Hey guys, welcome to this new fic. I thought I'd start expanding my ship writing early, because why not? You can never have enough f/f pairings. This is a continuation from vol 4.

Chapter One: Changing Belief

Weiss' POV

"Weiss… are you awake?" The familiar voice catches my attention, bringing me from light sleep.

I could ignore it, pretend I'm asleep, but instead I open my eyes and roll over to face the voice. "I am now."

Ruby is on watch right now, the light from the campfire flickering and crackling in the night. "Do you... believe in fairy tales?"

"That's random." That is the last thing I was expecting her to ask.

"Well, do you or not?" she insists firmly.

Deciding to just answer her, I give it some thought. "I assume you mean the romanticized versions and not the gruesome originals. Honestly, no. Things never work out like that in real life."

"I think they can, sort of," Ruby replies hesitantly as she looks out over the landscape below. Ruins surround us and are clearly visible from our vantage point. Various Grimm patrol the area, thankfully leaving us alone for now.

"This had better be good and not a waste of my time," I announce with my usual degree of impatience.

Used to it by now, Ruby isn't fazed by my abruptness. Instead, she hugs her knees and continues. "Just because they aren't totally true doesn't mean you should completely dismiss them. It might not be a perfect tale, but there are parts worth sticking around for."

"Like what?" I ask, curious to see how she will respond.

"Oh, you want examples," clearly, she wasn't expecting me to press for details. "Hmm… well, spending time with team RWBY for one. Without the Grimm around, huntresses wouldn't be a thing, so I'd never gone to Beacon and neither would you or Blake."

"That is true."

She exhales deeply, gathering her thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is that without the hardship, we would never have met. All the fun times we had wouldn't exist. We wouldn't even know each other existed. It's kind of sad when you think about it…" her voice trails off, the fire light exposing her heartbreaking expression.

"Ugh, don't start crying on me. We did meet, so it's pointless thinking about other possibilities." This is about as caring as I get where comforting is concerned.

Despite the seemingly harsh nature of my reply, Ruby nods. "Yeah, we did."

"Lucky you. Whatever would you do without me around?" Deep down, I have a feeling Ruby would do just fine without me around. She might seem like an immature child sometimes, but she might just be the strongest and wisest out of us all. Ozpin could clearly see the potential.

"I am lucky," she agrees almost instantly. "Even though we have a difficult task ahead of us, I don't feel afraid because with you around."

"I suppose having you around isn't too bad," I admit, finding it impossible to concede anything more heartfelt than that.

That reluctant confession makes Ruby grin. "I think that's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

I shake my head at her, stifling a smile. "Well, don't get used to it."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she whispers as she returns to her watch.

My eyes open as the remnants of my dream fade away. For some reason, my brain seems to always focus on this memory from so long ago now. Or at least, Mountain Glen feels like a lifetime ago with everything else that's happened. I've lost track of time, but I must be close to Mistral now.

Sure enough, I feel the vehicle I'm hitching a ride on judder to a halt and the door opens. A man stands there, signaling for me to get out. "We're here. Welcome to Mistral."

I gather my belongings together and exit into the sunlight. My eyes scrunch up from the sudden blinding light. "Thanks."

He nods stiffly. "Don't mention it. Good luck out there. We all need it nowadays."

This is my first time in Mistral and as expected it's completely different from either Vale or Atlas. Right now, I am standing on the outskirts of the main city of Mistral. Buildings are dotted around on the two mountains in the distance, all the way from the foot to the summit. An impressive palace-like structure spans across the peaks, drawing my eye immediately.

Exhaling deeply, I continue on into the city. Even with the dire situation, the streets are still bustling with activity. The atmosphere does seem understandably tense given what has transpired since Beacon fell. Without the CCT towers to communicate, everyone's on edge. Distrust runs rampant, especially against the Atlas kingdom. I completely can understand their caution given the way my father is acting. At least I managed to escape the prison he was gradually building for me…

Pushing that thought from my mind, I press forward. To be honest, I didn't plan further than leaving Atlas. I'm not sure what I should do now. Ideally, I would meet up with Ruby, Yang and Blake, but… I don't know where they are. They could be anywhere right now. As that realization crosses my mind, I notice the familiar streak of red of a cloak. Without thinking, I immediately give chase, desperate to catch up. Maybe it's too much to hope, but it's not like I have many options right now.

My light blue eyes scan the crowd, catching sight of the vibrant red once more. I've come this far and can't give up. Not if there is a chance. Taking a deep breath, I follow again. Every now and then, I lose sight of the flash of red, only to pick it up again moments later. Eventually, I get close enough to assert that my suspicions are correct.

"Ruby?" I state incredulously. She is the very last person I expected to bump into. Just what is she doing here? That is enough to make her stop in her tracks and turn around.

"Weiss!" without warning, the hyper huntress darts towards me, actually tapping into her semblance to leave a whirlwind of rose petals, and collides into me for a hug. In fact, she nearly knocks me over.

"Careful!" I exclaim as I try to get my balance back.

She grins at me sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Oops, sorry. I got a bit too excited there. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I was certain that she would be in Vale now with her family. Especially after what happened to Yang...

Her expression turns more serious as she explains what she's doing here. "Uncle Qrow told me Haven was our best bet. We met with Professor Lionheart to discuss a few things."

"I see," yet again, everyone has to rely on young, inexperienced teenagers to save Remnant. Just like Pyrrha… maybe now more than ever. Hopefully, it'll have a happier ending this time. "Well, I… ran away from home. Klein, our family butler, helped me escape. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing like my father wanted. I took the first ride I could, hence why I'm here."

Ruby grabs onto my shoulders, getting a good look at me. "I can't believe you're here. We were all so worried."

"I didn't keep away by choice, believe me." If it had been down to me, I would have never returned to Atlas. Nobody there really understands what happened at Beacon or how much danger we're all in. Except maybe James Ironwood. He might just be the only one, though.

Without warning, she grabs me by the hand and pulls me along. "Come on, let's head back to my room at the inn. I'm sure the others will be excited to see you."

"Others?"

"Yeah, Jaune, Nora and Ren," Ruby clarifies as she drags me through the crowded streets. "They came with me since Blake is MIA and Yang…" She pauses momentarily before continuing, sounding sadder than before, "...wasn't fit to travel. I sent a letter telling her where we were, so hopefully she'll turn up sooner or later."

"How is Yang?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to bring up bad memories but eager to know how she is doing.

The aura surrounding Ruby shifts to something much gloomier. "When I left, she… wasn't doing so good. Events at Beacon had a huge impact on her. Blake disappearing off the face of the earth didn't help."

"I can imagine." Yang and Blake had been pretty close before Beacon. Anyone could tell that by just watching them. We finally make our way to a nearby inn. She leads me inside and up the stairs to the room she's been staying in since coming to Mistral. It's empty.

"I guess the others are out right now. I'm sure they'll be back soon," Ruby observes as she takes a seat on one of the beds.

"Seems so." I take the chance to sit down beside her.

"I think they wanted to look around the city. We haven't had much time to relax recently." She gives me a very brief overview of what she and the rest of team JNPR, or as she called them all RNJR, have been up to. Mostly, it sounds like she's been fighting Grimm… and a lot of them.

"Sounds rough. How have you been holding up?" Something tells me that Ruby hasn't been dealing with any of this overly well. She seems different from before Beacon fell, older maybe. More world weary.

Ruby just shrugs the question off. "You know me…"

"That's not an answer." I frown at her sternly, showing her that I'm not going to back down until she gives me the truth.

She exhales deeply, clearly conflicted about what to tell me. "It's been… hard, I won't lie. After Beacon, well, things only got tougher."

Just as I suspected, she blames herself. I can see it in her eyes. In an attempt to comfort her, I take her hand and give it a light squeeze. Seeing her sad and hopeless like this really hurts. "About Pyrrha… it wasn't your fault."

"So I've been told." She looks down, obviously not believing that.

"Ruby… look at me. Please," after a few seconds, she lifts her head. The usual carefree cheerfulness has long since gone. "The people to blame are our enemies. Not us… least of all you. You know Pyrrha would have said the same."

"I know. I guess I just haven't had enough time to properly process it all, what with the traveling and… everything. Seeing how much her death affects Jaune doesn't help." That reminder only makes her look more depressed.

"He doesn't blame you either," I insist, anything to stop her looking so sad. "Nobody does… except you. Without you, we wouldn't even be here right now. You stopped Cinder and gave us all time. That's more than anyone else could have done."

"Even you?" she asks, a hint of humor present in her question.

A slight smile quirks at my lips. "As much as it pains me to admit it… yes, even me. So, don't beat yourself up too hard. Leave that for me to do when you actually deserve it."

That actually makes her laugh. "Okay, I'll leave that to you then."

Yet again, my mind goes back to Mountain Glen… to the question Ruby asked me. "Do you remember when you asked me if I believed in fairy tales?"

She nods. "Sure I do, back at Mountain Glen. Seems like such a long time ago now."

Now that I have her attention, I press forward. "I never thought I'd say this, but… you were right."

That seems to shock her. "I was? Wow, I didn't think you'd admit I was right, like… ever. What made you change your mind?"

After gathering my thoughts, I continue. "As much as it pains me to admit it… you did. You showed me that there were things worth the struggle. If it hadn't been for you, I might still be at Atlas." It isn't until now that I realize just how much of an affect Ruby has had on me… in so many different ways.

"I… don't know what to say…" she stutters, completely lost for words.

I shake my head and take a stronger grip on her hands. "You don't have to say anything. In fact, I would appreciate it if you didn't. It's hard enough admitting I was wrong, let alone listening to you gloat."

"I wasn't going to gloat… much," she grins cheekily at me, a smile that quickly fades under my icy glare. "Kidding, I wasn't going to at all."

"Good, because otherwise it would've been your funeral."

She playfully rolls her eyes at me, carefully playing with my fingers as she speaks. "Still as gentle and affectionate as ever I see… it's good to have you back, Weiss."

Hearing her say that makes me feel happy. Really happy. More than I had been expecting. "I'm glad to be back. I couldn't just leave it all down to you, could I?"

"If you'd been much longer, I'd have gone to Atlas and dragged you away by force. Nobody keeps team RWBY separated under my watch," her stomach interrupts with a timely grumble and she grins sheepishly at me. "Guess I'm hungry. You must be too. Let's go get some food."

She stands up, her hands slipping from mine. It takes a lot for me to restrain myself from grabbing hold of them again. I miss their warmth. Jeez, what is wrong with me? When I don't follow straight away, Ruby extends her hand towards me with a coaxing smile. She seems just as keen to maintain contact between us as I do. Maybe it's because we've been apart for so long, a reminder we both made it and we're both here now. And maybe, just maybe, it's something else...

So yeah, there you have it. I might expand on this later when I find the time and get some proper gay ass shit in the mix. I might add some Yang/Blake in as well. There was another idea I had that would fit nicely in this story. May as well include it.

If you do want more, let me know and I'll try to come back to it quickly. I'm working hard to come up with ideas for RWBY, so keep an ear on the ground for more. Knowing me, I'll end up doing something for nearly every f/f RWBY ship. Have a great day and see you around.