A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm not dead yet! Sorry for the long, long, long, delay. I just graduated from High School last week and finally have time to write again! Yay! I'm sorry I haven't been able to upload anything new lately but in the time I had off I now have the first 9 chapters revised and edited. I will be releasing them and hopefully the new chapters about once a week or maybe more often if I can write fast enough. But without anymore excuses here is Chapter's 1 and 2 revised for a better story. Please leave a comment letting me know what you thought or what I can do to be a better writer. I love reading your comments and can never get enough of them. Thank you for sticking with me this long.
Ruby hated the cold. She'd hated it for as long as she could remember, it always cut through her like a knife. This was why when she slept she would always hide herself beneath the blankets. On any other night she would've preferred the warm blankets on her bed over the currently below freezing temperatures. However, tonight was different. Tonight was always different. On this night 8 years ago Summer was killed and-.
Some Beowolves howling in the distance interrupted her thoughts.
But, Ruby paid them little mind. She still had about a mile left to walk, and the freezing cold weather of an early fall wasn't helping her much. As she continued walking snow began to fall lightly. Ruby looked up at the falling snow and the starless sky, then at the bare trees and finally down to the barren ground.
"I'd better hurry, my tracks will soon be left in the snow." Ruby thought to herself as she picked up her pace.
Although she'd been walking for almost thirty minutes it only felt like she had taken a few steps. This was one of the biggest reasons she loved her semblance, not to mention the strength it gave to all her muscles. Many often confused her speed with strength. The few people that ever saw her that was. Most of the times they found out too late.
Her cape was being blown gently by the cool breeze which caused her to shiver. She wrapped a part of cape around herself and held it closed. On her lower back hidden beneath her cape was her weapon, Crescent Rose.
As she continued to walk through the forest she found herself starting to lose focus and strength as she was getting very tired.
Ruby was snapped back awake by more Beowolves howling. This time they sounded closer. Much closer. But still, they didn't frighten her much, she highly doubted that they would find her much less harm her. However, she knew that because she was tired and very cold, she would move sluggishly. Yet, she pressed onward.
A another minute or two passed until she reached a clearing in the forest which surrounded a large hill. Ruby stood still for a second as she now realized exactly where she was and began running towards the bottom of the hill.
Once she got to the base she used her semblance to zip up to the top and stopped by a small stone square and walked up to it. Upon closer inspection the stone had a square base with a slanted top. On the slanted part she saw a beautiful engraving of a rose in the stone and a few words below it that read-
Summer Rose
Thus Kindly I Scatter
As she read this she shed a tear. Although she would never admit it.
Ruby kneeled down to touch the grave. Ruby found the stone to be unbelievably cold and she retracted her hand almost immediately.
Ruby had been coming here to visit her mother's grave for the past eight years. Although she preferred to come here alone, every so often Ruby would ask her older sister Yang if she wanted to visit with her. But, whenever Ruby asked the normally excited, energetic, fun loving, party girl would stop dead in her tracks and just simply say in a cold, stern voice.
"No, I don't ever want to go back there. And you shouldn't either."
Just asking that would put Yang in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Ruby never asked Yang why because not even she was safe when Yang was on her bad side. Nowadays Ruby simply never offered and snuck out to visit. She had no idea what Yang's reaction would be if she found out where she was. But, Ruby had no intention of ever finding out.
Even though Summer died when Ruby was nine years old, Ruby could never think of a time when Summer and Yang ever fought or even disagreed about anything.
Whatever caused Yang to change happened on the day of Summer's funeral as that was when she first started acting this way. Ruby began stared blankly at the tombstone as the snow started piling up and she thought back to that dreadful day.
8 years ago
Ruby, Yang, and their father were walking through the forest to Summer's funeral in early fall. Ruby and Yang were both wearing matching simple dresses with the exception of the color as Ruby was wearing red and Yang yellow, their father was wearing an ordinary solid black suit with a black tie.
They'd been walking in silence for the entire trip. In reality they hadn't talked much at all ever since they received 'the call'. The silence was actually quite peaceful to Ruby. It was Yang who broke it when she leaned up and whispered something to their father. Ruby didn't catch what Yang said, but she thought she heard their father reply
"No, she won't be here."
"You're sure?" Yang had asked.
"Yes. Now, could you please be quiet we're almost there." Their father said sternly, almost angrily.
The sternness in his voice had made Ruby not want to say another word to him for the rest of her life. Ruby was tempted to turn her head to see Yang's reaction but she stopped herself out of fear.
About five minutes had passed until they had arrived at the hill and then walked over to the entrance to the funeral tent. Once they had reached the tent their father had asked Yang to find their seats in the front row, which would have their names on them, and had Ruby follow him to find Qrow. Ruby pointed him out almost instantly. He was over at the hill's edge looking out into the forest with his back to them. Then, Ruby ran over to Qrow to greet him. She was just about to run right next to him but she stopped when she saw that he had reached into his jacket and pulled out a flask and began chugging it as he look out on the horizon.
Ruby immediately slowed down and proceeded with caution. "Hi, Uncle Qrow." She greeted in a small voice as she slowly creeped up next to him. Her father had always warned her to stay away from Qrow when he was drinking, but Ruby hardly paid attention to him. Honestly, Qrow was sometimes more fun when he was drinking. Sometimes, not.
"Oh, hello there Ruby, I didn't see you there." Qrow said with a mildly surprised voice. He turned to face her and quickly put his flask away.
Qrow was wearing a formal black suit with a solid gray tie to match his hair which he had combed back more than normal.
"Morning, Qrow." Ruby's father greeted.
"Morning, Tai." Qrow replied.
Silence fell for a moment and Qrow turned to face the sunrise.
"It's a nice spot up here with the view and the sunrise. You pick it out?" Qrow asked as he turned from the sun and the trees to face Tai.
"No. She picked it, when we signed up." Tai answered as he held back tears and continued staring into the horizon.
"Not to change the subject or mean any offence but, is she going to be here today?" Qrow asked.
Ruby noticed her father clench his fists and close his eyes holding back anger but remained mostly calm. He then kneeled down directly in front of Ruby so that he was face to face with her.
"Ruby, why don't you go find your sister? And when you do find her, tell her to remember what I told her yesterday." Tai instructed.
"Okay." Ruby said in a small and quiet voice.
"Okay." Tai repeated back with an obviously fake smile. He then stood back up and faced Qrow and began talking to him.
Ruby then turned and headed into the white tent that Yang had gone into. She found Yang immediately after walking in, after all it was hard to miss someone with that much golden hair. Plus, their father had said that there would be only about twenty people, many of whom hadn't shown up yet. Ruby then walked over to Yang and sat in the folding chair next to her. As Ruby looked at Yang she saw that she was in some sort of trance, she could also tell that Yang looked depressed and upset, but she was also silent. Which if Yang was silent that meant that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Of course at the time she thought it was just because of the whole 'situation'.
"Hey, Yang." Ruby greeted.
No response.
Ruby then faced the ground as she continued to talk, she didn't want to see her sister this way.
"What are you thinking about?" Ruby asked as she swung her feet back and forth just off of the ground.
No response.
"Dad told me to come find you in here and wait with you." Ruby said.
No response.
"He also told me to tell you, to remember what he told you yesterday." Ruby repeated with a hint of curiosity in her voice as she pondered for a moment on what it could mean but pushed it aside.
No response.
"If you're still upset about mom then maybe this will cheer you up." Ruby suggested.
No response.
"Dad told me that when people die that the go to a magical place where anything is possible. Where they do anything, anywhere. So maybe if you can do anything, then maybe, just maybe, mom could come back to us. At least for a visit" Ruby explained with hope in her eyes.
Yang was silent for a moment before saying coldly "If I were you I wouldn't believe anything dad says, ever again."
That left Ruby beyond shocked.
"What do you mean, Yang? Yang?" Ruby asked to thin air as she turned to face Yang but didn't see her. "Yang?" Ruby asked as she turned around but again didn't see Yang. Ruby had just stood up and was getting ready to go look for Yang but that was when Yang just walked back in with their father directly behind her. For a second Ruby thought that they appeared to be angrier than she last saw either of them only moments ago, but once they walked closer to her they seemed to calm down.
"What could've changed in a few seconds? And how did Yang get out so fast?" Ruby mentally asked herself.
Tai and Yang both sat down next to where Ruby was standing. This caused Ruby to sit back down too. They stayed sitting until everyone else had shown up and then the funeral started. Everything began just fine (well, as fine as a funeral goes).
It was about fifteen minutes in when their father who had appeared to be in a deep thought, sighed, then turned to Yang and whispered to her. Which Ruby had somehow heard.
"If you want to, you can leave." Tai whispered.
Ruby then if she was not awake before she was now as she jerked her head to face Yang and Tai behind her.
Luckily not many people noticed her reaction.
Yang's only response was to slowly shake her head.
She was lying.
At least that's what Ruby would find out after a half hour passed and it can to be the time for the people to go up to the closed casket to say a few last words.
Yang was nowhere to be found.
Ruby instantly looked to her father because they had been standing close to each other all day. He was towards the back of the line.
Yang wasn't with him.
So, Ruby began looking around for her since she had been the second person in line she had already said her farewell and wanted Yang to do the same.
Ruby had searched almost every inch of the interior of the tent but found nothing. She then decided to change her search to the exterior. She began walking to the exit when she saw something, something that other people who knew him would deem it normal, but to Ruby, she knew something was wrong. It was her uncle Qrow. To everyone he was always the quiet and observant one. So uncle Qrow standing against the wall not talking to anyone and just observing everything was, 'normal'. But it wasn't normal to do this next to the only entrance/exit, carefully inspecting people with his eyes as they arrived and exited. Almost like a guard.
"It's almost as if he were looking for something or someone." Ruby thought. As she walked over to Qrow.
"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby said to get his attention.
"Yes, Ruby?" Qrow replied as he knelt down to talk to her face to face.
"Do you know where Yang is?" Ruby asked.
"She wasn't feeling well, she left a few minutes ago." Qrow explained.
"Oh, okay." Ruby said.
Silence fell for a second before Ruby spoke up.
"Is something wrong?" She asked.
"No, what makes you ask that?" Qrow inquired as he knelled down.
"Well, it looks like you're guarding the door." Ruby pointed out.
"Ruby, you know that I'm not one who socializes much, so I just stay back and be silent." Qrow explained.
"Plus, Yang and dad have been acting very different recently and they haven't told me why." Ruby added, partially ignoring any answers she didn't like.
"Ruby." Qrow began.
Ruby knew that whenever anyone was about to talk about anything serious to her they would always start by saying 'Ruby'.
"They both-. Well, all of us have lost a very special person whom all of us knew and loved. It's only natural that people act differently after they've lost someone that they loved so much." Qrow continued.
"But what about-?"
"Ruby. You have a brilliant mind that will question anything-."
"Is that a good thing?" Ruby interrupted as she didn't understand.
"Well, sometimes yes and others no. The point of having a brilliant mind is knowing when to or not to question and if what you're questioning should be known, now, later, or ever." He paused for a moment to let what he'd said sink in. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" Qrow asked hinting at something more. But, Ruby wouldn't have noticed. Not until later did she get it.
"Yes, at least I think so." Ruby slowly nodded as she put it all together mentally.
Qrow nodded. "Good. Now, it is very important that neither of us mention this discussion to your father. Ever." Qrow emphasized.
Ruby instantly nodded back. "Yes, Uncle Qrow."
"Excellent. Now come along I'll take you home." Qrow said as he stood up and walked out of tent followed closely by Ruby.
Present
"I still don't know what half of that meant. What are they trying to hide from me, and what am I not meant to know?" Ruby thought to herself. She had taken what Qrow had told her that day and not bothered Yang or dad about it anymore. But if she was going to obtain any information on the matter then she had thought of three options, one, talking to Qrow since he appeared to be a reliable source. Two, she would have to look through Yang's or Their father's belongings and hope to find some sort of information written down (not likely as neither of them wrote many things down.) or three, find this mystery woman of whom Yang, Qrow, and dad spoke of.
Ruby then forgot about what she was thinking as she became preoccupied by several gunshots suddenly ringing throughout in the forest causing her to immediately activate her semblance as she ran for cover behind a small group of trees near by.
"Hunters again." Ruby growled. "They don't care who they disturb."
As she was crouching behind one of the trees she realized that there was nearly three inches of snow on the ground.
"Snow? How did-?" Ruby started to ask as she glanced over to the taller trees in the distance and saw the sun just climbing over the horizon.
"How long have I bee-?" Was all Ruby had time to think before something hit her the back of her head and then, nothing.
What'd you think? Please leave a comment and have a great day/night.
