Chapter 41

The Waking World

Four teenage girls sleeping with their bodies and limbs intertwined all jolted upright at once drenched in sweat and gasping for air. They all stared out into the darkness before turning to one another, each girl letting out a small whimper when they saw the others beside them.

Once the initial shock wore off however, Weiss began groping at her waist, practically tearing off her nightgown in order to make sure she was still in one piece. On the other side of the pile, Blake had untied her yukata and was doing the same. Their chests all heaved as they failed to catch their breath, and perhaps self-consciously, they huddled close to their partners, a few frightened sobs escaping as Yang and Ruby wrapped their arms around them.

Zwei meanwhile hopped from leg to leg, girl to girl, sniffing each of them with his little stump wagging. His breathing was quick and hoarse, perhaps from having tried waking them up with barks and licks for the past several minutes, though Weiss suspected some of the slobber may have been courtesy of Ruby.

Slowly, one by one the girls turned to one another, their expressions confirming what the others were thinking. They had all just shared the same terrifying nightmare...

"I died," Blake whispered, staring down at her chest and exposed midriff, half-expecting herself to split in half. Yang laid her partner's head against her shoulder and glanced at Weiss who was still holding her stomach and trembling as she stared at Ruby in horror.

Yang tried grabbing her in time but Weiss shoved Ruby aside and untangled herself from the pile. On the other side of the room, she began backing away toward the door like a frightened child. "Don't come any closer!" she stuttered.

"Weiss?" Ruby held out an unsteady hand but Weiss only quickened her retreat.

She flipped the lights on as if to repel any monsters that might've followed her from the nightmare, and continued staring at her partner as if afraid to blink. Her scarred eye twitched unnaturally, its brightness flickering every few seconds. Her tangled hair was damp and sticking to the sides of her face, and her nightgown clung to her figure as if she had just climbed out of a bath.

There she stood on the other side of the room, exposed, vulnerable, and scared until Ruby reached for her again. Weiss screamed, and turned and ran out the door as fast as her legs would take her.

Ruby's hand fell and she very nearly collapsed. "Weiss?" she whimpered. "Don't go..."

Her head drooped and she shut her eyes, unsuccessfully fighting back tears while Yang and Blake watched, unable to move or even speak.

"I'll go after her," said Blake after coming to her senses. Tying her kimono, she got to her feet but not before giving Yang another hug, who had already turned her attention to her baby sister.

Blake sprinted out the door and down the hall, where to Ruby could only guess, and wasn't entirely sure if she'd ever see either of her friends ever again.

She turned and hid her face when Zwei tried to lick her nose and dry her tears. Undeterred by her lack of cooperation, he settled for curling up in her lap and licking the back of her hand, and a moment later she absently began playing with his ears.

Yang watched the pair moved by a sense of deja vu. Knowing that Ruby wasn't going to respond to anything she said, Yang scooted over and leaned her sister's head against her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rubes," she said. "Just give Weiss a minute to calm down. You know how dramatic she can be sometimes. Chances are she just had to run to the bathroom before she had another accident."

"I killed her," Ruby croaked. "Crescent Rose. We cut her in half. Blake too..."

"You didn't do anything. It was just a freaky nightmare brought on by anchovy pizza and too many mimosas."

Although she tried making light of the situation, Yang couldn't keep her voice from cracking every other word, and despite flaring her aura, Ruby continued to shiver. "I remember her eyes turning red and filling with fire. Just like yours, when-" She shook her head as if trying to remember- "when you knocked me out. After that, I heard Mom talking. Then I woke up..."

Yang swallowed, and she glanced toward the door not liking that it was still open. "Really? That's not how I remember things going down, but then again dreams usually don't make a whole lot of sense. I've been having this one recurring dream where we're all sitting in class in our underwear and Professor Ports asks me to-" She trailed off when she realized that her sister wasn't in the mood. "Sorry..."

"I'm tired of playing this game, Yang," she said, unsure if she wanted to move away from her sister or scoot closer before finally settling on the latter. "And I'm really tired of being mad at you."

Yang laughed and wiped her sister's cheek followed by her own. "I don't like you being mad at me either, Sis, but you have every right to be. Just so you know though, you've got a bit of a temper, and you're kinda scary when you're mad. Still cute, but scary."

She gave her a playful nudge which earned her an elbow to the ribs in return as Ruby fought back a smile. "Like you're one to talk."

"Hey! I've gotten better about controlling my temper, thank you very much. It's been weeks since I last assaulted somebody who didn't deserve it."

Ruby dried her eyes and looked up with a wry smile. "You've gotten better, but how much of that has to do with drinking?"

Yang quickly looked away, and seeing an uncharacteristic look of shame on her sister's face, Ruby patted her on the back. "It's okay, Sis. Really, it is. We can talk about it some other time. Right now we have more important things to figure out. What do you think the nightmare meant by us having to overcome our fears before we can overcome our demons?"

"I think I'm never eating anchovies with alcohol ever again," she said seriously. When she received another elbow, Yang held her hands out defensively. "I don't know, Rubes. I really don't, and right now I don't even want to think about it."

"What about Blake and Weiss dying? I didn't just kill them. They died because my plan got them killed. Doesn't that worry you? Don't you think the nightmare might've been trying to warn us that maybe they're not safe with me as team leader? And don't even pretend that was a normal dream."

Yang paused for a moment, weighing her words carefully before eventually shaking her head. "Okay, it wasn't a normal dream, I'll give you that, but dreams don't always make sense, especially nightmares. Weiss and Blake aren't afraid of you, and I sure as hell aren't afraid of you. It was just a nightmare, Rubes. Dying is just about everyone's worst nightmare, but for teammates, losing each other is even worse. I don't think there was ever any way all of us were making it out alive. I think that was the kinda point the nightmare was trying to make. You can't always win every fight."

"Weiss and Blake looked scared of me just a minute ago," she said, "and so did you when the nightmare's eyes turned red and fire started falling from them." Yang winced, and sensing she was on to something, Ruby was suddenly reminded of what Ozpin had said about fate, how hers was intertwined with the masked woman who nearly crippled her. "What if that's their destiny or-"

Yang held up her hand signaling that was enough. "We're all gonna die someday, Rubes. I could have a motorcycle accident tomorrow, Blake could fall from a tree and not land on her feet, Weiss could finally push me over the edge, and you could choke eating chocolate. Worrying about the future doesn't help anybody. Maybe I'll die on a mission someday like my mom, who just like us found herself in a fight she just couldn't win. It wasn't anybody's fault that she died, and I refuse to believe it was her or Summer's destiny to die like they did. In fact, I refuse to believe that anyone is destined to die from anything other than old age. Got it?"

Ruby glanced down, suddenly wishing she hadn't said anything. "I remember what happened in Patchwork, Yang," she whispered. "I remember everything. I shouldn't be here right now. If I weren't, Mom would still be here, and maybe Vale wouldn't be in the trouble that it is now..."

The room's temperature suddenly jumped ten degrees as Yang's aura flared and steam suddenly began filling the room. "So help me if Ozpin told you that, I'll-"

"Professor Ozpin didn't have to tell me anything," Ruby said, grabbing her sister's arm before she could scale the Emerald Tower and confront the headmaster. "I started remembering weeks ago, and I figured out the rest along the way. I know that I'm not supposed to be here right now. Maybe it has something to do with being a descendant of the Maiden of Life and Death, or-"

"Ssshh!" Yang's eyes widened and she quickly stole a glance out the window and toward the open door. "Ruby," she hissed, "I promise that we'll talk about this later, but you cannot talk about this with anyone, not even Blake and Weiss. Understand?"

Ruby blinked, startled but not the least bit surprised by her reaction. "If you promise that we'll talk, then I promise I won't ever mention it again. Not to Blake, not to Dad or Uncle Qrow, and not even Weiss. We can pretend like it never happened, just like we've pretending since we were little kids..."

Yang nodded and quickly wrapped her arms around Ruby, trembling as though she had nearly just lost her. She brushed her sister's hair back but had another woman in mind while doing so, and they embraced for several long minutes when Ruby suddenly tried pulling away.

"Yang?" she said. "Would you go check on Weiss for me? Blake too. I know you're worried about her, and you should be with your partner right now."

"What I want is to be right here with you." Yang nuzzled closer. "Besides, I don't want to leave you alone right now."

"I'm fine, really. Okay, maybe not fine, but I've got Zwei to keep me company. That wasn't even the worst nightmare I've had this week. Promise."

"Ruby..."

"Please, Yang. Go make sure Blake and Weiss are alright. I'd go with you, b-but I think it'd be best if you went without me."

Reluctantly, Yang allowed her sister to escape from the embrace, and a moment later she got to her feet and went to the door. "If you so much as get off that bed your next nightmare is gonna be of me. Got it?" After Ruby signaled that she understood and accepted the consequences, Yang quietly closed the door. After wiping her face off on her already damp tank top, she hurried in the direction Weiss and Blake had run off to.

By the time she made it halfway down the hall toward the elevators and stairwell however, Yang heard the sound of running water and calmly took a right into the rec room where she found Weiss standing on a step stool, bent over with her head under the faucet while Blake stood guard beside her. Under normal circumstances, Yang would've teased the heiress about getting an eyeful and smacked her rear as a greeting, but for Weiss' sake she fought her natural instinct and found the will to restrain herself.

One of Blake's uncovered ears had been pointed toward the entryway, and glancing behind her, she shared a sympathetic look with her partner before turning back to Weiss who had begun drying her face and hair with a nearby towel.

"You alright?" Yang asked, wandering over.

"Better," she answered, toweling off her nightgown and limbs which were soaked with sweat as much as they were water.

Yang glanced at Blake who was still massaging her shoulder, and realizing what she was doing, Blake froze and cleared her throat. "Some nightmare, huh?"

"Yeah, some nightmare..." she agreed.

Weiss shuddered and threw the towel into a nearby laundry bin. "Listen, I'm sorry I ran off and left your sister like that, and I'll apologize profusely when I return, but I just needed a moment to breathe." She couldn't quite keep herself from stuttering or her voice from cracking, and as if to prove her point she took a series of deep breaths. "I realize it was just a nightmare and that it wasn't the real Ruby we were fighting, b-but it felt real. I felt her aura when I stabbed her in the heart, a-and when she cut me in half. Oh my God, I stabbed Ruby and-"

She began to sob and Yang wrapped her arms around the frightened young woman who suddenly seemed several years younger. "She's okay, Weiss," she cooed. "You're okay, and we're okay too in case you were worried." She tried to smile at her partner but neither of them seemed to quite remember how.

"I tried to kill Ruby," she whimpered. "I stabbed her in the chest and-"

"That wasn't my sister," Yang interrupted, "and you were just defending yourself."

Weiss shook her head. "I felt her aura, Yang. I felt everything that she felt. Angry, betrayed, remorseful, sad, and...and-"

"It's okay, Weiss. That thing wasn't Ruby. It may have felt like her, but it wasn't her. It was just a bad dream."

Blake nodded and slipped an arm into the embrace. "If I'd had the chance, I would've tried killing her too, Weiss. Ruby was right when she said that nightmares prey on our fears." When the pair gave her a curious look, she sighed and suddenly withdrew. "I-I don't know if I've ever told you this, but my partner in the White Fang had an aura like Ruby's, except his roses wilted instead of scattered. Sometimes her aura reminds me of his, especially in the past month, but even though I know Adam would never hurt me, there's still a part of me that's scared of him. Especially for your sake, Weiss..."

Weiss shuddered and closed her eyes, and Blake winced wishing she had never mentioned her family's sworn enemies at a time like this. Although Weiss tried hiding it, the monsters in masks may very well have scared her more than the actual monsters whose faces they wore.

"Anyway, even though I was fighting Ruby-" Blake winced again when Yang shot her a look- "the nightmare I mean, even though I was fighting it, I was really thinking of Adam. Even if I had the chance, I don't know if I could've done what you did, Weiss. I dropped my guard, and after a searing pain in my shoulder, chest, and waist, I woke up..."

Yang laid a hand on her other shoulder, and although reluctant, Weiss withdrew from the embrace as well. "If your greatest fear is your past catching up with you, then I suppose mine is hurting Ruby. I've never put much stock in the meaning of dreams but this one was different. I stabbed my best friend in the heart and it killed me, literally. I can't help but see the irony, especially when it was Crescent Rose that killed me."

She shuddered again, having always been leery of the oversized sniper-scythe. "I know I'm not the only one who gets a little unnerved when fighting Ruby or alongside her. Once she pulls her hood down it's like she becomes a totally different person. You've both seen it, and even if it was only for a moment, I forgot it was Ruby that I was fighting." After taking a few deep breaths she glanced up at Yang. "What part of the nightmare was yours? Your greatest fear regarding Ruby, I mean. And what happened after she cut me in half? I-I didn't kill her, did I?"

Yang shook her head and quickly averted her gaze. "As far as I'm concerned, it was just a bad dream. Nothing more. Maybe it's as simple as Rubes not needing her big sis protecting her anymore, or maybe deep down I'm scared that in a year or two she'll start getting payback for everything I've put her through the past fifteen years. Or maybe it's a sign that I should stop drinking, which I promised Rubes a little while ago I'd think about."

Weiss and Blake turned to one another with the same thought. Rather than lie outright, Yang tended to sprinkle lies and truth together until they blended seamlessly. She often lied more while she was telling the truth, and told the truth more when she was lying.

They both shrugged however as there was no point arguing or pressing for the truth, especially not when they weren't sure if they wanted to hear it. Not tonight anyway, and not while in pajamas when anybody could walk in on them.

"Why don't we head back," Weiss suggested. "I'm feeling better, and I also feel terrible about running out on Ruby like that."

"Hear that, Blake? Ow!"

"Plus if anyone sees me like this I'll have no other choice but to kill them." She gestured down at her nightgown which exposed her shoulders and even her upper thigh. Despite possibly revealing more skin in public than she ever had previously however, the girls knew her modesty had more to do with not wearing any makeup than it did her state of undress.

Yang nodded and wrapped an arm around them both so that she was in the middle and began leading them back to the room. Along the way, Blake covered her ears while Weiss hid the left side of her face by scratching her brow, and continuously tugged at her nightgown as if trying to stretch the material a couple more inches. For Jaune's sake, the girls hoped he was still asleep and valued his life enough to sense that death was just on the other side of the door.

Fortunately for him and the rest of their class, and the future of Remnant, nobody opened their doors, but Weiss couldn't help feeling as though everyone was watching them through peepholes, and so tried hurrying Yang along who as usual wasn't in any hurry and had put on a show for anyone watching.

Unlocking the door, they found four unoccupied beds sitting in the middle of an empty room, with Zwei standing atop the windowsill with his head poking out.

"Figures..." Yang released the others, and after checking the bathroom she stalked over to the window and leaned out, receiving an earful of corgi tongue for her trouble.

"Is she up there?" Weiss asked, locking the door behind them. "S-she didn't run off because of me, did she?"

She sounded on the verge of tears, and Yang twisted her neck, looking for any familiar silhouettes in the moonlight above. After a thorough search however, she crawled back into the room and began searching for her ammo belt, finding it atop a pile of dirty clothes.

"If she's not on the roof, where is she?"

"That's what I'm about to find out." Yang opened her scroll and began pressing buttons on the holographic display.

"So this is what it feels like," Blake said, her grin disappearing when they both turned to glare at her. "Hey, two people ran out of this room tonight and neither of them was me. As far as I'm concerned, that's progress."

Ignoring her, Weiss retrieved a bottle of aspirin and glass of water from her nightstand, and upon returning pointed at Yang's scroll where a red dot was flashing on a grid.

"What's that?"

"Where Rubes ran off to."

Blake chuckled. "What, did you put a tracking device in her cape or something?"

Yang glanced up and fluttered her eyelashes innocently. "Looks like she climbed one of the spires down the street, probably so she can watch the sunrise in a couple of hours. Don't worry, Weiss. She probably just wanted some fresh air and a place to talk privately."

Neither Weiss nor Blake heard a word she was saying as they were too preoccupied by the blinking black and white dots atop of one another. In unison they grabbed their backsides and screamed.

"YOU DIDN'T!?"

A devilish grin spread across Yang's face. "Oh but I did..."

"WHEN!?"

"Best. Birthday. Ever."

As they stared both horrified and feeling violated, Yang winked. "A hearty congratulations to Blake of course for having the finest Bellabooty in all the land, but kudos to you too, Weiss. The best legs on the team come together nicely, and I honestly never thought I'd ever see something paler than your face."

With playful slaps to their rears that were sure to leave handprints, Yang quickly made her escape before weapons could be drawn. "I gotta make a quick stop but I'll bring her back, kicking and screaming if I have to. You two just-" Blake and Weiss screamed again and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind them- "have fun with your butts..."

Yang's grin faded as she exited the room. Sighing, she buckled her ammo belt and hung her head.

"I guess we're gonna have that talk now after all..."

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Not gonna lie, I've had the gag where Blake and Weiss discover Yang had them chipped all the way back in Chapter 3 when Yang talked about her plans to get Ruby chipped and not so subtly implied that Blake was next. Yang getting her sister and friends chipped just seems like something she would do, especially after Blake ran off in Volume 1 and her sister went missing in The Lost City. Whether she made good on her threat to stick a syringe up their butts has yet to be seen, but I can just picture her on the night of her birthday tucking them into their beds and making sure that they're comfortable before sticking a needle in them.

Apologies for the hiatus, friends, but after posting Chapter 40 back in February, I hit a bit of a rough patch in my personal life. Everything is alright now, but late-February to about mid-March was a rather difficult time for me, and I didn't get much writing or editing done during that time. All that practically changed overnight however, and I've been busy working on my original stories and fanfics ever since. In the span of about a month, I've written roughly 40,000 words, and since Chapter 40, I've posted Chapters 4 and 5 of "The Twilight Dragon", 7 and 8 of "The Road You Choose", and a one-shot titled "Goodwitch of the North" which involves Winer having an exhibition match with her old mentor Glynda Goodwitch, who she's asked for assistance in preparing Weiss for Beacon shortly before the "White Trailer". I've also been going back and editing some of my older fics, specifically "The Petals Scatter Now" which is now five to six years old depending on the chapter. Thank you all for the love and support, and I hope you enjoy the coming chapters.

All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)