Chapter I: One thing ends, the other begins

Weiss was proven correct in the assumption that trying to remember the events that had left her so sore would do nothing to ease her migraine, but she had also hoped that she would at least partially regain her peace of mind. Instead, she found herself to be only more worried and confused than she had been before, and one could call it a hunch, but for some reason she was afraid that the worst realization was yet to come.

'Oh well,' she thought bitterly, 'at least that would explain why do I feel the way I do. At first mauled by a Beringel, then in a daze almost got gutted. Smooth, Weiss, really smooth. If Ruby wasn't there to save you three times in a row in a matter of seconds... I really, really need to thank...' And then it clicked. '...her.' In a flash the heiress broke out in a cold sweat, the realization she had feared that would come hitting her with a force of a speeding truck. 'Just... Just what has happened while I was out cold...?' She could feel the icy grip of panic tighten around her neck as she considered every possibility that would come to her mind, each one more chilling than the last, the little cogs of her brain whirring at top speed. The only reason they had ventured into that accursed land was to take Salem down... 'Oh Dust, Ruby!'

Without as much as a second thought, she quickly sat up on her bed and regretted that immediately, as her sudden movement caused her poor nerves to explode with the pain that showed her all the stars and almost knocked her lights out.

"Fucking beowolf..." she hissed through her teeth, then gasped for air when she was finally able to breathe again. With her eyes closed and her jaw clenched, she waited for the pain to subside, now excruciatingly well aware that the wound on her abdomen had not yet healed completely, elastic bandage she felt around her chest also giving her a sneaking suspicion that at least one of her ribs was in more than one piece. 'Good thing I didn't try to outright bolt out of the bed; I'm pretty sure that I'd just end up on the floor, if I was lucky.'

Eventually, two pale feet carefully slid out from under the sheets and descended onto the ground, cold to the touch tiles sending a shiver up the heiress' spine. Weiss took a deep breath and then slowly, gingerly tried to stand up, wincing as her stomach spasmed in protest. Her legs were weak and wobbly, but she could walk – steadying herself against the furniture whenever she could at first, but as she toddled through the moonlit room some semblance of confidence returned to her movements, her worries regarding collapsing onto the floor slowly receding. Determination drove the heiress onwards, and though a part of her feared the truth, she still wanted to know. She needed to know.

As she strolled deeper into the room, Weiss took a better look at her surroundings, finding herself in an infirmary of sorts. The place seemed to be the size of a classroom, with multiple mobile privacy screens dividing it into few sectors, the shattered moon peeking inside with interest through the windows on Weiss' left side. It seemed familiar, somehow, but the heiress couldn't quite put a finger on it. She had never been in here, that much she knew for sure, but she could swear that she had seen a similar place somewhere... 'But where?' She looked at the floor and the walls illuminated by the light of the moon, trying to remember where she had seen similar architecture. Then a spark of recognition appeared in her eyes, the answer suddenly becoming so obvious. 'Beacon? One of the classrooms, if I'm correct... professor Goodwitch has mentioned that some of them were turned into temporary infirmaries...'

Every time she left an empty bed behind her, she felt a weird mixture of disappointment, relief and dread, all those feelings growing in strength with each passed bunk. The white-haired girl carried on, however, as if drawn by some kind of a force to the opposite end of the room. And when she walked past the last curtain and looked to the left, her heart skipped a beat.

"Ruby!"

Despite her weakened state, Weiss closed the remaining distance in a flash, running up to the bedside and ti her unconscious leader, her mind racing, pulsing blood echoing in her head. She leaned over the brunette, her ear hovering an inch above Ruby's parted lips, blue eyes fixed on scythe-wielder's chest, all the while ignoring the pain this position caused her. After a few seconds Weiss straightened up, raised her pale hand to her heart and released all the air she was holding in a loud sigh of relief, a small smile appearing on her face. She could hear Ruby's breath, feel its soft breeze on her cheek and see how the sheets covering younger girl's body rose and fall in rhythm. 'Thank Dust, you're alive. But what happened to you...? Are you hurt?' Weiss wondered, circling around the bed and looking at her leader's form with worry in her baby blues, searching for any damage, too focused on the task to notice the quiet clacking and sounds of footsteps that were getting louder with every passing moment. 'And where are Yang and Blake?' It didn't take her long to finish her examination – in the end, she hadn't spotted a thing. No wounds, bruises, dressings, casts – literally nothing. And for some reason Weiss found it all the more disturbing. 'Should I try to wake her up...?'

"I take it that you're worried about your team leader, miss Schnee?" someone not far behind her asked, their voice calm and somewhat amiable, making Weiss jolt and turn on her heel in an instant, almost scaring her to death. "I was just passing by and I thought that it might be a good idea to check if one of you has woken up. I was not mistaken, it seems."

"Professor Ozpin?" she muttered, mouth agape, the realization leaving her completely stunned even though it probably shouldn't.

"It's good to see that you got out of the bed already, Weiss. But you shouldn't strain yourself. Please, take a seat," he spoke with a sincere smile, a mug in his right hand, the cane in the other pointing at the chair next to Weiss. The heiress plopped down on the seat, feeling too tired and overwhelmed to disobey, and looked at Ozpin, both question and worry clearly visible in her eyes. "As for your leader..." the headmaster started as he pulled up another chair, seating himself on the opposite side of Ruby's bed. "I assure you that Ruby's life is not in danger. The injuries she has sustained were not that serious, and by now most of it should be already healed. She just... overexerted herself, for lack of a better term – and that's why she's asleep," Headmaster explained, putting a very strong emphasis on the last word. Seeing that the heiress relaxed a little bit at that, he continued. "In fact, I suppose you could try and wake her up, should that be your wish; I won't stop you. I ask you for only one thing: bear in mind that your leader needs rest."

Weiss cast a quick glance at Ruby and then shook her head, grasping the younger girl's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"No." She sighed. "If what you say is true and she is going to be okay, then I can wait." Ozpin simply nodded at that, apparently satisfied with her answer.

"Seeing as you're now awake, I suppose you have many questions."

"That's one way to put it, yes," she deadpanned. "For starters, how long was I... out? And where are Yang and Blake? Are they alright...?"

"Yes, they are, at least in terms of body; their night at the infirmary was more of a check-up than anything else. Aside from smaller cuts and bruises, Blake suffered a concussion, while her partner had some problems with her right arm; both these issues were taken care of, and after one night in here your teammates were allowed to leave and join miss Xiao Long's father. That is, after Yang had pledged to keep Blake away from reading, and to make sure that miss Belladonna would get enough rest." Weiss winced at the mention of keeping Blake away from her books, feeling sorry for the girl. Ozpin noticed it and chuckled under his breath, but shortly after that his face took on a more serious expression and he continued. "Your wounds, however, were far more severe. Two broken ribs, dislocation of the right shoulder and multiple cuts to the abdomen that caused an intensive external bleeding, among a few other things. If not for the immediate intervention of miss Rose, we wouldn't be holding this conversation, I'm afraid."

Weiss nodded, her eyelids closed, a tiny, grateful smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yes. She saved my life threefold in a matter of a minute. I will probably never be able to thank her enough nor repay sufficiently." A small laugh escaped her mouth. 'Not that I'm not going to try.' "So, how long was I out cold?"

"You got wounded three days ago, in the morning, and were unconscious for the most of the day. You woke up for a short while in the evening, and though you were almost completely unaware of your surroundings at the time, it was enough to take care of your basic needs. The situation repeated itself a few times over the course of the next day, and now it seems that you've finally come to yourself." The headmaster finished his recounting with the corners of his mouth pointing marginally upwards. After a short while he leant forward on his cane and looked at the heiress with interest. "Speaking of which, how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Like shit." Ozpin tilted back a little bit and stared at her with an expression that Weiss for some reason found incredibly amusing, brows high and lips slightly parted, obviously surprised. It was funny, but the white-haired girl would lie if she said that she didn't know where his surprise came from - three years ago she'd have scolded herself for even considering such a choice of words. Now, however, she just couldn't care any less about being prim and proper, especially when it'd make her unable to fully express what she really wanted to say. She blamed her team for that – not that she did mind. "I'm disoriented and starving, my stomach hurts every single time I bend myself in any way, and even the breathing causes me pain, never mind the hellish migraine or the fact that I wasn't there when my team needed me," she stated, her voice growing quiet towards the end. After a short while, she looked up at the headmaster - who by then had managed to collect himself – and finally asked him the question that would be her first one if she was not afraid of the answer, nor so worried for her teammates. "So, about Salem... are we waiting for the end of the world, or is she...?"

"Dead?" Ozpin suggested, getting a meek nod in response. A small, tired sigh escaped his mouth. "As dead as she can be."

Weiss didn't like that answer, not even a little bit, though she couldn't quite put a finger on the reason why... after all, Ozpin had said she was as dead as she could be. But something about those words was making her uneasy, sending a cold shiver down her spine. The way he had said it...

"What... what does that mean exactly, Professor?"

"It means that the concept of death as most understand it does not apply to her, I'm afraid." His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, making the sentence all the more terrifying. "It might take her a few decades, or even few hundred years to regain her physical form, but yes – one day Salem will be back. And no matter how many times a hero will rise and save the day," Ozpin said, his gaze turning to the sleeping form of silver-eyed Huntress, "she will return, over and over again. And in the end... she will win."

The heiress looked at the man in front of her like she was seeing him for the first time in her life. He seemed older somehow, crushing weight of the world upon his shoulders, tired beyond measure. His brown eyes were of a person tormented by the memory of all the souls he sacrificed, by countless mistakes and lifetimes of regrets. There was a sense of defeat in the way he spoke that made Weiss' blood run cold, but at the same time she sensed a firm, defiant flame burning brightly in the depths of Headmaster's pupils. Though exhausted and suffering, he would continue his futile resistance and fight, so the light could last just a little longer.

"But there must be something we can do?" she inquired with an inkling of frustration, refusing to accept the hopelessness of the situation just like that. After all, she was a Schnee – she would not be able to look at herself in the mirror if she didn't at least try to make a difference.

"If by 'we' you mean the mankind, then yes – stay united and thrive for as long as we can," he stated with a wry smile, slowly relaxing and reverting back to the headmaster Weiss knew. White-haired girl snorted, amused by the fact that the professor made it sound so simple.

"It won't be easy," she said. Ozpin just chuckled.

"Very true," he admitted. "Though we prevented an outbreak of a war that would devour us all, the peace we now enjoy is fragile, and maintaining it will be no small feat. Memory of the atlesian knights attacking citizens of Vale and the incident with miss Polendina is still fresh, after all. It will take us years to rebuild the trust and kinship between the Kingdoms, but it must be done. I do believe that Huntsman Academies' example will play a big part in rebuilding said trust and kinship."

Ozpin noticed her raised eyebrow and the sad look Weiss had given him at the mention of Academies, but decided not to act on it, instead opting to take a sip of coffee from his mug, thus giving her an opportunity to speak. When it became clear that the heiress would not make use of it, he continued.

"It cannot be our only focus, however; we need to stay vigilant. Creatures of Grimm will not cease to be a threat with Salem's temporary defeat, and though White Fang separatists are now mostly pacified, they were not the only ones that fed on the misery of others. So we, Huntsmen and Huntresses of Remnant, must continue the task we've been at for the past century – protection of the mankind from its enemies, both external and internal." The headmaster ended and took another sip, for a short while watching Weiss' reaction, searching for a sign saying that the heiress was satisfied with his response. When he found none, he asked, a little bit crestfallen, but not at all miffed or taken aback: "But that still doesn't answer your question, does it?"

"No, professor," the girl affirmed. "Although I appreciate the insight, I had a more... specific group in mind."

"I see. As for your team..." the professor paused for a while and shook his head, then turned towards the girl lying in bed, fast asleep, looking at Ruby with regret apparent in his eyes. "I signed you all up for my war and there are no words that could possibly express how sorry I am because of that. After all what you've seen and done, all you've been through, especially Ruby... I cannot ask you for more."

"With all due respect, sir, but it was never about you," she said politely, but in a manner that compelled Ozpin to look in her baby blue orbs. "You did not force us to do anything, Professor. Salem did. When she took our lives, our friends, our... our innocence away. The day Beacon fell this war of yours became as personal to us as it was to you. We fought for the cause we believed was right, for the life we used to live, for the ones that could not protect themselves, and the ones that we... that are important to us," the young Schnee asserted with zeal that managed to take all the attention from the presence of the faintest shade of pink that tinged her cheeks. There was a challenge in the way she stared back at Ozpin, an unspoken 'I dare you' that would make everyone think twice about actually doing it. "That was our choice."

"That's very... idealistic of you, Weiss," the professor commented, his raised brow giving away his surprise. A pleasant one, that much was true, but a surprise nonetheless.

"I believe my father would say that there is a certain someone that has been a bad influence on me," the pale girl stated with a small hint of amusement in her voice. A soft smile adorned her features when she once again squeezed Ruby's hand, her blue eyes fixed on the ravenette's sleeping form.

"I wonder who would that be," Ozpin pondered aloud, smirking slightly in a knowing manner. "And as for your query, the answer remains the same – I can't, and won't, ask you for anything more. The doors of Beacon will be always open for you, however, and I'd be more than honoured to have your team enrolled as our students once again, should that be your and your teammates' wish." The white-haired girl nodded in acknowledgment, but aside from that did nothing, all the while watching her slumbering partner, perhaps speculating what her scythe-wielding leader would think. None of them spoke after that for a longer while, and so a comfortable silence descended upon the room, disrupted only by the soft breathing of three people and a background noise of quietly working machinery; Weiss was the first one to break it.

"Professor Ozpin?" The headmaster's gaze returned to her at the mention of his name, meeting her blue eyes and giving them his full attention. She looked thoughtful, distressed even. "Do you really think it's possible for people to trust us the same way they used to?" the heiress asked with her brow raised, sadness apparent in her voice and expression. "Academies might have cleared their names, but I'm afraid that damage has already been done."

Ozpin understood her worry, and truly felt for her. He was well aware that part of the reason why she wanted to become a Huntress was to redeem her family's name in the eyes of society. And though it had seemed to Ozpin for a long while now that being a Huntress was no more a mere means to an end for Weiss, he could see why she would be distraught over the occupation of Huntsman losing its previous credibility.

"Indeed, it may seem to be a strange idea, seeing as the schools were used to plant the seed of doubt in the first place," the man agreed, "but then again, it were Huntsman Academies and their students that worked together in a world gone mad, giving a proof that not all hope has been lost. And later, when the Second Negotiations of Vytal happened and the four kingdoms held their breath, fearing the worst, instead of declarations of war all of Remnant heard Ruby's speech. After that, people didn't know what to think. Many of them still don't, and, truthfully, it should come as no surprise." The professor chuckled and leaned on his cane, hands clasped on top of it. "But what they did know was that the mysterious voice speaking at the end of Vytal Tournament lied to them, trying to turn them against their defenders. It will take a lot of effort and good will from both sides, that's true, but yes, I do believe that this wound can be mended. Just give us all some time," Ozpin finished, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Weiss remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed on the floor, with a small frown appearing on her face as she considered the headmaster's words. After about half a minute, she looked up and offered him a grateful smile, which he accepted with a nod and a smile of his own. "Thank you."

"It was not a problem," he replied and stood up from his chair. "If that's all, I shall take my leave now."

"Yes, that's all for now. Goodnight, Professor."

"I'll make sure that someone brings you painkillers and something to eat. Goodnight, Weiss." With that, he started to walk away and soon left Weiss' field of view, disappearing behind a privacy screen; the sound of the doors closing behind him could be heard not long after that.

Weiss leaned back on her chair, looked up at the ceiling, closed her eyes and let a heavy sigh of relief to slip past her parted lips. At that very moment she would describe herself as 'overwhelmed', that is if she wasn't so dubious about the term 'overwhelmed' still applying to her state in the first place. A small giggle echoed in the room. She felt... giddy, for lack of a better term, and for some weird reason the thought that they had changed the course of history and lived to tell the tale made her want to laugh. It could be perceived as strange, she mused, seeing as she had just learned that their victory was only temporary and, ultimately, they were doomed to extinction, but somehow she found herself unable to care any less. They had time; few years, decades or centuries - be it as it may. They fought against all odds for a cause that seemed to be a lost one and after a long night they emerged victorious, to witness a new dawn together. She was determined to make sure they enjoyed it. 'We made it. We truly made it. I'm alive. Yang is alive. Blake is alive, and even didn't run away for a change. Ruby will be fine, too. Speaking of whom...'

Her eyelids opened as she stood up and carefully checked up on her slumbering partner, looking for any wound or the slightest sign of pain, but once again she found nothing. Ozpin didn't lie – Ruby was fine, just... tired, in a way the heiress couldn't quite explain. She looked so peaceful, bathed in the soft light of the shattered moon, with her lips slightly parted as she breathed, a lone strand of crimson straying onto her nose until a pale hand of a friend had gently brushed it away. Her hair was a few inches longer than it used to be back when they were first-years, but otherwise mostly retained its old shape. One could even argue that Ruby kept the same haircut, if not for a one key difference - on the back of her neck, where she had used to keep her mane short, a long ponytail appeared, now resting on top of the girl's bosom, rising and falling in sync with the tides of her breathing.

Weiss still hasn't got used to that ponytail, even after a year. She loved it, however, the way it usually flowed down Ruby's left arm and well past her collarbone; somehow, it managed to make her look both more mature and more innocent at the same time, all the while highlighting the silver-eyed girl's still blossoming beauty.

She found herself playing with Ruby's hair absentmindedly, not even knowing how or when the black-red tresses had found their way into her hand. She knew, however, that they were warm and soft, and that she really liked the sensation for some reason; despite a tiny blush that crept onto her cheeks, she also didn't want to stop, so instead she ignored the slight burning of her face and focused on her teammate's sleeping form, all the while twirling the black strands of hair between her fingers.

'You've changed so much since the first time I met you.' She meant it. The most obvious change in Ruby was in her looks – aside from the differences in her hairstyle, she had grown in size, both in stature and in her assets; while still lagging a bit behind Blake in terms of hight, she was taller than Weiss in spite of the heiress wearing high heels. Quite surprisingly, Weiss found herself a lot less annoyed by the fact than she had thought she would be. Not that she was terribly fond of it, either, but she considered herself to be perfectly fun sized.

These changes all seemed shallow and insignificant, however, when one considered the bigger picture. Truly, Ruby had grown, but above all else it was her growth as a person and as a leader that made the difference. The time she had spent within RNJR Dust-knows-where, away from her team and her sister, really had done wonders to her. Somewhere along the way she had gotten rid of most of her naiveté – or the life had done that for her – all the while managing not to succumb to cynicism, not to lose her ability to see the good in people. She was still that sweet, caring person she had used to be, but she also developed into so, so much more. She had become more reliable, not once letting her team down ever since they had reunited, always putting them before herself and no longer pulling her lone-wolf-style stunts that often times could have been considered death wishes. Without Yang to lean on, she had learned to be more self-reliant, gained confidence and a way with words that had made people follow her without a question – a trait that had shone during the Second Negotiations of Vytal, likely playing no small role in delivering them all from a war that would tear Remnant apart. Her tactical skills had improved significantly as well, and though Weiss would be the first to admit that Dolt had the talent since the day one, now she was simply excellent at her job. Ever perceptive, thinking out of the box and being able to make hard decisions in a blink of an eye, Ruby could swiftly come up with a plan for virtually any situation - even if it often proved to be a little bit on the crazy side. 'Disturbingly so, at times.' Then again, at the end of the day, Ruby always proved to be a good judge of situation.

She was always there to uplift the spirits, treat a wound or say a word of comfort. No matter what, a smile always graced her features, her energy apparently endless. She had become so strong for her teammates, for the people she cared about... but on rare occassions Weiss could see through the small cracks that appeared, and the sight broke her heart time and time again. She knew that Ruby was hurting and that she had opted to hide it from everyone. Even though Ruby was was the one most devastated over Penny's and Pyrrha's deaths, the brunette had chosen to suffer in silence and loneliness, unwilling to let the weakness take over – after all, if she would not have remained strong, who would have? It had taken a toll on her, however; all the other deaths she had witnessed, all the suffering... even killing Cinder had left its mark on her. 'With all the weight of our world on your shoulders,' Weiss thought, looking at her leader and best friend with a sad smile, 'how did you not crumble?' She was worried about Ruby, but also proud of her, and she felt like she had a damn good reason for both.

Sure, Ruby was still silly and annoying at times, showed off, had instances of being reckless and ate more sugar in a month than Weiss did within a year, but the heiress wouldn't have it any other way. 'Maybe except for the sugar part; that's just unhealthy.' And though Weiss' vocabulary was impressive to say the least, she was pretty sure that there were no words known to man that could fully express how happy she was that the Red Riding Dolt had accidentally found a way to explode into her life. She wouldn't admit it aloud, of course, because – honestly - where was the fun in that? Besides, she had a reputation to uphold. She couldn't help but smile, however.

'How did you do that, Dolt? How did you become so dear to me?'

In hindsight, it seemed pretty funny. The way their relationship had started... And look where they were now. A long and bumpy road was behind them, but there were so many more paths to tread... Weiss could only hope they would explore them together, the once-lonely heiress and her best friend.

She thought she had lost Ruby once. She knew she would not bear losing her again.

Author's Note:

Well, here it is – my very first Author's Note. This story - hell, RWBY in general - is a LOT of my firsts, actually. RWBY was the first anime-like thing I've ever watched and was hyped about and the first (and only, so far) work of fiction that got me into shipping and reading any fanfiction. This story? It's my first romance-focused (somewhat?) story, my first future fantasy, my first try at fan fiction, my first story to be published on the Internet, it's cover artwork was my first attempt at drawing manga, et cetera, et cetera...

Oh, right, it's also my very first story written in English – so yeah, mistakes are going to happen; I just hope they won't be many and that my skills are sufficient to write a fan fiction that makes for a decent read. If you've spotted any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out – I promise I won't bite! To be honest, I actually could use some beta readers.

Now, off to the important questions. Where am I going with this fanfic? How long are the chapters going to be, and how much time will it take to update? Will there be smut? And finally, the most vital question of them all: what ships are going to proudly set sail, and which ones shall disappear in the depths of oblivion?

Starting with the last one: my OTP of all ages and part-time obsession is Ruby x Weiss, while its sister pairing Yang x Blake takes the second place. As such, the fine vessels Whiterose and Bumblebee are going to rule over these seas. What's about the rest of the flotilla? Let's see... Renora is a safe bet, that's for sure, and I suppose we might pay a few short visits on the Wall in the future, just to see how the Night's Watch is faring. Aside from that... I dunno, honestly. Some mentions of Cross Hares, maybe? An ounce of other pairings, just to enhance the taste?

Oh, in case you're curious: both Bumblebee and Renora will be already established relationships.

Will there be smut?

...perhaps.

How canon is this story going to be? Hm. That's a good question. I think it's safe to say that it's going to stay relatively faithful to the canon as of the end of Volume 4 - if something happened in the show then it also happened here, but the exact circumstances may differ a bit.

As for the length of chapters: I have no. Flippin'. Idea. Writing fan fiction is a totally new experience to me. The chapters will probably be of the similar length as this one – about five thousand words, maybe more, maybe less.

How often am I going to update? Well... I wrote "Forget me not" and "One thing ends, the other begins" over the course of... about six days? Considering that this was my very first story written in English (my native language being Polish), I think I can pretty safely assume that writing will take me progressively less time as my skills improve. I'm hoping to post at least one chapter each month (or two chapters, should they be short-ish). I'll try to squeeze one every two weeks, but... we'll see about that. If you liked the story, please, let me know – it will make me smile and keep me going with the story.

2016-10-23