6th of the 34th Week

Dear Diary,

Another win for Team RWBY!

Our journey into the new "Forever Fall Crevice" went really well. There was apparently an earthquake recently, though no one could really feel it in Vale, and it opened up a big crack. Normally this wouldn't be too interesting, but someone figured out that it opened up into a big cave system, and the teachers thought it would be a good opportunity to give us a lesson.

A bunch of teams went out today, and I'm pretty sure that more are going out tomorrow too. I don't know all of them, but JNPR and CRDL were there too. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with them, and I'm pretty sure Jaune fell down or something and twisted his ankle. We didn't hear anything from them after that, so I guess they got taken back.

Anyways, the lesson was pretty awesome. We got shown the importance of being totally alert and aware of your surroundings, and got to walk around in an old creepy cave; though the part about how to survey an area was a little dull. They just kept telling us how important it is to pay attention to every little detail, and how if you ever get put on a scouting mission, you should be sure to remember or document everything you see. I mean, who has the time for that?

I made sure to stick close to Yang, Weiss, and Blake. I know I'm supposed to be the leader, but I'll admit, I was a little freaked out. We kept hearing a bunch of weird scuttling sounds, but Oobleck kept telling us it was the water flowing across the rocks. I guess he was right. Now that I think about it, there isn't a lot else it could've been.

I did keep seeing the walls move, or at least I thought i did. It was never really too noticeable, but little pieces kept on shifting around. I tried to show the others, but Yang said it was just water dripping down the wall. Weiss called me a child, and I might have gotten a little angry, but Blake got us all to shut up before any teachers heard us arguing.

I want to say that I believe Yang, but I just don't know. I really think that the wall was moving.

Anyways, we were together for most of the time. Yang and Blake had gotten separated from me and Weiss for a few minutes, but we managed to track them back down again. Blake looked a little panicked, but I didn't ask why. Maybe I should have.

It's too late now anyways. Blake is asleep. At least, I think she is. Everyone else is too, so I should probably get to sleep. Blake keeps making weird sounds, though. I feel like I should talk to someone about that.

That's all that happened today, and it's the weekend tomorrow. We should probably go and see if Jaune is alright (that will be fun to convince Weiss to do) and see if there's anything that we can help with. I'm sure that Pyrrha will appreciate the offer.

Goodnight!

-Ruby

7th of the 34th Week

Dear Diary,

The visit to Jaune went well, and it turned out that I was right. He got his ankle caught in a hole, and twisted it when he tried to pull it out. He was pretty embarrassed about that, so instead of talking about his injury, we talked about the cave.

He didn't get to see a whole lot of it, so he wanted to hear what it was like down there. I kind of get the feeling that he was expecting something a little more exciting than looking around a dark, dank cave with flashlights. I feel a little bad that there weren't any incredible experiences to share, but it really was just walking around in a slightly spooky cave.

We were going to do a few things we normally do, like going out for lunch and go shopping, but all of us kind of decided that it would be best to skip on those.

I don't think that Blake is feeling super good. I would say that she probably caught something in the cave, but I don't think that makes much sense. If she had caught it in the cave, the rest of the people who went down in there should've gotten sick too. I feel fine, and Weiss and Yang both seem like they're doing fine. Blake, though, seems like she's got a fever. She keeps swaying on her feet like she's about to fall over, and mumbling to herself, like there's someone else talking to her.

I'm pretty sure that Weiss has noticed, and Yang told me that she's worried. It seems a lot like the time that she didn't sleep. She doesn't look tired, though. Her eyes unfocused easily, and she seems really inattentive.

Yang and I have been talking, and if she doesn't start to get better by tomorrow, we're going to talk to her about it. She hasn't said anything yet, but I really doubt that Blake would complain even if her foot got cut off. So far, we haven't told Weiss anything about what we're going to do. If we do, it might make Weiss worry, or try and tell Blake about it before we're totally ready.

I really hope that Blake isn't sick. I know it sounds stupid, but that just wouldn't be fair. Everyone's asleep again, so I should probably go to sleep too.

Goodnight!

-Ruby

1st of the 35th week

Dear Diary,

I'm really starting to get worried now. I guess I should just start at the beginning of today, because a lot happened. When I woke up, I was pretty sleepy, just like I always am. I usually take a shower first thing, which all of us do, but when I looked over at Blake, I saw that she was sweating.

It wasn't like the normal waking-up-from-sleep sweat, she looked like she was completely soaked. That robe that she always wore to bed was dark and heavy looking, and was sticking to her skin like she had run a hundred miles in her sleep.

Again, I didn't say anything, and no one else seemed to have noticed. I was getting really nervous, because there was obviously something wrong with her. I didn't want to just come out and say it though, and I was still really tired, so I slid out of bed and went to take a shower. Maybe it wasn't the best time, I know, but I figured that everything would be better once I was more awake.

I hit the ground a little harder than I meant to, and Weiss looked up from her Scroll, making some sarcastic comment. I don't remember what it was, but it wasn't very good. I just grabbed my clothes and started walking to the bathroom.

Hot showers always help wake me up, but another really weird thing happened. The door to the bathroom opened about halfway through, and I heard someone else walking on the tile. That wasn't a big deal, the showers are in stalls, so we end up taking showers at the same time a lot. Usually though, if someone is already in mid-shower, we announce ourselves, so someone just plodding towards the stalls was kind of creepy.

I called out, you know, "Who's there?" but the only answer I got was a quiet mumbling that I could barely hear over the water. That was enough to tell me it was Blake.

The shower next to me turned on, and I heard Blake slowly walk into the water. I stayed quiet for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say, then I felt the water running past my feet get hot. I don't mean like the normal hot, I mean like boiling and steaming hot. Hotter than I even knew the showers at Beacon could get.

It was early in the morning, and I was half asleep, so my first reaction was to take a quick step towards the door to my stall, and get out of the water. I forgot how slippery the tile is when it's wet, though, and fell into the door.

It swung out, a hinge popping off and clattering against the ground, and I yelled as I hit the ground. It knocked the wind out of me, and I lay there for a few seconds before looking back around to Blake's stall, about to ask her what she was doing.

The stall door was still open, and she was just standing there, not moving at all as the huge cloud of steam around her started to fill up the room. Even though the water had to be burning her, she was still as pale as ever, like her body didn't know what was going on.

I don't remember exactly what I shouted at her as I started to pick myself off the floor, but I remember that she didn't even flinch.

I'm not really too sure about this next part, but it couldn't have been just my imagination. As I scrambled back to my feet, I think I saw something on Blake's body. I really don't know what it was, but it almost looked like some kind of worm. It looked weird, like a mix of the hard black hide that Grimm have, and the fleshy, gross texture of a leech. It was attached at both ends vertically, down the middle of her back. It looked like its body was pushed up against her, but I'm not sure.

That was all I managed to see before the bathroom door basically exploded open, and Yang came running in. She looked at me first, and started to come towards me, a confused look on her face, but I pointed, shouting, "There's something wrong with Blake!"

This time she reacted, turning to face me. She looked right at me, and for a second, I didn't recognize her. Every muscle in her face had gone slack, giving her a weird mask-like look, but that wasn't the thing that really grabbed my attention.

Her eyes were glowing red. Not really in like the horror movie way, where they just change color, but in focus too. I could feel that Blake was staring at me, sizing me up, like she was guessing a meal portion.

Then Yang stepped in front of me, and it was gone. She blinked, and her eyes turned normal again. That didn't stop Yang from running forward and reaching out to grab Blake. I didn't have time to warn Yang how hot the water was before she was being sprayed head-to-toe with it, making to pull Blake out.

I could see the shock on her face when she felt the water, and reached out to try and help extract Blake. Instead of letting me help her pull, she just shoved Blake out, hoping for me to catch her. I did my best, and managed to stop Blake from cracking her head open on the hard tile. Yang was next to come out of the shower, practically throwing herself out too. I could see that her skin was already starting to burn.

I set Blake down on the floor, trying not to hurt her any more, and helped Yang to her feet. She got up, looking down at Blake with a very concerned expression. The way that Blake had fallen shielded the thing on her back from view, but I still pointed, starting to stutter that I had seen something. I just couldn't put my thoughts into words. It had all happened too fast.

After all that, Yang rushed me out of the bathroom, grabbing the clothes I had brought in with me and shoving them into me before grabbing my shoulders, turning me around, and walking me out the door.

Weiss was standing in the middle of the room, peering into the bathroom with a confused look on her face. When I staggered out, totally naked and dripping wet, Weiss turned her head quickly to the side and asked what was going on.

After I got dressed and dried, I told her what I knew, about the shower, Blake sweating in her sleep, and the thing on her back. Unfortunately she didn't know anything about it.

We talked for a while more, wondering what could be wrong with Blake. Weiss thought that she might have been having a seizure, but I knew it had to be something else. Seizures didn't change eye color, and it didn't explain the leech thing.

Yang and Blake spent a lot of today in the bathroom, alone. Weiss and I tried to get them to come out, but the most Yang would do was tell us to go away. I practically begged at the door, and all Yang said was, "It's fine, don't worry!" and "I'm going to take care of it!"

I want to believe her, but I just can't. This whole situation is just too weird. I want to call for someone, like Ooblek, or Ozpin, but Yang keeps telling me I don't need to. She's fixing Blake in there, and she just doesn't want us to see her like that. Weiss keeps telling me that the whole thing is out of our hands, and that we need to go for help.

I just don't know what to do. Things are bad, and Weiss could be right, but Yang is my sister! She would never lie to me.

Ozpin wasn't lying when he said that being a leader is hard. I managed to make a deal with Weiss. We're going to wait a few more hours, and see what happens.

God, I hope they're ok in there.

-Ruby

1st of the 35th week (continued)

Dear Diary,

Blake and Yang came back out of the bathroom. Yang had an arm over Blake's shoulder, keeping her close. Blake seemed more aware, but now Yang seemed like she was becoming more absent. We tried to talk to her about what had happened, but she kept losing focus, and slipping off into what seemed like a trance.

Something changed with Blake. She isn't absent anymore. If anything, I'd say she's a lot more focused now. She's jumpy, too. Any time anyone speaks, her head jerks in their direction, and she just sits in her bed, blankets draped over her.

I can't be totally sure, but I think that her eyes are still glowing. It's constant now, and I'm sure that she's trying to hide her eyes from the rest of us. She's being very careful not to look directly at us, and I think she knows I'm writing about her. She keeps glancing over at me, and I feel like she's planning something.

Yang started to get sick around the time the sun started to go down. At first she was curled up on her bed, sort of passed out, then she started to shake. Me and Weiss were about to go to her side and check on her, but before either of us built up the nerve, she rolled over, puked off the side of her bed, and ran towards the bathroom.

Her steps were wide and uncoordinated, like she was disoriented, before the door slammed shut behind her. After that happened, I looked down at Weiss, and she was just as horrified as I was.

Whatever Blake had, it seems that Yang has it now.

I'm really scared now. If my feeling about Blake is right, and she is planning something, then Yang could be in on it too.

I don't want to think about this, but what if whatever it is that they have somehow changes them? Not like a normal disease, but like rabies or something. Something that changes who the person is.

I've been messaging Weiss with my Scroll, and we both agreed to sneak out during the night, and get Ozpin's help. It's the only thing we can do.

I just hope that he can help in some way, or at least tell us what's wrong.

2nd of the 35th week

It didn't work. I can't believe it didn't work. We were so careful. And now Weiss…

I should start at the beginning, while I still have time.

Weiss and I were awake, lying in bed, until the time that we'd agreed on leaving. We were both eager to go, though. About half an hour, Yang stopped vomiting in the bathroom, and went back to her bed. I didn't want to look at her, though. I knew I wouldn't like what I saw.

About two hours after midnight, Weiss tapped my bunk, signaling that it was time, and she was ready. I did my best to climb down quietly, and I'm sure that I didn't make any noise. Neither of us wanted to, but Weiss pulled out her Scroll, and passed a dim light quickly over our teammate's beds. They were both still there alright, but we could hardly see any of their bodies. They had blankets pulled tightly around themselves, and I thought I could see both of them moving under them, changing more.

I remember tugging on Weiss's shoulder, signaling that they should leave immediately. She seemed to agree, and we left as fast as we could.

The hallways were dead, just as you'd think they'd be. There was no sound at all, other than our footsteps. Or my footsteps, at least. Weiss didn't have her shoes on, and was barefoot. I felt bad, but there was nothing that I could do. The best thing we could do was hurry up, and get to Ozpin as soon as possible. We kept quiet and careful until we were out the door, then we both broke into a sprint.

Whatever was happening, we had to get help. There was no way that we could deal with it on our own.

We only made it about halfway there before I heard Weiss scream. Her words are going to be burned in my brain forever.

"Ruby, help me!"

When I turned to look over my shoulder, I felt my heart almost stop. Blake had Weiss by the throat, and was pulling her towards her face. Her mouth was open, and I could see her teeth were longer and sharper than any person's should've been. That didn't compare to her face, though.

The White Fang say they "wear the faces of monsters" but their masks don't even come close. One side of Blake's face was covered in a thick white plate, starting at the cheekbone, and working its way up the face. It looked half-formed, but the blood red lines that Grimm often had on their armor plates were already starting to appear.

Weiss was reaching out towards me, a desperate look in her eyes that I've never seen before. I was the only one who could save her. She knew it. I knew it.

I switched directions as fast as I could, trying to help her, but before I could even get my Semblance working, something slammed into me from the side, taking me to the ground.

The streetlights let me get a good look at who was holding me down, and it made me want to curl up and die right there.

Yang had the same burning red eyes Blake did, and looked at me with a terrifying smile. It didn't look like she thought she was attacking me at all, but like she was playing a game from when we were kids.

I remember how she used to pin me down and tickle me with her hair.

That obviously wasn't what was happening, though. Her mouth opened, and for a second I thought she was about to speak to me, but her jaw didn't stop where it should've. Instead, it kept opening, revealing her razor-like teeth. I kept thinking it had to stop at some point, it couldn't just keep going like that. But it did. Her lips split and her cheeks started to be ripped apart as her mouth opened wider than the skin was ever intended to do.

Yang's mouth was open wide enough that I could have fit my whole head inside, which made me wonder, what was she waiting for?

A retching sound from somewhere close by made me look away, and I saw Blake, her mouth stretched out like Yang's, a dark, slimy looking fluid pouring out. For a second, I couldn't see what she was doing, but then I saw Weiss's head still clutched in Blake's grip.

Her eyes were locked on Blake, a terrified expression on her face, and her mouth was wide open. Whatever was coming out of Blake's mouth was staining her white pajamas, and hitting the ground with a disgusting spattering sound. Her body was shaking, obviously trying to escape, but there was no way out. Her eyes were what got to me the most. As I watched, they flicked over to me, and it seemed like she was making one last-ditch effort to get me to help her.

The more I watched, the more I wished I could look away. The cool blue color that her eyes normally were started to shift, becoming a darker, glowing red. Her look changed to a smile.

I looked back to Yang in terror, realizing what was about to happen to me. Weiss looked like she had been robbed of all strength, all will to fight, and I didn't want to end up like that. I didn't want to turn into a monster.

I fought against Yang as hard as I could, pulling everything I had left to get away. In the end, I managed to get my feet on Yang's chest, and kick her off. I still have no idea how I managed to pull it off, but she flew a couple feet, and that was enough for me.

I stood back up as fast as I could, and took in the situation. Yang was now between me and Ozpin's office, and I knew better than to test her ability to grab me. It'd never worked when we were kids, and it wouldn't work now. I looked back over my shoulder, and say that Blake wasn't holding Weiss anymore, but sprinting towards me as fast as she could. I wanted to help Weiss, I really did, but I don't think there was anything I could have done. I mean, her eyes had changed already!

I ran.

I ran as fast as I could. Faster than my Semblance had ever carried me before, and I came here. The armory.

It was lucky, I guess, but I don't feel lucky. I feel like I'm just as much of a monster as them for letting Weiss get hurt, or whatever they did to her.

I managed to barricade the doors with lockers and stuff from around the room, but I don't know how long that will hold. I always thought the doors here were pretty big, but I never thought I'd be this thankful for it. I can hear them clawing at the doors, trying to get in.

I don't know if I should use Crescent Rose on them, or myself.

I don't want to be like them.

-Ruby

2nd of the 35th (continued)

I didn't have a choice. I had to do it. I'm so sorry Weiss.

I remembered Jaune talking about the time Cardin pushed him into his weapon locker and launched him away from the school, so I figured I had an alright chance of surviving the trip. I got in my locker and waited, hoping that they would just lose interest and leave.

They didn't.

Yang was the first one inside, and I wish I hadn't seen her. She had changed completely, there was nothing left of her face. It was all just that bone plate that had been growing before. Her eyes were so red, and her mouth hung open so far. She was still drooling that slime from before, and now I think I have a good idea of what it does.

Weiss and Blake came in behind her after she knocked down the doors, but I didn't look at them. I didn't want to see how much they had changed. I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare. I tried not to cry too loud so they wouldn't find me as I tried to guess the coordinates I'd have to use to get to Ozpin's office.

I must have made a little more noise than I meant to, because they started to come closer to my locker. I tried my best to keep quiet, even trying to hold my breath, but they just kept on coming closer and closer. I don't know if they remembered which locker was mine, and just figured out that I'd be in it, but it was like they knew.

I didn't have time to make sure that my coordinates were right, I just had to go. I hoped that they wouldn't react fast enough to catch what I was doing, but I was wrong. Weiss was the closest to me, and before the locker could get off the ground, she managed to jump on it, trying to tear the metal open to get at me.

Her face had been just a few inches away from the slots on the front, and I could see her eyes clearly. There was almost nothing left of the friend I had maybe an hour ago. All that was left was a kind of monster I'm sure I recognized. She was a Grimm now, she had to be.

The ride in the locker was bumpy, and I know I hit my head more than a few times, but the whole way, I kept my eyes lock with Weiss's. My tears made it hard, but I did my best. If there was any chance of her remembering who I was, I wanted to give it to her.

The locker had just started to turn sideways when it smashed through the glass wall of the office. I think a few shards got inside the locker, but I didn't feel anything. Then the locker hit the floor and Weiss lost her grip.

The door popped open, like it's supposed to do after every landing, and I got up. The locker stopped almost perfectly in the middle of the room, and Weiss was already getting back up off the floor.

I looked behind me, at the desk, and saw that Ozpin wasn't there. I can't believe I had been so stupid. Why would you be there this late?

I was alone with Weiss, and I was sure I knew what she wanted to do to me. I wasn't going to let her, though. I didn't want to fight, but she didn't give me a choice.

And now she's dead. It was a long fight, but I think she might have won anyways.

I tried my best to get her to stop, telling her who I was, screaming that I was her friend, and that she didn't have to fight me. That's how she got me.

I was trying to talk her down, and she jumped on me. Before I could do anything, she started doing the same thing that Yang had, and I couldn't shake her off. I was screaming for help when the first thing slid out of her mouth, and into mine. It was a long, black worm, and it slid down my throat before I could do anything about it. It was covered in the same black slime that Weiss had been covered with before, and she tried to force more down, but I managed to kick her off.

I lost it after that. It was too much.

Weiss fought hard, but I managed to bring her down. She didn't bleed anymore, it was all smoke. She's wasting away now, just like any Grimm. Soon she'll just be dust in the wind. She didn't deserve that.

I tried puking the worm up. I've tried so hard, for so long, but I can't get it to come up. I can feel it inside me, changing me. Even as I write, I can feel myself calming down, like it's no big deal.

Ozpin, I'm leaving this diary on your desk, where you'll have to see it. please, you have to do something. Don't let anyone else go into those caves, I'm sure that's where these things came from. Find Blake and Yang, and anyone else they might have hurt. You'll be giving them a mercy.

As for me…

I don't know what to do. I can't end it myself, I've tried already. I'm not strong enough. The only thing I can think to do is seal myself back in the locker, and wait it out. Maybe you'll come before I lose myself completely, but I don't know.

If you do come, and I can still talk, I wouldn't trust anything I say. It won't be me, I promise you that.

I want to tell you how wonderful you made my life ever since you accepted me into your school. You gave me a shot at my dream, and I was happy.

Tell my Dad that I loved him.

I'm sorry it had to end like this.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

-Ruby

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Author's Note:

Thank you to the wonderful Leivve for helping me out with this, it was much appreciated.

I don't think I'm a huge fan of this diary-style or 1st person in general, but hey, tell me how I did with it.

As always, all reviews are very much appreciated. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like!