Next chapter! For those that have been replying to me about the Panther story situation, I know of AO3 and other sites, I just don't want to cross post or switch sites. I like FF. If that means taking down the lemons, I'm sorry, but that's what has to happen I guess. The Panther Sinks Her Claws no longer has the lemon in chapter 3 and the guest review replies have been removed just like in this story. A story without a lemon is better than no story at all.
Anyways, this chapter was incredibly long compared to well, most. This will be the longest chapter of Rose Bush to date. And it's because last weeks chapter was so short since I didn't feel like writing. I had to throw everything into this chapter as there were not any good places to cut off. xD
So here it is! The Girl Who Cried Wolfy. Awesome title, if I do say so myself. :p
Chapter 21: The Girl Who Cried Wolfy
"Weiss? Are you Ok?" Ruby said with her chin on the heiress' shoulder as she was still hugging her.
Weiss' response was a whimper followed by her gripping tighter on Ruby.
"Weiss…What happened? Talk to us, please? We just want to help." Blake put her hand on Weiss' other shoulder and rubbed it with her thumb, comforting her.
Weiss took a moment before she started to speak, not knowing if she wanted to reveal the worst moment of her life. It wasn't exactly an easy conversation to have, but she knew she could count on Blake. So far, she was there to make her feel better about her past when she needed. The moment she shared her past about her assassinated cousin with Blake rang out in her mind and Weiss knew Blake would be there again. "My father…When my mother was killed…He-He was there."
Weiss wiped her tears away as she stopped, her vision getting blurry. "He saw the person responsible. When the guards arrived to help, there was no one in the room, but an open window and my father who was holding my mother…I heard the shouting, as did my sister, Winter. I was only 11 at the time and Winter was 16. We were curious of the noise, so we went to see what was going on and…"
Weiss breath hitched as she remembered the scene again. She kept her clenching grip on Ruby, afraid to let go. "Th-There was blood everywhere." Ruby twitched at the word, but did nothing, keeping her hunger under control. "My sister had to pull me back to not see what happened, but it was too late. I saw what this person, this monster, was capable of…They ripped my mother's throat out!"
Weiss shook at the grizzly sight that night, tears streaming down her face. Blake joined in on the hug, taking Weiss' right side, wanting to comfort her. "I'll never forget my father's words…The ones he used to describe the person he saw. He was cursing them out, even in Atlesian, through tears. He called them a vampire, then 'Schatten', I-It means shadow. Everyone thought he was crazy. Just stricken with grief…"
Weiss pulled back from Blake and Ruby and looked at her leader, pleading. "But he wasn't crazy, was he? My mother really was killed b-by a vampire?" Weiss hiccupped, barely holding herself together.
Ruby just pulled Weiss into her arms again, feeling terrible for what her partner has been through. "I'm so sorry, Weiss!"
"Weiss…I-I didn't mean for this. Maybe you weren't ready to share that and I-…" Blake was trying to apologize to her girlfriend, but was interrupted by the same person. Weiss pulled Blake into a hug as she let go of Ruby. Blake accepted it, but she was shocked that Weiss would be hugging her for making her share something so dark in her life. "Weiss?"
"Thank you…You were right, I think it helped. I feel like crap right now, but…I think I'll be better. I needed this so, thank you." Weiss whispered into Blake's shoulder, hugging tightly.
Blake smiled into the hug, Weiss joining her as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. Ruby smiled at the pair, happy that it seems to have worked out. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to her sister who was smiling at her.
Yang nodded to Weiss and Blake and then jabbed a thumb towards the door, signaling. Yang then looked to the monochrome pair again. "Hey, me and Ruby are going to go get some food from Vale. Be back later!" Yang grabbed Ruby's hand and rushed out the door to Weiss' room and down the hall.
Pulling her arm free, Ruby gave Yang a curious look. "What was that?"
"What? I was just giving them some privacy, they could use it after that situation."
"Ooh…" Ruby voiced, dumbly.
"Yeah, and besides, we really could use some food. I could at least. I haven't eaten all day! The only thing edible is the jello from the infirmary. What about you? How are you doing on…You know?" Yang asked Ruby, pointing to her mouth and neck.
Ruby gave Yang another confused look, not understanding. "What...? Oh! Right! I-I'm fine, Yang! Really!" She blushes as she catches onto what Yang was getting at.
"Are you sure, because you healed me today, and that depletes your reserves, doesn't it? I already told you, Ruby…I don't mind." Yang held her hands behind her back and looked away from Ruby, trying to appear nonchalant and hide her blush from her sister.
Ruby's mouth went dry, thinking about Yang's freely offered blood. "I-If that's really Ok. Maybe a little?" Ruby spoke in a quiet tone, embarrassed.
"Sweet! Let's go!" Yang took Ruby's hand again and charged ahead, looking for somewhere secluded. She spotted a green stairs sign down the hall and ran faster towards it.
"Yang! Slow down! I can run on my own!" Ruby yelled, not really too upset considering she was smiling the whole way.
Yang threw the door open and continued up the steps until she was sure no one was around to see them. "Ok. Here should be good." Yang said, giving a breathless laugh.
"Yang, what's gotten into you? You're acting…different?" Ruby asked slowly, worried about her sister.
"I just…Want to make sure my sis is getting the right nutrition!" Yang laughed nervously, hoping Ruby bought it.
As Ruby looked down and smiled, Yang knew she did. "Thanks, Yang."
"Of course, Rubes." Yang said sweetly, as she took off her scarf from around her neck, giving Ruby easier access to her neck.
It was the same scarf that Ruby used to tie around Yang's chest to stop her bleeding when she fell. The staff at the school infirmary must have kept it with Yang's other belongings for when she was released. Ruby just noticed it now, but there was a dark blood stain in the center of it that seemed permanent.
The blood reminded Ruby of what happened right before she started to look over Yang's injuries that day. The people she killed… "I…I don't feel like it anymore…" Ruby shook her head, disgusted with herself.
"What? What's wrong, Ruby?" Yang looked down at her hand and the scarf within it, as that was what Ruby was looking at.
Ruby looked away as Yang held up the piece of fabric in front of herself. The fledgling crossed her arms, holding herself as she blamed the one that wasn't fast enough to save her sister from falling. Yang's voice cut in through her self-demeaning. "Ruby…Do you know why I still wear this, even though it's blood stained and all ripped up?"
Ruby's only response was to sniffle and continue to sulk. She managed to shake her head, giving Yang that much.
The brawler smiled sadly at the scarf as she continued to stare at it. "I still wear it, because it's a reminder that I have you to look after me…"
Ruby looked back up to her sister, shocked.
Yang continued after seeing her sister's face, smiling wider. "I know. For the longest time, I was always the one to look after you. It's different now, though. You're not helpless, Ruby. This is a reminder of that." Yang clutched the scarf, alluding to it.
"I know you can handle yourself now. You can take care of me and the team, just like I have taken care of you." Yang smiled at Ruby, happy that she has become who she is. "You're an amazing huntress, Ruby. Even before you were selected as our leader, you were still able to come up with a brilliant plan that saved all of us, including Jaune who was injured. You killed the alpha in the Emerald forest, and you saved me from certain death." Yang pulled Ruby into a crushing hug, both of them crying. "What I'm saying, is that I'm so, so proud of you, sis! It makes me happy to know that I don't have to worry about you. You keep getting stronger and stronger every day and I'm so proud to call you my sister!"
"Yang!" Ruby cries harder as she shakes in her sister's arms. There's a throb in her chest again, as she heard Yang call her 'sister'.
"Ruby, I-…!" Yang started to say, but was stopped as she heard a door open a level below them. Ruby, still holding onto Yang, activated her semblance and rushed higher up the building, away from the person who came into the stairwell.
Hearing the steps get quieter as the person walked downwards instead of upwards, Ruby and Yang breathed a sigh of relief. Ruby was still clutching onto Yang, her head on her sister's shoulder, giving her a straight shot to her neck.
Yang felt a light pinch on her throat and then the feeling of Ruby sucking on her neck as she was being drained of her blood. "R-Ruby…" It was all Yang could get out as she had to hold back her moans before Ruby heard them.
Yang's blood was so much sweeter than usual. Ruby was in heaven as she tasted her sister's blood again. After drinking from the blood packs a few times, her palate could really use a cleansing like this.
Ruby was losing herself to the taste as she gripped tighter on Yang's shoulder and waist, not wanting her to go. She was snapped out of it though, as Yang fell down, no longer able to support their weight.
Releasing her sister, Ruby wiped her mouth and knelt down in front of Yang, worried for her. "Y-Yang?! Are you Ok?"
Yang's breathing was shallow, but she was smiling. "I'm…I'm good…Just give me a second…To catch my breath."
Sighing, Ruby sat down next to her, both of them against the wall of the stairwell, waiting for her sister to get her second wind. "I'm sorry! It's just that…After the blood bags, your blood tastes so much better. I couldn't help myself." Ruby poked her pointer fingers together, feeling like a child about to be scolded by a parent.
Yang leans her head against Ruby's shoulder to rest as she smiles more. "I did say…I didn't mind, Rubes…I still mean that." Yang then felt some wetness on her neck dripping down and pulled back, raising her hand to check it. She pulled it back and saw blood. "Uh, Ruby? Think you could…Seal the bites next time?" Yang felt light headed from the loss of blood and lolled her head back against the wall.
"Yang?! I'm sorry! Here!" Ruby panicked, but tilted Yang's head away from her to give her better access to her neck. She licked up the blood and the bite marks as they sealed closed again. Yang let out an involuntary whimper at the feeling. "Are you Ok? Do you need me to get you some blood? We are at a hospital, Yang?" Ruby panicked again, not knowing why Yang really whimpered out.
"No, Ruby. I'm fine…They would want to know why I'm missing blood anyways…And there isn't really a good excuse since the wound is now closed up." Yang waved off her sister's idea, giving a good reason.
Yang started to get her breath back after sitting still for a while, the lightheadedness starting to fade. So Ruby got to her feet again and bent down next to her.
"Well, here. How about I take you back to Weiss' room to rest while I get you three some food." Ruby said as she put Yang's arm over her shoulder to pick her up and support her.
"What? No, Ruby. I'm going with you, I can't let you go out into the city alone. Cinder and the White Fang are based here. That's crazy!-W-Woah!" Yang felt dizzy again after getting worked up. They had made it into the hallway leading to Weiss' room from before as Yang braced herself against the wall beside her.
"Yang, you're in no condition to stand, let alone walk around the city carrying food. You're going to stay put in Weiss' room. You just got through telling me that you don't have to worry about me anymore. Trust me, Yang. Please?"
Yang groaned, not liking how Ruby used her own words against her, but conceded. "I do trust you Ruby, but I'll never truly stop worrying about you. I'm your older sister, it's what I do."
"Touching, but Ruby's not going anywhere in Vale alone. Not after what happened with Weiss, Red." A voice called out from behind them.
The pair turned around and they could see a glaring Coco adjusting her shades with a hand on her hip.
"Coco?! What are you doing here?" Ruby asked surprised to see the other vampire.
'So this is Coco? The other vampire around our age…' Yang scanned across Coco, looking for anything to make her believe she's not trustworthy. 'She seems like she's easily upset. Why is she so mad at Ruby?' The hypocrisy was completely lost on Yang as she kept her eyes on Coco.
"Doing my job, Ruby! You didn't send me any notification that you left the school again! I thought we went over this? I can't watch over you if I don't know where the hell you are!" Coco stomped over to Ruby and stopped in front of her, still glaring.
"Oh, crud! I forgot again! I'm sorry Coco! It's just that a lot has happened today, it slipped my mind." Ruby apologized.
"Yeah, I see that. It looks like your sister is better now. Or at least somewhat…" Coco lowered her glasses and stared at Yang's wobbly legs as she was braced against the wall with her arm slung over Ruby's shoulder. Coco smirked, seeing a tiny splotch of fresh blood on her scarf. "Did some feeding, I see, Ruby?"
Yang and Ruby blushed bright red at the bulls-eye.
"Uh-h! Sh-She needed some after healing me today! It was the least I could do…" Yang finished, muttering. It was picked up though, by the vampire hearing, and Coco smirked.
"Oh, I'm sure it was no trouble at all for you~." Coco chuckled, the anger all but receded. Now replaced with mirth and mischief.
"Ok, fine! I'm sorry, Coco. Since it's what you're here to do, you can come along with me to get dinner for my teammates after we get Yang back to Weiss' room. She needs to rest." Ruby shoved her blush down and powered through to focus on the task at hand.
Yang made like she was about to disagree again, but was silenced as Ruby put her hand up and glared. "No, Yang! You can't come with us in your condition. Look at it this way, at least now I will have someone to look out for me, right?"
Yang pouted, pushing out her cheeks and crossing her arms, upset. "Yeah…But I wanted to be the one to go with you..." Yang muttered the last part quietly, but again it was picked up by Coco. Ruby only heard a vague grumble.
"What was that, Yang?" Ruby asked innocently
"Yang said th-!" Coco was about to embarrass Yang, but the blonde stopped her by covering her mouth with her hand.
"Nothing! Let's just go already!" Yang answered, giving Coco a glare. One that Coco smirked at after Yang removed her hand.
As Ruby helped Yang along, Coco trailed behind them with a smirk. "Wow, those two are worse than me and Velvet were…"
The door to Weiss' room opened and the two occupants turned towards it, expecting Yang and Ruby.
"Wow that was fast. Did Ruby use her semblance again?" Weiss asked as she saw Ruby carry Yang in, followed by Coco after them. "What happened?!"
"It's Ok! She's just… tired is all…" Ruby lied poorly and the others easily caught it.
Seeing this, Yang sighed and decided to speak up with a calm grin. "Ruby fed off of me, but she took a little too much. I'm fine though, just need some rest."
The chill behavior did not work on the monochrome duo however. "What?!" They shouted in unison.
"Ruby drinks your blood? Sh-Shouldn't she get it from like a blood bank or something?" Weiss asked, weirded out by the idea.
"Right, like that never crossed out parents' minds before." Yang said with heavy sarcasm. "I think the people there would find it strange that a little girl was getting blood every week or so." Yang shook her head as she was put in a chair to rest.
Ruby spoke up for her to finish. "While I'm sure my parents could have come up with something for me, that never really became an issue after I fed off of Yang for the first time." Blushing, Ruby continued. "Since then, I've been feeding off of her only. It's been going on for about 5 years now."
"And you're Ok with this?" Weiss asks Yang.
"Of course I am! She's my sis, why wouldn't I be?" Yang answers defensively and then simply.
"Well, look. We can talk about this more later, but right now me and Ruby need to-!" Coco was wanting to hurry up and get this escort over with, but was stopped by Blake.
"Wait a minute! We didn't even think about it! You knew about Ruby being a vampire, Coco?!"
"Duh? I'm one too." Coco lowered her glasses and flashed her crimson eyes and a cocky grin to the room. It was obvious that Ruby's teammates now knew about vampires, judging by how Blake reacted to her being there.
Weiss and Blake gasped at the sight, but Yang snickered at their reaction, getting a pillow to the face from a certain heiress. "Shut-up, Yang!"
"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Yang continued to laugh.
"Come on, Ruby. We should hurry up before we lose more daylight, the suns close to setting." Coco whispers to Ruby, then speaks up to the room. "Hey, we can answer all your questions later, but right now we should go get you some food. What do you all want?"
After getting everyone's preferences, Coco and Ruby left after Yang was talked down into not coming again.
"Man, she's persistent! Your sister could barely move, yet she still wanted to come along to protect you. Have you told her how you feel yet? Because at this point, you're crazy not to have!" Coco said to Ruby as they walked out of the hospital.
"Wh-What?! No! Mmmh…I'm working on it, Ok! I have to find the right time is all…" Ruby twiddled her thumbs as they walked down the street.
"You better hurry up, before she loses interest or someone else catches her eye. You can't wait forever on this!" Coco advises as they pick up some Chinese food for Yang.
"She-She wouldn't!" Ruby gets worried for her chances.
"Wait too long and just like when you cook, it will burn Ruby. You need to act." Coco said as they strolled to a seafood place for Blake and Weiss.
"I know…It just seems like something keeps interrupting us. I'll definitely tell her tomorrow! Hopefully, after we spend time with our partners on partner day, we will get some time to talk alone." Ruby smiles, thinking her plan will work.
"Partner day, huh? I'll hold you to that, Ruby." Coco pointed to the fledgling as they left the seafood restaurant.
"Right! Thanks, Coco." Ruby says softly, giving a warm smile to her vampire friend.
"Yeah, yeah. Just remember to frickin text me next time you leave the school!" Coco waved off her cheery caped friend, but smiled at her. Completely clueless to the one that was tailing them.
Looking down the scope of a marksman rifle, someone could see the back of Ruby's head in a crowd of people from an elevated position. "I have a clear shot…No one will be able to catch me from here." The person whispered into their earpiece as they kept their rifle on the mark.
"No, Scarlett. She wants her alive! You are just there to observe for now, nothing more. Figure out where she has been going, and report it back to us." A voice crackled in through the feed. It was Adam's.
"She came from the Vale Central Hospital with someone I don't recognize. They aren't on her team. A brunette with shades and a beret. She looks to be an upperclassmen, but I can't tell how old she is. Maybe a year or two older than the first years?" Scarlett reports about Coco, then stands back up to re-position as Ruby and Coco are out of her sight again.
The black and brown haired Ocelot faunus jumped from roof to roof until she was in position again. Adam's voice comes back to her as she was jumping. "We'll see if we can't find out who she is. Keep following them." Spotting her target again, Scarlett pulled out her rifle again watched as Ruby and Coco walked into the hospital.
"Well, they're inside the hospital now. Next orders?" The scout asked as she lowered her weapon and put her finger to her ear to cut out all the hustle and bustle of the city below her.
"Then come back to the base. Cinder wanted us for something urgent as soon as you were done scouting. Her ghouls are apparently about to be indisposed of outside of the Kingdom, so we're the next ones in line. Terrific." Adam spat in sarcasm, hating to be used to do Cinder's bidding whenever it suited her.
"It would have been so easy to have just taken the shot, I don't understand why she likes to play with her prey so much. It's a waste of time, Adam." Scarlett argued as she made her way to the White Fang base, climbing down the side of the walls like it was nothing.
"We don't have a choice in the matter. Killing the Rose is killing yourself when dealing with Cinder. She's obsessed with her."
"But why? What could she possibly have done to Cinder to make her so obsessed like that? She seemed to be pretty normal to me…" The scout faunus had been tailing Ruby since she left Beacon, and since then, the Rose did nothing to acquire Cinder's wrath like she thought.
"Does it matter? Scarlett, she's a human! And a monster like Cinder! If they want to kill themselves, then I say we let them. It's less hassle for us in the end…" Adam spit venomous emphasis on human. He then smiled, thinking of Cinder being killed by her own obsession.
"Right…I'll be back in 15." Scarlett said as she cut the communication, no longer needing it. "Blake, what have you done to him…?"
"How are you holding up, Weiss?" Yang asked from the chair Ruby sat her down in, after the two vampires left.
"I don't know…Better? I don't think I'm ready to have another panic attack, if that's what you mean." Weiss tried to explain the best she could. Revisiting the buried past is never fun, but maybe it needed to happen if she was to accept who Ruby really was. Besides, just like she thought, Blake was there beside her, holding her.
"That's good news…That really scared us to see you like that, Weiss. I'm glad you're Ok." Blake spoke as she kissed Weiss' shoulder and squeezed her tighter in her arms.
"D'awww…The Ice Queen is melting!" Yang chirped happily, teasing them.
"You're lucky this is our last pillow, Yang, or I'd nail you in the face again!" Weiss glared daggers at the blonde, but she just shrugged it off with a cheeky grin.
"Woah, easy there Weiss! Your girlfriend is right there!" Yang laughed at her own joke as the other two scowled at her.
"Not funny, Yang." Blake said unamused, but inside she was smiling just a little bit.
Still laughing, Yang tried to calm down. "Ok, Ok! I'm done for now. It's just too easy to get you two riled up, I can't help it!"
"Well, help it! I don't want any more teasing about our relationship from you!" Weiss demanded.
"Well that's just not going to happen!" Yang snickered at the impossible request. "I'll promise to cut back, but I can't go cold turkey, are you insane?"
"Uggghh!" Weiss groaned at the infuriating blonde, then looked to Blake who stayed mostly out of it, and whispered. "And you liked her? Why?" Yang didn't catch what she said.
Blake shot up in a blush and stared wide eyed at her girlfriend. "We-Weiss?!"
"What? What did she say?" Yang asked, curiosity taking over.
"N-Nothing!" The two on the bed said in unison again. Weiss and Blake looked at each other in shock, before bursting out in laughter. Yang quickly followed, thinking how perfect and in sync they are together.
Calming down, Yang wiped a tear from her eye, smiling at the others wanting to tell them just what she thought of them. "Wow, you two are so perfect for each other!" Yang commented, not knowing about the extreme irony behind that statement. Blake and Weiss knew about it though.
"Th-Thank you…" Weiss said awkwardly and looked to Blake, giving a nudge to her shoulder. Yang was the last one to know about Blake's faunus heritage from the team.
Seeing that was what Weiss meant, Blake nodded in agreement. "Hey, Yang…There's-…" Blake was interrupted as the door to the room opened though.
"We're back!" Ruby yelled as she slammed the patient room door open and walked in, Coco smirking behind her.
"Dolt! You don't have to yell! This is a hospital, not an amusement park!" Weiss scolded the now, not so secret, vampire.
"Oh, you're just mad because someone's having fun, Weiss!" Yang laughed, forgetting that Blake was about to say something, as Ruby handed her a steaming box of Kung Pao Chicken. "Thanks, Rubes!" Yang set the box down and gave Ruby a hug, both of them melting into it.
"Here." Coco said, ignoring the two oblivious lovebirds and handing two to-go boxes to Blake and Weiss.
"Thanks, Coco." "Much appreciated." The monochrome duo thanked respectively.
"I'll tell her later…" Blake whispered to Weiss as they open their food boxes and dig in. Coco caught it, but didn't say anything.
Weiss nodded to Blake, then continued the current conversation with Coco. "You didn't get anything?" Weiss asked, seeing that that was the last dish that they brought.
"We uh, don't eat much, if you catch my meaning…" Coco explained, flashing her red eyes again.
"Oh, right. So you only sustain off of…Blood then?" Weiss asked, feeling uncomfortable in the situation.
"Sure do. Food just makes us sick if we try to ingest it. If we must, we can eat it to maintain our cover, but we have to puke it up later, or we get really ill. It's really not pleasant." Coco shook her head, remembering the first and hopefully last time she accidently ingested some human food.
Coco was young and therefore had a short attention span. After eating with her friends at school one time, they immediately wanted to play tag, so she joined in. They played for about an hour and by then, she forgot about it. She was sick for a week, throwing up with a high fever.
"But what about Ruby? She seemed to enjoy cookies and strawberry crepes? I doubt Ruby is that good of an actress." Blake smirked at her leader as she pouted at the jab. Ruby sat beside her sister after they broke out of the hug.
"Hey! I'm plenty good at fooling people!" Ruby argued.
"Sure you are, sis. How many times did mom or dad catching you taking cookies from the pantry without permission? I remember you tried to play it off as, 'just cleaning it out for the next batch', very believable, Rubes!" Yang snickered, taking another bite of her food as Ruby huffed in a bigger pout.
"I was 8, what did you expect? Mmmh…You guys are mean! Ganging up on me…" The leader grumbled, but was snapped out of it as Yang put her food down beside her and pulled Ruby into her lap, calming her down.
"We're just kidding, Rubes. I'm not very good at fooling people either. I prefer to let my fists do the talking!" Yang gripped harder on Ruby to emphasize her point.
Ruby wheezed out as she was gripped too tightly by Yang. "Ok! *choke* I get it, Yang! *choke* Let go please!"
Yang relented like asked, and loosened her grip with a chuckle, just wanting Ruby to be over the teasing. Addressing the previous question asked by her partner, Yang answers for Ruby. "I may have lied about Ruby needing only junk-food to fuel her semblance." Giving a cheeky smile to the others. Yang then picked her box back up and ate over Ruby's shoulder.
"Of course you did. So she doesn't eat normal food because she's a vampire? This is all so strange…" Weiss finished her statement with a tired mutter.
"It really is…" Blake agreed.
"Ok, maybe a little, but Ruby has been eating strawberries and cookies because they are the foods that she can stand to eat for keeping her appearance. Every vampire has preferences to eat that they can tolerate. They still can't ingest them though." Yang explained for them.
"So you throw up every time you eat something? That must be rough on your bodies." Weiss says, softly.
"Not really. Our bodies rapidly repair any damage done to it. The only issue is that it can't heal the struggle the body goes through when digesting food that we don't have a use for. That process takes a while and during that time, we become extremely weak." Coco explains, knowing what it feels like.
"Well, what about the glowing red eyes? Ruby doesn't have them, and neither do you, normally, as far as we can tell?" Weiss asks, never seeing Ruby like that.
"Actually, I saw Ruby's eyes change crimson a few times before. Once was in the alleyway before Weiss was hurt." Blake cut in, wanting to know about that too.
"Oh, hehe…Woops! I guess I didn't control myself well enough, huh?" Ruby nervously laughed, still in Yang's lap.
"Ruby?" Coco asked in a low, dangerous tone.
"Y-Yes?"
"How have you not been caught this far in your life yet?" Coco asked, bewildered by the caped girl's luck.
"She doesn't get around too many other people, often…" Yang muttered, explaining it for them.
Sighing, Coco continued. "Still, that's amazing. You have got to be the worst person at hiding your vampire traits. I heard from Oz that you haven't had people tell you how to control your emotions. Is that true?"
Ruby nodded, feeling like she was doing this all wrong. Yang squeezed her again, this time, much lighter though. Just enough to show her that she was in good hands.
Coco then remembers about what Ruby said, that she didn't have her mother around anymore. 'She hasn't had the chance to be taught, has she…?'
"Well, since I'm going to be around you anyways, why don't I teach you?" Coco asks, with a shrug.
"Really?! You'd do that?" Ruby lit up, excited about the experience. Ozpin has been too busy lately to teach her more, so this was perfect for her.
"Why not? It's my duty to make sure that our secret is kept, and you not controlling your eyes and emotions is a big hazard to that." Coco smirked at the fledgling as she pouted. Weiss and Blake find it strange to hear all of this, but looking at each other, they decide to ask about it later.
"This isn't something that you can just learn though, Ruby. As someone that is so bubbly and all over the place, controlling yourself isn't something you're going to be good at. It takes a lot of mental control to not get upset or angry and lose control. I'm sure that's why Blake noticed your eyes in the alley. You were upset, weren't you?" Coco continued to explain.
"A little…They were taking a family away. What was I supposed to do?!" Ruby raised her voice at the end, her eyes tenting red.
"And that's what I mean." Coco pointed to Ruby, her eyes specifically. The older vampire sighed, but continued her speech. "It's just something you have to work at Ruby. Tempering your emotions has been a very widely used technique in battle, and this fight with Cinder will be no different. It's the one edge you have against her if you end up fighting her alone. Though technically, it's a double edged sword, as Cinder is also very strong because she lets her emotions run rampant." Coco goes off on a tangent as she finishes.
"Well, why can't Ruby just do that then? Wouldn't it even the playing field?" Weiss interjects, wanting to help.
"That's a dangerous idea, Weiss. Letting our emotions go eventually turns us into mindless killing machines. Some think they can overcome their emotions and still gain their power, but no one ever gets both. It's amazing that Cinder has lasted this long with her mind still somewhat there, but she's a ticking time-bomb, I'm sure. If Ruby wants to try, that's her decision, though." Coco gestures to the caped leader.
"Ruby…?" Yang asks, worried.
"No! I don't want to be anything like her!" Ruby yelled, putting the idea out of the question for herself.
"Alright then, then I suppose you should get some rest. Come find me in Beacon whenever you want to start sparring." Coco said as she got up from her seat.
"Wait, what? Sparring? Why do we need to fight for you to teach me control?" Ruby asks, confused.
"Because in a battle situation, your mind can become a great weapon or the world's largest handicap if you don't condition it properly. I'm going to be goading you during the spar to trip you up. I'm telling you this, because it truly doesn't matter if you know I'm going to try or not. I'm going to be saying anything at all to make you slip up. And you will Ruby. You asked for my help, just remember that." Coco waves over her back as she leaves the room.
"Well that was ominous…" Yang spoke up, clearing the air.
Three people groaned out in the room at the blondes 'joke'.
"What? It was?" Yang shrugged.
Ruby hopped off of her sister's lap and walked over to the door. Yang got up with her, but was still a little shaky, not fully recovered from the blood loss. "I think we should go too, it's getting late. Don't forget Weiss. Partner day tomorrow!" Ruby put on a small smile, wanting to appear that she wasn't shook up by what Coco said.
Groaning, Weiss answers back, not amused. "Right…I wish I could forget."
Blake beside her chuckles, holding her hand. "I'm sure it won't be too bad. You get to learn more about vampires, I suppose." The faunus tries cheering her up by mentioning a great opportunity.
"Yeah, maybe." That makes Weiss remember what Coco said previously. "Hey, Ruby? What was that about Coco being around you more? And about it being her duty to make sure 'our' secret is kept?"
Turning around at the door with Yang beside her, Ruby stops. "Uhm…Coco has been put in charge to look out for me by Ozpin. The child-hood friend thing from earlier was actually a cover up. Sorry for lying, but it was necessary. Coco is going to be around me at all times when I leave Beacon. As long as she doesn't have a mission or something that she can't get away from."
"So you have a babysitter?" Blake asks, amused.
Ruby pouts, thinking the same thing. "I know! I thought the same thing when I was told about it! It's true, though. She's like a bodyguard…"
"So you're really in danger then, aren't you Ruby?" Weiss asks, astonished that her 15 year old leader is being targeted by an apparent sociopathic vampire.
"I am…But that's why I'm here! For not just protection, but also to get stronger! I won't let Cinder get away with anymore of her crimes!" Ruby yells, grabbing Yang's hand and they both leave the room. Every step of Ruby's is filled with determination for avenging her dead mother.
"For someone so young, Ruby does seem to have a way about her. Seeing her so determined like that, I actually think she can do it." Weiss admitted to Blake, the only other person in the room.
"She's only 2 years younger than us, Weiss. We're all young. And we're her team, we should help her with this. Her problem should be our problem too. I'm seeing that now." Blake felt her hand become entwined with another, as it was Weiss'.
"Good, because I want to help too. Both her, and you." Weiss smiled at Blake. Blake looked away though.
"You mean the White Fang…" Blake said it as a statement, not needing to ask it as a question. "Weiss…I'm fine. I left them a while ago, it's over now. We can just focus on helping Ruby." Blake lied, knowing that the White Fang doesn't just let people go, especially him.
"Just make sure to tell me if something happens. I want to help you in any way I can." Weiss rubbed Blake's hand in hers, wanting to comfort her.
"I will. Now we should get some sleep. Between Ruby's unlimited energy and Yang wanting to beat me into the ground, I think we both could use some rest." Blake hopped off Weiss' bed and pulled up a chair next to it.
"What are you doing? Why don't you sleep with m-me again?" Weiss asks, with a blush as she realizes what she is saying.
"I still am, but this way you get the bed to yourself. You were hurting in the morning, Weiss. You need proper rest, and you can't get it when you're sharing a bed made for one. I'll just sleep next to you. Here." Blake sat down beside the bed and offered her hand with a smile after turning out the lights.
Weiss took it with a smile of her own, making out Blake's appearance in the dark. Weiss could see her bright amber eyes, smiling at her in the darkness. "Fine…I guess you're right."
"Wow, shocking that the heiress admits someone else is right." Blake says with a laugh.
"Shush, you!" Weiss then sees the orbs get closer and disappear. She feels Blake's lips on her own for a moment then pull back as she sees the orbs come back to her.
"Good night, Weiss…" Blake says softly, a smile in her voice as she was able to silence the heiress.
"G-Good night." Weiss felt something lay on her leg, that being Blake's head. The two eventually fell into slumber. Blake took a bit longer than Weiss, due to the positioning, but it was still a nice rest with Weiss near her.
On the streets of Vale, Ruby and Yang were walking to the air docks wanting to get a ride to Beacon. Yang was mostly Ok at this point, her aura supporting her along with Ruby as her arm was over her sister's shoulder again.
"I can handle it, Ruby. I'm not that weak." Yang argued with Ruby as they continued.
"I'm sure you can, but just let me help you. It was my fault in the first place…" Ruby blushes, as she also wanted to 'help' so it would give her the excuse to be closer to Yang.
Giving out a huff of agreeance, Yang conceded. "Fine, Rubes." Also liking the closeness, Yang relented to being held.
"I could also help, you know?" A voice came from behind them and they groaned.
"No thanks, Coco. We have it handled!" Yang aggravatingly gave her answer as they continued.
Coco had waited up for Ruby and Yang to catch up with her, knowing that Ruby would probably 'forget' to text saying she was leaving again. And what do you know, she did.
"Fine, fine. This is taking too long though. I want to see Vel already!" Coco sighed also aggravated, but because she was tired of going at this snail's pace.
"Then go ahead of us! No one's stopping you!" Yang yelled over her shoulder.
"I can't do that Yang. Who would watch over Ruby?" Coco smirked, knowing the blonde's answer.
"Me! We have it handled!"
"Right, because you limping along clearly shows that you can watch over Ruby. And even if you could, it wouldn't matter. It's still my job, I can't just pawn it off on someone else." Coco explained.
At seeing Yang get more worked up, Ruby rubbed up Yang's side with her left hand at her waist, wanting to comfort her. "Hey, don't worry about. She just wants to help."
"Y-Yeah…I know…" Yang uneasily said, tensing up at Ruby's hand caressing her side. She completely forgot why she was mad earlier.
Seeing this, Ruby smiled, not knowing exactly what caused Yang to finally relax. Coco smirked behind them, seeing everything. She said nothing however as she just kept up behind them.
After getting back to Beacon Yang was feeling better, able to walk on her own now. While Ruby still wanted to help her, Yang assured her that she could handle it and the fledgling relented.
Walking back to the dorms, they waved bye to Coco whose dorm was on the first floor of the same building.
"Just make sure to text me next time you leave Beacon. I know you're going tomorrow, so don't even try to leave without me, Ruby!" Coco says over her shoulder as she makes her way to her team's dorm.
"Man, she is so clingy!" Yang says as they walk upstairs. "She won't leave you alone for five seconds!"
"I mean, she's just doing her job, Yang. I'm sure she would rather spend time with her team than follow me around, but they're orders from Ozpin. She can't do anything about it." Ruby explains to her disgruntled sister.
"Whatever, she's just so demanding. Always wanting to spend time with you, even when you're with other people. I can watch out for you just fine!" Yang continues her rant as they turn into the hall of their dorm room.
"Yang? Are you jealous that she wants to look out for me too? I guess in a way she is like a second big sister…A vampire one…" Ruby questions, astonished, then starts to really think on it.
"Wh-What?! No!? I'm not jealous of her! No way! I just think she's getting on your nerves with how pushy she is! That's all!" Yang stutters, wanting to cover it up. She was jealous, but not because she was encroaching on her big sis territory.
"Yang, you'll always be my big sister! You don't have to worry about that." Ruby tries to put her sister's mind at ease, but it secretly makes it worse.
"Yeah…Thanks, sis." Yang mutters as she looks away with a blush.
They approach the door and Ruby swipes her scroll over the scanner, amazing Yang as she has never been here to see it yet. "Woah! Can mine do that?!" Yang takes out her scroll that was kept with the rest of her belongings at the infirmary, and swipes it over the scanner, hearing a click as it was locked again.
Yang swipes it a few more times, before Ruby shakes her head and opens the door. "Come on, Yang. That's the least of the cool things in out dorm!"
Walking in the living room, Yang's eyes widen as she sees the holo-TV and the 4 seater couch in front of it. Across the room, from the front door, is an island separating the living room from the kitchen. Ruby gives Yang a quick tour of everything, showing the kitchen next, then the laundry room in the back of that.
They then make their way to their own bedroom and Ruby opens the door. "Tada!" Yang sees the room and can tell it's theirs by the red and yellow covered beds. The red one having a Beowolf plushy resting on it.
"Hey, you still kept Wolfy?" Yang asks, looking at Ruby as she picks up the Beowolf.
"Y-Yeah…It was from you. I couldn't leave him behind in Patch…" Ruby mutters, weakly explaining the reason.
Petting the plushy in her hands, Yang smiles at her sister. "That's sweet…"
Ruby blushes, embarrassed by the praise. "W-Well, I mean you won him for me! He means a lot to me, be-because you mean a lot…"
Yang smiles wider at Ruby's words. "You mean a lot too, Ruby…I-…"
"S-So anyways! Maybe we should get some sleep for tomorrow. It seems like a busy day!" Ruby interrupts, not hearing Yang's words. She rushes to the bathroom with her PJs in hand, not waiting for her sister to respond.
Yang sighs, then chuckles, stroking her hair. 'Again, Ruby…? She's such a scatter brain. Maybe tomorrow...'
In the bathroom, Ruby was pacing. 'What am I doing? Saying something like that? "You mean a lot to me?!" Arrrgh! I'm such an idiot! Ok, just get ready for bed and pretend like nothing happened.'
Ruby finished getting dressed and forgot the knocking rule, also forgetting to tell Yang about said rule. She opened the door and caught Yang in her bra, taking off her shorts.
"W-What, Ruby?" Yang asked nervously as she hesitated on covering herself, but they were sisters. They had seen each other in underwear plenty of times before.
"Ohmahgosh, Yang! I'm sorry!" Ruby turns around and shuts the bathroom door again.
"W-What about? We've seen each other like this dozens of times, we're sisters…" Yang stumbles through as she hurries to change her clothes for bed.
"Y-Yeah…But I just felt like…I don't know? Like I was peeping on you?" Ruby answers awkwardly from the bathroom.
"Well, you aren't, are you?" Yang asks as a joke with humor in her voice, also feeling uncomfortable.
"O-Of course not!" Ruby refutes, embarrassed.
"Then it's fine…I'm done, Ruby." Yang says as she slips on a white shirt that says 'Gold' in block letters. The only other thing she was wearing to bed besides her panties.
Ruby steps out holding her arm worried, but at seeing Yang in her own red bed, with her legs crisscross style smiling, her eyes widened a bit.
"What? I thought we could sleep together again, l-like in the infirmary…" Yang scratched her cheek and looked away.
"O-Oh! I just…Y-Yeah that sounds good." Ruby stuttered through, walking beside her bed, Yang turning towards her.
"Good." Yang pulled the covers back and slipped in.
Ruby slipped in after her and pulled out her scroll to turn the lights off.
"Oh, cool! They control the lights, too!" Yang asks, amazed, right behind Ruby, spooking her.
At her yelp of surprise, Yang puts a hand on Ruby's shoulder to calm her down. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
As Ruby turns around in the bed, she can see Yang, even in the darkness. Thankfully, Yang's eyes hadn't adjusted yet, so she couldn't see Ruby's blush. "It's Ok. I just didn't expect you to be that close…I'm fine now though." Ruby mutters as she snuggles closer to Yang's warmth.
Yang smiles as she wraps her arms around her sister, putting her chin atop of Ruby's head after giving it a kiss. "G'night, Rubes."
"Night, Yang." Ruby whispers as she wraps her own arms around the brawler, nudging her head into the crook of her crushes neck.
So a lot happened. Weiss seems to be alright for now, as long as she has Blake and the rest of her team. :)
Since this chapter had a lot of things in it, just ask me if something confused you, I'll explain it the best I can without getting into spoiler territory. Don't forget to follow if you haven't already. Drop me a review if you have suggestions on how to improve the story, or just want to say something about it. Peace!