Chapter 10: Reprieve

Watching the police haul away the White Fang grunts they took down didn't stop the butterflies from swarming inside Ruby's stomach. Just minutes before, they were in the heat of battle. Just minutes before, she had a brush with death.

Her Aura protected her from that huntress' vicious blows, but it couldn't shield her forever. It wouldn't have shattered if she was strong enough to win that fight. But she wasn't, and that huntress punished her weakness. Crushed her.

To make things worse, she beat Yang, too. Yang fought valiantly, she did her very best, but even when they fought together, they couldn't keep that huntress from driving them face-first into the dirt.

The only reason Ruby was alive was because Weiss and Blake worked together to keep that huntress from skewering her stomach. However, it was Penny who drove her off. Penny, who she only met a couple of hours ago.

Penny was standing close to the paramedics as they tended to Yang's wounds. While Yang was banged up, Ruby was glad that she hadn't been seriously injured. All she had to do was take things slow for the next couple of days. Weiss was busy talking to the police, while Blake was sitting on a crate near some police cars, examining Gambol Shroud.

Ruby had all the time in the world to talk to her saviour, and since she was standing on her own, no one would interrupt her. Hopefully.

"Salutations, Ruby!" The smile that erupted on Penny's face was wide. A bit too wide, but it kind of had its own charm. "Is everything in working order?"

Ruby smiled without showing her teeth. "Yep. Thanks for saving me."

Penny didn't move an inch. It was kinda odd. Was she trying to think about the right words to say? "There's no need to thank me. I was only doing what you asked me to."

"You saved me, Penny. Not just that, you made that awful huntress run away."

"Are you sure she's a huntress? To me, she fought more like an assassin."

Ruby's mouth fell open. "You know, she probably is some super assassin. I mean, I've never seen her before today. I do know one thing, though: we wouldn't be talking like this if you weren't here to help us. You're a hero, Penny."

Penny's smile shrunk. "Do you really mean that?"

She nodded, making eye contact with her fellow fighter. "You risked yourself to save me and Yang, and you didn't hesitate for a second. That's what heroes do."

"I see..."

Penny closed her mouth. She looked down at her shoes. With the silence that swept in between them, Ruby started to wither. It sucked that she couldn't just let things be without worrying that she might have messed up somewhere, coming on too strongly when all she wanted to do was thank Penny for what she did.

She forced herself to breathe, to remember why she came to Penny in the first place, and when she reined in her anxiety, she saw Sun approaching them, all smiles.

Penny whirled around, greeting Sun with a huge smile of her own. "Greetings, Sun! We were just having the most riveting conversation!"

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Our fight against a mysterious huntress who might also be an assassin. She was incredibly skilled, but I did my best during our battle and made her escape."

Sun smiled rather gently. "I'm not surprised. See, Ruby, I told you Penny was combat ready."

"That's right!" Penny said.

Ruby smiled, feeding off the positive energy in the air. "Well, I'm really glad you were. Thanks again, Penny."

Penny swung both of her arms. "It still seems strange to be thanked for doing my job."

"Ruby's just happy that you helped her out," Sun said. "Thanking you is her way of telling you that."

"I see. Giving thanks is not only done after favours, then." Penny nodded to herself, before smiling at Ruby. "Then I appreciate your gratitude!"

Just then, Penny clutched her right ear. Her smile quickly disappeared, but Sun clasped Penny's shoulder before she turned away.

"Everything okay, Penny?"

Penny frowned. "I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "Don't you want to see Yang? Or talk more about hero stuff?"

"I want to, but I've been away for too long."

Ruby kept smiling. "It's okay. We'll just hang out another time."

She was really disappointed that their time together was cut short, but she couldn't force Penny to stay, and it wouldn't be fair to make her feel worse when she was already down in the dumps.

"At the Vytal Festival, right?" Sun said. "Maybe before that, if we're lucky."

Penny's eyes sparked, gradually growing brighter. "I hope so. Both of you were so kind to me. I'm very happy that I was able to meet you."

"Me too," Ruby said.

Sun smiled, letting go of Penny. "See you around, Penny."

After Penny made her exit, Ruby decided to return to her team. Sun followed her, which she didn't mind. Not that she'd ever get in Blake's way, but Sun was certainly interesting company. If only she knew what to talk about.

"You're Blake's partner, aren't you?" Sun asked.

That came out of nowhere. Or did it?

"Yep. How did you guess?"

"Blake told me." He smiled. "She likes you."

Ruby couldn't – and didn't want to – resist the smile that spread across her face. "I like her, too. Thanks for taking care of her."

"You're welcome. She's a cool girl."

About the only thing that wasn't cool about Blake was her need to brood. In fact, she was brooding at this very moment. Weiss had taken a seat on the opposite crate, pointedly looking away from Blake with her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

If she was better at talking to people, she could figure out a solution to her teammates' troubles, but the only approaches that worked for her was shouting at them until they started seeing sense or pouring her heart out, which wouldn't work forever.

She wondered how would someone good at social stuff would handle things. Yang was still busy getting checked out, so she'd have to wait. Unless... it was worth a try.

"Hey, Sun, how did you get along with Penny?"

Sun looked at her, eyebrow raised. "I just talked to her. Why?"

Ruby bit her lip. "You guys were talking like you were lifelong friends! Tell me your secrets."

Her brazen plea was met by a languid shrug.

"I just did what came naturally to me. Penny had a lot of questions, so I answered them. Her questions were pretty interesting, too."

"You weren't worried about making things awkward?" she asked.

He grinned. "Why be awkward when you can be awesome?"

Ruby giggled, snorting out a laugh. "Seriously? That's all you have to do?"

"The way I see it, unless you say something really dumb, feeling awkward's all in your head. Besides, I think you're better at talking to people than you think you are."

That didn't ring true to Ruby's finely tuned ears, but even if she wanted to argue about it, it was too late. They had already reached Weiss and Blake. Weiss noticed their arrival first, curling her lip.

"Making new friends, Ruby?"

Ruby sighed. "Seriously, Weiss? Sun's cool."

Weiss unfolded her arms, sparing one glance for Sun. "I never said it was a problem." She stood up and walked over to Sun, looking up to meet his face. "Thank you for helping us fight the White Fang."

Sun smiled, revealing bright teeth. "No problem. The White Fang's bad news. I'm just glad I got the chance to knock them off their high horse."

"The feeling's mutual." Weiss's lips twisted into a triumphant smile. "You did quite well, Sun. If I ever find the chance to take on the White Fang again, I'll be sure to give you a call."

"Looking forward to it."

Blake scoffed, shaking her head. Thankfully, she didn't open her mouth and make things worse.

"Blake was the one who brought us all together," Sun said. "She deserves credit, too."

Weiss' smile tightened. "Oh, I know."

He chuckled, more to himself than to Weiss. "Just making sure."

Hopefully, Weiss was telling the truth. Ruby was so done with fighting of any kind.

"You want to hang out with us, Sun?" Ruby asked. "You know, while we wait for Yang? You can tell Blake how cool she is!"

Sun laughed, while Blake bowed her head. Ruby swore she saw her blush, but she bet Blake would act like it never happened.

"You doing all right, Blake?" Sun asked.

Blake stared right ahead, before meeting Sun's eyes. "I'll be fine."

They shared a look, communicating in a language Ruby couldn't decipher. Strange, since pretty much everyone Ruby knew on Remnant spoke just one language, even the Faunus.

A few seconds later, Sun smiled. "Awesome. I'd love to hang out, but it's getting pretty late. I'm gonna get back to the hotel."

"Make sure you give your statement to the police before you leave," Weiss said.

"Already did."

Blake stood up. "Don't let us stop you, Sun. Take care of yourself."

Ruby nodded. Maybe Sun was uncomfortable, but he sure wasn't making things awkward. "Yeah, we can all hang out some other time."

Sun's smile grew. "Thanks. Tell Yang I said hi."

Once Sun left, the cloying tension that permeated the air returned with a desperate vengeance. She wanted to put a stop to it, but she was too wound up to focus properly.

"How are you doing, Ruby?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "I don't know. Stressed out, I guess?"

"I don't blame you," Weiss said. "That woman wanted to kill you! But we put a stop to that."

"Yeah..." Ruby caught herself. Weiss had just given her a path towards something good, something she could use. "You did. Both of you saved me. You worked together without even thinking about it."

Weiss put a hand on her hip. "Of course we did. We're teammates, after all. And I, for one, can put aside any enmity I might hold to fight for a higher cause."

Blake frowned, staring hard at Weiss. "So can I."

"So does that mean –"

"No. Sorry, Ruby."

Weiss' slim fingers clawed at her jacket, jaw clenched. "Of course. I shouldn't expect anything less –"

"What matters is that you're willing to work together," Ruby said. "We'll work from there. Okay?"

"It's not up to me," Weiss said.

"It is," Blake said. "But I've said enough."

The tension started to seep from the air, bringing with it much needed relief. Somehow, they were able to avoid getting into another fight. Now, all they had to do was wait for Yang, and fortunately, they didn't have to wait for long.

"The gang's all here," Yang said.

Ruby turned around. Her sister's mere presence made her smile. "Hi, Yang. How are you doing?"

Yang twitched, before shooting Ruby a smile of her own. "Just have to take it easy, but nothing can keep me down."

Except for that huntress... which wasn't remotely fair. She was stronger than any of them.

"I've got to take it easy, too," Ruby said, trying not to dwell on those awful thoughts. "Good thing there aren't any combat classes tomorrow, right?"

Yang grinned. "I guess I'll just have to get some practice in on my own time, huh?"

"It's just like you to ignore the doctor's orders, isn't it?" Weiss said.

"You know me too well, princess."

Weiss huffed. "Do I? Personally, I think you're too predictable."

Yang smirked. "Whatever you say." She began to look around the pier, her mane of hair swivelling around. "Hey, have you guys seen Penny?"

"She had to go somewhere," Ruby said. "It sounded pretty important, because she really wanted to hang out with us."

She only shrugged. "Too bad. I guess Sun's gone, too, right?"

The lights in her eyes were incredibly dim. Ruby swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.

"Yeah. Sun says hi, by the way."

"Did he? How nice of him." Yang puffed out her cheeks, shaking her head. "At least we managed to fend off the White Fang, right, Blake?"

"They're not done yet, though," Blake said.

"But we did our best, and that's what counts. No point worrying about them now when we can go home instead. That's what I wanna do."

Yang spun around and walked away. Weiss frowned at the sight, while Blake crossed her arms around her chest.

"Is she all right?" Blake asked.

Ruby frowned. "She'll be fine. Yang's really strong."

It didn't dampen the concern that lanced through her heart. Strong did not mean unbeatable or unbreakable. Ruby knew that all too well.

School was eerily normal over the next couple of days. Team RWBY was a full team again. Nobody had asked them about their trip to Vale's docks or about the fight against the White Fang, not even Professor Ozpin.

Ruby was grateful for that, but it only eased her nerves so much. Her dreams had taken her on a one-way trip to Nightmare City, population: her. She'd grown used to those twisted dreams, though, and tried to sleep as much as she could. When she couldn't fall asleep, she read some books, and learned more about the world of Remnant.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one on edge. Yang was in a funk. Sure, she still smiled, made jokes, and tried to be positive. But whenever she was feeling down, her attitude changed for the worse: her banter became littered with barbs and her patience ran really thin.

Her back-and-forth with Weiss after Grimm Studies stuck out like a sore thumb. Normally, Yang would leave after the bell rang, but she had stuck around, staring at the board long after most of their classmates had gone. This got on Weiss' nerves, so she barged back inside seconds after Ruby left.

"Did you forget that we have more than one class today, Yang?"

"How can I forget anything? You'll just nag if I do."

"Giving you a reminder is not nagging. The last thing I want is for us to be late because you decided to twiddle your thumbs."

"Is that why you're still here? Aw, you need me to hold your hand, Weiss? I thought you were a big girl."

"You should be grateful I decided to wait for you at all."

"You're just wasting your time. If I were you, I'd hang out with my other friends. But we all know how many friends you have."

"Fine! Feel free to act like an infant without me!"

It wasn't only Weiss who suffered. When Pyrrha said hello, Yang said goodbye. Blake tried to talk to Yang about studying together during lunch the day after Yang's spat with Weiss, since she wanted to cheer her up. Yang wasn't interested.

"It's a neat offer and all, but what are we going to do, not talk for a few hours? I'd rather watch paint dry."

Even Ruby hadn't come out unscathed. Of course, Yang was never mean to her, but she was always at her side when she wasn't busy. Normally, this would be a great thing, but Yang somehow found a way to ruin it.

If Ruby wanted to chat with someone for a bit, Yang was there, hounding them with her presence. Yang was wound up, too, not really talking much when they were on their own, but she insisted that she had nothing better to do, so she might as well spend some time with her favourite sister.

Yang wasn't being protective, she was being really overbearing, and Ruby was about to lose it. But she didn't, because Ruby knew better than to get on her sister's bad side. There was a time and place to do so, and it wasn't in public. Besides, she knew from experience that Yang was the only one who could pull herself out of her bad moods.

One good thing about Yang being her shadow was that she wasn't walking on her own. That bloodthirsty huntress was still at large, and there was nothing keeping her from sneaking into Beacon and stabbing Ruby in her sleep.

Logically speaking, she knew that there was no way that huntress would come all the way to Beacon just for her, but it was hard to be logical when somebody wanted to kill her for no good reason.

Maybe Professor Ozpin could help her. Her weekly counselling session was coming up, so after classes ended for the day, she made a beeline for his office, avoiding Yang before she could sniff her out. She sent her a message anyway, just so she wouldn't be worried.

"Good afternoon, Ruby," Professor Ozpin said after she arrived, mug in hand.

"Good afternoon, Professor. How are you doing?"

The good professor smiled. "Quite well, thank you. How was your weekend? I take it you were very busy."

Ruby laughed, a nervous chuckle that puttered out in two short gasps. "Yeah. Uh... are we going to be in trouble?"

"Not at all. There is something I'd like to know, however. What motivated you to fight against the White Fang?"

She took in a breath to steady herself, and let it out once she was ready.

"I wanted to help my friend."

Professor Ozpin drank from his mug. Sometimes, he put in coffee, but most of the time, he preferred tea. No matter what was in his mug, he was the picture of poise.

"Would you say that you made the right decision?"

"I did." Ruby bit her lip. "I mean, the White Fang was going to steal a big shipment of Dust and use it to hurt lots of people. It was really risky, but I couldn't say no, and I made sure we all took precautions."

"Such as calling the police."

"Yes."

He nodded. "How prudent. You couldn't plan for every contingency. You fought a rather dangerous mercenary."

Ruby frowned. "And lost. We couldn't do a thing to her. If we didn't have help..."

"There is no shame in failing, Ruby. You now have a greater awareness of your limitations and a taste of life-and-death combat. This knowledge will serve you well should you choose to complete your training and become a huntress."

Hearing that didn't make her feel any better, because it didn't change the outcome of that fight. It didn't change the gleeful smile on that mercenary woman's face, her overwhelming skill and speed with her chosen weapon, the unyielding hatred that spilled from her mismatched eyes.

"Is she going to come here?"

"No," the professor said, with a finality that cast all doubt from Ruby's mind. The tension dropped out of Ruby's shoulders, settling in her stomach.

"Thank you." She bowed her head. "I was afraid she'd hunt me down. I don't know what I'd do if I had to face her again."

"I understand. Facing your mortality for the first time is truly terrifying, but more terrifying is living in fear of your eventual demise and allowing it to paralyze you. Death is nothing to be afraid of, for it is not the end."

"It's not?"

Ruby looked at Professor Ozpin's face, but all she caught was a wry smile.

"I seem to be getting ahead of myself. Do you regret your decision to fight for your friend's cause, Ruby, knowing that you had to fight that mercenary?"

She thought about it, honestly weighed the pros and cons. And in doing so, she found her answer.

"No. I helped Blake and Weiss. I kept the White Fang from succeeding. I did the right thing."

He smiled at her, a genuine smile. "Keep that in mind. Let it fuel your determination and forge your resolve. It is that purpose that will let you weather a thousand failures without succumbing to your fears."

She wanted to be the world's greatest huntress. That meant she couldn't be paralyzed by fear.

"What if I see that mercenary again?"

"Prepare. Exercise caution, as you already have, for you only have one life to live. You may not be able to defeat her in open battle, but there is more than one way to secure victory. All you have to do is find it."

"I'll do my best."

She wasn't sure what that way was, but that was why she was at Beacon, to spend her time learning and growing so that she'd be capable of handling anything.

"That's all I ask." Professor Ozpin took another sip of his drink. "How has your team been faring?"

Ruby gave the professor a smile. "We're going through a rough patch, but we'll figure things out."

He smiled at her, once more, and it filled her with hope. "On that, I have no doubt."

Yang lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling and not really thinking about anything in particular. Without even trying, her train of thought lurched towards her failure, but she nudged it back towards that haze of nothingness.

She wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. Ruby was still at her counselling session with ol' Ozpin, and she didn't want to get in the way of her sister receiving the help she needed to heal. Blake was off studying at the library. She could've been there with her, but her bad mood would make everything worse, ruining a chance to get closer to her teammate.

And Weiss was somewhere else. Yang was real grateful that she hadn't taken what she said to heart, though that didn't mean she was forgiven. Far from it.

That was why she was here, alone. She didn't want her other friends to see her at her worst. It took everything she had to contain the ceaseless rage that churned within her, and even then, it still leaked out, desperately seeking an outlet of violent expression.

Maybe she could do some homework. What she really wanted to do was practice her footwork and timing, punch something so hard that it shattered, but she couldn't do that when her focus was clouded and her head throbbed. Working out didn't dull the edge, either. It made her want more, to push herself until her body broke.

She heard the door enter, listened to Ruby's boots press against the floor, and sat up, throwing her legs over the edge of her bed before she was consumed entirely. She couldn't fail Ruby again.

"You doing okay, Yang?" Ruby said, looking up at her.

Yang smiled. It was almost as easy as breathing. "Yeah. How was therapy with Ozpin?"

Ruby smiled back. "It went pretty well. You don't have to worry about that mercenary huntress lady. Professor Ozpin ensured me that she won't be coming to Beacon."

She grit her teeth, forcing herself to keep on smiling. "You sure?"

"I am."

Ozpin seemed to be a straight shooter. Maybe; she hadn't really spoken to the guy. But Ruby had, and he was helping her. If Ruby trusted him on this, she could, too. For now, at least.

At least the end of term was coming up. She could spend all day in the arena or the gym if she wanted to and use that time to get stronger. Much stronger.

"Let's hope we don't see her here," Yang said. "You want to do some homework?"

"In a bit." Ruby frowned, and it wasn't some pout, it was serious. Too serious. "You've been a real jerk lately, you know that?"

Yang frowned, pressing her forearms onto her thighs. "I know."

She was mad, incensed beyond belief, and it made her cruel, made her say awful things.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby's shoulders drooped. "It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

Yang scowled, sucking in her words before they could spill out. She was supposed to be helping Ruby, she was her older sister. Since when did Ruby get so strong?

"I can't get that fight out of my head," Yang said, in spite of her thoughts. "I failed you, Ruby. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you."

Shock flit through Ruby's silver eyes, those special eyes that reminded her so much of Summer, her supermom... And in those same eyes, she saw acceptance. Love.

"It's okay. We're still here, right? We'll get better. That mercenary lady won't know what hit her."

Yang felt her cheeks stretch from the grin on her face. "Of course we will." Her smile stayed on her face, growing tender as she took in Ruby's support and realized how much she appreciated it. "I'm really proud of you, Ruby. You've come a long way."

Ruby smiled, bashfully. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't sell yourself short. I just lent a helping hand. You did the rest."

And that was the truth. Ruby was making a lot of progress on becoming a great huntress, a defender of justice and saviour of the needy, a leader of women and men. Seeing her baby sister mature before her eyes fulfilled her in ways that she couldn't have ever imagined.

It wasn't just Ruby that she'd managed to help: she helped out Weiss, Jaune, even Pyrrha, and the results spoke for themselves. Jaune and Pyrrha were on great terms and working together really well, Weiss was maturing bit by bit. Even Blake was coming out of her shell, though that was all thanks to Ruby.

Watching her team become better people was a bitter reminder that she hadn't changed at all. She was still the same old Yang: fun-loving, thrill-seeking, ferocious and the best older sister she could be.

But what was left for Yang if Ruby stopped needing her? Finding her mother? Seeing all of Remnant's sights and tasting its delights? It filled her with a dread she couldn't contain, because her search would end and leave her with nothing to do except rush towards a purpose with no face or name.

"Yang?"

Yang shook herself, smiling at Ruby. It was almost as easy as thinking. "Let's do that homework, yeah?"

Ruby stared at her, before giving her a thumbs-up. "You got it."

They got cracking on their homework in no time flat. She knew that the thought train would return and bring a treasure trove of horrors with it. It always did. But she needed to be strong for Ruby, for Weiss, even for Blake. Most importantly, Yang needed to be strong for herself, so that if she ever had to face the monster in her mind, she could face it without a hint of fear...

And punch it in the face.