What Matters Most
Written by Ana Groe-
Locations, Character names and designs © Rooster Teeth Animations, 2013
It was a chilly night, with a slight breeze that caused the tips of the grass to sway and gently tossed the fallen leaves throughout the air as if they were magic carpets. The stars sparkled, and the moon cast a soft glow over everything, calming those who looked out on the peaceful night, entrapping them in rapt wonder. Amongst the peace, the crickets could be heard, and the occasional hoot of an owl pierced the night air. Though this was not the case everywhere, for some places were filled with the laughter of friends and family enjoying each other's company. One group of friends though, was bringing the laughter with them as they worked their way back to the dorm at their combat school.
"Hey, Ruby, how have you not fallen asleep yet?" questioned a taller, blonde haired girl who was sporting a faint blush.
Yawning, a smaller redhead arched her back, her short choppy hair waving gently with the breeze. "Geez Yang, you should be talking. You had nearly three times as much to drink as I did."
Shaking her head, a girl with jet black hair and cat ears that twitched in the wind decided to chime in. "Both of you better not start fighting."
Slurring her words a bit, the blonde bit back a scathing retort and instead just grunted. The one girl out of the group who hadn't spoken up had been just content to listen in and enjoy the company, smiling faintly as the wind played with her long snow white locks of hair, her blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight and reflecting the stars. Glancing over at the redhead, a single thought couldn't help but cross her mind. Good god she's beautiful. Thankful for the darkness concealing the sudden blush, she hoped that if anyone did notice that they'd put it down to the amount of alcohol that she'd ingested. Eventually, after the conversation had died out and the air was infected with a case of the giggles coming from the four girls, their dorm appeared in the distance.
Getting a little competitive, Yang decided to start chasing Ruby, hoping to catch her and tickle her little sister to death. Instead, it turned into a race between the two currently at-odds siblings on who could get back to the dorm first.
Letting out a groan, the cat eared girl chased after them, if only to make sure they didn't hurt themselves.
With a shout, the white haired girl, whose name is Weiss, started running too. "Blake, wait up!"
"Gotta keep up, Princess," Blake retorted, using a common nickname for the white haired girl.
Shouting in frustration at the nickname, she hurried to keep up with Blake, who in turn was trying to keep up with the pair of sisters.
When Blake and Weiss finally got back to the room, Yang was passed out on her bed snoring loudly, and faint singing could be heard over the sound of the shower. Sighing and shaking her head, Weiss sat down on her bed to take off her boots and get changed for bed. Hearing the water turn off and the singing stop. Eventually, the lock turned and Ruby slowly opened the door, not wanting to wake anyone. Seeing that Weiss was still awake, and barely noticing Blake slip into the bathroom, Ruby walked over and sat down next to her.
"Sorry about ditching you and Blake… Yang was being a little more wild than normal, and I just wanted to get home and wash the stench of alcohol off of me. You know?"
Waving her hand, Weiss indicated that it was nothing. "Really, Ruby, it's not a big deal. I mean, Yang did drink the most out of us, and you and I drank about the same. So it's alright. I should probably shower, but I'm too tired to right now."
Smiling faintly, Ruby quickly climbed up onto her bed, as precarious as it was considering the fact that it was suspended from the ceiling by rope. Leaning over the edge of her bed, Ruby whispered a quick goodnight to Weiss before laying down and lying still.
Laying down herself, Weiss had a small smile on her face as she thought about her energetic redheaded friend before falling asleep.
Opening her eyes, Weiss looked around the room as sun streamed in through the window. Glancing at the clock, Weiss saw that it was around mid morning, but didn't think much of it with how late she'd been up the night before. Looking around, she noticed that her roommates were already gone, probably to eat breakfast. As she got up and started her day, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, although it was anything but. Eventually, she finished getting ready and walked downstairs to be met with quite a shock: a giant raven, known as a Nevermore and an extremely vicious predator, was sitting in the courtyard, with small children running around and playing on it while their parents, most of them teachers at the school, were watching from a distance. Shaking her head to make sure she wasn't imagining things, she stared at it as it seemed to not mind being used as a playground.
Deciding to ignore that for now, she went and got her food before looking around the mess hall for her friends. Not seeing them anywhere, she just sat down and started eating. Eventually, she was joined by another one of her classmates: a girl with a stern sounding voice, dark aviator glasses, bullet belts on her waist and slung across her chest, and a handbag hanging on her belt.
"So, what's the Ice Queen doing here all on her own?" Coco asked, removing her aviators with a flourish, revealing her dark chocolate eyes.
"I'm just trying to eat breakfast… I can't seem to find the rest of my team though. They seem to have disappeared on me." Frowning at that, Weiss looked up at Coco with an implied request to help her find her friends.
Coco, picking up on the request, quickly stated, "Sure, let me make a call real quick, and then we can get going. I'm gonna call in some backup for this."
While Coco was on the phone, Weiss got up and threw out her trash, having finished eating. By the time she got back, Coco had finished her phone call and was waiting for Weiss to come back to the table.
When Weiss got back, Coco got right to the point. "So I called in a friend of mine. Velvet. I'm pretty sure you've met her before, haven't you?" At Weiss's nod, Coco continued. "So she's gonna help us look. Ruby, Blake, and Yang, right? We'll find them in a jiffy!"
Shortly after Velvet had showed up, they'd gone looking for the rest of Weiss's team. After a few hours of searching though, things were looking grim. Eventually, though, right when they were about to give up, Velvet spotted a speck of red in the distance with the binoculars that she'd commandeered from one of the classrooms. Weiss, getting what direction it was, bolted off while leaving Coco and Velvet in her wake.
When she got to where Velvet had spotted the red, her heart plummeted out of her chest and into her stomach. Around her were the mangled bodies of her friends, with the red cape that Ruby always wore hanging off of a tree branch that it had snagged on. Blood was spattered over the trunks of the trees, branches strewn about the clearing where there once were trees. Small fires burned on the edges of the clearing, the middle charred and blackened with soot. The worst part was the desecrated bodies of her friends, missing limbs and covered in deep gashes, still slowly dripping blood.
Falling to her knees, she just stared incomprehensibly as tears started to run in rivulets down her face. This can't be happening. This isn't real. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't happening, but would her eyes deceive her? A quiet gasp that came from behind Weiss brought her out of her reverie. Turning around to look behind her, with tears still running down her face, she saw Coco and Velvet slowly walk into the clearing, with Velvet covering her mouth with her hand as Coco stared in disbelief, her jaw slack.
Unnoticed by Coco and Velvet, Weiss started whispering 'no' over and over to herself, slowly increasing in volume. Eventually, Coco and Velvet looked over towards Weiss with worried expressions. Eventually, Weiss was shouting at the top of her lungs, the word punctuated by wails as the grief struck her full force. Finally, Weiss's wails quieted down, worrying Coco and Velvet.
As they started to walk towards Weiss, she stood up seemingly in a trance and started walking towards Ruby's scythe: her beloved Crescent Rose. Picking it up, Weiss continued walking into the forest, disappearing from Coco and Velvet's line of sight with a quick flash and flurrying snow. Rushing forward, the two girls sought to find their friend, but Weiss was nowhere to be found.
Having left her two friends behind, Weiss slowed to a fast walk, catching her breath as she found a tree to lean against. Hefting Crescent Rose to look at it more closely, Weiss took note of the multitudes of scratches that marred the once pristine surface. Running her fingers over them, she tried to imagine how fiercely Ruby and the others had fought. Tears started running down her face as she silently mourned, hefting Crescent Rose onto her shoulder and moving deeper into the forest.
Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched. Silently moving, her pursuers crept up around her on both sides and behind her, closing in for the kill. Suddenly, Weiss stopped, sensing something amiss. Suddenly, she drew her rapier, which she called Myrtenaster, spun the cylinder that contained different types of Dust and thrust the tip into the ground. As she did so, glyphs appeared around her, forming ice barriers on the three sides that her attackers had positioned themselves on. Sheathing Myrtenaster, she continued onwards into the forest.
Her attackers deterred, she let her guard down. That was her downfall, as the pursuers lept from the trees, a large elephant shaped creature charged out of the treeline in front of her as the creatures that were shaped like a mix between man and wolf closed in on her from the other three directions. Sighing, Weiss lifted Crescent Rose off of her shoulder, preparing to fight her attackers off. Suddenly, a Nevermore swept down, lifting her off the ground and carrying her high into the air. In her surprise, Weiss dropped Crescent Rose into the group of creatures. After flying higher and higher, the Nevermore merely let go of Weiss. Realizing that she'd been released, Weiss closed her eyes.
I guess this is it. I'm sorry, Ruby.
With a thud and a jolt of pain, Weiss hit the ground beside her bed with a groan. Opening her eyes and looking around the room, Weiss took in the sight of three empty beds. Sitting upright with a start, she bumped her head on the nightstand that was in between her's and Blake's beds. Whimpering quietly in pain, she looked around the room to see if she'd missed her teammates from her position on the floor when she'd fallen off of her bed. With a sigh of relief, she saw Blake studying at one of the two desks in their room, and heard the sound of the shower coming from their bathroom.
As Weiss picked herself off the floor, Blake spoke up without looking up from her work. "You ok? That sounded like a pretty painful tumble."
Smiling faintly at Blake's concern, she sat down on her bed to start getting ready for the day. "Yeah, I'm fine… Didn't sleep as well as I thought I would though."
Glancing back towards Weiss, Blake spoke up. "Yeah… I can't say I'm surprised, considering what's happened…" Blake trailed off, looking away and downwards, seeming sad.
A cold weight settled in Weiss's gut. Right as she was about to speak up, Yang walked out of the bathroom, her eyes puffy and bloodshot. As Weiss took note of Yang, she had to ask the one question that was forefront in her mind. "Guys… where's Ruby?"
At that, Yang and Blake both stiffened and glanced at each other as a silent conversation passed between them. Blake decided to start, having noticed the state that Yang was in. "Weiss, Ruby… isn't here."
Taken aback by the vague answer, Weiss's eyes steeled. "What do you mean 'she isn't here'?"
Cutting in, Yang bit back a sob. "Weiss, Ruby's dead. She has been for a couple months now. It's not like you to forget something like this."
Feeling a burning rage boil up, Weiss stood. "She isn't dead, I saw her just last night! I even saw her climb into her bed, right above me! I'd have noticed if she had died!" With that last proclamation, Weiss stormed into the bathroom, shutting the door with a slam. After locking it, she slid down against the wall. Feeling tears well up in her eyes again, she choked back a sob. So that really did happen… I wasn't just imagining things… I guess Coco and Velvet did end up finding me… that's probably how I ended up back here. Suddenly, she was broken from her reverie by a pounding on the bathroom door. Quickly standing up, Weiss splashed some cold water on her face to attempt to hide the puffiness around her eyes.
Opening the door, she came face to face with Blake, who seemed both angry and melancholic. "Weiss, you should apologize to Yang. She's still extremely torn up about this, and you just made her run off crying." Realizing what she'd done wrong, Weiss ran out of the room to check one of the few places that she knew Yang liked to hide in when she got upset: the roof. When she got there, she immediately took notice of Yang balancing herself on the railing.
Yang, not hearing the door open, spoke softly. "I'm sorry Ruby. Forgive me." With that, Yang let herself fall. Rushing forward, Weiss shouted Yang's name and reached her arm out in a vain attempt to stop her friend. By the time Weiss made it to the railing, all she'd heard was a wet, crunchy splat, and her own laboured breathing. Refusing to look over, Weiss knew that Yang was no more. Backing away fearfully, Weiss screamed when she bumped into someone. Quickly turning around, she saw that it was Blake.
"Did you find her?"
Still speechless, Weiss nodded with a numb expression, pointing towards the railing where Yang had once stood. Cocking an eyebrow, Blake slowly trotted over to the railing and looked down. Paling, she backed away and ran to the corner of the roof before Weiss heard the slightly muted sounds of retching. Once the sounds had quieted, Blake stood back up with fire in her eyes. Storming towards Weiss, Blake punched Weiss in the gut, causing her to double over clutching her stomach, following up with a knee to her jaw. Letting Weiss fall to the ground, Blake sauntered over so that she could crouch down and look Weiss in the eyes.
"You caused this. Don't forget that. I know I'll never forgive you for this." With that, Blake stood up and walked off, leaving Weiss curled up on the roof clutching her stomach as tears started to run down her face yet again. Eventually, night came and Weiss fell into a restless slumber.
Waking up, Weiss found herself yet again in her bed with sunlight highlighting the motes of dust in the still morning air of the bedroom. Sighing, Weiss sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, grudgingly starting her day. As she stood up, she heard something she didn't ever think she'd hear again. Eyes wide, Weiss turned her head so that she could look at the sleeping form of Ruby on the top bunk, her nose flaring with every exhale and releasing a telltale whistling that Weiss had only heard from Ruby.
Sitting down back onto her bed heavily, Weiss felt tears come to her eyes. She's ok… thank god. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost her. Does that mean everything that happened was just a dream? I need to let her know how much she means to me before something happens Suddenly, Weiss's relief was shattered by the sound of a quiet moan and a creaking of the ropes holding the bed up. Eyes widening, Weiss dove off of her bed into the middle of the floor as the bed plummeted, crushing Weiss's bed under it. As it fell, a scream could be heard over the snapping of the ropes. When everything had settled, Ruby was sitting atop the remnants of Weiss's bed alongside her own wide eyed, staring with a terrified expression at Weiss.
"Weiss…" Ruby quietly whispered, still wide eyed staring at the white haired girl. Rushing forward, Weiss swept Ruby into her arms and held her as Ruby started to silently cry. Ruby buried her face in Weiss's shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around Weiss as if holding on for dear life. Gently stroking the shorter girl's hair and making soothing sounds, Weiss eventually got Ruby to stop crying. As Weiss started to pull away, Ruby stopped her and buried her face into her neck, not wanting to let go.
Quietly sighing with a smile, Weiss hugged Ruby back as tight as she could without hurting the younger girl. Eventually, Weiss had gathered enough courage to gently place a tiny kiss on the top of Ruby's head. Pulling back, Ruby looked at Weiss with a faint smile. Meeting her eyes, Ruby mouthed a silent thank you before letting Weiss go and wrapping her arms around her own seemingly tiny form. A single thought was going through Weiss's head, knowing emotions were currently extremely high: I have to make my feelings known… I need to let her know how I feel about her. How much she means to me.
Gulping, Weiss gently pulled Ruby closer to her, blushing intensely. Ruby, startled by the sudden movement from Weiss, felt her eyes widen as Weiss pulled her close again, this time resting Ruby's chin on her shoulder. Lifting her head, Weiss turned and quickly gave Ruby a short kiss on the cheek, hoping to get Ruby's attention, and get her attention it did. Ruby leaned back, staring at Weiss. Weiss, meeting Ruby's gaze, blushed even more before slowly leaning forward and kissing Ruby, closing her eyes as she did so. She tastes like strawberries.
Stiffening, Ruby felt her eyes go wide before melting into the kiss, returning it and wrapping her arms around Weiss and pulling her closer. Breaking the kiss, Weiss met Ruby's eyes, an unspoken question passing between them. Nodding shyly with a blush that covered her entire face, Ruby quickly leaned forward and gave Weiss a quick peck. Hearing a faint two tone whistle, both girls glanced over to see Blake and Yang watching from the foot of their bunk. Both blushing intensely, Weiss and Ruby quickly looked at the ground. Yang, to her credit, managed to keep herself from laughing for a full 5 seconds while Blake just cracked a smile.
Getting her laughter under control, Yang managed to pose the question that had quite the obvious answer. "So, are you two a thing now?" Both girls blushed intensely, their faces feeling like they were on fire.
Laughing more at their blushes, Yang managed to calm down enough to speak. "Well, I'm glad for you two." Hardening her gaze, Yang stared straight at Weiss with an intensity in her eyes that was only seen when the brawler was angry. "And you'd better not break her heart, otherwise I'll break your face. Got it?" Paling, Weiss nodded her agreement with wide eyes.
It was at this moment that Blake chose to break in. "Congrats you two. Take good care of each other, ok?"
Both Weiss and Ruby looked at each other, smiling and kissing quickly before getting ready to go about their day.
FIN
Locations, Character names and designs © Rooster Teeth Animations, 2013