Last Huntress - Chapter 23

-And If I Could I'd Take Back Years-

Ruby sat in the high backed chair in Ozpin's office, staring at the extended cane in her hands. The message the old Headmaster had left her ended minutes ago, it's instructions clear but it's purpose still shrouded in mystery. She struggled with the why of his actions. Why her, why now, why send her to Weiss.

She bit her lower lip at that thought, feeling the frigid lance of fear strike into her chest as she thought about that reunion. After four years would Weiss even let her in the building? Would she have her arrested?

Ruby's eyes slid up from the cane, rising up from her seat to walk towards the window that looked out over the city of Vale. Even from this distance, even through the storm that looked to be finally starting to calm, she could see the buildings through it all, their structures lit up in bright neon or massive advertisement screens. As she rested her weight on the cane, both hands upon its pommel, she noticed that from here, she could even see Torchwick's club. It's garish design and tacky spotlights practically making it a beacon in the night.

She grit her teeth at the sight of it, the memories of fighting in the Pits all too present on her mind. It was her best chance to track the gangster down, and with Crescent Rose in hand, finally kill him. She imagined what Ozpin would say, were he to find her here, contemplating if revenge or duty were more important to her.

"You know what he'd say."

There came a guttural growl from her chest at that voice, her own voice, and her grip on the cane tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"Murderer."

But Ozpin was gone, and she had only her own experience to form a new course. She had let vengeance cloud her judgment before, had done all she could to try and stop Torchwick, and it had only ended in more death. She closed her eyes, and focused on what she had become.

A huntress.

The last one, Ozpin has said.

Ruby opened her eyes, letting out a sigh as she relaxed and leaned back, pulling the cam up to look at the intricate designs running along the handle.

"It is a Huntress' sworn duty to protect this world, from any forces that conspire against it."

It was an old memory, during her first year in Beacon. After Blake had run, and she had been confronted by Ozpin in the wake of it, and the Headmaster has revealed that all along he had known about the ears she had pinned beneath her hair. Had known of what she was.

Pressing two fingers on the lever, she collapsed the cane down and stared at it for a moment before returning her gaze to the city below. Rage that had welled up inside her slowly bled away in the face of that memory, leaving behind it a clarifying acceptance.

She had failed to uphold that duty once before, but never again.

"Torchwick can wait, then."

The ride back down in the elevator was strange. Ruby felt different, somehow. Lighter. There was still a gnawing worry that the path she had be set on was setting her onto a collision course with Weiss, but there was also a sense that it was the right path forward. That is was what needed to be done to continue walking towards a brighter future.

It was a feeling that at once was both alien and familiar to her, an assurity she had not felt for four years. A purpose she hadn't expected to find. The last few months were filled with things she had not expected. Nearly dying at least a handful of times, training again to hone and direct her Aura almost as well as she used to, recovering Crescent Rose. Most of all, she hadn't expected to be reunited with or have fallen so quickly for..

The elevator dinged as it arrived, the doors sliding open to reveal the familiar Faunus that had been waiting for her, and two unknown women flanking the feline.

"Blake!"

Her musing smile had vanished, and the cane she held by its handle was extended as she rushed forward. It was the closest weapon on hand, and the few steps it took to reach the first stranger and lunge was almost too quick for her girlfriend to stop.

But an arm wrapped around her midsection and a step into her path brought her to a screeching halt. "Ruby! Its okay, they're.. Friends."

Blake gave her a slight smile at the way she was so ready to rush in to her defense, but waited until Ruby relaxed and collapsed the cane back into the handle before she pointed to the other two Faunus present. "This is Ilia Amitola, an.. Old friend of mine, still in the White Fang. And this is Sienna Khan, she used to lead the White Fang."

"Ah, the famous Ruby Rose.." The tiger Faunus looked her over, taking a step forward and extending a hand towards her. "It's good to finally meet you."

Looking again over at Blake, she blinked before shifting Ozpin's old weapon to her other hand to take the offered handshake. "I.. Heard you were dead?"

Sienna only laughed, shaking her head. "Adam Taurus is the kind of man to toss me off a mountain and not check if I ever hit the bottom. Luckily for me."

Ruby nodded in agreement, not really believing that was all there was to that story, before looking over at the more aloof Ilia. "And you?"

"Only here to convince Blake to join us."

The reply was decidedly cold, and it only took the way Blake glanced between them both to tell Ruby exactly why she had already struck out with the chameleon Faunus. But a touch of jealousy paled next to the idea of Blake returning to the group that had tortured her. "Join them..?"

Blake managed not to audibly gulp when silver eyes settled on her once again, searching her expression with a cautious look. "They.. Want us to help them take back the White Fang from Adam. To turn it back to its original purpose of establishing equality for Faunus."

"We kinda have some.." Ruby glanced between the strangers and her girlfriend, feeling suddenly as if this conversation needed to be had much more privately. Certainly away from two women she had just met and a body bleeding out on the floor. Instead, she did the next best she could, and stressed the next word. "Things.. We need to do first."

"So Blake told us. But time is of the essence." Looking into those striking orange eyes, it was easy to see why Sienna had inspired the fight for Faunus, had inspired Blake in her youth. There was passion behind her words, and a sort of charisma that even Ruby had to admit was tempting to follow. "Adam plans to attack the Gentlemen. He believes they are weak now, due in no small part to your escape from them, and I plan to have those loyal to me strike down those loyal to him during that battle. But it is an even fight, and we need an answer soon."

"You two are our best bet for an advantage. None of us hold any love for Adam Taurus, Blake is one of the most ferocious fighters I've ever met." There was a gleam to the smile Sienna sent Ruby's way in particular, and a knowing expression tossed towards the recovered weapon she held. "As for you, I suspect you are ever bit the Huntress they never let you be. I saw you in the Vytal Tournament, I saw your skill in battle. Having you on our side could make all the difference."

"And what about your plans for after we kill Adam and you get a whole gang of Faunus to follow you again?" Ruby didn't stop the glare that threatened to lend itself to her eyes. Sienna was clever, but it all felt a little too smooth to her. "You were the one who started the White Fang down the path of violence, and it didn't work."

Blake took a step to stand closer beside her girlfriend, sharing the same hard gaze set on Sienna. "A question I had as well. I won't fight for you to get your power back."

"I.. Understand your caution." The tigress looked between them for a long moment. Her ears, larger than both of theirs, folded down in a moment of what looked to be weary honesty. "In truth, I don't know what comes after. If the White Fang survives under my command, I don't even know if it will remain the White Fang. It was a name that was meant to be strong, a rallying point for our kind. Now it is.. Corrupted. Your father was a much better leader than I turned out to be, Blake."

Ruby looked over at her girlfriend, concern readily apparent in her eyes as she watched the older Faunus, the slight tightening around Blake's eyes. They had never talked about Blake's parents, and it left her wondering just what was being implied.

"Go. Do what you need to do. Ilia and I shall dispose of Yuma's body, and await your answer." Sienna Khan stepped aside, gesturing towards the door that led back outside, to the Beacon courtyard. The woman paused, looking them both over one last time before they parted. "But I would prefer you both had a say in the future of our species. If nothing else, think on that."

Yang was placing glasses in the sink when she heard the knock at the door to Ember Heights, and glanced over to it with a skeptical look. Pyrrha and Jaune had woken up only an hour ago, stumbling out of the bar in each other's arms to call from a cab to take them home. Auburn had returned to bed shortly after, her injuries draining much of her energy. She moved to unlock the deadbolt holding the door closed, and slowly opened the entrance a few inches.

Standing outside and soaked after their walk back through the storm were Ruby and Blake, but her younger sister gave her a smile despite the way the girl's wolf ears were folded down, the fur sticking up in odd ways due to being wet. Yang beckoned them in, closing and locking the door behind them as they began to peel away their wet jackets. "Everything go.. Alright?"

"It went.. Interestingly." Ruby shot a glance towards Blake before moving over to set her things down on the bar. "Also.. Found this." She turns back, using the mechanism within Crescent Rose to cause the weapon to unfold into its full size, and she carefully hefted it in both hands, its massive blade inches from the floor as she sheepishly grinned up at Yang.

Her sister rushed over with a curious expression, touching the red metal of the massive scythe. "Ozpin had this?" There was a sense of wonderment in Yang's voice, an echo of excitement that made Ruby's smile only grow. No matter what she said, Ruby knew that her sister missed the life of danger and combat, being in peak condition and never knowing what the next mission would bring. Even if she wouldn't return to that life, it was obvious now to see how she missed it.

"He found all the pieces somehow.. Fixed it to give to me." Ruby collapsed the weapon down again, setting it on the counter with a solid clang of metal. "I guess he wanted someone armed with a better weapon than a revolver following in his footsteps."

She snickered at the way Yang's expression had darkened when she looked back. "Not that I'm about to prance around Vale with a weapon that is obviously illegal. Well.. Not yet at least."

Blake stepped up to the blonde's side, her expression more serious. "What about Weiss?" When Yang looked between the two Faunus for an answer, she decided to elaborate. "Ozpin's message said that Ruby needs to take a data drive to Weiss to unlock it. However your little sister has been avoiding the question of whether she is going to."

When both sets of eyes settled on Ruby, she slid back onto one of the bar stools, letting out a sigh as her shoulders slumped. "I don't want to see her." The bitter taste of those words was the same acrid taste of truth, and she lowered her head to avoid looking at the other two women. "She doesn't want to see me."

A warm hand pressed down on her shoulder, gripping it tightly and comfortingly. It's presence drew her gaze upwards, until her eyes locked with the twin pools of bright lilac color staring back at her. "If you have to.. It could be a good way to put that past to rest. To move forward, like Dad always said to?"

She looked away, and continued to avert her eyes for a long moment before letting out a long sigh and finally tilting her head back to groan. "Fine." Yang laughed at her, and there was even a chuckle from Blake as she settled back against the bar. "But only because there isn't another way. I need her. But.. I don't know what will happen. Or even if she really did survive that bombing."

"She's going to be just fine. And we'll be right there, so you won't have to worry." Yang cheerfully explained before clapping her shoulder and letting go. Her sister shot a look towards Blake, standing a bit straighter. "I won't be sitting this one out."

The feline Faunus offered her a brief nod, before the blond woman looked back to Ruby. "But in the morning. I'm wiped and you two look like you haven't slept in a day. Get some sleep and we'll figure out how or even if we can get to Weiss tomorrow." Yang knocked on the bar counter a few times before walking towards the stairs, offering them a soft 'goodnight' before disappearing through the door.

Ruby let out a sigh, looking back at her girlfriend, who took a few steps to stand right next to the stool she sat in, her knees pressed just above Blake's hips as the older Faunus spoke. "We should get some sleep. Hopefully recover some of your Aura after that run in with Neo." When all she gave was avoidance and a soft noise that could have meant anything, she felt Blake press a little closer. "It's the only way forward, Ruby. But you have to want to walk it, remember that, please?"

"I know." She finally made eye contact with the other woman, her breath catching at how close those amber colored eyes were, and how completely they consumed her vision as she dumbly stared. That is, until a thought shook her from her stupor. "Blake.. What happened to your parents?"

There was a momentary expression of confusion that passed over Blake's face that was then replaced by sadness as the older Faunus took a few seconds to reply. "I.. Don't know." Ruby reached forward, draping both arms around her girlfriend's shoulders in order to offer what little comfort she could. "Adam never let me track them down, never let me call them. I know they're still in Menagerie."

Blake looked down then, her bangs hiding her expression as she spoke with a tone dipped in shame. "It's been years, I'm scared of what they will say if I reach out. The last time I saw them I called them cowards for not wanting to continue the fight." The Faunus chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head. "I was just a stupid little girl.."

Ruby settled a palm on Blake's chin, tilting her girlfriend's face up to look at her. "I'm sure they'd be happy to know you're okay, more than anything." She pulled the other Faunus close, touching their lips together tenderly.

When she finally pulled back from the kiss, Blake still looked uncertain, but perhaps a tiny bit more hopeful. "Maybe.. Maybe when this is all over? The enemies we've made, that Ozpin has us chasing.."

Ruby gave a slow nod, understanding the hesitation that their situation could bring. There was danger on all sides now, and it all felt like it was closing in. Adam wanted them dead, Torchwick wanted them dead, the police wanted to arrest her. That last one likely ended with her dead as well, if they were as paid off as Pyrrha thought. Unlike Blake, though, there was no reason to avoid Weiss aside from her own feelings. If things were as dire as Ozpin thought, then she could no longer hide from what she had done in order to spare herself grief.

Reaching down to pull Blake's scroll from the pocket of her girlfriend's jeans, she let out a sigh as she brought up the interface to make a call. She tried to ignore the proud smile that spread over the other Faunus' lips, but despite her efforts the corners of her own lips began to turn upward as it chased away the butterflies that were suddenly filling her stomach.

It was a number she had memorized during her years at Beacon, one she would not soon forget. She only had to hope that Weiss hadn't ever blocked the direct line they had set up for emergencies. Raising the device up to her ear, it rang exactly once before a click announced it was picked up. "Office of Weiss Schnee, Penny Polendina speaking. Ms. Schnee is unavailable, can I take a message?"

"I need to speak to Weiss." The assistant who had answered her call was already beginning to rattle on into what had to be a scripted excuse. But she trusted in her instinct, trusted that her former partner would not go down so easily. She locked eyes with Blake, with those gorgeous pools of molten gold and admired the pale skin that contrasted so wonderfully with the wild, dark hair that fell about her girlfriend's shoulders. "Tell her it's Ruby Rose."

And just like that, the line went dead silent, and she knew that her gut had been right.

"James, can you hear me?"

Weiss Schnee stood over her desk, using her index finger to tune in the dials on the connection. A secured transmission was always a pain to ensure the quality of the call, but it meant that no one else was going to be listening in, that she could speak without fear her ruse would be uncovered. The holographic display flickered with static, and though she could hear Commander Ironwood speaking, it was so garbled as to be unintelligible.

She flipped her bangs out of her vision with a huff of annoyance before fiddling with another dial, finally cracking the smallest of grins when the gray streaked hair came into view on the screen. "There we go. How about now, James?"

"Better, Weiss. Good to see you vertical." There was a haze of static that passed over the screen, but she could still see the way the man was smiling at being informed of her safety. "I can send for Winter, if you want?"

"No need, Commander." She spoke matter-of-factly, though there was a tug of guilt at the realization her older sibling was operating under the thought she was clinging to life in a coma. Winter had never been particularly close, but in the wake of their mother's death, she was the only family left that Weiss considered worthy of the word. "Please inform her privately after this, but for now I need your help."

She pressed the haptic interface on her desk a few times before sending the relevant surveillance to the other end of the call, and watched as Ironwood's eyes scanned over the photos. "The Council has wasted no time in taking advantage of my apparent demise, and Barricade forces have been deployed into Vale instead of remaining on the wall. I need you to attempt to order them back to their posts, before the situation deteriorates."

It took a long moment for Ironwood to speak up, and if Weiss hadn't known any better, she could have sworn she saw him nervously shift from foot to foot. "I can try, but with you remaining out of commission, the Council's orders do supercede my own.."

"I know, James." She leaned forward, shaking her head as she felt the walls closing in. If the Council learned she survived, they could seize upon the confusion and storm the building using her own forces before she knew her duplicity was discovered. Something had to give, had to go right. She refused to believe that she could be laid low, that her mission could fail due to the selfish ambitions of a few jumped-up bureaucrats. "But you are the only ranking member I trust to try. I am without allies here, and to reveal myself would run our enemies to ground. I just need them to be a bit bolder, to expose themselves just a hair more.. And I will bring them down."

Ironwood watched her for a second, his blue eyes searching through her expression as if he were checking if she were still sane. It was a fair assessment, she had just openly admitted that the Council was her enemy, that she wanted them to overextend so she could attack. But he relaxed after a moment and stood at attention, his loyalty had been earned over the years, over her commitment to Remnant and its people. "Then I will do my best, Weiss."

The door to her room slid open, the long hallway leading to the other rooms of the penthouse floor of Schnee Tower revealed as Penny stepped in with an urgent expression on her face. Glancing to her assistant for a moment before turning back, she moved to press the interface to end the call. "Good, report to me once its done. Schnee out."

She rested against the desk for a long moment, before taking a deep breath and turning to face her assistant. "Yes, Ms. Polendina?"

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Ms. Schnee." There was an undeniable squeak to the young woman's voice, a nervousness that almost made her smile. She saw the scroll clutched in Penny's hands, and could ascertain that it must have been some journalist who refused to take accept the official story and had flustered the poor girl. "It's just.."

"Penny. Assertiveness, we have talked about this. Tell whoever it is that I am in terrible condition and physically cannot speak." She tilted her head at the way the woman practically pranced as she walked over briskly.

Penny kept her voice low as she whispered out her next words, worried of how they might be received. "It's Ruby Rose!"

That stunned Weiss. She was wholly unprepared for that to be who was on the other end of that scroll, and sent her thoughts spinning as she immediately began to pace the length of her desk. The remnant of her right arm began to throb immediately, and she could feel every vein that coursed with that accursed venom, the last memento of the girl she had been glad to be rid of.

But circumstances had changed.

She paused midstep, turning back to face her assistant. "Tell her how to get in without being seen. One of the security doors I enter through, one with no cameras. You will escort her up here personally, do you understand?"

Penny hesitated, watching her with a perplexed expression. "Ms. Schnee.. Are you sure?"

Weiss rocked back on a heel at that thought, glancing over to the darkened windows and down into the muted image of Vale below. "No, I am not. But Commander Ironwood is unlikely to succeed in wresting control of the Barricade forces from the Council, and I am frightfully short of allies." She slid her gaze back to the other woman, giving another nod. "There are too few to trust in Vale, and no one else skilled enough to help me. If nothing else, Ruby can be trusted to not try and kill me."

At least, Weiss hoped that was the case.

Author's Note: What's that, three updates in a month? What sorcery is this?! Volume 6 has reinvigorated me, to say the very least of it!(Seriously though HOW GOOD IS THIS VOLUME?!) So I want you all to know that your words of support and well wishes have been much appreciated. I love that you guys are enjoying the story, and I want to thank you all for being incredibly good sports with an author with an altogether spotty update record. You are all fantastic, and I love you to death! I hope this chapter satisfies, because the next will be.. Rough. Thank you again to all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed Last Huntress, your support means the world! Please let me know what you think, as well. 'Til next time! -Fox

Also!: You'll find Last Huntress over on Archive, if you fancy that site more. Just look for Last Huntress under the RWBY tag or look for Foxinstrazt, I snagged the same pen name I've got here!