(Alright! I am free of the clutches of the outage and ready to deliver chapter 18/the volume 1 finale! I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for 7k reads!!)
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Team RWBY Dormitory
11 p.m.
Y/n Pov
*Flashback*
Blake: "Well maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!!!"
The way she tried to catch those words after they came out of her mouth told me just how much she never wanted us to hear that.
"I-I...."
Before anyone could even stop her, she ran off. Ruby and I tried to catch up to her, to help her, but she was gone long before we could get to her. Shes probably in Vale by now. Weiss didnt even seem to care, but after the story she told us, I suppose I could understand her apathy at least a small amount. Nonetheless at the moment I wanted nothing to do with her.
*Present*
I was sitting on Ruby's bed looking outside the dorm window at the shattered moon again. I had managed to get Ruby to sleep so that we could look for Blake in the morning. I should probably take my own advice, but I have to admit I'm scared. I dont want to lose this family. All of team RWBY, yes even Weiss, their my family now. And I want the best for them, especially Ruby. But now it all runs the risk of just...falling apart. What if we cant find her? What if she doesnt want to come back? What if Weiss doesnt make up with her? I looked down at the softly snoring Ruby next to me, and brushed part of her hair off her face.
Y/n: "I've done a pretty shit job of holding this family together, havent I?"
???: "I quite disagree."
I quickly and quietly leaped off the bed ,landing on my feet and spinning towards the door, which was now open with a figure standing in the doorway, and summoned a suppressed pistol to my side and taking aim.
???: "Relax Mr. L/n. I have zero intention of harming you or your friends. I hope for my sake I never do."
I snapped put of alert mode when I finally recognized who the voice belonged to. Sneaky little bastard ain't ya Oz? I stood up from my crouch and dismissed my weapon, running a hand through my hair. I think its grown a bit...
Y/n: "Sorry professor...tonight's been rough. I wasnt expecting you."
He stepped further into the room so he was in the moonlight and visible, still in his normal suit and his can by his side.
Ozpin: "Yes I'm well aware. Apologies for my sudden entry, but I felt you could use someone to talk to."
I chuckled quietly.
Y/n: "Well I guess it's a good thing the girls are such heavy sleepers nowadays...care to join me?"
I summoned a couple chairs in front of the window so that we could at least have a view while we talked.
Ozpin: "Thank you."
Ws took our seats and looked out the window for a little while. It was quiet, very quiet, save for the occasional snore from Yang. My mind eventually started to wander again...I just hope that wherever Blake is, shes alright. I may not know her super well, and she may not know it, but all four of them are family to me. I'd do anything to keep them safe. Some more than others but...that's besides the point. Ozpin broke the silence, and my trance of thought at once.
Ozpin: "You truly do care for these girls, dont you?"
I couldnt really help looking over to Ruby for a second, before I turned my gaze back to the window.
Y/n: "Maybe some more than others...but yes. I dont have friends professor, I have family, and family look out for one another."
Ozpin: "I see...so you're afraid of losing them? Of not being able to protect them? And please Y/n, you need not refer to me as your superior here. Speak as candidly as you wish."
Y/n: "heh...I'm afraid of a lot of things prof-uh...Oz. When you go from having nothing, to something, like I have, it's hard not to constantly worry. Ruby has helped me a lot, they all have, and I owe them everything. So yeah...im terrified really. Hehe...sort of ironic for someone like me to be worried about who lives or dies isnt it? I didnt seem to care much when I died..."
I should really be over this...but it still stains me. I dont think I'll ever stop seeing the faces of those people I killed.
Ozpin: "You've seen your fair share of death, havent you young man?"
Y/n: "I'm pretty sure I died a long time before my body did. So I guess you could say we're old friends, death and I."
There was more silence for some time as Ozpin thought of his next words.
Ozpin: "I believe you are to hard on yourself about what happened in that stadium Y/n."
I looked at him in shock.
Y/n: "How did-"
Ozpin: "I know? I found Mrs. Rose in the halls outside your dorm at the start of the semester, the night before classes. She seemed troubled. When I questioned her she told me of what happened that morning. Your story. She cares for you a great deal you know. She is determined to help you live a good life. To make good use of this second chance you were given."
'Rosebud...'
"You believe yourself to be something of the dead Mr. L/n. But in fearing for your friends, your family. In caring for them, you have proven yourself wrong."
Y/n: "What do you mean?"
Ozpin took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair as he rested his cane across his lap. It's weird to see him so lax.
Ozpin: "The single quality, that is common among every living creature on this planet, is fear."
I definitely wasnt ready for that bombshell of philosophy. He lowly chuckled to himself, but it sounded...sad.
"Its funny then, that as common as fear is, we so easily underestimate its power. Fear of growing close to someone. The subsequent fear of loss. Fear of failure. And as more people depend on you, those fears can take on greater power."
He paused for a moment and made eye contact with me. In that moment, I wouldn't be surprised If he told me he had live a thousand lives. His eyes held age and experience beyond anything I'd seen, and his expression held sorrow in a way that suggests he knew what he was talking about. Soon though his sorrow faded as he let a small smile form and continued.
"But fear itself, is not worthy of concern. It is who we become while in its clutches.
Will you be proud of that person?
Will you forgive them?
Will you understand why they felt the need to do the things they did? Will you even recognize them, or will the person staring back at you be the very thing you should have feared from the start? I suppose we all find out sooner or later..."
He stood up from his chair and stood in front of me.
"You've grown into a strong young man Y/n, but nobody can do everything alone. You are very lucky to have the right people by your side, one in particular."
He took his own glance over to the sleeping Ruby, who shifted slightly in her sleep.
"The death of her mother hurt her dearly, and it still does. The scars she gained never truly healed, at least not yet. And I know the death of your father has done much of the same to you."
I tensed up and looked down when he mentioned dad. He never deserved what happened to him god damnit...why couldnt he at least survive...?
I was startled into looking up again when Ozpin placed a hand on my shoulder. He was right in front of me, with a look of his own that knew loss.
"Nobody is ever truly gone Mr. L/n. I've always been a firm believer that when someone doesn't say goodbye, they never really leave. They just aren't here right now. You will survive this Y/n, and you are certainly not alone in this."
He began to walk past me and out of the dorm, but stopped just before he closed the door.
"I suggest you get some rest Mr. L/n. You will need it for your search this weekend. And please, if you ever need to talk to me...dont hesitate to ask. Goodnight Y/n."
And then he quietly shut the door. I wanted to dwell more on what he said, but he was right, I needed to sleep, and boy was I tired...I noticed that Ruby was tossing around in her sleep, and shaking ever so slightly. Definitely having a nightmare. I floated myself up onto the bed, allowing the chairs to disperse, and layed down next to Ruby. She must have felt me enter somehow, because the moment I layed down she clung onto me like her life depended on it. I held her close and rubbed the back of her head to try and soothe her.
Y/n: "Its alright rosebud...I'm here...I'm not going anywhere...I promise."
Thankfully that seemed to do the trick as she stopped shaking, but her hold on me only tightened. I returned the gesture, and began to let sleep take me.
Two days later, Sunday afternoon
Vale
Ruby: "Blaaaaake!"
Yang: "Blaaaaaaaake!!"
Yeah this is pretty much what its come to. Weve been going around Vale all weekend trying to find Blake but weve had no luck so far. Well, al least Ruby, Yang and I have been looking. Weiss hasnt done much more than follow around with a holier-than-thou look on her face. It was starting to piss me off a bit so I spoke up.
Y/n: "You know Weiss, if you could actually try and help instead of following around like a smug lost puppy then that would be great."
I did nothing to hid how annoyed I was with her reluctance to help find our teammate, but my remark was met with yet another snarky response.
Weiss: "You know who might be able to help? The police!"
Ruby: "Ugh, Weiss..."
Weiss: "It was just an idea!"
Y/n: "Yeah, and it just won a fucking prize, it's called 'terrible'."
Yang: "Weiss, I think we should at least hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions."
Y/n: "Precisely! Thank you Yang."
Weiss: "Well I think once we hear it you'll all realize that I was right!"
???: "And I think Weiss' hair looks lovely today!"
We all practically jumped out of our skin when Penny appeared behind us with that usual 1.21 jigawatt smile on her face.
Ruby: "Aaaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?"
Penny seemed to cheerfully ignore the question as she asked her own.
Penny: "Hey guys! What are you up to?"
Ruby: "Uuuuh..."
Y/n: "We're looking for Blake, Penny."
The ginger girl seemed to think for a second before realization hit her.
Penny: "Ooooh you mean the Faunas girl!"
We all stared at Penny wondering the same thing.
Y/n: "What? How did you figure that out?"
Penny pointed to the top of her own head as if it was obvious.
Penny: "Uuuuh, the cat ears?"
Yang laughed a little as she responded.
Yang: "What cat ears? She wears a bo-Ooooh."
Silence won the war for a second as a tumble we'd idly rolled by.
Ruby: "She does like tuna a lot..."
Y/n: "How the hell did I not notice that..."
Penny broke the awkward moment with another question.
Penny: "So where is she?"
Ruby let out a small sigh
Ruby: "We dont know. Shes been missing since friday."
Y/n: "Weve been trying to track her down since yesterday morning. *yawn* no luck so far..."
Penny: *gasps* "That's terrible!"
She approaches me and Ruby and stands almost at attention.
"Well do not worry my friends! I wont rest until we find your teammate!"
Ruby looked pretty uncomfortable but I didnt really care if she tagged along or not. Who knows maybe she'll spot Blake...
Ruby: "Uh that's fine Penny! Really! We can find her on our own, right guys?"
We got a glance around Penny to see that Weiss and Yang had ditched us to search for Blake on their own. Another tumbleweed rolled by...
Penny: "It sure is windy today!"
Y/n: "No kidding..."
*Afternoon, nearing sundown*
3rd Person Pov
Penny: "So Blake is your friend?"
Ruby: *sigh* "Yes, Penny"
Penny: "But you're mad at her?"
Ruby: "Yes. Well, no. I'm not. Weiss is though."
Penny: "Is she Blake's friend?"
Y/n: "That seems to be life's great mystery today..."
Ruby took a worried glance at Y/n who was walking ahead of them, slouched over slightly with his hands in his jean pockets. Penny continued her barrage of questions.
Penny: "But...why?"
Ruby: *another sigh* "Well you see, Blake might not be who we thought she was."
Penny: *gasps* "Is she a man?"
Y/n stumbled a bit at the silly question, but recovered and responded with a sigh of his own.
Y/n: "No, Penny, she isnt a man. We aren't sure exactly what she is. She didnt exactly discuss it with us over tea...tea sound nice right about now... *yawn*"
Penny seemed to contemplate the information she had gathered for a moment.
Penny: "I dont have a lot of friends...but if I did, I'd want them to talk to me about things."
Y/n: "Kudos to that Penny..."
Ruby: "Stop."
Y/n stopped his walk and turned around to see Ruby standing with her arms crossed and giving him a stern look. He looked at her confused.
Y/n: "Rosebud? What is it?"
She didnt respond to him and instead walked closer to him, seeming to study his face and posture. She brought a hand up to cup his face and ran a thumb across. Thinking he had figured out the problem he spoke again.
"Do I have something on my fa-?"
She cut him off however.
Ruby: "Have you slept? Or eaten?"
He tended up a bit at how he had been discovered. He hadn't gotten more than an hour or two of sleep over the last two days, and ate similarly little. He was spending all that time trying to think of a way to find Blake. And as much as his talk with professor Ozpin had helped, he still was frantically trying to solve the issues with Blake and the team.
Y/n: "Look that's not important right now. We just need to find Blake so that-"
Ruby silenced him again with a hand over his mouth and pointed her other finger right at him.
Ruby: "Dont you ever, EVER, even for a second pretend that your well-being isn't important!"
She removed her hand to see his shocked expression from her outburst. It wasnt like her to raise her voice in that way. She exhaled deeply, and moved to hold his hands in her own.
"Listen I understand that this team means a lot to you. And I know your just trying to help, but you cant destroy yourself in the process Y/n. It's not fair to the team, it's not fair to yourself and it's not fair to me either. I'm not gonna just stand here and watch you tear yourself apart, and if the others were here they wouldn't either. You arent alone in this Y/n, so dont try and carry everything at once."
Y/n held Ruby in his sight for a moment, before taking a deep breath of his own.
Y/n: "Y-your right. I'm sorry, I-I didnt mean to worry you. We'll do this together. I promise."
The two smiled at eachother and lingered in the moment. It's likely they would have stood there longer, but that was precisely the moment that someone chose to set off a fucking bomb at the docks. A large boom sounded out, and they both looked over in the direction it came from to see a large plume of smoke rising into the air. They looked at eachother and said at the same time.
Y/n&Ruby: "Blake."
Y/n: "Hah! Alright then. Let's go save the cat. I've got a quick idea for a weapon anyway."
Ruby: "Right!"
With renewed enthusiasm they set off in the direction of the explosion. As they neared the docks the sounds of battle became evident, and they leaped up onto a nearby warehouse, finally able to see what was happening at the docks. Ruby and Penny went straight to the edge while Y/n hung back for a second to observe. They are greeted by the sight of a battered Blake and the monkey Faunas from the docks on friday who is currently staring down the nozzle of Roman Torchwicks cane/cannon. Several groups of White Fang are also present, dressed mostly in white with black hoods and metal masks.
Ruby extends Crescent Rose beside her and gets ready to fight.
Ruby: "HEY!!!"
Luckily her cry distracts Roman from the monkey guy, seeing as his brains arent all over the asphalt. Roman looks up to Ruby on the rooftop and waves nonchalantly.
Roman: "Hey red! Isnt it past your bedtime?"
Penny approaches Ruby from the side.
Penny: "Ruby, are these people your friends?"
Ruby looks back at Penny for a moment.
Ruby: "Penny, get back!"
Once Ruby turns her back, Roman snarls at her, and takes her distraction as an opportunity to fire a massive flare from his cane at her. Ruby turns back to see the shot approaching, but right before it connects, a black blur shoots by and completely deflects the shot sending it towards a group of unlucky white fang still on the docks. The swirling black shadows settle into the familiar form of Y/n, who had a pretty intimidating shotgun resting on his shoulder.
Y/n: "Oh hey! Its carrot top! How's it goin' little light? Still getting your ass kicked by 15 year old girls?"
Roman rolls his eyes and throws his hands into the air.
Roman: "Of course! How could I forget about her little shadow! Kids these days..."
Penny began to walk towards the edge of the roof, looking ready for war.
Y/n: "Hey Penny! Unless you lookin to fight I suggest that you stay back."
Penny faced them for a moment with her usual smile.
Penny: "Dont worry friends! I'm combat ready!"
Her little backpack opened up and out came a sword attached wo what looked like a cable. The sword then split into about 8 or 9 swords, which she proceeded to use to start beating the absolute shit out of the White Fang goons.
Y/n: "Hah! Well it looks like she is combat ready. So! What do you say rosebud? Why dont we show these folks what happens when you mess with team RWBY?"
Ruby donned a wicked smile and slammed the bolt on Crescent Rose.
Ruby: "Let's do it!"
The both of them leapt from the rooftop in a flurry of shadows and rose petals. The two worked in tandom as Ruby used her maneuverability to trip up goons and send them towards Y/n, who used his shotgun (which luckily for the goons was using bean bag rounds) to blast them across the docks. Literally. Eventually the two of them were each surrounded by a small group of thugs separating them. Ruby continued to swing her scythe in wide, powerful arcs sending groups of goons flying. She leaped into the air and slammed the blunt end of her scythe on top of the last thug in her group and took a quick look around her, proud of her display. She looked over towards Y/n and his much larger group not far away, and visibly winced, feeling bad for the goons.
Y/n had apparently drawn the attention of the rest of the White Fang, as Ruby, Blake, Penny and the monkey Faunas all watched as Y/n was single handedly dismantling the entire group of thugs. And he made it painfully clear to his opponents that the axe blade was not for show. He continued to blast any goons that got near him with powerful shots that sent them backwards into more of their comrades. Knocking down columns of goons with single shots, and swinging the axe at any who were stupid enough to get close. When he ran empty on shells, he didnt stop for a second as he charged forward delivering heavy handed blows with the blade that sent people flying. He even grabbed a select few with his free hand and tossed them away with sheer strength.
Pretty soon the goons began to realise that they were very much losing this battle, and began to try and save themselves by fleeing. Emphasis on 'try'. By the time they were retreating, there were few enough left that Y/n was able to slowly reload his shotgun, and pick off the last of the White Fang. He rested his gun on his shoulder, looking around in satisfaction at the amount of craters and unconcious thugs. He met eyes with Ruby and smiled at her with a wink.
BANG
Y/n suddenly lurched forward from the sudden and powerful impact of a snipe round hitting him in the back. Ruby grimaced in pain as well due to the connection and watched as Y/n regained his footing, relatively unharmed by the shot and whirled around to see a Whife Fang member on top of a stack of yellow shipping containers, wielding a large sniper rifle and preparing to shoot again. Thinking quickly, Y/n quickly summoned the first pistol that came to mind, and fired. In one loud, clean shot the member was struck in the head, and fell on his back onto the container.
Runy: "Y/n!!"
She ignored the pain beneath her shoulder and ran up to the boy, who still had his hand outstretched in the direction of the sniper, pistol still in hand.
He was shaking.
"Y/n...?"
Y/n: "I-I-I...I didnt have t-time to think...I just...oh god not again..."
He let his gun clatter to the floor, as he practically collapsed onto his knees and held his head tight in his hands. Ruby stood in confusion for a moment.
Ruby: 'He didnt have time to think? What does he...'
She looked to the gun on the ground, where a small string of smoke emanated from the barrel. Then she looked to the stack of yellow shipping containers that the sniper was on. It looked mostly the same...save for a string of crimson sliding down the side of the container.
'No....oh Oum Y/n...'
She folded Crescent Rose and walked over to the boy, kneeling in front of him and quickly pulled him into a tight embrace. He tried to speak, but his words were choked away by sobs.
Y/n: "I-I d-didnt mean to...oh god...I didnt t-try to..."
Runy: "Stop. Y/n it's okay. It's not your fault, you didnt mean to. Its okay. It's not your fault."
Y/n: "B-but I-I-"
Runy: "Y/n! Look at me. Come on, look at me, please?"
She pulled away slightly so that she could move his hands away from his head and lift it so he could see her. Tears fell down his face without a care. Like a faucet that nobody cared enough to turn off. She felt horrible seeing him like this. She didnt want to see him cry, she wanted to see him happy. She wanted to see that smile that made her heart flutter every time he looked her way. She wanted to hear his voice in its calm, smooth, bold tone that sent shivers down her spine, that voice that made her shake slightly whenever he called her by her real name instead of 'rosebud' or 'rubes' or 'petals'. Although she loved all the names he gave her. His eyes were dull and unfocused, unable to see clearly. Failing to shine their sharp, focused and yet relaxed silver that she loved so much. She cupped her hands around his face, and helped him to focus on her. She spoke in a quiet, loving tone, trying to center him.
Ruby: "Y/n...come on big guy...just look at me..."
His eyes focused a bit more at her voice, and made contact with her own.
"I've got something I need to give to you, okay? Are you ready?"
He let his hands fall and steadied his breathing a bit, waiting for her to continue. But she never did. Instead, she brought his face up a bit more, and leaned in, catching his lips with her own in a heated, passionate, loving kiss. Y/n didnt resist melting into the lip lock. If her mere presence was enough to calm him down, then this was enough to make him, for just a moment, forget everything else. It was just him, her and the moment.
Unfortunately however, lungs do exist, and they were forced to part for air. That doesnt mean they had to part for long though.
"Another thing about fear..."
After several minutes they finally parted again, resting their heads against eachother as they caught their breath.
"As...large and...powerful it can be..."
Ruby: "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that..."
Y/n: "Hehe...ditto rosebud..."
"It often pales in comparison to the bonds we forge along our way."
Yang: "Took you two long enough!"
Weiss: "I agree. Your affection for eachother wasnt exactly a secret."
The duo deadpanned at Weiss.
"Despite how alone one can feel..."
Y/n: "Weiss?"
Weiss: "What?"
Ruby: "...Shut the fuck up for a moment..."
Weiss: "What?!?"
Yang: "RUBY!?"
Y/n: "I've never been so proud in my entire life..."
"...nobody ever truly is...and perhaps that's why we fight."
Yang: "Soooo...what now?"
Y/n: "Oh my god...sleep...please..."
Ruby: "Agreed..."
Blake: "Rest sounds good right now..."
Weiss: "We do have classes in the morning. We need our rest."
Y/n "'Return of The Mood Killer: The Weissening' coming to theaters this summer..."
Weiss: "I hate you..."
Y/n: "No you dont."
Weiss: "Grrrrrr..."
Y/n: "Did it seriously just get colder?"
"So that nobody ever has to fight alone."
Y/n: "Welp! You guys go on ahead!"
Yang: "Huh?"
He scooped up an unsuspecting Ruby and began to carry the poor flustered girl bridal style.
Ruby: "Eeep!"
Y/n: "We're gonna take the...scenic route."
Shadows began to gather at the boys feet as he crouched slightly.
Ruby: "Wait what? Oh no...no no no no-AAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
And with a powerful leap they took off the ground, soaring with immense height and power towards Beacon Academy.
"But I suppose, like many things, only time can tell. Now...where did I leave my mug?"
Ruby: "Can we please get down from here?!?"
Y/n: "Fun way or the fast way?"
Ruby: "Fast way! VERY MUCH FAST WAY!!!"
Y/n: "Alright alright...hold on tight!"
She tightened her hold on him even more, preparing for a sudden drop in altitude. But instead they landed comfortably on something soft. She opened her eyes to see that they had suddenly landed right in her bed back in the dorm room. She gave him an annoyed look.
Y/n: "Oh come on, you cant tell me you didnt have at least a little fun."
Ruby sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to pull her even closer. Their lips met once more, with fire and passion for several moments before they parted, desperate for air.
Y/n: "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
Ruby: "I should ask you the same thing...now do me a favor. Quit talking and kiss me again."
Y/n: "God I love you."
And thus, the next hour or so was spent in a fierce battle between lips, before neither side could continue any longer, and let sleep carry them forwards...
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(And there it is! Chapter 18, and the Volume 1 finale! Next up, a small short maybe, but otherwise, well hit the ground running with volume 2 chapter 1! Thank you to all of those who continue to read and enjoy the story, as well as almost 7.5k reads! I'd also like to give some quick shoutouts to Kray98 Rubyfanguy12 and Z-storm40. They are all amazing people, and they deserve the attention for their amazing stories. Without them, I likely would never have made this story. I hope you all enjoyed. Now...let's get some credits music...)
(I'm excited to continue into the next volume, as well as future ones. I have big plans and look forward to sharing them with you.
As always
Until next time.)