"As you can see, most of the city's west district's structure collapsed during the attack. From what we have heard from the local people, the damage happened quickly and mercilessly as the sun set yesterday."
The reporter walked hurriedly through the ruined streets of Ardos, an important city at the border between Vale and Atlas. She was holding her microphone close to her mouth, looking back at the camera, trying to appear professional, but it was clear from her body language and her eyes darting everywhere that she was scared to death of that place.
"It is unknown how many people died during the Grimm attack, but all survivors are gathered at the city's north. The plan is to evacuate everyone to Atlas capital." The woman froze for a moment as a piece of a building wall fell to the ground near them. She gulped and looked seriously at the camera "We urge anybody that lives near this area to do the same as these survivors. Gather everyone you can and head to the capital. The Grimm seem to have left Ardos, but we have no clues as to where they are headed-"
Her eyes widened and she pointed to the cameraman, letting her equipment fall. She opened her mouth to yell something, but the screen suddenly became pitch black. The last thing that happened before the transmission was cut off were the screams of terror and pain from the channel's crew.
Wade Schnee turned off the television and buried his face on his hands. The room was dark around him, and a sense of dread overwhelmed him. It was not only the horrible things he had seen in that broadcast that bothered him; his mind was focused on somewhere far away, someone else.
The darkness was breached by a ray of light as the door was opened behind him. He looked back and saw Winter staring at him apprehensively at the mansion's hallway.
"Father?" She called hesitantly "Is something wrong?"
What a dumb question. The girl thought. Everything is wrong.
Wade looked at her for a few moments, thinking quietly.
"Ardos was attacked. The people are being evacuated to Atlas." He finally told.
"Ardos?" Winter repeated "That's… very near here."
The heiress walked to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder, frowning worriedly.
"Shouldn't we leave too, father?"
"… We are not leaving." The businessman said firmly.
Winter took a step back and braced herself. She knew that tone of voice, and what he could do when he used it. A faint pain emerged in her stomach as a warning and reminder, but somehow, she felt the courage to speak again.
"You can't mean that. We'll die if we stay here."
"…We will leave, eventually. But not to Atlas." Wade stated "The reality is, this kingdom is not fit to fight this threat. It has a reputation for its strength at war, but it's a lie. Should there ever be a war with any of the other kingdoms, we would lose." He shook his head "We try to fight with technology, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Hunters."
"Wait… Do you mean…?"
Wade's eyes darkened, and Winter flinched at that sight.
"This has nothing to do with Weiss." He said "It's about our safety. Vale is the best chance we have, and fortunately, headmaster Ozpin and I once talked about an alliance… I am sure he'll be willing to discuss it again."
The girl nodded quietly. The president smiled faintly.
"We'll survive, Winter." He assured "We are Schnees. Nothing can defeat us, as long as we stay together."
Indeed, we are Schnees. Winter thought, nodding all the while. But is that something to be proud of?
-x-
"So, you six will be group number eleven." Blake said.
A few White Fang stood in front of her, patiently hearing her commands. This was the last day they would be staying in the camp. The helicopters from Beacon were to arrive tomorrow morning, and the men needed to be organized now, or else the boarding would be a mess.
It also provided a precious opportunity to know some of the members better, although she had to admit she couldn't remember many of their names. She felt a little guilty, but supposed that she would probably become more familiarized with them as the time passed.
"You'll be on helicopter number three, with group eight, nine and ten." The brunette finished.
Weiss was also assigning the groups nearby, so she overheard that last phrase. The once-heiress made an apologetic gesture to the White Fang she was addressing and walked to her girlfriend.
"Group eleven and twelve were already formed, and they're on helicopter number four." She warned.
"Oh." Blake said, a bit ashamed "Well, then you guys will be group thirteen…"
"I'm forming that one right now." Weiss interrupted "Sorry, guys, we need a little moment."
The once-heiress grabbed her by an arm and led her a few meters away from the men. She frowned worriedly and stared at the brunette.
"You're slipping." She said "Before, you made group five? I already had that and six. I just reassigned mine, figuring it wasn't a big deal. But I can see there's something wrong, Blake."
"Yeah, I'm sorry." Blake sighed "I'm not in my right mind today."
The faunus took her girlfriend's hands. Months before, she would have lied that she was exhausted, or that she hadn't being paying attention to Weiss' assigning the groups. But she wouldn't ever do that again.
I've lied enough for three persons' lifetimes. Blake thought. Besides, it's not like she would believe anything but the truth.
"I'm worried about Ruby." She admitted.
Weiss nodded.
"I am too." The white-haired girl said "She's suffering a lot. But Yang's at her side, always. Everything will be okay."
"I wish I could believe that." Blake spoke seriously "You don't know how it feels, Weiss, to kill someone. It's horrible, and I can only imagine what Ruby is feeling like considering it was both the first time she did it, and it was Cinder."
"You're right. I don't have a clue."
Weiss looked at her feet, but Blake was quick to hug her comfortingly.
"Don't feel bad. It's good that you don't know these things." The faunus said "The best you can do for Ruby right now is work. Make everything go smoothly, so that she isn't bothered."
"You're right." Weiss agreed "I'll do your work for you today. Go talk to Ruby… You both could use a chat."
"Thank you, Weiss. I would just mess everything up anyway." Blake smirked "Heiress or not… You make a good leader."
The Dust user smiled and gave her a quick kiss before heading back to the White Fang. The brunette watched her for a while before walking towards Ruby's spot.
The redhead was sitting against a tree, looking emotionlessly at her own lap. Beside her was Yang, who had a sad expression. The blonde's face brightened a bit when she noticed Blake's presence, and she jumped up to meet her.
"I thought you were organizing stuff." She said.
"You could call it that. I was distracted and started messing things up, so Weiss took over completely." The brunette nodded towards Ruby "How is she doing?"
"I don't know, Blake." Yang frowned "She's barely spoken to me, and hardly anything meaningful. She's stopped crying, but I don't know if that's a good thing…"
"I want to talk to her." The faunus spoke "Just me and her. I don't mean to disrespect you, but… There are some things you can't talk about with her."
The blonde nodded, understanding exactly what her friend meant.
"It's alright. I trust you, Blake." She said "I'll be nearby, but you'll have all the privacy you want."
The brunette smiled gratefully. Yang grinned and walked away.
Blake's face grew serious as she moved to Ruby's side. She kneeled beside the redhead, staring at her closely.
"Hey, Ruby." She called softly.
The younger girl looked up for a split second and answered her with a "hi" that was barely audible.
"The helicopters are arriving tomorrow morning." Blake told "We'll be back to Beacon in no time. Isn't that great?" The brunette smiled faintly "Nice soft beds, our own room… And we'll talk to JNPR again."
The best answer she got was a slight movement of Ruby's head. The faunus sighed. Talking about small matters could help people in suffering, but sometimes, it didn't work at all.
"How are you feeling, Ruby?"
"… I don't know." The redhead muttered.
"Yeah… It's not something you can describe." Blake agreed "I can't relate exactly to what you're going through, and I know it's frustrating when someone tries to do that, but… You're not alone, Ruby." The brunette took one her friend's hands "I killed a lot of people in the past. It was horrible, and I hated myself for many years. There's still a part of me that can't move on… But I promise you, Ruby, it gets better. You don't need to hate yourself, okay?"
Ruby stayed quiet, but Blake waited patiently to know if she would say anything. When she didn't, the faunus squeezed her hand.
"You'll be okay, Ruby. Me, Weiss, Yang… We all love you. Don't forget that."
When she got no answer, Blake got up and walked away. Yang passed by her, and the brunette briefly stopped her by touching her arm.
"Stay with her." She said sharply "Do not let her out of your sight."
The blonde nodded and walked to her sister, sitting beside her. Blake looked at them for a few minutes before deciding to go back to Weiss.
-x-
Ozpin sat in his office. There were no lights on, but he was still there, in front of his desk. His hands were on his forehead and his elbows on the table, but he wasn't sleeping, only resting. He didn't remember the last time he had slept since this crisis had begun.
A flash of white caught his attention, and when he looked up, Summer Rose was in front of him. He started to get up to turn the lights on, but the woman extended a hand to make him stop.
"…What is it?" The headmaster asked hoarsely.
"You're a monster." The ghost stated, barely holding back her rage.
"What happened with Cinder Fall?" He insisted.
"She's dead." Summer muttered "Ruby killed her."
Ozpin stared at her and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off before he could.
"You are despicable, Ozpin. Everything that girl said to defend herself… She was right. You ruined her, turned her into a killer freak." Summer accused "And because of that, my daughter was forced to kill her. You may not give a damn about her, but I do, and heaven knows what will happen to her!"
"I did not order for Cinder to be killed." The headmaster stated "I said she needed to be driven away."
"It doesn't matter! You caused this to happen. Cinder targeted RWBY because of their affiliation to you." The ghost continued "You created a monster. Don't you have a conscience, Ozpin?"
The professor looked at his desk for a few moments before answering.
"I do have a conscience." He said "I didn't like the experiments, I didn't like that so many children died, and I certainly didn't like what Cinder became. I know it's all my fault… But I thought it was needed. Tell me, if Cinder had a normal childhood, wouldn't she have been a great help to our cause?"
"That didn't happen, Ozpin. She grew up knowing she went through experiments other had died to perfect, and she knew her future was to be a weapon for your use… She killed Anne, and after that, it was all over." Summer answered "You didn't even try to raise her yourself… But well, I shouldn't be surprised. You're so invested in this façade of happiness and positivity, that when faced with any real burden, you'll run away and hide."
Ozpin listened to her patiently, although he couldn't help but frown at her words. It wasn't because he was offended… It was because they were true.
"It's why you leave most of Beacon's care to Glynda." Summer continued "And it's why when Ironwood died, you pretended to not be grieving." She shook her head, smiling sadly "The worst thing is… You've got everybody else fooled; only I know better."
After that, the room was taken by silence. Ozpin looked at Summer's ghostly form, noticing how she eyed him with a mixture of anger, disappointment and pity. At that moment, he felt the need to say something, to prove her at least a bit wrong.
"I'm sorry about what happened." He spoke "I do care about Ruby."
"I know you do." The woman sighed "But still, she's just another thing you run away from."
With that said, she disappeared, leaving Ozpin alone in the darkness.
-x-
Ruby looked at Crescent Rose's folded form, sitting atop her lap. She ran a finger at the weapon's surface unconsciously. Everything was so strange… Her thoughts didn't make any sense, it was like her mind just picked random things at once and threw it around however it wanted. The only constant was the sad, heavy feeling they all possessed.
Amidst these thoughts, a vague idea formed. After a few minutes of consideration, she poked her sister with an elbow. Yang looked at her startled.
"Ruby?" She said "What's wrong?"
"I want water." Ruby answered, making her voice sound hoarse "Can you get me some?"
Do not let her out of your sight. Blake's words echoed through Yang's head.
"I can wake someone to get it for you." The blonde offered "Weiss and Blake are nearby, either one of them wouldn't mind."
"Don't." Ruby begged "They are working all day. Let them rest."
"I can't leave you alone, sis."
The redhead pouted and looked away. Yang felt a pang of guilt at that sight. Ruby had barely spoken to her since the incident, but she had just turned her down. The brawler sighed and got up.
"I'll be back before you know it." She said "Don't do anything while I'm gone, okay?"
Ruby nodded happily, which was so striking when compared to her current mood that it made Yang smile and think she really was getting better. The older sister walked away contently.
After the blonde was gone, Ruby looked at Crescent Rose again. She raised it and it unfolded, revealing the beautiful scythe she was so proud of. Right now, however, she was only disgusted at the sight of it.
She spun it around a bit, and then touched the weapon to her chest, making contact with the component in which its rounds were released. The redhead closed her eyes and reached for the trigger-lever at its side, gripping it with force.
A few seconds passed as she breathed calmly, letting her Aura fade around her body. Ruby listened to her heart beat, and slowly started to move the lever. She let out a startled gasp when Crescent Rose was suddenly removed from her grip forcefully.
"You're an idiot."
Adam Taurus looked at the scythe and dropped it on the ground beside her. He shook his head in mock disappointment.
"Really, are you the girl Cinder Fall fell in love with?" He asked.
"S-shut up." Ruby whispered, tears of frustration blurring her vision.
"No. She changed so much for you. She practically begged me to keep her secret safe so she could stay with you." Adam told "Wake up, Rose! She died because she loved you. If she didn't, she would have killed you. But you were going to stain the memory of the only moment in her life she was happy about."
He clucked his tongue in disgust.
"You are surrounded by people who love you, people who forgive you for anything. You don't get to quit just because you fucked up, you have to live with it." He said "Hell, I've got nothing for me in this world, yet I don't point my sword at myself."
The faunus tapped the hilt of the katana on his belt.
"If you kill yourself, I will chop your body to pieces." He threatened.
With that said, he walked away confidently. Ruby trembled and looked at her scythe again. She reached for it, but halted the movement, and sat back against the tree again.
After a few minutes, Yang came back carrying a bottle of water. She stood in front of her sister and looked curiously at the weapon.
"What's Crescent Rose doing on the ground?" She asked, fortunately not figuring out what might have happened while she was away.
Ruby looked up at her sister, examining her face. She noticed the blonde's slight frown and how her eyes were filled with genuine concern. The redhead lowered her head, hiding her tears.
I'm so sorry, Yang.
"I got tired of looking at it." She managed to mutter "Please hide it from me."
Ruby lied on the grass and turned to the side, pressing her knees to her chest.
I'm so sorry.
-x-
The helicopters arrived the next morning, and as planned, the White Fang entered their designated aircrafts. Blake nodded as she watched the procedure, impressed at how smoothly it was going. She looked at her girlfriend, who was standing beside her, trying to not seem too smug.
"You did a pretty good job." The faunus commended "They seem to be following your every instruction."
"Well, what can I say…" The once-heiress said, winking playfully "Ordering people around is fun."
"Thank Dust you're not the team leader."
"That doesn't mean you can resist my will, Blake Belladonna."
"Yes. You are certainly the dominant one in this relationship." The brunette smirked "Anyway, we should board our helicopter. What's ours again?"
Weiss pointed to one of the aircrafts.
"Number six. We've got it all for ourselves."
"…That's power abuse." Blake noted.
The white-haired girl raised her chin proudly and looked away from the faunus, who shook her head amusedly.
"Where are Ruby and Yang? They're on our helicopter too, right?" Blake narrowed her eyes "Because if they aren't, that is serious power abuse."
"I would never do that." Weiss responded, a bit offended "They are right there."
The brunette look to the direction the once-heiress pointed to. The two sisters were standing at the edge of the camp, and seemed to be discussing something. Yang was doing most of the speaking, gesturing with her hands energetically, all the while with a frown, and Ruby occasionally nodded and said something brief.
After a few minutes, they finished talking and made their way to their teammates.
"Ready to go back to Beacon?" Weiss asked, smiling to Ruby in an attempt to cheer her up.
The redhead sulked and kept her gaze away from her friends. Yang sighed and looked apologetically to the monochrome pair.
"I'm sorry, we won't be going back to Beacon so soon." She said "This is a bit sudden, but… Ruby would like to visit dad." The blonde lowered her head and spoke in a lower tone so her sister wouldn't hear "She needs this."
"Oh. Well, if that's what you two want to do… Go ahead." Blake encouraged "But isn't Patch far from here? How will you get there?"
"Hey, Ruby made it all the way to Summer's grave in a week by walking. The distance from here to Patch is smaller, so I'm sure there will be no problem." Yang shrugged.
"What about the Grimm?" Weiss asked worriedly "There's bound to be a lot of them roaming around."
Yang raised a hand, letting her sleeve fall to reveal Ember Celica, and then pointed to her belt, where Crescent Rose was hanging from.
"Do I need to use words, Ice Queen?"
"Understood. Well, it will be good to be free of your annoying attitude for some time." Weiss said.
"And I'm sure you and Blake will make the best of your time together." The blonde stated, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"Shut up, Xiao-"
"Yes, we will." Blake interrupted, which made her girlfriend's face redden "Like I said, you're certainly the dominant one in this relationship."
Weiss grumbled something and looked away in embarrassment. The faunus smirked for a brief moment before she turned her attention to Yang and Ruby.
"Stay at Patch all the time you want. We can handle ourselves at Beacon." She said, and then stared directly at the redhead "And be safe, okay?"
Ruby nodded slightly. Blake gave her a smile and then began to walk away. Weiss too smiled tentatively to her teammates before following her.
Yang raised her hands and turned to Ruby.
"Well, it looks like it is sister time from now on." She joked "Let's get going already, I can't wait to see father."
The blonde paused and tapped Crescent Rose.
"You should probably stay with it now. We might be attacked by Grimm."
The redhead gave the weapon a glance and flinched.
"No." She muttered "Just give it to me if it's really needed."
"…Is there something you're not telling me, Ruby?" Yang frowned worriedly.
Ruby's eyes darted between her sister's face and the scythe before she shrugged half-heartedly.
"I'm just tired of it."
She turned and began to walk away, and Yang stared at her back silently.
There is something wrong, Ruby. She thought. You'll never tire of Crescent Rose.
-x-
Wake up.
Pain…
Live. Stand.
Hate…
You are free.
Kill…
Kill.
KILL.
-x-
THANK DUST, A SHORT CHAPTER. Actually, it feels a bit weird to have only 3500 words here...
Reviews!
Lojzek: Wait, wait, wait. So sneakiness worked! YES, VICTORY! Thank you for the compliment!
Ocomfv: Well, it's not exactly the relationships itself that help, but the positive emotions that come from it. So an absurdly happy person is also pretty resistant to the Dark... But well, Ruby is not exactly like that anymore, too...
Cyborg: I must admit I actually felt pretty sad about how Cinder ended up. I didn't have a lot of the Ruby-Cinder dynamic planned, even as the White Fang arc began, but I really liked writing it. I actually considered if there was anything else I could do about Cinder, but her end was something pretty important that I had planned even before I began writing the story...
Ihavenoidea: Cinder was pretty strong, but she didn't resist at all, so it didn't matter, and Ruby also unloaded an entire Crescent Rose magazine... In a real fight, she wouldn't have gone down so easily.
Inkly: Sorry, and thank you! I hope you don't hate me for what almost happened this chapter, haha.
Extremist-Adam-giving-smack-down-about-suicide-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Children of Summer!
-Zeroan