After Ruby left, X-49 and the others began searching for Ruby. As they searched for Ruby, Yang stopped walking.
Yang: Damn it! How can she just run off like that?!
Blake: She was clearly upset.
Yang: That wasn't upset! That was... Ugh! She could've talked to us!
Weiss: Maybe she didn't feel like she could.... Ruby has always been the one to get us through the hard times. We say things like "We believe in you", "We can count on you". I know we mean well, but...
Jaune feels guilty over what he said to Ruby back then. Juniper becomes sad and Jaune comforts them with a pat.
Yang: It's not like we're asking her to be perfect.
X-49: That's exactly what we did, Yang. Like Weiss said, Ruby has always been the one to get us through hard times. Those hard times took it's toll on her. I....I should've done more.
Weiss: You couldn't have known.
X-49: But I did. I saw all the signs. Ruby...Ruby was hurting. She felt that everything she has done hasn't been good enough. People....people died.
Blake: But we did the best we could.
X-49: No....we did not. After we all faced the Herbalist's test, I could sense that Ruby was unable to answer the doubts within herself. Those doubts and fears lingered, slowly consuming her. She felt that everything she has done hasn't been good enough. And with each failure and setback you endured on your journey, the fear and doubt within her only grew until despair and hopelessness took hold. What we saw was all that doubt, fear, pain and anger taking hold.
X-49 paused as he reflected on what had happened.
X-49: None of us....asked to be part of this war. One way or another, circumstances forced us down the path we walk today. Ruby.....she was no exception.
Weiss: Ruby....Ruby was the youngest out of all of us.
Blake: She wanted to be a Hero. To help people.
As X-49 said this, the rest of Team RWBY and Jaune were stunned by this revelation. To hear that Ruby had been suffering all this time brought great guilt to them.
Blake: All this time....
Weiss: The signs were all there....yet we did nothing....
Yang: Ruby....Ruby was hurting...and I didn't do a damn thing.....damn it! DAMN IT!
Blake: Yang....
Yang: We did nothing, Blake. Ruby was hurting right before our eyes and we didn't do a damn thing! She....she's my sister! I'm supposed to protect her! Ruby....
As Yang began to weep, Blake hugged Yang to comfort her. As guilt began to set in, the rest of the group began to accept responsibility of what happened to Ruby, Yang brought up something Ruby mentioned.
Yang: X-9, Ruby mentioned something about you pointing your gun at her. What...what did she mean by that?
X-49 fell silent as that was mentioned again. After thinking it over, he decided to come clean about it.
X-49: Before I fell, Cinder jabbed some device into me. I didn't know what it was until I first found you. It...it uploaded some kind of program called the Black Queen Protocols. It....
Penny: Doing to what what it did to me before you used the Relic to help me.
X-49: It's worse. It's...it's giving me orders to kill you. I've been fighting it ever since I realized what was going on, but it....it's getting stronger.
Even now, X-49 could still the whispers in his head ordering him to kill his targets. Rage soon took hold of X-49 and he punched a tree with enough force to punch a hole through it. Without hesitation, Yang rushed to hug him.
Yang: Stop it, X-9!
X-49: You...you need to stay away from me....all of you.
Yang: You're my brother, X-9! You're Ruby's brother! We'll find a way to help you!
X-49: If something happens to you because of me....I'll never forgive myself! I....
Yang: It doesn't matter! We will help you and that's that!
At this point, it became clear that Yang and the others had no intention of leaving him behind. Despite the danger he posed on them, they remained by his side. X-49 couldn't help but chuckle as he turned to Lulu.
X-49: Lulu....sweet thing. Look....there's a lot of things going on right now. But the most important thing is Ruby. She's out there and she needs our help. Everything else can wait. There's still time to make things right. Ruby needs our help.
With that, X-49 along with Team RWBY and Jaune continued their search for Ruby. Suddenly, they heard a commotion. They follow the commotion to a manor. When they got inside, they saw Neo standing over a wounded Ruby who was holding a teacup. Ruby stared before drinking the tea. She gives them one last look. Yang watches in shock as Ruby drinks the entire tea. Ruby drops the teacup and lies there. A hole appears below Ruby and she falls into it along with Little and Crescent Rose, engulfed in a bright light.
X-49: RUBY!
X-49 runs to Ruby and attempts to catch her, but the hole closes up.
X-49: No...no no no no! NO!
X-49 begins punching the ground in a desperate attempt to find Ruby.
X-49: Ruby! RUBY! Ruby!
Penny: X-49! I'm sorry....
X-49: This wasn't supposed to happen....I was supposed to take care of her....
A Neo-Roman Torchwick watches in amusement. Neo sits on her chair, seemingly giving a frown as the manor begins to slowly crumble. Neo opens her eyes before she is filled with mixed emotions of confusion. Weiss becomes shocked over Ruby's fall.
Curious Cat: No, no, no, no!
Jaune looks to find the Cat running towards the vine-covered hole.
Curious Cat: I needed her! I NEEDED HER!
The Cat attempts to scratch the vines that cover the entire hole pointlessly. They growl in anger. They hear the loud sound and look up to the Tree. The Cat looks away before slowly turning around, giving a sharp sneer.
Jaune: Take us to her, now!
Curious Cat: You still don't get it, do you? It's not a place you go. It's a place you know. But no matter... I actually found a much better solution to my problem.
The Cat gives a powerful roaring beam at everyone, blasting them away, crashing against the walls. Jaune lands onto Juniper, who catches him in time. The Cat's form begins to grow bigger with their colors changing to white with clear black square patterns. The Cat flies towards Neo.
Curious Cat: You've lost something most important, haven't you? And now you have nothing left. How delightful! An empty host, perfect for me to fill.
Neo widens her eyes in utter shock as the Cat forces her mouth open and dives inside of her. Jaune regains his posture before turns around to see the Cat attempting to take over Neo's body, to his shock. Neo opened her eyes, sharing the Cat's eyes.
NeoCat: The Rusted Knight. Goodness, am I tired of your little sob story. You can't even accept your own futility. This body will do.
With that, the rest of the group faced a bigger threat. The Curious Cat had revealed their true nature.
YOU ARE READING
The Tale Of X-49: A RWBY Story
ActionWhen a mysterious robot is discovered, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long take him in as both a brother and protector. In the years that followed, the robot known as X-49 would forge a powerful bond with them that will give the robot a purpose beyond his...
