Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Oz.
A quick look to her right showed Weiss her best friend's confident, but still partly sad golden eyes. Still blaming herself, I see. That talk was to happen later. Again. Next to Blake was Neon and on Weiss's left sat Ilia. They were going acoustic tonight.
No more Adam.
The crowd didn't seem to mind, though. And that gave Weiss enough confidence to open herself up like she'd done so many times while her faithful band mates, as annoying as they were sometimes, fell in right after with their instruments. No one else was going to up and leave like he did.
"Ohhh, I miss the misery!"
On the other side of town.
"Ruby, what the hell do you do you think you're doing?" What are WE doing? A hushed whisper cut through the silence of the night, a knife through a fish's belly. "Qrow specifically said-"
"Shh!" Was the only response as they inched closer to the place Ruby had circled on her see-through board earlier. On the other side of the hill lay a certain barn the blonde's genius little sister had figured a few known criminals to be hiding out. Normally, Yang would have put an end to whatever foolishness her sister was planning to get herself into with a flip of her hair, but something was different about tonight. "The same tire tracks to the Shelby I found at the scene yesterday are right here."
Lilac-colored eyes strayed from the top of the hill to land on where her sister was lying. On the ground, surveying it with her mini flash light and looking like a dork in the moonlight. "What?" She couldn't help but step closer and crouch low as well. Mainly to stay out of sight for as long as possible. Should anyone from the other side see them, their uncle nonetheless, there would be major hell to pay. What did I let myself get into now? This was stupid. They were being stupid and reckless having followed their uncle after he said he was only following a lead. Told them to stay out of it, but like they usually did, they didn't listen.
Well, Ruby didn't listen and Yang went along to keep an eye on her. Still bone-headed.
Though, the older sister suddenly felt like she really wouldn't mind if it came to that. Getting into a little trouble, that is.
A glance further down to her arm solidified the thought as a familiar ache presented itself in her chest.
"I've been a mess since you stayed,
I've been a wreck since you changed.
Don't let me get in your way,
I miss the pain,
The fights that keep us awake. Ay-ay
I'm telling you,"
It had been almost three years since the accident, but to Yang, it might as well have been an entire lifetime ago.
Back then, she had been on top of the world. Had whatever she wanted. Fans, fame, her sweetheart in her most tip top shape, and money. Those were all good and well, but what she liked, what she lived for was the feeling. The rush of adrenaline that would spike when she straddled her bike. Strapped up. The sounds Bumblebee created sent a fire straight into her soul, made her completely invincible. Untouchable, even.
Especially when she wasn't performing with her trusty bike, or in another vehicle. To do what she used to do, her body had to be forged into a machine. Years of gymnastics, martial arts, horse back riding and countless other trades made Yang Xiao Long the most exceptional Stuntwoman there was around. She'd doubled for a few A-Listers that had Ruby positively swooning along with herself and sweet Beowulf was it so incredibly exciting!
But it had all been in vain.
Just like the story of Icarus, she'd flown too close to the sun, burned way too bright.
"I miss the bad things,
The you hate me,
I miss the screaming,
The way that you blame me!
Miss the phone calls,
When it's your fault,
I miss the late nights, don't miss you at all!"
The accident was blinding and she figured Icarus felt the same. As they came back from the high, from the blissful feeling of having it all, being away where absolutely nothing could touch them, reality had hit hard and they felt like the biggest idiots in the world. It was brutal. At least that's what Yang thought. That was how she felt when she woke up in the hospital.
It was not a big deal at first. She'd been there plenty of times, considering her roles went from doubling the badass female lead in movies, to straight-up competing with other doubles on her bike when she really wanted something more in her free time. But as she became fully aware of herself in that hospital bed, she realized that she wouldn't ever be the same again.
"I like the kick in the face,
And the things you do to me.
I love the way that it hurts!
I don't miss you, I miss the misery."
A 15-day coma, a punctured lung, and broken ribs were what she actually awoke to. Taiyang Xiao Long didn't look like himself at all as he slept on the uncomfortable looking chair beside her and it practically killed her to see her poor baby sister on the bench across the room. The glint was gone from her normally bright silver eyes while she stared out the window. That ugly color made them appear a dull gray that Yang had only seen one other time, but this was different.
It was the look of someone having seen their ultimate hero take a fall. Realizing that no one, not even Yang, was immune to being brought down to their knees. Beaten into the dirt and left for dead. It was heartbreaking.
But that wasn't all.
Her eyes left Ruby's and fluttered down to access the damage. What she found make a sick feeling twist in her gut. (Whatever she had to call gut, that is.)
Gone.
Her most dominant arm was just...gone. Seemingly ripped off and heavily bandaged like it wouldn't be obvious. She was completely confused, a dog who had run into a screen door and not knowing what it did wrong in the first place. Breathing increased, making the monitors kick up a bit and her head began to swim while her stomach wanted to release it's contents all over the room. What the actual hell had happened?
To this day, she really couldn't remember. (Doctors stated that she'd had a brain bleed.) It was either during one of her bike stunts, or one of the parachuting scenes. Chase scene? What movie was she doubling in? Was she doubling? Had they finished the movie? Of course they had. Movies had to be made, money had to keep coming somehow. The world didn't stop turning because Yang Xiao Long was in the hospital.
And that was the hardest lesson Yang would ever have to learn.
"I've tried but I just can't it,
I'd rather fight than fake, ('cause I like it rough.)
You know that I've had enough,
I dare ya to call my bluff.
Can't take too much of a good thing
I'm telling you!"
I miss the bad things,
The way you hate me.
I miss the screaming,
The way that you blame me.
Miss the phone calls,
When it's your fault.
I miss the late nights, don't miss you at all.
I like the kick in the face,
And the things you do to me.
I love the way that it hurts.
I don't miss you, I miss the misery."
Her depression came and went. Some days were harder than others and she'd suffered a bit of PTSD whenever a car started up in the driveway, but she had people to help her through it all. Whether she wanted it or not. Her dad, the most patient man in the world and Ruby. The most loving sister Yang could ever ask for. Those two were the main ones she needed. They were there to push her when she didn't want to move, to love her when she didn't love herself, and most importantly, they were there to kick her self-depreciating butt when all she wanted was to give up.
Gone was the adrenaline junkie that made her family slightly nervous from time to time. The happy-go-lucky child with eyes full of wonder, mischief and glory-seeking was replaced with a more experienced set. Hard. Grown up.
Mostly.
"Just know that I'll make you hurt,
(I miss the lies and the pain what you did to me)
When you tell me you'll make it worse,
(I'd rather fight all night than watch the TV)
I hate the feeling inside,
You tell me how hard you'll try,
But when we're at our worst,
I miss the misery."
She missed it. Without a shout of a doubt, she damn missed her job. She missed the bruises, the aching muscles of a job well done, the frustration, the stress, and the rush. Wow did she miss the rush. Adrenaline.
Her new life made her slow down drastically and perhaps that was a good thing in hindsight. There had been plenty of deaths on set and countless times when she'd ended up in the hospital, her baby sister would be there to fret over her. Constantly, the shorter girl feared for her sister's safety and it made Yang happy to know someone cared about her so much. And it still made Yang want to be better. As long as Ruby cared, she would do it. She would be the sunshine, the sunny little dragon her dad always called her.
She would, but ever since the accident, Ruby had made every effort to be there for her sister in whatever way she could. Be it, letting Yang drive Bumblebee with her out into the country, or joining her on zip-lining, anything.
And maybe this was one of those times? Oh Ruby.
Before Yang could even think anything else, she heard the familiar sound of gunshots.
"I miss the bad things,
The way you hate me.
I miss the screaming,
The way that you blame me."
"Ruby!" Heart pounding in her throat and senses alight from adrenaline, the blonde instinctively lunged for her sister to stop the little idiot from rushing down the hill to the scene unfolding before their eyes. The struggle between sisters was quickly dismissed as soon as the sound of a blade being drawn was heard. Who brings a sword to a gunfight? Was all that came to mind before someone cried out in pain and the squeal of tires was heard.
"Qrow!" Ruby's voice broke because they both looked up in time to see the brunette's all-time favorite uncle fall to a knee as a lone figure stood over him, kicking his gun out of his hand. Skilled hands swiped the blade away, clearing blood from it before bringing it back to Qrow's chest menacingly. With a shout of defiance and a fairly impressive shove, Ruby managed to create just enough of a hole to escape her sister's steely grasp and was already sprinting the rest of the way down the hill before Yang could do anything to stop her.
It didn't take the blonde long to catch back up, but what she saw when she did made a wildfire ignite under her skin. Ruby had pushed the unknown person away and was now standing in front of Qrow, arms out defensively, but one thing was off. She was crying. And not the scared kind. Those tears were familiar and Yang did not like it.
"Leave him alone!" She shouted, making the one with the blade take a step back. Hesitating, it seemed.
Yang knew who it was right off the bat and like an angry dragon that had been disturbed from slumber, she felt the flames of hatred consume her as she came to her sister's side. That's why Ruby's acting so damn reckless.
The figure was a woman dressed in all black with a mask covering just her eyes, but as someone who completely despised her for what she put her sister through, the blonde had no problem picking out characteristics in her stance. A former model's struts or seductive poses weren't easy to give up and try as she might, this particular person wouldn't ever be able to hide from either of them. Whether they had fancy tracking tools or not. Her impact on their little family was just too great to be forgotten so quickly, too big to bury, too infuriating to leave alone.
"Don't try to stop us." The figure spoke in that sweet voice laced with poison, taking another step back into the shadows just beyond the barn's sensory light. "Don't get in over your heads now, Ruby. We-"
"Don't you dare say her name!" Yang shouted furiously and ran at the woman in black with every intention of beating the crap out of her, but it was never that easy. Not anymore, at least. Her left fist caught thin air as the other woman turned and sprinted off into the dark, leaving a fuming blonde behind.
Ruby stopped her from giving chase.
"I miss the rough sex, leaves me a mess.
I miss the feeling of pains in my chest!
Miss the phone calls,
When it's your fault,
I miss the late nights, don't miss you at all.
I like the kick in the face,
And the things you do to me.
I love the way that it hurts."
"What the hell are you two idiots doing here?" Qrow managed to spit out from behind Ruby, causing her to let go of Yang's prosthetic so she could tend to him. He was injured, sure. That woman had all but sliced through his side and she would have finished him off had Ruby not stupidly put herself in front of him. Alas, their uncle knew how to hide his pain well and even pulled himself to a standing position with a measly, bloody hand applying pressure to his side. The sight made Yang suppress a sigh at his stubbornness. Also because she was certain she'd have to carry him back to his cruiser if they stayed out any longer.
So she all but dragged both of them back and threw them into the backseat. That way Ruby could help him staunch the blood flow and when they made her talk, she wouldn't try to run since the doors could only be opened from the outside. Besides, only a complete fool would try to escape when Yang was driving. Ruby knew better and began to mentally prepare for the questions her uncle and sister would no doubt be asking any minute now.
"I don't miss you, I miss the misery."
But. All in all, tonight, the blonde had gotten the rush of adrenaline she didn't know she'd been craving. A crooked smile was the result of that as they sped toward the hospital with the sirens on.
Back at Oz.
"I don't miss you, I miss the misery!"
The crowd cheered like they always did and Weiss smiled like she usually did when they finished. But something was off tonight.
She wasn't here.
Cold blue eyes scanned the front row for a glimpse of the girl that had practically been following them from club to club for weeks now. Nothing. Disappointment twisted in the woman's chest as she glanced to her friend. Blake was there to give her another encouraging smile, but Weiss knew she also was looking for someone.
It had been quite the crappy week and the girls were thinking of hanging out at the bar later to drown out the loss of their drummer, but now it felt as if it would be in vain to even take a shot.
Needless to say, the red and yellow duo's presence was definitely missed by the black and white pair.
A/N: There we go. Another chapter
Thank you for reading! And the reviews. They make me smile.
So, this story could be a little longer than I originally thought, (which wasn't long to begin with) but we shall see where it goes from here. Don't depend so much on me to update because my life wants my attention more often than not. Though I do enjoy writing this story and am sooo not ready for the RWBY finale! So I could be writing more, guess you'll have to wait and see...
Either way, "Stay strong, we'll make it through this together!"
Song inspiration: I Miss the Misery. By: Halestorm.
I own nothing.
~Jane