The night air was thick with dread. The room was silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. The only source of light came from the hallway, soft golden light leaking into the dark room. The pristine, peaceful med-bay was filled with feelings of immense grief and sorrow. The nurses checked in every few moments or so, simply to make sure he was still breathing, although they knew he might not be for very long.
In the bed was Lie Ren, the mostly silent member of Team JNPR. He had been brought to the med-bay roughly a week ago after sustaining grave injuries on the battlefield. When he was brought in, the medical staff put him into a medically-induced coma in order to help the injuries heal more easily. Around the bed sat Ren's teammates and his friends from Team RWBY, all sleeping after staying by his side all day. Jaune and Pyrrha sat to the left of the bed, both sleeping soundly with Pyrrha's head resting on Jaune's shoulder. Nora, her face stained with the constant tears she had shed, was beside the bed and snoozing with her head on the mattress, Ren's unmoving hand clutched tightly in hers. In the corner, Ruby and Weiss were both using a sleeping Yang as a pillow. It seemed that the only one who wasn't asleep was Blake, whose feline eyes scanned the room in vigilant watch, should anything happen.
Before long, Doctor Auburn came into the room and silently checked Ren's vitals. Blake watched how the doctor carefully stepped around the sleeping Hunter and Huntresses, making sure not to disturb them. As the doctor made to leave the room, Blake placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder.
"Can I ask you something, doctor?" she asked him, her voice heavy with trepidation. When the spectacled man nodded to her, she took a deep breath. "Is he ever going to wake up?" The doctor paused, as if weighing his words carefully, and looked down at his charts. Blake only glanced down but for a second, but her night vision helped her to see that the doctor had charted that Ren's vitals were steadily declining. Doctor Auburn inhaled slowly and uttered words that Blake never wanted to hear.
"It might be time for you all to say goodbye to him…"
The words hit Blake like a ton of bricks, yet she held her composure and thanked Doctor Auburn for his close care. The doctor nodded, before stepping out of the room to give them time. Blake softly walked over to her team and gently roused them from their slumber, before waking the rest of Team JNPR as well.
"What happened?" Nora asked hopefully, her voice hoarse from sobbing. "Did the doctor give us good news?" Blake couldn't find the words to answer the redhead, yet her silence said it all. Nora clutched Ren's hand tighter, not wanting to let her best friend in the entire world go. "No… it can't be true…"
"I'm sorry…" Blake said, her voice quivering with choked back tears. The room was silent once again, before Pyrrha spoke up.
"We should each say goodbye…" she murmured softly. The others nodded slowly, with Ruby moving toward the bed.
"Ren…" Ruby started softly. "I'm sorry you had to go…" Her big silver eyes blinked rapidly to fight the oncoming deluge of salty tears. "I'm going to miss you, Ren…" Ruby turned away and buried her face in Yang's chest, her older sister wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace. Weiss stepped up next, carefully laying her hand on her comrade's shoulder.
"We never got to know each other very well," the heiress spoke gently, "but I know that you never treated me like I was as heartless as some people made me out to be. You always showed me compassion and I will never forget that." Weiss's hand lingered on Ren's shoulder one moment longer before she turned to leave. Blake stepped up next, fighting the urge to break down in tears.
"I was always afraid of what people might think when they found out I was a faunus…" Blake started. "But I never worried about you. You never cared about what people looked like, you only cared about what was in their heart." Blake's words wavered as she spoke. "If only more people could be more like you. Rest easy, Ren…" Yang was next to speak, and it was clear that the blonde brawler was struggling to find the right words.
"You literally worked yourself to the end, huh?" Yang said, a weak grin gracing her features. Humor was the only coping mechanism that she knew, and she told herself that Ren would have smiled if he could. "You worked harder than anyone I ever knew. There was no one more efficient than you. When everyone wanted to quit, you pushed everyone to their limit and made everyone the best they can be. Well, you can rest now, Ren… Take it easy for me, buddy…" Yang softly pressed her weak fist against his shoulder in one final attempt to maintain a sense of normalcy. Jaune was the next to speak.
"You were always there to listen…" Jaune started. "No matter what you were doing, whether it was training or homework or meditating, you always found the time for all of your friends, no matter how tiny the problem was. You were always there to help me out when I needed you, and I will never forget you." Jaune sucked in a deep breath as he fought the urge to cry, and he felt Pyrrha squeeze their leader's hand.
"There will never be anyone like you…" Pyrrha said. "You were kind and gentle to the end, and one of the most talented people I've ever known. No one will ever be able to take your place. We're all going to miss you, Ren." Soon enough, the only person left to speak was Nora. Yang tilted her head gently toward the door and everyone but Nora slowly filed out of the room. The thick silence filled the air once again, save for the slowing beep of the heart monitor. Tears flowed from Nora's big, hopeful eyes as she held his hand tightly.
"You've been there for me ever since we were kids…" she whispered. "You never left my side… No one was a better friend than you…" Nora blinked away the tears. "I just wish there was more time for us… I wish there was time for me to tell you how I fell, time for us to live life to its fullest… You were a bright light that burned out all too quickly… I will never forget you, Ren. You will always hold a special place in my heart." Nora leaned into him, before uttering the last three words that Ren might ever hear. "I love you." Nora placed her lips gently against Ren's, giving him one final kiss goodbye.
And in that moment, the distant beeps faded into one long tone as Ren's heart gave out.
Not my best, but I had to get something out there. Monty had a belief that if you want to get better, you have to just work and even if it's not perfect, you'll get there. Monty's death was hard on all of the community and this is my way of coping with it. My apologies if some of the characters seem OOC, but I just had to get it out there. Rest in peace, Monty. We will all miss you.
"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death." - Monty Oum