RUBY
Ruby Rose hated hospitals.
They were bleak, plain buildings that brought out the worst kinds of feelings. No one ever really wants to see a doctor; afraid that that sharp pain in your back or that pesky cough will turn out to be something way worse than a mild sickness or injury. Hospitals created an uneasiness that only made fear and uncertainty grow. Waiting rooms are empty silent isolation with only a ticking clock as company. There was a lot Ruby hated about hospitals.
But most of all they brought back terrible memories.
When she was younger her mother had disappeared after what was supposed to be a routine Huntsman mission. Ruby could still remember her mother's soft smile and warm silver eyes as she had hugged her for the last time. Her mother had promised they would bake chocolate chip cookies when she returned. They were and still are Ruby's favorite kind of treat.
The promise however is still unfulfilled.
Her mother's disappearance hadn't only affected herself though. Everyone had been impacted harshly by the loss of Summer Rose.
Yang had cried herself to sleep for a week, often accepting Ruby's own requests to sleep together simply out of a need for comfort.
Her Uncle Qrow stopped showing up around the house for a while and when he did, he was either heavily drunk or in the process. Uncle Qrow had been teammates with her mother when they attended Beacon years ago, along with Ruby's father Taiyang Xialong, and Yang's birth mother Raven Branwen. Yang's mom was Uncle Qrows sister but past that Ruby knew very little of the mysterious woman. There weren't even any photos of her in the house except for a singular team picture of all four in her parent's room.
However, despite Ruby and her sister's heartbreak, it was her father who had reacted the worst to the sudden loss of Summer. He had simply shut down, refused to communicate, and become a shell of who he once was.
Ruby loved her father, there was absolutely no question of that. Yet after her mother's disappearance, the bright cheerful demeanor she had grown accustomed to had vanished in the blink of an eye. In its place came the long melancholy gaze of a broken man. He had stopped eating, he barely slept and when he did, he overslept, and he simply blocked out everyone else. That also included his two scared, saddened daughters.
Yang had taken over in his absence, making sure Ruby was fed, dressed, and always on time for school. For the better part of almost half a year, her sister had become the wearer of pants in the family as Ruby liked to put it. For over six months Yang cooked, cleaned, studied, and played with and for her.
Ruby knew her sister was still hurting, but any attempt to try and connect with her was met with a bright grin and an easy dismissal. But that was just a front. One night after Yang had tucked her in for the night Ruby snuck out of bed, eager to try and sneak a post-post dinner snack. She moved stealthily sticking to the wall of their modest home as she entered the hallway that led to the staircase. Tiptoeing as quietly as she could she had passed her sister's cracked door when she heard something she doubted she would ever forget.
Yang was crying. It was muffled but Ruby was sure it was her crying. She tentatively opened the door just a crack, enough to peek in. Lying face down on her bed with one pillow hiding her face and another clutched tightly to her chest Yang was wracked with heavy shakes and strangled sobs.
The image of her bright, cheerful, and ever energetically shining sister was the opposite of the lonely, shattered girl in front of her now.
Uncertain of what to do, the young Rose scurried away as quickly and quietly as she could. She was terrified of what she had seen.
Looking back on it now, she regretted not barging in and embracing her sobbing sister. She regretted it so much that just the thought of that particular memory would cause her to relive the guilt again and again. But at the time she was terrified that had she gone into that room, then the motherly image she had painted onto Yang would be lost and in turn would destroy her tiny, fractured heart.
Yet for all the grief Yang had displayed in that moment of weakness the very next morning she was back to her usual happy self. Not a trace of the previous night was visible in that thousand-watt smile and energetic spring in her step. But Ruby knew it was a lie. After that night she noticed the smaller details, she had missed before. The tired sag in Yang's shoulders at the end of the day. The heavy use of concealer to hide the tired eyes of a girl acting thrice her age, and most of all the slight shudder either of anger or despondence each time her sister had to force their father to eat.
Ruby decided then that she would do her best to ease her sister's burden. She started to wake up earlier, and cook breakfast when she could. Though Yang nearly had a panic attack when she attempted to use a knife to cut vegetables one morning. Even after a long lecture about safety Ruby could not be discouraged and strived to be as supportive of her sister as possible. She cleaned up after herself, gave up hanging out with friends from school in order to come home early and prepare dinner, tend to the garden, and venture to the nearby town to pick up groceries. All the while ignoring protests from Yang.
Ruby was young, she knew that. However, she could not simply stand by and allow her sister to sacrifice everything for her. They were all they had.
It wouldn't be until nearly a year after that horrid day that Summer Rose had simply vanished from their lives that something finally changed in her father.
Despite their best efforts to work through their father's absence, money became tight, and it was getting harder to make ends meet. They had gotten by for a while on the kindness of local sellers in town and sympathizers with their situation. But they were still children doing an adult's duties. With Winter setting in quickly the sisters faced a crisis of food shortages and lack of resources. Uncle Qrow also hadn't come around in some time, probably off on another mission. And their father had been fired a few months prior from his job at Signal academy for missing too many days.
The worst of it came when Taiyang collapsed one day. He became unresponsive, even to the desperate wails of his young daughters. An ambulance had taken him to the only medical facility on Patch, near Signal Academy. Uncle Qrow was still unavailable and as such the two young girls had been placed under the supervision of a social worker. She was terribly nice but simply could not fulfill the place of Taiyang. The girls were unable to see him, and some kind of investigation had been launched into the particulars of their home life.
Desperate and angry Yang had decided the only choice was to find her mother. In retrospect, it was a terrible idea, but Yang had finally reached a breaking point. Taking Ruby in a rusted old wagon Yang ventured off into the woods claiming they were a shortcut to town. She had seemed so confident at first, as was typical for Yang. However, the further they went and the darker the shadows of the forest grew around them the less certain Yang became.
She tried to hide it, of course, after all, she would never allow Ruby to see her as anything less than in control. A left turn at the hollowed tree, a right at the broken log, a turnaround at the creepy stream, that hollowed tree looked awfully familiar, were those wagon treads always there?
Ruby had curled in on herself, her treasured red cloak acting as a security blanket wrapped tightly. Yang was desperate and ever more scared. Long shadows turned to dusk, and they were hopelessly lost. Far from home and even further from town options were limited. The night would bring on its own set of challenges, Ruby even wrapped stilled shivered in the pre-night wind.
Yet hope was still alight until the bushes shook, and a heavy, low growl permeated the crisp air.
The massive creature of darkness slowly stalked out before them. Its blood-red eyes promised violence. Its large canines gleaned in the dwindling light. Ruby Felt herself freeze entirely. The shivers now came from something else entirely. She desperately glanced at Yang who had also frozen in hesitation. Both girls stared with wide eyes at the encroaching monster. As it took one step closer, ad then another Ruby whimpered, and Yang desperately thrust herself between the Grimm and Ruby's scared form. Arms wide she stared down the Grimm as it charged screaming out something unintelligible that Ruby understood as 'run'.
The clean sound of air splitting silenced the monster and it faded into nothingness. Like waking from a bad dream, the monster simply no longer existed. Instead, a tall broad figure replaced it.
Neither girl really understood what had just happened. One minute a monster had lunged for them, and the next their Uncle Qrow was there, in the moonlight a massive scythe clasped in his hands. Like an angel of death itself, he had come to their rescue.
It was at that moment that Ruby would say things turned around for her family. Uncle Qrow brought them back home and organized guardianship over Ruby and Yang. He suddenly became everything Taiyang had once been. Yang had less to worry about, less to do, and less to carry.
They were even able to see their father in the hospital. It had scared Ruby to see him, the once strong figure of her father now lying so fragile in a stale white bed. Luckily Uncle Qrow held her as she cried that night.
Her father did get better, slowly, but he still made progress. After a few months of uncertainty, he was even able to come back home. A heated exchange broke out one night a few weeks into his return. He and Uncle Qrow had gotten into a massive fight. Ruby was already in bed but heard the shouting and fighting and breaking. She was scared and couldn't find the courage to go down there and see if everyone was alright. Yang instead came into her room and snuggled with her; Ruby never even had to ask.
Eventually, Taiyang came around once more and took an active role in their lives. Uncle Qrow even got himself a job at Signal Academy so he could stay close to them. It was never like it was before Summer Rose had vanished in an instant, but it was still Ruby's family; broken or not and she loved them dearly.
It was strange how staying in a hospital made one reflect on so much. The empty space and blank palette offered little else to do.
Ruby rubbed her eyes, trying to remove some of the weariness from them. She stretched out her arms and felt her back click satisfyingly as she groaned.
"Sleeping in hospital chairs is so not fun." She glanced up at the clock on the wall it was a half-hour past noon. She must have fallen asleep.
The Medical wing of Beacon was an expansive, state-of-the-art facility. It offered the very best services to not only students but active huntsmen that operated all over the continent of Sanus. It even offered emergency services for residents of Vale. But regardless of its importance, its waiting rooms were still boring boxes of boredom. Ruby still refused to leave, she had no choice but to leave when it had been her father, she chose now to stay for her friends.
Well semi-friends. Acquaintances? Were there rules before you could call someone a friend? 'Ugh, why is being social so confusing?'
Regardless she felt obligated to stay. If she had been just a bit quicker in the field, maybe she could have gotten to Jaune and Pyrrha before the "Incident". By the time she and the rest of the team got back to the base of the cliffside, there was already a mass movement of evacuation ships, teachers, and huntsmen in motion. The medics took the wounded casualties that Nora, Ren, Blake, and Yang had dragged to safety. Thankfully all three were still alive, though one is still critical. They were apparently a newly formed team of initiates that had run into trouble on their way to the relics.
Ruby had been relieved when the teachers took over the situation and escorted them towards a secure zone. She had tried to protest and alert them that two of them were still missing. She hadn't wanted to leave Jaune and Pyrrha but there was only so much she could do; she had expected them to be right behind. Miss Goodwitch herself took them aside and reassured them that everything was being done to find their teammates.
Other teams had made it back as well, though there were still some out in the forest, the entire initiation had been suspended apparently and all teams were being rerouted and escorted back to safety.
It wasn't for another thirty minutes that any word came back about Jaune and Pyrrha.
Now here she sat in this empty room waiting until Jaune was taken out of critical condition and cleared for visitors. She had seen Pyrrha, who thankfully only had received minor injuries and a slight concussion. She had filled in the missing details to the teachers about what exactly caused all this chaos. She also said that Jaune must have defeated the mutated Grimm after she had been taken out. But was it only one Grimm that could do that to a person? It was a miracle he was alive at all.
'I'm hungry', Ruby thought as her stomach growled. Yang should be coming by soon with lunch.
"Ruby"? Someone called out.
"Pyrrha? Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"And shouldn't you be in lockdown?"
"Point taken," Ruby grumbled. "Why are you here?"
"Same reason as you, I think," Pyrrha replied kindly as she took a seat next to Ruby.
"Are you sure you're really OK to be walking around?" Pyrrha had only been released from the medical wing a day prior with strict rules to remain in bed until a medical advisor could make a house call and clear her entirely for regular training.
"I think I'm as good as I could hope for. My head hurts a little, but I should count my blessings, it could have been far worse." The atmosphere turned stale. "He very well saved my life."
Ruby looked down at her hands, playing with her fingers and shifting slightly. "I'm so sorr-"
"You have nothing to apologize for."
"But I- "Pyrrha raised a hand.
"No one could have expected Initiation to turn out like this. I was careless and as a result, he had to step in and fight for me. You did what you could and saved lives in the process. I think you should be proud." Pyrrha's eyes had a saddened gaze, but her words were kind and uplifting. "You shouldn't doubt yourself so much, team leader."
It was a light teasing, but Ruby felt herself shrivel up inside at the mention of her new position. "Please don't remind me! I didn't want to be in charge. I don't even know why Ozpin named me as the leader of Team RWBY."
"Hmm? I can definitely see why."
"Oh yeah well what about you? Miss leader." Ruby took small pride in watching Pyrrha's face turn from understanding to sheer embarrassment.
"I think Ozpin may have been mistaken," Pyrrha ducked her head low. "Jaune is far more leader-like than me, I couldn't even help when it really mattered."
Ruby placed a gentle hand on the older girl's shoulder. "I think we both have some learning to do huh?"
"Yes, I suppose we do."
"So- "Ruby began, eagerly searching for a way to change the subject to something less serious. "How are Ren and Nora doing?"
Pyrrha immediately broke into a small laugh. "Ren is doing just fine as far as I can tell. Though Nora is threatening to blow up the dorm out of boredom. As I was leaving, she was debating the merits of a maple syrup bath. I fear for our shower."
Ruby couldn't help but chuckle. Though a sudden spike of guilt also found its way into her heart. She hadn't been with her team almost at all since Initiation. She spoke to Yang of course but she hadn't seen Blake at all since they were put into their dorm, and Weiss. Well, she didn't want to think about Weiss at the moment. "I'm glad you seem to be getting along with your team so far."
"Most of them at least. I'm grateful Ren and Nora are so accepting. Aside from a few eccentricities, they have been super supportive. They came to visit me in the hospital a few days ago. And even held a small celebration in our dorm when I was released." Pyrrha recounted with that her usual bashful smile. "How is your team doing?"
"Well, I-, You know…" Ruby started.
"That bad?"
"I just don't know what to do!" Ruby exclaimed. "I mean I know I haven't been there all that much, but I can't figure out what to do with Weiss. I thought we reached an understanding during initiation but now she has completely shut me out ever since I was named leader. And who knows where Blake is?"
"Well, I often find starting small works best with difficult situations. It's like training you know. A little each day will build up over time."
"Easier said than done." Ruby groaned out.
"Well, I'm sure if anyone can, it's you."
Before Ruby could protest a Nurse stepped into the waiting room completely derailing Ruby's train of thought. "Excuse me? Are you both here for a Jaune Arc?
Both girls nodded.
"He's available for visitors. He's awake."
YANG
"Will you shut up?"
"Excuse me?" Came the Indignant response, "Who do you think you are talking to?"
Yang groaned and slammed a pillow over her face in a futile attempt to drown out the ramblings of her new roommate. 'Oum why did it have to be me?'
This wasn't how Yang imagined spending her first weekend of high school. She should be out on the town, partying and enjoying herself. Dancing herself into exhaustion and rejecting cute guys, this should be the most fun and liberating time of her life. Instead, she was here, in her dorm, with a high-strung ice diva under lockdown while a formal review of the events surrounding initiation was conducted. 'This is so not fair.'
Her sister had already broken the rules and left the dorm the first chance she got. Ruby refused to leave the medical wing of Beacon. Ruby had always been too easily attached and sentimental for her own good. She always tried so hard to carry the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. Someday Yang worried it would crush her entirely.
It wasn't just Ruby who had left. Her own supposed partner had also flown the coop almost immediately. Blake Belladonna, the mysterious ribbon girl would sporadically drop in and out. Yang had never heard her, but she was positive that Blake at least slept in her bed at night and vanished before anyone else woke up in the morning. She had a sneaking suspicion that Blake was just avoiding the Princess. They had a heated argument the first night in the dorm that ended with Blake storming out of the room. Yang wasn't sure what they had argued about, she herself had been in the shower at the time. The Princess was tight-lipped about the whole ordeal, and Yang could never catch Blake.
'Not sure if I can really call this a team'
It had already been five days since her acceptance into Beacon. Five days since she had been placed in a team with her sister. A day that should have been met with excitement and big congratulation parties was instead marred by tragedy and uncertainty. And as she thought back to that day, she felt overtaken by a pit of dread slowly creeping through her body.
"Hey, did you ever think we could…" She trailed, the words suddenly thick and unpleasant in her throat, she was thankful the pillow masked the uncertainty in her voice, "well you know…die?"
She hadn't really intended it as a proper question, more like a thought she had to speak even if only to herself. There was a weighted silence, "Well of course we can. It is what is expected of proper huntresses."
Yang pulled the pillow off her face to catch the look of her roommate. The Ice Queen sat primly on her bed, which was located precariously under another bed above her, hung flimsily from the ceiling with rope. Ruby had wanted bunk beds and seemed chipper with the results.
Weiss didn't catch her gaze, instead of looking uncertainly at the floor, wringing her fingers, and shifting ever so slightly. Yang knew immediately that she was nowhere as confident as she claimed. Ruby would look like that after a bad day of school, trying to put on a brave face so no one would worry.
With a grunt that was far more for effect than actual effort, Yang propped herself up and rolled herself out of bed. She dropped from her own top bunk with a flourish. Her bed was secured by stacks of books on the corners of her partner's bed. It wasn't the sturdiest, but the potential threat of a collapse excited her, it made each time she got in and out of bed a small sort of thrill.
"Hey, wanna come to the cafeteria with me? I'm gonna grab Ruby some lunch and drop it off for her." The best thing for situations like this was some time away from complicated thoughts and feelings.
Weiss seemed taken aback and panicked from the sudden offer. "Now why would I want to do something like that?" She recomposed herself, "We were told to stay in our dorms and only leave in an emergency."
"Not sure if you've noticed but the rest of our team isn't exactly following the rules, I think you'll be ok."
Weiss simply huffed.
'Did she just huff? How am I supposed to not joke about that?!"
"Just because you all deem it appropriate to act as delinquents, that is no reason for me to jeopardize my standing at this academy."
Yang took a moment to really look at the shorter girl. She was an absolute headache from the get-go. Ruby had complained loudly about her and Weiss's spats during initiation. Ruby was an endearing person, who while prone to the excitement was always looking for the best in others. To see her so utterly annoyed at someone else was a bit shocking. Weiss's attitude following the initiation incident and subsequent team formations only worsened Yang's opinion. Ruby would warm up to Weiss in time, Yang knew that for a fact. Even Ruby's worst bullies in grade school never stopped her sister from being her usual happy self. Unfortunately, Yang knew herself to be far less trusting and optimistic.
This girl was totally self-absorbed and condescending. But what really got on Yang's nerves was the constant complaining. It already drove Blake into hiding, and Ruby was preoccupied with other things. So, it inevitably came down to her to bring this "team" together. It always seemed to be her responsibility, then and even now.
"It's only lunch." Yang ventured, "Besides I think we could both do with a change of scenery. I'm not really one for staying inside all day you know?"
"The rules were strictly to stay inside our dorms until the administration deems it appropriate for us to begin our studies." Weiss said, "We were explicitly told not to wander, all meals and necessities are to be brought to us."
"Yeah, but c'mon, we're expected to bend the rules a bit. The joys of youth and all that!" Yang grinned.
"Hmph, do as you like. Meanwhile, I will stay here and ensure that my future isn't derailed by chasing a moment's pleasure."
"All we have are moments," Yang stretched, feeling the satisfying click as her back popped, "But I won't force you. I'll be out for a bit, want me to grab you something?"
"No, I am perfectly fine," Came the curt response.
"If you're sure," Yang relented. With a wave, she headed out the door of their dorm.
It was Weiss's soft-spoken voice that caught her before she could shut the door. "Though if by some chance they have a slice of apple pie, I wouldn't mind."
With a wide grin, Yang turned back to her embarrassed roommate. "You got it!"
She left the ice queen sitting there. On her bed; prim, proper, and completely alone.
Hey! So this is sooner than expected! It all kind of just came together and I felt it was solid enough to release. It's been a LONG time coming and for that, I want to apologize. I sincerely want to express my gratitude to everyone who has liked, commented, and followed. It means so much. I hope this chapter lives up to some expectations. It's not Juane-centric and I feel I owe some explanation. I realized earlier last year that I had set myself up to create a widespread fic that encircled all of Remnant as a result there was no possible way to do what I wanted with only Jaunes POV. As such I have taken up the challenge of a multi-POV fic. I hope it comes across OK.
I am super worried about character interactions and relations. Especially since Weiss is the heart of season 1. Her character growth is the beating heart of Team RWBY's unison and I hope to reach a similar beat here. There's a lot that is going to happen very quickly and as such I will do my best to treat these characters right. Regardless I would like to move unto some reviews.
Please follow and comment they really do mean the world to me!
StormWolf16
I think it makes sense. With such an elite group it leads to a certain amount of exclusive rights. Any other lesser force will be treated as redundant, weak, or burdensome. That's actually one of my goals in exploring. The pros and cons of such resistances against mounting threats that are deemed unimportant for the larger powers to address. Thank you for the review!
Ravell Aqim
YES! Thousand times yes. I felt that from chapter three, as such I have taken a massive break trying to effectively plan out rising action so as not to break the tension. I would hate to ruin this for readers by laying everything out all at once. Actually, it's why I have withheld a Jaune flashback and am reworking them into a more palatable format so I don't throw them in huge chunks. Thank you so much for the review!
General Shepherd
Maybe... Thank you for the review
main882
Hmm...but who's really to blame for the Grimm? Thank you so much for reviewing!
NullProxy
I will do my best! Thank you for the review
PSYCONIG
I wanted to show a progressive deterioration. What we have now is simply an awkward angry teen. I admit my earlier handling was not the best. but I really hope to do a lot with this fic and I hope you'll stick around. Thank you for the review.
RedTheVariant
I agree. Though I feel bad that I was clearly too lazy to actually write out that fight. Thank you for the review.
Robbeeyy
An early working title for this was Grimm slayer, but it felt way too direct. Thank you for the Review!
korrd
A huge regret I have is my handling of this very scene. I think I have a plan worked out to truly develop their relationship. I think I went way too hard on making Weiss as snotty as possible. Regardless thank you for the Review!
MonkHerrick
I hope this lived up to expectations. Thank you for reviewing!
Theanimemaster9000
Thank you so much for your kind words they really mean a lot. I really hate how official RWBY properties treat the Grimm and want a story that highlights their brutality and viciousness. Granted I want to do more as well but the Grimm was my main motivation for this stroy. Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you liked this chapter!
DeltaGMan
Thank you so much for the feedback. I am always worried about my writing and so I constantly wonder if it's good enough to release. I am diverging from Jaune for a bit But I want to thank you again for being so supportive!
gogo bananas
I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you for reviewing!
SentinalSlice
I am constantly panicking about character interactions. The build-up between them is the heart of this story and so I always really appreciate it when people let me know how they are going. I have decided on keeping canon teams with one minor alteration. I hope you enjoyed this story and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Guest
Sir! I would never! I kid, but yeah the early writing is a bit embarrassing to reread, but I hope moving forward it turns out more...nuanced I think?
Thank you all again I hope to see you all again soon!
