Stealing On The High Seas (ch 3)

Sorry for the late post, patrons! I was away, but here's the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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						Chapter 3. The Captain's Sacrifice

Waking up the following morning was both a blessing and a curse.

It was a blessing because they woke in one another's arms, mumbling 'good mornings' and sharing soft kisses.

And it was a curse because they knew they only had so long to lie there together.

As captain, Ruby needed to rise with the sun or even beforehand.

With one last squeeze to Weiss' shoulders, the younger girl carefully climbed over her and slipped her feet onto the floorboards that were now highlighted by a faint glow of morning light. She turned back to Weiss and bent down to kiss her forehead.

"You can stay here and keep resting," she offered. "You must be exhausted after these past few days."

Weiss shifted and extended her arm, seeking Ruby's hand with her own.

"No. I want to be with you as much as I can," she said. "After all, we're partners now – in every sense of the word."

Ruby grinned.

"You got that right!"

She kissed Weiss again before standing up, crossing the room to gather her clothes.

Weiss stretched and shortly followed. She scrunched her nose a bit when she had to slide back into her Navy uniform, both because of whom it deemed she represented and because it had gone a few days without cleaning.

Ruby noticed her dilemma and offered reassurance. "Oh, we can do laundry tomorrow if the weather holds up! All we gotta do is fill a bucket with water and use some of our soap, scrub everything off, and then wait for it to dry!" she declared. "And also... we could find you some new clothes to wear, if you want."

Weiss finished sliding on her Navy vest, not able to be bothered with securing the top two restricting buttons above her collarbone.

"I'd like that," she said.

They finished changing and put their swords into place at their hips, though Ruby paused before opening the door. She waited for Weiss a moment, watching the heiress lift her wrist and use her teeth to tug off a rubber band there. Her hands pulled repeatedly through her long, loose hair until at last she'd gathered it all into a high ponytail. She tied it and secured it with a small tiara before joining Ruby at the door, and they headed out together to start the morning tasks on board the ship.

The other crew members woke only moments later, opening their doors just as the pair passed by, shouting 'good mornings' and hurriedly getting dressed so they could get to work on their respective duties.

Sun climbed up the tallest post to his lookout basket, while Ren and Nora headed to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Pyrrha and Jaune and a few other members set to cleaning the ship. Yang and Blake went up to the wheel and started steering.

Ruby passed by or below every single one of them, making sure to greet them all. Her red cloak flowed in the sea breeze, and the rosy tips of her hair floated just above her shoulders.

Weiss kept pace beside her, marveling once more at the vastness of the ship that seemed so misleadingly small from far off.

The air was still cool for a time as the sun slowly pulled itself up over the horizon. The waves were calm and outlined with gold, making the waters deep azure in color.

But what was even more dazzling at this time of day was the sky. Weiss looked up and took in the vibrancy of its colors.

The pastels she often viewed from her mansion's room back in Vale were now much deeper colors – reds, oranges, and yellows – all swept together like blended fire. There were dozens of cottony clouds tinged with vermillion, and the white seagulls were calling loudly as they drifted overhead.

Weiss had gotten so lost in the beauty of the sky she failed to realize she'd stopped walking. Ruby noticed as well and quickly doubled back to her, tugging her sleeve.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" she hummed. "But don't look up for too long. You might upset your stomach."

"Right."

Weiss shook her head as she pulled her gaze away, returning it to her lover. It was just nice to see the sky looking so brilliant and diversely-colored rather than its usual blue. Ruby understood.

"There'll be plenty more sunrises! But for now, come with me! I think you'll like to see this!"

Taking Weiss' hand, she pulled her across the open deck toward the front of the ship.

Pyrrha and Jaune were there as well, and they'd stopped their cleaning momentarily to look over the side of the ship.

Ruby inched forward with Weiss, keeping their hands together by means of support as she encouraged her to peer over. Weiss complied, leaning over the edge, her long white ponytail instantly being pushed up by the rush of the wind.

Squinting, she looked down at the waves that rippled and bumped into the side of the ship, feeling a cool gust of air rising up to brush against her skin. Ruby was looking over with her too, and Weiss felt a squeeze on her hand.

At first, she wasn't certain what it was she should be looking at, but only seconds later it became clear.

Several gray dolphins leapt out of the water, squeaking to one another before splashing back down beneath the surface. Each time one jumped, it would hover for a few seconds before falling back down to submerge itself and repeat the process.

"Aren't they cute?" Ruby grinned. "We see 'em following Crescent Rose pretty often!"

Weiss hadn't given her a reply, but Ruby took the sparkle in her eyes as an indication of her enjoyment. She stayed beside Weiss for a few minutes, watching the creatures as they followed the ship.

By the time the pod had moved away, the sun had completed its detachment from the horizon line and now hung fully in the sky.

Ruby looked up to the large off-white flags painted red with the crest of her rose that kept the ship moving. Judging by the clouds lingering in the sky and the harshness of the wind, she foresaw possible poor weather later on.

"It might rain later," she said aloud. "Probably toward the afternoon. We can all call it a day early and get some rest," she decided. "We don't have a deadline to be at port, so we can take our time."

Weiss was simply amazed that the girl could predict the weather conditions so easily, but then again she assumed it must've come along with the territory of running a pirate ship.

Only minutes later, Nora's loudly hyperactive call of "COME 'N GET IT!" echoed around the entire ship.

Sun climbed down from his basket and Pyrrha and Jaune left their cleaning rags behind. Ruby and Weiss walked with them all back toward the dining room below deck, eager to quell their grumbling stomachs.

Due to the possible inclement weather, Ruby decided to suggest her crew take care of laundry this morning while the sun was still out. She brought Weiss back to their room to change into other clothes and brought the dirtier ones up on deck.

Everyone was present but Blake, though Yang had taken her laundry for her so she could continue steering.

Two buckets were brought out and filled with water and soap, and they all took turns in washing their things. They left their clothes lying on the floorboards directly under the sun for less than an hour before changing back into them and returning to their work.

Presently, Weiss was just finishing helping to tie Ruby's cloak for her, enjoying the fresh scents surrounding her now. Her own Navy uniform was warm with absorbed sunlight and pleasantly dry.

"You know," Weiss chuckled behind her captain's ear. "Of all things, I never suspected pirates to be hygienic."

"Well, gotta admit some of us aren't," Ruby mumbled. "I mean gosh, I've seen the stuff that not washing your clothes and brushing your teeth has done to some people and it ain't pretty. Had to cut off deals with some other crews just because it was a germy suicide for us to step on board their ship or for them to come on ours."

Weiss shuddered at the thought of other disease-ridden ships for a moment before hugging Ruby gently from behind.

"I'll take a moment to appreciate the fact that I've fallen for a pirate who does laundry and brushes her teeth before bed."

Ruby chuckled, reaching back to thread her fingers through Weiss' hair. She turned her face and tilted her chin, seeking the heiress' lips, delighted that Weiss had been waiting for hers.

They parted just as a gray cloud drifted overhead, effectively blocking most of the sunlight. It appeared Ruby's predictions of rain weren't far off from becoming a reality.

The girl walked over to stand beneath the post where Sun was stationed and called up to him.

"How's it looking?"

There was a moment of pause before the Faunus boy flicked his tail, indicating he intended to come down. Weiss watched him maneuver down the post expertly before dropping to the floor beside his captain.

"Pretty windy," he replied. "Definitely a storm comin', Captain. But there's something even worse."

Weiss' eyes widened at his words, but Ruby didn't miss a beat, her tone serious.

"Like what?"

Sun nodded his head to the starboard side of the ship, and Ruby and Weiss followed his line of sight.

When she focused, Weiss could just barely make out the shape of a boat, but it wasn't brown like Crescent Rose or any other pirate ship might've been.

Instead, it was white.

Her stomach instantly sunk and twisted. She would rather have been met with another crew of vicious pirates than this.

"That's..." Ruby let out a long sigh. "Well, we did predict we'd run into him again soon. I just thought it'd be a few more days... Is there any way we can avoid him?"

"No ma'am," Sun informed her regretfully. "The winds are takin' us right to 'em, and it seems like they're pretty intent on making their way over to us."

"Alright," Ruby nodded decisively. "Sun, spread the word to the crew that we'll be encountering Schnee's Navy ship in no longer than an hour. I've got a plan for negotiations, but if it comes to a fight, I want everyone to be ready."

The Faunus boy nodded before quickly tearing off to deliver her message to the others.

Ruby took a deep breath before turning back to Weiss. She could see the spark of fear in her blue eyes, but even stronger than that was the fierce determination in her gaze – the determination to stay here, with Ruby, no matter what.

"I won't go back to him," she vowed.

Ruby smiled and pulled her into a soft kiss.

"Glad to hear it," she murmured. "I have a plan, but I'll need your help."

Weiss did something then she'd never even done for her own father. She dipped her head and bowed low in the utmost display of trust and loyalty.

"Anything you ask, Captain."

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By the time they could see the snowflake-like symbol on the side of Schnee's boat, the sky had become overcast.

Ruby stood with the entirety of her crew at the front of the ship, awaiting Schnee's arrival.

Weiss stood beside her stiffly, heart thudding in her chest. Ruby dared to afford one last embrace with her and one final kiss before parting.

Her plan demanded that the both of them demonstrate trust in one another in the form of action, even more so than the words they'd shared last night.

Ruby looked to the side, catching Yang's eye and nodding to her. Her elder sister walked over and handed Ruby a small piece of rope.

Ruby sighed but steeled herself, taking both of Weiss' hands and securing them at the small of her back to tie her wrists together.

Weiss was still as her lover worked, feeling that Ruby kept the bindings fairly loose.

"Remember," Ruby murmured into her ear. "We're going to do everything within our power to keep you on this ship. But if they manage to get hold of you, don't resist them. If you turn on your father's crew, he'll curse mutiny on you and I wouldn't put it past him to kill you. Schnee's not a very tolerant man from what I've heard."

Weiss grunted.

"You're not wrong. He'd kill me himself if he had to."

"So that's why..." Ruby went on. "That's why, if they get you, you can't fight them. You're my 'prisoner', remember? Here with me against your will. So if they get you back, then you'll have been rescued."

She put her hands on Weiss' shoulders and turned the girl around to face her. Ruby looked deeply into her eyes, her voice weighted and her shoulders bearing and even heavier burden.

"I can't make a promise I'm not sure I can keep... but we're gonna do everything within our power to bring you away from all of this, to settle things once and for all with your father so he won't bother us anymore. But if we fail, Weiss, then just... go home with him. Keep being Schnee's daughter. I'll make sure to find you again and steal you back soon as I can."

She kissed Weiss' cheek, and the heiress did the same for her.

"I will, Ruby. Just be safe."

They didn't speak to one another anymore after that, as Schnee's boat had come within range.

Ruby kept a hand over Weiss' bound wrists, giving off the appearance of a captor controlling her prisoner. She signaled for the sails to be lowered to keep the ship as still as possible as they waited.

When the Navy boat was close enough, Ruby lifted a hand and signaled for her crew to stand at bay.

Weiss could see her father and his men now, dressed in white uniforms and caps standing by the side of her old boat. Her sister was present as well, but when Weiss met her eyes, there was no relief in Winter's gaze, only pity.

Weiss snorted and looked away.

She watched as her father's men lowered a plank of sorts that reached Crescent Rose's edge, a platform for people to walk across from one ship to the other.

Weiss took a deep breath just before Ruby nudged her forward.

They walked slowly toward the platform, but paused just at the edge.

For a moment, the only sounds were of the wind and the waves, loud with signs of the oncoming rain.

Weiss looked across the wide plank of wood as her father's gaze swept over Ruby and herself. His expression was unreadable, but it was clear that he didn't seem all that excited about getting Weiss back.

When he spoke, it was in a deep voice that bellowed easily over the waves to reach them.

"Pirate Captain Ruby Rose," he called. "I commend you for managing to steal from me four dawns ago, though I have to admit I was shocked at your selection. But I am willing to offer a handsome reward in exchange for my daughter's return at this time. That is-" he cleared is throat. "If she is unharmed. I'm afraid I'll have to lower my price for damaged goods."

Weiss winced at his words, feeling Ruby's hands squeeze hers tighter behind her back. Her lover growled, but only low enough for Weiss to hear. When she spoke, it was a loud bark of her voice.

"Your daughter is unharmed," Ruby called. "Which is why I request your full reward."

Weiss knew it was all a guise on Ruby's part; in only three days she'd proven that she valued Weiss far more than her father ever had in twenty years. Property was all Weiss had ever been to him, and the only reason he was even bothering to come back for her now was because it would've been bad for his reputation if he didn't at least make an effort to.

He nodded to Ruby, wearing an idle smile.

"My humblest thanks for keeping her safe," he said.

Weiss wanted to spit a curse at him; Ruby had, in fact, kept her safe, and so much more. But she held her tongue - they both did.

Her father continued speaking above the sounds of the wind and water.

"Now then, let's talk numbers, Miss Rose," he said loudly. "What say you to one thousand gold pieces for her?"

It was very difficult for Ruby not to show her disgust at the offer.

One thousand gold pieces was perhaps enough to purchase dinner for a month and some good wine. She would never equate such a cost to the life of a person, let alone her own daughter. Schnee was a vile man for doing so.

But Ruby planned to leech as much as she could from this man today; she'd told Weiss she planned to come away from all of this richer in gold and triumphant in love.

And Weiss knew Ruby would consent to the offer – after all, as a pirate, gold was essential to her line of work, even if Ruby in particular just gave most of it to charity.

But all the more reason to go through with this plan in Ruby's favor.

Weiss kept silent as Ruby gave her response.

"Very well!" she shouted. "Then let us trade!"

The man nodded, and one of his crew came forth to hand him a sack heavy with coins.

The sides of their ships were brushing now, and the plank between them was only about ten feet in length.

Ruby gave Weiss' hands another squeeze, and her message was clear: this was it.

No doubt Schnee had it in his head to take Weiss and the gold back for himself, and no doubt he suspected the same of Ruby.

It all depended on who was swifter and more cunning.

Schnee kept both hands on the sack of gold as he stepped onto the plank.

Likewise, Ruby let go of Weiss' hands to hold onto her arm instead, showing both of her hands to Schnee in order to indicate she had no intention of drawing her sword.

She stepped onto the plank with Weiss, and the two parties advanced toward the center to meet.

It wouldn't be hard for one to push the other overboard and into the sea.

But even as contemplative as they both were, neither would dare risk it.

If Schnee tried shoving Ruby, he also risked losing Weiss, and thus he could say goodbye to his reputation.

And if Ruby attempted to push him, she risked setting off his entire crew, and thus endangering her own unnecessarily.

The waves heaved below them, but the plank was sturdy as the three of them walked slowly, bound to meet halfway.

They paused with a foot of space in between.

Ruby's eyes went to his and they spoke silent words of agreement.

He could clearly see his daughter was there, but Ruby wanted to know if it was truly gold he held in his hand.

Schnee loosened the tie on the bag and revealed its shining contents. Ruby nodded approvingly.

Weiss was nudged forward another step, and her father offered the bag of money to Ruby. The pirate captain kept ahold of Weiss' arm with one hand as she accepted the gold with the other.

But she spoke before Weiss' father could ever make contact with his daughter.

"You know," Ruby said, watching his hand freeze in midair as he reached for Weiss. His eyes met Ruby's, wary and uninterested, but he didn't have much of a choice but to listen as she went on:

"Your offer of one thousand gold was certainly generous. But I'm afraid your daughter is worth far more than your entire estate has ever come into possession of." She smiled, and spoke in a sing-songy voice: "The deal's off~!"

Faster than he could react, Ruby snatched the gold and kept hold of Weiss tightly before shooting backward across the plank, leaving red petals blowing in Schnee's face. She tossed the bag of gold over her shoulder and into Yang's waiting hands just as Ruby and Weiss stumbled back onto the ship.

"Destroy the plank!" Ruby shouted.

At the same time, Weiss' father gave the order to attack.

"Slaughter the scum!" he bellowed.

At their respective captain's order, both crews surged forward, shouting and hollering as chaos erupted.

The plank connecting the ships proved to be harder to demolish than expected for Ruby's crew. Swords and daggers were drawn as Schnee and his men flooded the plank and invaded Crescent Rose.

Sun and Blake, and a few other Faunus on Ruby's crew utilized their advantages to leap cleanly from one ship to the other without the use of the plank. They worked together, slashing and shoving to fend off Schnee's crew and prevent them from reaching the plank to cross.

About a dozen of them managed to reach Ruby's ship, the slimy captain himself included.

Ruby yanked Weiss free of her ropes and drew her sword, stepping in front of her defensively.

"Stay close to me!" she shouted.

Weiss wasn't about to stand idly by and be protected. She drew her rapier and readied her stance, moving to stand next to her lover instead.

"I'm right beside you," she said.

Together, they charged at the opposing crew, parrying the first blades that came their way.

Yang was throwing punches at a pair of men while still managing to avoid their blades. But when a longer range was required, she pulled two small switchblades from out of her bandaged arms to utilize instead.

Pyrrha and Jaune stood back-to-back as they prevented the men from getting to Ruby's treasure hoard below deck, putting their training to use.

Nora got the attention of a few of Schnee's men by shouting at them, distracting them long enough for Ren to ambush.

The intentions of Ruby's crew was to drive Schnee and his men back to the plank and force them to retreat, but it was clear the opposing party was intent to kill.

Weiss did her best to keep close to Ruby, but the fray inevitably separated them.

The heiress found herself against a much larger male opponent, a man she'd seen in passing in her time on her father's boat, but never bothered to learn the name of.

But she'd seen him fight before in skirmishes here and there; she knew his skills – and his weaknesses.

Side-stepping his sword, she darted around to his back. He turned on her, but she blocked the blow, dodging to the side and unbalancing him. She gave a mighty kick to the back of one of his knees to unbalance him, and then one to his back to bring him down. Using the tip of her rapier, she unhooked his dagger from his hand and tossed it into the sea.

It was then Weiss realized it had started to rain.

Dragging out this battle would be dangerous for both sides during a storm. They needed to end this quickly.

Weiss sought out Ruby once more, locating her quickly thanks to her notable red cloak.

She was fighting alongside her sister, spinning quickly to disorient her adversaries before striking and disarming them. Yang swooped in beside her, knocking down one of the men with a kick before righting herself for an instant.

She caught Weiss' eye and promptly called to her little sister, pointing Ruby toward her lover and insisting she could handle the men on her own. Ruby thanked the blonde and began rushing over to the heiress.

But she was intercepted by another opponent.

Weiss hurried to assist her, but she never made it.

She froze when a man stepped in front of her, ice coating her veins as she looked up into her father's eyes. He pointed his sword directly at her chest and stepped threateningly forward.

"Mutiny!" he spat. "You dare turn on your own father? On your own flesh and blood?"

Utterly petrified, Weiss could only step back; she couldn't bring herself to raise her weapon against him. His grey eyes were cold and furious as he continued forcing her back, his voice a guttural roar.

"Your a pirate's wench now, are you? Treachery! I'll coat my hands with your blood and be proud to do it."

Weiss found she couldn't step back any longer; he'd trapped her against the side of the ship. He laughed and raised his sword, but Weiss couldn't lift her trembling arms enough to block it.

There was a rush of air.

A sharp pain met with her side as the sword cut into her flesh, just over the left side of her ribcage. She cried out in pain, expecting it to slice open her stomach.

But the cut abruptly halted and suddenly, the blade was no longer cutting her.

It had been shifted to a new target.

Weiss' eyes widened in horror.

Ruby had thrown herself between the heiress and her father's blade, taking more than half of the wound that had been meant for Weiss. The girl's clothes ran crimson instantly and Ruby yelped, dropping her sword.

Schnee howled in rage and stepped forward, shoving the girl with enough force to send her to the edge. Ruby stumbled and went overboard.

Weiss screamed.

"RUBY!"

She dropped her rapier and ignored the excruciating pain in her side, jumping over the edge of the ship without a second thought or so much as a glance at her father.

Violent winds cut at her face and sent her hair whipping behind her, but her eyes were focused on Ruby's figure.

Seconds after the girl splashed into the water, Weiss felt the impact of the waves herself. She was temporarily stunned, the dark, frigid water swirling around her dizzyingly.

But she forced her eyes open underwater, and the second she located Ruby, she swam with all her might.

Red filled the water around her lover, stemming from the gash in her stomach, and helpless bubbles trailed up from her lips.

Weiss grabbed her arm, struggling desperately to drag her back up to the surface. Her body felt numb, but she forced it to move, though her breathlessness got the better of her within seconds. She swallowed a full mouthful of salt water and cringed as she found herself unable to expel it.

But she refused to die here; she refused to let Ruby die here.

Not like this, not when their love had only just begun to blossom.

With one final surge of strength, Weiss breached the surface, hauling Ruby up beside her. The heiress coughed violently, gulping down air as quickly as she could before another wave pushed them back under.

When they surfaced again, the rain pelted their faces, temporarily blinding Weiss. But she could hear Ruby wheezing, and the knowledge that she was still alive fueled Weiss to persist.

The weight of their drenched clothes was only serving to pull them down, and their respective wounds were bleeding and sending shockwaves of pain throbbing throughout their bodies.

But even still, they didn't let go of one another.

They weren't far from the ship, and when Weiss looked up, she saw Yang just above them, frantically waving her arms. Someone had rushed to fetch a life preserver tied to a string, and the blonde tossed it down toward Weiss.

The heiress desperately swam toward it, though with Ruby on her back she could only move with agonizing slowness, as though her body weighed as much as the ship itself.

With her last shred of energy, she managed to secure an arm around the preserver, keeping both Ruby's and her own head above-water.

She could only assume her father's men had retreated, as the rest of the crew hurried to the lowest deck to pull Ruby and herself in.

Weiss was too numbed by cold to be able to tell if Ruby's heart was still beating or not; she herself could barely keep her eyes open.

She could only wait as the rest of the crew drew them in close before reaching down over the edge of the ship.

They grabbed Ruby first, alleviating the weight from Weiss' back. Then the heiress felt herself being hoisted up as well, the cold water around her soon being replaced by only wind.

She was laid down on the floorboards beside her lover, worried companions crouching close by. Pyrrha ordered for blankets and medical supplies to be fetched for them despite the rain.

But Weiss couldn't make sense of any of their words, all sounds muffled by a low, buzzing hum. She couldn't open her eyes either, nor could she move her body at all.

She was all too eager to succumb to the pain in her side and the frigid cold that had flooded her veins and soaked her to the bone.

But then, there came a sudden, jarring pressure on her chest.

Blake was straddling her, compressing her chest with quick, hard thrusts of her palms. Pain assaulted Weiss' chest as Blake's hands slammed her down against the floor of the ship, but at least the hurt was better than that horrible numbness.

After several seconds of the harsh but necessary process, Weiss felt a sickening sensation creep up her throat just as water surged past her lips.

Blake probably sensed the sudden rippling of Weiss' chest. She swiftly rolled the heiress onto her side as Weiss retched a mixture of seawater and other contents of her stomach, coughing vehemently and shaking just as badly.

Sun arrived with the blankets and Blake quickly wrapped the heiress in one, rubbing her back firmly. Weiss wheezed for breath, her eyes fluttering open as she looked to the side, seeking Ruby.

Yang was pumping her sister's chest as well, tears and rain streaming down her face.

Weiss felt her heart seize when Ruby didn't stir at first, but after a moment her body jolted. Ruby hacked up mouthfuls of water as well before Yang hugged her softly, murmuring relief into her ear.

Weiss tried to speak and sit up, but a sharp pain in her side caused her to cry out instead.

Blake's taut voice sounded again.

"Lay down," she ordered. "I've got to dress your wound."

Blake helped her onto her back once more, unbuttoning Weiss' shirt to reveal the material binding her chest and a long scarlet gash across her left side.

Yang was doing the same for Ruby - where the cut had ended on Weiss' body had been where it'd begun on Ruby's.

The boys respectively took their leave to start preparing food and to gather more dry blankets for the girls. Nora and Pyrrha stayed out in the rain, passing Blake and Yang whatever supplies they requested.

Blake muttered an apology to Weiss shortly before a searing, burning pain spread over her side – disinfectant, Weiss guessed. She fought for breath as Blake continued to work, cleaning the wound before slipping her hands beneath Weiss' body to start wrapping it.

The heiress flashed her gaze over to Ruby, and she was thankful the girl had lost consciousness so she wouldn't have to feel such agony.

Blake and Yang finished securing the bandages at much the same time before letting out sighs of relief. Yang bent down to scoop her sister into her arms, then stood to carry her to shelter.

Nora and Pyrrha cleaned up the supplies and fretfully hurried after her.

Blake was gentle in lifting Weiss into her arms, knowing she was still conscious.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "We had to treat you guys right away. But we'll get you out of the rain now."

Weiss let out a small moan, her head pounding in time with her heart. When she spoke, her voice wavered.

"What... about my father...?"

Blake's ears flattened, but her golden eyes held the heiress' blue ones.

"He retreated with his men when he assumed you and Ruby were dead."

Weiss couldn't speak anymore, so she merely nodded her head to indicate she understood.

Just when the numbness had finally started to drain from her body and the wetness of the rain on her skin started to register, Blake brought her to shelter. She could feel there was a blanket around her, but her clothes and hair were thoroughly drenched.

Weiss could feel her body trembling, and with every little shiver, there was a wave of pain in her side.

So she could only imagine Ruby's pain when she woke.

Yang and Blake took the two girls back to their shared room, pushing the door open before lying them each down in turn onto the bed.

Weiss opened her eyes only briefly to look to her side, but found Ruby had yet to regain consciousness.

Blake and Yang changed them both out of their soaked clothes and into dry pants and shirts, being mindful of their wounds. Weiss was aware of warm fingers pressing to her wrist and neck to locate her pulse, and hands on her forehead to decipher whether or not she had a fever.

But the sounds of relief that came from their caretakers were enough to tell the heiress that neither she nor Ruby were in danger any longer.

And yet, she was unable to keep hold of her conscious any longer...

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A short while later, Weiss woke from an uneasy state of sleep when she caught sound of the door opening.

She looked to her side to find Ruby was still lying there, still and unresponsive.

Immediately, there was a strong scent of food on the air, but even when Blake sat her up and offered her some, Weiss couldn't manage so much as a single bite.

But she felt that was for the best; she didn't want to eat unless Ruby did as well.

By the time Blake and Yang had finished their meals, the blonde announced that night had just about fallen.

"We'll stay here with you guys tonight," she said.

"Nonsense..." Weiss mumbled. "There's nowhere for... either of you to sleep. We'll be just fine."

"Somehow I highly doubt that, princess."

The blonde's tone was a little tart, but Weiss could tell it was out of fear for both herself and Ruby rather than any ill-intent.

"Yang's right," Blake added. "Someone's got to stay here to look after you two. You might feel alright, but..."

Her golden eyes drifted over to Ruby who had yet to wake. Yang wiped her eyes in a swift motion that didn't go unnoticed by Weiss or Blake. The Faunus girl moved close to her and wrapped a comforting arm around her partner.

"You need to get some rest though, Yang," she murmured. "I'll stay."

"Actually," Weiss grunted. "You both need to get some rest. Do you... honestly think one of you will be able to sleep tonight without the other? After all that?"

Both girls shared quick glances with one another, but neither denied the heiress' statement. Weiss huffed knowingly and pushed herself up.

"I've been resting for hours now. I'll watch after her. If anything happens or I need either of you, you're just next door, are you not?"

Blake's ears were flat with uncertainty, but she nodded.

Weiss' gaze traveled over them both, stern but somehow more concerned for them than herself.

"Everything will be fine," she reassured. "You have my word."

She could only hope that she short amount of time she'd known Blake and Yang would be enough for them to have grown to trust her.

In the end, they didn't have many other options.

Blake helped her partner to the bed so she could kiss her little sister's forehead, mumbling prayers that she'd be able to wake up the next morning. Weiss reassured her she would.

By the time Blake led Yang out of the room, the blonde was weeping softly, and it was up to the Faunus girl to get them back to their room.

Once there, she sat Yang down on the bottom bunk, the one Blake typically slept on. But she knew tonight wasn't a night for sleeping alone.

Blake put down her weapons onto the floor and changed herself into more comfortable clothes, after which she helped Yang do the same.

At last, she pushed Yang gently down onto the bed and laid beside her, pulling the blankets up over their trembling bodies. Blake slid closer and changed their positions a bit, so that she was easing herself down on top of Yang to lie on her stomach. It was much warmer for the both of them this way, and with the ship rocking and swaying more tonight with the storm than it often did, comfort was essential.

Thankfully, Yang wasn't so exhausted that she couldn't return the embrace, and her arms secured themselves around Blake's back, keeping her close.

The Faunus girl could see well in the darkness, and she used that advantage to find Yang's eyes quickly. Her hands moved up to either side of the blonde's face, fingers wiping away the last of her tears.

When Yang made a small sound of vulnerability, Blake didn't waste a second in kissing her softly.

She pulled away a moment later to find Yang was crying again, and she knew Weiss had been correct about needing to stay together tonight.

"It's alright," the Faunus girl soothed. "Everything's fine. She's going to be okay."

Yang nodded and squeezed her tighter.

"I hope so..."

"She will be," Blake said matter-of-factly. "She's got Weiss. Just like you've got me, Yang."

The blonde girl nodded and pulled her down for another kiss.

After that, she seemed to have calmed down, and the tears gradually stopped.

"Weiss has a long night ahead of her," she mumbled.

"She'll be fine."

Blake kissed her one more time before settling against her chest, feeling fingers softly petting her ears.

And in the next room over, Weiss was doing her best to make their words a reality.

She'd managed to prop herself up and grab a nearby book; Blake had left the lantern aglow so Weiss could clearly tell if something went wrong with Ruby.

The heiress looked down at her lover at her side, still and silent.

She bent down to kiss Ruby's forehead before opening her book.

She'd soon discover it wasn't going to be a kind night.

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A/N: There was so much time between when I wrote this chapter and when I went to re-read and edit it, that I actually forgot it ended this way ahah.