A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first RWBY fic.
I love writing and this isn't my first fic by a long shot, (so basically I have no excuse for the grammatical errors I'm sure are there despite my efforts) I've had half an idea for a RWBY fic for a little while now, I finally found inspiration for putting words on paper when I started reading "Rapey Lemon's" Blood Rose, if any of you have read that, you can stop here and start reading because you know what I mean already, if you haven't here's your fair warning:
Warning! This fic has some rather disturbingly violent bits, blood, gore, death that kind of stuff. You have been warned.
The violence isn't a big part of the story, so don't worry too much.
I don't own RWBY, that belongs to the talented Monty Oum.
Anyway here you go, I hope you enjoy.
Pale Rose
Ruby sat back in her chair admiring her handiwork with a sigh. She sat at a workbench in Beacon's workshop, a single fluorescent light illuminating her workspace while the rest of the room was cloaked with deep shadows. The newly completed weapon in front of her gleamed dully in the light.
She always had loved weapons, designing her Crescent Rose had taken hours of careful planning, sketching and re-sketching, before finally scrapping everything and just going in blind. While perhaps a little over the top, it was very much her. She hadn't really known what she was doing building another weapon, she certainly didn't need it herself, perhaps that's why she had thought of Weiss while making it. Weiss didn't really need another weapon either Myrtenaster was a formidable weapon in Weiss's capable hands, but Ruby had always wondered why Weiss hadn't incorporated any kind of firearm or secondary function in the weapon, she knew Weiss had made the weapon herself, unlike Jaune who's weapon was an heirloom of sorts. She looked over the weapon again going over its specifications in her head.
She had based the weapon off of a regular rifle length pump-action shotgun, holding seven shells in a standard tube mechanism. She had modified the gun by rifling the usually smooth-bored shotgun decreasing its effectiveness with regular spread-shot rounds, but increasing its accuracy with slug rounds, it seemed to her like Weiss would use slugs rather than buck-shot. Of course she wouldn't have forgotten the main reason Myrtenaster was Weiss's weapon, the revolving dust chambers for her glyphs, instead she had made a sturdy leather side-saddle for the gun holding six special shells, handmade glass rounds filled with different types of dust, merely an efficient way to incorporate dust into the weapon they could be loaded and fired from the gun too. Ruby had tested this earlier and learned that in order to do so she had to reinforce the firing chamber and the barrel so the powerful dust filled rounds wouldn't destroy the weapon. The weapon's second state was what Ruby thought Weiss would like most, she couldn't turn the hefty shotgun into something as slim and lithe as a rapier but she could make an elegant long-sword, the shotgun barrel and feed tube in between two slim blades separated at the tip to allow the weapon to be fired even in sword mode. She had even gotten around the pesky problem of pumping the shotgun while in sword mode by reversing the action, instead of pulling the pump towards the wielder in sword mode the pump needed to be pushed away swinging the weapon hard or stabbing quickly would use momentum to force the pump out chambering the next round.
She was fairly proud of the weapon, colored in smooth whites and sharp blacks to match Weiss's outfit, she gently placed it in a case and attached a tag.
To Weiss 3 Ruby!
She giggled a little to herself before stowing the weapon case in her locker, turning off the light and exiting the workshop, heading back towards their dorm room. She yawned stretching her arms above her head noticing how late it had gotten as she was absorbed in her work, noting her team mates would probably start wondering where she was. As if on cue her mobile buzzed in her pocket, pulling it out and flicking it open revealed Yang's face pressed close to the camera.
"Jeeze Yang its working alright, you don't need to be that close." She quipped.
"That's what I said." She could hear Blake say in the background.
"Can it you." Yang teased backing off. "Where are you it's late?"
"I was in the workshop, you know how I get around weapons." Ruby replied with a shrug.
Yang sighed. "Seriously Rubes you need a different hobby."
"Sorry Yang but I want weapons that are well made and elegant, I'm sorry Crescent Rose doesn't cause explosions."
"Finally something I wholeheartedly agree with you on!" That was Weiss and Ruby could picture Blake's nod of approval.
Yang huffed glaring off camera at her team mates.
"I'll be back soon anyw-… hey what are you doing over there?" Ruby looked up from her phone to where a small cluster of shrouded figures stood clustered in a darkened hallway. Realizing they'd been noticed the group quickly scattered except for one, one wearing a White Fang mask.
"White Fang." Ruby mumbled closing the phone and chasing after him quickly.
"White Fang?" Yang exclaimed. "Ruby? Shit she dropped the call!"
"White Fang? Here?" Blake asked.
"The workshop building is off on the side of campus, close to the town, come on we've gotta get over there."
A trap, of course.
Ruby stood tense Crescent Rose at the ready surrounded by at least a dozen White Fangs. Shit.
"Get her!" They all jumped as Ruby vanished in a flutter of petals scythe singing as she defended herself, swinging around just to late noticing what appeared to be the leader with a crude double barrel shotgun type weapon, she took the full force of one barrel right into her aura straining it to its limit to deflect the point blank shotgun blast after having already been fighting. She staggered back dodging again as her weakening aura flickered.
He still has one barrel… loaded.
Yang skidded around the corner the tell-tale sound of Ruby's Crescent Rose firing leading the way. Sliding around another corner she found the fight as Ruby batted away the last two White Fang goons of around a dozen already on the ground, turning as the leader stepped forward with a shotgun, time slowed to a crawl as the White Fang leveled the shotgun at Ruby's head her scythe seeming to move at an agonizingly slow pace, the blade finally making contact with the Fangs arm pulling his weapon down down.
BANG!
Ruby's scythe carved a groove across the floor after slicing clean through the Fang leader's arm, the leader stumbled back screaming in pain and clutching his shortened arm as Ruby slowly slid to her knees, a dark red spot rapidly growing across her right side. Bent low clutching her scythe with one hand for support, her other held over her side as her team mates arrived.
"Ruby!" Yang slid down next to her downed sister.
Ruby looked down at her hand moving it away from her side, a hole big enough to slide her fist through without touching the sides was punched through her midsection. Her hand was covered in blood dripping down to the already growing pool around her, looking up she saw Yang's terrified face, she was holding her shoulders shaking her lightly. Yang's lips were moving but Ruby couldn't hear the words she saw Blake just behind her shouting to someone Ruby couldn't see glancing back to her with tears in her eyes, then Weiss was next to her crying as well.
"I… I… feel cold." She mumbled.
Their mouths were still moving but Ruby still couldn't hear them. She bent her head and coughed violently, a gush of blood coming out as the edges of her vision lost color turning gray.
She looked into Weiss's teary eyes.
"I… I'm scared- I… I don't want to-"
The world spun around her, grey bleeding into black as her vision swam, her head lolled forward and then darkness.
Cold
She was so cold.
And thirsty.
A thirst that burned inside her.
Through her dry mouth and ragged throat, the thirst.
Her eyes opened, the edges of her vision were dark even though a bright light shined down on her.
Where was she? She felt so cold, a metal surface, she was laying on something cold and metal. Her vision came more into focus, the light was coming from a powerful overhead lamp, beyond was a darkened ceiling. Her body felt like lead, cold and un-responsive trying to move and only managing to roll her head to the side she saw a row of white medical cabinets above a long stainless steel counter. A man wearing blue scrubs was washing his hands there. A doctor? Had she made it to a hospital in time?
No.
Looking up she recognized where she was, along the upper wall were rows of small metal doors, floor to ceiling. She was in a morgue, the metal table was an autopsy table, but she was still alive they couldn't. With enormous effort she pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking down at herself she came to a disturbing revelation, they had already performed an autopsy on her. Long rows of stiches crossed her midsection leading to the gaping hole in her side; she let out a ragged breath. The doctor turned seeing her; she looked up at him before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed unconscious to the floor from the shock.
The thirst was maddening, her vision, which was still rimmed with black, took on a hue of red looking at the collapsed doctor. She needed to quench the thirst she would die if she didn't, she struggled off the table but her legs failed collapsing down to her hands and knees, strangely absent of the pain she had expected, she crawled to him her vision getting redder and redder. The next thing she knew she was leaned back on her knees warmth bloomed in her stomach her mouth and throat were wet again and she felt warmer, her strength slowly returning. Something warm dripped down her chin, she looked down her hands we're covered in blood, it dripped from her chin and the taste of iron and salt filled her mouth, the doctor was in front of her a chunk of flesh missing from his neck as blood poured from the wound into the already large puddle on the floor.
She began to shake, she screamed.
A nurse ran into the room suddenly stopping upon seeing the carnage, the young girl on the ground sobbing staring at her blood covered hands, the injured doctor. She yelled down the hall to get someone to help when the girl looked up, her mouth was covered in blood, her stomach had the telltale crisscross of autopsy stitching and the hole, the hole in the girl's side, not bleeding and before her eyes began closing.
"How is your injury Ruby?" Ozpin asked the pale girl across the table from him.
Ruby touched her side with her handcuffed hands.
"It's completely healed." She mumbled.
"Interesting." Was Ozpin's only reply.
"Did… did he die?" Ruby mumbled looking up.
Ozpin's demeanor darkened. "I'm afraid so."
"What's going to happen to me?"
Ozpin frowned. "This incident has been reported up to the top government authorities, it isn't every day that a young girl comes back from the dead and then kills someone."
Ruby flinched hearing that.
"I've argued with them as much as I can, but they insist on sending you to Ruinosis."
"W-what's that?" Ruby asked fearfully.
"It's… an asylum of sorts."
Ruby curled into herself. "Oh."
"I've done all I can Ruby, I don't think you're a danger but this is over my head."
"T-thank you anyway."
"I don't rightly know what will happen to you there, it's far off on the northern edge of the continent."
"Do the others know I'm still alive?"
"No, this event has been locked down; I am one of the few who have been informed."
Ruby nodded robotically. "Don't tell them about me."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "You don't want them to know you're alright?"
"I'm not alright! I- I drank his blood! I should be dead!" Ruby felt her side. "I- I don't know what I am anymore, not human, I don't want them to know what I've become."
Ozpin was silent for a while. "I think you're overthinking their reactions, but if you don't want me to tell them… I won't."
Ruby nodded stiffly. "Thank you, could you… could you do something for me though?"
"Of course, what is it?"
"Could you make sure Weiss gets Crescent Rose?"
"Your scythe?"
"Yes, I- I know she'll take care of it for me, and in my locker at the workshop, there's a gift for her there, could you make sure she gets that too?"
"I'll see to it personally."
"T-thank you."
Weiss was unsteady on her feet, the thick granite slab embedded into the cold earth before her moved in and out of focus as her eyes filled with tears. She stood along with Blake, Yang, team JNPR and a few others at the Cliffside grave, the new stone about a meter from her mother's engraved with the same rose symbol, reading "Red like roses fills my dreams"
A small pile of roses lay around the gravestone, Weiss stepped forward falling to her knees in the snow clutching the single white rose to her chest, slowly she placed the rose on the cold stone tracing her fingers across the name engraved into the stone. Ruby.
Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
Black the beast descends from shadows.
Yellow beauty burns gold.
Her voice cracked at the end, cutting the final note short before she broke down sobbing. Yang and Blake crouched next to her trying to ease her sorrow.
Ruby looked morosely out the hoverjet's window at the passing landscape, barren and snow covered. She wondered what her friends were doing, wondered what they thought of her, wondered what she thought of herself. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of what she had done, she hadn't really done it consciously and she would be dead if she hadn't, but she had killed the doctor in the process who's to say her life was worth more than his?
Ruinosis was a medium sized building sticking out of the otherwise flat plane, gray/white and wind-worn the building had sharp clean lines and few windows. She was lead into the building, still handcuffed, and passed through into a medical room where she was told to strip down to her underwear and wait for the doctor who came in after a few minutes.
"Hello Ruby." He said looking at his clipboard.
"Uh, hello." She sheepishly replied.
"I'm going to give you an examination so we can have a current record of your health." He paused moving things around the small counter. "And then I'm going to apply a treatment that will limit your aura use."
"M-my aura?" Ruby asked.
"Yes, one such as yourself could be dangerous with access to the powerful help of an aura, we do this for your own safety and ours."
"R-right." Ruby sighed wondering what kind of procedure could limit ones aura use.
After the basic exam a nurse came in.
"We're going to have to restrain you for this." The doctor said.
"W-why?" Ruby asked fearfully.
"Because you will feel some pain but we have to make sure you don't move."
Ruby just gulped as the nurse pushed her onto her back and securely strapped her down until she couldn't move.
The doctor moved over into her vision holding several silver spikes with intricate glyphs engraved into them. The spikes varied in length but all had the same thickness about as wide around as her finger with a broad flat head that made Ruby think of a railway spike.
A cold knot formed in her gut as the doctor moved away again. "W-what are those for?"
"The glyphs will seal in the majority of your aura, they have to be driven into the correct areas to work properly."
The nurse came back with a cotton swab covered in disinfectant rubbing it on four spots along her arms and four down her legs.
Ruby was trembling, were they really going to drive those spikes into her?
She felt the cold prick on the outside of her shoulder as the first spike was positioned, one of the longer ones, before it pierced her skin sinking into her soft flesh. She grunted slightly as the spike was pushed into her flesh but the pain was strangely numbed producing an uncomfortable tingling sensation, the doctor paused picking up something Ruby couldn't see, the spike touched bone and the doctor raised the rubber mallet in his hand, Ruby clenched up in anticipation but all she felt was a strange jarring sensation as the bone was pierced by the spike.
This was repeated until all sixteen spikes were in at just below her shoulders, above and below her elbow, at her wrists, the top of her thighs, above and below her knees and just above her ankles. The spikes varied from only a few inches long for ones that went into her wrists or at her ankles to being nearly as long as knives for the ones in her thighs, they weren't hammered in flush with her skin but stuck out about an inch and a half all along her arms and legs. As the last spike was driven in she could feel her aura suppressed like a lead blanket had been laid over it.
"Hmm that procedure has reduced men much larger than yourself to sobbing." The doctor said standing.
"I-I don't quite feel it, the pain that is." Ruby replied as the nurse undid her restraints.
"Interesting." The doctor said scribbling on his clipboard. "That's all, you may lead her to her room."
She awkwardly re-dressed trying to avoid catching her clothing on the metal spikes then allowing the nurse to lead her into a long white hallway. They stopped at a door which the nurse opened to a small one person room containing a bed with a neat gray comforter, a desk, and a bookshelf, all empty. A door to the side led to a small bathroom with a sink toilet and shower. One square window sat high in the back wall.
"This will be your room, a nurse will be by three times a day with your meals, you'll also be brought into the recreation room every other day with some of the other patients here for activities, if you need anything the button on the wall here will call a nurse. Any questions?"
"No, that'll be fine." Ruby replied keeping her back to the nurse.
Ozpin walked down the hall towards team RWBY's dorm room softly knocking on the door. Weiss answered.
"Oh Professor Ozpin, uh did you need something?" Weiss asked, ever polite but her actions were robotic and without emotion.
"May I come in? I have some things for you." He replied.
"Oh, uh yes come in." Weiss replied standing aside.
Ozpin walked in setting the two weapons cases down on one of the beds, he noticed Blake and Yang were absent.
"The others are out, they went to a nightclub I believe, a distraction Yang said."
Ozpin nodded knowingly. "Not a bad idea, you didn't go?"
She looked away. "I would have just brought them down, I- I don't think I'll be 'distracted' for some time." She replied sadly.
"I'm afraid this probably won't help but Ruby did leave a note on what to do if something should happen to her."
"Oh, you'll probably have to wait until Yang gets back then."
"On the contrary the note involved two of her possessions; both were to go to you."
"To me?"
"Yes, I think you already know what this is." Ozpin said handing the black weapon case to Weiss.
The case was dented and scratched, the handle had Ruby's rose emblem hanging from it and a similar sticker plastered onto the worn case.
"She told you to give this to me? I don't- this should be for Yang-"
"She said very specifically for you to have it."
Weiss's argument died on her tongue, she ran her hand over the case, gently popping open the clasp revealing Crescent Rose folded in its case. Tears burned in her eyes and she closed the case setting it aside. "W-what was the other thing?"
"This." Ozpin replied handing her the steel weapon case, this one smooth and un-marked.
The handle had a small tag.
To Weiss 3 Ruby!
A sob caught in her throat as she tried to suppress it. She opened the small tag to the inside.
I can't say I really know why I made this for you, maybe I never will, but I did make it and it is for you, so I hope you enjoy it all the same.
-Ruby
She opened the case revealing the weapon inside; she ran her hand across the smooth exterior of the shotgun, gently lifting it from its case.
"She… she made this for me."
"She didn't say anything about it to me, just to give it to you." Ozpin replied.
Weiss nodded. "Thank you."
Ozpin put his hand on her shoulder. "She would have wanted you to be happy."
He walked out of the room, Weiss ran her hand along the shotgun again.
Ruby sat with her back to the door, her red cloak about her hood up. The room now had some sense of her to it after these several months spent here, the desk had stacks of papers and books as well as a small box of sewing supplies, the shelf had collected a dozen or so books ranging from text books to novels. There were several sketches pinned to the walls, drawings of home, of Beacon, her friends, she had a lot of time on her hands so learning to draw was one of the things she had picked up.
Her outfit was modified, small silver rings in the sleeves, pants, and boots allowed the metal spikes in her arms and legs to stick out through her clothing without catching or tearing. And she had added a facemask, loose red fabric around the neck of the cloak that could be pulled up to cover her nose.
She often sat and… meditated like this, usually allowing her suppressed aura to run through her to remember what it felt like. Her aura was like a blanket wrapped around her and the spikes pinned it to her sides holding it down.
She did what she could here at the asylum, usually using her free time in the recreational room to work out on the few piece of equipment they had there and practicing other things in her room like her fighting forms. But still she yearned to get out in the open and run again to fly through the air with Crescent Rose at her side, to hunt the Grimm with her team mates.
The thirst had come back to her as well, burning inside her veins with its desire for blood. She had nearly killed a nurse the first time it came over her, soon learning that drinking fresh blood at least once a week would keep it under control, so the nurses gave her blood packs, warmed up to body temperature. It was alright but nothing compared to that first time drinking from the doctor. She also noticed that the taste varied like each person's blood had its own unique flavor, some better than others, but always muddied by the fact it wasn't fresh.
A light nock came at her door.
"Come in." She replied calmly.
"Here's your meal Ruby." The nurse said setting the tray down on the bed. "Do you need anything?"
"Yes actually… could you get me an envelope and some sealing wax?"
"Shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you Alice." Ruby replied never fully turning to face the woman.
Weiss sighed while opening her mail box, the first week of her second year at Beacon had been a tiring one. She grabbed the few letters from the box and began flicking through them as she walked back towards her dorm.
Junk, junk, junk, hmm? Weiss pulled the simple un-adorned letter up looking at the wax seal. Who seals a letter in wax these days?
The symbol pressed into the wax was one that was very familiar to her; the other letters fell from her hands as she leaned against the wall.
Ruby's rose symbol.
Who else would use that symbol?
She gathered her dropped letters and hurried back to her room, Blake and Yang were out. She sat down and gently broke the seal.
Weiss…
I don't quite know what to say, I thought the words would just come to me as I wrote this, but it seems they have left me. I don't want to really explain what happened that day, I don't want to think about it, but show this to Ozpin and he'll tell you.
I'm sorry for then, what I did and didn't do, I wonder how things would have turned out if I had acted differently? If I had been faster or stronger?
I suppose what has happened has happened and I can't change that, but I've sat here alone for long enough with just me and my thoughts. I wonder if you know just how dangerous that kind of thing is. Having too much time to just… think.
I've thought of lots of things, what could have been, what is, and what may be, perhaps that's why I write this? To try and create a more favorable future, but a more favorable future for who?
My future seems to stretch endlessly into the four walls of this room and I have to believe yours can only be worsened by my writing of this, maybe I'm just being selfish.
I'm scared Weiss.
I don't know what to do with myself anymore, I feel like existing as I am is pointless, but then what point would ending it be if that act was just as pointless?
I'm a huntress in a cage of my own design and I do not hold the keys. Perhaps there are no keys, no escape from this hell I find myself in. What was the point of surviving that day only to sit and waste away here?
I'm wasting the life I took to preserve my own pointless existence.
I just need something to hold on to, something to keep me going in these dark days.
I miss you Weiss.
-Ruby
Tears burned in her eyes, just like every time she had thought of her, of Ruby. She got up and rushed to Ozpin's office.
"So she really is alive… she has been." Weiss breathed out sitting across from Ozpin.
"Yes, she's been confined to the Ruinosis asylum this entire time." Ozpin replied.
"An asylum, she isn't insane, I know she's still her." Weiss replied angrily.
"I never believed her to be dangerous either, but something has happened to her, normal people don't survive a day like that."
Weiss sat back in her chair. "It's something just to know she's alive."
Ozpin nodded. "I knew she was overthinking things, I wanted to tell you and Yang and Blake that she was alive, but she asked me not to."
"Why?"
"She told me she didn't want you to know what she had become, called herself not human."
Weiss frowned.
"What would you have done in her place?" Ozpin asked.
"I- ahh." Weiss deflated. "She's alive but I can't reach her, is that any better than if she were dead?"
"You are the only one that can make that decision."
Ruby sat meditating, focusing her diminished aura. She had been thinking, experimenting, testing the spikes for some time now, and she had finally come to realize that she could change them. The spikes pinned her aura within her but the spikes were made to synergize with auras to a certain degree, they needed to be able to be laced with glyphs and pin something that is essentially incorporeal, so if the glyphs could be overridden the spikes could serve as conduits, or catalysts to her aura rather than confinement, but first she must un-do the glyphs override them by force of will.
As any who knew her would vouch, her willpower was a force of nature.
Concentrating her will she tried forcing her aura out and around her, the spikes glowed brighter and brighter blue the glyphs engraved into it glowing brightly as the skin around them tingled. It occurred to her that the eventuality she had discovered was planned for, any normal human being would probably be in a great deal of pain right now. She kept her concentration focusing her aura on the spikes the blue fading as red light took over, the engravings on the spikes melting and smoothing as new ones wrought themselves into it, a curling thorn covered vine grew around the spike as her rose emblem replaced the glyph on the spikes head. And finally she broke them her aura bursting into existence around her as the spikes glowed rose red pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
She felt good, she felt strong again.
A light knock came at her door. "Come in." Ruby said calming herself a smile spread across her face.
"Hello, I've got your meal for today Ruby." The nurse said coming and setting the food down, not noticing the very slight difference in Ruby's appearance.
A scream echoed down the hall. "What the?"
The nurse stepped back into the hall with Ruby curiously looking after her. The nurse looked down the hall her face contorting in fear as two thrown knives sprouted from her chest.
Ruby stood moving towards her as the nurse collapsed, looking to her left as a crazed man in an un-clasped straight jacket charged at her with a meat cleaver.
Ruby just stared wide eyed at the crazed patient not reacting fast enough as he swung the cleaver; it was already lodged several inches into her neck as her aura came up. Coughing she fell back as he pulled the cleaver free swinging again and again.
The world went dark as her head separated from her body.
Weiss scanned the forest ahead of her, thick with beowulves, she turned to her team mates motioning Yang right and Blake left she jumped down to the forest floor slowly sliding the shotgun off of her back as the beowulves turned their attention to her. The first beowulf edged towards her growling only to have a hole blasted through its head, She pumped the shotgun quickly firing at the next Beowulf as they began advancing on her, firing all seven of her shots and reloading before switching the weapon to its sword form.
She jumped using glyphs to quickly move around the mass of wolves, diving back in sword dancing in her hand. Stabbing through a wolf she fired blasting one behind it and freeing her weapon at the same time, holding it up she used dust from the side saddle to create a burst of force and throwing the wolves back. She danced around attacks batted others away while her long-sword sang, cutting down and blasting its way through the pack of Beowulves. A large scarred bewowulf stepped up and roared challenging her, She reached up and grasped Myrtenaster from her side in her right hand, swinging both blades into ready positions. The Alpha charged and Weiss disappeared reappearing with swords singing as she bounced from glyph to glyph her blades a blur of motion as glyphs and dust attacks swirled. She landed in front of the staggering alpha readying the final blow, but the alpha retreated howling to its pack as more wolves rushed forward to cover its retreat.
"Oh no you don't."
Weiss switched to shotgun mode sheathing Myrtenaster, as she pulled the red dust filled shell out of its place on the side saddle and slotted it into the chamber. She aimed forward as the pack of wolves advanced.
"Fire!"
An explosion erupted from the barrel of the weapon spewing fire and smoke engulfing the advancing wolf pack as the single solid dust covered slug smashed into the retreating alpha bursting into another fiery explosion on impact.
Weiss smiled as the alpha slumped to the ground the few remaining beowulves scattering into the forest. She pumped the shotgun allowing the glass dust shell to eject smoking into the air, the barrel of the shotgun glowed a cherry red as her two team mates re-appeared.
"I took care of the ones on the left." Blake said surveying the carnage.
"And I got the right!" Yang shouted emerging into the clearing her own wrist guns smoking.
"I took down the alpha, I guess we're done here. Good work." Weiss said nodding.
Yang nodded watching as Weiss stowed the shotgun on her back her Myrtenaster sheathed on her opposite hip and Crescent Rose hanging of the back of her belt. She had always brought the scythe with her although Yang had never seen her use it.
"Have you thought of a name for that yet?" Yang asked nodding to the shotgun.
"I have, I call her 'Pale Rose'." Weiss replied evenly.
Yang smirked.
"Seems appropriate." Blake said nodding slightly.
"Alright, let's head back."
Ruby slowly came to, her vision was dark and her right eye felt strange. As the world came into focus she realized why, her head was impaled on a pole through her right eye and out the back of her head.
Decapitated. Even this won't kill me?
She looked around seeing the crazed patient repeatedly stabbing at a dead doctor his chest was already a bloody ruin but the cleaver wielding patient seemed not to care.
Focus, Ruby concentrated on her aura feeling her body through the spikes attachment to her aura, She used the spikes like transmitters to feel her disconnected body and then pressed her aura out from the spikes to 'feel' the world around her body, she could 'see' the world colorless but with sharp edges.
Move.
Viewing her own body she urged it to motion, slowly getting up and standing she walked out into the hall. Her body turned as if looking to the right as she moved down the hall towards the enraged patient and her head.
I need a weapon.
She wrapped her hands around the spikes protruding from the outside of her thighs, the longest ones, and pulled them free using her aura to loosen them from the bone. The two spikes were as long as short knives and sharp too, holding them reverse in her hands she crept down the hall to within a meter of the crazed patient before pouncing jamming the twin spikes into his back, she pulled back as he swung the cleaver wildly and then she lunged again slicing with the point and opening his throat.
He stumbled gurgling to the ground in death.
She slid the spikes back into her thighs, and moved over to her impaled head. Placing a boot on the IV sling's stand she grabbed her head and slid it up and off the pole. She held her head at arm's length both seeing it and from it.
Blood, I need blood to heal this.
She moved over to the dead patient situating her head back on her shoulders where her un-natural healing abilities already began slowly reattaching, she put her hand out over the body the spikes in her pulsing as blood flowed and slithered through the air filing in around her neck as she used the blood to rapidly heal and replace what she had lost.
Sighing and rolling her head around a few times she looked herself over.
Satisfied that she was back in good health she looked around her, the asylum was a mess overturned furniture and blood everywhere. Dead staff and patients alike were scattered throughout, this wasn't the work of one escaped patient, they had guards on scene that could take care of that, something else was going on here.
Hearing approaching voices she ducked into a nearby doorway. As two men came into the far end of the room, Ruby recognized their uniforms immediately, White Fang.
"I'm telling you she's dead, one of those psycho patients took her head off, saw the body myself." The smaller of the two said as they walked towards the row of living quarters.
"Torchwick still wants a positive ID, and a picture, wants to make sure this loose end is tied up."
Ruby scowled Torchwick, they were here to kill her, he had found out she was alive and that she was here.
She waited for the two to pass her before lunging out her spikes flashing.
She crept through the ruined asylum, spikes at the ready. She peered around a corner into the medical room seeing no one she moved into the room quickly scanning the area for anything that might be useful, her gaze landed on a case filled with neat rows of the silver aura suppressing spikes. Placing her two back in her thighs she examined a few of the spikes.
It was her breaking of these things that had saved her allowing her to move her detached body and advance her control over her healing abilities, she felt her aura moving through the spikes and around her giving her a level of control she hadn't had before. Maybe she should have a few more of them…
She pulled out a medium length spike turning it in her hand, slowly she opened her shirt and pressed the spike into her side just above her pelvis, grunting as the spike pressed into her flesh and against her aura she struggled with it for a few moments before it broke succumbing to her empowered aura and glowing bright red. She breathed in feeling the spike slightly, warm and pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She repeated this for her other side and then twice more in her side just below her rib cage careful not to push it into a lung, although puncturing a lung probably wouldn't have been too much of a problem. She pushed these in flush with her skin having no bone to sink them into.
More? She wondered.
She picked up another spike shorter about four inches long. She placed the tip against the back of her head just behind her ear and angled up into the base of her skull.
She tensed before pushing hard taking a deep involuntary breath as the spike sunk into her head causing her vision to swim as the spike burned against her aura, she clutched the counter in front of her for support as the spike broke and her vision suddenly cleared. She breathed heavily leaning on the countertop as her aura flowed through this new conduit.
That was a good one.
She repeated this, plunging another spike into the opposite side of her head with similar effect. These two didn't go in all the way instead sticking out about an inch. She looked into a nearby mirror, lifting her hair out of the way revealed the sliver spike although her hair covered it when she let it go.
She thought further. I want a few more… in my back I think; I can't do that myself though…
She grabbed the spikes she wanted and stashed them in her pouch; maybe she could get someone to help her later.
Turning she left the room. Jeeze sticking spikes into myself what would the others think? Ruby smiled a little to herself.
She peered around another corner at the main entrance to the building where two more White Fang goons stood. She took a deep breath and jumped around the corner twisting and flinging one of her spikes like a dart she caught one in the chest puncturing his heart. The other Fang jumped back startled before turning to her and aiming his weapon, a rifle of some sort, she twisted out of the way of the first shot sliding along the ground and disappearing in a flutter of petals as the next shot passed through where she had stood with another shower of petals she was in front of him stabbing out with the spike several times until the White Fang collapsed. She retrieved her other spike before moving towards the lone hoverjet in the courtyard.
She looked back at the asylum one last time before climbing into the back of the jet.
Weiss and her team mates jogged down the hall catching up with Ozpin as he walked towards the Emerald forest.
"What's the emergency Professor?" Weiss asked catching up with him.
"A hover jet was just spotted crashing deep in the forest, I need a team to go and check the crash site and you're the best we have, it's deep in the forest and a large Death Stalker has been reported in the area be careful." Ozpin said as they neared the cliff above the forest.
"You can count on us." Weiss said running up to the launch pads quickly followed by her two team mates.
Weiss emerged into a clearing and looked up for the smoke trail they had been following towards the downed hoverjet, she found the jet itself lodged into the rocky out cropping in front of them. One of its engines was smoking but it looked otherwise intact.
"There's the jet, looks like it didn't come down to hard, there might be survivors." Weiss said to her team mates.
"Uh we may have a problem." Yang said pointing back towards the rocks.
Weiss turned seeing a huge Death stalker emerge from a cave in the rock formation.
Weiss paled a little. "That's a problem."
Yang was bent over on the ground panting after taking a powerful hit to the gut one of her bracers was cracked and not actioning properly, Blake was cradling a broken arm and Weiss was in front of them trying to hold up her flickering aura.
She loaded a red dust shell into her gun and fired, the massive explosion erupting from the barrel obscuring the area with smoke and fire. The Death Stalker screeched a large scorch mark marring it armored face.
"Ohhh shit." Weiss swore as the Grimm approached, her weapon still glowing with heat after firing.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A red cloaked figure leaped out of the surrounding forest flying through the air and plunging a pair of spikes into the beast's stinger, jumping away and slashing at its tail as she flipped down and off the creatures face to land a few meters ahead of Weiss her hood coming down as she landed.
"R-ruby?" Weiss mumbled.
"Rose!" Ruby shouted extending her hand.
Weiss shook herself from her shock quickly grabbing Crescent Rose from her back and tossing it to Ruby who grabbed the weapon extending it to full with a wicked grin on her face.
"It's been too long old friend."
With a shot Ruby was off assailing the death stalker from all sides but even Crescent Rose wasn't sharp enough to slice through the stalkers armor. She landed back in front of her friends as the creature attacked throwing up her arms one claw stopped short hitting her extended aura, then the other claw and finally the stinger were all pressing on her, her spikes glowing bright red as she held the creature at bay.
"Ahh shit, I'm sorry you guys are gunna have to see this." Ruby grunted back to her friends.
She threw back the creature and charged straight at it, it threw a claw forward catching her around her midsection, she grunted as the sharp claws cut into her but swung her scythe attacking the claw holding her. The other claw came over cutting through her neck, and closing its claw fully separating her torso from her waist.
The creature advanced over the fallen Ruby towards the three injured hunters.
Weiss closed her eyes stinging with tears as the creature neared, but a pained screech from the death stalker caused her to open them again. The stalker thrashed screeching in pain before calming as it collapsed to the ground with a final strangled whine.
"It… it's dead?" Weiss mumbled.
BOOM!
A shot erupted from the top of the death stalkers corpse, then another and another blasting up from beneath the dead grimm before Crescent Rose burst from within the dead stalker followed shortly by Ruby's dismembered torso, using the scythe to maneuver, her torso moved off the dead grimm sticking the scythe into the ground and holding the handle to keep herself up off the ground.
Weiss Blake and Yang all stared in some kind of horrified trance, as Ruby's legs walked themselves over lining up beneath her torso. The spikes sticking out of her glowed brightly as blood from the stalker flowed up and around her severed waist reattaching her severed body, she then walked forward picking up her decapitated head and fixing it back on her neck, blood flowing around her neck as the flesh wove itself back together.
She rolled her head around cracking her neck. "Ugh Grimm blood tastes gross." She spat.
Weiss slowly walked up to her touching her as if to make sure she was really there.
"It's really me Weiss, it's good to see you again." Ruby smiled.
Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck burying her face in her shoulder as tears flowed from her eyes, Ruby returned the hug wrapping her arms around Weiss's waist.
"Shhh its ok Weiss, I'm fine." Ruby said softly into the crying girl's ear.
"Ruby" Yang breathed standing.
Ruby smiled not letting go of Weiss. "It's good to see you too Sis." She nodded to Blake who was staring at a loss for words. "You too Blake."
Weiss finally moved back smiling through the tears in her eyes, for Ruby to be immediately engulfed by Yang's bear hug.
"Ahhhh, Yang it's good to see you too but I'd rather not re-construct my ribs." Ruby grunted patting her sister.
Yang eased up. "I… I thought you were dead, and then… with the stalker… I just how?"
"I think you all have plenty of questions but here isn't the place for that."
"The abandoned temple should be safe enough." Weiss said.
"Perfect."
"So you didn't tell them Weiss?" Ruby asked as they sat at the abandoned temple.
"I- I figured you would have said something or sent them a letter…" Weiss mumbled as her team mates looked to her.
"No it's alright; I sent the letter to you Weiss, what you did with the information was up to you."
"You knew she was alive?" Yang asked.
"Ahhh, well yeah, for about a month now, she sent me a letter, and Ozpin explained to me what happened.
"Ozpin knew too!? Why didn't he tell us?!" Yang exclaimed angrily.
"Because I asked him not too." Ruby interrupted.
"W-what? Why?"
"Because I didn't know if I wanted to let you guys know what I had become, that perhaps remembering me as I used to be, was better than knowing what I had become."
"That's ridiculous Ruby, of course I want to know you're alright, I don't care what you did." Yang replied evenly.
"I killed someone."
"Yang flinched but said nothing.
"I woke up that day on an autopsy table, still injured, and I had this thirst burning within me, a thirst for blood, I tore open a doctor's throat and drank his blood to heal myself."
Yang stared intently down at the ground as she absorbed this information, Blake's eyes widened, and Weiss just stared at her lap already knowing this part.
"They sent me to an asylum after that, that's where I got these." Ruby motioned to the spikes sticking from her body. "They were originally meant to suppress my aura by I've since re-written them to my own purposes."
"How did you get here, did you escape?" Weiss asked.
"Not… not quite, the asylum was attacked by White Fangs sent by Torchwick. I'm the only one who walked away from that asylum alive, does that still count as 'escaping'?"
"I don't know and honestly I don't care I'm just glad you're back Ruby." Yang said getting up and hugging her sister again.
"Yeah, it's good to be back Yang, I've been alone for a long time."
"So, what happens now?" Blake asked.
Ruby disengaged from her sister. "I'm not sure, I need to go talk to Ozpin he'll know what to do, but I'm not leaving again."
Weiss smiled and they turned off towards Beacon. Ozpin was waiting for them at the Cliffside when they returned.
"It's good to see you again Ruby." He said nodding as if he wasn't the least bit suprised.
"You too." Ruby replied.
"This provides an interesting situation; no one knows you've escaped the asylum do they?" Ozpin asked.
"Torchwick will probably figure it out when his hoverjet doesn't come back." Ruby replied with a shrug.
"I've just received official reports of the asylums destruction, the government report states no survivors."
"Consider me dead then." Ruby replied with a smirk.
"Good, well then team RWBY welcome back, oh and Weiss?"
"Uh yes?"
"I'll have you know that a new student will be joining your team tomorrow, she's not from around here so I want you to make her feel at home, her name is…"
"Lillia Pallide." Ruby replied pulling her facemask up covering a smirk.
Ozpin nodded. "I've heard she resembles Ruby I'm sure it's just coincidence though."
Ruby smiled to herself as Ozpin walked away.
"Don't you think someone will notice?" Yang asked.
"Team JNPR maybe but I was going to tell them anyway." Ruby replied with a shrug. "Man I'm beat can we get back to the dorms? I kind of haven't slept in like two days."
"Yeah come on, we're in two rooms now, Yang and Blake are together so you'll be with me." Weiss said as they walked off towards the dorms.
Ruby lay back on the bed tiredly waving as Blake and her sister left the room to return to their own for the night. Weiss closed the door and turned around.
"Rub-" Ruby was right in her face.
"Finally." Ruby pressed her lips to Weiss's holding her against the closed door.
Weiss melted right there.
"I thought they'd never leave." Ruby breathed into Weiss's ear as her hands trailed across Weiss's body.
"Well her sister did just come back from the dead." Weiss replied gasping as Ruby's hands ghosted across her sensitive bits.
"With a year of pent up loneliness to get out, I've wanted to be with you for so long Weiss… my biggest regret was never telling you I loved you." Ruby got a little more courageous with her hands.
Weiss sucked in a breath. "Ruby"
"I didn't know back then, but I figured it out while I was away, you've no idea how long I spent cursing my ignorance." Weiss blushed deep red.
"Ruby you're… gunna make me…" Weiss panted.
Ruby smiled as Weiss shuddered against her. "I've had a lot of time to… practice with my hands."
Weiss panted trying to manage her blush. "I love you Ruby."
Ruby smirked her grey eyes meeting Weiss's. "I know, but why don't you go ahead and prove it anyway."
Weiss smirked in turn pushing Ruby back.
Weiss woke slowly the next morning, Ruby's warm arms wrapped around her as Ruby cradled her head against her. Weiss smiled relaxing into Ruby's arms.
"Hmm hmm good morning Weiss." Ruby mumbled.
"Mmmm yes it is."
"KNOCK KNOCK!" Yang yelled as she barreled through the door, Blake poking her head in afterwards freezing as she saw Ruby and Weiss.
Everyone stood frozen for a few moments just staring at each other, before Weiss shrieked burying her face against Ruby as Blake quickly dragged Yang out of the room a deep blush covering her face.
Ruby laughed as Weiss buried her face against her. "Well I guess that's one way of telling Yang I'm lesbian!"
"I'm going to kill her!" Weiss replied.
"Haha please don't I don't think she can re-attach body parts."
"If she breaks down my door one more time we're going to find out." Weiss mumbled.
"Hehe ahh it's like I never even left." Ruby chuckled.
"We never woke up in bed together before."
"Ok so it's better than before." Ruby smiled wider.
"Hmmm I'm just glad your back."
"Me too Weiss, me too."
A/N: Rather sad for one of my stories but I think that's a good thing. Well if you're reading this then thanks for getting through that monstrous block of text, it is the longest single document I have ever written. I think this will have some continuation either as another regular length chapter or as a few short chapters, not sure yet.
Anyway thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
-Jknight