Road To Recovery (ch3)

EARLY RELEASE FOR PATRONS!

Again, this idea was asked for by the customer, and I think it was really interesting! It was fun to write Ruby and Neo together in regards to what happened between them in the finale.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 3. Enemies

Leaving Weiss hadn't been easy, but her partner had been convincing enough to ensure she'd be fine for a few hours alone while Ruby went off to help with the repairs.

She'd been doing this for a few days now, since she herself had been officially discharged long before Weiss had. So by now, Ruby had a good idea of which places and areas needed the most help with rebuilding and recovering.

Her first order of business was to catch a ship to Vale; because of the town's size, it had sustained a lot of damage during the attacks. Even with every able professor, huntsman, and huntress offering nearly constant assistance, it was estimated that it would still take a few weeks before the town was completely and safely renovated.

Ruby waited on the ship, gazing out the window, her mind occupied by thoughts of her teammates.

She was still worried about why Weiss and herself had been turned away from Blake and Yang's room. Even though Weiss had assured her it was something that would probably be resolved before suppertime, Ruby couldn't help but fret.

Another reason she'd decided to take Weiss up on the offer to come to Vale was so that she could clear her mind a bit, focus on something else, even if it was a distraction...

Before she knew it, the ship had landed.

There was a handful of other people on-board, all being brought to Vale as reinforcements. These included Professor Goodwitch, who was in charge of nearly everything in relation to the recovery project. She was the one who decided where everyone should go and how long they should stay for.

Presently, she ushered the group on-board the ship towards the exit, and called out to address them.

"Thank you all again for your voluntary assistance today during these dire times. Without all of you, Vale would have crumbled days ago."

She passed her gaze over each and every one of them. When she met Ruby's eyes, she even gave a tiny smile, then continued.

"Now, as you all probably know, there are still many places in town that need rebuilding. Such places include the Dust shop on Main Street..." She went off to list the names of the buildings that had sustained the most damages.

"If you feel your abilities are best accustomed to rebuilding and repairs, please spend your time at any of these locations. As for those who believe they are ready and able to fight, the southeast section of downtown Vale has still been reported to have a handful of Grimm running rampant. We beseech you to do your best to eradicate as many as you can.

"However, if you chose to take on this particular job, I advise that you go in groups and stay together. With communications still down, there is no guarantee we will be able to locate everyone should something go awry.

"On that note, before you exit the ship, please use this paper to sign your name and the location you wish to go for the day. This way, when we make our return trip to Beacon in a few hours' time, we will be able to see who has and hasn't returned, and have the best estimate as to where they may be."

Ruby knew the drill by now. She'd been doing this for a few days, but so far, had mostly been helping with rebuilding and clean-up projects. This was the first she'd heard of Grimm still infesting the downtown area.

Therefore, as soon as it was her turn to sign the paper, she didn't even have to stop and think about where she would be heading today.

Glynda looked her over with hard eyes, then gave a sigh.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised, Miss Rose. But please. Do as I'd advised and stay together with the others who will be going that way. You're still recovering."

Ruby gave her professor a salute and a smile.

"I'll do my best, Professor!"

She could already tell Glynda was about to make a comment about 'making her best into an actual attempt to follow the rules,' but before she could so much as speak another word, Ruby was already off the ship.

She caught a glimpse of the other fighters who would be heading downtown. They consisted of mostly Beacon's upperclassman, all of whom peered curiously at the blur of red as it passed them by. Only once she'd darted out of earshot did Ruby playfully call back.

"I'm going on ahead, try to keep up!"

She knew she only had a few hours, but she intended to kill as many Grimm in the city as she could before suppertime.

She raced through the streets, passing by multiple dilapidated buildings and broken roads that were being repaired. There were piles of debris on every street corner, and the majority of the stores and businesses were still closed down and empty.

Ruby hurried along, bound for the 'shadier side of town,' as Yang often called it. She hadn't done any fighting since she'd confronted Cinder and the dragon Grimm. And for a young, energetic huntress-in-training like herself, doing next to nothing for an entire week was almost enough to make her go crazy. She'd just try to find a few of the beasts today, then get back to Weiss and the others before long.

That had been her plan, anyway. But it seemed fate had other ideas.

As she ran through the streets, she noticed that this area seemed much darker, even though it was a fairly nice day today. The air just seemed as though it were being choked by some kind of smoke...

But none of the bars or businesses were open down here, so she knew this faint smog couldn't have been coming from any chimneys or exhaust pipes.

Which could only mean one thing.

She paused for a moment and closed her eyes, trying to sense which path seemed right. And by right, she meant wrong. Which path felt like danger lay ahead.

She moved down the streets that sent shivers up her spine, moving her hand back to brace over her weapon.

She found the first one before long. It was a Beowolf, prowling along the sidewalks as though it owned the place, sniffing the air like it was searching for something to sink its teeth into.

So was Crescent Rose.

Ruby extracted her scythe just as the beast took note of her and charged. She fired a shot at its front paws to keep it at bay long enough to extend her weapon to its true form, then raised the curved sickle high.

The wolf lunged again, jaws snapping, but Ruby was much quicker, even though she'd been bedridden only several days earlier. She let the wolf pass her, then lopped its head off as it went. The corpse dropped within seconds and began to disintegrate.

Ruby sighed in satisfaction; she'd almost forgotten what this felt like, to rid Remnant of an ounce of evil with her own two hands.

But she wasn't going to ignore the fact that this wolf had been heading somewhere in particular before she'd engaged it. Perhaps there were others ahead.

With Crescent Rose at her side, she tore off once more, keeping herself alert for any signs of something unusual.

To her mild surprise, it wasn't too difficult to spot.

One particular building had all but collapsed, save for a few pillars and a small section of the roof. She could discern from the holes in the walls that this had likely been the work of rouge Atlezian soldiers.

But now, it was the Grimm that were raiding the place.

The winged beasts had all fled by now, and larger Grimm such as Goliath and Death Stalkers had already been eradicated due to how easily their larger presence was noticed.

But the smaller wolves and boars had managed to slip under the radar.

Until now.

There were six of them, three of each kind, Ruby could now see, and they seemed to be awfully intent on something inside the remains of that building...

She was just about to rush forward and slaughter the beasts from behind when she noticed movement ahead.

From within the shadows of the broken building, there came a flash of light. Ruby could just barely make it out, but it seemed to be metal, as in a blade of some sort. This movement caused the Grimm to snarl and charge forward.

Ruby knew in that instance that there was someone trapped within the building.

She let out a battle cry of sorts to attract their attention, and the monsters whipped around to face her.

Before any of them could charge, she'd already killed one of the boars, retching its tusks off with her scythe and letting it bleed out black. She spun in place like a miniature tornado, lashing out her blade to slice at whatever dark flesh came her way. She killed two of the wolves by dismemberment, then shot the last two boars dead between the eyes.

When she paused for a moment to catch her breath and assess the situation, she caught sight of the final wolf. It was charging back towards the building, clearly intent on the somewhat easier prey trapped inside.

"Oh no you don't!"

She'd seen enough people get hurt and even die in all of this. She wouldn't let there be another if she could help it.

She fired at the wolf's haunches, hoping to gain its attention. But it only advanced on whomever was swinging that long, thin blade within the shadows.

Ruby gave a burst of speed and yelled out a cry of fury just as the wolf tried to swipe its claws. The young huntress ended up standing on its back as she hooked her scythe around its raised forearm and pulled.

It tore off easily, and as the beast was howling in agony, Ruby shot a bullet down its throat. She hopped off the body just as it began to disappear, looking around for any others. She found none, and retracted her scythe to put away once more.

She wasted no time in hurrying forward towards the building, climbing over a broken wall that had probably spared the other person from certain death just a minute long enough for her to arrive. Ruby squinted into the darkness and called out softly.

"Pssst! Hey! Is anyone in here? Don't worry, you're safe now! Whoa-!"

She stumbled back as another flash of metal whipped past her face, so ferociously she could feel the desperation behind the attempt. She just barely managed to prevent herself from falling onto her backside by grabbing onto the rock wall.

"Hey, hey! I said it's okay! I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise! I can get you some help. Please, let me help you!"

She peeked into the darkness once again, trying to make out the other person. Now, she could hear them gasping faintly, clearly still traumatized by nearly being killed by the Grimm. But they weren't lashing out with the blade anymore, at the very least.

Cautiously, Ruby climbed over the three-foot wall and landed on the other side. She could see now that the other person was huddling themselves back against the wall as hard as they could. Only then did her gaze catch theirs.

A spark of recognition ignited between them both.

This person's eyes...

One was pink, and one was brown.

Ruby would know that gaze anywhere.

Suddenly, she was back on the edge of that airship, dangling thousands of feet above a city under attack, higher than even the Nevermores, holding on for dear life-

And the end of that blade was pointed at her once again.

Holding it was a girl that smirked cruelly, her eyes alight with an eager intent to kick her hand with a sharp heel until Ruby fell to her death...

Roman Torchwick had shouted her name just seconds after Ruby had outsmarted her, and just seconds before he'd been swallowed before her eyes.

As Ruby was pulled back into reality now, she cried out that same name.

"N-Neo!"

The smaller girl flinched; the last person who'd called her by name was someone she loved dearly, and she hadn't heard from him since. She snarled softly, keeping the end of her parasol pointed in Ruby's direction.

Ruby could see now that the girl was sitting down, her back pressed against the wall. She scrambled back even more, trying to use her weapon as a crutch now, trying to push herself up to her feet. She managed to get about halfway before a small yelp flew from her lips, and she collapsed awkwardly once more.

Ruby could see the pain in her eyes, could hear the way she was panting for breath. She knew this was genuine agony, and not just some act to trick her.

Besides, Ruby knew Neo was more than competent in battle, so there was no way she would've allowed herself to be cornered by Grimm without fighting back unless there was a good reason.

Ruby could quickly discern what that reason was.

"Hey, you're hurt."

Neo glowered up at her and hissed softly, as if to say "And whose fault do you think that is?"

Even though the two of them had been fighting for their lives, and even though Neo had almost been the one to hurt her – or worse – Ruby still couldn't help but feel guilty. The fighting was over, at least for now. There had been major losses on both sides, but...

But at least Ruby hadn't lost her partner like Neo had.

And even worse was what she realized next.

That Neo didn't even know he was dead.

Ruby had gotten rid of her before the Griffon had attacked.

Neo didn't even know...

Ruby felt sick to her stomach.

She realized she was still standing over the injured girl, and in this way, even she might've seemed intimidating. So Ruby crouched down several feet away from her, just out of her blade's range.

"Hey..." Speaking softly, she held up both hands to show she didn't intend to hurt her. "I know that... that before... we kinda had to fight. We didn't really have a choice, right? But all of that's over now. Now, we should... we shouldn't have to draw lines, don't you think? We're all just people who need help recovering. So why don't you let me help you, okay?"

She was honest about her offer, and she hoped that earnestness could show in her eyes and be heard in her voice.

But it didn't matter if Neo believed her or not. Because even if she believed Ruby might not have any alternative motives behind helping her, Neo couldn't be sure that anyone else back and Beacon would be so kind to her.

The last thing she needed was to be captured, disarmed, and pressed for information. Not that she'd ever crack even if they resorted to torture. But she had better ways to spend her time.

Like finding him...

Which was why she growled in response to the girl's offer.

Ruby flinched, watching as Neo tried to stand again. She managed to get to her feet this time, and made an effort to get around Ruby. But she didn't even get two steps before she collapsed again, wheezing in pain.

Ruby rushed forward without thinking, unable to sit idly by when someone was hurt like this, even if it was someone who'd once tried to kill her.

"Let me see," she begged. "Please! I can help you!"

Neo had half a mind to swipe at her again, chase her off for good.

But despite her pride, she was no fool.

After Ruby had bested her, Neo had been all but helpless as she'd floated down on the currents with her parasol. That had made her an easy target for the flying Grimm, as she hadn't been able to fight back in midair unless she'd wanted to fall to her death.

So she'd had to suffer agonizing minutes with a Griffon's beak clamped on her ankle, shredding and tearing until she'd managed to kick it away.

It had been a miracle she'd landed in one piece.

She'd been running for days ever since her shoes had hit the ground, trying to keep out of sight of the Grimm and Beacon's huntsmen. She'd been living like a roach, stealing food from the shelves of these stores and drinking warm water from the taps.

She couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Of course, she knew the consequences if anyone else ever found out she'd accepted help from the enemy. But as far as she knew, Cinder was out of the picture, at least for a while.

This Ruby girl was still here, hand outstretched in a display of camaraderie, eyes hopeful and innocent.

Neo stared at her long and hard, attempting to see through any kind of facade.

But there was no such thing present here, not that she could find.

Therefore, she did the stupidest thing of her entire life.

She relented.

Pointing her parasol's blade away from the young huntress, Neo glowered at her, but did nothing more.

Ruby was easily able to interpret her gestures and expression. She perked up like an excited puppy and her lips broke out into a smile.

"Really? You'll let me help you?"

Neo merely grunted and looked away.

Ruby became even more enthusiastic.

"That's great! First let me see your ankle."

Neo snorted, her gaze flicking almost nervously down at her foot.

Ruby thought she looked less like the girl who'd tried to kill her a few days ago and more like a wounded feral animal. But even so, the girl allowed Ruby to inspect her injury.

Ruby carefully looked it over, seeing the rips in the boot and pants material where some kind of Grimm had presumably bitten her. The bleeding had stopped days ago, but the torn skin still looked raw and was caked with orange and red.

Considering how poorly her aura was healing the wound, Ruby could assume this girl hadn't eaten or slept properly in days. She leaned back and put a hand to her chin in thought.

"I think the best we can do right now is make a splint. Don't move, I'll be right back!"

Neo gave her a glare that said 'as if I could move', but Ruby paid it no heed as she jumped to her feet and scurried off.

She searched around the debris of the building until she found a plank of wood about the size she'd need for a splint. She picked up a few pieces of frayed rope as well, then hurried back to the injured girl.

Ruby worked quickly and efficiently, trying to cause as little pain as possible. She couldn't help but remember the last few times she and her teammates had met Neo, how she'd adamantly tried to kill them...

Ruby shook the thoughts away again.

/Maybe she didn't have any other choice. It doesn't matter. Right now she's hurt and she needs help./

Within a few minutes, Ruby had completed the splint. With a sigh of accomplishment, she sat back.

"There! That should help a bit."

Neo made an effort to move her leg a bit. There was a twang of pain, but nothing as bad as what she'd felt before.

With another grunt, she nodded her gratitude briefly, then looked away. Ruby was just happy to help.

"Umm... but I'm not really sure where to go from here... I could find someone and have you transported to the infirmary back at Beacon."

At that suggestion, Neo sent her a furious glare. Ruby recoiled.

"A-Alright. Then I won't do that. Um... is there... anywhere you can go...?" /Anyone who can come take you home?/ But she refrained from asking the latter question for one reason or another.

Neo huffed, but despite her stubbornness, couldn't help but glance in a certain direction over Ruby's shoulder. The young huntress followed her gaze and gasped softly.

Off to one side from where they were was a large wreckage, which she now recognized as General Ironwood's main airship. This was the same ship the two of them had fought on...

Ruby gulped a bit.

"You... wanna go there? But why?"

Neo didn't reply. But she did nudge Ruby's foot with her uninjured one in order to gain her attention. Ruby looked into her mismatched eyes and saw a small plea there.

Don't ask questions. Just take me there.

Ruby paused for a moment to consider.

Judging by the position of the sun, she only had a little over an hour left before she'd need to start heading back to the docks to catch a ship back to Beacon. The distance from where they were now as opposed to where the crashed ship was would take a considerable amount of time to cover with Neo's injured foot taken into consideration.

Ruby bit her lip, briefly wondering if Neo could somehow communicate what it was she was looking for or needed, and that Ruby could go herself and search for it. But she didn't like the idea of leaving the injured girl alone here like this.

So she came to a snap decision.

"Okay!"

Her response actually seemed to catch Neo off-guard, as though she'd never expected to be taken seriously in this request.

"But-" Ruby went on. "We can't waste any more time. We should get going now."

Neo didn't care about her injury anymore. She didn't care if this pipsqueak of a huntress was going to be her crutch and give orders. Not if it meant she could find him...

Neo scrambled to her feet, stabbing her parasol into the ground for support and leaning heavily back against the wall. She moved so suddenly it startled Ruby enough to reach out towards her.

"Hey, hey, wait! You shouldn't-!"

"Nngh!"

Wheezing in pain, Neo slumped back against the wall, about to collapse again. Ruby shot to her feet and had no choice but to grab her around the waist to keep her up.

Neo panted for a moment, and had she not been so exhausted she would've shoved the girl away ferociously. But as she was now, she could only cling pathetically to her for support.

Ruby gulped, hoping this wasn't a bad thing for her to be doing, helping someone like her...

As soon as Neo had caught her breath, she began limping off with conviction, leaning onto her parasol as she stumbled through the rubble. Ruby quickly followed her, tentatively placing a hand on the girl's back to keep her steady.

From then on, words between them were few and far between as they hobbled across the vacant streets of Vale, bound for the site of the large crash that had yet to be tended to.

They encountered only a few Grimm along the way, and Ruby killed nearly all of them. There was one wolf she missed, but Neo was able to stab it between the eyes before it could do any damage. Ruby grinned at her, but Neo looked away.

They continued onward, occasionally pausing to let Neo catch her breath. But they were nearing the ship now, and she wasn't about to give up, not when she was so close...

Several painful minutes later, they reached the wreckage. Ruby, who had been keeping a hand on the other girl's back, watched as Neo suddenly limped off towards the broken ship.

Everything seemed to be still, and she couldn't sense any Grimm around. But still, Ruby kept close to Neo and made sure to keep her eyes and ears alert for any signs of danger.

There were massive piles of debris and stone everywhere, and Neo seemed to be looking over every single inch of the area.

Ruby wished she knew what she was looking for. She asked her again and again, "Please, let me help you! What can I do?" but Neo seemed to have forgotten her presence altogether.

She needed to find him. She knew he was here. He must've been.

She still remembered being suspended in the air when she'd heard the awful sounds of the massive ship going down. Only seconds afterward, she'd heard the colossal crash as it had hit the ground.

He must've gotten hurt. That was the only valid explanation as to why he hadn't come to find her yet, even after all this time had passed...

He had to be here somewhere...

She looked about frantically, wishing now more than ever that she could call out his name.

But they had an unseen, intangible connection.

They didn't need words. There was just a feeling between them.

And she was beginning to realize now that she couldn't feel him anymore.

No. It couldn't be that. She was probably just tired.

She paid no mind to the young huntress calling out to her. Neo just continued searching through the debris, becoming more and more frantic with each pile of rock that turned up nothing.

She had to find him.

She had to.

She had to-

"N-Neo?"

The girl kept calling out for her, and it was making her angry.

No one else got to say her name. Only him.

Only him...

She could feel stinging frustration behind her eyes, a rage boiling up in the pit of her stomach, making it twist and burn.

He had to be here.

He had to be.

He had to, he had to, he had to-

Her flustered gaze screeched to a sudden halt just then.

And she saw it. The familiar black curve of his hat, lying abandoned beneath a pile of dust and dirt.

She collapsed beside it, scraping for it, until she had it in her hands. She clutched it to her chest and screamed silently, feeling the blazing wetness pouring down her cheeks.

It couldn't be.

It couldn't be.

No.

/No./

She gasped and sobbed quietly, even though her lungs were straining to make more noise, to form an appropriate correspondence to her grief.

She couldn't feel him anymore.

Ruby watched the entire thing in horror. Timidly, she stepped closer, her eyes wide and helpless.

"Neo... I... I didn't know you were looking for Torchwick. If I'd known, I would've told you. I'm sorry..."

Neo suddenly seemed to remember her presence now. She snapped her head in Ruby's direction and turned a fiery glare on the girl. Her distraught eyes screamed what her voice couldn't.

You knew?! You knew all this time?!

Ruby winced as though she'd actually been yelled at.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't-"

But she didn't get to finish.

A heartbreaking cry tore itself from Neo's lips as she threw her head back in agony.

Ruby had never heard anything like it.

It was powerful, enough to shake the ground beneath her boots. She crouched down to avoid falling, gasping as she noticed a few of the surrounding broken buildings fall apart even more. A large chunk of concrete that had been hovering precariously over Neo broke off and plummeted towards her.

"Watch out!"

There wasn't enough time to make a move.

Ruby watched in horror as the crushing block struck the crying girl beneath it. Neo's body seemed to shatter into a million pieces, breaking apart into tiny, glass-like particles. Her scream was cruelly cut off.

A second later, a gust of wind carried away the dust of her semblance, and she was gone.

Ruby stared at the place she'd just been. Neo's parasol as well as Roman's hat had vanished with her, as had the splint Ruby had made for her.

But the tears she'd shed still remained in the dust, proof that she'd truly been there.

If not for those stains, Ruby might've thought she'd imagined it all.

Even though Neo had been allied with the people behind the vicious attack on Beacon and the tournament, Ruby couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

Shakily, she stood, her eyes still trained on the spot where Neo had vanished. Ruby wiped her eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry..."

But there was nothing more she could do.

She could only offer her condolences to the wind, and then take off back the way she'd come.

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A/N: I'm still upset about them killing Torchwick. I wanted to know more about him and Neo. I wanted to see more of them working together.

Last chapter will be the team reunited!