Aaand we back! Sorry for the delay with the chapter, this was originally meant to come out with the previous two but got delayed thanks to me having inflicted myself with salmonella :c. Buuut I'm pretty much good now, thank God. Before we start, I HIGHLY suggest you all read the bottom Author's Note, as I need to clarify a few things and I ALSO want all of your personal votes on something interesting in regards to a specific character! Now, back to the show!
Fighting Rose
Chapter 24
Friday Night
"She's dangerous boss!" Mercury argued, "Pyrrha's skilled, there's no doubt about it, but she's just a tournament-fighter. That Ruby kid knows the Auric-Trigger and can switch styles on a dime. She doesn't hit a target, she pierces through. That's the strike of someone who knows how to kill. We're not even going to mention those Silver Eyes!?"
Cinder nodded, her expression as unreadable as ever, those perpetual yet tiny little upturns to the corners of her mouth as infuriating as ever for Mercury.
"…you want to know why Pyrrha Nikos is the target, despite this Ruby being arguably far more dangerous, yes?"
The calm tone of hers had Mercury start back, instantly calming down as he nodded silently.
"You're correct, naturally," Cinder praised him, "But that does not change the fact that Nikos is an icon. Breaking her image with an act so grievous while the world watches will be the necessary catalyst for us to enact the first phase of our Black Queen's plan. I understand your desire to eliminate Ruby now, and I will leave the task to you, but first we have to send 'the message' on a stage where everyone is watching. I have no doubt that those Eyes of hers will become a nuisance if we leave them to fester later down the line, but we cannot afford to alert them to our presence so early. That stunt you pulled, unleashing your undeveloped Dark Hado, may have brought some suspicion onto us, so any action against Ruby would not help in the long run. I will allow you to make a move on her when the time is right. Should you fail however, then I will deal with her myself when I have gained the full might of Fall's Vision. Am I understood?"
Mercury hesitated before nodding, backing down from Cinder's steady gaze. He could feel as if her hands were on his shoulders, squeezing and pressing down in a way that reminded him of his father. He kissed his teeth before nodding again, more to himself than anything else. Many times he'd plotted to kill Cinder, many times he'd gone through, and she'd allowed it every time. Even with only half of the Fall's power, she'd ruthlessly beat him to the brink of death every time, Dark Hado or not, surprise-attack or with weeks of planning bearing no fruit.
"…So what's the plan for Friday night then?" He asked lowly.
"Simple as always," Cinder replied nonchalantly, "You and Emerald make your way to the dance first while I put on my disguise, I will infiltrate the CCT network to install Watt's virus and return to the party."
"That's still a lot of trained Atlan Soldiers constantly patrolling the place. How are you going to sneak around them?"
"Sneak? As if I would ever need to do that," Cinder chuckled, Mercury flinching back as she raised a hand and summon that thing with a flash of heat; an object forever bound to her soul, a perfectly spherical gem the size of an egg that was half aflame with an orange glow and half dull grey, surrounded in a ring of dull gold, a wind seeming to suddenly whip through the room despite the doors and windows being closed. This was the physical manifestation of the Fall-Maiden's power, the 'Vision' of magic gifted by one who was once a divine being, or at least on the level of one.
"Besides, don't you remember what the oh-so-high-and-mighty Warmaster calls his army now?" She chuckled mockingly, "The Atlesian Militarum. Oh please, as if the false Schnee could be any more pompous. Jacques truly is his father's son."
"…heh, you ain't wrong," He agreed, "But at the end of the day, he's a major threat too, right?"
"True," Cinder nodded, "But he will die all the same."
…
Weiss loomed over Ruby, essentially pinning her to the couch. The younger girl couldn't breathe, her nervousness making her want to shake her muscles out but unable to at Weiss' commanding eyes.
"I'm done Ruby," Weiss murmured, minty cool breath washing over Ruby's face as the latter idly popped her fingers with her thumbs.
"Mm," Ruby hummed back, the signal of Weiss' completion only making her more nervous. She got up, the makeup on her face and dress on her skin more uncomfortable thanks to her growing worries, at least until she looked into the mirror. She gasped.
'That's not me.'
The material was light and non-restrictive on her skin, soft and soothing. The makeup artfully put on by Weiss' delicate hand, bringing out Ruby's shining eyes with outlines of black and a hint of red, soft cheeks and little lips. Her attire was fairly simple but perfect, a red and black dress that ended above the knees and frilling around the edges like an actual rose. Sleeveless and using a transparent mesh behind, her toned arms were bared and the taut muscles in her back were partially visible. Red heels, so uncomfortable to her in another lifetime, were… still odd for her. Overall, she looked…
"…Beautiful." She said in a hushed tone, slowly turning around to look at herself from multiple angles. "Weiss this is… amazing!"
"Pah, tis' no skin off my nose," Weiss scoffed proudly before smiling brightly at Ruby, "It's not that hard when you're already a beautiful girl, Ruby. Be confident."
"…You really think so?" Ruby muttered, still unsure, still in awe at the girl in the mirror. Weiss stepped in from behind and gently placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders.
"As a matter of fact," Weiss said wryly, "I know so. Just look at that girl. Gorgeous, regal, confident, strong… oh look, there's you too." Ruby scowled playfully and prodded Weiss in the ribs, the girl yelping even as she continued to openly laugh, the tension fading from Ruby as she burst into laughter along with her.
"Really though," Weiss chuckled as she calmed down, "You're a naturally beautiful girl Ruby, makeup or not."
"Thank you Weiss," Ruby smiled bashfully, "You look awesome too!"
"Of course," Weiss twirled, the white and black-highlighted dress billowing around her knees like a lily perfectly fit to her slim, regal figure. "Schnee or not, I always dress to impress."
"I'll say," Yang whistled as she came out from the bathroom in a white dress with flecks of gold growing more prominent towards the bottom, a bright, goofy smile directed at both of them. She stopped outright, taking in how her sister looked and just standing there. 'There she is,' Yang thought, her throat tight and eyes beginning to water. 'There's my little sister.' Yang could feel the worry coming from Ruby, a girlish worry centring around meeting a blond Faunus, not about the life-or-death struggle of getting stronger at any cost. There was no tension in her muscles that signalled her usual readiness to kick an Ursa's head off at moment's notice, so sudden fight for her life. This was Ruby Rose, the girl who needed, who deserved to grow up happy, to smile and laugh and indulge in things outside of combat.
"Yang…?" Ruby started, worried at the tears in her older sister's eyes just confused at the pride and joy directed at her.
"You look beautiful sis," Yang said softly before she quickly dried her eyes, drawing Ruby in for a light hug and a gentle kiss on her hairline. "I know you'll knock Sun's socks off!"
"Thanks sis," Ruby giggled as she hugged back, "…w-wait, who said anything about Sun!?"
Yang then turned to Weiss as they parted. Again Yang stopped, eyebrows going up and a big grin on her face as she took in Weiss, the latter preening under the blonde's appreciative gaze.
"Gotta say Weiss," Yang whistled, "You clean up pretty good."
"As I said to Ruby…" She started before Yang's words caught up with her. "Hey, what do you mean by clean up!? My appearance is always perfect!" Yang burst into laughter again before quickly laying a cheeky kiss on Weiss' own forehead, the latter yelping again as she waved Yang away with a red face. "You utter fiend, sneaking in with such a tactic!"
"What can I say?" Yang shrugged, "I couldn't help myself with such a gorgeous princess in front of me."
"Eww, stop flirting in front of me," Ruby groaned as she covered her eyes, "… speaking of which, either of you seen Blake?"
The mood dropped slightly as Yang and Weiss shook their heads silently, eyes drooping down until there was a knock at the door.
"U-um… hello?"
Ruby's brow raised as she felt both Weiss and Yang's auras soar at the familiar voice, rushing to the door and swinging it open to reveal Blake in a black and purple dress of her own.
"Y-you made it!" Weiss gasped joyously before she coughed into her hand and reined herself in, a smaller but equally as happy smile on her face. "What made you change your mind?"
"…Someone put forward a very compelling argument that I couldn't refute," Blake said with a small smile aimed at Yang, the blonde beaming proudly with a little blush on her face. "Oh, speaking of showing up…"
Blake moved to the side to reveal Sun, his grin as bright as ever as he stood there… in a surprisingly good-looking suit. The fabric was so white it was practically shining in the hallway, sleeves rolled up to bare his muscled forearms, equally white dress-shoes and a crimson dress-shirt underneath to finish the look perfectly. Oddly enough, there was a small symbol on his breast-pocket, looking like an up-pointing trident resting on a curved 'U' shape.
"Got room for one more? I know that you're in charge of the party an' stuff, so I figured it'd be alright to pick Ruby up as well."
"Oooh, looking snazzy Sun!" Yang whistled as she smacked his forearm lightly. "Oh Ruuuuby! Your hunk is here!"
Ruby slowly walked out, the nervousness returning a hundred-fold until she looked up, her jaw dropping slightly as her cheeks tingled.
'He's… so handsome!' She thought, her stomach flipping wildly at how the suit complimented Sun's broad shoulders, his sharp jawline doing weird things to her heart. What caught her off guard was the way Sun had reacted to her: he was entranced. She could feel his aura radiating utter awe as he looked at her, his eyes shining, cheeks tinged pink and mouth attempting to both adopt its usual goofy smile and work some form of sentence out. 'That's… for me…?'
"Wow…" he breathed out, Ruby's face only growing redder. "…h-hi Ruby," He chuckled.
"H-hey Sun," Ruby struggled not to squeak. This feeling, these sensations were new, nerve-wracking, exciting. "You look… awesome." She herself was surprised at how easy it was to say that, but more surprising was his cheeks turning a deeper red as he smile tuned goofy, bashful, shy.
"Really?" He muttered, "Cuz', like… you look way better."
Ruby felt that if there was any time to die happy, that would be one of those moments to do so. "Thank you," She murmured, unable to hide her own shy grin.
"So uh…" He held out a calloused hand. "Shall we?"
"Mmhmm," Ruby nodded, gently placing her hand in his. The pair simply looked at each other, this jumble of nervous tension and excitement shared between the two of them, a moment that made them smile at the other.
*CLICK*
Ruby's face exploded into crimson as she snapped her head towards the sound, Yang and Weiss cooing at the picture the blonde took while Blake was furiously writing notes on a small notepad that appeared out of thin air.
"…I hate you," Ruby whined as she instinctively used Sun to shield her from Yang's laughter.
"Let's save the both of us and book it to the dance-hall," Sun chuckled, Ruby nodding with her shy grin and a gentle squeeze of his hand, the action making his face light up in a way that made her evening that much better.
…Thirty minutes later, The Dancehall…
"Whoa, that's freaking cool!" Sun practically squealed before he took a hearty swig of his fruit punch. "But doesn't manually accelerating your heartbeat put a strain on your body? Hell, aura can only do so much to try and constantly keep up with internal damage."
"Well, it depends on how hard I push it," Ruby admitted, "My body's grown accustomed to lower and mid-levels of it and it's a really nice boost in a pinch, but you're right that I won't be able to handle super-prolonged use or max it out whenever I want."
"Mm," Sun hummed, staring off into the growing crowd for a moment before grinning at her. "…you're already coming up with ideas for it aren't you?"
"Damn straight," Ruby huffed proudly, a cute little pout on her face, "The technique itself may have reached its functional limit until I can find a way to freaking regenerate, but there are related applications that I still haven't figured out yet."
"Atta girl," Sun grinned as the two high fived, content at the moment with simply sitting by each other and watching the hall fill with more and more students. Granted, there was still the tell-tale wisps of nervousness passing between them, both occasionally stealing glances at each other and at times catching the other looking, a thrilling spark running up their nerves every time. Though they sat on separate chairs, slowly but surely they had scooted closer and closer to each other, their thighs just about touching. Regardless, the watched as Weiss and Blake elegantly danced with each other, Ruby surprised at seeing the former perform a Faunus folk-dance with practiced ease. Nobody was more surprised than Blake herself, amber eyes wide along with a big grin on her face while she followed along just as smoothly.
"Oh wow, that's the Menageran Step," Sun noted, "Didn't think that Weiss would've ever bothered to learn it."
"…I get the feeling that she's been practicing it recently," Ruby said with a grin, "And it seems that it's paid off."
Their dance ended with a fancy little flourish, the two of them spinning around each other before clasping hands, a bow shared between the two as they stepped away to slowly separate their hands. When all was said and done, Blake could only stare in awe at the slightly pink but beaming Weiss before the former simply nodded, a small but infinitely happy smile that made Weiss even happier.
"I'm just happy that everything with my Team is resolved now," She sighed, not thinking as she closed her eyes and leaned directly on Sun's shoulder. "It still feels like I haven't actually done much as a Team Leader though. I'm not bad when it comes to directing them in the middle of combat, but Weiss, Blake, Yang… they're all so grown-up."
"Hey now, don't think like that," Sun chided, "From what I've seen you've got one of the most tight-knit teams in Beacon. It's natural that you're gonna run into a few problems down the line, and you can't expect to be able to solve them all on your own, leader or not. Heck, I think at this point your team works together so well that mine can't keep up!"
Both of their eyes just so happened to be drawn towards Neptune who was trying (and failing) to flirt with Weiss, her eyes and smile locked on Yang and Blake laughing as they took their time dancing together.
"Yeah… seems like it," Ruby giggled along with Sun, both of them stiffening upon realizing that she was leaning into him. There was a moment of stillness before Ruby slowly, shakily, closed the distance, her head resting on his collarbone and back touching his chest. She fought the urge to grin like an idiot as Sun gently looped his arm around her shoulders to hold her hand in his once more, both of them relaxing into each other.
"Thank you," She murmured.
"Anytime Ruby," He said back lowly, his jaw resting partially on her head as he too smiled.
It could've been seconds or minutes, but the simple moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity, a sort of mutual understanding passing between them. Unsaid in words, but simply comprehensible through their souls.
Que Music: Yakuza 0, Friday Night
Their eyes snapped open as a catchy beat started up, Sun beaming like a madman at a tune that he found all-too familiar in Mistral.
"Come on Ruby!" He yelled excitedly as he pulled her to her feet, the girl yelping in exhilaration as Sun let go of her hand and made a mad dash to the complete opposite end of the dancefloor. "Show me what you've got!" He practically roared out, as he sprinted and dropped into a slide on both knees, planting a foot down as he stopped and pointing both challengingly and playfully to Ruby. The girl herself was peeling with laughter, but her feet just seemed to move on their own as she rhythmically began to step onto the floor, said floor cleared up enough for the two of them.
She felt both absolutely silly and utterly joyous as she just let her body move, Sun perfectly copying her movements while she stepped side to side with a cheeky clap in time with the beat before moving to comically waving their fists up and down with a shake of their hips.
"Tickin' down, to midnight! Tonight's go-nna be bright!"
The two spun towards each other before stopping a breath away, Ruby having stumbled slightly during the spin and Sun having swiftly caught her, an arm around her small waist and the other clasping her hand. The moment sent a thrill through the both of them and kept them moving, kept them close. Their moves were a bit clumsy as Ruby did her best to keep up with someone just that much bigger than her, the shockingly agile movement of his feet covering a lot of distance compared to her smaller frame, yet she kept up as if it was a battle she would not lose and the sensation made her squeal in delight. Sun was unused to just how small Ruby felt, initially doing his best to measure his steps until he locked eyes with her again and was almost blinded by the ecstatic look on her face, her laughter making his heart beat harder.
"I'm feelin like, I'm feelin just as fly~!"
"This is the best part!" Sun laughed as Ruby nodded, both of them tensed and ready just as the beat drop.
"Can't stop dancing all niiight long! Jumpin up! Shaking up! Move your body~!"
They pair instantly rocketed into the air, spinning and perfectly throwing their leg over each other's heads in a well-timed hook-kick, both laughing as they shakily got their bearings once they landed and went right back to dancing hand in hand. Sun moved her into a quick spin with one hand, her peeling laughter making him that much happier.
"Don't stop the music all niiight long! Keep it up, it's a Friiidaay Niiiiiight~!"
Again hand-and-hand, they danced a little slower this time, a little out of breath and pressed up right against each other as their steps died down in time with the music, both giggling as they did one final little spin back into their embrace. They just about caught their breath before a few claps and cheers made their way to them, Ruby burying her face in his chest as he laughed bashfully, scratching the back of his head out of reflex.
Music End
"C'mon, let's grab some drinks and a breath of fresh air," He whispered, Ruby nodding and quickly following him as they grabbed the famous red plastic cups of punch and went outside. Both of them promptly burst into fits of laughter from the recent memory of their dance, punch shooting out of Sun's nose and forcing them to further fall into braying honks of hilarity.
"S-so that's your favourite song of all time?" Ruby cackled, "I didn't even know you could dance like that!"
"Says you!" He honked, "With your little steps!"
"Heeeey!" She whined as she ineffectually slapped at his chest, "It's almost impossible to keep up with those long, luscious legs of yours on the dancefloor, so gimme a damn break!"
Again they both fell into laughter as they found a bench overlooking certain areas of the academy, Ruby once again resting her back on the comfortable expanse of his broad chest and shoulder, Sun's arm wrapping his fingers in hers again as he idly toyed with her smaller hand for her amusement, little giggles escaping Ruby's mouth. It wasn't long before they both sat in comfortable silence, moonlight illuminating them in the cool night breeze.
"Y'know," Ruby spoke up, "I'm… glad I came to Beacon. Sure, initially it was because I wanted to wring Ozpin's neck out for answers, but… I got stronger, fought so many interesting people, improved my skills, and… met you. You taught me to relax, both in battle and here, and… I don't think I've been happier."
She couldn't help but blush at the beaming grin on his face, though he did his best to remain composed as he held up her hand in his own.
"It's… it's funny, couldn't help but think the same thing," He chuckled, "Originally I had a placement in Vacuo, and my gramps had a… job-position afterwards, but I wanted to follow the footsteps of my other grandpa, my dad's pops, when he was young. I journeyed to the east, earned my spot in Mistral all while holding myself back. Like, I've always been happy with my fightin' style, but seeing you so… happy, so free in the middle of a fight just gets my blood pumping! I've… never been so in touch with my mutation, not until I saw how you fight. Fighting with you, being around you makes me feel free… and I thank you for that."
He brought her hand up and bent in to gently brush his lips her knuckles. Both of their cheeks were beet red yet they couldn't find it in themselves to take their eyes off each other.
"Sun… I…" Ruby breathed, unable to ignore this growing feeling in her chest every time they interacted. This pleasant, warm, stomach-flipping grin-inducing feeling could not be ignored. The fact that he was silent, patiently waiting for her answer while she was able to feel that excited anticipation that was ready to burst from him was so boyishly cute, she couldn't help but smile. "I… I think I-!"
A flicker of black in the corner of their eye, the faint clatter of rooftiles, both of their heads quickly snapping to the right to see a familiar female figure in a black bodysuit leap over the roof, into the night… and towards the CCT tower.
"…I think I freaking HATE Cinder right about now," Ruby growled as her fingers pierced through the wooden planks.
"And I wholeheartedly agree with you hon'," Sun snorted as his grip bent the metal armrest like wet clay.
They both looked at each other, momentarily surprised at their shared frustration before they snickered together, eyes turning sharp as their auras began to rise.
"Wanna kick some ass?" Sun asked.
"I think that'd be swell," Ruby agreed as they leapt to their feet and blasted off after the figure.
…
Cinder's hand sharply cracked across the back of the Atlan soldier's neck, his head bobbing in place for a moment before he went entirely limp, a gurgling call for backup just barely on his lips as Cinder easily caught him with one arm. She considered dragging him over to the nearby bush as a hiding-place, but…
Beneath the black glass mask that covered her face entirely, a twisted smile slowly stretched across her lips, her visible smouldering eyes crinkling as her fingers dug into the flesh of his neck, tighter, and tighter, and tighter, and –
*CRACK*
A final wheeze passed through his lips as her grip pulverised the bones in his neck, his life rapidly dwindling away, but she was not finished. The skin of her palm flashed yellow for a split second, so quick it could've been perceived as a mere trick before the corpse turned the same colour. There was a haze of heat surrounding it for a moment until a gentle breeze let it crumble apart to ash, not a trace of the man left behind.
Cinder sighed in satisfaction before composing herself and walking into the room, instantly met with over thirty soldiers turning to stare at her. She smiled again, eyes crinkling as she snapped her fingers and incinerating every single camera in the room.
"HOSTILE AT THE ENTRANCE!" One of them was quick to yell, "SHOOT TO KILL!"
In an instant, two blades made of steaming obsidian flashed into existence in Cinder's palms as she flew across the room to bisect the man from the groin up, her blade passing through him like butter before his corpse turned to ash, the ashes themselves fading away.
"OPEN FIRE! GIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CLOSE-RANGE SPECIALISTS!"
She sharply weaved to avoid a precise burst of rounds before dashing to the offending soldier, the muscles under her suit glowing unnaturally before she lopped his arms off, stabbing him through the mouth and cutting diagonally down through his shoulder. She pivoted with the cut to deflect bullet after bullet almost lazily, something the soldiers noticed as they began to hesitate: exactly what she wanted. Again she leapt right into the thick of it, barely able to restrain her laughter as she cut them down one by one, throwing one of her blades and elongating it mid-flight into a spear to impale through five men in one go, plunging her fist through the chest of another to have him immolated in front of his allies, ducking under a bayonetted swing to sweep the attacker off his feet, shoot her knee up as he came down to shatter his spine and stab him in the chest ten times before he could hit the floor, blood splattering her mask and suit as she looked up at the remaining five.
They were on the verge of soiling themselves, Cinder practically able to smell their fear. She wanted to savour their suffering, to make it oh-so-clear just how far the gap was between them, but she had a job to do.
"GLORY TO THE FIRST MAN TO DIE!" One of them roared, having barely gathered up his courage to charge forward.
She stood up and summoned five more obsidian weapons, floating in the air above her head before she flicked her hand forward and sent them hurtling towards them, impaling them and reducing their corpses to ashes too, all except the last. For him, she clicked her fingers to form burning spirals right under his feet, his legs turning to ashes as he screamed in shock, not in agony thanks to his nerves being essentially erased. From one arm to the next, Cinder cremated him and made sure to focus every sensation of hers onto his suffering. She swore that Emerald and Mercury had been saying some kind of warning in her earpiece, but she was confident that she had time as she plunged one final blade through his mouth, the rest of his body reduced to nothingness.
Checking that the hard drive was safe, the made her way to the now empty elevator and pressed the button for the highest floor, closing her eyes and breathing out.
*CCRUNCHKRKRKRKRKR*
Her eyes snapped open as two tanned hands ripped through the elevator doors right as they closed, smoothly prying them open despite the protesting military-grade machinery trying to resist.
"…And you wouldn't believe how difficult it is just to tap into," Sun sighed as he stepped in, a sour look on his mildly sweaty face as he put his hands in his pockets. "Kaio-Ken is awesome but only in reeeally short bursts. If I use it without my mutation, my body's gonna get screwed up beyond times-two. With it, I can easily handle times-two but I might go berserk if I hold it just a moment too long."
"Damn, that sucks," Ruby hummed as she stepped in with him, idly checking her nails and wiping some of her own sweat from her forehead while they leaned on opposite sides of the frozen and confused Cinder herself. "… it's funny though, it sounds pretty similar to my Advance and you might've just given me an idea!"
"Talk about timing!" He snickered, "Wanna test it out?"
"Eh, why not?" Ruby shrugged as she gently lay her heels off to the side… before promptly swinging her foot right into Cinder's face at full power, Sun's fist simultaneously smashing into Cinder's stomach.
*BANG*
Her body went flying through the metal wall and out of the elevator, crashing into row after row of terminal desks on the other side of the first floor. She quickly hopped to her feet, rolling her neck with a small wince, surprised that some of the force from the combined attack managed to make it through her magical barrier, regardless of how hastily it was put up.
'That's twice now that the brat's attack managed to slip through,' She noted as the faint scar on her hand tingled with the memory of Ruby's strange energy attack all those months ago. 'Curious…'
There was a flash of red as Cinder raised the flat of her blades to defend her temple from Ruby's flying roundhouse-kick, her eyes going wide as she was blown off her feet and flung through the air yet again, gritting her teeth as her shielded ribs were intercepted by Sun's flying knee. He smashed both fists down on her, sending her hurtling through another desk and into the floor hard enough to form a crater, barely rolling out of the way in time as Ruby came rocketing in with a devastating axe-kick to where her head once was, her foot sinking up to her mid-calf through the concrete.
'Mercury wasn't joking!' Cinder appraised, 'She's gotten faster and more powerful since then. And the Faunus, especially strong… both nothing I cannot handle if I have to use Fall's full might.'
The moment she thought that, Ruby had ripped her foot out of the ground to shoot her leg towards Cinder's solar-plexus, the latter reflexively bringing her guard low only for Ruby's kick to curve around the block and snap directly into her temple. With her magic and auric defences unconsciously focused downward, the kick rattled her brain in her skull, eyes vibrating in their sockets as Sun grabbed her by the face and promptly buried her ankle-deep in the floor… upside down.
"Hey…" Ruby noted as she looked around the room, dread creeping into her voice. "There's supposed to be over a dozen armed Atlan forces here…"
"…Gone without a trace…" Sun muttered.
Cinder calmly floated out of the ground still upside down, eyes crinkling in delight as she crossed her legs and placed her hands behind her head as if relaxing on one of Vacuo's luxury beaches. What surprised her was the pin-point fury aimed in her direction, Sun's eyes turning stark yellow while Ruby's eyes glinted harshly, both of their faces set in a tight, focused rage.
'This'll be entertaining…' Cinder thought as she conjured two curved blades in her hands, holding them limply by her sides. Ruby and Sun were already in their stances, muscles tensed as they prepared to launch their own attacks at her only for all parties involved to be distracted by the opening of the doors. '…Or not.'
Ironwood stood there for a moment, trained eyes rapidly taking in everything going on. Cinder's grip on her blades tightened far too hard, Ruby looking back at the floating insurgent to feel the crackling anger and frustration smouldering from Cinder's aura.
'We're holding her back,' Ruby thought. 'She didn't accomplish what she came here for. Their deaths weren't in vain!'
"Self-Order: Destroy the False Maiden. Order Received." Ironwood deadpanned, his entire expression going dead and his pale blue aura visibly flared as he drew his weapon, a massive silvered hand-cannon of some kind, boasting a slightly curved magazine in front of the trigger rather than the typical handle-based magazines of regular pistols. He opened fire, and it was clear to see why: a rocket-propelled round the size of a highlighter spat forth from the barrel, aimed right at Cinder's eye-socket with pinpoint accuracy. It never landed unfortunately, Cinder slashing up with one of her blades just in time to rip through the oversized bullet, the explosion going off and the subsequent billowing smoke far too large to be natural despite the bullet's explosive properties. The haze of heat forced them to cover their eyes, though they were further held back by a blast of wind that literally blew them off their feet, forcing the three to recover their balance. Of course, the smoke cleared to reveal the Insurgent to be gone, not a trace left of her presence.
"GODDAMNIT!" Ruby snarled, her fingers piercing through the wooden desk she was gripping. "She's probably already back at the party as if nothing's happened."
Ironwood was simply standing there, the veins in his arms and hands bulging and teeth clenched as if he was about to make a beeline right for the dancehall. In fact, Ruby could practically feel his single-minded need to sprint towards the hall, gun drawn and all. Despite this seemingly unyielding drive, there was barely a hint of actual emotion underneath, said emotion slowly returning to him as he slowly breathed in and out.
"Self-Order… Retracted," He said lowly as he opened his eyes, the light of emotion fully returning to him as a mix of both fury and sorrow weighed on him. "…over thirty men held this post tonight."
"They didn't die in vain," Ruby said as she walked up to him. "They held her back long enough for Sun and I to arrive to delay her until you got here. She was confident that she could take us, but when you showed up, she got angry. They managed to stop her from accomplishing something big here. I'm just…" she looked down in shame. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner."
"Mm," Sun grunted behind her, his own head down and arms crossed.
"…You two are supposed to be children," Ironwood sighed, a tired smile on his face as the tension of anger left him. "Yet here you are covering for our asses. I owe you again Miss Rose, and you Mr. Wukong."
"Save it," He shook his head, "We'll talk about who's owed what after we take Cinder down for good."
"Agreed," Ruby muttered as the pair walked out, side by side. Ironwood watched them leave before looking around the empty and partially wrecked room, empty of the men that had in part been assigned to his deployment and men whom he had chosen, all of whom he'd known and known well.
"…I will make good on your sacrifices," Ironwood muttered, eyes closed as he silently prayed for them. "In the name of the God-Emperor, may you rest in peace."
…
Hand in hand, Sun and Ruby silently walked over to the dancehall before they both stopped in front of the hall, hearing the usual mix of laughter and dance-music… and sensing a familiar, burning presence within the throb of dancing people.
"…Don't think I can walk back in there without starting something I'll regret," Ruby muttered, her grip on his hand growing painfully tight. He gently squeezed back, snapping her out of her seething fury. "O-oh, sorry!"
"Nah, you're alright," He hummed with a small smile before turning to look into the hall, "I'd probably start throwin' hands with her on the spot."
"Heh," Ruby chuckled, staring into the crowd alongside him, eyes narrowing after a moment. "…is… is Jaune wearing a dress?"
"…oh shit, he is," Sun snickered, "Think it's got somethin' to do with him dancin' with Pyrrha?"
"Huh," Ruby noticed with a small grin of her own, "…She's lookin' super happy."
"Seems so," Sun chuckled, "I wonder if they're finally together."
"Oh don't even get me started," Ruby rolled her eyes, still grinning, "I swear that those two are about as dense as rocks. Hell, Pyrrha's told me that she likes him, but it's like she doesn't realise how bad she's got it for scrawny-McGee."
"Is it that bad?"
"Caught her staring as his ass…" She started.
"Oh that ain't so bad."
"For an entire day," Ruby finished with an even bigger grin, "While doing the lip-bite thing and twirling her hair in her fingers, eyes glassed over and everythin'. Tried talking to her about completely random stuff, even spoke backwards and she just nodded and said 'mm-hmm'."
"Oooh, she's got it baaad bad," Sun laughed along with Ruby.
Ruby was aware of what Sun was doing, trying to distract her from that gnawing sense of defeat that was plaguing them both, and she was genuinely grateful.
"Hey, Sun?" Ruby caught his attention, "…We still have time before the practical work-week. Before that comes up, and I want to spar with you every single day for as long as possible. Cinder was confident that she could take us both and that's not a good sign. You up for it?"
"…Does a starving man require food?" He asked back with a grin, eyes flashing yellow. "Damn right I'm up for it."
"Good," Ruby grinned back, "But, for tonight… can we just… dance outside for a while?"
Yellow turned to sky-blue as he smiled his usual boyish smile. "I'd love another dance."
(TWBY Continued...)
!EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!
So, allow me to clear a thing or two up about this redone Ironwood. First off, in case you didn't notice... he doesn't have any cybernetic prosthetics! At all! He's just a regular, full-blooded human. Think of that what you will, but a hint: someone else has similar prosthetics now. Second is his Semblance. CANON Ironwood's semblance is, and please excuse my language, fucking STUPID. It's so vaguely described for one (What the fuck even is 'Determination?'), and it renders all potential character development moot because it's completely unnatural. EVERY stupid actions he takes is directly attributed to his Semblance. NOW however, I've... changed the script a bit.
FR's (Fighting Rose's) Ironwood has a SIMILAR Semblance, but it is NOT the same. Rather than being a passive Semblance (like Qrow's Bad Luck), NOW it's a Semblance that requires MANUAL activation, and it comes with a few benefits. If Ironwood is given an objective or direct order, he can then activate his Semblance which will essentially FORCE him to complete the task in whatever way possible, be it a physical or mental task, the latter of which can actually increase is physical strength slightly. This CAN be switched off by Ironwood at any time under normal circumstances, and as shown in the chapter, he can in fact use it on himself! Keep in mind, this is under NORMAL circumstances... in the business, we call this foreshadowing.
So first and foremost, what do you think of his reworked Semblance? Personally I'm quite happy with it! Second... what do you guys think I should name it? Now this is where the voting parts come in! Consider this a potential part one, as I've got a few ideas as to what it can be called:
-New Order
-Unwavering Command
-Good Soldier
-And finally... YOU all can come up with a name!
Yup, you guys can come up with a name for his semblance! Should it be decided through Reviews or PMs that fan-names are more popular rather than my own three suggestions *criescopesseethesmalds*, then we'll hold a second and final vote on the next chapter for what name it should receive. I figured I really haven't had anything like this before and you guys have been awesome, so I figured I'd have you interact with the story itself! That being said, give it a thought, love y'all, and see you in the next one. Peace out!
