Run - SimplyKorra - RWBY [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1: Ruby Rose

Chapter Text

AN/ Hey! Welcome to my new big fic series. I have a lot planned for this and I hope I can get it all out. But we're starting slow, with this first chapter. The plan right now is to update every Tuesday and Friday. I've got a bit of a head start and am going to try and maintain a lead on the updates.

This is going to be a White Rose and Bumbleby fic with a lot of appearances from a ton of RWBY characters. Spoilers all the way through volume 3, set five years after the season finale. Thank you for taking the time to check it out. Let me know what you think :)

"I think we're clear."

Jaune's voice pulled Ruby out of her haze as her legs finally slowed down. She searched for a tree to prop herself up against and stumbled into it. They'd been running for so long, she was surprised at how well Jaune had been able to keep up—maybe it was because she was slowing down.

That could be because she was fairly certain she'd taken a hit in that last fight. Not that there was any need to worry Jaune about that right now.

"I'm so…tired…of running." Ruby panted before turning and resting her back along the thick tree and sliding to the ground.

Jaune chuckled. "Considering that speed is your semblance I think that speaks volumes." Ruby was too tired to argue, or agree. She couldn't decide which, she was too tired. "We won't be able to rest here for long. I knew we should have stayed in the city. It's harder for it to track us."

"Harder, but not impossible. It's been relentless since we left Vale—it knows we're close."

As the wind picked up, Jaune glanced over at Ruby with a frown. "Are we close? I don't feel close to anything other than a heart attack."

Ruby had to believe they were close to something. They'd been at this for so long, for nearly two years since leaving Haven. It couldn't be for nothing, the small clues here and there, the sightings of the woman in black, it had to mean something.

"She's searching for something, Jaune. Something important and that…thing that's after us is trying to stop us."

That thing that was hunting them had been doing so for the better part of the last two years. One day, in the middle of the night, it burst through the door of the hotel they were staying at and tried to kill them. If not for Ruby's insomnia keeping her awake they would have easily fallen pray to it.

There was no real way to describe the thing. It was shaped like a human, but quick as a Faunus and as powerful as a Grimm. They'd battled it many times, in many locations over the past year. Each fight was the same. It would come at them, relentlessly and no matter how many times Ruby slashed it or shot at it with her scythe, it just kept coming.

Nowhere they stayed was safe and on top of that, it endangered the safety of those around them. A lesson they'd learned in the harshest of ways.

So they started running. It was better than standing their ground and getting hurt, which had happened more often than not. Whatever weapon it carried could cut through a person's aura as if it didn't even exist. They were outmatched, no weapon could stop it, and those magical silver eyes Qrow had once told her about had never returned since the day on the tower. They couldn't defeat this thing, once that realization dawned on them, all they could do was hide.

In the back of Ruby's mind, she knew there was one plan that hung over the both of them. Ever since Ren and Nora returned to their home village, it had just been the two of them. They'd come to rely on one another to get through the long days. So much had happened, they'd been through the worst of it together but Ruby knew that this style of life they were living couldn't last.

"Jaune." Ruby's voice was gentle, her tone preparing for the truth she knew he would see coming.

The look he gave her confirmed her fears. "Ruby, don't say it."

"You know we need to split up. It can't track us both."

He shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm not leaving you behind too. Where would I even go? Where would you go?"

Ruby took a deep breath, the cut on her stomach tightening. The blade of that thing was powerful, it struck wounds that took her aura days to heal. "I'll follow the lead into Atlas. We know she's been there because there's been at least two sightings and three murders of known hunters with ties to the White Fang. You can follow up that lead going back to Beacon."

"Beacon? Ruby we just came from there! There's no lead, you're just sending me away!"

She couldn't look him in the eye because he was absolutely right. Ruby knew this lead to Atlas was the right one, it was really the only one. Beacon was a dead end they'd been to more times than they could count. Long after the dragon unfroze and Cinder disappeared, the school was being rebuilt. Beacon was no longer the center of the fight, but it was safe and she needed Jaune to be safe.

"I need to do this, Jaune."

He took a hard step towards her. "Why? Why do you need to do this?"

"Because I failed, Jaune! I had a chance to stop it and I failed! I've been chasing after this…ghost for so long and I know I'm close. I can feel it, I'm so close! But with that thing on my heels all the time I can't catch my breath long enough to close the deal!"

She watched him pout and turn away with his arms over his chest. "I failed too, you know? I didn't do anything to—" his voice cut out and Ruby knew where his head was going. She'd watched his mind go there countless times through their years together. "She pushed me into that locker and I just…watched her walk away from me. I could have done more."

"We all could have done more." Ruby said carefully as she pushed to her feet. "This is why we fight, Jaune. We're doing it for her, for Penny, for my sister and for everyone that Cinder and her people have hurt. We hunt them because we can't sit back and wait for them to make another attack. If I—if we find them, maybe we can stop them before they hurt anyone else."

"But when you say we…you mean you." Jaune sounded more than a little betrayed and Ruby felt horrible.

Still, he was once again right. "Jaune…I need you to do this." Ruby repeated tiredly.

When she saw him finally close his eyes and look away from her, she knew she had won. "You always were the better leader."

"That's not true," Ruby countered. "You lead your team fine, just…differently. Neither one of us were really ready for it but we did okay. We were better than Cardin." She tried to joke, to make him smile and make this moment not so terrible. She'd had so many terrible moments in the last five years. She was tired of sad goodbyes.

It didn't work. In fact, she'd somehow made it worse. "I don't know, last I remember, he didn't lose one of his teammates."

Ruby felt a vice grip her chest. "Jaune."

"It's fine, I'll head back to Beacon and see what I can find. I'll wait for a few days, if it doesn't follow me there then I'll come find you in Atlas."

Part of Ruby wanted to tell Jaune to stay away. To run and never look back, because as much as she trusted him and appreciated his help, she didn't want him to be as caught up in this mess as she was. He'd lost so much—yet he was by her side through it all and not once did he doubt her or question her motives.

She wouldn't have made it this far without Jaune Arc, so if he wanted to continue to fight with her, she had no right to stop him.

For now, she just needed a few days separation from that thing chasing them. "You be careful, okay? If it comes for you, you lay low and you hide and you be safe. I am not kidding, I will know if you're reckless and I will kick your butt from here to the ends of Remnant."

"I will," that made him smile. "Stay fast, Ruby." He said before pulling her into a warm embrace.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and took in the comfort of her friend. Unable to keep the voice out of her head that this might be the last time she'd ever see him. "Stay guarded, Jaune."

When she pulled away, Ruby gave him one final look before planting her foot into the ground. A moment later, she ran as fast as she could towards the kingdom of Atlas.

The sound of someone coughing stirred Ruby from her uncomfortable sleep. She opened her eyes to find the bustling of people moving through the airship, chatting idly with one another and some staring at their scrolls.

Her back ached as she moved—sleeping on a small metal bench was far from ideal but it was still better than under a tree in the forest. Ruby pushed herself up to a seated position, wincing slighting at the still present cut on her stomach, and reached under the bench to pick up Crescent Rose.

She was exhausted still, not even the peace of the airship was enough for her to recapture the lost sleep of the last week.

As she traced her fingers over her weapon, Ruby's thoughts traveled to Jaune. She hoped he'd made it out of the forest okay. They'd sufficiently trapped that thing that had been chasing them but trapping it was all they ever could do. Even then it always found a way to escape and come after them. For now, Ruby could only wait and wonder if it had chosen to follow her or Jaune.

She was so tired, both literally and figuratively. She was tired of running, tired of not sleeping, tired of feeling so alone. This was not the life she imagined when she entered Beacon years ago. It was supposed to be adventurous and romantic. She was going to save the world, she was going to fight monsters and celebrate with her teammates and enjoy the life of a huntress—going to bed every night knowing she'd done well.

Instead, she was tormented with nightmares, she choked down food out of necessity and slept only when her body couldn't function anymore. The last few years had been so hard on her, changed her. She envied the child that walked through the doors of Beacon thinking she could be a hero.

There was no such thing as heroes—only victims and survivors.

The only person she'd contacted in the last five years was Yang, and even those rare conversations were unpleasant. She never told Yang what she was doing, never gave any details. Though Ruby wondered if Yang still cared, she couldn't risk having Yang come after her. There was no sign of Blake and as far as Ruby knew Weiss had been completely taken away from being a huntress. She'd said goodbye to Ren and Nora and now Jaune as well…then there was Pyrrha.

She took a deep, shaky breath and refused to let her mind wander that far. There was no reason to feel that pain, not today. Instead she held onto Crescent Rose a little tighter and let her eyes close.

At some point she must have drifted back to sleep because the next time her eyes opened there was a very portly man looking down at her. He had a long, red beard and she watched him reach up and push his glasses higher on his nose.

"You can't stay here." He said dryly and Ruby looked around to see that the airship was empty.

"O—oh…have we reached our stop?"

The man rolled his eyes. "You think? Ships been stopped for ten minutes now, everyone's off and its time for you to go. I've gotta clean your bench and you're keeping me from my break."

"Right," Ruby stood up quickly, cringing as she felt her scythe fall from her lap and crash onto the floor. "Sorry," she picked it up in a flurry. "I'm sorry." As the second apology fell from her lips, Ruby raced off the ship and squinted as the light of the falling sun shone in her face.

Atlas was as she'd imagined it would be. Massive. The buildings stood high in the sky and seemed to touch the clouds. Traffic was nonstop, even from her spot on the dock she could see the bustle of cars and people all across the streets below.

Ruby felt a strange sense of comfort here, if nothing else, it would be easier to hide. There was also a nagging feeling that this was a terrible mistake. If that thing came after her there was a good chance she'd be putting all these innocent lives at risk.

Still, they were at risk every single day that passed where she didn't find Cinder and stop whatever plan was brewing. The trail had gone cold before her contact here had told her of the sightings. A woman with black hair who seemed to disappear in a flash and never looked anyone in the eyes.

It wasn't much, but she trusted her source well enough to take the chance. Neon Katt was a lot of things, but a liar was not one of them.

Tucking Crescent Rose under her cloak, Ruby made her way into the city. She hadn't eaten all day and despite the fact that she'd been sleeping in the forest for the last few days, she only had enough money for a place to stay, but her stomach protested angrily. She needed food, after a week of running her body was almost demanding it.

"Maybe I could find a good box to sleep in. The city seems pretty busy. I'd probably be safe in an alley or something." Ruby muttered to herself as she slipped into the constant stream of people walking through town.

It amazed her how calm everyone was, even though she knew it was a good thing, these people were still blind to the fact that a threat was looming over them. These were the kinds of things that made Ruby question her own sanity on some days. She spent every day feeling so tense and threatened that to see a city moving and operating as if the time of peace was still upon them made her think she might be going crazy.

This wasn't right, they weren't ready…they needed to be ready. Ruby had seen the cost of not being ready.

As she strode through the city, she caught sight of a small bakery tucked away in the corner of a a series of buildings and decided to indulge herself. She slipped inside and took in the smell of fresh bread and cakes—it was magical.

The place was fairly empty, save for a couple with a pair of children who they were struggling to keep in their seats. Ruby stepped up to the counter and was met with a pair of green eyes from a girl that didn't look a day over eighteen.

"Hello, welcome to The Half Baked Dozen, what can I get you?"

Reaching into her wallet, Ruby fumbled with the few liens she had and slowly counted them.

"Um," she sat them on the glass counter. "What can I get for…twelve lien?"

The girl eyed the money for a moment before her gaze turned back to Ruby. Now, Ruby Rose might not have had a good meal in a few days, but she was far from starving. She had built a strong body, one needed to carry around her giant weapon and run from monsters on a daily basis. She'd grown up, as well as out in her frame. However, that didn't mean she wasn't hoping her tired eyes and 'help me I'm hungry' pout wouldn't earn her an extra cookie. Though getting things with their looks was always more Yang's style.

So when the response came, Ruby couldn't believe it. "How about six cookies and a piece of cake. Your choice, of course?" Maybe she looked worse than she thought. After all this girl wouldn't stop staring at her.

Ruby knew her mouth fell open and for a moment she thought a bit of drool might have come out. She closed it a moment later and stammered. "I—that…would be…are you sure?"

"Yes," the girl answered with a slight tinge in her cheeks. Ruby wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve such nice service. "I baked the cookies a little while ago so you'll have to tell me if you like them."

"I will!" Ruby beamed before watching the girl behind the counter pick up a plate of cookies and neatly decorate them across a plate. She then put the plate on the counter and gestured towards the cakes.

"What's your pick?"

Ruby eyed them mostly for show, because she already knew what she wanted. "Chocolate please, with the bananas!" She watched another smile pass over her server's face.

"You have excellent taste."

As someone who struggled with social interaction all her life, anytime a conversation went as well as this one, Ruby felt a sense of pride. This whole exchange was making her day better.

Once the piece of cake was placed amongst the cookies, Ruby took the plate with the promise of grading the cookies when she finished.

She found a table tucked away in the back corner and sat down, ready to devour her amazingly sugar filled meal and, perhaps, enjoy herself for a little while. Just as she was about to place a cookie into her mouth, someone suddenly sat down across from her.

"She was flirting with you; you know?"

A pair of disarming blue eyes were looking back at her and Ruby dropped the cookie into her lap. "W—Weiss?"

Chapter 2: Blake Belladonna

Chapter Text

Patch hadn't grown much from the last time Blake was here, although the last time she was here only lasted a day and that day was hazy at best. Still, it was quaint, if nothing else. There was very little traffic on the roads this early in the morning.

She walked alongside the main road, hands in her pockets, trying to figure out which way to go to make it into the outskirts and towards her destination.

She'd been so hasty to get here that she hadn't put much thought into the actual route. It wasn't unnatural for Blake to wander, she had incredibly good senses and could usually find her way around any strange place given enough time. This was different only because she didn't want to wait. She was impatient and perhaps a little unprepared, but her reason for being here was more important than anything.

Her ears perked up at the sound of a chiming bell in the distance, she honed in on the noise, listening as it rang again and soon she followed that noise in hopes of finding an open shop for directions.

As luck would have it, a small restaurant had opened and Blake peeked in through the large windows to see a man and a woman setting out trays of food and cleaning the tables.

Stepping inside, both of the occupants inside turned to her with bright smiles on their faces.

"Hello young lady! What can I—oh!" the older woman gasped in surprise and Blake hesitated in the entranceway. "You're a Faunus?"

Blake frowned. "I am. I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Oh no," the woman stepped forward quickly. "No not at all, you just caught me off guard is all. Not many of your kind in Patch. Of course you are welcome to come in and eat, I'd never turn down a paying customer!" She laughed at herself before placing a hand on Blake's back and guiding her inside. "Please sit anywhere you like, can I get you something to drink?"

"Actually," Blake tried to speak up but was nearly shoved into a booth as her knee smacked the bar holding up the table. "I was just hoping for directions."

"Well we can give you that, certainly. My husband and I have lived here our whole lives. Know every inch of Patch like the backs of our hands. But it's so early and such a long day ahead, a good meal is the best way to start it!"

Despite her rush, Blake couldn't deny that she was hungry and whatever she could smell being prepared in the back was incredibly tempting. "I—okay, I suppose a quick bite couldn't hurt."

"Of course not! Now…a drink?"

"I'll have tea, please."

"Excellent," the lady pushed up her glasses and reached behind herself to reveal a menu. "You go over this, I'll bring you your tea and you can tell me what you'd like to eat. We have an excellent tuna egg omelet." Blake peeked up at her, ears flicking just a bit. "Oh I'm sorry, is that offense, I just assumed—"

"It's fine, actually, that's what I'll have." Blake said before handing back the menu. "I've always had a soft spot for tuna."

"Wonderful!"

At that, Blake was left alone while her meal was prepared and so she reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll.

She didn't have very good reception here, not at all like Haven, but still it was enough to get a call out and she had a promise to keep.

"Hello?" He sounded tired, she'd woken him up.

Blake smirked. "Told you I'd call."

"Ugh," Sun groaned and she could hear him rustling around in his bed. "So you did. I forget that you don't waste time so I should have expected this. What time is—Blake it's not even six yet."

"It's nearly eight where I'm at. Besides, now you'll have time to do something productive with your morning. Go for a run or read a book."

"You're a monster, Belladonna." He muttered with a muffled voice, she was certain he'd buried his face in his pillow. "So you made it then?"

"I did, trip here was pretty uneventful too, which was nice. Caught a long flight out of the city and we landed this morning. Even managed to sleep a little."

"Cat nap." He teased and she rolled her eyes. Sometimes he was so much like her that Blake wondered if blonde hair instantly meant sarcastic pain in the butt.

"Something like that." She said before looking up to see the older woman arriving with her tea. "Thank you." She said and earned a smile.

"What's that?" Sun asked.

Blake poured some sugar in her tea. "Waitress, I stopped to get something to eat."

"Faunus friendly in Patch?"

She chuckled. "More like unaware. The way she looked at me when I first showed up it was like she'd never seen one of us before." She glanced back to see the older woman wiping down more tables. "Nice enough though, not bad for a first encounter."

Sun was quiet for a moment; Blake couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd fallen asleep. "Hopefully a sign of things to come?"

"Hopefully," Blake breathed before taking a sip of her tea. "It's natural to be nervous, right?"

He chuckled. "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary."

"Being nervous is a nothing new for me, I just hide it better than most. Nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs or something right? That's a human saying isn't it?"

"You don't even have a tail."

Blake rolled her eyes. "That's not the point. I'm nervous, but I'm here and right now that's enough."

"How long do you plan on staying?"

That was the million lien question. How long would she stay? The simple answer was to say as long as it took. She knew that what she was planning might not be easy, but a part of her couldn't help but hope that the news she brought with her would be enough. That she could come here and make everything better and be…happy. Perhaps for the first time in her life.

She wanted it more than she'd ever wanted anything in her whole life. Like the culmination of every terrible thing she'd endured would finally be worth it all.

"Indefinitely." She finally answered, satisfied enough with her short, cryptic response. Sun hummed over the line. "What?"

"Nothing, I hope it's everything you hope it will be."

As Blake's food arrive, she once again thanked the older woman and took in the scent of her meal. "I'm not getting my hopes up." She admitted before cutting at her omelet.

"Right," she could hear Sun laugh. "Neptune misses you, by the way."

"Oh?"

Sun sighed. "Yeah, he complains that the apartment isn't as clean without you here. He misses your morning conversations with him over tea and something about…yoga?"

Blake smiled slightly at the memory of Neptune trying to keep up with her morning workouts. Shortly after her mission, when she finally collected enough of herself to return to the real world, she stayed with Sun and Neptune while trying to figure out her next step. They'd been incredibly good to her, they'd taken care of her during the hardest months of her life.

She missed them both dearly.

"I'll be back to see him soon."

"Don't you mean 'indefinitely'?"

Such a smart ass.

"Listen, I have a delicious breakfast to eat I should probably let you get back to sleep."

Again he hummed. "Now there's an idea." Blake grinned again. "Hey," his tone dropped faintly. "Don't forget to take care of yourself, too, okay? You've been in a good place for a few months now. I'd hate to see you lose that."

Growing up as she did, Blake knew better than to take for granted the feeling of being cared for. She cherished it. "Thank you, Sun. You and Neptune…for everything."

"Anytime. Bye Blake."

"Bye."

As she hung up, Blake felt a renewed energy and took in the scent of her breakfast.

Today was going to be a good day, she just knew it.

With a full stomach and a burst of energy, Blake sat in the backseat of a transport cab that was taking her to the place the waitress at the restaurant had told her. Apparently, Taiyang Xiao Long was quite well known in Patch. It was no small news when he and his family made a home here. The great hunters from team STRQ carried a reputation with them that surpassed that of most other teams.

There was a time when Blake wondered if team RWBY would ever reach that level. Of course their time at Beacon had been cut far too short and each member was split apart. It was the darkest of times for Blake, a time riddled with bad decisions that led to worse decisions.

Many of those long nights alone were spent wondering how her team was. She thought about Weiss more often than she'd expected. Even before Blake had decided to leave Weiss had been picked up by her father. Still, Blake remembered the way Weiss fussed over an unconscious Ruby on that airship out of Vale. Forcibly taking over her care from her Uncle Qrow and letting Ruby's head lie in her lap the entire way home. It was a far cry from the girl who screamed at Ruby the day they met for knocking over her things.

Of course when they landed in Patch that day, Mr. Schnee's fancy ship was already waiting to take Weiss to Atlas. She barely had time to say goodbye to Blake—they'd been the only two of their team awake at the time, before she was rushed away in tears.

Weiss had asked Blake to look after Ruby for her, Yang too. Blake promised, a promise she broke in a string of mistakes that nearly destroyed her life when she ran away.

She wandered for a while, seeking out Grimm in forests to fight, finding new talents as her skills developed. She only ever had one goal in mind and each day was about driving towards that. A life lived on revenge was bitter and empty, but that was all she had after Beacon.

That and the memories of the team that made her feel at home, and the partner she ran away from that made her feel like family.

It doesn't matter. You fixed it, Blake. You finally fixed it and today you can rebuild all of that.

This made her smile, something she was doing far more of than she had in her entire life. Certainly it had been hard to do the things that she had done, but they had to be done. She had to gain her revenge, for the childhood that was taken from her, the innocence she was never allowed to have. However, it was as much for her as it was for Yang.

Yang.

She was going to see Yang today, for the first time in five years.

The nerves returned in waves and Blake tightened the grip on her bag to try and combat them.

By the time her ride stopped just outside the small house hidden away in the far end of town, Blake was nearly shaking. She stepped out, paid the driver and walked slowly to the front door. This was as far as she'd ever made it into Patch. Five years ago she ran before ever making it to this place. Before Yang ever had the chance to wake up, because Blake knew that if she saw those lilac eyes, there was no way she could have ran.

Taking a deep breath, Blake hoisted her bag over her shoulder and knocked three times.

She clasped her hands in front of her and waited, she could hear steps coming towards the door and for a fleeting moment, she thought that she could still run.

It wasn't even a desire, just a notion that she could and a small dose of pride in knowing that she wouldn't, that she didn't want to run.

The first thing she saw when the door opened was blonde hair and her heart leapt into her throat. A second later it wilted at the sight of a taller man with a scraggly beard and tired eyes looking down at her.

His hair and his eyes, his presence, it reminded her of Yang. This had to have been her father.

"Uh…hello? Can I help you?" He asked as he peeked over her shoulder. Judging by his body language he was not used to many guests.

"I uh—" she stammered for a bit before she regained her composure and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Blake Belladonna. I—I'm looking for Yang."

She saw his eyebrows raise for a moment before his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You're the B, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, Ruby was R, she talked a lot about Weiss, the W, and then Yang was Y. She mentioned you a lot but did not tell me you were a Faunus." He smiled. "You're the B in RWBY."

A vice gripped Blake's chest as she nodded with a sad smile. "I was, yes. I was Yang's…" the sentence died on her lips. She had no right to call herself Yang's partner. Not anymore. "Is she here, by chance?"

"She's not," Blake's knees went weak and he must have noticed her falter. "I mean not here here. She doesn't live with me. She lives down that hill to your right in a small cabin of her own. I've got a good chunk of land up here and that place was just sitting down there doing nothing so she moved in a couple years ago."

The sudden realization struck Blake that Yang had stayed here the entire five years. She hadn't left Patch at all. The dreams she'd had of becoming a huntress, of traveling the world and seeking those thrills she talked about so much never came.

It's not too late. Blake thought and it wasn't. If she could restart her life at twenty-two years old, so could Yang.

"Do you think she'd mind a visitor?"

"Can't hurt to try," he said. "I'm Taiyang, by the way. Taiyang Xiao Long." He extended his hand and Blake accepted it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blake Belladonna. Yang's descriptions of you do not do you justice."

Oh…

She found herself flushing as her ears twitched atop her head. "It's good to meet you too, sir. I uh…I suppose I better get going down the trail."

"You're here at a good time, she'll be outside watering her flowers soon."

Blake thought for a moment that she might have heard him wrong, but as he waved goodbye and went back inside, she knew he hadn't.

Still, the idea of Yang tending to a garden seemed…odd.

You're the one skipping along town and grinning like an idiot. You of all people know how much things can change.

The further down the path Blake went, the more into focus the small shack at the bottom became. It wasn't a very big space, but she could see a small lake set just behind and behind that was a view of nothing but the forest that seemed to stretch on for miles.

The first true sight of Yang came from the vision of her motorcycle resting against the far wall. It looked as if it had been untouched for years, covered in a disheveled tarp and cast aside. Meant for another life.

True enough however, there was indeed a very plentiful garden that wrapped around the front of the cabin. There were flowers in full bloom, with varying colors of red, white, purple and yellow. They were beautiful.

This whole area was almost magical, like another world that was separated from the craziness of the cities she'd been in her whole life.

A moment passed as Blake enjoyed the view before she heard the front door opened and peeked up to see someone coming outside.

Blake wasn't sure what she'd expected, but Yang looked every bit the vision of beauty and power she remembered. Her blonde hair still hung far down her broad back, only this time it was tied up in a ponytail. She wore a yellow t-shirt with black shorts and brown boots. Her body still seemed to be amazingly well sculpted. If Yang wasn't getting out of the house much, she was certainly doing enough in it to stay in shape.

The next thing Blake noticed was the watering can held between her teeth as she turned around after shutting the door. That was when she realized that Yang only had one hand to work with and suddenly it all came crashing back to her.

She hadn't forgotten, but it still caught her off guard. She found herself staring at the missing limb, those same feelings of guilt and regret threatening to consume her.

A loud bang made her jump and she saw that the watering can had fallen to the ground. Her eyes trailed from it up to Yang and where she expected to see lilac staring back at her, she was met with an inferno of red.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Chapter 3: Weiss Schnee

Chapter Text

"I already told you, I don't care what he says, we're going to continue to support the Nikos tournament and it will take place in Vale." Weiss sighed tiredly at the continued weakness of her secretary—who had essentially become the mediator between she and her father. Even though Weiss was barely listening to the woman on the other line, she knew where the conversation was going. "I understand that it's a non profit event, but it's not about the profit, it's about the tournament and what it represents. I'll take the money out of my own trust fund if I have to but the tournament will continue. Tell him that and tell him that it is my concern, not his."

With that, Weiss closed her scroll and threw it into the seat next to her.

She hated this work, hated everything about it. The constant stream of calls to her scroll, the meetings and the manipulation. It was as if no matter how hard she tried to do good things with the Schnee Dust Company name, her father was always there to run it into the ground again.

Weiss would never understand why he wanted her to be a part of his business so badly, yet constantly made it a point to fight against everything she did.

So she escaped work early and took a car into the city. She had no real destination, but it was simple enough to tell her driver to take her to the nicest restaurant in the city for lunch. It was out of the way, secluded and because it was stuff with tight wadded gas bags, it would at least be quiet.

As she peered out the window in the back of the car, she saw a flash of red that drew her eye. It was hard to see as it moved through the heavily crowded streets, but Weiss continued to follow it as the car came to a stop at the intersection.

"It can't be," Weiss whispered to herself, rolling the window down to get a better look.

The figure pushed through a few people and finally Weiss could see that it was, in fact, a red cape on their back with a hood that bounced with each step.

Even though it looked like her and moved as frantically as her, Weiss still couldn't confirm that that was, in fact, her old partner.

However, any doubts she might have had ceased when the figure in the red hood suddenly ducked into a corner bakery.

"Ruby," Weiss whispered before opening her door just as the car started to move again. "Stop!" she cried out. "Stop the car!" and it did, right in the middle of the intersection.

The blare of car horns sounded as Weiss stepped out into the street without a car. She heard someone call her an unflattering name but couldn't care less. "Miss Schnee?" Her driver called from the vehicle.

"Just park around the corner, I'll find you when I'm finished!" She instructed before stepping through the crowd and into the bakery.

Weiss considered her plan of attack as she stepped into the bakery. She stopped just at the doorway and moved to a table in the corner. She didn't sit, just stood and watched as Ruby had an exchange with the young girl behind the counter. From this angle, Weiss could only really see the familiar red cloak. That and the fact that Ruby was at least a six inches taller, which would make her about three inches taller than Weiss was, which was infuriating.

Still, the height seemed to fit her well. Her hair was much longer than Weiss had ever seen it, hanging along her shoulders and spilling over her cloak. It was the same dark color with familiar red tips, it suited her.

Weiss crossed her arms and continued to watch as the girl behind the counter smiled at Ruby and handed her a plate filled with junk food.

Apparently she only grew up physically, Weiss thought with a strange sense of frustration and relief. She didn't want to see that the world had taken away Ruby's childish nature. Even if it had been exceedingly annoying years ago.

She watched as the girl behind the counter smiled, again and made a point to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and practically glow at Ruby as she took the plate of food.

Weiss rolled her eyes and waited for Ruby to finally turn around. When she did, Weiss felt her knees weaken a little.

Ruby had, in fact, grown up. She was taller and thicker, in all the right places. She had broad shoulders and even through her sleeves Weiss could see the muscles flexing in her arms.

Her features were more elegant, yet still managed to maintain the youthful glow Ruby always had. As she turned, longer locks of hair swept in front of her face and Weiss felt her mouth go dry.

A moment later she shook off the strange feeling and set a glare on her former partner.

Five years. Weiss glowered as she stomped over to the table Ruby had chosen.

Just as Ruby was about to put a cookie in her mouth, Weiss sat down across from her.

"She was flirting with you; you know?"

The cookie fell from Ruby's lips and into her lap because…of course it did.

"W—Weiss?" Ruby muttered as she continued to stare with her mouth open. "What…are you—is this a dream?" Leaning forward, Weiss thumped Ruby in the forehead. "Ow!"

"Not a dream."

"Yeah you're not usually mean to me in my dreams." Ruby muttered and Weiss refused to dwell on that statement. "What are you doing here?"

"No, no," She shook her head vehemently. "I live here, I have been in Atlas for the last five years since Beacon, you're the one who fell completely off the map and then randomly show up. I will be asking the questions."

They stared at each other for a moment, Ruby picking up the cookie from her lap and setting it on the table. "Do you…have any quest—"

"Of course I have questions!" Weiss slammed her hands on the table and made her partner jump. "Where have you been, Ruby Rose?! You think you can go this long without even trying to contact me?! I thought were dead or injured or captured or…ugh!" She sat back in her seat with a pout and refused to look at Ruby.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I've been really busy since Beacon fell. Of course I wanted to come see you but—" Ruby's voice trailed off as her eyes fell to the plate of cookies.

Weiss made the mistake of glancing over at her, seeing the sadness in those silver eyes irritated her to no end—if only because she hated seeing it. "But what?" She pried and Ruby winced.

"I can't tell you, not…not everything."

"Excuse me?" The tendrils of sympathy vanished quickly. "You can't tell me?"

Ruby sighed and refused to look at her. "It's for your own good." Weiss heard the words fall out of Ruby's mouth and a moment later reached across the table again and thumped Ruby in the forehead. "Ow! Will you stop that?!"

"Not until you stop keeping secrets!"

"I'm not keeping secrets! I'm protecting you." Ruby flinched as her sentence finished, no doubt expecting Weiss to reach across the table again. She didn't, despite her frustration she was thrilled to see her former partner again. Life since Beacon had been so suffocating and lonely. Ruby was the dose of hope Weiss had missed so much. "It's nothing personal, Weiss. If I felt I could tell you, I would. You, probably…over anyone else."

Weiss knew when to pick her battles, something she'd learned more and more as her father engrained her into the family business. Ruby was not going to budge and Weiss didn't feel like fighting after being apart for so long.

"Fine, then can you at least tell me how long you're planning on being in the city? Where you've come from? What have you heard from everyone else? Your sister? How is she? Blake?" Weiss wasn't sure where the slew of questions came from but they just started pouring from her mouth like word vomit. She had been locked away for so long without anything, to see Ruby now was like a life preserver. She missed her old life so much.

However, another wave of discomfort flashed over Ruby's features and Weiss regretted her questioning. Though it shouldn't have come as a surprise to her that things only got worse after Beacon fell.

"I have no idea where Blake is, I haven't seen her since she ran away. Yang is…" Ruby swallowed thickly, clearly struggling, and Weiss resisted the urge to reach across the table and grab her hand. "Existing, I guess? She's…I don't know what she's doing. I talk to her sometimes but she's barely there when we do. She's still in Patch."

"She never left?" Weiss asked quickly. She knew the severity of what happened to Yang but she never imagined it would fully defeat her—not a girl as filled with fire as Yang Xiao Long.

Ruby shook her head. "Nope, last she told me she had moved into the guest house down the road. She tells me she's fine when we talk but I don't believe her. But yeah, she's never left Patch."

Imagining Yang sitting and home and wasting away by herself made the world feel a little darker. Weiss didn't like it one bit.

"Did she ever…look into robotics for her arm? Did she ever do—" As poised as she was raised to be, Weiss found herself struggling to find the right words.

"I know she has a standing offer from General Ironwood and I know for certain that Professor Goodwitch has reached out to her about getting out and doing things but Yang won't budge. She's stubborn like that."

Weiss remembered, though usually that stubbornness was about making the fiery blonde slow down, not get back up.

"What about you?" Weiss asked again.

"Weiss, I told you—"

"Ruby," she cut her off. "You don't have to tell me about what you're doing. I was asking if you're okay."

When she saw the flash of vulnerability cross Ruby's face, she knew she'd found the right question.

"I'm pretty tired." Ruby said with a smile to match her words. "I haven't slept much in the last few...days and this is my first meal in a while."

Weiss scoffed. "I'd hardly call this a meal." Ruby grinned a little wider. "In fact, it's not." Weiss stood up and grabbed the plate of cookies from the table.

"Hey!" Ruby cried, standing up and stepping in front of her former partner. "Weiss, I have been fighting for the last five years, you have been sitting behind one of your fancy desks made of gold talking on a diamond scroll to all your Schnee robots. In a fight, I could kick your butt and if you don't put my plate of yums down, I'm going to do it." They stood in the middle of the bakery staring at one another for about ten seconds before Weiss took three steps to the right and threw away the offending sweets. "Weiss no!" Ruby cried as she dramatically fell to her knees.

"I see your penchant for the theatrics hasn't changed." Weiss groaned. "You say you haven't eaten in a long time and you think I am going to let you fill up on that garbage?"

"Hey!" The girl behind the counter called out and Weiss glanced up to see the offending teen glaring at her. "She can eat whatever she wants!"

"Yes well it's not going to be you." Weiss spat before pulling Ruby to her feet. "Come on, I'm feeding you a proper meal."

As she dragged Ruby out of the bakery Weiss could hear her whisper. "Why would I eat her?"

"Wow," Ruby said, for the twentieth time since stepping into the Schnee manor or "castle" as Ruby had called it. "Weiss it's so big. Who put that wallpaper on the ceiling? How did they get it up there? That's at least 200 feet in the air."

Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's barely twenty feet, Ruby—and that's not wallpaper, they're paintings. Hand painted by some of the best artists in Atlas."

"Whoa!" Ruby cried again, her head thrown back as she stared up once more.

For all the physical growth that her former partner had gone through, the emotional age of Ruby Rose seemed to have remained stuck at fifteen. Though Weiss found it a bit tiresome trying to wrangle the girl in, it was nice that the world had yet to take that from her.

It had certainly taken its toll on her.

"Come then, I'll have my chef make you anything you like."

"Wait!" Ruby stopped. "That one there, with the lady on the horse, is she naked?!"

Weiss rolled her eyes but stopped next to Ruby and glanced upward. "There are hundreds of pieces up there, Ruby. I don't see anyone naked."

"There!" Ruby pointed upward and in her excitement she suddenly reeled back and clutched at her side. "Ah!" she cried and doubled over.

"Ruby!" Weiss moved towards her and stopped herself before reaching out. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Ruby answered with a clearly forced laugh. "I just have a small cut that's taking it's sweet time to heal."

"What?" Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Use your aura to heal it."

Ruby smirked up at her. "Weiss I'm not an idiot."

"Oh?" Weiss found herself returning the teasing tone.

To her credit, Ruby smiled properly as she righted her posture, still clutching at her side. "I plan to but my aura was…" she stopped again, that look crossing her face that she was ready to shut Weiss out again.

"Was what?" Weiss pressed, not leaving any room for Ruby to hide.

"It was depleated in my last fight and…I haven't had the time to rest enough to build it back up."

That was incredibly concerning. Aura was not meant to be drained for a long period of time. It left a hunter vulnerable and was incredibly dangerous. "Ruby, how long?" Weiss demanded. The guilty look in those silver eyes only upset her more. "How long?"

Ruby slumped in defeat. "Three days."

"That's it," Weiss grabbed Ruby by the arm. "You're coming with me."

"I thought we were going to eat?" Ruby complained as she was pulled down the long hallway filled with random standing armor and enormous paintings.

Weiss said nothing as they continued through the entranceway of the manor. Three days was a horrifically long time for a huntresses' aura to be depleted. It made Ruby vulnerable and showed that despite her admitting a lack of food and sleep, Ruby's body was pushed to the absolute limit.

Once they were through the first set of doors they reached the main living area. At least that's what it was by name, growing up Weiss spent very little time in this portion of the house. Living area was a place meant for family to gather and be together—there was none of that in the Schnee family. No, that was time wasted according to her father and there was nothing worse than time wasted.

The furniture was all top quality and it looked like a showroom floor because nobody had used any of it since it was taken from the showroom floor. Like so many other useless rooms in this place, they just existed to show off the Schnee money pit.

Weiss would always stay upstairs in her room when she wasn't training or studying or being forced to practice her many pre-chosen activities. It was safer there, she could quietly be herself there. Nobody to tell her that the things she enjoyed were stupid or force her into doing anything she didn't want to.

"How many giant rooms does this place have?" Ruby asked in awe as Weiss moved to the stairs and led them to the second floor where her bedroom was. It was a long walk and as they neared the top, she felt the weight she was dragging along start to grow. Turning back, she caught sight of Ruby with a pleading smile. "Please tell me you're on the second floor." She said with a meek smile that disarmed Weiss' earlier frustration.

"I am," Weiss shook her head. "Look at you, you can barely walk. Ruby how long have you been living like this?" Instead of a clear answer, Ruby only shrugged and looked away with guilt. She continued to level a glare at Ruby for a few moments before finally realizing she wasn't actually doing any good. She sighed and stepped closer Ruby carefully reaching around her waist and supporting her weight a bit more. "You're a disaster, you dolt."

Ruby laughed softly. "There it is," she said quietly as they finished the final steps and made their way to another long hallway.

"There what is?"

"Nothing," Ruby said before she stood more upright and started to walk better. Weiss remained close but let her hand fall away from Ruby's waist. "I'm really not that bad, just slept on the bench of an airship and haven't eaten and…"

"Well you'll be sleeping in luxury tonight and I'll send a message to the chef to make you something nutritious and we'll heal your wound." It took Weiss a moment to realize that Ruby had stopped following her. "What are you doing?" She asked when she saw the worried look on Ruby's face.

"I—I'm grateful for the offer, Weiss, really—but I can't stay here."

Weiss crossed her arms haughtily. "And why not?"

"I'm too dangerous." Ruby said simply and Weiss once again found herself coming undone. She was so angry that Ruby wouldn't tell her anything important. Had the last five years really been so hard on Ruby that they stripped away all of her trust.

"Ruby, at some point you're going to have to tell me what's happened. You—" she needed her point to be made, she needed her words to matter. Closing the distance between them, Weiss put her hands on Ruby's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You're going to die if you keep this up, Ruby."

The look Ruby gave her in that moment drew out an emotion Weiss thought had been lost years ago. One she'd found in the forest the first day Ruby became her partner, a strong need to protect this strangely wonderful light in a very dark world.

Because the way those silver eyes stared back at her, Weiss knew that Ruby was prepared to die at the end of her mission.

Chapter 4: Yang Xiao Long

Chapter Text

Rolling onto her back, Yang stared up at the dimly lit ceiling of her bedroom and exhaled into the quiet of the early morning. She'd been awake for a while, only now was she finally admitting defeat. Another night of restless sleep.

She knew that she needed to find a way to sleep better—knew that it wasn't good for her to go with as little rest as she did each day.

Even when she tried to go to bed early, she'd lay there for hours in frustration as her mind refused to quiet down. Nights would drag on for so long, even when she'd fall asleep, she would wake up and only an hour would have passed. Each night was a battle—sometimes she would stop trying and stay up playing video games or cleaning. Anything to distract her from the voice telling her that she was not okay.

Morning would come, it always came and when she was younger, morning was her favorite time, another new day to attack, filled with adventure and the unpredictable mystery of life.

The life of a huntress carried so much risk, so little reward but the thrill of it all was what drove her. She wanted to take care of those who couldn't take care of themselves and she wanted to look damn good doing it.

Now her life carried almost no risk, no thrills or adventure. Days were long and empty, filled with mundane and safe tasks. The only shake up to her routine was when she needed to go grocery shopping.

Yang didn't care for news of the world beyond Patch. She didn't want to hear about Beacon being rebuilt or the effort to better protect the innocent from the Grimm. There was a time when she would have wanted to be a part of that battle. Now she just wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

Knowing her mind would never stop moving, she sat up and was immediately met with the sight of a blanket hanging over the mirror across the room. She'd covered it the first day she moved into her dad's guest home. The truth was that she didn't want to know why there was a mirror at the perfect angle to the bed of the small cabin by the lake. Her mind suddenly filling with terrible thoughts of the horrible things that might have been done here by she and Ruby's parents.

Needless to say, the first thing she did was move her own bed down here. She was not about to sleep on anything that had been shared by her father and the two women he'd had children with.

Besides, Yang didn't need a mirror to know how she probably looked. Her hair felt matted and tangled down her back, she could feel the burning behind her, certainly, bloodshot eyes and the last thing she needed was to see the tiny stump on her right shoulder.

She would be reminded of that least a dozen times today already, no need to start this early.

After spending another ten minutes trying to find the strength to get out of bed, Yang rose to her feet and shuffled into the bathroom. This mirror was, unfortunately, staring right back at her.

She stared into the judgmental, lilac eyes she saw and scowled. "It's your own fault you're not sleeping." She muttered before taking out her toothbrush. "Dumbass." She said before going through her usual morning routine.

Once she finished with that and put a shirt on, Yang moved into the kitchen just as the sun was finally starting to come up. She needed food to soak up the sins of the night before, her cupboards were mostly bare but she managed to come across a half full box of pancake mix to go with the four eggs she had left.

Who knew that cooking eggs and pancakes with one hand could be so damn difficult.

Years of practice, with a lot of trial and error, had trained her at how to be as efficient as possible with one arm. Sure she'd still have the occasional moment where she'd go to use her right arm for something only to flail her shoulder aimless forward, but that happened less and less with each passing year.

Balance had been surprisingly tricky, it took her weeks to learn how to walk upright again without leaning or stumbling. Everything was so slow and such an adjustment that the idea of fighting as she had before never really felt reachable to her. After a while, she just wanted to be able to properly wash all of her hair with just one hand.

Yang turned on the stereo to block out the internal noise, letting the music drown out a painfully quiet morning as she tried her best to perk up.

Her body swayed to the rhythm of the music and she sang along with the parts she remembered. Yang was determined to make this a good day. The last few months had been particularly hard, given her last conversation with Ruby, she needed a good day.

As her pancakes continued to cook and her eggs lay waiting to be devoured, Yang checked her scroll for the third time that morning. Of course, it was as empty as it had been an hour ago, no new messages.

Yang struggled talking to Ruby, but that didn't mean she stopped caring. So many of her thoughts were of her little sister and Yang knew that whatever she was doing was dangerous. The gap between calls had grown each time. When Ruby first called, it was two weeks after she'd ran, of course Ruby had made Yang promise not to let dad come after her. She'd agreed and had been prepared to argue with her dad not to go, that Ruby would be okay. However, her dad never even considered going after her. It upset Yang at first. How could he not care? She pondered over it for days, wondering why he hadn't wanted to tear the world apart to find his little girl.

Then when she confronted him on it, he told her a truth that changed everything.

"I don't want to leave you here alone, Yang. You need someone to take care of you."

That was the last day Yang spent in her room. She might not have been able to fight or be of any real use to anyone, but she was not going to wilt away in a bedroom and drag her dad down with her.

So she eventually climbed out of bed and started trying. Every day was filled with learning how to live, trying to get some strength back and working to manage her disability. As time passed, she was comfortable enough to move to the cabin below. It was a small victory, but being able to live on her own was important. Plus, it was easier to sink into depression in privacy than worry about the guilty looks from her dad.

The one trouble thing was that, eventually, Ruby stopped calling from her own scroll. In fact Yang was pretty sure Ruby didn't even carry one anymore. As time passed, their conversations became shorter and shorter. Ruby became more secretive about telling Yang what she was doing or where she was located. Their last conversation had been awkward and forced, almost as if Ruby was calling out of responsibility, not because she wanted to talk to her sister.

Yang tried not to take it personally, she wasn't the best company anymore. Why wouldn't Ruby try and get away from her?

Everyone else did.

Not today, Yang.

"Not today!" She shouted into the emptiness of her home before flipping her pancakes and turning up her music.

She ate slowly and watched the sunrise from the window of her kitchen. It was going to be another beautiful day, the perfect day to spend outside. The one thing Yang hadn't lost in her time away from the moving world was the desire to work. She loved to push herself, she needed her muscles to burn at the end of each day, even if she was missing a few of them. She'd done most of the renovations on this place that she could on her own. Her dad would help with those she couldn't and once she settled in, she started to work on the garden and went about making her own gym in the garage.

That was hard day, when she finally committed to turning the garage into a gym because she couldn't ride her motorcycle anymore. As badly as she wanted to, there was no way she could control it with just one arm and it was taking up the space she wanted to use for more productive things. So she left her bike outside to suffer through the elements. The last real trace of the girl she used to be was abandoned that day.

After the fall of Beacon, Yang cried a lot. She hated it, hated every tear that fell and every sob she couldn't hold in. That day had broken her and she'd worked her ass off trying to put it all back together.

Still, the day she left her bike out in the cold because it wasn't a part of her life anymore, that was one of the hardest days of her life.

Once she finished eating and went through the chore of taking a shower and getting dressed, she prepared for a day outside with a full watering can between her teeth. She'd become quite proficient at carrying things in her mouth to free up her hand.

The sun hit her back as she stepped outside in a backpedal and closed the door behind her.

When she turned around, Yang thought for a moment that she was still sleeping and this was all a dream.

In front of her stood a slightly older, slightly taller and excessively more beautiful Blake Belladonna. The whole moment felt like something out of a movie. The wind picked up and made her long, dark hair fluttered. This, of course, drew Yang's eyes up to the two ears atop her head, free from any cover and out for anyone to see. Her eyes, those amber eyes that had haunted Yang for years looked up at her with something akin to sympathy and joy. She was so beautiful and she was here, it had to be a dream. Her body seemed to turn to goo, she wondered how she even managed to stay upright.

BANG!

Yang jumped, but not nearly as much as Blake, when the watering can hit the hardwood floor beneath her. She looked down at it for a moment and realized she wasn't sleeping. This was real, Blake was here, after five years Blake had shown up at her door.

Blake had come back.

After five years of no contact, no concern and no time for the girl who would have done anything for her.

She felt something she hadn't in forever, a familiar fire burned through her belly and when she looked up at Blake again, she saw red.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She spat angrily, her fist balling at her side and for a moment, she thought about stepping down towards the girl and punching her in the mouth.

The image alone frightened her, and though the fury inside didn't go away, she opened her hand. She would never strike Blake, as mad as she was, she would never ever lay a hand on her.

That didn't mean she couldn't give her an earful.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Blake's voice startled her, it was so different than she remembered it from her dreams. As if the time apart had tainted it in her own mind. To hear it again, so soft and controlled; Yang had to remind herself how angry she was.

"What?!" She cried with indignation.

"Your teeth?" Blake gestured towards the bucket.

Oh…oh we're doing this! "Yeah well, in case you didn't notice. I only have one hand!"

Yang had noticed how hard Blake was trying not to look at her disfigurement.

Blake seemed to unsettle a little, a rare sight. However, she recovered a moment later and met Yang's eyes again. "Couldn't you put your arm through the holster, like a grocery basket?"

Suddenly Yang's anger turned from seeing Blake to realizing that she'd been carrying that stupid can between her teeth for years for no damn reason at all. "I—I—you—what are you doing here?!"

"Yang," Blake sighed as she cast her head down. "I'm here to see you."

The anger went away at the sadness of Blake's voice. Suddenly she was breaking, it was all coming back to her. The nights spent wondering why Blake abandoned her. Why she was never good enough for anyone. Now that she was broken who would want her? Nobody wanted her when she was whole, when she was powerful. She tried so hard to be the best, to be there for everyone. She would have died for them all and when she needed help they all left her.

In a fit of emotion, Yang kicked the watering can with all she had. It flew past Blake in an instant, nowhere near hitting her, and bounced across the dirt road behind her—water splashing all along the ground.

Yang was so emotionally torn, a part of her wanted to turn around and run inside—as far away from Blake as possible. It took her so long to forget about Blake, or at least to be able to pretend she'd forgotten. Now she was here and when Yang looked at her and saw how uneasy she was at the outburst, her walls started to crumble.

"Why are you here?" She asked again, her voice much weaker than before.

Blake took a deep breath, her ears lying flat, almost guilty atop her head. "I'm…here for you."

Yang looked away furiously, holding back her emotions as best she could. "You're about five years too late."

"I'm sorry I left like I did."

"That doesn't make it better, Blake."

She heard Blake sigh. "I know…I was…hurt and scared and it was all too much, you know?"

"You were scared?" Yang rolled her eyes before holding up her stump. "I lost my arm, Blake! I woke up in my bed, alone, without my arm and you were scared?!" She felt the tears falling down her cheeks and wanted to turn around and run. She wasn't supposed to cry again. She'd told herself she wouldn't. "I needed you." Her voice barely carried the distance between them as it all fell apart.

She gave up and finally sat down on the porch, her flowers and the watering can had been long forgotten. Instead, Yang buried her head between her knees and took slow breaths to calm herself down

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted her that Blake was coming towards her but Yang didn't care. She wasn't going to yell anymore. It would only bring up more pain. She hated being like this, hated being weak. Physically, emotionally, she didn't even know who she was at this point. Just another victim.

Blake sat down next to her and Yang felt a hesitant arm touch her back. She took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of her former partner was like a trip through a time machine. Suddenly she felt like she was back at Beacon, parked next to Blake in the library reading a book over her shoulder and smirking every time they crossed glances in the silence.

When she looked up, Blake was there and staring back at her. Yang didn't have it in her to give a smirk like before, but she didn't tell Blake to leave either.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, Yang." Blake started and Yang could hear the sadness in her voice. It was odd to see Blake's ears out so freely, they were almost as expressive as her eyes. "But leaving you…was the biggest."

There were a thousand questions dancing in Yang's mind. She was certain that this was only the beginning of the emotional ride the rest of her day would bring. She didn't forgive Blake, but she couldn't deny how nice it was to have her here. It was too much, she needed answers.

"Blake," Yang stared into her eyes and pleaded for the truth. "I don't know why you left me. Maybe I'm scared of the answer. But…why are you here now?"

She felt Blake's hand still on her back, her amber eyes softened as she sighed.

"To make up for leaving—to…be here for you. I've put my life in order now and...I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Yang felt the fire building inside of her again. She stood up in a flurry, her one arm not enough to keep her balanced as she stumbled slightly before using the railing to pull up the rest of the way.

"Get out." Yang growled, not allowing herself to look at Blake. She knew if she did she'd say something she would regret.

"Yang, please." Blake's pleading voice broke her heart, which only upset her more.

"No!" She screamed, her voice echoing off the mountains. "I am not a charity case for you, Blake. You don't get to decide that you're ready to be here for me." Yang couldn't stop herself, she turned around and glowered down at the Faunus. "Leave, Blake. That's what you do best, isn't it?"

Before Blake had a chance to say anything in her own defense, Yang stormed into her house and locked the door. She didn't make it two steps inside before the tears came.

Chapter 5: Cookie Pie

Chapter Text

Every room in Weiss' house was amazing. Ruby felt like she'd spent the last twenty minutes with her mouth hanging open. The ceilings were so incredibly high, the floors were so incredibly shiny and each room had something else magnificent in it.

It was no secret to Ruby that the Schnee family was rich. For as far as Weiss had come as a teammate, she never let people forget she had money. Still, Ruby was not prepared for just how well the Schnee family lived. This place was gigantic, Ruby would take just one room in this place and be happy to call it her home forever.

Even the room they were in now, a bathroom tucked away in the far end of the second floor, was amazing. The sink was made of fancy marble and everything else was shining with gold and silver touches. There was a deep bathtub that Ruby would love to use. It was perched up on a small lip with a huge window that looked down at the property below. The window seemed perfectly placed to watch the sunset. Everything was custom made, even the towels had names stitched right into them, Weiss had grabbed her own when they came in.

Ruby couldn't help but study her former partner as she dug through a drawer under the sink next to her in search of something.

Weiss hadn't changed much, at least she still seemed like the same person. Ruby couldn't pretend to know for sure, but in appearance she was still just…Weiss. Beautiful and graceful, every move she made had purpose. Her hair was perhaps a bit longer, but still in the patented off kilter ponytail. She seemed a little bit stiffer than Ruby remembered. As if she were afraid to relax and take a few breaths. Though walking through this place Ruby couldn't help but feel the same way, as if any wrong move might break something worth more than everything she'd ever called her own.

"There it is," Weiss said, breaking the comfortable silence of the room. She stood up with a small box in her hand, a first aid kit, and sat it down on the counter.

"You going to stitch me up?" Ruby asked playfully.

Weiss gave her a sideways glare. "No, we're not animals. I'm merely cleaning your wound before we heal it."

"We?"

"Yes, we," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Now…" there was a bit of shy hesitation in those blue eyes watching her. "O—open your top."

Ruby felt her eyes go wide as saucers. "What?"

"Don't make this any more uncomfortable, Ruby. I can't heal your wound if I don't see it. Just…just open up your top and show me."

She wasn't sure exactly why she was so nervous about showing Weiss her cut. It was just Weiss after all, they'd spent almost a year in the same dorm together and had more than a few run ins with each other in various states of undress. Perhaps it was the way Weiss had so bluntly asked her to take her clothes off.

Still, she couldn't ponder on it for long, not with that same partner standing in front of her, gauze in hand and her foot tapping impatiently.

Slowly, Ruby unbuckled her ammunition belt and sat Crescent Rose gently aside. She laid her belt down across the sink—careful not to scratch the pretty surface. Next came her coat that she unbuttoned with ease before finally reaching her corset. Knowing Weiss was waiting, Ruby untied the laces and took a deep breath before letting it fall open. She pulled it open wider and revealed bare stomach to the girl in waiting. The cool air of the bathroom hit her newly exposed skin, a shiver coursed through her as she leaned back against the sink as her coat fell off her shoulders.

Now clad in only a black bra and a smile, Ruby chanced a look up at Weiss.

The once pale girl was now colored with a deep shade of red across her neck and cheeks. She was just…staring at Ruby's body and the intensity of the gaze made Ruby feel both insecure and flustered.

She's just examining your wound. This is Weiss, she's practically a professional. She's not looking at you, just your wound. So you can stop flexing your stomach you…dolt!

"Ruby…you…that cut is extremely deep." Weiss said with a hint of disappointment and Ruby finally looked down at her wound. It hurt so much but she'd been handling it for a couple days so she'd become accustomed to it. The last few years had been filled with so many varying injuries that Ruby was used to aches and pains. Each morning she'd wake up hoping this one would be gone, but so far her aura hadn't been able to take it away. Whatever blade that…thing carried was powerful, almost magical in the way it completely sliced through aura. "I—I'm going to disinfect it. This might hurt." Weiss said as she poured something onto the gauze she held.

Ruby could only smirk as she thought back to all the battles she'd been in and survived. "Please, Weiss. I've been fighting for years now, I don't think a little—holy cats! Weiss!" Ruby jumped at the contact as whatever foul liquid had been put on her cut hissed and popped. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" She cringed as the burning pain coursed through her body. As she tried to flinch away, Weiss' grip on her shoulder tightened to keep her in place.

"Oh will you stop! It's just disinfectant! I haven't even hardly done anything."

"Weissssssss," Ruby whined. "It really stings!"

The pleas for help did nothing to earn her sympathy. "That's because the disinfectant is doing its job. This cut is deep and it has gone untreated, it wouldn't hurt if you'd taken care of it the way you should have."

"I haven't exactly had fancy bathrooms and personalized towels lying around." Ruby countered as her anger flared up a bit with the burning sensation on her stomach.

Weiss rolled her eyes…again. "You may have grown into your body but you certainly haven't grown out of your childishness have you?"

"You're just mad because I'm taller than you now." Ruby stuck her tongue out.

"Do you want me to put more of this on the cut?" Weiss countered as she held up the rag again. All Ruby could do was pout and end her fight. Once the burning calmed down Ruby studied the way Weiss' eyes roamed over her body. It was a strange sensation, being so open and vulnerable next to this girl who she'd shared a dorm with, shared so many moments with, and yet this felt like something entirely new. The way Weiss was looking at her, it made her feel more relaxed than she had in a long time. More relaxed than Weiss seemed to be. "Ruby I—" something came across Weiss' expression that Ruby couldn't read. It almost looked like embarrassment. Weiss managed to steady herself, as she always did, setting down the cloth and taking a deep breath. "I'm going to heal you now, okay. I'm going to connect our aura's and use mine to take your cut away."

"Uh," Ruby swallowed the thick lump in her throat. "Isn't that like…a big deal? Connecting auras?"

"A big deal is you dying from an infection. Just…relax. We're partners, remember?" The smile Weiss gave her removed every drop of doubt she might have had. Ruby had forgotten how beautiful Weiss' real smiles were. The ones she only gave to the people she cared about. They always made Ruby feel special.

"Do we need to do some kind of chant or something?" Ruby asked as her mind flashed to all the stories she'd read about connecting auras. The fairy tales of lovers connecting or heroes giving of themselves to save the innocent. They were always so exciting and romantic.

"Why in the world would there be a chant?"

She could only shrug. "I don't know, seems like a good time for a chant." All she received in response was a blank, annoyed stare. "Alright fine, no chant." Ruby put her hands up in surrender.

"All this time and you're still a pest." Weiss muttered just loudly enough for Ruby to hear—not that Ruby imagined she was too concerned about that.

A few moments later, Weiss took a step towards her, Ruby could see the red return to her cheeks as she watched her partner's left hand move towards her body. Relaxing was a lot easier when she wasn't being touched so intimately. Cold fingers were suddenly dancing across her stomach and Ruby's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't be certain if it were true, but Ruby was pretty sure this was the closest she'd ever been to Weiss. She could see her face so clearly, every detail. Though it seemed that Weiss hadn't gained much height in their time apart, she had grown up in many other ways that were all featured across her face. The intense blue of her eyes were deeper, the curve of her jaw was stronger and more defined. Weiss was always pretty—Ruby knew this from the first time she saw her. Now though, she was absolutely beautiful. it was Ruby's turn to blush, the churning in her stomach was both unfamiliar and welcome.

"Weiss," Ruby spoke and a pair blue eyes looked up at her. The weight of the silence in the room was overwhelming. The heat between the two of them was toxic and Ruby could feel herself drowning in it.

"Relax," Weiss demanded softly. "Just…relax." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Focus on your aura, try to release what you can, I'll do the rest."

So she did. Closing her eyes, Ruby concentrated on projecting her aura and tried to force out what she could. She fixated on Weiss, the feeling of those fingertips against her skin and the way their feet were touching beneath them.

It felt like she was floating, only grounded by the presence of Weiss in front of of her. Opening her eyes again, she saw something beautiful. A white glow had surrounded Weiss, her own aura illuminating around her. Ruby had never seen anything so captivating before.

The moment they fully connected, Ruby inhaled a sharp breath as every nerve in her body seemed to buzz in the best way possible. The grip of Weiss' hand on her shoulder tightened and a moment later, the cut on her stomach started to heal. A warmth spread through her, as if every ache and pain she'd carried for the last few days melted away. She stood on shaky legs, watching as her partner focused intently on the task, as she always did. However, long after the cut healed, Weiss continued to maintain the contact.

Only when Ruby reached up and grabbed onto the hand over her shoulder did Weiss stop.

"Hey," she whispered, tracing her thumb over the back of Weiss' hand. "I think you got it. Thank you." Ruby said with her best smile.

For a moment she thought Weiss was going to say something, instead the contact dropped away immediately and Weiss turned for the door in a flurry. "I'm going to see if your meal is ready. Put your clothes back on and meet me in the kitchen." Just like that, Weiss left Ruby alone and very confused in the bathroom.

The first thing Ruby noticed about the Schnee's kitchen was how…spotless it was. Honestly it looked completely untouched, nothing like the kitchen she grew up with back in Patch. Where her parents would make she and Yang pancakes every morning and where they'd do their homework at night.

Even after her mother passed away the kitchen still felt like the centerpiece of the home. Dinner was at the counter every night and the table was for studying or playing games, sometimes making puzzles.

This kitchen looked like it came right off the showroom floor in one of those fancy advertisem*nts.

If she were being honest, Ruby didn't like it very much—despite the expense of everything inside.

That being said, the food that Weiss' chef put down in front of her was wonderful, delightful.

Sensational. She frowned as the word rang in her head in a voice that wasn't her own. Don't go there, Ruby, you haven't eaten like this in days, just enjoy it. Enjoy what Weiss has done for you.

"Something wrong? Is the meat undercooked? That happens sometimes with the new stove, it—"

"Weiss," Ruby cut her off. "It's perfect, really. Compared to what I've eaten in the last few months, it's amazing. The meat is so tender I don't even have to chew it."

Weiss nodded with satisfaction. "Good, it's slow cooked in the oven for four hours each morning and then grilled to serve. My father has it for lunch every day."

Ruby frowned. "Am I eating your dad's lunch?"

"No, he's not in Atlas so you're saving it from going to waste."

This did not make Ruby feel any better. "Do you just…cook it every day even if no one eats it?"

"Don't be absurd—that would be a terrible waste. But it does expire fairly quickly, meat as high quality as that. There will be a new shipment in next week and what he hasn't eaten will be thrown out."

Even in casual conversation, Ruby could see the tenseness in Weiss' body as she spoke of her father. She didn't know a lot about the man, only that during her time at Beacon, Weiss had gone out of her way to avoid him and his endless phone calls. It seemed sad to Ruby, she looked forward to every call from her dad. He was one of her favorite people in the world.

How terrible it would be if she feared him.

"Are you going to have any?" Ruby asked as she lifted her fork again with a piece of meat on the end.

Weiss shook her head. "I had a fairly good sized lunch. Besides it's late and that's just for you. You were clearly hungry." Her sentence finished with a bit of a sneer as she gestured to the nearly empty plate.

In turn, Ruby stuck her tongue out and took the bite off the end of her fork with a smile—which earned an eye roll. That was at least the fifth one she'd seen today.

"Miss Schnee?" A soft voice spoke out and Ruby turned to see one of the maids set another plate down in front of Weiss. More food? Ruby had already eaten so much, she couldn't imagine more food.

"Thank you," Weiss said with a slight nod to the maid before the older woman turned and left the room. It was strange to see Weiss in her element, Ruby had watched her interact with a few of the staff on hand and noted that while Weiss was distant with them, she didn't mistreat them. Not that she expected Weiss to be cruel, but it was good to know that the time spent here hadn't removed how far she'd come at Beacon.

"What's that?" Ruby asked as she unsuccessfully muffled a burp.

Weiss sighed and lifted the plate, still covered by a metal lid and held it out to Ruby. "See for yourself."

With a quick look for confirmation, Ruby wrapped her fingers around the handle and pulled it up. What she saw nearly made her pass out. It was a cookie, no…it was a pie. It was a giant chocolate chip cookie pie.

"W—Weiss it's…" She glanced up to see that Weiss was enjoying her reaction. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"I thought you would like it, the staff thought I was insane ordering such a thing."

Ruby's mouth was watering, the smell hit her nose and she resisted the urge to bury her face right in the middle of it. "You mean you can just…ask for this and they'll give it to you?"

"Ruby," Weiss smirked playfully. "I could order ten."

Picking up a pre cut piece, Ruby took in another whiff, it was magnificent. "How do you not eat these all the time? If I were you, my bed would be a giant cookie pie!"

"Because I have self control and discipline. Also I'm not a big fan of chocolate chips." Ruby gasped in horror. "Oh will you stop, that just means more for you, doesn't it?"

As Ruby took a bit of the cookie pie, she smiled toothily, even happier when she saw Weiss grimace. "You're the best."

Weiss handed the plate over and turned away.

"I can't believe I ran into you." Finishing her first piece, Ruby leaned back in the chair to try and better look at Weiss who had returned to the island counter the counter with her book. "Where were you going?"

Weiss shrugged, not taking her eyes off the page. "Nowhere in particular, just…going."

"I figured it would be a fancy meeting or like, oh, a party!" Despite Ruby's beaming smile, Weiss didn't seem to bite.

"I don't go to parties, Ruby."

"Oh," Ruby pouted as she continued to stare at Weiss who wouldn't look away from her book. "Well what do you do?"

Weiss put a finger to mark her place. "I do try to read from time to time." Finally, she gave her gaze over to her former partner. "Usually I'm not answering all these incessant questions."

"Well!" Ruby cried as she threw her arms in the air. "We haven't seen each other in five years! Is it so wrong for me to be curious about your life!" The sentence was meant to be playful, but there was so much truth behind the words that it ended up sounding accusatory.

It was a tone that did not go unnoticed. Instead, Weiss slammed her book shut, causing Ruby to jump. "The same could be said about you! You certainly seem to have no problem at all keeping me in the dark about your life! After five years of worrying about you, I find you injured and starving, eating junk food and not taking care of yourself at all and yet you won't tell me a…a…damn thing about what you've been doing!"

Guilt hit Ruby hard as she shrank in the fancy chair she sat in and looked away. She had spent so long keeping everything she did a secret that the whole world felt foreign to her. It was scary and hard and some days it felt nearly unbearable but she couldn't involve those she cared about because it would only get them hurt.

Ruby was tired of seeing people die, she was tired of not being fast enough to save them.

"I—I should go," Ruby said as she stood up and hugged herself. "I'm sor—I mean…thank you for this, Weiss, and for healing me and—"

"No," Weiss stood up from the stool she sat in and stepped right in front of Ruby. "You are not leaving this house."

Ruby shook her head. "I can't stay here, Weiss. It's not safe."

"Why?" She demanded but Ruby merely looked away shamefully. "If you're not going to tell me why you being here is so unsafe then I have no reason to believe otherwise, thus, you are staying here tonight because you are in no condition to keep living the life that you are living."

"Weiss—"

"Ruby," she was cut off again. This time Weiss' voice was soft and comforting. Suddenly a pair of hands were on her shoulders. Ruby felt her resolve slipping with the way those blue eyes were looking at her. So much concern and care—it reminded her of when Yang would force her to come to bed after long nights spent building Crescent Rose. "I don't know what's been going on with you, I know that what happened at Beacon…affected you but I was gone before I could help and I'm sorry for that."

"It's not your fault."

Weiss laughed but Ruby could tell she thought otherwise. "Be that as it may, I'm here now. Let me help you."

Tears spilled from Ruby's eyes. "If something happened to you, I'd—I couldn't handle it."

"Are you really so dense? Have you not learned anything in the last few years? You dunce, don't think that goes both ways?" Weiss' words settled in Ruby's heart and refused to leave. Everything caught up with her in that moment, the exhaustion and the loneliness—five years spent away from those she cared about.

The fears didn't leave her, Ruby still knew that her being here was risky, anyone being around her was risky.

But Schnee's always got what they wanted.

"I'll stay." She said with a smile as she stared into Weiss' eyes again, those hands on her shoulders squeezing gently. "Thank you."

Weiss nodded matter-of-factly. "I told you I would be the best partner ever, didn't I?"

Chapter 6: Stray

Chapter Text

Still sitting on Yang's porch, Blake stared at the now closed front door and fought against the rotting feeling that pooled in her stomach. She'd never seen Yang like that before. Anger was one thing, Yang had a temper. That fiery red stare and the violent, primal screams she would release. That was familiar, this—to see Yang with tears in her eyes and her bottom lip quivering—that was painful.

All because of you. A voice in the back of Blake's mind tormented her.

She couldn't deny it, Yang had said as much to her a moment earlier. The entire plan was to come here and be with Yang. It seemed like the best idea, it was the only idea. It was all she wanted. This was the moment she'd been building towards for the last five years. All the work she'd done, the nights sleeping in alleyways and tracking her prey, with the simple hope that she'd come back to Yang and finally be allowed to be free and happy.

Blake always felt she had a good grip of her own feelings, and the way she cared for Yang surpassed anyone she'd ever known. So to her, doing what she'd done would be the only way she could finally give all of herself to Yang. It was worth it every day when she was on the hunt, but now that it was over and she was here, failure had never felt so hollow.

Perhaps she was too naïve to think that this would be enough, that she would be enough. She'd never been loved before, not truly by anyone other than her teammates—how would she know what it meant to give that love back? All her life, Blake had only ever been a tool to be used and discarded. A Faunus born within an army, her future was never her own until she took it back; yet she never really escaped the White Fang.

Somberly, Blake rose to her feet and shuffled to the bag she'd laid on the ground. Her eyes couldn't help but glance at the unceremoniously discarded watering can. She felt guilty for ruining Yang's morning, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she'd ruined far more than that. Every ounce of strength she had was going towards keeping her emotions in check. This wasn't the appropriate place for her to have another breakdown.

The truth was, Blake didn't want to leave, she didn't feel like it was right to leave. She'd made this her mission and it wasn't complete. She wanted to get Yang back into the world, be a part of Yang's life again. Perhaps it was selfish, but she didn't have anywhere else to go. Which was even more evident now that Yang had shut her out, she literally had no shelter here in Patch.

The long walk up the hill was exhausting and seemed like it went on forever. By the time she reached the top, Blake felt the weight in her chest tightening. She hated uncertainty, having grown up surrounded by it, she became far too used to the comfort of Beacon in such a short time. Her mission after that drove her, and she plotted every step like a well calculated machine. Now, it felt like nothing in her future was set, she had no control, despite being as free as she'd ever been.

She could call Sun, certainly he'd take her in again and Neptune would as well, but she was such a burden on them.

That's all you are, Blake—a burden. You latched onto the White Fang for support, you latched onto your team at Beacon, Sun, and you thought you could latch onto Yang now. You take what you need from them and then you run. You're a coward, you're—

"Strike out?" A voice startled her and she looked over to see Taiyang sitting in a chair in front of his home. He wore a knowing smile as he sipped from a mug.

"She—she wasn't up to seeing me." Blake said with a timid smile.

Taiyang chuckled. "I heard, it's hard to miss when Yang is upset. She tends to set Remnant on fire."

"Yeah," Blake sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset her."

"Neither do I," Taiyang said as he stood up from his chair. "Yet I seem to do it at least once a week." Taiyang put his hands behind his back and looked down the hill at the small cabin below. "She's not okay, Blake. She hasn't been for a very long time. It's not every day, some days she's almost like her old self and those are great days. They don't make up for the bad days though. The days when she's almost…not even there. It can be kind of scary sometimes. She won't even…consider a prosthetic arm, let alone something higher tech to get her back into the world."

Blake frowned. "Her dream of being a huntress was taken from her. It's all she ever trained for, she put…every ounce of energy she had into it, to have it stolen..." Blake wasn't sure where that thought was going, but it died on the tip of her tongue.

"With as far as robotics have come, she could restart her training and learn how to fight again. It's all there for her if she wants it but she refuses to try and I don't...understand why. She could do it, she's strong enough."

"I agree," Blake said quickly, a small smile threatening as she remembered Yang's once boastful attitude. She could remember a time when it felt like nothing would take that girl down. "I just…don't think I have any place in her life." Saying the words out loud hurt, her voice broke and she took a shaky breath to calm herself down.

"That scream she just let out, that anger…I haven't seen her like that since she came back." Taiyang was looking at her with a familiar intensity. "I'm not going to push you, Blake. I don't really even know you, only from the stories I've got from Yang and Ruby. But you matter to my daughter, even if she's upset now, you mean something to her and since you're here I can only believe that she matters to you."

Blake's grip on her bag tightened. "She does."

"Then if you're willing," he stepped to the side and gestured to the door. "I've got a lot of empty beds, I cook dinner every night and it's always too much and…I could use the help." He gave her a warm smile. "And the company."

The offer was unexpected, for as much as Blake assumed Yang and Ruby's father was a good person, she never imagined him to be so welcoming. Still, she knew that he had his own motivations in all this, and they were the same as her own. He needed another weapon to try and draw Yang out of the prison she'd built for herself down the road. She couldn't shake the idea that she'd do more harm than good, given the blunt rejection Yang had given her moments earlier.

That didn't remove the fact that the idea of running away from Yang again made her want to throw up.

"Are you sure?"

Taiyang nodded firmly. "Absolutely, judging by your small bag of belongings there, I don't think you'll be much of an imposition."

Blake couldn't help but smile. "I might eat all of your tuna."

This made him laugh. "I'll be sure and stock up."

"Mr. Xiao Long—"

"Oh no," he groaned and shook his head. "My students call me that, please. Call me Taiyang or even Tai."

"Okay…Taiyang." Blake tested the short version out first, it fit well enough and the goofy eyebrow quirk her gave her made everything more comfortable. "If you're sure it's okay…I would really appreciate being allowed to stay close to Yang." She made sure to phrase it that this wasn't anything extended. Blake was never used to stay in one place for too long. In fact, the most time she ever spent in one place was the lone year at Beacon.

Whether or not Taiyang caught onto her wording, he didn't seem to care. Instead, he opened the door and gestured for him to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you to the guest room."

Bark! BARK!

Blake jumped and nearly climbed onto Taiyang's back at the invading sound. She watched Zwei trot out from the house and Blake felt her ears flick back. She'd forgotten about Zwei, even having lived with him in the dorm she never really adjusted. Yang was good at helping her keep some distance and he spent most of his time with Weiss and Ruby because they spoiled him.

"Oh wow," Taiyang chuckled. "I didn't even think about that. Cat Faunus...is this going to be okay?"

She didn't remove her eyes from Zwei—she wasn't about to make him choose between his family pet or her. Taiyang might be a nice guy but she was fairly certain he would choose his dog over the strange girl who came knocking on his front door an hour ago.

"It will be fine," Blake tried to sound as polite as possible, even as the dog moved towards her again and she took a step behind Taiyang. He laughed again and picked Zwei up off the ground. Blake couldn't stop herself from glaring at the mongrel. She swore he purposefully antagonized her, she could feel it.

"He probably knows you're going to be taking his bed." Taiyang said offhandedly as he guided her inside.

She knew in that moment she was stronger than ever when she didn't turn and run as fast as she could from the annoying mutt.

As night started to fall, Blake was surprised at how easy it was to settle into Taiyang's home—once Zwei stopped following her everywhere.

It was almost surreal, like the things she'd seen in pictures about family homes and the quaint and quiet nights. She could smell food being cooked in the kitchen and she couldn't help but enjoy the way her socks slid across the wood floors. It was warm and cozy, the bed that he'd given her was more comfortable and soft than any she'd ever slept on.

Even with all the comforts and the scent of Taiyang's cooking, Blake found herself at the one window that overlooked the landscape below and gave her a clear view of Yang's small cabin below.

She'd checked this spot about a dozen times since accepting Taiyang's offer and not once had she seen Yang. The watering can that had been kicked into the road still laid there, though the water had dried with the sun of the day. It was unsettling and Blake couldn't help but worry. She knew Yang was in a bad state when she threw Blake out, but the silence was troublesome.

"You're in my spot." Tai's voice was playful and Blake turned to see him watching her. He looked quite silly wearing his "Real Huntsmen Wear Pink" apron and holding a spatula. "Sometimes I'll pull up a chair and make myself comfortable before I watch to see what she's doing."

Blake flushed a bit as she realized how obsessed she must seem with his daughter. "I—I'm just…worried. We had a fight and I haven't seen her come out."

"Yeah she probably won't. Not tonight anyway."

"Aren't you worried?" Blake asked as she finally pulled herself away from the window by the dining room table and followed him into the kitchen.

"Of course," he said as he went back to the stove. "But I'm always worried, that's what father's do." The lack of need he had to rush down and check on Yang did make Blake feel better. "I told you she had good days but she's had a lot of bad ones too. Used to be when she did I was pounding on her front door and making things worse." She knew well enough to know that if Yang really was in danger, her father wouldn't be this relaxed.

With one more look to the window she'd spent most of her night, Blake decided to focus on the man making her dinner. "Did you teach Yang how to cook?" Blake asked with a curious tone as she peeked into the pan to see some vegetables being sautéed.

"No," Taiyang chuckled. "Summer taught us both actually. Though Yang mostly taught herself with a lot of trial and error and burnt fingers." He pulled the food away from the burner and started dousing it in sauce. "She would sit in while Summer was trying to teach me some things, then after Summer passed away and I slipped away, Yang started taking over the cooking duties."

The delicacy with which he spoke about something so heavy as the loss of the woman he loved was heartbreaking. Yang had told Blake about Summer's passing and how her father didn't handle it well. Up to this point she hadn't really noticed anything to make her feel that he had it in him to stop trying for his children. Then he mentioned her name, and his eyes darkened and she saw that familiar look of pain. One she'd known herself, one she'd seen in her partner.

"Yang said she was a pretty amazing woman."

Taiyang nodded, his expression lifted a bit and she could see him fighting against the darker thoughts. "She was…a lot like Ruby she could just…adapt. Always find a way to make everything okay. Even when things weren't okay, she did her best to make you feel like they were. I was not ready when she died and…unfortunately, my kids paid for it." Blake suddenly felt like she had no right hearing any of this. She'd barely met this man. "It's why I asked you to stay…I can't…lose Yang. With Ruby gone and Summer…Yang needs to pull through this. It's been long enough now and if she takes any longer I worry she might never snap out of it. She's hiding in that shack down there and I've tried for a really long time to be what she needs and I'm just not." He turned off the stove and began plating the food for the both of them. Blake followed him to the table and sat down as he slid a plate in front of her. "I don't mean to put pressure on you but judging by the fact that you're here I think you're up for the task—I think…you might be the one to reach her."

Blake balked at his words. "I don't know, she didn't seem all that open to me this morning."

Taiyang reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his scroll. She ate quietly in silence as he swept his finger across it numerous times. She wondered if he had forgotten their conversation already, his face focused on the task in front of him.

The food was delicious and Blake couldn't help but smile at his choice for dinner. Fish, of course—this family certainly had a way of going over the top to accommodate her. If it had been anyone else, Blake would have found it patronizing. She never wanted to be treated differently, for better or worse, but with Yang, Ruby and now their father, it just seemed to be their way. To make those around them happy made them happy.

It was a kindness Blake had never known before. The White Fang had been accepting, but that acceptance came with a price. She had to work for them, to earn her place and ensure that she would have food to eat and a place to sleep. With this family, it was given. Luxuries she grew up without were given without question—and unlike the Schnee's, it didn't appear that they had an endless supply of money to be giving away.

"Here," Taiyang's voice stirred Blake as she glanced up to see him holding out his scroll to her. On the screen was a picture from another life, her life. It was of she and Yang the day they all became team RWBY.

Carefully, Blake took the scroll from his hand and stared at the image. There was so much life in Yang's eyes. She had been so insistent that they take a photo and even though Blake had complained and tried to get away, Yang was relentless, in that charming way of hers, and Blake conceded.

Suddenly this stranger had an arm over her shoulder, a smile on her face and the excitement Yang radiated managed to bleed over to her and drew out a rare smile.

That was Yang Xiao Long, she was a light in the constant darkness that had plagued Blake for her entire life. She burst through like a ball of fire and refused to let Blake cower in her own fear.

"I was so worried about her." Blake's voice escaped without warning and she looked up to see Taiyang watching her curiously. "I was a very quiet and reserved person. I still am, but Yang she was so…outgoing and just in your face. She never hesitated to speak her mind and do what made her happy. At the time I thought we wouldn't work well together but then I learned how compassionate and caring she was. The way she looked out for Ruby, for all of us—"

"Yeah," Taiyang sighed as Blake handed him back his phone. "I'm afraid that's more on me than anything else. Yang…she…had to take on a lot after Summer died. I…didn't handle it very well."

Blake could only nod slowly as her plate of food suddenly became very interesting to stare at. She was still unfamiliar with Taiyang, despite how kind he had been to her, she wasn't sure what this subject would bring out in him.

"Yang mentioned Summer, that it was hard for you…all of you."

"It's why I haven't been able to push Yang through this, I have no right to tell her how to deal considering how terribly I did." In this moment, Taiyang reminded Blake a lot of Yang. So…open and comfortable in speaking to her, despite the fact that he barely knew her. "The worst mistake of my life was letting my daughters down. I've spent a lot of time trying to make up for it and to keep them safe—but Yang dives head first into everything and Ruby is…exactly like her mother."

"Have you spoken with Ruby?" She asked as he finally started eating again.

Taiyang shook his head. "Not once since she left, but I know she's spoken to Yang a few times. It doesn't sound like Ruby ever tells her much, just lets her know that she's okay. She never calls from her scroll and when you call it, it doesn't respond. She's thrown it away, taken herself off the grid. She doesn't want to be found." He sighed tiredly. "I haven't seen her in five years, I missed her sixteenth birthday, her eighteenth birthday and soon I'll miss her twenty-first." He suddenly smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm making a great first impression by piling all my problems onto you. Please forgive me."

Blake waved him off. "You don't have to apologize. Your problems and mine are the same. Yang and Ruby…they're why I'm here. I want my team back safe. They're the only family I ever had that was worth coming back for."

"Well," Taiyang wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Then I suppose we better start figuring out how to make that happen."

Chapter 7: Weakness

Chapter Text

Weiss didn't even bother trying to sleep—there was no way she could. This day had been exhausting, even before finding Ruby it had been a complete disaster. From that to chasing Ruby into that bakery to bringing her back here—healing her wounds and making her rest, Weiss felt drained.

Despite that, she couldn't stop her mind from racing. After she'd shown Ruby into the nearest guest room and made her promise for the twelfth time that she wouldn't run away, Weiss finally showered and put on her night clothes.

Only sleep never came, instead she was up and listening like a watch dog, just waiting to hear of Ruby might try something.

Seeing Ruby brought back so many emotions for Weiss, ones she'd forced herself to lock away a long time ago. When Beacon fell, Weiss had never felt so alone. Blake was there physically for a while, at least that first day on the airship out of Beacon, but something about her eyes and her demeanor had told Weiss that she was completely disconnected.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

She could still hear those desperate pleas from Blake to Yang when they were lying injured, as their school fell

Even without seeing her leave, even with hearing Blake promise to look after their friends, Weiss knew Blake had no intention of staying in Patch.

So many memories from that day haunted her. Watching Penny be torn apart on screen, hearing Jaune's voice on the scroll when he screamed about Pyrrha. Then she sent Ruby up to the top of the tower, alone, and could only watch as light filled the sky and Ruby screamed in agony

"Stop," Weiss chided herself as she brushed a few stray tears from her cheeks. It was stupid to cry about the past. She'd survived it, so had Ruby and no news had come of Blake's demise. Yang was…alive, even if she wasn't living as much as she could be. Weiss would tend to that soon.

For tonight, she would stay up, her ear to the door, making sure that Ruby didn't try anything foolish. Anything more foolish than the life she was living. Though tight lipped, Weiss could see that Ruby was barely surviving. She carried no supplies with her, just her weapon. Not a single change of clothes (Weiss had made her give over her outfit to be cleaned) and no scroll. Ruby had essentially erased herself from the world. Weiss just couldn't get the girl to tell her why.

The night rolled on and Weiss tapped at her computer, the glowing, translucent screen burning into her eyes. She had an endless line of work, putting a dent in it tonight would only make tomorrow easier, but the next day would be another folder of contracts and proposals for her to go over.

This was her future. This was the life that her father had planned out for her. It was just more confirmation that he really did hate her. It wasn't just something she saw in the way he looked at her or the way he spoke to her. He showed his hate through mundane work that he deemed more appropriate for her than the huntress life she'd fallen in love with.

Worse than that, Weiss was actually good at it. She could see negotiations and meetings like a battlefield. She had learned to read the expressions and body language of her enemies in combat training and it worked to her advantage in these much simpler scenarios. She'd closed more than a few big deals in the last year since her father finally let her take on more responsibility.

Weiss still remembered when she signed her first contract, to build a branch of the SDC in a small village on the outskirts of Haven. They'd celebrated, everyone congratulated her and she remembered her assistant telling her that she had a bright future and that the company would be in great hands.

She went home that night and cried herself to sleep at the tragedy of her life. Destined to spend it doing work she hated and being praised for it. Weiss wanted her freedom, she wanted to hunt and be with her team. She'd found a real family at Beacon—she'd found love.

Whoever said it was better to love and lose than to never love at all was an idiot.

Just as Weiss felt her eyes growing too heavy to hold up, a thump came from outside and the distinct sound of someone cursing…sort of.

"You…stinker!" Ruby hissed and Weiss burst from her chair to catch her friend in the act of running away. She was furious, it was well past one in the morning and Ruby was not sleeping at all like she should be. No, she was running away and Weiss was going to stop her.

She jumped out of her bedroom door, her nightgown sliding across the hard floor behind her. Rounding the doorway of the guest room, she peeked in and saw the empty bed. "Ruby!" Weiss shouted in fury, only to hear a squeak in the distance.

Her eyes moved over to the open balcony door and a pair of silver eyes were peeking in at her from outside.

Ruby was not running; in fact she was in no state to leave at all. Instead she was standing out on the balcony with the light of the broken moon glowing down on her, in nothing but a borrowed tank top and a pair of very short white shorts. They covered a good amount of Weiss' thighs but on the taller Ruby they barely covered anything. All Weiss could see was legs, toned and shapely legs that shimmered in the moonlight.

Nope, she's definitely not fifteen anymore.

She trailed her gaze up to the worried face staring back at her.

"Sorry," Ruby whispered despite the both of them clearly being awake. "I kicked the little table by the bed. Did I wake you?"

Weiss straightened her chin up, refusing to look at Ruby's nearly uncovered lower half. "No, I was up. I was working."

"Working?" Ruby frowned. "Weiss it's so late…why are you still working?"

Because it's all I have.

"I could ask you the same question. This is not doing your aura any good. You need rest, Ruby."

Her partner sighed and lowered her head. "I know, I just…have trouble sleeping." Weiss crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe, making it clear that she was interested in hearing more. "I have a lot of nightmares and stuff." Ruby laughed at herself as she sat down on the bed. Weiss could see her shoulder muscles flex as she pushed herself up to rest her back against the headboard. She shifted awkwardly in her spot. "It's silly."

"I'm sure it's not…silly," Weiss said with her disdain of the world evident, which made Ruby laugh.

"Yes it is, I'm an adult now and a part of me still wishes I could climb in my big sister's bed and have her chase away all the monsters in my head."

Weiss smiled. "You love monsters." She gestured to the top of Ruby's head and watched her pull off the Grimm eyed sleeping mask she still had. Somehow she'd found a pocket to stuff that thing in.

Ruby stared at it with a smile and sat it aside. "These monsters are different." Ruby took a shaky breath. "More like ghosts."

Ah, Weiss suddenly knew exactly what was going on in her head. She pushed off the wall and moved to sit on bottom the large bed. There was enough distance and darkness that she couldn't be completely distracted by the annoyingly addictive physique of her not-so-small-anymore former teammate.

"You still think about them." It wasn't a question.

She watched Ruby tilt her head back against the wall and nod. "Every day. I can still hear Pyrrha gasping for breath as that arrow sits in her chest. I can see Penny…in pieces on the tournament floor. Even Torchwick and—" Ruby cut herself off before bouncing her head against the wall behind her. "I just wish they'd all leave me alone."

Weiss couldn't remember ever seeing Ruby this gloomy before. Just seeing Ruby cry earlier in the day was hard. It felt so wrong, like the sky suddenly turning green, it was unnatural. Ruby Rose was always a beacon of hope and a constant source of good. She fought through everything with an air of optimism, refused to let anything hold her down. It was how she won Weiss over, because no matter how hard Weiss tried to keep her at a distance, Ruby refused. She fought and fought until finally Weiss had no choice but to care.

It was that care, the compassion Ruby had earned, that made Weiss want to be here for her now. "I think we all still carry that day around with us." Knowing she was taking a risk, Weiss felt her chest constrict at the thought of how badly this next question might be received. She was rather enjoying this quiet moment. "Ruby, why are you running?"

Silence was returned to her for a long time after that. Though the silence was a much better result than the numerous times she'd had that question shut down all day.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Ruby spoke. "I'm being hunted."

"You…you're what?" It sounded surreal, but there was so much weight in Ruby's voice that Weiss knew she meant it.

"I don't know what it is, all black armor and sharp, scary features. It's been after me for a long time now. It's fast and…strong. I've fought it at least a dozen times, hit it with everything I have—Jaune too, and it just keeps coming. I have to run because it doesn't care where I am or…who's around. It will attack innocent people, I've seen it—" Ruby's voice caught in her throat and Weiss was frozen as she watched the horror flash across those silver eyes. "I'm supposed to be special, my Uncle Qrow told me that I was special, that I had eyes like my mom. Powers to be feared and yet I couldn't stop that…beast from killing innocent people just because I needed a place to sleep!"

"Power? What kind of power?"

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know. They were all so worried about keeping their secrets that nobody took the time to explain it to me. I did…something to Cinder on that tower and it was supposedly something really cool but I haven't been able to make it happen again and I don't know what it was."

A voice in the back of Weiss' head told her to go and hug Ruby, comfort her. If they were back at Beacon she would have. But something about this mansion, knowing her father had been here tainted that. She couldn't find the strength to move.

"So that's why you didn't want to stay. You think this…thing still coming for you."

"It is!" Ruby cried. "It never stops! I'm only safe if I keep going. I've fought it, sometimes I can slow it down but I never win. Jaune and I have…we fought it together and still we can't do anything. You hit it with your weapon and it stumbles, then comes at you again. No emotion, no pain, no hesitation. I made Jaune leave because he's not safe with me, nobody is safe with me! It's so scary, Weiss." Ruby was running out of breath, her hands digging into the sheets. "I'm so scared."

"You're safe here," Weiss assured as she found herself moving further up the bed.

Ruby shook her head, fresh tears springing in her eyes. "I'm not!" Her voice cracked and broke Weiss' heart. "I'm not safe, I'm never safe. Weiss I'm too dangerous, if you got hurt I couldn't—" when she started crying again, Weiss crawled towards her and pulled Ruby into her arms.

"You're exhausted," Weiss whispered as she ran her hand up and down Ruby's shivering back. "Ruby you are not okay."

A pair of hands reached around and clutched onto the material of her nightgown. The grip felt desperate, as if Ruby was searching for a life preserver to keep her from drowning. Weiss remained steady, letting Ruby cry. She was not used to this, not at all used to being the one people leaned on for support. Weiss had grown up in a home that didn't allow weakness. A display like this would have gotten her in trouble and punished. There was no weakness in the Schnee family.

If she were at all like her father, she'd tell Ruby to toughen up, sleep because she needed to and stop hiding.

Weiss had never been happier to be so different from that man. She couldn't imagine not being here for Ruby right now.

Eventually Weiss maneuvered them so she was the one with her back resting against the headboard. Ruby curled up beside her, head in Weiss' lap as Weiss ran her fingers through that long, red tipped hair.

Tears continued to fall but the sobs quieted down with each passing minute. Weiss couldn't help but wonder how long Ruby had been holding all that in. There was so much fear in her voice. Whatever it was that was…hunting her was clearly terrifying because there wasn't much in this world that scared her fearless leader.

Ruby shifted in Weiss' lap, suddenly on her back and staring up at her. The room was fairly dark save the glow of the moonlight through the balcony door.

Weiss couldn't help herself, she lifted her hand and began to gently trace her fingers across Ruby's face. They had shared a good amount of physical contact today and Weiss had decided that Ruby was surprisingly delicate. Her body was solid and muscular, her hands were rough and callused, but her face was soft…almost fragile. Weiss found herself moving with the utmost care. Her fingers dusted over Ruby's nose and cheeks, she closed her eyes to allow Weiss to brush over her eyelids carefully.

In comforting Ruby, Weiss learned something about herself. She enjoyed this—enjoyed giving contact to another person. Maybe not any person, but definitely this one. She'd never been this close to anyone before physically. Ruby was constantly stumbling into Weiss' personal space at Beacon, but this was different. It was intimate and private, a moment no one but them would ever know about.

When Ruby's eyes opened again, they were still filled with tears, but seemed to be in less pain. "I missed you." Ruby breathed as Weiss' thumb touched her jaw.

She felt herself smile. "I missed you too, dunce." Ruby grinned and Weiss considered that a victory.

"Are you okay?" The question caught Weiss of guard. She raised a brow in confusion and shook her head.

"I—I'm fine. I don't mind this."

"No," Ruby waved a hand in the air. "I mean…I feel selfish. I'm tired of talking about me. I want to know how you've been." She sniffled and brushed at her eyes. "You never liked talking about your family, you've been here for so long now. I worry about you."

Given how honest Ruby had been with her, Weiss couldn't resist opening up. "I hate it here," it felt good to say out loud. "I miss our home at Beacon. I miss Blake's books and Yang's snoring and your stupid bed swaying above me, terrifying me." She let out a sigh when she felt Ruby grab her hand. "I don't want this life, Ruby." She watched the conflict in Ruby's eyes, as if she were processing a thousand different thoughts. However, Weiss was met with only silence and a squeeze from the hand holding her own. A part of her had hoped Ruby would offer to take her with her. Even though Weiss knew she could never condone it, she kept waiting for Ruby to whisk her away. "I'm…okay though," she said to reassure Ruby, the girl had dealt with enough already. "I'll be okay; I can handle it. It's just been hard. My father thinks huntsmen and huntresses are things of the past—relics. Even more so after Beacon. He believes we have no power—that military, money and his dust are what will protect us. He doesn't know anything about Cinder or the things we saw. Just Grimm attacking the city and people like us failing to protect it. I can't tell him the whole truth because he would never believe me or worse, use it to take away even more of my freedom."

"What are you gonna do?" Ruby asked in a strained voice.

Weiss shrugged. "I don't know." The unknown terrified her—her future seemed so hopeless. As empty as the last five years had been.

"I don't want tomorrow to come."

Glancing down, Weiss saw that Ruby's eyes were closed as she spoke. She smiled before scooting down the bed so she could lay. When she did, Ruby didn't hesitate to crawl in alongside her and buried her face in Weiss' neck. More contact, so much of it new to Weiss and yet she was already addicted to it. She clutched onto Ruby's shoulders, holding her close.

"We still have some time."

Ruby finally fell asleep shortly after that.

When something rustled against her, Weiss woke with a start. She couldn't remember falling asleep but her senses were sharp enough to know that she needed to wake up before her bed partner.

However, when she studied the movement next to her, all she saw was a still sleeping Ruby trying turn away to lay on her other side. Reluctantly, Weiss let Ruby out of her grasp to finish rolling and gently pulled her arm out from under her.

The steady sounds of Ruby's breathing filled the room as Weiss rubbed the sleep from her eyes and thought back to the events of the night before. Even with the somber tone, it was one of the best nights of her life. When she woke up yesterday, she never could have imagined that she'd end up here, in bed with her…whatever Ruby was to her. It was just like Ruby though, to show up out of nowhere and turn Weiss' cold world upside down.

She had never felt so close to another person before. To feel so much trust and care radiating through the room, it was intoxicating. A part of her wanted to roll over and tuck Ruby back against her and just fall asleep for the rest of the day.

She couldn't though, she had too much work to do.

Weiss rose from the bed and went to close the balcony door that had been left open. From there she retreated to the door, only looking back once to make sure that Ruby was still fast asleep. In this state, Weiss could almost see the fifteen-year-old girl she'd met years ago.

Until her eyes trailed down to Ruby's uncovered legs and Weiss suddenly realized how awkward that thought was given how enticing those legs were.

What is wrong with you? Weiss berated herself before turning and leaving Ruby to rest.

After a quick shower and a request to her chef to make the most extravagant breakfast imaginable, Weiss found herself in her small office just across the hall from her bedroom. It wasn't a big space, but she didn't need it to be. It was mostly just a place for her to tuck away into the quiet and do work. She'd instructed the staff that nobody was allowed in here but her. Not because she was keeping secrets, but she needed at least one place that was hers alone. It was also the only room without a window, which was why her father let her keep it to herself.

There was nowhere for her to escape in here.

Quickly turning on her computer, Weiss immediately began searching the network for anything related to the black figure that Ruby had mentioned. Immediately she turned up results of attacks and encounters all over Remnant.

There was at least a dozen but Weiss clicked on the first and scanned the article.

No one could identify the assailant.

White Fang blamed for latest attack, black figure causes havoc in small village.

Family of four found dead in ravaged home, attack linked to 'Grimm like human' according to witnesses.

All Weiss could hear was Ruby's desperation of how nobody was safe around her. "Oh Ruby, what happened?" Weiss closed the window and turned off her monitor before fishing out her scroll to make a call.

It only rang once. "Miss Schnee?" The voice was timid, Weiss never called this early.

"Aurora, I need you to cancel all of my appointments today."

There was a slight hesitation. "I…uh…okay, Miss Schnee—of course. Even the conference call with your sister?"

Weiss bit her lip, Winter would be suspicious if she canceled, but that could be dealt with later. "Yes, tell her I will call her tomorrow on my private line. Also have someone from General Irowood's office contact me about his prosthetics and robotics. I have questions for them and might be looking to invest."

"Of course, is there anything else?"

"No, thank you Aurora. Once you've made all the appropriate calls feel free to head home. I won't be in the office today, no reason for you to sit around."

Despite seeming untouchable, Weiss knew that her young secretary had a crush on a boy who worked at a café a few blocks from the SDC, at least now she could go quietly stalk him all day as opposed to just on her lunch break.

"Thank you, Miss Schnee. Have a good day!"

Weiss returned the gesture in kind before hanging up and putting her scroll away. For as good of an ally as Winter had been when Weiss wanted to go to Beacon, that had shifted now with her father's sudden interest in the military. He wanted to build up the military, under the SDC banner, and use it to protect Remnant from future threats of the Grimm or White Fang or anyone who might threaten the safety of the world.

It was a good idea; Weiss just knew that they couldn't trust the man at the top of it. He only cared for himself, for his own rise to power and what better throne to sit on than the one who controlled those protecting everyone.

His idea future also had no place for people like Ruby. He thought huntsmen and huntresses were things of the past. Relics who chased ghosts and killed wolves in the forest for booze and sex.

Weiss made a mental note to never let her father meet Ruby's uncle.

At the first sounds of movement in the house, Weiss ducked out of her office and all but jogged back to the bedroom. She arrived just in time to see Ruby with her shirt lifted up as she scratched her stomach with heavy eyes and her hair a mess.

With the same greed Weiss had often accused her father of having, she looked Ruby up and down. It was indecent and selfish, but she'd never been so…drawn to anything before. It was such a strange feeling, because this was still Ruby, still the same girl she'd once seen pick a hair off a cookie before eating it and yet…Weiss just wanted to put her hands on every single inch of her.

Pull yourself together, Weiss Schnee! You are better than this!

When she finally reached Ruby's face, silver eyes were looking back at her.

"Morning." Ruby said with a thick voice. She was clearly still waking up.

Weiss smiled tightly. "You got some rest I see."

Ruby nodded slowly, Weiss knew she could probably use another twelve hours. "Most I've had in a while, thanks to you." Mercifully, Ruby stopped scratching her damn stomach and let her shirt fall back down. Ruby clearly had no boundaries with her body, and why should she? Weiss was her friend, her roommate. They'd shared the same bathroom, changed in the same vicinity of one another. The only difference now was that Weiss couldn't stop thinking about how nice it would be to wrap her legs—

You are pathetic, Weiss Schnee. Simply atrocious.

"So your outfit was cleaned and waiting for you this morning."

"Oh good!" Ruby smiled brightly. "Honestly your little shorts are really tight on my legs."

Weiss felt her eye twitch. "Yes…well…in any event. I refuse to let that be your one outfit. So…you're going to put your old clothes on, and we're going shopping."

"Uh," Ruby seemed confused. "Weiss I have one outfit for a reason, I used the last of my lien on the cookies that you threw in the trash!"

"No you dunce, I'm buying you clothes of course. You are going shopping with me which means you'll only be going to the best stores with the highest quality outfits and accessories."

Ruby frowned. "Weiss I can't ask you to do that."

"For starters, I do not remember you asking me anything. I'm fairly certain I told you what was going to happen. And before you get into the ethics of it all, as you always seem to do—In the time it took you to finish that sentence, the Schnee Dust Company made more money than the cost of your tuition to go to Beacon."

She saw her leader's face pale. "That's like a bajillion lien."

"Hardly," Weiss rolled her eyes with a smirk. "More like half a bajillion." When Ruby smiled back at her Weiss felt like she'd won the Vytal tournament. "Go change, we're already late."

Suddenly Ruby closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around Weiss' neck. "I won't let you spoil me, a few things because you're so insistent…and ridiculously rich."

Weiss laughed softly as she settled into the embrace. I'm pretty sure I'd do anything for you.

She managed to keep that one to herself.

Chapter 8: Regrets

Chapter Text

The bright, florescent light finally broke through the haze of sleep as Yang cracked one eye open and instantly regretted it. The pain in her head was like the pounding of a drum, constant and loud.

She reached up with both arms to wipe the sleep from her eyes but only one hand touched her face. She was too miserable to care as she tried to clear her vision. As the world started to come into focus, Yang realized she was lying in her empty bathtub, her body began to scream in protest as her aching muscles moved.

Sitting up, she took an estimate of the damage. Her shower curtain was on the floor and both the towels were there as well. An empty bottle of liquor sat next to the sink and beyond that she saw a large crack in her bathroom mirror.

She suddenly remembered smashing her head through it. Reaching up, she checked for any cut but found nothing - her aura must have protected her.

"Dammit Yang." She cursed herself.

"Yeah that's pretty stupid."

The voice made her jump as Yang looked behind her to see her father sitting on the closed toilet seat with his scroll in his hand. "Dad?" She called but he continued to tap at the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to beat this stupid Angry Nevermore game. It's pretty fun and super addicting." He continued to focus for another few seconds before a defeated chime came form the scroll. "Crap, this game sucks." He said before closing his scroll. "Though I'm assuming your question refers to me being in your bathroom?" Yang nodded, her throat too sore to talk. Although the nod jostled her brain a little too much. "Well when you didn't come to the front door for five minutes I came in through the window and looked for you, then found my pride and joy lying in her bathtub with a leather jacket as a blanket and that bottle of whiskey I'd been missing."

Yang knew he was disappointed, even if he tried not to be. She could hear it in his voice.

If it was meant to make her feel bad, it didn't work. "Funny, I think I found you in the same position a few times. Except I was eight."

She watched him nod tiredly. "So that makes it okay?"

"Learned from the best." She knew she was going too far, she didn't care. Her body hurt, her heart hurt, her arm was missing. She wanted to see how low she could sink.

"Yang," he sighed. "What are you doing?" The way he spoke brought angry tears to her eyes. He didn't understand, he couldn't. He was still a huntsman. He still had a purpose. Despite her rage, she couldn't find any words to answer with. Her leg was beginning to shake as the tension built up. "Your mirror broke."

She glanced at it again and swallowed the foul taste in her mouth. "My eyes were red, I hate it when they do that."

"Something upset you?" He asked knowingly and she turned to look at him.

"You saw her?"

Taiyang shrugged. "Might have," he gave her a smile. "She's nice."

"She's a coward."

He chuckled. "Says the girl who passed out in her bathtub."

Yang could feel the heat pulsing in her blood, her fists clenched, he was pushing her. "What do you want, Dad?"

"I want my girls back."

Ruby…

The name alone calmed Yang down, grounded her. She couldn't help Ruby, she'd refused to help, but she was still out there and Yang's concern overpowered her anger. "I don't know how to find Ruby."

"Of course you don't, you're lost too." When she looked at him again he had moved off the toilet and was kneeling next to her. "You're right, Yang…I messed up bad after Summer died and I ended up putting a lot of responsibility on you. Responsibility that you should have never had to deal with so young. I can't make up for that, but I can tell you that I regret every second of that time of my life." Yang fought so hard, but once the first tear escaped more started to follow. "I missed out on so much. Precious time I could have spent with you and Ruby. I wake up every day worrying that I might never see her again and I know you do too." She tensed when his hand reached up and touched her cheek. Yang could feel her bottom lip quivering. "Mornings like this, when I wake up and you don't answer your door and…I find you like this? Yang I don't want to have to start worrying about you too. I can't lose anymore people I love."

With a deep breath, Yang tried to calm herself down. She relaxed into her dad's hand on her cheek and brushed at her eyes. A burdening weight held her down. "I was never good enough for her. Raven…mom…I always wondered what I did wrong. Why I didn't matter enough." Yang met her father's eyes. "She's never coming back, is she?"

She could see a flash of anger in his eyes. Anger at Raven for doing this to her, to him. "No…I don't think so.

"It's selfish of me to wish she'd never left. To wish that I still had my mom. Because if she'd stayed then you and Summer…you and mom would have never had Ruby." Yang smiled as memories of a silver eyed little girl happily squealing her name came into focus. "I just always wanted both. I wanted Ruby and I wanted Raven and I wanted to matter enough for her to come back."

"Blake came back."

Sometimes she really hated how good he was at twisting her words. Just like Ruby. "Yeah, and I pushed her away. I can't just forgive her, Dad. The hardest time of my life and she runs away? It's not fair."

He nodded slightly. "You're right, it's not fair—and if your mother walked through that door right now I wouldn't forgive her either. But that's the difference." She saw a sadness fall over his face that she'd seen before. It reminded Yang of when she was little and Summer died, the long nights he'd spend lying around ignoring her and Ruby. It was a face she hated to see, and was relieved when he quickly removed it. "Raven's never coming home, she chose the life she leads now over both of us. That girl that came back for you, chose to. I'm not telling you to forgive her, that's not my choice—but I think she deserves a chance."

"Did you talk to her much?"

"Uh," he suddenly wouldn't look her in the eye. It was the same expression she'd seen from Ruby a thousand times before. A guilty expression.

"Dad," Yang's voice rose a bit. "What did you do?"

"Well…she had a bag," he shrugged. "I had some spare beds."

"DAD!"

"What?! She needed a place to stay and honestly, I needed some backup."

Blake was still here; she was right up the road—within walking distance. This knowledge made Yang's chest tighten. She wasn't sure how to feel. On the one hand, she was still so betrayed. Even if Blake had come back and was committed to sticking around that didn't change the last five years of hurt that Yang had gone through. She couldn't just wash it all away and forget the night she sat up crying because she thought she wasn't good enough for someone she loved, again.

Another part of her just wanted to be around Blake again. To feel that same comfort she had briefly felt yesterday. In a way, it made her feel whole again, if only for a moment.

Yang ran a hand through her long, blonde mess of hair. "I can't believe you let her stay with you."

"Did you…" she peeked over to see him eyeing her suspiciously. "Did you have a thing for her? Like…a romantic thing?" Yang's eyes narrowed. "Hey, I know what Beacon was like. They put you in a room with three other people and…you spend a lot of time with them. It makes sense for feelings to develop. I'm not judging—I'd mostly be relieved it wasn't the Schnee girl, could you imagine? That'd be like walking into a snake pit."

As his question sunk in, Yang realized she was still sitting in the bathtub and still had a throbbing headache to go along with the overnight stink of her drunken escapades.

Abruptly, she grabbed the nozzle of her shower and quickly turned it on, not bothering to take off her clothes. "I'm going to shower!" She shouted over the running water as her wrist casually flipped to spray her dad.

"Hey!" He cried as he stumbled backwards. "You know you could have just said you didn't want to talk about it!"

As her dad raced out of the bathroom, still screaming, Yang rose to her feet, fixed her shower curtain and shed her now wet clothes.

She did not want to talk about her feelings for Blake.

Wearing a dark yellow hooded jacket and black sweats, Yang trudged her way up the hill towards her father's house. He'd been gone by the time she'd gotten out of the shower and though she dreaded coming up to this place knowing that Blake was still here, she needed to go shopping for food.

As she drew closer to the house, Yang slowed her steps down. Blake was in there somewhere; she could feel it even without knowing. That strange sensation that seemed to attach itself to her when they were at Beacon. Yang had always felt drawn to Blake, connected to her from that first day in the forest. She wanted to see Blake, to be able to take in the sight of her before having to interact again. Yesterday morning she'd been caught off guard and it completely wrecked her. Perhaps having a few moments to prepare and take in the ridiculously attractive girl would make things easier.

Sneaking around the back of the house, Yang sought out her old bedroom window and ducked down to stay out of sight. She knew exactly where the window was and looked behind her to make sure no one was watching. As she approached the house, she looked back to have a peek.

"What are you doing?"

Yang jumped and fell backwards on her butt as Blake's voice was right in her face. She looked up to see her former partner leaning out the window with a curious look in her eyes.

"I was just…how did you know I was coming?"

Blake smirked as her ears moved atop her head. "I have very good hearing."

Turning to her right, Yang pushed up slowly and dusted off her pants. "Right, probably even better without the bow." She said, not daring to look fully at Blake.

"The bow didn't prevent much, I still had a front row spot to your nightly snoring sessions."

Yang rolled her eyes. "You sound like Weiss." Blake let out a soft laugh but Yang could sense the tension in it. The same tension she felt whenever thoughts of Weiss or Ruby or anything related to Beacon came up.

Talk of their past life at Beacon felt taboo—that day was so black in Yang's mind that she had spent years learning not to touch on it. Now, one of the most important facets of that life was right in front of her, leaning out the window and watching her.

"You don't wear the bow anymore." Yang said as her eyes lingered on the two pointed ears atop Blake's head. She'd seen them before, during rare moments in their dorm when Blake would let herself relax. At the time Yang longed to touch them, wanting to know if they felt as soft as they looked. With the light of the sun gleaming down on them now, they were even more enticing.

Blake gently laid her ears down atop her head and nodded. "Yeah, I'm not trying to hide anymore so…I left the bow behind."

That's not the only thing you left behind. It was on the tip of Yang's tongue but she held it in. It wouldn't do her any good to attack Blake. She probably already knew where Yang stood. Besides, she was glad that Blake had found the strength to leave her personal shackles behind and be herself. It was the only thing Yang ever wanted for her partner back at Beacon—to feel free enough to show everything she was.

"Good," was the best response Yang could find. The remained in silence for another few moments, Yang hating every minute of it, before she finally had enough. "Is my dad here?"

"Oh," Blake frowned slightly and Yang wondered if she'd thought Yang had come here for her. "Uh…no he said he was going to Signal? Something about a meeting. Your dad still works there?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, he hasn't taken any hunting assignments since I've been back but he's still gotta pay the bills so he's been working full time at Signal." Yang had forgotten about his weekly meetings at the school, mostly because she'd forgotten what day it was. You're such a mess. "I just…" for some reason, asking Blake for anything, even things that weren't hers, was hard. "Can you bring me a box of cereal from the kitchen?"

"It's one in the afternoon. Is that going to be your lunch?" Even at Beacon, Blake always took the time to make sure that Yang ate properly. Back then it was mostly keeping Yang from devouring a plethora of unhealthy snacks and eating so fast she made herself sick. Still, it was treatment that Yang had appreciated back then. Being looked after and tended to, it was unfamiliar, she was usually the one keeping Ruby from stealing cookies before dinner.

Now though, Blake was standing between Yang and her painfully empty stomach. "I don't have any food and I was counting on Dad taking me to the store and…he's not home so it's going to be cereal." She could see the questions running in Blake's head based solely off her confused expression. Yang's hunger, hangover and frustration were getting the better of her. "I don't ride my bike anymore and I never learned how to drive a car and I have one f*cking arm, so yeah…he takes me to the store."

A look of guilt flashed across Blake's face and Yang had to look away from her. "I'm sorry." She said and Yang felt her fist clench.

"Don't be, you didn't cut my arm off."

Blake's voice broke. "It's still my fault."

The fire rose in Yang's stomach almost immediately. She knew her eyes were red, a part of her was even aware that her hair might be catching fire—but she didn't care. Those four words made her want to scream. "Shut up." She barked and looked up to see Blake reeling back. "Don't you…" Yang took a few breaths to calm down, she was slipping. All she could see was Blake on the ground, that man driving his sword into her stomach. The emotions of that moment never left her, the way she felt when she thought of Blake being hurt like that. It plagued her thoughts and even after Blake ran away and Yang wanted to hate her, she couldn't shake that feeling. "I've been mad at you for a lot of things, Blake. But never this." She raised what was left of her right arm for emphasis and watched as the tears spilled over in Blake's eyes.

"I'm still sorry it happened," Blake whimpered and Yang felt all of her anger fading away. "You didn't deserve it."

Yang had to look away again, her mind was in overdrive and her heart was hammering in her chest. She wanted to be away from this house, away from this girl and these feelings. "Neither did you." She said finally before turning away. "I'll wait till he comes back." Yang said as she started moving around the house to go back down the hill.

Suddenly she heard the sound of feet landing in the grass behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Blake had jumped out the window and was behind her. "Please don't leave." Blake pleaded. "I'll make something for you, or take you to the store or…something. Please." Yang stared back at her former partner and felt herself being drawn in. There was always something about Blake that broke down her strongest barriers. Yang could be the life of the party—she could be loud and be the center of attention. That was easy, it was natural to her growing up to have all the eyes on her. But the deeper stuff, the real person she was behind all the energy and good times, those were kept hidden away.

Until Blake came along and Yang felt the need to share them with her, if only to try and learn more about this amber eyed girl who Yang couldn't stay away from.

She wanted to be mad at Blake, and she was. More so, she was mad at herself for being so weak. "You don't have a car, I know you've never liked the idea of driving." Yang said with much less hostility than she intended.

Blake looked slightly defeated. "I can still make you something. I know I can find enough to make you a meal."

"I'm not a child, Blake. I can make my own food."

"That's not what I mean." Blake groaned with frustration. "I'm not trying to make you feel incapable, Yang. I'm not trying to make you feel weak or like you can't take care of yourself. I just want to…" Blake looked away and the light of the sun made the tears in her eyes glisten. "I just want to spend time with you."

Yang had absolutely no defense for that. "Fine," she relented. "Let's see what my dad's got in there."

With her smile slowly coming back, Blake trotted in front of Yang to lead them to the front door.

Chapter 9: Fear

Chapter Text

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? Brought me along so I could carry everything." Ruby asked as her feet ached with the final step she took before sitting down on one of Weiss' insanely comfortable couches.

They had spent the entire day shopping and for someone who seemed to enjoy the luxury of being pampered from time to time, Weiss certainly had no problems walking all over the entirety of Atlas.

Then again, Ruby was the one carrying all the bags because, as Weiss put it, she had the arms for it.

Glancing up from her new spot on the couch, she could see a familiar scowl on her partner's face and she knew exactly where the next sentence was heading. "Are you seriously moving through the living room of the Schnee manor in your combat boots?"

"Well," Ruby lifted her feet off the ground. "I did yesterday?" She reasoned but was met with an indignant huff.

"You were injured yesterday, I made an exception based on the urgent needs you had."

Ruby felt a strange warmth at the memory of how concerned Weiss was for her. When they were at Beacon she used to put so much energy into having Weiss like her, to being able to call Weiss her friend. Those walls seemed to crumble just before Beacon did. It was a relief to see that the years apart hadn't rebuilt them. Perhaps it was Weiss' own loneliness that drove her, but if Ruby were being honest, Weiss was even more affectionate than she'd been during even their final weeks at school.

"I'm sorry, I'll take them off." She said as she sat up with a groan. Before she reached the laces, Ruby had a pressing thought return to the front of her mind. She could see that empty black figure chasing her, no matter how much she enjoyed her time with Weiss, the truth of her looming hunter wasn't going to go away. She was putting Weiss at risk with each minute she stayed here. Even shopping today was risky, it put the entire city in danger and it was selfish. She was being selfish—it just felt so good to be around Weiss again. To be cared for, in Weiss' unique way.

Ruby had missed her partner more than she'd known. It would be too easy for her to give into this comfort, but she knew she couldn't.

"Are you planning to remove them with your mind?"

Taking a breath, Ruby stood up from the couch. "No, I uh…" She couldn't look Weiss in the eyes. "I think I'm going to go." She put on her best smile and looked up to see a pair of severely angry blue eyes staring back at her. "I can't thank you enough for all of this, the clothes, the food and healing my cut and giving me a good night's sleep. It's been…so good to see you again." Ruby finished with an even brighter smile and waiting for Weiss to say something. Instead she was met with the same upset look as Weiss crossed her arms in silence. She was mostly certain that Weiss wasn't going to attack her, even if she looked like she might, but Ruby still made sure she felt the weight of Crescent Rose on her back just in case. "I uh…Weiss I…"

"Do I matter so little to you?"

It wasn't the words that hurt Ruby, it was how bitterly Weiss said them. "What? How could you think that? Weiss last night was…"

Finally, Weiss looked away from her, shaking her head. "Apparently not enough for you to treat me like the partner and...friend I thought I was." Weiss was visibly tensing, Ruby could see her hands squeezing tightly against her arms. "I always knew you were childish but this…this is just stupid."

That word, something about the way she said it brought Ruby back to being fifteen again and trying to make this girl her friend and being cut off at every turn. She narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist. "I'm trying to keep you safe." Ruby growled. "I'm doing my best, Weiss. I'm trying to keep everyone safe!"

"You can't!" Weiss screamed so loud her voice strained and Ruby recoiled. "You cannot keep everyone safe! You are not strong enough!" Weiss took a threatening step towards her. "When I found you in that bakery, you were a mess. You were hurt, your aura was gone and last night you were so emotionally worn down that you had a panic attack and cried in my arms until you fell asleep! Are you telling me that if you came across Cinder or any pack of Grimm or that…thing that is hunting you that you could do anything to properly defend yourself?"

"Weiss," Ruby wanted to be angry but her voice broke. She'd been living like this for so long that it was impossible to see any real end in sight. If she were being honest, her own search for answers had stopped months ago. All she was doing was running and surviving, hoping to stumble onto something that might help her. Help what? At this point she didn't even know. She just had to keep that thing occupied and keep anyone she cared about away. "I just want to keep everyone safe." She whispered aloud and lowered her head.

She heard a sigh from the girl standing across from her and a moment she saw white boots standing just in front of hers. "Ruby, look at me." Weiss gently demanded and Ruby peeked up through the hood of her lashes to see Weiss was extremely close. "If I let you leave; I am…terrified that the next time I see you, I'll be burying you."

It would have been easy to lie, to tell Weiss that she had a plan—that all of this was leading to something good. It would have been easy—instead, she faltered and her mouth fell open but no words escaped. The truth was, she had no plan, all she had was her semblance and speed to keep her running long enough to let everyone else be safe for as long as possible.

Perhaps one day she'd no longer be able to run, and she could fight and fight and maybe stop this thing chasing her. Maybe that would be enough and she could die heroically, just like Yang had told her her mother did. She could make the sacrifice to give those she loved peace.

That would be enough for her.

"I won't do it." Weiss said and Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. There were tears in Weiss' eyes, they didn't belong there. No, Weiss wasn't meant to cry, she was too strong. "I will not let you leave, I will not let you go alone and I certainly will not let you give your life away. You are my partner. You mean too much to me. I won't lose you again."

Ruby swallowed down the thick lump in her throat. "It won't stop, Weiss. It's coming for me and it will be here soon and it won't stop. You haven't seen it, you don't know. It's not going to care how we feel. It will tear this castle down until it finds me. Your staff, your cooks…you—you'll all be killed." As the thought of those people dying for her own selfish want to feel safe crept further and further into Ruby's gut, she was abruptly disturbed by a sharp pain on her forehead. "Ow!" She cried and looked up to see that Weiss had thumped her. "What was mmff—" suddenly, a pair of lips was pressed against her own.

Ruby made a noise against Weiss' lips but she couldn't begin to explain what it was. A muffled squeal that turned into a whimper. Weiss was kissing her! She was being kissed by Weiss Schnee and it was as if every nerve on her body caught fire. She felt her knees start to shake and the ground beneath her might split at any moment and swallow them both.

She had yet to respond. She didn't know how, both from shock and lack of experience. This was her first kiss and though it wasn't how she'd imagined it; it was certainly memorable.

Just as Ruby was about to reach out to touch Weiss, a pair of hands pressed into her shoulders and pushed her away. "You absolute dunce!"

Ruby's lips still burned with the contact but Weiss looked like she was ready to start screaming at her. "Weiss I—" she took a breath and saw that Weiss was just as flushed as she felt. "What…was that?"

The suddenly angered expression on Weiss' face turned to one of worry and confusion. "I—I don't know. I was just so upset and you're so…annoying! I had to do something. I had to…" she sighed and ran a hand harshly through her hair, effectively removing her side ponytail and letting her long, white hair cascade down her back.

"You kissed me." Ruby muttered as she touched her lips and saw Weiss give her an apologetic look and nod. It was, without question, the last thing she expected to happen from the conversation they were having. Ruby had thought about kissing Weiss at total of twice in all the time she'd known her and both of those were on the cheek. Once when Weiss promised to be her best teammate and the other was when she finally found her after getting off the ship where Torchwick was eaten. Perhaps the second time she might have kissed Weiss on the lips, but she was really stressed out and almost died.

Now, they had kissed, not at all on the cheek, and Weiss seemed as unsure about as Ruby was.

"I did…and I apologize, Ruby. I shouldn't have done that. As someone who does not like having their personal space invaded without permission what I did was wrong. I just…panicked. I can't—won't let you leave this house alone."

"You kissed me." Ruby muttered absentmindedly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "If I knew it was going to make you non-functional I would have done it when I met you and stopped you from blowing me up!"

All Ruby could process was that Weiss had kissed her. She kept saying it over and over in her mind but it still didn't really make sense. Weiss Schnee was the heiress to the largest producer of Dust in Remnant. She was rich beyond anything Ruby could ever imagine. She was elegant and refined and all those other silly words Yang would use to describe her (complain about her) in the early days of their time at Beacon.

Ruby knew that she was not at the same level as Weiss, not even close. Ruby ate cookies by the handful, she cut her hair with a blade and enjoyed s'mores over a fire more than any of the finely cooked foods Weiss had ever mentioned. Yet, Weiss kissed her. Weiss initiated a kiss between them which could only mean that Weiss had wanted to kiss her.

Which meant…

"Do you like me?"

Blue eyes went wide as Weiss' face flushed. "Of course I like you, you are my partner and friend."

"You kissed me."

Weiss groaned. "Will you stop saying that!"

Ruby shook her head. "No. You…you kissed me and you don't kiss partners and friends, not like that. You—do you have feelings for me?" Even as she asked the question Ruby wasn't entirely sure that was even the right way of phrasing it.

Any worries she had about that were removed when a frightened look crossed Weiss' face. "Th—that's preposterous! I was merely caught up in the emotion of the moment. I haven't seen you in a long time and you're foolishly risking your life as if you mean nothing when clearly you mean something to—those who care about you! I lost control for a moment but I do not think it is anything to dwell on!"

One of the things Ruby picked up on when it came to Weiss was that if she was nervous or unprepared for a difficult conversation, she rambled and threw out haughty remarks to defend herself. With most people, the tone and the arrogance she tried to show would drive them away.

The one person that had never worked on, was Ruby. "Weiss," she put a little more bass in her voice, letting Weiss know she was in no mood for games.

The look she received in return made it clear that her point had been made. Weiss' defenses dropped and she stared at her hands. "I spent much of my free time thinking about you, all of our team. But you…you were there every day—most days you were the first thing I thought of in the morning. I tried to imagine what it would be like to see you again—it was only ever in my imagination, I never dreamed I would. I was here and you were gone…I assumed you were becoming everything you were meant to. I assumed that you had forgotten all about me, I accepted it." Ruby wanted to interject, it was in her nature to step forward and remind Weiss that she could never forget her. However, it was clear that Weiss wasn't finished so Ruby restrained herself. "Then all of the sudden, there you were with your red cape and I expected you to be exactly as I remembered…but you weren't." Weiss was extremely tense and Ruby could see the conflict in her eyes. "You were annoyingly taller than I am, your hair was longer than I remembered, which I hate by the way because it frames your face perfectly and it's incredibly distracting. You have these…muscles and curves that are equally distracting and I've found it hard to concentrate and sometimes even breathe when you're around me and I don't know what is wrong!"

Ruby had never seen Weiss so unsure of herself and her feelings. Even through all the times that Weiss seemed out of her element with the things Ruby dragged her into, not once had Weiss been so shaken.

Yet, all Ruby could do was stare with her mouth hanging open. Weiss Schnee…was attracted to her.

"Weiss I—"

Suddenly, something loud, almost ear shattering, sounded throughout the room. Ruby had to cover her ears from the invading noise and when she looked at Weiss, she was pale and stricken with worry.

"No," Ruby could only see Weiss' mouth move, she didn't hear her speak.

"What is it?!" Ruby shouted but was barely able to hear her own voice over the raging sound.

A moment passed and Weiss strode over to close the distance between them. "It's the alarm!" Ruby felt her legs start to shake, a tightness built in her throat, making it hard to breathe. "Ruby someone is trying to break in."

"Miss Schnee!" A new voice entered the room and Ruby could barely register that Weiss had walked away from her.

It's here…it found her. Found them. It's going to kill them all, kill Weiss.

"No…no, no." Ruby shook her head and instinctively removed Crescent Rose from her back.

"Athos! Fetch me Myrtenaster at once!" Weiss commanded and Ruby saw the burly man wearing his big, fancy hat rush off as Weiss returned to where Ruby was standing. "It's past the initial line of security posted outside. Ruby we must prepare to—" Weiss' sentence stopped as the electricity in the manor cut off—the alarm shutting down and leaving them in an eerie silence. "The power? What in the name of Remnant is—" Before Weiss could finish, Ruby wrapped her hand around her mouth.

"Shh," she silenced her partner and started to back away. When Athos returned with Myrtenaster in hand, Ruby held up a finger to her lips to silence him. However, the motion gave Weiss time to slip away.

"Ruby what are you doing?" Weiss asked but kept her voice quiet to heed the warning. She stepped over and took her weapon from the guard, spinning the dust chamber and testing her grip. The way she held her weapon, Ruby could tell that she had kept up her training as best she could here. It certainly didn't look unfamiliar to her.

The ground shook beneath them, as if a part of the foundation below them had been torn apart. Weiss stumbled as the entire manor rattled.

"I should have left. I should have kept running." Ruby muttered. It was too late now, she was trapped in this place with this thing and Weiss was here. "Weiss stay behind me!" Ruby grabbed for her coat and jerked Weiss backwards.

"Ruby stop! We will fight together! As a team!"

Ruby shook her head. "You don't understand, it won't work! You haven't fought this thing, you don't understand! It's not a Grimm and it's not a mech. It will tear you to pieces, Weiss!"

She wasn't sure if her words did the trick or if it was the horror in her own eyes, but when Weiss looked at her, she saw the fear settle in. "Athos?" Weiss called to her guard. "See what's going on. Bring more of your people here. We can overwhelm it with force."

At once, the man turned and rushed away.

If he was going towards the noise, towards the destruction, then Ruby knew she'd never see him again. Her eyes began to scan the room for escape. She couldn't run away from Weiss now, it was too late—the thing would kill her because she was in the way.

"How high up are we?" Ruby asked as she moved towards a large window behind the couch. "Do you think the fall would kill us?"

"What?" Weiss trotted over towards her and peeked out the same window. It was at least two stories, the fall wouldn't kill them, but the concrete below might do some damage. "Ruby we can land with our weapons, we landed in the forest don't you remember? This thing is messing with your psyche, you're not thinking clearly."

"Of course I'm not! Weiss you don't—" A deep, guttural scream sounded and Ruby turned in a flurry as Crescent Rose came to life. She held it in front of her, chamber aimed at the small entrance way. At her side, she could see Weiss preparing her own weapon.

When Ruby tried to take a step in front of Weiss again, she was grabbed by the hood and pulled back. "Stop that." Weiss took a step forward. "Now, I'm a bit out of practice, but I think this might be a good way to start. Ice flower?"

Despite her own uncertainty, Ruby nodded and spun her scythe before driving it into the ground. This floor was not nearly as stable as the concrete of the streets where they'd last done this, but it held well enough. The glyph formed in front of her, she always marveled at how beautiful they were. The light shone and Weiss' presence was strong at her side. Ruby co*cked the chamber and waited.

The entranceway to the room was barely lit from the light outside. So many of the windows in this place were blinded shut—the outside light clearly not favorable to the Schnee's.

"We'll slow it down and then we run, okay?"

"Ruby you cannot run forever." Weiss countered.

Ruby just wanted Weiss to understand—running was all they could do.

A thump came from the entranceway and they both turned to see the limp body of Weiss' guard Athos come rolling into view. Ruby saw the blood first, it poured from his throat, staining the white uniform he wore. His hat was gone and the once determined look in his eyes was replaced by the fear of his final moments.

Weiss gasped at her side and Ruby was glad for it. Maybe now Weiss would understand.

The next time Ruby looked towards the narrow entranceway, she saw it.

The figure stood tall and steady. It was shaped like a human but the armor it wore was black and dangerous—Ruby swore it looked different every time, as if it was alive all it's own. The mask it wore was black and emotionless, just two red and glowing eyes staring back at them. It carried a large, red blade that Ruby had felt before. It sliced through the entirety of her aura as if it weren't even there.

Seeing it again, knowing it was this close, Ruby was frozen and could barely hear the sounds of Weiss calling her name.

"Now, Ruby! Fire now!"

On reflex, her finger twitched against the trigger and the bullet broke the silence of the room. The combination of her gun and Weiss' glyph sent a stream of ice towards the monster. When it struck, Ruby waited for the ice to settle and lock in—instead it merely exploded against it's skin, sending ice and water all over the floor.

"No," Ruby groaned as she pulled the trigger three more times, each one resulting in the same, useless attempt. "No, no, no!" Ruby pulled her scythe from the ground and charged. She was furious. This thing had come to Weiss' home, it had taken away Ruby's life, her freedom and she couldn't even slow it down, not once.

"Ruby!" Weiss call was ignored as Ruby charged forward. She attacked quickly, slicing her weapon downward. The narrow hallway was not a great place to fight but it left little room for distance. However, the creature had enough time to easily dodge her first attack and send a sharp swing towards her. Ruby deflected it with the back of her weapon and turned fully to swing again.

Each attempt was met with resistance, whether it be from the red blade it carried or the armor it wore. Even when Ruby felt like she'd landed a blow, it bounced off the black material as if it were nothing.

They went back and forth, trading swings and Ruby felt herself struggling to keep up with the flurry of attacks sent her way. She used her semblance to keep enough speed dodge them all and eventually the fight spilled from the narrow hallway to the large living area.

When Ruby lifted her scythe again to strike, a foot found its way into her stomach and drove her backwards hard. She fell into one of the tables, made of glass of course, and shattered it completely. Her aura kept any of the shards from penetrating, but the fall hurt regardless.

Pushing up, Ruby reached out and grabbed her weapon again. Before she could find her footing, the thing was right next to her. She wasn't fast enough; she was never fast enough. The red blade hung in the air above her, it was going to cut through her aura and end her life right here.

A white glow shimmered in the sky and Ruby looked beyond the warrior to see a glyph at the ceiling. Weiss leapt towards it and pressed her footing against it. A moment later, she darted downward with Myrtenaster in hand and struck.

Their attacker was unprepared but not at all phased when Weiss' blade crashed down. It was enough to draw its attention and Ruby found her footing with Crescent Rose in hand and dove into the fight.

Weiss was sudden, her strikes were quick and furious as she spun like a ballerina. She hit the point of her blade into every place she could think of, she was searching for a weak point. To Weiss, there had to be a weak point. Ruby swung her scythe towards the things back but just before her blow could land, it turned and used a free hand to grab the weapon at the hilt and tear it from her hands.

It was too strong—too fast.

Ruby was suddenly struck with the blunt end of her own scythe and it sent her to the ground again. Her eyes were clouded as she tried to regain focus, but she could still hear the efforts of Weiss fighting. She was fighting alone, fighting this thing.

No, Weiss run! Ruby tried to scream but her voice was lost. She dug her hands into the ground and pushed up to stand again. She had to help Weiss, she had to fight.

Just before she found her footing, the sounds of battle stopped and Ruby felt her heart drop into her stomach. The next thing she heard was metal falling effortlessly against the hard floor.

Myrtenaster

When she finally turned around, Weiss was disarmed and held by the throat with her feet no longer touching the ground. She was kicking, still trying to fight, but Ruby could see the terror in her face. The beast was not focused on Weiss though, only her, as it had been when she fought with Jaune. He was only ever a distraction, just like Weiss—it only wanted her.

Ruby knew what she had to do. She couldn't run anymore.

"Okay," she put up her hands and nodded, fighting to push away her fears. She wasn't ready to die, no matter how often she thought she might the idea of actually dying and not getting to see those she loved again was terrifying. But she would, right here right now, if it kept Weiss safe. "I—I surrender. Please let her go."

"Ruby!" Weiss pleaded with a strained voice. "D—don't!"

Tears spilled down Ruby's cheeks at Weiss' pleas. She thought of the kiss, it wasn't ten minutes ago that Weiss had kissed her. Whatever it meant at the time, right now it felt like the best moment of her life. If it was the only kiss she ever had, it was more than enough.

Suddenly, Weiss fell from the grip of the monster and landed hard on the ground. The offer had been accepted and Ruby ducked her head, ready to accept her fate. Weiss was safe and if she was gone then no one else would be hurt because of her.

Just as Ruby felt the presence of her stalker loom over her, a horrifying and unworldly shriek filled the air.

It came from the monster.

Looking up, Ruby watched her attacker fall to a knee, still making that awful sound. It was in pain.

As she glanced over it's shoulder, she saw Weiss still lying on the ground, but she held Myrtenaster in hand and had driven it's tip right into the heel of the beast.

Somehow, Weiss had found a weak point.

In a flurry, Weiss bounced onto her feet and scooped Crescent Rose from the ground. She threw it at Ruby who barely had time to react and catch it.

The next thing she knew, Weiss had wrapped her arms around her and they were jumping out the window.

Chapter 10: Mistakes

Chapter Text

Blake knew she made a mistake.

She was standing in the kitchen of a man she'd known for a day, with his daughter who she hadn't seen in five years, who may or may not hate her. She'd agreed to cook a meal for this girl simply out of the desire to spend time with her.

The only thing missing from Blake's plan was that she didn't actually know how to cook…anything.

Staring at the stove, she held a pan in one hand and looked at the contents of the refrigerator. There was a bag of lettuce, she knew Yang wouldn't have any of that. A few bottles of juice and a carton of milk which made her smile at the thought of Ruby. Finally, she found her target.

Meat.

However, when she pulled out the package, it was red and uncooked. She stepped back and stared at the offending raw food and sniffed. It didn't smell good—boar of some kind, if she had to guess. Blake was never a fan of red meat. She could only remember the last time she had truly raw meat. Those were memories she long wished to forget.

Still, this wasn't about her and she sat the package down on the counter and tore into it. The meat was cold and slimy, she resisted the urge to cringe as her hands dug through it and pulled out a chunk.

Peeking over her shoulder, she saw Yang studying her with interest as she put her feet up on an opposite chair.

"Any cooking preferences?"

Yang quirked a brow. "Over easy."

"R—right." Blake nodded as assuredly as she could, before returning to her task. What the hell does that mean? The burner clicked when she turned it and the flame below jumped to life. Blake put the pan down and grabbed the first seasoning she could find. It was salt. When she turned the shaker over, it poured out much faster than she'd anticipated and she nearly dropped it when she saw how much salt now covered the meat.

She tried to dust it off as best she could but the damage had already been done.

Defeated, Blake scooped up the meat to put into the pan. "Don't you want to grease the pan first? So it doesn't stick?"

"Oh," Blake stared at the pan, having no idea what kind of grease Yang was talking about. "Of course I do."

"Blake," Yang sighed as she stood up from her chair. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

Her ears pressed down against the top of her head. "I do too."

Yang's lilac eyes were staring at her, a wonderful glint in them that made Blake smile. "You can't cook meat over easy, that's eggs."

"Oh," Blake stared at the meat she was still holding. "Then why did you say it?"

"Because I wanted to see if you'd keep trying." Yang stepped over and pulled a can from the cupboard above the sink. She then sprayed the pan down with it and turned down the dial on the stove. "Also, pepper and maybe some garlic salt is good for boar steak too. Gives it some life."

"You going to show me how it's done?" Blake asked as Yang took the meat from her and set it in the pan.

"Someone's got to. I learned growing up—learned and then burned the hell out of myself over and over again until I figured it out. Had no choice though, Despite what she says, Ruby couldn't eat cookies every day and once I started really getting into training I needed food too."

Blake stepped back and watched Yang grab a spatula from the pan before poking at the substance. It seemed like so much effort, the way she would put the spatula in her mouth to put a little pepper and spice on the meat before going back to breaking it apart.

"Summer taught you?" Blake asked and wondered if it was appropriate for her to bring that up.

Thankfully, Yang nodded and continued to work. "Yeah, Mom never wanted us to go hungry and I think she enjoyed having me in there. She made it fun - we'd sing songs and have sword fights with the spatulas. She could make anything exciting."

"You know," Blake couldn't help herself. "I see that in you. You're very good at soothing a tense situation."

Yang chuckled as the pan popped and sizzled when she pressed the spatula down onto the meat. Smoke billowed from the pan and filled the air with a new smell of searing boar. Yang's hair bounced across her back quite adorably as she swayed from one foot to the other.

"I've never been a fan of tense. My dad was not in a great place after Mom died and Ruby didn't need all that doom and gloom. So I would do stuff to make her smile and try to make things fun again. It wasn't easy, but she and I could get lost in our own world sometimes."

She knew that Yang missed Ruby - even though they had spoken it wasn't the same. From the minute Blake met Yang she saw how strongly Yang worked to keep her little sister safe. Knowing that Ruby was out there somewhere on her own had to be hard for her.

Still, she was enjoying the easy conversation far too much to let it end there. "You never cooked anything at Beacon?"

Yang chuckled. "I know how to cook, I just never really enjoyed it - not after everything. Once we got to school and the meals were made for us, I wasn't going to just…make food. Plus, Ren took up the mantle of making late night treats. My talents weren't needed."

"Huh," Blake hummed as she watched Yang work. It was clear by the way she moved that she knew exactly what she was doing. It upset Blake a little that she hadn't seen this side of her before, mostly because she never really asked. Yang was an open book back at Beacon, or so it seemed. She would never hesitate to tell anyone anything at any time. The things Yang Xiao Long loved were on full display for everyone to see. However, who she was seemed to be a bit more locked away. Blake wanted to know, she wanted to know everything, she just wasn't sure she had the right to ask anymore. "Did you ever teach Ruby anything?"

Yang's shoulders stiffened. "No, I probably should have but I didn't want her to burn herself," she seemed to relax a little and flipped the meat in the pan. Which caused an entirely new octave of hissing and sizzling noises to fill the room. "Ruby wasn't much for patience - at least not until she started building Crescent Rose. At that age, I'm pretty sure she would have gotten a lot of burns if she tried."

"I'm guessing that's a lesson you learned the hard way." Blake teased and was pleased when Yang smiled.

"It was, twice actually."

"Twice?"

Yang shrugged. "She made the best cookies, sometimes I'd try to take one right out of the damn oven when she wasn't looking. Not my shining moment." She started to flip the meat to cook the other side. Watching her work, Blake couldn't help but gaze at the remains of her right arm. It was strange how much smaller it made Yang appear. There wasn't a day that passed that Blake wished she hadn't gone with Weiss during the fall. She could have found Yang - they could have helped. Everything could have been different if she had just stuck with her team instead of doing what she always did and—

"Stop," Blake jerked her head up to see lilac eyes staring at her. "I know that look."

Blake narrowed her eyes. "What look?"

"The Blake Belladonna 'everything is my fault' look."

"Yang I just…I can't help it." She didn't want to go into these sorts of things right now. They were having a good conversation and Blake just wanted to stay in this moment with Yang—however fragile it might be. But she couldn't look at Yang and see her in this state and not feel the need to apologize. "I should have fought harder. I should have done more. I just—"

Yang turned away and began digging into the meat in the pan with a little more force. So much so that she broke right through the meat and was dragging the spatula along the metal. "You were hurt, Blake. I watched him stab you—I wanted to rip his head off." Her voice was grinding through her teeth. Blake swore she could see her hair spark.

"I should have stayed with Weiss. If I had then I wouldn't have been alone and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. It's my fault, Yang. It's—"

Her apology was cut off by the sound of Yang slamming the spatula on the stove. It snapped at the impact - the top half flying across the room. A heartbeat later, Yang grabbed the pan by the handle and threw it. Blake recoiled, watching as the sizzling meat scattered in chunks across the floor. The pan smashed against the far wall, the sound of impact was sharp and seemed to ring out long after the pan had fallen to the ground.

When she turned to Yang again, her eyes were shimmering red and Blake watched Yang stalk towards her. She didn't step back, a deep seeded part of her not afraid Yang would strike her. However, that did not lessen the intimidation those red eyes carried.

"It's not about you, Blake. I never gave a damn about what happened to me—how do you not get that?"

Blake instinctively touched her right arm. "I don't—your arm."

"Yeah, it sucks!" Yang barked. "I won't lie to you, Blake - it's completely ruined my life. I can't hunt, I can't ride my bike, I've spent years trying to relearn how to do almost everything and there are still things I can't do, but that is not the point, Blake!" Yang's left arm was gripping onto one of the chairs by her table and it splintered under the pressure. "I loved our team, all of you. You...you were my partner. You were my best friend. Blake, you meant the world to me. You saw me…you accepted me and never asked anything of me. You didn't want me to change, you put up with my bullsh*t and made me want to be better. More than that, you let me in and I cared about you so much." Tears began to roll down Yang's face—her eyes still red with fire. Blake had never felt herself shake as much as she was in this moment. She couldn't move a single muscle in her body—she had no idea how she was still standing upright. "I woke up every morning…knowing that I would die for any of you. That was my job; to keep you all safe. I could take the hits, it's what I was built for. All I asked in return was that if I took one too many hits, that my team…my family would be there for me. That you would be there for me!"

"Yang," Blake breathed desperately as her knees started to buckle.

"I was alone, Blake." Yang's fire seemed to die out as she lowered her head. "I woke up and…I asked about Ruby, then I asked about you. Because the last thing I remembered was you reaching out for me." When Yang sniffled, Blake felt her heart break. She wanted to close the gap between them and embrace her but knew she had no right. It just felt so wrong to see Yang cry. She hated it the first time she saw it and she hated it more now. Both times had been because of her. "I never got to see Weiss, she was gone before I woke up. Sun told me about her right before he told me about…you." Yang looked up at Blake again, her eyes back to their normal color. She didn't look angry anymore. The only emotion Blake could find in her expression was disappointment.

"I was scared and I…blamed myself for what happened. You got hurt and it was my fault and you can say it wasn't all you want but I wasn't thinking. I saw...him and I thought I could stop him and it was just too much." She took a step towards Yang, her body moving of it's own accord. Yang stepped back and disguised her need for distance by turning off the stove. "If it makes you feel better, I was miserable on my own."

"You know that doesn't make me feel better." Yang suddenly looked very tired as she sat down in the slightly broken chair. "Where did you go?"

Blake knew that she couldn't avoid the question forever. It was with one purpose that she ran away from Patch and from her team on that day. She had to make up for the pain she'd caused—had to make sure that…he could never hurt those she cared about again.

As long as he was alive, she would never be free.

"I went after the man who took your arm."

Yang looked up at her with piqued interest and wiped her nose. "Did you find him? He wasn't just a random White Fang member? Did you know him?"

There was no turning back now. "I was his partner…once." To her credit, Yang kept her composure and let Blake continue. "I told you after your fight with Mercury, that I had someone I care about change on me. That was him…that was Adam Taurus."

"The one you said changed...like you thought I might?"

Blake could see that it was still something Yang carried - this idea that she could lose herself in her own rage was something Yang genuinely feared before. After that fight with Mercury, when no one seemed to believe her, those fears came back.

"No, you're nothing like him and I was wrong to assume anything else."

Yang shrugged. "To be fair, the video sure did look like I turned around and broke Mercury's leg on purpose."

"Yang," Blake stopped her with a firm voice. "You are nothing like Adam, do you understand me? He is a monster and you are...you're...you've never treated me the way he did."

Those eyes darkened again. "He hurt you."

Blake sighed. "It wasn't the first time." Yang's body tensed and Blake rushed to continue. "Adam changed when the leadership role of the White Fang was handed to him. Everything changed—the mission was no longer a search for equality, but a quest for dominance. He wanted control. He wanted to turn what we'd suffered through into a weapon. Worst of all, it worked. Faunus flocked to the cause and followed him because he got results."

"Fear does that," Yang growled.

"It does. I did things with him—for him, that I'm not proud of. It was hard and when it became too much…I ran and Beacon was my salvation for a while. I could be a real person again. I could have friends and a goal in my life to strive for. A partner I cared about." Yang looked down at the floor but Blake powered on. "It wasn't enough, I wasn't as safe as I tried to pretend I was and he came back." She felt her own emotions rising, anger at the forefront. "When he hurt you, I knew. I knew had to stop him. It was my fight and dragged you into it." Unable to stop herself, Blake stepped forward and knelt down in front of Yang. "I ran because I knew if I saw you, if I looked into your eyes and you asked me to stay, I would have and that would have been selfish of me because he would have come back and tried to hurt us again." Yang wouldn't look at her but Blake could see her expression enough to know her words were sinking in. "Leaving you was the hardest decision of my life…but we're safe now." This got Yang's attention.

"What do you mean?"

Blake's mind slipped back to that moment—it had been so long since she'd had a flash. She remembered the way his eyes unfocused, how his breath caught in his throat as the warm blood spilled from the wound onto her hand holding Gambol Shroud. It was raining, she was soaked to the bone, but his blood was warm on her skin. She'd never forget that feeling.

"I tracked him, I stalked him, I got him alone…and I killed him."

"Blake," Yang was suddenly right in her face and she could feel the protective instincts kicking in on her partner. "You…are you—"

She found her smile. "For a while I wasn't—thank goodness for Sun. He took me in and gave me a place to stay. He and Neptune put up with a lot from me, I was not okay." Yang was staring at her, and Blake took her chance. "I didn't leave you because I didn't care, Yang. I left because as much as you'd give your life for me, I'd do the same for you. Maybe I shouldn't have ran, maybe I should have talked to you first but we were kids. We still are, I mean…we lost so much of our childhoods, both of us. I won't pretend I made the right choice by running away from you—but I'm not going anywhere. You're all I have left."

Before Blake could gauge Yang's reaction, an arm was pulling her in and she found herself pressed against Yang. She clung onto Yang with everything she had and buried her face in blonde hair.

"I missed you." Yang whispered against her neck and Blake choked out a sob before repeating those same words back to her. They held each other for a long time. Blake savored the feeling of being close to her partner again. The emotions of knowing that Yang didn't hate her, that her coming back had been the right decision, was blissful. They weren't through it all by any means, but it was a start, a chance—and that's all Blake ever wanted.

When she finally pulled back, Yang's face was streaked with tears and her bottom lip was trembling, but she looked okay. "You're a mess." Blake said with a smile before using her thumb to dab at Yang's cheek.

Yang exhaled slowly and nodded. "I'm still hungry." Blake found herself laughing uncharacteristically loud before staring affectionately at her partner.

"You threw the food against the wall."

"Made my damn point though, didn't I?" Yang said with a lighthearted grin.

Blake rolled her eyes. "You did, but you also ruined all my hard work. I was doing some serious cooking."

"You'd think with all those books you read you might have stumbled across a cook book or two." Yang stood from her chair and Blake followed suit.

"There's no romance in cooking." Blake helped Yang pick up the mess on the floor.

She heard Yang chuckle as she knelt down to grab the fallen pan. "You never saw my dad and mom cooking dinner together. They would really get into it. Feeding each other and dad coming up behind her and hugging her, kissing her, I would always have to remind them that I was still in the room. As was my very little baby sister."

"They really loved each other huh?" Blake asked as Yang found the last of the scattered meat and threw it in the trash. From there she moved to take down two bowls from the cabinet and a box of cereal.

"Yep, though he's told me that he and my mom were the same way. The Xiao Long's have a history of making people fall in love with them." Yang poured a bowl for herself and for Blake who took the chance to retrieve the milk from the fridge. "Summer she was…she was a catch though. She'd hate it if she heard me call her that." Yang laughed quietly to herself, clearly lost in a memory that Blake was hesitant to press for—but she knew where Yang's mind was going.

"Where is Ruby?" Blake saw the look of guilt wash over Yang's face.

"I don't know. Time just…kept going and before I knew it five years had passed and I hadn't seen my sister. She stopped telling me where she was about a year ago, the last few times we talked were pathetic attempts by both of us to pretend we still cared. Mostly I just liked hearing from her to know she was still alive, other than that…it hurt knowing she was out there fighting and I wasn't with her. I don't know what she's doing but it doesn't sound like she's planning on stopping anytime soon."

"Yang!" The front door burst open and Yang jumped to her feet with Blake a few steps behind her. They rushed into the living room where Taiyang was frantically running towards them—clearly out of breath. "You're here, you weren't at your house…that hill…is awful. It's so steep. Why is it so steep?" He then pulled out his scroll and started flipping through it. "He found her." He said and though Blake was slightly confused, Yang seemed to tense up immediately.

"Ruby?" Taiyang nodded.

"Yeah, Qrow says she slowed down for a few days and he was finally able to track her down. She's in Atlas and apparently she's in a lot of trouble."

"Is she okay? Is she hurt? Did he talk to her or help her?" Yang's questions came out in a flurry and Blake instinctively put a hand on her partner's back to settle her down.

Taiyang shook his head. "Yang, I don't know, he just told me to get to Atlas as soon as possible. He found her in the woods, she wasn't alone and she's…not exactly in a good frame of mind."

"What does that mean?" The once frantic tone of her voice vanished, now replaced with dreadful concern.

"He didn't have a lot of time for specifics. I just…I have to go and I want you to come with me. She needs us, Yang."

"Of course." Yang nodded in response and Blake dropped her hand from her partner's back. Yang seemed to notice the loss of contact and turned to face her. "Blake, I know you just got here and I know we're not completely okay but if you really are committed then I -" Yang chewed on her bottom lip and shook away her doubts. "Come with us...I want you to come."

Blake's heart swelled at the words and she smiled. "Let's go get our leader."

Chapter 11: First

Chapter Text

Wrapping her hands around the neatly folded red hood in her lap, Weiss took a deep breath and forced her eyes open. She was exhausted, between fighting that monster and running through the woods, her body was ready to shut down.

She couldn't, she was too focused on the task at hand and that was making sure that Ruby was okay. It wasn't a betrayal and she knew it, but when Qrow showed up and told them that he had a safe place for them, Ruby panicked.

Weiss had no idea where Qrow came from but he was there in the forest and he told them he was going to take them someplace safe. She'd been relieved more than she ever imagined to see the scruffy old huntsmen—but Ruby, she only saw another person she loved being put in danger. Try as she might, Weiss couldn't get Ruby to calm down—she wanted to run and Weiss was not about to let that happen.

It was a strange moment of silent communication when Weiss made eye contact with Qrow and he nodded at her and she knew what he was going to do.

That's where the feeling of betrayal came—she grabbed Ruby by the hand, looked into her eyes and smiled at her. She distracted her and a moment later the dart stuck into her neck. Weiss had no idea where it came from, but a moment later Ruby collapsed against her, quietly begging her not to do this, to let her go. It broke Weiss' heart to hear Ruby so desperate, but she couldn't let her go. She never would again.

Qrow had picked Ruby up just before her weight dragged she and Weiss to the ground. Before she could even ask where he came from, the lights shone through the trees and the airship landed in a nearby clearing.

It was Winter, who had clearly been in contact with Qrow and they'd come to help them.

Weiss didn't ask how they knew. She didn't even ask Winter to go back to the manor and make sure it was okay. She just followed Qrow because he was carrying Ruby. The ship took off and Winter told her they would be safe—Weiss barely registered it. She was so tired.

Now she found herself in the captain's quarters of the massive airship—her sister's room, with a watchful eye over her partner.

Ruby looked small under the pristine white sheets of the bed. Despite her body's maturity and growth, right now she looked every bit the fifteen-year-old Weiss had first met years ago. It was hard to see Ruby so tormented. The years of running and fighting had worn on her psyche—the constant exhaustion didn't help either.

As she sat in this quiet bedroom, staring down at the girl she once considered a burden more than a friend, Weiss couldn't shake the feelings anymore. Ruby had offered her life to keep Weiss safe. She was willing to die for her, and as furious as that made her—as much as Weiss knew she'd be screaming at Ruby about it somewhere down the line—it woke her up all the same.

She was in love with her dunce of a partner. More so than that, she was beginning to realize that she might have been in love for a while.

The realization wasn't nearly as jarring as she thought it should be. If anything, it was a relief. Weiss didn't know if she'd tell Ruby—the idea of a big confession of feelings seemed fairly pointless in comparison to the things that Ruby had been dealing with. For Weiss, it was merely confirmation that Ruby was important to her; more so than anyone else she'd ever known.

Love was why she was sitting here now. It was why she had no qualms about running away from her home, her father or the way he might react. Ruby mattered more to her than he did and as intimidating as he could be, life without her partner was worse.

This, of course, brought Weiss' mind back to the outburst she'd had—the kiss. She wasn't sure what came over her. All she could think about was that Ruby was trying to leave and Weiss couldn't let her go. It was a desperate move and yet when their lips touched, for at least a moment, it was the best feeling of her life. Ruby was confused—and rightfully so—but she didn't run away. No, she just kept stammering with red cheeks and those beautiful silver eyes trying to figure out what had just happened.

Weiss let out a long breath, she knew she needed to be sleeping because her eyes were burning with tears and she wasn't even sure why. She just wanted to climb into the bed next to Ruby and sleep until the world was safe again.

"They're non lethal, you know?" Winter spoke from the doorway and Weiss looked back to watch her step inside. She was dressed down a bit, her hair untied and her jacket off. It was late and this was her room—she'd been kind to give Ruby the bed. "The darts. Atleasian developed tranquilizers; we use them to take down smaller Grimm for research purposes. They're harmless, just…potent and it was a diluted dose so she's fine. If she's lucky she's dreaming right now." Winter moved gracefully through the room, clearly trying her best to remain as quiet as possible. She crossed to the other side of the bed and leaned against the desk to look at her sister.

Weiss continued to stare at Ruby. "I hope not," she said as she remembered Ruby's confession of constant nightmares.

Winter moved the chair from under the desk and sat down. "Father's going to be furious that his home took so much damage."

Her jaw tightened. "I could care less about Father's home."

"Hey," Winter spoke again. "Look at me." She said gently and Weiss forced her gaze upward. Winter was studying her but her expression was soft and clearly concerned. "What happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Weiss closed her heavy eyes and swallowed sharply. "Ruby was on the street corner when I was out for a drive…I followed her into a bakery and she was—I was so happy to see her but she was a mess. She hadn't slept or eaten in days, she used what little money she had to buy sweets because she's a complete goof who thinks she can sustain herself on cookies.

When she opened her eyes, Winter's lip was curled. She hated cookies.

"So I brought her back to the manor and she had a cut on her stomach." Weiss laid a hand over her own body to where the wound was. "Her aura was gone and it had been for days—which was even more telling to how she'd been living. So I used my aura to heal her."

"That's a very intense process." Winter pointed out and Weiss merely shrugged. She remembered every single feeling and sensation from that moment.

"It worked and then I made her eat and when I told her she was going to be staying in the guest room and getting some much needed rest, she panicked and wanted to run." Weiss returned her watchful eye to Ruby. "I calmed her down and convinced her to stay—my lessons in how to handle Ruby hadn't been lost over all these years." The subtle throbbing of a headache began and Weiss reached up to pinch her nose in order to distract the feeling. The rest of the story felt too intimate to share, even with Winter—of the night she spent with Ruby in her arms. That wasn't meant for anyone else. It was their moment, and Weiss wanted it to stay that way. "I took her out the next day and when we came back that…thing came for us."

"What thing?" Winter pressed and Weiss realized that this conversation was about more than sibling comfort. Not that she minded, Weiss wanted a plan as much as Winter did.

"I don't know, it's…not human, even though it's shaped like one. The armor it wears—Winter I've never seen anything like it. I struck it multiple times with Myrtenaster and nothing could even penetrate the shell. I found a weakness in the heel that bought us enough time to run but there was no way of defeating it."

Winter gave a pensive look. "Are you sure it's not just because you haven't been in a real fight for a while." Weiss sent a glare towards her sister who rolled her eyes. "Relax your ego, little sister. You know what I mean. I understand that you have been training vigorously, but you know as well as I do that no training can compare to actual combat."

Weiss sighed. "No, it's not that. Ruby has been fighting and even her and I together couldn't slow it down. It tore through us like wet tissue paper. Father's guards were slaughtered."

There was a silence between them for a few moments and Weiss knew that Winter was thinking, processing. It was how she had always been, even more so when she joined the military and was educated to strategize.

Sleep nearly took Weiss before her sister spoke again. "What did it want?"

Opening her eyes again, Weiss could only see Ruby. "Her."

"You're certain?"

"It had me and disarmed me, it could have killed me. The second she…" her voice caught in her throat. "She surrendered to it, it dropped me and went for her."

The next time she looked at her sister, Winter was staring at Ruby. "She…gave herself over for you? For your life?"

"Yes." There was a look in Winter's eye that Weiss couldn't fully register. It almost looked like appreciation or perhaps respect. Whatever it was, made her gaze linger on the sleeping girl.

"Well, you're both safe now. We're in the air and we will be for a while. It can't fly, I'd assume?"

Weiss shrugged. "At this point, I wouldn't assume anything."

"Be that as it may," Winter stood up and stepped around the bed again. She pulled a few articles of clothing from her dresser and touched Weiss' shoulder. "It's late and you're hardly functional. Rest, Weiss."

"I can't," she shook her head. "I won't leave her."

"I won't be staying in my room tonight—too much work to do. I'll leave you and your partner be and lock the door for the night." Weiss looked up at Winter who gave her a genuine smile and squeezed her shoulder. "Sleep, and not in that chair. The bed is plenty big enough for two."

Weiss felt herself wilting under the loving gaze of her big sister. She'd forgotten what it meant to be cared for, to be loved. "Thank you."

Winter leaned down and kissed the top of Weiss' head. "Goodnight Snowflake."

When Winter made her exit, Weiss wiped the unshed tears from her eyes, carefully shed her jacket and turned off the light. The bed was warm and inviting and Ruby was letting off a very welcoming heat that Weiss moved herself against. The room was dark, save for the clock on the table that cast a subtle, green splash of light over them—not nearly enough to be distracting but just enough that she could make out the curve of Ruby's jaw.

She searched for Ruby's limp hand under the covers and held it with both hands before closing her eyes. There was no way Ruby would get away from her in the night.

"Weiss," The first stirring from slumber was the soft call of her name.

Before she opened her eyes, Weiss felt a finger dance against her forehead and move her hair back. Her name was called again and when she opened her eyes she was met with a smile.

"Mmm…Ruby?" She slurred as she tried to clear away the blurriness from her vision. "Ruby." Weiss' eyes popped open and she heard her partner chuckle at her sudden burst. "You're awake—how do you feel? I'm so sorry, I know you were scared and I—"

"It's okay, Weiss." Ruby soothed her with a rather intimate thumb stroke across her cheek. Perhaps it was the delirium of having just woken up, but they were so close and Ruby's hands were so warm that Weiss melted under the contact. "I'm okay…sounds like I needed it—I feel good actually. Rested…though my neck is kind of sore."

In an instant, Weiss turned Ruby's head by the chin and examined where the dart had gone in. There was, in fact, a red mark where it had struck her and Weiss glared at the offending blemish. "Ugh, I'll be sure and tell Winter that if she's going to use those tranquilizers on humans then the darts need to be smaller. Why haven't you healed this yet? Surely your aura has returned."

Ruby readjusted her head to look at Weiss again. Her hair was covering part of her face, she had dry lips and more color in her cheeks than Weiss had seen since they met. The darts may have been a bit over aggressive, but they certainly seemed to do her well.

"I'm going to, but I just woke up and I have to pee."

Weiss cringed at Ruby's words as they effectively ruined the moment. "So then go you dunce."

This only made Ruby smile more. "Well I would but—" suddenly Weiss felt a tugging against under the blankets and she realized she had a death grip on Ruby's hand. "You've got me trapped."

"Oh," Weiss said as she again found Ruby's silver gaze. Instead of letting go though, she squeezed a little tighter. "You're not going to try and run again, are you?"

A flash of guilt crossed Ruby's face for a moment before she washed it away with another lazy grin. "Where am I gonna go? We're in the air."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "Like that's ever stopped you." When Ruby let out a breathy laugh, Weiss felt her stomach flip. She was so in love with this girl. Slowly, she untangled their fingers and drew her hand away. It was sticky from the moisture that had built from the sustained contact throughout the night. Weiss closed her hand into a fist and watched Ruby climb out of bed and look around. "I believe it's the door by the closet." Weiss pointed and Ruby rushed to the small bathroom. When she turned on the light, Ruby hollered.

"Wow! She left her weapon in here!"

"Don't touch it!" Weiss was a heartbeat away from climbing out of bed.

"Don't worry, I won't. Your sister scares me more than you do. It's so cool though, sleek too. I want to ask her about it. How she fits that dagger inside of it" Even as she shut the door enough for privacy, Ruby continued to talk. "That's such a neat idea, I wonder if I could fit a small version of Crescent Rose into Crescent Rose! Not that I'd have to time to do that. I haven't been able to work on her in so long."

"Ruby?" Weiss called and watched in slight horror as she leaned over—still on the toilet—and peeked out the door.

"Yeah?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Can you…not talk to me while you do that."

"Oh!" Ruby quickly shut the door and Weiss sighed before falling back onto the pillows. She hadn't seen much; just enough to catch once covered bare skin that drew a thousand hardly innocent pictures in her mind. A few moments later, the toilet flushed and Ruby stepped out fully clothed again. "Sorry, I've been using the woods so often to do…that I kinda forgot about privacy."

"Well I certainly hope Jaune gave you proper space!" Weiss said haughtily. Jaune Arc was a decent boy; she'd never deny him that. Still, that didn't mean she trusted him completely.

There was a silence between them as Ruby stood at the end of the bed and looked down at Weiss. Those silver eyes were studying her and Weiss suddenly felt a bit self-conscious underneath such a watchful gaze.

"What?" She finally asked sharply, which caused Ruby to finally look away.

"Nothing, sorry." Ruby moved to the side of the bed where her cloak and Crescent Rose were setting. She reached for her cloak but stopped just before grabbing it. "You kissed me."

Weiss sighed and threw her head back. "Not this again." She mumbled and felt her stomach roll over nervously. "Ruby I told you I just…panicked and was trying to keep you from leaving. It was—"

"Meaningless?" Ruby's voice was meek and when Weiss looked at her again, she seemed upset.

This, of course, upset Weiss even more and suddenly she was crawling across the bed to close the distance between them. "No, Ruby stop thinking like that. It was not meaningless—it was simply inappropriate. I…I accosted you!"

Ruby's lip curled in a slight smile. "That's a bit dramatic."

"Perhaps, but it was still wrong of me to do that without permission."

A few seconds passed and Ruby stared at her cloak, hands gripping the edges—when suddenly she sat it back down. Turning to face Weiss again, they were face to face with Weiss up on her knees on the bed. Ruby cautiously put her hands behind her back and a blush crossed her cheeks. "So that's all it takes? Permission?"

Weiss wasn't where this was going. "Well…yes, I believe an action such as that requires that both parties be on board. Furthermore—"

"Can I kiss you?"

She kept waiting for the sound of her jaw smacking the floor. "You…you want to kiss me?"

Ruby's bit on her bottom lip and Weiss was fairly certain it was the cutest and most attractive thing she'd ever seen. However, the pained look in her eyes was not what Weiss wanted to see.

"I thought—I was ready for it to take me…to kill me." She took a deep breath and looked up with tears in her eyes. Weiss fought to stop herself from tackling her with a hug. "We could die today, Weiss. We could die at any time and I was so close yesterday. I haven't seen my dad or Yang in so long. I might not have gotten the chance to tell them how much I love them. I might never get the chance to pet Blake's cute ears."

Weiss sniffled and rolled her eyes. "I don't think she'd let you pet her at all, she'd probably punch you."

"It'd be worth it," Ruby tried to joke but it fell flat with the sadness in her expression. "I thought about…you…right as it was coming to me and I thought about how you kissed me and how…it was my first."

That was something Weiss hadn't taken into consideration. She'd had a few kisses before, silly rebellions she had against her father at some of his bigger parties. She'd find the child of one of his rich business partners and dance with them, then request a few chaste kisses to act like She was getting something over on him. They never amounted to much, never mattered much.

Then again, no one ever mattered like Ruby did.

"Oh Ruby, I stole your first kiss."

Ruby shook her head quickly, hair bouncing from side to side. "No, you didn't steal it, you just…surprised it—me." She blushed and reached up to push a bang behind her ear. "Either way I just…I thought about it in that moment and how nice it was and how…if you were my first kiss and my last kiss that that would be okay because it was you and you're…you and you really mean a lot to me."

A rush of bravery came over Weiss as she scooted towards the edge of the bed on her knees and drew herself in close to Ruby's solid frame. Reaching out, she placed her hands on the side of Ruby's neck and met her eyes. She flinched slightly at the contact and Weiss remembered Ruby's mark from the dart. Pulling her hand back, she glanced and saw no traces of it—Ruby had healed it. More carefully, she put her hand back in place.

"We're both still here," Weiss said as she flicked her gaze between Ruby's eyes and her lips. They were still dry and slightly rough, but right now they were the only thing she wanted.

There were a thousand questions in Ruby's curious expression. Her brow was furrowed and Weiss could feel her pulse quickening. "Does this mean—what does this mean?"

"Ruby, you're talking too much."

She sighed and nodded. "I know; I can't help it. It's what I do when I'm nervous and right now I'm very nervous. I don't know anything about this…stuff. It's just like when I was learning about Grimm, you should have seen me when I had to give a speech during my first year at Signal about the dos and don'ts of—"

"Ruby," Weiss cut of her off with a glare. "I'm not going to kiss you again without permission but it would be nice if you'd use those lips for something other than driving me insane."

"Right," Ruby tensed up and swallowed sharply before. "I can do this."

Weiss grinned as their faces drew together. "You can."

"Which way do I tilt my head?"

"The opposite of mine." Weiss fought to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Makes sense." Ruby's voice was airy, almost a whisper. Weiss could feel the heat emanating from her. "Sorry I'm just nervous."

"Hey," Weiss had to move this along. Ruby flicked her eyes up and their gazes met. From this close, Weiss could see herself in the silver reflection. "Just kiss me, okay? My sister is going to come in soon and mmfff—"

Ruby took the plunge and suddenly their lips were mashed together. It was sloppy and rushed—the angle was all wrong and Weiss' nose was pressed hard into Ruby's cheek. Gently, she pulled Ruby away just an inch before repositioning them and kissing her again more tenderly.

This one seemed to do the trick because Ruby gasped into her mouth and Weiss couldn't help but smirk. Weiss' hands moved up Ruby's neck and into her hair, drawing out a delightful and appreciative sound from the back of Ruby's throat.

However, when Weiss took a chance and her tongue trace across Ruby's bottom lip, she drew back with wide eyes. "Whoa." Ruby said as she panted for breath.

Weiss' hands were still in her hair but she offered a guilty look. "Too much?"

"A little…it just surprised me is all and I probably have really bad breath to be doing any tongue kisses."

Taking a breath, Weiss settled down and pulled Ruby in again—this time just to rest their foreheads together. "We don't have to do that right now then. Besides, my sister will be here in two minutes."

"How do you know?"

"It's almost seven in the morning, Winter never lets her day start after seven."

Ruby gave a small nod in understanding, but still seemed to be lost in the previous minute instead of focusing on the next two.

Leaning in, Weiss pecked her on the lips again and this seemed to catch her attention.

"Dunce," Weiss said affectionately.

The smile Ruby gave her was all the confirmation she needed. This was what she wanted, Ruby was what she wanted—and Schnee's always got what they wanted.

"Hi."

"Ruby Rose, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Once again those brows furrowed in confusion. "Uh…I don't think we'll have time for dates. Not with so much going on and—"

"We'll count last night…right now, as our first date. So long as you agree, of course."

"Is that allowed?"

Weiss glanced at the clock. "One-minute left, and yes because I'm making the rules and I say it's allowed."

One of Ruby's eyebrows raised. "Oh you're making the rules?"

"Naturally."

"I'm the team leader." Ruby said confidently and Weiss took that as an immediately challenge.

"Hmm…perhaps you're right. Relationships between teammates can be tricky. I certainly wouldn't want to corrupt your authority and—"

"Can I kiss you?" Ruby interrupted and Weiss smiled.

"Is this a date?" She was answered with a vigorous nod. "You've got thirty seconds."

This time Ruby didn't ask anymore questions. The moment their lips met again, Winter was knocking on the door.

Chapter 12: Sister

Chapter Text

For years, Yang trained with her gauntlets. They were a part of her and she wore them without thought. The weight on her wrists was a part of her for so long, she'd grown used to it. In a way, she felt stranger without them than when they were locked and ready.

Now there was only one, the other lost somewhere in the remains of Beacon. She'd wondered a few times what might have happened to it. Perhaps that bastard Adam had taken it as some kind of trophy.

Adam…it was odd to put a name to the face she'd seen so many times in her nightmares. He was such an empty figure to her before Blake's confession. Nothing more than a White Fang henchman who'd gotten the better of her and her teammate.

How Blake had managed to kill him now was beyond her. Maybe she didn't want to know.

Before the first encounter, she'd been fighting so many Grimm just to get to Blake, when she found him her aura was low, but not gone. Not nearly depleted enough for a single strike to break through so easily.

Then again, that's who Yang was at the time. She struck without second thought and always assumed that she could take enough hits and hold out long enough that her opponent wouldn't have anything left for when she finally turned on the afterburners.

It was her own fault her life had fallen apart. She leapt in head first when her body was hurt and tried to outpunch the world.

Seeing Blake that day, the memory of her cry when that man…Adam, stuck his blade in her chest, would live with her forever. She didn't regret her actions for Blake. She didn't regret fighting for her.

She only wished she'd been able to actually save her.

"Hey," Blake's voice was timid and Yang looked back to see her holding a lone bag over her shoulder as she stood in the doorway. "You okay?"

Yang remembered she was holding her lone gauntlet. "Yeah, just contemplating whether or not I should bring it with me. I haven't fired it in years, don't even have rounds anymore." She stroked her thumb over the smooth metal plating. "It's not the same with just one."

"You could build another." Blake shuffled inside and sat her bag down.

"I've still only got the one arm." Yang said with a lighthearted tone—though Blake frowned. "Relax, I can joke about it from time to time."

Blake shook her head. "I don't like those jokes." She said and then nudged Yang with her shoulder. "Though they're still not as bad as your puns."

"My puns are legendary." Yang found herself smiling even more. "I didn't lose as much as I thought considering I'm still armed with my amazing sense of humor."

"Ugh," Blake rolled her eyes and dramatically threw her head back. "Really? An arm pun?"

"Oh come on, it was funny. If I could, I'd give it two thumbs up."

"Yang!" Even Blake let out a soft chuckle that Yang considered a mission accomplished. "Will you stop, I thought we were helping you through an emotional dilemma."

"Oh is that what this was?" She quirked a brow and watched as Blake reached out and took her gauntlet from her to examine it.

She tried not to flinch when Blake grabbed her left arm and pulled it towards her. For someone who had fought for most of her life, Blake had incredibly soft hands and Yang wondered if she was the only one who felt lie her skin was going numb at the contact.

Shifting her focus, she studied Blake's eyes as she felt the gauntlet slip over her hand and fit tightly on her wrist.

"These used to go on a little smoother."

Yang shrugged. "My left arm has put in a lot of extra work the last few years." Blake only nodded in agreement before flipping Yang's arm over to finish putting the gauntlet on. Once properly armed, she took a step back and Yang lifted her hand up to study the finished result.

It looked mostly the same as she'd always remembered. Perhaps with the added strength of this arm they felt a little lighter, but if she only focused on this one gauntlet—it felt strangely empowering to be wearing it again.

"I think you should bring it." Blake said matter-of-factly. "You never know when you might need a little firepower. Besides, I'm always getting into trouble." Blake winked at her and Yang was fairly certain her heart skipped a beat or two.

Still feisty…and I'm still weak as f*ck for it.

"Thanks, Kitten."

"No," Blake growled and Yang put on her best pout.

"Aw really?"

"Absolutely not."

Yang watched Blake's ears lay down atop her head. They really were the cutest thing in all of Remnant. "You know I still have that laser pointer."

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Oh my gosh, just…finish packing!"

As Blake turned and walked out of the room, Yang couldn't help but stare as she walked away.

Not an hour into their flight, Yang felt the pain coming.

At first, she tried to ignore it—despite knowing exactly what it was. She thought she might be able to ride it out and fall asleep. They were going to be in the air for a long time and this was the absolute worst time for an attack.

She knew it wasn't real. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how hard her mind tried to tell her that this pain was there, she knew it wasn't. Yet, when she closed her eyes it was all she could feel. The muscles in her arm tried to flex, she wanted to move fingers that weren't there.

It's not real.

Over and over again she told herself, as she tried not to fidget to much. Her eyes were shut too tightly; she knew that her father was moments away from asking if she was okay. Blake would have no idea, she would only worry and fuss—which Yang didn't want. She hated being a burden and it would be even worse if it was Blake. She could handle this, she was stronger than this.

It wasn't real. This pain in her arm wasn't real because her arm wasn't there.

No, no…

"Ah," she muttered as another wave settled in and she doubled over, trying to clutch towards the sensation.

"Yang?" Her father called and she opened her eyes. It was fairly dark in their small cabin of the airship, save for the small window Blake had open to light up her book. She and her father were trying to sleep their way through the long flight, but Yang's body wouldn't allow her to rest. "Hey," he called again and she glanced up at him as Blake sat her book aside and watched them with worry. When he touched her shoulder, she jerked at the sensation and smacked her head against the chair. "Easy."

"It hurts," Yang said through gritted teeth, her eyes focusing on Blake who looked ready to unbuckle her seatbelt and cross their small cabin. "It'll pass, I just…" it struck her again and she winced.

"What's going on?" Blake asked and the worry in her voice upset Yang even more. She did not want to be a burden.

"It's phantom pain, it's bullsh*t. It will pass." Her breathing was erratic, not at all the calm and relaxing pattern she needed. Instead she felt her stomach start to knot because the pain was throbbing—it was all she could focus on.

"Here," her father started digging through one of his bags and eventually pulled out a small bottle of pills. Yang was so glad he'd remembered to bring them because they'd completely slipped her mind. These things didn't happen as often anymore so she rarely took the medication—now, it was all she wanted.

Chancing a look at Blake again, she saw her unlatching her belt and scooting to the edge of her seat.

"Blake, in Yang's bag can you get her shrinker sock? It's a small black sleeve."

Even though she nodded, Yang could tell that Blake was confused. "It's near the bottom—tucked away under my gauntlet."

Her dad raised an eyebrow as he handed her the medication. "You brought your gauntlet?" Instead of an answer, Yang gave her dad a hard look. He seemed to pick up on her irritation in answering the question and instead handed her the open bottle.

Yang threw back the rather large pills and winced as they slowly slid down her throat.

Before she could try and settle her breathing down, a pair of hands touched her knees. She opened her eyes to see Blake had left her seat and was kneeling in front of her. "Here," Yang could feel the fire tickling in her throat. She was furious, not at Blake—just at this entire situation and the way Blake was looking at her. Poor, pitiful and injured Yang. Nothing but a victim.

Blake handed something over to her dad who grabbed her stump and carefully put the sleeve over it. The pressure was welcoming, she let it distract her for a moment before the painful sensations returned. Her eyes shut tightly while he finished pulling the sleeve up, she opened them again to see that Blake was still in front of her.

"It's not safe to be out of your seat," Yang said with very little emphasis.

Blake grinned. "Nora once knocked me off of a bridge while we were fighting a death stalker. I'm not too worried."

Yang took a few shallow breaths and nodded. "That was a good day." Though she could see her father's curious and slightly concerned look out of the corner of her eye, he remained silent.

"We did almost die."

"Good day," Yang repeated. "We didn't die, and we formed our team."

She watched Blake glance over at her dad before continuing. "You also jumped into a Nevermore's mouth."

"You what?" He couldn't control himself any longer. "Yang, seriously?"

A stab of pain shot through her, but the look of distress on her dad's face made her smile. "It was fine—I had a plan."

He huffed. "No plan should involve jumping into a Nevermore's mouth."

"She asked it if it was hungry as she shot bullets down it's throat." Blake teased and Yang could feel Blake's hands squeeze her knees.

"You heard that?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Everyone heard that, you were screaming."

"Dammit Yang, you're going to drive me crazy. You're just like—" He stopped himself but she knew what he was going to say. It wouldn't be the first time something she did reminded him of her mother. "So the day you were partnered up you fought a Nevermore and a Death Stalker?"

Yang didn't answer, just watched Blake nod at her father with a smile. "We did, Ruby cut its head off after her partner shot her through the air."

"I don't know whether to be proud or horrified." Despite some genuine concern, he was smiling all the same and Yang felt some ease at being able to openly talk about Beacon. The way it all ended had made it a sore subject for her, but not all of it was terrible. She met amazing people there and had wonderful memories of battles and bonding with her teammates.

Her eyes started to feel a bit heavy, the medication had kicked in and all the talk of Beacon had taken her mind off the pain. Blake was still in front of her and Yang couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so happy you don't hide your ears anymore." Yang said before she reached up and gently touched one with her index finger. "Is this okay?"

Blake's ear flicked slightly at the contact, but she nodded. "It is…just not all that used to it."

Yang pulled away, not wanting to make Blake uncomfortable. Still, in her haze she couldn't help but lose herself in those amber eyes and that light smile that touched Blake's lips. She seemed so different from their time at Beacon. Like she knew something the rest of the world didn't—she was unburdened

"Get some rest, Yang." Blake said before standing up and backing up to her seat.

A few moments later Yang drifted to sleep—her fingers still able to feel just how soft those ears were.

Yang was practically running when the ship landed. This place was bigger than she could have imagined and the security force was immense, but she was on a mission.

Ruby was here—that was the only thing her mind could process. Somewhere in this gigantic military base, Ruby was here.

The ceilings stood tall and the metal walls on every side only added to the feeling of stability this base had. That, and the hundreds of armed guards standing watch at every corner.

She continued to follow the man who'd greeted them upon landing—Blake and her father behind her. Yang wasn't sure how her Uncle Qrow had managed it, but he obviously had a little sway with this place considering the door to door service.

As they rounded the next corner, Yang stopped when a tall, slender woman in uniform stood in front of her. She was gorgeous, Yang couldn't deny that, but she had a certain…presence too her that was all too familiar.

"You must be Yang Xiao Long." The woman said and Yang felt Blake come up behind her.

"And you are?"

"Specialist Winter Schnee, I'm the one responsible for bringing you here."

"You're Weiss' big sister?" Yang said more to herself than anything else. There was no denying the resemblance in their stances and hair, the eyes as well. However, Winter was much taller and had a very powerful frame with broad shoulders and strong arms.

As skilled as Weiss had been, she never really had the most intimidating physique.

However, along with the strong frame, Winter Schnee had an even stronger glare. "I am Weiss' sister, the term 'big sister' is trite and archaic."

"Yep, you're definitely a Schnee." Yang said before Blake swatted her arm. "Oh right, you're the one who brought us here. Uh…thank you? Where's my little sister?"

Yang didn't think Winter's eyes could narrow any more than they were—she was wrong. "Ms. Rose is currently speaking with some of our strategists to determine the best course of action to slow down the creature that is currently hunting her."

"Hunting her?" Taiyang's beat Yang to the question.

"I'm afraid Ms. Rose has been on the run for quite some time. Based on what Weiss has told me, the creature after her is nearly untouchable in combat and extremely aggressive. It killed many guards in my father's home in it's pursuit of your daughter and with her being the primary target, she has been put on lockdown in this location until the threat is neutralized."

"Why is it hunting her? What does it want?" Blake asked and Yang was a heartbeat away from tearing past all of them to go find Ruby.

She felt so stupid, so so stupid for sitting on her bed and feeling sorry for herself when her sister was fighting for her life every day. Yang knew that she couldn't have done much to help her, but she could have done something. She was no help to Ruby watering plants and making pancakes.

"Those are questions we're hoping to find out."

Yang shook her head. "Ruby's not great with strangers. You have her with some interrogator she's going to be stressed."

Winter sighed. "Ms. Rose is not alone, my sister and your…uncle are both in the debriefing with her, at her request."

"So what are we supposed to do?"

Winter turned her gaze over to Yang's dad and nodded. "I am here, at Weiss'…request…to take Ms. Xiao Long to see our physicians."

Yang took a step back. "Uh…what?"

"Because, as she put it, it's time for you to stop feeling sorry for yourself." Yang knew immediately what was coming next. "She's contacted some of General Ironwood's best prosthetic and robotics professionals, they will be fitting you for a new arm."

It surprised even Yang when she took a step back. "I want to see my sister!" She shouted to keep the uneasiness out of her voice.

Winter sighed. "Ms. Xiao Long I assure you—"

"You don't assure me of anything. I don't know you, I know Weiss so don't pretend I give a damn what you say."

"Yang," her dad touched her shoulder but she shook him off and took a threatening step towards Winter.

"Where is Ruby?"

The annoyed look on Winter's face shifted to a more formal expression. "You're right, you do not know me and I gave you the benefit of the doubt but you will understand that aboard this ship, I am the one in charge. Your sister is being debriefed—"

"Interrogated!"

Winter's jaw tightened and all Yang could see was Ruby being screamed at, asked questions that she didn't want to answer. Something was hunting her—what if it had hurt her? She needed her sister, after all these years she needed her.

A few moments passed and Yang was prepared to start shouting again. However, Winter's shoulders dropped slightly and she took a step backwards. "Take them to see Ms. Rose."

"See," Yang offered a small grin. "You do know what it means to be a big sister." Winter didn't respond but Yang knew her point was made and soon enough she was following a few guards through a heavy, red door and down another long corridor in a building full of them.

"What has Ruby gotten herself into." Her dad's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but Yang peeked back over her shoulder at him.

"You had to know Ruby wasn't going to sit around and do nothing—not after everything that happened."

Blake sighed. "This does seem like something she would do. Ruby has a bit of a hero complex."

"She has a bit of a 'drive her father insane' complex."

Yang had blocked them out, they were approaching another door and Ruby was on the other side of it. Just before she burst through it, a strange feeling of nervousness washed over her.

Did she really deserve to be here? Ruby had come to her, years ago, wanting to do something—to leave and continue the fight. Yang had shunned her away that day, told her to leave her alone—and she did.

Now it had been five years since she'd seen her sister's face. Their conversations seemed so empty over their scrolls—why would it be any different face to face.

What if Ruby didn't want to see her? What if Ruby had changed? Her dad said that Qrow told him Ruby wasn't in the best place. What if she was hurt or scared?

She had probably been both many times over the last five years.

Suddenly Yang was standing outside the door where she knew Ruby was and her body wouldn't move.

"Yang?" Blake called to her and she took a deep breath. "Hey, it's just Ruby."

When Blake placed a hand on her back, Yang steadied herself and threw the door open.

The room was predictably small and uncomfortable—crowded as well. There were two soldiers sitting across with their backs to the door and a table between them and Ruby.

The same Ruby who had tears running down her face.

In one fluid motion, Yang stepped forward and grabbed one of the seated guards by the neck of his uniform and threw him to the ground. A moment later the second rose up, drawing his weapon but Yang was too fast and she grabbed his gun with her left arm and tore it from his hands. Throwing it against the wall, she put that same hand around his neck.

"Yang!" Weiss' voice broke through the chaos and Yang felt a pair of arms around her waist.

"Calm down, kid!" That was Qrow—Yang saw him move from the darker corner of the room he'd been standing in. She didn't remove her gaze from the guard, who seemed very troubled at how easily the one armed girl had disarmed him. "Last thing we need to do is piss off the armed guards."

The arms around her tightened just a bit and the rest of the world seemed to refocus. She turned her gaze to Ruby who was still seated at the table with shock in her expression and tear stains on her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked as she finally let the guard go. He gasped for breath and doubled over while Yang continued to stare at her sister.

Ruby nodded. "Y—yeah…it was just hard to talk about some stuff but I'm okay. You're…here—"

Heat burned in the backs of Yang's eyes and she nodded. "I'm here." The arms around her waist fell away as she relaxed.

Ruby leapt up onto the table and climbed over it before jumping into her sister's embrace. Yang may have only had one arm, but she caught Ruby and held her as tightly as she possibly could. Yet, as hard as she squeezed, Ruby was holding her even tighter.

For a long minute, the world stood still and Yang wondered if she could take Ruby and run back home to Patch. She wanted to be ten years old again—building forts in their bedroom and pretending to hunt Grimm with their stuffed animals.

When their dad wrapped them both into an embrace, Yang relented her grip just a little. They were whole again and Yang felt all the pain of the last five years melt away. She had her sister back and she knew Weiss was nearby and Blake was close. They were all here and she could watch over them again.

Ruby, who had been effectively sandwiched between her sister and dad, let out a tiny squeak when she needed to breath. Reluctantly, Yang took a step back and wiped at her eyes.

"Look at you," she finally had the chance to really see Ruby, who was suddenly near eye level and no longer the small kid with the giant scythe. No, she was strong, her shoulders were solid—her torso was thick and muscular. Yet she still retained that same approachable face, those warm and welcoming eyes—even if they weren't as innocent as they had once been. "You really filled out."

Ruby shrugged bashfully. "Funny, because I haven't had milk in years."

"We better do something about that." Taiyang said as he kissed her temple.

Slowly Yang's gaze shifted over to Weiss in the corner who was pulling out of a hug with Blake. Their eyes met and Weiss bit her bottom lip.

"It's about time you showed up." She said in a haughty yet surprisingly affectionate tone. Yang wanted to go and give her a hug but Ruby had a death grip on her waist.

Thankfully, Weiss noticed this and closed the gap herself before slowly drawing Yang into a hug. For as much as Ruby had grown, Weiss was still the same, petite girl she'd met at Beacon. When Weiss exhaled at the contact, Yang smiled—she never thought he'd miss the ice queen so much.

Blake and Ruby were hugging as well, the hold Ruby had on her sister gone and Blake gave Ruby a once over. Yang knew Blake had a protective streak when it came to Ruby.

"If you four are done with this touching moment-" Yang turned as everyone else did to see Winter standing in the doorway with a frustrated look on her face. "I believe now would be a good time to go over our plan."

"What plan?" Yang felt Ruby tense next to her as their dad hovered close by—neither of them really wanting to let her get too far out of reach.

Winter trailed her gaze directly to Ruby who was staring at the floor. "There is a threat currently on the loose, one that will stop at nothing to find your sister. We believe we have the power to take it down, however we have no means to track it. Therefore…"

"No," Yang stomped her foot on the ground—she was ready to fight.

"Yang," Weiss tried but Yang turned to her furiously.

"Really? You of all people want Ruby to risk her life, to play bait so your sister can claim she killed a monster?!"

Weiss' eyes narrowed and she took a step towards them. "Don't you dare think that I don't care about Ruby's safety. It is absolutely priority number one, but we have no other options!"

"Bullsh*t!" Yang looked back at Winter. "You have an army at your disposal."

"We're not sending an army to track one creature. Not when we can easily draw it in."

"I won't let you." Yang said as she felt a fire building in her stomach.

"Neither will I, she's my daughter."

"Guys," Ruby's soft voice caught her family's attention. "It's not your decision."

Yang turned and stared deep into Ruby's silver eyes. There was so much pain in them, so many stories and nights spent alone that Yang could feel in the eyes that looked back at her. "Ruby, you don't have to do this. You don't have to put everyone before yourself."

For as much pain as Yang saw in her sister's eyes, there was strength and she shook her head. "I won't let anyone else die because of me." The phrase 'anyone else' rotted in Yang's stomach. "I have to do this, Yang. It's my fight and Winter's soldiers will be there. I'll be okay."

"Ruby," Yang reached up and touched her sister's cheek. As much as she wanted to protect Ruby, to take her away from all of this and make sure she was safe—she didn't have the right to anymore. She'd lost that and in a lot of ways, Ruby had outgrown it. "If you're sure, if this is your choice…you know I'll have your back."

"We all will," Blake said and Weiss merely smiled at her sister knowingly. Ruby seemed to focus on Weiss for a moment and they shared a nod.

"I'm sure."

Winter stepped into the room a moment later. "Then let's get to work."

Chapter 13: Distant

Chapter Text

Ruby sat in the first quiet corner she'd been able to find at the base. There was still a soldier nearby, it had been ordered by Winter that at least one would follow her throughout the day. Still, she'd managed to find enough space to sit down, hood up over her head, and settle down.

So much had happened in the last few days. She'd gone from being almost completely alone and free to being stalked by guards and surrounded by people. Yes, they were people she loved and missed dearly, but it was all happening so fast.

She wished she had her music—it was always good at slowing her down. Instead all she could do was tap her foot against the hard floor and try to use the rhythm to keep herself grounded.

After drawing out the plan, and having to tell Yang it was okay at least thirty times, Weiss finally convinced Yang to go see the doctors that she'd had flown to this location. Blake went with Yang, which Ruby expected but what had been hard was Ruby having to simply tell her dad she needed to be alone. She could feel how disappointed he was—they hadn't seen each other in so long, but she needed a few minutes. That was when the guards offered to take him to the room he'd be staying in.

They were all officially on lockdown, which was fast becoming Ruby's least favorite word.

"There you are," Yang's sighed as Ruby looked up to see her sister practically jogging towards her. The closer Yang drew the more hesitant she looked. "You okay?"

Ruby put on her best smile and nodded. "Yeah, just needed some quiet."

"Oh," Yang seemed ready to sit next to her before Ruby said that, now she was frozen in her spot. "I can go if—"

"Nope," Ruby shook her head and patted the spot next to her. "I didn't think you'd be done with all of Weiss' fancy doctors so fast."

Yang groaned as she slid down the wall next to Ruby and pulled her knees up. Ruby realized it had been forever since she'd seen her sister, so much so that the sight of her missing arm was still new and unfamiliar. Still, it didn't change who Yang was or how welcoming her presence was.

"It's a pretty cut and dry situation—no pun intended."

"For once," Ruby smirked

"For once," Yang winked at her. "They want to do a clean up procedure, make the stump a little more even so their fancy robot tech fits on it better. Weiss made it pretty clear that she'd be paying for it, which is insane because I can't imagine how expensive it is."

Ruby smiled at the image of Weiss so flippantly talking about the payment of a surgery that would put most families on the streets. "She means well; money just has no meaning for her. It's always been endless."

"Yeah well, I tried to tell her not to do it for me and she stuck her damn finger in my face and threatened me. Glad to see she's changed."

Her smile grew even wider—Weiss had changed, but it was change she made during their time at Beacon—change Ruby was glad hadn't been lost. Ruby wished she was with Weiss right now. Then again, she wished she was with Weiss pretty much all the time.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Yang whispered and drew Ruby out of her slight trance. She looked over and saw that Yang was staring at the floor with guilt in her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't help you."

"Yang, you were in no condition then to come with me. I should have known that. I never should have asked." Ruby took a deep breath and laid her head against the wall behind her. "I probably shouldn't have left at all."

"Don't say that," Yang finally looked at her. "This is who you are. You're a hero—a fighter. I knew when you…when you left the room that day that you were going to go. I knew that you wouldn't be able to leave it alone. Although if I knew then that it'd be five years until I saw you again I never would have let you walk out of that room at all." Ruby didn't want Yang to feel this way. It was her choice to live this life, to continue this fight. Yeah, she would have loved to have her sister with her, but Yang had been so broken at the time that it was selfish of Ruby to burden her. She didn't know any better back then. Yang was always just…there—always by her side.

If Yang had been there thought, Ruby was fairly certain she wouldn't have made nearly as many mistakes. "You're here now…that's all that matters." It was a simple enough line to try and ease the tension between them. Those conversations they'd had over their scrolls and the distance Ruby worked to create was still hovering over them.

"Have you been okay? Really?"

Face to face, it was impossible for Ruby to keep anything from her sister. "It's been really hard. At first we were all so invested in it, me and Jaune, Ren and Nora. It was our mission—Nora even started calling us team RNJR." Yang seemed to frown slightly at that and Ruby understood. She didn't like it much either—she was a part of team RWBY. "When we got to Haven the leads all dried up. School…life was still going on there, you know? You heard about the fall of Beacon but because it was isolated there. The rest of Remnant kept moving. I kept waiting for Uncle Qrow to give me more advice but he must have had his own missions. Honestly, I was…maybe a day from packing up and coming home when it happened."

"When what happened?"

Ruby closed her eyes, the image flashing in her face like it was yesterday. "I saw Cinder."

"You did?" Yang growled and Ruby nodded. Knowing full well she needed to continue her story and prevent Yang from rampaging.

"She was coming out of a bookstore and I was alone at the time because the others were trying to get food. She saw me and she started running, which only confirmed what I already knew."

"You didn't catch her? How did you not catch her?"

Ruby shrugged. "I was faster but I didn't know the layout of the city. She ducked into every alleyway and the deeper we went into Haven, the more lost I was. Eventually I lost track of her and spent the next hour trying to get back to the others."

Yang had shifted next to her, giving Ruby her full attention. "So you lost her? What'd you do?"

"Went to the book store she'd come out of and asked the guy working there what she wanted. She was asking about a book about fairy tales, which seems silly but according to Qrow makes sense because of the whole thing with the Four Maidens."

"The Four Maidens? That kids story I used to read to you? What about it?"

Shaking her head, Ruby sighed. "Have him explain it to you, he's better at it than I am but it's everything to do with Cinder and why she attacked Beacon and just…yeah, talk to him if you want details, just know it's important and if she's after some book about it, it can't be good."

"So what'd you do? How did you go after her?"

"I didn't really go after her, I went after the book—she just happened to be on that same trail. It didn't make sense though, Cinder was…so powerful," Ruby thought back to that day she saw her. She was wearing a hooded jacket and dark pants. Her hair was in a ponytail and nothing about her was as showy as the last time Ruby had seen her. No dress that burned like fire, no strut—nothing. If not for those eyes being burned into Ruby's mind she wouldn't have recognized her at all. "When I saw her…she was hiding and she ran from me. I'm not one to doubt my own abilities but she…" like every time the name entered her mind, Ruby's chest tightened. "She beat Pyrrha all by herself and we all remember how capable Pyrrha was in combat. One on one, I wouldn't stand a chance against her."

When she looked at her sister again, Yang seemed to be processing. She was nodding and chewing on her bottom lip as she stared off into the distance. "You're right, I mean she took over Beacon almost arrogantly. A school filled with fighters, and a military presence and she didn't even flinch. So why is she suddenly hiding and running?"

Ruby could only shrug, she'd asked herself that same question a thousand times.

More silence fell between them, but Ruby had relaxed more than she was when Yang first showed up. The quiet was welcome and she enjoyed the presence of her big sister nearby again.

"You sure about this plan?" Yang asked and Ruby could only smile.

She was certain this was Yang's main reason for approaching her. "It's the only plan we have, and I trust Winter."

Yang scoffed. "You do? Because I don't see her hesitating to throw you to the beowolves to get what she wants."

"She won't, Yang. Weiss has told me good things about her sister. She's just a little…rough…around the edges."

"You mean deadly sharp around the edges, like she'll stab you if you get too close."

"Or irritate her on purpose." Ruby countered with a smirk directed at Yang.

"Hey she makes it easy, just like Weiss when we first met her. They get so uptight and rigid. It's fun." Yang grinned at her own annoyances and Ruby couldn't help but do the same. She was glad to see Yang smiling, to see Yang being…Yang.

A sudden urge of need for comfort came over Ruby and she scooted right next to Yang on the floor. Gently, she leaned her head on Yang's shoulder and wrapped her arms around her.

She felt Yang's left arm circle around her waist and a kiss was planted on top of her head.

"I love you, Ruby. I'm sorry I didn't say it last time."

Ruby shook her head quickly—forcing herself not to cry as a smile broke free. "I love you too."

"What are you doing, Ruby?" She asked herself as she leaned back against the wall and took another deep breath. This was probably the silliest problem she'd ever had, but the idea of sitting down with her team and her dad for dinner made her incredibly anxious.

She didn't want to deal with anymore questions and dancing around the scary parts was a lot harder with them than it was with the guards who'd questioned her earlier.

Ruby could smell the food in the air, she was starving. Soldiers and even Weiss complained about the food quite often but for Ruby, it was amazing. So much better than the garbage she'd eaten at times just to make it through another night and have enough energy to run the next day.

The sound of footsteps drew her attention and Ruby watched as her uncle rounded the corner, flask in hand, and froze when he saw her.

"You're late." She teased and he put his flask away.

"Are you the dinner police?"

Ruby shrugged. "I might be."

Qrow chuckled before sliding up next to her and leaning as she was. "Or maybe, you're looking forward to this as much as I am."

"I don't understand," she sighed and peeked in through the small window on the door. Weiss was talking, rather animatedly, to Yang and her father about something while they all listened intently. Even Blake seemed more comfortable around them all. "I'm so glad to see them, I'm glad they're here and everything but—"

"You're afraid they're going to treat you like a kid again. Try and protect you from the darkness and all that other crap."

They don't know darkness. Ruby thought, almost arrogantly and chided herself for it. She had suffered, but that didn't mean she'd suffered more than the rest of them.

"I don't want talking to them to be this hard." She admitted and Qrow turned to study her. "They're my family—my extended family." She corrected, realizing she had actual family standing right next to her.

However, Qrow simply chuckled. "I get it. Your team becomes your family if you're lucky enough to get a decent one." He then nudged her with his elbow. "Also helps when you start making out with one of them."

Ruby's cheeks turned as red as her cloak and she buried her face in her hands. "How do you know about that?" She mumbled, her voice muffled.

"I'm incredibly skilled at many things, including reading people's body language. I could tell." He boasted and Ruby peeked up at him with a glare. "Alright, Winter heard you two talking and told me about it."

"Winter knows!" Ruby no longer feared death from the beast. Nope, it was Winter Schnee that was going to kill her. "Oh no, she's going to smother me in my sleep, isn't she?"

Qrow laughed once more. "Nah, that's not her style. She'd want to send more of a message."

"This is not funny!"

He draped an arm over her shoulder. "It's a little funny. You're falling for a Schnee, Kid. You better be ready for some backlash."

Ruby sagged against him but shook her head. "Weiss is different."

"She may be, but there's still Schnee in her and she still has a father you can't begin to imagine out there who probably won't take too well to the news."

"I can take him." Ruby scoffed and Qrow patted her head.

"Ironwood's army couldn't stop that man, Ruby. Just…be careful, okay? That Schnee business is all bullsh—" he cut himself off and Ruby peeked up at him.

"Bullpoop?" She said with a grin and he rolled his eyes before tousling her hair. "I'll be careful, but I care about Weiss a lot."

Qrow exhaled with defeat. "I figured, and the way she tried to fight me when we used the dart on you I think she might actually have fit you into her cold, Schnee heart." He then pushed off the wall and dragged her with him. "Now come on, you've got family to comfort and I'm starving."

Ruby hesitantly followed.

For the third night in a row, Ruby found herself under a roof and on a bed. It amazed her how fast everything had changed. Suddenly her entire team was here, her father was across the hall and had hugged her goodnight. Yang was here and was preparing to be fit for a new arm. Blake had shown up with her, looking far more upbeat than Ruby could have possibly imagined and she was sitting on the foot of her bed waiting for Weiss to come and find her.

It felt surreal to her, as if she was going to wake up at some point lying on the forest ground with campfire embers flickering in her face.

There was a voice in the back of her mind that was constantly telling her to run. That she shouldn't be around these people she cared for so much. It was coming, she knew it was because it always was. The beast would show up at this location, kill anyone who stepped in it's path and it would come for her.

As much as Ruby spoke of dying to protect people, she was terrified of death. The idea of it had always been one she fought not to think about. Her entire life had, in a way, been shaped by the death of her mother. Ruby woke every morning wondering if her mom was still around—still watching her. She talked to a gravestone in the hopes that this woman she cared for so much might be listening and yet Ruby couldn't shake the idea that death was so final you just stopped existing entirely.

That's what scared her the most—the nothingness of death. There was so much she wanted to experience and so many people she wanted to spend every day with. She'd wasted five years away from them and to have them back now only scared her more.

Unhooking her cloak, Ruby placed it next to Crescent Rose on the floor by the bed and laid down. She was exhausted and this was the first day in forever that she hadn't spent running for her life. Talking was harder, she'd rather be running in most cases. Between the debriefing that pushed her way too hard, to reuniting with her team and seeing her dad again, she wanted to sleep and hope for more energy to do it all over again tomorrow.

"Are you decent?" A voice called from beyond the bedroom door and Ruby smiled.

"Never," she teased and heard Weiss sigh before opening the door.

Turning her head, Ruby watched Weiss step into the room wearing a white button down shirt and dark blue pants. She surprised herself at how much the simple change in attire affected her. Weiss looked…different—just as beautiful, but even more attractive somehow.

All day long Ruby had found herself admiring Weiss in ways she never had before. Ever since they kissed and shared those few peaceful moments together, all Ruby could think about was doing it again.

"It took some effort, but Winter's team has located Jaune."

Relief flooded Ruby's body as she exhaled. "Good, is he coming?"

Weiss sat down on a chair across from the bed and nodded. "He was quite difficult to convince, I had to speak with him personally and reassure him that you were, in fact, here and doing well." Her tone was annoyed as she crossed her leg and continued to explain. "Winter has sent a few guards to his location—he should be here in a couple of days."

Ruby couldn't help but grin at the irritation in Weiss' voice. "You're not excited?"

"Why would I be? Jaune is your friend, not mine. I'm doing this for you, not because I wish to spend time with the boy."

"He's not so bad," Ruby said as she sat up and locked eyes with her…

What was Weiss to her now?

"He's a walking pity party." Weiss said and Ruby swore there was something else in the way she spoke about Jaune. It wasn't just annoyance; it was almost as if the idea of Jaune coming worried her.

Ruby decided to test a theory. "He's not that bad anymore. We got along really well—especially since it was just the two of us for a while."

Weiss' jaw tightened ever-so-slightly before she nodded curtly. "I'm glad his incompetence didn't get you killed."

"Are you jealous?" Ruby asked and leaned back when Weiss immediately glared at her.

"Of what? His horrendous fighting skills, his terrible singing voice or his ridiculous haircut?" She was, in fact, jealous—and Ruby decided that jealous Weiss was absolutely adorable. Standing up from the bed, she walked over to where Weiss was sitting across from her and plopped down right on her lap. "Excuse me, I am seated here at the moment."

"I know," Ruby gave her a lazy smile. "I didn't take your seat, I just found my own."

"And my lap is where you wish to sit?" Ruby nodded. "Might I ask why? You're not nearly as light as you used to be."

Ruby shrugged. "You haven't kicked me off yet." They stared at each other for a moment, Weiss' eyes burned holes in Ruby. Deciding to take control, Ruby stood up and quickly scooped Weiss into her arms. She squealed in surprise but a moment later Ruby sat down in the same chair, this time with Weiss in her lap.

"What in the—you dunce, what was that?!"

"I'm not as light as I used to be, but you are." Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss' waist. "Is this okay?" She asked with genuine curiosity. She knew Weiss had a bit of an aversion to physical contact. Even though it hadn't seemed to be an issue between them lately, Ruby wanted to be sure. "I don't know the proper, you know, etiquette for these kinds of things. Did I use that word right?"

Weiss nodded, her cheeks tinging red. "You did and this is acceptable. I—I was merely caught off guard."

As much as Weiss seemed distracted by the contact, Ruby reveled in it. It amazed her how much she needed it and how it affected her. She ran her hand up and down Weiss' back and rested her head on Weiss' shoulder. She felt like a puppy seeking attention.

"I promise I didn't ever have anything with Jaune."

Weiss stiffened. "I didn't ask."

"You didn't have to," Ruby countered and Weiss scoffed. "I've never looked at Jaune that way before. He's just a friend."

She let her words hang for a moment and waited for Weiss to respond. When she didn't for a while, Ruby leaned forward and nudged Weiss' cheek with her nose.

Weiss rolled her eyes but then settled against Ruby. "So if he's just a friend…what am I?"

"Trouble," Ruby winked but felt Weiss pull away from her.

"Ruby…"

"Okay," she pulled Weiss back down. "I'm just not sure what to say. I don't want to go overboard and say something that makes you uncomfortable or isn't right. We've been back together for what? Three days—and yet I keep…thinking about you like, literally all the time." She was never good at saying what she felt. She wanted Weiss to know how much she liked her, but Ruby couldn't find the words to make it sound the way it did in her head. "You're my partner, you'll always be my partner. But also like…my best friend, but I want to kiss you and stuff. I mean who knew kissing could be so much fun?"

"It's not always," Weiss chimed in and Ruby nodded.

"True, like the idea of kissing Jaune doesn't excite me nearly as much as the idea of kissing you."

Weiss looked at her with a smirk. "Now there's a proper answer." Ruby giggled and saw felt Weiss' eyes settle on her once again. "Might I suggest the term; girlfriends?"

"Hmm," the term bounced around in her mind and it felt surprisingly perfect. Weiss Schnee was her…girlfriend.

"Girlfriend," she said it aloud and it felt even better. "Hey dad, meet my girlfriend Weiss."

"Easy now," Weiss raised a finger. "We're girlfriends, I'm not your girlfriend. Weiss Schnee belongs to no one."

Ruby huffed and pulled Weiss in tightly. "Nope, mine."

With a groan, Weiss half-heartedly tried to push herself away. "Ruby," she whined and looked up. Their faces were barely an inch apart.

"Mine?" Ruby whispered and Weiss pursed her lips. "If you can be jealous about Jaune then I can be jealous about the rest of the world."

"The rest of the world?"

"Yes. Everyone wants to get their hands on a Schnee."

Weiss held her gaze for an exhausting ten seconds before finally closing the distance and giving Ruby a kiss. It was quick but relaxing and Ruby greedily took another before Weiss drew back and continued to study her.

"Ruby, as glad as I am to be spending time with you, I must say I am surprised."

She felt herself frown. "Why?"

Weiss pulled away but stayed in Ruby's lap. "Because you haven't seen your sister or your father in five years and yet you are hiding in this room with me and not spending time with them."

Though she was sure Weiss didn't mean it to sound that way, Ruby felt an immense amount of guilt spread through her. She'd talked with Yang and that was great, but when it came time to rest up for the night and prepare for everything tomorrow, Ruby didn't want to be in the same room as them.

She didn't trust herself around them and she knew how they would look at her and talk to her. It was in her father's eyes—to him, she was still fifteen years old and Yang only saw her as someone who needed protection. They were not happy with Winter's plan but Ruby knew it was the right decision. It was the only decision.

"I'm sure they're tired from their trip." Ruby finally said as her hand slipped from Weiss' back. "I'll see them tomorrow." Weiss gave her a look, the same look she'd give her when Ruby would say she'd done her homework even though she hadn't opened a single textbook. "What?"

"You're avoiding them—why?"

Closing her eyes, Ruby looked away and searched for the strength to tell the truth. "I don't want to let them down." Weiss was still watching her, but didn't say anything. Somehow, Weiss always knew how to draw Ruby out and let her speak. It was why Ruby trusted her so much with these things. Weiss would always understand, or try to understand. "I missed them more than I could ever imagine but I don't…want to get close to them and hurt them."

Weiss tilted her head to the side, clearly confused. "Why would you hurt them?"

"I know you have faith in your sister, Weiss but…this thing is dangerous. When it comes for me, I might not survive it."

The moment the words left her mouth, Weiss groaned and removed herself from Ruby's lap. "What is wrong with you?" Weiss nearly shouted as she threw her hands in the air.

Ruby didn't understand the sudden outburst. "What? You saw it, Weiss. You know how dangerous it is!"

"Yes, Ruby. It is dangerous, but I don't understand why you have to be the one who throws yourself at it! Why you constantly expect it to kill you!"

"That's what it wants…or what I hope it wants! I don't want it to—" she stopped as the words to express herself drifted away. It was a fear she'd had for a while now. When fighting that thing and seeing how it struck Jaune with killing blows and merely tried to incapacitate her. She was skilled enough in combat to realize that it didn't want to kill her. It wanted to take her.

Suddenly, Weiss was right in her face—angry tears in her eyes. "You need to stop. You are not a martyr, Ruby Rose. Your death will help no one!"

"It will save lives! Better me than any of you! I can keep you all safe!"

"You're being foolish! What good has dying done anyone—Pyrrha died and for what? What's better about our world now? She's gone and the threats still remain! It was foolish!"

Ruby shook her head, not sure why Weiss was being so aggressive with her. She didn't like it, she wanted to go back to cuddling and kissing and holding her. "Weiss, I don't want to die—but I will if it means keeping the people I love safe."

As calm as Ruby tried to be, Weiss was not ready to relax. "You may not want to die, but you sound like you're expecting to." Ruby had no counter for that—she'd considered the idea for almost a year now since that thing had been chasing her.

"I can't be afraid." Ruby's voice broke slightly and that seemed to settle Weiss down.

She sighed and stepped closer to Ruby, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Dying doesn't make you a hero, Ruby. You are not your mother."

It felt like she was hit with a truck. She closed her eyes and swallowed the thick lump in her throat. This was too much, it was too hard and she didn't want to think about it.

"I'm going for a walk." She said before pushing past Weiss and heading for the door.

Weiss called for her, but Ruby never stopped.

Chapter 14: Hunted

Chapter Text

Blake couldn't sleep—how could she? Everything had changed so suddenly. One day she was on an airship to Patch to see Yang, now she was in Atlas at an undisclosed military base with the rest of her team.

They'd all come back together so quickly that it almost felt like a dream. They'd had no real time to have a proper reunion. Blake and Yang had both felt a little outcast around Weiss and Ruby just because of how close they seemed to be.

If she were being honest, Blake had not prepared herself to suddenly be back in the thick of all this. She was certainly not out of practice in combat—if anything, she was sharper than ever. But this was bigger picture, this was a war. Whatever was hunting Ruby had put a serious fear in her and she was not a girl that scared easily. So to Blake, that meant a real threat and with real threats came real risk. Risk that she had seen before—risk that had taken from her before.

Tonight was one of those nights for Blake where every time she closed her eyes she was back in that alleyway. It was a memory that would never leave her and the images were just as clear today as they had been that night.

Blake climbed up onto the fire escape, as quietly as she possible could. Not before leaving a copy of herself on the ground right behind where he stood talking on his scroll. Blake took out Gambol Shroud and removed the katana from it's sheath. She dangled the sheath low to the ground by it's ribbon, just next to the clone and dropped it. The noise was enough to draw Adam's attention and he quickly turned.

From above, she watched as he stared at her clone, his head leaning to the side as he tucked his scroll away.

"Well, well…you've come back to me. I knew you would."

Blake watched him stride up to her clone—she knew she should wait for him to get closer but she couldn't stand it. This needed to end, just hearing his voice and seeing him now, she needed it to end.

So she leapt from her perch, katana drawn and aimed for the top of his head. She should have known he'd be ready, maybe she did deep down—but she'd attacked anyway. He leapt out of the way, his body rolling through her clone and turning it to dust. He picked up her sheath and threw it at her. It stuck into her side and cut through her skin with ease.

There was no time to suffer though, she took the opportunity to rip it out and wield it. As he went to draw his own weapon, Blake bounced from side to side and made two more clones in her wake.

Before him now stood three versions of herself and she tried to hold steady as much as she could. He stared at her, his eyes dancing across all of her forms. She waited and wondered if he was making her own pain draw her out. The wound in her side hurt, but all the clones were bleeding as well so only a cry of pain would give her away.

Firmly, she held herself steady and once his patience ran out, as it always had he attacked.

She knew what he was going to do, use his blade to cut down all three in one motion. She was ready and that's why she'd put herself on the far right. He struck from left to right so as he cut through the first two, she made her move and by the time he reached her, she was on him and her blade was piercing into his stomach.

She heard Wilt fall to the ground—a weapon so powerful sounded the same as any other when dropped by it's dying wielder.

Blake heard him let out a gurgle as blood started to fill in his mouth. She twisted the blade inside of him—wincing at the resistance of his skin.

With her other hand, she spun her sheath and planted it into his side to speed up the process. He gasped at the contact and she felt his weight start to press down on her, his legs no longer able to hold him upright.

She stepped aside and let him fall, her katana still buried in his chest and when he hit the concrete it started to rain. The droplets fell across his mask as she looked down at the man she'd once considered her only true family. Blood poured from his lips and small wheezes escaped his throat.

It didn't feel right, that it had been this easy—but she wasn't a child anymore and he hadn't seen her coming. He wasn't ready, she was—she had been ready for years.

She could smell the blood—it was all over her. Her mind wasn't right and she knew it, she was boiling with adrenaline and it drove her to stand up and watch him take his final breaths. Slowly, she drew her katana out and noticed that Adam didn't flinch at it's removal.

He was gone and despite seeing his body right in front of her, she felt no wave of relief or feeling of hope.

No, all she felt was more emptiness. Somehow, even in death, he'd taken even more from her.

Blake's feet were barely able to carry her as she wandered the streets. It was dumb luck that this chase had lead her here, to Haven of all places. If not for a call on her scroll two months ago she wouldn't even have an address. He'd been kind to give it to her, and before tonight she'd never imagined she'd need it.

But then it happened and Adam was alone and Blake couldn't wait any longer. She wanted her life back—she wanted this to end so she could try and start over. If there was any hope for her future, it had to end.

With what strength she had left, Blake dragged herself up the three steps to the door and used her good leg to kick at it. She had a hole in her right shoulder that made her arm useless and the left had to hold as much of the blood in as possible.

She was thankful for the dark, rainy night—it kept strangers from seeing just how messy she was.

When the door opened, she saw Sun's bright blonde hair and sighed with relief—it was the right apartment.

"Blake, what are you—holy sh*t." He strode to her quickly and pulled her inside. "What happened to you? Are you okay? Neptune! Call the—"

"No," Blake cried with as much effort as she could find. Her voice was raspy from screaming. "Don't call anyone, I'm okay…just…need a place to rest and you said if I was in town I could come."

Sun nodded quickly as he pulled her to the couch and helped her sit. "Of course, but Blake you're…really f*cked up. You're…bleeding everywhere."

The cushions sank as she flopped down and grimaced in pain. "It's…not all mine." She looked down at her bloody hands again—it was thick and dark. Her hands were coated in it. She wanted to shower, she wanted to sleep—she wanted to wake up back at Beacon and not have this moment be her current life.

When she felt something touching her back, Blake jumped but Sun was quick to calm her.

"It's okay, I'm just taking your weapon off your back. I mean I know you're dealing with a lot but no reason to put a hole in the couch." He discarded her weapon and carefully laid it on the floor. Blake looked at Gambol Shroud and felt an urge to reach for it. That weapon made her feel safe, at times it was the only thing that made her feel safe. She slept with it right next to her every single night. It was the lone defense she had against the rest of this terrible world.

"Hey what's going—oh my gosh!" Neptune's voice broke through the room and Blake heard him gag. "Is that…blood?!"

She heard Sun sigh but couldn't find the strength to look up at Neptune. "Yeah it is, could you go get us some towels—actually, go start running a bath and we'll get her cleaned up."

"I can't," Blake shook her head and tried to stand. "I don't want to be a burden."

Sun firmly held her in place. "You're not a burden, you're a friend and you are not okay, Blake. Our tub will clean up just fine."

Finally, she looked up and met his eyes. "Neptune might throw up."

"Well yeah but…" he gave her a smile. "We'll clean that up too."

Blake sat up in bed and let the memory fade away. It was too confined here—there were no windows and only one door in these small bunks. Blake didn't like it, even with Gambol Shroud nearby she felt anxious. This was a human military base and no matter how many Schnees vouched for her she couldn't help but feel outcast in a place like this.

It was the first time in a long time that Blake wished she still had her bow.

Sleep wasn't coming—she knew that. Her mind too wired with everything that had happened. She needed a distraction. Though she had no idea where she might find that at this base.

Picking up Gambol Shroud, Blake slipped out of the small room they'd given her and peered down the long hallway. There were dozens of doors, each one housing a soldier or guest of some kind. She had no idea where any of her teammates were—could she even call them that anymore? They weren't technically teammates now; they were just…friends.

Right?

Seeing Ruby and Weiss had been easier than when she first saw Yang. Weiss seemed genuinely glad to see her and Ruby almost squeezed the life out of her when they embraced. It was nice to be missed and to be welcomed.

Even though she and Yang were getting along well enough, there was still an unspoken gap between them.

As she continued down the hallway, Blake sought out a nice spot to sit and think. Her night vision did wonders in the incredibly dark living space of this gigantic base,

However, when she rounded a corner towards the only window she'd seen in this place, she caught sight of a long, white ponytail bouncing in quite the hurry.

"Weiss?" The girl in question froze before quickly turning around.

"Blake!" Weiss seemed quite happy to see her. "You're just who I need."

Blake tilted her head to the side curiously. "Oh?"

"Yes, I lost Ruby and you're going to help me find her."

"You…lost her?" Weiss suddenly looked guilty. "What'd you do?" Blake remembered very well how often Weiss' temper could get the better of her.

"Nothing!" Weiss cried defensively, earning Blake's scowl.

"You're a terrible liar, Weiss. What happened?"

"I messed up, is that what you wish to hear? Ruby is not okay but I cannot convince her to slow down and talk to me. She just…she's been on her own too long."

This was the second time today that someone had mentioned Ruby's changing personality. Having spent most of her day with Taiyang, he'd mentioned a few times how he hadn't seen Ruby and how off she seemed.

"How do you mean?" Blake pressed for more.

Weiss shrugged and for a moment seemed lost in her own thoughts. "She's become very…reckless with her own life and buried herself in this mission of hers."

"What exactly is her mission? I know she's been out in the world the last five years but what's she been doing?"

"She's been scarce with the details, outside of telling me about this thing chasing her I haven't really figured out what she's doing." Weiss seemed disappointed.

"She was hunting Cinder." The sudden sound of Yang's voice made Weiss squeal and even caught Blake off guard. A small blast of light shone in Yang's face and she squinted. "Weiss turn that thing off." Yang grumbled as she covered her eyes.

Weiss had pulled out a very small, keychain flashlight and held it in front of herself like a weapon. "No! I don't have night vision! It's dark and this hall is a health hazard!"

"What are you even doing down here in the barracks? Doesn't your sister have a fancy room for you to stay in?"

Blake couldn't help but notice the way Weiss flushed. "N—no! I'm a passenger just like the rest of you!" Blake did find it odd that Weiss was down here—more so that she must have been with Ruby before she left, meaning they'd been together in the room Ruby had stayed in.

"Why are you up?" Blake asked Yang who offered a small shrug.

"Dad's freaking out because Ruby won't talk to him and he wanted me to come find her and see if she was okay."

Weiss huffed. "Well she's lost in this…compound and I have no idea where to look for her."

"It'd be somewhere brighter than this," Yang walked ahead and both girls started to follow her. "She's not a fan of confined spaces, let alone really dark ones."

Blake had spent enough time with Ruby at Beacon to learn her tendencies. "She's probably found a good spot to stare at the stars in the sky. She always talked about how she missed not being able to see them as well at Beacon."

Mentioning the stars around Yang was a dangerous move. For the two of them, stars were special. One of the first nights Blake realized just how much Yang meant to her was that night after fighting Torchwick.

Neither of them could sleep, so they snuck out of their room and went to the library. It was closed, but a locked door never did much to stop Yang and Blake was no newcomer to breaking and entering. At the time it didn't seem like they were doing anything wrong—they had no intention of stealing or ruining anything.

No, instead Yang wanted to learn about the stars and Blake remembered a book she'd read that explained some of the stories behind them.

It was one of the best nights of Blake's life, and while she often imagined it was nothing new to Yang—it mattered so much to her. They stayed up in the library right up until the first peek of the sun over the horizon. Side by side on the floor, reading books and looking at all the pictures they could find.

Yang told Blake stories of the things she and Ruby would make up in the stars. How sometimes they'd see constellations that looked like dogs or Grimm, even frying pans.

The best part about Yang was how easily she could make the rest of the world disappear. Blake didn't have many peaceful moments to remember fondly. She had even fewer people in her life that were worth remembering.

"Alright," Blake spoke up as they reached the door that led them out of the barracks. "She can't have gotten far; I mean even Winter said that Ruby was on lockdown—all the guards would know to keep her in here."

Weiss growled. "I'm going to kill her if she gets herself in trouble or hurt or…ugh, she's so frustrating!"

"Calm down, Ice Queen—it's Ruby, I'm sure she feels bad for inconveniencing you." Yang teased before reaching for the door.

However, before she could, Weiss was suddenly right in her face and furious.

"Don't speak to me like that!" Weiss' voice was sharp and Yang took a step back. "What would you know about Ruby anymore?!"

"What?" Yang quickly regained her composure and glared down at Weiss. "She's my sister!"

"Then where the hell were you?!" Weiss' finger pressed into Yang's chest. Blake had only seen Weiss this angry once before, and that time it was directed at her.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "I was hurt!"

"You quit on her!"

"I lost my arm, Weiss! I know you can't understand what it means to really lose something!"

Weiss' eyes went wide with anger. "I've lost plenty!"

"Your daddy's money doesn't count." Yang rolled her eyes but a second later she was stumbling back when Weiss pushed her.

"Don't you dare pretend to know a thing about my life, Yang Xiao Long. You call me selfish? Look in the mirror!" Yang was about to go again but Weiss beat her to it. "You sat in Patch for five years while your sister fought for her life! Do you have any idea what you meant to her? How much she needed you? How much she trusted you to be there for her? She has told me before that she wouldn't have survived at Beacon without you and when she needed you to be strong for her, you quit. You sat at home and you pouted."

Blake was in shock, she knew she needed to step in and do something but what right did she have? She was as much at fault for destroying this team as anyone, wasn't she? She was the reason Yang lost her arm and why she spent five years trying to recover. She promised Weiss she'd look after the both of them but the first chance she got, she ran.

Yet, when she saw Yang's fist ball at her side, she stepped between them. "Yang, don't," she put both hands on her partner's chest and held her back. "This won't help anything."

"What makes you think you have any right to talk to me about Ruby?" Yang shouted over Blake's head. "You weren't there for her either!"

"Because my father dragged me away from her! From all of you! I was ready to be there! I was prepared to put everything on hold for the two of you because I—" Weiss bit hard on her bottom lip and cast her eyes away. "You mattered to me, no matter how hard I tried to ignore your annoying family I couldn't get rid of either of you and I cared!" Weiss sighed. "I still care—but you…you were right there and you let her leave on her own."

Blake was fairly certain that anyone even remotely close could hear the two of them shouting. As she stood in front of Yang, she realized that Yang wasn't pushing against her anymore.

Instead, she had stood down and looked almost defeated. "What do you want me to say, Weiss? That I failed—you don't think I know that? Why do you think I sat at home for so long? What good am I?"

"Yang," Weiss spoke much softer, clearly she was not expecting this reaction.

"I let you all down." Yang wouldn't look up and Blake reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't protect Ruby. I couldn't keep you from your father. Blake I—" Yang swallowed thickly and shrugged off Blake's touch. "I was supposed to keep you guys safe. That was my job."

"If that's true," Blake spoke up and resisted trying to comfort Yang physically. "Then we failed just as much as you did."

"Blake—"

"No," She stopped Yang before she could start. She needed to hear this and Blake needed to say it. "If your job was to keep us safe than my—our job was to do the same for you and we failed."

Yang finally glanced up at Blake with a frown.

"It's true," Weiss said, stepping up next to them. "We weren't ready for that day. We weren't strong enough or fast enough or skilled enough and that's not only on you, Yang. It's on all of us."

Blake found herself nodding—thrilled to have Weiss on the same page. "She's right. What happened at Beacon was…awful and you know that more than any of us. You know how I feel about what happened and you wouldn't let me blame myself for it. Well I'm not going to let you blame yourself either, okay? We can't go back and fix what happened—but we're here now, all of us and our leader needs us."

After a few lingering moments of silence, Yang nodded. "We need to find a way to get on the roof."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Because if there's a way up there, that's where Ruby will be. She used to climb the roof of our house constantly—drove my dad insane."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That seems to be a running theme with her."

"If we can find a guard we can ask—"

An alarm suddenly sounded and red lights flashed from every direction. Blake clutched her weapon in her hand and stepped in front of Weiss and Yang.

"What the hell?" Yang shouted over the speakers as the hallway started to fill with soldiers all heading in the same direction. "Hey!" Yang reached out and grabbed one, a younger kid who was fumbling with his helmet. "What's happening?"

"Our commanding officer has sounded the alarm. That means we're under attack!" He shrugged out of Yang's grip and put his helmet on before racing off with the rest of the soldiers.

"We need to see what's going on!" Yang started off in the same direction as the soldiers but Blake stepped in front of her.

"You need to go back to your dad." Blake said decisively and Yang was appalled.

"Are you kidding me?! We still haven't found Ruby!"

"Yang if there's a threat coming you need to be safe, you're not a soldier."

Something flashed in Yang's eyes—her powerful stance diminished. "I have to find Ruby."

Before Blake could speak, Weiss stepped up to them. "I will find your sister, okay? You go and get your father and when we find out what's going on we'll come get you."

"Weiss—"

"I know," Weiss nodded in quiet understanding. "You're not used to sitting on the sidelines but that's why we're going to get you that new arm, isn't it? So you can get back in the fight?" Eventually Yang nodded and Weiss seemed satisfied. "Good, go to your father. Blake you come with me to my room and I'll get my weapon. We'll find Ruby and find my sister."

Weiss started down the hallway but Blake stopped and gave Yang a reassuring look. "We'll find her and let you know as soon as we know what's going on, okay?"

Yang nodded and Blake could see her hand shaking at her side but Weiss had a head start on Blake so she turned and left her partner behind.

As luck would have it, they ran into Ruby on their way to the roof. The sound of the alarm had drawn her back inside but their guess of her location had been right.

Ruby was frantic, more so than Blake had ever seen her before. She was wide eyed and stammering out instructions for Weiss as she pulled her towards the war room where everyone was gathering.

To her credit, Weiss merely followed along and nodded with everything Ruby said—even though Blake was pretty sure Ruby was repeating herself over and over again.

"Don't take risks." She would say to the both of them and Weiss would quickly agree while Blake could only nod in agreement when Ruby would look back at her. "Where's Yang?" Came next and Blake answered quickly.

"She's with your dad, she's in no condition to fight."

Ruby sagged in relief. "Good, Weiss can you have your sister send—Winter!" Ruby shouted herself when they entered the war room. Weiss tried to stop her when Ruby raced across the room towards where Winter stood in front of her people. "Winter! My family is in the barracks, can they have a few guards go and keep watch?"

Winter seemed affronted by Ruby's sudden presence and took a step back. "Your father is a skilled huntsman and your sister is no slouch. I'm certain they'll be fine."

"Yang is disabled!" Ruby shouted and Weiss jogged up the few steps to the platform Winter stood on and tried to draw Ruby back. "I'm only asking for a few soldiers, so they're okay! I don't want them to get hurt."

Weiss peered over Ruby's shoulder apologetically at her sister and Winter seemed to give a look of quiet understanding. "Very well; unit seven will stand guard in the barracks. Though it seems rather foolish since this thing will not breach our front line."

"Thank you," Ruby took a step towards Winter, most likely for a hug, but Weiss restrained her.

Blake was pretty sure Weiss saved Ruby's life in someway by preventing that hug.

"Now," Winter's voice raised several octaves and grabbed everyone's attention. "We weren't prepared for this so suddenly, but it changes nothing. We will scatter throughout the perimeter of the base, trying to stay as hidden as possible. From what Ms. Rose has told us—this enemy prioritizes her before anything else. We do not expect it to give any thought to it's surroundings or the presence of another so long as it does not stand between itself and Ms. Rose."

"Don't try to fight it!" Ruby broke into Winter's speech and Weiss winced. Blake felt bad for Weiss—clearly she was trying to maintain some kind of image around her sister, but Ruby was a mess and Weiss had taken it upon herself to keep Ruby contained. "You can't beat it; do you understand? Don't fight it! You will die!"

"Ruby," Weiss chided and Ruby winced before closing her mouth. "I'm sorry." Weiss apologized to her sister.

However, Winter surprised Blake. "Don't be, she's right. We are not here to be heroes. You're no good to me dead." She turned to her soldiers. "This is a capture mission. This…thing could be incredibly valuable—it is unlike anything we have come across before if Ms. Rose's testimony proves to be accurate. The plan is to lure it in and take it down with a heavy dose of our specialized tranquilizer."

Blake heard them go over the plan, the strategies and positioning. Winter was talking fast because they didn't have much time. Her soldiers outside could only hold out for so long and Blake knew they were dying.

The plan itself was simple: Ruby would be the distraction and Winter would come in with her sword and seek out a weak point to strike. Inside her weapon would be a dust cartridge filled with the powerful tranquilizer. This was to ensure that the beast went down long enough to be captured and returned to the base.

It was a decent plan, but there were far too many unknowns for Blake to be comfortable.

"Sorry I'm late," Blake looked back to the doorway to see Qrow coming in. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was still buttoning up his shirt—clearly having just woken up. "Also the speaker for the alarm in the room you put me in is broken." Qrow pushed through some of the guards and climbed up onto the platform right next to Winter. He smirked at her and crossed his arms as she rolled her eyes and turned back to the crowd.

"Qrow will be closest to Ruby, in a tree hovering just above her. His job is to make sure that she is protected while I make the striking shot at the creature. Your job," she pointed to her soldiers. "Is to hold the perimeter. If something happens and it tries to escape, you hold the line and allow us another shot."

"What's my job?" Weiss asked and Ruby gave her a concerned look.

Winter put her hands behind her back and stared at her sister for a moment. "Weiss, you will be carrying a second vial of tranquilizer dust. Should I be unsuccessful, you will provide support."

"No!" Ruby shouted. "No I don't want Weiss anywhere near it!"

"Ruby," Weiss kept her voice soft and drew Ruby in close. From her position, Blake couldn't hear anything that Weiss was saying but she watched the way Ruby's face seemed to fall and she nodded. Weiss was so close to her and their contact seemed amazingly intimate. When she finished, Ruby looked up at her with a pained expression, but nodded.

"I'll be at your side, Winter." Weiss confirmed and Ruby said nothing.

"I'll go with Ruby," Blake surprised herself when she spoke up. Everyone on the podium turned to her and she tried to stand a little taller. The lone Faunus in a room of well armed humans. "Winter, you and Weiss will be tucked away in the dark, waiting to attack. Qrow will be hovering overhead, watching it all and I agree that he should take Ruby away as soon as he can, but she needs backup. I'll go with her." Because Yang can't. Blake thought and tried to convey with a smile when Ruby looked at her worriedly.

Blue eyes studied her and Blake returned her focus to Winter and held a strong gaze. She was going to do this, with or without military approval. She would not let Ruby go out as bait by herself.

"So be it," Winter said before drawing her weapon. "We have no time to waste. Everyone, to your positions!"

When Blake looked back at her teammates, she was met with the sight of Ruby pulling Weiss in and kissing her.

Well that's new…

Chapter 15: In Passing

Chapter Text

This clearing in the nearby forest was the spot they'd decided they would give them the best chance to fight. Branches and leaves from the large tree she sat in tickled every inch of Weiss exposed skin. Her calves were stretched tightly from the angle she stood, crouched and clutching a branch above her head. The air was cool—a sign that rain or possibly snow was in the offing. She could see mist with each breath she took.

They were blanketed in darkness. The only light coming from the base in the distance that was depleted by the forest between them.

All they could do was watch and wait for Ruby and Blake to appear. Weiss had to credit Winter's soldiers, she knew they were scattered throughout this same forest but she couldn't see any of them. Not that it mattered, she'd fought with this thing once and that was all it took to realize how focused its mind was. She was nervous with anticipation and worry, her hands shaking and her stomach in knots. This was so dangerous and even though she wasn't in a very high tree she still felt so far away. Her mind was racing with possibilities of how this could end—most of them weren't good. Thankfully, Winter broke through next to her.

"You know father will never approve."

"What do you mean?"

Winter gave her a derisive look—even though it was nearly pitch black she could feel the annoyance at her stupid question. "Don't play dumb, Sister. It's not befitting of a Schnee. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Well," Weiss huffed as she pushed a branch out of her face. "I don't care what father thinks."

"That's easy to say when he isn't here." Weiss's confidence faltered. She knew how true that was. She'd told herself a thousand times that if he came to take her from Beacon she'd fight him. Yet when he showed up after the fall she cowered and agreed with everything he said—even as he dragged her away from her friends.

"I care for her." Weiss said, hoping her tone would carry the weight of her feelings.

"I don't doubt that, you nearly drove me insane when Qrow and I found you and we put her to sleep with the tranquilizer. I thought we were going to have to sedate you as well."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well you two came out of nowhere with a giant airship and demanded we come with you."

"Would you have rather we left you to run through the woods?" Winter challenged.

"Well…no, but how did you even know where we were?"

Winter seemed to stiffen just a bit next to her—her breath drawing a bit shorter. "We…Qrow and I have maintained a business relationship after the events of Beacon. With Ozpin disappearing and Ironwood locking down that section of Vale it was evident that whatever happened that day was not a singular event. More trouble would be coming at some point and it was in our best interest to be prepared. Qrow set out to follow Ruby as she went to Haven, but naturally he fell behind and lost her—because that is his way." Winter growled with disgust and Weiss fought off a laugh at how easily Ruby's uncle drove her sister insane. "However, when you found her, you slowed her down enough for Qrow to catch up and when he told me that she had found her way to you, well…I decided it was a good time to check in."

Something about the way Winter said that stirred venom in Weiss. After all that time it took Ruby arriving to finally make it necessary for a visit? Despite communicating frequently over their scrolls and even more so as Weiss' position at the Schnee Dust Company started to take shape, it would have been nice to have a sister that wanted to actually spend time with her.

"I'm glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to check on me." Weiss spat venomously and Winter snapped a look in her direction.

"Excuse me? I've visited when I could. I have been extremely busy, Weiss. We've been preparing for potential war."

Weiss shook her head. "Yes, and I've been living in that prison we called a childhood home."

"You're being dramatic."

"I'm father's pet." Weiss' grip tightened on Myrtenaster as she looked down to see Ruby and Blake finally stepping into position. "Forget it, Winter. You wouldn't understand—this isn't the place for this discussion anyway." Weiss ended the conversation and fully focused on her friend below. Even though she could feel Winter's eyes still lingering on her.

Ruby looked tense and Weiss couldn't contain the worry that seeped into her mind. Ruby was not okay—not at all. The more she tried to pretend that things would be better if they stopped this thing chasing her, the more she realized she was lying to herself.

Next to Blake, Ruby was fidgety and constantly reaching to her weapon for reassurance. Weiss knew Ruby was scared, but at the same time she knew that Ruby was unpredictable. Her own safety meant nothing to her in the face of those she cared about being hurt.

"Weiss?" She turned at her sister's call and saw Winter holding out a blue cartridge. "The tranquilizer, for your rapier." With a nod, Weiss accepted the dust and pulled Myrtenaster free. The metal of her blade was cold from the chilly night air. She carefully inserted the dust vial and spun the chamber. Watching the colors dance in front of her, Weiss felt a hand drape across her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Weiss." She turned to see Winter was frowning slightly—as uncomfortable with speaking this apology as Weiss was hearing it. "When this is finished we can figure this out. We'll…I'll help you sort out a better future for yourself."

For so long, all she ever wanted was help to escape her father. Ruby gave her enough reason to run, but Winter was the only chance she had at true freedom.

Shifting, Weiss wrapped her free arm around Winter's neck and hugged her. "Be careful."

Winter's hand fell across her back and gently patted her. "You as well."

A moment later, Winter's scroll went off, loud enough for those around to hear.

It was coming.

The waiting was the worst. Weiss didn't say a word as she watched Ruby and Blake standing below her. Qrow was nearby, she knew he was located with a watchful eye…somewhere near Ruby. Weiss could only imagine what Yang and Ruby's father were going through inside. To not be here now, protecting her family, she couldn't imagine that feeling.

A sudden rustling in the trees drew Weiss' attention and she felt the branch bow a bit when Winter leaned forward for a better look.

As expected, the beast strode out into the opening with powerful, purposeful steps. From here, Weiss could see every bit of it. The thing was almost jagged with the armor it wore—there was no space for exposure or weakness. It had long, red tresses of hair that hung from it's head and down across it's back. Weiss couldn't tell if they were a part of the armor or whatever was underneath of it.

The glowing red blade it held was sheathed, but it's right hand was gripping the hilt when it approached. Even from here, Weiss could see the glow of it's eyes—she could only imagine how Blake felt seeing it for the first time.

"What do you want from me?!" Ruby shouted and caught Weiss off guard. Her voice broke under the strain of her scream. "I'm tired of this! Tired of running! You ruined my life! It ends now!"

"Ruby," Blake grabbed onto Ruby's cloak to hold her back, "Relax."

The mechanical sounds of Crescent Rose fully forming filled the night air and Weiss saw the beast draw its own blade. Blake wouldn't allow Ruby to rush, they wanted it to come to them—to come to where Winter and Weiss were waiting and where Qrow could protect Ruby.

However, Blake was not prepared for the sword in it's hand to suddenly transform into a massive spear.

Before either girl on the ground could react, the spear was launched towards them and in a flurry of glowing red light.

As if in slow motion, Blake turned to face Ruby and began pushing her to the ground. She wasn't fast enough to dodge the weapon entirely though as Weiss watched it break straight through her aura and drive into the back of her left thigh.

Blake screamed in pain, a sound Weiss had never even imagined from the Faunus and it was one she never wanted to hear again.

Just as Weiss prepared to leap down into the fight, a hand grabbed her.

"Not yet," Winter whispered and Weiss tugged at her. "Stop! We need it to move closer or we'll risk losing it. This is our one chance, Weiss. If we fail, your friend might not be mentally capable of going through this again."

As if on queue, Ruby cried out Blake's name and rolled them over so Blake was on the ground. She was examining the damage when Blake suddenly started screaming again. Ruby pulled back just enough to give Weiss a view of the spear tearing itself out of her leg before flying through the air and back to the beast's hand.

Weiss' mind picked up on the motion it made, how it drew it's own weapon back to it almost like some kind of…polarity.

Suddenly she saw the red hair spilling from beyond the armor and her mind was racing.

There was no way, absolutely no way. Weiss read the reports in the paper. She listened as Qrow explained on the airship how there was nothing left—how she had died fighting. She was gone.

That was the word Qrow said over and over again. Gone, she was gone. There was absolutely no way.

Suddenly, the monster drew it's weapon back and charged. Ruby let out a primal scream as she pushed up off the ground and unleashed a flurry of bullets from her sniper rifle. They did no damage, but did cause it to have to deflect some of them which allowed Ruby time to take a few haphazard swings that missed wildly. This left her vulnerable to a brutal kick to the stomach.

When Ruby sailed backwards onto the ground, Weiss had seen enough.

"It's close! Do it now, Winter!"

The shift on the branch next to her told Weiss that Winter agreed. She leapt from the tree and Weiss watched her sister land perfectly behind the beast and split the dagger from her rapier and start attacking. Winter was majestic, faster than anything Weiss could ever imagine. As much as she trained at home, Weiss was not a full huntress like Winter and these strikes and movements were almost inhuman.

She was so fast—but at the same time the result was the same.

The monster was ready for everything. Each blow Winter struck was met with resistance, even as Ruby regained herself and started fighting, each strike was met with a counter.

Weiss could only remember what had worked for her, she struck it in the heel when it wasn't prepared and that had been enough. She told Winter this, Ruby had seen it, but there was no chance either of them had to make that strike.

She knew she could, Weiss knew that if she could just get down there she could land the blow. Holding Myrtenaster at the ready, she pushed off the branch and fell to the ground. Just as her feet struck the dirt and the bounce in her vision resettled, Weiss' entire body locked up.

Crescent Rose fell from Ruby's hand almost immediately when the red blade pierced through her. From this angle, Weiss could only see it sticking from her back—it had gone all the way through. Winter stopped fighting at the sight and Weiss was vaguely aware of the sound of Qrow screaming before he landed next to her.

She watched Ruby fall backwards, the blade slipping out of her skin like a hot knife through butter. When she hit the ground, Ruby's eyes were wide open and she didn't move—though Weiss could see her struggling to breathe.

"Ruby!" Another voice cried and Weiss looked to see Blake crawling towards them. Qrow had taken Ruby's spot in the fight and Winter was back at it as well but all Weiss could see was Ruby.

When Blake reached her, she laid her hand atop the wound on Ruby's stomach and tried to hold the blood in that was spilling out freely.

Weiss knew she should do something, but her body wouldn't move—her hands were shaking and she thought she might throw up with how tightly her chest was constricting.

Suddenly, her mind was filled with the idea of a world without Ruby. What would be the point of wanting a better life without Ruby? Who would there be to share it with? Ruby was the one she wanted to be free for—the one she wanted to travel Remnant with. There were so many things they hadn't done yet. Weiss saw images of nights spent together curled up in bed. She wanted to take Ruby to so many different places—to show her the world and be happy.

No. Weiss clenched her fist at her side. No! She was tired of being dictated to—tired of having her future decided for her. She was a Schnee. She was a huntress and a warrior who had lost so much. Turning back to the beast, she watched it disarm Qrow and send him away. Winter was struggling to keep her pace but she was still fighting and Weiss was done watching.

She drew Myrtenaster again but before she could, a glyph suddenly appeared overhead. The light from the glyph was beaming down and cast a white glow over the fight. Everything stopped and Weiss watched as a giant knight fell from the glyph and landed with a thud that shook the ground beneath them.

Weiss felt a connection to this knight—as if it were an extension of herself. When she looked at it, it looked to her and she knew it was listening. She nodded and looked at the monster again, watching as it drew it's weapon to attack. Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at the beast and her knight reacted.

Nothing, not even this emotionless creature that had hurt them all so much, could be prepared for the sheer force the of the knight's strike. Its massive blade obliterated the red weapon on contact and Weiss charged in a flurry as her knight struck a blow into the monster's chest.

The armor reacted, just as Weiss expected and tried to compensate for the impact—completely exposing it's back.

Weiss aimed for a killing strike, but she suddenly remembered what she'd seen in the tree. The way it turned the blade into a spear and how it controlled it like a magnet. From this angle, she could see the back of it's head behind the armor and noticed that the hair was, in fact, attached to the body.

If she was at all right, she couldn't land a killing strike—not yet.

On approach, she raised her weapon just enough and drove the dust enhanced tip of Myrtenaster right into the beast's shoulder. It cried out once more in unexpected pain and the armor tried to react. However, the knight struck another blow to it's front, this time sending the creature flying backwards and smashing hard against a thick tree. Weiss quickly spun the chamber of her rapier and fired a few well placed glyphs to latch it's arms and legs to the ground once it fell. Now completely restrained, Weiss raced forward again and plunged her rapier into the already open wound and let more of the tranquilizer release.

It screamed and quivered beneath her blade but she held strong, both hands on the hilt as it twitched violently—trying to break free. Weiss gritted her teeth, she could feel the strain in her muscles as Myrtenaster began to bow under the pressure.

"Weiss," a voice broke through her haze and she jumped at a contact to her shoulder. Her weapon was drawn when she turned but all she saw was Winter's worried eyes. "It's done—you've stopped it." Winter said and Weiss looked back to see that the creature was no longer moving, still locked down by her glyphs. When she faced Winter again, her sister marveling at the massive knight who stood ready to attack at a moments notice.

Closing her eyes, Weiss summoned it away and felt a surge of energy coarse through her unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Never in her life had she felt so powerful and so in control of a situation. The entire battlefield had been hers and nothing could stop her.

It was liberating and terrifying—but it had worked. She had stopped the beast but not before—

"Ruby!" Weiss cried and when she opened her eyes the world was dark again. Her looming glyph in the sky was gone, along with the knight and she raced over to where Ruby and Blake were lying.

Qrow was there, tending to Ruby's wound as Blake had rolled onto her back in pain. Weiss fell to her knees between them—her gaze falling over Ruby who's eyes were closed as Qrow continued to hold her wound.

"Ruby—" Weiss croaked as the sound of Winter's footsteps approached behind her.

"We've seized the beast and we have wounded. Form up on my location, we're coming inside!" Winter's voice rang out into the distance.

Qrow was leaving no room for Weiss to help with Ruby, in fact he'd all but covered her up completely with his own cloak as he tried to stop the bleeding. Weiss moved to Ruby's side, all but slamming into Qrow.

"I can help, I can give her my aura and I can help her!" Ruby's eyes were closed and she looked frighteningly peaceful. It made Weiss furious—no way was Ruby going to die here. Weiss didn't care how much Ruby had spoken of it, or how much she wanted to die a hero like her mother—it was wrong and it would not be happening.

"You can't close a hole that big." Qrow said as he nudged her aside and continued to press down on the wound as a few trained medics finally arrived. "

"I can!"

Qrow's red eyes turned on her. "You can't! It's out of our hands! Let the medics do their work!

She wanted to punch him for being too slow—for being old and not getting to Ruby in time. She wanted to scream at a world that would let people like her and him come out unscathed when someone like Ruby had to continue to suffer.

"Weiss," Blake's voice carried over towards her and Weiss turned to the sound.

Blake was on her back, clutching at her leg as her face grew pale and her eyes darkened. She looked awful and Weiss crawled towards her.

"I need help!" She shouted in Winter's direction and her sister directed a few people towards them. Looking back to Blake, she felt a hand latch onto her own and squeeze. When she met Blake's eyes, the Faunus smiled weakly.

"Is she safe? Did we do our job?" Blake's voice was tired, she had lost a lot of blood and Weiss could tell that she was a little delirious. The medics and healers were tending to her, but she'd taken a hard hit right through her leg.

Weiss reached up and ran a hand through Blake's hair to reassure her. "We did. You did good, Blake."

"Good," Blake blinked slowly. Her voice was lazy—almost as if her lips were going numb. "Have to keep your…girlfriend…safe for you."

Weiss' eyes went wide. "Wh—what?"

She felt Blake squeeze her hand and give a weak smirk. "I'm glad…you two…have each other."

A wave of emotion overtook Weiss as the tears finally found their way through all the shock. Her mind was latched onto Ruby, but she trusted Qrow to know that he cared for her well being just as much as she did. For now, she could comfort Blake.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to Blake's forehead. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Affection from a Schnee," Blake laughed. "Can't say I saw that one coming." The calm lasted only for a moment before her leg was wrapped up and she cried out in pain again. Suddenly, a mask was put over Blake's mouth and nose to help her breathe and she was being put on a backboard. Weiss never let go of her hand, even though her eyes couldn't help but turn to Ruby, who was surrounded by so many medics that she couldn't see her anymore.

"Ms. Schnee!" A guard shouted and Weiss turned on instinct towards it. However, Winter was alongside her and stepped forward towards the call.

"What is it?"

The guard rushed over—Weiss could barely hear him over the commotion going on with trying to safely ambulate Blake and Ruby back to the base.

"It's a girl." The guard said and Weiss' breath hitched in her throat.

She had wanted desperately to be wrong. "Winter…" she breathed and her sister gave her a curious look.

"What is it? What's going on?" Winter asked both Weiss and the guard.

"The beast, it's armor has disappeared and all that's left not is the body of a woman."

"It's human?"

"Is she alive?" Weiss asked, turning back to Blake for permission to let her hand go. She quickly realized that Blake had been put under sedation or simply passed out from the pain. Either way, she was out like a light. Weiss gently laid Blake's hand over her stomach before racing by the guard, nearly knocking him over.

"Weiss, be careful!" Winter shouted but Weiss ignored it. She had to know.

There were scars painted all across the back of the girl who was lying face down in the dirt. Her hair was long, red and untamed. Weiss could see black…streaks that danced all across her body—they went up her legs and her back, like veins that had protruded from the skin.

Dashing as fast as she could, Weiss positioned herself to see the girl's face and knelt down. There were still guards surrounding them, weapons ready to strike, but the body laid motionless and defeated. When she finally found a proper angle to see the face, every one of her fears came to life.

"Pyrrha."

With a sniffle, Weiss wiped at her eyes again for what felt like the hundredth time and took a deep breath.

After everyone was brought back to the base, Ruby was quickly rushed to the medical wing. Weiss couldn't follow her all the way into surgery—despite throwing her last name around in a desperate attempt to intimidate every doctor and nurse in sight, she was simply denied. Instead that left her with the task of telling Yang and Ruby's father that she'd been injured.

It was an incredibly short conversation that ended with Yang nearly knocking her over and Taiyang racing out after her to be with Ruby.

Weiss spent the next twenty minutes wandering until she ended up in Winter's empty quarters. There was nothing she could do. Winter was dealing with the body of…Pyrrha.

Part of her couldn't help but wonder if she'd imagined it. There was so much wrong with the body of the girl she saw. Her skin was covered with dark, black veins that covered her arms and legs. She was pale and riddled with scars.

How could that be Pyrrha Nikos? She had died, Ruby had seen it and though Weiss didn't know the details, she knew well enough to know that when they buried Pyrrha a few weeks later, there was no body left to put into the ground.

There was too much trauma tonight, Weiss' mind felt like it was in sensory override and she simply buried her head in her hands and cried.

Time moved slowly, it seemed as if she were waiting in Winter's room for hours before her sister finally returned. When she did, her eyes were shadowed with dark circles and she'd shed the jacket she'd been wearing.

Weiss stood at her presence and put her hands behind her back—this was not at all Schnee behavior, to need and desire contact. But Weiss didn't want to be alone and with her team occupied and Ruby hurt, this was the only place she knew to go.

"It's late," Winter said tiredly and Weiss nodded.

"Did you hear anything about Ruby?"

Winter shook her head. "I haven't, but she's with our best. They had her stabilized in the field, she'll be fine, Weiss." She could only nod and continued to stand awkwardly in front of her sister. Winter steadied a gaze on her and Weiss tried to keep her bottom lip from quivering.

Finally, Winter closed the gap between them and pulled Weiss into an embrace. The moment it happened, Weiss sunk into the contact and buried her face in her sister's collar.

Weiss could only blame Ruby for this sudden need she had for contact. If that dunce wasn't okay and deprived Weiss of the hugs and touches she'd grown used it, Weiss would never forgive her.

For now, Winter was an excellent substitute, though the embrace didn't last very long, it was warm and comforting.

When they finished and Winter stepped away, Weiss quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she shook her head. "It's been a long night. What did you do with Pyrrha?"

Turning away, Winter put her rapier away and began sorting through her closet. "It's been transported to our secured cell, heavily sedated and we'll being evaluating it tomorrow."

"It's not an it, it's a she. It's Pyrrha Nikos!"

Winter froze, her back to Weiss, as she carried her night clothes. "Pyrrha Nikos died during the fall of Beacon."

"Winter! That's her! I know it's her! I saw her face; you have to believe me!" When Weiss had called Pyrrha's name in the field, Winter had quickly quieted her down and informed her soldiers to take the prisoner away.

"It's late, Weiss. We should rest, we've been through a lot."

Winter's dismissal was infuriating and when she turned to move to her bathroom, Weiss stepped in front of her. "You have to believe me!"

The light, blue eyes of her sister studied her for a few moments before she exhaled dramatically and put her clothes on the bed. "Weiss, perhaps you're right. Perhaps that is, somehow, the body of Pyrrha Nikos. Does that change what's happened?" The question felt like a punch to the stomach and Weiss' strong stance deflated. "Does it change the fact that the girl you've told me you care about so much was hurt tonight, your teammate has a hole in her leg because of this beast. That very well might be Pyrrha Nikos' body, but I know Nikos—I've heard stories of her heroism and that…monster is not the same girl who died protecting the innocent."

At Weiss' silence, Winter picked up her clothes once more and stepped past her sister and towards the bathroom.

Just before she shut the door, Weiss spoke. "I can't pretend I didn't see her." Weiss looked up at Winter again. "I have to do something."

"We will, but tonight, there's nothing left for us to do and we'll be useless tomorrow without sleep. In the morning, you'll be there for your team and I'll being deciding what we're going to do with the crea—" Weiss frowned and Winter shook her head. "We'll figure it all out in the morning."

There were a dozen things Weiss wanted to be doing. She wanted to be with Ruby or try and support Yang, she wanted to see if that really was Pyrrha or make sure Blake was okay.

But her body was starting to shut down, she was so tired. So when Winter stepped into the bathroom, Weiss crawled into her sister's bed.

Minutes later when Winter returned, she did not kick her out.

Chapter 16: Push Back

Chapter Text

We've done all we can. It's up to her now to wake up.

The medical bay of the Atlesian Military base was probably the most unsettling place in all of Remnant. It smelled of dull antiseptic and freshly mopped tile. The fluorescent lights that hung low on the ceiling shone far too brightly against the plain white walls that only ever changed when you reached on of the wooden doors. It was far too quiet and far too depressing, yet Yang found herself trapped here.

As difficult as it had been when Weiss and Blake left her behind to go find Ruby—this was worse. Not only had she been unable to be there for her team when they needed her, but now she was here and couldn't do anything for them.

She should be in the room at Ruby's side. Her father and Qrow were there and Weiss had been in and out all day. The few times she'd asked Weiss for updates it was always the same response.

"Why don't you go see her yourself?" Then Weiss would quickly run off to whatever else she was doing.

Blake was okay, as okay as anyone could be with a hole in their leg; but she would recover smoothly enough. It may be a couple weeks before she could walk properly and then therapy and training to get her speed back, but she'd be okay. Yang had been able to see her and that was reassuring. Blake was a bit loopy but alert enough to let her know that she was glad to see her. For Yang, in those moments, any past anger had vanished at the thought that she might have lost her.

For a long time, Yang just sat with Blake. Even after the Faunus had fallen asleep, Yang stayed. It was comforting to watch the heart monitor beep and see her chest rise and fall. Hospitals were evil, Yang hated them so much. People came here at their worst—she certainly had.

She could remember it as though it were yesterday. Waking up unable to move and unsure of where she was. There had been a giant tube sticking down her throat, her arm missing and the first thing she saw was her father crying—something she hadn't seen since the day Summer didn't come home. It was horrible and the idea of seeing Ruby in any condition like that was terrifying.

Yang stayed with Blake for as long as she could, ignoring the outside world until Weiss came by to check on her.

Now she sat in one of the least comfortable chairs in existence and watched as Weiss put a few books down on the table next to Blake's bed. It was such a strange sight to see Weiss delicately reach out and move a stray piece of Blake's hair from her face.

Weiss was never overly affectionate but she'd seemed more giving of physical contact in the last few days than she was at Beacon when Yang and Ruby would practically tackle her.

"You have books here?" Yang asked, hating the silence between them.

"I've been asking some of the soldiers and staff if they had any extra lying around. This is what I could manage."

The more Yang thought about it, the easier it was to imagine Weiss being so thoughtful. She was very good at doing the little things to make people's lives easier. From dust chambers for Blake's weapon to constantly washing Yang's towels after every workout because she would always forget. Weiss was a caregiver who had never been cared for in her life.

"Jaune has arrived." Weiss said offhandedly and Yang's eyes went wide.

"Really? What about Ren and Nora, are they—"

"It's only Jaune," she was cut off. "Ren and Nora have been back home for years now. They no longer hunt, from what I've heard."

"Oh…"

Yang couldn't help but frown at the thought of Ren and Nora no longer hunting. She understood that it wasn't for everyone, but she'd been so desperate to hunt that the idea of someone being so talented and just giving it up was upsetting.

"How is he?"

"Sleeping now, it's a long journey and he insisted on seeing Ruby when he arrived. I've since made him find a bed and rest."

Yang smiled at Weiss' motherly tone. "You're a good boss, Weiss."

The words hung heavily in the air, all the humor Yang attempted was lost. Weiss leaned back on her heels and put her hands behind her back, clearly frustrated.

"What are you doing?"

"Just asking about Jaune."

"No," Weiss' raised voice made Yang jump. "What are you doing in this room?"

Yang looked away. "I was checking on her."

"You've been here for three hours," Weiss' eyes narrowed. "She's sleeping and she's fine, meanwhile your father was with Ruby all night and I think he could use the reprieve if you'd go and watch over her."

A knot formed in her throat that she thought might stop her from breathing. She tried to swallow but it felt as if he throat was clogged. Yang forced herself to take a deep breath, just to make sure she was still breathing at all. "Will you do it?"

"No," Weiss answered quickly. "I've been in and out of Ruby's room a dozen times already and I would stay if she needed me but your father will not leave just for me. You need to go in there and convince him to take some time. It's been thirty—six hours, Yang. He needs food and he needs rest."

Tears formed in Yang's eyes as she again tried to swallow. "Weiss," she rasped. "I should have been there for her. You were right…I let her down. This is my—"

"If you finish that sentence, Yang Xiao Long, I will slap you." Weiss meant every single word she said and Yang watched her stomp around Blake's bed and walk right up to to her. "I was unaware that every bit of courage you had was lost with your right arm."

Yang snapped up at Weiss and there was no flinch on those blue eyes staring down at her.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to care!"

"I do care, dammit!" Yang stood up. "Of course I care! I just can't do anything. I wasn't there for them, I couldn't protect them at Beacon and I couldn't protect them last night! What good am I?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're right Yang—right now, you're worthless." The words were biting and Yang felt miserable hearing them from someone else. "But that has nothing to do with your missing arm and everything to do with the fact that you continue to feel sorry for yourself instead of actually doing something." Weiss relaxed slightly and ran her hands through her unusually messy hair. "Everything you need is here. I've called in the best doctors and the best prosthetics engineers in all of Remnant and they're waiting for you." To Yang's surprise, Weiss initiated contact between them and put a hand on her shoulder. "You want to be able to protect them? I can help you—but not if you don't help yourself."

It was true, and Weiss was not one to sugar coat. Yang was miserable and had been for a long time, but at some point the misery became some kind of a f*cked up comfort zone. It was the only constant she had eft, this feeling of emptiness at the life she'd worked for and lost.

Perhaps she would never be the huntress she aspired to be when she went to Beacon—but she could still be something, right?

Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she took advantage of Weiss' closeness and pulled her in for a very tight hug. Proper lady Schnee squeaked at the sudden embrace but started hugging her back a moment later.

When Yang finally let Weiss breathe, she wiped at her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry, Weiss."

Weiss took a step back and ran her hands over her ruffled skirt. "We don't have the privilege of self pity, Yang. Your sister is not okay."

Yang knew as much—she'd seen it in the short time they'd spent together since coming back. The fact that they had spent so little time together was almost as telling as anything else. Ruby was lost in her own head. Somewhere along her journey she'd lost that spark to see the good in everything. All she could see now was a need for an end to this fight. An end that Ruby had seemed to believe didn't involve her survival.

"I don't know what to do for her." She admitted and it hurt. Those were the same words Yang said to herself every time something new happened with Ruby that she had to help her through. Each time, Yang found a way to pull Ruby through it—but she'd been so much stronger back then.

Weiss stared at Yang's right arm. "Dealing with that would be a start."

"I want to do it—as soon as possible." Yang knew she couldn't hide anymore. The world had dealt her a heavy blow and she'd nearly drown in the misery it caused her. But for as much as she'd suffered, her team was suffering even more and it was Yang's job to pull them out.

Weiss flashed a quick smile, but it didn't last very long. Instead, she nodded and took a step back. "We can take care of it. I'll speak with my sister and have the doctors show you some specs for the type of prosthetic you'd like. For now," Weiss sighed and Yang finally took notice of how tired she looked. "Please go help your father and see your sister. They need you, Yang."

The nerves were still there—the fear of seeing Ruby in such a state and how quickly the guilt might consume her. But what good was she to anyone like this? She had to be strong—that was her role with the team at Beacon and nothing had changed.

First things first.

"Weiss, when was the last time you slept?"

Those blue eyes suddenly looked guilty. "I…found a few hours last night."

Yang knew she was lying. "You know, you working yourself into the ground is no better than me pouting and avoiding everything."

"It's slightly better," Weiss countered and Yang couldn't help but chuckle. "That being said…" Weiss' eyes trailed to Blake's resting form. "I could use your help taking care of these two."

Yang looked back at Blake—who looked so peaceful in her sleep, and felt a rush of warmth wash over her. She nodded. "You've got it. I'll go find Qrow and have him take my dad to get some food and make him sleep. Then watch over the two of them."

"Good," Weiss sagged in relief. "Good—I'll go speak with the doctors about you."

"Okay, but then you have to promise me that you'll sleep too. You're the brains of this operation, Schnee. I need you."

"I will," Weiss smiled genuinely. "I missed you, you oaf."

Yang put a hand on Weiss' shoulder and noticed how Weiss leaned into the contact. "You too, Ice Queen."

It took Yang another ten minutes to build the courage to actually open the door where Ruby was. The atmosphere was even worse than she'd expected.

Ruby looked far too peaceful for someone who had been through what Yang was told. That…thing that chased her had ran a blade right through her stomach. She'd spent hours in surgery and with the healers and now she was here. They had been told that she would, most likely, wake up—but that her injuries were severe enough for concern.

Yang took in the sight of the room and couldn't help but smile though. Weiss had certainly been doing work. There were scatterings of all things 'Ruby' in ever corner. A few comics were on the table by her bed and an unopened box of cookies sat waiting for her. Crescent Rose was tucked away nicely in the corner. Her cloak had been neatly folded and placed on the bed beside her and there was even a particularly cute stuffed Grimm resting against bars of the bed.

However, Yang's eyes eventually found her father who was sitting in a chair next to Ruby's bed with his head lolled back and an outreached hand laid across his daughter's. The sight tore at Yang's heart because she knew how much her dad had gone through and the fear of losing another person he loved would finally break him.

Then again, the thought of losing Ruby would probably do the same to Yang.

Walking over carefully, she touched her dad's shoulder and he jumped.

"Easy, it's just me."

He took a few deep breaths, his eyes wild for a moment as they found Ruby on the bed and he seemed to remember where he was. It was painful to watch reality settle in for him again. He nodded.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." He voice was gravely. Yang pulled up a chair to sit next to him.

"I've been a little bit of the coward lately, I suppose. This is just…scary." Taiyang didn't respond but Yang felt him relax next to her and they fell into a comfortable silence. She reached over with her left arm and squeezed his hand, drawing his attention. "She's gonna be okay."

"Define okay?" The door to Ruby's room clicked shut again and Yang looked back as Qrow came in with his open flask in hand. "Because the world is still going to sh*t and having chased our little Ruby around as much as I have lately, she's not about to lie in bed and watch." When he strode up next to her and extended out the flask, Yang grabbed it from him and took a shot. He seemed a bit surprised and that was when she realized he was most likely trying to offer some to her father. She guiltily gave it back and he chuckled. "Hey you're old enough, just didn't think you'd handle it so well."

Taiyang groaned. "She got more Branwen in her than I'd like to admit." He said and Yang felt an annoying sense of pride. She could never explain it—her mother had abandoned her almost as soon as she came into the world and had told her, through Qrow, to stop trying to find her. By all accounts, she should hate the woman and yet anytime she was even remotely compared to her—all Yang ever felt was some sick sense of accomplishment.

"Yeah? And she's got that annoyingly stubborn Xiao Long in her too, just like her old man, who I have told a dozen times now to go and find a bed to sleep."

She felt her dad stiffen next to her. "I'm not going to leave her."

"Dad," Yang squeezed his hand again and saw his pleading eyes fall to her. He was clearly expecting her to be on his side. "Weiss told me you haven't eaten and Qrow's right, you need to sleep. Ruby would be really upset if you got sick stressing over her."

He glowered. "Weiss Schnee, she keeps coming in here and...fussing over Ruby, I don't understand it. I thought Schnee's were terrible? Her father certainly is."

"Her sister's a pain in the ass too," Qrow muttered before taking another drink.

"Weiss can be, but she's always had a soft spot for Ruby. I mean she complained about her constantly at Beacon but then every day they'd spend the entire day together, again. Weiss is a good person—she's just got a lot of…Schnee that she's trying to overcome." Yang would gladly call Weiss her friend now, even though she completely understood the doubt.

Weiss was never good at first impressions.

"I got yelled at for trying to move her cloak." Qrow said and Yang smiled. "Look Tai, you need to get some food and some rest. Yang will stay here with the kid right?"

Yang nodded quickly. "I'm here. I'll watch over her until you're feeling better and then we can swap out." She felt the need to add a little hope. "But I bet she'll be awake before that."

Reluctantly, he gave Ruby one last look before standing up and dropping a kiss on her forehead. Yang smiled as he turned around and did the same to her. She felt Qrow squeeze her shoulder before turning back to Ruby as they both made their exit.

The quiet of the room was a lot heavier now. She was alone with Ruby, the same girl she hadn't seen in five years. Yang hated that thoughts of Ruby now came with guilt. How she wasn't there for her, how she told her that the world was just bad things happening for no reason and that she shouldn't keep fighting. It was wrong; she was wrong and when Ruby woke up Yang would make sure to tell her.

She scooted her chair a little closer so she could reach up and brush at Ruby's hair with her hand. It was so long now; she'd never seen Ruby let it go this much before. Her baby sister wasn't much of a baby anymore. There was definition in her muscles that hadn't been there before. Ruby was certainly taller and looked so much like Yang remembered Summer.

"Oh," another new voice came from the doorway and Yang turned to see Blake using the frame to keep herself upright as she stood with one leg in the air. "Sorry, I didn't know you were here."

"Blake," Yang quickly jumped to her feet and rushed over to her. "What the hell? You have a hole in your leg!"

The Faunus smiled ruefully. "I just wanted to see how she was doing."

"By hobbling out of bed and hopping down the hallway?" Yang wrapped her arm around Blake's waist and helped support her weight. Together they moved into the room and Yang used her leg to pull the chair back for Blake to sit.

"Hey, I'm a well trained athlete—I can handle a little hallway hopping."

"Uh huh," Yang pulled up the other chair and took a seat alongside Blake so they were almost facing one another. She then grabbed Blake's injured leg and draped it across her own. There was a thick bandage on her thigh where the blade had sliced through, but the rest of her leg was mostly untouched and right now…mostly uncovered.

So when Yang held it in place on her lap, her hand was touching very smooth, toned skin. Yang was also very, very away of how nice it felt under her fingers.

Blake was quite red faced and her eyes were droopy. "Well trained athlete is exhausted and should not be out of bed."

"I know," Blake whispered and Yang noted the vulnerability in her voice. "I'm not a big fan of being alone these days."

Yang frowned and ran her hand up and down Blake's calf. "Well if Weiss or I had our acts together we might actually handle watching over the two of you a little better."

"Speak for yourself." Weiss said as she slipped into the room. "Blake Belladonna I nearly had a stroke when you weren't in your room! What are you doing out of bed?! You are injured and—"

"Weiss," Blake spoke softly and Yang watched in awe as Blake's phony, pitiful expression absolutely worked on their frigid teammate and she crumbled to pieces.

"Ugh, just…be careful with her leg, Yang. Please."

Yang could only smile. "I'm not gonna do any damage, Princess." Weiss huffed but didn't argue before slipping around to the other side of Ruby's bed and taking a seat on the small bench that was stuck to the wall.

They sat together in silence for a moment, each of them studying Ruby as Yang's hand continued to stroke up and down Blake's leg. The Faunus began blinking longer and longer with each passing minute. When Yang checked on Weiss, she saw that Weiss was on the edge of the bench so she could reach out and adjust Ruby's blanket. It didn't really need adjusting but apparently Weiss wanted it to cover her just so. Yang could only assume it was Weiss' anal retentive nature that everything needed to be perfect.

Another slow few minutes passed and just when Yang was fairly certain Blake had fallen asleep, Weiss spoke.

"I need to tell you both something." Weiss finally broke the silence.

"Is this about you and Ruby?" Blake mumbled tiredly and Weiss' eyes went wide in horror.

Yang glanced at Blake for a moment before turning to Weiss and seeing nothing but red in her face.

"No! Blake!" Weiss cried and suddenly Blake was more alert and looking extremely guilty.

"I—uh…I mean…I'm on pain medication and I really should be in bed." Yang felt Blake trying to swing her leg off it's perch and held it in place.

"Hang on," Yang said, refocusing on Weiss who was staring at the floor like it had insulted her. "What about you and my sister?" The way Yang took the comment, it sounded like something romantic. How quickly Weiss seemed to turn red, how abruptly Blake backpedaled.

Still, she couldn't wrap her mind around that ridiculous idea. There was absolutely no way it was as it sounded. Weiss and Ruby were partners, yes—maybe even friends. But they bickered and fought like mad women. Ruby drove Weiss nuts and Weiss could never handle Ruby's affectionate nature.

There was no way, absolutely no way.

"Well I suppose since the cat is out of the bag." Blake groaned at Weiss' pun but Weiss appeared to believe Blake deserved it. "Yang, I'm…in love with your sister."

Yang was almost certain she was going to wake up in her bathtub again with a wicked hangover at any moment. However, the longer she waited for that to come, the more she realized that Weiss had actually said those words.

She looked at her baby sister and then back to Weiss who had taken Ruby's hand into her own at some point.

That set Yang off and in a flurry, she grabbed the tissue box off the nearby table and threw it at Weiss—hitting her right in the head.

"Ow!" Weiss cried. "What was that for?!"

"You're sleeping with my sister!"

"I am not! I've only kissed her!"

"That's worse!"

Blake chuckled. "How in Remnant is that worse?"

"It just…" Yang growled—frustrated that Blake's injured leg was preventing her from giving Weiss a one armed ass kicking. "How are you in love with Ruby? She's been gone for five years!"

Weiss, who had picked up the tissue box and sat it on the bench beside her, took a deep breath and shrugged. "It just kind of hit me when she came back. Not to mention that she willingly offered to give up her own life for me, which was very romantic—if not also completely stupid and immature."

"She…wait, does she feel the same way?!" Yang went from worrying about jostling Blake's leg to wondering if she could use it to throw Blake at Weiss.

"We have shared a mutual expression of our feelings, yes." Weiss remained calm and it only frustrated Yang more. "She is indescribably important to me."

"I just…I don't…" Yang couldn't believe it. She wasn't even that upset about them being…in love with one another it was just not something she ever saw coming. Weiss Schnee was so uptight and high class. Yes, she had changed but she was still a Schnee and Ruby was just…Ruby. How the hell had Ruby managed to charm a Schnee? "Oh my gosh my dad is going to have a heart attack." Yang glared at Weiss. "You're going to give my dad a heart attack!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic! There's no way he could handle it worse than you!"

"I doubt that!"

"He's not going to hit me with a tissue box!"

Yang clenched her fist. "You're lucky I couldn't reach the lamp!"

"Guys," Blake raised her voice just enough to get Yang's attention and she turned to see a pair of very irritated amber eyes glaring at her. "Is this really the place you want to have this fight? While she fights for her life?" The reality of the situation hit Yang again. Ruby was severely injured and unconscious right in front of her.

The truth was, Yang was upset more that Ruby had managed to fall in love, and Yang wasn't there to guide her through it.

"You're right," Weiss said before retaking her seat.

"Isn't it good that Ruby has even more people in her life who love her?" Blake reached over and touched Yang's shoulder. The contact relaxed her a little but she couldn't help herself.

"She doesn't love her as much as I do." Yang muttered just loud enough for Weiss to hear.

"It's not a competition." Weiss returned and Yang snapped a glare at her.

"You're damn right it isn't!"

"Yang!" Blake swatted her and she pouted before deciding not to speak again. "Weiss, if that wasn't the thing you wished to tell us, then what was?"

The change of subject was welcome—even though Weiss' expression dropped just a bit.

She seemed to ponder the two of them for a moment before shaking her head. "It can wait—we'll focus on Ruby for now. The subject isn't going anywhere anytime soon so there's no hurry."

Weiss seemed to pale just a bit as she spoke and Yang's protective alarms went off. She wanted to do something to make the ice queen feel better, so she dove in head first.

"Weiss, did you talk to the docs yet? About the arm and everything?"

A bit rattled, Weiss nodded and recomposed herself. "Y—yes. They're just waiting on you to set everything up. They've got a few prosthetics for you to choose from and can make you anything custom if you like, though it will take some time."

Taking a deep breath, Yang hooked her arm under Blake's leg and lifted it slightly before standing. She draped it on the chair she'd been sat in and looked down at her partner.

Blake stared up at her with curious eyes—Yang took a moment to revel in just how beautiful she was and the joy she felt at having Blake so close to her again.

"I've gotta go get this stuff sorted out. Get back in the fight." She spoke softly, just for them.

"I'll come with you."

Yang shook her head and smiled. "Nah, you stay here—make sure Weiss doesn't try anything with my sister."

"I will remove another limb from you if you'd like." Weiss snarled and Yang merely smiled brighter at Blake.

It took every bit of self restraint Yang had not to kiss Blake in this moment. Instead, she ran the pad of her thumb over the back of one of her ears and Blake hummed in delight.

"Yep," she winked. "Just as soft as I always imagined."

Chapter 17: The Invincible Girl

Chapter Text

She felt something gentle dust across her cheeks and slide over her eyelids. Ruby was drawn from the darkness and stirred into a serene feeling of comfort. She exhaled slowly and tried to lose herself in the feeling. There was a warmth around her that was so inviting and welcome—there were no worries, no fears. Just this calm and it was the only place she could ever want to be.

Deep in the back of her mind, she wondered if this was the afterlife. Had she died? Why did she feel so unburdened? That feeling continued to stroke across her face and it was a pull that seemed to drag her slowly away from this serenity. She wanted to fight it, to stay here where it was safe, but the touches became more and more real and Ruby couldn't stop herself from giving into them.

It's okay, Ruby. You'll be okay.

She heard a voice she barely recognized but something about it drew tears to her eyes. It was like finding a piece of herself she had lost decades ago. All Ruby wanted was to capture that voice and this feeling and lose herself in it.

Suddenly, something brushed against her cheek and the stillness was gone. Now there was nothing but darkness and emptiness that had consumed her for so long. She was alone again, afraid and lost. This wasn't peace, this was terror. This was the same hell she had been living in for as long as she could remember.

"Why are you crying?" Another voice, this one easily recognized. It was comforting yet almost upset.

Weiss.

That feeling continued to brush along her cheek and she gravitated towards it. The more she did, the more the feelings along her skin increased.

"Hey…are you waking up? Ruby…if you can hear me, open your eyes."

Her breathing increased—she thought her eyes were open. Where was she? Ruby took a few deep breaths, willing her body to move, her mind to react and find it's way through the dark.

She pushed forward, trying to attach herself to the contact against her cheek and use it to draw herself out.

Finally, she saw a light and leapt into it with all she had. A moment later, her eyes were blinded by a painful white light and she heard a gasp next to her.

"Ruby! You're awake!"

It took her a moment to adjust to the surroundings, but she slowly made out a florescent light hanging above her. She was staring up at a blank white ceiling and as her body started to wake up, it felt heavy and sore.

"Ruby?" Again her name was called and she turned her head slightly towards it.

That's when she saw Weiss sitting beside her. Weiss looked so tired—her hair was hanging untied across her back and into her face. Her once bright and blue eyes were a little greyer but she still wore a smile. There were tear streaks on her cheeks and her bottom lip was shaking just a bit.

"Weiss." Ruby tried but her throat ached at the attempt. She coughed once and it was a huge mistake. She felt like her stomach was being torn out from the inside and cried out in pain.

"Easy," Weiss chided gently. "Don't…do anything. Just…hang on and I'll go get a doctor." Weiss moved to stand but Ruby kept a grip on the hand that was holding her own.

"Please…don't go," she rasped out as best she could.

Weiss gave her a pleading look. "I have to, they need to check on you, Ruby. I am not qualified." Weiss leaned down and placed her lips on Ruby's forehead, a second later she moved to kiss Ruby's temple and then her cheek. She moved to her nose and the side of her mouth before kissing her carefully on the lips. When she finally pulled away, Weiss smiled. "I promise I will be back in seconds. I just need to find someone to check over you."

The comfort of Weiss' presence was overwhelming and Ruby found herself crying again but she relinquished her hold on her partner's hand and nodded.

Lingering for just a second, Weiss stepped away and practically ran out of the room.

Ruby didn't remember how she ended up here. She was standing in the forest, surrounded by soldiers and waiting for that…thing to come and find her. Then Blake was there and she got hurt, there was fighting and then…nothing.

Blake. Panic set in at the thought that something might have happened to Blake because of her. It was, without question, her absolute worst nightmare and on instinct, Ruby tried to sit up.

It was a massive mistake and she cried out in pain at the sharp pain in her stomach.

"Ruby! I told you not to move!" Weiss cried and Ruby heard a few pairs of footsteps racing into the room.

The pain was crushing and she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. It bubbled in her mouth and started to spill from her lips, but she was on her back so the bulk of it poured down her throat.

This only made her cough more and start to choke.

"Oh sh*t!" Someone shouted and suddenly there were hands on her. "Roll her over, she needs to get this out!"

"Ruby!" Weiss cried again as Ruby was turned onto her side by everyone in the room. Someone tucked a towel under her head and she let everything pour out of her mouth onto it. It burned in the back of her throat and spilled from her nose like liquid fire.

By the time she finished, Ruby was fighting to stay awake and very carefully, they rolled her onto her back and started fussing over her. She nodded when they asked if she could understand them and squeezed the nurses hand when prompted.

Meanwhile, Weiss had wet a cloth down and was gently cleaning her face.

She felt miserable. She wanted to go back to that quiet place she'd been before, where the world wasn't like this. Where she wasn't afraid or in pain.

"We're going to increase your medication, Ruby. It should help in a few minutes." The doctor, an older man with the shapeliest beard she had ever seen, told her with a smile and she again nodded.

"I need…water."

"Of course!" Weiss growled and Ruby realized it was at herself. "Get her water, Weiss, you dunce." She grumbled to herself before stomping away. A moment later, she placed a hand under Ruby's head to tilt it upward. "Easy," Weiss said before easing the bottle towards her. "Is this okay?" She asked the doctor as Ruby was nearly in reach of the precious substance.

"Small amounts, give her time to swallow."

Weiss nodded dutifully before returning to her task.

When the cool water touched her lips, it was like some kind of liquid magic. She felt it splash around inside of her mouth and wash away the awful taste. The first swallow was hard, but after a few breaths, she got her second fill and greedily took as much as she could. A sigh of content escaped her when she finished and Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Better?" She asked and Ruby nodded. "Good."

She wasn't sure if it was from the medication or just pure exhausting, but her body started to feel heavy. At the same time, it seemed to relax just enough that she didn't feel like she was being torn to pieces.

"Go and get her father." Weiss all but demanded to one of the nurses who scurried out of the room.

Ruby wanted to tell Weiss to be nice, but she really really wanted to see her dad.

Once the doctor finished checking her over and started writing on his chart, she squeezed Weiss' hand. "Blake," she whispered in an attempt not to hurt her throat. "Is she okay?"

"She's okay, a pain in the butt to keep on bed rest, but she's fine." Closing her eyes, Ruby felt the tears coming and let them fall. The last thing she remembered was Blake jumping in front of her and if something had happened to her she would never forgive herself. "I'm so mad at you, Ruby." Weiss said in a very gentle tone. She felt a pair of lips press against her forehead and she opened her eyes to find Weiss inches away from her. "You…I—" Weiss sighed and shook her head. Whatever she was going to say died in her throat.

"Did you stop it?" Ruby asked, almost afraid of the answer.

However, when Weiss nodded, Ruby felt a weight lift off of her. "It's here. Locked away, you're safe." Her tone was not at all victorious. "We'll discuss it when you're feeling better."

"Weiss—"

"We'll discuss it when you're feeling better, okay?" She firmly repeated and Ruby could only nod. She knew that was not an argument she could win and honestly, she didn't want to upset Weiss and have her leave.

"Alright Ms. Rose." The doctor spoke up and Ruby slowly moved her head to look at him. "We're going to let you rest. All we can do for now is keep your pain regulated and let our healers tend to your wounds. They'll be arriving in a few hours for your first session. Your body is very sensitive right now, so we'll be taking it slow. You're going to be here for a while so don't let it get into your head that you'll be out in the field any time soon. You've got a bit of a road ahead of you."

He was being blunt, and Ruby appreciated it but at the same time she knew it would suck. Right now she didn't feel like going anywhere—but in a few days, a few weeks, she'd be miserable. Her body wasn't built for bed rest. She needed to be active, to be doing something and this was going to be torture.

"Oh she's going to be getting plenty of rest, you can bet on that." Weiss said and Ruby was met with determined blue eyes. "There will be no arguments, Ruby Rose." It was hard to think up any kind of argument when Weiss was stroking her hair the way she was.

"Ruby!" Taiyang burst through the door and she watched him nearly trip over his own two feet before stumbling to her bedside and cupping her face in his hands. "You're awake, oh honey…look at you."

Weiss had climbed off the bed and dropped Ruby's hand. She glanced over to see Weiss with her hands behind her back, looking away shyly. As tough as Weiss could be with most people, the presence of her girlfriend's father turned her into a timid teenager.

"Hey dad," Ruby said, giving her father her full attention. "I'm sorry." She said it because she knew what this must have been like for him. He'd lost so much and after everything with Yang and now nearly losing her own life—she knew it wasn't fair to him.

When he carefully nestled her in an awkward hug, she closed her eyes and soaked up the comforting feeling. Reaching up, she laid her hand across his back.

"I'm just glad you're okay. I've seen my girls hurt way too much for one lifetime." He pulled away a bit and smiled at her. "You're so brave, kid. Your mom would be so proud of you."

That one got to her and she had to fight back the tears. So much of what Ruby did was to make her mom proud. Recently, she couldn't help but think that she'd fallen short in pretty much every way imaginable.

At some point, Weiss had slipped out of the room and when Ruby glanced to where she'd been at, she frowned at her absence.

When she looked back at her dad, he raised one of his eyebrows. "She's been in here a lot, you know? Like…every day."

"Yeah?" Ruby couldn't help but enjoy hearing about Weiss' fussing over her.

"Yes, and she'd yell at me if I stuck around too long and didn't eat or sleep. Then she'd get your uncle or your sister to team up on me and make me leave."

Weiss was taking care of her father, her family. The same girl who used to act as though she didn't want to do anything for anyone

A huge smile broke across her face. "She's great."

"How great?" His eyes narrowed. "Exactly how great is she, to you?"

Ruby winced a bit. "Uh…super great?"

He studied her—his head tilting and at one point he glanced to the door where Ruby could see that Weiss was merely standing outside waiting.

"She's a Schnee, you know?" He glanced back at her with a hint of a smirk and Ruby could only nod.

"I know."

"Huh," He refocused on her and grinned. "I always hoped one of my daughters would marry rich."

"Dad!" The shout made her wound hurt but she couldn't help but smile. She hadn't felt comfortable talking to her dad like this since they'd been reunited. It was almost perfect. "Where's Yang?"

"Being extremely difficult." He said before sitting down in a seat next to her. "She's with some of the specialists getting herself fitted for a new arm. She has surgery scheduled to clean everything up."

Ruby couldn't begin to express how glad she was to hear that. "I hope she comes to see me before she does."

"Oh I'm sure she will, she's been here most of the time. Between her and Blake, your girlfriend—" she glared at him and he chuckled. "Your uncle and that blonde boy, you've had a steady stream of visitors."

"Jaune is here?"

Taiyang nodded before taking off his shoe and lobbing it softly at the door. Ruby watched it smash against the frame and Weiss jumped in the window outside before turning around furiously. Her father smiled before waving her to come back inside.

Weiss huffed slightly before recomposing herself and opening the door.

"Can you grab my shoe, Ms. Schnee?"

It took her a moment, but Weiss scowled at the offending shoe before cautiously picking it up. Ruby was torn between laughing at Weiss or being angry at her dad for teasing the poor girl.

As she handed it over to him, he smiled and thanked her.

She nodded once before stepping around to the other side of Ruby's bed where she'd been when Ruby woke up.

"It smells of vomit over here," she said but sits down nonetheless.

Ruby frowned at Weiss—suddenly deciding to join in on the teasing. "I'm sorry, Weiss." She pouted and watched her partner fidget and cross her arms.

"It's fine. You've just gone through severe trauma, so I suppose I can let it slide."

When Weiss seemed to relent and give her a small smile, Taiyang started laughing again. "Okay, I totally see it now. I'm okay with this."

Weiss seemed even more confused. "I'm beg your pardon?"

"You're dating my daughter." Weiss went even paler, something Ruby didn't think was possible. "And while I can't say I ever saw it coming, you've been working your ass off to make sure she's taken care of, while also helping out Yang and Blake and everyone else. You're a good kid, Weiss."

Though Weiss still seemed horrified, her cheeks turned from pale to a bright shade of red and she looked away.

"Th—thank you, sir." Weiss tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and found the courage to look his way again. "Your daughter…both of them, as a matter of fact, have done a lot for me as well. I care about them both."

"Glad to hear it. Though I hope you're only kissing one of them."

"Daaaaaaaad."

The next time Ruby woke up, she was surrounded in darkness. It was late and she'd assured everyone that she was fine and they should all get some rest. It had been a constant stream of people coming in and out to see her.

Blake was wheeled in by Yang and Jaune seemed so glad to see her. She was happy to see him too and it was only awkward for a little while when the two of them exchanged a very long, very personal hug.

They had shared so much time together that none of the others could really understand. The things that they had gone through were hard to explain properly. Still, everyone seemed to respect their moment. Even Weiss who was the first one to speak up and stop their hug when it lingered a bit too long.

Ruby could only smile at her—seeing Weiss jealous was fairly endearing. Especially when she was the object of that jealousy.

It had only been a day and Ruby was already feeling restless. She wanted to talk to Weiss about the thing that had chased her but there was never any time and Weiss didn't seem all that interested in handing over the details.

She was just glad to know it was locked away. For as distant as Weiss seemed to bring it up, she never seemed worried it was a risk anymore. Whatever had happened was good enough to ease any fear of them being attacked.

Still, that safety didn't slow down the hundreds of questions in her mind.

Just as Ruby was about to try and fall back asleep, she heard the gentle sound of her door opening and tensed. Some fragile part of her mind could only imagine it was the beast coming for her. All the calm and fear was a lie and this was going to be her end.

Instead she saw Weiss backpedal slowly into the room and take extra care in shutting the door as quietly as she could.

Ruby couldn't resist. "Hey!" She called out and Weiss jumped with a squeal before turning quickly.

"Ruby Rose!" She chided and Ruby felt her heart soar. So many silly little things about Weiss made her smile. Even when she was in trouble. "Why are you not sleeping?!"

"Why are you not sleeping?"

With a huff, contemplated the light switch for a moment but must have decided the darkness was more suitable. The lights from the few machines attached to Ruby lit up the room enough that they could see one another and Ruby thought the lighting made them feel more isolated from the rest of the world.

Instead, Weiss shuffled over to the bed, her chin held up in defiance all the while she sat down on the edge of the bed with a glare.

"It's quite cold in this base and Winter has kicked me out of her room so I was forced to stay in the upper barracks."

"Aren't the upper barracks pretty fancy?"

Weiss scoffed. "They're barbaric."

"They each have their own bathrooms right?"

"Yes but there's no bathtub, just a nook in the corner for showering and the water pressure is absolutely worthless." Ruby knew well enough to know that this was mostly a show Weiss put on from time to time. She played her role well enough and while these things probably did bother her—she was aware enough to know they were silly. "Also the beds are too big."

Ruby smiled and draped a hand over Weiss' leg. "I missed you too."

"I never said—" Weiss started but the sentence died with a sigh and she scooted a bit more onto the bed. "This is ridiculous. You've been back in my life for no more than a week and already I am reliant on your presence. It's quite pathetic, really." Her tone was lighthearted and Ruby started to run her hand up and down Weiss' side.

"Well it makes me feel like a million lien. It's nice to be needed."

Another shift and suddenly Weiss was able to look at her better. The glow of the heart monitor hit her face just right that Ruby could see Weiss' eyes watching her. She swallowed thickly and Ruby felt her hand be sandwiched together. "You are needed; you know that right? I can't have you risking you life all the time."

"Well now that we've captured that thing that was after me I can stop running, right? I mean—things are better now. Except this hole in my stomach, but that'll get better too." Weiss nodded, but she didn't smile and she certainly didn't look as relieved as Ruby had hoped she would be. "What's wrong?"

Weiss reached up and gently ran the back of her hand over Ruby's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Ruby shrugged and smiled at the look Weiss gave her. "I'm loaded with pain medication and my dad brought me chocolate chip cookies and milk for dinner. I've had worse days."

"You're severely wounded." Weiss deadpanned.

Ruby could only smirk. "Chocolate…chip…cookies—for dinner!"

Despite the glower she wore, Weiss was fighting back a smile and Ruby was glad for it. "You're such a child. I cannot believe I've fallen for someone like you. I, Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, smitten with a cookie devouring scythe wielder from the slums of Patch."

"Hey, Patch is beautiful and I've seen you attack a bag of cookies after a bad day so don't give me that."

As carefully as she could, Weiss maneuvered so she could lay down next to Ruby. She didn't touch her, though Ruby wouldn't have minded, but eventually Weiss had fit her lithe frame onto the bed next to her partner and rolled to her side.

"These pillows are atrocious." She said as she adjusted it slightly under Ruby's head before borrowing a small corner. Again Weiss started dancing her fingertips across Ruby's face and she was suddenly having trouble keeping her eyes open.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister, Weiss. I know the money doesn't matter to you but what you're doing for her means a lot to me."

Weiss sighed and her breath tickled Ruby's neck. It was such a simple sensation but it drove Ruby wild. Never before had air on her skin done so much to her. She bit back whatever sound was threatening to escape and felt Weiss' hand still on her cheek.

"We'll need everyone for whatever might come. Yang is very important to our team, to our cause." Weiss was silent for a moment and Ruby looked over at her to find blue eyes staring at her. "She's important to you…and I."

A wave of affection for Weiss washed over her and Ruby laid her head to the side to rest against Weiss'. It felt so nice to not be alone anymore. As hard as it was for Ruby to be comfortable with her father or even Yang, it was almost effortless with Weiss.

"Didn't you say you had something you were going to tell me? About the monster?"

Weiss stiffened next to her for a moment but relaxed a moment later and Ruby felt her hand being squeezed. "It will keep until tomorrow."

Ruby was incredibly curious about the beast. Though she'd grown up with a fascination of Grimm and monsters, she had never encountered one like that before or even read about anything similar.

"You said it was locked up and well guarded?"

Weiss nodded against her. "I promise, you're safe—we're all safe. It's just…more complicated than we expected."

"How so?" Ruby was pressing and she knew Weiss didn't want to keep this going, but her curiosity was far too strong.

"Ruby, it's very late. We both need rest."

She fought to hold her tongue but she just needed to know more. She wanted to know what it looked like, how big it really was or if the tranquilizers worked as well as they'd hoped.

Ruby hoped there was room for at least more question. "How did you stop it? I was a bit, uh, incapacitated." She tried to make a joke and it fell flat. Weiss pulled away from her just a bit.

"Ruby…"

"Weiss, I appreciate you so much because you don't treat me like a kid. Please don't start now. This thing chased me all over Remnant—I deserve to know some things."

"You're in no condition right now, when you're better—"

Ruby cut her off. "In no condition to hear about what happened? Weiss this information is not going to hurt me."

"You're wrong!" Weiss raised her voice and made Ruby jump. "I'm sorry…but as I said, it's complicated."

"Weiss,"

Her partner sighed again and Ruby remained silent and waited. Eventually, Weiss pushed up on an elbow and looked down at Ruby. "It's Pyrrha."

The name itself, in this context, made Ruby think that she might have misheard. It didn't sound right; it didn't fit—why would Weiss bring Pyrrha up now?

"I don't understand."

This seemed to frustrate her. "The monster that was chasing you, Ruby it's Pyrrha Nikos."

She let the words wash over her for a moment. Of all the things she had expected Weiss to say, this was not it at all. She thought of how chaotic the last few days had been. She had been unconscious. Blake was hurt and Yang was dealing with potential arm surgery. It made sense that Weiss would be doing everything she could to make sure things continued to run smoothly.

Which would mean—

"When's the last time you slept?"

That was the wrong thing to say. "Ruby! I am not delirious! I know what I saw!"

Ruby frowned. "And you saw…Pyrrha?"

"Yes!"

Again Ruby began searching for something to say. The truth was, she didn't believe it. There was no way it could be Pyrrha Nikos. For one, it was a Grimm. Blackened and strong skin, solid armor that had felt like its own entity. It moved too fast, even for as exceptional as Pyrrha had been.

"Weiss I—it can't be Pyrrha. It's a monster. I fought it over a dozen times and I…" she swallowed sharply and shook away the visions that flooded her mind. "I watched Pyrrha die. I remember everything about it and she was turned to dust right in front of me. There was nothing left of her."

"Ruby I'm telling you what I saw. It was her. It's her face and her hair…something is wrong with her, obviously she's not really Pyrrha but it looks just like her. It is her. I would never make something like this up."

She couldn't deny that—Weiss was never one to tell any kind of extravagant lie like this. If she was saying it, Weiss truly believed she'd seen Pyrrha Nikos.

Even if Ruby couldn't bring herself to believe it was true.

"Then I want to see her." It was the only solution Ruby could think of.

Weiss immediately seemed affronted. "You're severely injured and on bed rest. Absolutely not."

"If it really is Pyrrha then I want to see her, Weiss."

"Ruby you're not well."

Weiss' stubborn armor was fracturing. "I want to believe you, Weiss. But I can't wrap my head around it. Pyrrha? It…she…the thing tried to kill me, and Jaune, countless times. It killed innocent people. Can you see Pyrrha doing that?"

"I told you it wasn't really her, it's just…her body or…something. I don't know! I'm only telling you what I saw, Ruby."

Taking a deep breath, Ruby pushed up on her elbows and started to sit. Weiss immediately reacted and tried to lay her back down. "Ruby! You're—"

"Weiss, I'm going to go see Pyrrha. I can sit, I just can't really walk or…get out of bed or anything."

"You wish for me to carry you to where it's being contained?"

Ruby couldn't help but smile at the image of Weiss trying to carry her. She would never underestimate her partner, but there was really no way. "Of course not, but I could probably sit in a wheelchair or something."

"You have a hole in your stomach." Weiss spoke very slowly and Ruby rolled her eyes.

"I know that, but it's been treated and I feel okay."

"Because you are loaded with pain medication!"

Ruby shrugged. "Exactly!"

Weiss rose up from the bed, their nice moment completely gone. Ruby felt a little guilty, it was obvious that Weiss was tired and if this Pyrrha thing wasn't true than Weiss was beyond tired. Still, Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she confronted it.

"We cannot simply go to where it's being contained and stride in. I may be a Schnee, but I'm not military."

"No," Ruby prepared herself for what was coming. "But I know a Schnee who is."

Based on the look of horror on Weiss' face, Ruby was pretty sure she'd broken her.

As far as bad decisions go, Ruby had made plenty. But deciding that she was ready to sit in a wheelchair and let Weiss push her through a base to find Winter was undoubtedly one of the worst.

It wasn't so much that she was in pain, the medication was doing fine and her stomach had gone through rigorous healing, but Weiss was a terrible driver. They'd hit four corners so far and got stuck on the smallest lip leading up to the elevator. Weiss grumbled and cursed as she tried to hoist the chair up an inch to make it over and when she did, she acted as though she'd just run a marathon.

"I cannot believe you talked me into this, Ruby Rose. You are insufferable."

Given that it was the middle of the night, Ruby was tired and when Weiss put a hand on her shoulder as the elevator started going up, Ruby laid her head on it. "I just want to see what you saw. If you say it's…Pyrrha, then I need to know." In no way did Ruby expect to see Pyrrha Nikos in this containment area, but she only hoped she could help convince Weiss it wasn't either so they could both sleep.

No, Pyrrha Nikos was gone—Ruby had seen it with her own two eyes and then those eyes did something she could never explain or duplicate since. That was one of her most hated mysteries—what was she? What had she done that day on the tower? Nobody would tell her and even when she'd tried to make her eyes do…something, it only ever led to the worst headache in history and strange looks from anyone around her.

When the elevator dinged again, Ruby stared out at the narrow hallway and one door at the very end. This was not going to end well but Winter was the only one with access to the facility that could get them in this late at night.

Despite her reservations, Weiss settled in behind Ruby and pushed her to the door. "I should have grabbed my cloak." Ruby said with a shiver.

"Hang on," Weiss stopped pushing and began rustling behind her. Ruby tried to look back but couldn't see well enough. Eventually, Weiss came around in front of her, jacket now removed and wearing only a sleeveless white top. It was such a small change in attire but Ruby found herself staring at the newly exposed shoulders. Carefully, Weiss laid the jacket on top of her, cautious of her wound. "Are you in any pain?" Ruby shook her head, unable to speak as Weiss touched her. "Would you tell me if you were?"

Slowly, Ruby dragged her gaze up to meet Weiss'. "I would," she said, not entirely sure if it was the truth. She was so used to Yang or her father going above and beyond to protect her that it had become second nature to make up things to give herself more freedom.

With an accepting nod, Weiss moved in front of Ruby to the door. Her butt now right at eye level, Ruby refused to stare and closed her eyes.

The sound of three sharp knocks drew her eyes open and Weiss had very quickly moved back behind her. Ruby glanced up at her girlfriend with a scowl. "Are you using me as a shield?"

"Most certainly. This was your idea."

Before Ruby could counter, the sounds of footsteps approaching the door silenced her. She focused in front of her and felt Weiss flinched when the door flew open.

In front of them now stood the towering presence of Winter Schnee. Except she looked different. Her hair was down, flowing over her face and shoulders. She was wearing a white tank top and extremely short shorts.

If Ruby were being honest, she looked…pretty hot.

Stop it, Ruby. You're just high on pain medication or…

"What are you two doing here?" Winter's voice was raspy with sleep, which Ruby also found attractive. Until she realized those angry blue eyes were staring right at her.

"Oh, I uh…well Weiss had told me that—"

"Weiss!" Winter barked, suddenly alert of the situation. "Why is she out of bed? She's only recently had surgery and not nearly enough healing sessions to be roaming around the hallways at this hour!"

Weiss started to stammer. "I—w-well you see…she was insistent after I mentioned Pyrrha—"

"Weiss," Winter sighed this time and ran a slow hand through her hair. "We've had this discussion. That is not Pyrrha Nikos."

Ruby winced, more confirmation that Weiss was seeing things, which would only upset Weiss more.

"Winter, I have to show Ruby. We're already out of bed, we're already here. Would it really be so bad to take us?"

"Your…friend," she glared at Ruby who sank into the chair as far as she could. "Could reopen her wound or do more damage to herself. She appears to be quite reckless and you enabling her is not helping."

"Winter…please?" Weiss begged and Ruby realized she'd never heard that much desperation in Weiss' voice before.

As she watched the eldest Schnee daughter, she saw her take a deep breath and hastily shut the door in their faces.

"Umm…" Ruby looked up at Weiss who was shaking her head and then back to the door. She could hear a few sounds coming from inside but for the most part it seemed like they'd been told no—rather rudely in fact.

Then, what could have only been a minute later, the door opened again and Winter stood in full uniform and aggressively tying her hair up.

"What?" Ruby murmured. "How?"

"Come then, if you are going to be so insistent about this then let's get it over with."

Winter stomped passed them and Weiss quickly started to push Ruby again to follow.

Once the reached the elevator again, the air was tense. Winter, despite being in full uniform, still looked like she was ready to kill the next person to speak to her. Ruby kept her mouth shut, knowing she'd already pushed both Schnee girls far too much tonight.

"Days ago you were nearly dead and now my sister is pushing you around in a wheelchair." Winter cast a glance at Weiss. "You could reopen her stitches—they're still fresh. There are a thousand things that could go wrong, all for this fantasy—"

"Winter!" Weiss cut her off. "It is not a fantasy, and I was careful with Ruby. She'll be okay…my aura is connected to her, I can handle anything that might happen—which it won't."

Winter shook her head and looked away as the elevator reached the desired floor.

The trek was long and it was hard for Weiss to keep pace with Winter—her boots clipping quickly across the concrete. The air in this part of the base was chilly and somewhat unsettling. There was very little light and at this hour it made navigating quite hard. There were only a few dim lights strung from the high ceiling and to their right was a tall railing that overlooked an area below that Ruby couldn't see.

Eventually, they reached a ramp that Weiss carefully guided Ruby down and beyond that was a heavily guarded door that Winter stopped at and began pressing numbers into a screen. She then placed her entire hand on the screen and Ruby watched the green light shimmer across it, going up and down. A loud beep followed and the latch opened.

"Ten minutes," Winter said to one of the guards pointedly.

"Yes ma'am." He returned with a salute and Winter waved Weiss forward and she started pushing again.

This hallway was much different—very narrow and extremely bright. The walls were white and empty of any design or change.

In the distance, Ruby could see another door, this one was made of metal and had four heavily armed guards standing in front of it. They quickly stepped to the side as Winter approached and she moved to the intimidating door and was once again met with a screen that needed a code and a handprint.

She quickly unlocked the new levels of security and reached for the handle of the door.

It unlatched with a burst of air, it was sealed extremely tight and strong burst of cold air hit them. Ruby was suddenly very grateful for Weiss' jacket draped over her.

Once the air cleared, Ruby could see into the room and was met with a sheet of extremely thick glass. Beyond that was a wide open room and one lone figure chained to the floor and lying on it's side.

It was the beast, and from this distance all she could see was human skin marked with black streaks and deep scars that covered it's entire body.

Her heart started to beat faster with every breath she took. It was obvious that this was not a Grimm, but there was something very Grimm-like about it.

"Weiss…can we get closer?"

Ruby asked Weiss but looked to Winter who merely gestured for them to approach—she was clearly not worried about it attacking them, so Weiss moved Ruby closer to the glass.

She stared intensely at the beast lying on the ground. It was chained by the wrist, waist and around the neck. There was a tube stuck in it's back that led up through the cage into a large machine - Ruby could only assume that was how they kept it sedated.

Without the armor it looked so much smaller.

A small part of her almost felt sorry for it, seeing it in this state. She knew what it had done, been witness so some of the tragedy that had been left in it's wake—in it's chase for her.

Still, as unsettling as it was to see—she still did not see Pyrrha.

"Weiss—I don't—"

Her sentence was interrupted by the sound of something crashing hard against the glass and clattering across the concrete floor.

"Weiss!" Winter screamed and Ruby watched a metal dumpster roll away, dented from the impact. Weiss had picked it up and thrown it at the glass. "What in the world has gotten into you?! What are you—"

A clattering of chains silenced Winter and Ruby turned to see that the beast had stirred, pushing up on it's hands, trying to stand against the restraint of it's shackles.

"Push more tranquilizer!" A guard shouted.

"No!" Weiss cried out. "Not yet, let Ruby see her!"

Ruby was scared, watching this thing stand up—she was terrified and in no position to fight. The glass was thick, it had easily absorbed Weiss' trash can throw, but this was a monster she'd failed to stop a dozen times. This glass, this base could not contain it.

She watched it stand and turn it's head…that's when the mass of red hair came into view. It was messy and dirty, but the red shone through regardless and the more of it's face was revealed, the harder Ruby's heart pounded.

It locked eyes with her and she saw the most painfully familiar color of green staring back at her. Ruby's breath caught in her throat—she felt like she was choking.

Suddenly it was moving towards her, the shackles tightening as it pulled and struggled. It had seen her, it wanted her.

However, from this position now, she could see that it wasn't a "it" at all.

"No," her voice broke as though a nightmare was played out right in front of her.

"Ruby I'm sorry," Weiss whispered, suddenly close to her ear—an arm around her shoulder. "I wish I was wrong."

Winter's silence was deafening and she seemed as in shock as Ruby was. Clearly they had not let it move around this much since they'd captured it.

For Ruby, all she could see was those eyes and that hair and the friend she'd watched die thousands of times in her dreams. She was suffocating on the fear and heartbreak tearing inside of her, she needed to be away from this place.

"Weiss…please—I can't—"

No other explanation was needed and Winter was screaming at her guards to sedate it.

Her.

As Weiss backed her out of the room, she watched the sedative settle in and saw Pyrrha fall to her knees, still staring at Ruby, before she sagged against her restraints and fell over.

Chapter 18: Family

Chapter Text

"Our lead story today; more reports of White Fang activity throughout the city of Vale. Four shops were targeted and set on fire, killing four and injuring over a dozen. Police throughout the city have begun round the clock patrols of the streets and there has been talk of a potential curfew to be put into effect if any more of these terror attacks occur."

Blake stared at the figure of Lisa Lavendar plastered on the wall from the projector and listened to the reports. Even though she'd gone to great lengths to take down the man who'd guided the White Fang down such a dark path—she knew the pattern of the White Fang and removing one head would only sprout four more.

It hurt her, to see a group that had once raised her and given her so much pride now fall so far. They were terrorists, plain and simple. Killing now just for sport, for fun—not even to spread any kind of message. They wanted power, not equality and try as she might, Blake couldn't fully detach herself from them enough to no longer care.

Still, there was nothing she could do right now. Not from this base and she wasn't about to leave and become some vigilante trying to take them down. No, she had work to do here that was much bigger than the White Fang and much more important. As hard as it was for her to see them doing so much damage, her current family mattered more.

Having long since been discharged from her stay in the medical bay, Blake spent most of her time trying to help Weiss take care of the restless sisters. While Ruby had become rather quiet and distant during her stay in recovery, Yang was a nightmare of nerves in preparation for her surgery.

It was now the night before her surgery and though they wouldn't be attaching the new arm tomorrow, they would be cleaning up her stump and making sure everything was good. It was a big step forward, one that Yang had clearly not given much thought before coming to this base.

Now that she was here, she was a mess.

"Is it hard for you?" The voice startled Blake and she looked back onto the bed behind here where Yang was lying. They were here for another surgery prep, Yang needed to spec out the prosthetics for her arm and Blake offered to take her. Everyone was busy with other things, including Taiyang taking care of Ruby (as well as Weiss who had grown even more protective of her partner the more Ruby's mood declined). Which left Blake to be the one charged with Yang duty.

A task she gratefully accepted.

"Is what hard? The White Fang news?" Yang nodded. "I mean…there really isn't anything I can do about it. They've clearly found new leadership, leaders that are less big picture and more attack at random and make noise. It's too much noise—they're spreading themselves too thin with all of these attacks and it's going to end up hurting them. I've heard humans call the White Fang terrorists before but I've never heard it said in the news like that."

She watched Yang shift uncomfortably in the hospital bed—they were early because Yang had no patience. Her appointment wasn't for another forty minutes but Blake didn't argue. These rooms were quiet and isolated, which she appreciated.

Stepping to the side of the bed, Blake sat down on the chair and carefully put her leg up on Yang's bed. While her wound had healed, it was still pretty sore and walking was about all she could do.

"What was it like? Living with the White Fang?" Yang shrugged. "Growing up with them?"

Blake pondered the question for a moment—trying to figure out the best way to explain. "It was…busy." She said and Yang looked up at her curiously. "You didn't just grow up; you were taught how to be a member. Before Adam took over leadership, the White Fang was really about education. They wanted the Faunus to understand history and why what we were doing was so important."

"Like school?" Yang seemed genuinely curious.

So much so that Blake found herself wanting to open up more. "School, training in combat if that's what you wanted, learning our history and even interacting with human supporters. We wanted to be accepted—to be welcome and treated equally. It's why it took me so long to leave after Adam gained control and started changing the way we delivered our message. I loved what we were doing at first, I wanted to be a part of that change. It felt like a life worth living. Leaving that and realizing it wasn't what I had dreamed about anymore was the hardest decision I ever made. Well, at the time." She hoped Yang would understand the meaning behind her words. That the decision to leave the White Fang was her defining moment for a very long time, until the day she ran away from her partner. That decision usurped any previous one as the hardest she'd ever had to make.

"What kinds of missions did you go on?" Yang asked cautiously and Blake couldn't help herself.

"Why so curious all of the sudden?"

Yang shrugged again but didn't retreat from her question. "It's a part of your life, a big part, and I don't know anything about it. I know you liked to keep it to yourself at Beacon, but I'd listen if you wanted to talk about it. Clearly, I mean, I did ask." Yang was so good at bluntly opening up that Blake couldn't help but follow suit.

The way Yang smiled at her certainly didn't help either. "Whenever I get asked that question I'm pretty sure it's mostly looking for one thing in particular."

"Wh—what's that?" Yang stammered, which only confirmed Blake's suspicion.

"Did I kill anyone?" Instead of keeping up a charade, Yang merely shrugged and looked down. "I never killed anyone…for the White Fang." Blake admitted and watched as Yang's mood seemed to perk up. "But…I did a lot of things I'm not proud of. I kidnapped people, I destroyed shops that were people's livelihoods. I was also…very good at interrogating people."

"Is that a skill?"

Blake sighed. "It must be because they kept making me do it."

"Who did you interrogate?"

She suddenly remembered a small room with no windows and one dim light in the corner. Blake always hated that room, it was cold and dirty. She'd shower for hours after each interrogation—scrubbing herself hard enough to bleed and still not feeling any cleaner.

"There were often times that our missions would be tipped off—most of the time I was interrogating our own people out of fear of treason."

Yang's eyes went wide. "Your own people? Why?"

Blake shrugged. "It's not easy for everyone to hurt strangers. Even if they were human, it's still a stain on your own skin." When Yang didn't respond, Blake continued. "Other than that I was on a lot of stealth missions. I've always been good at being quiet and unnoticed. I stole a lot of different things—from food to large quantities of dust."

"Like Schnee dust?"

Answering this question in a military base run by a Schnee was probably not the best idea. But Blake had done her homework of this place every single day. She knew where the security cameras were, she knew every guard rotation and every single exit. This room was as safe as any.

"Yes," it felt good to admit it out loud. Even though she felt awful about it now, especially knowing Weiss and how much taking from the Schnee's had affected her. "You do the job you're given. It was no different than when were assigned duties at Beacon. You have superiors and you follow the rules—otherwise there are punishments."

Yang narrowed her eyes just a bit. "What kind of punishments?"

"I don't know," Blake answered easily. "I only ever broke the rules once."

With another nod, Yang seemed to trail off in her own head and Blake felt the weight of all her admissions looming over her. Her time with the White Fang was a part of her now, it always would be. She could never go back and change it and in a way she didn't want to. Not because she enjoyed the memories, even the good ones weren't worth remembering—but because of where it led her.

If she'd grown up as a regular Faunus, then she probably wouldn't end up at Beacon and wouldn't have met her team.

She wouldn't have met Yang, who was her favorite person in the world. Not that she was close with very many.

"So what about you?" Yang's lilac eyes turned to Blake and something about the look Yang gave made Blake's heart start to pound in her chest. Sometimes, Yang was breathtakingly beautiful.

"What about me?"

Blake quickly hammered down the rising tension in her chest and composed herself. "I mean this is a pretty big deal—are you nervous? Scared? Wishing it was your father here with you instead of me?"

"Yes, yes and no." Yang answered quickly but didn't say much else.

"Okay, we'll start from the top—why are you scared?"

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Because it's surgery and that sh*t is scary?"

"Are you afraid of the surgery or are you afraid of the prosthetic?"

This comment made Yang's eyes narrow. "Will you stop that."

"What?"

"Reading my mind! Of course I'm afraid of the prosthetic. I don't—it's going to look so strange."

Blake felt her ears rise at that. "Since when has being strange bothered you?"

"I don't know," Yang sighed. "It's hard, you know? I mean I already looked different with just the one arm. People act weird around you. They stare, they move away from you like you might break down and need them for something. I used to go shopping with my dad and wear a big coat so I could pretend I just had my arms crossed the entire time. It was stupid and childish—I hated how it affected me. Being different is hard."

With a soft laugh, Blake twitched her ears playfully. "You don't say?"

"Alright," Yang mimicked her laugh. "I forgot who I was talking too for a second. But then you understand. When all you want is to do is go out and eat at your favorite restaurant but the family sitting across from you keeps looking in your direction and their three-year-old is staring at you, it's hard to enjoy anything."

She wasn't wrong and Blake knew first hand what it was like to be gawked at. It's why she wore the bow at Beacon. Sure, she could have gotten along at the academy as a Faunus—Velvet dealt with it every day, but Velvet was stronger than her. Blake grew tired of the attention; it was never anything she'd ever really wanted anyway. Being singled out for something she couldn't control was awful. Growing up, the White Fang had taught her to be proud of her heritage and to appreciate her uniqueness. Yet, the real world only ever saw her as different—for a long time it made her feel broken.

So she wore a bow and tried to hide. Only when her teammates accepted who she was did she start to feel pride in her differences again. Even then, she couldn't quite find the strength to take that bow off.

"It's frustrating, I understand that. But with a new prosthetic you can get yourself back into the fight."

Yang scoffed. "I haven't fought in years."

"Yes, but it's all muscle memory and you've certainly not lost any of your—" Blake lost her voice as she realized she was on the brink of fawning over Yang's body.

However, she must not have stopped herself soon enough because Yang was smirking at her. "Like what you see?" She asked before flexing her left arm and Blake could only purse her lips and stare as a well defined bicep formed.

"I do," she admitted but managed to restrain herself. "It's good that you've kept yourself in shape, despite being out of active combat, when you're ready to return you'll be able to do so much easier than starting from scratch."

She watched Yang's smirk turn into a true smile before she lowered her arm and suddenly looked conflicted. "So you think I can get back into fighting? Get this new arm and just…pick up where I left off?"

Blake nodded. "I don't see why not. Assuming Weiss has given you the same kind of functioning prosthetic that general Ironwood has then it should be more than capable of keeping up with the rest of you."

"Blake," Yang's face eased and her smile returned. "I really missed you."

"Well you better get used to me," she stood up and strode over to the bed, her sore leg a bit tight from being seated for so long. Reaching out, she dropped a hand on Yang's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm not going anywhere." She glanced at the door and then back at Yang. "Well, I mean that in a broader sense—because I actually do have something I need to do when your doctor arrives, but I'll come back."

That hammering in her heart returned when Yang reached up and laid a calloused hand over her own. "So long as you come back—that's all I ask. Just…always come back."

It hit her like an inferno—she wanted to kiss Yang in this moment more than she'd wanted anything in her life. Instead, she settled for a kiss on the top of her head and a promise. "I will always come back."

Once Yang's doctor had arrived and Yang assured her she was fine for the third time, Blake took her leave and promised to return shortly. For now, Blake had decided to take her own advice. After telling Yang that it was okay for her to get back into the fight and start trying to become who she'd wanted to be years ago, Blake realized she needed to do the exact same thing.

Which led her here, standing outside Winter Schnee's office.

With three soft knocks, she stepped back and waited—listening to the sound of boots clapping against the ground and moving towards her. When the door opened, Winter stood in front of her with her brows drawn in confusion.

"Can I help you?"

Blake bit back her anxiety and held her head high. "The White Fang is a serious problem.'

"So says the Faunus." Winter countered quickly and Blake's anxiety turned to frustration.

"Which should only drive home my point even more. That I, the Faunus, is concerned with a Faunus extremist group."

Winter crossed her arms. "A group you were once an active member of," Blake had not expected Winter to know that.

"Weiss—"

"My sister said nothing, though I am glad to know that you've told her—considering how closely the two of you worked together. No, Ms. Belladonna, I've done my own research on all of Weiss' teammates. Your history was, by far, the most interesting."

"I've done nothing to wrong your sister. She's my friend."

"So it seems," Winter nodded once before stepping aside. "Please, come in and we can discuss your concerns."

Blake hesitated. "Really?"

Winter rolled her eyes. "My family may have trust issues when it comes to your kind, and for good reason—but it's narrow minded to hate blindly and you've given me no reason to distrust you so far. You took a spear to your leg for my sister's girl—her partner." Blake had to fight not to chuckle at how tense Winter became at the mention of Ruby.

Eventually, she conceded and moved into Winter's office. It was far more personal that Blake had expected. There were a few framed pictures on the walls and a well hung medal just behind Winter's desk. While the desk itself was painstakingly organized, Blake's eyes fell onto one picture in particular.

It was a photo of Winter and Weiss. They were much younger, Winter had Weiss hoisted on her back and both girls were laughing joyously. It seemed so out of character for the two Schnee women that Blake knew now. She wondered what situation could have brought that out of both of them. Perhaps the world hadn't taken it from them yet

For as much as Blake tried to hate Weiss for her upbringing and how lavishly she certainly lived—Blake new well enough to know that Weiss grew up in a life she had very little control over. Which was oddly and painfully familiar.

As she sat down, Blake watched Winter move around the desk to retake her seat. She pressed a few buttons and her projection display closed. Winter placed her hands on her desk and gave Blake her full attention.

"So, you're here about the White Fang. This is not a military matter."

"It very easily could be." Blake warned, knowing how reckless the White Fang had been lately there was no telling what they might do.

Still, Winter seemed less than concerned. "Their numbers are dwindling by the day. They've become careless and—pardon the phrase—animalistic. They're violent and lacking any strong leadership. We have enough problems right now."

"You don't understand, Winter. The White Fang can't just disappear. They're a voice for the Faunus."

Winter scoffed. "They've become nothing more than a blade for your people." She quickly punched up her display again. "I could show you a dozen reports in the last month of White Fang attacks, murders and armed robberies. The only help we should be giving in regards to them is to the police trying to stop them."

"They represented hope, once, you can't just wipe that away!" Blake hated how desperate her voice sounded.

Not that Winter flinched. "And Beacon was once considered the safest academy in all of Remnant. Once, it was thought that nothing could stop General Ironwood's army. Things change, Ms. Belladonna. You and I having this conversation is a testament to that."

"What does that mean?"

Winter took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. "I know your associations with the White Fang. I know you were raised by them and you left them to attend Beacon."

"How do you—"

"I told you, I did my research on Weiss' team. I've given you the benefit of the doubt because Weiss trusts you and you've given me no reason to think otherwise. It's obvious you care for your team—for my sister—and it's admirable. But you are a Faunus and no more than a few years ago the second you walked into this office I would have killed you dead." Winter's voice dropped dangerous and Blake tensed in her chair. "The White Fang destroyed my father. They made his life miserable. Killing his business partners, his family…my family. Stealing from him and every single night he would come home furious and who do you think took the brunt of that?"

Blake swallowed thickly and remembered very similar words coming from Weiss right before she revealed who she was. Of course those thoughts had plagued her—Blake knew better than anyone that there were always two sides to every story. But the suffering Winter and Weiss went through didn't lessen her own. It didn't make up for the childhood she never had because she was forced to grow up in fear of who she was.

She steadied herself. "I am sorry for whatever you and your sister went through. Whatever pain the White Fang caused, I apologize for that. But they were my family. I grew up with them, I suffered through bigotry and hatred with all of them. I can't speak for them all but I never wanted violence—I wanted equality. I wanted feel like these ears on the top of my head didn't make me a monster. But we only ever got anywhere with violence. Our voices were never as loud as our weapons." She felt the tears brimming in the back of her eyes but refused to cry in front of this woman. "I hated it and I hated people like you for turning us into that. I didn't want to be a monster." Blake thought she might break the armrest of the chair she sat in from squeezing it. "I want to save the White Fang."

Winter's eyes were narrowed as she glowered in silence. Blake could tell she was processing, though she wasn't sure which point.

After a long minute, she spoke again. "How? How can one person make the White Fang worth keeping around?"

"Like you said, they're careless now—lacking leadership and guidance. They've been taught with nothing but violence but it has no direction. If you take out those in charge then the rest will be left waiting for a new voice."

"So that's what this is? A power play? You want to control the White Fang?"

Blake shook her head. "I told you, I want to save them. You said it yourself, I'm here with you. Years ago no Faunus would have set foot in this room but I am here and I've been here. I've lived both lives. Amongst the Faunus, the White Fang and the humans. We can get along, but they have to believe it. They have to see it. If they see the two of us working together, asking them to join a united force to help foster peace—it's a start."

To her credit, Winter wasn't completely refusing the idea. If anything, she seemed to be considering it. "What makes you think any of them will listen to you?"

"I don't know that they will. What I do know is that you have the resources to stop what little strength they have left. I agree, the White Fang as it is now needs to be contained, but completely removing it will be a massive blow to the Faunus who are only looking for peace and acceptance."

With a heavy sigh, Winter closed her display again and rose from her chair. Blake found herself following and they were eye to eye again. "It would appear that the White Fang is acting exclusively in Vale. I will speak with my superior about sending a strike team there to control the threat. It shouldn't be a hard sell considering their recent uprising in violence. When you are cleared by our medical staff for active combat—you and I will be accompanying the team to Vale and we'll see if the White Fang is worth saving."

It was a chance and that's all Blake had ever wanted—a chance to broker peace on her terms. She never would have imagined that a Schnee would grant her this opportunity.

"Thank you, Winter." She said, hoping her voice would convey just how grateful she was.

With a gentle nod, Winter accepted the thanks and Blake quietly exited to go find her team.

After her chat with Winter, Blake spent the rest of her day with Ruby, Weiss and Jaune in Ruby's room. It was, to say the least, a very subdued environment That was because Ruby was extremely distant and quiet. No matter how hard any of them tried to include her in the conversation, Ruby would just nod and maybe say a few words, then slip back into her own world. It was tough to watch Weiss trying so hard to make Ruby feel better and always coming up short.

Even when Yang showed up a few hours later, giving full details about her procedure the next day and seeming genuinely excited about it, Ruby barely cracked a smile. Eventually Blake and the rest of them just let Ruby keep to herself. They picked up small conversations with one another and Jaune began to tell them about some of his time in the last few years.

Jaune Arc was not the same boy that Blake had remembered from Beacon. He was much calmer and controlled in everything he did. There was very little clumsiness or self doubt anymore. He'd seen a lot of harsh realities and it had changed him for the better—helped him to grow up and become a leader.

Even though he had no team left to lead.

"It's nice to see you guys though, I feel like you've all been so busy since I finally showed up." Jaune said with a soft smile as he leaned back in the chair he sat in next to Ruby's bed.

Blake couldn't help but notice that Weiss had made sure her chair was just a few inches closer to Ruby. "Yes well, the world still doesn't stand still for you Mr. Arc." Weiss quipped and Blake thought it was perhaps a touch rude, but Jaune only grinned.

"Oh I figured that out a long time ago. Like when I was trying to ask Ozpin how to land in the forest."

On the couch that sat alongside the far wall, Blake sat next to Yang and had the pleasure of hearing her partner let out a less than delicate laugh. "That was so much fun. I was kind of hoping we'd get to do that again at some point."

"It was certainly an interesting way to start our training." Weiss noted as she had absentmindedly taken Ruby's hand and was filing her nails. Ruby didn't seem to mind, then again, Blake wondered if Ruby even knew they were still in the room. "I just knew that I would run into this dolt first and be stuck with her." Weiss again tried and when she looked at Ruby, was met with silence.

Blake's heart broke at Weiss' brief hurt expression—but it was gone a moment later and she continued her task.

"So what about you?" Yang spoke up again—trying to distract everyone from the obvious tension. It was only when she felt a nudge at her side did Blake realize the question was directed at her.

"What about me?"

"How did you land in the forest? I mean, I don't wanna stereotype or anything but…do all cats land on their feet?"

Blake rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from smiling. "I do my best to always land on my feet, yes. Though I attribute that more to my rigorous training."

"You mean your cat like reflexes?" The only thing that drown out Blake's groan was Weiss'. "Oh come on, that was a good one!"

"There is no such thing as a good one when it comes to you, Yang." Weiss' eyes rolled so much Blake wondered if they might stick. Of course this only made Jaune and Blake laugh and Yang feel even more proud of herself. "So what about you, Jaune? How did you land—given how frightened you were by the whole endeavor?"

Blake peeked up at Jaune only to see that his smile had fallen and he was pensively staring at the floor. Almost immediately, Blake knew where his answer was going.

"I honestly didn't," he exhaled and Blake saw his smile show through just a little. "Pyrrha she—caught me in the air with her spear and stuck me to a tree."

The consistent sound of Weiss' nail file stopped almost immediately and Blake saw her face pale. Next to her, Ruby seemingly lost focus on everything. She was staring at the wall and there were tears in her eyes.

Suddenly, Weiss stood up and carefully laid Ruby's hand at her side. "Okay, I think Ruby needs to rest." She said with that familiar Weiss authority that meant she was in no mood to argue.

Which, of course, only made Yang argue. "What? It's barely 7:30? We can't just leave her here alone."

"Yang," Blake spoke up and lilac eyes turned to her. "I don't even think Ruby knows we're here anymore."

Yang's brows furrowed together and she shifted her gaze to Ruby on the bed. Blake had the unfortunate position of watching Yang realize that Ruby was entirely disconnected from them. She stood up and strode towards her sister, pushing past Weiss and kneeling next to the bed.

"Hey, Rubes?" Yang tried but Ruby just stared into the distance. A tear streaked down her cheek and Yang reached up to brush it away. Only then did Ruby refocus and look at her sister. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Wh—what?" Ruby seemed genuinely confused when she looked at Yang. "I—I'm just tired."

Yang shook her head, blonde hair bouncing from side to side, and looked up at Jaune. "Can you go find my dad and my uncle, please?" Jaune quickly nodded and left the room on a mission. Blake watched Yang run a hand through her sister's hair—she was so gentle, as if she was afraid she might break her. "Weiss? How long has she been like this? She was fine yesterday."

"No she wasn't," Weiss spoke in a low voice, her own eyes red and pooling with unshed tears. "She was never fine." With that, Weiss stomped out of the room and left both Blake and Yang confused.

Blake pulled herself up. "I'll go talk to her."

Yang nodded, still confused, but turned back to her sister as Blake left in pursuit of Weiss.

The search didn't last very long because Weiss didn't make it very far. Blake found her curled up in between a standing water fountain and an open door. She looked so small seating the way she was—with her knees tucked up under her chin as she hugged herself.

There was just enough room next to Weiss for Blake to fit herself in—still she stopped just about Weiss and waited for permission.

It was given when Weiss scooted over just a little and Blake slid down next to her.

Blake stretched out, her leg not quite ready to tuck in the way Weiss was and she looked over at the youngest Schnee and waited.

Weiss sniffled a few times and wiped at her tired eyes. Eventually, she laid her head back against the wall behind her.

"I don't know what to do for her." Weiss admitted almost angrily, softly bouncing her head off the wall. "I should have kept it from her."

"Kept what from her?"

Weiss closed her eyes and Blake thought she was on the verge of bursting into tears. After a few moments, she settled down and exhaled. "Pyrrha's alive." Blake was almost certain she'd misheard. "Well…I don't know—maybe her corpse has just been reanimated. Whatever it is, that monster chasing Ruby…it's Pyrrha."

"Wh—what?" Blake's voice betrayed her and broke as she spoke. It couldn't be, Pyrrha had died—Blake had visited her gravestone during her travels. She'd said her goodbyes. How would something like that even happen? "Weiss are you sure?"

She nodded tiredly. "If I wasn't before, when I showed Ruby a few days ago I knew because…she knew. It's Pyrrha but she's…a monster. She's not human and it's awful and I don't know what to do for Ruby because it's so hard for her. I shouldn't have shown her. I should have just kept it to myself."

Blake couldn't fully process what Weiss was telling her—it was too much. At the same time, she still had a friend who needed her so she pushed aside all of that and refocused. "You know you had to tell her, that's why you told her. But Weiss I think Ruby's problems go beyond even Pyrrha. She's not okay."

"I know," Weiss sighed. "I want to see about getting her to a therapist to talk about some of the things she's been going through. I just know that if I bring it up with her, she'll be upset at me."

"You're probably right," Blake was certain Ruby would not handle being told to see a therapist well. "But if you think it's what she needs, then it's your job as her partner—her girlfriend—to do what's best for her."

Despite nodding, Weiss still seemed unsure. "What if she hates me?"

Blake could only smile. "I think you love her enough to risk it, don't you?" The answer came in the heavy blush that covered Weiss' cheek at the word 'love' being thrown out. It seemed as if Weiss had come to a decision, but there was more to discuss. "Have you told Jaune?"

"Oh no," Weiss panicked just a little. "Blake I couldn't. That's his partner. Pyrrha was—you remember how they were? It would destroy him."

"It might," she shrugged. "But if it were Yang…I'd want to know. Wouldn't you?"

The words seemed to sink in for Weiss and it made her even more upset. "Blake I don't know if I can tell him. I could barely tell Ruby and…Pyrrha's not like we remember her. She is a monster. Whenever she even senses Ruby it's just this unwavering fury. It's horrifying."

Reaching over, Blake laid a hand on Weiss' knee and drew a pair of blue eyes to look into her own. "It's his partner, Weiss. He deserves to know."

Weiss groaned and lowered her head in defeat. "I know."

Suddenly there were footsteps coming towards them and they both glanced up to see Taiyang and Qrow racing past them towards the room Ruby and Yang were in with Jaune coming up slowly behind him.

"Oh, hey—I should probably not go back in there huh?" He said when he saw Blake and Weiss sitting together.

Blake pushed herself up off the hard ground and clasped onto Weiss' hand to drag her up as well. "Probably not," Blake said, dusting off her pants.

"I should probably go speak with Winter about bringing someone in for Ruby." Weiss said but Blake loudly cleared her throat and watched Weiss wince. "Ugh, but first I—Jaune, I need to speak with you."

He seemed very confused, no doubt because Weiss had been sending him jealous glares every time he stood anywhere close to Ruby. Knowing Jaune, he probably thought Weiss was going to lure him away and have him taken out.

"Um, I guess?"

Weiss nodded curtly. "Good, let's go for a walk."

When Jaune looked at Blake for help, she shook her head. "I'm going to go get some food for the others, you go with Weiss."

Despite the look of betrayal on his face, Jaune followed Weiss down the hallway and Blake began her quest to find cookies for Ruby.

Chapter 19: Monster

Chapter Text

Jaune walked too slow. That was mostly what Weiss took out of this moment right now. Jaune Arc was an incredibly slow mover and it was driving her insane. She wanted to take him to see Pyrrha before actually telling him anything. Because she knew at the first mention of her name it would set him off and she would never manage to reel him back in.

Still, she didn't expect him to move so slowly.

"Jaune?" She tried to keep her tone as light as possible. She was about to ruin his life so she felt it was her obligation to treat him well.

"Y—yeah?"

"You're dawdling; would you care to tell me why?"

He shrugged and then stopped moving altogether. Weiss bit back a growl of frustration. "It's just strange that you wanted to talk to me, is all. You've kinda looked like you wanted to kill me from the second I arrived."

"Oh Jaune," Weiss scoffed. "That's just because it's been quite tense around here the last few days. There's been so much going on."

"True," he nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "But you also tense up every time I get anywhere close to Ruby."

Weiss felt her eyes narrow. They were, apparently, going to do this now. "Yes well…she's been injured. I'm just making sure she's okay."

"I'm not gonna hurt her," Jaune said in all seriousness and he looked a bit offended. "I care about her a lot." As the words settled over her, Weiss continued to stare at him and she knew her expression had soured even more. "But you love her."

Her anger dissipated and turned to shock as her eyes went wide and her face started to heat up. "Is everyone going to tell me how I feel about Ruby today?!"

Jaune seemed to relax as he smirked. "Are we wrong?"

"I—well—no! Shut up Jaune Arc!" Her outburst only made him laugh more and suddenly Weiss hated it. She hated seeing him laugh because she still had to break his heart. "Listen, Jaune…you're right and I apologize. It was selfish of me to think that you were nothing more than a good friend to Ruby. You were there for her when the rest of us weren't and while I don't speak for everyone, I will tell you that I am glad you never abandoned her."

His smirk faded but he still seemed happy with her words. "I couldn't, even when she started trying to push me away and make me leave. We had a run in while we were in Vale—with the monster." Weiss winced, unsure if she even wanted to hear the rest of the story. "It was right when it started chasing us. We'd only seen it a few times but we underestimated it. At the time we were just…drifters. We'd stay where we could, eat when we could and sometimes even help people with various things to earn some money. One night we stayed with this really great family. I think Ruby really enjoyed it. They had two little boys that just loved Ruby and her big weapon." She saw Jaune's eyes darken as his shoulders tensed. Weiss had read enough news columns since Ruby came back to know where this was heading. "It found us in the home and just…"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Did whatever it needed to get to Ruby." When she looked at Jaune again, he was nodding.

"Ruby tried to protect the boys—that's what she does, you know? She throws her life in front of others." Weiss felt a lump building in her throat. "I thought I could get them all out but we didn't know then how fast it was." The more he spoke, the harder it was for him and Weiss had heard enough.

"Please don't rehash bad memories on my account. I've read the reports and I think I can understand what happened well enough."

Jaune nodded, clearly upset. "Thanks—yeah it was…uh…it was really bad. Ruby didn't talk for a long time after that. She was quiet and she would hardly eat, I don't think she slept much either—I know she blamed herself. Eventually though she just…started talking again and never really brought it up. I was glad to have her back but it just felt way too easy, you know?" Weiss nodded when she realized he was waiting for her to respond. All she could think about was how Ruby had absolutely blamed herself, because Ruby thought it was her responsibility to take care of everyone. It was hard for her to stay here with Jaune and not run back to Ruby and comfort her.

Yang will take care of her, you're doing this for her.

"Don't worry, Jaune. I will do everything that I can to ensure that Ruby is well taken care of." He nodded but she could still see a bit of trepidation in his eyes. "And I will try and be less…aggressive when you're around her."

Jaune grinned. "I'd appreciate it."

"However," Weiss couldn't hesitate anymore—she had to get this over with. "I need to take you somewhere and I won't lie to you Jaune, it's going to be very hard for you." She could think of no better way to word it and even though she knew he was probably even more confused; it was something that could only be seen.

The pathway was the same, only this time Weiss had been given clearance from Winter. To her credit, Winter had been working to help Weiss gain more of a grip on her own life. Allowing her to be involved in everything involving Pyrrha and getting regular updates on her teammates conditions from the physicians.

As Weiss led the way, Jaune followed behind her with awe as he stared up at the high ceilings and fancy technology everywhere. There were guards scattered on every corner, as always and Jaune was certain to take long steps to avoid them.

Once they reached the narrow hallway that led to one lone door at the end, Jaune stopped.

"Weiss, what's going on? We've been walking forever."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, and we're almost there, we would have been there if you would stop gawking and stopping and just followed me."

"I don't understand why you're being so secretive!" He crossed his arms defiantly.

Weiss glowered at him for a moment, trying to remind herself that she was most likely about to destroy his entire world. Still, as Blake had said; he had a right to know. So she softened and let the tension in her shoulders melt away. "We're almost there…please trust me."

"Alright," Jaune conceded. "I'm just not looking forward to the walk back is all, this part of the base is really far underground.

For good reason.

Once they reached the door, the guards stepped aside as Weiss held up her new badge and punched in the code. It felt good to be respected—some entitled part of her that had buried itself deep in her roots took pride in it.

The latch unlocked and both guards positioned their weapons in more of a prepared stance.

"Wow, this is some seriously heavy security. Like right out of an X-Ray and Vav comic." Jaune was again in awe and clearly had yet to see what Weiss could not take her eyes off.

Pyrrha was still restrained, still being pumped with sedative and Weiss could only wonder how she was still alive. As far as she knew they hadn't fed her or given her water. They hadn't done anything. All she knew was that every two hours, the sedative would wear off and whatever was left of Pyrrha Nikos' body would try to stand and escape.

If Weiss' calculations were correct, it was about an hour and fifty-eight minutes since they'd last dosed her.

"Jaune," Weiss finally called out when she grew anxious from waiting. Looking back, she could see that he was staring directly into the large, glass encased cell.

His expression terrified her, like waking up in the middle of a nightmare only to find out every single part of it was real. He was scared, more so than that he looked like the world had betrayed him.

"Wh—what is this?" His words were shaky and he took a step back. "Weiss, what…what is that?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Hold off ninety seconds on the sedative!" Weiss cried out to the guards, hoping that her authority would reach this far. Stepping over, she grabbed Jaune by the arm and he flinched at the contact. "Jaune," he looked at her with untamed aggression. "Please try and relax."

"What is this? That's—she's dead, Weiss. What is she doing here? What is happening?"

Her grip on him tightened when he tried to pull away. "Jaune, please you need to control yourself and take a moment to let this all sink in. This is the monster that was chasing you and Ruby for so long. This is what we fought before you arrived. This is what killed that family, killed innocent people—what hurt Blake and Ruby. We don't know how but we just know that it is contained.

As the sound of rustling chains filled the silenced air, Jaune used enough force to tear free from Weiss' grip and push her away.

"That's not a monster!" He shouted before taking a step towards the glass and pressing his hands against it.

Weiss watched as the figure pushed up to stand and red hair dangled in front of it's—her face.

As her gaze shifted upward, the pair of bright green eyes looking back at them had never been more clear.

"Pyrrha…no." Jaune whispered in agony and Weiss tried to take a step towards him. He turned furiously on her. "How do I open this thing?!"

"Jaune, we cannot—she is dangerous!"

"She's in chains, Weiss! How do I open it?!" His voice sounded unfamiliar—darker. She'd never heard him speak so severely before.

"We don't, Jaune. It's not on my authority." Jaune took a step towards her and Weiss instinctively draped her hand over the hilt of Myrtenaster. "Prepare the sedative!"

"No!" She was ready when Jaune drew his sword and quickly held up her own. "Open this cell right now! I need to see her!"

Weiss stood with her rapier drawn as Jaune's shield unfolded in his arm. "Jaune, you need to calm down. You'll help no one like this."

"I only need to help her!"

"Look at her!" Weiss screamed and pointed into the cell where Pyrrha was dragging her feet towards them. "She's a monster, Jaune! She's not the girl you knew! She has no mind left, she has no soul! No part of her that you knew before is still in there!"

His sword was still drawn, still aimed at her, but he was staring at Pyrrha intensely. His eyes were locked onto her as his expression changed from anger to heartbreak and back again all in the span of seconds.

Suddenly, he threw his sword and shield on the ground. "I can help her." He moved towards Weiss but without this weapon he was little threat. "Weiss, please let me in there, I can help her!"

"Jaune you can't." She put her rapier away. "I brought you here because you deserved to know but there's nothing we can do for her."

"Weiss please," his eyes began to water, tears spilling over as he tried to fight them. "I can do something for her."

"You can't."

"Please!" He grabbed her shoulders. "What if it was Ruby? Wouldn't you want to try?"

"What can you do?" She felt herself wavering, but she couldn't just send him to his death.

Jaune surprised her with a smile. "I don't know, but I just…I have a hunch and I don't even know how to explain it. When she died, it hurt so much but I always thought it was too easy, you know? Like I lost her, but not all of her. Like a part of her was still with me." He placed a hand over his chest plate. "She gave some of herself to help me…maybe I can give it back."

Weiss knew two things were certain. One, if she let him into that cell, he was going to die. Two, if she didn't—she was going to have to kill him because he wouldn't stop.

Closing her eyes, she ready herself for the regret to come. "On the top of the cell there is a hatch. The code is two, three, one, four—in that order."

"What?"

Weiss glared at him. "Did you get the number?" She kept her voice down as the guards started to move in. Jaune nodded. "Good, now jump." He tilted his head in confusion. "Jump!"

He did, and suddenly a glyph was under his feet and it sent him skyrocketing into the air. Weiss watched him fly and fall back down right on top of the cell.

Her gaze turned downward to the monster who watched it all and was waiting below. Weiss heard the latch code being pressed in as guards shouted at him to stop. An alarm sounded that she knew was going throughout the station—she was in so much trouble.

Suddenly the hatch opened and Jaune jumped through—it was only then that Weiss realized he'd left his weapon on the floor.

Jaune rose to his feet, his eyes locked onto the figure of Pyrrha as it surveyed him. His hands were shaking and even still he had tears in his eyes.

"Pyrrha," he called out but the thing before him did not react in any way. "I'm so sorry," his voice broke. "I should have been stronger. I should have paid more attention—you were my partner and you were in pain and I should have done more. I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough." Jaune took one step forward before the beast leapt at him.

The chains reached their limit and she stopped just in front of him. Her eyes were wild and she snarled and slobbered with rage. Her screams were primal and unsettling, even with the glass between them and Weiss.

She couldn't imagine the fear Jaune felt.

Weiss could hear the sound of the sedatives being pushed and suddenly a pair of clipping heels were racing up behind her.

"Weiss what have you done?!" She winced at Winter's voice but couldn't tear her eyes away from Jaune.

Pyrrha's red hair was flailing as she continued to yank on her restraints in attempts to reach Jaune. Weiss knew if she did, Jaune would be torn to pieces—but he didn't seem scared.

Instead, he reached up with both his hands and gently cupped her cheeks. Even Winter gasped in shock.

"Pyrrha," Jaune whispered with as true of a smile as Weiss had ever seen.

A moment later, a strong glow emitted from his hands and suddenly the glass cell was filled with a brilliantly white light that caused everyone to have to look away. It was so intense and warm. Weiss swore it was seeping out of the prison

When the light finally subsided—Weiss raced to the glass to see if Jaune was okay. Once she could finally see again, she noticed that Jaune was still alive and he still had his hands on Pyrrha's face.

The difference was, all of Pyrrha's rage was gone. Instead, she was staring at him with wide, lucid eyes and tears spilling down her cheeks.

She slowly tumbled to her knees and Jaune went down with her. Weiss briefly panicked before remembering that they'd given her the sedative. Jaune continued to cradle her and Weiss' breath caught in her throat when one of Pyrrha's hands reached up and grabbed his.

"Jaune," she spoke and her voice gripped at Weiss' heart like a vice.

She heard Jaune let out a sharp sob before he cradled the quickly fading Pyrrha in his arms. "I'm sorry," he mumbled against her forehead and a moment later Pyrrha passed out.

"I give you…an inch of responsibility and you try and take a mile!" Weiss had never heard Winter so angry before—it sounded terrifyingly like their father. Still, she couldn't really cut in, because she knew she'd messed up.

Even if the results were important, her methods were extremely dangerous. "I know, I'm sor-"

"Sorry does not cut it, Weiss! You asked me to help you and I allowed you freedom, I allowed you valuable information and you put this entire base in jeopardy! That thing could have broken free and killed dozens, killed your friends, your family!"

"It's not a thing!" Weiss cried and saw Winter's eyes grow darker. Despite the intimidation, she pressed on. "It's Pyrrha Nikos! She recognized Jaune, she called out his name and there were tears in her eyes!"

Winter turned back to where Jaune was sitting—cross legged outside of the containment cell watching as Pyrrha was still passed out from the sedative. It had taken a great deal of persuasion but they'd managed to make him leave the cell, with the promise he could stay and watch over her.

"That doesn't matter, Weiss."

"Of course it does!"

"No! It doesn't!" Winter's raised voiced made Weiss recoil just a bit—it was too much like their father now. It was starting to scare her.

The reaction seemed to hit Winter and she took a step back, closing her eyes and exhaling. "Weiss…this is a military facility. There are regulations. If you wished to do something like this, you could have come to me. We could have arranged it to be safe and secure. You cannot make irrational decisions like this."

Still hesitant, Weiss nodded obediently. "I—I'm s-sorry," she hated the tremor in her voice.

"Weiss," Winter recognized the impediment and quickly relented. "I shouldn't have yelled."

She shook her head. "No, I m-messed up. I know I did, I apologize, Winter. I didn't mean to upset you—to lose your trust."

"You didn't," Winter stared into Weiss' eyes and pursed her lips. "You simply need to remember that this is not Beacon. You can't break rules and expect a slap on the wrist. The things you do here could put my people…your people…in very real danger." Weiss thought of her people—of Yang preparing for surgery and Blake recovering from a hole in her leg. Ruby sitting up in a hospital bed trying to dig out of her own depression.

Her eyes settled onto Pyrrha again, lying face first on the ground as a mass of red hair hid her face. "What are you going to do with her?"

Winter turned and followed Weiss' gaze. "I'm not sure—my good sense tells me to call in a superior, perhaps General Ironwood himself, and discuss the matter with him."

"If it is Pyrrha though, we can't just keep her locked away. She's a good person, Winter."

"We don't know what is inside of that body, Weiss," Winter rose to her feet. "No amount of tears or impassioned words from you or Mr. Arc can erase the fact that she has murdered dozens of innocent people. Nor the fact that she has been hunting your…partner for the last two years." Despite all those truths and all the uncertainty, Weiss refused to ignore what she'd seen. That look in Pyrrha's eyes when she looked at Jaune, as if she was really seeing him—that was real. That was no monster.

"Please just…promise me you'll give her a chance. No sedatives after these wear off. We need to talk to her."

Winter sighed, glancing back at the cell before returning focus to Weiss. "What would Ruby say on the matter? She's the one most affected by…all of this."

Thoughts of Ruby only made Weiss feel miserable—ever since she'd shown Pyrrha to Ruby it felt like she'd lost her.

"Ruby doesn't need to know anything until we know more. She's dealt with enough."

The look Winter gave her was unsettling and Weiss knew that it was probably not the best course of action to be keeping things from Ruby. It just didn't feel right to pile more on her when she was clearly struggling to handle what she had on her plate already.

In fact…

"Winter, is there an on staff psychiatrist?"

She saw a flash of concern wash over Winter's face that relieved her a little. She had messed up, but fortunately not enough to lose her sister's care. "Yes, our soldiers are required to visit one any time they're involved in combat that results in loss of life—civilian or otherwise. Why do you ask?"

"It's Ruby, she's not doing well and I don't know how to reach her. As frustrating as it is to admit I am not at all qualified to help her and I do not wish to see her continue down the path she is on. She's distancing herself from me, from her family and I think she should see someone."

Winter relaxed a bit but expression was still thoughtful. "Has she expressed interest in seeing a therapist?"

"Well…no. I highly doubt she will be excited at the idea of seeing anyone regarding her current state, but I just think—"

"Weiss," Winter's voice was softer than Weiss had ever heard it. "It has become clear to me that you do, in fact, care very deeply for your teammate. However, I feel it is my obligation to tell you something you are probably not going to like."

"What?"

Her sister knelt down and met Weiss' gaze. "If she's dealing with these issues, then what you want does not matter."

"All I want is what is best for her!" Weiss raised her voice but Winter shook her head and dismissed her.

"No, you want the problem to be solved. You want to pass her off to a professional so that she can come back to you as you desire her to be."

Weiss hated the way those words sounded—she didn't want to pass Ruby off, she just wanted her to be okay. She wanted to see Ruby smile again and annoy her all day long. She wanted to hear Ruby laugh and worry what she might be up to with Yang.

She wanted the old Ruby back. For some reason, that thought upset her even more.

"How do I help her?" Weiss asked desperately and Winter chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

"I believe the first step you can take is to realize that the girl you are looking for, the Ruby you are hoping a medical professional can bring out of her again may be gone." Weiss felt her stomach knot. "Your...friend has been through a lot, the things she told us in the debriefing, the fear she showed at the mere mention of the monster chasing her and how casually she threw her life into danger shows me that she has had more than a few moments of…desire, for her pain to be taken away." Winter's words were heavy and they felt like physical blows to Weiss' aura. The time after Beacon had changed Ruby, it had taken away so much of her innocence. "The question you need to ask yourself, sister, is not about bringing the old Ruby back. You need to ask yourself if you can care for the Ruby that she is now. The one who survived all that she's been through."

It was a fair question—one Weiss didn't know the answer to.

"Perhaps," Winter seemed upset with herself before she even finished her thought. "There is someone you could recruit to help you try and…reach your partner."

Weiss shook her head immediately. "Yang is already trying and she's going through so much on her own. I think she might be a little offended at me even asking—she is her sister after—"

"Weiss," Winter cut her off. "I am not speaking about the blonde barbarian." Her lip curled slightly in disgust. "I'm talking about their…slothful uncle."

Suddenly Weiss' expression matched her sisters. "Qrow? Absolutely not. I can hardly stand to be around that man. He smells of whiskey and responds to everything I say with a sarcastic comment!"

"It is insufferable, I understand. However, as infuriating as he can be, there is no denying the way he cares for his family. If you reach out to him about Ruby, I believe he will step up and attempt to help you." Weiss knew Winter was right, Qrow obviously cared about Ruby. She'd seen it in the limited time they'd spent together at Beacon years ago and Ruby clearly thought the world of him.

Still, approaching him about this—about anything, was incredibly intimidating and something she flat out did not wish to do.

The fact that I'm even considering this should prove how much I love this dolt.

She sighed and resigned herself to the truth Winter had put in front of her. She needed reinforcements. Drunk and lazy reinforcements.

"Uh, guys." Both Schnees turned at the sound of Jaune's voice as he started to stand, his eyes still trained inside the cell.

Weiss moved to his side and watched as Pyrrha's chains started to rattle and her body started to move. This was different than the other times Weiss had seen this, she could hear audible groans from Pyrrha as her body woke up. She pushed up to her knees, her wrists handing with the heavy shackles. Seeing her now, Weiss realized how locked down she was. There was a chain around her waist, both of her wrists and one around her neck.

The unpleasantness of seeing that was only intensified when Pyrrha looked up at them with an agonized expression.

"What did you do to me?!" Pyrrha shoutedas she reached up and clutched at her chest. A cry of pain ripped from her throat and she doubled over. "Make it stop! It hurts! I can feel it! AH!"

"Pyrrha!" Jaune pounded on the glass and turned to Winter. "Let me in there!"

"No!" Winter barked. "We must maintain our heads." She spoke in a commanding voice that both Jaune and Weiss respected, though Jaune was clearly struggling to restrain himself as Pyrrha laid on the floor, whimpering in agony. "Who are you?" Winter demanded, her posture strong and professional as she held her chin high. "You have nowhere to go, you have no escape and we can sedate you again if necessary. Tell us your name!"

Silence fell over the room for a long minute before Pyrrha finally started to move again. Weiss could see her struggling with every muscle she used. Her hands were shaking under her own weight—the brute force the monster had once had was lost. All she saw now was a girl who looked battered and broken.

When Pyrrha pushed up to her knees, there were tears streaming down her face. "Mmmm—my name…is Pyrrha Nikos. I'm…a soldier—a weapon for my leader Salem." Her bottom lip began to quiver as a sob escaped her. "I've killed ninety-seven people during my mission." She winced again, as though she'd been stabbed in the chest, she fell over and screamed.

"She needs help!" Weiss couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She moved to the cell but was stopped by Winter.

"What is your mission?"

Pyrrha once again planted her hands on the ground, holding herself up as wild, red hair fell down over her face. She was taking long, deep breaths and occasionally another sob would cut through the air. When she finally looked up at them again, her eyes met Weiss'. "To capture Ruby Rose…and bring her to my leader."

"For what?" Weiss demanded, fear and anger coursing through her.

However, Winter spoke up again. "Why are you telling us this?"

Pyrrha shook her head slowly, still acting as if she was being tortured. "Because you did something to me…I can feel…everything. All that I've done, every life I've taken. I can hear them screaming. I can see the life leaving their eyes. It hurts. I feel…pain." She buried her face in her hands and started to cry all over again.

"I'm going in there," Jaune said as he started towards the gate.

"No!" Pyrrha screamed, her voice booming off the walls and stopping everyone in their tracks. Despite the dangerous tone, she looked completelybroken. "No…don't come near me. I'm a monster. Don't…please…just leave me."

"Pyrrha," Jaune whispered desperately.

She turned away from them and crawled towards the wall to hide herself.

Chapter 20: Rebuild

Chapter Text

"Check," Yang grinned across the table at Blake who was sitting on the foot of her hospital bed and staring intently at the board between them.

They'd been at this game for a good thirty minutes as they waited for Yang's surgery. Blake had been here, along with Yang's father, through all the pre surgery preparation and discussions on recovery that would come after the arm was attached.

The only thing left now was to wait, and that would be over soon enough. So Yang was thoroughly enjoying kicking Blake's ass in chess.

As Blake continued to ponder her next move, Yang looked up at her dad who was watching with a smirk. "You really should have warned her."

"She wouldn't have believed me," Yang looked to her partner again. "Blake's always considered herself the strategist—probably never thought I'd be better at her in a game like chess."

"That's not true," Blake said as she picked up a knight and moved it, making sure to leave her finger on it and examine the position. "You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for and you are a very determined person." It was ridiculously cute how she looked right now; her eyes thoughtful and her tongue sticking out just a bit. Yang nearly lost it when she looked up and saw those ears pressed down against the top of her head. "I just didn't think you would ever have the patience to sit still and play chess for this long." As she finished, Blake removed her finger from her piece and nodded. "It's a pleasant surprise." She added a smile for good measure.

Yang quickly grabbed her queen and slid it right into the adjacent knight and knocked it over. "Checkmate." Blake's eyes narrowed. "What?! You moved right into it!"

"How are you good at this?!" Blake finally cracked and Yang started laughing. "When we found the chess pieces in the forest you called it a cute little pony!"

To add insult, Yang picked up the knight she'd just taken from Blake. "Well, I mean, they are kind of cute. Yours in particular are the cutest. They look good on my side of the board."

Blake growled. "You're asking for it."

"Oh am I?" Yang pushed, she couldn't help herself. Blake was glaring at her and her ears were somehow pressing even further down on her head. She looked absolutely adorable. "What are you gonna do about it, Belladonna?"

"Yang," the third voice in the room spoke. "Please don't forget that your father, who loves his oldest daughter dearly, is still in the room."

Blake's dangerous gaze vanished and her eyes went wide. The tension that had built between them dissipated, but Yang didn't care—she'd noticed how Blake's breathing increased. How she'd moved closer and closer towards her. She knew that if her father wasn't here, Blake might have jumped over the chess board and right on top of her.

As hesitant as she might have been when Blake first came back into her life, Yang could no longer deny that whatever feelings she'd had for Blake at Beacon were even stronger now. Yang had spent many nights trying to remember what Blake's face looked like or the memory of her voice. None of those compared to the real thing. Blake was even more beautiful now than she had been years ago. She always seemed so in control but at the same time had a disarmingly cute disposition.

When the world managed to slow down enough for Blake to be herself, she was very much a girl who didn't know how to let herself be happy. Even at Beacon, whenever they would actually have fun and do things normal kids did, Blake almost felt guilty for it. Yang noticed, because Yang always noticed things about Blake. How she would step away from the group when things escalated too much or bury herself in a book instead of going out with everyone for ice cream.

Blake wanted to be happy, she just didn't think she deserved it.

If Yang were being honest with herself, and at this point she didn't have much choice, she wanted to be the one to make Blake happy.

It was just scary to admit because Yang wasn't entirely sure she was enough to make anyone happy. Her track record so far wasn't great.

Yang's peace faded and she noticed that Blake had removed the pieces from the board.

"You want to play again?" Yang asked, not wanting Blake to leave her bed.

However, the Faunus shook her head with a smile. "Sorry, your doctor will be here soon and I'm not sure my diminished ego could handle another defeat." She folded up the board and slipped off the bed. Her leg was still a bit tender and Yang knew that she'd been pushing herself in the gym to get stronger.

Yang only hoped this new arm would allow her to return to the gym with Blake and the rest of her team. She wanted back in the fight more than anything—well—almost anything

Something hit her on the side of the head and she hissed before noticing a pen at her side. She turned to where her father was and he mouthed 'I'm right here' with a glare.

That's when Yang realized she'd been staring at Blake's butt right in front of him.

She offered him an awkward shrug before burying her red face in her hands when Blake turned back to her.

"You okay?" Blake's concerned voice caused Yang to improvise and she faked a yawn.

"I'm fine, just tired of waiting."

Blake smiled and all was right with the world. "See, I knew the chess thing was a fluke - you never were one for patience. I wish I could stick around but I should go check on the other two."

"How's Ruby been?" Yang asked both of them. "With all this going on, I haven't had much time to see her the last couple of days."

Both Taiyang and Blake shared a look that spoke volumes. Yang felt the rot in her stomach bubble—she knew the truth.

"Weiss is doing what she can. Ruby was better the last time I spoke to her," that was a lie and Yang knew it. They didn't want Yang to stress before her surgery. "When we get you all squared away, we'll pick Ruby back up. That's what we do, right? Take care of each other."

Yang exhaled slowly and forced herself to nod. She wanted to believe that—to believe that teamwork and friendship would be enough. But it was so hard to see Ruby void of emotion like she had been a few days earlier. Yang tried every old trick in her arsenal to draw her out. Ruby had zero response and when she finally came around a few hours later, it was like she hadn't noticed any time had passed.

It was scary and Ruby needed help, but Yang knew she had to help herself first.

Suddenly, Blake was right in Yang's comfort zone and had her arms around her. "I'll see you when the surgery is over, okay? You'll be knocked out, but I'll be there keeping an eye on you."

Breathing in the wonderful aroma of all things Blake Belladonna, Yang put her arm around her partner and nodded.

"I'm sorry I kicked your ass at chess," Yang teased and smiled even more when Blake groaned into her ear.

However, she was not prepared for Blake's lips to suddenly be right next to her ear. "You know," her hot breath tickled Yang's skin and lit every nerve in her body on fire. "I've killed people for less than that."

As shaken as she was, Yang was not about to go quietly. "Then I guess I'm lucky you like me."

"Guys," Taiyang sighed. "I'm still right here."

Blake jumped back like Yang had set her on fire and blushed profusely as she backpedaled to the door. "I…uh…I'll see you after the thing, okay? It's um…it'll go great and…" Blake hastily left the room and Yang laughed softly.

When she finally chanced a look at her father, he was shaking his head. "What?" She asked with a brow quirked.

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Just wondering if this is the same song and dance you two used to do at Beacon."

"What song and dance?"

"Oh come on, Yang. If I hadn't been here, who knows what your doctor would have walked in on."

Yang grinned at him. "Yeah, how tragic that would have been."

"Then again, that would require you actually, you know, telling her how you feel."

"Okay," her smile fell and she glowered. "That was a cheap shot."

"I'm just saying—and it's going to sound cliché but it's still true—time is short, kiddo. If you care about that girl as much as it looks…you should take the leap."

Every crushing bit of self doubt came tumbling down on Yang in that moment. "It's not that simple."

"Why not? She clearly feels the same way."

Yang knew it was true—Blake had been at her side almost exclusively since they came to this base. It was so wonderful to have her back but at the same time, she couldn't depend on that need to last.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately), her father seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. "You're afraid she's going to leave again."

She closed her eyes and put her hand on the stump of her arm. "People always leave."

"I didn't," he said and Yang only realized there were tears in her eyes when she looked up at him through blurred vision. "I know I haven't always been father of year material and…I kind of fell apart after Summer passed away." He took a deep breath. "But I'll never leave you, Yang. I'll never not be here for you. As long as I'm still around, you'll always have me." He rose up from his seat and pulled it closer to the bed. Once he could reach, he took her hand between his own and squeezed. "Which means you can take a chance on a once in a lifetime girl like that and if, for some reason, it does fall apart—I'll be there to pick you back up."

Reaching up, Yang pulled him in with her arm and hugged him. He was quick to respond and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Dad."

He kissed the side of her head. "I love you too, Little Dragon."

There was a knock on the door and they pulled apart to see a pair of nurses step inside.

"Ms. Xiao Long? Are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Yang grinned as widely as she could. "Let's do it."

"Wow, it's thicker than I expected."

"Nonsense, it suits her perfectly."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I just meant it was different than I imagined. It looks really good actually. Heavy though."

"The metal is dust infused magnesium based alloy and it's almost feather light but as tough as any metal in all of Remnant. It is a revolutionary technology developed by some of the top researches in Atlas."

"So it will protect her?"

A sigh. "Yes, Blake…it will protect her."

"Good."

Yang had been alert for a few minutes, just listening to the conversation between her two teammates. Despite the fact that Ruby wasn't there, it was comforting to hear their voices. Her mind had still not registered anything new—the arm was there, attached now. She could feel the extra weight and a tingling at her side, but she'd yet to actually attempt moving anything.

When she finally opened her eyes, she saw the two of them seated in chairs on the right side of her. Weiss was tapping away at her scroll—her tongue sticking out rather cutely as she seemed intently focused on the task at her.

As she turned to Blake, all she saw was a pair of amber eyes staring at her.

"Yang!" She cried out and Weiss jumped—nearly dropping her phone.

A laugh bubbled in her throat and she ended up coughing at how dry and scratchy it felt.

"I'll go find the doctor." Weiss said as she stood up and stepped to the bed momentarily to touch Yang's knee. "Ruby sends her love." Weiss' voice betrayed her and Yang nodded slightly before Weiss turned quickly on her heel to exit.

"Alright," Blake said and suddenly a hand was scooping up the back of her head. "Water?" Blake asked with a cup in hand and Yang again nodded.

The moment it touched her lips was borderline org*smic. It felt so refreshing and seemed to soak up the desert that had formed in her mouth. She greedily swallowed and tilted her head back for more.

Blake pulled the cup away with a chuckle. "Easy now, you just got out of surgery, we don't need you choking to death."

"It's…so good though." Yang couldn't help but notice that even after Blake put the cup down, her hand was still cradling Yang's head. "You're here."

"Of course I'm here—your dad would be too but we told him to go be with Ruby for a bit. Weiss was very insistent that we could handle you for a while."

Yang shook her head. "Nobody can handle…all of this…sexiness." She winked and Blake let out a beautifully soft laugh that made Yang's heart swell.

"So," Blake pulled her chair up and sat down. Taking her hand from under Yang's head and resting it alongside the bed. "How does it feel?"

"Heavy," Yang closed her eyes, trying to fully understand the sensation. From her shoulder all the way down to her fingertips, she was connected to this - she could feel it.

"Do you think you can move it?"

Even though she was scared to try, Yang nodded. "I can," her voice cracked as she spoke and suddenly her jaw was trembling. "I can feel my arm."

When she opened her eyes again, Blake was smiling at her with tear streaks on her cheeks. "It suits you."

Taking a deep breath, Yang slowly moved muscles she'd long since lost and felt a sudden control of the weight of her new arm. She watched in awe as the thick, black and yellow plated metal forearm rose up from the bed and hold itself up.

Her index finger moved first, just a slight twitch—a test and it felt amazing. From there, she closed her hand into a fist and then opened it back up again. The movements were clumsy and a bit unnatural. She wasn't used to this and each movement she made was much too fast. She had control, but it would take time to master it. When she tried to put her arm back down, it was too sudden and too strong. She smashed against the bar of the hospital bed and bent it.

"Oh sh*t!" She cursed and raised her arm straight into the air. "Well, it's really powerful, huh?"

Yang seized up when she saw Blake reach out and wrap both her hands around Yang's new, metal hand. The contact sent a shockwave of sensation up her arm and into her shoulder. Each touch did the same thing and she held as steady as she could while Blake pried her fingers open gently and held her hand.

"No, you're really powerful."

Blake's hand looked smaller compared to Yang's new metal plated fingers. She wanted to hold Blake's hand back, but she was scared of hurting her.

That was the feeling Yang felt the most around Blake lately—fear. She was afraid of how she felt, she was afraid to speak up about how she felt.

If this new arm was a symbol of anything for Yang, it was that she couldn't let fear dictate her life anymore.

"Blake," she very gingerly pulled away from Blake's grip and looked into her eyes. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Ms. Xiao Long!" The sound of a new voice in the room destroyed the moment and both girls looked to the doorway to see Yang's main surgeon stepping into the room. "I see you have already began to use basic movements. The surgery was a tremendous success and with the proper training and assistance, your new arm should have complete functionality within the next few months!"

"Months?" Yang tried not to sound disappointed. It was such a tremendous gift that had been given to her, but the thought of needing months to adjust was daunting.

"Unfortunately, yes—" the doctor moved to the side of the bed where Blake was and politely asked her to give him some room. She scooted her chair back and the doctor began examining the attachment point. "You're going to be learning an entirely new way of motion and movement. Your new arm is, as your bed can attest to," he glanced at the dented bar with a smirk. "Much sturdier than a normal, human appendage. There will be an adjustment period." When he seemed satisfied with what he saw, he leaned back, jotting a few things down in his notepad. "The process will seem frustrating at first, but it will come to you eventually and, in due time, you should be able to resume whatever tasks or duties you had before your detachment." His smile grew. "The truth is, Ms. Xiao Long—your new prosthetic is of the highest quality and could be seen at some point, as an upgrade to any aspiring huntress such as yourself."

"I'm not—" she stopped herself from finishing the sentence. She wasn't a huntress, not legally anyway. She never finished academy and never got her license. But as she slowly lifted her new arm again, watching as her wrist turned to show her the palm, she couldn't help but imagine fighting again.

Yang was restless as night fell over the military base. The doctor had requested that she stay in the medical wing for just one more night for surveillance since she'd been sedated earlier, but for the most part, her recovery from surgery was fast. Still, doctor's orders were doctor's orders so Yang found herself sitting up in her bed in the middle of the night.

Her fingers couldn't stop tracing over the material of her new arm—it was sleek and sturdy—everything about it seemed top of the line. When she saw Weiss again, she might have to piss off her sister and give the ice queen a kiss for giving her so much. Yang hardly felt like she'd done anything to deserve all of this.

Most of the day had been spent avoiding as much movement as possible with it—she didn't really have a good handle on how strong it was or how to control it. Anytime she did move it the speed was too fast, she nearly knocked her father out when he hugged and she tried to hug him back.

Everyone seemed very upbeat about it though and Yang felt that throughout the day. She fed off of their positivity and hope—it's what she'd done her whole life.

Now though, in the quiet of the night and all by herself; she pondered just how much her life had changed. She was twenty-two years old, would be twenty-three soon. She'd wasted the last five years recovering from the trauma she'd faced and the limb she'd lost. Her sister was a wreck and Yang couldn't figure out what to do for her. She was basically in love with her best friend and now she had a chance to get back the future she thought she'd lost years ago.

So why was she so damn scared?

Knock knock

Yang perked up and stared at the closed door across from her. It was late, well into the wee hours of the morning. Anyone knocking on her door at this time couldn't be anything good.

Still, she climbed out of bed, happy to have something to do, and stumbled through the dark towards the door. What she wouldn't give for Blake's night vision.

She took careful steps but still managed to catch her foot on a misplaced chair and stumble into the nearest wall. Of course, her instinct was to catch herself and she put her arms up to brace for the impact. However, her right arm ended up going straight through the wall and the momentum drove her cheek into it as well.

"Oof!" She cried and slowly drew herself back.

"Yang?" The door opened on it's own, the light came on and she saw Ruby step through worriedly. "Are you okay?" Her little sister moved slowly, still bandaged up from her own injuries but moving well enough to walk all the way to here. As Yang recoiled and assessed the damage to the wall, she looked at her metal arm and sighed. It was covered in dust and remnants of plaster. With so many metal walls in this place, she managed to find the cheap one and run her arm right through it.

"I'm fine, just…adjusting." She turned to give Ruby the once over and frowned at what she saw. Ruby looked tired, more so than she had been even after nearly dying. Her long hair was disheveled atop her head and she had dark circles under her eyes. "What are you doing up this late?"

Ruby cast her eyes down and shrugged. "I—I couldn't sleep. I mean…I was sleeping and had a nightmare."

Yang made sure to keep her overpowered arm at her side and used her left one to pull Ruby in for a hug. She felt Ruby exhale against her and a pair of arms cling to her. Despite her growth, Yang was still a bit taller than her sister and had the perfect position to kiss top of her head.

"I'm surprised you came to me for this." Yang said with a hint of insecurity in her voice that she tried to mask with sarcasm.

A pair of silver eyes looked up at her. "What? Why? I always used to come to you with nightmares."

"True," Yang shrugged. "But that was before you were dating your partner."

Ruby flushed a deep shade of red and looked down at the floor as if it had set itself on fire. "I—I didn't know…you knew that. She's asleep in the upper quarters and I—you…"

"Relax Ruby," Yang rescued her from a life lost to stammering. "I am, honestly, glad that you and Weiss have found something in each other. I'm not entirely sure I will ever understand what that something is, but Weiss seems to genuinely care about you."

A tamed smile crossed Ruby's lips as she nodded. "I care about her too."

Despite the strangeness of it all, Yang's heart swelled at her sister's admission. "Good, I'm happy for you both." She reached out and tilted Ruby's chin up to look at her. "That still doesn't explain why you're here though. You're not at full strength yet and you need to be resting, keeping your aura strong and healing."

Instead of an answer, Ruby put her head down and stepped back into Yang's body—seeking comfort. Yang couldn't hold back and once again gave her sister a one armed embrace. It was good to see Ruby up and moving around, but that didn't change the fact that everyone had noticed the decline in Ruby's mood the last few days.

In fact, Yang hadn't seen any signs of the Ruby she knew five years ago.

"What's wrong, Rubes?" She felt Ruby shake her head against her. "You know you can tell me, right? I won't judge or get upset or anything. If you need to talk—I'm here for you."

Ruby was quiet for a few long moments and Yang continued to run her hand up and down her sister's back. It was hard to see Ruby like this—so reserved and distant. Ruby was constantly the light of Yang's life—after everything Yang had lost, everything they had both lost, Ruby always needed her and Yang always needed her back.

Now, after all the time apart, Ruby was practically a different person. One that Yang worried didn't need her anymore.

"It's nothing, just me being silly and scared about dumb nightmares." She laughed at herself and pulled away from the hug. Yang watched her eyes fall on the prosthetic arm and stare at it curiously. "You're the one with the fancy new robot arm. How does it feel?"

Yang hesitated on the change of subject. It bothered her how quickly Ruby could switch her mood like that. Still, talking to her sister about her new arm was better than not talking to her at all.

"It's really powerful—I mean look what I did to the wall over there." She shrugged in that direction and Ruby laughed. "I've got therapy sessions all day tomorrow and for the new few weeks to learn everything about it. Plus I'll finally be able to get out of this stupid medical wing."

"You and me both," Ruby said with a grin.

"Really? So soon for you?"

Ruby nodded triumphantly. "Yep! I mean I probably won't be able to run around and train or anything, but Weiss pulled some strings and managed to get me early leave. Though it's probably worse because she's stricter than the nurses."

Seeing the way Ruby's face lit up when she talked about Weiss was kind of awesome, if Yang had to admit. She never really thought about the possibility of Ruby dating anyone before—certainly not a girl like Weiss. The truth was, Ruby had never shown any interest in dating at all. If she could dress up her scythe and take it out for pasta and dessert, she probably would have.

"She worries about you, you know?"

Ruby's expression fell. "I—I know. I'm okay though."

"Are you?" Yang pressed, feeling like she needed to. "The other day you kinda…left us…mentally you were just in another place. That was pretty scary, Ruby."

Hastily, Ruby shook her head and waved Yang off. "Nah, I'm fine! It was just—I was just tired, you know? It's been a really long and stressful few weeks and I…" she seemed to rethink her sentence and shrug. "I'm better now, see? I had a nightmare and I found my big sister to make me feel better and you have. It's good to be able to do that again."

Despite the praise, Yang felt hollow at Ruby's words. The fact was, Yang hadn't done anything, it was Ruby who had come in looking sad and had randomly swapped emotions and was suddenly right as rain. It was unsettling to see her change so quickly—if anything, it made Yang feel worse.

"Are you really okay? Ruby you know it's alright if things are bad. It's okay to need help."

Yang knew she messed up when Ruby took a step away from her. "I don't need help, Yang."

"Ruby, I'm not trying to—"

"No!" Ruby shouted and it was Yang's turn to jump back. "You are trying! Trying to protect me, to shield me and hide me from how awful the world is! Don't you see it, Yang? This…all of this is a nightmare and we're never going to escape it. The more we fight, the worse things become and everyone I—we love is going to die!"

She had never seen this side of Ruby before. Yang didn't even know this side existed—it was terrifying and heartbreaking. "Ruby, you can't think that. We've got our team back together, Dad is here and Uncle Qrow. We can deal with whatever is happening and we'll be okay."

"It won't…you were all safer when I was gone. I—I'm too dangerous, people get hurt because of me. I've seen so many people…get hurt and…and die because of me and I couldn't save them." There was a war going on in Ruby's mind and it was agonizing to watch. She kept shaking her head and staring off at nothing.

Yang took a step forward to comfort her sister but Ruby pulled away. "Ruby, please calm down."

"I…I have to make it better. I have to make sure nobody else gets hurt."

"How are you going to do that? You can't save the world by yourself, Ruby."

Suddenly, a pair of silver eyes stared up at her. "No, but I know what I need to do!" Ruby's smile broadened and Yang was happy to see it.

"What's that?"

Ruby hugged her again. "I just have to put the past behind me. Focus on the future—our team and Weiss. You and dad, Blake. I have a lot of good things in my life, I just need to make sure they're safe. Then we can save the world together!"

Yang pulled back to study her sister. "Okay…so what are you going to do?"

"I need to kill the monster!"

As the words settled over her, Yang took in the bandage on Ruby's stomach and the dark circles under her eyes.

"The one that chased you? The one they captured? Ruby why would you even consider being anywhere near that thing?"

Ruby's smile faded. "Because it ruined my life! It's…awful, Yang. It needs to be killed so I can get past it and start focusing on the future!"

"But it's captured, Weiss has told me that it couldn't possibly escape and there's no reason for you to put yourself in danger."

She saw the shift in Ruby's expression—the distrust in her eyes and the way she took a step backwards. "So you don't think I should do it?"

"Of course not, Ruby. It's not safe and you're not fully healed. Just—" Yang sighed and strode over to her sister, she touched her shoulder and guided her to the bed. "You need to rest, okay? Sleep on it and…in the morning we'll figure everything out." It was a lie, Yang had no idea what the morning would bring. She only knew that she needed to talk to her father and probably Weiss and figure out a way they could help Ruby.

Right now, the way her sister spoke and the way she acted was as terrifying as it was heartbreaking. Ruby had walked out of their childhood home five years ago as a girl full of hope.

Whatever had come back was not the same person.

When Ruby sat down, she looked utterly defeated and was once again staring at the floor. "Hey," Yang tried but Ruby wouldn't look at her. "It'll be okay, Ruby. I promise." She hugged her sister before climbing into the bed with her and lying down.

Ruby slowly laid down next to her, her back to Yang and never said a word.

Chapter 21: Help Me

Chapter Text

Two days has passed since Ruby went to see Yang after her surgery. Since then, Yang had been released and was spending a good amount of her free time with a therapist trying to learn how to control her arm. The progress she had been making was pretty impressive and Ruby genuinely enjoyed seeing Yang's smile with each new skill she mastered.

Most of them were simple things—squeezing and picking things up without breaking them. How to open a door without tearing the handle off. The first time Yang caught a ball without destroying it immediately was the first time Ruby had ever heard her big sister giggle. It was great to see Yang so full of life again.

Even if the sight made Ruby feel immeasurably worse for everything she was preparing to do.

In the two days since Ruby went to see Yang, she had barely slept at all. She could never find enough peace—her mind was constantly filled with images of Pyrrha in this place, trapped inside of a monster and probably begging for escape.

Ruby had hoped that by telling Yang about her plan that she might have some support. She was in no real condition to kill the monster, but with it contained, she knew she could. With help, it could be done quickly and Pyrrha could be free—but her team had let her down. They didn't trust her; they wouldn't help her. So Ruby had decided to take matters into her own hands.

First though, she had to handle a much harder task.

Acting happy—something she was not accustomed to.

"One more," Yang said as she bounced on her heels in anticipation.

The team had come together in Weiss' fancy, upper deck bedroom and were currently throwing things at Yang so she could catch them. So far, she'd caught six items in a row without breaking them.

As excited as Yang was at this accomplishment, the long yawn Weiss let out proved the rest of the team was not as interested.

"Come on, Yang—we're exhausted. We can throw things at you tomorrow." Blake murmured as she curled her knees to her chest against the corner of the couch.

"Just one more, Ruby—throw a cushion at me."

Ruby smiled, it was too nice to see Yang so worked up. Yet, when she reached for the nearest cushion, her wrist was grabbed and she met a pair of blue eyes.

"Excuse me?" Weiss glared at her. "That is my cushion."

It was, to a point—Weiss had been sitting on it at first but now she was mostly in Ruby's lap. "Aw, I thought I was your cushion." She said with a pout and Blake groaned.

"You're both so mushy and gross." Blake was tired and Ruby knew that sleep removed her filter.

"I think it's kind of cute," Yang chimed in. "I mean…I didn't think the words Weiss and cute would ever go together but—"

"Hey!" Weiss cried before picking up the cushion and hurling at Yang.

She caught it with ease. "Ha!" She winked at Weiss. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to cushion the blow next time."

Weiss sighed before rising to her feet and Ruby felt herself being dragged up as well. "Come, Ruby—we should go to bed."

"Uh, Weiss…this is your room?" Ruby watched as her girlfriend turned around and tilted her head at her.

"Well, Blake seems quite settled in on the couch." The Faunus happily purred from her spot. "I thought I would let Yang sleep in my bed and…perhaps I could…" Weiss glanced up at Yang and Ruby didn't even need to look back to know the smirk she was getting. "Stay with you." She finished shyly.

Ruby barely registered the noise of disgust Yang made behind her—all she could focus on was the look Weiss was giving her.

It surprised her sometimes, what Weiss could do to her. There were so many things Ruby adored about her. Weiss seemed to have a new way of making her heart race every single day. She was, in so many ways, the perfect girlfriend. Ruby would never be blind enough to think that Weiss was perfect—she wasn't—but she tried so hard to be and Ruby loved that. Each day Ruby thought she had her figured out, Weiss would do something new.

The first day Ruby started walking on her own, Weiss showed up and wandered all throughout the base with her. Ruby didn't ask her to, Ruby hadn't considered—but Weiss knew Ruby would have a lot of restless energy she needed to burn off. The walk was slow, but very long and when they returned, Weiss took her boots off and had achy feet—but she never complained once.

Ruby felt it was only right to give her a foot massage and that inevitably led to a rather intense session of kissing (which they were both vastly improving in) that was eventually interrupted by Yang who acted like she'd walked in on a naked Professor Port.

"Oh come on! Ruby your hand was on her—I'm sorry, I have to go burn my eyes out with acid!"

So when the offer to share a bed with Weiss was presented, Ruby could only imagine how far the kissing might go—and the look she was getting showed that kissing was definitely in order.

Still, it would put a bit of an obstacle in her way for what she had planned tonight—but eventually Weiss would fall asleep, which was something Ruby didn't have to worry about.

Reaching out, she took Weiss' hand and smiled. "Goodnight, guys." She called back to Blake and Yang before stepping in front of Weiss and pulling her out of the room. As the door shut, she heard the cushion in Yang's hand hit behind them.

"You've corrupted my sister, Schnee!" Yang shouted as they made their way down the hall.

They moved fairly quickly to find the shelter of Ruby's small quarters. Once inside, Ruby turned around only to be attacked by Weiss. She backed up into the wall with a pair of lips pressed against her own. Weiss was clearly in a very particular mood because she wasted no time running her hands through Ruby's hair.

Things like this were still so exciting for Ruby—when she was kissing Weiss it felt like all of her troubles faded away. She only wished it could be like this all the time. That there was no darkness, no need for sleep or food or anything. Just Weiss and the peace that came with being around her.

Weiss was the only thing left in Ruby's life that seemed to keep her from drowning.

Suddenly, Weiss pulled away and Ruby caught herself chasing after her. When she found nothing, she opened her eyes to see Weiss nervously biting her bottom lip.

Ruby frowned, her heart hammering in her chest. "What's wrong?"

"N—nothing." Weiss shook her head. "I just…I…" she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Ruby was going to say something again, but before she could, Weiss began unbuttoning her own shirt.

With her mouth open, Ruby watched as Weiss undid each button with precision and let the shirt fall completely open. So much new skin was exposed, and somehow her throat went dry and her mouth watered all at the same time. She swallowed sharply and forced herself to stop staring at Weiss' stomach. Her gaze trailed up, past the bright blue bra and precious cargo it was carrying—along the expanse of Weiss' glorious collarbone and neck, then right into her eyes.

The longer Ruby waited to speak, the more Weiss seemed to panic. Just as she was about to cover back up, Ruby stepped forward and placed her hands on Weiss' bare shoulders. Slowly, she pushed the shirt down and let the it cascade to the floor.

Weiss shivered and Ruby found herself rubbing her girlfriend's goose bump covered arms.

"You're so beautiful." Ruby's voice surprised her. She'd been thinking it the entire time but the words came out on on their own. Weiss blushed and looked away.

"I—I don't know what's come over me. I've been wanting to do this all day and now I'm here, without my shirt on and it's cold and I feel like I'm overstepping and I'm sorry if I've pushed too mmff—"

Ruby silenced her with another kiss—she didn't ask permission but Weiss had told her it wasn't always necessary. This felt like one of those times and the way Weiss was frantically kissing her back, she knew she was right.

Carefully, they backed up to the bed and Ruby broke the kiss and watched Weiss sit down. Their eyes were still locked and Ruby decided to steel her own courage and join Weiss in her act of bravery.

The black top she wore, however, did not come off quite as magically as Weiss' button down shirt. Instead, Ruby found herself stuck as she tried to pull it over her head and now she was suddenly blindfolded.

"Come…on…you stupid…small neck...ugh!"

A soft giggle from Weiss was like music and Ruby wanted to see her smiling face. Instead, she was being bested by her own clothes and losing all hope of wooing Weiss.

Just as she finally managed to make progress, she felt Weiss grab her arms above her head and hold them still. A moment later, those familiar lips found her own and the unexpected sensations were somehow even more powerful.

Those hands trailed downward and the feeling of Weiss' cool fingertips along her ribcage certainly added to the intensity. She gasped into Weiss' mouth and finally managed to pull the offending clothing away. Ruby threw it to the side and placed her hands on Weiss' back. Together, they fell onto the bed—a silent understanding that this was as far as they would go tonight.

Ruby was more than okay with that—it was the best she'd felt in years.

As soon as Ruby opened her eyes, she knew it was still the middle of the night. This had become such a common occurrence for her and each time she woke up like this it made her want to cry. She didn't want these demons—the nightmares that forced her from sleep. Ruby knew how unhealthy it was, she knew how much she needed to rest.

Her body required it and she'd hardly had any in the last week. Unlike with food though, she couldn't force herself to sleep.

The feeling of Weiss next to her made this situation even harder. It felt so nice to curl up next to her—wonderfully sated on the bliss of their passionate kisses. To wake up now and not have Weiss' presence be enough, was devastating.

Still, it only helped to confirm what Ruby already knew—she had to go to Pyrrha and set her free. She had to set herself free.

Delicately, she removed herself from Weiss' sleepy embrace and swung her legs off the bed. The night air was cool against her uncovered upper body and she shivered. Trying to remember exactly where her clothes were proved to be a task because in the heat of the moment she'd casually thrown them aside.

Thankfully her boots were right next to the bed and she began to slip them on, tying the laces with practiced efficiency. Once she was finished with those, she started to stand up, however she was suddenly met with a cool sensation against her back.

"Hey," Weiss mumbled sleepily and Ruby was sure it was the cutest sound in the world. "You okay?"

Looking back over her shoulder, she could make out Weiss' face watching her, but not quite lifted from her pillow.

With a smile, Ruby leaned down and pressed her lips to Weiss' temple. "Just have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back."

"I can help," Weiss whispered and Ruby let out a breathy chuckle.

"How are you going to help?"

Weiss exhaled through her nose as her eyes fell shut again. "I dunno…hurry back, kay?"

"I will," Ruby watched as Weiss drifted back to sleep. She was so committed to doing this and coming back to Weiss and being finally free. Her past was so broken with so many terrible things—but Weiss was her future. "I love you." She knew Weiss had fallen back asleep, but she didn't need a response.

Eventually, Ruby found her top and tied her hair behind her head before taking Crescent Rose and setting out into the darkness of the base.

Her plan was fairly…simple—yeah, that was a good word for it. She just had to get down to where they were keeping Pyrrha and wait for her opportunity to use her semblance and speed her way inside. Though she wasn't entirely sure her body was ready for her semblance, this was something that couldn't wait any longer.

Ruby moved quickly through the halls and tried her best to stay hidden. She didn't know her way around this place quite as well she should for a mission such as this, but she was too fast to be caught and once she was done everyone would understand why this was the right thing to do.

Once she reached the elevator that lead to the containment area, Ruby checked to see if any guards were around. She knew they were close, but none of them were within range of actually seeing her so she raced over to the door and pushed the button. Her foot tapped with anticipation as she waited, ready to sprint away at a moment's notice.

The door made a soft ding and rolled open—however before she could even step inside, she was stopped with a familiar voice calling to her.

"So the junior Ice Queen was right." Qrow stepped up behind her and Ruby put her head down. "You really are sneaking off to try and kill her."

She turned around in shock. "How did you—what—how did she know?"

"Because we're all worried about you, kid. And you set off about a thousand alarms in your big sister's head the other night and she told all of us." Ruby felt so betrayed and Qrow seemed to notice. "Don't get mad at her, she's just looking out for you." He looked her up and down. "Clearly she had every reason to, no offense but…you're about as sneaky as an Grimm in a strip club."

"Qrow," Ruby hated the way her voice broke. She hated that he was here now and seeing her like this. She just wanted to be done with it and start over—why did they have to try and stop her?

He started to move again but not towards her, instead he walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall. Silently, she followed him inside and he pushed the button to close the door. However, they didn't move from this floor.

Instead, Qrow sat down with his back to the wall and patted the spot next to him.

"Come on, we've been together for weeks now and I feel like barely get to see you."

Ruby stared at the spot next to him. "I—I have a mission."

"That seems to be your default setting these days, kid." Qrow once again gestured to the spot next to him. Ruby hesitantly moved beside him and slid down—putting Crescent Rose at her side. "You know…I know you've heard a lot of stories about your mom." Just the mention of her grabbed Ruby's attention. "She was an amazing woman and probably the nicest person I've ever met. Way too good to be my friend." He stared at the floor with a sad smile and continued. "But what you probably don't know is that she battled with depression."

A strange sadness hit Ruby like a truck. It was such a force of emotion that she nearly let out an audible cry. "Wh—what?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Docs called it…postpartum. Happened right after you showed up. For a long time, she struggled. When you read books and all that garbage in about the magic of parenthood, it looks like being a parent is some miracle attachment and instant connection but that's just smoke and mirrors. It's not always that easy."

"She didn't…love me?"

Qrow gave her a dismissive look. "Settle down, you were her entire world and don't think for a second you weren't—it was just hard for her. With Yang she attached because Yang was a little older and was a ball of fire and constantly making her presence known. You though, you were just…a this little lump of goo that crapped and threw up everywhere and it was hard for her because even though she loved you more than anything, she felt like she wasn't doing enough."

Ruby tried to process what he was saying but it felt so jumbled in her head. All she'd ever heard was how bright and wonderful her mom was. Her father and Qrow, even Yang spoke of her like she was the happiest person in the world. "I—I don't understand."

"Summer she…she really wanted to be the best mom in all of Remnant. She wanted to be perfect and it just didn't come naturally to her. For a while, she battled with it—struggled with not feeling good enough when it came to you. She figured it out, because your mom was amazing, but those first few months were hard. She was terrified of being like her own mother."

"What's so bad about that?"

Qrow sighed. "Her mom wasn't much of a mom at all. She treated Summer like sh*t."

"Oh," Ruby hated that she didn't know any of this. Then again, she'd never really asked. Her father wasn't big on talking about her mom and Yang only knew so much. "H—how so?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"Summer grew up in a pretty strict home and…as bad as you can imagine it, it was probably worse." The things Ruby was imagining were terrible and the way her uncle spoke she was pretty sure she was on the right track. It made her stomach rot with anger. "Hunting was her escape and she worked really hard to try and get accepted into Beacon—but her mom didn't want her to go…so she ran away and made her way to Beacon with pretty much the clothes on her back and the weapon she built."

"They just let her in? She didn't have any money or—"

"That's where our old friend Ozpin comes. The people that know him, they trust him for a reason. He's stuck his neck out more than a few times for a lot of us, including your mom. She didn't have a lien to her name but he let her in. If she could pass the initiation, he would wave all the fees. Of course she did," Qrow smirked. "She was Summer Rose. Look everyone says a lot of things about how sweet and kind your mom was, but she was a…scary woman." He chuckled. "As sweet as she could be, she was dangerous and powerful. She took to combat and leadership almost…well...just like you."

What Ruby would give to see her mom right now was immeasurable. So many mornings she would wake up and the first thing she would think about was her mom. It was such an annoyance because she barely knew anything about her, and this conversation was only proving that. Even so, she missed her so much that it physically hurt most days. It was an empty void in her soul that she had never been able to fill. There were so many questions and conversations she longed for—things she would never have.

The phrase she couldn't shake though was his mention of how powerful her mother was—just like her.

As kind as it had been for Ozpin to let her into Beacon early, the longer removed she was from it, the more she wondered if his intentions were as pure as everyone believed. After all, he let Summer in when he probably shouldn't have, because perhaps he needed her for something. Just as he'd let her and her silver eyes in because he needed them for something.

Still, Ozpin was gone and hadn't been seen since the fall—there was no point in pondering it now. Not when her own life was such a mess.

"I just want all of this to go away." Ruby admitted with a tone of defeat. "I don't want to feel like this anymore."

The tears were threatening again and Ruby hated them. She was so tired of being sad and feeling miserable. It wasn't how she ever wanted to live her life. Even after she lost her mom and on the worst days, she'd fight to make herself smile because that was the person she wanted to be. Now, after running and fighting so much—seeing so many good friends lose their lives and not being able to save them—it felt hopeless.

Pyrrha though, trapped inside of that monster—she could save her. Even if Pyrrha was no longer a part of that body, she could do something. She just wanted to do something and to feel like she was in control.

"All right," Qrow pushed up to his feet and quickly tapped the button leading the elevator to go down. Ruby jolted at the sudden movement but pulled herself up.

"What?"

He looked back at her. "Let's go do this then. If it will make you feel better, then I'll take you there. You won't have to sneak or anything fun but that's probably for the better. I'd hate to have Winter kill you before you get the chance to marry that girlfriend of yours."

Ruby flushed at his words—he was way too far ahead of her, but she wasn't about to correct him. "H—how will going with you be any easier? You don't have clearance."

Qrow scoffed. "Are you kidding, I'm friends with the Ice Queen herself, I've got all the clearance I need."

"Winter?"

"You got that right," the elevator stopped and the door opened. Ruby latched Crescent Rose to her back before following him out. "Winter might scream at me and glare at me all the time but…she trusts me."

"I've specifically heard her say 'I don't trust you, Qrow'." Ruby saw his eyes roll. "Multiple times."

"Nah," he waved her off. "The trust is in her eyes." They rounded the corner to the narrow hallway that led to where Pyrrha was being kept. "Also I stole all of her security codes. Above all else, I trust myself with them."

Ruby frowned. "I—I don't think it works like that."

He didn't answer her after that, instead, he tapped in the code and assured all the guards that it was okay—smooth talking them with how many monsters he'd killed and how experienced he was.

Hunters were always fairly revered by most people. They were, after all, filled with legendary stories and immeasurable skill. In fact, most soldiers were just people who couldn't quite make it as hunters but were still enamored with that life. Even if some of the military higher ups were trying to push huntresses and huntsmen out of the picture—a lot of people still saw them as heroes.

The heavy door hissed as it finally opened and Ruby felt the nerves begin to bubble up in her stomach again. She was fairly certain Qrow wasn't bringing her to let her walk in and execute the monster. But she knew she was faster than him and everyone else and could get to it if she had to.

The chill of the containment room struck her hard—she hated being here but at least now she felt a little more in control. She was on her own two feet and she had her scythe with her. If she needed to, she could at least fight.

Not that it had done her any good before.

The first thing Ruby noticed was how quiet everything was. There were less guards, the movement and chaos of the last time she'd been here was gone. If anything, the guards seemed to be far too relaxed. It was unnerving.

Even more so when Ruby saw Jaune casually sitting in a chair next to the cell and reading a book. He was right up against the glass, his voice loud enough to barely hear as they entered the room and it seemed very out of place. It had crossed her mind briefly that she hadn't seen much of him in the last few days, but she hadn't really been all that alert of anything lately.

"Jaune?" Ruby called out and watched him look up at her from his book with wide eyes—clearly not expecting her.

"R—ruby…what are you—it's really late."

"Exactly, why are you here?" She strode over to him and Qrow lingered behind her.

When he stood up, he cleared the view of what she hadn't seen before. It was a figure sitting with it's back to the glass and its head cast down—red hair spilling down it's back.

Her back—Pyrrha. Jaune was reading to her.

More so than that, she wasn't chained up like before. Now she only had one attached to her ankle.

Ruby reached behind herself and quickly pulled Crescent Rose from it's hold and opened her scythe to full size.

"Ruby!" Jaune cried out. "No, you can't!"

"Jaune, what's going on? Why are you reading to…what is this?"

"I can explain—Weiss brought me here a few days ago and I got into the cell."

"You what?!" Ruby shouted and pulled her weapon back. Had he forgotten how dangerous this thing was. Sure it looked like Pyrrha now but it had caused so much damage—hurt so many people. It was a monster and a menace and it had tormented them for years. "I don't understand." She turned to face Qrow with anger nearly boiling over. "What's going on?! What happened?!"

Qrow sighed. "You need to relax, kid."

"Stop calling me that! Stop hiding things from me and stop trying to protect me! Tell me what's going on!"

"Ruby…" A third voice called out to her and she felt her body go numb. The way Qrow's expression shifted to concern was telling enough to how she must have reacted.

Slowly, Ruby turned around towards the voice and saw the monster standing with her back still to the window.

Only it wasn't a monster at all. That was Pyrrha's voice that spoke to her and Ruby thought she was going to pass out.

Her bottom lip began to quiver and her grip on Crescent Rose was slipping. She stepped towards the glass and watched as Pyrrha turned to face her.

Despite the black markings that crawled up her neck and down her arms—her face was virtually untouched and looked exactly as it had five years ago at Beacon. Her hair was down and was ragged with years of being uncared for. Her big and bright green eyes were filled with tears and that alone was distressing because this supposed monster was feeling and crying and talking to her.

Ruby let out an audible sob. "Pyrrha you're—I'm sorry..." Her legs gave out and she fell. There was so much she didn't understand. Why was Pyrrha back? What happened to the monster that was trying to kill her? What happened the day Pyrrha died? A thousand things were needing to be answered but Pyrrha was standing in front of her, trapped in a cell and covered in markings and Ruby felt herself break.

She cried loudly and felt her uncle swoop in at her side and try to comfort her. The world faded into nothing but this uncontrollable need to weep. Everything seemed to catch up with her—the loss of Beacon, the loss of Pyrrha and Penny.

Penny—she had hardly thought about her in so long but suddenly that felt fresh once again. She couldn't save Penny or Pyrrha or anyone. She was useless and hopeless—never fast enough and speed was all she ever had.

Eventually, Qrow sat her up when she started having trouble breathing and he ran his hand up and down her back. Telling her over and over again to relax and breathe. She followed the pattern he set out for her and soon enough she was able to get it under control. The tears still fell, but they were steady and quiet.

Looking up again, Pyrrha had not moved—she'd watched the whole thing and actually looked remorseful.

"Please don't apologize to me, Ruby. I do not deserve it."

Taking a deep breath, Ruby closed her eyes and shakily climbed back onto her feet. She lifted Crescent Rose up with her and held it at her side as she stood face to face with a girl she'd seen die a thousand times in her nightmares.

"Did you kill all those people?" Ruby asked, unsure what she was expecting the answer to be—or what she would do with it.

Jaune took a step forward but Qrow held him back.

Pyrrha continued to stare at Ruby—she looked guilty and miserable. "I did—I remember every single detail about every single life I have taken." She beyond Ruby, her eyes losing focus. "I wasn't myself—I was a weapon and I had a mission and that's all I cared about." She shook her head. "I couldn't fight it, I couldn't stop it. I knew it was wrong, but my body wouldn't stop fighting. Even when I was hurt or…tired—my body wouldn't stop. It dragged me and drove me to complete my mission."

"What was your mission?" Ruby asked with a hollow tone, the grip on her weapon tightening.

Pyrrha again looked at her and swallowed thickly. "To capture you, at any cost, and bring you back to my leader."

"Salem," Qrow said and Ruby glanced at him curiously. That name was entirely new to her. He stared at her for a moment before looking to Pyrrha. "Is that correct?"

She nodded somberly. "I had no choice. I woke up after…everything at the tower and she was there. I couldn't say no to her and when I tried she hurt me until I no longer resisted. Eventually, she turned me into this. Only a few days ago when Jaune touched me did I finally regain any sort of control." A tear slipped down her cheek and she let it fall without care. "It hurts—each life I took haunts me and I can't stop it. I don't know what to do."

Ruby was more than overwhelmed with all of this, but her eyes managed to find the chain tied to Pyrrha's ankle. "If you're…you…why are you still locked up?" Why the secrets and hiding? Why keep this from me?" She asked to all of them, but Pyrrha answered.

"Because even now…there are echoes in my mind screaming at me to…take you. To hurt…all of you. Salem wants you, Ruby. She wants you and if she gets you, you will suffer. Do you understand?" Pyrrha's voice started to raise in panic. "I don't want to hurt anyone else. I just want it all to go away."

Ruby heard the familiarity in Pyrrha's words and thought of all she'd been through. If it was true, and there was no reason to believe otherwise, then the sweet girl that Ruby had known from Beacon had been turned into a monster against her will. Forced to kill and destroy against her will. To hunt without stop, all at the hands of someone she'd never heard of before.

It was too much. She wasn't prepared to help anyone through this. Killing Pyrrha wouldn't solve anything. This was Pyrrha, her friend but at the same time it wasn't.

A strange feeling of clarity came over her at the overwhelmingness of everything. It was too much, she felt like her mind was breaking and she needed to stop.

Turning around, Ruby closed Crescent Rose and walked over to Qrow. She extended her weapon out to him and pressed it into his chest.

"Take it, please."

He looked at her oddly but grabbed her weapon nonetheless.

"You okay, ki—" he stopped himself. "You all right?"

Ruby shook her head. "No." She let her weapon go—not sure if she'd ever hold it again. "I want to go back to Weiss and just…I can't do any of this anymore. I—I can't."

With a sudden understanding and a resigned look of relief, Qrow nodded. "Okay, I'll keep this for you." He said as he gestured to Crescent Rose.

She stared at her weapon for a moment before forcing herself to look away and walking past him out of the security room.

The walk back to her room seemed to take forever and more than a few times she nearly gave up and considered lying on the cold floor below her.

Ultimately, she made it back and as soon as she opened the door again, Weiss was frantically buttoning up her shirt.

"There you are!" She cried before foregoing the rest of her buttons and hugging Ruby around the neck. "You were gone far too long for any bathroom break, Ruby. Where did you go?"

Ruby drew her arms around Weiss just as she was about to pull away and held her close. "I went to kill Pyrrha."

"What?!" Weiss drew back quickly, her hands suddenly on Ruby's cheeks as she stared at her with horror. "Please tell me you—"

"I didn't," she reassured her. "I couldn't…she's…she's not a monster."

Weiss let out a sigh of relief and her thumb began to stroke Ruby's cheek. "Oh Ruby…I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that. You were just so upset after last time and then Jaune happened and I—"

"Weiss," Ruby cut her off and took Weiss' hand into her own. "I'm not mad…I'm—" her throat hitched and she fought through it. She needed to say this, she needed to admit it. "I'm not okay." She held onto Weiss' hand for dear life. "I need help."

With a certain nod, Weiss once again pulled Ruby into a hug and started kissing her cheek and along her neck—any patch of skin she could find, she was planting with frantic kisses. "Of course, Ruby I will help you in any way I can. I promise."

Smiling as best she could, Ruby held Weiss close. "Can we just…lay down for a while? I'm really tired."

Drawing back, Weiss pulled Ruby onto the bed by her hand. Once she was settled, Weiss started untying Ruby's boots and carefully slipping them off her feet. Ruby was prepared to tell her to stop, that she didn't need coddling or this much care.

But…she couldn't, it was comforting and she felt safe letting Weiss take care of her. So she remained silent and watched Weiss work.

Once her boots were off and the blankets were pulled up over the both of them, Weiss settled Ruby's head onto her chest and started stroking her hair.

Through the silence, Ruby felt herself drifting—her body physically unable to stay awake any longer.

"I love you, Ruby." Weiss whispered against her skin.

She could hear the sincerity in Weiss' voice and clung to the strength it gave her. "I love you too."

Chapter 22: Leap

Chapter Text

Seeing her from behind, broad shoulders and swear rollingdown her back, Blake realized just how insanely sexy Yang Xiao Long really was. Sure, they'd been training together almost every day for the last two weeks since Yang was given the okay for light work, but every day Blake felt like she'd won some kind of lottery.

Training with Yang was an experience, to say the least. Sure they'd done their fair share at Beacon, but back then Yang was more about fun and playing around during her workout routine. Not to mention that Yang's workouts back then were far more than Blake ever did. She would be finished while Yang was just starting to get into her weight training.

Now, Yang was a step behind her—trying to gain back the skills she'd lost after five years of being away. It was an entirely new experience. Yang relied her Blake to set the tone and had to fight through each rep.

She worried that Yang might be working herself a little too hard. Not only did they have these sessions, but Yang was with the physical therapist every single day trying to acclimate herself to this new arm. She was getting better and better each day—learning how to maintain control and adapt to all the nuances of having a limb that could burst through walls like they were made of wet paper towels.

Still, telling Yang to slow down at this point was as pointless as screaming at the sun to stop rising.

"You want to call it a day?" It didn't hurt to try.

Yang looked over her shoulder at her with that smirk Blake hated (loved). "We've only done two sets." She said before taking a deep breath and lying back down on the bench.

Blake picked up the hefty dumbell and settled it into Yang's waiting left arm. She watched Yang drop the weight to her side before pressing it towards the ceiling. Each time she did, Yang's incredibly defined abs would tighten and flex. Blake forced herself to focus on Yang's movements—she might drop the weight or need help holding it up.

Plus, Blake was pretty sure if she leaned over and licked Yang's stomach she'd probably drop the weight and hurt herself.

As her next set finished, Yang sat up and panted to catch her breath. The mirror of the in front of them was where their eyes met again and Yang pursed her lips. "I wish…I was going with you tomorrow."

"I know," Blake grinned. "You've said that about thirty times."

"It just sucks, you're my workout buddy and its sh*t being cooped up in this base."

Blake couldn't argue with that. Even though the threat of Pyrrha, who they had all been told about by now, was contained—she had warned them all that Ruby was still a target and that there were forces coming together to attack. They had no timetable on when those attacks would be, or where, but they were an inevitability if Pyrrha was to be believed.

This had, of course, forced Winter to call General Ironwood and he took immediate action—putting Atlas on high alert and the military presence through the kingdom was stronger than ever.

The rest of Remnant was stepping up as well, not nearly as much as Atlas, but Ironwood had seen the fall of Beacon firsthand, he wasn't about to be caught off guard again.

So regardless of restlessness, this base was still the safest place for them all. Only with Winter's approval and a small strike team in tow, could she make the trek to Vale to finish off the White Fang.

"It's not so bad," Blake watched Yang lay back down and put the weight in her hand again. "You won't find a better gym than this anywhere in the world, and you don't have a pay a lien to use it."

"That's…true!" Yang grunted out with each repetition. When she finished, the weight fell to the floor with an audible thump and she again sat up—sweat trickling down her neck and chest. "Still," she wiped at her forehead with a nearby towel. "I'm gonna miss you."

"It's only a ten-day mission." Blake nudged her with her hip. "I'll be back before you know it."

Yang smiled, but it seemed forced. "I know, it's just been pretty gloomy around here and with Weiss and Qrow handling Ruby and my dad going back to Patch soon I'm gonna be stuck with Jaune."

"I don't think he'll be much company," Blake sat down on the bench next to Yang. "This whole Pyrrha thing is really getting to him."

"Him?" Yang scoffed. "It's getting to all of us—have you gone down to see her?"

Blake nodded. "A few times, she doesn't say much though. Jaune says he reads to her but I tried to talk to her and she just kind of stared into the distance and ignored me."

"Yeah," Yang sighed and took a long drink of her water. "I mean, I know it's Pyrrha in there—she remembers all of us and all that happened to her, but then it's like…there's something inside of her, you know? She's constantly fighting the monster."

"Or the memories of what the monster did." Blake could relate just a little too much to that—it was extremely unsettling. "There's a lot of blood on her hands." Blake said quietly before shaking her head and standing up. "Come on, we need to get through the rest of your workout because I refuse to spend my last day at the base in this place. I promised your sister I'd hang out with her and you've got a checkup in an hour."

"Okay well…it's my cool down so…you know what that means." Yang had a devilish smirk on her face as she rose to her feet and grabbed a mat from the wall.

"Oh no, really?"

"Yep," Yang threw the mat on the ground and laid on it. Blake had a sudden flash to a book of hers set up very much like this. Mat on the floor of the gym, sweaty girl on her back and—

Keep it together, Belladonna.

"How many today?" Blake asked as she knelt down and put her hands on Yang's feet.

A moment later, Yang sat up to face her. "I'll go for five hundred and see what I've got left after that." She winked before lying back down and continuing the pattern.

"I think you'll like this one," Blake gently tossed over a small, hardcover book that Ruby caught with both hands before turning it over and examining it. "It's about dragon hunters."

She enjoyed the small smile on Ruby's lips. "Dragons are neat." She said as she read the description on the back.

After giving up her weapon and taking time off from fighting at all, Ruby had become pretty docile and relaxed—at least on her good days. Blake knew there were still bad days, some of them very bad, but once Ruby had finally admitted that she was dealing with a strong depression, it was easier to help her.

Despite the fact that Blake wanted to spend time with her, this was still kind of her shift to watch over Ruby while the others had things to do. Ruby knew it though and she also knew that Blake was okay being here, so it wasn't hard for either of them.

Plus, Blake had rounded up an entire new stack of books. "There's no dirty stuff in that one either so you can show it to Weiss."

"Good," Ruby shook her head guiltily. "I thought she was going to kill both of us when she found out I had Ninja's in Love."

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd be into that sort of thing."

Ruby scoffed dramatically. "Of course! I'm a sucker for romance and well written…sexy stuff." She barely muttered the offending word and Blake rolled her eyes.

"Smut, Ruby. It's shameless and filthy smut."

"Well," Ruby shrugged. "It's still well written." Blake couldn't argue that. "Besides, I thought Weiss might see it and understand that I'm not an innocent flower and we can…" her face suddenly went red. "So how's your day been?"

"Hold on," Blake cut her off. "Are you…do you want to—" Blake growled, upset that she couldn't come right out and say it. Even for her it was hard to talk about this stuff with Ruby. She wasn't just Yang's little sister, Blake felt that same kind of affection towards her. "You are twenty, Ruby."

"I know!" She shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm twenty years old and I know what my body wants and I know about all that kind of…sexy stuff."

"You can barely say the word." Blake teased and chuckled when Ruby went red again. "You want to sleep with Weiss?"

Her silver eyes went wide and she looked away bashfully. "I—uh—I mean…I've considered it. It's been a dream," she coughed loudly. "I had a dream! I mean…I've thought about it." She sighed with defeat and shook her head. "Is it bad?"

"Not at all," Blake reassured her and stood up to sit on the bed beside her. "I mean, I can't say that when we were back at Beacon and you two would argue well into the night about who didn't put the soap back in it's proper spot I imagined we'd be having this conversation, but there's nothing wrong with you wanting to do that sort of thing with your girlfriend."

"You say that, but Weiss keeps stopping us."

Blake smiled at Ruby's pout. "Maybe she's not ready."

"Maybe but…she's always the one who starts it. We—"Ruby looked away again, clearly embarrassed. "We do this thing where we start kissing and it's great, really great. Then sometimes our shirts come off, poof and they're gone, you know?"

"I'm familiar with the concept." Blake grimaced. "I don't need play by play."

"R—right," She nodded quickly. "Sorry…but it's just that sometimes her hand will slip really low, like super low. I think she's finally going to do it and then she'll just stop. Stop kissing, stop moving and she'll just…lock up, then say she's tired, flip me over and spoon me and it's done."

It was cute to see Ruby so flustered by this conversation but also nice to see the way she spoke of Weiss. Jealousy wasn't the right word for what Blake felt, she wasn't jealous of Weiss and Ruby's relationship just…frustrated that they'd reached this point first.

First? Who are you racing with, Belladonna?

She forced herself to shut those thoughts off. She needed to stop thinking about Yang like that, they were barely getting their partnership—their friendship—back together. Just because she had an unimaginable crush on her didn't mean she needed to risk what they had rebuilt.

"So you think she's babying you?" Blake asked and Ruby's sigh answered her almost immediately.

"I mean…I haven't been the most fun person to be around lately." The tears formed in Ruby's eyes, as they had a lot in the last few days, and she quickly wiped them away.

Ever since Ruby opened up about her depression it had been a common occurrence for her to have little breakdowns. Her whole life was changing and her illness was quickly narrowing her entire world. She'd given up her weapon, her ability to hunt and a lot of her alone time because of it and Blake knew she was struggling.

Reaching out, she touched Ruby's back and rubbed it up and down. "You can talk to me, Ruby. I won't judge you, you know that."

"I know," she nodded and rested the book she was holding in her lap. "I just worry that she might…be having second thoughts."

"Ruby, Weiss cares about you a lot. She would move mountains for you—and with her money, she probably could."

Ruby chuckled but it was clear she still had doubts. "I know and…I feel the same way." She chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm just scared that I'm not the person she thought she was getting; you know?" Her voice broke and Blake scooted a little closer. Every interaction like this she had with Ruby, as few and far between as they were, she tried to do everything she thought Yang would do.

"You're still you, Ruby. You're just a little bit—" she hunted for the right word.

Unfortunately, Ruby spoke up first. "Broken?"

"Sad," Blake corrected with a smile and Ruby lowered her head again. "Ruby you're not broken. You're dealing and I know how that goes. I've dealt with a lot of the same things you do and some days it feels like there's absolutely no point in even trying. The hill seems too big to climb and you'd rather lay down and give up but you haven't yet. You're here, you gave up your weapon and agreed to the therapy sessions. You're talking to me now, talking about wanting to move forward with Weiss. It might feel like you're lost but you're doing really well and you need to know how proud all of us are of you. You are still fighting, Ruby." Blake patted her back. "It's just a different battle than the ones you're used to."

With a sniffle, Ruby wiped her eyes and nodded before turning up to give Blake a watery smile. "Thanks."

"Any time," Blake felt Ruby's arms go around her neck and quickly returned the hug. "You still need to talk to your girlfriend though."

Ruby stilled against her. "Ugh," she groaned and drew back. "Can I just kiss her instead?"

"No, you need to tell her how you feel." As the words came out, Blake realized how silly it was for her to tell Ruby something and not practice it herself. "Life's too fragile to be afraid." Her grin turned into a devious smirk. "Plus I think Weiss' reaction will be priceless when you tell her you want to have sex with her."

If Weiss' reaction wasn't priceless, Ruby's was. She went all red again and clearly still had trouble hearing or saying that word. The thought of her trying to do the actual act was both terrifying and comical.

"You think I should ask her like Carter asked Abigail in Ninja's in Love?"

"I don't think you have the right…uh…equipment to ask Weiss the way Carter asked Abigail."

Ruby let out a hearty laugh and nodded. "Good point—the dialogue in those books can be so bad sometimes."

Blake quirked her eyebrow and went into character. "Come now, Ruby. You don't want to plunder Weiss' depths and see what treasure she's hidden for so long from the rest of the world, meant only for you and your glorious staff?"

"Oh my," Ruby didn't miss a beat, matching Blake's mimicking tone. "I wasn't prepared for it to be so big. I'll need a few moments to prepare myself for all that glorious co—"

A cough in the doorway stopped Ruby mid sentence and they both turned to see Weiss standing with her eyes wide in horror and face red as Ruby's cloak.

"R—Ru—Ruby your—" Weiss stammered, then cleared her throat to compose herself. "Your father wants to see you. I told him I'd find you."

Blake turned to Ruby who gave her a desperate look—but Blake only shrugged. If Weiss had heard enough, it might be the starting point for the conversation those two needed to have.

"Okay," Ruby stood up with her hands behind her back, clearly embarrassed of what Weiss might have heard. Still, she walked over and placed a soft kiss on Weiss' cheek which instantly made her partner flush. Weiss wiped away her reaction almost immediately and dragged Ruby out the door.

Just as she was about to leave, her scroll started to go off. Blake quickly retrieved it from her pocket and gasped when she saw face pop up on the screen.

"Sun?"

"She lives! Blake Belladonna you are really bad at this keeping in touch thing."

Blake couldn't help but smile, Sun knew her better than just about anyone. "I know, I'm sorry. Things have been really crazy here."

"In Patch? Isn't it like…pretty docile?"

"You mean boring?" She asked as she left the room and slowly sauntered down the hallway. "I'm not in Patch anymore. Actually, I'm in Atlas." She didn't see the need to hide anything from him. Blake didn't trust many people, but Sun was one of them. He'd earned it.

"What are you doing there? Is Yang with you?"

She found an empty guard bench and sat down on it. "The whole team actually. We came here because Ruby was attacked and Weiss was with her. Speaking of, they're a couple now."

"Wait…the frigid Schnee is dating Ruby?"

Blake chuckled at his tone of disbelief. "In love with her, as a matter of fact."

"Wow…I…wow. I didn't know she had it in her." Sun lingered in silence on the other end for a moment. "So…we?"

"What?"

"You said we came to Atlas."

"Oh…" Blake was ready for the impending prodding. "Yang and I, along with her father when we heard Ruby was here."

She swore she could hear him smirking across the line. "So you and Yang…you've…reconciled?"

Hearing the words from someone else felt good, they made her heart beat a little faster. "We have—we're good."

"Good," Sun said matter-of-factly and she heard him shout away from the speaker. "They made up! They're good!"

"Sun! Who are you—"

"Neptune says it's about time." He laughed and she rolled her eyes. "I'm happy for you, Blake. You've come a long way from sleeping on my couch."

His tone grew a bit more serious and every damn time he did that he made her eyes water. "I know…I'll never be able to repay you enough for giving me a place to stay."

"You don't have to, Blake. Come on, we're friends and Neptune likes you more than he likes me I think. You know we've always got your back."

Suddenly, her mind was racing. "How far does that offer go?" She asked and rose to her feet.

"What?"

"You know how you told me to call you if I ever had a fight and needed some backup?"

"Oh man, please tell me you have a fight. Blake I am bored out of my mind and could use a really good fight."

She winced. "Well, you might not be as excited if I tell you it's in Vale."

"I like Vale."

"And…against the White Fang."

"Again?!"

"Yes!" Blake shouted and then looked around to make sure no one heard her. "But it's different this time. I'm going with Weiss' sister and some military backup, we're going to take them down for good and…maybe try and salvage what's left."

She was met with silence. Blake tapped her fingers along the bench and waited for his response. Just as she was about to give up and say something else, he spoke.

"When do you leave?"

That was not the response she expected. "Tomorrow morning."

"Okay," She could hear him moving around on the other end. "Is Yang going with you?"

Blake sighed. "No, unfortunately her recovery isn't ready for her to go out on anything this risky. Plus, Ruby needs her here. She's upset she can't go but it's for the better.

"Okay," again he seemed to be in another world. "Okay, we can work with that."

"What?"

He laughed. "Come on, Blake. You're going into White Fang territory with the Atleasian military at your back. You need a friendly face to keep an eye out for you."

"Sun, I can't—you can't! It's dangerous!"

"It's always dangerous! This is what we signed up for, isn't it?"

She groaned, all of her friends were far too eager to throw themselves into danger. "Sun, it's not like before. It's not us and our friends jumping into fights blindly. This is a military operation. With Winter Schnee, who I am guessing is not a fan of surprises."

"So then tell her I'm meeting you guys there!"

Blake could only hope he sensed the glare she was sending him. "You're putting that on me?!"

"You're the one worrying about it."

"Sun," she growled and rose from the bench to pace furiously back and forth. "I'll be fine."

"I bet Yang would feel better if I was there." He said and she knew he was trying to antagonize her.

It was working. "Sun…"

She tried but he stopped her. "Look Blake, I am bored out of my mind up here and honestly it seems like this could be dangerous given your ties to the White Fang. Just…let me tag along. I can be there tomorrow afternoon and meet you when your ship arrives."

As much as she wanted to tell him she could handle this on her own, and she could, it would be nice to see him again. "Fine—but how are you even going to get there?"

She could hear the smirk in his voice. "I'm sure I'll find some place to stow away."

That was the moment Blake realized that all of her friends were insufferable.

The sound of an opening door woke Blake up. She laid still for a moment, basking in the comfort and smell of the bed and not wanting the day to come. She thought for a moment that the door might have been one of the others in the barracks, which would mean she could fall back asleep.

Just as she was about to pull the blankets over her just a little bit more, a voice called out.

"Oh," that was when Blake realized what bed she was in.

Sitting up, she took in the sight of Yang standing in the doorway, hair a mess and wearing a white tank top, black shorts and her boots. She looked a little worse for the wear but was smiling at the sight in front of her.

"Hey," she said as she scratched her neck. "Uh…did I walk into the wrong room?"

Blake wiped the sleep from her eyes and shook her head. "Mmmm no," she purred, literally, and Yang's smile widened. "Not cat jokes," she threatened weakly. "It's early and I can't help it."

"No jokes," Yang raised her hands submissively. Blake marveled at how well she could control her new arm already. "I think it's adorable."

"Uh huh," she let out a yawn and stretched her arms, eliciting a small squeak as her back popped. "You're not in the wrong room, I must have fallen asleep waiting for you last night."

"Oh," Yang moved around the bed and sat down on the small couch. "Yeah sorry about that, I had a few drinks with my uncle—well, he had a few drinks and I hung around. Therapy on a hangover doesn't sound like much fun. Then we got into it with a few guards. By that I mean, he got into it with a few guards, I had to drag him back to his room. It was late and his couch was comfortable so I just fell asleep." She tilted her head at Blake. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

Their eyes met and Blake felt a pool of nervousness build in her stomach. "It's okay, your bed is nice."

"That's because I made them give me a hard mattress. I don't know how Weiss sleeps on those soft ones."

Blake couldn't help herself. "Well I don't know how much sleeping she's been doing lately," she winked and Yang's lip curled.

"Dude, foul play. That's my baby sister." Yang shook her head and covered her eyes.

"She's not a baby anymore, Yang." Blake turned slightly to face her partner on the couch. She waited until Yang looked at her again. "She was asking about some stuff yesterday. Personal stuff…bedroom stuff."

Yang's eyes went wide and Blake swore they were about to go red. She stood up from the couch in a flurry. "I'm going to kill Weiss!"

Quickly, Blake grabbed Yang's arm and stopped her. "No you're not," she laughed at the overreaction. "Your sister is twenty years old and in love. I think it's cute."

"But I—"

"If it makes you feel any better, she's the one pushing for it. Weiss is holding back."

Yang's expression turned from rage to confusion. "What? Why?"

Blake shrugged. "Ruby thinks Weiss is having second thoughts; I think Weiss is just scared."

"Scared of what?" Yang asked with a much softer voice.

Only then did Blake realize she was still holding Yang's wrist. "There's a lot going on—we've all been…hurt and lost things. Falling in love in a time of war is pretty scary."

Suddenly, Yang's arm moved and their hands met. She felt Yang's fingers curl into her own and squeeze. "I wish I could go with you."

Blake smiled and pulled Yang towards her. Yang easily sat down on the bed and cast her head down.

"Me too," she put her other hand on top of Yang's. "I hate to leave, but this is something that I really need to do."

"I know," Yang shook her head and put on her best smile. "I understand and I think it's a good thing. It's just—" her sentence ended with a sigh and Blake frowned.

"Just what?" She pressed, hating to see Yang upset in any way. It didn't feel right. It didn't fit. Yang Xiao Long was meant to smile.

"I just got you back."

Blake thought the wideness of her grin might split her face in half.

Everything about right now was too perfect, too picturesque. The way the soft light danced across Yang's face and how the quiet of the morning made every word they spoke seem more impactful.

This, right here, was her safe place and the only person in the whole world who had ever made her feel truly loved was right in front of her.

Falling in love in a time of war was scary—but it was absolutely worth it.

"Yang," she reached up and touched right under her partner's chin, turning those lilac eyes to find her. Before she could make her own move, Yang leaned into her and their lips met. It surprised her, even if she was about to do the exact same thing. She made a noise of delight that she could never duplicate when they made contact and very quickly settled into the kiss.

Yang's lips were much softer than she'd ever expected and when she felt a hand reach up and touch her cheek, she noted the cool, metal against her cheek and it surprised her.

Unfortunately, her surprise was taken far too out of context and Yang recoiled and pulled away. "Sorry, I—I'm sorry. The arm, I forgot and I shouldn't have just…"

"Yang," Blake stopped her and made a point to grab the prosthetic arm. "This doesn't bother me. The kiss certainly didn't bother me. You just beat me to it."

Yang shook her head, blonde hair swaying from side to side. "It just doesn't look right. Your so beautiful and to touch you with this."

"Don't talk like that, Yang." Blake's voice raised a bit in anger. "This arm has made you so happy in the last few weeks. I've watched you get back into the gym, start training to fight again and work your butt off to gain control of it. Watching your confidence come back and watching you put so much energy into this. It's amazing—this arm is amazing because of how it makes you feel. Seeing you happy again…Yang it's all I care about." To prove her point, she pulled Yang's metal arm up and placed the palm against her cheek. "It's a part of you, and for that reason alone it must be beautiful."

Even with unshed tears in her eyes, Yang smirked. "You're so cheesy."

Blake glowered at her and fought off her own smile. "I'm giving you must best stuff here."

"Romance novel quality?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Yang laughed as a tear slipped by. Blake felt a soft thumb stroke her face. "Can I kiss you again?"

"You better," and she did, this one much quicker and more passionate. Blake tried to match Yang's pace, their lips meeting and tangling was very reminiscent to when they sparred. Yang would attack in a fury and Blake would wait out the assault, strike when she could and constantly be ready to counter.

When they pulled away again, Blake was panting for air and Yang's lips were red. "Kissing you is the best detox ever," Yang said breathlessly. "Who needs liquor when I can get drunk on you."

As Yang went in for another kiss, Blake pulled back and stared at her derisively. "Really? And I'm the cheesy one?"

"Hey I'm just trying to keep up with you."

"Drunk on you," Blake snorted. "That sounds like something Jaune would sing to Weiss."

"Please," a kiss. "Don't," another kiss. "Bring up my sister's girlfriend," this time Yang kissed her jaw. "While I'm making out with you."

Blake felt herself being gently pushed onto her back. When she found purchase on the matters, she looked up at Yang hovering over her. "Oh? Is that what we're doing? Making out?"

Yang had both hands on either side of her, she was stuck, completely unable to run away.

"I have to give you some incentive to come back, don't I?"

It was the best feeling in the world.

Chapter 23: Bloodline

Chapter Text

"Are you comfy?"

Weiss shrugged slightly before nestling even more into Ruby's warm body. "Quite."

"Well that's good—your feet are freezing by the way."

"Low circulation, my feet are always cold. You'll get used to it."

She could feel Ruby's eyes on her but kept her eyes closed. They'd been tangled up like this all morning. "Is that right? Planning on cuddling with me a lot huh?"

"I had considered it." Weiss started to pull away. "But if it's something you're not interested in then—"

Ruby quickly pulled her back. "No no, it's okay. I can adjust to cold feet."

Weiss grinned—another victory. "Good," she nodded against Ruby's shoulder. "Good…because I believe these cuddling sessions will be beneficial to us both."

"Oh yeah? Why? Because from this position I can easily grab your butt?" She felt a hand squeeze her backside and she squeaked involuntarily.

"Ruby!" She cried and kicked her under the sheets. "Will you stop that!"

"Why?" Ruby chuckled. "You have a very nice butt, Weiss. You must do clenches."

"I do not do…clenches. I have an extremely rigorous workout routine!" She again started to draw away and this time Ruby let her. "You can't just go randomly grabbing a person's bottom like that. It's indecent."

"You're my girlfriend though." Ruby pouted. "I just spent the last ten minutes with my tongue in your mouth."

Weiss knew her face was a very bright shade of red right now. She shook her head, letting her hair fall over her face to shield her. "That's—that's not the point. The kissing is very nice but that took us some time to adjust to. Any future groping will take equal time."

As she stewed in her own embarrassment, Weiss felt Ruby's warm fingers dance along her forehead and push away her hair. She met a pair of silver eyes looking up at her—any previous playfulness now replaced with genuine affection. "I'm sorry I did that without asking—I know you're not comfortable with all this."

"You don't have to apologize," Weiss sighed. "I know it's frustrating that I'm so…reserved about it."

"Weiss, listen to me." Ruby sat up and put her hand on the back of Weiss' neck. Her thumb rubbing along Weiss' skin. "It's not about—if you don't want to do this sort of thing, all you have to do is tell me and I would never push you or leave you because of it. The sexy stuff—"

"Please stop calling it 'the sexy stuff'."

Ruby frowned. "I don't know what else to call it!"

"Intimacy!"

"Intimacy?" Ruby spoke the word again. "Intimacy…" Her lip curled. "Look…whatever you want to call it, it isn't a must have for me. It's not something I ever even thought about before you but I just don't want you to not do it because you think I'm too innocent. If you don't have a desire to do the sexy stu—" Weiss felt her eye twitch. "The intimacy, then that's okay. Just don't hold out because you're trying to shelter me. I'm twenty and I've read Blake's books before."

"You mean Blake's filth."

Ruby smirked. "Oh it is, trust me. But they're fun." Weiss raised a brow. "To read! Wow, there's no questions about your innocence!"

Weiss smacked Ruby's shoulder but felt herself smiling regardless. A moment passed and she settled back down a bit next to her girlfriend and took a deep breath.

"Perhaps I have been a bit…standoffish with the physical intimacy between us. We've just been dealing with so much and I didn't want to make things anymore complicated." Weiss felt extremely vulnerable in this moment. She was baring herself to Ruby, figuratively, and sought great courage in her next sentence. "I'm…scared."

Suddenly, she felt Ruby's fingers dancing across her face and she closed her eyes. It was something she'd done for Ruby before to calm her down. To have the favor being returned sent butterflies through her stomach.

"Of what?"

She tried to focus on the feeling of Ruby's fingers and let her mind sweep back to the memories of how often Ruby fought for her—for their friendship and everything that led to where they were now. She needed it now, more than ever.

"Of disappointing you."

The fingers on her face stilled and silence lingered over them for ten long seconds before Weiss opened her eyes. She was met with the sight of Ruby looming over her with sadness in her face. "How could you ever disappoint me? Weiss, I love you."

"Growing up…that's all I ever was, Ruby—a disappointment. My father he…he never gave me any credit. Anything that I did and took pride in, her scoffed at and belittled. I could never be enough for him, I never tried hard enough to satisfy him and I struggled for a long time with hating myself because of it. I push myself so hard with all that I do because I have to. I don't want to disappoint the people I love."

Ruby's expression hardened with each word Weiss spoke and when she finished, Ruby pursed her lips and inhaled a deep breath.

"Weiss, I would never do that to you. I admire you so much and everything you do for me—I've been in a bad place lately, I know that. But you're so strong, strong enough to get me through it and I can't even tell you how much that means to me."

"I know," Weiss shook her head, refusing to cry. "I know and I believe you when you say it—but this voice in the back of my head won't stop screaming that one day you'll wake up and be like him. You'll hate me and I'll be alone again. I was alone and cold when we met—I pushed you away because it's easier to be alone. Nobody can hurt you if you don't let them get close enough to matter."

Ruby leaned down and rested her head in the crook of Weiss' neck and her arms wrapped around Weiss gently. At the sudden contact, Weiss returned the hug in kind. "I'm sorry you had to grow up like that," Ruby whispered into Weiss' neck and she felt a soft kiss applied to her skin. "I hate it, I hate the thought of you being alone. It's awful and your father is so mean and I'm sorry."

Ruby was crying and Weiss rubbed a hand up and down her back. "Shh, it's okay, Ruby. I'm okay—I got through it."

"You did," Ruby drew back and put her hands on Weiss' cheeks. "You're so strong, Weiss. You dealt with it all and still turned out like you are. With the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met."

"I don't know about that—"

"No," Ruby shouted and then kissed her. "No," she mumbled against Weiss' lips. "You did, you're…you're a super tough cookie, Weiss. The toughest cookie."

Despite her tears, Ruby made her smile again and Weiss was grateful for it. "Tougher than those cookies you and I attempted at Beacon?"

"Oh…wow I forgot about those." Ruby sniffled and laughed breathlessly. "I nearly broke a tooth." Before Weiss could say anything else, Ruby kissed her again. "See though! You failed at baking cookies, and I love cookies—but I still thought you were amazing and perfect!"

"Ruby," Weiss hated that word. "I'm not perfect."

"I know, but that's…part of why I think it. You're not perfect—you snore when you sleep on your side and you leave white hair all over everything. You eat really slow, like ridiculously slow. I'm pretty sure I've seen your salad go bad before you finished it."

"Hey!"

Ruby cut her off with a finger on her lips. "You have flaws, Weiss. It's true—but to me, that's why you're perfect. Perfectly imperfect and I love all of it. So if you're scared of being intimate with me because you think it might not be great then so be it. If it happens and it's awkward and crummy then we'll think back on it like we do the burnt cookies. Just another time things didn't go great but we got through it and made more memories."

To hear Ruby speak like this was almost surreal. There was no trace of a fifteen-year-old girl. Ruby had her moments, and the child inside of her would probably never go away—but she wasn't a kid anymore.

"When did you become so good with words?" Weiss asked, pushing Ruby's bangs aside.

She was met with a brilliant smile. "My therapist uses them a lot—she enjoys her speeches."

"Dr. Drake is a highly trained psychiatrist with years of experience. She went to the finest—"

"Weiss," Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying she's bad at her job, she's great and I have really appreciated being able to talk to her. I'm just saying the lady can be a little long winded and I think it's rubbing off on me."

The words she wanted to say formed in her head and Weiss tried to channel her inner Yang Xiao Long. "Hmm, well maybe I should try rubbing off on you." She added a wink for good measure but was met with a blank stare.

"What?"

"You know," she could save this. "I could…rub against you—our bodies," Ruby seemed even more confused. "Sexy stuff!" Weiss cried and Ruby burst out laughing.

"Wow, you really are bad at this." Weiss frowned but couldn't hold it when Ruby kissed her. "That's okay though—I still love you." As the kissing started again, she felt Ruby's hand slide up her nightshirt and fingertips danced across abdomen. She moaned meekly into Ruby's mouth and her breathing started to quicken.

Reaching up, she tangled her hands in Ruby's hair as her girlfriend's fingers went higher and higher until they were ghosting over a spot they had never touched before. Weiss let out a very audible gasp at the contact and Ruby broke the kiss.

"Tell me if it's too much," she whispered before kissing Weiss' collarbone.

Weiss remained silent and let Ruby continue her ministrations.

She was sinking, drowning even and loving every blissful second of it. Ruby was so warm and inviting. Weiss wanted to touch every single part of her, but for now she couldn't stop playing with her hair. Each part of Ruby deserved the utmost attention and admiration.

This, she could do this—she could become addicted to this. She wanted Ruby to touch her more, to explore her more.

Just as she was about to express this feeling—there was a knock on their door.

"Weiss!" It was Yang and she was about to lose her other arm if Weiss had anything to say about it. "Get off my sister and get up, right now. We have a serious problem."

Ruby gave her an apologetic look and removed her hand from under Weiss' shirt. The moment gone and Weiss wanted to cry all over again for entirely new reasons.

Quickly, the girls got out of bed and straightened themselves out as best they could. By the time Weiss opened the door, Ruby was putting on her skirt and grabbing her boots.

"Yang, what in Remnant do you think—"

"Now is not the time, princess—we have a serious f*cking problem."

The curse was heavy and matched with Yang's anxious body language it made for an unsettling combination. "What is it?"

Yang glanced at Ruby for a moment before turning back to Weiss. "It's…your father. He's here."

It always amazed Weiss how quickly her father could destroy her. Most times, he didn't even have to speak—just the look on his face could tear down any self confidence she'd built.

This was no different. The moment Yang mentioned his arrival, everything good in her life seemed to shatter. She hastily dressed—spending torturous minutes trying to decide what to wear and knowing it wouldn't matter. As if she could impress him with clothes. Prove to him that she'd matured and was capable.

She wouldn't be surprised if he screamed at her the minute he saw her. After all, she was responsible for his house being torn apart by Pyrrha when she was still hunting Ruby. It was all her fault; she went after Ruby that day.

Stupid, you're so stupid, Weiss.

They sat in Winter's office just waiting and Weiss had never felt so terrified. Ruby was with her but she honestly wished Ruby would go away. Her father would eat Ruby alive, especially now with how fragile she was—but Ruby insisted and Weiss was too messed up to care.

Only when Ruby put a hand on her knee did Weiss realize her leg was bouncing.

"Hey, relax." Ruby gave her a smile but Weiss on scolded herself.

If she looked nervous, he would pounce on her and berate her for being weak. She needed to be strong, she needed to prove to him that she was strong.

Hastily, she shoved Ruby's hand off her leg. "Ruby, please! Now is not the time. You need to either sit up straight or leave because my father will not tolerate you slouching."

Ruby frowned, a wash of hurt passing through her before she pushed it away. "I'm not here to please your father, Weiss. I'm here for you."

"If you wish to be here for me then you will please my father. I need him to accept you, Ruby. If he doesn't then I will lose you."

"What?" Ruby shook her head dismissively. "Weiss you're an adult, we both are. He can't take me away from you."

Weiss knew very well that he could. He could take her from everyone if he spent enough money. "Ruby, please just be on your best behavior. For me?"

Silver eyes stared at her, studied her and just when Weiss expected Ruby to be defiant again, she sighed and straightened in her seat.

'I love you', Weiss mouthed silently as footsteps approached the door. Ruby gave her a smile just as the door opened and a chill filled the air around them.

"Weiss," her father spoke and his voice rumbled through her like a tremor. She swallowed thickly and stood.

"Father, it's wonderful to see you." She said with a gentle curtsy that he casually ignored before moving around to sit at Winter's desk.

He quickly laid a picture down on her desk face first so he didn't have to see it. Weiss wasn't sure what the picture was, but clearly it wasn't anything he was interested in.

She took in his appearance, fully dressed in a business suit and as powerful as ever. He put his hands on the desk and remained silent as Weiss retook her seat. He had yet to acknowledge Ruby and Weiss took it upon herself.

"Father, this is my…partner from Beacon. Ruby Rose."

He looked at Ruby for a moment and Weiss saw her wave.

"Hello, sir."

He quickly brushed her off and looked at Weiss again. "I had an interesting return to my home, Weiss." She hated the way he said her name.

She hated the way her head bowed when he said it even more. "I—I know, I'm sorry, father. We were attacked."

"We?" He asked, clearly knowing the answer already.

"I—"

"It was my fault, sir." Ruby spoke up and Weiss looked at her anxiously. The last thing she wanted was Ruby speaking out of turn. "Your daughter offered me shelter when I wasn't taking care of myself and something was chasing me. I led it to your home and the damage was my fault. I apologize."

He regarded Ruby for a moment—taking in her words and Weiss was prepared for him to belittle her and tell her to leave.

Instead, he looked at her again. "Weiss, how could you be so irresponsible? Bringing people into my home without my permission? You truly do lack common sense, don't you?"

"Hey!" Ruby shouted and Weiss jumped. "I told you it was my fault. Weiss was just being a good person and helping me. Don't talk to her like that!"

"Ruby—" Weiss tried, but it was far too late.

"She's my daughter and I will speak with her however I please." He didn't even raise his voice. He wasn't threatened by her in the slightest. "It means little now, the repairs have begun on the home and Weiss will be returning to it this afternoon. Your sister has given far too much leeway here, clearly. This riffraff you've surrounded yourself with has become an annoyance."

Weiss felt like she was suffocating—she couldn't go back to that home, to a future that wasn't hers. She would rather die than sit in that home and rot away all by herself. She wanted to scream, to tell him no and grab Ruby's hand so they could run.

Instead, her head lowered again and she submitted, as she always did, because she was too scared to fight back.

"You won't take Weiss anywhere! She's a grown woman and she can make her own decisions!"

Her father rolled his eyes before standing up again. "Weiss, I wished to have an adult conversation with you about all of this, but I see you've decided to bring this ignorant brat with you and have made my decision far easier. I'll expect you to pack up your things and be ready by three o'clock. I have matters to tend to with your sister about improving this base and clearing out the trash. With your sister off gallivanting through Vale with Faunus trash, General Ironwood has given me full approval to begin bringing in the dust based weaponry for his soldiers and any huntsmen and huntresses are no longer welcome here."

"B—but Winter's a huntress?"

He turned on her with a bit more anger in his eyes. "I know what I said, Weiss!"

Out of the corner of her eye, as she cowered, she saw Ruby take a step in front of her. He once again ignored her. "Your sister has let all of this go to her head. She believes she's saving the world, doing good and all she's doing is keeping a broken system alive that has only done more damage to the world. Now she's working with a Faunus? The time of hunters has passed—dust and military is the future. Arming our soldiers with the firepower required to stop the Grimm is how we will protect Remnant. Anyone who refuses to move forward will be…" his gaze turned to Ruby, disgust in his voice. "Dealt with." With that, he pushed past Ruby and made his exit—but not before one more reminder. "Three o'clock, Weiss. Not a second later."

She flinched when the door shut behind him and Ruby was shaking with rage.

Weiss tried to stand on her shaky legs but only made it so far before falling back down into her seat. This seemed to break Ruby from her anger.

"Weiss," she felt a pair of hands on her arm, helping her up. "Weiss, I won't let him take you home. Yang and I…my father—we won't let him."

Ruby could say whatever she wanted, Weiss knew the truth. She shook free of Ruby's grasp and walked away from her. "I have to go pack." Ruby tried to stop her but Weiss never stopped moving.

The day dragged on as they always did, Weiss felt incredibly sullen as she put her things into a lone suitcase and tried her best not to touch anything that belonged to Ruby. Since Ruby was released from the medical bay, she'd been staying with Weiss almost exclusively. There was a limited amount of beds anyway so them bunking together made sense.

All her life Weiss had cherished her personal space—she never shared a bed with anyone and couldn't imagine trying to adjust to having someone else in bed with her. It seemed illogical and uncomfortable; to have some useless need for company in the night.

Now, she was terrified of never sharing a bed with Ruby again. It had only been a few weeks but she'd memorized the feeling of Ruby's body pressed against her. The sound of Ruby's breathing and how sometimes she would roll over on top of her. Weiss loved that, she felt so safe when Ruby held her that the rest of the world could collapse around them and she'd be perfectly fine with it.

Stop, Weiss. Time to let all that go. You're too much of a coward to fight for it anyway.

She could never begin to explain the hold her father had on her. Like a vice grip on her courage he always seemed to be able to break her. What made it worse was the lack of effort it required. He would berate her and stomp on her confidence without any doubt he could destroy it.

Her only memories of her father were the blind hatred he'd always had for her. She often wondered why he tried so hard to keep her home. He never wanted to spend time with her—never tried to connect with her. No, she was the leftover of the loss he would never forgive her for. The only reason he kept her locked away was because it made her miserable and he felt like she deserved it.

Weiss stopped packing, emotion overwhelming her as she covered her mouth to stop herself from sobbing too loudly. She was going to be going back to her prison—without Ruby or Yang or Blake. Without Winter—or anyone who had ever cared about her.

She didn't want to go, she didn't want to leave her friends, her girlfriend. She wanted to be with them and to be happy—she wanted to be strong enough to stand up to her father.

But she wasn't—she was weak, just like he said she was.

"Weiss," a sharp voice made her jump and she turned in a flurry, nearly knocking Ruby over. "Oh Weiss," Ruby pulled her in close and hugged her. "Do you have everything you need?"

A wave of misery ran through her. "I—I do," she felt so defeated. "I have more clothes back at my father's home. This is just—"

"No," Ruby cut her off. "Do you have enough to make it through at least a week?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "What?"

"We're leaving."

She recoiled. "We're…what? We're leaving? Who's we?"

Ruby moved across the room and started picking up some of her own clothes and shoving them into what space she could find in Weiss suitcase. "You, me and Yang. My dad and Uncle. Jaune and Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha? Ruby what are you—"

"They're going to execute her, Weiss." Ruby spoke frantically as she continued to throw what she could into Weiss' overflowing suitcase. "Your father and General Ironwood have both said it. She's an abomination and they want don't want to waste more lien holding her. Winter wants her alive so your father is going against her. Weiss, there's not going to be a base for Winter to come back to. He's taking over and Ironwood is letting him. We have to go to Vale, find Blake and Winter and get away from them."

"Ruby," it was such a flood of information that Weiss could barely keep it all straight. She would not put it past her father to do such a thing—Winter had built a great life for herself here. She was in control of her own life, and their father was never a fan of letting control go. Still, they couldn't really do this. They couldn't escape this place. "We'll never make it; Ruby he won't let us leave."

"We have to try!" Ruby raised her voice and stepped towards Weiss. "You have to be strong, Weiss. You have to fight, like you've always told me to. Don't give up, remember? What good are you to anyone if you give up?"

Weiss stared into Ruby's eyes and saw so much strength in them. Beyond that, she saw her own future. She saw a girl who came back to her, who never gave up on her all those years ago and showed her what it meant to open up and be accepted. If she gave up, she'd go back to her father and never be happy again. Not like she was just this morning, laying in bed with Ruby—kissing her, it was the greatest feeling in the world.

It was worth fighting for.

"How are we getting out of here?" She asked with more determination and Ruby broke into a big smile.

"That's my girl." Ruby hugged her and Weiss felt a surge of harmony in her heart. She could do this, with Ruby at her side she could finally get away from him.

Assuming Ruby had an actual plan. "Seriously though, how?"

"My father and Uncle are trying to get us an airship. Some of the soldiers are incredibly loyal to Winter and Uncle Qrow is trying to find some to help. He's working his charm and my dad is doing his best to get the code to Pyrrha's cell so we can free her. If we get Pyrrha she can guide us out. They can't stop her."

"Two, Three, One, Four." Weiss muttered and Ruby stared at her blankly. "That's the code to Pyrrha's cell. You'll need my handprint though; Winter didn't rescind my credentials. I can get you in there."

"Then we have to get you to Jaune right now!"

Ruby started pulling her towards the door. "Wait! What—how do we even know she'll come with us? You've seen her, Ruby. You've heard the other's talk about her. She thinks she's a monster."

"Jaune says he can get through to her and we can't…" Ruby seemed to hesitate and bite her bottom lip. "I can't let her die again."

"Then let's go get her." Weiss moved to the door again but Ruby didn't follow her. "What?"

"You go, find Jaune and Yang. I'll keep packing and go find my uncle and help him get an airship."

Weiss felt herself panicking. "Ruby, it isn't wise to separate, I—" she felt the fear bubbling up again. "I need you."

"Hey," Ruby stepped towards her and put her hands on the sides of Weiss' face. "You can do this. You are Weiss Sch—" Ruby stopped herself. "You are Weiss of team RWBY. You are a huntress and a tough cookie. You are my partner, the best partner anyone could ever ask for and you can do this. I believe in you."

Each word Ruby spoke was anchored by the look in her eyes. Ruby believed everything she said and Weiss found so much strength in her. Frantically, Weiss kissed her hard and then pulled her in for a hug. "Be careful, you understand me?"

"I do," Ruby nodded against her shoulder. "You too, okay? I love you."

Pulling away, Weiss backed towards the door. "I love you too."

Ruby gave her a memorable smile. "Good, now go!"

She ran.

Chapter 24: Run

Chapter Text

"We're going to look suspicious soon."

Jaune shook his head. "We're fine. We're just two friends having a conversation."

"In the middle of the hallway, right in front of a heavily guarded door?" Yang rolled her eyes.

"It's a nice place to hang out."

"It's a hallway!"

"Don't raise your voice, that will look suspicious!"

"Then don't say stupid things!"

Jaune put his hands in the air. "Look, we just have to wait for someone to come with the codes and we'll make our move."

"Assuming Weiss' father doesn't see us and throw us out on our asses because we dared to be hunters and actually help people."

"Yeah what is that?" Jaune had just heard about the order. "Why is he so set on getting rid of hunters?"

"Because he can't control them." They both turned as Weiss approached. Yang immediately noted the red in her eyes and knew that she'd been crying. Still, she was here, which meant Ruby had convinced her to help them.

"How you doing?" Yang asked, stepping over to her sister's girlfriend and draping a hand over her shoulder.

Weiss lifted her head and nodded. "I'll be fine—for now we need to retrieve Pyrrha and meet up with Ruby and your uncle." Weiss glanced around. "Where's your father?"

Yang sighed. "He went to help my uncle with an airship. Hopefully they'll be waiting for us with one, assuming we get out of here alive.

"Here," Weiss reached behind her back and revealed a yellow gauntlet. "I picked it up on the way."

Taking her weapon, Yang held it in her hands and studied it. She'd spent so much time just staring at it, remembering how good it felt and how familiar it was. That was years ago, she hadn't been in active combat since the day Beacon fell. The day she lost the other one.

With a deep breath, she slipped it onto her left wrist and pulled her elbow back. It shifted and adjusted around her forearm and into position. It still worked, if that was any consolation.

"I don't have any ammo."

"Yes you do," Weiss said, this time revealing a full magazine of bullets.

"How did you—what?" Yang took the bullets with a dumbfounded look no doubt on her face.

Weiss shrugged. "I thought it would be best to be prepared if you might need your weapon again. Plus, Ruby's been bored and we made them together."

Yang couldn't resist, she pulled Weiss into her arms and hugged her. "You are such a bad ass Weiss."

A soft pair of hands touched her back to return the embrace. "Thank you, Yang. Though now is not the time for this. We have a mission."

"Right," Yang stepped back—loving the feeling of being on a mission again. Even if this one was extremely dangerous and might get them all killed.

Then again, that made it even more exciting.

"Guys, I don't know how this is going to work. Pyrrha is not in a great frame of mind." Jaune interjected and looked to the guarded door with a somber expression.

"You've been with her the most in the last few days. Do you think we can convince her to come with us?" Jaune shrugged and Weiss glared at him. "Jaune, you'll need to actually answer my questions. We cannot properly plan for a mission with—" she mocked his shrug, lame expression and all and Yang bit back a chuckle

He sighed. "I don't know, Weiss. I told you, she's not in a very good place. She thinks she deserves to be here. Worse than that, I think she thinks she deserves to die."

"That's crap," Yang began to pace. "She has done a lot of horrible things, but from what I've heard it wasn't really her, right? Just whatever this Salem chick did to her?"

"So it would seem." Weiss peered at the door. "Listen, we can sit out here and debate it all day. It won't matter unless we get her out. We'll make our move and then ask her if she wants to come."

Despite Weiss saying they would ask, the general consensus was clear—Pyrrha was making it out of this place alive. She was Jaune's partner and probably more. Yang wasn't about to let Pyrrha die and haunt Ruby forever and Weiss had no plans of letting her father win this one.

They all had their reasons—their mission and when Weiss started for the door with that familiar, authoritative walk, Yang knew it was on.

She punched in the code and the door opened. Seeing her walk in, the guards immediately stepped aside. This was Yang's first time actually being in here and being this close to Pyrrha. She hadn't even been there the day they captured her.

Despite the horror stories she'd heard, this seemed like an immense amount of personally to contain one person. Even someone as threatening as…whatever Pyrrha Nikos had become.

"This is intense," Yang said as she took in the room. Ignoring the fact that there was a giant, circular cell made of thick glass in the middle of the room—there were seven guards posted all around it. Not to mention a second floor above that circled around the prison where even more guards were hovering.

"There's more than usual," Jaune said. "They've doubled up in here."

Weiss sighed. "Of course they have," she moved towards the cell and gently tapped on the glass. "Pyrrha—c—can I speak with you?" She called out, clearly tentative and Yang forced herself to watch.

In the far corner of the cell, a figure started to shift and rise up to full height. The first thing Yang noticed was the cascading red hair and broad shoulders that formed from the darkness. She somehow looked so incredibly powerful and frail at the same time. The way she walked was timid, as if she might fall over at any moment. Yet her figure was so strong, like she could run through a brick wall

The black markings running up and down her arms reminded Yang of the diagrams she'd seen as a child of what venomous insects could do to a person. The way their poison ran through your blood stream and straight to your heart. These black veins crawled all over Pyrrha's arms and through the exposed parts of her stomach. From the neck down, she looked almost inhuman—but her face was still Pyrrha. Which hurt Yang even more.

"Why are you all here?" Pyrrha's eyes met Yang's and she frowned. "I had a feeling you were here as well, Yang. I apologize for what I did to your sister. For any harm I have caused her or your family."

If Yang had any doubts about the truth of what Pyrrha had become, they were gone now. That was Pyrrha Nikos. The way she spoke and the look in her eyes were both genuine. Yang Xiao Long knew how to spot bullsh*t and that was truth in everything she said.

There was no doubt now, Pyrrha was coming with them. "It's okay, Pyrrha. I forgive you."

Clearly Pyrrha had no been expecting that because she balked and took a step back. "How can you? After everything—"

"You're my friend, Pyrrha. You're Ruby's friend too. I know you would never hurt her unless you couldn't control yourself. I forgive you."

"But—" tears were brimming in Pyrrha's eyes. "Blake—I hurt her too. I didn't mean to."

Yang smiled. "I know, and she forgives you too, I'm sure of it. We're going to see her and she can tell you herself."

Weiss threw her head back. "Way to build up to it, Yang."

"We're what?" Pyrrha asked before taking another step back as it dawned on her. "What's going on?" She asked Jaune, obviously trusting him the most to tell her.

"Weiss' father is here and he's with General Ironwood who has pretty much rolled over and given Mr. Schnee control of this base and…apparently the entire military." Jaune threw his arms in the air. "This is seriously messed up, Weiss."

Yang watched as Weiss nodded. "I grew up with the man, Jaune. You don't have to tell me how horrible he is."

"What does this have to do with me? I'm a prisoner, a monster—I have no freedoms."

"Pyrrha," Yang stepped forward—agonizingly aware that the guards were starting to horn in on their conversation. "We're not leaving you here. They're going to execute you if we do."

Those bright green eyes glanced at the floor and Yang knew what was coming. "I deserve it."

"You don't," Jaune cried. "Pyrrha you don't."

"Hey!" A guard called out and Yang groaned. There was no other way around it. "What's going on? You're all too close. Back away from the prisoner."

"Excuse me?" Weiss barked in a shrill voice and turned on the guard. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"You're my daughter," a booming voice sounded through the room and they all turned to see Weiss' father standing with his arms crossed and his eyes focused on Weiss. "What are you doing here, Weiss. I told you to pack your things. You're disobeying me again."

The guards all around them had suddenly honed in with weapons at the ready and Yang started to survey her battlefield.

There were at least six behind them, but the prison itself would make good cover from the ones above. Weiss could take out four by herself, Jaune could maybe handle two and Yang was ready to fight off as many as needed. She was more than confident in her new arm to punch her way out of this.

Still, that left Weiss' father and the two guards on either side of him. Yang had played enough video games to know that they were probably better fighters than the average guard. Mini-bosses, she thought.

However, she thought if it, they were severely outnumbered.

"I am your daughter! I am not your prisoner! You can't lock me away!" Weiss was shaking as she spoke, her voice breaking and her fists curled so tight she was digging into her own skin.

Her father didn't flinch, instead shaking his head in disgust. "You're a child—more than that, you're becoming more trouble than you're worth. That academy and these…people…have put ideas in your head. I am telling you, for the last time, to stand down and prepare yourself to go home."

Yang watched Weiss glare at her father for a long time in silence. She waited and waited to see what Weiss would do, ready to react however she needed.

When he decision was finally made, Weiss drew her rapier and held it towards her father.

"That place is not my home. Not anymore."

Weiss' reveal of her weapon was all the guards needed to draw their weapons. Yang had to think of something, she needed to do enough to incite a panic and give them time to run. They could fight in chaos, but not like this.

Blake was going to kill her if she died.

Glancing back, she remembered what stood behind her. Yes, Pyrrha Nikos was a person and she clearly still had enough of a heart to feel compassion and pain and regret. Beyond that, Pyrrha Nikos was what she had always been—a very dangerous weapon.

The idea formed in her head when she noted the pouch on Weiss' back. She knew what was in it and immediately decided how to use it. Looking back, she locked eyes with Pyrrha and silently asked for help.

It took her a second, but eventually Pyrrha nodded and closed her eyes to prepare.

That was all the preparation Yang needed.

Just as Weiss was about to take a threatening step towards her father, Yang grabbed her.

"Easy, Weiss," she spoke to her and pulled her away. "There has to be a better way to handle this."

"Let me go!" Weiss screamed, she'd been driven to her breaking point. "I'm going to—"

"You're going to what?" Her father spat. "Fail, again? That's what you do Weiss, you fail and you disappoint and you ruin everything you touch. You're an atrocity and a disgrace to our family's name. Look at you! I cannot believe I lost my wife for you!"

"Shut up!" Weiss screamed with a sob in her throat. "I hate you! I never did anything wrong!"

Her father shook his head and drew his own weapon. "You exist—that is wrong."

Yang discreetly removed the pouch of dust from Weiss' back and stared a hole through Weiss' father. "Wow," she said to get his attention. "You really are a piece of sh*t."

Before he could say another word, Yang turned towards Pyrrha's cell and held the pouch of dust up. She shoved Weiss away and into Jaune, hoping they fell far enough out of range and wouldn't get hurt.

It had been a long time since she'd used her aura, she certainly hoped it still worked.

With her new arm, she swung as hard as she could at the pouch of dust and on impact it exploded into a dozen colors and elements. Fire flew with bits of ice and Yang felt the pull of gravity and solidity of stone. It was so loud that her eardrums felt like they might burst but the sensation reverberated through her body like a drug. The pain turned into power and she sensed the fire boil through her skin and ignite her soul like an inferno.

The glass shattered and fell—when the dust settled, Yang saw that everyone was cowering and covering their heads. After watching to make sure Weiss and Jaune were okay, she slowly turned to face Mr. Schnee and let her flaming hair act as intimidation.

If that wasn't enough, having Pyrrha easily tear her ankle free of it's chain and step up next to her certainly did the trick.

"We're leaving." Yang commanded and Pyrrha lifted her hand and used her semblance to rip the weapon from his hand. She caught it and without hesitation, broke his fancy rapier over her knee and tossed the remains on the floor. "You can let us go on our own or we can fight our way out. I don't think you want to fight her." She gestured at Pyrrha who had just snapped his weapon in half.

To his credit, Mr. Schnee did not seem afraid. If anything, he was furious. "If you leave this base, then you will be criminals. The force of the military, my military, will be after you. Nowhere will be safe and eventually I will find you." He turned to Weiss. "If you go with them, Weiss. You're no longer my daughter." It was a threat, one that carried more weight than no longer claiming her as his own. It meant he would target her.

Weiss never broke eye contact with him. "That's the kindest thing you've ever done for me."

CRACK!

The sound rang through the containment room and Yang watched Weiss stumble backwards at the impact. He smacked her right across the jaw and to prove how unexpected it was, her aura was down and she absorbed all of it.

Yang had never felt a spark of rage fill her so quickly. She couldn't even register her own movements—all she knew was that she was racing towards him, fist drawn back and suddenly she was punching him in the jaw.

His guards were on her in an instant and Yang kicked one of them in the stomach after ducking a strike and when the other grabbed at her hair, she was ready to kill him but Pyrrha was there to drag him away and throw him, literally, across the room.

None of the other guards made a move towards them. Yang grabbed the guard she kicked and head butted him, his nose breaking against her forehead before he crumpled to the floor.

Weiss' father tried to stand but had blood pouring from his mouth and couldn't find his balance.

Instead, he was lifted off the ground by his collar and Yang slammed him into the wall. "If you ever touch her again, I will end you." She spoke slowly, coldly and meant every single word. He could send every guard in the Atlas army after her, she would end his life if he looked at Weiss the wrong way.

Still, he held a defiant look in his eye—even if his earlier bravado was gone. "You'll regret this. This army will find you all…nowhere will be safe for you. Mark my words."

Yang knew he was telling the truth. After this, he'd send everything he had after them.

Before she could respond, Pyrrha strode up next to them. "Your army will fall." He glanced at Pyrrha and Yang watched her friend lower her head. "You have no idea what's coming. Chase us all you wish—it won't matter when she comes." With that, Pyrrha strode out of the room with Jaune in tow.

Yang grabbed Weiss' father by the scruff of his shirt and shoved him into the broken remains of Pyrrha's cell.

She then helped Weiss to her feet and escorted her out—she was trying not to cry and refusing to lift her head.

Once they were out, Pyrrha focused all of her strength and twisted a metal railing off the wall and wrapped it around the handle of the door.

The extra lock wasn't really necessary. None of the guards would dare make a move on Pyrrha.

As Yang helped Weiss down the hallway behind Jaune and Pyrrha—she knew their freedom had come at the price of their safety.

It was too easy. Yang knew they had firepower but this escape was just too easy.

Even now, as they sat on an airship that had been wide open and piloted by her dad—it just felt too easy.

She found a spot in the back, far enough away that she could watch everyone. Qrow was staring at his flask, occasionally taking sips but mostly just running his thumb back and forth over the lid. Yang noticed that Ruby's weapon was sitting next to Qrow—he'd offered it to her before they left but she declined.

Jaune had taken a seat next to the very stoic Pyrrha, who had not looked up since they took off. It was obvious that Pyrrha didn't want to be here. Perhaps she didn't feel she deserved to be, not that it mattered now. She was here and Yang wasn't about to let her lose herself. She had to credit Jaune though, he was patient with Pyrrha. He didn't try to speak to her or draw her out, just sat with her and waited.

Yang had a sinking suspicion that he would wait for her forever if he had to.

That left the other two. Weiss never did cry but she would occasionally touch her face with an empty expression that broke Yang's heart. She couldn't believe someone would do that—someone who was supposed to be family. The things he said, the way he looked at her, the fact that he physically struck her—it made Yang sick.

Weiss was shrill and bossy and could be a pain in the ass sometimes—but she was an amazing person. To overcome a father like that was unimaginable. Yang quickly realized that Weiss was the strongest person she'd ever known.

Thankfully Weiss wasn't alone. After a very quick conversation, Ruby had pulled her girlfriend into an embrace that turned into Weiss falling asleep in her arms.

When Ruby and Yang's eyes locked, Ruby frowned and pointed at her own knuckle. This caused Yang to look at her prosthetic arm and see that there was blood staining the yellow plates.

With the airship leveled out, Yang stood up from her seat and shuffled into the small restroom in the back. She shut the door behind her, twisted the lock and laid her head back against it with the sigh. She was exhausted and they hadn't gone through most of the fighting Yang had expected.

Pyrrha was their greatest weapon because she was so unknown. The guards were terrified of her, and her breaking Weiss' father's rapier was about as intimidating as you could get. It was enough to give them an easy escape and once they reached Vale, they could find Winter and tell her what happened. Yang wasn't sure how Winter would react—but news of her father striking Weiss had Yang feeling confident in which side she would pick.

Yang could spot a protective big sister from a mile away.

She put her hands on either side of the sturdy, metal sink and exhaled slowly. Her stomach was rot with worry and anxiety because she knew that what they'd just done would change so much. They were going to be hunted—but they couldn't just leave and let Pyrrha be killed or let Weiss be taken. It was in their future to stick together and that meant taking bullets for one another.

Still, whatever plans of a nice and quiet life any of them had once had were gone for the time being. Survival was all they had now and Yang was feeling the weight of that alone in this bathroom.

Retrieving her scroll, she laid it down on the sink and quickly pulled up her contacts.

She needed to talk to Blake, she was desperate to have someone to confide in and she hit send and listened to it ring.

The line clicked. "Hello?"

Yang picked up her scroll and slid to sit on the floor. "Hey, Blake." She tried her best to sound upbeat.

"What's wrong?"

This made her laugh. "How do you know something's wrong?"

"Yang," Blake sighed. "I know you, that's how I know. I can hear it in your voice. What's wrong? Is Ruby okay?"

"Ruby's fine, everybody is okay. I mean…we're not hurt or anything. We're headed your way."

Blake hesitated for a moment. "You mean to Vale?"

"Yep," Yang let the word drag out and laid her head back against the door. "Weiss' father showed up and…ruined everything."

"Oh no," Blake didn't need a full breakdown to know what the arrival of that man would bring. He was a bigot and power hungry lunatic. Even before this, the way Weiss reacted at all when she spoke of him was telling enough. "How's Weiss?"

Yang had a flash of the image of Weiss being struck by her father. It made her want to take control of this ship, turn around and go back just so she could punch that man in the face again.

"She'll be okay—Ruby's got her." Yang curled her knees up to her chest. "I'll tell you all about it when we get there."

One thing Yang adored about Blake was how well she could roll with whatever life threw at them. Yang had just told her that they were kicked out of the place they'd been staying and the only thing Blake wanted to know was if everyone was okay.

That and…

"When you say we, you mean?"

"Me, Ruby, my dad and uncle, Weiss, Jaune and…"

"Pyrrha." Blake finished. "How did that go?"

"Well she broke Weiss' father's sword in half." Yang wished she'd had the forward thinking to take out her scroll and snap a picture of his face in that moment. "She's dangerous, Blake. No way around that. I don't think she's going to hurt any of us but if she wanted to, she could. We just…I couldn't leave her behind. They were going to execute her." She knew it was a huge risk to bring Pyrrha along. Even though she seemed to be more or less in control and filled with regret and misery, she was still not entirely human. Yang knew enough to know that Pyrrha had not slept or eaten anything since arriving at the base.

"You made the right decision, Yang." Blake's reassurance meant a lot. If anything, it meant that Blake supported her and with so much falling apart, that was all she needed. "We can sort everything out when you get here. Winter is going to be furious."

Yang nodded to herself. "Good, she should be. That man—Blake I've never seen anyone like him before. He's awful, I feel so bad for Weiss."

"I know, the stories that I heard about the Schnee's were all pretty awful. I admit I made a mistake thinking Weiss was just as bad but her family—her father, is one of the most hate filled people in all of Remnant."

"He's not going to just let us go, you know? He'll send people after us." Yang hated the thought that her little sister couldn't feel safe again. It had nearly destroyed her once and now it was happening all over again. At least this time, Yang was around to take care of her. "I don't know what he has over General Ironwood but the once proud general didn't say a word when Papa Schnee was giving orders to his soldiers."

"I know what he has over him," Blake sounded as tired as Yang felt. "Beacon. That was a colossal failure for the Atlas military. The only person with the power to strengthen that army is Weiss' father and his dust company. He holds all the power and he knows it."

Yang suddenly remembered something that had been lost to her in the flurry of everything that happened. "Pyrrha mentioned something about his army not being ready for what was coming. I know she's not exactly stable but Pyrrha knows things and she's seen things. Do you know anything about the Salem person Ruby told us about?"

"I don't, I've never heard anything before. Your Father or Uncle might. They've been fighting this war longer than us."

A laugh bubbled in Yang's throat that she tried to bite back. "Are we fighting a war? I think we're just stuck in the middle of one and now we're taking it from both sides. If the military is after us that's one thing, but Pyrrha wanted Ruby, which means that whoever Pyrrha worked for wants Ruby and probably won't stop. What are we supposed to do now? We're stuck in the middle and don't even have a place to go."

"You know…Sun had a pretty good idea."

Yang sighed dramatically. "Of course he did."

"Don't be jealous." Blake returned with a smirk in her voice and Yang felt a longing to see her face. "He just said that it might not be a bad idea for us to go get some backup."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…if there really is a war coming then it's going to affect everyone right? We do have friends out there in the world who happen to be pretty proficient at hunting monsters. If something big is coming, I bet we could get a few of them on our side."

Yang couldn't deny the idea was good, even if the source of it was a small pain in her ass. "You want to go recruiting?"

"Couldn't hurt, could it? Like you said, we don't have anywhere to stay right now as it is. Might as well stay on the move if we're being hunted."

"It's going to be dangerous. Plus, traveling with Weiss." Yang was teasing of course, mostly. She loved Weiss but she couldn't imagine what extended travel with her would be like.

"You'll be fine. You guys get to us and we'll figure out where to go from there."

"Okay," Yang frowned—she hadn't expected Blake to be so eager to leave. "What about the White Fang?"

There was a long pause on the other end and Yang knew it didn't bode well. It had been a long shot from the start but she knew how much trying meant to Blake. Despite everything, the White Fang was Blake's family for a long time. Yang believed her when she said they weren't always as bad as they were now.

How could they be when someone as wonderful as Blake had come from them?

"It's a lost cause. They didn't want to listen to me, they didn't want to join up with us. They resisted and we…stopped them." Blake's voice softened to a whisper as she finished and Yang wanted to hug her.

"I'm sorry, Blake." It was all she could say. Yang knew well enough to know that no words could make her partner feel better.

"I'll tell you the whole story when you get here just…get here soon, okay? I miss you."

Those words brought a smile to Yang's face she hadn't felt in years. She'd come so far—she felt whole again. Even as her future seemed unsteady, at least she had control of it again.

"We've only been apart one day." She couldn't resist a little teasing.

"Yang…" Blake sighed and Yang relented.

"I miss you too." The airship jostled around a bit and Yang pulled up to her feet. "I better go find a seatbelt, sounds like Dad's hitting a little turbulence."

Blake laughed. "Your father always finds a way to ruin our moments."

"Well when I see you again, I'm kissing you and there's not a damn thing he can do about it."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"That's not the only thing you're going to be holding." Yang spoke provocatively and winked at herself in the mirror for good measure.

She was met with a pained silence, followed by a groan. "I don't even know what that means."

"Alright, I'll admit, not my best work. I'll see you soon."

"I'll be waiting."