How did it feel?
Wasn't it Amazing?
The ripping
The shrieking
The feel of Victory
Invigorating...
...
...If only they'd been real...
...We need something real...
...
Ruby awoke slowly, her eyes were unwilling to open. Her head was pounding, as if someone was hitting it repeatedly with a sledge hammer.
For a few minutes, Ruby just laid still, waiting for the awful pain to subside. As she did so, she became aware of two things. One, there was a repetitive beeping sound, sharp and loud. Each time she heard it, she couldn't help but wince. Two, she was not alone in the room. She could hear labored breathing coming a few feet away.
After gathering up what little strength she had, Ruby opened her eyes. Bright fluorescent lights pierced her irises, causing her to hiss in pain and retreat back to the safety of her eyelids. When a few more moments had passed, and she'd prepared herself for the oncoming brightness, she opened her eyes again. It took a couple of seconds for Ruby to adjust to the lights, but soon she could see, barely.
Her vision was hazy, everything appeared in globs of color, but it was mostly just white. After a short time of looking at nothing except globs, the world started to clear up a bit. But it was all still blurry.
From what she could see, she was in a large white infirmary room, lying on a hospital bed. Attached to her were many cords, one of which led to a heart rate monitor that stood next to her bed. At least she'd found the source of the infernal beeping.
A new wave of pain blasted through Ruby's skull, making her wince. Instinctively, she attempted to bring her hand up to her head... But she couldn't. Ruby looked at her hands. Both of them were hand-cuffed to either side of the hospital bed, restricting her from lifting her arms farther than a few inches.
"What the..?" Ruby muttered to herself. Her voice was quiet and scratchy. She pulled on them, attempting to release herself somehow. But her arms were so heavy she had to stop.
Everything hurt. Her whole body felt exhausted, as if she'd run thirty marathons in a row. She could barely move, and when she did move it took everything she had not to cry out in pain.
There were sounds of stirring on her right side, catching her attention. Weakly, and slowly, she turned her head. About an arms length away was another hospital bed; Ruby could barely see a familiar face laying on the pillow.
"Jaune..." She tried to call to him, but it came out as a hoarse whisper. However, with the room being so quiet, the blonde boy was able to hear her.
"Ru-Ow!" Jaune yelped in surprise and pain. He had made the mistake of trying to sit up, unprepared for the waves of suffering that erupted through his body. He was forced to lay back down and stare at the ceiling.
"Are you ok?" She asked quickly, her voice showing her worry. The only response se received was a groan.
"Jaune, are you handcuffed too?" Ruby questioned. There were a short period of silence, presumably Jaune was slowly looking down at his hands.
"Yeah." He answered finally, returning his gaze to the ceiling. "What happened? Why are we handcuffed to hospital beds?" He asked. Though he was speaking somewhat softly, his tone displayed confusion and irritation. "And why does everything hurt?" Ruby could only make a small noise, something that sounded like 'don't know'.
At that moment, the white door on the left side of the room opened and the headmaster of Beacon stepped into the room. His eyes analyzed the two unmoving students before he closed the door.
"I'm glad to see you're both awake." Ozpin told them sincerely. Though the two teens couldn't see it due to their exhausted state, the headmaster had faint purple bags under his eyes. He had not gotten any rest, he'd been too worried about his students to even think about sleeping. "How do you feel?"
"Like someone smacked me with a train." Ruby answered, her voice faltering. Jaune let out a groan in agreement. The short haired girl then added, "My face really hurts, like it was run over with a truck."
Ozpin nodded. "That makes sense, you did land on it." At this statement, the headmaster received quizzical expressions. He raised a single eyebrow. "Do you not remember what happened?" He questioned.
Ruby and Jaune closed their eyes and went silent. Both of their memories were foggy, and they couldn't seem to gain the whole picture. "I remember you gave us the GB..." Jaune answered hesitantly. "But after that, I can only remember bits and pieces. Kind of like random short clips from a movie." He explained. Ruby made a 'mhmm' sound in agreement.
"Um, professor," Ruby spoke up. "Why are we handcuffed to the hospital beds?" She asked, flicking her eyes down to the cuffs before returning them to the headmaster.
"Oh, I apologize for that. It was a safety precaution." Ozpin said as he took out a small key from his pocket. He then went from Ruby to Jaune, removing both handcuffs from each student. He put the cuffs away in a pocket of his coat.
"Safety precaution?" Jaune repeated. "Sir, could you please explain what's going on?"
Ozpin nodded again. "Yes, of course." He answered with a deep sigh. Though both students were extremely groggy, they could've sworn the professor sounded a bit guilty as he recalled the previous night's events.
"After I gave you the GB, you and Ms. Rose went up against two computerized Deathstalkers without your weapons. You were successful in eliminating them by..." The headmaster thought for a moment. "...Utilizing some form of teamwork.
"However," he continued. "Not long after defeating the Deathstalkers, you both collapsed and experienced violent seizures." Ozpin paused, letting his words hang in the air for a few moments.
Ruby appeared nervous. Sure, it was cool that she'd defeated a couple of Grimm almost by herself, but she had also had a seizure. Nothing like that'd ever happened to her. It was frightening. If it didn't hurt so much, she would've been biting her lower lip.
Jaune was full of disbelief. He and Ruby had defeated two Deathstalkers by themselves. Without weapons! His excitement would've shown, if Ozpin hadn't added the part about the violent seizure.
"We called the medical staff immediately," The professor went on. "And they brought you here, to the infirmary. But, when they had you on the gurneys and were wheeling you to the E.R., you two began to thrash around. It didn't look like a normal seizure, your movements were too precise. At one point you injured a few of the doctors, not severely, so don't worry. However, in order to prevent anymore accidents, I had to restrain you with the aura-handcuffs. They're like normal handcuffs, except they reduce a person's aura to a low, but safe, level. You should start getting a bit of strength back as your aura replenishes itself."
This was proved to be true, as Jaune and Ruby were beginning to feel a bit more rejuvenated, but still exhausted. The pain barely let up at all, it still racked their bodies.
Silence overcame the room once more, the only sound being the two heart rate monitors' consistent beeping. It wasn't comforting.
"Sir..." Ruby spoke, her voice still as soft as a whisper. Ozpin looked at her, showing she had his attention. "What happened to us?" Though she did her best to hide it, her tone revealed her true feelings. Ruby was scared.
The headmaster removed his glasses and rubbed the ridge of his nose. It took a few moments before he could bring himself to look at his students again.
"I'm afraid this, the entire situation, is my fault." He said. His words were heavy with guilt and regret. "The GB was tested thoroughly, just not thoroughly enough. When I was looking over the test results to determine weather or not it was safe to give to you, I failed to notice that all the test subjects had been in their late twenties and early thirties. The enhancers had not been tested on humans of your age."
Jaune and Ruby listened intently to the professor, absorbing every word that he spoke. Jaune's eyes dropped back down to his hands, Ozpin was unsure if it was because of what he had just told him, or if it's as because the boy was exhausted. Perhaps both.
Ruby, however, still looked up at him. Ozpin knew why she hadn't moved her eyes, he still hadn't answered her question. He hadn't told her what was happening to them.
"Your auras were being suffocated by the GB." He said slowly. "You were fighting for your lives, and you almost lost."
The students were at a loss for words. They'd almost died because of something that was supposed to help them. It nearly suffocated them, according to the headmaster.
"Grim Blood," Ozpin began explaining. "Is similar to human and Faunus blood in a way. Each cell contains a small organelle that houses aura in-"
"But I thought Grimm didn't have aura." Jaune interrupted, finally finding his voice.
"That is a popular belief." Ozpin said. "But that is not correct. Grimm have aura, but theirs is different. They can't access it like we can, they don't know how, thankfully." Jaune seemed to think over this a moment, then nodded for him to continue.
"Anyway," the grey haired man went on, recovering his somber expression. "Each cell has a small organelle that houses aura. GB is successful in working as an enhancer because when you consume it, as you both did last night, the Grimm aura combines with your own, giving you Grimm-like abilities.
"At first, the human or Faunus' body is not able to control it because the GB causes a spike in the aura. This also results in the behavioral changes that occur. After training with it for a certain period of time, the user learns control it, and can then access the abilities anywhere without any side effects." The man looked warily at both students. "Unfortunately, because you're both still young, Ruby especially, it will not be so easy for either of you."
"Can't we just stop taking it?" Jaune asked, his tone containing a hint of desperation. "If we just don't use it anymore, then we'll ok, right?" He suggested, searching for any signs of reassurance on the professor's expression.
"Yeah," Ruby agreed quickly. "We wanted to take this to be better leaders. But I'm sure we can find a safer way."
Ozpin frowned. "Do the two of you remember what I told you before I allowed you to take the GB?" He asked. The students looked at each other, then back at Ozpin, shaking their heads no. "I told you that once you took the GB you wouldn't be able to go back to how you were before. Even if the GB had worked without issues, you wouldn't have been able to stop training with it without experiencing very harmful side effects. But now, if you stopped taking the GB, it would most likely kill you."
Jaune felt himself getting angry, his face turned the lightest shade of red. "So, if we keep taking it we die, if we stop taking it we die! What the hell are we supposed to do Ozpin?!" The blonde yelled heatedly.
The professor waited a few moments for his student to calm down. The boy was understandably angry. "You're both going to have to continue training with the GB. But," he added quickly as he saw Jaune get ready to shout again. "Your training will be much more intense. In order for you to survive and control the Grimm aura, your bodies will need to be able to handle the GB without using up all of your own aura. While you two were unconscious, Ms. Goodwitch and I came up with a training program that should be proficient."
Both students looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Jaune was still angry, as he viewed this to be solely Ozpin's fault, but he was quiet as he listened to the headmasters words.
"This training program will help us?" Ruby asked, remarkably calm. Jaune weakly turned his eyes towards her, surprised. How could she sound so calm during this? "We still get to use the GB, which will help us become better hunters, and the training program will help us handle the Grimm aura?" The headmaster was also surprised at Ruby's passiveness, especially considering how scared she was only a minute ago.
Ruby seemed to feel the two sets of eyes on her, so she looked down at her hands before speaking. "Well, I figure, there's no use getting angry." She said, not meeting either of their gazes. "We can't change what we've done, and Ozpin we can't stop taking it. We might as well train out hardest and learn to control it." The short haired girl slowly turned her head to look at her friend.
"Jaune, we said our teams deserve the best, that we'd do anything to be the leaders that they deserved. This isn't exactly what either of us had in mind, and its dangerous, but we really don't have a choice. We might as well get the most out of it and work our hardest." She spoke to him directly.
Jaune mulled over her words. She was taking this pretty well, certainly better than he was. But, maybe, Ruby really was willing to do anything for her team, no matter how dangerous. And again, like she said, they really didn't have a choice in this matter. Might as well make the best of it, it really would be useless to try and fight it.
"Ok," Jaune muttered, redirecting his attention to Ozpin again. "The training program, how does it work?" The headmaster nodded to both of them, glad that they had decided not to give up.
"In order to control the GB, your bodies will need to be in their best condition. This means you will be training everyday from here on out unless I or Ms. Goodwitch say otherwise. I will allow you to skip training today so that you may recover, but tomorrow you will be working. The nurses have informed me that, after a whole day off for rest and letting your own aura replenish itself, you should be back to normal.
"Starting tomorrow, you will need to begin going to sleep at eight o' clock, and wake up at four o' clock. This will give you a full eight hours of sleep. When you wake up, come straight to the Training Room. You both will train until seven thirty, giving you thirty minutes to get to wash up and get to class." Ruby had to hold herself back from complaining. Waking up at four in the morning? But, honestly, that wasn't her biggest problem.
"We will focus mostly on controlling the GB and conditioning your bodies to their maximum." Ozpin continued. He was beginning to regain his no-nonsense personality. "As for classes, I will instruct all of your teachers to give you a bit of leeway in regards to homework. This doesn't mean you won't have any work, just less. Remember, you aren't to tell anyone of your training with the GB, or I will thoroughly reprimand you. Understand?" Both students nodded. "Good. Are there any questions?"
Ruby and Jaune each had tons of questions, but when Ruby opened her mouth to ask one, she was cut off by what sounded like doors being slammed open a little distance away.
All three occupants of the infirmary room snapped their heads to the white door of the room, but it remained closed. Behind it, muffled panic yells suddenly erupted from the waiting room.
"I'm looking for Ruby Rose! Where is she?!" The frantic shouts could only belong to one person, Ruby's sister, Yang Xiao Long.
"She's in that room over there, but you can't go in right now!" Came the voice of a very startled sounding nurse.
"Like Hell I can't!" Yang yelled, her tone turning angry. There was shuffling and a crash as something that sounded like glass hit the ground and shattered.
The door to the infirmary room was suddenly thrown open so violently it nearly flew off its hinges. In the doorway stood Yang, her golden hair was set ablaze and her eyes had turned a bloody crimson. It was common knowledge at beacon that only two things could get Yang this mad: someone had either messed with her hair, or done something to Ruby.
She whipped her gaze around the room until she spotted Ruby. Jaune and Ozpin watched as the blonde brawler's anger melted away to worry, concern and fear.
Yang rushed forward and threw her arms around her sister, shaking her and nearly picking her up. "Ruby, are you ok?! I was so worried when I heard you were in the intermarry!"
Ruby couldn't concentrate on what her sister was saying, she couldn't focus on anything. She didn't even notice when the rest of her team, along with the NPR of JNPR, swarmed into the room as well. All she felt was white hot pain. Each time her sister shook or moved her, new waves of agony flooded through her body. At first, she just went into shock as her arms and legs stiffened. But, after the first few seconds, she gave out a loud, painful cry. Everyone was startled and jumped back a bit, but Yang still had her hands on the sides of Ruby's shoulders.
"Yang you're hurting her!" Exclaimed Weiss. As the heiress yelled this, Blake quickly, but gently, pulled Yang away from her leader. Ruby fell with a small 'fwump' back onto the mattress and pillow. She whimpered in pain and quickly claimed that she was alright.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Yang began, worry filling her voice again.
"It's fine, I'm alright." Ruby said weakly, offering her sister a reassuring smile.
Only a few feet away, Jaune's team had surrounded his bed. Pyrrha was fretting over her leader's well-being, ignoring Jaune's claims that he was fine. Nora was babbling on and on about how she would never leave Jaune's side again and would kill anything that got within ten feet of him. Ren remained quiet, though showed obvious concern for his friend.
"You two are clearly not fine!" Yang shouted above all the chatter. "Now what happened? Why were you up so early? Was it team CRDL? If it was, I'll break every fricking one of their limbs one by one!" Nora cheered in agreement.
"No it wasn't CRDL." Jaune tried to assure the busty blonde. "It was..." His voice drifted off. He wasn't allowed to tell them what really happened. He glanced at Ruby, but she only gave a helpless shrug.
"From what I understand, it was a training incident." Ozpin sad calmly and stepped forward. "I'm afraid one of the computerized Grimm had a glitch and attacked even though their auras were in the red. I assure you it will not happen again."
Yang stepped up close to the headmaster and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You better hope it doesn't happen again." She growled. "Because if that computer hurts my baby sister and her friend like this again I will castr-"
"Yang!" Weiss cut her off as she and Blake pulled her away from Ozpin.
"I'm so sorry about that, professor." Weiss apologized quickly on behalf of her teammate. "We're all just worked up about our leaders being in the infirmary. Yang just lashed out, she didn't mean it."
Ozpin smiled. "It's quite alright." He assured her, allowing Weiss to take a sigh relief. The headmaster began walking in the direction of he door before pausing and looking back. "You all should hurry, classes will be starting soon."
Yang stubbornly crosses her arms and stood beside her sister's bed. "I'm not going anywhere. Im staying here with Ruby today." She announced.
Blake leaned against one of the walls. "I think I'll stay here too." She said in her usual monotone.
Weiss, who normally objected to this sort of thing, gave an audible huff. "Well, I certainly can't leave you three here alone, even if one of you is incapacitated."
"Oh, oh!" Nora bounced up and down as she seized Ren's arm. "Me and Ren will stay too! We can be Jaune and Ruby's nurses! I'll give them all their shots!" The two leaders gained worried expressions at the mere thought of Nora handling a needle.
"Perhaps I should stay as well." Pyrrha stated, trying to sound as professional as possible.
"Guys, we'll be perfectly fine." Jaune said, stifling a yawn.
"Yeah... We'llbeokay." Ruby mumbled, her words slurring together as her eyes closed.
"Your leaders need their rest." Ozpin stated, gesturing to the blonde knight and the red haired reaper. "They can barely keep their eyes open as it is. They don't need any distractions. Now go off to class." Yang opened he mouth to argue again, but Ozpin raised up his hand. "No more arguing. Go."
Reluctantly, the six students said goodbye to the leaders and walked out of the room. Except for Yang, who had to be dragged out. Ozpin waited for them all to leave before looking back at the almost-asleep Jaune and Ruby.
"And I will see you two in the morning."
A/N: Its mah birthday! So, as a present to myself, I worked my butt off to get this updated today.
I get that it's really late for an update, and I'm sorry but I just can't keep a regular updating schedule. I'm also sorry that this is chapter is fat with dialog. But, as I said before, explanation chapters need lots of dialog. This is definitely not my favorite chapter, but it had to be written.
Again, is like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed, it really helps me out. You guys are friggen awesome. The story will get better from here, as I have lots of plans and blueprints. Please leave a review if you have any questions, comments or concerns, and I will do my best to respond. See you guys next time!
-Wolfpoet