Last Huntress - Chapter 15

-All You Have Is Your Fire-

Leaning heavily against the frame of the bedroom, Ruby Rose let out a cough that sent waves of agony through her chest. Strong arms were wrapped around her waist, and she felt the tension of toned muscles through the flimsy material of a borrowed shirt. A glance told her all she needed to know about how her companion felt about this little excursion from the mattress she had spent far too long laying on.

She had insisted on getting out of the room, and Blake had agreed after some persuasion. That was the end of it being an easy endeavour. Pushing off from the wooden frame, she made her way to the couch in a stumbling gait that was mostly successful due to the support of the other woman. Breaths came in short gasps as she hobbled to the edge of the furniture.

It was a credit to the other Faunus' strength that she did not immediately fall over, but was instead set down gently upon the couch cushions, a wary look in those amber orbs as the taller woman hovered over her. "I'm fine." The lie was spoken through clenched teeth as her own fingers held at the side of her ribcage, trying to soothe the angry ache that was radiating out from her wounds. It was spoken with a bitter tone, as she glared down at her lap, a feeling of uselessness permeating through her.

Her gaze slowly meandered over the penthouse, examining it with a wary eye. It was spacious, large enough to fit the entirety of her shitty little apartment in the main area, and still have room to spare. A window that covered most of the wall in front of her allowed a view over much of the city below, and she became aware for the first time that they were in one of the skyscrapers in the wealthy part of town.

The hotel they dwelled in towered over much of the buildings below, which in turn were several times larger than those in the Faunus slums of the Residential District. The dark of night enhanced the neon illumination of the ads that played across the sides of buildings, so many that the streets below were lit up even through the heavy curtain of rain. One in particular caught her attention, one that was a stark white against the black stood out most, displaying a spinning snowflake design around a fanciful 'S'. After glaring at that particular ad for a few seconds, she again shifted her study to the suite itself. There was another bedroom opposite of the one she had been more or less confined to, and a kitchen that was separated from the main area by a dividing wall and an open archway.

A long hallway led to what she assumed was the entrance to the penthouse, and even from here could she see the regal statues that lined the walls. Blake, who had been silent since she had started her visual investigation, spoke up when her curious expression was discovered. "It was a gift, from a woman named Valerie Snow. She supported my Faunus Rights group, and near the end when things were turning bad, she left this place for me. In case I ever needed to hide."

Turning to look up at the cat Faunus, Ruby narrowed her eyes. Feline ears were laid down against dark hair, and the older woman wore a sorrowful expression upon her face. "Convenient."

"Incredibly so." Blake nodded a few times in agreement before continuing. "I planned to escape here, but Adam always kept so close an eye on me. I was caught several times before I made it this far."

There was a subtle flick to the scarred cat ear that tipped Ruby off as to what happened when the other Faunus had been caught, enough so that she did not pursue it. It did, however, ignite a spark of anger within her. An emotion that crept up on her, surprising her when she felt it's heat. For days now she had been stewing over her hatred of Roman Torchwick, but this pinprick of feeling for what had been done to a girl who had once been her friend was like a shock to her system. "What about this time? What changed?"

Blake's eyes finally met hers again, if only for a moment. A small smile flashed over the older Faunus' lips as well, before fading away as well. "Adam has grown complacent in the recent months, growing bolder with his displays of power, as if he could not be touched. The attempt on his life, the attempt that you stopped by apprehending Russel, it threw him off. He knew he needed someone not with the Fang to find out who was after him, and he trusted me to make sure you did it."

"I knew that with him distracted, I'd have a chance.. I admit I did not have much of a plan past rescuing you from the Gentlemen, and going into hiding. I just wish I had gotten to you earlier." Those furred ears had drooped again, but Blake's expression remained neutral. "Speaking of. I have your things here, I wasn't sure what you wanted to save."

The cat-girl turned away for a moment, snatching something from a nearby chair before depositing a duffle bag onto the table in front of Ruby. It was open, and as she leaned forward with a groan, she saw the torn and bloodied clothing she had been wearing within. The tank top was little more than a rag now, between the damage the wolves and the Grimm had inflicted upon it. Tossing that garment aside, she saw that the boots were salvageable, while the jeans were stained through with blood.

What she sought was crumpled under the pants, a faded scarf of checkered black and grey. Pulling it up, she saw it was in one piece, and aside from a few splotches of dark, unstained with her blood. She could feel the odd look that Blake was shooting her way, but nonetheless she wrapped it around the back of her neck. It was a memento from a time before her life had gone to the dogs, back when the grey squares had been a bright and brilliant white color. A gift from a girl she had loved.

A reminder of things lost.

Along with the glove that housed the now burnt out circuits of Spring, Ruby found something she did not expect to have been recovered by Blake. The leather straps of a belt were marked with a patch of a red 'R' on their length, all of it wrapped around a holster housing a heavy revolver. Pulling the gun from its place for a brief moment, she looked it over to make sure that puny mute hadn't screwed around with it. Satisfied, she shoved it back into the holster and set it aside.

Underneath the firearm was the truly strange discovery, a blade as black as hell with a spiralling design of crimson roses up its length, the sword she had received from Torchwick in the Pits.

Several of the red roses upon the blade were stained with an oily substance, the blood of the Beowolves that had been set upon her in that place. The sight of it set a chill to her bones, and a growing ache to her wounds as her fingers fidgeted in place above the sword.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to keep that.. I can get rid of it if you want."

The anger that she had felt earlier was nothing compared to the furnace that ignited in her chest now. She imagined the sneer on Torchwick's face as he announced her death to the crowd of sycophants and the finest society had to offer, the glee at which he had consigned her to a cruel fate. She felt the stitches that held together her abdomen, and she felt the parts of her that were now machine. In that moment, she could think of nothing but taking the sword and shoving it through the throat of the man who had tortured her so.

Without looking up at Blake, she lowered her shuddering fingers down to the grip and lifted it from the bag, glaring at it's dark blade. "No. This will do."

Ruby threw the tiny circuit board she was working on back onto the table, and she fell back into the couch with a growl of pain. Her hand touched gingerly at the misshapen ridge of stitched skin that traveled from her hip to the edge of her ribcage, attempting to soothe the burning ache that spread outward from the healing wound. It had been two weeks since the Crimson Quarter, and still she found herself only slightly above the status of invalid.

The most basic of tasks wore her out. Lifting clothes off the floor caused muscles to cry out in protest, and she still needed Blake's help to properly dress herself. More useless than ever before, her Aura was only just beginning to return in levels that could facilitate the healing process. She was constantly caked in sweat, running a slight fever as her body slowly adjusted to its new organs. Worst of all, the liquor that she had spied her first day out of the bedroom had mysteriously disappeared before she could get at it, leaving her dreams at the mercy of a dozen vicious memories.

During the day, she was instead haunted by a constant reminder of her helplessness. An arm around her waist after a few steps, fingers brushing her skin as they helped a shirt into position, or the warmth of an embrace when she woke herself up from a nightmare by screaming. Blake was at her side constantly, keeping her afloat. It felt just as it had when those gangsters had forced her to her knees in front of Torchwick. As if she were powerless to do anything, and with no improvement in sight, all of this continued to build.

Annoyances slowly turned into anger that flared at the slightest provocation. A rage began to build that set an itch beneath her skin at all times, demanding that she find the man responsible for this state and deliver upon him a death so spectacular as to send all those that attended the fight running for other kingdoms, afraid that they too would be slowly torn limb from limb. Vengeance soured every mouthful of food, and no amount of liquid would quench its thirst.

Which, of course, made the task of repairing the virtual intelligence she housed within her glove all the more aggravating. She had been working on Spring since her time at Beacon, the original conception a joint effort between her and Weiss. Whatever had been done to fry the implant in her eye had done the same to the circuits that powered the intelligence. It's memory was still intact, but the culmination of months of work was not so easily replicated in a single afternoon.

Which only served to antagonize her already on-edge patience, until she threw the glove at the glowing screen of the laptop Blake had provided her. The clatter was louder than she had anticipated, but as she rubbed at the area around the ugly disfigurement now adorning her stomach, she couldn't be bothered to care. "How did you even afford all this?"

The irritation in her voice must have been readily apparent, judging by the expression Blake wore when stepped into the main room of the penthouse, drawn by the noise. It was always the same look when she got frustrated. Utter patience, like she was a child to be handled carefully. Like her anger was not valid. It looked fake. "The same way I was able to get the best in cybernetics for you. From my time in the Fang."

"Hurting people, you mean." The derisive tone that Ruby took surprised even herself. There was a part of her, buried under the scorching flames of rage, that knew it was a low blow. Especially to the woman who had saved her life. And she was right, it truly was the best implants money could buy in Remnant, the latest from Schnee's Cybertech division. Blake had assured her they would not be vulnerable to shorting out like her previous eye had, that she wouldn't be killed if it happened again.

"I actually stole most of it." There was that neutral tone of voice, that patience that drove her up a wall. Blake had moved to the end of the couch, speaking quietly and seeming unperturbed by the glare that Ruby had leveled her way. "Many of my targets were rich. High society do-gooders that had been convinced to put some of their wealth to supporting laws or groups that were designed to harm the White Fang. Some I killed because Adam wanted them dead. Others I just put in the hospital, to send a message. I just.. Took their lien. I wasn't supposed to, but I always did."

Letting out a slow breath through her nose, Ruby looked away, unable to accept how blithely the other Faunus was speaking about murder. As if it had been the most normal thing in the world, as if she were describing a day at the office. There was no sense of vindication at it being confirmed that she had been saved by blood money. "Beating and killing innocent people, and then robbing them because, hey, why not?"

"I had reason. I still dreamed of being free of the Fang one day. That's why I kept this place a secret, that's why I hid away a fortune." There was a twitch in that neutral expression, just a flare of the nostrils, that signalled she was beginning to get to the cat-girl. Good. Her anger wouldn't settle for anything less than a mirror at this point. A scoff came from the raven-haired woman, and amber eyes rolled before settling back on her. "I beat and killed because if I did not, I would be punished. And what about you? The night I saved you, you told me that you had killed them. Killed who, Ruby?

Ruby clenched her fists as she glared at the other Faunus, then slowly let her fingers uncurl as she turned her gaze over to the laptop. She would rather stew in her fury than proceed down this path of questioning. There was nothing there she wanted revealed in a fit of anger, and so she refused to continue the argument.

At least she had planned to, but Blake stepped up beside her, a low growl coming from the cat-girl. "No, you don't get to sling shit my way and just shut down! I am not your sister, and I will not sit by why you act like there isn't anything to talk about here." There was a pause in her breath as Ruby fed her rage, allowing it to grow until she rose from the couch and faced the other Faunus with a snarl. "What did you do that demands I be as guilt ridden as you?!"

Her temper took a hold of her then, galvanizing her into action. Instead of an answer, she reached out and shoved the taller woman. It was a weak, pitiful thing, with barely enough muscle behind it to push Blake off balance. But it did serve to twist the cat-girl's expression into one of anger, such a welcome change from the fake passiveness she had witnessed since their first true conversation days ago. "Really?! You want to hit me? Then come on, hit me!"

A retaliatory shove caused her to stumble, but she came back swinging. Her fist inched nearer to the older Faunus' jaw, before it was slapped away without any sign of effort from her opponent. The next punch was simply turned aside as well. There was not enough speed or strength in her attacks to get even close, but still Blake was taking steps back. Too consumed by her rage to notice the tactic, Ruby wore herself out with strike after strike, until an overextended punch caused her to stumble forward.

Her leading wrist was caught first, but then her momentum was turned as she twisted to the ground. A moment later the movement was halted, and her back was pressed against the chest of the woman she had been trying to strike. Her own chest heaved with effort, each breath coming with a desperation as if it were the last she would take. The stitches felt like they had ruptured open, such was the agony emanating from the wound. But as Blake's warm hand found its way to her stomach, she was assured it was not so.

Panting as tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes, Ruby tried to get a handle on her emotions. Toned muscles brushed against her skin as she was gently adjusted to rest between the legs of the other woman, while fingers rested on a wrist and her stomach, having checked for any evidence of bleeding. Lips placed near a furred ear parted for Blake to speak. "I tried to resist Adam, at first.. He brought a traitor like me into the cell, told me to kill her or he would kill us both. I couldn't do it, I refused to. He cut a piece of my ear away, and then asked again. Again, I refused, hoping he would just end it."

"He shot the other girl and left the body in my cell." There was a wetness on the cheek pressed against Ruby's temple, a telling sign that the older Faunus had been spurred into an emotional frenzy just as she had. "I was beaten, tortured for weeks after that. The things he let the other members of the Fang do to me.. The only way to survive was not to care."

Her anger had begun to bleed away from the moment the explanation had started, from the moment she realized that her childishness and frustration had backed the other woman into a corner. The rage had fled from her, driven by the catharsis of release, and then cleansed by the shock of her misdirected emotion being turned on its head. Yet still the smoldering coals of vengeance lurked beneath her thoughts, never truly cooling despite her regaining control.

Ruby had long since froze in place while she listened to the tale, except for the heavy breaths that returned her lungs to equilibrium. This revelation had stunned her, swiping away and high ground her anger had convinced her that she held. The chest beneath her moved as Blake took in a steadying breath, and continued. "So no, I don't feel guilty for the lien I made by being his killer. I can't allow myself to let that in. Not when it has allowed me a chance at freedom, and one tiny piece of redemption. If I gave in now.." Blake's voice dropped to a solemn whisper. "It would cripple me."

Her attempt to look up was stopped by the way she was being held by Blake, and the cat-girl made a noise to discourage her. "Don't apologize, Ruby. I don't want your pity. I know you're frustrated, that you feel like you will never be vindicated. I have been there." A hand trailed up to brush against her scarred cheek gently, a touch that sent shivers down her spine. "I want to help you. I had no choice but to bury my emotions, but I can see you trying so hard to do the same. I want to know why.."

Blake must have felt the way she stiffened at that, so unwilling to let another even close to the reason, because that soft voice sounded out once again. "I'll wait until you are ready to tell me, if you want that help. It is a long road back to who we used to be, and believe me when I say it has been difficult to remember that I can feel again. But I am here if you need me."

Ruby gave a slow nod, tears running in rivulets down her cheeks, their flow having grown stronger the more that the older Faunus had spoke. For several minutes they sat like that, with Blake simply holding her while she silently cried at the notion that someone could understand what haunted her, of what it was to try and twist yourself into a monster to avoid the pain of reality. When she finally found her voice again, she had started leaning back into the strong arms that supported her. "I want to help you, too."

She could almost see the grin that spread over Blake's lips, and could swear she heard it in the cat-girl's voice. "That almost sounds like this optimistic girl I used to know."

Looking down as her cheeks began to dry, Ruby shook her head an almost imperceptible amount. "I don't think she exists anymore."

"It's okay if she doesn't." There was a sobering quality to the tone of the older woman's words, as if Blake had been brought back down to earth by her claim. "But I don't believe for a second that you can't find some way back to happiness, even now."

"Stuck here while Torchwick scours the city for me? Too weak to fight? And who knows what sort of mess I left Yang with.." Letting out a mirthless laugh, Ruby summoned what little strength she could to pull away from the one holding her. She reached out for a nearby table, using it to pull herself up to her feet with some assistance from Blake. It was certainly an effort to ignore the hands that rested upon her hips. "I won't be free until he is dead."

"Then we start there." Turning to raise an eyebrow at the cat-girl, she was greeted by a sincere expression and the tiny inklings of a smile. "But we'll need you back at a hundred percent, first. I saw you fight in the pit. You're lacking in a lot of areas, so we'll have to start with basics." Tossing a glance over to one of the doors on the opposite side of the penthouse from where Ruby slept, Blake mused over a thought for a moment before continuing. "I say we clear out my bedroom, use it to train and let you blow off some steam.. If you're up for that."

Amber orbs turned to regard her with a question evident in their depths. A thought took Ruby by surprise as she stared into those eyes. That for all that Blake had been through, all that the older woman had endured over the years since they had parted ways at Beacon. That in spite of the scars that surely marked the skin beneath that black tank top, of that feline ear that twitched more slowly than its counterpart, Blake was beautiful. That with genuine emotion on the Faunus' features, she found herself enraptured by the details.

In the midst of her staring, the woman had donned a wide grin, and had cocked her head to the side with a knowing look. It shook Ruby from her examination, and demanded an answer to the question that had been posed. Even more surprising than the last insight into her own mind, came a sense of purpose she had not felt in years. She wanted so badly to try to get back on her feet. Not just to deliver the vengeance that gnawed at her heart, but to set upon a path that would offer some measure of peace for Blake.

But all the purpose in the world could not allow her to ignore the toll her childish outburst had wrought upon her battered body, and she felt the first stages of exhaustion began to take its toll. "How about we start.. Tomorrow?"

"Whenever you are ready." Worry replaced a smirk on Blake's face, as the other Faunus moved to gently support her weight. In the space of a moment, she was quite literally swept off her feet. Now cradled in the arms of her companion, Ruby let out what she hoped was a not-so-audible gulp. "Let's not take any chances though, huh?"

Peering up at the fierce amber glow of the cat-girl's eyes, she bit at her lip for a moment before speaking up. "I'm sorry."

"I told you not to apologize, Ruby. Just.. Talk to me next time." The raven-haired Faunus chuckled as they neared the door to the bedroom, glancing down at her for a second. "Preferably without trying to harm me."

Ruby withdrew a bit into the embrace of the arms that held her, looking away. Her temper had already cost her so much, it's unchecked aggression stealing away at her life. She quietly resolved to keep a stronger check on it where Blake was concerned, as the person who deserved her ire least was certainly the one that had saved her life repeatedly in the days since the Pits of Blood. "Right."

It was a slow night at Ember Heights.

It had actually been a series of slow nights. The storm that had rolled in the night that Ruby had left for the Crimson Quarter was just the first of a few. The streets of Vale were now home to a near constant inch or so of rainwater, while it's citizens scurried from place to place hoping to avoid the torrential downpour that could soak a person to the bones in a few seconds. In such conditions, people tended to go only where they absolutely needed. Turns out that aside from a couple of diehard regulars, Yang's establishment was no such place. Here she had thought that the depressing atmosphere of overcast weather would set a perfect mood for drinking.

It also didn't help that on top of the particularly vicious opening to this year's storm season, Ember Heights was also becoming a regular hotspot for flared tensions between the various White Fang or Gentlemen gangsters that came sniffing around to see if Ruby had surfaced. They'd stay a few hours, usually order a round or two, and then leave. A few of them were even clever enough to not wear their uniforms, but Yang had quickly become adept at noticing that look in someone's eyes that told her they were looking for clues instead of a cold beer.

It bothered her the first few nights they came in, but as the days lagged on with an air of rainy misery, none of them tried to cause trouble. Velvet had also helpfully pointed out that so long as they kept looking here, it meant that her sister and Blake remained hidden. That had helped to calm her nerves at having the gangsters prowling around her bar.

Despite the lack of business, she was also glad that, so far, the lack of a truce between the two underworld groups had immediately escalated to all out war. The signs were there of it brewing, of course. Just that morning she had watched a news report of a Faunus Rights protest by one of the factories turning violent, apparently instigated by random citizens. It didn't take a genius to see that these were The Gentlemen's opening moves. The attacks they could claim weren't them, carried out against Faunus that weren't technically members of the Fang.

In the end it didn't matter who had caused it, as all it served was to raise the tensions in the city another notch between the two species. Relations strained a little more, and even those who were normally oblivious to such things eyed strangers with a healthy degree of wariness.

She had seen the city at a similar point before, in the days leading up to the truce between the two gangs. But it hadn't into a real war then. This time, with all the pressure building for the past few years and the masses of poor chafing under a corrupt system, she wasn't sure if it even could be stopped from imploding. Yang let out a long sigh at that thought, absentmindedly running a rag over the surface of the bar to wash away the rings left by a patron's glass. She loved her sister dearly, but it was starting to feel a bit like Ruby had thrown a wrench into the works and ran off. Even if she knew that wasn't what had happened, there was no denying that her sibling had a unique gift for fucking up the status quo.

If there was trouble, Ruby seemed to always find it.

"Yang."

Turning to toss the dirtied rag into a bin beneath the counter, she heard her name spoken in a hushed whisper. Glancing up, she saw a waitress looking past her and at the door that led to the upstairs section of the building. The other woman was attempting to hide a giggle, and doing a poor job of it when Yang turned to face the one who had spoken.

Velvet stood in the open doorway, and the reason for the waitress' mirth was readily apparent. The Faunus was clad in nothing but a shirt that was a size too big and barely covered halfway down the woman's thighs, exposing quite a bit of smooth and creamy skin. Long brown hair was mussed and tousled, and there were still some clear signs of sleep in the doe eyes that sat above cheeks burning with a blush. But it was not the relative state of undress that had caused the woman behind Yang to snicker at the rabbit-girl's appearance, but the only item of clothing to be found. It was a bright yellow color, and very clearly marked with a black emblem.

Yang's emblem.

Her own cheeks beginning to heat up as her employee attempted to stay quiet, she moved forward and closed the door behind her as she stepped into the stairwell, silently thankful that their lack of business meant that only she and the waitress had witnessed the scene. "What's up Velv?"

Velvet produced the scroll that she had been holding, clearing her throat and presenting it as her other hand worried at the hem of the shirt she had used to cover herself. "It's Blake."

Eyes widening as she quickly took the device from the rabbit-girl, she gestured up the stairs. Following Velvet to the upper level, they quickly made for Yang's room. It was only when the door was closed that she raised the scroll up and placed the speaker to her ear. "Blake?"

"Yang. Sorry to call so late.. I'm pretty sure I woke up your girlfriend." Running a hand through her wild mane of blond hair, she glanced at the woman who had settled down on the edge of her bed, that burning sensation returning to her cheeks.

"Velvet knows that any news is important. What's wrong?" She had begun pacing the length of her room, not truly noticing her movements until a few seconds later. Her mind was too busy running through a myriad of nightmare scenarios concerning her sister. Had the White Fang or Torchwick managed to track them down? Had all the hope she held of seeing her sister again been build up for nothing but bitter disappointment? "Is Ruby okay?"

"She's recovering, she's okay." There was a soft tone of sympathy in Blake's voice as it came through the receiver, likely brought on by the way she had fired away with the negative opening questions. "That's actually why I'm calling, she wanted to speak with you."

"Oh." Yang stopped in the middle of the room, turning slowly to look down at Velvet, who was watching her with no small degree of concern. Through the scroll she could hear the device on the other end being handed of, a rustling at it was pressed to someone's ear, and finally the sound of Blake excusing herself. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke quietly. "..Ruby?"

A sharp intake of breath was taken on the other end, before the familiar voice of her sister came through. "Hi, Yang." After so long spent worrying, of dwelling on the worst possible outcomes of what had transpired, she was not surprised to feel tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She held a hand to her mouth to prevent any sound from escaping as she simply basked in the moment, prompting her sibling to speak up. "How are things? I.. Hope they haven't been coming after you."

Sniffling as she let out a quiet laugh, Yang shook her head. "Don't worry about me, you know I can handle myself." She reached out and clasped Velvet's outstretched hand, grinning at the rabbit-girl for the support. "I'm just glad you're okay."

There was a chuckle on the other end of the scroll, a dark contrast to her own laugh, a sound she had grown far too accustomed to in the recent years. Hearing it now put a damper on her relief. Ruby was alive, but from that noise alone she was reminded that her little sister was far from the lively girl she remembered. "I wouldn't say okay, not yet. But I'm breathing, thanks to Blake."

Yang faltered at the broken tone in her sibling's voice, at the listless way Ruby described her situation. She had been so wrapped up in the idea that the girl was alive that it had eclipsed the fact there was still years of a divide between them, that there had been wounds long before her sister had walked into that club. A full minute of silence passed between them before there was a clearing of a throat. "Oh yeah, I, uh.. I left Bumblebee over in the Crimson Quarter."

"I know, Pyrrha made sure it got back to me." So quickly had the conversation become something akin to pulling teeth, so quickly had they fallen back into their habits. Yang felt a sudden urge to hit something, her frustration at being helpless to assist her sister growing.

A long breath was let out from Ruby, and then a sigh. "I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open, so I'm gonna give the scroll back to Blake, okay?"

"Okay.." Yang gripped her own device until the edges bit into the calloused skin of her fingers, her mind racing for the right thing to say. "Get feeling better!" Immediately she cringed at her choice, imagining the incredulous expression that her sibling would have shot her way had they been standing next to one another.

"I'll try." The words surprised her, as she had half expected Ruby to hang up then. But she detected a strain in the other girl's tone, a strange addition that she could not identify. "Yang, I.. I'm-" Silence descended on the conversation for a few seconds. "Good night."

The lack of an actual apology stung a bit, but the effort brought a bit of warmth to her heart as she let a small smile spread over her lips. "Good night, Ruby."

Ruby stepped into the other bedroom warily, shoulders slumped as she followed Blake. The older Faunus had spent the better part of a day moving the furniture from this room to others to clear it out, leaving nothing but a large carpeted space for them to train. As she swept her gaze across the bare walls, she turned to find the cat-girl studying her with a strange expression. "..What?"

"Are you sure you're up for this? You look like hell."

She would have taken some offense if it wasn't completely true. Her hair was a mess, barely gathered up in the back and leaving her bangs to fall haphazardly wherever they wanted. Bags were visible under her eyes, hidden partially by the pink of the scars that now covered each cheek, but there nonetheless. Clothes taken from the closet of a dead woman who had been at least a foot taller than her did not help in the slightest, as she wore a baggy t-shirt that didn't agitate her wounds, and sweatpants that were easy to put on by herself.

Ruby was also very aware that she felt worse than she looked. All of her wounds were still healing and ached constantly, reminding her at all times that she should be doing nothing but lying in bed. But to do so would leave her with nothing to do but rage against the feeling of perpetual uselessness that surrounded her life in this hideaway her savior had whisked her away to, and that was simply not an existence she could choose. "I'm fine."

The other brunette bowed her head for a moment to convey that she understood. "Like I said, we'll start with the basics. How's your hand-to-hand?"

"Fairly good?" It was a lie, and the expression on Blake's face told Ruby that the other Faunus hadn't bought it for a second. "Alright, so I've slacked off. I was hunting down two-bit thieves, not Grimm."

Blake nodded slowly as she listened, unwinding the ribbons from both wrists before she pulled the gloves from her hands. It felt strange to be without the feel of leather on her palms, but the the steel reinforcement over the knuckles was far past unneeded here. "If you are serious about going after The Gentlemen, that isn't going to cut it. You have to be prepared for how they fight, they are brawlers to the last."

Ruby scoffed at her doubt. "I think I can keep up with Torchwick's goons in a brawl."

"Really?" Letting her grin slip through an otherwise serious expression, Blake waved at the younger Faunus. "Show me."

There was an immediate apprehension in the wolf-girl's stance, leaning away from her and looking almost worried. "Blake.."

She didn't wait for Ruby to decide to continue, instead she rushed forward and struck with her left fist leading, forcing the younger woman to dodge away. Silver eyes widened, and the other Faunus barely managed to get out of the way, emitting a low growl they slid by one another. A counterattack was launched at her exposed side, one that was easily avoided by a simple step back to disengage.

"You want revenge? You have to do better than excuses, Ruby." Blake narrowed her eyes as the other Faunus glared at her, now circling each other warily. So easily were the fires of her friend's temper stoked.

"You think you understand what I want?" The angry words were spoken through clenched teeth before the wolf-girl lunged at her. A series of three punches came her way, and all three were nowhere close as she ducked and weaved around the jabs before jumping back. "I hunted that son of a bitch for years, and to think that he would get away with executing me?"

Ruby needed no further encouragement to attack, now advancing despite her muscles screaming out that she should stop. A punch, a kick, any attempt to strike at the woman antagonizing her was met with a wrist, or an open palm that slapped her attack away. "How it felt down in the mud, fighting for my life while those fuckers cheered for my death?!"

They separated for a moment, sweat sticking the fabric of her shirt to her back as she took in a few deep breaths. "What it feels like to be so much less than I used to be, to be helpless against being torn apart by creatures I would have been protecting those people from.. Every day all I can think about is killing all of them!" There were no tears to shed as she raged against the bars of a cage within her mind, feeding into her anger.

The cat-girl continued to circle her, glaring right back at her. "Come on then, are you just going to sit up here forever feeling sorry for yourself?" Ruby bared her teeth and let out a savage growl, unable to process that she was being goaded into the fight. She rushed her opponent, throwing a wild swing that grazed Blake's shoulder and threw her off balance.

She had poured far too much momentum into the attack, and was easily caught in the arms of the other Faunus as she cried out in pain as something tore on her back. For several moments, the only sounds were their breaths, both panting as the anger of the mock battle slowly faded away. "Are you okay?"

Ruby pried herself out of the other woman's grasp, turning to face the older Faunus as she reached back to touch her left shoulder. "I think I might have tore some stitches with that one.."

"I'm not surprised." Blake moved forward, making an upwards motion with her hand. "Let me see." She realized she had caught the wolf-girl off guard when she saw the way Ruby had raised a single eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, one lupine ear sticking straight up while the other was tilted, and let out a soft chuckle as she neared the awkward woman. "I've seen you naked, Rose."

"..Right." Ruby let out a sigh at the realization that the older Faunus was correct, and turned around before pulling her shirt up and over her head, wincing as her shoulder blade flared up in pain. She let her arms fall to her side, glancing back as the raven-haired woman inspected the stitches that had closed the wounds inflicted upon her back by wolf claws.

"Looks like it was only one stitch, we'll take it easier next time." Nodding her head slowly, Ruby realized that the other Faunus had moved on from examining the gashes and was now looking at her left arm. As self-conscious as she felt under that gaze, she couldn't bring herself to pull away as Blake's fingers brushed against the back of her hand. "Any story behind your tattoo?"

The thorned vines that constricted across much of the left side of her body, from wrist to calf, ended in some roses scattered over her form. It had taken the better part of four years to get to where it was now. As Blake took her hand and tilted it to get a closer look at the black emblem inked on the back of it, she spoke quietly. "It started a year after you left, my way of remembering those I've lost. A rose for every person." There was an unspoken question as a thumb ran over the scattering petals of the black rose. "My mom. She died when I was very young, she was a Huntress."

There was a shiver through her system as fingers drifted up her arm, playing along the scar that was cut from the base of her elbow to the edge of her palm, but it was nothing compared to the sensation of another warm hand being set upon the ridge of a shoulder blade. She knew the cluster of roses there, though she rarely saw them. "A mission to capture Torchwick, we lost three students from Haven to an explosive trap."

She had never spoke of this to anyone, not even Yang. No one had ever asked what it had meant, only admired how it looked. She didn't know why she was telling Blake now, perhaps it was because she had worked out much of the anger in her system during their brief fight, perhaps it was because there was finally someone who had experienced loss on a similar scale. As heat blossomed over her cheeks and she glanced back to find two pools of molten gold waiting for her, she thought that the reason could be even simpler than that.

The hand on her back drifted lower, to a rose design that stretched from her ribs to the other side of her spine, one of the largest in the ensemble. "My dad, he.." She felt a lump grow in her throat, and tears that burned in the corners of her eyes as she thought back to long days of waiting in the hospital for positive news that had never come.

Both hands withdrew from her body, before slipping around her waist and holding onto her lightly, careful of the wound that covered one side of her stomach. It seemed so often she was encased in these arms, caught or carried by the woman who had saved her from death at the hands of a psychopath, but never once had she objected. She hadn't felt as safe as she did when in Blake's arms in years, and this time was no different. At least, until she felt soft lips press against the back of her bare shoulder, a touch of affection that set a crack in the dam holding back her tears.

A dam that broke entirely when a soft voice whispered to her. "I'm sorry."

Author's Note: This is the point at which I'm going to start speeding up Ruby's recovery, get them back out in the world and on with the plot. I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! I was originally planning to have this out before Christmas but, well, things don't work out that way this time of year. Plus, Overwatch. Good news is I've started a new thing where I write at least a thousand words a day.. I want to say I hope that speeds the updates for this story up, but I don't want to promise anything quite yet. As always, thank you to those who reviewed, I truly do appreciate your feedback. Thank you to those who have followed and favorited this story, as well. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you thought about this chapter!

Big news! Noxypep finished a second round of commissions for this story! It features Ruby post-chapter 10 and Ruby and Blake. If you want to check it out you can find a link in my profile.