Last Huntress - Chapter 18

-I'll Tear The Night, Keep It From You-

Blake sat down on the couch beside Ruby, watching the younger woman's work with a raised eyebrow as she sipped at the mug of tea that she had prepared. The lupine Faunus' fingers were nearly a blur setting small pieces of electronic circuits into place within the cloth of what had been a glove, showing a finesse for it all with the quick way tools were picked up and then set back on the table in the blink of an eye.

As fascinating as the work was, Blake found herself drawn more to the wolf-girl. So much had changed in seven years, but the expression of concentration upon Ruby's face had not. She remembered seeing the same goofy way the younger woman pushed the tip of her tongue against the corner of her mouth when Ruby had been doing maintenance on the very complicated mechanisms of her scythe.

It brought a small smile to her own lips, that the affinity for technology had not dimmed over the years. Still, an affinity did not mean that Ruby could fix everything. As she activated the device, several seconds passed without anything happening. Blake raised an eyebrow as the wolf-girl let out a long sigh and leaned back into the couch. "I was afraid of that."

"Can't fix it?"

"Well the electronics aren't the problem. Everything is working as it should, but there's nothing left in the memory to activate the program." Ruby tossed a small tool she was holding onto the pile of cloth that had once been her glove, trying not to let her tone sound as bitter as this particular setback felt. "I had hoped, but.." She spied the other brunette staring at her, and glanced over. "What?"

Blake reached over tentatively and lightly brushed a few stray strands of hair over Ruby's shoulder, finding it much easier to make physical contact with the wolf-girl after last night. Silver eyes followed her movement, but there was little awkwardness in the small interaction. A good sign. "You've been working on this for the last week or so, and I'm not even sure what it is."

The lupine ears atop Ruby's head flattened before twitching back up, and the younger Faunus stared at Blake for a long moment before raising a hand to rake through the veil of wild bangs hanging over her vision before speaking. "Oh.. Right." She cleared her throat, pulling her legs up onto the cushions as she did so. "I used the glove as an interface to access Spring, a functioning virtual intelligence that Weiss and I built during our years at Beacon. It started as a project for a class, but when we realized that we had created the basic version of a personality matrix, we worked on it for months to expand on the idea."

Ruby let out a low laugh. "Weiss used to talk about how it could be a stepping stone of sorts to the beginnings of true artificial intelligence." Shaking her head, she continued with a playful tone. "I'm sure she would have gotten a lot farther with her research if I hadn't been there to distract her."

"Oh." Blake looked a bit uncertain, and it took a rather long pause for Ruby to grasp that this was the first time she had directly referred to her previous relationship to the older Faunus. It had felt so natural to talk about it, even with the very recent physical step in their relationship. The cat-girl seemed to shake it off quickly enough, glancing down at the worthless circuitry before finding her gaze again. "So it can't be salvaged?"

Ruby stared at Blake for a bit longer before speaking up, watching with unabashed interest as the woman took a long sip at the mug she was holding. "Weiss had the backups."

"She wouldn't give them to you?" Blake cocked her head to the side as Ruby let out a scoff at that, and watched as the wolf-girl seemed to shut down. The younger Faunus folded her arms and shook her head, refusing to meet Blake's gaze. Instead of letting it end at that, she pried a bit more into the issue. "Things.. Didn't end well between you two?"

The rough skin of recent scars twitched with facial muscles as Blake watched Ruby struggle to decide whether to truly open up to her. Physical was easy between them, the previous night and this morning had proved as much, but every attempt to grow her understanding of the younger woman's emotional state was continually met with a wall. She was just about to assure the wolf-girl that it was alright, that she didn't need an answer to that question, when her scroll began vibrating in her pocket.

Placing the mug on the counter, she stretched out her legs to access the pocket. The display was lit up with an incoming call. "It's Yang." Holding out the device to Ruby with a small smile, she watched with some interest as the other Faunus perked up and took the scroll from her hand. It was a source of fascination for her to see how quickly the wolf-girl transitioned from being walled off to actively engaged. It was as interesting as it was tragic, that the younger woman had that much practice at it.

Ruby took the scroll with a breath of hesitation, her silver eyes locking with the bright hue of the older Faunus' for a brief second before she raised the device to her ear. "Hey, it's Ruby."

Ruby tried to ignore the way her hands shook as she worked at fastening the belt holding her pistol, the cracked leather missing the loops of her pants before she managed to get it through. She let out a breath to steady herself as she looked over the rest of the equipment that Blake had salvaged. She pulled the long faded scarf from the bag, looking over the checkered black and grey squares, and the few dark splotches of dried blood that adorned its length. It needed a wash, when she had time.

For now though, she tied it about her waist, over the leather belt. She then took the black boots from the bag, dropping them to the floor and slipping both feet into them. Still caked with the mud of the arena, some was dislodged from the fall.

As she sat on the couch and laced them up, she felt the change in the room as a near-silent Blake entered. "It's a trap."

"It could be." Yang had told her of the girl who had called using her old scroll. It wasn't a stretch to assume it was Auburn, the reckless fox-girl who had spoken to her while she awaited her execution at Torchwick's hands. All she had given was an address, a small diner just outside the Crimson Quarter, and pleaded for help. Not much to go on, just enough to lead Ruby in.

"Why go then?" That brought her gaze up to regard the older Faunus with a raised eyebrow, her scarred face twisted into a questioning expression. "You don't owe her anything."

Her boots tied tight to her feet, Ruby stood and turned to look at the cat-girl as she searched inward for an answer. "Auburn.. She risked vicious punishment just to bring me some food and a few kind words. She is a good person." She couldn't keep her gaze locked with the intense amber of Blake's eyes any longer, and she looked away, down towards the window overlooking the city. "I won't let her die for me, especially if she actually needs help."

She heard footsteps heading back to the room they trained in, and after a few moments Blake reappeared, sheathed sword held under an arm as the cat-girl adjusted two dark gloves over her hands. Ruby watched as the raven-haired woman slipped the harness around her back and shoulders, tightening the straps that held the blade to her form. The tension in the woman's muscles stretched the sleeveless shirt as she moved, adjusting the leather until it sat comfortably before looking back to her. "You're not going alone, then."

"If you're sure..?" Ruby felt a tinge of heat begin to spread beneath her cheeks as her words faltered. Blake had done so much already, had so very quickly inserted into her life to become something.. More. The taste of fear on the edge of her tongue as she spoke, that flutter in her chest at the thought of what the older Faunus had given up for her. It was more than she had become accustomed to.

Blake did not answer, only walking forward to pick up the black blade lying beside her other belonging, the metal decorated with stylized red roses. It was offered to her with a tilted head, a look in burning amber orbs that were fixated upon her. Ruby hesitated for a brief second under that gaze, before closing her fingers around the hilt slowly.

More was better.

Weiss let out a sigh as she stood on the steps of the central plaza, waiting for her car to be brought around from the parking garage. Vex had gotten to her, the way he had been so sure that he could overpower her. People had always assumed such of her, that her slight frame meant she was weak. Even her father had once laid his hands on her, believing she lacked the capacity to fight back. He had been wrong. They were all so very wrong about her.

They were wrong in general. So focused on their petty squabbles within the city that the darkness that lurked outside the walls was forgotten, and all the while she knew that it probed for a way in, just a sliver to latch on to. Everything would be taken from them. No one cared. Too absorbed with shoveling as much of the rotting shit pile of this city into their arms as they could without looking over their shoulders, too concerned with watching control of it slip through their fingers.

She reached over and gripped the stump of what remained of her right arm with a grimace, and pulsating burn coming from the limb, and drawing a sidelong glance from her assistant. She noted the concern in Penny's features, the way the woman's lips parted and then immediately closed a couple of times. "Yes?" The word held more spite in it than she had wanted, but the thought of this wasting weakness being perceived ate at her, even by one already aware of it.

"Forgive me, Ms. Schnee. It is just.. The doctors said.."

"I know." Weiss managed to control her tone this time, and it was filled with more resignation than bite as she rubbed at the pinned sleeve. She knew better than to let such trivial matters anger her so, as the tissue of her ruined limb throbbed and the flesh was scorched raw by a sensation that set a line in her jaw. Pain was a constant companion, but these flare ups tested her tolerance.

She forced down the bitter tears and the vocalization of her agony that demanded to be heard, instead clearing her throat and shifting to a more professional stance as they waited for the car to be brought around. Penny continued to look over at her with no attempt to disguise the concern crossing freckled features, a worried glance every ten seconds that was ignored.

Minutes passed in silence, their presence acknowledged only by slight nods by those who were leaving the party. Eventually the sleek black of her car rounded the far corner of the plaza, heading their way. Penny mumbled a word of impatience, bringing the tiniest of smiles to Weiss' lips for a split second until she felt a distant rumble below her feet. It didn't register with her assistant, but her assistant hadn't ever hunted Grimm.

The largest and deadliest Grimm that most Hunters would encounter ambushed from below, and their arrival was only signalled by the vibrations that travelled through the ground. It was a sensation one could never forget. Weiss glanced about, her pause noted by the redhead, who turned to her with a questioning look. Even through the soles of her dress shoes, she could feel the quake settle before it suddenly became more and more energetic.

In the space of a breath, Weiss' mind registered that this was nothing like what she had felt before a Grimm had erupted from the ground. In the very next second, a flash of light illuminated the plaza before her, and she saw Penny's green eyes go wide. Her senses were overpowered as a deafening boom emanated from the memorial, and a wave of intense heat rolled out.

Before she could react, Weiss was thrown from the steps as an explosion ripped apart the central market.

Blake snapped the kickstand of her motorcycle back into place with the toe of her boot, allowing the bike to roll a few feet to the curb where she had left Ruby. The younger Faunus had the hood of her red vest up, not much of a disguise, but enough to cover the ears that would certainly announce exactly who she was to every random passerby.

Stopping the bike with a foot, she let the other woman climb on,rising up and bringing her boot down onto the starter. The machine beneath her roared to life, settling into the gentle purr of a well maintained engine, and she sat back down on the seat. Gloved hands slipped around her midsection, and a warm body pulled close, generating a fair share of heat within her own as Blake eased on the clutch to get moving.

They came to a sudden stop a moment later as the crack of thunder tore through the skyline of Vale, and Blake's eyes immediately snapped to the angry orange fireball that roiled upwards near the center of the city. The ground rumbled in response to the explosion, and even here she saw the large pieces of debris that were upheaved and tossed in every direction.

"Torchwick." The name was spoken with a whisper from behind her, and Ruby's hold tightened upon her as the wolf-girl continued. "What did I unleash on this city?"

Turning to look at the other woman from the corner of her eye, Blake tried to nip that idea right in the bud. "You did make the powder keg, and it was going to ignite one way or another. Focus on what we can do to help."

Silver eyes stared back at her with a look she couldn't decipher, but Ruby gave the slightest of nods. "Saving Auburn." Another nod, with some resolve behind it this time. "You're right, let's go."

"He can't get away this time!"

"Ruby!"

"Weiss.. Trust me."

Weiss came back to consciousness with a start, her vision swimming with the image of a young girl with silver eyes pleading to her. It slowly gave way to reality, peeling back to reveal the jagged concrete and asphalt that surrounded her. There was a piercing ache in the side of her head, but as she pressed a palm to it, it came away thankfully dry of blood.

As she slowly extracted her limbs from the light rubble that had showered over her, there came a sharp realization that she was now on the other side of the car that had been pulled around for her. Steadying herself on her knees and the palm of her hand, she felt arms close about her midsection and pull her up to her feet. "Ma'am!"

The slow confusion that came with concussive blasts wasn't exactly an unfamiliar sensation, given the battles of her years in Beacon, but it wasn't something that you ever truly got used to. She stared blankly into the face of the driver whose mouth was moving, blinking a few times before the numb words fell from her lips. "Penny, go find Penny."

Her singular hand pushed at his shoulder until he moved away, and she was left alone to press that palm against her forehead. The pain was throbbing, pulsating through her body with each heartbeat with a tearing feeling left in its wake. It thundered through her thoughts and scrambled her mind, and every blink opened her eyes to a different scene.

Before she could begin to truly orient herself, she heard a horrible scraping noise of metal against bone, and turned with a start to see a girl in a red cloak spinning a blur of a weapon to fend off monsters made of surging shadow. "No.." Somewhere beneath the recent trauma, part of her recognized the scene, part of her was screaming to turn away. To not go forward, to not relive this.

But she stumbled from foot to foot, watching the heavy claw descend upon the girl. The weapon twisted and shattered with a screech of metal, and a shower of blood suddenly splashed across the ground with a bit of flesh gouged from the girl's face that plopped over shattered stone with a sickening squelch. Weiss could not stop herself, raising her right hand as she saw a fanged beast rear back over the prone form that tried in vain to crawl back towards the flames behind her.

Clasped in her fist was the shining silver of a rapier, stabbing upwards as the beast's mouth surged towards the cloaked girl. She felt the tip dig through flesh and bone, and felt the explosion of pain as a foot and a half of fang sunk through her right arm just above the elbow.

The long, slithering length of the monster violently seized in its death throes, pulling at her with each ravaging spasm of its death. She felt every nightmarish moment of how that fang tore at her skin and muscle, every bit of sinew that ripped as she could do no more than watch on in horror as she felt herself be lifted and then slammed back onto the broken ground.

Darkness creeped on the edges of her vision, but it did not claim her until she saw the ruined mess of flesh, jagged bone, and the black venom of the beast seeping over what was left of her arm.

And then she was back, staring at the flames licking over a body strewn down the steps of the central market, inhaling the acrid smoke as her hand slipped from the side of the car she had been leaning on. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage, and each intake of breath didn't seem to fill her lungs. Unconsciousness truly loomed upon her now.

Blissful.

Painless.

Oblivion.

Author's Note: No, I'm not dead. Not yet, at least. I appreciate your patience with the updates this fic tends to have, all who've messaged me have been far more polite than I deserve. I hope I can do better than six months, and I have no excuse but this: Depression is a petty, vindictive dick. I'm moving towards a better life now, and I sincerely hope that you all are doing well too! If anything about this chapter is confusing, feel free to drop me a PM and we can try to get it cleared up, I'm sure there's some continuity error I missed here. Also its bound to be rife with mistakes, but.. That's not exactly new. I just wanted to get something out, y'know? Thank you to everyone who continued to support this story despite my absence, and please drop a review with your thoughts, I'm always eager to hear what you're thinking! -Fox