The dense canopy blocked out most of the pale moonlight, leaving the forest floor steeped in darkness. Threatening sounds growled and hissed from all directions as a young woman walked alone through the trees. Her cape fluttered behind her in the gentle breeze, her senses on high alert, ready to face the horrors that undoubtedly surrounded her.
"Here we go." She smiled. In the next instant the woods fell into eerie silence, the rumbling of the monsters that hid in the dark quelled.
In a blur of motion she reached to her back and spun around! A large, strange looking sword slashed into the dark a howling yelp rang out as the blade cut into a beast, its glowing red eyes burning into her before its body dissolved.
A hint moonlight shined through a hole in the branches overhead, its light gleaming off her weapon. The sword was large, formed of two separate blades on each side with holes drilled incrementally along the outer length of the blades. Each blade was angled sharply and edged on the outside more like a typical sword, while facing inward towards the shaft that ran through the divide between them, the blades eased into long, arcing curves before meeting at the tip of the sword.
Despite the size of the sword, she swung it with ease and elegance. The forest fell silent again, around her she could feel the Grimm biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The Grimm here aren't stupid, that means they're probably older, which means they're stronger. I shouldn't let my guard down.
Before long, she could see them, dozens of red eyes peering through the darkness but still she was unfazed. She gripped the hilt of her sword with both hands and reared it back, readying to cut down anything the dare draw too near.
A hungry baying rang out from all around her, leaves crunched and twigs snapped as they encroached upon her. Come and get it!
Suddenly a raging inferno ignited from her sword! Each of the holes along the blades' lengths spewed forth fire, bathing the forest in a hot orange glow and illuminating the young woman! She had very short black hair and silver eyes. A burn scar trailed up from her neck to her forehead over her face, crossing over her right eye.
A red cape flowed behind her, fixed to her shoulders with two plates of armor. She wore a tank-top that shifted in gradient from black to white as it descended to her waist, beneath which she wore a two tiered white skirt with yellow at its hems. Her legs were covered with black stockings and at her feet she wore black combat boots with red laces. In the glow of the fire, two rubies glittered on her ears dangling from thin golden chains.
Around her she could hear the Grimm back away from the intense fire. Alright, then I'll come to you!
Whooosh!
She vanished in a blur, leaving a cloud of rose petals in her wake as she bolted into the trees. Coming to a skidding halt the woman went on the offensive! With a slash of her flaming sword she cut down one Grimm after another before speeding off again, each attack filling the dark forest with a bright orange flash, casting fleeting shadows over the leaf littered floor before she vanished again. The woods echoed with the dying screams of the monsters as she struck them down!
An Ursa reared up on its hind legs and swung down its massive paw down at her, but as though it weighed nothing, she countered with her sword, knocking its foreleg back before turning her entire body into the next slash, severing the beast in two along its torso! With a satisfied smile she snuffed the flames out on her sword. Last one! That was-
Before she could celebrate she heard a grumbling from behind her! Her heart skipped a beat as she spun around, throwing up her sword in front of her just before a powerful force knocked her back! Oops, guess I missed that one.
An Alpha Beowolf loomed over her, it's jaw gaping as its claws reared back ready to slash into her. Fire again erupted from her blades as she readied to slay the monster. She stared it down, waiting for it to make the first move. Slowly it lurched forward and let out a low growl and swung down its claws!
Bang!
A shot rang out and in the next instant a show blurred in and out of existence… and the monster's head fell from its body. Another young woman walked up from behind it, a thin blade in each hand, one dangling from a ribbon tied to her arm.
She had long, raven black hair with cat ears protruding from the top of her head. She wore a long white coat that shifted to a bright yellow at its hem in a fiery pattern, beneath which was a pitch black t-shirt. A bright red bandana was tied around her neck and at her waist a match red belt held up tattered black jeans. Her amber eyes glowed in the light of the fire as she smiled, putting the thinner blade into its sheath.
"Hey Ruby."
"Hey Blake, good timing!" Ruby grinned bashfully as Blake walked up to her. "So, I guess you finished clearing your sector already?"
"Yeah, figured I'd see if you could use a hand." Blake shrugged, still feeling happy to see her girlfriend despite her obvious attempt to deflect from the fact that she let a Beowolf sneak up on her. They'd been separated much of the night, the grim population in this area was a lot denser than they had been told going into this mission.
"Watch out!" Ruby's eyes narrowed and Blake's heart skipped a beat! In the next instant powerful talons ripped into the faunus… but she vanished, her shadow taking the hit as she evaded, appearing beside Ruby as they faced down the Griffon!
"I'll take care of this one." Ruby's voice grew cold as she walked forward without hesitation. She held out her sword in one hand as it began to transform, the blades raising up until they met at the end of the long shaft, one blade retracting partially into the other as her sword took the form of a large, flaming scythe, her signature weapon, Smoldering Thorn.
Deftly Ruby twirled her scythe, a ring of fire glowing overhead like a halo as she walked calmly up to the Griffon. It screeched at her, but as she moved forward, it moved back. In an explosion of fire and rose petals Ruby blitzed forward, her scythe trailing behind her as she launched herself up at the beast! With one stroke of her massive blade, the monster was cleaved in two before being blown apart by the fireball that ejected the moment the scythe cut through it.
Ruby flipped in mid air, snuffing out the fire from her scythe just before her feet touched down on the ground. With a flourish as swung her blade back, the hot metal shrieked as it touched the damp earth as Ruby slid backwards, one boot resting in the curve of the blade where it met the hilt until she sailed to a stop, steam rising around her as the water on the ground instantly boiled as it robbed heat from the blade.
"Well I guess we're even." Blake shook her head at the needlessly showy display as she joined back up with her girlfriend.
"I don't know, I think you still owe me a little more for that save." Ruby smirked as she folded up her scythe, turning it back into a sword before giving it one more swing to cool it before holstering it at her back.
"Oh really?" Blake rolled her eyes as followed suit, putting her Gambol Shroud at her back. They had finished their sweep of the forest, there shouldn't be any more Grimm nearby. "You can tell me what you have in mind when we get back to the Inn."
"Sounds good." Ruby snickered, nudging Blake with her elbow. "Um… do you know which way the town is?"
"Yes Ruby, unlike a certain someone I have a good sense of direction." Blake bumped Ruby with her shoulder as she walked by, taking the lead.
"It's not my fault! Everything looks the same out here!" Ruby pouted as she followed her girlfriend. "Not everyone gets to have natural super night vision you know!?"
"I don't want to hear it from-" Blake stopped, behind her Ruby had fallen completely still and silent. Worry spiked in her heart as she turned to her leader.
"There's something warm over there." Ruby tilted her head as she focused, staring into the dark forest. "Come on!"
Without waiting for a response Ruby started walking quickly in the direction of the heat source, keeping her ears on Blake who was following close behind her. Closing her left eyes she focused on the warm glow that she could only see through her right. It was looking more and more like her suspicions were correct. As they drew closer, Blake could smell it.
The two came to a stop in a clearing, the air around them was warm and humid and the grass gave way to stone that fell away into a warm pool of water that sprung up from the ground. The couple had found a hot spring.
"I knew it!" Ruby cheered excitedly! "Come Blake, let's get in!"
"Um, are you sure it's not too hot?" Blake looked at the pool warily… but her attention was immediately taken as she stared at Ruby while her leader took off her cape.
"No, the temperature is perfect!" Ruby hummed in a singsong voice as she began to undress. A cool breeze swirled around them as she finished disrobing, Blake's cheeks felt hot with a deep blush.
Ruby looked beautiful, her pale skin glowed in the soft silver light of the moon. Blake's eyes looked over her, taking in her details in the picturesque scene as the moon reflected in the warm pool, giving the rising steam a faint glow. Ruby was very different from when she first got to beacon, she was taller for one, and her intense training had left her muscles toned, but not bulky.
"You coming?" Ruby turned to Blake with a bright smile… but a cold sorrow seeped into her heart as she looked at the front of Ruby's naked body.
Almost her entire torso was covered in a large burn scars, a long, obvious surgical scar ran the length of her chest. The burn stretched from her thigh on her right side as stretched all the way up to the thin scar that crossed her eye. Every time she saw Ruby like this… Blake was taken back to that terrifying time.
"Blake?" The soft, worried whisper of her girlfriend pulled her back to the present.
"Oh, right! Yes, I'm coming!" Blake hurriedly took off her clothes, folding them neatly before dropping them beside Ruby's mess of a pile that she had haphazardly dropped her clothes into. Blake tried to play it off as best she could… but she knew Ruby saw her staring at the scars. Ruby hated when any of them did that, but what else could Blake do? Pretend they weren't there? Pretend like it never happened? None of them could do that, she didn't know how Ruby seemed to.
Ruby jumped right in, the pool was the perfect depth covering just above her chest. With a long, content sigh she settled right in, the smooth stone beneath her and the water around her felt so comfortable.
"Hey, move up a little." At Blake's command Ruby scooched forward. Behind her she heard Blake slowly get into the water and then… she felt her girlfriend's arms wrap around her and pull her close.
The two sat in the warm, soothing water, Ruby smiling softly as she pushed back just a little bit more, pressing her back against Blake's chest and at the same time, Blake hugged her tighter, wrapping her arms around her waist as they settled in.
"Blake…" Ruby's soft voice carried on the light breeze as she leaned her head back until it gently met Blake's shoulder.
"Yes Ruby?" Blake tilted her head until it came to rest atop Ruby's. Together they stared up at the starry night's sky in peaceful bliss.
"I love you."
"I love you too." Ruby wiggled herself as close as she could, humming with happiness as she shut her eyes and took in every sensation of her girlfriend's touch.
"How do you think Weiss and Yang are doing?" Ruby wished she could share this moment with them, but at the same time, she was more than happy to keep it just for the two of them.
"They're probably bored without us."
"Uhg!" Weiss growled as she lifelessly stumbled through the door looking dead tired. With an exhausted huff she slammed the door and kicked off her shoes and loosened her tie. She wore a pure white pantsuit with a black tie... with strips of red, white and yellow running across it.
"Have fun at the board meeting?" Yang walked in from the kitchen, her long golden hair tied back in ponytail and a white apron draped over her.
"Public opinion up, profits down, shareholders unhappy, investors hesitant and mountains more paperwork to do. I wish I got to go with Ruby, at least if a Grimm killed me I wouldn't have to listen to any more self serving speeches from totally out of touch rich people telling me how I should run my company." Weiss collapsed and just before she fell Yang threw a chair beneath her, saving her from collapsing on the living room floor. Still, Weiss had complete trust in Yang to save her.
"Sounds like you've had a rough day." Yang frowned as she came up behind Weiss.
"Yes… a very rough day." Weiss groaned, her body going limp in the chair. Suddenly, two strong arms wrapping around her drew her attention from her dreadful day. Yang knelt down behind her, hugging her girlfriend gently as she breathed against her neck.
"Well, I know what I could do to help you unwind." Yang's erotic tone sent shivers down Weiss' spine, she could feel her heart rate increase as Yang slowly pulled her hands black, trailing the tips of her fingers along Weiss' belly as she retracted.
"That sound's… nice." Weiss turned to her girlfriend, her pale cheeks reddened with a hot blush… but immediately felt crushing disappointment as Yang grinned playfully, holding up a cartridge that contained her favorite video game.
"You dolt!" Weiss's blush intensified ten fold as she became exponentially more flustered.
"Hey, I'm still cooking in there," Yang threw up her hand with her thumb out pointing towards the kitchen behind her. "We wouldn't have time for what your dirty mind was coming up with… until after."
"I just can't win with you can I?" Weiss sighed. Still, her exhaustion was gone, and she felt a lot better, Yang always knew just what she needed. I'm happy to be home.
"Nope!" Yang bent over and gave Weiss a peck on the cheek.
"Well, hand me a controller." Weiss submitted, knowing she was in for a thrashing with the game her girlfriend had chosen. I hope Ruby and Blake get back soon, I miss them.