Hey guys,

TheBrokenBottle here with the first real chapter of Inseparable Souls.

First of all, I'd just like to say how blown away I am by the support this has received. As of writing, it currently has 41 favourites and 70 followers, and that's only from the prologue! I hoped that this would be successful, but I never imagined it would be quite this successful, and every email I get only spurs me on to write more, so keep 'em coming!

Secondly, there's the issue of what Ruby's capable of. As an entity she has certain powers, and whilst those will be obvious to anyone who's played the game, I appreciate that many of you won't have. As a result, I'll try and introduce things about Ruby slowly, but just for now understand that she has a lot of strange and unusual powers that even she isn't fully aware of.

Now I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this next bit. Some of you may be aware of NobleMETA's story Brand New World, and the latest chapter is named after this story! It's humbling to have an author as good as him recognise my work, so here's a shoutout to him. Go read it if you haven't already.

This story is greatly important to me, and this chapter especially. There's a note at the end that explains in full detail, and I'd really appreciate it if you took the time to read that. Know I know this chapter is a bit on the long side, but hey, that isn't a bad thing... I think? Anyway: Don't forget to read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!


December 3rd 2014, 11:15AM, Vale Paranormal Activity Center

Hey, Weiss, watch this!

The white-haired girl turned around sharply just in time to see a mound of snow come tumbling down from a nearby tree branch to crash into the ground next to her with a muffled thump. Above her, Ruby sat on the very same branch, swinging her feet casually.

"Ruby! That could have hit me!" She protested, though she really didn't mind the antics of the playful entity.

But it didn't! Relax, I gave you a warning.

Weiss didn't respond immediately, but bent down with a sly smile. The usually green forest floor was carpeted in a thick white blanket, and Weiss had been given permission to go out and play, as long as she was within view of the Vale Paranormal Activity Center at all times. Scooping up as much snow as she could in her white mittens, she compacted it into a ball and hurled it at the grinning entity.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it passed right through Ruby, sailing off into the distance to disappear amongst the brilliant white canvas, causing Ruby's grin to quickly turn into full-on laughter. Even though her mirthful cries could only be heard by Weiss, to the young girl it felt like the whole forest was listening her entity's chuckling.

"Don't laugh at me!" Weiss stamped her foot and pouted at Ruby, who just dissolved into further fits of giggles, losing her precarious balance and tumbling to the ground as a result. Snow showered out from the impact, covering the base of the tree and the young girl who stood at it's side. Fortunately for Weiss her outfit had been picked with this in mind; a well-chosen mix of light, pastel blues and whites making for an emsemble that was pleasing to the eye yet warm enough to ward away the harsh bite of the winter air.

Ow… Weiss, I think I broke something...

"Ruby, stop being ridiculous. You don't have anything to break!" While what Weiss said was technically true she still extended a hand to Ruby's prone form, only to scream in surprise when the mischievous entity grabbed the warm hand and dragged Weiss down to join her in the snow. To the white-haired, snow-covered girl, it felt like thin, clammy skin enveloping her own, despite her gloves, and she quickly removed her hand from the firm grip as soon as she was able.

Gotcha Weiss, didn't I?

An exaggerated sigh that was mostly smothered by the snow resonated out from Weiss' position in the snowbank, and she pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked at the spirit lying sprawled next to her. Ruby's ability to become corporeal was one that baffled the scientists and Weiss alike, though Weiss just learned to accept it instead of constantly trying to find the meaning of it.

"That wasn't very nice," she began, a wide grin drawn on her face, "but yes, you got me."

Ruby made a contented noise and shuffled closer to Weiss, her presence warming and reassuring the young girl.

Hey, Weiss?

"Yes, Ruby?"

We're going to be friends forever, right?

"Of course. Friends forever," Weiss replied with a slight chuckle, as though the notion of them being anything else was simply too outlandish to even consider.

There they lay, allowing the remnants of the morning to drift by and the surrounding snow to gradually melt. Though she would normally suffer quickly in the cold, with Ruby there Weiss was able to enjoy the winter landscape to it's fullest. The white-haired girl twisted as she felt the red haze swing her arms around her waist, pulling the two closer together.

Hold me, it's freezing!

Knowing that the entity had no sense of feeling Weiss pushed her off, holding back laughter at the frankly adorable sight of the pouting ghost.

"I think we should head back, I'm pretty cold and we promised Yang and Blake we'd be back before midday."

Whatever you wish, princess!


The two of them made their way up the snow-covered mountain towards the imposing building that stood vigil from the mountain-top. They took their time, reluctant to go inside and leave their snowy paradise, and as a result of their dawdling it was almost 12 pm when Weiss greeted the security guards with a smile upon her return.

"Hello Tim, hi Ben!" She called out enthusiastically with a wave. As always they gave her a brief smile and feigned indifference, before Ben bent down and picked up the little girl, twirling her round and round with a big grin on his face.

"Hey there Weiss, you been making snow angels or something?" He queried as he set her back down, gesturing to the snow that still clung to the outside of her thick coat.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's just Ruby dragged me into the snow." Weiss replied with fake annoyance.

Ben laughed at this, his gentle green eyes shining in the weak sun. Ever since she'd first been admitted to the VPAC Weiss had quickly become a favourite with the staff, with her inquisitive nature and enthusiastic entity endearing her to everyone, and two of her favourites were Ben and Tim, security guards who gladly welcomed the company of the young girl.

Of the two, Ben was the taller at just shy of six foot, though to Weiss they both seemed like giants. His dark ginger hair was cut close to his skull, and when he took off the beret that was part of his uniform, the deep orange somehow contrasted the rich crimson of his jacket. The unnecessarily ceremonial nature of the garb was something that both of them commented on, but tradition was upheld within the VPAC, oftimes at the expense of practicality.

"So where is the little scamp?" Ben asked playfully, his soothing baritone reassuring Weiss as he spoke.

Here I am!

Though only Weiss had heard her, Ruby latched on to his leg, throwing Ben off-balance for a fraction of a second.

"Ruby!" Weiss scolded, "I've told you not to do that to people!"

Sorry…

Despite Ruby not sounding in the least bit sorry, Weiss relented and turned to Tim. As she watched he finished his roll-up and dropped the end into the cold snow, the remnants of the tobacco smouldering for a bit before burning out.

"Hey there kid." He greeted casually, ignoring his stricken comrade and the spirit clinging resolutely to his leg.

"Hi Tim. You really shouldn't smoke, you know. It's bad for you." Weiss lectured as she always did, and Tim brushed it off with a smile.

"I know. How you holding?"

She scowled slightly at him but pressed on regardless. "Good. Ruby and I played in the snow for a bit. It's nice getting to enjoy it whilst it's here."

Indeed it was, with the VPAC usually only having about 3 months of snow a year, and in the six weeks since Weiss had first arrived there the snow had begun to fall, meaning that the season was on its way out. In previous years the snow signalled pain and misery for Weiss and her spirit, but this time it held the wonder and magic it was supposed to for children her age. The joy of the winter was new to her, and it was something she revelled wholeheartedly in.

"Sounds good." Tim wasn't a man of a great number of words, and it showed. Instead he spent most of his time accumulating tatoos and band merchandise that was discreetly hidden beneath his uniform. The couple of times Weiss had seen him in his own clothing she hardly recognised him he looked that different.

Something about talking to Weiss helped to mitigate the boredom and monotony of standing outside a building that almost nobody ever visited, and both the young girl and her excitable spirit were fascinated by the two men.

"Hey Weiss, Yang wanted to see you." Ben called out, still imobile due to the excitable spirit glued to his leg.

Weiss nodded sadly; wanting to spend more time with the two guards, but she knew that if Yang wanted to see her it was probably important. Besides: Blake would probably be worrying herself sick over the young girl, despite Weiss having Ruby to look after her.

"Ruby, leave Ben alone. We're going inside." She mumbled despondently, and the spirit let the guard go with a sigh, before scooping up a handful of snow with a wicked grin and hurling it at Tim. The snowball flew true and sent his cap spinning to the ground, bits of snow clinging to his needlessly long hair.

"Ow!" He cried without dignity, and Weiss, Ben and Ruby looked at him for a split second before all three burst into laughter. The sudden snowball had surprised all of them but Ruby, and seeing Tim's normally cool demeanour shattered like that was a rare treat.

After a good minute or so of laughing at Tim as he tried to maintain his composure, Weiss reached into her pockets and fished out the laminated pass to gain entrance to the facility, holding it towards Tim and Ben, the former having recovered his hat once again. With a quick check and a smile they waved her towards a panel, where a chip within the card was detected. The large metal doors that barred entrance to the compound opened with remarkable speed, and Weiss stepped inside into the warmth.

Instantly her cheeks reddened at the change in temperature, and she hurridely shed her jacket in an attempt to cool back down. The remnants of the snow that clung to the jacket was already beginning to melt and drip to the floor, soaking the polished metal.

"Ruby, can you hold my coat?"

Sure thing Weiss. We going straight there?

"Probably for the best." Weiss conceded, making her way begrudgingly towards the office shared by Blake and Yang. As they walked, she talked to Ruby, stopping only to say hi to any member of staff that crossed their path. The VPAC was large enough to accommodate sleeping facilities for a good proportion of its staff, and the office the two doctors worked in happened to be almost at the other end of the facility. As such, the walk from the entrance was almost two miles of dull, uninteresting corridor; a distance that, with her little legs, seemed to take forever for Weiss.


An unassuming door with a small bronze plaque signalled the office, and by the time Weiss arrived there, out of breath from her walk, the time was fast approaching 1 pm. All the way she'd had Ruby's company, and though at times it got a little overbearing, there was honestly no-one she'd rather be with.

Turning the handle and opening the door, Weiss was both surprised and shocked to see an all-too-familiar blonde scientist, leaning over her table, her partner resting beneath her, drawn out moans escaping her trembling lips as Yang continued to kiss and caress her. Ruby and Weiss let out a simultaneous "Ewwww", the younger girl's eyes meeting the red haze's.

Gross!

Blake's hand clenched the sides of the table after a particularly passionate kiss, causing a "People Like Grapes" mug, filled with an assortment of stationery to be sent flying, shattering on the floor and spilling the pens everywhere. The sudden noise drew the attention of the two scientists, and they both looked up, only for Blake's ears to flatten against her skull in embarassment at seeing Weiss standing in the doorway.

"Weiss?!" They shrieked as one, and Yang quickly jumped off the faunus who had her hands over her almost-bare upper body, her lab coat discarded on the floor along with a few other items of disheveled clothing.

"Yes?" She replied with the utmost innocence, an angelic smile on her face that hid a devilish smirk at the situation she'd just walked in on.

Despite being young, Weiss had a pretty good idea of what it was Yang and Blake were doing. It wasn't the first time Weiss had walked in on their actions, the white-haired girl having seen them kissing in the canteen or flirting and subtly rubbing against each other during experiments. The first time it happened, she didn't understand how two women could love each other, but after Yang had talked to her about it Weiss realised that the love between Yang and Blake was as beautiful as any love between a man and a woman, and as she'd grown used to it, she'd come to appreciate the flame the two scientists shared.

A flame that burned bright and strong.

"G-good afternoon Weiss, w-we didn't know if you knew to meet us here." Yang stuttered, attempting to help Blake tidy herself up, without any success.

An embarrassing silence descended on the room as a smirk drew on Weiss' face.

"Uhm, Blake.. could you get something to clean that up?" Yang continued, trying to break the embarrassing silence, her finger pointing at the circle of broken pottery and pens.

"Why me?" Blake whined, sounding like a spoilt child and amusing both Weiss and her entity.

"Uhh… You knocked it over?"

"But you were the one sedu-"

"Nah ah ah." Yang shook her index finger, leaving no room for argument. "You want me to use the laser pointer?" The blonde smirked. She knew Blake was unable to resist the red dot, having seen her colleague chacing it around the room before, getting increasingly frustrated at how it always seemed to move faster than her.

"YANG! You're not going to~!"

"Too late."

So saying, she pulled a small device out from one of the many pockets of her labcoat, the blonde having kept hers on throughout the heated make-out session. As soon as Blake saw the laser pointer her eyes narrowed and her back hunched instinctively in anticipation of the appearance of her nemesis, and sure enough, Yang dramatically pointed it at her feet, causing the faunus to leap back out of fear. Yang quickly flicked the dot up to a point on the wall, and Blake threw herself desperately at it, colliding with the wall as she did so.

"Dammit Yang!" She cursed, the spell seemingly broken, and she hurried out of the room to escape her tormentor. Yang took a quick moment to savour her victory before closing the door. Instantly her shoulders slumped slightly, and as she watched Blake scamper down the corridor a wistful sigh escaped her lips.

With Blake gone, Yang turned to Weiss with an almost embarrassed look on her face, and she ushered the young girl to sit down on one of the chairs that lined the room.

Weiss, what's going on?

"I don't know Ruby, I don't know." She replied curtly, though that was only in an attempt to mask the worry in her voice. She trusted Yang entirely, but in the VPAC, things were never quite as they seemed.

"Weiss, there's no need to panic. I just needed to speak to you without Blake in the room is all," Yang reassured, "now can you give me your opinion of this?"

So saying, she reached into a pocket and pulled out a small box that sat pretty in the palm of her hand, the shimmering gold of the clasp and hinges standing out against the deep blue of the velvet covering; the box itself a work of art. Something about the box was enchanting to Weiss, and she found her gaze drawn to it; so simple and yet hiding so many mysteries.

"What's that?" Weiss questioned, her head slighty tilted in curiosity. Hesitanty, she reached out a finger, but shyly pulled it back soon after.

"Look inside! I'm sure you'll like what you're about to see." Yang mysteriously grinned, pushing the young white-haired over the edge of inquisitiveness as she gently took the small case in her own tender hands, every touch anxious as if it was about to break.

"As we already know, Ruby possesses clairvoyance. Now I know that sounds hard to understand, but she can look into the future. I want you, Weiss, to ask Ruby what she sees in this object."

Yes sir!

Ruby's clairvoyance was one of the things that had been discovered during their time at the VPAC. Other entities had been observed to have the ability to trace the origin of certain objects, but Ruby was different. When they'd tried her on the test for clairvoyance she'd shown an extraordinary ability to see a potential future of those objects. This was unprecedented, and a great number of other scenarios had been set up to find the full extent of her power and how reliably she was able to use it.

Weiss gingerly held the delicate box towards the equally nervous Ruby, who thought for a second before snatching it quickly and letting her mind expand. Instantly she was surrounded by images and possibilities, the entire future of the box and it's contents laid bare before her. The box being opened and revealing a ring. Shock and surprise at the reveal. An afirmative. A hurried kiss. A bride-to-be waiting at the altar. Her wife standing at her side, their love eternal.

Whoa, that's beautiful!

"What is it Ruby?" Weiss asked tentatively, still unsure whether there was something untoward going on.

Weiss, I think Blake and Yang are getting married!

Ruby rarely got this excited about anything, and the spirit's wonder and joy was infectious, causing a small smile to crack on Weiss' face.

"Really?!" She asked; incredulity thick in her voice and eyebrows raised sky-high. She knew that the two scientists loved each other, but she had no idea it ran this deep.

"Yep!" Yang replied happily, "I was thinking of treating her out to a meal and then asking her at the end."

Weiss thought on this. Blake and Yang were getting married! They would finally be able to stop trying to hide their little trysts, and she could only imagine how much this must mean to them. Almost as an after-thought Weiss inched open the box to look at the ring itself. Inside was a single band of white gold, delicate filigree holding a magnificent diamond aloft to sparkle like a million stars.

"I don't really know much about these things," Yang admitted, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment, "but I think this one's nice enough for her, right? I mean it should be with what I had to pay for it!"

It's beautiful! Weiss, we're gonna be bridesmaids!

"Calm down Ruby, that's their choice not ours," she scalded, though secretly Weiss longed to be a bridesmaid, "but yes, it is beautiful."

"So do you think she'll say yes?" Yang asked, a hint of worry and doubt tinging her voice.

"Of course she will." Weiss responded matter-of-factly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Yang exhaled steadily, and instantly it looked like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her trademark grin reappeared, and she gently pulled Weiss into a hug, the young girl happy to reciprocate. Yang's golden curls hung around her waist, mingling with Weiss' ivory ones, and the two remained there for a good while, not even minding when Ruby forced her way in and hugged both of them with unbridled enthusiasm.

"Thanks kiddo, I needed that." The older woman murmured as she held the little girl in her arms. Weiss squeezed slightly harder in response, and the three of them stayed there for as long as they dared. After a minute or so Yang relaxed her arms, Weiss doing the same as soon as she realised.

"Now you two run along, and don't tell anyone about this!"

Weiss smiled like an angel, the innocence portrayed not matching the mischief on her mind. Sure, she wouldn't tell Blake, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease Yang a bit first.

"We won't!" she called behind her as the two of them left, and headed towards their dorm. All the way back her mind was a hive of activity, and she barely registered anything or anyone she passed. Yang and Blake were getting married! And she was going to be a bridesmaid.


This story found its way on FanFiction on November the 8th 2014; my little niece's birthday. Lot's of you have asked me what happened to her, or why I made this story. It's purely in her honour, and I'm proud to own this fic. And I'm honestly just as proud to have the always loyal YellowSign standing next to me through this fic; for the support, and to get this story the quality we think it deserves.

This, I say from the bottom of my heart:

Halfway through August this year, my little niece Delilah died in a car accident. On their way back from a party, their car got scooped by a drunk trucker, ending upside-down against a tree. (Sorry, It's emotional to bring this up.) My aunt survived, her youngest daughter (my younger niece) fortunately wasn't there that time, but her oldest daughter didn't survive the crash, and I know my aunt doesn't read it and it was already told to her a thousand times but;

I feel truly sorry for her, since Delilah was an angel of a girl.

In the prologue, I told you all she had an imaginary friend, she did everything with when she was alone. Despite her young age, she understood people easily, ready to give them a hand and drag them up, out of their dark spirits. As a lesbian, I'm very insecure about myself, too afraid to help others, but since she isn't anymore, I dedicated my life helping and amusing others. To me, she lights up my life, even though she's dead now, and I still miss her every second a day.

YellowSign: Hi all, it's been a while. Whilst I haven't been particularly active here or elsewhere, I've been in contact with Tammy a lot. Primarily I'm here to help her write (and I think we can all agree that she's come on a huge amount, especially considering that English isn't her mother tongue), but we've also become close friends through our work. She's helping me battle my demons, and without her constant support I'm not sure I'd be here today.

It's because she's done all this for me that I wanted to repay her, and I hope that this story goes some way towards that. It means a huge amount to her, and to me as well. She's not the only person to have lost those close to her, and with permission I've included two characters in this chapter; Ben and Tim. Both were good friends, and both are no longer with us. I wanted to pay them the respects I was unable to in life, and maybe this goes some way towards doing that. They aren't the only people I've lost, nor are they likely to be the last, but the circumstances around both hits me hard every day.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I know how much it means to Tammy, and all I can do is give you honest thanks from the bottom of my heart. Next chapter might be a little less emotional for all, but until then take care. All of you.

See you next chapter!

TheBrokenBottle and YellowSign.