Three Weeks later…
Ruby woke up before her alarm, something that was starting to become common on certain days.
She reached for her scroll blindly, sending the visions of nightmares that haunted her at the back of her mind before she could think of them. Her nightmares were intense, more often than not she had woken up with tears burning in her eyes, but she'd slowly learned just to move on with them. She'd distract herself from their haunted visions until she forgot about them, and would repeat that cycle every night.
Yawning, Ruby wiped the sand from the corners of her eyes using her thumb as she turned on her scroll. 10:13, exactly two minutes before she was scheduled to wake up anyway. She sat up, stretching her arms out in front of her as the bed rocked unsteadily on the rope holding it up.
"Mornin' sleepy head," Yang called from below her, a toothbrush shoved into her mouth as she pulled a brush through her hair. Ruby waved wordlessly to her as her brain caught up with her body, shuffling her pajama shirt back down her stomach before sliding her feet to dangle off the edge of the bed.
"Mornin'," Ruby said sleepily, sliding off the bed and hitting the ground with a hard thud. She reached up and stretched her back as she stood back up straight, hearing a satisfying crack as she did. "Where's Blake?"
"Bathroom," Yang pointed towards the closed door with her thumb, "I wish she'd hurry up tho' because I have an entire mouthful of toothpaste I gotta rinse."
Almost on cue, the feline slipped from the bathroom, her purple eyeliner fresh on her eyelids, hair freshly washed, and her hands wrapped around their full clothes hamper. Yang didn't waste a beat sliding into the bathroom, where Ruby heard her spit out her toothpaste into the sink.
"Morning Ruby," Blake greeted, reaching down to pick up one of Yang's neck warmers and putting it into their hamper. "Going to see Weiss today?"
"Yep!" Ruby chirped, her chest lifting at the idea, "Once Yang gets out of the bathroom."
"The lovebird must find it's significant other!" Yang called from the bathroom, mocking a posh accent she'd heard in a nature documentary. Ruby rolled her eyes playfully, her mood too high to be weakened by Yang's jokes. Today is the only day mid-week that she gets to see Weiss. As much as she wanted to, once the initial two weeks after the incident had passed, many of the teachers started to request that team RWBY, or what remained at the moment, returned to their studies to prepare for their final exam. The fighting portion had been waived and the team given a full pass due to the circumstances, however the written exam was still a very real looming threat, and without Weiss tutoring her nightly Ruby was almost starting to fall behind.
Almost.
So, Ruby had been limited to one visit to Weiss per week, and then wherever she wanted on weekends. Today was the day mid-week that Ruby was exempt to go and see her partner, mainly because today was the day the school had assigned team training days.
"Yang, leave her alone," Blake scolded, clicking the handles of the clothes hamper closed and opening the dorm door. She smiled at Ruby, "Have a good time. Tell her I ordered that book for her from the library. It should be here within the week."
"I will, thanks Blake," Ruby smiled back as the girl left the room, catching the door with her foot and closing it behind her. Yang popped her head out of the bathroom at the sound of the door closing, before looking back to Ruby in curiosity.
"You wanna shower before I do?" Yang asked, pointing behind her. Ruby nodded eagerly, unwilling to wait an hour for the blonde to brush and wash her mane of blonde hair.
"Yes, please!"
.
The Banquet Hall was full of chattering students, each year scattered around the four massive tables that spaced the huge room. The vibrant colors were eye-catching, each student geared out in their uniform, their pajamas, or their combat outfit accompanied by their mirage of weapons. Ruby recognised a few heads dotted around the room, like JNPR, who sat in their usual spot close to the back of the hall. Normally, team RWBY would be sitting with them, but today the spot across from them was empty. Ruby felt bad for leaving their friends alone, she enjoyed their talks in the morning.
There were a few others too, like team CFVY who sat nearer to their third-year friends. Ruby could spot Yatsu and Velvet a mile away thanks to their easily picked features. While Velvet wasn't the only rabbit faunus in Beacon, she was the only one who'd walk around with a pillar. They were decked out in their combat gear, the same clothes that they'd worn when they rescued Weiss over a month ago.
A month ago. She could hardly believe it had been that long since Weiss had been kidnapped.
Ruby practically bounced in place as she waited in line, the student ahead of her gazing down hungrily at the selection of pastries made for breakfast. A large chunk of them were gone, but Ruby's eyes were laser focused on the selection of croissants that sat in the back. There were four left, which meant she could grab two for Weiss as a surprise, and then her own breakfast too. She had her own stomach hoping for one of the blueberry muffins that were quickly diminishing.
Thankfully, the faunus girl in front of her didn't take it, and happily scanned her student ID off the payment scanner and left. Ruby quickly took her spot, fishing her ID out of her pocket for when she needed it, and pressed her orders on the holographic screen in front of her. Two croissants, a muffin of the blueberry variety, and strawberry milk. Ruby hesitated as she debated a drink for Weiss. Weiss always did say that having a complimentary beverage with breakfast was supposed to help with digestion…
Nah, Weiss would probably have water with her anyway.
Happy with her decision, Ruby hit the green 'confirm order' button at the bottom of the screen and held up her scroll to confirm her identity. The holographic screen flashed green, and the automated machine came to life. A pair of tongs grabbed Ruby's baked food and put it all in a brown paper bag, while the drinks machine beside her made a heavy thud noise as her milk appeared in the plastic window. With a flick, the hatch opened on both dispensers, allowing Ruby to happily grab her and Weiss's breakfast.
"Thank you, Mr Machine," Ruby chirped, reattaching her scroll to her belt and putting their breakfast into her hoodie pockets. She backed away from the self-service and made her way through the halls. The hoodie she was wearing was massive on her, but it helped with the sling she had to wear around her shoulder when she went out. It was a clunky thing, a gray plastic casing that held her shoulder in the correct position.
She was mostly healed now, but sometimes her shoulder would give a pang of protest if she pushed herself too far. The brace was supposed to come off any day now, but Ruby didn't like showing it off. It was annoying to be stopped every few minutes with someone asking what had happened. Ruby understood people's curiosity, but Ruby didn't like having to lie to peoples faces. It struck the wrong note with her, so instead, she just hid it.
The air was fresh outside, with a damp moisture floating around. It had rained pretty heavily the night before, evident by the soaked stones and glistening grass, not that Ruby minded. The smell of dampness in the morning always reminded her of the forest back home in Patch, when Yang and her would go out in the early morning to play and fetch berries for their mom.
A small frown tugged at Ruby's lips at the memory, but she swiftly shoved it to the back of her mind, looking up and setting her eyes on the airship ports that waited at the end of the courtyard. The usual few were parked in wait, ready for their departure when the clock hit 10:45. A handful of students floated around them in their teams, mainly the fourth years. They had their final missions coming up, didn't they? Ruby debated going to them and asking, but silently decided against the idea as she fished out her scroll again.
She turned it on and flickered through the contacts, easily scouting Weiss's name at the top. The profile picture she had was old, one from their first few days in Beacon. When they had all moved into the dorm together, Yang had been insistent that they all take a group photo. The unfamiliarity in the photo was hilarious to look back at now. Weiss had been glaring at Ruby in it, because Ruby had decided to wrap her arm around the girl's waist and fished her in tighter to a bear hug Yang was giving with her free hand. Yang and Ruby were smiling whole heartedly, while Blake just seemed more amused than anything. They'd all taken a snippet of their own faces and set it as their profile pictures in the hours after.
Ruby hummed warmly as she remembered, tapping on Weiss's name and watching as the screen dissolved into a call. The device rang quietly as Ruby walked, with Ruby counting each of the rings before finally hearing the other end pick up. Almost immediately, a smile burst free onto her face. "Hey!"
"Good morning, Ruby," Weiss mumbled from the other end, her voice heavy.
"Oh, did I wake you up?" Ruby asked, a passive sense of guilt washing over her, "Ahh, I'm sorry! I thought you would've been awake by now."
Weiss didn't respond for a moment, worrying the younger girl as she got closer to the airships. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs that led up, not wanting to bother the older students with her talking. Another beat, and Ruby heard the end of what she assumed to be a yawn coming from Weiss.
"Sorry," she yawned for a second time, before clearing her throat, "Ah, today's Thursday isn't it?"
Ruby couldn't help the smile widening on her face, leaning comfortably against one of the stone pillars supporting the roof of the airship dock, "Yep! I'm waiting at the docks now, actually."
"I see," There was a pause on the other end of the scroll. Ruby could sense the drop in mood in her partner from where she stood. Ruby's brows drew together in worry, watching the blank screen like it alone would open up and reveal Weiss's secrets to her.
"Weiss?"
"Hm?"
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, maybe a bit too forcibly. She couldn't help the protectiveness that urged in her stomach though, the rawness from Weiss's kidnapping still only a flimsy scab in her mind. Her anxieties picked at that scab relentlessly, and the blood that flowed from it fed it, and left some for her nightmares too.
"Oh, it's nothing. Winter is simply returning to Atlas today." Weiss explained, the sadness in her tone loud and clear in Ruby's ears. Though, she understood how Weiss felt. Whenever Yang went on trips with her friends when she was younger, Ruby felt vulnerable and lonely. She wouldn't let Weiss feel that way.
"Well, you'll have me!" Ruby chirped, "A-and Winter is always just a scroll away."
Weiss sighed, "Right."
Ruby frowned, watching her scroll as silence trickled by. Weiss knew Winter had been visiting Weiss as frequently as she could, beating away the loneliness. Ruby took a breath to say something to try and cheer her up, but her words were stolen by a loud ding from the airship Ruby was due to board.
"Flight 283 to Vale City is departing in one minute."
"That's me," Ruby said aloud, restarting her way back to the ship, "I'll be there soon. Don't miss me too much."
Ruby heard a faint huff on the other end of the line, "I'll try not to."
Ruby felt her face warm slightly as she ended the call and slipped into the airship, flashing her scroll to the awaiting screen and filtering through the students looking for a free seat. She flicked her hood up as she settled into a seat with a sigh, pulling her old, trusty headphones from her pockets and slipping them on for the ride.
.
.
The crashing waves of anxiety mixed uncomfortably in her stomach as Ruby passed through the hospital's front doors to the reception. The antiseptic smell that hit her as she walked through kicked up the memories that Ruby was trying to bury of sitting hours upon hours by Weiss's bedside and just watching the fragile rise and fall of her chest beneath all the wires and tubes keeping her alive. Ruby didn't know if she'd ever get those images out of her head.
Tightening her grip on the paper bag in her hand, Ruby waltzed up to the open desk and to the man who worked behind it. He looked up at the sound of footsteps getting closer, smiling kindly as Ruby stopped.
"Good to see you again, Ruby. Here for Weiss?" He greeted, already typing at the keys hidden behind the countertop. Ruby nodded.
"Yessir!" She chirped, taking the authorization key that was needed to even get into Weiss's room. It was a safety feature to protect her from press and anything else that might try and crawl in. It had let everyone have a small amount of peace of mind, especially given the circumstances of her hospitalisation.
"There's a nurse scheduled to be there soon, but I'm sure they won't mind you being there," The man said, typing something into the monitor he sat behind.
"Oh, okay!" Ruby's smile faltered a little. She had wanted to spend time with Weiss alone for a while, but the rampant amount of nurses that came to and from Weiss was normal. Weiss did have a one-of-a-kind injury. The doctors had only cleared her 'critical condition' status within the past week. There was just so much they didn't know about what had happened to her partner. If only Weiss could tell them what had happened…
Ruby pondered on that thought as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the buttons to the floor Weiss was on. Weiss had been badly affected by everything, and not just physically either. Ruby hadn't missed the slight jerks when someone would touch her, and how she'd lean away from Ruby after a little while. Ruby had begun to wonder if the girl they'd rescued was Weiss at all. The proud, outspoken and sassy girl Ruby knew was gone, replaced with a hollow version of herself.
It hurt to look at.
Ruby wondered if she'd ever hear Weiss laugh again, or ever get a glimpse over the walls she'd let down to the real girl inside all the expectations her father had put on her. Ruby hadn't seen Weiss smile once since she'd found her, and more than once Ruby had had to pull Weiss from her own thoughts, clouded blue eyes staring empty at the bandages around her arms like she wasn't even there.
Ruby took a long breath as she stepped out onto the floor Weiss was on, smiling politely to a nurse as she passed. When Ruby had been going through her emotional exams, an exam any student went through after any kind of trauma, the therapists had reminded her that the Weiss she knew was probably gone, or at least, wouldn't be back for a long time. Trauma did horrible things to people, to their personalities. Time after time they would tell her not to get her hopes up, but Ruby had anyway. She'd ignored them and waited by Weiss's bedside until she was forcibly pulled away for medical checks of her own, or for one of the eight dust surgeries Weiss had gone through while she was in a coma. She'd waited for Weiss to wake up, and she thought she had. She truly thought that Weiss had come back.
Then she saw her, and how the light in her eyes had been snuffed out and replaced with a dull shadow. Felt how Weiss had jerked away from her, from Ruby, like Ruby was going to brand her with a hot iron.
It scared her. It scared her a lot, even if she tried not to show it.
But, that didn't mean Ruby wasn't going to try her hardest to try and find her Weiss in there somewhere.
Taking a breath, Ruby finally stopped outside one of the many blue doors of the hospital, holding up the keycard that would let her into it. The door buzzed, the red light on the scanner turning green as the magnetic locks opened. Ruby put her hand on the handle, steeled herself with a smile, and pushed it open.
"Morning We-"
Ruby's own tongue silenced her as she choked on it, meeting the startled gaze of her pale skinned partner, stripped from the top down to expose her features to the room. A nurse sat in front of her, undisturbed by the event as she carefully wrapped up Weiss's forearm with a new white gauze while Weiss's face discovered a new shade of red.
Ruby's eyes couldn't help themselves as they drifted down Weiss's back, examining the almost single blanket of a scar that led down her entire spine and shoulders, vanishing beneath the lower half of her hospital gown. It was still angry and red, as if it were only a few hours old. It curled around her muscles, the surface rough. It curled to fit over the toning of her shoulders, up her neck, and around to her openly exposed-
She yelped as a pillow landed in her face, blocking the view with its soft vengeance. Ruby instinctively caught it, but held it to her eyes at the humiliated, "RUBY ROSE!" That screamed behind it.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to look! I j- I'm sorry!" Ruby could practically feel the blood pumping under her skin, turning her back as an extra padded layer of protection. She heard Weiss huff in frustration, and the nurse chuckled warmly.
"Good afternoon Ruby," The nurse greeted, familiar with Weiss's frequent visitors. Ruby was pretty sure she knew them all by name, "How are you doing this morning?"
"I'm good!" Ruby chirped innocently, holding out the brown paper bag from her body as she balanced the pillow again in her hand, "I brought breakfast."
"I'll be done in just a minute, then I'll leave you two to your breakfast together."
"Okay!" Ruby replied, holding the bag close to her again as she focused on the unending darkness the pillow over her eyes offered. Only one thought called to her from it.
Weiss's scars.
Ruby had never really seen the wounds, or acknowledged them long enough to see how bad they were. Weiss's entire back was destroyed. It was almost like they had poured molten lava onto her and pried it away after it dried, pulling and tearing away whatever flesh it had stuck to like a tacky glue. She knew dust poisoning often gave a rash from her studies, but whatever kind of dust this was had burned through Weiss's skin from the inside and set her on fire.
Ruby, again, thanked whatever gods were watching them for letting Weiss live.
"Don't forget about your Physical Therapy soon, Miss Schnee," The nurse spoke again, the sound of her unwrapping a new set of bandages catching Ruby's attention, "I'm sure the ward would allow Miss Rose in given the circumstances."
"Are you sure? I'm sure Ruby wouldn't mind-"
"I can come!" Ruby turned around unconsciously, quickly averting her eyes to the ceiling as she realised that the nurse was only finishing wrapping Weiss's chest and back. "I can bring out the hounds."
"Ruby, I'm sure the nurses have become immune to your puppy dog stare by now." Weiss groaned back, earning a second hearty chuckle from the nurse as she leaned back. Ruby felt something surge in her stomach at the quip, something hopeful as a twinkle of Weiss' personality shined through the cracks.
"All done. Nothing feels too tight?" The lady asked, gently tugging at some of the wrapping to make sure her work was secure. Weiss shifted slightly, her cheeks scrunching a bit as she twisted uncomfortably.
"It's fine," She confirmed. Ruby took that as her queue to look back down. Weiss was pulling the shoulders of her gown back up as the nurse gathered up the plastic that had been wrapped around the bandages and threw them into the nearby bin. Ruby cautiously moved over, leaning over the back of one of the chairs by the bed.
"Alright then, Miss Schnee. Hopefully we should be getting those pressure wraps in soon, so we shouldn't need to keep replacing bandages," The woman smiled, "But I'll leave you to your visitors. You know where I am should you need me."
"Thank you, Kas."
Kas left without another word, closing the door behind her with a heavy lock and leaving the two huntresses alone together. Ruby turned back to Weiss and held up the worn brown bag.
"I brought you breakfast," She chirped, opening the paper and retrieving her own croissant from it before handing it over to Weiss. The Schnee stared at it in surprise for a moment, before taking it and peering into the contents of it. Ruby watched anxiously as Weiss's face softened.
"Thank you, it's perfect," She folded the paper closed, "I'll have it after."
"Okay! Just make sure you eat, okay?" Ruby shuffled into the seat she was leaning on, dragging it closer to Weiss's bedside, "You need your strength."
Weiss huffed, "I know, I know. I'll eat them, okay? I promise."
Ruby, satisfied with that answer, settled back into her chair, a content smile on her face as Weiss carefully laid the bag down on the table beside her. She watched the fresh bandages rippling on her chest, and immediately thought back to the scars that sat beneath them. She frowned slightly.
"I suppose you think I'm a monster now," Weiss commented, having felt Ruby's gaze linger, "I certainly look like one."
Ruby jerked her gaze away like a child having been caught stealing, "I- N-no. There's just a lot more than I thought- Not like that's a bad thing! Scars are cool, especially big ones like that- Not that they're that noticeable or anything-"
Ruby clamped her mouth shut. Gods, she really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut…
Weiss frowned disapprovingly at her, "Go on, tell me what you really think."
The sarcasm that dripped from her voice hurt. Ruby took a breath, "I'm sorry. They just… kinda caught me off guard. I know dust can give you a rash, but…"
"I look hideous."
"What? No! That's not what I said."
"It's what you implied in your ramblings," Weiss grumbled, closing her arms against her chest. Ruby only noticed how small she looked, how thin she'd gotten. "It's alright. I know."
"Weiss…" Ruby whined, "Come on, you don't look hideous. You couldn't if you tried."
Weiss ignored the attempted efforts, "I've become useless. A huntress with a chronic disease and that's in constant pain." She laughed bitterly, "Who would want that? I'll be confined to the SDC as a secretary, if I'm lucky."
"Hey, don't say that. You're strong Weiss, if anything, those scars prove that," Ruby reached out to touch Weiss' shoulder, but she jerked away. Ruby's hand hung in the air for another minute, before letting it drop back to her lap, "Not anyone could've survived whatever happened to you, but you did. That's amazing! Y'know?"
"I'm still a burden," Weiss countered, "To everyone. To the nurses, to my family, even to my team. I'll only tie you down." Ruby opened her mouth to refute the claim, but Weiss bet her to it, "Don't try and pretend, Ruby. I know none of you can partake in the Vytal Festival this year because of me, you can't be a part of any combat classes. It's all because of me. Maybe it would've been better if I hadn't survived."
Ruby felt something unfurl in her chest at the idea, tears springing to her eyes, "That's not true."
"Yes, it is!"
"No!" Ruby's voice broke, and she sniffed furiously as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Weiss looked up in surprise, almost alarmed at the sight of her leader crying. "We need you, Weiss. We still do, so don't you dare even think that…"
The silence between them that lingered was long and awkward as Ruby tried to gather herself again. Weiss's gaze slowly filtered down to her hands that rested on her lap as he waited, ashamed to even look at Ruby after what she had just said. Ruby took a long breath, wiping the tears from her eyes using the base of her palm.
"So, um," Weiss spoke quietly, almost afraid to break the silence, "I've got physical therapy now… You don't have to come, but…"
Ruby shook her head defiantly, brushing her hair from her face with a clawed hand, "No, no it's okay. I'll come." She sat up, rolling up the sleeves on her hoodie. "Do you have crutches, o-or?"
"A chair," Weiss said almost guiltily, nodding to the empty wheelchair that was stored in the corner of the room. The padding was blue, with a black steel frame and handle bars that sat out from the back. Ruby stood from her chair and grabbed it, carefully leaving it back to the clear side of Weiss's bed. She lined it up carefully, putting the locks on the wheels when she was content.
Weiss pulled the sheets from her body, revealing her legs. Ruby tried not to notice how much muscle was missing from them, and how frail they looked in comparison to before everything had happened. Weiss scooped her hands under them and pulled them closer to the edge of the bed, where she sat and tried to plan how to get from the bed to the wheelchair.
Ruby stepped closer, "Here, let me help?"
Weiss seemed to seriously debate the idea for a moment, looking from Ruby to the chair and then back to her legs. She could move them slightly, but not enough to support her own weight, similar to her arms. After a minute she let out a sigh, and nodded.
"Fine, but just be careful."
Ruby moved closer, setting her hands on Weiss's ribs carefully, "I'll be quick. Ready?"
With the confirmation of Weiss's nod, Ruby lifted Weiss from the chair and laid her in the chair without an issue. Weiss settled into it, repositioning her legs together and reaching for the buckle around her waist. Ruby quietly stepped back behind her and grabbed onto the handlebars.
"So, where to next, partner?"