RWBY: Dimensional Hell

As Ruby followed Scarlet to the right hotel. The Huntress stopped in her tracks, she glanced at the Grimm girl for a moment.

"Hey um...." Ruby spoke softly and a little awkwardly. "You're going to help me...right?"

Scarlet didn't stop or look at Ruby, she knew what she was talking about. "Help you? Pfft, don't kid yourself. I can't even help myself. One moment I have Queen in my grasp, the next she slips through them. I want her dead."

Ruby looked at her with confusion. "Queen? Wait you mean Kurumi's transformation she showed us? But why would?"

Scarlet stopped, turning her gaze. "That was her inverse form, but what you don't know, the timeline myself and Kurumi went to after the war. It was her timeline, but it was the past."

"The past? But how? Wouldn't that like...ya know? The whole wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff? Kurumi running into herself?" Ruby asked curiously.

Scarlet snickered softly. "There's one thing you don't know about my wife. She has multiple versions of herself at her beck and call, when needed. So no, none of that wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. Nothing was altered."

"Yeah but, how does this White Queen have her own personality and body, if she isn't Kurumi?" Ruby asked with her arms crossed. "Is she like us? You're my clone and I'm the original."

"Oh? You think the two are like us?" Scarlet asked. "It's a bit complicated, but from what I'm able to gather....Queen claims that she's the original Kurumi. While Kurumi herself is just a clone that went rogue."

"Oh, so like....if you replaced me. You'd claim I'm a fake, while you say you're the real me...but who I'd Queen?" Ruby questions. "If she's claiming to be the real Kurumi."

"Which she isn't." Scarlet spoke. "Her scent isn't the same as Kurumi's. She smells...different."

Ruby rubs her neck a little. "Oh right. The whole, nose thing...."

Scarlet was about to say something else, but her nose twitched as she sniffed the air. "That bitch. She's here."

~~~

Queen walked out from the shadows, slowly clapping her hands. "I should really hide my scent then, I couldn't help but over hear you two...talking about me, if you must know...I am or was Sawa Yamauchi. Kurumi's one and only friend. Until she killed me, which was after she became a spirit."

"And why tell us this? I could easily kill you here and now and end this stupid game of cat and mouse." Scarlet spoke clinching her fists.

Queen taunted her, waving her finger. "Tsk, tsk.....we can't have you cheating and going for the final boss. As for why I'm telling you this, perhaps I want to see the look on Kurumi's face when she realizes who I really am. She has yet to figure it out, oh but...can you blame her for not trying hard enough? She's being tortured and held captive by Salem."

Scarlet hissed angrily. "You're lucky I don't kill you where you stand, even if I did... it won't be worth it."

Ruby looked at Scarlet with confusion. "What do you mean? Won't be worth it?"

Queen chuckled softly. "She knows exactly why, I am Queen, yet I am not. Riddle me this....I am here. I am there. You'll find me in most places you go to, you can see me... but can't meet me, try all you can, you'll never be able to nab me. Who am I?"

Ruby blinked in confusion as she rubbed her head. "Uh....um.." She crosses her arms and taps her foot. "GAAHHH! Beacon never prepared me for riddles!"

"Tch, riddles? Such a low blow for someone like you Queen, it's obvious.. You're in the shadows, you're a clone, while the real you stays hidden." Scarlet spoke her eyes glaring like daggers into Queen's eyes. 

Queen grins widely as she claps her hands slowly. "Congrats, you got it right. But yes, even if you were to kill me now, it won't do you any good. " She slowly approached the two, her hand resting on the handle of her sword. She slowly drew it out from its holster, she stopped in front of Ruby, holding the blade of her sword up against her throat. "You see how much she knows now? Yet you, have yet to met me. You may have met a variation of myself Kurumi had used, however. I much more deadly than she could ever be."

Ruby gulped, she could feel the cold blade resting against her throat. "We'll stop you...r-right?"

Scarlet crossed her arms and looked away from Ruby. "Stopping Queen together isn't in my book. It's my job, I don't need your help. Erza already tried that, did she manage to get Queen? No, besides. You'll only slow me down. You have to return to Remnant, either before or after Yang and them are found."

Ruby looked at her for a moment, she raised an eyebrow up. "Found? You don't seem to get it. We all fell into the void...what makes you so sure they're alive?"

Queen, just stood there silently. Watching the two, the blade still pressed against Ruby's throat, her grin still on her lips. "Oh do go on, don't bother with me.."

Scarlet scoffed and turned to look at Ruby. "Isn't it obvious? Think about it for a second red. The fairy tale of the girl who fell through the world."

"How do you know that story?" Ruby asked.

"It's a story everyone knows. It's also one of Marigold's favorite stories." Scarlet spoke, feeling a slight pain of guilt in her heart. She then glared at Queen. "I still won't forgive you for kidnapping my daughter."

Queen laughed. "I'm shaking in my boots, I'm so scared." She lowered her blade and moved away from Ruby. "I'd love to stay however, but.." 

"But?" Ruby asked with a curious tone in her voice.

Queen chuckled and disappeared into Ruby's shadow. "You two have bigger problems."

~~~

Ruby and Scarlet stood back to back as the two girls glanced around their surroundings. Another devil had appeared and made itself known, taking on a form of a baboon. It was much larger than the previous devil Scarlet and Ruby had fought. Its tail was that of a snake, which spat acid. 

"How real original." Scarlet said as her eyes watched the snake slither in the air as the baboon circled the two. "You're not the first acid spitting monster..." She clinched Black Rose tightly. "Come on you damn monkey."

Ruby chuckled with a nervous tone. "Hey, this isn't any Grimm you can just mock..."

Scarlet ignored Ruby as she slashed Black Rose at the devil. The baboon punched Scarlet, knocking her back as it reached for Ruby. Ruby, yelped as she quickly used her semblance to dash out of the way.

"You two pests killed my friend." The baboon spoke as the snake tail hissed and spat acid.

Scarlet groaned as she got up, she chuckled coldly. "I didn't know devils and demons cared for one another. It makes me sick just thinking about it."

Ruby charged from behind as she swung Crescent Rose at the baboon, the blade sliced through the snake's head, slicing it off. The head fell to the ground with a loud hard thud. "Bullseye!"

The baboon roared as it kicked Ruby, sending her flying backwards. "You dare attack me, you filthy human?!" 

Scarlet laughed and turned Black Rose into its gun form. "Didn't your mother ever teach you, not to look away your eyes from the enemy?" The gun revs up as the barrel of the gun begins spinning. Scarlet smirked as she pulled the trigger on Black Rose's minigun form. Bullets flew out from the spinning barrel as it grazed and pierced the devil. "I'm feeling a bit...hungry, and you know what my stomach yearns for?"

The baboon shirked and let out a bellowing roar, completely ignoring what Scarlet had said. The Grimm girl grins widely as she kept firing her gun at the devil. Each bullet piercing deeper and deeper into its body.

Ruby skids across the ground as she uses Crescent Rose to stop herself from hitting anything. She shook her head and glared up at the baboon. She watched as Scarlet was filling it with bullets, but she noticed something. "Scarlet! The snake head, it's regrowing!"

Scarlet stopped firing her gun, it slowly revs down and stops. "Oh ho ho, is that so?" She smirked and licked her lips. "This just got a lot more interesting." She reverted Black Rose back to its scythe form. "Tonight I dine on monkey soup." 

Ruby was a little grossed out as she made a fake gagging sound, Scarlet lunges towards the demon baboon. She swung Black Rose down into its single toe. Pinning its pawed foot down, she bit into its leg, tearing into its flesh and ripping into the muscle tissue. The baboon yelled in pain as it tried swatting at Scarlet, Ruby noticed this as an opening. She swallowed a dry lump that had formed in her throat, she was feeling nervous. Her stomach churned with unease, her heart raced in her chest. Flashes of her unable to save Pyrrha in time from Cinder's attack...watching as Cinder pierced an arrow into Pyrrha, and how she turned into dust and ash. Memories of her failed attempts to help, visualizing her mother in her mind.. Ruby panted, her breath becoming quicker and shallow, her eyes flashing.

"RUBY! FOCUS!" Scarlet barked, as she was flung off the baboon, the devil laughed and stomps on Scarlet with its other paw. Its single toe pressed down onto Scarlet's face, preventing her from getting any air.

Ruby panicked, her breath growing quicker. Her eyes flashing more, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't take it anymore, the pressure was too much for her aching heart. She cried out loudly as her silver eyes unleashed once again. This time, much brighter. Bright enough to blind anyone within range of it, the baboon shrieked as the snake head had popped back into place. It hissed as both the snake and baboon were blinded. 

Unlike the devil claw, it didn't turn into stone, it was blinded for a good few seconds. It stumbled back, shielding its eyes, despite being blinded. Scarlet gasped for air as she growled, she jumped up and slashed her nails at the devils throat, digging her nails into its neck. Ripping its throat out. She tore into its neck, tearing at the flesh until the last bit of its flesh was keeping it stable.

"I'll make a fine stew out of you." Scarlet spoke and snipped the last piece of flesh that kept its head attached to its neck. She grins widely and leaps over to the snake tail, tearing into it like she had with the main body. Her teeth tore into the snake, munching down on it. Blood spraying everywhere as she ate and ate, until there wasn't anything left of the snake. 

Scarlet had a predatory glare in her eyes, she pounced onto the baboon and began eating, her body once again drenched in blood. As the squelching sounds of organs being torn out of the devils body and being eaten by the ravenous Grimm girl echoed in the still and silent air, the silver light that had erupted from Ruby's eyes had died down, and for Ruby. She collapsed from hyperventilating. With a soft thud, Ruby's body fell backwards onto the ground. 

Scarlet heard the soft thug as she stood in the corpse of the now dead devil, her face showed that of a predator on the hunt. A sick and twisted grin played on her lips as her tongue had hung out from her mouth, her beastly Grimm side had taken over for the feast. Her stomach now full, Scarlet stood there for a good moment, licking the blood from her around lips. 

~~~

Scarlet had carried Ruby to the hotel Makima had told her about, she placed the huntress down onto the bed, letting out a tired sigh. Scarlet went into the bathroom and strips down, her blood covered clothes plopped onto the floor.

Ruby slowly opened her eyes, the sound of the shower running in the bathroom could be heard. She groaned as her head was throbbing, like a truck had hit her. She glanced around and sat up, she held her head and felt sick and nauseated. "Ow...my head." 

The water shut off as Scarlet stepped out of the shower, she wrapped a towel around her and walked out of the bathroom. "The shower is free." She walked over to the mini-fridge and knelt down. She opened it and grabbed a can of beer. 

Ruby looked lost in a daze, her eyes hazy and fuzzy. Mistakenly taking Scarlet for Yang. "Y-Yang?"

"Not even close, idiot." Scarlet spoke putting the cold beer can against Ruby's cheek. "Rise and shine stupid." 

Ruby squeaked and yelped at the ice cold beer can, it did wake her up and clear her fuzzy and hazy vision. She looked at Scarlet and then at the beer, she then glanced back at her and then back to the can. "I-I can't."

Scarlet scoffed. "That's all that's in the fridge. Take it, you have to go over your boundaries." She pressed the cold can against Ruby's cheek again. "C'mon, no one's gonna know. Ain't no way you can get scolded by anyone either." She smirked and leaned in closer to Ruby, her hot breath blew against Ruby's face as she spoke again. "Nothing beats a hot shower and a cold beer. Go on, get your ass in the shower. Unless you want to keep wearing blood soaked clothes?"

Ruby backed up as she fell out of the bed, the blood that stained her clothes had stained the bed and now the floor. "R-Right, a shower can work. But uh...what are we going to do about clothes after?"

Scarlet shrugged. "Beats me, I could just stroll around in the nude." She knelt back down and grabbed another cold can of beer from the fridge. 

"No, no, no. I don't want to do that, nor should you." Ruby said as she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Scarlet grinned as she heard Ruby's clothes drop to the floor and the shower being turned on. She walked over to the other bed and plopped down on it, she turned the TV on and popped the beer can open. 

After Ruby had taken her shower, she came out. The steam could be seen coming off of her and out of the bathroom, she sighed in relief. "That's way more like it." Her silver eyes fell upon the beer can on the bed she was on earlier, she hesitated for a moment, her hand shaking as she reached for the cold can. She moved her hand back and looked away from it. "I can't."

Scarlet glanced at her as she stood up from her bed, the can she held was half empty. A grin played along her lips as she shoved the open can up to Ruby's mouth. She tilts the can back and tilts Ruby's head back, the remaining beer in the can slid down the aluminum interior of the can and into Ruby's mouth. "Come on, don't spit it out. Just swallow."

Ruby wanted to cry and pull away. Scarlet was forcing her to drink something she didn't want to ingest. She swallowed the liquid, the coldness of the beer trickled down her throat as she swallowed more of it. Scarlet grinned as she pulled the can away, shaking the empty can, she looked at Ruby for a moment before turning around. 

"See, that wasn't so bad... Now was it?" Scarlet asked and turned around once more, sitting down in one of the chairs by the window. "We got a clear view of the city from here, a balcony and room service. If you're feeling embarrassed about not wearing anything. Why not just call up some clothes for us? And have the dirty clothes be sent out for wash?"

Ruby sighed as she gave in, she sat down on the blood stained bed and grabbed the can of beer, she then glanced at the phone. She pressed the room service button, after that. She turned her gaze to the TV, she held the cold can of beer in her hands as she spoke. "What did you mean by that story? The girl who fell through the world...I thought it was just a fairy tale?"

Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Just like the Maidens, anything is possible. You want to know why I said that? Because the rusted knight in the story. The many times it was read to Mairgold either by myself, when I could drop on by, Kurumi....Kotori or one of the others. The rusted knight was the one that stood out the most to me. He is described as a man with blonde hair, a man who helps Alyx and her brother Lewis. The only blond male I know of that isn't Sun, is Jaune. Remember, Alyx and Lewis fell into the Ever After both being from Vacuo before the great war started."

"Wait so...you're saying." Ruby asked as her finger traced around the closed top of the can. "That, Jaune.....Jaune Arc. Is the rusted knight? The Jaune Arc, who was called vomit boy and bullied by Cardin? Him?"

"Yes, that Jaune Arc." Scarlet said. 

Ruby looked confused and puzzled. "How? I mean, how is it possible that Jaune can be in two places at once? That's impossible."

"Ruby, its Remnant. Nothing is impossible, The Maidens are real, magic is real. Hell, even I'm real. I was cloned by the great and late Doctor Merlot. So you can't say it's impossible." Scarlet spoke crossing her arms over her ample bosom. 

"So, you're saying that....Yang, Weiss, Blake and the rest. Even Neo. All fell into the void, just to end up in the Ever After?" Ruby asked trying to wrack her brain around this. "So, if I was with them...then."

Scarlet nodded lightly at what Ruby was thinking. "You all would be re-living Alyx's story, you all would be Alyx and Lewis. Traveling the Ever After for a way out." She closed her eyes and turned her head to the window. " She opened her eyes as she looked at Ruby's reflection in the window. "Besides, if I were the one in the Ever After. I'd reign supreme and be the new master of that world."

Ruby shivered a little just thinking about it. "All those poor creatures and people of the Ever After. They would be slaves to your rule..." She shook her head and decided to pop the beer can open. "But, um...tell me...what is my niece like?"