*Author's Note*

Hello there. My name is Dravyn LeCrux. This is a new story of mine. A project that had been brewing in my head for a long while, I recently managed to get some inspiration from a couple of other Authors and their stories, which let me fully put this idea together, and bring it to fruition. 'We Will Kiss Our Burning Bridges', written by Wolfpoet, and 'The Shade Of A Secret' by rwbybomb21. If you have read these stories, then you have a general idea about what this story will be about, albeit with my own flavor of crazy thrown into the mix. If you haven't, check 'em out. They're good reads.

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this story. I may or may not keep it going, depending on how you guys like it/ receive it. So, without further ado, I bring you my newest project, 'The Grimm's Rose.'

It does not matter how strong we are. In our weakest moments, when we have given up, darkness will take a hold of our hearts. Once touched by darkness, we are forever changed. But it is up to us how this comes to change us.

"HIIIIIIIIIII! WAATCHA! HOOOOOO!"

Making funny little kung fu notices was one little huntress, named Ruby Rose. Ruby, who stood around five and a half feet tall, was by far the shortest freshmen to enter Beacon Academy that year, as well as the youngest. Her hair, which with its short-styled cut that fell to just above her shoulders perfectly framed her face, was a crimson so deep that one could almost mistake it for black. Her eyes, however, were her most striking feature. A silver so pure and bright that one would swear her eyes were made of the precious metal. Eyes so mysterious, yet captivating in their beauty.

Whooping cheerfully as she and her team cut through some dozens of Beowolves, one would find it hard to imagine her personality fitting with her style of dress. Garbed entirely in black and red, with silver crosses adorning her belt and red cape/hood, most would assume Ruby to be a Goth, not the perky young girl she is. But regardless, most tend to see her as cute. At least until she brings out Crescent Rose.

Crescent Rose was Ruby's "sweetheart", the mechanical bastardization of an anti-material sniper rifle and a large scythe. This weapon was infamous in Beacon; partly due to how difficult scythes are known to be when attempting to master, and partly because of how the sinister looking tool leaves an impression on most who see it. Despite having only been in school a month, her weapon was well known.

Said weapon was currently cutting through a pack of Beowolves as though they weren't even there. Every swing perfectly controlled by her small, trained muscles. Every arc of the scythe taking yet another Grimm's life. Every pull of the trigger, every shot let loose from this fearsome weapon acting as the requiem for yet another Beowolf. While her teammates were amazing, and quite capable of causing as much destruction as Ruby, none of them were doing quite like she was. Since she could fight, humans were never her opponents. She had trained hunting Grimm of many types, giving her almost a sense of ease around them.

Today was no different.

The Beowolf pack, which had been living inside of the Emerald Forest, was becoming a nuisance to the teachers. So for today's lesson, Professor Port decided that a hands on approach was better suited to teaching, and made the assignment thus: Kill as many Beowolves as possible. So the class was taken into the Forest, and let loose to hunt to their heart's content. But as luck would have it, a large pack had found Team RWBY rather quickly, leading to the current brawl. But with most of the opposition nearly finished, the team began to loosen up. Only when the other Beowolves began to shudder did they realize something bad was coming.

Coming into the clearing was a sight that Ruby and her friends will never forget. Standing over three meters tall, and covered with more bony plates than a Boarbatusk, was the largest Beowulf any of them had ever laid eyes on. It easily qualified as an Alpha Beowolf, a rare kind of Grimm with a level of intelligence comparable to that of a young human. That is to say, it could reason, and think. On top of the intelligence was a level of strength far exceeding those currently under its command, and in its very presence the Beowolves became bolder, more bloodthirsty.

"Yang, Weiss, Blake, hold off the rest of the pack. I'll handle him!"

"Ruby, wait! That thing is huge!"

"Listen to your sister for once you dunce!"

Ignoring Yang and Weiss' pleas, Ruby charged at the Alpha. Seeing no other choice, Weiss, Blake, and Yang focused on taking out the others, covering Ruby and keeping the mooks from interfering. Meanwhile, Ruby's only goal was to incapacitate and kill this Alpha. If she could, she would be able to possibly improve the Beowolf situation in the forest in one swift strike.

Facing Crescent Rose behind her, Ruby fired off, using the shot to boost her speed and send her flying at the Alpha. Only, while a normal Grimm would have been cut apart, this one was smarter, faster, and stronger than normal Grimm. Before she had struck, the Alpha caught Ruby's scythe on its forearm which, covered in the bony plates that it was, remained unscathed by the attempt. Not letting this stop her, Ruby turned Crescent Rose around using the barrel as a fulcrum, Ruby fired, and used the recoil to turn her scythe around in a massive arc, attacking the Alpha's other side. It worked, as Ruby felt the blade dig into the soft spot between the Alpha's bony plates. The Alpha's cry only confirmed her thoughts.

Pulling her Sweetheart from the Alpha's ribs, Ruby retreated a few steps, putting some distance between her and the target. The Alpha simply stared at her, the usual darkness in its eyes making way for something more feral and violent. But Ruby had no fear. She couldn't fear, because she knew she was the best. Spinning Crescent Rose around, she planted it business side down towards the Alpha. Cocking the gun, seemingly as a taunt of sorts, she loaded a round into the gun. And she fired. And fired. And fire. Round after round left the barrel, burying themselves into the Alpha's plating. Despite the hardness of a Grimm's plates being on a different level than most materials, repeated fire from a weapon meant to tear through the strongest of defenses as well as being infused with a highly concentrated dose of aura, was enough to break down such heavy defenses. Ruby was rewarded with the Alpha's cries of pain, combined with a shattering noise that was the plates on the stomach shattering, black ichor seeping from the wounds it had sustained. With a loud, defiant howl, the Alpha fell.

"Whew, that was a thing, huh?"

Turning back to her teammates, Ruby saw that they had pretty much cleaned up the rest of the pack, as not a single Beowolf seemed to be standing still. Blake seemed a little alert, keeping an eye out for any more that may come. Yang was kicking around a few of the corpses. And Weiss as trying to catch her breath.

"Aww yeah! We're so awesome together. Go Team RWBY!"

"Heheh, calm down little sis. Come over here and get a move on. We have to get back to Professor Port and report on the situation."

"Coming Yang!"

'RROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!'

"Aaaah! Help! Help me!"

Her team could only look on in horror as the Alpha that Ruby had just completely dominated got back from wounds that should have killed it twice over, and clamped its great jaws around Ruby's left shoulder and neck. Reacting first, Yang sped of like a bullet, reaching her sister with speed so immense, one could mistake her as having the same semblance as Ruby. Without hesitating, Yang reared her fist back, and let loose into the Alpha, separating him from Ruby and sending him flying several meters back. Getting down to assess her sister, Yang left the Alpha to Blake and Weiss.

The damage was severe. Large, jagged marks made two crescents along Ruby's shoulder, one in front, and the other in the back. Blood was flowing profusely from the wound. And, looking a little closer, Yang noticed the Alpha's own black, oil-like blood in the wound. The blood must've come through the Grimm's ruptured internal organs through the mouth, and gotten into her sister's system when the Grimm bit her. But Ruby still had a pulse, and despite being weak, she was still breathing. Not caring for anything else, Yang took off towards the school grounds, leaving behind her partner and her teammate to finish off the Alpha.

What transcribed over the next several hours could only be described as chaos. At the gathering spot for the students and the teacher, Yang burst through the tree line, covered in her little sister's blood, and holding her broken little sister in her arms. Frantic and crazed, the sight of Yang was enough to put nearly every student present on guard. The only ones unphased by her appearance were team JNPR, friends of Ruby's and her team. They were more concerned for the young girl in Yang's arms. Pushing aside anyone in her way, Yang ran straight to Port. Assessing the situation, Port responded with the authority and experience befitting of a hunter of his caliber. In minutes, Ruby was on her way to the infirmary, the nurse on duty having been informed of the situation via scroll. Not only that, but a general recall of the students was issued, and the headmaster had been informed of the situation. And feeling honor bound, Port accompanied Ruby to the infirmary, showing concern for her wellbeing.

When the last of the students had mustered back at the forest, they headed back to the school. The atmosphere was heavy. Ruby was known as an incredibly skilled huntress in the making, having stopped Roman Torchwick and been scouted to Beacon two years early by Professor Ozpin himself no less. Not only that, but despite her socially awkward nature, her cheerful attitude and outlook had gotten quite a lot of the students to like her. Seeing her in such a broken state, bloodied and carried like a corpse by her older sister who was in hysterics, had left quite a few of them shaken.

The members of JNPR, who could not help but fear for her safety, were worried more than any of the others, except maybe Weiss and Blake. But their leader, Jaune Arc, no doubt worried more than just about anyone, except perhaps Yang. Ruby was his important friend. In the time he'd known her, she seemed, to him at least, to be the embodiment of what he believed a hunter should be. She was his first friend a Beacon, and also his closest. Closer than anyone on his team. He looked up to and respected her, despite being older than her by a solid two years. This was quite jarring for him.

But away from the students who were returning to the school grounds, the infirmary was like a scene out of a warzone. The nurse was scrambling back and forth, gathering antiseptic and peroxide to clean and disinfect her wound, as well as clean bandages and dressing to wrap it up. Blood transfusions had to be performed, as Ruby had lost enough blood to leave her in shock. Blood was all over the floors, and staining the white sheets a deep crimson. Ruby's blouse and hood were torn and frayed, the damage having been extensive due to the sharp teeth that had torn at her just a short while ago. And by her bedside, not leaving even as the nurse dressed the wounds, was Yang. Her favorite outfit covered in her younger sister's blood, and even her usual golden locks stained a bright scarlet, Yang's only attention was on the small girl before her.

The nurse had finished what she could for Ruby.

"It's up to her now. If she's as strong as I hear, she should be able to recover." Yang heaved a sigh of relief, to which the nurse delivered the rest of her news. "Make no mistake, Miss Xiao Long, your little sister is not coming out of this the same as you knew. These kinds of events can take their toll on a young person's psyche, especially at her age. How this will affect her, well I don't know."

Looking to her little sister, worry plain on her face, Yang could only stare silently, praying to whatever Gods or Goddesses she could think of. Ruby was her precious little sister. This could not be happening. Not, it just couldn't.

As Yang was despairing, Professor Ozpin, and Miss Goodwitch, entered the infirmary. Ozpin was different from his usual calm self. Despite hiding it rather well, close acquaintances of his could tell that he was greatly disturbed by what he had just heard from Port. Looking at the now sleeping girl before him, a blood transfusion currently taking place, Ozpin could not help but feel concerned inside.

"Miss Xiao Long, I would like to talk to you."

"Can this wait?" Not even bothering to look up from Ruby, Yang responded. Despite how calm it may have sounded, there was an unmistakable venom in her tone.

"No, Miss Xiao Long. It cannot."

"What is so important that you want me to leave my sister's side?"

"I want to inquire about what happened in the forest. What you tell me could be of help to your sister." Keeping his clam façade up perfectly, Ozpin spoke thus to Yang. At that moment, through the infirmary doors came Weiss, Blake, and the members of team JNPR. Ozpin beckoned them over, and nodding to Yang, began to walk out. "Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna, would you please follow us?"

Taking the three out, Ozpin and Glynda got the details of the event from the trio. But upon getting to the part about examining Ruby's injury, Ozpin grew pale. As Yang explained how she saw the shards of tooth and the Grimm's blood in the wound, Ozpin's face started to lose its façade, and a visible look of panic seemed to come over him and Glynda.

"Nurse! Nurse! We need Miss Rose put into restraints as soon as possible!"

""""""""What?!"""""""

All present, including the rest of WBY and JNPR were shocked at what Ozpin had just ordered the nurse to do. Not only that, but he had been freaking out when he gave the order, his usual calm lost and replaced by obvious panic.

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing to my baby sister!?"

"Miss Xiao Long, this is not the time to argue. If what you said about the Grimm's blood getting into Miss Rose's system was true, then we have to restrain her as soon as possible!"

"What? Why?!"

"I'll explain afterwards!"

After this, Ozpin, Glynda, and the nurse got around to strapping Ruby's arms down to the bed, securing her to the bed. After making sure she couldn't move, even if conscious, Ozpin led the seven young hunters out to the hallway to explain what was going on.

"Miss Xiao Long, and Mister Arc, what I tell your respective teams must not be disclosed to other students at all, do you understand me? This is vital to Miss Rose as well." Getting the seven of them to give their word on the matter, Ozpin continued. "If what you said about the Alpha's blood getting into your sister's wound is true, then your sister is in serious trouble. Grimm are, by nature, creatures without a soul, as you all know. Their very existence is the antithesis to ours, and ours to theirs. As such, our aura is capable of dealing immense damage to the Grimm, due to their weakness to our souls. But the Grimm are as poisonous to us as we are to them."

Hearing this, the seven of them began to look worried. This level of knowledge was usually not taught in combat schools, as most thought it was unnecessary to divulge such gruesome information. This was stuff usually learned on the field.

"When a human or Faunus takes in a Grimm's blood, the blood begins to tear through their system. Age seems to have something to do with how well you last through the ordeal. Generally, the older you are, the stronger your body is, and therefore you have a higher chance of coming through successfully. But in Miss Rose's case, she is on the smaller side, and rather young too. The blood in her system now will likely follow one of two paths. Your sister will be driven insane by the blood, or killed by it."

"..."

"The reason the restraints were necessary was due to that if path one were to be followed, Miss Rose would become a danger to herself, and those around her. Should she survive, your sister will likely be irreparably damaged."

And at that point, Yang, the toughest and most boisterous female on Beacon's campus, just broke down. Slumping to her knees, Yang began to bawl. Streaming down her face, and mixing with her sister's blood, becoming tears of blood. This bright, energetic girl who had most of Beacon's male population under her thumb, and who could outdo just about any of them in hand to hand combat, was on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. The little sister she loved more than anything in this world, even her own golden locks, was likely to lose her life, and/or her sanity. The thought was enough to completely break Yang down. Unsure of what to do, Ren stooped down to hold Yang, trying to calm her. The others, not having Ren's temperament, could only look at Ozpin with disbelief.

Their precious Rose was just taken by the Grimm.

*Afterword*

Hey. Yeah, that was an incredibly messed up way to start a story, huh?

So yeah, my original idea was not to leave Ruby a broken mess. I'd like to explain more right now, but it might ruin the next chapter I have planned. I'll be explaining more in the next chapter via dialogue, inner monologue, and an extended Author's Note and Afterword. Suffice to say, shit is about to go down. I hope you brought your umbrellas.

Like I said, this is an experiment. I'm a little hesitant to have done this, and by this I mean leave Ruby in a near comatose state, being poisoned by the blood of a Superior Grimm. But it'll all make sense in the next chapter.

Anyhow, I should also mention that the updates for my stories will start coming more frequently. My new laptop just got in. Hooyah!

Anyhow though, you know the rest. Leave a comment letting me know what you thought, make a suggestion if you think it'll help the story out, and just overall let me know what you think. Any criticism that is constructive is welcome. I'd rather avoid unnecessary hate though, so keep the comments clean and classy. See you next time.