"..."
Ruby sat on the grassy hill, observing the black, night sky above the lake. The stars twinkled, always seeming like they were missing something. Like a leader. Maybe the giant Tree miles and miles in front of her will reach up there. One day. It sure reached the lake to drink from, that's for sure.
The girl had heard that So No Kuni (Land of Ancestors) and Ka no Kuni (Land of That) were on the verge of war, but rumors are rumors. She lived in the So no Kuni, but it was Ruby and her family that watched over the Ancient Tree's drinking water at the edge of the border. They were to cut any plants that grew too heavy, not letting it taint the lake.
Ruby glued her eyes to a falling star disappearing over the distance as it came thrashing down, much too far away. She wished for a world where she didn't have to live as a peasant, working under a land that cared so much about some Ancient Tree.
She longed for a world where she could live freely, with easy access to food, water, and listening to music was at her leisure. She loved music but such festivals weren't common. In other words, she dreamed of a future, for the world had no history, and has not progressed. Maybe things will change. One day. But she doubts that the falling star will grant her wish.
Feeling a sudden grip on her shoulder, Ruby jerked her attention behind her, only to realize it was her older sister, Yang.
"Don't scare me like that!" Ruby shouted.
Yang smile brightly, just like her golden, blonde hair. "Sorry, sis. Didn't mean to spook ya!"
That's such a lie. Her sister took every opportunity to sneak up on her. She narrowed her eyes, "Whatever. Is mom back, yet?"
Yang frowned. Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, wasn't Yang's birth mother. That title belongs to Raven Branwen, who walked out on her when she was a kid. Still, Summer was a mother to Yang, caring for her and all. And made the best cookies from scratch.
Their father, Taiyang Xiao Long, was often away getting supplies or bartering along with her uncle and mother. But their grandmother was here to 'take care' of them. Kind of hard when you're blind and senile though, always going on about 'aura.'
She's the one who came here, eventually settling it as her new home. Her home country, Hana no Kuni (Land of Flowers) was destroyed by Kuro no Kuni (Land of Dark). The Grimm. Their grandmother almost perished in the war, leaving only a few remnants. She wouldn't tell them how she survived, only that the light guided her.
The Grimm hated Hana no Kuni, but thanks to history being lost to the world, there isn't a real reason for why. They sound like monsters. According to her grandmother, it's a land dominated by men, and the women were slaves. Definitely not a place Ruby wants to find herself.
She also told Ruby they hated the color of their eyes. Something about being silver. But, yet again, history has nothing about that.
"No. But she'll be back at any moment now," Yang told Ruby, trying her best to comfort her, and failing at it. Instead, she redirected the topic. "So have you sliced any more fruits that grew down there?"
Ruby glanced towards the tree that resided on the hill, to the scythe that was carved into the chitin. "Yeah. There were some strawberry vines, so I cut out the vines and put it in a bag."
"Strawberries? Have you ever had one?"
"No. They look gross. Those green dots remind me of blackheads."
"Where's the bag?"
"By my scythe. I was gonna throw them away."
Yang grabbed the bag and took out a few strawberries. Sitting next to Ruby, she handed one to Ruby.
"Eat it!"
Ruby rolled her eyes, "Do I really have to?"
"Yes!" Yang exclaimed with a huge smile. Hard to say no to it.
"Fine," Ruby said, biting into half of the strawberry. Soon enough, she smiled as she took another bite, right up to the stem.
"I knew it!" Yang cheered. "You'll like anything red!"
"Shut up!" She retorted as she rushed to stand up. Yang was about to ask where she was going but soon realized her sister was grabbing the strawberry bag. Looking into the bag, she took out a handful. "I just expected them to be sour, is all."
"Yeah, right. You never like new things!"
"Shut up!"
"You're worse with meeting people! Remember when we were in town last week?"
"That's not my fault! You left me in a crowd, and I didn't know where I was going!" Ruby shrieked.
She had accidentally fallen over a girl named Weiss when she wasn't watching where she was going and got berated by her. Ruby was never good with people, and when the mean girl started demeaning her, she screamed and ran.
Yang giggled, "You literally exploded."
"I did not!" Ruby placed another strawberry into her mouth. Her eyes gazed down back to the lake before she glimpsed at her gorgeous sister.
Ruby was always jealous of Yang. She had a confident smile, beautiful skin, long, golden, blonde hair, a bigger chest, everything. The otherwise, red-black haired girl was so pale and small compared to her. Beyond that, she was outgoing with people, while Ruby screams at the thought of talking to strangers.
Hearing footsteps from behind, they saw their grandmother approaching. She always manages to know where people were, despite being blind. She explained it was by seeing their aura, which is ridiculous. Being healthy for her age, she's easily able to climb the hill. Although she had white hair, it's not from being old. That's just her natural hair color.
"Would you two mind going to the market tomorrow?"
"Sure, grandma! What do you need?" Yang eagerly asked. Unlike Ruby, she loved going to town and meeting people.
"I'll write a small list for tomorrow morning."
"Alright. We'll come down in a little bit."
The grandmother nodded and descended down the hill. At being alone, she nudged Ruby's arm. "Ready to talk to him?"
As she took a bite of a strawberry, her eyes widened. Unable to talk, she shook her head sideways.
"Come on! I see the way you two look at each other!"
Ruby swallowed. "I haven't even been within five feet of him."
The younger sister made a grunt and swayed her face away. "Ruby, he just hasn't noticed you, yet. You do tend to stay away from being noticed."
"That's how I like it."
"Fine," Yang said with a breath before standing up. "I'm going down to the house."
"I'll come down soon," Ruby said as she let her back fall to the lush, cold grass. Putting her arms behind her head for an arm pillow, she stared up at the stars. A colorful palette of glitter and colors, swirling around. But, much like how she felt she was missing someone, the dark sky was missing something, too.
Her grandmother asked her to get a bag of potatoes and various fruits from the nearby market. Among other lands, So No Kuni was a blooming country. Well, for the higher-ups, unlike Ruby, who had to work all day to make a decent wage. Not like her grandmother can work, anymore.
The land was especially spaced out. It was usually a half-hour walk between each house and an hour to the actual market. Dirt roads, carriages, and wooden huts. If you weren't a farmer, you'd get food here. That includes working peasants like Ruby and her family, and officials, like that girl who threw her under the bridge at the last festival.
While Yang went to get a bag of grapes and potatoes, Ruby bought a small sack of apples and put it inside her bag. But as she closed her bag, she heard a conceited voice behind her. One that was burned into her mind for yelling at her.
"I know you!" Weiss shouted.
Ruby made a small, terrified scream as she held her hands up in front of her face. "No! I'm sorry! It wasn't on purpose!"
"That's what all you peasants want me to believe! Next thing, you're gonna steal some of my family crops and tell me 'Oh, I was hungry,'" Weiss mocked, before putting her wrists to her hips and glaring at Ruby.
Ruby frowned as she swayed her eyes to the ground, holding her elbow with her arm, trying to hide from the angry girl. "I.. I wouldn't do that."
"Sure, you wouldn't," Weiss stated before going on a tangent about welfare and the common good.
"Well, if it isn't Weiss Schnee" A girl called from behind Ruby. Turning around, it was a girl with long, black hair, and clothes that screamed the word 'foreigner.'
"Oh, you've heard of me? It's not a surprise."
"Yes. Your family monopolizes the crops of So no Kuni, selling a huge margin of it to distant lands with a huge tax. Not to mention the horrible crop value your family gives to farmers, basically making them slaves with how little you pay."
"I-"
"Also their questionable motives as they try to negotiate with Ka no Kuni to try and escape their tax within So no Kuni."
Weiss glared at her before taking a deep breath. "I don't know what my family is doing with Ka no Kuni, but I'm not them. Okay?"
"Sooo… I'm just gonna go," Ruby said, as she started to walk backward.
"Hey, Ruby!" Her sister said, emerging from behind her. Yang wrapped her arm around her shoulder and brought her back to the two other girls. "Who are your new friends?"
Neither of them smiled back at Yang, making her own smile awkward, at best.
"I'm Blake."
The rich, white-haired girl smiled. "Weiss."
"Well, I'm Yang, and this is Ruby!" Yang eagerly replied. Ruby was poking her fingers together as she bit her cheek.
"I know all about her."
"You do?! Awesome!"
"Last time I saw her, she knocked me into a stock of rotten potatoes!"
"Ooh. That was… you," Yang said in a regretting tone as she took her arm away from Ruby's shoulder.
"But! It's fine. I forgive you."
"Really?! You'll forgive me?!" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Yes, if you three help me with something."
"Three? When did I get stuck into this?" Blake asked.
"If you're so interested in my family's business, I'll show you another side."
Ruby took Blake's hand and gave her an exaggerated pout. "Please?"
Blake rolled her eyes, "Fine. I don't have anything else to do."
"Awesome!" Yang shouted as she pumped her arm up.
Weiss lived among the flatland, near the edge of the hills that the Tree stood upon. Not that it was near it, as the hills were miles and miles across. The Tree is just that big. Blake wouldn't say where she lived, but something made Ruby suspect she didn't have a home, like a stray.
Getting to Weiss' lovely, wooden home, Ruby could see the clouds starting to block out the sun.
"In here," Weiss said as she entered into a lone building, not connected to the main building.
Entering into the square building, Ruby could see the diameter of a solid floor. Not made of wooden, but of some kind of plaster. Concrete?
Weiss picked up a mask, and put it on, followed by picking up an extremely thin sword. "My older sister will be gone for some time, so I haven't had anyone to practice on. There are more masks and rapiers in that closet.
"Rapier? Is that the sword?" Blake asked.
Yang opened up the door, revealing a whole closet of rapiers and masks, all neatly organized. Each of the girls put on their own, although feeling uncomfortable with it all.
"Who's first? You don't need to be good," Weiss taunted.
Yang walked forward, ready for any challenge. "I guess I'll go! What are the rules?"
"First, the rapier is a thrusting sword. But these have ballpoints at the end, so we won't ever get hurt. We deflect each other thrusts, trying to stab each other on the body. The masks are there just in case. Even a ballpoint would hurt an eye."
"Cool! Let's do it!" Yang said eagerly.
"Uh-oh," Ruby blurted from the side, making sure only Blake heard her.
Blake leaned closer to Ruby. "Why uh-oh?"
"Yang is very competitive."
"You ready? On Ruby's mark!" Weiss exclaimed
"Three, two, one, fence!" Ruby shouted.
And like that, each of their swords thrust, one deflecting the other each time. Each time, Yang had to take a small step back. But eventually, Yang wasn't quick enough. As she tried to jump backward, the ballpoint touched her chest.
"Who's next?" Weiss made an arrogant smile and then looked to see both Ruby and Blake were pointing to each other.
Getting her breath back, Yang wasn't letting this go. "Wait, no. I got it now. One more time."
"Well, alright. But don't expect anything to change."
"Three, two, one, fence!"
And again, they immediately started thrusting. However, Yang was overdoing it, putting Weiss on the defensive. Ruby could see through her mask, that she was struggling to deflect each of Yang's attacks, eventually tripping backward. Yang put the ballpoint to Weiss' chest. With an arrogant smirk, Yang walked to the other side of the room.
Weiss' made an irritated groan and stood up. "Ruby, countdown."
"But-"
"Now!"
"Three, two, one, fence!"
Each one them ran at the other, meeting in the middle of the solid floor. Yang wasn't letting up, and neither was Weiss. Eventually, Weiss speed increased and made a forceful stab at Yang's forehead.
"Ow," Yang said as she took off the mask, and rubbed her forehead.
"Serves you right. Know your place."
"What?! You wanna tussle?!" Yang asked angrily.
Ruby tilted her head as her eye squinted, "Like the mushroom?"
"No! Tussle, as in fight!"
"That's barbaric. I would never do such a thing as fight."
"Hey, you only think it's barbaric because you always had everything handed to you!" Blake shouted.
"You wanna know what I think?!" Yang inquired loudly.
"No. I don't want to know what you think!" Weiss exclaimed.
As the three girls bickered loudly, Ruby sat there watching them. All these girls have something to believe in. While Yang and Blake probably get along fine, neither of them aren't afraid to speak up. Hell, even Blake is as socially awkward as Ruby, but that's probably by choice.
Hearing shouting from outside, Ruby stood up to look outside. Horsemen, with torches, bows, and spears. They were from Ka no Kuni.
"No one should be here! Burn the whole place to the ground!" One of them said.
Ruby hurried to the three girls, "Hey!"
However, they all ignored the younger girl in favor or their yelling.
Ruby sighed, took a deep breath, and yelled. "Hey! There are people here! We need to leave!"
"What do you mean people are here? My family is gone, and we're a mile away from the closest neighbor," Weiss said with a snarky attitude.
"I mean, people on horses with torches and spears."
"What?!"
"We should run to the hills," Blake suggested.
"What we should do is fight 'em!" Yang proposed.
"No, there's a secret cave nearby. We'll be safe there," Weiss recommended.
"That one. Please, that one," Ruby urged.
"Let's go," Blake said, going towards the back exit.
Weiss took the lead. It was a good thing it was close to night, or they might have been spotted. They hurried across the grassy plains, running into the woods. Weiss ran straight to the cave, leading the others to finally sit down to rest.
"That looked like horsemen from Ka no Kuni!" Blake said between her breaths.
"They had the armor!" Ruby chimed in.
"Quiet!" Weiss said. "No one can know it was the Ka no Kuni. They're trying to invoke war by burning my family's home while they're away."
"Then let's bring it to 'em!" Yang said, smacking her knuckles together.
"Absolutely not! If So no Kuni goes to war with Ka no Kuni, we will lose!" Weiss stated. It's true. Ka no Kuni is a poor nation but their numbers are too huge. They have the expense of fodder and if the Schnee family got control over their farmers, they would have been able to buy Ko no Kuni, outright.
"But we need to tell Emperor Tenji!" Blake urged.
Weiss sighed, "I guess we should but the Emperor has too much going on right now. I doubt he would be able to help much."
"It's almost a day's journey there," Blake said.
"Let's go tomorrow," Ruby suggested. "You two can come stay at our place."
Both Blake and Weiss' eyes opened wider. Why is it so shocking Ruby offered them a place to stay?
"Stay at your place?" Blake hesitantly asked.
"I guess it's better than sleeping on charcoal," Weiss stated.
"Yay!" Ruby cheered. Making a big wave motion with her hand, she started to lead the way. "Follow me! I know a shortcut!"
As they walked, Ruby thought about what this could mean for their country if they were to lose a war against Ka no Kuni. From what she heard, they weren't exactly nice to their women, so none of them were really excited to deal with them. Even Weiss, who was the proudest of them all, didn't even make an attempt to tell them to leave.
Still, it sounded better than the Grimm.
By the time they got home, their grandmother had already dozed off to bed. Ruby and Yang placed the bags of food in the common room so she'll see in in the morning. After, Ruby got together a small bag for tomorrow's trip, containing matches and a water canteen. The sisters gave their guests the sleeping mats their mother and father usually sleep on, but they aren't here so they shouldn't need them.
As Ruby walked into her room, she realized both Blake and Weiss dragged the mats to the opposite sides of the room, far from the middle where Yang and Ruby slept. Their shadows scarred the wall as the candle emitted its light from the middle of the room.
Ruby shyly closed the door, "Where's Yang?"
"Bathroom," Blake said as she stared at her scroll.
"Ah," Ruby blurted as she walked closer to her. "What are you reading?"
Blake fixated her eyes to look up to Ruby, "It's a story. Of a man with two souls."
"Two souls? Think it could ever happen?"
She made a soft smile, "No. Not really. In this story, he has two sons that aren't born with a soul, so he gives them his. But how could someone ever do that? Much less splitting it in two?"
"Yang used to tell me all kind of stories when we were younger," Ruby said as she peaked to Weiss, who jerked her head away. Ruby smiled, "You two want to hear one of them?"
"Sure," Blake said as she rolled up her scroll.
"As if," Weiss blurted and laid down, looking at the wall.
"You sure? It's about the Pale Woman," Ruby said in a loud whisper.
"Pale?" Blake inquired.
"Pale white," Ruby said in another whisper as she sat down by the candle. "With the third eye on her forehead, she came from the sky to steal everyone faces."
"Steal faces?"
Ruby nodded, "With her mirror. No matter how many times she dies, her reflection brings her back."
"Telling them about the Pale Woman, Rubes?" Yang asked as she entered the room.
Ruby grinned, "Maybe."
"Well," Yang let herself fall to her mat. "We better get to sleep if we're going to Emperor Tenji tomorrow."
Blake closed her book as Ruby crawled to her own mat. Blowing out the candle, she laid down in the dark.
A whole day's worth of walking but the girls neared close to Tenji's palace. A beautiful, huge home, with multiple guards surrounding the exterior. There was a flight of steps going into the front entrance, with two guards standing at the bottom of them.
Both of them had a sincere, blank expression. Armor braces on their arms, legs, and chest strapping over their loosely fit shirt and pants. Holding their spears steadily, one of them made a delighted smile when he saw the four girls approach.
"And what do four young ladies need to speak to our Emperor about?"
Weiss stepped forward, "I'm Weiss Schnee. I need to speak to Lord Tenji."
"Schnee? Daughter of Jacques? I'll lead you to him," the guard said as he started walking up the steps. "Have any of you met with Lord Tenji prior to this?"
As he glanced over his shoulder, the guard saw their shy expressions. He smiled, "Don't worry. Lord Tenji is one of the kindest rulers this land has ever seen. Only ever sought after peace and helping people."
He waved them to enter a room. The girls followed Weiss inside, eventually seeing a young man sitting on a pillow mat. He saw sitting on weirdly, with his legs folded to sit on his knees.
"Lord Tenji, these girls have requested an audience with you," the guard said behind them.
"Really? It's a nice change of events from the conflicts that have been occurring with Ka no Kuni," Tenji said as he waved over an attendant girl with a pink bandana. "Aino, could you please get tatamis for these girls?"
The attendant nodded and returned briefly with the tatamis, placing them down in front of the girls. Ruby and Yang sat their butts on it while Weiss and Blake sat just like the Emperor. Looking at his face, he had a confused expression.
"Like this," Weiss whispered while she pointed to her knees.
"What, why?" Yang asked.
"It's called seiza. Proper sitting," Blake explained. "Oh," the sisters said as they readjusted their legs.
Ruby gave a nervous look, noticing just how uncomfortable it is.
Weiss turned to the Emperor. "Sorry about my friends, Lord Tenji. They live near the Peaks of Demise."
He gave a cheerful smile, "It's quite okay. What may I do for you, today?"
"Well," Weiss started as she slowly turned to the other girls. "My name is Weiss Schnee."
You could see how sour the Emperor's face went. "Schnee, huh? As I understand, your family is in the Ka no Kuni trying to work out a better trade system for crops."
"It's them why I'm here. They took the opportunity of my family's absence to burn our house down."
"What?!" Tenji raised his voice. "That's very troubling news. And here I was hoping you young women came for something cheerful in these concerning times."
"I apologize but I thought it would be better for you to know instead of being left in the dark."
"No, you did right. You saw them with your own eyes?"
"We all did," Blake added.
"I see. I will need to send a patrol to guard that border. The Schnee family will also need to come meet with me to relocate their land."
"Thank you, Lord Tenji," Weiss said as she bowed.
The girls begin to stand up to leave but Tenji called out to them. "It's much too dark for you four to go head back West. Stay here for the night."
The guard's face grew alarmed. "But, Lord-"
The Emperor raised his hand, shutting the guard up. "It wouldn't do well on my conscious if you four got hurt. There's plenty of room, after all."
"Of course, Lord," the guard said. "Come on, you four."
"Hold on, there." Tenji stood up and walked towards them. "I haven't heard all their names, yet."
"I'm Blake."
Yang used her thumb to point to herself, "I'm Yang Xiao Long."
Tenji smiled and nodded to them before looking to youngest one, "And who you are, young miss?"
She shyly redirected her face away from him, "Ruby Rose."
"She's my baby sister!" Yang exclaimed.
"Well, I hope you four enjoy your stay as guests. If you need anything, let my guards know."
"I'll lead them to their room," Aino exclaimed.
Ruby turned to the guard that has been leading them thus far. She wanted to say thanks but her muscles tightened up. Instead, she rotated her head away and follow the girls.
Aino opened the guest room, revealing four lovely sleeping mats for them. "My room is the last one on the left if you need anything.."
"Thanks!" Yang called.
Blake leaned against the wall, "Exciting. The Emperor's Palace."
"I'm just glad we don't have to walk back in the dark," Weiss added.
"Hey, Yang? Ruby? How does that story with the Pale Woman end?" Blake inquired.
The sisters looked and grinned at each other before sitting down.
"Okay," Yang started.
"It started when she came out of the sky," Ruby continued.
"Initially, she was as kind as a rabbit."
"White like one, too. Clothes, her skin, her gorgeous, long hair."
Yang used her fingers to point to her eyes, "Even her eyes. Featureless!"
"But, one day, she was betrayed by the person she loved."
"And decided to place everyone in a dream, taking their life forces and faces!"
"With her third eye and her mirror."
"She was a bringer of destruction. If you dared disobeyed her, she would steal your face!"
Ruby held up two fingers. "One day, two men defeated and banished her."
"But she keeps finding her way back."
"Because, when someone looks into the mirror-"
"-the mirror steals their image."
"And brings her back," the sisters both finished.
Weiss looked at them as if they were crazy but Blake had a curious smile. "Where is this story from, exactly?"
"Our grandma told it to us," Yang said.
"It's.. interesting, to say the least."
"Whatever. It's just a fairy tale," Weiss blurted as she turned on her mat, facing away from them.
No matter how hard she tried to fall asleep, she felt too anxious. Eventually, feeling the urge to use the bathroom, Ruby snuck out of the room to do so. After finding the utilities, she looked beyond Aino's room. Down the hallway, she saw the outside of the backyard.
Walking closer, she saw a beautiful pond with multiple small islands, each having an arching bridge connecting them.
Standing on the island, it felt magical. As if all the stars were looking to her. Above, on the black canvas, there were dots covering the spray of purple and blue and every other night color. Each star twinkled it's own tune, calling out to her.
Sitting on the island, she stared up, trying to make sense of the music the stars sang. The only word she could mutter in her thoughts was loneliness.
Hearing soft footsteps approaching her, she softly grabbed the grass at her palms. But she was too fixated on the stars to see who it was.
"Are you waiting for someone?" A soft voice of a woman asked.
Ruby raised her head higher, "I guess you could say that. It's just... when I look up at the stars, they seem so lonely."
The woman took her time to fathom a response. From the tone of her apathetic voice, she was struggling to converse. Ruby knew the feeling all too well.
"What about you? Are you waiting for someone?" Ruby asked as she looked back, up at the woman. Her eyes instantly grew as her mouth gaped. She felt like she was just shot by an arrow. Ruby's eyes strained as her vision fixated on the pale woman that gazed at the stars.
"Rather, I'm expecting," the woman said. Her appearance is exactly what she imagined as the Pale Woman. Long hair, white skin, white clothes, and featureless, white eyes.
Ruby managed to shake her scared expression away. "Well, I hope whoever you're expecting brings you happiness."
The woman didn't make a single notion of emotion as she looked to Ruby. "Thank you. You have truly gorgeous, silver eyes. What's your name?"
"Ruby Rose. What's yours?"
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
As Ruby stood up to her feet, she tried to look to Kaguya's body for a mirror. But, there wasn't such thing on her person. "I think I should get back to bed. We're leaving right in the morning."
Kaguya made a small hum as Ruby walked pass her. Walking into the dark room, she let out a huge breath she was keeping in. Suddenly, she was especially sleepy. Finding her bed, she laid in it for a few seconds before giving into her dreams. She hoped she dreamed of music, but all she could dream of was a bright, orange color within a dark canvas.
But before she knew it, her annoying sister was waking her up.
"Ruby, wake up! Time to go!"
Ruby smacked her palms over her eyes. Slowly, she stood up and grabbed her bag.
"Weiss and Blake went outside to wait," Yang said as she slowly pushed Ruby to walk.
Walking outside, the guard nodded to them as the girls turned their head.
"Well, it's about time," Weiss blurted.
Tenji approached from the entrance and stood at the top of the stairs. "Leaving so soon? It's just daybreak."
"We have a long walk," Yang explained.
"That's a shame. I do like the company from the far farms."
"Oh, we don't work at a farm," Ruby said. Tenji raised an eyebrow. "We keep the God Tree's drinking water from being contaminated."
"Ah! I see. Its roots reach far for that water."
The tall Tree was closer to Tenji's Palace than Ruby's home. Still, it's able to be seen from any distance of the So no Kuni.
"If I am ever in that area, I will be sure to thank you for your service," he said as he bowed.
Is the Emperor bowing to her? Ruby did the only thing she could think of and did the same. As they both straightened their backs, Ruby could see Kaguya from within the building. Watching her. Ruby turned from Tenji's kind smile, she walked away to follow her friends. But looking over her shoulder, Kaguya had walked to the top of the stairs, glaring at them as they walked.
The sun shined down in spots, striking through the clouds. But never enough to make Ruby squint her eyes. As they neared her home, Yang stopped walking and stood in the middle of the road.
As Weiss and Blake looked at Ruby, she raised her hands to immediately let them limp back down. "I don't know. My sister is weird."
Yang rotated around with a giant grin and pulled Weiss and Blake closer. Ruby furrowed an eyebrow until she looked at her side. It was a small potato farm. Her eyes widened, realizing what Yang was planning.
"Yang, no!"
Their whispering stop, they glanced at Ruby. Weiss had a pleased smile, Blake had a smirk. Ruby took a step backward. She didn't even know they were near… him.
Suddenly, Yang leaped onto Ruby, stopping her from running.
"You know you want to talk to him, sis!"
"No!" Ruby yelled.
Blake and Weiss took hold of her arms, letting Yang get off her.
"This way, guys!" Yang pointed, walking towards the farm.
Ruby tried resisting, but all the girls were bigger and stronger than her. She tried dead weighing herself, but Yang merely picked up her legs.
Being taken to the one person she never had enough courage talking to, she wished she was anywhere but here. A tanned farm boy that lived a mile away from her that she always sees along the way to the market. His freckles were like chocolate drops.
Ruby quietly kicked, trying to break free as she saw him working on the farm, his shirt folded up to his elbows as he plucked veins of potatoes out.
The girls dropped her and ran behind the haystack. Trying not to alert him, she slowly got up. But as soon she did, the boy looked her way.
His enchanting, green eyes gazed at her as he had a small smile. "Hi."
Ruby coughed, "Hi, I'm- uh, Rose. Ruby."
The boy dusted off his hands, "I've seen you around before, right?"
"You have?! I mean, well, I walk down the road a lot so you might have seen me."
"Yeah! You live by that giant hill. Ya know, there's a shorter road to get to the market."
She takes this road specifically to see him. "Oh! Really? Wow. Never knew that! Nope!"
"I'm Oscar, by the way." The boy stood up and walked closer to her. "I like your eyes. Silver."
Ruby felt warmth in her cheeks, "I need to get going!"
"I'll see you around?" Oscar inquired.
"Maybe! I don't know!" Ruby said as she scampered pass the haystacks.
"I hate you guys!" Ruby shouted as they emerged from their hiding spots to follow her.
"Come on, Ruby! You've been crushing on him for so long!"
"I think you two would make a great couple," Blake exclaimed.
"And he's in your social class!" Weiss needlessly added.
Ruby groaned loudly. Taking a gaze back, she saw the boy back at work. Frowning away, she started to play with the tip of her bangs. "What guy would ever like me?"
The sun started to emulate a dark orange to the sky as they reached their last road back to Ruby's home. She was still moping about her meeting with Oscar. However, her attention redirected when she saw figures ahead of them.
"Who's that?" Blake inquired.
"Wait, that looks like," Weiss said. Ruby narrowed her eyes. Horses, with soldiers on top of them. "Why are they here?"
The Ka no Kuni horses neighed as the soldiers mushed them, coming straight for them.
"Run!" Ruby shouted.
Each of the girls dashed into the woods, but the soldiers got off their horses to chase them. As they almost got to the other side of the woods, Ruby heard someone trip behind. She halted and looked back.
Blake was screaming in pain. Ruby rushed back. There she saw what caught her ankle. A bear trap, and a lot of blood.
"Oh, no-"
The soldiers must have suspected they'd run into the woods, and prepared for that.
"What's wrong?!" Yang asked in a rush. Ruby pointed, making her put her hands over her mouth. "Oh, shit-"
"What's wrong?!" Weiss inquired, just as fast Yang said. The sisters pointed, making Weiss see the bear trap. "Oh, fu-"
"We need to get it off!" Ruby pleaded.
"Right, okay," Yang said, raising her hands in front of her face.
"What you three need to do is get out of here!" Blake said.
"We can't do that," Weiss stated.
"No, you don't understand. I'm why they're here."
"What?" Ruby asked.
"I'm… part of a rebellion in Ka no Kuni. Well, was."
"Was?"
"We were… wiped out by Ka no Kuni's soldiers."
Hearing the soldiers getting closer, Ruby tried pushing down the springs. However, they were clamped to each other. "It's rigged!"
"Why would we not rig it?" A soldier asked them as he approached from the woods.
Yang pushed her hand into Ruby's bag, taking the kunai she brought for protection. Running at the man, she struck for his chest. But he merely kicked her in the stomach, making her fall to her knees. Gripping the knife, she came back up. But the man used his sword to cut her arm off.
"Yang!" Ruby cried.
Suddenly, the soldiers surrounded them with their torches and fire, giving a dreadful, orange glow.
"We've been following you for a while, Faunus," another soldier said.
"Faunus?" Weiss asked.
"Yes, a rebel that hides their faces with an animal mask."
"You don't have any proof of that!" Ruby screeched.
"Actually," the captain walked closer. Taking off his helmet, it was a man with red hair. "I was an undercover agent. So, we do."
"Adam," Blake said under her breath.
"But, as far as you three to go, you're free to go. Sorry about your friend's arm but she did attack us on official business."
"Official business? That's just an excuse to have us shut up! I've already told Lord Tenji about how you burned down my family's mansion and I'll tell him about this!" Weiss snarkily said.
"Ah! Weiss Schnee?! Well, that does change a few things, then. Take her, too!"
Just like that, a guard knocked her out with a forceful elbow.
"Weiss!" Ruby screeched. She couldn't see through the tears forming in her eyes.
"We already have her family but with the daughter, we'll have complete control of their farming empire."
"I can't get the bear trap to come loose."
"Just kill her."
Although it was cold, Ruby couldn't help from shaking as Blake closed her eyes to the soldier's spear, accepting it.
Ruby kneeled to the grass to look away, grabbing the green blades. The sound of a sword cutting human flesh. She cried as the guards dispersed back to the road.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't save you."
Crawling to Yang, she ripped the bottom of her kimono to make a bandage for the arm, hoping to savor the blood that was left. The color of her face was drained.
"Yang?"
Ruby pushed her fingers into Yang's wrist.
"Yang!"
Hoping to feel a pulse.
"Yang?!"
She had friends.
"Yang?!"
She had a sister.
"Yang?!"
But now?
As she tried to scream her name, only a silent wail came out.
Ruby clenched her heart, letting out screeching cry. Her head throbbed from the force in her eyes. All she could see was a bright, white light replacing all the darkness all around. If only it could do that to her heart.
Ruby stood in front of her sister's and Blake's gravestone. A whole week has passed since she bled to death. She clenched her pants, blaming herself for bringing that gardening tool. It was supposed to be a 'just in case' thing. But, it ultimately cost her sister's life. And then, she did nothing but shake and cry while they kill her friend and take the other one away.
Looking to the sun's descent, she rotated to return to the house. As her kimono was torn and painted red with blood, she had to wear her mom's old desert traveling gear. A sand color cloak, shirt, and pants. The cloak was torn to hell and didn't go any farther than her arms, but it kept her warm.
Entering her home, she was greeted with the balmy sight of her father and uncle sitting in chairs, finally returning home. Their faces told her they have been told the bad news.
"Hey, kiddo," her uncle Qrow said. He always called her that.
"Ruby," her father called. His name was Taiyang. Yang was named after him. Her mother gave Ruby her own name, as they weren't officially married back then. Also, Ruby Rose had a good ring to it.
"Hey, dad."
The men looked at each other before Taiyang nodded to the other. Qrow got out his small alcohol bottle to take a swing. Ruby couldn't blame him. He just lost his niece, and was a heavy drinker, anyway.
As he wiped his mouth, he finally spoke. "Love is like… a great memory."
Ruby nodded. As tough she pretends to be, she's just a depressed soul inside.
"But we have memories for a reason. They're hard to forget. And sometimes, when you feel like giving up, remember them."
Taiyang added to Qrow's words, "The most authentic thing about us is that we can endure the pain, for them."
Ruby used her wrist to wipe her face, "I loved her."
"We know, kiddo. But, she will live on in our memories."
Glancing around, she wondered where her mother was.
"Where's mom?" She asked in a sniffle. Both of their eyes widened as they looked at each other. "Talking to grandma, I guess?"
Taiyang looked back to Ruby, "Rebekah was already asleep when we got here. We didn't wake her."
"Wait, then how did you two know about Yang?"
They both stood up, "Yang?"
"Yeah?" Ruby weakly said. Her legs felt like they were made of glass. Where's her mom?
"What happened to Yang?" Taiyang asked.
"Her arm, it was cut off by a soldier. She bled to death," Ruby said, gazing at them with a static, horrified expression. A huge tear rolled down her cheek. "Who were you talking about? Where's mom?"
Taiyang fell to his knees. Qrow came closer to her, gently bringing her face to his chest.
"It's alright, kiddo."
To think, after all the crying she has done the last week, there was still so much crying left to do. Her rampant breathing ceased to no breathing at all. The tears that are quiet are the worse kind because you're too mentally hurt to make a sound.
The next day, Ruby walked under the scorching sun and in the lush grass. It was a wonderful day. But it's too bad Ruby eyes were too exhausted to enjoy it. Not just from the lack of sleep, but from how much she cried.
As Ruby stuffed, even more, strawberries into her already filled bag, she figured someone must be trying to grow strawberries here because Ruby kept seeing them. She just wished her mother and sister could enjoy them with her, even the sour ones.
Ruby walked around the lake with her scythe in her hands, slicing the grass in a diagonal fashion. Cutting each blade of grass that she deemed too high, she wiped her eye each time tears blocked her sight.
'Why am I even doing this?' Ruby asked herself, cursing everything.
"Hey, squirt," a coarse voice said behind her.
Ruby loved Qrow like family, and he was the one to teach her all she knew about scythes. Just like the kunai, they're meant for gardening, but they've been on the verge of war for so long, that Qrow taught how to fight with one. Well, kinda. It was his original style.
She took a small glimpse of him before cutting more grass. From how quiet he was, Ruby thought he might have left. Truthfully, if Ruby were to be in a better mood, she would have loved talking to him. But right now, all she wanted to do was cut this damn grass.
"You know, you look just like her when she was a kid."
Ruby frowned, hoping her bangs would hide her face. "I know. Dad always said that."
She could hear Qrow walking closer to her. All she wants is to be left the hell alone. Hoping to relinquish her sudden anger, she sliced into the nearby shrub, revealing another shrub behind it.
However, this one had red leaves and white lilies that have yet to bloom. It was gorgeous. But, it was in the premise of the God Tree's drinking water, and to the job of their household, she must cut down anything that would dare steal it. Does she really have to kill it?
"What's this?" She asked, knowing Qrow was close enough.
"That is a Lily of the Valley. Beautiful, huh?"
"Yeah," Ruby faintly agreed.
"The most beautiful things kill, though."
"What do you mean?"
"Those red leaves and flower? Lethal if they're ingested."
It was a shame. People wouldn't be able to keep those around pets or young kids due to fear that they might eat it.
"Anyways, your grandmother asked me to come get you. She was hoping you'd go to the town and get some stuff."
"I'll finish up here and meet her up at the house," Ruby said, gripping her scythe.
"I'll let her know," he said. Within a second, she could hear his footsteps fading, finally leaving her alone.
The girl looked at the shrub, gripped her scythe tight, and swiped it to another bush, leaving the beautiful, red plant alone. It was, after all, her favorite color, much like her mother's favorite. Taking a stem of leaves, she put it inside her bag.
Memories are hard to forget, after all. And she is damned if she forgets her mother.
As she started to walk back home, the sun descended. However, as she looked up to the hill, she suddenly fell down, as if she was paralyzed.
"What's… going on…" she asked in a sleepy voice.
"Go to sleep, little Wilted Rose," a man with a soothing, deep voice hushed her.
Ruby tried her hardest waking up, only catching images of her legs being dragged against sand. Aside from the tracks her legs made, she saw two sets of footprints on each side of her.
A cool breeze finally woke her to hear conversations. She was tied up against a tree in the middle of a hot desert.
"The Pale Woman is already here!"
"We need the hybrid now!"
The same man that hushed her, hushed them. "She's waking up."
He crouched in front of her, but his face was shadowed over from the tree she leaned on.
"My name is Jacob. Named after my ancestor."
Ruby tilted her head back, unable to keep it upright.
"We came from the same ancestors, you and I. Esau and Jacob were the twin sons of Isaac. Except, Esau was the older, even if it was just a few minutes. Jacob merely held on by the heel. But, that's beside the point. Jacob was jealous of how Esau easily created life. Eventually, he made us. The Grimm."
Grimm? Oh, no.
"But Esau struck them down, making the silver eyes as his instrument of our extinction. After some time, they finally came to create something together. Humans. They populated the world while the silver eyes and Grimm blended in, eventually losing themselves throughout the eons. But, some of us never forgot through history. We still exist, even when those with the same eyes as you tried to purge us from this world."
History. She's from a historyless age, but these people kept records. Actual history.
"You've seen her, haven't you?"
Who?
"The Pale Woman?"
Ruby struggled to open her eyes.
"We met another silver eyed woman. But, she wouldn't help us."
It was them? They killed her mother?
"See, we need the blood of a silver-eyed woman to make one of us into something greater. But those men took her body, burying her someplace we couldn't find. It wouldn't help finding her, now. Blood needs to be fresh. And following those men led us to you."
Stop.
"We've been looking for so long."
Managing to open her eyes, she saw what was like an oasis in the dreadful desert. There was a calming, little lake by the trees.
He stood up, "Kaage, Reza. Let's get going."
Feeling tired, she passed out again.
She woke up with her feet dragging behind, again. Leaving a trail from her legs. Her hands were tied, but not behind her back. In her dizziness, she thought about how much she hated them, and the Ka no Kuni.
But, these men… treating women like slaves. Killing her mother.
Ruby could see her bag dragging by her waist, still around her neck, after all this time. It had matches, a kunai, a canteen, and...
Lily of Gardens.
Lethal.
Ruby clenched her fingers. She hated this world, for this was a cruel one. But she didn't hate anything more than she hated herself.
"Suicide is the purest form of criticism life gets."
Slowly looking up, she saw the stars gazing down at her. As if they were her friends. Oh, how she wanted them there with her. She felt stronger with them by her side.
"People who die by suicide, don't want to end their lives, they want to end their pain.
Her friends, her sister, her mom. Gone.
"Suicide doesn't kill people. Sadness kills them."
She thinks, maybe she could have done something different. If only she had another chance.
"Anything can push a person to end their life. When someone you love is in pain, help them before it's too late."
Her legs relentlessly dragged against the sand. She felt so weak. Physically, mentally. At this point, she didn't even want to try and get up.
"To have no energy or drive to do anything?"
She slowly opened her bag.
"Goodnight, you said; goodbye, I said. And you never thought twice about it."
Taking a moment, she listened, making sure they weren't changing motions or anything.
"You say this is suicide? I saw this is a war, and I'm losing the battle."
She smiled, ever so slightly.
"All it takes is a beautiful, fake smile to hide an injured soul and they will never notice how broken you really are."
She felt the inside of her bag. Canteen, matches, and finally, the lilies.
"The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering."
She inched the lilies closer to her mouth.
"No one should feel so low, to the point where they feel like they need to use suicide as a way out."
She took a long, quiet breath.
"Sometimes the best thing you can do is not thinking, not wondering, not imagining, not obsessing, and just breath. Have faith that everything will work out for the best."
They had such a sweet smell to them.
"Losing someone when you're young is the greatest pain anyone can face."
She placed a lily into her mouth.
"Memories are hard to forget. Caring for someone is hard to regret. Losing someone is hard to accept, but even with all the hurt I've felt, letting go and moving on is the most painful yet."
She chewed it and swallowed hard.
"I don't know where I'm going, but it's someplace special. I may be alone right now but I will have friends again, somehow I know this may not mean much but it should, you may be traveling this road alone but in the end, you will be glad you didn't withdraw yourself or your blood."
She felt Jacob pulling some of the leaves away from her, "What is this?!"
"Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into sacrifice."
He held the leaves up to his nose and took a big whiff of it, "Did you eat one of these?!"
"As anyone who has been close to someone that has committed suicide knows, there is no other pain like that felt after the incident."
She swallowed her spit, making sure it went down, thoroughly.
"You fucking whore," he said as he tried sticking his finger in her mouth to make her throw up. But she bit it, hard, making him retreat his fingers.
"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage."
He angrily groaned and punched her in the stomach. "Throw it up!"
"You have the power to say, 'This is not how my story will end.'"
Ruby shook her head sideways.
"We don't have what we need to extract her blood here," Kaage exclaimed.
Jacob grabbed Ruby by the neck, "If you don't it up right now, I will go back to your home. I will murder your uncle, your father."
"When it is darkest, we can see the stars."
"I will mutilate your sister's corpse, and I won't stop there. I'll take your grandmother, decapitate her, piece by piece! I will make sure she's alive, just so she can feel her limbs get ripped apart while we take her blood, instead."
Her eyes turned a different shade. Jacob directed his attention to behind her, as did the others.
"When you feel like giving up, just remember the reason why you held on so long."
"Let her go!" Qrow demanded.
"Love is the sweetest and purest form of suicide."
He let Ruby go, letting her fall to the sand. Qrow and Taiyang dashed at them. Qrow, with a scythe. Taiyang, nothing but his martial arts. Ruby's vision was too blurry to see what they were doing, only that they were fighting.
"Killing myself was a matter of such indifference to me that I felt like waiting for a moment when it would make some difference."
Suddenly, she felt arms grabbing her by the shoulders. "Don't worry, hun. I'm here."
"Grandma?" Ruby weakly asked. She came all this way, despite being blind. But, it's too late. Why couldn't they have gotten here just ten minutes sooner?
"Would you look at me the same if you saw all my scars, all my pain?"
"Grandma, I ate some… to prevent their plan," Ruby said, opening her grip.
Her grandmother grabbed them, "Oh, no. These aren't.."
"What's wrong?!" Taiyang inquired loudly.
"She ate the Lily of the Valley! Watch out!"
Ruby could hear skin ripping. Through her blurry vision, she could see her father falling to the ground.
"Taiyang!" Qrow cried out, before a silencing groan.
"Ruby, can you run?"
Ruby tried standing up but fell to her knees.
"It's time to keep my promise, Wilted Rose," Jacob stated.
"We cannot tear out a single page from our life, but we can throw the whole book into the fire."
Ruby slowly turned around to the slowly approaching Jacob.
"No. You. Won't!"
Ruby eyes shimmered as they let out a huge wave of light. It gave her a massive headache, knocking her out.
Maybe she'll go to a better world. One with music and cool weapons and outfits and her friends and sister. One where she didn't have to cut plants for a living. One with an adventure.
"..."
Enter Rebekah Rose...
Ruby's grandmother dragged her to the oasis she sensed a distance back. Splashing water on Ruby's face, it slightly woke her up.
"Grandmom," she weakly said.
Rebekah hushed her. "Don't speak."
Her beautiful aura was disappearing.
"What's… that… up in the sky?"
Rebekah looked up. There was a red filled aura circle in the sky.
"It's so beautiful. The stars… They aren't lonely anymore."
Two aura circles like the one from above appeared where Ruby's eyes should be. But it was… lighter. It might be due to her silver eyes that whatever was happening didn't affect her as much.
Rebekah held Ruby's arm, "Ruby, you need to hold on."
"But, it's so bright outside…"
"Stay away from the light!"
The last of Ruby's aura was slipping away. There was a weird sound coming close. Looking around, she saw a profound aura stream from within her blind darkness, resembling an expanding tree branch.
Ruby started to uncontrollably shake. She was having a seizure. She grabbed Ruby by the shoulder. There was only one last thing she can do. Something her family had taught her so long ago.
"I won't let you die!"
She pushed her aura, her lifeforce onto Ruby. It made her wheeze but made Ruby stop shaking. The roots started to slowly surround Ruby.
Pushing harder, it made her cough up blood. But she exerted her aura, once again, almost expelling the entirety of it.
"One more time."
She made a cry as she thrust the rest of her aura to Ruby, successfully creating a barrier out of her aura, while also giving Ruby enough life force.
If it's anything that the old legends say, the roots will put Ruby into a stasis to try and suck her dry of lifeforce. But, with her aura blocking the roots from leeching off her, it'll only do the stasis part. Just until… someone finds her. God, please, be someone that will help.
Her village, Hana no Kuni, had a story about it. She passed it along as a bedtime story, the story of the Pale Woman. The real story involved a bright sphere in the sky reflecting the red eye, and the Ancient Tree. But she had to abandon her Hana no Kuni in a hurry, leaving all her books. How was it suppose to end, again?
Rebekah fell to the sand. Even if the tree somehow dies, the cocoon that wrapped her will keep on living with the life force she gave. She slowly closed her eyes, hoping there's a chance for Ruby to make it out of this, even if it takes a thousand years.
Enter...
The girl walked down a late night street, shadowed by a shattered moon. Her black, red-trimmed skirt matched her long-sleeved blouse. The long, red cloak followed her as she entered a dust store. "From Dust to Dawn," it was called.
Waving to the store clerk, she didn't bother to take off her headphones as she went to the weapon comics section. Suddenly, after a minute of looking at the comic, someone pulled on her shoulder.
"Huh?" She muttered as she turned around. It was a man with a black suit, a hat, and red tinted glasses pulled her shoulder. With one hand, he held a sword. With his other, he pointed to his own ears.
She pulled her headphones to hang on her neck, "Yes?"
"I said put your hand up in the air, now!"
She narrowed her eyes, "Are you… robbing me?"
Her music loudly blared from her headphones, making him yell over it. "Yes!"
She smirked and raised her eyebrows at the surprise. "Ohhh.."
The man didn't have time to react as she forcibly kicked him down the aisle. Another man dressed just like him came running in his place, aiming a dust gun at her, "Freeze!"
Taking a step back, she charged, smashing him through the windows.
Noticing the other men watching through the window, she grabbed the weapon on her black that her cloak hid. It unfolded itself into a red, mechanical scythe as she stood up. The girl grinned before she spun her massive weapon like a pole, making the chine dig into the concrete.
In her other hand, she clicked her headphones, turning off her music.
And cue everything that happens in RWBY. At the beginning of the story, she wakes up in the oasis, which was seen. It's the same Ruby from this chapter, and in her Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, she dreams of Remnant. I'll explain how she gets out of the stasis next chapter. (She's not a reincarnation.)
Sorry for all the confusion last chapter. I couldn't explain it all. The symbols that were on Joshua's hands weren't the Sage symbols. It was a placeholder at first, but then I forgot about it. (The three Grimm in this chapter are Joshua, Reaper, and Shadow.) The last chapter, I said something about Zetsu finding them after finding Ruby here. I had that scene written but scrapped it.
I rushed the meeting of the four girls as it was already a very long chapter. Honestly, writing this? All of the story? I felt bad for making Ruby go through so much pain this chapter, but I needed to push her to do what she did.
Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac. Look it up! Very important! It is my "Origin" of the Two Brothers religion from RWBY. I wanted to show Joshua's history on why he's such an asshole and lived on, didn't see a place where it fits well. Just know Zetsu had something to do with them and Ruby.
Two chapters left.