Chapter 4: The Reoccurring Dream.
"Hey Dad?" Taiyang turned around to see his young red haired daughter peeking around the door frame looking into the kitchen. "Hey sweetie what do you want?" Tai smiled at her as he put the last washed plate in the dish drain.
"I finished all over my dinner tonight." Tai chuckled "Yea you did good job I'm proud of you." Ruby looked up at her dad with sparkles in her eyes. "So does that mean i can have some cookies?" Tai went to go say something, but stopped right before he did and grinned.
"Oh, i'm so sorry honey i forgot to pick some up at the market last time I went we are clean out." "Whaaaat!" Ruby got tears in her eyes and looked up at her father with the cutest puppy dog face he had ever seen. Tai didn't stand a chance against the attack that laid before him and instantly broke under the look.
"Okay okay, calm down." he said as he reached for a jar on top of the fridge. "I was just pulling your leg a little." He put the jar on the table and sat down. "Take a seat." He pulled out a chair for her to sit in.
"Yay!" Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as she climbed up onto the chair. Ruby started to stuff her face with cookies at what seemed like almost light speed. "Whoa, slow down there cookie monster or you will choke."
"I'm fine." She said just before she started to choke on her favorite snack. "See i told you so." Ruby finished chocking and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "How could you betray me cookies I thought we had something speacial!" She held a cookie to her face as she yelled at it. Tai could only laugh at the performance before him.
Then things went silent for a while neither said anything. Ruby then spoke up, "Hey dad?" "Whats up sweetie?" Tai asked resting his head on one of his arms. "What happened to mom?" Tai instantly sat up and started to look around as if looking for the answer in the air.
He let out a sigh. "She just went on a mission and never came back." "Oh, then what kind of mission was it?" ruby continued to probe her dad for information. Tai just looked her in the eyes not really knowing what to say. "I dont know, all i do know is that it was a secret mission.
She couldn't tell anyone about it. All she told me is that she would be back in a few weeks and she never came back." Ruby looked down at her hands she was still holding the cookie that she had yelled at. "So what was mom like?" Tai just sat there looking at her.
"Your mom was very childish, but she was always happy. She had silver eyes, just like you do. She always wore this hooded shroud to try and hide her presence. "He smiled at the memory. "She was never very good with people, or I should say she just didn't like meeting new people.
Heck she liked her weapon more than she did anyone else for the most part. She loved her job and protecting people." "She was a huntress right?" Ruby interupted her dads monologue. He smiled at her. "Yea thats right, do you know what huntsman and huntress do right?" He asked his adorable daughter across from him. "Yep, they fight evil and protect the innocent right?" Tai chuckled at her quick response. "Yea thats right Ruby."
"Hey daddy?" Ruby looked up at her dad with tears forming in her eyes. "Whats up baby?" "You're not gonna leave me to are you?" Tai got out of his chair and walked around the table to Ruby. "What, no baby I'm not gonna leave you."
He picked Ruby up and gave her a big hug. "I'll always be here for you and so will Yang." "Your-" Tai bit his lip as if to keep himself from saying something. "Your always gonna have us Ruby." "I miss my mommy!" Ruby started to cry in Taiyangs arms.
"I know you do baby we all do." After several minutes of Ruby crying and Tai comforting her she fell asleep. Tai carried her out of the kitchen and to the living room and laid her on the couch.
"So when are you gonna tell her the truth?" Yang asked. Tai turned around to see her leaning on the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen. "When she is ready to know." Tai said quietly.
"She deserves to know the truth dad." "I know she does I know that, I just don't want her to go through any more pain." Yang looked at him her eyes hinting at rage. "Dad the longer this goes on the more it will hurt her when she finds out!"
"I know that!" Tai shouted "I'm just waiting for her to get older so she will understand better." "She can handle it dad shes twelve! I was only five when my mom left and it took a while but, I handled it fine after some time."
"Don't you think I know that! She isn't as good at dealing with these things as you are okay!" Tai was no longer trying to control his voice. "Thats what I'm here for though! I'm her older sister I can help her through it!" "You don't know that you can!" "Even if I can't I can try!"
Yang was now inches from his face the hint of rage in her eyes replaced with two boiling pools of hot lava. "Now listen here Ya-" Yang cut him off. "No you listen dad your not Rubys real father and she deserves to know it even if she can't handle it!"
"Thats enough Yang go to your room!" He yelled out to her pointing up the stairs where her room was. "Fine!" Yang through her hands up and started stomping up the stairs. Ruby lay on the couch not moving her eyes open and tears quietly flowing from them.
"Oh, hey Weiss you here checking up on Ruby?" Yang walked into the infirmary room that Ruby was in. Weiss was sitting in a chair next to Ruby's bed. "Yea just seeing how shes doing." Yang crossed her arms and leaned on the corner of the door frame.
"Awww, worried about my sister thats cute." She teased Weiss. "No I'm not." Weiss said glaring at Yang. Yang laughed "You don't have to worry snow princess she will be fine." "Will she be?" Weiss asked for reassurance.
"Yea you see this is something natural honestly. Ruby semblance allows her to turn into rose pedals, but when she uses it it drains her aura some." "Then why use it then?" Weiss asked her face showing she was more confused than her voice let on.
"Well its kinda like a double edged sword ya know. The number of times she can use it is up to the magnitude of which she uses her semblance." Weiss crossed her arms. "That means what exactly?"
Yang put up her arms and held her left hand up. "Lets put it like this my left hand is protection and my right is speed alright. She can turn either one of the strengths of these up or down however she wants, but the drawback being that it drains more of her aura the higher she makes the strengths."
Yang put her arms back down to her sides and walked up to Rubys bed. "Understand now? Based on what's she's needing to do and how she wants to do it depends on how much aura it takes from her."
Weiss looked down at Ruby's sleeping face. 'She looks so cute when she's sleeping' Weiss's face went slightly red as she stared at Ruby. "Yea i understand." Weiss said softly. "Alright well I'm gonna head out I'll catch you around Weiss." Yang winked at her as she left. 'What was that supposed to mean?' Weiss threw that thought aside and kept watching Ruby's sleeping face.
The more Weiss continued to stare at Ruby the more she thought to herself that it looked like it was in pain. "You dolt." She whispered as she grabbed Rubys hand. The moment Weiss's hand touched Ruby's she clutched it tightly.
"No, don't leave me." Ruby said as a single tear rolled down Ruby's face. Weiss leaned down to Ruby's ear. "I'm not going anywhere." She whispered in her ear. When the words reached her ears she lightly smiled, but not once did her grip loosen on Weiss's hand.
Weiss laid her head down on the bed next to Ruby and drifted off as the sandman crept up on her.
Soft rays of light hit Ruby's face as the sun rose. Ruby hesitantly opened her eyes with a long sigh. "Time to get up already? Ugh." She went to move her right hand but she encountered a large amount of resistance. She looked over to see Weiss gripping her hand and laying over it.
"Weiss?" Ruby looked at her dumbfounded. 'I wish I could stay like this a little longer.' Ruby took her free hand and moved some strands of hair out of Weiss's face to get a better view of it.
Ruby leaned closer to her face to examine it further. 'She is so beautiful, how is it even possible for someone to be this good looking?' She smiled and lightly gave her a kiss on her cheek. While she was giving her the kiss she noticed how well she smelled.
'Oh god can I get this in candle scent?' Ruby thought. She then slowly moved over to Weiss's ear and gave it a small kiss. Weiss shifted to make herself more comfortable. The sudden movement made Ruby shoot up away from Weiss. 'What am I thinking I need to stop now. What is wrong with me?'
Ruby tried to put her hood over her head, but her hands found nothing but the back of her pajamas. Ruby quickly looked around for her hood to only arrive at the conclusion that it wasn't in the room she was in. Ruby then did the next best thing she could think of.
She slowly slid back down on the bed and put the covers over her head. 'My mind is going crazy!' Ruby buried her head in the pillow and tried to sleep again. No matter how hard she tried to she could not stop smiling, nor could she remove her hand from Weiss's.
Ruby woke up a few hours later to only find that Weiss was gone. She frowned as she looked at her hand, missing the warmth that Weiss provided it. She stretched out her arms and threw her blanket off. She then moved herself to the edge of the bed and let her feet dangle off the side.
'Ah man, my legs are sore. Guess thats what i get for going overboard.' Ruby looked over to the door when she heard the door knob turn. The door slowly open to reveal Weiss who had a coffee cup in her hand. When Ruby saw Weiss she went to get off the bed.
"Stop." Weiss's voice rang through the room. 'Her voice is so commanding.' Ruby thought, however she did not move. She walked over to Ruby and put her cup down on the nightstand next to the bed.
Weiss then walked directly in front of Ruby and used a hand to move Ruby's bangs away from her forehead. She put her forehead against Ruby's and held it there for a minute. "You have a fever Ruby." Weiss's words were cold.
'Thats because your so close to me.' Ruby looked up at her "Weiss I don't-" "No." Weiss cut her off sternly. "Lay back down." "But." Ruby tried to argue only to be cut back off by Weiss. "No buts Ruby lay back down." Ruby let out a groan and laid back down. Weiss then proceeded to pull the covers back on her.
Weiss sat back down in her chair next to ruby and looked her in the eyes. "How are you feeling?" "Better now that-" Ruby stopped herself midsentence. 'Stop it stop it stop it stop it.' She told herself over and over again. "I feel fine." She said trying to hide her face from Weiss.
"Oh, and just so you know never do that again." Ruby sat up in her bed. "Do what?" She asked innocently. "Never use your semblance to save me again understand." Her stare was cold but as Ruby continued to look into those beautiful light blue eyes underneath all the cold and defenses. She could have sworn she saw sadness in them.
"Nope." Ruby said. "Excuse me?" Weiss said her eyes now piercing through Ruby like daggers. "Nope." She said again. "I'm not gonna do that." Weiss stood up. "And why is that!" Weiss's voice went a few octavos higher.
Ruby smiled up at her. "Because Weiss I'm your teammate now." Weiss leaned closer to Ruby and reached our her hand and flicked Ruby in the forehead. "You dolt I know about your semblance your sister told me about it, so you can stop playing dumb."
Ruby was rubbing her head where she got flicked. "I don't care Weiss." "Then how about this if you do it again and your put back in an infirmary. I will put you back in it understand?" Ruby coward down and looked back at Weiss with her puppy dog eyes. "Weiss." Weiss quickly turned around trying to avoid looking at her cute face any longer than she had to. 'I bet you she could make grim stop and reconsider being evil with a puppy dog face like that. She truly is dangerous.'
"I said no Ruby end of discussion." She walked out and she peered back in the door. "Make sure you get some rest." She closed the door behind her.