Yang's heart was racing and her chest felt tight as she watched her uncle and her little sister stare each other down in the middle of the courtyard. Qrow's sword was drawn and ready and Ruby held her scythe, its blade hovering just above the ground, ready to strike at a moment's notice. I couldn't stop them, either of them. Ruby said she wouldn't back down but she has no idea who she's going up against. He taught her everything she knows.
"Cute scythe kid, I liked your old one better but I guess I can see the appeal." Qrow chuckled to himself as he took his flask from his side and took a swig.
"I wouldn't know." Ruby narrowed her eyes, her whole body tensed with adrenaline and anticipation. Her grip tightened around the shaft of her scythe, her thumb resting on the switch that ignited the signature flames that engulfed its blade. I've got a bad feeling. He's probably really strong, If I lose… I'm not sure I could stop him from taking me back. I can't just run and abandon my team. Okay, so I'll just have to win then!
As Qrow shook out the last few drops of alcohol from his flask onto his tongue he shrugged and tossed it on the grassy floor beneath him. The tension spiked in the air as his expression hardened, his gaze burning into Ruby as her silver eyes burned back at him. The two scythe masters glared each other down and Yang felt almost suffocated by the electricity in the air.
With heavy mechanical sounds The hilt of Qrow's sword extended and the blade began to arc. Ruby's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as his sword transformed before her into menacing scythe and for just a moment, Qrow's cocky smirk returned.
A scythe… he must have been the one who taught me how to fight. Ruby gulped nervously and her jaw clenched. I've never fought someone else who uses a scythe, at least, not as far as I remember. Most of the time I can catch people off guard with Inferno Crescent but that won't work this time… but I bet he's never had to deal with someone who fights like me! Between what my muscles remember from his training and what I learned from Neo, I might just be able to do this.
Ruby took a long, deep breath and then…
Whoooosh!
In a blur of rose petals Ruby wasted no time as she launched herself forward as fast as she could, the ground beneath where she had stood was now a small crater! Rearing her scythe back she prepared to strike with all her strength!
Qrow smirked as he casually raised he scythe. Metal struck metal as Ruby's blade hit his, the force of the impact made the ground tremble hard enough for Yang to feel it through her feet as she watched. Ruby hung in the air for a long moment, her eyes wide with shock, but Qrow only looked vaguely amused.
"I'm not done yet!" Ruby landed on her feet and swung her Scythe once again.
The two scythe wielders clashed, Qrow seeming to effortlessly parry each of Ruby's slashes. With each deflected hit Ruby's barrage of slashes only grew faster and harder. They were going so fast their weapons were little more than blurs of silver but Ruby was pushing her uncle on the defensive as she moved faster and faster, forcing him to backpedal from the onslaught!
"Gah!" Ruby yelped in pain as a powerful kick compressed her chest, forcing the air from her lungs as it sent her staggering back.
Qrow went on the offensive and their positions switched. With a powerful swing of his scythe he aimed at Ruby's neck while she was still recoiling from his kick. However his blade only met air as she hopped back just out of reach and without a single wasted movement she spun on her heels and with a wide swing slashed at him with the small end of her blade.
Bang!
A shot rang out from the end of his scythe and the recoil reversed its direction as he spun with it! The curves of their blades met and hooked into each other, a shrill screech of grinding metal edges echoed through the courtyard!
Qrow smiled at her as he pushed her blade back with his superior strength, her small arms trembling as she fought against him. I can't lose any more ground, I have to put him on the defensive again!
Now a smug grin lit up her face as her eyes glimmered playfully just as her mentor did when she trained her. Ruby relaxed her arms and let Qrow push her scythe back, but she didn't lose ground, instead she leaned back with the force and let her weapon slip from her hands as she fell into a handstand, her uncle's scythe passing only inches above her face as her upper body fell!
Adrenaline and confidence surged through Ruby as her legs shot up and wrapped around the hilt of her scythe! Even from her upside down vantage point she could she the very surprised look her opponent now wore. Twisting her her legs and core Ruby fought almost as deftly with her scythe as she did with her arms but with significantly more force.
With each squeeze of her legs and twist of her body she easily parried his attacks and with her hands effortlessly dancing along the ground even with her full weight on top of them she easily danced around him, weaving through his kicks and countering with the hilt of her scythe. She was at point blank range and she was forcing Qrow on the defensive with her unique fighting style!
I've got you now! Bringing her leg down from atop her scythe she brought the blade swinging down at his head and just as he narrowly blocked it she pushed her foot up over the switch of her scythe and relaxed her body.
Fwooosh!
A massive ball of fire exploded from her blade, the force sent her flying but her legs held tight to the hilt as she rolled through the air with it. Just before a painful impact with the ground she flipped herself up and grabbed hold of the hilt of her weapon in her hands and stabbed it into the earth, the sudden pull from her scythe felt as though it would rip her arm off as she came to a screeching halt!
I short distance away the ground burned… but Qrow still stood. His clothes were singed but his Scythe was held in front of him, the large blade seeming to protect his head and chest from a direct and devastating hit from the fireball. His expression was stark and focused as he slowly lowered his blade.
"Aaaaaaah!" With a belligerent battle cry Ruby wasted no time as she burst into rose petals and reared her scythe back, exploding into a high speed attack as she blitzed Qrow, her scythe still raging with intense fire!
Again they collided, Qrow sliced upwards knocking Ruby's scythe with it as a jet of flames shot out, he could feel the intense heat against his skin. Suddenly Qrow was an entirely different fighter as he spun his scythe around just as fast as Ruby as they exchanged blows and parries, sparks and embers splashed out with each hit bathing them in a hot orange glow as the fought!
This is bad! I don't have the Dust to keep this up forever! He's too strong! So, this is what a full fledged Huntsman can do… Gritting her teeth Ruby kept up her assault but she could feel her strength slowly waning.
Suddenly after weaving between her attacks Qrow swung down at her with devastating force, the raw power of the shock wave from their impacting weapons made the air and ground tremble! Ruby was forced back, her boots slid across the ground shearing grass from the soil as she was thrown backwards but still stood.
Ruby's small body was shaking from fatigue and adrenaline, her throat throat was dry and her chest ached, still she held her weapon firm in front of her and glared at her opponent. With a swipe of her thumb the fire died down around her scythe. Qrow stood stoick with one hand in his pocket and the other casually resting his scythe over his shoulder.
He out matches me in speed, strength and skill. I've only got one good hit on him out of surprise but he's a lot more on his guard now so I doubt I'll get the drop on him so easily next time. After that last exchange I'm down to about half my dust. I have to think before I-
*Bang!*
Another shot rang out from the end of Qrow's scythe aimed right at Ruby. In the last instant before she would have been shot down she cut the blast in half with her scythe, the impact staggering her back.
Qrow unleashed blast after blast at the small girl. It was all she could do to keep her scythe spinning to deflect each one getting forced further and further back and with each impact she felt her aura steadily declining. He was relentless firing each blast at the exact opposite position of her blade, if she slowed down even the tiniest bit it would be over for her!
Then Ruby's heart skipped a beat and her blood turned to ice in her veins as she felt her back touch a very solid surface… he had backed her up against a wall.
With deadly cold in his crimson eyes he walked slowly forward, never slowing his fire or faltering in his aim, his pattern of shots kept her pinned, there was no rush for him, because there was no escape for her. All he had to do was keep getting closer and the small difference in his blasts had to travel were quickly adding up as Ruby was pushing her body to its absolute limit just to keep from taking a direct hit!
I didn't want to do this but I don't have a choice, it didn't work on Mercury but maybe… just maybe, it'll work on him! Her body surged with energy as she pooled her strength, her teeth bit down so hard she felt they would shatter at any moment but still she kept knocking away his attacks. I've just got to wait until he's a little bit closer… just hold on!
Step after step Ruby felt time crawl by agonizingly slowly. Her body felt it would give out at any moment, but she kept pushing herself to fight finally the distance between them was no more that a few meters away. Now!
Her scythe burst into flames once again as she swung it out, as wave of fire met Qrow's blasts and with the extra second it bought her she sparked into action!
Ruby slammed her scythe into the ground and forced her body up until her feet met the wall behind her! With all her might she pulled Inferno Crescent up with her, Qrow's blasts slamming into the wall just below her. As gravity forced her body down she closed her eyes and held her breath.
Please work!
Fwooosh!
In an explosion of fire and rose petals Ruby exploded forward at ungodly speeds, her Semblance augmented by the force of the expanding fireball behind her, powderizing the wall and leaving a massive scorch mark in her wake!
Ruby twisted her body in mid flight sending herself into a deadly spin with the blade of her scythe still consumed by the raging inferno that now engulfed the small red blur creating a tail of fire like a meteor as she barreled down at Qrow with the most reckless but overwhelming attack she bring to bear upon him!
Qrow's eyes went wide as the massive ball of blade and flame charged at him. He barely had an instant to react. Gritting his teeth He raised his scythe and braced for impact.
It felt like a bomb went off, Yang was nearly staggered by quaking of the earth as the two combatants crashed into each other. A whirlwind of flames exploded out around the two scythe wielders and smoldering rose petals rained down around them. The force of the blast carried them halfway across courtyard… but Qrow still stood, his aura aura became visible for just a moment as it buckled from the damage Ruby had caused, but he blocked her attack and Ruby was barely standing.
T-that's impossible! I… I hit him with everything I had! She glared up at him, her entire body was shaking as she held her scythe to his, the arcs of their blades crossed. 'I'm almost out of Dust… I've got maybe one more good burst left.'
In a sudden, fluid movement Qrow spun around, snaking his scythe behind hers and hooking it with the curve of his blade. In her weakened state all it took was a flick of his wrist to pry her weapon from her trembling hands.
"Ruby!" Yang cried out. I have to stop Qrow before he- he kills her! Yang's lavender eyes were scorched red as her Semblance flared! She reached into her pocket and began punching in her location to summon her rocket locker containing her Ember Celica.
Bang!
Yang's Scroll exploded in her hands…
"We aren't done yet." Qrow put his scythe over his shoulder and then without breaking eye contact with Yang, he slammed his foot down on top of Ruby's Inferno Crescent just as she was reaching for it when she thought he was distracted.
Ruby stared up into his crimson eyes as she slowly stood back up. Fear gripped her heart, screaming at her to run away. She took a panicked step back, her eyes wide and her pulse racing. I can't win, he's too strong. I- I won't let him take me back, I won't let him anywhere near my friends! I can't run, I've done so much, I've come way too far, I'm going to save Roman and I'm not going to let anyone stop me!
As though someone had flipped a switch… her demeanor changed. Her body stopped trembling and her shoulders relaxed as she closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. The atmosphere between the two fighters seems to freeze over like an arctic wind had blown through. When Ruby's eyes finally opened, she looked into Qrow's scarlet eyes with a silver gaze so frigid and steady even Qrow looked unnerved as the ominous silence filled the air.
A smug, cocksure grin formed from her lips and a playful glimmer warmed her icy gaze as she tilted her head to the side. Then the battle ignited once again! Ruby burst into action, springing into a backflip with a boot aimed right at Qrow's head!
In an easy motion he repelled her, the top of his scythe catching her foot, but it was exactly what she wanted! She followed through with her kick, pushing down on his scythe with all her might, lifting her body up just a little more. Her smirk grew as she locked eyes with Qrow before twisting her body painfully fast and sending the tip of her boot right into the side of his face!
The instant Ruby hit the ground she fell into a sweeping low kick aimed at his shins only to meet the hit of his scythe with her boot. With a spin of his scythe Qrow aimed his gun at Ruby, the blast slammed into the ground where she had been just a moment after she pulled herself up into a flip, landing on her feet just out of range of his blade.
I'm not going to win this without my scythe, I've to to get him off of it! She gritted her teeth as her aimed his gun at her.
Without hesitation he pulled the trigger, but again he missed his mark. The blast flying through a cloud of rose petals as Ruby ran around him, quickly drawing closer and closer as she zigzagged between his fire, stopping and going, none of his attacks could land.
I'm only going to get one change, I have to make it count! Finally she saw an opening, gritting her teeth Ruby steeled herself as she she came to a stop right in front of her adversary. She glared at Qrow, her eyes challenging him to attack… and he did!
Qrow swept his scythe at Ruby as she stood before him, the force behind his blade would be enough to break her remaining aura but still she didn't flinch or hesitate. Just inches before his scythe would finish her Ruby sprang up into a flip, she could feel the air from his blade rushing by so close it gave her chills, but she had done it!
She didn't have time to even look where she was going, the instant her feet touched the ground Ruby blurred forward, rose petals scattering behind her. She squeezed her eyes closed and brace herself.
She felt her body plow into something and then, she was falling. Time seemed to move in slow motion as she opened her eyes. Her shoulder slammed painfully against his chest, but she could feel him falling off balance. Ruby reached her leg out below her and kicked her scythe out from beneath him as hard as she could before pushing off from him!
Huffing for breath she fell to the ground before activating her semblance again, this time to get away from Qrow and to get the scythe she kicked a short distance away… but she was too weak, as her hand grabbed the hilt of the Inferno Crescent she tumbled along with ground like a stone skipping over water, holding on to her weapon for dear life as she skidded to a painful stop.
I- I got my scythe back… I can barely stand. What am I going to do?! I've used every trick I have, I'm almost out of Dust and Aura and he- he's coming! Get up damn it! Get up! Her muscles burned and her whole body was sore but still she forced herself to rise, weakly clutching her weapon in her hands as Qrow approached.
Okay… I've only got one chance. It worked on Neo, Weiss and Mercury… but will he really fall for it? I- I guess I don't really have a choice. With frail, quivering breaths Ruby grinned at him and gave a soft, tired laugh.
Slowly and disarmingly Ruby lifted her scythe and brought it to rest atop her shoulders and behind her neck, her arms resting casually atop it to keep it steady. Qrow's eyes flashed with curiosity and his approach slowed cautiously, his scythe resting over his shoulder ready to swing down at a moment's notice.
"I'm not going back." Ruby bared her teeth as eyes narrowed at her uncle, trying to keep his attention away from her tensing legs. Just a little closer, I have to time this perfectly… if everything goes right I can do this!
Now! Ruby's silver eyes shot wide open and adrenaline flooded her veins! With all the strength she had left ruby leaped high into the air and twisted her body into a spin with her Scythe still resting on her shoulders. Her entire body weight and all her momentum was focused into the tip of her blade aimed right at Qrow!
Like any sane person would do Qrow stepped back from the easily avoidable attack. The instant he did Ruby pulled her arms from over her shoulders and grabbed the butt of her weapon just as the curve of Ruby's scythe rolled along the ground! A wild grin lit up Ruby's face as her thumb flicked the switch and an explosion of fire propelled her forward legs first aimed at Qrow's chest! I've got you n-
Bang!
A powerful impact sent a wave of pain over Ruby's back and through her entire body as her aura gave out. Her hands fell from her scythe as she went limp before she fell to the ground like a rag doll. Qrow loomed above her, leaning against his scythe with pained but cold gaze… he had won.
I- I couldn't do it… I couldn't do it. Ruby's heart felt like it was being suffocated, like her blood had turned to ice water. Her jaw clenched and she bared her teeth, forcing herself to sit up despite the pain.
As she rose to a kneel she felt the cold edge of Qrow's blade against her back. Still she didn't yield. She glared at him, her silver eyes pooled with tears as she stared defiantly into his eyes, but his face just looked… sad.
"I'm not going back… this is my life… you won't take it from me… you won't… I won't let you…" She could barely speak between her weak, labored breaths.
"Is that right?" His voice was cold but Ruby could hear undeniable hurting behind it as his hand reached out towards her. Fear soared in the small girl's heart but still her defiant gaze didn't waver.
"No!" Yang screamed, her semblance flaring back up as she ran towards the, weapon on not she had to protect Ruby… but then… she stopped.
Qrow had let his scythe fall to the ground. Ruby's eyes grew wide as his hand gently fell atop her head, gently running his rough hand over her hair and a soft, wistful smile formed from his lips, warming his once cold visage.
"You did good kid." His eyes were soft with pride and sadness at once as he got on one knee to make himself eye level with his niece. "You fight like that, you're going to go far at Haven. Just remember to never stop growing and never stop learning."
"I- I don't understand…" Ruby's voice was little more than a whisper but she was left otherwise speechless by what she saw in his eyes, an unmistakable feeling in his touch and a warmth in his voice. She felt it from Roman, from Neo, from Yang and from her dad… it was… love.
His hand descended to her forehead and gently he brushed her bangs aside revealing the scar that marked where she had lost her memory, a scar that she thought of a symbol, to her, it represented a new life, a clean slate, but for a moment, she saw his lip quiver before he gave a small shake of his head and let her bangs fall back over her scar.
In a blur Ruby found herself pulled towards him as his strong arms tenderly embraced her small, weak body. Around them a soft breeze made their capes flow at once and swirled soft rose petals around them. Her heart skipped a beat as he held her in a soft, gentle hung, squeezing Ruby close and tight, her head resting on his shoulder and in her ear, she heard him whisper softly;
"Good bye kid. I should have said it more but... I love you."
Just as suddenly as it had begun, Qrow released her and stood up, grabbing his scythe before spinning around and holding his head low. Without another word… he walked away, leaving Ruby staring up at him with a soft and sad expression and in her heart… she felt at once happiness and pain. She watched as Yang ran to him and for just a moment, she wanted to run to him too.
"Uncle Qrow…" Yang's voice was soft and compassionate as she followed behind him.
"Leave me alone kid." Qrow's fist balled and with his other hand he pulled his flask from his side and gave it a shake before giving a long, broken sigh. "I need a drink… a strong one."
Ruby kneeled in the soft grass as she watched him leave, she hadn't even noticed until the soft breeze cooled her cheeks, but she was crying. Qrow… he was crying too.