"What're you doing here?" Ruby asked Blake from her reclined position on the ground beside Weiss and Yang. The battle for Haven was over, and they had won. Victory had not come easy, but it had come.
"I was gonna ask you three the same thing." Blake said. RWY shared glances with one another.
"That's a long story." Ruby said with a smile.
"Well…" Blake began. "I'm not going anywhere."
"That's all that matters." Ruby said. "That we're all here together. Right?" She looked to Yang as she said this, looking for some sign that the blonde had forgiven Blake, who looked away in guilt. Yang simply smiled and looked up at her partner.
"Yeah." She said. Blake smiled, but before she could say anything, Sun burst through the door, Ghira and Kali following close behind.
"We got a big problem!" He shouted. Weiss and Yang jumped to their feet, while Blake helped Ruby stand.
"What is it?" Ruby asked. Before Sun could answer her, he was suddenly reduced to ash. Ruby's eyes widened in shock and she let out a quiet squeak.
"Ren?" Nora's voice called. They looked over to the ginger and saw the same beginning to happen to her.
"Nora!" Ren cried, watching his childhood friend dissipate into ash, then he himself began to disappear.
"Mom! Dad!" Blake shouted, sprinting to her now disappearing parents.
"Uncle Qrow," Ruby said, fear and worry filling her voice. "What's happening?" Qrow scanned the scene for a few seconds.
"I… I don't know, kid." He said, fear leaking into his voice as well. Ruby began to keep a careful eye on her teammates and Jaune, making sure that none of them were beginning to flake and disappear, and it didn't look like they were going to. They were all just scared and confused. Jaune hadn't moved since Sun had disintegrated, staring at the spot the boy had been. Ruby admitted that it was quite a jarring sight, so she understood the boy's paralysis. Weiss scanned all the people outside, trying to figure out if the event had ended, and Yang kind of gravitated towards Ruby and Qrow with her back to her family members.
"I think it's over." Weiss said.
"What the hell was that?" Yang asked. Blake turned back around and her eyes widened.
"Yang?" Ruby called. Yang froze. She heard fear and pain in her sister's voice. Was Yang the one disappearing now? "I don't feel so good." This snapped Jaune out of his stupor and Weiss gasped. They all knew what was happening now.
Yang quickly turned around. Ruby was staggering towards her and holding her stomach as though she was about to vomit.
"You're alright." Yang said, beginning to choke up.
"I don't—I don't know what's happening." Ruby said, desperately trying to stop herself from sobbing. She was so scared, and Yang could tell. "I don't…" The younger girl suddenly lost her footing and fell forward. Yang caught her and she wrapped her arms around Yang's neck.
"You're alright." Yang repeated, quickly setting Ruby down on the ground. Finally, Ruby couldn't hold back anymore and began to break down.
"I don't wanna go." She sobbed. Her friends sprinted to her side and Qrow simply began to back away from them as his niece repeated that same phrase a few more times. "I don't wanna go." She looked to Qrow. "Uncle Qrow, please." She looked back at Yang. "Please. I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go." The blonde girl held back the tears as she looked into her sister's terrified and pleading eyes as Ruby begged for her life, knowing no one could save her. She needed to stay strong for Ruby. One last time.
Ruby looked away for a second, almost as if she was angry that no one was going to help her, then she looked back at Yang. "I'm sorry…" She looked away again, but this time when she did, she began to fade away, being turned to ash in front of Yang's very eyes. Yang suddenly fell, as Ruby's body was no longer there to support her. She desperately grasped at the ash that had formerly been her sister and finally broke. Tears clouded her vision as she looked at the spot Ruby had been.
"No." Jaune whispered, the hurt and the pain Ruby's death caused him evident in his voice. "No. Not her too." He suddenly looked over to Oscar's unconscious form on the ground. He quickly stood and violently shook the boy awake. "Ozpin!" He angrily shouted. "Ozpin!" Oscar quickly sat up and pushed Jaune off. Ozpin was in control. He scanned the room, noting that Ruby was missing and that Yang was crying.
"What happened?" The ancient man asked. "Did Salem claim Ruby?"
"That's the thing, Oz." Qrow said, ensuring that he was as far from anyone as he could possibly be. Whatever it was that claimed all those people had chosen indiscriminately, but his semblance had made it choose Ruby. He was sure it was over by now, but he wasn't about to take any chances and have Yang or Ozpin be claimed next. "We don't know."