Chapter 57: For Ruby

In which Bronzewing rallies the forces of good, things start to look up for Pyrrha, and Weiss prepares for the last stand.

It was no accident, regardless of whatever ill-informed verdict the judges pronounced. Rose had been moving in a uniform circle before suddenly breaking formation for no discernable reason. Xiao-Long had requested that Bronzewing keep a close eye on her after the disastrous fight of the Rainbow vs. Funky doubles round, so he had been observing Rose's movements under a fine tooth comb with his semblance. Every step, every flap, every breath Rose made had been unerring until she'd abruptly changed course mid-tornado. Her behavior at the crux of the bout had been noticeably peculiar. She tilted her head up and rotated her torso as though there was some obstruction in her path, but nothing was there. The audiences wouldn't have been able to see what was happening in the cyclone due to Rose's high speeds and the wind kicking up dust, but Bronzewing had.

Rose had seen something that was not there and dodged.

One day prior, Schnee had heard something that had not been said and responded.

The explanation was apparent: Team Rainbow was being targeted by some manner of falsehood-generator of unknown impact or reason.

Bronzewing sought Winchester. The armored boy was sitting alone, his team having apparently taken their leave prior. Bronzewing had not even noticed; he was so wrapped up in scrutinizing Rose and Fall.

"Winchester!"

"Dove! What's good, my man? Er, I mean, p-prosperity, Bronzewing. Or whatever."

"Your semblance! It makes you cognizant of the enmity within others, does it not?"

"We call it Malice, but yeah. I can tell–"

"Fall. Check Cinder Fall for malice. Please hurry. This is a matter of life and death."

"I can't really check the aura of someone in particular yet, especially not in a crowd this big. I need to be close, and I just feel it, or I don't."

"Then let's get closer." Bronzewing took him by the hand and led him out of the bleachers forcefully. Fall was conversing with her teammates. The manner in which she quavered did not suggest malicious intent, but Bronzewing surmised her mannerisms to be spurious.

The two stopped at the minimum proximity required for Winchester to use his semblance. Neither Fall nor her two teammates noticed their presence.

"She's clear. I'm not getting any malice. It might've been there earlier, but it's gone now–"

Bronzewing was already running. If Fall had drawn up machinations against the fans in Amity, Winchester would have been aware of it. His semblance was no guarantee, but it was enough to reassure Bronzewing that evacuation was not warranted. With that out of the way, he could focus on Team Rainbow. To that end, he would have to seek the other members of Team Adventure for aid.

Bronzewing was not going to endanger Rose out of petty hubris. If there truly was a plot against Team Rainbow by hunters as powerful as the Caimans, he was ill-suited to save the women on his own. Only with the full might of the Adventures would he be able to safeguard Rose.

He didn't love her.

They weren't boyfriend and girlfriend.

But she was his Rose. He would not see her perish.

Team Ainbow had been given emergency clearance to enplane the fastest Atlesian military bullhead available and escort Rose back to Beacon. Without that same permission, Bronzewing was going to have to board a civilian transport vessel back. It was most convenient; he could communicate with Arc, Nikos, and Thrush while waiting for the bullhead – no time wasted. Time was of the essence, now more than ever.

The crowd around the exit queue had grown overlarge and rambunctious, so Bronzewing ambled to the silence of the outskirts of Amity's docking area. Thrush said he was still in Beacon and would head to the medical ward, but Arc and Nikos weren't responding. Bronzewing cursed out loud. Thrush may have been nothing less than a capable huntsman in his own right, but it was the others that were critical. Arc had already triumphed over Fall in a training match, and Nikos, distrait though she may be, remained a force to be reckoned with. If and when the situation devolved into raw combat, it would be their presence that turned the tide, not his nor Thrush's.

The bullhead pulled in, but before Bronzewing could return to it for entry, someone appeared behind him. Literally. One moment, the space behind him was empty; the next, it was occupied by a person. And that familiar person grabbed Bronzewing.

"P-Professor Branwen?"

"I think it's time you and I had a little talk. And by that, I mean that I'll talk, and you'll listen. I'm on a tight schedule tonight, so I'll get right to the point. It's about Ruby."

"I know!"

"Good. Now, I want you to promise me that you'll take care of her no matter what. Go on and say it. I need to hear the words from your mouth."

"I need to protect her! Right n–"

"Like music to my ears. Now, have you two done anything rated PG-13 or above?"

"What? No, we aren't even–"

"Perfect. Now, I'm not going to be the crazy uncle who scares you off, but I just want you to know that Harbinger is solid steel, four feet long, and sharper than Glynda's wit. I once dropped a zucchini on it by accident, and the fucker got sliced clean in two. Keep in mind what such a vegetable resembles in terms of girth and whatnot."

"Sir, please!"

"Fine, fine, don't get your armor in a twist. You've got my blessing. I ain't giving out permission or nuthin' like that – Ruby doesn't need anybody's permission but her own. Just…treat her right, okay?"

As quickly as it appeared, Branwen's body disappeared. Now that Bronzewing was 'looking,' he perceived a corvid bird flying away.

That explains a lot. I suppose he really must be her blood relative.

The transport bullhead flew off. Bronzewing cursed once more. He'd no other option but to wait for the next flight.

Pyrrha watched as Qrow descended from the elevator to join them.

Jaune had said he was on his way, but he had something to take care of first. He'd promised it wouldn't take longer than a few minutes.

Ozpin was currently preparing the machine.

Dove had texted saying that he needed help, but there was no time. She'd squandered her chance to search for the relic while Cinder was distracted fighting Ruby. If she delayed any longer, her entire window of opportunity would be lost.

Qrow walked up to her and patted her shoulder. "You okay, kid?"

She pulled him into a hug. "No."

Qrow whispered into her ear. "I found the relic. You don't have to do this."

Pyrrha's entire world stopped. They had the relic. There was no need to supercharge her semblance and search for it. She could go back to being just Pyrrha, and let Raven die. Step back and let the chips fall.

The relic…

She'd only ever wanted it in the first place for its awesome power. Penny had suggested utilizing both the maiden power and the relic to kill Cinder, and that was still the best plan anyone could think of. If Pyrrha didn't become the Spring maiden, it was all for nothing.

"Where is it?" she whispered.

"Hidden. With someone I trust – someone I know won't give it up to Cinder. I didn't want to bring it down here and hand it back to Oz. He's erratic, and I'm worried he might just do something crazy."

Pyrrha let go of Qrow. "How did the match go? Did Ruby kick Cinder's ass clean off?"

"Nah. Between ferreting you away from Nora's gang and flying to Amity and back for some family business, I didn't have any time to watch. I did catch the judges saying Cinder was going to the finals, though."

"That's too bad. Ruby was so gung ho about representing Team Rainbow all the way to victory."

"She's a tough kid. She'll bounce back from a loss."

Behind them, the aura transfer machine whirred to life. Ozpin faced them both and cleared his throat, aware of their quiet conversation but not close enough to hear it. "We're ready whenever you are."

"I want to wait for Jaune," requested Pyrrha.

The elevator doors opened a second time. As if summoned by the passing mention of his name, out popped the man in question, his hair slightly ruffled.

"Sorry I was late. I had a little something to take care of back in Amity. Ran into some trouble from a malfeasant mute."

Pyrrha greeted him with a kiss. "Is it okay? Do we need to delay?"

"Let's just say, it's all…tied up," Jaune answered with a smirk. "But Pyrrha, if you want to delay this, we can–"

"No. I've waited too long as it is."

Memories came into her mind. Graduation day. Drinking with the rest of Team Stark after a successful mission. Vacuo. Sandy deserts. Death.

Pyrrha pushed them back and kissed Jaune again. If this was her last moment with her boyfriend, she'd experience it as herself. Raven may have been a bandit, but she wasn't going to steal this away from her.

Jaune held her hand as she stepped into the machine. Her heart was pounding. She was terrified, but she felt strangely curious. This was the moment of truth. If she passed this threshold and came out unscathed, the worst would be behind her. Perhaps she'd still remember who she was by the end of it.

Yeah. You know what, yeah. She was feeling fine right now. Penny said it would be worst right before the transfer, but Pyrrha was still Pyrrha. She was the Invincible Girl. She'd been born 17 years ago in Mistral. She won her first tournament at age 8. Her partner and boyfriend was Jaune Arc. She knew who she was.

The door closed, sealing her into the chamber.

"I'll begin when you're ready, Miss Nikos."

Pyrrha nodded and closed her eyes.

"I…I need to hear you say it."

"I'm ready."

She was going to do this. Simple as pie: become the maiden, kill Cinder, protect Ruby and Jaune and her found family. Qrow already had the relic waiting for her when it was done. Ruby and Nora were no pushovers. Cinder would be exhausted from two consecutive tournament fights. It was going to be easy.

Ozpin pressed the button.

Weiss patted Yang on the back. Ruby was going to live. Apparently, most of her injuries were superficial. Her bruised skin would heal, her broken bones would set in time, and her lost blood was being replaced by transfusion as they spoke. A few aura boosters and Ruby would be right as rain.

It was a surprisingly simple procedure. They'd stuck her in bed, shot her up with every drug they had, and stuck a needle into her arm for the blood transfusion. Ruby was resting peacefully. Apparently, Beacon was well prepared in the event of an injury and knew just what to do. The marvels of modern medicine never ceased to amaze.

Team Ainbow had been granted some time alone with their fallen leader. Blake was distracting herself by handling the logistical side of things – talking with the doctors, clearing out Ruby's schedule, informing their friends of the good news. She was trying her best to hide her emotions under that calm ninja exterior, but Weiss knew her partner well enough to recognize the relief.

Yang, on the other hand, made no attempt to hide her waning panic as she fussed over her bedridden sister. "Oh, thank the Brothers! I swear, I'll never let her out of my sight again!"

Blake smiled. "Perhaps they'd be more pleased if you sacrificed cheesy puns instead."

"I'd do it. For Ruby, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Huh," breathed Weiss. "If I'd know all it took to get that was Ruby nearly dying for the third time, I'd have tried to off her myself."

Yang laughed, wiping away her tears. The worst was over, and jokes only helped to make everyone feel better. "You? Kill Ruby? She'd wipe the floor with you."

Weiss smirked. "I'd bake her cookies until she overdosed."

"That would do it," said Yang. "Except the collateral damage from my sister with that much of a sugar rush would bring about the end of the world."

Well, time to bring the mood back down.

"Girls, we need to talk."

Blake looked up at her. "About who did this?"

Weiss nodded. "I don't mean to suggest that me being painted as a racist is equal in magnitude to this attack, but it's fairly clear someone has it out for us. Every time we've advanced in the tournament, something comes along and drags us down."

"It's not just that," Blake said. "Nora was struck by lightning on a clear night. Unless the Brothers themselves are placing wagers, I think it's safe to assume that was another attempt at influencing the tournament."

"Lightning Dust?" pondered Weiss.

"Have you ever seen Dust-based electricity attacks come from the sky?" shot back Yang. "Dust attacks always originate from the crystal itself, whether or not it's in a weapon. That lightning bolt came from a clear night sky and hit Nora. My lien's on a weather semblance."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "First a hearing semblance, then a weather semblance? Our mysterious foe sure has a lot of…semblances."

It hit them all at the same time.

"The attacker! From the CCT!"

Yang went straight back into panic mode. "Ruby must have royally pissed off whoever that was, and now they're seeking revenge!"

Blake looked at their leader. "And if they find out she survived, they'll try again. They're coming for us…maybe even right now."

Weiss wasn't going to let that happen. There was just a single entry point into the hospital room. Raising Schachmatt, she spent the remainder of her Ice Dust forming a frozen seal over the door.

"No one goes in or out," she declared. "We won't take any chances. At least one of us will stay by Ruby's side until she's awake. As of this moment, we're in lockdown mode."

Yang nodded. "We need to establish a new hierarchy. With Ruby down for the count, our entire command structure has collapsed. If we're attacked, we need a singular leader, and that leader needs a first mate. I nominate Blake as leader and myself as her mate. Blake, let's get to mating."

Blake's scroll dinged. Blake looked down to check it.

Weiss thought of a witty retort about stealing Blake's heart back from Yang, but she held back. Yang didn't know that Blake was still interested in her. The longer it remained a secret, the worse it would get, but Weiss decided to hold off just a little bit longer. Ruby was in danger, and Team Rainbow couldn't afford any infighting.

Blake tapped Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss, can I speak to you for a moment? Alone?"

"Uh, sure. Yang, keep an eye on the door, will you?"

"Aye aye, Private Schnee." Yang mock saluted with a goofy smile. "Heh. Privates."

The hospital room was actually two rooms that had a doorframe with no door cut out of their adjacent wall. It enabled a doctor to quickly switch between two patients while still providing both beds with a little privacy from each other. For now, the second room let Weiss and Blake speak freely without Yang in the first room overhearing them as she guarded Ruby and the frozen main entrance.

"Is this about…us? Blake, we've got more important things to worry about now."

Blake looked confused at the accusation. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you didn't want to talk in front of Yang."

"It's not that. Look…Weiss, I-I'm so sorry."

"About what?"

Blake handed Weiss her scroll. On it was a news article dated four hours ago.

JACQUES SCHNEE AND WIFE MURDERED IN ATLAS

World famous businessman and philanthropist Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, was found dead alongside his wife, Willow Schnee, in his study this afternoon. Police have confirmed rumors that both deaths were homicide. Wanted criminal Marcus Black was sighted in the area and apprehended by local huntsmen. Police Chief Harmony Greenside admitted in a press conference that Black confessed his involvement to the authorities, naming the White Fang as the client who hired him, before taking his own life while in custody. The SDC, often described as the largest corporation in the world, has been a target of the Menagerie-based terrorist organization since its inception. Control of the SDC is expected to be handed to Jacque's teenage daughter, Weiss Schnee, but it is unclear if the Board of Directors will attempt to fight this appointment following comments made by the young Schnee heiress during the Vytal Festival Tournament. Many Faunus rights activists have described the comments as racially insensitive and intentionally discriminatory. The treatment of Faunus employed by the SDC has long been the subject of…

Weiss didn't read the rest of the article.

Father…is dead?

He'd been the bane of her existence when he was alive, but now that he was gone, Weiss couldn't help but remember fond memories of her family from her childhood.

Father taking all three Schnee siblings to the top floor of the SDC's largest skyscraper and telling them it would all be theirs one day.

Her first concert, where she'd impressed the world and he'd described her as 'his brilliant little snowflake.'

Whitley's birth, where Father and Mother had–

Mother. Oh, dearest Mother.

Willow may be a – may have been a drunkard, but there was no doubt she'd cared for Weiss, in her own way. Even at her worst, Weiss had always been able to count on her mother's love. It was the only reason she hadn't turned her back on her Schnee heritage entirely to rebel and spite Father. Now, Weiss was an orphan.

She had no parents. The White Fang had taken them from her.

She had no sister. Weiss and Winter had only fought because Winter was paranoid about the White Fang.

The White Fang had ruined Weiss' life.

"Those…Those…Those ANIMALS!"

Weiss threw the scroll at the ground so hard that it broke.

When Weiss looked up, Blake was staring at her.

Neo dashed through the tunnel beneath the arena, hoping she could make it in time. She wasn't going to screw around with some bullhead – when she made it to the edge of the colosseum, she'd jump. Her umbrella would act like a parachute, and she could float down. That was the fastest way to make it to the ground. To Ruby.

Ruby mattered. Neo had been entertaining a fantasy that Roman mattered, but he didn't. He was already dead, or as good as. Cinder would never leave a loose end alive. Roman had died the second he'd been caught. The gentleman thief was a pragmatist, so he'd understand why Neo was giving up on him in favor of Ruby. She wasn't picking favorites, but Ruby still had a chance of coming out of this alive. Neo could save her if she made it in time.

A̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶o̶s̶e̶,̶ ̶R̶u̶b̶y̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶a̶v̶o̶r̶i̶t̶e̶.̶

She rounded a corner only to feel a sudden pain in her stomach. Neo fell to her knees and silently gasped.

"Now, what do we have here?"

Neo spit out some bile she'd vomited up and glared at the man in her way.

"Mercury let it slip that a certain partner of his was gunning for Ruby, so I thought I'd keep an eye on the kindly Rainbow. Lo and behold, she falls grievously injured during a fight with your leader. And when I finally tear my eyes off of my good friend and glance towards the culprits, I find little Miss Pint Size running off to finish the job."

No! No, you idiot! I'm going to save her!

"I know what you did, Neo. I know you tried to manipulate Nora into hurting her. I won't let you. I'll protect Ruby Rose."

If you want to protect Ruby, you'd let me through.

She narrowly managed to roll out of the way as Arc's cane came down for the second blow. This was infuriating. Ruby could be out there getting butchered, and this stupid blonde asswipe was wasting her time monologuing.

"Pyrrha and Oz are waiting on me, but this won't take more than a minutes or two."

Neo wanted to kill him, but she didn't have the time. She kicked off of the wall and tried to vault over him, but he grabbed her boot and pulled her down. A facefull of umbrella knocked him back and gave Neo enough time to climb to her feet and assess the situation.

The corridor was narrow, probably meant for a single person. Arc was at least six feet tall, so sneaking past him was not happening. Her best bet was to incapacitate him and go.

If it's violence you want, it's violence you'll get. Neo extended the blade from the tip of her umbrella.

Arc brought his cane up and frowned. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you gave in to your murderous nature and tried to kill us."

I was just running down a hallway! You're the one that's looking for a fight, dipshit.

Neo feinted left and swiped right. Arc fell for it and lost some aura. Neo spun around and pushed the butt of her umbrella into his stomach. Again, Arc's aura took the hit. A punch to the face, dodge, another punch, dodge. Arc lost even more aura.

Neo kept it up for a little while and learned two things. Number one: Jaune Arc could barely fight. He was better than one of the thugs someone like Junior hired, but he was weaker than any of their peers. Neo was creaming him like a delectable fudge sundae without even breaking a dainty sweat. And number two: Jaune Arc had a vast aura reserve. He'd taken hits left and right without budging. Even Mercury would be dripping blood by this point.

If she kept this up, Arc wouldn't last more than five minutes. It was a guaranteed victory – she wouldn't even take a hit with her superior agility. The only limiting factor would be the time it would take to whittle away his defenses until he fell.

Time.

Five minutes was too long. She'd already wasted at least one full minute on this useless fight, and that was about two minutes too many. Worse, if Team Caiman was planning to kill Ruby, Neo potentially might have to go head to head with Cinder. Neo would die, but she might buy enough time for the Rainbows to evacuate her ice cream sandwich buddy to a safe location. Exhausting herself with this cretin would be a Pyrrhic victory at best.

If she couldn't sneak past him or fight him, she always had the greatest trick up her sleeve – her Overactive Imagination. Neo left an illusion of herself behind and retreated backwards. Arc foolishly ran forward and smashed it with his cane. In doing so, he'd followed her back around the bend of the hallway to where it was wider. Neo simply walked around him and continued on her way to Ruby.

"NO! RAAAAH!"

Oh for fuck's sake, don't shout it out when you're going to attack.

Neo backflipped and evaded the gust of Dust-based wind altogether. Arc ran at her, and Neo started to turn herself invisible with another illusion.

Before she could finish, Arc stopped, dropped his cane, and thrust both hands out. The glass shards that were around her body began to grow out of control. Instead of covering her skin and letting her step out of the back of the false image, mirrors wildly unfolded out of one another like origami coming apart. Neo tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. She was trapped by the glass fragments of her own illusionary semblance.

"It's a shame you weren't there when I beat Cinder. You would have known that what you just did was a huge mistake."

He beat Cinder? Impossible!

Fear gripped Neo. Impossible boasts or not, he'd done something to her now, and she couldn't move. The jagged edges of the illusion were spreading uncontrollably, so much so that Arc had to back away to not get caught up in them himself. Neo pushed her semblance even harder to get it under control again, but this only made it worse. Arc began to sweat, but he kept both arms raised through it all. Invisible glass blades expanded in all directions until their edges pierced Neo's skin, and she cried out in silent agony.

The glass cracked. Neo could do nothing but watch in horror as her umbrella dropped to the floor, along with the arm holding it. The glass in the severed limb was still expanding when it landed.

The blond boy scrambled to pick up his cane he'd let go of.

Please stop! I just want to save my friend! I'm only doing this–

"For Ruby."

Arc pulled back, then swung.

Neo shattered.

Omake

Bronzewing: Damn, I missed the bullhead. I'll have to wait for…what, ho?

Bronzewing: *picks up Neo's umbrella*

Ghost of Neo: …

Bronzewing: You're telling me Rose is in danger? From Cinder?

Ghost of Neo: …

Bronzewing: I will, sensei. I will. *jumps from Amity and floats down on umbrella* I'm coming, Rose!

Omake 2

Weiss: We're in lockdown made.

Neptune's ghost: Yeah! Lockdown!

Author's Notes

RIP Neo. She was easily my third favorite klondike bar in RWBY.

For real tho, she ded as fucc.

No tricks or sneaks here, Neo is our first solid casualty from the main cast. Poor Jaune – he maybe probably definitely just screwed the good guys there by taking away one of their most useful allies. It's kind of weird how I wrote out so many villains with them dying in stupid ways and fighting one another more than the heroes.

Happy rats, and don't…hey! Who turned off the next chapter teasers? And why is the summary different? HEY!