I do not own RWBY
Offering Summer and Khali a strained smile, Willow walked into the bathroom immediately locking the door behind her. The instant she was alone her smile faded; the large bathroom could have held four to five people comfortably instead it only held a single woman who sank down to the floor. The material of her dress felt far too suffocating as she hugged her knees to her chest. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. As the wife of the CEO of the SDC, she was always meant to be poised especially those times when her emotions ran wild. It was why she drank if she didn't then her emotions would simply run wild. Her children had no idea what she'd done to protect them or how difficult it had been to stay in that house after Winter was born much less have Weiss and Whitley. She knew by now the signs of pregnancy. She'd been feeling them for days now, not that Jacques knew. He couldn't know because it wasn't his child.
She hated the white and blue colors of her family almost as much as she hated the fact she was trapped in this marriage. Ignoring the knocking on the door, she knew that she couldn't stay here. Hiding wouldn't solve anything. Just like trying to drink herself to death wouldn't stop her from having this child. She was going to have the child of a man that wasn't her husband; Jacques would be furious with her. He would lash out like he had when Weiss had been born a girl. He'd already wanted a son only a month after they'd married. He was going to hurt her again.
"Willow!"
The shout pushed her into standing despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to fall to pieces. Moving to the sink she splashed water on her face hoping that it would hide her distress. Watching the water flow down the drain she felt weak. She was going to fall apart, that was never in doubt. Jacques was going to hurt her, that wasn't in doubt either. She loved her children; they were all amazing in their own ways, but she'd never been able to protect them. No matter what she did she was still the helpless woman who allowed Jacques to rule her life. Pressing a hand to her stomach she knew that if she'd been at home right now, she would be miserable; well more miserable. She was going to lose this child there was no way she would be able to keep it. Digging her nails into the white fabric of her dress, her face twisted; she hated losing everything.
Opening the door, she wasn't surprised to see Summer leaning against the wall as Khali chatted with the woman. Stilling when Khali turned in her direction there was an initial urge to flee from the woman's expressive golden eyes, instead, she straightened. Offering a polite smile, she couldn't help but wonder what they saw when they looked at her. Stalking toward them, she barely spared the faunus woman another glance as she stalked back toward the lounge. Hearing Summer make an amused sound behind her she paused with her hand on the door.
"Thank you for the escort, but I will be going back on my own," she stated before opening the door. Keeping her expression docile she walked toward her husband despite the way her heart felt heavy. Taking a step past Salem and Tyrian she glanced down at the two causing her to meet golden eyes. The gold reminded her of... moving on, Jacques looked angry. Stilling for a second, she hesitated. If she went closer, he might hurt her, but if she didn't, he would know something was wrong. Clenching her skirt to hide her shaking hands, she kept her face blank.
She didn't want to sit down beside him. She didn't want to go near him. Forcing herself to step toward him she kept all signs of emotion from her face. No one was going to save her or protect her child, in the end, all she could do was sit here and pretend that everything was fine. Looking down at her hands she didn't glance up until Summer came back into the room with the force of a hurricane. Watching the woman closely she didn't make a single sound as those around her chatted with each other. Pressing a subtle hand against her stomach she didn't make a sound as Salem picked up the book to read the next chapter. She just wanted to learn about her children.
Summer glanced over at Willow for a moment before sighing internally and turning her gaze on Jacques. She was going to watch for now, but she would act if he laid one hand on Willow she would cut off that hand. Focusing completely on the book, she felt Qrow shift behind her as he reacted to her change in mood.
In her first life, Alice didn't care for her mother and the woman hated her. After living with Summer Rose and knowing what a mother was supposed to be like, she wanted to scream until the world shattered like glass. Instead, she tied the long strands of her dark red hair back and silently stared into the mirror. Now that she had her memories back, she wanted to storm into limbo and demand that Summer is returned to her. It hurt to lose the only good mother she'd ever had. However, she knew that the dead should stay dead.
Frowning Qrow felt Summer stiffen against him despite the fact her smile never faded. He could feel her anger spiking just as their teammates could. Tightening his grip on her waist he buried his face in her hair trying to remind himself that she was here. His Summer was right here in his arms and nothing would take her away again. He resolutely ignored the fact she was already dead and that once this was over he would never see her again. Right now she was here in his arms and they were learning about their daughter together, that was enough.
Ironwood hummed in thought ignoring the warning glance that Oz gave him; if he could find some way to reincarnate his soldiers then it was possible, he could have an immortal army. It was true that having their memories locked away until the age of seven was an issue but he could start their training at the age of seven. They could have seven years to be a child before they started being a soldier. He was after all a very fair man. Glancing around he faltered at the darkened red glow of Salem's eyes. She looked so angry and all of that anger was aimed at the book in her hands however her voice never faltered.
Smoothing the black dress, she was wearing, she closed her eyes. Not even the black shoes pinching her feet could distract her from the hollow feeling taking root in her chest. She could scream and shout, but nothing would bring Summer back, and somehow that was worse than any pain she felt. Taking one last look in the mirror she moved toward her door. Opening it slowly she faltered as the sounds of shouting met her ears.
"fuck," Tai whispered.
Shifting nervously, he almost hid behind Raven who raised an eyebrow at his action.
"You should never have gone with her," Tai hissed, and she could imagine her father's shoulders slum even farther. The thought made her hands shake. What right did he have to judge her father when he wasn't even there? When he continued saying, "you got her killed."
Tai let out a high-pitched whine that echoed in the room cutting off Salem who simply raised an eyebrow. Sinking into the couch under his team leader's gaze, he almost didn't notice when Raven shifted in front of him. Almost. Staring at his wife's back he had no idea what Summer saw in her gaze but it caused his leader to scoff. Shifting her attention back to the book as the others reluctantly turned away; Summer leaned back relaxing against Qrow's shoulder. Tai was by no means an idiot and he knew that eventually, she would make him suffer for his comments toward Qrow.
Rage surged in her body and her hands curled into fists. It took all her self-control to stay where she was instead of rushing out to attack her honorary uncle. Tai didn't know what happened either. He wasn't there. When her father didn't retaliate, she bit her lip. She could imagine his dull eyes staring down at the floor as he took the abuse without fighting back.
"I refuse to let you put Summers child at risk and get her killed the same way you killed her mother," Tai continued. She heard a dull thud that was most likely her father slamming the other man into the wall. Part of her wanted him to keep fighting. It was selfish but she didn't want to lose him too.
"You will not take my daughter," her father growled, and she could hear the rage in his voice. It was the same that burned in her blood. Branwen blood that cried for vengeance against those that would drive them apart. Family was more important than anything, surely, he wouldn't let her go so easily.
"Why do all you Branwen's so quickly turn to anger," Oz asked sending the twins an annoyed glance. All he could think about was the property damage they caused. From the lack of guilt on their faces, he knew that they didn't care at all about causing him trouble. It was hard to remind himself that they were still children.
Adam scoffed rolling his eyes as he sank further in his chair. It was the most comfortable thing he'd ever sat in. He knew that the Raven in the room right now was far different than his mentor, for one thing, she was younger than when they met, but he knew first-hand how damaging a Branwen temper could be. It was terrifying.
"You would put her in danger with your semblance," Tai said coldly and she could hear mocking in his voice. Blood dripped to the floor as her nails pierced the tender skin on her palms. He had no right to use her fathers fears against him. It was cruel and she found herself shaking.
"No, I wouldn't," her father retaliated and she felt her heart lift at the confidence in his voice. Her father wouldn't leave her. Please, don't let him leave her.
Mercury wished that he knew what that felt like; having a father that he loved enough to plead with not to go. Instead, he had an undead psychopath waiting to ambush him the second he got a chance. Warm skin brushed against his arm and he relaxed almost instinctively as Emerald pressed against him. At least he wasn't facing his father alone this time.
"You can't control it," Tai said, "bad luck affects everyone when you're around. All it would take is one mistake and Ruby would be dead just like Summer. You would have killed both mother and daughter."
He was wrong. He had to be wrong. Her father was the only one she had left. She didn't want this life to be just like the last. She wanted to be happy for once. As much as she tried to push down the dread haunting her, she couldn't make it go away. If it was to protect her, her father would do anything. Even leave her.
"I won't just disappear and abandon her," her father said but she could hear the vulnerability in his voice. Tai was winning. Her father was going to leave her just like everyone else. She paled at the thought and felt her heart sinking like a stone in the ocean.
He whined again. The sound caught everyone's attention and causing them to notice how Raven patted his back. The guilt in his eyes did nothing to save him from his team leader who had taken to staring at the ceiling with a cold expression on her face. An expression that promised pain to whoever drew her ire. However not once did she speak, instead, she simply waited biding her time and thinking of ways to cause him pain equal to what he caused her Qrow.
"Then teach her to fight. Show her how to survive, but don't put her in danger by being her father," Tai told him. And Ruby stumbled back when she heard him agree reluctantly. Stepping back into her room she closed the door and slid down to the floor. Opening her palms, she stared at the crescent cuts without seeing them. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the door and curled in on herself. It was how Yang found her an hour later.
Throughout the funeral, Ruby stared at nothing her silver eyes unable to focus as her mind raced. Breaking away from her family as they returned home, she leaned against the tree across from her mother's grave.
"Did none of you notice a child going off on her own," Roman asked. There was a cold tone to his voice that only Neo and Willow noticed. Narrowing his gaze he looked away as Neo drew patterns on his arm.
Sinking to the ground, Ruby let herself shatter into pieces under the watchful eyes of the red-eyed raven above her head. It was the last time she allowed herself to wallow in her tears. The pain running rampant in her chest carrying through her body as she screamed and shouted under the moonlight.
Threats and roars falling past her lips until she faded into pleas and begging. She didn't want this. She wanted her mom, not the dark forest surrounding her. Feeling warm arms wrap around her, she shuddered to a stop. Shaking she held still as Raven hummed in her ear. Running a hand through the girl's hair, the red-eyed woman held back her own tears as Ruby collapsed against her. Clinging to the older woman Ruby sobbed until her body passed out.
Raven sighed as Summer reached out to grab her hand giving it a gentle squeeze as thanks for taking care of her daughter.
(five years later)
Entering Signal for the first time, Ruby didn't care very much for the first class on her schedule. The knowledge that it would be with Tai making her feet drag against the polished tile floors. It would have been easier to hate him if the man was a horrible father but instead, he was amazing. Frowning she didn't even care that Yang abandoned her. Instead, she walked through the halls with a determined stride as the end of her cloak brushed her ankles.
Entering the classroom, she painted a bright smile on her face before sitting down slowly. The action drawing the attention of the indigo eyed boy talking to Tai. He could sense the turmoil raging through her body and he wanted to pull her apart until she was screaming on the ground. Tearing his attention from her he nodded to his teacher's advice before leaving the room. His own class would start soon. He would have to play with her later.
"Who the fuck is this rodent?"
It wasn't surprising that Qrow asked the question, but it was enough to make Oz smirk. The parental annoyance in the man's tone was amusing especially considering that this was the first time his daughter was around a boy. Looking over at them as Summer giggled he found the fondness in her eyes enough to make him look away.
"Cardin Winchester our little girl's best friend and closest confidant," she stated without a doubt. She of course knew everyone important in her little girl's life. Feeling Qrow relax at the admission she knew that he was somewhat less angered.
"Sum, it's a boy," he whined sounding more like a toddler than a huntsman. He didn't want a boy around his daughter.
"Could be worse, he could be like Tai," she said throwing a glance at their blonde teammate.
"What's that supposed to mean!"
Ruby glanced at Tai with forced happiness as the other students entered the room. Watching him jot down their first lesson on the board she bit her lip to hide the interest that bubbled in her. She didn't want to be interested in his lessons. In truth, she blamed her interest in the man on his skill at making cookies.
"Good morning everyone," Tai said gaining their attention. He loved his job more than anything in the world. She watched him closely as his hand glowed with a faint light, "today we'll be unlocking your aura and learning about different semblances you could have."
At the mumbles of awe and disbelief, Tai grinned. The smugness radiating off him wasn't something they could see but she could. Knowing just how happy he was about this made it hard to hide her excitement. As he started making rounds and unlocking aura's she found herself holding her breath as he got closer to her. When he finally arrived at her side she was almost shaking with excitement. The moment her aura was unlocked she smiled at the warmth that flowed through her chest. She felt safe for the first time since her mother's funeral. Looking down at her glowing red aura she wiggled her fingers in fascination.
It was two hours later that she finally felt her excitement fade into dull irritation. The amused indigo eyes and darkened auburn hair of the boy two years older than her let her know that she'd changed something in the timeline. Cardin Winchester was supposed to meet her at Beacon, not at Signal. Frowning she didn't care how bitter the expression made her look as he circled her like a shark. Mentally going over her body she didn't think there were any injuries that could have called the bully to her side.
"Well aren't you an interesting little thing," he said. The tone screamed mocking and she scowled. Eyes narrowing, she considered kicking him below the belt to see what kind of noise he made. Sensing her rising anger, he smirked saying, "I can sense your annoyance but then again the depression its hiding must be really strong."
He could sense her annoyance. Sense as in feel. Tilting her head, Ruby bit her lip. If he could feel emotions that would make him an empath. Cardin Winchester the fabled bully of Beacon was an empath. This was golden. Slamming a hand over her mouth she giggled the sound causing him to stumble. Watching her collapse into laughter he frowned as the interest he had in her skyrocketed.
(Age 12)
At first, she wasn't sure about making a scythe. After all, despite appearances, she wasn't Ruby Rose.
Cinder noticed the second that Summer narrowed her gaze. Shifting she watched the woman closely as she took several breaths to calm down; it was obvious that she was waiting to freak out until she was alone with her teammates. The attitude was commendable especially considering that it was her daughter. From the quick spark of pain in her eyes she wasn't really happy with Ruby's thought process.
It was why she'd glared at her sketchbook for six days before even starting to design her weapon. Now however she was reasonably sure that she could use her scythe without making herself look like a fool. Something in her just wanted to design and use the weapon, so much that she hadn't even realized what she was sketching until the weapon was halfway done.
Still, she had added several surprises to the weapon to make it fit her style. The metal was a silver that matched her eyes while the trim was a dark black inlaid with twisting vines and roses. The rifle part itself would have enough power to not only blast through a full-sized unarmored grimm but also help her fly across the battlefield like a death fairy.
Qrow smirked amusement in his eyes. His daughter was going to be amazing. He knew that she would be a wonderful huntress.
Sighing she laid the finished weapon down on her workshop table gently. It was her baby. Stilling, she stiffened as hands closed over her eyes.
"Guess who," he whispered his breath tickling her ear. Rolling her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see her, Ruby lashed out slamming her elbow into his stomach with enough force that he winced. Letting her go he rubbed his stomach before glancing at the weapon she'd just finished. Cardin could feel her happiness at seeing him, so he didn't mind her aggressive actions. After all, she was his first real friend. He liked to think the connection went both ways. Running his eyes over it he said, "looks good. Although it's probably heavier than my mace."
"Your mace is a dumpster fire," she said. Her tone was playful as she pulled the second design from her pocket. Spinning in her chair, she offered it to him as a wide excited grin appeared on her face. Not even trying to calm down she asked, "what do you think?"
Unfolding the design, he looked over it slowly. The two dust types and the folding blade would give her a good concealed weapon. All in all, it was a good-looking weapon. He did not doubt that she would be able to pull it off. From the vine and leaf design, she'd drawn over the leaf he knew she would be worrying over the weapon as she created it. Little details were her greatest weakness and strength. Humming he passed it back.
"I think you should redesign my mace," he said ruffling her hair. Hearing her scoff, he stepped back as she dropped down from her chair.
"Nope, you got into that mess yourself, unless you want it to be covered in petals and vines," she teased. Blanching at the thought of his perfectly manly mace being disgraced he shook his head quickly. Snickering she looked over the assorted metals asking, "so, normal or fivefold Damascus."
"Fivefold always, or else your blade will snap leaving you with a useless hunk of metal," Summer stated amusement in her tone. A small smile finally appeared on her face as she sent Glynda a knowing glance. To her glee, the blonde looked away quickly with a light blush on her face.
"Fivefold, with acid treatment," he said before picking up her scythe. Holding the heavy weapon in his hand he winced at the strain it put on his wrist, he didn't see how she would be able to move around comfortably with the thing. Tilting his head, he asked, "what are you going to name this thing?"
"Crescent Rose, the dagger is going to be Thorn," she stated. Rushing back to her workbench she dropped her chosen materials down as he folded the weapon and moved it out of the way. Stealing her chair, he closed his eyes and tuned into her emotions as she began working. The calming sea of focus and delight made his own emotions settle.
(Age 14)
Kicking her father away, Ruby grinned as the sharpened blade of her scythe dug into the hard-packed dirt outside their house. It was all too easy to dodge his reaching hand by using the recoil of her weapon. What she didn't see was the hand that closed around her hood before he tossed her several feet to the left. Landing with a groan she pouted like a child. Today was supposed to be the day she won. Instead, she was once again on her back staring up at the sky while her father chuckled.
"Pretty sure that's cheating," she complained. Sitting up slowly she rubbed her neck as he grinned at her without shame. Standing slowly, she stretched the tension in her body fading as she let herself cool down. One day it would be him on the ground instead of her.
"Sorry kid," he said amusement leaking from his voice. Crossing her arms, she jabbed her finger in his direction.
"You're supposed to play fair," she snapped. Despite her complaints, her silver eyes were filled with amusement.
"Life's not fair and I won't delude you into thinking it is," he said.
Everyone nodded agreeing with the statement. Even Markus seemed a little relieved that the girl knew that lesson. There was nothing fair about life. Roman sighed running a hand over Neo's arm to remind himself she was there while Willow looked down at her hands. Life was cruel.
His eyes darkening as the amusement left them to be replaced with hollow pain. If life was fair, Summer would still be here and he would be able to be her father instead of her trainer. Nodding in agreement, Ruby turned away from him in favor of dodging Yang's attempt to hug her.
The second attempt she wasn't lucky enough to get away as the blonde slammed into her and sent them both down to the ground. Listening to her sister gush over her actions. Ruby stared up at the sky with annoyance, tomorrow she would have her match against the entire graduating class to determine if she would be allowed early graduation. The day after that was her fifteenth birthday. Then in less than two months, she would be going to Beacon as the youngest student in history.
So, the next day, standing in front of the door to the training stage at Signal, she couldn't stop her arms from shaking. This wasn't about going to Beacon early, she already had a backup plan for that, nor was it about winning. She just wanted to prove that she belonged here in this world that she chose. Walking out onto the stage against a class of fifty graduates. The top fifty in the school, she didn't know if she should laugh or cry when she saw both Cardin and Yang among them.
Taking a deep breath, she stilled her shaking hands, she had to take out the heavy hitters first. Meeting Cardin's eyes she knew he could tell she was nervous. Smirking at her, he winked as the buzzer sounded. Petals drifted to the ground before the entire stage erupted into chaos.
Qrow smirked a bit feeling sorry for her opponents while his Summer burst into laughter. Just imagining the looks on their faces as Ruby tore them apart was enough to break her composure. He knew that once they were done reading for today, she was going to cut Tai into tiny pieces; all three of them knew it. He suppposed that was why Tai kept trying to hide.
"Who wishes to read the next chapter," Salem asked. Running a gentle hand through Tyrian's hair to calm him down she barely noticed the book being snatched from her hand.
"Me!"
Summer beamed ignoring how heavy the book felt in her hand and the glare given to her by the scorpion. Zipping back to sit in Qrow's lap she hummed softly the eagerness to get to know her daughter outweighing the urge to wreak havoc.
On principle, Ruby hated windy nights because they messed up her hair.
Cinder nodded in agreement. The environment certainly made it difficult for her to both look good and destroy her opponents.
It was selfish but she'd rather not have her nice waist-length braid turn into a frizzy mess because of the humidity. Not even the hood of her reinforced leather jacket could keep the wind at bay when it decided to mess with her hair. Not that Nicolas hadn't done a wonderful job turning her cloak into a jacket, she just wished he could figure out a way to keep her hair from copying the tail of a ticked off cat. Shaking the thoughts from her mind she pulled on the black fingerless gloves she was wearing and shuffled on her combat boot-clad feet. She didn't need to start a fight with Roman Torchwick, her spot at Beacon was already guaranteed.
Paling at the glare sent in his direction by Qrow, Roman faltered for a second. He was the one she was going out to fight! Well, suddenly his life felt a lot more difficult. Feeling Neo giggle silently he resolved to take away her ice cream for laughing at him.
An accomplishment that was right up there with stopping Cardin from bullying the faunus. Tracing the rose emblem on her headphones she frowned. She didn't need to pick a fight, but she wanted to. It was a strange feeling. Zipping up her jacket to cover the dark red metal mesh tank top she was wearing, the girl shrugged before walking toward the dust shop.
The empty shop was silent as she entered. Something that she honestly didn't know how to deal with. Silence reminded her of the dark cellar she'd died in. Meeting the shopkeeper's eyes, she gave him her best smile.
"I'll be in the back," she said. Slipping on her headphones she decided to try getting at least a little shopping done. She'd already used most of her bullets during the skirmish with Beowolves the other day. Not that she minded. It was fun to send herself flying across the battlefield. It was like flying. Grabbing a couple of boxes of bullets, she snatched some Ice Dust bullets for emergencies. Looking between the powdered fire and ice dust for Thorn she decided to grab both just in case. Humming along to the music she wandered to the magazine rack.
Willow smiled slightly at how prepared the girl was. It was a sentiment shared by all the warriors in the room. There was no such thing as having too many tricks in a fight, that was something her private tutors had drilled into her head. Her husband however had no such combat training. Wait. He had no combat training. Looking at the male beside her, she realized how easy it would be to kill him. Now that she was sober, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Setting down her basket she picked up a magazine on weapon upgrades and flicked through it in mild interest. She needed a sword. Okay, maybe she didn't need one, but she wanted one. It was greedy but she would rather be a walking arsenal than getting caught with her pants down. Seriously her cannon counterpart had a bad habit of losing her weapon. Feeling someone tap her shoulder she almost groaned. She was so not ready for this. At all. Pulling down her headphones she turned slowly. Tilting her head, she wondered where the thug got his outfit because he was lacking intimidation factor. The red sword was also underwhelming.
"I said hands up," he said. The high-pitched tone of his voice made her lips twitch. Holding back her amusement she let her hand drift down to the dagger holstered on her thigh.
"I hired men from Junior's again didn't I," Roman asked with an exasperated expression. Why did he keep hiring Junior's idiots when they were so useless?
"So, you're robbing me then," she asked. Should she kick him into the wall or knock him out with Thorn. Either way, he would be out of the game. Deciding to go with the option that caused less property damage she waited until he nodded to vanish. Appearing behind the man she slammed the hilt of her dagger into his head and winced as he groaned. Watching him drop to the ground she shrugged before picking up her basket and making her way to the counter.
Passing by the now alert thugs, she contained her sequel of excitement. Roman Torchwick master thief was only a few feet away. She wanted to dance around the store and ask for his autograph but felt that might be a little much.
"Anyone got any paper," Roman asked as he preened. Finally, someone admitted how amazing he was. He liked this girl; she knew he was incredible. Despite being the best thief in Vale he was never given enough recognition. It was insulting how overlooked he was.
Rolling her eyes Neo tapped him on the arm motioning to the glaring face of Qrow how seemed to be set on fatherly disapproval. Winking at the man Roman silently dared him to do anything. He was still on the high from someone realizing he was amazing and didn't realize the other man could tear him apart easily.
Feigning disinterest she placed her basket on the counter slowly. Hearing one of the thugs shift behind her she rolled her eyes before vanishing.
Stepping back cautiously, Roman watched his thugs fall to the ground with annoyance. This was the last time he was hiring help from Junior. Neo would never let him live this down when she found out. The woman had a silent way of teasing him that he hated more than anything else. Watching her land and twist on her heel, he brought his cane up to block her kick. Stumbling out of the store doorway he parried the downward slash of her dagger before putting distance between the two of them.
Stopping in place, Ruby tilted her head before sheathing her dagger. Here she was standing in front of her favorite character, outside of Blake, and trying not to have a meltdown. The happy dance she was doing in her head didn't really help the situation. Pushing down her excitement viciously she tried not to let any emotion show on her face.
Neo smirked when her idiot buzzed with smug pride.
"My name is Ruby Rose," she said softly. Giving him a slight bow, she motioned for him to introduce himself. Cardin would have called her a drama queen, but she was too amused by his confused and amused expression.
"Roman Torchwick," he said slowly. Realizing it wasn't a trick he allowed a smirk to stretch across his lips. Oh, he liked this one. Returning her bow, he said, "master thief of Vale."
Lips tilting upward, Ruby gave him a respectful nod before unfolding Crescent Rose from her back. He was a strong fighter, and personal bias aside, she would be damned if she let him die this time around. The ending of volume three had killed her so she would make sure no one died. Especially not her favorite thief.
Well, there went his good mood. Stilling completely Roman hugged Neo to his chest. He was supposed to die? Him! The master thief of Vale was supposed to fucking die? What could happen to cause him to do something so foolish? Dying would mean he left Neo alone, he would never do something like that.
Seeing his eyes widen at the sight of her scythe she smirked the expression bordering on wicked as she pulled the trigger. The ground behind her exploded as she used the recoil to send herself crashing through the air.
Reacting quickly, he blocked the blade of her scythe with his cane. The force caused his arms to shake and he whistled. Neo would like her. Shoving the girl back he pulled the trigger on his cane and was mildly amused when her body burst into petals letting his attack impact the concrete ground behind her. Reforming she tilted her head raising an eyebrow as he shrugged.
Twirling her scythe in her hand she motioned for him to give it another shot. Roman couldn't stop himself from laughing as he did as she asked. Catching the flare like a bullet with the blade of her scythe she threw it into the air. Seeing his eyes flicker toward it she spun. Releasing her scythe, she watched it fly toward him. When he leaned back and dodged, she moved. Bursting into petals she appeared above him.
Thorn burned as she drove it down toward his chest. Roman grabbed her wrist before the weapon could hit as he landed on the ground. Her knee was planted on his stomach as she held the barrel of his cane away from her neck. Seeing the excitement and joy in her eyes he bit his lip to hold back a laugh. This girl was exactly like Neo.
Nodding in agreement Neo decided that she did like this girl. Ruby reminded her a lot of Roman too. Their entire battle had been more playful than anything else and she loved that her idiot could still laugh during a fight.
"Well, Red, what do we do now," he asked. Seeing her eyes widen at the nickname he grinned. Ruby fought back the smile that wanted to bloom across her face in favor of flickering her eyes to his. He could always join her army and help take over the world. It was hard to stop herself from voicing the offer, but she held back.
"I-"
Stilling, Ruby frowned. Glancing toward the sky she spotted the black raven flying above her.
"Raven were you stalking my daughter," Summer asked with amusement in her voice.
"Maybe," the black-haired woman admitted. Ruby was her niece, she was allowed to watch the girl.
Taking advantage of her distraction he lashed out. Shoving her away from him, Roman kicked out the blow forcing her to release his cane. Sending a blast at her face he rushed toward the ladder hanging off his escape building. Landing harshly, Ruby sighed before pushing herself up. That had been embarrassing. Rolling her shoulder, she sheathed her dagger before pulling her scythe from the concrete road. Glancing at the building she backed up to get a running start. Rushing forward she pulled the trigger on Crescent rose and activated her semblance at the same time. Spinning in a downward arc she hoped he would dodge.
Roman shivered his instincts telling him to move. Diving forward he dodged the scythe as Ruby let the momentum carry her into a kneeling position. Meeting his eyes, she grinned. This was fun. Fighting him was amazing and she didn't want to stop. Seeing the expression on her face, Roman rolled his eyes before matching her grin as the bullhead on the roof below powered on. And there was his escape route.
Wincing Ruby covered her eyes with one arm as he climbed in through the open door. Right Cinder was supposed to be waiting. She'd honestly forgotten about the woman, which considering the lights now shining in her eyes, wasn't a good thing.
Hearing her name, Cinder felt her eyes widen. She was working with Roman. Glancing at the thief who was completely focused on the book she could admit that he seemed like a good ally. She just hoped that she hadn't threatened him into working with her.
Hearing Roman call out a goodbye, she stiffened. Her eyes catching sight of a fire dust crystal as it flew toward her. Oh, she was so kicking him for that. Her aura flashed ready to absorb the impact when a purple shield appeared before her. Sighing, Ruby shifted her weapon to rifle mode and opened fire as Roman switched places with Cinder. When all her shots were blocked, Ruby knew it was too late to save Amber, not that she'd thought there was a chance of that.
Oz growled sending a glare at Cinder who winced but didn't look away from him. How dare this little girl kill his Maiden? Eyes sparking gold he felt the urge to tear her apart; only the reminder that they couldn't kill each other kept him from attacking.
Eyes narrowing, she studied the older woman with focused eyes. Even after she'd killed Pyrrha, Cinder had never seemed evil. A little enraged at the system but not evil. It was something that she'd thought about for a while now. She'd concluded that most of the woman's grudge was at Ozpin. Watching the airship escape, Ruby sighed and holstered her weapon.
"Thank you for the help, I'm going to check on the old man now," she stated. Barely sparing the woman more than a glance she walked to the edge of the roof and stepped off. Bursting into petals she floated gently to the ground before reforming and entering the shop. She didn't quite care that Glynda was following her.
She'd messed up by forgetting about Cinder. What if the next thing she forgot about was something more important. Seeing the old man holding her order she reached for her wallet and frowned when he shook his head.
Jacques bristled his eyes narrowing as he considered firing the man. There was no such thing free dust; this man had just cost him a profit.
"Thank you," he said pressing the bag of ammo and dust into her hand. Narrowing her eyes, she thought about refusing before giving in and giving him a small smile.
"This is a one-time thing," she said causing him to chuckle. Nodding he watched her leave with the older woman. The second she stepped out of the shop Glynda grabbed her arm and started dragging her away. Frowning Ruby considered stabbing the older woman, the feeling only increased when she was dragged to a police station of all things and forced into an interrogation room.
An hour into the woman's lecture about public safety and foolish actions, Ruby knew why her father called her a stuck-up witch. Not that she was stupid enough to mention it to the woman. Glancing at the small window, Ruby wondered if she could be fast enough to burst into petals and escape. Tracing the emblem on her headphones she raised an eyebrow as the woman slammed her ridding crop onto the table.
"Glynda..."
It was simply her name, but the blonde woman paled. Slowly meeting Summer's eyes she shivered at the warning expression that promised pain. Biting her lip she looked down refusing to meet the other woman's eyes. The last time she'd even dared to be the subject of that expression Summer had treated her like a naughty child.
Grabbing the end of it before she could pull away, Ruby smiled.
"Now, Miss. Goodwitch, as much as I would love to explain to you how not only the street empty, but there was almost no property damage. I'm tired and hungry so if you could get to the point of your so far pointless lecture, I would appreciate it," she said her voice bordering on mocking. Releasing the woman's weapon, she dared her to say anything as the insult registered in her mind.
"Glynda," Ozpin said knocking on the door. Sighing the woman went to open it. Giving the headmaster of Beacon a quick look over, Ruby could admit that there was something strange about him. There was nothing surface level that she could see inspiring so much hate from Cinder. Watching him place the plate of cookies on the table she tilted her head. Deciding to toy with him she smirked.
"So, do you always give cookies away to fifteen-year-old children," she asked. It was fun to mess with people. She knew her father loved doing it and after watching Tai almost have a mental breakdown from pranking, she'd decided to take up the hobby. For a second she saw him falter and held back a vicious smirk. Motioning to the plate she said, "I mean it's just kind of strange that the first thing you put on the table is potentially drugged cookies."
Hearing a cough that sounds suspiciously like a laugh from Glynda she blinked. She hadn't even realized the woman could laugh. Giving her a quick look, she found the blonde woman staring at the ceiling.
"I assure you that the cookies are not drugged," he said, and she tilted her head innocently. As the headmaster of a school, she would think he'd catch on quicker than he was.
"That sounds exactly like what someone would say if the cookies were drugged," she said with a distrusting glance at the cookies. He grimaced looking for a moment like he was seriously reconsidering his life choices. Biting her tongue to hold back a laugh she wished this was a moment she could record and show her father.
"Miss Rose, I would never drug a child," he said, and she saw yet another opening. Tilting her head with the most innocent expression she could muster. Which given the fact she was bone tired and desperately needing a bath came out looking like a ruffled cat.
"But you would drug someone who wasn't a child," she asked. He stared at her in complete silence. Understanding clicking in his eyes as Glynda held back another laugh. It was like dealing with Qrow all over again.
Breaking into laughter Qrow didn't even falter under the exasperated gaze of his old headmaster. He was far too amused to do such a thing. His daughter was amazing.
"You're toying with me," he finally said, and she laughed and nodded. She was surprised he took this long to figure it out. When he commented on her silver eyes she simply blinked. Oh, right, the eyes that let her turn a giant grimm dragon to stone. But no, he wasn't going to explain that was he. Giving him an unimpressed look that she was sure matched her father's day drinking expression, she rolled her eyes.
"Headmaster, I'm tired and cranky can we please get this over with," she asked. Tai was not going to be happy she skipped dinner. That man would shove food down her throat if he thought she wasn't eating enough.
"Right," he said. The expression on her face had matched her mothers so well for a second he thought he'd been looking at a copy. Clearing his throat, he said, "And where did you learn how to do this?"
Seeing his subtle cue, Glynda held up a video of Ruby's fight against Roman. The part at the end when she was pinning him looked way too suggestive even to her. Feeling a blush rise on her face she hoped they would think it was over being caught rather than the image on the screen. Part of her wondered if Glynda would send her the video, for research purposes of course.
Well, he was screwed. Chuckling nervously he glanced anywhere but at the protective father currently glaring at him. It wasn't his fault; he most certainly did not tell the girl to gain a crush on him. God why wouldn't Neo stop laughing at him? Well if he was going to die anyway then he would be bold about it. Tilting his head back he smirked at Qrow gaining a low growl in response. Tightening his grip on Neo he mentally begged her to save him.
"Qrow, Tai, and an instructor at Signal," she said. Tearing her eyes from the screen she made a mental note not to pin the thief to the ground again. It would be way too awkward now that she'd seen it from that angle. Taking a moment to process her thoughts, Ruby gave an internal groan. Please don't let her admiration of the thief turn into a crush. She was pretty sure he and Neo were a couple unless they had room in their bed for one more? Nope, not going there. Shaking the thought from her mind she tried to focus on what Ozpin was saying rather than the fact she liked the way Roman's eyes looked.
Neo nodded. She fucking nodded when Ruby thought about sharing their bed. Fuck she wasn't helping. The low growl had increased in volume and he felt terrified when another joined it. The blonde- and black-haired men of team STRQ were ready to tear him into pieces. It wasn't his fault; Neo wasn't helping either.
"Miss. Rose if I'm not mistaken, you're the girl who graduated two years early correct," he asked. When she nodded, he smiled slightly, it would seem she'd inherited her mother's talent for battle, although he couldn't decide if her father was Qrow or Tai. Both had influenced her fighting style. Tapping his fingers against the table he said, "I look forward to having you at my school this year."
Giving him a slight nod, she barely followed the rest of the conversation, her mind still locked on her romantic preferences. Logically she knew it was only natural for her to like more mature partners, but this was weird. He was an enemy and here she was her mind still locked on the fact he was attractive. Frowning she didn't even notice picking up her bag of explosive dust and walking home until Tai was pulling her into a hug.
On autopilot she allowed him to drag her into the kitchen and give her something to eat. She was sure tasting food was something she was supposed to do but it wasn't happening. Ignoring his worried look she went through the motions of laying her bag on her dresser and placing all her weapons where they were supposed to go. Stumbling through taking a shower she barely hit the bed before she was dialing Cardin's number.
"Ruby do you have any idea what time it is right now," he growled sounding more asleep than angry. Deciding to be blunt she opened her mouth on instinct.
"I like older men," she said.
Roman cursed. He was vaguely sure that he was going to die. Qrow was going to kill him.
The words falling past her lips before she could even think them over. Hearing him choke she frowned. Laying in her bed she listened to him try to learn how to breathe for about five minutes before realizing something. Letting a wicked smirk curve across her lips she waited until he calmed down. Sighing she said, "and women."
The hacking cough that left his lips was followed by a dull thud as the boy rolled off his bed from shock.
Neo ripped herself from his grip at the same time Qrow tossed Summer away from him. Paling he sank into the cushions as the multicolored assassin kicked the man halfway across the room with a snarl. The cold expression on her face was terrifying but what scared him, even more, was the fact Qrow's entire team was standing. This wasn't his fault! Moving to stand he was shoved down by a hand on his shoulder. Adam was sneering his expression hiding his own anger at the situation. In truth, he was simply looking for a fight and since his teacher was young, he was willing to bet he had a chance of beating her. Gripping Roman's shoulder tightly, he waited for a sign that this fight was going to start before faltering as Summer clapped her hands.
"Now, now, we wouldn't want to kill Ruby's crush," she said although her eyes never left the thief. The cold silver studied him as if waiting for him to say something and when he didn't she sighed in disappointment. Turning her attention back to her team she said, "with how spineless he is I doubt he's a threat."
"Th-"
"Anyone who dates my daughter can't be afraid to speak their mind," she stated cutting off Tai. Qrow huffed relaxing as she turned her cold eyes back to Roman. Even if it was to avoid a fight he still didn't speak up; such weakness was... disappointing.
I love writing Summer. Anyway, what did you guys think of the chapter? I especially loved Neo and Roman.
I only got through two chapters because three would be over 10,000 words and I refuse to do that.
stay safe and have a good day
- shyla