Gamer4 in. I hate myself- that's the only possible conclusion I can draw from this. I have plenty of stories I could continue working on, especially coming off of finishing a rather long one- I could continue the Mario Mario series, for instance. Wave Existence knows that story's overdue for an update. If I wanted to stick to RWBY for a little longer, I have a series of oneshots I could dabble in, or yet another story that needs finishing. So what do I do? Start up a brand new story, which, depending on its reception, may well be the first in a series- more on that later. For now, welcome, one and all, to this newest story from my soda-addled mind. For this story, we shall be taking the events of the video game Persona: Revelations and giving them a fine RWBY polish. Persona: Revelations happens to be the first installment in the ongoing Persona franchise- whether that will entice anyone to read further, drive them away, or change nothing at all, I'm not sure. For those who are enticed by the idea, I will forewarn you- Revelations is rather different from the installments that came later, so what follows may not necessarily be what you expect. Consider this whole thing dipping my toe in the water with a new idea- we'll see how things go. Until then, let's get funky!

Disclaimer: As ever, you get one legitimate disclaimer, then we turn on Disclaimer Radio. Persona belongs to Atlus Software, RWBY to Monty Oum, and nobody else. I may end up owning precisely one (1) character(s) in this story, but we'll see about that, too. I hope you enjoyed that disclaimer; like as not, it's the only one you'll be getting.

The Masks of our Hearts

Chapter I

The Butterfly

"Once, I dreamt I was a butterfly. I forgot myself, knowing only my joy as a butterfly. As time passed, I awoke, and was myself again. Still, the thought occurs... did I truly dream that I was a butterfly? Or do I now dream that I am a man?"

The girl opened her eyes, floating through empty space, drawn towards a deep, rumbling voice up ahead.

"However, there is a distinction between myself and the butterfly- the transformation of the physical."

At last, something appeared upon the horizon- an enormous pillar soaring up into the sky. At the very top was a circular platform, covered in a red carpet, a small circular dais in the center. Around the platform's edges were several gold pillars holding up an ivory ceiling. The girl's eyes widened in wonder as she floated down and landed gently in front of the dais.

There was a man upon it- he must have been six and a half feet tall, at least. He was dressed primarily in white- white pants and a white longcoat closed over a black shirt and tie. His brown hair was long, pulled into a ponytail that seemed to flutter behind him despite the lack of wind. His face was hidden behind a porcelain mask- blank white on one side, the pattern of a butterfly's wing painted onto the other.

Despite the strangeness of the man, the girl wasn't afraid- much as heat radiated from a fire, comfort radiated from the man. She sensed she could trust him, that everything would be okay while she stood in his presence.

The man bowed deeply, speaking once more in that deep, rumbling voice- even that seemed to fill the girl with contentment. "Welcome. It is a pleasure to meet you at last."

"And... who are you?" the girl asked, before cringing at her own perceived rudeness.

The man, however, chuckled. "Do not worry, my child. My name is Philemon. I am a dweller between worlds... the world of the conscious, and the world of the unconscious."

"I... I don't understand," the girl shook her head in confusion.

"Answers will come in time, child," Philemon said reassuringly. "But first, I am afraid I must ask you to pass a simple test. Can you tell me your name?"

"Oh, that's easy!" the girl smiled brightly. "It's

XXXX

"-Ruby!"

"Huh?" Ruby snapped out of her daydream at the sound of her partner's voice. "Wait, what's going on again?"

She glanced quickly around the room, filled with her sister, Yang Xiao Long, her partner, Weiss Schnee, and most of their neighboring team, JNPR- Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha, she'd been given to understand, was out in Vale at the moment- her place was instead filled by the monkey faunus, Sun Wukong, looking upon the current situation with mild amusement.

"Nora's still pushing for us to play that childish game of hers," Weiss relayed, rolling her eyes heavily. "As if anything will actually happen."

"Well, if nothing's gonna happen, why not do it, Ice Queen?" Nora challenged. "Scared? Chicken?"

"I am not a chicken!" Weiss bristled at the accusation.

"Bawk!" Nora taunted, raising her hands to her pits and flapping her arms like wings. "Bawk bawk buck-awk!"

Weiss let out a growl of frustration, leaving Yang to intervene. "Look, Nora, I'm as interested as anyone else to see this game you're talking about, but I was about to head down to Vale to visit Blake-"

"You don't understand!" Nora countered. "If the game goes well, we could find a way to heal Blake!"

Yang hesitated, turning her gaze towards Nora's childhood friend, Ren. "...And what do you have to say about this, Renny?"

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Ren shook his head. "However... there is some truth to Nora's claim. It seems Team CFVY attempted the game a few days ago. I can't vouch for what exactly it was, but something mystical did happen."

Weiss scoffed. "Nonsense- there's no such thing as magic!"

Yang laughed out loud. "Says the most magical member of our team!"

"It's not magic!" Weiss fired back. "I can summon glyphs, yes, but that's just my semblance- semblances and dust!"

"You mean... magic?" Yang countered with a smirk.

"You are unbelievable!" Weiss threw her hands up in exasperation.

"I don't know, I think summoning more of myself is pretty magical," Sun threw his two lien in.

"And you can just shut up!" Weiss screeched.

"Calm down, Snow Angel, calm down!" Jaune interjected, raising his arms.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

"I just thought we could settle this with a vote!" Jaune cried out rapid-fire.

Weiss hesitated. "A vote, huh?"

"Yeah- there are seven of us- we can decide through a vote whether we try this game or not."

"Oh! Oh! I wanna do it!" Nora cried immediately, jumping up in the air. "I wanna do it!"

"Go figure," Weiss scoffed. "It's all childish nonsense- I vote against."

"Alright... Yang?" Jaune asked, turning towards his fellow blond.

"Well... like I said, I'd usually be alright with it, but I don't wanna keep Blakey waiting... so no, let's pass."

Ren opened his mouth, but Nora cut him off. "Renny's all for it, right, Renny?"

Ren closed his mouth, the corners twitching up in a smile. "Of course, Nora."

"Two for, two against- Sun?"

"It all sounds well and good," the monkey boy shrugged, "but I told Neptune I'd meet up with him later- probably best to give it a pass."

"Three against now..." Jaune mused. "Well, as for me-"

"You're not gonna back down, are ya, fearless leader?" Nora immediately wrapped her arms around him in a bonebreaking hug. "You wouldn't betray your own!"

"Nora... can't vote... if you're choking..."

"Oh, sorry. Well?"

Jaune rubbed his chest for a moment before shrugging. "I mean, if Ren saw something, it makes me curious. I vote for."

Ruby felt herself shrinking as everyone turned their gaze towards her. "Oh, uh... heheh..."

"You're the tiebreaker, Rubes," Yang offered. "We gonna do it, or not?"

"Well..."

"Come on, you know you wanna side with me!" Nora pleaded with wide eyes. "Maybe the game will make cookies fall from the sky!"

"Ridiculous!" Weiss countered. "There aren't even any semblances to make such a thing happen! But if we play this asinine game, Ruby, we likely won't have time to stop at any bakeries on the way home from the hospital!"

"Er..."

"We already have cookies here," Ren pointed out gently. "She's already got quite the stash of her own."

"Yeah, but nothing compares to the cookies I make!" Yang declared proudly.

"You'd hold cookies hostage from your own sister?!" Nora asked, aghast.

"I didn't say that," Yang shrugged. "I just wanted to brag."

"Oh, you insufferable-" Weiss began, but was cut off by Ruby closing her eyes and screaming,

"I vote for!"

Silence fell- at least until Weiss turned on her. "Really, Ruby? Every time I think you're overcoming your childishness-"

"It's not like that!" Ruby countered. "It's just... it' s just... Nora said it might be able to help Blake... and if there's anything that can do that..."

The sight of her looking down, tapping her index fingers together in apparent shame, proved too much for the heiress. "Very well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt too much..."

Nora whooped. "Alright, let's get this room set up!"

"I still say nothing's gonna happen," Weiss grumbled.

"Wanna bet, Ice Queen?" Nora challenged, turquoise eyes glimmering. "How about this- if the game works, you haveta treat us all to all-you-can-eat down at A Simple Wok!"

"And when nothing happens?" Weiss challenged.

"The other way around! I'll pay for all-you-can-eat at whatever restaurant you want!"

"Any restaurant?" Weiss asked skeptically.

"Er... maybe you should let me choose the restaurant," Yang interjected, smirking at her white-haired friend. "I'm guessing Weiss would have you take us out to some fancy-schmancy restaurant where you'd have to empty your entire bank account just for an appetizer."

"Right!" Nora nodded without missing a beat. "Any place Yang wants!"

Weiss sighed. "Can you just show us how to set this all up so we can get it overwith, already?"

"Of course, of course!" Nora nodded eagerly. "Now, three of us stand in the middle of the room..."

Ultimately, Ruby, Yang, and Jaune were chosen to take their place in the center of the classroom Nora had chosen, standing in a triangular formation, while Nora, Weiss, Ren, and Sun stood in the four corners.

Sun grinned as he waited for the others to take their positions. "Mind if I start us up, Nora?" he asked.

"Not at all!" Nora called back eagerly.

Sun shrugged before crossing the room to Ren's corner, calling out as he did so- "Persona, Persona, come on out!"

Ren gave a small smile as Sun arrived, before turning and leaving, the monkey faunus taking his place as he moved towards Nora's corner. "Persona, Persona... please come forth."

Nora wriggled in excitement as Ren took her corner, practically bouncing across the room to Weiss's corner. "Persona, Persona- come out, already!"

Weiss hesitated, her lips pursed as Nora arrived. "I still say this is stupid."

"Oh, come on, Weissy! All you can eeeaaaat!" Nora implored.

Weiss rolled her eyes before crossing the room to the corner formerly occupied by Sun. "Persona, Persona... come out, I guess."

Then... they waited.

...And waited.

And waited.

...And waited a little more.

Weiss finally broke the silence, grumbling out, "There you go, Nora, you've made me look like an idiot- are we done now?"

"Relax, Ice Queen, we all look like idiots," Yang assured her. "Come on, guys- looks like Nora's treating us today."

"No!" Nora objected. "We- we need to do it again! Weiss wasn't even trying!"

"Don't try to pin this on me!" Weiss shot back, eyes narrowing.

Ruby shrunk away from the conflict, only for her silver eyes to widen when she saw something else. "Guys..."

"You need to do it with heart!" Nora insisted.

"How can I put heart into something so childish?!"

"Guys!"

"What about you, Ren?!" Nora asked, turning to her childhood friend. "You saw what happened when CFVY did it, right?!"

"I saw something," Ren nodded.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying things to help your girlfriend?" Yang asked suggestively, waggling her eyebrows.

"Dangit, Yang, we're not together-together!"

"GUYS!" Ruby raised her voice, finally catching everyone's attention. "We're- over there!"

"What you seein', Rubes?" Yang asked. "Ya get caught up in the moment and- AH!"

She yelped as she finally saw what Ruby had seen- a young girl standing just in front of the teacher's desk. She was short- shorter even than Ruby and Weiss- looking up at them all with deep lilac eyes, short black hair barely reaching her neck, matching the color of her pitch black dress.

Overcoming her surprise, Yang was the first to recover. "Hey, there, little girl... where did you come from?"

The girl looked up at her, before beginning to glow- a bright light seemed to pour out of her as she opened her mouth. "Help me," she seemed to whisper and scream- all at the same time.

Before anyone else could move, she vanished, a sudden roaring wind wiping her form away.

"What's going on?!" Nora cried.

"You're the expert- shouldn't you know?!" Weiss challenged.

"Maybe, but-"

Her words were drowned out by the sound of thunder. A moment later, a lightning bolt seemed to come out of nowhere, striking down on Sun Wukong, who let out a cry before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"SUN!" Ruby cried, dashing towards him. Before she got anywhere near, another bolt struck- this time landing right on Lie Ren, whose eyes widened in surprise before he crumpled to the floor.

"RENNY!" Nora shrieked- any further reaction was cut off by her being struck by her own lightning bolt, following her friends to the ground.

Ruby's eyes widened further- Nora's semblance was supposed to protect her from lightning- if even she wasn't immune...

"We gotta get out of here!" she called.

"You don't say, you-" Weiss began, before a lightning bolt struck her, too.

"Yang!" Ruby cried, raising her arms above her head.

"I've got ya, Rubes!" her sister cried, wrapping her arms protectively around her.

"Guys, I think another one's coming!" Jaune called, rushing towards them.

One final bolt struck, managing to hit all three students that still remained. Ruby's eyes cracked open long enough to see the flash of light before the shock coursed through her body- and then... silence.

XXXX

"Once, I dreamt I was a butterfly..."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Philemon."

"I don't understand!"

"Can you tell me your name?"

The girl actually found herself struggling to think for a second, before smiling brightly. "Oh, that's easy! It's Ruby Rose!"

The man sounded pleased as he responded. "Wonderful. I see I chose well- there are very few who can keep hold of their identity within this domain. You have passed the test."

Already convinced that she was experiencing a bizarre dream of some sort, Ruby decided to act as she would in a dream- "So, do I get a prize?" she asked, silver eyes shining.

The man chuckled again. "A prize, hmm? Perhaps I can arrange something. Tell me, are you aware of those who reside within you?"

"Those who reside... within me?" Ruby repeated, confused.

"The many faces of your heart," Philemon continued. "Can you usher forth the Ruby Rose suffused with divine love? Have you made peace with the Ruby Rose capable of unspeakable cruelty?"

"No, I... I still don't understand," Ruby admitted.

"People live by shifting through various masks- the mask you wear when speaking with your sister, the mask you wear upon the battlefield, the mask you wear among your friends. Even the person who speaks to me now is but one of the masks worn by the true Ruby Rose."

"Ummmmm..."

"Don't worry about it for now," Philemon shook his head. "I can see you have a particularly firm grip on your own identity. Yes, I shall give you a prize- I shall grant you access to the power that lurks within."

Philemon raised a hand, and within his palm, a mask appeared, seemingly woven from light- at a glance, it seemed as though it would be a perfect match for Ruby's own face. "The power of Persona. I grant you power over the gods and demons that reside within your soul. Should you ever find yourself in need of their help... simply open your eyes and call their name."

The mask faded into a stream of light that seemed to flow towards Ruby, entering her chest, filling it with warmth. She looked back up at the man, struggling for anything to say.

As if reading her mind, Philemon shook his head again. "It is not necessary to speak further now- for now, it is time for you to return to your world- the world of the conscious. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon..."

The world around began to fade away. Ruby looked around a moment as everything shifted towards a solid white before returning her gaze to Philemon- who had disappeared. In his place was a large blue butterfly, already fluttering away.

XXXX

"So... we all had the same dream, huh?"

"That is, indeed, what it sounds like. Loathe as I am to admit it, it is quite an extraordinary circumstance."

"You think Rubes is having the same dream now?"

"What... what dream?" Ruby asked groggily as she cracked her eyes open, revealing a sterile white ceiling.

"Ruby!" came the cry of her sister- a moment later, she found herself being crushed in Yang's arms. "We were so worried about you!"

"Ease off a bit, there, Yang," came Sun's voice. "You don't want her to have to stay here, do ya?"

"Oh- of course not," Yang agreed, pulling away. "I'm just glad to see she's alright, you know?"

"As am I," Weiss nodded, "but that doesn't mean-"

"Aw, you do care, Ice Queen!" Yang cut her off, eyes alight with mischief. "You're so sweet!"

"What happened?" Ruby asked again, rubbing at her pounding head. "Last thing I remember, we were all playing that Persona game Nora was talking about..."

"Do you remember the girl?" Sun asked.

"The girl... yeah, now that you say it, I think I remember something like that."

"Then we all got struck by lightning," Weiss continued.

"I guess that explains why my head hurts so much," Ruby grumbled, leaning back on her pillow. Pillow? Of course- they were in the infirmary. "Where's Jaune and the others?"

"Ozpin took them away for questioning," Weiss explained. "He let us off the hook for now- because you had yet to wake up, I'd imagine."

"Weissy was so worried about you," Yang butted in, her face taken by a wide grin. "It was just like the finale of The Star-Crossed Lovers- it took Sun and me together to stop her from-"

"Yang, shut up!" Weiss interjected, cheeks red with anger. "Of course I was concerned for her- she's our team leader, after all!"

"I knew you cared!" Ruby piped up, nearly repeating her sister's earlier words verbatim.

Weiss looked like she was on the verge of stamping her foot in frustration. "Urgh! You are all unbelievable!"

Sun chuckled along with the sisters before turning to Ruby. "All that aside... did you have a dream about a butterfly too, Rubes?"

"'Too?'" Ruby repeated. "You mean, you guys all saw him, too?"

"That's what we were talking about," Yang nodded.

"D'you think this has something to do with the game?" Ruby asked.

"That's what Yang n' me were thinkin'," Sun nodded, "but then Ice Queen said-"

"That's ridiculous," Weiss interrupted. "First off, it's not Ice Queen- second, it's 'Yang and I,' and third, just because we all had a similar dream after that game doesn't mean it's because of the game!"

"After the game, and seeing some ghost girl, and getting struck by lightning," Yang countered. "I think even Blake-"

"Blake's not here!" Weiss countered fiercely, before suddenly backing off, looking far more solemn. "Blake... Blake's not here."

Smiles slid off of everyone's faces at the mention of the missing team member- the girl in black who had spent the last several months in a hospital.

Ruby bit her lip before forcing a smile for the others' sake. "Well, that doesn't mean we can't get her opinion! We were planning on heading out to meet her today anyways, weren't we?!"

Yang broke into a grin of her own. "Yeah- that's right! I'm sure she'll have a good take on the whole situation!"

Weiss allowed a small smile to cross her face as well. "Assuming she hasn't read a few too many books- she might be losing the ability to tell what's real and what's not."

"That reminds me," Sun snapped his fingers. "I was gonna stop by the library and pick up another book or two for her to read!"

Yang smirked at him. "Try if you want, loverboy- we all know she likes my books better!"

"Wanna bet?" Sun grinned at the challenge. "Let's both snag some books, let her decide whose she likes best!"

"You're on!"

"Wait, you two!" Weiss shouted as they dashed out of the infirmary. "Ugh... blondes!"

"Come on, Weiss, we gotta go with them!" Ruby called, moving to leap to her feet, only to be forced back into bed by Weiss's firm hand.

"Oh, no you don't!" she growled. "We're not leaving until Dr. Peach comes and formally releases you!"

"But Weiss-"

"Ahbupbupbup! Not... without... Peach's... clearance!"

Ruby sighed. "Okay..." She looked down at her sheets. "I just want to go and see Blake..."

Weiss faltered under the barrage of adorableness that was her partner. "Oh, fine- I'll go find her and let her know you're up. I doubt she'll keep you here for too long."

Ruby perked up at the news. "Thanks, Weiss! You're the best!"

Weiss blushed a little at the praise. "And... don't you forget it!" she said firmly as she moved next-door, leaving her partner quivering in excitement in her wake.

Just outside the window, a small blue butterfly gazed in a little longer before pushing off and fluttering away.

XXXX

Really nervous to see what people think of this- my last attempt... let's just say it didn't go particularly well. As far as placement in canon goes, I suppose this takes place between volumes 2 and 3- there may be minor deviations, but those will be pointed out as they become relevant. Overall, it will be far more canon-conforming that my previous two RWBY stories, splitting mainly as necessary. There is one character from Persona for whom I'm strongly considering utilizing an OC, but that's something I feel I ought to run by the readers before I make any final decisions- he wouldn't follow a lot of the worst trends that Ocs tend to follow, and wouldn't even be a super-major part of the story, but given the stigma surrounding such things... I leave it to you. If you wish to comment, or just to let me know how you feel about this whole thing in general, I invite you to please R&R, constructive criticism and questions embraced, Gamer4 out.