RWBY Volume 9.5

Chapter 1: Qrow

TW: Relapse, Angst

Uncle Qrow finds out about the fate of team RWBYJ.

* * *

"Ruby?! Yang!?"

    Qrow's voice yells out against the rushing waters down below.

No response.

    He screams out again and again, hopelessly calling out for a response from his nieces. The static is deafening. His ears ringing, vision blurring with tears threatening to fall. Robyn places a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

Surely they're alive, right?

    He wipes the tears from his eyes and puts on a brave face.

"We need to get to Vacuo. I'm sure everyone is already there and we don't want to keep them waiting" he says sternly, making his way to the front of the ship.

They're okay. They're all okay. It'll all be ok.

    He keeps repeating this phrase in his head, bouncing his knee anxiously as they fly towards Vacuo. He runs a hand through his hair, trying to distract his mind from the negative thoughts forming.

    Robyn tried to make encouraging statements to lighten the mood, but after a while, the weight of the anxiety was too much for her to continue. The rest of the flight is long and quiet, no one knows what awaits them in the desert.

    After a few hours, the sound of sand hitting the sides of the ship is too loud to ignore. The ever-growing sounds of the storm increase the anxiety in all of them. No one knows what to expect when they get there, they all want to believe the plan worked, but the sight of Atlas falling was worrisome.

    A little while later, the sound of the storm dies down and a pale yellow light shines through the windshield. They all gather, gazing out in awe as they see the city, towering buildings, pyramids and an impressive wall surrounding it all. The long line of people at the gates sparks hope in them all. Qrow has the biggest, proudest grin on his face. All thoughts of anxiety and despair are gone in an instant as he revels in the achievement of his nieces and their teammates. Before anyone can protest, Qrow opens a side door, jumping out and flying towards the crowd.

    He's scanning the thousands of people trudging in, looking for Ruby, Yang, and her friends. He gets to the end of the line, slightly confused since he didn't see them, but chalked it up to them being at the front directing everyone to safety. He quickly flies towards the front, landing on the wall to get a better look. Finally, he spots Winter, but is immediately hit with a sense of dread as she's curled up in a ball, sobbing. She's surrounded by Nora and Ren, both crying as well.

    He jumps down, stumbling toward them, hoping it was just the sand in their eyes.

"What's going on? You guys got everyone out, this is great, right?" He says slightly out of breath.

    Winter looks up, eyes puffy, face red, with a hazy look. She shakes her head, voice breaking as she says, "They're gone." she drops her head again, muffling a sob with her hands.

"What do you mean gone? The plan worked, they should be here, where are they?" He's exasperated, desperate. He can't lose more. There will be nothing left if they're gone.

I can't... I can't breathe... What's happening?

"Winter! Answer me! Where are the kids? They have to be around here-"

"I said they're gone, Qrow. Gone. Dead. I saw my sister and her friends plummet into this... this endless void. I watched her fall, the look of terror on her face. I tried to stop Cinder, but I-" she stumbles over her words trying to fight the urge to sob again.

"What about Ruby and Yang?"

"...Qrow, I'm sorry but-" He's stopped listening at this point, stumbling backward. That was all he needed to shut down.

There's this thing inside him. It's all these emotions growing and growing, threatening to spill over. Rage, despair, denial, all building up. The stress over the years of being a huntsman has been substantial, but no amount of experience could have ever prepared him for this. He doesn't even wait for Winter to finish her statement as he sprints away into the crowd. He doesn't know where he's going, not that he really cares at this point. His heart feels heavier and heavier with each step he takes, as if it's trying to slow him down.

What am I supposed to do now...?

    He bursts through the line out the gates, into the desert. He runs and runs and runs on autopilot before he collapses to his knees. He doesn't know whether it is from exhaustion or the lack of will to go on. He makes one look around, making sure no one is around to hear him before he lets out a heart-wrenching sob, the feelings finally overflowing. With one hand grasping his shirt where his heart is and another on his forehead, he brings his head down to meet his knees. His screams are sent out into the silent desert, disturbing the sand along the way. The sorrow is too much to bear as he claws at his chest in an attempt to stop his heart from feeling. The final piece of himself that he deemed "worthy and good" is gone now, gone with the kids into that bottomless void.

This is my fault. How could I do this to them? What will Tai think?

Oh god... Tai...

    The thought of having to tell their father is too much to bear. Losing Summer was one thing, but both Ruby and Yang? At this point, the emotions have overrun him, merging into a feeling of nothingness. Never in his life has he felt this way. He looks up to the sky, the sun beating down on his skin, providing a gentle warmth to accompany his sorrow. Tears stream down his face as he reaches into his jacket. He examines the half-empty flask, turning it over to find the note Ruby had written on it, it read:

"We believe in you, old man! -Team RWBY"

    After reading it over and over, he hoped that somehow he would hear their voices. That they would just appear in front of him and that it was all just a misunderstanding. They never showed up. With one final read-through, he unscrews the cap. This is the only way he knows how to drown out the noise after all,

    At the bottom of his drink.