A/N: Much like that DXD/FGO fic I uploaded not too long ago, this is another story idea that I wrote pre-2018 but never got around to uploading. In this case though this was an idea that was posed, redesigned, and reposed a total of six times - with this being the sixth iteration of the concept. I was reading through the old notes I left behind about it along with the 1-2 chapters written and deemed it worthy of being resurrected and actually uploaded.
Got three chapters finished and working on a fourth at the moment, will hopefully have chapters up every ten days or so. Also of note is that this fic starts pre-canon.
That said, I do hope you enjoy~
Reflections of the Soul
Chapter 1: Garnet Snow
Ruby Rose had made the trek to her mother's grave many times.
Be it in the bright spring months, the long evenings of the summer or the growing dark of the autumn season, the only thing that ever really stopped her was storms, and even then that just delayed her trips until it cleared. When she was younger she visited the grave on a regular schedule, always on a Saturday and with a small picnic brought with her so she could tell her mom about how the week had gone.
As time passed though her visits grew more sporadic. She still visited regularly, but no longer adhered to a routine. She wasn't sure when it'd started; maybe it was just because attending Signal put a strain on her free time, or that she was starting to heal and didn't feel the need to always be there – but still, even as times changed she could never deny that visiting her mother's grave brought her comfort, even if she knew that said mother wasn't buried there. It made her feel close to her in a way.
The trip up to the plateau though was... hazardous, at best.
Grimm inhabited the quaint island of Patch. No matter how many times Huntsmen came and swept the island clean they always returned and in numbers impossible to have simply hidden away, to the point many thought that they simply grew out of the ground. An impossible feat, they all knew, but they could offer no other explanation as to how the Grimm kept reappearing on the island. Thankfully though the regular cullings kept the population in check and meant there was only some low-class Grimm present, such as Beowolves and the occasional Ursa. Threats, yes, but nothing the local and retired Huntsmen couldn't eliminate easily.
One location that the Grimm were more common was the forest near Summer Rose's grave, up on the plateau. Not for any reason, just that it was far from the main settlement on the island, but that meant that Ruby had to deal with them often on her trips.
Such as today.
''...hmph.''
Pouting to herself Ruby hefted her beloved sniper-scythe onto her shoulder, sweeping her gaze around the snow-covered plateau, finding nothing but dissipating remains of Grimm. Like they were made of ash the black particles evaporated up into the air, carried away with a strong breeze to destinations unknown. When no other howls of battle or snarls of stalking Grimm came she felt confident enough to collapse her trusty weapon back into its more compact form, holstering it behind her back.
Once upon a time Beowolves might've intimidated her. Now they were easy-peasy for her; practice, if anything. She hadn't even taken more than a handful of hits, and all of those were absorbed by her Aura.
Turning her back to the dark forest Ruby finally approached her mother's grave. It was a small thing by the edge; quaint, humble, much like her mother herself had been. Her silver eyes swept over the inscription like they had a thousand times before, yet the familiarity brought her a comfort she couldn't name. A comfort that was pushed aside, however, as she let her gaze fall further and noticed an odd lump next to the grave.
It was small but noticeable, and after a second Ruby squatted down by it and brushed aside the snow. Her fingers bumped against something cold and metallic, making her flinch, but it only fuelled her curiosity to new heights and encouraged her to unearth the unseen object. The powdery snow came away easily, revealing a glossy gold that gradually expanded into a cup as she dug it out of the snow.
''The heck...?'' Ruby blinked, gently grasping the sides and lifting it out at last – raising it up to get it in the moonlight.
It was a cup, or a goblet to be more precise. It was gold and surprisingly heavy, with what looked like rubies forming a line down one side of the goblet down to its stem – and when she turned it she realised there was sapphires on the other side, then emeralds after that and with amethyst forming the fourth cardinal direction. Coupled with the encrusted rim of the glass it looked awkward for drinking from, but there was a richness to it that made Ruby's eyes sparkle.
''I wonder if I can sell it...'' She breathed to herself, a grin spreading across her lips. ''I could buy so many sweets if I did~!''
It was a childish thought, but an honest one; even if it was just gold she was sure it'd fetch a pretty penny. However curiosity encouraged her to inspect it further, her mind turning to why it was here at her mother's grave. Had someone came to visit and dropped it by accident? Or had they left it – and if so, why? Did they know her mother and left it as a sign of respect? Or was this maybe a hint to her and her family that it was related to Summer Rose? Maybe even Summer herself left it...
Ruby pursed her lips, then banished that thought. It was a cruelly-hopeful thought, but one she knew was unlikely – Summer had been gone for so long, she doubted she was still out there. She wouldn't, couldn't say that her mother was dead for sure, but she'd had to face the facts years ago. Her mother was gone. Not dead, but gone. If she hadn't come back to see them in all this time then there must be a reason why; she wouldn't leave a 'hint' for them. She wasn't cruel and manipulative like that, she'd at least leave a letter or something.
Frowning she inspected the goblet in more detail. ''Hm...''
Lifting it up above her head she noticed writing on the underside. She really had to squint to see it, not just because of the light level but also how tiny it was scrawled, each letter ornate but fitting snugly in the limited space, slowly spiralling inwards towards its centre.
''For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death.'' Ruby read aloud, squinting as an odd feeling of familiarity hit her.
Unbeknownst to her, a golden light flickered to life within the goblet.
''I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee." Ruby recited, recalling then that it was the chant for awakening Aura in people. ''Huh... weird. Maybe it's from the old days when...''
Suddenly she became aware of a distant, high-pitched whining, like her ears were ringing after a loud gunshot. Blinking she lowered her goblet, her eyes widening as she noticed the steadily-glowing glare of golden light within the cup itself, like a flare that was ready to explode.
''Um... is it supposed to do that...?''
The light glowed brighter.
''Uh oh...''
The last thing Ruby saw was a blinding, all-consuming flash of light – and then total darkness.
X-x-X
''Ugh...''
Pain was the first thing Ruby felt. A dull, achy sort of pain that pervaded her bones the moment she dared twitch. She scrunched her face up and tried to turn but her body was as heavy as lead, her limbs limp by her sides, but with some effort she managed to open her eyes. Her vision blurred for a long second, forcing her to blink several times until it cleared.
When it did she found herself looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. Grey, flaking and revealing the wooden panelling beyond in places, it was most certainly not her bedroom, nor Yang's or even her dad's. The thought helped stir her more awake, coherency returning to her with painful slowness, but her eyes at least worked – flicking right and spotting fraying old wallpaper, red in colour and peeling from the walls. It was then that she realised she was in an unfamiliar bed as well, the covers pulled tight and the pillow hard under her head.
It was when she looked left though that she was given the greatest surprise of all. There, sat just a few feet away on an old wooden chair, her gaze focused on the cracked window beyond her, was a girl probably only a couple years older than herself. An off-white blouse hugged her torso and the long sleeves ended in layered cuffs, emphasising her slender figure and contrasting the scarily-familiar red cape pinned to her shoulders by two silver cross pins, the rosy hue carrying down to the burgundy skirt that fell to near her ankles. Her hair was the same dark colour as Ruby's own and fell down her back in a low ponytail, the red colour much more clear at the tips. And as the unknown girl turned to face her she noticed not only her gentle silver eyes... but the fact that they looked nearly identical, aside from having less rounded cheeks and a more mature look to her.
''Hello, Ruby.'' The unknown girl said calmly.
Ruby tried to speak but no sound came out of her lips. She thought it was just shock, but when she tried again no sound was produced – forcing her to cough harshly to get whatever lump was out of her throat, as if her throat was so dry it'd stuck together.
''Who... are you...?'' She managed to croak out, trying and falling to turn onto her side.
''I am you.'' The unknown girl said, looking at her expectantly.
It took Ruby's sluggish mind a few moments to register the words, then another few to react. ''H-Huh...? But... I'm here...''
A giggle answered her. It was sweet; melodic even. ''I understand this might all be a bit confusing for you. Just know that I'm a friend, okay?''
Ruby tried to nod but her neck felt painfully stiff. The girl seemed to understand though, merely smiling at her. ''Ssh, don't move. Your body is very overstressed after... what happened. I managed to carry you to an abandoned cabin and barricaded us inside so no Grimm will wander in, but we should be quiet just to be safe.''
The reminder of Grimm gave Ruby more clarity, a groan escaping her as she tried to sit up, but her muscles just wouldn't cooperate. It felt like she was paralysed; the mere thought sending a rush of fear through her and hastening her struggles. The unknown girl was by her side in a heartbeat, one dainty hand on her collarbone and easing her back down. Weakened as she was Ruby could only comply, frustrated more with herself than anything else.
''Why am I...?'' Ruby groaned the words out.
The girl looked at her with sympathy. ''What do you remember?''
Ruby squinted and tried to remember. ''I was going to see mom... I fought a pack of Beowolves, then I... I found a weird cup thing, and...''
Pieces of the past returned to her. Reading aloud an Aura awakening incantation. Seeing the cup glow – and then the last thing she saw being blinded by it.
''Correct.'' A hand laid over her own, rubbing the back with a thumb. She found the gesture oddly soothing. ''That cup was something known as the Holy Grail. When you spoke the incantation on its base, you activated it, and I was born from it. Think... think of me as a part of you, but just slightly different.''
Ruby frowned and tried to parse through the information provided, but her head still hurt and thinking made it worse. ''I-I kinda get it...? But why did it do that?''
The girl said nothing, but Ruby suspected she older girl knew why but just wasn't saying – there was a slight dip to her brow, a pursing of her lips, a hesitation in her eyes. After a second though the older girl rose to her feet and approached the window, grasping a chunk of broken glass from the frame and bringing it over, holding it flat and non-threateningly. The reason why became apparent as Ruby saw her own reflection in the glass, albeit warped and wobbly... but there was no hiding the obvious fact.
Her left eye had changed. Gone was the gunmetal-silver iris that used to be there, replaced instead by a bright gold one that seemed to glow faintly. Her other eye was fine, the same silver hue as it had always been, but that didn't do anything to dispel the gnawing horror that overcame her – a bone-deep, paralysing fear that left her rigid in her bed.
''W-What's wrong with my eye?'' She stammered.
''It's the Grail.'' The young woman answered her softly. ''I am unsure of all the details, but it had to 'take' something from you, to make you its host. I get the impression it had to be a part of you – an organ, a limb, something. It chose your eye. Whether there's a reason for that, or it just chose at random, it didn't tell me.''
Ruby's eyes slowly slid from her reflection up to the young woman's face. ''You can talk with it...?''
''Not really, no. It's not exactly chatty. Maybe to be expected from a mysterious old goblet.'' The girl answered with a slight smile. ''It just passes on information from time to time.''
The joke made Ruby smile lightly in return, though the humour was unfortunately short-lived, her gaze returning to herself. Already a multitude of questions arose within her, breeding even more with their presence. What would the others think? Her friends, her family? She was already isolated enough as it was at Signal because of her status as a prodigy, with this she'd undoubtedly be treated even more warily. She could still see perfectly fine thankfully, so her dreams of becoming a Huntress didn't seem to be at risk, but that didn't change the fact it'd be an uncomfortably large question whenever someone saw it.
'Is this how Faunus feel? Disliked because of something they can't control, and didn't choose to have?' Ruby thought to herself glumly. Nobody had even seen her eye yet, but she could already imagine the comments it'd earn her.
Suddenly a water bottle was pushed in front of her face. Ruby blinked, then turned her gaze up onto her newfound... clone, she supposed was the right term for it. With some effort she raised her head – aided by her companion – and managed to take a drink. The water was stale but frankly she'd take any relief she could, the liquid cold on her throat and easing the scratchiness that had formed over the course of their conversation.
''...what's your name?'' Ruby finally queried when she finished.
''I don't have one.'' The young woman remarked lightly, easing her back down. ''The Grail didn't give me one.''
''Hm...'' Ruby frowned up at her, pushing past her lingering headache. ''How about... Garnet? Y'know, since I'm Ruby, you can be Garnet!''
The newly-named Garnet smiled brightly. ''I love it.''
Ruby giggled happily at that, the sound not dimming even as Garnet gently rubbed her head, mindful not to ruffle her hair much. Easing herself back onto the bed Ruby turned her gaze up onto the ceiling, finding her mind overwhelmed with both questions... and fatigue.
Garnet must've noticed as she soon spoke. ''Rest. I'll keep watch.''
Ruby hummed and shut her eyes, just listening to the distant howl of the wind.
Within the minute, she was out like a light.
X-x-X
Time passed strangely for Ruby.
One moment it was day, the next night. She woke up for only brief spans of time before sleep called to her once more, as if though she had gone an all-nighter and just now gone to bed. It troubled her, but Garnet didn't seem all that alarmed and just kept watch over her, feeding her and giving her some of their increasingly-scarce water when she could; taking short naps in the time Ruby was awake before they swapped over again.
Each time she awoke though she felt a little better. Not a lot, but enough that she could stay awake for longer and give Garnet some time to rest; reading an old book the older girl had gotten for her from somewhere else in the cabin. It was a familiar one, being a semi-popular fictional story that she'd been taught in school, and while it wasn't all that great she'd take anything to keep her mind busy. Or at least, busy aside from the questions that constantly probed at her mind.
Upon waking up once more though, the sky outside their little hut dark and a fierce storm thundering in the distance, Garnet spoke.
''We should move soon.''
''Huh?'' Rubbing her eyes Ruby slowly sat upright, a task made easier by the hand that laid itself on her back. ''I-I mean, I'm not against it, but...''
''But why now.'' Garnet finished for her, smiling slightly. The motherly girl looked tired, but still managed to keep a gentle expression on her face, soothing Ruby's nerves. ''The reason is that we're getting low on supplies. You only brought enough in case you wanted to have a picnic up by mom's grave, and though I've rationed it between us as much as possible, if we stay here any longer then we put ourselves at risk of starving.''
Ruby shuddered at the thought. ''R-Right. So, we head back home ASAP?''
''That's the plan.'' Garnet gently agreed, rising to her feet, her low ponytail fluttering behind her in the faint breeze. ''Can you stand?''
Huffing a little Ruby pushed off the stale but now-familiar sheet and sat upright, doing it slowly enough that she didn't give herself vertigo. No such sensation came though, emboldening her and tempting her to slip off of the bed, her legs like jelly for a moment before her muscles seemed to remember how to function. Garnet cast her a worried look but Ruby merely grinned back, strutting about until she did a lap of their small room, her confidence only growing as she felt little to no strain. She didn't feel great by any measure – she was tired, hungry and probably smelled pretty bad after not showering for what must've been days – but she was alive, and ready to kick some butt.
She felt a slight pang in her knees at the thought, her legs wobbling, but she stayed standing. 'Okay, maybe fighting Grimm is off the table...'
Garnet took her by the arm with a gentle smile, returning the folded-up Crescent Rose to her before leading her towards the door. Wordlessly Ruby fell in lockstep with her and the two girls marched out into cold. Almost immediately upon stepping outside Ruby could feel some of her bravado leave her; a strong wind blowing the strength from her limbs and amplifying the weakness in her bones threefold. She endured it, however; unconsciously tapping into her Aura and shielding herself from the worst of the cold. It wasn't much, but she'd take every little bit of help she could.
Her newfound companion aided her, snaking an arm around her and pulling her close to share what little body heat they emanated; pulling their cloaks around themselves to aid in that endeavour.
''Let's get going, hm?'' Garnet said with a hopeful smile.
A smile that Ruby returned with more vigour. ''Yeah! Just wait until Yang finds out she's got another sister, heh.''
''I can only imagine.'' Garnet giggled.
Ruby beamed, a well of confidence filling her as she thought of Yang. A spike of guilt hit next as she realised she'd been gone for several days; she hadn't thought to bring her Scroll since it was low on charge and the out-of-the-way nature of Summer's grave meant signalling the main town on the island wasn't easy with anything short of starting a forest fire – which she'd really like to avoid if possible. She chased off the thought though and refocused on her surroundings, warily watching the trees for even the smallest of Beowolves.
The walk was done mostly in silence. The soft crunch of their boots against the snow and the howl of the wind formed the only sound between them, though Ruby didn't blame her older companion; both were tired and conserving their energy was important. Now that she had the time and clarity to think, though, all manner of questions rose up within her mind. Such as did they share the same Semblance? The same Aura? The latter seemed less likely since they had different bodies, but souls were weird things, and the idea of a clone sharing her Aura wasn't the strangest thing that would've happened on Remnant, not by a long shot.
A distant howl though made her put those thoughts on-hold, a grim expression crossing her face. A single look shared with Garnet revealed her older clone wore an identical pinched expression.
Beowolves. And where there was one, there was a whole pack not far behind them.
''Hurry, we've got to move fast.''
''R-Right!''
X-x-X
Ruby was missing.
That sentence alone struck fear into Yang the second she heard it, memories of days long gone coming back to haunt her – of taking Ruby in a wagon out into the woods, hoping to find her mother and nearly getting them killed as a result.
This time it wasn't her fault, but that didn't lessen the panic she felt even a little. Naturally she was first in line to volunteer for the search party with her dad just a step behind her, the two heading out into the cold winter night. They both knew Ruby had gone to see mom thanks to a note sticky-taped onto the fridge, and when they made their way up the familiar path they saw evidence she'd been through the area, be it footprints in the snow or the signs of a battle against the local Beowolves; their bodies gone but the claw marks in the bark remaining.
However when they reached the grave, she wasn't there. Naturally they swept the area, fanning out gradually with the help of some locals, but the winter night was cold and most had to retreat, lacking the Aura needed to insulate them against prolonged exposure. Yang however persevered, as did her father, the two of them hunting for Ruby late into the night and returning only when they were so exhausted that they could barely walk straight.
However after a quick rest, they were back out again, looking for her.
And the day after that too.
Four days passed and many of the locals who had first aided them started to relent. Yang knew they were doing it because they'd lost hope, that they'd assumed the worst, but doing so just made her angry. It was only because she knew them, having grown up with them, that she held her tongue and waited until she was out in the forest to take out her rage – seething at the mere idea that Ruby was dead, that the Grimm had gotten her like the locals whispered when they thought she wasn't listening.
''Yang.''
Yang gritted her teeth, drew in a breath, then exhaled it out – an old trick to help calm herself down. It didn't help much. ''Yeah?''
''Cool it.'' Taiyang's voice was soft but firm.
Yang wanted to get angry at him, to rage, but one look into his eyes quenched that fire faster than any bucket of water could. Her own pain was reflected in his eyes and she was reminded of the day Summer went missing, how he had completely shut down. The sight made guilt well up in her chest and she mumbled out an apology, bowing her head and chastising herself for being selfish, for not thinking about how her dad must feel. He was hurting just as much as she was, if not more. He was their father after all.
Looking away from her father Yang stared defeatedly at their surroundings. The forest's edge was near and they were gradually moving deeper, but not up the main path towards the plateau. Rather they were taking a side route, one that would lead to a cliff-side path up to the other end of the plateau, roughly in the opposite direction of Summer's grave. In the past both she and Ruby had been warned never to take it due to the fact it was not only next to the ocean, but also dangerously unstable, especially during bad weather. The only reason it still existed was because if it became a choice between fighting Grimm or taking an unstable route back to town, the latter was always more preferable.
The sea would likely kill you. The Grimm would always kill you.
She opened her mouth to speak, to ask what they should do – when her father held up a hand abruptly. Yang tensed and immediately raised her guard, Ember Cecilia cocking on her forearms – Grimm. Or at least, she presumed so. Her father's senses were much better than her and she knew from experience that he could pick up on sounds she'd completely miss, from the crunch of a distant branch to an uneven shifting of grass.
Seconds passed in tense silence and the cold started to make her squirm and shift, trying to keep her blood flowing in her feet. ''Dad...''
''I heard something.'' He raised his hand and pointed off to their left.
''Grimm?''
''Footfalls. Slow.'' He said, before craning his head back. ''Is anyone there?!''
His voice carried easily through the trees, and for a moment there was no response.
Then suddenly there was. ''D-Dad?!''
Yang's heart stopped, then soared as realisation dawned on her. ''Ruby!''
The blonde didn't wait for her father to speak and took off running, her boots stomping down any snow in her path and rushing through the forest. The trees were barren but thick, making for a winding maze amongst the thick snow, but there was no hiding the hint of a red cape that she saw from behind a tree. She rushed straight for it, turning around a tree – and immediately noticed three things.
One, Ruby looked pale and exhausted, her left eye tightly closed.
Two, she was leaning against a person for support.
And three, that person looked hauntingly like Ruby herself. And like a certain Huntress.
The word stumbled from her lips faster than her brain processed them.
''M-Mom...?''
The young woman, who she realised distantly was too young to be Summer Rose, smiled awkwardly from Ruby's side. ''I'm afraid not, I'm-''
She was cut off as Taiyang himself caught up with her. ''Yang, have you found... Ruby...''
''Hey, dad.'' Ruby waved, though her arm moved stiffly and when it fell she brought it close, pulling her cloak against her body. ''S-Sorry for being gone for so long, things uh... happened.''
Taiyang nodded slowly, almost dimly, his gaze turning fully onto the slightly-older girl standing next to his precious daughter. ''I... I see. And you... who are you? And why do you look like my daughter?''
The unnamed girl just smiled, a touch exasperated. ''My name is Garnet Rose, Ruby's... erm, clone, for lack of a better word. I'll gladly explain myself, but can we get somewhere warmer? Ruby's nearly freezing and we're both exhausted.''
That snapped both blondes to attention, focusing on Ruby and only then truly realising how bad her state was. Her hair was greasy and unwashed, her skin was paler than normal and her body hunched in on itself, both from hunger and to try stave off the cold. Garnet herself though didn't look much better, smiling but visibly shivering in the slightest breeze, and while she seemed the better off between the two... in this situation, that wasn't saying much.
''Alright, let's go.'' Taiyang declared a split-second later, no hesitation in his eyes. ''Yang grab Ruby, I'll grab... Garnet. It'll be faster if we carry you both.''
He said the latter more towards the two Roses, and with only a groan of embarrassment from Ruby they complied – letting the blondes ferry them back home.
Out of the cold, and into the warmth.
[END]
A/N: Ironically, this is not the first story I've uploaded in the last month or two involving the Holy Grail. Whether I just had a thing for the Holy Grail back in the day or it's pure coincidence, I cannot be sure - or rather, perhaps those that included the Holy Grail as a core concept had more staying power than the myriad of other ideas I had shelved at the time, and the ideas that were left behind.
Musings aside, I am somewhat tepid about writing story fics with OC side-characters. Probably just a personal thing, but I've always been wary of writing non-protagonist OCs due to the unfortunate fact that OCs primarily appeal to the writer, rather than the reader - people read fanfiction for the story and characters within the fandom, not for the author's made-up characters. That said, I hope I can flesh out the OCs that will be in this fic enough to make them worthy of calling characters.
See you next time in Chapter 2: Glint and Shine~
