"There it is, girls."
Qrow pointed to the town he could now spot at distance. It probably once had an official name, but people used Patch Port so much that it must have faded as time passed. Nobody really complained, however, because the title was really fitting: the settlement didn't have much importance aside from providing access to the Island and offering rest to travelers.
"You know how to get home from here." The man said "You have some cash on you, right?"
"Sure." Yang answered, stopping beside him "Aren't you coming with us?"
The Hunter shook his head, but smiled as he always did.
"I'm doubling back to reunite with my group. There's still a lot of trouble to be taken care of in these parts." He answered "Also, they would probably track me down and yell at me for leaving them behind. A man can't even take care of his little girls in this day and age anymore…"
"I'm not your little girl." The blonde stated, not amused at all.
"Yes, well… We may not share blood, but I have a soft spot for you in my heart." Qrow said. Then he looked at Ruby's quiet figure "You're probably just jealous because Ruby is my little girl."
"Whatever. We're going."
Yang rolled her eyes and started to walk away, but halted when Qrow grabbed her arm. The brawler flinched, the pain from the encounter with the primal Grimm flaring up again.
"That hurts!" She warned angrily.
"Sorry." Qrow apologized "But you forgot something."
The man took Crescent Rose from his belt and offered it to Yang.
"Oh, of course, we almost forgot to take it back." The blonde grinned "But… It's really mine…"
"Keep it." Qrow said, and the seriousness in his voice and his stare were enough to make the girl obey him immediately "And don't hand it to your sister until she gets better."
"Okay…" Yang whispered, confused by his sudden change in attitude.
Qrow then walked to Ruby and put his hands on her shoulders, so that they were both staring at each other. His niece's unexpressive face broke his heart, but he smiled anyway.
"Hey, little Rose…" He spoke softly, using the nickname he had given her as a child. It had been years since she had last been called that, because it had started to feel inadequate for her age… But right now, he felt there was no better way to address her "It'll get better, okay? There's a lot of good in this world, but if you only focus on the bad…"
Qrow shrugged.
"That is not a life for you, trust me." He stated "So just spent some time with old Taiyang, lift your head up, and smile… Don't lose yourself."
"I'll try…" Ruby promised, but there wasn't much conviction in that phrase "Thank you for helping, uncle Qrow."
"Hey, just doing my job." The man smiled again "And I don't mean Hunting, but taking care of my family."
The redhead's mouth formed a little smile, and that was enough to satisfy Qrow. He nodded to her and Yang, and then walked away, resting his scythe on top of his shoulders.
-x-
Blake sat on a professor's desk in a big classroom, scribbling down on notebooks while trying to pay attention to the people around her.
Ozpin had given her this room as a center of operations for the White Fang, and she was glad to use it as such, coordinating efforts with the members to spread the word about their new mission, and also to detect any interior problems in the organization she might have not noticed yet.
Unfortunately, not two days passed before Beacon students started to show up to complain about the new arrivals. Blake had been annoyed at first, but she knew she couldn't show that to anyone: to achieve equality, she needed to pay attention to the problems of both her subordinates and her classmates.
Most of what she heard didn't ring any alarm bells: simple quarrels about where the ex-terrorists were sleeping, the food they shared in the cafeteria, or outright racism… Those were easy to take care of with reason.
What she was about to hear right now, however, would be different.
"Hey, Belladonna!"
Blake looked up from her papers and had to resist the urge to roll her eyes when she noticed Cardin Winchester staring at her impatiently.
"What is it, Cardin?" Blake sighed. She didn't like the boy at all, and assumed he was going to say something moronic.
"One of your furry pals threatened me!" He complained.
"Well, if you used this kind of language with them, I can't really reprehend them for doing that." The faunus noted.
"I wasn't even speaking to him! That lunatic just passed by me in the hallway and demanded for me to step out of the way." Cardin told, visibly frustrated "I took a few seconds, so he drew his sword and said if I didn't obey him, he would chop my head off!"
Oh, for crying out loud. Blake thought. Can't he stay one week without giving me trouble?
"Was he a redhead, by any chance?" She asked.
"Yeah, and he was tall and just had this mean look to him, you know? Dude is a psycho or something."
"Okay, I know who he is. I'll speak to him, don't worry." Blake assured "But next time, you should just step of the way quicker."
Cardin waved her off and exited the room. The brunette scribbled down a few more notes before getting up from her chair and shaking her head disapprovingly.
Just one week. That's all I want.
-x-
Jaune and Pyrrha sat on a rock at the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. The redhead had her eyes fixed on her weapon's iron sights, not wanting to let anything pass her by because she was relaxing on duty. The boy was also staring at the woods, but his gaze often wandered away to the sky or his partner.
"This is so boring." He stated after a while, puffing indignantly "Now I know why even Ren let his guard down and got attacked."
"I don't care if it's boring. Nothing's getting past us today." Pyrrha responded evenly, not bothering to look at him "Or past me, I should say. You should probably pay less attention to my neck, and more to the Grimm."
"Uh, I wasn't staring at your neck…" Jaune said, rubbing his hair awkwardly "Why would you say that? It's not like you have perfect skin, right?"
For the first time, the girl took her eyes off the aim to lift an eyebrow to him.
"Very subtle." She deadpanned "Seriously, pay attention to the job. If you wanted to compliment my looks, the previous eight months were way more adequate."
"Yeah… Sorry for being a jerk."
"Saying that fourteen times hasn't worked. The fifteenth attempt won't be any more successful."
The boy was about to answer that, but another voice interrupted the chat.
"Hello." Weiss greeted, standing behind the two "Guard duty?"
"Yes, also known as boring duty." Jaune joked "Or sometimes, awkward conversations duty."
"Hey, I wasn't the one who started it." Pyrrha reminded, rolling her eyes.
The blond boy looked at Weiss, hoping that she would say something helpful, but the Dust user just stared back impassively. Jaune sighed and stood up.
"I'll get us some food." He said, wanting to get away from the tense air that had risen between him and his partner.
When he was gone, Weiss sat beside Pyrrha, who just continued to look through her weapon's sights. After a while, the once-heiress decided to start a conversation.
"So… Why are you giving Jaune a cold shoulder all of a sudden?" She asked.
"I'm not giving him a cold shoulder." The redhead gave her friend a brief glance "I just think this job is more important than pointless chatter."
"Pointless chatter?" Weiss repeated "You've been in love with that dimwit for months, and when he finally has the courage to try to reciprocate, you call it that?"
"He had eight months." Pyrrha stated "It took me having a fit and a nervous breakdown for him to finally try to stablish any form of deeper relationship! Sorry if I'm not thrilled about that."
"Pyrrha… I'm certainly not your best friend, and honestly, not a very good judge of character…" The white-haired girl shook her head slowly "But I can see pretty clearly that there is something more going on here. Everyone knows you love Jaune to death, and you've had an inhuman amount of patience regarding him… I don't believe even for a second that you've given up on him."
Weiss almost jumped when the redhead pulled the trigger, killing a Beowolf that had wandered out of the woods with a single shot. Pyrrha's eyes were fixed on the forest, but her hands and shoulder were trembling.
"I still like Jaune. Is that what you want to hear?" She muttered bitterly.
"I'm sorry… I didn't want to pressure you." The once-heiress apologized "But, can I ask why you're-?"
"I just don't want a relationship right now, okay? I don't want to wake up one day and find out Jaune died in the middle of this mess, but if that happens… At least I'll be saving myself from some pain." The champion explained hurriedly "Everyone expects me to be invincible or something, but I can't protect people any better than anyone else. Unless the Dark corrupts more robots, I'm just another girl fighting for her life."
Weiss sighed and took a few minutes to respond. She understood Pyrrha's reasoning, because she had thought that way in the past. But the once-heiress had learned to move past them, and the redhead needed to do the same.
"I know how it is to live with people's expectancies. Growing up, I was supposed to be the perfect heiress, destined to lead the Schnee Industries into an even brighter future." Weiss told "On the outside, I must have looked normal, but inside… I hated what my life was, and what it would always be. So, one day, I told my father I wanted to be a Huntress… It was not a peaceful resolution between the two of us, but I got my way in the end." The girl smiled bitterly "The sad truth is that, even then, my father's influence didn't leave me. You know how I was… Always wanting my way, arguing with anybody that didn't have the same views as me, and just pushing other people away."
Pyrrha listened carefully, although she wasn't really sure what point her friend wanted to make with this telling.
"Thankfully, Blake was there. She showed me I could be someone else, a better person. I broke free, and I couldn't have done it if she hadn't been by my side." Weiss continued. She looked at Pyrrha seriously "Sometimes, all you need is another person standing beside you. I don't care if you stay friends, or you date, or you marry the next weekend… Just don't push Jaune away."
"…You're right." The redhead sighed "He told me we would stay together, no matter what happened… Now I need to fulfill my part in that." Pyrrha smiled and looked at Weiss curiously "I knew you changed, but not to the point where you would say a relationship with Jaune could be helpful."
"Hey! He's still a dunce." Weiss reminded, but she smiled nonetheless "But the thing about dunces is that they are generally good friends. I give Blake a lot of credit, but Ruby and Yang had a huge influence in my life these past months too."
Pyrrha nodded, a worried frown on her forehead.
"I hope Ruby gets better." She spoke softly "I barely knew Penny, but killing her broke my heart anyway… I can't even imagine what Ruby must be feeling like right now."
Weiss' head hung low. You truly can't. She thought. Who would ever imagine Ruby, of all people, would try to kill herself? The once-heiress and her girlfriend that omitted that fact when they told JNPR what they had gone through on their mission to recruit the White Fang, not only because it seemed something too personal to speak about without their friend's knowing, but also because they couldn't really come to terms with the knowledge yet.
"I'm glad Jaune can't see her right now, though. He sees something in her… It's like she's an inspiration to him. Sometimes, he talks about Ruby as if she was the most incredible person in Remnant." Pyrrha confessed "He was there to help me when I broke down… But I'm not sure what he would do if Ruby was here in an even worse condition."
"Yes, it's very… sad, to see her right now. Ruby is just so cheerful and innocent all the time, and I don't appreciate that as much as I should… I just wish…"
Weiss' word got caught in her throat, and she had to look away to hide her tears. She got up from the rock and turned her back to Pyrrha.
"I… I need to talk to Blake right now. Important White Fang matters." She lied.
"Okay. Do whatever you need to do." The redhead said, catching on to how Weiss was really feeling "Thank you for the conversation."
"It was nothing."
The white-haired girl walked away in a hurry. Jaune passed by her and took notice of her dismayed state, but wasn't able to talk to her before she ran off. The blond boy frowned worriedly and made his way to Pyrrha, sitting beside her with a tray of food on his lap.
"I got us some stuff." He told, offering the tray to her, but Pyrrha just shook her head in refusal "I saw Weiss… She looked really bad. Did something happen?"
"Oh, we didn't fight, if that's what you're thinking. We just…" The redhead sighed, knowing she could only tell the truth now "We were talking about Ruby, and I guess she's really sensitive about that topic."
"Yeah. I hope she gets better." Jaune said "I don't mean Ruby, but Weiss. No, wait… I want Ruby to get better too, but I was referring to Weiss in that sentence. I want both to get better."
Pyrrha smiled and leaned toward him, giving him a quick kiss that left him breathless.
"Just stay with me, okay, Jaune?" She asked softly.
"…Sure." The boy answered slowly.
Girls. He thought. I'll never understand them.
-x-
"Adam."
The redhead faunus opened his eyes. He was leaning against a tree in Beacon's campus, his hands behind his head and one foot atop the other. He was the epitome of relaxation, yet it was very noticeable that everyone there was avoiding him, be them student or White Fang.
Blake stood in front of him, and if she could, she would have crossed her arms. Instead, she just settled with giving him a mean glare, that, considering who it came from, was very intimidating in and of itself.
"Did you threaten to chop off Cardin Winchester's head?" She asked slowly.
"Maybe." Adam pouted mockingly "I'm sorry, mommy, I won't do it again."
Blake shook her head in dismay. Continuing this conversation would just make him happier, but she needed to do it.
"I'm serious, Adam." She said "Everything is going well for us. The students have their complaints, the White Fang have theirs, but there has been no conflict between the two yet. The last thing I need is for you to become a maniac again and kill someone who didn't step out of the way quickly enough."
"Wait, become a maniac again?" Adam repeated "So, I'm not one anymore? Because that's pretty disappointing. It took years for me to build that reputation."
The brunette leaned down and looked him in the eyes, her hand gripping Shade's hilt.
"You'll always be a maniac to me." She assured "All it will take is one wrong move, and you'll regret not leaving us when you had the chance."
"Here I was thinking your words meant something, but you're just a hypocrite." Adam sighed "So, everyone deserves a second chance, unless you're me? Shelter everyone who agrees, punish those who don't! What a great way to achieve equality, Blake, I wish I had thought of something like that before… Oh, wait…"
His speech was interrupted by a hard slap to the face. Blake took a step back, her hand raised in the air and her chest rising and falling with her quickened breath. Adam rubbed his cheek absently-minded before looking at his ex-partner again.
"My point is proven." He stated.
Blake looked around them. The students in the campus were staring at them, some of them whispering between themselves. She knew word of this would spread like wildfire in the school.
The brunette stared at Adam again, using all her will to not let any tears show in her eyes.
"You killed my parents. You almost turned me into a monster. What is it now, Adam?" She asked, clenching her fist furiously "What's your goal here? Are you going to torment me until I break down, or are you having some amusement before you try to take the White Fang back?"
"Haven't I made myself clear?" He shook his head "I just want to cooperate."
"…Don't ever speak to me again."
Blake turned her back to him and walked away, her head hanging low in anger and shame. Adam sighed and put his hands behind his head, leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.
No rest for the wicked.
-x-
Taiyang sat on a chair around the kitchen table, opening a newspaper while holding a mug of coffee in one hand. He closed his eyes for a few moments, just appreciating the silence in his house. The man loved his two daughters, but sometimes, their agitation was too much for even him to stand. This weekend off of Signal while they were in school would be the perfect opportunity to relax…
He jumped from his chair when the front door opened and Yang stepped in with a bright smile. Taiyang almost let his mug fall to the floor, barely containing a scream of surprise.
"Hey, dad!" The blonde yelled joyfully, taking three giant steps to hug him "I missed you!"
"Yeah, I missed you too. It's been almost… two… months." Taiyang sighed mentally, but shook his head and smiled anyway "It's nice to see you, but aren't you supposed to be at Beacon?"
"No… Well, technically, this is not an official visit. Wait, actually, it kind of is…" Yang trailed off "There's a lot of stuff you don't know, dad, so we'll have to catch up real fast."
"I suppose that's true." He examined her, noticing how her arms were wrapped in bandages, but what really caught his attention was something else "Why do you have Crescent Rose with you? Where's your sister?"
Yang gestured to the door with her thumb. The man looked at that direction, and it took him a few seconds to finally notice Ruby was standing quietly beside it, almost fading into the walls. Suddenly, there was a void in his stomach: his youngest looked just like her mother now, especially at her later years, when she would just stand by silently, her thoughts often of Raven or some other person in need. The only difference now was that Ruby did not look worried about anyone; her face was a mixture of sadness and guilt.
"Hi, sweetie." Taiyang greeted, walking to her and giving her a hug "Is there something wrong?"
Ruby took a while to hug him back, but when she did, it felt like she would never let go. The redhead looked up from his shoulder, meeting eyes with Yang, and suddenly she burst into tears. The oldest sister frowned, not knowing what to do now but watch.
"Yes, dad." Ruby whispered "Everything's wrong."
-x-
Weiss and Blake entered the headmaster's office together in silence. Ozpin looked up from his desk and raised an eyebrow, noticing their solemn moods instantly.
"Hello, girls." He greeted evenly "Are you two feeling well?"
"Of course." Weiss responded quickly "Why wouldn't we be?"
"You don't have the happiest of faces right now." The man explained.
"Well, maybe worrying about our suicidal friend and coordinating an ex-terrorist organization just doesn't make us jump with joy!" The once-heiress exclaimed bitterly.
Blake laid a hand on her girlfriend's right shoulder and guided her to a chair in front of the professor's desk. The two sat, the Dust user keeping her gaze away from the man.
"What did you call us here for?" The faunus asked "Is there something wrong with the White Fang or the students?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing like that, but that being your first guess makes me happy. I'm afraid this subject is more… personal." Ozpin grinned sadly "I said we would discuss the question of Cinder Fall and Ruby, and I'm not breaking my word. Say whatever you want… But do try to keep the conversation civilized."
Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but realized she couldn't really say anything that wouldn't offend the professor, so she just closed it again. After a few moments, Blake decided to talk.
"Why did you do it?" She asked "We know you made Cinder what she was… But it was difficult to interpret everything Ruby said after what happened. And, well, after she finally calmed down a bit, it was rare to hear a single word from her."
"Hum… I think I'll need to tell the full story for you understand." Ozpin said "As you well know, I have lived for thousands of years. I was born in a terrible age, when Remnant was a place of only darkness and chaos. There wasn't a single speck of civilization in this world, and life was a mere question of who survived the longest." The headmaster's expression was somber, and the way he stared at his students made them think he wasn't really looking at them, but rather remembering the time he spoke about "Fortunately, our suffering ended when we united and struck against the Dark itself. Centuries passed, the kingdoms were founded, the Grimm became less dangerous, humans and faunus grew apart… And I buried these dark memories deep below."
"But, as I've said before, I never forgot. There was always that little piece of my mind that held on to that fear, that despair…" Ozpin shook his head quickly, knowing it would be best to stay away from those thoughts "It was only thirty years ago that I spoke of that time again, to none other than Summer Rose."
Weiss raised an eyebrow, finally substituting her quiet rage with curiosity.
"Summer?" She repeated "Why her?"
"It might be hard to believe it, but mother and daughter are very much alike. That is, until Summer became a ghost." The headmaster told "Like Ruby, Summer was a cheerful young woman who loved everyone around her, but never really stood out a lot. In a way, she lived for her friends and family. It was no wonder she was the leader of her team." Ozpin smiled "When she was in Beacon, I was still a history professor. With time, I grew to like her, and then one day, I told her who I really was."
"What? You just told a student you were a thousand years old because you were fond of her?" Weiss questioned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.
"I was lonely! And, besides, Summer was weeks away from graduation, so it was not like I was scaring a little girl." The headmaster defended himself "The important part is that she was the only one who knew my secret, and as it, unfortunately, turned out, she was killed by a primal Grimm. When she became who she is today, she came to me and told me what happened."
Blake nodded, starting to piece the story together.
"You learned that the Dark was awakened." She realized "Judging by how you spoke before, you mustn't have been very happy about that."
"That is an understatement." Ozpin admitted "In my panic, I made some bad decisions. I wanted some way to fight the Dark's forces, and Dust infusion was a brilliant idea… But I didn't realize the consequences those experiments could have. Dozens of children died, and when I finally stopped the procedures, the only one resting was Cinder Fall. She was the sole kid to survive the infusion, and I didn't know what to do with her."
"Didn't you want a weapon?" Blake questioned "You could have trained her."
"I could have." The professor agreed, clearly ashamed "But I was scared and regretful of what I had done, so I didn't want to face that little girl ever again. I provided her an isolated house on the fields of Vale and a caretaker I knew personally… Three years passed, and both burned down because of Cinder's rage."
Ozpin sat back on his chair, taking the full brunt of Weiss' glare and Blake's disapproving look.
"I can't blame Cinder for wanting to kill me. In fact, if she had confronted me directly…" The headmaster trailed off, not wanting to speak about that possibility "But she was willing to kill Ruby and all of you to punish me. No matter how wronged she was, that was just too much. It's a shame she died, and that Ruby was the one to do it, but it was necessary."
"She wasn't going to kill us." Weiss muttered "At least not after she became close to Ruby. You didn't see them like we did, professor… There was no way Cinder could have hurt her."
"Perhaps you're right." Ozpin sighed "I take full responsibility for what happened. When Ruby comes back, I'll talk to her."
"Normally, when someone causes someone else to die, they go to prison." The once-heiress noted.
"Normally, the world is not facing its worst crisis in millennia."
Before the girl could retort back, Ozpin's holographic monitor popped up and emitted a faint music.
"It's three in the afternoon! Nobody respects nap time anymore." The headmaster complained, and when Blake looked at him dubiously, he shrugged "Nap time was invented a long time ago. You just don't disrespect it like it's nothing." He looked at the screen and smiled faintly "But this should be interesting."
He touched the monitor, answering the call. Wade Schnee's face appeared on the screen, and he looked haggard, although he still tried to maintain a professional posture.
"Hello, president Wade." Ozpin greeted.
"Hello, headmaster Ozpin." The businessman responded.
Weiss raised her head and froze. From the spot she was, she couldn't see her father, and neither could he see her, but his voice was unmistakable. Blake took one of her hands and squeezed it comfortingly.
"What is this all about?" Ozpin asked "Our last talk did not well for either of us, if I remember correctly."
"I have reconsidered my position." Wade said "I believe my company's best move would be to join you in your efforts against the Dark. I am willing to go to Beacon and provide all the Dust you want."
"That's fantastic!" The headmaster exclaimed happily "How many people do you have, and where can we find you?"
"I offered to take any Atlesian that might want to join you, but it seems most prefer to hole up in the capital. I have counted roughly fifty people, including me and Winter. We are located in my state, near the border with Vale."
Ozpin nodded, and then his face grew serious.
"I just want to make one thing clear: Beacon has allied with the White Fang." He told "Of course, it is far from the same terrorist organization of the past, but considering your views on the Faunus… I think it's best that you know who you'll be cooperating with."
"The White Fang…" Wade muttered "So you managed to ally with them. I can't say I'm happy about that…"
He grew silent, and Ozpin realized he was about to take back his words, and there was nothing he could say that would change his mind. Fortunately, Blake stood up from her chair and turned the screen towards her. The president examined her, first looking at her freed cat ears, and then at her missing left arm.
"Mister Schnee… I need you to consider your plans very carefully." She said seriously "Like Ozpin said, the White Fang is different now. We are not targeting humans to punish them for things they never did… Under my leadership, they are trying to create equality between the two races peacefully. But it's not a job we can complete by ourselves…"
"You want my cooperation?" Wade asked "I don't represent every human in Remnant, and even if I did, why would I help the people that killed my wife?"
"You're right. You don't represent every human, just as I don't represent every faunus. But we represent those that fight each other, the ones who constantly further the gap between us. For years, you've tried to convince people to take action against the faunus, and the White Fang has responded with only violence." Blake explained "If we could just stop that cycle… Don't you see how helpful that would be?"
The president just stared at her, his gaze not wavering. The faunus shook her head in disappointment and was about to sit down again, but Weiss got up and stood beside her, looking at Wade determinedly.
"Father." She spoke "Either you join us, or you die out there because of your stubborn hatred. You know which choice is right… If not for you, make it for Winter."
"…I will ally with Beacon." Wade sighed "We will start to make our way south. It might take a week for us to arrive at your school."
"We will send a group to escort you. The north is a dangerous place right now." Ozpin offered "Thank you for the help, mister Schnee."
Wade looked at Weiss for a few seconds, nodded, and then turned off the call. The three sighed in relief.
"That was a close one." The headmaster said "Weiss, you would make a great leader."
"I've been told so before." The once-heiress smiled faintly "May I lead the escort group, professor?"
"Of course. Take anyone you want with you." Ozpin looked at Blake "Will you be going too?"
The brunette looked at her girlfriend, conflicted.
"I'm sorry, Weiss. I can't leave the White Fang right now." She sighed "There's so much we still need to do…"
"I understand." Weiss said, trying to sound happy "It'll just be a week. It's not like anything crazy will happen, right?"
"Yeah, it's not like you're members of team RWBY or something. I heard those girls are always getting into trouble." Ozpin joked.
The monochrome pair looked at him, not amused at all.
"Worst headmaster ever." He whispered to himself.
-x-
Ruby lied down on her bed, clasping her hands together and looking at the ceiling calmly. Taiyang stood beside her, looking at his daughter sadly, although he tried to appear happy for her.
"How long will it take, dad?" She asked softly "I don't want to feel this way anymore."
"That's good, sweetheart. It means you're ready to move on." He said "It's not something that goes away on a time limit, but… You'll just get better. The memories will bury themselves, and you'll be able to focus on other things."
"Okay… But I don't think I'll forget Cinder." Ruby admitted "I wish you could have met her."
"Well, considering how many boys your sister has seen before, I don't think anything could scare me anymore." Taiyang laughed "I'm sure she was a wonderful girl, but there will be others."
"Hopefully they're not infused with Dust… Although that was pretty cool."
The man smiled faintly and ruffled her hair playfully before leaving the room. He made his way to the kitchen, where Yang was sitting, staring at the table quietly.
"How is she?" The blonde questioned, not bothering to look at him.
"She's getting better." Taiyang answered, and took Crescent Rose from her belt without asking for it "Is there something wrong, dear?"
"No. Everything's fine."
No, they aren't. The man thought. And I'll make them even worse now, right?
"I think I know why your sister didn't want Crescent Rose." He began.
"That's obvious." Yang said, rolling her eyes "It reminds her of Cinder. She couldn't even fire it without thinking of her."
"Yes, maybe that's part of the reason." Taiyang agreed "But… I believe she also tried to use it on herself."
The silence in the room seemed to grow thicker following those words. After almost a minute, Yang turned her head to her father and narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean?" She asked, wanting to believe she had heard him wrong.
"I mean she tried to kill herself." Taiyang answered slowly, closing his eyes and shaking his head "It was right after Cinder died, or a few days later. Maybe you noticed anything weird?"
Yang frowned, beginning to realize he was right. She remembered how Ruby had asked for water, and when she came back, Crescent Rose was lying on the ground. After that, the redhead had insisted on not even holding the weapon…
Don't hand it to your sister until she gets better. Yang repeated Qrow's words mentally. He knew. That's what he meant. Tears flooded her eyes and she got up.
"Oh, no- No, no, no! NO!" She yelled "I would have noticed, dad! Ruby wouldn't do that, she loves us!"
"Sweetie… She was under a lot of pain." Taiyang muttered sadly.
"She's Ruby! She's my sister!" Yang insisted, backing away while shaking her head "She could have tried again, and I would have never been able to stop her…"
She made her way to the front door, slamming it open. When her father went to follow her, the blonde pointed an open palm at him.
"Leave me alone!"
She stepped out, closing the door behind her, and ran to the woods surrounding the house. Yang ran until she couldn't her home anymore, and then she sat down, leaning against a tree. She hugged her knees and buried her face in them, not able to stop her tears from flowing.
After half an hour, her crying ceased, but still, she refused to get up. There was nothing for her in that house anymore.
"Get up, Xiao Long."
She ignored the voice, barely registering it. After a few minutes, however, another one reached her ears, this time a softer, more comforting one.
"Hey, sweetheart. Why are you crying?"
Yang looked up, vaguely recognizing that voice. What she saw confused her: it was like she was looking at a mirror, although the figure looked a little older and paler than her.
"…Mom?" The girl muttered, not believing her own eyes.
The woman sighed and shook her head. Her form shifted, and in a matter of seconds, Summer Rose was floating there, looking incredibly guilty.
"I am sorry for doing that." She said "I can change my appearance if I try hard enough, and it's easier to mimic someone I am familiar with. I thought Raven would be the only way to draw your attention."
"You scared me." Yang whispered "My mother showing up is the last thing I need right now." She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear any remaining tears from her vision "Why did you want my attention?"
"You were crying. I sensed that, and thought I should know if there is something wrong." Summer answered.
"Wait, you mean you sensed I was crying?" The blonde questioned "You can float, move at incredible speeds, alter you appearance, and now that? What else can you do?"
"I didn't sense it from far away." The woman refuted, and she almost looked embarrassed "I've been pretty close to you and your sister for the last days, just… Taking care of you."
Yang crossed her arms angrily.
"Well, where were you when Ruby tried to kill herself?"
"I… wasn't aware of that." Summer admitted, her eyes flickering sadly "How is she doing now?"
"Like I know." The brawler muttered bitterly "Ruby won't even talk to me anymore. She hates me."
"She doesn't hate you." The ghost shook her head "She hates me."
"Maybe we can be hate buddies. Share the pain, you know?"
"I don't like that idea."
They spent a few minutes in silence. Yang just looked at nothing, her thoughts wandering with no direction, while Summer registered what her daughter had tried to do.
After a while, the blond girl looked up hesitantly.
"Can you do that again?" She asked "You know, mimicking my mother?"
"She was my best friend." Summer reminded "I'm not willing to do something like that so lightly."
"Please? I just want to know what she looked like."
Summer sighed, and after a few seconds, her form shifted until she looked like Raven Branwen again. Yang examined her thoroughly, noticing all the little differences between her appearance and her mother's.
"How was she like?" She asked all of a sudden.
"Raven was… Kind, and cheerful. She was always looking out for people, making friends with anyone, anywhere." Summer answered, her voice sounding like a deeper version of Yang's "In our first year at Beacon, I didn't really have any friends except for Qrow, but he was my brother… Nobody wanted to befriend the quiet, kind of weird redhead girl. But Raven just stepped up to me, introduced herself, and just like that, we were best friends."
"Should I mention the alcohol incident?" Yang asked slowly.
"No." The ghost answered immediately "You should never mention the alcohol incident."
After a few more minutes, Yang spoke again.
"Do you know how she died?"
Summer flinched, and suddenly, she was back to her usual appearance.
"No. No, I don't. Never ask me again."
And before Yang could even blink, the ghost was gone. The blonde sighed.
Damnit, Xiao Long. She thought. You scared your hate buddy away.
-x-
Heeeeeeelloooooo. So, this chapter a bit delayed. Sorry about that! I've been having some internet problems lately... Hopefully they'll stop soon!
Reviews!
Cyborg: Nah, Ruby can't sense peoples' Semblances. She used the POWER OF LOGIC (it's very useful).
Lojzek: Turn Ruby into a psycho, you say? *fanfic suddenly becomes Blood Rose*
Strategist: The sneaky plot point have a 6x bonus power. Still, if the original value is low, it doesn't help much. Also, Adam is pretty fun to write... Which is weird, because I never planned for him to have this personality... And I don't think this portrayal is even close to canon...
Ihavenoidea: Actually, Summer also had red rose petals, but then she died, so they became white. So if Ruby inherited them from someone, it was from her mother, but I don't really support that theory. I think it's just a personal trait that reflected on their Semblances... AND YOU SHALL NOT DEFILE THE NAME OF TRUE MONOCHROME.
Holy-shit-its-Raven-oh-wait-its-not-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Children of Summer!
-Zeroan
