Ruby: The Path Ends

Chapter Three

     Yang was furious. She yelled for a while about upsetting Nora after the warning that she was touchy about her lost best friend then things were quiet and she was alone again. It had been nice chatting with Book on the way back but he quickly excused himself when Yang appeared with that 'gonna kill a little sister' look in her eyes.

     Sky still wasn't answering her messages, not that she was surprised. He had new reasons to be mad at her and she was increasingly certain her team was just permanently broken. All she could do was be glad they were all on the same side.

     She did her best to stay distracted with training. Normally Yang helped but it looked like just Mezza, Dove, and Ms. Goodwitch as sparring partners for a while. It was enough, though. She filled her days with fighting and left as little time for thinking as possible. She had to get strong enough to join the others outside the compound. She had to be able to go against Ozpin. She had to.

     "My turn!" The words pulled her out of her daze and she found Crescent Beacon replaced with the training scythe again. Rose was standing across from her with an eager smile.

     "What?" Ruby barely had a chance to register what was going on before the girl's hair was pulled back and she was moving forward. Her focus quickly returned by force as Rose darted, whirled, jumped and lashed out with incredible speed. Ruby had to tap in to her semblance to keep up but the challenge was exhilarating. By the end of the fight both had a few streaks of color but far less on Ruby than she had seen on the girls' other opponents.

     Mezza knelt beside her daughter and pointed out the long streak angling across her stomach. "In a real fight she would have cut you in half. You have to be more careful."

     "I want armor!" She stomped her foot. "When do I get armor?"

     "It wouldn't make a difference in this case. That scythe can cut through most armor." She said firmly as she avoided answering the question. Ruby understood, she didn't want to have armor made both because the girl would outgrow it quickly and because it would make her status as a fighter all the more real.

     "Don't worry." Ruby grinned, picking Rose up. "You'll get armor soon enough. Right now you're still growing fast and we can't afford to make really good stuff until you're big and strong. I'll help you make it when you're ready, okay?"

     "Okay!" She said cheerfully, placated for the moment.

     She had a shadow for the rest of the day as Rose wheedled lessons from her and challenged her to races. It was fun and it all helped her get back in shape so she gladly played along and let herself enjoy it.

     By dinner time she was tired and the girl was practically asleep on her feet. Halfway through the meal she leaned against Ruby and fell asleep. When Dove came to get his daughter she reached out and clung to her neck, mumbling while trying to wake up. "Miss Rubyrose?"

     "Yeah?" She smiled at the adorable, sleepy little face and the way she said her name as if it were one word.

     "Knives're fun but I'm gonna learn all th' weapons..." She yawned, unable to keep her eyes open as she talked. "Can I learn scythe next?"

     "Of course." She kissed Rose on the forehead and grinned at Dove. He chuckled and loosened her grip on Ruby so he could carry her home.

     Once she was alone she sighed, sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. She really missed the cafeteria at Beacon, eating with her team and chatting with anyone willing to talk. Now she ate alone in a repurposed lab unless one of the few people she knew wanted to have their meal with her.