Chapter 21 – Scattering Roses

"As I was saying, Vic made it back, we bid farewell to Luke and Kenny and I promised my mother posthumously that I would not let her dreams end there; that one day I would see the changed world in all its glory. For the next six years Adam and I's bond grew ever stronger. He trained in the Iaido style of combat and quickly set about teaching me himself." A brief smile flashed on Blake's face, the memory sweeter than those that would follow.

"We had a few more run-ins with humans, but nothing came close to the violence of that first protest. Over time differences were being made, but they were insignificant; illusions of power designed to quell the Faunus uprising. Nothing actually changed in the real world…" her eyes shut tight and she took a deep breath, images of the triumvirate flashing through her mind. "Except for our leadership that is; the leader I had bonded with stepped down, and a triumvirate rose to take his place.

My father stayed on as did Adam and I…" Her lips now turned to a frown as she revisited her sins. "We had no idea exactly what was to come when we were told that we may be required to do things we regret…" a sadistically sour laugh escaped her throat, reminding her of the searing pain inflicted by Weiss earlier "or that there was no "may" about it…"

"Stop."

Blake's gaze immediately met Weiss's half-expecting the word to have been spoken by her. Yang pointed to Ruby before striding over to meet the rest of her team, hand gripping Myrtenaster as she did so.

"I don't want to know any of this in detail… Just tell me: Did you kill anybody?"

A silence swept over the train car. Every single person swallowed hard apart from Ruby, her eyes again transfixed to Blake's, her own emotions swept away as she focussed all her energy on reading her girlfriend. Blake slowly, solemnly nodded and Weiss and Yang gulped again. "Two humans…" she added, tears welling in her eyes yet again.

Ruby disguised a smile as she cross-referenced what Blake's and Adam's claims. "Tell me about them."

Blake hesitated for a few moments, taking the short amount of time to prepare herself "Well…" she finally began "The first victim came from our first mission, I had yet to acquire Gambol Shroud and so was given a standard katana, I had no idea why; I mean, we were peaceful, weren't we?" Blake let out a disgusted laugh before continuing. "Turns out that our friendly protest was an attack on Rosenkov InDustries…"

"You've GOT to be kidding me…" Yang exclaimed in disbelief.

"Nope." was all Blake replied nonchalantly. "The idea was that they had no reason to expect it, sure they were powerful and well-defended; after all they were, and still are, one of the leading manufacturers in security mechs. We were told the change of plan on the ship. I don't know why we agreed, perhaps I felt like I owed the White Fang for everything they gave me, perhaps it was how I believed I could keep my unheard promise to Paige, or perhaps I was just a frightened sheep in a pride of lions… But I agreed to it… Looking back maybe a part of Adam WANTED to partake."

"I'm assuming things didn't quite go as planned." interrupted Weiss.

"For the most part everything went smooth enough, the guards were caught off-guard and were neutralised quickly, I don't know if any of them were killed as I didn't fight; Adam said those that he fought he simply knocked unconscious. The problem came when we were securing the crates…" she visibly flinched, clear self-resentment and blame in her amber irises. "One of the security guards went unnoticed, they stabbed Adam through the chest and I was left alone, and panicking, with a guard looking to kill me. I wasn't anywhere near as good as Adam was, or as good as I am today."

Blake's breathing pitched as she reminisced on a memory long buried. "I didn't know HOW to incapacitate him without using lethal force. During the encounter I saw an opening and took it, my only concern was for my brother; my blade sunk into flesh." She swallowed heavily, her voice now reduced to a croak. "I didn't mean to pierce his heart…" Blake took a deep breath, every last ounce of her remaining might battling back the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.

Ruby hid another smile, hope and relief were washing over her as yet another story matched Adam's. Yang had now sunk to the floor and was succouring Blake too. She had handed Weiss her rapier back and Weiss had fixed it to her thigh. "And the second incident?" asked Ruby, urging her on.

Everyone was beginning to question Ruby internally, she was far too direct, and there was no sign of any of her own previous emotions. She was frighteningly apathetic considering the inner turmoil that was practically emanating off of her beforehand. Blake paid it no mind and continued on.

"Well… following the first mission a lot of people began to have second thoughts, myself and my father included… Adam couldn't really have a voice; he was in the hospital following the assault. Before any action could be taken Luke came to see me by Adam's bedside… Vic was dead…" Blake's lip quivered slightly before she steeled herself, even still she felt both Ruby and Yang's hands find their ways into her raven locks. "He was killed in what was described as a hate crime. That criminal was the first, and to this day, only life I ever took maliciously. It was Gambol Shroud's first kill…"

Weiss felt herself fighting back her own tears, out of the corner of her eyes she saw Ruby fail to hide a smile and from the other Yang's face lacked an expression. As she thought back it dawned on her that Yang had never actually said anything about Blake at all today. At first she was in denial and, ever since that wall was torn down, they had to let it fall by the way side in order to search for Ruby.

Even now she masked whatever she herself was feeling expertly well. She was there for Blake, but at the same time she had her eyes trained on Ruby; and, unlike Ruby, Yang's embrace of Blake seemed strangely lacking in intensity, there was nothing behind it. Glancing back to Ruby she saw that her partner had once again hid that smile that had Weiss curious and the interrogator that she had been for the last ten minutes returned. "And what happened after that?"

"I was an emotional wreck, despite telling myself that he deserved it, despite resenting the man I killed; I loathed myself more-I felt like a monster. I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror without seeing a murderer, someone that was no better than the man I had sentenced to death. I felt sick to my stomach every time I gazed at the family photos of myself, Adam, Paige and Vic during better, more peaceful times. I knew there was no way they would ever have wanted this, not for me, not for Adam, not for the White Fang. But…" she sighed at the memories of her submission, how easily she fell in line. "But my decision was made. I had nowhere else to go and Adam was beginning to accept the new White Fang's way of thinking. I had a reason to stay and nowhere to run. I stayed on, hoping deep down that one day soon, something would change."

"That's not that I asked…" said Ruby, her voice was entirely phlegmatic and to the point. Yang flinched, as did Weiss, neither had seen Ruby like this before. Blake was entirely ignorant of Ruby's behaviour and mood. She had made a promise and she was going to keep it. Ruby deserved to ask the questions, and Blake deserved every bit of how Ruby was treating her.

"I refused to kill, it was something that was taken note of but ignored by the triumvirate, the White Fang saw me as a valuable symbol; a role model." Another disgusted, silent laugh escaped Blake; her tone grew harsher, frustration bubbling. "That sickened me, because I was a role model to young kids-a poster child; but it wasn't because I was near pacifistic to humans and Faunus alike," her voice had now begun raising to a shout as the anger washed over her "it was because I was a goddamn child prodigy to them. A loyal and incredibly skilled soldier raised by the White Fang themselves…" Her voice reduced to a near whisper, however at that instant it was more venomous, repugnant and forlorn then Weiss had ever heard from the girl. "I was a fucking mascot for an organisation I resented…"

Weiss shook her head; the White Fang were becoming more sickening with each new detail she discovered. "Surely someone had to have agreed with you, you said before that a lot of the people from that first mission doubted the new regime didn't you?"

"Of course, I wasn't the only one to try and protect humans, just one of few who could do it publicly. There was another girl, and a single male who led this pacifistic movement. We would do as commanded by the triumvirate, but we always did it clean. When and wherever possible casualties and damages were kept to a minimum, the most I ever did was knock out my enemies." A prideful smile tugged at Blake's lips but she fought it back, reminding herself that it changed nothing. "Mechs were a different story obviously." she off-handedly added upon seeing a raised eyebrow from Weiss.

Blake's gaze fell to the floor again. "Even still I could feel Adam slipping, with each mission he became more aggressive and violent, and he was becoming jaded by our lack of progress. During our last mission he wanted to kill the crew even though our objective was to secure the Dust and get out. The crew wasn't a threat, the White Fang hadn't even bothered labelling them as expendable…" her voice had raised back to a shout, her emotions raging as she recollected every bad memory; every regret or trauma. That same voice softened almost immediately.

"Something about seeing him like that had awakened me from my naïve state of mind; I'd lost Adam and only committed MORE sins whilst trying to save him. When the Spider Droid came I saw an opening and severed the train car, and that was that."

"WAIT!" interrupted Weiss, trying her best to keep her voice low. "You've skipped a few details… This Dust is the self-same shipment that my father's company lost twelve months ago, correct?"

"Yes." was all Blake's responded whilst getting ready for an outburst. It never came and Blake looked into Wiess's eyes. There was no anger, no hate. There was gratitude. For the first time since the morning of that day Weiss strode over to Blake, pulled her to her feet, resulting in Yang and Ruby falling atop each other and embraced the Faunus.

"…Then you were the reason why our transport crew was saved…" she whispered, barely loud enough for Ruby or Yang to hear. "There were fourteen people on that train… fourteen innocent lives that were nearly stolen alongside that damned Dust. Or at least that's what daddy told me." The lack of teasing, sarcasm or snarky comments from Yang or Blake pained Weiss, she wasn't expecting to but she longed for the normality of it all.

Blake hugged Weiss back, savouring every moment of her friend's embrace driven by the realisation that it could very well be the last. Weiss was the first to pull away, her face hard as stone, locked in that usual serious expression. "Were you part of Operation Snowfall?" she blurted out suddenly.

Blake's heart was in her mouth, she could feel her pulse pounding against her skin, fear gripping her as Weiss asked the one question Blake didn't want to answer. Weiss already knew the answer, and Blake knew that, but actually admitting it caused Blake more anxiety, pain and fear than everything she'd said up to this point. "What's Operation Snowfall?" Ruby asked hesitantly, for the first time in ten minutes the cautious, curious, scared Ruby of old was back.

"Operation Snowfall was the White Fang's first and, to my knowledge, only attempt at bringing down the Schnee Dust Company." Cut in Blake. "They couldn't actually target President Schnee himself, he was far too connected to the heads of power controlling Vale. Instead they targeted the one person that would shatter him psychologically, getting him to destroy the company himself:" she swallowed hard, Yang and Ruby jumped to the right conclusion and Weiss winced. "Weiss Schnee."

"So that's a yes?" Weiss asked matter-of-factly.

Blake grimaced, turning away from Weiss instinctively before forcing herself to meet the heiress's cold and knowing gaze. "Yes." She admitted before quickly adding "but I didn't even know the name of our target, I was kept in the dark because they didn't know what I'd do! I NEVER even laid eyes upon-"

Weiss's hand found its way back to Blake's shoulder, it wasn't out of pity or reassurance, the look in her eyes wasn't one of forgiveness or recognition. It was understanding, Weiss knew of Blake's involvement, and understood why, that was all there was to it. She didn't forgive her, didn't forget, but at the same time didn't despise her and didn't judge. "Relax Blake, I believe you…"

Blake breathed a sigh of relief, the knots in her stomach disappearing for a single moment that the four girls revelled for the short time that it lasted. Then the brakes sounded and the train car came to a stop. And with the end of the train line came the need to ask one last question. Blake gulped knowing she'd be the one to have to ask it. "So… where do we go from here?"

The silence reappeared, clinging to existence. Despite everything that had happened today, no one actually knew the answer to that one single question. Ruby gave Blake a small, sweet and innocent smile but Yang jumped in before her sister could say anything. "I think it would be best if we all just took some time for ourselves… Every last one of us has at least something we need to figure out, and no matter how hard we try settling this together, this just isn't something we can overcome as a team, it's up to each of us as individuals to decide-"

"But I've already-"

"ESPECIALLY you Ruby…" groaned Yang venomously cutting off her younger sister, Ruby winced and her smile faded but she didn't challenge her elder, she sank back down to the floor defeated. "This is something each of us needs to figure out on our own."

Blake cast a glance towards Ruby and was stung by the girl's submissive posture; she really was willing to forgive her simply for the sake of their relationship. "Yang's right Ruby, you all need to come to terms with this on your own. I'll ask Velvet if she has a spare bed in her dorm, Weiss will no doubt want to go and see her father." She turned to face the heiress who curtly nodded. "And that leaves you and Yang to figure out who gets our dorm and who gets Team Juniper's, I'm sure they'll want to do all they can to help."

"Ruby gets Juniper's." Yang said with an air of finality, Blake smiled as did Weiss; neither wanted to admit but the thought of Ruby on her own whilst processing this scared the hell out of both of them. The thought of Yang being on her own also scared Weiss half to death but Yang's decisions were almost always non-negotiable. She tried taking solace in the fact that Yang was by far the toughest out of all of them, it wasn't enough, but it was something.

"Then… I guess we're done for now." said Weiss as she forced the sliding door of the train car open before turning back to her teammates. "You guys go back to the dorm; Yang make sure both Ruby AND Blake are okay before you let either of them leave, I don't want to come back to find that today's injuries have made my decision for me…" Weiss cringed at the dark "joke".

"Of course." replied Yang earning a warm smile in response from Weiss whom turned to Blake. The look on her face offered Blake an apology but Blake just shook her head and smiled in return, letting her know that it wasn't needed.

"Then I guess this is goodbye… for now…" Weiss exclaimed before hopping from the train and disappearing into the night.

It was midnight by the time Team RWBY sans Weiss were finally ready to part ways. Yang, true to her word, checked and double checked every wound received by both her partner and her sister before letting them leave. She demanded Blake get a check up on her ribs and lungs the next morning before kissing Ruby goodbye.

As the door closed Yang's personal barriers collapsed, she fell to the ground and let everything out; she promised to be strong for Ruby, and that promise was extended to Weiss and Blake when they became her teammates. That promise was never once extended to herself. On her own she didn't need to be anything more than truthful. And in this case the truth was more psychologically painful and emotionally jarring than she'd ever felt before.

"So even the almighty Miss Xiao Long cries?"

Yang raised her head, hands manically wiping away the tears that clouded her vision, soaked her face and made her eyes string. She recognised that voice; it could only belong to one person. "What are you doing here Weiss?"

Weiss stepped out of the shadows, a frown on her face as she gave Yang a caring onceover. "Let's just say I made a promise to Ruby a long time ago… and extended that promise to you. I'm gonna be the best teammate you'll ever have." Weiss said as she stepped into the moon's rays, her hand swatting at the lamp and turning it on; illuminating the broken blonde girl in a matching yellow light. "And tonight you need someone to be there for you." She reached a hand out to the blonde, an affectionate smile attempting to soothe the girl's emotions. "As much as you want to do this alone; you can't. At least not right away. So tonight, before I return home, I figured I'd play the role of Yang Xiao Long."

Yang sniffed, dashing away the last of her tears before taking Weiss's hand in her own and, with the help of the more petite girl, shifted up onto her knees bringing herself almost to shoulder height of the tiny porcelain frame that was her sister's partner. Weiss took a few steps forward and crushed Yang in a tight hug; if today was any indication then warm, caring embraces seemed to be going out of fashion. "Thanks Weiss." Yang whispered whilst nuzzling into the nape of the heiress's neck.

"I don't need your thanks Yang; I need to know what is going on inside that head of yours…" Weiss pulled away giving Yang a peck on the forehead, her hands resting on the cheeks of her friend. "Now talk."

Neither Blake nor Ruby knew what to do. It was now midnight and the duo were left standing outside in the cold, dark hallway that bridged the gap between Team RWBY's dorm room and Team JNPR's dorm room. During the short trip from the train station back to the academy it had reached almost freezing temperature.

Blake, entirely unsure about how to proceed with the current situation just stood in silence leaning against Team RWBY's wall; she could've sworn she could hear a faint whimper from behind it but brushed it off. Yang wants to be alone; if she wasn't going to be okay then she wouldn't have made us leave. Blake's mind came full circle as she remembered exactly why they were waiting in the hall; Team JNPR was currently busy running various errands and Blake promised Yang that she'd wait with Ruby. She also didn't question why Ruby couldn't have waited in their dorm room with Yang, but upon hearing the sounds seeping through the thick walls she could now make an educated guess.

Her gaze met Ruby's, amber and silver eyes just staring into the entrancing chasms of one another. Ruby had lost herself and her breathing hitched; her cold breaths visible in the air. Blake found herself mesmerised by Ruby's every feature, committing each flawless detail to memory one last time before her thoughts wandered to the near freezing breeze that swept the corridor, she could barely even feel the sharp bite. It was so tranquil, so peaceful; completely ignorant of the chaos, pain and suffering that had befallen Team RWBY in just 24 hours, 24 incredibly short but seemingly unending hours.

Then Ruby moved and it made Blake jump. The redhead began striding forward, failing to stop as she neared Blake; the cat Faunus was in shock for reasons that confounded her. She felt Ruby's arm encircle her body, trapping the lithe frame of the girl she loved against her own. Blake gave a pained gulped before bringing her own, still trapped arms, around to the small of Ruby's back in an awkward attempt to reciprocate.

It took several minutes before the youthful teen finally pulled away, releasing her paramour. The redhead's cold and callous hands worked their way down Blake's bared arms sending a shiver down the older girl's spine that she longed to never leave her if it meant Ruby would stay too. Her girlfriend's fingers traced their way across the underside of her forearms, brushing softly over the open palms of her hand. They came to rest for a moment entwined with Blake's own, the sensation fleeting and leaving Blake desiring more when she pulled her hands away.

"Ruby… please don't-" Blake began to plead when it seemed apparent that Ruby was actually teasing her at a time like this but was cut off by Ruby's hands gripping the girl's shoulders and pulling her forward into a heated kiss. Blake melted against her best friend's body and started savouring the taste of her lips, the smell of strawberries in her hair.

For several minutes they remained like that, free from the day of madness and unobservable destruction; several minutes that felt like both an eternity and a single breath to Blake before her rational mind kicked in and she pulled away ever so slightly, breaking the kiss without breaking touch with Ruby's body. "This isn't what you want-" she began, her heart breaking on the inside.

"No Blake!" Ruby shouted, her voice raising and likely being heard by her sister. "You and Yang can't possibly know what I want…" she pulled further away from Blake, her girlfriend's hands freeing the redhead's body and instead opting to rest on her shoulders.

Ruby's eyes closed and she let out a sigh before opening them. "Look, I know that you're just trying to do what's best for me, both of you are. But at the end of the day only I know what is going on with me. Only I decide what happens to me." Blake opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by another short kiss. "ME. NOT YOU." Ruby said defiantly when she pulled away and Blake couldn't suppress a smile. "What is it?" Ruby asked curious.

"Exact what I'd hoped to hear after this week of hell is over…" she admitted hesitantly before giving her girlfriend a peck on her cheek. She pulled away, her hands raising to the sides of Ruby's neck where they joined once more, the strange warmth of Blake's touch chasing away the cold that assaulted Ruby's body. Ruby's own hands traced Blake's sides before being tactfully placed on her exposed hip. Blake tensed, enjoying the cold sensation before letting out a sigh. Ruby's eye brows furrowed questioningly. "And it still is." she finally said.

She could see the fire in Ruby's eyes; the girl was defiant to the end. Ruby would never surrender, never lose hope and certainly wouldn't leave without being pried away. And so Blake did just that. She hated herself for it, knew Ruby would likely punish her for it, if only a little but it needed to be done.

Her fingers disentangled, arms falling to her sides where they pulled away Ruby's own. Ruby's body stiffened as her frustration grew but she pushed it away, refusing to get mad at the one she loved. "We all agreed to spend the next week away from one another to clear our heads and to come to terms with what we, or those around us, have done." Blake crouched down and brought her hands up to rest on Ruby's upper arms, flinching at feeling her muscles contract.

"Just promise me, for me, or for Yang, if not for you, that you will think about everything, about Weiss, about Yang… about us." Ruby's posture softened and relaxed, another sigh escaping her lips. "Whether or not you're ready to make a decision, I personally need this week; I need to know that this is what you want; and you said it yourself: I can't know that right now, but I can at least believe it by next week." Once more amber and silver met and Ruby gave a small smile that Blake reciprocated. "Please just… promise me, promise us, that you'll take this week to clear your mind too."

Ruby's gaze fell to the ground and she groaned immaturely. Blake chuckled as the petulant, irresponsible Ruby of old appeared for what could be a single final memory to be gained. "Fine!" Ruby whined as Blake got to her feet and embraced the redhead once more.

"Thank you." Blake said gratefully before giving Ruby another peck on the cheek. As she went to pull away she felt Ruby trap her once more, squeezing her in a tight embrace. When she was released she just looked at Ruby with a single eye brow raised.

"You didn't say I couldn't still love you until I decided I didn't…" One sentence, that was all it took to make Blake shiver. The very prospect of Ruby leaving her suddenly returning, she had forced Ruby to take the week to re-evaluate but now feared the results. She hadn't expected Ruby herself to say it was a possibility…

She put on her best façade. "Stubborn as a mule." She quipped, groaning internally at the cliché. Ruby let out a soft giggle that both confounded Blake and warmed her heart. This was a far cry from the Ruby that was on the train. She didn't admit it then but she feared that Ruby, feared for that Ruby. And yet at the end of the day both that Ruby and the Ruby she was speaking with were one and the same. Thank God she'll be with friends…

Blake's thoughts were interrupted by the group in question bounding up the start. They greeted Ruby and asked Blake what was going on but both were as vague as possible without arousing suspicion. Ruby made no attempt to engage with Jaune or Nora and Blake's only spoken words that weren't an ambiguous answer were her checking on Pyrrha after spying the bandage that peeked over her corset. The first chance she got Blake excused herself and departed with a final kiss from Ruby, heading to Velvet's dorm room.

When Ruby was certain Blake was out of ear shot she let herself fall to the floor, a depressive, heart-breaking mewl escaping. Pyrrha was by her side in an instant. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah it's just…" Ruby began whilst gazing off in the direction Blake had disappeared. She didn't want this week. She wanted her family. She wanted Yang, Blake and Weiss; neigh she NEEDED them. "It's nothing…" The anguish, remorse and terror in Ruby's voice belied the certainty, her own emotions betraying her.

Pyrrha hesitated and eyed Ruby suspiciously before letting it slide. "Then come on, I'm sure we could all do with some rest." The younger redhead nodded and Pyrrha turned to open the door, exchanging glances with the rest of her team. A tense silence followed as JNPR's dorm room door creaked open and then there was nothing, until…

"BAGSY NOT SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR!" shouted Nora as Team Juniper and Ruby entered, the door shutting behind them. "OW! You know that technically counts as a domestic incident now Ren!"

Author's Note: And that's all she (he) wrote until the end of June. I figured now would be the perfect time to go on that hiatus, clear my head, get a few months to refresh and most importantly: relax (Yeah, like that's going to happen…) So yeah Team RWBY are back home… or at least back from the brink of hell, only one is actually back home. Team JNPR are being de-briefed on their findings in the White Fang lab, and Cinder, Roman and the White Fang are making preparations. Will Team RWBY's bonds survive the strain? What will happen if The White Fang succeed in creating the ultimate Chimera? Can Beacon save Vale? And will Ladybug ever have a third date? All this and more when I return to write the second half of this story!

Until then feel free to check out Mirror, Mirror which will continue, even if updates are infrequent. I at least aim to have the Volume 1 re-telling done by the time Volume 2 Episode 1 is released. I'd definitely recommend Ruin – Book One of the Rending Trilogy and A Red Stained Remnant to the masochists out there that are reading this. Standard recommendations for With Fire Comes Shadow and "I'm Not Perfect" also apply. TearOfLight's fanfictions are all well worth a look, especially Tell Me Something. Lastly everyone should go and check out Team WRBY by knives4cash, especially if you're enjoying Mirror, Mirror; you can probably guess what his AU (Well AR I guess) involves…

As always if you enjoyed this chapter enough fave/follow and all reviews are read and appreciated, I may also respond to them if there are any questions, speculation or suggestions. And I will see you in the summer with Chapter 22 – Celica.