The barest hint of shy sunlight trickled through the windows. The world had been swaying for a while now. She was pretty sure she was stationary. She couldn't really feel anything.

Groaning, Ruby finally willed to open her eyes. Blobs of color blurred into one image. Her vision eventually adjusted as her senses came into focus. The ship had creaked, and that's when she remembered she was at sea.

The moment she registered the dull ceiling, she darted to sit upright. This caused a dizzy spell to hit her in the back of her head. Another groan slipped out as she tried to gain her bearings. After several seconds, she took a deep breath and recovered.

Confused, the captain gazed down and noticed she was coated by some blankets. A pillow was behind her, too. She was in a makeshift bed. On the hard floor. Tons of question marks zoomed around her head as she tried to put the pieces together.

I was so tired, Ruby rubbed her eyes. Did I pass out? Oops.

After yawning, she glanced to her right.

"Weiss!"

In a heartbeat, Ruby crouched right beside her. Everything clicked as the memories of that dreaded night flooded back. It felt like a nightmare.

It'd been exhausting trying to make sure that Weiss would be okay. That she would be alive to live the next day. All at once, worry and fear washed over Ruby in a tidal wave. It'd been too long since she last checked her condition.

It didn't look like Weiss moved at all. She was stiff, frighteningly so. To make sure she was still alive, Ruby leaned down to hear her heartbeat. It was stronger- firmer- than it was last night. Her hair was a blanket of white around her and her cheeks seemed to hold a healthy hue.

After a relieved sigh, Ruby smiled. To double check, she placed a gentle finger just under her nose to feel her breaths. They were faint, but present. Ruby wished they were stronger like her heartbeat, but at least they were present.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Ruby said softly.

Grateful that her vital signs improved, Ruby brushed her fingers through her bangs. She was surprised by how damp they were and pulled away. Upon closer inspection, Ruby noticed that her face was coated in sweat.

From the sight, Ruby sadly frowned. Weiss was fighting to constantly heal herself. While it looked like she was resting, her body was working overtime. With her sleeve, the captain wiped off the sweat to provide some sort of comfort for her.

I can't wait for you to wake up, Ruby thought. We have a lot more places to sail to. The world is waiting for our footprints.

Cautiously, Ruby lifted her loose, cotton sweatshirt just enough to examine the wound. The bandages were a tad red, and splotches scoured her torso. Honestly, Ruby was expecting worse. Last night, pools of crimson poured out in a never-ending stream. Compared to this, it was relieving, but still worrying.

Take your time, okay? There's no rush.

To concentrate, Ruby closed her eyes and hovered her palms over her stomach. A friendly red aura emanated. The lucid and warm glow lingered over the injury before settling calmly. This time, Ruby was invited to help, rather than be rejected.

Internally, the captain felt that Weiss had healed most of her internal injuries with her own aura. It may have appeared that Weiss was resting, but her body was doing everything but. When Ruby deemed she healed as much as she could, she removed her hands.

When she got a closer look, she noticed that sweat had beaded on her forehead again. That was alarming. Not to mention, Ruby could barely make out the slight tint of red on her cheeks.

"Oh no."

Fearing the worst, she felt her forehead. Weiss was warm. Way too warm. Almost scorching. Last night, she was a literal icicle. It was a complete turnaround.

"You can't catch a break, can you?" Ruby said sadly.

There was one explanation for the sudden change. Definitely a fever. Exactly what Ruby feared. Weiss' immune system was naturally weakened from the injury. Her body fought hard to heal the wounds, and now it had to fight off the fever ravaging her system.

I'm so sorry…

Unintentionally, Ruby whimpered. Despite Blake's earlier words, the captain wished they could swap places. At the very least, take half her pain and share the burden.

Swallowing hardly, the captain retrieved a cold cloth and padded it over her forehead. It was only cold for a few seconds before warping torrid. From the temporary pleasant feeling, Weiss made a tiny sound in her sleep.

To show her that she was there, Ruby held her hand.

How dare they do this to you. You were scared your father might take you back somehow, and then...

Weiss was right to be afraid.

Briefly, Ruby wondered what else the man was capable of. It wasn't often that she encountered walking forms of evil. When she did, she faced it head-on. Like with Sienna. And now Jacques Schnee.

Gently, Ruby set the cold cloth on her forehead and squeezed her hand that was on fire.

Don't worry, Ruby thought. I won't let him hurt you ever again. I promise. And I always keep my promises.

"Hey."

Ruby was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she completely missed Blake's presence. By now, the faunus was standing next to her by the couch.

"Hi, Blake," Ruby greeted, looking downcast.

"How are you?" Blake asked, searching silver pools. "Did you rest enough?"

Ruby only shrugged. "As much as I could, I guess. Are you and the others okay?"

"My arm's healing fine," the faunus informed, giving her arm a twirl to prove it. "Yang woke up a minute ago and Qrow's still out like a light."

"That's good to hear," Ruby said with relief in her voice.

"Any change in her condition?" Blake asked, gazing down at her friend.

To the faunus, it looked like some color returned to Weiss' cheeks. However, the cold cloth on her forehead was worrying. It led her to believe something else beside the injury ailed her crewmate.

"Her injury is a little better, but she has a fever," Ruby informed regretfully. "It's the worst timing ever."

Concerned, Blake bit her bottom lip. "That's an awful combination."

"Yeah…" Ruby mumbled.

For a few peaceful moments, the pair simply watched their crewmate. A few creaks lingered as the world swayed.

"Can you watch her for a sec?" Ruby asked hopefully. "I want to see Yang and Qrow."

"Of course," Blake said, recalling that the last time her captain saw her sister was when she collapsed.

Swiftly, Ruby bolted to Yang's room. After gawking at the faunus-sized hole in the wall, she darted inside. A huge burden was off her shoulders when she saw Yang sliding on a pair of socks.

"Yaaaaaang!"

"Rubes!"

Eager, Yang hopped off the bed and met her sister in an embrace. Everything happened so fast last night. The blonde was immediately taken to her room and Weiss was in critical condition. There was no time for the sisters to see each other until now.

The hug was full of love and trust. When they separated, Ruby gave her sister a once-over.

"Wow, you look so much better!" the captain beamed.

As usual, there was Yang's sunny smile. Rather than her dirty combat outfit, Yang adorned clean pajamas. Her skin was clear like she never received all those cuts, bruises, and possibly fractured ribs.

"Hm," Yang scoffed. "Please. I was roughed up a lil is all. Nothin' to worry about. Qrow, though… he was up all night healing all of us."

"What?!" Ruby yelped in exasperation. "He was healing us while we were asleep?!"

"Yep," Yang said, popping the 'p.' "He probably has no aura to spare for the time being."

Amazed by the revelation, Ruby gazed down at the dozing pirate. Instead of sitting in the chair like he had been previously, he was lying down in the comfortable bed.

Rather than sleeping like his crew, Qrow worked all night to heal them. That was probably why Blake's injury didn't bother her, why Yang looked good as new, why Ruby's aches vanished, and why Weiss' wounds were ten times better. Sadly, aura can't prevent illness.

"He never fails to surprise me," Ruby said as she brushed her fingers through his ruffled hair.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed. "Hey, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Not really for me," Ruby replied. "More like for Weiss. She's still unconscious and has a fever now."

"Figures," Yang said sadly.

"I bet she'd love something to eat when she wakes," the captain suggested.

"Say no more," the blonde chirped. "I'll make somethin' for all of us."

"Sounds like a plan!"

With resolve, the sisters arrived in the common area. As expected, Blake was trying to cool Weiss off with a cold cloth. She pressed it gently onto her wrist before soothing it down the entirety of her arm.

"Blakey," Yang addressed as she grabbed a few bowls from the cabinets. "You want some soup?"

"Only if it's your mushroom soup," the faunus said.

"Yang's mushroom soup?!" Ruby beamed giddily. "No way! I haven't had that in forever! Youonlymakeitwhenwe'resicksometimesIwishIcouldbesickjustforthesoup."

From hearing that, it clicked for Yang. "That's why you enjoyed being sick so much. It was for the soup! You could'a just told me that, you know. I would've made you some more often."

"Eheheh…" Ruby nervously pressed her fingers together. "It's my comfort food! Not something to eat daily."

Playfully, Yang rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

Easily, Yang was able to find plenty of mushrooms and tossed them into a bowl. While she prepared the meal, Ruby helped Blake cool their patient off. By now, her breaths were becoming short and fast.

After whistling a tune, Yang said. "If she doesn't wake up from smellin' the soup-"

A feeble groan. It was so quiet, but enough to grab their attention. Instantly, Blake and Ruby stopped their movements to look down at Weiss. Yang whirled around to gauge what was happening.

"That's it, Weiss," Ruby said softly. "You can do it."

Carefully, Ruby lifted her upright in hopes that she could feel the arms around her. They watched her face furrow a few times. It was a clear attempt to regain consciousness, and they tried to help coax her awake.

"Weiss," Blake addressed calmly, whispering in her ear. "We have food."

Ruby lightly chuckled from the promise of food. "That's right. You'll love it. Wake up and try some."

"Princess?" Yang called somewhat loudly from across the room. "Last time I checked, you're not supposed to be sleeping beauty."

Their efforts didn't seem to work, and her face went still.

"Damn," Blake was unable to bite back the curse.

"Spoke too soon," Yang said as she grabbed a gallon of milk.

Downcast, Ruby whimpered. "She was so close."

To comfort her, Blake placed a hand on her shoulder. "She'll definitely be up soon. I bet she will in time to eat some soup."

Liking the thought, Ruby smiled. "Let's hope so."


Stay dandy,

~Toto