I'm just going to go ahead and post this so I can get it out of my head. Set at some point after episode 7 of volume 8, so spoilers ahead! You've been warned. Content warning for character death.
Enjoy!
As the airship makes its descent, Yang hangs back by the doors, eager to reunite with her team. She pulls out her scroll and sends a message to Ruby and the others to let them know that they've arrived. It might have only been a day since they'd parted ways, but so much has happened that it feels like weeks have passed. She's itching to lay eyes on the other girls, to see for herself that they're okay.
They'd commandeered the airship from the ace ops when they'd decided to remain on the front lines to fight. Even though the whale was destroyed and Salem had been kept at bay (for now), the streets of Atlas were still crawling with Grimm. It had felt wrong, leaving them behind, but between the new arrivals and the shape that Oscar had been in when they'd found him, they hadn't had much of a choice. They'd needed to hole up somewhere safe for a bit.
Fortunately, they'd finally had enough signal or their scrolls to contact the others, and Marrow had been able to pilot them to the Schnee manor to join their friends. The airship comes to a stop, and Yang barely waits for the doors to open before leaping out. She starts to make her way across the courtyard, careful to skirt the edges of the large crater in the middle of the grounds.
She makes it about halfway to the house when she spots a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Ruby. Her sister skids to a stop in front of her, her signature rose petals scattering around her feet. "Hey, sis, good to see you again. Listen, I'm really sorry about earlier. Are you okay? I was just—"
Ruby doesn't respond, but Yang is cut off by the sound of someone yelping behind her.
The rest of their little group had been following Yang back to the house, albeit more slowly. Yang turns around to see Marrow and Emerald encased up to their waists in ice. She whirls around again to face Ruby, expecting to see her joined by Weiss, or maybe Penny.
Instead, she sees her sister, one arm raised and silver flames around her eyes. There's a wild expression on her face, and she does not waver when she meets Yang's eyes.
Ice. Silver flames. The realization hits Yang like a punch to the gut. Her mouth goes dry. For a moment, she's too stunned to speak
It's only been a little more than a day since they separated. How could this have happened already? And what had happened to Penny?
Behind her, Jaune pipes up. "Ruby, it's okay. They're with us."
Ruby doesn't look convinced, but she does lower her arm. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it," she says finally, although she doesn't put away her weapon. The ice around Marrow and Emerald begins to recede and the silver fire around her eyes starts to flicker out.
"What the—" mutters Marrow.
"How?" Emerald exclaims.
Ren steps forward. "Where are the others?" he asks. His eyes widen when they land on Ruby, but whatever he sees in her emotions, he doesn't share it.
"They're back in the house. I was supposed to come out and meet you guys," Ruby replies. She frowns when Oscar steps up to join them, still looking much worse for the wear even after Jaune had used his semblance on him. "We should probably head back inside, if you don't have any other surprises."
When they shake their heads, Ruby turns and starts walking towards the front door. The rest of them follow in silence.
"She's really not doing well," Ren comments under his breath.
After convincing Oscar to lie down for a bit in one of the guest rooms, they join Weiss and Blake in the kitchen. There are plates of sandwiches on the table, reminding Yang of just how long it's been since she had a decent meal. Once they've exchanged greetings and awkward introductions, they settle down around the table to enjoy the food.
Ruby hesitates to sit down with the rest of them, instead hovering awkwardly near the door, arms folded across her chest and back pressed against the wall. "I'm going to check on Nora," she says abruptly, leaving before anyone can respond.
"Wait, what happened to Nora?" Ren calls after her, sounding alarmed. He stands up to face the rest of them. "Where is she, anyway?"
Blake sighs. "Nora is upstairs, resting. She was in pretty bad shape after the . . . incident earlier," Marrow winces. "But she's doing a bit better now. Klein is looking after her."
"I need to see her," Ren announces. He leaves the kitchen without waiting to ask for directions.
With Ruby gone, Yang figures that it's safe to ask the question that's been gnawing at her since she saw Ruby summon sheets of ice with a wave of her hand. "What happened to Penny?"
Both Blake and Weiss flinch. "We're not entirely sure," Weiss says softly. "We think that something must have gone horribly wrong at Amity, when the broadcast cut out. She ended up crash-landing here a few hours ago." That would explain the crater in the middle of the courtyard.
She exchanges a look with Blake, who sighs. "She was hurt in the crash. Badly. Ruby tried her best to fix the damage, but she—she didn't make it." Blake's voice breaks, and she stares down at her lap, tears gathering in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry," Yang says, taking one of her partner's hands in her own. Jaune echoes her, sounding stunned with grief.
Emerald and Marrow have been keeping quiet, sitting at the edges of the group, but Emerald finally decides to pipe up. "So Ruby is the Winter Maiden now?" she asks.
Weiss and Blake nod miserably. "We wanted to come help, down in Mantle and then when Atlas was under attack." Blake changes the subject. "But we didn't want to leave Nora behind, and then Penny arrived, and—well, we just kept running into obstacles."
"We were thinking about trying to break your uncle and Robyn out of jail," Weiss chimes in. "But May needed to go help with things in Mantle, and she took the airship with her. It's not safe to be out in the open for that long, so we'd have to find another way to get there."
"We have an airship," Marrow offers. "And I know where they're being held. In the aftermath of the Grimm attack, nobody is going to notice two prisoners going missing."
Well, at least there's some good news. Yang allows herself a small smile. "That sounds like a plan. Why don't I go get Ruby and Ren, and we can work out the details."
She's worried about Ruby. Her sister seems closed off, more distant than Yang's ever seen her, and Yang can't blame her. Losing Penny again hurts, but it must be so much worse for Ruby. Those two had been close. And on top of that, Ruby had been saddled with the powers of the Winter Maiden, a constant reminder of her lost friend.
The fact that Ruby isn't even attempting to keep up her usual cheerful mask is not a good sign.
Yang lets her gut guide her through the unfamiliar halls of the mansion. She's always had a sort of sixth sense for wherever Ruby was, even when they were on opposite sides of Remnant. It doesn't take her long to find her sister, tucked away in a small corner on the second floor.
Nora is nowhere in sight. Ruby is muttering quietly to herself. Yang frowns. That's definitely not a good sign. She clears her throat. "Hey, sis, we were talking about going after Qrow and Robyn, and we wanted to get everyone's thoughts."
Ruby jolts in surprise, letting out a shaky breath. "Oh. Right. Of course. I'll be right down, I just needed some time to think."
"When did you start talking to yourself?" Yang teases lightly.
Her attempt at humor falls flat. Ruby frowns. "I was talking to Penny," she says. Noticing the look on Yang's face, she shakes her head and sighs. "It's not like that, Yang. Part of being a maiden is being able to talk to previous maidens. Penny's soul is a part of mine now." Her voice is thick with grief.
Yang has no idea what to say to that. "Sounds like you're picking up on this stuff pretty fast."
"Not fast enough," Ruby says, scowling. "I need to get a lot better, quickly, if I want to have any chance against Salem."
"Well, we've managed to push back against Salem, even if it's only temporary," Yang reminds her. "I think we've earned a little bit of a break, for a few hours at least. Have you given yourself any time to grieve?"
Ruby looks like Yang just smacked her across the face. "What are you talking about? I'm fine." It might have been convincing if her voice didn't break in the middle.
"Yeah, right. You're not fine. And pretending that nothing's wrong and pushing us away isn't going to fix anything."
Ruby shakes her head, opening her mouth to argue. Yang cuts her off, pulling her in for a hug. "It's okay to not be okay," she tells Ruby, resting her chin on the top of her sister's head.
With that, the dam breaks. Ruby sniffles, then begins to sob in earnest. She cries for a long time. Yang never lets go, just rubs her back and whispers soothing nonsense.
Her sister has been needing this for a long time.
When Ruby finally pulls back and scrubs at her face, Yang's shirt is damp with tears. She doesn't mind. Ruby's face might be blotchy and red, but she looks more like herself than she has in a long time. "Feeling better?"
Ruby chuckles hoarsely. "I do, actually. Thank you, Yang." She clears her throat. "I guess we should go join everyone else. Why don't you head back to the kitchen? I'll go get Ren."
They've got an uncle to rescue.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.
I am desperate for some decent Ruby and Yang interactions, and I am dying for a proper team RWBY reunion. Oh well, maybe someday.