A/N: Enter the smoochies. And I managed to work in a fight scene! How cool am I?
also, sorry for getting a bit dark. I needed something really awful that would have made Ruby so upset. Sorry...
(This is a subtle hint that the author wishes to know how cool she is with follows, favorites, and reviews. C'mon guys, this is getting to be one of the most popular RWBY fics! It would be super awesome! Also, I love reviews the most. Just so you know.)
They got their food about an hour later, by which point both of them were absolutely starving.
"So." Weiss said, daintily raising a piece of pork with her chopsticks. "There's something I've been wondering."
"Gwa hud." Ruby said through a mouthful of rice. "Mmm, sorry. Go ahead."
"Why were you living out in the forest?" Weiss asked. "I've never heard that bit. Everyone talks about what you were doing up until then, of course, but past that... nobody knows. Yang obviously went on to become leader of the Hunters, and Blake followed her. The most I've heard is that it had something to do with that other team, CRDL?"
Ruby was quiet for a moment. Her head sunk down, and Weiss was immediately worried. She shouldn't have said anything...
"You really want to know?" She said softly.
"Not if you don't want to tell me." Weiss said quickly. "It was just curiosity."
Ruby shook her head. "No, you should know." She cleared her throat. "Here's what happened. Team JNPR and our team were investigating one of the ursa dens outside of Vale. Another team, CRDL, had disappeared there a few weeks ago, and we were to help them or find their bodies for burial..."
Flashback - two years ago
"Ruby!" Yang cried as a monstrous ursa swept its claws at her. Ruby danced back, severing the limb with a swing of Crescent Rose.
"I'm fine Yang! Go help Jaune and Phyrra!" She called back, firing directly into the creatures head before spinning to face another one. Yang took one final look and ran inside the cave, where part of team JNPR was in trouble.
Ruby backpedaled, narrowly dodging an ursa's swing. This was bad. Why were there so many of them? At least twenty were trying to push them away from the cave.
That was when she heard screaming from inside.
"Blake, Ren, Nora, cover for me!" Ruby yelled to the others. She rolled through the ursa's legs, breaking into a sprint for the mouth of the cave. Hurtling in, she could see Phyrra on the ground, trying to protect a badly clawed arm. Another giant ursa was battering away at her shield while Jaune and Yang were frantically trying to get to her, but several other of the massive Grimm were blocking their path.
Ruby aimed carefully with Crescent Rose and fired, taking the creature in the eye. It slumped to the ground next to Phyrra, and Ruby raced up to the girl.
"It's bad but I'll live for now." Phyrra gasped weakly as Ruby looked her over.
"Jaune!" Ruby snapped. "Get her out of here, now!" This was bad. Pyrrha needed medical help soon. If they couldn't end this quickly...
The other team leader ran up, having dispatched the other ursa. He looked pale and shaky, though not from any injuries of his own. "Right. Right." He picked Phyrra up gently. "Let's get you somewhere safe."
Yang came over as well. "Ruby, the others outside need our help. Find CRDL as fast as you can. We can hold em off for a bit while you do. Just don't screw around, okay?"
Ruby nodded and watched Yang leave the cave. Then she turned, and looked down the sole tunnel leading onwards. "This is a brilliant plan." She muttered, and walked in.
It was narrow, and cramped. In fact, it was too small for a fully grown ursa to make it through. But Ruby could see a larger cave up ahead. She stepped in, and looked around.
Inside was a small ursa den, filled with soft brown earth. On top of it were bodies. At least a dozen tiny baby ursa, still young enough to fit in and out of the narrow tunnel, lay dead on the ground, brutally killed. And on the far end was team CDRL.
Or what was left of them.
A thin, emaciated Cardin Winchester sat slumped among the bodies of his companions. Who had been...
Eaten. Down to the bone.
He chuckled quietly as Ruby came in.
"Hey, little red." He smirked, coughing a little. "Finally came to get us out?" He gestured to the remains of his team. "You're a bit too late for them."
"Cardin..." Ruby gasped. "What did you..."
"I lived." He replied coldly. "That's all that matters."
"Y-you..."
"Well I certainly couldn't eat the Grimm! They're deadly poisonous to anything with an Aura!" He grinned crazily, baring bloodstained teeth. "So I just... did the smart thing. All of us dying would have just been a waste." He giggled crazily.
Ruby stared at him, a cold fury and a sick horror and a crippling pain all twisting in her gut. Then she raised Crescent Rose. "That's horrible. How could you..."
"What!" He snapped. "What! Save myself? I made a hard choice! But you would have done the same thing if you were me, starving in a filthy hole with no help coming!"
Ruby's eyes narrowed even as her stomach started to heave. "And the ursa cubs?"
He laughed. "What, they're Grimm. Besides, we got stuck in here with them. So we did our job." He stared at Ruby, an insane fury in his eyes. "You wouldn't have done the same thing? I killed Grimm! I survived! It's what Hunters do! We kill to survive! Isn't that what we're supposed to do?" He shook with fury, but was too weak to stand. "Answer me dammit!"
Ruby was silent.
Crescent Rose, however, was not, and the cave echoed with a harsh metallic crack. Ruby didn't even look at the body, she just walked out of the cave.
"Ruby!" Yang called when she got outside. The ursa were dead, slaughtered. Nobody but Pyrrha had any major injuries.
Ruby didn't answer, she just kept walking for Vale.
"Ruby?" Yang said again. "Hey, little sis, what's wrong?"
A flurry of rose petals was the last thing any of them saw as Ruby sprinted off through the trees at an incredible speed.
Present day
Weiss had a hand covering her mouth, trying to hide the expression of horror on her face
"Ruby I..."
"That isn't the end." Ruby said quietly. "There was more. I got to Vale, broke into professor Ozpin's house, the headmaster of Beacon. He was the one who got us the mission, requesting it for us from the chief of the Hunters. All three of the teams had been his students after all, two years before. Somehow, I blamed him for it. At the time, it was just... how I was thinking. Do you know what he said?"
Weiss shook her head mutely.
"He told me that it sounded horrible. That he couldn't imagine what I had gone through." Ruby sat silently, staring at her half finished plate. "And then he told me Cardin was right."
"What!" Weiss practically choked. "How could he say something like that?"
"It wasn't exactly the same." Ruby said. "He told me that this world was a harsh, cruel place, and that sometimes we must kill or be killed. That to live in peace, the Hunters have to be around to kill the Grimm. And to kill people like Cardin." Ruby shrugged, trembling. "So I left. I... couldn't stand that view of the world. I only ever told Yang where I had gone, though that was six months after I disappeared. Two years alone."
Then Ruby started to cry.
"Hey now." Weiss said, crossing over as the other diners turned to stare. She shot them a glance that perfectly demonstrated the phrase 'if looks could kill.' "Shh. Let's get you out of here." Outwardly, Weiss seemed calm and collected. Inside, she was panicking. She didn't know what to do with someone who was so upset, so utterly thoroughly miserable as Ruby. Leaving a massive wad of Lien on the table, Weiss hurried the other girl out to the car. It had started to rain again, and lightning crackled as they drove three blocks to Weiss's manor.
Ruby leaned heavily into Weiss, still sobbing as they went inside. Weiss took the other girl to the sitting room and sat her down on one of the comfortable couches.
"Do you want anything?" She asked, sitting down beside her. "Tea? Hot chocolate?"
"N-no... it's fine." Ruby said quietly. Unexpectedly, she leaned into Weiss, putting her head on the other girls lap.
Weiss froze.
She sat very, very still while Ruby shook, silently crying into Weiss's skirt. Awkwardly, she patted her head. "There there." Weiss mumbled. "There there." What could she do? Tell her to move?
Ruby sniffled. "Thanks Weiss." She mumbled, sounding a good deal calmer. "You've been great." Then, so quietly Weiss almost didn't hear, she said "Maybe Yang was right..."
"What was that?" Weiss asked.
"First, I need a drink." The other girl declared.
"Like, wine or..." Weiss said hesitantly. She wasn't really sure Ruby should be drinking in her current state of mind.
"Like milk silly. Alcohol would be a terrible idea. I'm just thirsty, geez." She smiled at Weiss, sat up, and pushed the other girl in the general direction of the kitchen. A minute later, Weiss came back with milk.
She passed it to Ruby, who took a deep gulp. "Thanks. Okay, just to answer your question, why don't you read the letter? That'll tell you better than I could, since I would get all awkward and look like a complete idiot."
"But it's your mail! I couldn't do that!" Weiss protested, years of ingrained manners and etiquette responding immediately.
"Ah come on. I said you could. Here." She passed Weiss the sheet of paper.
"You kept it on you this whole time?" Weiss asked, slightly amused.
"Heh. I'm kinda a dork. Besides, it's from Yang! I couldn't just throw it away!" Ruby giggled.
Weiss unfolded the paper and scanned it.
Hey sis, it's Yang. So, good news! I found someone to, you know, break you outta your shell! She's really sweet, just listen to what she has to say, alright? I know you never really got over what happened, but, well, maybe it's time to try moving on? When you were super emo you said something about the world not being the one you wanted to live in, but c'mon sis! Don't give up! You're better than that! So yeah, I'm playing matchmaker a bit, and it is kind of work stuff, but you know me, I'm not gonna leave you alone. So, give it a shot.
You two really would make a great couple.
Hugs, kisses, all that good stuff, Yang
Weiss stared at the last bit. "Wait."
Ruby burst into laughter, which would have been a huge relief if it wasn't directed at Weiss. "She would always do this." Ruby said when she calmed down. "Like, it was so funny and actually kind of sad. I've never been the most... outgoing. So Yang thought that meant she had to always be looking out for me, as usual." Ruby clapped her hands and stood up. "Well, here goes." Ruby stood up in front of Weiss.
She was frozen as the other girl leaned in close, her hot breath tickling Weiss's face.
Then, for the second time that day, Ruby kissed her.
Weiss was in shock. It almost seemed like someone else who was reaching their arms around Ruby's waist, who was parting their lips, who couldn't hear anything but the pounding of their own heart. Was this what she wanted? Was this the right time? Was Ruby even serious about this, or would she just giggle and blow it off? Yet suddenly, Weiss found she just didn't care.
Ruby mewled a little as she crawled into Weiss's lap, tangling her hands in the other girl's long white ponytail. For a moment she broke away, only to fasten her teeth on Weiss's neck. Weiss made a soft, high noise as Ruby gently nibbled and sucked, running her hands down Ruby's back.
The two girls slipped sideways on the couch, tangling together. Weiss suckled one of Ruby's fingers, rasping her teeth up and down it. Ruby giggled and took Weiss's earlobe in her teeth, tugging on it that was a mix of painful and pleasant. Weiss moaned, let go of the finger with a soft popping noise, and put a hand on Ruby's chest.
"Wait." She panted involuntarily. "Just... hold up a minute." She paused, trying to look for words other than 'again' or 'more.' "Does this mean we're... um..."
Ruby arched an eyebrow and gave her a grin. "Yup!"
"O-okay the - mmm...!" Ruby seemed to have quickly gotten bored of talking, and her lips were back against Weiss's, tongue softly pressing into the little space. Weiss opened wider and their tongues danced together as she cupped Ruby's face in her hands. Then Weiss pushed her away again.
"Okay, that's enough."
Ruby made an absolutely precious pouty face. "But Weiss!" She protested.
"No, I want some time to think it over." Weiss said with a conviction she wasn't sure she could actually keep if Ruby did anything else...
But the other girl disentangled herself, stretched, and yawned. "That's fine. Well, I'm going to go to sleep. I dunno about you, but today really wore me out."
"I suppose... that... sounds like a good idea." Weiss muttered.
"Still want me on the top bunk?" Ruby asked, smiling like a pervert as they headed for Weiss's room.
"I want a restraining order." Weiss grumbled.
"Awww, you don't mean that!" Ruby said, turning adorable puppy dog eyes on Weiss as the other girl opened the door.
"Fine! Sleep wherever you want!" Weiss said, throwing up her hands. Then she headed for the bathroom to change.
"You know, I need a shower." Ruby said as Weiss came out in her baby blue sleeping gown.
"Go right ahead." Weiss replied. Ruby took her place in the bathroom, and Weiss sat down on her bed, staring at the door. In the short time that she had known Ruby, they had progressed from friends to something... more. How had it even happened?
Weiss lay down, covering her head with the pillow. A few minutes later Ruby came out, and slipped into bed next to Weiss. She was wearing a spare sleeping gown of Weiss's.
"You didn't dry your hair." Weiss murmured quietly.
"I did too!" Ruby protested.
"Well, not well enough." Weiss retorted.
"Says you." Ruby grumbled.
"Well, it's my bed. Go do a better job." Weiss commanded. At first, she thought Ruby was moving to go back to the bathroom. Then she felt a cold, wet head press into her cheek.
"Ack! Ruby!"
"You didn't say use a towel!" Ruby caroled, rubbing her wet hair on Weiss.
"Well now I am!" Weiss said angrily.
"Nope! You still didn't!" Ruby stopped for a minute, and poked the top of her head. "And it's pretty dry now anyway."
Weiss sighed. "Fine. But now, my face is wet."
"Oh, be quiet and go to sleep. Don't be so cranky."
Weiss sighed again, but surprisingly, she didn't think it was a half bad idea. On impulse, she reached her arms around to cradle Ruby, pulling her in closer. "Good night Ruby."
"Good night Weiss." She replied.
"I love you."
A/N: Yes, I didn't specify who said the last line on porpoise. Form your own opinion.
Also, a brief message to each and every person who has followed, favorited, or reviewed. I would like to tell each and every one of you that this has been, in a word, awesome. I love my writing because I know other people do too.