"You okay Weiss cream? You've been moody for a while now." Yang asked as she rolled over, glancing to the heiress across the campfire from her.
"Don't call me that. And no, I've just been thinking for a while." Replied the girl as she turned over and looked up to the ceiling.
After a few battles the day started to end, and as such the group decided to take up camp inside one of the ruined buildings. Granted there weren't many with solid foundation or walls, but they managed to find one that looked... relatively stable.
"About?" Yang tried again as the girl across let out a small sigh.
"I... well... you remember what Dr. Oobleck asked us earlier right?"
"You mean all that stuff about why we wanted to be huntresses and such?" Yang guessed as Weiss nodded as she faced her.
"Yeah, that. I've been thinking about my reasons and such. I'm starting to wonder if becoming a huntress was the right call."
"What do you mean? Out of everyone you seemed to take it the most seriously." Yang commented as Weiss rolled her eyes.
"What I mean it that... well, I'm wondering if becoming a huntress would really help in the end. My family and our company have had our reputation torn apart since my father took over." Weiss looked out one of the various holes in the wall. "The whole point of joining Beacon was to help prove to the world that my family aren't all like him. I wanted to prove that I wasn't like him, that I cared about those I worked for."
"So dad was mucking things up and you wanted to set things straight?" Yang asked as Weiss glanced over and nodded.
"In a way. I wanted to prove that I care about everyone else, about the people. I was hoping that becoming a huntress would help show that." Weiss let out a tired breath as she gazed at the skies again, directly at the broken moon that shown through the gaps of cement. "But now, I'm wondering if that would even be enough."
"I think it sounds noble." Blake butted in as she sent a small smile to the downtrodden heiress. "To chase a dream in hopes of helping others. It sounds almost storybook in a way."
"Yeah, storybook." Weiss cast a glance to the fire as it crackled. "But it's got me worried. Just because I'm becoming a huntress doesn't mean everyone will see it in a good light. If anything I'm starting to worry if they'll think I'm doing it for... less than reputable reasons."
"But hunters are heroes right? Why would anyone assume that?" Ruby questioned as Weiss let out a small sigh.
"Innocent as ever I guess. Not everyone becomes hunters to be heroes, or even to help people. Some just want money, and others want power; becoming a hunter usually allows access to certain training and skills that can come in handy for multiple situations; not all of them good." Weiss explained as Ruby slouched a bit.
"Oh." Ruby looked down for a moment before giving a slight smile. "Then I guess that means you'll just have to prove yourself right?"
"Huh?" Weiss was puzzled as Ruby sent a determined look her way.
"You'll just have to keep helping people until they learn that you're a good person right? After all, eventually they'll start to see you for who you are instead of who your dad is." Ruby gave as Weiss let out a content smile.
"I guess you're right. Even if it doesn't quite work out like I hope I'll still be able to help others."
"Rubes is right, so buck up Weiss; this party's just getting started. When we become huntresses we'll kick all sorts of ass!" Yang cheered as the girl rolled her eyes again and settled back against her pillow.
"Oh yeah? And why did you choose to become a huntress? If we're going on about me I'd like to know your reasons as well." Weiss questioned as the blond smirked.
"Nothing as dramatic as you. I just wanted a reason to explore, to see the world and all that. What type of job provides as many opportunities as being a huntress... without being a snooze fest I mean?" Yang shot back as Weiss gave a snarky huff.
"Soldiers do the same thing." The pale hared girl told as Yang waved the idea off.
"Yeah, but they're so by the books. Everything's strict with them, and I kind of like the idea of roaming free instead of tumbling from orders to orders." The blond explained as Weiss rolled her eyes once more.
"It's not that bad. My sister's a soldier herself, and yeah there are directives to follow, but there is an aspect of freedom to it." Weiss explained as Yang rolled onto her back, laying her arms behind her head.
"True, but I don't want to be held down by anything. I know it sounds selfish, but I like the idea of just coming across trouble and stopping it rather than being commanded to do so."
"I guess. After all there could be times where you'd be ordered to do nothing if you were a soldier. Problem there is that certain enemies might try to make traps for you, and you'd need to decide whether the trouble you found was real or not." Blake gave as Yang rolled over.
"Being a huntress would allow me to avoid those situations most of the time right? If I have no ties to different sides then what's the point of setting a trap for me?" The brawler questioned as Weiss spoke up.
"It would need to be personal. Hunters have no real ties to anything unless the job requires it, so most of the time traps and the like are set by people with grudges."
"Yep, and I've no intention of getting into those scenarios." Yang commented as Weiss sent a flat look.
"You don't get to choose that you know." The girl said as Yang waved her off.
"Yeah yeah I get it." Yang said as Weiss shook her head and looked over to Ruby.
"So why did you want to be a huntress?" She asked as Blake sent a look to the young reaper.
"Me?" Ruby stuttered for a bit. "I-I... well, I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to help people."
The two waited for her to elaborate, only for several seconds to pass. Both slowly began to realize that the girl wasn't going to continue; that was her spoken reason.
"Really? That's all?" Weiss asked as Ruby looked to shy away.
"Well... it's not a bad reason. Simple reasons are just as good I suppose." Blake said as she looked to Ruby. Deep down the girl believed there was more to it than what their leader told; but that was none of her business.
"Hello girls, are you doing well?" Came the voice of Dr. Oobleck, interrupting them and ending the conversation.
"We're fine. Is there a problem?" Weiss asked as the man shook his head, adjusting his glasses.
"Not at all. I've simply come to tell you it's time for someone to start watch. We'll have you all shift every three hours so everyone can get a turn." The doctor explained as he clapped his hands. "So, who would like to take first watch?"
The four looked between themselves before facing the man again. Yet before anyone could speak Ruby stood.
"I'll go first." She stated as the man smiled.
"Very good then. The rest of you can take a few minutes to work out the shift order." Dr. Oobleck said as he turned to Ruby. "Will you be taking your canine with you?"
"Yep." Ruby said as she patted her legs. A small yip was heard as a tiny dog rushed to the girl. "C'mon Zwei."
At first Ruby though that Dr. Oobleck would be upset that she brought her dog, but surprisingly he was ecstatic. Apparently dogs had good senses of smell and it could help them with the mission... or something. In all honesty the man was speaking so fast she couldn't keep up with it.
Ah well, at least I won't be alone.
Zwei barked happily as they left for watch.
.
.
Through heavy breaths Ruby stumbled to her feet, glancing to the distance and seeing Weiss as she held her broken arm.
They had been caught off guard, and the timing was terrible as they were already dealing with a pack of Ursa. Why the Red Claw had chosen to attack in the middle of the battle was lost on them; especially considering that most ended up killed by the Grimm anyway.
Ruby scoffed as she walked ahead, letting out a breath of relief as she strolled past the bodies. It didn't matter, it was their own fault for being so stupid, and Ruby had no desire to help any of them.
But why though? Ruby thought as she looked down to one such body.
It didn't make sense, they had nothing to gain from attacking them. With the disbandment of the White Fang she had suspected that they would give up already, but then again that was a stupid notion wasn't it?
Ruby knew damn well that the extremist side of the group wouldn't back down just because their leader bit the dust, nor would they quit just because the chief of Menagerie said so. They wanted blood, and they would do anything to have it. And so here they were, rebranded as the Red Claw; scattered all across Remnant with one goal in mind: destroy humanity.
She let herself laugh a little bit, finding some small amusement in the situation. In the end they were acting no different than the Grimm: mindlessly killing through nothing but spite. They gave up any sense of reason, all for the sake of satiating their hatred.
Ruby kicked at the head of one of them, crushing her boot down on the remainder of the corpse's jaw as she walked past. She held no pity for them, no remorse in their demise. Why should she care; they acted near mindless, killing all in their wake, what reason was there to respect the lives of them?
"Weiss, you okay?" She called as the girl gave a wave in the distance, leaving her broken arm to sway in the breeze.
"I'm fine, for the most part anyway." The last bit came out more of a grumble as the two met in the middle of the field, surrounded by trees on all sides.
"We'll get fixed up back at town. Where's Yang?" Ruby asked as Weiss turned and looked to the side.
"Right... there!" She exclaimed as Ruby looked to where the heiress was facing.
Sure enough she could make out two shadows walking from the tree line.
"How's it hanging." The blond asked with a wave; underneath her Blake could only shake her head as she helped haul the Yang along.
"Better than you." Weiss spoke as she held her arm still again. "More importantly what the dust happened to you? You look... not so great."
And it showed, Yang's clothing was ripped and burned all across, and her skin was marred with bruises and cuts. The brawler could only give a short laugh, which quickly turned to coughing as she straightened herself and let go of Blake.
"Fuckers caught us off guard, and the Grimm were no pushovers either." Yang smirked a little as she bumped her chest. "Got 'em good though. Whoever finds them will have one dust of a puzzle on their hands, but I'm sure I left all the pieces there; wouldn't want an unfair game now."
"You shouldn't push yourself." Blake said as she faced Ruby. "We managed to get them all, but I still don't know why they attacked. The only hunters out in this part of the woods is us, and we're a good hour away from the nearest town."
That was another thing: how the heck did the Red Claw even find them? The only people who knew they were traveling were the people of the last village, and the Red Claw itself wasn't known to be very active in the wilds of Vale; not after the disbandment of the White Fang anyway.
"Who knows, maybe it's just our bad lu-"
Yang was suddenly silent. The blond tried speaking again, only to find that no sound came from her lips. Ruby felt her eyes widen as her sister's lips moved once more, reaching her hand up to her throat and gracing her fingers along the crimson blade protruding through her neck.
Her eyes widened as the blade twisted, glazing their faces with a spray of blood as it was torn back from her neck. A gaping hole was the only thing left behind as her life fluids began to pour down her chest. Yang's body teetered a bit, her eyes dulling as she dropped face first into the dirt.
"I never could stand her loud mouth. Now then, where were we Blake?"
.
.
The effects of the memories were starting to dull, and Ruby felt more annoyed than anything with them now.
Sitting up from her bed she stretched a bit, sliding her feet off the edge as she let out a sigh.
And here I thought things would get better.
She really had, but that was back with Pebble and Blossom, back when she had a chance to rest. There would be no time to rest now, the mission was on the move once again, and she had no reason to slow down.
Adam huh, that's a classic.
There were only a set few times where the crazed bull had been Yang's murderer. While she couldn't remember exactly how many it was, she did know it was generally somewhere along the lower end.
Ruby shook her head. The amount of times Adam had killed Yang was irrelevant compared to the other reasons her teammates met their end. She began to recall somewhat; his involvement only spelled the death of at least one team member around three percent of the time... or was it two percent? She could never quite remember.
Most of her memory was like that anyway; lots of her memories were lost to time. Only the earliest remained fully clear, all because she wouldn't let herself forget. Even the memory just then was blurred somewhat as she couldn't recall why they'd been in the forest, or what happened after.
Standing Ruby let her thoughts leave her; rambling to herself would get her nowhere.
Maybe a walk will do me some good.
Ruby tugged a robe over her body, stepping into a pair of slippers she found in cargo earlier and made her way to the door. Letting out a breath she paced along towards the stairs, only to stop and harden her guard.
It was just for an instant, but she knew she heard something tumble off behind some of the boxes to the side. There was no reason for any of the other crew to be up, and so she found herself tense as she made careful steps towards the sound. She creeped around the box, hand raised and ready to strike when she saw it. There was something huddled underneath a blanket in the back.
Carefully she let her eyes glow slightly in an attempt to bait the Grimm into attacking or going wild. Much to her surprise however no such event occurred, instead the blanket continued to move slightly. With a hint of suspicion she reached for the blanket, quickly ripping it away and feeling shock envelope her.
"Pebble!?" She cried as the small boy sent her a guilty look.
"H-hi..."
Ruby didn't know what she felt more: relief that it wasn't a Grimm that snuck on board, or anger that the small boy had followed after her. Instantly she took his hand, dragging him along and back to her room where she shut the door.
Inside she picked him up, plopping him down on the bed and crossing her arms as she sent a look his way. They young boy flinched as her glare rained down on him, and he trembled slightly as he looked away.
"Okay, first question: what are you doing here?" Her words were hard as the boy shook slightly.
"I... I-I was following you." He said as he curled in on himself. Ruby kept her glare strong as she raised an eyebrow.
"And why were you following me. I thought I told you to stay back with Blossom in town. What do you think she's feeling, knowing you've disappeared?" She questioned as he gave a small glance, only to shy away once more.
"S-she knows I've come with you."
"What?" Her tone was still gruff, but with a hint of shock lining it.
"She knows. I... I told her I was leaving after you. She said I should stay behind but I told her I couldn't just leave you alone." The boy looked to her, desperation across his face. "What if you got hurt? What if you got caught again like last time? I couldn't leave knowing you might get hurt or worse! S-so I told her I was leaving whether she said I could or not!"
Ruby was quiet as the boy's voice quivered a bit. Letting out a sigh she questioned him once more.
"So that's it, she let you leave that easy?"
"It... it wasn't easy. She said I would always be in danger, that I might never get to have a normal life, but I didn't care. I told her I wanted to help you, to be there to save you if anything bad happened. She... she said I was a man, and that if I wanted to do this then there was nothing she could do to stop me. S-she even wished me luck."
The boy was quiet again and Ruby found her mind spiraling as she tried to make sense of it all. On one hand it was good that Blossom knew he was with her; at least she wouldn't be wracked with worry. But on the other hand she allowed him to follow after her.
What the fuck?! Why couldn't you just keep him in town?!
At least he would have been safe, and he would have had the chance for a normal childhood. But no, here he was, following her into a world of danger, all because he worried for her.
Dust it all! What am I supposed to do?!
She couldn't just order the captain to turn around, not with how far they'd gotten over the past day. And she couldn't just drop him off at a random town or he might just end up a thief like before. As much as she hated it she knew he was her own responsibility now, it was up to her to keep him safe.
"Fine." She gritted, letting out a sigh as she slipped off her robe and pushed back the bed covers beside Pebble. "Get in, it's cold out there."
They young boy nodded as he dove under the blanket, popping his head out as she lazily moved in beside him and covered them both.
"We'll deal with this tomorrow, we've got a few things to set straight." Ruby told as Pebble nodded and cuddled against her.
Despite her harsh tone he seemed happy as he leaned against her. Ruby herself let out one last sigh and started to allow sleep embrace her.
What a stupid brat.
Despite this she couldn't help but feel a small tinge of joy in her heart. Maybe she was going soft, but deep down she was happy to have someone to calm her and bring about a sense of peace. It was selfish really, but why couldn't she be selfish, just this once?
The long night would bring Ruby no more terrors, only comforting rest.
Author's note
...
Surprise surprise, Pebble's back.
Although it's not much of a surprise now is it? He was only gone for a tiny bit after all. But no, he's tagging along with future Ruby.
Aside from that we had a nice chat between team Ruby, each of them vocalizing their own thoughts and reasons for becoming huntresses. Also Zwei is still a thing, even if you never got to see his intro as the focus was on V.
Oh, and I guess future Ruby had another memory dream or whatever.
Anyways, let me know what you think. See you later.
(Also, next chapter I'm changing the story rating to M. I feel like at this point it's needed with how violent things get at points.)