RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, of which I am not a part of.
Remember how I said before that we'd reach a point where you should start assuming that canon things that aren't being mentioned in this fic are now up to interpretation? Well, that was actually a few chapters back and I kept forgetting to mention it.
…sorry.
Three more chapters, folks.
Also, just a heads up, this chapter's going to get a bit bloody. And for those of you that have issues with descriptive panic attacks, you might wanna be wary as well. Don't want to spoil anything, whether you're expecting it or not, but I'd rather not get in trouble because I didn't give anyone a heads up.
Not gonna change the rating because the show doesn't go much harsher.
Volume 3, Chapter 11, 'Heroes and Monsters'
It must have been by the brothers' intervention that the Atlesian army had shut down; that, or the giant ship that had just fell out of the sky. Weiss couldn't be bothered to figure out which as she fell to her knees. The only thing that kept the rest of her body from following was the hand that shot to her shoulder.
The heiress's gaze came up to meet soft brown eyes looking back. Velvet wore a grateful smile as she wrapped her arms around her, murmuring words of gratitude.
Huh. So this is what it feels like to be useful.
Really, SHE was the one who should be thanking the rabbit Faunus. Never before had she followed through with such a powerful summoning than she had defending the brown-haired girl, the adrenaline brought out by her friend's peril more than enough to push through the searing pain that had always locked up her movements or forced her to give in. But now that rush was fading and her muscles screamed once more, begging for her to just lay down on the ground and sink into the rising abyss.
"WEISS!"
The sound of her teammate's voice broke her from her… slumber? How long had it been? It felt like moments…
Her brain fought off her body's protests. Slowly, she found her footing with the help of Velvet, who transferred her over to Yang's embrace as the larger girl hugged her.
"Weiss! I'm so glad I found you! Have you seen Ruby yet?"
"No…" The word left her lips with a much heavier droll than she'd been expecting. Attempting to rouse herself, she shook her head back and forth. "S-sorry. We didn't see her on our way here."
The blonde looked past her towards the other students, who were now gathering in a small circle and taking stock of injuries. Her brows furrowed. "Wait, where's Blake?"
THAT got the heiress's heart pumping again. She attempted to push away from the brawler's grasp, moving out an arm to point in the direction the brunette had gone, only to be squeezed back.
"Oh NO you don't." Yang's voice took on the 'Big Sister' tone she used on Ruby occasionally. Somehow, it frustrated Weiss in the same way her own older sibling sometimes ordered her around. "You look absolutely exhausted. Just tell me which way she went."
"She…" The snow-haired girl, evidently not having learned her lesson, tried to take a step back, only for her legs to buckle. She let out a squeak as Yang's arm shot to her waist, stabilizing her. Closing her eyes and exhaling an annoyed huff, she continued. "She went off towards the cafeteria building. A fire… explosion… she might still be rescuing civilians."
The blonde nodded. "Okay. Come here; let's settle you down so you can take a well-deserved rest."
"Yang."
"Come ON, Weiss! Now's not the time to be difficult! You're in no condition to fight and we HAVE to find her!" Her face quickly started to screw up, clearly not wanting to deal with the heiress's usual stubbornness at a time like this. "Just because you're crushing on her doesn't mean-"
"She's my girlfriend now, Yang."
The brawler's voice came to a halt. She looked down at her white-haired teammate sitting below her, searching her face for a second and closing her eyes. After a moment of silence, she sighed and opened them again. "Well, you guys sure picked a terrible time for that." There was a hint of humor in her voice as her lips curled upwards. "I'll be sure to give you guys an earful the next time you go and do something big like that while I'm, you know, having the worst day of my life."
Azure disappeared for a second. Weiss opened her mouth to say something but it came out as a frustrated whining noise.
"Look, you can tell me all about it when I bring her back. If I don't get the whole story out of her on the way back, that is." Yang chuckled.
Lilac moved up towards the other teams. "If you guys see Ruby, let her know I'll be back soon."
Sun gave a thumbs up as he flashed a small smile.
The brawler's gaze ghosted over the students again, her expression questioning before shrugging her shoulders; whoever she was looking for clearly wasn't of major concern at the moment. As she got up to take off running, however, a surprisingly strong grip caught her.
"Weiss, this isn't-!"
"YANG."
The recognizable Ice Queen-tone stopped Yang in her tracks. Glancing back down, she locked eyes with the fierce, icy glare; however, where she expected drowsiness, she saw only rage.
The two simply stared at each other for a second, red bleeding into the blonde's eyes before she moved a hand to rub her temple. "FINE." She gritted out. "But you better not slow me down."
That was all the encouragement Weiss needed. The ache of tired limbs was not enough to keep her from bolting after her teammate, the promise of reuniting with her lover safely in her arms being enough to push aside the darkness attempting to cloud her head.
To be fair, Blake had held her scream in for far longer than she'd expected.
Fingers tore at the floor, trying to find something solid to grab despite her mind knowing that such an object was nowhere within reach. Another pained shriek erupted from her throat as Adam's foot slammed down on her back again, her throat burning as it desperately sought out air that couldn't come quick enough.
"Did you really think I'd hold back simply because we've bonded over the years?" The words hurt (not as much as the kicking, obviously), but her mind cared little for them after everything she'd experienced under his wing. "No. A traitor to our cause deserves no mercy."
Another strike hit her shoulder and she winced as she felt her aura slipping away, biting down hard on her lip as she fought the urge to just wail; pointless, as it would only inspire Adam to hit hard enough to break bone. Tears filled the corners of her eyes but she refused to give him the satisfaction of releasing them.
"Y-you're… disgraceful…" This time, a choke followed the blow, little oxygen left to make anything louder. She flinched as she felt his breath howl down on her ear, her face contorting as he pulled her head up by her bow, tugging painfully on her ears.
"You clearly don't understand how long I've fought for our freedom. No amount of chivalrous claims will wipe away humanity's desecration of our people." An unhindered growl enveloped the statement. "For everything they've put me through- US through- I'll be sure to pay them back a thousand times; if you wish to bow to them, I will simply cut you down as well."
"That… woman… that human woman…" Her chest heaved, barely able to focus her mind on her words as it fought against an unrelenting surge of torturous agony. "You… you're following her… being her little puppet..."
She only just held back a sob as her torso was pulled upwards and his voice took on a vicious snarl. "ENOUGH! She showed me how strong she was the day you left! Our goals align so I will fight with her until she proves herself to no longer be an asset to the White Fang!"
"S-so… that just makes you… just makes you a coward, huh?"
The moment that rage broke out across his face was exactly what she had been waiting for.
As he drew his hand back, likely about to punch her into unconsciousness, she launched herself off the ground with a clone, heels clattering against the chandelier above them as she pushed off. The loud creak that followed was all the warning Adam got as the metal structure crashed down onto him.
At the sound of his aura breaking gave her strength as she shot forwards, her mind taking no time to consider the moral implications as she struck out her cleaver directly at his throat.
A clatter. A moment later, she was being held up by her throat. Then, with a scream of rage, he threw her body down onto the stone floor.
The yelp she let out was nowhere near enough to convey the excruciating pain that overcame her, her own aura dissipating at the impact. It felt like her bones shattered apart, yet the fact that it didn't fade was little comfort. All it told her was that nothing was fractured, somehow, but her vision went white for a second, giving her only enough time to panic before the foot came crashing down again, this time on her stomach.
She could only wriggle futilely under his weight as he screamed down now incomprehensible words at her. Her vision blurred. Ringing overtook her hearing before the words faded back in, ramblings that she had heard thousands of times in the past.
The pain stopped for a moment. Adam had looked up.
Her mind stranded itself, trying to understand why he'd suddenly stopped, only to pick out the distant cries just barely surpassing the howling of the inferno.
"BLAAAKE!"
Yang…
"BLAKE! ARE YOU THERE?!"
Weiss…
Then, slowly turned back down to the brunette, Adam's expression split into a disturbing smile.
No…
NO.
This time, she was not able to stop the tears from leaving her eyes. She didn't have any strength left to stop them. To stop HIM.
NO!
"Damn it!" Yang growled, swiveling her head as she checked the next hallway. "Where is she?!"
"You don't think we missed her? Maybe she already left; this place IS starting to come down." Weiss panted, holding onto the corner of the wall as she followed the blonde through the smoky labyrinth of rumble.
Her teammate looked back at her, arching an eyebrow. "You really think Blake would leave before she's evacuated everyone? I know we haven't seen anyone yet, but that means she's probably making round trips. We're bound to catch her soon; she'd double-check at least a dozen times, even with the fire."
The heiress looked down at her soot-covered skirt, tugging down on it.
That does seem like something she'd do, huh?
For only a second, her mind began to think for the worst.
W-what if… what if she's gotten hurt and-
"Weiss."
A hand came up and dried away a tear she hadn't even realize was falling. Looking up, her eyes saw red, black and white, the three bandanas wrapped around Yang's shoulder.
The brawler's voice came out soft and encouraging, her lips offering a small, comforting smile.
"It's alright. I'm worried about her too. She'll be alright, I promise."
Her eyes stung. Whether it was from the smoke or the tears, Weiss wasn't sure. She brought up her wrist and wiped her eyes, trying to hold down the sob in her throat.
She's right. There's no time for that. I'm here to help save her, not cry over what MIGHT have happened.
"Okay." She breathed.
She paused for a second.
"Okay." She repeated, this time more for herself than to confirm her last words. "Right. Which way should we go next?"
Relief shone through lavender eyes. "Well, if she's clearing out people, she's probably already gotten everyone out of the main hall, so I think we should check-"
A shriek pierced the air.
The blood in her veins ran cold.
T-that's-
In a single movement, both girls bolted back towards the room where the noise had come from.
She only just barely managed to stabilize herself against Yang at the sight she met.
A man, horns protruding from his skull and clearly affiliated with the White Fang by his tell-tale mask, stood with one foot on top of Blake. In his hand, he held an enormous red blade; blood dripped from the end onto the Faunus girl, a red pool already surrounding her. The glimpse of amber she saw showed terror.
No.
NO!
The pain she'd been holding back exploded through her. Myrtenaster's steel dug into her grip, or rather, her grip dug into ITS steel. At least, that's what it felt like. Her mind was spinning and a barrage of emotions overcame her all at once.
Shock. Disbelief. Horror.
…ANGER.
The blood rushing through her ears muffled whatever Yang yelled at the man, but even as she drew out her rapier in front of her, ready to eviscerate the monster standing before her, her hand came up to block the blaze that erupted from the blonde.
Before she knew it, Yang launched herself, a raging fireball, at their opponent. The one who had just stabbed her partner. Tears hung in the corners of her blood-red eyes and her arm was pulled back as though she was about to punch a hole through his chest.
The sound of metal shearing flesh filled the air.
Weiss could only look on as her friend crashed to the ground on the other side of the man. Her right arm, separated from her body, landed beside her, all three of the cloths wrapped around it shredded by the force of the slash.
Numbness overtook the heiress's body. Her mind tried its hardest to understand what just happened, but something blocked it.
Some…
Something…
…I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!
She wasn't sure how, but the next moment vanished from her memory. She felt her body strike at something, but when she came to, she found herself crossing her weapon with his. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but her lips were pulled back in a fierce snarl. A glyph stood between them, holding the countering strike back.
The only thing that could be read from her opponent's expression with the pleased smile that formed.
The rage that filled her overtook her senses. She could feel herself thrashing at him, Myrtenaster lunging forwards, sweeping in from the side and glancing off steel. She felt her fingers twisting, forming glyphs she didn't know the purpose of.
SUMMON.
SUMMON SOMETHING!
Then there was an impact.
Not by her, but of her own body against a surface.
For less than a second, everything went red. Then, the blurs started to form into shapes.
Her fingers wrapped themselves around something.
Feels… feels like strands…
Whatever the strands were, they seemed to be yellow.
Yellow…
YANG.
She jolted up at the wet feeling that her arm found. She brought it up to her face.
RED.
She was lying on top of Yang.
Her body was shaking, but she forced herself to look up at the footsteps approaching.
Red…
…Adam.
Her hand felt for Myrtenaster, though her mind knew full well that she didn't have the strength or focus to wield it with any skill.
Her vision faded to black again.
No… it wasn't a fade…
…Blake…
There was something, some sort of noise. Adam's mouth was moving, though the words didn't form correctly in her ears. Whatever he said, and whatever the rustling wind that followed was, she didn't even try to understand. She was too busy trying to help Blake hold Yang up as they quickly hauled their unconscious friend out of the building.
…
"And you're SURE you haven't seen them since?"
"What? Ruby, I know you're their leader but I'm serious; they've been gone since Yang took off with Weiss to look for Blake. She said she'd be back soon but I couldn't tell you when that'll be."
The anger in the cloaked leader's face faded as her head dropped. She balled her fists, trying to find some way to release her frustration. Sun didn't need to deal with her right now.
She HAD to find them.
She brought her head back up.
They're my TEAM, I can't just stand here and-
Her mind went blank.
As the monkey Faunus watched the younger girl tense up, he turned to follow her gaze, only to recoil in horror.
Approaching the docks were the remaining members of Team RWBY. All three were covered in dirt and blood, Blake, holding the blonde's right side, more so than the other two. Weiss looked like she was about to faint, struggling to hold up her friend's weight. But then, there was Yang. Armless from above the elbow and still losing blood.
Ruby's legs gave out. She wasn't sure how she recognized Coco and Nora as she fell back into their grasps, the older girls desperately trying to calm her down. She recognized Ren's voice as the boy barked out orders at his friends as he ran to grab a first aid kit from the medical tent set up at the docks. Neptune and Fox rolled out a blanket on the ground as Yatsuhashi, Velvet and Sun guided the three girls onto it.
Silver eyes squeezed shut as her vision filled with colors flying in every direction, Ren's shouting blending into a loud roaring noise as she felt herself quaking, though she wasn't sure if it was the ground that was shaking or her own body.
My goal is to wrap this up before August. I don't want to rush anything, as I feel that I'm already losing writing quality (possibly an accurate statement, possibly not) but I also don't want to lose the rest of the ideas that I've got for these last two chapters while they're still fresh in my mind.
