So, here's something interesting. First fanfiction I've ever written and submitted for public viewing. As you can imagine, I 'm definitely a bit nervous. All I can ask for is... Please be gentle. My heart can't take too much criticism. A lot of characters might be slightly OOC, especially Ruby, but I'm trying something different. I'm going to be playing on the core dynamics of every character, i.e. Ruby being a prodigy, Blake being a bookworm, etc. I'm doing this mostly for my own enjoyment, but I figured there's no harm in letting others read it.

"Did you hear that she's going to be starting here tomorrow?"

"My friend told me that she just got out of juvy."

"They say she used to fight in those dirty, underground rinks."

"I heard that she went crazy a few years ago."

College life wasn't everything it was built up to be. That's what Blake had learned from her first day at the prestigious Beacon University, a place where only the brightest in the country could ever hope to get into.

Of course, there were good things about it.

The campus was so enormous, it should have had its own area code. It was sectioned off in several areas, with some sections being the size of some shopping centers, complete with roads and parking lots and cafes and restaurants and the sort. There was a large museum of paintings and statues and other historical relics, a massive theatre with several IMax screens that somehow got the latest movies several weeks before they were released to the public, a mall filled with dozens upon dozens of shops for clothes and nic-nacs and sports gear, and even its own planetarium.

But, what Blake loved most about it, of course, was its library. A gigantic oval shaped buildings with four separate entrances and three floors, each carrying its own labyrinth of shelves and tables and reading rooms. There was so much space that, even on a busy day, Blake could still quite easily find a quiet room or space to relax and read a good book.

On top of all that, after meeting her professors, she concluded that this school was indeed worthy of its praise. Her professors, though rather odd and maybe a tad eccentric, were all highly qualified and dedicated to their jobs of teaching their pupils, unlike most colleges that had one of the senior students teach a class, which mostly involved them reading eight or nine pages from a text book and giving the students a date for their next test to study for. Her teachers, going on first impressions alone, seemed to be seasoned professionals with an honest passion for education, something she could respect.

The students were another thing. Although Blake had expected some cultural variety, what with the university being one of the most famous in the world, but what she got was beyond any of her expectations. She knew the maximum amount of students every year was less than ten thousand, which, for a campus that was easily a few miles in size, was rather puny. However, as she walked down the halls towards her dorm, she couldn't help but note the incredibly diverse clothing and ethnicities that surrounded her.

There were students from just a city or two over from where she was from, and then there were kids who came from the other side of the world. Her ears could pick up at least four different languages and dozens of different accents in the short trip up the left wing of the main building.

All and all, despite not being much of a people person, she couldn't stop the feeling of excitement bubbling inside of her as she made her way through the thick crowd of attendees. She saw that some of them were literally jumping for joy as they met their roommates and entered their dorms for the first time, while others would awkwardly shake hands and smile at each other and pretend to be occupied by something happening down the hall. But, above all else, she could tell everyone was feeling the same combination of anxiety and thrill that she was. She thought that, perhaps, she might get along with these kids.

That is save for one student, in particular.

"Didn't someone say she's late because she had to be escorted from the loony bin?"

"Nah nah, man, I heard it's because she cheated her way in. I mean, have you seen her?"

"Yeah, there's no way a girl like her could have gotten in on grades alone."

Blake was never one to give rumors the time of day, having been on the other side of those rumors herself. They hurt at first, but she learned to ignore them. Eventually, they just started to fade into the background and she could never quite keep her attention up long enough to hear what or who they were about.

But, that was a high school of about fifteen hundred kids.

This was a university of ten thousand students. If there was someone who could create this kind of buzz without even being present, it was something that not even Blake could keep from taking interest in.

As she passed by the various students, who all seemed to be having the same conversation, her ears perked up in an unconscious effort to catch any details about this mysterious girl. Much to her own disappointment, everything she heard seemed to be nothing more than garbled mess of "they say"s and "I heard"s. Just people spouting gossip about someone they had never met. However, there was one thing she managed to hear more than once, two words that seemed to pop every now and then, of which seemed to be the only thing every conversation had in common.

"... Ruby Rose..."

It sounded like a stage name, or maybe the name of some kind of lower middle class pub, and if she hadn't heard it more than five times by five different people, she would have just assumed it was part of the rest of the exaggerated stories that had plagued the corridor. Maybe it was nickname given to the enigmatic girl. If so, then she couldn't imagine why.

Just then, all thoughts of whomever this Ruby Rose girl was or could have been perished in the flames of pride and satisfaction that burned within the raven haired girl as she came to a stop in front of a door, the numbers 451 engraved in its center.

She glanced down at the keys given to her by one of the councelors, and read the number imprinted onto them.

451.

She stared back up at the door, a smile forming across her face. With the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning, she hurried to unlock her door and step inside her home for the next four years, pulling her suitcase and carrying her duffel bag along with her. She rushed to close the door behind her, releasing a content sigh as the all the commotion outside became mute as the door clicked shut.

Slowly, she turned around to take in the sight of her wasn't big, really. To her right was a small living room with a simple couch and reasonably size television, with a single coffee table situation between them. To her left was a simple kitchen, complete with a stove, dish washer, microwave, fridge, and a short bar. Right in the middle of both was a hall that led to two separate bedroom, one which would belong to her roommate, whoever that would be, as well as a third door which she assumed to be the bathroom.

It was quaint. Cozy, would be the word she would use.

And she had never been happier.

She practically skipped down the corridor until she reached one of the bedrooms. Inside was a single twin bed, a small desk, and a closet. She peaked into the other room to see that it was identical. Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped into the room, dropping both her suitcase and duffel bag on the floor before allowing her body to flop down onto the mattress. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but at the moment, it felt like she was lying on a cloud.

Here she was, for the first time ever, laying on her bed in her room in her dorm. She had no curfew, no rules outside of her own, and everything that did and ever would happen under this roof would be under her control. She could throw parties or get drunk or do whatever else she wanted, not that she ever would. In fact, Blake was more likely to kick people out of her dorm as well as maintain her innocence of sobriety for as long as possible, however, the fact that she now had that freedom was so incredibly liberating that she momentarily forgot all her responsibilities. Her classes, her grades, food and supplies and all of her other necessities fell to the back of her mind.

At the moment, all she wanted to do was lay there and take it all in.

But, it was the chorus of "Odd's Are" by Barenaked Ladies that brought her out of her stupor. Groaning, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out her cellphone. She stared at the I.D., debating on whether or not to answer before letting out a sigh and answering anyway.

"Hello, Sun."

"Hey, Blake. So, yeah, like, how about this campus, right? It's huge! Anyway, I was thinking that, maybe, I don't know, we should meet up today. Talk about our classes and stuff, you know? Explore the rest of campus, maybe?"

Blake glanced around, still debating on whether or not to stay and read a book for the rest of the day.

"C'mon,'' he pleaded. "Classes start in a few days, then you won't want to do anything ever. This is the one time I could ever get you outside."

She mulled it over. Sun had a point, no doubt. Even now, she didn't want to leave anwhere. If anything, all she wanted to do was set up her room, read a book, maybe order a pizza and take a nap.

But, she a made promise to her parents that she would at least try to break out of her shell after being on her own. The least she could do was accept a hang out proposal from one of her closest and only friends.

"Fine," she said. "Where do you want to meet?"

She heard an overexcited cheer on the other end. "Awesome. There's a diner just past the right wing. It's right across the street from a park. You know it?"

"Yep. I'll be there in twenty." Not waiting for a reply, she ended the call and returned to laying down, closing her eyes briefly.

When she opened her eyes, she glanced down at the time on her phone and noticed fifteen minutes had passed. Scrambling, she hopped off her bed and grabbed her keys and wallet before running out the door.

Blake didn't take very long to get dressed. Unlike most girls her age, she never bothered with much make up and her outfits usually consisted of simple, easy to move in clothes, quite handy when she was in a hurry. Today, she wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans with a slim hoodie. It was a fifteen minute walk to the meeting point they had set, which would have been fine if she had left on time.

Unlike skirts and high heels, jeans and tennis shoes made it easier for her to run.

As she ran across the park she had seen on the ride in, she slowed her pace untill it was a simple walk as she saw a young boy with blonde hair and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on a bench, hunched over, staring intently at his phone, a somber look on his face. A few seconds later, her phone began ringing. She pulled it out again to see it was Sun, probably wondering where she was at.

She smiled as she answered. "Hello?"

"Heya, Blake," he said, his voice a hundred times chipper than his expression would have lead most to believe. Blake actually thought it was sweet that he would put effort into trying to sound less disappointed than he actually was

"What do you want, Sun?" Blake answered, forcing irritation into her voice.

"O-oh, um, are you, like, late, or something? Or, did something come up?"

Blake grinned. "Yeah. Something did. Sorry."

"Oh, um, okay." Blake felt like she had just stomped on a puppy as she saw the sadness on his face. "Um, what was it?"

"Well," she said, "nothing in particular really. I just couldn't bare the thought of being seen in public with you while you wore that god awful shirt."

She saw him furrow his eyebrows, then glance around suspiciously until his eyes fell on the girl, standing just a couple of feet infront of him. She couldn't suppress the giggle that came up as she saw his face instantly light up.

He hopped off the bench jogged over to me her half way. "Blake! Oh, wow, I thought you were serious about not coming."

Blake waved him off. "The thought did cross my mind," she admitted, "but, how could I just let you wander the streets all by yourself? There are strangers here, you know."

He laughed. "Well, now I have you to protect me."

The two friends made their way down the sidewalk with no exact destination in mind. "It's crazy, though, isn't it?" Sun commented. "The college is like its own city! I mean, there's arcades and malls and parks and stuff. The guys back home would never believe this."

Blake nodded. "I know what you mean. The classes are going to be huge, with hoüw many students there are."

"Yep." He caught his breath, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, speaking of which, you have gotta meet my roommate."

"Oh, yeah? What's he like?"

"He's like the coolest dude ever," Sun said with overly animated motions. "Like, the guy knows kung fu and stuff, but he also loves video games, just like me. Seriously, I thought this place would be filled with a bunch of snobs and rich kids, but he's different. I mean, he is kind of rich. And he's also pretty snobby, but, like, in a good way."

Blake nodded and smiled, content with having Sun do most of the talking. "He sounds a lot like someone else I know."

Sun snorted. "Yeah, sure, but he's also, like, a total hit with the ladies. He's got girls all over him twenty four seven. Not that I don't, cause I do. I mean, I could if I wanted to, but I don't because I..." He seemed to trail off nervously.

Not that she could blame him. Not since she rejected him so many years ago. It was honestly one of the hardest things Blake had ever done. She didn't want to lose him as a friend, but she also didn't really see him in that light. Still, much to her own approval and relief, Sun was a good enough sport to see past that, remaining her one and only loyal friend for as long as she could remember, even if he tried making a move on her every once in a while, and threatened any guys who attempted to do the same.

"So," he said, "what about your roommate?"

Blake shrugged. "Haven't met her yet."

"Are you living by yourself?"

"Oh no. No, there are two bedrooms, and the councelor gave me two sets of keys," Blake explained. "As far as I know, I'm supposed to have a roommate. I just haven't seen her."

"Have you guys talked online at all?"

Blake nodded. "Only a couple of messages, though. She's got a Remnant page and goes by the name of CrescentRose. The only picture she had uploaded was one of her car."

"What kind of car was it?"

She shrugged. "A small one? I don't know anything about cars. She had a skateboard in one of the seats."

"Ah," he said. "She's a skater. Probably a Sedan."

"Nah, it wasn't a truck." Sun gave her a blank stare. "What?"

"You don't know what a Sedan is," he said solemnly. "As smart as you are, I forget how clueless you are when it comes to pretty much everything outside of a book."

She looked away. "I'm still a bit nervous, though."

"Yeah?" He asked. "What about?"

"Well," she said, shifting around, "she's the person I'm going to be living with for the next four years. I don't know what kind of person she is. What if we don't get along? You know I'm bad with people."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever kind of person she is, it could always be worse. You could wind up with that Ruby girl everyones been talking about."

Blake looked at him. "What do you know about her?"

He blinked. "I, uh, well, only what my roommate told me."

"And what did he tell you, exactly?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, there were a lot of rumors going around about her being all crazy and stuff. I guess she used to get into fights and stuff. People say she's some kind of delinquent. Been to jail and everything."

"People say?"

He folded his hands behind his head. "I don't know. It's just what my roommate told me. He said that she's bad news."

Blake pursed her lips. "Okay, but how does everyone in school know about her? I don't care how famous or infamous you are, there are people here from overseas. How do they know about her?"

"Word travels," he answered simply. "People pay millions to get into this school. We're just lucky enough to have gotten in on academics alone. Like you said, people come from the other side of the world to attend, and yet, apparently this criminal delinquent girl is somehow going to be in the same class as us? Makes you wonder how someone wouldn't know."

She saw his point. There were people who worked their whole lives for a chance to get into this school. The staff were all highly acclaimed on an international level, one was even a Nobel prize winning scientist. And graduates of the university were almost gauranteed a six figure career. The inherit knowledge and experience that Beacon graduates carried was so highly valued that nearly every industry in the world would fight to have them.

And yet, apparently, there was a girl who, despite being some kind of felon, had managed to make her way into the same school people would kill to get into. In hindsight, it shouldn't have surprised her that some people would be upset with her attendance.

"But, those are only rumors," Sun said. "Whoever she is, anyone who can have that many rumors about them can't be good news."

Blake remained silent. It seemed no one, not even Sun, had anything good to say about the girl at all. And yet, despite herself, she couldn't stop herself from taking a keen interest in this Ruby girl. She'd rarely given rumors the time of day, and hearing so many about one single person almost made her sympathize with the poor girl.

"I guess we'll see," Blake said.

For the next few hours, the two friends visited the more important parts of campus, including the football field, a huge theatre that seemed to be specifically for school use, as well as the famed library Blake heard so much about, and it took the blonde haired boy a considerable amount of effort and reasoning to get Blake to leave.

The sun began to set, and the time to go home was finally upon them. The two returned to the park where their day had begun and said their goodbyes.

"You sure you're okay to walk alone? It's getting pretty dark," Sun commented.

Blake smiled. "Sun, there is literally a camera on every corner of every street, and the security here is better than the White House. I'm sure I'll be fine."

He laughed. "Yeah, alright. Guess I'll see you later."

Blake nodded and waved goodbye, turning around and walking back to her dorm.

Little did the dimwitted boy know that, during their entire time together, Blake couldn't help but ponder about the mysterious Ruby Rose that seemed to have the entire school on edge. She had to wonder what kind of girl she was. Was she violent? Was she crazy? Did she have some kind of addiction or dangerous habit? Was she a theif? A bully?

From what she'd been told, the answer seemed to be all of the above.

These kinds of thoughts occupied her mind on the whole walk back. As she returned to the entrance of her building, which happened to be a rather large patio with tall, very expensive looking fountain placed dead center in the middle, she noticed that there were still quite a few students out and about, which made her wonder what the curfew was.

She made her way inside the building and up to the third floor. She walked sluggishly down the corridor, the days events finally taking their toll on the teenager. Still there was a sense of eagerness in her every step as she made her way closer to her dorm, a sense that was entirely eviscerated when she finally made it to her door.

Which had been left wide open.

Instantly, her mind went on high alert. For a school this prestigious, the last thing she thought would happen was someone breaking into her dorm!

"You've got to be kidding me," she growled to herself as she barged through the door, slamming it closed behind her. She looked down the hall to see light pouring out of the room opposite of the one she'd chosen. Anger taking lead over her better judgement, she stomped down the hall and pushed the door open roughly.

A girl, just a few inches shorter than herself, stood over a bed. She wore a pair of grey sweats and a white tank top. Her dark hair was cut short, with a streak of red running through her bangs. An opened suitcase rested near the top of the bed and clothes were strewn across the rest of it. The girl wore a large headset, completely drowning out all outside noise, which was probably why she didn't hear Blake come in. She seemed to be listening to music, as she bobbed her head to the beat, still rummaging through a backpack.

"Hey," Blake said, angrily. When she got no answer, she walked over to the girl and tapped her shoulder. "Hey," she said again, this time gaining the girls attention.

The girl turned around, and Blake stopped.

From her features, Blake could tell she was younger than herself, maybe by a year. But, that wasn't the most peculiar thing about her. No, what really startled her was the fact that this girl had the most pristine silver eyes Blake had ever seen in her life.

That, and the girl was admittedly very cute.

On the girls face was a look of innocent surprise. She pulled off her headset, pressing a button on the side of them to silence them at the same time, and face Blake. "Yes?"

Blake, regaining her senses, crossed her arms and glared at the shorter girl. "What are you doing in my dorm and how did you get in here?"

The furrowed her brow, confusion evident on her face before immediately brightening into one of exuberation. "Oh, you must be Blake Belladonna!" She exclaimed.

Blake arched an eyebrow. "Do we know each other?"

The girl thrust out her hand. "We talked online. I'm your roommate!"

Realization dawned on Blake finally as she slowly reached out to grasp the girls hand. "Crescent Rose?" Blake asked.

The girl nodded. "In the flesh. Sorry about the door. I got here a little late and the counselor said she had given you both of our keys. So, I kind of had to pick the lock," she explained with a nervous laugh.

"Oh," Blake said quietly, her anger suddenly being replaced by guilt. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just... the door was open, so I assumed that-"

"That someone just broke in?" The girl finished. "No worries. I understand." She nodded to the wall. "Saw you took that room, so I decided I'd just make myself at home. Oh!" She spun around and reached into her backpack, pulling out a thick, hard cover book. "You said you like to read, right?"

Blake took the book apprehensively. The front and back were dark burgundy color with a black spine, as well as a soft, velvet like texture. On the front, written in long, elegant golden font read The Last Crusade.

Blake gasped. She glanced up to see the girl beaming at her. "Where did you get this?" She breathed.

"My uncle knows a guy," she said simply. "I told him you like to read. He gave me that book to give to you as a sort of 'ice breaker' present. He said you would like it. Apparently, it's kind of rare."

"Kind of?" Blake repeated. "There's only three copies of it in the entire world!" Blake proclaimed. "How did your uncle ever get his hands on this."

The girl just shrugged, her smile never leaving her face. "Dunno. He's weird like that."

Blake stuttered. "I, um, thank you. Thank you very much," she said, hugging the book to her chest. "I didn't get you anything."

The girl laughed, a sound that Blake found quite pleasant. "That's fine," she said. "You can buy me dinner some time." Blake flushed at the statement, but quickly regained her composure as she realized the girl was only joking.

"Right, yeah," she said, struggling to make words. "Sorry about taking the keys. I'll make sure to leave them on the counter out front."

"Gotcha," the girl said as she turned around and continued rummaging through her belongings. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat. I like to get up early and go for a jog, but we can get lunch tomorrow if you like. You know, talk roommate business. Set some ground rules, stuff like that?"

It took Blake a moment to realize the girl had finished talking. "Oh, um, yes. Yeah, that would be fine."

The girl grinned. "Great! Well, goodnight, Blake."

Blake returned the smile. "Goodnight... Um... I'm sorry, I don't actually know you're name."

The laughed again. "Oh, right, of course. I haven't told you." Her hand shot up to her head in an over the top, cartoonish salute. "The name's Ruby. Ruby Rose."