A/N: First off, WOW, I actually hit over 5,500 views, 62 favorites, and 82 followers since the last chapter and it's only been a little under three months since I started writing this story altogether. Thank you for all your support, everyone. ^_^
(Despite being outdated, I'm keeping the above A/N as a sort of record of my writing journey.)
EDITED: 1/11/2020
Word Count: 13,193
Chapter 11 — Better (Part III)
Ruby leveled another slash at the Boarbatusk as it tried to gore her with its tusks as it rushed by, but she was always just out of reach. Little did the beast know that Ruby was reaching the end of her limits—that if it could manage to hold out just a little longer, it could turn the tables on her. She had to end it now while she still could.
Doing her best to ignore the increasingly painful pinpricks in her extremities, particularly in her legs, (a sure sign she was nearing the point of Aura exhaustion), she summoned one last burst of Aura to stab the Boarbatusk as it charged her one final time. She was forced to release her sword so that the beast's forward momentum didn't sprain or break her wrist. The Boarbatusk screamed as it tumbled and skidded across the ground with Ruby's sword imbedded deep in its side.
Ruby gave a long, slow sigh and shut her eyes for a moment now that the battle had ended. She tried flexing her arms, legs, and hands, but the painful needle-like sensation wasn't going away. She could guess why, too. Her lack of regular meals was starting to affect her. This morning she had woken up feeling weak and lethargic, and since the body was linked to the soul, her Aura had been affected as well. It was acting...sluggishly—for lack of a better term—and she could tell her reserves were lower than usual.
Uncle Qrow told her that could happen—that when a person wasn't feeling well physically, sometimes their Aura would use itself up in an attempt to bolster their body. Ruby hadn't eaten anything substantial for days now, so her Aura was expending itself to keep her body running normally. It wasn't a very efficient form of energy (judging by how unwell she was feeling at the moment), but it had bolstered her just enough to be able to fool Yang that morning. Or at least she hoped it had.
Unfortunately, then the Grimm showed up, and there was no way she was going to make Yang do all the work, especially since there were so many of them. She didn't dare waste time, not when her Aura wasn't at its peak, so she focused on taking out her enemies as quickly as possible. She knew she shouldn't be using her Semblance this much when she wasn't feeling well, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to keep the Beowolves from rushing Weiss. A part of her had panicked when she saw the Nevermores fly overhead, but after seeing Weiss dispatch the first one, Ruby breathed easier and went back to focusing on culling the Beowolf pack.
It was the Boarbatusk that ruined things in the end.
Ruby naturally had a lot of Aura, but she also had a physical Semblance—a Semblance that physically affected her body's ability to perform certain tasks. The way Uncle Qrow had described it, people with physical Semblances tended to have bigger Auras...or was it that people with bigger Auras tended to awaken physical Semblances? She didn't quite remember, but the outcome was the same. Physical Semblances tended to eat up Aura twice or even three times as quickly as someone with a non-physical Semblance.
Ruby's Semblance, for instance, would be impossible to use more than a few times per day if she didn't have a large reservoir of Aura to rely on. Not only did she need Aura to activate and maintain her speed Semblance, but she also had to use extra Aura to protect herself from the strain her Semblance would put on her body otherwise. A person's body simply wasn't made to move at the speeds Ruby's Semblance brought her to and attempting to do so without extra Aura protection was to risk permanent injury or worse.
Yang's Semblance was the same. If Yang didn't use extra Aura to protect her body whenever she activated the part of her Semblance that let her dish back whatever was thrown at her, she faced shattered bones, torn muscles, and both internal and external bleeding.
When the Boarbatusk started its rolling attack on Weiss, Ruby had no choice but to dig into what little Aura she had left to get the noble out of harm's way, and it hurt. The pinpricks turned into burning hot needles stabbing into her arms and legs and slowly creeping towards her heart. She was starting to draw on the last of her Aura reserves, and her body didn't like it and was not shy about telling her so. It didn't help that dragging someone along with her Semblance meant Ruby had to use at least twice as much Aura to create a second shield around whoever she was bringing along—and possibly even more if they were big like Yang.
Now that the Boarbatusk had finally been defeated, there was nothing left to distract her from her body's warning signs, and all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait for the pain to subside. It was pure chance that she was aware enough of her surroundings to hear the Nevermore's attack cry from up above.
Where did that one come from? Didn't Weiss kill all the Nevermores?
But no, there it was closing in on the white-haired noble who was just about to cross over the ravine on her Glyphs.
Ruby wanted to scream a warning to Weiss, but the instant the thought crossed her mind, a wave of irrational fear swamped her and her throat clenched shut. She couldn't speak. She screamed inwardly at her throat and mouth to work—to do something—but all they did was freeze and choke up.
But she wasn't going to give up.
Before she even consciously made the decision, her Semblance activated and her world turned red. Her exhaustion and pain became secondary priorities. She had to save Weiss. With the amount of Aura the noble had left, she wouldn't survive the fall if the Nevermore managed to knock her off her Glyph. That faint white glow surrounding Weiss was flickering dangerously, a sure sign her Aura might fail at any moment.
Faster, Ruby thought, I have to move faster.
But it was too late.
Ruby watched in horror as the Nevermore struck Weiss from behind and that white Aura shattered. She caught her breath when Weiss managed to summon another Glyph to catch herself, but her heart plummeted with the noble when it vanished.
No!
Ruby leapt off the edge of the ravine, heedless of anything other than reaching the falling noble. Got her! The hooded girl wrapped an arm around Weiss and tried desperately to call upon her Semblance to slow their fall with a whirlwind, barely noticing the noble scrabbling at her arm to hold on. It was too much. Ruby couldn't do it—not with the amount of Aura she had left. She abandoned the attempt almost as soon as she tried it, opting instead to conserve her Aura for when she had a better plan.
A screeching cry caught her attention. The Nevermore was coming back for another strike, probably drawn by the fear and panic of the two plummeting swordswomen. Ruby blinked as an idea began to form in the back of her mind, and her eyes narrowed in determination.
The Nevermore dove at them, its sharp, powerful talons outstretched, clearly intent on ravaging the two of them midair. Ruby waited until the very last second and then used her Semblance to create a whirlwind, one just powerful enough distract the Nevermore and alter its trajectory. Her free hand shot out as the avian Grimm barely missed them. Her breath hitched in pain as one of the creature's talons caught and tore the delicate skin of her inner forearm, but her fingers successfully closed around the Grimm's leg.
As powerful as Nevermores were, this one was only maybe twice the size of an eagle, meaning it would have struggled to carry even one human or Faunus-sized burden, much less two. The three of them immediately began losing altitude, but at least they were falling slower than before. The Nevermore screeched its outrage. It listed this way and that, trying to shake off its burden to no avail. Ruby just gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, shoving all other thoughts from her mind. She ignored the chilling wind, the knowledge that they were still high enough to die if she couldn't manage to hold on, the Nevermore's harsh cries, and focused solely on two things: Weiss's warmth against her own body and her white-knuckled grip on the Nevermore's leg. All other things were unimportant.
Ruby had to hold on because there was a life depending on her.
By now, Weiss realized what Ruby was trying to do and had done her best to turn and wrap her arms around Ruby. It gave Ruby one less thing to worry about. She didn't let go of Weiss, of course, but now that Weiss was holding on to her instead of the other way around, she could turn most of her attention onto keeping hold of the Nevermore. Her shoulder and arm screamed in pain at the strain of having to carry two people. She was relying on pure physical strength to keep them from falling because she didn't dare use any more Aura unless absolutely necessary.
It was a hellish ride that felt like it lasted hours even though it probably only lasted a few minutes at most. Finally, Ruby flinched as a lucky peck caught her unprotected forearm. Her grip weakened. The Nevermore must have sensed Ruby's fear at the thought of her grip failing for it screamed as though in victory and suddenly banked right. The abrupt change in direction was too much for Ruby's weakening fingers, and the Nevermore's leg slipped from her grasp.
A shriek escaped Weiss as the two of them began yet another freefall, but a quick glance downward told Ruby that they weren't quite so high up anymore. Better yet, they were over the river. They could still pull through.
Ruby took a deep breath, summoned as much of her dwindling Aura as she dared, and focused it below them. She knew her limits so she knew exactly how much Aura she could use before she risked reaching the burn-out stage of Aura depletion. Sure, if they survived this, Ruby wouldn't be able to move for days until her Aura replenished itself, but at least they'd be alive. Once the defensive Aura was in place, Ruby shut her eyes, pulled Weiss more firmly against her, and braced herself for impact.
They hit the water with a painful crash, and Ruby jerked when her Aura shattered. The loss of Aura was like a stab through the heart. Still, it had done its job, and both of them were physically unhurt from the fall. Surviving the river was a different story, however.
Ruby lost her hold on Weiss as soon as they hit the water, and the deceptively powerful current yanked them apart. Ruby kicked blindly to the surface and gasped as soon as her face broke into the air. Her teeth chattered violently as the frigid water soaked through her clothing. She was beyond exhausted, but somehow she found enough strength to continue treading water, even with her clothes, boots, and remaining gear dragging her down.
Weiss, Ruby thought sluggishly. Gotta find Weiss.
Neither of them had much body fat so they weren't going to last long if they stayed in the water—not in the middle of autumn. They had to get to shore.
A series of unnatural splashes caught Ruby's attention. It was only then that Ruby realized Weiss didn't know how to swim. At some point, the noble had reached the water's surface, but she was panicking and flailing her arms.
Ruby slipped her whistle between her lips with numb fingers and blew, hoping to at least let Weiss know that she wasn't alone and that help was coming. With heavy arms and legs, she forced herself into motion. Thankfully, she was upstream from where Weiss was so she didn't have to swim directly against the current.
Weiss grabbed onto her as soon as she was in range and unwittingly dragged Ruby back under the water's surface. Ruby broke away from her and came up a few feet away, coughing and spluttering. As soon as she caught her breath, Ruby went to try again. This time, she came up behind Weiss, grabbed her under the arms, and started pulling her backwards. It was awkward, but at least this way Weiss couldn't grab her and drag her under again. Weiss flailed for a few more seconds, but once she realized she was no longer sinking and that Ruby was dragging her towards the shore, she seemed to calm down. She was by no means calm, judging by her quick, frantic breaths, but at least she was no longer fighting Ruby.
Ruby, on the other hand, was fading fast. It was so cold, and she was so very tired. Still, she pressed on, kicking the water and pulling Weiss along until her back scraped across the rocky shoreline. Thank goodness. She gave Weiss one final heave, and finally they were both half out of the water and on dry land.
Ruby's eyes fluttered shut with relief. She'd done it. They were alive. Weiss was safe.
Ruby shivered. She was so cold that every inch of her body was hurting. Or was that the pain from Aura depletion? She couldn't tell anymore. Everything just hurt so much like someone had stuck a hot poker into her veins and then smashed every part of her body with an icy hammer. But she couldn't just lie here. She had to...had to do something...fire! That's right, she had to build a fire and get them warmed up! But for some reason, her eyelids weren't listening to her. They felt as though someone had glued them shut. The rest of her body didn't want to move either—not when even the slightest movement caused intense waves of pain to radiate outward through every muscle. Even breathing was difficult right now. She had things to do—important things—but maybe she could keep her eyes shut for just a little longer…just long enough for the worst of the pain to fade and for her to catch her breath...
Weiss dragged herself forward until her entire body was out of the water before collapsing, taking comfort in the solid ground beneath her. It was official. She hated heights, and she hated swimming. Never again. She grimaced at the way her water-saturated clothes remained plastered to her body and the feel of her soaked socks squishing in her equally sodden shoes. She braced herself as a bout of shivers ran through her body before she managed to push herself to her knees. As she shifted, the wooden tube that she had slipped into her shirt so that she could free up her hands to grab onto Ruby while they had been falling from the sky fell against her stomach.
The documents. Panicked, she reached into her shirt with stiff fingers to pull the tube out from where it rested between her skin and soaked shirt. She examined it carefully and sighed with relief. The wax seal remained unbroken and since the inside of the tube was lacquered, she didn't have to worry about water or moisture leaking in through the wood. The documents were safe. She placed the tube on the ground between several larger rocks to ensure it didn't roll away and to let it dry.
That was when Weiss realized her companion and savior had not moved an inch since pulling them to shore. The girl still lay half submerged in the water. "Ruby?" she said tentatively. There was no response. A slow feeling of dread came over her.
"Ruby?" she tried again, her heart pounding. No, she couldn't be…
Weiss stumbled to her feet, her body still half-numb from the cold, grabbed the girl under her arms and pulled her out of the water. Ruby didn't react despite her body getting manhandled so roughly. And her arm was still bleeding! Weiss's heart thumped again. No, no, no, no, no!
She drew in a shaky breath. First things first, she had to stop the bleeding. She hoped that the girl's sleeve would be enough to serve as a bandage for now. She pulled Ruby's sleeve tight and folded the loose cloth directly over the wound to add an extra layer of dressings. She undid her own belt and wrapped it around the girl's arm to complete the makeshift pressure bandage.
"Ruby!" Weiss cried out again, and she slapped the girl's cheeks in an attempt to wake her. Her skin was so cold, colder than even Weiss's, but now that Weiss was paying attention, she could tell the girl was still shivering. That was a good sign, right? As long as the body was still shivering, it was still fighting to survive.
Weiss bit her lip, finding it harder and harder to think due to the fear and panic racing through her.
Warmth. She needed to get Ruby warm. She bolted to her feet and ran over to the nearest copse of scraggly trees. Blindly, she grabbed at everything that looked like it might burn—branches, twigs, dried grass, dead leaves, and even bits of fallen tree bark. It was only after she threw it into a pile next to Ruby that she realized she had no flint and steel or fire Dust.
Despair washed over her. This couldn't be happening! Ruby had thrown herself into danger—saving Weiss's life more than once—and Weiss had done nothing but throw the girl's kindness back into her face, all because Weiss's ego couldn't stand a little hurt pride—pride that was utterly worthless right now. Weiss's throat tightened as a sick feeling rose up from within her, and her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.
She had wanted so badly to break away from her father. She had tried so hard to be different from him—to be better—but all this time she had been acting just like him, putting her desires and wants first and ignoring all else—even taking her frustration out on innocent people who had nothing to do with anything at all, just like her father had always done to her. How many times had she been trapped in his study, forced to endure a scathing tongue-lashing simply because she was a convenient way for him to relieve stress? And now she had been doing the exact same thing to Ruby. She disgusted herself. Hadn't she long decided never to be like him? That she would endeavor to be an example of how a true Schnee should comport themselves?
Somehow she had to make this right. She didn't know how yet, but a part of her was certain Ruby had to be a part of it. She had to. That meant she had to survive.
"Wake up, Ruby. You have to wake up." She shook the girl as hard as she dared, but all she accomplished was causing the girl's ever-present hood to fall back, and her breath caught in spite of herself.
Weiss temporarily forgot all of her lessons on propriety and just stared at the previously hidden face that had haunted her for so long. She had spent so many idle moments wondering what Ruby looked like beneath that infernal hood, and now that she finally had her answer, she couldn't help but let her eyes soak in the view. Delicate features. Pale skin that was probably paler than it should be from the cold. Weiss imagined that the girl's face would be somewhat rosier if not for present conditions. Black hair that somehow shaded to red at the tips. Dye perhaps? If so, she'd never seen such a professional dye job. All in all, the girl looked nothing like her older sister. While not entirely surprising considering how different the sisters' body builds were, a part of Weiss still expected to see some sort of family resemblance. Not for the first time did Weiss wonder if perhaps one of the sisters had been adopted. It would certainly explain why they didn't share the same last name—yet another mystery she had mulled over in her spare time.
Her certainty in her theory only grew when she noticed the darkly furred, triangular ears atop the girl's head. She's a Faunus, Weiss thought, shocked. How did I not notice before? The noble had to fight the urge to touch the soft-looking ears, reminding herself that this was neither the time nor place to indulge her curiosity—not when the girl's life currently lay in the balance.
Still, a number of half-formed thoughts and loosely connected pieces started falling into place. Why Yang had been so angry about how the Faunus were being treated in Atlas when they had first met. The way Ruby always seemed to know when other people were approaching before either of her human companions. The way the smaller girl never seemed to get lost or trip in the dark. The way she always seemed more relaxed after her older sister ruffled her hair as if petting her, and most of all, how Weiss always seemed to picture a cringing puppy whenever she'd been particularly acerbic to the girl.
Abruptly, another thought crossed her mind. This girl had to know the part Weiss's family had played in the systematic segregation and enslavement of the Faunus throughout Atlas—Yang had told her as much the evening they had met—so why would either of them go out of their way to help her? Why had Ruby gone out of her way to save a Schnee time and time again despite being a Faunus herself? It made no sense.
However, before Weiss could fully process all this new information, she heard a voice bellowing in the distance. Her head shot up.
"—UBY! WEISS!"
Weiss rose to her feet, forgetting all else but the sudden surge of hope in her breast. "Yang!"
Yang would make everything better and more importantly, she'd never let anything happen to Ruby. Therefore Ruby would be fine now that Yang was here. As much as Weiss loathed to admit it, the woman was always reliable when it mattered. Always.
"Weiss?!"
The voice was coming from up above? Weiss looked up, and her eyes widened in shock as a vaguely human figure leapt down into the ravine. Yang was channeling so much Aura that she burned like a fireball raining from the sky.
The ravine floor shuddered when she hit the ground, and for a moment she seemed to burn even brighter before she hurled a punch towards the river. A massive ball of pure energy exploded from her fist, and the displaced water shot up like a geyser before raining down again, soaking everything in the immediate area. Yang shook off the water, took one look towards Weiss and Ruby, and sprinted over.
"RUBY!" Yang dropped the huge bundle she had been carrying over her shoulder and slid to her knees next to her little sister.
Guilt flooded Weiss as Yang's worry hit her like a tangible wave.
"I'm sorry." The words left her lips before she even realized it, and when those red-tinged, lilac eyes met her own, her mouth just kept going.
"She saved us. She barely had any Aura left, but she pushed herself to save us. She didn't even have enough to protect herself from the Nevermore, or at least I didn't think she did, but then she managed to put up one last defensive Aura before we hit the water, but she shouldn't have had to. I should have done it because I had more Aura left but I didn't—and then she had to pull us from the water because I couldn't swim—"
"Weiss," Yang tried to interject, but the noble barely heard her.
"And I wanted to build a fire to get her warm, but I couldn't because I didn't have any flint or steel, but she's just so cold—"
"Weiss!"
Weiss shut her mouth, choking off whatever else might have poured out, her breathing quick and shallow. And for some reason her head was vacillating between hurting and feeling floaty. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
Nonetheless, Weiss was still present enough to be able to feel the blissfully warm heat radiating off of Yang even from where she was. Yang had slipped her bare hand under Ruby's neck, cradling the girl's head gently, most likely trying to channel more heat into the girl. Ruby shivered again as the heat began soaking into her, and Weiss thought for a moment that the girl's breathing had strengthened somewhat.
"Weiss," Yang said again, drawing the noble's attention away from Ruby and back to her, the larger woman's voice gentler than Weiss ever remembered hearing before. "Breathe. Come on. Deep breaths, one to five. Breathe in—one, two, three…"
Weiss tried to do as she was told. It was hard at first but soon grew easier. The pounding in her head eased, and she felt a little more grounded than before. She was still strung tight, but at least the worst of that panicky feeling had lessened. Yang continued to prompt her for a few minutes, only letting her voice taper off when it was clear that Weiss was able to focus on breathing on her own.
"There you go. Feeling better?"
Weiss nodded stiffly, part of her still focusing on breathing—on trying to stay calm.
"Good. Now stay with me. Are you with me?"
Another, somewhat shakier nod.
"Good, good. I need your help, alright? I need you to go through our things over there" —she pointed to the giant bundle she had brought with her that Weiss now recognized was their tent turned into a makeshift sack, presumably to allow her to carry all their things at once— "and pull out Ruby's first-aid kit, two towels, our blankets, and a set of dry clothes for you and Ruby. Can you do that?"
Instead of answering, Weiss pushed herself to her feet and set to work, trying to find everything Yang had asked for without letting her own soaked clothes and hair drip all over their things. Having a task helped, and slowly she was getting to the point where she could think again.
By the time she had gathered everything and turned back around, Yang had already set her little pile of dried branches, grass, and leaves aflame. Yang got to work removing Ruby's cloak and belt, and Weiss noted the girl had a darkly furred tail to match her wolf ears. Again, she wondered how she had never noticed either of them before.
Weiss's cheeks turned pink when she realized Yang was methodically relieving Ruby of all her wet things, not just her accessories. However, any embarrassment she felt was short-lived and replaced almost instantly by horror. Almost every inch of Ruby's naked body was covered with scars.
The pale but still clearly visible, slightly raised trails of mended flesh littered Ruby's skin like some sort of abstract macabre design. The only places that seemed free of the marks were her face, neck, hands and feet. A second look caused Weiss to recoil even more. Every single one of those scars had clean edges, much like the scar Weiss saw every time she looked into a mirror. Grimm didn't leave such even wounds. These were blade wounds—wounds made by people. It was unthinkable that someone as young as Ruby could have accrued that many bladed injuries and even if she had, her Aura should have healed the majority of them. The only time an Aura user would scar like that would be if they had too many wounds for their Aura to heal all at once or if they had run out of Aura when they got injured and had to heal naturally.
Yang's words from what seemed like a lifetime ago came back to her. "It was a life or death situation. We either had to let her die or unlock her Aura in hopes that it would speed her healing and save her life. I thank whatever gods exist everyday that she has so much Aura and that it had been enough to bring her back."
Weiss swallowed heavily, fighting the urge to throw up. The scars were too clean and too regular to be from battle. They weren't the remnants from some unlucky encounter with Grimm or bandits. Someone at some point had tortured the poor girl.
"Hey, Weiss."
Weiss's eyes shot up to see Yang staring back at her, her eyes a mix of understanding sympathy and hard anger—anger that Weiss was certain wasn't aimed at her but at the perpetrators who had hurt Ruby so. The woman held out a hand towards the towel in Weiss's white-knuckled grip. Dumbly, Weiss handed it over, her eyes staring blindly at nothing as Yang wiped down her little sister's body, her hands gentle as they ran the towel over all those horrific scars.
How could anyone do that to another person? The thought lodged itself in Weiss's mind and wouldn't let go.
She passed Yang the first-aid kit and watched as Yang smeared some sort of thick paste over Ruby's wound and then wrapped it with a fresh set of bandages. The wound must not have been as deep as Weiss had feared for it had mostly stopped bleeding by the time Yang treated it. That was probably why she had prioritized drying Ruby off over dealing with the injury. Ruby's body temperature was worryingly low, and it was likely more dangerous for her to stay wet and chilled at the moment than it was for her to lose a little blood.
When Yang prompted Weiss again, the noble silently handed over Ruby's clothes and then a blanket. It was only after Ruby was bundled up and being cradled in Yang's lap—the girl's back pressed tightly to Yang's front to transfer as much heat into her as possible—that Yang let out a soft sigh and turned her full attention on Weiss.
Still speaking in that uncharacteristically soft voice of hers, Yang said, "Thank you." She eyed the noble who was still dripping wet. "You alright?"
Weiss blinked, only now remembering her own bedraggled state, but for some reason, it didn't feel right for her to be complaining about anything. "I'm fine," she said, her voice clipped.
"No, you aren't. You're soaked through just like Ruby."
Weiss looked away. "But I had enough Aura left to protect myself from the cold."
"But that doesn't mean you're not feeling cold, wet, and miserable. Go on—get dried off, changed, and come sit by the fire for a while."
It was tempting, but Weiss found it inexplicably hard to turn away—to take her eyes away from Ruby. If she did...well, she didn't know what would happen, exactly, but she felt uneasy nonetheless. It was as though a part of her was scared that something bad would happen to Ruby if she looked away, which made no logical sense. Ruby was currently in the safest place possible, wrapped up in the arms of an overprotective older sister who would stop at nothing to protect her. There was no reason for Weiss to be worrying about anything and yet, she was.
Yang must have read some of the thoughts on her face for she said, "Hey, Ruby's gonna be just fine," making sure to catch Weiss's eyes as she spoke.
For someone who liked to play the part of a bumbling oaf, the woman could be annoyingly perceptive at times. At last, Weiss nodded and went to do as she was told. Ruby would be fine. She had to be.
Yang waited until Weiss left to dry off and get dressed before letting out the breath she had been holding. She had been on edge since the moment she saw Ruby lying on the ground, seemingly unmoving, but after seeing Weiss so uncharacteristically frantic, Yang shoved her own distress away so that she could be a pillar of calm and comfort for the younger woman.
Now that Weiss had moved away, however, Yang didn't need to try so hard to be strong and in control.
Yang tightened her grip on Ruby and buried her face in the girl's drying tresses, taking comfort in the familiar scent of earth and roses. The scent of family. "Dammit, Ruby," she whispered, her voice breaking, "You can't keep doing this to me. You can't." She had already lost count how many times Ruby had jumped into danger and come out the other end battered or hurt.
Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Ruby leap into the ravine after Weiss. Ruby had been doing her best to hide it, but Yang knew her baby sister wasn't at her best. She had known it the moment the battle started. Ruby had always taken her lessons with Uncle Qrow seriously, and one of the things he had stressed time and time again was the importance of not wasting Aura. If Ruby was going all out against Beowolves—one of the weakest types of Grimm—something had to be wrong. That was why Yang used one of her precious fire Dust bombs when normally she would have saved it to use against tougher opponents. She had to finish the battle quickly so she could figure out what was going on with Ruby.
Yang's mind had flooded with all the possibilities of what could be wrong this time. Was Ruby on the verge of having one of her fevers? Was she just tired from one of those cursed nightmares of hers—the ones that made Yang feel so powerless and made her want to go on a rampage to destroy whatever had triggered them? Was Ruby's lack of proper meals finally catching up to her? Yang didn't know, and she hated the fact that she didn't know.
Yang had been doing her best not to be overbearing when it came to how much she worried about Ruby, but even just the thought of her precious baby sister suffering drove her crazy. She wanted so much to just be able to crush Ruby's demons—to wrap her up and keep her safe from everything that threatened her—but Yang was always one or two steps behind. She was always a little too late.
A few treacherous tears leaked from Yang's eyes as she cuddled Ruby's slowly warming body, counting each soft puff of air coming from the girl as a small victory. At least she hadn't had to lie to Weiss. Ruby really would be fine. This time. If Yang had been even a few minutes later though, things might have been different. She and Ruby had treated enough foolish winter travelers over the years to know when the freezing sickness or frostbite might mean death or losing a limb. Ruby had still been in the safe zone, thank goodness, and the paste Yang had used on Ruby's arm would stimulate Aura production in the area, helping it heal faster even if Ruby's Aura reserves were low. The stuff was rare and expensive but worth it.
A small hand reached up to weakly stroke the side of Yang's head, and Yang froze. "Ruby," she choked out as she gently grasped the still worryingly cold hand and pressed it against her cheek. "Don't you dare scare me like that again."
Ruby's wolf ears drooped, and she raised her other hand to sign, I'm sorry.
Yang frowned, hating the fact that even if Ruby felt bad for making her worry, she knew the girl would do it all over again if it meant saving a life. Sure, a part of her was proud she had raised such a brave and compassionate young woman, but the rest of her was scared to death that one of these times Ruby was going to run out of luck. The thought made her tighten her grip as though she might be able to prevent the worst from happening as long as she just held on.
Slowly and painfully, Ruby turned her head and pressed her cheek against Yang's shoulder. Yang's heart swelled with feeling, though she didn't know whether she wanted to smile or cry. Trust Ruby to try to comfort her when she was the one who was injured and teetering on the edge of Aura depletion. Ruby's brand of Aura exhaustion was particularly grueling. As far as Yang and Uncle Qrow could tell, Ruby experienced extreme muscle fatigue all over her body whenever she used too much Aura. Even just lifting her hand to stroke Yang's head or turning her own head to nuzzle Yang must have been excruciatingly painful for Ruby right now.
Yang let out another heavy breath and pressed her lips gently against Ruby's temple. "I'm glad you're alright," she whispered. She lowered the hand she held, wrapped both of her arms around Ruby's small body once more, and rested her chin on Ruby's head. Eventually she heard the girl's breathing change, telling Yang she had dozed off. Good. She needed it. At some point Yang would have to wake her to make her drink some warm, sweetened tea, but for the moment, she just wanted to hold her close and not let go.
"Weiss, do you have a minute? We need to talk."
Weiss stiffened and swallowed nervously before rising to her feet so that she could respond to Yang face to face. "Of course." She did her best not to let her trepidation show.
In truth, she had been waiting for this moment since she had calmed down enough to think again. She had been given an unexpected reprieve in the form of Yang's reluctance to leave her little sister's side, but it had been hours since the three of them had reunited and even Weiss was feeling nearly back to normal. Granted, her Aura was still low, but at least she was no longer chilled. Ruby, on the other hand, was still drowsing on and off, but from what Weiss gathered, that was more because of Aura exhaustion than the effects of their icy dip. Yang still wouldn't let the girl shed her cocoon of blankets, however, and kept going back to check Ruby's temperature in between making supper and setting up camp.
Yang gestured with her head and walked off, clearly expecting Weiss to follow. Weiss took a deep breath to gather her nerves before joining the other woman. Yang led her upstream to a particularly rocky section of the riverbank. There was a pile of wood between two of the largest rocks. Yang motioned for Weiss to sit and in a few seconds, the pile of wood had turned into a steady campfire by courtesy of Yang's unusual Semblance.
Regardless, after all that had happened, Weiss couldn't help but look upon Yang with new eyes. Even though the woman was probably furious with her for putting her little sister in danger (and Weiss would be the first to say she had the right to be), Yang had responded calmly, even kindly, in the face of Weiss's panic. Who did that? Even now, she had gone out of her way to prepare a campfire for when she called Weiss over for whatever discussion they were about to have. Weiss was well aware that Yang didn't get cold easily so the fire had to be for Weiss's sake and not her own. It told her that Yang was thinking about Weiss's health and comfort.
To be honest, the tall woman had been doing similar things for the past few hours, quietly looking after Weiss's well-being along with Ruby's. Yes, Yang had been reluctant to leave Ruby's side, but when she did she always checked in with Weiss, sometimes pouring her some more tea or simply asking her if she was warm enough. That gentle concern was almost more than Weiss could bear. It made her burn with shame. She didn't deserve it.
It was so...disconcerting.
Why did either of them care? Why hadn't they already turned on Weiss for her less than stellar behavior? If their roles had been reversed, she was certain she would have already lost patience with them and left them on the trail.
Weiss's mind flashed back to when her and Ruby's Auras had brushed against each other. Ruby's emotions at that moment had been so clear. Why had Ruby been so concerned and protective of her when she had been so unkind? Why had the girl risked her life for someone like Weiss?
And why wasn't Yang saying anything right now? The silence between the two of them grew to the point where Weiss felt as though she would be crushed if it continued any longer.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said, abruptly for the second time that day.
Yang glanced at her, her brows raised. There was a moment of silence before she asked, "Umm...for what, exactly?"
Weiss's brow furrowed. "For putting Ruby in danger?" The clear confusion on Yang's face made her turn her answer into a question.
To her surprise, an almost bitter smile fluttered briefly across the other woman's face before she shook her head. "That's not why I called you out here." Yang gave a heavy sigh before straightening and meeting Weiss's eyes. "This isn't the first time Ruby's done something crazy like this."
"Your sister has jumped off a cliff, caught a ride on a Nevermore, and then plummeted into a freezing cold river before?" Weiss couldn't quite hide the disbelief in her tone.
"Well, no, but there was this one time where she baited a Beringel—that's a rare ape-like Grimm. Scared me half to death when it threw her off the side of a mountain. 'Course, that's how we learned her Semblance lets her move fast enough to create whirlwinds. It managed to slow her fall just enough to keep her from getting badly hurt."
Weiss's mouth opened then closed several times before she just shook her head. She wondered when she would stop being surprised by all the dangerous things the sisters seemed tangled up in. Of course, at the moment, those dangerous things were Weiss's fault, but still. Every time Weiss thought she had a handle on the two sisters, she learned something new that forced her to rearrange her understanding of them yet again. Then she wondered if not being surprised by them anymore was a good thing. If she wasn't being surprised anymore, that meant their craziness was starting to make sense. The mere thought of it caused a shiver to run up her spine.
"No," Yang continued, unaware of Weiss's thoughts, "Ruby did what she always does. She protects those who can't protect themselves, not because she has to or for money, but because it's the right thing to do. You could have been anybody and she still would have dived off that cliff to save you, so there's no reason for you to apologize."
"But if I hadn't—"
"Nope. Nuh-uh. We're not arguing about this. You didn't make Ruby jump off that cliff. You didn't order her to save your life at the risk of her own. It was her choice and therefore her responsibility. Not yours."
"How can you say that? I almost got her killed!"
Saying the words made them feel so much more real to Weiss, and it suddenly felt hard to breathe again. She had almost caused the death of another person. Yes, the documents she carried were important, and before being faced with Ruby's possible death, she most likely would have argued that their protection was paramount; however, seeing Ruby so cold and still after pulling them out of the river had struck a nerve in her that she didn't even know she still possessed. She had thought her father had destroyed her ability to care for anyone other than Winter and Klein—to connect with and hold any sort of fondness for other people—but when she was faced with Ruby's possible death, a fear so deep and encompassing had swept over her.
She hadn't felt anything so strongly in years, and as much as it terrified her, it also gave her hope. It was proof that she was not her father and as hard as he tried to mold her into a creature as cold and self-serving as himself, he had failed. "Weiss Schnee" might have been forced to cut off bits and pieces of herself to survive his dictatorship, but there was still a "Weiss" somewhere living inside her. She didn't know who that person was, but she was certain that she had the two sisters—and especially Ruby—to thank for finding a way to bring that person out.
That was why, as relieved as Weiss was for Yang not casting any blame on her, she couldn't accept it. Wouldn't accept it. She had wronged someone, and her guilt and sense of honor demanded some form of castigation or punishment—some tangible way to make her remorse known and understood. She didn't know how else to respond to all the new and confusing feelings swirling inside of her.
Weiss opened her mouth to argue further, not realizing the temperature of the surrounding air had risen a few degrees since the start of their conversation. "Yang, I—"
"Weiss!" Yang's eyes suddenly flashed red. A wave of heat blasted into Weiss, and her mouth shut instantly. "Please. I'm trying really, really hard not to be angry at you. I know it's not your fault, but I can't help what I feel. Yeah, if you weren't around, Ruby wouldn't have been pulled into this mess, but this wasn't the first time something like this has happened and knowing Ruby, it won't be the last. That's who she is. If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else so just drop it, alright?"
Weiss stiffened upon meeting Yang's glaring red eyes. For perhaps the first time ever, she felt like she was seeing the real Yang. Not that Yang was a dishonest person—far from it—but the woman had a penchant for deflecting with humor or poor jokes whenever things got too personal or serious. When humor failed, Yang would always attempt to rile Weiss up in order to distract her, change the subject, or both. Whether it was a deliberate action on Yang's part or if it was simply her natural response to dealing with uncomfortable feelings, Weiss couldn't say; but Yang was so good at it that it had taken Weiss a while to realize she was doing it at all. It was only thanks to Weiss's experience with the political and social games nobles played that she was able to see Yang's actions for what they truly were: an attempt to mask her real thoughts and emotions.
However, the Yang that so carefully guarded her heart was nowhere to be found here. Yang's grief, pain, worry, fear, helplessness, and frustration were all laid bare before her, and Weiss saw for the first time just how badly Yang had been affected by all of this. Yang was practically begging Weiss to understand—something that the woman had never done before.
In the end, Weiss's desperate need to apologize shriveled and died in the face of Yang's anguish. The guilt she felt for the part she had played in Ruby's current condition was still there, but she forced herself to put it aside. Her feelings weren't important right now.
Most likely seeing Weiss's acquiescence to her request, Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her eyes had changed back to their normal lilac shade. "Thank you," she said softly.
Weiss could only nod in return.
There was another brief silence before Yang spoke again, her words abrupt. "I wanted to talk to you about something else. Ruby hasn't been eating."
Weiss's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean what I said. She hasn't been eating. At all. And I'm pretty sure it's mostly because of you."
"I don't understand."
Yang straightened, her expression dead serious. "I told you back when we first met that Ruby isn't really good with people." She waited for Weiss to nod in acknowledgment. "I didn't mean that socially, though she's not really good with people on that front either. I meant that they can stress her out to the point where her health suffers. You've been treating her like dirt for a while now, and she hasn't eaten a proper meal in days."
Weiss's mouth went dry. "I-I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't. You were too caught up in your own world to notice anything else." Yang didn't hold back, and Weiss couldn't help but flinch at the accusation. The worst part was that there was nothing Weiss could say. Yang was correct in her assessment.
Seeing Weiss flinch, Yang's eyes softened ever so slightly. "Talk to me, Weiss. When we first started traveling together, you weren't this bad, and then you suddenly changed for the worse. What happened?"
Weiss drew in a sharp breath as a wave of shame and embarrassment washed over her. How could she put into words how petty her reasons were? That she had been feeling inferior to a fifteen-year-old girl, and that was why Weiss had been taking her frustration out on Ruby. She'd look like an utter fool.
When Weiss didn't answer right away, Yang crossed her arms and drummed her fingers. When Weiss still didn't speak, Yang's expression hardened. "I'm not giving you a choice about this," she said, her voice dangerously soft. "Either you talk to me right now, or after Ruby gets better, we're leaving you in the first town we find. I gave you a chance—more than one, to be honest—and you're not getting any more. Not if Ruby's health is being affected. That girl is everything to me, and if you being around is going to hurt her, then you don't get to stay. So what'll it be? You gonna tell me what happened or do I need to let Ruby know you're not going to be traveling with us for much longer?"
Weiss gripped the hem of her shirt so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her pulse sped as Yang's threat sank in. The sisters would leave her behind if she couldn't admit her weakness and shame aloud.
Her own panicked response startled her. I don't want to leave, Weiss realized. I feel like I just started moving forward—started learning about myself.
As prickly as her behavior had been over the past couple of weeks, a part of Weiss still recognized if it hadn't been for the two sisters, she doubted she would have gotten as far as she had. Somehow, despite the growing tension between them as of late and Weiss's own issues, she trusted them. She went to sleep knowing they wouldn't abandon her in the night no matter how abrasive she had been that day. She had learned to—well, enjoy was a strong word for it—but a part of her felt lighter whenever they treated her like an equal. Not once had they dismissed her like her father would have when she asked a question about something. Yang, in particular, would always take the time to explain things to her. True, once in a while the woman would tease her for being an ignorant noble, but that never stopped her from teaching her. Would anyone else have treated her so fairly? She didn't know, and she wasn't inclined to find out. She didn't want to part with Yang and Ruby.
Weiss thought back to the last two Grimm encounters, how when Weiss asked her to, Ruby had stepped aside to let her slay her first Beowolf, and how in the recent fight, they had trusted her to take down the Nevermores. Ruby had only gotten involved when the Boarbatusk had overwhelmed her. It was staggering to consider, but the sisters had trusted her to watch their backs. It was so...so stirring. Incredible even. And she didn't want to lose it.
Unfortunately, the silence that had accompanied her racing thoughts must have seemed like a refusal to answer. Yang shook her head and rose to her feet.
"You can keep your money and whatever we've given you, but you're going to have to find someone else to take you to Vytal," she said as she turned away.
No!
"Wait!" Weiss's breath caught when Yang did as she asked. "I—w-well—"
She didn't know how to say it, how to put her feelings into words in a way Yang would understand. She could only look up at Yang pleadingly.
Yang must have seen something in her face for the woman's expression had softened again, and she sat back down. "Take your time," she said as she leaned back on her hands to stretch out her legs.
It took some time for Weiss to organize her thoughts, and then even more time to gather up the courage to speak. At last, she said in an uncharacteristically small voice, "Ruby is fifteen."
Yang blinked and raised an eyebrow even as her brow furrowed in confusion. "Yeah, and…?"
Weiss made a frustrated noise. "You don't understand. She's only fifteen."
That confused look only deepened, but Yang's voice remained soft and encouraging. "Then help me understand. Why is Ruby's age a problem?"
"Because it is!" Weiss struggled to make sense of her feelings. "She's just so—so talented. She can build a fire, hunt, shoot a bow, exterminate hordes of Grimm with ease, cook, sew...her swordsmanship is a thing of beauty and she seems to have mastered her Semblance...she can do all those things—and do them well—and she's only fifteen! And I…"
And I'm struggling to do far less yet I'm several years older than her.
Yang's brows drew together with an almost audible click and she said, "That's it? That's why you've been picking on her all this time?" The other woman backtracked quickly when Weiss flinched at her words. "Ugh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, but seriously—why does it matter?"
Weiss straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. She owed it to Yang to be completely honest right now, no matter how difficult it was. Perhaps this could be her penance, ripping her heart open and leaving it bare for another person to see when all her instincts screamed at her to stop and not let her vulnerabilities show. Feelings were dangerous when there was someone like her father around who had no qualms about taking advantage of her and manipulating her into doing whatever he wanted.
"My father...has never approved of anything I've done. Ever. He" —she closed her eyes and her hand floated up to touch the scar across her eye— "has told me repeatedly that I'm...I'm no good. That I'm just a girl. That the things I value, like my rapier skills, are unfit for a lady of my standing and that I'm a disgrace for pursuing such unladylike pastimes." She clenched her fists. "He believes that a woman should be seen and not heard, and that my only value is in my ability to form a marriage alliance with one of his business partners. Everything else about me is worthless unless it somehow improves his social standing. I've tried so hard all my life to prove him wrong, but…
"But the first chance I get to really prove myself, I had to get rescued again and again. I had to face the fact that there's so much I don't know—so many skills that I need to master to be able to truly stand on my own—and to learn that all that knowledge and all those skills were already in the hands of someone so much younger than me…"
She couldn't bring herself to continue saying the words, but her traitorous mind kept going anyway. It's like my father was right all along. I am weak. Worthless. I can't do anything on my own.
It was one of the hardest things Weiss had ever done, but she forced herself to look up to meet Yang's eyes. What she saw there left her breathless and confused. Understanding and sympathy. Not pity, but sympathy.
"First off," Yang said, "your dad sucks and I hope I never have to meet him ever."
Weiss couldn't help it. She gave a very unladylike snort even as a tear or two leaked from the corner of her eye. She didn't quite understand the colloquialism Yang was using, but it was clear from the tone of her voice that whatever the woman had said was unflattering at best. It was so refreshing to finally see someone who wasn't acting like her father was the most amazing man in all of Atlas in an attempt to curry favor.
Yang grinned at her in triumph, evidently proud of herself that she'd been able to surprise a laugh out of the noble. "Secondly, forget him. He's not here to criticize and judge you. Who cares what he thinks?"
"Thirdly," her expression grew gentle but somber, "you're looking at this all the wrong way." She ran her fingers through her hair, clearly trying to think of the right words to say.
"Ruby…Ruby was barely thirteen the first time she had to kill a Grimm," she continued, her voice quiet. "Uncle Qrow wanted some backup for a Grimm hunt, and neither of us were comfortable leaving her behind at the cabin. So we brought her along and left her with the Riders who had accompanied us while we went on ahead to take down the Alpha Ursa. What we didn't know was that there was a small pack of Beowolves that had moved into the area since we'd gotten the information about the Ursa. Ruby saved the lives of five men that day. She took every one of Uncle Qrow's lessons to heart, and the moment the Riders were in danger, she leapt into battle and took down two Beowolves for every one the others managed to slay.
"Weiss...you look at Ruby and see all the things she can do and think she's amazing, but when I look at Ruby, all I can see is a world that's so dangerous that a child had to learn to fight in order to protect herself. In order to be able to feel safe."
The blood drained from the noble's face as her mind instantly recalled all the horrifying scars that covered the poor girl. She wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to.
Yang took one look at her and sighed. "Go ahead, Princess, I know you want to."
Weiss hesitated. "I shouldn't. It's none of my business."
"No, it isn't, but I'd still rather you hear it from me than have you ask Ruby about it later." A strange note entered her voice. "You might as well know that she's already given me permission to talk to you about it if you asked. She's really worried that you're upset with her or that you hate her."
Weiss choked. "What? Why?"
"Because for some reason she's grown attached to you, and you haven't been to see her since the two of you fell into the river. She might even be thinking something stupid like her scars scared you away, and now you don't want anything to do with her anymore."
"That's—"
"Wrong, I know." The look in Yang's eyes warned Weiss that she'd better think Ruby's line of thinking was wrong or else someone was going to get hurt. "So in exchange for satisfying your curiosity, you'd better go over there, spend some time with her, and put her fears to rest."
Weiss nodded, "I will." She took a deep breath to prepare herself and then asked, "What happened?"
Later that evening, Weiss found herself watching over Ruby as the girl dozed in her bedroll by the fire.
The horrific story Yang had told her was still fresh in her mind.
"No one but Ruby really knows what happened, but she hasn't said a word since then."
Weiss had interrupted. "You mean she can speak?"
"We think so. We're just waiting for the day when she's ready to open up again. And please don't interrupt anymore. This is hard enough as it is."
"Anyway," Yang continued, "when we found out she was missing, everyone who was free helped search, but we didn't find her until Renet, the tavern owner, sent word that a trio of human mercenaries had been drunkenly bragging about finding a wolf-eared animal and lashing it to a tree outside the town. We found her covered in blood and tied up so that she couldn't undo the knots herself." Her fingers curled into a white-knuckled fist. "She was already so far gone that Uncle Qrow had to risk awakening her Aura that night. It was a miracle she survived."
Shame threatened to drown Weiss as the words played through her head over and over. She hadn't even considered that there might have been a price to pay for Ruby's level of skill. All she had been able to think about was her own jealousy and shortcomings, yet it all seemed so petty and worthless now.
How could she possibly make up for the way she had been treating Ruby all this time? Would the girl even want to forgive Weiss after the noble had nearly gotten her killed? Yang seemed to think so, but Weiss had her doubts. She always had her doubts.
"You know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't ask about Ruby's ears and tail," Yang said offhandedly as she put out the fire in preparation for heading back to camp.
Weiss lifted a shoulder. "There wasn't much to ask. She's a Faunus." She hesitated before asking, "Was she...adopted?" She was taking a risk by being so blunt, but she really wanted to know.
"No," Yang responded flatly. "But...we've got different mothers."
Oh. Well, that explained a lot.
"I don't think she knows though, or at least I've never told her, so please don't mention it. It's not something she needs to worry herself over. We're sisters in all the ways that count. Who cares if full-blood isn't one of them."
Perhaps a few years ago Weiss might have been more agitated by the fact Ruby was a Faunus, but that would have been before Klein had left her her mother's diaries. Somehow the butler had managed to secrete the precious journals away before her father could destroy them, and Weiss thanked him every day for doing so. If he hadn't, she might still be ignorant of just how manipulative and underhanded her father truly was.
Her mother had married him and left him to manage the family business because he had been a charming young man who had managed to turn his own family fortunes around within the span of only seven years or so. By the time she realized how unscrupulous he was, he had already gained a firm foothold in seizing all power from her, both within the Schnee household and in the political sphere. From bribery to blackmail to outright coercion, no tool was too unethical for Jacques Schnee if it meant advantageous results, and even the most loyal of servants would betray their masters—or in this case, their mistress—if their family or livelihood was placed in jeopardy. Klein might have been the only ally her mother had left by the end.
And there were other things written in those journals. Even as her mother was losing everything, she continued to fight and protect her people. Servants who couldn't bear to betray her but were being pressured to submit to Jacques Schnee came to her in fear of their families, knowing that if the Schnee patriarch wanted something, he would get it sooner or later and that he didn't care who got hurt in the process. With Klein's help and the assistance of the few remaining allies she had left, Weiss's mother worked hard to get those servants and their families to safety, even if it meant losing even more of her support base.
It was why the Faunus workers in the castle gradually started disappearing to the point where Weiss didn't remember Schnee Castle having any Faunus workers until she read her mother's journals. Only then did she remember the animal eared or animal tailed servants who used to change her bed linens or watched over her as she played in the castle as a child. There was a woman with antlers who had sewn up her torn doll, and another with feathers who lit the fireplace in her room during the autumn and winter months. How could she have forgotten?
Yet she knew the answer. Her father, who was so concerned with his social standing amongst the upper class, wanted nothing to do with those "Faunus animals," those lesser beings, and he had done his best to instill the same lack of tolerance into his offspring. Worse, he had almost succeeded with Weiss. It took years for her to realign her thinking again to get to the point where she could hope to avoid seeing every Faunus as an enemy or someone to look down upon. The White Fang scared her, but if her reaction to Ruby was any indication, perhaps she wasn't as far gone down the path of her father's indoctrination as she feared.
Weiss honestly had felt nothing but a glimmer of surprise regarding Ruby's Faunus heritage. She had been too engrossed in finally getting to see the girl without her hood. And then she had heard the story of what those human monsters had done to the poor girl when she was but a child...how could she look down on someone who had suffered so much simply because she had an extra pair of ears and a tail? Someone who had risked her own life to save someone like Weiss more than once?
"You know what might help?" Yang said offhandedly as they started walking back.
"Help what?" Weiss asked, confused.
"Your whole issue with Ruby being younger than you. Basically, your problem is that all you can see are all the things she can do that you can't, right? So why don't you teach her something you can do but she can't? That way you can feel like you're on equal-footing."
It was a good idea, but…
"What could I possibly teach her that she doesn't already know?" Weiss was certain Ruby had no need to learn how to skillfully reject suitors without insulting them or how to host a gala to impress business partners.
Yang was quiet for a moment before saying at last, "Ruby doesn't know how to read or write. Our parents did—you can't be a Huntsman or Huntress without passing a written test along with the practical skills test—but they had only just started teaching me when Ruby's mom and then our dad passed away, and after that there just wasn't any time for me to teach her what little I knew. I had that foundation so I sorta can still read simple stuff, but Ruby can't at all." She glanced at Weiss. "I think she'd be happy if you offered to teach her."
Weiss frowned slightly to herself at the memory. For some reason, Yang had sounded rather hesitant. Did Yang not want Ruby to learn to read or write? In any case, any reluctance the older sister might have felt wasn't enough to make her withhold information if it would help smooth things out between Ruby and Weiss, but still. It was something to contemplate later on when things weren't so tumultuous.
The noble was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice Ruby stirring until she happened to look down to see the girl looking back at her. Weiss jumped in surprise and promptly flushed with embarrassment at getting caught off guard.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "...How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Tea? Water?"
This was the first time Weiss had seen Ruby with her eyes open and without her hood, so she couldn't help but stare a little. She has silver eyes, Weiss realized. And they were so...so open and unguarded. True, there was a shadow of pain in them—Yang had already explained how Ruby wouldn't be able to move without hurting for the next several days—but there was also a guilelessness to them that Weiss didn't think she'd ever seen before in anyone.
Weiss's heart tightened when Ruby shook her head with an agonizing slowness, the girl wincing slightly as she did so. This was her fault. If Weiss had just been more careful, if she had been keeping an eye on her surroundings before venturing out across the ravine, that Nevermore wouldn't have ambushed her and Ruby might not be suffering like this now.
She had to make this right.
"Ruby, I-I'm so sorry," Weiss said, her voice breaking. "You...I…"
You shouldn't have had to save me. I should have done better. I shouldn't have been treating you so badly all this time.
The words died on her lips before they could fully take form. What could she possibly say to make Ruby forgive her? Did she even deserve to be forgiven?
However, before Weiss could manage to work herself into a spiral of negativity, Ruby started to squirm inside her cocoon of blankets. The girl kept having to stop as the pain in her muscles got the better of her, but she would inevitably start up again as soon as she had caught her breath.
Weiss panicked. "W-what's wrong? Do you need something?"
Of course, there was no answer because the girl's hands were trapped somewhere beneath her blankets. Unsure of what to do or how to help, the noble sat frozen, watching the girl struggle and holding her breath right along with her every time she had to stop from the pain.
Finally, the girl managed to work one of her arms free of their blanket prison, and she reached out towards Weiss. Weiss caught the girl's hand in both of her own and was stunned when Ruby squeezed as much of Weiss's hand as she could. Weiss's heart just about broke at how weak Ruby's grip was compared to earlier that day. The girl had no more strength than a baby, and it was all Weiss's fault.
Yet the noble was given no chance to begin internally berating herself. Ruby weakly shook their connected hands to get her attention, and a somewhat shy but undeniably warm smile crossed her face. Ruby squeezed Weiss's hand again, her grip no stronger than before, but this time Weiss finally understood what the silver-eyed girl was trying to tell her. It shook her to the core.
It's alright, the girl was saying.
Weiss wet her lips. She had to know for sure. "Do you...forgive me?"
Ruby tilted her head confusedly and squeezed Weiss's hand again, this time running her thumb along whatever part of Weiss's hand she could reach, clearly still trying to comfort the noble.
A girl who was currently bedridden was trying to comfort her. It made no sense!
Weiss jumped when a voice suddenly spoke up behind her. "She's trying to tell you that you don't need to apologize. There's nothing to forgive." Yang had finished doing whatever had been occupying her time up until now and apparently had come over to check on the two of them.
"That can't be," Weiss started to say only to see Ruby nodding brightly in confirmation. She looked back at Yang who seemed amused by her inability to process what was happening.
Yang settled herself down next to Weiss and reached down to run her fingers through Ruby's hair. The girl's eyes half closed with contentment, and she seemed to be trying to lean into her older sister's touch.
"This is who we are, Weiss," Yang said softly. "We're the last ones who would judge you for making mistakes, because we make them all the time. Can't say I won't get mad at you from time to time—I'm not as big-hearted as Ruby—but that doesn't mean I won't forgive you.
"Like I said before, forget your father. Forget what he thinks of you. He clearly doesn't know anything. You were able to slay a Grimm the first time you encountered one; that's amazing. You're smart. You ask questions when you don't know something, and you actually listen. Not many people do that. And not everyone can look at themselves, see their faults, and think that they want to get better. That takes strength and courage that most people don't have."
Ruby clearly didn't know what Yang was referring to since she hadn't been present during their earlier conversation, but that didn't stop her from giving Weiss another weak, yet comforting squeeze.
It was all too much.
Weiss had to let go of Ruby's hand in order to wipe her eyes. She had sought acceptance for so long, doing everything she could to meet her father's impossible standards, getting berated and criticized at every turn. But even when she broke away from her father after seeing the kind of man he truly was, a part of her never stopped hoping that one day he would look upon her with approval—that one day he would see how hard she tried to be the best she could be. Instead, she had found that acceptance and approval in the most unlikely of places.
Who would have thought that the two sisters—who she had happened to come across by chance more than anything else—would be the ones to fill that aching hole within her? And they had done it not because she had finally attained perfection, but because she had tripped and stumbled. She let herself get blinded by the remnants of the poison her father had dripped into her ears, made mistakes, and hurt a girl who had already experienced enough pain to last a lifetime. She was imperfect, but they accepted her anyway.
A small, warm hand reached out and touched her knee hesitantly. Worriedly. She was worrying Ruby.
"I'm fine," she choked out, wiping her eyes again and laying her own hand atop the smaller girl's. She tried to look in the direction she thought Ruby's eyes were, but her vision was still blurred with tears.
A larger, even warmer hand clasped her shoulder once before letting go, and its warmth threatened to send Weiss into tears once again.
The three of them stayed there for a time, waiting for the rest of Weiss's tears to subside. When it was clear Weiss had finally calmed down, Yang suddenly spoke up.
"Let's start over," she said entirely out of the blue, causing both Weiss and her own little sister to look at her with confusion. The woman rolled her eyes. "You know, clear the air. Pretend the last few weeks didn't happen. No more apologies. No more feeling bad about whatever. From this point on, we just start over. Clean slates for all of us."
"What…?" Weiss started to ask, but she was distracted by Ruby's immediate and obvious approval.
"Good! Now that that's settled—"
"Wait! I didn't agree yet!"
Yang grinned at her. "You don't need to. It's two against one. Majority rules."
"Since when?"
"Since I said so. Now hush." She cleared her throat theatrically. "Hello, I'm Yang Xiao Long and this is my little sister, Ruby Rose." Yang looked at Weiss expectantly.
"...I'm Weiss Schnee."
Yang beamed. "Nice to meet you!"
Ruby freed her hand from under Weiss's and gave Weiss a wave and a shy smile.
Madness. This is utter madness. I can't keep up, Weiss thought to herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"—eiss. Hey, Weiss. Are you listening?"
"What?"
Yang gave another eyeroll. "I said we have rules. Do you remember them?"
Rules? What…? Oh, there had been something like that, hadn't there? Their uncle had insisted upon them before they left. What were they? She didn't remember.
It must have shown on her face for Yang said, "Don't worry about it. We can go over them again, but you better pay attention. I'll be testing you later.
"So, rule number one: Trust each other. Rule number two: Trust your instincts. Rule number three: Take care of your body. Rule number four: Take care of each other. You with me so far?"
Weiss nodded, doing her best to affix the words to her memory this time. She was tired enough that she knew she would need a reminder or two later on though. The first time she had heard these rules, she had brushed them off as a doting uncle worrying about his nieces. This time, however, she wasn't just standing on the sidelines watching. She was being included. It was like she had finally passed some test, and now she was truly part of the team, subject to the same rules and stipulations. It felt better than she could have ever imagined.
"Good. Those are the basic rules, but I want to add a new one. Rule number five: Talk to each other." Yang made a face. "We screwed up big time this past week. Out here where there could be Grimm lurking behind the next set of trees, letting negative feelings get the better of us is dangerous. Traveling together, there's no avoiding getting on each other's nerves and arguing from time to time, but no more letting those feelings fester and grow. If you have a problem with either of us—if we do something that bothers or annoys you—speak up and we'll discuss it as a team. In return, we'll do the same for you. Sound good?"
It sounded better than good, to be honest. If they had been able to put that rule into practice sooner, then perhaps today's Grimm encounter could have been avoided entirely. Then again, Weiss thought, if today hadn't happened, would I have been in the right frame of mind to agree? Most likely not.
But she could do better. She would do better.
Weiss raised her eyes only to see both of the sisters looking back at her, waiting patiently for her reply as if her opinion truly mattered. And knowing as much as she did now, she was optimistically inclined to believe they really did care about her opinion.
A foreign sense of warmth filled her chest at the thought as she managed a nod of acquiesce, which was promptly returned with a pair of matching grins. Oh, so that's where the family resemblance is.
It would be difficult, she knew. She wasn't used to putting her thoughts and feelings into words, but she would try. For her own sake and the sakes of these two sisters who had given her more chances to rectify her mistakes than she deserved, she would try.
GUEST REVIEW RESPONSES:
To [A me] who left a comment for Chapter 9 on Nov 25, 2018:
Thank you for leaving a response! Glad to hear you liked the Beowolf fight and that Qrow's commentary didn't detract from the scene.
To the Guest who left a comment for Chapter 10 on Nov 25, 2018:
For what it's worth, it doesn't look like Blake will be showing up until at least after Chapter 21 or so, if not later. I have a rough outline that I'm following, but I've found that I greatly underestimate how many words it takes to write out certain scenes, meaning most events in the outline keep getting pushed back. For instance, the events of Chapters 9-11 were originally going to be one chapter and yeah...you can see how well that turned out.
And I don't blame you for getting Blake-fatigue. To be honest, I'm also at a point where I want less Blake and more RW_Y in the actual show. A part of me seriously considered not having Blake in Simple Things, Honest Souls at all or perhaps making her only a minor side character. Not only has Blake already gotten so much more screen time and dedication to her issues in the actual show, but she's been done over and over again in other fanfics. Once in a while, she's been written well, but other times it's just another rehashing of her and Adam with little innovation. I'm going to have to work REALLY hard to make a unique Blake if I keep her as one of the main characters (which is a very tall order that I don't actually have the confidence that I'll be able to fulfill at the moment), and that isn't even considering the issue of how to eventually integrate her into the current RW_Y dynamic that we have now. At the same time, it doesn't feel right to leave Blake out entirely. She's part of the RWBY family, and I want to honor that. This may be very different story from canon with sometimes widely differing versions of the RWBY characters, but I am trying to try to keep as much of the original spirit of the actual show as I can and that means keeping Blake.
To the Guest who left a comment for Chapter 10 on Nov 29, 2018:
Thank you so much, both for your kind words and for leaving a comment! ^_^
It means more than you can imagine to me that my words are reaching you and my other readers, that I'm succeeding in touching your hearts. There is no other greater reward for writing than that.
Author's Ramblings and Ruminations:
So yeah...A teaspoon of Yang, a pinch of Ruby, and a whole lot of Weiss. Did you like it? I spent so long stressing over each scene, worrying if the characters' emotions were properly shining through and if their actions were in character. If you have a spare moment, please, please, PLEASE tell me how I did.
On a side note, this chapter was actually one of the first scenes I ever thought up even back when I first started envisioning this story before I even started writing it. One of the other reasons I started this fanfic was because character development in canon is rather sporadic and a LOT of it happens off-screen, which was always a little disappointing to me, especially when it came to Weiss. She changes so much in the first three volumes of the show, a fact which most fanfics either ignore and they leave her as an "ice queen," or they jump to the point where Weiss has already undergone her character development for the sake of starting the romance plot/subplot, which is kind of sad. Out of all the RWBY characters, she tries the hardest to improve and yet most of her struggles are off-screen. I would argue that even Team JNPR got more on-screen development than Weiss.
Change is hard and oftentimes scary, so Weiss is really inspiring to me. The way she forces herself to keep moving forward even when everyone around her either doesn't support her or doesn't understand her is beautiful. Amazing. I wish I could have even half of her courage and strength in real life. I really hope I'm managing to capture at least part of that feeling in my own writing.
Have a great day everyone, and I'll see you next chapter~