This chapter includes some hints of White Rose. One more chapter to go now, thanks for sticking with it.
"I think they kissed." Yang deducted as she looked outside where Nix stood on the patio. It had been two days since Nix and Rose had suddenly stopped hanging out with one another. The Xiao-Long Belladonna clan was to return to Vale tomorrow, as Nix would have to report back to her base.
Weiss raised a brow, since the two parents have noticed the obvious change of pace between their respective daughters; they came to a group decision to stay out of it for the immediate future. Blake and Neptune were ready to sit the two girls down at once and hash things out, but surprisingly Yang had been vehemently against the idea.
Even more surprisingly, Weiss agreed with Yang after hearing her reasoning.
"It won't mean anything if they can't figure it out for themselves."
The Schnee Dust Company CEO set her tea down, "What makes you think that?"
The detective closed her eyes as she went over the scenario in her head once again, "They were out at a club, they were drinking, and they both came home separately." Yang began as she looked back out to where Nix stood outside, her daughter had spent the past hour simply gazing up at the sky, "If they got into an argument, they would have made up by now – Nix isn't one to hold grudges, and neither is Rose. If it was because Nix had gotten into a fight at the club…." Yang trailed off as Blake glared at her, their daughter wasn't as much of a hothead as Yang… but she was still a hothead. Yang gave a guilty look to Blake before continuing, "If it was a fight, then Rose wouldn't have left Nix alone, they're too protective of each other. And really, they were drinking and at a club, annnnnnd they're both young adults – who are single and ready to mingle."
Blake whacked Yang over the head for the pun, "I don't think it's too far fetched to think they kissed."
"It's just a kiss, I don't understand why they need to get so worked up over it." Neptune shrugged as he listened to the two.
Yang sighed, "This is why Ruby kicked your ass back in college," A smirk was on her face as she saw the look on Neptune's face when he recalled the bruises that wouldn't heal for nearly 2 weeks.
"So it was an important kiss… Anyways, what I mean to say is that isn't the next step in their relationship the obvious one? Like… to start going out…" Neptune shuddered at the idea of his precious Rose dating, "I swear to Dust Yang, if Nix does anything-"
"Oh shush, we should really be worried about what Rose would do to Nix since she is your daughter." Blake glared as she referred to Neptune's well-known flirtatious attitude from their college days.
"Alright, everyone back to your corners." Yang placed both her hands out at both parties, "I think what's weighing so heavily on the two of them is the uncertainty behind everything." Lilac eyes found amber ones as she reminisced on old times, "Hindsight is always 20/20, no one knows what's going to happen until it does." The detective sighed, "Their situation is kind of like how me and Blake were back at Beacon."
"Blake and I." The Faunus corrected as she smiled at her wife, "It really is like our situation back then, but I think for them… Their friendship with each other is far too precious. Like… I think they're both more afraid than anything else."
"Don't they see how we are though?" Weiss weighed in, "With how long we've been married now and how we're still in love with each other… at least on days where the other isn't being a complete dunce." Icy blue eyes glared at her husband as Neptune shrugged. "I mean, if they leave things be then they could lose this chance and even their friendship."
"And then Christmas together with you guys will be so weird!" Yang groaned, "I can't stand the idea of missing out on a Christmas banquet here just because those two love birds can't get their heads out of their assess and just kiss and make up."
"Yang, don't be so insensitive." Blake chastised, "Honestly, they're both just scared of losing something familiar and stable."
Weiss nodded her head as she took in the situation between Phoenix and Rose. She caught sight of the blond Faunus who had began to walk away from the patio and towards the gardens. She figured her own daughter was cooped up in her room just simply wallowing and wasting the day away.
If only the two could understand that they needed to grasp at love while they could, it wasn't always going to be there and it wasn't always going to be a guarantee.
If only there was a way to show them.
The Schnee matriarch sighed as she looked up at wedding portrait that hung in the living room.
Her wedding.
Weiss' eyes went wide as she recalled a certain wedding invitation with a certain Soldier's response on it.
Silently, a plan formulated in her head as she simply listened to what her husband and friends thought about Phoenix and Rose's situation.
Lieutenant X.L. Belladonna inhaled sharply, immediately after she exhaled under great strain. Her abdominal muscles worked over time to force the carbon dioxide from her lungs. Sharply she inhaled again before doing the same G-strain breathing technique.
Any time she pulled a quick turn in her nimble airship, she would always feel the force of gravity increase. She looked at the displays in her cockpit to see that was going 1.2 Mach and pulling roughly 5G's – or 5 times the usual gravitational force of the earth. To put simply, it felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest and it was increasingly much harder to breathe. If she didn't G-strain properly, she wouldn't be able to force the carbon dioxide from her lungs and would pass out from lack of fresh oxygen. The phenomenon was known as G-LOC, or G-induced Loss of Consciousness.
But Nix was better than that, she graduated at the top of her pilot training class and was known to have the physique to handle the strains of taking tight turns in an airship and pushing the machine to it's limits.
After letting off on the stick, her airship leveled off as the terrain was no longer overhead and the blue sky beneath her. On her heads-up display a triangle that usually indicated a target within engagement parameters blinked at her, a steady tone could be heard echoing through out the cockpit letting her know that the Dust missile was tracking on the intended target. Golden eyes narrowed as she had successfully maneuvered her airship behind her current 'enemy'. In an air war, it was fatal to let an adversary get on your six.
With ease, Nix it the pickle button and the simulated Dust missile was shot at her target. On the computer display in the cockpit it showed that the simulated missile shot impacted successfully.
"Terminate. Set up Initial."
The voice echoed through the radio as Nix smiled to herself as she managed to shoot down her training partner a third time in the row.
"LIGHTHOUSE2, Ready."
The radio call let Nix know that her partner had set up some 30 miles away in the sky and was ready.
"LIGHTHOUSE1, Ready." Nix called back on the radio.
"Fights on."
Using the buttons on her stick and throttle, Nix nimbly had her sensors set to scan the airspace in front of her to try and pick out where her 'enemy' was coming from. The computer displayed showed an airship track file approximately 27 miles off of the far left side of airship's nose.
A sharp bell was heard going off in her cockpit as her display blinked at her with an orange box over the airspace picture: "WARNING: SENSOR LOCK-ON DETECTED"
This let her know that her 'enemy' had her within engagement parameters, she looked up at her HUD to see if she could get a shot off first, but there was nothing confirming that she got a target lock. Phoenix cursed as she bit the inside of her cheek.
Swiftly, she rolled her airship inverted and began an aggressive bid to descend in altitude. She G-strained as the displays showed she was pulling close to 7G's with the aggressive bid. While descending she hit her counter-measure dispensing switch, if employed within proper parameters it could stop any Dust missile shot that was guiding on to her. After descending about 10,000 feet she leveled off the aircraft. The orange box began to blink a foreboding red; this let her know that her 'enemy' had taken a simulated Dust missile shot at her. The computer displayed that she had 5-second time to impact.
Without skipping a beat, she rolled her airship to the right while hitting the counter measure dispensing switch once more in hopes that the missile would bite off on the chaff she was dispensing from the back of her airship.
The computer display blinked in green as the red warning disappeared – this let her know that the shot was trashed and her defensive flying had paid off. A sweat dripped down Nix's brow, but she had no time to wipe it off as she commanded her sensors to scan the airspace for her target.
The target was now 3 miles off the left side of her nose and approximately 15,000 feet above her. Nix smiled triumphantly as she recognized the advantage she had. What was even more lethal than letting an adversary get behind you was to let an adversary get below you.
With her sharp eyes she spotted the 'enemy' airship against the blue sky background begin an aggressive maneuver to descend while trying to turn their airship around to point the nose of their airship at Nix. Simultaneously, Nix maneuvered her airship from flying straight and into a curve; she kept the nose of her airship pointed at her 'enemy'. Lieutenant X.L. Belladonna smirked as she recognized the advantageous geometry she was in. Her 'enemy' couldn't swing their nose around in time to try to get a missile off, while her airship was pointed well at the 'enemy'.
The reason why you would want the nose of your airship pointed at your enemy is simple – that's where your sensors were located, at the nose of the airship. If you wanted to shoot someone out of the sky, you needed to have the sensors of your airship pointed at them so that your airship could get a target lock. With a lot of skill, maneuvering, and cunning – a truly great Fighter Pilot could stay out of sensor range and close in for the kill.
Which is what Nix was in the process of doing as she successfully shot down her training partner a fourth time.
"Dust dammit X.L.!" A frustrated groan was heard over the radio.
"LIGHTHOUSE1, Comms check." Nix chastised over the radio, you only 'Comms check' another pilot if they didn't stick to the radio discipline – which is to keep things short, simple, and sweet with code words as to not over saturate the radio with useless noise. However, Nix wasn't trying to remind her training partner of radio discipline, but rather a 'Comms check' in a situation like this was more like rubbing salt in the wound.
"I could give two shits about my radio discipline right now X.L." Another frustrated groan, Nix chuckled with her radio mic off. "LIGHTHOUSE2, Bingo fuel, request RTB." The voice on the radio settled back into the habit, albeit the seething tone could still be heard.
Nix flipped her mic back on, "LIGHTHOUSE1, Affirm RTB." She flipped her mic off as she and her wingman began the 20-minute flight from the training airspace to base.
Phoenix smiled as she looked up at the blue sky that surrounded her; she missed flying her Type F-IV Airship in the wild skies. The adrenaline rush that came with pulling tight circles at super sonic speeds, the deafening beating of her heart as she skillfully maneuvered into advantageous positions to get a successful shot off, and the surge of pride she'd always feel whenever she beat her fellow pilots in a dog fight.
But the sky blue soon caused her to frown.
It reminded her of Rose, with her hair kissed by the very blue sky she currently flew in.
It had been a week since she left Atlas and returned to her base in Vale. The Air Base was located about an hour away from where the city of Vale stood, far enough away to not have to deal with her parents all the time, but close enough to drive home on the weekend when she felt a little homesick.
Nix entered her single bedroom; each room in the barracks was equipped with a small kitchenette and bathroom. Laundry facilities were communal on each floor, but the military members did their best to keep the communal facilities clean and in good order.
The flight suit she wore was damp with sweat on her back from when she was flying, all that adrenaline rush you get in the cockpit always made you sweaty. Nix ran a hand through her messy blond hair as she caught sight of the still taped up care package that Weiss and Neptune had sent her. The package arrived that day and she received a text from her Ma earlier in the week to let her know it was on the way.
Nix grabbed the pocketknife she had in her left flight suit pocket and proceeded to open the package.
There were her favorite treats and snacks all right there as well as some printed pictures of her time in Atlas. Nix smiled as she recognized the pictures from the night they all went out for wine.
She nearly missed a rather large envelope that sat at the bottom of the box.
Curiously, she picked up the envelope and carefully opened it up. There was a stack of letters in there, which confused her as they all appeared to have been opened. What first caught her attention was a single sheet of paper that looked much newer than the rest of the envelope's contents.
It was a handwritten note from Weiss.
Phoenix Xiao-Long Belladonna,
I hope you enjoy the treats and snacks, there's a tuna flavored peanut packet in there that I wanted to share with you and Blake before you left, but it slipped my mind. Neptune thought it would be nice to send you some of the pictures we all took together when we went wine tasting.
I'm sure you're confused about the rest of the package's contents.
I want to let you know that it's no secret that something happened between you and Rose. You're both terrible when it comes to sulking – however, it's just a reminder to both your parents and myself of how we once were when we were your age.
Phoenix, please believe me when I say that I think I understand what you might be feeling. It's the uncertainty of any situation that scares people the most, but I don't think you should let the fear of uncertainty control you – because you might miss out on something truly wonderful.
There's a story involving your Aunt Ruby and myself. Your parents know it very well, and so does Neptune… however you and Rose don't know this story at all, mostly because there wasn't much reason to tell you.
However, I think now is the perfect time to at least tell you this story.
This story is about an Heiress going to college at Beacon and falling in love with a Soldier who was a part of Vale's Huntsmen.
I could spend hours writing about how I fell in love Ruby Rose and how we dated while she was deployed. I could write a novel about the remorse and regrets I had when we broke up. But I don't think I could ever put in words just how much I truly loved her and how I miss our times together.
Instead, I think it's better to show you.
I implore that you begin with the oldest dated letter I included and work your way from there.
My dearest hope is that you find some sort of answer to the predicament between yourself and Rose.
I don't want either of you missing out on something wonderful.
Best Regards,
Weiss Schnee-Vasilias
P.S.
Maybe you could tell Rose about this story, I'm sure she'd love to hear it from you.
"Holy shit! Aunt Weiss and Aunt Ruby dated?!" Nix's voice echoed throughout her empty room. Her eyes were wide in surprise, how could her family keep something like this a secret? Not that it had much to do with Phoenix, but it was still a big fucking secret to keep from your child, especially if you're going to raise your child telling stories about said Aunt.
Nix's thoughts spun, she was starting to see her deceased Aunt in such a different light. Before, Ruby Rose was like a superhero, selfless, brave, and a true protector of Remnant. Now she seemed to be… to be more human. The thought of such a hero dating Weiss back in their younger days….
"What the fuck happened back then?" Nix thought aloud as she gripped the stack of letters that Aunt Weiss had sent her. The stack was small and only contained about 7 or 8 letters, the dates were all spread out and Nix guessed that her cunning Aunt Weiss had more.
"Is this what was in that box?" She thought back to the metal container that she caught sight of while in Atlas.
Nix swallowed as she could only hope that these letter shed some light on the now shocking past.
August 22, 3051
To Weiss,
We're leaving for the Vacuo desert tonight. I wanted to start writing to you now because I'm not sure if I'll even have the means to send a letter to you. We decided to name the new base we're setting up 'Jericho'. Pyrrha was the one to come up with the name, we all agreed on it. I can't say where it's going to exactly be just yet, that bit is still kind of a secret since for now it's a Huntsmen only base. We're getting help from some of the Huntsmen in Mistral too, it's going to be difficult setting up our very first forward operating base, but we'll be fine.
We're not called the best for nothing.
But I am a little scared, this is going to be my first combat tour… and from the way things are with the Grimm, it's inevitable that we'll be called upon to do what we do best. I only hope that I can do my best for my team.
I miss you. A lot. It's been a month since I've kissed you, it's been approximately 2 hours and 42 minutes since we video chatted on our Scrolls. Like I said earlier, I think that might be the last time we'll chat on our Scrolls in a long time. I'm gonna miss the sound of your voice.
I've been thinking about our first time meeting a lot lately. I'm glad that you crack under pressure while playing beer pong. I'm glad that Yang dragged me to that party. And I'm glad that I found out that you like me too.
When I get back, we should do another trip to Mount Glenn, I loved watching the sunrise with you there.
I loved all the dates we went on.
And I love the fact that you are my first… I'm glad you are my first time, I couldn't think of anyone more perfect than you.
I'll do my best to keep safe, but I must also remind you of our motto that's on the coin I left you.
'For Those I Love, I Will Sacrifice.'
I'm a Huntress.
But I'm also your girlfriend; I'll do my best to keep up with my responsibility to be here for you.
Wait for me, Weiss. Those two weeks together weren't nearly enough; I want to give you even more of what I have to offer. I promise I'll make it up to you for the time you spend waiting.
From Ruby
Nix remained silent as she soaked in the information. The next letter was dated a few weeks after this first.
September 8, 3051
My dearest Ruby Rose,
Of course I'll wait for you. I've never felt this way about any body before I met you. And I genuinely mean that. So in that matter, you are my first for that.
This gaudy thing you call a coin… it's been giving me a lot of piece of mind lately. I'll put my lips on it every now and then, thinking that you can somehow feel my kiss from those thousands of miles away.
I went with Yang and Blake to the drive-in movies yesterday. I didn't realize that was my first time there since you left. I cried a little bit, but I don't think Yang or Blake noticed – or at least they didn't bring attention to it. Take me back there when you come back, we'll steal Yang's truck again and put blankets in the back like we did last time.
I never realized how safe I could feel in someone's embrace.
I won't lie that it will be easy; I have to say that while walking through Beacon's courtyard and seeing all those couples walking around hand in hand… I felt so anxious.
I miss you too, dolt.
If you refuse to keep safe, then at least come back to me, please. We're like an unfinished book and I'm so frustrated that we seemed to be bookmarked on the best part of the story.
I will be thoroughly unhappy if we don't finish this story.
But chastising aside… I really care about you and I've been thinking about you every day and what seems to be every single minute.
I understand that you can't send letters often, but please write to me as if you can and send them to me all at once. That letter you sent me, I've re-ready probably a hundred times now. Every time I read it, I feel like you're just that much closer to me, and it gives me so much peace of mind.
I promise to write you constantly, I'm sure you'll find some comfort in my words as well.
Eagerly waiting for the day to kiss your lips once more,
Weiss Schnee
Nix nearly cried.
She could feel her heart sink with every word she read, as she already knew the inevitable end of this story – and that would be with Ruby Rose's death.
Despite the fact that these words were nearly 30 years old, they still beamed with the youthful romance of a young Heiress and Soldier. The hopefulness and wishful thinking made Nix want to go back in time and somehow change the course of events so that this love story could see a happy ending.
She could only imagine the heartbreak Weiss had gone through when Ruby first passed.
The next few letters were scattered over a course of 2 years.
A letter depicted a summary of Ruby saying those three sacred words to Weiss in such a casual manner.
I expected that when you were going to tell me you loved me, it was going to be in a romantic location by the beach. I didn't think you'd tell me that you love me at an airship dock when I went to go meet you there.
But it could not have been more perfect.
I love you, Ruby Rose.
The next discussed a familiar person – Neptune Vasilias, Nix chuckled as she read the colorful words Ruby used to describe him. It was very military in nature, blunt, to the point, and very profane.
I swear, if he does anything funny I will NOT hesitate to kick his ass all the way back to fucking Mistral.
I trust you Weiss, but I don't trust playboy over there. There's just something about him… I just don't like him, at all.
But the one that caught Nix off guard was one written from Weiss to Ruby.
It was a letter written after their break up.
January 23, 3054
Ruby,
Please write me back. The thing with Neptune was nothing. I swear it. Just write me back. I miss you and I love you.
I can't stand being without you.
I'm sorry I let it go that far, but I promise it was nothing.
I just need you.
Please, I love you.
Weiss
There were smudges on the letter, tears no doubt.
Nix furrowed her brows together; there was only 3 more letters left. She felt like she was getting the abridged version of what happened between Weiss and Ruby, but Rose's mother did say that she could write a novel about what happened. The Faunus was curious and wanted to know more, she figured she would one day find out if she could convince Aunt Weiss to let her read the rest of the letters.
The next one wasn't a letter, but a wedding invitation. The Fighter Pilot raised a brow as she unfolded the invitation for Weiss and Neptune's wedding in the spring of 3056.
It wasn't until she turned it over to see the handwriting scrawled on the back.
My dearest Weiss,
It's been a very long time since I've written to you, I think about those 24-hours together a lot.
That really should be me, but I'm not as young and hot-blooded as before. I understand the situation you're in; I understand that a lot of time has passed since we broke up. I regret hesitating, I regret not being there, I regret not truly following my heart, but I'll never regret being in your life. And I'll never regret staying in it.
I can't wait to see how beautiful you are in your wedding dress.
Ruby Rose
'Is this what Aunt Weiss wants me to avoid?' Nix thought to herself as she looked down at the red paracord bracelet she had opted to leave on her desk as of late.
"No… Not Aunt Weiss… but Aunt Ruby…" The Faunus mumbled as she thumbed at the bracelet, "'I regret hesitating…. I regret not truly following my heart…'" Nix swallowed hard, her eyes felt hot.
"Don't hesitate and don't regret not following my heart… that's what you would tell me, isn't Aunt Ruby?" A choked whisper as something warm made it's way down the Fighter Pilot's cheek. "Is it really that simple?" A futile question
She looked over at the last two letters, they seemed worse for wear as it was obvious someone had opened them and read them several times.
September 30, 3056
Ruby Rose,
I've decided to take your advice – to arise and overcome any challenge smartly…and aggressively. Neptune is helping me out, but we're going to talk to the Board tomorrow and see through that Father is forced to step down from the company. Blake's book definitely helps a lot, the Board will be easier to persuade.
If all goes well, and once the dust settles from the predictable struggle Father will put up, I could be taking over this company within the year.
You're coming home soon, aren't you? You promised you'd be here for Christmas, I already told Yang that I'd set up a fine banquet to celebrate her becoming a Detective on Vale's Police Force, I figured I'll find the best dessert caterer to celebrate you coming back too.
Your contract is coming to an end soon, right? I remember you telling me about your commitment – if I did my math right, then it should be soon. I can help you find a job… if you'll let me. I know you're more than capable, but just know that I can help out too.
I'd be more than happy to help.
I thought about you the other day, specifically about the time you tried to impress me with your deep-sea swimming skills and almost nearly drowned. Good thing Yang was there to pull your blubbering ass back to shore. I was smiling for almost an hour straight just thinking about that.
Stay safe.
Weiss Schnee
Nix smiled at the casual musings as she moved on to the last letter.
The date made her heart truly sink to depths she never knew was within her.
October 4, 3056
My Dearest Weiss,
I'm leaving for a mission, or rather I left for a mission.
I left this letter with a trusted confidant before I went out on our objective – I think you'll hear about it in the news, especially if we're successful. And I have no doubts what so ever that we were successful.
I volunteered for this one – we all volunteered for this one.
Do you remember how you would always tell me to 'Keep safe'? I try, but I also have to remind you that I would always quote 'For those I love, I will sacrifice'.
For you, I will sacrifice.
For my family, I will sacrifice.
For my Team I will sacrifice.
I remember the promise I made to you, to some how let you know if anything happened that you'd be one of the first to find out. I remember a lot of promises I made to you.
Just know that I will always be watching over you, that I'll always be in that soft place in your heart that you have reserved for just me. I've never forgotten all of our times together, and I hope that you won't forget me as you go on with your life. I have no doubt you're in good hands with Neptune by your side. Tell him to see things through properly.
On your wedding day, I thought you were the most beautiful one of them all. You always have been, and you always will be.
Weiss Schnee-Vasilias, I love you.
Forever yours,
Ruby Rose
It took a lot to make Nix cry.
The blond Faunus gripped the edge of the desk, as the letters were stacked in a neat pile.
And it hit her, the promises that Ruby made to Weiss, the pleas to stay safe the best she could. How those promises will now remained unfulfilled, those pleas not successful in their attempts to bring the Huntress back home safely. Phoenix cried even harder.
This story that involved Weiss and Ruby, both young and unsure, the hardships the two had to overcome just to try and stay together. The sacrifices they made as a couple, waiting months on ends for a lousy few weeks or even days together. But it was inspiring, how despite the odds they made it work.
And they fell in love.
A type of love that warmed Nix's heart as she could only imagine the type of bliss they experience. The high they must have felt when they kissed.
Then there was the regret for things left undone, things left unsaid for too long that it became too late, as Weiss would marry Neptune. And Ruby would give her life for the ultimate price to pay for the better of Remnant.
It wasn't fair.
It's not fair to Ruby or Weiss or Neptune or to anyone. There was just so much left undone that it just wasn't fair.
"It's not fair…." It dawned on Nix as she realized what she needed to do.
It had been at least an hour since Nix had decided to open up the care package and stumble upon these letters. With a flail, the Faunus attempted to locate her Scroll – she wasn't sure if it was on top of her bed, or if it was hiding somewhere on her desk that was currently covered by the contents of the care package.
She just had to tell Rose about the letters.
And not just the letters, but something else too.
A sudden knock on her barracks door got the Lieutenant's attention, briefly she suspended the task of trying to locate her blasted Scroll to see who was disturbing at 11 o'clock at night.
"What's up?" Nix greeted as she opened her door.
She didn't expect to see the Commander standing there, the pilot straightened out as the Colonel before her wore a serious expression.
"Lieutenant Phoenix X.L. Belladonna, get packed and ready to go." He was straight to the point as his military Scroll was going off the hook, he silenced the contraption before returning his attention to the fine Fighter Pilot in front of him.
"Colonel Fume, where am I going? Is this an exercise?" Nix questioned, they would often do snap drills like this to test one's readiness to go to battle should the need arise.
A shadow could be seen on the man's face, "Back to Jericho, there's an uprising going on, the illegal dust mining and heavy industry companies have decided to join forces. Long story short – the locals have gotten involved, we intervened to protect them and now Base Jericho is currently under attack. We're scrambling you and 5 others for immediate Close Air Support. Be ready to take off in approximately one hour."
"S-Sir! I just got back from-"
"Phoenix!" Colonel Fume interjected, "The situation there is dire, Mistral's airship forces were mitigated immediately… they lost at least 8 airships so far and are currently unable to launch any more airships from Base Jericho. The Base itself has had it's walls breached, but the Huntsmen stationed there are doing a good job of keeping it contained… but they can't keep it contained forever – they're out numbered and out gunned and without air support. You and the other 4 are my best and brightest, I need you there ASAP… I need you there with me."
Phoenix X.L. Belladonna snapped to the position of attention as she saluted her superior, "Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged."
The letters… Rose would have to wait – her duty called.
"LIGHTHOUSE3 to Jericho Tower, Status?" The Fighter Pilot sweated profusely, the seat in the Type F-IV had been home to her for the past 3 hours. The 6-ship of Type F-IV fighters were scrambled in a timely manner and travelled at hypersonic speeds of Mach 6, the absolute limit they could push their fighters without having them fall out of the sky, and cut the usual 10-hour flight into a fraction.
"Tower to LIGHTHOUSE3, we can land you guys, but be aware that they have-"
A red light went off in Nix's cockpit as the alert for an incoming rocket went off, quickly Nix pulled on the stick as her airship rolled to the side before she pulled up and ascended as fast as she could in altitude. From outside her cockpit, she could see the blast of the anti-airship Dust rocket that was just fired at her.
"LIGHTHOUSE3, SPIKE IVO Runway." Nix's voice was relatively calm despite the close encounter, she needed to make sure her wingmen and flight lead knew where the surface-to-air threats were located.
"LIGHTHOUSE1, Set FLOOR to FL180. Reference Jericho." The Flight Lead, Colonel Flume, called out over the radio, Nix complied as she set the computer in her airship to warn her when she got close to 18,000 feet in altitude. The anti-airship Dust rockets had a max altitude range of about 20,000 feet; as long as they flew at that altitude they could mitigate the threat by just flying higher when their airship sensors picked up the launch. The 'Reference Jericho' was to key in the rest of the flight that any cardinal directions would be given based off of where Base Jericho was.
"LIGHTHOUSE1, SPIKE IVO NORTH Be advised, land 20 miles SOUTH when BINGO fuel." The Flight Lead commanded over the radio, Nix and the others were prepared for the hostile environment. It was too dangerous to land anywhere near Jericho with the way it is now.
"HUNTER to LIGHTHOUSE, Request CAS." The new voice was heard through the radio comm, Nix could pick out the gunfire in the background. The Huntsmen on the ground were requesting the Close Air Support.
"LIGHTHOUSE1, 2 with me. 3 and 4 Support HUNTER. 5 and 6 ANCHOR SOUTH by SOUTH-WEST." The Flight Lead instructed as he split up the 6-ship. Nix was now in charge of the 2-ship that she had split off into.
"LIGHTHOUSE3, HUNTER go for CAS." Nix keyed on the mic.
"Fucking finally… Will lase target, how many rockets do you have?" The relieved voice questioned.
"LIGHTHOUSE Flight is 8 by Gun." Nix answered, she let them know that they came fully loaded out as each Type F-IV carried 8 rockets and had the gun ready should they need to do a strafing run. "Be advised we have about 30 minutes of fuel left." The Fighter Pilot eyed her gauges, usually the Type F-IV could fly for almost 9 hours straight with no refueling, but the 6-ship had flown high and fast to get to Base Jericho in time.
"Don't worry, we'll get you guys WINCHESTER." Nix smiled at the idea, it was always a good feeling to have your airship go 'WINCHESTER' – out of ordnance.
Despite the fact that Nix had never met the Huntsmen who directed her on the ground, they worked perfectly in tandem. The Fighter Pilot noticed the alert go off in her cockpit, as she would have to descend lower than 18,000 feet to employ her rockets fairly often. She let her wingman, LIGHTHOUSE4 do a couple of bombing runs too.
Nix and her wingman continued to fly circles over head, swooping down in altitude to drop rockets before ascending up high before an anti-airship rocket could hit them.
"LIGHTHOUSE3 to 1, 3 and 4 WINCHESTER." Nix was proud in the declaration as she looked outside her cockpit to see her wingman not too far off the side celebrating with a rock-on symbol.
Through radio communication with the Huntsmen on the ground, Nix knew that they were successful in pushing back the attackers from where they had penetrated the walls of the base.
"LIGHTHOUSE1 to 3, Switch with 5 and 6."
"Copy." Nix keyed back as she and LIGHTHOUSE4 were to swap places with LIGHTHOUSE5 and 6. The other two would cover the Close Air Support aspect of the operation now since they were fully loaded out with rockets.
"S-SPIKE SOUTH!"
The Type F-IV Nix was in displayed a 2-second time to impact.
The Faunus jerked hard on the stick and threw the throttle forward to ascend in altitude faster.
A deafening explosion, the nose of the airship no longer responded to the precise controls of the Fighter Pilot.
"M-Mayday, Mayday, LIGHTHOUSE3 is hit." Her voice was strangely calm as she managed to regain some control of the fighter. She managed to level out the airship as she turned her attention to the ejection handle.
"Mayday, Mayday! Ejection handle is jammed!" Phoenix was in a panic as she tried once more to eject from the airship that was rapidly losing altitude.
"Nix! Aim for the South! Where you're going is a hot bed of those bastards!" Colonel Flume, a man notorious for his radio discipline, shouted over the radio.
"I-I can't!" The blonde tried jerking the stick to get the flight controls to respond, but it was all for naught. The best she could do was try to land the wounded bird, she leveled out the airship to try and get the best landing approach she could. But she knew that she was coming in way too fast.
"Nix!"
Phoenix Xiao-Long Belladonna, 23-years old – closed her eyes tightly, the last thing she saw was the red paracord bracelet on her left wrist.
A white noise filled her senses.
She twitched as her nose scrunched at the contact of something very soft and ticklish.
"Hello?" A small voice called out, "Oh, there you go! Told you she'd come to." The figure turned to someone else in a white hood that stood off in the background.
"W-Where am I?" Phoenix looked around, it looked like Patch, except the cliff the stood on seemed massive and before them was simply acres of beautiful rolling hills and forests that framed it. A warm breeze blew through the trees and flowers; a bunch of flower petals floating through the breeze made it's way across Nix's vision.
"That's not important, what's important is that you're awake." Silver eyes met golden ones as they were full of mirth.
"Why was I sleeping?" Nix narrowed her eyes as she tried to think, "W-Wait… Base Jericho!" She flipped her head around for the familiar structure that stood in the Vacuo desert, "My airship!"
But the one thing she almost missed was standing right in front of her.
Ruby Rose.
"Aunt…. Ruby…" Nix's jaw went slack at the figure of her Aunt, who didn't look much older than herself, "Y-You're al-"
"Not alive." Ruby was quick to correct, the dark red hoodie got caught in the blowing wind.
Nix's Faunus' ears drooped, "I'm dead?" Her eyes wide, tears brimming as she fell to her knees. She had so much left to do….
"Not dead, either." Ruby crouched down to her niece, "You're in-between right now."
"What happens next? Does my life flash before my eyes now?" Golden eyes darted about as she was confused, "Am I hallucinating?" She looked to her Aunt.
Ruby merely shrugged, "That's for you to decide, but most importantly I have something to discuss with you." A mischievous glint could be seen in those silver eyes.
"About Aunt Weiss?" Nix questioned as she slowly got back on her feet, the Faunus took note that she was clad not in her flight suit, but jeans and a white shirt.
The Huntress wore a forlorn expression, "A little bit," A ghost of a smile was on Ruby's face, "She's done well with herself, I'm glad she's built such a wonderful life and to top it off she raised a beautiful daughter."
"Rose…" Nix felt the name roll off her tongue, "I… I can't go yet, I haven't told her!" She was frantic, "I want to go back!"
A reassuring hand was placed on Nix's shoulder, "Do you love her?" Ruby questioned.
"What do you mean? Of course I care for her." Phoenix was nearly offended by the question her Aunt prompted.
"No Nix," Ruby sighed as she glanced to the hooded white figure behind her, "Do you love her." She stressed again as she looked the Faunus squarely in the eyes.
"I… I think I do."
"You think, or you're too afraid to admit it?" The Huntress pressed again, "Weiss was trying to tell you something with our letters."
Nix remained silent as those silver eyes bore into her.
"The same thing I'm going to tell you – don't be afraid." Ruby smiled..
"I'm not afraid-" Nix was defiant.
"Yes, you are, and that's okay. Everyone gets scared, but you can't be so scared that you can't act on what you truly feel." The Huntress looked out at the rolling hills, "I was scared, I was unsure – I wasn't honest with myself, with Weiss, until it was too late."
"When you died?" The Fighter Pilot asked.
"When she got married." The Soldier corrected, "I let her go, well not as a friend, but as a lover, I had to let her go. I will say that it took everything in me to not object to the marriage, but what stopped me was what I saw. I saw the way Neptune looked at Weiss on their wedding day and I just knew that I could trust him to do it, to take care of her as well as I could… if not a little better."
Phoenix stood side by side next to Ruby as the two looked at the beautiful scenery before them; the hills themselves were decorated in a lush green that seemed to roll on forever. "Ruby… I'm scared we can't go back if things don't work out."
"What's the reward if the risk isn't the same?" The Huntress smiled, "Things always change, people always change, relationships always change. What makes them work is whether or not you have to courage to face these changes and the strength to make what you want… last a lifetime." She faced the Fighter Pilot, the two stood eye to eye, "Don't let your insecurities get in the way of your happiness."
"That easy, huh…" Nix clenched her jaw as she looked up at her Aunt, "Hey… how did you and Weiss get back together." She was thinking to the note on the back of the wedding invitation.
Ruby let out a small cry at the question, "That's… personal." A small blush was on the girl's face, "I decided to be honest, and Weiss accepted my honesty… is what it boils down to." She coughed, "But back to my other question – Do you love Rose?"
Nix's eyes went wide at the straight forward look on Ruby's face, "I…" Memories of the two as children flashed through the Faunus' head, Rose's first heart break, Nix trying to deal with her first crush, sneaking out in the middle of the night whenever the other was over, taking Yang's prized motorcycle out on a surprise ride through town…. "I do." Her voice was full of conviction, as she stood tall at her answer.
Ruby proudly smiled at Nix.
"I ask that you love her then, promise me that you'll love her with all you heart."
"I promise."
The Soldier straightened out her back as she looked at the horizon and began to walk; with every step she took the scenery began to transform from the rolling hills to something sandy and burning hot. The dark red hoodie began to melt away to the familiar battle gear that was standard for all Huntsmen to wear; a dust rifle seemed to materialize in her hand. The Fighter Pilot's own casual garb tore away until she was back in her flight suit.
"Ruby!" The Fighter Pilot called out as they now stood in the middle of the desert.
"I'll keep you safe, Phoenix." The Soldier simply stated, "Just tell them… well, they already know." Silver eyes bore into her gold ones.
A deafening explosion distorted everything around the two.
In a daze, amber eyes tried to focus, but all she could see was red… not blood red, but it looked an awful lot like rose petals falling in the wind. Her whole body simply ached.
Move.
She had to move, and be quick about it.
There was no doubt that the enemy would close in on her crash-landed airship.
"…Nix!... Time… Go!" She couldn't tell if she was being pulled along or what, she had a pistol in hand that she must have remembered to grab from the cockpit.
How did she leave the cockpit?
Gunfire erupted all around, but it echoed in and out. The injured Faunus was struggling to stay conscious, her feet moved in some direction, but she wasn't coherent enough to see if it was towards base or what. She only knew that her instincts told her to keep going and not stop.
"Stay safe."
All Phoenix could remember was a tender smile, silver eyes, and a flash of red petals before ultimately falling unconscious.
GrnDrgnZrd - Thanks for your selfless service, hope all goes well for you. And thank you for the kind words in your reviews, they're definitely a big source of encouragement.
Figured I hurry up and finish the final edits on the last two chapters. Once again, one more chapter to go and a big thanks to everyone for sticking with the story so far, I really appreciate the reviews, views, and favorites since I know that this flavor of RWBY isn't exactly everyone's type haha.
As always, hope you enjoyed the read.
Cheers,
DevilRed