Ruby's Date Story
What starts out as a social visit becomes a deadly mission for Ruby
[Author's note: This story follows the Darkpenn story collections RedWhiteBlackYellow; and Ice Queen In Love, particularly the story The Smoochie Was a Giveaway. It takes place after the defeat of Salem by Team RWBY. It does not connect with Volume 5 of the actual RWBY series.]
Ruby Rose looked out the window of her little room in the little house in little Patch. She sighed. Nothing better to do, she said to herself, than watch the grass grow.
It was seven months, maybe a bit more, since the defeat of Salem and her minions. In that time, Ruby had done ... not very much. She had eventually come to accept the grim fact of Weiss' death. She hoped that wherever she was now she was with Velvet, and they were happy.
She had visited Yang and Blake several times, as they learned how to use their Maiden powers under the tutelage of Glynda Goodwitch. It had been good to see them, of course, but everything was different now. She had visited Beacon Academy several times as well: it was almost back to a functional state, and was already taking student applications for the next year. Ruby was not sure she wanted to go back there, as a student or as anything else. She had been dismayed to learn how many students, Hunters and civilians had been killed in the Battle of Beacon. So Beacon and Vale held bad memories as well as good ones. And after the epic battle with Salem and the forces of evil, the idea of going back to classes seemed sort of, well, lame.
So she trained by herself and with her father. She drew up some designs for new weapons, and even built a few little pieces – something she always found enjoyable. She read books about the history of Remnant. She took long walks in the woods. She often sat by her mother's headstone and talked to her. She tried to not feel lonely, and bored, and empty.
She looked out the window again, and sighed.
Her scroll beeped. She activated it, and the face of Coco Adel came on the screen. "Hi," she said. "You want to come for a visit? Have to be soon, though, if you do."
"I'd love to!" squealed Ruby. "But what's the rush?"
In answer, Coco lowered the scroll so the camera revealed the rest of her – and showed her large, round abdomen. Ruby gasped.
"Yep," said Coco. "Pregnant. Very."
"What!? H ... how?"
"The usual way, of course. Fox is the father, if you were going to ask that. We actually got married a while ago, very quietly. Say, Yatu is going to be paying a visit as well. Maybe you can join him. He knows where we are and everything."
Ruby felt her belly go flip-flop. "Uh, Yatuhashi Daichi?" she said.
"No, the other one, Yatuhashi Merryweather. Of course, Yatu Daichi. I understand you've bumped into each other a few times recently."
Ruby wanted to bite her knuckle at the mention of his name. But she said: "Once or twice, I suppose. But ... nothing of significance." She thought of the times when she had accepted invitations to social events or things at Beacon in the hope of meeting him. And, indeed, she had encountered him several times – and had then been unable to get out anything other than juvenile gibberish.
Coco laughed. "Despite the fact that he is a huge chunk of very handsome man," she said.
"Oh, is he?" said Ruby. "Really, I hadn't noticed."
"Girl," said Coco, "every female with a pulse notices. I'll give him a call and tell him to collect you on his way here. Probably tomorrow."
"O ... okay," said Ruby. "If ... he doesn't mind."
"He won't," said Coco.
What does that mean? thought Ruby.
They said their goodbyes and signed off.
"Oh dear," said Ruby. "Oh very dear. Oh my."
She had changed her clothes three times and re-done her hair twice, with no apparent improvement. She had unpacked and repacked her backpack several times, for no reason she could see. Her father thought that it was all extremely amusing, and said so.
She was thinking of changing clothes yet again, back to the outfit she had started with, when she heard the sound of an engine. She went outside, and there was Yatuhashi astride a huge motorbike. It was even bigger than Yang's. His sword, which he often carried on his back, was in a sheath on the side of the bike.
He saw her gaping. "I hope this is alright," he said. "Have you ridden on one before?"
Once, thought Ruby. On the back, with Yang. Fell off. "Of course," she said.
She managed to climb onto the back behind him. She wondered what she was supposed to do with her hands. She gulped. There was only one place they could go. Tentatively, she put them around him. Damn, they barely reached, he was so big.
"This road is a bit rough," he said. "You will have to hold on tight."
She gulped again. "If ... if you think I should," she said.
He nodded. He gunned the engine, and they were off.
Ruby, trying to keep herself in position, put her head on his shoulder. She could feel the muscles under his leather jacket. Oh ... oh ... oh ... my, she thought. Be still my churning tummy.
They stopped at a little inn for lunch. As they ate, Ruby showed Yatuhashi her notebook with her new weapon designs, and one of the little pieces she had constructed.
"I needed something ... to keep me busy ... since ... everything ... happened," she said. "What have you been doing?"
"Training," he said. "Meditating. Working in my father's fields. Trying to understand ... the meaning of events. I find that I have little desire to return to Beacon. It would seem ... inappropriate."
"I know what you mean. It's hard to know what to do next. Once a team loses a member it can't really go on. I assume that Team CFVY has been dissolved?"
He nodded.
"But good news about Coco and Fox, eh?" said Ruby. "Whoa, a baby!"
He nodded again.
"I heard that Grimm activity in the Borderlands dropped off after Salem departed the scene, although there have been some reports of new attacks recently," said Ruby.
Yatuhashi grunted.
"You don't smile much, do you?" said Ruby.
"I do not," said Yatuhashi.
Ruby felt her belly churn again. It seemed to have become full of hot liquid, somehow. "I hope you don't mind me chattering away," she said. "I know I just ... chatter ... sometimes. So I hope you don't mind."
"I do not," he said.
She bit her lip. He was so ... rock-like! There was a tight feeling in her chest. Her head was starting to hurt.
Yatuhashi was still looking at the weapon designs. "Good," he said. "Very good." He closed the notebook and handed it to her. As she took it, their hands touched for a moment. It made a little tremor run along Ruby's spine.
She bit her lip again. Ohhhh ...
It was mid-afternoon when they approached the house of Coco and Fox, a little cottage nestled in quiet patch of forest. They came to the top of a hill and looked down at it.
"Stop here," said Ruby. She looked around. This area was supposed to be safe, there had been no reports of Grimm for years. But ... "Something's not right," she said.
"Why do you say that?" said Yatuhashi.
Without answering, Ruby jumped off. She drew her scythe from its holster. "We go ahead on foot," she said. "Quietly. You take that side, I'll go this way."
Somewhat to her surprise, Yatuhashi took his sword out and did as Ruby directed. Gosh, she thought, I'm giving orders to the biggest, toughest guy in Remnant.
They each looked in a side window. There was no sign of life. Ruby gestured for Yatuhashi to go in through the back door while she went in the front.
The front door had been torn off. There were signs of a struggle.
"In here," Yatuhashi called from the back room. Ruby went in. Yatuhashi was kneeling next to Fox, unconscious and bleeding. Ruby gasped.
"He does not have long," said Yatuhashi. "He was left to die. He is tough fellow, Fox. Part salamander faunus. But these wounds are very bad."
"Maybe ... maybe I can do something," said Ruby. She knelt down, and put her hands on Fox's wounds. She concentrated, not sure of what she was doing but feeling the pulse of power within her. She tried to push the power into her hands, her fingertips. She closed her eyes.
Suddenly, Fox took a breath. Ruby looked at him. Under her hands, the injuries had ceased to bleed. He was breathing – laboured, shallow breaths, true, but better than the alternative.
"How ... how did you do that?" whispered Yatuhashi.
"I'm ... not sure," said Ruby. "But I think it's all I can achieve, he's very badly hurt. Call the nearest town, see if they can get an airship here, take him to a hospital."
Yatuhashi nodded and took out his scroll.
A short time later, they were watching the airship depart, with Fox. The medtechs were amazed he was still alive. They said he was likely to be in a coma for some time.
"No sign of Coco anywhere," said Ruby. "But I thought I saw something. Outside."
She showed him. Tracks. She had seen tracks like this before.
Nucklevees. Several of them. And also Ursas. The tracks led into the forest.
"They took her," said Ruby. "But I've never heard of any Grimms doing that before. Have you?"
Yatuhashi shook his head. He looked at the direction of the tracks.
They collected a few things from the cottage. Then, without a word, they got back on the bike and set off.
Much as they wanted to keep going they could not follow the tracks in the dark. They stopped and made camp, cooked some of their provisions.
"I have only one sleeping bag," he said, as he took it from his bike-pack and unrolled it. "We will have to share."
"Uh, well, okay," said Ruby. She wriggled in beside him.
After a while, she said: "You know, the first time I met Weiss, I ran into her. Literally. She called me an idiot. Guess she was right."
After a long time, Yatuhashi said: "You miss her. I understand. I miss Velvet too. And the team."
There was another long pause. Then he said: "Thank you for healing Fox. Although I do not know how you did it."
"Well, I don't really know either, but I'm glad it worked. Now we have to find Coco, bring her back if we can."
Yatuhashi nodded. "Bring them back," he said.
"Uh, 'them'?"
"Yes. Coco and her baby. It is only a few weeks until the baby will be born, I think. Or it could be any time. Babies are like that, they come when they decide to come. As I understand it."
Ruby considered. "Right, them," she said.
There was another period of silence, although it was a warm and comfortable silence. Ruby told herself that she should stay focused on the mission but here, lying next to Yatuhashi, she was finding it difficult.
"I like you, Yatu," said Ruby eventually.
"I like you too, Ruby," he said.
Ruby folded herself into Yatu's shape as she closed her eyes. He likes me! she thought as she fell asleep.
Coco came awake slowly. She realised she had been drugged. Her first thought was for the baby, but then she felt it move slightly. She silently breathed a sigh of relief.
She struggled to organise her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was a large pack of Grimm attacking the cottage. Nucklevees and Ursas. She remembered her husband, Fox, killing one after the other, until he went down to the weight of their numbers. She remembered being struck on the head, and then several people in odd uniforms standing over her. And then darkness.
She realised she was strapped down on some sort of table. But she could lift her head enough to look around. She was in a large room, apparently the main chamber of a castle. On one side of the room was a row of large cages containing various types of Grimm creatures. There were also humans walking around. One was looking at a machine that appeared to be monitoring Coco's life-signs.
She wanted to weep for Fox, for her brave and beloved husband, but she knew that this was not the time. With an effort, she pushed those feelings aside, to focus on the current situation. For her, and for her unborn baby.
"Ah," said a voice. "I see you are awake."
It was a thin, middle-aged woman. She had hard eyes and a harder smile. She was holding a sort of leash, and on the other end of the leash was a Grimm Seer. Coco started. She had never seen a Seer before. Few people had; they were extremely rare. There was even a story that there was only ever one at a time.
Strangely, the Seer was wrapped in chains as it hovered. Its tentacles were bound and its eye – if eye it was – was covered by a leather wrapping, except for one small slit.
"Nice pet you have there," said Coco. "And just who are you?"
"I am Almira Gulch," said the woman. "Perhaps you know the name."
Coco considered. She knew it: Almira Gulch had once been one of Salem's students, and later one of her associates. Thrown off the council for being too personally ambitious, apparently. Not seen since then, which was how everyone liked it.
"Nope, never heard of you," said Coco.
The woman gave another tight-lipped smile. "Well, it doesn't matter," she said. "I have no interest in you. All I am interested in is what you are carrying." She gestured at Coco's swollen abdomen.
Coco gasped. Desperately, she strained against the thick leather straps holding her down.
"Go ahead, if you feel you must," said Gulch.
Coco forced herself to relax.
"And of what interest is it to you?" she said.
Gulch gestured to the chained Seer. "Did you know," she said, "that some very powerful beings, when they receive a fatal blow, can transfer their consciousness to another being? It's not easy, of course, and does not always work out as planned, but it can be done. In this case, my former mentor, as she was being struck down by the girl with the silver eyes, managed to jump out of her body. She landed in one of the Grimms in her employ. This Seer. Where she was found by some of her servants – who were actually my servants. And so I took control of this charming little beast. And of my former mentor's consciousness. But she will not be able to live much longer there. A new host is needed. As far I am concerned, one that I can control. One that is weak, both physically and mentally. Your baby is, shall we say, just what the doctor ordered. I have a spell which will ensure the transfer works properly this time – whether my old friend likes it or not."
Coco fought to stay in control of herself. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it isn't due for a few weeks yet," she said.
Gulch smiled again. "Oh, my dear, I do not intend to wait for anything as barbaric as a natural birth," she said. "And it involves all that ... muck. No, we will just cut it out of you, as soon as we are sure it is able to take the transfer." She turned to the technician monitoring the instruments.
"Not quite yet," said the tech. "Soon. A few more hours. To be sure."
Gulch nodded. She leaned over Coco, staring into her eyes. "And you, of course," she said, "will die."
Coco snapped up, smashing her forehead into Gulch's face. Gulch cried out in pain and staggered back. "Well, I didn't see that one coming," she said. She looked at the Seer. "Did you?"
The Seer struggled against its chains.
Gulch wiped blood away. "Well, no matter, I can afford to let you have a tiny victory," she said. "Come along now, my pretty little monster." She snapped the leash, and led the Seer away.
Coco screamed, and then sobbed.
Ruby and Yatuhashi were surveying the castle from a rise. "It's not on any of the maps, which means it's most probably the place we're looking for," she said.
"And the only place where the tracks lead," said Yatuhashi. He pointed: there was a large ditch running around the entire building. There was a narrow bridge across it, and a massive door. As they looked more closely, they saw human guards with guns in various hidden places overlooking the bridge.
"I would say that that is not an option," said Ruby. "But look over there." She pointed to tree with a large branch crossing the ditch. In the castle wall, high up, there was a narrow window, with a little ledge under it. If they climbed along the branch they could jump across and reach it.
So that is what they did. In a few minutes, they were looking down into the main chamber of the castle. And they saw Coco, and another woman, and several medical technicians preparing for something.
"So that is what this is about," said Ruby. "Coco's baby. I don't know what they want it for but we can be sure it's nothing good. We have to get down there and stop them. I would say we have no more than a few minutes." She looked at the little window, and then at Yatuhashi. There was no way he could fit through. In any case, simply bursting in might not be the best strategy. Most likely, the first thing the villains would do would be to kill Coco.
"I have a plan," she said.
Coco was trying not to cry as she saw the medtechs preparing their instruments. There was a variety of blades, scalpels and tongs.
"You know, we had planned to give you an anaesthetic before starting," said Gulch. "But after you whacked me in the face, I decided against it."
"Worth it," said Coco.
"Everything is ready," said the tech who was monitoring the machines.
There was a disruption at the door. Three guards brought in an extremely large man. They were holding him at gunpoint.
"This guy just walked up to the door and said he wanted to see the person in charge," said one of the guards. "He won't say anything else."
"He's a big one, sure enough," said Gulch. She noticed that the Seer was beginning to strain at the leash. "Keep quiet, you," she said to it. She said to the guard: "Did he have any weapons?"
"No, we searched him and all he had was this," said the guard, as he handed Gulch a round metal flask.
Gulch looked at it. She opened it and sniffed it. The scent of whiskey. "Well, you've got to like a man who likes a drink," she said. She handed it back to the large man. "If you're looking for a job, we might be able to find a place for you," she said. "We can discuss it later. Right now, I have more pressing business. My men will show you where you can wait." She turned back to Coco.
Yatuhashi pushed a lever on the flask in his hand. Blades popped out of the edges. He threw it – just as the Seer snapped at the leash, pulling Gulch out of the way. The spinning disk flew past her.
"Huh," she said. "You missed."
"I didn't miss," he said. He pointed.
The disk had cut one of the wrist-restraints on Coco. She raised herself up and punched out at Gulch, sending her spinning.
At the same moment, there was another sound – from above. Ruby came flying through the little window, extending Crescent Rose as she fell. She landed with a thump, scattering the guards away from Yatuhashi. She swung the scythe, and the medtechs and their equipment went flying.
She threw Yatuhashi his sword. He caught it and swung, knocking more guards away.
Coco was undoing her other restraints. She managed to get off the table.
Gulch was running for a lever. She pulled it, and the doors of the cages holding the Grimm creatures opened. The creatures – Nucklevees, Ursas and Beowolfs – charged.
Something slid across the floor towards Coco. "This is yours, I think," said Ruby.
Coco picked up the bag and morphed it into her mini-gun.
"DIE, YOU EVIL MOTHERFUCKERS!" she shouted.
Yatuhashi picked up Ruby and leaped behind the table with her. Suddenly, the chamber was full of bullets and shrapnel and blood. Ruby peeked up, just in time to see Gulch take a bullet in the shoulder. But, pulling the Seer after her, she managed to open a door in the wall. In a moment, she was gone.
The echoes of the mini-gun died away. Suddenly, everything was very quiet.
"Well," said Ruby, coming out from behind the table. She handed Coco a pair of her sunglasses. "That was a thing."
It was several days later. They were in the office of Glynda Goodwitch in Beacon Academy. "We searched the place but couldn't find any trace of Gulch," said Ruby. "Just gone."
"Well, her plan to resurrect Salem under her control failed, so let's put it down as a win," said Yang.
"I agree," said Blake. "Is Fox going to be alright?"
"The medical people say he will recover, thanks to Ruby," said Coco. "I'm hoping he will be on his feet by the time the little one makes their appearance. Yatu is visiting him right now."
"As I understand it, Gulch and Salem truly loathe each other," said Glynda. "This incident is unlikely to improve their relationship. So let's hope they keep each other busy. Pity that Salem refuses to stay dead, but having her trapped in the body of a Grimm is a fair alternative.
"Ruby, since you and Yatuhashi seem to work well together, maybe you could try to track them down, see what you can find out. Pick a couple of other people to make a new team."
Ruby started. "Well, uh, um, yeah, okay," she said.
After some more discussion, Ruby and Coco left Glynda's office. "Looks like things are working out," said Coco.
"Well, stopping that awful woman is good," said Ruby.
"Yes, but not what I meant," said Coco. "I mean, you and Yatu."
"Huh?" said Ruby.
"I guess I should tell you, since he probably won't. You remember when I asked you if you would like to visit? That was Yatu's idea. So was picking you up. He wanted to spend time with you, I think. It wasn't meant to become an adventure, but sometimes that's how things work out."
"Really!?" said Ruby. "But ... he's never said anything ... about liking me. Well, just once."
Coco laughed. "Not one of life's great talkers, our Yatu," she said. "Give him time, I'm sure he'll get around to it. Actually, he's a bit of a softie, once you get to know him."
"So ... it was a date?" said Ruby. "I was on a date? Really?"
"Guess so," said Coco. Suddenly, she stopped. "Uh, I think we should probably head to the hospital now," she said.
"Uh, why?" said Ruby.
"It's baby time," said Coco.
END