Pyrrha couldn't believe what she had just seen in front of her. She was still standing on the docks where Team RWBY's airship had returned to. Most of the crowd had dispersed, but she remained there. Pyrrha was frozen out of fear that she might have lost the one person who helped pull her through these troubling times the most. Ruby helped her when no one else was able to, showed her that she deserved another chance at life. If Pyrrha were to hear that that same person then lost their own life, she would be devastated by the very thought.
She didn't know how long she was standing there, tears starting to flow down her face. She didn't know who out of the remaining crowd was watching her, seeing how distraught she was over the loss of her friend. She didn't know if anyone even cared about what was going on, too interested in their own devices or thoughts to take notice.
She didn't even notice when Weiss and Blake showed up right next to her.
When Pyrrha finally did notice, she closed her eyes and hugged herself tightly. Weiss walked up in front of Pyrrha and held her arm out to caress the tall redhead's. "You alright?" Weiss asked after seeing Pyrrha lift her head up to look at her.
"W-what h-h-happened?" Pyrrha mumbled, her voice wavering from the emotions that wracked her body.
"Nothing serious," Weiss replied. "Ruby just got over-exhausted and we figured it was better to have her looked at since she has those new powers of hers."
Pyrrha shut her eyes and let her head drop to the ground when Weiss mentioned Ruby's Maiden powers. The same powers that Pyrrha blamed herself for forcing upon Ruby in the first place. 'It's all my fault,' Pyrrha thought to herself. 'Ruby wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't because of me and my actions. I know she doesn't blame me, but someone has to take responsibility for what happened to her and to everyone else.'
The thoughts once again appeared in her mind. She was making progress to overcome them, but in that moment in time, Pyrrha couldn't help but lose herself with that line of thinking. Her friend was hurt and she felt responsible for it. Despite everyone telling her otherwise, she believed that it was all because of her.
'Remind her that she is such a huge part of your life now. And don't forget to say the things that you wanted to say now, incase the chance never comes again.'
Pyrrha remembered exactly what it was that Dr. Vert had said to her earlier in the day. She was reminded just how close she was to losing Ruby, and who knows what could happen tomorrow. After a few moments, Pyrrha stopped shaking and lifted her head up to speak with Weiss. She was done waiting around to tell Ruby how she felt for the things that she had done in the past few days. She was done waiting to remind Ruby just how important she has become, and she was done hiding from her fears.
"Take me to see her, now," Pyrrha demanded, no room for negotiation left from the redheaded woman.
Without any resistance or hesitation, Weiss and Blake walked with Pyrrha over to the medical win in the school. Blake had been texting Yang and asking her where they have Ruby resting while Weiss was speaking with Pyrrha. Pyrrha walked quietly behind the pair, her only thoughts resting with Ruby.
They passed by many people, but no one bothered to stand in their way. Looking at Pyrrha, no one could blame them. She had a fire in her eyes that no one believed could be extinguished. Blake and Weiss exchanged a few glances in her direction, every time her expression remained unchanged. Between the two of them, they could piece together that Pyrrha had something going on with Ruby. What it was however, neither of them could figure out.
Eventually they came upon Ruby's room, and Pyrrha stood out in front of the door. She didn't want to just barge in there, but at the same time, she hated waiting to see what she should do. Fortunately for her, Weiss walked in first in order to see if it was alright for Pyrrha to go into the room. Moments later, Weiss came back out of the room and nodded to Pyrrha, holding the door open for her to walk in.
The first thing that Pyrrha noticed was that Ruby was sleeping comfortably on her bed. There was no where near as many machines hooked up to her as there was hooked up to Jaune, so that was a good sign in Pyrrha's mind. She heard the sounds of a heart monitor beeping at a steady and even pace, and light breathing from Ruby as she slept soundly.
Pyrrha glanced over at the other person sitting in the room with them, her chair on the left side of Ruby's bed, Yang. She could see the concern on the blonde's face, Ruby was her sister and was in the hospital because of some injuries she sustained while fighting. Needless to say, Pyrrha felt that maybe the blonde wasn't in the best of moods, so she needed to pick her words carefully.
"What happened, if you don't mind me asking," Pyrrha said as she dragged a chair over to the other side of Ruby's bed.
"She got hurt," Yang explained, though she definitely sounded upset while doing so. Pyrrha noticed that Yang was glancing down at her arm, or rather, what was now in it's place. During the fight, Yang lost her right arm above the elbow, and while she got a advanced prosthetic, Pyrrha could only imagine what it had done to Yang mentally.
'Just another pain that I've caused to someone,' Pyrrha thought to herself as she waited for Yang to continue.
"My arm was acting up, it was one of the first times that I've had to use this thing," Yang went on to explain. "Ruby decided to use that new power thing that she got because of the fight weeks ago. She ended up using too much and ran out of energy, leaving her undefended for a beowolf to come up and take a swing at her before we could stop it from happening."
Pyrrha just closed her eyes and let her head drop. She propped herself on the bed with her arms as she felt the weight of what happened crashing down onto her yet again.
"She wasn't hurt that badly because of the strike, but Weiss and I agreed that it was best to bring her back to the infirmary to see if there was any sort of complications," Yang continued to explain to Pyrrha. "The worst of it was a couple of gashes on her arm, but the medical team that picked us up took care of it on the ride back over, so all she needs now is rest."
"It probably was for the best," Weiss said. When Weiss and Blake entered the room, Pyrrha couldn't tell, but she wasn't focusing on what it was that they were saying. She turned to look at Ruby, the calm that rested on her face. Pyrrha felt as though she couldn't truly call Ruby a friend now because of what she had done to her once again.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," Pyrrha muttered, though everyone in the room picked up on what she had said. "This is all my fault."
"What do you mean?" Yang asked. "You weren't the one that got Ruby hurt."
Pyrrha just shook her head, tears rolling down her face as she denied everything Yang said to her. "You're wrong," She sobbed out. "Ruby's hurt because of what I did back in the tournament."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Weiss asked.
"Everything!" Pyrrha shouted, her arms giving out on her once she finished. She cried more into the bed, the sheets doing all they could to muffle her sobs. Lifting her head up and laying it on it's side, Pyrrha continued. "If I had only stopped the fight before things got out of hand, maybe Penny would still be around. If I hadn't have killed her, the battle that took place here at Beacon wouldn't have occurred. Yang would still have her arm, Jaune wouldn't have gotten hurt, and Ruby…" Pyrrha looked over towards Ruby, hoping that there was something that the young girl could say in order to help make her feel better. "Ruby wouldn't have to bear the burden of having those powers she got."
Yang looked over to Weiss and Blake, hoping they could come up with something to help snap Pyrrha out of it. "Pyrrha, none of us are blaming you for what happened," Blake said to her. "We got hurt in the fighting, yes, and some of us got hurt worse than others, including yourself. There was nothing that you could have done to stop this from happening, and if you think there could have been, then you're a damn fool for thinking that way."
Pyrrha just shook her head, she didn't know if she could believe what Blake was saying, even if she wanted to do so. "I don't know if it's possible for me to forgive myself for failing," Pyrrha said. "I was supposed to protect the people, it's all I ever wanted to do. Yet it seems like my actions, despite how I tried to protect, I've only brought death and destruction to the world."
"Pyrrha, just stop."
Everyone turned towards the door to see the newcomers that had arrived at Ruby's room. What surprised everyone the most was that Jaune stood up with Ren and Nora by his side. Despite supporting himself on the machinery that was attached to his body, Jaune looked determined to snap Pyrrha out of her miserable streak.
Pyrrha, despite how much her legs started to shake, stood up and walked over to face Jaune herself. "J-Jaune?" She stuttered, before Jaune cut her off.
"None of us blame you for what happened, no matter what you think of the matter yourself," Jaune explained. "I went and fought harder than I ever did in my entire life, because you deserved a chance to live yours. I don't regret getting hurt at all, and I don't blame you for anything that happened. So please, stop blaming yourself already, it hurts us all to see you like this."
That was the final straw, the last of Pyrrha's strength gave out on her after Jaune's words cut right through to her heart. Pyrrha's legs gave out from under her and she started to collapse to the ground in agony. Instead of hitting the floor however, she felt Blake and Weiss wrap their arms around Pyrrha and help keep her upright.
Pyrrha was sobbing uncontrollably by that point, muttering apologies as she knew that she couldn't stand on her own. Her head was facing downward, no support from anything keeping it upright.
Eventually, she felt more arms wrap around her, as Yang came up from behind to give her a hug as well. Then Nora and Ren came around to the sides and added on. Lastly, Jaune came right up to Pyrrha's front and propped her head upon his own shoulder, letting her cry into it for as long as she needed.
After a few moments, Pyrrha's tears finally faded away, and she looked up to see all of her friends smiling faces. A fresh wave of tears came down, but instead, they were tears of joy. A smile crossed her face for the first time in since she was with Ruby all those days ago. Eventually, everyone let go of the hug and let Pyrrha finally stand on her own.
"Don't worry, Pyrrha," Jaune said, taking a step forward and feeling his body start to collapse.
Seeing her partner, team leader, friend, starting to fall down like that, Pyrrha immediately reached out and grasped onto him and helped him stand up. "Are you ok, Jaune?" She asked right away.
"I knew you'd catch me," Jaune said, confusing Pyrrha. "No matter what happens, we'll always support each other." Jaune grabbed a hold of the machinery attached to his body and held himself up with it, allowing Pyrrha to let go of her own grasp and stand on her own once more. "We'll always be here to help you through whatever it is that you're going through. You're not alone."
"You're wrong…" Pyrrha said. Everyone was curious as to what she meant, but after seeing a smile cross her face, they were more confused than anything. "We are not alone."
That thought filled everyone with cheer, the knowledge that no matter what happened, they would always have someone to go to when they needed help. It certainly brought a much better cheer to the room itself, and there was smiles all around.
Even from Ruby as she lay in her bed, listening in on the conversation around her.
Years had gone by since the tournament. Team RWBY and JNPR both graduated and became fully fledged Hunters and Huntresses. Pyrrha ended up staying in Vale full time though, taking up a teaching position with Beacon Academy in the Combat department. She taught the students how to fight while she was there, preparing them to be the next generation of warriors.
As Pyrrha sat in her office, she looked down and saw the ring that was resting on her left hand, a symbol of her everlasting love to the one she gave everything for. It brought a smile to Pyrrha's face every time she gazed upon the gemstone that rested within the center. The ruby stone surrounded by a blossoming flower made of silver, a ring that became just one part of the bond that Pyrrha shared with Ruby.
Once Ruby woke up after her initial injuries while on that mission so long ago, Pyrrha confessed to Ruby how she felt. Ruby of course, wanted to make sure that it was actual love and not just feelings of salvation from her acts, which Pyrrha understood. Two months later, while on a mission, Pyrrha told Ruby that her feelings for her had only gotten stronger. Ever since that day, Ruby and Pyrrha formed a relationship that ended up standing against the tests of time and all different kind of things that the world threw their way.
They had gone through so much, seen so many parts of the world together, than they eventually tightened their bond to something unbreakable. After returning home one night from classes, Pyrrha didn't hesitate to propose to Ruby, surprising her with the biggest change in their lives. Their eventual wedding was something that most never got to experience. Weiss ended up making it out to be much more of a grandiose event than either Ruby or Pyrrha had wanted, but neither of them wanted to break her spirit with their feelings.
Now Pyrrha is Beacon Academy's combat instructor, replacing Professor Goodwitch as she became the school's administrator full time. Her impressive fighting record before the battle that had taken place at Beacon was more than enough to qualify her for the position. After the battle, she only improved her skills with a drive like no other. She refused to participate in the next Vytal Festival, citing that what happened with her before will always haunt her until she dies. Despite that though, she competed in a few individual low level tournaments. After graduating, Professor Ozpin immediately offered her the position, which Pyrrha accepted immediately.
Ruby and Pyrrha eventually built a home for themselves out near the forest of Forever Fall. It was close enough for the two of them to be able to reach civilization whenever they needed to, but secluded enough that they could have the privacy that each of them wanted so desperately. Pyrrha was especially grateful for that, because she could enjoy the comforts of spending some time at home without having to worry about who was going to try and ask her for an autograph, or a photo out on the streets.
Looking through the list of students and marking their grades in the computer at her desk, Pyrrha sighed as she typed away. A knock on the door grabbed her attention though, and she put the grades on pause while she responded to this. "Enter," Pyrrha said as she waited for the door to open up.
Of course, once she saw who it was, a smile burst right across her face. "How did I just know you would be stopping by to say hello?" Pyrrha asked as she stood up from her desk and walked up to her wife.
"What reason would I have to not stop by and see my lovely wife?" Ruby asked. "I got done briefing Ozpin on my assignment, and I figured you had some free time right now, so I thought, why not go into town and get some lunch? I'm sure you wouldn't mind getting out and spending a little bit of time with me."
Pyrrha smiled and gave her wife a kiss. She was still just slightly taller than Ruby, despite the younger woman having grown a few inches in the past few years. "I think that would be just lovely," Pyrrha whispered to Ruby. "Just let me wrap up a few things here. I was in the middle of putting in students grades and I want to finish with that before I go anywhere."
"You sure it can't wait?" Ruby asked. Though Pyrrha knew that she was fine with this, it was endearing to see Ruby act that way when it came to spending time together. "I'm sure a few of the kids wouldn't mind getting zeros for grades if they know it's for a good cause."
That got a nice laugh out of Pyrrha, her wife seemed to be able to do that at any point in time. "I would love to do that, but alas if I don't do it now, I'm only going to get yelled at by Glynda," Pyrrha explained. "You know as well as I do that even if you are one of the maidens, you are in no way excused from punishment for convincing me to go out to lunch with you and forgetting about student grades."
Ruby shrugged and just chuckled to herself. "I could probably take Goodwitch no problem."
Pyrrha just laughed and shook her head as she took a seat and continued where she left off. "I do believe you could," Pyrrha agreed. "However, I honestly would rather we don't test that theory. Don't need to blow holes in the school, have to deal with getting fired when you beat her, or even...you know."
Ruby knew what Pyrrha was talking about immediately. She knew that Pyrrha was worried that she would lose the one person who helped save her life, the person who meant more to her than herself at times. On instinct, Ruby walked up behind Pyrrha's desk and hugged Pyrrha as she sat in her chair, pressing her lips to Pyrrha's cheek and kissing it.
"I promise you that I'm not going anywhere any time soon," Ruby whispered into Pyrrha's ear.
Pyrrha let her head fall backwards and into Ruby's shoulder. She closed her eyes and took in the embrace even more. She felt like the luckiest woman alive.
"I'll hold you too it then."
AN: And now we can slap the completed tag on this fic! I just couldn't help but give this a happy ending, despite how absolutely depressing it was earlier in the story. Thank you guys so much for sticking with it, and I'm really glad that you guys enjoyed this as much as you did. I couldn't have gotten this finished without you, and I'm being 100 percent honest with you.
Also, did you guys notice what I did with the chapter titles?
Now that I'm finished with this, I can move on to the other things that I need to work on. While this was fun, it's a good place to call it and let the story end. You guys are awesome and I can't thank you guys enough for this.
-NobleMETA