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Subject: 9559-Yang
Target: Remnant-1148 (Old World)
Details: Full scan not available – Dust non-functional. Alternate power source recommended for replacement sensor.
Mission: Find and retrieve item 'Wedding Ring' and return it to rightful owner.
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The house stood on a high hill, just in the shadow of a stone spire. It was perfectly placed to give the wooden building some good shade in the late evening. Other than that piece of rock, the view over the valley, the shoreline, and even the little village was nothing short of epic.
There was also a dense forest that reached out and touched the edge of the land. It seemed to reach further once, but several stumps indicated that was no longer the case. A sealed stone well sat at the bottom of the rise, at the end of a quaint dirt trail that had seen better days.
As far as houses in this world went, none could compare to Rosewood Manor, as the locals had taken to calling it over the years. Two stories, nearly a dozen rooms, and a blue tile roof that could be seen for miles on a clear day, it certainly stood out. The walls were a dense shingle, the windows looked to be stained glass, and the front door was painted a bright red.
At least, it used to be. Years of neglect and exposure had faded the door to a dusky rose. Many of the shingles were cracked or missing, the windows broken, and the tiles almost completely gone. A few still stood strong against the ravages of time, but none would remain for too much longer. Weeds choked out any hope of living flowers or true vegetation in the stone-circled garden in the back yard.
Yang could almost see the home it used to be. It was there, on the edge of her mental vision, but just out of reach.
Sapphire loved the place at first sight, though – she had confessed early on that she just adored old, ruined buildings like this. The Atlesian Specialist was currently staring at the structure in awe.
"This here's the place," said their guide, an older gentleman simply called Bob. "Rosewood Manor, as the folks 'round here call it. Knew the family 'fore they up and left. Sweet little girl. You ladies have your lookaround, I'll wait right 'ere."
Yang simply nodded, hoping she appeared to be the 'eager traveling student' they agreed she was supposed to be, and made for the front door. Sapphire exchanged a few words with the man, then went in behind the blonde.
The old ruined building waited. As did Weiss' past.
Yang truly hoped she wouldn't cry while in there.
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Chapter 24:
Compass
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"Fantastic," Sapphire wondered aloud, "The design work is exceptional… the foundation is rock-solid… and even with this excessive weathering, it's still completely sound."
Yang wiped one finger across the banister and it came away black. "Dusty as hell, though…"
"Bob did say that no one from the village dared to come in here after… Sam left."
Both women dropped the conversation after that. Neither of them wanted to remember that detail.
It was the third day of Yang's stay in Weiss' old home world. After catching Sapphire up with everything that had happened since their last meeting, the two of them joined forces to finish this job and get back to Carmine. Sapphire had literally appeared directly from leaving Yang's world, so she missed everything. Literally.
The first thing they did after agreeing on a shared cover story was find the little seaside town of Charleston. Once there, the locals directed them towards the large, wooden building up on a large hill. The man called Bob was the only one to offer to take them there, to make sure they didn't get lost – and to make sure they didn't steal anything, no doubt.
That is, Yang assumed as much… until Bob told them otherwise. He was actually fine with the two of them taking whatever they wanted. He never explained why, though.
In any case, the main hall was massive. The open space was easily two stories tall on the inside, with twin curved staircases leading to a half-floor balcony. From there, two hallways on both floors led to the rest of the house. A rusted chain hung from the center of the ceiling, likely one that once held a chandelier of some sort.
Weiss' note… er, Snow's note… directed Yang to the second floor, west hallway. Room at the end of the hall. The blonde tested every step to ensure the floor could support her weight.
The master bedroom was just as grand as the rest of the house, but on a smaller scale. A rotted-out bedframe dominated the floor space, with shells of other furniture scattered throughout. The dresser survived most of the wear, as did the thick wooden jewelry box atop it. Yang quickly wiped the dust off the front and lifted the lid.
Inside sat only one item – the ring she had come for.
It was made of either silver or white gold, but there was no easy way to tell which. The stone was a fabulous shade of blue, and Yang could clearly see the 'imperfection' Snow had mentioned deep inside the gem. It really did look like it had frosted up at the center. It was like a tiny ice cube cut to fit a ring.
All at once, the impact of this little piece of jewelry hit home for Yang. This ring, this exact ring, signified the end of Weiss' old life and the start of a new one. This ring was what bound that girl to this world.
But that bond was now broken. And Weiss nearly broke because of it.
Snow had not yet told them any part of her story, but as Yang looked around, she could almost picture it – a little girl running down these halls while giggling, a handsome man ascending those stairs after a long day, and a lovely wife waiting for him.
What kind of man could change Weiss Schnee so …completely? Or rather… what kind of child?
Yang carefully wiped a thin layer of dust from the ring, then tucked it into her empty belt pouch. She left the room with a smile, wondering what sort of look Snow would have when she got back and gave it to her.
Once in the hallway, Yang stopped at the partially open door of the next room in line – a splash of color from beyond caught her attention. Stepping carefully, Yang eased her way in.
This room's purpose was lost on the blonde at first. All she could see were faded, crumbling and illegible papers. Everywhere. A few seemed to hold drawings at one point, but she could tell nothing beyond that. One wall held the largest piece, and she guessed it was a map once.
Other than a few rotted tables, the room held little else. Yang almost left before one other item caught her eye – something brass, an unusual color in her search thus far. She picked it up off the floor and examined it.
She was holding an old compass, like they used to use back before electronics could tell a ship's captain which way was north. It was quaint, but at least it still worked. Yang carefully stowed it in the pouch with Snow's ring, not giving it another thought. Likely some sentimental value, at the very least.
…
"Excuse me… Bob, was it?"
"Yes, mum? Your little friend alright in there?"
"She can handle herself. I was just wondering… did you know the family that lived here? Personally?"
"Aye, so I did. Long time ago, it was. When I was a wee lad, in fact. They had a little girl, sweetest thing you ever seen. Me an' her was good friends, ya see. Marigold… Light, how I've missed her."
"And her mother?"
"Ah, fair Lady Snow, Light bless her soul. A right beauty that dinna belong in this world, I says. 'Twas a shame, what happened. Ol' Sam took it the hardest. Never seen a man so broken in all my life, before or since."
"What actually happened? I've only heard scant tales…"
"N'one here truly knows. I s'pose n'one ever will… not in this life, I s'pose. Most believe she was taken in the night. Other's'll tell you she left on her own, but them's liars, Light burn 'em all. They dinna kin Lady Snow like I did – never was there a woman who loved her family more than she did."
"What do you think happened?"
"Well… … … don't tell n'body, but… Lady Snow told me stories of where she came from. Tales and myths, the lot of 'em… but she told 'em like someone who lived 'em. Someone who was there. She told me of the girl in the red 'ood, the girl with the cat ears… and the girl with the violet eyes and golden hair."
"…"
"Yes, mum… I know who your friend really is, but I dinna want to upset you. I know what happened to Lady Snow… her friends finally came for her."
"…"
"When Ol' Sam first found her all those years ago, Lady Snow was always talking about them – about how her friends would find her, bring her back. After awhile, she stopped waiting. Stopped talking about 'em."
"She gave up?"
"I dinna think so. I think… … … I think she decided she liked it here. I think she finally felt like she was …home."
"That's …more comforting than you know, Bob. Thank you."
"…Aye."
…
Yang's exploring took her to the other side of the house. There wasn't much to see, as time had claimed most of the items left on the premises, but not everything.
One room on the ground floor held numerous rusted metal tools, some simple and others large and complex. A large number of small, wooden carved items littered the space as well. Most were small, but some were broken pieces of larger items. All the wood was a dark color, and felt quite a bit harder than most wood Yang was familiar with. No idea what kind it was, though.
Her eyes fell on a set of round relief carvings in one corner, and examining them revealed several familiar images – the symbols of team RWBY, each with the names of their owners carved in neat, flowing script. Snow must have carved them herself, while feeling nostalgic.
Yang's was obvious – she would know that image of a burning rose anywhere. Blake's was there too, as was Weiss' snowflake. Ruby's rose was oddly absent, however…
A moment's search revealed it buried under a pile of dust near the door. Unfortunately, it was damaged – only the symbol remained. The name had broken off some time ago. Nearly half an hour later and Yang could find no sign of the missing piece. Damn. Wonder what happened to it…?
Still, these might be nice to keep. Finding a spare piece of cloth that wasn't rotted out, Yang wrapped the carvings and carefully stowed them in her spare pouch. They just barely all fit together.
Standing up straight, Yang knuckled her back and sighed. If she and Sapphire didn't go ahead and scram, she would probably try and save souvenirs from every room in the house!
She briefly considered taking a few photos of the building with her scroll, but ultimately decided against it – seeing her home in this state would simply break Snow's heart. The poor thing had had enough of that for one lifetime.
Shaking the dust from her hair, Yang made for the front door.
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"It's actually quite simple… but don't beat yourself up for not figuring it out," Sapphire began to explain after Yang finished talking. "In short… that world's Weiss preferred the company of other males. Red was the one he was pursuing."
Yang stopped walking, mostly on account of her jaw falling off her face.
"Easy mistake to make," the Atlesian Specialist tried to soften the blow.
"So that means…" Yang muttered out loud, "…that Red… responded to him. That's why he called off… the search… OH FOR THE LOVE OF-" The rest of that sentence was littered with language that belonged in an R-rated movie.
Sapphire patted the blonde's back in an effort to calm the teenager down a bit, "Don't sweat it, Yang. Feel free to share those feelings with the others once we get back."
Yang bit her lip to keep from continuing her rant, then nodded.
The pair of travelers were making their way back to the point on the coast where they first appeared. In truth they could have traveled back right away, but doing it so close to the town – and to prying eyes – could have major consequences for a world as… undeveloped as this one.
As they approached the area they were heading for, Sapphire took another broad sweeping look around herself. "I can see why Weiss would fall in love with this world, though. It has a charm that no amount of advanced culture could hope to match."
"I'll be sure to have Carmine book a vacation for you here once in a while," Yang responded in a dry voice.
"Who spit in your punchbowl?"
"I'd prefer my vacation spots to have network access, okay? I feel like I'm in the Stone Age…"
"Ha~ah… you're such a teenager."
"Does that make you an old lady?"
Sapphire's silver eyes flashed at those words. The pair silently glared at each other… for about three seconds. Yang's face started to crack first, then Sapphire's. After a moment, both girls were laughing like fools.
"I suppose…" Yang admitted, "…I'll miss the food."
"Agreed. I've never had crab that fresh before, and that's saying something considering the family I'm a part of."
"I wish I'd asked about that stew they served us, though… gods. I'd love to make that for Dad when all this is over."
"I'm sure you can figure something out."
The lighthouse sat just ahead as the travelers approached their goal… but there was someone there waiting for them. At first glance he looked like a wizard from a fantasy cartoon – flowing robes, insanely long white beard and hooked nose – but upon closer inspection, he was merely an old man. With a long-ass beard.
"Art thou travelers? From far and away?" he asked in a shaky voice.
Yang glanced at Sapphire, who nodded and answered, "We are. And who are you?"
"It has been long and long since a name has belonged to me… but thou may call me… O."
"'O'?" Sapphire parroted.
"…Oh," Yang added.
"If thou would'st follow me, I shalt reveal the will of the gods upon thee. To yon tower, if thou please," the old man said reverently as he turned toward the lighthouse.
Before he got too far, Sapphire tried to say, "Um, sir? My friend and I really need to go soon…"
The man called O didn't bother to respond. He simply kept walking.
Yang shrugged, "I say we let him go. He looks harmless enough…"
"But he said 'the gods' …unusual for this world. As I'm sure you noticed, most everyone here said 'the Light' in some form or another. No one said 'gods' that I could hear…"
Yang nodded, remembering how Snow talked after she appeared back at Carmine's version of Beacon.
Sapphire continued, "He might be harmless, but he also might do something drastic if we don't follow." The older woman glanced at Yang once, then started after the elderly man.
Yang sighed at the ground, then followed.
Getting back would have to wait, it seemed.
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Inside the lighthouse was the bare minimum of furniture – three thin chairs, a tiny table and a bed. Not even a lamp. Clearly he was just a bum.
"When Samuel lost his wife, he searched high and low to find her. A full year he devoted to yon search, losing all his worldly possessions yet to no avail. At the end of his journey, …he came hither, to seeketh mine council."
Yang and Sapphire sat quietly, waiting for the old man to continue.
"The gods hath delivered a message unto me, to then deliver unto him. His beloved yet lived, but he was destined to never again lay eyes upon her. He was devastated. The child was saddened as well, but yon gods had another plan for that one."
Another pause. No one spoke for a few moments.
"The gods decreed that yon child could choose her own path – she could remain with her father and live out her life here, or she could venture forthwith… to see her mother. The Tool would unveil her path, and allow her to meet her mother once again… in exchange, she would have to abandon this world. She would never see her father again."
Yang scoffed. That was probably the most unfair choice she could have thought of. Sapphire's eyes grew hard as the story unfolded. She seemed to share the sentiment.
"After a fortnight to think it over, Samuel and young Marigold agreed to the choice. I used the Tool and allowed her to leave. Right in this lighthouse, a path of the gods opened and she walked through. She was gone."
This time Yang said nothing. This story was starting to sound a bit too familiar…
"After that, Samuel boarded his ship with no crew and sailed away, never to be seen again. I was instructed to share this tale with two women travelers who matched thee. And so I have."
"Do you still have this… Tool?" Sapphire suddenly asked.
O simply nodded, then reached into his robes and pulled out an old, faded device that most definitely did not belong in this world. If anything, Yang thought it looked like one of Carmine's toys.
Did that mean… Marigold was taken through a portal? Did she end up in another world? Somehow or other, Carmine was responsible for this shit, too?
And where the flying fuck did O get this device?!
"Yang…" Sapphire warned, "…Settle down."
The blonde blinked as she realized that she was working herself into a frenzy right there in the chair. She carefully unclenched her fists.
"Sir, …may we have the Tool? I doubt it will do you any good anymore…"
"Indeed, it hath performed it's divine task. I hold no claim over it."
Sapphire took the old-looking device and zipped it into one of her pockets. She then shared a look with Yang that said we'll-discuss-this-later.
"I thank thee for hearing me out. Fare thee well, travelers."
…
Yang and Sapphire stood in the same spot they first appeared, no longer feeling as easy-going as they once did. The sun was rapidly setting behind the horizon, painting the skies in lovely shades of orange and pink.
Neither of them wanted to think about what they just learned. Sam going full depression-mode was not too shocking, but… Marigold vanishing through a portal? Sam sailing away, never to be seen again?
Snow would not be happy to learn all that.
"I'll help you explain when you go to talk to her," Sapphire said, somehow reading Yang's mind. "Don't worry."
"Thanks," she replied.
As Yang pulled her scroll out to find the right program, the specialist drew closer and muttered, "So… how does this work? Do we both hit the button together?"
The memory of Rain and her PLOT device came to Yang's mind right then. "I think… all you need to do is hold on to me."
The taller woman complied, grabbing hold of Yang's arm and clutching tightly. Yang found the program and hit the button marked 'RETURN.'
Her vision faded to white. She felt a strong pulling sensation as she, and hopefully Sapphire, were dragged through the barriers of space and time. There was a moment of slight disorientation as they landed – with any luck, future trips would prove less dizzying.
Before her vision returned, Yang heard the sound of a coffee mug shattering on the tile floor, followed by an angry squawk of, "Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!"
Well… this will be fun to explain.
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Remnant-6971
(Genderswap World)
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Yang's sudden departure left Red feeling… abandoned.
It was obvious she didn't mean to just up and leave, but she could easily have stayed a bit longer. There was still a lot he would have loved to do with the female version of his brother around.
Like finally come to terms with his… new feelings.
"You keep moping like this, she might find her way back here just to smack you upside the head," Weiss mentioned as they walked. The pair of first-years were heading back from a late-evening session in the training arena, both worn out but feeling good.
It had been three days since the girl Yang was taken home. At least, he hoped she went home.
"Yeah, I know…" Red sighed. "I just… I miss her, you know?"
"I'll admit she livened things up around here, but try not to forget you still have a team to lead," Weiss added. He patted Red's shoulder in an effort to convey comfort, but it was less successful than he wanted. The shorter boy managed a feeble smile.
"Thanks…"
Weiss leaned over and gave Red a light peck on the cheek, then smiled and said, "I'll go on in first and shower. Take however long you need. …I'll be waiting for you."
Red felt his face grow hot as he mumbled a simple, "Okay…"
The taller teenager walked off, leaving Red to stare after him. They were still far too new at this for either of them to think of each other in terms of 'boyfriends' but… wow.
Weiss was a surprisingly good kisser, too.
Not that long ago, Red would never have expected to discover that he was gay. Maybe he wasn't before, but people can change in the most startling ways. He felt a bit bad that he ended up dragging girl Yang all over Vale for no reason, but at least now he knew.
Weiss was what he needed. Who he needed. Hell, if girl Yang wasn't 'technically' related to him, would he have considered her? Probably not.
No, don't think about that kind of crap. Not now.
Weiss was still waiting for him.
The moment Red turned around, however, all of his senses began blaring alarms at full-strength. Something was wrong. Something…
Something was suddenly standing right in front of him.
At first glance, it resembled all those female look-alikes from before – it wore a similar red hood and cloak to Rain – but that was it. The figure stood as tall as Red himself, but it's presence… it was like looking into an inverted image, a physical void. There was no way to tell if it was supposed to be male or female, either.
It was totally covered in various rags, small bits of armor and leather patches. It's ragged, almost-black hair hung in kinked lengths around the bone-white featureless mask. The two narrow eye slits revealed nothing behind them. No light. No life. There was no movement of the chest area to indicate whether or not it was even breathing.
Whatever this thingwas, it was …just wrong.
And it was staring right at Red. Right through him.
The boy was hit with two very different, very powerful emotions at once – terror and rapture. He could not stand to be anywhere near this abomination, yet… he could not bring himself to turn away.
It started walking closer, it's every step the drumbeat of doom. Red's blood roared in his ears with each heartbeat. His skin was ice cold. His feet were like lead weights.
Red thought he knew fear, once, …but this was the first time he truly understood it.
Still frozen, he could do nothing to stop the thing's hand from reaching up and touching him on the forehead. Red was struck with the urge to rip the flesh from his face to keep that touch from spreading and killing him.
A rough, hissing whisper came from behind the mask, sounding like a dozen angry serpents all tied together in a sack.
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"… … …War… … …"
…
Red's head shot back with the sensation of a hot knife plunging into his brain. No scream could have properly conveyed the depths of the pain, so his throat didn't bother to try.
And then it was over.
Over…
What… what was over? What was he even thinking about?
Red blinked and looked around, unsure why his skin was covered in goosebumps. Must have been a passing fancy of something ominous. Far as he remembered, he was just getting some air after team RWBY's training exercises.
Oh yeah… and Weiss was waiting for him.
Shaking off the lingering unease, Red turned and headed back inside.
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What About Roman And Neo…?
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"So… let me see if I've got this straight…" Roman said carefully. "Your watch-thing is… a portal device… that can get us home… IF you can find the right four-digit code to enter…?"
Neo nodded happily, putting her notepad away. She had blazed through more than a few sheets to get him this far, and she wanted to save what little was left. For later.
"I see…" Roman leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him, thinking about what he'd just learned. "After all the bizarre shit we just went through, I can't help but believe you."
Neo leaned against the building with him, sighing and taking in the sights. This new world still wasn't home, but it was nice enough for now.
They had appeared next to a large brick-and-stone structure that had a plaque next to the front door calling it a library. With actual books. This wasn't like the one Neo had seen some years ago that was all digital, but paper books. Odd place. All around the building was a similar city to the Vale she knew, but with a lot more trees. And less technology. Maybe this world was like the past?
On the plus side, the people of this world had plenty of ice cream for the pair to steal. They needed a pick-me-up.
The crash of the door being slammed open pulled both sets of eyes over, and Neo beheld an odd sight – a girl from that team of kids, the one with the ribbon, was running away with a bright red face and her faunus ears in full view. As far as Neo could remember, she should have been keeping those things covered in public.
"She looked drunk on something," Roman mused to himself.
Neo nodded, but in her head she disagreed. The girl looked ready to die of embarrassment, instead.
They were near a window to the library, so Neo stood up to take a look. Maybe she could catch a glimpse of what might have happened…? Worth a shot, at least. Roman joined her a moment later, also curious.
"I knew it… That Damned Kid is here, too. Can't we get away from these fucking brats for more than a few seconds?" He growled as he spotted that same girl with the dark red hair standing in the center of the main area. She looked a bit worried to Neo. Like something had happened to make her upset.
If the red-haired kid and that faunus girl had something going on, Neo wasn't willing to stick around and find out. She'd had more than enough contact with The Gay of late.
Securing their belongings, Roman grabbed Neo's arm once again as the girl input a random combination of digits and hit the button. They vanished once again, still hoping to find their way back to where they belonged.
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Author's Note: You know, I'm not trying to release these things so far apart. If I keep going at this rate, I'll get done sometime in the year 2054. Maybe. This is a long story in my head, 'kay?
On a more important note, I still haven't watched volume 6 yet, but I now know enough about it to officially declare my 'Origin' world, Remnant-1802, to be non-canon. Or at least, pseudo-canon. Hopefully I won't end up too far off course with the details… but that's what happens when the canon story is still being actively written while I write a fanfiction for it.
(Credits: The Girl At The Library written by momoxtoshiro.)
=^w^=