Chapter - VII - Memory Lane
"W-What did you...just say?" Weiss said with a confusing look on her face. "He's my son, well not my biological son. It's a long story would you like to come in and we can talk about it?" Ruby said looking at Weiss waiting impatiently for her response. "OF COURSE I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS! Cough..I mean yes of course please. I would love to hear the story." Weiss said with and embarrassed look on her face. "Ha-ha alright lets get something to drink. Come on in I hope you still remember the place." Ruby said taking Weiss's hand leading her inside. Weiss looks around, everything is just the way they left it. Minus the things Taiyang has brought, but it brings back memories. The bunk beds they made themselves to fit all four of them in this room. It brought that one of a kind feeling, it always did fit the four girls no matter how different they were from each other. Weiss sits on the bottom bunk as Ruby hands her an orange soda as she sits down across from her on the other bed while Taiyang is reading a book called The Gift upside down on the bed above Ruby. "So start from the beginning alright?" Weiss said with a sturn tone looking into Ruby's eyes.
"Alright were to begin I guess, It all started about four years after the war ended. I wasn't really worried about where I was headed or how I got there. My friends had left on their own paths and my family died during the war. I didn't really worry about training, I was already strong enough, or so i thought. I started going deep into Grimm territory since we already took out almost all of them during the war so getting in wasn't hard, it was what i found. The further I went the heavier I started to feel, I started breathing heavier, walking slower, having flashbacks to bad memories. It was almost like something there knew who I was and didn't want me there at all. I felt afraid as I got closer to the end. I stopped and turned around and starting running. I knew something was in there that I wasn't ready to face. It could have been my past, bad dreams, or maybe my fears. I finally got out of there and I knew because my breathing returned back to normal and I didn't feel heavy anymore. So I kept going and found a small town. It wasn't much, just a few shops here and there but allot of houses. I thought to myself that maybe I shouldn't waste time here but then remembered what Yang said to me one day. "Every town has something you need, even if you think it's a waste of time" to this day I'm glad I listened to her otherwise I would be dead right now." Weiss catches Ruby looking up at Tai as if the "Something" she needed was him. Weiss started asking herself quite a few questions. Where these two meant to find each other? Does he mean allot to her? Is he to thank for keeping Ruby alive? She almost lost it with all the questions but what Ruby said next cleared her mind in a single second.
"Back then Tai was all I had to keep me going and when we met I had nothing, no one. The more we were together the more I realized that I wasn't alone only because about six months after we met he said "You were never alone, you always had someone thinking about you no matter where you were. Now I have someone thinking about me and that's you mommy" and he hugged me so tight he fell asleep right in my arms." As time went by Ruby went into full detail of her 12 year period. How she spent the rest of the time training harder and harder because not only did she have friends to protect now but a son as well. She trained day and night to the point of breaking her old weapon by just unfolding to clean it. Tai kept her going and so did her friends. She wanted to become so strong that she didn't need her friends to protect her anymore and that's exactly what she did. Weiss finally got the whole story about Tai but she had one more question that was still bugging her. "Ruby there is still something missing. You told me how you and Tai met...but not why Rein was looking for you." Weiss said staring endlessly into Ruby's eyes. "Remember that dark feeling I told you about? How I could barely walk or breath? That feeling was Rein's brother. I never got a chance to ask his name because at the time Tai's life was in danger of him. He took Tai from me and told me to hand myself over for his life. I agreed to the turns but did not intend on turning myself. I was going to save Tai and we were both going to walk out alive. Only as I was about to go pummel this guys face in I almost forgot I didn't have a weapon anymore. I nearly went crazy just thinking about it. I didn't have the items to create a new one. Then I thought what if there is a weapon shop here. I dashed around town searching high and low but after an hour I had no luck until this old lady came up to me asking if I was lost, I said no I'm searching for a shop. She could already tell what I was talking about because she pointed to an alley door that had a skull and scythe emblem and five numbers below showin on the front. I walked to it but when I reached for the door the old lady came up and said to be sure I had a good reason for going into this store." Ruby explained that this shop was of the dark nature and used for evil doers who bring nothing but terror and chaos to the world. She wasn't going to let that stop her.
She opened the door and walked in. She looked around but found nothing like her old one. The old man grunted and was about to yell at Ruby but when he got a good look at the young 19 year old girl wearing her black leggings with red and black boots, her black hair with red highlights, her white and black top with her black cloak he said follow me. "Is there anything specific you're looking for?" The old man asked Ruby but with that tone that made you think he asked a pointless question. "Um I am but it doesn't look like you have what I need." Ruby said in disappointment. "You're new here so I'll let you have some useful info, we always have everything. "The old man leads Ruby into the basement and what she saw she couldn't believe. It was Weiss's Rapier! Yangs Ember Celica's! Blakes Gambol Shroud! "How did you get these? These belong to my friends." Ruby said looking at the old man waiting for an answer. "You know of someone with these weapons?" The old man asks in shock. "Well that doesn't really matter anymore, if they are your friends then they are in the right hands." He said with a warm smile. Ruby shows a half smile and then looks up to an old dusty wooden box. It wasn't much to look at but when she looked closer she almost had a panic attack. It was her rose symbol, the same one she wore during the Academy. "That's right this is your new weapon, well new to you anyways." He said handing it to her telling her to open it. She blows on it to clean the dust off a little and then lifts the top off. What she saw she couldn't believe. It was another Crescent Rose! Only it looked different, it had no place to put a magazine like her old one did, and it opened a little smoother and faster. She picked it up and took a closer look. "It still shoots just like your old one it just doesn't use bullets anymore, it uses your aura." The old man said looking at Ruby with a confident look on his face.
Ruby wants to try it out really bad but she needs to save Tai. She thanks the old man over and over for the new weapon. Though she still didn't exactly know how to use it quite yet, but she was about to learn fast. Ruby runs out the door with her new weapon clipped to her waist. As she was leaving the old man was looking out his window he said to himself "Grandchildren grow up so fast. Ruby Rose you really have turned out to be a wonderful grandchild."
- Hi Tatsu -