Hello guys, TheBrokenBottle, YellowSign and Mister Spark here with the next chapter of Inseparable Souls!

The three of us have been working really hard on this chapter, and are proud with the short gap between the previous update and this one. But there is also a valid reason for this early (yet great) post: It's December 21st, which means it's my birthday! (3... 2... 1... Hooray!)

I'm grateful beyond my wildest dreams for the feedback this story has received so far. I never thought 3 chapters would bring 123 followers along.

It isn't anything I've kept hidden that this story has a deep personal meaning to me, because it's in loving memory of my niece Delilah, who earlier this year died in a car accident. I have to admit: it was pretty hard, not having her be there to celebrate my birthday.

However, I hope you enjoy this extra-special chapter, and TheBrokenBottle, YellowSign and once again Mister Spark wish you a happy holidays! (and a happy new year!) Read, review, favourite, follow and enjoy!


January 24th 2015, 10:40 AM, VPAC

The dream ended as quickly as it had began; a bitter aftertaste and her racing heartbeat the only things lingering from the horrors of her past, and it took a second or two for Weiss to fully come to her senses, her eyes taking in the familiar metal plating on the walls and the cream paint that hid beneath.

Instantly she heard the sounds of glass fracturing and people screaming, and instinctively shielded her face from any stray shards. Weiss was prone on the floor staring blearily at the upturned table Yang had been using in their experiment from earlier. Her memory was a little hazy as to exactly what had happened or why she was on the floor, but she knew that something had gone horribly wrong; an assumption that was proven correct when she heard another crash and a desperate plea from Yang immediately after.

"Weiss! It's Ruby, stop her!"

Knowing intimately what her entity was truly capable of, Weiss felt a pit form in her stomach and slowly pulled herself off the ground, avoiding the deceptively sharp glass that was scattered everywhere. She turned toward the source of the crashing sound and saw her fears confirmed.

Ruby was in a rage, throwing anything she could get her hands on around blindly, though she seemed focused primarily on Yang, who was frantically running from the flurry of thrown projectiles. Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs, the anger and hatred masking pain and worry, and all these emotions and more weighed heavy on Weiss as she listened.

As Weiss stood in shock, the upturned table in the center of the room was picked up by Ruby and hurled at breakneck speeds directly at the observation room, colliding with the reinforced window and shattering it to pieces. The sound of glass falling filled the room, followed by a hitched gasp from Yang as pieces of glass buried themselves in her arm.

The normally peaceful and cheery entity had become a savage and untamed beast, facing down the scientists and with one shove sending Yang hurtling into the wall.

"Don't touch her!" Weiss found herself shouting at her entity, her hands balled at her side and worry creasing her brow.

Weiss?!

Apparently hearing her yell, Weiss watched Ruby in her terrible rage turn directly toward her, and in all her life she had never been more terrified. A deep, dark hatred dwelt within those eyes, and as they focused on her Weiss felt them burn through her; the intensity and fury behind that gaze overwhelming all her defenses and stripping her bare. As the wanton destruction continued around her, Weiss realized that, in this moment, she was afraid of Ruby.

Weiss, wait!

Weiss screamed again at the wrath of her entity and ran desperately for the destroyed doorway with Ruby following hot on her heels, the anger that had consumed her mere moments before gone and replaced with fear and concern. She wasn't thinking of anything other than escaping, of getting out of there and away from the monster she was shackled to.

"Yang!" A frantic Blake rushed over to her stricken colleague, hurriedly helping her to her feet.

"Thanks," Yang mumbled, staring out of the doorway at the trail of destruction left by Ruby and absent-mindedly holding her arm where glass had torn the skin, small streams of blood running down her pale flesh and soaking into her clothes. With Ruby seemingly gone for now, the shock of what had just happened began to sink in and leave her worn out and tired.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"What do you think all that was about?" Blake asked as she joined Yang in looking at the ruined mess that passed for the experimentation room.

Yang didn't answer straight away, instead gazing into the middle distance with a look that could only be described as mournful. "It was that watch. Something about it caused Ruby to go berserk. Where did you get it?"

"It's something a friend gave me once." Blake shrugged, staring at the deep, bleeding bruise of her fiancé. "We've got to find Weiss."

"No, Blake." Yang stubbornly stated, holding back the other woman. "Right now Weiss is at her most fragile. I wouldn't forgive myself if I had to see her break."

It was rare for Yang to take such an uncompromising tone, and hearing her partner being so direct caused Blake to stare at her for a few seconds in puzzlement before relenting and calling for a team to come and help them. After such a traumatic experience they knew they needed to help Weiss, but for now they'd leave her alone. Blake could only hope she'd be okay when she was ready to talk.


Weiss threw herself onto her bed, sweat and tears streaming down her face, her chest heaving from running so fast, but as minutes passed, the sobs slowly faded away until all that was left was the gentle shuddering of her shoulders and staggered breathing from a raw throat.

Weiss?

The young girl had never heard Ruby so hesitant, and it almost caused her to look up from her pillow. Ruby was never cautious: always rushing head first into any and all danger, dragging Weiss unwittingly with her, so for the entity to adopt such a gentle tone, she must have truly been scared.

"Go away." She mumbled into the pillow, though it lacked the conviction she'd hoped it would have.

Weiss, I'm really sorry about what happened. I never meant to hurt you…

"It's fine Ruby, it's just I couldn't deal with you raging earlier. I know you understand."

Though Weiss meant what she said, she felt guilty saying it, especially after what had occurred the previous night. How could someone whose words had hurt so much mere hours before comfort her now when she needed it most? Yet here she was, crying into a damp pillow whilst Ruby tried desperately to reassure her.

A tender hand gently caressed her frail shoulder, and she felt Ruby's warmth nearby. It was moments like this when she truly appreciated her entity. She felt complete in Ruby's presence somehow; almost as if she'd been waiting for this the entire day. Slowly shifting her body position to curl around where she knew Ruby to be, Weiss allowed herself to be embraced.

"I'm sorry Ruby," she whispered, more to herself than anything else, "I shouldn't have said those things."

Weiss, it's fine. I'm a part of you. I know you mean no harm.

The young girl didn't bother replying, instead laying there and letting Ruby slowly soothe the pain with her words and her rhythmic stroking.

She felt truly safe here and now, in the embrace of her one, true confidant - the only person she could trust with her life. The precious few times they were able to hold each other like this were truly special to Weiss, and she felt genuinely happy for what felt like the first time since arriving at the VPAC. When they were on their own, life was simpler; they had to struggle more to survive, but it was always just them against the world, it was easy, in a way.

Blake and Yang didn't mean any harm - she understood that - but they just couldn't comprehend the intensity of what she was going through. And now, after what happened because of her, she was sure that they were going to try to contain her more. She already felt stifled within these grey walls and it was a daily struggle to get out of bed; any more and Weiss just wouldn't be able to take it.

She had to get out of here. Go back to the way things were between her and Ruby.

The VPAC was sucking the life out of them both, and if things kept going, she felt that they could only get worse. It wasn't easy turning her back on the one place she'd been able to call home, but with a heavy heart Weiss made up her mind.

"Ruby, I think we need to leave."

Leave? And go where?

"I don't know yet, but we can't stay here. It's not safe anymore."

Not safe? Weiss, this is the only place we've been safe in ages! We get hot meals! A warm bed! Yang and Blake!

"No! Ruby, don't you see? They're just using us! All these experiments are just a way for them to abuse you, to take advantage of us! They're going to turn on us, just like everyone else."

What about Yang and Blake? They're nice to us, aren't they?

A heavy sigh accompanied slumped shoulders, and when Weiss spoke up her voice was full of sorrow and regret. "Yeah, but they're just doctors. Their bosses can force them into doing terrible things to us. And when that happens, we'll be in trouble. We have to go. We have to go now."

Without leaving room for argument, Weiss leapt off her bed and began gathering her measly possessions, collected, as ever, in her ragged red rucksack. In truth, there wasn't much to take, so as she finished, Ruby spoke up.

Weiss, this isn't a good idea. What if you get sick?

She hadn't put much thought into how she felt, actually. Looking at the mirror in her room, she realized that Ruby was accurate in her assessment. Her light blue sweater was ripped and torn in places, and a few patches of deep crimson indicated where shards of glass had punctured her skin. The rest of her clothing looked similarly dishevelled, with her smart pants now worthless and her warm winter shoes having seen better days. Ugly dark rings hung under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her usually pristine hair was dull and lifeless. In all, she looked like a mess.

But it was not the time to admit weakness.

Now that she took a moment to examine herself, she felt just as bad, too. Her eyes hurt from so much crying, her throat was sore from yelling, and her ears were still ringing from the crashing sounds earlier. She felt a headache coming on and her rumbling stomach would pose a problem once they were on their own.

But that didn't change anything. She still had to leave to keep both Ruby and herself safe. If she waited here any longer, they might put the facility in some kind of lockdown, making it harder to escape if things got worse in a hurry.

Weiss sighed and made up her mind.

"No, we still need to go, Ruby. We can take a break when we get out of here."

With that, she slung her rucksack over her shoulder, left her room and began her escape.


Even though she'd never really considered it properly until now, Weiss had planned an escape from the VPAC ever since she'd first arrived there. It was a useful habit to have if you knew things could go wrong in a hurry, and with Ruby around that was always a distinct possibility, so it was just routine by now. Fortunately, Ruby was probably the perfect partner to escape with, and she scouted ahead for Weiss; looking through walls, stealing key cards and disabling any alarm system they came across, making traversing the facility literally child's play.

Despite all the turmoil of the past 24 hours and all the time spent cooped up in the VPAC, their teamwork was still impeccable and their timing immaculate. Normally, it would have been simply impossible for little girl like Weiss to attempt to escape a secure research facility like the VPAC, but with Ruby able to pass unseen through any obstacle, they reached the exit within only a few minutes.

That led them to their current situation, with Weiss trying to look nonchalant leaning against the peeling cream wall and Ruby following the latest patrol and waiting for them to round the corner to give Weiss the brief opening she needed.

"Ruby, I'm really not sure about this," she murmured as loudly as she dared, "I think people know we're not supposed to be here."

Relax Weiss, we'll be fine. Now on my mark. One... Two… Three!

Taking a deep breath and hoping Ruby had got her timing right, Weiss dashed from her resting place towards the rapidly closing door; the guard monitoring the entrance seemingly engrossed in a book and failing to notice the young girl escaping from right under his nose.

As soon as she had passed through the portal into the cold air of late evening, Weiss made a beeline for the thick copse of trees that covered the mountain; their thick coniferous trunks reaching to the sky and seeming impossibly tall to the young girl. She knew that there was only one road out of the facility, and as long as she stayed away from it she should be able to avoid detection and any stray patrols.

We did it Weiss! We're free!

Allowing a small smile to form on her face, the white-haired girl leaned against a tree and took a moment to catch her breath. Ruby was right: they were free once again, and hopefully things would be better than before. Hopefully this time they could stay safe for longer, and maybe find somewhere to stay for a while. She could but hope.

I don't think it'd be a good idea to stay by the roads. They'll be looking for us, right?

"Yeah. Let's head deeper in. Just keep an eye on the setting sun and we can find our way to safety. C'mon Ruby."

And with that the two of them headed into the dense forest, the imposing shadows quickly smothering what little light remained of the day, but they pressed on regardless. Once again it was just the two of them against the world. And Weiss wouldn't have it any other way.

In retrospect, Weiss should have realised that urban survival did not translate into wilderness survival. When she and Ruby were on their own, it was almost always in the city, surrounded by people who simply didn't notice her. Stealing food and finding shelter was generally as simple as finding a spot where no one was paying attention and taking advantage of it. It was easy when Ruby was helping her.

However, none of those skills helped in any way when there wasn't a soul around for miles, and Weiss quickly began to have second thoughts about her decision to escape. As the minutes turned to hours, the sun finally set, revealing a clear night sky and the drop in temperature that came with it, and her stomach began rumbling. Weiss hadn't packed any food to take with her, not expecting to be in these woods for so long, and now she was beginning to seriously regret that decision. Why couldn't they find the way back to civilisation?

Ruby volunteered herself for scouting, coming back every few minutes to tell Weiss which direction to go and if there was anything of note. There generally wasn't.

In these minutes of solitude between Ruby's return, Weiss found herself rethinking her decision to leave the VPAC. It was getting more and more unlikely that they'd be able to get out of these woods any time soon, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was getting scared. She even considered turning back and going to the VPAC and begging for forgiveness, but they'd been walking for so long and with the sun disappeared behind the cloud cover, she couldn't even say for certain which direction to go.

It was while she was lost in her thoughts like this that she heard a sound like a young animal crying from somewhere nearby. Weiss let her curiosity get the better of her and went to investigate, tiptoeing into a small clearing amongst the trees, where she saw a small bundle of fur lying unmoving near a tree, the source of the sound. It sounded like it was in pain.

Weiss wasn't entirely sure what made her step toward the animal, maybe because it was in pain and it made her sad, but she did so, and the animal immediately raised its head and looked in her direction, locking a pair of beady black eyes into her own. Seeing that there was a strange being walking towards it, the small animal opened its mouth and began to cry again, even louder than before.

It was then, as the animal raised its head and yelled pitifully, that Weiss recognised what she was looking at.

A bear cub.

As the small animal's howl ended and Weiss stood frozen, there was a moment of keen silence that somehow seemed louder and more ominous than any shout. Weiss dared to take a step backward, but as she did, she heard the most terrifying sound in her entire life. A great and mighty roar echoed through the trees, not far from where she now stood.

The sound of a mother bear coming to rescue her cub.


Meanwhile, VPAC

"Weiss?" Yang ventured, knocking gently on the door and easing it open. The room was unusually dark, and Yang had learnt by now that Weiss preferred to leave the light on, but she simply assumed that the young girl was sleeping.

"Weiss? I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, and Blake's gone to get us a take-away if you want to have something to eat."

Still nothing, and by now Yang was getting a little worried. Surely Weiss would have said something, even if it was just telling her to get out, and the silence was beginning to trouble her. Her fears were proven horrifyingly correct when she rounded the corner of the bed to find nothing. No Weiss, no moving objects, so no Ruby, nothing.

Muttering a quick curse to herself Yang sped out of the room. She had to act now if she had any chance of keeping Weiss safe, and she'd need all the help she could get.

"Blake!"


Before Weiss could process what was happening, she saw the intimidating form of a great grizzly bear tear through the far end of the clearing, charging straight towards her, roaring a challenge to the intruder threatening her cub.

On pure instinct, Weiss turned and ran, screaming in terror. Her young legs were not enough to outrun a charging grizzly, and she could hear the mother bear getting closer by the second, it's panting getting nearer and nearer. When she could almost feel its monstrous breath on the back of her neck, she felt an impact like a sledgehammer hit her in the side, sending her flying like a ragdoll, crashing into the trunk of a tree.

As her mind caught up to what had just happened, her body was already up and sprinting at full tilt, once again on nothing but pure instinct away from the certain death that even now roared in chase.

Her breath froze instantly in the frigid mountain air, but Weiss kept running, panting all the way and clutching her side where the paw had impacted hard and left a strange and painful bump on her ribcage. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and she worried that she may have broken something in that altercation. How could she have been so stupid? Getting in the way of a bear was never advisable, and getting between a mother and her cub was downright idiotic.

Wincing and gasping in pain as she fled, Weiss dared a look behind her to see if she was safe, only to redouble her efforts at seeing a several ton hulk of muscle and claws hurtling towards her through the thick forest.

Weiss!

Said girl barely had time to blink before a crimson mist dived from the midnight sky like a bird of prey on its deadly descent. Ruby raced past her, defending Weiss from the ravenous bear at all costs. Weiss had never seen her entity so frenzied and it terrified her: what was to say that Ruby wouldn't turn on her like this?

Stay. Away. From. My. WEISS!

Each word was punctuated by a vicious punch to the bear's thick hide, and it lashed out at Ruby, only to be surprised when it's paw passed straight through her and into thin air.

I said leave her ALONE!

Once again, Ruby threw herself at the bear in a desperate attempt to save Weiss. In her anger, she split a tree in twain with a wild miss-hit, the ancient timber crashing to the ground with an ominous creak and a thunderous impact.

"R-ruby!" Weiss called out between pants and gasps, her vision fading from the pain and her shaky legs giving way. The frozen ground provided little comfort to her bare arms and small scratches ran their entire length; the sharp stones embedded in the forest floor digging in and drawing yet more blood from the young girl.

Weiss was vaguely aware of the bear stalking closer, more cautiously this time, and her attempt at crawling backwards failed as she put pressure on her side, a scream of agony being wrenched forth from her raw throat.

The white-haired girl screeched aloud, throwing her arms to her side only to see her hands taking on a lightish red tint. "Ruby!"

Instead of replying, the spirit flung herself at the angry beast before her in one last desperate attempt to save Weiss. Each enraged punch shook the ground and the mighty frame of the bear suddenly seemed weak and frail; it's knees buckling just as Weiss' had mere seconds earlier. An anguished cry rang out through the night at the punishment, and the bear swung at Ruby once more, achieving the same result as before.

Through her connection to Ruby, Weiss was able to share some of the emotions of her entity, and right now an overwhelming and murderous fury burned deep within Ruby. Even only getting a small taste, Weiss was terrified of the burning hatred that threatened to burst forth, and the young girl was genuinely scared for her life. The bear was just a mindless animal, but such pure and undiluted rage was truly horrifying.

Ruby's strikes seemed to be doing something, with the bear slowly backing off, it's gaze still fixated on the injured girl lying on the floor, and Weiss could practically feel the hot breath and smell the damp, matted fur, but every time it tried to maneuver around to get to her Ruby would stand between them, protecting her from harm.

Weiss, run! I can hold it off!

"No Ruby! I won't leave you!"

Weiss, it can't hurt me, you need to get out of here!

She opened her mouth to argue, only to shut it when she realised Ruby had a valid point, and she scampered to her feet, dashing directly away from the hulking mass of muscle and teeth that was eyeing her hungrily from only a few metres away.

Her escape only lasted a grand total of three steps, for a hidden tree root ensnared her foot as she tried to run and brought her down, her ankle twisting painfully as it moved at an odd angle. Worse still, the mother bear began to give chase at the sight of her prey running away, and within moments she had closed in on Weiss, the young girl's pained screams drowned out by a deep, guttural roar.

NO!

Ruby's agonised shriek reverberated around Weiss' head, the sound chilling her to the core, and causing her skin to crawl. She'd never heard anything so terrifying as Ruby right now, and for the first time ever she no longer felt safe in her presence.

Ruby changed form to that of a young girl, the same one who had tormented Weiss' dreams the previous night, and she dealt the bear such a powerful blow it was knocked clean off its feet, landing meters away from the two of them. Not relenting, Ruby struck a nearby tree; the ancient and brittle bark igniting at her touch and forming an impenetrable, flaming barrier between the bear and the stricken Weiss.

We have to get out of here!

"Get away from me!" She screamed, covering her face to protect it but leaving enough of a gap to watch the bear hobble away. Ruby had wounded it enough to force it to retreat, but with the way it was walking it was evident that the injuries were severe. It would likely survive, but life would be tricky for not only the mother but the cub as well; a thought that sent waves of guilt washing over Weiss.

Huh? Weiss, what's wrong?

"You're what's wrong! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

And with that, the red haze disappeared.

Without waiting for a response from Ruby, she pushed herself to her feet, gasping in pain as she put pressure on her ankle, and hobbled away from the now-smoldering tree trunk. Tears began to well in her eyes out of sheer terror, and her vision began to fail yet again, but she pushed on regardless; desperate to escape what she'd just seen at all costs.


January 24th, 11:50PM, close to the VPAC

The moon reached the apex of its journey across the stars and its rays shone down on the forest below, almost lighting up the path Weiss took through the trees. The woods were silent save for her hurried footsteps, and she longed for the sight of civilisation and the safety it would mean. She wasn't sure how long it'd been since her run-in with the bear, but she kept running nonetheless, hoping for any sign of home.

Home. When she thought of that, she could only recall images of the VPAC, of Yang's bright cheerfulness and Blake's quiet thoughtfulness. She remembered the smiling faces of the other scientists and of the other patients. Even the guards were friendly to her; she talked with Ben and Tim often enough to call them friends.

Stopping to catch her breath by one of the trees, Weiss only felt a crushing loneliness. How could she have abandoned everyone who cared about her just like that? It was a cosmic irony that she only felt like this now, long after she had any hope of finding her way back. She was completely lost - every tree looked exactly the same, and she felt like she was walking in circles.

Was she destined to die here, alone?

Just as more tears threatened to burst from her eyes, she heard a distinct sound coming from just beyond her line of sight.

Feeling hope buoying in her heart, she felt a surge of energy flow through her and despite her injuries she picked up to a sprint again, heading desperately towards the noise.

She could feel the cold wind blowing against her face, reminding her that she was still here, still alive, and that there was always something she could do to bring hope.

Weiss cleared the endless line of trees to find herself suddenly standing on the road leading to the VPAC off in the distance. There were a number of police and firemen gathered around, but she didn't look twice at them, instead focusing on the form of the tall blonde woman currently calling her name.

"Weiss! Thank goodness!"

Yang almost bowled the smaller girl over with the force of her embrace, pulling Weiss into a deep hug. All of a sudden, Weiss realised just what she had missed the most while at the VPAC.

It was this feeling - the feeling of belonging and being loved.

Weiss looked up to see Yang crying in relief with Blake standing just behind her. She didn't know why, since she wasn't in any danger any more, but Weiss could feel the tears starting to fall once again. She was safe, and in the arms of the people she loved. As she made this realisation, Blake knelt down beside her and took her hand,

"Weiss, I don't know what exactly made you run away like that, but both Yang and I were worried sick." At that, the blonde woman nodded her head, giving Blake a meaningful look. The brunette closed her eyes and spoke again, her , "I want you to know that no matter what happens, you'll always have people who love you here, with Yang and I. So we've made a decision. Would you like it if we became a family together? We can get adoption papers to make it official, and you'll never have to be alone again. What do you think?"

Weiss was stunned. She hadn't expected anything like this from the two of them and she was both shocked and happy at the same time. She wanted to instantly respond with a 'yes' but there was one slight problem…

"I-I don't know if Ruby…"

Almost as if summoned, Weiss felt the tug of Ruby's presence. She turned to find her entity right behind her, looking embarrassed. Weiss' attention was drawn to the object in her hands, a silver necklace with a simple rose medallion.

Weiss brought her hands to her neck in confusion only to grasp at air. At some point in the struggle with the bear, she had lost one of her few possessions.

Ruby stepped forward slowly with a small smile on her face, gently placing the necklace around Weiss' fragile neck, her hands warming the cold skin and comforting Weiss in a way she had never experienced before. No words were spoken, for none were needed; the bond between Weiss and Ruby had long exceeded mere words.

Feeling the tears falling down her face yet again, Weiss turned to Blake and Yang, and with a happy smile on her face, nodded vigorously.

Despite everything that has happened, Weiss knew that she would always have a place to call home and people to call family. They would always be together.

As a single tear dropped to the ground and transformed into a petal of a vibrant red rose to blow away under their feet, Ruby realized that she wouldn't have it any other way.


See you all next chapter! Happy holidays!

-TheBrokenBottle out.