Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Don’t Stop Til’ the Finish

From the moment Ruby Rose could walk, she wanted to run. It had appealed to her as much as gunsmithing had. The simple ability to go really fast whenever she wanted; it's what kept her happy throughout her childhood. Speed. So when her semblance finally blossomed as basically speed incarnate, she was over the moon. Whenever she wasn’t tinkering with her weapons in her spare time, she was out there going fast, pushing her Semblance to its limits and then blowing past them in a storm of rose petals.

Yet when it came down to it, she just wasn't fast enough.

“Faster, I need to be faster.” That’s all Ruby thought as she ran up the side of the Beacon clock tower. "Weiss is relying on me. Pyrrha is relying on me. Beacon is relying on me.”

So she kept running. Faster and faster until she reached the top, only to come face to face with a massive dragon Grimm, and Pyrrha on her knees before Cinder. “Apologies, child.” She said with a sneer. “Looks like you weren’t fast enough this time.” Cinder motioned at the dragon to deal with Ruby while she aimed her bow directly at Pyrrha’s heart. The dragon roared, and with a flap of its inky wings, it blew Ruby off the clock tower.

“You weren’t fast enough this time.”

“Weren’t fast enough.”

“Not enough.”

That was the last thing that went through her mind before her vision went silver.

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Vodka loved running. All Umas did. Speed was in their nature, but Vodka loved speed a bit more than others. Mainly, the speed of a motorcycle. The feel of the wind through her hair, the way her tail flowed behind her, weaving through the traffic —it was perfect.

“Slow down, you dummy! Are you trying to get us killed?”

Well, almost perfect.

Currently pressed into her back and holding on for dear life was her roommate and rival, Daiwa Scarlet. Nothing new for Vodka, even if the two pillows pressed into her back made her heart race for some reason.

“Oi, something you wanna say about my drivin’?”

Daiwa huffed. “I’d rather be running instead of riding with you on your oversized piece of scrap metal!”

“Hey! This ain’t scrap metal! It's a Suzuki V-Strom!” Said Vodka indignantly. “This cost me almost a year's worth of winnings!”

“Haah? You really blew an entire year’s worth of racing money on this?”

“Yeah! Got a problem?”

And so the two bickered as usual, all the way till the entrance of a forest path. Vodka took off her helmet with a flourish of her head, the same way she’d seen Tanino Gimlet and other bikers do. There was no reason to do this other than looking kinda cool, so it was right up her alley. Her passenger sighed, well used to her roommate’s antics. “Are you done being extra?” snarked Daiwa. Vodka bit back a sigh. “No one ever appreciates my flair for style.”, grumbled Vodka as she helped Daiwa off the motorbike.

“Why are we here anyway?” asked Daiwa.

To this, Vodka finally cracked a proud smile. “This is where my old man took me to run as a kid.”, she said, puffing out her chest. “It’s got rough terrain, loose rocks everywhere, and dangerous side paths at every turn. It’s perfect for getting stronger and faster!”

Daiwa stared, absolutely flummoxed at this. “...I think all that motor oil is getting to your head.”

Vodka was not deterred. “What’s wrong? Think ya can’t keep up with me?” she asked with a hint of smugness. “I don’t blame you. I am the best, after all.” Just as planned, this immediately triggered Daiwa’s competitive spirit.

“Hey! Just name the finish line! I’ll show you who's the best!” Shouted Daiwa. Now that was the hothead that Vodka knew.

She pointed to the top of a mountain that could barely be seen over the treetops. “Up there, there's a sightseeing and rest spot. That’ll be our finish line.” She looked over her shoulder at Daiwa with taunting eyes. “That’s assuming you can keep up with me.”

Daiwa angrily marched to the start of the trail, shoving Vodka to the side a bit. “I’ll have you begging for forgiveness on your knees after this!”

Vodka cooly brushed her shoulder off and lined up next to her, pulling a stopwatch out of her pocket and setting it to five seconds. “We go when this beeps, alright?” Daiwa merely gave a nod of affirmation and tensed into her racing stance. Vodka did the same and started the timer.

5…

Vodka narrowed her eyes.

4…

Daiwa took a deep breath.

3…

Vodka grit her teeth.

2…

Daiwa flexed her fingers.

1…

Both felt their muscles tense.

BEEP

Just like that, both of them were blazing down the trail. Vodka, despite not being a Front Runner, easily took the lead due to her familiarity with the trail. She looked behind her, expecting to see Daiwa struggling, yet she actually managed to keep pace with her. “That's Daiwa for ya. Won’t settle for anything less than the best,” thought Vodka. “And I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Even as the trail got steeper and steeper, Daiwa would always be slightly behind her. Unfortunately for Vodka, as the trail evened out into a spiral path, Daiwa started to catch up, inch by inch. Vodka, however, while lacking in conventional smarts, made up for it with uncanny intuition and planning on the fly.

Daiwa’s running style is a Pace Chaser, meaning she had a solid instinct for when to try and overtake first place. Vodka, on the other hand, runs as a Late Surger, meaning whatever instincts Daiwa had, Vodka had em in spades. Vodka knew opportunities to overtake when she saw them, so naturally, she knew exactly how to prevent the overtake. She focused her ears, listening for the moment the footsteps shifted from behind her to the outside lane, and copied her. Daiwa would go right, trying to pass, and Vodka would shift right, blocking her. Daiwa tried to move to the now-open inside lane, but Vodka was there one step ahead of her.

“Heh,” thought Vodka as she approached the last straight until the top, “This win’s going to me!”

Just as she thought this, her eyes began to glow with a warm orange light, and her world went grayscale.

“The hell is this? Why can’t I move the way I want?”

Even as her mind told her body to stop, her legs kept moving. To her left, a tree started falling in their direction. Vodka managed to leap out of the way in time, but Daiwa wasn’t fast enough. The falling tree crushed her legs, and Daiwa let out a bloodcurdling scream. As Vodka tried to process the shock, her eyes returned to normal, and her vision regained full color. Behind her, Daiwa was still right on her tail. To her left, a tree started falling in their direction.

Vodka’s mind was reeling. “Wait, this is just like-DAIWA!” she screamed in panic. Out of sheer desperation, Vodka grabbed Daiwa by the arm and yanked her forward with all her strength. They both stumbled, and the tree crashed, missing Daiwa’s feet by an inch. Vodka let out a shaky sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding. On her right, Daiwa tried to regain control of her breathing.

“That…was way too close…” she finally managed to say after a few moments, once the adrenaline started to wear off. “I…could’ve broken…both…of my legs if you didn’t pull me.”

“Yeah, don’ worry about it. C’mon, Dai, the end’s just over the-” Vodka’s knees buckled and gave out beneath her. “Hoo boy, must’ve used more energy than I thought. Guess that means you win the race by default.”

Daiwa gave her a very firm chop on the head. “Of course, that’s still on your mind, you dummy. You saved my legs, so we’ll call it a tie, alright?” She picked her up in a bridal carry. “Let’s get you to that rest spot you were talking about earlier.”

“Oi, Oi, put me down!” yelped Vodka, rosy-faced with embarrassment. “I can walk just fine!”

“You can barely stand,” pointed Daiwa. “Now quit squirming and let me carry you.”

It took a bit more convincing, but Vodka finally stopped and let herself be carried. “I’m supposed to be cool,” she muttered to herself, her face still doing an impression of a tomato. “Bein’ carried like a princess is the opposite of cool.”

“Oh, hush you. It’s not like there’s anyone here to see it.”

Well, it at least gave Vodka time to think about what happened.

…

“What the hell did happen anyway?” she pondered. “Some sort of vision? A scarily accurate hallucination? Some really weird mushrooms? Whatever it was, it just saved Daiwa’s racing career. Jeez, I can’t imagine what it’d be like, never racing with Scarlet again.” She, in fact, could imagine what it would be like without Daiwa Scarlet by her side, and she didn’t like it. It was empty. No one to push herself against, no one to nag about training too hard, just Vodka missing a massive piece of herself. “Man, she’s really made an impact on my life. I’m lucky to have a friend like her by my side for all these years.”

“What’s so special about this place anyway?” asked Daiwa. “Why’d we have to drive half an hour for a trail that’s like any other?”

Vodka only smiled. “Right up there. You’ll see,” she said, gesturing to a lone bench overlooking the forest.

Daiwa huffed, but didn’t complain as she set Vodka on the bench and sat beside her. After a minute of silence, she finally spoke up. “I never gave you a proper thanks for saving me back there.”

Vodka waved it off. “No need. It’s what anyone woulda done.” She took a swig of barley tea from her hip flask. “It’s the decent thing to do, ya know?”

Daiwa shook her head. “I know some Umas that would’ve let my legs get crushed. Less competition that way. It would’ve been less competition for you that way. Yet you still saved me. So why?”

“'Cause it ain't the same without you on the track with me.” Admitted Vodka. “You’re half the reason I’m as strong as I am today. You gave me a second purpose, someone to challenge, someone to always improve against. As selfish as it sounds, I want to keep running by your side forever.”

“...sniff”

“Daiwa?”

She looked to her left and saw her rival trying her best not to cry. Key word here being ‘trying.’ “S-Shut up, you sappy dumbo,” muttered Daiwa, lacking any venom behind her words. “You still haven’t told me why we’re all the way out here in the first place.”

“Well, this place is special to my family. The first time my parents met, it was on this bench right here,” she gave the ancient wood a firm tap. “They kept meeting here until they started going out, and when my old man proposed, it was right here.” Vodka gazed off into the horizon, a wistful look in her one visible eye. “You see that sunset? That’s the first thing my Ma n Pops saw together, and it was also the last.”

The pair let the final glow of the day warm their faces. Across the horizon, the orange ball dipped lower and lower, casting an amber light over the hill as the shadows grew longer. A cool breeze graced their faces, a gentle reprieve from their prior exertions. Behind the rivals, unbeknownst to them, their tails slowly entwined. It was a delicate scene, one that could’ve been carved from glass. Unfortunately, the glass had to shatter eventually. And it was shattered by a loud THUMP from the forest that startled birds into the skies. Two sets of ears turned toward the noise.

“What was that?”

Vodka could only shrug in response. “Wanna go check it out?”

The logical part of Daiwa’s mind said to leave it alone. It could be a bear or something else dangerous and should probably be avoided. The Vodka part of Daiwa’s mind said, “Let’s go for it, full throttle!” “Sure, why not?” And so off they went, off the beaten path and into the unknown.

The first and most obvious thing that both of them thought was ‘Man, it’s dark’. What little sunlight remaining was shrouded by the dark canopy of the trees, meaning they had to rely on their other senses until their vision adjusted. “C-Come on, let’s s-see what's out there.” Said Daiwa in a trembling voice. Vodka was not doing much better. “W-What's wrong? Scared?” asked Vodka, fighting her primal instinct to hoof it in the other direction as fast as her legs could take her.

“Scared? Me? In your dreams.” With this newfound resolve, she grabbed Vokda’s hand and dragged her deeper into the unknown.

“Wha- Hey!” Vodka tried not to stumble over her feet as she was marched further from the light. “Do you even know where we’re going?” Daiwa paused mid-stride.

Vodka huffed. “And you call me the hot-headed one. Now we’re in the middle of who knows where chasing some weird noise that we probably shouldn’t even be following, and-” Vodka was cut off mid-rant by Daiwa slapping her hand over her mouth. “Shh! Hear that?”

Vodka’s ears twitched. She strained them as much as she could, but heard nothing. “Nah. Why?” That’s when it hit her. She heard nothing. No chirping of birds, no rustling of the leaves above her, no calls of any animal that might be living there. Just pure silence, as if the world was holding its breath for something. “...Oh. I see the problem.”

As Daiwa and Vodka were silently debating the merits of running away, something in the undergrowth finally made a noise. Vodka clung to Daiwa with a subtle “Eep!” and Daiwa clung back. Both of them were frozen in terror for a few tense moments until Vodka worked up the courage and untangled herself from Daiwa. Gingerly, she reached for the bushes and pulled them away in one swift motion to reveal…

An Uma.

The two of them let out a sigh of relief. “Just an Uma,” called Vodka over her shoulder.

Daiwa came in for a closer look. She had black hair and pale skin, with a pair of short ears on top. “Kinda like Rice Shower with shorter hair,” mused Daiwa. That was pretty much where the similarities ended, though. What was presumably her racewear was quite unusual. It was a very dark red, almost bordering on black, with lighter hints of red along the inside of her strangely puffy skirt and neckline. What stood out, however, was the silver buckle of a rose on her hip and the red cloak around her shoulders. The mysterious girl let out a groan and shifted slightly. She sat up with a yawn and opened her silver eyes. It took a minute, but she finally noticed Daiwa and Vodka staring at her.

“Um, hi. I’m Ruby Rose. Who are you?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Welcome to Tracen Academy

“Um, hi. I’m Ruby Rose. Who are you?”

Daiwa gently knelt beside her. “I’m Daiwa Scarlet. This dork over here is Vodka.” She said, gesturing at Vodka, causally leaning against a tree.

“Oi,” grumbled Vodka. “You looked in a mirror lately?”

Daiwa whipped her head around with an indignant ‘Haah?’ “What's that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just sayin’ it's the pot callin’ the kettle black here.” She ignored her partner’s complaints to address Ruby. “She’s right about one thing. Vodka’s the name, and it belongs to the coolest Uma to ever exist!”  She puffed her chest out at this last statement before quickly shifting to concern. “You hurt anywhere?”

Ruby shook her head. “No, I don’t think I am, at least. Head’s kinda fuzzy though.” 

“D’you at least know how you got here?” 

Another shake of the head. “The last thing I remember is this really silvery light then…I woke up here.”

“Anything else come to mind?”

Ruby thought about it for a moment. She racked her brain as hard as she could, but she couldn’t remember anything before that flash of silver. “Sorry, no.”

Daiwa and Vodka exchanged a look. Ruby probably had some amnesia by the looks of things, so their best bet was to take her to Tracen for the time being. The problem was, Vodka’s bike really only fit two people safely and three people dangerously. “I could always give my trainer a ring,” mused Vodka.

“Even if you can get a signal, it doesn’t solve the problem that we still have no idea where the heck we are,” said Daiwa in a deadpan voice.

Vodka’s ears flattened at this. Somehow, she’d completely forgotten that they were in the middle of a dark and creepy forest with no visible path to take. “Oh. Right. Forgot about that.” 

Daiwa only gave a tired sigh in response.

Ruby tilted her head. “Trainer?”

Daiwa looked at her in confusion before remembering ‘Oh yeah, amnesia.’ “Yeah, trainers. They’re the ones responsible for making us faster and stronger for races.”

Ruby’s head tilted in the other direction. “Races? Like horse racing?”

This time, it was Daiwa’s turn to look confused. “What’s a horse?”

“Yknow, four legs, tall and strong, runs fast, all that?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

“We’ll talk about this later. Right now, we’re burning daylight and still have no idea how to get outta here,” Vodka said, cutting them off before they could go back and forth. “Anyone got any ideas that’s not ‘walk around and try to get lucky?’”

Unfortunately, they didn’t. 

“Walk around and try to get lucky, it is then.”

At least they could talk while walking. It’d give the Tracen pair a chance to explain to Ruby anything she’d forgotten.

“So, any questions, Rubes?” asked Vodka, leaning causally against her interlaced fingers behind her head.

“Uh, dumb question, what are you two?”

“In general or more specifically?”

“Both, I guess.”

“We’re Uma Musume, biologically stronger and faster than humans, gifted runners and physical workers, got a drive to race and perform, yada yada. If you need a more in-depth explanation or just want to be bored to sleep, ask Daiwa,” explained Vodka, ignoring the shout of complaint from her partner. “As for specifics, we’re professional racers at Tracen, basically an Uma-exclusive public school with a really good sports budget.”

“What about the trainers you mentioned?”

This time, Daiwa spoke up. “Those are normal people who tell us how to improve ourselves. Like telling us to work on speed or stamina, and what days to rest. They also sign us up for races to compete in, where we go up against other trained Umas for fame and cash prizes.”

“Do you two race against each other competitively?” The long-time rivals shared a look.

“We’ve gone against each other now and then,” said Scarlet evasively.

“And I’m currently winning!” proclaimed Vodka, puffing out her chest in pride.

“By one race.”

“It’s still one more race than you’ve won.”

“Oi, wait until the Shuka Sho, I’ll show you why I’m number one!”

Vodka’s shit-eating smirk refused to leave her face. “Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that~.”

Ruby looked back and forth between them like a tennis rally with an amused expression on her face. “You two seem to get along well.” 

The pair ignored her and continued their petty bickering until, through some stroke of luck, they reached the parking lot where Vodka’s bike was. More importantly, they had cell service now. 

“Aah, it’s good to be out in the open again,” she said, stretching languidly beneath the pale glow of the moon. “Wait, moon?” Lo and behold, the moon was high in the sky, compared to the sunset of what seemed like moments ago. “Shit, how long were we stuck in there?”

“Three hours, according to my phone,” answered Daiwa. 

Vodka groaned. “Jeez, how did we get lost that badly?”

Ruby spoke up. “Maybe it's cause you kept walking in circles and arguing?”

Both heads whipped in her direction. “And you didn’t say anything?”

A shrug. “I did. You kept ignoring me, so I kept watching. It helped pass the time at least.”

Daiwa groaned. “Well, we’re out at least. Which brings us to our next problem: our trainers are probably in bed this late at night, so I guess we should find an inn or something.” 

A scoff from Vodka. “For you, maybe. But I know my trainer’s still up cause he’s too cool for something like a sleep schedule.”

Meanwhile, Vodka’s trainer was still awake and binging old recordings of his trainee’s races because although sleep was something sane humans needed, he was neither sane nor fully human. 

“Hmm, Vodka almost lost on that last race ‘cause she got boxed in by the others on that last corner. I could have her take those turns wider, but that means she’d need more speed to make up for the wider curve. Alternatively, she could avoid the death box by cornering faster. I think Kitasan Black has a couple of pointers on that field.”

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of his phone ringing in his pocket.

‘Sunao ni I LOVE YOU! todokeyou Kitto YOU LOVE ME! tsutawaru sa-’ BEEP.  “Yo, Vod, what's up, kid?...What for?... Aight, I’ll be there in 10.” He hung up and grabbed his coat on the way out, his knees creaking from disuse. “I’m too young to be too old for this shit,” he thought to himself with a minor wince.

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Ten minutes later, Ruby found herself staring up at what she could best describe as a cowboy. Grey stirruped boots over a worn pair of jeans, and a fancy navy blue vest worn over a black button-up shirt. His face had a thin layer of beard growing, and the horse tail haircut looked like it was overdue for a combing. What really caught her eye, however, was the cold, piercing gaze of his eyes, sunken in with deep eye bags and sizing her up for something Ruby could only speculate on.

“Oi, ease off the analytical gaze, yeah? You’re scaring her.” Vodka elbowed him. She turned to the trembling girl. “Sorry ‘bout that. Every time he meets a new Uma, he does that stare of his while he gauges your style of running and all that other stuff a trainer should know. Gave me the spooks the first time he did it to me.”

The icy stare warmed to a cool breeze as his stone-cut eyes somehow softened. He knelt at her eye level and spoke with a surprisingly gentle voice despite how gravelly it was. “Sorry, kiddo. I’m Vodka’s trainer. What’s your name?”

“R-ruby Rose,” she stammered out. 

He reached his hand out in a gesture of peace. “Nice to meet ya, Ruby.” 

Ruby gingerly shook his hand. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”

“Don’t have one. Just call me Torena or something along those lines.”

Daiwa cleared her throat. “So, what’s the plan? You drive me and Ruby while Vodka rides her bike?”

Torena winced. “Ooh, right, forgot to clear out the back this afternoon, so there’s really only the front seat. I could drive you while Ruby rides with Vodka. Whatcha say, Ruby?”

She thought about it. On one hand, he was still a very intimidating man, and getting into a car with strangers never ended well; on the other hand, Vodka and Daiwa trusted him, so it should be fine. More time for Daiwa to hang on to Vodka as well. “No, it’s fine. I can ride with you.”

“Alright. Guess Daiwa’s riding with Vodka again. You two good with that?”

Vodka nodded. “Sure. As long as Daiwa doesn’t try to squeeze my lunch out of my stomach again, we should be cool.”

“Well, maybe if someone didn’t drive like a maniac, I wouldn’t have to hold on so hard!” Daiwa shot back.

“You wanna say that to my face?”

“Yeah! You drive like a maniac!”

“Pack it in, you two,” interrupted Trainer. “You can argue back at the dorms.”

Both grumbled, but neither complained as they got back onto the cycle.

On the way back, the car was eerily quiet. Torena was staring ahead, seemingly into space, while Ruby remained silent, unsure how to break the ice. “So…those two. Have they always been like that?”

“Yep,” responded Torena, popping the ‘p’. “Ever since the first time I saw those two together two years ago, they’ve been at each other's throats.” 

“Any idea why?”

“Heh, not a single clue. The current working theory is that both are in denial.”

“Denial? Of what?”

“I think you know what I’m talking about,” he said with a knowing side eye.

Ruby, in fact, did not know what he was talking about. So instead of asking about it, she tried looking around for something in the car to talk about. Her eyes fell upon a photograph on the dashboard, illuminated every so often by the streetlamps passing by overhead. An Uma with three different hair colors, mainly a light, caramel brown with a curtain of darker brown closer to dark chocolate covering her forehead, and a single strip of white running down the middle. Her outfit was a royal set of forest green garbs, fit to be worn by an emperor, with a red half cape draped across her shoulders. More importantly, she was on the shoulders of a much younger and well-kept Torena, and an expression of pure joy on both their faces.

Torena noticed her staring at his photo. His face grew wistful. “Ah, I see you’ve noticed The Emperor.”

“We have an emperor?”

He gave a genuine laugh at that comment. “No, but I’m telling her you said that. That’s just the title she earned during her 3-year career. Wanna know how she got it?” 

And so, Ruby’s image of a cold man defrosted as he eagerly told her everything about Symboli Rudolf, the Emperor of Tracen Academy. “I was eighteen, fresh out of the trainers academy, and she was sixteen, a relatively new racer, and student council president. She’s mellowed out quite a bit, but back then, she was purely focused on being the best. No puns, no Teio, nothing.”

“Teio?”

“Oh yeah, Tokai Teio. My second trainee. I can tell you about her, but you should see her around campus. Anyway, back to Rudolf.”

Ruby was not the best at reading people, but it didn’t take a genius to see how much Trainer cared for his first protégé. How his hollow eyes would light up when singing praises about her victories, the subtle drop of the corners of his mouth when he talked about all the burdens she took alone, and the longing in his eyes when he said they parted ways after three years. “She’s still doing fine, and we call now and then, but she's all the way in Europe.”

 “...after those three years, I spent too much time on myself and not enough time with her, so when she left, I kept having regrets about all that lost time.” His eyes drooped ever so slightly and turned to face Ruby with a face full of melancholy. “If you have people you care about, cherish every moment you have with them. It might be the last time you see them for a while, if ever.”

With that depressing nugget of knowledge, he flattened his expression and turned back to the road. Ruby, however, could feel something stirring in her clouded memories. Flashes of a bright sun, whose warmth was always welcoming and light always guiding. A black shadow, never seen too close to the light, but always there with them. A maiden of snow, skin pale as the clouds, and a facade made from ice, sheltering the innocence and beauty that lay beneath.

Meanwhile, Vodka was trailing them on her bike and was starting to notice some things. Mainly, how good it felt to have Daiwa’s hands wrapped around her waist and the soft squish of her…chest muscles…on her back. Any kind of warmth against the night air was appreciated. For some reason, Vodka’s face was also warm. “Man, I think I’m sick or something. Hope Daiwa doesn’t catch it.” 

It wasn’t long before the four reached their destination. Torena nudged the young Uma, who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat.

“Wakey wakey, kiddo. We’re here.” Ruby only grumbled and turned the other way. “Ah, screw it, I’ll carry her.”

He picked up Ruby, similar to how one would carry a child. One arm was carrying the legs, and the other was on her back as she rested her chin on his shoulder. “Kinda like Teio,” he mused to himself.

Vodka locked up her bike and started heading towards her dorm, a similarly tired Daiwa held in a bridal carry. “You got everything handled, right?” 

Torena nodded. “I got it from here. I called the director and she said that we can borrow Spe’s and Suzuka’s old room. You two can call it a night.” 

Vodka gave a tired wave over her shoulder and headed toward her room. “Aight, I'll take Daiwa to bed then. G’night, man.”

“Hey, just keep it above the belt, will ya? You’re going to need some energy for tomorrow's training.” Torena called over his shoulder. Vodka looked back in confusion before noticing how she was holding her partner. Her face bloomed a brilliant shade of scarlet as the implications of his word hit her like a steel chair, and a trickle of blood ran down her nose to her bottom lip. She tried to stammer out a response, but no words came out as Torena barely suppressed his laughter and left to put the tired child to bed.

Ruby dreamt of another world. One with creatures of pure shadow, clawing their way towards the extinction of humanity. She saw herself bound above the crowd, powerless to do anything but watch as the world burned down. She wanted to turn away, hide herself from the violence of the world, but she couldn’t. An invisible force kept her gaze from wandering.

“You couldn’t save them, you merely abandoned them,” whispered a cruel voice in her head. “Even now, your selfishness can’t save you.” 

The dream shifted. Tokyo. An endless horde of Grimm poured from the mountains and hills. The JSDF tried to stem the flow, but it was to no avail. There were simply more Grimm than they had bullets. Hordes of Beowolfs swarmed the city, slaughtering any living being they could catch. Giant Boarbatusks tore through tanks and buildings like they were made of paper, and roosting on the Tokyo tower was a massive Dragon of bone and shadow.

“My children will find you, and when that happens, BOTH worlds will fall before me. Go ahead, run. Run as far as your legs will carry you. You only delay the inevitable.” 

The dragon roared, and its maw closed around Ruby with a loud snap.

Ruby woke up with a start in an unfamiliar room, which smelled strangely of carrots. She tried to rub the sleep from her eyes when she felt something taped to her forehead. It was a sticky note from Trainer, reading “Rise and shine, Ruby, and welcome to your new temporary home. Vodka and Scarlet should be down the hall to your right if you need help getting around. Tazuna and Director Akikawa are in the main office, and they’d like to talk to you sometime today. I’d recommend getting something to eat first from the cafeteria before Oguri eats everything. Training grounds are also open if you wanna go for a run. Be seein’ ya around, kid. T.”

Well, it would help get her mind off the nightmare. She hopped out of bed and opened the door…

Only to narrowly avoid being run over by a pink blur shouting “BAKUSHIN.” The force of the near miss was enough to knock her off her feet with an ‘oof’. “Oh my, I do hope you aren’t hurt,” said a voice from her side. 

Ruby craned her neck around to see a woman dressed in full green with long, brown hair and a similarly green hat. The mystery woman smiled at her. “You must be Ruby Rose, correct?” 

“Um, yes?”

The green woman bowed at a 90-degree angle. “I am Hayakawa Tazuna, the assistant to Director Akikawa. We welcome you to Tracen Academy.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Initiation Day

“Are you alright, Ms Ruby Rose?” asked Tazuna, offering a hand up. 

Ruby nodded. “I’m fine, thanks.” She took her hand and let herself be pulled up. “Who was that?” 

“That would be Ms Sakura Bakushin O.” Tazuna’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “I will have a talk with her about running in the halls,” she said, tone ice cold. Ruby felt a shiver up her spine. As quick as the chill came, it left, and Tazuna’s eyes and tone reverted to ‘kind assistant’ mode. “That is a discussion for later, though. For now, there should be a spare uniform in the closet. I’ll have your racewear washed during the tour.”

After Ruby had gotten changed into her school uniform, she was about to leave the dorm when the silver glint of her rose brooch caught her eye. Without fully knowing why, she attached it to her outfit, right above her heart. With that little addition to her uniform, Ruby felt complete and left the dorms to start the tour.

Tracen Academy was a grand series of buildings, almost like a college campus rather than a high school. Open-air buildings, plenty of leg room, and Uma-exclusive paths for running between classes. She got to see some of the classrooms, the cafe, and most importantly, the Statue of the Three Goddesses. 

“Ah, I see you’ve noticed the Statue,” commented Tazuna. “Often, Umas will subconsciously find their way to the statue when they need it most and return with renewed vigor.” 

“Is it magic or something?” Ruby asked. 

Tazuna laughed. “I’m afraid not, Miss Rose. It is simply an inspiration to us, which at times can carry us further than magic possibly could.”

The statue had some unnatural allure to it, and Ruby was compelled to step closer. As soon as she got within about a foot of it, the sun gleamed off the polished marble, and a strange vision blinded her. 

A red-haired woman in a white cloak stood watch over an oven. She hummed a tune to herself while waiting for the timer to go down, when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a tiny silver eye staring at her from behind a corner. The woman turned her head, and the eye disappeared. The shrouded baker hid a smirk, went back to the pastries, and continued humming like she’d never noticed. The owner of the silver eyes crept silently closer to the oven, wary of the cloaked figure's gaze. The ring of a timer signaled for the woman to retrieve the cookies.

“Hmm, I could use some milk to go along with these cookies,” she said to herself, noting the way her ‘secret’ observer prepared to make her move. When the woman left the kitchen, a young girl rushed to the tray. Before she could grab a cookie, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. “Oh, what’s this?” cooed the woman in the cloak. “A little thief?” 

The young girl giggled. “Mama! You weren’t supposed to see me!”

 Her mother only grinned. “You know nothing gets past a Huntress, little rose. Why are you trying to steal one anyway?”

The young girl’s grin only widened. “I wanted to be sneaky like Uncle Qrow. He said he’s a sneaky shadow man.” 

Her mother thought back to all the times they couldn’t find Qrow cause he was passed out in a corner somewhere. “Yeah, sneaky. Let's go with that,” she said dryly. “Why are you sneaking anyway? Did Papa say you can’t have any more?” 

The pout on her daughter’s face told her she’d hit the nail on the head. “He said it’s too much sweet stuff,” she mumbled. “He said, imma get  Dye-A-Bee-Tees.”

Her mother pretended to think. “Well, as long as you keep it a secret, I don’t think he’ll mind if you have one.” 

A starry universe of happiness gleamed in her daughter’s eyes. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before running off with her prize. “Summer, you’re babying her too much, you know that?” said a voice leaning against the doorframe.

The woman’s voice lost its cheerful shine. “I know, Tai. Ozpin’s sending me off again for a long time, so I’ve got to baby her as much as I can before then.” Summer’s gaze shifted to the woods, where a red-eyed raven was staring back. “Take care of Ruby while I’m gone, ok?”

The vision ended just as quickly as it had begun. “Is everything alright, Ms Rose?” called Tazuna from over her shoulder. 

Ruby shook her head to clear the haze of confusion. Ironically, the blinding light had started to clear some of the fog in her memories, like a lighthouse guiding the lost in the night. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a bit of light in my eye. You said we had one more place to go to?” 

The final destination turned out to be Director Akikawa’s office. Ruby didn’t know what to expect. A wise old man? A professional trainer? A retired Uma? The grand double doors slowly swung open, and Ruby was blinded by both the majesty of the office and the massive window letting the midday sun bleed into the room. The walls were decked with various photographs and assorted certificates of honor regarding the fame of the campus. Front and center was a mahogany desk littered with paperwork, memorabilia of past trainees, with a chair that could almost be called a throne sitting behind it. The chair slowly swiveled around to reveal...an eccentric dwarf of a woman with a white strip going through vibrant orange hair and a cat draped over her head. “Greetings and salutations to you, Ruby Rose!” 

“Uh, hello. Thank you for letting me stay the night,” said Ruby with a polite bow, tail nervously swishing behind her. 

The director waved it off. “Think nothing of it. Tracen prides itself on supporting any and all Umas, racing or otherwise. How are you liking the campus so far?” 

Ruby thought back to the past two hours. She had seen:

• A white haired Uma drop-kicking her trainer.

• That same Uma getting five different eye injuries over the course of two hours.
• Another white haired Uma eating almost the entire cafeteria’s worth of food.
• An Uma in a lab coat, trying to pour something into another’s coffee while a third restrained her.
• A trainer who looked like a mob enforcer, doing karaoke with his trainee.

“It’s pretty lively,” said Ruby in the understatement of the decade.

Director Akikawa nodded, seemingly content with her verdict. “So, you have amnesia, correct?” Ruby nodded. “In that case, Tracen Academy can enroll you as a temporary student until you regain enough of your memories or until someone who knows you comes to pick you up. Is that acceptable for you?”

There really wasn’t anything else to do, so Ruby agreed. “Alright, sure. Where do I sign?” 

She filled out a couple of general forms, including those for name, date of birth, and legal guardian, along with all the other boring bureaucratic details. Anything she didn’t remember was left blank to be filled out at a later date. 

“Marvelous!” announced Director Akikawa once Ruby had finished. “Now for the fun part, Aptitude Testing! Tazuna is waiting for you in the testing room. I’ll have Haru take you there.” 

A cheerful figure of pink burst through the door. “Hi~. Did someone call for Haru?”

Clad in red and white gym clothes and a multitude of band-aids on her legs was possibly the biggest ball of sunshine Ruby had ever met in her life. You could feel the warmth and happiness emanating from her sheer presence. Haru tilted her head at Ruby. “Oh? I haven’t seen you around before. Are you a new student?”

Almost immediately, all of Ruby’s worries and anxiety were washed away and replaced by a feeling of calm and contentment. “Yeah, Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you.” 

“Ooh, new friend! If you need anything, call for Haru Urara.”

“Oh, right. The director said you could take me to the testing room?”

“Of course! Just follow Haru!” She strode off with a jaunty pep in her step, and Ruby followed.

The office door closed, and the director's face turned pensive as she reviewed the documentation.

TRACEN ACADEMY OFFICIAL RECORDS

STUDENT: RUBY ROSE

DATE OF BIRTH: UNKNOWN

AGE: UNKNOWN

EXTERNAL NOTES: Severe amnesia. Reported to be found alone in the woods while unconscious by Students Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet. Senior Trainer <REDACTED> reports no observable external wounds nor probable cause of amnesia. Closer observation is recommended.

“Quite the enigma. Aren’t you, Ruby Rose?” mused the director. “I have a very good feeling about what you’ll bring to Tracen Academy.”

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“...And that's why Gold Ship can’t use the condiment dispensers anymore,” said Haru as she finished recounting a story featuring a certain quirky Uma. “To this day, no one knows how she ever came up with the idea to use them like that.”

Ruby didn’t know how to respond to the insanity that was a bored Golshi. “I didn’t know you could use mustard and relish in that way.”

“Yeah, neither could the rest of us. It took the staff days to get whatever that was off the ceiling, and the smell still lingered for about a month. At least Tachyon got ‘adequate data’, whatever that means.”

Speak of the devil, the white-haired menace in question ran past the two, chasing after another Uma with lavender purple hair. “McQueeeeeeeen, I swear, it's not going to be as bad as last time!”

Mejiro McQueen wisely kept running.

“Hi, Gold Ship! Hi, McQueen!” Haru called after them. McQueen managed a wave in her general direction while Gold Ship slowed down long enough to ruffle Haru’s hair. “Hey, Haru! Can’t talk, gotta run. We’ll chat later, ok?”

“Ok! Bye, Gold Ship!” she called after the rapidly disappearing form of the creature.

Ruby realized that she’d actually seen her before. “Wait a minute, she's the one I saw drop kick her trainer.” 

“Hm? Oh yeah. According to her, that's what her mom does to her dad and trainer, so I guess she’s following tradition.”

“...Right…”

“Anyway, here’s the training room. I’ll see you around campus, Ruby!”

“Bye, Haru!” She waved back at the cheerful ball of pink joy one last time before she entered the training room. 

Upon further inspection, calling it a training ‘room’ would be like calling a mansion a fancy house. Sure, you aren’t wrong, but it's also a vast understatement. It was essentially a miniature warehouse crammed to the brim with training equipment and various other fancy doodads. There was a mini turf track, approximately 500 meters in total distance, another track of the same length made of dirt, various uphill ramps, and that was just the track-related gear.

“Welcome to the testing room, Ruby Rose,” came a voice from behind her. Ruby spun around, tail and ears sticking straight up in surprise, while her arms reflexively reached for something no longer on her lower back. Thankfully, it was just Tazuna. “I apologize for scaring you.”

“No, no, it's fine. Just surprised me, that's all.” Ruby eased herself out of her panicked crouch. “Anyway, you said testing room?”

“Correct, Ruby. This facility is designed to assess your aptitudes for various types of tracks and running styles, as well as your overall physical capabilities. Now, let's begin with the most basic statistic, speed. Please run as fast as you can on this treadmill.”

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Two and a half grueling hours later, Ruby finally finished her aptitude tests and promptly collapsed. Luckily, she was not the first one to pass out from exhaustion after testing, so Tazuna guided her to a soft and cushioned area of the floor made with the sole purpose of letting tired trainees collapse in comfort. While Ruby was communing with the spirit of the floor, Tazuna pulled a blanket over her and examined the final results.

RUBY ROSE

TERRAIN

TURF: A 

DIRT: A

RUNNING STYLE

FRONT RUNNER: A

PACE CHASER: C

LATE SURGER: F

END CLOSER: F

RACE LENGTHS

SPRINTS: A

MILE: A

MEDIUM: B

LONG: D

PHYSICAL STATISTICS

SPEED: 792/1200

STAMINA: 556/1200

POWER: 416/1200

GUTS: 357/1200

WIT: 408/1200

“Hmm, it seems like Ms Rose is no stranger to racing,” mused Tazuna to herself. “Could use more Guts, however.”

She thought back to the conversation from the previous night with Torena and Director Akikawa. “That kid’s seen some shit. I don’t know how, or where, but she’s the eyes of a combat veteran,” said Torena after he’d tucked Ruby into bed. “She also might not look like it, but she’s got a lot of good meat on her bones. Probably enough to match Mejiro Ryan or Gold Ship in terms of raw power. You don’t get that kind of arm strength just from your average Uma training, no. It’s closer to the type of muscle you’d get from swingin’ something heavy around all day.”

Tazuna’s mind went to how Ruby had reacted when she had surprised her. Sure, her Uma parts jumped up in a reflexive panic, but Ruby herself had gone low and reached for something, like how a soldier would reach for his weapon at the first sign of danger. “You’re quite the mystery, Ms Rose. Nevertheless, Tracen Academy will gladly aid you every step of the way.”

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“Ever since the dawn of civilization, war has been part of the nature of Humans and Uma alike. Yet, it wasn’t until the Mongolian Umas developed their unique archery techniques and began their reign of terror over East Asia that humans considered using Umas for combat purposes.” Droned on the history teacher. For once, Vodka wasn’t slumped over, passed out at her desk, but was actually paying attention to today’s lecture, cause who wouldn’t be interested in this?

“From the earliest recorded civilizations, many Umas served as normal foot soldiers, but more often they were assigned to special regiments called ‘cavalry.’ These cavalry Uma served as a fast-moving unit for scouting and skirmishing with the enemy armies or attacking the weaker sides and rear while the main force distracted the frontline.” The teacher changed the slide to a painting of a troop of Umas bearing grand wings attached to the back of their armor. “One such regiment of renown was the Polish Winged Hussars. Originally composed of Serbian exiles, these Umas came to Poland as mercenaries and were equipped with heavier plate armor compared to their counterparts of the time. Their heavier armor allowed them to charge headfirst into the enemy ranks much more effectively than their lighter counterparts, enabling them to serve as shock troops that broke through and routed frontline units, allowing allied infantry to follow up through the breach. Their renowned success on the battlefield led to the widespread adoption of the ‘Heavy Cavalry’ units and the ‘Cavalry Charge’ strategy.”

By this point, Vodka had completely zoned out in favor of fantasizing about herself charging enemy lines on her bike with a spear. She could see the organized shield wall part like the Red Sea before the mere presence of Vodka and her metallic steed, lest they be crushed beneath burning rubber or impaled on her weapon as she shot for the heart of the hostile forces, and her spear struck true. And of course, with her victory came glory. Being fawned over by the crowd, as she paraded through the streets with her chin held high, spear shining in one arm and a beautiful princess with chestnut-colored twin tails and a blue dress in the other. “Wait, this princess looks familiar.”

Before Vodka could get a better look, the princess pressed a kiss to her cheek, and Vodka was knocked out of her fantasy in a spray of nasal blood.

“Ms Vodka, are you all right?” called the teacher from the front.

Vodka pinched her nose in a futile attempt to stem as much bleeding as she could. “Yeah, peachy. Just a small nosebleed, that’s all.”

She gingerly eased off the pressure on her nose to see if the blood had stopped flowing. The moment she did, a new river of blood started streaming from her nose. “Never mind, this ain’t small at all. Can I head to the Nurse’s?”

The teacher gestured to the door. “Go ahead. Just make sure you’ve got notes from someone else.”

On her way to the nurse's office, Vodka noticed the silver brooch of a certain Uma stumbling along, holding the walls for support. “Oh, hey, Ruby. What's up?”

Ruby groaned in response. “My legs…are so…freaking…sore…”

Vodka nodded in understanding. “Oof, yeah, you never forget that first aptitude test. Really knocks the wind out of your sails. Did ya get a class assignment yet?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so.” She shuffled around her bookbag, looking for the sheet of paper. “Here, class assignment, and stat block.”

“Oh, cool, you’re with me and Daiwa-holy shit, what are those stats?”

“Is…there something wrong with them?”

“No, no, nothing wrong with them just…” Vodka thought about how to phrase it for a second. “Those are the statistics of some of the Year Three Umas.”

“Year Three Umas?”

Vodka nodded. “Yeah, yknow, the ones who are in the last year of their three-year careers?”

“I think Tazuna mentioned something about three years, but I wasn't really paying attention.”

“So basically, racing Umas have three years to make ourselves known to the world. Once those three years are up and we’re doing pretty great, we can enter more races, like overseas and all. Following so far?”

 Ruby nodded. “Yeah, I think so. What happens after that?”

“Then we keep racing either till we can’t race cause of an injury or we feel like retiring. Usually, that’s about seven more years of racing.” Vodka shrugged. “Then again, this isn’t my area of expertise. I’m more about living in the moment. All I've been telling ya is stuff I’ve heard from Daiwa, so if there’s more you wanna know, she’s your girl.”

“Well, I sure don’t feel like an experienced Uma,” grumbled Ruby, rubbing her legs to try and ease the soreness. 

“How long ago did you finish the test?”

“I dunno. About half an hour ago or something?” She shook her head as if that would clear the exhaustion from her mind. “All I remember after finishing is passing out on the floor, then waking up a bit later.”

Vodka stared as much as her one exposed eye let her and put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “...Ruby, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you shouldn’t even be awake right now.”

Ruby blinked in surprise. “Say what now?”

“Every Uma I knew who took the aptitude test had passed out for at least two hours. So far, the shortest amount of time it took for someone to wake back up again was Symboli Rudolf, and even then, it took her an hour to wake up and another hour till she could start walking again.” Vodka shook her head in disbelief. “You’re one tough cookie, aintcha Rubes?” 

Ruby stood amongst the disappearing horde of Grimm, casually loading a new mag into Crescent Rose like she hadn’t just single-handedly wiped out a few hundred-something Beowolves without so much as a scratch. Three other figures approached from behind her, having cleared out their respective groups. “Oh, hey. Just finishing up over here.” 

The tall blonde one gave a low whistle of appreciation. “Man, Ruby, that was some fancy work. That was what? Three hundred, three-fifty-ish Beowolves you just wiped out by yourself?”

The red-hooded reaper shrugged. “It’s not like three hundred Beowolves is a lot. Heck, I’m pretty sure we’ve all killed a horde of three hundred before.”

“Not this quickly, at least,” added a girl with black hair. “Your horde had to be around twice the size of ours, yet you still wiped them all out around the same time we did.”

The white haired heiress glanced at her Scroll. “Your Aura hasn’t taken a hit either, while all of us at least took a glancing hit here and there.”

Ruby turned sheepish, not used to this much praise. “Ehe, just doing what I’m trained for, nothing special. Really!”

Blondie pulled her into a headlock and ruffled her hair. “Naaaaaaah, that was definitely something special. You’re one tough cookie, aintcha Rubes?”

“Ruby? Still with me?”

Ruby shook herself out of her stupor. “Yeah, just tired, that's all,” she lied.

Vodka pulled a flask from her bookbag and handed it to her. “Here, take a swig of this, and it should help clear your mind.”

She warily eyed the flask. “Thanks, but I don’t drink.”

“Pfft, nah, it ain’t whiskey or anything,” snickered Vodka. “I ain’t old enough yet. It’s just barley tea.”

Gingerly, Ruby took the flask and gave it a cautious sniff. Sure enough, despite the similarly brown liquid, it didn’t smell like alcohol at all. She took a small sip, and the refreshing taste of cool tea filled her tongue. “Oh, that’s good.”

Vodka puffed out her chest in pride. “It’s cool, ain’t it? Torena got it for me before my first G1 race. Said it was for good luck. I got real lucky during that race, and I’ve kept it on me ever since. Three years later, it still hasn’t let me down.”

Ruby took a long draught with a contented sigh before handing the flask back to Vodka. “Thanks, I really needed that. Tazuna said something about ‘needing energy for a big debut tomorrow.’”

“...Now that ain’t gonna be fair in the slightest,”  mulled Vodka, half to Ruby, half to herself. “You’re going to blow them out of the damn water, and it ain’t even gonna be close.”

“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?”

“Your Make Debut. It’s your introductory race, basically. Usually, it’s done with new and inexperienced Umas, and based on your stats, you are neither.” Vodka shook her head in disbelief, “I really pity whoever you’ve gotta go against tomorrow.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re going to be racing against Ruby tomorrow for her Debut,” said Torena after that afternoon’s training session.

Vodka’s jaw hung slack. “I'M DOING WHAT NOW‽"

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Make Debut

Ruby woke up full of energy. She got to run in front of an entire crowd of people! They were all there to see her run! Her! It was one of the best days of her life that she could remember. That wasn’t saying much considering she only had two days' worth of memories, but the point still stands. She practically leaped out of bed and made a beeline straight for her closet. It contained her sleepwear that she was currently wearing, her school uniform, a red hoodie, and jeans meant for casual wear, but most importantly, it held her freshly cleaned racewear, AKA the clothes on her back she’d woken up with two days back.

She quickly swapped out her nightwear for her racewear and inspected herself in the mirror. Her tail was brushed to perfection, the dress itself was cleaned of all the stray dirt and grime, and her silver rose brooch was polished to a mirror shine. She adjusted the red half cape on her back and straightened out her hair. Strangely, she felt like she was missing something. Her lower back felt unusually light, like there was something that was supposed to be there, but wasn’t. Eh, she has bigger things to worry about. Ruby pushed that feeling out of her head and strode forth, ready for the big day.

“Alright, Tracen, prepare yourself for Ruby Rose!” she proudly proclaimed to her empty dorm room.

In Daiwa and Vodka’s shared room, Vodka was currently moping around, face down on her bed in her signature racewear, dreading the upcoming race. “Augh, we’re going to get curbstomped.”

“Oi, quit complaining,” said Daiwa, leaning against the door frame in her racing gear. “It’s just a Make Debut. It can’t be that bad. Besides, I’ll go easy on her.”

Vodka turned her one exposed eye towards her roommate. “Have you wondered why it’s us and a couple of other seniors racing her instead of some rookie juniors?”

She opened her mouth to speak before the implications dawned on her. “Oh.”

The rivals shared a sigh. Neither of them liked their chances.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We treat her like a normal racer and give it our all, alright, Vodka?”

“Cheers, I’ll drink to that,” dryly said Vodka, taking a swig from her flask for good luck. 

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When the pair finally decided to head down towards, they found Ruby eagerly shoving platefuls of food down her throat with speed rivaling Oguri Cap or Special Week. Bowls of rice disappeared within moments, while heaping piles of pork cutlets and potato croquettes vanished at a similar speed. She looked up for a moment, cheeks stuffed like a squirrel, and waved them over. Whatever she was saying was muffled by the food, but they got the general idea of ‘Cmere, you two.’

“You can slow down, you know,” said Daiwa as she sat to her left with her comparatively smaller tray of food. “You don’t want to give yourself a stomachache two hours before your big day.”

Ruby held up a finger as she swallowed with a contented sigh. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got a fast metabolism.”

Vodka sat on her right and started on her own breakfast. “Someone’s eager at least. I remember during my debut, I was too worried about looking uncool to be excited. Took a pep talk from Torena so I could focus on the race.”

As if summoned by the mention of his name, Torena appeared behind them with his own little side comment. “Then you kicked their asses by a margin of six lengths.” 

Vodka turned sheepish. “Eh, it wasn’t much. Just me not wanting to let ya down.”

“It’s been about two and a half years, and you still have yet to let me down.” He affectionately ruffled his trainee’s hair. “You’ve got a lot of potential for me to drag out of ya.”

Another Uma peeked out from behind his coat. “Torena’s one of the best of the best, you hear? He trained me and the Prez, so you better believe he’ll train you right.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid,” said Torena, giving his second trainee a couple of pats on the head. “I got a feelin’ you're going to like Ruby.”

The mystery Uma stepped out from behind her trainer. She had long brown hair with a white strip running through it, similar to Symboli Rudolf, and a regal while and blue uniform tied off with a red half cape and a pink cravat. “Tokai Teio, Tracen alumni and former racer, at your service!” She said with a cheeky wink.

“Ruby Rose, nice to meet you.”

“Teio isn’t going to be racing today, right?” questioned Daiwa. “Even if it is just a simple Make Debut, that doesn’t mean she should push that leg too far.”

Teio turned away with a pout while Torena shook his head. “Nah, she wanted to, but I convinced her not to.”

“And by ‘convinced’ you mean…”

“I bought her a tub of that limited carrot-flavored ice cream from that place in Hokkaido.”

“Hold on a minute,” interrupted Ruby. “What happened to her leg?”

Torena looked like he’d bitten into a lemon. “Three hairline fractures. We’re lucky she can still walk.”

Teio put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It was kinda scary, knowing I could’ve needed a cast for the rest of my life. At least I can still dance, so it’s not all bad.”

“Well, with introductions out of the way, I’ve got to head out to prepare for the race, but I’ll still be watching from the stands. Cya.” He waved goodbye to them and left.

“Um, e-excuse me,” stuttered a shy voice from behind the group. “A-are you Ruby Rose?”

The voice came from a tiny Uma with long brown hair wearing a purple bowler hat with a blue rose, the school uniform, and the biggest pair of ears Ruby had seen yet. “Uh, yeah, that’s me. Ruby Rose. Why?”

The mystery girl bowed. “M-my name is Rice Shower. I look forward to r-racing with you today.”

“Ooh, ooh,” Teio started bouncing on her feet in recognition. “You’re the one who beat McQueen in the Tenno Sho last year!”

Rice Shower made an ‘eep!’ noise and hid her face behind her bowler hat. “I-I-I’m sorry! R-rice didn’t mean t-to!”

“No, no, no, it’s fine! McQueen said that she was impressed by you! Really!”

While they were distracted by the introduction of Rice, a certain creature of chaos took the time to slip a tiny bit of spicy mustard into Ruby’s food.

“Well, Rice, it’s nice to meet you. I can’t wait to see what you can do on the track,” said Ruby, giving the smaller girl a much-needed hug.

“Mhm. Rice will do her best,” said Rice, melting into the hug.

Ruby held the hug for a few more seconds before waving goodbye and returning to her meal. “So, if she’s the fourth, who's the fifth racer?”

She was met with a round of shrugs. “I dunno,” said Vodka. “It’s probably someone really good, though. Probably a top-of-the-line racer. Someone like Tanino Gimlet. Now that’s an Uma to live up to.”

Daiwa scoffed. “Don’t listen to her, Ruby. If you want an example of who to look up to, watch Agnes Tachyon. She’s got both speed and smarts on her side.”

“Huh? You taking crazy pills or something? Gimlet is so much better, and it's not even close!”

“You’re insane to think anyone other than Tachyon is the best!” 

“You’re both wrong. The Prez is the best racer there is!” interjected Teio.

Ruby, who had no idea who either of those three was, tuned them out with a bemused expression and took a bite of breakfast. Except the savoriness of the breaded pork was replaced by the sting of something incredibly spicy. She felt like all nine circles of hell had decided to move to her mouth, but she was handling it well, all things considered. 

Vodka, Daiwa, and Teio were pulled from their argument to watch with slowly mounting concern as Ruby’s face became as red as her cloak. “Uh, Ruby? Is everything ok?” asked Daiwa.

She nodded, her face sweaty and ears steaming. “A-all fine…,” she managed to croak out.

“Well dang,” commented a white haired Uma in red racing gear. “You’re handling the spicy mayo better than I thought you could. Maybe I’ve underestimated you.”

Ruby swallowed painfully and pointed at the newcomer in recognition. “You..You were the one Haru told me about.”

She only grinned and struck a horse-like pose. “That’s me! Your newest opponent, the legendary Gold Ship, in the flesh! Now what can Golshi do for ya?”

“Just…race your best today, all right?”

“Sure, sure. Golshi can do that. Wouldn’t want your debut to be boring after all! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I see McQueen. Ta Ta!” And so off she went to annoy McQueen for the nth time.

“How those two ended up dating is honestly a mystery,” said Vodka, shaking her head.

“I’m more surprised how McQueen ended up managing to reel in some of her more eccentric tendencies,” commented Daiwa.

  “Whoa whoa whoa,” Ruby made a ‘timeout’ pose with her hands. “They’re dating? And that’s Gold Ship being mellow?”

Dawia nodded. “Yep. If not for McQueen, we’d have something like the Condiment Incident every other week. Instead, it’s just once a month.”

“It’s not just Gold Ship that's changed, though,” interjected Teio. “McQueen’s been smiling more, and it's definitely because of her.”

Ruby let the idea ferment in her head—the concept of making someone happier just by existing with them. She had the faintest memory of a close friend like that, but her memory was too hazy to remember much of the details. Nothing but flashes of white flickered through her memories. For now, she had a race to win. With some difficulty, she picked up all the assorted bowls and plates she’d used and carried them to the cleaning area. “Alright, I think I’m stuffed. Do you wanna do some practice laps with me?”

She was met with various nods of confirmation. “Sure, I could use the warm-up,” said Vodka with a languid stretch

Teio proudly put her hands on her hips with a cheeky grin. “Let the glorious Tokai Teio show you how it’s done!”

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The hour had struck. The stadium was filled with spectators, and the racers were doing their own pre-race rituals. Daiwa Scarlet polished her tiara to a mirror shine and held it up to the light. The gem and the silver caught it perfectly. Vodka combed out her tail and applied some gel to her hair. Rice Shower smoothed her dress out and adjusted her hat. Gold Ship…did Gold Ship things. Ruby was feeling less excited and more nervous as she paced around her dressing room and fretted about every lock of hair. “Is this style good? Should I change it? Is my skirt not puffy enough? Is it too puffy? Is my tail all groomed? Aw, why did I have to get nervous now of all times?”

Teio gave the less experienced Uma a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry about it too much, Ruby. I know it's scary, but trust me, that’ll go away the minute the gates open. Just focus on running your best and it’ll be alright.” 

“But everyone else is so good! I’m going to lose so badly!”

“Hey, do me a favor, ok? Breathe. Vodka and the others are more experienced than you, yeah, but that doesn’t mean it's an immediate loss. Even if you do lose, no one’s going to hold it against you. You said it yourself, they’re good. As long as you give them a solid competition, everyone watching will be impressed. After all, a random new Uma being able to go toe to toe with some of the best Tracen has to offer isn’t something to shrug off.”

Ruby groaned. “It's still stressful, Teio.”

The former racer picked up a brush and started combing through Ruby’s tail hair. “I know, I know. But when those gates open, all those worries are going to be left in the dust. Believe it.”

“Right then,” Ruby stood up with a renewed resolve. “Time to face the music.”

“Alright, that’s the spirit, Ruby!” said Teio with her signature wink. “Now, go give 'em a show they won’t forget!”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tinny ring of the clarions heralded to the audience that the races were about to begin. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Make Debut!” shouted a booming voice from the announcer's box. He was met with cheers of excitement. “Today, our competitors are racing a Medium-distance course on the 2000-meter turf here at the Tokyo Racecourse, so let's hope everyone’s got enough gas in their tanks. This one’s going to be a change of pace from your usual debut race folks, cause today, we’ve got a single debutee against four of Tracen Academy’s Finest! The Director clearly sees something in this girl, and we’re all about to find out what that is!”

“In the first post, we’ve got the Resplendent Red Ace, DAIWA SCARLET!” Daiwa gave a polite wave to the applause of the crowd.

“In the second post, it’s none other than her greatest rival, VODKA!” Vodka shot finger guns at the audience with a cheeky grin.

“In the third post, our favorite wild card makes her appearance, give it up for GOLD SHIP!” A fresh roar of cheers erupted from the stands as Gold Ship moonwalked into her post.

“In the fourth post, the Midnight Assassin shows herself once again, it's RICE SHOWER!” A noticeably quieter reception met Rice Shower’s entrance.

“Last but not least, we’ve got the Uma of the hour! In post number five, let’s give a warm welcome to RUBY ROSE!” Ruby nervously swallowed her anxiety and got into position.

“Our contestants are ready, so without further ado, let’s race!”

The five tensed, legs taut and ready for the moment the gates to open. The moment they did, all five shot out of the paddocks and started their flight down the track. Ruby thought back to the advice Teio had given her earlier. “You’re a Front Runner, all that means is that you’ve gotta run as fast as you can and don’t stop till the finish. Got it?” 

Running. She could do that. She could do that really well. So she ran. “Ruby Rose takes a massive early lead, five lengths in front of Rice Shower and Dawia, currently fighting for second. Vodka’s not far behind in fourth, and Gold Ships over ten lengths from Ruby Rose.” 

The first corner approached. Ruby leaned as much as she could into the turn and practically glued herself to the inside railing. Behind her, Daiwa followed suit. “Damn, she’s good,” she thought to herself. “I suppose it’s lucky then I’ve got more experience with these corners.” Instead of sticking to the inside lane, she shifted herself to the middle of the track and started her turn from there. The wider turn slingshotted her into the second straight with a burst of speed, letting her close the distance to only half a length from Ruby. “What a move from Daiwa Scarlet! She’s solidified her place in second, and she’s riding the wind tunnel from Ruby Rose! That’s the kind of skill you’d expect from our Red Ace!”

Daiwa did her best to stay right behind Ruby. As long as she wasn’t too close or too far, she could hide in the small gap where Ruby’s body blocked the air resistance, which translated to less energy needed to keep her pace.

As the second corner approached, Ruby began planning. “This isn’t good. I can’t outrun her without burning most of my energy, but if I let her stay behind me the whole time, she’s going to use that saved energy to blow right past me after the final corner.”

“The second corner has been passed, and Daiwa Scarlet is still riding the coattails of Ruby Rose. It doesn’t look like she can shake her! But what’s this? Ruby Rose is pulling to the outside lane! I think she’s got a few cards up her sleeve!” Daiwa kept behind her, undeterred by this new strategy. “Whatever she’s planning, I’ll be ready for it. Sorry, Ruby, but I’m not losing this.”

Ruby kept leading her trailer outward all the way to the middle of the track. Looking over her shoulder, she was still right behind her. Right where she wanted. Ruby’s knees tensed, but instead of dashing forward, she sidestepped right. Daiwa, contrary to her anticipation, was caught completely off guard. No one ever sidestepped in racing! It would lose too much speed to be viable compared to simply turning. And yet, in this very niche case, the sudden change in momentum was enough to trip up Daiwa, causing her to tumble and fall. “I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! RUBY ROSE HITS DAIWA SCARLET WITH AN ANKLE BREAKER AND IT WORKED! ONLY HER FIRST RACE AND RUBY ROSE IS ALREADY MAKING HISTORY!”

Daiwa made a ‘tch’ noise. “Well played, Ruby. Well played.” She got back on her feet and began her attempt to catch up, but it was too late. Ruby and the others had surpassed her. For all intents and purposes, she was out of the running. Ruby kept zooming down past the halfway mark, all the way to the second-to-last turn. And that’s when the others decided to start putting in some effort. “Ruby Rose is still leading the pack into the third corner. Rice Shower is around two and a half lengths away, but she’s slowly catching up. Over in the second pack, Vodka and Gold Ship are starting their final spurts! They’re shooting through the third corner! Ruby’s lead is starting to shorten!”

In the third straight, Ruby could feel her lead shortening. To her side, the shy, quiet personality she had known in the cafeteria was replaced by a dark beast of pure focus. Rice Shower was gone. In her place stood the infamous killer of hopes and dreams. Gold Ship and Vodka were also close behind. A wave of dread overcame her. “No, no, no. Not like this,” she thought to herself as she rounded the final corner. 

“It’s the final corner, and I think Ruby Rose is starting to falter! Rice Shower smells blood in the water! She gets the overtake! I think the Midnight Assassin’s going to plant yet another career in the grave! Vodka and Gold Ship have also caught up, and they’re starting the pass! There are 500 meters left to go, and Rice Shower is in first! Vodka’s holding second, but she’s definitely catching up to first!”

All this effort, just to fail at the very end?

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

It couldn’t end like this.

Not like this.

She had to prove herself.

If not to the world, at least to her team.

At least to her.

“What are you doing, you dolt?” 

“...nothing…”

“Ruby Rose, do not lie to me.”

“Ok, fine, I was practicing a new technique with Crescent Rose.”

“At two in the morning?”

“...yes?”

“...What am I going to do with you. Why are you up this late anyway? You usually go to bed at nine.”

“…”

“What was that?”

“I don’t want everyone to think I’m pathetic.”

“...Do not tell anyone I did this.”

“Um…what are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m hugging you.”

“I thought you weren’t the touchy-feely kinda person.”

“I am not. I am making an exception for you in this one moment.”

“...guess I needed it more than I thought…”

 “Just remember this. Ruby Rose, you are not pathetic in the slightest. You are not only the leader of team RWBY, but also my partner. And I only take the best as a partner. Got it?”

“...Thanks, Weiss.”

Ruby felt weightless. The smell of roses entered her nose, and she could feel a fresh stream of energy flowing through her body. Even if she didn’t know where it came from, there was something about it that she just knew how to use. Pumping all that energy into her legs, she paused for half a second, then completely flew down the track with a massive burst of speed. “BY THE GODDESSES!” screamed the announcer, “RUBY ROSE FLIES FORTH WITH A MASSIVE BOOST! TWO HUNDRED METERS LEFT AND SHE’S LITERALLY LEFT THEM EATING DIRT!”

Ruby ran. Putting all that energy into one final surge of speed, she barreled past the ones in her way. The sheer force of her passing knocked the others to the ground. A guttural scream of determination tore itself through her throat as she crossed the finish line without a soul in sight.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A WINNER! BY A WHOPPING TEN LENGTHS, GIVE IT UP FOR RUBY ROSE!” The crowd went completely nuclear with volume. No one had seen a final surge of that magnitude before. Forget unheard of, that level of acceleration increase was basically inconceivable. And yet, this mysterious new Uma with a cloak as red as roses had managed to do it.

Ruby fell to her knees in exhaustion. She’d done it. She had won with the odds stacked against her by an astronomical margin. Daiwa, who had managed to avoid getting hit by the shockwave to score second, hauled the victor up to her feet by an arm. “Come on, Ruby, at least strike a pose before you collapse,” she said jokingly.

Vodka pulled up in third place and slung Ruby’s other arm over her shoulder. “Yeah, let's wait until after the winners circle, then you're free to pass out.”

Gold Ship and Rice Shower picked themselves up off the turf and stared at each other. “I’m guessing you didn’t expect that either, yeah?” Rice shook her head. Gold Ship chuckled. “Heh, maybe it's time I start putting in a little bit of effort into training.”

“Wow, Torena, did you see that?! That was amazing!” 

From Teio’s side, her trainer furrowed his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.”

His eyes narrowed. “Something tells me that this isn’t her best.”

“You’re saying she gets better than this?”

“Just call it a gut feeling. Forget about it for now, we’ve gotta go congratulate her.”

“Oh, right, did you book the room?”

“Yep. Two hours. Should be plenty of time.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blinding flashes of cameras stunned Ruby as she walked to the interview table. Tazuna was also there to keep order and guide her.

“Everyone, please quiet down,” she called to the mob of reporters. “Ms Rose will be taking questions, so please raise your hand and wait for your turn.” A multitude of hands shot up, and all clamored for her attention. Ruby, unused to this level of press attention, had a mild panic attack and chose one at random just to get the voices to stop.

“Ruby, how does it feel to have won against big shots like Gold Ship in your first-ever race?”

“I didn’t think much of it,” said Ruby. “I’ve never heard of them until the past three days.”

A hushed murmur passed through the crowd. Tazuna silenced them with a raise of her hand. “Next question, please.” Ruby chose one from the very back. 

“Hi. Ms Ruby Rose, are you saying you’ve never heard about Uma racing until a few days ago?”

“Uh, yeah, that sums it up. It makes sense considering I can’t remember anything other than the last three days.”

Another wave of murmurs. Another hand raised.

“Do you have any future races you plan on competing in?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know where to start. I know some big ones are coming up, but that's about it.”

A few more questions came and went, all of which Ruby answered to the best of her ability, until the final question. “Wherever they are, do you think your friends and family would be proud of you?”

She mulled over the question in silence. Would they be proud of her? Did they even know where she was? Who she was? “I really hope so,” said Ruby after a few minutes of silence.

And with that, the interview was officially over. “Whew, finally that's over.”

“You did fine, Ruby, especially during that last spurt! I don’t think I’ve seen anyone have a burst of speed that big before!” Teio pulled Ruby into a side hug. “Now, chin up. There’s still one more thing we’ve gotta get you ready for.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Maharaja Disco,” Ruby read off the sign from what she could only guess was the corner of a palace. Two Roman-style columns held up the entrance to the building that had looked like Midas had touched every square inch of it, excluding the velvet carpet on the stairs.

Teio nudged her along. “Cmon, Torena’s booked us a private room for a couple of hours. Gotta make sure you’re ready and all.”

“Ready for what?” She received no answer as she was dragged along to the interior. The bouncers gave a small nod to Teio. “Your room is ready, ma’am.”

It was actually quieter than she’d thought a disco would be. The lights were still on, and employees were running around the place to prepare it for the proper opening hours. Bartenders polished cups, the DJ prepared his set list, and waiters wiped down the booths. The receptionist greeted them with a bow. “Hello, Ms. Teio. Is this your guest?”

A nod. “Yep! Ruby Rose, today’s winner of her Debut and my trainee for today!”

“Greetings, Ms Rose. Allow me to formally welcome you to the Maharaja Disco. Ms. Teio, we have prepared your usual room. Please follow me.” He led them to a private room in the back. It was much more humble than the main attraction, just a karaoke machine and a TV with a couple of couches and plenty of room in the center for dancing.

“Why are we here?” asked Ruby after closing the door behind her. “It’s nice and all, but Tazuna said there’s something I still have to prepare for.”

Teio gave her trainee a cheeky wink. “That’s exactly what we’re here for. We’ve gotta get you ready for your Winning Live!”

“...I’m sorry, my what now?”

“Your Winning Live! Basically, after every race, Umas will perform a concert for the audience, and first through third lead it. We’re here to gauge how well you can do during the performance.”

“I dunno, I’m pretty bad at dancing…”

“Oh, cmon, it can’t be that bad, right?”

It was, in fact, that bad.

“You’ve gotta put more spin into that. Like this!”

“If you put your leg there, you’re going to trip. You gotta put it here.”

“Ruby, it’s kickstep-kickstep-body roll, it’s not rocket science!”

One grueling hour and a half of struggling later, it was clear to them both that it was not working out well. “I don’t get it,” complained Teio. “The moves themselves you can do just fine, but when you put em together, it's like you’re a baby deer.”

“Sorry, Teio,” said Ruby sheepishly. “It’s just that every time I have to do a sequence, all I see is the crowds, and I end up panicking.”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty common problem. Still, it's a problem. You’ve got a concert in an hour and a half, and you keep stumbling over your two left feet.”

“This would be much better if I didn’t have to see the crowd,” said Ruby with a sigh.

Teio’s eyes lit up with an idea. “That’s it!” Rummaging around, she pulled out a blindfold and tied it over Ruby’s eyes. “Here, now you can’t see the crowd!”

“Are you sure this will work, Teio?”

Teio giggled. “I have no idea!” She clicked the play button. “Time to find out!”

Through some miracle, it worked. After a couple of tries, Ruby managed to string the entire sequence together. Imperfectly, albeit, but still an adequate performance for today. “I’m kinda surprised that worked.”

“When it comes down to it, dancing is just going through the motions. You’re pretty good at that, so all that’s left to do is to remove the fear. Now, cmon, let’s see that pre-chorus routine again.” 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Even with the blindfold on, she could still hear the cheers of the people. From her side, her backup dancers tried to calm her down.

“Hey, easy, Ruby,” said Vodka, kneading the nervous Umas’ tensed shoulders. “It’s ok to be nervous. We all were at one point.”

Gold Ship nodded from her side. “Hell, I didn’t show it, but I was kinda stressing about it after my debut race. Just breathe. It’ll be all over in less than five minutes.”

“Even if it goes poorly, no one will hold it against you. We will make sure of that.” Daiwa gave her a reassuring pat.

“Rice is here now!” The brunette burst into the backstage room with Haru Urara in tow. The pinkette immediately tackled Ruby with a flying hug. “You got this, ok? Haru believes in you!”

Just like magic, all the tension miraculously melted out of Ruby’s body. She gratefully returned the hug, tail wagging behind her. “Alright, Haru. I’ll do my best.”

A stagehand knocked on the door. “We’ve got only a minute until showtime. You ladies ready?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” responded Ruby. All five of the performers stepped onto the stage, a blindfolded Ruby in the center with Vodka and Daiwa on her left and right. The curtains lifted, the spotlights shone, and the trumpets played.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

It’s time for us to meet at last…

Don’t stop! No, don’t stop till the finish!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby let out a massive sigh of relief, walking back to the Ritto Dorms under the light of the moon and stars with her other podium winners. “Man, am I glad that’s over with.”

“You know, Ruby, the more races you win, the more you’re going to have to perform, right?”

She waved off Daiwa’s observation. “Meh, that’s a problem Future Ruby will have to deal with. For now, Present Ruby is going to sleep.”

“Sure, works with us. But can we talk about that race, though? I knew you were fast, but that burst of speed was something else!” Vodka excitedly said. “It’s like you were shot out of a barrel of a gun or something!”

The three of them kept talking about the race until Ruby accidentally bumped into a girl with snow white hair and a snowflake pattern on the back of her jacket.

“Hey, be careful, Ruby.”

“Oops, sorry, Weiss.”

Both of them continued for about five more steps before they both came to the same realization.

“WEISS?!”

“RUBY?!”