Petals in the Wind

A RWBY Tale

Snow, glistening white in the winter light of the moon, covered everything in sight for miles around. All was silent aside from the crunch of the snow underfoot from the lone girl walking in the wood. She donned a red hooded cape and carried a scythe on her back. Her name was Ruby Rose, and she had a mission to complete, but for now, she must set up camp. She gazed forlornly up at the moon and released a deep breath. She missed her friends, but this was something she had to do alone. Blake, her sister Yang, Pyrrha, Juane, and everyone else were all back at Beacon, in the safety of their beds. She was here, in the unforgiving wilderness of outer Vale, far beyond the protective reach of Ozpin and her professors. She could not afford to fail.

Weiss. This is for you.

Ruby shook her head and regained her thoughts. She removed her knapsack and dug out a tent. The cloth flapped in the cold wind as she began setting up camp. Ruby had lost count of the number of days she had been gone. Was it twenty, thirty? She no longer knew. Ruby unhooked her scythe and extended its blade. She easily cut through a tree and gathered wood for a fire. Soon, she had a sizeable flame going. She relaxed in the warmth of the flame, the soft glow dancing in her silver eyes.

Ruby thought back to her first days at Beacon. She and Weiss had such a difficult time getting along, though as time passed they became very close friends. She had no doubt that if she had to, Weiss would lay down her life for Ruby. She would certainly do the same for Weiss.

She's a hazard to my health!

Ruby smiled a little, remembering that first night at Beacon Academy. She had tried so hard to make it up to Weiss for knocking her over and nearly destroying the Dust in her luggage, but Weiss would have none of it. Then, during the training exercise in the Emerald Forest, Weiss had finally accepted her as a member of the team, though she still didn't like Ruby. It would take many more missions together and several near death experiences before Weiss fully opened up to Ruby. It was worth the arguments and insults to finally call her a friend. Ruby would go to the ends of the earth her team, to the edge of the universe for Weiss. A rustling sound from the right tore Ruby from her thoughts. She grabbed her scythe, readying herself for an attack. She gazed into the darkness, her eyes darting to the left and right. The rustling came again from in front of her, and a rabbit darted off into the night. Ruby locked her blade and sat down once more. She listened to the wind howl in the darkness, and resigned herself to sleep.

Ruby ran down the long hallway, turning a corner, then another, and another. The corridors seemed endless. Her footfalls echoed noisily as she ran, reverberating in the silence. This place was a labyrinth of endless halls, each one looking the same as the last. Then, she heard it.

Help me! Ruby, help me!

Her strides grew faster and more fervent than before.

Weiss! I'm coming!

Help me, Ruby!

She reached a door. The door was massive, a cold grey steel, foreboding and horrific in its plainness. Ruby touched it and it opened, slowly revealing a lone figure on the other side.

Weiss.

She was on her knees in a lone circle of light in a room of total blackness. She looked at Ruby with pleading eyes.

Help-

A flash and her head fell to the ground. Ruby reached out her hand in a silent scream, and was sucked out of the room.

Ruby sat up, covered in sweat. The same dream as the last three nights. She rubbed her eyes, and breathed in deeply, attempting to calm her heartbeat. She checked the time. 3:14 AM. Her fire had gone out. She replaced the firewood and got it going again, then returned to the comfort of her tent and sleeping bag, before dozing off once more. She dreamed nothing else for the rest of the night.

Yang groaned and rolled over. The bright sunlight of morning filtered into her room through the curtains. She lay there for several minutes and allowed the warmth to bathe over her body, listening to the songs of the birds. She sighed deeply and allowed her thoughts to wander towards Ruby, out there in the wilderness of Vale somewhere.

Let me come with you!

No!

You can't do this on your own, Ruby!

I have to! Only I can do this!

You aren't a superhero!

Their argument occurred weeks ago yet it stayed at the forefront of her mind as a constant and daily reminder of what she perceived as her greatest failure as a big sister. As a friend. Not only to Ruby but to Weiss as well. Especially Weiss.

Weiss.

Gods only knew where she was and what was happening to her now. Yang slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and stretched, yawning in the process. Her shirt rode up revealing her toned midriff as she stretched. She needed to buy a new one. She swung her legs over the side of her bunk and hopped down. No classes today. She glanced over at Weiss' empty bed and felt her heart sink.

Weiss.

Ruby.

She scratched her head and pulled her leg behind her, stretching the muscles in her thigh. She did the same for her other leg as well, and walked over to the closet to retrieve her clothing and shower items. She opened the door and saw Blake still asleep in her bed. She smiled slightly and grabbed her things, and left for the shower.

Hot water.

It was cleansing. It cleansed her body, and cleansed her of the guilt she felt all these weeks. It was cleansing, and calmed her mind. How she wanted to be with her sister. Every day she thought about her, and the recklessness of her decision.

Only I can do this!

You aren't a superhero!

And you don't know Weiss like I do!

Well maybe you don't know me!

She regretted her words. The look of shock and hurt on her sister's face haunted her daily. She wished every day that she could take back the words, but reality didn't work that way. Yang rubbed the body wash on her and stood there in the steamy shower, allowing the hot water to wash the soap away. Her wild long, yellow hair clung to her figure under the stream of water. She lifted her head, causing her hair to dangle freely. She sighed, enjoying the sensation of the heat on her skin.

"It's not your fault, you know."

Blake had entered the washroom.

"Someone has to take the blame, Blake."

Blake scoffed.

"It doesn't have to be you."

"Yes, it does. I drove her away instead of talking sense into her."

"You can't always blame yourself. You know as well as I do how headstrong Ruby is."

Yang didn't respond immediately. She turned off the showerhead and stood there, letting the water drip from her body. She clenched her fists.

"It was my job to keep her in line."

"Yang-"

"It was my job! And I failed!"

She flung open the shower door and faced Blake who was sitting on the counter top.

"I failed!"

Blake looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She got off the counter and walked forward towards Yang.

"Nobody failed, Yang. Ruby is her own person and is capable of making her own decisions."

She cupped Yang's face in her hands and smiled.

"You're the best big sister she could have asked for. You can't always blame yourself for her actions. Ruby is Ruby, and nothing will change that."

Yang faltered.

"Blake, I…"

Blake kissed Yang and hugged her.

"Just shut up and get dressed. I have an activity for us to do today that should help you keep your mind off of things."

Yang nodded and grabbed her towel.

Weiss sucked in a sharp breath. Her arms were sore, but she couldn't do anything about it – both of them were locked into shackles above her head. A blindfold prevented her from taking in her surroundings. She was in a dark room – she knew that much. She grunted and tried unsuccessfully to break her shackles. Her memory was foggy. She had to have been drugged.

She screamed.

There was no response. She grunted with effort again, and hung there in defeat. Weiss gritted her teeth in frustration. A door opened. Footsteps approached her.

"Look what we have here."

A male voice. Unrecognizable. Weiss perked up.

"Who…"

"You don't need to know that information, young lady."

A hand grabbed her face. Weiss struggled and was slapped. She winced but managed to hold in her cry. The hand grabbed her face again. She felt her head being turned at different angles. She was being examined.

"A very fine specimen indeed."

Weiss' face burned scarlet. She was being looked at like an object, a toy.

"Yes, very fine indeed."

The hand released her. Weiss spit in the direction she heard the voice coming from.

"Feisty. But you will learn respect."

The footsteps came closer. She felt the man's breath on her cheek.

"You can be sure of that."

A chill ran down her spine and her heart filled with dread. The footsteps faded away and the door closed with a finality that filled Weiss with terror. She screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

"Ruby, help me…"

And screamed.