Qrow Branwen, supposedly a teacher at Signal Academy, was skipping class.
Well, actually, he'd called a substitute in because "he had to deal with a family emergency," but still.
Technically it was true—there was an emergency, and it was family. He just didn't think school administration would abide by his definition of the first.
See, a precious little girl was having a crisis. And Qrow was the one best-suited to help her.
Ruby Rose, at ten-years-old, had failed the entrance exam for Signal, effectively shattering every last one of her hopes and dreams.
Qrow knew it was bull. He'd seen the girl's potential himself. Sure she would need to work harder for the physical abilities, but she had spirit in spades and that was what counted when you got right down to it. She'd be fine once she figured out her Semblance and found a proper weapon. Hell, he'd been told the same thing once upon a time as well, and now he was probably the best hunter not currently heading an Academy.
He knew exactly what it felt like to be told one's dreams were unattainable. And so he knew exactly what Ruby needed to realize the rest of the world had sticks up their asses.
People liked boxes. People like him and Ruby defied those boxes and it would take a while before she would learn how to ignore the spite that generated.
He looked everywhere. She wasn't in her room, she wasn't by Yang, who was equally worried, and she wasn't at the library. Her favorite place to hang out was in the forest around the house, which caused her doting uncle no small amount of anxiety, but she wasn't there either. Summer's grave was as lonely as Ironwood, and Qrow finally headed back to Signal to see if she was crying on Taiyang's shoulder, or perhaps gone into town to mope, but he didn't see her there either.
He was about to check the forest again, but decided to go a different route to the house. She might just be wandering aimlessly, and so it would be best to cover as much ground as possible.
Then he spotted it—a flash of red, dark clothes, combat boots.
There's his little rose.
She was in the training field. And she was…handling a bow?
Oh that was just a terrible idea.
He loved the little nutcase, but giving her sharp projectiles was a recipe for disaster.
…but this was actually a pretty interesting reaction to getting shot down, so he'd let her have at it.
Qrow hung back, and watched out of sight.
She clumsily knocked the arrow, held the bow inexpertly, and shakily tried to pull the drawstring back. She was doing it with poor form, and she only got to about half-draw before the string slipped, and the arrow fell awkwardly to the ground, not even sticking in the earth. He heard a hiss, and saw Ruby grip her left arm.
Ah. So the string had been taught enough to whip her forearm.
The little girl hastily picked up the arrow, and set the whole mess down off to the side. Qrow breathed a sigh of relief. No way was he going to stand here and watch the kid hurt herself.
Actually, now that he looked, there were quite a few weapons set off to the side.
…Huh. Was she…?
His suspicion was confirmed when she marched over to the giant weapons rack and plucked a broadsword from its cradle.
Qrow wasn't quite prepared for the pride that welled in his chest. He couldn't help it.
Turns out she didn't need him to tell her she had to get back up, keep going. She was doing it all by herself.
Well she was trying anyway. Just because she hadn't been very successful yet didn't mean she wouldn't be soon.
She swung the broadsword experimentally and nearly lopped off her own foot.
Qrow had to stop himself from stopping her. She needed to do this, obviously. Having him interrupt her would do more harm than good.
Still, it was hard. She was so tiny that even the scaled-down sword set her off balance, and she was holding it clumsily in her hands as she swung. The sight of the blade going too close to her face had him twitching.
Ruby, thankfully, seemed to realize this wasn't going to be the right weapon after a few clumsy attempts at a basic kata. She carefully set the sword next to the bow, and hovered over the remaining weapons. She picked up a katana. Qrow raised an eyebrow.
Raven had always been fond of the long blades. Perhaps Ruby would be the same…?
Ruby swung the thing once before setting it next to the sword.
Qrow couldn't help feeling a little relief at that.
And so it went. At one point he nearly had to rescue her from impaling herself on a mace since the ball was so heavy she nearly tipped over when she swung it. Thankfully she sidestepped before she could injure herself.
None of them were right.
Qrow could tell even from this distance. She was uncomfortable with the weapons, all of them. The quarter-staff seemed promising, but she kept swinging it like she expected more weight on the end, like a hammer or…
Nah. Probably just his imagination.
After all, there was no way she…
Finally, Ruby went for the last set of weapons on the rack. Qrow had to suck in a breath.
Those were paired daggers. Like…
Summer.
The woman had been utterly terrifying with her set of paired daggers. A demon. The mechanized weapons could mech-shift into an energy beam for long-distance fighting when she clamped the hilts together. She'd earned the nickname Ghost because of them, and of course the white cloak.
Ruby was not Summer. But the cloak, the red hair, the wide silver eyes, the tiny little frame…
God, with those daggers in hand it was almost like his team leader was back.
Ruby stepped over to the practice dummy. Qrow held his breath.
She hefted the daggers, left thumb on top of the pommel, right thumb by the dagger's hilt, as if to ensure she left no stone unturned. She took a deep breath, tiny lungs filling and mouth set in a determined frown.
She crouched in a starting position. She spun and—
Well. It could have gone worse.
The left dagger had been ripped from her hand as it struck the dummy, now stuck in the wood. The right one hovered uncertainly in front of her, now looking much more uncomfortable and clumsy in her hand.
Qrow breathed. In some ways, he was sad she wouldn't carry the same weapons as her mother. In other ways…
In other ways there was some relief that it wasn't about to become harder to look at her without pain and regret and longing.
Ruby's hand shook a little. Qrow tensed, waiting for the inevitable.
With a helpless sort of cry that tugged at the man's heart, the ten-year-old hurled the dagger across the training grounds. It bounced off the ground awkwardly, as it landed on its side, as if to mock her rage.
She stomped over to the weapons rack again, and this time he could see her swiping at her eyes angrily. The sight of the empty rack seemed to enrage her, and she angrily kicked the side.
"Why—won't—you—work!" She panted angrily, each word punctuated with a sturdy combat boot.
Qrow decided it was time to intervene. He walked around the entrance, and came up behind the little girl. Normally she would have noticed him by now, but today she was too distracted.
"Well now," Qrow hummed gently, "This looks like a pretty mess."
They were nonsense words, meant to alert her to his presence more than anything. The red cloak whipped as she spun.
He was not expecting her to barrel into him, tiny arms wrapping around his waist. He was not expecting tearstains on his shirt, or shaking shoulders that covered whimpers and sobs. He was not expecting her to hide her face, or for her steel-toed boots to end up standing on his own.
He was not expecting any of it, but got it all anyway.
He put a hand on her head, stroking the soft hair, and maneuvered her so that he could kneel and give her a real hug.
She clung to his neck and there was a new tear stain on his shirt.
He did not speak but held her while she cried. She was so like him sometimes, and he knew what she needed most was a chance to feel safe for a second, despite how she felt about her own abilities. So he held her, rubbed her back, and didn't make a sound.
So much pain in that little body. Qrow held her close and tried not to think about how right it was that this little girl was coming to him for comfort, that he'd be the one to help her pick herself up…
He clutched her a little tighter, tangled his fingers in her short hair.
No. He could think about this…after (1). For now, he was just an uncle with a niece who needed taking care of.
Eventually the sobbing stopped. Ruby continued to cling to him though, so instead of pulling back to look at her he simply hummed, and lifted the kid up into his arms. He grunted as her legs automatically wrapped around his waist. One or both of them was getting too old for this.
Her. Definitely her.
He walked her over to a nearby bench and sat her down. She moved to sit next to him but remained hidden under his arm, tucked into his side.
He couldn't help but be reminded of some tiny bird hovering under the wing of a protective parent. The thought made him smile, and think of Raven. She used to hide him under her arm, when the streets got too rough (2).
He wondered if she'd found another bird to cradle or if she'd given up on the whole endeavor.
His sister was a complicated person.
A much simpler soul sat beside him though. One much easier to help.
Shit. He needed a drink.
Not in front of the kiddo though. He may be an alcoholic but he was enough of a hypocrite to tell the kid not to do the same.
He sighed, running his free hand through his hair.
"Okay, kid. Talk to me."
She started to speak without lifting her face. While cute, it was also impossible to hear.
He poked her gently. "Eyes up, munchkin," he said affectionately.
She finally looked at him, and the silver eyes—Summer's eyes—were still bloodshot. Her pale skin was puffy and blotchy, and her hair was a mess.
It made his chest throb painfully.
She looked lost though, as if unsure of what to say. Those eyes were huge and uncertain.
"Start from the beginning," He prompted. Adorably, she took a deep breath and began speaking in a rush, as if testing herself.
"I went in to take the test and at first the instructors were really nice, they said I was smart and I had a large aura reserve." The little girl frowned, "But then one of the instructors—that really mean old lady with thick glasses—told me I was too small!" She said it shrilly, her voice so high-pitched with indignation that he almost cracked a smile at her youth. "I told them I wanted to be a huntress, and she said I'd have to be really, really good. Like, better than everyone else in the entire world!" Her eyes were impossibly large, like they were eating her face. "Is that true? 'Cause I don't know if I can. You know?"
"Hmm…" hummed Qrow, giving her question its due consideration. "Well it certainly wouldn't hurt to be the best, but I think as long as you're the best you can be you'll be okay." Qrow looked her in the eye seriously as he said this next bit. "After all, I happen to think your best is pretty good." He ruffled her hair again for good measure. He knew exactly who Ruby was talking about. The weapons proctor, Ms. Patty Squelch (3). Horrible woman, and everyone hated her, but she'd been at the Academy too long to get rid of her. Regardless, they'd be having a talk later.
Ruby grinned, but then her face fell. "That lady didn't think so. She told me I was too small," She said it for the second time, as if that would make it carry more weight in her uncle's eyes. "And I wasn't proficient in a combat style, so I couldn't be admitted into the school." The tiny face fell and Qrow had to squash the impulse to find Patty the new Pincushion and impale her with a dull knife. "And eventually she told me to leave and that the exam wouldn't be completed, so I'd automatically fail."
Murder is wrong, Qrow chanted in his head. Murder is wrong, murder is wrong.
"So then I came out here," She gestured to the training ground childishly. "Because I figured if I found a weapon I was better with I'd be able to show her. And then she'd have to let me finish, right?" She said it so innocently, her legs kicking out into open space childishly, her arms gesturing with her words. Then her shoulders dropped. "Except none of them were any good, so I can't take the test." He was proud of her when her lip didn't quiver and her eyes didn't get watery. She was such a strong little girl. She turned her eyes on him again, "And if I can't take the test, I can't get into the school! And if I don't get into Signal, I won't get into Beacon. And if I don't get into Beacon, I don't—"
The kid cut herself off, unwilling to even finish.
He ruffled her hair again. "What weapons did you use in the test?" he asked because he was honestly curious. She'd tried so many different weapons just now he had to wonder what the kid thought she'd be best at.
Morosely, she pulled out two metal gauntlets from somewhere on her person. He recognized the design as Taiyang's, but made for smaller wrists, with some modifications. Where could she have—
Oh. Yang was in the midst of designing her first prototypes. Taiyang had bragged incessantly to literally everyone about how his daughter was taking after him. Qrow had not only gotten it from him but also his female students, who cooed over how cute it was that Professor Xiao Long was bragging about his daughter, as they tended to do every time Taiyang brought either kid up.
Professor Xiao Long was a smug SOB, that was for sure.
The salient point here, however, was that Ruby apparently thought she should be a melee fighter.
The thought kind of gave him a heart attack.
The kid was just so tiny.
It was also completely unsuited to her body type and personality. Yang was built like her father in some ways. Broad shoulders, and strong arms and legs. Athletic. Like a wrestler or a boxer.
Ruby, on the other hand, was much lither. Like a gazelle rather than a lion. She was built for speed, for sprints. Not power and endurance. Those gauntlets would be more dangerous to Ruby than to anyone else.
"Hm." He hummed theatrically. Then he shook his head. "Nope, not feeling it."
Ruby looked almost hurt, which wasn't what he wanted at all. "But Yang and Daddy use them. I have to too!"
Qrow ignored the pain in his chest. "You aren't Yang, and you're not your father," he said bluntly, honestly. "You need a weapon that will work for you, not one you borrowed from someone else."
Ruby was only ten, but he knew she appreciated someone being straightforward and honest with her. Living only with Yang and Taiyang for most of one's life tended to do that to someone.
She looked hopeful for a second, and then her face fell. "But what other weapons are there? I tried all of them." She gestured to the rest of the arena, to indicate that she had, in fact, tried all the weapons there were.
Qrow scratched his scruffy chin, teasingly, "Now that is a tough one. Hm, let's see…did you try…nunchakus?" The girl's eyes widened, surprise and new hope rising in them. Frankly he kinda hoped it didn't turn out to be nunchakus. The idea was utterly terrifying. "How about…a tanto?" She shook her head fiercely. "No? Well what about a spear? Or a javelin?" She shook her head again, starting to smile. He poked her in the side. "Well then, I'd say there's probably still hope for you, kid. Don't look so down."
She nodded, but still looked a bit disappointed. "Maybe you won't be a blade person at all," he suggested, "Maybe you're strictly a gun person."
It was a nice idea some ways, even if he sort of doubted it. If Ruby was strictly a long-range fighter, there was less chance for maiming or other such injuries. If she was interested, he certainly wouldn't stop her.
To his surprise, Ruby straightened and looked almost hurt. "But Daddy says guns are for people who haven't got real skill!"
Qrow had to take a moment to process that, wanting to make sure he'd heard correctly.
It was amazing how many homicidal rages this kid was inspiring in a single conversation.
"Ruby, I'm going to let you in on a secret." He said once he was sure his voice wouldn't scare her. He waited for her to look at him before continuing. "Sometimes, my brother-in-law can be full of it." Full of absolute bullshit, more like. "He just gets carried away sometimes and completely forgets that people who rely solely on guns have absolutely destroyed him in fights before." Of course this was back at Beacon, before Taiyang stopped losing fights.
Ruby's eyes widened, "Really?" She asked almost breathlessly.
"Really," he promised. He'd have to have a talk with Taiyang soon about the ideas he was putting in the girls' heads. This was almost unconscionable in their world, and the girls weren't quite old enough to understand the man was just boasting. They shouldn't head into a battle thinking the enemy wasn't worth taking seriously because they had a gun instead of a sword.
The little girl seemed contemplative, a wrinkle appearing adorably between her eyebrows as she thought.
Qrow simply watched, let her come to her own conclusions.
"…I think a gun would be cool," Ruby said finally, and then quickly added, "But it would mech-shift into something else!"
Qrow shrugged, "Whatever works for you works for me, kiddo."
She grinned and then all of a sudden flung her arms around his waist again. He raised an eyebrow but let her stay there without an interrogation. Kid would speak when she was ready, and he wouldn't force her to speak before.
"Uncle Qrow…" she whispered, "Thanks for believing in me."
He felt his eyes soften. "Anytime, kid."
She leaned back to look up at him, grinning, sadness and uncertainty removed for the moment, and it made him feel almost giddy.
Almost.
Still, he could tell there was something else bothering her.
"What else kid? What's eating you?" He placed a hand on her head, and she had to crane her neck to see him. She smiled and shoved Qrow's hand off.
"Uncle Qrow!" she yipped delightedly, but then stopped, her face falling a bit as doubt returned. "Uncle Qrow…do you think it's weird that I haven't figured out what my Semblance is yet?"
Qrow frowned. Actually, he hadn't really thought about it. She was so young and small, the thought of her actually being ready for that was sort of terrifying.
Most people first activated their Semblance around puberty, assuming their Aura'd been unlocked. Yang'd done so a few months earlier, probably because she ran around picking fights so much. If their Aura was unlocked later, it was anyone's guess when a Semblance would show up.
He looked at the insecure ten-year-old and shook his head. "Talk to me when you're twenty. For now, you're right on track, kiddo." His eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask though?"
The little shoulders relaxed. "Oh. Good." She frowned. "That mean old lady told me I should have one before I enter the Academy."
He frowned. Had he or Taiyang pissed the hag off recently or something? The entrance requirements were nowhere near that high for ten year olds. And now that she'd decided this, Ruby would be unable to enter otherwise. The harpy had her claws in too many higher-ups at the school for them to claim unfair treatment. Both he and Taiyang could lose their jobs and then they would have to leave Patch, probably go to Ozpin for work, leaving the girls alone far too often…
Nope, not an option.
This…this was going to be more problematic than the weapon thing. With that he could have trained her up just enough to look competent and then send her merrily of to the exam. With this…no doubt about it, she needed to have a triggerable Semblance before she could retake it.
Alright then. Time to activate a Semblance.
Qrow ran a hand through his hair, contemplating. The first time he'd activated his Semblance Raven had been falling down a cliff. It was a life-threatening situation fraught with the potential for severe emotional trauma, and Qrow had no desire to inflict such a thing on Ruby. He'd only been ten, and he'd gotten horrible nightmares about it for years afterward.
He was a little hesitant about forcing it anyways. This was something intimate and important, and often revealed some very disturbing and profound things about one's own soul. Things that changed the way somebody looked at the world, and at themselves. Yang and Taiyang were incredibly lucky—they were both so straightforward, so direct, that their Semblances, though different, revealed nothing they didn't already know about themselves.
By comparison, people like him and Ruby were…well much more complicated, in this regard. It was possible Ruby was simply too young to know what it was.
Hm. Well, he wasn't going to traumatize her into activating her Semblance. If Ruby's soul refused to give up its secrets through gentle prodding, he was just going to have the kid wait a year before trying to get into Signal again. Hopefully with a different instructor. Or maybe he'd go with her to a nearby school so she'd get the chance to grow a little more before trying again.
Hell, he'd train her himself if he had to and march her up to Ozpin's door. Ruby wanted to be a huntress, so a huntress she would be. As long as she was willing to work for it, of course.
Honestly, denying Summer Rose's daughter a place in a battle school because she was a ten-year-old who didn't know how to activate a Semblance? It was the height of lunacy.
"Alright kid. If you need a Semblance, let's activate your Semblance."
Wide silver eyes lit up. "Really? Cool!"
He grinned at her, standing and pulling her with him. "Alright, first things first. What is a Semblance?"
"A reflection of your soul," she answered promptly. "Like a mirror."
He nodded. "Close." This part was important, so he crouched low, to be even with her face, "It's a reflection of your whole soul, in the form of a power." He tapped her chest, right over her breastbone. "A Semblance doesn't hide your secret thoughts from the world. It reflects everything about your true self, and makes it available to you in the form of power, for the whole world to see." He looked her in the eye. "It's your nature made apparent. And sometimes the truth hurts."
Ruby's eyes were wide, but she looked captivated rather than afraid. He couldn't decide if that was good or bad.
"So to actually activate it, you have to learn what's driving you. What makes you, Ruby Rose, get up every day? When you answer that we'll be getting somewhere."
Ruby shrugged. "That's easy! I get up every morning because sleeping is scary!"
He was about to smile at the childish innocence, and then noticed something odd.
Ruby…Ruby wasn't afraid of the dark. In fact, she loved it. So that meant… "…What?"
"Well I have a lot of nightmares. So when I wake up in the morning I get up," she said as if it was of little consequence.
Qrow blinked, fighting for calm and forcing himself not to react for fear of scaring her. "How long have you been having nightmares?" And why hadn't he known about it?
Ruby looked confused now. "I've had them for a while. Since Mom died."
Something clenched inside him. Dear God, let this not be what he thought it was. "Does Taiyang know?"
She had to think about that, which made him think the answer was negative. "I don't think so. Yang and I slept with him a few times after it happened, and he knew then, but he hasn't asked me about it in a while. So probably not." She smiled though. "Yang knows though! Yang lets me sleep with her when I have a bad nightmare and I don't want to wait until morning to get up."
Her calm distressed him more than tears would have. "What are your nightmares about?"
Now she grew subdued. "Well, they're about mommy dying," she whispered. "I never see her face, but I see her cloak and there's always a lot of…blood." She shivered. "And there's always a bunch of Grimm around her. Some of them are dead too, but some of them aren't. And I keep trying to get to her, get her to wake up, but there's always too much blood…"
She was far too small to be dealing with that on her own. They both were. Why did children always take such things on themselves when there were adults who would love to take their pain?
How did she even know what Grimm looked like? The only time she'd ever seen one was…right after Summer died. When Yang…
Oh no.
That incident had happened in close succession with Summer's death, a few days apart. Taiyang, in his infinite wisdom, thought Yang was old enough to know, and hadn't waited for Summer to return before trying, thinking it would give the kid time to assimilate the information.
However, the little blonde had then suffered not one but two losses within a few days' time. She ran off on an idiotic search for Raven and took Ruby with her.
That was the day, in Qrow's opinion, that would always make his decision to become a huntsman worth it. If he'd been even a little bit later, if he'd taken one wrong turn…
Well. He probably wouldn't have either of his two most precious people now.
Then a horrible thought crossed his mind, and even though he didn't want to ask he needed to know. "…Are those the bad ones?" He queried, hoping beyond hope there was nothing worse plaguing her.
His fears were confirmed when the little girl shook her head, and looked truly uneasy for the first time. "The bad ones are…worse." He did not say anything, just waited for her to continue. "It's the same except the Grimm…they eat…" Ruby cut herself off and shook her head.
Qrow looked away, and allowed himself to close his eyes it the onslaught of pain in his chest. They'd never found Summer's body. And there'd been…evidence of scavenging at a site near her mission zone. They'd never really know what happened to Summer, but the prevailing theory was that she'd been overrun by Grimm, and…well. Ruby's nightmare was more than sufficient to explain that horror. What he didn't know was how Ruby'd learned that particular tidbit. They'd never told either of the girls.
He opened his eyes and turned to the little girl. She looked uncertain, uneasy. "Why didn't you tell Taiyang or me about the dreams?" What little girl just holds that in?
Ruby shrugged. "Mommy makes you guys sad. Yang says it's because you guys loved her so much, so she said I should just come to her when I was scared."
Qrow sighed. Yang was sharp. And far too much like his sister in some ways than he was comfortable with.
"Yang's nice to try to protect us," Qrow said slowly, "But it hurts us more when you don't tell us important things." Ruby looked sufficiently apologetic. "you don't need to hide this stuff from us to spare your feelings. It's our job to make you guys feel better."
Ruby's eyes widened, remorse disappearing in favor of excitement. "Does that mean you'll read stories to me now?" At his somewhat bewildered look, she elaborated. "That's what Yang does when I have a nightmare. She reads stories."
Well fuck. How had they missed this? It's been almost seven years since Summer died, and they'd somehow managed to not realize Yang and Ruby had been mothering themselves.
"How often does Yang read you stories?" He asked gently, How often do your nightmares wake you up?
Ruby grinned. "Every night! She's the best big sister ever!"
Fuck.
His girls were just so freaking brave.
Were he and Taiyang that useless?
"Yeah, yeah she is." He could think of another big sister who acted like that, who tried to make life better than it was. "What…what stories does she read you?" He asked because he was too shell-shocked to say anything else.
Ruby's grin could have blinded the sun, were it a person. "The ones with heroes and dragons and huntresses! And thieves and adventures and good guys and bad guys and epic fights!" she threw her arms up in the air to emphasize her point.
Qrow couldn't quite seem to gain control of his damn heart. How could a kid be so cheerful and optimistic if darkness was making such a grab for her?
"Why those stories, kid?" He asked quietly, half to stop the bombshells and half to bring the conversation back to its starting point.
Something blazed in silver eyes, and Qrow could swear Ruby's whole being stilled. "I want to be like them. The heroes in the books. That way nobody ever has to end up like Mommy, and nobody ends up without mommies. Or daddies or uncles," she added, almost as an afterthought.
He had to stop his hands from shaking.
As soon as this kid was on her way to her little test he and Taiyang were going to get so drunk they would need to be carried home. Or at least Taiyang would, the lightweight pansy.
"So how are you going to do it?" He asked, honing in on the fact that this was where he needed to bring her awareness.
The stillness in her little body morphed to hardness. "I'm going to be a huntress. And I'm going help people and kill the Grimm. All of them."
Such venom in those three little words. Qrow felt a tiny shiver of something like fear roll down his spine. Not of the girl, but of what all this meant for her.
"Why, kid," hating himself and knowing at the same time that she needed this, perhaps more than he'd realized.
"Because…because…" she shrugged helplessly, painfully, "Because in my dreams there's always a lot of blood. And I don't like it because it's mommy's."
He had to stop himself from reaching for the comforting pommel of his blade. Instead he reached for his knee and squeezed until he thought something might pop.
"You know, Ruby, your mother used to have a saying about that." He looked her in the eye, controlled his expression as best he could. "Every time someone spilled blood, she'd say it." He paused, to ensure he had her interest, and because he didn't want to continue. He hadn't been prepared for this, hadn't expected this little girl's soul needed something like this to calcify into something harder. He'd expected love and kindness, sure, but no hatred.
Her mouth was open slightly in anticipation, cheeks flushed from wind and excitement. "What did she say?" she goaded breathlessly. God, he thought, this cup was too much in particular (4).
Qrow tried not to appear as broken as he was, and said the words she needed to cope with the blackness tying down her soul. "She used to say blood was red like roses."
He could see it the moment it registered, knew that a ten-year-old's soul was assimilating something vital—he could feel it in her suddenly active aura, the agitated string of restless realizations as Ruby was fundamentally changed.
Some small, selfish part of him wanted to take it back. Keep the little girl a child and set her on a path to something safer. But he couldn't, and he wasn't enough of a hypocrite to say she shouldn't be a huntress. And if she was going to be a huntress, he was going to make damn sure she was as well-equipped as she could possibly be.
Silver eyes were wide, unblinking, and unseeing, pupils expanded and contracted as her heartbeat sped and her nervous system fired erratically. "Red…like…roses." She whispered.
And then there was a spike in Aura, and a shower of…rose petals?
Ruby was no longer standing in front of him.
"What…?" He spun, looking for a black and red blur. He found her next to the weapons rack, looking dazed, swaying on her feet about twenty yards away.
He cursed under his breath and jogged over to her before she could hurt herself.
"Rubes?" He asked quietly as he approached, once again crouching in front of her and this time placing a hand on her shoulder.
A huge smile blossomed on her face. "I did it!" A wrinkle appeared on her forehead, a spike of aura, and…
And there was a shower of rose petals as she appeared once more by the bench.
He blinked. He'd been watching that time and he hadn't seen her move. She was…
"Are you teleporting?" He wondered aloud. Either that or she was terrifyingly fast.
The tiny child grinned broadly. "I'm running! Watch."
A spike in aura, a burst of petals, and—
And she was standing beside him again.
He hadn't even seen her move.
Oh thank God, she wasn't going to be like Yang.
He loved his blonde niece to bits, and her fighting style frankly scared him. Ruby would be much better at dodging, staying away from big hits. That was good. Ruby was more fragile than Yang.
To be fair, most people were.
He had to stop himself from smiling at her excitement. He was the mercurial uncle, the mercurial uncle!
"You're pretty quick," He offered.
She smiled "Yeah!" She concentrated again. He frowned.
"Wait, Ruby, you're not used to using your Semblance yet, you're going to—"
Too late, the burst of petals came and she was off again.
…only to trip about ten feet away and fall to her knees, clutching her head.
"Ow…" She moaned. "Why does my head hurt?"
He sighed and smiled fondly where she couldn't see. "It's a symptom of Aura exhaustion," Bending down he scooped her up and started walking home with her. Kid would probably pass out pretty quick here, with that level of depletion. "It's hard to tell when you're exhausting your Aura. When you're older you'll get a handheld status meter. But for now you just have to be careful. The symptoms don't come until after you've already exhausted yourself."
Ruby groaned and shifted in his arms. "But I want to practice!"
Qrow shook his head, smirking, "Later, when you're better." He could tell she still wasn't happy about it though. "Who knows? Maybe I'll even train you myself."
Her eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Will you teach me how to use a scythe?"
Something squeezed his chest again. "Why not? I've got no one better to teach it to." Plus it would work well with her Semblance, he realized. Harness that speed and give her a long reach and…well she'd be untouchable.
For the third time that day, he was unprepared for the skinny arms flung around his neck.
"You're the best Uncle Qrow!" She squealed in his ear. Then she immediately cringed. "Ow…headache."
He chuckled lowly. This kid sure was entertaining as all hell.
She quieted a little then, and settled in to let him carry her back to the house. It was only about two miles away, and Qrow didn't really mind the walk.
He got to the gate of the training arena before she spoke again. "Wait…I left the weapons out…"
"Leave 'em," He told her. "Someone else will pick them up." Someone who hadn't been through an emotional upheaval of epic proportions today.
She breathed contentedly. "Okay," she whispered sleepily, and promptly fell asleep on his shoulder. He shifted her in his grip so her hood covered her, kept her warm. By comparison, Ruby's cloak was much more functional than his. It came in handy at times.
Meh. His was cooler.
With his somewhat unwieldy bundle cradled against his chest and her head resting on his shoulder, he made his way home.
But before the grounds were out of sight, he remembered something, his eyes sweeping over the place. Rose petals fluttered in the wind, swirling in little cyclones around the dusty arena. There was something ominous about them, which spoke to something far darker than their benign presence suggested.
If his arms tightened around the kid a little more, well no one was around to see it.
Ruby snuffled against his neck. He turned back to the road and toward the house. He'd have a talk with Taiyang about their girls, and another with Yang once he was home, about coming to them with problems, and about keeping secrets from people who cared.
Evidently he was just enough of a hypocrite to say so.
(1) This relates to a headcannon of mine, in which Qrow is actually Ruby's father. If you don't buy into it, you can think of it as Qrow having an unrequited love thing going for Summer. If you don't buy into that, think of it as him wanting a family of his own but not believing he deserves one. Tragic, I know.
(2) I get the feeling Raven and Qrow did not have the easiest of childhoods. Call me crazy, but the man is an alcoholic for a reason. That could be due to adult trauma (of which I'm sure he has plenty), but for the purposes of this fic, Qrow and Raven were on their own. Raven was Qrow's Yang, and took care of both of them.
(3) An OC based on my new boss. Her name is Patty. I hate her.
(4) This is a play on an important scene in the Bible. Luke 22:42, Jesus asks God to spare him from the upcoming crucifixion. In the same manner, Qrow begs to not have to destroy Ruby's childhood.
(It's more headcannon of mine that Qrow and possibly Ruby are at least passingly familiar with the Bible since they wear crosses and literally no one else does. I'm not saying either of them are 'Christian' persay, but rather that the crosses in the RWBY universe signify a certain control over death, which is incidentally what they symbolize in a very abstract way to Christians. I think it's being used as a device to further the metaphor of Ruby and Qrow as Grimm Reapers, the most hilarious character design pun ever. However, for the purpose of this fic, Qrow has some knowledge of the Bible, probably doesn't believe in God, but this part of the story resonates with him.)
So. In case you haven't realized yet, this is a story about Ruby's Semblance.
You see, unlike the rest of the characters in the show, Ruby's makes very little sense considering her personality, at least in my opinion. Why speed? Why the roses? I get that you could say it was a link to her mother, but Winter very clearly states that all Semblances are perfectly unique (except the Schnee family's, of course). Basically, I'm trying to explain what drives Ruby, what motivates her. Partly because I'm sick of the too-stupid-and-naiive-to-give-up hero trope, and partly because it really doesn't make sense. Not to me, at least.
That said, this will diverge from cannon a little. Not drastically, just enough so that I can make the things make sense. Because again, it doesn't. I don't want to give too much away though, so yeah.
This will be the only chapter from Qrow's POV. If he seems a little OOC, it's because he's talking to a ten-year-old. Qrow is a surprisingly emotional man, I found, at least when I was writing him. I think he feels deeply and almost cripplingly. If you think it sounds like he hates Taiyang, I think it's because part of him does. They have a very complex relationship, especially if I'm right about Qrow being Ruby's father. Taiyang is both the person he hates most in the world and his best friend and last surviving teammate. It's very difficult to handle, I think, and it's only because of the girls that they keep trying to balance the scales.
The next chapter is Weiss's, taking place their second or third year of Beacon.
Review if you want to. If you have criticism I'd love to hear it, and even if it's a flame I won't freak out, so review with a name so I can respond and discuss.
