I rise form my tomb to lament today.
Been sick as hell and really struggled to write very much...
But with the news Rooster Teeth is being shut down by Warner Bros, I felt I needed to get a tribute out to them.
It maybe shorter than what I'm usually write, so apologizes.
With RWBY likely coming to a close unless someone else picks it up, and hopefully they did, it looks like it has come to an end.
I can only hope this chapter can lift some spirits.
"I don't wanna go to school today!"
Tai couldn't help but wince from the volume Yang could reach. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she had some sound base Semblance to amplify her voice…
"Me too…" Ruby glumly added, her eyes shimmering and filled with tears.
That look alone had him cracking. He could handle screaming and wailing. He could handle temper tantrums.
But that look… Was beyond his capacity to withstand.
Qrow wasn't much help… He grimaced and gave him a knowing stare.
Ruby and Yang had won this…
"You should go to school today."
Tai's neck nearly snapped in response to the voice, his eyes stretched as open as possible, completely caught off guard by Raven of all people saying those words.
Who was this woman? What had she done with his ex?!"
Watching in abstract horror as Raven knelt in front of perplexed Ruby and a furious Yang, Tai's mouth hung agape. Was she trying to parent? She had always told him she didn't feel adequate or worthy of parenthood…
Yet here she was, trying to comfort Ruby and Yang.
"He needs his rest. Your brother is already struggling and has a lot to deal with. You two need to be strong for him. So that when he wakes up, he sees you both at your best… Not crying and screaming for him. Understand?" Raven gently spoke yet held an authoritative tone.
"No! I'm not going!" Tai winced as Yang's defiance rose and grimaced at the prospect of what was about to follow.
Raven didn't handle being told no very well…
Then again… They had Yang because she didn't take no for an answer…
But instead of snapping as he expected, Raven showed genuine patience, leaving him further flabbergasted. Well… In her unique way.
"So… You're going to make your big brother mad when he hears you didn't go to school when you were supposed to?" Raven inquired, her eyes meeting her daughter's lilacs. "He's been talking about how proud he was of how well you were doing in classes… Guess we'll have to inform him when he wakes up how his darling sisters refused to go to school…"
Yang was rooted to the spot. Her eyes flickered, and her mouth hung wide.
Raven had hit Yang where it hurt most.
"I'll go! Please don't tell Big Brother!" Yang wailed as Ruby cried in unison with her.
"Good…" Raven smirked and patted the two children on the head. "Now let's get your stuff ready… Now, let's get dressed. I'll take you to school this morning before I head out."
"Okay…" Yang pouted while Ruby nodded and hung her head, shuffling behind Raven as she led them back upstairs to the bewilderment of the two men.
And the moment they were upstairs and out of view, Qrow blinked several times. "Tai…"
"Yeah…" Tai muttered, still stunned at the scene he had just witnessed.
"The hell did we just witness?"
With the faintest of smiles adorned on his face, Tai couldn't help but chuckle. She was finally coming back around… She was always better than she gave herself credit for.
It just took her some time to get there.
Where was she?
As her eyes flickered, a hazy blur obscured her vision. Her head rapidly spun and felt weightless. Her stomach knotted, and she felt bile well in her throat.
Whatever that poison she was hit with was vile. She hadn't felt this queasy in a very long time…
Her entire body was stiff and rigid. She met resistance even in attempting to roll to her side, much less flexing a joint. She could barely part her lips…
Every breath was still agonizing to take. But at least she could… The paralytic effects weren't that strong… But perhaps, due to her size, they were more effective?
Neo glowered internally. She despised that logic, but it was sound. Her petite figure left her more susceptible to drugs and toxins…
It was a fact it wouldn't take nearly as much for her as it would for someone else of her age.
While she still couldn't recognize where she was as the blurriness subsided, Neo could tell she was on a mattress of some sort. The stiffest mattress she had ever felt before… Felt like a rock!
She wanted his mattress! It may have been a little harder than she liked… There was so much more going for it!
But where was she? Who were those people who stepped in to stop Mrs. Tealle? And why did they stop her?
Neo's facial features furrowed ever so slightly into a scowl. Who would have issues with Lady Browning?
She knew there was something more to the Preparatory School than what she was aware of. With those twins leaving every night since they arrived, disappearing into the school at odd times, and how much more difficult it was to throw them into the dorm's closet when they pissed her off was tell of that!
She easily tossed them in when they first arrived and tried to bully her. Now, they were putting up a challenge, which almost turned into a brawl the last time! They had gotten much stronger in the short time they had been…
"You're awake?" A feminine voice resonated with the room.
Neo didn't recognize the voice. Her eyes darted through the darkly lit room, trying to find where it came from. There was a click of a door, but she didn't quite see where it was…
"Close your eyes for a second. I'm turning on the lights." The woman's voice came once more.
Neo sneered at the sudden exposure, but she did what she was told. Her vision was already blurry… Last thing she needed was to add to that…
Now, with the room lit, she could finally see the woman in question. Dusty blonde hair tied into a long ponytail—fair skin complexion with rough and calloused hands. Skimpy clothing as well… Barely covered herself.
Despite how lewdly she seemed to dress, Neo's eyes were drawn to her hands as she walked beside her. Stretching out, she pressed a cup and parted her dry, crusted lips. "Drink this. It's just water. Not sure what kind of toxin that woman used on you, but it did a number on you."
Neo wanted nothing more than to refuse the drink. Even if it tasted like water, how could she trust this woman? Anyone for that matter? The only person she could trust was…
Her eyes glimmered as she painfully swallowed as much of the liquid as she could stand. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and even as the cold liquid flowed down her throat, every second was agony.
"It seems that a secondary effect to the toxin is that it binds with moisture and drains it from its target, too, leaving them dehydrated. Nasty little creation they got there." The blonde grimaced as she pulled the cup back. "You really need an IV flush… But if you've been targeted by Spider, taking you in this last thing we should do as they'll find you. They haven't found this place yet, so you are safe here."
Neo internally seethed. This woman only confirmed what she had begun to suspect. Lady Browning's Academy was connected to Spider. Now, if she just had proof…
Her lips quivered as she weakly gnashed her teeth, working past the limits of stiff jaw muscles. Safe here? Hardly… She wasn't safe until she was away from all of this.
And back at his side.
Why did everything hurt so much?
A groan escaped as a woosh of air left his lungs. Felt like something was weighing down on his chest.
Probably Ruby or Yang…
Every muscle felt like it was melting. Probably wasn't far from the truth. The Nine-Tails stated he wasn't ready for that amount of chakra from him… It was right.
But he had to get up. There was work to be done. Couldn't just lay here and rest. Neo needed him…
He needed to get stronger. Now, he had a surefire way to do that… He just needed to…
"Rest." A scratchy voice he was unfamiliar with resonated.
A cold shiver ran down his spine. Who could that be? Last thing he remembered was offering a prayer alongside Orow and Raven…
His eyelids felt heavy. With great effort, he peered through half-lidded eyes, but everything was a blurry mess. What he could see was a large pale green blob sitting on his chest. Was that Gama-chan? The shape looked familiar…
With every inch of his body groaning in agony at every motion he took, Naruto motioned to pick himself up despite the weight pressing on his chest. Who was that that just spoke…
His thoughts were interrupted by something that felt like a stick smack him in the face, and the voice croaked out. "No. Rest. We will begin when you are ready."
Through half-lidded and squinted eyes, Naruto glared. His blurred vision began to focus on what looked like a black rod wave in front of his face. Even through his hoarse throat, he wasn't going to let that stand!
No one smacked him!
"Why you…" Naruto growled through his teeth, his voice sounding grated and gruff. "Know what happened to the last… Ow!"
"You are not ready!" The voice croaked once more, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow further. "Rest. Lord Gamashita will see you when you are able and ready!"
Fully pushing his eyes open, Naruto's eyes wavered at the sight before him.
Gama-chan was sitting on his chest, holding a black rod. And he was glaring at him.
"Training will begin soon, young summoner. It's time to bring balance back into this world."
Glimmering with excitement, silver eyes gleamed as she hurried ahead, passing by fellow classmates. Class was over! She could go home now!
Sprinting from class was not typical for Ruby. While she, like many of her peers, enjoyed the end of the day and heading home, she enjoyed class, too. She struggled with some of the classes, but she really loved Arts and Crafts, and Reading and Writing classes the most!
Oh, she wondered if Blake's letter had come yet… She wanted to show her what she learned!
And her teachers were so nice! She didn't want to leave without saying goodbye!
But today was different as she rushed through the hallways. Her brother was home! She hadn't seen him in so long… And he should be awake, too!
"Come on, Ruby! Hurry up!" Ruby could hear her sister and saw her waiting for her just at the door, waving at her. "I wanna go home already!"
Ruby beamed, nodding as she came to a stop in front of her sister, ignoring the rush of students and parents around her. "I'm here! Is Naruto here? Your mom said he would!"
Yang frowned, glancing outside. "No… Don't see him—probably just Dad. …Maybe he's too tired."
Pouting her lips at hearing her big brother wasn't here to pick them up like they were told after Yang's mom dropped them off, Ruby hung her head. "Oh… Okay…"
"Hey, he's back home!" Yang chirped, her lilac eyes burning with excitement. "So let's go wake him up! You ready, Rub… Where's your backpack?"
Blinking several times, a terrified expression crossed Ruby's face as she recognized the lack of weight on her back. In a blind panic, Ruby sprinted back down toward the class. "Ah, I forgot my books! I'll be right back!"
"Ruby! …It's okay… Ah, who are…" Yang groaned before calling out to her, but her voice faded due to the distance between them and the noise of other students around her as they began to thin out.
She couldn't believe she had forgotten her books! She didn't want to get in trouble for not doing her homework!
"Sorry, Mrs. Daisy!" Ruby burst into her classroom, wide-eyed, as she rushed to her desk. "I forgot my books!"
"It's okay, Ruby." Mrs. Daisy giggled as she turned from cleaning her chalkboard and preparing the classroom for tomorrow to acknowledge Ruby. "You must have something exciting waiting for you at home. You usually don't leave in such a… Excuse me? Who are you… I demand you let her go this instant!"
Staring confusedly at her teacher, Ruby cocked her head. What was she…
"Pardon the intrusion, but we cannot." Two sets of footsteps tapped against the hard ceramic floor, and a firm click followed. "We are friends of Ms. Xiao Long and Rose's brother… We've come to pick them up as he couldn't make it.."
Turning to see two young women wearing black uniforms and white masks covering their faces, Ruby curiously stared at them. Friends of her brother? The only friends he knew he had were much older… Or Neo… She missed her…
Who were these two? And why were they…
Ruby's eyes flickered wide as she caught sight of fluttering blonde locks draped around the further masked girl. "Yang?"
Her sister laid on her shoulder… And she wasn't moving.
With the one closest to her gently kneeling in front of her, she caught the glimpse of a tattoo on the back of her neck before her gaze was drawn into a regretful emerald gaze. A weak whisper escaped her lips before a sharp pain cracked at the back of her neck. "Please forgive me…"
As everything faded to black and she felt her weight was hoisted in the air, her whisper faded. "We don't want to do this…"
"But we don't have a choice."
I do hope that this chapter, short as it is, is of some reprieve for the day.
Let us hope that RWBY finds a new home and finish the story...
That sentiment has been going around a lot lately in many circles...
I have no more words to say.
I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day.
Peace, my friends.