"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Ruby shouted, jumping up and down, clapping her hands.
Weiss groaned, picking up her pillow and throwing it at the girl, though she missed and hit Yang, who promptly fell off her bed. "It's too early for your hyperactivity Ruby, let us sleep a bit." She mumbled, pulling the blanket up over her head.
"But you can't sleep, we have to get to the airpads so we can go on our mission!" The young girl said, yanking the blanket off the Schnee heiriss and throwing it to the floor. "We're going on a mission today, you have to be alert and ready for anything!" She said, and with a puff of rose petals, appeared on the other side of Weiss' bed, her face barely an inch from the other girl's.
"Okay, okay, but mind my personal space at least... And besides, we've been on tons of missions, why is this one so special?" She inquired, stretching and yawning as she sat up, pushing Ruby away from her and onto the floor.
"First off, I'm your girlfriend, your personal space is my personal space. And second off, because we're going on a mission with my Uncle Qrow!" She said, jumping back to her feet, a large grin on her face, her eyes sparkling.
"Uhg, you mean the drunk guy whose butt Winter kicked a few years ago?" She said, raising a curious eyebrow as she began rummaging through her small set of drawers for a change of clothes.
"Hey, everybody agreed that was a tie!" Ruby said, crossing her arms and pouting slightly.
"Yeah, and besides, he didn't use his scythe, he was going easy on her." Yang said, both hands on her hips, her usual half smirk on her face. "If they were fighting for real, he would have murdered her... Get it, murder? Like a murder of crows?"
The other three rolled their eyes and sighed in unison as Yang collapsed on the floor, laughing hysterically at her own joke. The girls finished dressing as Yang stood up, her face still slightly pink from her laughing fit.
"I've never seen someone laugh so much at their own joke before you came along Yang." Blake said, shaking her head and giving a small sigh.
"Gotta learn to make yourself laugh." Yang said with a cheeky smile, crossing her arms. "Otherwise you end up like Weiss."
"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded, turning to face her blonde teammate, hands on her hips.
"I think she's trying to say you're no fun." Ruby whispered, causing Weiss to turn on her as well.
"You don't think I'm fun?" The white-haired girl said, rounding on the small team leader.
"No, I said Yang doesn't think you're fun; I think you're a lot of fun!" Ruby said defensively, shrinking back slightly under the glare of the older girl.
"I think we all know Ruby thinks your fun Weiss." Yang said with a sly smirk, causing both girl's faces to go bright red.
"I-I don't umm..." Ruby stuttered, giving a nervous glance towards Weiss, who was equally stunned by the comment.
"We share a room, it's not like you guys are unnoticed when you sneak out together." Blake said, shrugging and standing up. "You guys ready to go, we don't wanna be late."
"Ready to go!" Ruby said excitedly, rushing out the door, closely followed by her teammates.
Needless to say, Qrow was completely hammered, as usual. This much, Team RWBY had expected; what they didn't expect, however, was Pyrrha and Jaune standing there with him.
"UNCLE QROOOOWW!" Ruby shouted as she latched onto the man's arm, smiling up at him. "Hi!"
"Heya Ruby, you guys all ready to go?" Qrow said, gently shaking his arm so Ruby fell off with a soft thud and a small "oof" from the small girl.
"All ready to go." Yang said, placing a hand on her hip and smiling. "But uh, why're those two here?"
"They're here to help us on our little mission." Qrow said simply, taking a swig from his metal flask. "Is there a problem?"
"Nope, just curious is all. So what kinda mission is this exactly?" She said as they all began loading onto the small aircraft that was to transport them to their destination.
"Search and destroy. Some of our scouts found a huge nest of Grimm, along with some of our friends from the White Fang nearby. Tey want us to set up explosive charges in the camp and the Grimm's nest." Qrow replied, sitting himself down in a seat and closing his eyes.
"Sounds simple enough." Weiss said, sitting down next to Ruby, who had seated herself across from Qrow and Yang.
"Simple is putting it way too lightly girly. We still have to stealth our way into both those places, set charges in several locations to maximize damage, and sneak our way back out, all without getting detected, or else we're gonna have quite the fight on our hands." Qrow said, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Well... When you put it that way..." Weiss said, her hands clenching into fists as worry covered her face.
"Don't worry, we're all gonna do just fine!" Ruby said cheerfully, placing a hand overtop Weiss's and giving her a reassuring smile.
The ride to the mountains where the base and the nest were hidden was not a long trip. Within an hour, they had arrived and begun the hike through the rocky, mountainous terrain to their destination. After stopping for a small break next to a shallow stream, Qrow had announced that he was going to scout ahead. He quickly morphed into his small, black, bird form and took off into the sky, leaving the girls, and Jaune, to themselves.
Weiss and Yang sat with their feet in the water of the stream, while Ruby and Blake attempted to catch fish with their bare hands, and failing exceptionally. Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting on a rock, both of their eyes closed, contently sitting in each others arms as a light breeze rolled in.
"Aww, I thought I had that one..." Ruby said as a fish shot right between her fingers and continued up the stream.
"Don't worry, it takes a lot of practice to be able to catch one without proper fishing gear." Blake said with a small smile.
"Yeah, I guess you're-" But Ruby's sentence was drowned out with a loud screech as Weiss shot up, shaking and thrashing her arms around.
"EW EW EW! IT'S IN MY SHIRT!" She shouted, dancing and hoping around, one hand reaching under the cloth and pulling out a small silver fish and glaring at it angrily as the others collapsed on the ground, laughing hysterically. "It isn't funny! It was all slimy and floppy and gross..."
"Yeheheheheah... But your squeal was sohohohoho funny hehehehe!" Ruby giggled, trying to calm herself down as she stood up.
"Was not..." Weiss said, pouting slightly.
"Aww, come on Weiss, we weren't laughing AT you. We were laughing at the fish!" Ruby said with a small smile, pecking the girl on the cheek.
"Nah, I was laughing at her." Yang said, earning her a small glare from her younger sister.
"If you girls are done, we should be getting a move on." Qrow said, falling and landing next to Pyrrha and Jaune's rock. "Their security is lax right now, and it seems some of the White Fang has move towards the nest, meaning both places are weak right now, giving us the best chance we have."
"So let's get a move on!" Yang said, punching her fists together and smiling.
"Yeah, let's get going!" Ruby agreed excitedly.
"Try to remember that this is supposed to be a stealth mission. You two jumping in and attacking the first guy you see isn't going to be beneficial." Weiss said, crossing her arms and looking at the two sisters.
"I know, I'm just excited to complete the mission is all!" Ruby said as the team began moving again, led by Qrow.
"Well, just make sure you don't go and get hurt, I'd never forgive you if you got hurt doing something reckless." Weiss said, wrapping an arm around the smaller girls shoulders and smiling softly.
"Oh come on, I'll be fine, what could go wrong?" Ruby said, returning the smile.
"Alright, listen up." Qrow said, stopping and crossing his arms, turning to face them all. "We're gonna be breaking into two seperate teams, so we can hit bth targets at once, alright? Ruby, you take Weiss and Blake to the camp. I'll take Yang, Jaune, and Pyrrha and go to the nest. If you get found, try your best to at least fight your way over to us, alright?"
"Roger!" Ruby said, saluting and nodding eagerly. "We'll be in and out no problem!"
"You'd better be, otherwise Ozpin's gonna kill me..." Qrow said, motioning for his team to follow him and disappearing down another path.
Ruby, Weiss, and Blake continued down their own path, and after a few minutes, found themselves overlooking the large White Fang camp. They were crouched behind a large boulder, peeking around the edge of it, so as not to be seen by enemy lookouts.
"So... Any ideas on how to get in?" Blake asked as they looked over the camp's defense.
"Well, we could always cause some sort of distraction? Draw the guards away from one area, then sneak in while they're occupied?" Ruby suggested, though her voice sounded doubtful.
"That could work, but we'd need a really big distraction..." Weiss said thoughtfully.
"How about a rock slide?" Blake suggested, pointing towards a group of large and percariously perched boulders. "With one of the smaller explosives, we could set it off, and sneak in undetected while they scatter?"
"Great idea! I'll go set it up!" Ruby said, vanishing with a small cloud of rose petals, then reappearing a moment later with a small detonator in her hand. "And three, two, one..." She clicked it, setting off a small explosion, and causing the rocks to fall, tumbling down the mountainside towards the camp.
Frightened screams were heard from below of the men trying to take cover from the massive rocks that were bearing down upon them. However, amidst the commotion, they didn't spot three teenage girls slipping past the West gate and into the camp. They made their way from point to point, setting small charges in ke locations, such as the armory, the kitchen, supply tents, and the command tent.
They were setting the last charge right outside the command tent, when they heard a shout. "Intruders, intruders near the command tent!"
The girl's eyes widened, and before they knew it, they had been surrounded. "So umm, you guys wanna buy some cookies to help support our school?" Ruby said with a nervously chuckle.
"Mmm, yeah, that sounds great... Hey wait, you're planting a bomb! I don't want you stupid... Bomb... Cookies..." A guard said, his voice faultering into disappointment as he finished speaking.
"Bomb cookies, really?" Another guard said, shaking his head.
"Well I was gonna make a joke but I messed up the wording and by then it was beyond the point of no return..." The other guard said, hanging his head in shame.
"Just shut up and tie them up you idiots..." Another one said with a small sigh.
"Yeah, about that... We sorta have to meet someone, so we can't stay to chat, maybe next time, though." Ruby said with a cheeky smile, taking Cresent Rose off of her back and unfolding it. "Ready girls?"
"You know it." Weiss said, readying her rapier and forming a small glyph beneath their feet. "Jump!"
Both of her teammats complied, and with the help of the glyph, the three girls were launched into the air, heading straight towards the mountain they came from. Ruby smiled happily and hit the button on the detenator, watching as the explosives destroyed a large portion of the camp, and set fire to the rest, causing the White Fang to panic again.
They landed on a small cliff, on top of a glyph that Weiss had placed seconds befor their landing, causing them to hit the ground softly, though Ruby still managed to fall flat on her face.
"So, shall we go find Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, brushing herself off as she stood back up.
"Umm, guys... We have a problem..." Blake said, looking over the edge of the cliff, where a large amount of White Fang were running quickly at them.
"We gotta go and meet up with Uncle Qrow, and fast!" Ruby said, her eyes widening as she and the other two turned and began sprinting towards the Path the others had gone down earlier...
"Are we done yet?" Yang complained in a light whisper.
"Almost, this is the last one." Qrow replied, morphing into a crow and flying up, sticking the harge to a giant stalactite. "Alright, ready... Now let's blow this pop stand."
The four of them crawled through the large crack in the side of the cave they had entered through, slipping out into the dimming sunlighta few moments later. Yang was the first to get out, and she eagerly stretched, smiling brightly.
"Man it was cramped in there... But I think it went rather well, don't you?" She said, helping Pyrrha to her feet.
"Yes, I honestly kept expecting one of them to wake up and see us." Pyrrha said, placing her hands on her hips and sighing. "I hope the others are doing as well as we are."
The words had barely left Pyrrha's mouth when a massive explosion was heard, followed by several large columns of smoke coming from the direction of the White Fang's camp.
"Well, I guess that answers that, huh?" Qrow said, taking a swig from his flask and smiling. "Now all we gotta do is get to the pickup... Zone... Hey, you guys hear that?"
"Yeah..." Jaune said, cupping his hand next to his ear. "It sounds like someone yelling your name..."
The noise became louder and louder, and eventually Weiss, Blake, and Ruby shot around the corner. "We messed up, we messed up!" Ruby shouted as the first of the White Fang members rounded the corner, weapons drawn.
"Well, looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out, huh?" Qrow said, he and the others drawing their own weapons. "It was too quiet anyways..."
The team began fighting. Blades clashed against blades, and the air was soon thick with the sound of battle. White Fang members were falling fast, but it was a wasted effort. For every man that was cut down, three more would round the corner, taking his place. Ruby and Weiss were back-to-back in the middle of a large crowd of them, fighting them off vigorously, while Yang charged through the large horde, her shotgun-gauntlets letting shells fly. Qrow, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake were hanging back, picking off the scraps left by the other girls, which there was no shortage of.
After about five minutes of fighting, they realized that they were fighting a losing battle. They began to retreat down the side of the mountain, with the White Fang hot on their heels.
"Umm, hey, we need an emergency pickup... Now!" Qrow yelled into his radio.
"Roger that, we are inbound, ETA three minutes, over." The pilot replied, the radio breaking into static.
"What part of now didn't thise guys understand?" Qrow said angrily. "Alright, I guess we have to hold them here for three minutes until the pilot gets here..."
The team stopped and faced their opponents, who also stopped. Most of their faces were covered by masks, but those who weren't wore looks of hate and anger. The field was completely silent, a light breeze passing by as the sun set behind the mountains. Then suddenly it happened. Suddenly a large hole was blown in the mountain, causing dozens of Grimm to charge out, obviously angry at being awoken from their slumber.
Chaos ensued. The team was fighting Grimm, who were fighting the White Fang, who was fighting the Team. Blades and claws clashed as the battle intensified with the new deadly foe added to the mix. Several more teams of White Fang rushed i from over the mountain as reinforcements, only causing the battle to escalate in size. It wasn't long before it was practically a full scale war being fought in the small field they all stood in.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Qrow spotted it. The transport was headed their way, with the ramp already down and ready for a quick pickup. He grabbed Jaune, who was lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and yelled for the others to follow him. Ruby and Weiss both stood firm, staying just behind their teammates to cover their retreat. As soon as everyone but the two were loaded, it happened...
Ruby nodded to Weiss to allow the girl to board the ship. After she had climbed on, Weiss yelled for Ruby to follow. Ruby turned, placing Cresent Rose on her back to give her more speed to run to the transport, leaving her defenseless to the massive claw of the Ursa behind her. Weiss screamed out, but it was too late. A large amount of blood shot from the wound as the claw slashed through her clothing and flesh alike. A pained, surprised expression grew on the girl's face as she fell to the ground, hitting the grassy floor.
A long, loud almost screeching noise sounded across the battlefield as Yang tried to jump off of the transport.
"RUBY!"
"Yang, no, you can't, it's too dangerous."
"I WON'T LEAVE HER!"
"Yang please, stop!"
Pyrrha and Blake struggled to hold Yang back as she struggled to reach her little sister, who lay dying on the ground, surrounded by her own blood. Weiss and Jaune stared blankly at their fallen friend, completely stunned at what had happened.
Suddenly, there was a rush of movement, and something shot past Weiss and out of the transport. Qrow charged towards the large amount of Grimm and White Fang alike that was surrounding the small girl. It was only a few seconds before her was swallowed by the massive waves of enemies. He was thrown back, only a few meters from the transport, where he quickly scrambled aboard, clutching something tightly to his chest.
The transport took off, the ramp closing, but not before Yang let out another scream for her sister, before Pyrrha finally hit her with the hilt of her sword, knocking her out.
The trip back to beacon was completely silent, save for Pyrrha and Blakes quiet sobs. Pyrrha and Jaune sat on the floor of the ship, with Pyrrha's head resting in Jaune's lap. Blake had sat next to Yang, tears rolling down her cheeks as her body shook with sobs. Weiss hasn't moved since they took off. Qrow had gently pushed her into a seat and strapped her in, but her expression hadn't changed. She simply stared at the wall of the shuttle blankly, as though she could not comprehend what had happened.
When they arrived back at Beacon, Ozpin was waiting on the airpad for them, a bright smile on his face. Qrow was the first to leave the ship, quickly walking over to Ozpin and saying something in a hushed tone, causing the Headmaster's face to fall into a look of pure shock and sorow. He nodded gently to the girls as they passed, Jaune and Pyrrha carrying Yang, who was still unconcious; and Blake, who was leading Weiss off the ship.
They made their way up to Team JNPR's room, where they lay Yang on Pyrrha's bed. They sat down and Pyrrha and Blake, who seemed to be the only ones capable of any sort of speech at the moment, explained what had happened to Ren and Nora. Ren's face turned sorrowful, whilst Nora's turned to a look of pure horror. She curled up on her bed, laying her head in Ren's lap, and began sobbing into his leg as he gently stroked her hair.
Twenty minutes went by, almost completely silent, except for Nora, Pyrrha, and Blakes muffled sobs. A small knock on the door was heard, to which Jaune stood up, opening the door to reveal Ozpin standing there, his hands behind his back, his expression somber.
"Qrow told me about what happened..." He said simply, stepping into the room and sitting on the bed next to Weiss and Blake. He extended his hand, revealing three scraps of cloth, one of them quite long, another in an almost square shape, and the third, which was short and thin. "This was all that Qrow could manage to get before he was forced away..."
Ozpin handed the cloth to Weiss and patted her hand. "I'm sorry..."
Ozpin stood up and slowly left the room, turning and looking as though he was about to say something, but then shook his head, shutting the door behind him.
Blake took the scraps from Weiss's unmoving hands and gently tied the smallest scrap around her arm. She took the long and thin one, and carefully tied it into Weiss's hair, allowing it to flow free like a bow. She finally took the third and folded it into a small bandana, tying it around Blake's neck.
"I-is that-?" Pyrrha began, swallowing hard.
Blake nodded as she stared down at the bright red cloth now tied to her arm. "Her cape..."
Weiss gently moved her hand, running it along the soft fabric. She slowly stood up and walked towards the door, and out of the room, without saying a word. Everyone listened hard to try and figure out where she was going, and were not surprised when they heard the door to Team RWBY's room being opened and closed across the hall, followed by the muffled sounds of the white-haired Schnee girl's hysterical sobbing.
A crackling noise was heard through the small intercom speaker above the door. A voice came through a few seconds later, Ozpin's. "Everyone, if I may have your attention please. I regret to inform you all that this evening, Beacon Academy suffered a loss. During a search and destroy mission, Ruby Rose was killed in action. She foght bravely, and died protecting her teammates and loved ones from Grimm. There will be no classes tomorrow, and with the blessing of her Uncle and Father, we are holding her funeral here at Beacon in three day's time. Today is a terrible day for Beacon... We have lost a fine Huntress, and a better friend..."
The speaker cut off, plunging the room back into silence. Pyrrha looked out the window, where the moon had already started to rise. Withot a word, all of the teens had begun lying down, with Blake and Yang sharing Pyrrha's bed, who was currently curled up with Jaune. As the sounds of night began creeping into the room, the girls softly, and almost silently, cried themselves to sleep...