Disclaimer: Own nothing. Don't seek to gain any profits from this. Just borrowing my favourite characters for some fun.

A/N: Thank you so very much all for the favourites and follows! I am humbled.

ShadowPony12, thank you for taking the time to review.

2: Shadows and the Moon

He's stronger than he looks. She's smarter than she seems.

Ruby Rose turned in her bed for the umpteenth time. "Guh," she murmured unhappily, taking her pillow from underneath her head and clutching it against her body. She curled herself around it, arms squeezing the soft material tightly. She stayed like that for five minutes, trying to will herself to sleep. However, various thoughts continued to flit through her mind behind closed lids.

She thought back to the Breach and the events that had transpired at Mountain Glenn. They had nabbed Roman Torchwick and stopped the Grimm, but many questions still remained unanswered. When she replayed her Uncle Qrow's words in her head, she felt all the more uncertain. Although she had felt proud about the achievements of Team RWBY, some part of her felt like her work just wasn't complete. And her Uncle's comments had only worsened her doubts. Just who was that woman she had encountered that night, alongside Professor Goodwitch? She was connected to Torchwick, Ruby just knew it, but they didn't have any leads.

She let go of her pillow and lay flat on her back.

Silver eyes opened.

Ruby sat up and opened her scroll to check the time. It was 11:30 PM, thirty minutes before curfew. Curfew times had been pushed back generously during the Vytal Festival Tournament. She decided to take a stroll outside; she always felt better after roaming around and looking up at the moon. Part of her actually wouldn't mind if Yang read to her again to help her fall asleep, but she knew that was now out of the question, and not just because her sister was fast asleep, snoring lightly. It was because she had to behave at least a little like a grown up, though she didn't quite get what the whole deal was with growing up that everyone else seemed to be simultaneously serious about and excited over. She didn't see why she suddenly needed useless things like people skills and had to give up on stories being read to her.

Feeling too lazy to change into her combat skirt, Ruby simply put on her shoes and tied her cape around herself so as to ward off the slight fall chill in the air. Apart from this she remained in her comfortable nightclothes. She had taken care to be quiet while she dressed so that she didn't wake her slumbering teammates. In one stealthy move she was out the door, clicking it softly shut behind her. It was not long before she stepped into the cool night air, the many well kept sprawling lawns of Beacon Academy before her.

She wandered around aimlessly before finally sitting down on one of the many benches on the side of the pavement. It was colder than what she had expected, and she was happy for the protection her cape offered her, wrapping up around her small frame to form a warm cocoon that protected her from the elements. She also pulled up her hood for good measure and then gazed up at the moon.

Even shattered, it shone brightly and looked hauntingly beautiful.

Ruby lost track of time and her surroundings as she calmly stared at the moon, all thoughts slowly leaving her mind. That's why the sudden sound of a throat clearing startled her. She jumped abruptly. "Who's there?" Subconsciously, she reached for Crescent Rose, only to realise that it wasn't there.

Leisurely, Ozpin walked towards her, his cane tapping in rhythm against the pavement. "Apologies, Miss Rose," he came to stand before the red clad teenager. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Professor Ozpin it's you!" Ruby sighed, relieved. She made a move to stand up, but he stopped her with a sweeping gesture of his hand. "Please, remain seated," he paused for a moment. "Unless of course, you were about to take your leave?"

"I, ah, actually..." she trailed off, and moved her hand to push her bangs out her face out of habit. Deciding it was rude to continue wearing her hood which hid most of her face when Ozpin was right there in front of her, she took it off so it hung behind her neck as it usually did.

Ozpin moved a few more steps so that he stood close to where Ruby sat on the bench, his hands resting comfortably on the top of his cane. The little girl looked up at him expectantly, clearly wanting to share with him what was on her mind, but unable to find the words to do so.

"What brings you here this late, Ruby? All alone no less?" Ozpin prompted.

"You could take a seat," Ruby craned her neck to make eye contact with him, all the while curling up to one side of the bench, leaving far too much space.

It reminded him how small she was, literally and figuratively.

Wordlessly, he settled down, setting his cane between his legs so that it remained supported against his knee. He looked to the side and regarded her profile. He noted that beneath the ever present red cape with attached hood, she was in fact wearing her pajamas. Coupled with her combat shoes it formed a somewhat awkward combination, but she only looked more adorable in her unorthodox attire.

When she moved her head to see him again after adjusting her cape, her silver eyes shone brilliantly, accentuated by the moonlight. Her mirrored eyes reflected hope even in the darkness. Only this time they were filled with the same doubt he had encountered when she was questioning his decision to make her leader, questioning her own capability more than his decision.

"I was just, you know, thinking," Ruby finally answered his question from earlier. Beneath the red cape that covered her frame, protecting her from the slight chill, he could tell that she was nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"So I noticed," he responded automatically.

She flushed and brushed her bangs out of her face again out of nervous habit, feeling embarrassed at being caught staring off into space. Ozpin probably expected better of her as a huntress in training and leader of Team RWBY – she recalled his words about how being leader was not just a badge to be carried into battle, but an everyday responsibility to do her very best. She shouldn't have been surprised so easily, and she felt a little stupid.

"You can always tell me what's on your mind," he prodded her gently. "Whatever it is, is clearly bothering you, after all."

Their eyes once again met. "The mission you sent us on? Mountain Glenn? Did we...did we let you down?" She asked him meekly.

"Dr. Oobleck submitted an excellent report of your work on the field," Ozpin replied. Especially about your role as leader, in fact. But he kept that little detail to himself. "You did well, Ruby." Whereas he maintained his ever-present facade of warmth and good humour, Ozpin was actually concerned that Ruby was still mulling over these matters – to the point that they were making her sleepless. There was surely more to this, and there was some type of trigger. But what? Or rather, who?

He needed to find out.

"B-but, Uncle Qrow said that I may have acted like a huntress, but I'm not thinking like one," she scratched her head and then looked down at her feet, her hair covering her face.

So Qrow was the one who had a planted a seed in the little one's head. Ozpin knew what Qrow had said was right, and he was almost proud that Ruby had taken things so seriously despite her young age and seeming naivete. He decided to approach the matter tactfully. "Ruby, you did your best, given circumstances. And I am sure, whatever mistakes you made, you learned from them, better preparing yourself for the future."

"You really think so?" She asked in a small voice, still not looking up at him.

"I know so," he told her emphatically.

"Well I kinda did learn to look out for large hidden holes in the ground and not falling into them I guess, haha," she rattled out, speaking more to herself than him, giving an awkward laugh.

"Indeed, sometimes things aren't as they seem, isn't it, Miss Rose?" Ozpin said with a certain degree of levity.

Shining silver met deep brown.

"Ah.." Ruby opened her mouth in question, unsure about how she should respond, since she didn't know what the professor was implying. But she felt very curious all of a sudden, and wanted to know what he really meant.

Happy to have her attention, Ozpin began to elaborate. "We must understand our enemy and their intentions in order to effectively neutralise them, Ruby, lest we find ourselves in a situation we could have scarcely envisioned," the change in Ozpin's tone of voice was paralleled by Ruby's serious and attentive expression. "And even more important than all this is knowing who our enemy truly is."

Ruby's eyes hardened. "You mean the enemy may not always be who we think they are?"

"Do you remember seeing the Goliath with Professor Oobleck?"

Ruby sucked in a breath of surprise and nodded. She did remember that! It had been odd and she had wanted to know more about them, but had promptly forgotten about them after the fiasco that followed not much later. "Dr. Oobleck had stopped me from attacking them! He said not every Grimm was mindless, and that the Goliath were very very old, so they weren't hostile...It's strange, don't you think?"

"It is a quandary," Ozpin acknowledged. "Attacking them without understanding them would have caused quite a bit of unnecessary conflict now, wouldn't you agree?"

Ruby gave the entire matter some thought. It made her think of a lot of things. Ultimately she felt that she didn't exactly see a reason to slay the Grimm if they didn't kill humans, either. It only seemed fair and reasonable. For his part, Ozpin didn't interrupt Ruby's train of thought just yet and let her draw her own conclusions about what he was trying to convey to her.

Ruby took her hands out from underneath her cape and neatly folded them in her lap. The silence they found themselves in was oddly comfortable, despite the seriousness of the topic at hand. "You're right," Ruby conceded, looking up at the moon.

"Do understand Miss Rose, that the Grimm are creatures of the darkness, and as a huntress, you must slay monsters to uphold," he lifted his hands to point to the calm and beautiful gardens in front of them, "the delicate peace we have worked hard to establish."

Ruby gave the headmaster a sidelong glance. "But the monsters may not always be Grimm, right?" She said with a smirk, then resumed her study of the shattered moon.

Ozpin's cool countenance didn't give away his surprise at her statement. She caught onto things quickly, and there was a depth to her simple soul that he knew was there all along. He wanted to nurture it. Bathed in the moonlight, surrounded by a faint fragrance of roses, wrapped up in a red cape, she looked like a little angel.

A strong gust of wind scattered golden leaves everywhere from the trees, glittering in the moonlight as they fell. Some of them fell on her and stuck themselves in her hair. Reflexively, she brushed them out with her hand. She kept pulling her bangs back, but to no avail as the strong wind returned them to cover her face, blocking her vision.

Ozpin reached his long arm out across the bench, grabbed her hood, and slid it over her head. "Oh!" she jumped then looked at him with bright eyes. "You'll catch a cold." His voice held a combination of concern and warmth.

"I'm fiiine!" She said cheerfully, then as if on cue, she sneezed. "Oops," she giggled.

Finally, Ozpin too regarded the moon, which unlike other times in its cycle, could not quite hide how broken it really was. Damaged. "It's unfortunate we are the biggest risk to our own peace," he picked up the thread from earlier. His voice was neutral and held no emotion. "Are you fond of the moon, Ruby?"

She shrugged in response. "I don't know, I guess. It's comforting."

"Hmm, can you imagine? In ancient times, during the night, the moon was the only source of light, of comfort."

She tilted her head and regarded him. "I never thought of it like that."

"Under the moon's watchful gaze, the dark night can be a time to rest, to find peace and solitude," he motioned his hand to gesture to the both of them, "to have a good conversation."

A contented smile came over her face in response.

"And yet," his tone became grave, "complete darkness can only bring fear."

The glow in her silver orbs dampened, but soon they shone once more. "But that's why the moon's there right?" She turned her head skyward again, to the object in question.

"Yes. Like everyone else, the moon must play its role to keep the world in balance and order." His words drew Ruby's attention to him.

"Yeah," was the lone word she uttered in reply, a knowing smile on her face. Her silver irises spoke volumes. Indeed, it was true that Ruby completely looked the part of an innocent, adorable angel. Summer had not been much different. But one look at her eyes – which were so very reminiscent of her mother – told an entirely different story, one of a warrior, of blood and steel. More importantly, they were eyes that had known loss, but still had an indomitable spirit. In that one difference, which was cruelly, ironically due to her mother, Ruby was much different from her, even if she was so painfully the same to his eyes.

"Miss Rose?"

"Professor?"

He leaned the slightest bit forward towards her. "It is getting close to curfew," he said barely above a whisper, not bothering to keep at bay an impish smile.

Ruby yelped. "Ah, no! I'm going to be late! I – " she stood up immediately, fishing out her scroll. "I only have two minutesss!" Some part of Ruby felt very weird, but she had to ignore it in favour of more pressing issues, such as making a beeline for her dorm. "Thank youuu!" She threw over her shoulder at Ozpin before disappearing in a whirlwind of rose petals.

She could have sworn she saw the most mischievous glint ever in Ozpin's eyes as she left. The kind of look Zwei had on his face whenever he did something she could never really find out, only to discover it weeks later. Out of breath, she made it to her dorm just in time. Once in her room and back in bed, she reflected back on the night's events. Something was definitely off. Well, she actually felt great, and also fairly tired – had she really spent just thirty minutes outside? Before she could think more, drowsiness consumed her, and soon enough she was fast asleep.

Meanwhile, a fuming Glynda Goodwitch confronted a certain wandering Headmaster.

"Ozpin, how could you?!"

No formalities, no politeness, no 'Professor'. She was going straight for the jugular.

"I – " he started by way of explanation.

"Save it! How can you be so irresponsible?" She exclaimed, her voice a high pitched, angry whisper. "This was worse than Qrow!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Now now," he tried in a soothing tone. "It wasn't even an hour."

"You know the kind of toll it takes..." the anger was now replaced with concern and some measure of resignation. Why were all the men in her life so ridiculously reckless? Though to be fair, Ozpin was usually nowhere in the same realm as reckless. In all her time with him, even his seemingly impulsive decisions turned out to be meticulously thought through. He never did anything without a reason. Even his fury was cold and controlled, almost deliberate.

Maybe that's why she was incensed. If he started doing these things as a matter of routine as well, she wasn't sure she'd be able to take it. He was supposed to be the wise one.

"What's a little tiredness for an unburdened heart?" He threw out enigmatically, passing her by.

"Don't," Glynda warned. She didn't want to hear it, and she did not need to know his reasons and motivations. It was pointless to talk of anything when it came to Ruby, because rationale just was not the prime deciding factor; wherever his faith came from was much more deep seated than mere interest in her remarkable ability.

All of a sudden, she found two pairs of hands resting on her shoulders. "You shouldn't worry so much, Glynda." He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before removing his hands. "I'd have to abuse my power much more to put myself in danger," he chuckled.

She sighed.

"I suppose you would like some iced coffee?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," he had already settled on his desk. He smiled at her. "That would be lovely, Ms. Goodwitch, thank you."

Well, this certainly got longer than planned. Things may move beyond Volume 3 in the next edition: all events in canon would have occurred, of course.

R&R! Constructive critique, ideas, comments, everything is welcome! I also do requests.