Author's Note: Just so people are clear, this was first written during the hiatus between Volumes 3 and 4. At that time, I worked under assumptions of how the story would play out. As such, whether I had intended for it to or not, this will have some canon-divergent material in the beginning. Buuuut, the rest of it is a future/alternate timeline AU, so get used to it. RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. The OC protagonist of the later chapters is of my own creation.
Follow-up note: This has been updated based on the suggestions in the reviews. I added on what was going to be Chapter 2, since apparently this was much too short. Enjoy!
Ruby couldn't believe it. She had done it. She had... no, they had actually done it! Team RWBY, mere Huntresses in training, had killed Salem, the Mother of all Grimm. It had taken a lot of effort, and some help from their friends, Jaune, Nora, and Ren, who had all collapsed from fatigue during the fight. That had left Team RWBY to stand together, and it took all their cumulative skill to weaken their foe. In the end, the roof was blown off of the hall where the showdown took place, and Yang shattered her mechanical arm trying to punch Salem. But, when Salem seemed unstoppable, all hope appeared to be lost, and they had joined hands to accept their fate together, Ruby finally unlocked the hidden power of her Silver eyes, and annihilated the witch. More importantly, they had found Professor Ozpin. But, he had been tortured too much, for too long. He wasn't going to make it. He reached out a hand, and Weiss, Ruby's partner and (she'd chop up and shoot anyone who repeated this) crush, took it as he leaned in and said something in her ear. Her aura seemed to fluctuate and glow for a second, and then he was gone, Ozpin was dead.
Ruby and her sister shared a look of sadness and understanding with the black bird that had been watching them for the past few minutes. The bird, which looked very similar to a common raven, though a good deal smaller, took off and flew behind one of the broken pillars of what had become the arena for the ultimate battle of Good and Evil, and changed into their uncle Qrow. He cleared his throat, getting Weiss and Blake's attention. "I think we oughta get out of here." He said semi-clearly, having cut down on his drinking 9 months ago, when this whole quest began, when tensions had been higher and friends had been farther.
Team RWBY nodded and each moved to carry one of the 3 unconscious bodies of Team JN_R on the ground. "So," Ruby asked as she and her partner carried Nora's (surprisingly dense) limp body, "what did Ozpin say to you, Weiss?" "I... I'll tell you later Ruby, when we get back to your home." Weiss blushed and spoke softly. Ruby knew better than to upset the former Schnee heiress, so she kept walking.
Cut to a month later:
"Ruby! Yang! I'm so glad you're both safe!"
"Hey, cut'em a break, Tai. They had me keepin' them in one piece, didn't they?"
The sisters giggled as their father and uncle started to argue over how 'It was so like you to not stop them' and 'you let them leave to start with', knowing they never really stayed mad.
Ruby walked over to sit by her ebony clothed partner. "Hey Weiss, how are you feeling?" "Pretty good, all things considered. Is this really how your family acts on a regular basis? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, based on you and that glitter bomb you call a sister, but I had hoped the adults of your family would be more well-behaved." "Yeah, but they're like brothers, they never really mean it. Unless someone mentions Yang's mom. That's still a pretty sore subject for the both of them." The two sat for a few minutes and watched as the adults cooled down. Eventually, Qrow started telling Tai what had happened during the journey, and eventually the events after the battle, which reminded Ruby of the promise Weiss made to her. "So, now that we're back, can you finally tell me what Ozpin told you on his death bed?"
Weiss looked at her, eyes beginning to water, before grabbing Ruby's head and pulling her in for a quick but undeniably passionate kiss. Ruby was surprised by the sudden affection from her normally reserved teammate, but wasn't about to turn down something like this from her secret crush and quickly accepted and deepened the kiss until the need for air overruled all else, at which point she broke it off.
The silverette smiled at her leader's loss for words and simply stated, "He said we needed to realize what we had, and never let it get away from us again." Ruby just blushed and stared at her friend before it dawned on her.
"Oh, Weiss, I never thought you felt that way! I was too afraid to ever say it, but I love you too!" The two new girlfriends embraced, relieved that the emotions they had each been secretly grappling with were reciprocated, as the others looked on. "Well it's about time!" Yang and Nora said simultaneously.
"So, what brought that on?" Yang teased. "Just... something Ozpin had told me", the ivory haired girl replied. "Well then, I have something I want to say!"
Yang then spun on her heels to face her cat-eared companion, who was trying not to die of the giggles. "Blake Belladonna, ever since we first met, I've been fascinated by you. I wanted to know everything I could about why you were so grim and serious, and how to change that. When you left..." She was starting to choke up. "When you left, I thought you did care about any of us anymore. That you never wanted to see us anymore... never wanted to see me anymore."
Both Blake and Yang were beginning to tear up now.
"But now I know the reason you left was because you cared too much. Too much to see us get hurt again... to see me get hurt again. But I want you to know that I don't want that distance between us. I stand by what I did that night at Beacon, and I'll keep doing it to keep you safe. I want to be around you all the time, and I can't stand to have you push me away again. So please, don't do that to me." Yep, they were both definitely crying. "Blake Belladonna, I think you are absolutely PURRR-fect!"
"God dammit, Yang!" Tai said as everyone else groaned.
Not letting that stop her, Yang finished her thought. "And I love you." The two embraced before, much like their counterparts on the team, their lips met. It was gentle at first, but also urgent and filled with long repressed passion, and it steadily grew deeper as more of that raw emotion was set free.
They eventually pulled apart to breath, and then Blake felt something... strange touching her. Something warm. Something solid. Something... groping her butt? "Eep! YANG!"
"I claim possession of this Bella-booty in the name of love!" the blonde in question whispered in her ear.
"Yeah, I got that part, but what are claiming it with?" "What d'ya mean? It's my right... hand." Yang quickly let go of her new girlfriend and looked down to see a glowing mass of golden yellow Aura forming the rough construct of a hand, emerging from her right stump. "OMO!" *yes, that's Oh My Oum* Suddenly, the aura arm dissipated, much to her annoyance.
"Yang, you made a new arm! How?"
"I don't know Dad, I was just really happy and all I could think of was how I was gonna... protect... Blake..." Yang then passed out, the physical strain of this new use for her Aura coupled with the huge relief of admitting her feelings to Blake overwhelming her.
"Well," Ren smiled, "looks like she needs a CAT nap." Everyone else groaned a little, but Nora just tackled him to the ground and smooched him over and over while proclaiming her undying love for "my king" and how she "can't keep up this friendship charade anymore". Qrow and Taiyang just turned to look at each other. "So," Qrow deadpanned at his brother-in law. "Still want to tell me this is nothing like when we were kids? You got all mushy over Raven the same way Yang just did." "Oh, shut it, you."