The long wait is over and with out further adue I give you Roses Forever chapter 1 Promises
"What will you do when the thing you need the most is gone?
How will you continue? "
It was a cool winter day with dark clouds overhead and the halls of Beacon were completely empty except for a lone girl who walked with a slight limp. The young girl was headed back to her dorm. The walk took a little longer than it normally would, but that was due to her being pensive. She was so lost in thought that she tripped and fell. "God dammit! Get a grip on yourself Blake it's not your fault." Blake told herself and got off the ground, while her mind wandered to the fateful day.
...
One year ago
" It's a cakewalk of a mission Blake, relax." Ruby said as she finished loading one of her clips. She look over at Blake and sighed "Fine lets go over the mission once more. Weiss."
Three sets of eyes turned to Weiss. "At 06:00 hundred hours a White Fang outpost was found by a Vale recon team. Now our mission is take the base and secure any intel on their next moves. Given that they have been quiet since the breached incident. The outpost is in a field 90 klicks outside of Vale. In other little to no support." Weiss retold what was the mission briefing.
…
"It's just an empty warehouse!" Yang screamed after we cleared the building and found nothing.
"Blake do you have any idea what this place was?" Ruby asked as she looked over the scattered papers on floor.
"I've never heard of a base outside of Vale. But by the looks of the place it was probably a staging point." Blake interfered as she looked around the mess that was left.
"Staging point for what?" Weiss questioned.
"I have no clue." Blake replied. The only sound that occupied the warehouse was the team picking through the trash. Then Blake's ears caught a very soft click and quick footsteps. "We need to get out of here now!" Blake yelled as they started to run for the closest exit. Yang, Weiss and Ruby were hot on Blake's heels.
They stopped on a hill 3 klicks west of the Outpost. "We should be out of range." Blake said in between deep breaths.
"Out of range of w." Ruby's question was answered with a tremendous explosion. They all turned around to see the raging inferno that was the outpost.
"Ruby call the bullhead and have Hellen pick us up. Were done here!" Blake declared as she sat against a tree. A few minutes later team RWBY was on their way back to Beacon. Blake, Ruby and Weiss were making plans of what they were going to do when they got back.
...
"But destiny had a different plan doesn't it Ruby." Blake spoke aloud to no one. She fought back her tears as she looked at the locket on her neck. In it was the two people she loved and herself.
...
As the bullhead closed in on Beacon Ruby went up to cockpit. "Hellen, keep on holding pattern 2 until we get clearance. We don't want the new AAA guns welcoming us."
"Beacon Tower this is flight Alpha five one, requesting permission to land." Helen called over the radio.
The line was quiet for a while. Right before Helen was going to request permission to land again the tower radioed over instructions "Alpha five one. You are cleared for landing at platform 4, use landing pattern 6. Hob copy"
"Understood, Alpha five one proceeding to platform 4 using landing pattern 6." Helen restated of the radio. Ruby simply nodded and walked back to her team.
The Bullhead banked left in to landing pattern 6. Everyone in the passenger compartment let out a sigh of relief. But it was not to last. The bullhead suddenly pulled a hard right throwing team RWBY against the wall. "Hellen what hell was that for?" Yang yelled.
"Where taking fire strap in, hold on." Helen responded. "Beacon tower this is Alpha five one. I am taking AA fire!" Called over to radio.
"Attention all Beacon personnel and students, we are currently under attack from White Fang. Take up defensive poison around the com tower." Aspin ordered of the schools coms.
"I think we know what that out post was for." Yang stated as the bullhead made a sharp left turn then a right.
After 10 mins of vicious turning, the bullhead seemed to even out. But it made one more hard turn to avoid a RPG. But a second RPG was fired and hit its mark blowing out the left engine. "This is Alpha five one were hit and going down. Brace for impact!" Helen called out seconds before the bullhead hit the ground.
...
Blake let out another sigh and got back on her feet and started the slow trek back to her dorm. She tried to keep her mind off the subject but that was all she could think about. As Blake reached for the doorknob, she felt a warm drop of water hit her hand. She looked up to expecting to find a leak in the sealing but found none. Then the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She raised her hand to her face and felt the hot tears. "Get a grip on your emotions Blake. You have to be the strong for Weiss."
In the months that followed Ruby's death, Weiss had gone through a lot of changes some good and some bad. It took three months until Weiss finally broke down. Her grades had dropped from A's to F's. That's when I confronted her and reminded her of the promise we both made with Ruby as she laid dying in our arms "No matter how hard life becomes don't lose hope and never lose sight of who your truly are."
Blake took a deep breath and opened the door. As she went in Yang made her way out. Not even bothering to acknowledge Blake. Yang was an entirely different story. Ever since Ruby died Yang had lost her spark in life. So much that she even cut her magnificent golden locks that anyone tried to mess with she would beat them senseless. But every day she would put a smile on her face and deal with life the way it came. The truth was that she was still hurting and it wasn't going away any time soon.
After hanging up her winter coat Blake walked over to Weiss who was sitting on the edge of her bed holding a picture. Blake sat down on the bed and gently rested her hand on Weiss's shoulder.
When Weiss's eyes finally met Blake's all she could see was pain and sorrow. Blake pulled Weiss into a tight embrace "Well find a way to get thought this. I know we will." Blake whispered into Weiss's ear. She then pulled Weiss to her feet "Let's go visit her before it gets any later. Weiss only nodded her head.
Blake grabbed her coat while Weiss grabbed the red cloak that was hanging up. As the monocratic duo walked out of the dorm and made their way to the cliff side of Ice roses.
Two figures walked a wind-swept frozen path through the forest. The wind had picked up which caused the two to walk closer to one another. "Blake how much further?" Weiss yelled over the howling wind.
"The clearing should be another kilometer away." Blake responded and tightened her grip on Weiss's hand.
Weiss and Blake trudged on word, the conditions worsened, but the moment they stepped in the clearing the wind stopped. At the other end of the clearing were two graves that stood stoic regardless of the elements. Weiss stopped in the center of the clearing and fell to her knees and refused to move. "Blake I can't do this." Weiss stated as she pulled Ruby's cloak around herself she could smell the sent of roses and strawberries.
Blake sighed "Were back to this. Well time for tough love." She move in front of Weiss and placed a firm grip on her shoulder "Weiss. You can do this. If you give up now than you would be breaking our last promise to Ruby."
"She right. Its time I stand on my own two feet again and accept that no matter what it's not going to bring her back. And forge my own path from now on." Weiss thought as she rose to her feet. "Blake. Thank you for standing by me for the past year." She said as she hugged Blake.
Blake stared into Weiss's eyes "Any time Weiss. Come on you know that it is rude to keep a lady waiting." Weiss smirked at the comment.
They reached the two graves that stood watch over the valley below them. The grave stone on the left read Summer Rose "Thus kindly I scatter". The one to the right read Ruby Rose "one day I will be gone, but what I have done and lives that I have touched will remember the winters eacho." Blake and Weiss smiled at the inscription. "Ruby was wise for her age and philosophical as a huntress. I miss her badly." Weiss admitted.
"I know how you feel Weiss. I miss her to. But I wish you would let me help you." Blake said as she looked at the horizon. "Ruby did say to take care of each other. So will you let me?" she asked.
"That depends are you doing this because of that promise or another reason?" Weiss inquired.
Blake moved close to Weiss "It's not just because of the promise that we made with our girlfriend. It's because I love you as well." She then planted a kiss on Weiss's lips and to Blake's surprise Weiss returned it.
"Thank you again Blake." Weiss said as they broke for the kiss.
They stood there as they remembered the girl they both had loved. After retelling stories for hours they both decided it was time to move forward not for their sakes but to care all for Ruby's dreams and hopes.
If one was to walk up the small hill where the shadows of the fallen lay. They would just find 3 graves at the top alone. But today you would find a short young girl in front of the three graves. The graves bare no names only emblems, for a warrior is not measured by their actions not there name. The one left had an elegant snowflake. The center one had a black rose shrouded by flames. The right a heart set ablaze. "I am sorry that I haven't come by see you three in months. We have almost push them out of the country. Then where striking back or so our leaders say. I am being transferred to the Tier 1 ops. So it's going to be a long time before I can see you three again." The girl said trying to keep her composure, but losses it when she looked at the graves.
"Why was I the one who survived?" The fell to her knees. "Why can't this war be over already?" She sobbed and struck the ground. "Why must I be the hero of that day when you three where the real heroes?" She struck the ground again this the rifle that was on her arm fell to the ground clack. "Nora, Ren, Sun and dad are gone. Uncle Crow is MIA. It just some familiar faces and myself left of our class." She felt a smile come across her face "Plato was right "Only the dead have seen the end of war." She counted to cry, even as the sound of two slow soft footsteps drew closer.
"Ruby it's time go." A soft sweat voice called out. Ruby silver eyes made contact with red eyes that belonged to Emma. Emma held out her hand which Ruby took and stood up. Velvet stepped forward and handed ruby her Scar-H back which she took and slung it back over her shoulder.
Ruby casted one last glance at the three graves as they walked. "Weiss, Blake and Yang I will this and be back to celebrate our victory." Ruby silently promised before she looked away.
Well it's back. For those who waited trough the 9 months of inactivity. You have my gratitude for sticking with it.
All criticism is welcomed.
Thanks for reading.
