Finding Home (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR PATRONS!

Alright! Finally I could get this done after juggling school and work and errands. It's very fast and very sloppy but I just needed it out there asap!

Ruby and Weiss' chapter. Brace yourselves.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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															Chapter 2.

/"You look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake."/

Yang had made it sound so easy.

But she hadn't just spent the past half hour fighting giant rampaging robots, nor had she exhausted nearly all of her resources and energy while using her inherit summoning ability to call forth assistance.

Even now, after Yang had hurried off, Weiss was finding it difficult to stand.

Still hunched over Myrtenaster, she continued to catch her breath for a moment, the arm she'd stretched out to give a thumbs-up now dropping limply to her side once again. She clutched her rapier with both hands now, leaning her weight forward onto it to keep herself on her feet.

She just needed a moment, then she'd search for Ruby...

A hand suddenly patted her shoulder, and Weiss straightened up, gasping softly. Coco tilted her shades down away from her eyes, a smirk on her lips.

"That was pretty impressive. A Schnee saving a Faunus, huh? I don't know much about your whole family situation, but I know enough to say 'I never thought I'd see the day.'"

Weiss merely met her eyes, but said nothing on the matter.

"I've got to go. I need to find Ruby." She pulled Myrtenaster out of the ground where she'd wedged it, swaying a bit without its support. Coco reached out to steady her.

"You sure you don't wanna hang back for a second and rest?"

Weiss stepped away from her hand.

"Every second could be one she's needing my help."

Her upperclassman met her gaze respectfully, then nodded.

"All right. Leave this area to us. We can handle it."

Weiss swept her gaze around at the rest of them. There were nods and smiles all around.

They were all with their teammates and partners. They understood why she needed to find hers.

Weiss gave a swift nod, then prepared herself to take off. Coco gave her one last pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck."

Weiss nodded her appreciation.

Then, she cast a trail of glyphs before herself and tore off running.

She hadn't the slightest clue where to begin. She hadn't heard from Ruby in hours, since before all of this had started.

The only thing Weiss was sure of was where her partner wasn't. And that was beside her.

As she ran, she flashed out her rapier to take down whatever Grimm she could manage on her own. When she could, she pulled out her scroll and checked for messages again, but there was nothing from anyone. She sent a call to Ruby anyway, but wasn't surprised when there was no answer.

She could've been anywhere.

But it didn't matter. Weiss would find her.

/Just please be okay./

Like a bolt of white lightning, she sped across Beacon's campus, keeping her eyes and ears open. She looked up to the skies where black wings were blocking out any possible sources of light. She looked in front of herself, to the sides, and behind, and more masses of monsters were swarming in all directions. Even from below, they were burrowing up and bursting through.

Everything seemed so dark. What wasn't black was either the stark white of bone-masks and armor, or the deep, chilling red of blood.

She tried to discern what was happening where, which area seemed to be in the most dire need of assistance.

Because if Ruby Rose was able, that was where she would go.

From here, Weiss didn't know how bad things were down in Vale, but she could see enough smoke and flames to infer it wasn't good. Nearly every other air ship she saw in the skies went down, and she could only hope they weren't passenger ships.

A sudden, unexpected pang in her chest caused her to come to a skidding halt. Grunting, she was forced to pause and catch her breath for a moment.

The summoning had taken its toll on her, even just being a partial one.

She still couldn't believe she'd done it. She'd really done it. Perhaps not as fully or efficiently as Winter could have, but it had been enough.

Briefly, she had to wonder where her sister was in all of this. Wherever it was, that was probably one of most secure areas.

But the danger was where Weiss needed to be heading to right now.

After a moment, the ache in her lungs had faded. Straightening up, she prepared to take off once more.

But being stationary for too long had made her an easy target, and an Alpha wolf was already upon her.

Weiss growled softly as she parried its blow with her blade, retching one of its claws clean off.

"I don't have time for this!"

Furiously, she charged at it, puncturing its throat without hesitation. At the very least, her slight exhaustion wasn't affecting the precision of her aim.

It was over within seconds, and the beast crashed to the ground, disintegrating before its blood could even begin to pool.

Weiss flicked her rapier clean of blood, then readied herself to cast another path of glyphs. She braced herself, took a breath, and-

"Weiss!"

"Huh?"

-nearly tripped over her own two feet.

Stumbling, Weiss canceled her glyphs when she heard the flurry of footsteps, the rush of air, and the relieved sigh of her name.

"Weiss, Weiss!"

Ruby's arms locked around her tightly, her weight knocking softly into Weiss, sending her back a step. The heiress felt her back bump against Crescent Rose, which Ruby had sunk into the ground behind her in order to dedicate her full attention to the embrace.

Ruby nuzzled and clung to her, sighing and shaking.

"Weiss! I'm so glad I found you! Are you okay?"

Weiss couldn't help but return the contact, pulling her in close.

"You dunce! Why didn't you answer your scroll? I've been worried sick!"

"I'm sorry! I kinda lost it..."

"I don't believe you... And yet, somehow I'm not surprised."

Weiss exhaled slowly, trying to remember how to swallow, how to breathe. She'd seen Blake and Yang up until now, and they were fine. Seeing Ruby had been the final thing she'd needed.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Weiss paused abruptly, then pulled away a bit. "You are okay, aren't you?"

Ruby straightened up and nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Where are the others?"

Weiss glanced back the way she'd come.

"A lot of them are defending the school. But the robots all seem to have recently shut down, so that's good at least..."

"What about Blake and Yang?"

"Blake and I split up," Weiss explained. "I just saw Yang not long ago, and she went looking for her."

"Oh thank gosh..." Ruby sighed, taking a moment to slap her hands to her cheeks, waking herself up a bit. "Okay, okay. Do you know where they went? I wanna go find them."

"Of course. Let's- ah-!" Wincing, Weiss swayed a bit again. Ruby yelped in surprise, reacting quickly, reaching out to support her back.

"W-Weiss! What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Just a bit exhausted. It's nothing." Another deep breath, and she managed to compose herself. "All right. Let's get back to the school to search for them."

As Ruby readied herself with Crescent Rose, Weiss sent out her path of glyphs once again, this time leading back the way she'd just traveled from.

She lifted her right hand, an invitation Ruby recognized and accepted right away. She stepped close to her partner, wrapping her free arm around Weiss' waist and holding on. With a nod, she let her know she was ready.

With that, they took off along the glyphs at top speed, the air blasting past them, hair and dresses and cloaks whipping behind. A spray of rose petals and blood settled in their wake, as Ruby cut down any passing Grimm that happened to cross their path.

The school buildings were in sight again before long, but a sudden tremble at her side drew her attention back to her partner. Weiss' glyphs suddenly flickered, and the remaining path vanished.

They came to a stop, and Ruby instinctively tightened her grip around her.

"Weiss? Are you okay?"

The heiress was panting heavily now, fighting to catch her breath.

"S-Sorry... just a moment." She knew they didn't exactly have time to waste, but her chest was throbbing.

"Yeah, of course."

Ruby knew the situation right now was dire, but she wasn't heartless. She knew Weiss needed some compassion, a bit of empathy.

She couldn't imagine what Weiss had been going through all this time, worrying about her since she couldn't let her know she was okay all this time.

Despite all she herself had gone through previously, Ruby still had energy to spare. It was her turn to offer Weiss her support. She took her arm and pulled it across her shoulders, crouching a bit.

"Hold on tight."

With that, Ruby darted off, using her semblance to carry them both the rest of the way. The speed of her semblance was just as quick as Weiss' best glyphs, and within seconds, she'd brought them to a final stop at the side of the Academy's main building.

Ruby held onto Weiss for a moment longer, as she was still catching her breath. Ruby utilized that time to survey the area for enemies, but none were in immediate sight.

At last, Weiss shook herself back into her senses and stepped away from her partner.

"Sorry... I'm ready. Let's go."

They took off together, side by side, each keeping an eye out for the other. When one looked forward, the other checked behind.

The school was in ruins, the carpets torn and walls smeared with blood. There were distant sounds of crashing and howling, but at the very least no screams. It sounded like only Grimm were in the building, raving and rampaging, but not attacking people. With any luck, there were no people left in here to attack.

Ruby and Weiss both hoped that Blake and Yang had found one another and deserted the area. But it wouldn't hurt to scour the school just to be safe.

They encountered a few more Grimm during their run, but it was much simpler to take them out now that they had their partners to cover them. Their combined attacks proved to be just as effective as always, though both girls were thankful for the small number of creatures they encountered, considering how exhausted they already were.

They refrained from calling out for their teammates unless they knew it wouldn't draw unwanted attention.

They needed to keep pausing on occasion for rest, constantly checking up on one another.

By now, they'd neared the heart of the school, and things had become eerily quiet despite the war going on all around them outside.

Ruby pulled out her scroll to check one more time, and send one more call that ended up being a fruitless effort. She sighed as she put the device away again, bringing a hand up to her face to wipe her eyes.

Weiss had leaned herself back against the nearest wall for support, and now reached out to touch her leader's shoulder. Ruby glanced back at her, wiping away a small tear, then smiling. She was so glad Weiss was with her.

Weiss kept her hand on Ruby for a moment, until she'd composed herself a bit more. The brunette cleared her throat, turning a determined gaze of silver onto sky-blue. She glanced around at her familiar surroundings and offered a suggestion.

"Let's check the cafeteria next."

Weiss nodded, finally withdrawing her hand.

They ran off together once more, bound for the familiar mess hall. Once they reached it, they needed to pause to take in the sight of the destruction that met them.

Not a table or chair had been left unturned. Half-decaying bodies of Grimm still covered the place, and a gaping hole in the far wall allowed easy access for more monsters to get in. The glass in every window had been either cracked or shattered altogether, shards and pieces littering the floor.

There was a lot of blood too, and clearly, not all of it was from Grimm.

They hurried inside, scouring the room for any signs of people who might've been potentially trapped or injured.

Weiss came across a particularly large puddle of blood, which was smeared into a trail of sorts. She followed the droplets with her eyes, discerning that whomever had made it had headed for the far exit. It seemed like a major wound, possibly even fatal, but the person had managed to flee at the very least.

She was about to call out for Ruby, suggest to her that they follow this trail and see who they could find, if there was anything they could do to help.

But before she could even breathe in to find her voice, Weiss' blood froze in her veins.

A shrill scream split the air, so loud, so terrified, so heartrending it must've attracted every Grimm within a hundred-mile radius.

But Weiss would've fought them all if it meant getting to her partner.

Whipping around faster than her mind could register, she shouted for her.

"Ruby!"

She could see her, standing not too far away. Weiss couldn't spot any enemies nearby, but that didn't stop her from shooting across the room at top speed.

Ruby dropped her scythe, swayed, and fell to her knees. Weiss reached her just then, dropping her own weapon in order to grab Ruby with both arms, falling to the floor with her.

"Ruby!" she gasped. "Ruby, what's going on? Ruby!"

"WEISS!"

Her voice was piercing, tears and mucus already smearing her face as she clung to the heiress, turning into her, shaking.

But her eyes couldn't tear away from what she saw.

"Weiss! W-Weiss! Oh my god- oh my god-"

She couldn't speak anymore. Only scream, forcing out sobs so hard it made her body convulse.

The panic that filled Weiss was horrible, nearly causing her heart to seize. She didn't know what was happening. She didn't understand-

Until she followed Ruby's gaze.

Her heart came screeching to a halt.

There, beside overturned tables and chairs, was a trail of smeared blood.

And what it led to was-

It... couldn't be real.

But Ember Celica was there, still glinting faint gold in the darkness, splattered with crimson.

Weiss couldn't even blink, but the tears were already falling faster than she could comprehend. Ruby's shrieks continued to ring in her ears, howls of the most excruciating anguish, all for wounds that didn't bleed.

The reality of what she saw connected to a knowledge – a gruesome, sickening knowledge that led to physically debilitating pain.

Ruby screamed again, grabbing at Weiss and hiding her face in her chest, shuddering so violently it made Weiss tremble as well. She shook her head vigorously, denying it, refusing to believe it.

It couldn't be real.

"It can't be..." Ruby whimpered, begged, pleaded for it not to be real. "It can't... W-Weiss, it can't be. Weiss, tell me it-it isn't real! Weiss, please!"

She dug her nails into Weiss' back, wailing with such ferocity that it burned her lungs. This raw emotion was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Not even when her mother had left her.

This was... this was-

"Ya...ng..." she sobbed. "Y-Yang, Yang... Th-That's Yang's-! Oh..." She was sobbing so hard now that she was beginning to cough, choking on her own tears and breath.

Weiss could do nothing but continue to stare, tears still dripping down, her arms limply laid around Ruby's jolting shoulders.

/No. It can't be.../

She'd just seen Yang not too long ago.

She'd been... she'd been fine.

This had to have been some kind of illusion, some trick, like there had been during some of the tournament matches...

"Weiss..."

Ruby gasped for her again, coughing into her shoulder, sniffling deeply, leaking more warm tears into the fabrics of Weiss' bolero. She lifted her head slowly, as though it weighed a million pounds, her bleary, bloodshot eyes overflowing with stinging tears, seeking Weiss'.

"Please... it's n-nuh-not real, right? It's n-not! Puh-please tell me it's not... please...?"

Weiss heard her partner's words, knew what she was asking for...

"Ru... by..."

But she couldn't reply. Not how Ruby wanted her to.

She merely shook her head, her hollow stare reflected in Ruby's now.

She wanted to tell her those things more than anything.

But she didn't want to lie to her.

Weiss' throat closed up, constricting. Again, she shook her head, helplessly.

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Her apology was confirmation of Ruby's worst fears. It made the illusion of this being a dream shatter. It made the nightmare real.

"Oh no... no, nononono- hck-!" Acid rose up in her throat, and Ruby threw herself sideways onto her hands and knees, retching bile onto the floor. Weiss sobbed, carefully reaching out to hold her around her torso and back, leaning down over her.

"Ruby... Ruby... I... I'm so sorry... I d-don't..."

She couldn't even begin to imagine what this must've been like for her.

It was... immeasurable terror, and indescribable trepidation for Weiss already, to see something like this...

And she was only Yang's friend and teammate.

She couldn't fathom what this was doing to Ruby.

Yang was her sister.

Her beloved big sister.

She hadn't lived a moment of her life without Yang being there beside her.

Weiss felt sick.

What if she'd been in Ruby's position? What if that had been Winter's-?

Her disturbing thoughts were cut off by another shriek from her partner.

Ruby spit up another mouthful, the collapsed sideways into Weiss' lap, sliding to the floor. Weiss scrambled to hold her up, keeping her close. In spite of everything, she was consciously trying to keep Ruby on her side, in case she needed to vomit more, so she wouldn't choke.

"Yuh-Yang- Yang!" Her blubbering voice suddenly rose up to dangerously high levels. "Yang, n-nooo no-! YAAANNG!"

It quickly surpassed the volume of a frightened, grieving girl, and turned into absolute hysterics. Her screams seemed to fragment the very air they were having so much trouble breathing, her wails feeling as though they were shaking the building.

Weiss clung to her, sobbing into her hair and the hood of her cloak.

She knew this was the only thing Ruby could do – she deserved more than anyone to be shrieking until her voice gave out right now.

But Weiss couldn't let her.

"R-Ruby-" she whimpered. "Ruby, please- I'm s-sorry. Please-"

"NOOOOO!"

She was all but thrashing now, twisting around, trying to wrench herself away from Weiss. She tried to stand, but collapsed once more, her legs giving out immediately.

She was numb all over, except for the searing pain in her chest and behind her eyes.

She couldn't do anything but cry and wail harder and harder.

Weiss wrapped her up with desperate arms, pulling Ruby's cloak around her shoulders for her, trying to shield her from it all, make her feel safer than she knew she was.

"Ruby- Ruby, please-"

The emotions she was giving off were too dangerous right now with all the Grimm lurking about. And now neither of them were in any condition to fight.

Bitterly, Weiss pulled Ruby as close to her as physically possible, letting her cry as hard and as loud as she wanted to, so long as she buried it in Weiss' collar.

"I'm so sorry, Ruby. I'm so sorry..."

She felt her partner's hands clinging to either of her sides with quivering fingers.

For a long moment, Weiss cried, and let Ruby cry as hard as she needed to.

But the distant sounds of snarls and roars were beginning to reach her ears now.

The fear began to beat through Weiss' heart again, more intensely than before.

They couldn't stay here. Not like this.

"Ruby? Ruby, listen to me, please-" She combed her bloodied fingers through Ruby's hair, coaxing her back a bit, tilting her partner's face upward to meet her distraught gaze. "Ruby, we... we can't stay here. We've got to go-"

But Ruby struggled against her again, pushing at first, then collapsing against her chest again.

"No! Wuh-Weiss, no! What ab-about Yang?! Wh-What about-"

"Ruby... Ruby..." Weiss crushed her into another embrace, fervent and yet gentle. "Listen to me. Ruby, Yang isn't here. Wherever she is... she's not here, okay? And we can't stay, either..."

She didn't know for sure if she was right. But her eyes were drawn to the larger bloodstain from earlier and noticed it led in the direction of Yang's arm, then continued to the far exit doors.

If she was correct... Blake was with Yang, and at least one of them was still alive and in dire need of their help.

Weiss could assume that that person was Blake. She couldn't speak for Yang's condition, and she wasn't sure if she should risk taking Ruby there if it meant they could find something even more horrible than what they'd found here.

But they couldn't afford to stay here any longer, and the others needed their help.

And even though Ruby was in so much pain right now - even though she had millions of questions and thoughts crashing around in her mind like a swarm of hornets - she seemed to understand Weiss' implications.

She released Weiss' sides, leaving a slight, warm pain behind where she'd clung so hard, but Weiss barely even felt it.

Ruby wiped her face off with both hands and both sleeves, blubbering, but nodding. She couldn't speak due to all the screaming she'd done. Even now, her voice was cracked and her breathing broken.

But Weiss needed to make sure.

"Ruby... Ruby we've got to go, okay? Ruby...?" Her voice was soft but desperate, high-strung as she heard the sounds of approaching danger draw nearer.

Ruby nodded again, rasping out another sob.

Weiss didn't need any more than that.

She reached out for Crescent Rose where Ruby had dropped it nearby and pulled the notch that returned it to its portable size. She clipped it into place on Ruby's belt for her, then sheathed Myrtenaster on her own hip.

With that, Weiss braced her hands beneath Ruby's arms and uncurled her legs, forcing herself to stand. Ruby swayed in her arms, meek and all but limp, unable to stand on her own.

The addition of her weight worked against Weiss' enervated body as well, and the heiress yelped softly as she stumbled, falling sideways against a table. She scrambled to keep Ruby in her arms, pausing again to gasp for breath.

Without words, she urged her partner to lock her arms around Weiss' shoulders, ensuring she had a firm grip. Weiss gathered herself, bent her knees, then scooped Ruby up into her arms. The girl sobbed against her collar, curling up like an infant, just as fragile and helpless.

Weiss adjusted herself to the position, casting one last glance down at the bloodstained limb on the floor. Her stomach churned again, and she turned away.

With Ruby in her arms, she headed for the exit and didn't look back.

Ruby was almost still in her arms now, save for a few shudders and shivers that ran through her on occasion. She kept cringing, jolting, whimpering...

Weiss hadn't gone terribly far before she needed to stop and rest against the wall again. Ruby shifted in her arms, lifting her face to let out another heartbreaking sob.

"W-Weiss..."

"Sorry-" she panted. "I'm sorry, Ruby..."

Ruby sniffled and shook her head, pressing her forehead against Weiss' neck. Weiss was crying, too.

"No... don't be, Weiss... Thank you..."

Weiss didn't know why, but her partner's words made a fresh wave of tears rise up behind her eyes.

She didn't feel she deserved Ruby's gratitude. She hadn't done anything...

Glancing at the floor, she looked over the blood trail once more. The red had seeped into the carpet, but it was still clearly visible, perhaps even fresh.

Gathering her bearings and holding tighter to Ruby, Weiss started off again, going as quickly as she could manage. She kept one shoulder against the wall for support as she dragged herself onward, fearing that every corner she turned might reveal a Grimm, or worse-

She couldn't stop her mind from flashing images of Blake and Yang – lifeless and hacked to pieces-

Weiss sobbed again, hiding her face in Ruby's hair, hoping she wasn't thinking about such awful things, too.

They carried on, down another hallway, around another corner...

Weiss could barely stand anymore, let alone take another step. She was sweating, crying, gasping. Even Ruby had calmed down a bit to take note of her partner's condition.

"Wei...ss... You can p-put me down... Don't... please don't hurt yourself..."

Wheezing, Weiss swallowed thickly, and nodded. Slowly, she let Ruby down to stand on her own, though they kept their arms around one another.

The only reason Weiss had let her down was because the blood trail had come to a stop. It led beneath a nearby classroom door, which was closed. That meant whomever had made the blood trail had been capable of closing it behind them.

Ruby's eyes were fixated on that door, too, and together they inched forward.

They halted in front of it, still clinging to one another, still sobbing quietly.

They had no idea what they might find on the other side of this door.

Weiss was seriously considering having Ruby stay back as she herself went inside to see what was beyond.

Ruby had seen enough horrors today to last a lifetime. She didn't need any more.

So Weiss guided her back a step, curling her arm around the back of Ruby's head, silently coaxing her to hide her face. Ruby did so, ducking her face into Weiss' shoulder, inhaling sharply.

Weiss kept hold of her with one hand, and reached for the door with the other.

Her fingers were shaking so badly she couldn't grip the handle. Blinking away tears, she tried to steady herself.

Then, she felt a soft hand over hers.

Ruby peeked up, met her scared eyes with equally agitated ones.

They touched the handle together, supporting one another.

A small push resulted in nothing.

The door didn't give.

It was as though... something was barricading it from the inside.

Again, they shared a glance, and were able to infer what the next step would be.

Ruby and Weiss sucked in air to fill their lungs, then began calling out.

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As soon as Blake was able to lift herself up off of Yang's trembling form, she almost wished she hadn't.

She was an absolute mess, caked in blood – both hers and her partner's, with tears drenching every inch of her skin and clothes.

She slipped one arm beneath Yang to cushion where she was resting in her lap, running fingers through her long, tangled hair. The other hand was used to clear the tears from her cheeks, catching them, brushing them aside.

All the while, Yang gazed up at her affectionately, focusing not on the pain, but on how grateful she was for them both to still be alive.

And they were together.

They always would be.

Yang would make sure of it.

No matter how depressed Blake might get in the future, no matter how many nights she woke screaming and crying from nightmares, no matter how heavily her drowning thoughts weighed on her mind and heart, Yang would never let her go in any sense of the word.

She wouldn't let her leave.

She wouldn't let her hurt herself.

She wouldn't let her hate herself anymore.

She'd already done far too much of that, all of it unnecessarily, as far as Yang was concerned.

Her lavender eyes flashed down to the scarlet stain on Blake's stomach again, then traveled up to her chest, her neck, and finally came to rest once more on her eyes.

Blake needed to pause cleaning Yang's tears for a moment to clear away her own.

Yang reached up too, relishing the feeling of touch on her remaining fingers, savoring Blake's soft skin beneath them. She dabbed the tears away, cupping her cheek.

The Faunus girl whimpered as she leaned into her palm, reaching up to clutch that hand. She turned her face into Yang's palm and kissed it.

"I'm so... sorry..."

Yang let out a sigh.

She knew it would be a long while before Blake could start forgiving herself for a crime she didn't commit.

But Yang was nothing at all if not patient and committed.

On top of her mission of finding her mother and caring for Ruby, she would simply add another to that.

She'd never leave Blake. Not ever.

She wasn't sure how long they cried there for. But after a while, Blake made it known she wanted to move them both.

Yang braced her hand on the floor as Blake helped her sit up. The Faunus girl kept wincing and biting back cries of pain as she aggravated her stomach wound. Yang rested her head wearily against her partner's shoulder and whispered softly.

"Take it easy, Blake."

Blake was still upset that Yang was more concerned about her, but then again, she'd expect nothing less from her partner. She'd always been so selfless, always putting everyone else first, even someone like Blake...

She bit her lip until it bled, then swallowed it like poison.

Slowly, she moved Yang to sit up against the wall, allowing her to breathe easier.

But the lack of symmetry was glaring now; one arm reached down to a hand resting in her lap, the other dangling and cut off at the elbow.

Blake sobbed, but did the only thing she could now.

Reaching up, she untied the ribbon that hid her ears, letting them free.

She hated them, hated that she'd been born a Faunus, to get mixed up with the White Fang, to get involved with Adam, and to end up causing this.

Yang's suffering was all her fault.

But she couldn't change anything now.

She couldn't change the past. She could only try to make the future better for Yang in any way possible.

And what better time to start than the present?

She'd try.

The ribbon came undone, the silk fluttering between her fingers as she brought it down to her lap. She met Yang's eyes, then glanced down to her wound. She couldn't say it out loud, but her offer was clear.

/May I?/

Yang's chest heaved in another shaking breath, but there was a tender smile on her lips. She nodded.

Blake felt more tears already falling down her cheeks.

She moved slowly, reaching out with delicate, careful hands.

Yang watched her position the black ribbon around her elbow, expecting there might be a jolt of pain or two. But there was no pain whatsoever.

Blake was so, so gentle.

At first, Yang presumed the limb might just be numb, but then she realized she could feel the smooth silk of the fabric.

Blake tied it carefully, securely, letting it absorb the very last of the blood that remained.

She finished tying it, and the tears had already returned running in rivulets down the sides of her face, soaking her neck and clothes all over again.

Blake leaned down, dipping her torso forward despite the pain it caused her.

Softly, she pressed her lips over the ribbon, over the wound.

And she broke down again, resting her forehead against Yang's shoulder, sliding her arms around her stomach and back.

Yang reached out to pull her close, hating that she could now only hold her with one hand, but grateful that she could still hold her at all.

Blake's wound had stopped bleeding for the most part thanks to her aura, but she wasn't sure where to go from here.

She didn't want to risk leaving this room. What if Adam was waiting right outside? She couldn't exactly fight in her condition.

And Yang...

A sudden flurry of sounds had Blake's ears perking tall.

At first, she crouched protectively tighter around Yang, a growl rising up in her throat.

She was prepared to fight to the death if need be. She'd give up everything for Yang, just as Yang had done for her.

But Blake soon realized it wasn't the sounds of Grimm on the other side of the door.

Muffled voices were calling out to her. Distressed, familiar voices.

"Blake! Are you in there? It's us!"

There was no mistake about that being Weiss' voice. She was temporarily skeptical about whether or not their enemies could use illusions to disguise voices as well.

But the addition of another sound soon broke down Blake's defenses.

In addition to Weiss' voice, there was a much smaller one, whimpering pitifully.

Blake's heart twisted, another soft sob working its way up her throat.

Ruby was here.

And she'd have to see Yang... like this-

"Blake?" Weiss called out again, rapping her knuckles against the door. "Please, i-if you can hear me-"

By now, Yang had heard them as well.

With a flick of her gaze, Blake realized Yang was aware of what was going on now. There was an awful dread in her eyes, the dread of having to face her little sister now, knowing the pain it would cause her.

But she didn't waste a second in nodding swiftly to her partner.

Blake clawed at the wall, staggering to her feet as she reached for the door. She made one final glance to Yang, silently asking her to brace herself.

Another tear slid down her cheek, and then Blake unlocked the door.

Weiss gasped softly, seeming flabbergasted that the door had actually opened, as if she hadn't truly been expecting there to be anyone inside. Her hair was frazzled and her clothes were torn and in disarray, her eyes wide and skin a sickly pale pallor.

But she was alive.

"Blake!"

Weiss cried out in horror at the sight of her teammate, coated in blood and barely able to keep on her feet. She dove forward to support her before she could fall, but Weiss was so weak that they both ended up on their knees.

Blake was already crying, clinging to Weiss while her voice croaked out the words.

"I-I'm so sorry..." She peered up to the other person there, the girl in red who was staring down at her with a look of terror in her eyes. "Ruby... I'm so sorry-"

"Blake-" Ruby dropped to her knees as well. "Y-You're hurt really bad-"

But she cut off with another sob as soon as her eyes looked beyond, catching sight of the space behind the door.

And...

Yang was there.

Yang was there, slumped against the wall, her lap stained with Blake's blood.

And her right arm-

"Y-Yang...?"

Ruby couldn't find the strength to stand.

Her older sister turned her head slowly, as though the very thought of seeing Ruby pained her now, just because she knew how much this would hurt her baby sister.

Tears dripped down all of their faces continuously as the sisters were finally reunited.

But at what cost...?

"Ruby... oh, thank god you're oka-"

"YANG!"

Ruby scrambled to her, crawling and dragging her shuddering body to her sister's side, only to collapse there. She curled up in a ball, huddling into Yang's shoulder, open-mouthed gasps and sobs once again being wrought out of her throat.

Yang let out a sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, ever since she'd been split up from her teammates. It released a great deal of tension with it, and a bit of the pain, too.

"God, Ruby-"

Yang threw her left arm around her, grabbing at her hood and pulling her in as tightly as physically possible. With her right arm, she placed it around Ruby's side as best she could, squeezing her as though for dear life.

Ruby wailed for a long time in her arms - the grief, the pain, the sorrow, all of it fluctuating. Sometimes, it would rise up, spill over, and burst forth like an ocean. Other times, it would recede, fade back, and become quieter.

"Yang- Y-Yan...g... y-your arm, your ah-arm..."

"Shhh..." Yang bit her lip, still trying not to think about that. "I know, Ruby. I... I know... But it's okay, i-it's okay. I can still hug you. Promise..."

And she did, holding her ever closer and crying into her cloak, letting up silent wails of her own.

Blake hadn't stopped sobbing into Weiss' chest all the while, and the heiress did her best to comfort her in any way possible.

But now she could look up and see for herself what had become of Yang.

Blake's own bow had been tied around her right elbow where it cut off so abruptly. Images of her arm lying on the cafeteria flood sprayed with blood rushed back to her mind, and Weiss felt her stomach heave. In her arms, Blake was mumbling to herself.

"It's... it's all my fault..."

Weiss clutched at the Faunus girl's back.

"Blake...?"

"Don't listen to her..." Yang grunted, keeping her hold on Ruby. "She's lying. It's nobody's fault but his. Bastard. I swear I'll..."

She didn't finish. She wasn't about to go making threats right now, let alone vows she'd never be able to keep, or shouldn't keep at all.

For now, she'd just stick to her promise of keeping Blake safe in any way possible – keeping them all safe.

They'd seen so many terrible things here, in the heart of this war.

They'd never realized until now the true dangers of this profession, this choice of wanting to defend the world.

There would be dire consequences.

There would be immeasurable losses.

There would be things they could never get back.

The losses in a battle as great as this one could range anywhere from the loss of resolve to the loss of a life.

It had just taken this much to make them understand that.

And now the reality was almost too cruel for them to bear.

Ruby was still weeping into Yang's shoulder, holding her in a way Yang would never be able to hold her back with ever again.

Ruby tried to remember the last time Yang had hugged her, tried to remember the feeling of her warm arms around her back, making her feel so safe and loved...

And now she realized that had been the last time she'd ever feel that.

Had she known at the time, she would have savored it so much more.

"I'm- so sorry, Yang..." she blubbered. "F-For all the t-times I'd push you away an-and s-say to stop hugging me so much and th-that I- that I didn't need it a-and-!"

"Shhh..." Yang pet through her hair, then down her back. "It's okay, Ruby. It's gonna be okay. Like I said... I can still hug ya. Might not be as good, but... but it'll do... right?"

She wasn't sure herself. She knew it would never be quite the same, no matter what.

But Ruby nodded vigorously, forcing out another sob from the pit of her stomach.

"Yang- Yang! I just... I-I didn't even tell you b-before I left you b-back in the room that I love you! What if I'd never be-been able to tell you again-?"

"Hey..." Yang turned her face up to the ceiling, trying to keep some of the tears back. "I didn't tell you either, Ruby. 'm sorry... But we... couldn't have known..."

It was all just excuses now. They'd try to justify their carelessness now with this.

They'd always remember that it had taken something as horrible as war for them to realize that tomorrow was never a given. Nothing ever was.

It would take this... all of this for them to realize what was most precious to them, and how to cherish that.

They'd never thought of it before. They'd never had to.

And now they were here, in the middle of a burning, crumbling school surrounded by monsters and terrorists, bleeding, crying, and in shambles.

They'd never be the same.

Yang made a fist at the back of Ruby's cloak, uttering a curse under her breath.

This isn't fair. This isn't fair, damn it!

Blake didn't deserve all the guilt she was suffocating herself with now. She didn't deserve her old partner coming back to punish her in such a terrible way just because she'd stood up for what she thought to be right.

Weiss didn't deserve the heartbreak of seeing her team so torn apart. That emotional distress cut deeper than most physical wounds ever could.

And Ruby didn't deserve any of this.

She was... she was just a kid.

Until today, she'd been so innocent, so ready and willing to believe in anything and everything, so starry-eyed and hopeful.

And now... she was this sobbing, traumatized girl, who'd lost more than anyone ever should.

It wasn't fair.

Yang had sped through her own childhood to take care of Ruby, so that Ruby could enjoy herself for as long as possible.

And now, all of that had been torn from her hands.

Now she was being forced to face the realities of war and life.

Yang feared this would change her baby sister forever, that she'd never truly get her back again.

That was the worst feeling of them all.

Again, she joined the others in their crying, her body wrought with agonizing pain, every breath feeling like a stab to their chests.

There was only grief, sorrow, and sadness on their minds and in their hearts.

They could only think of their losses, their fear, their uncertainties.

They could only place blame on themselves for things that were beyond their control.

It was Weiss who stopped crying long enough to realize the danger in that.

Blake was still cursing herself in between broken apologies, and Ruby and Yang were still unable to accept what was right in front of them.

Weiss knew her injuries weren't as horrible as theirs were. She was determined to put all of this to an end.

Inhaling sharply, she gathered Blake close to her and crawled with her over to the wall, until they could rest there beside their teammates.

Yang opened her eyes and saw that Blake was now near her once more. She reached for her, touching her shoulder until Blake met her eyes.

"Hey..." Yang mumbled. "From now on I'm... gonna need some help hugging my little sister. Think you guys could... help me out a bit?"

Another pang went through Blake's chest, but she nodded.

Slowly, she moved closer, laying one arm across Ruby's back, and the other atop Yang's shoulders. Weiss sidled closer as well, keeping close to her partner and her teammates.

Now that they were all together, they could feel each other's presence and warmth.

And that was what reminded them.

They were still alive.

They'd suffered great losses and agony, but they were still alive.

They could still fight another day.

They could still learn new things together.

They could still search for answers.

They could still face new challenges.

They could still go back to classes once all of this was over.

They could still have parties in their dorm rooms on the weekends.

They could still move forward.

And they didn't have to do it alone.

Perhaps this war wasn't over yet, and perhaps it never truly would be.

But they still had their lives, and they still had each other.

No matter what, that would always be true.

The blood, sweat, and tears shed here today would become parts of them - things that would haunt nightmares they could comfort one another other from. Things they would lament and regret for years to come. But they'd all stay close and listen, and support one another.

They'd been beaten down, maimed, nearly killed...

But they were still alive.

There was something to be said for that.

The things they'd seen and lived through today would simply be added to their experiences, to their own personal histories.

And in time, the pain would become bearable, until they could become stronger from it.

Blake had discovered for herself that Yang felt like home to her, that she was home to her.

But that wasn't all it was.

Weiss was too, and so was Ruby.

In different ways, they were all home to one another.

And that was one less thing they needed to search for.

Because now they realized they'd found it long ago.

---------------

A/N: I didn't really have a specific ending in mind for this. I kinda just wanted to cover a few specific things, then leave it for the canon to finish once and for all. So I just made sure to end it on a bit of a more positive note, loop back to the title meaning, and that's that.

It was a sort of cruel challenge to write this from Weiss' perspective at the beginning and having her think Blake and Yang were fine, since that was how they'd been when she'd last seen them. I can only imagine what she and Ruby will really do when they find out the truth.