Chapter Eleven: Status Failure.
The slow beeps were the only noise in the room. Every once and a while the sounds of passing footsteps would hurry past but they would fade just as quickly as they came. Ice blue eyes stared at the figure laying in the bed barely blinking. They had failed. Actually they had passed their fist mission according to Beacon's records, the deaths of the civilian hunting party however unfortunate were not their fault, they had chosen to go out on their own with limited weapons and supplies and met with their fate. When they had passed on the information that their leader had discerned the Headmaster had told them it would be moved onto a full team of Hunters to investigate. It would fall to them to discover who had killed the civilians and recover their bodies.
Even the injuries that had been sustained didn't merit a failure, injuries were to be expected from field missions, it was one of the reasons Beacon had a topnotch medical staff. Yang had dislocated her right shoulder from charging an Ursa that had been foolish enough to get close to her team but had impacted at an odd angle putting to much strain on the joint, she had been ordered into a sling for two days, which would probably only last that long because of her partner. Blake had five long gashes on her back from where a Beowolf had been able to land a solid blow when she had turned at the scream. Weiss herself was the least harmed, only a small slice on her leg from where Crescent Rose had past her as it fell, she hadn't even noticed until the outpost EVAC had reached them and a medic pointed it out. Ruby on the other hand was barely alive by the time they had reached the outpost.
The claws of the Reaver had torn through the young wolf leaving five two inch wide punctures on her back and five slightly smaller holes on her stomach. It had been fortunate it had been one of the only remaining Grimm when it attacked, if they had to continue fighting Ruby would have bled out. It was too close as it was, they had only brought one can of medical foam with them to the nest not counting on needed more than that so they had to make sure to spread it out as evenly as they could until they reached their camp. Once they did they only stopped briefly to pick up their essential supplies as well as apply more of the sealing foam to the wolf before racing back to the village and calling for an emergency EVAC from the outpost.
Reaching the outpost took an hour in the small, speedy bullhead continuous transfusions and foam the only thing keeping Ruby alive. When they had arrived she had been rushed into surgery to repair the internal damage, lacerated intestines were the largest concern because of the risk of infection. Her liver had also received a small cut but it too was sealed. She had lost a lot of blood and the risk for infection was still high but she had pulled through. Once the crimson girl was stable they had been moved back to Beacon, where she would be watched in the infirmary, the doctors saying she would be awake by the middle of the week and that she was going to be fine.
After hooking up an Aura boost drip a doctor or nurse only stopped in about every two hours to check on her vitals and change the drip. They had stopped bothering the white haired girl with trivial questions after receiving nothing but short clipped answers. The questions were all the same; was Ruby showing any signs of pain, was she moving in any way, was there any signs of waking early. The answers were all the same too. Ruby had a peaceful calm expression only a small twitch of an ear came occasionally, any movement was small with great expanses of time between them, and not once did she show signs of waking early.
Weiss hadn't left her partner's side since they had returned to Beacon. The only time she hadn't been beside the redhead was when they had pulled her back into surgery at the signs of continued internal bleeding. It had been two hours of torture for the Heiress as she sat outside in the waiting room, her head in her hands. This had happened because of her. Ruby had been injured because she hadn't been paying attention to her back. The moment they had moved into a box formation she had dropped her attention on her back and it had nearly cost her. If it hadn't been for the crimson wolf she would have been the one to get injured she would have been the one that nearly died. But that stupid irresponsible hyperactive redhead had saved her; she had taken the Heiress place. Tears pulled at her eyes.
When Ruby had saved her Weiss felt the ice cold grip of fear clench her heart as she watched her silver eyes fill with pain before falling shut. Anger filled her veins as she lunged at the Reaver that had injured her partner killing the offending Grimm with the sting of her steel. Panic made her breathing irregular as she moved the young girl onto her back, her clothes already drenched in her blood. Dread pulled at her mind as she and Blake cut the clothes away and began applying the medical foam to the wounds, there was no way the small amount they had would seal the wounds properly. But somehow they had done it; somehow they had been able to make it back to the village with the redhead clinging to life.
Now Weiss sat in a cold room staring at the bed where her partner lay the only sound the beeping of the heart monitor.
Over the past few days the Heiress had catalogued and analyzed every emotion she had had because of Ruby. The fear of losing her partner was most likely cause by the fact that she had never had a close friend before and now that she had a person who was willing to call herself that Weiss didn't want to lose it. The sadness whenever the crimson girl was down could be due to the fact that when she was happy she could make the world seem less cold. That cursed fluttering in her heart when the girl smiled at her or she watched as silver eyes flashed with happiness, she had figured that out just recently while watching her partner.
Contrary to belief Weiss knew what it was to feel an attachment towards someone, she had just never felt it before. Not once on any of the dates she had been forced on had she taken an interest in the person. They were all so dull and lifeless that she would practice Dust formulas in her head to keep from showing her disinterest. But now here was this small crimson haired girl that had literally exploded into her life that could hold her interest for hours just by writing her notes. Which a small twitch of her ears and tail the girl could send her heart sputtering in the most eccentric ways. And Weiss understood why, she had formed an attachment to Ruby.
And she didn't know what to do.
Growing up she had never seen a true form of friendship, she had been taught that there was no such thing and that everyone was just to be used to further her goals. She had been shown that attachments could be used against a person, personal feelings were easy to manipulate. If the wrong person got ahold of the wrong information then they essentially owned you. She had seen it done by her own father. She had witnessed as he forced a board member into retirement with just a simple mention of his granddaughter and how terrible it would be if something were to happen to her on a trip she was on.
But the more Weiss looked at Ruby she couldn't think like she had been taught to think. She couldn't think how she could use the crimson girl for her own means. She couldn't see how she could use what she held dearly against her. All she could think was how much Ruby meant to her. All she could see was the small redheaded wolf laying in a bed that by all rights should have been hers.
The question that the Heiress had now was how did Ruby feel about her? It wasn't hard to guess actually, the redhead was always happy around her and always wanted to be around her. The smile Ruby would give her seemed to light up the world around them igniting a small flame inside of her cold heart. That smile that had started to work it's way into the Heiress' thoughts at seeming random moments, that smile that she wanted to see so desperately right now.
A small twitch from a crimson ear made ice blue eyes flick to them. Their velvety looking texture seemed to call out to Weiss causing her to want to run her fingers along the fur that covered them; she could almost imagine their softness. It also caused another thought to enter the Heiress' mind. Ruby was a Faunus. She was a Schnee. Their friendship put the young wolf in danger from her own family. Weiss knew the physical threats that they could use would not matter to Ruby, she could take care of herself. It was the mental and emotional dangers that they could bring down that made the Heiress fear for the wolf. She had experienced first hand the damage those could do and she would not allow Ruby to go through what she did, she would protect her. She would keep Ruby safe. And to do that she could not get any closer to the wolf than what she already felt. It was for Ruby's safety that their friendship would remain one that was kept at a distance, but still close that she could make sure the crimson girl remained safe.
Closing her eyes Weiss promised that she would protect Ruby.
A hushed whine caused all thoughts to halt in her mind causing her eyes to snap open and focus on the girl's face. Ruby's face was pinched in pain; eyelids scrunched together, lips pulled back in a tight line, crimson ears moving erratically in different directions. Again a whine slipped from her lips causing Weiss heart to break. Unsure if she should call for the doctor or not the white haired girl spotted the wolf's hand clenching and unclenching. Settling on her options she pulled her chair closer and slipped her own hand into her partners pulsing her Aura against hers.
Slowly the girl's face relaxed and the whine stopped. Weiss felt Ruby's hand grasp her own back weakly causing a small smile to cross her face; she would call the doctor if it came back but for now she would comfort the crimson wolf. She would not fail again. She would be better next time. She would keep Ruby safe from harm. She would figure out what she should do next.
The only reason Yang had tolerated the sling on her dominate arm was the panther that was sitting beside her. If Blake hadn't glared at her every time she went to remove it she knew she would have taken it off the moment she left the infirmary. To her it was unnecessary, the dislocation hadn't caused any damage to the muscles that her Aura hadn't taken care of already maybe a tear here and there but for the most part she was fine, the doctors were only being cautions because of how long she had left it dislocated.
The sling wasn't actually the problem was the fact that because she couldn't lift an arm above her head she hadn't been able to wash her hair thoroughly and it bothered her. The only thing she loved more in this world besides the people in her life was her hair. Yang didn't think herself vain it was just she loved the attention her hair drew, something about the blonde locks always drew people to her. Another reason was because of her mom, she had loved Yang's hair always telling her how beautiful it was in the sun as she ran her fingers through it. To her it was her connection to her mom so she always wanted to keep it in perfect condition and the fact that she couldn't was starting to affect her already sour mood.
And the blonde's mood was starting to affect her partner's.
Blake was growing more and more irritated with the brawler's moping, sure Ruby was hurt pretty bad but the doctors had told them that she would make a full recovery and have no lasting side effects from her injuries. Her teams quick action had saved the wolf's life so now they just had to let her heal. After returning to Beacon she had made the report to the Headmaster while Yang and Weiss stayed with the wolf, she had been disturbed when she learned that Grimm hadn't caused the deaths of the civilians. The last time she knew the White Fang wasn't that far from Vale but if they had moved since she had left which was highly probable then he could have been the cause of the massacre, it wasn't uncommon for him to kill a wondering hiker if they stumbled upon their camp.
Blake had left out her suspicions when she had reported to her team's findings to the Headmaster but the way he had looked at her as she talked made her feel as if he already knew every thought that had crossed through her mind. That fact made the panther uneasy, if he was aware of her past then she wondered how long it was before she was placed under arrest and interrogated for information on the White Fang.
"Stupid piece of cloth." Yang muttered under her breath as shifted on the bed slightly trying to balance her scroll on knee and hand. Blake rolled her eyes, she had been able to convince the brawler to leave Ruby's side for a short amount of time each day telling her that they would be back after they slept, got food or freshened up. Weiss had been another matter, the Heiress wouldn't leave the wolf's side for anything causing Blake to wonder what was going through her icy eyes. The fact that she was concerned about the Faunus was enough to help make up Blake's mind about how she felt about the Heiress. She would reveal her nature to Weiss once Ruby had recovered.
Shaking her head at the thought of the wolf Blake was just thankful that it was only the wolf and her in their small 'pack'. With the Alpha down it would fall to her to make sure things went smoothly, actually looking at their team Blake realized that she had been doing just that. The panther wondered idly if Team JNPR would eventually be considered in their 'pack', with the way Ruby was she honestly wouldn't be surprised. There was another shift from the blonde beside her as she muttered something about her hair again causing Blake to snap her book shut, she was tired of her partner complaining about her hair. "Get up." She commanded as she stood making Yang looked at her in confusion.
"What?" She asked as she slowly stood from the bed.
"Good now come on." Blake continued as she turned to head to the bathroom.
Yang blinked a small smirk started to cross her face, "Oh so that's what you want? Normally you'd have to by me dinner first to get a shower with me but since you're so cute I'll let it slide this time."
"Not even." Blake called over her shoulder grabbing a towel from the brawlers stack before pointing to the tub.
"So it's gonna be a cat bath then?" Yang continued to smirk as she shrugged out of her jacket lilac eyes smoldering.
"Yang." Blake growled getting her to pause, "We are not taking a bath. I am going to wash your hair so you'll stop complaining about it." Yang froze in her stop eyes growing wide at the black haired girl.
"N-n-no you really don't have to do that." She stuttered backing away slowly. She didn't let other's touch her hair anymore, Ruby could for a brief amount of time but it still made her heart hammer.
"Don't be stupid," Blake rolled her eyes approaching the blonde as she continued to back away, "You keep complaining so let me help you." Each step she took forward was mirrored backwards by the blonde. Why was Yang acting like this? The panther had expected her partner to make jokes about how it would be like getting a cat bath not retreating away from her.
"Blake really no, you don't need to do that." Yang continued to back away, her mind flinging her back to an alley in Vale.
Blake narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "Yang what is wrong with you? Normally I would expect you to jump at this chance not act like a shy school girl."
"Hey this isn't one of those smut books you read," Yang chuckled continuing to back away. "Don't think you can seduce me with a smile and the innocent promise of just washing my hair." Blake rolled her eyes as a small amount of blush graced her cheeks, that was a bit more like Yang.
"It's not smut." Blake huffed, "It's good literature. And my actions having nothing to do with trying to seduce you, I'm just trying to help my partner." At that moment Yang had run out of space and back up against the wall, see her chance Blake pounced pinning the blonde to the wall. "Now I'm going to wash your hair and you're going to stop complaining about it." Grabbing her wrist Blake began to march them both back towards the tub.
"Blake." Yang warned as they neared the tub, she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. Seeing that the black hair girl wasn't going to stop the brawler pulled back and removed her wrist from her partner's grip. Blake had been expecting Yang to break her grip and moved like a black blur. Using her shadow she jump around to the blonde's exposed back just as Yang turned sweeping her feet while grabbing at her wrists again. With Yang's feet off the ground the panther took her to the ground, using another shadow to soften the blow of the fall. Yang felt her back hit the ground as Blake straddled her hips, a glare in her amber eyes.
Blake had been expecting Yang's eyes to be filled with heat from the sudden take down, that was the blondes normal reaction to a hit. She wasn't ready for what she saw. Fear. Instead of fire the lilac irises were full of panic and fear as the girl stared up into her amber eyes. She could feel the blonde tremble below her slightly as her breathing became ragged. She had been ready for the blonde to try and throw her off but she was not ready for this. Her heart shattered as she saw tears slip from the corners of Yang's eyes as they stared blankly up at her.
"Yang!" Blake cried out as the blonde continued to shake, "Yang what's wrong?" She hadn't taken that hard of a hit had she? Was this reaction because of her? What had she done to cause this? "Yang, please talk to me. Yang!" She could hear the ragged breaths of the blonde below her causing a spike of fear to course through the panther.
Slowly the sneers and screams dimmed in the blonde's mind, the feeling of hands grabbing her faded, the smell of stagnate trash was replaced with the smell of lilies, a dark dim alley once again became the teams bathroom and greedy eyes became the tear filled amber orbs of her partner. She could feel the panther's tears drip down on her as she called out her name. Blake's voice sounded like it was behind a wall of water coming to her muffled and distorted.
"Yang!" The black haired girl called again as she hovered over her partner, she could slowly see the lights returning to lilac eyes causing relief to flood through her heart, "Yang come on, come back to me. I'm right here, focus on my voice I'm right here. I'm sorry just come back to me."
"Blake?" Yang breathed as she finally focused back in on the present.
A large sigh of relief came from the panther as she buried her face in the blonde's neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She mumbled out into Yang's neck. Whatever had happened she had been the one to cause it, but she had no idea what had triggered that response. She felt a soft hand make it to the back of her neck as Yang stroked her back in a comforting fashion. That made no sense at all to Blake, she had just caused Yang to fall into a full-blown panic attack and now she was comforting her when it should have been the other way around.
"Hey, it's okay." Yang's voice was horse as she held Blake close. "It's okay kitty cat."
Blake pulled away quickly looking down at the blonde, "No it's not Yang. I cause you to freak out, what even started that?" She stared down at lilac eyes as they blinked up at her.
"I-it was nothing." Yang looked away from the intense eyes looking down at her.
Blake felt her chest hurt as Yang continued to look away, "Yang talk to me, please."
Yang looked up at her partner. Amber eyes were filled with tears as the panther looked down at her searching for why she had gone into a panic attack. Yang wanted to brush it off like it was nothing, she didn't want Blake to know why she had broken down suddenly, she had to be strong so people didn't find out. People couldn't learn what had happened, if they knew they would only come to hate and fear her. But looking up at the amber eyes that she had learned to read she could see the fear that Blake herself had been the one to cause her to break down. While the take down the panther had preformed hadn't helped it had been Yang's own mind that brought the panic attack on at the thoughts of someone touching her hair again. Taking a steading breath Yang pushed down her fear of Blake hating her.
"You know I'm protective of my hair right?" Yang started as she continued to stare up at Blake, the panther nodded. "When I was thirteen I went into Vale by myself, usually Dad or Qrow would go with me but they were both busy and I really needed to go so I went alone. I didn't really pay attention to the time and before I knew it, it had gotten late. I was in a shadier part of town, like the kind where you don't go after it gets dark. Anyways there were these guys that started to follow me, I didn't really pay much attention cause I can take care of myself but Dad always told me to be careful in fights cause of my strength so I tried to get away. Next thing I knew they had cornered me down an alley, when I tried to break away one of them grabbed my hair and managed to take me down."
Blake heard the brawlers voice break as she relived her memories again, pulling herself closer she tired to comfort her partner. "I don't know why I didn't activate my semblance when I hit the ground, probably shock or something but the moment I hit they jumped on me ripping at my clothes and pulling my hair ripping strands out. Their hands where everywhere holding me down and groping anything they could reach. I don't remember what happened next but what I do remember is standing in the middle of that alley surrounded by broken bodies with my hands covered in blood." Yang shuddered pulling Blake closer, "So now when other people touch my hair I remember that night, usually I'm pretty good at bring myself back."
"So when I took you down it triggered a lot harder didn't it." Blake figured getting a nod from the blonde. The panther cringed, she had thought she was going to help her partner only to cause her to fall into a panic attack. "Yang I'm so sorry."
"Hey, hey." Yang hushed her stroking her hair again, "You didn't know and I'm fine now. A little shaken but it's not like you'd hurt me or anything knowingly so no harm no foul." Again Blake couldn't believe that Yang was comforting her when she should be comforting her. "Besides I've got to admit coming around to see your pretty face is definitely a great way to come back."
Blake smiled against the exposed skin, a flirt or not the blonde's words made her heart beat a bit faster. "Anata burondo baka ga, watashi wa anata no tame no rakka to omoimasu.*" She whispered.
Yang grinned as her breath ghosted over her skin, "All I got was 'You blonde idiot.' But the other words were not so harsh so I'll assume they were nice." Blake smiled again as she pushed off of the blonde sitting up.
"We'll have to work on your Menagerian." The panther took in her partner. Tear tracks still covered her face but gone was the panic and fear in the lilac irises. "Come on let's get you cleaned up." She held out her hand.
Taking the outstretched hand Yang grinned cheekily at the panther. "Oh so I am getting a cat bath." Blake released her hand sending her crashing back onto the tile floor with a heavy thud. "Ow." She complained rubbing her sore bottom. "What was that for Blake."
"I'm not giving you a bath." Blake rolled her eyes as she grabbed a washcloth. "Just washing your face." With the wet rag she dapped at the blonde's face gently. "There all done."
Yang watched as the panther straightened back up, rewetted the rag then rung it out before wiping her own face. Again she was stuck with the beauty of the black haired girl. Her jet black hair shining like black silk, her amber eyes bright as gold, tone and lean muscles ripped as she moved. As she continued to watch her partner the brawler realized that this was a girl she cared about. No one had ever gotten her to tell them why she was so protective of her hair and yet Blake had managed to just by being there for her. A thought occurred to the blonde.
Standing up she moved to the side of the Faunus, "Hey Blake." She started, a shapely eyebrow was raised in the mirror. "What would you say if I was kinda taken by you?"
Blake froze, she didn't think Yang had caught her words. Looking at lilac eyes the panther realized she hadn't and was asking her own 'hypothetical' question. Taking a deep breath the panther turned to look at her partner. "I would ask you the same question." She back up against the sink as Yang took a few steps forward reversing their earlier positions.
"I would be a little surprised." Yang smirked as she leaned forward, their faces inches apart. She could feel the breath of the panther ghost across her lips, closing her eyes all she had to do was lean forward and… her lips met open air. Lilac eyes snapped open just in time to see the last flickers of Blake's shadow dissipate in the air. A snicker behind her made her whip around in time to watch as Blake walked away from her, hips swaying.
"Come, come Yang." The panther chide as she looked over her shoulder. "Did you really think I would be that easy to catch?" With a smirk the brawler followed after her partner, determined to catch her cat next time.
"Wǒ huì zhuā zhù nǐ de xiǎo māo, yīnwèi wǒ ài shàngle nǐ.*" She called out after her partner.
The first thing Ruby was aware of was the pain. The tightness in her stomach and back pulled at her muscles as the world began to return around her. Her throat burned and ached as if she had been breathing sawdust for weeks on end. Her head felt like it weighted a hundred pounds as she tried to lift it. Sounds were distant and muted as she tried to bring herself out of the haze. Her eyelids were heavy and refused to open cause her to become irritated. She needed to know where she was, she needed to know why she felt this familiar warmth in her hand.
Focusing her mind the wolf pushed against the haze holding her down. Slowly it began to give way, taking deep breaths Ruby began to force herself up out of the darkness and towards the warmth. Each breath brought her closer to escaping. With each passing moment she was getting closer and closer to the warmth. Just one more push…
Silver eyes fluttered open to a soft constant beeping. The world around the wolf was cast in a muted light from the moon, the silvery light causing long shadows around the room. A small dripping sound made her look to her left, a drip bag of Aura boost was hooked up onto a metal stand the clear liquid slowly trailing down the tube and into the needle Ruby could feel in her hand. The beeping caused by a heart monitor hooked up to her chest, the lines on the screen mapping her heart rate, oxygen levels and respiration rate.
With a groan she put together where she was, an infirmary. The most likely case was that she was at Beacons infirmary. But why was she there? The last thing she remembered was a black blur heading toward…
Weiss!
Now she remembered. There had been a Reaver that had rushed pasted between her and Yang to attack the back of the Heiress when she had rushed to push her out of the way. Ruby could remember the watching as the white haired girl fell away from the push she had given her, but what had happened next was still a blank. Focusing her breathing the wolf forced herself back to those few moments that were missing.
Pain, she could remember waves of pain radiating outward from her back and stomach as someone screamed out her name. Next were flashes of time, Blake and Weiss hovering over her. Trees moving past as someone carried her. New faces hovering over her poking and prodding at her stomach and back, bright white lights. With a sigh Ruby realized she would have to ask someone what had really happened to her if she wanted the full story.
Opening her eyes again the wolf looked towards her hand and towards the source of the warmth. Elegant fingers with well manicured nails held her own hand lightly, following the arm back up to its owner Ruby felt her heart hammer in her chest.
Weiss was sitting in chair just off to the side of the bed, her head tipped slightly to the side as the Heiress slumbered. Her face was peaceful and smooth in the pale light giving her light skin an even more translucent look to her. If it wasn't for the fact she was holding her hand Ruby would have sworn the Heiress was a specter of her imagination, but she could feel the warmth radiating from between their hands letting her know that she was in fact real.
Looking at the white haired girl Ruby realized just how beautiful she was. The white silky strands of hair looked just like the light that illuminated the room, smooth almost flawless skin was soft and warm, the only mare was the long scar that covered her left eye but even that held beauty in it the two off centered lines gave the Heiress an air of mystery. Her pale lips glistened with light moisture. Ruby wondered what they tasted like.
Her thoughts stopped.
Ruby had never had that thought towards anyone before. Not once on any of her travels had she found herself as interested in a person as she had in the Heiress. Sure there had been interesting people to look at and to meet but no one that could cause her heart to flutter with a single smile or cause to want her be around them more but the more time she spent around the Heiress the more she found herself wanting to be around the white haired girl. She had no problem with the idea of a same sex relationship, she had seen many of them in her travels and from her sister. But what if Weiss didn't feel the same way?
Deep in her heart Ruby felt a pang as she thought that. How could Weiss feel the same way about her? She was a Faunus and Weiss had been raised to hate them. Sure the Heiress had told her that she didn't feel that way about her race but it was one thing to not hate and another to feel love for. Even if Weiss didn't hate Faunus the likelihood of her being able to feel what Ruby felt for her was small. Ruby didn't even know if Weiss liked girls like that to begin with either. In all of their talks Weiss had only mentioned on going on forced dates with men, but then again if her family hated an entire race it wasn't an entire stretched to believe they could hate a person for who they loved too.
But Weiss had said she wasn't her family. Weiss had accepted her for being a Faunus. She had accepted her for her already. So would Weiss also accept her for wanting to be with her?
Ruby wasn't sure what she should do next but as she sat there watching the frosty girl in the pale light the wolf did know one thing, she really wanted to know what Weiss tasted like.
A/N: Hello again, so I know another Weiss is an idiot and being stupid plot line before they get together (groan) but honestly I want to try to show her lines of thought as she tries to figure herself out coming from a repressive family, don't worry this won't last long I want to move this along. If you've never seen or experienced someone having a panic attack it's frighting and scary as hell (speaking from both sides) and even the strongest people we know can have them.
With that: I hope you all feel my thanks every week, stop in a say what's good, and have a beautiful day that lasts forever.
AND: To those of you who are about to go through finals like me, may the force be with you and good luck.
Blake- You blonde idiot, I think I am falling for you.
Yang- I will catch you Kitten, because I am falling for you.