Chapter X: Parting
Weiss stood alone under the starlit skies, silently mulling over her troubled thoughts — or, to be more exact, trying to think of more ways to describe just how pathetic she saw herself in her own eyes, as none of the insults she came up with so far did her feelings justice.
She had but a single job, one which she had fucked up royally: to simply be there for her team until the very end, whatever end it would be. In a sense, her messing up was all old news — she knew that much the moment she woke up at Beacon, and the bitter aftertaste of failure had never left her mouth since, even despite Ruby's plea for Weiss not to blame herself. Thing was, said aftertaste grew ever stronger with each little detail Weiss learned about the events that had transpired while she was unconscious, and Jaune's tale caused that chalice of poison to finally overflow, then toppled it over altogether.
Having said his part, Jaune had bidden her farewell soon after wrapping up his story, probably aware that she needed some space. 'Or simply hoping to get out of the blast radius before I explode,' Weiss mused with a fairly sour smirk plastered on her lips, slightly amused by the thought.
While assuming that she was angry would not be incorrect, just an understatement, Jaune — or anyone else, for that matter — was not the object of Weiss' ire, as she had reserved all of her hatred for her own self. She knew that upsetting her was not Jaune's intention, and, in fact, she was quite grateful to him for telling her how everyone had fared while she was out cold, even though that knowledge was nothing if not painful. She just needed a while to process all of this information... and to stomp on her own ego until it no longer drew breath.
She was livid. Not because her team had proceeded with their plan without her; she was glad for that, in fact. No — she was livid that they had to proceed without her. She had failed them, and failed herself, but she'd been aware of that already. Now she also knew just how much pain that failure had caused to those whom she loved — and it hurt far more than any physical wound ever could.
Time flew by as dark thoughts whirled inside Weiss' head. She just stood in the same spot for fifteen, maybe thirty minutes, exactly where Jaune had left her, resting her elbows against a stone balustrade; although her eyes were directed at the night sky, she remained indifferent to the serene beauty of the starry firmament, too occupied to actually perceive it. Eventually, something picked her attention, stirring her from her toxic reverie — a soft echo of steady, energetic footsteps of someone who absolutely was not trying to be sneaky. She looked over her shoulder in the general direction of the noise and, soon, a familiar blonde walked into her field of view, a smile appearing on the newcomer's face when their eyes met.
"Here you are. Ruby started to worry about you. Wouldn't sit still till I promised that I'd go and look for you." As Yang came a bit closer and took a better look at Weiss, she slowed her pace, her smile quickly melting into a worried frown. "What's wrong?"
Weiss lifted one corner of her mouth in a manner that was supposed to resemble a nonchalant smirk, but it came out as nothing more but a painful grimace. "Nothing much. Jaune and I have had a small chat about what happened while I was out cold, and now I'm having an episode of well-justified self-loathing. Please, don't mind me." She turned away from Yang, fixing her gaze on some unspecified, infinitely distant point straight ahead. Dropping her facade, Weiss knitted her brows, her expression a mixture of disappointment and sorrow. "It's not like my moping is worth your time, anyways," she added quietly, sounding frail even in her own ears.
Yang, in spite of that final remark, approached her friend and leaned her back against the balustrade, looking Weiss in the eye. "I'd like to disagree," she said, dead-serious, with her arms crossed.
One look at Yang's face was enough to tell that she had already entered the big-sister mode, and it was fairly obvious that she had no intention of going away. She stayed silent, giving Weiss a choice — if she wanted to talk, Yang would listen; if not, she'd simply keep her company. No third option to be chosen from.
A faint smile laden with a hint of bitterness crept onto Weiss' lips. It was moving, in a way, how deeply her friends cared… but it also made her sense of guilt all the harder to bear. Still, she figured that the situation always could've been worse; after all, while a tiny part of her being was disappointed that it wasn't Ruby who had found her, she also had a feeling that she would not have been able to look her in the eye at that moment.
A few minutes passed and neither of them spoke, with Weiss silently clinging to the hope that Yang would eventually run out of patience and leave her alone. Yang, however, thought nothing of being ignored, simply pretending to be looking around and enjoying the views, glancing at Weiss from time to time. In the end, Weiss was the first one to give up; guessing that she would not be allowed to brood in peace, she figured she might as well use that opportunity to vent.
"Ruby asked me not to blame myself for not being there for you when you went to fight Salem. Of course, I still hated the thought that a single Beowolf — a Beowolf, for fuck's sake — was enough to stop me from being there for the rest of you... but I tried, I really tried not to think about it too much. For Ruby's sake," Weiss said and, raising one corner of her mouth sorrowfully, shot Yang a brief glance before looking down, at her clasped together hands hanging off the edge of the balustrade. "But you know how it is: it's easier not to think about your failure when you're unaware of its full extent. Now I simply know a bit more."
She sighed heavily and, with some difficulty, mustered enough willpower to look Yang in the eye. "I didn't do anything. I wasn't there with you for that final push. I made you worry for my life. If I'm not only unable to stand by your side when the three of you need me, but also cause you so much grief… then what good am I?"
Yang gave Weiss a lopsided smile. "Uh-huh. Because it had nothing to do with you saving our collective asses, right? Look, the four of us and Qrow are awesome, sure, but there's only so many Deathstalkers, Griffons and other uglies-I-don't-even-know-the-name-of we can handle at the same time — and you came through and bought us time when we needed it. Besides…"
Suddenly, Yang paused for a while, as if she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. Letting out a weary breath, she pushed her hips away from the balustrade and turned around, resting both of her elbows atop the handrail. With a frown marring her forehead, she spent a few seconds simply staring at the waning moon that silently sailed through the night sky; then, she continued with a slightly distracted expression on her face, as if recalling a memory.
"Every time I look back at it, I can't shake off the feeling that it was not a bad situation that went FUBAR, but a trap. So many Grimm, of so many different types, all of them acting coordinated? I know that we were in the middle of Grimm territory, but I still doubt it was a coincidence."
Prying her eyes away from the sky, Yang looked at Weiss. "Call it a hunch, but I think our battle with Salem started tad earlier than you might think, and both Ruby and Qrow are with me on this one. First she threw a horde at us to wear us down, then decreased the pressure to make us lower our guards. We got cocky, and by that time you burned through most of your Aura trying to cover our asses; then, you got jumped and hit your head, so she took advantage of it and used one of her Grimm — something insignificant, something that the rest of us would likely just ignore among the chaos — to get you. And then, probably coming to the conclusion that getting the rest of us right then would be a waste of resources, she pretty much let us go, to let the metaphorical wound fester; practically no Grimm followed us when we were running away." Yang forced a smile, but it looked almost as if she was baring her teeth in a snarl. "Psychological warfare at its finest, lemme tell ya."
"So you think I was the target?"
Yang's shoulders rose and fell as she shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe she would be fine nabbing any of us — I dunno. All I know for sure is that this bitch was clever, and that she wanted to break us before finishing us off in person." Looking to the side with a dark expression on her face, Yang lowered her voice. "And I've gotta admit, she had the right idea."
"Well, then there's at least one difference I made in this war. By being the weak link that provided Salem with a way to weaken the rest of you." Weiss shook her head with a short, self-depreciating laugh. "I really am pathetic," she stated. Then, having received an exasperated huff in response, she turned her eyes towards Yang, and was met with an irked glower.
"So, lemme make sure I'm getting this right — ya sayin' that the few of us who had the questionable pleasure of whacking that bitch in person were the only ones who actually made any difference in this fucking war?" Yang questioned, her voice taking an uncharacteristically harsh tone; the ice in the words she spoke made Weiss regret having said what she had. "What about those who have helped us along the way, or sacrificed their lives so we could push forward? Is all they've done also pathetic and meaningless?"
Weiss bit her lip and averted her eyes, not really knowing how to respond. Yang's cold tone brought her back to her senses, dispersing the toxic thoughts that clouded her judgment. She understood the point Yang was trying to make, and knew that she was right; no matter how badly Weiss loathed herself for what had happened, saying that she hadn't accomplished anything in the war was factually wrong, even if it didn't seem to be the case when she was looking at the things through the lens of her self-hatred.
Truth was, that whole conflict was not won by her team alone, nor even by those involved with the Circle — it was bigger than all of them. It was the end result of years of work and of the joint effort of thousands upon thousands of people, both Huntsmen and ordinary folk, many of whom had become nameless heroes of that time of troubles. Without those seemingly random people, there would've been no strike force sent to take down Salem. There would be no victory; the Relics would've been lost, the Academies would've been destroyed, and Remnant as a whole thrown into oblivion.
Together, they had prevented that grim fate — and Weiss had been a part of that. More than that, she was someone who had been at the very heart of things for well over a year, leading the charge; if all her contributions were to be rendered void by her absence for the showdown with Salem, the same would have to be true for all those people who made said showdown possible in the first place, at times paying the highest price.
It would not fair towards them... and, by analogy, it was not fair towards Weiss, even if her own feelings didn't quite align with that logic.
Yang continued to grace Weiss with her withering glare of disapproval for a few more seconds, making the latter shrink in herself in a manner not unlike a child would after being scolded by a parent, or an older sibling. Eventually, seeing that she got her message across, Yang softened her stare, her scowl slowly melting away. She reached out towards Weiss, who flinched in surprise, before pulling the mess of a girl into a sisterly embrace.
Yang exhaled loudly. "Schnee, you moron. Fine, you weren't with us for that final stretch, boo-hoo. We wouldn't get nowhere as far as we did without you. If you weren't with us over the past year and a half, we wouldn't be able to stop them from nabbing the relics, nor prevent Mantle from going to shit. If you weren't there to save her ass, Ruby would've drowned in that frozen river on Solitas. Blake, Ruby, Qrow and I would've been all fucking dead if you haven't done your best to cover our asses last week. The list goes on and on," Yang said, then fell silent for a few seconds before carrying on. "This war was not won with a single battle, or by our team alone... and it might've been long lost without you. Can you just acknowledge that, or do I seriously need to give you some of my tough love?"
Weiss cast her gaze down. She logically understood that the final days of the war would've unfolded very differently if she hadn't forfeited her own safety in order to make sure that her squad made it out alive. It hadn't been an entirely conscious decision on her part back then, and it resulted in being taken down in a rather humiliating manner, but she wouldn't have changed it if given opportunity. Among the five of them who had taken part in that battle, she was the only one capable of effectively slowing down a mass assault; had she failed, her squad would've been overpowered by a horde simply too numerous for anyone to handle in an open field. And with them gone, their risky gamble of an operation would've been done for.
In a way, the fate of the entire mission, if not the world, rested on Weiss' shoulders for a while, relying on her ability to ensure her comrades' survival. She'd succeeded, in theory… and yet, every time she recalled the tormented look in Ruby's eye whenever the girl had been telling her how Salem had tried to break them, Weiss felt as if a metaphorical shard of ice embedded in her chest was getting driven ever deeper into her heart — an oppressive ache she could do nothing about but endure.
She might've saved their lives, but she also should've been there for them afterwards. She would've given anything for it, but the cruel fate still had not allowed her to do both. It made her furious — at herself, and at the very workings of the world. And now, every single fiber of her being wanted to scream at the injustice done to her — done to all of them.
Sensing that her eyes started to water, Weiss buried her face in Yang's shoulder. "I should've been there with you till the very end," she mumbled into Yang's jacket, letting the hot tears of bottled-up frustration flow. "We didn't deserve to be separated like tha-at. It just wasn't fair."
Yang wrapped her friend a bit tighter in her arms, gently rubbing the back of Weiss' head; when she spoke, her voice was calm and soothing. "You're right, Weiss. You deserved better than to go down like this, and we deserved to have you with us till the end. But since when was any of this shit about what we deserved?"
She paused for a while, as if giving Weiss an opportunity to speak. The latter remained silent, spare for occasional soft sobs; the question was rhetorical enough, and Weiss feared she'd only further embarrass herself had she tried to say something. After a moment had passed, Yang continued.
"None of us deserved to go through this shit. Not you, not me, not Blake... and certainly not Rubes. But if there's one important thing to remember about bad things, it's the fact that they just fucking happen. So we had to roll with the punches, whether we liked it or not. And we survived, somehow. But it wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't covered each other's backs. And if you really think that we could've made it through without you, or that you didn't make a difference in the end, then you're a bloody idiot, Weiss. An idiot I love, but still an idiot," Yang stated, then blinked in surprise after hearing a muffled giggle coming from Weiss.
"Things really must look serious if an oaf like yourself calls me an idiot."
Once her initial bemusement had passed, Yang found herself grinning a bit; letting out a quiet chuckle, she rested her chin atop her sister's head. "Glad you finally realized."
After talking for a bit about more pleasant subjects, Yang and Weiss headed back towards the field where the marquee housing the banquet was pitched. As they drew closer and the tent came into their view from behind a hedgerow, they realized that someone was standing by the entrance, waiting for them; the girl, dressed in black and red, waved the moment she saw them. A few seconds later, a tall, blond man peeked out from the tent; when Ruby noticed his presence, she crossed her arms and gave him a rather pointy look, which prompted Jaune to awkwardly retreat back inside. Once he disappeared, Ruby headed out to meet them halfway; seeing this, Weiss — who had already been lagging a few steps behind her teammate — further slowed her pace, eventually coming to a halt.
The sister passed each other by, exchanging nothing bar a brief yet meaningful glance; not looking behind, Yang headed towards the tent, leaving Weiss alone with Ruby.
With her eyes directed the other way, Weiss heard rather than saw her partner's approach — the sound of light, measured steps muffled by the grass, ultimately fading into silence when Ruby came to a halt. Weiss was well aware that her best friend was standing just a few feet away, waiting, but she still did not turn to face her, as if too afraid to do so.
"Weiss," Ruby called softly, hoping to get Weiss to look at her. It was not an order, but a plea — one which Weiss was unable to not comply with.
Slowly turning her head, she looked up, meeting Ruby's compassionate gaze. Something about those silver eyes told her that the girl simply knew what thoughts had been — and still were, if to a lesser degree — plaguing Weiss' mind. She found it to be both reassuring and highly embarrassing; nonetheless, despite the strong temptation, break the eye contact she did not.
For a while, Ruby simply observed her with a concerned frown, then opened her mouth as if to speak, but no words came forth; instead, she stepped closer and pulled Weiss into a hug.
Weiss silently enjoyed the warmth of the embrace for a few seconds. "That's it? Not going to give me another lecture?" she asked half-jokingly.
A gust of air tickled Weiss' ear when her friend puffed in amusement. "Would you like me to reiterate on some of the points Yang has probably already made?"
"Hell no."
"Then I just want you to remember that you've always been by my side, unless you really couldn't help it. That you've always believed in me, even when I didn't. And that none of us think any less of you now — we all owe you a lot, even if you don't feel that way right now."
Weiss remained silent for a while, a small wrinkle present upon her brow while she was thinking of a reply. "I appreciate what you are saying, and I understand the points both you and Yang are trying to make... but I still feel that I've failed the team. Especially you, as your partner."
Ruby chuckled under her breath, but there was no mirth to that melody. "Seems that the sense of having failed each other is one of the things the four of us have in common, then," she said with a hint of pensiveness in her voice, releasing her friend from her arms.
As she unhurriedly pulled away, Weiss shot Ruby an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?"
Having glanced at the nearby tent, Ruby gestured with her hand in the opposite direction, away from other people's ears. Weiss needed no convincing and simply started marching where her friend had pointed, with Ruby striding by her side.
As they were strolling down the grassy knoll, Ruby started to elaborate. "So, where to start... Ever since we've returned, there are times when Yang gets all thoughtful and falls silent, looking away every time she meets mine or Blake's eyes. It doesn't happen that often and is rather brief, but it keeps happening every now and then." She left it hanging there for a moment, curiously searching for any reaction on Weiss' face.
Indeed, what she'd just described was vaguely familiar to Weiss, who had noticed such behavior on a handful of occasions, even though she didn't really understand the underlying reason; seeing a spark of recognition in Weiss' eyes, Ruby carried on, unconsciously putting her thumbs in her pockets.
"When we went to fight Salem, sis... had her doubts. About herself, about our odds of survival, about other things. And then, when we've finally met the Witch... she had lost her hope, and because of that she couldn't snap out of Salem's control. She was used against the people she loved; made to try and kill those people. She wasn't herself, but feels like a traitor anyways, and keeps saying that 'this would not have happened if she wasn't so weak-willed'. Still, I..." she started, only for her voice to trail off almost immediately afterwards.
Noticing that Ruby had rather abruptly slowed down her step then stopped, Weiss also came to a halt, turning around as a sudden wave of anxiety washed over her. Ruby stood just out of arm's reach, looking away with a somewhat harrowed expression on her face, the words she had been about to speak having gotten stuck in her throat. Before Weiss could do or say anything, Ruby, not turning around, proceeded to continue from where she had left off; still, Weiss could practically feel just how hard it was for Ruby to talk about the matter.
"I know how it was like, to have Salem in my head. And I really can't bring myself to blame Yang. After all, she's not the only one who was close to slipping," she quietly confessed.
Something tightened inside Weiss' chest, an ice cold shiver running down her body. "Ruby...?"
Ruby glanced at her before once again turning her eyes towards the ground. She seemed apologetic — ashamed, even, as if she genuinely wanted to give Weiss a reply, but couldn't bring herself to do so.
"It's... I'm sorry, but it's something I'd rather not talk about right now. For now, all I'm going to say is that the thought that there were people who counted on me, who still believed in me, was the only thing that kept me going…" She turned her head towards Weiss, apparently having mustered enough willpower to hold her gaze. "And that even if you haven't been able to be there, you've still helped me in the darkness."
Alongside those words, Ruby gave Weiss a weak but affectionate smile, one that shone beautifully even despite her slightly watered eyes, for a second making Weiss' heart mess up its rhythm. Then, as if in a fit of sudden embarrassment, Ruby looked away, sheepishly scratching the back of her head with her left hand. "Uh, but I've digressed, so let's get back on track."
Ruby awkwardly resumed her stroll, carrying on with her explanation. "So, Blake... Blake still blames herself for willingly ditching sis and I after the Fall. She knew that Yang would need her, and yet left anyway… but, even if she only wanted to protect us from her psycho ex, she's done the very worst thing she could've done when it comes to Yang. Sure, it's all long forgiven and repaid as far as we are concerned, but she is still not done with guilt-tripping herself, even though Yang is working on that. As for myself..." She exhaled through her nose with a quiet puff, as if letting out a short, silent laugh. "I keep replaying every situation that went downhill in my mind, thinking of things I could've done differently, done better... all the collateral damage, or all the times I've fucked up and put you in unnecessary danger, or—"
"Oh, shut up," Weiss ardently objected, going so far as to interrupt her partner. "We've been over this, but fine, here we go again: I realize how the alleged 'fuck-ups' might seem in the hindsight, but you are not omniscient — you just couldn't predict every single outcome or scenario that would happen. Sometimes the fate simply forced your hand. Yes, it did result in close calls and hardships, or in collateral damage, but you were never the source of the problems; you were the one that got us through them. We all have followed you out of our own volition, and I, for one, have never felt that my trust was misplaced, or that you've failed me as a leader, or as a partner, or a friend."
Ruby seemed to appreciate Weiss' words, but, at the same time, the faint smirk that had appeared on her lips suggested that she might've set Weiss up, having predicted how she'd react and using it to make her point. Nonetheless, it did seem that Ruby had truly meant what she said.
"Even if you're objectively right... tell me, did anything Yang has said change the way you feel about yourself?" Ruby questioned with a knowing look in her eyes, then grinned, seeing a 'no' painted all over Weiss' face. "I rest my case. Even if no one else blames me, I do, the same way Blake and Yang blame themselves. Just like you do, despite having saved the day back when we could've lost everything."
Weiss marched on, quietly considering what Ruby had said. While most of the things the girl had mentioned were issues Weiss was more or less aware of, she also realized that Ruby's goal was less to inform her, and more to show her a different point of view — to make Weiss look at her own case from a slightly different angle. To that end, Ruby had certainly succeeded.
Having remained silent for a while as to let her words sink in, Ruby fixed her gaze on the starry sky overhead; then, she continued speaking, pretty much voicing Weiss' own thoughts: "When something dear to us is at stake, we want to do everything we can to make sure nothing bad happens. But there are times when the things don't go the way we would want them to, when even 'our best' is not enough — expectations are not met, duties are not fulfilled, feelings are hurt, promises broken, lives put in danger... and when something so important is at risk, we often blame ourselves for failure, taking it personally and coming up with a number of 'what ifs', even if there was nothing we possibly could've done, or when no one else blames us. But, even though it might seem silly, it's just how we feel, and our feelings are always valid. So I understand why do you feel the way you do — it's only natural. It shows that you care." She glanced at Weiss, giving her a fond smile that bore some visible traces of underlying sadness. "Just remember that you're not alone... and that we shouldn't let our regrets eat us alive. We all have messed up at some point. We all are messed up. But we have to keep moving forward."
"Easier said than done."
Ruby laughed softly, turning her eyes towards the waning moon and wrapping her arm around Weiss' shoulder. "Oh, don't I know it. Still, as long as we stick together... I think we will be fine, eventually."
Weiss didn't say anything to that, simply thinking about all that she had heard that night. "They are fine, at least as far as their bodies are concerned," Ozpin's words echoed in her mind, causing her to smile bitterly.
Back at the time, she didn't think much of the second part of his statement, simply relieved that all of her teammates had survived, but, as more days passed, she started picking up on some little things that eventually made her realize that Ozpin had stressed that distinction for a reason. In truth, none of the girls had returned from their last battle unscathed — the wounds were there if you looked long enough, even if it wasn't the body that they scarred. Each member of team RWBY had been given a new burden to bear, and Weiss was no exception, having to live with the guilt of the one that had stayed behind.
Ruby was right — they all were broken, in their own unique ways... but not yet beyond repair. Each one of them was going to need their friends, just as much as they had ever needed them in the heat of battle… but, given enough time, they should be able to recover. Or so Weiss hoped, at least.
She was grateful to Jaune for filling her in, even if it did nothing to alleviate the feeling of guilt that had been slowly eating away at her spirit. True, it did add more fuel to the flame of self-hatred that she had been trying to suppress, but it also shed some light on what her friends had gone through. In a way, it was also a much needed reminder that, despite all of her shortcomings, both large and small, she was still cherished and respected by those who were dear to her; although it might have come with its own set of issues related to her sense of worth, it still meant the world to Weiss.
Though they had tried, neither Yang nor Ruby was able to completely calm her conscience. She still felt as if she had failed them, or at the very least failed herself; she did, however, feel slightly better, having talked about her bottled up frustration, as if she could breathe more freely with its weight no longer crushing her chest. That being said, one thing she had heard kept bothering her.
Weiss glanced at Ruby's moonlit profile, the image of her pained expression from before still burning vividly in her memory. It had been the second time Ruby mentioned their encounter with Salem, and once again the little bits of information Weiss had gleaned — both from things said and left unspoken, as well as Ruby's behavior — had left her deeply concerned; shaken, even, seeing that it was the first time, Weiss believed, when her partner had ever told her there was something she didn't want to talk about.
Weiss understood that the day had been emotionally exhausting as it was, so she still had faith that Ruby would confide in her eventually, but the refusal alone was very telling. What worried her the most was something that she hadn't realized outright, though it had given her the creeps back at the time — the fact that the phrase 'to have Salem in my head' coming from Ruby's mouth didn't sound like a simple metaphor.
Looking at Ruby with a worried frown, she couldn't help but wonder: 'what has she done to you, exactly?'
Strangely, Weiss was unable to shake off the feeling that a part of her did know, on some subconscious level, the answer to that question. She didn't know why, or how, but it seemed to be just barely eluding her grasp, just like a name that was on the tip of one's tongue that stubbornly refused to be remembered; whatever it was, it made her worry all the more.
'And how have I 'helped you in the darkness'?' The words 'I haven't done anything' once again popped inside Weiss' mind, but this time they didn't spark any hateful thoughts — she was just too concerned about Ruby at that moment to be angry with herself.
The girl in question noticed Weiss' concerned stare and their eyes met for a brief while. Before long, Ruby looked aside, pursing her lips in a weary, sheepish smile, as if once again knowing exactly what was going on inside Weiss' head. She didn't say anything nor moved away, simply marching onwards with her gaze firmly placed on the ground one feet ahead of her. She looked vulnerable, but even though she was probably aware of that fact, she was not trying to hide behind her usual mask of an undaunted leader. It was almost as if Ruby wanted to be seen like that, and Weiss had a feeling it was sight reserved for her eyes only.
'Perhaps Jaune was right,' Weiss thought to herself as she continued walking by Ruby's side. Regardless of her doubts related to her own worthiness, if there was a single thing she was sure of in that very moment, it was that she actually felt needed, and that notion made the autumn night seem ever so slightly brighter and warmer.
"'As long as we stick together, we will be fine', you say," Weiss repeated Ruby's words thoughtfully, breaking the silence. She turned her eyes towards the moonlit sky, reassuringly reciprocating Ruby's side hug. "I guess it's a matter of time till we find out, isn't it?"
She said it casually, but her words were carefully chosen, the message that she wanted to convey being that she would stay by Ruby's side, and that she deemed the prospect of the two of them parting ways to be unfit for being spared a single thought.
Ruby, seemingly having caught on to the meaning, glanced in Weiss' direction with a tiny simper on her lips, just looking at her for a spell before following her gaze all the way to the distant stars. "Yeah."
Not much time had passed before Ruby and Weiss returned to the marquee, rejoining other guests. The banquet carried on rather uneventfully in the spirit of amiable solidarity, with students from various Kingdoms and Beacon's staff mingling with each other. As the hour arm of the clock was pulling further and further away from midnight, the soft buzz of conversations began to quieten, the crowd slowly thinning out; eventually, only about half of the people remained.
Weiss, having politely withdrawn herself from all conversation some five minutes prior, was sitting alone on one of the solitary benches that were lining the tent's walls, away from the tables; with one of her elbows placed on the backrest and her legs stretched along the length of the bench, she was resting her head on her hand, struggling to stay awake. While she was entertaining herself by observing some poor students from Mistral being subjected to one of professor Port's lengthy anecdotes, she was approached by Ruby, who gave her a slightly concerned look.
"You okay?"
"Mm. Just tired," Weiss murmured sleepily, then proceeded to take her legs off the bench in order to make some space for her friend to sit on.
Having her concerns mostly assuaged, Ruby graciously took up on the offer, plopping down on the bench right beside her partner. A few moments later, Weiss — apparently having come up with some idea — glanced at her and asked, "Do you plan to get up anytime soon?"
The look on Ruby's face was one of confusion. "Uh... I don't think so? Why?"
Weiss, seemingly satisfied with that response, paid no mind to her partner's bafflement. Leaving the question unanswered, she simply rested her head against Ruby's shoulder and closed her eyelids, crossing her arms on her chest as to preserve her own body heat. "Good."
After a brief while, a quiet snort of laughter reached Weiss' ears; no objection ever came.
In her dreams, Weiss' explored a strange, eerie world of shadows and shades of gray, where human-shaped silhouettes of pure radiance and the tempestuous energy of Dust seemed to be the only sources of color among the all-encompassing bleakness. She herself was nothing more than a spectator, unable to do much aside from passively witnessing scenes that were flashing before her eyes, sporadically being given a moment to listen or to take a better look before time and space shifted somewhere else. Because of that, she was unable to learn much from what she had heard or seen — just small bits of information devoid of context, seemingly unrelated to each other. While it was hard to connect one vision to another, one thing remained constant: the presence of a person wreathed in a familiar, red light that seemed to act almost like an anchor, drawing Weiss towards it. The presence that she believed she'd recognize anywhere — Ruby's.
After another series of rapid flashes, the shadowy world around her once again stabilized for a while and Weiss found herself in a gorge between two imposing masses of land that towered over the shattered landscape. Numerous spires that looked like holes punched clear through the canvas of the universe surrounded her, emanating an unsettling aura; the earth itself seemed dead and tainted with shadow. Here and there, small patches of grass fought for survival among the uncaring rocks, giving off a faint, ghostly glow that made them stand out among the barren, dark environment; the sky was about the only thing that seemed normal — moonlit and littered with tiny dots, its familiarity giving Weiss some semblance of comfort in this bizarre setting.
Nearby, four radiant figures ventured through the night — Ruby, accompanied by silhouettes of yellow, light purple and green, with the latter seemingly fluctuating between two slightly different shades. The identities of the rest of the group weren't hard to guess — Yang was the yellow one marching in the middle, following after Ruby and green Oscar, who were leading the party through the darkness; Blake, with her superior sight and hearing, strode silently at the end of the column, acting as the rear guard.
Weiss spent a moment to take a better look at the each of them; when she concentrated, she could practically make out — or imagine, at least — their facial features or what kind of clothing they wore, what expression they had on their faces. Tense and serious, they didn't talk much to one another; still, even though all were visibly concerned, they pressed onward nonetheless, and when it came to Ruby, Weiss could practically sense her determination almost as if it was her own.
Some time after they had left the ravine, Yang, who had looked as if she wanted to say something for the past while, finally decided to voice her thoughts.
"Hey, Oz... isn't Salem's castle a bit more to the south?" she asked, pointing in the direction of another titanic crag, behind which the Witch's keep was supposedly hiding from their view. While everyone's internal light seemed to Weiss to be a bit dimmed in color, it appeared to be especially true when it came to Yang, and although she had no idea how she came that conclusion, she just knew she was right.
Oscar glanced over his shoulder to look at Yang. "Uh... yeah, I guess," he replied awkwardly, as if not sure how to respond, continuing his stride northwest.
"I doubt we're headed to the castle. Seems unlikely we'd find her there," Ruby replied calmly, almost matter-of-factually. "Sure, it'd be a good position to hole up in if she was outnumbered... but she isn't, and it's probably too confined inside to effectively use her numbers against us. Which might be exactly what she plans to do, considering that our ability to deal with swarms has gotten significantly reduced."
After those words, the redness of Ruby's radiance lost some of its intensity, with the lights of the others soon following suit. Then, a distant echo of gunshots was carried to them by the wind, and they all as one stopped dead in their tracks and turned their heads in the direction from where the sound had come.
"So it has started, huh," Yang murmured after a while of listening.
Ruby stared in silence, with her glow growing dull as worry and fear began creeping into her mind. Seeing this, Weiss nigh automatically approached the girl from behind, wishing she could say something, or comfort her partner with a touch, wishing she could do anything... but, being a powerless spectator, she could not.
That's why she was surprised when Ruby actually turned around and looked right at her with a slightly confused look on her face — or rather right through her, as Weiss came to realize after a brief moment, much to her disappointment. In the end, it appeared that Ruby simply thought she had heard something behind her, her silver eyes peering into the darkness as to discern whether she was right or not.
Having noticed that strange behavior, Blake, with her hand slowly drawing closer to the grip of Gambol Shroud, called Ruby's name, audibly concerned. "Ruby?"
Ruby simply took a deep breath and sighed, then, after casting a fleeting glance in the general direction from where they'd come, she turned away from Weiss and, seemingly having collected herself, renewed their group's march northwest. "T's nothing. Let's get going."
As Weiss watched the party march off into the unknown, the world around her began to spin and blur, and soon, the scenery had changed. For a brief while, she was presented with a full-colored image of Ruby kneeling on all fours among the seemingly infinite darkness, but then, something suddenly jerked her to the side, causing her to plunge into nothingness.
Weiss groaned as she stirred awake, called back into consciousness by someone gently shaking her by her shoulder. Feeling as if she had barely gotten any sleep, she groggily opened her eyes and turned her head towards the girl sitting on the bench right next to her, whom she suspected to be the one who had dared to disturb her slumber. Too tired to be angry, Weiss shot Ruby a long, drowsy look from her half-opened eyelids.
Ruby gave her an apologetic smile in response. "Hey. It's time to go. Blake and Yang are waiting for us outside."
The sun was already out, its golden glow seeping into the marquee through the windows and lighting up the white canvas of the walls. Most people had already left the tent, the few who had not either chatting in hushed voices or still asleep. If Weiss was to risk a guess, she'd be inclined to say that it was sometime after seven in the morning; assuming she was correct, it would mean that she had dozed off for about three hours, give or take — much less than she'd consider optimal, but still adequate… -ish.
Weiss sighed, slightly disappointed that she would not be allowed to nap for just a while longer. Resigned to her sleep-deprived fate, she was about to rub her eyes, but then paused unexpectedly as she encountered some resistance along the way. Feeling something warm and soft to the touch brush against her skin, she looked down onto her lap; only then did her drowsy mind register that both she and Ruby were covered from the shoulders down with Ruby's cloak. Seeing that small but thoughtful gesture, Weiss gave her partner a look of silent gratitude, corners of her mouth gently curving upwards.
Having rubbed the sleep from her eyes, Weiss left the comfort of Ruby's cloak and stood up, exposing herself to the cold bite of the morning air and almost immediately beginning to miss the pleasant warmth from moments before. Wrapping her arms around herself in the hope of fending off the chill, she threw a sweeping glance at the handful of people who still remained inside the tent. By the time her eyes once again turned towards Ruby, the girl had already risen from her seat and bundled herself up in her trademark cloak.
"Have you stayed awake the whole night?" Weiss asked Ruby, seeing her stifle a rather lengthy yawn.
"Nah. I fell asleep not that long after you, and been up for... dunno, maybe the past ten minutes or so," Ruby replied, huddled under her red mantle, slowly inching away from the bench. As she drew past her, she shot Weiss a glance and gestured with her head to come along. "Let's go."
True to Ruby's word, they found their teammates just outside the tent, chatting with Coco and Velvet; the moment they stepped out, their friends waved them hello — all of them looking the worse for wear.
"Damn. You two look terrible," Yang quipped, herself being a far cry from well-rested.
Hearing that obvious taunt, Weiss smirked with a playful twinkle in her eyes; although still fairly sleepy, the chilly air had sobered her enough to be able to retort without missing a single beat. "And yet here you are, looking almost as bad as I'm feeling at the moment. Which, believe me, is an achievement," she paused briefly, throwing in a yawn for good measure, "in and of itself."
Yang chuckled, showing her teeth in a weary grin. She seemed relieved, for some reason, and it made Weiss wonder whether that teasing was, perchance, an attempt to gauge her mood after the last night.
"Yeah, I'm beat; been awake the whole damned night," Yang said, rubbing her neck. "Take all of my regrets."
Having heard the part about the alleged regrets, Coco placed her hand over her heart and shot Yang a theatrically hurt look. "Hun, you wound me. Would you rather have napped than spent some quality time with me? Unbelievable." After a brief while, Coco dropped her melodramatic mask and quickly grabbed the Scroll lying in her lap, then opened it and checked the time, frowning a bit after doing so. "Anyhoo, we really should get going now. I know that the four of you are taking a later flight, but ours is in eighteen minutes." With that, Coco began to slowly drive away in her wheelchair, giving the rest of the group a cue to follow.
"What about Fox and Yatsu?" Ruby asked, seeing that neither of the two was anywhere to be seen.
Coco looked over her shoulder as she continued driving onwards. "Oh, guys? They went ahead, taking our luggage. Jaune and the rest of the dorks tagged along."
And so their party of six traversed the campus grounds, dropping by the dorms so Ruby and her team could retrieve their belongings. Fairly drained after the previous night, they chatted lazily on their way to the landing zone; their banter lacked its usual energy, with periods of comfortable silence separating one exchange from another.
Although initially active, Weiss slowly grew more and more detached from the conversation, her attention drifting away as her thoughts began to absorb her.
That dream… the more she pondered on it, the more she felt there was something unsettling about it. It had been… different — clearer, almost tangible, a mixture of a surprisingly coherent scenario with a dreamscape just as unusual. What's more, once it had finally faded away upon awakening, it had left her with a perplexing, persistent sense of déjà vu.
Logically, she realized that it was merely her brain projecting what she knew onto her dreams, letting her imagination — and her fears — to fill in the gaps. Still, she continued to grow anxious, as if worried that there was something more to the things she'd dreamt of, or afraid that it was closer to truth than she would like it to. She was well aware that she was being silly, fretting over nothing, but the sensation persisted nonetheless.
For whatever reason, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that all the dreams she had had lately were somehow connected, and that she was missing something. Then again, she figured she was simply being paranoid after recognizing the melody from Jaune's report as the very same piece that had visited her dreams a few days prior. He hadn't been able to recall the lyrics of Ruby's song, but hearing him hum it had been enough for Weiss; she could hardly believe it herself, and yet in her mind there was no mistaking that tune.
It was a bit disconcerting — freaky, even — but at the same time, there was also something positively heartmelting about the idea of Ruby's voice still reaching Weiss' unconscious, drugged mind.
While she was going over those thoughts, their group arrived at their destination, just in time to see an airship approaching the landing zone. The others — Jaune, Sun, and their teams, along with Fox and Yatsuashi — were already there, grabbing their luggage from the ground and preparing to board the ship.
Coco once again checked the hour, then eyed the advancing vessel briefly. "That's our ride alright. Seems we're not late, after all... bummer." She glanced at Ruby and smirked seeing the girl's slightly confused expression. "Been kinda looking forward to that drink you'd have to buy me if we missed the flight because you lot took your sweet time grabbing your stuff."
"You know I'm still technically a minor, right?"
Coco grinned. "That'd be part of the fun," she said with a wink, then smiled and opened her arms — an invitation Ruby gladly accepted. Once Ruby released her from the hug, Coco reached up and ruffled the girl's hair, adding: "See you around, kid."
After hugging both Coco and Velvet, Ruby trotted off to say goodbye to the others, with Yang and Weiss following suit shortly after; Blake was the last one to approach the two ladies of team CFVY.
While Velvet and Blake were hugging it out, Coco was peeking over the rim of her aviators, watching a certain pair from afar with a soft smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Keep us posted on any developments between those two dorks of yours, would ya, dear?" she asked, turning her eyes towards Blake.
Blake let out a short laugh and pulled away from Velvet. "Can do. Have a nice trip, girls. And good luck with the rehab."
Coco smiled wryly at the mention of rehabilitation, but nodded her head nonetheless. "Yeah... thanks."
Eventually, all the goodbyes had been said and all the hugs given, and the time came for the most to board the airship; only Ruby and her team were to remain on the platform, their direct flight to Patch scheduled ten minutes later. Seconds before Velvet was about to climb aboard, Blake shot her a short text; the moment Velvet read the message, her head snapped towards team RWBY, her cheeks practically set aflame and rabbit ears standing nigh perfectly upright.
Seeing the look of shock and embarrassment she was being given, Blake just waved at her friend good-naturedly, with a smile of pure, clueless innocence on her lips, somehow — but not without great effort — managing to keep her face straight; only after Velvet had disappeared inside the ship did Blake let out a self-satisfied chuckle. She always had fun messing with Velvet; besides, she truly meant what she'd written. Shooting a brief glance at the message she had sent, Blake closed her Scroll and put it back in a pocket of her coat.
It read 'I'm expecting updates on your own endeavors, too, Velv. Best of luck.'
Before long, the airship took off towards the city of Vale, its passengers waved off by Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang; all four watched from the edge of a cliff as the aircraft drew further and further away from Beacon, slowly turning into a mere shiny dot in the morning sky.
After a while, Ruby and Blake walked to the nearest bench and sat there, leaving Yang and Weiss alone near the brink of the landing platform. A soft breeze was in the air, one which Weiss found herself enjoying once her body got used to the temperature outside; not talking much with Yang, she focused on her breathing, taking steady, deep breaths — something she had made a part of her daily routine lately, just as doctor Grapes had recommended her to do.
A few minutes had passed and, eventually, the airship that would take them to Patch appeared in the sky. Still, even though the hour of their departure was drawing near, Taiyang, for whom the girls were supposed to wait at the landing zone, was nowhere in sight.
"Hey, Yang... where is your dad? Weren't we supposed to meet with him here?"
Yang jumped a bit at the sound of Weiss' voice, apparently having been deep in thought. "Huh? Oh, yeah, but something came up at Signal, so he went to Patch two days ago. He'll be waiting for us at home."
Weiss simply nodded in acknowledgment, falling silent for a brief while; then, a sly smile slowly broke out on her face, and she asked: "Speaking of parents... when are you going to Blake's?"
Yang coughed in surprise, clearly taken aback by the question, before awkwardly looking off to the side, her left hand disappearing within her blond mane. "Well, uh... in ten hours or so? Me and Blake are gonna crash the moment we get home, to catch some sleep before going to visit 'em. I asked dad to pack a few things for us in advance, so it won't take us long to prepare." She smiled apologetically at the surprised look she was being given. "Yeah… sorry for keeping you outta the loop; kinda forgot you weren't around back when we've told Ruby."
Weiss waved the apology away. "It's alright, I just didn't think you'd leave so soon. Tomorrow, maybe, but not sooner."
Yang cracked a toothy grin, wrapping her arm around Weiss' shoulder and leaning in a bit. "Well, look at it this way: starting today, you'll have Ruby all to yourself for a whole... long... week," she said, reaching out with her other arm, as if showing Weiss a whole realm of new possibilities, her theatrics earning her a well-deserved eye roll.
After a short bit, something seemed to have clicked in Weiss' mind. "Wait. What about your father?"
"Oh, yeah, guess you might have to share with him from time to time," Yang conceded lightheartedly, chuckling at the sight of the long, unamused glare given to her by Weiss, who has just barely stopped herself from throwing a quick elbow jab at Yang's ribs. "In all seriousness though, something's telling me you won't be seeing him around all that much. Work and stuff."
"I see."
She didn't take her arm away, keeping it around Weiss' shoulder while she searched for words amidst awkward silence; after a few seconds, she finally spoke up.
"So, yeah... just wanted to say I'm really glad you're staying with us. Not just because Rubes won't be left out when me and Blake are doing couple-y stuff — though I gotta admit, you certainly made things easier for us." Having said that, Yang looked Weiss in the eye, a brief, warm smile appearing on her face before her expression turned more serious.
"But, really, I'm just glad that neither of you will be left alone. None of us should be left alone, not after all that shit. Now we won't have to worry about either of you driving yourself up the wall."
Corners of Weiss' mouth rose up slightly. "Thanks," she spoke, deeply grateful but not really knowing what else to say.
Then again, maybe there simply was nothing that needed to be said.
None of the girls took their seats immediately upon boarding; instead, they stopped by one of the large windows in the starboard side, standing arm in arm and watching wistfully as Beacon drew further and further away with each passing moment, a lone warden overseeing the sparkling river hundreds of feet below.
There was a peculiar finality to that sight, a strange sense of relief, as if they had finally closed a certain troubling chapter of their lives, leaving behind not only their school, but also some of the pain and burdens the past two years had wrought. There was some sadness to it, but it was pure, free of bitterness. They might've parted ways with their friends and their beloved Academy, but that was only a temporary goodbye — they'd return to them, in time. Right then, however, they were finally and truly liberated: free to take a breath, tend to their wounds and pick up the pieces of their once shattered lives — together.
'It's not exactly a fresh start,' Ruby mused, taking in the sight of the morning sun rising behind the Beacon Tower, 'but it sure feels like a new beginning.'
Hidden in the pocket of her hoodie, her thumb was running back and forth along the edge of a stiff piece of paper. She got to thinking, of the future and of all the battles they were yet to have — especially the ones they would have to wage within. But, before she could go too far down that train of thought, a hand touched her arm and brought her back into the sun.
Having gotten Ruby's attention, Blake pointed over her shoulder with her thumb "We'll go and look for our seats."
Ruby just nodded, watching for a moment as Blake and Yang both walked away towards the bow of the ship. Weiss stayed behind, within an arm's reach, likely wondering what was on Ruby's mind — a comforting, watchful presence.
Ruby cast one last glance towards Beacon, then looked at Weiss and into her eyes, and just smiled, pushing away all negative thoughts for now. She fixed the straps of her backpack and unhurriedly went after Blake and Yang, with Weiss naturally falling into step right by her side.
Not all their problems were gone — Remnant still needed them, while their road to recovery was probably going to be long and often trying, but, at least for now, Ruby figured she should try not to dwell too much on those problems, nor on the past. Instead, she chose to look forward to what the future would bring.
After all, when one thing ends, the other begins. And she sure hoped it'd be something good.
Author's Note:
So, uh... hi. It's been a while, huh?
Sorry about the long radio silence; first I've been trapped within an exam limbo for about a month, then I've been sick, then I've had some catching up to do... yeaaaah, long story short, real life happened. The fact that two paragraphs were a bitch to write didn't help, either. But hey, it's finally here.
Do you remember how I said that "Save Her" would be the last chapter of the "Beacon Arc"? Well, let's just say that "Parting" has ever so slightly spun out of control, and the initial two scenes turned out to be far longer than I originally intended; no regrets, I guess, but I ended up moving the actual post-Beacon stuff to the next chapter.
A bit of heads up: my finals are coming up in less than two months, so it's hard for me to say at the moment when am I going to release the next chapter; hopefully within a month, but I can't say for sure. Besides, you know me — I'm a wildcard when it comes to releases.
Anyways, thank you all for reading, for motivating me with your follows, faves and reviews; I hope you've all enjoyed this little update, and that I'll see you next chapter!