Burn of a Traitor
A/N: Just some episode 15 rage.
"Yang, it's over. Let's just get out of here."
"No! She can't be gone! She wouldn't leave us – leave me – like that!"
Tears crawled their way down Yang's strained face. Team RWBY, or rather what was left of team RWBY, had been searching for Blake all day. The night was stretching into the early hours of morning, and Ruby and Weiss were completely exhausted.
"She's gone. She left to join that group of terrorists again, and she's not coming back." Weiss said, not caring to hide her disdain.
"This is all YOUR fault!" Yang screamed, "If you hadn't said any of those things, she'd still be here! With me!"
"It's not my fault she can't be normal like the rest of us! It's her choice to ally herself with those murderers!"
"Guys, can we just calm…" Ruby pleaded.
"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" Yang interrupted, watery irises glowing red. "AND I'M NOT STOPPING UNTIL I FIND HER! SO HELP ME WHEN I FIND THAT MONKEY BASTARD I'M GONNA RIP HIS TAIL OFF AND SHOVE IT UP HIS…"
"Yang… Weiss is right. She's gone. We're not going to find her."
Yang turned towards her younger sister, aura glowing and shimmering in the air around her.
"HOW COULD YOU TAKE HER SIDE? NEITHER OF YOU CARE ABOUT HER! NOT LIKE I DO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OUR LEADER, AND YOU'RE JUST GIVING UP ON HER!"
"Yang, I…"
"GO! GO BACK TO BEACON, BOTH OF YOU! I'LL FIND HER MYSELF!"
"But…" Ruby began, but was cut off when Weiss grabbed her arm and started to drag her away from her big sister. Tears began to stain Ruby's cheeks, and they were still flowing when they got back to their dorm and Ruby collapsed into her bed.
"She's just being stubborn. She'll come to her senses soon and it'll all be okay." Weiss said, trying to comfort her partner. Ruby didn't respond, and only cried into her pillow. Weiss decided it would be best to let her be.
Ruby woke around noon the next day. Upon seeing both Blake and Yang's empty beds, she remembered what had happened, and felt no desire to get out of bed. Weiss was sitting on the open windowsill, staring blankly at the horizon. She looked like she hadn't slept a minute. Ruby guessed she had spent all night thinking about what was going on. Weiss may be cold, but Ruby doubted that she really meant everything she said yesterday. Maybe she even regretted some of it.
Neither of them moved for a while. They weren't really sure what to do, or what they could do. If Yang came back without Blake, they'd have to report to Ozpin, at the very least. Teams that lost a member, be it through death or any other means, were granted a reprieve from classes until the situation could be adequately resolved. Ruby wasn't sure what would constitute "adequately resolved" in this situation, though. She wasn't naïve enough to hope that Blake would just come back and that everything would be fine again, but she still didn't want to lose her teammate. The most she could hope for would be that Yang would find Blake and convince her that they could work things out. If Yang could find her. Please, let Yang find her.
The door opened. Both girls turned towards the noise, hoping beyond hope that they would find what they wanted there.
Only Yang. A tired, defeated, miserable Yang. Ruby felt like she might start crying again.
Weiss asked the question. She had to. Just to make absolutely sure. "Did you find her?"
Yang regarded her with a bleary expression. Then Ruby. Then the floor.
Her head slowly shook side to side.
Ruby couldn't help it. Tears flowed freely again, devastated by the answer she knew had been coming. Weiss stared at her feet. She knew that she would be living with what she had done for the rest of her life. What her intolerance had led to.
Yang dragged her feet along the floor, falling on her back onto what had once been Blake's bed. That was it. The best of them couldn't track her down. Yang could only think of one thing to say.
"I loved her."