Sanctuary
By Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and ViZ Publishing. Please support the official release.
Yang was no stranger to faking being asleep. She'd had to keep an eye on Ruby for most of her life, after all. Oblivious and innocent, her little sister would sneak off in the middle of the night to mess with a new gadget, a new weapon, or look up technical facts on the CCTnet. Things Yang had had to manage, because God knew Dad was only fifty-fifty on it.
It was easy to tell when Ruby fell asleep this night though. It was when she stopped crying. Yang watched her from the twin bed on the other side of the small bedroom. It had belonged to one of Jaune's sisters, and the walls were covered in posters of old boy bands and pictures of the ocean. A few seashells sat in a glass bowl on a wooden desk, the only bit of debris left from her departure.
Yang slowly got out of bed, and stared down at her sleeping little sister. She clenched her fists. She reached out her hand... Her biological one, her real one. She tried to touch Ruby, to offer her some kind of comfort...
She grit her teeth. She pulled away. She turned and softly walked out of the door, silently shutting it behind her.
I'm fucking useless... Completely...!
Angry restlessness filled her. Something bitter and painful. Something she had to get away from, something she had to escape.
She stalked down the hallway. She could hear Neptune snoring through one door. Saw a light shining through the crack of the door where May and Arslan slept. Soft voices still carried to her as the two talked, though Yang couldn't make anything out. She passed by Cardin and Velvet's room, which was empty. They still hadn't come back yet. Orchid's room also had soft snoring coming from it. A few other doors were closed, but she couldn't tell how many were occupied. Not that she cared that much, as long as they didn't notice her.
Yang finally made it down the stairs, the steps creaking uncomfortably loudly for her. She made it to the ground floor, and wandered out the door. She closed her eyes as she felt the cool night air. She looked up at the silent stars, breathing slowly. She trembled as she stared at the moon, the broken form familiar but... Not in the least bit comforting.
She wrapped her arms around her, trembling in the sudden chill.
"Yang?"
She looked over. Sitting on one of the old rocking chairs was Jaune: Still in his armor and duster. A nearly empty bottle of whiskey was in his hand. He stared blearily up at her.
"Jaune? What...?"
"Couldn't sleep," he slurred. He looked back out at the stars. "You?"
"... Same," she decided on. Jaune nodded, rocking back and forth silently.
"No squeak," he said.
"Huh?"
"Chair. Doesn't squeak," he elaborated, rocking back and forth a bit faster. "Used to... They fixed it. Doesn't squeak... I... I liked the squeaking."
Yang stared at him for a bit, before a snort left her nostrils.
"You're drunk."
"Am not," Jaune replied maturely, swigging down another gulp of whiskey, "Been... Been drinking wine since I was six."
"Bullshit," Yang returned. "My uncle's a drunk. You're a lightweight."
"Nooo... Just... Haven't drunk in a while," Jaune protested. "Sides... Bet you can't handle a shot."
Yang's eyes narrowed.
"I could too!"
Jaune snorted in juvenile laughter, shaking his head. He leaned back with a smug smirk that just infuriated Yang further.
"You drink strawberry sunrises. No booze in 'em!"
Yang growled. She stalked up to Jaune, grabbed the bottle, and tilted it back. She gulped down a few mouthfuls, before she let it go with a gasp. She glared back at Jaune, even as the alcohol hit her system and lit up her cheeks.
"Not all the time," she snorted.
Jaune stared.
"Huh... Cool," he mumbled. He reached up and pulled the bottle towards him. Yang held on. Jaune scowled up at her.
"What?"
"I mean... Your mom's not gonna-"
"Fuck my mom," Jaune snarled, "And my dad!" He wrestled the bottle back, even as Yang held onto it.
"Jaune! What the hell are you-?!"
The bottle snapped under the pressure, and the remaining booze splashed onto the deck. Jaune groaned, and glowered up at her.
"Oh great. Thanks! Thanks a lot!"
"Well excuse me for being concerned about you!" Yang snarled. Jaune drunkenly glared back, grabbing onto the armrests of the rocking chair to rise up. His footing was unsteady, but he used his height to try and loom over her.
"I didn't ask you to-!"
"Well too bad! I am now!"
"I don't need anyone's concern!" Jaune barked. "You just got a new arm! You go back to sleep-!"
"Like hell I am!" Yang grabbed his arms. "You go to sleep! You're exhausted!"
Jaune tried to grab her wrists, but he stumbled and lost his balance. He slammed against her, and Yang surged her Aura to keep him upright. Jaune shook his head.
"No... No, you go. I'mma... I'm fine-"
"Oh really?" Yang asked with a glare. "Fine. How about the Uncle Qrow test then?"
She let Jaune go, and stepped back. He wobbled as she glared at him.
"If you can walk, you can stay out here alone," she stated. "Go ahead."
Jaune glared at her. He took a shaky step... And fell over again. Yang caught him with a grunt, and glared at his sullen face.
"... Fine," he mumbled.
"All right," Yang nodded, "Let's get you to bed."
"Why do you care?" Jaune mumbled. Yang started, and glared at him in complete shock.
"Why do I-You want a list, Jaune?! Is that what you need?!" She demanded. "You saved my life! You saved Ruby's life! You got us all here to safety!"
"You're not happy about it," Jaune mumbled, "And... And Pyrrha would have done better. Pyrrha would have done it... Super better..."
His head bowed. His eyes went blank. His tone was empty.
"Pyrrha should be here... Not me," he muttered.
Yang's jaw dropped. Her anger evaporated.
"H-Hey... Hey... You didn't kill her," Yang tried, "You didn't-"
"When she went to fight Cinder... I was gonna go," Jaune husked, "I was gonna fight with her... She told me she loved me. She kissed me... Then she shoved me in a rocket locker."
Yang felt a chill. The shame in Jaune's voice, the way he stared down at the porch... It was all too familiar. Horrifically familiar.
"J-Jaune... You... There wasn't anything you could've-"
"I could have died for her," Jaune said bitterly, "I could have been a distraction... Anything... I didn't deserve her love. I didn't deserve... Anything. I should be dead... I deserve it. Fucking deadlast loser fraud. I should have died for her..."
Yang felt tears come to her eyes. Her mood was all over the place thanks to... To her depression. Isabel warned her about it.
Probably why punching Jaune came as a surprise to her. He was slammed down into the porch. He looked up in disbelief, as she panted for breath. She clenched and unclenched her artificial fist.
"Don't you fucking say that again," Yang snarled, "You stupid bastard! You get it?!"
"I-!" Jaune tried to protest, but Yang grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up in the air.
"Your parents love you! Your sisters love you! I can see it, I can tell! And you-You're just acting like they wouldn't care if you died?! What about Ruby? REN?! NORA?! What about everyone else?! HUH?! What about PYRRHA?!"
The tears were flowing freely now. She didn't care though. All that mattered was that Jaune's eyes were wide in fright and shock and he needed to listen.
"She got you away cause she loved you, moron!" Yang spat. "How do you think she'd feel if you'd died, huh?! You selfish-selfish stupid fucking bastard-!"
Anger returned to Jaune's eyes. He shoved her away, and she dropped him onto the porch beams.. He grabbed onto her shoulders for balance.
"Anyone could do better than me! Anyone SHOULD! Anyone-!"
"ANYONE DIDN'T! YOU DID!" Yang shouted. "So don't you fucking pull that-that 'I should have died' shit! Don't you pull that fucking 'woe is me' shit, Jaune! Because that will get people fucking killed! YOU GET IT?!"
Jaune stared back. His anger faded. His shoulders sank. Fatigue set in.
"... I'm sorry," he muttered. He hugged her, and she returned it.
"Yeah, well..." Yang buried her face in his shoulder, "I... I hate seeing people give up. Especially... Especially when they have people depending on them."
Jaune nodded slowly.
"I don't know why," he admitted.
"Yeah, well... Neither do I," Yang mumbled, "But in case... In case you haven't noticed? We're not... We're not in the best of shape. I... I don't mind taking a break."
Jaune stared at her for a long time. She flushed.
"What?"
"You haven't been passionate in a while," he said, "I-I missed that... You're always hottest when you're passionate."
Her cheeks burned red for a very different reason.
"You're drunk," she mumbled.
"Yeah," he muttered, "Doesn't mean I'm wrong."
He hugged her more tightly. She sighed.
"... Don't make a fucking habit of this," she muttered, "I'm not dragging your ass to bed again when you're drunk."
"You smell nice," he mumbled. Yang sighed and helped him towards the doors.
"Yeah, well... You stink."
"Yeah..."
Yang paused and looked out into the yard. There were a few spotlights here and there. Underneath one, some distance away, she spotted the tall form of Cardin Winchester and the diminuitive form of Velvet Scarlatina. They were holding hands and talking, leaned up against a fence post. Yang stared in quiet disbelief. Her eyes widened when she saw them...
"They're... Kissing?" Yang muttered, holding the door open, "How the hell did that happen?"
"Cardin always had a crush on her," Jaune mumbled, "He was in super denial... They saved eachother's lives during the attack so... Ya know..."
"That's... Strange," she muttered.
"Yeah. She likes getting her ears pulled," Jaune said cheerfully, "Not supposed to say that... Or say-"
"Anything else, got it," Yang covered his mouth with a blush, "Now shut up, you need sleep."
She managed to get him to the couch, where he collapsed with a snore. She pulled off his duster, armor, and boots, and got him settled. She then pulled an old comforter over him.
"Now sleep," she ordered. Jaune smiled up at her, even as he closed his eyes.
"Love you too."
Her face again turned bright red. She heard Cardin and Velvet's voices approaching the door. Like a flash she ran up the stairs, past the other rooms, and right up to the one she shared with her sister. She took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart.
She opened up. She saw Ruby was still asleep. She was mumbling things, and sniffling every so often.
Yang stared for a long moment, before she shut the door behind her. She walked up and squeezed Ruby's shoulder comfortingly.
Her little sister relaxed, just a little. She rubbed her back, and Ruby calmed down.
Her hand lingered for a bit longer... Before she pulled back. She sighed, and trundled back to her bed. She laid down on it, and pulled the covers up.
It wasn't much. Honestly, their drunken host/leader smiling for once and her little sister not having a nightmare.
It was all she could do.
It was never enough.
Yang woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. She sat up, already reaching for her artificial arm. Ruby sat up just as quickly, already groping for Crescent Rose.
The door opened, and a woman who looked very much like Isabel Arc stood there. She was younger, had no glasses, and had her hair in a high ponytail that fell back over her shoulders, tied with a blue handkerchief. She smiled warmly.
"Good morning! I'm Lilac Arc! You must be Yang and Ruby! I got you because it's time for breakfast. Do you want some?"
"We would love breakfast!" Ruby said with a sleepy smile. Lilac beamed, almost radiating motherly energy.
"Of course! Come down when you're ready, it will be done in twenty minutes!"
"Thanks!" Ruby said. She looked over at Yang. "You set, Yang?"
"Sure," Yang said tiredly. She reached out and attached her arm.
In truth, she was starving. Staying up late last night had definitely taken it out of her though.
They went out to the bathroom. It was quite large, with a big shower and bathing area down on the first floor. Given Jaune had seven sisters, it wasn't surprising that they had a large bathroom. It was tiled in green and white but was a full Fuujin style bath, with a shower for cleansing. It was honestly very refreshing: Lilac had even laid out their normal clothes for them, laundered and cleaned.
So they arrived in the dining room, fully clothed. The dining room had large windows that looked out onto the mountains, and the opposing wall was also covered in photos. The dining table itself was very long and very old, but well polished and covered in a green tablecloth. Neptune, May, Arslan, Velvet, Cardin, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Orchid, and twin girls who resembled Jaune and Orchid sat on either side of it, the chair at the head of the table left empty.
Jaune's eyes met hers. They held their gaze for a moment, before Jaune looked back down at his breakfast.
"Morning Yang, Morning Ruby," Jaune said quietly. Ruby smiled at him.
"Morning Jaune!" Ruby greeted. "Morning everyone!"
"Morning Jaune," Yang managed, "Everyone else."
"Morning Ruby and Yang," Neptune cheered, waving at her, "Nice to see you, good looking!"
"Good morning Ruby and Yang," Arslan greeted. May shyly greeted her under her breath. Cardin and Velvet were staring into eachother's eyes, sitting together and holding hands. Ruby cleared her throat. Cardin coughed.
"Ah... Hey Xiao-Long, Rose," Cardin said.
"Morning," Velvet said with a nod and smile. It was guarded, but not as hostile as Yang was expecting.
I guess getting laid put her in a good mood, Yang thought.
"Good morning Yang, Ruby," Orchid replied in a monotone.
"Morning!" The twins said cheerfully. One had orange highlights in long, spiky hair while the other had green in short, tomboyish locks.
"GOOD MORNING RUBY AND YANG!" Nora cheered. "THEY HAVE PANCAKES! WONDERFUL PANCAKES!"
"They're to die for," Ren deadpanned. Nora grinned in a feral fashion.
"Or kill for!"
Lilac Arc giggled, peeking out of the kitchen briefly.
"Oh, you! Eat up! There's plenty, Yang and Ruby!"
She ducked back into the kitchen. Yang and Ruby took their seats, and examined their plates. They were stacked high with flapjacks, bacon, strawberries, hashbrowns, and blueberries. It smelled wonderful, and it didn't take long for both sisters to eat their fill.
Even with Cardin and Velvet making gooey eyes at one another.
"It's so weird," Ruby mumbled through her pancakes. Yang nodded, and grimaced as Cardin fed Velvet some blueberries. Velvet giggled, and kissed his cheek.
"Yeah, I saw them out last night," Yang muttered back. Ruby's eyes widened.
"Really?" She whispered back. "Like... Were they...?"
"I'm not saying any more," Yang mumbled, "I want to finish my food."
"Can you two please cut that out?" Neptune moaned, as Velvet fed Cardin some pancakes, "You're grossing us out."
"Deal with it," Cardin huffed, "She likes it."
"I do!" Velvet said cheerfully. Neptune sighed and looked around. He smiled at Orchid, who was sitting next to him.
"Hey Orchid, you want to-?'
Jaune glared at Neptune so hard Yang could feel the heat from across the table. Neptune coughed.
"No thank you," Orchid stated, eating her pancakes, "I prefer to feed myself."
"May!" Neptune seized upon the shy sniper. May blushed.
"Um... N-No thank you?"
"Arslan!" Neptune tried.
"No thank you," Arslan stated, eating some strawberries. Neptune looked over at the twins.
"Verdy? Coral?"
Jaune's glare was especially intense. Verdy grinned, and got up. She walked over to Neptune's side, and leaned over with her hands on his shoulders.
"Oh my~! This is so sudden~! But I'll give it a try..."
She held up a grape. Neptune flushed. He opened his mouth nevertheless. She leaned in and pushed the grape into his mouth.
Which he bit down on. He then coughed... As his face went bright red.
"Ahh... AHHHH... HWAAAHHHH?!"
He grabbed the water jug and chugged it like a madman, guzzling it all down as he fell out of the chair to the floor. Jaune turned his glare onto Verdy.
"Verdy!"
"What? He wanted me to feed him," she giggled, "And I wanted to test out Coral's new pepper bomb mixture!"
"Heh. Brutal," Cardin chuckled.
"VERDY! CORAL!" Jaune growled.
"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood," Coral said with a shrug. Verdy giggled and helped pull Neptune back to his feet. She set him down in his chair, and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for being a good sport about it."
"S-Sure," Neptune managed, coughing a bit. Arslan sighed. May winced. Nora grinned.
"That's so awesome!" Nora cried. "You were really funny Neptune!"
Yang smirked a little. Coral sipped her tea.
"Besides, we're getting tired of fixing up weapons," Coral sighed, "It's all we've been doing since this started."
"Yeah," Verdy groaned, "Replacing firing pins, blacksmithing new swords-It's been exhausting."
"You're weapons engineers?!" Ruby cried excitedly.
"They are," Jaune said with a nod, "Though they work at the hospital too."
The twins made faces at this.
"We're so tired of medical filing," Verdy grumbled.
"And fixing ultrasound machines," Coral added.
"That's so cool!" Ruby cried. "I-I mean, the weapon engineering part, not the-You want to talk shop? Do you have custom weapons?"
"Just guns," Verdy shrugged, "We're not really any good at hand to hand."
"Which is why we stay behind the front lines," Coral added.
"I'm something of a weapons engineer myself, you know," Neptune said with a smile, finally recovered. "Maybe we can talk shop too-?"
Jaune glared DEATH at Neptune. He coughed.
"N-Nevermind!"
"He can learn," Arslan said in soft amusement.
The front door opened and slammed shut. Isabel Arc came into the dining room, looking utterly exhausted. All conversation ended and everyone stared intently at her. Isabel sighed.
"Uh, hey Mom," Jaune said carefully.
"Mom!" Coral and Verdy greeted.
"Mmph," Isabel managed. She collapsed at the end of the table, exhausted. Lilac was by her side in an instant, with six plates of food she set in front of her mother. Isabel tore into the food with a ravenous hunger that even Nora stared at in shock (and awe). When she was finished, she sighed heavily.
"Mom?" Jaune asked worriedly. Isabel shook her head.
"I finally got a break," she said quietly. "But... The hospital needs more medical supplies. Jaune?"
Jaune stared at his mother.
"Um, yes?"
"You know all the usual herbs and materials, and where to find them," she said. "Take your friends and go up today to gather them." She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to him. Jaune took it, his face stony.
"Picking flowers?" Cardin complained. "You can't be-!"
Isabel glared at him. A glare that spoke of several days without proper sleep or rest, and sheer maternal might. Cardin squeaked, and scooted his chair back. Velvet squeezed his hand comfortingly.
Jaune took a deep breath.
"Sure Mom," he said, "I know what we need to get."
"You've done it plenty of times, and in a big group, you'll be safe," Isabel managed, "Besides. It'll do you all some good."
Jaune stared at the paper list for a moment longer. He then took hold of it. He tucked it into his duster pocket.
"Yeah," he said. "Finish your breakfast, everyone. We're moving out soon. I'll go hitch up the cart."
He got up and headed off. The rest of the group soon finished their breakfasts, and headed out after him. Yang and Ruby took a bit longer, as Lilac got her mother a few jugs of water and juice. These she consumed as well.
"Haaaa... My Semblance lets me go without food or rest for a while," Isabel admitted, "But I have to replenish it all."
"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard, Mother," Lilac said.
"Ha, like she'll listen to that kind of stuff," Verdy snorted.
"She does sometimes," Coral said with a shrug. Isabel shook her head.
"Well, we finally have some reinforcements and replacements," she said, "So we can afford to relax a little. Your father should be home tonight, once his relief shows up."
She looks over at Yang and Ruby, finishing up their food.
"You two doing all right?" She asked.
"Just fine, Mrs. Arc," Ruby said.
Yang flexed her hand and nodded.
"All right, I guess," she said.
Isabel smiled at the two.
"I'd appreciate it if you could do me a favor? Keep an eye on Jaune, will you?"
Ruby flushed.
"Um... We usually do," she admitted, "Along with Ren and Nora."
Isabel nodded.
"I know... But it would put my mind at ease. I know you don't like being on standby... Nobody does..."
She scowled a bit, then shook her head.
"But you all need a rest. Believe me," she stated.
Ruby scowled.
"We're not that-!" She looked over at Yang. "I-I mean-!"
"It's fine," Yang said quietly, "We'll keep an eye on him, ma'am."
Isabel nodded and smiled.
"Thank you. I appreciate it. Now... If you'll excuse me, I'm-Zzzzzz..."
Her head bowed as she began to sleep, snoring softly. Lilac sighed.
"She overdid it again," she mumbled.
"Runs in the family," Yang grunted.
"Don't we know it," Orchid, Lilac Verdy and Coral said with long suffering expressions.
"Wow, in synch too!" Ruby gasped.
You asked for it, and so you get a second chapter!
Once again, I'm using a lot of my own fan canon for RWBY. But since so much was never established by Rooster Teeth, why not?
I'm also experimenting with some different character work, which I'll expand upon in later chapters. The update rate for this will be a bit slower, but then that's going to be the nature of things for a while given my job, ugh.
Romance will be slow burn in most cases. And I'm taking inspiration from Fixing RWBY, which is a great series on YouTube.
If enough people like this, I will continue in this vein and explore both Radian, the Arcs, and all the characters in the aftermath of the Vytal Disaster. So please comment on it if you wish this fic to continue, since I write for free. Thank you very much.