it had left. But Ruby remained silent as she shut her eyes, remembering the day that they left the mortal world and moved to the spiritual one. "You may not understand now, but once you return to the mortal plane and see them firsthand, you will."

Ruby felt her mother's hand leave her head, causing her to spin her entire body around to face her. "Will you be here when I get back?" She asked, hopeful that the answer would be yes.

But her mother's frown suggested otherwise. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I'm being called in for a very important convention tomorrow, and it'll be a long time before I'm back." The disappointment on her daughters face was soul-crushing, and it was something that she tried to suffocate with a big hug. "But Dad and Yang will be here for you if you need anything at all."

"Okay..." Ruby responded, wiping a tear from her eye. She soon felt her mother place a finger underneath her chin, moving her face upwards to meet her own. As Ruby gazed into her mother's silver eyes, she felt warmth and comfort, like she always had. Mom's eyes were always so pretty.

"But when I get back, I promise I'll listen to every little detail about your own trip, alright?"

"...Alright..." Ruby whispered to herself as she came to a stop.

She raised her head and gazed out at the street in front of her, a rather quiet one that sat in front of the apartment complex known as Haven. It gave her a nice view of the buildings court yard, a humongous water fountain situated right in front of the building itself that overlooked the parking lot. It looked like a very comfy place to live, but she wouldn't ever be able to verify whether or not it really was herself. Her gaze shifted to her right, the sidewalk stretching on for a little bit longer before taking another turn down another street. He would be coming from that direction, walking across the street itself. All she had to do was say his name as he was crossing, and it would all be over.

She walked towards the street and stopped just before it, resting against the small tree that had been planted in its own little spot in front of what looked like was a row of apartments. As she glanced up at the structure, she briefly questioned why humans would build apartments right in front of a giant apartment complex before turning her attention back to the street. Now was not the time to get distracted, it would only be a few more minutes before he appeared. She needed to keep her eyes on the road, she needed to be a paragon of discipline and patience. She needed-

"Woof!"

Ruby glanced down at her feet, her eyes settling upon a small black and white dog, a corgi, that was returning her gaze. Only the dog was regarding her with intense hostility, its teeth bared. She blinked a few times before waving her hands at the small furry beast. "Shoo! Go away!"

She regretted her action almost immediately.

The dog flew into a barking frenzy as it charged forward, its mouth clamping down on her red cloak. And with a violent jerking motion, it pulled back in an attempt to rip the clothing off of her. With a small shriek, Ruby clasped the fabric in her hands and pulled in the opposite direction, trying her best to save the precious article of clothing from such a cruel mutt. But every time she increased her vigorous tugging, the dog would match it in spades. And the young girl soon found herself in a losing battle as the knot around her neck began to come loose. With all this commotion going on, combined with the fact that her target would soon be upon her, she found herself at a loss for solutions. So she did the only thing she could think of doing.

"Somebody, help!"

Jaune Arc had a very boring life.

Not that he had any problem with that, mind you. Boring was normal and most importantly, safe. He had a good job at the local pet shop, a solid group of friends that he had known since childhood, and a few nice hobbies like sewing and cooking, thanks to his friend Ren. He questioned the idea of taking up sewing, but being able to make and repair your own clothing was actually quite the money saver, which allowed him to afford his apartment at Haven.

But there was always the thought in the back of his head that maybe he wanted a little excitement in his life. And today was another day where such thoughts buzzed in his head like a swarm of angry bees. It probably didn't help that he had just gotten off work, stopping by the local grocery store on his way home as he always did. Hazel was happy to see him as always, despite the stone face that the old man wore almost constantly. And now he was slowly making his way back to his apartment, a blue plastic bag firmly gripped in his hand. On the same exact route, at the same exact time. Just like every other day of the week.

It was a monotonous grind that he had hated for so long now, but he always reaffirmed himself that boring is better than being poor or unlucky. Still, he at least had tomorrow to look forward to. He had finally given in to his closest friend Pyrrha, and her constant begging for him to join her at the tennis court on their day off. Even as kids, she was always extremely athletic. And she had always wanted him to join in on her activities, but his nerves always got the better of him. Physical activity meant the possibility of being hurt, after all. But now he was a grown man, for the most part, and those kinds of silly thoughts were something that he tried to avoid. And besides, if he was with Pyrrha anything could be fun.

His gaze drifted towards the looming presence of his complex, the giant green letters that spelled out Haven being a sight of comfort. Soon he'd be able to kick back and relax for the rest of the day. Maybe he'd order out tonight and spoil himself before the inevitable aches and pains of tennis tomorrow-

"HELP!"

He turned to look at the sidewalk across from him, coincidentally in the very direction he was going, to see the weirdest sight he had probably ever seen. A girl with short black hair, a black corset and skirt combo with red trim was hanging from the branches of a tree while the small, scruffy stray corgi that he was familiar with barked up at her with a ferocity he had never seen before. Which was strange, because the mutt was usually so friendly. But that might just be because he often fed the dog the day old pet treats he would sneak away from work.

"Somebody get this thing away from me!" The girl cried out again, her arm and legs tightening around the branch she clung to. Strangely though, her other arm was wrapped firmly around her head, as if to shield it from falling debris or something similar.

Snapping back to reality, Jaune quickly looked both ways before sprinting across the street, stopping in front of the chaotic scene. Almost immediately, the corgi stopped its barking and turned to him, ferocious barks of fury turning into excited and friendly yips. "Hey buddy." Jaune spoke to the dog, crouching down just enough so he could pet him. "I've never seen you get to aggressive. Why are you terrorizing this poor lady?" The dog responded to his question by flopping onto its stomach, an answer that Jaune had fully expected. "Here." Jaune quickly pulled out the dog cookie he had in his pocket and shoved it in the small pups mouth, causing it to roll to its feet and bound away happily. With the threat safely handled, he glanced up into the tree and noticed that the girl had firmly shut her eyes, tears already beginning to form under her eyelids. "Uh, h-hey! It's alright!" He called up to her. "The dog's gone now, I chased it off!"

"Huh?" The girls eyes snapped open, revealing that they were a shining, silvery color. "I-it's safe now? You're sure?"

"Positive." He responded with a smile.

"...You're certain?"

"...Yeah, I'm certain."

She stared at him in silence for a moment. "Positively certain?"

For a moment, Jaune felt his brow furrowing. But he quickly buried any annoyance, so he wouldn't be rude to the person he just saved. "Yes, I'm one-hundred percent, positively certain that the dog is gone. You can come down now."

The girl in the tree blinked a few times before loosening her grip on the branch. Strangely though, her arms immediately went to cover up her neck again as she positioned herself to get down. With a thud, she landed on her feet. It was only now that he noticed the black combat boots combined with brown stockings that lead up to her skirt. She certainly had... interesting taste when it came to fashion, that was for sure. But as his eyes drifted back towards the girls face, he found a more interesting sight to behold.

The girl had a jagged scar that ran all the way around her neck, as if she had been hung from a noose made from barbed wire. He couldn't help but stare at it, in all its disturbing glory. Something that quickly got the attention of it's owner as she covered her neck and backed away from him.

"I-I'm sorry." He quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to stare, that was really rude of me."

"Yeah... It was." The girl sniffled in return. "I don't like people seeing my neck. It's why I usually have my... my..." The girl interrupted herself by breaking down into a panicked state as she began to frantically search for something. "MY CLOAK! Oh no, where did it go? That's my cloak! My mom... she... she..." The tears were once again forming under her eyes as she continued to dart around the immediate vicinity.

Seeing a girl break down and cry was something that Jaune Arc couldn't stand. "It's uh, it's okay! I'll help you look for it!" He assured her as he placed his bag of groceries on the floor and began to scan the area.

"Wh-whuh?" The girl sniffled. "Why would you help me? I don't have anything to offer you in return."

"What?" Why did he need to be offered something for helping her? "You don't have to give me anything, I'm more than happy to help you out."

The girl stood there in a strange stupor, staring at him as he continued to search diligently for her lost item. He could have sworn that he heard her mumble about "Humans being different then she was told," but he was probably just hearing things.

As he continued to search, all while being watched by this weird girl, he finally managed to see a slimmer of red fabric sticking out from underneath a nearby bush. With a short "Aha!" and a firm tug, he managed to get the cloak out from underneath the shrubbery that had trapped it. With a few good shakes, he managed to get all the noticeable dirt and leafage off of it before he tuned back to the girl. "I think I found it!" He stated proudly as he presented the item to her. "Is this it?"

The look on the girls face was nothing less than glowing as she snatched the cloak out of his hands and practically shoved her face into the fabric. "Yes! Oh I thought I lost it forever! Thank you so so much!" But as she began to wrap the cloak tightly around her neck once more, her facial expression seemed to darken. "But... why would you help me?"

"Huh?" Jaune scratched his head. Why wouldn't he help her? "I mean, that's what people do. They help each other."

"But... that's not what I was told..." The girl mumbled to herself.

"Well, I don't know what you were told, but it sounds bogus. People help each other all the time. It's what makes the world a better place to live in, after all!" His mouth formed into a big grin, one that his friend Nora referred to as the "Big Dumb Grin." But he couldn't help it, he tried to be as positive as possible, and a big smile added to that effect.

"...Really?" The girl seemed to shrink into her cloak further, something that made Jaune a bit uncomfortable.

He quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Well, now that we got that settled, my name is Jaune." He held a hand out. "Jaune Arc."

The girl didn't react at first, and the fact that her eyes had suddenly gone wide and were now practically burrowing into his soul made her seem a bit more unsettling. It didn't help that she also had a completely blank face while staring at him. "Ruby." She finally whispered out, her facial expression still not shifting at all.

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you, Ruby." He smiled as he retracted his hand. "Are you from around here?"

"No."

"O-oh. So you must be from the suburbs on the other side of town then?"

"No."

"Uuuh..." He gulped nervously. What kind of conversation was this turning out to be? "A-are you here on vacation or visiting someone, then?"

"No."

Alright, now was the time to abandon ship while he still had the chance. "I-I see. Well uh, I really need to get home and put these groceries away." He began to slowly step around her, and the girl slowly turned to follow him in the most stiff and lifeless manner possible. "You uh, you watch out for those stray pups, alright?" There was no response from the girl as he continued to walk away. With a final wave and a smile he turned and began the fasted power walk he had ever done across the street and into the courtyard of his complex. And even when he was within the safety of its fencing, long out of sight of the strange girl, he could still feel her eyes drilling into him. It was a terrifying sensation.

But he had at least done his good deed for the day, and no matter how weird she may have been, she still thanked him properly.

Jaune let out a sigh as he practically tumbled into his apartment. The kitchen was his first stop, mostly because it was where the front door also was. Most people would think that is a horrible place for a kitchen, and they'd be right. The whole reason that he had been able to afford this apartment is because of the fact that the kitchen had been built in the wrong spot, which made the place much cheaper for reasons that he really couldn't understand. And quite frankly, he couldn't care less. The more money he saved, the better. And having the kitchen at the front door was actually a really nice luxury, he could just walk in and immediately start putting the groceries away while he still had some steam left!

And after he had done just that, he exited the kitchen and moved to his next stop, the dining room. Or at least, that's what he called it. In reality, it was just a wooden table with four chairs set up in the corner of the living room that was closest to the kitchen. He stopped in front of the table and dug into his pockets before crudely tossing his wallet and keys onto its wooden surface. With a rather loud yawn, he turned his attention to his couch and began making his way towards it.

"Hello Jaune!"

He froze up halfway there, his entire body slowly spinning towards the hallway that lead to both his first bedroom and bathroom. There, standing quietly, was the same black haired girl that he had rescued from the tree, her hand held up and waving to him while her face sported a small and shy smile.

"AAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Needless to say, she wasn't expecting the horrifying shriek that he let out. "What's wrong, Jaune?! Are you hurt!?" She shouted as she ran up to him, causing the blonde to hop backwards in terror.

"What's wrong?! You're in my house! That's what's wrong!" He shouted as his hands dove into his left pocket, pulling out his cellphone. "How did you even get in here before me?!"

"Oh. That's easy!" Ruby laughed as she waved a hand. "Locks, Doors and Gates can't keep me out. They just open for me if I get near them!"

Jaune simply stared at her for a few seconds before bringing the phone up to his face. "I'm calling the cops."

"W-wait, no! Don't do that!" Ruby shouted as her hand darted out and snatched the phone from his hand. "Hey! Give it back!" He shouted as he reached out and tried to take his stolen property back. But she proved to be too agile for him, hopping further away from him before tossing the phone towards the other side of the room. "I just wanted to talk to you more! Honest!" Ruby explained as she stood between him and his phone. "I was really rude to you earlier, and I wanted to make up for it!"

"So you BROKE INTO MY HOUSE?!" This girl was completely insane! There was no way he would even consider trying to talk to her in any kind of civilized manner!

"I didn't know that was a bad thing to do, I'm sorry!" She apologized as her eyes began to tear up once again. "It's just that, I didn't expect any hu- people to be so nice to me! I just wanted to get to know you a little more, honest!"

Jaune slapped a hand over half of his face, tying to shield himself from the sight of a crying cute girl. He couldn't refuse any woman, no matter how insane they might be, if they cried. It was how Nora roped him into all her crazy schemes. "I... Okay! Fine!"

Ruby's tears dried almost instantly. "Really?" She watched as he slowly and reluctantly nodded. With a squeal of joy, Ruby hopped into the air and clapped her hands. "Yay!"

"But only for an hour! And then you're gone, or else I'm seriously calling the cops!"

"Aaw..."

The two of them stood silent for a good few moments, neither one of them wanting to take their eyes off of the other. And even though he really didn't want to be doing this in the first place, Jaune knew that they were just wasting that one hour Ruby had been given. With a heavy sigh, he pointed to the couch behind her. "Why don't we sit down. You can sit on the couch and I'll sit on the recliner, alright?"

"That sounds like a plan!" Ruby stated cheerfully as she turned towards the couch. But that was when she noticed something. Something that made her hairs stand on end. The table in front of the couch, which had a clear glass surface, was held up by a metal frame underneath. But there was something inside the frame that shimmered and sparkled, something that triggered a reaction from her that she had never experienced before.

And with a horrifying wail that rivaled Jaune's earlier shrieking, Ruby stumbled backwards into him, sending them both tumbling to the carpeted floor.

Jaune landed flat on his back, the sudden outburst from the girl completely convincing him that she was some sort of psychopath. "What's wrong?!" He questioned as he began to sit up. "Why are you screaming and tackling... me..." His voice slowly began to drop off until it was a mere whimper. There he sat on the floor, staring down at the most disturbing and terrifying sight he had ever seen.

The headless corpse of the girl he had met not even twenty minutes ago, lying on its back.

Jaune could feel his stomach attempting to throw up whatever food he had eaten that day as he stared into the empty, pink hole that went down where the girl's head used to be. He could feel the blood draining from his face as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing just now. He felt like he might completely pass out, and he reached down towards the floor to stabilize himself.

That was when his hand came to rest upon something. Something hairy.

"I-It's okay, Jaune! I'm still here, see!" He heard the voice of Ruby call out to him. Was he going insane? His hand firmly gripped the object that he had placed it upon earlier, resulting in a disgruntled protest. "Hey! Stop pulling my hair!"

He blinked a few times before his gaze drifted down to his right hand.

Which was now resting on top of the decapitated head of the girl that followed him home.

The head looked back up at him, a thin shade of pink covering both of its cheeks as it nervously smiled back up at him.

"Ehehe... Hi, Jaune. I guess you can say my head isn't entirely screwed on right."

And for the third time that evening, a scream filled the complex's hallways.

Author's Notes

"What's this? A SUPERNATURAL LANCASTER STORY?! Does this guy ever think of anything original? I mean come on, this is like his third Jaunefic-"

But don't touch that dial, reader! This ain't no Jaunefic! This is a RUBYFIC!

That's right, Jaune may be part of the ship, but the real star here is our soul-calling irish fairy, Ruby Rose!

I know a lot of people wanted me to do a lancaster fic for a long time, and I really just didn't have any ideas that interested me. But now that I've finally come up with one that I feel is interesting, I'm glad to bring you all Head Over Heels, a story where Ruby is a Dullahan who has become smitten with a completely normal and average human, Jaune Arc.

Since I'm releasing the first chapter early, don't expect a new one to come with Werewolf Among Us next week, but DO expect it to come the two weeks after that.
Think of this first chapter as a sneak peak into what I have in store for you all.

So buckle your pants readers, because Jaune's life is going to be anything but normal now! And Ruby will have so much more to worry about than her new human friend calling the police on her!