Chapter 1
Ruby let out a groan as she stretched her arms high above her head, squinting her eyes at the bright sun. She let out a sigh looking at the trunk in front of her.
Growing up she only ever remembers moving once and that was away from the town she just so happens to be back in. She remembers small details of packing bags and rushed goodbyes but anything else has faded over the years.
She felt something push her shoulder getting a small smirk from her father as he passed. "Come on pipsqueak, we don't have all day." He said quickly moving up into the moving truck disappearing into the back. She shook her head adjusting the hat on her head before going to the end of the ramp looking up at Qrow.
"When can I take a break? It's too hot out here for this." She muttered as she wiped her brow of sweat. Qrow let out a laugh setting a box down at the edge of the box truck entrance.
"You just got a break, also maybe if you didn't wear a hoodie all the time you wouldn't be so hot."
Ruby rolled her eyes going up to where he set the box. "I meant for food, you know DCF would have a fit against you for not feeding us."
The man raised an eyebrow before giving her a joking glare as he set down another box. "Last I checked by your own words you're an adult and start treating you like one. Also Blake went out to get food and should be back soon."
Ruby shook her head sighing as she picked up the box labeled living room. "You know it's unfair you use my words against me." She called over her shoulder earning another laugh from the man.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you." He said setting another box down.
"Oh yay police dad is back."
"Police dad never left."
The redhead let out a laugh this time walking through the garage going through the door to the living room. She found a good spot next to a few piles of boxes setting it down.
"Didn't you say Yang was coming by?" Ruby asked, noticing her father enter behind her.
"She was, yes, running a bit late it seems." He said checking his watch.
"Or she forgot." Ruby said, spinning on her heel to go back out the garage.
"That's not what I'm saying." He said as the two met up at the truck.
"You were thinking about it." She said, rotating a box to find the label.
The man sighed, picking up another box waiting for Ruby to follow him. "Give them a chance Ruby, it was last minute that we told them."
"Last minute you told them. I didn't want anything to do with that side but here we are back in the town where all the shit started." She said as she set the box down on her previous box.
"Language." He said letting a huff out as he set his box down on the counter. "I get it, it's hard. Tai… he's gotten better, AA meetings when he can, 8 years sober. That's a lot, remember you and I both agreed Yang would be a good start for you?"
"That's even if she cares." Ruby muttered, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.
"Don't say that. Ruby you know she cares, sure she couldn't visit because well money is tight. But she called whenever she could and even sent you letters and gifts for your birthday whenever she could." Ruby sighed, taking a small sip from the water. "It's not easy on her either Ruby, legally I couldn't take Yang and you know that. But now that we are here she wants to try and be there for you. Make up for lost time."
The redhead rolled her eyes recapping the water bottle before putting it back in the fridge. "You're doing it again." She said as she made her way out of the house.
Qrow sighed watching his daughter leave a buzzing in his pocket pulling his attention.
Ruby made her way up the truck ramp into the truck letting her eyes adjust to the dimly lit box part of the truck, she scanned through the boxes counting out in her head just how many boxes they had left for each room.
She heard a car door next to the truck making her jump a little at the sound, not noticing the car pulling up beforehand. She felt her heart race a little as she scoot past a pile of boxes to the edge of the truck, she used the handle to swing herself around breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Blake.
"Aunty Ru!"
Ruby smiled, stepping down a step on the truck before hoping down onto the driveway. "Kira! Long time no see little one!" She said catching the little girl running at her. "Did you behave for mom?"
The little girl nodded as she fiddled with a toy in hand watching her mom go around to the passenger side of the car. "I did, I was a big girl."
The redhead chuckled, catching keys tossed her way. "Don't worry, your baby car is perfectly safe. Not even a single dent or scratch."
Ruby rolled her eyes as she jumped in her spot a little, making Kira laugh at the movement. "That was one time, also doesn't help you came back with a dent."
"I told you that was one time as well, how was I supposed to know someone was going to send a golf ball my way." Blake hitting her shoulder into Ruby's shoulder earning a gasp from the redhead.
"Did you see that Kira, your mother has wounded me. How can I ever go on." She said, holding the back of her hand to her forehead pretending that her knees buckled.
Kira gasped holding onto her aunt's shoulder with a look of worry on her face. "Nooo aunty Ru. Momma!"
Blake slowed a little, rolling her eyes at Ruby. "Will you stop fooling around and come eat?"
"Darn, I think I've been caught Kira." She said quickly spinning around earning a squeal from the little girl before she quickly caught up with Blake.
"So what kind of pizzas did you get?" Ruby asked as they made their way into the house.
"Just the classic, cheese and pepperoni. Figured not much to complain about that."
Ruby hesitated for a quick moment. "But Blake, didn't I tell you I'm going on a vegan diet?"
Blake stopped for a quick moment staring at the woman before she saw the small twitch of a grin on her face making her sigh. "I hate you."
The redhead burst out laughing as they made it to the kitchen, Ruby set Kira down watching as she ran up to Blake hugging the woman's legs. "Come on, that was funny. The look on your face was priceless."
Blake rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face, she pulled out a handful of paper plates before grabbing a few for her and Kira.
"Where's dad?" She asked, taking Kira's hand, leading her to the table. Ruby gave a shrug grabbing two slices of pizza before joining her sister. "Don't know, last I saw him he was in here. I went back out to grab more boxes until you came." She said stuffing the food into her mouth.
As if on queue a door opened up down the hall before he walked around the corner into the kitchen. "Everything okay dad?" Blake asked, watching as the man grabbed food of his own.
"Yeah, I just got off the phone with Yang. I guess her girlfriend is having car troubles. She wanted to make sure everything was safe with her, so she won't be here until tomorrow."
"Is she okay at least?" Ruby asked, slowing her consumption of pizza.
"Yeah luckily she didn't get into an accident or anything. Just a minor mishap."
The redhead nodded a small frown forming on her face.
"Give me one damn reason Fall why I don't hurt you right now." The woman said, slamming her hands down on the table glaring at the woman.
Cinder chuckled, her arms crossed over her chest. "Hello to you too Yang, how's the kids? The wife?"
Yang took a deep breath, the glare not going away. "Cut the shit what the hell is so important you can't tell me over the goddamn phone?"
"Listen blondie don't get your panties in a bunch, doesn't Schnee already do that enough?" Yang was about to retort at that comment only for Cinder raising a hand to stop her. "Just have a seat."
Yang made no movement at all, making the woman sigh. "Please sit before you make even more of a scene then you already have you child."
The blonde let out a small huff before she finally sat down across from Cinder.
"I understand I interrupted your sweet time with your baby sister and I do apologize for that." She paused, pulling out a folder from the bag at her feet. "But we have bigger problems to attend to." She said sliding it across the table to the blonde.
Yang looked at the folder before looking back at Cinder, raising an eyebrow. "I still don't see how this couldn't have been a damn phone call." She muttered, flipping open the folder. She was met with a few pictures on top, her eyes narrowing at what she was looking at.
"Thought we dealt with him." She said flipping through a few more pictures stopping at one with Ruby and another woman. "So we thought." Cinder leaned back into the seat, swirling dark red liquid in her glass. "Someone didn't do the job right. Figured you should be the first to know."
The blonde sighed, picking up the picture showing it to Cinder. "What does this have to do with her?" She said, feeling her jaw tighten.
"That's Belladonna, daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna. Recognize the name?"
"White Fang."
"Ex-White Fang leaders until well… an early retirement." Yang shivered at the thought before setting the picture down, her eyes focused on Ruby, a frown forming on her lips.
"As far as we know Qrow Branwen and Summer Rose adopted Blake after some events. What we know is Miss Belladonna and Miss Rose know nothing, from what Qrow has told my mother. But there is a reason Adam Taurus is here coincidentally around the same time they move here."
"Do you think Qrow is misleading information?"
Cinder frowned, finishing her drink with a sigh. "It's not the first time."
Yang frowned, closing the folder, having enough looking at the pictures. She heard stories, bits and pieces of information of the incidents with the Branwen twins from her father. He never said anything more than small things, but she knew he was holding back things. Holding back on Qrow, Raven and even Summer. Even if she wanted to search for information on her own, not many let those names slip past their lips.
She took a deep breath running a hand over her face. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Keep an eye on them. If anything is out of the ordinary then we report it. We can't have White Fang members hanging around here like it's nothing."
Yang frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want me to report my own sister?" She stared at the woman, her hand on her arm tightening at the thought.
"If your sister is working for the White Fang, then yes."
The blonde let out a dry laugh sliding the folder back to the woman. "I'll think about it."
"Yang."
Cinder watched as the blonde walked out of the bar a sigh leaving her lips. Her hand rested on the folder as she bit her lip. In one quick motion she opened the folder looking at the picture Yang held up to her face. She felt a frown grace her lips looking at the redhead in the photo.
"You think you are the only one who doesn't want to do this."
Ruby groaned as her back landed on the bed, she stretched her arms sighing at a few satisfying pops. It was late, later than she expected.
She gave a quick glance to her clock on her nightstand before closing her eyes. 'It's too late for this.' She thought letting a small huff out as she folded her arms behind her head.
The one thing Ruby hated the most was being an insomniac. Most of the time she would force pills down her throat hoping to maybe get something in her system to help, not that it lasted long however with the nightmares that plagued her. Yet another thing she hated.
It helped when she had someone else who was also a night owl.
"Mom can we please watch Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, please?" The redhead pleaded as the woman thought for a few moments with her hands on her hips.
"I don't know little rose if we keep watching that movie it's surely going to break."
"Please watch one more before it does."
The woman chuckled before ruffling the girl's hair. "Alright you win, this one time."
Ruby took a deep breath a frown on her face from the thought. She never had that much trouble sleeping as a kid, but she knew her mother did. She knew as much as her mother wanted to tell her no when she begged for a movie she knew deep down it warmed her heart to have someone by her side.
Over time after her mother's passing she was haunted by nightmares and when it wasn't the nightmares it was her mind forcing her body awake.
She sighed rolling on her side looking at the boxes lined up against the wall across from her.
She doesn't remember much as to why they moved away, it became misty thoughts and cloudy guesses as to why her mother left with her. She was far too young to understand but all she does remember was horrible screaming things that weren't ever meant to be thrown and alcohol that was never meant to be consumed.
Qrow wasn't her birth father, more so her uncle, he was a good family friend to her actual father and later on she learned a husband to her mother. He never mentioned much to her about what happened, just giving her a smile and a sad excuse to keep her in the dark more. She couldn't even give a wild guess as to why her birth father never visited her, she always just gave it a thought that he never cared about her. He had his perfect daughter, a spitting image of him. But her? Nothing like him.
It honestly surprised her when her father told her a year ago that Tai had reached out to him about seeing her, she had been in contact with Yang at that point as a friendly relation but nothing more. It took her a few years with Yang to know that all she wanted was just to be in contact with her sister, to get to know her. But it never evolved farther than just a phone call here or a text chat there. It felt to Ruby like a weak excuse to get to know someone.
She sighed, swinging her legs, letting her feet rest on the floor. She looked across from her at the pile of boxes before she stretched again, deciding to distract herself with more work. As she was about to get up from her bed a small tapping sound came from her window pulling her attention. She paused at that moment sitting there for a second wondering if she had heard it or she was going crazy.
Her bedroom was on the second story of the house, unless someone was stupid enough to climb up and endanger themselves. She waited for a few moments before the tapping came again, this time she looked to her bedroom door with a frown on her face.
Could it be Blake playing a prank on her for earlier today? Her eyes went to her clock, bright red numbers staring back at her. 12:42.
It couldn't be, she knew Blake loved her sleep. She once had a bright red handprint on her face by accidentally waking the woman up… then again she did scare her. She chuckled at the thought as she slowly got up from her bed going over to the window. She held lightly onto the curtains before sliding them open meeting her reflection, just darkness on the other side of her.
She raised an eyebrow going to close the curtain until the tap came again making her jump, she looked down noticing a bird sitting on the ledge outside. It made no movement to fly away now that she noticed it.
Slowly she opened the window watching the bird step away as she squatted down to get a look at it. She inspected the bird, surprised that she could get this close to the creature without scaring it off. "Ah I see, you're a Raven." She whispered sitting down watching at the bird pulsed its wings cocking its head to the side at her staring.
"Well you would've attacked me if there was a nest out there, so that's good at least." She whispered as she glanced over her shoulder, noticing her sketchbook on top of her nightstand. Moving quickly and slowly she shifted over to the nightstand before moving back to the window a pencil in hand.
One of her favorite things to do in her free time was to draw. She absolutely loved the way it made her feel, it felt freeing to express her emotions on paper when she did draw. She smiled flipping to a clean page before she began working.
"A lot of people say seeing a Raven is a sign of bad luck," She whispered, making a basic circle shape outline. "But also many believe it's a symbol of change or opportunity. Something my mother always used to say." She said with a small smile on her face as she looked back down.
"Great, now I'm at the point I'm talking to a bird. I've really lost it." She chuckled looking up, noticing the bird was closer to the edge of the window near her, giving her a side look.
"You're really friendly for a Raven." She whispered, sketching a few more quick lines on the paper, when she looked back up she noticed that the bird was now gone. She frowned looking at the half done picture, at this point with how much she had she could easily finish the picture.
She groaned, tossing the sketch pad to the side before falling onto her back. It's been a few years since she's last seen a raven, maybe the previous owners of the house were friendly to them? Raven's were pretty smart at remembering small details like that. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"You don't have to be scared of Raven's little rose." The woman smiled, setting a small plate of corn on the windowsill. "Many say that seeing a Raven should be a reminder to others to be open to new changes in life and that we shouldn't fear the change." She said, smiling at the little girl. "However it's odd that this Raven is all by itself."
"Why's that mom?" The little girl asked, holding her arms up to be picked up.
She smiled, bringing the little girl onto her lap. "It's said that Raven's are mated for life and it's often rare to see them alone."
Ruby frowned watching the bird gulp up the corn. "Maybe they don't have a friend? Maybe we can be the friend they need!"
The woman smiled, running a hand through her daughter's hair. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, little rose."
Ruby smiled at her mom looking back at the bird. "Do you like raven's mom? You seem to know a lot about them."
Summer smiled looking back at the bird. "You could say that."
It's been a while since I've started Bloody Roses, I missed writing this story. I've spent time since the break to focus on improving my writing and getting back into this.
I do not know about a specific schedule as to when I'll keep uploading chapters, I'm hoping to keep it every 2 weeks or so!
