...So you thought that would be it? No! I'm not that much of an asshole... well, maybe. But not enough to leave it at that.
I actually had a huge mental debate on whether or not I should add this on, actually. At first I thought it might take away from the impact of the story. But that I thought, fuck it. Leaving it like I did left a bad taste in my mouth, and I just couldn't stand doing that to everyone. Both to RWBY, and to you guys. So, without further ado, here is the conclusion to my little story. I might go back and add on more to this, I left it open-ended for a reason. At the moment however, I am currently obsessed with my other RWBY project, which will be released sooner or later.
Thanks for giving my shit a read, guys.
For the longest time, she could feel nothing. The deepest black enveloped her, caressing her like the warmest blanket. She had no thoughts, no feeling, no emotion – only the deepest sense of peace that she had ever known, and the most comfort she had felt in a long, long time. The girl didn't know how long she drifted in limbo – a minute, an hour, a day, months, years, centuries. Time had no meaning here. With only the slightest push, she could drift deeper still into that feeling. She could feel it forever, without a care in the world. But… something stopped her. Someone stopped her.
Ruby.
The foreign thought drifted through the girl's mind, giving her pause. Who was Ruby? Did she know her? Where was she? The name made her feel protective, but why? The girl struggled to remember, but the inky black wouldn't allow her.
Suddenly, the comfort didn't feel so comforting anymore. The cloying darkness pulled at her, keeping her from screaming even as she struggled and thrashed against it.
Someone, anyone! Help me!
Just as she began to despair, the faintest pinpricks of light shone in the impossible distance. Even from here, though, she could feel their warmth calling her. She struggled and pulled, giving out a silent bellow as she tried to reach that light. No matter what, no matter how, she would reach that light even if it took her forever. No amount of comfort or peace was worth this.
Suddenly, just as she made her decision to struggle – to fight – the light shone, banishing the darkness in a wave of warmth. She was suddenly free, drifting in an endless expanse of white, and not only did it give her peace, she felt… warm.
"Are you gonna wake up anytime soon?"
-O-O-O-
Yang snapped awake, jolting upright from where she had been laying on… grass? She lay under a single tree in a wide expanse of rolling green hills, a warm breeze caressing her face. Compared to the comfort of the inky black, this was paradise.
A loud clatter off in the distance caught her ear, and she was shocked to see Vale as it was before Cinder had destroyed half of it with her Dust bombs. Pristine.
Just what was going on?
"Glad you finally woke up, I've been sitting here for hours," a voice beside her jibed. Yang froze, tears already in her eyes as she slowly looked to her left.
There, leaning casually against the tree and playing with a leaf, was Ruby. Fifteen once again, her youthful face was unmarred by the ten years of chaos that Cinder had wrought, and she was wrapped in loose-fitting robes of a deep, dark red. Yang gaped at seeing her limbs untouched by the fire. "R…Ruby?" she shakily asked.
Ruby blinked. Nervously, she glanced around her, looking for anyone hiding nearby before she leaned in close and stage whispered, "You didn't hit your head on the way here, did you?"
"RUBY!"
The girl couldn't do anything before she was glomped by Yang, caught in arms of steel that wrapped around her mercilessly. "Ruby! I…! I don't… you're alive!"
Yang was in tears, hugging her sister as she laughed in sheer joy.
Ruby paled. "Y-Yang… can't breathe…" she gargled out.
Just as soon as it had begun, Yang pulled away and held her sister at arm's length as she inspected her. "What happened? Are you okay? Where are we? And why the hell did you go alone?!"
"Y-Yang, I-"
"WE COULDN'T SAVE YOU! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR US!?" Yang screamed, her eyes glowing red.
Ruby glared back and shouted, "I had to try! I wouldn't have been able to fight anyway, my leg was broken!"
With a huff, Yang pulled her sister back into another hug, this one much gentler. "Rubes… I thought I lost you…"
"Yang…" Ruby whispered, "you did."
Yang froze, thrown for a loop as she pulled away. "Wait… what are you talking about? You're right here –" She stopped, realization dawning on her. "Hold on a sec, where are we?"
Smiling, Ruby leaned against the tree. "I don't know. This place doesn't really have a name."
"Wait, is this heaven? 'Cause if it is, I didn't think I'd see Vale. Kinda disappointing, really."
Ruby shook her head. "No, but I guess you could call it a rest stop. This is a place for second chances, Yang. All those years of hate and war? We can relive them here, how they were supposed to be. We can stay here until we're ready to move on. We can stay here forever if we want."
Yang, for one, was confused. Completely and utterly confused. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish's as she struggled to comprehend what was going on.
"So, are we dead?" Yang asked.
"Yep," Ruby said, popping her 'p'.
"How do you know all this? How did we even get here?"
"Well," Ruby said, leaning forward, "that's the thing. You have to be guided here, and only certain people can do that. Yang… Mom brought me here. She brought us both here."
Yang was dumbfounded. "W-Wait… Mom? Summer's here?"
Ruby nodded in excitement. "She left a few minutes before you woke up."
"Does that mean everyone else is here? Blake and Weiss and the gang?" Yang asked eagerly.
Ruby nodded.
"Ozpin? Glynda?"
Another nod. "Everyone that didn't deserve to die when they did, how they did. We're all here."
At this, Yang bounded to her feet, finding that she was in yellow robes of her own. She hauled Ruby to her feet as she asked excitedly, "Then we need to go meet them! This is our second chance, right?"
Ruby nodded.
"Then we need to start things off with a Yang!"
"Yang…"
The two sisters walked towards Vale, disappearing entirely over the hills, though their laughter carried for miles. For this was their second chance. They had done their duty – they protected Vale and its citizens as best they could. Their part was over.
Now, it was time to celebrate.