RWBY: Meta-Static

Chapter 13 A Rose's Thorns

Ruby's POV:

My eyes fluttered open back in the apartment. My vision was a little blurry as things came back into focus. I was lying in my bed trying to look around-ow! Man, my body feels really sore. What happened? Then I remembered everything that happened at the police station. Seeing Alias, me yelling, Penny changing form, the fight...the way he...bit me. The way he threw me down and beat me with my own scythe. How easy it was for him to overpower me and my sister. The fact...that he knew what my mother's voice sounded like. I tried to sit up, but my back twinged with pain.

"R-Ruby?" I heard a voice moaning weakly. I looked to my side to see Yang lying in the bed next to mine. She looked as beat as I was. "Ruby, you're awake! We've been so worried about you."

"How...how long has it been?"

"We got knocked out at the police station, went to the hospital, and came back here. Nora said it's only been an hour and a half."

"And three and a half? So it's still the same day?"

"I'm afraid so, Rubes."

I sighed. This day could not end soon enough. I just wanted to sleep and let it all be a distant memory. The door opened, and Jaune, Ren, and Blake walked in with trays of food and medicine.

"Hey, Blake," said Yang.

"Hey, sleepyhead, "teased Blake. Then she looked at me. "Oh, Ruby, you're awake too!"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Now we just need him to wake up, too."

"Him who?"

Blake motioned to the side of my bed, where I saw Oscar sleeping. I hadn't even noticed he was there. I poked his cheek, and he stirred. Why do I find this cute? I poked him again, and he woke up. When he saw me, he jumped up but almost fell over.

"Oscar was very worried about you, Ruby," said Jaune, "he didn't leave you the entire time."

I glanced at Oscar, who was beet red. Yang and I took our medicine, though she hated hers, while mine tasted sweet. I could barely care, though.

"This has been a sucky day," grumbled Yang.

"Yeah, it has," Blake said, wiping Yang's mouth.

"I mean, I can't believe he took us out all the times he did." My memory flashed with my sister's words. I remembered the taunts, the anger, my mother, and the overwhelming odds against our enemy. "I just felt so helpless in that fight, and he kept coming at us repeatedly, and I'm so mad right now! But there's nothing we can do to match his power."

"Do you think he's working for Salem?" Ren asked. With his strength and ability, she'd probably want him as an ally or pawn."

I tensed when he said that. If he knew Mom and worked with Salem, then...then...

3rd Person POV:

Oscar noticed Ruby tensing up at their conversation.

"We're gonna find this guy and make him spill what he knows, right, Rubes?" Yang looked at her sister, whose head was hung. "Rubes?" Ruby didn't move. "Ruby?"

"Uh, hey guys," Oscar stood up, "I think we should go and meet the others. We have that team meeting to think about."

"Team meeting?"

"After what happened with that mutant guy," said Ren, "Qrow wanted us to review everything we know about him. The Ace Ops are at the base and trying to see if they can get reinforcements from other kingdoms."