Chapter 2:
Though she had used to despise waking up early in the morning, Weiss has quickly learned to adapt at Beacon. After all, preserving her hearing was something that she prioritized, especially when faced with the ungodly sound of Ruby's whistle. Team RWBY's leader had always seemed to be able to find the accursed object, no matter how many times Blake had hid it away.
Weiss' habit of waking up at the crack of dawn hadn't dulled over the years. If anything, it had only become more pronounced with the need to be punctual when running a business. The cold climate of Atlas had certainly helped with waking up in the morning, something that the CEO could now appreciate as she shivered in her thin nightgown.
Grabbing the pair of clothes that she had prepared the night before, Weiss quickly changed into a white blouse that went underneath a similarly colored knee-length jacket that was adorned with the Schnee family crest on the breast. The skirt that she had been so fond of as a student had been lengthened to reach below her knees, a light trim lining the bottom of it. The heels however, had quickly become something of a burden, especially when she would be wearing them for days that sometimes went for well over the typical 8 hour working day. Instead Weiss had exchanged them for a comfortable pair of boots that perhaps halfway up to her knees.
A small necklace also adorned the young woman's neck. The small piece of jewelry had been a gift from Ruby to her teammates at their graduation; at first, the elder girls had been skeptical of their young leader's ability to make such a thing, believing it to be some sort of elaborate prank. When they saw the single ornament on the otherwise simple chain however, they quickly changed their minds. Sealed within a layer of glass was a single rose petal, one that the three had become all too familiar with over the years.
'It'll remind you of me!'
Ruby's words echoed even now.
Shaking her head and ridding herself of such thoughts, Weiss grabbed what seemed to be a small cylinder from the table before snapping it to the belt that secured her skirt. Double checking everything, the young woman made her way out the door.
It was time to begin the search.
'With any luck, I'll have Ruby back here by the end of next week.'
She didn't really believe it. With team RWBY, nothing was ever that simple.
-Break-
"YAAAAHOOOOOO!"
An elated yell filled the air as two figures appeared in the air above the blazing sands of Vacuo. Both were wearing heavy shawls in an effort to stop the fierce sun from burning their skin; a common practice among the residents of the desert nation. Several more distinct bangs filled the air as one of the two soared even further ahead, each burst in altitude accompanied by another projectile that flew from their fist.
The image of happiness however, was quickly shattered by the appearance of 3 Death Stalkers appearing from behind the sand dunes, only to meet the concussive explosions from each of the projectiles. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop them in their tracks as the two people fell from the sky. Converging on the figure that had fired the projectiles, the 3 Death Stalkers swung a claw down, a massive amount of dust and debris flying up to accompany the impact.
"Yang!" The pieces of cloth on his head blown off by the winds, Sun Wukong's fierce blond hair made an appearance in the sweltering desert. Though many would have mistaken his outburst to be one of panic and concern for his teammate, they would have been mistaken.
"Yeah don't worry Monkey Boy, just havin' some fun on the way!" Yang Xiao Long was currently standing underneath the claws of the Death Stalkers, though perhaps in between would have been a better description.
The blonde's hair draped down to her waist, glinting in the sun like a jewel which, given its owner's disposition towards it, it might as well have been. With the various cloths flung away in the flurry of movement, it was easy to see that the work of a Huntress had done wonders for the young woman's appearance.
The brown leather jacket stayed around her shoulders, though a belt of ammunition now now hung around each cuff. Instead of merely wrapping around her neck now, Yang's scarf draped down to around her midriff, the brawler's emblem proudly stitched upon it. Her stomach was now covered by the black shirt she wore underneath the jacket. Yang's penchant for short-shorts hadn't changed, and neither had the preference to wear a belt that had more pockets than her jacket. She had however, changed out her boots for ones that were heeled and traveled up to her thighs. All in all, it was almost enough to distract most from the three deadly Grimm that were intent on skewering her.
"Just don't take too long, we have to make it to Vacuo's capital by today." A small chuckle worked it's way up the monkey faunus' throat as he watched his friend of many years play with some of the most deadly monsters on Remnant like a dog might with a chew toy. Any remaining concerns that he may have had about his companion getting careless were blown away as Yang's fist made a devastating impact with the tender bottom of a Death Stalker's body.
"Hell yeah!" Anyone not used to the sight would have had eyes popping out of their head as the massive creature of Grimm achieved lift off, flying several feet off the ground before crashing down once again.
"You have no idea how good that feels after walking for two days straight!" Yang's personality hadn't dulled much over the years; if anything, the blonde bombshell had just gotten more explosive if she was to say so herself. The two Death Stalkers seemed to share this opinion as they ceased aggressively advancing towards the young huntress, instead choosing to glare menacingly at her as if she would run away.
What Yang had just displayed was the textbook method of fighting a Death Stalker. Avoid direct conflict when possible and allow it to attack; long staggering blows will allow you openings to take advantage of. When striking, aim for the soft underbelly where armor is absent in order to deal the most possible damage. Take care to avoid the stinger that contains deadly venom.
But who was Yang Xiao Long?
A confident smirk was on her face as she completely ignored standard protocol. Like Yang had proclaimed earlier, Sun and his wild (even by his standards) companion had been doing nothing but travel for the past few days in order to reach the capital of Vacuo, where they would catch the next airlift back to Vale.
Standard? Safety? You may as well have asked for a monsoon to hit Vacuo!
With Yang dashing forward, flames licked the ends of Ember Celica as their wielder brought them up.
"YAH!"
CRACK
With a loud crunch, Sun greeted a sight that would've had most hunters and huntresses wide-eyed surprise with a resigned sigh. "Well, I guess that was a lot faster than waiting to counter."
Yang had swung her fist downwards like a sledgehammer, the strike igniting in a brilliant flame as it came in contact with the Death Stalker's rock hard shell… that would be blown apart as easily as tissue paper as Ember Celica descended. Screeching in an inhumane expression of pain, the unlucky victim of Yang's strike staggered back a few steps before collapsing, dead.
As for the remaining creature of Grimm…? It didn't even get a chance to attempt another strike before the dragon's wrath bore down on it with the force that had so easily crushed its brethren
"Alright, we're all cleaned up here monkey-boy, good to go." Yang dusted off the sand that had ended up on her shoulders, Ember Celica folding back up into the bracelets that rested on Yang's wrists.
Sun gave a thumbs up as he put the shawls back on his head: getting a few moments of fresh air was nice, a sunburn along the length of his neck and face? Not nearly as much. Looking back to the map displayed on his scroll, the faunus figured about two more hours until they made it to the capital. Once there… his attention was diverted by a notification on the digital screen.
"Hey, you in the mood for a drink once we get back?" Sun, along with Neptune, had become something of a drinking buddy with Yang since they had graduated Beacon. It made sense in a way, since neither of Yang's teammates shared the blonde's inclinations to become mind-numbingly drunk.
Still, Yang gave him a questioning look. "I thought we were in a rush so that we could get back in time for our flight."
The monkey faunus at least had the sense to look sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah about that…" he held his scroll up in his hands. "I just checked the flight schedules. Looks like they're not taking off until tomorrow because of sandstorms that'll be coming in the area soon. So we still gotta hurry back, just not for the same reasons."
Yang let out a frustrated sigh before resigning herself to throwing on the shawls that had been blown away during the fight.
"Hey Sun…"
"What is it?" Taking a look back towards Yang, Sun Wukong could only try to not panic as he noticed the mischievous grin on his companion's face. The sound of Ember Celica deploying should have been his first warning.
"There is a faster way back instead of walking you know." Rounds slid into place, a very audible clicking noise notifying Sun of his impending doom. He was all for fun, but this…?
"I don't know about-"
It was too late. Yang had, in a flash, hooked the faunus by the neck while running off the nearest sand dune, firing Ember Celica all the while.
"-THIIIISSSSS!"
"TOO LATE SLOWPOKE!"
Shouts of panic and excitement were reported by the guards of Vacuo's capital only half an hour later.
-Break-
Quiet, just how she liked it.
Blake Belladonna gave a short glance over the novel she was reading.
Correction, just how they liked it.
Having finished their mission earlier in the day, the feline faunus and her partner for this particular mission, Lie Ren, were taking some time to kick back after the week's worth of hard work.
And so here they were, Blake with a book in hand and a cup of coffee in front of her, Ren with only a cup of tea, seemingly just enjoying the peace and quiet. A small smile came to her lips; had the two of them been paired on a team at Beacon, Blake felt as if they would have made a fairly good one.
Her team…
Of all of team RWBY, Blake felt as if Weiss had probably been the one most affected by the little red speedster's disappearance, though Yang had come in at a close second. The sisters had been inseparable, their rambunctious and noisy personalities serving to balance the quiet and calm that their partners had brought to the table. Blake still had Yang as her pocket of sunshine, Weiss… was left in Atlas with nobody. Sure, the occasional visit and greetings were exchanged, but it truly wasn't the same as having someone there to look out for you.
"Blake." Said woman flicked her head up, realizing that she had been somewhat zoning out over her thoughts. Inquisitive pink eyes peered at her own, a mixture of curiosity and concern that she quickly waved off.
"It's nothing serious Ren, just the same as always."
A rare expression of sadness found it's way onto the martial artist's face. "Ruby?" The loss of team RWBY's leader hadn't just affected their team, the ripples had made their way out to their friends as well. Team JNPR had taken it especially hard, seeing as how the two teams were nearly merged at the hip. Had there been 8 person teams allowed, you wouldn't had known the difference.
Blake's eyes stared into her cup of coffee, the brown liquid offering a distorted reflection of her face. "Since when has it been anything else?"
"She's probably fine. We both know that Ruby is more than capable." It was a sound argument. Given the fact that Ruby had been at the top of her class in terms of combat capability at the end of their fourth year at Beacon, she was in very secure hands: her own.
"That's about defending herself." The subtly implied meaning wasn't lost on Ren.
"She had to learn how to get along on her own sometime, I'm sure she manages in her own way." The uncertainty in his voice wasn't missed by Blake.
"Ren, you know as well as I do that Ruby would rather spend the entirety of the day polishing Crescent Rose instead of talking to anyone."
"You're…" Ren couldn't lie through his teeth. "...probably right." He responded to Blake's deadpan tone. They all knew about Ruby's obsession, yes obsession, with her weapon. It had become something of an urban legend among the first year students amusingly enough. The disembodied voice whispering sweet nothings in the dead of night in the machine room on weekends. In reality it was simply Ruby maintaining her weapon following the leadership courses and homework that had been assigned to all third year leaders and above.
"It's been two years Ren" Blake drained her cup before speaking again. "Two years without a word of contact. No messages, no calls, no nothing." Setting her book down, she ran a hand through her now shoulder length hair. A white jacket went over her shoulders as a black blouse went underneath it. Her partner's influence was apparent, a scarf with Blake's emblem winding itself around the faunus' neck.
"I know Blake… I know. But her uncle was clear when he told us that she was safe. Right now, it's all we can do to believe him." Ren had never been one for large emotional displays, but that didn't mean that he couldn't empathize with others. Ruby had been just as precious to him as she had been to her other friends.
Blake stood up, taking her book with her. "Believe me, I want to trust in Ruby's uncle as much as everyone else does. If she's safe though, why doesn't she get in contact with any of us?" Blake's distress was clear, the serene air that had surrounded the two of them gone.
"What if she was forbidden by her uncle? She could be training." Ren elaborated, it had always been his role on the team that had been so excitable so calm everyone down. "You don't know what happened, so you shouldn't assume the worst."
"I-I know… but it's just that…" Blake had always assumed the worst case scenario. It had saved her hide on multiple occasions, be it on during her early years with the White Fang, or in her years as a huntress. Right now though, she wished that she could think anything but what her instincts told her to.
"I understand, but you should know as well as I do…" Ren finished off his own tea. "That Ruby isn't someone to give up, at all."
Blake stared for a moment before replying.
Blake!
We'll definitely be able to stop them Blake, don't give up!
I'll always be around for you to talk to Blake, I'm your team leader after all!
'Then where are you now Ruby?'
"I know Ren, I know."