Chapter Seven: The Long Night
At one of Mistral's largest ports, Weiss Schnee was currently performing first aid on her blonde teammate, her hands shaking wildly. The sun had just sunk below the horizon, the distant moonlight illuminating the area as stray rose petals fluttered in the wind. In the meantime,Blake was talking with the Hunter's Association over her scroll, attempting to relay information. Weiss' efforts looked to be paying off, as Yang seemed stable, despite the panicked work the heiress was doing. Blake so far had relayed as much information to the Hunter's Association as possible, to include the attack on Yang, the intention of the attack on the hospital, and the vessel the attacker would be travelling in. The one piece of information she had intentionally excluded, was the identity of the attacker.
No words had been exchanged between the two girls, only a terrified glance that required no words be spoken. They both were still attempting to reconcile what they had just seen, with everything they had believed until now. Until this point, though they would never say it to Yang, they had given up on finding Ruby. Even then, they had never expected that if they were to find their former leader, it would be under such circumstances. Standing anxiously alongside their now unconscious teammate, Weiss and Blake could hear the sound of approaching sirens. Instinctively, they knew that if they were to move now, they could still catch up with the girl. Regardless, neither one of them dared to say so out loud.
"Blake, was that…" Weiss murmured, unable to form a complete sentence.
"I'm...I don't know. How? Why?" Blake answered, her mind just as garbled as Weiss'.
"Who the hell else could it have been? It's really her… Ruby Rose," the white clad girl only continued to panic, repeatedly replaying the what she had seen in her head.
As Blake stood there under the distant moonlight, she could make out rose petals blowing across her vision, "We need to talk to Taiyang."
The port was soon illuminated by the lights of countless emergency vehicles. Shortly thereafter, Yang was loaded into an ambulance with Weiss and Blake following in a vehicle belonging to the Hunter's Association.
A soft dripping could be heard within Annette's airship, blood dripping from Ruby's head onto the floor of the vessel. Ruby held a hand to her head, attempting to stem the flow of blood. Annette hurriedly readied her vessel to take off, warming up the engines and engaging the ship's stealth systems. Moonlight cut through the window of the vessel, illuminating the dark red puddle which had formed on the floor. Ruby turned her head to peer at the luminescent object in the sky, seeing the majority of the broken mass in the sky. The light from Remnant's moon disappeared as clouds crept in front of it, the airship lifting from the ground soon after.
"I need to contact Ironwood. Can you get me to the CCT?" Ruby spoke slowly, fighting through the damage inflicted by the fight.
"What you need, is medical attention. We can worry about the rest later," Annette answered sternly, knowing that Ruby was likely going to be stubborn about the matter. The silver haired pilot was already looking for a discrete location to set her vessel down, and stitch Ruby up.
"No, it's urgent. We have to get to Vale," Ruby muttered out in response.
"Yea, yea. Just don't die on me before I get you fixed up," the pilot refusing to take no for an answer. Annette brought her ship down in a nearby forest clearing, quickly activating the ship's interior lights and finding her way to the rear of the vessel.
"You're just trying to get my clothes off again,"
"Try and make another joke, I promise I will make this as painful as I can," the stern warning came as the faunus woman pulled out a pair of scissors. Sparing no time, she quickly began cutting off what was left of Ruby's clothes. It wasn't long before Ruby sat in the airship, wearing nothing but her underwear. Annette, almost robotically, went to work evaluating Ruby's injuries, "Fuck's sake, you need a hospital. Your ribs are broken, signs of internal bleeding, a massive concussion, countless contusions and gashes. How are you even conscious?"
"That's it? I thought would be pretty serious," the younger girl replied, purposely showing a lack of concern.
"It is serious, you idiot. Honestly, you really are unbelievable," Annette moaned at Ruby's nonchalant attitude towards the situation. Opening up her aid kit, the faunus pulled out multiple items, hastily working to stop the blood flowing from Ruby's wounds.
"Is that an insult again?" Ruby questioned sarcastically.
Annette continued to work on Ruby's wounds, not looking away from her current task, "You can consider it a good thing this time."
Ruby's face was covered in a deep blush at the pilot's statement, at a loss for words. After a significant amount of moaning and complaining on Ruby's part, all her flesh wounds had been stitched and bandaged. Though Annette tried to convince Ruby to go to a hospital, the younger girl was insistent that once her aura recovered, the worst of her wounds would quickly heal.
Knowing she wouldn't get through to the younger girl, Annette decided to drop the issue. Once the issue of Ruby wounds was taken care of, the pair departed for the CCT.
"You said you needed to talk to Ironwood?" Annette asked the younger girl, attempting to start a conversation.
"Yea, I'm sure he'll be pissed. I haven't contacted him in almost a month." Ruby replied, sinking back into her seat in the airship, "I hope they don't have a bunch of security here. I don't really feel like getting in another fight."
"That shouldn't be an issue. As long as we're close enough, we can access the CCT's systems from in here."
"Wait, seriously! Shouldn't that be like, super impossible?" the younger girl asked incredulously.
"Normally, but this ship has one of the most advanced electronics suites of any Atlas vessel. Atlas has a CCT too, so it only makes sense that they would be able to allow remote access to it," the pilot explained the system to Ruby.
"Well, that's certainly convenient. How long till we're there?"
"About twenty minutes, we'll get the best connection from Mistral's main CCT, so that's where we're heading," Annette informed Ruby, an awkward silence beginning. After a few minutes Annette let her nagging curiosity get the better of her, "Earlier, those girls called you Ruby, didn't they?"
"No specifics, right?" Ruby answered sarcastically.
Annette was silent for a moment, contemplating what Ruby had said, "My guardian, the one I mentioned last time, he was my brother," Annette paused for moment, uncertain of whether or not she should continue, "We didn't have any parents, and he was too young to work. As a result, he had to do a lot of … unpleasant things to provide for us. Being the idiot he is, he decided to continue that line of work when he got older. Of course, it eventually caught up with him "
"Annette, you don't have to tell me all this. Seriously, just finding one little thing out isn't that big of a deal," Ruby interrupted in a panic, halting Annette.
"You don't need to feel obligated to return the favor, I'm telling you these things because I want to," Annette replied calmly, "He was arrested, and got sent to this awful place north of Atlas. The Redemption Corps, it was a death sentence. In the meantime, I had given up on my brother, ended up in the military as a gunship pilot, and then this. So you can imagine my surprise when one day, out of the blue, I get a call from my brother who I'd forsaken for dead. When I met him again, he had changed so much. He told me about this incredible commander they had. Some young girl, she wore a red cloak, carried a giant scythe, had beautiful silver eyes, and when she
used her semblance the air would fill with rose petals. He said her name, was Ruby Rose, and if not for her, he would have died."
Ruby felt tears stinging at her eyes, her already sore chest tightening, "Annette, I "
"You don't need to say anything. I don't really have a cover that I maintain, so it isn't a big deal for me. I just wanted you to know, just how much it meant to me and my brother. Five minutes out, you should get ready," Annette stopped talking, receiving no answer from her passenger. Ruby sat with the darkness concealing her face, hiding the tears that fell down her face.
Just as Annette said, they were hovering above the CCT five minutes later, ""Alright, I'll get him on the line and patch him through to a headset for you."
Ruby picked up a headset sitting on a hook next to her, sliding it over her ears. After listening to dial tones for a minute, a voice came through the headset, "Summers, how nice of you to finally make contact. Are you sure you didn't want to wait longer?"
"Last I checked, we agreed that I would only contact you when I felt it necessary," Ruby replied sternly.
"So apparently, it isn't necessary to keep me informed about the progress of your mission?" Ruby could hear the anger underlying Ironwood's sarcasm.
"It's hard to give you updates on my progress when I don't make any. Quit trying to micromanage me. I called to let you know, that I made contact with Raven."
Silence filled the headset, and Ruby began to wonder if she hadn't lost connection, "What did you find out?"
"Nothing yet, the situation didn't allow for much conversation. I'll be meeting with her again in the next week though, once I do, I should finally have some solid information."
"When and where?" Ironwood pressed for details.
"Not your problem. Like I said, don't try to micromanage me from you desk," Ruby answered snidely.
"Damn it all Summers, I'm ordering you to tell me when and where you're meeting her!" Ironwood screamed across the line.
"You have bigger problems right now, let me worry about the small stuff," Ruby spoke with a tone of amusement in her voice.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"My cover was blown. Qrow pretty much figured everything out, but ended up in a coma, so I figured I was fine. Then I accidentally revealed myself to my old team. So, have fun dealing with that," once Ruby had said her spoken she immediately took her headset off, still able to hear Ironwood's screaming voice, "Annette, you can hang up now."
Her faunus pilot let out a deep sigh, pressing a button in the cockpit, "I've never heard anyone talk to that man like that."
"What can I say? I'm a natural when it comes to pissing off grumpy old men."
"So, where too?" Annette questioned hesitantly, wanting to finally leave Mistral.
"We're headin back to Vale. A little town called, Patch, to be more accurate," Ruby happily informed her pilot.
Taiyang stormed through the hallways of the hospital, making his way towards the room his daughter had been admitted to. Anyone near the man could practically feel his anger, nurses and doctors ducking out of his way. Eventually he found the door he was looking for, stopping briefly he could hear female voices from beyond the door. Bracing himself for the worst, Taiyang threw the door open, finding Weiss and Blake sitting by a bandage covered Yang. The blonde had regained consciousness, and was now sitting in her bed wearing a solemn expression.
"You damn fool! What did I tell you!" the man released a torrent of anger, now seeing that his daughter was alright.
"Dad… I know, but "
"But, what! I warned you didn't I? I told you not to charge in half cocked like an idiot," Taiyang continued his outburst.
"I get it! I know goddamnit! Now, if you don't have anything else to say then can you shut up!" Yang fired back, her own anger peaking over the situation.
Taiyang stormed over to Yang, towering over her. The blonde girl braced herself, anticipating the incoming blow. Instead, she found her father's arms wrapped around her.
"Dad, what?" Yang stuttered, taken off guard.
"When I heard, I was so scared. I've already lost one daughter, please don't be so reckless," Taiyang said solemnly.
Yang felt tears sting at her eyes, the memories of the day prior replaying in her mind, "Dad, please stop."
Taiyang let go of Yang, observing the other girls who couldn't seem to make eye contact, "Look, I understand how you girls feel right now. Mistakes happen, but I promise you we're gonna find that bitch "
Yang shot off the bed, grabbing her father by his collar, "Shut up! Shut the hell up!"
Blake and Weiss quickly moved to pull Yang off her father, putting her back on the bed. Taiyang looked down at his daughter, bewildered by her reaction. Looking back at the other two girls again, Taiyang realized that he had misjudged the situation.
"What's going on? What happened last night?" Taiyang pressed the girls, his tone dead serious. For the first time since he had arrived, Weiss looked up at him "It was… R, Ru "
"It's Ruby," Yang finished Weiss' sentence.
"What? You mean you found something out? Then that woman really "
"No, you fool. It was Ruby! The person who put Uncle Qrow in a coma, beat the shit out of you, and put me in here, it's Ruby," Yang cried.
Taiyang's expression dropped, his eyes widened, "Look Yang, you were pretty messed up when you got brought in. I'm sure that's what you thought you saw "
"Mister Xiao Long, Yang's right about this. It was really Ruby, she was there," Weiss chimed in.
"That's not all Dad. Towards the end everything got pretty hazy, but I'm almost certain that Mom showed up.
"You girls are sure about this?" Taiyang croaked out, his hands shaking. In response, all three girls gave a slow nod. He turned and stumbled into a chair next to him, holding a hand to his head, "I'm not sure what I should say, but I'm just so damn relieved. She's really alive."
"Where do we go from here?" Blake questioned.
Yang clenched her fists, the bitter memories of everything that had brought her to this point replaying in her head, "We're gonna find Ruby, and we'll drag her back kicking and screaming if we have to."
Taiyang looked up at his daughter, his expression optimistic, "Do you know where she's at now?"
"No, she left with that faunus after we arrived. Me and Weiss, we just stood there and watched her leave," Blake answered, a look of frustration on her face.
"Faunus?"
"Yea, the person that lured us into that ruse from the very beginning. In hindsight, we really were foolish for just taking her word," Weiss explained, filling Taiyang in on the faunus pilot.
"Well, even if it isn't much, it's more than we've had in two years. We should head back to Vale, and talk with Ozpin," Taiyang stood from his chair, walking back over to Yang's bedside, "How long are you gonna be laid up here?"
"We can't just take off. What if Ruby's still here?" Yang exclaimed.
"What if she isn't? You said you thought you saw your mother appear just before you lost consciousness? If so, then Ruby got what she was after. Since we don't know what her goal is, wandering around MIstral looking for her does us no good," Taiyang countered Yang's argument, demonstrating the difference in their experience.
Yang looked downtrodden, the totality of the situation sinking in, "You're right, but...this whole damn situation is ridiculous. We spend two years looking for her, and this is how we finally find her? Out of nowhere she's right in front of us, and she's our enemy, then she's gone again."
"We don't know Ruby's circumstances. If she went through all this just to find Raven, she had to have a damn good reason," Weiss added optimistically.
"So unless there's anything else, then we'll go see Ozpin as soon as you get released," Taiyang reaffirmed.
"Alright," Yang quietly acknowledged, looking down at her wounds. Though none of them had been life threatening, it would take her some time to be back in full fighting condition, "Hey, Dad… did she use her semblance when you fought her? And, did she have her scythe?"
"If she used her semblance, I didn't see any sign of it. When I fought her, she had a staff. The same with you?"
"Yea, until the end. She's… really strong. Even with my semblance active, she kept up with me without her semblance or scythe. I was certain I had won, she seemed like she could hardly move. Then out of nowhere, I was completely overwhelmed," Yang clenched her fists, and bit her lip, "What the hell happened over the last two years?"
Ruby had never really loved Patch when she was a child. The town was somewhat dreary, the old victorian design gave off a gloomy appearance, framed by the drab grey forests. To Ruby, Patch had always seemed somewhat empty, lacking any real attraction, the sparse stores always having a meager selection of items. To her surprise however, as she now walked the streets of Patch, Ruby felt a strange wave of nostalgia. As unimpressive as Patch is, the town was still once home to Ruby and her family. Now though, the place felt like a distant memory, buried amongst a sea of struggle.
Ruby walked into a motel room, housing herself and Annette with a grocery bag full of food. Patch being as isolated as it was, had a fairly small faunus population. As such, the two girls had agreed that it'd be best if Annette didn't go out too much. One didn't have to be brilliant to figure out how badly Annette would stand out.
"I got lunch!" Ruby exclaimed as she entered the room.
"I hate this place. It's seriously worse than Mistral," Annette groaned from her place on her bed, in response to Ruby's chipper attitude.
"Aww, come on. Patch isn't that bad. Sure it may be kinda old, and drab, and depressing, but it's got good qualities too," the younger girl argued, offended by Annette's comment.
"Please, do fill me in on these supposed, good qualities," Annette replied in a snarky tone.
"Well, Patch is...Patch has...well, it could always be worse, ya know," Ruby answered again in a chipper tone.
"What a convincing argument, I'm already falling in love with the place," the woman's voice thick with sarcasm.
"Well, we should be leaving in a couple of days. Now, you can keep whining, or you can come over here and eat lunch with me," Ruby replied setting the bag down on a table in the room.
Annette dragged herself off of the bed, shuffling over to the table, "I really don't understand how you can always have so much energy. You were on death's doorstep just a few days ago."
"I don't understand how you're always so negative. You should try and enjoy yourself more," the younger girl, continued to talk as she grabbed food out of the bags.
"You're the weird one. I've yet to meet anyone else in this line of work, that talked as much as you," the pilot moaned.
"I'm not sure why they wouldn't want to. I really enjoy talking with you."
Annette couldn't help but smile at the younger girl's statement, "Well we can chalk, entertainment value, on my list of useless skills."
Ruby let out a small laugh at Annette's words, "Yea, entertainment value."
"So, you're going to meet with this woman tomorrow, right? That note she gave you, it said 'At Summer on the full moon," Annette's voice peaked with curiosity, "So tomorrow is the full moon, so that's the time. So what did she mean by, 'At Summer?"
Ruby choked on her food, forcing it down her throat, "When the hell'd you see that note?"
"I have pretty good eyesight, and I was kinda standing a few feet from you that night. So, where's Summer?" Annette explained to Ruby.
Ruby stopped eating, the corners of her smile dropping, "Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it? What if you get beaten to a pulp again? It helps to know where to pick you up," the faunus reasoned, "Besides, I'm curious. Don't we know each other well enough by now?"
"Mind your own damn business!" Ruby shot out of her chair, slamming her palms on the table. Ruby stepped back, her sudden outburst starting to sink in, "I'm heading out for a while," Ruby turned away from the faunus, storming out of the room.
Team WBY accompanied by Taiyang, had just disembarked their flight from Mistral to Vale. With a dark cloud lingering over the group, the team readied themselves to meet with Ozpin. The four hunters were planning on heading straight from the airport to Beacon, ignoring their fatigue and jet lag.
Yang found even the meager physical strain exhausting, her injuries still in a fragile state. The blonde had not yet been cleared to leave the hospital, regardless, after four days she had refused to remain longer. Much to the displeasure of her doctor, even in her injured state, he was unable to stop her.
The only one missing out of the group was Qrow Branwen. As much as it pained them to leave the man behind, they had no way of knowing when he would wake. The doctors in Mistral, had explained that there was a possibility of brain damage, but had no way of being certain.
Luckily for the group, once they contacted Ozpin and explained the gravity of the situation, he had immediately sent an airship to retrieve them. Within minutes of disembarking their initial
flight, they were back in the air. Tensions ran high amongst the four hunters, all of them frustrated at their lack of direction.
The trip to Beacon was not a long one, however for the team it felt agonizingly lengthy. The massive academy came into view, it's spire piercing the sky with dark clouds hanging above it. Though it had only been a matter of months since the girls had graduated, the sight of Beacon evoked a strange sense of nostalgia. The place where they had spent three years of their lives, bringing back a swirl of emotions. On this day in particular, Beacon seemed to evoke a foreboding sense of dread amongst all four hunters.
The airship seemed to almost slam onto the landing pad, the team glad that the pilot didn't waste time making them comfortable. They didn't spare a single second making their way to Ozpin's office, moving as quick as their feet would carry them. Passing students stared at the team, many of them knowing of the four either personally or by reputation alone. Regardless of their association, not one dared to stop the hunters, practically sensing the sense of urgency as they passed.
Once they had boarded the elevator, it was as if time slowed to a miserable crawl. Not one word had been said between the four since they had arrived, Yang and her father shaking slightly, unable to calm their frantic nerves. After minutes that felt like hours, the elevator came to a stop, the doors sliding open.
In front of them, sat what seemed like an ageless man. His gray hair betraying the lack of wrinkles on his face, his youthful tone belied the wisdom he spoke. Professor Ozpin sat at his desk, his chin resting atop his folded hands, wearing an impenetrably calm expression. By his side, sat a coffee mug on his desk, with Professor Glynda Goodwitch standing on his opposite side.
"I suppose we have a great deal to discuss. Why don't you four go ahead and take a seat?" Ozpin's tone matched his expression, his calm voice seemed as if it aimed to overpower every emotion the group had.
"Ozpin, you'll have to understand if we don't exactly feel like sitting," Taiyang responded, knowing both his and Yang's nervous demeanor, wouldn't let them sit.
The corners of Ozpin's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sympathetic smile, "Of course. However, if we're going to figure everything out, I'll need you all to calm down, even if just a little."
All four were continually impressed by how naturally the man seemed to control the situation. As they sat and collected themselves, Ozpin inquired as to the group's health and physical condition. After a short time, all four were collected enough to put together their thoughts.
"Now, I need to know, as to what we discussed when you called. Is it true?" The question was so simple, however Ozpin's tone was enough to get nearly all of them to second guess themselves. A single blonde haired huntress however, refused to question herself.
"It couldn't be more true. Ruby's alive, and she's the one that put me, Dad, and Qrow in this condition," Yang's resolute voice shattering the indecisive silence.
"I see. Glynda, could make some more coffee? It seems that we have long night ahead of us," for as ambiguous as Ozpin's age seemed, for just a moment, his eyes revealed an ages old melancholy.
After hours of talking amongst everyone present, each member being questioned and reviewing every possible detail, Ozpin seemed to relent.
"So, we currently believe Miss Rose to be attempting to contact Raven Branwen? Correct?" Ozpin questioned, his tone now just as tired as it was calm. When the matter of Ruby contacting Raven was brought up, Ozpin had visually stiffened. Once it was revealed that they may have already met, Ozpin began to look almost sickeningly pale.
"We're certain of it, Professor," Weiss answered him clarifying the detail.
"Furthermore, there is a good chance that they have already came into contact. If they have, then we have no idea when, or where?" Ozpin continued to clarify, seemingly obsessed over the detail.
"That's all correct Ozpin. After the events at the port, we completely lost track of her," Taiyang answering this time.
"Professor, why would Ruby be trying to find my mother? And why are you so hung up it?" it was Yang's turn to ask questions, Ozpin's obsession over the topic, not going unnoticed by her.
Ozpin stood from his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Many years ago, when your mother went missing, she had been attempting to track down an underground organization. We had good reason to believe, that she had found herself in far deeper than the mission had originally mandated," Ozpin turned to look out his window, taking a deep breath, "It wasn't much longer before we lost contact. This led us to believe, that she had uncovered something far more sinister than we had thought possible. We reasoned, that she had broke contact in order to protect her family."
"I've heard all this before. What I want to know, is what this has to do with Ruby, and why are you so worried about it?" Yang interrogated the man, her tone growing inpatient.
"We now know, that the organization your mother was after is tied to Cinder Fall. After the attack during the Vytal festival, we had come up with two possibilities regarding Raven," Professor Ozpin's expression was now visibly melancholic, discarding his calm facade, "The first was that she was dead. The second, was that she was in so deep, that she was either unable to warn us, or she was working in the shadows to help us."
"If that's the case, that would mean she's alive. Why are you talking as if it's something so horrible?" Yang asked, her worry bleeding through her voice.
"Honestly Miss Xiao Long, it's the second possibility that terrifies me. Allow me to finish explaining," Ozpin picked up his mug, taking a sip of coffee before continuing, "Since the Vytal attack, multiple operatives have been sent to infiltrate Cinder's organization. So far every attempt we have made has turned out… disastrous. We've been utilizing a top down approach, starting at the surface layers of the organization and working our way deeper from there. We've tried to infiltrate both the White Fang, and Roman's gangs countless times."
"Why haven't we heard about this? We've dealt directly Cinder and her people. So why are we continually sent chasing dead ends?" Blake exclaimed.
Giving only a slight pause, Ozpin continued with his explanation, "Since our attempts to infiltrate have been unsuccessful, we figured our best chance, would be to proactively chip away at our foe wherever possible. Regrettingly, it has only turned into a war of attrition. At one point though, a different approach was suggested. It was quickly dismissed as impossible. A bottom up approach, was suggested. However, both the lack of information and the incredible danger it posed, made it pointless to try."
"You think that's what Ruby is after?" Taiyang clarified.
Ozpin gave a slight nod of his head in response, "If Raven is alive, then the only reason she wouldn't have made contact, is because there is a much greater threat than what we have knowledge of. What's more, Ruby Rose may be about to dive headlong into the great darkness of this threat."
"So where do we start?" Weiss spoke up, now demanding directions.
Ozpin gave a sorrowful smile, "Where indeed? I'll relay everything to the Hunter's Association, coordinate with the other kingdoms, attempt to gather further information. Everything that we've done for two years. Perhaps, Miss Rose will be able stir the pot enough for something to be revealed. As for you for, you should start by getting some rest. You all need it, and I promise to contact you the second we have something."
"There has to be something more "
"Yang! He's right. This alone, is all we can do for now. He's right when he says we all need rest," Taiyang prevented his daughter from having another outburst, despite being just as displeased.
"There is one last thing I need of you all," Ozpin's tone remained the same.
"Anything you need Professor," Taiyang answered this time.
"Everything we have discussed in this room today, I would like you to keep a secret," Ozpin spoke solemnly.
"What? Why?" Yang exclaimed.
"Depending on what Ruby's goal is, if people find out about this, it could put both women in danger."
"Alright, we'll stay silent, for now," Taiyang affirmed.
"Dad!, You're really okay with this?" the blonde argued.
"He's right, Yang. If he says it's for the best we should listen to him," the man reasoned with his daughter, receiving only a grumble in response.
"Thank you for all your help professor," Weiss politely ended the conversation. All four hunters piled into the elevator, leaving the room.
A small ding sounded as the elevator departed, Ozpin grabbed his mug, launching it into the wall next to him, the item shattering. The man's expression quickly twisted into one of despair and rage.
"Glynda, contact Ironwood," Ozpin ordered through gritted teeth. Glynda went to work tapping at her scroll, maintaining her calm demeanor.
Ozpin turned in his chair to once again look out his window, watching a single flash break through the dark clouds, "You damn fool."
Left foot, breathe out.
Left foot, breathe in.
Left foot, breathe out.
She had lost count of the hours now, the distance had long since ceased to be relevant. Ruby had left the motel room and started to run. She didn't use her aura nor her semblance. It was
just her body, and the ground beneath her feet. Countless hours were spent giving all her attention to her pace and her breathing.
Ruby couldn't come up with a good reason why she had snapped at Annette the way she did. She knew that the woman hadn't actually done anything wrong, nor had she meant any harm. If anything, Annette was trying to be helpful. Regardless of the faunus' intentions, despite the fact that Ruby knew better, she was still angry.
Ruby had assumed her anger would go away, assumed that eventually her head would clear. After countless hours and countless miles, Ruby had begun to realize that she was wrong. It seemed so irrational for her to be angry over it, so pointless. Even so, she continued to run, without distance or direction, her feet beat against the ground.
The broken moon now sat near it's peak in the sky, the somber light reflecting off steam rising from Ruby's sweat covered body. Her feet had begun to feel as if they had been torn apart. She could feel blisters in some places, raw skin in others where the blisters had already torn off. The bones in her feet, had long since began feeling the stress. It wasn't worth worrying about, Ruby was well aware, that her aura would have the damage fixed by morning.
It was at the same time she began to feel the pain in her feet, Ruby began to notice that her surroundings were oddly familiar. She continued to run, realizing that she knew where she was. The same houses she had seen a thousand time, the same trees, the same gray woodline. One foot after another, she continued to run, not knowing why she continued to go towards that place.
Slowly, Ruby's pace began to slow down, the same familiar location coming into view. Finally, the sound of feet beating against the pavement stopped. She didn't want to be here, didn't want to think of the memories associated with it. Even so, Ruby found herself making the walk across the yard. Her last memory of this place had been right there, on the very same lawn she was crossing.
Ruby remembered vividly, standing on that lawn with her uncle, being told that he was proud of her, that he supported her. The very same man, she had recently put in a coma. As Ruby came to the door of her former home, as if on instinct, she reached her hand inside the porch light.
When she pulled her hand out, she held the same key that sat there her entire life.
She opened the lock, twisting the doorknob, recognizing the loose feeling in her hand. Without even giving it a thought, she wiggled the broken doorknob as she turned it, the door swinging open. It was only once she stood inside, that Ruby snapped back to her senses.
Ruby could feel her heart racing, her palms were covered in sweat. Shuffling her beaten feet across the floor, Ruby came to a small mantle in the room. In front of her, sat a framed photo, a
light coating of dust visible. Her hand shaking, Ruby reached down picking up the photo, wiping the dust off with her other hand.
In the pale moonlight, Ruby could make out five people; herself, her father, Yang, Qrow, and her mother. As she stared at the photo, Ruby noticed a couple drops of water sitting on it. Her confusion was clarified, when another drop of water appeared.
"Huh, what the hell… "
Drop after drop, continued to fall. Ruby reached up, accepting that she was the source of the water. No matter how many times she would dry her eyes, tears continued to fall. Ruby tried to calm herself, to no avail as her body was wracked by sobs. Before she knew it, Ruby had dropped to the floor, holding the photo to her chest, the empty house filled with the sound of her sobs.
Please, don't do this.
Don't make me go.
I don't want this.
This is never what I wanted.
This isn't how I wanted to face you after all this time.
How the hell can I go to see you like this?
I don't want you to see me.
I don't want to go.
"Mom… I'm scared."
Ruby didn't know how long she stayed like that. She was disgusted at herself, disgusted with what she had become. Her anger had never been about Annette, nor had it been about her mother. Ruby realized, that at the back of her mind she knew, even so she had refused to admit it.
She had no idea how long she had stayed that way, sat against the wall in the fetal position. Eventually Ruby's tears stopped, whether it was because she calmed down, or was simply unable to cry anymore, she didn't know. Deciding that she needed to rest, Ruby picked herself up from the floor. Turning back toward the mantle, Ruby placed the photo face down where she had found it.
Finding her way to the bathroom, Ruby stripped herself of her garments. Ruby stopped briefly to look in the mirror. She thought of how even she would find it hard to believe, that the person she was looking at in the mirror, is the same bright eyed girl that had once stood there. The sharp glint of her eyes, the scar covered body, the hardened expression, all polar opposites of what once was reflected there.
Once she had finished with her shower, Ruby dried off and took her sweat soaked clothes to the washing machine. Her trip ended back in the same room in which her journey started. Ruby couldn't help but smile when she found her room in the exact condition she'd left it in. The same clutter taking up her workspace, spare weapons parts laying around, her bed unmade. Deciding to bring her night to an end, Ruby crawled into her bed, closing her eyes.
A dial screen flashed across the display of a desktop scroll, sitting in a moonlit room. Ozpin couldn't remember the last time he was this genuinely angry. Sitting in his office alone, he waited impatiently for the other party to answer. After a minute, the dial screen changed, revealing the face of a beyond middle aged man, sitting at a desk. The man across from Ozpin wore a disdainful expression, dark bags under his eyes giving him a more menacing appearance.
"Ozpin, I was expecting to hear from you soon," Ironwood greeted the calling party.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ironwood?" Ozpin replied through gritted teeth.
Ironwood thought carefully before speaking again, "How much do you know?"
"Enough, that for the first time, in a very long time, I'm quite angry," Ozpin looked at his friend with an expression of disgust.
"You have a problem with how I'm doing things?" Ironwood was clearly not surprised at his friend's disdain.
"A problem? I always have a problem with how you do things. No, this… this is more than a problem!" Ozpin began to raise his voice.
"All I've done, is use the assets at my disposal as best as I'm able."
"You've lied to me, you've deceived me, and you have risked everything we have worked for, and for what!" Ozpin's temper had begun to get the best of him, now fuming at Ironwood.
"I kept secrets from you for your own well being, and if you think for a second I've put our goals at risk then you're clueless. What do you actually know about Ruby Rose, as she is now?" Ironwood answered resolutely.
Ozpin sat for a second, allowing Ironwood's words to sink in, "What are you talking about?"
"Fuck's sake Ozpin. That girl, she's not same child that left your care two years ago. You asked me to do everything in my power to locate her, after the Vytal festival. When I found her… at that time, it was already too late for me to do anything."
"How long have you had knowledge of her?" Ozpin demanded.
"I found her just a few months after," Ironwood replied regretfully/
"Even so, you continued to let me believe that she was missing?"
"Even if I'd told you there was nothing you could have done. If anything it would have made the situation worse."
"Don't give me that nonsense! Two years under you, and look what she's become. You honestly believe I would think for a second, that she was better off in your military institution?" Ozpin's tone calmed, as he tried to reel in his temper.
"She wasn't... she was beyond even my reach. You'll remember, a couple months ago when we had the incursion in the North. I had mentioned the officer that was leading the Redemption Corps in battle "
"You can't mean, that she was?" Ozpin's voice was filled with disbelief.
"When I found her, she was already beyond saving. Just looking in her eyes, I could tell she would never be what you wanted. I wanted to get her out of that place, but even I don't have that authority. Only the council can do that, and it was out of the question to ask them."
"Even so, you couldn't at least tell me? The least you could have done, was give her family some peace of mind," Ozpin's temper began to return.
"Peace of mind! What the hell kind of peace of mind is that? You think her family would be relieved to hear, that even though Ruby was alive, she was stuck in the most dangerous place in the world? I should've told them, that they could do nothing about it, and that she would likely die within the next couple of months?" Ironwood almost seemed distraught at the conversation. Ozpin gave no answer, simply began to slump in his chair, "I thought, that I could protect her even a little bit. She was so incredibly capable, so she was given a field commision. I thought
that if I gave her a command position, it would keep her off the frontlines, in the end it only encouraged her more."
"So there was really nothing we could do?" Ozpin asked guiltily.
"The day she was scheduled to leave the Corps, I knew she'd never be what we wanted. When she volunteered to remain behind, to dive headlong into that endless darkness. Even so, she managed to rise from a sea of darkness. Kicking and screaming, she climbed out of there," Ironwood paused for a moment, rubbing his forehead, "When I met with her again, all her naivete, her innocence, it was gone. I almost gave up on her entirely, but...but I saw something. In the depths of her eyes, buried beneath all that incredible strength, was emptiness. I knew that if we were going to be able to use her, then I had to capitalize on it."
"You know, that we need her. We already had to wait long enough after Summer's death. So why? Why would you let her go after Raven?" Ozpin groaned.
"She won't be our key, Ozpin. She's not foolish enough to blindly follow us," Ironwood answered.
"So you would risk her becoming our enemy? You have to stop this meeting between her and Raven."
"I can't do anything about it. I can't contact her, and she was too stubborn to give me any details," Ironwood complained, "We just have to hope that things turn out for the best."
"And what if this goes south?"
"Then we terminate her, and wait till we find her replacement. We knew we would have to be patient for this to work. At this point, all we can do is prioritize the maidens," Ironwood explained.
"The longer we wait, the more dangerous this game becomes. You know how long I've been working on this," Ozpin's temper had dissipated, this time replaced again by a deep melancholy.
"I know, but if this is going to work, then it has to be perfect."
Ozpin turned from the screen, staring out at empty space, "I sure hope you're right."
Ruby had spent a night of restless sleep lying in her bed, her mind racing all night. Eventually giving up on the idea of sleeping, Ruby pulled herself out of bed. Peeking out the window, it seemed that the day's first light had begun to show. The sky was a cloudy grey, with a pink tint on the horizon. Deciding to get some training in, Ruby walked over to her dresser grabbing
some clothes out. Unfortunately, Ruby had forgotten that she had grown, now finding her old clothes a little too snug.
Yanking off her old clothes, Ruby walked over to Yang's old room. Looking through her things, Ruby found an old yellow t shirt and a pair of grey shorts. Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose, walking out the back door of the house. The home was fairly secluded, so Ruby didn't have to worry about being seen. Ruby opened Crescent rose to it's full length, putting herself in a fighting stance.
Mistral had a warmer climate than Vale, and tended to be far more humid. As a result, this was the first time Ruby noticed that the season was on the edge of winter. The frigid air, and gentle breeze nipped at her skin. Ruby took a step, moving her body with her feet, beginning a slow rotation of Crescent Rose as she did so. In the dim light of the morning, Ruby's slow dance seemed dangerously enchanting. Slowly picking up her pace, Ruby moved her feet slightly faster, the swing of her weapon becoming more aggressive.
Within minutes, Ruby's body and weapon were moving at a blistering speed, the girl executing motions as natural to her as breathing. The very air around Ruby seemed to bend at her will, the stray leaves around her had become caught up in her wake, blowing in sequence with her movements. Losing herself in her movement, Ruby's body now covered in sweat, had steam billowing off of it. Eventually, Ruby's movement slowed, and she came to a stop. The sun now sat just above the horizon, the horizon colored a brilliant red.
The remainder of Ruby's day was spent conducting weapons maintenance, and attempting to actually get some sleep. Ruby had decided to do some tweaking on Crescent Rose, attempting increase the folding speed, and extend the length of the shaft slightly. Once the sun had made it's way to the opposite side of the sky, Ruby prepared her things, not sure what to expect out of the coming meeting.
Leaving the home with a heavy heart, Ruby locked the door behind herself, not sparing a glance back. She entered the woods, her attire consisting of black cargo pants, and her dark red jacket over a gray shirt. The temperature was rather frigid, however Vale had not yet seen it's first snowfall. Ruby made her way through gray woods, dead trees, and grass marking her way. The path itself, was all too familiar for Ruby, having walked it countless times in the past.
Ruby knew she shouldn't be nervous, knew her heart shouldn't be racing. Regardless, she could do nothing to calm herself, as her feet carried her through the woods. Ruby remembered exactly how long the walk took, even so, it felt as if it were infinitely longer. As the final light of the sun dropped below the horizon, Ruby finally walked into a clearing on the edge of a cliff. The area was marked by a single gravestone. Ruby gave a brief pause, gathering her courage, stepping towards the gravestone.
Her thoughts were interrupted, by the sound of footsteps behind her. Spinning around, behind Ruby stood a woman with long black hair, a red and black outfit, and a large grimm like mask covering the top half of her head. The woman slowly reached up and pulled off her mask, revealing a beautiful face, defying her age. Ruby's silver eyes met Raven's red eyes, no words being spoken between the two.
Ruby looked down to see a rose held in Raven's hand. Without speaking a word to Ruby, Raven walked past her, kneeling at the gravestone. Raven seemed to stare regrettingly for a moment, before gently placing the rose atop the grave.
"I suppose, there must be a lot you want to know," Raven spoke with a gentle voice.
"No, there's only one," Ruby paused, repressing her curiosity, "Where's Cinder?" Ruby could see Raven visibly stiffen at the question.
"I see. So that's what this is all about then?" Raven stood from her place at the grave, turning to face Ruby, "If that's all, then we're done here."
Not letting Raven get a chance to use her semblance, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out in it's compact form, the muzzle pointed at Raven, "I don't think so. I'm perfectly willing to beat the answer out of you."
"I know you're aren't doing this of your own volition. I can tell just by looking at your eyes," Raven answered Ruby's threat with a sympathetic tone.
"I don't care what you think you know. You're going to tell me what I want to know, one way or another."
"Do you even know why you're looking for Cinder? I'll assume you're here on Ironwood's bidding, Ozpin does things differently," Raven gave no signs of worry, despite Ruby's best attempt at intimidation, "He's only using you."
"I know that he is, and I'm looking for Cinder, so I can kill her. If you think I'm doing this out of some twisted sense of justice, then you may as well quit wasting your breath," Ruby stared intently at the woman in front of her, remaining ready for any movement.
"Don't be foolish. There's only a couple of ways that this can turn out, and they aren't pretty. You can still get out, I can help you," Raven pleaded against Ruby's words of indifference.
"Where, is, Cinder?" Ruby slowly wrapped her index finger around the trigger of her weapon.
"Ruby, please, if you continue down this path, then you'll end up the same as Summer," Raven continued to plead, the shine of tears visible in her eyes.
Raven's words instantly cut through Ruby's mind, her thoughts racing at the statement, "What are you talking about?"
Raven's eyes widened, "You don't know? They never told you. Of course they wouldn't, they wouldn't tell you anything. That's how they do things," as she talked Raven pulled an older scroll from her pocket, reading over the screen.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ruby began raising her voice.
"Ruby, please, we can talk about this about this another time. You have to promise me though, that you'll cut ties with Ironwood," Raven ordered, seemingly frantic.
"No, you're going to tell me, right here, right now," the younger girl demanded through gritted teeth.
"Yes Raven, I think the poor girl deserves to know the truth as well," a sultry feminine voice cut through the night, answering Ruby.
A sickening fear shooting through Ruby, she jumped back, unfolding Crescent Rose and readying herself for combat. Looking for the source of the all too familiar voice, a lone woman walked out of the woodline. A gorgeous feminine figure, clad in a skintight black dress, long dark hair down past her shoulders, and flames jumping from her body.
"Cinder! I can explain, but this isn't the time," Raven yelled.
"What the fuck is this? You're with her?" Ruby felt her stomach churning and her head spinning. Standing between the two women, Ruby's eyes darted from one to the other.
"No! Just, calm down. It's not like that, Ruby. I "
"On the contrary, it's quite like that. Come now Raven, don't you think she deserves to hear the truth "
"Shut up Cinder! Not here, you need her "
"Or should I be the one to tell her? All about how you murdered her mother?" Cinder practically sung the words.
Time seemed to stop for Ruby, the situation had long since left her behind, "What the fuck, is she talking about?"
"Cinder! Ruby please, it's not what you think!" Raven was panicking, having quickly lost control of the situation.
"She's lying right? That's nonsense isn't it?" Ruby's voice was flat, her mind unable to grasp the situation.
"Ruby, I promise I can explain "
"What do you mean explain? Why aren't you denying it? Tell me she's lying!" Ruby now the one panicking.
Raven was unable to respond, only stare back at Ruby, guilt plaguing her face.
Ruby could feel her heart sinking in her chest, the sudden revelation destroying her sense of reason. No matter how hard she attempted to think through the situation, her mind continued to draw a blank. Any semblance of reason she had, now being clouded with rage, "Fuck you."
Ruby disappeared in a cloud of rose petals, the blade of Crescent Rose giving the briefest glint in the moonlight. Raven pulled her sword as fast as possible, stopping Ruby's weapon just inches from her body. As quick as she appeared, she was gone again, her blade swinging for Raven again. Raven stepped out of the path of destruction with hardly a second to spare. Raven kicked out, attempting to knock Ruby away, her foot contacting nothing but air.
The goal from the very beginning, had been to hunt down Cinder Fall. Now, as Ruby stood atop the cliff bearing her mother's grave, with her enemy in front of her, all that was forgotten. Gone was the mission, she had been given. Discarded, was her goal of finding Cinder. All that was left in Ruby's mind, was white hot rage.
"Ruby, stop this! You don't understand!" Raven shouted, blocking another vicious attack.
"I don't want to!" Ruby spun her weapon around her, aiming a deadly volley of swings at Raven.
The older woman was being pushed back, unable to keep up with Ruby. The most Raven could do, was continue to block, or so Ruby assumed. As Ruby was certain she had Raven's back to the wall, a tear opened in the space behind her, Raven vanishing from her sight. As Ruby took a step back to locate her enemy, she felt a searing pain shoot up her back. Unable to stay on her feet from the pain, Ruby collapsed onto the ground. Staring up at the broken moon, Ruby's mind was a swirl of emotions. She could hear voices talking, but not make out the words. As Ruby stared up at the sky, her vision slowly turned black, the world slipping away from her.
A/N: Woot woot! Another chapter done! Not sure what I want to say about this chapter, it was pretty long I guess. I was gonna mention in the last A/N about how I originally said that the story would be solely from Ruby's POV. Obviously, that has changed. I realized
that there's was no way that I could tell the story correctly from only Ruby's POV, as I'm sure is fairly obvious at this point.
I know a lot of you guys were really looking forward to Ruby meeting Raven, I'm wondering if anyone saw some shit like that coming. I mentioned in the last chapter that the tone was going to get much darker, now we are seeing the much more of the plot come into light. Shady things behind the scenes, crippling emotions, unthinkable secrets. Next chapter is going to be pretty graphic, and I'm disgustingly excited to write it.
Also I wanted to thank everyone for reading. I recently passed 300 followers and over 230 favorites. I'm really happy that you guys enjoy reading this stuff, otherwise it simply wouldn't be worth my time. Leave a review if you want, and let me know what you guys think!