A/N: Italics are both thoughts and people doing quotes.
Ruby faintly registered the sound of a knob turning. She turned her head to see Qrow opening the door. In typical 'Qrow' fashion, he walked in with both hands in his pockets while slouching over some. Their eyes met and his usual grin began to form.
He closed the door and made his way over to his niece. Grabbing a chair, he twisted it around so that the backrest was facing Ruby. "How ya doin kiddo?"
Ruby gently grazed over where she was stabbed. "Still hurts." She said in a whisper. The pep and optimistic chirpiness that she usual had was none-existent.
Of course this didn't escape Qrow. He didn't exactly want to push the issue though. Figuring that Ruby would tell him when she wanted to. So, he decided to just stay on the topic of her health.
"Not surprising. Taking a blade in your liver isn't exactly nice." His snarky sarcasm coming out in spades. "You had us all worried y'know? Guess we got Weiss to thank."
The sound of her partner's name stirred feelings of anxiety. Which stemmed from worry. "How is she?"
"Weiss is still unconscious." Qrow gave an exasperated sigh. "What exactly do you remember?"
"Not much besides feeling really cold." Ruby frowned. "Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember that talk about Maidens and what not?" Seeing Ruby nod, he continued. "Well, turns out that Weiss is the Winter Maiden." Qrow said bluntly as he didn't see any point in beating around the bush.
"Oh, cool. I guess." She said monotonously.
Qrow shook his head. He could tell that she was taking her loss pretty badly. "Not really. It just means that she has a giant target painted on her back." He crossed his arms on top of the backrest and rested his chin on them. "Which means we gotta protect her. And you-" He pointed his index finger at her. "Have to get stronger. Along with the rest of your friends. So, we're gonna train you guys when we actually get to Haven proper."
A large, stupid grin formed on his face. "Which means you and I get to spend quality time together!"
"No." Ruby responded despondently.
Qrow frowned. He hadn't quite expected that response. He sighed again. Looks like he was gonna have to have this talk right now.
"Look. Ruby. I know it sucks that you weren't able to win, but you gotta move past this. Learn from the experience and get better."
Ruby flopped down on her side. Her back facing toward her uncle. She heard him sigh and get up from the chair. The sounds of his footsteps echoed as he moved further away from her. Once the sound of the door closing entered her ears, she pulled the sheets up with a quiet whimper.
Qrow closed the door as he entered the hall. He would just have to wait for her to come out of her slump. The huntsman walked down the white corridor. He paused when he came across a window. Looking up to the sky he said. "Really wish you were here. I'm just not good with this kind of stuff. You though. You always knew what to say."
Weiss moaned in discomfort as she began to regain consciousness. Her head throbbed something fierce. She opened her eyes slowly. The more she opened them the more the haze in her sight dissipated.
"Weiss?" A concerned, feminine voice called out.
The former heiress gingerly turned her head. Bedside her was her sister. Whom of which held an uncharacteristically soft expression on her face. In this instance, all Weiss could see was a very concerned sister. It's not that Weiss thought Winter didn't love her, it's just she wasn't used to seeing her express it.
"Hello Winter." Weiss greeted groggily. She looked around the room to get a barring on her surroundings. As she shifted around, she felt something inside her arm. She turned her attention to the source of discomfort to find that she was hooked up to an IV. Blue eyes shifted down to see round patches on her chest and arms. Following the wires, she found that they were attached to an EKG. It war pretty easy for Weiss to figure out where she was.
An image of Ruby on the ground and bleeding flashed in her mind. Weiss' eyes widened. Fear quickly set in. The machine monitoring her heart immediately picked up on her elevated heart rate. She sat up as quickly as she could, but before she could do anything else, a powerful wave of dizziness hit her hard. Weiss nearly fell off the bed, but she was saved thanks to her sister's quick reflexes.
"Weiss! Calm down!" Her sister groaned in great discomfort in her arms. Gently easing her sibling back onto the bed, Winter sighed. "What were thinking Weiss!? You could have seriously injured yourself!" She scolded.
Her dizziness went way as soon as she was laid down. Recomposing herself, Weiss asked. "Where's Ruby? Is she alright?"
Winter was taken back somewhat. Her sister sounded so scared and desperate. Almost borderline panicking. It was clear that her little sister had changed. That Ruby girl had changed her. Or maybe it was combination of things? Whatever the case, Winter was happy that Weiss was growing into a woman who was the complete opposite of their father.
"Calm yourself Weiss." She placed a hand on her shoulder. Rubbing it soothingly. "Ruby is fine. As a matter of fact, she woke up a couple of days ago."
"Oh, thank God." Weiss said as she breathed in a sigh of relief. It was so alleviating to hear that her partner was fine. It was a few moments later that she finally registered the 'she woke up a couple of days ago' part of what Winter said.
Weiss looked up at her sister. "Wait. How long have I been unconscious?"
"A week."
The white-haired girl blinked a few times before letting out an exasperated sigh. She shook her head and looked back at her sister. "What happened?"
Before Winter could answer, there was a knock at the door. She turned and said "Come in."
Qrow opened the door and walked in. Closing the door behind him as he made his way to the Schnee siblings. The huntsman stopped at the side of the bed and smiled when he noticed Weiss was awake. "How ya doin Snowflake?"
Weiss raised a single brow at the nickname. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but she supposed it was better than being called Ice Queen. "I'm fine. Weak, but otherwise fine."
Qrow hummed as he nodded.
"She was just asking what happened before you came in. Which by the way, I'm somewhat surprised you actually knocked. It would seem you DO posses some manner of etiquette." Winter said.
Qrow rolled his eyes at her snark. "I just figured it would probably be a good idea to knock before going into a room where two ladies are. I'm not an animal you know."
"Could have fooled me."
He rolled his eyes again. Turning his attention back to Weiss, he asked "Well, what exactly do you remember?"
Weiss hummed as she thought hard about the events at the lodging that they were staying at. "I remember fighting Gavrilo. Then being electrocuted and passing out. Waking up and finding Ruby bleeding with that man standing over her. And then...white." She paused. Racking her brain for any other details. "Just white. Cold white."
"Hey. It's alright. Don't stress too much about it." Qrow said.
"Do you know what happened? And where is the assassin?"
"That guy? He's dead. And thanks to you, Ruby was saved." Qrow placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and gave a smile that could melt anyone's heart. "Seriously, thank you for saving my niece."
Winter took one look at that smile and thought it was rather cute..."Wait. What?" She thought as a small blush formed. Thankfully, she was able to get rid of it quickly before anyone noticed. Dust knows what kind horrific teasing she would be subjected to if Qrow saw it. She didn't want that oaf getting the wrong idea...Or maybe she did? Winter was not a fan of all these complicated emotions.
"Uh...you're welcome?" She said sheepishly. If she actually saved Ruby then she has no idea how she did it.
"Well, anyway, I guess you would actually want to know what happened." Weiss nodded. "Look. I'll just be blunt. You're the Winter Maiden."
The young woman just stared at him. She tilted her head in confusion. "Come again?"
"It's true Weiss. You literally changed the season from spring to winter for a short period of time and created a large structure made of ice that encased Gavrilo." Winter said. Supporting Qrow's statement.
Weiss didn't really know what to say about all of this. She knew it must have been true since Winter was vouching for Qrow. However, this started to raise questions inside her. Like, how did she become this? How long has she had these powers inside her? And more importantly, how can she use and control these powers?
"Now I know you got like, a million questions right now, but let's just focus on you getting better." He patted her on the shoulder before walking away. " Besides, can't really do much until I find him anyway." Qrow drawled in a whisper.
"Wait!" Weiss said.
Qrow stopped as he put his hand the knob. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"How's Ruby? Winter told me she woke up, but I just wanna know if she's doing okay." Weiss said. Concern laced in her voice.
"She's fine. Well, physically anyway. But she's taking her loss pretty hard." Qrow shook his head and sighed. "Ruby isn't talking to anyone. Not even her own father." He opened the door and stepped out. "If I know my niece, she probably made some sort of promise to herself, but wasn't able to keep it."
Qrow turned around with his hand still on the knob. "Listen, I know you're worried about her, but just focus on recovering. You can't help any one if you don't take care of yourself first." With that said, he finally closed the door and left the sisters alone.
"Yes, well, as loathed as I am to admit it. He's right." Winter stood up and placed the sheets over her sister. "Just focus on getting better. Okay?" She said as she put a strand of Weiss hair behind her ear.
"Alright, but I want to visit Ruby as soon as the doctor says it's okay. Deal?"
Winter smiled. "Deal."
Ruby slammed against the wall. Her aura flashed as it absorbed the damage. Panting and heaving, she raised Crescent Rose and rushed forward. She swung, but all she cut was the darkness that surrounded her. Seeing movement in her peripheral, she turned to see who was coming up on her. Only to have her vision completely blocked out by the sole of a boot.
"Ahhhhh!" Ruby cried in pain. She was once again flung through the air. Once again, her back slammed into the wall. Red flashed around her for a brief moment before disappearing. Making a fizzling sound as it vanished. That sound greatly concerned the young scythe wielder. It indicated that she had no more aura. Fear gripping her heart as she realized that her opponents' next attack could very mean her end now.
"That all you got Red? I'm disappointed. You're supposed to be a hero." A voice said mockingly.
A sinister chuckle rang out. "Now now. Don't put any silly ideas in her head. Heroes don't exist. This isn't a fairy tale." Another voice echoed.
Ruby looked up to see her attackers, but all she could see was black. Darkness all around her. The only bit of light she had was a small beam that shined down around her. This light only extended a few feet around her as well.
"AHHHHHHH!" A familiar scream rang out through the darkness.
"WEISS! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Ruby yelled. Her heart racing a million miles an hour. The beats so strong and erratic that she could hear them in her ears.
Almost immediately after she yelled out to her partner, Weiss' body fell right at her feet. Blood pooled around her. Ruby instantly dropped her weapon and went to her knees. She turned Weiss over so that she was facing up at her.
"No. Nonononononono!" She cried in denial. Right where her partner's heart is, she could see a small hole with blood seeping out from it. Light blue eyes that were normally full of life were now dull.
"C'mon Weiss! Tell me you're alive! Just move!" Tears flowed down her face as she shook her partner in her arms. After a minute of doing this, Ruby finally stopped. She pressed her head against the other girl's chest. "Please don't leave me." She begged.
"Welp. Looks like the Ice Queen just kicked the bucket. Didn't you make some sort of secret promise to yourself about protecting her or some nonsense like that?" The voice said again.
"What a bad little girl. You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep. Promises carry weight." The other voice said.
Ruby lifted her heard. She tried desperately to find the source of the voices, but all she could see was the void.
"Hahahahahaha! Not only is she not strong enough to carry that weight, but she's not even a hero!" One of the voices laughed. Whomever was behind the voice was most certainly taking great pleasure in Ruby's suffering.
Ruby looked down at her partner's body. Pain swelled in her chest. Tears continuing to stream down her face. "Please. Just leave me alone." She begged. Her voice so small and pathetic. Any ounce of hope in it had been stripped away.
"Of course she's not a hero! She is just some stupid little girl playing pretend. Thinking that she would get some happy ending! Well, too bad. Only now does she realize the harsh realities of the world." The other voice mocked from behind the veil of darkness.
The light around Ruby was now shrinking and growing dimmer with each passing second. Their barbs at her also chipped away at her already fading light. The darkness was now creeping up on her form. Covering her feet and legs, but she didn't care. Weiss was dead. Nothing else mattered now. Ruby had now given into despair.
Eventually, the darkness crawled over her entire body. With the only exception being her head. However, the tendrils of darkness began to greedily cover it. Moments later, only her eyes remained. She closed them. A tear dropped from them before they too were consumed by the void. Now, only darkness remained.
Just then, a bright light exploded. All of the darkness was instantly destroyed. Ruby immediately opened her eyes. Only for herself to be blinded by the light. However, it only took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the brightness. Ruby gasped in shock when she saw what was in front of her. A petite woman with hair much like her own glowed brilliantly. Even though she could only see a white cloak and hair, the young huntress-in-training knew this person.
"M-mom?" She called out.
Summer turned her head to look over her shoulder and at her daughter. She smiled radiantly. "Hello my sweet little Petal."
"Who the hell are you?" An angry voice called out.
This caught Ruby's attention. She peered around her mother's form and gasped. Before her were the heavily altered bodies of Roman Torchwick and Gavrilo. Long, bony structures protruded from their spines. Their arms were completely black and their hands were replaced with claws. A large, white, bone-like structure covered their chests. Their eyes were the disgusting, discolored yellow that were usually on the Grimm. The only things that remained human were the face and the legs.
"Hahahaha. Looks like little Red needs her mommy to bail her out. How pathetic!" Roman laughed out.
Summer's nose wrinkled in anger. Turning her head back to face them, she narrowed her eyes and meet their gaze. Pure, white light started leaking out from her silver eyes. Large angelic wings formed from them. "BEGONE!" Summer yelled as the light from the wings flashed. Blinding everyone in the vicinity.
Both Roman and Gavrilo yelled in agony as the light burned them. Eventually, it consumed them both completely and destroyed them.
Once Ruby opened her eyes she found herself floating around in pure light. There was no one around her. Weiss, her mother, Roman, and Gavrilo were gone. Even though she was alone, Ruby didn't feel scared anymore. If anything, she felt very warm and safe.
"Wake up Petal." Her mother's voice cooed.
She searched around for her mother, but she couldn't find anything. "Mom! Where are you?"
Summer giggled. "Just wake up silly and we can talk."
Ruby started opening her eyes slowly. Her room was still dark. An indication that it was still night. She placed her head in her hands and rubbed up and down. "Was it all just a dream?"
"Glad to see you awake sleepyhead." Summer said.
Ruby jumped with a small eek. Silver eyes shifted to her side. It was none other than her mother. Sitting in a chair and smiling at her. "H-how? I thought-"
"I was dead?" Summer interrupted. A sad smile graced her face. "I'm sorry my little Petal, but I'm am still very dead."
"Then...how?" Ruby asked. She was still in disbelief. None of this made any sense to her.
Summer giggled into her hand. "You've never heard of ghosts silly?"
"Oh. I just...didn't think they were real. Huh." Ruby said as she scratched the top of her head.
"Ruby. Tell me why you have decided to just give up."
"I-" She stopped. The younger girl looked down at her sheets. Her hands gripping them so tight that the knuckles turned white. "I just don't think I can do this. They're right. Heroes only exist in stories. And I'm just some idiot thinking I can become one and change the world."
"Now that's not true Ruby."
"How's that not true?" Ruby said as she threw her hands up. "I'm a failure! I couldn't protect Penny! I let Pyrrha die! I couldn't do anything about Beacon falling! I practically abandoned my sister in her greatest time of need! And now!" She yelled. "Now I couldn't keep my promise. I couldn't keep Weiss safe." This time muttering quietly as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Ruby. Listen to me." Gently grabbing her child's chin and pushing her head up to look at her. "Those two were men who were completely disillusioned by the terrible circumstances that were set upon them. Now that doesn't excuse they're actions, but it does explain why they did the things that they did and why they thought the way they did."
Summer paused as she took Ruby's face into her hands and smiled. "Heroes absolutely exist. And they all had to go through their trials and tribulations. Just like you have to. My sweet little girl, you're just going through your hero's journey. That's all. And just like everyone else, heroes are not perfect. They make mistakes and they fail. The key Ruby: is to never give up. Learn from failure. All the heroes in your comics and books all learned from their failures and moved forward as stronger people. Failure is often a much better teacher than success."
"You-you really think I can still be a hero?"
"Absolutely! But I won't lie to you. No single person can change the world. It takes everyone to do that. But that's only if they want to. As for Beacon. Don't beat yourself up over that. You had no way of knowing those things would happen. And you were just a first year student."
Ruby felt her resolve strengthening. Like her mother had just breathed new life into her. She could feel the fire in her spirit being rekindled. Ruby balled her fists and looked upon her mother. Confidence coming back in full swing. "If you think I can do it, then I must be able to do it! I won't sulk anymore mom! I'll get back out there and I'll show the world heroes exist!"
Summer smiled. "Good. The best way to keep your promise is to move forward and be better!" The older woman looked down at her hands. They were starting to fade."My time is nearly up."
Ruby herself also noticed her mother beginning to fade. She immediately lunged forward and embraced her. "I love you mom."
A sob nearly escaped her. Summer wanted nothing more than to stay, but things were the way they were. The dead can't stay in the world of the living. Visit it, but usually never stay. She wrapped her arms around her daughter. "I love you too." She pushed Ruby back onto the bed. "A few last things before I go. First, Yang is doing well for herself. Well, at least for the most part. So don't worry too much about her. She'll forgive you. Maybe not right away, but she will."
"What's the other thing?"
Summer's face turned stern and serious. "Don't put too much trust in Ozpin. Baby, please don't do what I did. Keep some distance from him."
Ruby didn't understand why her mother was saying this, but she would heed her warning nonetheless. "Okay. Gotcha." She nodded.
"I wish I had more time. If I did, I would be able to teach you how to use your Silver Eyes, but it is not to be. But don't worry. I'm sure you'll find another one of us." Summer said regrettably before she finally vanished completely. Her soul returning to the afterlife.
Ruby was now left alone in her room with the words of her mother. She might not have gotten to be with her for very long, but she was happy for the time she was able spend with her. Her eyes settled on Crescent Rose. "Learn and be better huh?" Ruby snapped her fingers as she had a fantastic idea, but she would have to wait until tomorrow. She needed to do some shopping.
Qrow and Tai were walking to Ruby's room to check up on her. As soon as Tai gripped the knob, the door swung open. With Tai slamming into the wall.
"Ha!" Qrow laughed. He always enjoyed his former partner's pain. His pain was literally his amusement.
Turning his attention from a groaning Tai, he brought his gaze to the person who was standing in the doorway. It was none other than Ruby herself. Completely dressed and holding her beloved weapon, she looked like she was ready to take on the world. And do it with that signature Ruby smile.
Qrow grinned. "Nice to see up and about kiddo."
"Yup! I'm not spending my time being all mopey anymore!" Tai's pain-filled groan caught her attention. She immediately ran over to her father and began apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sooooooooo sorry dad!"
"Ugh. Don't worry about it sweetheart." Tai looked up at her with a smile. "I'm just glad you're out of that damn bed and back to normal."
Ruby helped her father up. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. And Tai looked into them. Oh boy, did he know these puppy dog eyes.
"Hey dad?" Ruby asked sweetly.
"Yes Ruby?" He asked.
"I need to go shopping." Ruby said so innocently and sweetly that you'd mistake her for a child.
Blue eyes bulged. He knew what shopping meant when it came to Ruby. Tai was not at all eager to experience THAT anymore. So he began looking for an out. That's when he remembered that Qrow was here. "Perfect!"
"How about Qrow takes you this time? You always want to hangout with your uncle and he was always out on some secret mission...thing. Seems like a wonderful chance for you two to actually spend some quality time together."
Ruby gasped as she jumped in excitement. "YAY! C'MON UNCLE QROW! WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER!" Yelling in excitement as she activated her semblance and began flying around him.
Qrow chuckled. "Sure thing kiddo. It's great that you wanna get out of this place. 'Cause frankly, I was getting sick of staying in this damn hospital." He started walking to the entrance. Ruby stopped flying around and latched herself on his left arm. "We'll see ya later Tai." He waved at his former partner.
Tai waved back. "Sucker." He said without breaking his smile.
"And Neptune was rubbing his badge like crazy. Trying to make it clean and shiny like mine. He got so annoyed when he couldn't do it. Kept yelling at me to tell him what my secret was." Sun said.
Blake smiled as she leaned forward towards Sun. "And what, pray tell, is your secret?"
"Oh. I just covered the badge in peanut butter and let Zwei lick it clean." Sun smirked as he leaned against the tree. "Man if he ever found out, he would be so mad. Hahahaha."
The cat Faunus giggled. Amber eyes gazed up into the star filled night sky. The shattered moon sat prominently directly above the pair. Blake thought it was so beautiful. And she thought it was even more beautiful that each of those stars were different things; planets reflecting the light from their suns, the light of stars making themselves visible, or maybe even entire other solar systems. Whatever those little lights in the sky represented, it didn't matter. Because they were all heavenly sights to behold.
"Ow!"
The sound of Sun's voice brought Blake back down to Remnant. Eyes settling on her friend holding his mouth. Since her and Sun were both waiting until their food was cooked, it didn't take her long to figure out what happened. "Sun. You can't just eat food right off the fire." She said with amusement.
"I know. I know. But I'm just so hungry!" Sun whined childishly. He crossed his arms and pouted. "Stupid heat."
Blake shook her head. She reached for a pair of oven mitts. Putting them on before reaching over to the can that was suspended over a roaring campfire. The onyx-haired woman sat her food down on a rock beside her to let it cool off a little. To help pass the time until her food was cool enough to eat, Blake pulled a book out from her bag and started reading.
They sat in silence for about ten minutes before they decided to start eating their food. Blake took her time, while Sun practically scarfed down his food. When Blake noticed that her friend had finished, she stopped eating for a moment and asked. "So, what's Vacuo like?"
The blond rubbed the back of his head. "I won't lie to you Blake. That place isn't exactly the greatest."
"What do you mean?" She asked in between bites.
Sun sighed. "Well, it's not exactly the most stable kingdom. We don't have any formal government to speak of. As a matter of fact. The country has almost no unifying laws since we all just completely disregard them and do whatever we want. Also, the weather can be really dangerous. As well as the Grimm."
"Then how does that kingdom survive if no one follows it's laws?"
"Not in a conventional way. That's how. Much of Vacuo is made up of settlements and nomadic tribes. Each one of them have their own rules. I mean don't get me wrong. It's not like murder and what not are rampant. Shade Academy is really the only recognized source of order though."
Blake finished her food and placed the can down. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief before saying. "The way you put it, it certainly doesn't sound like a great place to live."
Sun shrugged. "I mean, it's not all doom and gloom. There's rarely any Faunus discrimination. People are mostly cooperative with each other since the environment can be really harsh. Anyone who can survive that place is generally welcomed with open arms. Vacuoians are more friendly than you might think. Despite most of them frowning upon outward displays of emotion."
Before Blake could ask Sun more about Vacuo, a large, winged creature swooped in quickly and grabbed him.
"What the fuck!?" Sun yelled as he was taken higher and higher into the sky.
"SUN!" Blake shouted. However, before she could pursue the assailant, a powerful, sticky substance hit her back and forced her to her knees. "Ahh!"
The cat Faunus looked down to see that her arms and torso was completely wrapped in webbing. She wiggled and writhed, but it was no use. The web was simply too strong to break out of. Hearing footsteps in front of her, Blake looked up to see Ilia Amitola standing before her.
"Ilia. Stop this!"
The chameleon Faunus forced the other girl's chin up with the point of her weapon. "Stop this? The only thing I'm doing is bringing in a traitor. Adam made it clear that he wanted to deal with you personally."
"Are you fucking serious Ilia? Adam is a goddamn madman! You think he's going to bring salvation to the Faunus? He won't. He'll only bring us ruin!"
"NO!" She shouted. "Adam is doing everything that needs to be done. He's giving us the chance to fight back. To take back our lives!" Ilia looked down with some form of regret. "Even though some of the things that has to be done isn't pretty. Even if it's things I really don't like. It doesn't matter. It has to be done for the betterment of all Faunus."
"You don't like doing those things because you know it's wrong! You know this isn't right."
"SHUT UP!" Yelling as she ground her teeth. Her skin turned red with anger. Her spots, hair, and eyes also changed to yellow. "You abandoned us! Your comrades! Your people!" Ilia looked down again and whispered. "You abandoned me." She watched as Blake's expression changed from anger to sadness. "This is the only way. To make the Humans pay for what they did to me. What they did to our people. They did nothing to help those Faunus in that mining accident. They did nothing to help my parents. I was orphaned because of them. And that's why they need to pay."
Blake narrowed her eyes at Ilia. "And you think starting another war is going to do that? Look, I understand how you feel, but this won't bring justice. It'll only bring more suffering. For both sides."
Ilia snorted and scoffed. "You understand nothing. Out of all of us. You were the most privileged! You were the little princess of Menagerie. You say you understand how I feel, but that couldn't be further from the truth. If you did. Then maybe. Just maybe we would be together."
Her pigment changed again. This time turning green while her spots, hair, and eyes turned blue. "You always had eyes for him. No matter how hard I tried. I could never get you to look at me the way you looked at him." Changing back to her normal pallet, Ilia frowned at Blake. "Despite all of that, I'm going to do my duty and bring you in. Even if I really don't want to."
"Ilia. Please. You know this isn't the way. Don't do this." Blake pleaded.
The chameleon Faunus ignored her and turned her attention to her comrade. "C'mon Trifa. Let's get her back to HQ."
Trifa grinned. "With pleasure. Can't wait for Adam to make an example out her."
Before they could begin to drag their prisoner back, their bat Faunus compatriot slammed onto the ground behind them. Causing both Ilia and Trifa to turn to him.
"Yuma!" Ilia shouted. She tried to go to him, but her face was met with a red staff. "Ahhhhh!" Screaming as she was flung back into a tree.
Sun turned Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang into its nunchaku form and whipped it at Trifa before she could react. Sending her to the ground. The blond ran over to his friend and grabbed Gambol Shroud. He pulled out the katana from its sheath and started cutting. It didn't take long for him to free Blake. Once she was up on her feet, he handed both parts of her weapon to her.
"I'm glad you're okay Sun." She said as she got into her stance.
"Ha! It'll take more than that pushover to beat me." He confidently reassured.
Ilia and Trifa were now starting to recover from Sun's sneak attack. They steadied themselves as they took up their fighting stances. Both pairs just stared each other down. Eventually, Trifa was the one who made the first move by shooting more of her webbing at them. However, this easily repelled by Sun shooting at it.
"I'll take on creepy spider girl." Sun said as jumped out of the way of another web. He then sprinted at her while firing his weapon.
Blake narrowly dodged the tip of Ilia's whip sword. Turning her weapon into its sickle form, Blake gripped the ribbon and began to twirl and swing. This forced Ilia to retreat as she was unable to close in effectively. The black-haired woman's weapon had a lot more melee range than her's did and she was using it to her advantage masterfully by creating a defensive bubble around her.
Ilia jumped up to the trees. She pointed her weapon and shot out a blast of lightning from the tip to keep Blake from chasing after her directly. Then she jumped up and disappeared into the canopy.
Blake sidestepped out of the way of the blast. She cursed when there was no visual of her opponent. If she knew Ilia like she thought she did. Then it stood to reason that she was going to use her ability to camouflage and ambush her. With that in mind, the cat Faunus jumped after her.
Blake landed on a branch that was several dozen yards away from their camp. The darkness didn't affect her as her night-vision had kicked in. Amber glowing eyes shifted back and forth. Her nostrils flared open to take in more of the air around her to better find Ilia's scent. The feline ears on top of her head twitched and moved forward and back to better hear anything that would tip her off on her opponent's location.
Blake did a complete one eighty and launched herself in the air towards a hulking tree trunk. She heard an 'oof' as she hit some near invisible object in the air. Ilia became visible as her concentration was disrupted. Both women fell to the ground. Blake landed gracefully while her opponent landed on her back. Ilia's aura flashed as it absorbed the impact to protect her body. In an instant she was up on her feet.
Blake ran at her. Turning her weapon into it's gun form and started firing. Ilia swiftly dodged out the line of fire and behind a tree. She spun around the backside of the trunk and came out on the other side facing Blake and fired another blast. Forcing Blake to jump back. That was when the chameleon Faunus decided to press forward while her opponent was still in the air.
Ilia drove the tip of her weapon straight into Blake's abdomen. She watched as her expression changed from deep concentration to shock. She was about lament her victory, but the other Faunus' body turned to ice as it hit ground. "Damn it!" She yelled. Desperately trying to extract her weapon from the ice. Spotting something in her peripheral, Ilia turned only to be met with a fist driving into her face. She was forced away from her weapon and went skidding across the forest floor.
Blake was quite pleased with the effectiveness of her punch. If Yang was here, she would probably be proud. After all, her partner practically made her train in more unarmed combat.
Ilia slowly sat up and looked at Blake. She was panting hard. She knew that her limit was close. But she would remain defiant. She would fight until the bitter end.
"Ilia! Stop this. It's over. Please. I don't want to fight you. Just stop!" Blake pleaded. Hoping that her former colleague would see reason.
"No! I won't stop! They have to pay Blake. They have to pay for all the pain they gave us." Standing up, she assumed a combat stance. She stared at Blake for a few moments and then started sprinting at her. Before she got halfway, she felt a metallic object wrap around her waist and yank her back. "Ugh!" Ilia groaned as her back hit the ground.
"ENOUGH!" A voice yelled from the shadows.
Both Blake's and Ilia's eyes widened. They recognized that voice. Both turned their heads to the place where the voice came from and sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed. Sienna Khan herself stepped out from the shadows with her chain whip in hand.
"It can't be. I heard you died. That the Humans got you?" Ilia said in utter disbelief.
"Is that what they told you?" Sienna asked. "Well, that was a lie. Adam was the one who tried kill me." Moving part of her shirt to show the scar on her abdomen. "Fortunately for me, his aim was off. So I faked my death in front of him. Though I was still seriously wounded when they dumped my body."
"If that was case, then how did you survive? A wound like that might not kill right away, but infection or Grimm would have gotten to you." Blake reasoned.
Sienna nodded. "You're right Belladonna. I had help. A woman did me a favor. I don't know who she is, but I owe her now." The tiger Faunus released Ilia and pulled her weapon back. She eyed the younger girl sternly. "The fact that the White Fang willingly attacks other Faunus is a disgrace. That organization was built to protect our people. Not harm them! I am disappointed in you Ilia."
"But he-"
"Adam has done nothing for you or our people! He is a sociopathic psychopath! He is leading the Faunus to their ruin! Not their salvation!" Sienna yelled angrily.
"But even you had us do missions that had us hurt and steal from the Humans." Ilia countered.
"Yes, but I never wanted a damn war you foolish girl. We already had one and it was devastating to both sides. All I wanted was for us to be taken seriously and have our people treated fairly." Sienna knelt down to the younger woman. "Adam doesn't care about that Ilia. He only cares about sating his lust for blood and destruction." She watched as the gears finally started to turn in the other woman's head. The dark-skinned woman placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me guess. They haven't told you about those slave camps have they?"
Ilia's eyes bulged. "What? Slave camps?"
"Thought as much." Sienna stood up and turned her attention to Blake. "Come. We have a camp nearby. I'll tell you all about it on our way there. So grab your friend and the other two."
Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud. She took one look at Ilia and turned somber. Tears were flowing down her face as she was coming to the very real realization that she had been helping a madman achieve his terrible goals. Though, she was happy that Sienna was at least trying to console her. Ilia, deep down, was a good person who was being led astray. She certainly deserved better than this.
The six Faunus walked through the forest in silence. Sienna had long since explained about the slave camps. Blake, Sun, Ilia, Kuma, and Trifa were all still left in shock. None of them had known that this was happening. That Adam was making slaves out of not only Humans, but also his fellow Faunus. Each of them felt sick and disgusted. Especially Ilia, Kuma, and Trifa. They all had thought that Adam had the Faunus' best interests in mind. If this kind of information came from anyone else, but Sienna, then would have thought this was all one giant lie. And Sienna wasn't known for lying.
As they came upon a clearing, the group was met with the sight of a camp surrounded by wooden walls and torches. They walked up to the gate. "Open up!" Sienna yelled.
The wooden gate raised up to reveal dozens upon dozens of Faunus. Many of which looked worse for wear. They were covered in various scars and bruises that were strewn across their bodies. Some even had broken bones. It looked a lot like a refuge camp. This scene only served to accentuate Sienna's story being true.
The former White Fang leader turned to the group behind her and put her hands on her hips. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home. At least for now anyway. You all should get some rest. I'm sure we can find a place for all of you."
As the group began walking forward, Sienna held her arm out in front Blake. "A word Belladonna."
Blake saw Sun turn back. Worry evident on his face. "Don't worry Sun. I'll be fine."
"Alright. Just...you know. Be careful. I don't want your dad to rip me apart."
The cat Faunus watched as her friend walked away. Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention back to the older woman. "What did you want to talk about?"
"You're going to need to get rid of that naivety." Sienna said bluntly.
Blake blinked a few times. "W-what?"
"You heard me. This whole 'don't kill them because it makes us just like them' thing needs to stop." Sienna said as her hands made quotation motions.
"Not everything needs to be solved bloodshed or violence Sienna."
"Sure, but I don't think you realize the situation in which you find yourself in. This is a war Belladonna. Whether you want to admit it or not doesn't matter. We are at war with a psychopath and there is no talking your way out this one."
Blake crossed her arms in defiance. "With all due respect, I don't think we need to kill our fellow Faunus to take back the White Fang."
Sienna sighed as she shook her head. She then looked her straight in the eye. "Let me emphasize this for you. THIS is a war. In WARS people die. I'm not saying that we have to kill all of them, I would like to have minimal casualties, but there will be death. And the one person who needs to die most of all is Adam. He is a danger to us and this world. That man must be killed."
"I still don't think anyone needs to die. Adam should be incarcerated to pay for his crimes. Death is just giving him an out. And we all know that none of us would be killing him for some sort of noble cause. It would be out of anger and spite. The same reasons why he kills."
"Even your father wasn't this naive. Even he knew that sometimes you have to kill to make the world a better and safer place. I don't hold anything against you for having your own ideals, but those ideals are dangerous. They could hurt the people you really care about." Sienna began walking away. "Trust me Belladonna. You'll learn. Just because you kill, doesn't mean you are the same as the person you killed." Were her final words before she disappeared into a tent.
Blake looked down as she held her right arm. She didn't want any of that to be true. The idea of killing another person, for whatever reason, scared her to her core. It was a slippery slope. One that was easy to fall down on and hard to climb back up. If she killed, what was keeping her from doing it again and again and again? What was keeping her from turning into...Adam?
A/N: Yay! Another chapter. And it didn't take forever to write! It's a little a on the smaller side to what I normally put out, but it didn't need to be too big. I know you guys were probably missing Blake and Ruby. Thankfully, I already had the idea to dedicate this chapter to them even before I finished chapter 17. I'm going to be introducing what I feel is an interesting concept to RWBY. I just hope you guys like it as much as I do. I'll let you know that part of the inspiration for this chapter was the fact that I feel that Ruby's resolve and ideals weren't nearly tested as much as they should have bee. Now I know she wasn't in her slump for very long, but that's only Summer came in to set her straight and give her support. Weeks of depression and antisocial behavior wasn't really needed.
Now, I have to ask help for something else. I don't like the idea that the Maidens can use any element. I think they should just be able to use up to two elements that represent the seasons they take after. The trade off? They are incredibly powerful in those two elements. Much more so than in canon. And this is where I would like some help. I have already decided that Spring has control of water and lighting. Winter has ice and wind. Summer has fire and gravity. I am giving it gravity because it always like I get so heavy when I step out into a hot summer day. However, I am struggling with Fall. Do you guys have ideas what her two elements should? Mind you, Maidens cannot share elements as those elements are unique to in mind that Cinder will still be using fire, but I have an explanation for that one. So tell me what elements should be associated with Fall that doesn't pertain to Cinder's fire.
I also have an entirely different backstory written up for Ozpin and Salem. Spoilers! It's not the canon one. I didn't really like it. Sorry. I just want to say that I ABSOLUTELY love Weiss V7 design. Like seriously, that shit is god tier. The other girls though not so much. Ruby's design hasn't really changed substantially. It's not bad. Just kinda meh. I really don't like Blake's or Yang's design. Not a fan of those zippers. Easily their weakest designs in my opinion. Like Blake's haircut though. Also, why did they give Jaune some late nineties/early aughts kid's hair cut? Not a fan.
Anyway, I'll say this one last thing. I'm super fucking hyped for FF7 Remake. I still remember getting that game when it came out back in 97'. Still remember all of the gaming magazines that were advertising it and seeing all the commercials. My seven year old self was so fucking hyped. I spent the entirety of March playing that game. Then, when summer vacation came by, I spent much of it playing that game. Ahhhh. Those were simpler times. Well, see you guys next chapter! And thanks for reading my story!
The Insanity ofs Rambling Mind: There are other "tribes", but they are really just roving gangs of criminals. That's basically it. Raven's tribe is really the only actual tribe and they don't like the other ones. As for having an army. Well, I have an idea about and the next few chapters are going to be giving you an idea of how that's going to , I agree. I really just don't like the way Yang just accepted her back. Personally didn't make any sense to me. Hell, I thought it was pushing when she just forgave Ruby right on the spot. People that have abandonment issues like Yang does, don't forgave so easily.
Ultimatrix bearer: I don't think it's the Bumbleby parring that is ruining Yang's character. That coupling could absolutely work! The problem is the way they are going about it. Like all of the things happening between Blake and Yang happened way too early. Even the fight with Adam I felt was premature. They should have saved that for Atlas. Were Adam could have brought up how poorly the Faunus are being treated. Using the racism in in the Kingdom as a way to strengthen his position and justify his actions. I like the idea of Adam dying because he has become completely irredeemable. Especially in my story. But that's just my opinion. As for Neo. I have a nice idea for her that i think people will like. Anyway, thanks for lking and reading my story, despite you not liking the pairings.