Disclaimer: I know none of you read these. Still, a force of habit. I don't own RWBY.
Road to the End, Volume 3
By: athrunzala
02: Precautions
"Jaune! No!" Ruby held out her hand, prevented in moving forward by her sister's arms. She had been trying to stop him since he heard about Cinder on accident. But it was hopeless. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop him.
So she had sent Ren and Nora after him, hoping that he would maybe stand a chance if he wasn't alone. But there was nothing that could be done about the rest of it. Jaune wasn't going to stop, no matter what he was told.
Now, she was sitting in the foyer of the mansion, pondering the decision at hand. She could tell her team to mobilize to retrieve their three companions, or she could let fate take its course.
"It's not your decision, Ms. Rose."
The teen jumped at the sudden voice. Whipping around, she found herself face to face with her former instructor.
"Gyah! Professorwheredidyourcomefrom!?"
"Relax. Please. I was just exiting the showers when he shot past me, muttering something about how he 'was going to kill her' and 'nobody will stop him this time'. Do you have any idea what that is about?"
Ruby rubbed the back of her head, a slightly embarrassed, yet worried, look on her face.
"He may have heard me talking to Weiss about how Cinder was seen in the area around here."
"I see," the older hunter said, putting a hand on his chin as he sat down, his elbow resting on his other arm, which was wrapped around his midsection. "And you think that leading your team on an assistance mission will help him?"
He shifted in his seat, changing his arm location as he did so. He was waiting for an answer, and he was prepared to give advice, having never really gotten out of the habit of mentoring a student, past or present, if they asked for the help.
"Well, I mean, we could... I mean... I could... I don't know. I wish Uncle Qrow was here. He's way better than me at this whole decision thing."
"Ruby, let me put it in perspective for you: He feels that revenge is the only way that he'll be healed. Nothing, not you, not your sister, and no, not even his friends, will be able to convince him otherwise. You could potentially assist him, but you would be risking the lives of your team and his in the process. Hang back here, I think I know someone who is in the area that can help."
"But..."
"Ms. Rose, no buts."
"But, profess..."
"I said, 'no', Ruby Rose. I can have any airship your team attempts to board grounded until you abandon your plan. That is a promise."
"If you say so. I still think that..."
"Listen to me on this: If you care about him, let him go. He needs to do this on his own."
Dante's last statement was tainted with an air of resentment, the young leader catching on that he had made a similar mistake in the past, and was not wanting to see it repeated.
"Alright. I... I'm gonna go talk to Weiss for a bit."
Ruby walked off, her shoulders hanging in defeat, her expression one of concern and confusion.
As soon as she had left, Yang stepped out from where she had been listening to their conversation.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me for that. I don't want to see the past repeated."
"Professor, the past IS repeating. We are seeing the bonds between kingdoms pushed to the breaking point. The last time that happened, we had a massive war."
"I know that. Why do you think I don't want her to rush off like she wants?"
"To... protect her?"
"No. It's because Qrow made me promise I wouldn't let her do anything stupid before the assault. He wants her getting there in one piece, no offense."
The blonde woman absent mindedly waved her prosthetic hand in the air. "None taken."
Elsewhere in the compound, Weiss was sitting outside, the cooler air reminding her that winter was on its way. She, of all people, understood the importance of launching an attack soon, but she didn't think it was a good idea to start from Atlas in the winter, as they would be fighting against the elements then. She was interrupted by her companion, a slim rabbit Faunus.
"So, this is what it's like in Atlas?"
"Almost all year, yeah."
"I think I like it better in Menagerie." The Faunus' eyes reflected the sunlight in such a way as to make them glisten as she mentioned her home.
"I wouldn't know. Vale is the furthest south I've been."
"Oh... Say... Weiss?"
"Hmm?"
"About Ruby's sister..."
"What about her?"
"I'm worried about her arm. I mean, sure, Ruby designed it to be near indestructible, but I don't like the thought of her going into a fight so soon."
"Me too, Velvet. Me too."
The heiress then turned the conversation to focus on the chestnut haired woman next to her.
"So are you and Yatsuhashi...?"
"Together? Oh no."
"Oh. I would have thought that you guys were... you know."
Velvet shook her head slightly.
"Yeah. Yatsuhashi's not big on the whole relationships thing. At least, not right now."
"He'd take care of you, I know it."
"He does that now, so I guess he doesn't see being a couple as being anything different from how we already are."
"I guess you're right," the heiress sighed.
In her head, she pictured her friends being together, and it made her both happy and sad. She wanted them to be happy, but then she realized that she would probably never have that chance at happiness as long as she was the next in line to inherit the company. She was coming to the fast realization that she was falling for her partner, impractical as that was in terms of inheriting a company and keeping a legacy going.
She shook her head to get her father's words out of her thoughts. He wasn't going to ruin anything for her. Not now. Not when she and her team were so close to being able to achieve their goal of taking back Vale. Not when she could be this close to Ruby. Not when...
"Weiss?"
She was shaken out of her thoughts by a pair of arms in black sleeves wrapping around her shoulders.
"Ruby!"
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No," the white haired princess said, her tone changing, "you just took me by surprise is all."
Velvet stood to leave as Yatsuhashi's impressive silhouette appeared in the distance.
"Can't you stay a little longer?"
"No, we have a room already booked in town. Besides, Coco and Fox are supposed to be meeting us at our hotel."
Weiss smiled up at her, the expression warming the heiress as she knew it was an honest one, not like that ones she would give at corporate functions, or to people she wanted nothing to do with. This was the kind that only her sister, her partner, and a select few others got to see.
She stood, forcing Ruby to adjust where her hands were to accommodate the change in height that had taken place between them. The once shorter leader had been going through a growth spurt, so she was taller than her partner at this point, with Weiss only a couple inches shorter when she wasn't in her trademark heels.
They both looked over at Velvet and said their goodbyes. Once she was out of earshot, Weiss turned to Ruby.
"What is it?"
"Oh," the younger teen said, rubbing her head, "I just wanted to see you is all."
"Ruby, you're lying."
"What!? How can you tell? Did Yang teach you how to tell?"
Weiss chuckled a little. "No. Your voice drifts up in pitch and you rub your head when you're lying. What's wrong?"
"It... it's about Jaune."
Weiss felt her heart sink a little. She immediately began bracing for the worst news she could hear.
"What... about him?"
"I... I'm just worried that he's gonna get seriously hurt."
"I see." The heiress turned her head away and towards the ground. This was it. She was going to lose Ruby to the scraggly blonde she had turned down. "I've been in the way this whole time."
"Weiss?"
"It... It's fine Ruby," she managed to choke out. She could feel the tears coming to the surface and was fighting to keep them held back. It was a fight the heiress could tell she was rapidly losing.
"I... I'll let you be with him, then. That's all."
"Weiss," Ruby reached out and put her hands on Weiss' shoulders. "What is going on?"
"I asked you about him last year, remember? And you... you said nothing was going on between you!"
"And I meant it. Weiss," the younger of the two said, reaching out to lift her partner's chin up and swivel her head around to make eye contact, "I meant it then, and I mean it now: I am not with Jaune. I want to be with you. I really do. If this mission coming up is too much stress, then maybe we should put "us" on hold and just be partners and friends until after."
"But if you..."
"If I die? Then that is life. Weiss, I don't want to hurt you."
She then pulled her partner into a kiss like none she had ever given. And it was like none Weiss had ever received. It sent chills down the Heiress' spine, causing the fine hairs on her arms to stand on end. As they separated, she was left wanting more.
"Weiss, does that show you how I feel?"