Here's the next chapter.
She raised her gauntleted fists in front of her face as Nora smirked at her from across the sparring mat, hammer in hand.
"I'm not gonna go easy on ya just cause we're training." Nora smirked at her.
"You'd better not." She said. There was a moment of silence before Nora launched herself at Yang, a laugh escaping her lips as she swung her hammer. Yang leapt back as the hammer crashed into the ground where she had been seconds prior. She ducked down low as Nora swung again, and sprung forward, slamming her fist into Nora's stomach. Nora grunted, and Yang smashed her fist into Nora's chin before punching her in the cheek.
Nora grit her teeth before head-butting Yang. Yang staggered back for a second, shaking her head as pain washed over her. She felt the wind get knocked out of her as Nora slammed the staff of her hammer into her chest, following it up by slamming the hammer into her face.
Yang fell to the ground, grunting as her head swam. She looked up to see Nora slamming her hammer down at her. Yang threw her hands up, gritting her teeth, as she caught it, her arms shaking from the strain. Yang grunted, and kicked out at Nora, hitting her in the knee. Nora laughed at that, and put more pressure on the hammer. Yang felt her hair ignite as she snarled and let go of the hammer, rolling out of the way as the hammer came crashing down.
Yang sprang to her feet and tackled Nora to the ground, pinning her arms to the floor with her legs. Nora laughed again
"I love it when you're rough!" she exclaimed. Yang punched Nora in the face, the grin not leaving Nora's face. She punched Nora's face repeatedly, grunting as she pounded on her face.
She grunted as she felt Nora contort her body, slamming her foot into the back of Yang's head. Nora took this opportunity to slip her arms out from under Yang's legs, swinging the hammer staff and striking Yang across the face, knocking her to the ground.
Yang sprung to her feet, her breathing heavy as Nora stood up, a smirk on her lips.
"Ready to give up?" Nora asked. Yang shook her head, raising her fists up. "Good." Nora threw herself at Yang again, and Yang dodged the attack. She closed the distance and smashed her fist into Nora's chest. Nora wheezed, doubling over in pain. Yang clasped her hands together and slammed her fists onto Nora's back. Nora fell to the ground with a grunt, and Yang slammed her heel into Nora's hand, digging her heel into her hand, forcing her to release her hammer.
Yang smirked.
"I win." She said. Nora sighed and rested her head on the ground.
"Ugh. Best two out of three?" Yang laughed and got off Nora's hand. She offered her hand and helped Nora up.
"Sounds good. Snacks first?" Nora threw her arms up in excitement.
"Hell yeah!" Yang smiled as she left the mat, Nora following her. She let out a surprised yelp when she felt Nora smack her on the rear. She spun towards her, a blush and a scowl on her face. Nora held up her hands innocently as she smiled at her.
"What? I think you earned it."
"Warn me next time." She said. Nora smirked & skipped past her, her arms swing with her movements.
"Will do!"
She set the book down, and pinched the bridge of her nose; she was having a hard time believing Blake on this book not being smut. She was only twenty pages in and the characters were already having sex. She had skimmed the book as well and found some… interesting illustrations to say the least. At least they had been tactful enough to cover any male indecency with the characters swords. Though she was noticing a lack of pin ups for the female characters. The book had given a rather detailed description of the female protagonist and her… ahem, upper female anatomy. Why couldn't they have an illustration of that? She felt a warmth in her belly as she thought of the protagonist.
She pulled out her scroll and checked the time; no one would be back for a couple more hours. She chewed her lip as she thought; she probably wouldn't be interrupted if she tried. She blushed, and swallowed as the heat started to grow. She got off her bed, went over to the door to make sure it was locked, and returned to her bedside. She hastily stripped out of her clothes, letting them fall to the floor.
She laid on her bed, her legs splayed out. She didn't bother quieting herself as her hands relieved her tension. She visualized the girl of her dreams replacing her fingers, a moan escaping her lips as she thought of her.
Her breasts
Her olive skin
Her dark hair
Her warm smile
Her amber eyes
Her cat ears
Wait… cat ears?
Weiss gasped as a knocking came from the door. She scrambled out of bed, wiping her fingers on her bed sheets before she hastily got dressed. There was another knock at the door.
"Coming!" Weiss said, hurrying to the door. She threw the door open and saw Pyrrha standing in front of her. She raised a hand in greeting and said
"Hello, Weiss. I hope I wasn't disturbing you." Weiss shook her head.
"Its fine, Pyrrha, did you need something?" Pyrrha nodded her head.
"Yes, I was curious how you dealt with your fans?" Weiss cocked her head to the side.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you're Weiss Schnee. You're the richest girl in the world, an accomplished singer. Surely you know what it's like." Weiss thought back to Violet, how she had noticed her dog ears before anything else and had turned down her request for an autograph. She felt her expression start to fall before catching herself and giving Pyrrha a polite smile.
"Yes, I've had to deal with fans before."
"And how did you handle them?"
"I would turn them away. I…" she sighed, not able to keep the smile up. "In all honesty, I thought I was above them; they weren't worth my time. Why should I waste my time acknowledging their empty praise when I have other more important things to do? And Faunus fans… I wouldn't even think they were being serious with wanting my autograph. I thought they just wanted it to sell or some other less innocent reason. I haven't had to interact with any fans in a while, but I should be kinder to them the next time I see them." Pyrrha's mouth was parted and her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"I… I see, Weiss. I was having the opposite problem. Whenever a fan approached me, human or Faunus, I would stop whatever I was doing to cater to them. But I don't like doing that, it gets so tiring. Would any of those people care about me if they actually knew me? As a person? Not just as, Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl? But I can't turn them down, I just physically can't. Nora turned a fan of mine away for me the other night and it made me feel bad; they just wanted to meet me. But I was with my friends trying to enjoy myself and I really didn't want to be reminded who I am around other people." She paused. "I'm not sure if I'm making sense. I guess I just wanted to know what it was like for you Weiss. I don't think I can change how I interact with them after so many years, but it's nice knowing I have someone to talk to about it." She frowned. "Though I have to ask, why did you think that about the Faunus?" Weiss sighed, and rubbed her arm.
"I am, was… I'm not sure what I am. But I've held prejudice views towards the Faunus for most of my life. The White Fang have been going after my family for years and I was taught not to trust or believe any Faunus that I meet; they just want to kill me or kidnap me. And as I got older, and some… other things in my life started to happen I just started hating the Faunus in general." She shook her head, avoiding Pyrrha's gaze. "I know that isn't right, and I'm trying to get better. Blake has been helping teach me about the Faunus, and I see how hard they have it and it isn't fair." She looked up at Weiss, straining her neck a bit, and saw Pyrrha offer her a comforting smile.
"You've at least acknowledged you have a problem and are working to improve. Not a lot of people with that mindset are capable of doing that." Weiss smiled back at her. "I've enjoyed talking with you Weiss. I'll let you get back to…whatever it is that you were doing." Weiss nodded.
"Same to you Pyrrha. If you want to hang out and study some time, I can make time for you."
"Thank you, Weiss, I'll keep that in mind." Pyrrha turned and left and Weiss closed the door.
She leaned against the door and sighed. She looked at her hand for a moment before shaking her head; the mood was ruined, she couldn't go back to it. She flexed her hand as she thought back to the girl she had been fantasizing about; black hair, amber eyes, cat…. Her eyes widened.
Oh Dust.
She rushed to the bathroom, leaving the door open as she stood before the sink. She stared at her reflection, took a breath, and said
"Mirror, Mirror on the wall… did I seriously just do that?" Her reflection didn't change and Weiss felt her heart fall.
"Mirror? Please, tell me you're still there?" Her reflection grinned at her and Weiss smiled back at it.
"Of course I'm still here, I just wanted you to deal with some things on your own," she said. Weiss frowned.
"Like how you ditched me that night in Vale." Her reflection started to file her nails.
"You resolved that issue well enough on your own." Weiss pouted.
"Well, what am I going to do about… this… new… um," Weiss trailed off, blushing, and her reflection laughed.
"Isn't it obvious, Weiss? You have a crush on Blake. It's not like you haven't had one of those before." Weiss' blush deepened. She had been a little girl and wanted nothing more in the world than to marry her older sister. To be taken away from a dad who hit and a mother who ignored her. To be with the only person who cared about her. She shook her head; this was different. This wasn't the wishes of a little girl, this was a whole different beast.
They had gone on dates to Vale, they had danced together, she had come out to her, and she had been allowed to touch her ears. Her expression fell as she looked at her reflection; at her pretty skin clear of those scars, at the Schnee emblem on her coat.
"And what am I supposed to do about that?" Weiss asked quietly.
"Hmmm. Now that's the question," her reflection said, admiring its nails before dropping the file. "Let's see, we're a part of the family that oppresses her people, and up until recently, hated her entire kind. I can just see Father loving her."
"I don't care what Father thinks," she spat. Her reflection smirked. "Blake can help me get better with her people. I can change, and I can turn the Company around once Father is dead."
"Should we make it look like an accident?" Weiss snorted and shook her head.
"No, I don't want to risk anything." Her reflection shrugged.
"If you insist." Her reflection gave her a cheeky grin. "Are we going to ask her out?" Weiss blushed again and looked down.
"I…I don't know. I mean, I like her, and she clearly likes being around me. But… can we work as a couple? A Schnee and a Faunus? I mean, will we get treated like we did in that club everywhere we go? Faunus calling Blake a, uh, what was it, a slavosá every time she's seen with me? Humans barring her from accompanying me? Her never being able to meet my family? Would we really be able to make that work? I don't want her to have to hide who she is; she is a Faunus, and she is proud."
"You won't know until you try," her reflection said before disappearing. Weiss sighed and looked down into the sink.
"Good talk," she said. She looked at her hands before glancing at her wrists. She looked back up at the mirror, at the scar on her face. She traced the scar on her face with her fingers, her expression falling.
Would Blake love her if she knew the truth behind her scars?
She knocked on the door, nervous. The door opened and Ren stood in the doorway.
"Hello, Blake, what can I help you with?"
"Hello, Ren. I," she paused, rubbing her arm. "Was hoping you could help teach me how to relax." Ren blinked, his expression neutral.
"Why do you think I would be able to help you with that?"
"Well, you're always so calm. Nothing ever seems to phase you."
"Because I'm dead inside and horribly traumatized." Blake was taken back and stared at him in shock. His expression remained the same as he said "That was a joke." He exited the room and closed the door, leaning against it, his arms crossed. "What did you want me to teach you? I know of a variety of recipes that help me relax. Or were you hoping to learn about the effects of different kinds of incense?"
"I was hoping you could show me how to meditate." Ren nodded.
"Also a good one." Ren started to walk away, motioning for Blake to follow after him. "I know a good spot outside," he said. She smiled and followed after him.
He led her to the water gardens, insects buzzing around. Blake noticed there were less insects out and the flowers were starting to wilt. He stopped in a small clearing, a pool of water and a tree in the clearing. Ren took a seat near the water, crossing his legs, his back straight. He offered Blake a smile as she sat down across from him, resting her hands on her knees.
"Don't expect to get this right off the bat, it takes a long time to figure out how to do this properly." Blake nodded. He closed his eyes and Blake closed her eyes as well.
"Relax your body. Empty your mind." She took a deep breath, and tried to empty her mind of all thoughts. She breathed slowly and steadily, her body starting to feel less tense. She could hear insects buzzing around them, the rustle of the leaves as the wind blew, the chirping of the birds. She shook her head, trying to block out the noises.
"Try and find your center. Keep your mind clear of any distractions." Ren said, his voice calmer than usual.
Blake focused on her breathing. In, out, in, out, in out. A few minutes passed before Blake felt her mind start to wander again.
Him.
Blake gasped, her eyes snapping open, breathing fast. She saw Ren open his eyes as well, and offer her a comforting smile.
"Something from your past?" Blake closed her mouth, and silently nodded. Ren exhaled through his nose. "I know the feeling. Do you want to continue or was it too much?" he asked. Blake balled her hands into fists and shook her head.
"I can keep going. He won't stop me." Ren smiled again.
"Very good." He closed his eyes, resting his hands in his lap. "Let's start over. Close your eyes." Blake closed her eyes, and straightened her back. "And empty your mind."
Blake took a deep breath, and exhaled. In and out, in and out, in and out.
She walked down the tarmac, her headphones hanging around her neck. The morning sun shone bright as she walked towards the airship.
"Ruby!" she heard a voice shout. She looked back and saw Jaune and Penny running up to her. She stopped and turned to them, and yelped as Penny tackled her to the ground. She patted Penny on the back as Penny looked at her, their faces inches apart. "You were not in the dorm this morning and you were not at breakfast! Weiss, and Blake, and Yang said you were leaving for the day! Why did you not let me know?"
"I'm just visiting my mom, Penny. It's no big deal." Penny got off of her and offered a hand, which Ruby took. Penny pulled her up, and cocked her head to the side.
"Why are you leaving so early? Are you having breakfast with her?" Ruby shook her head, and noticed Jaune looking at the two of them.
"Does she live close by? Would it be easier to video call her?" Jaune asked. Ruby shook her head.
"I live on Patch, it's not much of a hassle to visit her."
"May I come with you Ruby?" Penny asked, slipping her hand into Ruby's. "It is normal to meet each other's parents' right? You have already met one of my fathers." Ruby forced a smile as Penny looked at her.
"S-sure, if you really want to. I prefer going alone but if you really want to meet her…" she trailed off, thoughts drifting to that lone stone at the cliffside. She shook her head, and saw Jaune rub his arm awkwardly. "Do you want to come too?" she asked.
"If you don't mind. I didn't really have anything planned for the day, and meeting your mom sounds like it would be fun. What's she like?" Ruby opened and closed her hand.
"She's uh… she's really nice." She snorted and grinned. "She's a really good listener; you can sit and talk with her for hours." Jaune smiled.
"She's sounds like an awesome mom. Can't wait to meet her." She gave Jaune and Penny a smile, hoping it seemed genuine.
They boarded the airship, and Ruby slipped on her headphones, pressing play and letting the music fill her mind. She saw Penny and Jaune talk to one another out of the corner of her eye as she listened to the melancholy music. Her eyes felt heavy, her head starting to droop.
When she looked up she was in a snow covered forest. A white cloak hovered in front of her. The cloak began to drift off, weaving in and out of the dead black trees. Ruby followed after the cloak, crunching through the snow, the cold seeping into her. She shivered, her breath coming out in a silver mist as she followed after the cloak. The forest was devoid of any sound aside from the crunch of her boots. She shivered again and wrapped her arms around her body; they offered no warmth. The forest was getting colder and colder the farther in she went, the twisted, gnarled branches of the trees creating a canopy of dead wood above her. Icicles hung from the dead branches like fangs from a beast.
She gasped and fell to the ground, the cold embracing her. She looked back and saw an Atlas soldier, his head at an unnatural angle holding onto her ankle, his dead eyes orange in color. Ruby tried to kick at him but found her other leg being held onto by a shadow, its orange eyes peering at her. She struggled and started to try and crawl away. The soldier and the shadow had her legs in a death grip, their mouths opening and closing, speaking silent words. She struggled harder, clutching fistfuls of snow in a vain attempt to break free, grunting in pain. It was so cold. She looked up and saw the white cloak was still drifting away. She reached out to it.
"Stop!" She screamed. She grunted, digging her elbows into the snow, struggling to move forward. She screamed and looked back to see the shadow stabbing its clawed hands into her legs, crimson dripping from her and into the snow. The soldier's head righted itself, making a sickening crackling noise, and bit into her leg. She screamed again, tears in her eyes. She looked back at the cloak; it was getting so far away. She heard a wolf's howl and saw a pack of mutilated Beowolves move past the cloak, sprinting towards her. The ones with heads, and unmutilated jaws, licked their maws as they descended on her.
The tears ran down her face, freezing in place as the shadow and soldier tore into her legs. She reached out weakly to the white cloak, black spots appearing in her vision, the wolves were so close to her now.
"Mom!" she cried out. "Help me!" she screamed.
The white cloak kept moving forward.
A wolf with the top part of its head missing lunged at her, a roar escaping its lips. It clamped its jaws around her face, its teeth ripping into her face. She screamed as the wolf started to shake her head to and fro, her body like a limp doll as it shook in the wolf's jaws.
Her eyes snapped open, her body still being shaken. She looked over and saw Penny shaking her, saying something, concern on her face. Jaune was standing up, looking concerned as well, and she saw the hatch to the airship was open, sunlight streaming into the ship. Her body felt slick and sticky, and she slipped her headphones off.
"What is it?" Penny stopped shaking her, and laid her hand on Ruby's.
"Are you okay, Ruby? You are sweating profusely and you looked distressed while sleeping." She had been having that nightmare every day since the night of the dance. She offered Penny a smile.
"I'm fine, Penny. Nothing you have to worry about." Penny gave her an odd look but said nothing. She stood up, and offered Ruby her hand, helping her up. Penny kept a hold of her hand as they exited the ship, Jaune walking in front of them.
"You said you live on Patch right?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, it's a little house out in the woods, we live a bit away from the beach." She said. She let of Penny's hand, and Penny looked at her quizzically. "It okay if I listen to music? You guys can talk to one another." Penny's head tilted to the side and she cocked an eyebrow before saying
"O-okay, Ruby. If that is what you would prefer." Ruby slipped the headphones back on and saw Penny start playing with her hands as they walked, glancing between her and Jaune. She pressed play, the sounds of the morning city and the small talk Penny and Jaune were having disappearing. She followed after them, pulling her hood up, cutting off her peripheral vision. She just followed them through the city and to the docks, the melancholy music the only thing she was paying attention to. The air felt cooler than it had the past few weeks, and Ruby realized that autumn would be here soon. She put her hands in her pockets.
Why did her mom have to die? Why did her mom have to go on that mission? Why couldn't she have been with her a little bit longer? Why did she leave her all alone? Why didn't she keep her promise of doing that puzzle with her when she got back? She scowled. She made her dad shut down. She made Yang sacrifice her childhood to provide for them. She left her to grow up wondering if she would have loved her for who she is. That selfish fucking bitch, leaving her and Yang for some stupid mission to go do who knows what. Nothing was worth leaving them. She felt her lip quiver with anger.
She saw Jaune and Penny stop at the docks, looking at the various ships, Jaune scratching his head in confusion. She bottled up her anger and flashed them a cheerful smile when they looked at her. She lowered her headphones.
"It's the ferry over there," she said, motioning over to a small, barnacle encrusted, white boat with a blue canopy. They looked over at it and Ruby walked past them and towards the boat. She smiled at the ferry owner and paid for herself and Jaune and Penny. Ruby boarded the boat and went to the front, leaning against the salty railing. She loved the smell of sea salt and hey being this close to a harpoon gun was always nice. She heard Jaune and Penny take a spot on either side of her.
"Ruby, are you alright? You seem distant." Penny asked. Ruby nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I usually do this alone so I'm a little nervous having you guys with me." Jaune cocked an eyebrow.
"If you want to have us meet her later, then we can go back and leave you alone." Ruby shook her head.
"Its fine you guys, really."
The boat lurched forward, and, with a yelp, Jaune stumbled and fell to the deck. Ruby laughed and helped him back up.
"I take it you haven't been on a lot of boats?"
"Nah, my family always took the train to Mistral. Never really been on a boat before." He grabbed a hold of the railing, clutching it for dear life as the ship shook, waves hitting the sides. "I mean trains shake a lot but they at least give you a place to sit." Ruby motioned backwards, and Jaune's eyes lit up. He looked back at Ruby. "It okay if I go sit down?" Ruby nodded and he walked away, taking a seat, and leaning back into what Ruby knew was an uncomfortable plastic seat.
"Ruby? Are you positive that you are okay?" Penny asked. Ruby offered her a smile.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Penny played with her hands, looking at Ruby's hands, before saying
"Are you ashamed of me Ruby?" Ruby's eyes shot open, and she grabbed Penny's hands, holding them between the two of them.
"Of course not, Penny. I'm just nervous about visiting her. It's nothing you've done." Penny looked away.
"If you say so Ruby," Penny hiccupped. Ruby held onto Penny's hand and turned back to the railing. They held each other's hands in silence, watching the island of Patch slowly get closer.
They reached the island, and Ruby led them down the gangway. She saw Jaune and Penny looking around in wonder as they walked through the small coastal town. Ruby pretended to not notice the familiar faces waving at her as they walked through the town.
They followed the small dirt path through the woods for a while before Ruby took a turn, walking off the trail and through the tall grass.
"Ruby? Are we going the right way?" Jaune asked.
"Yep!" Ruby chirped. They continued for a few more minutes before the trees thinned out and they reached the end of a cliff, a lone stone marker standing out against the grass. She walked up to the grave and spun on her heels, looking at her friends. They looked confused.
"I thought you said we were visiting your mom?" Penny asked. Ruby nodded.
"We are. She's right here." Realization crept over their faces.
"Your mom…. she's?" Jaune asked. Ruby nodded. "I'm so sorry, Ruby." He said.
"It's fine. She… she passed a long time ago." Penny was staring at the grave, and Jaune rubbed his arm.
"Do you want us to leave?" Ruby shook her head.
"It's up to you." Jaune looked over at Penny, who was still staring at the grave, before looking back at Ruby. He sat down, and motioned for her to do her thing.
Ruby turned back to the grave, rocking back and forth on her heels before she spoke.
"Hey mom, it's been a while." She rested her arms behind her back. "A lot has happened since I last visited. Blake's okay now, and the whole team is getting along a lot better. It's hard being a leader, and I wasn't expecting Beacon to be as hard as it is. I… I've seen and experienced things I really wish I hadn't. Oh! I brought some friends with me this time." She smiled at the grave. "That's Jaune, he's the first friend I made at Beacon, and he's a team leader too. And that's Penny; she's my girlfriend, and she's from Atlas." Ruby dropped to her knees, her smile disappearing.
"I hope you're okay with me dating a girl. Or me being a girl. Sometimes I just… I get really angry at you mom. I miss you a lot, and I wish I got to grow up with you. It's not fair that you died when I was so young, it's not fair how dad reacted after you died, and it's not fair how Yang had to raise me in your place. And I don't like when I get that angry; you didn't mean to die, and I know that if you were still alive you would have taken care of us and loved us." She smiled at the grave again. "I'll try to visit sooner next time. Love you mom." She ran her hand over the grave, feeling the faded and weathered stone. She stood up and turned back to her friends.
"Who wants to go get breakfast?" she asked.
And that's all the filler content for vol2. Hope you enjoyed it!