Confession ahead under a Sakura sunset
I don't own any copyrighted material, except my own OC's: anyone else's OC's will be acknowledged in their introduction chapter
Ruby walked into the tavern they were staying at feeling better, but still conflicted. After what just happened she needed to speak with Velvet. Only she had the knowledge for what just happened. She found the rabbit Faunus priestess in a corner reading a book quietly, bottle of sake beside her on a side table. Ruby then sat next to her with a sigh.
"Hey Velvet. Where's the boys?" Ruby asked
"They are off training. Another disagreement between them again." Velvet said without looking up from her book
"I see. I need to ask about something. Something only, you would have the knowledge for." Ruby said with a nervous tone
"What happened to you that need me to tell you about?" Velvet asked as she put down her book in confusion
"I had a conversation with my mother… who's been gone for most of my life and I haven't seen in over 10 years…" Ruby said nervously
"I don't understand what's wrong here. Isn't that a good thing?" Velvet asked, cocking her head slightly
"Everything else is what's wrong. There was no way she could have gotten in the room, no way she could have known anything she talked about, was cryptic about some upcoming war that supposed to happen, and she straight up disappeared when I was about to leave!" Ruby rambled out in a very fast pace and somehow in one breath
"Okay then…" Velvet quietly said, a bit overwhelmed at the tirade Ruby slung at her
"I'm sorry Velvet. I'm so confused, and I know the boys aren't going to help me. Hell, they probably don't know anything close to what I need." Ruby said
Meanwhile at a samurai sparring ground
"I suddenly got the feeling that we are being insulted by someone close to us." Cao said as he overhead slashed at Testuo
"Funny I got that exact same feeling." Testuo said as he dodged using his semblance
"Must be nothing." The two muttered in unison as they continued their sparring match liken nothing happened
Back with Ruby and Velvet
"Okay so let me get this straight. Your mother appeared suddenly in a room with no windows and one door. She then talked to you with information she would not know having been gone for at least a decade. And she disappeared suddenly in the time it takes to turn 360 degrees?" Velvet asked, slowly making sense of what her friend said
"Exactly. Now how exactly would that happen?" Ruby asked impatiently
"There's only one thing I can think of. Your mother died at some point." Velvet said simply
"I have come to terms she probably has, but I fail to see what exactly that has to do with this." Ruby said confusedly
"Your mother had died, and her spirit still remains on this earth." Velvet explained
"My mother is haunting me!?" Ruby suddenly shrieked in fear
"Relax its not like that. Spirits don't stay because they can't go to the afterlife. They choose to stay because they have something they need to do still. They have a reason for still being around." Velvet explained, her ears ringing from the sudden shriek
"What is it then?" Ruby asked, panting and trying calm herself
"Only she knows. Though spirits have a hard time coming to terms with the fact they have died, so they typically act like they had in life. The shock of dying typically is too much for them, so its kind of blacked out in their minds." Velvet explained as the ringing slowly subsided
"Thank you Velvet. I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Ruby said, bowing her head
"Its alright Ruby. I understand." She said and then picked up her book again
Ruby left the rabbit Faunus priestess to go think. What Velvet said made perfect sense, but she still had a lot of questions. She sighed as it seemed like with every answer she got; more questions sprung up. Deciding to put this whole business with her mother on the backburner, she turned her attention to the Cao situation. She couldn't let this stay inside her and fester, she had to tell him. If Cao had the balls to tell her, then she should be able to as well.
It was several hours of waiting, but the boys returned from their sparring match utterly exhausted and went to take bath's. This however worked to her advantage. When Cao was tired, he tended to be less stubborn and tended to go along with things more than usual. Admittingly that wasn't saying much, but she couldn't be picky with her opportunities. As she waited for him to appear, she talked with the locals, and found the perfect private location to take Cao. After a half an hour, Cao slowly and tiredly walked out.
"Man, I'm beat. I don't know how that man does it sometimes." Cao muttered to himself as he sat at the table with a thud
"Maybe your should get a bit more exercise." Ruby said with a coy smile
"Hah, hah Ruby. Anything useful you wish to say?" Cao asked in a sarcastic tone
"Well I found a good place for you to relax in peace, but I'm not sure now if I should tell you." Ruby said coyly
"Okay I'm sorry for that remark. Where is this place?" Cao asked, changing his tone to one more agreeable
"Can't tell you. But I can show you." Ruby said
"Can you show me after dinner? I'm starving." Cao asked
"Absolutely. I wouldn't dream of missing out on a meal if I could help it." Ruby said with a smile
Soon Testuo joined them and they began ordering their food. Cao however was a bit confused, and nervous. He hadn't seen Ruby act like this before, and he knew something was clearly up. This also was after she had a fit over him confessing his feelings to her. If it were any other woman, he'd be worried she was about to slit his throat with a Tanto when they were alone. However, he dismissed this idea quickly as Ruby would never harm another human being in such a cruel fashion.
Dinner arrived and was uneventful as usual. Afterword's Ruby and Cao stood up, and they left the tavern for their destination. Cao followed closely behind her, a hand resting on his katana out of habit. After Ruby got kidnapped twice with him, he wasn't taking any chances. They walked along a small, lightly tread trail under the shade of beautiful Sakura tree's. The cool ocean breeze blew between the majestic trees, and soon they arrived at a clearly overlooking a waterfall. The Sakura tree's swayed majestically, and the low, soft carpet of grass swayed with them.
"It's… It's beautiful. How did you find this place out Ruby?" Cao asked through his stunned state
"I asked around and some of the locals told me. It doesn't get used much, so to preserve its beauty. But since we would only be here this once they told me." Ruby said as she sat down gently
"Alright, what is it you wanted to see me in private so badly?" Cao asked as he sat next to her
"Its about what you said in the cave." Ruby said, looking down slightly
"Oh shit." Cao muttered under his breath, his face slowly going pale at what might happen
"I've thought about it for a while now, and it took talking with the spirit of my dead mother to figure out my response." Ruby said nervously, not baring to look at him in this moment
"Explain to me…" Cao tried to say in confusion, but Ruby cut him off
"It doesn't matter Cao. What matters is my response to your confession." Ruby said punctually
"And that is?" Cao barely squeaked out, the anticipation taking the wind out of his lungs quicker than any blow
"I love you too Cao." Ruby simply said, finally bringing herself to look him in the eyes
"You… You mean that? Really?" Cao choked out, flabbergasted at this confession
"Yes, I do. Every single word of it." Ruby said nervously
"But… Why? I'll admit I haven't best to you…" Cao stammered out, but Ruby cut him off again
"Your kindness, dedication, and generosity more than makes up for it. You've protected me, took care of me, and have kept your word. You might be a Ronin, but you have been more honorable than any samurai I have ever met. Despite being on a very important mission, that doesn't stop you from keeping your promise to me. And that's all despite my blackmailing of you." Ruby explained
"Ruby…" Cao muttered before hugging her
For a minute Ruby sat there stunned at this sudden show of affection before hugging him back. The two remained locked like that for several minutes, the world around them ceasing to exist entirely. The only thing that mattered were the two of them embracing. After what felt like eternity they broke the hug, locking eyes.
"I swear to Ruby I will do everything I can for you. I will fall on my sword before I let anything happen to you again." Cao said to her, not taking his eyes off of her
"Cao you don't have to." Ruby said as a blush came across her cheeks
"If we are going to do this Ruby, then I am going to commit." Cao said sternly
"Alright, calm yourself Cao. We haven't even had our first date." Ruby said with a giggle
"When I finish my mission, then we are having it." Cao said with a smile
"Is that a promise?" Ruby asked coyly
"It's a statement. It will happen." Cao replied just as coyly
The two simply chuckled at that and turned to look beyond the waterfall. Soon the wind began to blow Sakura petals in the wind as the sun began to set. The mist from the waterfall shimmered and made streaks of multicolored light as the wind danced the mist around. Cao wrapped an arm around his female companion, and Ruby in kind pressed herself against his side. One chapter in their lives had end, and a new one was about to begin. And the two of them couldn't be happier about it. A Carp and Rose finally had come together.
Took us a while, but now the main ship has finally begun. Then again if I rushed it, it would have sucked, so thank you all for being patient with me. However, that still doesn't mean I will rush it moving forward. As we all know, now we are in the make or break period. Can this couple jump over the new hurdles put before them together, or will this pressure break them apart? Tune in next time to see the start of this unfold.