A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so late, I got sick this last week and couldn't do much of anything. Plus it's been a bit crazy with my niece and nephews coming over.
Also, this A/N is gonna be really rushed because I had to push to get the chapter done before I went on a mini vacation.
Last bit here, I got a few complaints about people not getting what the plan was for the raid, so I implied what it was in the first scene of this chapter. Guys, I won't always write stuff out because I know that it should be obvious. Sorry, if it's not to you though. And that's not sarcastic, I genuinely apologize if you don't always understand details with my writing style.
That's all I have to say here, so enjoy the chapter!
I own nothing!
Guilty Rose Chapter 43
Cinder, her team, and the rest of team RWBY sat in RWBY's dorm room, all still a bit unsettled by the result of the 'raid' on the White Fang Rally. None of them had uttered a syllable since they got back.
It was getting maddening for Yang at this point. Mostly because she hated the silent atmosphere.
"Can somebody just say something?"
Blake, ever quick on the draw, immediately fired back with her wit.
"Well, you just said something."
The Blonde just glared at her partner, not at all in the mood for dry humor.
"I'm trying to be serious for once. We need to talk about what happened."
"Why do we need to talk about what happened?"
Yang shot a harsh glare at Weiss for the question before let her expression soften.
"I just want us to air everything out and keep nothing in. We owe Rose that much."
The room sat still for a few seconds so everyone could mull over those words. Finally Cinder sighed aloud.
"Let's start with where everything went wrong then. Blake, you were in there, what did you see?"
All eyes turned to the faunus, who seemed to now be slightly uncomfortable having all the attention.
"Oh, uh, after Rose and Miss Rose shot the first volley of arrows, Rose fell to the floor of the warehouse."
That seemed to spark everyone's attention.
"Wasn't the plan that her and mom reveal themselves from the rafters and then bolt?"
Blake shrugged at that.
"Yeah, but she probably slipped or something. Anyway, after she fell… things turned into a free-for-all."
Emerald decided to chime in at this point as her part of the plan had her furthest from the warehouse when everything happened. Keeping cops chasing their tails with Sun had honestly been the most fun she had in a long time.
"Is that also when...she began...you know."
Blake simply shook her head at that and adopted a pensive look.
"No, she was just knocking people out at first. I actually never saw her...kill anyone."
That made everyone look thoughtful.
"Mom said she think it started after one member charged her when she was ready."
Blake's eyes bulged at that detail because it made all the pieces fit together.
"Ilia! Oh Oum, it was my fault!"
That seemed to confuse everyone thoroughly, so Blake instantly began her explanation.
"After the fighting started, I told Ilia to go get knocked out by Rose to keep up the appearance that she was still loyal to the White Fang. I didn't think about it at the time, but Ilia Rose must have hit Ilia and panicked."
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Yes, that would likely do it. Did anyone see Ilia's number so we can contavt her to make sure she's okay."
Yang sheepishly raised her her hand.
"I actually have it on my scroll… I was going to interrogate her eventually, be a big sis and all."
Weiss shook her head dismissively.
"Just try to get a hold of her in the morning and make sure she's okay. Rose will probably need that news more than anything."
Yang gave a brief nod before letting loose a massive yawn.
"Speaking of, it is morning, so why don't we all catch some shut eye."
Weiss sighed but nodded.
"That might be for the best, we can settle everything else in the morning. Cin, you guys can sleep in here if you want. It'll save you a walk across campus and I trust Mercury to be a perfect gentleman."
Mercury just shrugged.
"I'd rather not end up like that Neptune guy."
Yang guffawed at that.
"Smart man."
….
Summer sat on her bed with Rose's head in her lap, gently petting her daughter's hair and humming the lullaby she used to sing all those years ago. It was as if Rose had come to her room in the middle of the night because of a nightmare.
The older faunus would have been happy with this if it weren't for what they'd gone through in the last few hours. Which Summer thanked Oum that Rose had been unconscious for.
Summer and Raven had to remove all her clothes, give her a sponge bath, dress her wounds, and get her dressed in fresh clothes. Which reminded Summer that she needed to order her daughter a new set of pajamas.
Summer continued to hum and pet her daughter's hair until Raven walked back into their dorm room with a hamper full of Rose's now clean clothes.
"She's still out?"
Summer glanced up for the briefest of moments before answering.
"Yeah. She might be out all night at this rate."
Raven Sighed softly before setting the hamper down and sitting at the foot of the bed.
"So?"
Summer turned back to Raven with a tired look in her eyes.
"So what?"
Raven sighed again, trying not to be annoyed with her fiancee.
"So, what are we going to tell her when she wakes up? I mean, I'm still all for telling her she just got knocked out in the brawl if she doesn't remember what happened after she fell clearly."
Raven glanced down at her youngest daughter as she said that. Concern filled her eyes as she knew if Rose remembered what happened in the warehouse, it would set the poor girl back months.
"I hate lying to her, but I'd rather her believe a lie than know the truth."
Summer just pursed her lips at that.
"As much as I'd like to go along with that plan, it won't work."
Raven balked at that.
"It will work if we just convince her it she took a nasty hit to the head or something."
Summer simply shook her head.
"Raven, she'll smell the blood on herself. I know we washed her, but even I can still smell the blood of all those people. We're just going to have to grit our teeth and be there for her when she wakes up."
Raven let loose a growling sigh, which Summer would have smugly smirked at if it wasn't for the topic of the conversation.
"How is that all we can do! We are her mothers for Oum's sake. We should be able to do so much more than just 'be there for her'!"
Raven slumped in defeat despite her tirade. She knew Summer was right, and she hated it in this instance.
Before the silence could go on for much longer, a very small and meek voice cut through it.
"But that's all I need from you right now."
Both women's heads snapped down to their daughter to find two silver pools looking back at them.
"Ru-Rose, when did you wake up?"
Rose glanced away at the question initially.
"As soon as you opened the door."
A pained silence descended at that response, and all three females remained still. Finally, Summer decided to break the silence.
"What happened back at the warehouse wasn't your fault, Rose."
Rose didn't respond immediately, but instead, shifted to where she was facing her mother's stomach.
"I did it again… I lost control… and I killed people."
Summer immediately resumed stroking the smaller faunus' head, hoping that by some miracle her hand would brush away all the girl's troubles.
"we told you, it wasn't your fault."
Rose buried her head in her mother's stomach and shook it.
"Doesn't matter… they're dead, and I killed them."
Another short silence fell, but it was soon driven away by the sound of sobbing.
"I thought… because I had Blossoming Rose, I couldn't kill anyone again. But I did."
This time, Summer pulled Rose up so she could cradle the girl as best as she could. Raven also scooted closer and wrapped her arms around both of them. They sat like this for a few minutes before Summer spoke again.
"Rose...I know saying it's okay is wrong, but I promise things will get better. I know that's hard to believe right now, but you are already better. Each day you are making bounds and it makes me proud to call you my daughter."
There was a brief pause.
"Even if I'm a murderer?"
Summer didn't miss a beat as she pulled Rose into a tighter embrace.
"Sweetie… do you know why huntsmen and huntresses are trained to fight more than just grimm?"
"I-I do."
"So then you should know that both me and Raven have blood on our hands to. We've had to kill people, it's a harsh reality of Remnant."
"But that was to protect others?"
Raven decided to step in here.
"Not always, remember that I was born in a bandit tribe… But it doesn't matter, we both still killed for whatever reason. So don't think we'll ever look at you different because you have the same blood on your hands that we do."
Rose looked up at her mothers at this point. Once again she felt more loved than she thought she'd ever deserved. She buried her face in her mothers' chests and whispered two words.
"Thank you."
….
Vernal had finally been cleared to leave the medical tent, mostly because the old hag that ran it was sick of her antics. She also heard that Qrow was given a good bill of health, they were now just waiting for him to wake up. The same was also the case for everyone else that came back from that mission.
Vernal couldn't help but gently grip Qrow's hand.
"You did it Qrow, everyone is gonna be just fine. Wake up soon, so I can properly thank you."
Normally, Vernal would have laced her words with as much sultry honey as she could manage. But at this point, all she wanted to see were those gorgeous crimson eyes she fell in love with. She just wanted to hear Qrow's gruff voice.
"Well, I'd better call Raven now that you're out of the woods. Wish me luck, babe, 'cause I doubt she's gonna be happy about this."
Vernal snickered at her own wit as she got up and left the tent to make her call. The scroll rang several times before being picked up. Vernal was about to call out to her leader when a much softer voice answered first.
"Hey, Vernal."
"Summer? Why are you answering Raven's phone- you know what, nevermind. By the way, I got the wedding invites. Great choice on cards."
"Thanks, I had to shoot down every idea Rae came up with. I almost forgot how bad she was with these things. I still can't believe she thought skulls were a good idea."
Vernal chuckled wistfully at that.
"I know what you mean. I remember having to show her what kind of clothes and underwear to buy."
A light giggle rang through the speaker.
"And she still needs reminders every now and then, like every time we go clothes shopping."
"Hey, you're marrying her."
"And proud of it. Now, what did you need, we expected you to call days ago."
Vernal cringed at that, she had been putting this off, but for good reason.
"Sorry about that. I need to talk to Raven about how the mission went."
There was a short pause.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone that came back will be, But I do seriously need to report to Raven."
"Yeah, she's getting out of the shower now. Raven, Vernal's needs to talk to you."
Summer must have covered the receiver as Vernal could only hear muffled talking. After a bit, the sounds became unmuffled and she heard Raven's voice.
"Hey Vernal, things didn't go well with the mission I take it? How many got hurt?"
Vernal took a breath before answering.
"Not many, worst off was Qrow because the bastard took a few hits for me. But we lost six guys."
"Six! Oum, what were you up against?"
"I think it was called a Nuckelavee, but I'm not sure. Qrow can tell you more when he finally wakes up."
There was a long uncomfortable pause.
"Tell me everything."
"Yeah."
….
Vernal, Qrow, and twenty tribe members were all walking the final stretch to the area specified by the job. Vernal adjust the forty pound bag hanging from her shoulder again before grumble at the red eyed man walking beside her.
"So… I feel like this is over kill."
"Is that because I have you carrying the satchel charge or because you think it's actually overkill?"
Vernal glared at Qrow for the snarky response.
"Both. Where did you even find all these elastic explosives. Most people use dust for more bang with less stuff."
Qrow let out an annoyed sigh.
"Plastic explosives, And because plastic explosives are far more stable than dust. You could literally light that satchel on fire and jump on it and it wouldn't detonate."
Vernal huffed, she hated that that actually sounded far more appealing than regular dust explosives.
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why we are bringing this with us."
Qrow gave the woman a sideways glance.
"We have no idea what we are up against, it could be a pack of grimm or one big one. Either way, its better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."
Vernal rolled her eyes at that.
"More huntsman wisdom, ladies and gents."
"Vernal, I promise that if I thought we wouldn't need it, then we wouldn't have. But as it stands, we need the insurance."
"Final question, why am I carrying it, aren't you supposed to be a gentleman and offer to carry a lady's bags."
Qrow guffawed at that.
"Show me a lady and I'll make her the offer."
The was a short chorus of 'ohs' when Qrow made the retort. Vernal immediately snapped her head back to find all the tribe members acting innocent. After fixing the with a glare she turned back to Qrow.
"You can be a real ass, you know that."
Qrow just shrugged.
"What can I say, I was raised by bandits."
Vernal sucked in her lips at that.
"Okay, that was a nice comeback."
"Thanks, I'll be here all day."
Vernal just groaned the group continued to walk until a walled village came into view.
"Alright people, we're here. Remember, there's no guarantee that the grimm aren't in those walls already, so take things slow, and clear every building in pairs. If it's all clear, we'll set up camp for the night."
Qrow was about to turn around when a hand went up.
"What if it's not all clear."
"Then we get the job done early and head back first thing in the morning."
"Ah, sounds good to me then."
Qrow just sighed and dismissed everyone with a wave.
"I'm glad. Now let's get this done people."
The tribe members dispersed in pairs and began to search the decimated village. Vernal just plopped down next to Qrow, tired from all the walking.
"So, your bet is still on it being a pack of grimm attacking all the trade caravans going through this area?"
Qrow didn't answer immediately, instead stared off into the distance seemingly lost in thought.
"It's one big one, maybe with a few tag-alongs every now and then."
Vernal cocked an eyebrow at him.
"What makes you say that?"
"This area is to sparse for a whole pack of grimm. Plus the attacks are too erratic. And lastly, look at the marks on that building over there."
"Vernal followed Qrow's hand to a nearby structure. There were claw marks on the decrepit building. Two big parallel claws marks.
"What in Oum's name did that?"
Qrow growled softly.
"A nuckelavee. I heard the years back, an old grimm destroyed a town in this area. Survivors reported that it looked like some kind of horse and rider. I'm starting to think that maybe we should have gotten a lot more huntsmen for this job."
Vernal paled at that.
"Are we sure we want to stay then? We can always go back and get more people."
Qrow narrowed his eyes and surveyed the town. There were plenty of half destroyed houses and buildings, which led to a plan forming. Vernal followed his gaze and could already imagine what he was thinking.
"Maybe not, if the guys can stick to a simple plan, we should pull this off."
Vernal shrugged in response.
"Like I showed you yesterday, they're idiots, but they listen to money well enough."
"That'll have to be good enough. Once the town is cleared, we'll let them know the plan."
It was ten minutes later when all the tribe members came back and reported that the town was empty of all grimm. Then, once Vernal sufficiently motivated everyone to listen to Qrow, he explained the new plan. He and Vernal would lead the grimm into the town square while the tribe would surround it, using the collapsed buildings for cover. After that, it would be a matter of applying bullets as necessary. Once all question had been answered, they set up camp and waited for morning.
It should be noted that at no point during the night, Vernal attempted to sneak into Qrow's tent. Mostly because the word attempt means she failed.
In the morning, after Vernal beating a few crude tribe members for whistling when she left the tent she slept in, everyone took their positions while Qrow and Vernal left the town to find their target.
While tey walked, Vernal decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, how dangerous do you think this thing actually is?"
Qrow continued scanning the surroundings when he responded.
"This thing is probably old and vicious, and strong enough to take down a town with several huntsmen in it."
Vernal huffed quietly at the short response, but decided not to press and focus on the job.
It wasn't long before they came across the wreckage of one of the trade caravans.
It wasn't a pretty sight.
"One grimm did this… I'm starting to reconsider getting some more back up."
Qrow continued to examine the wreckage.
"Unless it's a platoon of crack Atlas jarheads or a dozen huntsman, it won't make a difference."
That made Vernal pale significantly.
"Um… we can always just leave and let someone else take this job."
As she finished saying this, a dark mist began seeping out of the nearby forest, and the sound of hooves reached them. Qrow muttered a curse at his semblance before turning to Vernal.
"I don't think we have that option anymore."
It was then that the grimm emerged from the trees. The twisted horse and rider stood well above both humans, even with the rider being slumped over.
"No sudden moves Vernal, and try to stay calm."
"I know how to fight grimm."
Her voice must have been to loud, or maybe it betrayed how panicked she actually was, but the creature immediately eyed her.
"Vernal, I need you to take a breath and calm down."
Vernal damned her human nature, but anger was now added to her panic.
Suddenly, the rider began twitch and crack its joints. Slowly the rider rose to its full height and screamed.
"Dammit! RUN, VERNAL, AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"
Unfortunately, Vernal wasn't fast enough and the rider slung one of its elastic arms at her. She reflexively held up her weapons to block the attack, but she knew they'd do virtually nothing.
Qrow knew this too, and immediately rushed into action. He bolted towards Vernal and tackled her to the ground. He wasn't quite fast enough though and the arm hit him instead. He felt the crunch, even with his aura, and both him and Vernal were sent sailing away. Qrow managed to recover after the tumbling despite the pain. He hoisted both of them to their feet and they both sprinted back towards the town.
"Qrow, are you okay?"
"Don't worry about it, just run."
Vernal was beginning to lag behind when the town came back into view.
"Come on, we almost there."
"Look s like I need to do some more cardio if I'm gonna keep up with you."
"Is this really the time for jokes like that!"
Vernal had the shame to sheepishly laugh between pants.
"Hey, I may not get the chance to use them after this."
"I promise you that I'm not that lucky, so just fucking run."
They finally made it back into the walled town to find the others lounging about.
"Guys, what the fuck? You had one job!"
The tribe members were slow to jump to their feet at the scream, seemingly more interested in finding out what was causing all the raucous. Then the bizarre mist flooded into the town and the twisted horse and rider came into view.
And it made them immediately regret their lack of haste.
As the nuckelavee entered the town, it released another skullsplitting screech. Several of the tribe members fell over clutching their heads.
And things only got worse from there. The nuckelavee changed its target from Vernal to the tribe members. It began lashing out at the nearest guys, sending bodies and debris flying.
"Fuck! Vernal, is the satchel charge in my tent or yours?"
"Mine, Now way in hell am I sleeping by forty pounds of explosives, no matter how stable they are!"
"Then get it and place it in the middle of the town square. I'll draw it there."
Qrow then spun around and started sprinting for the beast While Vernal sprinted for the camp.
Once Qrow was in range, he shifted his weapon into shotgun form and began firing at the grimm to gain its attention.
He succeeded and the rider screamed in his direction. Qrow grit his teeth threw the audio assault and kept firing. The rider the lashed out at him, which he barely managed to dodge by rolling to the side. After getting to his feet and clutching his side, he start firing at the beast while retreating to the town square. The surviving tribe members finally regained their senses at this point and began firing at the grimm too.
The barrage of bullets seemed to only annoy the nuckelavee, but Qrow would take it as he lead it to the town square. The only kink in that plan was that the rider still acted independent of the horse and lashed out at the tribe members as it passed them. Most of the tribe member managed to avoid getting hit directly by the arms, but there were a few screams that could only mean a few were too slow.
Qrow said silent prayers as he kept drawing the beast to the square where Vernal was waiting with the satchel charge.
"How do you arm this thing?"
Vernal holler as soon as Qrow came within earshot.
"Remember that ring I told you to stop playing with?"
"Yeah."
"Pull it and run, the charge has a fifteen second timer."
"Fifteen seconds! That's insane!"
"I did say run after you pull the pin, throwing it also helps."
Vernal let out an annoyed roar.
"No shit, now haul ass!"
Qrow pressed his legs for every bit of speed they had left as he watch Vernal pull the pin on the satchel before chucking it over his head and at the nuckelavee.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN NOW!"
He glanced back long enough to make sure the grimm would be well in the blast radius. He would have taken a relieved breath when he saw it would, but he was more concerned with getting himself out the same blast radius.
A few seconds later he caught up with Vernal, but by that time his mental countdown was getting low and they wouldn't completely clear the blast. Qrow tackled her to the ground and covered her body with is just in time for the detonation. He felt the blast wave hit, breaking his aura and leaving him vulnerable to the coming shrapnel.
Finally, things settled and Qrow lifted his head off of Vernal's.
"You okay?"
Vernal groaned as her ears was still ringing.
"Maybe, is that thing dead?"
As if to answer the question, the disintegrating horse head of the grimm landed several feet in front of them.
"Well, that is certainly disturbing. Anyway, how are you holding up, that was the second hit you took for me, you idiot."
Qrow shrugged weakly.
"I could use a drink."
Vernal giggled at that until Qrow suddenly went limp on top of her.
"Qrow?"
There was no response.
"Hey, come on, that's not funny."
Vernal wiggled out from under the man when he continued to not answer her to find his back and legs were torn up from shrapnel.
"QROW!"
….
"And that's what happened."
There was a long pause without any answer from Raven.
"Raven?"
"Yeah, I'm still here...I just don't know what to say."
Vernal sighed, she fully understood how her leader felt.
"Yeah, it's a lot to take in."
"You said everyone is going to be okay though, including Qrow?"
"Yes, It's why I waited so long to call. I wanted to give you the full news all at once."
Vernal heard a long sigh through her scroll.
"Thanks for that, at least I won't have to worry about the birdbrain now."
Vernal chortled at that.
"Oh that reminds me, what was with that tail?"
Raven groaned this time.
"You don't want to know. Anyway, call me when Qrow wakes up, I have to go terrorize some teenagers."
"She means teach them how to properly fight grimm."
"Semantics."
Vernal guffawed as she hung up. She couldn't be happier that Raven had finally gotten the woman of her dreams.
A/N: And done!
A nice 4k chapter to make up for being late.
So I'd like to do a full Recap time, but I'm really strapped for time. Actually, I didn't even have time to get this proof read, so if there are mistakes, I can only apologize.
I do want to discuss the nuckelavee scene real quick.
So yeah, I bet you guys have been waiting for that for a while. I'm not sure if I'm completely happy with how it turned out because I had to really rush. But I did get everything accomplished with it that I wanted to. So there's that.
I would like any feedback on that scene, so hit me with it.
So a few announcements before I go.
It may be another two weeks before I publish another chapter with RTX and gearing up for it. So prepare for that.
If you are going to RTX, I'll be cosplaying as Junior from RWBY, so you can look for me there.
Last bit of news, next chapter will start the dance prep or maybe even the dance if I make it long enough.
Well, that's it.
Sorry for being late and not doing a proper recap. I will answer any questions I can, so don't be afraid to send them.
I'll see you guys next time!
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