"Cookies..." Ruby almost begged for those chocolatey treats that refused to leave her mind, this being the second time since she opened her tired eyes after falling asleep in the morning, and her stomach was rumbling like a hungry lion. "Sugar..."
It was already almost night outside, and both Weiss and her still couldn't move freely, their bodies empty of energy to make them look miserable at the moment.
Inevitably, even if very little, there was a distant thought of regret percolating in the back of their minds for having undergone that ritual.
While they did get stronger, at levels they still didn't have a full scope on, it was only for a short period of time, and now they never feel weaker.
"What are you now, Ruby?" Weiss asked weakly as she felt embarrassed that she wasn't much better. "Some kind of Zombie?"
One who wanted to eat treats instead of real food when they clearly needed nutrients to recover faster.
"If they take any longer to come back, I might actually end up turning into one!" Ruby replied softly before realizing something. "Wait, do you know what a Zombie is?" This was the part that got her attention the most, but it shouldn't be that surprising since this friend of hers also knew what a Terminator was. "In that case, we should watch some movies together!"
That way, the two of them could stay up all night, being too afraid to sleep!
Surely something that would make them true besties!
"I may have had a reclusive life, but not that reclusive." That, and Weiss was regretting watching some things that didn't let her sleep for days, and she wasn't interested in repeating the dose anytime soon. "Besides, right now, all I want is to be able to stand up without needing help."
The exact opposite of what happened when she woke up and tried to get out of bed, her legs gave up soon after, causing her to fall to the floor and nearly injure herself.
What was worse was having to depend on her other teammates.
She couldn't even look directly in the eyes of those two right now, for many different reasons.
Yang still had that resentment of hers that sharpened her tongue to speak her mind, and it irritated Weiss to no end.
As for Blake...this girl was interested in Vegeta the same way she was, and that inevitably weighed on her mind.
One of them was going to end up getting hurt at the end of this.
While they weren't exactly best friends, after all the time they had spent together as a team, they definitely got along well and hardly wished the worst for each other.
Something to think about later. Weiss would deal with it when the time came, even if she didn't intend to be the one with the broken heart in the end. Now, I'd better focus on recovering.
Following Vegeta's advice seemed to be the best course of action, where they were even examined by the local nurse, and their condition could only be described as anemic exhaustion.
In other words, Weiss and Ruby needed to eat and get plenty of rest before even remotely considering returning to that prince to actually begin their training.
A goal that remained the same, regardless of how inconvenient this temporary side effect was. Even more so now.
The school was in a state of chaos, just like the city of Vale, where the other students from the upper years and the professors were being assigned to some missions. They didn't get many details, but it certainly had something to do with Vegeta.
The fear of the golden light and those two tremors have attracted the Grimm.
Even more, the most recent incident hadn't even cooled down before something else happened, and this time, they couldn't do anything to help, even if they wanted to.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for medicine, so to speak, to arrive, and Weiss would never admit to being happy to see these two girls in black and yellow, where her empty stomach was shamefully agreeing with her.
"Anyone here ordered delivery?" Yang entered the room with several bags in her hands, followed by Blake, who was not much different, and the rumbling of a pair of stomachs was answer enough for her. "Food is here, ladies!"
She didn't even need to state the obvious, where the smell in the air was enough to make Ruby find the strength to sit up in bed and stretch out her arms, almost begging like a child on easter.
"Me, me!" She was literally drooling, asking. "My cookies!"
Hunger led to sugar abstinence, and her addiction was big like that.
"Only after you eat real food, Ruby," Weiss needed to be the voice of reason, as usual, even if at this point she didn't care about any of it, and being stared at by her classmates in a way that didn't seem to bring good news. "Please tell me you brought real food?"
Otherwise, she wouldn't let these girls hear the end of it!
"Urgh, even in this state, you are still a pain in the ass." Yang didn't understand where all this bitterness was coming from...or maybe she knew? "I think you are the one who really needs to take a hot bath~"
The suggestion was clear as day, and red as the color of this princess's skin was turning, either from shame or anger.
Probably both, and as amusing as that was, the look her partner was giving her reminded her of the conversation they had earlier in the morning.
Not only did they talk about Vegeta a lot, where Blake managed to dodge the topic altogether because of the commotion taking place all around, but she even got Yang to agree to no longer deliberately antagonize the little princess.
When provoked first, however, she wouldn't hesitate to put this girl in her place.
At least, verbally speaking. Physically, she couldn't even stand, and that was almost punishment enough.
"Don't worry, Weiss," Blake interjected before this went the same way as always, where her partner was making a very weak effort at keeping her promise. "I made sure to pick up enough healthy and nutritious food for both of you."
A wise decision, as her partner only wanted to bring desserts for her little sister, showing how spoiled Ruby was.
"Thank you," Weiss expressed a smile as she gave her gratitude, it being the least she could do for consideration. As for Yang. The gesture and kindness shown by her died as she faced this foul-mouthed girl, "At least someone on the team thinks."
Besides herself, obviously.
"Hmph, you forgot the part where I can walk by myself, too." Yang's response was less aggressive than it should have been, being more concerned with feeding her hungry little sister, who, incredibly, wasn't complaining about having real food instead of some candy. "Remember that next time you're kissing the ground, princess."
Two could play that game.
Weiss wanted to say a thing or three to this girl, but Blake practically shut her up by shoving food in her mouth.
"You can argue with her later," she said; however, she hoped the opposite would happen. "You too, Yang. This is no time to be picky."
Since Ruby was far from being able to perform her role as the anchor that held this team together, Blake would do it in her place.
Yang said nothing, just looked at Weiss for a second before continuing to help Ruby.
Weiss did the same, and her desire to reconcile with this girl still existed, even if very little.
For, in the end, they were teammates and shouldn't hate each other...maybe just a little.
"How are you guys feeling?" Blake changed the focus of the conversation, this being a question that was more than essential. "Not one other symptom besides weakness and hunger?"
Before answering, Weiss tried to hold the fork offered by Blake and feed herself, but to no avail. The strength in her fingers simply disappeared, and the fork fell out of her hand, which was shaking nonstop.
"I feel like crap." Weiss doesn't like that kind of wording, but nothing else could describe the act of being unable to do more than move her mouth without feeling like she was going to pass out. I hope this ends soon.
Otherwise, she would really start to regret her choice even if she had obtained a new power.
"You look like that, too," Yang couldn't help but say, to which she received another stare from more than one pair of eyes. "What? I'm agreeing with you!"
Worst of all was the truth behind what Weiss said, for Ruby was in the same boat.
Although these two had slept for almost a day, they had dark circles under their eyes and undeniably tired faces.
"I think you have lost weight," Blake commented, something that her eyes were able to perceive. "That ritual really drained you both."
While awakening Aura for the first time could have a similar result based on the amount the person had, it didn't even come close to being that extreme.
Something to keep in mind in case they also decide to go through the same after getting Vegeta's approval.
"Yesterday, I felt so powerful, almost like nothing in this world could stop me," Weiss said as she looked down at her trembling hand; the memory still vivid in her mind, along with the feeling of power coursing through her veins and exuding from her body like waves in a way capable of affecting even her surroundings as if it were magic. "But now... I can't even feed myself."
While the Ki was still there and she could feel and control it, it was but a trace when compared to before.
In fact, she was afraid to try and use that power again...for now, at least.
"What is that I hear in your voice?" Yang had already imagined this to be the case, but now she was almost certain of it. "Regret?"
Undeniably, in her voice was her resentment directed at everything else that had been going on since she met that prince.
"Like you don't want to have all that power too," Weiss replied on the same note, just being somewhat normal at this point. "Besides, nothing comes for free."
The girl who loves to say "No pain, no gain" so much should know that better than anyone.
"Oh, I do," Yang would never deny that. There is no one in the world in their right mind who would reject the chance to get their hands on that kind of power. Enough to make an entire kingdom tremble, and honestly, no one should be that strong. "But where is it?" She looked around, pretending to search for something she knew didn't exist at that moment. "All I see now is that you two are weaker than ever!"
That was the truth.
However, to contradict her, a new source of light appeared to illuminate the room and make Weiss and Blake's eyes widen in surprise before Yang followed suit.
That's because, next to her, her little sister was repeating a more than familiar and troubling scene.
"You mean this?" Ruby had her hand outstretched where a single point of white light glowed in her palm; one that she could feel constantly draining what little energy she still had. "Vegeta didn't lie, so stop fighting; all of you."
That was what she had to say until the Ki in her hand suddenly turned red with the involuntary manifestation of her Aura and almost escaped her control when vertigo hit her hard.
"Ruby!" Yang was quick to hold her little sister, who was about to fall out of bed, worry almost making her panic. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"
Anger born of fear was there as she imagined the worst, and with good reason.
"There's no telling what would happen to them if Vegeta hadn't interrupted their continuous flow of Ki."
Blake's words were there, along with her theory that Ki could represent energy in its purest form.
Using that power could be the same as throwing your lifespan away, and that couldn't happen!
Yang had to take Ruby all the way to Vale to that bastard and pray she would get there in time!
While she cursed the fact that she had no way to contact that prince and tried not to panic along with the other girls in the room, Ruby smiled weakly as she did the opposite of before and showed her hands devoid of the light that burned life to result in death.
"I-It's okay, Yang," she did her best to demonstrate that, even if the truth couldn't be more different, and reassure her sister, "I-I can stop if I want to."
Kind of.
Having almost nothing in the tank, to begin with, certainly helped with that a lot.
Also, manipulating Ki was much easier than manipulating Aura, she noticed.
Unlike Ki, which could be moved freely throughout the body, with Aura, you either manifested it all over your body, or it almost refused to obey.
As for Ki, the difficulty was only in the act of identifying this hitherto foreign power, where Ruby spent every possible second after waking up trying to relive that feeling from when she was with Vegeta.
Just as Weiss said, at that moment, Ruby also felt like she was a goddess, and she couldn't get it out of her head.
That must be why it didn't take long for her to find the remnants of her Ki and have this new source of power responding to her like second nature.
I bet Weiss already knows all this, too. Ruby didn't know how, but she could almost feel it. Just as it was earlier when we were pretending to sleep.
It was hard to explain, and she was sure she wasn't imagining things, but it was almost as if her partner had a "bigger" presence, and it wasn't long before that theory was proven correct when she suddenly felt cold.
"Ruby!" Weiss had her blue eyes sparkling for a second, and the temperature of the room dropped as if the icy wind of a winter's day had invaded the place. "Are you out of your mind?! Using a power that could end up killing you for no good reason?!"
Ever since she woke up, she had been holding back from bringing this power out for knowing better, and this reckless girl just went and did it!
There had to be a limit to everything!
"B-but Weiss, you just used it too!" Ruby felt chills for more than one reason, whether it was the cold or the look she was getting. Ice Queen, all right.
More and more, this girl's nickname suited her.
Weiss heard this and looked down at her glowing hands, her heart skipping a beat in fear.
W-what am I doing?! Making the same mistake she just condemned! I need to stop!
And stop she did, after closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, but not without suffering the consequences of her emotional response.
At least dizziness and weakness were much better than the pessimistic alternative she had in mind.
"Weiss, are you okay?!" Blake held her in place and almost regretted doing so, her Aura having to work to protect her from the resulting cold that the mere act of touching this teammate to help her. So much power even in this state...
Imagining what this girl would be capable of when she was fully recovered brought to life previously ignored concerns.
In the end, as much as she tried not to think about it, Weiss was still a Schnee who hated the White Fang.
What would happen if someday Adam and the others decided to do something irreversible?
At this point, it was no longer a question of if but when.
So there was a big chance that Weiss would decide to take matters into her own hands, and that couldn't happen.
I really need to convince Vegeta to give me a second chance. This had nothing more to do with a competition for that man's heart, one that Weiss also had a clear advantage over, but rather to do with a matter of balance. No one should stay at the top alone.
Eventually, ideas will take shape, and having the power to bring these ideas to life could throw the world off track.
Of course, this was all just speculation. After all, Blake knew that Weiss was a decent girl, even if she was a bit emotional sometimes, and overall rational.
Besides, Vegeta was out there, standing on top of the world, doing nothing bad, as far as she knew, and probably wouldn't allow his gift to be used selfishly.
That little questioning and reasoning behind Yang's rejection suggested that.
And even if he didn't get involved, Ruby definitely would, given her pure heart, and help prevent something bad from happening in the future.
The girl was proving to be a better and better leader as time went on, to the point where she would ignore her own welfare if it meant keeping her team together.
Reason for Blake to want to join them at the top; not just to have one more opposition, but to be able to support this girl she was beginning to admire, and who would surely leave her mark on the world someday.
"I think that answers your question, Yang." Blake would leave her concerns born of the layers of ice that Weiss created for later and focus on the one other problem that needed to be addressed now: the possible collapse of this team. "The power that Vegeta has granted them is not something lethal or temporary."
Quite the contrary, this change, while extremely exhausting, was permanent, and she couldn't wait to have the same opportunity.
She wasn't the only one.
Yang said nothing; regret was hitting her for good, and it was turning into endless frustration.
Why did things end like this?
She hated that!
Feeling like everything she had done was wrong when in truth, Yang only wanted her little sister's well-being and to keep her out of danger!
Yet... all she managed to do was the opposite by letting herself get carried away as usual because of her endless confidence and angering someone who shouldn't have been angered.
Even now, she was letting the result of her own actions influence her even more, and in a way that would end up breaking up the team her little sister was willing to risk her own life for.
"I'm sorry," Yang finally said in the form of a whisper, her eyes creating tears that she vowed never to shed again. "For everything."
Unexpected didn't even serve as a word to define the surprise of the other girls in the room.
If there was one thing Yang would have done and they expected to have to deal with, it would be a combination of red eyes and fire, along with hate-filled words.
Those tears held far more weight than any words of regret ever could, especially coming from this girl.
"I-it's okay, sis!" Ruby tried, not knowing what else to say! That's because the opposite is what always happens!
One more reason for her to give her all once again, as she found the strength to raise her arms and have her sister closer, the same way she would have done for her.
A gesture that had such an effect that once again, Yang was reminded of her mother, Summer, and Ruby felt exactly like that, a red summer flower that could outshine the sun.
Strangely, that wasn't the only surprise, as suddenly the girl who represented the cold on the team had warmed up a bit to the scene before her, one she envied as she thought of her own sister.
"I...have to apologize too," Weiss decided to take that step after witnessing what felt like an impossible thing up to that point, this being something that should have been resolved long ago. "I suppose I didn't try to make things easier between us or for the team, and for that, I apologize."
Being antagonized and antagonizing became normal after resenting faunus for so long because of the White Fang, so much so that she forgot that she needed to be better than that, to be different from what she repudiated.
Otherwise, how could change happen?
The reason she wanted more power wasn't motivated only by selfishness and an inferiority complex, and Weiss needed to start honoring her word.
"Who are you and what have you done with the Ice Queen?" Yang didn't know what else to say, feeling terrible knowing that what this girl said applied much more to herself than anyone on the team. It's not for nothing that men rejected me.
While Yang wanted to enjoy her freedom to the fullest and make up for it after having used most of her childhood taking care of Ruby, something she didn't regret doing but which definitely felt more like an obligation than anything, she could no longer continue being childish like this.
It was an ironic thought to have, where she constantly considered herself a mature woman for all her rebelliousness and boldness, but one who couldn't be any more naive.
"She went to drink in a bar somewhere while Yang decided to become a nun," Weiss smiled as she gave an appropriate sarcastic response, but without the same usual level of hostility. Inevitable, I suppose, but it's a start.
After all, some things simply couldn't be changed entirely, and this girl before her was more than willing to prove that.
"A nun?" Yang flashed her predatory and more than suggestive smile. "That's hot, I like it."
Laughter followed closely behind that, and Blake, as well as Ruby, couldn't help but express a genuine smile at being assured that their team had taken another step in the right direction, ever closer to becoming a family.
So, with fear and conflict out of the way, their day ended without further incident, with Ruby and Weiss falling asleep after devouring everything their teammates brought for them and a little more, neither of them being able to believe that they could and needed to eat that much in order to finally be satisfied.
Now, all that was left was to rest so that they could fully recover and finally begin their training under Vegeta's tutelage, and they couldn't wait for it!