Now with an unexpected sequel chapter!

It was frustrating.

It was so, so frustrating.

Ruby wanted to claw her brain out, it was so frustrating. The knowledge that her Mates - all of them - were hurting, and that she couldn't do anything to help. Even worse, they were deliberately trying to stop her from feeling their emotions.

She'd already experienced it with Yang. Her sister was so broken, yet she kept shutting Ruby out. Whenever Ruby saw her Mate's Mark in the mirror, her eyes would draw to the yellow flame, now only a little more than a grayed color. At first, she thought her eyes had been playing tricks on her, but it eventually became evident that the color was indeed fading, day by day. Even the yellow-tinged lines that connected the four emblems together had grayed.

Blake simply didn't want to be found. Even when Ruby looked through the blank void of the Link, she couldn't see the purple-black of Blake's Aura. In fact, she hadn't seen it for months now. At this point, she was surprised Blake's flower hadn't started graying either, but every few days she could feel the small, cool pang of Sadness and Longing and Regret. But Blake didn't want to be found.

Weiss was the worst. Weiss wanted to 'talk' with Ruby. Weiss didn't shy away whenever Ruby reached out. But she didn't dare to reach out herself. Ruby could feel it, no matter how much Weiss tried to hide it; every frosty feeling of Pain and Fear and Sorrow. Whatever Weiss was going through, she didn't want Ruby to know. And so she didn't, spending every day worrying and fearing the next time Weiss felt Pain.

This was wrong. The Mate's Mark was supposed to let Ruby help her Mates, but if they didn't want to be helped, all it was was torture. It was driving her nuts.

Every day became an endless cycle of worrying and eating. Ruby wasn't getting any sleep either; the tortured nightmares her Mates had would wake her up through the night, and keep her awake long after the sun had risen.

By the time winter came, Ruby was a wreck. She stayed in bed, clutching her head as Weiss' latest nightmare slowly faded away. Covered in sweat, she mechanically went through the motions of getting ready for the day.

Taiyang and Qrow were in the kitchen, talking in hushed voices. They abruptly stopped once Ruby came in. They were worried too, she knew. But they couldn't help her. The Mark was her burden, and she could only carry it alone.

She slumped in her chair, shoving food into her mouth without tasting anything. She paused in eating, wincing when frosty feelings of Concern were directed at her. Weiss was concerned. About her. It was becoming more and more frequent.

Ruby frowned as the feeling was accented by a touch of Worry and Pleading. The meaning was clear: Weiss wanted Ruby to stop worrying. She must have sensed Ruby's doubt, because:

Worry. Pleading. Comfort.

Each emotion sharper and more pronounced. Ruby simply frowned and finished bringing a spoon of cereal to her mouth. For a moment there was a 'silence', then;

Apology. Guilt. Questioning. Comfort.

Ruby once again paused to decipher the emotions. The apology and guilt were easy, Weiss regretted not being there for Ruby. Questioning could mean any number of things though. Added with comfort, that would make… was Weiss asking her if she was ok? She was definitely not ok. Not by far. She didn't even really remember what 'ok' was. But…

Helplessness. Questioning. Companionship.

Weiss… wanted Ruby to be with someone? Wanted her to have companionship? Because she couldn't actually physically do anything right now, stuck where they were…

Determination. Comfort. Companionship.

Weiss was determined and comforting, that meant she was doing that thing where she ordered people around while trying to help them at the same time. Companionship…? Ruby was suddenly reminded of why she had aspired to become a Huntress in the first place. To help people. It was odd, to have to realize her drive again, but the entire Mate's debacle had left her running ragged. Another cold feeling spread through her.

Contentment.

Ruby smiled into her next bite. Suddenly it was like the storm clouds over her head the past few months were gone. Her thoughts flashed back to the day she woke up, after the Fall of Beacon. Qrow had talked to her and mentioned something about Haven. Her eyes flicked to her honorary uncle for the briefest of seconds. Our enemy's trail leads to Haven, huh?

The gears in her mind whirring, she finished breakfast with renewed vigor. Maybe it was time to contact old friends.

The light in Ruby's eyes had appeared again.

Timeskip

Ruby hesitated as she crept past Yang's door. For a small moment, she considered going in. Without meaning to, the world slipped into the darkness of the void. Ruby could practically feel the heaviness in her chest as she saw the glowing yellow mass only a door away. In the distance, the white speck glowed brightly in steely Confidence. Swallowing, Ruby opened her eyes again.

There was a hollow pang in her chest as she walked past the closed door, but she ignored it. It hurt… but at least this way she didn't have to say goodbye.

Ruby carefully pushed open the front door, taking care not to make any noise. She turned, smiling upon the sight of three familiar faces.

"Hey, Jaune."

For now, it's a two-shot. And yeah, I know this was shorter than the first chapter, but this was mostly written on a whim. So please stop following this, it's complete, and instead leave a review because it's kinda depressing no one's said anything yet. Reviews are the lifeblood of stories, and that's no exaggeration.

Thanks for reading!