Chapter 12

Ruby
Location: Outside of Mistral, with JNPR

"I have a better question," Nora interrupted before Ruby could start her story, "where the hell did you go? We looked for you. Everywhere! You were gone, it was like you vanished off the face Remnant!"

'Didn't you just say you never doubted me for a second?' Ruby met the woman's eyes, "I already explained that, did I not?

"I think she means 'what happened', Weiss was too panicked to tell us." Ren furrowed his brows as Jaune and Pyrrha's attention turned towards the young woman, "She does have a point," Ren muttered quietly, "why did you leave Weiss' side?"

Ruby hesitated, "I-. . . I panicked, Weiss was so out of practice and she was already struggling with the ones we had. So, I thought that maybe I could lure them away from her until she regained her energy, I didn't want anything happening to her. When she wasn't paying attention, I activated my semblance and bolted right into the middle of the herd.

"They chased me towards the edge of a cliff, and I was cornered. One Deathstalker is already hard enough to bring down, but a whole herd?" Ruby shook her head, "I heard Weiss calling for me, so I shot a few bullets to let her know where I was, but the Grimm heard her too. . . They started heading for her. I didn't know what to do, I just knew I couldn't let them reach her. . ."

"Ruby," Ruby glanced up to look at her friends, who were staring at her with a puzzled expression, Pyrrha was the one who had spoken, "Weiss is a trained huntress. She would've been fine, just because she's a little rusty doesn't mean she's fragile." The redhead explained gently, placing her hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Have a lil' faith in her."

Ruby smiled, "I do have faith in her, I trust her with my life," the smile faltered slightly, "but I didn't want her to be at any risk. I wouldn't have convinced her to accept the mission if I had known it was rigged."

"How was it rigged, exactly?" Jaune asked in confusion,

"Ah, right." Ruby laughed, "A small nest of Deathstalkers was reported to have been growing dangerously close to a small town outside of Mistral, but the Grimm were a good piece away from the town. It didn't seem like any of them had left the territory for a while, either. . . Weiss and I noticed that there was a small pack of Beowulves that was a little too close, but we were informed that they already had somebody who would clear them out soon."

Ruby's brows furrowed. "Why would somebody report Deathstalkers terrorizing the town when it was wolves? Why say it was a small nest of them when it would've taken a whole team to take them down? Why not ask a team of huntsman from Mistral to take the job instead of us? I don't think that it was a coincidence that Ozpin asked us to clear them out. . . It would've been so much easier to ask someone from around the area to take the task, but the mission was reported to Ozpin and it was 'urgent'."

She looked up again, irritation flickering in her silver eyes. "And it just so happens that we were chosen for the task, Ozpin knew that we had a wedding to plan and that Weiss was preparing to take over the SDC. Somebody must've specifically asked for us, Team RWBY, to take the mission, because I don't believe Ozpin would've asked us otherwise. You know what makes it even more suspicious? The day after I supposedly died, Weiss was brought back to Atlas and forced into an arranged marriage.

"Her father never liked me, he made that clear. Did you see the announcement of the betrothal? He looked pleased with himself, like he knew something that nobody else did! The asshole has acquaintances all over the world, he can get away with anything and remain anonymous!"

Ruby shook her head, clearing her thoughts before the rage completely took over. She sighed, "He kept saying Weiss would grow tired of her 'games', and he wasn't too happy to hear about our engagement. So, he decided that he was going to get rid of me since Weiss wouldn't. . ."

"I can't believe he would do that!" Pyrrha exclaimed when Ruby finished her story, the redhead's eyes were wide in disbelief and shock, "We knew that he never liked you, but trying to kill you is extreme." Nora and Ren nodded their agreement, "What kind of father tries to get rid of the person their child loves?" Jaune reached over and squeezed his girlfriend's hand.

Ruby shrugged, "It was all for a rise in power, to keep the Schnee name at the top." She explained briefly, standing to her feet, "He couldn't accept that his daughter had fallen in love with a 'commoner', so he decided to do something about it and get rid of me." The woman's expression hardened, "It almost worked. . . But I'm still here, and I need to get to Atlas as quickly as possible."

Jaune stood to his feet and came to Ruby's side, "So," he smiled, "what are we waiting for?" Ruby glanced at him as Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren stood up, "Let's go get your girl back!"

Joy swelled inside of Ruby's chest and tears stung at the corners of her eyes, "Really?" She whispered hopefully, "You'll help me?" It was a stupid question, she knew that, of course they would help her. They were her friends.

"Uh, yeah," Nora rolled her eyes, "why wouldn't we? Weiss loves you, and you love her, right? If it takes crashing a wedding and breaking some legs to get you two back together, so be it!"

"Thank you," Ruby smiled, turning to Nora, "but we're not breaking any legs. I'm going to try and settle it as peacefully as I can." She wasn't in any condition to be fighting, her aura was already low from consistently healing her injured body. "I'll fight if I have to," she muttered reluctantly, "I would rather avoid violence."

"That's so you," Jaune chuckled, "all right, let's get moving. But, Ruby, I'm going to have to amplify your aura a little bit, at least until you can get some medical attention." Ruby spun around to look at him, but when she went to protest, he cut her off instantly, "I doubt Weiss would want you showing up on her doorstep half dead."

He was right. . . "I need to be in full health in case anything happens, I know," she muttered, "but what about the wedding? I can't-"

Pyrrha cut her off, giving her a gentle nudge for Ruby to follow her, "We'll take you to Weiss and go from there," all eyes turned to her, "that's your top priority. Besides, if I know you, you'll find your way to her whether we like it or not. You've never been one to follow the rules."

"You're right," Ruby closed her eyes, releasing a deep sigh, "I'm good with that decision, just so long as I get my Princess back. . ."

Nora giggled from beside her and Ruby glanced at her friend, "You say that like you lost her," the redhead smiled, "kind of funny, actually."

"The airship should be right through here," Jaune called back to the group as they exited the building, he lead them into the forest, "we tried to hide the airship the best we could since there are still terrorists around- ah, there it is!" The blonde man exclaimed as he brushed a few limbs out of the way to reveal a small pink and green airship sitting in a shaded clearing.

Ruby frowned, "Exactly how did you get it in here?" She whispered, approaching the ship behind Jaune and Pyrrha. Nora bounced to her side and grinned.

"I have my ways." The redhead sing-songed.

"I'm not even going to ask. . ."

Ruby paused as her friends boarded the airship, Pyrrha turned and headed for the front with Ren close behind her. "Could you inspect the ship and make sure nothing is damaged on the outside?" Jaune asked, "We had a rather rough landing." Ruby nodded silently and set her bag inside, she stepped out and walked around the ship, giving it a quick examination. It looked alright, save for the few dents it'd obviously received from being used in battle.

"Looks good!" Ruby reported as she walked inside, the door closed behind her and the woman took a seat on the nearest bench, Jaune sat down beside her as the ship took off, Jaune's hands glowed white and it spread to her shoulder. "Somebody said it was broken," she informed him, "I honestly thought my hip would've been busted too, but it was just severely bruised."

Jaune glanced at her, "I'm surprised your condition isn't any worse, you got out with only a broken shoulder and a few bruises? That's impressive!"

Ruby couldn't help but snort, "Impressive you say, Weiss would give me the scolding of a lifetime for being so careless." Her gaze shifted to the window behind Nora, a small smile came to her lips when she saw trees moving outside. They were heading to Atlas. . . She was finally on her way. . . 'Wait for me, my love, I'll be there soon.' She closed her eyes, 'I'll never let you go again.'

"She has a point!" Nora laughed, Ruby opened her eyes and fixed her attention on Nora, "Like Pyrrha said, Weiss is a huntress. She could've just summoned something and would have been fiiine."

'She wouldn't have had time. . . I couldn't let her get hurt.' Ruby shrugged, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself, "I suppose. . ."

A small smirk crossed Nora's lips, "Hey, Ruby?" The woman glanced up to her friend, "I've been meaning to ask," she didn't trust the smirk on the redhead's face at all, "how's it feel to go down on Weiss?"

Time stopped.
Ruby's heart stopped.
Was she breathing?
She wasn't breathing.

"Uhhh. . ." Ruby's eyes shot to the ship's door. Was it too late to jump out?

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nora's grin widening, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't take you for a bottom, allow me to rephrase," Ruby cringed, "how does it feel to have Weiss go down on you?"

"I-I-I um, well you see, the thing is, I-. . . She doesn't-. . . We-"

Jaune cut her off, his voice pained as he spoke, "I know who's 'top' and 'bottom'. . ." He muttered, his face twisted in disgust and regret, "No matter how many times I try to erase that image, it'll never leave." Ruby bit her lip and whispered an apology to her friend, who just grumbled in response.

"Yeah," Nora chuckled, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other, "he goes and buys a new scroll every time he forgets his somewhere."

"I have my reasons!" Jaune snapped in embarrassment, Nora smirked and leaned forward a little bit.

"So, when are you going to tell us the juicy stuff?"

Ruby coughed, "Okay! Change of topic, anybody?"

Yang

Location: Mistral, Tai's house

'How do I say this?' Yang stood outside the cabin her father had given her the address to, she was stiff and her heart was racing a mile a minute. Her dad was on the other side of the door, completely unaware that his youngest daughter had been killed, and Yang was the one who would have to break the news to him. How was she supposed to do that when she had trouble accepting her little sister's death? 'I wish Blake had come with me. . .' The blonde's hand trembled as she placed it on the door to knock.

'Hey, Dad, just wanted to let you know that Ruby's dead.'

No, she couldn't say that.

'Well, you see, Dad, Ruby was kind of. . . um, killed.'

That wouldn't work either.

Yang shook her head and rapped the door, standing back and waiting for it to open. She steeled herself, trying to burying her grief and rage so that she could remain cool and collected when the door unlatched. Her lilac eyes met with a pair of unfamiliar green and she received a warm smile, "You must be Yang," the woman spoke, stepping aside to let her in, "your father is in the shop, make yourself at home, I'll let him know you're here." Yang nodded and entered the house, the woman shut the door and quickly walked away.

The blonde closed her eyes and drew in a deep sigh, she stiffly took a seat on the couch and braced herself for the inevitable conversation. Maybe talking about it with her father would help her accept the loss and figure out where to go from there.

"Yang!" Yang's attention snapped up to see her father walking in wearing an oil-stained apron. His hands were greasy and black, but it wasn't an unusual sight. The woman from before appeared beside him and Tai smiled, "Yang, this is my girlfriend, Holly."

Holly extended her hand as Yang stood up, "I'm happy to have finally met you," the woman grinned, "your father talks so much about you and your sister."

Yang felt like an arrow had struck her through the heart and she heaved a sigh, "Yeah, um," she glanced at her father, "Dad? Can I speak to you in private?"

Uncertainty flashed through the man's eyes and he nodded, whispering something to Holly before gesturing for Yang to follow him to the back room. Yang set her suitcase down next to the couch and followed the man, "So, what do you want to talk about?" Tai asked as he turned to her, taking a seat in his chair.

Yang hesitated, trying to piece together how to word everything. How does one tell their father that he'd lost another family member? His daughter, out of all people. "Well," Yang sighed shakily, "Dad, it's about Ruby. . ."

The man just smiled, leaning against the table behind him and propping his arms up. "Oh, did she get back to Atlas? That didn't take long, but then again, she did leave in a hurry."

What in the world was he talking about? Yang's brows furrowed in confusion and she shook her head, "No, no, that's not it," the woman had to take a minute to recompose herself, her father watched her quietly with a concerned expression, Yang finally met his eyes again. Time stopped for the blonde woman, the world fell silent and all she could hear was the pounding of her heart.

Everything started fading around her and she found herself standing in front of her own house, Weiss to her left, holding a familiar red cloak. 'Yang, I'm so sorry. . .' She was about to break the news to her father, just like Weiss had done to her. 'Ruby's. . . Gone.'

"Dad. . . Ruby's dead." The words slipped out before Yang could stop herself and she tore her eyes away from her father, her body was trembling again and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Yang looked up and noticed that her father was wearing a curious frown, grief was not written on his face anywhere. She'd broken him, he was so empty that he couldn't even shed a tear. "Do you know how she died?" His voice was so eerily calm. . .

Yang sighed and collected herself, preparing herself to tell the story. She would make it as brief as possible, she had to, she didn't know if she could handle the full version again. "She and Weiss went out on a mission," she began and Tai raised a brow, "they were supposed to clear out a nest of Deathstalkers, and they did, but. . . Ruby lost her life." Yang had to force the last part out and she bit back a choked sob, "I'm sorry, Dad, I shouldn't have-" Tai just smiled across from her and Yang growled, "Why are you smiling?! Ruby's dead! She's-"

"Yang, I thought you had more faith in your sister," the man chuckled in amusement, "Ruby's alive, she was just here a few days ago."

"What?"

Tai stood up, making his way to the front of the house again, "She showed up looking for a temporary weapon, we tried to convince her to stay and heal, but she took off two days ago while I was half-asleep. The girl's desperate to get back to Atlas, there was no stopping her. She should be halfway there by now."

'Ruby. Alive. Atlas.' That was all Yang heard. Her father spoke confidently, he was so sure of himself. Realization dawned on the young woman and joy swelled inside of her chest, she reached up ad wiped a few stray tears away, heavily sighing in relief. Her little sister was alive, she'd probably flown right over her on her way to Mistral. "I'm sorry," Tai turned back to Yang, "I know I just got here, but if Ruby's really heading to Atlas. . . Then I need to see her."

Yang grinned at her father, "I'm sorry," she apologized again, still wearing a smile, "I promise I'll come back in a few weeks and next time I'll stay longer." She grabbed her suitcase as she approached the door, "It was nice to meet you, Holly!" The woman just waved as Yang ran out the door, digging her scroll out of her pocket and speed-dialing Blake's contact as she practically jumped onto her motorcycle, she set the scroll in the center and started the motor. Years ago, Ruby had attached a handmade 'Scroll Holder' (as she'd jokingly called it) to her motorcycle after Yang lost her old scroll during a mission. It came in handy.

"Blake!" Yang exclaimed the moment her girlfriend picked up, she pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the road, ignoring the honk that came from behind her. "You won't believe this! Ru-"

"Ruby's alive? I know." Blake sounded smug. Was she serious? Did everybody except her know Ruby was alive? Oh for Dust's sake. . .

"What."

Blake laughed over the call and Yang's heart fluttered, "Ren called me, they found her a few hours away from Mistral," Blake informed her, "they're on their way to Atlas right now. I was just about to call you."

"I'm on my way."

Yang and Blake know Ruby's alive! Everybody's heading to Atlas! Rigged mission was explained! Ruby's about to get her girl back! Yay!

*sobs in corner* I had to force myself to finish this so I can complete the story. . .