Well this is awkward, now isn't it?

Chapter 19, despite delays, is here and I am so sorry! Finals caught up with me, but hopefully after this next week I'll be free to finally get this damn story done! It is my intent to finish before the new year!

If I'm not mistaken, there are now 3 chapters left? Depending on how the next two are written, that number may be reduced (For better or worse? Probably better).

So, I don't think I'm missing anything, so on with the show!

'Meditate...' Goodwitch's suggestion ran through Ruby's mind more and more as she thought about it. To her, it didn't sound like a bad idea at all. Actually, it sounded perfect. Ren, from what little conversation her gave, always told the others about what meditating can do. His first suggestion to any problem was to "Meditate on it" and see what happens. How bad could it actually be?

"How do you meditate, anyway?" She spoke to nobody, once again. Only this time, she was far more calm and decisive. "Is there something that I have to-"

"Talking to yourself again?"

"Whoa!" The familiar voice caught her off guard as she dropped to her side. She looked up and saw her white-drenched partner, smiled nearly breaking her face, "Don't do that, Weiss!"

"Don't do what?" She playfully inquired as she offered a hand up, which her leader gladly accepted, "Scare you like that?"

"Yes! Exactly that!" Ruby's antics were slowly becoming more and more like her usual self, giving Weiss hope. "I was having a nice conversation with myself, and you come in and ruin that!"

"Pfft! Introverts."

"Princess!"

"Dolt!"

"Ice Queen!"

"Strawberry lover!"

"Don't lob factual statements at me in the form of insults, Weiss!"

"What are you going to do about it!?"

"That's a good question!" Ending the conversation, Ruby dropped to the floor, crossing her legs as she sat. The one-foul-swoop move impressed Weiss, but it wasn't something the red-head hasn't done before. "I'm just going to sit here and think."

Weiss huffed as she placed a hand on her hip, giving her leader her signature pose, "Well don't take too long. Professor Goodwitch wants us back as soon as possible."

"To do what?! Spend more time failing to get me hypnotized, leading to a frustrated end to the day where nobody will get any sleep at all?" The outburst was expected, but surprising to the heiress nonetheless. "No thanks. Goodwitch said I should meditate, and I thought I'd do that before Yang got back."

"Ruby, meditation can take hours. We don't have that kind of time."

Ruby sighed solemnly, her shoulders slumping as she put her head against the wall. "Yeah... You're right, it would..." She looked around the rooftop, knowing full well what she needed to do, but also knowing that she had no time to do it. "Where did the day go, Weiss?" She sighed in defeat, "We were supposed to have a long, drawn out and eventful Sunday... What happened?"

Understanding where her partner was coming from, Weiss joined her on the rooftop floor, slowly taking a seat as to not damage the combat skirt. "I have no clue. I got lost in the hysteria that was Blake's attempt at hypnotism."

"Aw, Weiss..." Ruby admonished, "That's not fair. She's new to this!"

"Bull! You have no idea how many times her and I sat in the back of the whole library, her practicing her hypnotism skills on me!" Weiss' counterargument was solid, but she had more. Ruby sat back as she intently listened, "All the while being surrounded by the noise that is our classmates! And don't even get me started on when we find someone we know!"

The reaper turned away, blushing as Weiss continued. 'Did they go through all of that trouble for me?'

"So don't tell me she's new to this when I was her first guinea pig!"

"Alright, I get it. You're mad that you were her first victim. Geez." Ruby quipped with a smirk, "You could whine my ears right off."

"Oh, don't even start with me, sassy!"

Ruby turned to Weiss incredulously, "I'm sassy? Really? Do I have to remind you of that whole argument not two minutes ago?"

"Shut up!"

A deafening silence overtook the duo as they sat upon the rooftop, neither having a counter. The silence wasn't awkward... Actually, it was far more expected between the two. Nobody wanted to say anything.

No, that would ruin the moment.

Ruby inhaled deeply, holding the fresh air within her lungs for a few moments before exhaling. Weiss did the same, only didn't hold it as long.

"Ruby..." A light voice called, finally breaking the silence.

"Hm?"

"Have I done well, helping you?"

Ruby glanced over curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Have I actually helped you in this? I feel... I feel so useless... Am I doing good?" Weiss' tone was sincere, possible hint of fear. What was this Weiss Schnee and what happened to the one that Yang and Blake and her journal warned her about?

"Weiss... You've done more than you realize." Ruby spoke from her heart as the midday sun began to drift in the sky, "Between Yang and Blake and team JNPR, you actually slowed down to ask what we were doing. You actually slowed down to get my opinion and make sure everything was okay. You actually took me into town to get my mind off of all of this. You've done more for me than I could ever ask for... And if I ever get a chance to, I'll figure out a way to repay you."

Comprehending the words said to her, Weiss nodded, finding that was all she could do. The gesture was nice, but she would never, ever accept anything the leader would do. Not because she didn't want it, but because... Well, a few reasons.

Ruby offered the whole team a place of solitude and freedom. One could vent their frustrations upon an open ear. Though they didn't always do that, they still knew it was an option. Ruby offered a forgiveness, she was never vindictive. Though, she could be tentative and awkward at times, she still tried her best. She did something Weiss never could have done with a team...

She led them.

The heiress rose from her seat and offered a hand to her partner... To her leader. "You ready to finish this?"

Ruby stared at the hand before her, asking herself if she was truly prepared. She met Weiss' ice-blue eyes, her own look of curiosity turning to a look of determination. "Yes." She declared as she accepted the help to her feet, "Let's do this."

Weiss and Ruby walked back into the dorm, finding Blake with a book in her hand and Goodwitch with a packet in hers. Blake was sitting on her original bed and glanced up at the duo before her. "Welcome back." She simply greeted.

Weiss chuckled as she took a seat on her respective bed, joined by her partner, "It's been a while since we've seen that."

The faunus simply blinked, choosing not to acknowledge the joke. A sense of déjà vu washed over the team, as they haven't had something like this happen in a while. It was very refreshing to all. Even to Ruby, who, despite being unable to recall any prior events such as this, still felt at home and familiar to what had happened.

The redhead looked around the room, then peered at the professor at the desk, "Yang's still not back?" Goodwitch shook her head, causing Ruby to make a small 'Mmm' sound. "I take it you won't start until she gets back?"

"Correct." Was the simple answer. "I want to give you all a proper lesson on hypnosis, as there appear to be some... Misconceptions amongst you all."

Weiss huffed and leaned back on her bed, "Yay!" She sarcastically declared, "Schoolwork on a Sunday!"

"This coming from the heiress who literally asks teachers for more homework before we leave class." Blake quipped with a smile.

"And how are your grades now?"

Ruby joined in the discussion. "Does that matter when we're out in Grimm infested forests and swamps?"

Bad move.

Weiss turned to her leader, the heiress' face turning to a shade of red that made Ruby's cloak jealous, "Now listen here-!"

The door swung open as a busty blonde brawler came crashing through, a fairly large jar under her right arm. "I'm back!" Yang declared with a smile, "Did you miss me?"

Before Weiss could intervene and continue her predictable tirade, Blake smiled slyly and glanced at her partner, "Hardly." She replied, "I was starting to enjoy the quiet."

Before anyone could make a remark, Yang set the jar down, then swooped Blake up off of her bed and into a massive, patented Yang Xiao Long Bear Hug (patent pending) all in a single motion. "I find that hard to believe!" The brawler declared as she crushed the life out of her partner.

"Put her down, Yang." Ruby simply sighed, her sister's antics clearly unapproved. "We don't need anyone to be crushed until after the lesson."

Yang instantly dropped Blake, who landed firmly on her backside, and slowly turned to her sister with a cautious gaze. "Lesson?" She whispered, "On a Sunday?" Ruby's reply, like both Blake's and Weiss', was to simply point at Goodwitch, who easily waved when Yang made eye contact to the teacher at the desk.

"Remember me?"

"I missed something... Did we fail a test, or something?"

"No, no, Miss Xiao Long. I just want to clear some things up. And, now that you're here, we can begin." The instructor rose and turned around, facing the team, "Everyone have a seat, preferably on one bed... Just... Not this hanging one... That makes me feel uneasy."

"Thank you!" Weiss shouted. Ruby blinked uncaringly, her bed being nice to her and that's all that mattered in her mind. The leader sat on the heiress' bed, the rest of her team joining her. "I don't know about you all, but I'm taking notes!" Weiss declared, her bed becoming more and more crowded.

Goodwitch nodded as she began, "Right. So, contrary to popular belief, hypnosis is not mind control. It's one person speaking to the subconscious of another. The reason why we weren't doing well is because Blake was talking to Ruby's conscious mind."

Weiss took a seat next to Yang, who was perched behind both Blake and Ruby, and continued to take notes. "You see, the difference between conscious and subconscious is that you dream in your subconscious mind. This is where our imaginations run wild, and where we don't really think. In our conscious minds, we are less open to ideas, and we think more and more. Everyone still good?"

The group nodded, intently following along. Weiss' notes were concise but clear. Glynda continued;

"Now, it's not uncommon for people with short attention spans to be less-than-desired for hypnosis. I'm not saying that's you, Ruby, but younger people generally fall into that category. Hence why we might be having a difficult time."

Yang raised her hand, eager to ask a question. Goodwitch sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "You don't need to raise your hands to ask a question, Miss Xiao Long..."

"O-oh, alright. You said might? Does that mean there are other reasons?"

"Yes, I was just getting to that. One possible explanation is that we never reached her subconscious mind. Another is that her youthful attention wasn't in our favor. Another is that she just isn't in the right mind. All this weekend we've been saying that we're going to work today, and her mind might be thinking of a different type of work."

Weiss spoke up, her eyes wide with realization, "A physically exhausting type of work!"

"Exactly." The instructor clapped, "Regardless of the reason, the bottom line is that we're not doing it right. Some things you should know: Hypnosis is not sleep, it is a trance. The lighter the trance, the lighter the effects. The heavier the trance, the more open the person is to idea's. That being said, the ego will never be detached under hypnosis, so secrets will not be revealed while hypnotized. You won't do something you wouldn't normally do."

Ruby exhaled a small sigh of relief, which Blake caught. Now that that was cleared up, it might be easier to put her into the trance.

"The best subjects are not the dumb ones. It's the strong-willed, intelligent and artistic that are the best, as they can be far more imaginative."

"Well look no further than her!" Yang boisterously declared, wrapping her sister into a headlock. "She's one of the more artistic on the team, probably on the floor-"

"You're giving me too much credit, Yang!" Ruby choked, "And not enough air!" Immediately, the brawler released her iron grip, causing Ruby to gasp. Yang blushed as she apologized, but the team would compose themselves before long. "So, let me see if I understand this, professor..." Ruby began, "You're saying that, despite my youthful attention span, I'm still one of the better subjects?"

Weiss shook her head and sighed, "We're starting to sound like a broken record..."

"Yes, that's right. You see, I can tell that you're weary of doing this. You think that other people can be hypnotized, but in reality that's not true. If you've ever daydreamed before- and I know you have- then you've experienced a trance before. If you've been in a trance-"

"Than it is possible to be hypnotized." Ruby finished the statement, realization in her voice.

"Exactly. I want to try a few different methods while we have time, one of them include the beverage that Yang retrieved."

"Wait, Peach told me not to drink that-"

"She told you not to drink it, Miss Xiao Long." Goodwitch declared harshly, "It's a specially made elixir that calms the mind and body, used mostly on students who are dealing with too much stress." Instantly, the team understood why it was there, "Like I said, there's a few method's I'd like to try. Before I do, are there any questions?"

"Hold on..." Weiss sung as she examined her notes, "Let me see... Anyone can be hypnotized, no damage to the mind, cannot make someone violate their own will... No, I think we covered the important things. Anyone else?"

The team shook their heads. Goodwitch turned to Ruby, "Are you sure? I'd be glad to answer anything while we're here?"

"No, I think I'm good."

"Very well." The instructor checked the time before inhaling, "I think we have enough time for a few attempts. The choice is yours, though." She pointed at the reaper before her, "If you'd like to take a quick break, than we can."

Ruby felt the stares from her team, as well as from Goodwitch. However, she knew that the choice was ultimately hers and that she didn't have to obey anyone's demands here.

However, after the lesson from her instructor, she was far more confident in the abilities of hypnotism and those who could do it, especially Blake. Not that she ever doubted her faunus teammate, but she was still cautious around the idea. Nevertheless, she had a better understanding now than she did earlier.

And that is what would drive her decision.

"Let's not wait." She declared, "We'll get it done now."

Goodwitch nodded, her gaze turning stern and serious. "Right." She pulled up a chair and waved the team away, "We'll need the space."

Needless to say, Ruby felt... Alone when her team left her side. They stood to the side, still close by, but that still didn't help. No, she wanted them next to her. Deep down, she was still scared.

"Alright, Ruby, drink this." Goodwitch offered, handing a small glass of the elixir that Professor Peach made. Ruby took it, nodded in thanks and swallowed the beverage in one go. She exhaled easily and set the glass down on the desk.

"Yang..." The reaper called, "I'm sorry to tell you, but I think Professor Peach makes a better cocktail than you."

Blake and Weiss chuckled while Yang grew an expression of surprise and malice. The brawler cracked her knuckles slowly and growled, "Not if I can help it..."

"Anyway!" Goodwitch instantly called the attention back to the center of the room, "Listen, you three might be a distraction here. I don't mean to be rude or offend you, but I fear that your presence might do us more harm than good..."

Each one of WBY looked to each other, their expressions ones of curiosity and worry. After a moment, however, it was Blake who made the first call. "She's right. Come on, let's leave them be and go bug JNPR."

"Oh, that sounds like an idea!" Yang cheered. "But know, if I hear anything I don't like-"

"Yang." Ruby growled, giving her sister the eye.

If there was one thing Ruby had, it was her mother's glare. This wasn't just any glare, this was legendary just for occasions like this. Ruby didn't use her gaze often, but she was glad that Summer taught it to her.

Yang quickly buckled under the all-too-familiar look, "Alright, fine. Whatever. Geez just let up, we're going!" The brawler dragged her teammates out, and the door closed behind them.

Shaking her head, Ruby sighed and apologized for her teams' actions.

"It's alright," Goodwitch assured, "It just shows they care. They had a lot of positive things to say about you the other night, you know. You helped change them drastically, and I think they're just trying to return the favor..."

Despite being told given the rather encouraging words, the reaper before her still blushed and dipped her head, her red-streaked bangs covering most of her face, "It's just a leader's job... I gotta do what I have to do, you know?"

Reluctantly, Glynda nodded, "I do, and don't. I wasn't the leader of my team when I was your age, so I know what it's like to be led by someone and to have a leader that's so inspiring, it changed me. I know what it's like to be your teammates."

"Is that why you're trying to help me?"

"In a way, yes. But mostly because you're my student and there's nobody else more qualified to deal with something like this than me. Now, how are you feeling?"

"I... Actually, I feel relaxed. Professor Peach really knows how to do that, doesn't she?"

"What? Drinks?" Goodwitch pondered, "Yes, she does. Like I said, she makes those for students who are about to have operations. They can take a drink the night before and it won't be an issue, then the morning of the surgery, they'll be calm and relaxed before the medication can take place. Also, she's a blast at the holiday parties."

The comment was spoken so easily that Ruby could swear she's said it before. Actually, now that it was mentioned, the leader could envision Peach being the Beacon Holiday Party bartender. Regardless, she nodded and turned her full attention to the woman before her. "I'm ready when you are..."

"Alright." Glynda held up a silver pen, which glistened in the sunlight. She held it about a foot and a half away from Ruby's face, the aforementioned girl looking more and more relaxed and tired, "I want you to focus your eyes on the pen." The student before her did so, watching the pen in front of her face. "As you focus, you're getting more and more tired, deeper and deeper you fall into sleep."

Very quickly, Ruby's eyes began to flutter. Glynda knew that the elixir was working, she just needed time to let it settle. All of the conversation after the rest of the team left was all to stall, making the hypnotism easier in the long run. "Stay focused on the pen and nothing else..."

To Ruby, it was easier done than said. Her world slowly went black as all she heard was a voice telling her to focus on the pen in front of her. She could feel herself physically relax as the pen was the only thing in her view. Everything else was darkness.

"Ruby..." The voice, soothing and calm, called to her, "I want you to raise your left arm..."

She did.

"You may lower it. You and I are going to take a trip now, only you're going to have to tell me what you see... Is that okay?"

She nodded slowly, understanding what she had to do. Whoever this voice belonged to wanted to know what she saw, which seemed easy enough.

"Ruby, we're at your house on Patch. You've just woken up and you're still in your room. Describe your room to me."

The redhead examined her room, which felt like ages since she had been there, even though she could swear she was there a few days ago... "My room... It's on the second floor of our house. My bed is lower to the ground, which makes the landing softer if I roll out of bed..." She chuckled at the thought, "I... I have a window right above my bed, the curtains are closed. At the foot of the bed is a small wood cabinet with no doors. Dad turned this into a bookshelf for me. There's an identical cabinet on the other side of the bed, this one has a lamp.

On the other side of the room is the door to a bathroom, which connects both my room and Yang's... The dresser is in the closet, which is next to the bathroom door. Across from the closet is the door to the hallway, and almost immediately to the right is the stairs."

"Is that all?" The voice asked curiously.

"That's the important stuff." Of course, she left out some minor details, like the poster of her favorite band on the wall by the door, or the amount of weapons magazines in her bookshelf. Still, Glynda didn't want to pry all of the personal information out of her student.

"Right. Ruby, I want you to go downstairs and tell me what you see."

She complied, easily sliding down the handrail that her father had to put back into place a few times, leading him to reinforce the wood strip with heavier metal coatings (along the bottom, of course. Don't want to ruin everyone's fun, now...). When she made it, she had to turn a corner and found herself in the dining room. A large, circular oak table with an empty glass vase for a centerpiece made the majority of the room. Despite their only being three occupants in the house, there were four chairs, with a fifth in the corner just in case.

"Alright, I'm downstairs..."

"What do you see now?"

"I'm in the dining room. That's right when you walk into the house. Right next to it is the kitchen, the fridge and the oven placed right next to each other, while the sink is across from them. When you go past the kitchen, you're in the family room."

"Alright, Ruby, focus on the dining room. What's in there, on the table?"

"Well, there's a newspaper on there... It's marked for this month, but there's no date or year... There's an empty glass vase in the center, too."

"Is it always empty?"

"Unless we know there's going to be company, yes."

"Very good. Ruby, have a seat at the table for a few minutes, please. You and I are going to talk."

She complied and sat at the table. There was no plates nor silverware, and the lack of anybody at the house felt... Odd. Zwei wasn't even there. Someone was almost always home, but maybe not today...

She heard a small thud from her right, which brought her attention to the front door. However, nobody was standing there and after a quick examination of the room, she could see nothing different. "Okay," The voice called, bringing her attention forward. Ruby still couldn't see the owner of the voice, but she still recognized it somehow. She felt like she did know it... "You're going to be walking me through some events, now. They may be... Unpleasant, but we need to know a few things. We need you to remember, can you do that?"

She nodded once again.

"Very good. Walk to the front door, but don't open it just yet." Ruby complied, and gestured that she was there. "A few months ago, you and your friends had partaken on a dangerous mission to a place called 'Mountain Glenn'. Does that sound familiar?"

"It sounds familiar, but I can't seem to recall it..."

"It's okay, we don't need the whole mission. Sometime in the middle of the night, you followed your dog out of the building that your team had taken to establish a base."

"I think I can remember... I heard two people talking, then I followed them... And the street gave way and collapsed..." The memory played before her like a movie.

"That's right. You hit your head very hard and couldn't escape capture." She heard a page flip, "Once you re-established contact with your team, you told them about some Intel that you managed to recover from your captor's. They were going to crash a train-"

"-Right into Vale..." Ruby finished for the voice, "But that wasn't it... That wasn't it at all."

"You do remember?"

"Yes." Her voice was firm, but sad. "I remember it now, clear as day."

A small moment of silence occurred, leading to Ruby believing she somehow inadvertently scared the voice's owner away. Until... "Alright, Ruby; Open the door."

She did, and she was met with a familiar scene.

"What do you see?"

Time slowed as she examined the surrounding. They were on top of a train car, going really fast. Her team and a man, a familiar man in a tan trench coat, all huddled. A few cars ahead, she saw what appeared to be soldiers start climbing to the top of the cars. They looked angry.

"I see... I see my team with... Is that- A professor here?"

"His name is Professor Oobleck, and you and your team were set to shadow him on this mission."

Ruby nodded, know understanding the event more and more. "Wait... Yang, Weiss and Blake... They just jumped into the train car."

"What about you? Tell me something about the 'you' that you see." The voice requested with curiosity. "Is there something out of the ordinary? Maybe they're more pale than how you are now, or the facial expression is different?"

Again, time slowed as Ruby examined the 'her' that she saw. They eyes, they weren't silver... The hair wasn't red-streaked...

The cloak was red...

"E-everything..." She struggled to say, "Everything is different, the eyes are blood red, surrounded by black. The coat is black, the hair... None of it is me..."

"Are you sure?"

"What are you saying? This person, it isn't-"

A force tackled her to the ground, causing her to skip a breath. She looked up and saw this... Monstrosity tower above her, a wicked smile across her face. "What you don't know..." It whispered as it loomed overhead, "Is that I will always be you."

All Ruby could hear was twisted laughter as the nightmare raised up Crescent Rose to cut everything down.

"AH!" Her eyes shot open as she fell off of the bed and to the floor. "Damnit! DAMNIT!" She screamed as she repeatedly punched the floor.

"Ruby!" Yang called, rushing towards her sisters side. She tried to bring her leader off of the floor, but she just wouldn't budge. Yang tried her best to sooth her sister, but was afraid that her best wasn't good enough.

Glynda moved out of the way as the other two members of the team joined in the pileup. Their presence was assuring, but she didn't need it. No, she didn't want it.

It took Ruby a moment to calm down, and when she did, she began to rise to a kneeling position. Her team, however, met her with an embrace. Ruby silently nodded, trying to take in some air, telling her team that she was alright but they didn't believe her. Eventually it was Yang that pulled the other two off; It was Yang that made sure she was okay.

"Miss Rose?" Glynda called, breaking the everlasting silence. "Are you alri-?"

"You WITCH!" Frantically, Ruby stood up and tried to get at the Professor. She thrashed as Yang and Blake held her back, Weiss standing between the instructor and the brawl. "Why did you make me remember that!? Why did you ask me about HER?!"

"Ruby!" Yang called, trying to get her sister under control, "Get a hold of yourself, she didn't do anything wrong!"

Another moment of thrashing passed as the intensity in her eyes never dwindled. Goodwitch was impressed more than scared, as the student before her could outlast the calming elixir. Either Ruby had a stronger tolerance than she had been given credit for, or peach made the drink weaker.

Eventually, the leader's muscle's visibly relaxed, but Yang never did. She whispered calming words into her sister's ear, her words eventually turning into demands. "Just calm down, damnit." Blake heard her partner say. "What happened?" Her question was louder than a whisper, showing the other occupants that she had asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"That other me, the one Goodwitch wanted me to look over..."

"Yeah?"

"Killed me, while laughing."

The answer was said so easily that it actually worried the others. Goodwitch blinked in surprise, but shook her head. "Professor." Weiss called, "What does this mean?"

Glynda thought for a moment before sighing. "You can let her go, girls." She said solemnly. "Her rage is probably well placed." Blake and Yang shared a glance before complying. Still, Yang stood in front of her sister, just in case. "From what I can tell... I think you're in denial."

"What?!"

Glynda held up a finger, telling her to wait. "Hear me out. You said that the other 'you' that you saw looked different and acted different." Ruby slowly nodded, "You don't think that you did it, all of the things you did on the train. You don't want to think that you sent all of those fang soldiers down into the tunnels, but you did. So, to protect yourself you put something that was you, but wasn't."

"I don't believe that for a second!"

"Remember what I said about the ego, Ruby?" The question was stern and the instructor's expression was hard, "The hypnotist can never compromise the ego. You don't want to believe that you did what you did, so you forgot that you did it. This amnesia was your choice! No blow to the head, no injury, it was all you."

The air in the room became tense and stagnant as the harsh realization grew upon Ruby's face. With every second that passed, Goodwitch's logic became more and more clear. She was right, this was her fault... This was nobody else but her... Nothing else but her...

"O-oh... Oh G-"

Her legs grew weak as she almost collapsed, but Yang was there to make the catch. Weiss and Blake just stood, staring at each other. It was a long minute before Goodwitch broke the silence, "Listen, I... I have a few ways of working on this. But I think we've had enough for today... I'll call in your classes for tomorrow."

"Professor!" Weiss called as the instructor began leaving, "What are... What can we do?"

Sadly, Glynda stared at the display in the room. Ruby, despite all that had just happened, was still stoic. Glynda thought that she still must have been registering the information. The instructor gestured for the other two to join her outside. When they exited the room, Glynda began to explain.

"I have a feeling that this is in fact Billfold Syndrome. She saw something she didn't like and it went against everything she believed in, so she chose to not believe it."

Weiss rubbed her head, both in confusion and frustration. "So..." She started, "What do we do now?"

"Miss Schnee, all you can do is wait. Be with her, she'll need you. As for me, I'm going to try and do another hypno-session. It will be far more intense than this one, I'm afraid, but it should get the job done." She shifted awkwardly in her stance, "I... I'm afraid that's the best we can do for now."

Blake spoke up, her gaze stuck on the floor, "There's no guarantee that the next session will do the trick... Is there?" Glynda shook her head dejectedly, "Damn..."

"I'm sorry, I really am. Like I said, I'll give you all the day off for tomorrow, and next Saturday I'll be back to do the next session. Hopefully, it'll be the last."

"That's a big hope." Weiss added.

Goodwitch mournfully nodded and departed, leaving the team confused and broken.

"Yang?" Blake asked quietly, "Can we... You know? Do anything?"

Her partner shook her head slowly as she stared out to the rooftop. The setting sun marking the end of a long day. "I think she needs to be alone. Head on back to the dorm, I'll bring her in when she's ready."

Weiss looked up at the brawler, "Are you sure?"

The small smile on Yang's face poorly hid her true feelings right now. "Yeah, Weiss. I'm sure..." Blake and Weiss, reluctantly, complied, leaving Yang and Ruby on the roof. Alone.

After Goodwitch left, the silence became too much. Ruby was still clearly analyzing what she had just been told, not wanting to believe any of it... Not for a second. There was just too much evidence, however. Everything just made too much sense.

She wanted to run away again. Go back home, go back to when everything was so simple. She knew she couldn't have that wish, but it was just too tempting. She had to face a hard truth today. What's worse? She still didn't know what to do. Sure they know why she had amnesia, but they didn't know what to do to bring her memories back. Nor how long it would take.

So, instead of running, she departed to the roof. Of course, Yang followed closely. But she did give her sister the space she most definitely wanted. Blake and Weiss caught up after a few minutes, but Yang kept shoo-ing them away. Their leader needed to be alone... Everyone needed to be alone.

Yang stood in the doorway between the rooftop and the building, assuring peace where she could. Ruby had been understandably quiet, and it killed Yang completely. Nobody on the team could grasp the information, and nobody knew how to deal with it.

Well, Yang had one way...

She slowly walked out onto the roof, gently closing the door behind her; if anyone was coming, they'd know. She walked to the edge where her sister currently sat and plopped down next to her, wrapping her right arm around Ruby in one motion.

The younger did her best to nuzzle next to her sister, keeping her cloak wrapped around her body. Yang did her best to mimic the act. Shakily, Ruby began to speak, "I don't know what to do, Yang..." Her honesty was almost masked by her exhaustion, "I... I'm just so lost right now..."

Slowly, Yang nodded, understanding her sister's dilemma. Once again, she felt helpless. "I... I don't know what you're feeling, sis. I want to help, but I don't know what to do either... We'll just need to listen when they tell us to do something. Anything can help. Besides, we've already brought a couple of memories up! Maybe we can keep trying that way!"

Even Yang didn't believe those words.

Ruby sighed as her head dipped, "And that's okay, but... I won't be me. I won't be the way I was before all of this, I'll just be the way I am now with blank memories..."

"Oh... Is that what this is about?" Ruby looked up at her sister curiously, "You're afraid you won't be 'back to normal'?"

"Uh, I... Isn't that what we're trying to accomplish?"

Yang smiled and sighed, shaking her head, "Oh, sis. We don't care if your back to how you were a month ago or if your how you were a year ago! You're still you. You're our leader and we'll do anything to help you! We just want you to be able to live with all of the answers available."

Ruby tiredly smiled as she stared out towards the campus, the sun finally falling beyond the horizon. Nighttime had arrived, leaving the two to themselves and the stars above.

It was Ruby who stood up first after a few minutes. She found solitude in her sisters response, and found herself in far better spirits because of it. Yang nodded and stood up also, leading her sister inside. "Come on," The brawler said, "It's been a long day."

"Yang?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

The only thing that stopped the blonde from crushing the life out of Ruby was the fact that she too was drained, mentally and emotionally. Instead, she tightened the one-armed hug and walked through the dorm hallway and eventually found their dorm room. They walked inside and found an all-too-familiar scene.

Blake and Weiss, on the edges of their beds, looked up at their respective teammates. Weiss was the first to rise out of her seat, but Blake mimicked the move. Ruby stared at both of them for a long minute, before pulling her entire team into an embrace.

She wanted it to last forever. She wanted to know the warmth and love of her team forever. She knew she couldn't, given their particular field of interest. But she knew their love for now, and that's all that mattered to her.

The team silently departed for bed, deciding that they've had a far more eventful day than they needed. Despite the day's events and her own feelings of everything, Ruby and her team found sleep rather quickly.

Cold...

That's all she felt as a chill wind blew around her. She recognized this place...

Before her, a familiar stone... A tombstone... Summer Rose...

"Here again." She simply said to herself. "Is this the part where it becomes a nightmare? Is this the part where I wake up screaming in a cold sweat?!" Her volume increased as she yelled at her mind, she knew it was destined to betray her. "Do it! I'm ready this time! I know what's coming!"

A calm, familiar voice called, freezing Ruby dead in her tracks. "Not tonight, sweetheart..."

She paused, surprised and scared. The voice was all too familiar, but one she hadn't heard in years... Slowly, the red reaper turned around and faced the source of the voice. White cloak, hood over the face, but she could still make out the features. It was almost an exact mirror of herself, only taller...

"Hello, mom..."

The wind stopped howling, both cloaks lay at rest around both the mother's and daughter's bodies respectively. Summer removed her hood and looked at her daughter with nervous anticipation. "Hello, Ruby. How are you?"

"Oh, you know?" The young teen shrugged, "Just got a bump on the head and got a bit of amnesia is all. No big deal. How are you? It's been a while since we've talked."

"Yes, it has." Summer smirked, "If there's one thing you got from your father it was his sass. Or is that Qrow I hear?"

"A bit of both."

Both shared a chuckle before Summer would continue. I can also hear that tongue-in-cheek attitude has developed quite well."

"Did you expect anything less?" Ruby quipped, "I am your daughter, after all."

"Yes..." Summer quietly nodded, "Yes you are. Ruby, darling, I've been watching... I know what you've been going through, and you should know you haven't been alone."

"Whoa, hold on-" Ruby defended as Summer approached, causing the mother to stop in her tracks, "If you're here to tell me friendship is the key, we're going to have an issue." Summer chuckled and rubbed the back of her head nervously, shifting in her stance, "That cliché has been used way too much for me, thanks."

The older woman smiled as she dipped her head, knowing full well that what she was about to explain wasn't going to be pleasant. "No, Ruby. This story doesn't have that simple of an ending..." Her expression dropped to a more serious tone as she stared into her daughters eyes, "There's a problem. Your amnesia isn't caused by that blow to the head alone. There were... Other factors..."

"Oh?" Ruby was intrigued. Did Summer really know what was going on? "Is this the same thing that's causing the disturbance with the hypnosis?"

"Yes and no. Ruby, let's face it, some people are just difficult to hypnotize. It's unfortunate in this particular situation, but that is you. You do get that from me, I apologize." Ruby held her hand up, silently saying there was no need to apologize. "No, what we have here is far worse than I could fear for you."

"O-oh?"

"When I tell you this, you will wake up. When you do, I need you to wake your team and call Glynda. She'll know what to do."

"Mom, what are you-? What's going on?"

"Ruby... A dark seed has formed within your mind. It appeared first during Breach and has rapidly formed over time. It's the very reason for your nightmares, it's the cause of all of your recent grief. It would have gone unchecked for years and would have become an inoperable tumor. But, a certain girl put herself in harm's way that knocked the seed loose, which, unfortunately knocked away some memories..."

"Wait!" Ruby cried, "Back up a minute! What?! What's a dark seed? How did this happen?"

Summer rubbed her chin before explaining, trying to figure out the right words for it. "Well, a Dark Seed is... It's kind of like a tumor, only it's caused by the grief and other negative emotions that strengthen the Grimm."

"So how did I get it?"

"That's... Difficult. One doesn't just get a Dark Seed like they do a cold. It's far more complicated. One theory is that Grimm Blood, when mixed with Human blood, is a cause. Other's think it's more psychological based. Bottom line is, like all Grimm-related issues, there's no heads or tails answer." She put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, "It can do many vicious things to the mind, it's goal is to take over the body any means necessary." The snow began to fall less and less as the light of the moon dimmed. "We don't have much time anymore." Summer turned to Ruby, their silver eye's met, one with worry and confusion, the other with intensity and fear, "You need to call Glynda immediately, you need to tell her what's going on-"

"Wait, there's more to this than you're telling me." Ruby spoke, her voice shaky, but fervent, "What else is there?"

"There's no time! Glynda's Plan B will give us far more time to explain."

"And you just had to do this, now? Not, oh, a month ago?"

"Stow that attitude, damnit!" Summer nearly smacked her daughter upside the head, but instead shook her, keeping a firm grip on the younger Rose's shoulders, "Even I needed time to see what this was. Besides, you're my daughter! What was I supposed to do, watch you die!?"

Ruby recoiled, knowing full well that she was in the wrong. "It's just... I haven't seen you in a while and... If this was so easy for you to do... Why haven't you done it in the past?"

Summer looked at her daughter solemnly, understanding the strife she must feel. "Trust me, sweets, this isn't that easy. But I would endure any strain to make sure you, Yang, your father or Qrow stay safe... I know what you must be feeling, and I'm so sorry... But you need help right now, and I know how to do it..."

Sighing, Ruby nodded in understanding. "Alright... What else has this thing done?"

"That, uh, Dark You, that you see in your nightmares? The one that goes and brutally kills those Fang members..." Ruby winced at the mention of it, "... Sorry. Anyway, the seed is a Grimm manifest, and is now trying to take your mind. It created the Dark version of you in an attempt to win the battle for your mind, choosing to fight subconsciously. Hence why it's especially difficult to hypnotize you now. That thing is a direct manifest of the seed. If you kill it, you can kill the seed completely, freeing you from further corruption."

"What do I have to do, mom?"

"Wake everyone up. Tell Glynda what I told you, about the Seed. Tell her that she needs to start her Plan B. I'll be here, waiting. When next we meet, I'll explain what we have to do further, but for now, Time is of the essence." Quickly, Summer wrapped both of them into an embrace, which surprised Ruby. She expected to go right through her mother... "Be fast, sweets."

"I will be."

XXXXX

Ruby jolted awake, just as Summer said she would. Her breaths were sharp and labored, causing Blake to wake up. Quickly, the reaper sat up as sweat dripped from her face. "Ruby?" Blake called, concern in her voice, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not." Was the quick response. "I need a phone, I need to call Goodwitch!"

"Just once..." Weiss groaned, "I'd like a full night's sleep... What's wrong?"

"I think Ruby had a night-"

"No, I didn't Blake!" The leader interrupted. "Now please, give me that phone. While I'm calling the professor, you all need to get dressed, we'll be leaving soon.

Weiss rubbed her eyes, "For what?" She inquired, mildly interested and mostly annoyed.

"I'll explain in a minute, just please get moving!"

Glynda sat at her desk, her office unoccupied. Never before had she felt such misery, even for a student. 'So young...' She thought, futilely shaking her head, 'Such a shame.'

A small knock on her door brought her out of her stupor, but not her mood. She made a face, having a feeling who it could be. "Come in." She called, mentally betting herself who her guest is as this hour.

Slowly, the door opened, revealing a familiar Professor Peach. "Oh, well this is a surprise." The combat instructor said unenthusiastically, "What brings you here?"

"Way to sound surprised, Glynda." Peach quipped, but Goodwitch waved it off. "I actually came to talk to you, ask how that elixir I made worked?" She took a seat at a chair in front of the desk, "Judging by your expression... I didn't do too well."

"No, no. You did marvelous. It worked like a charm." The green-eyed woman assured, "But... The hypnosis failed, in a way."

"Billfold?"

"Billfold."

"And, we should have been prepared for that!" Peach clapped, "How many cases of that do we see a year? We know how to deal with it, so why did that session fail? We did what we always do, right?"

Goodwitch shook her head, "Perhaps the circumstances are different? Maybe, just maybe, she saw or did something that she just can't comprehend and doesn't want to. We both know how guilty she was feeling after that day, you were with me in the infirmary when her team got back."

Peach nodded in agreement, "Yeah... You think she wanted this?"

"I'm afraid so... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need a drink."

"Ah, my specialty." Peach practically jumped out of her seat, "You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, you know? We did the best we could, now it's all up to her." She quickly handed a coffee mug to the downtrodden woman seated before her, "If Ruby doesn't want to remember, than it's her choice. No reason she has to suffer with her guilt, you know?"

Glynda sighed, taking a drink from the cool beverage. Sweet, tangy, overall a masterful, nonalcoholic concoction. "That's not it, though." She leaned back in her leather seat, folding one leg over the other, "I'm not sure if this is entirely Billfold. Something's definitely off, but I'm not sure what..." A sudden look of realization washed over her, her mind moving past grief, which made her start thinking. "Are you...? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Probably not."

Glynda pulled a book from a nearby bookshelf, the spine read "Volume XI". Peach instantly recognized the massive tome and was curious as to why her friend pulled it. "Hm... Could it be...?"

"Be what? Come on, don't keep us in the dark, here! The peanut gallery has to know, too!"

"Well... What do you know about these Dark Seeds?"

Peach bobbed her head as she thought, "Undetectable tumors that mostly form on vital areas of the body that corrupt the host on organ at a time, mostly caused by negative emotions like other Grimm stuff... Woah, you're not actually think-"

A Scroll's ringtone cut off the alchemist, bringing the attention of both woman present. "I think that's yours, Professor Goodwitch."

"I believe you're correct." Glynda playfully curtsied as she walked to her scroll. She examined the screen, the identity of the caller was a familiar Reaper in Red. "Hello?" She answered with a quick swipe, "Miss Rose? Do you know how late it is? You should be getting some rest."

'No time, Professor!' Ruby retorted, 'I... I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think I might have a solution to this... This ordeal...'

"Okay... And?"

'Professor, do you know what a Dark Seed is?'

Peach and Goodwitch both froze, gazes locked on each other. Peach mouthed a 'No freakin' way' to her friend as their stunned gazes shifted throughout the room. "I... I actually have something on that right here. What do you know about it?"

'Not much. Like I said, if I told you how I learned about it, you wouldn't believe me, but I think I have one... How do I get rid of it?'

Glynda thought for a moment, flipping through the pages of her book. "Uh, hold on..." She found a page on a Seed on the Brain and began to speed-read, quickly examining the old print before her. "I... There are many ways, surgery is the most common, but one on the brain is a different story. We would absolutely have to go with Plan B if that's the case, and we would have to do that right now."

A short pause, followed by a rustling on the other end was heard. Peach and Glynda could both tell that Ruby was rallying the forces. 'I hope you're ready!' A voice that sounded like Yang called, 'Because we're on our way!'

"I'll get all set up, meet me in my office."

The line went dead and Glynda quickly set it down, as well as her book. She was clearly disheveled, having white knuckles as she clinched her desk. "Glynda..." Peach called, "You know what to do."

"I know, Peach..." She assured, "I just don't know if I can do it..."

Well that took a turn for the strange, now didn't it?

So essentially what we have here: Ruby was able to contract a Dark Seed, which is the Grimm Manifestation within the human body. It is extremely rare and must be treated with great care, not many people know how to deal with it. Next chapter I'll go into detail about it, as it's actually a personal headcanon of mine. Essentially, the Grimm Manifest corrupts the person from within, their fear and other negative emotions will strengthen nearby Grimm, and after a certain amount of time has passed, the person will die. That's the gist of it, but there is more to it.

Hooray for creative freedoms!

Next chapter isn't nearly going to be as long, it's mostly going to be an information dump and a precursor to the big fight that is in two chapters! And yes, we will see a ton more of Summer! Also, next chapter you'll finally see what 'Plan B' really is. No hints this time, however.

So, how did you like it? Or how did you despise it? Did I take a road you didn't expect? Did you not want it to go this way? Are you interested or have i terminally turned you away from all types of literature in our known species? Please, let me know! While I wait and tally the results, I'll be working on next chapter in order to procrastinate on studying for finals (kill me, please?).

As always,

Until Next Time.