Chapter II: Back home
Ruby was not sure when exactly she had finally crossed the line betwixt her dreamless sleep and being awake, stuck somewhere in the timeless in-between for what could had been a few minutes just as well as hours. What the scythe-wielder did know, however, was that her whole body felt like she had just woken up after some sort of Nora-level-of-insane workout and that she really could use a good massage – a sensation the silver-eyed girl was all too familiar with since the fall of Beacon two years ago. She let out a long sigh and started slowly rubbing her eyelids, covering her face with both of her hands. 'So, what did I freeze this time?' the ravenette mused, trying to recall her latest memories.
Ruby remembered walking in the darkness for what seemed like hours, haunted by the wind that carried sounds of a battle from afar. Three girls talked in hushed voices as led by Oscar they ventured deeper into enemy's territory, passing by ponds of black and crystal spires that just felt wrong. They kept moving forward, quickly dispatching every single Grimm that stood in their way, until they reached the foot of a small hill. There they found Her, waiting for them - a dark silhouette that overshadowed the shattered moon shining above the equally shattered land, with red eyes glowing like embers in the dead of the night.
Circular motions of Ruby's fingers stopped in an instant as the girl's eyelids snapped wide open, a chill of terror washing over her whole body. 'Oh. Yeah, that explains a lot.'
Ruby's mind kicked into overdrive as she desperately tried to recollect everything that had happened before she blacked - or rather whited - out. She recalled how a sea of Grimm raged around them, hundreds of blood-red lights flickering in the darkness, swallowing all hope. How Qrow entered the fray moments before the team got overwhelmed. How Blake got knocked out... and even though she remembered all that, and many other things she wished she could forget, no matter how hard she struggled, seeing Blake fall was her last memory – after that everything went white.
'Alright.' Ruby closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her rampaging heart. 'Get a hold of yourself at once, Ruby Rose. They are fine. Completely fine until proven otherwise. Yeah. There's no need for pre-mature despair.' Slowly but surely the wild pounding in her chest slowed its beat a little as she mulled over those words, unable to assume her teammates' good health just like that, but fully aware that succumbing to fear would lead her nowhere. 'Besides, it's not like you can change anything – surely everything has been said and done by now... there's no rush, Ruby.'
"No rush," she let out with all the air she had been holding.
Ruby sat up in her bed and stretched, hiding a small yawn behind her hand. After one move too many, a sharp hiss made its way through brunette's clenched teeth, her tender muscles finally screaming in protest. 'Ouch. Staring back at death sure does leave you strained.' Still wincing, she threw a sweeping glance at her surroundings. 'Now, where am I? And where could be...'
Before she could finish that thought, the answer for her yet unformed question casually walked past the privacy screen and came into view with all its white-haired splendor. And a toast in the mouth.
Weiss, looking a little bit weak but otherwise content and – much to Ruby's great relief – for all intents and purposes alive. There was only one thing about her that was really out of ordinary - the rare sight of the alabaster mane left loose surprised the silver-eyed girl, making her wonder in what kind of alternate dimension she woke up in. 'Yup, I definitely died.' She did like the picture, though.
In that moment Weiss' gaze detached itself from the message she'd been typing on her Scroll and turned in the general direction of the bed, only to notice two pools of silver looking back at her. Pale fingers of the heiress suddenly froze an inch away from the device's screen as she stared at Ruby with eyes wide and mouth agape, completely oblivious of the fact that her breakfast just fell to the floor. Shortly after that, the Scroll in Weiss' hand was snapped shut and the girl pounced at her leader, strangling the poor thing in a hug. Ruby needed a while to recover from the initial shock this unexpectedly animate display of affection had caused, but before long found herself returning the squeeze with both wide smile and a small flush adorning her features, clutching the heiress as if she was the most precious thing in the world.
"Hi, Weiss," she spoke softly as she buried her face in the ivory tresses, her warm breath tickling Weiss' neck and sending a shiver down the heiress' spine.
The two of them stayed like that for a longer while, locked in an embrace and unwilling to part, basking in each other's presence. Eventually, a quiet giggle resonated right next to the older girl's ear.
"So, did we make it through, or did we both die and you just have waited for me? Coz if it's the latter, then I'm gonna tell you that I'm really, really sore for a dead lady," Ruby asked, trying her best to sound battered – and succeeding spectacularly – while her silver eyes watched her surroundings. After a few seconds spent on scanning the room, something finally clicked in ravenette's mind. "And seriously, of all the places I thought I'd end up after death, Beacon was not one of them."
"You see," Weiss started, audibly amused, "I asked myself a similiar question. And as unbelievable as it might be, it actually seems that our whole team will be able to tell the tale." To her satisfaction, Ruby relaxed bit by bit as the meaning of these words sunk in, silencing the remainder of brunette's fears. Two lithe arms slightly tightened their hold around the scythe wielder's neck when Weiss spoke again, her voice suddenly much more quiet. "Thank you, for all you did for me. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you." At that very moment Weiss was unsure of great many things, but what she did know was that it felt really good to finally express her gratitude, say aloud these thanks coming straight from the heart to the one person that fully deserved them. And even though the heiress was completely aware that in the end it wasn't much, for some reason it didn't seem any less important to her.
"Don't mention it. It's not like you didn't save my sorry ass time and time again over the course of past few years. Comes with our line of work, I guess," the girl in Weiss' arms replied with a small shrug and a similarly nonchalant tone, finishing the last sentence with a chuckle. After a brief pause, Ruby took a handful of white tresses and continued, her words barely above a whisper. "I'm just happy you're okay. You really scared me back then, you know."
"Yeah... I'm sorry about that. But that last fight is not the only reason I want to thank you." A smile that would not be seen danced on her lips when a pair of warm arms squeezed the girl just a little harder, informing the heiress that her point had got across. Said smile was short-lived, however, and faded almost as fast as it had appeared, quickly replaced by a frown. "You have no clue how glad I was when I realized you were alive. If any of you died that day because I wasn't there when you needed me... I'm not sure I'd be able to live with myself." The heiress shook her head pensively and slumped in the taller girl's grasp a little. Somehow, Ruby had a pretty good idea what exact kind of thoughts filled Weiss' mind.
"Me neither, if you died because I was too slow to kill that Beowolf before it attacked you." A soft, silent murmur, few heartfelt words spoken in a slightly shaken voice. After taking a deep breath and collecting herself, Ruby gently loosened up their embrace and soon enough their foreheads touched, blue eyes locking with the ones of silver. "But it seems we're both alive, and that's all what really matters, Weiss. Don't blame yourself that you didn't fight Salem with the rest of the gang – you had your own battle to win for us. And win you did. There's no reason for feeling guilty, got it?" the young leader asked, headbutting the heiress lightly for good measure.
The only thing Weiss wanted to do all the while Ruby was talking was to look away; she was startled by the sheer intensity of the gaze that was pointed at her and the close proximity of their faces, but there was something in those two pools of mercury that made her unable to do so, leaving the slightly blushing Huntress-in-training at her partner's mercy. When Ruby finally fell silent, waiting, Weiss found herself speechless, and as such a single nod was the only response the poor girl could muster.
"Great. Now, be a dearie and shut up, you're ruining the moment," Ruby deadpanned and, apparently satisfied with the answer, promptly got back to nuzzling the heiress' white mane, expertly defusing all the tension between the two of them in an instant. A purposefully loud sniff that came shortly after that was the last blow needed to completely shatter Weiss' composure, and even though the heiress tried - really tried – she couldn't help but laugh.
Neither of them said a word from there on, not seeing a reason to. They remained entwined in their embrace under a blanket of comfortable silence, caring not about time as the insignificant world around them slowly faded into obscurity. It was not something Weiss was accustomed to, but in that void where only she, Ruby and their shared warmth existed, she found herself at peace, wanting it to linger and knowing that she wouldn't trade that moment for anything.
"Besides," Ruby spoke after an eternity, "for some reason it didn't feel like you weren't with us, y'know...?" There was something peculiar about the way had she said it that drew Weiss back to the reality, a subtle hint of hesitancy that just begged the heiress to give it her full attention. And that was exactly what the white-haired girl did.
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, begrudgingly pulling away from the hug to have a better look at her partner. Ruby seemed to be puzzled, her eyes downcast as she was trying to come up with a good explanation. After a short while her gaze once again fixed on the heiress' face and her lips parted as if she was about to speak, but before any word passed through them a sound of footsteps echoed in the infirmary, alerting both girls. And so they waited as the footfalls grew closer, limbs untangled and heads turned towards the noise.
"Hiya Weiss, how's goi..." A chipper voice that undoubtedly belonged to Yang could be heard half a second before its owner came into the view of the two girls positioned on the bed. The moment blonde's lilac eyes settled on happy and very much awake Ruby, she stopped dead in her tracks, completely baffled, only to let out an overjoyed squeal a heartbeat later as she darted towards her little sister. "RUBY!"
It was a heartwarming picture of hugs being given and ribs being crushed that Weiss witnessed, feeling as if some semblance of normalcy had found its way back into her life. It seemed so surreal, like it was too good to be true... and yet, somehow, Weiss couldn't help but feel that it were the last two years that had been the bad dream, and that just now she was truly awake.
Only after a while did she notice that Blake was also present; corners of the black-haired girl's mouth were twitching involunatily upwards as she watched the scene in silence, slowly forming a smile of a sort that had not been seen since quite some time ago. She was standing right next to the nearby privacy screen, with her cat ears perked up and her white coat tucked under her armpit, arms bare and the midriff exposed. It didn't take much time before Blake's amber eyes turned in the heiress' direction, sensing Weiss' gaze. The usually mellow girl beamed at Weiss and waved her hand in a greeting, and when the two of them exchanged meaningful looks and relieved smiles, they both knew they were thinking the exact same thing.
They were back home.
"C'mere, Weiss," Yang chirped after she had finally won the sisterly contest of squeezing the life out of each other, with arms wide open and look so disturbingly innocent that it made Weiss back off in fear for her own life.
"No bear hugs," the heiress commanded, threatening the blonde with a finger.
"But..." A pout appeared on the blonde's face.
"I have two broken ribs, Yang."
"But!" Yang whined and tried to mimic her sister's puppy stare in hope of weakening Weiss' resolve, but to no avail – fortunately for the heiress, the brawler couldn't even hold a candle to Ruby and her mastery of the art. When it became apparent to everyone that all Yang would gain from her efforts was an arched eyebrow and ufaltering glare, she groaned in defeat. "Fiiiine. Now come and gimme that damned hug."
As it turned out, Yang was a woman of her word. Her embrace was firm, sure, but not uncomfortably so, above all else making Weiss feel protected and cared for. In a way it was much like her sister's, considerate and soothing, and yet it was not. In Yang's case it was a hug from a good friend, plain and simple. With Ruby things were getting... funny. Different. Making her more alive. Why? Weiss could not tell, and was really not sure if she even cared.
In the meanwhile, Blake took advantage of the distraction that her girlfriend had unintentionally provided and silently positioned herself behind Ruby and her white-haired partner, the movement completely unnoticed by anyone. When the blonde had finally pulled away from the hug and another pair of arms encompassed both Ruby's and Weiss' necks, it was already too late for them to react.
"It's good to have you back, girls," Blake cooed, pulling the surprised duo into a warm embrace.
Yang, who had plopped down on the bedside chair, smiled at the sight, feeling like a great weight had been lifted from her chest and shoulders. She was all too well aware that none of them was in the clear just yet, that the demons of the past would follow them and the nightmares would come in the silence of the night. But right at that very moment, watching the three of her beloved teammates smiling and safe and sound was like seeing that one ray of sunshine on a cloudy day that caused it to seem all the more beautiful and bright, making you eager to learn what tomorrow would bring. It wasn't much, she knew, but it gave her the much needed hope.
They were weary and scarred, yes, but not yet broken. Come hell, come high water, never stop – as long as they had each other, they would beat every obstacle into submission and heal their wounds in peace. Either that, or her name wasn't Yang Xiao Long.
"So, how do ya feel now, Weiss?" she asked the heiress after Blake had finally released the girls from the hug and found herself a comfortable spot behind them. A pair of white brows was raised when the blonde said that, her question visibly surprising Weiss.
"I thought you'd ask Ruby first."
"Eh, she's a tough cookie." Yang chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair, then suddenly cast Weiss a look that caused the heiress to shrink into herself. "B-sides, she just fell asleep, unlike a certain someone that almost got ripped to shreds, duh!" There was a hint of sharpness in her voice, but it was also easy to tell she was not angry nor annoyed, just concerned, her lilac orbs filled with worry. "Seriously, Weiss. You're our teammate and we've been worried sick."
"Yeah... my apologies," Weiss mumbled, suddenly feeling very small and barely able to maintain eye contact with the blonde. "I feel not that bad, I suppose... at least compared to yesterday's evening. Now I'm just miserable. Back then...", she looked to the side, not really knowing what to say, "well, you get the idea."
"Yeah, I think I do." Yang nodded slowly, her voice surprisingly solemn as she recalled the image of the not-so-distant past. Eventually, her gaze shifted towards her baby sister and her expression softened, a small smirk appearing on her lips. "And you, sis? How are ya feelin' after your little one-day-long nap?"
"Hale and hearty!" Ruby chirped and threw both of her arms up in the air, only to regret that immediately as the sudden movement caused her to visibly wince in pain. When three pairs of eyes fixed on her their worried looks, Ruby chuckled and sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "...and maaaybe a lil' bit hurting all over."
"Standard package of side effects, eh?" Yang asked with a wry smile plastered on her face.
"I guess. I do feel worse than I did after Kevin, but..." Ruby shrugged dismissively. "I'm just sore and a little weak, is all." An audible growl could be heard when she said that, informing everyone present that girl's stomach was done with being neglected and demanded their immediate attention. "Yeah, and that," she giggled, pointing her finger at the culprit.
"So, breakfast time?"
"Yes please," the scythe-wielder agreed without a second thought, her hands clasped together as if she was about to beg, then proceeded to search with fervor for something in the general proximity of the bed. "Just lemme chan... ge." Ruby paused. "Where's my stuff?" she asked after a few seconds of unsuccessful investigation, sitting up straight on her bed in apparent confusion. Several mildly troubled looks later, she added: "Actually, better question: where the heck is my baby?"
"Chill, Rubes. Dad's got everything. Crescent Rose included."
"And obviously forgot to leave me at least some clothes so I could change." Ruby shook her head and cast a meaningful glance at the ceiling as she groaned in exasperation. "Daaad."
"Well, yeah, you know how he is." Yang chuckled. "Tell you what – screw your clothes. You're coming dressed in your PJ's; it's not like anyone is going to care. Besides, Beacon is almost empty now anyway. We'll talk, we'll eat, then we'll go and grab your stuff. Sounds good?"
"No," Ruby deadpanned and cast Yang an unamused look, seemingly not at all impressed by both the idea and her sister's enthusiastic, toothy grin. Before long, however, she just shook her head and giggled, the melody of her voice soft and clear as she got out of the bed. "But yeah, let's roll with that."
She didn't even try to hide her smile when she led her team forward and out of the room.
They were back home.
Author's Note:
Better late than never, eh?
Damn, it sure did take me longer to update than I thought. At first I was being lazy, then the real life drama caught up with me, then I was being lazy again and then I kinda came to the conclusion that it might be a good idea to wait a little and see what happens in Volume 4 (and it's a damn good thing that I did so! #noregrets). I apologise for the length of this one - initially it was supposed to be two times longer, but I decided that it's been long enough since the last update and divided one large chapter into two smaller ones. On a brighter note - the second part is about halfway done, so it shouldn't take me long to update.
Oh, yeah, I suppose I should mention that I did some minor edits to the previous chapter. Sorry, some stuff just didn't let me sleep at night, lol.
Well, that's all for now. I hope you liked it. c:
2017-01-09