This chapter was murder! I have no idea why.
The troll is still making vague racist comments in the reviews. Apparently, I can't turn off guest reviews anymore. I can only moderate them, and if I don't say "no" within 72 hours, they get posted anyway.
Which means I'd have to pay more attention to the idiot than I am right now.
Just ignore him. Easier for everyone.
Cover Art: Z-ComiX
Chapter 10
Ruby slammed into Blake scythe first. The steel impacted the kitchen knife Blake had taken from him, somehow sparking along it but not breaking through. Their faces came close for a second, eyes shining once more, Blake's golden, Ruby's silver.
With a hiss, Blake caught Ruby's left arm with her free one and twisted it down, breaking the deadlock. Spinning, she flipped Ruby off her feet and into the kitchenette, slamming the smaller girl up onto the side and knocking a kettle, spice rack and two glasses onto the floor. The latter smashed loudly, and then crunched underfoot as Blake leapt forward, knife held high.
It thunked down into the wooden surface, cutting through several rose petals that suddenly filled the air. The swarm coalesced behind Blake, forming the shape of a figure once more. The scythe scraped across the ceiling as Ruby brought it back, ready to swing down and cut Blake – and his kitchen – in two.
They were going to kill one another. And in his apartment.
"STOP!"
Jaune moved without thinking. He grabbed the pole of Ruby's scythe below the blade and tugged it back, toppling the much shorter girl back onto his bed. She fell with a startled cry. Before Blake could take advantage, he stood between the two of them, hands held out.
Blake watched him warily, crouched like a wild animal, the knife she'd recovered from the kitchen side held in a reverse grip. Her eyes glinted, more like a dog or a cat's than a human's. For a moment, it looked as though she might ignore his attempts to intervene and attack him once more, this time fatally. Then, she sniffed the air, and her eyes dimmed. The knife was lowered.
"I didn't come here to fight," she said. "But that does not give him the right to come into my domain."
"Him…?"
Blake pointed. To Ruby, of all people. He could admit that Ruby was short and not all that developed in the chest area, but she definitely wasn't someone you could mistake for a guy, even with the hoodie up.
"That's a she…"
"It's neither he nor she, at least by your standards. It is male, however."
"What are you talking about?" Ruby yelled, hurrying back to her feet. She had her scythe out once more and tried to work her way around Jaune slowly. He kept cutting her off, which earned him a worried scowl. "Jaune, get behind me. She's not human."
"I know that."
"Then get back! You're not a fighter. I'll protect you."
"No, no, no." Jaune stepped over to block her again, keeping himself between her and Blake. "Not in my apartment. Mrs Mars is going to-"
A hand slammed several times on the door. "Jaune? Jaune, was that you?"
"Oh fuck, she's here." Jaune looked around in a panic. Smashed back window, glass on the floor, two maybe-inhuman creatures in his bedroom, weapons drawn. Obvious damage on the kitchen and a groove cut into the ceiling. "Ruby, get in the bathroom."
"W-What?"
"Get in the bathroom!"
"But what about her-?"
Ruby cut off when he grabbed her arm and hauled her past Blake, who skirted away to give them what room she could. He pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Blake and him in the main room right as Mrs Mars finally got the master key into the lock and opened the door.
"Jaune!" The old lady's eyes found his quickly, and then, even quicker, the smashed glass behind him. "What on Earth happened here, boy? The window. And all that glass on the floor?" Her eyes shot to Blake. "Is she-?"
"It's my fault," Jaune interrupted. "I-I was trying to make Blake a cup of coffee."
Mrs Mars looked unconvinced. "In a glass?"
"Um. Yes."
"Well, there's your problem, Jaune! You can't put boiling water in a glass like that. It'll crack."
"Ah, yeah…" He ran with it, even if it made him look an idiot. "It was my bad, Mrs Mars. The glasses shattered, and I dropped them. And a bit hit the window. I'll pay to have them replaced, don't you worry."
Mrs Mars nodded. "And her?"
Blake stood silently behind him, one hand on her hip, the other – likely holding a knife – behind her back. She still had her grey hood up, but her pale face and yellow eyes watched the old lady carefully. "What about me?" she asked.
"She's just here because she ran out of coffee," he said. "Hence why I was trying to make her some."
"Hmm." Mrs Mars didn't believe them. "I did tell you to watch yourself, Jaune, but it's none of my business." She turned away. It was a miracle she'd missed the damage to the kitchenette, though only because Blake was leaning against it, hiding it. "Make sure to be careful when you clean up. Don't cut yourselves."
"Yes, Mrs Mars." Blake said.
"Thank you, Mrs Mars," Jaune added, closing the door gently behind her. The moment she left, he sagged, locking the door in case anyone else tried to come in. Things were complicated enough as they were. He eyed Blake, "Mrs Mars doesn't seem to trust you."
"Few do. It's not exactly easy for me to blend in with your kind. I have the body, but some mannerisms…" She shrugged. "You were always nervous around me as well. Something shows, even if I don't mean it to."
There was some truth there. There'd always been something about Blake that put him on edge. Something he couldn't place. Perhaps his instincts, and those of other people, naturally rebelled against her, sensing the truth. Or maybe it was as she said, and she just didn't act human enough. Something subtle clued people off.
She didn't seem bothered by it.
Cautiously, Jaune made his way to the bathroom and opened the door. Ruby was there, sat cross-armed atop the toilet with a frown on her face. She didn't look best pleased.
"She's, uh, gone. My landlord, that is. Blake is still here." He felt the need to look at her scythe meaningfully.
"Why is she still here? You know what she is."
"Well, I know that she's Grimm." He winced when Ruby's eyes glinted silver. "But I don't know everything, and it's not like I know much more about you, either."
"I'm a hunter!"
"Blake said you're the same as her. And she called you a he."
"She's lying." Ruby said it quickly, and when he didn't immediately accept it, her eyes narrowed. "What, do you need me to prove it to you? I'm not going to do that. Yang would kill you if I did."
"That's not what I-" Jaune trailed off with a sigh. Ruby was being defensive, both around him and Blake. If she didn't want to tell him anything, she wouldn't. There wasn't much point in pushing. "Look, if I let you out, can you agree to not attack Blake? I don't think she came here with the intent of harming me."
Not this time, anyway.
"You shouldn't trust her," Ruby whispered. She did put her scythe away, however.
"I'm not sure who to trust at the moment." He hadn't meant it as an insult, but Ruby looked hurt. "I trust you and I… I don't trust Blake, but she could have killed me if she wanted to. She had me at her mercy."
"I can still hear the two of you," Blake called from the main apartment. "If you want to have a discussion in the bathroom, I can leave."
Ruby scowled and pushed her way past, leaving the room to confront the Grimm-monster. Jaune caught up and put a hand on her shoulder, ready to pull her back if she tried to draw her weapon. Fortunately, Blake had left hers on the kitchen side.
Stabbed into it, that was. So much for easily hiding the damage.
But first, might as well address the demon in the room. Or demons.
"Ruby, Blake hasn't attacked me and did save me from a Grimm before I found you. I don't fully know why or what's going on, but if she wanted me dead, I'd be dead." He looked to Blake. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"I came to make peace. Initially, it was to explain that you had Awakened, but once I smelled you coming back, I realised… I thought you were taken. I decided to make peace instead. Neither is important now, but I'm not here to harm you."
"Is he supposed to believe that?" Ruby hissed.
"He can believe what he wants. It is not your place to decide, little hunter." Ruby bristled at the address. "Besides, I have dwelled here for years now and you have neither heard of nor found me. Does that not tell you something of my movements?"
"That you're stealthy."
Blake rolled her eyes. "That I have done nothing to draw attention. I maintain my domain, doing the work you proclaim as your own. He may stay here," she said, looking to him again. "He will have protection so long as I live here."
"Don't believe her," Ruby whispered. "She's a Grimm. She'll kill you when you least expect it, when you let your guard down. That's all they do. That's all they've ever done!"
"You hardly know me, little girl."
"I know enough!" Ruby yelled. "I've seen what you do. I've seen what your kind does to their victims."
"In that case, you ought to be aware of how easily I could have slain him if I wished. He Awakened many nights ago, long before you brought him into your fold. All that time, he was vulnerable. Had I cared."
Ruby glared at her. "You can't think I'll not tell the hunters where you are."
"I don't care to think what you do or don't do. It's not my life in danger. Slay me here and not only will you risk anyone you send to face me, but you'll be putting Jaune at risk. As well as every other resident in my domain." Blake stepped past Ruby, toward the door. She paused as she did, the two girls cheek to cheek. Blake calm, Ruby quivering. "Think on that, little hunter."
The moment Blake left, Ruby turned her glower onto him.
"How could you trust her!?"
"Uh. I don't?" He sat down on the bed with a sigh. "But I'm not going to start a fight with someone – sorry, something – I can't hope to beat."
"She's taken over a person-"
"She's dead," Jaune confirmed, earning a horrified expression from Ruby. "Blake told me she killed her years ago. Is it true no one has ever found her? She said I'd be able to find out she meant no harm by how many she's killed over the years."
"I-I don't know. Ozpin might know, but what does that matter? She's a Grimm. We need to kill her."
"Ruby…"
"Or maybe not us. You're not a fighter. I can get Yang here in half an hour, though. We can storm her apartment, kill her and-"
"Are you even listening to yourself? Storm her apartment. In the middle of the day. You'd be arrested long before Blake would. Then what would you tell the police? Oh sorry, sir, but she's actually a demon from another dimension. Don't arrest me."
Ruby's face was bright red. "Well what do you suggest we do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing!? She's a killer. She-"
"Has already killed the person she was going to." His voice was tired, his body even more so. Any pleasure he had from a day out with Ren and Nora had been washed away by now. "I'll talk to Ozpin," he promised, "but that's all I'll do. I'm not going to start a fight with her, and I'm not going to be anywhere near here if you're going to."
"B-But what about the person's body she took?"
"Dead." He shrugged. "Believe me, I don't like that, but there's not much I can do about it." He let out a sigh and brought both hands up to his face. "Ruby, she said someone on her end was hunting my soul."
Ruby gasped. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and her eyes – still an unnatural silver – glinted with horror just a little too personal.
"You know something…"
"N-No, I don't." Ruby shook her head. "But maybe we could ask Ozpin."
Jaune stood. Without meaning to, he stalked towards her, pushing the smaller girl back against the wall. "No. You know something. My soul… I don't want to die like this, Ruby. If you know something, you have to tell me."
"I don't know anything!"
"Ruby, please!"
"I-I have to talk to Ozpin," she said. Before he could stop her, she turned to petals before him, floating past his body and reforming on the other side. With one jump, she leapt out the smashed window and away.
"And what am I supposed to do?"
Jaune sagged onto the bed once more. Ruby knew something, that much was obvious. Blake did, too, but neither were giving him any answers. At least with Blake he could understand her not caring about his soul or safety. Ruby was supposed to be different.
Her eyes were the same as Blake's, so she was the same. A Grimm or something. Didn't feel like it, but it was hard to think of her as a normal girl when she swung that scythe around, or randomly turned into flower petals. She was as inhuman as Blake, maybe more so.
Did he trust either of them? Just Ruby? Just Blake? Both? Neither?
Ozpin and Ruby had been good to him, but then so had Rebecca and for far longer. She'd looked after him for months, let him use her office, lent an ear to his problems. Then she'd gone and tried to make him a virgin sacrifice.
Trust didn't come quite so easily after that.
/-/
"You'll be fine here, Weiss," one of the maids said. "Vale's not as busy as New York, but it has its charm. You'll see."
"I suppose I will." Weiss purposefully avoided making eye contact with the woman. If she did, she would see the pity in her eyes. They thought her mad. Touched in the head, or by the devil her old tutor might have said.
Sometimes Weiss felt like she was.
"I can show you to your room if you like. Or maybe you'd like to have something to eat?"
What she would like would be for the woman to stop talking to her as if she were a child, or someone ill enough to require the constant, soft tone. It was as one might speak to a baby or someone with a disability.
To be fair, the makeup she wore could not entirely hide the bags under her eyes. She'd slept on the flight, a rare treat but one she felt would be safest. They couldn't reach her thirty-thousand feet in the air, surely. Even so, her body hadn't yet caught up with all the sleep it had lost. Her eyes were heavy and the bags under them visible.
"My room will suffice," she said, realising that the silence was them awaiting a response. "Thank you. Will you see my bags delivered?"
"Of course. Your father-"
"I do not wish to hear anything from my father, thank you."
"O-Of course." The maid winced. "In the meanwhile, you've been enrolled at a local school. We've been instructed to let you avoid it if you feel unwell, however. The faculty there have been made aware of your… um…"
"My special circumstances?" Weiss sneered.
"Yes."
"Thank you, Cassandra. My room, please. I would like to rest."
She didn't know them, not really. Weiss didn't know this home, either. Bought by her father on a whim, an investment, it was smaller than what she was used to. A decent-sized townhouse with three stories, tall windows in some English style, Edwardian, she thought. The décor was neutral in every regard, cream walls, beige skirting, white ceiling. Floorboards and carpets gave the occasional warmth, but the pale grey or white furniture took it away again.
It had the feel of a house never lived in. A home that had never been a home. Not that New York had been that, but she'd at least had friends there. People she knew. Not that they stuck with me once they heard what I could see.
They hadn't believed her. Just how her father hadn't.
Not even Winter…
No. She wouldn't think on it. Weiss looked away and followed Cassandra, pretending that she was listening as the woman explained the purpose of each room. She would discover them later as she wandered through, so it was all worthless for now. The other maids hurried for her suitcases, none noticing that Weiss clenched her fingers under her white blouse, concealing a knife in her waistband. Touching the handle helped calm her, though it would have the opposite effect on them if they found out.
Still, she was hardly going to go to bed without a weapon.
"This is to be your room," Cassandra said. "It's the master bedroom and would have been your father's, but, well, with the campaign and all he's not going to come here anytime soon. We thought you might like the extra space."
She didn't, but it was a thoughtful gesture nonetheless. "Thank you."
The room was as unused as any other. A large bed that had seen no one sleep in it, huge windows with great, flowing curtains leading out to a balcony that would look over the street below. Vale was busy but compared to New York it might as well have been deserted. Cars drove by, but the sound was muted.
Along the back wall was a door leading to an en-suite bathroom. Beside it, built into the same wall, a walk-in wardrobe. A chest of drawers flanked the wall opposite the queen-sized bed with its white sheets, while a small, elegant bedside table made of marble twisted up from the floor with a vase of flowers sat atop it. It was filled with fragrant lilies.
Weiss noted it more for the glass vase, which might make for wickedly sharp tools to use if she lost her knife. And, of course, the sound it would make it if shattered. The sound that had haunted her dreams and nights for almost three weeks now.
It was absent for now, but she did not dare hope the noise of falling glass would leave forever.
How did it come to this? I never used to be this way…
"Is it to your liking, Miss Schnee?"
"It is. Thank you." She drew a deep breath and let it go. "You and everyone here have done well. You have my gratitude."
The woman smiled. "Thank you. If there is anything you need, anything at all…"
"I will call for you."
"Yes." The woman bowed and backed away. At the door, however, she paused. "Um, Miss Schnee…"
Weiss sighed. "Yes?"
"There is… Your father… he has arranged for a doctor to come and see you. He will arrive this evening, in an hour and a half." The woman paused as Weiss' hands tightened. Her eyes clenched shut. "I know you might not feel up to it, Miss Schnee, but your father… he said it wasn't something you have a choice over."
Or them, Cassandra seemed to say.
Weiss battled with her anger. Battled and lost. But she refused to become her father, refused to lash out at those who did not deserve her ire.
"Thank you for letting me know. You may send him to me when he arrives."
"We will. Welcome to Vale, Miss Schnee."
Weiss stared out the window as the door closed behind her. In the reflection of the glass, she saw her own face. She'd once been beautiful. Perfectly manicured, presentable and proud of the fact. Now, her skin sagged and her eyes were haunted.
She looked a wretch. A mad wretch.
"Welcome to Vale," she whispered to herself. "Likely my last resting place…"
/-/
It was dark again.
The darkness spread in every direction, tinted with a dark blue on the edges of his vision.
Water. He was underwater.
It didn't feel like it.
It wasn't wet, nor was it cold. In fact, he couldn't feel it on his skin at all, even if his body was still suspended in it. Experimentally, he waved his hands forward and found himself swimming through it. The resistance was there, but nothing more.
For some reason, the fact he was deep underwater didn't startle him. Didn't make him panic. He wasn't breathing – holding his breath – yet his lungs didn't hurt at all. It felt like he didn't need to breathe, like it didn't matter.
A gentle current tugged at him. He moved in it slightly, but it wasn't strong. It led down, down into the inky black far below. There was no seabed, no reefs or even a landmark to go by. Just empty ocean in every direction, though darker below and lighter above.
Without thinking about it, he followed the current, let it pull him down, and even started to kick his legs to get there faster. There was no risk of drowning, that much he knew, so what was the point of swimming up? What was the rush?
He had to go deeper. It just felt right.
Drip-Drip
It felt like hours he swam. Down and down, never once drawing breath, never once feeling like he had to. The water around him became darker and darker as the sun's rays became weaker, failing to pierce so deep. Still, the ocean's floor eluded him. There was no sea life either, no fish or even a hint of colour to break up the midnight blue water. Impossibly clear, even with so little light, it stretched on in every direction.
Why was he going down again?
Drip-Drip
Oh…
That was right.
He had to.
H-H-Had t-to…
Drip - Splash
He gripped his head between his hands as a fresh wave of something came over him. White noise, a headache, a buzz that threatened to drown him more surely than the ocean ever had. It was gone within a second, but it had felt so overpowering for a moment, as if he'd been hit by a truck. His heart was beating wildly, as if it might burst at any moment.
Drip-Drip
D-Deeper. He had to go deeper. Faster.
Why faster?
He didn't know. The only thing he knew was that his arms and legs were moving, pushing and pulling his body further down, toward the dark which, for some reason, looked inviting. Safe. If he could get to the dark, he could hide. Be safe. Be-
Splash
G-G—Ghh…
His eyes rolled up. Bubbles burst from his mouth. His entire body rocked back in the water, seizing up as the noise hit him again. It washed over his whole body, making his skin vibrate like mad. It felt like it might shatter under the strain of it. That he might shatter.
Something in the distance caught his eye.
Because it was the only thing, not only in the distance but in existence at all.
A dim, yellow light. Large. Round. Shining. It reminded him of a car's headlight through a heavy fog, one that penetrated so thinly that you could look into it and not be blinded. It even had the beam that came from it, a conical light that faintly illuminated the dark.
Drip-Drip
It was… sashaying? A side to side movement, impossibly slow and yet somehow fluid. The fog light's glare swept over him for half a second. When it did, his body seized up. His eyes bulged. The pain lasted barely any time after it had gone.
Something…
Something wasn't right.
Drip-Drip
His heart was racing.
Drip-Drip
His heartbeat was… different…
Drip-Drip
Something, something inside of him, gave way.
Drip – Splash
The light fixated on him immediately, streaming through the water with sudden haste, landing on him – paralysing him. The sound slammed into his head, choking his body. A second light panned through the water, on the edge of his vision. Two yellow orbs, two lights. There was a darkness behind it, too, visible only because of the light before it.
Big.
Big.
So big.
So big.
So bright.
So… So… pain…
Splash – Splash – Splash
His lips moved, almost against his own control. Forming words, even if they were useless so deep underwater. Even so, the words – the words whispered in his own voice - reached his ears. The voice was alien, even if it was his. He didn't recognise it. The very water around him vibrated, heated up. Jaune's skin boiled.
"I see you."
Closer.
Closer.
Bright.
Big.
Terrible.
Bubbles.
Red bubbles.
Blood.
Buzzing. Sound. Pain. Threatening… overpower-
"BZZZZZTTTTT!"
/-/
"BZZZZZTTTTT!"
Jaune's eyes slammed open. His body lurched up, mouth gasping for breath he didn't need – too much, too suddenly, and he choked on it. He rolled onto his side, coughing to clear his airways. Beside his head, on the dresser, the alarm he'd set buzzed angrily.
His heart was still racing. The steady thump-thump was audible in his ears.
Swallowing, Jaune shivered, both in fear and from the chill from outside. The window Ruby had crashed through was still broken, the shards across the floor. They'd have to be dealt with tomorrow, because he could see the sun setting behind the buildings in the distance.
It was nearly dusk.
Shit.
Throwing his feet over the edge of the bed, Jaune stood and rushed for the counter, grabbing his keys, wallet and phone. As a last thought, he grabbed Monday's homework as well. It might be possible to do it between any treatment at the Beacon. Checking his watch, he swore when he saw it was 7:45. The Grimm would be out soon. Not soon enough to put him at risk of having to go to Blake for protection, but enough that he'd need to catch a taxi again. At least this time he knew where to go.
Rushing out the door and locking it behind him, Jaune dashed to the end of the balcony and took the stairs two at a time. He hit the bottom right as Mrs Mars stepped out, forcing a smile on his face lest she think something wrong.
"Oh Jaune, going out on one of your runs?"
"Ah, um, yeah. Did you want me to take a letter again?"
"You are sweet. Not this time, thank you. But you shouldn't be out in the cold weather straight after a shower. You'll catch your death from the cold."
Jaune paused. "A shower?"
"Your hair, sweetie," the old lady said, pointing to her own. "It's soaking wet."
Curious, Jaune brought a hand up, finding it so. It wasn't just damp from sweat either, but dripping, like he'd come out from a shower and given his head only the most cursory towelling. He brought his wet hand down before his face. His eyes widened. "R-Right, I'll keep that in mind next time."
"You do that, Jaune. Have a good night."
"You too." he said, laughing. His voice was stretched, panicked. It wasn't a Nightmare tonight, so his Soul in the other would was safe, at least that was what Blake said. He had time to try and find a solution, and Ozpin might have something he could work with. In the meantime, he was safe. He was supposed to be safe.
But the scent of saltwater drifted from his hand, and his hair.
For some reason, this chapter really didn't want to be written. No idea what it was. Might be me feeling out of it or something, but it took twice as long as it really should have and came out in a state I'm not really happy with. Sheesh.
Ah well, such is life.
Might be a tad short as a result, but it's getting very late here and I just don't have any more I can add this chapter. Ruby would reveal too much, Yang isn't necessary and Ren and Nora are just preparing for school.
Next Chapter: 2nd December
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur