Chapter 40
Living Nightmares
The white void was silent as a hooded figure wearing a flowing red cloak stepped out of the mists. Slung over her left shoulder rested a six foot long sniper-scythe covered in claw marks and in an uncharacteristic state of disrepair. Her clothes much like her cloak were tattered and stained with the black, tar-like substance produced by Grimm, and occasionally the attentive eyes of Team RWBY would spy crimson stains that the young woman appeared to be trying to hide.
Yang, Blake, and Weiss all glanced at Ruby standing before them, noting that the stranger was slightly taller and more filled out compared to their own caped-girl. She also wore black leather armor fashioned like a corset, fingerless gloves like Yang's, as well as protective padding around her arms and legs.
She looked much like the huntsmen and huntresses that returned to Beacon after long missions, and Blake had to grab Yang's hand to keep her from running to her baby sister's aid. She felt as though she could vomit staring at the young woman's tattered clothes and bloodstains, and yet pride bubbled in her chest seeing Ruby as the fully fledged huntress she always knew she would be.
Yang swallowed and laid a hand on Ruby's shoulder to keep herself steady. "W-who are you?"
The stranger raised a hand and pointed at Ruby, causing her to stiffen and for the other girls to crowd around her. "I'm her," the woman said, her voice hollow and lacking the usual high-pitch of the girl she was pointing at. "Or rather what she becomes..."
The girls glanced nervously at one another not liking the sound of that. "W-where are we? And why are we here?" Ruby demanded, pushing her way to the front and raising Crescent Rose threateningly.
Her other self regarded her for a moment but any reaction she might've had was hidden beneath her hood. "The four of you fell asleep sharing your auras with each other and are now sharing the same dream."
Blake glanced at Weiss with a smirk and raised brow, causing the heiress to sigh and hang her head. "Alright, fine. Seeing how there's now two Rubys, I take it this is my nightmare..."
"I'm all of your nightmares," the second Ruby said, her voice dropping to barely a whisper but somehow echoing throughout the empty expanse.
Several of the girls shuddered and glanced around them as the white void began to darken as though a storm was passing overhead. "Well aren't you melodramatic," Yang said humorlessly, a hand on her sister's cape. "Weiss I get, but how is this supposed to be my nightmare? Two Rubys just means double the fun and twice the embarrassment. For instance, I'd bet Penny's had dreams that start out like this."
Ruby elbowed her in the ribs. "Don't encourage her," she said. "If she's a nightmare then she's only here to cause trouble."
The stranger's gaze fell back to her counterpart where it lingered. "Yang?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Ruby. "Have I ever told you that it was your bed I hid under when the Beowolves came for me? Maybe if you hadn't pretended to be sick, my mom would still be alive, and maybe I wouldn't have the scars from being disemboweled in front of her..."
Yang covered her mouth as tears immediately began to flow, and she turned to her sister who quickly averted her gaze. "I-is that true?"
"Don't listen to her!" Ruby stepped forward and pointed Crescent Rose at her other self. "Nobody listens to a single word she says! She called herself our nightmare, remember? Nightmares prey on fear just like-"
"-Grimm?" the other Ruby finished, stealing a glance at Yang before turning her attention onto Blake. "The same monster that dwells in Adam also dwells within your partner, Blake. It's just as you suspect, and it's only a matter of time before you abandon her too..."
Blake turned to her partner and took a step back, her hands shaking so badly she nearly dropped her swords.
"That's enough!" Ruby shouted. "Leave them out of this! Whatever's going on has nothing to do with them!"
"You're teammates now," said the nightmare plainly. "If I wish to hurt you then I do it through them. If I wish to hurt them, I do it through you..."
The team was silent as they each considered her words, and almost reluctantly began checking over their weapons one last time before taking their usual combat positions beside one another. Blake had to be coaxed along somewhat by an impatient Weiss while the nightmare carefully watched their every move, bright silver eyes shining underneath her hood.
She shifted the sniper-scythe into an offensive position but maintained a casual posture. "If any of you wish to slay your demons someday you must first start with your nightmares..."
Yang flared her aura and took the forward position with Ruby half a step behind while their partners guarded their flanks.
"Well, Rubes," she said, cracking her knuckles, "I brought you into this world. It's only right if I'm the one that takes you out of it."
Ruby nudged her from behind. "I told you not to talk to her, and please don't make this any weirder than it already is..."
"You're the one making this weird," Weiss pointed out, struggling to keep her voice from cracking "And I don't mean to alarm any of you, but if it was that easy to kill Ruby, I would've done it months ago."
"Give me two minutes," Yang bragged. "Or have all of you forgotten that I kicked Ruby's butt just earlier today? And that was me playing around and going easy on-"
*KABLLOOOOM!*
Yang burst into flames and was engulfed in an explosion that lifted both Ruby and Weiss off their feet and propelled them into Blake and her shadow who struggled to keep them all upright. A wave of heat blew past them, stinging their eyes and filling their mouths and nostrils with red dust.
"YANG!" The team rushed forward coughing and gagging, blindly trying to clear the area of smoke and debris when they discovered Yang on her knees clutching at her stomach.
Blake dropped down beside her already going through first aid procedures when the lack of blood caused her to pause and try examining her partner's wound.
"I'm fine!" she snapped through gritted teeth. Opening her now crimson eyes Yang cursed at the young woman holding the smoking sniper-scythe, and ignored the help back up to her feet.
"Do I have your attention now?" the nightmare asked with the slightest hint of sarcasm. "They're just phantom pains, and they'll go away shortly. Don't forget, this is nothing more than a scared little girl's nightmare." She turned to her other self. "I'd suggest you make your plan of attack, Ruby, and quickly. I may struggle lining you up in my crosshairs, but your sister and friends are little more than target practice."
Ruby glanced at her sister's slightly singed, ruffled clothes and found that the nightmare had been telling the truth. A single high grade red dust explosive round was often lethal even for huntsmen and huntresses due to how quickly they drained aura shields, but especially the caliber Crescent Rose fired. A single round might not necessarily kill them, but it would certainly incapacitate anyone other than Yang, who despite being highly resistant to fire and having an almost impenetrable aura shield had been dropped to her knees for the first time since any of them could remember.
"Okay, that sucked," Yang grumbled, dusting herself off. "Ten out of ten, wouldn't recommend."
"Be thankful she only pulled the trigger once," Ruby chided. "She still has four more rounds in that magazine. Nine if her Crescent Rose has the built-in magazine I've been working on."
"Let's just assume this is my nightmare then," Weiss said, Myrtenaster raised and defensive glyphs at the ready. "Please tell me you have a plan that doesn't involve us dying? Just trying to stay alive isn't exactly much of a plan for the record."
"Not a good one anyway," Blake said dryly, studying her partner's still smoking vest.
Ruby nodded. "Maybe. I saw the way she fired and can tell she's faster than me, but I think I can keep up with her. If she wanted to, she could just sprint a mile away and start sniping the three of you and there wouldn't be much you could do about it. I'll force her to go full speed for as long as I can, and I'll also see if I can't damage her sniper-scythe any more than it already is. When I drop back it'll be up to Blake and Weiss to continue wearing her down. Blake, I should be able to drain enough of her aura for you to at least keep up with her. You'll take the lead while Weiss keeps her distance and tries slowing her down with gravity glyphs."
The pair nodded and readied themselves but Yang put herself in between them and the nightmare. "Uh, forgetting somebody, Rubes? Somebody who kicked your butt without breaking a sweat just a little while ago? Let me take the lead on this one."
"You're too slow," she said, walking around her sister and motioning for the others to stay behind Yang. "She could just ignore you and come after us if she wanted, or just keep shooting you until you stayed down. We're not taking any chances. The longer the fight drags on the more aura she'll expend and the slower she'll get. Trust me. Weiss, once I've caught my breath you and I will tag out. Blake should still have enough aura to keep fighting but I'll take the lead again while you continue supporting us. Yang, your job will be to protect anyone catching their breath."
"Babysitting and meat shield duty, got it," she said unenthusiastically.
"Don't use too much of your aura, Weiss. When I finally tire out, use a haste glyph on Yang and yourself if you can. If you can't, Blake and I will protect you while Yang finishes this. Everyone understand?"
"Got it!" Blake and Weiss answered with Yang half a second behind. It felt good to be fighting as a team and being given orders again, but even if the plan was sound it still wasn't to her liking.
"What if we all just start with haste glyphs?" she suggested. "Hit her with everything we have and get this over with."
Ruby shook her head. "That would drain Weiss' aura too quickly and make her a sitting duck. Plus if the glyph ends prematurely everyone linked to her will be sitting ducks too. Trust me, I know my strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. Against you we'd try to end this as quickly as possible, and when that didn't work we'd try chipping you down from a distance. Against me though we're better off wearing her down and taking away her breathing room. Otherwise she'll-"
Rose petals and sparks filled the air while thorns ripped into the girls as two sniper-scythes clashed in front of Yang. She and the two girls behind her flinched and could barely raise their weapons in time for a counter attack when both Ruby and the nightmare disappeared, flitting all around them in clouds of rose petals.
Only Blake had seen the massive blades move in time, but she'd merely been following Ruby to try and guess where the other Crescent Rose would strike, and hadn't guessed correctly. She and Weiss backed up against Yang who took the brunt of the nightmare's violent aura while her sharp eyes followed the red and black blurs as best they could. Occasionally the nightmare would open fire at them only for the explosives to go off mid-air due to Weiss' ice barriers, which she constructed around them in a tight formation so that there wasn't room for a six foot sniper-scythe.
As the thorns continued biting into them however, Blake began feeling nauseous and struggled just to remain upright. There was no escaping the scent of wilting roses, or the stench of decay all around them...
Another explosion shook the ice fortress around them and Yang slapped away several large chunks before they could crush her teammates. As one of the walls collapsed in front of them, Ruby leaned against the wreckage covered in sweat and gasping for air while the nightmare took labored breaths some twenty yards away.
"Don't give her time to breathe!" she shouted.
Weiss charged forward with Blake following a moment later and overtaking her in just a couple of strides. Yang meanwhile dragged her sister into what remained of the icy structure and propped up what walls she could using Crescent Rose as a makeshift pillar.
Uncharacteristically for their Ruby, the nightmare never fired Crescent Rose to build momentum, and they assumed Ruby had accomplished her mission of damaging the sniper-scythe even more than it already was. Despite that however, Blake and Weiss were barely able to defend themselves against the never-ending assault, and would've been easily overwhelmed had it not been for the other's fervent support.
Glyphs were impossible to create as the nightmare focused her assault almost entirely on Weiss and her flaming rapier, and no matter what Blake did she couldn't draw her attention away much less mount a counterattack. Many of the nightmare's techniques were familiar to them, only much faster, but sometimes they led down familiar patterns only for a surprise to nearly take their heads off.
Their goal wasn't to win any of the exchanges however, and it wasn't difficult to keep that in mind. Their goal was simply to give Ruby time to breathe and also waste as much of the nightmare's aura as they could, and so they never put themselves in a compromising position to overreach or leave the other unguarded. Both girls specialized in defensive swordplay and Blake had learned the majority of her techniques directly from Weiss, but stationary combat had never been her specialty, especially while defending an ally. Rather than absorb blows with her blades she preferred avoiding them outright and using her semblance as a decoy, but despite this easily exploitable weakness the nightmare continued focusing her attention on the smaller and slower of the two girls.
The barrage had slowed since it first began, but so had Weiss to the point Blake was actively having to defend the heiress' flanks and ignore her own, and her keen eyes just barely had enough time to see the sniper-scythe about to decapitate them...
Their vision filled with rose petals as Ruby entered the fray once more and forced the nightmare into retreat. Weiss immediately disengaged and fell back to Yang at the rapidly disappearing fortress, and could barely follow the caped-girls clashing while Blake trailed behind trying to keep up.
"Gravity glyphs would be very helpful right now," Yang said sharply.
"I can't tell the real Ruby from the nightmare," she gasped. "They're too fast."
"Aim for the one that's winning! If that doesn't work give me a haste glyph. Blake's slowing down and Rubes can't keep up this kind of speed without tearing her body apart."
Reluctantly Weiss did as commanded and surrounded the red and black blurs with gravity glyphs, guessing more often than not, but it wasn't long before avoiding the glyphs became the aggressor's top priority. On rare occasions the nightmare would find herself trapped inside of one only to instantly power through, though sometimes the glyphs seemed to dispel on their own. Occasionally the nightmare would attempt an attack on Weiss but Ruby and Blake were able to intercept her each time, and Yang's presence seemed to be enough to make her think twice about a frontal assault.
"It's working," Yang grinned. The nightmare was beginning to tire and her attacks grow more desperate, but her satisfaction disappeared when the smaller of the two blurs was sent flying overhead and Blake suddenly found herself fighting alone.
"Haste glyph!" Yang ordered. "Now!"
Spinning Myrtenaster's cylinder and pulling the trigger, Weiss became enveloped in a golden light and suddenly she could see the nightmare clearly, almost as though she were moving in slow motion. Before the urge to rejoin the battle could overwhelm her, she pointed her rapier at Yang before plunging it into the mists, causing a gold tendril of aura to reach out and connect the two. Glyphs appeared underneath Yang's feet, and Weiss' world sped up once more before screeching to a halt.
She fell to her knees gasping for air, and when Weiss glanced up again she saw that Yang was already gone. She tried to stand or at least watch the battle but her eyelids fell and she could do little more than rest her forehead against the pommel of her blade.
Again and again Blake tried to disengage from the losing battle only to be continually pursued by a relentless buzz saw that beheaded, bisected, disemboweled, and dismembered Blake's shadow countless times in her desperate attempt to escape. Even with a haste glyph Yang wasn't able to get inside the nightmare's guard long enough to drive her away, and could do little more than guard her partner's flanks which were rarely having to be targeted anymore.
She must have watched Blake die dozens of times, each death more horrific than the last, and didn't even immediately react when the blade of Crescent Rose sank into Blake's shoulder and cut diagonally down to her waist...
Her body instantly dissolved into shadows, flitting in every direction until disappearing into the mist. Yang stared wide-eyed, unable to comprehend that her partner and best friend had just been cut in half in front of her.
"BLAKE!" Yang stumbled as the haste glyph came to an abrupt end, and behind her, Weiss stared blankly into the void where Blake had last been standing.
Ruby had been trying to scramble to her feet after catching the flat of the blade to her face, but now laid motionless on the ground as though a knife had been plunged into her heart. The nightmare meanwhile calmly turned to her other self, taking deep breaths but never showing her face.
"Blake isn't dead," she said, stealing a glance at Weiss then finally Yang. "You merely saw her die. You didn't feel it. Had she really died, your souls would've been torn asunder and you would have felt it even if a thousand miles separated you. She'll be waking up shortly. Scared, but alive..."
Yang screamed as she reached for the nightmare's throat, and didn't even raise her gauntlets when the bloodless scythe came for her neck. Her pupils disappeared and her screams began resembling that of a Grimm as she ignored the sniper-scythe and flashes of light from her aura. Rather than trying to punch a hole through the nightmare she was now trying to tackle her to the ground and rip her limb from limb. She was going to rip the nightmare in half just like she had done to Blake, rip her insides out, and burn her remains to ash followed by the rest of the world.
Everyone would burn...
When another red and black blur moving at a slower speed entered the fray, Yang attempted to do the same to her but was stopped by a glowing sword pressed against her chest. The only color Yang could see was red, and she grabbed the girl by the throat about to break her neck with a single squeeze when her vision was filled with gold and she felt another aura within her own.
'Weiss,' she remembered. ''Not Blake...'
Nobody else mattered but Blake, and the world had taken her away, and yet something about her victim's tearful expression caused Yang to hesitate. It wasn't quite sympathy or even pity as the creature she had become lacked such sentiments, but rather a familiarity that caused her to release the death grip at least momentarily.
Weiss dropped to her knees gagging and coughing, but also keeping her golden blade in between them. Five vials in the cylinder radiated with the same brilliant light as the blade, and the same radiance enveloped Yang as she grasped the blade and helped Weiss to her feet.
"Sorry," she growled, her voice deep and cruel. Had it not been for her lips moving, Weiss would've thought someone else had spoken, but as she studied the creature wearing Yang's skin, thorns biting into her body made her acutely aware of the nightmare's presence.
Wordlessly they connected to each other once more, and the pair charged forward and relieved their exhausted leader from her nearly lost battle. To her pursuers, the nightmare seemed to be moving in slow motion and was in fast retreat from the golden duo. Within moments however they began slowing as Weiss was quickly running out of aura and dust, but Yang was finally able to land a few glancing blows which slowed the nightmare down further.
Knowing that her time was coming to an end, Weiss activated the white vial of spirit dust she had been saving and just for a moment, time stood still as she ran her rapier straight through the nightmare...
Weiss' hands shook as she saw the blade of Myrtenaster broken just above the hilt and what remained of the blade sticking out of her best friend's stomach. She shuddered as her white aura flashed and the haste glyph came to an abrupt end, and glancing down she saw a perfectly cut line in her now exposed stomach. With breaths quickening with every heartbeat she looked up and tried to see underneath the nightmare's hood.
"Ruby?"
Both Weiss and her broken rapier burst into snowflakes, falling atop Yang who dropped to her knees and appeared to be trying to catch them as though she could put the princess back together as easily as building a snowman.
Still lying on the ground, Ruby began to sob and scream for her partner. "Why are you doing this?" she whimpered. "Please stop!"
The nightmare backed away, holding her stomach to keep the trickle of blood to a minimum. "If your partners were really dead you'd either be lying on the ground unable to feel anything other than the other half of your souls missing, or you'd be begging me to end your lives so you could join them. Illusions and hallucinations can fool your eyes but not your heart and soul. You'd both do well to remember that..."
"She asked why are you doing this!" Yang pushed herself to her feet, her pupils flickering in and out.
"Believe me, Yang, it's not by choice..." The nightmare planted Crescent Rose into the ground and leaned against it in order to remain upright. "Even after your partner or teammate dies, a part of them continues living on inside of you. Some days it will break your heart being unable to physically reconnect with them, but other days that fragment will be all that keeps you going. Ruby, Yang, neither of you are individuals anymore. You're two halves of a whole, and together with Blake and Weiss, you make up Team RWBY. Don't let your partners die, but also don't let them go on living without you. Don't make my mistake..."
"You really are a nightmare," Yang spat.
The hooded figure nodded. "Blake's nightmare is of a man smelling of wilting roses killing everyone that she holds dear, and it'll come at the cost of her own life if she doesn't learn to trust. Weiss' nightmare is that she'll hurt Ruby in such a way that she'll never be forgiven for it, but never forgiving herself is more likely." She held up her bloody hand as though it were proof. "Ruby's fear is getting her sister and friends killed, and your greatest fear, Yang, is me..."
"M-me?" With some effort Ruby got to her feet. "Yang, w-what does she mean? What's she talking about?"
"Don't listen to her," Yang growled. "You said so yourself, and you saw what she did to Blake and Weiss." She reloaded her gauntlets and put herself in between the nightmare and Ruby. "So what is this? Some kind of sick and twisted lesson about overcoming our fears?"
The nightmare shook her head. "Even if you overcome your fear, that doesn't mean you'll be able to overcome your demons. I'm just a nightmare. A shadow of your fear. Nothing more..."
Dragging her feet to Yang's side, Ruby nudged her and without a word rushed the nightmare before she could say anything more or get into position. They had fought their uncle countless times in the past so they had some experience double teaming scythe wielders, but both Ruby and the nightmare were exhausted, and she ended up catching a boot to the stomach and buttstock to the face, forcing her to retreat before she became a liability to her sister.
By herself Yang was holding her own and even landing the occasional glancing blow, but the nightmare seemed to be mostly able to ignore them just as Yang ignored the sniper-scythe. Just as Ruby had planned, the nightmare had tired herself out while Yang had only gotten faster and stronger as the fight progressed, but only after paying a terrible price...
With a Leviathan-like roar, Yang grabbed the blade and sent the nightmare flying courtesy of a punch and shotgun blast to the stomach, sending her soaring through the air like a fireball. She was quick to get back to her feet and put out the flames however, but was unsteady as she held where she'd been stabbed and subsequently bludgeoned and shot.
"Sorry you have to see this, Rubes," Yang said, twirling Crescent Rose over her head, "but I've been wanting to do this for a long time."
With a graceful flourish she brought the massive weapon down on her knee, snapping it in half before breaking it into even smaller pieces so that nothing could be salvaged or used as a makeshift weapon. She even bent its massive blade and ran her red-hot hand across its sharpened edge until liquid metal began dripping onto the ground.
"That's for Blake and Weiss," she said. "Take a good look, because that's about to be you here in a minute."
Ruby cautiously approached her sister from behind, keeping a close eye on her other self as well as a tight grip on Crescent Rose. They couldn't afford her losing it and giving the nightmare another weapon, especially when her sniper-scythe was in infinitely better condition than the nightmare's had been in.
She glanced down at the misshapen metal on the ground, heartbroken to see her baby mutilated to the point she was hardly even recognizable, but also glad to see the mutinous sniper-scythe punished. She didn't blame weapons for the actions of their owners, but it did make holding the real Crescent Rose uncomfortable and as unwieldy as everyone seemed to think it was.
"Weiss..." she sniffled. "Blake... I'm sorry..."
"Looks like this just became your nightmare," Yang said, tossing what remained of the blade over her shoulder. "If you knew what I was going to do to you, you'd let us wake up right now..."
The nightmare had bowed its head during the destruction of Crescent Rose, possibly out of respect or simply having been unable to watch, but as she looked up, underneath her hood were a pair of red eyes from which fiery rose petals began falling from.
Ruby's feet seemed to move on their own accord as she stepped forward to get a better look. "Y-Yang? Her eyes are red just like yours. And that fire looks familiar. W-why-"
Her breath left her body as something struck her hard in the chest, and Ruby was conscious just long enough to feel her sister's arms around her.
"Sorry, Rubes," she whispered, removing her fist, "but you're not supposed to see this..."
Yang kissed her baby sister and laid her on the ground but not before wrapping her in her cloak and making sure she was comfortable. She wasn't afraid of Ruby being harmed or Crescent Rose being stolen, or even a sneak attack for that matter, and after making sure Ruby was breathing normally she cautiously approached the red eyed caped-girl.
Wherever a fiery petal landed a rose bush sprouted and grew, their flowers rivaling those previously grown only in her stepmother's garden, except their thorns were larger than any Yang had ever seen.
She stopped a few feet from her. "This is my nightmare, isn't it?"
Fire continued falling from the nightmare's eyes almost reminiscent of tears. Yang shifted her attention from the eyes and rose bushes to her opponent, and saw that besides the sizable hole in her stomach, she also had numerous other cuts and bruises, and was also barefoot after presumably burning through the soles of her boots. More importantly however, her pale skin was starting to blister, and the blood from her chest beginning to boil...
"You're bleeding," Yang realized, her pupils momentarily returning. "We haven't bled a drop since we got here, and you were even telling the truth about phantom pains. But you're bleeding, and you're obviously in pain. Why? If this is all a dream, why would our nightmare bleed and feel pain but not us?"
The nightmare made a sound reminiscent of a chuckle. "You've always been smarter than you pretended, Yang. The truth is that in this world, I'm the only thing that's real. You four are only dreaming of this place. I'm always here. Trapped except on the rare occasions I'm able to utter a single word..."
Yang swallowed and turned her attention back to the eyes. "Do I want to know why your eyes are red? Does Ruby figure out how to use transference glyphs or manipulate aura well enough to copy my semblance? Is this just part of the nightmare? Or is this one of those family secrets she and I aren't supposed to know about?"
The other Ruby remained silent for which Yang was as frustrated by as she was grateful for. She noted the blisters on her sister's skin and how they were beginning to resemble severe burns. "I've spent my entire life trying to control my powers, and I've also been burned by Maiden fire so I know what you're going through. I could stand here and wait for you to burn yourself alive from the inside out but to be honest that'd be a little anticlimactic, and I've always wondered if all things being equal, which of us was better."
"Then consider this your test before you fight the Fall Maiden," the nightmare murmured. "Amber was powerful, but she didn't have the heart of a warrior like your or the thief that stole her powers. And with Mom gone it's my duty to protect Vale and save it from destruction."
"That's my job," Yang growled. "I'm the older sister. Summer's burdens should be mine, not Ruby's!"
The nightmare raised a brow. "Is that so? I seem to recall your last words to her being a reminder that she wasn't your mom..."
Yang roared as she threw a punch only for the nightmare to catch it. She began to squeeze and bend the wrist backward when Yang kicked her in the chest and sent her flying backward.
As Yang massaged her hand the nightmare stepped forward, fire streaking from her eyes just as hate radiated from her aura.
"My name is Ruby Rose Calavera," she announced in a loud, authoritative voice. "I am the daughter of The Transient Princess and the rightful queen of Vacuo. I am the last remaining daughter of the original Maiden of Life and Death, and I am the inheritor of Rebirth and Rejuvenation."
Yang calmly brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm Yang Xiao Long. I'm your big sister, which means I will always be better than you."
The nightmare shook her head. "I'm what will happen when your sister gives in to temptation, Yang. The Spring Maiden's powers will begin calling to her very soon, and she'll kill anyone that gets in her way if it means being whole again, and that includes Blake, Weiss, and even her own sister."
"I won't let that happen! You and I both know you're the real reason I was trained to fight Maidens..."
Yang rushed forward roaring at the top of her lungs while the nightmare waited patiently for her. With every savage blow their red eyes darkened and they became that much stronger. Before long however the fist fight devolved and the two began biting and clawing one another like fiery Beowolves.
Every time they'd fall to the ground Yang would wrestle her way on top but the nightmare would slip away each time before it could be completely disemboweled. Yang pursued like a predator smelling blood, the monster inside of her since birth finally unleashed, and there would be no containing it any more...
"ENOUGH!"
The nightmare wrapped its arms around her, and the monster inside screamed as all its rage and power began pouring out. Yang struggled to free herself but both she and the monster were growing weaker by the second, and when she was finally released she fell to her knees dully aware that she was covered in ash.
Steam rose from her now lilac eyes, and tears began streaming down her face as she found herself kneeling over her baby sister. "I'm sorry, Ruby," she whispered. "But I can't protect you. Not even from yourself..."
She felt more exhausted than she ever had in her entire life, and yet there was a peace within herself she hadn't felt since before her eyes began changing color. She closed her eyes expecting the nightmare to return any moment, and awaited the blow that would finally disperse her aura and cause her to wake from this nightmare. Just as she was about to demand the nightmare get it over with, she heard a soft voice echoing throughout the void.
"'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Oh please don't take my sunshine away...'"
Yang's heart stopped as a hand gently caressed her cheek. Shaking, she looked up to see a woman with silver eyes and a white cloak smiling down at her.
"S-Summer?"
Her stepmother bent down to wrap her arms around her, but instead Yang dragged the woman down to her knees and began sobbing into her chest.
"I know, sweetie," Summer cooed. "I know..."
It was strange to be both taller and broader than the woman that raised her, but if only for a moment Yang was a little girl again. She took a deep breath practically hyperventilating, and inhaled fresh roses. "I-I've missed you," she sobbed.
"And I've missed you..."
They spent several long minutes rocking back and forth, making up for eight long years apart from one another when Yang pulled away just enough to meet her stepmother in the eyes.
"What happened to the nightmare? She looked just like-"
Summer's bright smile caused her to forget what she was about to say, and it was all she could do not to burst into tears again. "It's just like I always told you, sweetie. A nightmare's worst nightmare is a mother protecting her children. We make them go back into the darkness where they belong. I'm just sorry I couldn't have stopped it sooner..."
Wiping Yang's eyes with her cloak, it was Summer's turn to pull away and regard the young woman her daughter had become. "You've grown up, Yang," her voice cracked. "I don't know how it's possible, but you're even more beautiful than your mom."
"How-" she choked. "How are you-"
Summer smiled again. "I'm a daughter of life and death, sweetie. They're two sides of the same coin, but that coin doesn't always land faceup or facedown. Remember meeting Jinn underneath the Emerald Tower? I'm a part of your sister now. My voice may barely be a whisper but I'm still here, and I am so proud of you."
Yang sniffled and hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said!" she cried. "I'm sorry for pretending that I was sick! I'm sorry for all the times I-"
"Sweetie," Summer lifted her daughter's chin so they were face to face. "I know what living with red eyes is like, and I'll be the first one to admit that I could never have compared to Raven as your mother."
"Yes you did! You were the best! A-and I'm sorry..."
Summer shook her head. "No, sweetie. You don't have a single thing to be sorry for. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm the one who left you girls without a mother, and I left you to pick up the pieces of an already broken family. Thank you, Yang, for taking care of your father and uncle for me, and for being both a big sister and mother to Ruby. You don't know how much that means to me..."
Yang cried on her shoulder for what felt like an eternity, but too soon Summer pulled away again. "Listen, Yang. You and your sister are beginning to wake up which means we don't have much time together. When you wake up, there's something I want you to do for me. I want you to-"
"Don't worry," she interrupted. "I'll take care of Ruby. I swear!"
A sad smile spread across Summer's face as she wiped her daughter's cheeks. "You've already taken better care of Ruby than I ever did, or ever could for that matter." She kissed her daughter on the cheek. "I want both of you to take care of each other, but I also want you to start living your own life, Yang. No more punishing yourself, and no more masking the pain. Eventually everyone will see through that mask anyway, and Ruby's fate is in her own hands, not yours."
"W-what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that everyone's time comes for them eventually, sweetie. Your sister's time was supposed to have come eight years ago but I extended it at the cost of my own. What I did was wrong, but whether it was a mistake or not isn't for me to say. I know it'll be hard, but try and make the most of your time together. Even if the four of you are lucky enough to grow old together you'll still wish you had more time together. And while we're on the subject, not to sound like a nagging mother, there's more to life than just indulging in its many pleasures." She gave a knowing wink. "Life is precious, and above anything else it's meant to be cherished."
"I-I can't lose her," Yang's voice cracked. "I don't want to live without her..."
"You don't have to give her up just yet, and a part of her will always be with you. There's an imprint of Ruby's soul on not just you, but also Blake and Weiss. They'll be there for you, and you'll be there for them. I know it's not fair, but Ruby was given something very few of us ever get. A second chance at life." Summer leaned in close so as to whisper in her ear. "And not to spoil anything, sweetie, but there is life after death, and nothing in this life can compare to it."
She kissed her again and Yang buried her face in her stepmother's chest, and Summer hummed a soft lullaby while playing with her daughter's hair
"Your mom used to let me do this for hours," she whispered. "Whenever she was upset or couldn't sleep, I'd play with her hair until she either calmed down or fell asleep. I used to do the same thing when you were little, and sometimes I'd even pretend you were her..."
She wiped something from her eye. "I never got the chance to tell you this, Yang, but I loved your mother. She was the first real friend I ever had, and for a long time the only person I trusted. You've probably seen the photo of your dad proposing to her. I took that photo, and I probably cried even more than Tai did when she said yes..."
Summer began to laugh which caused Yang's heart to flutter and ache. "Those were good times, and now I have her all to myself. For the time being at least. Listen, you're beginning to wake up, and when you do the dream will fade just like all dreams eventually do. I've waited for a long time to tell you this, Yang, but I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than you could possibly ever imagine, and I forgave you a long time ago. Now it's time you forgave yourself."
*sniff*
"I love you too, Mom..."
Summer kissed her again, and a moment later Yang turned into a ball of light rivaling that of the sun before dispersing into the void. She knelt there marveling at her daughter's unrivaled beauty, her eyes gold and fiery, but soon turned her attention to the still unconscious caped-girl.
She scooped Ruby up into her arms and nuzzled their noses together, and Ruby mumbled something in her sleep that caused Summer to giggle. "You don't know how long I've waited to hold you like this again," she nearly sobbed. "I wish we had more time together but this is probably for the best. You have your own life to live after all. Give my love to Weiss and Blake when you wake up, and Penny of course when you see her again. I love you, Ruby. I love you so much..."
"I love you too, Mommy..." she mumbled.
With her lips still pressed against her daughter's, Ruby scattered into rose petals, and Summer let out an agonized sob when the last one disappeared. Standing up, she pulled her hood back over her face and flicked her wrist, causing several green projection glyphs previously obscured by the mists to dissipate. She flicked it again and the mists began to swirl into the figure of a tall man with silvery hair and wiry spectacles.
"Hello, Ozpin," she said, regarding him as though he were something foul on the bottom of her shoe. "Good of you to finally come visit..."
The headmaster stared wide-eyed and took a step back. "S-Summer? How?"
"You taught Summer too well, Ozpin," she said simply. "Her consciousness may be scattered throughout Ruby's aura but I couldn't miss the opportunity to talk to her daughters again. I allowed you to observe Ruby's potential, as well as Team RWBY's fears and even the possible manner in which they'll die, not that I had much of a choice, but my conversation with Yang and Ruby was none of your business."
Still marveling at the woman before him, Ozpin reached out to touch her only for razor sharp thorns to bite into his flesh and draw blood. Summer flicked her wrist and a summoning glyph appeared before her, and emerging from a cloud of black feathers was a seven foot long sniper-scythe with a blade longer than she was tall.
The white prehensile blade coiled around his neck, and with the slightest twitch of her hand, blood began trickling down his turtleneck. Ozpin flicked his own wrist causing a golden light to envelop him, but the woman dispelled the glyph with a simple wave of her hand.
"This is my nightmare, Ozpin," she said, savoring his surprised and concerned expression. "You are not welcome here in Ruby's aura, but you'll leave when I say you can..."
The thorns and blade dug deeper into his flesh but the headmaster stood resolute and unflinching. "How are you this powerful?" he asked. "After all these years?"
"Summer was Ruby's hero," the woman said simply. "She was a brilliant huntress that never lived up to her potential and was outclassed by virtually her entire class, but to that little girl she was the greatest huntress to ever live. Ruby doesn't know that her mother was afraid of thunderstorms, or the real reason why she always crawled in bed with her during them. She also doesn't remember all the times Summer burned a batch of cookies because in her mind she still hasn't tasted anything better."
"Summer, please. Let's discuss-"
"I'm not Summer!" she said bitterly, yanking him toward her. "All I am is what remains of her memories and aura. Footprints on the beach before they're washed away, but to her daughters I'm SuperMom. The slayer of nightmares and the one person that can make boo-boos better just by kissing them. You wanted to see Ruby's potential in a few short years, and now you have. Satisfied? Or would you like to see her when she's a fully fledged huntress?"
"No," he said calmly. "I don't believe that will be necessary."
"Because you don't believe she'll live that long?"
Ozpin frowned and placed a hand on the blade. "Thank you for your cooperation, Summer, but I think I'll be going now..."
He flicked his wrist but nothing happened, and as he tried to will himself out of the nightmare the thorns coiled around him refusing to let go.
"You didn't give me much of a choice," she hissed. "Ruby needs her mother's aura to continuously heal her injuries, and it needed to recharge after her match with Yang. Resisting you would've meant slowing Ruby's recovery by weeks if not months, and risking her scars reopening. Just like usual you gave someone the illusion of choice..."
"Is that so?"
"You made Ruby an offer she couldn't refuse, and you did the exact same thing to Summer after her grandmother died. How many children have you manipulated over the centuries, knowing they were going to die and sometimes even how?"
"I don't recall your team taking much convincing to join my academy," he said. "Or Team RWBY for that matter. They all understood and accepted the risks. I give children the tools to make the world a better place, and I even save a few wayward strays along the way. I can see a person's potential just by looking into their aura, but sometimes I require more. Had you reached your potential, Raven might still be with us, you might still be with us, and Ruby wouldn't have to finish what should've been your task to complete."
"Everything's just a game to you isn't it? If one chess piece leaves the board you replace it with another, then another after that. You can talk all you want about the greater good, Ozpin, but I know you enjoy playing Salem's game just as much as your ancestors did. One man sees an angel fall from Heaven and thinks it's his family's sworn duty to oppose her. I know the truth, Ozpin. Ozma didn't want to make the world a better place by creating the Maiden. He just wanted to live forever through them and through his bloodline."
"Perhaps, but all I want is to spare as many innocent lives as possible."
"Even if it costs Ruby and Yang their lives?"
Ozpin drew a long breath. "Their lives have been in danger since the moment they were born, but yes, if it means saving The City of Vale and possibly the rest of Remnant, two lives would be a small price to pay."
"Small price to pay!?" she roared, blood dripping from her cloak just as it dripped from his turtleneck. "Ruby and Yang's lives are a small price to pay!?"
"Summer, I'm truly sorry but-"
"I told you I'm not Summer! What I am is a little girl's memory of her mother! I'm Summer Rose at her absolute worst as a huntress, but her absolute best as a mother. And believe me, Ozpin, that makes me far more dangerous than Salem ever thought of being. You forced those poor girls to face their fears and take their first steps in fighting your war. Ruby may have already forgiven you for the deaths of her family and friends, but Summer hasn't, and she won't."
He nodded. "Then I expect I'll have a lot to answer for when I see her again."
The woman leaned in close. "Yang and Ruby are the two most special little girls in the entire world, Ozpin. Want to know why? Because they're my little girls, you son of a b-"
With the anguished cry of a mother mourning for her children, Ozpin's head rolled off his shoulders before disappearing a green light, leaving behind the sound of countless clocks ticking in the void.
Taking deep breaths, Summer dropped her partner's weapon and turned to face a large oak tree with a tire swing that had appeared behind her. Underneath it was a bloodstain in the snow and a wilted rose bush with a broken stem. Tears fell from Summer's face as she approached, and holding out her hand the small rose bush budded and came back to life.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted this for you. For either of you..."
Wiping her eyes, Summer turned around and watched as a little girl wearing filthy rags screamed as a man took a knife to the wolf ears atop her head, saying it was because human girls sold for more. In another was her lonely journey where she had to give up her only companion, a baby wrapped in the cleanest rags she owned, and her wishing him a better life than she could've ever given him by giving him to another woman.
A thousand other atrocities passed before her blurry vision faded, but none more harrowing than seeing her own daughter lying dead on the ground covered in her own gore...
Pulling her hood down over her face, she stumbled toward her grandmother's cottage and came to a halt in the strawberry garden that she and Ruby had planted just early that year. The last thing she saw before the nightmare came was her little girl watching her from the window.
"I love you, Ruby. And thus kindly I scatter..."
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This chapter has been a long time coming and something I thought of back when I was still outlining "The Petals Scatter Now". I loved the idea of Team RWBY facing off against an older Ruby, and eventually that evolved into an amalgamation of all their nightmares, and of Ruby's potential rather than her future. How much of the nightmare was controlled by Summer isn't clear and isn't meant to be, but it would seem it was Ozpin pulling the strings given some of the nightmare's comments.
It broke my heart writing death scenes for Blake and Weiss, but thankfully we'll be seeing them again shortly. Because I'm not sure whether or not I'll ever get around to writing a Volume 3 pseudo-novelization, I don't feel guilty telling you that the manner of their deaths are meant to foreshadow future scenes of that story. Ozpin can see into the future after all, but that's all I'll say about that.
I really enjoyed writing a scene where a mother and daughter reunite after eight years apart, and it was important to me personally for Yang to be forgiven and for her to finally refer to Summer as "Mom". As for Yang's semblance taking over and it suddenly being pacified, don't forget that Summer was Qrow's partner and Raven's best friend, and that she's more powerful in this world than even Ozpin, though for Ruby's own safety she still had to allow his meddling. I realize there's a LOT to unpack with this chapter, but there's still more story to tell so hopefully that answers any questions you might have and clarifies any confusion.
Thank you again, friends, for all the love and support you've graciously shared with me over the years. The day that I'm posting this chapter (February 5th) is in fact my six year anniversary as a fanfiction writer, as well as the six year anniversary of this narrative. I hope I've brought a few smiles to your face during that time, and I hope you've come away feeling more encouraged than discouraged. More than anything I want readers to feel loved and encouraged, and that's exactly how you make me feel writing for you. Only four chapters remain of "The Patchwork Prodigy", and I hope you enjoy.
All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)
