AN: ATTENTION! I need your help in finding this story. When you finish the fic, please read the ending author's note as it is important.
Big thanks to TheFinalOrder for being my Beta for this story. Such a huge help with his excellent writing. WOuldn't be the same without him. So if this story sounds much more intelligent compared to the stuff I did by myself then you know why. He's the only other crossover writer for RWBY and Re:Zero other than me so I thought it'd only be natural fto ask him for his help. Check him out since he doesn't get as much love as he should with his beautiful story telling.
A cold, frosted forest stretching as far as the eye could see. A still lake, frozen to the point where Grimm happily marched over it, their destination beyond their sight. A broken world, never-ending, yet dead to everyone.
"WEISS!"
Her voice again, calling a name she hadn't heard in a long time. A desperate cry for help, from a time when the world had yet to pass. There wasn't much she could've done for her. Weiss was just lucky to be alive.
"Ruby…" Weiss whispered, an involuntary breath released as the name crossed her mind. Ruby had surely died at that time, she had to have. Weiss never did find a body, which she was unsure to be thankful for or not. All she could do is hope it had been a quick and painless death, but still, she didn't want to know.
It was not for Ruby that she wished this, but for herself. The thought of her friend, suffering for her failures, brought a burden to her chest that she knew she couldn't handle. The knowledge that she didn't know comforted her, as dark as that may seem. Yet that didn't stop her from acknowledging that reality.
Every day, same time, same place, Weiss continued on with her routine. A walk further south, up a hill, through the thick brush and jagged trees, she crept towards a pile of stone and bark. To many, this location was unknown, unmarked on any map, and forgettable to most, but not her. For Weiss, this area held more significance than home. With only one look to the jagged boulder, the answer to the question 'why' came to revelation. A name carved into the stone, a reminder of her friend, long lost, but never forgotten; Ruby Rose.
However, what laid beneath the tombstone was not a body, not a coffin, but soil. Dirt and roots made up what should have been a body inside a coffin. Knowing that she couldn't give that friend the burial she deserved caused Weiss to choke up, but she paid it no mind. As much as Weiss didn't want to admit it, she had become accustomed to that fact. Whether that was a good sign or not, Weiss didn't know.
"WEISS!"
"I've got you, Ruby!"
That didn't mean she was unfeeling however.
Memories of what happened four months ago still haunted her to this day. Her first real friend, dead because of her. She could handle it, she was strong. But she knew the memory would never fade. The scream of shock and horror, as she heard the tell tale signs of Ruby's demise beyond the veil of fire and smoke. The Grim Reaper no doubt claiming yet another for its jar of souls.
Weiss, for what felt like the millionth time, questioned to herself; 'How did it come to this?' The answer, Weiss already knew.
History decided to repeat itself.
It had been almost a year since the Grimm began to multiply at an alarming rate, aiming to reclaim what they once ruled. Villages and towns outside the kingdoms were the first to see combat and the last to report any kind of activity outside the safety of the kingdoms walls. As the villages fell off the map one by one, it soon became apparent that this was no ordinary Grimm attack, but a flood of death and decay. The kingdoms followed shortly after. Any and all military forces were quickly cut down. Beacon, Shade, Atlas, and Haven quickly lost contact to the other, each assuming the worst. The Industrial and Commercial districts of Vale soon became a blood bath shortly after. Billions dead within the first few months. No one was safe. No one was guaranteed survival. It was the end of the world.
There was no hope.
The battlefield had been chosen by the Grimm, and even though Weiss wished to say she was prepared, she knew she wasn't. It was disrespectful to both Huntsmen and Huntresses alike who died on that school yard. Everyone was afraid, Yang, Blake, and Ruby. Weiss couldn't boast about something that wasn't true when even Ruby herself had voiced her concerns.
That same fear was felt all throughout Beacon Academy. Students and staff alike readied themselves, assuming the worst. What they hadn't readied for, however, was the horde of Grimm that shrouded itself in the night. The sky wasn't blackened by the stars, but the Grimm that flew overhead. Like a moth to the flame, they swarmed Beacon, glorifying its canvas with blood and corpses.
Some chose to fight a losing battle, their pride and thirst for violence seeing this as a chance to claim glory. Others, the ones that saw that they were fighting for nothing, ran. No one said it, but Weiss knew that it needn't be mentioned. That battle at Beacon was the last line of defense of Vale. Humanity on that side of the world had fallen. And along with it; Ruby.
Human, Faunus, White Fang, Gangs, all put aside their differences for this last battle, but it was hopeless. What they needed then was cooperation, but the bad blood, racism, and hysteria brought them down to their knees. They had done more harm to themselves than what the Grimm had done by the end of it. Anarchy took control, as every man, woman and child fought for themselves. What stood as the Kingdom of Vale, transformed to no man's land.
"Where are we going, Weiss? It's getting dark."
"Just be quiet, Ruby. I wanna show you something."
Atlas was a great continent to live on in this day and age. At least as far as Weiss thought. The harsh winds and cold climate made the mountains a good place to hide from the Grimm. Seeing as how all communication had been shut down though, Weiss had settled for the Mountains of Vale. Even then, the Grimm still persisted to cleave their way through the Valleys.
Grimm preferred warm climates, as with most animals. Humans and Faunus, due to lack of fur, especially liked warm climates. That's what made Vale so enjoyable before The Fall. The game was plenty, for both wildlife and humanity. Oddly enough, Grimm didn't partake in hunting wildlife, however. Sure, there were some territorial disputes between wildlife and Grimm, but more often than not, you'd more than likely to find an arm hanging out of a Beowolf's mouth than a dead rabbit.
"Look at that, Ruby."
"Awwwwwwwwww. I didn't know they looked so cute in person."
"Isn't he adorable? I knew you'd like him."
"He is….. You think maybe we could keep him as a pet?"
"Absolutely not! That's a wild animal! Untrained and unkempt! Who knows what kind of hijinx it'll get itself into."
"Then why'd you take me out here? Just to look at him?"
"To show you that not all is lost, Ruby… that there is still hope."
Weiss knelt down by Ruby's grave and started brushing off the snow that was starting to cover her name.
For four months Weiss had been living on her own. While not the most preferred housing, she had opted to claim caves as her own, keeping from the winter cold. Dust had become scarce, but that didn't make it any less useful. A sprinkle of Fire Dust here to light the wood, Gravity to cut stone, Lightning to electrocute the fish that migrated the frozen streams, Water to block the entrance to the cave when night fell. Creativity wasn't her strong suite, but she had more than proved her worth. If only she had proved her worth months before.
Due to the nature of Grimm, game was plentiful. Finding and willing herself to kill however, wasn't as easy. That wasn't even taking into account the Grimm that prowled the Mountains, in search of their own game. While Weiss had indeed been trained as a Huntress, that didn't mean she was an expert. If she were to choose, she'd rather not run into a Grimm, especially in this weather.
Soon, she would die of hunger. That was if a Grimm didn't get her first. Only time would tell on that matter.
A scream pierced the air, striking her with a sudden jolt. Cursing, Weiss dove between the shrubbery, closing her heart from fear and despair. A pack of Beowolves bounded through her clearing, snarling and barking like mad dogs. If she had to guess, a few dozen or so more were bound to be heading towards the source. Whoever that was, was as good as dead
She didn't move. There was no need to. There was no reason to help them. If they were foolish enough to scream in this world, they were a liability. It was cruel, but Weiss could care less. She'd rather watch another die than carelessly risk her life for someone that didn't even matter, as she had time and again. That was what this had come to.
Once upon a time, it wasn't like this. Now, however, this was life. Once upon a time, Weiss would have risked neck and nail for someone. Now, she had no reason to. Once upon a time, she had friends, a family. Now, she was alone, and she saw no reason to change that.
Ruby sneezed, wiping away the snot on her cloak, the snow falling off her cloak without any difficulty. She followed Weiss, who stayed silent, creating a path for Ruby to follow. No words were shared, silence reigning over the two. Obedient as she was nowadays, silence unnerved the higher-than-life girl. "Ah, Where are we going, Weiss?"
Weiss glanced over her thick jacket, before continuing on. She brought down her boot, the crunch of snow signaling her slow trudge through the winter bliss. "Just stay silent, Ruby. I want you to see something."
The touch of snow against her back caused Ruby to squeak for the umpteenth time that day. Due to the lack of materials, closing the scrapes and tears that recent battles caused was impossible. Begrudgingly, Ruby followed. "Agh! What is even out here! There's nothing but stupid trees and snow!"
Weiss rolled her eyes, the whining being a comfort Weiss cherished. "You have so little faith in me. If there was truly nothing out here, would I even waste our time?"
"No~..." Ruby pouted, knowing best that her over serious partner wouldn't even dare step out of her cave if there was nothing to do.
The cold wind started to slow down to a halt, making the noises coming from their movements more noticeable. A slow breeze still created a howling in the trees.
Weiss stopped in her tracks and held out her hand, signaling Ruby to do the same. As practiced, both knelt down, silent as can be. The distinct sound of branches cracking and the howl of wind reached their ears, but there was also something else. The crunch of snow. Slowly, Weiss looked behind, towards Ruby. Thankfully, she'd already taken out Crescent Rose.
From the time they had spent on this mountain together, neither had seen or heard any Grimm, but that still didn't cause their senses to dwindle. Neither did their fear or anxiety caused by the Grimm. Weiss had no doubt that they could take on a pack of Grimm, but that didn't me she wanted to. Fighting meant noise. Noise brought Grimm. Grimm brought death. If possible, Weiss would prefer to avoid fighting.
The main goal for everyone, and anyone, was to stay alive as long as possible. Ruby and Weiss planned to fulfill that goal by living full lives until they were old and gray. Whenever that was.
"Do you see it?" Ruby whispered.
Weiss felt her left ear strain to hear something. A crunch, the sound of snow breaking underneath a foot. A claw. Weiss cursed as she snapped to the left, but all she saw was the trees and snow. Silence and a tense atmosphere hung around Weiss. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable, but it never came.
Straining her eyes, the color of light brown could be made out through the trees. A sigh escaped her lips, relief flooding through her. What stood there was not a threat on par with the Grimm, but a harmless Musk Fawn. Its legs twitched as it kicked up snow, clearing its path. A leaf hung from its mouth, the crunch of its food being heard from where it walked.
Weiss and Ruby went unnoticed, which Weiss was glad for. Glancing back at the red-headed Huntress, she couldn't help but roll her eyes as Ruby continued to snap her neck in every which direction. While admittedly it was the normal and more sensible thing to do, it still should have been obvious by the way she had stared at the Fawn that everything was alright.
Giving a slight tap on Ruby's shoulder, the younger girl took a second to look at the heiress before turning to where Weiss was motioning. Weiss watched her intensely, not willing to miss the predictable look of the young Huntress. And like Weiss had predicted, Ruby's eyes widened to an abnormal size, and her cheeks flushed.
"Aw~!" Ruby moaned out, placing her hand over her mouth as the Fawn snapped its neck in their direction. A few seconds passed before it went back to walking along, its food still confined in its mouth. Ruby turned to Weiss, and in the quietest voice she could, whispered, "He's so cute! Much cuter than in the magazines."
Weiss smiled, nodding along, watching the fawn with a relaxed gaze. Even amidst the coming cold of Winter, small things like this were able to bring out a smile from her. Without turning to Ruby, she nodded, responding, "I couldn't agree more."
Ruby watched the fawn jump in fright, playing with the snow as if it was the first time it ever saw it. She smiled a little more, turning to Weiss with an eager expression. "Can we keep it!?"
"Absolutely not! That's a wild animal! Untrained and unkempt! Who knows what kind of hijinx it'll get itself into." Weiss said, twirling her hair. Even as she said that, she was probably as unkempt as that fawn, as with the Fall of Vale, most cleaning products were lost with it
Ruby gave a pout, eyes dancing between the Fawn and Weiss. "Then why did you drag me out here? Just to look at it?"
Weiss held back an agitated sigh. Her question was reasonable, but that didn't mean the predictability of it was any less annoying. Turning, Weiss gave Ruby a stern look.
"To show you that not all is lost, Ruby… that there is still hope." Those words came from the bottom of her heart. She may be cold, she may seem indifferent, but if there was one thing she wasn't, it would have to be uncaring. The World had been torn apart, and they were left in it behind. She wanted Ruby to forget, to make it seem like everything was normal once more. Sadly, it may have done the opposite.
Ruby's eyes darted back and forth, her mouth opening and closing as she contemplated what to say. With an exasperated sigh of grief however, she looked down at her feet. The cold touch of Crescent Rose bringing her a sense of familiarity. "Thank you, Weiss. That means a lot… ya'know? Every time I wake up, I wake up cold. No, it's not because of the snow, but because what I feel. I… I feel like I've been stripped of something precious. We left behind everything. Jaune, and the rest of Team JNPR, Blake… Yang…" Ruby stifled a choked sob. "That was our fault. If… If we had just stayed behind, they would have lived!"
Weiss nodded, but didn't respond. She knew what Ruby said was true, and there were no words that could comfort her. Everyone else was most likely dead. The Grimm overpowered Humanity and The Faunus so easily. Too quickly. Her teammates, braver than most, chose to stay behind. Weiss still remembered the shocked look Yang and Blake gave her when she chose to run, taking Ruby with her.
Both of them didn't really know it at the time, but when they reached the mountains, everyone had perished. What they had left behind was already gone. Even if Weiss wanted to take everything back, there was nothing to go back to. There were no second chances.
The heavy crunch of snow dragged them out of their mourning, neither dropping their guard as they turned to the source. Both girls calmed down, however, the sight of a mother Deer nursing it's young easing their minds.
Ruby's smile was slow to return, but when it did, it was as wide as her face. She couldn't help it, they were just too cute. "Weiss." Ruby began, her voice cracking slightly. The deer and fawn snapped to attention, stiffening as their ears pointed in their direction.
Ruby and Weiss kept silent, fearing that any form of sound would put them off. The mother looked from side to side, before cautiously following its child, sure to keep an eye on her surroundings.
As the mother and child distanced itself from the former Huntresses, Ruby took this opportunity to continue what she needed to say, although at a slightly more silent tune. "Weiss… Thank you-"
A silent whimper. That's what interrupted Ruby. What followed was a hard thud, and a splash of liquid. Ruby and Weiss didn't even hesitate to look to the pack, even if they already knew what was in store for them.
A Beowolf, as large as a Boulder, hovered over the fallen body of the fawn.
The clearing suddenly bustled with life. A Beowolf burst from the bushes and clawed at the mother deer. Crying out in pain, the deer wobbled before falling onto its side.
Weiss immediately turned to silence Ruby, knowing what was bound to escape the young girl's mouth. Too slow she was, as a piercing cry of shock and despair shattered the silence that followed the death of the deer. Hastily, Weiss grabbed Ruby, pulling her to the ground and covering her mouth.
Weiss hushed Ruby, doing her best to calm her friend. Silence reigned again before the cry of the fawn caught their ears. Weiss could feel Ruby start to shake, but she didn't let go. She couldn't let go. They weren't in their element, and if they pushed this, they would surely perish.
Ruby opened up Crescent Rose, the clang, and clatter of metal sounds cutting through the thick air.
Weiss' eyes went wide, the face of desperation clashing against her poker face, "No, Ruby, don't!"
But it was too late. Every Beowolf turned their attention to where they hid. Their nostrils took in Ruby's grief, and Weiss' fear. With a roar that pierced the Heavens, they charged.
"Run!" Weiss rolled out of the way, dragging Ruby along with her. Glancing over, Weiss' thanked her good fortune, as what replaced their hiding spot was a claw, snow having been cut away to show the earth below. Whatever courage Ruby had felt before was gone, replaced by fear and the need for self-preservation. Ruby and Weiss both began to run, the large pack of Beowolves on their tail.
Every once in a while, Weiss would turn and fire various Dusts at them. The Beowolves were vaporized by fire, skewered on icicles, cut by wind, dismembered by gravity, and washed away with water, but no matter how many were killed, more kept coming.
Grimm kept spilling out of the trees like a tsunami. The sound of the chase like a magnet to them, as was their emotions. All they could do was run. Even when an Ursa Major pounded it's way in front of them, blocking their path.
The Ursa swiped at them, but Ruby managed to stab the Grimm's hand pulling it towards her for Weiss to stab over her partner's shoulder, easily killing it.
"Where do we go!?" Ruby screamed to Weiss. The Heiress frantically looked around, hoping beyond hope for an answer, but none came.
"I-I don't know. Just keep running!" Weiss looked at Ruby. Ruby was scared, she didn't even try to hide it. They had started this off tired, to begin with, and now they had to fight off a horde? It wasn't looking good. Like the thousands before them that died, was this how she was to perish too?
The mutual feeling of panic and fear set in on both girls the farther they ran from the threat and into the unknown. An endless vision of trees whistled past them as they maneuvered around the forest in haste. They ran further, trying their best to distance themselves from the Grimm. Farther they ran, Slower their speed.
"STOP!" Weiss suddenly yelled out and grabbed onto Ruby's cape, the girl wobbling in fear, barely keeping her feet locked onto the edge of the cliff. Weiss did her best to pull the shorter girl up, but Weiss was never the strongest of the group. An unnatural fog blocked their view of the valley, but it was clearly a long drop.
Weiss dropped to her butt and started desperately pulling Ruby away from the edge. Sweat covered her face, desperation marred her expression. She couldn't let Ruby fall, no matter the cost.
"Weiss, look out!"
A Beowolf swooped down towards Weiss but she quickly rolled out of the way. Ruby, having fallen due to Weiss' momentary blunder, used Crescent Rose to stab the side of the cliff, using it to projector herself upwards. Using the momentum of her flight, she cut off the head of the Grimm, its body disappearing into the air like dust.
Weiss, too tired to speak, only gave a nod in thanks.
Ruby said nothing in response. The battle ahead needed all the young girl's concentration. That, Weiss could understand.
The battle was short. Ruby and Weiss made quick work of the Grimm, making sure to do it as fast as possible. But with their need to finish the job they began to become reckless. Add that with their fatigue, both girls found themselves missing strikes and shots. Sometimes they wouldn't administer the finishing blow, allowing the beast to retreat and come up with a different plan of attack.
Then their luck ran out.
Weiss heard a gunshot. She instantly dropped to the snowy floor, knowing the person was doing their damndest to get themselves killed now.
There were distant roars as more Grimm headed towards the sound. Weiss slowly crawled, trying her hardest not to create much noise so any passing Grimm didn't notice her. If it wasn't for her preferred color of clothing, she knew that she would have passed long ago.
When the dust settled, when all was silent, that was when Weiss decided to raise her head. Snow, frozen tree bark, and a whole lot of nothing.
Just the way she liked it.
It remained silent. Weiss knew that whoever the person was was dead now. A part of her wanted to go and check to see if the person was alive by some miracle. Not out of curiosity, however, but out of necessity. They had a weapon, so maybe they did survive somehow. Maybe they ran and hid. But Weiss knew from experience that it was hard to hide when you were already spotted.
Snow crunched under her feet as she slowly made her way across the wasteland. She crawled up a slope that led to asmall peak that Weiss had never traveled on. Far from 'home'. Weiss had no set home anymore. She kept moving. If she stayed in one place for too long then the Grimm would surely find her. So nowadays she spent her days hunting for food and new temporary settlements, sometimes rotating back to an old camp of hers that she hadn't stayed in for a while. The same thing everyday, nothing new. Hunt, hide, eat, sleep.
The sun started finally hitting Weiss's face as she walked into a small clearing. It was a warm feeling Weiss had taken for granted before. Never in her life did she think she would be so happy to have the sun greet her.
In the middle of the clearing was a small building. The rotting wooden walls, pointed roof, and bell tower up top told Weiss it was a church. It was such a random thing to find out here. Perhaps it was an attempt by people to build a city in the mountains, but seeing as the building was old and unkempt it was clearly abandoned.
Burrowing her face deeper into her coat, Weiss walked towards what could possibly be a new home.
For now.
Sliced in half, the Beowolf gave one last growl before it disintegrated into smoke.
Ruby slashed and hacked away at the air as more Grimm poured from the trees. Weiss stood by her side, making sure to support her in any way she could. The numbers dwindled, but it seemed to have virtually no effect. Like a never ending wave of monsters.
It didn't help that they were both in a state of injury. While Weiss had a deep scratch across her cheek that bled profusely, Ruby only had a few claw marks on her clothing, bruises marking her pale skin. The girls, having the moves and skills of Huntresses, were able to survive for this long, but their exhaustion would prove to be their downfall.
Time passed, the raised sun fell and gave way to a sky that bled purple and red.
Ruby back peddled away from a flurry of swipes from a Beowolf. She took a few tired breaths before heaving her body forward to attack, but she was too slow. The Beowolf roared and planted a back hand swipe to Ruby's abdomen.
Ruby flew, soaring through the skies as if Gravity held no meaning to her. She landed with a solid thud, but a few feet from an equally tired Weiss. Shaking, Ruby pulled herself up, getting to her knee, but unable to stand.
"Ruby!" was all Weiss could yell before a Boarbatusk rammed itself into Ruby, sending her body flying towards the edge of the cliff like a ragdoll. "RUBY!"
Before Weiss could even think about what to do she activated the Dust in Myrtenaster and threw her weapon. The blade sunk deep into the earth at the edge of the cliff, rocks and dirt falling down into the void. A collection of large icicles shot out from the ground, one of them going through Ruby's red cape, keeping her from falling. However, Crescent Rose fell down to the bottom.
The Boarbatusk charged for Weiss. Determination written on her face, Weiss ran forward and jumped, twirling mid-air. Arms out reached, she formed a Glyph on the Grimm's side, landing on it before using it to propel herself forward, knocking the Boarbatusk over.
Ruby stopped seeing double, and instead saw herself dangling off the side of the cliff, a bottomless void beneath her feet. Fear instantly sunk in. A scream escaped her throat, "Weiss!" She looked up and found the icicle that pierced her cape. Slowly, the effects of the Dust started to wear off as the ice started to crack. The once distant feeling of death's touch suddenly never felt so close. As she struggled to find a way to survive, Weiss struggled to find a way to save her.
With one left, all eyes were trained onto Weiss. It was now or never, Weiss had to throw all she had at them to ensure both her and Ruby survived to see another day.
The light in the sky turned orange as Weiss strafed to dodge another set of claws aimed at her face. She kept using glyphs to propel herself forward while also using them to knock Grimm off their feet. An Ursa Major got in her way, it's jaws wide open as it brought its whole body down on her.
The impact from the forced fall covered the area in a blanket of snow. As mindless as these beasts were, Weiss couldn't help be get the impression that the Major was less than pleased with its results. That didn't matter, however. The ex-heiress used a glyph to hold the Ursa up while she ran past it, aiming for the cliff. Ruby was motioning side to side, trying to swing her way to the cliff side.
Relief over took Weiss upon seeing that Ruby was alright. She'd been scared that Ruby's body had been broken after taking such hard hits from the Grimm. With that sense of satisfaction and clarity in her mind, Weiss unearthed Myrtenaster and moved her finger across the blade, charging it up with her Aura.
Ruby heard the soft crunch of snow behind her, and instantly knew who it was. She didn't even need to guess, as there was no way Weiss would have died. "Weiss! Please, hurry! I'm not exactly unafraid of heights!"
"You really think this is a good time to joke!?" Weiss yelled at the hanging girl, who gave a slight snort. Whether it be from the whole scenario catching up to her, or whatever reason, Weiss couldn't help but smile along with that young girl.
Weiss' blade began to glow a deep red as Dust infused itself into its entirety. An intense heat started radiating off the metal, making Weiss wonder if it was going to melt in her hands.
The air began to burn, heating Weiss' eyebrows and clothing. Just as the first few dozens of Beowolves lunged at Weiss she yelled as loud as she could and slashed Myrtenaster across the hot air. Streaks of yellow and red clouded her vision, the cries of Grimm sounding like music to her ears. Snow melted and evaporated. Dead grass ignited, burnt cracks covered the ground, and trees were lit aflame.
What Weiss had created was a Wildfire.
Most Ursa Majors within that range survived the blast, but not without suffering intense burns that soon covered and killed them. One Ursa Major stood strong amidst the raging fire. It's armor charred and it's skin smoking, the Ursa roared in both pain and anger as it found Weiss. However, immense damage to its body prevented the Grimm from running at her. Instead, it began to slowly limp towards her, intent on killing her.
While it was a sad scene, Weiss held not a single ounce of pity for this monster. All she wondered was just how many people it killed. Humanity, killed by this thing and its brethren. In anger, Weiss threw Myrtenaster at the Ursa. She used glyphs to launch it further until it finally impaled itself into the Ursa's skull. The large mass fell to its belly with a small boom, then finally disintegrated.
"Weiss?"
Weiss jumped in shock and surprise. She couldn't believe she almost forgot about Ruby. Her first and only real friend was just about to fall to her death and she was wasting time killing an already dead Ursa.
"I'm coming, Ruby!"
Quickly, Weiss rushed to the cliff and reached out to grab Ruby. "I'm here, Ruby. I've got you." Weiss smiled, knowing they were safe for the time being. She couldn't quite reach Ruby so she stopped herself, took a few tired breathes before trying again with her hand placed on the icicles so she could lean forwards more. Cracks in the ice began to spread.
Ruby hung with a grim look. Slowly, she rotated around to face Weiss. Her expression told Weiss she was sad. "I'm sorry, Weiss. I got really tired and got caught. I didn't mean to be so useless."
"Don't apologize, Ruby. You did great. I know you did the best you could. That's all I could ever ask for."
Ruby smiled, then pointed at Weiss's cheek.
"Weiss, you're hurt."
Weiss couldn't help but smile back, knowing Ruby was worried about her despite being suspended over a cliff. "Don't worry about me, Ruby. L-Let's get you off that thing."
Weiss walked through the open door of the church.
The old doors resisted a little when Weiss tried to close them behind herself. A cross shape above the door confirmed to her that it was indeed a church, who to exactly, she'd never know. The place was dark, with little light shining through the stained glass windows, one of them being broken. There was a strong smell of mold and musk. It was a smell she hoped to get over.
Thankfully, Weiss's eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness. She could finally see the inside. There was a center aisle with eight rows of pews on either side. Most of the pews were tipped back or forward. The alter up front was broken on the floor, a pile of splintered wood.
Weiss noticed it all meant something. Obviously, no one else would be out here, right? But something had to have done this damage. Perhaps someone long ago had vandalized it.
The musky smell seemed to assault Weiss' senses. Along with the smell was something new, a familiar smell Weiss knew all too well. Blood.
Blood. The smell of blood was strong. Weiss wasn't an expert in biology or forensics, but she did have some knowledge that dried blood didn't smell as bad as wet blood. That meant, whoever it was, had just died recently.
She suddenly got goosebumps. The dark space made it hard for her to actually see clearly, so anything could be in the dark. Knowing this, Weiss unsheathed Myrtenaster.
The wind howled through the cracks of the church, making a groaning sound that gave Weiss the creeps. The broken church seemed to breathe as a whole, ready to swallow her up.
Weiss gingerly walked down the middle aisle, making sure to look into every row to see if anything was with her. As the smell grew stronger and stronger, Weiss couldn't help but gag in distaste. The smell of flesh would never be a comfort to her. The metallic smell grew more intense until it finally was mixed in with a new smell. It was unfamiliar, but horrid nonetheless.
Then she came to the end of the aisle. A puddle of dried blood on the floor was there to greet her. For her, she couldn't help but question herself. Dried blood didn't smell this bad, so what was it coming from?
A trail of more dried blood led off to the right. They looked as if something was dragged, but Weiss wasn't sure. Everything was now setting off her alarms, telling her to run, but she couldn't. As the old saying went, "Curiosity killed the cat."
Weiss reached further, her hand putting more weight into the ice. More cracks started to form, nearly severing the icicle from the base. However, neither girls noticed.
Ruby reached as well, wrapping her hands around Weiss'. Both girls smiled as they finally had each other. Weiss tried to pull Ruby to her while doing her best to rip the cape. It was the only thing that kept Ruby in place, but now it was the only thing keeping her from freedom. Try as she might, however, the cape was strong and durable. If Ruby was to be free, something else must be done.
"Ruby, I need to free you. C-Can you undo your cape?"
Ruby nodded frantically and let go of Weiss' hand, starting to undo the noose-like straps. She quickly started to loosen the pin keeping the cape connected to her other clothing, but Weiss quickly raised her voice to stop her, "No! Ruby, do it with one hand so you don't fall. Don't let go of me."
"Oh, sorry." Ruby nervously giggled before letting go again to grab Weiss' hand again.
The sun finally fell below the horizon, leaving the two girls in the burning light of the forest fire.
Then, a loud crack was heard. The snap of ice, the shatter of glass. It sounded all the same to them. Nobody moved, but nobody needed to. Mother Nature would do that for them.
Time lagged for both girls. Weiss saw the eyes of silver, reflecting the fires behind her. Ruby saw the fires of red, a silhouette of white that seemed to shine even amidst the darkness of the night.
"RUBY!"
Ruby was going to die here. But no matter how hard the world tried to make her miserable, Weiss was determined to keep her friend safe till their final days together. She didn't plan and letting it end here. All those months of being pestered by Ruby led her to this moment. It all led to here. As Ruby fell, she could only think of one thing to do.
Weiss created a Black Glyph to keep her hand connected to the edge of the cliff. Next thing she knew, she threw herself off the side. She barely knew where she was as her world was suddenly twisted around, but Weiss knew what general direction to reach in and gladly found her hand tightly gripping a bundle of red cloth. Even then, Weiss was just as tired, so even with her grip as tight as she can, she could feel that it wasn't that much. Her right hand wasn't any better, the jagged edges of the rocks cutting into her hand made it hard to grip. The only thing that kept her positioned was the black glyph.
Weiss wasn't strong enough to do anything. Her body was extended and she couldn't pull Ruby up. Her only hope to save Ruby was to get Ruby to save herself.
"WEISS!" Ruby screamed in absolute terror again as she was no longer safe with Weiss. The wind around her started swirling and blowing downwards as if beckoning for her to follow them. A call neither wanted to answer.
"I've got you, Ruby," Weiss said through clenched teeth. She strained to keep her body from giving out, but it was beginning to take a toll on her. She took a few ragged breaths, trying to collect herself. "R-Ruby! I need you to climb up! If you can climb up my body and reach the top then you can pull me up too! C-Can you do that, Ruby?!"
Ruby replied with a hesitant, "I-I think I can! Let me try!" Her nerves were on fire. Her breathing quick and sharp, she was beginning to think she would black out from shock.
"Don't think! Do! Come on! You… you can do it!"
Ruby understood. She reached up as high as she could and grabbed her cape. Then the pin broke off. Ruby yelped and fell a foot before closing her hand around her cape. There was a rip. A large tear formed as where the icicle pierced.
"Ruby, hurry!"
Ruby said nothing. She reached up and grasped again. This time, the tear grew even further until Ruby hung just by but a thread. Ruby swung side to side, knowing what came next. She could try to reach again, but it would be too late anyway.
Her face beaded with sweat, Weiss wore a look of terror, speaking in a voice that was low and scared, "Ruby?"
"Weiss." was the last thing Ruby could say before the cape severed. Then Ruby fell, nothing stopping her this time.
Neither screamed for one another. Weiss watched Ruby fall while Ruby watch Weiss shrink in size. Weiss was too in shock to register what had happened. There was weight, then suddenly there was none. Ruby had been there just a second ago, but where is she? Where did she go?
When it finally set in. Weiss' eyes widened. Her teeth clenched. Her throat tightened, and a scream crawled out. It started out as a low hum, ending in a high pitched screech. It wasn't in horror, sadness, or pain, but in anger. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she could never be happy. Just when she arrived to Beacon, her father wanted her back home. Just when she thought she'd become team leader, she wasn't given it. Just when she began to like who she was and the people around her, the world ended. Just when she made friends, they were taken from her. And just when she had Ruby….. just when she had her she was gone. She didn't plan for this. She didn't plan to be without Ruby, without companionship. She didn't want to go back to how she was before; alone.
"Gah!"
Weiss cried out in pain as she struggled to lift herself to the top again. She held tightly onto the scrape of Ruby's cape, wanting to keep it with her as a symbol. A remembrance. "Uh! Huh!"
She used the last bit of her strength to use Glyphs to crawl her way up to surface level. By the time she was crawling away from the edge of the cliff she couldn't hold it back any longer. Tears fell from her eyes nonstop. She laid her forehead on the burnt ground, pounding her fist into a bloody mess. What she felt wasn't just pain, but deep, dark feeling of lose. She felt what it was like to lose, once again, everything. Her mom. Her friends. Now her partner.
Regret and dismay continued to pile up. Memory after memory of what she lost played in her mind like a broken record. She lifted her head, slamming it on the ground, but the memories wouldn't fade. Those times were gone. Again, she slammed her head into the ground.
Weiss would never be able to laugh with Ruby.
Again.
Weiss would never be able to smile with Ruby.
Again.
Weiss would never be able to explore this cruel, messed up world with Ruby.
Again.
Weiss would never be able to express how much she cared for her partner, Ruby.
Again.
That's what hurt most. Those memories were all she had. Those meaningless times holding more importance to her than the rest of her life. She would never be able to experience that form of warmth again. Not here. Not anywhere.
Lifting her bloodied, tear-filled face, she watched the moon that hung above. It's broken visage clouding the night sky in a monad of stardust…
That's all she was.
A monad. Only one. A singular dot on this cruel world.
A broken, single dot.
Ruby hit the first few tree branches as she fell through the thick branches. The branches snapped and fell with the reaper as she started losing speed. As she neared the bed of the trees, the branches became thicker. Ruby ended up bouncing off the branches, hitting her head on one and getting knocked unconscious. Still, her body was thrown around like a sack of potatoes until she finally came crashing down to the snowy slope that carried her body down to the bottom.
Finally, Ruby's limp body slowed to a stop, leaving a worn trail behind it. Blood started to flow from her head, painting the snow red like roses.
Ruby's dying red Aura shined across her body. Slowly, light snowfall started to cover her body.
Her fingers twitched once more, before freezing, still as a statue.
Weiss followed the trail of blood which led to a confessional. It moved through one of the closed doors, Weiss reaching for the handle to open it.
A creak. Weiss stopped and listened. She was certain she'd heard something, but she couldn't hear it again. The howling wind was now the only thing she heard. She couldn't deduce if it had just been the weak wooden walls of the church, or just her imagination.
A few minutes passed with nothing happening. No sound, no whisper of death, nothing. The wind started to howl, but she paid it no heed. Tightening her grip on her weapon, she continued. Not wanting to be cliche, Weiss threw open the door, expecting to see a rotting body. However, nothing like that was there. There was another puddle of blood, but the walls were also splattered with more blood. The scene horrified Weiss, but I wasn't something she didn't flinch at. In this world, this was the norm.
"Hmmm."
Weiss bent down when she noticed something about the puddle. She tried her best to hold her breath, the foul smell assaulting her at full force. She strained her eyes as if to help her see through the dim light that seeped through the cracks of the church.
The blood had a shine to it. Weiss raised an eyebrow and reached out to touch it. Her hand gloved, Weiss inserted her finger into the wet blood. Wet?
Her heart started to race. Eyes widening, she felt a pair of eyes on her. Snapping around, she prepared to kill whoever or whatever was watching her. However, nothing was waiting for her. She scanned the church from where she was. Broken pews, dark corners, splintered pillars, fallen curtains, and litter was strewn across the floor, but nothing else.
Weiss backed away from the confessional. Something clearly wasn't right. That blood had been recent. The 'dried' blood, it wasn't dry. It had been frozen stiff. So that meant that something was probably still here, that something being whatever left or caused all the bloodshed.
Then Weiss looked up. Nothing told her to look up, it was just a natural thing for her to do when looking for something. She was thankful she did.
A Beowolf was perched atop one of the arches going across the church. It's red, glowing eyes were fixated on her. There was something in its mouth, and Weiss had a strange feeling she knew what it was. It appeared that the Grimm had been waiting for her to notice it. Assuming the Grimm could actually sense dread and possibly fear, it'd probably hoped Weiss would taste better when terrified.
Without warning, the massive Beowolf lunged at Weiss. It brought its jaw down onto the armrest of a pew just when Weiss jumped out of the way. The resulting crash caused a large racket that Weiss hoped didn't attract anymore unwanted attention. She was both tired and hungry, so she had to finish this quickly if she hoped not to end up like whoever was in that beast's belly.
Weiss was beginning to slash with Myrtenaster, but her body was slow and sluggish from malnutrition. The Beowolf had the upper hand and slashed across Weiss' chest.
A white Aura flowed across Weiss, protecting her, but then it started to flicker. She was weak, and it was affecting her Aura. Knowing this, she knew she had to keep her distance, she couldn't allow the Beowulf to grab a hold of her or it would be over. Everything she had done, all she had lived through would be for nothing if she died here.
The beast charged Weiss with a snarl. Having grown used to this tactic by the Grimm, Weiss spun around the Beowulf at the last second and sliced off one of its arms. The result made the beast whimper loudly in pain. It stumbled as it ran and ended up colliding with a pile of splintered wood that may have once been a piano.
Before Weiss could do any more damage, the Beowolf emerged from where it fell, its left arm gone. It's eyes showed no pain, only anger. The beast reached down and picked up a heavy block of wood. Flashing its vicious teeth, the Beowulf threw the block at Weiss. She easily cut it out of the air, but she didn't anticipate the Beowolf to lunge at her that instant.
The Grimm tackled Weiss to the floor and held her down with one hand. As it bent down to take an impressive bite out of Weiss's skull, Weiss jabbed Myrtenaster into the Grimm. Unfortunately, her aim was off and she stabbed through the shoulder. She had meant to aim for the heart.
The Beowolf howled in pain and stepped off Weiss while grasping at the rapier to remove it. Weaponless, Weiss took this chance to run.
The Grimm fell to a knee, pulling Myrtenaster from his own flesh. It looked over and found that Weiss had managed to run out the door. In desperation, the Beowolf threw the rapier at her but missed. The blade embedded itself into the wood but didn't pierce through.
Weiss yelped when she heard the wood get struck beside her. Struggling to breathe, she began to close the door, hoping the heavy weight of it would block it some more. However, she realized too late that the door wasn't that heavy. She was just very weak.
The doors burst open as the Grimm slammed itself into them. Weiss was knocked back a few feet when the doors threw her away. She knew this was it, she had nowhere to run. It was over. And through that fear, a whisper in the back of her mind told her otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing.
Weiss would no longer have to live alone in a world that was dead. She would no longer worry what she'd do everyday. No worries. No troubles. Just bliss. And maybe could see Ruby again. And Blake. And Yang. The team would be together again. All she had to do was embrace death, and everything would go back to normal.
But no. It wasn't like that. Weiss was scared. She was scared of dying. She didn't want to end up a bloody smear in the snow. Death wasn't a happy thing. It should never be. So why should she be happy about it? She didn't want to die. Not here. Not now. Not ever. Especially not to a Grimm.
She could've laid there and let the Beowulf eat at her flesh, killing her slowly but ensuring her death. She could've given up and let the Beowolf rip her open while her blood melted the cold, white snow. But she didn't. She didn't want that. If she was to go. It would be by her own terms. And she would die the way SHE would want to die. And it would not be by the hands of such a disgusting beast.
The Beowolf slowly walked towards Weiss, knowing well enough that she was weak. It expected Weiss to run, but when she got up it caused a bit of shock.
Weiss stood firm, trying to figure out a way to defeat the Grimm with her hands. That's when she remembered. Dust. Again, if she were to go out, she'd do it by her terms. And if it meant taking out just one more with her, then so be it.
Weiss slipped open a pocket in her coat and pulled out a large purple Dust crystal. She didn't know what she would do with it the whole time she had it, she just kept it because she'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. So at this moment, Weiss was happy to know that she had it.
If she learned anything from Dust classes, it was that Dust crystals were dangerous when used incorrectly. It was always unstable. With enough exposure to Aura and it'd be a working bomb. All that power, compressed into something so small would surely pack a lot of power when it blew, and Weiss was sure what she was gonna do with that kind of power.
The Beowolf easily grabbed Weiss with its one arm and held her up by the neck. It expected to smell fear, but Weiss didn't feel that here. She only felt satisfaction as she held up the crystal and flared what little Aura she had left. After a moment, the crystal glowed, slowly increasing in brightness. Too distracted by the item Weiss held, the Beowolf failed to notice the smug grin that Weiss held. Yet as that crystal grew brighter and brighter, her grin fell to a bitter one.
Weiss closed her eyes, embracing the end. The Beowolf extended its jaw, flashing bloody fangs that couldn't wait to sink into Weiss's neck.
A large frozen lake left a large clearing open for Ruby to walk over. A hard surface, covered in a somewhat thin layer of snow. It was a beautiful sight, beyond anything Ruby had ever seen these past months. It was so clean, so open. Ruby could finally see the sky above, it's blue color tinted with purple. The first sign of stars shined brightly in their fight to dominate the sky again when the sun fell.
Seeing the sight that only brought warmth to her heart. Ruby allowed herself to smile.
Ruby had been traveling for a long time looking for any signs of life related to her own; Human. After suffering the fall from the side of the cliff, Ruby immediately resided in a cave to heal when she found she could barely walk with her moderately damaged legs and broken ribs. It took a long time, but eventually Ruby was able to move normally without wincing in pain. She never was taught to be a field medic, or a medic for that matter, but what little she did know she applied with as much care as she could.
So after a few months of healing and hiding from Grimm, Ruby decided it was time to find others. She hoped that if she found other people than they could group together and possibly have a better chance of survival as one. However, even with this in mind, she was more focused on one thing. A convergence in the back of her mind, a singular thought, a destination, a goal. That was to find Weiss.
Last time she saw Weiss, Weiss had tried to prevent her from falling to her death. So it wouldn't surprise Ruby if Weiss thought she was dead. She couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she came back. It would be just like in the movies. A fallen hero returns against all odds and is praised by others who saw them as good as dead. They, and Ruby, had met a near fatal challenge and lived to tell the tale. She couldn't wait to see Weiss again. She wanted nothing more than to lay by her side as she ranted about how hard it was to survive on her own when she was injured.
She wouldn't say it, but Ruby did remember a time when she thought she heard someone calling her name during a blizzard. Ruby hadn't been sure if it was just her imagination, but she had limped to the mouth of the cave to listen, only to be met with nothing. Just the lonesome howl of the cold wind.
And Ruby decided that she wanted to go back home. She did all she could and should to make the trip. Whether near or far, Ruby was positive she would find her old home. There, she thought, is where Weiss would be.
However, when Ruby returned to their old hideout, she found nothing more than space. What had previously been a comfy cave to call home, with a fire pit, stacks of branches covered in animal pelts to act as beds, and wall decor that came in the form of scratches on stone from Crescent Rose, was now reduced to a shell of its former self. The ashes in there were cold and the beds were torn to shreds. The only thing that remained intact were the drawings on the wall. Crude drawings of faces and many characters decorated the rough surface. Even though they were terrible depictions of who the drawings were to represent, Ruby knew who she was drawing; Yang, Blake, and Weiss. Each character had a smile on their face as if nothing was wrong.
Ruby walked over to a single drawing of herself. It was also a bit crude, but it held more resemblance to herself than the others did to their person. Smiling, Ruby placed her hand on the cold wall where the drawing was. Below her portrait was a single letter, W.
"Weiss," Ruby sadly said to herself. "Where are you?"
A loud bang, and then the Beowolf's head was suddenly knocked to the side by a fast moving object that ripped through its skull. A bullet. The beast stayed standing for just a second before falling to the floor and dissapating, leaving Weiss with her sudden savior a few yards away. Her savior dropped their red weapon.
Her shock mixed with exhaustion paralyzed her, preventing herself from moving. She couldn't believe she'd just been saved. But mostly, she didn't think she'd ever meet another human. They saved her. But who?
The mystery person quickly ran to Weiss and forced the crystal out of her hands. Small hands. They were pale and soft, yet strong. The person threw the vibrating crystal as far as they could into the trees and grabbed onto Weiss's hand. The person was wearing a face mask with goggles as to keep their face protected from the cold, making it impossible for Weiss to see their face.
Without any words of hesitation, Weiss followed the person. They led her back into the church, and away from the harsh environment that seemed to cave in on them. The person easily closed the door behind them and helped Weiss limp to an upright pew.
Not a second later, the crystal exploded. The force shook the church and sent a shock wave that made the whole building lean for a second. The noise was deafening and so sudden that Weiss yelped. Trees nearby the point of explosion splintered and fell, crushing the snow beneath,
The person sighed and sat on a pew opposite to Weiss and started brushing the snow from their clothing. When the person finished they stared at Weiss. They looked like they wanted to say something, with their hand rising and falling at random intervals, but they seemed a lost for words. Instead, Weiss started the conversation and asked nervously, "Who… Who are you?"
Adjusting her backpack so it rested more comfortably on her shoulders, Ruby took the first step onto the frozen lake. She tapped the ice heavily with one of her feet to test if it was safe. After a couple strong hits with just a single crack appearing, she deemed it was safe enough to cross.
A sense of relief hit Ruby after she held up Crescent Rose and scanned the edges of the lake with her scope to find that nothing was waiting for her. She then placed Crescent Rose back onto her back and started her short trek. However, halfway through, she was too busy scanning the forest to notice the hole in the ice created by Grimm. Something that did when looking for water.
"AAAAHH!" Ruby screamed in surprise when one of her legs sunk entirely into the frigid water of the lake. Her gear did nothing to protect her skin from getting drenched in icy water that clung to her leg.
"Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold." Ruby crawled forward and removed her soaked leg from the water. She turned onto her butt and started rubbing her leg to create friction and hopefully warm it up so she didn't get frostbite. She needed to hurry and warm her leg up again or the freezing temperatures would literally render her leg useless, and the last thing she needed was to be handicapped again. Only this time it might be permanent if she didn't handle the problem immediately. She frantically started thinking of ways to get dry again when she heard a the dinner bell; a loud howl that would've brought anyone to their knees these days. As most would believe it, once you heard it, you were already dead.
Ruby looked up and scanned the forest again. This time, dozens upon dozens of Grimm lined the trees, having been attracted by her loud scream. She slowly stopped rubbing her leg and got back to her feet. Fear entered her bloodstream, making her adrenaline rush as more Grimm broke the tree line and stared at her with their glowing eyes. Swallowing the saliva in her mouth, she started removing her backpack and Crescent Rose.
There was only one way out of this, and she wasn't too sure if she was ready.
The first Beowolf to run at her howled a battle cry, signaling the others to follow. After making a silent prayer of strength to no one in particular, Ruby checked her last cartridge of ammunition. She only had two shots left.
"Might as well put one of them to good use," Ruby said to herself in a grim manner. She pulled up the hoodie from her blue winter jacket and opened up Crescent Rose until she held her trusty scythe. Despite all that she was facing, Ruby smiled. Even when the world was at its end, and Grimm threatened to finally win, she was still there to fight. After cheating death and hiding from his touch, she fought on.
And here she finally was, fighting for her life and many more. Knowing this, Ruby could finally say she was a true Huntress, a protector of the innocent from Grimm. This wasn't school. This wasn't some scouting mission. This was real. THIS would decide the end of either humanity or just another day for Ruby. If she died then so did the chance of humanity in her eyes. As far as she or anyone else knew, THEY were the last of their kind. Humans and Faunus alike, all in the same position yet in different parts of the world, all playing their part in saving what little was left in their hands.
To start from scratch, to start from the very beginning would be the easy part. The hard part was getting there, living just long enough to tell the tale. Stories would be shared, lives would be saved, families would reunite.
Peace would be restored.
Ruby slammed the cartridge back into Crescent Rose and loaded a shot into the chamber.
Weiss held her rapier ready, wondering when Grimm would attack from the trees.
Blake sliced with Gambol Shroud, protecting an injured Sun from an onslaught of Grimm.
Yang destroyed the skull of an Ursa just as it was about to swipe its sharp claws through a young child.
This wasn't the end…..
This was just the beginning.
Ruby dashed forward and ran past a dozen Beowolves and Boarbatusks before coming up to a Deathstalker. She jumped as high as she could into the air and then quickly came back down. Mustering as much strength as she could, Ruby hit the blunt side of Crescent Rose against the hard head of the Deathstalker. The beast caved under the impact, obviously hurt while a good portion of its exoskeleton shattered to pieces.
Her adrenaline rushing, Ruby jumped back before advancing again. She flipped Crescent Rose and sunk the blade past the broken exoskeleton and into the head of the Deathstalker. While it did a significant amount of damage, it wasn't enough to kill the beast, whose brain remained intact from the missed hit.
Ruby held her position even when the Deathstalker started to thrash its tail around to kill her. She narrowed her eyes, sensing the other Grimm starting to advance on her.
"Go to Hell!" Ruby shoved Crescent Rose to a different position and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through the Deathstalker's brain.
Their voice slightly muffled, the person started with a chuckle, "Yeah, didn't think you'd thank me since it's not really your thing." They began to remove the cloth around their face.
Weiss knew who it was before they took off the goggles and mask. It was Ruby, more alive than ever. The Ruby she saw before her smiled sweetly. She looked into her eyes and found the reflection of the dying sun in her silver eyes.
Ruby expected Weiss to lunge forward and hug her tightly. A sweet embrace that they both needed. Fully expecting it, Ruby held up her arms, ready to catch her. However, her smile died when Weiss started slowly scooting away from her, a look of fear just barely resting behind her confusion.
But it was impossible. It wasn't true. For Weiss Schnee, Ruby was dead.
Weiss stood up and stepped away from her chair, "You're not Ruby."
Ruby looked befuddled, "Wait….. what?"
Weiss slowly back up into a pew, fear setting into her, "You can't be her… The Ruby I know is dead. She died! H-he-her body is at the end of that damn chasm! I know! I checked!" Weiss muttered something under her breath, which Ruby barely made out as "It was all my fault."
In shock, Ruby stood and started moving towards Weiss. "Stop being stupid, Weiss. I survived the fall. I didn't die and it isn't your fault. Nothing is your fault."
"No. No, you back away!" Weiss retreated further from Ruby. "I could've saved her! I was too slow, and she died! She couldn't have survived that fall! No one could! No one!"
Ruby tried to remain calm and get Weiss to see reason. Clearly, she'd been affected by this far more than she had been. It broke her heart seeing the look of betrayal in Weiss' eyes. "Then what do you see, Weiss?"
"An imposter!" Weiss started to cry. She desperately tried to get away from Ruby, but she was too weak to move all that much. "You could never be Ruby! No one can! She was one of a kind! She was my everything! She was my friend! I would've died for her, and I should've! It should've been me that died! I'm at fault! I should've killed myself long ago if there's nothing else to live for! You were my only friend and now you're dead!"
Ruby trailed Weiss around another pew, not wanting to grab hold of her for she didn't know what the consequences of that would be. She hated this. She hated seeing Weiss so broken. Surely, there must be a way to take away the pain that she felt. "Can't you see that it's me, Weiss? If you really see me as a friend then how can you call me an imposter? I never died." Ruby followed further until Weiss back up into a corner. "Please, believe me, Weiss. I need you to be strong. I know it's a lot to take in, but just know I don't blame you because there's no one to blame. You saved me, Weiss. When I needed you most, you came. When I wanted to cry you cried for me. You saved me from death and there's nothing I could do to ever repay you." Ruby smiled, hoping the familiarity of it would trigger something, but Weiss refused to look up at her now.
"Please believe me."
Weiss shook her head as she slowly fell to the floor, "How could you say that?"
Ruby edged forwards a little bit more, "Because it's true, Weiss. Without you, I wouldn't be here."
The sight of Ruby disappearing past the distant fog came back to Weiss, and with it came more tears. It was just impossible. "No. No. No. No. You can't be Ruby. She's dead. For months I lived without her. And I don't know how much longer I can go on without her. Without anyone. I feel so alone."
Ruby knelt down, "You still have me. I know by now that no matter what I say you won't believe me. But if it makes you feel better I won't let anything hurt you." She meant to stand by that rule. Even if Weiss chose to be distant, a broken part of her mind preventing her from seeing the truth, then she would do anything to protect her.
Weiss wept into her hands. Part of her knew fully well that that was really Ruby, but the guilt inside her didn't want to see it that way. She didn't want to confront Ruby of her failure to save her. She thought of it everyday. It was always a 'what if'. What if she didn't stop to kill the Ursa. What if she used her glyphs more efficiently. What if Weiss had noticed Ruby was tired. What if this and what if that. The many probabilities that would've led to Ruby getting out of their alive always assaulted her mind, beating her down to the floor until she was a tearful mess.
"A-Are you hungry?" Ruby removed her backpack that she was carrying and pulled out dried meat. "It's not much, but I already had some earlier." Ruby held the jerky out for Weiss to take.
Then, like a curious child, Weiss eyed the meat and slowly reached for it. She'd been having bad luck on game, so this was like a gift from the gods. Ruby was patient, a smile etched on her face when Weiss took the meat and started eating it.
Ruby cherished the sight. Weiss was like an innocent child, nervously doing what suited her needs, like eating. Ruby met Weiss's eyes, but Weiss quickly averted them and shut them tight. It hurt, but Ruby was sure Weiss would come to her senses sooner or later. She was most likely in shock and disbelief.
"Oh, I also have something else you might like." Ruby reached into her bag to look for a blanket, but then she caught sight of something red sticking out of Weiss's coat pocket.
"Hey, I didn't think you'd keep it." Ruby reached while Weiss ate, and pulled the red cloth from the pocket.
"No." Weiss noticed and snatched it back, holding the cloth close to herself.
Ruby couldn't help but smile. Weiss really did care for her if she kept that ragged old ripped cape with her the whole time. "That was nice of you, Weiss. Funny thing is…" Ruby fishes from her bag the second half, "I've been looking for it for a few months now."
What? The second half? Weiss stopped what she was doing and went wide-eyed. She reached forward and brushed her hand against the cloth. It was the same material.
"You wanna hold it?"
Weiss nodded, her eyes filled with childlike wonder. She held the second half and studied it carefully. Disbelief overcame her for a second, but it was soon replaced with pure happiness. Never, in her wildest dreams did she ever expect to see Ruby ever again. But now, having realized what she was doing, Weiss hugged the cape and shed tears of joy. She dropped the useless pieces. They weren't Ruby. They never were. Ruby was right here in front of her. Alive and well. Ruby was here to save her.
Weiss lunged at Ruby, hugging her around the waist as she sobbed into her coat.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," was all Weiss could muster at the moment. She wanted to apologize for what she had done. She wanted to hug her and tell her how much she cared, but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. They were stuck, Weiss just didn't know how to put it into words. This feeling she never felt before was so amazing to her that she almost couldn't handle it. She was rendered into the same mess she was before except now she recognized Ruby.
Ruby smiled. Having cheated death, this was what she traveled so far and so long for again. She wanted nothing more than to be happy with someone she cared about. And Weiss….. was more than an exception.
As their day became brighter and their love for each other grew, the world did not. The explosion, having attracted more Grimm, led them straight towards the beautiful couple. The sky grew darker as the feeling of dread overwhelmed the surrounding forest. A step closer to the true ending of this ruined fairytale.
"Finally, I've found you."
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The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, washing Ruby in a warm glow. With her outfit worn and torn in many places, her hair grown down to her back, and Crescent Rose nearly broken and useless, she took a deep breath. A thick, white plume of water vapor left her mouth, giving the idea that she was exhaling steam.
Ruby held a hand to her chest, feeling her own heartbeat. Smiling, she knew that as long as it was beating, mankind would still live on. Until then, she'd fight as hard as she could for as long as she could. She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer to all her friends that she hadn't seen in over a year, hoping they would give her strength.
Just as the thought of Yang crossed her mind, Weiss came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Ruby turned around, knowing it was the person whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Instantly, she smiled upon seeing her friend.
"Ready?" Weiss asked, holding out Ruby's cape that was now sewn together.
Ruby gladly took her cape and fastened it around her neck. She peeked over her shoulder, looking over at the beautiful scene of light washing over a defrosting forest. It gave her a sense of hope. Perhaps, it wouldn't end here. Maybe things would be okay. And if that time came, she knew she'd be ready.
A tear full of sadness for all she'd lost, and happiness for all the things she'd overcome fell to the snow.
"Always."
Smiling, Weiss slipped her hand into Ruby's and led her down the mountain, towards a new future.
END
AN: Now, what you just read is a story not completely thought up of by me. You can think of it as a tribute to a fic I read on this site many years ago. It was a story that held the same theme as the one you just read. I made this in an attempt to possibly find this said story that I never got the chance to save myself. That's why I hope this version of the fic will possibly sound familiar to you people.
I don't have much to go off of in terms of what was the main plot point of the stry, but I do remember various important details. The first of all was the setting. The original story was also located in a frozen forest. The second thing was the seperation of Weiss and Ruby. I cant remember how they got seperated in the original story, but I do remember Weiss wearing Ruby's cloak as she traversed the cold forest. The very last thing I remember was the reuniting of the two. It also happened within a building that may have been a church. In that scene, if this is correct, they both pulled their weapons upon each other before realizing who they were since they expected them to be enemies such as looters looking to steal from them.
Sadly, that was all I could remember, but I hope it's enough. Keep in mind, this story was published around Volume 2. This was before Salem and other things so that's why this fic doesn't really tie in with canon if you're wondering why things happened the way they did without other characters interferring. So that's it. This is a tribute to the story I read all those years ago that I just can't stop thinking about now. If you somehow remember or recall it then please tell me because I wish to thank them for making something that I fondly remember to be as something I sincerely enjoyed.
Thank you for reading.