Chapter 26

Blueprints of Remnant

(A/N: My deepest apologies for the terribly long delay, friends. The past few months have been very difficult for me but I'll save the details of my hiatus in the author's note down below. For now I just wanted to say thank you for your incredible patience as well as all the love and support you've given me. I hope you enjoy the chapter. God bless)

Like an uncertain dance partner Ruby hung on for dear life to her six foot long sniper-scythe relying almost entirely on its heavy recoil to combat the shadowy figure flitting about the training room. The match could barely be considered a warm-up however as both she and Blake had fallen into an increasingly familiar rhythm with each other that was half-hearted and without the usual intensity and sense of urgency their matches normally had.

Despite Ruby's limited mobility she could still operate Crescent Rose to its fullest potential, or at least very nearly, and while internally she could hear her uncle's nagging about over-relying on her weapon she didn't have much choice seeing how she couldn't lift her arms over hear head without excruciating pain.

While she had this somewhat valid criticism of her fighting ability in the back of her mind however Blake couldn't help being even more impressed with her leader's weapon mastery than she already was, as well as her own improved swordsmanship. Blake was going through the motions of a finishing sequence she would've never dared attempted just a few months ago, and was even following through on feints instead of just waiting for her opponent to retaliate. In the few flaws that she found in Ruby's technique, which were only due to her current limitations, Blake was now able to take advantage of them in part due to her more aggressive style and her training with Beacon's finest swordsman who was currently spotting them.

From the sidelines Yang was sitting a few rows back on the bleachers covered in sweat and breathing heavily but watching the red and black blurs closely on the edge of her seat. Weiss sat beside her equally as exhausted and looking as though she'd gone for a swim with her clothes still on. Every minute or two the combatants would pause for Ruby to catch her breath or change magazines, but after signalling she could continue Weiss would study her partner's aura levels before hesitantly giving the okay. Not that Ruby ever waited for permission...

They'd been lucky to get a room that day as their classmates were slowly trickling back to the academy from the missions they'd flown out on earlier that week. In proper huntsmen fashion students celebrated their successful missions by either partying together on the shady side of town or going back to their rooms to catch up on sleep, or by requesting one of the many but usually reserved training rooms to blow off steam or work on any flaws that might've nearly gotten them killed during the mission.

Their own team was still working off whatever rust they had accumulated since their extended hospital stay and like last week were practicing in pairs again. They'd decided to let Ruby fight offensively this time as it allowed her to set the pace of the match, but privately she had encouraged Blake to push her and take the offensive whenever she could. Yang and Weiss on the other hand had taken turns being on the offense and hadn't restricted their usage of semblances or dust.

Despite her loss and aching body Weiss felt good about having held her own both offensively and defensively against Team RWBY's juggernaut. She hadn't been completely overpowered or skillfully outclassed like so many other times in the past. Instead her aura had simply fallen below the official combat minimum and below an amount they felt comfortable with continuing at. Yang's meanwhile was sitting somewhere around fifty-five percent which every freshman minus Pyrrha would've taken as an unmitigated victory.

"Are you even listening to me?" hissed a shrill voice. Yang glanced to her left giving no indication whether she'd been listening, tuning the heiress out as usual, or simply been too focused on the match. "I asked if you think we should go ahead and call it?"

Yang studied Weiss' wrist scroll for a moment then the combatants who were now catching their breath and preparing their next assault. She tilted her head trying to peek under her sister's hood, and after fighting a sinking feeling in her chest shook her head. "Rubes looks happy, sorta, and this is the one place she feels like she's actually making progress. Let's wait just a little longer."

"Is she making progress though? Compared to last week she looks slow and sloppy, which is something I never thought I'd describe your sister as. Not her fighting ability anyway."

"Maybe a little, but you could break every bone in Ruby's body and so long as you duck-taped her hands to Crescent Rose she'd be alright. Is her aura still hovering around five percent?"

"It's dropped a little but not much." She looked up with her pinkish cheeks puffed out. "While you may be perfectly alright with your sister being rag-dolled by an overgrown gardening tool I'm a nervous wreck watching as Blake comes within inches of impaling and/or dismembering my partner. Oh good, now they're shooting at each other..."

Both pairs of shoulders slumped forward and they stole a glance at the emergency first aid kit down at their feet. Despite their misgivings they knew Ruby couldn't have been in better hands, and also reminded themselves that Blake was the only training partner suitable for her at the moment. Weiss was still nursing an arm injury and couldn't comfortable defend against Crescent Rose without a dust imbuing absorbing and reflecting some of its bone rattling blows back at Ruby, and she didn't exactly trust herself not to go easy on her partner which would've inevitably lead to Weiss injuring herself and hurting Ruby's already delicate pride.

Yang could've taken even the heaviest of blows from Crescent Rose but it would've been nearly impossible for her to do anything but defend if she didn't wish to send her sister back to the hospital. Blake however as a faunus had the reflexes and speed to keep up with Ruby as well as the strength to combat her scythe, and due to her training was quickly transitioning from the team's most defensive fighter to its most balanced. Plus she was the team's healthiest member at that moment.

"You know, most days after training together I'd be the one needing medical attention," Weiss said casually, looking up with inquisitive eyes.

"You're getting better," Yang replied, already not liking her tone or the direction this conversation was heading.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were holding back even more than you normally do, but that would suggest that your sloppy footwork and punches were intentional. You were distracted. You have been ever since you went out partying the other night." She rolled her eyes while making air-quotes. "You hardly even cursed or insulted me during our match."

Yang grunted in response and gave the heiress a warning look to drop the interrogation before turning her attention back to her sister and partner.

"At this point worrying about Ruby has stopped being a hobby and become a full blown obsession. I'm worried too, and so is Blake, but you've been slipping lately, and quite frankly that has us just as worried."

"It's more than just Rubes," she muttered before quickly cursing herself for never being able to keep her mouth shut. "I-I just have a lot on my mind, okay?"

Weiss raised a brow her interest suddenly peaked. "Oh? It can't be too serious otherwise you would've used me as your personal punching bag, though you did get awfully close to letting Myrtenaster use you as a pin cushion. Feeling more masochistic than usual today?"

"I just didn't want to lose my temper and accidentally take it out on you," she said, glancing out the corner of her eye. "That's what bar fights are for."

"Much appreciated but something is most definitely the matter. I can feel it, and Blake especially. Your aura's not as obnoxiously bright and the room doesn't suddenly start festering when you walk in." When Yang remained silent Weiss rolled her eyes again. "What, did our talk last week not happen? Didn't we bond over our mothers and younger siblings, as well as our mutual appreciation for expensive beverages? I thought it was going to be our new tradition. Hmph, I suppose I was wrong."

Yang's silence continued for a few more moments but with a heavy sigh she scooted over and whispered in her ear. "I found a lead on the woman who attacked Ruby."

"What!? How!?"

"Ssshh." She held up a finger and anxiously glanced at the competitors making sure they hadn't overheard. "Doesn't matter how, and keep your voice down! All you need to know is that I got some information from an old family friend, and there's something I've been hoping you could tell me more about but I've been too afraid to ask."

Weiss blinked unsure if she had ever heard Yang admit to being afraid before, and watched with trepidation as she began rummaging through her overstuffed ammo belt. A moment later she retrieved a folded piece of paper but hesitated opening it.

"You got a lead and you're just telling me this NOW!?" Weiss snapped. "Don't you think Ruby and Blake would like to hear about this? As sweet and forgiving as your sister may be, she'd-"

"Rubes doesn't need to know about this and she isn't going to, and Blake probably knows even less about glyphs than I do. That's why I'm coming to you first."

At the mention of glyphs Weiss' indignation vanished and she leaned forward earnestly. After one final look to make sure Ruby was still preoccupied Yang handed the paper over and Weiss unfolded it revealing a crudely drawn spider web encircled by indecipherable scribbles.

"This is absolutely hideous," she said, her voice flat and without a hint of emotion.

"Hey! Not all of us had art tutors growing up, and I can't exactly read ancient runes like you. I drew them from memory as best I could but-"

"No, your artwork is atrocious but legible, and surprising accurate. It's the glyph that's vile and repulsive." She held the paper out with an outstretched arm pitching it between her fingertips. "Where did you find this abomination again?"

Yang's heart skipped a beat but she shook her head pretending to be bored. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. The woman who attacked Ruby apparently used a glyph like this sometime in the past, and I wanna know what it does."

Reacting as though the glyph had hissed at her Weiss released the slip of paper and shirked away as if afraid of it touching her. Yang caught it and watched as the other girl dug around her dust pouch and retrieved a bottle of aspirin. After swallowing several capsules with the help of her nearly empty water bottle and wiping her dripping chin she caught Yang staring at her worriedly.

"I take it you know what it does?" She held it up again but Weiss pushed her arm away and averted gaze feeling suddenly nauseous.

"Not exactly, but I think I may have an idea. Now put that away will you!" Weiss took a series of deep breaths while Yang hesitantly hid the paper in her fist. "It's some kind of archaic summoning glyph, or more accurately a conjuring glyph."

"What's the difference?"

Weiss huffed as if offended by the question. "Summoning is temporarily creating an object with your aura. It has to be something you've bonded with and has become a part of yourself. Conjuring on the other hand isn't creation, it's forcing a preexisting object to come out of hiding from within your aura."

"Cool." Yang's smile fell seeing Weiss shake her head. "Not cool?"

"No, at least not to summoners like myself."

"Is this another one of those elitist Schnee things?"

"Summoning is an incredibly rare talent among glyph practitioners," Weiss continued, ignoring the not-so-untruthful jab. "Every member of my family capable of creating glyphs is also capable of summoning, and each of us is bonded to the Schnee ancestral claymore, Ellowyn, The Dawn of Creation." Weiss sighed deeply as just saying its name relieved the pain in her head. "Conjuring however causes the actual object to appear out of thin air, which while useful isn't nearly as powerful and comes with countless risks."

"Like what?" she asked perhaps too excitedly.

"For one thing you're bonding your soul to a corporeal, inanimate object. From that moment on it becomes a part of you, as does its imperfections. If I were to conjure Ellowyn and it was somehow damaged in battle then I would feel even the tiniest scratch within my soul, and the agony would be excruciating when I went to conceal it again. There's also the constant risk of accidentally conjuring the object somewhere you didn't intend to, such as inside your own chest. Like any glyph all it takes is a momentary lapse in concentration and there can be serious repercussions. You've seen it and felt it yourself when one of my time dilation glyphs backfire."

"Okay, I see why your snobbish Schnee blood is boiling, er, freezing, but that was kinda dramatic even for you. Also now I can't get the image of the woman's chest exploding like in that alien movie out of my head."

"It's some sort of Grimm conjuring glyph," she hissed, feeling bile rising just saying it aloud. Yang stared with her mouth gaping open experiencing something similar.

"Say that again?"

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I won't pretend to be an expert when it comes to conjuring, and I'm proud to say that I'm not even the least bit familiar with Grimm conjuring, but I've been able to read and understand ancient runes since I can remember. Your drawing while crude appears to be some sort of transference glyph using a conjured Arachne Grimm as a conduit. I don't know where you saw it but a glyph like that doesn't belong in this world, and if you don't get rid of it at this instant I will."

Yang hesitated having never seen Weiss act or sound this way before, but did as requested and crumpled up the piece of paper until it became ashes between her hands. Once the deed was done Weiss' breathing returned to normal and she slumped in her seat looking exhausted. "Good, now forget you ever saw it and tell no one."

"Sure, but only if you keep talking, otherwise I draw it again and go find another glyph expert." She tried to sound threatening but the only other expert she could think of was Professor Goodwitch, who Yang's own protection would never share such information, and she couldn't hide the sincere desperation in her voice. "I'm not trying to learn some kind of forbidden glyph. This is about Ruby and finding the woman who attacked her."

Weiss shivered and shook her head still trying to get the image out. "I never said I wouldn't help, but good luck finding someone who knows more about summoning than I do. I-I just wasn't expecting you to show me something that vile, alright? Just when I thought I couldn't despise that woman more..."

"Is there anything more you can tell me? Even something obvious. I don't know glyphs or ancient runes like you do so it's alright if you have to give me a crash course."

Bright blue eyes twinkled for a moment as Weiss quickly began organizing her thoughts. "Think of a glyph as an electrical circuit created with your aura and a clear mental visual. The stronger or more complex the glyph the more aura and concentration needed to maintain it, and dust for convenience or necessity."

Yang blinked already feeling her eyes glaze over. "I don't need the 'Glyphs 101 for Dummies, Dolts, and Dodos' version."

"Really? Because it sounds like you could use a refresher."

"Let's stick with the woman we're looking for. Ruby said she could create a flame glyph strong enough to turn sand into obsidian blades. How much training would something like that take and is that something you or Glynda could do?"

Weiss shook her head. "I've read about it but never actually seen it myself. Although I have many abilities I specialize in ice glyphs just as Professor Goodwitch specializes in telekinesis, and I suspect only someone with a fiery semblance like yours or specializes specifically in fire glyphs could turn sand into obsidian. It's not just raw power she'd need though. That sort of expertise takes years of training, possibly decades. This isn't some amateur who found an old tome if that's what you're wondering."

Yang nodded as that answered a few of her questions, and if nothing else gave her new insight into the woman. Before attacking Amber and stealing her powers, she must've already been an expert glyph practitioner like their combat instructor. "What about summoning? I thought all you summoners could create Grimm? Well, friendly ones anyway."

Weiss blanched and stared at her as though she had something between her teeth. "First of all, there's no such thing as a friendly Grimm. What I and other summoners create are simply manifestations of aura usually with the help of white spirit dust. The reason why so many of us can create Grimm-lookalikes is because of how often our aura comes into contact with them, and because of how powerful our feelings toward them are. With enough practice I could summon a Beowolf or a small pack to fight alongside me, specifically the ones that began mauling me during the breach before your sister saved me, but I'm more of a static summoner."

"Static?"

"It means that I'm better at creating stationary objects like my family's claymore. My sister on the other hand is a more dynamic summoner. She can create a flock of Nevermores or large pack of Beowolves almost effortlessly but has trouble summoning Ellowyn, at least reliably. Either way we still have to have a deep connection with that object or creature. Someday for example I could with enough practice create a summon of your sister, though God knows why I would ever want to. Now, not that I don't highly enjoy discussing glyphs with you could we please not lose our train of thought with every new development?"

"Right, sorry. Grimm conjuring, bad. Claymore summoning, good."

"Now as I was saying, almost anyone can create a basic glyph so long as they can perfectly picture it in their mind, but it takes years of training and being fluent in the literal code of creation to be even mildly successful." She tapped the ancient runes on Myrtenaster's blade and cylinder. "Anything beyond that takes the proper aura and semblance, not to mention a near photographic memory. For example, that glyph you showed me just now is burned in my memory forever, and creating something like that stains a person's soul forever."

"W-Weiss," Yang stuttered. "I-I'm sorry. I-I wasn't thinking."

She took a deep breath and shook her head, cradling it slightly. "It's fine, really. It's not your fault, and you've shown me much worse abominations on your scroll. I've also seen a few glyphs like that in my family's archives, though certainly nothing that vile before."

"Archives?" Yang asked, sounding the word out carefully.

Weiss nodded, her left eye twitching as if bothered by the light. "It's on the Schnee ancestral estate, separate from where Winter and I live but on the same property. It is the greatest accumulation of knowledge on Remnant and is the fruit of a millennium's worth of hoarding."

"Why do I get the feeling it's not your everyday library with dusty old books?"

A faint smile crossed Weiss' lips. "Because it's anything but dusty, and it has much more than just books. When Mantle's government was transitioning into Atlas', the new regime tried taking everything from my family. All we were left with was an old dust mine thought to have been completely ravaged centuries ago and our archives. It was the one thing they couldn't take away from us, that and our pride."

"How come?"

"Our pride because we're Schnees," she said as though it were obvious. "The archives because we're the only ones capable of getting inside. Not even Father or Nana are able to enter. The building itself was destroyed after the war which was it's fourth time being laid to rubble, but still the archive remains and so do we..."

Yang licked her lips in thought letting all that had been said settle. For a few quiet moments they studied the competitors and made sure Ruby's aura levels hadn't changed. Their breaks were becoming longer and more frequent but neither seemed to have noticed that their spotters were distracted and no longer giving them permission to continue each time. They could tell the match was near its end as Ruby looked as though she could barely stand and was aggressively trying to win the match before the inevitable happened, either the match was stopped prematurely or her feet gave out. Blake however was standing strong and in their eyes seemed to just be humoring the caped-girl at this point.

Realizing time was running out Yang pushed forward seeing this as the perfect opportunity. "You're family's pretty tech savvy, right?"

"I suppose you could say that," she said, smiling not-so-modestly.

"This archive, is it something you'd be able to access from your scroll or the CCT?"

Weiss shook her head and leaned in close. "Unfortunately it's not that simple. I'd need to be on an SDC or Atlesian private channel to get remote access, which I can only get from another Schnee. And the process isn't as technological as it is spiritual. There's an old tome with blank pages I keep hidden in a safe. It looks worthless but the pages are blank because they're able to replicate all of the written words found in the archives with the only caveat being the tome's limited number of pages. If I got permission from my sister I could search the directory and find what you're looking for, eventually. There's nothing on Remnant better organized than our archives but it's beyond massive, and I suspect Grimm conjuring transference glyphs aren't going to be cross referenced very much, or be very pleasant to read about for that matter."

Yang slowly nodded. "And is that something you'd be willing to do?"

"For Ruby? Without question," she answered immediately. "If it means even the possibility of finding the woman who attacked her I'd even be willing to spend an evening with Great-Grandmother Winona sipping tea and discussing my few suitable suitors."

"Great! Would you also be willing to take your best-est friends in the whole wide world aboard an Atlesian airship and have dinner with General Ironwood?" Yang's enthusiastic, sheepish smile practically engulfed her entire face and only grew as Weiss frowned and her eyes narrowed.

"That invitation was ripped apart and in the trash for a reason!" she snarled. "You have no right digging in my personal life and-"

"Whoa-whoa! Hold up!" Yang raised her hands innocently. "I wasn't snooping this time I swear. I heard one of the teachers talking about Ironwood having some kind of shindig next week and I thought maybe you could have the red carpet rolled out for us."

Weiss continued glaring but eventually her tense shoulders began to relax. "I'd still rather have tea with Winona..." she muttered, shaking her head. "Ever since I arrived in Vale I've done everything I can do to avoid anyone even remotely affiliated with the SDC and Atlas' elite. I don't want to play heiress in front of people that'll scrutinize every little thing about me, and believe me there's plenty to scrutinize. I also don't want to discuss with them why I decided to break two centuries of tradition by not attending Polaris Academy, or make small talk about how the company's doing or how wretchedly hot the weather is here."

"Please, Weiss?" Yang pleaded, sounding like a child begging for ice cream. "This is for Ruby, and finding whoever attacked her."

"I never said I wouldn't go through with it," Weiss huffed, seemingly insulted by the insinuation. "I just wanted it on the record that this isn't my idea and that I don't want to do this. In other words you owe me."

"Fine. When we find the woman that attacked Rubes you get forty-five percent of all bodily mutilation and psychological torture."

"Fifty-five. And along with our agreed upon stabbing of a lung I also get to make her walk on razor sharp shards of ice."

"Deal. Now, I take it you weren't done with your bi-"

"-tching? No, not by a long shot." She glanced up struggling to keep up her disgruntled facial expression. "For the entire evening the other attendees and I will be laughing at jokes even worse than your own, and while complimenting each other they'll be silently contemplating how to best stab me in the back someday while I restrain myself from stabbing them in their front where they stand. In other words, it'll be just like spending an evening with you if you had pale white skin and a more dignified accent, and were somehow even less funny."

"Awesome! You're the best, Weiss! I actually even mean it this time!"

She embraced the smaller girl who stiffened at the sweaty body pressed up against her and squeezing the life out of her.

"Don't thank me just yet," said a muffled voice. A moment later Weiss now breathing heavily and sporting a bright red face was released and quickly began adjusting her attire. "I've been needing to contact Winter on a secure line for awhile now to discuss...family matters, so this dinner is as good an excuse as any. I'll just have to make it look as though she's the one contacting me otherwise it'll look tacky. However, even with the world's knowledge at my fingertips there's no guarantee I'll find anything even remotely useful about your glyph, especially when you won't even tell me why something so horrible would be necessary to attack Amber, or how exactly it left her in a coma."

Yang's heart skipped a beat. "I-I never said-"

"Please." Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled gently and touched her hand. "At least give me a little credit. I'm not a dullard, and I remember everything we talked about the night I impersonated your sister. I take it you got your information while trying to figure out what exactly happened to her?"

The taller girl squirmed uncomfortably in her seat causing Weiss to sigh and shake her head. "Listen, I won't pry but I'm smart enough to figure out that you did more than just party and get into bar fights the other night, and I can make a few guesses as to how she wound up in a coma. Even if this wasn't about Ruby I'd still be willing to help. A friend of yours is a friend of mine, and if you ever want to talk like this again I'd be happy to skip the part where I'm your punching bag for half an hour."

Yang sniffled and wiped something from her eye. She then raised her arm signaling for another hug which Weiss didn't shy away from this time. "Will do, and t-thanks again, Weiss. Maybe this should be our little tradition, huh?"

"How about we make it an infrequent tradition? I don't know about you but my entire body hurts right now..."

Yang laughed and pulled away, their clothes and hair sticking to each other. "Yeah, me too." She gave the heiress a playful nudge nearly knocking her over. "If we're going to Ironwood's dinner I guess it gives us a good excuse to go dress shopping. Blake would probably rather go swimming in a dog park than step aboard an Atlesian airship though."

"Excuse me, but who said anything about you two coming along?"

"I did, just now. Didn't you hear me?" When Weiss' eyes narrowed Yang brought her hands together in a sheepish, pleading manner. "Oh come on, Weiss. Don't be like that. Don't you think you outta introduce everybody to your partner? You know, the person you're bonded to until the day one of you finally kills the other? Til death do you part and all that?"

"You two are not allowed to go anywhere near those people, understand? You'd only end up embarrassing me in front of my family's business partners and competitors, and you'd both be making very powerful enemies by associating with me."

"I could take them, but point taken. I promise Rubes and I will be on our best behavior."

Weiss shook her head feeling her migraine worsen. "For some reason that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, but if that's the case you may join me aboard the airship if you wish. However, you are NOT to attend the dinner with me, and you will also avoid speaking with anyone attending, understand?"

Yang clapped her hands and nodded obediently. "I guess wandering aimlessly around one of the world's biggest airships doesn't sound so bad. I'm sure there's a lot of rich guys who'd be happy to show me a good time while Ruby runs off to play with Penny."

"E-excuse you!?"

Yang blinked trying to figure out what was the source of her indignation this time. "Penny, remember? She's the weird girl you plowed into over by the docks. Rubes can't get enough of her, and if I didn't know any better I'd think she has a bit of a crush on her."

"I-I know who she is!" Weiss snapped. "I nearly broke my nose running into her! Which for the record was her fault!"

"That's funny. I don't think I've ever hit my nose running into something, or someone. Wonder why..."

Weiss stealthily scooted away for fear of another sweaty embrace. "I haven't noticed any infatuation between her and your sister, and I'm sure Ruby would be perfectly content with a tour of the airship. I'll even see to it that she has permission to visit the armory."

"Okay..." Yang drawled, watching the heiress suspiciously after her unexpected but not unusual outburst. "Even if Rubes doesn't have a crush on Penny, which is probably the case, I'm just happy to see her making friends."

"I think you're being far too trusting of someone we hardly know associating with your sister," Weiss huffed. "The two of them have been alone together twice now, and the first ended with Ruby getting shot by a fireball and the second her nearly getting run over by an eighteen wheeler. And that's just what's she's admitted, which probably means much worse has happened."

"Stuff like that always happens when Rubes makes new friends. Remember when you two first met?"

"I still have the scars actually, and don't change the subject! I don't trust Penny, and neither does Blake."

"Blake doesn't trust anybody," she half-joked.

"She says something about Penny doesn't smell right, and you've said yourself there's something odd about her. I mean, have you noticed the way she talks?"

"No offense to Rubes but I like to think that because of her I'm less judgmental of people."

"I'm being serious! I just don't think it's a good idea to leave them alone together."

"It sounds to me like somebody's jealous," Yang teased in a sing-song voice. She went to give Weiss another playful nudge but came to a halt when she looked up almost tearfully and slowly nodded. "Oh God. Weiss, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I-I didn't mean-"

She reached out to touch her shoulder but Weiss slapped it away. "It's fine, really."

"No it's not fine!"

"Yes it is," she said more forcefully. "I know what you're thinking and how it sounds but it's not that. Not quite anyway..." She took a deep breath and watched as her partner forced Blake to retreat despite barely being able to hold onto her weapon. "Your sister is the first person I've ever been able to call a friend without lying to myself, and she should be allowed to have other friends besides me and her teammates. It's just..."

Her voice cracked and she struggled swallowing a bitter taste down. "It's just that my worst nightmare, besides something terrible happening to her, or you or Blake, is that someday Ruby will wake up and realize what kind of person I am and not want to be my partner anymore, or my friend. I know it sounds silly but I've lost people who I thought were my friends before, either by driving them away myself or from realizing they were just using me. I've seen the way your sister's eyes brighten whenever Penny's name is mentioned, and it's in her aura too but buried. You might be right about her having a crush but I've never pried into her aura beyond what's on the surface, and it's none of my business anyhow, b-but it hurts knowing that if given the choice Ruby would choose Penny over me. And I can't exactly blame her. It hasn't exactly always been smooth sailing for us, and it's mostly my own fault. Who am I kidding? It's all my fault..."

Yang wrapped an arm around her and flared her own aura. "They don't call partners soulmates for nothing, you know? Before Beacon you never really shared your aura with anyone did you?"

Weiss shook her head blushing slightly. "Occasionally with Winter, and my Papa and Nana, but nothing like with your sister."

"Rubes and I had each other growing up, and I also had Amber. Plus we have our dad and uncle if you wanna to count them. Blake had that Adam guy but your first was Ruby. And I'm not gonna lie, when the school year first started I was actually pretty jealous of you."

"Me? Why me?"

"Well the money and fame didn't hurt, but also because I'm the person who's looked after her all these years, and if I can't do that anymore I don't know who I am. I wanted Ruby to have her own partner but I didn't realize just how badly it'd hurt seeing her share her aura with somebody that wasn't me." She smiled and grabbed Weiss' hand giving it a squeeze. "I can feel her aura in yours, you know? You two are that close now. And even when she's gone a part of my baby sister will always be there with you..."

There was a strange acceptance to her voice that caused Weiss' heart to skip a beat, and for the butterflies in her chest to go back to their cocoons. It wasn't felt in her aura but the blonde's grip had noticeably tightened. "Y-Yang?" she choked. "W-what's wrong? There's something you're not telling me."

Hearing the fear in her voice Yang flared her aura with the happiest thoughts she could manage and smiled reassuringly. "Everything's fine. Just something that popped into my head is all. Big sisters can't help but worry about their little sisters, and I'm sure yours feels the same way about you. Anyway, I guess this is officially a tradition now, huh?"

Weiss searched her for several moments for any hints of deception but finding none she smiled. "I suppose so, but can we skip the part where you try killing me in the shower?"

"Sure. I can think of other things we could do in the shower together..." She let out a choking sound as an elbow was playfully shoved in between her already bruised ribs but she quickly began chuckling. "So, um, hey, I've been, uh, meaning to thank you for the music box..."

She had spoken so softly she wasn't initially sure Weiss had heard until she wrapped an arm around her. "As I recall you already thanked me that night."

"W-well I wanted to thank you again. You shouldn't have done that, but you don't know how much it means to me."

Weiss snuggled closer smiling. "Actually I think I do. Oh, and you're a terrible liar by the way. I didn't believe for a second that it was Ruby you didn't want me playing it in front of. Your name literally means 'Little Sun Dragon' after all."

"Rubes found it under your pillow and told you, didn't she?"

"I'm not at liberty to say. And you missed my forehead by the way..."

The pair giggled and took a deep breath, their exhausted auras overlapping.

"Thanks, Weiss. I-"

"Aaahh!"

The girls jumped to their feet as Ruby fell to her knees clutching at her chest. Blake stood over her wide-eyed and her mouth gaping open as rose petals fluttered around her blade. Yang and Weiss immediately came running but Blake backed away her knees trembling. "I-I didn't-" She backed away further as the pair fell onto the ground beside the caped-girl who's cries of agony transitioned into whimpers.

"RUBY!"

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. As some of you may know if you've been keeping up with the updates on my profile page and/or on the RWBY subreddit I've had some bad luck in recent months. After posting Chapter 25 at the end of March I decided to finish writing the remaining chapters of "The Patchwork Prodigy" so as to create a more cohesive story and so that the wait between chapters wouldn't be quite so long, and also to make the process easier on myself. I started off on role in the months of April and May writing thirteen chapters (26-38) as well as a short story tie-in to "Home is Where the Soul Rests" which covers Weiss' emotional final day as a huntress.

Before continuing I should tell you that for years now I've had a recurring back problem and that around this time it began giving me more problems than usual, and only worsened in the month of June. I was still able to finish Chapters 39 and 40 which were some of the most intensive I've ever written (something to look forward to reading I suppose) as well as five chapters of a RWBY/Pokemon crossover that was a bit of a guilty pleasure to write. As long as I took lots of breaks to walk around I was alright, mostly, but in July the pain was almost nonstop and made sitting very tedious. I was only able to finish Chapter 41 and part of 42, and while on a bit of a "Jurassic Park" kick I finished Chapters 2-5 of "The Queen of Jurassic Park" (which for the record were much shorter than the average chapter for "The Patchwork Prodigy". Thankfully in the month of August my back began feeling better and I finished Chapters 42, 43, & 44, which as of right now is the final chapter of the story.

Shortly thereafter toward the beginning of September I began editing/revising Chapter 26 while at the same time writing a couple chapters for "The Twilight Dragon", which had been on hiatus due to the story being a bit too dark for me at a time when I didn't really need any more darkness in my life. The problems with my back in all honesty are just part of a larger picture of what's been happening in my life, but God has taken very good care of me and my family, and I couldn't be more grateful for all of your support. I won't make excuses for my hiatus merely an explanation of what's been going on.

As for Chapter 26, this was a really fun chapter to write as I always enjoy Yang and Weiss' interactions together, plus I really enjoyed (re)creating the rules for glyphs and giving them more importance than canon. I've always found them to be very beautiful and really intriguing, but in the show they're mostly just a means to an end while I wanted to make them and their symbols "the code of creation" and "blueprints of Remnant" if you will. Looks like Ruby took a hard hit there at the end but it would seem her aura blocked the worst of it. Guess we'll find out ;)

All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)