A/N: So I'm in the strange, big city of New York for the summer, and being the introvert that I am, there are only so many nights that I can go out with my fellow interns without losing my mind. That being said, I'm also having RWBY withdrawals, and as such, I am writing this fanfiction.
Since watching the show, I have always been fond of the Ruby/Ozpin pairing, and I am saddened by the relatively few 'fics of this pairing. So I hope any other Ruby/Ozpin shippers out there enjoy (and anyone else that reads this :) I'm going to be honest, between commute time and being at work, I will probably only update once a week, but I have a few chapters done already so I will be able to update even if I get a bit behind schedule.
This fanfiction is rated M for violence, language, and sexual content in future chapters. I do not own RWBY
The Theme Song for this story as a whole is: "I Love You" Covered by Royal Bliss
The Theme Song for this chapter is: "Lonely Nights" by Scorpions
Chapter One
|Ruby Rose|
"Ruby!"
"Yang!" She screamed, straining against the dark haired men that held her, their fingers leaving bruises on her upper arms, torquingher dislocated shoulder in a way that should have been immensely painful.
But she was immune to the physical pain—instead she was consumed in emotional agony as she watched her beautiful, confident sister morph into a terrified shell. Her throat felt raw as she screamed and thrashed, desperate to halt the blade plummeting towards her sister's vulnerable neck. And then desperate to cradle her dying sister.
And then everything changed, the colors melting like watercolor paint and rearranging to create a wholly new nightmare.
Blake's sharp gaze was dull, almost as lifeless as her cold and limp body. Ruby and Ozpin were covered in blood, some their own and some from their now dead enemy soldiers, and much of it from Blake.
Ruby clenched Blake's fingers in hers, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rasped reassuring nonsense. Silent tears escaped from Ozpin as well, though he remained vigilant of their surroundings. They were both too aware of their vulnerability right now, but Ruby was too washed in sorrow and anger to properly care.
Salem and her army had stolen the life of another of her comrades. Her last team member, save for Weiss, who had long ago left the team.
She felt the power behind her eyes begin to unravel and it took everything she had to hold it back, ghosting her hand across Blake's blank stare.
The worst part of war was the inability to mourn—the inability to respect and bury the dead. Ruby looked up at Ozpin and they shared a brief look before she nodded.
They needed to go.
"Ruby!"
Oh how she hated hearing her name screamed. It almost always led to heartbreak—although by this point it was closer to soul breaking. Every time she lost another person dear to her, it was like a piece of her very soul was chipped away.
Nevertheless, she spun around, desperately searching the horde of Grimm, just in time to see Juane fall with a slash across his chest, deep enough to reveal a flash of ivory before his crimson blood stained everything.
"Ruby, we have to go!" Ozpin yelled, and she flicked her gaze up long enough to see the hundreds of Grimm in the distance, travelling their direction at haste. "Ruby, please!"
The image of Pyrhha, with an arrow through her chest, flashed, followed by the faces of Yang, Blake, Jaune, Nora, her father…
A sob tore through her chest and she sprung awake, gripping at the fleece covers that tangled about her legs. Her breaths clawed their way out of her chest, sounding wet and breathy from the tears that soaked her cheeks and pillow. Every time her heart thumped hard against her sternum it felt as though someone was stabbing her with a jagged shard of glass.
It was all too painful, and after another brief moment she nearly leapt from the bed, donned her cloak, and then she was running down the hallway.
It was late, likely two or three in the morning, and very few people were out and about in the compound, save for the handful of interior guards and the full staff of perimeter guards.
"I need out," she told a light haired man guarding one of the exits, and after a moment of reluctance the man nodded and stepped out of the way.
"Are you okay?" he asked slowly, recognizing her as a huntress but not necessarily by name.
Ruby offered a small smile, though the guard could not see it with her hood drawn tight over her head, and shrugged. "Nightmares," she said in brief explanation.
Nothing else needed to be said—the guards who were certified huntsmen or huntresses before or during the war were familiar with the nightmares themselves, and those who were more recently certified knew well enough to leave the afflicted alone.
Without another word, Ruby left the compound, the night's cool breeze especially chilling against her damp cheeks.
She didn't wander far; she knew better than to meander more than a hundred yards away from the compound, else she could attract unwanted attention. And for her, virtually any attention was unwanted, given her escapades against the Council. From stealing scrolls of executive council members, to gathering intel on those departing the dwindling group of huntsmen and huntresses.
A small, bitter smile graced her features as she stared up at the pale moon, wondering what her next mission would be. She wondered how the others perceived her. Since she had been certified as a huntress only weeks before the war began, she had established a reputation for herself very quickly. Oftentimes, people knew of her before they met her, but her reputation was not perfect.
She was known to be successful, strong, and brave…but she was also known to be reckless at best, unstable at worst. In addition to her questionable relations and alleged "special treatment," she had an equal number of admirers and skeptics.
Ruby rarely cared what group people fell into, so long as they didn't prevent her from doing her job, or force her to seek counseling as many had tried to. A counselor was the last thing she needed; although, she supposed, she wasn't likely to get what she needed, so perhaps it would be wise to settle.
Perhaps, but still unlikely that she would.
Footsteps crunched against the dried leaves littering the ground and she glanced up, recognizing the dark haired man with a smile. A part of her wondered if one of the guards had sent him to come talk to her, and then she decided he had likely come on his own accord.
"They never really go away, but you probably already figured that one out," Qrow rumbled whenever he was only a couple feet away. He looked tired as his fingers toyed with the silver flask almost absently. She wondered if he was even affected by the alcohol anymore as he took a short swish of liquor before offering the flask to her.
With a shrug she accepted and tossed it back, the burning sensation down her throat a welcome and familiar presence. Whenever she was younger she never understood her uncle's incessant drinking—now she understood perfectly. She only wished she was able to stomach alcohol as well as him.
"People help," he continued, his crimson gaze searching the shadows of her cloak. "If you stop secluding yourself, it might do you some good."
"I don't—" Ruby started to protest immediately, but Qrow shot her a challenging scowl and she stopped immediately, taking another sip from the flask instead.
"You're secluding yourself from him."
Him. Ruby glanced away and worried her lower lip. The simple word "him" and the knowing look Qrow sent her way procured an image of the man in question, his silver hair styled less meticulously than when she first met him, while his warm brown gaze was guarded more often than not, seemed to melt for her alone.
"When did you figure it out?" she asked finally, figuring there was little point in pretending she didn't know exactly who he was accusing her of avoiding.
He scoffed. "You're family and he's a good friend. It's hardly my favorite thing—you two being together—but it's not my place to deny you. 'Sides, you aren't a kid anymore, Ruby…and war has a way of forging relationships we may not expect."
She sighed. "I don't know if you could really call it a relationship," she said with a rueful smile.
"Then don't," Qrow said with a shrug. "But you love him, and that counts for something."