A/N: Another slow lead-in/set-up chapter as well as a sort of part 2 to the previous one as our characters are still Teaching, Learning, and Growing. Things'll be picking up in the next few chapters, I promise.
EDITED 1/20/2020
Word Count: 9,764
Chapter 14 — Aura-sight
Ruby drew in a slow breath and closed her eyes. One by one, she pushed away any immediate distractions. She ignored the beating of her heart and the feel of her chest rising and falling with every breath. She disregarded the way the wind blew her hair across her face and sent the bottom of her cloak dancing against her legs. She paid no heed to the wide variety of scents that teased her nose and tried to send her attention elsewhere. She pushed away every one of her other senses except for her hearing.
Her wolf ears swiveled back and forth as she listened. There was a badger somewhere nearby cleaning out its earthen den, its long claws scraping the soil. A small herd of deer were on the move maybe two miles upwind from where she stood, calling out to each other occasionally. A rabbit was making its way through the calf-high grass, moving in a distinctive rustle-thump pattern as it carefully crawled several inches before risking a hop or two.
Ruby pushed her hearing out even further, methodically sorting out which sounds were important and which ones weren't. She listened and listened until she was sure she had found what she had been looking for—or rather, until she hadn't found what she was looking for. Several days ago, she had reported to Yang that she'd heard people in the distance while she'd been out hunting, and those people had been pacing them for the last few days. Today, however, they seemed to be farther away than before.
Ruby tried to visualize the map Yang had shown her earlier and remembered they'd passed a Rider way station yesterday. Maybe the travelers decided to stop and rest there for a while before continuing on? So that meant they weren't following them, right? They were just travelers who happened to be going in the same direction. Yang would be relieved to hear that. She'd looked a little worried the night Ruby had first reported they were out there.
But then why did Ruby still feel so uncomfortable? The spot between her shoulder blades itched as though she was being watched. She'd only felt this way once before when that Grimm Catamount had been stalking them. The large feline Grimm had used the boulders along the mountain range they'd been passing to hide its presence until it finally decided to strike.
Ruby raised her nose to the breeze, but she didn't smell anything out of the ordinary either. She closed her eyes and rubbed her face. This was frustrating. She was supposed to be the scout—the one who kept everyone safe by notifying them of possible dangers before they actually became dangerous—but right now she was failing.
Ruby heaved a long sigh. Maybe she should check the perimeter again, just to be sure there was nothing out there.
That was when Ruby heard a soft, light rasp like claws against bark. She spun only to meet the startled eyes of a gray fox crouching on the lowest branch of a nearby tree.
Ruby blinked.
A gray fox out here? That was odd. While the hilly grasslands they were traveling through did have its fair share of trees, gray foxes usually preferred rockier, more heavily wooded environments so they could take advantage of their climbing abilities to flee from larger predators. Ruby would know. She saw them all the time around Patch. Ruby would have expected to see a red fox in an open field like this, not a gray fox.
While Ruby had been lost in her thoughts, the silver-and-black-furred, white-and-copper-chested creature suddenly leapt down from its perch and disappeared into the grass. Ruby listened absentmindedly as it scurried away, the sounds growing fainter and fainter until she could hear them no longer.
Maybe it had gotten swept away from its home during a flood and was forced to make a new home here downriver, she mused. It happened sometimes. One of the Riders who used to be a woodsman said so.
Ruby glanced up at the darkening sky. She needed to get moving if she was going to make one last circuit around camp, and she still had to catch something for supper. If she was lucky, maybe she'd find another chubby partridge or two. Weiss seemed to like them better than rabbit or fish after all.
Maybe. It was hard to tell. But the last time Ruby had brought a few back, Weiss had eaten more than half of one all by herself! Or maybe Weiss was just tired of soup and stew and liked the way Yang had gone all out and roasted the birds.
Ruby didn't blame her. Both she and Yang liked roasted meat better too, but it was a lot more work than just filling a pot with water and tossing ingredients in to simmer. You had to make a spit for one, and then you had to stay there and keep turning it to make sure the meat cooked evenly. It was so boring.
Ruby hated being bored and being forced to sit still with nothing to do. It was why she had picked up whittling in the first place—because it gave her something to do when she was fishing or when poor weather forced her to stay indoors. Her mind fluttered back to the small sack that held her tools and current whittling projects. They were taking shape quite nicely, but pretty soon Ruby would have to start working on them away from camp. She didn't want to ruin the surprise after all. Ruby's tail began to wag in anticipation. I hope they like them.
Her worries forgotten for the moment, the girl gave an excited little bounce and sprang into a mile-eating jog, enjoying the feel of her muscles warming and stretching. Ruby loved spending more time traveling with Yang and Weiss, listening to them chat sometimes as they all walked together, but she did miss the physical exertion scouting had offered her before she'd overdone it and exhausted her Aura. She wondered when Yang would finally lift her scouting ban and let her run on ahead again. She hoped it'd be soon. She was starting to feel a little pent up. Being allowed to hunt again helped, but she still couldn't get as good a workout as when she ran back and forth scouting.
Her muscles now sufficiently warmed, Ruby increased her pace, flicking her lupine ears this way and that, listening closely for the sound of any animals wandering through the grass. There. That way. She'd heard the soft cluck of a bird and where there was one bird, there were always more. Ruby slowed to a walk and quietly began stalking her prey.
"Alright, now 'L'."
Weiss watched as Ruby bent over her small slate and carefully wrote out a capital 'L' with her little piece of chalk. Ruby's brow was slightly furrowed, and her tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration. It was rather...endearing, in a way, but Weiss still had to chide her for it on principle. Alas, her admonishments didn't seem to have any lasting impression on the girl. Then Weiss noticed Yang doing the same thing once, and she promptly gave up.
Sisters, indeed. I wonder if Winter and I share any habits like Yang and Ruby do. Most likely not.
They hadn't spent enough time together growing up to pick up on any habits the other might have. It left a sharp pang in Weiss's heart to think of all the time she and Winter had lost—all the memories they had never been able to share. Even when Winter had still been at the castle, she was so much older than Weiss and as the oldest, their father had kept her busy, leaving her very little time to spend with her younger sister.
Weiss knew for certain she didn't share any habits with her little brother, Whitley. Her father had kept them apart as soon as he had been born, not wanting him to be negatively influenced by his…disappointment...of an older sister.
Ruby held up her slate with a triumphant smile and showed Weiss her 'L'.
"Very good." Ruby's tail started wagging. "Now," Weiss continued, "what words start with the letter 'L'?"
Unexpectedly for both of them, Ruby's literacy lessons had soon evolved into general language lessons. Normally a child would be taught a letter and then be forced to recite any corresponding words, but obviously that method wouldn't work for Ruby. At first, Ruby had sketched out little drawings for each letter—an apple for 'A', a bear for 'B'—and they were even quite good—but it took far too long to be practical. Ruby ended up spending more time drawing than writing. At last, Ruby came up with the idea of teaching Weiss the hand-signs she needed to be able to check Ruby's understanding and memory. It slowed down Ruby's literacy lessons, but it expanded Weiss's ability to recognize Ruby's hand-signs so much that they started trading off. One night they would work on Ruby's reading and writing, and the next, they would teach Weiss more hand-signs.
Ruby made the hand-signs for 'left', 'look', and 'lift'. (There weren't many useful 'L' nouns so they had gone with other useful words that might come up in everyday conversation.)
Weiss nodded, earning herself a bright grin. "Now, what letter comes next?"
She watched as Ruby thought for a moment and then wrote out a capital 'N'.
"Almost. That's an 'N', which is the next one. There's a letter that comes before that one. Do you remember?"
Ruby frowned, thinking. Weiss sat back to let the girl think in peace.
This was...nice. Enjoyable even. To get to watch Ruby learn each new letter and grow more confident in writing them. The girl just looked so happy when she succeeded that Weiss couldn't help but smile softly along with her. It was soothing and made Weiss feel like she was finally doing some good in her life. Like she was finally doing something useful and worthwhile.
Ruby suddenly bolted straight up, erased the 'N' on her slate, and wrote out 'M'.
Weiss found herself smiling yet again. "Yes, good. And what words start with the letter 'M'?"
The days turned to weeks as the three of them steadily made their way south and then southwest. Even though they spent time training each day, they were making good time simply because Weiss was fitter than ever and thus better able to keep up. The journey itself was largely uneventful save for a handful of run-ins with the stray Beowolf pack or Nevermore flock—nothing that they couldn't deal with and better yet, each encounter gave Weiss valuable battle experience.
Weiss's presence turned out to be a blessing for whenever the main river happened to branch off into a smaller stream, Weiss's platform Glyphs allowed them to cross without having to wade through the frigid, often fast-flowing water. By the time they finished the fourth crossing, the temperature took a sudden dive, a sign that autumn was finally ending and winter was well on its way.
"Weeeiss, get over here. You're going to freeze and turn into a Weissicle if you stay out there all night."
Weiss cringed at Yang's newest lexical atrocity as she set up her bedroll by the fire like usual. "I refuse to have anything to do with such a horrid distortion of my name."
Yang grinned victoriously. "But it got your attention, didn't it?"
Weiss shot a glare at the other woman and deigned not to answer.
"Weeeiss—. Weissy-Weiss—"
"Ugh, stop that already!"
"Then don't ignore me."
Weiss let out a long, aggrieved sigh. "Yang, there's no way we're going to be able to fit three people in a tent that small."
The drop in temperature led to Yang finally breaking out the tent she had been carrying for weeks but they never needed to use. The few times it rained during the journey, they'd been lucky enough to be able to take shelter in caves or under stone eaves. Or rather, Ruby apparently was able to smell the rain in the air, purposely looked for good places to get out of the rain on her scouting forays, and then led them there before the first few droplets fell.
"Uh, yes we can. You and Ruby are tiny."
"I am not! I am a perfectly reasonable size."
"Besides," Yang continued as if Weiss hadn't said anything, "the smaller space traps heat better. Trust me; you'll be thankful for that by morning. And look on the bright side! Less room means you might get Ruby-cuddles!"
Weiss blinked. "Ruby...cuddles?"
"Yep. Guaranteed to make any dark day brighter and any chilly night warmer," Yang said with a grin.
Weiss couldn't help but turn that over in her head. It was true that there was just a certain something—some unquantifiable aspect to Ruby's physical affection that somehow soothed the soul—and Weiss noticed that she seemed to have an unusually high body temperature as well. Not as high as Yang's but then again, Yang's temperature was a byproduct of her Semblance. Ruby was naturally warm, and Weiss had wondered more than once if perhaps it was because she was a Faunus. Then she shook off the thought, remembering belatedly that it had no value or influence on this discussion.
"No, Yang. I'll be fine here." If Weiss joined them in the tent, they'd have to practically be sleeping on top of each other to fit. Besides, Weiss hadn't shared a bed with anyone since she was a little girl when her occasional nightmare was scary enough to send her crawling into Winter's bed in the middle of the night. The very idea of sleeping so close to someone else made her inexplicably uncomfortable. While she was slowly getting accustomed to Ruby's (and occasionally Yang's) physical displays of affection, she was by no means used to them. Sometimes she wondered if she ever would be. And was getting used to them even a good thing? She didn't know. Nothing in her upbringing had ever prepared her for this sort of dilemma.
Refusing to argue with Yang further, Weiss pulled out her sleep clothes and slipped into as many layers as she could (two pairs of leggings, two thick woolen socks, and three shirts), hoping they'd help stave off the worst of the cold. Then, she bundled herself up in her blankets and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep before the cold started seeping in.
She heard Yang let out a gusty sigh. "I'm telling ya, you're gonna regret it in the morning."
Weiss frowned but didn't answer her.
There was a rapid patter of boots, telling Weiss that Ruby had just returned from her last perimeter check for the night.
"Come on, Ruby," Yang said. "Time for bed." There was a pause. "No, Weiss says she'll be fine outside."
There was another series of sounds, most likely the sisters getting ready to go to sleep. Weiss was about to fall asleep when a pair of footsteps approached and stopped next to her bedroll. Weiss felt the air shift and then something was laid on top of her.
Weiss's eyes popped open, and she looked up to see Ruby had taken out her two old cloaks and were laying them out on top of Weiss's blankets to use as extra blankets. Then the girl went a step further and took her new crimson cloak from her shoulders and laid that down as well, making sure that all three layers of cloaks were tucked comfortably along Weiss's sides. Weiss couldn't help but turn a little pink.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Thank you," she mumbled, embarrassed.
Ruby smiled, her tail wagging, and signed, Good night.
"Good night."
Later that night, Weiss shivered herself awake. It was so cold. Her teeth were chattering, and her face felt frozen. She forced her eyes open a crack and realized the fire had gone out. She knew she should get out of her bedroll and try to start it up again, but she didn't want to. She knew that the moment she opened her bundle of blankets, she would lose what little heat remained. An even more violent shiver wracked her body just as the thought crossed her mind.
She closed her eyes, trying desperately to summon enough willpower to move. Instead, all she felt was the bone-aching cold. She was so cold that even her thoughts seemed sluggish.
She must have dozed off again for the next time she was conscious, she heard footsteps nearby, and Weiss felt, rather than saw, someone crouch next to her. They radiated pure heat. Yang.
Sure enough, the other woman's voice reached her ears. "Done being stubborn yet, Ice Queen?"
Weiss couldn't even answer; her jaw refused to do anything but chatter from the cold.
"You're lucky Ruby's sensitive enough to her surroundings that she woke up when the fire went out. Otherwise you really might have turned into an Weissicle." Weiss felt a pair of strong, blissfully warm, almost hot, arms wrap around her and lift her from her bedroll, blankets and all. "Ruby, can you grab her stuff and move it to the tent?"
It was far more difficult than it should have been, but Weiss forced her eyes open. Yang was cradling Weiss's frozen body against her own much warmer body. Yang glanced down into her face. "You're sleeping in the tent with us. No buts. I even promise not to say 'I told you so.'"
It took all of Weiss's remaining energy, but she forced out, "You just...said...it." She shivered again and instinctively moved closer to the giant brazier holding her.
Yang snorted softly. "Yeah, I did, didn't I? Oh well." Yang shifted her grip slightly, making Weiss lurch uncomfortably, but she didn't even care. She was just so relieved that the biting, bone-numbing cold was finally being pushed back thanks to Yang's Semblance. Her limbs still felt locked in place, but she was slowly starting to feel the blood flowing through her body again.
"Weiss," Yang said, catching her attention once more. "I let it go this time because you needed to learn, but next time just listen to me? Ruby and I have traveled a lot more than you, and we know what we're doing. Trust us. We're not going to lead you astray."
Shamefaced, Weiss could only look away and nod.
"Hey, none of that. You made a mistake, and that's fine. Everyone makes 'em. No need to brood over it. It's over and done with now. Just don't make the same mistake in the future and you'll be fine." Yang glanced up. "Looks like Ruby's done." She grinned down at Weiss. "Time to get cozy."
It was a little awkward getting Weiss into the tent. Her limbs still didn't want to move so Yang had to do most of the maneuvering, and Weiss had been right about the tent being small. Eventually though, Weiss found herself nestled between the two sisters, still wrapped up in her blankets and Ruby's cloaks.
A part of Weiss knew that if she hadn't been so cold, she would have been panicking at their close proximity, but right now all she cared about was feeling warm again. That was why she didn't say anything when Yang pressed herself up against Weiss's back and threw an arm over her middle and when Ruby scooted up against her front and snuggled into her cold shoulder. Yang's warmth felt ridiculously good, like the sun itself was right behind Weiss, embracing her and warming her right down to her bones. Ruby's warm wolf ears brushed up against the side of Weiss's face, and she had to fight the urge to lean forward to press her chilled cheek against them. As Ruby snuggled in, she wrapped her own arm around Weiss from the front and even tossed a leg over Weiss's for good measure. It took a little longer for Ruby's additional warmth to travel through Weiss's thick blanket cocoon but once it did, Weiss couldn't help but sigh with relief.
Time passed—Weiss didn't know how long—but when Weiss was finally feeling borderline normal again, she muttered, "This doesn't leave the tent." She couldn't believe she'd gotten herself into this sort of predicament. It was so embarrassing.
That earned her another snort from Yang. "Well, clearly you're feeling better," Yang said sleepily.
"Yes. Thank you. And I'm sorry." Weiss wriggled a bit, trying to get more comfortable. She wasn't accustomed to sleeping on her side. She always slept on her back.
Yang took her wriggling as a sign to move and took her arm back. She shifted away, giving Weiss more room. Weiss's back suddenly felt noticeably cooler, but she did her best to ignore it. Ruby pulled away as well, leaving Weiss feeling twice as cold, but then Ruby sat up to help Weiss rearrange her blankets, some of which had gotten uncomfortably folded beneath her.
"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss said softly. It occurred to her that if this had happened only a few weeks before, Weiss might have reacted badly, thinking Ruby was babying her. Now she knew the truth, though. This was just who Ruby was. It was the way she showed she cared without words. She paid attention to people's comfort and reacted accordingly to the best of her abilities. It was odd, to be sure, but it was so very Ruby.
A hand brushed up against Weiss's arm, an indication that Ruby had heard her, before she felt the girl move away. "Ruby?" Weiss looked up, trying to see where the girl was going, an impossible task inside the dark tent.
"Relax, Ice Queen. She's just moving back to my other side," Yang said. "She's a major cuddler and'll latch onto the closest heat source and not let go until morning. Uncle Qrow won't go anywhere within five feet of her anymore if she's sleeping or napping because that's a surefire way to get caught by the cuddle-monster, or as I like to call her, the Cuddlebug." Weiss heard a fond smile in her voice.
Yang's voice gentled. "We know you're not that comfortable with too much physical contact so it's better if I sleep in the middle as a buffer. Plus, I can radiate heat to both of you to keep you warmer."
"I...see." Oh, was that all? For a moment, Weiss had been worried that she'd done something wrong again that would cause Ruby to avoid her.
Something of her feelings must have showed up in her voice, because Yang said, "Unless...you'd like cuddles?"
Weiss was so caught off-guard by the odd question that she answered honestly without thinking. "I don't know. I've never even…"
"What we just did was cuddling," Yang pointed out. "Sure, it was for the sake of getting you warm again rather than just for comfort and companionship, but cuddling is still cuddling. Did you like it?"
Yes...she had...actually. Which was unexpected. And a little scary. Weiss had never needed or wanted that sort of...connection with anyone before so why…?
In the end, she never answered Yang. Instead, she lay there quietly, her thoughts still turning long after she heard both sisters' breathing change, telling her they'd both fallen asleep.
After that night, Weiss joined the sisters in their tent without question. It was too cold now to do otherwise.
As Yang had mentioned, the tent did a surprisingly good job trapping the heat Yang radiated while also keeping the cold night air out. The sisters' tent was apparently comprised of an oilcloth outer layer and an inner layer of woolen felt. The insulating felt layer was held in place by a series of buttons so that it could be easily removed in warmer weather. When Weiss woke up that first morning, she also noticed a linen-covered felt pad covering the ground cloth, providing further insulation as well as cushioning.
And to Weiss's surprise, she got used to sleeping beside Yang rather quickly. In fact, a very small part of her might even have argued that having Yang so close was actually comforting. Yang was a rock—a sturdy, reliable, mountain of stone that Weiss felt she could rely on, especially now that the woman had seemed to have adopted Weiss and even occasionally mothered her in the same way she mothered Ruby. Weiss still wasn't sure how she felt about that, but her heart always felt...full...when she thought about it.
It soon got to the point where Weiss barely even stirred when Yang woke to make breakfast a few days later. (They had tried turning breakfast into a shared chore like everything else, but Weiss was rarely able to wake up earlier than either of the two sisters. Eventually they just gave up, and Weiss became the official dish washer while Ruby and Yang took turns waking up early to cook.)
That particular morning, Weiss was pleasantly surprised to find she was actually feeling cozy upon awakening, which was odd because she could have sworn Yang had left the tent, taking her radiating warmth with her. Then something velvety soft and wonderfully warm brushed up against Weiss's chin, and something else equally as warm cuddled snugly into her side and against her shoulder. Weiss's eyes snapped open just as the tent flap was pulled away. Weiss squinted against the sudden light with a sound of dismay. When she could finally see again, she saw Yang peering into the tent, the woman's expression morphing quickly from surprise to amusement. Yang motioned for Weiss to look down.
Weiss tried, but she had barely tilted her head when her cheek came into contact with a pair of warm lupine ears and the top of someone's head. The scent of roses filled her senses. Ruby…? The noble stiffened and tried to pull away, but she was still trapped in her blankets. Ruby just flicked her wolf ears discontentedly at the fact Weiss had moved and nestled in closer. The noble looked up at Yang in panic, but the woman just grinned.
Then Yang mouthed something. Weiss's brow furrowed in confusion. Yang rolled her eyes and mouthed it again, this time exaggerating the words, Let her sleep.
Let her sleep? Weiss frowned but nodded, and Yang ducked back out of the tent. The tent flap fluttered shut, leaving them shrouded in mostly darkness once more.
Weiss lay there for a time, her thoughts going every which way as she tried to get accustomed to the feel of having another body snuggling into her like Ruby was doing. She wondered briefly if this was how Winter had felt all those years ago when Weiss snuck into her bed without warning. As her thoughts turned, the noble remembered what Yang had called Ruby several nights before.
Cuddlebug. An apt nickname.
At last, Weiss blew out a breath and closed her eyes. This was all too strange, and it was far too early in the morning to be worrying about anything. Weiss was warm. She was cozy. And she had just been given permission to sleep in a little longer, so that was what she'd do. Everything else could wait until later.
However, a single thought remained with her as she drifted off to sleep once more. This was actually...rather...nice.
Weiss didn't know how long she dozed but at some point, she started to feel uncomfortably warm. Her once cozy blankets now felt hot and constricting, and all that extra heat was originating along her right side. Something was wrong.
For the second time that morning, Weiss bolted awake, though this time in worry rather than surprise. "Ruby? Ruby!" The girl was usually warm to the touch, but she'd never been this warm before.
The girl barely stirred at Weiss calling her name, causing Weiss's heart to clench with unease.
Weiss struggled from her blanket cocoon and managed to free her left arm. She reached out and stopped just short of touching Ruby's cheek. The girl was hot. Too hot. Weiss didn't even have to touch her to feel the amount of heat radiating off the girl.
"Yang!" Weiss cried out, her voice lurching up in alarm.
Pounding footsteps and the tent flap was torn open.
Weiss pushed herself up so that she could get a better look at Ruby's face, careful not to move too fast so that the girl's head didn't slip from her shoulder and hit the ground. Ruby's face was flushed red, and she was sweating.
Half a second later, Yang was kneeling on Ruby's other side. The older sister did what Weiss hadn't and cupped her little sister's face.
"What's wrong with her?" Weiss asked after the silence had stretched on far too long for her liking, though in hindsight it had probably been no longer than a few seconds.
Yang blinked as if she had forgotten Weiss was there. Then she blew out a breath. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. She's fine. This is normal."
Normal…? How could it be?
"But—"
"Really, Weiss. She's gonna be just fine." But Yang's expression wavered ever so slightly as she spoke, telling the noble that she was far more worried than she was willing to let on.
This is like that time at the ravine, Weiss realized. Weiss had been so frantic then, but Yang had seen her panic and became a pillar of strength and calm for her to latch onto. However, thinking back on it all, there was no way someone as protective as Yang would have been alright upon seeing someone she loved so much lying motionless on the ground like that.
Weiss closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. When she opened her eyes next, they were filled with a steely determination. This time she would do better.
"What can I do to help?" Weiss asked as she carefully shifted Ruby from her shoulder into Yang's waiting arms. As soon as she was free of her blankets, she stripped out of her sleep clothes and slipped into her travel clothes. When she had turned back, Yang looked surprised before her lilac eyes filled with a light Weiss couldn't quite name.
"It's just a fever," Yang said at last. "Ruby gets them once in a while. For now, I want to get her outside so I can examine her properly in the light, so if you could take Ruby's bedroll and lay it out near the fire? And then fetch the basin and fill it halfway with water. And Ruby keeps several small washcloths in her pack so if you could grab those, too? I'll be right out with Ruby in a moment."
Weiss cast one last look at the fever-ridden girl cradled in Yang's arms before she gave a brief nod and rushed to do as she was asked.
As soon as Weiss left, the gratitude Yang felt towards the noble for immediately offering to help, so that Yang could concentrate on Ruby right now, dimmed in the face of other rising emotions. Yang had to close her eyes for a few seconds to get her bearings as she fought off a mixture of frustration and worry before turning her attention to her little sister.
"Ruby...Ruby, I need you to wake up for me, alright?"
Yang had to repeat herself a few times as she stroked Ruby's cheek before she finally began to stir. Ruby's eyes blinked open blearily.
"There you are...Hey Sis," Yang said, keeping her voice soft and soothing. "You're a little warm today."
Ruby's tail thumped weakly in acknowledgement, but otherwise she made no attempt to move. Her eyes drifted shut again after a moment, and she pressed her cheek more firmly into Yang's palm. Yang brushed her thumb along Ruby's cheekbone, knowing that touch comforted her more than anything else when she was feeling out of sorts like this.
Yang gave her a few quiet minutes, but she didn't want Ruby to fall back asleep until she had eaten something and taken her medicine. "Alright, Ruby, time to get up. Can you stand?"
Ruby drew in a slow, weary breath and nodded her head. Yang set out her boots and helped her put them on. She didn't bother helping Ruby get dressed. Ruby would be in no condition to travel for at least a day, possibly longer, so Yang might as well let her be as comfortable as possible. However, she did grab Ruby's red cloak and drape it around her small shoulders. Ruby might have to take it off later if her fever went up, but Yang knew she would still want it nearby.
Yang made her way out of of the tent first (crawling because of the low ceiling) and turned back just in case Ruby needed help getting to her feet. She didn't, but her movements were uncharacteristically lethargic, making Yang's heart grow heavy with worry.
Weiss turned to face them and started to come over the moment they made an appearance. It looked like she might have been pacing while she was waiting. Yang had to fight the urge to step in the way to protect her baby sister, mostly because an agitated and uneasy Weiss was also often an aggressive Weiss, and the noble's aggressive body language was setting off all of Yang's protective instincts.
Cool it, Yang. Weiss isn't going to hurt Ruby. You know that.
And she did. These past few weeks of getting to know Weiss during their combat training or evening chats as well as watching the noble interact with Ruby the rest of the time had done a lot in helping Yang move towards trusting Weiss with Ruby, the most important thing in her life, but Yang still had a lot to work through. She just wasn't used to trusting or relying on other people when it came to Ruby, and she figured she was doing as well as could be expected considering she had a lifetime's worth of protective instincts to wrestle into submission.
Both Yang and Weiss hovered as the youngest of them walked somewhat unsteadily over to where Weiss had laid out Ruby's bedroll. Ruby was just as slow to sit down as she had been to stand, and when she finally had her bottom planted in the middle of her bedroll, she drew her cloak more snugly around her shoulders and closed her eyes.
Yang knelt by her little sister. "You can sleep all you want later, but right now I need you to stay awake, alright Sis?"
Ruby nodded and opened her eyes tiredly, those silver orbs uncharacteristically dim and cloudy.
"Good girl," Yang said, smiling softly. "So how are you feeling, on a scale from one to five?"
One of Ruby's hands wormed its way out from under her cloak. She held up two fingers and then abruptly slashed them downwards as if cutting something in half.
Acutely aware that Weiss was watching in silent worry on the sidelines, Yang interpreted for her, "Two and a half. That's not too bad then."
Yang started going down the usual list of questions. "Are you hungry?" Head-shake. "Thirsty?" A small nod. Yang immediately fetched her a cup of water (not tea because Yang was worried it might react badly with her medicine later) and watched Ruby drink it all before continuing her questions. "Are you cold?" Another nod. "Are you just cold or do you feel chills?" Ruby held up one finger with a nod and then held up two fingers with a head-shake, indicating 'yes' to the first option and 'no' to the second. "Do you have any aches or pains?" A head-shake. "Do you feel sick at all?" Another head-shake.
"Alright." Yang reached out and combed her fingers through the tresses at Ruby's temple before dropping her hand to cup Ruby's face again. Ruby leaned into her touch instantly. Yang's heart near-about broke at seeing how miserable her baby sister was feeling. She'd never get used to seeing her like this no matter how often it happened. "Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna go get your medicine ready. And you know what Uncle Qrow said. The man at the apothecary told him that if you drink the medicine on an empty stomach, it might make your tummy hurt, so you need to eat something first."
Yang took a deep breath, looked up, and held Weiss's eyes for a moment.
Trust, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Somehow it always sounded like Uncle Qrow when he was lecturing her about something or other.
I'm trying, she answered it with a touch of annoyance.
"Weiss is going to stay with you to make sure you don't fall asleep." Weiss's gaze sharpened, and the noble nodded in confirmation. Slightly reassured, Yang turned her full attention back to Ruby. "Try to eat as much as you can, alright? But no matter what, make sure you eat at least half a bowl's worth of food. And if you need help with anything at all, Weiss will be there to help you." Yang gave the side of Ruby's face one last stroke before pulling away.
As Yang walked off, she heard Weiss's high but soft tones speaking to Ruby. Yang chanced a glance back only to see Ruby slowly putting a spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Yang breathed a little easier when she saw Weiss helping Ruby steady the bowl in her lap—when she saw how gently the noble was treating her little sister.
Yang grabbed her knapsack and pulled out the small sack that held Ruby's medicine. Uncle Qrow had traveled all over the place for months, bringing back different concoctions for Ruby to try whenever her fevers started up. Some of them didn't work at all while others only had a slight fever-reducing effect. A few others even made Ruby feel worse, making her feel nauseated and unable to keep anything down. This particular medicine was the only blend that seemed to work consistently and kept Ruby's fever down to a manageable level without any unpleasant side-effects. It wasn't a cure, and they still had no clue what was causing the fevers in the first place, but it was still better than nothing.
Yang emptied their little teapot, rinsed it out, and put a scoop of the medicinal herbs into the strainer. Not wanting to waste time rinsing out their breakfast pot just to get some hot water, she filled one of their earthenware travel mugs with water and heated it with her Semblance. When the water in the mug started to bubble, she poured it into the teapot and repeated the process until the herbs were fully submerged in hot water. Now all she had to do was let it steep for a while.
Weiss quickly ladled out half a bowl of the dried apple-studded porridge sitting near the fire and brought it back to Ruby who looked like she was seconds away from falling asleep.
"Ruby," Weiss called out as she sat down next to the feverish girl. She handed the bowl to Ruby, only for her hand to shoot out again when it nearly slipped from the girl's grasp.
A look of consternation crossed Ruby's face. Her lupine ears drooped as she signed weakly, I'm sorry.
"It's fine," Weiss said as gently as she could. "Here, let me help." She kept a hand on the bowl this time as Ruby moved to balance it on her lap.
Weiss's mind swirled with questions but now didn't seem to be a good time to ask them. Instead, she turned her full attention to making sure that spoon continued making its way to Ruby's mouth. When Ruby finally scraped up the last bit and swallowed, Weiss took the bowl and spoon from her and set them aside.
"Well done," Weiss murmured, glad to see the girl still had enough energy to wag her tail, albeit very slowly. "Do you need anything to drink?"
Ruby made the hand-sign for water. The noble quickly fetched some and helped Ruby hold the mug steady as she drank. After Ruby was finished, Weiss took the mug, intending to put it aside, only for her grip on it to tighten in surprise instead. Ruby had dropped her head to lean against Weiss's shoulder. Slowly so as not to dislodge the girl leaning against her, Weiss shifted the mug to her opposite hand and placed it on the ground next to her.
"Ruby, are you awake?" The girl nodded against her shoulder but didn't pull away. Weiss gave a resigned sigh and reached for Ruby's hand, noting distantly that she only felt the slightest bit of hesitation at initiating physical contact now. "Alright. You may keep your eyes closed if you wish, but I want you to squeeze my hand every few moments so that I know you haven't fallen asleep." Weiss had only intended to lay Ruby's hand over her own, but apparently Ruby didn't like that for the girl promptly rearranged their hands so that their fingers were intertwined.
Weiss couldn't help but stare at their joined hands for a few seconds. Finally, she gave Ruby's feverish hand a little squeeze, which was soon returned. They sat there for seemingly a long time, exchanging those little hand squeezes every so often. If Ruby took too long to return a squeeze, Weiss gently called her name until she stirred enough to continue their agreement. Eventually though, Weiss's lips tightened when she realized she could feel just how hot the girl's head was against her shoulder. Ruby's temperature was so high that it had penetrated through all three layers of Weiss's winter clothing: a thinner undershirt, a woolen overshirt, and her grey coat.
A shadow passed over them, and Weiss looked up to see Yang lowering herself to a crouch.
"Yang? I think she's getting worse," Weiss said quietly.
Yang glanced down at Ruby and Weiss's intertwined fingers, causing Weiss to redden slightly, but Yang's expression only softened before growing serious again.
"Yeah. This is normal. Her fevers always get worse before they get better. Her medicinal tea is still cooling," —Yang pointed her thumb at the teapot which she had placed in the basin of river-cold water Weiss had fetched earlier to cool— "so we're going to have to use other methods to keep her temperature from going any higher."
Yang reached out to ruffle Ruby's hair. "Wakey-wakey, Sis. We need to cool you off a bit, alright?"
Ruby's wolf ears flattened, and she shrank slightly.
At Weiss's raised eyebrow, Yang explained, "She doesn't like it because it makes her feel even colder even though it's good for her." She turned her attention back to Ruby. "Come on, Ruby."
Ruby's tail coiled discontentedly before she finally opened her eyes. She straightened and slipped out of her cloak. Yang made Ruby take off her thick woolen sleep shirt as well and had her replace it with a thinner shirt to help her body cool off. Ruby started shivering instantly.
"I know it's cold, but it's only for a little while," Yang said soothingly.
Ruby gave her a displeased pout before nodding reluctantly. She flopped down on her bedroll and curled up on her side. She stayed like that for no more than a few seconds before she started inching upwards to where Weiss was sitting. Yang had a good chuckle at Weiss's expense when she saw the utter bewilderment on Weiss's face at Ruby's antics. Ruby only stopped moving when she could go no farther and the top of her head was pressing against Weiss's leg.
Weiss started to get up, thinking that she was in the way, but Ruby reached up to grab Weiss's wrist, stopping her from going anywhere.
"Sorry about that," Yang said, still smiling softly. "She gets touchy when she isn't feeling well. Touch is comforting for her, but she knows she's not allowed to cuddle with me until after she takes her medicine and we're sure her temperature is dropping again. I'd only make her fever worse." She reached down to comb Ruby's mussed locks with her fingers. (The girl's hair had gotten disheveled after changing her shirt.)
"She'll move if she's making you uncomfortable," Yang added, almost offhandedly.
Weiss thought for a long moment before finally shaking her head. "No. It's fine." And it was. True, she couldn't say she was entirely comfortable with this turn of events, but that didn't mean she was uncomfortable. And Ruby looked so miserable that Weiss didn't have the heart to withhold even the slightest bit of comfort.
Ruby's tail wagged weakly, and she pressed up against Weiss's leg even more firmly.
Yang grabbed the washcloths she had asked Weiss to fetch earlier, soaked them in the basin of water, picked one up, and wrung it out. She handed the cloth to Weiss, who took it questioningly. "A damp cloth to the forehead and wrists can help keep a fever down," Yang explained. "I'll get her wrists if you'll put that on her forehead."
Oh. Weiss vaguely recalled someone doing the same for her when she had been much younger. Winter? Her mother? Klein? She couldn't remember.
Weiss folded the dampened cloth neatly and laid it across Ruby's forehead as soon as the girl rolled over onto her back. Ruby was still shivering a little, but the cool cloth against her heated skin apparently felt good regardless, for she gave a soft sigh of relief and seemed to relax a little.
Yang wrapped two other washcloths around Ruby's wrists. Then she grabbed the last washcloth and used it to wipe the sweat from her little sister's face and neck. Yang and Weiss worked in companionable silence, re-wetting the cloths whenever they deemed it necessary as they waited for Ruby's medicinal tea to cool. When the tea had finally cooled, Ruby drank it down with a grimace. Then she closed her eyes, curled up around her red cloak, and seemingly went to sleep.
Weiss waited until she was absolutely positive that Ruby was truly sleeping before she finally asked Yang in a quiet voice, "Is Ruby sick?"
Had she been ill this entire time since they'd met and Weiss hadn't noticed at all?
"If she is, it's a sickness that no one has ever heard of, and other than suffering from the occasional high fever, she's perfectly healthy the rest of the time. She'll be down for a day or two, and then she'll pop right back up as if nothing happened," Yang answered in an equally quiet voice.
There was a pause before Yang said, "We'll be staying here until Ruby's fever breaks. If there's anything you want to do, wash some laundry or train or whatever, now's your chance."
Weiss glanced down hesitantly at the wolf Faunus who had pressed herself so resolutely against her leg.
"She'll stay asleep," Yang said, correctly guessing her hesitation. "The fever really drains her so once she's out, she's out."
At last, Weiss nodded and rose to fetch Myrtenaster from her side of the tent. Training seemed like a good way to pass the time. There was always something for her to work on and improve. Belatedly, she remembered she hadn't eaten breakfast yet. She'd been so worried about Ruby that she hadn't been hungry. She still wasn't hungry. Well, she could always find something to eat later if she needed it.
It was chance more than anything else that caused Weiss to call upon her defensive Aura while still at camp. Usually, she held off until she got to the training field simply because she didn't want to waste energy—not when her training partners were a pair of sisters whose Aura reservoirs were so ridiculously large.
Absentmindedly, she happened to send one last glance over to where Yang and Ruby were only to suddenly blurt out, "What's wrong with Ruby's Aura?"
Yang stared at Weiss uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean?"
Weiss drew closer, her brow furrowing as she stared at apparently nothing. "I mean Ruby's Aura looks strange."
But Ruby wasn't using her Aura...unless...
"You can see passive Auras?" There was no other explanation.
"If I'm channeling my Aura, yes. You can't?"
Yang just shook her head. It was times like these that she remembered how incomplete Weiss's knowledge of Auras and Semblances was. Granted, it wasn't her fault. She and Ruby had already been filled in about how Weiss's older sister had only be able to teach her the bare basics before leaving. "No, and neither can Ruby. As far as I know, being able to see passive Auras is a pretty uncommon skill. Even Uncle Qrow's only met a few people who could do it."
This was big. Huge even. Yang and Uncle Qrow had gone all over the place, talking to healers, herbalists, apothecary owners, and anyone else who had some amount of medical knowledge, but what if they had been barking up the wrong tree the entire time? What if Ruby's fevers weren't a physical ailment but one that originated from her Aura? This changed everything.
Yang chewed on the corner of her lip before she gave a resigned sigh and shook Ruby awake. Ruby curled up into an even tighter ball, and her ears flattened.
"Sorry, Ruby. I wouldn't do this if it weren't important. Can you call on your Aura for me, just for a few seconds?"
Ruby hugged her cloak tighter and without opening her eyes, summoned her Aura.
Yang saw instantly what Weiss meant when she said Ruby's Aura looked strange. Normally, it was a bright red, but right now it looked like there were darker crimson bands running through it, bands so dark that they looked almost black. And it was behaving erratically like a flame caught in a sudden gust of wind.
Ruby was only able to hold onto her Aura for a few seconds at most before she had to let it go.
"Ruby?" Yang touched Ruby's shoulder only to find her sweating and trembling. Her breathing was alarmingly ragged as well. Yang's heart dropped. "Did that hurt?"
Ruby took a quivering breath and nodded.
"Where?"
Ruby signed, Everywhere.
Yang's expression tightened. "How badly, on a scale from one to five?"
Ruby shook her head. Her hands moved, On a scale from one to ten, seven or eight.
Yang couldn't help it. She scooped her baby sister up and cradled her close. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that would hurt you."
Ruby pressed her hot forehead to Yang's cheek. Yang could still feel how badly Ruby was trembling, and it hurt. I'm alright. Don't worry, I'm alright, she signed.
Yang drew in her own shaky breath and looked up at Weiss. "Weiss, can you come here for a sec?"
Weiss did as she was asked and as soon as the noble drew close enough, Yang pounced. She reached up as high as she could with the arm that wasn't supporting Ruby, caught Weiss, and dragged her down into a tight hug, ignoring the startled squawk from the other woman.
"Yang, what—"
"Thank you," Yang choked out, her throat tight.
Weiss stopped struggling. "...For what?"
"For giving us an answer. We've been trying to find out the cause of Ruby's fevers for years, and we've gotten nowhere. This is the first breakthrough we've ever had. So thank you."
"You're…welcome, but...I didn't do anything."
Yang's grip tightened. She could picture the exact expression that was probably on Weiss's face right now. That confused, surprised, sometimes doubtful look that appeared whenever someone thanked her. It was like Weiss hadn't been thanked often enough in her life and now that she was, she just didn't know how to react. It was like no one had ever taken the time to let her know that they appreciated her, and that was just so, so sad. Between Yang and Ruby, Weiss was getting better at accepting thanks, but it was still a work in progress.
"You did, Weiss," Yang told her adamantly. "You might not think you did, but you really, really did." She finally let Weiss go so that she could look the noble straight in the eyes. "We finally have a clue, a place to start looking for answers, and we would have never thought to check Ruby's Aura when she's feverish like this. So thank you, so, so much."
Ruby squirmed in Yang's grasp and wrapped an arm around the back of Yang's neck, pulling her in close. Then Ruby made grabby hands at Weiss, earning her a raised eyebrow from the noble and surprising a laugh out of Yang.
"Alright Ruby," Yang chuckled, "you get one group hug, but then you're lying right back down. I shouldn't have woken you up to begin with. You're supposed to be resting." Yang looked over at Weiss. "Sorry, but she's just going to keep pouting until she gets her hug. Do you mind?"
The noble rolled her eyes, probably at Ruby's silly antics and Yang's quick capitulation to them, though her pink cheeks told Yang that she probably wasn't nearly as put out as she pretended to be. "I am well aware." She gave a resigned sigh that Yang was pretty sure was fake and scooted close enough for Ruby to drape an arm over the noble's shoulders and draw her in close, too.
Ruby hugged both of them, cuddling in as close as she could, until Yang could tell Ruby was starting to fall asleep again. Meeting Weiss's eyes in silent communication, the two of them worked together to ease Ruby out from between them and then laid her back down on her bedroll. Weiss set a new dampened washcloth on Ruby's forehead, while Yang did the same for Ruby's wrists. Sure, Ruby would probably knock them askew again since she liked sleeping on her side more than her back—most likely because the latter was uncomfortable for her tail for long periods of time—but it would still help her sleep more comfortably until then.
When Weiss finally wandered off to their makeshift training field like she had originally planned, Yang couldn't help but watch her go. It was so strange having someone other than Uncle Qrow helping her with Ruby when she was down like this, and unlike Uncle Qrow, Weiss would be sticking around for the unforeseeable future. A small part of Yang was still uncertain of this new person in her and Ruby's life, but a much larger part of her felt...relieved. That hug just now and how Weiss had immediately gotten a new washcloth for Ruby's forehead without being prompted told Yang that without a doubt, Weiss cared for Ruby.
Loving and taking care of Ruby would never ever become a burden, but sometimes when Yang's worries pressed in on her from all sides, things could get...heavy. But if Weiss cared for Ruby, too, then maybe Yang could relax a little. Even if Yang needed to close her eyes for a second or two just to breathe for a moment, maybe she could trust Weiss to be there to pick up the slack.
It was a scary thought, for what if Yang was wrong? What if Yang was placing her trust in the wrong person again and Ruby got hurt? And there was also that sense of guilt—the one that told Yang that relying on anyone meant she was slacking in her duties as an older sister.
Yang's eyes drifted down to where Ruby lay, already curled up on her side again. Yang picked up the fallen washcloths, all except for one, and tossed them back into the water basin before they left wet spots on Ruby's bedroll. She reached out a hand and brushed Ruby's hair back so that she could lay the remaining damp washcloth on her forehead again, albeit off-center.
Ruby. The one good thing in Yang's life and the one that had always brought her the most joy and happiness. Her one light when things sometimes got dark. Her beacon. Her lighthouse. Her home.
Ruby trusted Weiss, and Ruby always did the right thing no matter how much more difficult it made her life. If Yang couldn't bring herself to fully trust Weiss, then maybe she should just trust Ruby who trusted Weiss. If Ruby was seeing something good and worthwhile in Weiss, then maybe Yang should quit worrying about all this and just trust.
Trust that Weiss wouldn't hurt them. Trust that she wouldn't betray them. Trust that she would never walk out on them without a word. Trust that she was worth trusting—that she was worth them opening up their hearts for her and letting her into their lives—because she was already starting to become a part of their lives. And Yang didn't know how to stop it...didn't know if she should stop it...didn't know if she wanted to stop it.
Sometimes it felt like Yang had two younger sisters now, and it was confusing the heck out of her. She and Ruby had taken on hundreds of jobs and not once had they ever grown so attached to one of their employers. Then again, they'd never taken on a job that had lasted quite this long before either, and never had one of those employers ever taken such an interest in Ruby's well-being. That was the catalyst that made Yang start paying more attention to Weiss.
And for better or for worse, Yang found that she enjoyed working with Weiss and watching her grow into her Semblance. She liked seeing how silly Ruby could get when she was trying to coax a grudging smile out of the noble, who seemed to have been taught that smiling was bad or something to be avoided. Verbally sparring with Weiss was invigorating, and it was always fun to ruffle the noble's feathers because she always gave the best reactions. Yang was becoming just as fond of Weiss as Ruby was, and it...scared her. More than she'd ever admit aloud.
Yang let out a heavy sigh and ran her hand uneasily through her thick curls before giving herself a hard shake.
Alright, enough brooding. Time to make something light so that Ruby has something to eat with her medicine later.
She gave Ruby one more gentle, loving caress (more for her own sake than Ruby's this time), replaced the washcloth on Ruby's forehead with a fresh one, and went over to their food stores to see what she could throw together.
A/N: I won't lie. I'm having a LOT of trouble writing Yang, and I can't quite pinpoint why. I generally know where I want to go with her but for some reason I have a hard time organizing those thoughts and getting them down on paper. Can you tell?
On a side note: No, I don't think Yang is awesome enough to orchestrate the whole getting Weiss used to cuddles bit, but I'm sure she definitely would have taken advantage of the situation as soon as she realized Weiss wasn't necessarily opposed to them. Getting her Ruby-cuddles back is serious business. ;)
As always thank you for reading, and a double thank you to those who always leave me comments at the end. :) See you all again next chapter~