Work Text:
“Penny!” Ruby yelled, kicking sand up behind her as she runs toward the, now human, girl. “Penny!” Penny turned around and smiled, giving her a wave. Ruby loved her smile, whenever Penny smiled she always thought it lit up the room, bringing in even more happiness, more than any human she knew. At this moment though, it brought Ruby relief. Relief that her girlfriend was alive, relief that she wasn’t alone. “Penny you’re alive! Thank the gods you’re alive.”
Ruby really wanted a Penny hug right now, she wanted to cry on her shoulder and let it all out, she was scared, she had no idea where they were, if any of her teammates were alive, or how to get back to the others. What she did know though, was that Penny’s hugs were comforting, that she could cry to her and Penny would listen, Penny would stroke her back and hum to her while she wept, eventually falling asleep in her arms. That’s what she did the night they came to Atlas, when it was safe to let the emotions from the trip out and the fact that her best friend was safe and sound. That’s what she did after the fight with the Ace-ops, and that’s what she wants right now. But as she came closer Penny made no attempt to come to her, made no attempt to comfort her, didn’t even respond to her calling her name.
“Penny!” She took another step towards her, but before she could take another,
“Ruby NO” out of the corner of her eyes, ruby saw a glint of silver making its way towards Penny. She didn’t think, because she never does when it comes to protecting those she loves, she will do anything to make sure they were okay. So she blocks the blade from Penny.
“Weiss?” She asked seeing that the attacker was the Schnee dust company heiress with whom she grew to care for and became great partners on the battlefield. “Weiss, what is going on? Why are you attacking Penny?” Not answering Weiss pushed her to the ground, stepping over her and blocking her from Penny. “Wh-” She was about to protest, but she saw Penny’s blade coming for her. She looked at Penny, and then to Wiess. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”
Weiss’s stance was ready to attack once again, “Ruby listen that’s not-” Penny grabbed ahold of her blades, and before Weiss could finish what she had to say, she ran towards her, blade clashing with blade.
“Weiss stop, please stop” Ruby felt helpless, her one friend attacking her girlfriend she’s on the sideline, no weapon to be found. She could try and step in, but her hand-to-hand was lacking, especially if it was against someone who had a weapon. And she had no idea who to help, her partner? Whom she’s supposed to have her back. The same partner that helped her take down a leviathan, that chose to go with her over helping her own sister. Or Penny? Someone who genuinely saw the good in everyone, someone who wanted to make the world a better place, someone who made her world a better place. Someone whom she loved with all of her heart because she’s been there for Ruby, allowing her to be herself amongst all of the chaos of being a seventeen-year-old fighting a war of the Gods, against an immortal witch who wants nothing more than to destroy humanity.
“Ruby” The two swords clinked together, “Ruby you have to” Weiss tumbled to the side, using Myrtenaster to support her, she got herself up, sitting on her knees. “You have to listen, can you hear me?” Ruby could, in fact, hear her, however responding felt impossible. Was she even breathing? She couldn’t even see anything, everything was blurry. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t breathe, How was this happening why was this happening.
“Ruby, come on Ruby,” She felt cold hands on her arms, shaking her “Come on you got to get up like yesterday.” Suddenly the coldness was gone, instead scorching hot heat replaced it.
“Weiss?”
“Ruby! Ruby listen that’s not Penny.” Not Penny? Of course, it’s Penny! Who else could it … “Neo! Neo fell down with you remember.” No. NO. It couldn’t NO. She didn’t have the heart to fight Penny, even if it wasn’t actually Penny. Her face felt wet all of the sudden. Tears? Were those tears? She came back to reality being grounded by someone grabbing her and forcing her onto the ground. Penny. No. Neo, on top of her. With a yelp she twisted so they were both on the ground, and kicked her hard in the stomach, causing the allusion of Penny to dissipate, and replaced with it appeared the white button-up shirt Neo was wearing, the black coat abandoned in the fall. Ruby scrambled, getting behind Weiss.
“Weiss, what do we do ? I … I don’t have crescent rose.”
“Run,” Weiss responded, bolting in the opposite direction. Ruby activated her semblance, taking Weiss with her, making it a short distance before her aura broke. “You dolt!”
“You said to run”
“Run. Not use your semblance that much with low aura.” Weiss yelled.
“Well, we lost sight of Neo that's all that matters.”
“NO that's not all that matters, we don’t know where we are and you have no aura! You can easily get hurt.”
“I get it! Okay, I get it! I'm worthless now. I don’t have aura, I don’t have a weapon, and I ran right into a trap!”
“Ruby… can we, can we talk about that for a second”
“I get it, I should have been more aware, I should have realized that it wasn’t her because she didn’t respond, her smile was off she-”
“Penny’s dead.” Weiss interrupted.
“What?”
“I’m sorry Ruby,” Weiss put an arm on her shoulder, “Cinder was going to get the maiden powers, she … she asked Jaune to kill her.”
“AND HE DID! HE WENT AHEAD AND JUST KILLED HER LIKE SHE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HER. LIKE SHE WASN’T SPECIAL! SHE JUST BECAME HUMAN, SHE JUST GOT WHAT SHE’S ALWAYS WANTED1 AND JAUNE KILLED HER,” Weiss went to put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, but it got swatted away, “DO NOT TOUCH ME!”
“Ruby, please. Listen to me. Jaune is distraught about this he didn’t wan-”
“JAUNE! JAUNE IS DISTRAUGHT ABOUT THIS! WHAT ABOUT ME? HUH? WHAT ABOUT ME! I LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE FOR A SECOND TIME. FOR GOOD THIS TIME. SHE WAS HUMAN. HUMANS CAN’T COME BACK FROM THE DEAD. ONCE THEY’RE DEAD THEY STAY DEAD. OH, AND WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAYS. YOURS.” Pausing to comprehend what she just said, Ruby starts laughing. “This. This may not have been my idea,” Ruby gasped out in between laughs, “but I still went with the plan, I still lead you all through it. I was the reason that Yang fell, that Blake fell. That the plan went south and that you fell, the reason that Penny is, Penny is.” Ruby couldn’t even finish the sentence falling into hysteria.
“Ruby!” Ruby fell to her knees, laughing turning into gut-wrenching sobs. “I got you, Ruby, let it all out,” Weiss said, taking the silver-eyed warrior into her arms. “It’s okay, let it all out.”
“I loved her,” She gasped in between sobs, “I loved her, and” A hiccup escaped from her sobs, “And now she’s gone, forever.”
“Shhhh,” Weiss soothed, “Focus on breathing, okay, you got to focus on breathing.”
After a while, the sobs quieted down and her breathing returned to normal, Weiss thought that Ruby fell asleep but she heard a faint murmur come from her.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive Jaune, even if it was her wish to sacrifice herself, I… I don’t know if I could forgive him for going through with it.” Weiss held her tighter.
“You don’t have to, not yet, not ever, but we do have to work together. To get off this Island and defeat Salam.”
“I know.”