Night had come once again, and after spending the day organizing all materials and receiving instructions from Blake, the White Fang finally could rest again. There was a sense of strangeness in their actions, a result of the sudden change in their lifestyles… Some were struggling to adjust; others found it rather easy; but in the end, all of them felt satisfied with themselves when they went to sleep.
Adam Taurus smiled faintly as he watched his ex-subordinates. He was sitting on a rock in the edge of the camp, were no one would bother him. The redhead too felt strange, but he couldn't deny the new sense of peace that came upon him when he stopped leading these men.
He knew all of the members still feared him, and he was certain some of them actually expected him to resume his former position soon… But he wasn't going to do that. Adam was more than content with the new White Fang Blake was bringing together.
The man narrowed his eyes and looked to the right, hearing someone stepping lightly towards him. Cinder Fall stopped beside him, staring at him indecisively. Not once in so many years had he seen this powerful woman in such a conflicted state… The grunts might not notice it, or even the people closer to her, but Adam knew better than to be tricked by her façade of confidence.
"So you finally came to speak with me." He said casually "What brings you here tonight?"
"I have a request to make." She responded curtly.
"And what would that be?" Adam asked, although he had a fairly good idea of what the answer was.
"Don't tell anyone about my past."
He looked at her and smirked. Just as expected.
"I would question your motives, but I already know them." The redhead commented "It seems you have a heart, Cinder Fall. I don't know what you see in that Ruby Rose… But there's no doubt you truly care about her."
"I do." Cinder agreed honestly "That's why you need to keep quiet. I don't know how she would react to who I am… Who I was…" She lowered her head and continued slowly, as if the next words were hard for her to speak "Please, Adam. I can't lose her."
The man stared at her, impressed. He knew what she wanted, but he didn't think she would lower herself so far as to beg for his cooperation. Adam nodded solemnly.
"I won't speak a word about you." He said "But, tell me… Are you really throwing everything away? Your whole life you've been on a crusade against Ozpin. Are you going to just forget him?"
"I don't know if I can, but I will try. I've found better reasons to live." Cinder sighed "Eventually, I will meet him. Ruby works for him, and if I want to stay by her side… I'll have to do that too."
"How the tables turn." Adam spoke amusedly "In the end, you'll be doing exactly what you've been rebelling against."
The brunette looked at him silently, and he could see his words had an effect on her. After a few moments, she turned and walked away. Adam waited some minutes before looking behind him, directly at a nearby tree.
"Interesting stuff, right, Blake?"
After a few seconds, a figure dropped down from the branches and walked to him. She stared at him impassively.
"You can't fool me." He said "I trained you."
"How silly of me. I really should have let you stay free to do anything you wanted." She deadpanned.
"It's the best way to build trust." Adam noted.
Blake looked at the older faunus and then at the direction Cinder had walked off to.
"I suppose you won't tell me anything." She stated.
"Yes, it would be a bit of a rude move to just break my word after a few minutes." He agreed "Are you going to confront her?"
"…No." Blake decided "Once, I said Cinder and I weren't so different… I see now I really was right." She smiled sadly "I was given a chance to atone for my past actions. Why shouldn't she have one too?"
"As previously stated, not a single word about her will be spoken by me." Adam reminded "Anyway, I won't do anything bad tonight, okay? Go stay with your girlfriend or something."
The brunette shook her head.
"She's occupied."
"Oh, really? Is that what she told you?" He asked amusedly "You know tricky these Schnees can be."
"You're right. She's probably meeting secretly with a bunch of tyrants to genocide our race." She answered ironically.
"Good, we're still in the same page!"
Blake sighed.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… You were way easier to deal with when you just terrorized people."
-x-
Yang sat against a tree, hugging her legs tightly with her face buried between her knees. She had emptied her reservoir of tears hours ago, but still, the blonde couldn't bring herself to stand up.
It was a difficult situation for her. She had felt sad many times before in her life, but there was always a way to stop that: she redirected her sadness into anger, either it being at someone else, herself, or even the whole world.
This time, however, she had no options. She couldn't blame her sister, because in the end, Ruby was right. While Yang had her reasons for being concerned about her relationship with Cinder, she had overacted.
She couldn't blame Cinder, also. The Dust warrior had clearly shown she cared about Ruby, and the way she spoke to Yang after their conflict ended, just wanting to make things work… Whatever her past was, she deserved a chance.
She couldn't even be angry at herself. Yang had all the reasons to be protective! Ruby was her sister, and she'd never been involved with someone before… Who wouldn't try to intervene in that situation?
And damnit, I can't even blame the world. She thought. I'm sure it's way more concerned with screwing other people over right now.
"Hey, Dolt Queen."
Yang looked up and found Weiss staring at her seriously, her hands on her hips.
"I told you to leave me alone." The blonde croaked "And Dolt Queen is not a good nickname."
"It fits you." The once-heiress said. She sat beside her friend and looked at her sadly "How are you doing?"
"How do you think I'm doing?" Yang retorted angrily "I feel like crap!"
"Because of Cinder?"
The brawler shook her head violently.
"No! I mean…" She muttered "I was angry at her, but not at her. I would be furious at anyone who dated my sister. Sure, it concerns me that she killed Torchwick, but Blake killed people too, right? And look at you two now…"
"I wouldn't say we have the most usual of relationships, but yes, we are very happy together." Weiss agreed "If this is not about Cinder… Is this about Ruby? She did speak very… un-Ruby-like, to you…"
"I'm not angry at her. I kinda deserved it…" Yang admitted "Ruby is grown-up now. She can make her own decisions, be them about romance or whatever… I can't really stop her…"
The blonde lowered her head.
"I guess that's it…" She whispered "Ruby doesn't need me anymore." The brawler felt tears return to her eyes "And even when she needed me… I couldn't help anyway, now could I? When she had nightmares, Blake helped her… When she ran off to Summer's grave, I couldn't stop her… And Torchwick…"
She let out a loud sob.
"He was going to kill her, and I could do nothing!"
Weiss hugged her friend, holding her tightly until her crying toned down. She shook her head slowly.
"You're not useless, if that's what you're thinking."
"I'm not sure that's true, Weiss." Yang refuted amusedly "I should leave the team and let Cinder take my place… Team CRWB, or something…"
"Don't think that way!" The once-heiress chided "Look, you're a dolt, occasionally a bigger one than your sister and sometimes, I just wanna feed you to Beowolves, but… I wouldn't trade you for anyone else. When Blake ran away and I broke down… You were the one who consoled me. And, as annoying as your teasing was, I think you were the one who made me realize my feelings for Blake…"
"What, her sexiness wasn't enough?" The blonde mocked.
Weiss smiled.
"That's what I mean… There's nobody like you, Xiao Long." She spoke "So maybe Ruby doesn't need you as much as before… But there are two other members on our team that love you too, and we're not letting you go away." The white-haired girl got up and put her hands on her hips "Now, get up and be usual Yang!"
The blonde laughed and got up too.
"You know, Ice Queen doesn't fit you anymore." She realized "How about… Warm Princess?"
"That's an awful name." Weiss refuted "Besides, Ice Queen has kind of grown on me."
"Excellent!" Yang exclaimed happily "Now I know we're one step closer to our eventual affair."
"… Never change, Dolt Queen."
-x-
Summer appeared in the middle of a road, gasping.
What is wrong with me?
She floated to the side of the road to prevent any drivers from panicking at the sight of someone standing in their way, and clutched her arms. She felt… pain, even though she had no body. It was like there was something gnawing away at the very core of her being.
Beacon!
She appeared a few meters away from her last position, and screamed silently. Summer had been at this for hours… It was as if there was something holding back her usual capabilities, trying to weight her down to the real world.
At first, she had thought that was a good thing… Maybe the Dark had made an error, and she was becoming material again. However, when she had stopped fighting her problem, the extremities' of her form had started to dissipate. She quickly started struggling again, but it was a draining process.
I can't stop… I need to survive… She thought. Beacon!
She moved again, pain overwhelming her thoughts, leaving only fragments of phrases.
Beacon!
She could see the city lights now, far away, but she was getting closer.
Beacon!
Summer yelled painfully, not even moving now, just consumed by agony.
OZPIN!
-x-
The headmaster sighed, spinning his coffee mug unconsciously as he looked at his two visitors thoughtfully.
"It's good you came to see me." He began.
"Thank you, professor." Pyrrha said in a low tone "Although I didn't really want to talk about this…" She gave her partner a quick glare "Jaune forced me to come here."
"Well, be grateful you have such a considerate partner." Ozpin said.
Jaune raised his eyebrows comically to the redhead, who rolled her eyes amusedly.
I can see this isn't really needed. Mister Arc could handle this all by himself. The professor thought. But a few kind words won't hurt.
"I understand you feel guilty about Penny's end."
"Yes…" Pyrrha muttered "I know she was evil, but… She was such a sweet girl. It's difficult to believe she was totally corrupted."
"I can't claim I know everything about the Grimm, much less about the conversion of a human or faunus into one of them." Ozpin said "But long ago, I lost many friends to this cruel fate, and not one of them ever showed a hint of their former selves."
"What about what Jaune saw before I… killed Penny?"
Ozpin gave a look of curiosity to the blond boy, who squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.
"When Penny was going to kill me, I called for her. For a moment, her eyes retained their normal color." Jaune lifted his arms meekly "I was probably being hopeful and imagined that."
"Your theory might be correct." The headmaster agreed "But we can't forget how eager the Dark is to taunt and terrorize us… It might have made Penny do that to confound you."
Jaune nodded, agreeing with that idea. However, Pyrrha was not satisfied.
"And when she was torn apart?" She asked "Her head remained, her eyes were normal, her voice was normal…"
"As I said, I can't speak for certain, especially in this case." Ozpin reminded "Perhaps the fact Penny was a robot made it possible for the Dark to leave her body when it found fitting, and that was when she was dying. It would further its plan to terrorize us."
"So you're saying even when it lost, the Dark won." Pyrrha said bitterly "It is just manipulating us however it wants to."
She closed her fists and looked down at her lap.
"How can we win against such a foe?" The redhead asked "What about when we confront it ourselves, and it just tears us apart? It will turn friends into enemies in a heartbeat."
"If there is one thing I am a hundred percent certain about, is that what you are suggesting right now is impossible." Ozpin interrupted "The Dark can't corrupt anyone so fast, and it can't do it in mass. Some people are especially difficult to turn over, depending on who they are and people around them."
"So… We use the power of love?" Jaune deadpanned.
"…Or hope. Or friendship. Or coffee." The headmaster suggested "We can fight, Miss Nikos. Your bond with Mister Arc, for example, will be very helpful. The Dark won't attempt to turn either of you over, because it knows it can't surpass the link between you two."
"So it really is the power of love!" The boy said in wonderment.
Pyrrha shot him a warning look, and he shrugged.
"Power of friendship." He corrected.
Ozpin smiled amusedly.
"Well, it seems you two can deal with this by yourselves." He spoke "It is night, so you want to rest. You may skip tomorrow's training if you want to, but I hope you won't-"
Suddenly, a white blur appeared beside his desk. Summer doubled forward, groaning painfully. Jaune and Pyrrha yelled in fright and jumped from their seats, and Ozpin almost spilled his coffee, but managed to maintain his composure.
"Well, that's the first time you ever botched a dramatic entrance, Summer." He realized, and then looked at his students awkwardly "This is… Uh… Ruby Rose's dead mother."
"What." The two blurted out.
"It's a long story." The headmaster dismissed "You should go to your dormitory."
Jaune and Pyrrha nodded slowly and exited the room, never taking their eyes off the ghost. When they were gone, Ozpin got up from his seat and neared Summer, examining her closely.
"Summer?" He called softly "Are you alright?"
"I… The Dark…"
She groaned again, and a spark of dark light left her form. The woman whimpered, her face contorted in pain. The headmaster looked around helplessly. He couldn't even offer her a chair…
"Well…" He said awkwardly "You can't die twice, right? So you're probably going to get better."
"Shut up… You moron…" Summer groaned with gritted teeth "I was at a town… At the border with Mystral. The Dark… It attacked it."
Ozpin's face darkened. He sat on his chair again and looked at the woman seriously.
"It is targeting us now." The headmaster stated "Its plan to use Penny and destroy us in a single move didn't work, and that angered it."
"Yes, it is angry." Summer agreed "It… It took physical form."
A shiver ran down Ozpin's spine at that phrase.
"When it takes physical form, everything around it is consumed by darkness." He remembered "How did you survive, Summer?"
The woman closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to lower a bit before speaking again.
"In that darkness, I took physical form too, I believe." She theorized "I called upon my Semblance, and managed to escape before I was fully consumed… But you see the aftermath of the exposure now."
"Yes, it looks painful." Ozpin noted "Do you feel pain?"
Summer looked at him exasperatedly, and he took notice of how stupid of a question that was after he saw her groaning and doubling over. The professor gestured with a hand, trying to appease the ghost.
"You're welcome to rest here for as long as you want." He invited "It's the middle of the night, so you probably won't scare any other students."
"…Thank you."
She floated still in front of his desk, and the two avoided each other's gaze awkwardly. Summer looked around the office curiously.
"So…" She started "Where's Glynda?"
"Infirmary." Ozpin answered "Her injury was pretty bad, but she's recovering slowly… And working hard, despite the doctor's recommendations against it."
"You didn't stop her personally?" The woman asked disapprovingly.
"And let the whole school shut down?" The headmaster retorted amusedly "There's some things even an immortal man can't do by himself, and running an academy is one."
Summer shook her head slowly. Now that she was still, and not trying to move desperately, the pain was going away. She could see a few dark sparks jumping out of her form now and then, and each time that happened, her agony decreased even more.
"Well, I hope she gets well." She sighed "How do you feel about what happened?"
"With Penny?" Ozpin asked distractedly, looking through a few of his papers, but she knew he was just pretending to work.
"With James Ironwood."
The headmaster signed a paper quickly, not answering her question. He lifted his head and smiled.
"You know what this reminds me of?" He asked.
"…What?" Summer asked tiredly.
"The years after you graduated." Ozpin reminisced "You would get missions done, and then return to the school and pay me a visit. You were a very sweet girl at that age, always excited to tell me about your adventures."
"I remember that too." She glared at him "You should know better than to speak of those times."
The professor nodded, agreeing completely with her position. It was better for the both of them if that was topic was avoided.
"I checked on RWBY." Summer told "They are doing fine. The White Fang have a good leader in Belladonna. I believe she'll manage to contain most of the chaos from their part."
"I knew she could do a good job." Ozpin said proudly "What about the others?"
"Schnee is fine. Yang is… conflicted. I found her on a tree branch, singing a sad song about watching loved ones grow up…"
"Interesting." The headmaster commented "What's the reason behind that?"
Summer smirked.
"Ruby seems to be in love with a girl by the name of Cinder Fall."
-x-
"Ruby!" Cinder called "You know you shouldn't be doing this!"
The redhead sighed and turned around. They were in the middle of the woods surrounding their camp at the base of Mountain Glenn. She thought she had been sneaky, but the Dust warrior was too perceptive for her plan to succeed.
"Aw…" She complained "I just want to find Yang."
"You can't. You should be resting." The brunette chided.
Ruby pouted and stared at her pleadingly. Cinder tried to avoid her gaze, but failed to.
"You're a manipulative girl, Ruby Rose." She sighed "We can search for Yang, but together, and at a slow pace."
"Yay!"
The redhead skipped to Cinder and kissed her on the cheek. The older girl smiled and started walking, taking her hand so they would be at the same rhythm. The two began to search the woods leisurely.
"I'm really sorry for what happened, Ruby." Cinder said "I should have asked for Yang's permission first."
"There are three problems with that." The leader noted "One: she would have said no. Two: she would have beaten you up. Three: we kinda kissed in the middle of the night, so she was probably sleeping then."
"You can be really rational when you put your mind to it." The brunette complimented "I am certain you're actually really thoughtful all the time, but put up a façade so people underestimate you…"
"What does underestimate mean?"
Cinder narrowed her eyes.
"You can't trick me." She warned "You know exactly what I'm talking about, and I'm right."
"Hey, a person can be bubbly and smart! I'm not faking anything!" Ruby protested.
"And adorable."
The redhead giggled happily. Cinder stopped walking and pointed to a hill they could see through the middle of the trees.
"How about we get up there?" She suggested "We'll have a better chance to spot your sister from somewhere higher."
"Good idea!" Ruby said "But… I can't exert myself too much, considering my injury…"
"You are manipulative." The Dust warrior repeated amusedly "You can climb on my back."
"Best. Girlfriend. Ever!" The younger girl squealed.
Cinder laughed as she climbed to her back, holding her shoulders tightly so she wouldn't fall. The brunette smirked and decided to give her girlfriend a rush, taking off into a run.
She raced up the hill with Ruby yelling excitedly, and when they finally reached the top, Cinder dropped her on the ground on her back.
"Change of plans." The redhead decided "Let's look at the clouds."
The Dust warrior smiled and lied next to the girl. She felt a hand clasp one of hers, and sure enough, when she looked to the side, Ruby was right there, pressing against there. They stared at each other, and the redhead's eyes were almost shining with joy…
This is surreal. Cinder thought. There is not a chance I could ever deserve something like this… Is this some sick joke made to punish me?
The brunette closed her eyes for a few seconds, suddenly feeling wrong about reciprocating that look.
"Hey, Cinder."
She opened her eyes hesitantly, and found Ruby grinning at her.
"I was just thinking…" The redhead started in a soft tone of voice "Isn't it funny how everything happened between us? I had no idea who you were at the Dance… And while there are some things about your past I don't know about… I think I know you very well. It's been maybe a little more than a week since we've started to travel together, but I feel like I know I've known you for a lot longer."
"I must admit I've thought about that too." Cinder confessed, looking up at the sky thoughtfully "I don't know what I did to earn this… You're like a… blessing. What do you see in me, Ruby?"
The redhead pondered the question for a few minutes. How was she supposed to answer that? There were a million things she liked about Cinder, but it wasn't like she had mental list of them. She wondered if Weiss or Blake would be able to answer a similar inquiry in regards to their relationship…
"I don't know for sure." Ruby started "… You do everything with so much confidence, but it's not to appeal to others, only yourself. And even though you say you need to keep your emotions under control… You do show them, sometime subtly, other times more clearly… And it always feels so genuine to me." The redhead's eyes lowered sadly "I think there's something inside you, Cinder, which you don't tell anybody about. It's something you struggle against, I can tell… But I have no idea what it is."
"…Do you want me to tell you?" Cinder asked hesitantly.
"Nope." The younger girl answered simply.
"Really? And you're still willing to stay with me?" The brunette said in wonderment.
"I think I know you good enough by now. There's nothing that could change my feelings about you."
Cinder's world seemed to slow down when she heard that sentence.
You don't know what you are saying, Ruby. She spoke mentally. If you ever find out the truth… The one who will be the most hurt will be you.
She knew she should just stop everything right now, just get up, apologize, and leave the girl alone. It would break her heart, but it would be nothing compared to what could come if she didn't do it now.
But looking at Ruby's silver eyes, so full of joy and naiveté, she just couldn't bring herself to do the right thing. Instead, Cinder leaned towards her girlfriend and kissed her, holding her by the cheeks gently.
When she backed away, both were smiling contently. Their happiness was cut short, however, when a new voice rang to them.
"Get away from her."
The two jumped to their feet. Summer looked at the two, her face devoid of emotion, but her tone had been harsh. Ruby stared at her in frustration, while Cinder took a few steps back, shocked by her ghostly appearance.
"What are you doing here?" The redhead girl asked annoyed.
"I'm stopping this disaster from escalating any further." Summer responded sharply.
"Good luck, then." Ruby retorted rebelliously "Yang already tried, but she didn't succeed. She at least had violence at her side… What do you have?"
The woman's eyes sparked briefly with anger, but it was soon redirected to Cinder when the brunette spoke.
"What is happening?" She asked "Who is this, Ruby?"
"Oh… Well…" The leader scratched her head, not really sure how to answer "She's my mother."
"You said your mother was dead."
"I didn't lie!" Ruby protested "How many living people can float and appear out of nowhere? None."
The chatter was interrupted when Summer appeared in front of Cinder, blocking her vision to her girlfriend. She stared down at the Dust Warrior's eyes, obviously as a warning.
"I know about you, Cinder Fall. Everything." She told "So, let's do this the easy way. Just walk away while you still can… Ozpin promises you'll be left alone as long as you don't harm anyone under his guard."
The brunette gasped. If Ozpin was being mentioned, there was no doubt this woman truly knew about her. She stepped back, panic starting to spread slowly through her mind. When Ruby walked to the side, making herself able to be seen again, Cinder gritted her teeth.
There's nothing that could change my feelings about you.
The words echoed in Cinder's head. The usual, wise part of her knew she should just comply with Summer, but now it seemed dwarfed by this other part that she never knew existed… Full of hope, peace, and love.
"Ruby. I need you to listen to me." Cinder spoke seriously "Whatever you hear… It doesn't matter anymore."
"W-what do you mean?" The redhead stammered, now unnerved by the tense atmosphere which had suddenly taken the top of the hill.
Summer shot Cinder a cold look before looking at her daughter.
"This woman is a murderer." She revealed "Roman Torchwick wasn't the only one. Her record goes back almost twelve years."
"That isn't true." Ruby refuted stubbornly.
"She's not lying." Cinder conceded "I killed many people. But it wasn't my choice! It took me years to learn to control my powers, and even then, I lost myself sometimes."
The younger girl looked at the brunette in shock. Her arms trembled and she moved her head to the side with her eyes closed. After a few seconds, she looked back at her mother with determination.
"Cinder told me all about her problem with emotions. She doesn't like killing people." Ruby spoke firmly "It's awful that she did that… But the only reason she didn't tell me was because I said she didn't need to."
Cinder's face brightened. She knew this knowledge would still weight heavily on their relationship… But at least now she could she a shimmer of hope coming through.
"She did have problems controlling her powers." Summer agreed, still cold "But she learned much faster than she would have you believe. The deaths stopped being accidents shortly after her tenth birthday."
"You have no proof." Ruby said shakily.
"Of each one of them? Of course not." The ghost spoke, and then she narrowed her eyes at Cinder "But why would she have connections with the White Fang?"
The Dust warrior cursed mentally. This was something she had no way to answer well… Her allegiance with the White Fang was the reason she worked with Ruby in the first place, so she couldn't even claim Summer was lying.
"I was… confused." She muttered "I wanted some way to vent, to let my anger leave me… The White Fang offered that."
Cinder looked at Ruby, and this time, it was clear the girl was not going to defend her. The redhead backed away slowly, staring at her girlfriend in quiet shock.
Summer opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a ring of fire exploded around the brunette. Cinder clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. The flames danced wildly, sometimes rising up high into the air and then lowering into the ground, as if she could barely keep them under control.
"Nothing I did was my fault!" She exclaimed bitterly "I was forced into that life by your headmaster!"
"W-what?!" Ruby stammered "What does Ozpin have to do with this?"
"Everything!" Cinder yelled. She pointed to the fire around her as it rose and fell "He did this to me!"
The redhead's eyes widened, and she looked to her mother for an explanation. Summer's face still was unsympathetic.
"She is telling the truth." The dead woman told grudgingly "Shortly after he learned the Dark was awake, Ozpin started to gather young children. He took most of them from orphanages or the streets… He wanted to find a way to create a powerful weapon to combat the Dark. Infusing someone's body with Dust was the method he settled with."
Ruby's mind was a mess right now. Everything she thought she knew was being thrown up in the air… Cinder's past… Ozpin's character… Her mother's conscience… It was too much to take in such a short amount of time.
Not many people are willing to trust your headmaster right now, but I'm not one of these people.
Immortality is not as great as it sounds.
Happy birthday, sweetheart.
Ruby took her scythe from her belt and held it tightly, her knuckles going white with how fiercely she was wielding it. She looked like she could run away at any moment now.
"Ozpin is not the great man you think he is." Cinder accused, her fire stabilizing, although her expression was still furious "He might have killed a hundred children trying to create a weapon, and when he finally managed to do it… He just left me abandoned with a woman I did not even know."
"Don't you dare speak of Anna." Summer muttered "I knew her personally. She was the sweetest person I've ever met… And you killed her."
"It's not my damn fault!"
The flames exploded again, but this time Summer dived right in the middle of them and faced the crazed girl.
"Ozpin can't be held responsible for your actions." She said "You might have had an awful childhood, one that nobody deserves, but that doesn't mean you have the right to kill people in your anger."
"I stopped." Cinder stated "For years, the only one I wanted to kill was Ozpin himself."
"You had the opportunity. He was never guarded; all you needed to do was to get inside Beacon and confront him."
"T-that's right." Ruby muttered "You got into the dance… That was when you introduced yourself and said you weren't in good terms with him. Were you there to… kill Ozpin?"
Cinder's fire started spinning quickly around her, but she didn't speak a single word. Summer looked back at her daughter and nodded.
"She was gathering information. Something that would make Ozpin suffer." The woman stated "She met you, Ruby."
The redhead unfolded her scythe and pointed it at Cinder, tears blurring her eyes.
"You… You wanted to kill me? Me and the rest of the team, so Ozpin would suffer?" She asked "That's why you offered your help?!"
Suddenly, the fire died down. Cinder lifted an arm pleadingly to Ruby, and she could see the skin on that hand becoming covered with a thin layer of ice. The brunette closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a single tear fell down her face.
"Yes."
Almost unconsciously, Ruby pulled back the trigger. The Dust warrior was hit by the round, her Aura shattering a bit at the point of impact, but she only stumbled back and stared at the redhead sadly.
Ruby shot again, and again, and again, her own tears falling down her face, but she couldn't stop herself until the magazine was empty.
Cinder swayed, her vision slowly being covered by black dots. She felt the sensation of a warm liquid running down her body. Not bothering to look down, the brunette simply palmed herself until she touched a hole below her right shoulder.
"Ruby…" She whispered "I-I… Sorry…"
Cinder fell backwards, rolling down the hill, leaving a bloody trail behind her.
Ruby looked down at her scythe, not releasing any sound at all. Summer floated to her and stared at her consolingly.
"I am sorry this had to happen." She said softly "But you can't-"
"Shut up."
The ghost halted all movement as her daughter looked back up at her.
"Don't ever talk to me again." Ruby's voice was barely audible "Everything was fine until you came along… So just leave."
Summer's lips parted, but she stopped when she realized how the girl was looking at her. This wasn't right… Nobody should ever look at someone so venomously, especially Ruby.
"Go away." The daughter insisted "I hate you."
-x-
Weiss faked a cough as she looked up a tree, Blake standing amusedly beside her. This had been the first time in days they were able to relax during the day, and searching tree tops was not what she was expecting.
Much to the brunette's surprise, Yang looked down at them and smiled faintly.
"Hey, you brought Blake this time." She raised her eyebrows suggestively "Is therapy getting upgraded?"
"What?" The faunus asked confusedly.
"Don't give it a single thought, it's just Yang's usual blabber." Weiss urged.
"Good one, Ice Queen!" The blonde whispered, even though Blake could obviously hear it too "She'll never find out about our late-night meetings!"
Blake raised an eyebrow, but decided to not indulge her friend this time. Yang dropped to the ground and looked at the two of them.
"So… Why was I called upon?" She asked.
"Well… I thought that since you had a good night of sleep, which clearly improved your mood…" Weiss said "You should speak with Ruby."
"Are you trying to tell me how I should manage relations with my sister?"
"Hey, I have a younger sister too!" The once-heiress frowned "Well, I was not that good to her… And when I tried to be nice she was a bitch… And then I got disowned…"
"You should speak with Ruby." Blake interrupted, knowing her girlfriend had slipped into tricky territory.
Yang sighed.
"You're right. I need to apologize to her, and to Cinder too."
Her teammates lifted their thumbs positively, and then the three made their way to Ruby's usual spot. Weirdly enough, she wasn't there.
"Uh, where is Ruby?" The blonde asked.
"…Wait, did she notice you had returned to camp?" Blake questioned.
"Nope."
"Then she went out looking for you." The faunus sighed "Hopefully, she won't hurt herself. Cinder probably went with her."
Much to their surprise, Ruby suddenly exited the edge of the trees. Her head was hanging low, her shoulders slumped, and even worse, she was dragging Crescent Rose against the ground. She cared about that weapon like people cared about their relatives, so something was seriously wrong.
Yang rushed to her, stopping the redhead on her tracks. When the younger girl didn't say anything, her sister lifted her head by the chin, and was shocked to see her eyes were bloodshot.
"Ruby?" The blonde said softly "What happened?"
It took a long time for a response to come, and by the time it did, Weiss and Blake had joined them, enclosing their friend in a worrying triangle.
"Cinder…" The redhead croaked.
Weiss flinched. She had been suspicious of their ally, but hadn't really pressed the issue after the first days they passed together, mostly because the once-heiress thought it was just her usual cold attitude to people she didn't know in effect again. Now, she felt guilt about not questioning Cinder further.
Blake had a similar reaction, and the way she winced was so clashing with her usual composure that it was a miracle the others didn't notice it. She had heard Adam and Cinder discuss some shady stuff about her past, but she left the Dust warrior alone anyway. If Ruby was hurt by her, Blake would never forgive herself.
The strongest reaction was from Yang. Her eyes turned red, but she wasn't angry at Ruby, for not listening to her the day before; or even at Cinder, who was the cause of this. Instead, she was just angry because something made her sister cry, and that should never happen.
"What happened, Ruby?" The blonde repeated "What did Cinder do to you?"
"She didn't do anything to me…"
Ruby's whole body trembled, and with a loud sob, she let Crescent Rose hit the ground.
"I killed Cinder."
-x-
Reviews!
Lojzek: If the sneakiness is not the key... Then the punch will be! Also, there will be much Adam in the near future (yay?)
Ihavenoidea: That's a great spectrum of emotions. I have a rule about Semblance genetics, which I won't reveal right now because spoilers. I don't think it will take a lot of time to get to that point, though...
Cyborg: Neo is alive. She left the White Fang, because her loyalty was with Torchwick in the end. I should have put this in the story itself, but I didn't find a good spot to squeeze it in. Thank Dust for Word of God. Also, Cinder is/was 18-19, which I don't think is her canon age. Ruby is 16, so at most it's a 3-year gap.
Oh-the-humanity-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Children of Summer!
-Zeroan