Supernova; Chapter 1

Weiss woke in a soft feather bed, her body cushioned on all sides. She tried to raise herself but her body could not find the energy to move. She tried to open her eyes, but there was no light, only darkness surrounded her, but it gave her comfort. She did not want to see anymore, she had seen enough. She contemplated what had happened to her.

She remembered the flames, the heat, the pain. Ruby crying and Blakes tortured cries. She remembered the Grimm, the bloody mist in the air, the cloying sickly sweet scent of death that hung in the air. As she lay, pondering the last events she remembered something, Grimm did not bleed, which meant the blood in the air was…

Yang's.

She felt bile rise up at the back of her throat. Her skin felt wrong now, like it had been stained. She had bathed in the blood of a teammate, she had taken that blood into her lungs and stomach. She felt the contents of her stomach being pushed up to her throat, she forced her body to the side and threw up over the side of her bed. It was then she realized she was missing her arm. She propped herself up on her only remaining elbow and took a look around.

She was in a hospital. Pure white and perfect, stainless steel dotting tables and beds lined up in rows. She felt sick again, she closed her eyes and lay down. She didn't want to see everything in it's place, like Yangs death had meant so little. Yang's death should have affected everything, like it had affected everything in Weiss. The beds should be splayed haphazardly, on angles, clothes should litter the floor as a reminder of the girl who set the world ablaze. The walls painted yellow and, Blake. Blake should be here.

At that point Weiss realized there was someone lying next to her. She could hear a soft breathing, occasionally interrupted by heavy choking coughs, and a little tuft of red hair was all that poked out of her bandages. It seemed as though Ruby had fared worse than Weiss in their last battle. Weiss tried to reach out and touch her friend, for comfort, to remind her there were still people in this world for her, but when she tried to move her arm, there was nothing there. She lay down again and let her tears fall.

When Ruby finally woke she was alone. Her body was encased in something, and every inch of her skin was in pain, but she didn't care. She had no right to complain for anydiscomfort, she shouldn't even be alive let alone allowed to suffer like this. She wanted to cry, but tears wouldn't fall. When she finally opened her eyes she couldn't see, The darkness comforted her in a way the real world could not. She could hear breathing beside her, but she didn't know whose it was. If it had been someone on her team she could have been able to tell, but she did not recognize this person. Her entire body was immobile, there was no use in trying to move. She closed her eyes again.

Ruby woke once more to the sound of the school nurses. She had come to like them, having spent her fair share of time in the infirmary over her last couple years at Beacon. They removed her bandages, but they must have left the bandages across her eyes. She still couldn't see. They seemed to be fussing over her hands, taking measurements of one of them and grabbing the wrist of her other. She tried to give the nurses a thumbs up with her unoccupied hand but could get it to move. She must have broken it in the fight, she couldn't remember. She would have liked for the nurses to speak to her but they worked silently, and she couldn't bring herself to talk.

After a time, the nurses put her back in bed and left to deal with the patient beside her. She could hear the conversation, although it didn't interest her, she was worried about Weiss.

"How are you today dear" One of the nurses asked.

"No better than yesterday" A voice replied, raspy and harsh. She thought she recognized the voice, but she couldn't tell from where.

"Is your arm giving you any trouble?"

"Same as yesterday." The voice replied. Ruby was still trying to figure out who this person was. "How is she?" The stranger asked.

"She seems to be improving. A couple more weeks and she will be able to stand, then walk, then run. We can't rush these things." The nurse replied. Ruby wondered who they were talking about.

"What about her hand? And her eyes?"

"We've started on the prosthetic, like you asked, but the damage to the eye's in too great. Most likely she will never see light again"

The raspy voice sighed. A horrible, disgusting, choking sigh. Ruby no longer wanted to be beside this person. Once she can speak again she'll ask to be moved. Although it sounded like what the stranger and their friend had gone through had been pretty traumatic. She hoped they both recover from whatever happened to them. She wanted to see Weiss again, and Blake. And Yang. She needed her friends now more than ever.

Weiss couldn't understand why Ruby was ignoring her. She kept asking her questions, trying to get her to talk to her, but Ruby would never reply. She managed to speak to the nurses a week ago and could now hold full conversations, but still never replied to Weiss' questions. She was still covered in bandages, and clearly in a lot of pain, but Weiss wished she would just speak to her. Just once. Yet Ruby was being moved to a different bed today, after asking the nurses. She said that "she was being bothered by the other patients" But Weiss was the only one in the ward. Ruby was slowly falling away from her, and she could do nothing to help.

There had been no word on Blake, nor what happened to Yang's remains after the rescue. Weiss remembered enough of the event to know that Beacon must have come to their aid, frightening off the Grimm before they could kill the three girls. There was no other way. Otherwise, how could they have gotten out alive? All three of them had been too exhausted to do much else than stand. Weiss was being released in a couple days, Ruby a week from now, seeing as the doctors still had to attach the prosthetic to her wrist. Once Weiss was released she would find out what happened to Blake, then try to help Ruby. She was blind now, the heat had seared her cornea, closing her eyes to all sources of light. It was impossible to fix unless she got both her eyes replaced, which would put her life at risk because of how weak her body was. As her partner Weiss decided that Ruby would recover as best she could now, rather than place her life needlessly. Besides, there are stories of blind hunters.

Ozpin han come for a visit a couple days ago. Weiss spoke to him as much as her frayed vocal cords would allow, but it was a comfort to know he still was paying attention to them. Ruby wouldn't speak to him, so Weiss tried to explain what happened as best she could. As she was telling the story, Ruby began to yell at her, saying "How can you tell this story, you weren't there!" Weiss is beginning to think Ruby may have forgotten more than the events of that night. The thought made her chest feel hollow and brittle, like a stray feeling may shatter her entirely. She hoped Ruby would remember her, she needed her now more than ever.

Ozpin had told her that by the time Beacon troops had arrived all three of the girls had been unconscious and severely burned, but the Grimm were nowhere to be found. Weiss expected that to have been because of the presence of the airships, although it was also possible someone had saved them. But if so who could have done it? And why hadn't they stepped in sooner? If they had, could they have saved Yang as well? All Ozpin's talk had given her were more questions, he never even spoke of Blake the entire time, even when Weiss asked, he brushed the question aside. Something was wrong with Blake, Weiss hoped that she hadn't passed as well, it was unlikely Ruby could handle another loss like that so quickly.

Thinking of Ruby made her heart hurt again. It was a pain that was inexorable and crippling, far more than the pain the rest of her body was in. She could accustom herself to soreness or broken limbs and ripped skin, but there was no acclimating to the pain mounting in her heart, in her soul. She loved Ruby, and would do absolutely anything to keep her safe, she just hoped Ruby would let her in again, the way all that time ago, Weiss herself had been forced to let Ruby in.

It had been difficult, getting dressed one handed, but like many things it was something she would have to learn. Her arm would still itch sometimes, and Weiss would go to scratch it only to find nothing there. Whenever that happened she would look at Ruby's hand and suffer then smile. There were only enough resources to outfit one prosthetic at the school, and Weiss had chosen for Ruby to get her new hand. One day she will replace her arm, but it wasn't a necessary appendage like Ruby's hand, unlike Ruby, Weiss could fight one handed easily enough, there wasn't much of a reason to prioritize herself. Although Ruby had no memory of that night, of melting the skin on her hand, the pain, and the sorrow. The first time Ruby had asked for Yang, everyone in the room had fallen silent. She couldn't remember anything, all of it was repressed, but there has to be piece of her that knows. She understands there had been a mission, and a fight, everything up to Yang's death. So she must have those memories locked away, from fear, or sadness, Weiss doesn't know. One day she would find out, and Weiss would be there for her on that day, even if Ruby couldn't recognize her anymore.

Ruby had discovered her blindness just a couple days ago as well. When the nurse first took off the bandages, Ruby laughed, a coarse, harsh laugh and told the nurse to stop kidding around, he wanted to see again. The nurse couldn't bear to watch any longer, she simply whispered "This isn't a joke, miss Rose. I'm sorry" before leaving the room. There had been a long silence afterwards. Weiss watched as Ruby had reached her hand up to her face and felt it, even poking her eyes to make sure they were open. Then the yelling started, an awful shriek, punctuated by bouts of hacking coughs. Ruby's teeth ran red as her throat started to bleed, and she would spatter the red liquid across the white sheets. Weiss could not comfort her friend, she just watched as Ruby slowly choked on her own misery. Even if Weiss had tried to help, there would be no way to explain to her that this voice belonged to the Weiss she knew. By the time Ruby's cries began to form words, Weiss had already left the room, but even as she left she could hear the pained screams "Weiss, Blake help me-!" followed by wet coughs as Weiss knew the blood would be spattering again, ruining the perfect white of the room. "Yang PLEASE, HELP ME-!" Weiss couldn't bear to listen anymore. Ruby was going to have to suffer so much pain, and Weiss would try to help as best she could, but there was no comforting that could be given to ease the passing of a family member. That she knew all too well.

Once had left the hospital she had gone straight back to her dorm. She didn't want the other students to stare at her, one armed, freakish. She would have to face the school at some point but it would not be today. She hid out in the room until nightfall, once all of the students were back in their dorms she readied herself to set out. She opened the window and leapt out onto the ground, using her glyphs to steady her fall. Even so, she stumbled when she hit the ground, thrown off balance by her missing arm, and ran straight into Jaune.

"Get the fuck out of here Jaune. I'm not in the mood."

"Hey, woah, listen I'm just here to offer my condolences"

Weiss glared at him, forcing herself not to cry. She would not allow that to happen, not infront of Jaune of all people. "If you wanted to express your condolences, wait until I make it clear I am ready to accept them. I will not allow you to use Yang's.." she paused for a moment to regain her stability "Death, to gain some sort of favor with me. Now get the FUCK out of my way, I am done talking" Weiss made to move past Jaune, who reached out to stop her.

Faster than his hand could move, Myrtennaster was at his throat "DO NOT DARE." Weiss screamed, more hysterical than she had hoped. "Do not lay a single finger on me, you fucking bastard. You do not have the RIGHT to stop me, now I've said this twice, get the FUCK out of my way or so help me there will be two teams in this school short a member"

With that Weiss let the tears fall. She didn't mean to but there were no stopping them at this point. Jaune's once frightened face softened, only adding to Weiss' hysterics. Jaune reached out to wipe the tears from Weiss' face. Myrtenaster snapped across his neck, tracing a thin cut just beneath his adam's apple. "Do not test me Jaune. You are not the one who decides when I need to be comforted, and I will not ALLOW you to have your way with me. I a TIRED of you chasing after me, so just fuck off." She jabbed him in the foot, piercing through his flesh and puncturing the ground. Jaune cried out in pain. Weiss withdrew her rapier and strode past him.

"Go get Pyrrha to lick your wounds for you, if you're man enough to walk back to your room on that foot of your's. Otherwise bleed out here for all I care, I'm through with you." She took a couple of steps forward before adding "Do not ever expect to own me. I am not yours to do with as you please, neither is Pyrrha for that matter. Look up the word 'No' when you get back to your dorm as well, you seem a little fuzzy on the definition." and with those parting words she left. She was angry, and the tears would not stop flowing, but she was proud as well, Yang would be proud as well. She had found her inner dragon, maybe Yang was not as dead as she had thought.

Glynda had long since left, and on a normal day he would have accompanied her home on his way to his own rooms, but he was expecting a visitor. He sat at his desk with a fresh pot of coffee made and waiting, the gears in his desk filling the silence of the room with a soft whirring. The gears had always calmed him, which is why he had been so adamant on keeping them within the desk. It soothed him to see the perpetual movement of the gears, like time itself, moving forwards constantly, with no regard for the people living in the present. It had helped him in many struggles in his life, a reminder of the cruel reality of existence. That no matter what you did, time would pass, and no matter how dark the present, the future would always come, shining bright on the horizon. He hoped he could convey this to his visitor.

The coffee had since grown cold before a knock could be heard at the door. He flicked a switch under his desk and the door opened, revealing a shockingly weak looking Weiss. Her face was thinner than it had been, her eyes sunken and dark. Her hair had been cut to remove the damaged locks, and now sat around her head in a rough bob cut. The scar across her left eye was now accompanied by a gnarled scar rising from the left corner of her mouth to her jaw, twisting what could have been a beautiful smile into a sick grimace. When she opened her mouth it became clear the tip of her tongue had been bitten off as well.

Her features aside, the most shocking change was the loss of her left arm. The sleeve of her jacket had been ripped off, most likely for convenience, which meant the fleshy stump was just visible poking out of the fabric. In her hand she gripped loosely her sword, seemingly having just used it.

"There is blood on your sword Miss Schnee." Ozpin remarked, be careful to not sound accusatory. "There is no fighting on the school grounds, as I'm sure you know."

"I don't care" She strode forwards and threw the sword down on the desk, then sat down across from the professor.

"I see." He paused, watching Weiss' eyes, which never broke from his own. They sat in silence for a long time before Ozpin continued. "Good. Would you like some coffee? I'm afraid it is rather cold at this point."

"Good?" Weiss raised an eyebrow at the professor.

"Yes. Good. I'm glad to see recent events have not shattered your spirit. It is always an awful thing to lose those dear to you, this I know. However it is important to remain strong in the face of such loss, for fear of losing your way."

"Like what happened to Blake?"

"Ah. So you know?"

"No I don't, but it must have been something awful. She wasn't in the hospital, and she wasn't in the dorm. Something happened. You need to tell me."

"Blake has been taken out of Beacon into a special hospital in greater Vale."

"Why?"

"Blake has been determined, unstable, to say the least. During the surgery on her knees, she broke free of her restraints and murdered the surgeon."

"She murdered the…" Weiss seemed conflicted "No. She couldn`t. She`s never killed a person before. I don't believe it. She wouldn't… Couldn't do something like that"

"Like what? Kill?" Weiss nodded, Ozpin poured himself a cup of cold coffee "Killing is our job, Weiss. We are hunters, and our prey is not always Grimm, you'd do well to remember this." Weiss sat, silent, while Ozpin took a sip from his cup and grimaced. "Blake is, unbalanced, to say the least. I believe she was in some sort of significant relationship with her partner am I correct?" Once again Weiss nodded "Once someone such as that is taken from you, there is a piece of yourself that is taken with them. I believe you may understand what I am talking about"

"My mother was taken from me when I was young. I can still remember the pain, like there was a piece of me missing, a hole that I could never fill." Ozpin shook his head.

"No. I don't believe that is what I was getting at. Family is a special case, but there are people in this world, perhaps I am mistaken and you have not met such a person yet, but I assure you they do exist. People with whom you share a bond deeper than blood. A soul with which you share a part of your own, and vice versa. Someone that has become so significant in your life you would sooner end your own then exist without them." Weiss shook her head, but she thought of Ruby, and her heart grew dark. Her grimace darkened momentarily and she clutched the armrest of her seat so tightly the wood began to crack, the pain she felt in that moment far outclassed any she had felt prior. Guilt began to creep it's way into her mind, could she really feel more pain at the thought of losing Ruby than actually losing Yang? She felt sick.

Ozpin simply nodded. "If you would like to go see Blake, then I will write down the address for you. But be warned, you may not recognize the her when you meet her, but try to be patient, allow her to come back to you, don't push her further away by trying to help."

Weiss thought of her run in with Jaune and nodded. She grabbed the piece of paper Ozpin handed her and left. Weiss was the only hope left for the remnants of team RWBY. Blake has fallen already, and without a light to help her find her way will keep falling deeper and deeper into despair. Ruby as well, she was in a very dangerous place right now, losing a sister, and a friend at the same time. Weiss will have to guide her as well, Ruby was now blind in more ways than one. Ozpin made a silent prayer, to which god he did not know, nor did he care, but he prayed for anyone who heard him, please spare those three of any more pain.