Well, lookie here. Another story enters the fray.

This is something I've been planning out for a while now. I wanted to give a crack at writing Ruby for once, and wondered what kind of struggle I could give her. I knew I wanted something dark, something she caused that would last with her. This came to mind. Horror is my favourite genre and I wanted to try my hand with it again. I was gonna release it later in the summer, but since Neo might be coming back in V6, I wanted to release this idea quickly before canon changes things. So here we are.

Anyway, I'm done talking. Enjoy:

Cover art: dishwasher1910

Ruby smiled when she heard the final person awake - her sister - finally start snoring. Everyone was now officially asleep, leaving only her awake. She could finally sneak off now.

She got out of bed and tiptoed across the hallway, wincing as the wooden floorboards creaked under her. She hoped nobody would hear that. Just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean everyone else had to be awake too. She slightly envied her friends who could fall asleep so easily. They could just close their eyes and they'd be out like a light in seconds.

She was a naturally energetic person, even during the hardest of times. It kept her on her toes, but boy oh boy, did it make going to sleep difficult. How could she sleep with all that energy buzzing inside her? Going to bed at a reasonable hour was always a difficult task for her. If she couldn't find a way to work off her energy, sleeping would be impossible.

As such, she often went for late night walks. She would never go too far, just far enough to make her feel tired coming home. This was nothing new - everyone knew she did this. She even did it when she was on the road to Mistral. Much had changed since the fall of Beacon, but her midnight strolls weren't one of them. So much had happened in the past few days. Her body felt like it was on constant high alert. She had a lot of energy to get off her chest.

Tonight was one of those walking nights. She had the energy, and the only cure was a stroll in the moonlight.

She grabbed her cloak off the rack, put on her boots, quietly shut the door behind her and stood outside. The crisp night air rolled over the Mistralian mountains and greeted her with its icy touch. She shivered upon its contact, but smiled and pulled up her hood. The air felt good. Perfect walking weather.

She gazed up at the shattered moon beaming down on her. She let out a sigh of content. It looked especially beautiful tonight in the cloudless sky with the stars twinkling all around it. Daytime was all well and good, but it was only at night when the heavens truly came to life. And tonight was shaping up to be a good one.

And so she began walking.

She didn't really know where she was going. She had no direction in mind, as she often let her feet do most of the thinking on these walks. She settled for just walking around Haven Academy. The school had a lot of ground to cover, and she had all night to do it. They weren't leaving for Atlas just yet. Not until they had fully recovered from the last battle. This week was all about relaxation. God knows they needed it.

She hummed a tune as she explored the grounds. All was still, as it usually was at night. Barely a peep could be heard within the academy's grounds, aside from the faint gust of wind blowing over. Haven looked so lonely at this hour. Without any students and mostly shrouded in shadow, the academy looked like an abandoned castle waiting to be explored. She felt like a brave adventurer discovering a forgotten relic of time. By the end of the night, she would've uncovered all its secrets!

Yeah, she tended to daydream a bit on her own. Forgive a girl for having an imagination that wandered almost as much as her at night.

The air was cool enough to see her breath, coming out as a faint trail of mist every time she exhaled. The ground felt right underneath her feet, crisp and frosty. Her footsteps made crunching noise as she walked along the icy ground. It was a cold night, probably too cold for most people.

Not her.

Freedom came with the night. She felt like she lived in a world without boundaries when the sun went down. While the rest of the world slept, she was able to skip through the world and travel anywhere she wanted without anyone realising. There was no one to tell her how far to go, or when she should be back by. The world was hers for the taking. This must have been how Zwei felt whenever they took him out for walks.

Well, not that she was comparing herself to a dog, even if he was the best dog ever. She just… argh, she just felt free is all-

A snapping noise broke her out of her musings.

She turned around quickly. The noise sounded like it came from behind her. But when she looked, no one was there. The air grew more chilly all of a sudden, enough to send goosebumps down her skin. Cautiously, she turned her gaze forward again and resumed walking.

It was probably nothing. A bird stepping on a leaf or something. But she was a huntress. Her senses were always turned up to eleven. In her line of work, you could never be too careful.

Her silver eyes darted around for any potential threats. The moonlight gave nothing away as its beams painted the environment with its celestial glow. Shadows hugged the walls, concealing any hidden dangers that lay within them. Not a sound could be heard, other than the gentle thud of her footsteps. Any other time she may have found this peaceful, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

It was quiet. Almost too quiet.

It was at times like this she was glad she always had Crescent Rose with her.

*crunch*

She flipped around with her weapon at the ready. That noise was too exact to be a coincidence. Just like before though, she was greeted by nothing but shadows.

"Hello?" she called out. No response, but that didn't mean she was alone. "Is that you, Yang?" She started to carefully make her way back to the courtyard. If she was to be attacked at night, she'd rather be on familiar ground.

The shadows seemed like they were closing in on her. Every little sound had her on edge. Even the faint noise of wind blowing was enough to make her trigger finger twitch. She took a deep breath and forced herself to get a grip. Whatever this was, she had faced worse.

"Look, whoever this is, can you just come out? I'm really not-"

The bright gleam of silver shining from above was all the warning she was given.

She barely had enough time to roll out of the way as a blade dropped down on her. She recovered from her doge and immediately unsheathed Crescent Rose, reflexes kicking in. The shadows concealed her attacker, but the moonlight betrayed the blade, causing it to gleam in the darkness.

She could see it had dug its way through the ground. For a moment she shuddered as she imagined it to be her head, had she not been quick enough.

"Who are you?" Ruby cried. The attacker said nothing. "I said, who are you?" She cocked her weapon as a warning. "Don't make me fight you."

The sound of heels could be heard in the shadows and the blade was getting closer. Ruby aimed down the scope with her finger on the trigger. She was ready for anything now. Whoever this was, they would not get the drop on her again.

The shadows parted and Ruby's jaw dropped at the sight before her. Walking out of the shadows was a short girl, somehow even shorter than her, with multi-coloured hair; a mixture of brown, pink, and white. Her eyes were mismatched too, one pink, the other brown. An iconic look, one that anyone would remember.

And Ruby remembered alright. All too well.

"It's you," Ruby whispered. There was only one person with that colour scheme. But this person standing before her?

It wasn't Neo. It couldn't have been Neo.

The Neo she knew was a cocky, sadistic yet playful person who's arrogance almost matched Torchwick's. She was like Yang, only without morals. She enjoyed fighting and hurting people, treating it like it was a game. Ruby remembered the time she had fought her and Torchwick together. She had been smiling the entire time, even when she was pummeling her. It was all a joke to her. She never stopped smiling.

But she wasn't smiling now. Ruby wished she was smiling.

The moonlight revealed her snarling, venomous face in clear detail. Her teeth were bared like a rabid dog, with even a small line of drool leaking out between them. She was gripping her blade so tightly that the handle looked like it was ready to snap under the pressure. There was no trace of humour or cockiness in her demeanour. Only the savage bloodlust that could be seen burning in her mismatched eyes.

Savage. That was the best word to describe Neo right now. Without Roman holding her leash, she was little more than a wild animal. Ruby had seen a lot recently, but the murderous glare she was sending her shook her to the core. Not even Cinder Fall had looked so hateful.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. The last time they saw each other was during the attack on Beacon. But that was in Vale. Had she really travelled all the way to Mistral to find her? What for?

Neo glared as if the question was an insult to her. The blade in her hand trembled from the magnitude of her rage. She was a volcano of hate, ready to explode from all the rage boiling inside her.

And then realisation hit her like a slap in the face.

Roman had also been in Vale on the night of the attack. That same night when that Griffon had…

Neo hadn't been there to witness his death. All she knew was that two people were on that airship, and only one walked away. To the uninitiated, it seemed obvious who was responsible for his death. Roman Torchwick was dead, and Ruby Rose was all that was left.

It had been several months since that attack. More than enough time for Neo to allow her hate to consume her, plan her revenge, and finally track her down and ambush her.

It had all been leading up to this.

"It wasn't me," Ruby said softly. There seemed little point in reasoning with her, but she had to try. "Torchwick's death, it wasn't me-"

Neo's eyes flashed with malice at the sound of his name. She pounced at her again, her blade aiming for her throat. Ruby yelped and quickly blocked the strike, jumping out of the way to avoid another. The ground was slippery and she nearly lost her balance. Her legs wobbled as she tried recovering from her dodge. It was like trying to fight on an ice rink.

"Wait, wait!" Ruby cried in between trying not to slip. "It doesn't have to be this way. I didn't kill Torchwick! It wasn't me!"

If she were capable, Neo would've been growling right now. The mere mention of his name caused her to speed up. Unlike her, she had no trouble fighting on the slippery surface. If anything she used it to her advantage, sliding herself forward into Ruby's guard. Ruby, however, was having trouble even standing on two feet.

Neo offered no mercy. She was upon her again, her blade hacking wildly as she tried slashing her to ribbons. Her blade moved like a silver blur in the night air, but gone was the style and technique she used during that night on the airship. She was bloodthirsty, her only desire to see her target dead at her feet. She hadn't lost her skill, but she wasn't holding anything back. Not like last time.

Ruby could barely keep up. In between trying not to slip and not getting hacked to pieces, her heart pounded burning adrenaline through her as she tried recalling every bit of training to keep her alive.

But she was unprepared for this. There was no way she could fight her in her current state. If she stayed here she would die.

She had to get away! Get help! Anything but stay here!

When the next strike came for her neck, she ducked under it and activated her semblance. Running aimlessly, she focused on getting as far away from the psychotic girl as possible. The world spun as she shot like a bullet through the air. Windows smashed and furniture shook when she passed by them. She had never moved so fast before in her life.

She broke out of her crimson torpedo and continued sprinting on foot. Her lungs were ablaze and the cold air stung when she breathed it in. She would have collapsed had it not been for the overwhelming fear that caused her mind to scream at her to keep running. She could stop when she was safe. Just keep running!

And then panic claimed her again as she looked around her surroundings. She had no idea where she was! She had been so focused on running away, she hadn't paid attention to where she was running. She didn't recognise this part of the school. It was all a maze to her.

Keep running! Her mind screamed. Keep running!

There was no time to freeze. She forced herself to run even harder than before.

And then the world went spinning.

"Ahh!" Ruby yelled as she tumbled on the ground, smacking hard against the cold hard stone. In her haste, she slipped on an icy patch. Her body flew forward and crashed into the ground. Ruby skidded to a halt next to one of the buildings.

She blinked away the blurriness in her vision. Everything hurt. Her clothes were slightly torn, her legs were killing her, her heart felt like it was about to burst, and now she had a stinging pain in her head. She had never felt so tired before. Her heart was gonna burst out of her chest from how hard it was beating. She needed a moment. Just a second to catch her breath.

Then her eyes widened in panic as she swore she saw a gleam of silver against the moonlight. Had Neo caught up with her? Where was she?

No. She couldn't stop here. She had to keep moving.

She tried standing up but whimpered as one of her legs wobbled beneath her. She wasn't running anymore in her state. She was too tired and too bruised up. Her only other option was hiding. She limped her way to the door of one of the buildings and slunk inside it, using Crescent Rose as support.

She tried being as sneaky as possible as she limped through the entrance. It looked like she had entered some kind of lecture hall, as there was a desk at the centre with lots of chairs surrounding it. It was a wide, big area. Not as big as the grand hall, but still plenty of space to move around in case she had to make an exit. Chances are she probably would.

She stopped limping for a moment and leaned against one of the walls, eventually slinking down it. The adrenaline was wearing off. She was so tired. Her body felt like a heavy burden dragging her down. She sat crumpled on the floor and used what little time she had left to get her breath back.

The world felt so slow now without her heart beating a mile a minute. Everything was coming to a still, like she was locked in a single second of time. And in that second, she understood the weight of her situation.

It was enough to get her heart pounding again.

Oh God, what a mess. She was being hunted like some animal. She had no way of running, no real ways of protecting herself. She had purposefully left her scroll behind in the house because she didn't think she'd be out for too long. She couldn't contact anyone. Her friends felt worlds apart from her now.

Was this it? Was she going to die?

Her small hands tightened into fists. Of course she wasn't! That was just her nerves talking. Neo was certainly dangerous, but this wasn't the first time her life had been in danger. She could and would get through this. She'd only lose if she let her fear get the better of her.

She just had to find a way to get back to her friends. It wouldn't be easy with her bad leg, but if she could sneak past Neo, she might be able to reach them. With everyone else backing her up, they'd chase her away in no time. She just needed a plan of action.

She heard something on the roof.

She stood up immediately and switched Crescent Rose into its sniper mode. The noise had been a faint, shuffling sound. Could've been Neo. Could've been something else. All she knew was whatever caused it would be in for a nasty surprise if it reared its head. Her leg may have been hurt, but her aim was as good as ever.

She circled on the spot as she aimed down the sight. She heard no other noise up there. She kept an ear out for any other sound that would give her target away. Nothing. Was that Neo trying to spook her, or was it something else entirely? There was no way of knowing. She hated that.

"Show yourself," she mumbled quietly to herself, growling her frustrations to calm herself down. Trying to aim at an enemy you couldn't see was the worst. There was no telling where they could strike. She considered herself lucky that her hand was still steady despite her rapidly beating heart.

Her ears twitched as she heard what sounded like the door creaking open. She whipped around and saw it was still closed from before. She stared at it for a good solid minute, waiting for any surprises. It didn't even budge.

Her eyes leered. Why did a building have to make so much noise on its own? Whenever it happened at home, her dad always said it was "just the house settling." Settling for what, being a scary jerk? And in this case, any noise that wasn't made by her could've easily meant danger.

She slowly backed away from the door, making her way past the desk-

- then cried out in agony as her good leg got pierced.

Dropping to the floor as her now useless legs buckled underneath her, she watched as Neo stepped out from her hiding spot under the desk, looking as murderous as ever. Her blade glistened with her blood and left behind a small red trail on the floor as she walked slowly towards her victim.

Ruby hissed in pain as she dragged her body away. She was making a red trail of her own as blood leaked out of the hole in her leg. How was that woman quiet? Neo had somehow got the drop on her when her aura was down. She hadn't even heard her come in! Had she always been in the room?

She looked back at her attacker and her blood ran cold. Behind that fiery gaze was a hint of malicious delight sparkling in those mismatched eyes. Neo had found her prize and wanted her dead, but that devious twinkle spoke of something more. She would make her suffer before she died. She could feel it in her gaze.

Neo dragged her blade across the floor for emphasis, delighting in her victim's fear.

"I'm not your enemy!" Ruby cried, a last-ditch effort to get her to listen to reason. "You don't have to do this."

If Neo was even listening to her, she didn't show it. Her walking space neither slowed down or sped up. But her intent didn't change a bit.

"We're going after the ones responsible! You should come with us! We can help you get revenge- ack!"

Neo wouldn't hear any of it. She kicked her roughly in the stomach and rolled her onto her back. She then firmly planted her boot onto her chest and twisted the heel further into her. Ruby's groans of pain quickly died as her breath caught in her throat from the sight of Neo's blade raised in the air.

Grinning ferally, Neo slashed down at her with her blade. Ruby weakly held Crescent Rose up to defend herself, but she was barely trying to properly block her attacks now. If she were capable, Neo would've been laughing at her work. She was hacking and slashing at her like a demented butcher.

Ruby hissed and cried when the blade stuck her arms, stomach and chest. It was less her body Neo was trying to cut through and more her aura. And she was doing a good job of it with how fast she was slashing. It was still painful either way, something Neo took clear delight in.

"Stop it" Ruby shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears. "We can help you! Just listen to me!"

And then with a quick jab to her chest again, her body crackled red. The ever obvious reminder that her aura was spent. Her last line of defence.

Neo's eyes twinkled as she raised the blade above her head. Its sharp head was aimed directly down at her chest.

Her breathing stopped. Her body froze. Everything felt cold and she was unable to move. She couldn't even blink or look away.

All the colour in Ruby's world suddenly peeled away. The scenery faded and even Neo herself disappeared. There was nothing to even hear anymore. She existed in a black box where the only other occupant was the blade staring down at her, twinkling with her blood.

A small drop of it worked its way down the metal and ended at the tip, hanging on by a thread in front of her watering eyes. Deep in the red, she swore she saw visions of her friends and family. Memories of all the good times she had with them. All those happy and heartbreaking moments. Memories she cherished every day. Her life. Her life was what she saw in that small, tiny droplet.

Then the drop fell to the floor and landed so faintly it could hardly be heard.

This wasn't fair. She wasn't ready to leave it all behind. This wasn't how things were meant to end.

She was not dying over a mistake!

Neo raised the blade a little higher, ready to plunge it down and pierce her heart.

Ruby's fingers tightened over Crescent Rose.

She was not dying here!

"NO!" she screamed, squeezing her eyes shut and using the last bit of her strength to swing her scythe. The weapon swung upwards and landed with a thud against the floor. Her arms hung suspended in the air for a second before collapsing back down. They laid sprawled out by her sides, exposing her body and leaving her completely defenceless.

With her eyes still shut, she miserably awaited whatever happened next. That was it. That's all she had left. This fight - if one could even call it that - was over. She had used up all of her energy and was now completely drained. All the fire and determination to live was gone. That last bit of adrenaline had been spent and left her exhausted. She had trouble feeling bad about it. She lacked the energy to feel regret. In a way, she accepted her fate now, as horrible as it was. It's not like she could do anything to stop it now.

She gave a silent apology to all those she would leave behind and braced herself. She just hoped it would be quick. She didn't need any more pain tonight.

And then she felt something warm drip onto her face. It moved slowly down her cheek and smelt like copper. She felt several more droplets drip onto her, one even landing on her eyelid. Her eyes finally opened and she wiped away whatever it was.

Her fingers were red when she looked at them.

She felt something twist in her stomach as she looked up.

Neo was staring at her wide-eyed. Her grin was gone and her face was growing paler by the second. Her hand still gripped tightly on the blade but her arm was shaking violently, like something was preventing her killing her. The girl looked confused and frightened at the same time, but it wasn't her face that drew Ruby's attention.

It was her neck…

A thin red line had somehow appeared on it. It stretched like a crimson smile across her pale throat. A smile that was getting wider the more she stared at it. Blood could be seen leaking from it, and for once it wasn't her own.

That's what made it horrifying.

With a gasp, she pulled herself away from the assassin. Without support, Neo dropped to her knees. Her hand immediately came up to cover her throat in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. A futile effort, as the blood easily seeped through the gaps in her fingers. She stared at the growing bloodstain on the floor with wide, bulging eyes.

Ruby sat frozen as she watched the display before her. Her own neck tingled as she saw Neo claw at hers. Her fingers dug into her ruined flesh like she was trying to pull something out. Her mouth was open and her tongue was sticking out. She was chocking. Chocking on her own blood. Yet still she remained silent, even as she writhed in pain and clawed at herself. The only noise to be heard was the soft pitter-patter of blood hitting the floor.

Ruby once again found herself unable to blink. It was too horrible to watch, yet too shocking to turn away from.

What was happening? Did she do this? She couldn't have. That swipe had been a last resort. Neo's aura should've easily protected her. It wasn't meant to…

As her mind swam trying to figure it out, Neo craned her head up slowly to look at her. Her hand and her clothes were stained with the blackest shade of red she had ever seen. A bit of blood got into her hair, adding a red tinge to the multiple colours. Ruby's senses were assaulted by the heavy scent and taste of metal thick in the air.

Her face…

It was a mask of pure hate and pain. Her features creased and stretched into the most venomous expression she was capable of. Her blood-stained teeth were gritted as she snarled as far as her lips would allow her. Her eyes wobbled as angry tears streamed down her face, dripping into the crimson puddle on the floor. Her gaze locked with hers as she drilled her final message into her brain. She didn't speak a word, and yet she had never been louder.

Her fault!

Then her body gave a more violent shake than before. Her eyes rolled upwards into the back of her skull and she collapsed, her head landing face-first in the bloody puddle with a soft squelch. Her struggling finally ceased as her kicking and clawing came to an almost peaceful stop. Occasionally she twitched, but that too ended after a few seconds. Her body finally rested against the cold, crimson floor of the classroom.

And then she returned to silence.

One minute became two. Two became three. They passed by unnoticed. Time had stopped for both of them.

It was unclear how long Ruby had sat staring there. The whole thing had happened so fast and yet so slowly. It was over before it had even begun and yet every detail was captured perfectly in her head. Her mind replayed the events again as she looked at the motionless body lying on the ground.

There was a noise coming from somewhere. It sounded like a faint sigh being drawn out slowly. It was only when she felt her chest heave did she realise it was coming from her. She had been holding her breath all this time and was only now letting it out. The world became clearer as she did, the body more visible.

The blood more vibrant.

Her fault!

She slowly stood up off the ground. She still limped, but could no longer feel the pain. She couldn't feel anything anymore. Her whole body felt numb. She was aware of the growing cold sensation in her heart as she made her way towards Neo, but she had trouble focusing on it. On anything except the body in front of her.

She crouched down over Neo's still form. A weak, nervous smile formed on her face. "H-Hey," she said softly, gently patting her shoulder. "You're okay. Just use your aura."

Neo didn't respond. She didn't even react to her hand touching her shoulder.

"Come on," she chuckled nervously. "That looked like it hurt. If you don't use it, I'll have to wake Jaune up to help you. He doesn't like being woken up at this time."

She felt something warm pool around her fingers. Looking down, she saw her fingers were dipping in a trail of blood coming from Neo's body. It was like the liquid was reaching out to her with fingers of its own. Even when she took a few steps back they still stretched out for her.

Ruby's gaze turned for a moment towards Crescent Rose. Her beloved weapon was lying at a small distance away from Neo's body. Fresh blood - Neo's blood - coated the blade, giving its already red paint a deeper shade of crimson.

Her heart sank. It was menacing to look at. Her own weapon, the weapon she loved with all her heart… now looked frightening in her eyes. There was too much red on it. It was unfamiliar to her. It didn't look like the weapon she used to protect people anymore. It looked evil. She didn't want to get near it.

Her fault!

The blood on Ruby's fingers was already starting to dry. It was shocking how well it blended in with the rest of her. Ruby always wore red. She carried a red weapon. Now even her skin was taking on a red tinge.

Red really was her colour.

Her fault!

The room was spinning. Her mind was becoming hazy. She felt like she was going to be sick.

Her fault!

She dropped to her knees again. She was being crushed. Reality was smothering her. Everywhere she looked she saw red. Red over there. Red on her skin. So much red.

Her fault!

This was a nightmare! This was a nightmare!

HER FAULT!

Ruby opened her mouth and screamed.

[/]

Ruby's absence from the house was already a bad sign. But it was that scream that made it even worse.

Qrow charged through the empty school grounds with the sound of that scream ringing in his ears. It was Ruby. His niece's voice was unmistakable. That scream, however, was something he had never heard from her before. Pure fear. Pure dread. It would leave her vocal chords shredded from how powerful it was.

And when he got his hands on the bastard who dared make her sound like that, they'd be singing a similar tune.

It sounded like it came from one of the buildings. He followed a trail of broken glass to a building with a few bloodstains outside its doors. He had found his mark. He burst in immediately with his scythe at the ready.

The stench was what hit him first - metallic and foul. A smell he was unfortunately quite used to. Death was in the air. He feared the worst of his niece until he saw the cause of it - a small, multicoloured-haired girl lying in a pool of blood.

"What the hell?" he murmured. He crouched down at turned the girl over. For once he was lucky he hadn't drunk anything yet, otherwise his stomach would be even weaker to handle this. The unlucky lady's throat was shredded! A huge cut had torn her neck open and blood was still leaking from the wound. Her mismatched eyes were vacant and glossy. Her mouth was hanging open slightly from when her final breath escaped her.

He grimaced. What a shitty way to die. He had seen worse, but fucking hell. He could only imagine what her final moments must have been like.

But who the hell was this woman? What was she doing here? And who killed her?

Looking up, he saw Crescent Rose lying off to the side. Ruby never went anywhere without that weapon. That scythe was as much her family as he was. She would never carelessly leave it in some random room where anyone could take it. So what was it doing here?

His eyes lit up when he saw the blood dripping off of it.

No… surely not…

He heard a faint sniffling sound behind him. Turning around, he saw his niece at the far end of the room. His heart sank. She was curled up in a ball and shaking like a leaf. She didn't look at him as he got closer to her - her eyes were locked on the corpse. Her normally bright and joyful silver eyes were wide with horror and misery. It was obvious she had been crying; her face was red, blotchy and covered in tears.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only reason why it was red...

"Ruby?" he whispered. She didn't respond. Cautiously, he reached out to her. God, she looked as white as a sheet. She was always a pale girl, but never to the point of looking sickly. "Ruby?" he tried whispering again.

This time she did look up. She looked like she had seen a ghost. "U-U-Uncle Qrow?" she stammered. Her teeth chattered in her mouth as she struggled out the words. Her voice sounded hoarse, no doubt from that ear-splitting scream from earlier.

"Yeah, it's me," he said gently, carefully putting a hand on her trembling shoulder. It was hard to ignore the blood on her hands and face, but he did his best.

"She... she..."

His heart broke listening to her stutter. "Look, whatever this was, it's over, alright?" he said reassuringly. "You're gonna be okay, kiddo. You're gonna be okay."

Her mouth wobbled as the tears started flowing again. "It was an accident!" she wailed, suddenly throwing herself at the man and burying her sobs in his shoulder. She held him in a vice grip and he gently returned it, rubbing her back to calm her down.

A long sigh of relief left him. She was alive. Traumatized, but alive. After everything that had happened recently, he had feared the worst when he heard that scream. It put his heart at ease to see her still breathing, despite the circumstances. She was alive. That was all that mattered.

His relief was short-lived as he carried her out of the room, paying one last glance at the girl who clearly wasn't. He had no idea what the hell happened here and he wasn't about to ask. Not yet, at least. Not when she was like this. Perhaps tomorrow, if she was in the right frame of mind. Right now she needed a hot bath, a warm bed, and a loving uncle and friends who would never leave her.

He'd handle the body himself, and the blood. They were all just kids up there. They didn't need to see this.

Kids…

He looked down at his crying niece again. How many times had he forgotten that she was still a child playing a game for grown-ups? It was hard to remember when you were too busy being proud of them, watching as they grew and matured at a stupidly fast rate.

How easy that illusion was shattered when they felt weightless in your arms, crying themselves to sleep. No matter which way he looked at it, Ruby Rose was still a child.

A child with her first kill.

"Goddammit," he sighed miserably. They really did grow up too quickly.

Laughinglefou's gonna kill me.

I'm gonna quickly answer two questions you might have: No, this is not gonna be an edgy fic where Ruby discovers she likes killing. She is quite traumatised by this and I intend to keep it that way. And no, this won't be a long fic either. I have this planned for about 7-8 chapters. I think that's enough for a character study story.

I dunno if Ruby will actually kill anyone in the show, even if by accident. I can see her offing Salem at the end, but not so much anyone else. Then again, I'm sure she's already had her first blood from all those unlucky faunus who fell off the train when she fought them in V2. Maybe she'll just stick with killing faunus? Be on your guard, Tyrian...

Hoowee, that was a dark one. I think I'll work on the next Exxxtra Credit chapter now. Happy Father's Day, and I'll see you in the next one.