"She cannot be trusted. If she kept this secret for so long, what else could she be hiding?"

Ruby kept a brisk pace, the team having split up to find Blake and hopefully get some answers out of her. Emotions warred in the back of her mind, rage and sadness vying for dominance. Ruby had been hurt by the revelation of Blake's allegiances, but that hurt had quickly given way to anger, and now she was having trouble figuring out where her own emotions began and Rose's ended. The parasite herself wasn't making things any better.

"Clearly, spies lurk among us. There is no one we can trust. You must treat everyone with suspicion, or else we risk discovery. I do not need to tell you what could happen then."

Ruby could feel Rose radiating anger. Anger at Blake, and at herself. Personally, no matter how hurt she was by Blake's revelation, Ruby at least wanted to know why. Rose didn't care about reasons though; the symbiote was seething. What Rose felt, Ruby wasn't sure she could ever feel that sort of hate; hating something to its very being like that. Beyond that, though, Ruby felt fear. Rose was terrified of being outed. Of being hunted by humans. And she was willing to kill, if that was what it took to stay hidden. To kill Blake. To kill Weiss, Yang, Jaune. And that terrified Ruby.

At this point, Rose was ready to lash out at anyone or anything that might risk revealing her. All it would take was one stray remark, one ill-advised joke from Yang, and suddenly the line between what was and wasn't acceptable would get that much blurier.

Maybe too blurry.

No. Ruby had to draw the line here, before Rose took matters into her own hands. It took minutes for Ruby to find an unoccupied bathroom and lock herself in. She stalked over to the sink, resting her hands on it as she stared into the mirror. It was the closest she could do to staring Rose in the eyes.

"Rose, we need to talk."

She felt the rage in her gut dial down a notch, which was good. At least Rose was willing to listen. Ruby sighed, glaring into the mirror in front of her.

"Rose, you're overreacting. Just because Blake was hiding this one secret doesn't mean she's a bad person."

"It is not the lie itself that bothers me," Rose snapped back, "It is the fact that Blake did it so easily, and that neither you nor I noticed it before."

"So that means that she's a spy? Or an assassin, or something?"

"It means that anyone we know could be one."

Ruby paused, considering Rose's words.

"Rose… Just who do you think is after us?"

Despite what little Rose had said about her supposed pursuers, Ruby hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary in the months since The Alley. Just who, or what, had Rose so scared that she was jumping at shadows like this?

"It... would take a long time to explain here, Ruby. More time than we have at the moment. You deserve to know the truth, though." Rose paused, letting out a quiet sigh. "When things are less hectic. I promise, I will tell you."

Ruby looked down wordlessly.

"I guess that's better than nothing." She pushed off the sink, rising to full height. "C'mon, Rose. Let's go find Blake and get some answers."

Ruby flopped on her bed with a disappointed sigh.

"Where is she," she whined, "Blake just ran off without telling us anything."

"I think she told us enough." Weiss snipped, brushing her hair as she sat below.

"C'mon Weiss, Blake isn't a bad person." Ruby poked her head below, staring Weiss down. "Don't you remember everything we did over the semester Weiss? Didn't that mean anything?"

Weiss harrumphed, turning away.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone has pretended to be my friend, only to take advantage of me."

With a sigh, Ruby pulled her head back up and laid back on her own bed. Rose was staying oddly quiet, considering what she had said earlier, about what exactly she was running from. Idly, it occurred to her that Rose and Weiss had pretty similar personalities. If Ruby could ever introduce the two, they'd probably get along swell. That or trade snide remarks until one vowed death on the other.

"Shower's open, Ruby." The bathroom door swung open and Yang walked out, her hair wrapped in a towel.

"Thanks, sis!" Jumping off her bed, Ruby grabbed her own towel and closed the bathroom door behind her. It wasn't until she had turned the water up to full blast that she spoke.

"Rose? You there?"

"I am always here, Ruby. I would be unable to go anywhere else, even if I wished to."

"Heh, yeah, I guess." Ruby sighed, pulling off her clothes. "So, what were you talking about earlier, about telling me the whole truth?"

"...Yes," Rose murmured, "Admittedly, I have not been truthful with how much I can recall before we met."

Ruby stepped into the shower, listening quietly.

"The first thing I remember… is a laboratory. It was approximately a month before I found you, and the climate was far colder than Vale."

"...Atlas?" Ruby muttered, rinsing her hair under the stream of water.

"More than likely," Rose agreed, "Given the contents of the laboratory, I can only imagine that they were conducting experiments of some sort."

"What 'contents'...?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"Animals. Mostly smaller types, such as rats, though I saw several dogs and cats as well. I believe they used them for experimentation."

Ruby froze.

"After I first gained sentience, I believe one of the men whose job it was to keep me contained failed to properly do so. My mind was not as developed as it is now, still very animalistic and instinctual compared to now, but it was enough for me to escape from containment. Lacking any other desire or direction, I reverted to baser instincts: hunting for food."

"And you eat…" Ruby trailed off. She knew what Rose was implying.

"Indeed. After feeding off of one of the personnel, I was able to think clearly for the first time. As he was only a member of the maintenance crew, I learned little of where I was. However, I understood enough to know that I had to escape, and from there, I made my way to Vale. I believe you can figure out the rest from there."

Ruby stood silently under the showerhead, letting the hot water wash over her shoulders as she lost herself in her thoughts. Rose kept a respectful silence, leaving only the steady patter of the shower to make a sound in the bathroom.

Finally, Ruby let out a sigh, bowing her head.

"Thanks, Rose… For telling me."

"You deserved to know," Rose replied, "It was unfair of me to keep secrets. Even so, you would be entirely justified if you wanted nothing more to do with me. I can leave, if you wish."

"What? No!" Ruby hissed, turning off the shower as she stepped out. "You saved my life, Rose. I'm not going to kick you out just for lying abou- Aw crap!" Ruby scurried around the bathroom. "I forgot my pyjamas outside! But it's so cold out there…"

Rose let out a low, relieved chuckle.

"Here, try this. And thank you, Ruby."

Ruby shivered as she felt something crawling over her bare skin. When she looked down, she nearly yelped in surprise.

"Rose! Did you do this?"

Instead of her usual clothes, Ruby was wearing a matching pyjama shirt and pants, pitch black with a bone white lining. On her right breast was a red rose, embroidered in whatever the 'fabric' was made of.

"Consider it a token of my gratitude for being so understanding."

Ruby could have sworn she heard a mischievous giggle underneath Rose's genuine gratitude. She took another look in the mirror, twisting her body.

It did look pretty nice…

She rubbed a sleeved arm against her cheek.

It was velvety soft, almost luxuriously so. If she hadn't seen, or rather felt the clothes literally growing from her body, she would have sworn they were some sort of super comfy pyjamas that only people as rich as Weiss wore. Ruby let out a small laugh.

"...Thanks Rose. I love it."

"That is good to hear."

Standing with one hand on the door, Ruby tried to clamp down on any errant thoughts that she was actually going to be basically walking around naked.

When you get down to it, everyone's naked under their clothes, right? Right!?

"Hey Rose?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me not to keep any more secrets?"

"Of course, Ruby." Rose's tone was light, almost amused, but Ruby felt the emphasis beneath it.

With a lighter heart than she had had earlier, Ruby opened the door to the rest of the dorm to rejoin her team.

"Weiss, just because she ran doesn't mean she's a bad person."

Ruby sighed as Yang and Weiss once more fell into argument.

"Well why else would she run, hm? The innocent don't run."

"Maybe she ran because you've made your opinions of the Faunus clear," Yang sighed, "I just think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."

"Well I think that when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right!"

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!"

The three girls jumped, turning to look at Penny.

"Ah!" Ruby yelped, "Penny… It's, uh, good to see you again."

"It is good to see you again too, Ruby Rose. What are you up to today?"

Ruby paused, a jolt of fear passing through her gut as Yang took up the conversation. Whatever was up with Penny, she seemed nice enough. Then again, Blake had also seemed nice before she turned out be a liar.

Ruby shook her head, clearing her own thoughts. No, Blake was a good person. Once they found her, then she could explain everything.

"So, where is your friend Blake?" Penny finally asked.

"We don't know," Ruby sighed, "She's been missing since yesterday."

"That's terrible," Penny gasped, "Would you like help looking for her?"

"Careful," Rose sounded amused, "It seems your friends are attempting to leave you to deal with Penny alone."

"What- Yang! Weiss!" Ruby turned to see her two 'teammates' fleeing down the street.

"We'll split up!" Yang called back, dragging Weiss behind her. "You take Penny! We'll meet up tonight!"

Ruby blew a raspberry in their direction, turning back to Penny.

"Well then, let's go find Blake, friend."

Penny froze, her eyes going wide.

"...Friend?"

Her hand shot forward, grabbing Ruby before she could even react. It took all her willpower to keep Rose from clawing the girl's face off.

"Let us go forth New Friend Ruby! Together we will find Blake!"

With that, Penny set out down the street, dragging Ruby behind her in an iron grip.

"So, Blake is your friend?"

Ruby sighed, having answered similar questions all day.

"Yes, Penny."

"But you're mad at her?"

"Yes? No?" Ruby ran her fingers through her hair. "Maybe, I dunno. We found out that she might be who we thought she was. I just want to hear her side of the story first."

"My father says that you should always make sure you have all the facts before making a decision. That is what he did before he made me!"

Ruby froze, turning to look at Penny.

"What?"

Penny froze, as if just having realized what she said.

"What I meant to say was… Uh, that is what I assume he did, because I was not born yet."

She hiccuped, smiling disarmingly.

"While I doubt you believe her any more than I," Rose muttered, "We have more pressing issues at the moment, Ruby."

Ruby nodded slightly, giving Penny a questioning look.

"Surrree." She finally said, turning back around to Penny's audible relief. "Well, we should focus on finding Blake, then-"

Both froze as a low boom rolled through the streets.

"Oh no!" Ruby gasped.

"It came from over there!" Penny exclaimed, pointing at a rising smoke cloud near the docks.

"C'mon!" Ruby grabbed Penny, sprinting in cloud's direction. "Please be okay Blake," She whispered, "I know you're a good person…"

By the time the two of them arrived at the docks, they could hear the sounds of gunfire echoing across the yard. Looking up at the building between them her and fight, Ruby had an idea. She turned to Penny.

"Can you find your own way around?"

The redhead nodded, running down the street. Once she was out of sight, Ruby felt Rose flowing over her arms and legs, bony claws sprouting from her fingers. Silently, she jumped at the wall, digging her claws in deep enough to hold her. With a heave, she dug in her feet and jumped again, her semblance pushing her even further. She leapfrogged up the wall the same way a few more times, finally clawing her way onto the roof. Pausing to rest, she dismissed the limbs once more, before standing back up. Looking out over the yard, she spotted Blake and that Monkey Faunus boy from yesterday dodging a falling shipping crate. Then the boy looked up, and she…

Saw…

HIM!

"HEEEYYY!"

Ruby let out a roar, her blood boiling. Roman would have killed her last time, if not for Rose. She wasn't going to let him do the same to anyone else, especially not Blake.

"My, my, Red, is that you?" Roman Torchwick called out, grinning confidently. "I could have sworn that you were six feet under after our last meeting."

With a screech, Ruby jumped off the building, bringing her scythe down on Roman as she landed. The thief blocked with his cane, jumping back with a sly smile.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" He taunted, swinging his cane around. Blocking the attack, Ruby spun her Scythe, bringing the tip up from under to slash at Roman. At the moment the weapon was perpendicular to Roman, she pulled the trigger, sending him flying back in a flash of dust to collide with a stray shipping container. Skidding backwards, Ruby brought her scythe back up with a growl, ready to charge the thief once more.

"Well, well," He coughed, falling to one knee. "Where was this ferocity last time, Red? Could it be you fell for my dashing good looks?" Ruby shot him a withering glare, and he gestured to one of the Bullheads floating above. "As much as I'd like to say it's been fun, Red…"

Ruby spotted the aircraft's mounted cannons spinning up, and sprinted to dodge, a hail of bullets trailing her path as the pilots struggled to lock on to her form. Distantly, she heard Penny shouting her name, but she blocked it out. She saw Roman retreating towards one of the few Bullheads still landed, and immediately made a beeline for him. She wasn't going to let him hurt anyone else, and if she had to kill him, then so be it.

She sprinted all out, rose petals trailing behind her as her semblance kicked in. She was halfway to the aircraft when she felt something slam into her back, sending her to the ground with cry. Looking back, she saw the last Bullhead falling out of the sky, spinning as Penny yanked it out of the sky. Dazed, Ruby could only watch as Roman's Bullhead lifted off, the thief giving her a wary look before closing the door behind him.

"Ruby!" She heard Penny running up behind her, "Are you injured?"

"No," Ruby winced, rubbing her back where she had been hit, "I think my Aura blocked it. Thanks for the save, Penny."

"Of course, Ruby," Penny smiled innocently, "You are my friend. I would never let my friends be injured if I could help it."

Ruby smiled slightly, standing up.

"Yeah, me neither. Let's go find Blake."

Ruby sat a ways away from the rest of the group, smiling lightly as Blake and Weiss made up. She was happy to see her team back together, but also to know the truth from Blake. She really hadn't been doing anything malicious, she just wanted to get away from her less than savory past. Ruby could swear she felt a pang of sympathy from Rose when Blake told her about running from the White Fang. The two of them were just decent people wrapped up in things beyond their power.

Ruby chuckled. She really did think of Rose as a person now, didn't she? She was just as human as anyone else. Well, Ruby thought with a smirk, remembering some of Rose's… less normal tendencies, more or less. With a sigh, Ruby looked back down at her own hands.

How easy would it have been for her to kill Roman, if she had gotten the chance?

She remembered the feeling of rage that had overtaken her when she had spotted him. She had genuinely wanted to kill him. Would have killed him.

Ruby shook her head, burying her face in her hands. This wasn't her. She wouldn't kill anyone, would she?

"Hey, Ruby!" Ruby looked up to see Yang walking towards her. "You alright sis?"

"I-…" Ruby sighed again, her eyes misting over. "I saw Roman at the docks tonight."

Yang gasped quietly, putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Ruby looked up at her, holding her sister's steady gaze.

"Yeah… I'm alright. I just-"

"Ruby." Yang pulled her into a hug, "If you want to talk, I'm here. I'll listen."

"And for what you cannot tell Yang, I will listen as well." Rose added.

Ruby sobbed into her sister's shoulder, holding back tears.

"Thank you, Yang…"

'And thank you too, Rose.' She added, mentally.

Phew. Another chapter done. I know I was gone for longer than I (And I'm sure you all) like, but hey, least I got something out.

Anyway, things are looking up for me right now, which is nice. Had a lot of ideas for other fics, which distracted me from this, wrote a chapter for one, didn't like it, and then got bitch-slapped with inspiration to get back on this. Which is nice. Final result is this pretty little number, which neatly wraps up Canon Season One, sets the way for things to progress through Season three, and then we can start with major divergences from the canon plot.

Sort of. Rooster Teeth kind of beat me to the punch with one specific idea in Season Five, but I won't tell you which. ;)