AN: It's being rewritten, slowly but surely it's being rewritten.

Schizoid

She launched herself high, riding the recoil of her gun and vaulting onto the roof. Ruby was determined to fight, to keep that man, the would-be robber of the Dust store, at the scene of the crime until a Huntress or the police came. But the robber was not alone. On the other side of the roof, staring straight at young, brave Ruby Rose was a monster bedecked in an inky black turtleneck, crisply matching blazer, supple leather loafers.

His eyes were that of the Grimm. A flitting thought, a terrifying one, ran through Ruby's mind. Could there be a Grimm-Faunus? Was that even possible? She had seen those eyes in her dreams before. Nightmares, her therapist of years ago had said. Residual trauma from her near-death experience in childhood. Yang had cried upon hearing that, had apologized profusely for endangering them both… deep inside Ruby had always known that those eyes, those garnets set in coal, did not belong to the Grimm. Something far worse, far more terrible was out there.

The monster in human skin spoke, a deep, resonant noise carried through the cold autumn night. "You can't do anything right, can you? She can't be more than fifteen, Roman. You and ten other men… ridiculous."

Roman, the robber, snarled. "I didn't see you fucking volunteer to help me, Risotto!" The man snarled at his companion, spit flying from his mouth.

"Pedestrian," the man in black said dismissively. "I'm being paid to make sure you survive. Not to do your dirty work."

Ruby leveled her gun at the arguing pair. "Weapons down!" Her voice was as harsh as she could make it. The two men turned. Roman laughed and Risotto scowled.

"Children," Risotto glared at Ruby and her gun. "Children should be seen. Never heard."

The unthinkable happened. Ruby dropped Crescent Rose. Out of reflex she yelped and dropped to her knees to pick up the unwieldy scythe. It wouldn't budge. She couldn't even pry it up off the concrete of the roof or even get her fingers underneath it. It was as if it weighed a million pounds.

"Wha-what?" She stammered and suddenly the dream of being a hero, of catching a criminal and saving the day, turned to ash.

"You're in over your head, Red." Roman gloated in a sing-songy voice. "Not so cocky now, huh?"

"And yet she managed to stop you, didn't she?" Risotto said dryly. "What does that make you?"

"Aw fuck off!" Roman sniped back. "Junior's men are worse than dogshit. Idiots."

She was so frozen with fear that she could hardly move, hardly breathe. There were sirens drawing closer, she recognized that in a far corner of her mind.

"She's here." The man with the eyes of Grimm declared simply.

"Who?"

"Glynda Goodwitch. Huntress."

Roman blanched. "Seriously? Already?"

"She lives a couple blocks away. You didn't think to check?"

The thief gulped and shook his head. "Shit."

"It's not so bad for us." Risotto shrugged. "Look."

Lo and behold, Ruby was saved. The teenager turned and saw a blonde woman, intensely beautiful, tall.

A Huntress! She was near giddy with awe and so, so very happy to see a good guy.

"Risotto!" The woman's face was contorted in an expression of absolute fury. The air grew heavy and was almost tinted purple, presumably the Huntress' Aura was leaking. "How dare you!"

The man in black shrugged. "Long time no see, Glynda."

"You know her?"

"We have a history," Risotto said to his companion, never taking his eye of the Huntress. "You might want to go now. I'll take care of this."

"Two against one?"

"As if I'd let you get away." Her fury had not abated. "Ms. Rose. Behind me." Goodwitch held a riding crop, her weapons, pointed at the criminals.

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby didn't know how the Huntress knew her name, but she obeyed without a noise of complaint. Talented as she was, the teenager knew that she'd be a distraction in the fight between Huntress and monster. Besides, Ruby tried moving Crescent Rose with her foot and it would not budge.

"Run along, little Roman." Risotto gave his companion a slight nudge.

The criminal scoffed and rolled his eyes. "It's your grave, man." He dashed towards the edge of the roof and jumped to the next building, then the next, then until he couldn't be seen any longer.

"He's getting away!" Ruby cried and lamented the fact that her weapon was out of commission. She could make the shot from this distance. With her scope and sniper rifle, it'd be trivial to land a good hit with a gravity dust bullet, send the man crashing to the ground where the police or some other Huntsman could catch him.

"Do not," Glynda whispered harshly from the corner of her mouth, "move."

Ruby gulped and nodded.

"Little girl, you remind me," that deep voice again, the sound of the bottom of the ocean personified. "You remind me of someone I once knew."

"Don't you dare, Risotto," Glynda ground out. "Finish that sentence and I'll kill you where you stand. She doesn't deserve this."

"What does she deserve?"

"She's innocent!"

"Then consider this mercy." The handsome monster shrugged and Ruby made out a slight twitch of his right hand.

She had broken an arm once. This was far, far worse.

A momentary tickle in her throat became searing pain, spreading in short, sharp lines all through her mouth. Ruby tasted blood and made a sound that she didn't think a human being could make.

The Huntress turned and shrieked a cry of pure anguish. "You bastard!" The meaning of those words didn't even register in Ruby's mind. She knew by some eternal calculation that there was a noise, but she was a thousand miles away. The teenager collapsed on all fours. From her mouth came dozens and dozens of razor blades.

Dark.