Howdy, folks, how's it going?
Here it is, the latest chapter of Of Red Petals and Black Feathers. I'm very pleasantly surprised by how well this story's being received.
Also, once more I will give a big shout-out to Chaos Productions, who was kind enough to offer some commentary on the chapter. Thanks for the help, m8. Seriously guys, go check his work, it's definitely worth the time.
Now, since most of your reviews ask the same questions or voice the same thoughts, instead of usual review answering I will instead speak about a few points in general.
Most of you got Ruby's character right. Yes, she comes off as cold, detached and, dare I say it, kuudere-ish, but there's still some of the canon Ruby's personality in there somewhere.
And of course, this is bound to provoke some changes in character interaction.
Also, you guys made many guesses on who Ozpin mentioned. Most of you got the "who" right, but not the "how".
And now, without further ado, enjoy :)
/
Yang Xiao Long loved her sister dearly.
There hadn't been a day in her life since the accident that she hadn't blamed herself for what happened.
She would never forget the dread she felt while she and Uncle Qrow had desperately searched the woods for the younger girl, the sheer horror of the realization that her stubborn persistence to find her mother may have well cost the life of her sister.
And when in the end they did find Ruby... Something had changed. She wasn't the cheerful little bundle of energy Yang knew so well.
The toddler had been eerily vague about what had happened to her, merely stating when asked that she "found help". When Uncle Qrow followed the trail she had left the following day, it had led him to a room in some sort of ancient ruin, but the only thing he had found there had been a vaguely humanoid-shaped pile of dust.
The blonde had spent weeks, months even, doing everything she could to make Ruby cheerful, to make her happy again, to make her smile. But no matter what she tried, all she ever got in response was one or two words, if she was lucky, and always that emotionless look.
That look that Yang simply couldn't bear.
That look that said "You did this. You did this to me."
Her sister hadn't smiled since.
The younger girl, once so bright and cheerful, became cold and distant, giving of a presence that made people uncomfortable at best, and outright made them run from her at worst. And so began a cycle, with Ruby showing no interest in interacting with others, and others showing no interest in interacting with the "unnatural" girl. The only exceptions were Dad, Uncle, herself, and that crow, who hadn't left her side since. And while this had worried them, they quickly found there wasn't really anything that they could do.
Yang hated it when she realized that. Hated being so helpless to do anything.
Then came the second accident, when a group of bullies began picking on Ruby because of her isolation.
Officially, the doctors had come to the conclusion that Ruby's trauma had caused her semblance to develop secondary powers, and that those powers had awakened that day. That's why the young girl had walked away from the ordeal unscathed.
But Yang would never forget, on that day as she arrived at the scene, the boys and girls strewn on the floor around the red-cloaked girl in fetal positions, wailing in horror, crying for their mothers, begging, pleading for some unseen horror to leave them alone.
And her sister just standing there, seemingly not doing anything, just staring at them blankly.
The moment when their gazes met on that day was the moment Yang began fearing her sister. And she hated herself for it.
From that day forward, people went from being uncomfortable around Ruby to outright avoiding her, which seemed to be just fine with the quiet little lass. And since the younger girl seemed to shadow Yang at every chance she had, the blonde found some of her friends avoiding her as well, people she thought she could trust suddenly wanting nothing to do with her.
This kept going for years, and just as Yang was about to reach her wit's end, without a clue of how to deal with the situation, an opportunity for a reprieve presented itself.
Beacon academy was perfect. She could continue her training to be a huntress, to save people. She would be capable of exploring the world like she always wanted. And she would be away from Ruby, away from that look.
When she left her house for the mainland, all she felt was relief, and she loathed herself for it.
But of course, Lady Luck wouldn't be so kind to her.
Yang had no idea how it happened, how it was even possible, but as she reached the air transport terminal, there she was along with Dad, in her ragged red cloak, that bird on her shoulder, and always that haunting, blank look.
"Heading to Beacon with you." Was all she said.
And thus there they stood, two prospective huntresses-in-training, amidst a multitude of other prospects, on their way to Beacon.
As always, Ruby just stood there, occasionally petting her crow, and Yang nervously beside her, as always warring against the need to get away.
"So, Rubes... Heading to Beacon two years early, uh? Must've impressed some important people."
The quiet girl stopped staring at the crowd, the only thing that caught her attention was that guy sitting cross-legged in a meditating stance anyway, and turned to her sister.
"Yes, Ozpin."
"W-what happened exactly?"
"Stopped late night robbery. Fought Roman Torchwick."
Yang gulped, struggling to ask a question she needed to, but the answers to which she wasn't sure she wanted to hear.
"Did... Did anyone die?"
Her sister's face shifted ever so slightly, the crow shot her an annoyed look.
"No."
And thus ended the conversation, the blonde just didn't know what else to say.
Not another word was spoken between them, even as the hologram of the glasses-wearing lady appeared to give them and introduction to Beacon.
When they finally landed, Yang found a chance and she immediately took it.
"Say, Ruby, I just saw some old friends over there. I'm going to go catch up with them. Meet you later."
She hurriedly left her sister's side before the younger girl could reply, not that she would anyway.
And she loathed herself every step of the way.
Yang Xiao Long loved her sister dearly.
She truly did want to make things right.
But how could she, when the very person she wanted to be there for terrified her so much?
/
'Big Sis still fears.' Ruby noted as she watched the older girl walk away. On her shoulder, the crow gave a noise that could be classified as a disappointed whine, causing the red-cloaked girl to pet it reassuringly.
Yang's fear truly baffled the girl. She always made sure to keep her power in check near the blonde, but she always feared regardless. And yet she had nothing to fear from her. Ruby would never hurt her sister.
Ruby watched her surroundings, her gaze stopping at the main building of Beacon Academy, memories coming to her mind of a much more majestic structure in a very different time.
So absorbed was she in these memories, she didn't notice the luggage cart behind her, until it bumped into her, causing most of the suitcases to fall and open, spilling their contents on the floor.
"What are you doing?!"
Ruby turned and stared at the one who just spoke. A girl, in clothes as white as her hair, was giving her a look both angry and condescending, as several people dressed in black, her attendants, she presumed, worked to pick up the bottles that were spread on the ground.
"This is dust of the finest quality! You're lucky none of the bottles broke, or you'd have blown a crater in the middle of the Academy!"
As she stared at the girls ice-blue eyes, Ruby glimpsed in her mind a large bird, an entity of elemental ice, her wings spread out majestically.
"Are you even listening to me!?"
Ruby blinked as she realized the other girl had been scolding her for a while now, the crow shooting her an indignant look. The heterochromic lass really didn't understand why, it wasn't her fault. Still, Big Sis wouldn't like it if she made a scene...
"...Sorry."
There, she could be diplomatic when she wanted to.
Unfortunately, the apology did not have the intended effect.
"Sorry!? Do you even understand the damage you could have caused!? This isn't a..."
The girl launched on another tirade, her voice beginning to grate on Ruby's ears.
She was being mean. Ruby did not like it when people were being mean.
Sister would understand.
Calling on just a small trickle of her power, a small aura of dread surrounding her, Ruby brandished her scythe, the tip of blade resting on the girl's lower jaw, forcing her to lift her head slightly or risk having it punctured.
That shut her up real quick.
"You bumped into me. Still said sorry."
The girl just stared, her face pale and with a trickle of sweat running down it, like she couldn't believe this just happened, trying her best not to gulp. Her attendants made to protect the girl, but a slight increase of her aura froze them all in place, eyes wide in terror.
"Pay attention next time."
With that, she dismissed her power and weapon and turned to walk away, the white-haired girl falling to her knees from the nerve-wracking experience.
As she moved, Ruby noticed another person in her path.
A black-haired girl with a bow on her head, who had seemingly been moving in their direction, was frozen in place, her eyes wide and frantic, just like a cornered animal.
A Faunus, Ruby noted as she moved past the petrified girl.
Once again, memories came unbidden to her mind.
A regal Emperor, clad in gold, a host of sand soldiers at his command.
A wise Curator, surrounded by sand, radiating power as his already considerable size increased even more.
A maddened Butcher, drenched in blood, cackling in glee at the carnage around him.
So many memories crossed Ruby's mind. Some of the now, some of the past. Some of a red-cloaked woman smiling kindly at her, some of a dark chamber were she was left undisturbed.
So many memories.
She didn't know which ones were her own anymore.
/
So that was the girl, uh?
The large bundle on his back hummed once more.
It was telling him she was dangerous.
He had to admit, he had trouble seeing how. She looked like a cute little girl.
Until he witnessed what she pulled.
Uh, interesting.
He guessed he'd better introduce himself.
/
As Ruby walked, intent on finding her sister, the crow glanced to the side, then gave a single caw of warning.
Someone was approaching her.
"Excuse me."
She looked at the speaker. Blond hair, blue eyes, well-built, wearing a red hoodie and grey pants, along with a silver chestplate and shoulder armor, a large bundle on his back. Standing in a fairly relaxed posture, yet ready to spring into action at any moment.
And perhaps the strangest thing of all, he was smiling pleasantly at her.
It was the guy who had been meditating on the transport.
"Yes...?"
"Hi, sorry for bothering you, but are you Ruby Rose?"
After a long moment of silence, the girl nodded.
"Ah, good." The guy said as he approached her, hand raised and ready for a handshake."Name's Jaune. Professor Ozpin had told me that someone else had been invited to attend to Beacon due to personal achievements, so I thought I'd introduce myself. Hey there."
Ruby stared at the offered limb for long enough that the newly introduced Jaune began to feel awkward.
Then, something happened that surprised her.
The crow cawed in an encouraging manner.
It was telling her to shake hands.
And so she did.
"Hello."
The blond nodded in a satisfied manner.
"Are you lost? From what I heard, we're supposed to meet in the Amphitheater in an hour or so. I can show you the way, if you want to."
The girl considered briefly, and nodded in agreement. Big Sis would probably be there.
And so Jaune began leading her towards the main building.
"Sooo... What exactly did you do to get invited, Ruby? I somehow managed to fight off a beowolf pack while I was staying in one of the border settlements. It was hard, they seemed really hell-bent in using me as a chew toy."
"... Stopped late night robbery. Fought Roman Torchwick."
"Really?" The blond asked in surprise, giving a low whistle as she nodded."Damn, that blows mine out of the water. You must be pretty good to fight off a well known lowlife like that."
"Suppose."
"...You don't talk much, do you?"
"Not many chances."
The blond gave her a bewildered look."What?"
"People don't like being near me. Makes them afraid."
Ruby stared at Jaune. He'd say she seemed curious, but she had one heck of a poker face.
"Came to talk to me. Willingly. First in years."
"So,what you're saying is that people avoid you because they think you're scary, and I'm the first person to have any significant conversation with you in years? No friends? No family?"
"Family, yes. Only exception. But they fear too."
The girl's shoulders slumped ever so slightly. The crow began rubbing its head against her cheek, as if seeking to comfort her.
"Damn, that's... rough." He said, staring at her sadly, which only increased the petite girl's confusion.
Ruby shrugged.
"It's natural." A flicker of curiosity seemed to seep into the girl's expression. "You're not afraid."
Jaune shrugged in return.
"Well, I'm not gonna lie, I did feel there was something weird about you, and I did see what you pulled with Whitey back there..."
"She started it."
"...Yeah, I saw that. But honestly, I have traveled a lot through Vale's borders. The kingdom, not the city. You could say that I have, excuse the language, seen some shit. So I really didn't think much of it. I just saw someone in the same situation as me. Invited into a prestigious academy like Beacon, without any of the fancy training everyone else got. I kinda figured it'd be better to stick together, ya know?"
Once more, there was a lengthy period of silence, as the small red-cloaked girl stared at the older boy.
"...You're weird."
"So I've been told." The blond replied with a smirk."So, what do you say? Friends?"
...
...
"...You're very weird." Ruby said at length.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The crow left his perch on her shoulder, and flew over to Jaune's, where he began playfully nibbling at the blond's ear.
"Eheheh, knock it off, little guy. That tickles!"
"He likes you..." The heterochromic girl muttered, actually sounding surprised.
"I guess so." Jaune answered, as the crow returned to his usual place."What's his name?"
Both girl and bird blinked, then they stared at each other.
Then at the boy.
Then back at each other.
And back to the boy again.
"...Crow."
"That's... kinda unoriginal."
"Always know where he is. Always comes when I call. Name unnecessary." The bird nodded, it almost seemed like it was saying 'It's cool man, don't worry about it'.
"That's nonsense. Everyone needs a name. Now, let's see..." Jaune stated, as he suddenly adopted a thinking pose. A few minutes later, light bulb.
"Oh, I know. How about... Merle?"
"Merle..." The girl tried it out, as she mulled the name over.
She liked it.
"Caw, caw!" The bird in question uttered in a satisfied manner. He liked the name too.
"He's Merle..." She stated with a nod.
"Glad you liked the name." Jaune said, sounding really proud of this accomplishment,to which both nodded.
Silence fell between them. But this wasn't the eerie, disconcerting silence that seemed to follow Ruby wherever she went. No, this was a comfortable silence, companionable even. And surprising herself once again, Ruby was the one who broke it.
"Yes."
Jaune stared at her, eyebrow raised.
"Yes, what?"
"...Friends?"
The blond hunter-in-training grinned in response.
"Of course."
Suddenly, the bundle on his back began humming loudly enough for Ruby to hear.
"Oh, for crying out loud, what's wrong with you...?" Jaune muttered as he removed it, and placed it in front of him.
"What is that...?" The petite girl asked, slightly on edge. Whatever was wrapped in that bundle, it seemed... familiar.
"Oh, don't worry, that's just my weapon being temperamental."
The blond unwrapped the package, and Ruby's eyes widened.
It was a set of four, single-edged swords, arranged in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a surfboard. They were decorated in swirling patterns, to the point that the uninformed observer might have assumed it was merely a ceremonial weapon. But the most unusual thing about the blades was that they lacked handles of any kind, the bases of all four connecting to a small, crimson sphere at the center of the arrangement.
This was...
"Kinda weird, isn't it?" Jaune asked, misinterpreting the look on her face.
"How...?"
"Well, you see, a few years ago, I met a guy who runs a bookstore in downtown Vale. His name's Tukson, and he's a pretty cool dude, so we became friends. He has a hobby of gathering antiques and information on the lost civilizations of Remnant. I began learning about them and became fascinated by it, so I began assisting in what I could. He showed me his collection, and as I was looking around, this thing here caught my attention. I touched it, and it suddenly began floating around me. Boy, did we get a fright outta that..."
The blond chuckled as he remembered the events of that day
"...Anyway, we did some research in his collection, and found a scroll, a paper one, seemed to be about to fall apart at any moment, describing the weapon and a whole style of fighting centered around it, the Hiten style. Since the weapon seemed to react to me, Tukson let me have it, said that it was better than having it gathering dust on a shelf. It moves as I will it, and sometimes it almost seems alive. Apparently, it once belonged to some great warrior called..."
"Irelia..."
...
Slowly, very slowly, almost in slow motion, the blond stared at Ruby, his eyes widening in shock.
"What...?"
"Irelia. Her name." She replied, as she threw the weapon an analytical look."She lingers still..."
"W-wha...? How...? She... You..." Jaune stuttered, a million questions warring in his head for the right of being asked first."Are... Are you saying my weapon's haunted?"
The girl shook her head.
"Soul and weapon, bound. Now, only an echo. Footprint in sand."
"Just... Just how do you know that? Who are you?"
Ruby just looked at Jaune, unsure of how to answer. Then, the newly named Merle cawed a suggestion.
Holding her arm out in front of her, she called upon her scythe.
The blond's eyebrow rose as he stared at the weapon.
"Uh, I already saw it at the distance, but that's a really simple design. With all the crap everyone else is packing, I half expected it to have a sniper rifle attached or something."
Both girl and bird deadpanned at the older boy.
"... Yeah, I got no idea where that came from. But what exactly are you trying to show me?"
Before the younger girl could reply, the blades hummed once more, and now that their current wielder was touching them, the lingering presence within sent a picture into his mind.
Dark swirling winds danced around an ancient battlefield.
Crows flew on these currents, tearing into anything they could catch.
And amidst this Maelstrom, a figure stood. Eldritch, green-glowing eyes, a familiar scythe in his wooden hand and an even more familiar presence around him.
The image faded, and Jaune took a couple of steps back, taking a fighting stance as the sphere sat over his palm and the four blades split, hovering between the two and pointing at the girl threateningly.
Memories of older times once again flooded Ruby's mind.
A young woman with flowing, dark blue hair, clad in an armor of red and silver, a decorated silver arc floating behind her back and those blades spinning around her as she wove through the battle with grace and elegance.
Jaune, for his part, looked at the mystery in front of him with weariness, confusion... and curiosity?
"You're... you're kinda cute for an ancient eldritch scarecrow monstrosity..."
...
...
Before he could react, Ruby burst through the blades... and lashed out with the scythe, bopping him on the head with the weapon's blunt side.
"Ow, What was that for!?"
"Not him." She stated in an annoyed and defensive manner, with something on her face that in time, with patience, sunlight and lots of tender care, could possibly bloom to become an adorable pout. Merle squawked in agreement. "I'm fifteen."
Jaune's shocked look turned into an incredulous one.
"Out of all of that, it was the mention of your possible age that offended you?"
"Rude."
...
…
"Pfffft, ahahahah!"
Ruby blinked, not sure how to react to the eccentric boy's burst of laughter. His blades hummed once more, then returned to their "sheathed" state as their wielder's stance relaxed.
"Oh, oh man...You had me worried for a second there, but I'm having a hard time believing you're going to go on a rampage."
"Wouldn't do that."
"Yeah, I see that. But I have to ask, how exactly are you connected to a monster that supposedly existed ages ago?"
"...You use her weapons. I use his."
"Well, yeah, but I only get glimpses at best, and even that happens rarely... Wait."
With speed that Ruby didn't believe anyone other than herself could manage, the blond was suddenly in front of her, his hands on her shoulders (causing Merle to caw in annoyance as he was forced to leave his perch) and an excited, expectant look on his face.
"You know, don't you? Stuff about the older times, before Remnant's recorded history? You can see his memories somehow, can't you?"
Faced with such vehemence, the red-cloaked girl could only blink and nod, to which the boy began laughing again.
"Oh, man, Tukson's gonna freak out when he hears about this... Ruby." He stated while a notepad and pen appeared out of nowhere in his hands."Would you mind answering a few questions?"
... After yet another period of silence, Ruby nodded her consent.
And has the boy began firing off questions at rates that would make a machine gun shrivel and die from embarrassment, the girl couldn't help think that Jaune was very, very weird.
But he was a friend.
/
...Ok, what the hell?
Yang Xiao Long was complete and utterly confused.
Shortly before the Headmaster had given his half-hearted speech, Ruby had found her, and she had brought company.
"That's your sister, Ruby? You sure don't look related to me."
"Get that a lot."
"Ruby...Who is this?"
"Oh, sorry about that. Name's Jaune, and I'm Ruby's friend. Nice to meet ya."
The younger girl nodded in confirmation.
And it took a good ten minutes for Yang's mind to reboot from the shock.
...What?
Just what?
A friend? Just like that? After years of not giving a damn? Who the heck was this guy?
And the bird had a name now? What?
And now, as they prepared to spend the night on the Academy's ballroom, her sister and the guy where conversing excitedly, not even bothering to change into their sleepwear. Well, the guy was. Ruby just answered to whatever he was asking, but still, she was paying him attention.
"So... They were called Champions, eh? How many were there?"
"Remember 126."
The blond scribbled furiously on his notepad.
Neither noticed a white-haired girl in a sleeping gown approaching in an irritated manner.
"Excuse me, do you know what time it is!? People are trying to..."
The girl suddenly stopped, her face paling as she noticed who she was talking to.
"Uh..." She gulped. "N-never mind. Sorry for the d-d-disturbance." Was all she said as she ran off.
The heck?
"Damn." That Jaune guy said with a low whistle. "You really scared the crap outta her, Rubes."
What happened next was almost too much for Yang.
Slowly, haltingly, in a way that resembled a crippled man moving his limbs after years of inactivity, the corners of her sisters mouth curled upwards.
Her little sister was smiling. For the first time in years, someone had made her little sister smile.
What the freaking Hell was going on!?
/
And there we go.
A lot of setting up happened in this chapter, and I also dropped a few hints of the direction this story's going. I wonder how many of them did you guys catch?
Hope you guys enjoyed the character interaction.
Now, next up, I'll be posting something new, a Highschool DxD fic.
So cya guys then.