A House Divided

Ruby had gotten to the top without any problems, though she was too late.

Destiny laid just behind Pyrrha while Pyrrha herself on her knees before Cinder, and Cristal had been on the opposite side where she had been; The bow and arrow she held in her hand had been pulled back. She let go of the arrow and it soon pierced Pyrrha's chest, causing Ruby's eyes to widen in horror. Pyrrha had gasped for air only for a brief moment before she had gone limp.

Cinder threw down her bow as she walked up to Pyrrha, placing a hand on her head, before her body had glowed orange. Within a few short moments her body turned to ash, as they blew away into the wind. The only thing that had been left behind was her crown, her bracelet and what looked to be a flower as it had gently touched the floor.

Ruby's eyes welled up with tears as she saw what had been before her; she saw Cristal sobbing as she practically hugged the crown into her chest as she sobbed loudly.

"PYRRHA!!"

Her eyes suddenly emitted white beams of light surrounding everything that had been around her, including the Wyvern, and Cinder who had been just petrified.

The last thing she heard before the world turned white was the sound of Cristal screaming in agony.

***

"It's alright, I gotcha kiddo. I gotcha."

"Cristal! Cristal, wake up! Open your eyes! Please!"

"What the hell do you mean, you couldn't find her!? Destiny was up there with them!"

"... Still nothing."

"Just turn it off. Without the CCT there's no point."

"Communications down across the entire Kingdom… No way to contact the outside world… And Ozpin is still missing…"

"Yeah…"

"This is bad Qrow…"

"Yeah… This is bad…"

***

Ruby let out a groan as she started to open her eyes.

She found herself in a room all too familiar to her as she had been wearing her gray dotted PJs. She sat herself as she looked around wondering how she had gotten there before she noticed someone at her bedside. It had been a teenage girl, around Yang's age as she wore a green flannel shirt with a pair of jeans. Just from the red streaks in her short black hair, she knew who it had been.

"... Maize…?" Ruby said as she shook her awake.

The girl named Maize let out a groan before she picked up her head; her golden yellow eyes soon widened with relief.

"Ruby!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around her,"Thank the Gods, you're up!"

Ruby only groaned in agony causing Maize to let go of her. It hadn't been long before she ran to the door, shouting down the hall, "Dad! Uncle Tai! Come quick, Ruby's awake!"

Ruby only sat in her bed shocked before she heard footsteps coming from the hall. It hadn't been long before Tai, her father, came in, looking just as relieved as Maize had been.

"Ruby!" He said as he ran to her side, "You're awake!"

Ruby let out another groan, "What happened?"

"My dad found you." Maize explained, "You were unconscious, but he got you and Yang home safely."

Ruby's eyes soon widened, "Yang! Is she alright?!"

Tai and Maize looked at one another as their gaze had softened slightly. "She's…" Tai started to say hesitantly, "... She's gonna be alright. I think it's just going to take some time for her to… Get used to things."

Ruby couldn't help but feel concerned about her sister; though it hadn't been long before Maize gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about your sister." Maize said as she gave a reassuring smile, "We both know she's strong. Something like this won't stop her."

Tai couldn't help but sniffle as he rubbed his eye a little, preventing a tear from falling, "I'm just glad to have my girls back home."

"What about the school!?" Ruby soon asked, "And Vale!? Were they able to clear out the Grimm!?"

"The city is all under control." Maize soon replied, "But the school I'm afraid isn't that simple. The Wyvern isn't dead, and it's just drawing more and more of the Grimm."

"Now, don't get me wrong, you did a number on it." Tai soon added, "But it's just kind of… Frozen. I know it doesn't sound bad, but everyone is doing everything they can to draw the Grimm away."

Ruby took a moment to process this newfound information, though she couldn't help but be more confused by it.

"I did… What?" She soon asked. The two of them had been taken back by this as they looked to Ruby surprised.

"You said I did a number on it…" Ruby said to her father, "... What do you mean by that?"

"You mean…" Maize started to ask, "... You don't remember…?"

"Remember what?" She asked her, as she looked even more surprised. Maize had been about to say something but Tai had been quick to stop her.

"Look, we can talk about it later." He told them, "Things are just… Kind of a mess."

"It's always a mess."

The four of them looked over to the door as they saw Qrow standing there, drinking from his flask, till it had been empty. "Mind if we have a minute?" Qrow asked.

"What, I can't stay here?" Tai said harshly, "Not even your daughter?!"

"Tai." Qrow said calmly, "Please."

Maize noticed the look in Tai's as she put a hand on his shoulder, "Uncle Tai." She said softly, "Just let dad and Ruby talk."

After a moment Tai let out a sigh, before he stood. He soon kissed Ruby on her forehead, making her turn red a little mostly because she had been embarrassed, "I'm glad you're alright."

"We'll be back with some tea." Maize soon said, before she told her father, "I'm gonna… Try to get Melody again. Okay?"

Qrow had a sad look in his eye before he nodded; without another word Tai and Maize both left the room leaving the two of them be. Qrow soon took a chair and pulled it up to Ruby's bedside before taking a seat.

"So…" He started to say, "... How are you feeling?"

"Um… I kind of hurt all over." Ruby replied.

"That makes sense after what you did." He told her.

Ruby only seemed irritated at this, "You guys keep saying that! That I did something--What are you talking about!?"

"Ruby…" He said leaning forward in his seat, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ruby still looked confused as she replied hesitantly, "I ran up to the side of the tower… But when I got to the top--"

She soon let out gasp as her eyes widened.

"Pyrrha!" She exclaimed, "Is she--?!"

Qrow looked at her solemnly, "... I'm sorry Ruby… She's gone."

Tears began to form as she started to cry; despite this she continued with her voice cracking, "I--I got to the top--I saw Pyrrha--Destiny--Cristal--And Cinder. And then everything went white!"

"Anything else?" He asked.

Ruby dried her tears, "I remember--My head hurting--And I heard Cristal screaming…"

Qrow's expression changed slightly at this; it hadn't been long before he changed his question. "The night you met Ozpin." He said, "What was the first thing he said to you?"

"I--I don't know." She replied, "I think it was something about my…"

"You… Have silver eyes…"

"My eyes…?"

"Your silver eyes." Qrow soon clarified, "That's an extremely rare trait."

"So?" She said she gave a quizzical look.

Qrow soon started to explain as he sat back in his chair, "You're special Ruby. And in the, 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. You're special in the same way your mother was." Ruby's expression changed at this as she felt interested. Qrow soon continued on, "Remnants full of legends and stories. Some of them are true and some of them are made up. But there's one thing that Oz told me from a very long time ago. It was said that those born with silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see the creatures of Grimm--The most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of the silver eyed warrior. They were the best of the best. It was said that even one look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down."

Qrow couldn't help but laugh, "... When you think about it… It's a ridiculous story."

"Wait…" Ruby said as she had been processing this, "... So… Do you think I might be…?"

"Well…" Qrow said as he stood up, "... A giant monster currently frozen on top of Beacon tower, and your here… Safe and sound in bed."

"Wait a minute!" Ruby soon said as he went to the window, "How do you know what Ozpin said to me? The night I met him… How did…?"

Qrow stayed silent before he gave his response, "... All the missions I go… All the times I've left Maize and Wren to go to some far off place… It's all been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion, and with Ozpin gone, I'm gonna have to pick up where he left off."

"Then what can I do?" Ruby soon asked, "If I'm so special… Then I can help! Right?"

Qrow looked over to her, "You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now. Besides… Our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip…" He gave a wink, "... For a pipsqueak like you."

With that being said, Qrow took his leave, leaving Ruby alone in the room. She had been contemplating on what Qrow had told her as she looked at her reflection, for a moment she placed a hand on her face; she still found it hard to believe, though she never doubted her uncle before. She trusted him with her own life.

She soon looked at her wrist, as she still wore Destiny's bracelet. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her team, Cristal and Destiny. They were the only things that had been on her mind. She knew there had been only one person that could tell her.

She stood up from her bed as she started to go down the hall where Yang's room had been. When she opened the door to her room, she saw her looking out the window, holding the corgi plush close to her and her weapon and bracelet sat on the dresser.

She cracked the door open a bit more, before she called out softly, "... Yang…?"

She had gotten no answer from her as she still had her gaze out the window. Ruby's expression softened, and she turned to leave.

"... Ruby."

Ruby stopped as she turned to Yang, and she turned to her; tears had been visible in her lavender eyes. Ruby ran to her side as she gave her a hug, though Yang remained stiff.

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Ruby said with relief.

"... But I'm not." Yang said.

Ruby gently pushed herself out of the hug, her eyes softening as she saw Yang's arm bandaged.

"... It's all gone…" Yang said, "... The school… Pyrrha… Penny… Even…"

"Yang?" Ruby said, "Where are the others?"

Yang gave her reply, "... Weiss's father came for her."

"What!?" She practically yelled, "Why!?"

"... No one outside of Vale knows what happened…" Yang started to say, "... Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people, and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared, no one knows who to trust. So Weiss's father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone."

Ruby came over the shock before she asked, "What about Cristal? Destiny? And Roman? What happened to them?"

"Qrow brought you and Cristal to the safe zone." She replied, "But… She hasn't woken up since Beacon."

Once more Ruby had been put into shock at this. "Wha…" She said, "What happened to her?"

"... No one knows for sure." She told her, "Qrow found her up on the tower with you, just passed out. The doctors did all that they could, but…" Yang took a deep breath, as she had been preventing tears, before she continued on, "... Qrow brought her back here to Patch with us. She's been staying at the hospital, but all we can do is wait."

"And Destiny…? And Roman…?"

"They're… Both missing."

Ruby gasped as she put her hand to her mouth.

"Jaune told Ironwood about where Destiny went, but nobody saw her come back, or find a trace of her."She said, "And Roman got separated when they tried to get to the safe zone."

"Well, what about--"

"And Blake ran!"

Ruby had been taken back by Yang's tone as she flinched.

"Sun saw her go." Yang explained, "After we got to the city… She just… Ran!"

"But why!? Why would she do that?!"

"I don't know… And I don't care…"

Ruby's expression changed, "There has to be a rea--"

"NO THERE DOESN'T!" Yang shouted, making her freeze, "Sometimes bad things just happen Ruby!"

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, as she didn't want to anger her sister. "... So…" She soon said, "... What do we do?"

Yang let out a sigh, "... You can do whatever you want… I'm gonna lie here for awhile."

"Yang…" Ruby said, as she reached out to her.

"Please…" Her sister begged, "I just wanna be left alone…"

Ruby couldn't help but have a solemn look in her eyes. She couldn't even think of anything more to say, as she turned to the door making her exit.

"... I love you…" Ruby said, before she left her alone, per her request.

Yang watched her sister leave in the reflection of the window, before she looked to the plush in her hand. She couldn't help but think of the little girl who had won it for her. She couldn't help but think back to her older sister. The two she met… Before all of this began. Though it had only been three weeks for others, for them, it had felt like three years. They all had their fun, felt drama, they've been there for each other. Destiny and Cristal… They became more than just their friends.

They became their family.

But now Cristal was barely clinging to life, and who knows what had become of the poor little girl. She held the plush close to her, as she had been practically hugging it. Small wet spots began to form at the top of the plushie's head as thought of Cristal and Destiny plagued her mind.

"Cristal…" She started to say as her voice cracked, "... Destiny… Why did this happen…?"

***

Team RWBY and JNPR had sat on the rooftop of the dormitories with the two sisters, Destiny and Cristal. Tomorrow would be the day when the Vytal Festival would begin.

Everything was all set.

The fairgrounds, the teams from the different academies and the coliseum up in the sky. They felt prepared for what they were going to face tomorrow. Although they were honestly nervous about what they were going to do, and witnessed. They had decided to take their minds off it by having a late night picnic. They had a blanket set up, and were playing a game of old maid.

"YES!" Destiny cheered, "I'M THE FIRST ONE OUT!!"

The two teams groaned as well as Cristal.

"That's the third time!" Ruby exclaimed.

"How are you so good at this!?" Jaune yelled.

"Are you sure you're not cheating?" Cristal asked her sister as she gave her a look.

"Maybe your just too good of a teacher!" Destiny said teasingly. Cristal stuck her tongue out at her, and Destiny did the same, making the rest of the team laugh. It hadn't been long before Destiny saw something in the sky.

"Hey look at that!" She said as she pointed over to it.

There they saw a shooting star fall from the sky.

"A shooting star!" The child said, "I've never seen one before…"

"Lucky you Dessie! You get to make a wish!" Yang said.

Destiny looked surprised at this, "Is that okay? You guys don't want to make one?"

"No, no, that's not how it works!" Nora said, "If you're the one to see it first, than you get to make one!"

"Yup, that's the rules Princess." Cristal said, "Now you can make any wish you want."

"Well… Okay…" Destiny said as she twiddled her thumbs. She put her hands together as she closed her eyes, "I wish… For everyone to do there best in the Vytal Festival… To have the best time of their lives… For myself and Cristal too… And… And…" They soon noticed that she started to tear up at the thought of her father; At this Cristal went to hug her.

Though the two of them had been taken back when the whole group went to hug them; they had been practically sandwiching them.

"Okay, you guys are overdoing it a bit." Cristal said.

"You know you love it!" Nora said to her.

"Thanks you guys…" Destiny said as she wiped away her tears.

"Hey, it's what friends are for you know." Ruby said with a smile.

"We'll be here for you." Pyrrha said, "We always will."

Destiny smiled as she giggled, her face turning a little red.

"Hey guys." Weiss said, "Look up there."

The group looked to the sky as they had been taken back at a breathtaking sight. There they saw the sky had been practically lit up, with stars as each of them fell across the sky. "Woah…" Jaune said as if his breath had been taken away.

"I've seen nothing like this…" Ren said.

Ruby soon stood up, before she turned to the two teams, "You guys! I have a good feeling about tomorrow! Let's give it our all in the tournament! And may the best team win!"

While the rest of her team cheered, JNPR couldn't help but smile at one another. Destiny and Cristal turned to each other.

"Do you think… We'll see daddy again?" Destiny asked with concern.

Cristal only smiled, as she tapped her nose, "... Of course. We promised, remember?"

Destiny smiled once more before she nodded, as the two of them watched the stars fall from the sky.

***

Time had passed since the now named incident, the fall of Beacon, and no one had been the same since the Grimm Invasion and those that survived Vale. Fall came and went, through the small island as snow practically covered the entire plain around. Ruby had been in the room, going through her drawers and practically stuffing whatever she could find into a gray bag.

"Okay." Ruby said, "Sleeping bag, check, fresh clothes, check, money check---"

She let out a groan as she tapped herself on the head, "... What am I missing?"

"Your ammo belt silly."

Ruby jumped at a familiar voice. She looked to her doorway as she saw it had been Maize, holding her ammo belt.

"You're gonna need it if you want to use your Crescent Rose." She told her.

Ruby went over to take the ammo belt from her, "Thanks…" She said surprised, as she put her ammo belt around her waist.

Maize only chuckled as she went over to the bed; she took the clothes out of the bag before she started to fold them up properly, considering the fact that they had all been scrunched up and wrinkled.

"You were never one to be tidy, huh?" Maize said amusingly, "... Your just like my sister."

"Maize…" Ruby said worried, "... You…?"

"If you're worried about Uncle Tai than don't." Maize said, "I didn't tell him about this. And as long as you've written that note, than it'll be just fine."

Ruby went over to her as she still had been surprised, "Than you know that I'm…?" Ruby started to say. Maize finished folding as she buckled the bag. For a moment she stayed silent as her hands shook a little.

"You have the same look, like my sister did… The day she left to find Auntie…" Maize told her, "...Even if I wanted to, I know there's no stopping you, or telling you to back out otherwise."

Ruby's eyes softened at the mention of Maize's siter. Maize soon turned her attention towards the window as did Ruby; they saw just outside three familiar faces standing out there waiting for her.

"... Maize…" Ruby said, her voice cracking a little, "... Promise you'll take care of Yang and dad for me…?"

Maize only chuckled softly, "... Of course… But promise me something in return…?"

She finally turned to the young girl in the red hood, and Ruby saw the tears had been visible as they rolled down her cheeks.

"... If you find Melody out there…" Maize said with her own voice cracking, "... Give her a hug for me… Tell her we miss her… And come home soon…?"

Ruby nodded in reply before she gave her a hug; Maize returned it as she started to sob softly as did she. Ruby didn't want to let go of her, but she had to. They had said their goodbyes properly before Ruby gathered her bag and weapon.

She shut the door behind her as she managed to compose herself and wipe away her tears.

"Hey Ruby."

Jaune stoon in front of her, with his sword and bag.

"Hey Jaune." She said with a smile, as she stepped towards him, "Haven's a long way to go."

"I know. But it's the only lead we have."

"And you sure you wanna come along?"

Ren and Nora soon stepped forward, "The journey will be perilous." Ren said, "And whether or not we'll find answers is entirely uncertain."

"But we wouldn't be here, if we weren't up for it!" Nora said.

Ruby smiled at the three of them, "Thanks for doing this you guys."

It hadn't been long before they were taken back by a familiar voice.

"Little Red… Little Red… You're just determined to see this through to the end, huh?"

The group turned and had been taken back by the sight of a familiar man. It was Roman Torchwick, though he didn't have his usual bowler cap like he did before; instead he had a fedora on his head.

"Roman?" Ruby said surprised, "You're here…?"

Roman only gave a smile before he motioned someone to move from behind a tree nearby. Those who stepped from behind the tree brought relief and shock to them at the sight of someone they didn't expect to see. Before them stood a girl, wearing a dark green tank top with a dark blue trench coat and a pair of khakis with brown boots; her black hair looked to be slightly longer than it did before.

"Hey guys… Ya miss me?"

"CRISTAL!"

Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Ren ran over to Cristal as they practically tackled her to the ground. Her back hit the snow as she groaned. "Ow…" Cristal groaned, "... That stings…"

At this they quickly scrambled off of her as she stood up. It was than they noticed her entire left arm had been wrapped in bandages while a scar that looked to be similar to that of a burn, had been visible on the left side of her neck and chest and underneath her chin, just as she finished brushing herself off.

"Are… Are you okay?" Ruby said, shocked at her wounds.

"What do you mean?" Cristal said, gesturing to them, before giving a scoff, "This is nothing I can't handle."

"But--They said you were in a coma!" Ren said, "They didn't think you would wake up!"

"They said, that--" Jaune said as he was holding back his tears, "--That you weren't going to make it!"

"How are you even here right now?!" Nora exclaimed.

Cristal only gave a smile as she replied, "... I guess I had someone above looking out for me."

Ruby laughed softly as she gave her another hug, though this time she had been more gentle. "I'm so glad you're here…"

"Me too Ruby…" Cristal said as she couldn't help but shed a tear, "... I really missed you…"

"I picked her up from the hospital on my way here." Roman soon explained, "I figured you'd need all the help you can get."

Ruby had been taken back when she pushed herself out of the hug, "What do you mean?"

"You did me a favor, Red." Roman said, "You and your friends. You saved my daughters, and you protected them. You convinced me to leave Cinder… So think of this as a way of returning it."

"You did me a favor too." Cristal said to them, "... All my years, I've known nothing but sadness and hiding from an enemy I never saw… I thought my little sister would never experience the happiness I had when mom was still around. But you changed that. You all did. You gave my sister a chance to be a kid again… I could never do what you did."

"I think what she's saying is…" Roman soon said, "... We want to help you with whatever mission you have in mind… And…"

Ruby gave him a smile as she put a hand on his arm, "... You don't have to say it. I know."

She soon took Cristal's hand, "We'll find her, together!"

She started to take them down on the road. Jaune, Ren and Nora soon followed behind them.

"So let's get started!"