"Man that sucked!" Sun gave an indignant huff looking equal parts irritated and exhausted as he and Neptune walked through the courtyard of Beacon still sluggish from their very early flight back home, arriving by mid morning with almost no sleep.
"You're the one that chose that mission." Neptune shrugged, his hands interlocked comfortably behind his head as they walked.
"Only Professor Port could turn a search and destroy mission into a snooze fest." When he blinked he could swear he could still hear Port's ceaseless lecturing and posturing every waking moment they weren't in battle. Maybe that was his way of making us more eager to fight.
"And you're the one that wanted to transfer here to Beacon to be with your girlfriends." Neptune's voice held a decidedly neutral and dismissive tone. They had all voted as a team to transfer to Beacon but he wasn't exactly sympathetic to the guy complaining about lectures. Not when he has not one but two hot girlfriends.
"Hey, we all decided as a team. Vale is awesome and the school is great, so we have a couple weird teachers, most of our missions aren't that bad." He wouldn't admit it but Sun always felt bad for uprooting his team. I was the one that asked to come here, I hate feeling like I pressured everyone but me Blake and Yang have been pretty serious for a while.
"We wouldn't have even had to deal with Professor Port if it weren't for you getting into trouble. We're third years, we don't need a huntsman supervising us anymore. It was just a punishment that you got that we all had to deal with." Neptune wasn't mad at Sun but he didn't exactly enjoy their mission either so he had to give him a hard time.
"Like I kept trying to tell Ms. Goodwitch, team RWBY got pretty messed up from their last mission. Yang was having trouble sleeping, I wasn't sneaking into their dorm in the middle of the night, I was just checking on my girlfriends." With a resigned sigh he deflated, realizing that it wasn't very compelling when hearing himself say it out loud.
"If Yang and Blake didn't set the record straight we probably would have had it a lot worse." Neptune couldn't help but imagine how bad it could have been if RWBY hadn't intervened for them. We got off with a slap on the wrist. We only transferred here at the start of this year, unlike Sun, I'm not cool with always getting into trouble.
"I still don't see why I had to sign all that paperwork, and they made Yang and Blake do it too while Ruby was still recovering. I feel like an ass dragging them into that but apparently our relationship is officially on Beacon's record so that's kinda cool." He kicked a small pebble in the middle of the concrete path cutting through the grassy courtyard out of annoyance and anger, mostly directed at himself. "Whatever, all that matters is that we're back home and we can relax and get back to classes."
"Um, I think you have something to take care of first..." Neptune came to a slow stop, his hands falling to his side he motioned with a jerk of his head to the bench resting under the shade of a tall tree. Two familiar girls sat at the table in the shifting shadows of the leaves dancing in the warm wind, one with stunning blonde hair, her upper body draped over the wooden table like, her arms folded under her head for support while the girl next to her with black looked to them, to Sun, with sparkling amber eyes brimming with worry but also holding a glimmer of relief at seeing her boyfriend home safe.
"Hey, things seem pretty heavy here. I'll catch up with you later okay?" His tone grew soft as worry filled his heart, he couldn't take his eyes off of Blake or Yang as the cat faunus got up, leaving Yang's side as she walked up to him.
"Yeah, I'll help Sage and Scarlet unpack back in the dorm." With a half absent nod Sun agreed, barely hearing what he was saying, only getting a gentle hand patting his shoulder as Neptune left as confirmation as to what he was pretty sure he heard.
"Sounds good…" Something was definitely wrong, he could just feel it, the stress and anxiety in the air and Blake's demeanor told him that something was very wrong. "Babe what's wrong?"
"I'm glad you're home." Blake fell against his bare, muscular chest, putting her arms around his back, holding him him tight, her cat ears twitching on top of her head tickling Sun's chin.
"I'm glad I'm home too." A soft smile pulled at his lips as he returned the embrace, holding her tight while he rested his chin between her cat ears, her silky soft hair smelling like coconut and honey from her shampoo.
"Something happened… well, a lot happened. Yang's not handling it well." Despite the immense warmth and almost overwhelming feeling of safety Blake felt in his arms, concern for her girlfriend forced her to pull away, looking back to Yang who hadn't moved an inch, even with the arrival of their boyfriend.
"What happened?" His worry was only growing by the moment as Blake looked back at him with a defeated look.
"She should tell you." Giving a heavy sigh she took his hand in hers and guided him over to the the table where Yang lay, her long hair disheveled and unkempt as it sprawled out over her back and head. Her breaths were steady but labored, he could feel her stress in every exhale and even as they stood over her, she didn't move.
"Hey, what's going on?" Sun stepped up beside her, burying his hand in her long hair to get to her back that he tenderly stroked, feeling her muscles relax at his touch.
"What's going on?" Yang's voice was little more than a tired and weak growl as she slowly forced herself to sit up. Even Sun back away when he beheld her exhausted and dull crimson eyes glaring up at him as tears pooled on their surface.
"Well let's see, first I find out that Ruby Isn't human or faunus but that she's actually a half Vampire half Slayer or something, then I learn that she's not really my sister but actually my cousin because Uncle Qrow is actually her dad and that he's a Vampire too. Then Ruby leaves because she nearly killed Weiss drinking her blood and now she's off at some Vampire village with Qrow and who knows when she'll be coming back so we lost our leader. Oh, and to top it all off I find out- hah-hah, I find out that I'm a Vampire too! I'm a Vampire but my mom did something to me after I was born and that's why I'm not like Ruby! That's why she left me! Because she didn't let me be a Vampire!" She was trembling and huffing for breath as rage consumed her, her head was ringing with pain and she was dead tired but with everything she had learned, all she could do was grit her teeth in rage and pour it all out on the only people she knew would take it.
"I- I was only gone a week… wasn't I?" That was a tsunami of information even he was having a hard time digesting, he couldn't imagine how hard it must be for Yang.
"It's been a rough week." With a shaky breath Yang expelled her rage as much as she could and weakly stood up, forcing her eyes to stay crimson as she had been forcing herself to do since she learned of her lineage. She was pale and thin and worn out, Sun at once wanted to yell at her for not taking care of herself and hold her and tell her everything would be okay… but Yang didn't give him the chance as she collapsed against him, her nearly dead weight almost throwing him off balance as he caught her. "I'm happy you're home… I missed you."
"I wish I could have been here this whole time. Sorry I couldn't be with you when you really needed me." Carefully Sun picked her up until he was holding her bridal style. She looked like she was minutes away from falling asleep and as he mind lulled from the comfort she felt, her eyes cooled back to a soft lilac.
"It's okay… Blake took good care of me." Yang gave a long, satisfying yawn as she stretched in his arms while he carried her over to the big tree, sitting them both down at its base while Blake took up his side, cradling Yang's head in her arms. "It just not the same without you both."
"Yeah, I hear you, it's just right when the three of us are together." Sun smiled fondly down at her while he leaned against Blake at his side. Suddenly, I'm feeling pretty tired too.
"The light feels nice on my ears but the shade is good too." Blake hummed in contentment, a purr beginning to work its way up her throat. "Yang barely slept at all since Ruby left and you just got back from a mission. Maybe a nap isn't the worst idea."
"You've been taking care of our girlfriend this whole time, you could probably use a nap yourself." He rested his head against hers and soon, he felt Yang's breathing soften and her body go limp as sleep took her over, her head resting comfortably in Blake's lap.
"Maybe that's not the worst idea…" Those damn yawns were contagious as one force its way past Blake's lips, her body shifting slightly to not disturb the girl slumbering her lap. She found a comfortable position resting her head against Sun's shoulder while his arm wrapped around her back, holding her as her eyes fluttered shut. As the minutes passed, Blake soon joined their girlfriend, falling into an easy and comfortable sleep, a light snore telling him that she was bad need to sleep herself.
These two, they were so worried they forgot to take care of themselves. A soft laugh died on the gentle wind as his eyes grew heavier and heavier. Human, Faunus, Vampire, it doesn't matter. We love each other, that's all I care about.
With that final thought bringing a smile to his lips, his body relaxed as he gave into the soft pull of sleep, ferried there by the warmth and softness of his lovers around him. There they all slept, asleep together under the tree, close and warm and content, their troubles behind them as they rested blissfully and unabashed… even as someone watched them sleep.
"It must be nice." A soft and forlorn voice whispered to herself as she leaned against the brick wall of the school. Weiss Schnee watched her teammates and friends sleep peacefully together but all she could feel was an emptiness in her heart that had only grown stronger after giving the one she loved some of her own blood.
The bite healed way faster than it should have and after I woke up I felt better than ever. The whole experience was amazing and I miss it… I miss her. I can't believe Ruby would just leave us- leave me like that. I mean, sure, she did go a little overboard when she… when she fed from me. Recalling their extremely intimate but ephemeral moment together burned her cheeks with a hot pink tint that and made her heart race as her chest filled with a pleasurable heat. She still should have stayed. We could have worked it out as a team like we always have… I would mind letting her feed from me again while she gets control over it.
"It felt good didn't it?" An irritatingly familiar and snarky voice snuffed out the blissful fire that was filling her veins, her cheeks cooling back to their normal color as she turned to face the drunkard.
"Qrow, where is Ruby? If you're here then-"
"Sorry Ice Queen, Ruby is still with my old clan but I got kicked out." With a resigned shrug he took a gulp from his flask, leaning against the wall, his eyes drifting past Weiss to the three young lovers asleep underneath the tree.
"So you just left her there!?" Rage flared in her chest as she took a stomping step forward, baring her teeth at the dust old Qrow. "How do you know she's safe!? How will you know if she's okay? What if she needs us!? Does her Scroll have reception out there!? What about her weapon?! Crescent Rose is still in repair so how will she defend herself!?"
"Calm down kid before you give yourself an aneurysm." Qrow's indifference and attitude was doing nothing for Weiss' irritation.
"Fine. Then at least tell me… when will she be coming home?" Once she calmed herself down she realized she wasn't going to get much out of Qrow, their clan was obviously secretive.
"Honestly, I don't know." He didn't want to admit that… But she obviously cares about Ruby, she at least deserves that much.
"They'll keep her there for a while, at least until she proves her usefulness and loyalty. She'll get stronger there and over time, she'll get used to her new life. I hate to say this but there's a chance she won't want to come back. My family, my clan, they can be brutal if they want to be, but they have a thing for family. Once they fully accept her, she may find that she wants to stay with her own kind." He holstered his flask at his side and put his hands into his pockets as he looked down at the rapidly ever more broken look on Weiss' face. Just like Raven. I see that in Ruby, I think she'll come to feel at home with our clan and she'll want to give up everything else. Best prepare Ice Queen for that possibility now so she doesn't end up like Tai when Raven left.
"But I'm her partner! I- I love her! It doesn't matter to me if she's a Vampire or whatever she is, I just want her!" What Qrow said hadn't even happened yet, it was only what he believed was a possibility but even so… Weiss could feel her heart breaking like fragile ice.
"When we were on the train, I told her she might be living there for a while. She asked me to give you this when I went back to Beacon." After a moment of rummaging around in his pocket he pulled something out, something held concealed in his fist as he extended it out to Weiss.
"What is it?" She barely mumbled as she cupped her hands together, holding them out under Qrow's fist before he dropped its contents into her palms. A decent sized ruby suspended from a thin gold chain connected to an earring… One of the ones I gave her…
"I'm sorry, but I think that means she wants you to hold onto it to remember her. She knows she'll be away for a while. She might never come back." He never wanted that life for her, he never wanted her to be a Vampire… But life doesn't give a rat's ass what we want.
Ruby… Her delicate hands closed gently around the piece of jewelry as she brought them up to her lips, her warm, trembling breath washing over her fingers as her eyes shut tight, squeezing tears from their corners that glistened in the light of the sun. I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that. I know you, this is your way of saying we'll be together again soon. Two halves belong together, the two earrings and us, as partners and friends and everything else we are to each other… we belong together. I'll see you soon. I know I will.
"Hey Ruby, good morning!" A chipper and happy voice carried through the small village as a young man with brown eyes and brown hair with a long, bushy fox tail in a hoodie with the sleeves cut off waved down the young woman walking towards him.
"Hey Alan, morning!" Ruby smiled back, unabashed by her fangs that showed with her grin as she came to a stop beside him, sitting atop a wooden barrel outside of his master's house. "How are you doing?"
"I'm really good actually. Just got a letter from my little sister saying she's entering Beacon soon and that she'll come by to visit when she can." He looked so proud and so happy, he was shining with happiness for his sister, his normally dark brown eyes sparkled with amber and olive green in the early morning light.
"Aww! That's so exciting! I remember my first days at Beacon, I'm sure Krystal will do great from everything you've told me! I can't wait to meet her!" Her beaming was as bright as the sun and her cheeks were rosy and her crimson rimmed silver eyes sparkled with warmth and happiness as she exchanged words with her friend.
"She's really skilled, she's not like her big brother, she can really make something of herself. Even Callister saw that and let her leave with special permission. I couldn't more proud of my little sister." His gaze fell to the dusty ground and his grin softened to a wistful half smile as he kicked at the dirt.
"You really miss her don't you?" It was written all over his face, worry and love and pride and just a hint of sadness. She'd only been in the Rubrum clan for a couple of days but she'd made a few friends and acolyte Alan Skye was her closest friend so far.
"Yeah, but I know she'll be alright. Still, I can't help but worry." With a heavy heart and a heavy sigh he jumped to his feet, looking around the waking town. People were already starting their morning routines; hanging laundry, cooking breakfast for the acolytes and vassals, morning feeding for the Vampires of the clan. It seemed weird to Ruby at first but everyone seemed really happy. I'm happy here too, it's nice. I don't feel dangerous anymore.
"I have friends and my big sister back in Beacon, once Krystal is in I'll tell my old team to look out for her and tell her that her brother says hi and to do her best!" She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave an affirming nod while she gave a warm grin.
"Thank you Ruby, I'd really appreciate that." He gave a small bow and a thankful smile as Ruby let her hand fall back to her side. "Hey, if you haven't fed today yet let me feed you, it's the least I could do."
"That would be great actually! I'm really hungry." Ruby blushed as she bashfully rubbed the back of her head, her smirk exposing her fangs that were now aching almost pleasantly in anticipation.
"No one else has fed from me today so you gave have as much as you need." He said it so nonchalantly as he held up his wrist for her. I guess that's just how people are when they grow up here. I kinda like it, it's nice, on one is afraid of Vampires here and everyone is nice and accepting.
"I'll try not to take too much, I still have to leave enough for you and anyone else who needs you." Even as she spoke she licked her fangs in preparation, putting one hand under his wrist, holding it to her lips as he looked down at her, watching with an unfailing smile.
Ruby took in a deep breath… and then began. She opened her mouth, her razor sharp fangs gliding across his skin until they found the best vein to tap before biting down, effortlessly cutting through his skin and fat before puncturing the desired vessel. When she pulled her fangs back blood gushed up like a spring in the desert. A deep sense of warmth permeated her entire body as she thirstily lapped up his vital fluid, the taste was unique for every person and his was gentle and sweet that mingled nicely with the distinctive taste of blood that she knew as a human, only much much deeper. Her tongue pulled open the small wounds, coaxing out more blood that she happily savored and swallowed. She could feel his pulse, his life, his aura in every heartbeat that expelled his blood into her. However, Ruby had gotten better at gauging the blood levels left in her donor and she was better able to control how to cut herself off thanks to Raven's instruction. So finally, just as she began to lose herself in his blood, she forced herself to pull away.
"Your blood is really good! I can see why you're popular!" Ruby giggled as she tenderly licked the blood trickling from his wounds, her saliva now acting as a clotting agent, stopping the bleeding as well as accelerating the healing.
"I'm glad you like it, come back for dinner and I'll probably have more for you." For him, Ruby's bite was one of the nicest in the village. It was more gentle than most or rather, it lacked the intensity some had. He liked both but he enjoyed feeding the young Vampires, though most would stay away from that job because of the physical demand.
"Ruby." A cool and and ever so slightly fretful voice stole their attention, both bringing their gaze to the woman that had walked up behind Ruby.
"Lady Raven, good morning." Alan bowed more properly and respectfully than he had with Ruby.
"If she's done feeding I need to speak with my apprentice. Would you mind giving us a moment Alan?" Raven gave him an almost playful smirk as she walked up to them, glancing at the fresh wounds on his wrist.
"Of course. I'll see you both later." With one more subtle bow Alan backed away waving to Ruby as he strolled through the town, looking for chores to help with as he usually did. This is his home and this is his family. It might be weird how things work here but everything just seems right.
"Ruby, we need to talk about something important." Her tone grew colder and more serious, but still she held a note of pride in her voice as she put her hands to Ruby's shoulders and looked deep into her crimson and silver eyes.
"What's wrong?" Ruby's mind went immediately to the worst places. Did I do something wrong?
"As you know, my Semblance is foresight or precognition, I get visions of the future. Early this morning I had a vision, one that I've already shared with Callister. In two week's time, two powerful warriors will come here, mercenaries hired to do our family harm. We can stop them but in this vision it was you and I fighting them one on one. So, in preparation of that, you will be taking your rite of passage earlier than expected." Ruby still couldn't tell by her tone of voice if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"I don't have my weapon and I'm not very strong without it so I don't know how much use I'll be." Yang had trained her in hand to hand but she wasn't like her sister, she wasn't a powerhouse.
"After your rite of passage, you will be." Raven looked serious and intense, even more than usual and that made Ruby worry.
"Um, what exactly is my rite of passage?" After a brief pause, Raven sighed softly, letting her hands fall from Ruby, her expression and demeanor softening.
"Tomorrow night, you will be given your trial to find your familiar."