Ruby groaned and slowly pushed herself up from the couch.

'Wait, a couch?' She stared down at her seat in confusion. She shouldn't be here, but why?

She leapt up onto her feet, her memory starting to return. Clark! His clone! Cinder!

"Whoa Ruby. What's up?" Yang asked. She was over in the kitchen getting a drink. "Were you sleeping on the couch? Why there and not in your room?"

"Clark! Where's Clark?!" Ruby eyes ran over the room. She was back in the dorm, how? She'd been outside Pellina.

"Isn't he usually doing his Mistral stuff by now?" Yang's eyes narrowed as she caught Ruby's expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-I was with him," she said in a rush. "Earlier he said that there was a town he wanted to go to called Pellina for Interference stuff. So I asked if I could come and he said sure. He was super-speeding us there and then-and then-

Yang raised a hand. "Hold on, hold on. Slow down, I can barely understand what you're saying."

"Clark super-sped us to a town. Then Cinder and his clone attacked and the last thing I remember is Clark getting stabbed! I don't know how I got here but he might be dead!"

Yang froze for a moment. "Shit. You serious?"

Ruby nodded, her lips a thin line.

"Hey, what's with all the noise?" Uncle Qrow looked down from the top of the staircase.

"Ruby says she was with Clark and he got attacked by Cinder and his clone," Yang said. She pulled Ruby in for a hug. "Hey, don't worry, he has to be okay. Who else would have brought you here?"

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Ruby nodded, her sister's hold calming her down. She should have thought of that before panicking.

"Is there trouble?" Ren showed up, the rest of his team behind him.

Yang repeated what Ruby had said, and when they understood what she meant, they all came down. Ruby had to tell them about where Clark had been bringing her and what she'd seen. The bright red beams that had shot through the air, blasting away anything they hit. The ground shaking. The brief glimpses of Clark and his clone as they fought, moving too fast for her eyes to follow. Her trying to do whatever she could to help.

"You tried to fight Cinder?" Qrow asked, looking at her like she'd done something stupid.

"I couldn't just let them hurt Clark! It's not like I tried to fight his clone, Cinder was waiting off to the side too."

"Alright, what happened next?"

"I don't know, I think the clone threw me away from them, but I could still use Crescent Rose to get back to the fight." Ruby looked down and bit her lip. "I was too slow. The phantom stabbed Clark. I saw him fall to the ground and I don't remember anything after that."

"He stabbed Clark?" Jaune asked. "With what?"

That surprised all of them. She would have found it hard to believe too if she hadn't seen it for herself. Early on when Clark had started sparring with them, their blades would bounce off his skin and not bother him the slightest. He'd gotten a lot better at avoiding them now, but the memory was still strong in their minds.

"I don't know. It was a knife, but I didn't get a good look at it."

"It must have been kryptonite or magic," Qrow said.

Right, Clark had told them about his weaknesses. It was just hard to think of anything being able to hurt him when he always seemed so strong.

"He's not answering his scroll," Yang said, frowning at the screen.

"What?" No no, that couldn't be right. Clark had brought Ruby back to the dorm. He had to be fine. She took out her own scroll and called Clark, but it didn't even ring before going to voicemail.

"Ruby . . ." Qrow put a hand on her shoulder and everyone's expression was grim.

At that moment, the door opened, and all eyes turned to it.

Clark walked in. Ruby wanted to rush over and tackle him in relief, but Qrow blocked her with his arm the second she stood up.

"You. How do we know you're Clark and not his double?" Qrow asked.

Ruby hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. No, there was no way he wasn't Clark. He was shirtless and she could see red marks on his shoulder where he'd been stabbed. There was a thin red line on his face too.

Even worse, one look in his eyes showed how exhausted he was. Usually, he didn't even breathe heavily after sparring several people in a row.

Clark answered Qrow's question. "The name of the man who helped us in Nyrna was George Reid. The woman was named Khione."

Qrow relaxed. "Sorry about that, you get why we need to be careful though."

"I do."

"Ruby told us some of what happened, but we're still missing some parts of the story. You want to sit down first? Sorry Clark, but you look like shit."

He looked down at himself. "Yeah, I guess I do. Hold on, I'll get a shirt and explain everything."

Clark walked up the stairs, his steps plodding along heavily. When he got back down, he looked cleaner. Although he was slouching slightly. Ruby had never realized that he usually went around with pretty much perfect posture, and his movements were a bit sloppier too.

He sat down at the couch and filled in the gaps in Ruby's explanation. The two of them had been going to Pellina when his crystal had warned him about his clone. Cinder had threatened the destruction of the town unless he came with them, but for some reason his clone had destroyed her remote and they'd fought instead. Cinder had provided the clone with magic knives that could cut Clark. Which was how he'd gotten cut in the cheek and stabbed in the shoulder.

His face looked like it was healing okay. It was really fast, considering he didn't have aura. The marks on his shoulder were explained as him using his heat vision to burn the wound shut.

"The only reason we got out of there is because of you," Clark said, pointing at Ruby.

"Me? How?"

"I don't know. I didn't even really see it. I was lying face down on the ground. All I know is that you screamed and then a bright light appeared. Making Cinder fall to the ground and distracting the phantom long enough for me to sucker punch him."

Qrow leaned forward. "The light, was it silver?"

"Sort of? It seemed more like white."

"It must have been your eyes," Qrow faced Ruby.

She gulped as they all looked at her. Her silver eyes, the power that Ozpin had tried to use back during the attack on Vale. She hadn't really tried to do mess with it ever since then, since she hadn't even been sure what it was supposed to do except that it could have repelled the Grimm during the attack if she'd managed to use it.

"Hold on, Ruby passes out when she uses her silver eyes?" Yang asked.

Qrow sighed. "I don't know. Summer didn't mention it, but she didn't learn how to use her eyes much. Maybe if Ruby gets better at using them that won't happen anymore."

"Her silver eyes hurt Cinder, but not me or the phantom," Clark said. "Why is that?"

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Ruby took in a sharp breath. Her silver eyes were magic. She could have hurt Clark by accident.

"Again, I don't know. I thought they were only supposed to work against Grimm. Cinder's a maiden, so that might have something to do with it, but Ozpin didn't say anything about that."

"We lack knowledge on how to use her silver eyes, but for now, shouldn't we try to prevent Ruby falling unconscious because to them?" Ren pointed out.

Qrow nodded. "Yeah. Ruby, you think anything might have triggered it?"

She squirmed under everyone's looks. "I-I don't know. It wasn't like what Ozpin said back at Beacon. I wasn't thinking happy thoughts. I just saw Clark on the ground, a-and I was scared, and then I yelled. I wasn't trying to use my eyes, it just happened."

"Then it seems like it activates during times of distress," Pyrrha suggested.

"So I'm okay as long as I stay calm?"

"That seems to be the best conclusion we can make based on what we know," Ren said.

Stay calm? How was she supposed to do that if Clark or anyone else were attacked again? It was impossible! Plus, she'd felt scared before without her eyes beaming out light, that couldn't be the only reason why they'd worked this time.

"Alright, that's dealt with, but what about Cinder and your clone? What happened to them?" Qrow asked.

"Cinder, I knocked out and handed over to Ironwood. He'll get the same kind of restraints on her that Ozpin had back at Beacon. The phantom, I have no idea. I tried looking for him, but I couldn't see or hear him anywhere." Clark frowned. "In fact, I probably shouldn't be here right now in case he attacks again." He stood up from the couch.

"No!" Ruby jumped in front of him and spread her arms out, blocking his way to the door.

"Ruby, you saw the fight between me and the phantom. You really want that to happen here?"

The thought frightened her, but she still stood her ground. "You can't. He just hurt you pretty bad. If you fight him again, what if he kills you?"

"If he wanted to kill me, he could have done it already."

The cold admission made Ruby tremble. How could he talk about his own death like that?

"He wants to capture me, not kill me. Either way, I can't stay here." Clark took another step until Uncle Qrow put a hand on his shoulder.

"Clark. Stay. You're not the only one they want, remember? If you're not here to protect Ruby, we're screwed."

Ruby nodded eagerly. Being a burden on Clark would have normally bothered her, but if it was necessary to stop him from going out, then she'd happily take that role.

"Qrow, if he got a hold of anyone here, he could force me to give up without even fighting."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "He didn't do that before, just like he didn't try to kill you."

"It could be different now. He was playing with me earlier. If he seriously tries to use someone else as a hostage, none of us stands a chance."

"Then what's the point of leaving the dorm?" Qrow said. "He could grab some random person off the street and that would be enough to stop you."

Clark glared at him. "Fine, I'll stay." He sat back down on the couch, letting Ruby relax.

Nobody spoke until Yang clapped her hands together. "Alright, that was tense, but I guess it's settled now. It's starting to get late, let's go get some sleep."

Ruby could stay up late if she wanted to, but after what happened, she needed the rest. "What about you, Clark?" She asked once she saw he wasn't moving.

He looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. "I can't. Not if the phantom comes and attacks me again." He took out a piece of his broken crystal. "I doubt this works anymore, so I need to be more vigilant now."

That had stopped everyone in their tracks, and Ruby tried her hardest to think of a good reason for why he should go to sleep. "But . . . what if he attacks when in the morning instead? Just before sunrise and you're tired?"

"I'll be okay."

"Really?" Qrow asked. "You think you'll be in fighting condition after a night without sleep?"

"Yes." Was Clark's dismissive reply. He still didn't meet their eyes but looked off in the distance. As if he was focusing on something else.

"I don't think so." Qrow walked over to him. "Come on, you can't stay on the defensive for the entire night. The fight's over, you won, now get some rest. Trust me, you need it."

"I can rest plenty while still being awake."

"Clark-

"Uncle Qrow, I think Clark really does think he doesn't have to sleep," Ruby said. She looked over to Clark. "You haven't been sleeping the past few nights. Have you?"

This time, he looked directly at her. In an even voice he said "No, I haven't. How'd you notice?"

"I knocked on your door a few times during the night and early in the morning. You were never there."

"Hmph, well it's not like it was a secret."

"Seriously? How long has this been going on?" Qrow asked.

After a brief pause, Clark spoke "Take a good look at me, Qrow. Do I look tired? The least bit sleep deprived?"

Qrow glared at him. "Stop dodging the question and answer me."

"I haven't slept since the attack on Vale. So it's been over three months and I'm fine. Stop worrying about a single night and leave me alone."

His stinging tone silenced them for a few moments.

Pyrrha was the first to speak. "Are you sure? Do you remember the talk we had not long ago, when you had a sudden outburst? It seemed so unlike you that I was confused, but in the context of sleep deprivation, it makes perfect sense."

"I apologized for that. It was a one-time thing and it won't happen again."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Qrow said. "I didn't want to say it, but I've been noticing you've been getting a little mouthy lately. Remember our conversation in Nyrna?"

Above his knees, Clark's hands tightened into fists. "I was upset then too," he argued. "Even if you guys are right about me getting cranky, that doesn't the change the fact that I can't sleep now."

Ruby took a breath. "Clark, I wanted to talk about this earlier, but you not sleeping isn't the only thing I noticed. I don't think you're eating enough either."

He frowned. "Close. It's the same as with sleep, I haven't eaten or even drank anything since Vale. Do I look starved?" He raised his arms. "No, so stop worrying."

"Dude, you think that's going to get us to stop?" Yang sat by him and softened her voice. "You're doing the opposite. Seriously, go to sleep, you look great for a guy whose gone months without it, but you still look like you need it."

"Don't any of you get it?" He said in a low, furious voice. "I'm fine! I'm staying up to protect you!"

His sudden explosive shout made Ruby wince.

"Yeah, scream at us. That's going to convince us you're fine," Qrow said.

Ruby frowned, the sarcasm really wasn't needed right now.

Her uncle continued. "How long have you been putting off going to a therapist? Really seems like you could use one."

"Jesus Christ, you're bringing that up now?"

"Yeah, I am, since you're just getting mad when we're trying to help you."

"Really? You think that's what's happening? I'm the one helping you and you're all trying to get in my way." Clark stood up. "You know what? I change my mind, I'm leaving." He started to walk out.

"No!" Ruby jumped in front of him, but he disappeared. When she turned around, he walked to the door at the same steady pace.

"Running away, Clark? Real mature." Qrow called out.

Boom! Clark whipped around in an instant, but that wasn't all. His foot had shattered the floor and shaken the building. The lights dimmed for a second but most of them turned back on without any trouble.

Clark looked down at the ground in shock. After a few moments, he looked back up at them, confusion in his eyes. "I-I didn't mean to do that."

"Please Clark, go to sleep," Ruby said.

He stared down at his foot again and nodded. "I will. I should at least fix this though."

"Relax, we'll take care of it," Qrow said. "Just rest."

"O-okay. Thank you, and I'm sorry." His head hunched over in embarrassment, Clark walked up the stairs.

\\\\\

Clark entered his room. He'd showered and brush his teeth, which already made him feel a lot more refreshed.

'There's the bed.' He stared at the mattress with the blankets neatly spread over it. He hadn't used it at all ever since he'd come to Haven. Even now, he didn't feel sleepy.

Still, he turned off the lights and climbed under the covers. He closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come. He tried to keep his mind blank, but the fight with the phantom kept coming up in his head.

He hadn't made too many mistakes, but it was almost impossible to stand a chance against the phantom with such a speed difference. His running speed had increased by a lot, but it wasn't enough.

Clark looked over at the desk where he'd laid the two halves of the broken crystal. He needed to learn how to fly, especially now that the crystal wouldn't work. There'd only been a few more attempts after that one short success with Qrow.

Actually, he hadn't tried at all since Vale.

That wasn't all, a lot had changed since Vale. It was unbelievable that he hadn't realized it until now. He'd never sat down and made the decision to stop eating and sleeping after the attack. For the first few days, he'd just kept himself busy, and by the time he hadn't slept a wink or eaten a crumb in all that time, he'd accepted it and continued with the belief that he was fine without them.

But he wasn't. Qrow and Pyrrha had shown him that, and there had been other examples. Like when he'd talked to Jade Ophel.

What had he been thinking when arguing that he was fine? God, he'd let it get to the point of losing control over his strength. That could have been fatal. It nearly had been fatal when he'd gotten angry at Mercury.

Clark let out a sigh and rubbed his face. He hadn't slept in months. Couldn't he fall asleep sooner instead of thinking about this?

After a few minutes, tears came to his eyes. Taken aback, he blinked then wiped them away.

"What's going on?" he whispered. He hadn't cried even after Velvet and Penny had died, why was he crying now?

He curled up and didn't fight the sobs. Those two deserved the tears, and honestly, it was a relief to weep. It was like an immense weight, one that he hadn't even noticed, was being lifted off his chest.

After the last of his tears fell, it didn't take long to fall asleep.

\\\\\

He floated out above the water and droplets trailed off his body and fell down to the surface. He'd spent hours underwater waiting for the pain in His chest to fade, but it hadn't. It was like all His strength was being taken from Him, and every muscle howled against the forceful drain.

He'd hardly been able to move before, but now He could shakily hover. He stared down at the fragments of the crystal embedded in His body, just under the skin. Damn Kryptonian tech. It couldn't send Him back to the Zone, but it still tortured Him, just like it had before He'd even become a phantom.

He headed to where He'd hidden some kryptonite. There was a stash about fifty miles from here, small and far enough that Clark wouldn't find it easily. It should have taken Him a moment to get there, but now He was reduced to having to sailing through the air at a pathetic few hundred miles an hour.

By the time He got there, He nearly collapsed to the ground. The pain had grown, and He gripped His chest where the largest concentration of crystal was embedded.

Kryptonite. He needed kryptonite. With a flash of His still remaining speed, He grabbed a lead case and ripped it apart. The absorption of radiation was painful at first, like always, but He soon breathed out in relief. The power flowing through Him eased the pain.

He looked down and scowled. The fragments were still there, and He could feel the debilitating agony start to return.