The Bloodied Thirty Pieces

15 - Oh, Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Sitting upon a rock in a small clearing with a textbook of all things Ruby found the last barrier between her and the people who had betrayed her. With the ends her seaweed green hair twitching in the slight wind and with her massive pink-shaded trident with a heavy machine gun incorporated into the body leaning against her shoulder Serena looked up from the book as Ruby stepped into the clearing, scythe already in her hands, and the two locked eyes.

"I must say I'm disappointed," Serena said with a sigh of annoyance, looking away from Ruby as she set her book aside and rose to her feet. Ruby spread her stance and raised Crescent Rose ready for the older girl's attack; Serena rolled her eyes and gripped her trident as she stepped to the side.

"I'm disappointed that my teammates managed to lose to you," she said as she lifted her hand to her face and pushed her glasses back so they rested right on her face, allowing her to see through the lens and down her nose at the young girl. "I'm also disappointed that it took you this long to reach me miss Rose."

"What?" Ruby asked, caught completely surprised by Serena's statement; she actually expected Ruby to beat her teammates quicker? Either Serena had no confident in her team or she was very confident in Ruby's skill.

Serena rolled her eyes and tsked in that annoying way teachers and librarians do and lifted her trident so that it rested on her shoulder. "I, unlike my team or the others, have read your file. And no not because you returned from the dead and started all this. I read it when you didn't come back from that mission."

"Why," Ruby asked, carefully taking a step to the left. Serena didn't move other than to twist at the waist to keep Ruby perfectly in front of her. "Why read my file then?"

"I had seen the tape of your fight with the Nevermore at your trial. I had seen tapes of your combat lessons and heard of your skill from your inspired and jealous classmates."

Ruby took another step to the left, Serena again turned but didn't move.

"As well I was curious. Only through incredible skill and talent is one invited or accepted to Beacon, and you made it in two years before your time. Many saw you as a cheat and a upstart who didn't belong, but I saw a young girl with a grand road at her feet and a bright future at her back."

Another step, Serena finally moved copying Ruby by taking a step to the right.

"So when your classmates came back and reported you were dead, I was not glad, I was not mournful, I was not angry."

"So what were you then?" Ruby growled. Serena cocked her head at the question.

"I was confused. How did someone so talented, with such promise, die on a simple mission as collecting sap? I was confused. So I asked Walt to borrow the mission files and reports for me, as well as yours. I talked to your friends-"

"They are not my friends!" Ruby spat, her vision going red. Throwing caution to the wind the young girl shifted her weapon behind her and ran towards the green-haired girl, a vicious furious scream bellowing from her lips. Serena let out a sigh of annoyance and brought her trident around in front of her like it was a door, blocking Ruby's first strike, and moving it back again to block the second. Raising and spinning her weapon one handed like a conductor leading a parade Serena deflected or caught all of Ruby's attacks, those that she didn't stop she ducked under or twisted her head and shoulders under or around the strikes, all with an annoyed look that someone had when dealing with small tantruming children.

With another annoyed sigh Serena when the two weapons met reached up with her other hand and grabbed the shaft of Crescent Rose and pulled it and her weapon, taking Ruby with them by default, and delivered a roundhouse kick to the young girl's stomach, winding her and knocking her away leaving Serena holding both her trident and Ruby's scythe.

Landing hard on the ground and had what little air she had gotten back knocked out of her; her entire body screamed from the pain of her last battles. Biting down to stifle her screams and drawing blood Ruby slowly got to her feet and turned on the green-haired witch who held her precious. Serena stared back with the disapproving librarian glare and again fixed her glasses.

"Although our weapons are more alike you are doing a very good impersonation of Walt," she said as she threw Crescent Rose to Ruby, the young girl plucking it from the air with ease and looked between the weapon and the green-haired girl with confusion and suspicion.

"I'm a second year team leader of the third best team of the year level who got a score of 97% on my entrance exam," Serena stated matter of factly as she spun her trident around her body several times. "You were put in the top 5 best first year fighters, leading what possibly is the best team of the year. You took apart the fourth best third year team and my own team and you will not stop in your suicidal goal until either they are dead or your body gives up. So let's do this Walt's way and fight since you will not listen to reason. I may as well see if you are what he calls the best damn combat experience we have had this year."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult," Ruby said as she dropped into a combat stance, weapon raised and eyes set murderously on the green-haired girl in front of her.

"From Walt take it as both," Serena deadpanned as she slid her feet apart and placed her weapon behind her head to the ground with her body lose and coiled. "Now don't disappoint me miss Rose."

Ruby, battered and bruised with blood dripping from her hand, stepped across the edge of the Forever Falls with a wide grin and a murderous glint to her eyes. Weiss and team CRDL stood just metres from her huddling together with team CRDL protectively around Weiss with their weapons shaking in their hands as they regarded their death with horrified realization that their last hope was gone.

Ruby's grin grew wider as she took a step towards the group, dropping Serena's trident at the edge of the forest and lifting her massive scythe so it rested besides her blade ready to strike and hungering for the kill.

"No, more, running," Ruby said, each word sending a lace of pain through her chest. "No, more guards. No, more, lies."

The ground between Ruby and the group erupted as something landed heavily, showering the young girl in dirt and red grass. Waving her hand to clear the dust Ruby readied herself for whatever had impacted, her grin turning sour as her face hardened.

As the dust settled a figure stood, his shadow framed by brilliant white light. With the sound of metal on metal the young man drew his weapon, a standard long sword glowing almost angelically in his aura; the sudden sound of gears clicking filled the air as the sheath expanded into a kite shield, and Jaune Arc stepped into the light his face set in a calm stern fashion but his eyes speaking volumes of the hatred and anguish he was feeling.

Ruby took a step back, dropping into a combat stance and raising her scythe as she regarded her first friend, her enemy with a dejected weariness.

"You shouldn't have come Jaune."

"You should have stayed dead Ruby."