And here we go, second chapter. Scene breaks are so much fun, amirite?
Disclaimer - Nope, no ownership of RWBY at all. Nada. Zip. Zilch. But it's ok, RT does a good job with it.
The door to the RWBY dorm burst open in a flurry of rose petals. A red blur flitted about the room, stopping in the bathroom for only a brief moment before dashing to the bed. Ruby, pajama's swiftly thrown on, threw herself up onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. She yanked her blankets up to cover her head and huddled down into a ball, the bed swaying dangerously for a moment before finally stabilizing.
Weiss was the next to march into the room, standing tall and proud with the same distinct glare she was well known for. A perceptive observer would however note the way her hand never left Myrtenaster's hilt, and the way her hand shook slightly. She wasted no time in marching straight to her desk and sitting promptly in her seat, opening one of her many notebooks. Pencil in hand, she bent over the desk, making not a sound even as Blake arrived.
Blake simply grabbed her pajamas and immediately went into the bathroom to change, reappearing just in time for Yang's arrival. As Yang stomped into the room, the telltale heat of her semblance heralding her arrival, Blake sat herself on her bed and lifted up one of her books, burying her nose in it. Yang slammed the door shut and just stripped on her way to her bed, throwing her clothes off into the corner as she climbed into her pajamas. Normally, Weiss would go off on Yang for both stripping in the middle of the room and worse, throwing her clothes all over, but the heiress's eyes never left the page in front of her.
As Yang's semblance slowly died down, she took a deep breath and paused to look around at her teammates. Her lilac eyes slowly scanned the room, noting the fact Weiss's pencil never moved, how Blake wasn't turning a single page, how the bundle of blankets that was Ruby kept shuddering. Yang closed her eyes and tamped down her feelings as best she could, before walking over to Weiss and gently placing her hand on her shoulder. Weiss jumped, startled, and turned around to look blankly at Yang. Yang smiled softly at her and plucked the pencil from her hands, pulling her unresisting body up from the chair and gently shoving her towards the bathroom. Yang grabbed Weiss's neatly folded nightgown from her dresser and handed it to her, before softly shutting the door behind her.
Yang strode over to Blake's bed and sat down on the edge of it, nudging Blake with her shoulder. When Blake didn't respond, she swiftly yanked the book from Blake's hands, getting her attention. Yang's smile never left her face as she reached up and gently tugged Blake's bow from her head, freeing her ears, before setting the book off on the desk and pulling Blake's blankets up to cover her. Yang placed her hands on Blake's shoulders and pushed her down so she was laying down before bringing the covers back up to cover her. Blake's amber eyes never left Yang's, staring at her blankly as though she didn't fully recognize her. Her eyes closed as Yang softly stroked her hair back from her face, before getting up just in time to grab Weiss as she left the bathroom.
Before Weiss could go back to the desk, Yang firmly pointed her in the direction of her bed and gave her a small shove so she would go. Weiss glared at Yang for a moment, but one look in her eyes and the soft smile Yang was giving her cracked her façade for a brief second, letting the pain flash through her eyes. She nodded at Yang and went to lay down, turning her back on the room and facing the wall before shutting her eyes. Yang's eyes went back to the pile of blankets that was her sister, and she went over to stand by her bed, climbing up onto the edge of Weiss's so she could look levelly across at Ruby's still form.
Pulling back the blankets just enough to reveal Ruby's tear-stained face, Yang faltered for a brief moment. The look of misery on Ruby's face nearly set off Yang's rage, but she took a deep breath before reaching out and running her fingers through Ruby's hair. Ruby closed her eyes at the sensation, snuggling into Yang's hand and curling closer to her. Yang began to hum an old lullaby, her voice quiet and warm. As Ruby slowly drifted off to sleep, Yang kept humming quietly, until the sounds of sleep came from all three girls, their breathing even and slow. Yang stepped down from Weiss's bed carefully, before grabbing the nearest chair and setting it in the middle of the room.
She sat down in it and placed her head in her hands, listening for the telltale signs she knew were coming at some point. She knew exactly what was going through her own head, and was fairly certain she knew what Ruby had seen. Though she was not as close to Blake and Weiss as she was to her sister, it wasn't hard to figure out someone was going to have a rough night…if not all of them. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, so it was ok if she waited up until one of them needed someone. She may not be related to Weiss and Blake, but they were her team, her partner…her friends. She'd wait for them all night if she had to, to make sure they could sleep peacefully. Her eyes closed, she kept flashing back to the fight.
It was brutal. She had no idea how brutal she could be in a fight, or how terrifying it was to see someone shrug off being thrown into a pillar and simply laugh about it. Those burning red eyes, the inferno that surrounds her when her semblance takes full effect…the stuff of nightmares. She always thought she was cheerful, bright, and warm. Ok, her jokes often lead to groans and complaints, but people still smiled in her presence. But…was she really that bad in battle? And the voices…the whispers about how she failed to protect Ruby, about how easily she was batted aside by that Neo girl. If it weren't for the timely intervention of that strange person in the mask, she had no doubts she'd be dead right now. And Ruby would be alone.
When Summer died, Yang didn't have a chance to grieve. Summer may not have been her real mother, but she was her mom. Summer raised her, took care of her, and loved her as she loved Ruby. But her death nearly killed the light in her father. He was a shell for months on end after Summer's loss. And Ruby, Ruby was too young. She had no idea what it really meant, when they told her Mommy wasn't coming home. Qrow tried to help the girls as much as he could, he visited nearly every week, took Yang and Ruby out, and listened to Taiyang's pain. But someone had to step up and be a mother to Ruby, and that someone was Yang. Yang was her big sister, her mother, and her best friend. Ruby needed her, and she had promised Ruby she'd never leave her. But just a week ago, she nearly lost her life and left Ruby alone.
The most terrifying part of the voices was the ones that made her relive that heart-stopping moment when they saw Crescent Rose lying on the ground before the giant hole. Every dark possibility had ran through her mind at that moment, every worry about her sister she'd ever had flashed before her eyes in one instant. Ruby was a huntress in training, and part of that was risking your life. Yang knew she couldn't protect Ruby forever, but it was only their first year. The first year, and Ruby was captured by a group that was even scarier than the Grimm. The Grimm were monsters, soulless beasts that needed put down, but at least they were understood. They existed to kill humans. They had no hidden motives, no dark plans. They didn't hide in the dark, they were simple and direct. But the White Fang? Roman? It was still anyone's guess what they had been planning.
Yang's thoughts were interrupted by a tiny whine from her side, making her snap her head to Blake's bed and rush over as quietly as she could. Blake's fangs were bared and her head was tossing from side to side, eyes clenched shut as whatever haunted her attacked her in her dreams. Dragging the chair over, Yang began softly petting Blake's hair, rubbing her ears every time she passed over them, gently scratching between them. Blake normally hated when people played with her ears, but Yang knew that this was relaxing for her. Her breathing slowed and she stopped moving, relaxing back into the pillow. Yang got lost in the motion, simply sitting at her side for a few minutes before realizing Blake's eyes were open and she was looking at her. Yang jerked her hand back, causing Blake to show that tiny smile of hers, making Yang's heart skip a quick beat.
"How long have you been sitting there Yang?" Came Blake's quiet voice, breaking the stillness of the darkness.
Yang shrugged, unsure herself. "Dunno. I just…I can't sleep. Wanted to make sure you guys were ok."
Blake's smile faded. "And what about you? Are you ok?"
Yang sighed, dropping her head for a moment before looking back up at Blake, meeting her eyes. "Ok isn't the word I'd use, but…I guess I kind of expected it. After the breach happened, I've been going over everything that happened for a while. The voices didn't say anything I hadn't said to myself recently anyways. I was more disturbed when I realized why Junior is so scared of me." Yang's heart leapt up when she heard Blake chuckle softly.
"Yeah, you can be pretty scary when you want to be. But we wouldn't want you any other way."
Yang swallowed nervously, feeling her face getting slightly flush as Blake looked at her, those amber eyes piercing in the dark. She chuckled nervously and brushed her hand through her hair. "But what about you Blake? Are you ok?" Blake didn't respond at first, glancing away from Yang for a moment before sitting up in her bed so she could look at Yang on the same level.
"I don't know." The quiet admission stung Yang, making her chest ache as she looked at Blake. Blake couldn't meet her eyes at first, looking down at the bedspread and picking at it.
"I get the lesson. I get the point of it. But…it really hurt. It really scared me. I kept hearing about all those innocents who died to the White Fang and it keeps reminding me of who I once was, who they were and who they became. I still remember the look on Weiss's face when she talked about the deaths of people she knew. I didn't want that, I never wanted that. I just wanted to try to make things better, you know?" Glancing up at Yang, she saw the silent encouragement in her eyes and took a deep breath. "I told Oobleck I wanted to make the world a better place, but he was right when he asked me how I was going to do it. I ran into this school half-cocked, with no real plan and no real idea of how I was going to accomplish anything. And a small part of me is still so angry at Weiss for being a Schnee, even though it's not her fault she was born that way. And I BELIEVE her! She says she wants to fix the mistakes her father made, she wants to make sure he is not the last of their line, and I believe her! I really think she's trying, but part of me is still so angry at her. I know it's wrong, but it's just how I feel."
"It's ok. I don't blame you for that." The soft voice from behind them made them both whip their heads around to see Weiss still facing the wall. She slowly rolled over to face them, looking at the floor. "It wasn't like I came across as the most…accepting person around. I really did hate Faunus's for the longest time. I blamed them all for the White Fang, but I should have known better. It wasn't right to blame anyone but the ones who did it. And I know I hurt you when I said those things, and…I…I'm…" Weiss's clear struggle to speak kept Blake and Yang silent. After screwing her eyes shut for a moment in intense concentration, Weiss breathed out. "I'm sorry. I never had friends before. I don't know how to deal with these…these feelings." Weiss sat up at the edge of her bed, her hands gripping the wooden frame tightly. "I know I'm stubborn, and hostile, and well…"
Yang's amused voice rang out. "A bitch?"
Weiss glared at Yang for a second, before a miniscule smile made its way onto her face before she flipped her hair back, full of pride and arrogance. "That's Queen Bitch to you, blondie!" She smirked as the girls shared a quiet laugh. The laughter faded as Weiss folded her hands over her stomach, gripping the material her nightgown was made of tightly. "I just…I don't want to be my father. He's cold, and cruel, and my only use to him is as a bargaining chip to solidify power. I want to make the SDC a good place, a place where people want to work, a place that helps the world. But I don't want to have to turn into my father to do that. But I have this whole perfect girl idea in my head that I can't seem to shake, all these things I need to do to be the perfect daughter, the perfect huntress, the perfect heiress. And it's just impossible to live up to! But the one thing I will do right is I WILL fix the way we treat people…Faunus are people too. I don't care what I have to do, I will change that." Weiss's face was set in stone, her tone grim, but quickly flushed beet red when a voice came from above.
"You're plenty perfect to me." Came Ruby's voice from the bed above. Weiss's face lit up bright red, visible even in the darkness of the room. Ruby bent over the edge of her bed to hang her head upside down, her short hair failing to defy gravity and making it look like it was spiked. Ruby smiled at Weiss before she realized how she worded that, her face suddenly blazing and rivaling the brightness of Weiss's face as they stared at each other. Blake and Yang's giggles broke the spell they were under, and Ruby swung herself back up to sit upright on her bed. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried to speak.
"I'm younger than you guys, and sometimes, I don't think I belong here. I'm still just this immature little kid, and here I am leading a team, and you guys are so awesome and cool and I just…I'm not you. I want to be the best leader possible, I want to earn my place, to prove I deserve to be at this school. And…I…I just want mom to be proud of me." Ruby's voice dropped to a whisper at the last sentence she spoke.
"Ruby?" Came Weiss's questioning voice. Ruby looked down to see Weiss leaning out from her bed so she could look up at her. Ruby cocked her to the side, confused. This motion reminded Weiss so much of a puppy that she barely held back a laugh.
"I don't know if your mom is proud of you, and I don't know if this means anything but…I am. You are a good leader. And don't let anyone tell you different…not even me." Weiss's words made Ruby feel so warm inside, her grin spreading across her face and making her eyes water slightly with unshed tears. The room dropped into silence, but unlike the earlier uncomfortable one, this one felt warmer. Yang began humming the lullaby she had hummed to Ruby earlier, just casually sitting by Blake's side as she hummed away, a small smile on her face. Ruby leapt down from her bed and crossed over to Yang and Blake, dragging the other desk chair next to Yang. Sitting down besides Yang, Ruby wrapped one arm around Yang's waist as Yang put her arm around her sister's shoulder. Ruby began humming along with Yang. Blake swung her legs off the edge of her bed and scooted closer to Yang's side, joining in the humming. Casually, Blake slid her hand over to Yang's and carefully intertwined her fingers with hers. Stubbornly refusing to look at her hand or Yang, Blake blushed but kept humming, just feeling the warmth spread through her fingers. Yang's grin was so bright it could have blotted out the sun. Ruby didn't even notice, her eyes closed as she bopped her head slightly along with the melody they hummed.
Blake and Yang both looked over at Weiss, who rolled her eyes, but got up with a wry smile and sat down on the edge of Blake's bed. Soon as she sat, Ruby's hand reached out and snatched hers up, sending a tingling sensation straight through her arm and into her chest, making her breath catch in her throat. Ruby opened her silver eyes, staring straight into the heiress's ice blue eyes with a small smile and her cheeks flushed. Weiss didn't pull away, just twisted her hand slightly in Ruby's so she could grip her fingers back. Instead of humming, Weiss began singing quietly, her trained voice easily handling the simple lullaby. The pain from earlier in the day slowly dispersed, leaving all four members of team RWBY feeling calmer than they had in months. The song continued into the early hours of the morning, the sunrise sending its rays into their room slowly, the dawning of a new day.
To be continued…