Chapter 1: Running
Six years ago…
Silver eyes swept across the kitchen. There were plates in the sink, yet to be washed. Zwei's water dish was half-full. The gaming console used by Qrow, Ruby and Yang to play Grimm Bashers was starting to gather dust from lack of use. Empty bottles that had yet to be recycled lay strewn about on near the couch. The kitchen table was set for three, but if Ruby got her way, it would be set only for two from now on. Yang was busy with her schoolwork, as usual. Ruby's father was nowhere in sight, most likely drowning his grief in a sea of alcohol.
That left Ruby all alone. It had been this way for the last several months. Ever since her mother died, nothing in Ruby's life was the same. Her sister, the sun in the rainiest of days, was forced to play mother to Ruby and babysitter to two full grown adult men. Tai, Ruby's father, became depressed and turned to alcohol to numb the pain. Qrow, Ruby's uncle, had almost vanished completely, sometimes bringing Tai back from the bar and the two a staggering, sobbing, drunken mess. Yang's smile no longer carried its former radiance, Tai's words of "I love you girls" had lost its meaningfulness and conviction. Qrow no longer joked around.
And Ruby was done with it all. So on this day she had chosen to run away. She had no clue where, just far away from her family. The girl had worn a maroon shirt and black leggings, her beloved red cloak — a gift from her mother, was clasped around her. Sometimes Ruby believed that it was as if her mother was wrapping her arms around her in a hug when she hid herself within the comfort of the cloak. Under her cloak was a backpack. Its contents consisted of protein bars, water bottles, some lien she had stolen gradually from her father and Qrow, and at the bottom was her beloved plush beowolf won for her by Yang, named Beo.
The girl took it all in, walking through the halls one more time. The couch that had hosted endless movie nights was empty, save aside a lone empty beer bottle placed on its side on the cushion. Picture frames hung the walls leading to the girls' rooms. A Yang in twintails laughing as Summer poked the blonde girl's cheek with a goofy expression. A younger Ruby holding a cookie the size of a dinner plate as if it was the most valuable treasure on Remnant. Qrow and Summer leaning back to back with Summer holding a dissolving decapitated Beowolf head by the ear. Tai and Qrow frozen in place mid-spar. A baby Ruby cradled in Summer's arms as Yang peeked over her shoulder at Ruby.
It was all too much for Ruby, her eyes stung before hot tears broke free. That's never happening again. Her life would never return to how it used to be. Mom's not here anymore. The thought made her stuff her fist into her mouth as she passed Yang's room, afraid of her sister hearing her cry. She was probably working away at things assigned from Signal anyway.
She reached her room, a piece of paper was taped to her door, boasting a poorly drawn rendition of Zwei below the words "Ruby's Room!!!!!" written in red crayon. Ruby put a hand on the sign, and made a fist — crumpling the paper in her hand. She released it, and turned around to head to the door.
Ruby jolted as a bark shattered the pensive silence that had enveloped the house. The girl looked down at her feet to see a black and white corgi looking right up at her. Zwei whined, as if he could sense that Ruby was leaving.
"I know, boy. I'll miss you." Ruby murmured, bending down to pat the corgi's head as more tears welled in her eyes. Zwei licked her fingers in an attempt to comfort her, ears low. "But it's better for me this way." She told him, letting the tears fall. Ruby wiped her tears away. Zwei moved his head, bumping his snout against Ruby's hand. She relented and scratched behind his ears. After a few moments of scratches, she withdrew her hand and straightened herself. "I love you, Zwei." Ruby said softly, turning around. As she walked, she heard the tapping of claws against the floor. The girl turned around to see Zwei trotting after her.
"No, Zwei." Ruby told him firmly, reaching a hand out in a "stop" motion. The corgi instead barked, taking another step in defiance. Ruby sighed. "Zwei, no," She said again "Stay." She commanded, turning around and walking briskly to the door. Ruby was all too aware of Zwei following, and her walk evolved to a mad dash. She threw the door open just enough to squeeze by, and slammed it shut.
The moment she closed the door she let her arm drop limply to her side. Zwei let loose a volley of rapid barks, as if openly begging Ruby not to leave. "I love you." Ruby rested her forehead against the door for a second before turning away from it.
Was she doing the right thing? The girl wondered to herself, taking the first step away from the door. Ruby inhaled and exhaled softly. She had convinced herself long ago that this was what was best for her. As Ruby took a second step, it felt like the sky would crush her. Guilt had wormed its way into her heart, making her feel as if the right choice was indeed wrong.
I can't hesitate any longer on this. She told herself, and forced herself to keep moving. Moving away from home, and towards the docks. Towards Vale. Towards freedom.
Exiting the ferry, Ruby cast a glance at the sky. A massive dark cloud was crawling from the southeast, promising a storm.
The girl sighed, and pulled her cloak closer around her shoulders. Ruby started walking a bit faster, hoping to find shelter before the storm arrived.
As she walked, her eyes were constantly watching back and forth, worried that her dad or Uncle Qrow had come home and saw her missing. Vale was full of people talking and hurrying about their day. Ruby sighed and as she walked around the city she saw the dark cloud hover over the buildings.
She walked by an alleyway, and her nose caught the warm smell of food. Pizza! Ruby tried to lower her hopes, but all the walking made her hungry. So she ducked in, and saw a woman with straight blonde hair tied in twintails. She was leaning over a box of pizza, and Ruby hesitated. But the woman's warm brown eyes looked up and locked onto her. "Hello dear." The woman's voice was warm like a summer's day, carrying an accent from a different place, Mistral maybe? "You alright?" Brown eyes softened in concern.
"Yeah…" Ruby murmured. The woman nodded.
"You look hungry, dear. Want to share this pizza with me?" She suggested.
"Ye — you mean it?" Ruby caught herself in time. The woman smiled, rotating the box in her lap.
"Of course I do, sweetheart." She gave a small laugh. "My name's Honey Curie, I won't bite dear, I promise." That was all the permission Ruby needed before taking a slice and sitting down across from Honey.
"I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose." She introduced herself, taking a bite of the delicious pizza.
"Nice to meet you, Ruby. You have such a pretty name." Honey smiled.
Ruby looked at her lap, a bit flustered at the gentleness of the woman. "T-thank you, miss." She said.
"So where are you from, Ruby? You exploring the city?" Honey asked.
"I ran away…" Ruby admitted. Honey smiled and reached over to pat her knee.
"I ran away from my home too, dear. So I guess we're in the same boat, yeah?" She told her. Ruby nodded, a bit shocked by the revelation. "Why isn't that important to me or you. All that matters is we're here now."
Ruby nodded, and flinched as a cold drop of water hit the top of her head. Automatically she reached and flipped her cloak's hood up. "That nasty storm's started now. You got anywhere to go, Ruby?" Honey asked, standing up.
Ruby looked at her shoes. "No…" she admitted. Honey tisked.
"Now that won't do," she said as the rain started picking up. "Come with me back to my place, Ruby." Honey extended her hand. Ruby hesitated, and instead wrapped her cloak tightly around herself. "Alright, just follow me, dear." Honey led the way, keeping a slow pace so Ruby could follow.
They started walking down the street, the rain picking up even more with each step. Soon it felt like liquid bullets hitting her skin as her cloak was a practically nonexistent barrier between the rain and her. Honey had picked up her pace as they walked rapidly. Suddenly she turned into a small house, and Ruby followed as she opened the door and ushered Ruby inside. "Oh you poor dear. Take off that cloak, I'll get you a towel." Honey said, hurrying off into another room. Ruby peeled her cloak off of her, and looked around. She was in a living room, a television against a wall. Bookcases dotted the walls, and there was a fireplace with chairs and a couch surrounding it. Another couch was pressed against a wall, a coffee table near it. The whole room exuded a sense of comfort.
Honey came back with several towels and handed one to Ruby so she could dry off her hair. As she did it, Honey vanished again into the next room over. She reappeared a few minutes later with a large mug of a brown liquid, followed by a glass dish full of sugar cubes and a small cup of white liquid. "Have some tea, Ruby." Honey offered, setting the tray on the coffee table.
Ruby shook her head "I insist, dear." Honey gave Ruby a warm smile. "Doctor it up however you want. There's honey and sugar for you to put in." Ruby hesitated and walked to the table before taking the mug. She mixed in a few sugar cubes, and added a bit of honey. Stirring it in, Honey nodded in approval. "If you want to take a shower, leave your clothes outside and I'll throw them in the dryer for now."
"I… thank you, miss." Ruby returned a weak smile to Honey.
"Just call me Honey, dear. You can stay with me as long as you want. I'm happy to have company."
"You mean it?" Ruby asked, hope flaring in her chest. She had been worried about living on the streets for the rest of her life.
Honey chuckled, "I do, Ruby. You're just like me." She smiled and Ruby finished her tea before following Honey to the bathroom.
She handed her clothes off to Honey through the door, and found that while she had been finishing her tea, Honey had laid out a towel. Ruby turned on the shower and sighed as hot water hit her body. She washed herself off, cleaning her hair.
Stepping out a while later, Ruby put on the change of clothes she had packed in her bag and found her clothes and cloak folded neatly outside the door. Ruby pulled her now dry and warm cloak from the pile, fastening it around her shoulders again.
Walking back to the living room, Honey gave her a thumbs up. "Looking good, Ruby. I'll show you to the guest room." She stood up from the couch and led Ruby down the hall to a small room. Ruby set her bag down on the bed. "We can go clothes shopping tomorrow if you want." She told the girl. Ruby was a bit startled by the sudden suggestion.
"You mean it?" Ruby asked "I… already have clothes though." She said. Honey waved a hand.
"Nonsense. You can't expect to live with only two sets of clothes!" Honey said. "We'll go look for more clothes tomorrow afternoon. For now, let's talk and get to know one another." Honey led Ruby back to the living room and they sat down on the couch together. "If you want I'll tell you a bit about myself." Honey offered.
"I'd like that." Ruby agreed.
"Alright." Honey smiled. "I'm from Mistral, always wanted to be a huntress back then. My brother was a huntsman, years back he taught me to activate my aura and use it like huntsmen and huntresses did. I decided to go to Beacon instead of Haven after my training days were over. I applied, and what do you know, they rejected me. But I learned I could make a better life for myself. I traveled to Vacuo for a bit — they have some of the finest weaponsmiths there! And I learned from masters about repairing weapons and crafting different kinds. It's how I unlocked my semblance. I can look at any sort of machine or device and immediately understand how it works, no matter how complex it is. I could take any broken mechashift weapon or machine and know how it works with just a glance. Really useful for fixing it if I know exactly how it's meant to function."
"You were a huntress in training? Did you have a weapon?" Ruby asked, eyes lighting up. Honey smiled.
"Yes, I still have her." Honey nodded. "She needs a bit of tune ups most likely, I neglect her due to not needing a huntress grade weapon in day to day tasks." She gave a smile. "But I'll show you her if you want."
A grin split Ruby's face. "Yes, yes! I honestly have always wanted to be a huntress like my family! I'd love to see your weapon!" Ruby squealed.
Honey chuckled and stood up before patting Ruby's head and walking downstairs.
Ruby in the meantime, waited on edge. What would it be? A sword? Knives? A mace? Maybe a morning star? Or maybe a whip of some kind?!
Her answer came when Honey came back with a folded weapon, painted a pale yellow with black detailing. "This is Queen Bee." Suddenly the weapon sprung to life, unfolding from a compact block to its full size, dwarfing Honey. At first glance it seemed like a massive two handed single-edged sword with a large curving tip. But Ruby realized the curving part looked a lot like Uncle Qrow's scythe. "She's served me well in training. Sadly now she doesn't get much use." Honey collapsed Queen Bee again, running a hand along the flat edge of the blade.
"Honey, do you think you could train me? I want to try to go to Beacon, and be a huntress!" Ruby gave a little bounce.
Honey smiled, but for once it didn't fully reach her eyes. "Ruby… My line of work means I'll never ever become a full huntress." Honey's smile dampened. "I don't want you to be burdened by what I do, but I can at least teach you to fight like a huntress." She promised, her smile coming back, albeit a bit weaker.
Ruby was a bit confused by the sudden tension Honey carried with her, but excitement outweighed it. Honey agreed to train her as a huntress!
"Alright! When can we start?" Ruby asked.
"Tomorrow morning, if you want." Honey nodded.
Late that night, Ruby was awoken by her bladder. The girl rubbed her silver eyes, navigating in the dark.
As she opened her door, she heard voices.
"... And you'll get what you paid for." Ruby recognized Honey's voice.
"Well I have things to get done. We need the devices done before Tuesday or the whole heist will be pushed back!" A male voice snapped.
"Be quieter, Roman! I have a guest! They're sleeping!" Honey hissed.
"Fine, Honey. Just get everything done already and you'll get your second payment." The man replied.
"I have other clients as you damn well know!"
Honey told the man.
"You've had plenty of time!" The man argued.
"Neo, don't give me that look. You know I keep my word!" Honey said indignantly. Oddly, there was no response before she continued. "Don't be that way!" She sounded irritated. "Just… Go. I'll get to work on your order for the bombs."
"Good." The man, Roman?'s voice said, and there was the sound of footsteps leaving, before the door creaked open before slamming shut.
Ruby was frozen for a moment, before Honey's footsteps approached the hallway. She ducked into the bathroom and did her business.
After crawling back into bed, she could only wonder. What was going on?
A/N: Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen! Unfortunately Abraxis has decided to leave this project due to differences we have been having. So for all of you worried about Apollyon, you won't be finding him here in this story.
As you'll have noticed, a drastic change has occurred already. I wanted there to be a better reason for Roman and Neo to take Ruby in — and that's where the idea for Honey Curie came in. She'll be playing mentor to Ruby for a bit so Ruby can show she's worth Roman and Neo's time. For all of you worried that she'll be taking up a main spot, I promise Honey will soon fade away from the main story.
Now in the future I know several parts of the story are likely to go without change. Although this is a rewrite, I'm not changing everything about this story. There are parts that will still occur, likely the same way they did in the original.
As several of you have requested, the original One Man's Trash Is Another's Treasure will stay up on my profile, untouched.
I'm sorry the chapter took so long to come out. I wanted everything to be perfect for this.
Last but not least, please if in the future you guys don't enjoy something in the story, leave a review and tell me! If a lot of you agree something is done wrong, I'll gladly go back to it and try to change it!
I hope you all enjoyed the new beginning to what is by far my favorite story written to date.
(Word count: 3060)