This RWBY fanfiction was created in memory of Monty Oum, creator of the RWBY series, and out of full respect for his work and memory. I have written this out of grief, and so that mine and everyone in the RWBY fanbase's grief can be expressed, if but a little (there is no amount of writing or expression that can truly show our grief). My regards to Monty's family and friends.
It was not a dove nor a crow that carried Ren away, nor a gust of wind, nor a Nevermore. In fact, no one quite knew exactly what it was that made The Lotus fall from grace, for only three people were present at the time of his death. Jaune, oddly enough, remained the most composed of the three, though he too had shed his fair share of tears. When General Ironwood questioned him the day after, he could hardly muster a sentence.
"He just…", Jaune began, but could not press forward.
"Jaune Arc," The General boomed, "You, Pyrrha, and Nora were the only ones able to witness Ren's death. Pyrrha refuses to co-operate, and Nora Valkyrie fled the campus under the cover of night but a few hours ago. We need to investigate the cause of his death so that the proper procedures can be performed. I, too, know what it is like to lose a team member; I have lost many. Please confide in me any information you have". However, finding that he was once again hopeless in the face of his own cowardice, Jaune remained mute to the General. He was dismissed under the direction that he should rest, and be prepared to answer the questions once more later in the day.
A few hours later, two guards brought Pyrrha Nikos to The General, who was surprised with what he saw. Where there once was unbreakable resolve in the warrior's eyes, there was now nothing but shards of broken glass flowing forth like a river, lacerating the remnants of hope which lied therein. Her normally polished appearance now seemed to give off an aura of insecurity, rage, and above all, grief. She wept before Ironwood, begging that the guards release her and allow her to return to her dormitory. The hardened general flinched at seeing such a proud warrior, once emanating joy, tormented so by the preceding events.
"PLEASE, LET ME GO! I NEED TO SEE HIM ONCE MORE. HE MIGHT STILL BE BREATHING! HE COULD BE-"
"No, I'm afraid not." General Ironwood solemnly spoke. "Pyrrha, please. Lie Ren is dead. It's an irrefutable fact. He had been sick for nine days beforehand, and his symptoms were only worsening. But you can still help him. By finding out the cause of his death, we can properly-"
"BUT HE CAN'T BE DEAD! HE'S JUST SICK, THAT'S ALL! WHY WON'T ANY OF YOU SEE THAT REN IS STILL ALIVE?!" Pyrrha sobbed, her words almost incomprehensible between her tears. Ironwood knew that she would not be of any help either. He sent her away, and requested that the guards lock her door and windows once she had returned to her room.
As General Ironwood had said, Lie Ren had been very sick for nine full days before his untimely death, with each day worsening his condition. Ren was brought into the infirmary on the first day after he had fainted in the middle of a sparring match with Team CFVY's Fox.
"He just needs rest, and to drink a bit more", said the nurse to the members of his team, "he'll be ready to fight again by tomorrow morning".
Well, when the next morning had come around, Ren didn't wake up. In fact, he didn't wake up until the fifth day of his sickness. When he awoke, he found that he had been moved to a different room, with much more equipment and five chairs in it. Across four of the vacant chairs lay sleeping a girl with hair as orange as a Death Stalker's eyes; Nora Valkyrie.
"Of course she would be here." Ren smiled to himself. "She must've been sitting there all night, with how exhausted she looks." Ren let out a cough which he suppressed with the sleeve of his hospital robes, so that he did not wake the girl.
"Ren…" Nora moaned as she stirred in her sleep, then settled again, smiling. It warmed Ren's heart to see her smile. He coughed violently again, but could not suppress it in time for the boom to echo across the room. "PANCAKES!" Nora screamed, as she jolted awake. Her tired eyes scanned the room for a few seconds, not focusing on the slightly startled Ren. When she finally did see him sitting up in bed, she let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hands. Ren smiled, and waved at her, two IVs attached to his arm.
"Good morning, Sunshine?" Ren spoke, then immediately regretted. Unaware of the time that had passed since his unconsciousness, it was 2:00 in the morning. This realization shocked him, but before he could question it, Nora burst into tears and ran over to the hospital bed, then embraced him.
"REN! YOU HAD ME SO WORRIED!" Nora blubbered between joyful tears. "The nurse said...the nurse said...she said that you might not wake up! And I got so worried, I just-". She ended her sentence there to make way for the barrage of tears, which landed on Ren's chest. Ren smiled, and he himself began to tear up.
"What a weirdo", he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.
Over the next few days, Ren did not fight. He still attended class, and seemed healthy enough to take on a King Taijitu, frankly. Pyrrha helped him with the homework he had missed, Jaune caught him up on the lessons Professor Oobleck taught in his absence. Team RWBY was thrilled to hear about his quick recovery, with Ruby and Weiss bickering about who had spent more time next to him in his unconscious state. But the happiest of all Ren's peers was Nora, whose mouth rarely closed whenever she was near him.
One day, Nora was walking by the bathrooms when she heard a noise which, only three days ago, had woken her up from her less-than-graceful sleep near Ren's hospital bed; the sound of Ren coughing. She pressed her ear to the door, just as Ren opened it and Nora fell face-first on the bathroom tiles.
"Nora!" Ren proclaimed, reasonably startled. He then brought himself down to her level, realizing that she had overheard his fit of coughing. "You shouldn't spy on people like that, alright?"
"Ren, tell me the truth." Nora replied, staring into his now slightly dimmed pink eyes. "Are you ok?" Ren grinned at Nora, put his hand on her head, and said;
"Don't worry, silly. Of course I'm alright! I've just had a little cough, that's all! Just be sure to knock next time". Ren walked down the hallway, leaving Nora sitting just outside the bathrooms, staring at the floor.
She was no longer smiling.
How could she, having seen blood on the sleeve of Ren's favorite kimono?