Dead Roses- A RWBY Darkfic

All deaths are inevitable. Even immortal things will perish eventually.

Shadows. Shadows with eyes. Bright red eyes. Bright like spring roses, bight like the inside of Weiss' cloak, which, now that she thought about it was fairly close to the color her blood, currently trying to make a cute, little puddle underneath her broken body. Maybe one or two shades darker, she wasn't quite sure yet.

She tried to move. Hot lances stabbed into her arms, more blood spurted from the wound from where the rusted rebar had impaled her gut. She dared not move her legs, they felt cold enough already.

They were crawling. Closer and closer into her presence. They slithered, they crawled, they tiptoed on many legs. They waded through the red pool, and onto her body, trailing dark patches onto her porcelain skin and dark clothes.

She could feel them. All of Them. Taijuu slithered along her lacerated arms, death stalkers the size of her palm tapped away at her belly, and all manner of other insect-like grimm crawled into the spaces beneath her. Like scavengers to carrion they flocked to her dying body.

"No.", she let out a faint whisper, "Get...away"

So this is how Ruby Rose dies.

[=]

'They taped it off'

Atlesian soldiers patrolled the perimeter of the scene. Not quite far enough to be out of ear shot, not quite close enough to eavesdrop.

"We found this after clearing the tunnels", Ironwood was reading the report on his scroll as he spoke, "we would have missed it entirely if it weren't for the cloak"

"Did you find a body?", Ozpin said.

"No, but we're still looking.", that did nothing to comfort the cold sensation creeping into her stomach.

A broken concrete boulder lay at the far beyond the yellow tape labeled 'do not cross', and just as Ironwood said, the cloak lay there. Her cloak, Ruby's cloak. Impaled upon the rusted, twisted rebar was the little red hood, the hem in tatters, and rusted stains peppered its form, matching the dark pool resting at the foot of the boulder.

"Evidence of Grimm activity?", Ozpin said.

"Everywhere.", the Headmaster shot him a very wry look. Ironwood looked unfazed, "The blood trail ends here, some Grimm tracks were found in blood, but until the lab returns the results we can't be sure that they were from her."

Results. Evidence. Ends. Familiar words, familiar feeling, familiar scent, mixed with blood. Yes this was familiar. This empty feeling creeping into the stomach, the cold embrace that you wished was warmer, resting on your back, whispering into the dark corner of your mind.

Team (R)WBY, stood in rigid silence through the discussion.

Blake, unable to look, cursed her imagination as contemplated the pain their leader felt, the things she would have said, the way her life would undoubtedly end.

Every part of Yang Xiao-Long felt cold, the empty ache in her heart felt like it was crushing the organ, her hands were slack, unfeeling, as though there was no strength left to clench them. Her unfocused gaze was fixed on the red cloak. Her sister's red cloak. Brief flashes of her sister assaulted her memory. Her smiles, the hugs, her moment atop the hill during initiation. Each image sent a bolt through her heart. Yet she could do nothing, no words came to her dry mouth, no tears came to her lilac eyes.

One mother disappeared, her loving step mother disappeared too, now her sister as well, all of them likely dead. Was this her fate? As the last of her family, cursed to search through life for all the other Roses, Xiao-Long, Branwens? Ruby was too young, All of them were too young. Their mothers, her sister. Taken too young, she cursed.

Weiss' blood was boiling.

'How many more?'

How many more had to be taken from her until they were satisfied. 'I've always wanted to kill a Schnee', was what they said to her on the train. Just how many more of them were like that? How many more, she gripped Myrtenaster's hilt with whitening knuckles.

First it was board members, their loss was unfortunate, at least that's how her father phrased it. The company would live. Then extended family started disappearing, an estate burned down, then the ransom notes began flooding in. Oh, how very dramatic, how very theatrical. Then the body parts. In suitcases, packages, small little envelopes with wax seals. How many tears had she shed for her cousins? Uncles? Aunts? Bodyguards? Classmates? Tutors? Friends. Her heart clenched at the word. There was no going back now. There wasn't a way to change that now. She had now lost a friend to the White Fang, although they did not take her, it was by their hand that Grimm reaped Ruby from her life. Thus, their lives were forfeit.

"No more.", she said evenly, "I have had enough"

"Wait-Come back! Wei-"

"Let her go Ms. Belladonna.", Ozpin tapped his cane. "Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow."

The old headmaster looked even older now. Though aura kept the lines of age off his features, nothing could hide the air of experience and wisdom that pervaded his presence. Even now that presence seemed to have aged decades, and dulled. His eyes held a dull wistfulness, as through remembering a sad memory.

He walked over to Yang, "Have hope. Ruby is stronger than you think."

He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Go home and rest, the search will continue.", she turned to him, and gave him a curt, robotic nod.

He cursed himself as she walked away, escorted by Atlesian guards.

I have failed you again, Summer.

[=]

The pain stopped.

A slight dullness invaded her muscles, and her skin seemed numb to all the lacerations the bomb had left her with. Her bones felt numb too. Weakly, she turned her head Taijuu, two-headed snake Grimm, had lashed around her arm, clamping down on the larger lacerations, and fangs buried deep into her skin. She turned to the other, with the same measured slowness, and found it the same. A dull pressure brushed past her neck. It coiled over her throat, and tightened ever so lightly around her windpipe. Then a sharp prick jabbed into the back of her neck, and even more numbness spread to her senses. It was now that she realized, the bright red sphere with a single dark slit, staring directly at her, an arms length away.

[=]

It stared at her, unmoving. Muscles tensed, unwilling to move even a fraction. Yet, they merely eyed each other. It blinked. Its large, blood red iris disappearing beneath a thin layer of mucus membrane, followed by a thicker, scaly hide. She blinked. It blinked. They blanked.

All other senses seemed to dull as time passed. Sounds failed to register, smells of rust faded away, her muscles finally went limp, and the pain faded away. Yet the sight did not change. They stared into each other, both measuring their worth. Seconds passed in deathly silence. Then the exhaustion took hold, and the adrenaline wore away, and all that was left of dear Ruby Rose, was the short vestiges of consciousness that left.

The gentle throbbing in her head, and chest felt it weakening. The gentle lullaby drawing to a close. Yet she wished it not. There were regrets, there was much more to do, much more to say! Who would remember her? What did she leave behind? A memory? Waiting for the years to bury and to be forgotten?

There was still more to do, she tried to flail an arm up, yet nothing answered her. Her body had left her as well.

'I want to live', four simple words yelled out in her mind, soft murmurs in her aura.

[=]

It had pleaded. It had wished to live.

Elder Grimm, were far more attuned to the world of humans, than even humans believed. There were Ursa Majors, and Alpha Beowolves, but even those held only a child's understanding of the standing of humans in this Remnant world. Greater Grimm, like the giant Nevermore, smote upon the cliff side, held greater understanding, well enough to avoid humans, and hunt only those to ventured into their territory.

Goliaths, knew, understood, and avoided direct conflict, patrolling the borders. Watching and waiting for the appropriate moment to strike.

Then there were the Elders.

The truly Elder Grimm, those which time had forgotten, and those which fully understand what it is to be human.

Forgotten things have a nasty habit of being remembered, often in the most terrible of ways.

[=]

Its pleading had brought it to the Elder's presence. It had called out in vain, it held hope in despair. That was not something any Grimm endured. It must be stamped out, extinguished, exterminated.

This was the mandate of all Grimm, feed off negative emotions, foster their growth, through any means necessary. Primarily, killing any and all humans within range.

Yet this is not how the Elder perceived it. To kill one, ten, one hundred, one thousand, would cause unimaginable grief, and the out pour of a deluge of negative emotion. Yet this was brief. Many grim could feed off this energy, grow stronger, ascend the hierarchy of Grimm. Still, it was brief, and their kin would no doubt compete for the resources at hand. Elder Grimm became elder for very specific reasons, their supply of negative emotions, negative aura, was constant. It did not wax or wane like the coming of the shattered moons. It was constant, small but constant.

Then, when presented with a subject like it, drenched in its own life fluids, the red liquid no longer performing its vital function, and it calling out to the Elder with such pleading. How else is the Elder to react to such a delicious subject such as it?

It's life ebbed sharply, and the elder felt it would soon bleed away into the void.

The most ancient and Elder Grimm acted quickly, its scaled body moved like flowing water despite its size, its bat like wings drew close to its body, were silent as the grave as it glided before her. Black horns glistened upon its prow like head, as it passed under the holes of the broken tunnel.

Its head made its way into it's presence, and the Elder's maw gaped, teeth the size of great swords revealed themselves, and crept closer to it's form. The lesser Grimm scattered.

Do you wish to form a contract?

A/N: That concludes the first chapter of Dead Rose, dear reader. I understand its fairly short, but I'm only getting into writing again, and I wanted to experiment at least a little before getting serious. I was never quite good at this before, and my skills have probably gotten duller, but I'm trying at least. With that said, I would like to make some clarifications: 1. This takes place at the end of Vol.2, due to a twist. 2. Italicized "It" refers to Ruby as perceived by the "Elder Grimm" 3. The Elder Grimm is intelligent, to a degree. I took liberties with this largely due to "World of Remnant 3" and Prof. Oobleck's explanation of Goliaths. 4. As for why the Grimm offered Ruby a contract as she lay dyng. I'll leave that for next chapter, cause I'm tired and this story has been floating around in my head too long.

Do note, I also post this on my tumblr, deadrosefic.