Blood Red, Snow White

[Ruby Rose]

CHAPTER 6
PAGE 1

Dear Diary,

I kinda lost my fight with the mohawk-guy... Wakka, I think my ear caught his name? I dunno. But... I realised something in there... this world isn't as nice or accommodating as I had originally anticipated. No, I had originally suspected, rather naively, that auras took effect here. I was mistaken in the arena. Every single blow that studded ball crushed me with burned like an inferno, every single broken bone was well and truly snapped - no special shield to absorb damage, no limits as to how much damage could be dealt...

The only word I had for it was hell... and man, if you know me, that's a word I think I've never spoken.

But I wasn't the only one suffering. Oh no, I had done twice - no, three times the amount of damage to my opponent than I thought I had... lemme recap what happened nearing the end.

---

My hand shook wildly as it rummaged within the potato sack-like bag. My dainty, pale fingers finally clasped around the rickety wooden shaft of the final bolt, and my digits savoured the feeling, much like one might savour the remaining drops in a bottle of wine. This last bolt could have been my saviour. Clenching my teeth in a last-ditch effort to halt my devilish vibrating, I locked the missile into place and drew it back until the satisfying click resounded from the weapon. I peeked out waving the spearhead towards the center of the battlefield, bolt head poised to impale my opponent...

Wait, impale? It had taken me long enough to realise. Had I noticed such a scary notion earlier, I might not have been so devastated... but once it eventually hit, all signs of rational thought escaped my eyes. While my mind was busy beating itself up with a spike club over the fact that I had actually sunk a projectile into another living thing's flesh, my body escaped the leash it had been bound by and rushed at the mohawked man.

Golden orbs wide with fear from the sudden change in tactic, the man backpedaled, pushing his ball out as if wishing some form of protective barrier would magically sprout from the sky-coloured pattern. Despite his extremely fruitful defense, a crude spear head tore a ragged chunk out of his hip, and a muffled scream escaped his lips.

---

I might have had a feral front... but my mind was dark... I could see myself, crouched against a pitch black wall, unaware of the murder my body was attempting to commit. Make it stop, make it stop! Were the words that resounded off of the walls of what was presumably an ebony box. Every single savage movement could be felt in my head, like a bolt of lightning striking my pain receptors with each maniacal swing I made. I was changing... was I really going to go insane?!

She's a hazard to my health!

Weiss's voice stung like a wasp... was I really a hazard? No... I had to be strong and fight through this, like all those heroes from the fairy tales!

Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale.

Blake this time... why?! WHY ME?!

What are you, insane?

Weiss again. The memories kept hitting me, like a punch with spiked knuckles... but then my head perked up when a new, comforting voice arrived.

Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet. But at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?

"O-Ozpin..." I mumbled, and began reaching out, as if attempting to grasp some tangible piece of the headmaster. "N-no... y-you're wrong... I-I'm a disgrace to team RWBY... they s-should be thankful I'm gone..." I complained, sobbing lightly. I knew it was only a memory, but I responded nonetheless... but my steady downpour of tears abruptly halted with Ozpin's next spoken words.

Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?

He was right... if I didn't try to overcome something like this, what was the point in Weiss, Blake and Yang following my lead in the first place? "T-they don't have any reason." I agreed, wiping my soaked eyelids with an ebony sleeve. "I-if I don't try at all, there was no reason for them to follow me from the start... but they did anyway." I could feel the suffocating box of shadow begin to brighten, and one final sentence filled my ears.

You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility Ruby, I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it.

"Will do." I replied, grinning brightly once more.

---

My silver eyes focused once more... but sadly to the image of an oblique, round object... it wasn't very pleasant being sent straight back into blackness.

---

Dim torchlight filtered in through my eyes as they creaked open like a duo of rickety drawbridges. I groaned, as if waking up on a normal morning in my dangerously perched bunk bed back in Beacon. It took me quite some time to regain my bearings, but after laying prone for a minute or so, I actually felt bothered to swing my legs out of the infirmary bed I laid in. I yawned and stretched, head groggy and most of all sore.

I wanted to check out the results for the rest of the Colosseum, but wasn't exactly sure how mobile devices worked in the Omniverse. Oh well, only one way to find out! I decided... had I said it out loud it would have been much more of a moan than a fully-fledged shout as my thoughts had implied. Focusing was a painful practise in my predicament (okay, how many times have I alliterated already?), but my mind's eye visualised a phone in due time, reminiscent of those we used back in Vale.

A familiar wait inserted itself into my palm and I laid eyes upon a transparent device, presently sleeping, with a grey casing and holographic screen. Grinning softly, I clicked the device to life, but my smile warped to an expression of confusion as I was brought to the 'Dataverse'... it sounded strange, but I could only guess it was the Omniverse's edition of our internet. I scrolled down the menus until I arrived at the Colosseum results.

I scanned the names, searching for one in particular... and unluckily enough, Rin lost against his opponent, Tartaros... grim name, really.

My curiosity getting the better of me, I searched more names... Black Star... Dante... Beside Dante, I noticed Wakka and gave him a silent congratulations, before realising something.

"Thank you." I whispered, as if the device would relay the message to Wakka. "If you hadn't have knocked me, I dunno what I would have done." My sign of gratitude finished, I scanned for more names... I noticed Shulk also lost, against Kakashi...

And who would have thought? Kanda had entered. To my slight delight, he, too, lost against Ms. Marvel... sounded like a woman who'd boast about herself but who was I to judge?

One final scan... I noticed more unfamiliar names... Adam Gaite won against Ballad, whoever they were... Oko-

No. Way. My heart leaped into my throat, and possibly raced there for a few moments, too. Beside Okor... was the unmistakable name, 'Weiss Schnee'.

Frowning, I dumped the device into a pocket on my skirt and glided off of the bed, racing along the dusty stone floor, frantically searching for a sign, a clue as to where-

Who needs clues? I skidded to a halt, kicking up at least half a kilo of dust. Before me stood a head of snow white hair, facing away from me. The girl's jacket was discarded, revealing the major cuts, burns and bruises she had racked up from her battle with Okor.

Only four words left my mouth:

"W-Weiss? Is that really you?"