Well hello, hello! Welcome to a new story here!
So, bit of a different one, this was actually a commissioned story! The commissioner behind it wished to remain anonymous, and so they shall, but we've been working on this for a few weeks now! It's shaping up into something I genuinely like. This'll be a shorter story, probably only around 50k words in total, but I hope you guys will love it as much as I do!
Now, without further ado, and whatnot, let's get into it!
Start Chapter 1
When Ruby snapped awake on a beach, feeling waves lap at her legs, saltwater soaking into her clothes, she thought that maybe she was just dead.
It would've made sense, after all. Her last conscious thoughts – aside from battling Neo however briefly as she'd fallen into the endless abyss awaiting her and her teammates below – had been Cinder sneering down at her, telling her she shouldn't have even been born. She'd watched Yang fall first, then Blake. She'd… not been around to see if Weiss made it, or Penny, Nora, Ren, and Jaune. She… supposed she'd just have to hope they did.
That was about all she could do now. Hope.
The only good thing – and honestly, Ruby hesitated to call it such – was that her left side was absolutely killing her from where she'd taken a blow from Neo earlier. That pain was serving to ground her, and, rather crucially, also reminding her that she was still alive.
She hoped, at least, that the afterlife wouldn't carry over a set of bruised ribs.
So, Ruby pushed herself up. Sand laced its way through her fingers. It coated her chest, and a good deal of her outfit.
Honestly, given how wet she was already, she probably should have just dunked herself into the ocean however briefly to wash the sand off. But she didn't know much about the place she'd found herself in – actually, scratch that, she knew nothing about it – and she was loathe to get herself soaked in case it suddenly got cold.
That way lay hypothermia, and she'd had such lessons drilled into her enough times as a young Huntress in training to know that hypothermia was a thing to be avoided.
So, even if the sand chafed rather heavily in certain places as Ruby walked up the embankment of sand towards higher ground, she ultimately accepted it.
Crescent Rose was there as well, and Ruby was so very thankful for that.
She'd been separated from her weapon so very sparingly since she'd created it. She'd gotten better at fighting without it, but…
Well, she would still much rather have it in unfamiliar territory.
She looked around, trying to get a gauge on her surroundings, as she drew her weapon out of the sand. It was mainly palm-trees and scattered vegetation for as far as Ruby could see, and then, far off in the distance, a great, almost oak-like tree that seemed to stretch up into the very stars.
…Ruby tried her best to avoid thinking about the idea that she might be here alone.
That was… it just wasn't worth considering.
If she was, then…
No. She had to focus. Had to… She wasn't even sure what she had to do.
She just… she just had to keep moving.
She just had to put one foot in front of the other, and walk.
…Putting one foot in front of the other and walking lasted all of about five minutes before the reality of the situation dawned on Ruby.
They'd failed.
Atlas was going to sink. Ironwood's plan to bomb Mantle very well might work. Hundreds of civilians had been killed by Cinder's flames, launched off the sides of Ambrosius' creation, and down into…
Into wherever the hell Ruby was now.
And it just…
It caught up to her.
Before Ruby could try and force her emotions back into her chest, sniffle the tears away, one fell down her face. In the next moment, with her eyes blurry, and her vision clouded, she missed the object that her foot caught against, and fell to her knees.
And then it was just her, holding herself up by her arms, looking down at the sand beneath her, and sobbing.
It had all gone wrong.
Everything.
How many people had they really been able to help? How many people had perished? How many people's deaths had been Ruby's fault?
If she'd come up with a better plan, if she'd just… just stayed silent, and let someone else do the talking instead, then maybe…
It was too much. Just too much.
…
Ruby wasn't really sure when it was that she recovered from her breakdown. …Honestly, recovered was a strong word. It was more like she'd cried out every tear she had to shed, and now she was out of them.
What else was there to do, then, but to push on?
Again, she pushed herself up.
Again, she walked on.
/
When Ruby found Weiss and Blake, she realized for the first time that she'd felt like she couldn't breathe for the last few days, and that she'd managed to take a breath again.
The hug they'd shared had been rich; full of a desperate need for affection. She didn't want to let them go, didn't want to admit to herself that they had to keep moving. Just because they'd found each other – Yang was still absent, but even so, she had faith they'd find her, now – didn't mean they had a way out.
Still, they had an objective.
Find Yang.
Find… well… anyone else trapped within this place that was still alive.
And then get out.
…Ruby had a feeling that was going to be an awful lot easier thought than done.
/
"This place… I think I know what it is."
"Hm?" Ruby couldn't help turning back towards Blake, who was cautiously walking forward, as if scared her footfalls might result in her tumbling through some invisible hole in the floor.
"This place… I think we're in the Ever After."
"Wait… you mean like… from the children's story, the Girl Who Fell Through the World?"
Blake nodded. "It's… a lot of things are adding up. In a way that I don't like."
Ruby couldn't argue with that.
/
They met up with Yang a day or so after that. She came in like a blazing comet as they were confronted by some odd shadowy creature.
She was down an arm, of course, but Ruby didn't exactly care. This was her sister. She could've been down both arms and legs and all Ruby would've done was hug her. Besides, it was just great to have the group back together again.
The problem, however, came once they'd all gotten together.
…What are we supposed to do now?
/
The answer to that question was not a simple one.
There were many lands that they could see from the highest points of the realm they'd initially been thrust into – one that Ruby would be referring to as Beach-Land. It wasn't the best name, but she wasn't feeling particularly creative.
There was a land that seemed to be made up of candy, and sugary treats. There was a land of harsh crags, and great towering volcanos. There was a land of dense forests, filled with massive mushrooms that seemed to be many meters tall. A land of endless red leaves. A land of water and great lily pads.
And the choice of which to visit first…
Well, it stumped them a while.
They ended up making camp in and around the Beach, trying their best to locate any other survivors who might be present in and around the area. After all, it hadn't just been the four of them to fall. Many civilians had been launched down here, as had Neopolitan herself.
And Penny…
…
Weiss had told her about what happened.
She'd told her that Penny had given her life to save the people of Atlas; to grant Winter the power she'd need to successfully battle back Cinder.
Ruby just hoped it was enough.
They patrolled about the beaches, trying to find signs of anyone else. They… they found people. Or, well, 'bodies' was perhaps more accurate.
Ruby realized why on around the sixth corpse they drudged up.
Team RWBY had all possessed aura to survive the fall, it reacting without them even having to be conscious to save them from what would've, otherwise, been certain death.
These civilians had been launched off of the platforms within Ambrosius' portals via Cinder's fireballs. Those explosions alone might've been enough to kill most noncombatants outright.
And then the fall had done the rest.
It was bleak. Bleaker than Ruby, or any of the rest of them, had really been prepared for. They… held a funeral for them, once they were fairly certain they weren't going to find any more people. After they'd spent a week or two just… out on the beaches, in a tireless, pointless search for the living.
They located only the dead.
It wasn't a particularly grand affair, and they couldn't really offer the dead much other than a headstone made of palms and tree bark.
But she hoped it brought them some small peace, at least.
When it became clear that they'd exhausted everything there was to do on the Beach, and in that general zone of the Ever After, they continued on. They headed east, towards the endless red forest, one with a grand castle in the center of it. It seemed like the entire landscape spiraled up towards it.
They found a small town, with… well, what seemed to be a raccoon barker, and a bunch of puppet people. Ruby decided to just sort of go with it. She'd had a long set of days.
They started a riot, retrieved Yang's arm – and one of Penny's weapons, which had Ruby's heart almost bursting – and then…
And then they found something else.
Within the racoon's haul, was…
"Crocea Mors!?" Weiss' voice sounded shocked. "What's it doing here!?"
Ruby turned to look, and, lo and behold, there it was.
Although to pretend like it was the same weapon that Ruby had seen just weeks ago would've been a lie.
It was covered in dirt, and grime, and rust most of all. Its previously golden ornaments were now a dark brown color, without any of the shine that had once been so characteristic of the weapon.
They took the sword and shield with them as they fled. Deeper into the crimson forest – it reminded Ruby so much of Forever Fall, of that innocent time in her life when everything had been so very simple and easy – and further still, until the sound of those guards, who'd served someone called the Red Prince, faded away entirely.
It was only then that they truly took stock of their situation.
Weiss drew Crocea's blade, and when she saw it had been shattered, tears filled her eyes, and she had to bite down on her bottom lip to hold herself together.
Yang clearly wanted to ask. She'd been the first to fall, and was thus the least in-the-know about everything that had happened above. They'd… Ruby realized then that they still hadn't even told Yang about Penny.
So… they did. They sat there, in a small circle, in the middle of bright red forest, and they told Yang the truth.
When her tears had dried, when their hugs and words of reassurance had done enough, it was time, again, to discuss what it was they wanted to do now.
"We could try and meet with the Red Prince," Weiss suggested, although it was clear she was loathe to actually follow such a plan. "But in truth, I think we should ask around about Jaune. If he's here, then we need to find him. Especially without Crocea Mors. A huntsman is no huntsman without their weapon."
Yang laughed. "You sure that's the only reason you want to see him?"
Weiss blushed, and coughed into her fist. "I'm sure I've no idea what you're talking about."
Blake chuckled beneath her breath, but Ruby just felt empty.
"It sounds like as good an idea as any." She said, before regretting those words the moment they'd left her mouth.
She'd taken charge again. Given orders again. It was on her head, again. What if it failed, what if she failed, what if she messed up, and it was all her fault, and she had no one to blame but herself for hurting so many people, their deaths, their blood, on her hands, and–
"Ruby!"
She snapped out of whatever haze had supplanted her mind to see Yang looking down at her worriedly.
"Sorry…" She muttered as she shook her head. "I didn't… I just…"
"You know you can talk to us, right?" Weiss asked her, and Ruby acknowledged that the answer to that question was yes.
…It didn't mean she was going to, though.
"Yeah, I know." Ruby nodded her head. "I just… had some flashbacks to what happened in Atlas is all."
"Mm. I've had the same." Blake spoke. "Not just from Atlas. I've been dealing with my past phantoms all my life. So, I know what it's like. The best thing to do, in all honesty, is to talk about how you feel. It might not feel like it will help, but airing it all out… it's healing."
Ruby hummed out, looking for any way to get the conversation away from herself. "We should start looking for Jaune as soon as possible, like Weiss said."
Her team noticed her rather pathetic deflection. In all fairness, it would've been hard not to. But they let it go, seeing a truth in Ruby's words. Jaune really was in danger.
The fact that Ruby was using that for her own sake disgusted her.
They made the journey back into town, not quite certain what it was they were even looking for.
Weiss took the initiative. She walked up to each and every denizen of the town they'd found themselves in, and held up Crocea Mors.
"Have you ever seen this weapon before? Have you met the person who wielded it?"
They received a variety of answers. Some babbled cryptically about a grand warrior, others seemed to know nothing of the weapon at all. A few, at least to Ruby, felt like they knew more than they were letting on, but ultimately, they would not give up their secrets.
It was not until they talked with someone at the very edge of the town – a toy-like person who was holding a half clam shell on either arm – told them exactly what they were hoping to hear.
"Why yes, I know that sword and shield."
Weiss' countenance brightened immediately. She stepped forward, practically shoving her way into the clam-person's personal space.
"What can you tell us about them!? Do you know where they are, or why their shield was left here?"
"Oh, of course." The clam person smiled. "That weapon once belonged to the Rusted Knight."
"Wait, like…" Yang looked to Blake, then to Ruby, then back to Blake. "The Rusted Knight!?"
Blake held up a hand, gesturing for Yang to be quiet while they continued getting information from this person.
And then they spoke words that had Ruby's face paling.
"As for why that weapon is here, well, the Rusted Knight gave up, you see, and chose to ascend."
Ruby felt her breath catch in her chest. She was not alone in reacting poorly. She saw the expression on Weiss' face, watched her take a step backwards, having physically flinched from the impact of those words.
"What… what do you mean by… 'gave up', or… 'ascend'?"
The clam-person tilted their head to one side. "Well, it's quite simple. The Paper Pleasers finally succeeded in breaking the dam around their home while the Rusted Knight was out searching for the falling stars. When he returned to find his home washed away, he must have decided that he could go on no longer. Thusly, he allowed himself to be taken by the tree."
Ruby's heart cracked, in that moment. A piece of her that had held fast through it all, rigid and true, broke right down the middle. She wanted to scream, and yet that would do nothing. She wanted to cry, but such would not help.
She thought of Jaune, and his smile. She thought of Jaune, and his optimism, and his willingness to go above and beyond. She thought of Jaune, and the way he'd thrown himself against Cinder back at Haven, all for them, thinking nothing of himself. She thought of Jaune, reconciling with his friends, with his own self-worth, realizing his own life was worth something.
She thought of the way he'd said goodbye to her as he'd gone his way, and she'd gone hers, on their final missions in Atlas.
"See you in a bit, Rubes. Good luck."
Another person lost.
Another person just following her call.
It was her fault.
It was all her fault.
And in that moment, as the clam-person stepped away, entirely oblivious to the destruction they had just wrought upon Team RWBY, Ruby Rose collapsed to her knees.
She was well and truly lost.
/
Things stayed that way for a half a day at least. There was only silence, and the occasional bout of tears from both Ruby and Weiss. Blake and Yang hadn't been as close with Jaune as they had, but even so, they'd still been friends. It was clear the loss was affecting them as well, albeit in a lesser, more manageable way.
Ruby acknowledged that laying on the floor of the red forest was doing nothing for her. That allowing the leaves falling from the trees above to gather on her stomach as she stared up at the discordant sky accomplished nothing more than to waste time.
She just couldn't. Didn't have the energy.
It felt like… like all she could do was make mistakes. It felt like Cinder was right. Like she never should've been born.
If that had happened… maybe Jaune would still be alive. Maybe Penny would still be alive. Maybe Pyrrha would still be alive.
But no. Ruby Rose was still there. And she couldn't save anyone.
Whoop-de-doo.
"We're being too hasty." Finally, someone broke the silence. It was Blake, standing from her spot on the forest floor and trying to rally them. "We don't know what they meant when they said… they said he allowed himself to be taken by the tree. That could mean he's there, physically, that…"
Blake's voice of optimism, of hope, gradually diminished as Weiss' vision filled with tears yet again.
They'd all thought that. Really, they had.
But quickly, optimism, hope…
It had given way to defeat. To loss. To bitter acceptance.
Because they'd asked. They'd gone up to the people of the Ever After, and inquired about what happened to those who were 'taken to the tree'.
And the response had been universal.
They ascend, and are reborn anew.
…Ruby had heard an awful lot of flowery language about death in her life. So many strangers had tried to comfort her about her mother's passing when she'd been just a little girl, but even then…
She wished they'd just been honest with her, in truth. Everyone who'd said her mom had just gone away for a while, or that she was on a mission for a long time, and wouldn't be back for a while… all it had done was give Ruby a hope in her heart that had ballooned…
Until it had shattered.
She felt like that again, now.
"We should…" despite how much emotion clearly lied within it, Weiss' voice sounded paradoxically hollow as she croaked, "We should give him a grave, at least."
It felt like the other shoe had finally dropped. Someone had finally come out and said it. What they'd all been thinking.
Jaune Arc, their friend, Ruby's fellow leader, was dead.
Ruby thought she'd be numb by now, but the moment that thought truly began to swim around in her head…
The tears came fresh, and full, and she knew agony again as she screamed.
/
They weren't really sure where to make the grave, but they decided that in the end, they might as well do it where Jaune had, apparently, lived.
The journey to the land of the Paper Pleasers – that was what they'd been told the land was called, even if none of them had any real context for it – took around a week or so. They were in unfamiliar territory, and without anyone to guide them, they played things safe.
Not to mention, it felt like they all grew tired more frequently these days. Like their steps weighed heavier.
Ruby didn't have to wonder all that hard as to a reason why.
But eventually, arrive they did. In a village that was… different from what they'd been expecting.
They'd been told that the village of the Paper Pleasers had been flooded by a dam being broken, and that it had all but washed away entirely. And yet, when they arrived…
They found a village of crystalline creatures. They were, in all fairness, in the shapes of stars just like they'd been told the Paper Pleasers were, but there was no water – albeit the ground was damp, and had very clearly seen flooding recently – and no decimated village.
Or perhaps it would've been more accurate to say that the village was already well on its way to recovery. There was no rubble, or fallen homes or houses. Only land that clearly used to house such things, and the beginnings of a great many homes, each of these made, seemingly, of the same crystal that these creatures were made of.
Ruby found it oddly enthralling to watch, as the many crystalline creations worked.
"…Should we just ask if we're in the wrong place?" Yang floated out in suggestion, and it was ultimately Weiss – who'd become their de facto leader in the last week or so, ever since Jaune's death – who stepped forward.
"I see no reason not to."
So, they did. They approached the many working figures – who called themselves Genial Gems, which Ruby probably would've found cute if not for her currently lacking the ability to feel positive emotion – and asked just that; if the Rusted Knight had lived here, and where it was that he had if so.
But none of them knew a thing.
"We were just born anew into the Ever After." One gem explained. "We do not have any memory of our past lives. Or… even if we had past lives. I suppose we could be brand new!"
None of them really knew what to do with that, but it… it was like, after everything, the world refused to allow them one single bit of peace. It refused to allow them, even, to properly mourn their fallen friend.
What more could it take from them, Ruby wondered?
Was it to be each other, next?
"We should…" Weiss took a breath, then, before shaking her head and turning back to the rest of them. "We should pick a nice spot. This is around the place they say he lived, so…"
It made sense to Ruby, at least. They'd been carrying Crocea Mors with them for a week and a half at this point. None of them could, or would, be using such a weapon. The sword was broken as well.
Ruby thought about the fact that Ren and Nora might want to have it, if they made it back to Remnant. But then she realized that she wasn't sure if Team RWBY would last through the rest of this if they were hauling the eternal reminder of Jaune's fate through the Ever After.
No… no, it was better to let go.
It was better to set it down, use it as a headstone, and declare the end then and there.
They walked up the side of a hill, and found a spot that was somewhat different from the others.
It had been destroyed, too, but… parts of it were still there. Mostly, because it hadn't all been paper. No, it had been paper, and wood, and fiber all mixed into one. A home made of many different things, that yes, the water had ruined…
But it hadn't quite destroyed it.
And at a glance, Ruby just… knew.
This was where Jaune had lived.
Weiss noticed it too. Ruby could see it play out on her face. Could see the exact moment she put it together.
She watched her partner sink to her knees, cradle the compact form of Crocea Mors in her arms, and weep quietly. Her tears struck the ground beneath her, and they all just sort of… watched on.
Eventually, Ruby felt human enough to go over, and wrap her arms around Weiss.
"This…" She sobbed. "This wasn't supposed to… he wasn't supposed to…"
Ruby knew what Weiss meant. Jaune was too good. Too pure. He wasn't supposed to meet such an ignominious end. Trapped in some other world, apparently sent back into the past – or having been sent here much earlier than they had been. He'd lived here… well, according to the residents of the Ever After, as long as any of them could remember.
She wasn't sure how long Jaune had been here. How old he'd been. She… she hoped his life had been well lived. That he'd made peace with himself here, all on his lonesome. What else could she hope for?
They found a good spot, just beside the wreckage of the home. Among the wreckage and decay. Weiss took up Crocea Mors' neutered blade, and dug a small trench in the sand, just wide enough to fit the full shield unfurled. She did just that, and placed it within the divot. Then, she placed the sword back within its sheathe.
It stood there, reflecting the light of the sun above.
It was rusted, and beaten, and bruised. But it had a certain pride to it. A certain charm, all the same.
"I'm sorry, Jaune." Weiss whispered as she leant forward, and touched her forehead to Crocea's surface. "I'm so sorry. I didn't… if I'd known you were here, I wouldn't have wasted so much time, I wouldn't have…"
Her voice tapered off as she fell once again into quiet crying. It was Blake, this time, who closed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around her. Ruby was glad. She… just didn't have the energy for it at that moment.
They stayed there for a long while after that. Probably fifteen minutes at least just standing there, absorbing the moment. Ruby knew, even then, that at least until they escaped the Ever After, this was the last time they were going to really be able to afford to think about Jaune. They wouldn't be afforded another moment to mourn their friend, not when their lives were on the line.
Ruby felt it was fair that she didn't want it to end.
And yet…
Just when all hope felt lost…
"Excuse me?"
The voice – high-pitched, boyish – called out to them suddenly, and the four of them all jumped in place, rounding on the new figure and drawing their weapons.
Upon seeing it was just a young boy, however, Ruby felt a little bad.
Where she'd expected the boy to cower in fear of the four armed huntresses pointing weapons at him, however, she was instead met by a slight turn of his head, looking up at them all in what seemed to be confusion more than anything.
"Hey, kid!" Yang took over immediately, her years basically raising Ruby allowing her to very easily slip into 'mom-mode' as Ruby had always called it. "Sorry about that. What're you doing out here all alone?"
It was only then, when the initial shock had worn off, that Ruby noticed a few disparate facts about this newfound arrival.
For one, he had antlers coming out of his head. They were small – like those of a young buck – but they were present all the same, barely poking out of his head and only arcing off and jutting out a few centimeters, and in one or two directions.
The second thing was…
He…
It was a coincidence. It would've had to be. That was what Ruby told herself, however briefly. But the young boy who approached them, who walked right on over to Weiss, saw the tears running down her face, and reached up with his shirt to wipe them away, had bright blonde hair, and ocean-blue eyes.
The resemblance was striking. He was younger, of course; nearly ten or so years younger than when Ruby had last seen him, it seemed. And yet, the moment Ruby truly took a look at him, it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world just who this was.
They ascend, and are reborn anew.
"Hey…" Her voice was small, and quiet, and hesitant. She wasn't sure what she wanted out of this. Wasn't sure if what she thought was happening was a good or a bad thing for her grief.
But she wasn't sure she had a choice, either.
"Who are you?"
The young boy, having just finished drying Weiss' tears – her partner had been too stunned by his appearance to do anything but sit still while he worked – turned back towards Ruby, tilted his head, and asked her…
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I just… what's your name?"
"What… is a name?"
Oh.
This was…
This was going to be something, wasn't it?
"Well… your name is what you're called."
"Is it what you are?"
"Oh, uhm…" Ruby wasn't really ready for this. "I don't think so."
"Then… what am I? What is my name?"
"Well… I don't really know, it's just… you seem… familiar is all."
"Familiar…" The child's voice grew somewhat higher, and a moment later, a smile bloomed on his face.
"I like it." He stated. "Then… that will be who I am."
Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "What?"
"That will be my name." The boy showed teeth, clearly ecstatic.
"Familiar."
End Chapter 1
Alright, that was the first chapter of Familiar! I hope you guys liked it!
Now, some stuff to say given this is a commissioned story! This story will not have a consistent upload schedule like my other stories, given I'm working in tandem with someone else. It will be uploaded when I we both have time to work on it. I have chapter 2 done already, but want to wait to upload that until next week, so that I can properly space these out.
Other than that, I've not got a lot else to say. This'll be an interesting one! Hope you guys are ready!
Now, normal shilling stuff:
I am no longer taking longer writing commissions. This story is one of three that will be coming out within the coming weeks. I am still available for commission via oneshot, or for art if you'd like!
If you want to support me, consider checking out my Patron! There's an e in there after the r and before the o. I assume you know what I'm talking about, but FF and AO3 don't like me typing that. It's just website dot com /Deferonz!
Want to support me without signing up for a monthly payment? Check out my Kofi! just website dot com /Deferonz