Author's Notes: AU isn't mine (Funblade on tumblr), and I had some peeps read it to begin with. Also it isn't completed

The Burnt Rose

-Prologue-

Vale sat in darkness, the sparse clouds adding a foreboding aura to the city. On a hill in the outskirts sat a small growth of trees, concealing within a lone beowolf.

The creature of Grimm looked down the hill at the city. In its gut it felt the urge to fight and to kill. It thirsted for blood and hungered for flesh, longing for the taste of weak humans. But despite this overwhelming desire, the monster could not act upon it. In its mind there was a voice, and it controlled whatever it was that held the beast captive. The voice whispered No!

Anger! The brute felt pure rage tear through its body, burning away all other thoughts. All thoughts but the quiet, controlling voice that continued to murmur its command, No! So the beowolf stood there, fixed in the same spot, gazing down at the city with useless loathing.

After an unknown amount of time, the snap of a twig sounded from behind. Turning its head, the monster surveyed the patch of trees, finding nothing of interest. Just as it returned to staring at Vale, something slammed into its side, sending it crashing to the ground several feet off. Looking down, the brute saw that its right arm was gone and blood was leaking out onto the grass. The expected pain never came, but a frustration so overpowering came into its mind.

Scrambling up, it looked for the attacker and found it. Standing ten meters off, with its head covered, was a human bathed in red, rippling in the breeze. A growl began to build in the back of the beast's throat as the subtle voice said, Kill her!

The creature of Grimm sprinted at the human, its remaining arm coming up to swipe. Just as it swung the attacker disappeared, leaving flakes of cerise bleeding from the air. Looking around again, the beowolf took a step back, trying to locate the crimson foe.

From behind the monster there was a swift clicking sound and then the cold of a curved blade was felt on its kneecaps. A loud bang reverberated throughout the trees as the blade tore through flesh, muscle, and bone.

On its back now, the creature growled in anger and persistent frustration as it flailed the remaining arm. The scarlet human approached the beowolf, pressing the thrashing limb into the ground with a foot. The face of the human was divided; one half appeared normal while the other was shrouded in black.

"You're pretty tough, I'll give you that. It's like you didn't even feel any of that." The brute gave another growl as it attempted to continue the fight. "Shut up!" the rose colored human snarled as it pressed something hard and cold to the head of the beast. The final howl from the creature of Grimm was cut short by a second loud bang.

Part One: Meeting

-Weiss-

The corporate building for Schnee Dust stood dark beneath the black, scattered clouds that covered Vale. All the windows were painted with the same opacity, all but one, the highest and largest.

All that could be heard in the CEO's office was the clacking of a keyboard and the rustling of papers. Documents covered a large white desk that stood near the window and behind sat a similarly colored chair. Working determinedly at the desk was a young woman, long hair matching the ivory theme of the room.

Weiss Schnee – owner and boss of the Schnee Dust Company – sat quietly as she reviewed reports brought in from several different departments. Her eyes flashed from side to side as her left hand rested on a keyboard, occasionally typing something out with lightning speed. At twenty-three, Weiss was the youngest head of the company in its history, attesting to her intellect and determination. She pushed herself to the limit almost every day and demanded the best results from her employees.

How long she had been there, Weiss wasn't sure. Some part of her knew that it was passed work hours, but she didn't care. She didn't want to go home right then, because that would bring her even closer to tomorrow and the inevitable encounter it brought with it. As that thought flicked through her consciousness, Weiss cringed internally.

Just then there was a knock at her office doors. Weiss raised her head in a jerk, flinching as the movement caused her previously dormant headache to flare up. Who the…? Weiss took a sip of room temperature water before calling out. "Come in!"

One of the doors opened and in stepped a familiar figure. The black trench coat Blake wore swirled around her long legs as she stepped into the office. "What a surprise," She said, sounding both sarcastic and disinterested.

Weiss furrowed her brow, setting down the glass of water. "What are you still doing here?"

She began to walk towards the white desk, "Don't act so confused, you know it's my job." Dropping into a cushy chair, Blake sighed from exhaustion. Weiss leaned back in her own seat, slightly annoyed at the other woman's bluntness. "Everyone's been gone for almost two hours. It's just you and me." She ran her fingers through her hair, sleeking it back between the black cat ears that stuck up from the top of her head.

Weiss felt the smallest twinge of guilt at making Blake remain after hours for so long. "I've been going over these reports,"

Blake closed her eyes as she leaned her head back. "Yeah, that's the reason you're still here."

Weiss was confused, Blake sounded as though she didn't trust a word of her excuse. "Excuse me?"

Blake looked at her then, a slight smile turning up her lips. "You expect me to believe that you're still here because of some stupid reports?"

Weiss felt as though her honor had been thrown into question, "Yes! Why does that shock you?"

"It's just..." Blake stopped, clearly considering how best to say what was on her mind. "You aren't usually this dedicated to work at times like these."

Weiss knew what was meant by 'times like these' but still bristled at the accusation of laziness. "Do you mean to accuse me of not taking my job seriously at all times?"

Blake lost her slightly humorous expression, "I mean to accuse you of being in love."

Weiss crossed her arms in annoyance and looked away from Blake, who continued to speak. "Whenever Ruby is on her way back from a hunt you're always more… Agitated. You try to get out of here as soon as possible, even though she won't be back until the next morning."

Relaxing slightly, Weiss considered her words. She was right, whenever Ruby was supposed to show up the following day Weiss would cut meetings short, postpone inspections or simply call an end to the workday, even if it was only noon. She simply couldn't focus on what needed to be done those days. It's my damn company; I'll do what I want!

Today, however, Weiss hadn't been looking forward to her meeting with Ruby. This time might not be as happy a reunion as all the rest. For the first time in two years, Weiss planned to make a demand and she doubted Ruby would take it well. Not wanting to admit how close to the mark Blake was, Weiss said, "Perhaps I've changed over the years."

"Perhaps," Blake said, "But I doubt it." Weiss rolled her eyes and put her hand to her head. "If there's one thing I know about you, Weiss Schnee, it's that you are stubborn to the point of frustration. It'll take something extreme to change any part of you, and I'm pretty sure your feelings towards Ruby are immutable. So my guess is there's some real reason you're still here, not just for some silly reports."

Weiss exhaled once more. So far, this conversation was not to her liking. "I guess I'm just anxious about our meeting tomorrow." While Weiss meant her personal meeting with Ruby, Blake would assume she meant the slightly larger one planned for the following morning.

A few days back, Weiss had called a gathering between all of team RWBY, which was why the young leader was coming home. Her hunt wasn't scheduled to end for another two weeks but at Weiss' behest it was called off early. Still comes when she's called. There was information that she needed to give her teammates, and it wasn't likely to make any of them happy.

Blake frowned as if in thought, "And you still won't tell me what that's all about?"

Weiss shook her head, "I'd rather wait for everyone to be there. It's not something I'd like to repeat." Blake took that answer quietly.

For just over a minute they sat in silence, until Weiss noticed a package in Blake's hands. "What's that?"

Blake looked down, "Oh yeah, this came in for you in the mail. I was going to give it to you as you left but..." She passed the parcel across the desk, giving a shrug.

"I assume its explosive free," Weiss said with a smile.

"One hundred percent clean, I examined it myself."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Really, the famous SDC head of security is willing to lower herself to opening the mail?"

Blake laughed, "No, I leave that kind of grunt work for the less fortunate. But all mail addressed personally to you gets sent to me. I take the security of our CEO very seriously."

Weiss felt slightly shocked by her words. Blake had proven a good friend and a valuable bodyguard. She had always been there when Weiss needed to talk, or else when her life was in danger – as the head of the SDC was often found in harm's way. But the fact that she even handled simple things like the mail showed just how good a person Blake was, not to mention how dedicated she herself was.

Looking at the return address, Weiss immediately knew what was inside. She'd ordered it over a week ago and had it sent here, only forgetting about it due to work. "Well thank you, I didn't know you took so much upon yourself."

Blake gave an unamused chuckle, "Like you'd have it any other way. I know better than most about your obsessive perfection disorder."

Weiss' lips tightened into a hard line as she glared at Blake. "I am hardly obsessive."

"But you do try to be perfect,"

"And why not? Even if perfection can't be fully achieved, why shouldn't we strive for the closest thing possible?"

"Well I never said it was a bad thing," Blake said, somewhat defensively.

"Whatever," Weiss stood and stretched, having been cooped up in a chair for hours had left her muscled aching from disuse. "Let's go,"

The two of them left the room and began to make their way to garage at the bottom of the building. "You and I are scheduled to be out of the office tomorrow, so our meeting shouldn't be interrupted."

Weiss nodded as they continued to walk, "Will you and Yang be staying over tonight?"

As she pressed a button in the elevator, Blake said, "Yes, I was going to pick her up from her bar before heading over there."

After a while they made it to the garage. "Well, you have a key, so don't bother knocking when you get there."

"No problem," they walked off to two different limos parked parallel to each other. "What time is the meeting tomorrow morning?"

Weiss opened the car door, "Ruby should get there in the early morning, so whenever that is."

Blake grinned, sleeking her hair back once more. "Yang and I should be down in time, 'see ya then!" she got into her limo as Weiss did the same.

Weiss sat silently, her mind beginning to wander as the driver directed the limo to the Schnee Manor. The package received from Blake sat in her lap. Inside was a gift she'd had special made for Ruby. It was meant as a welcome home present but as she considered the demand she planned to place before Ruby, Weiss wasn't sure if she would accept it.

Ever since their graduation two years previous, Ruby had left constantly to go hunting throughout the four kingdoms of Remnant. She would leave for weeks at a time – sometimes for over a month – and would come back only for short breaks. The occasions when Ruby spent a long period of time in Vale were few and far between. Mostly they were no longer than a few days visit.

On her last return she'd missed Blake and Yang, who'd been out of town on a short vacation. Ruby seemed honestly upset about that, but had still refused when Weiss asked if she'd stay a bit longer with the hopes of seeing them. 'I can't,' she would say, claiming it was her duty to help people.

Whenever Ruby came home, Weiss would forget how angry she'd been at her for leaving. She almost lost her composure every time she saw the younger girl get off an airship. This had lasted for almost a year; eventually the novelty of those returns had worn off.

It became necessary for Ruby to coax responses out of Weiss as she had begun to be ignored upon her return. She told stupid jokes until Weiss would crack a faint smile. She would perform dangerous stunts to try and make Weiss reprimand her. She would hug Weiss until she was hugged back and she would kiss Weiss until she responded in kind.

All in all, Ruby was very determined and always got what she wanted. Weiss hated it. She was, of course, excited to see Ruby, but she didn't want the young leader to think she approved of her actions.

Weiss would always work out what to say in her mind before Ruby showed up. She would rehearse her arguments, coming up with perfectly legitimate reasons as to why she shouldn't go hunting. But when the time came she would forget about it until later.

On the times when Weiss remembered her protests she would simply complain that what Ruby did was dangerous. She'd state that she never charged enough to help people, that the Grimm should never be underestimated, that hunting alone is stupid and reckless and might possibly get her hurt. That thought killed Weiss, but Ruby would just smile and tell her a new story from her latest trip.

The excited way Ruby would describe her excursions and adventures was something Weiss secretly looked forward to. She loved seeing Ruby happy, and soon, the thought of asking her to give it up became harder and harder to face. She had yet to put the request to her.

But after two years of it, two years of weeks spent alone with only short bursts of air to keep her alive, Weiss was finally going to do it. As soon as she saw Ruby, Weiss would make her demands and not give the young huntress the chance to beguile her into acceptance. This time, she listens!

Weiss had her arms crossed with one hand in front of her face, a finger tracing the horizontal scar under her left eye. The gift she'd gotten for Ruby weighed heavily in her lap. Weiss wasn't sure whether or not Ruby would take it because she still didn't know how she'd react. She knew Ruby to be good-natured and willing to help but she could be emotional at times. The thought of giving up hunting might very well put her in a bad mood, or worse, make her leave.

She leaves me all the time, once more might not matter to her. That thought gave Weiss a pang as she considered it.

Weiss closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly. She emptied her mind of all worry and tried to focus on something simple. She thought of Myrtenaster, the feel of its handle, the weight of its blade, the sound of air being slashed as it was swung. Her sword was one of the few things she had complete control over. After a while she opened her eyes and felt calmer than before. But the package still sat on her lap, making the feelings of uncertainty bubble just beneath the surface.

The Manor soon came into sight and after a while Weiss was walking through the doors. The tiredness from her late night began to make her lids droop as she walked up the ornate staircase in semi-darkness.

As she entered the room she shared with Ruby, Weiss shrugged off her cloak and jacket, draping them over the back of an armchair. She didn't bother turning on the lamp as the barely exposed moon from outside offered just enough light to make things visible.

Weiss walked up to the vanity mirror and sat down, putting her face in her hands as she exhaled. She had been in that position for almost a minute when gentle arms wrap around her shoulders from behind.

Weiss knew immediately who had grabbed her, especially since the sneak began to play with one of the straps that ran over her shoulders.

She heard a voice in her ear then, "I'm never gonna get over these red suspenders."

Weiss looked up into the mirror and locked eyes on Ruby. Her face was lowered so as to be right next to Weiss'. The nonchalant way she was addressed made her a bit angry, and Weiss felt the tirade she had prepped for this occasion rise to the forefront of her mind.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

Ruby's small grin slid off her face as she realized something was wrong. Weiss turned in her seat to face Ruby, who leaned back slightly, remaining in her crouched position.

Weiss studied her then. Ruby's red streaked hair – which she kept longer since their first year at Beacon – framed her face. Several strands stopped at her chin which Weiss stared at before moving on to her lips and then to her nose. She finished her examination by looking deep into the silver of her left eye, her only eye.

From the edge of her hair to her jawline, the right side of Ruby's face was covered in a black patch. At its center was her red rose motif. Beneath the patch lay pain; pain not only for Ruby, but the entirety of their team, and especially Weiss.

Weiss always needed a minute to acclimate herself to Ruby's face. She was beautiful, My God, is she beautiful, but it was a constant reminder of things better left forgotten.

Just then Ruby spoke up, offering a reminder of her initial anger. "Um… Seriously what?"

-Yang-

The music in Yang's bar, The Sun-Drop Lounge, was loud and upbeat. However, the music was drowned out on occasion by the boisterous attendees. Yang was behind the bar, serving drinks and giving an infrequent flirt here and there. She was expecting Blake at any time, so she constantly looked at the front entrance.

The next morning was to be team RWBY's meeting. Ruby was supposed to be there, and the thought of seeing her little sister excited Yang. Just that morning, Blake had said that they were going to spend the night at the Schnee Manor. Yang didn't mind, Weiss' place was almost over the top on the luxury scale. Blake said she would be picking her up as soon as she got out of work, which should have been a couple of hours ago.

While Yang cleaned the hard wood of the bar and checked for Blake, some drunk dude hollered at her, "Hey sugar, why don't ya fill me up anotha glass?" Yang went to the man and looked at his empty glass, which had been refilled over ten times now.

"I think you've had enough bud, why don't you call it a night?" She picked up his empty cup and turned to put it away to be cleaned.

"How 'bout we both call it a night, eh?" He reached over the counter and attempted to touch her butt when out of nowhere there was a loud thud. An arrow pinning the man's sleeve to the wood had stopped the progress of his arm. Yang turned at the sound of the impact and looked for the shooter. Standing in the doorway, holding Gambol Shroud in its bow form, was Blake. A breeze from outside made the head of security's dark trench coat billow as she lowered her weapon.

"The only ass you're going to be handed tonight is your own." Blake said as the bow collapsed into a blade, which was then sheathed behind her back. The arrow she'd fired had been made of dust and it evaporated a second later. Yang grabbed the collar of the now 'freed' man, pulled him from his seat and threw him out the front doors past Blake. "Busy as ever I see," she said whilst running her fingers through her black mane.

"You're so hot when you do that!" Yang said, pulling her in for a quick kiss. Breaking apart, Yang shouted to the bunny eared girl that had been attending the bar with her. "Hey Velvet, I'm out. You can close up shop whenever you feel like it." Then Yang grabbed her coat from the rack on the wall and walked out with Blake. As they were getting into the limo Blake had arrived in, they clearly heard the bell signaling 'last call' coming from inside the Sun-Drop Lounge.

As the chauffeur drove, Blake and Yang wasted no time as they immediately got 'comfortable'. When Yang finally surfaced from their 'romantic interlude' she asked Blake, "So, what does the Ice Queen want to talk about?" As she spoke, she absentmindedly rubbed one of Blake's cat ears.

"She, um… She said that… That we'll, ngh…" Blake's eyes were closed, clearly distracted by Yang's fingers.

Smiling, Yang leaned in and breathed softly into her human ear, "She said that we'll what, dear?" Blake opened her amber eyes then and pulled her even closer.

"We'll find out tomorrow!" She said through an oddly husky voice. They then picked up where they had left off.

-Ruby-

Ruby had returned home to many different emotions from Weiss. For a the first year of her hunt, she would appear overjoyed. Once that had died down, she became reserved for the most part. It took effort from Ruby to make Weiss respond at all. Rarely did Ruby find her in a bad mood, and even less often was she the cause of it.

This time, however, Weiss seamed oddly furious as she turned in her seat to glare more closely at her. For a moment, however, the rage that had been in her eyes vanished as she studied Ruby's face. Confused by her sudden switch from irate to passive, Ruby asked, "Seriously what?" With her words, the ivory haired woman seemed to remember that she was angry about something.

"You think coming home one night early will make things better?" Her furious tone was scary. This slight bipolar attitude was really throwing Ruby for a loop.

"Better for what?" Questions like that would only make Weiss more upset, but Ruby still didn't understand, so she offered a nervous smile.

Letting out an exasperated breath, Weiss asked, "Do you even remember the last time you were in Vale?"

"Of course!" Ruby perfectly remembered the short weekend spent in Vale just over a fortnight ago. Blake and Yang had been out of town, exacerbating the sensation of unease she had begun to feel during her last few hunts. Weiss had almost convinced her to remain longer to see the two other women, almost.

The uneasy feeling was an enigma to Ruby. She had no idea why, but her hunt had begun to drain on her, like it was taking more and more effort to keep her out there. Her thoughts would constantly stray back to Vale and her family, which became a bit of a distraction during fights with the Grimm. The message she'd gotten from Weiss asking her to return home early had actually come as a bit of a relief. So excited was Ruby to be home that she had left soon after, arriving one night before expected. But why this might upset Weiss was unknown to her.

Weiss stood and crossed her arms as she faced Ruby. "Well, if you remember you'll have no trouble telling me what the last thing I said to you was, right before you got on that airship."

Ruby's stomach dropped. She didn't have to think back to the moment Weiss meant, because the words she had mumbled – almost inaudibly as she stared at the ground – had echoed in her mind ever since leaving. Ruby stood but looked down as she spoke, just as Weiss had done. "Don't go."

"And what did you do? You left!" Weiss' tone was accusing, her posture emphasizing the anger she felt. "You made me practically beg, and still you left. You were barely here for two days and yet you had to return to your hunt? How can you look me in the face and act like nothing could possibly be wrong after that? Sometimes I wonder what's more important to you."

At that Ruby looked up, brow furrowing in her own, less impressive, anger. "Hey! It's not like it was easy to leave you!" It hadn't been, when Ruby had heard those words it took all her will power to turn and walk onto that ship. I don't even know why I did it.

"Then why'd you do it?"

Great!

"And don't tell me it's because of your duty as a huntress, I'm not taking that!" Weiss put her hands on her hips as she waited for an answer.

Sighing, Ruby said, "I… I just…" She waived her hand vaguely, looking off into the nothingness that was her lame excuse.

Weiss placed her hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes. "I realize that, Ruby. You always 'just'. You 'just' want to go hunting. You 'just' want to attack that particular Grimm. You 'just' want me to be happy that you leave for weeks on end when you and I both know that I never can be!" She was looking into Ruby's face, her eyes shining with anger and sadness. "Not when you're gone."

The desperate sound in Weiss' voice weighed heavily on Ruby's heart. "Weiss, I…" she halfheartedly reached out a hand, barley raising it high enough to do any good.

Weiss straightened her posture, cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back as she raised her head. Even standing as tall as she was now, she was still several inches shorter than Ruby, though she never let that stand in the way of her superiority. "Ruby, I have a… Request to put to you."

Didn't sound like 'request' was what she wanted to say. "Okay…?" Ruby drew out the last syllable slightly.

"I understand how you feel about hunting, and I think my opinion on the matter has been made clear. So, when next you decide to leave… When next you decide to return to your hunt, don't! I want you to give it up... For good. No more leaving, just staying here in Vale… With me." After saying her piece, Weiss turned her back, as though she didn't want to see Ruby's face when she gave her answer.

That was way more of a demand than a request. Weiss' words rolled around in Ruby's head as she attempted to come to a decision. Being put on the spot like this didn't really help, but she decided that now was as good a time as any to figure out what she wanted. In the end, however, it was much easier than she imagined. Ruby considered all the good she'd done while hunting and realized that, despite the strange feeling, she still loved helping people. But staying in Vale wouldn't hinder that desire, there were always opportunities to fight the Grimm, Exhibit A: that stubborn beowolf from earlier. Then she considered the troubling feeling she'd had on her last few hunts, the way her family – especially Weiss – was constantly on her mind. Right then she knew what she wanted to do.

Walking up behind Weiss and bending her knees slightly to make them level, Ruby once more wrapped her in an embrace. "Okay,"

From the position she held, Ruby could make out the corner of Weiss' mouth as it lifted in a smile. Then her face assumed a calmer expression as she turned, making Ruby loosen her hold. "Good," She reached up and lightly ran her fingers through the fur that lined the collar of Ruby's red cloak. "You're okay with that, right?"

"Yeah, getting used to staying in Vale should be pretty easy. I mean I used to do it all the time." As she spoke, Ruby rubbed light circles into Weiss' back, occasionally bumping one of her red suspenders. "Hunting is totally awesome, and I'll kinda miss visiting the other kingdoms, but we could, like, go on vacations all the time! I can show you all the amazing places I've hunted at and the cool people I met, though some of them don't speak our language, or like talking, or seeing other people in general... But that's cool, 'cause there's totally a bunch more that are social than anti-social, so you should enjoy meeting th–"

Weiss cut her off, "Ruby, right now I don't care about a bunch of people I may or may not meet in the future. Right now I want to know if you're able to give up your hunt… If you're ready to give it up,"

Ruby smiled and leaned down, pressing her forehead to Weiss'. "I think I've been ready for a while now."

Just as Ruby leaned in to kiss her, Weiss raised her hand to make her stop. "Wait, what do you mean 'for a while now'? How long have you been considering giving it up?"

Ruby gave a small cringe. "Just the last, uh, two or maybe three hunts…" The statement sounded more like a question in the end, as Ruby wasn't sure how Weiss might take the news. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out!

"Are you kidding me?"

Damn it!

"You were thinking about giving up your hunt for the last three trips and you didn't tell me? How could you do that? You must have seen how upset I was whenever you left! Why didn't you–" Letting out a frustrated groan Ruby leaned down and slammed their lips together, cutting Weiss off mid-sentence.

Weiss struggle for a bit, letting out a muffled sound of protest. But Ruby held her tight, trying to make the kiss give the apology for her. After several seconds, the pushing and hitting Weiss was doing changed course as she tried to pull Ruby closer.

Soon, the demand for oxygen became too great, and they broke apart. Gasping for air, Weiss said, "Why do I have to love such a frustrating woman?"

Ruby gave a cocky grin, "Just lucky," Then they began to kiss again, and Weiss' hands came up to run through Ruby's hair. Her left hand slid around to cup her face then and she froze. Backing up, she said, "Take them off!"

Ruby let out another groan as Weiss turned and left the room. Ruby pulled a second chair over to the vanity and sat down. She grasped the red bracer that covered her right forearm and loosened it. When she had removed the glove she wore underneath, the patch that covered the right side of her face came next. When the coverings lay on the desk Ruby looked into the mirror, examining, with distaste, the hideous scar that marred her visage.

Weiss returned quickly, holding a box under one arm. She sat in the adjacent chair, placed the box on the desk and set to work. The box contained ointments and medicines to aid in the tending of dust scars; the very scars Ruby bore on her face and arm. Weiss gently worked the creams into her burnt flesh, going from the top of her forearm to the knuckles of her hand.

A memory of the conflagration flashed through her mind as she glanced at the distorted skin. Thoughts of how it had happened were an unpleasant thing to dwell on. But even if she enjoyed reminiscing about such things, it became increasingly difficult to do with Weiss' hands all over her.

Not all the nerves where Ruby had been burned had completely died, most just registered feelings somewhat differently. In some areas it felt like being touched through several layers of clothing. In others, the old sting of the explosion could be felt ever so faintly. With those spots, Ruby usually exercised caution. But whenever Weiss touched there, the coolness of her hands would turn the pain into an odd yet intensely pleasurable sensation.

Weiss had finished with her arm and was now tending to the scar on her face. Ruby closed her good eye and sighed as Weiss massaged a spot just above her cheekbone. However, Weiss apparently mistook the sound of delight as one of pain and withdrew quickly. "Did I hurt you?" She wore an expression of worry and anger. The look was something Ruby was used to by now, and it bugged her. Now who's frustrating?

"No! You could never do that. In fact, I love it when you touch me. It's the only time these things ever feel good!"

Weiss looked away, "Sure, but if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have them in the firs–"

"Stop it!" Ruby leaned forward to try and make her turn her head. "You know that's not true! These are not your fault!" Weiss stood and took a few steps away, positioned so that the side of her face was still toward Ruby.

Weiss had an unfortunate habit of doing this. She would get upset over something that was in no way her fault and simply brood over it, as though if she thought long and hard she might be able to come up with a way to fix it. All that did in the end was make her more irritable, which made Weiss unpleasant to be around.

Ruby went to her. She reached out a hand and turned Weiss' face towards hers. Her eyes glimmered faintly in the dim moonlight. "I don't know why you beat yourself up. We both know it wasn't your fault, please just let it go."

"I just…" she cleared her throat, "I just feel so selfish asking you for more when you've already done so much."

Ruby's right hand was on her cheek, and so she stroked her thumb along the scar that ran horizontally beneath Weiss' left eye. "You didn't, exactly, escape unscathed."

"Like that can compare to these," Weiss pulled her hand over and kissed the blemished knuckles. "To this," she reached up and cupped the burnt side of Ruby's face.

The cool skin of her palm was soothing. Ruby closed her eye and leaned into the touch. "Just let it go, please." Her right hand turned to grab hold of Weiss' other one, tangling there fingers together.

They stood there for a moment, the feel of being with Weiss was calming. Then Ruby looked at her, moving so that their faces were right next to each other. "Please," she said again, planting a small kiss near her lips. "Let it go," She kissed her again, then again and again. Then Weiss was kissing back, all scars and past experiences apparently forgotten.

As they kissed, Weiss' warm body became flush with Ruby's, sending more heat coursing to other places. The taste of Weiss' tongue was making her crazy and the feeling of her fingers tangling themselves in her hair only amplified it tenfold. They broke the kiss but kept their foreheads pressed together, "Bed?" Ruby asked breathily.

Weiss concurred, "Bed!" Their lips pressed together once more as they began to move. The bed was behind Weiss, so she had to walk backwards as they attempted to stay in contact with each other.

They had barely taken two steps when suddenly, Weiss' heal caught on a wrinkle in the rug and they lost their footing. "Ah!" As they fell, Ruby used her aura to spin them so that Weiss fell on top of her instead.

"Ugh!" Ruby grunted as the force knocked the wind out of her. "Well, that was exciting!" There was no response, so she looked down. Weiss had her face hidden in Ruby's chest, and her shoulders were shaking slightly. "Weiss?" Oh no, please don't be crying.

Ruby gently raised Weiss' head and the sound of previously stifled mirth came peeling out. Weiss was laughing, tremendously so. The usual composer she held, even when it was just the two of them, was completely absent as she rolled off of Ruby and continued to laugh on the floor right next to her. Ruby thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time Weiss had ever laughed like this. Yep, this is a first, definitely.

"You're nuts," Ruby said, beginning to smile as she watch her laughing die down.

Weiss reached up and pulled Ruby's face towards hers, stifling another chuckle. "Thank you, Ruby." Her wide smile was contagious.

Her own mouth cracking into a similarly goofy grin, Ruby said, "I love you." And for the umpteenth time that night, they kissed.

(v)

The next morning, Ruby woke before Weiss, which was odd considering her usual punctuality. The sunlight was dim because the clouds were still building up outside, but enough light broke through to shine in on the two of them. Ruby propped herself up on an elbow as she faced Weiss.

Had this been a situation Ruby found herself in while still at school, she might have screamed and ran for the nearest door. Now, however, the sight of Weiss' naked body gave her a thrill instead of nerves. She was beautiful; her soft pale skin was perfect in the morning light. Her white hair, splayed out around her face, made her seem like some sort of angel. The slight curves of her body were more seductive than anything else Ruby had yet encountered. And she's all mine! The possessive thought ran through her mind as she leaned down and kissed her exposed belly.

Ruby slowly moved up Weiss' body, marking the skin wherever her mouth touched. When she got to her collarbone, Weiss shifted. "What are you doing?"

"Loving you," Ruby said in passing as she moved on to her neck.

"You're practically eating me,"

Ruby laughed, "No, no. I ate last night, if you'll recall." She scraped her teeth over Weiss' earlobe, giving it a small lick.

Weiss cleared her throat, sounding as though she'd rather not discuss that. "What time is it? We should go down soon."

Ruby sat up and stretched, "But I'm not full yet," She gave Weiss a sly grin.

"Stop it!" Weiss growled as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "Oh yeah, there's a gift for you in that box on the vanity. Open it later, we should really hurry."

"Aw!" Disappointed that she had to wait to open a gift she hadn't even known existed; Ruby followed Weiss into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, the two of them were walking into the dining room. Blake was sitting at the table taking a sip from a glass of tea when she looked up. "Blake!" Ruby shouted as she ran to the table.

Blake smiled and stood, wrapping the younger woman in hug. "Ruby! When did you get here? I thought your airship didn't land until today."

"She came back a night early," said Weiss as she sat down and helped herself to coffee.

"I see," Blake threw a knowing smirk at both of them in turn before sitting back down.

"Where's Yang?" Ruby sat down and pulled some toast over as she looked at Blake expectantly.

"Oh, she'll be down soon. She wanted five more minutes of sleep around twenty minutes ago."

"Did you guys sleep here?" Ruby's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, no reason, just curious," Oh my god, Weiss and I did… And my sister was in the same house? Oh my god! Ruby flushed even more as she lowered her head.

Another ten minutes passed before Ruby's older sister came striding into the large room. "Ruby!" The blonde ran towards them.

Excited, Ruby jumped to her feet and met her half way. "Yang!" The two of them hugged the life out of each other. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too! Now all we need is food and life will be complete." Yang broke from their embrace and looked around.

"Assuming Ruby left any, it's all over here!" Blake called out. Ruby's cheek burned in slight embarrassment.

The sisters sat down opposite each other and Yang immediately dug in. Weiss stood then, clearing her throat as she did. "Well, since we're all here I might as well begin." With a mouthful of food, Yang attempted to ask a question. "Yes, you can keep eating."

Then her face became serious as she inhaled to speak. "Roman Torchwick." That hung in the air as the three of them all widened their eyes simultaneously. "I doubt I have to remind any of you who that is." Weiss was looking at her silverware, avoiding all three gazes that bore into her face.

Worry was turning Ruby's gut into knots. Please, no, not this!

Weiss continued, "You should all remember that Torchwick was imprisoned the day Ruby was…" She let that sentence go unfinished, as the incident needed no reminding of. Ruby subconsciously reached up and scratched her jaw just under the black patch. "Well, a few weeks ago, he escaped."

There was silence for a moment, and then Blake and Yang both began to ask questions at the same time. "What?"

"How did this…?"

"Why are we only being told now?"

"Who's responsible?"

"Do we know what he's planning?"

"Who do I have to punch in the face?"

Throughout it all, Ruby stared at Weiss, wondering how she felt. Out of the whole team, she bore the most ill will towards Roman, and this news seemed like the kind of thing to get her riled up. She seemed calm, though. Probably had time to accept it by now,

That thought made Ruby speak up. "How long have you known?"

They locked eyes, "Just over a week. The Prime Minister spoke with me personally."

"The Prime Minister? What did he talk to you about?" Yang sounded annoyed.

"He wants us to catch him and bring him back in." Weiss sounded unbothered by the news. Yeah, she's definitely over it, this is all old news to her.

Yang was less composed. "Catch him? What are we detectives now? I don't remember taking that class back at Beacon!"

"Do we know of his intentions?" Blake asked, trying to calm Yang with a hand on her arm.

"No. In fact we don't know anything. We don't know if anyone helped him escape, who he's made contact with and we're nowhere near finding out his motives. We've started looking into dust thefts throughout the kingdoms but it's unlikely he'll be trying that anytime soon."

"So what exactly does the PM want?" Yang said, staring at the table as she slowed her breathing. "Dead or alive?"

The idea of killing another human being frightened Ruby slightly, but that quickly passed as a memory of Torchwick's disgusting grin flashed through her mind. "He would prefer alive,"

Yang smiled, "Which means he's open to the 'dead' idea."

"Yang, I don't think we should–" Blake was cut off as an older man in a full tux walked in. He was carrying a thin rectangular box and he approached Weiss quickly.

"Madam, this was left at the door for you." He placed the parcel on the table and left.

Weiss looked at the box confused, reaching down and pulling a small card off of the lid. She read it and her look of confusion morphed into one of pure fury. She flung the card on the table nearest to Yang as she started to remove the lid of the box. Yang picked up the card and read it. A second later, Blake snatched it away before it could catch fire. Yang's hair had begun to glow. Ruby leaned over to Blake and read the card with her, 'To: RWBY, from: R.T.'

Ruby's gut clenched at the hand written words. She looked back to Weiss, who had just gotten the lid off the box. She held it in one hand whilst covering her mouth with the other, shock plain in her eyes. "What's in it?" Ruby asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

Weiss reached into the box slowly and drew out a single red rose. At first Ruby was confused as to why a rose would affect Weiss so much. But then she twirled it and she saw that half of it had been burned. They were all staring at the maimed flower when suddenly Weiss dropped it on the table with a gasp. The head of the rose had caught fire as if from nowhere.

The four women watched in silence as the symbolic plant was turned to ash in front of them. Ruby's ears were ringing, part of her wanted to grab her friends and run, another part wanted to stand and fight to her last breath, and still another part; the part that had hold of her, was simply confused. What's going on?

Ruby tore her gaze from the smoking remains and looked at the other three. Blake sat with her hand on her chin, calm anger visible on her face. Weiss seemed lost in thought, her brow furrowed. Yang, however, was the least collected of the group, her eyes burning red and her muscles vibrating with poorly suppressed wrath.

It was Yang who spoke first, "Dead or alive, huh?" They all turned their attention on her. She dropped a spoon on the table that bore a grim resemblance to a pretzel after her violent ministrations. "Well I think he's just made the decision for us."