Standard Disclaimer: All rights belong to those whose rights they belong to, primarily the glorious minds at Rooster Teeth, though quite namely not me. Don't own a thing.
Weiss Schnee knew something was up. She just couldn't put her finger on what, exactly, was wrong with half of their team.
She'd noted both Ruby and Yang acting oddly this week. Their redheaded leader had been acting less chipper than usual, which would normally have been a cause for celebration by the platinum-haired girl, especially with finals approaching. Except for how off her game entirely Ruby had been. Their training sessions had been rather tame recently, with Ruby hardly putting any effort whatsoever into it.
Almost like she just didn't care anymore. And that was certainly not the Ruby she'd come to respect and trust as her leader.
And then, of course, there was Yang.
The fiery blonde was always temperamental, but it was edged with an oftentimes bawdy humor. This week, however, she was prickly as an Ursa in heat. She'd been skipping out on perhaps half of their classes and barking at anyone who even looked at her sideways.
Weiss peered over the edge of her textbook at the morose-looking leader as she trudged towards the door of their dorm room. "Going out?" the heiress asked politely.
Ruby nodded, her eyes still downcast. "Yeah… I'm gonna go study. In the, um, library." She pulled her red cloak tighter around her as she slipped noiselessly out.
"Blake," she started quietly. "Did you notice she didn't have any books with her?"
"I did, yes," Blake replied from across the room on her bunk. She marked her place in her book and set it down. "I also noticed Yang is out again late, without leaving word where she's gone to."
Weiss nodded thoughtfully. "So it's not just me? Something is up with those two, correct?"
"I believe you're right." The Faunus sighed. "I… I tried speaking with Yang about it but she just blew me off. Practically fled from the room."
"Hmm." The platinum-haired girl drummed her fingers on the top of the book in her lap. "We need to get to the bottom of this. Their grades and performance are suffering."
"You're right, but how?"
"Well, they're our partners. We just let them know how much we care about them, and that they can talk to us about what's bugging them."
Blake gave her a soft, knowing smile, which Weiss scoffed at.
"Don't look at me like that. Ruby is my partner, and our leader. Of course I care for her. Even when she is acting like an immature dolt."
"She hasn't been displaying much of that lately."
"No, and it's... Well, it's beginning to worry me. I almost wish for the old Ruby back, even as exasperating as she can be at times. So, first opportunity, we corner our partners and force them to confront us, yes?"
The Faunus sighed resignedly. "I have the feeling that any confrontation on my part will result in physical violence, but if that's what it takes, sure."
Just then the door to their room banged open to reveal both of the siblings they had been discussing. Ruby had Yang's arm around her, supporting her weight as she led her inside.
"Yang!" Blake cried out, rising to her feet. "What in Oum's name happened to you?"
The blonde looked terrible, like she'd tangled with a mess of Death Stalkers and come away for the worse. Her hair was bedraggled, clothing torn, and bruises marred her face, though the purplish markings were slowly beginning to fade even as she slumped onto the desk chair wearily.
"Bar fight," Ruby stated quietly, her voice disappointed as she stepped back. "Right?"
Yang nodded, forcing false cheer into her voice. "Yeah, but you should see the other guys!"
Her redheaded sister just shook her head and turned to leave again. "Well, we all deal with in different ways, don't we." Her normally buoyant voice was somber and sounded unusually older than her years.
"Yeah, we do," Yang admitted quietly, her eyes downcast.
As Ruby slipped once more out of the room, Weiss and Blake shared a glance. The Faunus nodded back, indicating that she had this, allowing Weiss to quickly pull on her boots and dart out the door after her partner.
She caught up to Ruby just as she was walking out the front door to their dormitory.
"Ruby, wait please!"
The petite redhead turned slightly, but kept walking. "Oh, um, hey Weiss. I just wanna be alone right now, okay?"
"No, no it is not okay." Weiss put on a burst of speed to slide in front of Ruby, coming to a halt with her arms crossed, resolutely blocking her path. "We need to talk about what has been bothering you."
Ruby stared up at her, and Weiss was suddenly struck by the intense sadness in those normally humorous silver eyes. Her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly before the redhead looked down, nodded slowly, and changed course to walk over towards the fountain.
Weiss trailed alongside, relieved that her partner was finally willing to open up to her, but a bit hesitant at the amount of grief she could now feel pouring off her slender frame. Ruby eventually came to a stop and plopped down on one of the benches, putting up her hood and pulling her cloak about her like a shield.
Curling her feet under her on the bench, Weiss resolved to let her reveal things in her own time.
A full minute passed before Ruby stirred again, opening and closing her mouth several times before she could force the words out.
"Tomorrow is the day my mom died."
Weiss sucked in a shocked breath. Of course, how could she not see that, with how both sisters were acting…
"It still hurts, you know?" Ruby continued, her voice muffled and head downcast. "Every day I miss her. Every day. But it's worse around this time, I just… I remember getting the news. I'll never forget that day, ever."
The heiress gently reached out a hand to rest it on her shoulder. "Ruby…"
"And I know… I know I should be over this. Time heals all wounds, right? Only it's not true, it's always there, it just… It's like a scab covering the wound, but it never really heals."
Weiss noticed the drips that began to dot the pavement in front of Ruby, and scooted closer, pulling the younger girl into her embrace.
They sat that that for some time, Ruby trembling and sniffling in her arms, before Weiss could organize what she wanted to say.
"Ruby, I can't… I can't imagine what you're going through, or what you feel, but… I'm your partner. I'm here for you. So, please… Please go ahead and let it out, okay?"
Nodding slightly, Ruby gave another despondent sniff. "Every year around now, all I can remember is what it felt like that day, like all the joy I'd ever felt was just… gone. The life just felt sucked out of me. And… I keep wondering if I ever took her for granted, if I…"
She trailed off into a small whimper, shaking harder. Weiss tightened her grip on her shoulders.
"I don't think that could possibly be the case," Weiss murmured. "Everything you've told me about her, how she was such a super mom, fighting Grimm and then coming home to bake cookies, tells me what a wonderful time you had with her. I… I know I can't speak for her, but I'm sure she loved you very much and treasured every second spent with you."
Ruby let out a long, shuddering breath as she nodded, leaning into Weiss' embrace.
"And you know that you and your family were the only thing that could have mattered to her, right?" Weiss closed her eyes, praying for inspiration to find the right words to comfort her partner. "But she was a huntress, just like we're training to be. And she fought to protect others. It's not much of a consolation, I know, but…"
"I just…" Ruby sobbed brokenly. "I just miss her so much…"
"I know, Ruby," Weiss murmured, holding her partner close and wishing with all of her considerable willpower that she could lend some of her strength. "I know."
After another fifteen minutes, Ruby finally sat upright, scrubbing her face with the hem of her cloak.
"Thanks, Weiss," she whispered.
Rubbing her friend's back, Weiss smiled softly. "Anytime, Ruby."
Arms wrapped around each other, the pair slowly made their way back towards their dorm.
"Do you think Yang and Blake have killed each other?" Ruby murmured.
"Nah, I'm sure they had a very civil discussion, just like us."
"You do realize this is Yang we're talking about, right?"
"True…"
A/N: I don't usually do such, well, despondent pieces. And yes while this was inspired by the Red Like Roses Part II lyrics, it's also a reflection of my mood as the holidays approach. This will be the fourth since my wife passed away. I've raised my girls as best I could, and while they're teenagers now I know they still miss her as much as I do. It just gets harder around the holidays.
Thanks for the read. Hopefully I get back into the mood to write my other, fluffier pieces soon.
Stay shiny.